Golfcart Accident

Well, never thought I'd say this but.....I'm Stephanie and I ran over my kid with a golf cart. Yes, it's true. And  yes, she's fine.  Here's the story.  The Sunday before the 4th of July we were leaving the beach heading back to the house to get Stella ready for VBS. Stella was standing up, holding on to the right post. I stopped at the stop sign and slowly accelerated and began to turn left. In the middle of the intersection Stella lost her balance and pivoted around (as she was still holding onto the post which connects the cart and the roof) and out over the asphalt. She eventually couldn't hold on any more and fell on her right side. Somehow her left leg got out of the way, but the tire rode over her right side. I believe mainly just her right knee area. I was only going a few mph, but couldn't stop in time. Really, it it felt as though I left my body to watch this happen but couldn't do anything to stop it. I felt the tire bump-bump over her little body. Thankfully it was just me on the cart and only one wheel went over one of her legs so there wasn't too much weight on her. I hopped off, scooped her up and put her around me. She was bleeding and screaming. I stomped on the gas to make it home as quickly as possible. I said to her, "This should not have happened baby, I'm so sorry." She lifted her head, sucked up some snot and screamed at me, "I didn't do this, YOU did!" It was heartbreaking. She thought I was blaming her, but what I was trying to say was it shouldn't have happened because I shouldn't have let her stand up while I was driving. 

We got home and she screamed for Donald.  Her knee was bleeding and the side of it was swollen. She wouldn't put any weight on it and I could tell she was in a lot of pain.  I got her out of her swimsuit and into the bathtub. I called Donald and put him on speaker phone thinking he could calm her down. I was wrong. I just knew her leg was broken and started thinking of what I needed to do. I knew that she usually will calm down if I just leave her be. So I left her in the tub and hopped in the shower next to her to rinse off quickly because in my mind, I was headed to the ER once I got us dressed. The sobbing and crying out for Donald continued. I wrapped her in a towel and laid her on the chaise lounge in the living room and whispered I was going to get dressed and I'd be right back. I disappeared into the closet and walked out barely 90 seconds later to find her passed out from exhaustion and pain in the chair. 

Stella ended up sleeping for over an hour and a half. At some point I started fixing supper. I was at the stove and she walked out in front of me completely naked and said, "Mama, I'm hungry." I was so happy those were the first words out of her mouth after waking. But then as soon as those words escaped her lips you could see her brain processing everything and this look swept over her face. She immediately started crying and lifted up her leg not wanting to bear any more weight.  I ran over and picked her up, put panties on her and sat her back down in the chair. Supper was almost ready. 

I took pictures of everything so I'd have something to compare if things got or appeared worse.

Poor thing-The left knee was still healing from falling while walking Jay the week before.

It wasn't until that evening while putting her to bed that I realized she wasn't just hurt on her knee. In actuality, her entire right side was scraped and bruised up. I discovered this when I offered to give her a massage. I wanted to check her out, but I knew she wouldn't let me take a really good look, but this way I could look all I wanted.  Since she landed on the pavement, there wasn't any "give" to it like there would have been if she had landed on dirt or grass. The road was not forgiving to her little body.

right ankle

right hip bone

right elbow

right knee

swollen and bruised right elbow

back-side of right knee

Good news is, I didn't need to take her to the ER. Turns out she was starving from being out on the beach all day and not eating properly. Then, she was upset from me running over her, thinking I blamed her for it all and being in pain. She also missed Daddy and on top of that, was clearly exhausted from being up late and just doing a lot of physical activity at the beach.  She ate a HUGE meal and bite after bite, her mood improved. Slowly she forgot about the pain more and more.

After supper we headed out to take Bandit for a walk. I offered to push her in the stroller. She sat down and I pushed her for the walk, but about half and hour later she was running around in Jerry and Cathy's yard chasing after their grandkids. I asked her to take it easy, and she did slow down for a few minutes, but by the end of the night I could tell she was fine as she was running around everyone and bouncing on the floor. 

The thing that seemed to bother her the most was her elbow. She favored it quite a bit for the next few days.

I was also able to take her to VBS the next night and she doesn't seem to have any lasting injuries.

When I told my dad and some friends Stella had gotten hurt, they all admitted to laughing when they found out she got ran over, but also were genuinely concerned for her and happy to hear all was well.

The rest of the summer I had no issue with her trying to stand up. We'll just let that be something she does at LolliPop's since if she falls there, she'll just land on the grass.

I am SO thankful she was and is ok from this. It could have been so much worse. 

Forest Fridays-Edition 2

Back in May, a few days after school let out for the summer, Stella and I headed for the woods to seek out a waterfall. It was a bit of a haul for us, but we both really enjoyed the waterfall and it's surroundings. I labeled the blog post Forest Friday and that was that. 

Then I awoke this morning and thought, ya know, we should do that again. Well, actually, my original plan was to stay inside and be "lazy". I use the quotation marks because I'm far from lazy since I'm constantly puttering, organizing, straightening, cleaning something, etc...but I just didn't really want to go anywhere with it raining. And I wanted to try to make homemade English muffins with Stella. Then I realized two things: 1. The rain was over. 2. I didn't have all of the ingredients to make the muffins.

My initial gut instinct on where to go was Sweetwater Creek. It's not far from the house, there's water (which Stella always gravitates to), shade and it's beautiful. But I thought we should try someplace new. I have this goal in my head of wanting to visit all of the Georgia State Parks and I figured if we went somewhere close, but new, it would get me closer to checking them off of the list.

I remembered hearing about Panola Mountain and knew it wasn't too far from Atlanta. I also remember thinking I'd read somewhere that it was similar to Stone Mountain. From the website: "Panola Mountain is a 100-acre granite outcrop similar to Stone Mountain, but smaller and much more pristine. Park visitors will see the outcrop and its rare ecosystem just as Native Americans did centuries ago."

I decided PMSP was doable for a last minute day trip.  I packed a picnic lunch and got us ready. I remembered reading that dogs weren't allowed on some of the trails so I left Bandit at home. 

It takes us about 45 minutes to get there. We pull in and immediately pass a beautiful and large playground. I keep driving trying to find a visitor's center. We get out to see a Nature Center and I grab a map. I immediately look to see where we are in relation to the mountain. Then I read, "Ranger-led guided hikes are required to access the mountain."  Well damn.  So one of the two rangers there asks me if he can help with anything. I tell him we are just visiting for the day but would like to see the mountain and possibly the lake. I see where there is a trail which leads to an overlook and he tells me it's a little over a mile to get to the overlook. Then he says parts of the lake are closed for damn repair, it's really low and in fact, part of the lake doesn't even have water in it. Crap. This is not going how I planned. 


We hop back in the car and drive to the parking lot where we can access the trail. I then realize it's a PATH trail. I don't actually know what that is, but I recognized it from Smyrna.  The "trail" is paved, with yellow lines like ones on a road for two-way traffic. We start walking. 

We come up on a stream which flows under our walkway and stop to peek into the woods. See, there are wooded hikes/trailways, but none of them lead to the overlook so we avoid them due to time constraints. This means, we miss the beauty of the forest I love so much. I adore the ferns, moss, lichen and various mushrooms which line the forest floor.

Here are some of my favorites from venture just off the PATH.

Trifecta in one photo: 'shrooms, ferns, bubbling creek.

I thought this was so neat. It's a piece of a log that has separated like the pages in a book.

My beauty next to a Beauty Berry Bush.

"Look Mama, this leaf looks like a cicada's wings!" 

We were able to see some cool stuff by occasionally stepping off of the PATH, but for the most part we walked on a cement side-walk essentially through a line of trees while dozens and dozens and dozens of low-flying aircraft flew over our head. Yeah, apparently PMSP is directly underneath the flight/landing path for the airport. You know that whole saying about the airport where a plane takes off every 3 seconds? Yeah so literally we didn't get a single second of peace and quiet in the "woods" despite being the ONLY people out there. That was eerie. Oh and considering we were the only people out there and on the PATH we could have had Bandit with us to get some exercise. I hate we didn't bring him. 

Whatever....we keep walking and walking. Stella asks "How much farther?" a few times. Finally. I see the sign for the overlook. The signage should have read "overlook" because I have no idea what they are talking about. I mean, when your website says, "granite outcrop similar to Stone Mountain" I'm picturing a tall-ish, bald-ish mountain to view from this overlook. But nope. The foreground was just some rocks covered in moss and lichen and the background was trees. 

This is the "view" guys.

There is more of a "view" behind Stella here. (She picked that flower for me.) 

And full disclosure? We jumped off the end of the boardwalk "overlook" to get a better look around. Turns out we weren't supposed to do that, but oh well. It was brief.

This is looking back up where the boardwalk and overlook were.

Panola Mountain State Park was....how do I put this? Underwhelming? A let-down? A bust? Disappointing? Boring? Stella and I decided on boring. And then she let me know just how boring she thought it was on our walk back to the car. I admit, I was bored myself. I really wish I had done better research on this state park.  

So yes, we were bored. But, not terribly bored. I mean, it was still a beautiful day with a lovely and sometimes gusty wind. We saw a baby pinkish-grayish snake come slithering quite quickly in front of us, plus a lot of grasshoppers both big and small. Lots of butterflies were fluttering around us and Stella rescued several caterpillars, (all of which were a different color and size) from imminent death on the PATHway. We also got lots of fresh air and exercise walking just over 2 1/2 miles.  Also, and TMI for some, but Stella was super excited to "pee like a boy" with our GoGirl funnel in the woods. Ha. It's the simple things, guys.

Translation on Panola Mountain State Park: That quote above talking about it being "smaller and more pristine [than Stone Mountain]" was clearly true. Turns out, most granite outcrops are mined, Stone Mountain being no exception, which robs the mountain of it's natural inhabitants-moss, lichen, resurrection ferns, etc. But Panola Mountain was never mined which is why it is so wooded and "pristine."

So yeah, I'm not sure if we'll be back here. I mean, I could drive the same distance and just be at Stone Mountain Park and I know we would NOT be bored there. 

First Day of Pre-K

I can hardly believe this kid is a Pre-k'er!! Man I love her.

Friday we got the call on who Stella's Pre-K teachers were going to be. Then we found out Annika and Charlotte (classmates from last year) would also be in her class.

Tuesday Stella had her 4 year check-up 2 1/2 months late because either I never scheduled it or her doctor's office never called to scheduled. I didn't realize this until late July maybe. So anyways...she's in the 82% for weight, the 72% for height and wears anywhere from a 9-11 shoe size. A few 6-8 year olds we know are only 1 shoes size away from her. 

Wednesday this girl got to meet her teachers, Miss Denisse and Miss Eileen.

After meeting them me and Kimberly surprised the girls with a trip to Nail Tek for pre Pre-K mani/pedi's. We also got our own. The girls were so happy and excited to have their own area. We were too! Me and Kimberly got to sit in another room and have an actual conversation, but we could monitor the girls on camera above us.  

Stella and Charlotte both chose sparkly pink, but different shades of sparkly pink. Stella even went with one shade on her fingers and one on her toes. Any time Stella is offered a choice in colors, her choice is always pink. I can totally see us doing the "Her colors are pink and pink. The sanctuary looks like it's been sprayed down with Pepto Bismol." "No Mama, my colors are blush and bashful!"

The girl painted little white flowers on both of their big toes. So cute!

Then this happened in Kroger. She told me she was sleepy and then just went to sleep. I totally thought she was faking for a while.

And finally.....the day we've all been waiting on!! "My first day of Pre-K!!"

At 4, going into Pre-K, she weighs just a pound or two less than my dad did the day he started 1st grade! 

Her foot is about to be bigger than my entire hand which I am NOT ready for. 

In addition to wanting to be a veterinarian, an artist and a mommy, Stella also wants to be a restaurant owner. Dogs, both regular and service dogs, are welcome, of course. 

Stella loves to dress up and be "fancy", but she also adores to just be in her panties all day. If we aren't going anywhere she will most likely not put on clothes. If she does have on clothes, they usually come off soon after entering the door because she's "so hot!" Makes laundry easy for me. She can be seen pictured in just panties a few photos up showing off her freshly painted nails.

She has these dimples hidden in her eyebrows, but they appear when she smiles really big or laughs really hard when Daddy or me are tickling her. I can kind of see them in the picture here, but they are easier to spot in person.

She's fiesty, argumentative and full of attitude and I know she will kick ass when she gets older. 

She has the perfect little splattering of freckles popping up on the bridge of her nose and cheeks.

She drives me INSANE by yanking out half of the tissues out of the box to make beds and blankets for her dolls and stuffed animals.

I did not pose her and I love that she kicked her leg back like this. 

She loves anything to do with space/solar system.

She has just started helping me prep fruit and veggies by cutting them on her very own cutting board. 

She loves the man she calls Daddy so much. She loves me too as she tells me several times a day, especially when she can't think of anything else to say, but their love is different. And I love that.

Both Donald and I brought her to school and picked her up. She loved that special treat. She did great. No hesitation or tears, just happiness and excitement. So proud of her.

R-O-A-R! Stella turns 4! (The party)

So last Summer I took Stella to a Movies by Moonlight event at Taylor Brawner Park. The movie was The Good Dinosaur. She loved it. Donald bought it for her birthday. But eventually I tired of watching and hearing The Good Dinosaur over and over. Then I remembered a childhood favorite of ours-The Land Before Time. She loved it. And those two movies started a love of dinosaurs for Stella. 

I saw this invite on Pinterest or Etsy and loved it's simplicity. I asked around on Facebook for someone to make something similar and Britany helped me out with an exact replica. Unfortunately, they couldn't make it to the party, but I was so grateful for this.

We set up this seating area under the carport in case of rain or too much sun,  but literally no one sat here. Everyone mingled in the backyard the entire time.

Instead of buying decorations I just made a few out of cardboard boxes. I wanted to be somewhat "green" and we also didn't want to do a lot of set-up.  I bought some dinosaur stamps and had a few birthday stamps.  Stella helped me stamp them and she enjoyed helping with the decor.

Of course I had to put out these metal signs my mom gave me 

when Stella was born.

This girl loved helping me set up things for her party.

That huge sheet of plastic back there is actually 3 pieces put together to make Metro Atlanta's largest slip 'n' slide.

And the birthday banner I made for Stella for her first birthday.

Silly faces before the party

Simple party favors-Dinosaur stickers and grow-in-water dinos.  

See the two dinosaur things in the background? Those are bubble guns I bought off of Zulily. They were quite the hit. When I bought them I just thought they dispensed bubbles. Turns out they light up and roar. Really loudly too.  We went through a lot of bubbles with these and they caused a few fights.

Stella wanted dirt cake for her party so the birthday girl got what she asked for. 

I also made simple vanilla mini cupcakes for those who may have wanted just a little bite or something without chocolate.

She told me she wanted her own star cake to put the candles in but didn't even end up eating this. 

I stamped the craft paper with the dino stamps and 

set up some dinosaur books for more decor.

We did it pretty simple this year-fresh fruit and veggies, homemade ranch, crackers and cheese, plus a bunch of Papa John's pizza. We usually stick with Siracusa's for pizza, but I personally love some Papa Johns. Also, we had one of those local area coupon cards with 30% off an online order 

which made our decision easy.

Waiting on guests to come through the gate....

This kid! 

I swear she loves him! 

She just always gets overwhelmed at the guests at first. 

Every.single.year.

Eric sneaking into the playhouse and Ellery splashing in the pool.

This was the best family photo we could get. Her shirt is a pink stegosaurus and reads "Stellasaurus." Mine is a T-Rex and reads "Mama Saurus." 

My cousin Jennie made these for us, plus the ones my parents are wearing.

Love The Green Family.                             And See....told you she likes him!

This was the best we could get out of her for a photo with LolliPop.

Harper and Londynn

This slip 'n' slide/water area was such a huge hit!

Classy pose Stella!

Izzy & Mila thought this was pretty funny.

Izzy and Ethan

Let's just say the hula hoop went in the trash after the party.

What I imagine Harper saying: "Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls. It is my pleasure to show you this rare creature and her spectacular tricks....Behold!"

Yay! Happy birthday/cake time!

But then reality sets in.....which means everyone crowds around her which makes her uncomfortable and a kid from the crowd ends up blowing out her candle which upsets her (understandably, of course) so we end up re-lighting the candles 4-5 times so she can blow it out the 2nd time and other kids can partake in the candle blowing out festivities the other times. 

Follow along below.

   

This year's random kid to blow out Stella's candles (it's always a different one) was our neighbor, Calvin!!!

Yep, see that face? 

She's pissed and Charlotte is upset for her. Everyone's listening to me tell them, "Ok guys, this is Stella's party, so let her blow the candles out this time and I will re-light them as many times as needed, but just give this to her!"

Whew! It worked. They listened. Stella blew out her candles. 

Mission accomplished.

And moving on to the dirt cake candles....

Alright so now she's pissed because people are poking their fingers in her cake to swipe the dinosaurs off of it. Her dinosaurs. Y'all? These are valid points, but it's still comical to me. And I can laugh. I'm her mom. 

I deal with this all the time.

 

Very quickly I scooped her out some dirt cake and she inhaled it. And was in a better mood. It may not look like it from these next pictures but she was shortly thereafter. Hey, it's her party and she can cry if she wants to...

I tell ya, she can burn through holes with that look!

And now we move on to the part of the party where they all decided the hula hoop would be the angry circle. I'm not making this up.

So just to be clear, no one is actually mad here (anymore), 

they are just pretending to be.

 

Clearly a lot of craziness was going on.

Charlotte apparently still had those angry feelings from earlier when Calvin blew out Stella's candles so she decided to take them over to the angry circle with the birthday girl. That's what friends are for!

But Maddy was all smiles!

Stella was thrilled she got to hold Maddy's little sister, Baby Sophie. 

This was such a fun party. Some of Stella's friends from school were there: Annika & Mila with their older siblings, Charlotte and Maddy. Unfortunately, Stella's boyfriend, Andrew wasn't present. She did make it through the party without him though so all is well. The Paulk's, The Green's, Kim and Grayson, Harper, Londynn, Ava & Ellery made it. Our neighbor's Alana and Eric, plus the "C" Monsters-Cameron, Cadence and Calvin were there too. 

We never put an end time on our invites, because we love for everyone to hang out as long as they want. And we aren't rushing off anywhere, of course. So a few families were left and we heard a few rumbles up above and the wind picked up. We started tidying up some and bringing in anything that didn't need to get wet. The Paulk family ended up hanging with us until sometime around 10. We weathered the storm all huddled together on the back porch sitting on camping chairs and coolers talking way too loud over the fan and sound of rain on the tin roof. When the storm passed the kids went outside with flashlights and lanterns on a hunt of some kind. At some point they went in Stella's room and ate a bunch of gum. Not sure where they found it, but I discovered wads of it in the bottom of her trashcan. Fun times. Really. Our bright star is so loved. 

Donald really pushed for a party somewhere other than our home this year. He didn't want a lot of work. Stella wouldn't have it. She told us, "No. I don't want a party anywhere else. I want it at home. All of my other parties have been at home. This one should be at home too." I sort of tried to convince her to have it somewhere else, but deep down, I wanted it at home too. I love our backyard. I love that she wanted it there. Her simple requests this year were the sprinkler and the slip 'n' slides. Done. I just wanted a bunch of happy people in our yard celebrating our girl. Done.