Camp Grandparents

Last week Katelyn and Lindsay were at "Camp Grandparents". It was very reasonably priced and was one of the very few camps that you didn't need to register and send in a security deposit in early February. The girls had lots of fun spending time with Grandma and Grandpa. They went to the park everyday, practiced golfing at the driving range, managed a take trip to McDonalds playland, and LOVED going to the "beach" (really the state park nearby, but we won't focus on small details). Well, Lindsay actually refers to the pool in our neighborhood as the beach too, so I guess she got TWO beach trips in one week.

They also managed to plant flowers out front, clean out my car (apparently there were enough crumbs to feed a small nation), weed out the stone walkway in the backyard and trim a number of tree limbs. I know the kids and the grandparents enjoyed spending time together, but I think we lucked out. Katelyn certainly enjoyed Gardening camp and Camp Invention, but neither of those camps had counselors who helped out so much around the house! Thanks, Mom and Dad!

My brother Tom came into town to enjoy a relaxing weekend at the lake. We did some fishing, lots of swimming and even took the girls canoeing in Tom's canoe.



Growing up, my brothers and I spent lots of time in the summer at our own family cottage on a lake. Those memories played a huge part in our decision to invest in our own lakehouse. I loved the idea of Katelyn and Lindsay having as much fun as I did enjoying the relaxing lake atmosphere, playing outside - more with rocks and sticks than with the toys that invade our everyday lives. I watch in wonder as they creatively invent their own games - crushing rocks, building waterfalls, catching bugs. But this weekend, my memories of childhood collided with present reality. Tom taught Katelyn a game we used to play as kids - Rainbow Rapids. Here are a few shots of Tom and Kate trying to balance standing on inflatable tubes seeing who can stay up longer while rocking the tube from side to side. Quite a sight!



While the visit was wonderful, it was cut short as my Mom flew home early after hearing my grandfather suffered another stroke. He's made significant recovery since this weekend, but still is in need of lots of prayers. Please keep him in yours!

At the Lakehouse

With this year being the 3rd year in a row, we can officially say that Jeff, Christine, Ryan and Emily coming to visit for the 4th of July is a tradition that we all look forward to each year. The kids get along great and it's just so nice to catch up and visit. The guys manage to squeeze in at least a round of golf, we usually take a day trip one day and then spend the rest of the time in the water. This year was no different.

Water balloons were a big hit this year. Here all 4 of them are preparing for a sneak attack on Mike attempting to nap out on the raft.

"Just the girls"

Yeah, Katelyn's been cleared to ride the Sea-Doo again!

The only disappointment was that the kids were so looking forward to a Fourth of July "firecamp" (as Lindsay calls it) and fireworks which were both washed out by a pretty good thunderstorm. We got another storm the next day, but it stopped early enough to shoot off some fireworks, so Happy Fifth of July!!

Here they are waiting for the show to start:

Lindsay enjoying some sparklers

The past 2 years we've gone to the zoo. This year we discovered a cute little park. Actually Katelyn had already been once before when Ruth took her and Ally, but she raved about it so much we decided to give it a try. The kids rode a train, a carosel, played mini-golf, went through a reptile aquarium, played on the playground, and best of all hunted for gems. Here's a shot of them sifting through sand for their gems:

And how can I leave out the highlight of Lindsay's day -- lollipops from the concession stand!

Last year when we first bought the lakehouse, Jeff commented that everything sounded better when you followed it with "at the lakehouse". We're going swimming 'at the lakehouse.' We're going fishing 'at the lakehouse.' So far it holds true! We had a great time like always, so thanks so much for making the looooong drive and coming to visit us 'at the lakehouse!'

Lindsay Nicole

I dare say that there isn't a parent that hasn't called their child by their first and middle names when they are misbehaving or need to really get their attention. I'm no different. Well this evening we were just sitting on the floor playing a game and my mom just happened to say "Lindsay Nicole".

Lindsay's reaction? "I'm bad"

Now for a split second, I'll admit I thought, "hmmm, well sometimes", but like a good mom, I very quickly replied "You're not bad. You're a good girl." To which Lindsay answers very nonchalantly with, "Yeah, I just don't listen."

What could I do but laugh? She does have a point! :)

Catching up

Once again I haven't been updating my blog in awhile, so let me try to catch up a little.

On the last day of school, Katelyn traded in her full leg cast for a lovely below-the-knee model - in flourescent pink of course. Bending her knee was tough at first and she had great tan lines, but was definitely glad to be able to move her leg a bit more. After a week in the short cast she was able to put on a special shoe so she could walk on it. That took some practice, but it didn't take too long until she was practically skipping. The best part though was the amazing Xerosox which let her swim with her cast on -- not just carefully floating on a raft, but jumping into the water swimming. What a life-saver for the summer! Last Tuesday, her short cast was removed and she was cleared to walk all on her own. She will likely be limping for another week or so, but it's so nice to see 'normal' on the horizon again.

With Katelyn able to swim we've been enjoying much more time at the lake. Here are a few pictures from when our friends - Matt, Becky, Caroline and Madi spent the weekend.

Katelyn modeling her Xerosox

Doesn't look like the kids were having any fun, does it?

What can be better than one of your best buddies coming out in a matching princess swimsuit??

stay tuned...more to come

Trying to Beat the Heat!

To say the summer is starting off hot would be an understatement. With school just out and we have been hitting record high temperatures all week. Another day in the 90s expected today....BUT we have been finding lots of fun ways to try to stay cool, here's just a few.

Lindsay just LOVED running in the sprinkler - Dora of course.




We had a cookout at Denny & Ruth's where the kids (and grownups) really enjoyed the pool.(sidenote - Ruth is continuing to improve and has left the hospital for a rehab center - hopefully she'll be home in a few weeks!)

Playing at the lake - yes, we are now buying stock in garbage bags to wrap Katelyn's cast so she can play in the water. Stay tuned though, we just bought a special sock that lets you actually swim with a cast on. We'll be giving that a try this weekend!

And one of my personal favorites ... a trip to the hair salon. Here are the before and after shots.

Stay cool!

Camp Occoneechee

To finish off this year of Brownies, Katelyn and I had our first adventure together at Girl Scout Camp -- yes, broken leg and all. This was her first overnight camping trip and she definitely didn't want to miss it. Since it was just for one night we figured we'd give it a try. So diligently following the packing list, we bought ponchos and garbage bags for the cast in case it rained (which thankfully it didn't), managed to find a pair of long pants that would fit Katelyn(someone tell me why we needed long pants when it's 90 out and there's no air conditioning?), bought an extra outdoor camping-grade sleeping bag (again 90 degrees - so why the need for more than a sheet?) and we were off.

Upon arriving, we were lucky to be able to switch campsites with another larger troop. So, instead of having a 40 yard uphill hike to the shared bathrooms, our cabin had a bathroom inside and was level with the dining hall. Two key benefits that I would quickly come to appreciate. Only 5 of the 10 girls in our troop were able to make it. Here they are in front of our cabin:

The main activity Friday night was a campfire - complete with lots of singing and Smore's. While not one of Katelyn's favorite treats, she managed to be a good sport and force one down.

The hike down to the campfire was quite an adventure. Lucky for me our troop had 3 other moms very willing to help. We all took turns giving Katelyn piggyback rides. But as you can imagine the hike back - uphill, in the dark, around 9:30 at night was even more interesting. I was very glad lights out was at 10pm....but as you can see below the girls weren't quite as ready to call it a night.

It was a good thing I was exhausted though, because it made it much easier to sleep in a very hot cabin on top of a very warm sleeping bag in a bunk bed.

Saturday the girls woke early and we had a full day of activities. We hiked to Terabithia to build homes for the fairies, caught bugs, created lots of butterfly craft projects and made soap.

In the end, it was a hot, sweaty, exhausting trip, but it was well worth it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

on wheels

Well, we've made it through a full week of school with Katelyn on wheels. She got her new ride last Friday, was very hesitant to go out in it on Friday, did great on Saturday (well ... until we realized we were out in the sun too long without sunscreen), then the nerves kicked back in when it was time to go back to school on Monday. She was VERY worried about everyone staring at her ... and yes there was a fair amount of staring, but all in a positive way. Everyone at school has been so helpful and concerned about her. Her friends fight over who gets to unpack her bookbag and who gets to bring her things.


She's now enjoying all of the attention and in some cases getting a little too comfortable with it. While overall she has been very good with her manners when asking for help and thanking people for visiting or helping her, she definitely needed a reminder this morning. Her friend, Jackie, was helping her check back in last night's book and check out a new one when Katelyn looked at her and simply said "Jackie - card"....indicating that Jackie needed to get her the library card for her to check in her book.

Decorating this hot pink cast has also been quite the project. She has it nearly filled with signatures -- well the top half anyway, I keep threatening to roll her over so people can sign the back :) But simply signing someone's cast is no longer enough decoration. She has applied lots of glitter glue to add sparkles (thanks Becky) and even has a cool "gemstone" glued to it at the top. Very cool! Of course her toenails need to be painted pink to match and so far I think her outfits have mostly been some shade of pink....good thing she didn't get a green cast.

While she does still get bummed out about not being to do things, she's managing pretty well. Does this look like the face of "poor Katelyn stuck in a wheelchair"?

The only bad news that we received this week is that the initial timeframe was a bit off. The orthopedic doctor in the ER said 3-4 weeks with the cast on then she'd be ready to walk on it. At her appointment this week, her doctor informed us that the 3-4 weeks is just for this cast. Then she will likely get a shorter cast (below the knee) which hopefully can be a walking cast for 2 more weeks. Then she will get a removable boot cast for another few weeks. So a bit longer recovery time than we were told, but she should still be better by beach time!