Little Dude's First Break

It was bound to happen...our first broken bone. Jensen was jumping on Finn's trampoline one Sunday afternoon when he managed to fall through a hole in the trampoline's net and right onto his elbow. He cried and cried and we felt like something must be really wrong. We took him to pediatric urgent care, where, despite the fact that he SCREAMED bloody murder when they positioned his arm for x-rays, they told us nothing was wrong. So home we went. 

The next morning his arm was more swollen and he still wasn't using it, so we went to our pediatrician...she could immediately tell something wasn't right. She ordered x-rays done by an orthopedic x-ray tech, which revealed a fracture right by his elbow. He wore a temporary splint for a few days, which was extremely comfortable, as you can see...

Poor little guy.

Jensen finally got his real cast on several days after breaking his arm. I spent a bit of time in a cast just like his when I was younger, and it is no fun...but he's such a trooper. I would keep forgetting about the cast, and now, several weeks after he got it off, I keep forgetting that it even happened. Jensen broke his right arm and he is right-handed. You'd think this would be a huge deal for a kindergartener, but he just switched to writing with his left hand and didn't miss a beat. Good-natured and ambidextrous to boot...we sure love this little guy.

Starting Over (Fall 2016)

Starting over with the the blog, not with life. I have missed so much (years!) that it seemed too daunting to go back and fill in all the gaps. So we are starting now and if I get inspired I'll go back and record all I've missed.

Well...we have two kindergartners! Technically C and J did kindergarten last year too, but it was at their preschool. We didn't feel like they were ready to go on to first grade (okay, they probably would have done fine...but this way I get an extra year with them before they leave for college and who can argue with that??), so we are repeating kinder at our new school.

 But first, a back to school party with our school besties. Finn and Isabella joined Charlotte and Jensen at their school, but Hunter goes to a different school and we sure do miss him.

First day of school. Most of the jitters were Mommy's.

Charlotte's sweet teacher, Mrs. Whittaker

Little Dude all ready to learn.

I have to brag on these two kids for a second...they are doing so awesome. I could not be more proud of how well they are doing at their new school, both behaviorally and academically. I am a lucky mom. 

But, I'm not going to lie. It was very hard to get used to them being gone five days a week for such long days. I miss them a lot and always wonder what they're up to at school.

Watching my babies walk into a big kid school. Still so strange.

Here are a few other happenings from the beginning of the school year:

 Uncle Dot came to Community Heroes Day.

 Little Dude lost his first tooth!

 College Day. This was a bit disappointing. J has decided he's a UT fan, while Miss Independent wants to go to Colorado. Come on guys, how about a nice little place called College Station, Texas?

 Storybook Character day at school. Jensen went as a Ninjago character while Charlotte went as Ladybug Girl.

First field trip to the zoo. Charlotte and her new friend Harper.

A gaggle of crazy kindergarteners. 

J and Finn 

And a few other non-school happenings from Fall 2016...

We took our annual trip out to Vegas for the Fastener show.  

One day we took the kids on a Secret Mystery Trip to Mainstay Farms. They had so much fun that they decided to have their 7th birthday party there. 

Halloween 2016...a ninja and Batgirl. Oh, and Bella the WonderDog!

The whole gang. I love our neighborhood.

Annual college girls' trip...Breckenridge this year! 

First school pictures.

Growing up, my parents would always take us on a Secret Mystery Trip over Thanksgiving break. We decided to start that tradition with our kids this year and take them to one of the destinations we used to love...San Antonio.

We had such a great time. C and J seriously love vacations and are almost always on their best behavior while traveling. Of all the stuff we did while there, the thing they talk about most is just walking around the River Walk. They've asked to go back several times already, so we may very well have a new annual tradition.