Kean's First School Yard Brawl!

Today was one doozy of a day.

We got up with the sun to pick berries and

then get Kean off to his last day of "Extended

School Year".  He went four weeks this summer

and seemed to do okay--

 Until today, that is.

He was fine taking off on the bus.

 But I got a call from his teacher at the end of his three hour session-

telling me some 1st grader had clocked him in the face with his fist.

She said the boy has behavioral problems and that Kean didn't do

anything to provoke, he just happened to be standing in the wrong place

when this kid went off.

Kean came home with a bit of blood on his shorts but other than a rosy

cheek, I can't see anything wrong.  And other than being a little

grumpy (who wouldn't be?), he was fine.

 So, on top of Kean getting hit,

both dogs limping (and Lola moping around all depressed)...

 there is Reese.

The girls had three of their closest friends over

from Siblings Cancer camp- Camp Rainbow Gold all day yesterday.

And while Reese was all smiles most of the time,

 she got kicked in the head while playing a game in the swimming pool Monday night.

 She screamed in pain for quite some time, has had clear fluid

constantly coming out of it-- so we figured she broke her ear drum.

She was still in quite a bit of pain today, so I took her to the doc.

Because, hey, you know that's my favorite thing in the world to do, right?

There's a lot of fluid and gunk. But no big sign of a tear or problem.

We go back in a week after the antibiotics have had a chance to work.

And that was only half of the crazy stuff that happened today.

I swear, never a dull moment around here.

I'm off to bed!

Small But Mighty

I am one lucky girl.

First off, years and years ago when I was still in college,

I happened to meet a man who would have a huge impact on my life--

a man who would serve as my mentor and become a dear, dear friend.

Meet David Glodt.

When I met him, he was the Los Angeles Bureau Chief for ABC News,

then he went on to oversee Europe (based in London) and then the weekend

news- including the David Brinkley Show.

I spent several Sundays in the Green Room and the studio

with David- and David Brinkley, Sam Donaldson, George Will

and Cokie Roberts.  

I never made a career move in my television career without

first consulting David.
As I said I was lucky and spoiled to have him in my corner.

And who'd ever think he would make a yearly trek to Boise on business

and I'd get to see him here.

***

We celebrated Reese's first double digit birthday Monday night-

with a night out for dinner and then lots of presents.

 A few highlights:  this sweet hand knitted mermaid blanket

from Greer and Holland....

 this vintage Nancy Drew collector's book (Reese

adores Nancy Drew books)...

 and of course, what is fast becoming a tradition by our Greer girl--

a "candy cake".

I still can't believe my little Reese is the big ten.

She's about the size of a 6 year old-- but sure packs

a punch when it comes to personality and spunk.

We have probably told her too many times "small but mighty".

She sure is....

So Long, Farewell.

Guess who lost his front tooth?

Yep, the boy.  We have no idea where it went--

but we are smart enough to show the gap

while he's sleeping -- I do value those fingers.

He is such a comedian.  When I told him 

the girls were coming home from being away at camp for a week--

he said-- "No, no sisters."

Clearly, he enjoyed being an only child.

 The girls each came off the bus with big smiles.

 You should have heard them on the way home-- all trying

to talk at once.

 They spent the week at Camp Rainbow Gold's Siblings Camp.

About a hundred kids went-- all with brothers and sisters

who are fighting or have fought cancer.

I can't even begin to explain how much this means to my girls,

how much it means to be with others who understand exactly

what it is like to watch a sibling suffer so much.

 Camp Rainbow Gold understands that when a child

is diagnosed, the entire family is diagnosed.  And they

set out to make sure the "shoved aside" siblings are

treated like royalty.

I know my girls adore everything about camp, especially

their friends.

 I'm sure that's the one thing they don't like about camp-

saying goodbye.

And They Are Off.....

We live on one speed at our house:  whirlwind.

Our company that stayed with us for ten days flew home

on Saturday morning.

Man, oh man, was it ever quiet.

We picked Greer and Holland up from church Girl's Camp

Saturday night.

It sounds like they had a blast.

One of the leaders sent me a couple of pictures of Holland

with her friends.  (Sorry, none of Greer).

 They got home exhausted and with bags full of dirty clothes.

 We hurried and washed everything...

and then packed it all again.

First thing this morning, the three girls

loaded up and checked in to go to Camp Rainbow Gold's

Siblings Cancer camp.

 Each of them had to have a thorough check over--

temperature, blood pressure, 

 and don't forget- lice and Athlete's Foot check.

Reese is the only one who wouldn't kill me for putting

on a picture of this.

 It was reunion time for the girls-- seeing some of their

dearest friends from camp before.

We are pretty sure this is one of their favorite times of the year.

Camp Rainbow Gold is magical and wonderful and, and, and....

 We all looked like drowned rats by the time they loaded onto the buses.

We have a week of having an only child at home

and they will have a week of heaven.

Win, win.

Safe and Sound

We are cramming in the fun people.  Cramming it in.

We spent the long weekend up at the cabin at Lake Cascade

with our friends, the Cluff's.  Mitch is Byron's best friend

from our days in Arizona.

 We had a lot of bumming around time... and Greer's traditional

Bingo (complete with dollar store prizes).

On Saturday, we took a ride up the mountain for a hike into Blue Lake.

 These pictures don't do it justice.

It looked a bit like Switzerland-- lush and green.

 Greer and Elizabeth (Cluff) were my hiking companions.

We went one way, while the rest of the gang went the other

way around the lake.

 And guess where we met up?

A snowbank in July!

 Of course, my crazy crew turned it into a ski competition.

We had a great afternoon, in a beautiful place...

 that is... until Holland and Greer shattered the peace

with their snowball fight.

 And Kean scratched his dad's face up with his fingernails.

Ug.  We can't figure out why he does this every once in a  while.

But poor Byron, he looks like Frankenstein currently - with

a jagged, bloody cut down his cheek.

Kean felt guilty enough, he moped all the way out for the hike.

 Days later, Byron still has a kink in his neck from

the lopsided kid.

The Cluff's headed back to our home for the 4th, while we

stayed up and went boating on the Lake with our good friend

and neighbor, Tony Brown.  The girls were all over

his tube-- even Kean got out and loved it.

Of course, after the great phone incident of 2016

(where Kean tossed my phone into Lake Perkins),

my phone stayed at the cabin.

Safe and sound.