Zoo Crew Adventures

Drowning Worms with the Zoo Crew

2011-07-03T22:57:00.000-04:00

We had sooooooooooooooooo much fun spending the last Saturday of Uncle Larry's visit chillin' at a local man-made lake drowning worms. It was a beautiful day, not too hot outside, breezy and sunny. First, of course, we had to feed the peeps. Had a nice picnic, with made to order sandwiches, courtesy of Mrs. Ashley and Mommy. And then, it was off to the lake...

Abbey fed a few geese--we will excuse her since the "Do not feed the geese!" signs were waaaaaay above her head!-- by chasing them down and pelting them with bread crusts.

Thanks to Mitchell & Uncle Larry, this Mommy never had to touch a worm. (YAY!...so NOT my thing!) Hooks were baited, lines were cast and children were amazingly patient.

Matthew came up with the first fish...YAY! He caught a total of seven for the day.

Ben was the king of "I caught one!" that turned out to be a clump of grass or a rock or a soda can... He DID catch a fish or two, but Mommy was off trying to score some more worms, so she missed it. (And do you THINK anyone else could use the camera?? Of COURSE not!)

Looking for the big fish near the bridge.

Abbey caught two. Patrick's best catch was Katie. YUP--Katie! She was sitting next to him as he fished, when he decided to recast his line. He flicked it up with a hook full of lake bottom gook, which landed right on her lap. Never saw a lethargic summertime teen move so quickly out of a chair!! She hopped up, shrieked like a banshee--and might have wet her pants just a little.

Matthew spotted a "really big fish" that ate at least 2 of our bobbers, so he followed it over toward the bridge. Turned out it was a turtle that REALLY liked ham. ;-)

What a fun day! Thanks for clueing us in to this fun spot, Mitch & Ash!! Check out more pics in the slideshow here:

Matthew on the Move

2011-07-03T21:54:00.000-04:00

Mrs. Blumenthal & Mrs. McDonald hand out the certificates.

June was a busy month for Matthew-man! He finished his elementary school career at the Valley Celebration of 5th Grade Excellence. What a lovely event...each child was featured with photos from their time at Valley, including side by side kindergarten & 5th grade photos. The majority of these kiddles have been together since kindergarten; they were the very first class of full-day K students at Valley, too. BIG moment for our Matthew-man!

Matt & his Fave Teacher, Mr. Nikirk

At the end of the month, Matthew celebrated his 11th birthday. Hard to believe our middle beastie is now a 'tween!! (He has quite proudly announced that fact with great glee!) He's very excited about the summer and heading off to middle school in the fall. Even better...he has a summer Kids on Campus class with his very own Mr. Nikirk! Celebrating with the family yielded a plethora of wonderfully silly photos...enjoy the slideshow below:

Funny story on the cake...I stopped to pick the cake at Cold Stone (hey...why mess with a winning combo?), but thanks to all the traffic, I missed the cake designer by a few minutes. The only folks left to do the writing on the cake? A couple of VERY high school boys....not a one of 'em could write with the icing, LOL. So it was left to the Mommy at home...and even then, da Mama did better than the samples from the guys. Poor Matthew.

Happy birthday, Middle Child of Mine!!

Miss Gremlin Turns SEVEN??

2011-07-03T20:35:00.000-04:00

SEVEN Year Old Abbey--complete with icing!

Is it even possible that it's been a whole seven years since this adorable face joined the Zoo Crew? Not sure how it happened, but, well...there it is. Abbey celebrated seven years as the youngest beast in our menagerie this month. On the big day, we celebrated with family time, presents & a tasty Cold Stone Creamery ice cream cake. YUMMY!!

Even the Abbey sets cake aside for presents. ;-)

To celebrate with her friends, Abbey invited a few beloved darlings to join us for a movie and ice cream. We checked out the local multiplex and a matinee showing of Judy Moody's Not So Bummer Summer. The girls were sooooo much fun to hang with!! Don't think that Maggie Moos will ever be the same after we descended on 'em...and, of course, we made time for a little impromptu photo shoot.

The movie-going girlies!

Silly beasties posing prettily!

Happy 7th birthday, darling bunny baby!!

Creative Patrick Man

2011-06-06T07:49:00.000-04:00

The front of Patrick's Project

So...while I've been working on some fun, scrappy and often therapeutic art (see my other blog), Patrick has enjoyed working with me ...side by side and usually elbow to elbow...on his own projects. He's added a number of pages to the family scrapbooks and some unique decor to his walls. His latest and greatest project appears to be a book of some sort...not really sure, as he just calls it his "project". He's been adding to it each day, but made it very well known that TODAY was THE DAY for it to debut online...so here you are:

An inside view..

He's not shy about using a WIDE variety of embellishments and techniques. Here we have stamping, ribbons, punches, paper piecing, torn paper, stickers, stickles...just WOW.

The back

He chose the bright blue poster board on a recent trip to Dollar Tree with Mrs. Ashley. Over the last week or so, he's been turning it into whatever his unique artistic vision for this blue paper may be. Of course, he's already added on to it since I took the pics 5 minutes ago...

UPDATE: Project BLUE has now been joined by Project GREEN and Project RED. When Patrick clears those for publication, I'll let you know. ;-)

Abbey's Big Break

2011-06-06T07:37:00.000-04:00

Dark link on the left lower bone is the break.

Did I mention that Abbey decided to take Sprink Break seriously? Yup. Ended our lovely week off with a trip to the Emergency Room. Miss Missy broke her left ulna right near her elbow. And to the inevitable question...err..."freak trampoline incident" involving big brother Matthew and a ridiculously high bounce. It looked pretty 'til she landed. On a pancaked Matthew, who carried a big bruise on his butt from her wrist as she tried to slow her progress. Thank God they both landed on the mat and not on the ground!!

Abbs refused to let me take pics at the inital visit to the ER, but the X-ray tech was kind enough to give Abbey prints to take to school.

Nice BIG pink cast...complete with signatures!

We waited 3 days for the swelling to go down enough that they could put a cast on it. Her cast was almost as big as she is, though it helped a great deal that it was PINK!

Maybe if I don't look, it'll go away?

Amazing how quickly they can heal...in just 3 weeks, the cast came off and Girly is all set to get back into the action...

She was really worried about the saw they were going to use to cut off the cast. Nice nurse had no clue how upset Abbey was about this...at first...but check out the cutie baby smile under that hand...

A few goofy faces later and she's rarin' to go!

Funny face on a silly girl!


Ready to get back in the action!

The best (funniest?) part of the cast removal? Her Easter tattoos were intact beneath the cast! She got to enjoy them all over again!

Valley Literacy Night: Featuring Ben & Matthew

2011-06-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

Budding poets Ben & Matthew were both selected to read their original poems during a fundraiser for Valley at the local Barnes & Noble.

Despite a serious bout of the Nervous Neds, Ben did a terrific job! Especially when it turned out that he was the very first to step up to the mike for the evening.

A wee bit difficult to hear, so here is the text of Ben's poem, the result of a class assignment to write a poem entitled "The Important Thing About____ is":

The Important Thing About P.E.

by Ben Bolingbroke

The important thing about P.E. is that you run.

I love to jog, jump, and play in P.E.

I also like to play King Caesar and Capture the Football.

I also love to play Hoop Tag and I love Field Day.

But, the important thing about P.E. is that you run.

Matthew led the Nikirkskiland contingent--and proudly represented the 5th grade boys!--and stepped boldly up to the mike...sadly, his video won't load...but here's a picture of him doing his thing:

And here's the text of his poem:

In the Year of 12

by Matthew Bolingbroke

In the year of 12

There was a long siege

Led by King Richard

They all looked up at their liege

But then he was hit by a crossbow bolt

The Knights were full of fear

Richard lay on his bed

And said his knights should hear

He blessed the man who shot him

He layed down on his bed…dead

He must then have felt

Who a true king is

They played to a standing room only crowd and were rewarded for their efforts with a selection from the chapter book section. Matthew chose the new Rick Riordan book, The Throne of Fire. Ben's choice? A new Captain Underpants. (what else?)

It was a fun evening for all...and hopefully, profitable for Valley!

Benster Hits Ninester

2011-05-15T15:45:00.000-04:00

Making a Wish

Gotta love those cheeks! This little pumpkin just turned 9. Can hardly believe it, really. He loves 3rd grade and can hang with the big boys...but has just enough of the little boy left in him to keep this Mommy from being too sad about him growing up so quickly. For now, anyway.

In Zoo Crew tradition, we allowed the Birthday Boy to choose his dinner. After weeks of pestering us about Red Lobster, Ben picked King's Pizza. Tasty Brunswick goodness. As you can see, he's rather enthusiastic about it's arrival....Kings is wonderful stuff, but it DOES take a long time to arrive.

Birthday Ben's dinner selection.

Matthew enjoys a bite of Ben's cake.

Abbey REALLY enjoys the cake!

Ben also wanted a red velvet cake with cookie dough ice cream inside. Abbey and I managed the cookie dough ice cream part, but couldn't find a red velvet ice cream cake anywhere! Ben agreed that the cake was pretty tasty even if it wasn't red...

Patrick digs into his 2nd piece...

At Christmas time, Abbey started something new...she went through the house and found things she thought people might like as a gift. It might have even already belonged to that person. Or perhaps to someone else...or the family...didn't matter. She figured they needed it, so she wrapped it up and put it under the tree. ;-) She repeated her efforts for Ben's birthday. Ben was the lucky recipient of two books from the kids' shelf AND a stuffed frog right off his own bed. Not being 8 anymore, Ben didn't necessarily find the humor in her gift giving.

ANOTHER gift from Abbey??

Another book from our own shelves!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KIDDO!!!

Happy DOUBLE DIGITS, Matthew!!

2010-06-28T23:29:00.003-04:00

The Matthew-man is 10 today, 10 today, 10 today!

Can't believe it, really. Now, more than half of the Zoo Crew beasties are in the double digits...

We celebrated early, since Mommy is out of town...had a little pizza, a little cake... The cake, well...evil beastie robbed Mammarazzi of one of her favorite pics--the blowing out of the candles!! ANY good scrapbooking magazine will tell you that it's a "must-have" for a birthday layout! But NOOOOO....he turns 10 and just has to blow them out BEFORE my camera was ready!! Can you believe it? He sure was pleased with himself for THAT one...

We all enjoyed the green frosting...PICS HERE

Ah well...even if he doesn't get any wishes this year, he's still the coolest 10 year old I know. He's tender, thoughtful, helpful, creative, smart & funny. (and pretty handsome for a beastie, don't you think?)

We're so very glad you are ours, Matthew!!

Movin' on to Middle School

2010-06-17T21:20:00.005-04:00

Patrick celebrated a milestone this week....graduation from 5th grade and promotion to middle school!! WHOO HOO!

MSD hosted a wonderful ceremony for both the 5th and 8th graders. The whole Zoo Crew + a few (Miss Ashley & Allison) traipsed to Columbia for the event. We took up an entire row in the auditorium, hee hee hee!

Our first surprise was finding that all the students were wearing caps & gowns. NICE! Patrick looked quite fetching (and entirely too grown up!) in his festive attire. All the graduates were ready for their close-ups and posed for us Mama-razzis (and a few Papa-razzis!).

A couple of observations on how wonderful this school is...

small classes mean LOTS of personal attention
the teachers in attendance all knew Patrick and had something kind to say about him
close to the start time, the principals took the time to make sure every student's family had arrived; we started about 15 minutes late, knowing one family was on their way--(and for once, it wasn't US!)
the kids were all kind and respectful to one and other...and were amazingly accepting of Patrick and his quirks...one super cute young lady was even teasing him about how excited he was to have us all there!

What a lovely treat to see Patrick hanging out with his friends, chatting and exchanging stories. Everyone wanted to know all about our family and which kid was which. Since Allison's coloring is a little more like ours, some of his friends were confused that she's not one of us, hee hee hee. (And one of Patrick's buddies thinks Katie is pretty cute!)

The ceremony began with the traditional procession and Pomp & Circumstance. The graduates lined up in a semi-circle, setting the stage for personal introductions; each student stepped center stage, signed his/her name and where he/she is headed next year. Patrick ROCKED...he didn't seem at all nervous or shy--and every sign was clear and concise!

After the speeches were over, diplomas were handed out and...then came the slideshow. THEN, just when I thought I was done getting teary-eyed, the students each presented their moms with a rose. One at at time, each child went to the stage, picked a flower from the basket and then went into the audience for some Mama lovin'. Despite having received a small warning in advance, this mom lost it. (I'm even getting misty thinking about it now!) After the rose presentations, the kids disappeared into the wings.

What could possibly come next? DANCING of course!! All the kids mingled on the stage, dancing and hamming it up to "I Gotta Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out how this was gonna work for Patrick...until he rolled onto stage on a wheeled desk chair. His grin said it ALL! Two other boys rolled in on chairs and really got into chair dancing with him. Later in the song, he played air guitar from the safety and comfort of his own walker. Miss Ashley captured it all on video...so I hope to post that soon!

All in all, a wonderful evening, celebrating this amazing boy child (and all his friends, too!!). (Not so much a boy or a child anymore, though. *sigh*) He has come so very far.
Thank you, Maryland School for the Deaf!! We can't wait to see what middle school holds for him!!

In the meantime, feel free to check out more pictures from this festive event: MSD Promotion

And now we are SIX!

2010-06-17T21:01:00.006-04:00

Miss Abba-Zabba is SIX!!

Yup, this darling, beautiful, funny little bunny joined the Zoo Crew six years ago.

She is unlike ANY who have come before her...she marches to her own drummer. She is a crazy mix of girlie girl and thug. She can run across the yard in plastic play heels and a skirt, only to tackle one of her big brothers. She knows JUST how to push everyone's buttons (and does it quite frequently). ;-)

She has successfully completed her very first year of school...and is ready to tackle first grade next! (How exactly did THAT happen?)

Happy birthday, Abbey! How VERY glad we are that you are ours!!

Check out her birthday fun...

Unofficial Summertime Kick-Off

2010-06-05T20:33:00.005-04:00

Memorial Monday found the Zoo Crew flying our American flag proudly and thinking of those who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Thank you to all who serve. And thank you to their families, who often sacrifice more than we know.

The holiday found us playing host to our favorite Piggs. On the agenda for the day: BBQ, ice cream sundaes and amateur rocketry.

After a flying trip for more ice for the ice cream maker (who knew we'd need 22 pounds of ice?), our luscious French vanilla was ready for tasting. Steph took the first taste....

Amazing what 12 cups of milk, some vanilla extract and a 75 cent package of mix can become!! (We won't mention how long it took to cook first or how sore our little arms got from all the stirring. Let's just say that we were happy the churn is electric!)

After an inspirational visit to NASA on Saturday (followed by a trip to Hobby Lobby), the Crew were all set to become Rocketeers. Ah-hmm...Chuck prefers Rocket-MEN, thank you. (And, YES, several choruses of the song were sung...not well, but sung nonetheless.) We launched after dinner, and blew the minds of everyone.

This naive mommy will admit that she had NO CLUE that the "beginner" engines we bought would launch handmade rocket projectiles into the cloud layer! Steph and I even had to mount a vehicle based recovery mission to retrieve a rocket that landed more than a block away!!

While the big boys tinkered with their toys, the kiddles enjoyed some sunshine fun & frolic in the pool and on bikes:

Summer always kicks off better with friends! More pictures here (seriously worth a look!): Memorial Day 2010

Happy Patrick's Day!!

2010-03-30T20:19:00.003-04:00

DATELINE, MARCH 17, 2010:

So, one of the perks of having a super small class size is that Patrick benefits from the teacher's sense of humor! On March 16th, I received a call from the teacher asking if it was OK to play a little joke on my guy. Well, of COURSE it would be OK! Turns out we had all been teasing him about the same thing....how March 17th was Patrick's Day, not St. Patrick's Day. I had even toyed with the idea of "x"ing out the St. on his festive green holiday t-shirt.

Patrick arrived at school to find his teacher sporting this schnazzy attire:

His assistant, Michael, had a similar shirt--check out this cute group pic:

As he walked the halls of the school, Patrick spotted his friends wearing green shamrock stickers with his face on them, too!! Patrick spent the entire day grinning from ear to ear...and came home full of himself and funny stories about his Patrick's Day at MSD.

*sigh* How am I gonna top that one next year???

(Thank you, Shannon, for the pictures--and for giving him a day to remember!!)

Just Chillaxing with BHS JV

2010-03-30T15:09:00.002-04:00

Along with high school comes the move from rec league lacrosse to the “bigs”—high school sports! Yup, that’s right…my girlie on the Junior Varsity lacrosse team! She is fortunate enough to be playing with some of the girls she’s been with for the last 3 or 4 years, so we are hoping for great things from them!! The team had their first games last week.

The first was an away game and must never be spoken of again. To quote her former coach, “It was ugly, coyote ugly.”

The second was a home game against the Frederick High Cadets. What fun it was to sit in the stands and watch them play on the big field!! (okay, I confess that I’m a doofus for thinking it was cool, but she’s my oldest and therefore I get to be a little weird about the new experiences!!) The BHS girls looked like they knew what they were doing, running plays and keeping the ball near the FHS net. The Cadet goalie did an awesome job, because I’m pretty sure we had at least 3 times as many shots on goal as we had points. Katie scored twice!

Check out the photo album here: BHS JV Lacrosse 2010 I'll be adding to it over the season, so be sure to visit from time to time!

The BIG Snow x Two

2010-03-30T10:34:00.003-04:00

Winter got off to a crazy start this year—since when have we had snow in DECEMBER? Just when we thought things would mellow out and go back to “normal,” along came Snowmageddon! Y’all know the basics of that thanks to the news, so I won’t bore you with the details. But I WILL bore you with some pictures! So here’s what happened to the Zoo Crew:

Upward Basketball x THREE!

2010-03-29T20:28:00.010-04:00

This year the Zoo Crew’s THREE youngest played Upward Basketball at the local Baptist church. Ben and Matthew have played in seasons past, but this time the Abbinator was able to join the fun, too! We had wonderful Saturdays watching the beasties bloom into real players of the sport!

Abbey played on a co-ed kindergarten team. No weekly practices, just weekly game times. For the first half hour each Saturday, the kids did drills designed to give them great fundamental skills. Some of the drills were as easy as follow the leader around the court boundaries to learn the lines. When the drills were over, the teams gave game play a go. WHAT A BLAST to watch!

We called it “Riverdance Basketball” because the kids would prance around using their best dancing feet. Some of them would forget to dribble and just race to the basket with the ball. Wonderful fun, truly! Abbey’s best trick? Stopping on the court to engage in deep conversation with her friend & teammate, Lewis. You can check out more pictures of Abbey’s team by following this link: Upward Penguins 2010

Ben was fortunate to play under the same coach as last year. The Lions are a rowdy bunch of 1^st and 2^nd graders, but thanks to Coach Mike, they managed to come together to play fairly well! Ben is, I think, grasping the basics of the game and starting to be able to really see the game as a whole. He’s a great dribbler and FAST, too….when he wants to be!

This team played tough and kept their spirits high, even when faced with really tough opponents.

Based on this season, I’m really looking forward to watching the Benster next year…it’s all gonna click and he’s gonna make one heck of a ball player! For more Lions action, follow this link: Upward Lions 2010

Which brings me to Matthew Man. WOW! This was HIS “light went on” year. Defensively, my boy-o managed to shut down a couple of the league’s high scorers, keeping his opponents to uncharacteristically low scores. He learned better ball control and gained a greater degree of accuracy with his shots. We’re still working on mastering body control, but this kid AMAZED us all with his “come from nowhere” mad skillz. He was a wonderful example of genuine compassion and sportsmanship, too. As one coach put it, "he takes 'em down, then helps 'em up!"

As for his team this year…what a wonderful bunch of young men. Seriously, we had the nicest team on and off the court! I sincerely hope we are able to get them back together again. And the games? It was so much fun to watch these guys play—win, lose or draw! At this age, they keep score and put it up on the big board. We had a couple of crazy close games, including the last one! A serious nail-biter, I tell ya! Going into the final period, the Wolverines were down 20-27; the other team needed to bench the one player our guys hadn’t been able to stop. After a whole lot of back & forthing, multiple shots with multiple rebounds, a set of free throws each, the game came down to the last 30 seconds…all tied up at 27-27. We spectators were out of our chairs, cheering and encouraging; parents from the other court were even watching our game!! And there it was, with 7 seconds left, a Wolverine basket….final score of the final game…29-27 Wolverines. WHEW! I tell ya’, I was drained! Want more Wolverine Action? Click here: Upward Wolverines 2010

I’m already getting psyched for next season!!!

Matthew B and the History Bee

2010-03-29T12:49:00.014-04:00

Matthew-man had a chance to step up and show off his knowledge of all things historical at The Frederick County History Bee. Three students from each grade—3^rd, 4^th & 5^th—were selected to represent Valley, along with an alternate for each grade level. After weeks of early morning team practices, it was time to put his intellect where his mouth is!

Mom & Matt set out on Friday, March 19^th with the intent of arriving early enough to settle in and collect ourselves before the competition began. As with many Zoo Crew best laid plans, well, that just didn’t happen! Now, Mommy *knew* that the event was sponsored by the local community college and Mommy *knew* that the directions provided by Matthew’s school didn’t take us to the college, but who is she to argue with the teacher? (learned THAT lesson during her own school career!) Sponsorship doesn’t always = locationship, right? So we parked and dashed into the Parks & Recreation Office in downtown Frederick, only to find that they’d never even heard of the History Bee. (They have now, though!) YIKES!

Fast, frantic and fabulous driving across town--crazy mad dash across the college campus--Matthew made it to the registration table with a mere moment to spare. (Literally—we arrived at 11:39 am and registration closed at 11:40 am!) WHEW! (Do you know how rotten I would have felt if we’d been too late for him to participate? As it was, I felt HORRIBLE for being so rushed!) We parked our hineys with the rest of a very relieved Valley team and started a quick review quiz. Imagine my surprise to see that every other team member had a nice little folder with study materials and notes. Apparently, Matthew has kept his at school and has studied at recess and such. This Mom never saw any of those papers! At that moment, I will admit to feeling a wee bit nervous for the kiddo, since he was taking a somewhat lackadaisical approach to this big event.

Students were called to the floor for Round One. Each table had at least one Proctor, who asked each student, in turn, a wide variety of American History questions. When all students had responded to 10 questions each, scores were tallied and the two with the highest scores moved on to Round Two. Matthew responded correctly to 8 of 10 in the first round and moved on!! Two other Valley students also qualified for Round Two—more than in the last three years!!

Round Two: same game, tougher questions! Matthew managed to answer 6 correctly, but was bested by another student with 7 correct answers. Since only one child moved on from each table, well, Matthew was done for the day. He was a little saddened (more than I thought he would be!) at this turn of events, but we stayed to watch the Final Round.

Finals took place in front of the whole crowd. Questions were randomly selected from a large cage (think bingo or lottery) as each Finalist stepped forward to the microphone. Talk about nerve wracking! Questions in the Final Round were details from the history of Frederick County…really tough stuff!

An example: “On his way back to Washington from Gettysburg, Abraham Lincoln took a detour into Frederick to visit with a wounded soldier. What was the name and rank of that soldier?” (If you don’t know, don’t feel bad…that one eliminated the student to whom it was asked!)

Matthew admitted that he probably wouldn’t have made it beyond the first round of Finalist questions…but says that he is now better prepared to go back for the win next year! You can see more pictures of this year's event here: History Bee 2010

In the end, we decided it was much better this way because they would have misspelled his last name in the newspaper anyway. Who wants to be famous with the wrong spelling? (On his paperwork for this event, our last name was spelled 3 different ways, NONE of them right!!)

We celebrated his incredible feat with waffle cones at Bruster’s, where he proved once again, that he is my “Ice Cream Charm” because they had my favorite flavor, Graham Central Station. Only one of the MANY reasons we are so proud of him…

Way to go Matthew!!!

Jiminy Cricket...it's been a LONG time!

2010-03-28T09:40:00.002-04:00

Sheesh...it's been quite awhile since I've posted. Looks like thirty lashes with a wet noodle for me! I will now attempt to get caught up, though the postings may come out in random order...bear with me, please.

Oh, and feel free to enjoy and comment!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2010-01-03T09:09:00.002-05:00

HAPPY 2010! Don't know about you, but we are hoping it will be a wonderful year--and better than 2009.

We spent our New Year's Eve quietly, watching movies & just enjoying the company of family. New Year's Day? Not so much....

We were joined for the day by the Pigg family...and the usual accompanying fun! The kiddles continued their battle to master the New Super Mario Brothers.

I think I mentioned in our Christmas post about the Nerf weaponry...which had grown over the past week into a full blown arsenal. I wish I had taken pictures of the Nerf war...2 dads, 6 kids, 200 Nerf darts....you get the idea. Sammi barricaded herself into the basement bathroom, dashing out to collect handfuls of ammo; when captured, she had most of the darts in there with her--but no gun! Abbey charged the oncoming enemies fearlessly. Matthew & Ben took a "fire 'til you're out of ammo, then throw the gun at 'em " approach. Jenny mastered the art of "pop out and pop 'em."

Bill and Chuck took full advantage of having the bucket of ammo at their disposal. Gauntlets have already been thrown for the next Nerf war.

The parental units hid out in the office for a wee bit of target practice fun. Steph won...2 out of 3! Here she is doing her happy dance:

A few more pictures are here, if you want to look: New Year's 2010.

May 2010 be wonderful for you and yours! May 2010 continue for you as it began for us...with friends, family, fun & frolic. Blessings & peace to all from the Zoo Crew to you.

Patrick's Interviews with Barb

2010-01-02T15:52:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I haven't fully figured out the whole "editing a movie" thing. (I'm pretty darned sure Patrick would do a MUCH better job!) So there's some extraneous random camera swings and stuff in here. (I tried, really I did!)

But, for anyone slightly interested in Patrick's "interview" with his great Aunt Barb, here it is. We all cracked up at how he used his hand as a microphone and then switched both hand and camera back to himself. Enjoy! (and giggling is perfectly OK!)

A Zoo Crew + One Christmas

2010-01-02T14:22:00.002-05:00

Christmas 2009 found the Zoo Crew enjoying the company of our Aunt Barb (great aunt for the younger Zoo Crewers). Barb is usually quite busy during Christmastide, serving as a pastor to her parish in Iowa, but this year she's on her way to another call beginning in January, so she had a nice holiday break. How lovely that she was finally able to come meet the Crew!Bill's gift to me this year was a long coveted Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I was lucky that he gave it to me early enough to help with the holiday baking. Ben & Abbey helped make macaroons--check out the look on Ben's face, watching the quick work my new toy made of the meringue!

Abbey, Katie, Aunt Barb & I enjoyed some girl time doing our fingernails in festive Christmas colors. Abbey even had the honor of painting Aunt Barb's pinkie! Katie painted super cute snowflakes on everyone's nails.

After Christmas Eve services, we fed the reindeer and put out the cookies for Santa.

Of course, no Christmas Eve is complete without the evening Chalet on the Rug (err, table this year). It was fun to include Aunt Barb in traditions that have come down from her side of family, especially since she didn't know we've kept many of them! ;-) Ben was especially ravenous and kept threatening to devour the platters of chow all on his own.

Christmas morning dawned cold & clear, despite the weatherman's dire predictions for ice. The crew gathered upstairs--and it was a good thing Abbey had reminded me to bring my camera UPstairs so I could nab this shot before the chaos ensued!Santa was generous, as were our family & friends. (THANK YOU--notes will follow soon!!) After enjoying a leisurely morning of gift opening, we moved on to other adventures. The boys tested out their new Nerf guns on each other & loaded up Dad's new tackle box with bobbers, sinkers & leaders. We ladies turned our hands to more crafty pursuits and did a little beading; we even helped Aunt Barb make a Christmas present for one of her friends back home.

Aunt Barb was needed back home, so she left us the day after Christmas....but not before she tried her hand at New Super Mario Brothers on wii!

Patrick "interviewed" our illustrious guest with his new video camera, even turning the camera on himself to ask the questions. HILARIOUS!!

If you haven't seen enough...feel free to check out the rest of the photos here: Zoo Crew Christmas 2009.

We hope your Christmas was as fun-filled and festive as ours was...and that you are as thankful as we for the True Gift of Christmas.

December to Remember

2009-12-30T15:21:00.008-05:00

December has been quite the magical month for the Zoo Crew. For the first time in practically EONS, we had SNOW almost as soon as the calendar page flipped. December 5th found us making snowmen, flinging snowballs and making Zoo Crew Snow Angel facsimiles.

Ben decided that it would be GREAT to fling his snowman's head at Matthew, who retaliated with a whole lotta little snowballs. Patrick joined the fray and "helped" make snowmen.

We baked cookies. We ate cookie dough (when we thought Mommy wasn't looking!) We baked more cookies. (Mommy ate cookie dough.) We decorated them liberally with sprinkles...and more sprinkles...

Matthew played saxophone in his very first school concert. That evening was an adventure, as Mommy was a little mixed up on her calendar. (Ever have that happen? You get a day of the week stuck in your head rather than the date?)

Yup--I was in the middle of Target buying a dressy shirt for him to wear to the concert the next night when I received a frantic phone call. "Mom, Matthew's concert is TONIGHT, not tomorrow!!" YIKES and GULP. Abandoned the shopping cart. Beat feet home as fast as the little hamster powered mobile could make it and away we went. The first year students did a GREAT job with the various holiday songs--especially since most of them have only been playing since September!! No pics, sadly, since Zoo Mama was frantic & frazzled. *sigh*

Now....given how much fun they had with the measly 5 inches we got on the 5th, imagine what Zoo Crew joy greeted the 22 inches of snow that arrived on December 19th!! The flakes were BIG and floaty, but boy did they start to add up. Good think we sent Daddy out for the tree before the snow hit! It was sooooo much fun to decorate the tree cozily indoors while the snow fell and transformed our yard into something from a Currier & Ives painting!

The depth of the snow removed a lot of the land features, so all was beautiful & white. AMAZING!! Well, OF COURSE the kids wanted to go out and play. No one realized, though, that the snow drifts were taller than Abbey. Until she quite capably demonstrated that for us, that is.

To see more pictures from our fun-filled December (and to see what Patrick was doing while the others played in the snow!), check out the rest of the album here: December 2009.

Christmas post soon to follow!!

7 out of 9 Cousins Agree

2009-11-29T20:22:00.004-05:00

......that Jefferson is the place to be for Thanksgiving!!! (and only 7 because 2 were celebrating in California!)
David and his family made the 10 hour drive from Indiana to join the Zoo Crew for Turkey Day. We had a lovely long weekend, feasting, playing and visiting. Counting our blessings, too, of course.

Jacob and the boys bonded over Legos and video games.

Abbey & Laurel bonded over just about everything 5 year old and female.

On Friday, we hit the Black Friday sales for a wee bit of shopping. Later, pretty much the whole batch of us headed off the Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Center at Dulles; Forrest was able to join us for that fun little road trip, too, rounding out our large number. We were quite surprised to find it so VERY crowded, but not surprised to find that it was VERY cool! Saw all kinds of crazy cool stuff, including the Space Shuttle and the Blackbird aircraft used in the most recent Transformers movie.

Check out more pictures here: Thanksgiving 2009

Great times...and the Zoo Crew is tickled pink that Dave's family is so much closer now and able to come visit more easily!!

If you are reading this, know that we are VERY thankful for you! Blessings as we enter this crazy busy Christmas season!

Happy Birthday, Patrick!!

2009-11-08T17:11:00.002-05:00

Twelve years old today!! Can't believe it, really. We've been through some amazing times with this guy...incredible highs and heartbreaking lows. No matter where we've been, though, he continues to bless us with his perseverance, sense of humor and willingness to give just about ANYthing a try!

We celebrated his 12th year in a simple Zoo Crew way....birthday treats and presents. This year, we went with a giant birthday cookie...Patrick LOVED it!

Gramma & Gramps sent him blank DVDs and DVD case inserts on which to immortalize his movie-making efforts. (I'm thinking he's got a future in Independent Films!!)

His loopie birthday pal (Brittany from Reno, NV) sent a big box FULL of Lego kits--Bioncles, vehicles, space aliens. Patrick is in Lego heaven!

As I type this, he is working his way through building a Lego kit of about 8 vehicles, playing nicely with his brothers. I can't help but sit and stare a little, pausing to reflect that a couple of years ago, I would never have thought he'd be able to interact so peacefully for so long. Watching him read the directions and follow them so closely, I am in awe of the wonderful works God has done for this kiddo...and sending a special thanks to the many who have helped pray our family through these first 12 years of my boy's life.

Happy birthday, my first son!

Check out more pics here: Patrick's 12th Birthday (We had a couple of special guests for his big day, too!)

Boo from the Crew

2009-11-01T13:09:00.002-05:00

After diligently completing our chores for the day, the Zoo Crew was ready to play!
With Miss Ashley's help, we had a little cookie decorating fun. Loved these kits from Target! Abbey, Ben & Miss Ashley opted for the traditional approach and frosted theirs in orange. Ben fashioned his jack-o-lantern face from black bats! Abbey figured that the sprinkle-o-rama approach was best. Patrick selected a black frosting base; the results? ummmm, TASTY (?)

A traditional Halloween dinner of corn dogs followed the cookie appetizer. (No, seriously, we actually had this conversation! "Hey, Mom! What's our family tradition for Halloween dinner?" My response? "whatever is quick & in the freezer!" Ahhh...the memories!)

TIME FOR COSTUMES!
Miss Abbey sported a festive purple pirate look, complete with ruffled hat.

Ben had a rough time of it this year. He said he didn't really want a costume, rather he just wanted to be Halloween-y. After rejecting my suggestion about going AS Halloween (I'm thinking black sweat suit covered in all sorts of Halloween icons, Halloween decorations glued on--cool, huh?), he told me he'd wear black sweat pants and an orange shirt. We found one that says "I don't do tricks, just give me the candy!" which made his little 7 year old heart swell.

Matthew's exhaustive search for the perfect knight helmet was unsuccessful, so he he wore the headpiece that came with his costume, despite the scratchiness.

Patrick, who is besotted with all things Verizon, dressed as his alter ego, the Verizon Man. One of our neighbors made his day by recognizing him and asking "Can you hear me now?" Patrick happy danced all the way back down the driveway!

Check out the pics here to see more--including fun with The Spider Lady!

Happy, tired and ready to devour their loot, the beasties made their way back home for a bit of a movie night with Daddy, complete with caramel apples. Sugar highs bring sugar lows, you know....so our weary crew collapsed happily in bed. We hope your Halloween was wonderful and fun, too!

PS: Our missing beastie was off visiting her friend for a scary movie fest. *sigh*

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-29T21:36:00.007-04:00

About two weeks ago, the Zoo Crew took a road trip to Catoctin Mountain Orchards. Grandmother & Grandfather Bolingbroke really enjoyed the drive through the hills of Maryland to the orchards. We were planning to do a little apple picking, but October means it's pumpkin patch time...so no apple picking. *sigh*

Flexibility is, of course, a Zoo Crew specialty, so we quickly opted to check out the orange gourdiness. The beasties were loosed upon the poor unsuspecting orbs to make their selections. Beastly eagerness nothwithstanding, the pumpkins have been patiently waiting on the front steps for THE day.

Abbey was more than a little disgusted to remember that the scooping of the goop comes first. (note her thumb pointing to the goop!) Once I explained that the stringy stuff can catch fire from the candles, Ben was ultra intent on getting all the goop out of his.

The candles, by the way, were Patrick's idea--his requirement, actually! We put 'em in the pumpkins just for tonight...on Halloween we'll use electric ones. But he was happy!

Matthew aimed high and put a moustache and eyebrows on his!! (I think it looks remarkably like Bill, don't you?)

Patrick, ever the traditionalist, took great pains to draw his triangle eyes and nose.

Once we finished I told the kids to clean up the mess so we could wander outside and light 'em up. Matthew's response? "First, I must prepare the hose!" hee hee hee

Oh...let me set your worries to rest...Bill was carefully supervised while using the sharp objects!!

More pictures here: Pumpkin Carving 2009

At long last and....

2009-08-31T07:53:00.003-04:00

FINALLY!

It's Patrick's turn to go back to school.
MSD reopened today and Patrick couldn't be happier! He was up and at 'em bright & early, chomping at the bit to hit the road...he sat by the front door and counted the minutes down. Of course we had the usual drama about "when will the bus be here?" (finally resolved after numerous calls to the school district at the crack of dawn!) He's learned to tell time and that's a mixed blessing, I tell ya'!! Thankfully, time moved quickly for the boy-o and the bus arrived promptly at the promised time...with the added bonus that Megan, his favorite aide, will be joining him again this year. YAY!

Please note the lack of wheelchair--double YAY!! YAY!!!

Abbey was persuaded to help in the leave taking, though a wee bit reluctantly.

See more pics here: Back to School 2009

Hard to believe we've hit this point...FIVE beasties on their way to school.

...and away they go...

If you were curious....

2009-08-25T13:26:00.000-04:00

In case you were wondering what Patrick has been up to while the others are in school...he's been spending a lot of quality time with the cats. Click here for pics.
We've also had a great deal of fun playing with the computer and watching ASL videos on YouTube. Then there were what I like to call "the baking episodes"...brownies, cookies and something with bisquick that he just whipped up...

He's turning into quite the movie maker, too...creating DVDs with the computer and demonstrating quite the flair for dramatic juxtaposition.

FOUR out the door...

2009-08-25T09:13:00.005-04:00

Back to School this year is wild for the Zoo Crew...when school kicks into full swing, there will be no beasties left behind. No more pre-schoolers in this household!!

Off to school this week:

Katie--9th grade (yes, that's high school!!)
Matthew--4th grade
Ben--2nd grade
and Abbey--kindergarten (YIKES!)

Abbey was very enthusiastic 'til it was her turn to board the bus today. Her older sibs offered up lots of advice, here are a few of the better tidbits...

Katie: "Abbey, when you have to choose between a pink crayon and a purple one, don't. Go with both!"
Ben: "Sometimes you get to make friends and sometimes you get to be one. I say you should be one first." (pretty profound huh?)
Matthew: "If you listen to your teacher, you can't go wrong."
Ben: "Abbey, school isn't always fun, but, well, you gotta go or you get in trouble."
Matthew: "Sometimes you get to do all kinds of fun projects...relax and enjoy the kindergarten ones when you don't have to write about it."
Katie: "You know, Abbey, some of my friends & I have been in class together since kindergarten. Get to know your peeps, kid."

Patrick starts back to school next week.

I miss 'em already. (If you didn't click the link above, click here for pictures!)

Happy Birthday, Big Furry One!!

2009-07-14T20:05:00.003-04:00

Yup, believe it or not, it was 14 years ago today that the Zoo Crew came to be...and the adventure began in earnest.

It started at 4:10 am with one GINORMOUS kick; I just *knew* it was time! I wandered out to the family room to make sure....killed a little time watching the 4 am news man reading silly headlines from around the country. I can't remember the exact headlines, but I remember him cracking himself up so hard over something that he took his glasses off and wiped his eyes.

More highlights from the labor room:

Mom & Dad beating us to the hospital and freaking out because the nurses couldn't confirm we were there--still sorry about that one!
Getting locked in the delivery room--just Bill & I--due to a faulty lock when the nurse ran to get the doctor and Mom ran to get ice chips. Nurse Maria stood outside the door yelling "do NOT push! do NOT push!" Poor maintenance guy had LOTS of support for his door opening efforts!
My dad inching his chair from the waiting room into the hall and to right outside my room.
Puking on the doctor--the ONE doctor in the group practice I hadn't met yet!
The lady across the hall delivering her 5th and smallest child--a 12 1/2 pound boy! (they put Katie in the bassinet next to him in the nursery so that she would look small, hee hee hee)

And then, there she was, only 7 1/2 hours later--all 9 1/2 pounds of her!! And life has never been quite the same...

Katie's quote of the day today? "MSJ--isn't that some sort of chemical replacement for chicken?"

Happy 14th, Girlie!

Zoo Crew 4th

2009-07-05T10:24:00.003-04:00

The Zoo Crew celebrated America's birthday with our dear friends the Piggs. We had a WONDERFUL fun-filled day of play. Nana joined in the fun, too. Miss Ashley popped by, as did Patrick's new helper-friend, David. Highlights of the day:

Mr. Chuck's ribs--YUMMY!!!
Patrick showing his movies (made all by himself!)
remote control helicopter races
trampoline jumping (WOW, David!)
wheelchair follies
catching fireflies (or trying to!)
sparklers & fireworks
spending time with family & friends!

Everyone sparkled--Nana does a mean chair sparkle! We made our own patriotic music while Kenny, Chuck & Daddy set off the fireworks. (You really haven't lived 'til you've heard the combined Pigg-Zoo Crew choirs sing America the Beautiful!) We danced and make super-cool shadows on the house while the strobing ground flowers did their thing...better than any disco, I tell ya!

Here are all the beasties with the mandatory photo-opp. Check out the rest of our pictures: Zoo Crew 4th of July.

We hope your 4th festivities were as much fun as ours!

9 Years Old?

2009-06-30T20:07:00.004-04:00

Okay, so it's getting to be a recurring theme...where has the time gone? Child #3 turned 9. *sigh*

It really seems like yesterday that we were off to the hospital to have the little beast. From the moment he was born, he's been amazing us with the things he says and does. He was the only one of my kids who needed that extra something to fall asleep--trips around town at 2 in the morning!!

When he was a little over a 3 years old, Patrick attempted to harness the power of then 1 year old Matthew, helping him build a makeshift ladder to the kitchen counter and up onto the fridge. I returned from changing loads of laundry to find Matthew perched on top of the fridge; he was swinging his feet, happily chomping on cheetos and tossing a 'em down to Patrick who was waiting below, doing his best seal impersonation. For awhile, the two of them were quite the team!

At 9, he's got the vocabulary of a high schooler, the thought processes of a future pocket protector wearer, the grace of an ox and the sense of humor of, well, a 9 year old boy! (Seriously, how many fart jokes could there be???!!) He's still pretty big for his age, but he's beginning to wear it well. (I still like to stand him next to Steph to get a giggle! He's almost as tall as she is!!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BIG GUY!

How did THIS happen???

2009-06-11T20:58:00.003-04:00

My baby is FIVE. No, really....and yes, she was human at birth. Since then, all bets are off, LOL. THIS is the face she made when I said "smile nice for a blog picture." She can hardly wait to see this on the world wide web!! There are a few more birthday girl pics in our Busy June Picasa album, if you wanna peek.

According to the Abbinator, this is how a puppy would eat birthday cake...

She asked for a puppy. A real puppy. And if she couldn't have a puppy, a "kind of older dog would be OK, I guess." Um right.

She got a stuffed puppy. And one that moves a little when you pet it's back. Sometimes it gives a little bark. Been down the dog road. We are STILL not ready.

She will start kindergarten in the fall. I don't think Valley is ready for this one. (Or for 3 of the Zoo Crew to share the same school...I see more adventures in the future!) Gramma & Gramps sent her materials to practice school with and she thought that was pretty darned cool. She's already written her name in the paper tablet.

Pink is still her favorite color, but she likes dogs now (who could have seen that one coming?). "When I was 4 I thought cats were something, Mom, but now I'm growed, I think dogs are the bestest." Not sure what Dakota and Indy think of that.

Happy birthday, pumpkin!
Can't imagine life without you...and I can't imagine where these last 5 years have gone...

Crazy Busy June

2009-06-11T20:32:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if we could fit more activities in a week than we already do...and then June hits!! Here's a brief snippet of the last 10 days:

1st: lacrosse games for Katie and Matthew
2nd: lacrosse game for Katie; meeting for mommy
3rd: incoming kindergarten "round-up" for Abbey (thankfully, Katie's lacrosse game was canceled)
4th: catch the breath
5th: mani-pedi with Katie & friends in preparation for the big 8th Grade Semi-Formal; the aforementioned semi-formal; Abbey's Pre-K "graduation"
6th: Matthew's lacrosse tourney...canceled due to flooded fields
7th: Katie's lacrosse tourney...scheduled for 4 back to back games; played 3
8th: sports meeting at school
9th: Matthew awards ceremony
10th: Katie awards ceremony; Patrick last day of school: ABBEY TURNS 5!!

Somewhere in there, all the homework, housework and work work still had to get done. Busy life = happy life? Crazy, maybe....

I'm beginning to get it...kids are happy it's the end of the school year because it's the start of the summer....parents are happy because they can finally catch their breath!!

She shoots...she SCORES!!

2009-05-24T19:24:00.004-04:00

Miss Katie's lacrosse team has had a crazy, rough season. Nasty weather has kept their practice time to a ridiculous minimum--for some reason, they aren't allowed to practice in thunderstorms, go figure! And despite playing better and more team-like than EVER, they just haven't been able to pull a win out of their hats...'til last week.

Each & every girl had a terrific game, their passes connected, their plays were solid...it was pretty and oh-so-fun to watch. (with the added bonus that I got to ring the B-wick cowbell LOTS of times!!) This game was so well played that I think we would have enjoyed it even if it had been a loss--no, seriously. But what a treat that it ended 10 to 9 in our favor!!

And even though everyone had a stellar day, gotta ice the cake and brag on my girlie--my super star scored the game winning goal!!!

There are more pictures of the team on Picasa, if you want to sneak a peek of highlights from the season: BLAX U-15.

Whoo hoo!

Now on to the BIG week...games every night of the week, including All-Stars on Wednesday. (Yes, Katie made the league All-Stars!!!). Oh, and somehow we have to squeeze in games for Matthew, too.

Famous Matthew Man!

2009-05-22T20:46:00.002-04:00

Matthew made the front page--and even got quoted!

Check out the article about Dandelion's Peace Poem by clicking here. FNP

http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=90462

On Thursday, he was one of about 20 Valley kids who were invited to read their poetry at Literacy Night. He did a GREAT job and didn't seem nervous at all.

YAY Matthew!

Birthday Ben

2009-05-05T21:47:00.005-04:00

Can't believe the little booger is SEVEN!! That's right, SEVEN.

I asked him how it feels to be seven...and he said "the same as being 6, pretty much."

Typical. He's the oddest of my odd ducks--and THAT's saying something! Mom (that would be me!) mucked up on the birthday candles--thought I had plenty!--so he had the numeral 6 and 1 regular candle, LOL. He was cool with that, pretty darned happy, actually...figured no one else he knows would have their SEVEN like that. (Smart, flexible boy!!)

Red is still his favorite color. But he likes Bakugon toys now....this is his expression when he opened them as a gift from his siblings.

Happy birthday, Beastie #4!

Watching you grow is always an adventure--and there are so many more to come. The fun is just beginning!

Easter Fun

2009-04-16T10:06:00.005-04:00

Easter this year was a wee bit low-key (well, as low-key as it gets around here!)

As sad as it made me, we opted to skip church services this year, given the logistics and hour. (I made due with updating my FaceBook status with the traditional Easter morning greetings: "He is risen...He is risen INDEED!").

We had a lovely lazy morning. Katie and Daddy made ham & cheese omelettes for everyone, including the "guests" invited by Matthew:

Afterwards, we played games. Daddy & Matthew took a walk while the rest of us took advantage of the April breeze to fly kites:
Miss Ashley popped by, bringing chocolate bunnies for all. (Is it any wonder we love her?)

All in all, a fun family day....and a nice treat for us to just "hang." We hope you had as nice a day!

What IS it? Monday

2009-04-13T19:39:00.000-04:00

It's time for another fun-filled edition of ...What IS it Mondays? (are you excited?)

Betcha you've been just waiting and waiting???

Well, knock yourself out...here it is....now you guess...WHAT IS IT????? Give it your best shot (or your silliest!).

This week's prize is the pride and satisfaction of knowing you figured it out!! (Go you, go you, go you!) Mostly because you *really* don't want this in your mail or your house or, quite truthfully, ANYwhere near you...

Good luck!

Spring Breaking!

2009-04-10T08:48:00.002-04:00

We had the opportunity to get away for a mini-vacation this week. So off to Fort Story we went. (Yes, we LOVE that place!!) Of course, we dragged the Piggs with us.

Highlights of this trip?

Mini-Golf, speed version
a cyclops named Earl
sand castles and digging to China
Monsters vs. Aliens in 3D and IMAX (WOW!)
new favorite restaurant, Mary's
giggling when Matthew stood next to Mrs. Stephanie
playing paparazzi on the Boardwalk with Miss Smith
margaritas at Guadalajara
marshmellows toasted over a campfire

Sadly, we learned that The Purple Cow is no more. So the last purple tongue pics are just that...the last. ('til we find a new ice cream joint with purple ice cream!!)

Hope you enjoy these pictures from the trip:

Matthew's First Lacrosse Game

2009-03-29T08:59:00.004-04:00

Lacrosse season is finally here!! YAY! Matthew is playing for the first time and had his very first game yesterday.

I've watched girls' lacrosse for 5 years now. Did NOT prepare me for the sidelines of a boys' game. WOW. For example...it's perfectly OK to tackle the guy with the ball--so long as you do it from the front so he can see you coming. NICE. (Have to admit there was something weirdly satisfying in the UMPH and smack of helmets when the boys collided on field.) Huge pileups and no flags--just a boy coming up victorious with the ball. I imagine them grinning, but hard to tell beneath the helmets and mouthguards.

Yesterday was drizzly & cold (much like today, for Katie's game!); referee started the game with "are you guys ready to get MUDDY?" It was hilarious to hear everyone hollering 'YEAH!' Those boys were pumped!

Matthew decked out in ALL his gear kinda scares me, so here he is with some of it missing...game face cracks me up! He did really well, considering it was his first time on the big field. Team is almost half new kids, so they did a GREAT job holding their own against a more experienced team...lost 3-2, but showed terrific promise for a good season.

What IS it? The Winner!!

2009-03-17T17:39:00.002-04:00

Well...THAT didn't take long...

Shasta's the lucky winner...they were Katie's attempt to make drop biscuits with Bisquick. (Yes, we know how much you LOVE Bisquick, Shasta!)

Lately, everything Katie bakes comes out flat. VERY flat. (I think it's an issue with her basic understanding of the DIP-LEVEL-POUR method of flour measurement! Thankfully, such talent was NOT required for the making of today's Snicker Bars.)

We decided to call these "bisquakes" because they were flat like pancakes...Matthew threw one at Ben and it didn't even crumble...hee hee hee.

So...where shall I mail the one we saved for you???

What IS it? Monday

2009-03-16T20:12:00.004-04:00

So...inspired by my friend's blog and his Song Lyric Sundays contest, the kids and I have decided that we could provide a wee bit of online entertainment with WHAT IS IT??? Mondays!!

Here's the deal...we provide a photo of something. You guess what it is. Maybe there will be a prize, maybe there will not. You never know...this is, after all, the Zoo Crew.

First up, an offering by Miss Katie herself (and actually SHE was the inspiration for this momentous event! "Gee, Mom, why don't you just take a picture and put it on the blog?" ALWAYS happy to oblige, m'dear!):

What the heck...be the first person figure out what these ARE and we'll snail mail you one!

C'mon...let's hear from you!

Patrick with Flair!

2009-01-23T20:37:00.007-05:00

Patrick and I have had the chance to spend a lot of time together overthe last week...more than usual. What an interesting time it has been for me. Patrick has been enjoying FaceBooking over my shoulder and LOVES looking at everyone's pictures. He *caught* me sending flair to some friends a couple of mornings ago and demanded that I allow him to review the options available. After scrolling through several screens of selections, he stopped, signing EMPHATICALLY that THIS was the flair he wanted to send to Tina & Shasta:

One of my most fervent prayers is that I would be able to understand the mysterious Mind of Patrick--that someday, I'd be able to communicate with him on a deeper level. After this little flair foray, I'm not so sure I want to.

Shortly after that jaunt into scary weirdness, he stopped at this one, asking that I send it to several people:
Now THIS I understand. Patrick has had a long-standing love affair with large red buttons. Have you ever noticed that, in our ADA world, big red buttons are at toddler height? Patrick's attraction to shiny red buttons has led us on several adventures:

locking up the elevator at Suburban Hospital
Setting off fire alarms in kindergarten (until he saw that the end result was the arrival of MANY firetrucks--of which he is afraid!)
Buzzing the nursing staff incessantly while hospitalized (um, yeah...see the post on August 17th, 2008 about enjoying having his vitals taken!)
Locking up the elevator at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Calling fire & rescue staff to our home via the alarm system (try explaining to the 911 operator that the screaming in the background is really your deaf autistic son howling in delight!)

If ever the amazing inner workings of his mind are revealed, what a conversation that will be! I think my first question to the Patrick-man will have to be: Who or what is CAT 569?

(Flair borrowed from Facebook--THANKS!)

Christmas 2008

2008-12-29T10:49:00.004-05:00

Another Zoo Crew Christmas day... Christmas 2008.

We had a lovely, slow day--which included staying in our jammies all day long!! What fun that was! Opened our gifts--many thanks to all!--played games and enjoyed a feast of ham & stuff. After dinner, we watched Prince Caspian together. (Gotta say, of all the sequels we've seen, this was one of the the very best!)

We missed having visitors this year, but enjoyed our quiet day together. Hope you had a great day, too!

Pat n Cats

2008-12-29T10:38:00.003-05:00

Patrick and I are enjoying a lovely morning, playing and working together. Am *trying* to teach him to fold towels and he is doing his best to teach me how NOT to fold them.

We took a break to snuggle the kittens (quite enthusiastically!) and Patrick asked me to share this picture with you all. Please note how the kittens don't even want to look at him, LOL! Mostly, I think, because once Patrick's got one on his lap, he doesn't like to let 'em leave. *sigh*

Merry Monday!

GREAT day!

2008-12-14T21:42:00.006-05:00

Today was a terrific day...a nice way to roll into the coming week (especially since I'll be spending it away from my beloved fam!).

We've been getting into the festive Christmas spirit a little late this year. Daddy was gone right after Thanksgiving, so we had our first chance to decorate the tree this weekend. Tree's looking GREAT:

Lights are up outside. Ben was creative director for that project. At his insistance we now have a lighted doe & buck grazing fauxly in the yard. Pics will follow shortly, courtesy of Miss Ashley.

Today we had a wonderful time making snowpeople out of athletic socks. Using Patrick's school project as a model, we created our own versions:

Katie got so into the project, she opted to make another creation...a snowbear:

I think they all kinda look like the kid who made 'em, don't you??

What a fun day!! So now, we're practically ready...no baking done yet, but hey, can't rush things!

Happy Late Birthday, Hubby!!

2008-12-14T21:15:00.003-05:00

For your birthday, Katie decided to channel "The Ace of Cakes" and the Food Network's "Cake Challenge" winners...

It was a valiant effort, truly.

How does that line from "Chorus Line" go? "Dance, 10...Looks, 3"

Um, yeah...in this case, Taste, 10...Looks, 3.

Great job, baby girl. And happy birthday, Bill!

Thanksgiving with the Zoo Crew

2008-12-03T22:40:00.004-05:00

The biggest turkey of them all?

Or rather, a visit FROM a great big turkey...in the form of Uncle Mike!! YAY! He is in town doing some Army stuff, so he was able to join us for a crazy family Thanksgiving.

We had an adventure trying to brine a frozen turkey (did you know that if you leave your turkey outside to defrost in below freezing temps, not much defrosting happens? duh!). Anyway, the turkey turned out pretty well and I think we'll do the brining thing again. It was my first attempt, and I have to say that I'm sold!

Since we didn't eat 'til about 3, we had to kill some time...kids enjoyed some remote control racing fun with a true expert--who was even able to get a *mostly dead* x-mods car back up and running!

After tummies were full, we watched Kung Fu Panda and enjoyed Uncle Mike's company. Of course, we took a break for pumpkin pie!! We're so thankful he was able to join us!

Silly, Seasonal Patrick!

2008-12-03T22:38:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!! We did our annual Christmas card photo shoot this weekend and Patrick *really* got into the spirit of the event...
Please note the pink nail polish....that would be what happens when big sister leaves such a tempting toy in Patrick's reach...and he won't let us take it off!!!

Anyway, here he is, signing "Christmas"...

New Additions to the Zoo Crew

2008-11-18T14:17:00.003-05:00

In direct response to the impending and probably loss of the undeclared "War on Unwanted Small Furry Creatures", we've added to the Zoo Crew with some wanted small furry creatures. Meet Dakota & Indiana, 10 week old kittens:
Here's a funny....Katie was trying to show us Indy's new trick, climbing in her shirt and out again. Indy decided he liked his spot and promptly fell asleep. Dakota followed, snoozing on Katie's lap:
Here's hoping we have better luck with these babies.

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

2008-11-10T10:25:00.004-05:00

Happy Birthday, Miracle Boy! It's been 11 years and you continue to amaze us with your intrepid soul and your oddball sense of humor.

We asked what you wanted for your birthday and you said PIZZA, so off we went to Pizza Hut, en masse. And then you ordered breadsticks, hee hee hee.

Some things people might not realize about you, especially when they see your *bonus features* first:

Patrick has a weird but good sense of humor.
He likes to build things, only to destroy them! (think tinkertoys & legos)
Cat 569 will always be his secret code...and if we EVER figure it out, I think we will unlock the mysteries that are the Patrick.
Patrick has a sense of style--honed by watching "What Not to Wear" with big sister Katie. He is NOT afraid to share his opinions with others.
His favorite foods are all things he can cook successfully by himself: tacquitos, quesadillas, popcorn
Patrick has a memory that exceeds an elephant's capability!
He does NOT like homework.

Happy birthday, my boy! I'm so very happy those crazy doctors were wrong about you so long ago.

Get Off Your Butt!!

2008-11-04T09:10:00.002-05:00

I hate to duplicate stuff on my blogs, but today is an important day, so please bear with me.

I’m holding on to hope today--the hope that comes from faith in God. And from confidence in my fellow Americans to choose wisely.

I’m praying for the future of my country.

This moment, this choice, is bigger than just one candidate for president. THIS is what makes us unique in all the world… Democracy only works when each and every one of us takes our opinion voicing privilege seriously, thoughtfully and responsibly. But here’s the thing…no matter which side of the fence you are on…don’t complain if you don’t vote.

If you are legally eligible, get your butt to your polling place and cast your ballot. And please, please, PLEASE...

Just say NO!! to socialism.

And may God guide the hands of those that pull the levers.

Unka Dave Comes to Visit!

2008-10-23T14:05:00.004-04:00

Uncle Dave breezed into town for a brief visit...less than 24 hours...it was GREAT to see him and to give him the tour. ;-) Kids enjoyed playing Raving Rabbids with him on the Wii. And he managed to unseat me as the reigning Burp Champion!

Patrick didn't give him a name yet, but he *did* check out his bald head:

Check out the rest of the pics.

Have a safe trip home, Dave. And come back soon!

Family Vacation

2008-10-17T21:27:00.007-04:00

Thanks to everyone who prayed for our annual vacation. Those prayers were answered and Patrick was able to take his vacation with the FABULOUS folks from the ARC. He had a wonderful time hanging out and having some serious one on one time. While he vacationed at the ARC, the rest of us meandered down to Fort Story in Virginia Beach.

You can check out our pics here: Vacationing with the Piggs

We had a wonderful time mini-golfing, go-karting and, of course, visiting the Purple Cow for the annual "Quest for the Purplest Tongue."

A few memorable moments:

Abbey running down the go-kart helper dude while driving a Jr. Stock Car.
Ben providing a high-pitched operatic soundtrack for our travels.
While riding a family bike down the boardwalk:
Mom to Katie: "Did you just drop your shoe?"
Katie: "Uh, no, just my dignity."
Abbey to Everyone: "Are we toasted yet?" (not yet, but ask the grown-ups later!)
Making "snores" once we were toasted (or rather, once the marshmellows were)
Matthew: "This lasagne is the BEST camping out food EVER!"
Playing games 'til late: Settlers of Kataan, Apples to Apples & Would You Rather?
Mosquitos the size of small birds. (gack! and apparently impervious to insect repellent!)
Hermie the Hermit crab and the HUGE blue crab from the beach
Matthew & Katie colliding head-on on the Outlaw track

Can't wait for next time....

School Pics are Here!

2008-10-17T20:12:00.002-04:00

Well, for Ben & Matthew, at least!! Aren't they handsome boys?

Update & a Couple of Things

2008-10-06T10:31:00.002-04:00

Greetings beloved friends! I know I owe y’all some updates, so here goes:

Patrick is working on standing up and is managing pretty well. He’s not using as much pain medication, either, so YAY! He’s not ready for the walker full-time yet, but if him wanting to be on the treadmill on Saturday is any indication, he’s gaining ground and motivation. Patrick’s doing well back in school, too…getting into the swing of his routine—5th grade!!!! Last week his class stopped by for a field trip; they were visiting everyone’s homes as part of a unit about home & community. Was fun to see his classmates and visit with them for a bit, since we don’t often have that opportunity with the school so far away.

Abbey still loves her new school. She comes home every day with funny little stories about the friends in her class. She takes it personally when one of them isn’t there to play with her. We are also enjoying her little adaptations of classroom rules to home. a la: “Miss Jenn says never, never, EBER, run around with paint, Mommy. I think you should be telling Ben toofpaste is da same.”

Matthew is adapting well to 3rd grade and is finding the work a bit more challenging. ‘Course if I were learning new math, fact family based-twiddle, I’d probably find 3rd grade math challenging, too. GACK. NOT impressed with the way he’s learning math these days…

Ben is having fun with 1st grade and is highly motivated by the reward bucket. He found out the other day that one of his teachers at after-school care had the same 1st grade teacher he does; he’s not quite sure what to do with that tidbit, though. Hee hee hee

Katie is really feeling top of the heap in 8th grade, but juggling an all-honors load has her hopping. And her toe issues are clearing up—FINALLY!—so the hopping is a wee bit less painful.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

As many of you know, we like to take a family vacation to the beach in October. It’s that time again. We are usually blessed in that Patrick has the opportunity to take a vacation of his own during this time. He’s scheduled to go to respite this Wednesday for the duration of our family vacay—nice break for everyone—and especially desired after the intense focus on him for the last few months. PLEASE pray that he will be accepted into care for the week. (Always some intense nursing scrutiny before he’s allowed in! He’s doing well, but sometimes…)

Please keep my father outlaw in your prayers. He’s had some heart trouble lately and the way ahead is unclear. He had an angiogram done last week that showed several serious blockages.

Thanks and much appreciation for keeping us lifted up!

Happy Anniversary, Hubby!

2008-09-24T15:54:00.004-04:00

Congratulations on surviving 14 years of adventures with me, darling husband!

7 homes, 5 kids, 3 states, more wrinkles, less hair...and I'd pick you all over again.

Fun in the Sun...and the heat...and the rain....

2008-09-18T13:38:00.003-04:00

Saturday was probably one of the worst days to have an outdoor ANYthing.

It was hot.
It was sticky.
It was extremely sunny.

It was a BLAST!!

Katie and I went to Awakening Music Festival at Bull Run Park with a group of equally insane but enthusiastic folks. We joined the early-bird crowd at 9 am, staking our claim to a *good* lawn seating spot when the gates opened at 11 am. (Just for the record—that’s a LONG time to wait then it’s already over 90 degrees outside!)

Thunderstorms (severe ones, even!) threatened on and off during the day, but the crowd prayed them away. YAY God! In the end, we were treated to a bit of a nice cooling rain and some FABULOUS music. Not a dud act in the bunch...I even enjoyed Skillet and found out that I know more of their songs than I thought, hee hee hee. Gee, who'd have thunk it? Discovering my "inner metal head" at 40? My brothers will be sooooooooooo proud!

Check out the day in my pictures here. Not nearly as cool as the slideshow as one of the other moms did, but hey…

I FINALLY got to see the Newsboys live & in concert! WHOO HOO! (Ever wanna feel really old and super young at the same time? Go to a concert for one of your favorite bands with your teenage kid!!)

Came home tired, sunburned and toting some good memories!

You Asked for It....

2008-09-11T10:48:00.002-04:00

Long time, no post. Sorry gang! Getting everyone off to school and trying to get in the rhythm of the school year has been an adventure.

But no more excuses…on with the news you can use! Patrick is doing well. His casts came off last week—YAY! Let me just say that there was GREAT rejoicing in Zoo Crew Land at the news that we could bathe the beast. He still can’t put weight on his legs, but the surgeon has already noted bone regrowth at the surgical sites. YAY! Even better news—it looks like his legs are pretty much the SAME LENGTH now AND--wait for it--he has feeling back in his right foot. YAY! YAY! And double YAY!!! Still not much motor control over that foot, but feeling is good.

He started physical therapy and—despite the fact that it’s a struggle for him—he’s mostly complying with the exercises. It has helped that his former therapist is available to work with him. (Thank you, God!) We’re sticking with strengthening and stretching for now, but his doctor has cleared him to do weight-bearing as early as next week. We’re hopeful and we’ve been talking with him a LOT about what he’ll have to do so he can walk again. This is rubber hitting the road time…he’s got a shot at walking almost normally IF we can get both legs under him and strong at the same rate. Trying to apply our lessons learned from last time ‘round and keep him from trusting one leg over the other—may prove to be a challenge, but I think we just might be up to it.

Earlier this week, he was down for the count with the lovely stomach virus going around. Ummmmm…NOT fun. (GACK, really!)

But now, Patrick man is feeling well enough that he’s figured out how to drop the sides of his hospital bed and begin maneuvers into his wheelchair on his own. Let’s just say I found this out when I came up from the basement the other day and found him happily nuking tacquitos when I *thought* he was napping. Almost wet my pants, he gave me such a surprise!

Next hurdle? There are TWO…
1—Getting on his feet (no walking, just aiming for standing!)
2—Going back to school (maybe next week?)

Thanks again to everyone who has been praying and thinking of him. I have EVERY confidence that it’s your prayers and well-wishes that are keeping our family afloat during this crazy and challenging time.

Off They Go!!

2008-08-25T19:32:00.004-04:00

Four out of Five Zoo-Crew Progeny headed off to school today.

Miss Abbey off to Pre-K. Silly as ever...

But at least we managed to get her shoes on the right feet first! She's already made a "hugging" friend named Tristan.
First grade was calling Ben's name...he decided to answer, but not before he made some really weird faces....

Last night, while packing lunches, I asked Ben if he wanted an apple or banana in his lunch. His response? "I don't eat LIVE fruit, Mom! Do we have any applesauce?" hee hee hee

Matthew, pretty grown up and philosophical about stuff, said that "third grade could just be a turning point for me." We're not sure WHAT he's turning from, but....

And, last, but really, the first out the door....Katie hit the road for 8th GRADE. *gulp*

And another summer is over....*sigh*

Hospital Pics

2008-08-24T19:48:00.003-04:00

My "home away from home"...looks comfy, eh?

Nurse Amy checking Patrick's vitals...by request, on demand...at 4 in the morning...

Patrick's favored mode of sleep....wouldn't you think it would be MUCH easier to just turn off the lights?

Little ham clowned it up for the camera, striking a variety of "woe is me" poses...this one is my favorite.

Happy to be snoozing at home again, Big Sis at his side.

Home SWEET Home

2008-08-20T17:43:00.002-04:00

We are home.

Got home late yesterday, so didnt' have a chance to post. Thank you everyone who called. I apologize if my lack of posting caused any anxiety. It was questionable off & on all day if we'd be allowed to leave. But he managed to keep two rounds of meds and some smallish amounts of chow down and we were given the ALL CLEAR.

Evidently, I brought home more than just Patrick, though...after a visit to my own doctor, I'm on antibiotics for strep. Hospitals aren't good places for healthy people. *sigh*

The reality of the next few weeks is settling in...Patrick is VERY glad to be home, but he can't decide if he wants to be in the chair, in the bed, on the couch...you get the picture. It's a challenge to move him, despite the handy lift, hospital bed and reclining wheelchair, but we're getting the hang of it.

I will say that he's doing a much better job driving his wheelchair this time around..last summer it was kinda bumper cars type driving...he's really trying to navigate carefully around the house. I'm still sad for my newish paint in the hallway, though....*sigh*

Thanks again to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. Pictures will follow shortly.

If it's Tuesday, we must be...

2008-08-19T11:03:00.002-04:00

still at the hospital...

Patrick's feeling somewhat better, joking & signing up a storm. His color is better and he definitely seems much more comfortable.

BUT (you knew that was coming, right?)

No eatie, no goie homie. Or rather, he can't go home 'til he stops yakking everything up. *sigh* Please keep this in your prayers, as he is convinced today is going home day...but until he keeps something down (nothing has stayed in there since 5 pm yesterday)....he can't leave. I think another night here would really demoralize us both.

He didn't sleep much last night, so neither did this mommy....am hoping he'll nap this morning and wake up ready to be puke free. It's a dream, but he can make it happen, LOL.

Still no Wiggly Piggies...

2008-08-18T11:09:00.002-04:00

Monday morning finds me rested, but tested. Last night, after 4 days of successfully managing to deal with his IVs, both sites started to bleed. Easiest and best course of action was to remove them. Only an issue for the IV pain medications, since Patrick's done with his rounds of antibiotics. At least this time, he didn't pull 'em out himself!

This morning, he is struggling to keep his medications down. He's been napping for about 2 hours now, surprisingly comfortably...so am praying it will continue.

Surgeon stopped by and well, no progress on the lack of sensory or motor control in his right leg. She is confident it is not permanent, so I am trying hard to focus on her experience and my lack thereof. She bent his knee up a bit to relax the stress on the nerve and to see if that helps. Guess we'll find out.

This part of the weekend's adventure will be keeping Patrick and I here 'til at least tomorrow...maybe Wednesday.

Highlights from yesterday, though...
using the lift to get Patrick into his cool reclining wheelchair for a trek around the ward
Patrick joking with the nursing staff...telling them to go to time-out for not taking his vitals, telling them they were stinky and telling the sitter to go home because her work was done
visits from the sibs
visits from the Morin ladies
trying out a Video Phone Relay System (very cool!)

More later....thanks again for all your prayers and calls & good thoughts!

A Day, er...a Night...or was that Day?

2008-08-17T05:11:00.002-04:00

The last 24 hours have been, well...a day.

Saturday morning, the nurses noticed that Patrick wasn't wiggling his right toes anymore. We are all confident that he was on Friday, so the surgeon was paged.

Good News...there are 3 reasonable explanations, none of which are permanent or overly scary

swelling from soft tissue has impeded the nerve
epidural is working TOO well on the right side
the papa-something nerve was stretched too far during the surgery

Bad News...all the above explanations require some action to narrow it down...

partial removal of the beautiful cast
removal and/or stoppage of the epidural flow
removal of the right leg cast & reset with a bent knee

*sigh* Even the surgeon was commenting that if anything weird were going to happen to a surgical patient, it would happen to Patrick, LOL.

I have had the very unfortunate experience of watching my boy writhe in pain today while the epidural flow was stopped...I think everyone had underestimated how much that was helping him cope. His blood pressure spiked and he didn't nap more than 5 minutes at a time most of the day. Still no toe wiggling... So, after several attempts with a slightly malfunctioning cast cutter (imagine the surgeon wielding said instrument suggesting that a roomful of nurses and the mom prepare to take cover in case the blade goes flying), portions of the cast have been removed. It is determined he's got no feeling below the hip. aaarrrggghhh

So now we wait...feeling seems to be returning to his leg, slllooooooowwwwwllllyyyy. Still no toe wiggling, but I'm optimistic. For now.

He finally fell asleep, but woke up a bit ago...around 3:30 am. Thanks to my erstwhile sitter of the evening, Bea, I've had a bit of rest. They woke me when beastie insisted on a Mommy-hug. (There are worse things to wake up to!) I'm ready to hit the hay for a snooze again...Patrick, however, is having fun pushing all the nurse call buttons & playing with the bed. And now I hear the vague sounds of snoring from Bea's general area. (Oh, did I mention that Patrick has finally turned off the lights?)

Nurse Amy has been kind enough to take his vital signs on demand in the wee hours this morning...booger keeps pushing the call button, then insisting on having his respirations counted, heart rate listened to, blood pressure & temp taken. I have pictures, but apparently brought the wrong cable to connect my camera to 'puter. Oh well....will add 'em later!

I think he's drifted off...so maybe I can, too...

The Battle for the Remote

2008-08-15T09:54:00.002-04:00

Beastie had a pretty good night...thanks in part to a new hospital service--a sitter. More officially, a Patient Comfort Assistant. A team of lovely folks traded shifts to sit in the room with us, promising to stay awake so that I could catch some zzzzzzzzz while ensuring that he didn't pull his IVs out or do anything else risky. While it certainly wasn't as restful as being home, it sure was nice to catch a full 3 hours nap. YAY!

Now if I could only get him to relinquish the remote...booger doesn't want ANYone watching TV unless he's watching HIS chosen channel. Poor sitter this morning got quite an eyeful when Patrick went off the deep end over it. He was ZONKED and I had gone downstairs to grab a cup of coffee. She *dared* to turn on the TV and he was fully awake and totally unglued in an INSTANT. LOL. He settled the minute she turned it off, but MAN.

Doctor has already been in this morning to check his progress and is pleased. YAY!

Stage Three--CHECK!

2008-08-14T22:49:00.002-04:00

YAY! We are out of surgery and in his nice cozy (?) hospital room.

Surgery completed around 5:30 pm, but then it took him 'til 7:30 pm to make the folks in recovery happy. *sigh* He's in a cast from the hips down, with a bar between the two legs, slightly below his knees.

The good news? His legs are within 1 cm of the same length.

The bad news? His right knee will never really straighten out. (not terribly bad news, just slightly bad...oh well).

Now that Patrick's done playing with the buttons on the bed and calling the nursing staff rather needlessly, he seems to be settling down. Only one ugly near-breech of the IV thus far, so please keep your fingers crossed...

Oh...and his day nurse tomorrow will be Lynn who nursed both he and Ben last year. YAY!

Good night, friends...and thanks for your prayers and good wishes!

Stage Two--CHECK!

2008-08-14T14:13:00.003-04:00

Okay, so a few of the things you NEVER want to hear in the background when you receive a phone call from your kid:

beer glasses clinking & blenders
sirens
"feet back & spread 'em"
hand grenades & explosions
"Rave" music
BONE SAWS

Nurse Naomi gave me a shout out a few minutes ago. They just closed the third incision on his right leg and have moved over to his left. Evidently to the bone sawing part. Um...I'm thinking that I would have been willing to wait just a few minutes more for that update....

The anesthesiologist called a bit ago, asking for permission to set up an epidural for him. Seems he's concerned about post-op pain medication, so we're going to try that route. Not a bad idea, considering the not-so-willingness of my Patrick to cooperate with an IV once he's awake. I like this guy! He had a wonderful way with Patrick this morning AND of working with the the interpreter...not ordering her around or directing her what to tell him or what NOT to tell him.

That's about it for now...looks like another 2 hours or so...maybe more, depending on how long it takes to put the cast on. Any bets on how long it takes to wrap a 5 foot boy in a half body cast???

First Stage--CHECK

2008-08-14T11:17:00.002-04:00

Little booger woke up this morning signing "go to hospital, fix legs". The biggest challenge this morning? Keeping him out of the fridge 'til it was time to go! 10 am surgery meant 8 am arrival...nice to avoid the whole butt crack of dawn thing, but that meant an extra hour or so without chow for my little chowhound!

We arrived and he could barely contain his enthusiasm...the nurse was STUNNED that he was so happy to be here. Now that I'm in the waiting area, I can hear her telling everyone about the happy little boy who couldn't wait to get in the back.

What a difference a year makes! No struggle to keep the gown on him, no arguing with the nurses. At first, he told me to stay and go play on my computer. Changed his mind and wanted me to go with him to the OR. Definately one of the hardest things I've EVER done....but I admit it was easier than when he and Ben were 2 and seeing them so tiny in those super bright OR lights. Not a shock, but he did NOT like the mask--UNTIL they put the cotton candy scent in there, LOL. He drifted off and everything got underway.

Naomi, his OR nurse, just called to say that they finished part 1 of 3...the hamstring lengthening has been completed. YAY! That was the easy part, though...and I can't help but wonder how Patrick's ultra-petite surgeon is going to be able to pull the old plate & screws out of that bone....

More later!

Prayer Requests for Patrick

2008-08-12T15:30:00.001-04:00

Just a quick posting to ask for your prayers, happy thoughts and speedy recovery vibes for Patrick-man. He’ll be heading off for another go at orthopedic surgery this Thursday morning. This time, we’ll be tackling BOTH the right & left legs, in hopes of evening him out length-wise AND straightening him out. We expect to be kicking it in the hospital for 4 – 5 days, then home in a half-body cast for a few weeks. He is VERY excited, and looking forward to being able to walk, sans walker.

Please pray for his strength, for the surgeon’s wisdom and for this mommy’s calm. Pray, too, if you would, for the nursing staff to be compassionate, understanding and patient with him, as he’s NOT the world’s best patient.

Thanks so much, my friends!

The Birthday Bash to End all Bashes

2008-08-11T19:35:00.008-04:00

And, NO, we will NOT be doing this anytime again soon...

Katie & Allison's big 13th birthday smash-bash was a success...much joy was had by all. And cake. And dancing. And snacks.

Check out the slideshow: Katie & Allison's Big Night (kudos to guest photog Tina!)

Sunday Obsession was in rare form and WOWed the crowd with both their music and their on-stage antics. The impromptu post-party photo shoot made for some interesting memories!

But, boy am I GLAD that's over!!

Trekkin' Down Rodeo Drive

2008-08-08T22:42:00.009-04:00

No, not Row-DAY-o Drive! Row-DEE-o Drive! A smallish contingent of The Zoo Crew hit the road for an evening at a local ranch for an adventure.

The adventures began before we even got there, with Patrick and our helper-friend Ashley hanging back at the Zoo Crew ranch...after looking at the event's website and peeking at rodeo information, the goofball put himself to bed! At 4 in the afternoon. Seriously. Apparently, he's much happier teasing Ashley about cows than going to see them in real life! Little booger missed some fun! Bummer was, he's the reason we had the tickets, a gift from the Arc.

The evening was a fundraiser for a local charity, so we started with pulled pork BBQ and a few photo opps. Note the decorations Matthew has already added to his outfit. The skies were ominous and we thought for sure we were in for a drenching...but the sun came out and "made ebbeyting all shiny!" (to quote Miss Abbey)

Even though the boys declined the offer, Abbey readily hopped up on the pony for a little ring ride. She was soooooooooooo dratted cute!

The boys LOVED watching the cowboys try to ride the bulls...and it took 12 of 'em falling off before we had a scorable rider! (Those bulls were in *fine* form that night, let me tell you!) Me, I was highly entertained by the bull's names: 911, Test Me, ER. Between the entertainment provided by the rodeo clowns (and Bubba the dummy!), it was difficult to tell which the boys enjoyed more--the successful or unsuccessful bull-riders!

Abbey, on the other hand, was much more fascinated by the young lady sitting behind us...the reigning Miss Frederick, Leah Worrell. What a lovely and gracious girl! Truly a real, live princess! She autographed a picture for Abbey, letting Abbey hold *the* crown while she signed. And then, much to Miss Abbey's delight, posed for this picture:

...my baby girly girl's little heart was so blessed!

Who knew wild cow milking could be so entertaining? or maybe it was the trippy chicks in heels and babydoll dresses that wanted to sign up for the competition?? You can see the professional pics of the evening here: Battle of the Beast.

I think this is something we will do again...what a fun way to spend a family evening! YEEEE HAAAWWW!!!

Thirteen???

2008-07-18T20:28:00.005-04:00

Welcome to your TEENS, darling girl. Or should I say "young lady"? Because you are well and truly on your way.

We may not always agree or even share the same universe, but you will always be my special kid. When you were born, so was a Mommy. (Not to forget the Daddy, too!) Your arrival created a family from a couple. And we liked you so much,we decided to have more. So, really...this whole 5 kids thing is YOUR doing. Hee hee hee.
Some cool stuff about you:

You are a TERRIFIC big sister. Especially when you think no one is watching.
You have a weird but wonderful sense of humor. Came out early on and has just gotten weirder.
You are SOLID in your faith and down to earth. We like that you know who you are and don't mind being her.
You are a fabulous lacrosse player. You've taken to the sport like a duck to water.
You have the power to use your intellect for good...and, so far, you seem to plan to do so!
You are a good friend and listener to your friends. (not always to US, but...)
You have been an adventure from the very beginning...starting with the day of your birth when we were trapped in the delivery room alone.

This year's festivities included cheesecake with all kinds of fruity toppings. And in a couple of weeks, a joint party with Miss Allison, featuring Sunday Obsession!

We are very proud of you...and can't wait to see where God takes you!

A Ben-bit

2008-07-17T15:41:00.002-04:00

So...my pumpkin Ben has a unique turn of phrase and uses some pretty *dated* vocabulary. Think: actually, cool, awesome, way fun.

Mrs. Tina was talking with him the other day and made the comment "Ben, you were born in the 80's!"

To which he replied, "No! I was born in APRIL, silly!"

Gotta love the little booger!

Happy Birthday, America!

2008-07-07T20:04:00.002-04:00

We had a fabulous--but rainy--4th of July. Spent the day at a local park that is handicap accessible (at the suggestion of Patrick's helper-friend, Ashley, who joined us!) and enjoyed a lovely picnic. Played a game of girls vs. boys tag on the play equipment and headed home for nap. Ashley took a family picture for us--not pretty, but hey, it's the whole gang!

It rained (read--torrential downpour) during our planned BBQ time, so we settled for pizza and a Buster Keaton movie. (NOT a hit with the kids, despite the physical humor and silly antics) Didn't want to risk setting out in the storm, so we opted to stay in with our own sparklers and mini-works. By then, the rain had washed away the icky muggy July-ishness and the night air was soft, if a little damp. One of our neighbors had an incredible fireworks display to rival almost any municipal setup, so we timed our celebrations to counter theirs and had a lot of fun kicking back and talking American history with the beasties.

Happy birthday to the very best country in the world...from a family that's proud to be American!

GREAT at Eight!

2008-07-07T19:49:00.002-04:00

Middle child Matthew turned 8 in June. (Yes, lots of celebrating in June!!) He set his sights on things courtly and requested a castle and knight playset...he was not disappointed. ;-) And then scored BIG with a gift card to Borders from Gramma & Gramps. We enjoyed a lovely cookies & cream ice cream cake (from Baskin-Robbins, of course!) and lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. (Apple doesn't fall far from the tree, that's for certain!)

What you might not know about Matt:

His family color is green, but his favorite color is blue.

He is a VORACIOUS reader! (he's my bookstore buddy)

He is very friendly and loves to chat with ANYone.

He can beat 2 out of 3 babysitters at Scrabble.

He LOVES school!!

He is sneaky when in stealth mode...and often surprises us with the places he ends up!

He is fabulous, wonderful and GREAT at 8!! Can't wait to see what surprises are in store for us this year, kiddo!

No More Baby Zoo Crewers

2008-07-07T19:28:00.006-04:00

Yes, we've broken the baby-toddler barrier. The youngest of the Zoo Crew turned 4 in June, officially becoming a "pre-schooler" according to big brother Matthew. Happy Birthday, Abba Zabba! She had a chocolate "funny cake" with pink frosting. And her girly-girl dreams came true when she opened a package of ballerina gear from Gramma & Gramps!
Some factoids about our baby girl:

She has a strange accent that we can't figure out...somewhere between Jamaica & New Jersey!
She loves pink. Anything pink.
She is opinionated and strong-willed. (Matthew says "hard-headed")
She is a our resident drink thief...she's drink anything if it's in reach. (ask Big Sister for details!)
She's my girly-girl!! and likes to have her nails & hair done, too! (Note the pretty nails for her birthday...thanks, Shasta!)
She prefers the floor to her bed, so long as she's got her sparkly pink blanket.
She will try ANY food! (and likes most of 'em!)

We can't wait to see what new and interesting things you find to share with us this year.

Conversation with Abbey

2008-05-01T10:22:00.006-04:00

While I was working in my office, the youngest of the Zoo Crew came racing in with a shocking tidbit...the conversation went something like this:

Abbey: Mommy, there are ANTS in the basement!!

Me: OH, no!! What are they doing?

Abbey: They are marching and marching and marching all over a M-uh-M.

Me: What should we do?

Abbey: Don't leave M-uh-Ms on the floor? (pretty smart, huh?!)

Me: Well, yeah that would be a good start! But since we DID drop one, what should we do now?

Abbey: Stomp on dem. (runs off to stomp a few ants)

Returns to office...

Abbey: Gotted dem.

Me: Good. Now, shall we clean 'em up or leave 'em there as a lesson for other ants? (yes, I'm evil)

Abbey: Don't know. (runs off)

Returns in about 10 minutes with a picture in hand...

Abbey: I made dis for you. (It's a picture of a spider with LOTS of legs, drawn in hot pink marker. See below.)

Me: Why thank you.

Abbey: What does 'piders eat?

Me: Ants and flies and other bugs.

Abbey: Dey eat ANTS??!! Dat's not NIIIICCEE ??

Me: And stomping on them IS?

Abbey: Oh, Mommy. (sighing like I'm a loon)

And off she went. Gotta love her!

And now he are 6...

2008-04-30T15:08:00.004-04:00

My apologies to AA Milne...

My Ben is 6. Yup! My energetic pixie boy has reached what he has decided is THE AGE TO BE! No, seriously...on March 17th, his kindergarten teacher queried the class and encouraged them to write down ANYthing they wanted as their lucky leprechaun wish. My guy wrote: "I wish I wuz six."

He got his wish. Happy birthday, youngest boy of mine!!

A little about this newly 6 year old:

he likes the movie Cars (err, LOVES the movie, actually)
he LOVES to say "actuwally"
he HATES peas (thanks for the reminder, Shasta!)
he's a good tattler, especially when it involves big brother Matthew
he's not much for reading, though he's a GREAT little mathematician!
his favorite color is red
he likes being barefoot or sock footed

We love you, pumpkin!

Struttin' her Stuff

2008-03-20T19:45:00.006-04:00

Miss Abbey at it again...making us laugh and giving herself the giggles all the while!

She was shouting out to me "Take my pishur, Mom!" "Take DIS one!" "Now DIS one!" She's a major goofball and a serious funny bunny! She loved her new ponytail holders with all the ribbons. And the princess bride shoes that play "Here comes the Bride" and light up.

(Um, yeah...am thinkin' the batteries on THOSE might just be irreplaceable!!) She's my doll baby, she is, she is....noise notwithstanding!

Award Winning Benster!

2008-03-20T19:01:00.008-04:00

Mommy's playing catch-up again...but only a couple of weeks' worth this time! My Ben-ster received an award at the quarterly award program. In math!! Munchkin was VERY surprised! And even more so to see me there...funny little bunny didn't even look for me beforehand! hee hee hee Once he got up on the stage, his teacher pointed me out to him--and still he was surprised.

(Sidenote: Only parents whose children are receiving awards are invited to the event, since it takes place during the day and space is limited. Most of the kids know this and look around when they come into the assembly...if they spot a parental unit, it's their lucky day!)

Way to go, Benster!!!

The Serendipity of a Missed Flight

2008-03-06T21:23:00.016-05:00

Sometimes a delayed flight isn't such a terrible thing...

After a long-awaited R & R visit to his family in California, Baby Bro was headed back to parts sandy. He was going to be in the local airport for a brief 90 minutes Sunday night, but that wouldn't have been long enough for even a hug stop on his way through customs. So we prayed for him and wished him God Speed on his long journey.

Fast Forward to Noon on Monday and a ringing cell phone...first two legs of Baby Bro's trek were delayed long enough that he missed his flight out and he was kickin' it at a local hotel. So yours truly, (aka: Big Sis) hit the road with the Abbinator to rescue Baby Bro from the perils of waiting in the hotel lobby 'til the next flight at 11 pm. YAY!

God's got a plan, man...'twas my off Monday, so we were free, free, FREE!! to spend some serendipitous time with the Baby Bro. Poor guy got rooked into the usual craziness of a Zoo Crew afternoon that also included some kewl (not so?) bonus features of Patrick's retrieval from a broken down school bus, Katie's lacrosse practice and a *really* messed up dinner order from the wing place. It was soooooooo good to see "Uncle No Hair" (Patrick's name for him) and give him some in person lovin' before he finishes up this tour.

God Bless you, Uncle Mike!!

*Gotcha BUTT!!*

And, hey...in case we haven't told you--We love you and deeply appreciate your service to our county.

Upward and Onward, Matthew!

2008-02-07T18:56:00.000-05:00

Matthew had his first basketball game this last weekend.

(Doesn't he look cute in his uniform?)

WOW! What fun it was to see him playing with his teammates and doing so very well! I think he's starting to get the hang of the game (and the rules, too!). They play man-on-man defense, so each kid wears a wristband and has to stick pretty close to their matching wristband guy on the other team. It was funny to hear the coaches hollering "where's your man? Find your guy!" and then almost EVERY kid on the court would stop in his tracks, check his wristband and adjust accordingly. Hee hee hee! This league is super positive and encouraging, centered around building the kids up in their faith and their skills. The game started with each team being introduced individually and running onto the court through a sparkly banner. Prayers for good sportsmanship were offered up and the game commenced. Halftime included a brief devotion time. After the game was over, each team was dismissed to their team room for a post-game praise prayer and mini-award ceremony. Matthew was selected as Best Offensive Player in the game this week--little booger scored 12 points!! YAY!! Way to go, Matthew!!!!

(Yes, that's him under the basket. And, no, he's NOT standing on a box in this picture...he's just super tall for a 7 year old...his team-mates and opponents are all his age!)

I'm so proud of our big guy!

Go #31!!

Go Rattlers!!

Hangin' with the Abb-ster

2008-02-07T15:35:00.000-05:00

Miss Abbey has become quite the little hambone. Can't seem to get the camera out without her mugging for a close-up. Check out the little beastie...

(Added benefit to this picture is that Miss Katie is caught on film doing I'm not sure WHAT with her face...)

Fortune Cookie Never Wrong?

2008-01-26T11:39:00.000-05:00

Isn't there a song that goes like that?

Had Chinese food for lunch the other day...my fortune read: "You have a lively family."

Ummm, that's one way to put it!

Katie's Take on The Big Dance

2008-01-25T18:17:00.000-05:00

Alright, where to begin? The "Winter Ball" was, to put it simply.... awesome! The music was just great and dancing like mad fools was very entertaining. Dwayne was a great DJ, just the right mix of rock and classical. (And adding "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" was certainly a nice touch. haha.) Although the night was amazing, I think that my favorite part was dancing around with some of my best friends on the front porch. Though being outside was away from the actual dance, it gave us some more space and freedom for our "dancing", if you could call it that. lol. The one thing that still to this very moment puzzles me is, how on earth I could have possibly managed to fall off the porch and into a bush when I was just standing there, talking! (I guess, to my dismay, there is a bit of my mother in me afterall.) The lovely bruise on my leg still taunts me. *sigh*. I suppose the irony of being all prettied up and dressy, and then head banging with Christiana was pretty sweet too. Well I think I have just about said it all except this...SUPER-AMAZINGLY-FANTASTICLY FUN! =) (Doesn't everyone just look GORGEOUS?)

Catching up..New Year's Day 2008

2008-01-24T22:09:00.000-05:00

Yes, I KNOW that January is almost over...but I'm still in catch-up mode, so bear with me!

We started our 2008 in true Zoo Crew style…with a road trip! We headed out to DC this time, planning to check out a monument or two and just enjoy the beautiful day. Found out that Bill’s new “Personal Navigation Assistant” doesn’t know which streets are one-way!!

It was picture-postcard PERFECT outside, though a wee bit chilly when the wind blew through. First stop--the Washington Monument. As Patrick and I worked our way up the walk (couldn’t find the handicapped parking, so we hoofed it!), Matthew & Ben ran up ahead with Daddy. At the base of the monument, the elevator vents out HUGE blasts of warm air, which drew Ben’s attention, thanks to billowing clouds of steam. That blast, when combined with a nice gust of wind, had Ben airborne for a brief second. Little guy didn’t know what hit him! Patrick and Abbey helped me take pics of the monument and the White House. (Got to try out my telephoto lens…VERY COOL!).

Rosy cheeked and heading back to the car, Matthew said “It’s going to be a GREAT 2008, Mom, because we are starting it with the best day EVER!” At which point, Ben & Abbey chimed in, singing, “It’s the best day EV-errrrr! It’s the best day EV-errrr!” Pretty soon we were all singing…even Patrick! (Okay, so Katie refused to sing, but hey, her pre-teen angst thing was going pretty strong that day!)

The only way to top that was to find a bathroom. A clean one. Spotted the Botanical Gardens with “ample handicapped parking” and figured it was worth a shot. BONUS—very cool model train display running around outside the gardens. Had a marvelous time watching the trains, trying to predict which would be the first to traverse the bridge spans. Wandered through the gardens, checking out the various flora (alas, no fauna but we did spot a few faux dinosaurs!), found a potty and wandered our way back out to the REAL attraction…the trains! The Capitol is just steps away from the Gardens, so I snapped off a few shots of that, too...

More singing of our improvised trip theme song, the requisite stop at Sheetz for potty and beverages, and we were home again. Truly a fun-filled family day…and nice moments to freeze in time!

All Dressed Up...

2008-01-22T15:01:00.000-05:00

YIKES! That one in the middle is, yes, Katie. (no really!) This picture was taken just a couple of days ago at the Winter Formal at a friend's church. Doesn't she look just WAAAYYYY too grown up for her years? HUGE big deal, too....she was allowed to wear just a *wee* bit of foundation, a *skooch* of mascara and a *teensy* bit of lip gloss.

*Big Mommy Sigh*

Of course, since I really don't want to embarrass her, I won't mention that this was the first SHAVING OF THE LEGS. Yes, girls, she shaved her legs for this...and it was worth it! She cleans up pretty good, doesn't she?

The gals with her are her "dates" for the evening...don't that make a lovely trio??? By all accounts they had a FABULOUS time and boogied 'til they just couldn't boogie no more. 'Course it does a mama's heart proud to hear that, in true ultra-graceful family fashion, she fell off the porch....

Double-Digits!!

2008-01-17T22:32:00.000-05:00

Another catch-up post...our Patrick-man is 10 now. We sang "Happy Birthday" several times; I think he was happier than usual. (Maybe it was the chocolate cake?)

I'm so very proud of how far he's come and where he's going!

His current passion is figuring out a way to get his bedroom computer connected to the internet, even asking EVERYone who comes to the house to help him! He's set up an entire office in his room, complete with a filing system and the usual accoutrement...stapler, file sorter, roladex, corkboard. Thanks to Gramma & Gramps, he's quite organized, too! He comes home from school and then goes to his "job" every day and makes sure he puts his hours on his calendar. He frequently generates quite a bit of mail, which must be intercepted before it bewilders our fabulous mail lady...

What a monkey!