Neus News: September 2011

Sydney, Brian, Grandpa & Grandma Olsen

Sydney's school choir sang the National Anthem at the Diamondback Game in September. It was really fun to be able to go to a game and watch her! The seats we got were in the outfield, down kind of next to the pool. We arrived early when the players were having batting practice. We had so many balls aimed right for is - it was so scary! Two actually hit my exact seat and if I hadn't moved I swear I would be dead. I was nervous the entire game and especially when left handed hitters got up to bat! We ended up only staying a few innings. After Sydney sang we left. Brian wasn't feeling too great and couldn't sit any longer in the hard seats. It was a long hike out to our car, also, and by the time we were headed home Brian was in a lot of pain. It's times like these, when we are doing normal things that we used to do, that we realize how sick Brian is. Anyway, Sydney had fun and did a great job!

Okay, so this is a picture of one of the twins, can't tell from this angle which one, planking. Ha ha! This is the van I've been driving for 2 1/2 years. I really never liked it. We traded our gas-hog Suburban in for this van when the gas prices were really high. Anyway, the kids and I were in a car accident and the van was totaled. We were heading out one morning to run a few errands and some guy not paying attention slammed into the side of us, right into the door behind the driver's door. It was mass chaos. All of my 5 kids are extremely dramatic and were screaming. I was completely freaked out. Mostly by my children's reaction to what had happened. I quickly tried to asses everyone's injuries. Sommer was bleeding. Chloe had a huge knot on the side of her head. Lauryn had blood on her from somewhere - later found out it was Sommer's blood that had gotten on her. Hunter seemed fine - just really angry. Sydney's eye was swollen. Mostly everyone was hurt from bumping into somebody else or a window. Sommer was next to the window that shattered and had glass cuts up and down her left side. Anyway, everybody was upset. I was just in shock. The poor man who ran into us came over to see if we were alright. Before I could tell him that we were all okay, Sommer lifted up her bleeding arm and said, "Do I look okay? Look what you did to me, you loser!". Yes, she actually said that. To a complete stranger. I was so embarrassed.

So Brian just happened to be driving by right after the accident happened and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He quickly pulled over and helped me get the kids out of the street and onto the shoulder. The fire department showed up and assessed everyone. I just told them to please let me take the kids home and figure out there if anyone needed to be taken in to the doctor. I didn't want my family sent to different emergency rooms and especially didn't want Brian having to be in an emergency room where he could pick up any strange illness lurking there. The EMT's agreed with me - they were mostly worried about Chloe's head and that Sommer might need stitches. So we got everyone home and basically sat around all day on the couches looking at each other. Chloe ended up with a nice black eye, just like Sydney's. Sommer didn't need stitches - just lots of band aids up her leg and arm. Everyone required chiropractic work - especially Hunter and I. My lower back hurt so bad. It was not a fun experience. But I did learn a lot about my children. I learned that I need to teach them how to react better in a traumatic situation. I couldn't have predicted that they would act like that - and never would have imagined that would be how they would react. Great learning experience for all of us!