So much June fun...

It all started with an amazing lacrosse season for the Varsity team. After several nail-biting, hard fought games, they took the Section II, Class A title. It was a very exciting season. They worked hard and should be proud of their accomplishment.

Bittersweet was the planting of the memory garden for my sister Bert. Her legacy lives on in all the people she lovingly counselled and advocated for. Some for the first time ever, have a safe, clean, permanent place to call Home at the Hill Street Inn because of her. The Director told us that when my sister was done with a case she would specifically ask for a file that no one else wanted to take. Someone that everyone else felt they had exhausted all options for. Amazing.

Here are a few photos of the garden "in process". I will post more when I can visit again and view the beautiful finished product.

 

Then came Father's Day which we spent with my niece and her family. We had a picnic and it was a perfect day for it. We even made a few new friends and are looking forward to the next outing all together.

Next came Miss Grace's Pre-K Graduation.

Along with celebrating Miss Grace's big day, Ross had his last day of Ninth Grade. In September he heads to the "big building" where he will finish his last three years of school (OMG, I can't believe I just typed that!).

WHEW! Now that's alot of joy! Before you know it, it'll be the Fourth of July. Gosh I love summer!

Just soaking it all in   

~Kate-Lyn~

Beautiful Words to Ponder...

As believer's we can have much hope, such joy and...peace:

“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven,
and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud,
that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please,
and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”
Isaiah 55:10-11

Praising God

~Kate-Lyn~

Bug bites and soggy sleeping bags....

 ...sure makes you grateful for good friends to "weather the storms" with, I'll say.

Typically Memorial Day Weekend is our first VERY joyful camping weekend. It is LONG anticipated after winters dormancy. This one was no different. So despite the bugs (a true bumper crop this year says the news) and the soggy weather (did I mention it rained so hard that Ross and his lax Bro Dan could ring out their sleeping bags after coming in out of the storm?) we did our best to have a fun time.

 We day tripped to a State Park...
 

We endured bug bites to see the falls in it's swollen Spring splendor...

We waded in the creek to cool our overheated feet...


But most importantly, we thanked God for those who fought to preserve our way of life. And thanked Him for those who gave it all in the name of God and Country. God Bless the USA!

Feeling Grateful ~ Kate-Lyn~

Mom's Choice Monday...

Some photos make you smile. Mostly 'cuz they are of people who make your heart smile too. This is a photo I shot of Miss Grace and her lovely, talented teacher last week. I can't say enough good things about her. We are REALLY gonna miss her , but we are SO thankful for the blessing she has been in preparing Miss Grace for Kindergarten next year. Words cannot describe it really. But I think the joy she exudes properly depicts why she is so great.

Last week we had our Parent-Teacher Conference, she explained her goals and happily reported that Grace has accomplished them all this year, and then some. She is reading at Level B, just what her teacher wanted to see. She loves to write in her journal, to learn about Math and Science in particular, and she is really strong acquiring her Spanish words. I could go on, but I won't. We just couldn't be more proud of her. Kindergarten here she comes...I just wish I were as ready for her to go as she is!

I am also happy to report that our apple trees are in full bloom. The maples are quickly forming a lovely canopy over our front yard. It seemed this day would never arrive. Praise God for Spring, it lifts my heart to see all things new.

Meanwhile, our Ross has been working hard in school and is doing very well. He's had a full year of lacrosse which has been very demanding both physically and on his time. Despite this (and a full social calendar!) he's kept Honors all year long. Way to go! My Mom's Choice photo is one that Peter took last week.  Did I mention that the team is 10 and 1? Keep up the great work guys!

A quick update on our Ryon, though he's not home much so I have no photos to post :) The good news is-- he recently received a promotion at his job. He likes working in a restaurant and the hours are well suited to his night-owl lifestyle. The bad news is-- he spent a few hours at the ER Saturday due to this new promotion. Apparently he prepares salads which are quite fancy (as are the dishes they are served on). It happened while trying to prevent such a dish from breaking as it was slipping of the shelf. Well it did break as it bounced off a lower shelf, then the broken edge sliced his finger open. Five external stitches and one internally, OUCH! Praise God that it did not cut anything other than skin. Let's hope this promotion has no more such "excitement" involved. The up-side to this job is the doggy bags are a delicious family fringe benefit. Perhaps one day we will splurge and actually go there for a real meal, LOL!

Laying low on a rainy day ~ Kate-Lyn

Still waiting on the warm weather but it's not keeping us down...

Nope not one bit. We may have to bundle up and remind ourselves not to complain, but we're having some fun times.

Soccer has began for Miss Grace and she's off to a great start. Indoor was fun but according to her this is "way funner"!

Listening to Coach Betsy

Out front - Go Blue Blizzards!

Lacrosse has been in full swing for over a month now. Ross is training hard and having lots of fun on JV.

And other signs of Spring are everywhere.


Like friends dressing in their finest for the Spring Semi-Formal.

Lax Bro's

The Boyz

The Girlz

Oh, Boy!

Elsewhere little flowers are a bloomin'

Fair Flowers

Singing Inch by Inch, Row by Row at the Spring Concert

Wishing I Could Just Stop Time ~ Kate-Lyn

Will Spring Ever Come?

Last weekend we had a great time in our favorite "little city". It was one of those days where if you stay in the sun your body just soaks it up and you are cozy and warm. But if you linger in the shade too long, the wind bites and steals your warmth. So, we strolled on the sunny side while we window shopped, found some bargains at a great bookstore then capped off our afternoon with a visit to Coldstone Creamery. Our final stop was our favorite park. It's a lovely place no matter the time of year, filled with great memories of days past. Did I mention it's a really fun place to take photos of those you love?



We're Getting Ice Cream!!!





Sunshine Makes Me So Happy





Our Little Photographer at Work





Sunny Smile

 So Ready for Spring  ~Kate-Lyn~

Thank God for Friends Who Pray...

Our Grace had a VERY rough weekend. What began as a nasty cough one week ago Monday had turned into one scary cough by Friday afternoon. Her teachers called me at work saying she had a low grade fever and was "not herself". When I arrived at her school 40 minutes later she was lethargic, had a 101 degree fever and was not speaking. I rushed her home to give her Tylenol and get her comfortable while I called the doctor. They were out to lunch, oh my goodness...

So I waited on pins and needles for them to get back. Meanwhile the symptoms continued to advance. She was now complaining of pain in her ribs and arm. Finally by this time, they had returned from lunch. Once I explained her symptoms the nurse told us to immediately bring her to the Emergency Room. That is, the one that's a forty minute drive away and the one that you bring people to who are really sick. I was scared. I drove legally but quite quickly straight there.

Once we arrived they got her right in. Amazing really 'cuz, how often does that happen?! Did I mention she was still crying out in awful pain? And still burning with a fever, despite the Tylenol?! The doctor ordered a chest x-ray and determined she had pneumonia. After about 1.5 hours we were on our way home with a prescription, relieved. Little did we know, it...was...not...over.

When we were at the ER we noticed a collar-shaped redness around her neck and down her torso. The doctor attributed this to the pneumonia and the vascular upset that she was experiencing with the fever, coughing and crying. So we went along with that. Until 2 a.m. She awoke crying again, still in pain, itching wildly and was red from head-to-toe looking like she had spent two hours too many on the beach with no sunscreen on. Recalling the discharge paper which said that pneumonia is often accompanied by a rash that looks like MEASLES I told myself, "Well, this is one serious manifestation of that side effect!" To help try and soothe her I rubbed her down with powder. That didn't work. She was still beside herself digging and scratching. I then rubbed her down with lotion. That didn't work. Now it was nearly 5 a.m. and she was hysterical, burning with fever and had made scratches all over herself.

She needed help, and quick! I called her pediatrician who wanted her to come in immediately. On the way I had an AH-HA moment while thinking of those discharge papers (measles like rash) and remembering the doctors words 10 days ago at her five year check up after she received her MMR vaccine. "If she is going to have a reaction to any vaccine at all it'll be this one." No! Could it be?! Once we arrived I told the doctor about her shots. She was certain that not only did our Miss Grace have DOUBLE pneumonia (we weren't told THAT at the ER-they said it was only on the left side where her pain is), but...she was having an extreme reaction to the MMR vaccine.

My. Poor. Baby. I've never seen any of my children such as mess, it was awful. After leaving there (with yet another medication to give her) we went home praying that she would get some relief from the fever, the pain in her side and arm, the itching and the weakness that was now making her listless.

Amazingly after just 24 hours on ALL of those medications and LOTS of prayers from the good people at our church, she was showing major signs of improvement. Sunday morning she went back for more blood work and we received the good news that they were where they should be. Praise God!

Today, Tuesday, she returned to school. Her teacher reported that she did well considering all she'd been through. We are SO grateful. It was a scary three days. Mostly because of how quickly her condition declined. I will NEVER take a nasty cough for granted again. And I am SO glad that it'll be many years before she needs an MMR shot again.


Grateful and Humbled,
~Kate-Lyn~