We Have Our Ups and Our Downs

One of the benefits of living in Illinois, according to Clare, is that at 15, you are allowed to take the test for your driver's permit. And guess who passed? Although she DID get 3 wrong on the test. Please make sure and rub that in when you get a chance to talk/email to her.



I will admit she is doing an excellent job driving. Her turns are smooth, as well as her accelerations and stops. I haven't had to use my imaginary brake at all!



The fact that I not only have a teenage daughter, but that I have a teenage daughter who can DRIVE, means I am old. And getting older every day.

What are the Downs of this post you may ask?

Here:



This happened Monday evening. I kept convincing him it was just a sprain but finally, Tuesday afternoon my conscience got the better of me and we called the doctor. An x-ray and a visit later determined he had broken his arm in two places. They are called green stick fractures, because the bone has broken the same way a green stick would if you bent it - little slivers off the sides.

Not a huge deal but he is definitely milking the "Mom told me it was just a sprain and to shut up and quit whining" thing a lot.

I won't be winning any Mother of the Year awards this time around.

All the kids in the neighborhood and at school got to sign and admire it though, so he is cool. It doesn't hurt a whole bunch either... except when convenient. We go back to the doctor next Tuesday for another Xray and some word on how long the cast will be on. Or off. I am praying for off.

Public Speaking 101

One of Zeke's class assignments was to give a speech on something that interested him. After many discussions, he decided to do it on Being An Inventor. After the class gave their speeches, the kids were offered an opportunity to compete against other kids their age. Zeke and two other students in his class chose to do it. This is Zeke giving his speech at the Middle School:



Am I aware that it is sideways? Yes. DO I know how to fix it? Not a clue. SO if anyone has any tips on that, please email them to me. Or just cock your head to one side. You will be fine. I promise.

Zeke got a ribbon for his participation and an evaluation sheet. Surprisingly, it said he may need to slow down a little. Hahaha. All the kids did a terrific job and I give them all credit just for standing in front of a bunch of strangers and speaking at all!

Easter Randomness

Since Adam was working the outage for the holiday, the kids and I decided to pack up and drive 9 hours to Western New York to visit Grammy & Johanna. We brought Reggie, who did excellent in the car, especially for not being able to spread out like he is used to.

We visited my friend Shannon, whom I have known since Clare was itty-bitty. Shannon & I worked at Bob Evans Restaurant together, back in the days before children and married life. She and her husband and four children moved into a different house. It is HUGE! Almost 3000 square feet and a bunch of acreage! Lots of room for the kids to roam and play.

Jaime & Justin & Johanna met us for Easter Mass at St. Joseph's in Fredonia. They have a terrific music ministry and some really talented singers. There was even a Catholic saxophone! Whooda thunk it?

When we returned to Grammy's house, the Easter Basket search commenced while the cooking was in the final bend. Being as Jaime & Justin are both super-duper smart, we gave them decidely difficult clues. The first clue was a card with a picture of Nikola Tesla on it (sans name), his DOB and DOD. Now, before you feel any sympathy for them, know that they took one look at it and knew exactly who it was.

Geeks.

Everyone, including Grammy, found their baskets with relative ease. After stuffing our faces, we went on a walk to the lake so Zeke & Justin could skip rocks.

It was a nice, relaxing vacation. Here is the slideshow (keeping in mind that the last group of pictures were taken by a 9 year old boy fascinated with the self-portrait option):



We hope your holidays were just as nice.

Happy Easter

from the largest, drooliest Easter Bunny ever.

And his family.