Tuesday, June 7 – Leotards, Tippy Toes and Ballerinas. Oh my!

So, Tuesday brought the long-awaited, much-anticipated BALLET LESSON DAY!  This was a day they had been counting down to since I made the official registration phone call almost 2 weeks ago!  Sarah, Brooke & Claire actually came downstairs that morning at 7:00 a.m., they were so excited. 

Unfortunately, I had to work for a few hours (ahem, to help pay for these ballet lessons!).  My first Friday of the month was pre-empted by Abby’s birthday party, Monday was reserved for Erica’s cast fitting, so that moved my work day back to Tuesday. 

My best-laid plan was to leave work by 3:00, get home by 3:45, spend 45 minutes getting last-minute things ready for the lesson, which starts at 5:00.  Well … you know what they say about the best-laid plans…

After enjoying a quiet, but productive several hours at the firm, I was summoned late in the afternoon by some Accounting ladies who needed some help.  I spent the last 45 minutes of my work day helping them and then trying to scoot out as quickly as possible, amid some idle chatter.  I think I mentioned three times “Well, I really need to go take the girls to ballet…”

I had to swing by the Orrs to pick up Alix’s leotard from their mailbox (I’m sure the mail carrier was scratching his/her head) since the leotard we ordered for Courtney hadn’t arrived yet.  By the time I got home, it was 4:30 and Rachel was finishing up the last ‘do (hair buns for all).  We had a few wardrobe issues (dirty leotard, Claire’s tights several sizes too large, etc.) which were all taken care of en route.  They actually all looked great by the time we got there at (4:58).  Unfortunately, in the mad dash to rush out of the house (why is it so often a mad dash???) I forgot to grab the camera!  <smacking forehead>  I was so disappointed, but I hope to remember it next time, and I’m sure they’ll all look just as beautiful.  Everyone did well and their classes are small – which I love – partly because I won’t have as many obstructions between the camera and our ballerinas.  ;-) 

And lastly, since I can’t have a picture-less post …

Monday, June 6 – Casting Call

Yes, it was the day of the cast.  Our first child to be fitted for a cast.  I took Erica to OrthoIndy, and friendly Dr. Berrios was the pediatric orthopedic specialist who saw her.  This was the same Dr. Berrios, by the way, who saw Kate when she broke her leg as a 14-month-old.  Dr. Berrios was friendly and informative, and the busy office took us from check-in to the waiting room to radiology to Dr. consultation to cast fitting and back to the car in 60 minutes.  I really thought it would take hours.

From a choice of about 10 colors, Erica picked out a neon orange cast, reasoning that it was a “neutral” color.  I think it is a great choice, because the chances are greatly reduced that someone will accidentally bump into it.  On the way home, we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and the cast generated several comments and questions about how she broke her arm.  :-)

The cast is made of fiberglass, rather than plaster, so it can get wet in a chlorinated pool or shower.  Thankfully, we have both!  The technician said Erica should probably wait 2 hours before she got it wet for the first time, so approximately 1 hour and 58 minutes later, Erica was asking to swim.  There were a few delays, because everyone wanted to get in at the same time (no small feat!), so about 3 hours after the cast was put on, Erica was in the pool!



In the next 2 pictures, she was explaining to Sarah how they put on the cast.  :-)







She has had only minor itching and a little bit of soreness.  The doctor says they will re-check it in 2 weeks, and she will wear the cast for 6 weeks.

Broken Bones and Ballerinas

So it's been a very eventful couple of days, eh?  Friday found us driving here, there and everywhere.  We started out early Friday morning in our "Birthday Party Bus".  Erica, Kate, Laurabeth and Danielle had been invited to a birthday party down near Mom and Dad's.  We picked up the other 3 girls, then headed down.  After dropping them off, we drove by Bruce & Mona's and spent a short time visiting Matt & family, who are in Indiana between mission trips.  Then it was over to Mom and Dad's.  After lunch, we took a walk through the field to visit the Craig's new barn.  Incredible with an amazing amount of stone for the foundation and some very old barn beams used in the construction.  When we got back to Mom & Dad's, Dad's Father's Day gift was just being delivered:  a new John Deere mower!  We admired that for a few minutes, then loaded back up and picked up the birthday party girls. 

From there, we came back home for a couple of hours, then drove over to church for a cookout.  The Elmores were in town, so it was good to see them.  While we were there, Erica was running and playing with the other kids when she had some sort of a collision with another girl.  She spent the rest of the evening in quiet tears holding her arm with an ice pack on it.  There was quite a bit of swelling, but aside from that, it didn't look too bad.  By lunchtime on Saturday, however, she was still in quite a bit of pain, so we decided to take her to Lafayette for a Med-Check.  Rachel went with Erica and Mick to Lafayette, while I took the rest of the gang to Noblesville to get ballet slippers for ballet lessons which begin this Tuesday.  While we were there, Mick called and told me there is, in fact, an in-line break.  So, she's wearing a brace until we see a specialist to find out the next step.  I'm holding onto hope that the brace will suffice and there won't be any need for a cast, but I don't know much at all about broken bones, so we shall see. 

I had to laugh last night when she was complaining about having to wear the brace to church today.  "It just doesn't look very churchy."  :-D  That's a girl for you.  Stay tuned for ballet lesson pictures after Tuesday.  :-)

Trent at Indiana Beach

Just have to add these of our little guy!

(Don’t you just love that one?!)

Indiana Beach!

Yesterday, we took advantage of (1) an absolutely beautiful day, and (2) Homeschool Week at Indiana Beach (gotta love $10/per person admissions!) and headed up to Indiana Beach in Monticello. 

This is on the way into the park.  That coaster in the background is the one Mick and I rode later in the day.  The “Hoosier Hurricane”! 

The first requested ride was The Scrambler.  The older girls had ridden this the last time we went to Indiana Beach a couple of years ago, but it was Claire’s (and maybe Brooke’s) first time.  Suffice it to say, they loved it!

You can’t see Claire’s face in this (right next to Rachel), but trust me – she was smiling! 

After that, we went to this little Viking ship, which goes about as high as a good swing.  Just enough to give a few stomach butterflies and happy faces.  This ride is a hard one to get good pictures of because of the structures and supports that block the ride, so you can just barely see Claire’s expression here – cute!

We spent a lot of time in Kiddie Land, letting Grant ride every car, motorcycle, bus, boat, train, etc. that circled round and round.  He was in absolute heaven.  It was all so new to him; riding the rides, hearing the big roller coasters directly overhead, the train whistle intermittently, other kids buzzing the little horns on the rides.  He was soaking it all in and in most of the pictures, he looks like this:

or this:

or this:

or this:

Seriously!  He really did have a great time!   
Claire, on the other hand, was quite expressive and rode practically everything:  the ferris wheel, Scrambler, even the cable cars!)  We’re wondering if she may someday be a daredevil.  Here she is riding something a little more tame. 


Brooke had fun on this ride:

Then it was on to the swings.  I have never even been tempted to ride this one.  I can’t believe the girls like it!

Just look at those smiles!  <shaking head>

When they got off, I told them Grandma would’ve been under them holding a giant net if she’d have been there.  Yes, Claire did ask to ride these and yes, we did say no. 
After Mick got no takers on his repeated offer to ride a roller coaster (no Claire, you’re too little), I decided to bite the bullet and ride with him.  He chose the Hoosier Hurricane, a great wooden coaster that spans the length of the park.  I had a fair amount of nervousness while we were waiting, and briefly considered backing out at the last minute, then the last half minute, then the last second … But I swallowed the lump in my throat and went for it … and it was fun!  (after that first big hill).  I told Mick it was an appropriate thing to do to celebrate the 25th anniversary of meeting each other.    Sadly there were no pictures taken on this ride.  I was actually disappointed the ride didn’t have one of those cameras that takes your picture on the big hill.  I probably would’ve bought it for proof!    Everyone (but me and Trent) also rode the ferris wheel, but I had left the camera in the after lunch, so no pictures of that.  I really didn’t think Grant would like the ferris wheel, but Mick said he did fine.  When they were sitting at the very top for several minutes, Grant eventually said “Ok, Daddy, let’s get down.”  Brooke needed a little persuading, but Mick didn’t give her too much time to think about it, otherwise, I think she would’ve backed out.  I think she has her mother’s nerves. 
The park closed at 6:00, which I was a little disappointed about.  I was just imaging some early evening pictures taken with the bright lights of the park, but we were pretty beat by then.  On the way home, we stopped at Qdoba’s in West Lafayette and had dinner.  Always interesting to take a family of 10 onto a college campus. 
From start to finish, it was just a perfect summer day – a fitting way to start the summer. 

Memorial Day, 2011

Gorgeous summer day (slightly humid, but after all the cool, rainy days, we hardly felt like we could complain).  Mom and Dad’s, lots of great food, lots (and lots) of cousins, many laughs, more memories …

Strawberry Shortcake – the shortcake was dyed blue, as per Mick’s suggestion. 

Aleyna distracts Claire with a book so Aleyna has a bit longer turn to hold the doll they had been *sharing*.  ;-)

Brooke and Erin

Aleyna pushes Grant

Grant being highly entertained by cousin Alix.

Olivia, making sure I got her picture, too.  ;-)

Alyssa

Going … going …

Gone!

Thank you, Lord, for our family. 

Productive Saturdays

Ok, Trent isn’t exactly being productive here, but he just looks way too adorable!  Anyway, on to the productive part of this post.  Saturday found the Worleys all busy at various projects around the house.  It seems like we don’t have a lot of free Saturdays, especially as the weather turns warmer, so we were trying to get some much-needed work done. 
We started out in the mud room.  It was filled to the brim with lots of shoes, coats, hats, boots, etc.  When it gets to that point, it is almost to try to clean it up, because it gets messy again in a matter of minutes.  Also, the rugs were pretty dirty from tromping in there with muddy boots/shoes.  Last Monday when Mom and Dad were here for Grant’s birthday, we actually walked through there on our way outside for a walk.  I was completely embarrassed and apologized for its messy state, but Mom simply said “It looks like people live here.”  (Thanks, Mom!) 
So, we started by moving all winter things down to the basement, then got rid of shoes that were completely worn out.  Then we wiped down the shelves and cubbies and ran the shop vac over rugs and floor.  I wish I had taken a “before” picture (I think) but it looks quite lovely now. 

We went from the mud room to the laundry room…ay yi yi…Those rooms become such dumping grounds for stuff.  I basically did a lot of throwing away and donating and went from this:

to this:

OK.  That before picture wasn’t a true before.  I had already started hauling things out of the closet before I took that picture, but I think you get the idea.  While I was working on cleaning off the shelves, I came across a project that Courtney and Sarah enjoyed working on.  Sarah had gotten a mosaic stepping stone kit from the Ramseys for her birthday and they worked on that together.

We just checked on the final masterpiece and realized it has dried.  We have some final steps to take before it’s ready for a picture. 
Rachel and Erica worked on making a storage bin for the laundry.  We found the steps here to make a storage bin out of diaper box.  It was their first attempt, and we didn’t have all the necessary materials, but I think it turned out very nicely.  It is great to have some of my loose items on the shelf stored in a box that looks nice!  You can see the results in the after shot of the closet.  It’s the box with the yellow fabric around rim of the box on the right.  Here are a few pictures of the girls working on it in the early stages:



While all this productive work was going on, Grant entertained himself in creative ways …

So, we’ve gone for a very productive Saturday to a more laid-back Sunday.  I have played around a little bit with Dazzle, some new software that converts our old analog VHS tapes to digital format.  We’re also wanting to import all of our VHS-C and Hi-8 tapes.  Eventually, I want to have everything on the computer.  A couple of years ago, Dad gave us all of their VHS tapes to convert, but we didn’t have the right tools for the job.  Now, I finally feel like I can move forward with that project.  I’m just a little short on that one last magical ingredient … time!!