Pole Dancing?

The boys bought roller blades with some of their Christmas money. Tuesday night the much anticipated roller blades arrived. It was a must to give them a try. All protected from head to toe, the boys practiced in the basement. Chase was going to use one of the support beams to stop himself. Well, the wrist guard slipped as he grabbed the pole, he lost his balance, his head swung back then SMACKED the pole on the forward swing. Down he went into a screaming pile on the floor. As a mom, you know when your kids are hurt and when your kids are really hurt. To be honest, I have never heard him cry so hard in my whole life. I know instantly something was wrong. He immediately had a huge knot on his face and was screaming in pain. Mark and I agreed he needed to go to the ER and have it checked out. We were concerned that he may have had a periorbital fracture. Our experience at the ER was unpleasant to say the least, the MD did not even x-ray him to rule out a fracture. So yesterday we spent the morning at the pediatrician's office and at the hospital for, yes you guessed it, x-rays. Thankfully, he did not have a fracture, but it is ugly. He was home yesterday from school and came home half day today. He is not experiencing too much pain, which is good. Let me tell you, life with boys, never a dull moment. At least it was not Ben!!

Swimming and Flying

Chase's swim meet went well. He did not finish last in any event, but he did not win an event either. He finished 8th in the 50 yard backstroke. He recieved his ribbon yesterday. He was quite pleased to get the ribbon. It is a relief to have the first one over. Now we all know what to expect. Sometimes it is the unknown that causes the most stress.

I bought my plane ticket to return to Tanzania this summer. I will be gone from June 14-26th. I am really excited. I am flying Ethopian Air. I have heard great things about this airlines. My friend Ann has traveled with them and raves about their good service and good food. I will be staying with my family again. In an email I recieved from Goodluck, he stated, "my room is ready for me". It will be so great to see my family again. This time we are going to be put to work (by our own choice) I am not sure what I will be doing, but something fun I am sure. I could spend some time at the orphanage, a school or the rehabilitation center. It will be fantastic. Our group will safari for two days at the end. Our group will be great. I am excited about spending time with my friends too. I feel so blessed to have such unwavering support from Mark and the boys. It is alot to organize and he is willing to let me chase my passions and dreams. I could not ask for more.

Have a great Thursday.
love
Lisa

Swim Meet

Tomorrow morning Chase has his first swim meet at the Y. He is very excited about the opportunity to compete. He has only been swimming for three weeks so this should be a good test to see how he is doing. I am excited that he has found an activity that he loves. He does amazingly well during practices. He is able to make it through without being exhausted. If I swim 15 minutes, I am pooped. Don't get me wrong, he works hard, but his body is able to handle the work load. It is great for him because it is "his own". It has helped to give him some confidence which makes me happy. I will post his results tomorrow.
Have a great evening-
Lisa

2010

It is hard to believe that 2009 is over. Looking back so much has happened. Starting off with Ben and his broken arm to moving to Delaware. In the middle throw in a trip to Tanzania and you have quite a year. I am looking forward to 2010. I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for me and my family. It is nice to have a new year, a fresh start, a clean slate. I do not make new year's resolutions. I find that if I did, I would forget them by Jan. 21. Instead I pray for good health, loving friends and family and a continuted strong faith which guides my life. Blessings to you in this new year. May it find you loved.

Thanksgiving

We returned on Saturday morning early from our trip to WI. We were gone for one week. We all had a nice time. It is strange to be in WI for an extended period of time and not have a place to call "home." We loved staying with our parents, but combining four adults and three boys can take some getting used to. Over all it was a great time. Jack got to go to Mrs. Oates class for a day. He just fits right in, like he has not missed a day all school year. He also got to have a playdate with his best buddy, Jackson. Ben got to play with his best buddies- Cade and Simon. I am amazed at how these boys have maintained a strong friendship at young ages. I know Jack and Ben talk about their WI friends all the time. Chase was able to play with three friends from school. It was awesome for him to see his friends, but it makes him miss being in WI even more. Mark and the boys spend a few days on the farm. It was great for all of them to get some exercise and fresh air. Daisy went with them and she had a great time. She slept great every night she was there. I was able to see some friends and have some "mom" time, which is always great. I went to my "old work" for lunch. Seeing my friends at Sports Medicine makes me miss them and the job I loved to do for 14 years. I was able to see my friend Michelle. We had a great time dining at The Melting Pot and then seeing New Moon. What a fabulous time we had. I am so blessed to feel so loved and welcomed by my family and friends in WI.

We got our christmas tree on Saturday. It is the biggest tree we have ever had. It is over 12 feet tall and super wide. I have always loved decorating for Christmas. It will be extra fun decorating a new house this year.

I hope all had a great Thanksgiving.

Lisa

Finding my Way

The transition to living in Delaware was not easy on me. I am happy to say that after three months, living here is beginning to feel like home. I ask myself what has changed? I know the change has come in becoming involved in things that bring me joy. I am making friends and have done two social things with ladies I met here. Life is beginning to feel more normal. I am so grateful for this.

Family Field Trip: Washington DC

Off we went to our nation's capital. Connie and Jerry, Mark's parents, came for a visit on Friday. We had a nice relaxing evening on Friday. Connie had never been to Washington DC, so we decided to head there on Saturday. We toured two Smithsonian museusms: Natural Life and American History. Some highlights: we saw the Hope diamond. It is big and beautiful. We got to see Dorthy's ruby slippers from Wizard of Oz and Archie Bunker's chair. We really enjoyed seeing and learning so much at the museums. The weather was nice, so we walked the National Mall. We got to see the Washington Monument, the Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the reflecting pond, the new WWII Veterans Memorial and the Korean War Memorial. Washington DC is a beautiful city with so much to do. On the list for our next visit include the Air and Space Smithsonian Museums, White House tour, National Zoo and see the blooming cherry trees. We walked and walked and walked somemore. We really had a great time.