Meet Ella’s Entourage. Yes, that’s a trash bag on her foot. This was Day One of her return to school after the break. Ironically, after needing rain so badly, when slippery surfaces were less desirable, it rained.

We bought two “boot covers” online to keep her stabilizing boot dry, neither of which fit. But a good ol’ 8-gallon trash bag did. So we crossed our fingers and sent her to school (after much begging on her part). Little did we know it wasn’t the learning she was missing.

We packed her the lightest backpack possible, including a lunch in baggies, but it turns out none of that mattered. She got to spend lunch and recess in the Office, with two friends. All day she was surrounded by kids vying to take care of her. I thought they’d be annoying her to try out the crutches, but no, they just wanted to help. And thus, Bart got the picture above when he picked her up from school that day, and we stopped worrying.

Now for some medical notes you may or may not want to read. We thankfully got into the orthopedic doctor on the Monday after her fall. I say “thankfully” because apparently the temporary cast was not awesome. Either it was too tight or her body just didn’t like it because by the time the doctor took it off 36 hours later, there was a pressure blister covering 80% of her heel, and there was irritation as well.

Basically, that “itching” she felt was real, and in case you ever have one, pressure blisters are concerning, as they could lead to infection. To be sure we could monitor it, he put her in a boot instead of a cast to start, and a week later we came back for a cast. She chose green.

I was terrified that a cast would cause the same problems as the temporary one (she was in tears and couldn’t sleep from the itching), but we’re one week in, and so far, so good. This kid is pretty amazing. She’s rocking those crutches still (hopefully for just one more week), though she won’t miss them. She instantly got out markers for us to sign, signed for Jasmine the cat, and brought those to school so friends could fill up the cast with their own marks.

Before I forget to mention it, at the end of her first day back to school she said, “Mom. I felt like royalty!” At the end of the next day she said, “Mom. Even when they tell me I don’t need these crutches anymore, I’m going to bring them anyway.” When we picked her up on Friday, there was no rain, but she was surrounded. One kid was carrying her water bottle, another her backpack, another a piece of art, another a book. I wonder how they decided who “got to” carry what? HA!

We go back to the doc on March 3, hopefully to remove the cast and go back into a boot for a while. It’s so much easier to bathe without a cast… We bought the cast covers for showers, and those seem to be working, but it’s hard to watch her safely navigate getting clean. She never complains (unless she’s tired), but when she does, I remind her how lucky we are that this is temporary.

And so, Ella’s on her healing journey, while Zoe continues to rehearse for her Mamma Mia production at school at the end of March. She spends 9-15 hours a week rehearsing–which will increase as we get closer–while maintaining all As in school (well, except for a B in PE as she conquers the mile run) and selling Girl Scout cookies.

Speaking of which, Cookie Season ends on March 9, so if you haven’t had a chance to get yours or need to restock, the store’s still open! Shameless plug from a Cookie Mom, over.

Yesterday, Zoe got a break from rehearsal (barely) to attend a friend’s Quinceañera! My mom’s going to love the dress story. Here we go:

This is the first Quinceañera Zoe has attended (and I’ve never been), so we’re learning. One of the first things she discovered was that you’re not supposed to wear the colors of the birthday celebrant and her court. Yes, there are rules, and honestly, it sounds like a wedding. Given the cost of many of these parties, it IS like a wedding! But I digress.

The only fancy dresses Zoe owns were the colors she wasn’t allowed to wear (green and pink), of course. So we headed to the mall where there’s a “fancy-but-inexpensive-dresses-for-teens” store she likes, and she tried on 17 dresses–maybe more. You’d think I’d know, since I was the runner finding and bringing them into the dressing room based on specific criteria.

Anyway, she found a lovely burgundy dress (so cute!) that she really liked, and we headed to the checkout. Pay attention here, Mom. As they were ringing up the dress, I was asking Zoe if she needed accessories–and what shoes she’d wear. Then the cashier said, “That will be five-forty-seven.” Yes, FIVE DOLLARS AND FORTY-SEVEN CENTS.

I thought it was a typo and repeated the amount back to her as a question, but it was not a mistake. It wasn’t ripped or damaged or “one of many” that no one would buy. It was fate. And so for the price of what I would have paid for a dress, she also got shoes and a purse, too. You might want to stop reading now, Mom. Her shoes of choice were cream colored Converse High Tops, but they looked super cute!

We got one photo, taken by the mom who took them to the party, which doesn’t even show the whole dress or shoes, but it’s cute–and you’ll see this dress again at the Spring dance. Here’s a preview:

And so, the Johnson girls are still thriving, and we parents never have a dull moment. Oh, speaking of parents, this one likes to try and watch as many of the Oscar-nominated films as possible, and every year I create an Oscar Movie Tracker to help anyone like me. And before you ask, I’ve watched 39 out of 50 (that’s 78%!) of them. One week to go.

Whatever your obsession, I mean, interests, hope your year is off to a positive start! And not that I’m counting (I am), but I’m only two away from publishing as many blogs as all of last year combined. WOOT.