James officially wins the prize

Less than two months after his cut lip that nearly resulted in stitches, James got five stitches and Dermabond on his forehead after falling at church. The cut was deep and hard for me to look at.. Being called out of the church service, having the paramedics called by church staff, having a church member/doctor assist us, and being less than 24 hours from our departure for our road trip made for a drama-filled day. In the end, James was amazingly calm and cooperative and our church family stepped up in some amazing ways.

James has been wanting to wear jeans to prevent skinned knees. I might stop insisting otherwise and require a helmet and bubble wrap in addition.

Here he is almost too unfazed:

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Summer lately

One month into summer and it is going much better than I expected. I find the children are playing well together and entertaining themselves and I am surprised by what a relief it is to not hustle out of the house every morning to get to school. However, I am a bit more exhausted from the constancy of mothering without as many built in breaks. It’s worth it, though, for all the fun we’ve had so far.

The summer started with my first ever solo trip to my cousin’s wedding in Minneapolis. Wes handled things on the home front. It was good for me to be away and for Wes to get the full experience of our family’s demands. Highlights from their time with Daddy included riding in the bike trailer and Ellie completing her first triathlon. I hated to miss the latter, but I am so proud of her for doing it with such enthusiasm.

Next, we had our 10-year Davidson reunion. Since most of our friends in Charlotte are turning 40 this year, they don’t appreciate events like this that highlight our youthful age. We sure feel old! We had a great time seeing my college roommate, Laura, her husband and baby son, and many other friends. The children attended a picnic and seemed to enjoy their taste of Davidson. One friend remarked to me that I have had the biggest life change in ten years, but am the least changed in who I am. I take that as a high compliment.

This past weekend, we went to see Wes’ parents in the mountains. Though it is still challenging to be away, the boys enjoyed feeding the donkeys, fishing and hiking, which encouraged us that maybe vacations will continue to improve. Ellie enjoyed hiking with Llamas and spending lots of time with her cousin and Nana.

Next week, we begin our 3rd annual trek to Colorado. Stay tuned for part two of our summer adventures!

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