Deja Vu

This was 2009 when we had just been home from China for three weeks with Elijah:

This was last night, three years and three months later.  Same arm, same scooter, same driveway:

The boys had just been up at the neighbor's helping with some yard work.  They finished up and scootered down the driveway ready for a care free evening, until Elijah wiped out in almost the exact same spot as before.  No, there is not a bump in the driveway.  The first time, Elijah hardly had any balance or scooter experience and was just going too fast.  This time, he was attempting a jump.  I kind of don't think that couple seconds of air was worth it.  :(

Unlike 2009, this time we could easily communicate in English and Elijah just kept saying, "It's the same thing, it's the same thing.  I can feel it's twisted!"  Poor kid, he was in a lot of pain, a ten on the pain scale.  I quickly took him to the ER and we were thankful that there wasn't much wait time.  Last time he had a compound fracture and the doctor had to put him out for surgery to reduce it.  This time it was a simple clean break, so they put him in a splint over night.

Number two!

This morning we checked in with the orthopedic doctor.  He agreed that the fracture was simple enough to not require surgery.  He put a cast on and gently but quickly manipulated the arm a tad, but oh, this poor kid was in a lot of pain.

We'll check back in a week for another x-ray.  Hopefully the bones will have held and they'll simply grow back together.  Elijah is young and his growth plates are way open, so this is good.  You couldn't even tell on these x-rays where the previous break had been, and his bones look otherwise strong and healthy.  This was just a case of deja vu and a boy being a boy!

Elijah will have this cast for about 5 weeks, then hopefully a short arm cast or even just a small brace.  He's been so brave.  He was rewarded with ice cream and is now enjoying his private movie session as he rests on the couch.

Another picture from 2009:

Hopefully he'll still get some swim time in at the end of the summer, but he'll definitely have to take things easier for a bit.

Summer Days

It seems like school has already been out a while because we've enjoyed the free time so much.  Elijah and Ami have spent a lot of time catching butterflies.  Much to their chagrin, Marshmallow found their bug box and "released" their captives.

 (Maybe I should have shooed the cat away instead of taking pictures.)

Benjamin's buddy (and our neighbor), Sam, has been down a lot to hang out.  They found a snake, the likes of which I've never seen before in our yard and hope to never see again.  According to the expert (Sam), it was just a non-venomous rat snake, but no snake is a good snake to me!  It was probably about four feet long.
 

And summer means popsicles.  Yum!

Kitten Update

They are only getting more and more adorable!  At three weeks old now, Momma Twix is okay with letting the kids hold the kittens and play with them.  We officially have Harley (black), Snowball (white), and Little Boots (grey).  On shaky legs they are starting to move around more.  They prefer the old cut up carpet squares we have laid out, but will bravely venture off them once in a while.

Memorial Day

My favorite parade of the year is the Memorial Day parade.  There is no candy, no advertising or campaigning, no dressed-up characters, it's just a respectful parade that honors those that have served and are serving our country.  We wave and yell "thank you" to those that have protected our freedoms and given us the security that we too often take for granted.

We purchased a pool membership for this summer, and hope to take advantage of it often.  It's fairly close, and we also have friends with memberships, so we're look forwarding to spending sunny days ahead with them.  Today was our first day there.  Although it was over 90 degrees outside, the water was still a bit cold.  That's the way it should be though!

Daddy, teaching Ami the art of water squirting.  :)

My fair child, the one who doesn't like to swim either.  She'll enjoy lots of reading this summer!

Happy Dance

Ami has this cute little way that she dances around when she's happy.  It's just pure and unabated joy.  Wish I could capture it on video, but this picture was about as close as I could get.  It makes me smile every time and teaches me that I need to express joy more often.

Swinging

We are all really enjoying our new hammock!  With great spring weather, it's been common to regularly find someone on it doing school work.  Michaela will even go out after the others are in bed and use the porch light for reading.  I've loved grabbing a book (reading John Muir, Dad!) when I have a few spare minutes and using the rope the kids tied to the deck to swing myself.  :)  It's going to be great for star gazing this summer, too!

Yes, we all had to learn (albeit the hard way) the art of getting on and off this huge contraption.  :)

School's Out!

Little by little the kids finished up the rest of their school work early this week.  By yesterday morning the last of it had been completed and we were off to celebrate.

Our only plan was roller skating and dinner out in the evening, but after skating we just went with the flow and had a very fun day!  So first up was roller skating.  It was great because the rink wasn't busy at all, so we had plenty of room to move around.  Ami has improved quite a bit since the last time we went skating a couple of months ago and actually rolls more than steps and falls. 

After skating we were ready for some mid-afternoon treats, so we hit McD's happy hour.  We also visited the pet store near by, to see what furry creatures they had. 

Then the kids wanted to visit the mall, somewhere we really don't get to very often.  Taking time to browse the toy aisles was fun (while big sis browsed clothes and make-up).  :)

They all wanted to go to Barnes and Noble, but the carousel was on the way.  So Ami got to ride while the others went on to look at the books.

We ended up at B&N for over an hour!  It seems ironic that on the last day of school, this is where they really wanted to go.  It was nice to take our time and for me to see the kids enjoying and being excited about books.  Okay, maybe it's a bit nerdy, but as a home school mom I think it's pretty cool!

My favorite students each got to pick out a book or two to bring home.  When I told Ami, she said, "You mean we can BUY books here?"  Ha!  I guess she's just used to the library or to visiting B&N and just looking.  It reminded me of when Michaela was little and she thought that the mechanical horse at the grocery store was just for climbing on and pretending.  It was an eye-opening day when she realized that if you put money into the horse it would take you for a ride.  :)  It's fun to reward them with special treats.

The kids unanimously chose a buffet restaurant for dinner.  I think they actually had the dessert bar in mind!  This restaurant is a rare treat (not Dad and Mom's favorite!), so we drove home to pick up the principal (or superintendent as he likes to call himself), stopped to pick up some movies, and went to fill our bellies.

Ooh, the chocolate fountain....

 

....and the cotton candy.

We ended the evening at home with a movie.  Yes, it was a late night, but it's summer vacation, right?  Knowing that we are off school for the summer is reward enough, but it was great fun to have lots of special treats today and to be together as family.  It is a privilege to have the option of home schooling, to learn along with my children, and to watch them grow in their skills and knowledge. 

Now we have 1st, 6th, 7th, 8th, and 11th graders, but first, BRING ON SUMMER!!!

Far Above Rubies

"A wife of noble character who can find?  She is worth far more than rubies."  Prov. 31:10

Our girls are very blessed to have Miss Angel in their lives.  She directs a program for home schooled girls called Far Above Rubies.  They focus on building good character qualities and becoming virtuous young women.  Michaela, Johanna, and Ami attend each Tuesday afternoon for two hours and thoroughly enjoy being around other home schooled girls.  They play all sorts of games, do skits, memorize scripture, and work on service projects together.  It is designed in such a manner that the girls are broken up into groups with varying ages in each group (ages 5-18).  As the girls get older, they are given more and more helping and leadership responsibilities, encouraging them to serve and become strong leaders.  After the program yesterday we were so impressed again with the thought and effort that Miss Angel has put into Rubies.  She truly has a heart for this ministry, and she is a wonderful role model for our girls.

There are about seventy beautiful young ladies that attend!

Thank you, Miss Angel!