Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot (originally hosted by At Home with Books) is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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 My youngest son is 20 years-old and a few months ago got a great job 2 hours away as a welder. He loves it and is quite happy but it's a bit unnerving when your baby boy sends this photo home!

Yep, he's high off the ground and I don't like it one bit. But I'm very proud of him and trust him to stay safe and work hard. And I hope and pray - a lot!

On a lighter note, we took The Princess to her first dance class this week. She's taking tap and ballet and loved it! Grandpa and Monkey Boy went for a walk while I waited. I made the kiddos pose first, of course. That's what grandmas do!

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot (originally hosted by At Home with Books) is now hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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 So many family changes lately! Good changes - graduations, new apartments, new jobs - but it's still making me sentimental. My last boy moved out yesterday so my nest is empty. For now. They've moved in and out a few times and it's been fine with us. (I did it twice to my mom!) Two sons live in town and have added to our family. One son lives two hours away and comes home most weekends. I'm so proud of all of them and I'm a very lucky mom. Please indulge me as I reminisce.

Little Wright Brothers

We didn't get to Kmart photo studio before closing time so I made them pose in the back yard

Playing in the mud

Soccer games

Family photo in the yard

Tried to pose for Christmas card photo but dogs wouldn't cooperate and boys wouldn't smile. Epic fail!

Traditional first day of school photo. They were pissed but I wouldn't let them leave until they did it!

Oldest boy's first day of college. I cried when when each boy got a turn

Mother's Day pose

At the pool's beach during our Universal Resort vacation

Last night of family dinners at Margaritaville, Universal Orlando

Father's Day - 3 generations of Wright Brothers!!

Saturday Snapshot

 Saturday Snapshot is hosted by At Home with Books. To participate in this meme post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky. Photos can be old or new, and be of any subject as long as they are clean and appropriate for all eyes to see. How much detail you give in the caption is entirely up to you. Please don't post random photos that you find online.
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I had planned to show adorable photos of my mom's new golden retriever puppy but I'll have to save that for another week.  If my kids can all stay healthy! (knock wood)

Oops he did it again...
Remember this photo from Father's Day? My youngest son had a mishap while he was racing his 4 wheeler. Guess where we were this week? Back at the ER! And not just one, but two!

ER visit for Father's Day injuries

I got this text from my youngest son Tuesday afternoon. "Don't freak out. I cut my hand badly" (Is there a way to cut it goodly?) I calmly wrote back "I'm not freaking out but I'm going to call you"  He told me that he was on his way to the ER because he had cut his hand at work with a carpet knife. (like a utility knife) When we met him there and talked to the doctor, she was concerned because he had cut three fingers quite deep and it was hard to control the bleeding. She was also pretty sure that he had injured tendons so they wanted to send him to a hand specialist at a large hospital two hours away. When I asked if we would be driving him ourselves she said we should let him go in an ambulance because of the bleeding and the IV. So hubby ran home to grab our stuff in case we needed to stay overnight while the transportation arrangements were made. We even got to request his buddy who is an EMT and who also rode with him the last time. (We have become frequent flyers of the ER.) We met our son at the next hospital (he got there much sooner since he got to ride with lights and sirens!) in much different surroundings. We went from our dinky little ER with six curtained off beds and a few private rooms to a much larger, city ER with security guards and multiple rooms. We were in bed 48! My brother lives nearby so he came to wait with us while our boy was assessed. To make a long story short-ish (so sorry for the length of this post) he didn't damage the tendons but does have nerve damage that will hopefully regenerate. He needed 18 very loose stitches (to allow for drainage) across the palm side of three fingers, an antibiotic, pain meds, lots of gauze and a splint. We got home at 2:30 a.m. I have disgusting, yet interesting photos before, during and after the stitches but I will spare you those details.

So to sum it up, that's three ERs and two ambulance rides for the same kid in one month. And those weren't even his first trips in an ambulance. Or obviously to the ER. Or my only kid to ride in an ambulance. Good grief... My three boys sat around one evening this week comparing scars, stitches (they've all had them in the last year) and stories of other accidents. It sounds like they're clumsy but that's not the case. They've all played sports their whole lives including college, all have jobs and sometimes they have dangerous hobbies. They work hard and they play hard. They are males.

A friend of mine made the comment that we never seem to catch a break. On the contrary. We definitely caught a break. Again.  My kid got to come home with us from the ER and I feel we are very fortunate. I count my blessings every-single-day.

ER visit for cut fingers

The little bandage he wore home

Scholastic Summer Challenge

GET READY TO SET A NEW

SCHOLASTIC WORLD RECORD FOR SUMMER READING

The Scholastic Summer Challenge Invites Kids to Keep Reading this

Summer by Logging Reading Minutes to Win Virtual Rewards

 

New York, NY–May 1, 2012– While athletes prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics, kids will compete in their own challenge – the Scholastic Summer Challenge - a free, interactive reading program dedicated to helping kids keep their reading skills sharp throughout the summer by reading every day.  Kids everywhere will Read for the World Record by logging the minutes they spend reading this summer and attempting to beat the current world record of 64,213,141 minutes set during summer 2011. The 20 schools whose students log the most minutes will be recognized in the 2013 Scholastic Book of World Records. The Scholastic Summer Challenge kicks-off today at www.scholastic.com/summer and runs through August 31, 2012.

Blogging slump, empty nest

After a very busy spring and summer of college visits, high school prom, senior trip, baseball games (championships too!), banquets, rehearsals, graduations, parties and more parties, college paperwork, last minute packing and apartment hunting -  my baby left for college last month. The house is too quiet now and I hate it. We were so busy for so long and now the flurry is tapering off. There is still paperwork and details to work out for college, more packing and things to buy for his house (filled with 8 baseball players!), weekend college baseball games and other odds and ends but it's not the same. I miss my kids and I miss having them need me. The house is too quiet, I don't have to run the dishwasher and washing machine every day and a gallon of milk lasts a long time now.

I have been pleasantly surprised by how much college boy has called home. We send text messages back and forth every day like we always have but we've also been receiving actual phone calls as well. And not just because he needs something, sometimes it's to talk and tell us about his day! I don't know about you but where I come from 18 year-old boys don't often talk to their parents any more than they have to. It's so nice to hear him say he has a break between classes and wanted to chat or wondered what we were doing. He's also become quite responsible doing chores at his house, giving friends and teammates rides to school, even doing homework early!

Most days I'm fine and I'm enjoying the  last days of summer and time with my hubby. I'm getting back to blogging and reading. My two oldest boys live here in town and come to the house often. I do have to shed a few tears here and there though. This will be the first soccer season in 16 years that we don't have anyone playing. We have no (local) school functions to attend, teens wandering in and out of the house (the pitter patter of really big feet), and the house is too darn quiet. But on the good side there's also no detention slips for being late - again, no school functions to attend (I've had enough parent/teacher conferences and spring concerts to last a lifetime!), no uniforms or school clothes to wash, homework to fight over, late nights waiting for the last kid to come home... I guess it's not all bad.

When I really get lonely I remember that next month we are taking our first real family vacation ever. (Hubby won a trip to the Universal Resort in Orlando, Florida last year. More on that later.) The five of us get to go the amusement parks and stay on sight in a beautiful hotel and for 4 days and 3 nights. How wonderful! BUT...we also get to travel together by planes and shuttles, stay together in 1 hotel room with 2 beds and 1 cot,  and bicker... When I think about all of that "quality" time together I don't seem to feel as sad anymore!

We were also blessed to welcome a new little person into our lives last year. My oldest son met a sweet girl who already had an adorable daughter. We were happy to have them join our family and the little one is my favorite 3 year-old. And now my son and his girlfriend are expecting a baby boy in November! Somehow, I think having these little people in my life is going to keep me very busy and it won't always be so quiet around here. We've already got toys scattered around, a Barbie townhouse (we aren't used to girl toys!), and a new cradle to keep in the spare room. Ah, the pitter patter of little feet again! And when I get tired or need peace and quiet, I get to send them home to their parents!! Of course I'll make sure they are all sugared up first and have learned a few new tricks before they go... Isn't that what a grandparent is for?

Happy birthday to my littlest boy

It's 12:01 on March 24th so that makes it official. My littlest boy is now 16. *sigh* I guess "boy" and "16" don't really go together very well, especially if you ask a 16 year-old boy but I'm the mom and I'm writing this so I get to say it. I won't get to say it much more anyway. My kids are now 20, 18 and 16 so I suppose young man is a better term. I still feel like a kid myself so I'm having a hard time believing that they have really been around that many years.

My spring baby, born only a week after a major storm dumped 3 feet of snow on our town. Since all of my kids were born before their due date I had several friends offer to get my to the hospital by 4 wheel drive, snowmobile, snowplow, or whatever it took if I needed to go then. Fortunately I didn't need to. You arrived at just the right time and we came home from the hospital with less snow on a gorgeous sunny day.

Being the youngest you've been the baby but you've also grown up the fastest having two brothers to follow. And follow you did except when you were leading. You were fearless and fast. Your little legs were a blur. You broke your arm twice (within six months!) before you were five. Nothing slowed you down or held you back and your gorgeous curls and sweet, sweet smile didn't hurt when you were charming people. And charm you did. Wherever I would take you someone would always greet you by name. I usually didn't know them but they knew you because they had seen you at a ball game, knew your brothers, watched you speed by in your tiny Batman roller skates... you made an impression.

Oh so quickly you went from riding in your Little Tyke plastic car to preparing for your driver's permit. In a few months it will be your license. While it's nice for you all to be able to drive yourself to all of your activities I will miss our time together in the car. I enjoy our one-on-one chats when we drive back and forth. It gives me a few rare moments to catch up on your day, your homework, your life. And you don't roll your eyes when I ask you a question or grunt a reply instead of an answer as is often the case with teenagers. I may not get a lot of details but you talk, you listen (kind of) and we laugh.

My youngest, my little boy, my baby is now 16 and a tall, funny, kind and very handsome young man. For me it's bittersweet. The time is going too fast but you and your brothers are the best thing that's ever happened to me and I'm so very proud you're mine. I love you littlest boy.


(This is a post that I started back in March and it just didn't seem right. I stopped and started it several times. But now when I look back at it, it's exactly what I wanted to say.)