Hilloween, Halloween, Horrors

The Real Halloween Horrors:

Halloween season started with a real horror: a phone call from Zachary at 11am on a Tuesday, saying he was hurt.  I hoped it was minor, but I knew from his voice that he was holding back and scared.  He explained that he ran into a pole and he was worried he broke his collar bone.  I was not sure at all how hurt he was since that was hard to judge from the phone call.  He said, "I think I really need to go to the doctor," and that was a clear indication that an ER visit was in order.  Brady was first to arrive.  As soon as Zachary was in the car, he let his true emotions emerge.  It was tender and heartbreaking to hear him express his deep sadness--he was convinced his soccer season was over.  Again.

Mom and Dad were packing up to depart Kaua'i that night so they agreed to pick up Owen and Kate from school so I could go to the hospital.  Seeing him hurting in the hospital bed was so sad.  His shoulder was visibly swollen, he was pale, and he looked sick.

The accident happened with a football pass from Piko, his friend at school.  It was overshot but our competitive kid made a running/flying leap for the ball and collided with a pole.

And no, to answer Brady's question and three other doctors/technicians, he did not complete the pass.

His x-rays came back normal and the tech actually cleared him.  Our orthopedic surgeon friend asked us to alert him with x-rays came in so he could look at them, though, and he was concerned by shadows on the x-ray.  The ER doctor noticed the same thing and they both recommended a CT scan.

Zachary and I killed time by watching Beckham, which was maybe a poor choice considering he was convinced soccer ended that day for him. 

"Mom, can you scratch my nose?"

The CT results came back and Brady got a phone call from Derek (our ortho friend) and the ER doctor came back in at the same time with the same news.  Brady was on the phone with Derek while I listened to the ER doctor.  They both shared how unbelievable his injury was--a broken scapula is exceptionally rare and typically something you see in a bad motorcycle wreck and certainly not from casual play.  It takes great force for this to happen and his scapula was "shattered."

Despite already knowing something was deeply wrong, Zac was pretty emotional to hear the news.  The doctor explained that the next two weeks were critical--there was a good chance his body would heal without surgery if he stayed still enough and wore his sling religiously.  Derek also explained that the surgery to repair this injury was "grizzly" and we wanted to avoid it if at all possible.  It was a 3-month recovery before any normal motion could be resumed, and he had to avoid all contact with people (bumping, etc.) and sports during this time.

All Zac heard was, "No soccer.  No soccer.  No soccer."  He trained to get in shape--three times a week at the gym, practicing with his AYSO team, running cross country--all to play soccer this season.  Boom, it was over.  Again.

By request, I bought him McDonalds and listened to him express sadness and disappointment.  Kate and Owen were so supportive.  Mom and Dad Edwards gave him hugs as they departed back home that night.  It was a somber evening.  I felt intense gratitude that we didn't leave the ER before getting a CAT scan.  There was "no way" it was going to be a broken scapula but I'm so grateful for doctors both pushing for the imaging that helped us keep our kid safe.

The pain for the first week was bad.  He took his strong meds twice but hated how he felt with them, so stuck with Ibuprofen.  He barely slept and was so intensely uncomfortable all the time.  He went to school the next day which was definitely a mistake, but he seemed intent on going so we didn't push him one way or another.  We later heard him tell the doctor that we made him go (?), so clearly there was something missing in translation.  He has since missed quite a bit of school to help him recover--this injury has been exhausting physically and emotionally for him.  Brady has worked with him daily to help him organize his priorities, stay in check with his homework, and get extensions from teachers.

I love you, kiddo, and I'm so, so sorry you are dealing with this.

A few days later, I went on a jog and saw an ambulance and fire truck getting a police escort our of our neighborhood.  I saw a neighbor's scooter and knew he must have lost control.  He was in critical condition and weeks later, his skull still sits on ice and his kidneys are on dialysis. It was a much more serious horror.

Moving from serious to humorous Halloween horrors, I noticed that Owen's class was planning for a "Porn Party" while I was in one day leading an art class.

Another horror: discovering termites in our pantry.  ARGH!  It meant tearing out all the Home Depot shelves that were originally installed when we built, and countless hours of relocating, patching, sanding, and painting.  We are currently utilizing plastic shelving units while we design and order a new pantry arrangement.

We capitalized on our many Home Depot runs and rented a carpet shampooer and extended ladder.  Years ago, I tossed a pillow up to Brady and hit our chandelier, breaking off some of the glass drops.  It's now fixed!  That doesn't make me sad:

So. Much. Work.

Hilloween

Real horrors aside,

Reef and Owen.  Owen did not want to wear his "real costume" because it was so special and we were both envisioning a lot of mud.  Turns out it would have been ok but now we know. He threw on his Yoda cap and was good to go.

Capt Underpants...so cringy; so good.

"The Girls," including Steroid Barbie.

Travis as a Walmart shopper.

My broken boys--one dressed as a teenager who ran into a pole and one as a man who can't stop limping.

Derek, letting us know the course rules:

Old School Toys:

Kate and I kind of twinning as candy corn, with Ella, who ran into the photo saying, "Kate Edwards, my favorite sister!"

Anxious anticipation:

Race time: It's called "Hilloween" for a reason--those hills were beastly.  My arms and legs went completely limp trying to keep up with Kate, and I wondered if I could really maintain pace with her.  After some descending, I felt fine and reminded myself that I do this every year--take photos of costumes and neglect warming up.

Kate was determined to be 1st place girl but as we turned the corner and looked at the staggeringly high hill, she said, "Oh man, this is WAY harder than hiking Grand Canyon and I don't know if I can do it."

You know who did it?  Kate.  I told her we could relax the pace of course, but to stay calm and remember the hills don't last forever.  She worried about vomiting near the end and I reassured her she wouldn't vomit mid-race.  Right?  Ha!  She finished hard, sprinting through the obstacles and winning 1st place female.

I finished and went back to cheer for Owen, but barely had to walk 15 steps because he was only 2 minutes behind us!  Whoo-hoo!  He told me that he initially ran with friends but they wanted to walk, and he told them, "I'm not a walker."  Haha.

He was pooped afterwards, and naturally rested in the hot sun.

Next up, the Keiki Trick-or-Treat run: 9 decorated stations along the course.  Such a fun event supporting Kate's ballet studio.

Ballet girls:

Owen and Megs:

After cleanup, Hilary and I ran a lap of the course.  She worked the whole time and wanted a chance to do the trail.  The flags were down and my sense of direction disappeared completely, so we ran trails but we are pretty sure we didn't run THE trail.  Shrug!

Meanwhile, Derek made it worth Owen's while to stay after and clean up, taking him on a 4x4 trip.

The day was packed: Brady and Zachary went straight to soccer after volunteering for 3 hours, Kate went to Nutcracker rehearsal, and Owen and I went home to cook and prep for the Ward Trunk or Treat.

Two Barbie/Ken pairs:

The Mario to my Luigi:

The following Tuesday was Halloween and Owen could hardly wait to put on his costume again and prep for the school parade and Trunk-or-Treat:

I couldn't stop laughing at his missing eyes...

Marching around with his classmates:

There were some impressive trunks at his school:

My favorite:

Finally for the big haul: walking Kekela Makai with Clarks and Stebbins that evening.

Zac actually created a costume but you know...he doesn't love pictures.

Brady learned this year that he has to claim his part of the costume early or he ends up wearing an inflatable shell and a stuffed animal instead of a mustache.

I say it every year, but I've never seen such a candy spread.  Maybe this shot belongs up with the real horrors?  The kids went to town on trading and organizing their candy and traded it in a few days later.  Wasteful?  Yes.  Less chance for cancer and diabetes?  Hopefully.

Happy Sugar Comas to us all.