tough guy

We had a little 'staycation' for Spring Break this year. One of our trips was to The Waterpark of America with some good friends. We had only been swimming for about an hour when Elliott came to me crying! As he was going up the steps to a water slide, another kid pushed by him causing him to fall. Apparently, his chin hit the edge of the stair and he got a rather large gash. One look at it and I rushed him over to the first aid station, Ryan following closely behind. Elliott had already stopped crying by the time we got into the first aid room. He answered every question asked of him by the staff - in great detail, as you can imagine. Directions to the closest urgent care were quickly given to us, and after a quick change into dry clothes we were on our way.

After getting patched up at First Aid before going to Urgent Care

Elliott talked my ear off on the 15 minute drive and continued chatting as we waited to see the doctor. A nurse called us back for a quick check by a doctor to see if it was an injury they could handle there or if we needed to be sent on to a hospital. A little numbing solution was tucked under his chin and we were back in the waiting room. While filling out paperwork at the front desk, Elliott charmed the receptionist with his cute smile and non-stop talking. He impressed her with all his math knowledge (80 plus 80 is 160, etc.) and animal facts (a lynx has large paws to walk on top of the snow - like snowshoes). A few more minutes in the waiting area (where two other ladies fell in love with him and expressed their desire for a son like him) and we were finally taken back to a treatment room.

Another doctor came in and we got Elliott settled onto the table. My thought was to distract him by talking the entire time, but Elliott had his own ideas. He barely flinched when given the little shots of lidocaine, pausing briefly in what would be a good half hour of constant talking! It turns out, his doctor has a red belt in karate and also coaches soccer - they had a lot to talk about. The only trouble Elliott gave us the entire time was keeping quiet long enough for the doctor to put in the stitches! Four stitches later and some after care instructions, we were on our way.

All stitched up - enjoying a few bites of a chocolate Frosty as a reward for his bravery!

I was so proud of my little guy -- no tears and extremely cooperative through it all! He was bouncing and spinning through the parking lot on the way to the van. We stopped at Wendy's for ice cream, thinking that he would want to eat after the meds wore off. He couldn't sit still long enough to eat more than 3 bites! On the ride back to the hotel, he continued talking - deciding that he was going to make movies when he grew up, starting with Star Wars 7! Back at the water park, he showed off his stitches to his dad and sisters, and also all our friends. Because he couldn't swim again, I spent the rest of the evening in the arcade with him, playing endless games and winning large amounts of tickets. I had a hard time keeping up with him - he had so much energy. Ryan pointed out that he likely had an adrenaline rush that hadn't worn off yet!

The spiderman face distracts from the stitches on the chin!

After a short night of sleep, we continued our trip with a day at Nickelodeon Universe. His first request was to get his face painted. We managed to put it off until after lunch, when I gave in -- who wouldn't want to spoil him a bit after what he'd been through! No rollercoasters for this kid, even though I told him that if he could get stitches with no tears he was brave enough to ride the big rides!

FYI - Elliott said that was his worst day ever. And that it would never happen again because he was NEVER going back to a water park again!!! And to make matters worse, he had to follow it up with a tetanus shot at the pediatrician's the next day!

Jillian - basketball

Basketball season number two for Jillian - a 2nd & 3rd grade squad. By the 2nd to last game of the season, things 'clicked' for her and she started playing more aggressively. She had always played tough defense, but was a little shy when it came to offense. I challenged her to take 8 shots during one game and it must have been the incentive she needed. She worked her way inside, shot the ball rather than always passing, and grabbed lots of rebounds. So proud of how much she learned this season!

One of her many shot attempts in her last two games.

Always one to play tough defense, here she took it further

- check out the photo below --

she stole the ball!

The opposing team's best score maker - Jillian shut her out!

At the beginning of the season, Jillian wouldn't have gone after the ball - here she is at the last game, determined to get it!

Team photo after the last game - Jillian made lots of new friends!

Delaney - basketball

Delaney played basketball for her 2nd year this winter. Her team was called "Blue Ice" and although they were the youngest and smallest team in the league, they played aggressively and had a fun season. Delaney proudly wore jersey #1 - owning her small size! There were some big changes this year moving up the the 4-6th grade team. High school players refereed the games, calling double dribbling, traveling and some fouls. The coaches also focused on teaching the girls positions and plays. Delaney took this all in stride and did a great job learning the plays and improving her ball handling skills.

Delaney plays quick and smart - she's a great defender, paying attention to both the ball and her player. Here she gets her hands up on defense!

Point guard - making Dad proud!

To quote Ryan "Delaney drove the lane, pulled up and took a shot from 10 feet and buried it! She was so pumped!"

Here is a photo of Delaney's team after their last game - two players are missing. Like I mentioned, these girls had to play hard because there were only 8 of them (other teams had 10) and 7 were 4th graders. Great coaches make for a great experience and she can't wait to play again next year!

first day 2011

Delaney - 4th grade

Jillian - 3rd grade

Sisters -- and friends!!!

From the last day of school to the first day!!! I was not very good about keeping up with the blog this summer . . . let's face it, I just didn't blog at all! We were way too busy having fun to worry about posting on the blog. Maybe I'll put together a little slide show of our summer highlights to share with my many (ha) readers! For now, here are a few photos of the first day of school for Delaney and Jillian. Elliott has one more day of summer before heading off to his 2nd year of preschool tomorrow.

elliott

Preschool . . . stories, play, crafts, snacks, turn-taking, friend-making, sharing, field-trips and first bus rides. Elliott had been looking forward to going to school -- afterall, he'd had to watch his sisters head off on the bus while he was stuck at home with me! His favorites this year were crafts and snacks. The second surprises me because he often told me what snack was followed quickly by why he didn't eat it! Elliott was always excited to go to preschool and share what he'd done over the weekend or at home with his teachers. He is a talker, just like his sisters. And with their influence has a love for books and is learning to do math and tell time already!

Elliott is in the 2nd row - 2nd from end. Aren't they COOL!

best friends!

Last day of preschool - June 2011

First day of preschool - Sept. 2010

jillian

The adorable Miss Jillian . . . what can I say about 2nd grade??? She also had a rockstar teacher that challenged and encouraged her! It was a wonderful year - she managed to get a perfect score on each spelling test this year! They wrote in a book titled "The Month to Month Me." Here are some highlights:


October - If I could have an hour a day at school to study anything I wanted, I would choose: to work on my Harper and Bailey series. (There are atleast 8 stories so far!)

November - 5 things I really LIKE are: my family, dance, piano, blueberries, friends.
5 things I really DISLIKE are: tomatoes, tornadoes, waking up early, bullies, robbers.


January was all about family - Things I enjoy doing with:
Mom - cuddling with her.
Dad - playing cat and mouse and superheroes with him!
Brother & Sister - playing hide-and-seek, doing puzzles, and playing outside with them.


February - all about friends
I think it is important for a friend to be: nice and stand up for people.
My friends think I am - very creative and nice.


April - I have thought about the following occupation: being a vet because I am good at taking care of animals.


Jillian is my sweet, snuggly, always-puts-others-first girl! So proud to be her mama!

Last day of 2nd grade

delaney

A little behind with the first & last photos of the school year. I'll start with Delaney, since I'm just getting through her bag of papers and 'stuff' she brought home at the end of the year. It's so much fun to look back through their writings and drawings to see how much they've progressed and grown during the school year. Delaney has spread her wings this year - becoming much more independent and self-assured. She's got a great group of friends and enjoys school so much. She was blessed with a fantastic teacher this year, who really saw Delaney's strengths and encouraged her to set goals and pushed her to reach them. One of their projects was to write a poetry book - Delaney's was titled "Alphabet Soup" and contained several styles of poems. As in any book, the last page is "All About the Amazing Author" and I want to share that with you. It gives a glimpse into who Delaney is becoming and thoughts about herself . . .


I wish - I could have a hamster.
I love - my puppy Harper.
I dream - of writing chapter books.
I am - kinda small.
I use to - be weak.
Now I - am sorta tough.
I always - love to read.
I never - break a promise.
In 3rd grade I - became an author.
When I am 30, I - will get my own puppy.


I love that she wants to be a writer and considers herself an author at age 9. She has so many stories written already and we are working on publishing one in a hardcover format. And she is sorta tough now in so many ways! So proud of my spunky, thoughtful, dreamer!!!

Last day of 3rd grade!

1st day of 3rd grade

Soccer Boy

Elliott has been waiting for his turn to play soccer -- watching both of his sisters for the last few years has been torture! Finally, his time has arrived and he takes that soccer field with a confidence and enthusiasm that has been building after watching from the sidelines. It's ON!!!

Showing off his soccer muscles before his first game!

Earning his trip to Dairy Queen with all the saves he made -- not a single ball got passed him!!!

Even with moves like below. ;)

Elliott likes to be wherever the ball is -- he's even scored at every game so far!

Couldn't resist sharing this one as well, one of my new favorite photos. Elliott calls those 'Wishmaker Flowers'.

Easter & 1st Communion

The Son was shining yesterday as our family celebrated Easter morning! The girls were so quiet when they woke up -- they found their baskets and eggs before I even knew they were up! Elliott slept in and had his own Easter hunt. After enjoying a family breakfast with Grandpa Fred and Grandma Charlene, we rejoiced with our church family at Spirit of Joy. Jillian took part in her First Communion! Prior to this event, we discussed whether she'd be taking the wine or grape juice. Little did we know, there would be no need for this debate as the individual cups were gone and all that was left was the Common Cup. She's a quick learner and her first communion was done by intinction. So proud of our little girl - growing way too quickly!!!

Ready for spring!

I know I'm not alone when I say that I am READY FOR SPRING! Our household has had quite enough these last 4-5 weeks. Without going into all the details, our kids have been through so much. Jillian has been sick 3 different times since the last week of January, missing 2 days of school one week, one day the next week, and most recently missed the entire week. Last week, she had a fever for an entire week (Sat - Sat) and YES, I brought her to the clinic -- TWICE! Finally, she's back in school this week and we're hoping it's the last of it for her. Delaney and Elliott have each been sick on two separate occasions, ending when Delaney had influenza B and Elliott was treated for an ear infection. Ugh. It's certainly a good thing I'm a stay at home mom because I would surely have been fired from any job, as I was home with a sick kid for three weeks straight. And just when we thought we'd made it through this terrible month, I found lice (shudder, shiver, cringe) on Saturday morning in one girl's hair. Maybe she just wanted equal time with me! After all the treatment, laundry, vacuuming, bagging of stuffed animal, etc. I felt good about getting through that issue as well. Until I woke up the next morning with a terrible headache that progressed to a migraine putting me out of commission for the entire day. It's really, really, really enough already. Bring on Spring!!!

Go back a few weeks to when the weather was gorgeous and the snow was melting. Jillian (on a rare day she wasn't sick) and I took the dogs for a walk. Actually, that was a day Elliott and Delaney were both sick. Anyway . . . the pups had a ball splashing in puddles and racing around in the fresh air. Until we got home and they both needed a bath because they were full of dirt and grime! It was decided then that Harper would need a spring haircut because I would not be giving her 3 baths a day!!! As cute as she was with all her shiny hair, she's quite adorable now! Even if she is embarrassed by it and currently hiding in shame in her kennel.

This is 'everyday' Harper. She had her cuter moments when I would spend the time brushing her and putting a pony tail or bows in to keep the hair out of her eyes. But that is just too much to do on a daily basis with three kids! So she was a ragamuffin most of the time. And she's a terrible wiggler, so trimming up that hair between her eyes is completely out of the question. That's why there are dog groomers!!!

Still cute, even though her coloring underneath is totally different than when she was a pup. She's now white and apricot with only the dark on the tips of her ears and one side of her 'mustache.' And I no longer have to spend 1/2 an hour every night brushing out her coat!

rambling thoughts

Just found this draft of a post I wrote way back last February! I'm posting it as is . . . thanks for the memories Grandma Marie! For some reason, I can't copy and paste this into a new post . . . and it's posting with the date I first wrote it, which, like I said, was last February. So click on this link if you want to read it!

"4"

It's hard to believe, but our 'little man' is now 4 years old! For the 2nd year in a row, Elliott chose to celebrate his birthday with bowling! And once again, we shared the party with his good friend Emmerson who's birthday is just one day before Elliott's. They are in the same preschool class and her mom and I are very close friends, so this works great for us! I managed to wrangle the group of preschoolers after we got them into their super-cool bowling shoes and before we started knocking down pins! Aren't they adorable???

(back row) Emmerson, Ava & Liam (front row) Ashlyn, Cambelle, Elliott & Aphia

FOUR YEAR OLDS!

Aphia - her giggle made me smile through all the chaos!

Ashlyn - it was her 1st time bowling!

Liam - this kid was a pro. He has me lining up the ramp for the perfect shot!

Cambelle - check out that grin. We were guaranteed fun with her around!