Tramp Trouble

The boys have been bugging me for a trampoline for ... forever I think! "Everyone else has them" ... which was actually one of my arguments against getting one (yes, everyone else does, go play with your friends on theirs *Ü*).  During this past summer, we got rid of our swing set/jungle gym, and it left a big open spot in the backyard. It was actually a pretty perfect position for a trampoline.

Grayson was still against the idea. He would tell me "you KNOW it's just an ER visit waiting to happen, right?"  He had grown up with a trampoline ... no serious injuries. All the neighbors/friends/family who have them ... no real injuries to speak of. Ok ... my OB (who delivered Landon) broke his neck, a FB friend posted their son broke his leg ... I know, I know ... but after months of begging, we got a tramp.

Here was Keaton's journal entry ... We got a TRAMPOLINE!!! When I was little, I kept asking my mom, “can we get a trampoline, can we get a trampoline, can we get a trampoline, can we, can we, can we!” But sadly the answer was always, “NO, NO and NO!” I never actually thought we’d get one. I guess because we sold our playground, we had a higher chance of getting one, but still, BOUNCE, BOUNCE, BOUNCE, FLIP, FLIP, FLIP, JUMP, JUMP, JUMP, TRAMPOLINE!!!!!!!!!!

The boys went with Dad to pick it up (we just got the Walmart special) and then assembled it in the backyard. The "spot" (where the swingset used to be) still needs some prep (it's a nice weed jungle at the moment) and we'd like to get the tramp in-ground ... but until then, it's just on the grass.

After a little bit of work ... the kids were up and jumping ... and the accidents began ...

• Day 1: It wasn't the tramp, it was the TRAILER used to bring the trampoline home in. While the big kids were in back jumping, the little kids (Colton and Co) had started playing and jumping in the trailer. Somehow, they had lifted the heavy metal gate up. I saw what was going on and went out to tell them NOT to play in the trailer, that someone would get hurt ... when the gate came crashing down on our six-year old neighbor boy. I was only seconds away, I lifted the gate off his leg where it had trapped him, then I saw his head. I huge gash (about 3" long, 1/2" deep) and bleeding bad. I sent Colton running to the neighbors, and luckily both Mom and Dad were home. 12 staples in his head. Luckily no concussion, and as bad as it was, if it had hit the front of his face, rather than the back of his head, it would have been disasterous. 
• Day 4: After an afternoon of jumping, the three boys went out for a final bounce late in the evening ... Callahan came in limping saying he'd hurt his foot. We did the whole "rice" thing, but the next morning, he was still unable to walk well. Thursday, still limping ... I made an appointment at the orthopedic office. I was sure I was just being overly cautious ... but it was broken.

• Day 5: I came home from soccer practice to find Landon asleep in my bed ... then I noticed his face. I asked the boys what happened, and apparently he had done a failed flip, ending up skidding his face across the rough tramp surface. He did an AMAZING job. The skin was rubbed off on his forehead, along his nose, under his nose (above his lip ... he ended up calling it his Hiter "stach) and down his chin. It looked so sore the first night, and then it looked worse when it scabbed over. He would NOT let me get a picture (I snuck the one below, you can sort of see). He's already almost back to normal though.

Well, I HOPE we've had our share ... no more tramp trouble please! And Grayson was even quite nice and didn't say "I told you so" ...