Getting a Cast

It's summer 2012.  I've survived forty-something years with ZERO broken bones.  Although, there was this time back in Elementary school where I was running from a big St. Bernard (not Michael's as it was thirty-something years ago) ... I ran through the door jam, but WHAM!!  At full speed, I crushed my foot - only the last, little pinky toe didn't make it through the door.  That hurt ... but never went to the doctor, so ZERO broken bones.

My oldest daughter has made it fifteen-years with ZERO broken bones.  Jacob's survived twelve-years without so much as a serious sprain.  Alas, the youngest, Barbara and mine's nemesis has chalked up our families FIRST official broken bone.  We'll have a separate entry for the "story" for how it happened.

Step #1 to getting a TRUE broken bone diagnosis...
You've gotta decide to go to the hospital.  If they don't confirm the brokenness with an X-Ray, it doesn't count.  God writes it down as a serious sprain.  You'd think going to the hospital would be easy, but unless the bone is like sticking out of the skin at some disgusting angle, you're likely gonna think it's "just a sprain."  And let's face it, nobody wants to go to the ER - it really eats into your day.  Anyway, when Steph's forearm was still hurting the next day, I decided to bite the bullet and take her to the ER.
Step #1 - Goto hospital: COMPLETE

Step #2 to getting a TRUE broken bone diagnosis...
Get checked in to the ER.  The trick is letting the kid do most of the talking.  Be sure to prep the child to moan, groan and appear "in pain," when speaking to the admitting nurse.  If you fail to appear like "emergency" material, you'll end up sitting in the waiting room all afternoon.
Step #2 - Convince Admitting Nurse child is in pain ... life is at stake: COMPLETE

Step #3 to getting a TRUE broken bone diagnosis...
Continue pained expressions and moaning until doctor sees you and orders the X-Ray.
Here's Stephanie, in obvious pain, with the X-Ray machine hanging over her.

Unfortunately, I didn't shoot any video, so you don't get a sense of her moaning and audible expressions of intense agony.
Step #3 - Show obvious pain to X-Ray technician: COMPLETE

Step #4 to getting a TRUE broken bone diagnosis...
This step is the most CRITICAL.  With the X-Rays taken, Step #4 is often the most daunting.  You can't really "fool," an X-Ray, so to get the TRUE broken bone diagnosis you need to have an actual broken bone.  Which, fortunately for us, Stephanie did.
Step #4 - Actually have a broken bone: COMPLETE

Now, here comes the best part - your BADGE of HONOR.  With the doctor appropriately diagnosing your child with a broken bone, you now get a temporary splint/cast.  Apparently, you have to make a separate appointment with an Orthopedicts specialist to get the actual cast.  Here's Stephanie getting her temporary splint/cast-

As you can see from the smile, Stephanie has ceased the act of agony.

Here we have the splint completely assembled on her arm... again, very little agony.

Lastly, the sling.

Thanks for the Happy Birthday presents

It's Texas ... summertime ... June to be exact.  Now that I think about it, June isn't exactly the APEX of heat that will hit Texas in a matter of a few weeks.

Anyways, to clarify - it's Texas, it's Summer, June to be exact, and it's Jacob's Birthday.  Now, what does an athletic, handsome, turning twelve, pre-pubescent boy want for his birthday?  He wants to run around for hours on end with a bunch of football coaches perfecting his skills at the game of football - the game he loves.  Oh, did I mention that Jacob also like LaDainian Tomlinson?

Put it all together and we have Jacob signed up for the LaDainian Tomlinson Prepatory Academy in Waco, TX in June.  It was pretty AWESOME!  A boy, his father, roadtrip to Waco, TX.  We talked man stuff, and Jacob was a little uncomfortable.  Put he talked man stuff nevertheless.  The night before his camp, while Jacob and I were staying in the hotel, we watched Field of Dreams.  One of the greatest father-son movies EVER.

Back to camp ... below is a picture of all the participants and the coaches-

Lavish lifestyle

I'm sure all of you are wondering what type of lavish lifestyle a guy like me lives.  I mean, here I am, the father of TWO wonderful children ... and another child.  Husband with a trophy wife and great job in technology.  And, a great head of hair.

When I wake up in the morning, what is one of my wonderful children doing for me?  Here's a shot of Stephanie's special yogurt parfee.

Mmmm GOOD!!

Texas Cup Champions

I believe I mentioned previously how Stephanie, the most amazing soccer player - male or female, on planet earth (or any other planet, for that matter).  Well, an event like the Texas Cup doesn't just get covered by the Daniels' BLOG.  It makes FIRST PAGE news (it was the first page I read...).

I don't want to spoil the "mainstream news" experience for those of you in Cyber space, so below is a pixelized rendering of the actual article seen by MILLIONS in the newspaper.