Sarah's First Varsity Cheer Competition

This past Saturday was Sarah's first varsity cheer competition. She was nervous and incredibly excited, and we all (plus Maranda) piled in the Expedition and headed for Warner Robbins. The Chargers were scheduled to compete at 1:45, which would give us plenty of time to get back home for the Georgia game after she performed. She would ride the bus back. That was our plan.

Here they are, about to take the mat. Sarah is second row, second from the front.

I am not sure if this is even her stunt group, but I think it must be since Daryl took the picture. They nailed each and every one of the stunts!
Part of the cute dance part.

And here is Sarah after competing. And this is where our plan went awry. Right after this picture is when Sarah told us that no one else was riding the bus home. And that her knee had popped out of place (really her knee cap) right before they performed. She was a little teary, but alright. Daryl decided that we would stay, so Sarah wouldn't have to ride the bus home alone. (I must give him HUGE kudos to doing this so cheerfully, fully knowing that he would miss his Dawgs playing!)

So we traipsed back to our seats...car seat, diaper bag, toy/snack bag, purse, toddler and all. Yes, much to Josh's chagrin...we were that family.

Charlotte seemed unfazed by the cheering, the loud music, the fans stomping on the bleachers. She was awake for most of the competition, and even managed to sleep amidst the noise.

Hannah was Hannah. Very active. Very vocal. Always moving. Always eating. To her credit, though, she wasn't scared of the loud noises either, something we had feared. She wanted to climb, so Josh obliged. Here she is doing a cheer.

And...they won first place!!! Here is the happy team after awards were announced. You notice that Sarah's smile is there...but looking a bit forced...

Because...her knee that had popped out of place? It didn't just hurt a little bit. It hurt ALOT. And was swollen. And...she couldn't walk.

So we carried her to the car, loaded everyone back up and headed back to Lake City. All of that cheering must have worn everyone out, because all of the sudden, I look back and everyone is sleeping.

Sarah spent a fitful, painful night last night, and instead of church this morning, we went to the urgent care center. The doctor there confirmed what we already knew, that she had patella tracking problems on her knees. Which means...her knee caps slide to the side, injuring the tendons around them. Which coincidentally...or probably not so coincidentally...I had surgery for when I was 16 years old. She's on crutches, ordered to see an orthopedist next week, out of cheer until the ortho clears her, and heartbroken. And...in a lot of pain.

And just because she is so darn cute....a picture of my "princess-pirate-mermaid-ballet school girl." She got this too cute tu-tu and wand from Grandma, and she has yet to take it off without being forced to. She has pretended to be all sorts of things. In this picture, she is pretending to be a "mermate."

So what a way to end a very hectic week. Along with getting back to work, we've had Josh feeling bad, Sarah hurting her back then her knee in cheer, Hannah got a cold, and Daryl had a stomach bug. Add to that 5 days of undone laundry, countless meetings and parent conferences, a jealous/overtired/cranky 3 year old, and TONS of school work to do, and I have been thisclose to a nervous breakdown!

Here's to a calmer, more organized, healthier week in the Stone household!