Oh, my child.

Bryce joined the Stitches Club on Friday morning. The Boy Who Knew No Fear sat on a weakened cover of a window well at a neighbors home and fell right through.

The plexiglass sliced the back of his head, but thankfully thankfully, he was not hurt in any other way.

After a bloody soaking from the cut, we ended up at the ER. This is Bryce, getting the first numbing solution onto his wound.

Here he is, post-anesthetic shots, awaiting cleaning and the stitches.

***Caution*** slightly graphic image below ***Caution***
He was so brave. He squeezed my hands when it hurt and for some reason, did his best not to cry. Big silent tears still rolled down his cheeks now and again.



Other than heavenly blessings, we also received the tender mercy of....

Phineas and Ferb. It was on the Disney Channel and was just what Bryce needed to stay distracted. It's funny, I know, to be grateful for a cartoon, but it saved us, keeping him calm during the pain and proceedures.

I got to go with Ella on her final Kindergarten field trip to Wheeler Farm. We sat by her best buddy on the way. Ellie the Elephant had to come too, of course.

The geese were friendly and the kids had a wonderful time running around. This was a brave thing for Ella.Her favorite part was this huge tree that turned itself into a playground. The children swarmed over it like bees in a hive.

It turned out to be a really great Mommy and Ella week. She got sick Tuesday afternoon and she just let me cuddle and coddle her. Before I knew it, that night and the following day, she was so chatty to me and wanted my attention and I felt so loved and needed by her. It was such a great thing. I don't exactly know how, but our relationship shifted into a good place. Yay!

Cam came up with a fun activity for Family Home Evening based on his current televisual obsession: Minute to Win It.

First we tried (with modest success) to thread penne pasta onto a spaghetti noodle, using only our teeth to hold the spaghetti.

Next, we were to place an Oreo cookie on our foreheads, while sitting in a chair, and manuever it down our faces into our mouths, using only our facial muscles and gravity. This was really hard and we have the embarrassing photos to prove it.

Now that summer is on its way in, I wanted to get a few last shots of what spring looks like around here (thanks especially to the rain).

First pea podsFlaming pinks

My coral bells have never bloomed so well.

This pansy was a complete surprise and it's so tiny and cute.

Love the water droplets

I love scotch moss and the rain made it flower. Yay!

Delphinium getting closer to blooming.

Bring on the 'shmades.

Thriving ivy

Now, bring on the fruits of SUMMER!!!

We've had a busy few days with Bryce and Ella. Ella performed with her dancing group at a nursing home.

Then Bryce had his year end tumbling review. He won't admit it, but he had a lot of fun doing a variety of rolls, working on his six-pack and learning to do a head stand. He worked hard on this last one. (He's in the red shirt on the right)

1. 2.

3!

And a high five from teacher. They did a cute routine to "Who Let the Frogs Out."

The next Saturday, Ella had her Spring Dance recital. Grandma, Bryce, Dane, Zealand and I attended with Daddy arriving at the end with a rose for his little ballerina.

She had fun posing for me.

Sadly, on the cusp of success, they have both decided to retire and move on to something new. They have their eyes on soccer this fall, but oh, what to do with the summer...

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
He was sooooo right.
I should have had many more minutes of happiness today.


Emerson quotes could solve all the world's problems.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club--Am I Only
Why I like this: The sound of this song takes me back to Love & Rockets. It's melancholic without being too dark. Great lyrics.

The Strokes feat. Regina Spektor--Modern Girls and Old-Fashioned Men
Why I like this: Regina Spektor is like the new, hot voice you want singing along on your latest single. Like Sting (Dire Straits: Money for Nothing) and Michael Jackson (Rockwell: Somebody's Watching Me)before her, she brings more to the song than the artist she's helping out...


"Weird Al" Yankovic--White and Nerdy
Why I like it: Too many truths divided between myself, Cameron and various folks in our acquaintance are listed in this song. White, nerdy and proud. The cameo of Donny Osmond dancing is especially sweet.


Mumford and Sons--I Gave You All
Why I like it: I love the beginning. It's tender and personal. Slowly it builds and then erupts into banjo, mandolin, stronger vocals. I love the lyrics and am pretty impressed all around with their whole album: Sigh No More


Muse--Please Please Please, Let Me Get What I Want
Why I like it: First, it's a cover of the original Smiths song. I like that it's a bit whiney and I love how Muse's awesome guitaring makes it modern and wonderful.

There is something wrong with my children, Bryce especially.

The problem is that they are growing up.

Bryce talks like he's thirteen: wizened, self-confident and done listening to others.
His face is more angular, his hair is darkening.
I was amazed to listen to a conversation between Bryce and his cousin-to-be (also 4 years old) as they discussed their matriculation to new schools. HiLARious.


It's the little things that make my heart break, one little crack at a time. I was looking over Bryce's preschool teacher's blog (she posts pics of the kids w/o their names and such) and found this cute little photo of Bryce. It was last Summer or early Fall. He's so small!

And now he looks like this. He's an amazing helper, but only when he wants to be. He's intense. He loves his mom: loves to kiss her and play with her hair and latch on with his monkey legs to be carried around the house. He's a complete joy most days (just don't cross him).

I continued to scroll through the photos and suddenly I was looking at Ella (who had the same teacher the year previously) and I wanted to cry. They are changing so fast!