We are the mundane
Two weeks ago Steve’s 90 year old mother fell in the nursing home and broke her hip. Off to the hospital we were for surgery. Then, last Wednesday at 7:30 AMÂ Dawn called doubled over in pain. I went over to take care of the kids and after a mis-diagnosis at a clinic (sent home with pain-killers), Dawn went to the emergency room. By 11:00 PM she was having her appendix removed.
It’s been a crazy few weeks, but everyone is home and recuperating!
Blake’s birthday party was last Sunday. He had 12 friends, you’ll like this Larry…all girls! Of course Reid and Ethan were there, but they were no competition for the birthday boy!
Oh! There was a face painter, so it might be hard to recognize Blake. He was a blue lion!
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At 8:03 AM Saturday morning, Sept 5th, our third grandson, Ethan Thaddeus arrived! Arriving two weeks early he still weighed 7lb. 5 oz. and measured 19 1/2 in. long.  Andrea went completely natural, enduring a painful “corkscrew” delivery (his shoulder was stuck). He is adorable…Brian particularly loves Ethan’s sideburns that match his.Â
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Andrea’s due date is a little more than 3 weeks away. Here are a few pictures from their home and her shower held last week (that’s Rook, Shannon’s fiance carrying out some of the gifts). And of course, Blake & Reid.
Decided to keep the 60th a small celebration (unlike the 40th & 50th). Had dinner with some close friends last weekend. Note the beautiful orchid arrangement Dawn made (and small bouquets for each lady). Kenny, I do look much better when pictures are taken out of the sunshine, don’t I?
Dinner on my birthday was at Dawn’s. Reid was sick, so he went to bed early. Blake helped Mommy decorate…he especially loved the balloons and the Mickey Mouse cake.
Shannon put together a little book of “60 Things I’ve Learned from My Mom”. Some were pretty standard things a mother should teach a child i.e., “Patience”, “Work Ethic”, “Pride” etc. Some were things our mother taught us i.e., “Kill them with Kindness”, giving people the “Benefit of the Doubt” etc. Some things were applicable to just us i.e., “The Fall Family Lazy Gene – it does exist and I’ve taught her how to combat it”, “How much she loves Mickey Mouse cakes”, “How to pronounce things correctly – The ‘Mary’ test is a perfect example”, and of course “Family – Nothing matters more”.
It was a great birthday and would only have been better with all of you here. We got close on Christmas…we need to keep trying!
We had an awesome trip to Chicago! Could only have been better if UncleLar had been there.
• All the cousins were together
• Some of us saw The Waco Bros. and ate “Slingers”.
• We skated at “The Bean”
• We went to Shedd Aquarium
• The kids & I went rock climbing
• And Lex returned to the scene of the crime, “The Assault of the Portal” and cursed the gate with his middle finger
It happened on Monday at the park. I took Reid and Blake for a walk. I had decided the week before that I can’t handle Blake at the park while trying to keep an eye on Reid, so we walked in the opposite direction than we normally do. After a few blocks, Blake started pointing and saying “this, this” (meaning he wanted me to turn this way. Thinking I was no where near the park, I followed his directions. Well, before long, Blake had directed me to another park. It was much smaller, only a few kids. I thought, OK I can handle this and still keep Reid in sight while he sits in his stroller. Unfortunately, within two minutes Blake was bored with the baby swings and slides (keep in mind he’s only 20 months old). After picking him up four times and carrying him away from the older kids’ slides, I decided he could go down one of the slides as long as he sat on GrandMar’s lap. Big mistake! Halfway down, Blake stuck his foot out. Obviously our momentum coupled with my weight didn’t stop us and his tiny little leg just snapped. I won’t go into any more details, but it was pretty traumatic…for me as well as Blake. He’s OK now, with a cast from the tip of his toes to the middle of his thigh.
Gary, his recovery reminds me of you as a child after surgery…how we had to find ways to occupy you on your tummy. It’s amazing how resilient children are. You never seemed frustrated and neither does Blake. I haven’t taken any pictures yet…maybe I’ll get one this weekend when Uncle Gary visits!
Reid (no middle name yet), was born about 6:30 this evening! 8lbs. 8oz., 21in. long. Both Mom and baby are fine. Dawn says he might be a red-head…the name kinda fits. Hope Charlotte doesn’t mind sharing her birthday!
Grandson #2, that is. Dawn has been in labor for 8 1/2 hours. We’re hoping Charlotte will have a cousin with whom to share her birthday (otherwise he will be a leap year baby)! I’ll keep all posted.