A Spring Break (pun intended)

If you have read my blog for a bit, that title may seem familiar... I am referencing this post when Landon broke his elbow.  Well, we have another break around here and it happened the day after Spring break started. Taryn tripped backwards over her bike yesterday afternoon and now is sporting a fancy plaster cast. Apparently when she extended her arm to break her fall she displaced her radial bone from the growth plate...or at least I think that's what happened. She has a displaced fracture, or in other words, she broke her arm.

Have to say our little girl is quite the rockstar.  You find out a lot about your kids when they are placed in moments like this.  Landon fa-reaked out.  Taryn shed a few tears but was one of the bravest most stalwart kids I have ever seen.  She moaned in pain, but held her cool and was her little observant self.  She was asked all sorts of questions and in her quiet little voice answered them as best as she could. For our introvert, this was very hard for her.  There were about six people in the room when they were getting ready to "put her under" to realign her arm and I think Taryn wanted to crawl into a little hole until they all went away. Being the center of attention isn't her thing.

Brave little girl, who made her mommy and daddy very very proud. :)

Waking up from the sedation

Ready to go home!!

Watching church online :)

Now for 4-6 weeks of recovery. But, I have no doubt that this sweet little girl will shine and take this little setback with so much grace. Love, love her.

8 kids later...

It's gone from this....

To this....

These two pictures make me smile because of so many reasons...more than I can list on this little post. We were reminiscing this weekend of some of our favorite moments over our last decade (plus a few years) of friendship.  We remembered how we met for the first time at a membership class at our church in Springfield, VA. There was a first impression, since I was training for a 1/2 marathon, that I was "athletic." That impression didn't last long (could have been because I laughed out loud at the comment). Despite that we knew this couple was special and became fast friends. Even though we met them then, our friendship really "blossomed" in a very small, very unwaterproof tent on a very rainy night in Shenandoah the summer of 2004 (yes, I was very pregnant with Annika and camping). We really got to know them that night when the laughing started and we haven't stopped.  

This past weekend reminded me of how thankful I am that God has brought friends into our lives like the D's. We were such babies in the first picture.  Together we have grown from blissful newlyweds to clueless first time parents to comrades-in-arms training up our children in the way they should go.  We started in our small apartments in Virginia and are now living in our middle-of-the-country-homes in Kansas and Texas.

Again, we stayed up too late each night talking about life. We laughed until our cheeks hurt. Arranged a marriage or two. (You are cordially invited to Landon's and Adaleigh's wedding in 2034 to be followed by Simon and Cora's in 2040). We basked in the warmth of our friendship and a good Malbec. 

Over the years Dan and I have realized that when you have friends like these, you hold on to them. We make it work to get together. We take our kids out of school, drive eight very boring hours just to sit and share life face to face. We end each visit with "next year it's our turn." There is just something about friends who knew you before you were "(Insert child's name)'s  parents."

Sweet times. Sweet friends. Thanks again, D's, for making the trip and making our weekend one to remember.

Love y'all. :)

P.s. just for fun...pics from the last two spring breaks...

2012

2013

Yoga

We are very very excited because some of our favorite people in the whole wide world are under our roof right now.  We had some good friends come in yesterday from the great state of Texas to spend some of their spring break with us.  Hopefully, at some point, the weather will actually feel like spring.

We spent yesterday anxiously waiting for them to come. The kids needed something to do so they decided to exercise with daddy.  Dan is on day number something (45ish?) of P90X and had some yoga to do.  Landon came running down from his room in a tank top and shorts which was not proper attire for the 30 degree weather outside; but, it was proper attire for this:

Even Simon gave it a go (kinda).

Taryn was just showing off :)

After doing about 3 minutes of exercise, Landon looks up at me and pants "Mom, can you go get me a bottle of water." :)

We should have been doing this all winter.  It maybe would have helped get some of the energy out!!

 

Namaste peeps! 

5 things... a.k.a. Writer's block...

Perhaps you can call this a "cop out" to just get a post in. Beware, this will be a very random post, because I really don't know what else to write about.

One of my new favorite things. Oh, they are so good. And, the best part of them being so rich, I can usually just have one and be good for like an hour...

Two videos that made me laugh out loud this week...mainly because they are both how I have felt very recently!



Three books on my nightstand....

The Rebels of Ireland (sequel to Princes of Ireland which I just finished). I have confirmed that I am a historical novel kind of girl. If it's a good book, I will read it, but historical novels are my first love.  Since I will be going to Ireland in June, I thought I would read up on the Emerald Isle.

Rick Steve's Ireland 2014. Did I mention that I will be going to Ireland in June? :) I will be going to there to visit my sister who will have been living there for the previous six months.  Plus, the super duper best part about the whole thing, is that my other sister and my mom are going as well.  So. very. very. excited!!!

Respectable Sins.  I am reading this as part of our latest study with our small group.  So far it's been good. A poignant line in the book. "...we often indulge in what I call the 'respectable' or even 'acceptable' sins without a sense of sin...We look down our religious noses at 'sinners' in society without any sense of a humble 'there but for the grace of God go I' spirit."  Ehh, I think this will be a convicting study.

Four weeks of this as part of my latest workout craze. I have already downed 40 oz. of water today... 30 more ounces to go.

Five inches of snow are expected to fall between tonight and Monday morning. March is coming in like a lion...hoping it goes out like a lamb!! (Reference video above...breaking point has been reached!).

Annnd...that's it.  That's all I got.  Random, I know.  Have a great Saturday!!