A bump

Ella got hurt a little this weekend. This photo doesn't really do her injury justice because it doesn't actually show the mini golfball sized bump protruding from her forehead.

She was on a friend's swing that was hanging from a tree. Cameron pulled her back and pushed her a little too hard forward. Instead of gliding back and forth through the hair and squealing with delight, her head slammed into the tree, and screams quickly followed.

But unlike my other two kids, who can't seem to brush off any minor scrape with some sense of normality, Ella only cried for a little bit, and was back to running around in no time.

It wasn't until later that I actually even noticed the bump. When she woke up from her nap, Melvin noticed the cut and bump, and immediately applied some ointment to prevent any kind of infection...what a doctor he is!

Except now because of his actions, we might have social services knocking on our door sometime soon. Because when asked about the "owwie" on her head, Ella doesn't remember that it was Cameron that caused it, but rather she only recalls that Melvin put some ointment on it....and her response to any inquiry about her injury is:

"Daddy did it!"

Excellent Evening

There's been way too much downer news lately. Seriously, I feel like everytime I turn around something depressing is happening. From my own personal health issues to all the deaths from natural disasters on the other side of the globe...and then everything in between. Not much to smile about.

But today, it was the PERFECT spring evening. The sun was out. The ground was dry. There was no wind. There were no mosquitoes.

After dinner, the kids and I just headed out back and had some fun. Lots of smiles. A ton of laughter. Pure enjoyment. It was an evening we all really needed.

(Ella took the above picture)

Throwing Frisbees instead of Tantrums

My six year old has been somewhat difficult lately. Crabby a lot, stomping around, giving me dirty looks. Having complete meltdowns because he can’t go to someone’s house, or because Ella put his hotdog in her mouth and I had no more left to give him. And when I say complete melt-down, I mean on the floor screaming his head off and crying, so that I just step outside and tend to the other kids while he continues with his ridiculous tantrum. I have to tell him 5 times before he does anything, and then he often forgets what he’s supposed to do once he finally makes it to his destination. And all of my negative answers to his requests are met with “But…,” responses explaining over and over why I’m wrong and he should have his way.

So when he had his Kindergarten graduation last Friday, as I left the classroom, I turned to his teacher with a bit of worry on my face and said, “They do still have school next week, right?” And she assured me that they’ll be in class until Thursday. Needless to say, I’m a bit nervous wondering how we’re all going to function happily this summer with his little attitudes popping up all over the place.

But tonight, after dinner, the three kids and I went outside. In between pushing Max and Ella on the swings, I tossed the Frisbee with Cameron. And for the first time in a couple weeks, we actually had a lot of fun together. (And he was pretty good!)

I wonder if he’ll tire of Frisbee soon, because September is a long way away, and it might be the daily activity that saves my sanity this summer!

Summertime Art

As Ella chomps on chalk, Max works on his masterpiece.

"Mom! Look. Come see! I made a unicorn!"

"Oh yes, I see. What a great unicorn you made!"

"Um, actually, it's a lobster."

"Oh, of course. Those two are easy to confuse. What a great lobster!"