Monday Madness

Good Monday morning! 

I never updated you after Lorelei's Thursday afternoon ortho appointment -- she is splint free! They didn't even do an x-ray. Since it was a buckle fracture (meaning the bone was basically bent, something that can only happen to children since their bones aren't old and brittle yet like adult bones), there's nothing specific to look for to determine that it's healed. We just needed to protect it for six weeks (with the splint), and now she's allowed to go back to all of her normal activities. There's an increased risk of re-fracture for the next year, and it may take two years for her bone to completely "un-bend," but that's just how it goes.

Well, we have a busy Monday ahead of us. I'm attending tutor training this morning, specifically for the science experiments and fine arts projects we will do the first six weeks of school. Our first community school day is this Friday, and I'm required to show up prepared, but the director of our community provides all of the necessary supplies for the science experiments, etc., and, thankfully, walks us through each experiment and fine arts project before we have to do them ourselves in front of the class. Sydney and Lorelei are going with me, Ford is going next door to a friend's house, and Ruthie is getting dropped off at the CDC for the morning.

I'm full of jitters as I prepare for this Friday. No one else is nervous, just me, ha! It's funny to me, as I've been putting (what I think are) the finishing touches on our daily schedule, how DIFFERENT this year has panned out compared to last year. Nothing major has changed (unless you count major as me tutoring and Ford joining Classical Conversations this year, instead of going back to the CDC's preschool program), but our day-to-day seems a lot different, and my mindset is definitely different. I think it's par for the course with young children though; Ford and Ruthie have changed a lot over the last year, and Ruthie will continue to seem like a completely different person every six months or so for the next couple of years. 

As someone who used to want to control everything, I think I'm doing a passable job of going with the flow and adjusting our family's schedule as the needs of the (many) individuals change. I'm protecting our time at home by saying "no" to things I thought I'd always say "yes" to (sports, activities, SPORTS, ACTIVITIES!!!), and trying to say "yes" more to things I'm inclined to say "no" to (quality field trips...often in the hot sun... that I know my kids will think are SO MUCH FUN, but that require more effort than I naturally wish to exert). It's a fine line, but with the Lord's help, but I'm walking it.

Happy Monday, my friends.

(Yes, Ruthie is drinking a La Croix.)

What day is it?

Friends, I have no idea what day it is.

We got back from our Texas vacation last Sunday (August 5th; it was supposed to be August 4th, but we had to rebook our flights last minute). Since then, I've had no idea what day it is, and my only goal is to finish unpacking and to catch up on laundry by Christmas. (Kidding...kind of.)

Actually, we're gearing up for school to start. The public schools start today, but our first Classical Conversations community day is Friday, August 24th. I'm one of the parent tutors this year, which means each week I present all the new information to the 6-8 year olds (we have a small community with only three classes: 4-6 year olds, 6-8 year olds, and 8-11 year olds). All that to say I will personally have more to prepare each week before community day than I did last year (I'm excited though!).

Did I never talk more about Lorelei's broken arm?! She broke it the night of the 4th of July when we were waiting for fireworks to start. The kids were all running around, and she tripped and used her left arm to catch herself before hitting the pavement. I took her to the emergency room, and we were seen quickly and home by midnight. The fall caused a buckle fracture in 2-3 places on her wrist, and the doctor (not the ER doctor, but the orthopedist at the clinic on base) gave me the choice to cast it or to use a splint. He said Europeans have been using splints for years to stabilize broken bones, and that the outcome (a healed broken bone) is the same. Not to mention that she would be able to get a splint wet (read: SWIM), but that a cast would have to be immediately removed and replaced if it got wet. SPLINT, PLEASE. (She got two: one for swimming, and one for the rest of the time.)

We go back to the orthopedist tomorrow to see if the bone is healed.

A few hours before the break, on July 4th (dressed in their patriotic clothing):

Shortly before the break, waiting for fireworks to start with neighbors:

In the emergency room (she was pretty calm by the time we got to the ER, but was in a lot of pain after the break...obviously...and during x-rays, because they needed her move and turn her arm a lot in order to get the best picture):

On the way to the orthopedist, before getting the splint:

Our friends sent her get-well gifts (the puppy on the right, which also has a "broken" arm, and the cute shirt in the second picture):

I thought her broken arm would put a damper on our summer, but it really hasn't. She's not allowed to ride her bike or do gymnastics with a broken arm, but since we were in Texas most of the summer she wasn't doing either of those things anyway. (And no one is out riding bikes right now, because it's so hot everyone just stays inside huddled around the air conditioner.)

That's all for now, friends. I hope you have a great...Wednesday? Is that what today is?

Rush Hour

It's just crazy to me that we're halfway through the 7th month of 2018. July has been full of fun and surprises (like Lorelei breaking her arm on July 4th -- more on that later). And, you guys...I'M ACTUALLY ENJOYING SUMMER. I know, I know; it's uncharacteristic of me. I think the fact that the three oldest can swim and Ruthie is no longer a baby needing two naps a day (and it's the first summer in two years we haven't MOVED) has helped make this the first summer with kids I've found fun.

This is just a quick post because I feel guilty that my "Good Habits" app is telling me it's been 15 days since I last posted. So I'm going to randomly share with you a little about life in California's Central Valley, because this post has been in my drafts folder for months, and that's too long.

We live on the Navy base in Lemoore, CA, and when you exit the base you have to drive for miles and miles through desert-like terrain -- but with FARMS lining either side of the highway -- before you get anywhere. (But you have to drive EAST. You won't find anything if you go north, south, or west.) There are mountain ranges visible ahead of and behind you (unless the air quality is bad that day; then you can't see much of anything). I've never lived anywhere like it.

Lemoore is a town of 26,000. The next town over due east, Hanford, has the closest Target and Walmart (population 55,000). Visalia is a very nice town even further east of Hanford, population 133,000, but it takes a lot for me to drive 45 minutes for ANYTHING. Fresno, the closest big city most people have heard of, is north-ish of Lemoore, 45-50 minutes away. Population 500,000, with the closest zoo and an "international" airport (barely, it's difficult to get direct flights out of Fresno to anywhere, except maybe Los Angeles).

It's simultaneously close to nothing and everything. We're 2-3 hours from so many amazing places: Sequoia National Forest, Yosemite National Park, the Pacific coast, San Francisco. It's a little further to places like Disneyland, Los Angeles, Monterey, and San Diego, but much closer for us than for most people living in the U.S.

People complain there's not much to do here, and about the hot weather, and about the bad air quality, but we've settled nicely into life in Lemoore. After living in D.C. and Austin, it's been a nice change for us. We rely heavily on the services/amenities offered by the base. We don't eat out much, or get take-out, because there's nothing close enough to make it convenient. And we BASK in the fact that there is NO TRAFFIC. Literally. When we were driving home from the marathon a couple of months ago we experienced the closest thing to traffic Lemoore has to offer:

Seriously. We were stopped at a stop sign, surrounded by farms, waiting to turn right. Chet said, "Looks like we've hit rush hour."

Happy weekend, my friends!

March Reading

Here's what I read in March!

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas -- You guys...this book is amazing. I don't normally gravitate toward books where the subject matter is so real and relevant (I prefer fiction that provides a break from the real world; it's the same reason I don't enjoy like shows like "This Is Us" -- TOO REAL). But this is a brilliant, often FUNNY book (at one point the main character is scared her dad is going to get out of the car because then everyone will see his ashy knees and socks + sandal-clad feet) that I HIGHLY recommend.

A Man Called Ove (audiobook) by Fredrik Backman -- The audio version of this book was great (it's originally written in Swedish, and I've heard some people have a hard time getting into the print version). It's about an older man who is VERY SET IN HIS WAYS, coping with life after his wife's death, and the unexpected hope he finds in (unwillingly) befriending the people in his neighborhood.

Hardcore Twenty-Four by Janet Evanovich -- I'll continue to read this series by Janet Evanovich as long as she continues to write them. Often ridiculous, but always enjoyable, and a great palate cleanser between harder-to-read books.

The Almost Sisters (audiobook) by Joshilyn Jackson -- I've never read a Joshilyn Jackson book before, but apparently tons of people (women) love her. This book was read by the author, and I liked her voice (always a plus when listening to an audiobook!). I'm not sure this is something I would have read in print, but it was an enjoyable story to listen to while training for the marathon.

That's it for March. Happy reading!

Ford's Ladies

It's only Wednesday and it feels like this week has been six years long (all thanks to vacation Bible school every night from 6 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. -- will we survive? hopefully...)

Anyway, we expended all of our energy today, first on the outdoor track behind the base gym, then at the community pool (then at gymnastics). Ford, normally a boy who thinks girls and boys should be segregated (I'm working on catching him up to the 21st century), played with LOTS of girls at the pool.

I hope YOU'RE surviving and thriving this week. And perhaps even leading the way as you jump into nice, cold pools.

Swim Lessons

Ford and Ruthie had swim lessons this week -- every day at 9:30 a.m.!

They did great. Ford doesn't need to wear arm floaties anymore, and Ruthie is much more confident in the water (and can swim holding her breath, face down).

I'm sure Ruthie will need at least another year of lessons, but I'm glad we did them this year. Now to practice what they learned the rest of the summer!

Father's Day!

This year both Mother's Day and Father's Day were super low-key (but enjoyable!).

In fact, I'm going to stop for a second and tell you about Mother's Day, because it doesn't warrant its own post, but I want to tell you something funny. For Mother's Day I asked Chet for the freedom/support/time to take care of a few projects around the house without having to stop to break up fights or feed anyone lunch. For example, taking care of a VERY RANDOM pile of papers that had accumulated between us moving here and now. I spread out this very random pile of papers all over our bedroom, and Sydney and Lorelei helped me sort them and create categories and throw things away, etc. They were very helpful, but also bored to tears. Sydney asked of her friends' mothers, "Are Ms. Catherine and Ms. Stephanie sorting papers right now too?" Hmm, unlikely...but possible. It's hard to predict what a mother's heart might desire on Mother's Day.

Anyway, Father's Day! We went out to dinner Saturday night, at a Mexican food restaurant Chet and I love (but have only been to once, sans children). (We recently realized that we hardly ever take the kids to restaurants. Mostly because we have to drive at least 20 minutes to get to one, and 30 minutes if we want a lot of choices. It's almost never worth the effort.) 

This is Ruthie's "kitty cat" face. She pretends to be a cat ("me kitty tat!") at least four times an hour, and this is the face she makes while she meows:

After dinner we ate ice cream at Baskin Robbins:

Sunday morning before church the kids gave Chet the best gift ever by playing quietly together for a little while (I don't know about your house, but Sunday mornings are usually extra loud and dramatic at ours):

Then I tried to take a quick picture in the church parking lot, but:

So there you have it.

Hopefully your Father's Day was great, and full of sorting papers (if, you know, that's what you WANTED to do).