The Month in Review!

To begin, lets just say that this has been one of the craziest consecutive 5 weeks I have had in a long time!  I thought that I needed that vacation to Jamaica because I had been so crazed beforehand.  However, I think that the Lord granted me that vacation to prepare me for the weeks that came after! 
To review, just two days before our trip, both of the boys got got sick.  I actually took Luke in because I was sure he had a sinus infection.  Logan was a bit snotty too, so I just asked if the doc could look at him too just to make sure.  Sure enough, Luke had some random virus and Logan was the one with the nasty sinus infection.  So, meds for Logan and Luke's would just have to run its course!  Lovely, considering my parents were on their way to stay with the boys for the next five days while we were away.  Then we were off to Jamaica, actually a work trip for Lyndon, but a fun one at that.  I now like to think of our return from our trip like being sucked through a worm hole back to reality.  Mom and Dad left the following day, and back to laundry, cleaning and cooking!
A few days after our return, our good friends came for a visit.  My heart broke for them as they just sold their house and have had a rough time finding a new home.  In their nomadic state, they have been in a hotel for a week, our house for a week and then stayed with family for a little over a week all while flying all over the U.S. with a three year old and a one year old.  I would have probably crawled under a rock and cried until it was all over.  However, they just dealt with it and made the most out of traveling and visiting. 
Only three short days after their departure, Logan, once again got sick.  This time, he ran a fever and had tonsils the size of golf balls.  I took him in to the doctor who sent us home with no diagnosis.  So, we had to sit at home and wait out the fever.  Convinced it was strep, the doctor did several test.  She even sent one off to the lab thinking it just was not showing up on her in-office test.  Mind you, I took him in on Wednesday, and the results were not going to be available until Friday.  So, we had to find ways to entertain ourselves at home for a few days!  We cancelled swim lessons, two playdates, and a ice cream party.  And, did I mention that Lyndon was gone this week?  To make it even more fun, I had scheduled our dog for her check-up complete with shots and teeth cleaning!  Finally, Friday roles around, and wouldn't you know it, the strep test would not be available until the weekend, and now Luke was running a temprature!  Lyndon returned late that Saturday to two sick kids, an angry dog and an extremely overwhelmed wife!  The good news is that by Saturday afternoon, neither boy was running a temp, so we were at least on the right track.  However, upon waking Saturday morning, I myself had an itchy and gooey eye.  I really tried to ignore it, but by Monday, it was apparent that I would have to have it seen about.  So, I made the appointment for Wednesday morning praying it at least was not Pink Eye!
By this time, both boys were well enough to resume our weekly routine of playdates and YMCA visits.  Finally, back to normalcy.  Wednesday morning at the doctor for me revealed an infection from the Lasik procedure I had six weeks prior and would be easy to clear up with drops.  No Pink Eye (an answered prayer)!
My day then got really interesting.  Upon our return home from that appointment, the boys hoped on their bikes and tricycles for a go around the cul-de-sac when Logan fell and hurt his leg!  Now, let me emphasize that I am usually not much of a coddler for either of my boys.  They have cuts, and bumps and bruises and bloody noses and I try not to make a fuss so as not to upset them.  So, I had no doubt that it hurt when he fell, but I am not one to overreact.  So, I carried him to the house, and our sweet neighbor ran to get ice and bandaged the ankle for him.  I watched it closely for the next few hours and saw no swelling or discoloration, but he refused to stand on it! Still thinking he was being a bit dramatic, I had Lyndon come home early and try to get him to move it around.  While he certainly cheered up, he still refused to stand on it.  It swelled slightly, but I keep ice on it and gave him some pain meds.  He did not complain about it hurting, he just would not walk.  So, the next morning, I called the doc to have him seen about.  Upon hearing about the fall and the lack of bruising and only slight swelling, the nurse called the Ortho immediatley.  Now, I am starting to feel terrible for not taking him in the night before.  So, off to the Ortho for some x-rays!  I knew it was bad news when the x-ray tech took one picture and that was all she needed.  The doctor showed me the pic, a nice, long fracture in his ankle that would require on of the most extreme casts I have ever seen on a kid!  It would be in place for six to eight weeks, and no water allowed!  I just want to emphasize here that it is May 28th, the beginning of summer.  Logan has been taking swim lessons since February to prepare for the summer.  He loves the water, so my heart is breaking for him as he is confined to dry land!  He never fused or cried when they looked at him or put on the cast.  He laughed and joked with the techs who were wonderful to him!  I put him in the car to bring him home so worried about how he is going to handle the next two months.  But, as it turns out, he has already suggested that we go to the pool so Bubba can swim and play while he hangs out on the lounger. 
All in all, weeks like the last few remind me how reselient my children are and how much I need to relax.  Even being confined to the house and missing out on playdates and time with friends, both boys played and were very creative finding things to occupy time in seclusion.  Not surprising, they handled it so much better than me!!! I suppose this is one of the many lessons they will teach me as we spend the next few weeks working around Logan's new summer accessory!  May you have a relxed and creative day!

Julie/Julia

For whatever reason, the boys love the movie, Julie and Julia.  We have watched it several times, it was a favorite last week when the boys were under the weather, and they now walk around saying, "Bon Appetite"!  So, we decided that we needed to make some chocolate chip cookies in honor of our new favorite movie! I would love to show a picture of them eating them, but being the mean mommy that I am, I insisted that they eat their dinner before partaking in a sweet (especially since they kept eating the batter)!  Luke, in true Luke form, walked away from the table and his full plate not really caring.  He will forgo the cookie anyday over eating vegtables. As a matter of fact, Luke has yet to taste one if that tells you anything! Logan is usually not much of a sweet eater, but he really wanted a cookie because he helped make them, so he sat at the table for awhile and finally choked down his dinner.  It was almost bedtime before he inhaled his cookie, and by that time, I really did not think about taking a picture.  So, here are the sweet pictures beforehand! 

They had to have on aprons which did little to keep them clean!

All of the ingredients...

Luke was helping with the flour...again, the apron is pointless!

Luke got flour everywhere, including all over Logan!

They really were tasty!  I am not sure anyone else would want them after the boys "helped," but they look good!

Critters

We are thrilled to have some fun backyard critters!  I was mowing the other day and almost ran over this cute toad!  The boys were very fascinated and watched it until it finally got tired of being poked and talked to!  They really wanted to take it in the house and keep him, but I had to put my foot down.  Luke loves bugs, ants or anything creepy crawley!  Fun for me as he takes it upon himself to bring them in and show them to me.  He brought in a poor stink bug the other day who was outside minding his own business and threw it in the trash can only to get upset that the bug was lost in the trash! Appropriatley enough, he said the bug was home! He really wanted me to dig through it and find it for him, but again, I had to put my foot down!  Logan is a bug lover too, but he tends to bring in the dead or almost dead bugs and lay them on the table waiting for me to do something with it, like bring them back to life.  He gets very upset when I insist that nothing can be done, and it is time to bury it in the backyard (we now have several small burial plots in the yard).  I am proud that they enjoy the bugs and critters and love watching and learning about them rather than killing and being grossed out!  I hope they keep their gentle nature and appreciate all living things even those that I would rather not have in the house!!!

Logan wanted to name and toad and thought it was funny that it "tinkled" on me! And, when it left the yard, he was quite upset.  I had to explain that he was on his way to see family.  That calmed him some. 

We have some HUGE bumble bees because we have some amazing flowers in our yard!  Logan and I watched these bees for some time that other day! They were very busy!!!

I was not sure I was ever going to pull Luke away from that toad.  He is very intense about bugs and usually finds a bug or ant in parking lots of places I am trying to go to.  So, we end up spending 5 or 10  minutes of any trip out of the house staring at a trail of ants or a rolly polly until he is satisfied or distracted.  Yes, we plan extra time for bug spotting.  I love that sense of wonder and wish I was not always in such a hurry so I could appreciate it too!

Luke made this crown at the YMCA and insisted on wearing this particular day!  Love it!!!

About Grandma Babe!

I have been thinking quite a bit lately about my paternal grandmother, Grandma Babe.  Actually, I can't seem to get her off my mind and have even had several dreams about her.  Of course, I suppose that is because her would-be-birthday was at the end of April.  And, as it goes, several other things have happened that just keeps reminding me of her.  I was given her wedding band some time ago and wear it often.  My oldest son saw it the other day as he has seen it on me many times and asked me about it.  I told him about her and then we looked at a picture of her.  I have been trying to explain that she is Papa's mom, but as it goes with most kids, he does not register that grandparents have parents too.  They actually see my maternal grandmother several times a year and don't seem to register that it is my mom's mother.  She is Grandma Belle, and that is just the way it is.  I think they think that grandparents have just always been there and how they fit into the scheme of things is not important. 
I spent an enourmous amount of time with my grandmother growing up and have very vivid memories of her house, her clothes,  and the things we did together. Grandma Babe was a fabulous cook which is probably where I got my love for eating.  She felt that I needed to eat constantly and spent most of the time I was there cooking or grocery shopping so she could cook some more.  Also, she and my step-grandfather (I was never blessed enough to know my real grandfather, as he died long before I was born) had a huge garden in their backyard that they religiously tended to.  I am sure that almost every vegtable that I ate at her house came from that garden! And, her house is where I learned about sugar!!! If I was not eating food she cooked, she was bringing me cookies, homemade vanilla pudding (nothing else compares), oreos (her cookie of choice), vanilla ice cream drowned in chocolate syrup, honey drenched toast cut into squares or Hershey Kisses, she would just hand me the bag! There were very few times I went there that I did not leave with a stomach ache or was throwing up, but God knows it was so worth it.  She is also the person who introduced me to cards (Skipbow in particular) and romance novels!  Every night I stayed with her, I crawled into bed next to her and she would read well into the night some of her well-loved smut novels.  If she ever saw me without one, she would get up, go through her stash and bring me one to read on for the night.  I never got far, the words were too big and the books were thick, but I loved that she shared them with me.  I would fall to sleep with her still reading, and she always woke up well before me, was dressed, had the house cleaned and ready to cook a huge breakfast including eggs, bacon, toast and chocolate milk (how I did not come away with seriously clogged arteries, I will never know)! After breakfast, we always made a trip out to the backyard where she discreetly placed her read newspaper in between the slats of the back fence.  It was years before I finally learned that one of the ladies that lived behind her did not have money for the daily paper, so she always placed it there for her to come and get.  In all of that time, I never questioned why she did it, and she never offered to explain as I am sure she wanted to be respectful of the other lady.  It was just her routine, and I never questioned it! After that, we would usually water the garden and then take another trip to the gorcery store for, yes you guessed it, more food!  Of course, we had to be back in order to make her Soap programs which I did get hooked on for a bit of my childhood! She loved her afternoon lineup, and I sat, with food, and watched quietly!  Then, it was time to get dinner ready!  We ate dinner, then dessert followed by the cleaning of dishes which was usually done by hand. There was a dishwasher, an ancient one, that actually had to be moved to the middle of the kitchen and hooked to the sink. So washing by hand actually saved time!  Not that I would fathom using it ever, but I would give anything to have that crazy dishwaher now just to sit in my house somewhere! That was the weekly routine give or take a trip to the nearby museum or the McDonald's across the street ("Just not a real hamburger," she would say)! And of course, church on Sunday.  She went, without fail, each week to her very tiny church and listened intently only breaking her concentration to ask me if she needed a Cert, the one item you would always find in her purse (she was very concerned about having fresh breath)!
I always enjoyed spending time there, she was kind and always smiling, and I love that I was able to grow up around her, but I wish that I had learned more about her and her earlier years.  I am sad to say that by the time I was old enough to appreciate her life, she was unable to communicate with me.  Though I have lots of wonderful memories of her, I actually know very little about her life before my childhood.  For whatever reason, at the present, memories are weighing on my heart, and the dreams have kept coming for weeks now, so I thought I would write a small note about her. Below is one of the last pictures I have of her.  I was unable to scan it, so I took a picture of the picture and downloaded it.  It is not as clear as I would like, but it is a good picture of her!

More sewing!

These latest sewing items were done for a friend who recently had triplets!!!  Yes, three baby boys!  I did a bag cause she can never have enough of those and three taggie blankets!  This is just one of the blankets and the bag.  I loved the material I found for the bag. It was at IKEA of all places!  They do have some cute material!  Also, I found this owl pattern which I fell in love with.  I love owls, and they seem to be everywhere right now! 

Yeah Man! No Problem!

Well, we decided to return from our Jamiacan vacation! I was really missing the boys, and I think one more day for my parents, and they would have left the boys by themselves!!! Jamaica was amazing, beautiful, relaxing, hot, hot and even hotter!!!  And, we really lucked out because it only rained on the last evening!  While we pretty much stayed around the hotel (all inclusive, so why leave), we did venture out a few times to do some shopping and for a couple of excursions!  And, of course, the ocean was beautiful.  The water was so clear and so many shades of blue!  Lyndon even got me out on a catamaran (ok, so I am terrified of the ocean...it is the only thing I really have nightmares about, I blame my brother)! Here are a some pics of the trip!

The view from the lobby deck.

The view from our room!

Our suit!

A bit of a blurry one of us! This night at dinner took about 2 hours and the next night almost 4 hours!  No one is in a hurry including the waitstaff! However, they are some of the kindest and happiest people we have been around!

This is the crazy bird that tried to join us for breakfast the first morning!  He sat on the back of one of the chairs at our table and attempted several times to walk onto the table to eat off our plates.  He did succeed in eating the leftovers of the table next to us!  They just could not get rid of him!  He was great entertainment!

A better pic of us!  We took a day-long excursion around the island to one of the rivers and to some beautiful falls.  The bus ride there and back was very nauseating because it was on the smallest two-lane road I have ever seen which curved around the hills to get us to the falls!  I was very "green" on the way there and back!

One of the many crocs we saw on the river!  He loved the boats because they fed him raw chicken!!! That boat captain was crazy enough to grab his foot and hand feed him!

View from the river boat!

The trees along the river were fascinating!  The all grew branches that would come from the top of the trees and grow downward into the water.  These branches were like straws that helped the tree get more water!

This is Darlene!  She was our very funny tour guide on the bus ride to the falls!  She was really into picking on Lyndon and a few of the other guys on the bus, so naturally, we bonded!

YS Falls!  Beautiful and some of the coldest water I have been in!

Lyndon volunteering for the rope swing! 

There were large signs all over the area of the falls with the usual rules!  However, rather than no tobacco, they had no ganja!  While it is legal to sell it in Jamaica, it is illegal to buy it or smoke it in public, go figure!

Some of the beautiful and unusual flowers!

A little shopping with the girls!  This is the only place I have been, including Mexio, that actually offered alcohol including beer, mixed drinks and shots of whatever while in their stores!  Needless to say, the guys acutally had fun shopping for once!

The patio of Margaritaville!

Rose Hall! This beautiful house was once the main house of a huge sugar cane plantation.  It was restored sometime ago and is now a tourist attraction.  The story goes that the last inhabitant of the house murdered all three of her husbands and countless lovers just because.  Of course, as we toured the place at night, we were amazed at how hot it was even at 8pm.  Lyndon and the others who were with us all agreed that Annie, the murderess, was probably misearbly hot and just had to take out her agression somehow!  Remember, all of these people we traveled with are AC contractors!  Air conditioning will make anyone happy!

This was Annie's bedroom, the place where she was finally murdered by one of her lovers...a bit creepy!

The last night of the trip!  I was trying to show them my skill on the dance floor with my version of the Water Sprinkler! 

Lyndon trying to show off his skill!  This was after a cigar we are pretty sure was laced with ganja...the sad thing is that there was no improvement!