COTTON DISTRICT ARTS FESTIVAL 2016

Saturday morning I got up and got ready very early and my friend Missy picked me up for our Junior Auxiliary shift. We were doing set up for the Children's Art Village.  This is such a fun thing to do for the kids of Starkville at the Cotton District Arts Festival.  Elle was so excited about it she woke up at 4:30 and never went back to sleep. My shift went great and we finished set up early.  I got back home and we got the kids ready and went back to the Cotton District to enjoy the festival. This weekend was Super Bulldog Weekend and there was a football practice game along with three baseballs games but with my foot and Kenny out of town it was just too hard to do all that.  So we focused on just the festival.

We were talking next to a couple going to the Cotton District who had this beautiful bulldog  so I asked them if Elle could pet it and take a picture with it.  They happily obliged!

Once we got to the festival we went straight to the arts village. There are lots of booths with art and other things but it is too hard to shop with kids so we walk down and kind of peek in but the arts village is the main event for us! And the food of course! The arts village did not disappoint for Elle and we had a great time doing all the different crafts. She was old enough this year that she wanted to take her time at all the booths doing her artwork. It is fun for me too because the whole town comes so lots of chit chat!

Elle working on her scratch art.

Selfie with mommy.

Doing spin art with my friend Kristen.

Doing Easel art with dot markers.

Mom took Walker for a stroll and waited in a long line to get balloon animals for the kids. 

She may have not been having as much fun as Elle and I were.

Picture with the kids.  Love this one.  Makes me sad Kenny was not there for family picture though.

CeCe and Walker after they had scored a balloon animal.

Decorating a cookie!

Enjoying the cookie!

Elle ran into one of her closest school friends, Violet as the thumb print table.  

My mom took Walker for a stroll through the booths and came back with him passed out.

He slept for 20 minutes and then was cranky the rest of the day.

Even more friends! Brooklyn and Caroline!

Elle loves the drum station  they have.

 Walker shook the morocca with CeCe while we played the drums! 

My friend Mary Martha made me take a picture with my cast and scooter. 

She told me that this made her day.  I can't imagine why. 

After we finished up at the arts village we set out to find some yummy fair type food for lunch,  The area where the food was was pretty congested so we settled on something easy but still very delicious! Corndogs!  Then for something sweet we enjoyed some chocolate covered bacon.  We remembered it from the festival last year and made sure we got some!

Elle and Walker playing together while we waited on the corn dogs to arrive!

Enjoying our chocolate covered bacon on a stick.

Walker got in on the action too!

SCHOOL DAYS AND GRANDPARENTS DAY

Last week was super busy and I was so lucky to have wonderful friends who completely mapped out and scheduled all of my carpooling for Walker and Elle and had Elle over to play everyday after school.  This allowed me to stay in bed all day which was a Godsend because with the soft splint I had I was not able to walk.   Walker came home each day around 2:30-3 but Elle did not get home until 6 each night.  I missed her!

I got Walker's class picture proof in.  It was so cute.  Sweet babies!

On Thursday Elle had a field trip to Mississippi State to learn all about bugs.  They had been learning about bugs for two weeks at school.  I was so incredibly sad to miss this field trip with her.  I have been on every field trip and this was the last one for the school year.  But I had a doctors appointment for my post surgery check up and to get a new cast.  I recruited my friends to send me pictures of her in the action and was so happy to get some throughout the day.

Elle with two of her close friends in another Pre-K class.

Holding the butterflies was her favorite part and she told me all about it after school.

Looking at honey comb with her friend Ruby.

Elle enjoyed the bee portion also.  She talked about getting to feed the bees through a little tube.

Elle claims she was not going to touch that big ol spider.

The field trip was on Thursday and since I got a new cast at my doctors appointment that I could actually stand and somewhat walk in I wanted Elle to come home and spend time with me.  She and I had discussed that morning before school that when she got home from school that I would give her a quick bath and then we would watch Pippi Longstocking together.

I don't think I was the only one who had missed Elle.  Walker was extra lovey.

Brother and sister love!

As I mentioned I had a good post surgery appointment.  They said it was healing well and pulled my stitches before recasting me in a huge new cast that let me stand up and walk but I cannot put any weight on my toes at all.  All on the heel which causes me a lot of pain. I will be in the cast for three weeks before moving to a boot for even longer.  I chose purple because Elle's favorite color is purple and there aren't any adult color choices for casts. Graphic picture of my foot coming next so scroll quickly if you don't want to see!

My poor foot!

My huge purple cast!

I was so happy to be able to stand!  I definitely have to hobble but it is still an improvement.

Late Thursday night my mom came back into town.  She planned to come a while back because this weekend was Super Bulldog Weekend and Kenny had been at market for over a week and she usually comes to help me while he is gone.  The visit happened to coincide with Grandparents Day at Elle's school.  They do a little program and sing songs and then the grandparents are able to go to the classrooms to see their work and meet their teacher.  I had no idea the crowd that would be there.  They had a huge turnout! Elle was excited to have CeCe there and I was happy too because if she had not been coming anyway I would of completely disregarded it and not even gone to the program myself. The program was so cute and Elle's group sand Blue Suede Shoes which she has performed countless times since then.  

All the grandparents waiting on the program to start.

Elle's class right when they came in.

One of the cute pictures hanging in Elle's classroom.

CeCe and Elle in Mrs. Suzanne's room.

Elle and her friend Olivia as we were leaving the school.

Had to include this picture of Walker on a wagon ride that afternoon.  

It was chilly so we had him bundled up.  He is so cute! 

SURGERY, FLOWER PLANTING AND MASTERS OH MY!

So you may remember this picture from a while ago.  February 3 to be exact.  I was told my sesamoid bone was broken and have been in a cast or boot for months and it had not healed at all.  I switched to a foot specialist at a new orthopedic clinic where we did an MRI and found that the bone was not receiving blood and was dying.  It would never get any better so the best option was to have surgery to remove it.  So I had surgery last week to remove it.

Here it is the day I was told it was broken. 

And well here it is in a cup.  The problem bone.  The doctor came out to give this to Kenny in the waiting room.  He was so excited to show it to him so we have laughed and laughed about having it to take home. Elle thinks it is so neat and even asked if she could "pass it down to her son or daughter one day."  We just died.

I am going to just go ahead and say that this surgery has kicked my hiney and without the help of Kenny, my mom and all my friends I am not sure what I would of done.  It has been one thing after another.  I was told that I would be able to place some weight on my foot and that is just not the case. So I go between crutches and a scooter right now.  The scooter at least allows my hands to be free and to carry Walker some.  But it hurts and takes a lot of energy to maneuver.  The pain meds made me feel awful and the whole thing has just been an ordeal.  I go back to the doctor tomorrow to get my stitches removed and I am hoping that a "walking" cast will really enable me to walk!

The scooter in all it's glory.

Laid up in bed on one of the first days.

Elle and Walker have really enjoyed the scooter.

Our friend Ava brought us over a big meal on the night of the surgery with chocolate covered strawberries as dessert and Elle was obsessed.  She ate 4 or 5!

Kenny putting our sleepy baby boy to bed.  He had to do all of bed time 

each night because I can't go upstairs.

Kenny surprised Elle with a milkshake one day when he picked her up from school and she came home and crawled in bed with me to tell me about her day.  I love that sweet girl.

Walker hanging with me on the scooter on a day I must of gotten out of bed and into the shower.

My mom came in town late Thursday night to help Kenny and me.  Elle was so excited because she brought all my spring flowers for all my flower pots and Elle and my mom plant our flowers every year!

All ready to get those flowers planted!

Walker was so mad because he wanted to go outside but since 

he is still not walking we can't go let him crawl around in the dirt. 

Elle happy to be digging in the dirt!

Daddy brought Walker out for a little bit to watch.  He still wasn't a

ll that happy though because he wanted to get down.

Saturday afternoon Kenny packed because he has market this week and then he was also absolutely thrilled to be swinging through the Masters on Sunday.  My cousin and her husband gave him a pass. He has been before for practice rounds but never during the actual tournament and for it to be a Sunday.  This was a huge item on his bucket list.  He hit the road around 5:45 that evening and drove through Atlanta before stopping for the night.  Then the next morning he was up bright and early to drive into Augusta.  

He was in the gates early and hit up the gift shop with a long shopping list for us and our friends and then parked a chair on the 16th hole.  This was the best choice he could of made because for the first time ever there were THREE hole in ones on that hole! Not to mention the way the tournament play came about it ended up being a pivotal hole for the leaderboard.    He had the best day ever and it was truly a dream come true for him! He spent the night in Augusta Sunday night and was completely exhausted.  Monday morning he woke up and headed for High Point for market.  

Getting some time with his daddy's girl twin before he left for Masters and market.

Walker got in on the action and this is real life. 

Face timing with us before he went into the tournament.  They have an extremely strict no phone policy so these are the only pics I have.  Kenny did call us throughout the day to talk about everything happening on the courtesy phones the course has.  We watched the tournament all day and looked for him but never saw him on tv.

I had some new rugs that needed to be laid down in the den so Elle had the best time balancing on them while we watched the tournament.

Walker watching the tournament.  I really took this picture to highlight his super runny nose. Bleh.

Watching the final holes over dinner.  We were rooting for Jordan after Phil and Ricky did not make the cut and hated for him to have messed up the way he did.  But it was still fun to watch knowing Kenny was there getting to take it all in in person!