Little Sprouts

The flowers that the boys planted last week have started to sprout. I can't wait until they start to bloom and we have some real flowers! It's been fun taking the boys out every day to water them. I have to keep a very close eye on Aidan, he likes to pull the little sprouts out. I don't think he totally gets it yet, or maybe because he sees me pulling weeds from the flower beds and driveway, he thinks that's what you're supposed to do?





I took those pictures a couple weeks ago, here are some updated pictures of what they look like now. This whole garden thing is really kinda cool, maybe next year I'll plant some edible stuff!

Surgery Flashbacks

Today my little sister had ACL Knee Surgery. She tore it while trying to be a rock star at Lakes Park and attempting to do a tumbling pass. It brought back vivid memories of the day I too had that surgery back in February of 2000. It was a Not-So-Fun time in my life, actually, it was pretty depressing. I was a senior in high school and it was two weeks shy of UCF Coed Cheerleading tryouts. I was devastated by the injury. I'll never forget how my appointment with Dr. Curcione went down. I sat in his exam room waiting for him to come in and take a look at my injury, and after a few little "tugs" at my knee that took a total of 5 minutes, my dreams to cheer in college were gone. I sat in that room with my mom, both of us sobbing, while he talked into a recorder about his examination of my knee and how I will require an MRI to verify the injury and then have to have ACL reconstructive surgery. Of course, now I know that it wasn't such an awful event, and it led me to other great opportunities (like cheering for Top Gun All Stars Open team), but then, at that very moment, I was crushed.

I'm always surprised by the irony of situations. Yesterday, while at Home Depot, I ran into the physical therapist who worked with me after my knee surgery. I told him that my sister was having knee surgery tomorrow and that she might be coming in to see him. He was stunned, but I'm sure excited by the news of a new patient. Mickey Jones was fantastic. I loved going to PT. One memory I'll never forget is when I was on the stationary bike, pedaling away while tears ran down my face because I was in so much pain. I had a huge knot on the top of my leg that hurt like a bitch, and yet I wouldn't stop, couldn't stop pedaling because I wanted so bad to get better. He massaged the giant knot out and then sent me to "the chair" to wrap my leg up in ice. I hated that wretched ice bandage. It was about the size of my entire leg. He would wrap my leg in a black garbage bag first and then slap on this ice pack. It was torture for about the first 5 minutes and then as my leg became numb from the cold, it actually felt good.

One of the exercises he had me do was sit in a rolling chair and try to scoot my way across the room using my legs. The first time I tried, I couldn't move at all. By the time my PT was coming to an end, I could clear the entire room with just one push. I was amazed by the progress.

The boys and I went over to my moms house today to see how Melissa was doing. She looked great! She was in a little discomfort but overall seemed to be doing pretty well. Those pain killers must have been doing their job. A few times she stumbled over her words and said some really random things. But the true test will come tonight when she tries to get some sleep and can't think of anything except how her leg hurts. Dr. Curcione told her that he used a different procedure on her than he did me. With my surgery, he removed the center third of the patella tendon with a piece of bone attached at either end and then used surgical screws to put it in place as the new ACL. With her surgery, he used a cadaver tendon. He told her the recovery time for her procedure will take less time.


"The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is the major stabilizing ligament of the knee. The ACL is located in the center of the knee joint and runs from the femur (thigh bone) to the tibia (shin bone), through the center of the knee. In this position, it functions to prevent a buckling type of instability of the knee.

Usually the tearing of the ACL occurs with a sudden direction change or when a deceleration force crosses the knee. The patient often feels or hears a popping sensation, has the rapid onset of swelling, and develops a buckling sensation in the knee when attempting to change direction.

The diagnosis of an ACL injury is usually arrived at by determining the mechanism of injury, examining the knee, determining the presence or absence of blood within the joint, and performing diagnostic studies. These may include x-rays, MRI scans and stress tests of the ligament.

The initial treatment of an acute ACL injury often includes ice, anti-inflammatory medication, and physical therapy which is directed at restoring the range of motion of the injured knee.

Although a number of different types of tissue have been utilized to reconstruct the ACL, the most common type of ACL reconstruction involves harvesting the central third of the patellar tendon with a bone block at each end of the tendon graft. After performing a diagnostic arthroscopic examination of the knee, the central third of the patellar tendon is harvested. The remaining tendon is then repaired. After harvesting the tissue, drill guides are used to place holes into the tibia (above the knee) and femur (bone above the knee). By placing the drill holes at the attachment sites of the original ligament, when the graft is pulled through the drill hole and into the knee, it will be placed in the same position as the original ACL.

After pulling the graft through the drill holes and into the joint to replace the torn ACL, the graft is then held in place with bioabsorbable screws or metallic screws."


So tonight I say a little prayer that my sister finds a bit of relief in her pain medication and that she has a speedy recovery! Oh, and that next time she uses more of her brain cells before thinking that she's still 18 and can perform those kinds of acrobatic maneuvers!

Happy 30th Birthday Glenn!

My number one man turned 30! I've been asking him for weeks now what he wanted to do for his special day. I suggested having a party at the house and inviting all his friends, or maybe planning a guys day where him and couple of friends spend the day going golfing, lazer tag, paintballing, or whatever he wanted. I figured that he would want to hang out with some friends for his birthday because he doesn't usually get a lot of "guy time". I was surprised when he told me that he wanted to rent a boat and go out with just me and the kids. He said he wanted to relax and spend some time with the boys. I thought it was an AWESOME idea, and the boys would really like it too. When I told them that Daddy's birthday was coming up and we were going on a boat, they were really excited. They were talking about it all week long, and Rylan kept telling everyone "Daddy Happy Birday".

So Friday I drove all over town trying to get things ready for our boat trip. I had to pick up Glenn's present, his balloons (I thought for sure Rylan would spill the beans on that one), and a life vest from my friend who was letting us borrow it. That night Glenn went out with his cousin and some friends to a night club. He ended up going to his cousin's house after the club and played Wii. He didn't get home until 4:30 a.m. I guess 30 year olds can still pull all nighters!

Saturday morning Glenn woke up and opened up his present from me and the boys. We got him a 500 GB external hard drive so he can store all the movies that he downloads, and a protective case for it. Shortly after opening up his present, his brother Marky and his girlfriend Ashley showed up. Glenn invited them to come on the boat. I thought it was great that he wanted to celebrate his birthday with his brother, and I also liked the idea that there was another guy around to help out with the boat stuff. Mark and Ashley gave Glenn his birthday gift, he got a new pair of sandles and cool new shirt.

After we loaded up all the coolers and stuff, we headed to Publix to pick up some subs and then made our way to Cape Coral to get the boat. The house we went to was on the river. It looked like they ran this boat rental company right from their house. They had about 4 different boats all lined up in the dock and had TONS of knee boards, skis, tubes and other boating equipment. When everyone was ready to go, we headed out to the gulf. It was literally less then a mile from the Cape Coral bridge. The boys were so excited! When I told them that we were going into the ocean, Rylan said "dolphins and sharks"? And then said something about a baby river dolphin...I'm sure he got that from Diego. I was surprised to see that they didn't fight me on the life vest. I thought for sure that they would refuse to wear it, but they put them on without a peep.

Aidan's 2nd Boat ride. We took him once when he was just 6 months old. This time was definitely less stressful. He loved it!

Rylan's 1st boat trip. He was thrilled to see "dolphins and sharks". He explored every inch of the boat.

Waiting to get on the boat. The owners were fixing the depth indicator thingy on the boat.

We made our way through all the channels and decided to go to Cay Acosta and hang out on the beach. It was so peaceful. We spent time going shelling and building sand castles. At one point, Ashley had Aidan and Marky had Rylan and Glenn was just sitting under the tent by himself. I haven't seen him that relaxed in a long time.

Captain Birthday Boy!

Heading out to the Gulf

Glenn and his brother Mark

Rylan wanted to be the captain too

Ashley and Luci

Happy Birthday Babe!
Rylan passed out on our ride to Cay Acosta


Our mobile restroom...LOL...Hey, when ya gotta go-ya gotta go!
Observing daddy anchor the boat
Ashley playing mommy

Aidan's shells




Rylan throwing shells into the ocean



Aidan passed out on the ride home

A few hours later, we packed up all our stuff and headed back to Cape Coral to drop off the boat. I think it was around 7:00 when we got back. Our birthday boat trip was a success and everyone had a great time!

Happy Birthday Glenny, I Love You!

Chicken-Coconut Soup

Straight out of the Clean Eating Magazine is this AWESOME soup! It is my new favorite. I've made it now about 3 times and I'm not yet sick of it. Soups have become my "go-to" food for when I'm hungry and need something FAST! I usually double the recipe so that it makes enough to last through the week.

Chicken-Coconut Soup

Serves: 4 Total time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)


• 1 clove garlic, minced


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 1 cup carrots, scrubbed and chopped into approximately 1/2-inch pieces


• 1 cup small white or red potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into approximately 1/2-inch pieces


• sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste


• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth


• 1/2 cup light coconut milk


• 1/2 cup skim milk


• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (4 oz. each)


• 1/2 cup snow peas, cleaned and cut lengthwise


• 1 tsp red chile pepper flakes (or to taste)


• 1 to 2 tsp fresh lemon juice


• 4 tbsp cilantro, coarsely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and saute' until onions are lightly translucent.


2. Add broth and coconut and skim milks. Bring to a light boil.


3. Add chicken, cover and let simmer for 12 minutes over medium-low to medium heat.


4. Remove chicken and set aside. Add peas and chile flakes to soup. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.


5. When cool enough to handle, slice chicken and add pieces back to the soup.


6. Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Add lemon juice, sprinkle in cilantro and serve.

Nutrients per 1 1/2-cup serving: Calories: 250, Total Fat: 12 g, Sat. Fat: 4.5 g, Carbs: 18 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugars: 6 g, Protein: 16 g, Sodium: 150 mg, Cholesterol: 30 g

Bon Appetit!

Glenn's Pre-Midlife Crisis!

Glenn's been talking about getting a faux-hawk for about a week now. I've ignored the talk, and assumed he was just being his usual goofball self. Until I got a phone call yesterday afternoon...

Lucinda: Hello?
Glenn: (half laughing) I think we're going to have to break up for about a week.
Lucinda: (half laughing too) Ok, why?
Glenn: Because I'm one sexy mother-f right now with my new faux-hawk and all the ladies are going to want me.
Lucinda: LOL! Yeah, Ok...Did you really get your hair cut in a faux-hawk?
Glenn: Yeah man! And I look HOT!
Lucinda: (still laughing at him) Well I think you're right. We ARE going to have to break up for a week, because I'm going to be too embarressed to be around you with your hair like that!

The boys and I went out to eat at Nino's Restaurant and Pizzaria because I promised them pizza for dinner. Glenn was still at the office, so I picked up a pizza for him and Shane and delivered it to the office where I got to whitness his new faux-hawk haircut. I was pleasantly surprised. It actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. Here's a couple pics of his New-Do!

Glenn will be turning 30 on Saturday. So I have to assume that his new "hip" haircut, is because he is officially going to be an old man. Maybe his new faux-hawk makes him feel young again.

Here's the "Day After Faux"...Glenn said he styled it better today.

After I showed him the pictures I took of him last night, he was unhappy with them. So he decided to take some self portraits of "The Faux".

And my personal favorite....Faux in the Shadow!

Aidan & Rylan GreenThumb...Happy Earth Day!

I actually forgot that today was Earth Day. Had I remembered, I would have saved our flower-planting activity for today. The boys planted flowers on Monday using all the goods they received in their Easter baskets. We went to Wal-Mart a few days prior and the boys picked out what pot they wanted. Aidan and Rylan had fun putting soil in their pots, sowing the seeds, and watering their plants. They each put a little windmill in their pots and get a real kick when the wind blows and it spins. We go out everyday and water their little sprouts. I can't wait until they start to grow and peek through the soil. Maybe if we are successful growing these plants, I might get a little brave and start a real garden. I'm dieing to grow my own herbs...it would save me a pretty penny at the grocery store! Hope everyone had a great Earth Day!

Putting soil in their pots

Watering the seeds

Eating a popsicle for their hardwork

A little brotherly love

...and a kiss too!