Appomattox Court House Trip

 We took flight early in June for a couple of reasons.  We wanted to celebrate our anniversary some way and we wanted to check out things for a university concern.  I was enamored by the Detroit Airport.  It had this water works fountain in the center with a train up above.

Then the way to the gate was paved with a color-changing, pulsating experience that was unique for us.









 The McLean House in Appomattox Court House is where the actual signing took place of Lee's surrender.

This is an artist's rendition of the event.

 This is the Appomattox Courthouse in the village called Appomattox Court House.  It houses the National Park Service for the area.

We only had about an hour to check out the Museum of the Confederacy before it closed, so Don went in by himself and paid the entrance fee while I stayed out and read in the car.  However, when the docents realized why Don was there, they were very solicitous and gave me a short tour.  We were impressed with the aims of the museum and what they had.  It's a subsidiary of the Confederacy Museum in Richmond.

Of course, our trip wouldn't be complete without visiting our loved ones!  Dustin and Nicki fed us a great breakfast before we took off on our adventures.

 When we came back from checking out the battlefield sites of Appomattox, Petersburg, and Richmond, we went on a short battlefield tour together in their area.  Nicki, Conner, and I inhabited the back seat and I took the opportunity to capture the many moods of Conner.  (Don't worry!  I won't put them all in here!)

He was very tired.  I love how he puts one of the knot edges of his favorite Spiderman blanket into his ear while he's sucking his thumb! :)  He never did go to sleep.  And we didn't, either!  It rained so we didn't get out much, but just drove around a couple of the sites.






Oh, how fun it was!  Maybe that wasn't quite what he was saying......

      It's been so long since I attempted to write, that I am almost afraid to tackle it.  Do I catch up or leave it all behind?  Do I make excuses or just let it go?  Hmmm.  Let's just say I'm repenting and call it good!
      Perhaps some highlights?

This little dear has gone through a traumatic experience, but stayed fairly good-natured through it all.  The family moved into their apartment on Saturday, May 18, and then the next morning she and her mother fell down the stairs.  Tiffani got a big bruise, but Rachel got her legs broken above the knees.  She was life-flighted to Kansas City without her parents, wasn't allowed to nurse, was poked 11 times and prodded many more and finally admitted overnight.  The medical professionals took lots of tests and wanted to take more until her parents protested that she had already had all they needed to determine if she was okay on the inside.  The break was more like a bend-break, not completely severed so they determined to cast both legs underneath and wrap the rest completely.  She got very tired of her legs being straddled out straight and not being able to move them.  The parents started to worry that the wrapping was becoming loose so made an appointment to go back to Kansas City after 3 weeks of dealing with it.
After x-rays, the doctor determined that she was

healed enough that they could remove the
cast.  What a miracle!  It could have been so much worse. Several blessings were noted.  One was that Rick's mother was with them to help them move so she was able to take care of Sam while the rest were in the hospital.  She was able to stay longer and  helped them get settled at a time when dealing with Rachel's legs and Tiffani's aches would have made the moving in process miserable. The elder's quorum president was able to come and help Rick give her a blessing.  The Relief Society found out quickly and stepped in to offer help.  The teacher of the class Rick missed was understanding.  Perhaps there were others that I'm forgetting or was not aware of...
When we pick her up, she still keeps her legs straight and straddled out as if they had casts on until we grab on for a better hold.  She is starting to move more now, though, so maybe she'll forget to pose with her legs straight?  I think Tiffani took the longest to heal and no one even examined her injury...

Rachel loved biting and playing with this vibrating massager.




While they were dealing with these concerns and we were worrying here at home, Accalia, who was 8 months pregnant according to calculations, started bleeding and we didn't know if we were needed there.  In the meantime, some of my siblings were planning on staying with us so we were preparing for their arrival.  Things ended up working out for the little family after a couple of hospital visits and the baby was born safely at home and her mother was able to get her flight shortly thereafter.  Our 20th grandchild, Avonlea Accalia,  made her appearance very quickly on May 24th.  I love it when stories have positive endings!