Golf!

My MI uncle sent a bag of clubs at the start of the golf season (we discovered a few were pretty bent, which makes me wonder if there were some hard times on the golf course up North :) Graysen supplemented with an iron he found at Goodwill for $3 and a driver Buck ordered from online for $30 (I guess a kid gave him a spare pitching wedge today, too :) Brennen also needed clubs, so we found him a complete set on Amazon for under $200. Buck figures B can use it this season (and next if he wants to keep playing), G$ can use the new set eventually, or even Buck could take the clubs to the course himself (even though we haven't golfed since I was pregnant with Brennen :)

The boys have dipped their toes into public school sports, and so far it has gone well! They weren't crazy about the 7 a.m. putting practices in the gym before the weather turned nice, but they kept going. Graysen got to play a hole or two on the course during practice. Brennen, I think, only had time on the driving range before their first actual meet--which took place earlier this week.

Neither knew how to keep score, the rules, which clubs to use, or even how a meet works (9 holes? 18?), but the other teen golfers were really cool about encouraging them and helping them along the way. And not only them! There were kids wandering every direction--searching for lost balls, searching for tee boxes, searching for entire fairways (I actually gave two sojourning girls directions to the only hole I knew how to locate, which happened to be the one they needed :)

I trailed along behind our boys, who were in section a and b of the same flight (so they teed off at the same place, one group after the other). The day was absolutely beautiful! Graysen loved the experience! Brennen wasn't as enthusiastic, but still said he had fun :)

Here's some crazy trivia, one of their childhood friends from our previous town won the meet! We knew it was his new school that we were playing against but had no idea if he was a golfer. Our boys recognized him, but he had no context for them--they are after all, homeschooled, not public schooled. When he and his dad (who I didn't see but would have made the connection much sooner if I'd have known he was there!) got home, my friend, Jill (the wife/mom) said, "Do you know who you played against today?" They were SUPER bummed they didn't know sooner :) Their G said, "That's how that guy knew my name!" I'm guessing they will all bump into each other at future events, since I think the schools are about the same size and play each other regularly in a variety of sports.

I only got to watch about 3/9 holes each at Meet 1, because I had to scoot out to babysit my nephew in a neighboring town, but I was glad I went! B and G$ unexpectedly got to play in their second home meet today, that's actually where they are right now as I'm typing. It's a bit colder, windier, and soggier than meet one, so I'll be sure to catch the next one ;)

It's cool that they are learning a sport they can continue to play into adulthood! Graysen said his score today was better than his first try, so that's cool, too. I'm glad they are (mostly) enjoying the opportunity :)

Puppy Progress?

I'm going to write some of this down just so I can remember for next time, although I hope next time is different than this time. About a week after diaper time arrived, we left Olive with the breeders for testing every two days. It took another week for her numbers to go up to puppy ready. Another weekend, and her surgery took place. The family kept her a day until the anesthesia wore off. Everyone here missed Olive during her absence and took turns saying so :) We decided it was safe to meet and pick her up the day after her procedure; there's no way to know for sure it was successful until the ultrasound next month. In the meantime, she's not feeling good, poor dog.

She spends the vast majority of her time laying on her bed. She no longer had need of the diaper after three days, but the cut on her belly is pretty big (like five inches). Although she slowly became more her cuddly self, she still just mostly lays still (with weird bursts of energy). It's good that she's still, because it should help her incisions heal more quickly.

To keep her from licking, and to protect the wound, I invented (I'm all about inventing lately :) a belly band from an old sheet. When I switched it out for a second one, I noticed a little blood and wetness on the cloth, so looked at the incision more closely. I think she popped a stitch, so I've been super stressed about infection, etc. I sent pics to the breeders and they think it still looks okay (I won't post them here, you're welcome :) The stitches do dissolve naturally, but dissolving a week out would be better than five days.

Now, we're trying the t-shirt method to protect her tummy. There is still a little mess today, but it's pretty slight? She doesn't act like it bothers her, and she's more energetic and exploratory than she's been since she got home (in fact she was maxin' and relaxin' on the upstairs couch when we walked in from church). Yeesh, who knew I'd be so worried about a mama dog to be (or not to be, but I hope *to be!*) I would love for this procedure to work, for there to be no complications, and for her commitment to be half over. Next time, I hope they choose a different method, because she is just miserable . . . although she loves all the extra attention and treats she gets from all those who missed her :) (The MC Hammer pants method did not work at all, fyi . . . LOL)!

One fun thing we've done is to brainstorm puppy names--when you're naming an entire litter, you have to come up with a lot of names! IDK that they would choose any of our suggestions, but I submitted some just in case . . .

I told the couple I didn't know how many had been used for past puppies, so the wife edited down the list--eight! That's all that are unused from my nice long list . . . that's a lot of previous puppies 😊

Well, and now I can update the unknowns of the original post--the delay is in part because of the extra time spent shuttling Olive back to her primary vet, because her wound looked open. She ended up with at least four staples, a miserable giant cone, antibiotics, and a reset on her healing time. I SUPER hope this puppy gig worked and that they NEVER go this route with her again. Poor Olive! (Her mama-to-be buddy had her ultrasound yesterday and is expecting eight puppies, three weeks ahead of when Olive should be having her puppies, if the surgery worked and if all the complications haven't upset the process).

She couldn't figure out how to eat or drink, but she had no trouble picking up her dinosaur! She looks like a satellite dish from the front and one of those old timey record players from the back. All things considered, she is more like her old self, not just laying on her bed except for meals and potty breaks. I think she's running the stairs way too much, but I haven't a clue how to stop her! I'm just hoping the staples hold (until I have to drive her three hours round trip to get them popped out by the vet in a week). Her ultrasound will be a couple weeks after that, but that will (hopefully) be a fun trip to the vet :)

And again before I could post . . . she slipped on the stairs, excited for food, and for sure popped a staple--UGHHHH!!! I've got all of her stuff upstairs now, with a barricade to the downstairs. No more stairs until she's 100% healed. IF we have to take her back again for more staples (she definitely was bleeding some), I will leave her with the stairless couple until she's done with all the sutures. This stinks big time. Poor Olive!

(Photo taken prior to her move upstairs and staple pop . . . that dino is pretty useful though, right?! :)

Heroic Morning

Every once in a while, there is an exhibit that looks interesting enough to make special arrangements to see . . . it took months, but we found a time when most of us could go! Between zoom meetings and classes and jobs and golf practice, we made the heroic effort to see comic books in life size :)

Pretty cool action figures, right?! They took turns trying feats of strength . . . Noah's grip put him off the charts in the superhero category! The boys tried to match him, but were slightly less super (Graysen even challenged left-handed, Noah still won :) Caelan gripped somewhere in the "sidekick" category ;) Brennen and Noah also took a run at the hanging strength from a pull-up bar. Noah pushed the timer past a minute, Brennen--determined not to be outdone again--made it to 75 seconds before his arms fell asleep and his grip loosened. So of course, Noah had to try again :) Brennen remained the champ, and a future brother-in-law handshake completed the challenge. They all had fun! I mean, it was less than an hour to see everything, but it was a fun diversion for the morning. Oh, I forgot about the lunchbox display--those things are really popular lately. Buck and I both found ours from childhood, again :)

I'm counting this as a field trip! Woohoo! History comes in many forms :)

This 'n That

One of our chickens has been on the struggle bus. We were keeping an eye on her but weren't entirely sure which one she was. So, I consulted my list and made some guesses. Then I decided to take a picture of the chickens to see who we still have left . . .

It turns out there were still two from our original bunch! Well, now there is one, Sprinkles/Loudmouth was the struggle bus chicken. It looks like she'd died peacefully of old age in one of the nesting boxes. Honey (she's always been my favorite) is our last original! Six years old! That seems like a pretty accomplished age for a chicken! She's survived a human pandemic and an avian one, too!

We had a pretty significant weather warm-up and that threw me into spring cleaning mode. Look at that stack of winter storage tubs--and that's not including the girls' clothes!

Brennen helped me rearrange and set up the deck for some outdoor living (we need to paint the boards . . . again).

Then he helped me set up my best invention ever! I was throwing away old toys and spraying out dirty storage buckets when I noticed a plant hook under the deck. Aha! One of the hardest parts of keeping the chickens watered is actually filling the buckets. The tappers on the bottom can't be jammed or they won't work, so we normally hold the bucket in the air as it gets heavier and heavier as it fills with water. But now . . . . !!!! Viola!

Inside, I cleaned out the medicine cupboard . . . uh, time for an age range update?? Children's, children's, children's, baby, baby . . . Lol! (Most of it was long expired!)

Brennen wasn't feeling well (also one of the reasons I was digging through the medicine cupboard--but he still wanted to go to work), and his work schedule didn't mesh with the golf schedule (it was the school's start to spring break and golf practice was optional), but Graysen wanted to go, so he drove me out to his first ever opportunity on the course. How very convenient that he played his premiere hole right in front of the van! Nice!

I tried to finish up all my paperwork projects while he was golfing, because I had sewing to do at home--more baby quilts! This time for my brother and sister cousins, one whose baby was born earlier this year and the other's who is due this summer. And our former guitar teacher and his wife are expecting their first little boy this summer, too :) I've got one more to go--for two weeks from now; I'm ahead and behind and all over the place!

And speaking of fabric, Caelan, the boys, and I took a fun field trip to see Noah at work! Brennen wanted to check out a pink suit Noah recommended for the wedding. We knew it might be busy, with proms popping up at almost every school, but WOW! The store was swarmed. Most everyone handled it well and stayed patient, and we, too, patiently waited our turn (we were waiting for a very specific customer service manager ;) After we browsed the retail racks for a while, Noah was freed up to help Brennen with his selections. Everyone got the giggles when Noah used his salesman voice--he's very good at it! Brennen ended up with a new suit, a new shirt, a new belt, new shoes (they are sweet!), and a new pink tie. Graysen selected a shirt for the wedding, with Noah's assistance, and I found a few work shirts for Buck. Noah's friends and family discount was a bonus, but it was a fun opportunity to see him do his job and to do it well. It helps me get a better picture of his day, and his day is a full one!

We also went to a store I haven't shopped since Cali--Ross Dress for Less. Caelan found a really cute outfit for her bridal shower, the boys found much-needed shorts and shirts for our Hawaii trip (we haven't shopped for them since before Florida; Graysen tried on one of his favorite shirts from summers past and said, "It will be fine, Mom, I haven't grown that much." He tried to stretch it across his shoulders, it barely reached his waist, and his arms almost didn't squeeze into the sleeves--as for buttoning it up, no chance! He looked in the mirror and kind of laughed and said, "Well, I guess I have grown more than I thought." Those shirts are now in the hand-me-down bag Caelan has been compiling for the cousins :) That was a long parenthetical aside! I also found more short-sleeved work and vacation shirts for Buck . . . when he got home and was trying them on I noticed something--"That one is blue, and that one is blue, and . . . " Seven of the eight shirts I bought him are blue! Lol! Good thing he likes and looks good in blue :)

The need for short-sleeved shirts and summer clothes seems to have evaporated with weekend thunderstorms. We went from sunny with mid-80s to snow! When it was hot, I flipped the system to a/c, and when the downstairs was in the 50s and the upstairs was at 61, I flipped it back to heat again. Now we're hesitantly back to a/c. Ahh, spring.

Olive doesn't care for thunder. She put her nose in the safety of her T-rex's paws, and then fell asleep that way :)

It's been a bit of a comedy of errors around here, but I won't detail all that. Just in case anyone is keeping track, we have replaced the batteries on three of the five vehicles so far this year. Caelan is getting a windshield crack repaired, and we discovered an expensive snafu with the van (forehead slap emoji, again). Hopefully this week will be less eventful on the snafu side and more weighted towards the positive accomplishment side. Maybe spring will even come back! Here's to hoping . . . :)

Easter Sunday

Bright (maybe still dark, actually) and early, Noah and Caelan headed to church to rehearse for worship team. An hour or so later, Buck and I joined them and got to see Gabby! She normally goes to church with Chase, but her schedule only allowed her to catch the early service with Caelan and Noah. Buck and I gave her quick hugs and then headed to our volunteer job in the nursery. I loved hearing the babies echo when we said, "He is risen!" "He is risen, indeed-hallelujah!" Two and under pronunciation of those big words is darling! It was nice to have Buck at church; usually, he has to take a vacation day to go attend the gathering. Sometimes a worldwide holiday will also afford him the opportunity, but he actually got scheduled for building checks on Easter (face palm emoji). Thankfully, another guy offered to cover that for him. Gabby also got scheduled for work, but she was done early enough to join us for supper!

The boys arrived for third service, looking dapper! After celebrating with our church family, our regular family reconvened at the house and made some snacky foods to tide us over until the big lunch at K's family's home. Naps happened, and I worked on what I thought was a genius plan for my terribly peeled eggs from the previous day's mega-boil.

Meet--Fancy Egg Casserole . . . ??? I tried to use my new cake decorating skills to put the yolks all pretty over the chopped whites. But, the bag kept clogging, so the frustration level wasn't really reduced as hoped. I put two whole, nice-looking eggs on top, so people would have a clue as to what the dish was--and that actually made it look like a monster. Laughing, Brennen asked, "Why did you only put on two?" So, I added another two, and then decided it wasn't "out of the house" cuisine--regular family only ;) So, I grabbed my grandma's doubled French-onion rice dish, and away we went!

I don't think we were prepared for the feast that awaited at the A's house! The candy table alone was impressive . . . the food was delicious . . . and then they brought out dessert! Good gravy, Marie, that was a lot of dessert! We took home plates full of treats for later. K's strawberry poke cake was amazing, btw! On the way to our various modes of transportation, I requested a group pic with my brother's family--we have to capture these moments when we can! Caelan said she clearly didn't get the message about wearing blue (M, K, and I tried to infuse a little pink for her :)

Another round of naps at home and soon Gabby and Chase were at our door! I hid Easter baskets in the traditional way for the original four (Gabby's in the same spot as the past five? years, because she doesn't like to search. Caelan was the last to locate her basket and it took hints from me and from Noah ((who saw *the bunny* do the distribution)) for her to accomplish the feat :)

All but Gabby and Chase were all stuffed from our late dinner and dessert feast, so our supper ETA was 8 p.m. Buck grilled yummy burgers and amazing vegetables. We broke out my monster egg casserole, some Snicker salad, mac and cheese (Brennen's request), and Hawaiian rolls--followed by apple pie. Whew!

Buck and I enjoyed having all the "kids" home for Easter. We're treasuring these gatherings as we know they will become more rare as the years go by :) But, we will all have each other for eternity thanks to what Jesus did for us on the Cross, 2,000 years ago! Our sins are forgiven, our souls are restored, He is risen! He is risen indeed 💕Happy Easter!