This weekend, so many things went right - truly, they did. The girls went to work with John for a bit on Saturday and fulfilled their dreams of making fruit cups. (They were ridiculously excited about this.)
We saw the Lego Batman movie, which was so very funny.
And on Sunday afternoon, we enjoyed the most beautiful afternoon riding bikes in the glorious sunshine in February. Best February weather ever. You will not find me complaining about an early spring - it's been gorgeous. The kiddos mostly had a fabulous time, and John and I enjoyed ourselves, and it felt like we are making progress as a family. Something that we used to do a lot is becoming fun again, because our kids are getting a tiny bit older. Makes all the difference.
Both big girls are awesome at bike-riding!
And the twins hot-wheeled for a couple of miles, until Violet was done. But, John to the rescue!

(William's pouty face 😂)
We spent about 30 minutes letting the kids ride down a big grassy hill - a pursuit thoroughly enjoyed by all. There were a few spills, but all in all, it was on the grass and no one got hurt. We were headed toward the car planning out our Sonic choices when disaster struck. Violet was riding the Strider, and we were going down the hill on the sidewalk this time. She was gaining speed, and it dawned on me slowly, then all at once, that this hill was too steep for a bike with no pedals and no brakes. She started careening out of control as I chased after her yelling for help. I couldn't catch up. She hit the sidewalk face first, and we both started screaming.
It was as bad as it sounds, but in retrospect, it could have been much worse. We rushed to the ER instead of to Sonic, and this was traumatizing to the other kids on all fronts. The nurses at the ER were much less alarmed than I was, which calmed me down a tiny bit while also frustrating me. There ended up being a bit of drama determining whether or not to sedate Violet for the lip fixing, but in the end, they ended up numbing it locally while also giving her some pain meds.
In what I can only attribute to God's direct intervention on behalf of all those praying for us, Violet sat almost completely still while they sewed up her lip. It was astounding. She even sang along to the Moana song the nurse had playing on my phone to help distract her - sweet, brave, warrior girl.
I wheeled Violet out of the ER around 10 pm, and she is healing up quite beautifully. Her teeth were firmly in place, and they said there should be no permanent scarring because she is young, and the mouth has so much blood flow that it heals even more quickly - all of which I am forever grateful for.
It was all a vivid reminder of how quickly anything can change. It was an instant, and it changed the course of our week. I praise the Lord for his protection of Violet when I could not run quickly enough to grab her. I spent a little time blaming myself, but ultimately, I know that I cannot shield my children from all accidents and pain - a harsh reality that I wish didn't exist. So many things are outside of our control, and I have to ultimately place my trust in the Lord. He loves and cares for my children far more than I do, and his plans for them are perfect, even when I don't understand them.
In the end, I'm so very glad that she is okay and humbled by God's graciousness to our family on Violet's account. I'm also hoping to make it a little longer between ER visits this time. 🤣