School starts....

In 2 weeks!!!!!!

I can't believe the summer is already gone and we're getting ready to start school again! The boys will be leaving on Friday to go to VBS with Aunt D and I will have a whole week to get curriculum together and organized for the year. I have schedules to work on, chores to organize, and would like to have it all set up and ready to go when the boys get home.

Are they ready? I think so. They have been really needing some scheduling in their days and really need to be more organized, which comes from me. I think with more structure, their attitudes will improve and we'll get more accomplished with our days.

They also will be starting Tae Kwon Do (TKD) when they get home. We had a 'practice' class last night (and have another one on Thursday) to see how they like it and if they can handle it. B did really well...I think he will really enjoy TKD and it will do him a lot of good. C on the other hand, had a meltdown in the middle of the class because he couldn't remember the order of the instructions. He got embarrassed and just came running to me, crying. I felt so bad for him, thinking maybe he wasn't ready for TKD. The instructor (Mr. J) said he'd do fine and really encouraged C through the process. Told him that everyone forgets things and that C needed to just do the best he could and ask questions when he needed help. Mr. J thinks C will do fine, but we need to talk with him (C) and see if he wants to continue with TKD. If he's not all that interested, we can wait a few months and try again.

Now, we're gonna go outside after eating some lunch and see what kind of fun we can have in the pool.....

The Lake House

with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves

A good movie with a PG rating, but very slow! Kate leaves the Lake House and puts a letter in the mailbox for the next renter. Alex retrieves the letter and reads it, but gets confused by her statements. Writes her back basically telling her she's daft. Kate then informs him it is 2006 and gives her address...which in his time (2004) hasn't even been built yet. They continue their correspondence and even 'take a walk' together through Chicago. The end of the movie offers a twist that makes the movie worth the wait! Do they end up together? OF COURSE! It's a movie after all!

Freefall

Freefall by Kristen Heitzman

ISBN: 978-0764228292

She feels herself falling and then feels herself trying to grab anything to pull out of the water. Disoriented and confused, she knows instinctively she must follow the water and she might find help. After showing up at someones doorstep and collapsing with exhaustion, she wakes and realizes she has no memory of what's happened and even who she is. Her new host, Monica, names her Jade. Monica then calls her investigator brother to help with this confused one.

Cameron, or Kai as Monica calls him, comes over to protest his sister, but finds himself protecting Jade instead. Not believing her story, he continues to question her and help her go back to the area where she fell in the hopes that her memory will return. As they discover that there is someone out there hurt and waiting for her, Cameron finds out she's really Gentry Fox: movie star.

While the press hounds them about the condition of the man she left behind, the tabloids do everything possible to destroy him and her. But what caused Gentry to go over the falls? Was she pushed? And who would want her dead?

Heitzmann's writings always draw me in from the onset and keep me till the very last page! I love reading the mystery and romance involved in almost all her stories. An easy (and intense!) read.

Abide with Me

Abide With Me: Home Ties Trilogy

ISBN: 978-0373785698

Delia Parr

Three sisters (Andrea, Madge, and Jenny) gather for special occasion's to eat breakfast together. But these occasion's are just birthdays and anniversaries. They are for the birthday of a loved one's death, or the loved one's anniversary. They get together and share 'laughing' memories of that person along with that person's favorite treat from the local bakery.

Andrea has just found out her bladder cancer is back and she doesn't want to tell her sisters. Cancer is what has taken so many of their family, including one of their sisters. Jenny is working as a nurse at the hospital so her husband can stay home and fulfill his dream of writing a novel, while watching and caring for their girls. Madge is the one who has it all together...she's in every volunteer organization and is always seen flitting about the town. Until one day when her husband shows up on a stormy afternoon with a little girl in his arms. Who is this child and what does it mean for them?

Follow these sisters as they deal with the many blows that come to us in life: love, heartache, sadness, fear, anger, grace and forgiveness. Parr has done it again...another great novel!

Safety City, USA

C finally learned to ride his bike last week, so we decided to take them to Safety City in Jackson on Sunday afternoon. By the time we got there, we had to wait through a down-pour (the first two pictures!) and then they could play. They had a lot of fun and got dirty too! (Look below...B got in the mud, of course!) We also saw the geese that live in the park...they were honking and flying all over the place in between storms. :) Was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon together as a family.

The end of T-Ball

Well, our last game (Tuesday night) was rained out! :( B was sad, but we still had a party at the house (with the grandparents) and I'm going to stick in some pics now of game shots. There is one of the whole team...so fun. B had some GREAT coaches this year.

Here is a video of B's last score for the team!

Next up is Tae Kwon Do. B (and C) are SOOOO excited!

Last Game of the Season

Tonight is the last game of the season....we are supposed to have an awards ceremony of sorts after the game is over. Then we're coming back here to the house to eat supper and have cake and ice cream to celebrate with Brent. Grandma J is here and the other grandparents will be here as well. It will be a fun night. I have a short video clip on my camera of last night's game and lots of pictures (including and team pic) that I will post on here tomorrow. He has had so much fun this year playing T-ball and C has had fun playing with M! :) Till then!

False Fortune

False Fortune

Twist Phelan

ISBN: 978-1-59058-363-0

Reviewed for Armchair Interviews

Before she can blink, Hannah Dain of Dain and Daughters Law Firm finds herself maneuvering down an embankment to help the woman stuck in the car that just flew over the cliff and into the lake below. Fighting memories, fear and soreness, Hannah helps the woman out and hears three words before paramedics take her to the hospital: “….should have died.” Haunted by this, she then finds herself being named lead counsel for the plaintiff in a case being handled by her sister. But this case was to be quickly settled…Hannah was only supposed to close the deal. What has she gotten herself into this time? Quickly Hannah realizes nothing is safe: her apartment, her life, her family. Through the determination of a new sister, Hannah follows the evidence and discovers more about herself than she ever realized was there.

False Fortune is number 4 in the Pinnacle Peak Mystery series, and Twist Phelan does a great job of continuing the story. These stories must be read in order, however, because if they are not, there are definite pieces missing leaving the reader to feel as if the story is incomplete. Phelan’s descriptions of the land and the Indian reservation were absolutely on target and she definitely leaves room at the end for another book in this series.

Update on B

Well, we finally have some answers! :) On Wednesday morning, I got a call from the Dr's nurse telling me it was NOT meningitis (praise GOD!) and that it was a tick-borne illness that is not contagious as long as there is no fever.

T and I got talking about everything that's happened and can't remember a tick bite recently, and most tick fevers that I've read about happen within a week of the tick bite. But we remembered some tick bites back in May, and about a month ago B broke out in a rash on his arms and legs. We were told by a nurse at church that it was probably just contact dermatitis (which, from what I gather is what they call things when they don't know what it is!) and it went away. We also talked about the fact that the dr told us to keep the rashes/hives at bay in the future months, we would use Claritin or Singulair on B. WELL, we realized that for seasonal allerges, we did have him on Singulair at the time of the break out about a month ago...and wonder if he actually contracted the virus back then.... and that it flared up again now, but since B wasn't on his allergy meds (we got lazy!) it got really bad this time. So now we have even more incentive to be consistent with B's allergy meds! :)

I'm just so thankful that things are fine with B. He's been very cranky and cries at the least little thing right now, but he's like his momma in that respect.... LOL. But he's been up and playing and finally has his appetite back! We went out last night with a cousin of mine that was passing through town. B ate ALL of his own dinner and about 1/3 of mine! He just kept saying, "Mom, this is all so good, I'm just so hungry!" LOL I was happy he was eating....and figure the appetite will normalize in a few days.

Time to get ready for dinner....

Eragon

Eragon

Rated PG

My rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Here is the blurb on the movie from Plugged-In Online:

Based on Christopher Paolini's huge bestseller, begun when he was just 15 years old, the film version of Eragon tells a familiar fantasy story. The title character is a 17-year-old boy raised by his uncle in the small town of Carvahall in the kingdom of Alagaesia. When he stumbles upon a remarkable blue stone that turns out to be a dragon's egg—and its winged occupant suddenly hatches right in front of him—Eragon quickly realizes he and she (Saphira) share a telepathic connection.

Eragon seeks answers from a local storyteller and soon-to-be mentor named Brom. But before he can get very many of them, the two humans and their dragon pal must run for their lives when Galbatorix, the evil and wrongful king of the land, sends powerful and maggot-faced Ra'zacs to kill the newly discovered dragon rider.

On their journey to join forces with the Varden, one of the last remaining groups still resisting the king from its hidden mountain fortress, Brom trains Eragon in the history of the dragon riders, sword fighting, and the magical words of incantation from the ancient language of the elves. Then Eragon takes a detour to rescue Arya, a beautiful elf connected to him through his dreams and held captive by an evil sorcerer, or "shade," named Durza, a servant of Galbatorix. Before it's all over, there's a massive, underground battle between the Varden and the king's army of Urgals—and a final face-off between Eragon and Durza.

*****

I watched this with the boys last night and was actually finding myself enjoying the movie! :) I was pleasantly surprised with the features and Saphira (the dragon) is really cute! (I know, I know...such a girly thing to say!) The boys espeically liked it and I figure it is one we will purchase in years to come. I don't remember any language that was offensive, although the content may be too much for some kids. We figure since the boys have watched (and loved) all the Star Wars movies, Eragon can't be too much worse for them! LOL

Mysterious Illness

While in Oklahoma for the Prugh wedding, B came down with a mysterious rash that at first we assumed was just a really bad case of chiggers. We soon realized that it wasn't chiggers at all. We gave him Benadryl and used hydrocortisone cream to relieve the itching, but it was only temporary. He was also complaining of a stiff neck, but we assumed that was due to the drive out there and how he slept. On Sunday morning, we began the long drive home (10 hours) and did our best to keep him comfortable. He threw up about 1/3 of the way home, and by the end of the second third of the journey was itching so bad we stripped him down and covered him with cortisone cream and put a 'daddy' shirt on him so that the waist of his underwear and pants wouldn't itch him.

These pics below are the first ones we have of the rash on Saturday.

After we got home Sunday night, I put him in the tub with Epsom salts and cool water, but he wasn't much better when he got out than when he got in. I had made the boys and myself some dinner and went to get him to come to the table when I looked at him and he was just covered from head to toe with welts and almost blister-like areas. We decided at this point to take him to the ER, knowing that our medicine wasn't working anymore and we'd all be miserable through the night if we didn't.

These pictures below are from when we first got home Sunday night...before they got all blistery.

The ER doc said we'd probably never know what causes the reaction, but mentioned that it might be worth having him allergy-tested to see what his allergies are. They gave him a shot of hydroxyzine (an anti-histamine) and within minutes B was asleep. We kept him medicated all night and through the next day (yesterday) with the meds they gave us for the itch. The itch went away and the spots went down some. But by evening that changed again.

Around supper time last night, I noticed that his hands were really red again. So I checked his temp and he had a fever of 101. So we watched him through the night again and just kept track of the fever and the hives. But we decided at that point to definitely take him to the family doc this morning.

However, before i could even call the dr's office, T called me to let me know that there have been several cases of meningitis reported in our town. Oy! Then B woke up and was so swollen and puffy in his hands and face that he looked odd. :( He also walked down the hallway crying saying his feet were hurting to walk. So is this joint pain? Not sure. So I called the dr's office and got him an appointment. They questioned us on all sorts of things and the doc said he suspects it's viral and probably tick-borne. He acted like it could be meningitis, but didn't say for sure. He also ordered blood work and we're waiting for those results now. Hopefully we'll know for sure by this afternoon or evening. Doc did say that kids like this who get hives from viruses tend to break out several times over the course of months and that he expects B to be sick for another 1 to 2 weeks.

This morning at the dr's office...doesn't he look pitiful??