We started off our summer holidays slow and strong with our time away in Vancouver. We came back home and enjoyed our town’s annual July 1st Canada Day Parade.
Peter took the girls on an overnight hike here in the Tetrahedron, along with two other dads and their daughters and we were beginning to plan out times for him to take them on their one-on-one Dad Adventures. Unfortunately, our summer took a surprise shift.
Pearl was in the city with a friend’s family for a birthday party and fractured her ankle at a trampoline park. Her friend’s parents called us immediately and took Pearl straight to the hospital. Peter was already in Gibsons (about 30 minutes from us and where the ferry terminal is located) and so was able to immediately get on a boat and get to the hospital in about 2 hours. After x-rays and a cast, Pearl was able to come home that evening. Unfortunately, this has meant some changes in our summer plans. Pearl can’t put wait on her ankle so she’s on crutches. She can’t swim or hike and she has a fairly steady amount of discomfort.
Since then we’ve been doing some quieter, more lowkey activities and spending a fair amount of time at home.
We were also able to get Pearl out on the water in a boat a couple of times.
Peter took Rose on a 3-day/2-night hike along the Sunshine Coast Trail while Pearl and I had some hang out time at home together. While we weren’t able to do all the things I had hoped to when it was just the two of us, we still had a pretty nice time. It’s always special to get that one-on-one time together.
Last week I went into Vancouver for a night on my own and got to see Ann Patchett at the Vancouver Playhouse. This was put on as part of the Vancouver Writers Fest and a friend and I had bought tickets a few months ago. Unfortunately, my friend ended up not being able to go so I took my brother along and we had a lovely time. Ann was charming and clever and I thoroughly enjoyed my time in her vicinity.
And so now we are figuring out what the rest of our summer will look like and how many fun things we can do as a family that don’t involve water or walking.
Have you ever broken a bone? Any tips for recovery?
Karissa Reads Books 
I’ve heard that trampolines are just the worst in terms of injury. I believe my mom even broke her tailbone when she was a kid and on a trampoline. I wonder if your local library has a summer reading program, and that might motivate Pearl to want to read even more than she does because she has a specific goal she can achieve. Movie nights also might be fun, where you make popcorn and things like that. I’m also wondering if you still have one of those carriage thingies that go behind bicycles that people put their toddlers or babies in, and if Pearl would fit!
I’ve learned that trampoline parks are actually more dangerous than backyard trampolines because they keep them at a higher tension. Honestly, it’s hard not to feel like a bad mom for letting her go. We didn’t love the idea of the trampoline park but I didn’t feel like I had a good reason to say no to a fun party. Fortunately Pearl is a big reader and she’s made a deal with a friend of ours to read a certain number of books before school starts again and she’ll get a prize. Pearl already has a goal of reading 100 books this year and she’s well on the way! We’ve done some movie nights and, yes, we do popcorn with different toppings. We’ve done puzzles and board games too. Fortunately, the weather hasn’t been that good so we haven’t felt like we’re missing a lot of beach time.
Poor Pearl! She looks like she was very brave in the hospital. I’ve never broken a bone but my cat once did, so here’s the advice straight from the vet – don’t let her jump on and off the tops of wardrobes for a while. Hope that helps! 😉
She’s been very tough! Way tougher than Winnie was when she had a cone earlier this year!
I broke my ankle about a decade ago & as a result my number 1 recovery tip is “don’t have a job that keeps you on your feet all day”, so she’s already doing better than me on that front! I hope you manage to find some activities that let you enjoy the summer weather together as a family – I spent a lot of time sitting in the local park, I think. Wishing her a very speedy recovery!