Cheerleader Friend Update

Here's a quick update about Katie's cheerleader friend that was in a horrible car accident. C.F., cheerleader friend, was put into a medically induced coma and then had some brain tissue removed, her broken femur repaired and a plate put into her head. There were other repairs that I won't get into. It is now a month since the accident and C.F. is still at Cooks Children's Hospital in Fort Worth. She is out of the coma and is in rehab. She has to wear a helmet 24/7 because she lost the front, top and sides of the forward half of her skull. The damage to the frontal lobe to her skull has also severely affected her short term memory. She can be introduced to someone, turn away and not remember you when she turns back. She cannot remember anything for more than a few seconds and this includes how to use utensils, etc. There is no estimate on how long she will be in rehab, but six months is a conservative estimate. She also has language difficulties in that she can talk, but regularly veers off into babble. She is in a wheelchair because of the repair to her femur--they added a steel rod--and it takes a while to heal. The journey through rehab and beyond will be a monumental task for C.F. and her mom, but if there is one woman who I know that could carry her daughter through this it is C.F.'s mom. That is how much her faith has impressed me even before the horrible accident.  After the rehab reaches its apex, who C.F. will be and what she can do is a big question mark at this time. Prayers, as always, are appreciated and needed. 

Broken Little Cheerleader

I haven't posted in a long time, which seems to be the norm. It is not because nothing is going on, but because too much is. However, this post is not meant for endless ramblings about our doings since mid-December. This post is about one of Katie's fellow cheerleaders.

Tuesday night, the little cheerleader and her dad were returning from Abilene when they were in a horrid car accident. The father was pronounced dead at the scene and Katie's friend is at Cooks Children's Hospital in Fort Worth in critical condition.

This heart wrenching event has rocked our little town and our household. Through cheerleading Rick and I got to know the mom and at the football games I sat with the mom and dad. This past Tuesday, Rick had stopped by the mom's office to chat and to invite her daughter to a play date with Katie. That night the mom's life was ripped apart.

I cannot get the image out of my head of the little girl's smiling face as she cheered her heart out. From what we have been told of her head injuries, wemay never see her do that again. My heart bleeds for the mom/wife. She has lost her husband and now stands by as her only child lays in ICU, broken and far removed from reality.

The place that the accident occurred is an area north of Abilene on US 277, an area that I continually complain about because of the amount of accidents that I narrowly avoid. The situation that caused Tuesday night's accident I have experienced myself on enough occasions. A road from the dump has direct access to US 277. Tuesday night a semi came off of that road and crossed the north bound lanes and then stopped at the median for traffic in the southbound lanes. Well, an 18-wheeler is not going to fit in the median, so the back end of the semi took up the entire left northbound lane. Add the dark of night, high wind, blowing dust, 75 mph speed limit and a curve just navigated and the vehicle with the father and daughter rammed into the back of the semi.

Tomorrow night there is a prayer service at the high school auditorium in Anson for the family. Katie and I will be going and the cheerleaders will be wearing their uniforms.

Why did I want to share such a sad story? Because I want everyone that reads my blog to pray for this broken family and broken little cheerleader.

The Firsts

School started today. Daddy's Li'l Doodlebug is now a first grader. She was so excited that she had great difficulty getting to sleep last night, but no problem springing out of that bed this morning. I drove her to school, as requested, and will pick her up afterwards. She doesn't want to do tae kwon do, which I think is a good decision. With all of the excitement, she will be physically and emotionally drained by the end of the school day. I know Rick is sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for the pictures, so I will stop yakking and start showing.

 Last year we took a picture of Kate by a particular tree. I thought I got her in the same location again; however, I was wrong. Hobo wanted to be pet and when he wants to be pet, he tries to put his left on you. Kate was fearful of getting her snazzy outfit dirty so she ran to the center of the driveway. Doesn't she look stylish?

 Outside the H2 at School. This year she picked out a messenger bag that you had to color yourself rather than a backpack. The little bag on the ground is her new lunch bag. I have the school lunch menu for this week and all of September. I will be packing a lot of lunches.

Kate with one of her friends. They were waiting for their teacher to open their classroom. Don't they look happy? I am so very, very, very thankful Kate loves school.

This past weekend Kate cheered at her first football game. It was actually a scrimmage, so it was practice for them, as well as the football players. We had to be in Tuscola (about 55 miles from our house) at 8 am. We only had to stay until 12 pm even though the football teams scrimmaged until 3pm. The girls did a whole lot of cheering. Kate enjoyed it; however, there were moments of drama and by the end all of the girls, including the older cheerleaders, looked exhausted. Photos of Kate's first ever public cheerleading experience follow.

 Katie's down on the end.

 In this photo and the next, Kate just looks like a cheerleader. She naturally has the stance of a cheerleader. She is also very good at it, you know, being loud, vivacious and jumping around.

 Actually interested in the game

 Team picture. An volunteer school photographer was walking around taking pictures and she lined the girls up for a photo. I obliged too.

The Mighty Mights, Kate's team, helped the older girls cheer at one of their games. This was the last game they cheered and you can tell. You'd be hard pressed to find two cheerleaders in the exact same position.

That's it for the firsts. First grade and first cheer performance.