Gracie Girl

Last tuesday I was sitting in the living room dusting while the kids were playing behind me. The slider was open but I was just not paying that much attention to what the kids were doing. Collin walked up to me and said, "Gracie just fell off there," and pointed to the deck. I looked out there, saw the chair pushed up to the edge and my stomach dropped. I ran over and looked over the edge and sure enough Gracie was laying in a little heap 15 feet below. By the time I sprinted down to her she was getting up onto her knees so I grabbed her and ran back upstairs. I called 911 and in the mean time she was screaming and rolling around on the couch. The fire department got there in less than three minutes and the emt got there in less then ten. After they told me which hospital they were taking her to I called Mark who raced to meet us there. They put a neck brace on her and strapped her onto a board and loaded her into the ambulance.

My neighbor watched Collin and Quinn while I rode with Gracie down to Harborview. I was SO scared because the emt told me that her stomach felt rigid and that she might have internal bleeding. My dad walked up to the hospital from the jail and met me there, and I'm so grateful that he was there to support me because I felt like I was going to pass out. My mom got off work early and went and took the kid's to my friend Carly's, and then she headed down. Cammie, Owen, Scott and Danny also went down to the hospital to support us. I am so grateful for good family and friends who love us and who really came through in our time of need.

After a few hours of tests and MRI's and x-rays they determined that she had no broken bones or anything. They did keep her overnight as a precaution. We got to the hospital at about 2:30, she was cleared around 5:30 and then they reeled us into a little room where Mark and I took turns sitting on a swivel stool and then standing until 11:30 until a room in pediatrics became available. When we finally got upstairs I could barely hold my head up, and then dr's and nurses came in every few hours and woke us up to run more tests. Poor Gracie had to sleep with a neck brace on which was really bugging her plus she had two IV's in, one on her arm and one on her hand which were causing her a lot of pain.

The cute girls in our apartment complex made Gracie cards and gave her some of their toys, which was so cute! Gracie loved them and they definitely cheered her up. While in the hospital she would wake up and immediately ask "where's my card?" Gracie is doing great now. She just has a little bruising and soreness on her back, which breaks my heart! Our family is so thankful to family and friends for all of their love and support. We are espescially grateful to our Heavenly Father for protecting Gracie, that she wasn't seriously hurt and for the knowledge that He loves and cares for us and that his hand is present in our lives.

Q IS FOR QUILT

My mother-in-law is so talented and makes the most gorgeous quilts. She has made a beautiful baby quilt for each one of my kids and I LOVE them all. I know she wants me to let the kids use them but I just can't bring myself to do it, so I've hung them all above their beds. I just got Quinn's in the mail. Isn't it sweet? I love the little bits of yellow.

Collin's quilt has 21 star patches! That is something like 16 pieces cut and fit together perfectly for each star!

Gracie's quilt has probably been the most time consuming of all the quilts Joy has made for the grandkids, but oooh how I love it! I feel a little bit guilty because I told her that I wanted a Sunbonnet Sue quilt for Gracie, but I didn't know how much work it was going to be. I don't think Joy knew either or else she would have told me "no way"! Each Sunbonnet Sue was hand appliqued on. There are little buttons and bows on each square. It is really my favorite.

These pictures really do not do the quilts justice but they give you some idea of how beautiful they really are. I know that they "technically" aren't mine but they are some of the very few material things that I actually care about.