Spring break

The last two weeks have been spring break for us. It was really only a week and a half, but the three days before we left were fun Easter activities, not actual curriculum. I figure if the public schools can do it... ;)

We spent a week and a half in Colorado with Mark's family. The weather was great and the company was even better. We got to meet our new niece/cousin who was only a few days old when we got there (no, the kids were NOT allowed to touch her--I almost didn't let myself touch her!). We visited Colorado Springs where we had our first experience at Focus on the Family. Micah was our lifesaver as we got to Focus on the Family and realized we had forgotten both of our cell phones in Denver. He loaned us his phone for the day so we could get in touch with all of the people we were supposed to be meeting, which was so nice of him and incredibly helpful. We stayed at Focus on the Family for a few hours and watched some VeggieTales and played in the playground. Focus has an awesome indoor playground with a three-story slide. The kids would have stayed there all day if we had let them!

Instead we took them to the Air Force Academy and then Garden of the Gods where we worked really hard at convincing them to join the Air Force and wearing them out. Not really sure we were successful on either count. Then we had dinner with Micah and Tiffany and their little girl, Julia. It was great to get to see them again. I missed them before we even said good-bye. 

It's been awhile since I posted any pics. That has a lot to do with me not taking photos or taking photos and not downloading them to the computer. Either way, I managed to do both this past weekend. It's good to feel successful in the little things, you know? :)

The crew, ages 8, 9, 10, 7, 7, and 9 from left to right:

No shortage of characters in our house...(if you look at it closely you'll see it pretty accurately represents the various personalities we have!)

Crew, with co-captain and captain (yes, my eyes are closed, but believe me when I say this is the best pic out of several from the same shoot!):

And now we're sick

A couple of weeks ago Alex had a little cough/cold over about a week. It wasn't anything major and didn't seem to bother him too much except the cough sometimes woke him up at night. Then last week Bianca came down with it, then a couple of days later Danielle. Both of them still have a bit of cough although they are feeling much better.

A few days ago Mark started feeling bad and I thought he was coming down with the same thing. Today his temperature was 104.2, so I think he's managed to get the flu. Unfortunately I am now showing the same symptoms (haven't taken my temperature--I'm in denial!) so it's looking like the adults may be down for the count this week. I'm hoping since Mark got it first he will recover quickly so I can collapse. ;)

The downside of homeschooling: no substitute teachers!

Not catching up

I feel so behind in posting that it's futile to even try to catch up. So here's today. :)

We got a piano. :) :) We had a friend of ours keeping a lookout for a free piano for us. We have a (very nice) Yamaha keyboard that Mark and my family got for my graduation from grad school, but I am hesitant about letting the kids play on it, especially unsupervised! I wanted a piano that could take a bit of beating (literally) without us worrying that the kids would destroy something expensive. We don't have much in our house that qualifies for most people's definition of expensive, so I'd like to keep those few things intact.

A few weeks ago we heard of a free piano that would just require a move. Because it was in a basement, we did have to hire movers to get it from its old home to our house. It was delivered today and the kids are having a blast with it! We have been learning music notes and rests (quarter, half, eighth, and whole) this semester in the morning so I'm so excited to have the piano here so we can start working on note names. The piano is in the dining room where we do the majority of our homeschooling so it is perfect.

As an aside, anyone who doesn't know us and walks in the house immediately asks if we homeschool (like the piano movers today). I'm guessing it's the 4'x6' U.S. map and the 2.5'x4' world map on the dining room walls along with the pledge of allegiance and John 3:16 in German (we were studying Germany this week). And then there's the list of U.S. presidents and the Declaration of Independence posted on the office door. Have I mentioned that I love homeschooling? :) :)

Sign up now, girls!

Tim: "When I grow up, I'm going to buy a big sled for my wife. And we're going to sled down a big hill...a 6,000 foot hill."

All I can say is his wife will never lack for adventure. ;)

Last Tuesday went exactly as planned...

Almost.

First, you have to know THE PLAN. I really think, given the circumstances, that it needs to be capitalized because I put quite a bit of effort into THE PLAN.

Not that anyone apparently cared. *ahem*

THE PLAN:
7am--kids up, dressed, breakfast (Mark handles that--got to love a hubby who is a morning person!)
8am--start school--pledge, Bible, prayer then on to schoolwork
While kids work, I make lunch to have ready to take with us for appointments and prep dinner
10am--leave for Danielle's annual eye checkup from her strabismus surgery
noonish--eat lunch, either at SLCH or home, depending on the eye appointment
1:30pm--if home, leave for speech (otherwise we're still at SLCH and can just go straight to speech)
2-3:30pm--speech
home by 4pm--make dinner to take for Tim to eat at Alex's soccer practice and the girls to eat while Tim is at gymnastics (we're all together for this, but the girls eat slower and can't get done at soccer before we need to leave for gymnastics)
5pm--soccer practice for Alex, Mark meets us there
5:30pm--gymnastics for Tim
6:30pm--gymnastics for Bianca and Julia
7pm--dance for Danielle and Emily (dance and gymnastics are at the same place for all of the kids)
home by 8pm, quick bedtime

That was THE PLAN. There was a small snag...

The preceding Saturday Tim fell on the playground. He landed on his side with his arm flat underneath him. He complained of it hurting, but it was not bruised or swelling and he had full range of motion in his hand and arm so we just kept an eye on it. But Monday night he had gymnastics. We told his coach what had happened and just to let him modify activities as needed, and told Tim to do what was comfortable. However, after watching him practice, it was clear he was not comfortable using his arm at all.  Mark and I decided he probably needed an x-ray just to rule out a possible break. THE PLAN became this:

7am--kids up, dressed, breakfast (Mark handled that--got to love a hubby who is a morning person!)
8am--call to doctor's office to see if they can send him for an x-ray without us driving out there
8:30am--dr's office calls back; Tim has to be seen and can we come right now?
9am--dr's office with all six kids; we do morning school routine in the exam room (we found a small flag on a book for the pledge--not kidding)
9:30am--x-ray for Tim. At this point, no one thinks Tim's arm is broken including the radiologist. We were all wrong. He has a buckle fracture of the left radius. He needs a cast and can we go to Children's right away as orthopedics can fit us in now?
10am--frantic call to Mark for help. I have to have Tim at the orthopedist and get Danielle to her eye doctor appointment. They are in the same building but I can't be in two places at once!
10:30am--Mark takes Tim back to see the orthopedist and I take Danielle to the eye doctor (where we wait...for a looonnnggg time)
1pm--We finish at the eye doctor. I let the kids have stickers AND suckers because they haven't eaten and they have been very well-behaved. Note that there was no time to make lunch in the morning, or dinner. Dash home.
1:30pm--kids scarf down lunch (two hours later than usual!!) and we turn around and head back to SLCH
2-3:30pm--speech. I call Mark to figure out dinner. Since Tim won't be doing gymnastics now, we can all stay at Alex's soccer practice and eat there. Mark volunteers to pick up pizza. I fall at his feet in tears of gratitude on the phone.
4pm--home from speech, need to leave in 45 minutes for soccer. I actually contemplate trying to fix dinner to take with us, then realize I still have to get everyone dressed for their respective activities and decide dinner from home is NOT going to happen.
5pm--soccer practice. Mark brings pizza, the kids play on the playground (except Tim)
6:30pm--gymnastics for Bianca and Julia
7pm--dance for Emily and Danielle
8pm--home and bed for EVERYONE

I'm not currently a big fan of Tuesdays (see THE PLAN above to figure out why) but this particular Tuesday made the other ones seem pretty calm. Maybe God just thought I needed some perspective. ;)

What?!?

Danielle: "I'm going to go outside and rake leaves!"

Me: "Don't go out in the yard. I haven't picked up dog poop yet."

Danielle: "I'm not. I'm going to use my tummy."

Someone want to explain how you rake leaves on a deck with your tummy???

I have a cold

...but my antibiotics have cleared my previous infections up nicely. This has been quite the month. I think I felt good the first few days and not since then. It's not that I feel terrible, just run down and ready to be healthy again!

We took Danielle's first (okay, second) set of casts off tonight and she gets the next set tomorrow. Then only one more set. She's also getting casted tomorrow for AFOs (ankle foot orthotics) to wear at night to help keep her stretched. She has tolerated the casts GREAT! She calls them her boots and thinks they're cool. I honestly expected a lot of drama over them but we really talked them up beforehand. And since she's not missing out on any activities she's pretty content. I will be very glad to get the serial casting done before it gets hot and we're trying to go swimming.