Week Seventeen

He says he is only flying First Class from now on. We've ruined him. But seventeen hours of travel warrants some comfort accommodations.

That overnight flight caught up with her, much to the dismay of Diesel. He was certain she would forfeit her nap to play with him.

Friends have been sending gifts to occupy little man.

Lauren and Austin are here for a visit. Having them in our home is pretty sweet. Austin's energy matches Diesel's and I've already called them each by the wrong name. Welcome to the home with more than one child, Austin. 

No sooner than I got Lauren and Austin from the airport, I broke a toe on my right foot and potentially tore the plantar fasciitis in the left foot. Images revealed the source of constant pain in my feet with spurring of the plantar fasciitis and degeneration of the joints. I'm falling apart. I ended up with time off work that I couldn't spend doing anything fun because locating a shoe I could wear was challenging and walking looked like something out of an old Carol Burnett episode with Tim Conway as an elderly man shuffling in slow motion. It's completely ridiculous. But after the impact, I scooted across the garage floor and into the house on my rear end. Austin immediately declared I could still play Pokemon with him, so it wasn't a total loss. 

PS. Does anyone happen to have a flow chart to help me understand Pokemon? The book we are studying has over 500 pages and has left me with more questions that frustrate Austin. I'm not a dumb person but this is an enormous undertaking. 

With enough persistence, someone will eventually play with him. 

He is something else. I mean, why wouldn't you sit on the person in the spot you wanted?

We missed Greg when he served on the Men's Emmaus Walk all weekend. 

Her clay project had a pretty sweet ending despite the challenges of her creation. 

I'm getting a lot of bedside visitors these days. Some are needier than others. 

He needed me to draw the house, tree and flowers. He drew the chimney smoke, the sky and the fire next to the tree. He says it's "our picture". I'm so happy to have him here.

Ty wasn't necessarily thrilled to be assembling Austin's Legos but I pointed out the hours we all spent on his sets for years so he complied. Austin loved the result and carried it around the rest of the day. Of course, just like little Ty, he was often frustrated when the pieces broke. Lauren says we need super glue to eliminate the meltdowns. It could happen. 

Week Sixteen

Some fun facts I learned this week about my little mourning dove family. First, if the tree they typically nest in dies, they will adapt. Second, once you discover a nest with eggs in your hanging basket, you water VERY carefully. Third, hanging baskets with nests cannot be covered for frost advisories. Fourth, momma mourning doves lay the eggs. Daddies sit on them during the day while Momma brings food and supplies. Daddies then galavant all night while Mom takes her shift. I'm glad I'm not a mourning dove. 

He tries very hard to convince me to stay home in the mornings. 

Thursday after school he accompanied me for X-rays and a Costco run. We pre-gamed with Longhorn, where he devoured the bread before dinner. 

Diesel REALLY likes this new toy.

He is a big fan of this one too. Ty in Costco means Diesel gets new toys.

Someone was pumped about his snow cone.

This girl. No makeup, pony tail and big glasses at Miss Kentucky orientation. I love her.

Kate and Kam. I adore these two.

Greg is serving on an Emmaus Walk this weekend. He committed to meetings for it last Sunday and Wednesday before leaving on Thursday. We will get him back Sunday evening, where I am sure he will fall directly into a deep, necessary sleep. I miss him already.

Kate and her friends scored tickets to see Morgan Wallen Thursday night. I didn't love letting her go into Louisville but appreciated the opportunity to experience a bucket list item. The city has been fairly unsettled lately and my instincts often lean toward overprotective. I'm working on it. 

Since she was out so late, she scored a day off school today. I left a housekeeping list for Kate and Ty and came home from work to a clean home. I then promptly left again to nap and float in saltwater. A significant amount of inflammation was reduced. My weekend holds promise of less pain. 

Week Fifteen/Easter

After Easter dinner at our house, Ty left to spend the week with my family in Kentucky. They visited the zoo, the trampoline park, the observatory and the movie theater. Ty drove the golf cart and got ice cream with Grandma too. 

I called to check in with him after three days and was met with a very chatty Ty. As we hung up, I told him I love him. He replied, "alright." Dear future daughter in law, I tried

He usually sleeps with Ty. This week, there was a nightly stand off. He thought I should be relocated while he slept in my spot. This lead to some destruction.....

While cleaning up this.....

Ty's pillow was a casualty.

I discovered this under my son's bed. This did not make me happy.

She casually mentioned she was crowned Miss Louisville a month ago and has to compete for Miss Kentucky in June. Bewildered, I asked, "how did this happen?" She borrowed mascara from a coworker's desk drawer and nailed an interview. This makes sense. You see, the last time Erin wore makeup, she was three and did it herself. Her headshot required assistance from her sisters. This is the girl who believes pajamas are socially acceptable for brunch and Bible study and often fails to brush her hair for days. To say we were shocked, would be an understatement. However, she was approached based on her high achieving academics and cervical cancer awareness platform. She now holds the possibility of a conversation with the governor and has her eye set on some scholarships for her doctorate.  We may be stunned but we are also proud. 

This week held an appointment with Kate's pediatrician to help diagnose some dizzy spells. We both had fasting lab work this morning to aid in ongoing medical investigation so we celebrated with breakfast at Cracker Barrel before heading to school. She joined me in my classroom Wednesday afternoon because she had an appointment and we were sharing a vehicle this week due to a repair on mine. We spent that time around reading groups collaborating on her Senior scrapbook for English class. She has allowed me to assist in writing a few of her of her fifteen different essays. I haven't felt nostalgic towards her final year of highschool as expected, but sorting through the images she selected as significant did leave me a bit teary. More than anything, I'm just proud of all this girl has overcome to achieve her early graduation goal. 

Introductory essay for Kate's scrapbook project.

Greg and I spent this gorgeous evening dining on the deck kid free. It was a good ending to another long week.