The most hectic month of summer…
August 22, 2008 | Updates
As I began to fill up the calendar at the beginning of summer, I started to become a little concerned. I began to realize that nearly every day from mid-July through mid-August was packed with something. Most of it was fun stuff, but even fun stuff requires work.
Well, it’s almost the end of August and we made it! I honestly didn’t know if we would. But the last 4 weeks have been jam-packed! And to tell you all about everything would really be torture :) (for you, that is). So, I’ll just give you a bunch of pictures and a somewhat condensed version.
Event #1 – Five Days in Joe’s Valley (July 23rd-27th)
· Camping in the middle of nowhere with no electricity and no water with a bunch of family is the BEST way to get to know each other REALLY well :).
· Taking a motor home that does have water, electricity, a fridge and air conditioning is a life-saver!
· There aren’t many places in the world prettier than Joe’s Valley.
· Children and dirt seem to cling to each other like magnets.
Samuel faired very well at Joe’s Valley. For the most part, he was calm and content to sit outside with us or watch his movies in the motor home. The other boys had a blast with their cousins. It was a fun trip.
Event #2 – Summer school came to an end (July 31st). This was a VERY sad thing for us as we LOVE Samuel’s preschool teacher and didn’t want to let her go. Let’s hope next year’s teacher will be good with Samuel, too.
Event #3 – Reunion at Bear Lake (July 31st-Augst 3rd)
· Yes, one family can literally have 5 or 6 reunions PER summer. I know it seems impossible, but we really just like each other!
· Mosquito bites are annoying for most of us. For Samuel, they are just WRONG! A mosquito somehow made it into our motor home and literally ATTACKED Samuel during the night (despite bug spray the afternoon before). The results were unbelievable – a swollen face and neck to the point where we had to go to the doctor and put Samuel on steroids to bring the swelling down. Can you say “Mom is REALLY paranoid about mosquitos and Samuel at this point”? (This picture is hours AFTER the steroids were given when the swelling had gone DOWN! See how his neck is swollen, too?)
· Spending day after day at the beach can never be a bad thing – unless you’re hungry (reference the last picture in this set).
Samuel was incredibly good at Bear Lake despite the massive “GROWTH” on his face from the mosquito bites. It took nearly a week for his face to look normal again even with the steroids :(.
Event #4 – Trying out Cranial Sacral Therapy (August 7th). We’ll have to get back with you on this one as we have only had one session so far. But the lady was very nice and dealt with Samuel despite his wiggling. This was in the midst of him feeling horrible which we decided was most likely from constipation. But despite all that, he slept well the day after his first appointment. So, we’re hoping this is good stuff :)!
Event #5 – Register one kid for school
Event #6 – A Trip to Idaho for my Sister’s Wedding Reception and Family Pictures (August 8th, 9th & 10th)
· This trip I had been anticipating for months – LITERALLY!
· Introducing yourself to your sister’s new stepchildren as their aunt is actually pretty entertaining. First, they look at you like you’re crazy. Then they realize you actually might be telling the truth. And then they laugh a little awkwardly because they aren’t quite sure what to say (or maybe they’re not sure they like the idea)!
· Being excited for pictures for months is probably not a very good idea. Stressing about what everyone is going to wear; coming up with just the right thing; worrying about mosquito swollen faces or black eyes being in the picture; driving 5 hours away; and somehow getting everything to work out just right only to find that the one kid you really wanted good pictures of is REALLY mad can make you really depressed. We didn’t get ONE smile from Samuel. Not one. Honestly, it really threw me for a loop. But, maybe, just maybe, a few pictures will turn out. Oh, I hope so…
Event #7 – Eagle Ceremony for Oldest Child (August 10th)
· Seeing your first son receive his Eagle award is very satisfying!
· Realizing there are 4 more boys behind him is a little stressing.
· Knowing that one day you will have 5 Eagle pins on your shirt from all these cute boys is exhilarating.
· Watching an American Flag be retired is one of the most awesome ceremonies EVER! If you get a chance to see one – don’t miss it.
Event #8 – A Day at Primary Children’s (August 11th)
I already posted on this day. It was the day we realized why Samuel had been so upset since our return from Bear Lake 8 days earlier - constipation.
Event #9 – Register another kid for school
Event #10 – Trip to San Diego for Additional ABR Training (August 14th-18th)
· ABR training is very intensive leaving little time for sightseeing, which is a HUGE bummer when you are literally minutes from the ocean.
· Going to San Diego and never laying eyes on the beach is sort of wrong on all fronts. At least we got to go to the zoo!
· The Ronald McDonald House in San Diego saved us – literally. We would have been out a good $600 if we had to pay for a room to stay in. The RMH put us up for the entire trip for free.
· Never rent a car from Fox Rental in San Diego. Just take my word for it…
· Children with disabilities are some of the cutest children in the world and going anywhere where you can hang out with a bunch of them is always inspiring.
· Meeting a 3-year-old girl with severe cerebral palsy who is completely nonverbal but can read at a 4th grade level and spell just as well is not only humbling, but awe inspiring. Thank you, Heaven, for showing us what you can do and inspiring us to keep teaching Samuel to read!
· California must have some crazy law where establishments are required to post large notices if anything, anywhere in their building might possibly by some slight chance cause you cancer. My favorite was the sign at the front of Chevy’s Mexican Restaurant warning that some of the ingredients in their food and drinks are known in the state of California to possibly cause cancer or birth defects. Funniest part was how we laughed about it and then downed tons of chips, salsa and other yummy food. I guess we’re all going sometime anyway. We might as well enjoy it while we can!
· There are a lot of Spanish speaking people in San Diego. Took me a long time to figure that one out. (Duh, it’s just minutes from the Mexico border.) My favorite guy there, though, was the Chinaman selling Mexican stuff. I love it when cultures collide!
Samuel was VERY good on our trip to San Diego. I didn’t give him any medication for either the flight there or the return flight. He slept most of the time both ways and otherwise, was very good. On the flight there, as we were landing, he starting laughing HARD in his sleep. It lasted several minutes. It was WONDERFUL! I don’t remember the last time I heard him laugh. I’m pretty sure the sound is comparable to hearing angels sing.
Event #11 – Tom’s Birthday
Poor guy didn’t get much of a celebration with things being so hectic. I hope he knows we love him, though. He did get a cool shirt that anyone who knows him will know he needed. It states, “I’m not opinionated. I’m just always right!” Enough said.
Event #12 – Register boys #3 and #4 for school
Event #13 – First Day of School
Jury is still out on this one, too. Samuel has a new teacher this year and by new, I mean REALLY new. She’s only known about this job for about a month and she has a class with 10 kids ranging in age from Kindergarten to 5th grade and most of them have profound disabilities. She seems a little overwhelmed. If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t be human. So, we’ll give it a few months and see how it goes. Samuel was all smiles the first day, though :). I think he couldn’t figure out why mom stayed at school all day with him. You know me, though. There was no way I could send him off to a new class alone. Besides, it’s a good excuse to hang out with a really cute kid!
So, that’s the last month in a very large nutshell. We’re hoping things slow down a bit now. We’ve got a few fun goals. One being lots of ABR hours and the other being teaching Samuel to read. Throw in some hyperbaric sessions (we hope), some cranial sacral therapy and me researching a few new ideas and we should stay pretty busy.
We hope your summers are all winding down nicely. I hate to see the warm weather go. This year has been so nice! But, I could use a little more structure in our lives. At least for a little while! I’ll leave you with another favorite picture of mine - Samuel as a fly at the San Diego zoo…
Love,
The Jewkes
RSS feed for comments on this post.
TrackBack URI
August 23rd, 2008 at 8:09 am, Sharon Jewkes Says:
Whew! Oh, to be young again! I don’t know when you have had time to breath and sleep. I loved the photos. Please congratulate your Eagle Scout. That is great. Neither of my boys made it. It was disappointing to us. I keep forgetting the names of your boys. Hint: Use their name with the photos. Anyway, the photo (#2) of your youngest is priceless. That needs to be entered in a photo contest of beautiful children. I hope Samuel does not meet any more mosquitos. I also hope his new teacher will be great for him.
We are leaving next week for Kentucky for the National Pinewood Derby Races. This is a “Big boy” race. My two boys (now 40 & 43) and husband have never out grown the love of these little cars. The three of them went last year for the first time and became National Champions winning 13 of 15 trophies. The best builders all over the nation attend. Thought you may be interested in this since you have boys and I am sure you have been involved with the derbies. Love, Sharon
August 25th, 2008 at 3:02 am, Liz and Ashleigh Says:
Wow you guys have had a busy summer. What a great time you have had. I can’t wait for Summer, we are really sick of the cold weather.
Samuel is looking great, you’re right he is a cute kid. MMy 10 year old son just cracked up at the picture of Samuel as a fly.
Love Liz and Ashleigh