How are you feeling?

Leah underwent surgery this week to remove her tonsils and adenoids. She was quite nervous and a bit fearful of the whole process. For weeks before the surgery Leah didn't want to talk about it. If someone even said the word "surgery" she would walk away or cover her ears. Days leading up to the surgery she started to talk more openly about the procedure and was looking forward to eating ice cream and popsicles. On the day of the surgery everything went very smoothly and Leah did a fabulous job! For as active a child as she is keeping low key has been a challenge. Just today she asked if she could go rollerblading (only 5 days after her surgery). We are very proud of how she has handled the whole situation. Now we just need to pray that she doesn't get strep throat ever again!

Are you crying Mommy?

Tonight our family was taught a hard life lesson that comes with owning a pet. After spending the night celebrating dads and a couple of birthdays, we came home to a nonliving toad. Tim noticed it first and called me to come check it out. Leah and Elizabeth overheard Tim and went with me to see. Spotty was perched up against the wall of the terrarium appearing to look out at us one last time. At that moment I wasn't sure how to feel. Quite frankly I had been preparing myself for this day for years (Spotty lived almost 8 years with me), but the tears still flowed. As a family we walked back behind our house to a place where Tim dug a hole to bury our beloved frog. Making the situation quite comical Elizabeth stated that we would need a big hole to bury Jazmin in...something I am not looking forward to doing. After Tim covered up the hole with dirt we talked about keeping him buried and what would happen to his body. Then later before I kissed Elizabeth in bed she said, "Mommy, do you think Spotty is up in heaven with balloons up there for him?" As tears welled up in my eyes I told her that was a nice thought and I walked out of her room. I am amazed at how long such a little creature can live and am thankful that our family was able to experience this together.

Was your Father's Day happy?

Today was a relaxing day celebrating Tim. For Father's Day we went to church in the morning, had lunch, went to the beach, and then grilled at home for dinner. Tim enjoyed the scrapbook page the girls made for him and the bag of M & M's with clues to his presents (campfire tools that I didn't want to wrap). He also rested happily on the couch with the US Open on for many hours. While today was happy for us all, earlier in the week Leah was very happy to start her tennis lessons at Hope College. She did well and enjoyed her time with her instructor who also happens to be her gym teacher at school. As she would say, "batter up!" It's a good thing she'll have many more lessons before the summer is over.

Are we having fun yet?

This past week marked the end of a year for Leah and me. While the two of us enjoyed the final activities at school Elizabeth was creating some of her own fun at home. We are all looking forward to more fun to come this summer!

Is it summer yet?

Great Lakes Elementary has a tradition of closing out the school year with an all day field day on the last full day of school. That day was yesterday. The weather was absolutely perfect (in my opinion the best we've ever had) and the students were more than excited. My enthusiasm tends to be much less than the students for many reasons: less structure than a typical day inside, too much sunscreen to apply, the constant need for refilling water bottles, frequent bathroom breaks, and the list could continue. Despite my attitude every year I put on a happy face and lead the class outside. The highlight of the day is always the dunk bucket. While it's not the typical submersion dunk bucket, participants still get really soaked. Throughout the day classes take turns at the station and as a grand finale the staff members have a chance to get "dunked" as well. Each year my name "mysteriously" gets drawn by the principal. During my turn two teachers were ready and waiting with their cameras to capture the moment which was a nice treat since I'm usually the one taking all of the pictures. This year's experience was quite refreshing even though anticipating the gush of water was horrible...drip, drip, SPLASH!

What are Frontier Days?

This past week was quite uneventful and thankfully so. After the holiday weekend Leah started her new "team" gymnastics class. For an hour and a half, 2 days a week, she will be learning special routines and improving her skills. Elizabeth spent the day on Friday with our next door neighbor and her 4 year old daughter after having a small day care crisis which we believe has been solved for the remainder of the school year. Then yesterday while Tim worked the girls and I traveled to Carson City to see my sister and her family for Frontier Days. Just inside the city limits old fashioned cars were on display while motorcycles were parked outside the store fronts. Craft vendors and one tiny elephant ear booth rapped around another short block. Firetrucks and local politicians made their way down the main street passing out candy which the kids eagerly collected. Although some might argue the inflatables were the biggest draw to the country town, it was the beautiful hot air balloons that were expected to fill the evening sky that brought the crowds. Unfortunately at the exact time of the launch the rain started and caused it to be cancelled. We were definitely disappointed, but left having enjoyed ourselves with all the other activities.