silly cousin skyping

lone soccer star

maddux would be the only one hitting the field this morning and it was HOT! we were cooking on the sidelines.

mason's great friend, carter, brought him a get well card and a bag of legos to play with during the game as a distraction.

the legos were such a hit that the rest of his team didn't want to be in the game either! one of the little boys even cried when he was told that he had to play soccer instead of legos! mason is lucky to have such a great friend! love.

our first (and hopefully last) cast

last night, i came home from a pto board meeting to find mason sleeping in our room with his clothes from school still on. i wasn't shocked because the exhaustion of school hit mason on wednesday. he came home so out of sorts that everything made him burst into tears and he had even put himself to bed before dinner to gather himself.

when he fell off the swing in the basement that night, it was difficult to tell if he was really injured or that was just the last straw to push him over the edge from exhaustion. so that is how he came to sleep in our room.

where he cried in his sleep most of the night. matt and i had examined him as well as he would let us around 9pm. his elbow was clearly swollen but there was no discoloring and he could move everything so we waited until morning.

it was pretty clear in the morning that we needed to take him in. it was still only swollen, but it was very swollen. like twice the size of his other arm.

i had to get everyone else off to school so matt took mason to the hospital while i did the school drops and then i joined them. a few x-rays and it was clear that he had broken his humerus just above his elbow (that was guessed during the exam too). his arm was too swollen to rule out needing a pin put in to ensure the bone healing straight, so they cast him up and then scheduled to see us in a week for more x-rays.

mason was a trouper! but he did get a cookie and we did bring him the ipad...

mason picked light blue for his cast but the guys wrapping him were teasing that they were all out of blue and he would have to use pink and purple stripes. mason wasn't too sure that they were joking.

everyone was very reassuring that this is a very common injury from swing and monkey bar falls. and they said we did the right thing to wait overnight too. the extra time helps people to not come in unnecessarily and if we had come in last night we would have spent 6 hours waiting. all of this made me feel much better.

casts are waterproof now! they are made out of 'bubble wrap' and fiberglass. so while he can still swim this weekend and take baths/showers, he can't go to gym class or play soccer. there is just too much risk that he might fall and smash his hand.

we were told to set him up with a movie and prop his arm up to keep the swelling out of his hand. he didn't mind one bit. (plus, he was exhausted from the pain keeping him up all night!) love.

chromebook

madelyn has been waiting and waiting and waiting for today - chromebook issuing day! all third graders are issued a chromebook with their name on it that will be theirs until eighth grade when they will be issued an upgrade for high school.

this really makes 'limiting screen time' really, really challenging. love.

tech savy?

at the kindergarten parents' night, we were told that the kindergarteners were given their standardized tests for the state on the fifth (and sixth) day of school. on computers. with headphones. apparently, it was a disaster. not every kindergartener has ever worn headphones. not every kindergartener knows how to use a mouse (or even what one is).  mason took his on a laptop with a touch pad! he knows how to use a mouse, but has never used a touch pad.

well, at least their next round of tests should show a huge improvement! love.

mommy time

this morning i saw all of my children off to school, stopped for an iced coffee, went to the pool to read a book and close my eyes for the first time in eight years. huge exhale. to just relax (and laugh out loud, with tears) without worrying about my greatest treasures. it has been a really, really long time.

preschool isn't going to bring me much more than two hours a week of truly free time (well time where i can check to-dos off quickly), but it will be glorious to have complete thoughts on a regular basis.

i feel like i am entering a sweet spot of parenting - no diapers and no teens. love.

first day of preschool

in a show of solidarity, mason wore a yellow shirt for manning's first day of preschool! these two little boys have been waiting. and waiting. and waiting for their first day of school too! lucky for them it came a week earlier than in past years (usually it is after the labor day weekend). 

manning in yellow, maddux in orange, these boys headed off for their first day of preschool!

i was so relieved at manning's joy heading into school! he has been so back and forth about it. last night he said that he wanted to stay with me instead of going to school.

maddux is the only one of our crew heading back to a familiar school! he is very excited about pre-k.

now for a sweet taste of freedom for mommy. love.