Sometimes life really knocks you through a loop.  Last week Thursday a brandnew family arrived in Stuttgart, mom, dad, three beautiful girls & a big woof!  Two days later they lost a dear family member in a terrible accident back in the states.

Thankfully we have an amazing community here in Stuttgart, and there’s always someone who has your back.  This time it was my turn, and before I knew it my little family of five expand to a family of eight and a big woof!

Mom & dad flew back stateside less than a week after arriving in Germany. It’s been craziness, and yet, seeing their girls giggle and experience so much of Germany for the first time makes all the extra laundry, cooking, lunches, GO BACK TO BEDs, worth it.  However.  Cole kicked in an extra little bit of fun this week.

The boy outgrew his cleats this summer. Rather than tell us, though I dare say he was too tired, he kept on practicing football.  Until finally he couldn’t take the pain any more.  He had ingrown toenails, with serious infection, on both big toes. Off to the clinic we went.  No luck there.  Off to the ER we went.  Antibiotics.  Back to the clinic, referred to a surgeon. Back to the surgeon, no surgery…. just sit & rest for two weeks.

Cole burst a seam.  He was not sitting out for two weeks.  Not from practice. Not from games.  So he googled & youtube’d & Tuesday evening I heard screaming from his room.  The boy had dragged every light possible into his tiny room and, at midnight, the night before the first day of school, had operated on his foot. By himself.

Turns out he has a knack for surgery.  He cut open & removed the offending toenail bits perfectly, even the surgeon was impressed. Sigh.  Cole is happily back on the field.  The other five are happily building forts downstairs and life is good. Not normal, but good.

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