Tonsillectomy, aka Summer Vacation?

SCHOOL'S OUT!!!

So . . . Caroline is lounging around, watching TLC and Disney on Netflix and being waited on hand and foot.

That's what summer looks like around here . . . don't you wish I was your mom?

Or, it could really mean that I scheduled Caroline's tonsil and adenoid removal for the 1st day of summer vaca.

(Rethinking wanting to be my kid, huh?)

This was her pre-surgery photo shoot:

 Show me happy

 Show me sick

Give me your best post-surgery prediction

She did great, though! The doctor said that her tonsils were nasty and her adenoids were huge and she REALLY needed to have them both out. He predicts she will sleep and feel better than she has in who knows how long! (after we get through the 2 weeks of recovery, anyway!)

This is her now . . . a little less eager for the camera

But doing great, none the less and drinking through the pain. Love her. 

Meanwhile, I left my book at home and had to scrounge the waiting room to pass the time. I ran across this magazine and was intrigued/alarmed/amused by the cover story

RAISE YOUR THANKSGIVING TURKEY FROM CHICK TO TABLE?!?!?!?! Are you kidding me? From pet to main course? No thanks. 

What the heck?

That is one of Sascha's new favorite saying. She starts out saying, "What da, what da, what da hect?!" We aren't sure where she got it, but it is pretty darn cute!

But, seriously, what the heck? How is it the end of May? How has it been a week since I posted? How can I even begin to catch you up?

Here are some highlights, to be followed over the next few days with details . . .

I passed this picture today in the school hallway as I was going to an assembly for Caroline. After all, nothing says, "I exemplify the character trait of loyalty" better than a double peace sign. Cute mess.

I was just wondering where he got it from when I passed THIS bulletin board--

Well . . . there ya go. Apples and the tree, folks. My mom used to laugh and warn Josh that one day, at a parent/teacher conference, he would have to own up to some of the antics our kids pulled . . .

We had a super fantabulous time with our Kansas City family, the Clarks . . . I will have to spend a whole post on it, but here is an adorable snippet of our time there

That would be precious Joe pulling his sweetheart around the Kansas City zoo while she drank a DDP in luxury. (With big brother patrolling, of course.) Love those Clarks.

And, if I can muster up the emotional strength, I will share all the sweet, tear inducing pics of Bo's graduation (or, as he calls it, his gradulations). Here he is in his shirt and tie waiting in the carpool line
to go in. I love him.

And I love how he still calls it his "new school" on the very last day!

May has been uber eventful and we aren't slowing down over the next 2 days--we have the official last day of school tomorrow and then Caroline kicks off her summer with a bang by having her tonsils taken out Thursday. Good thing nothing says summer like lots of ice cream and popsicles!

Soccer and Recitals

Whew. It was quite a weekend around the Bass house. Well, let me rephrase. It was quite a weekend but none of it happened at the Bass house.

We kicked. We danced. We finished the soccer season. We recitaled. We. Are. Tired.

(At least I am.)

(But it was all fun--this is not me complaining!)

The soccer season was . . . unique. First of all, it is the FIRST spring soccer season that we did not freeze our patooties off one time. We sweated all season. Second, it was the first season that my child did not score a goal but DID catch a cricket. (Dedication and some keen hand eye coordination directed towards the wrong activity, but still, dedication and keen hand eye coordination.) Bo seemed to sort of get the concept of soccer during the 2nd half of the last game. Here is a picture dump of our last warm-up and game.

 Bo and Michael getting pumped up for the game

 Wrestling, soccer, whatever . . . 

 The human tunnel . . . go Bears!

 Gotta rehydrate!

 love our buddies--Bo and J.T. 

 Coach Chad (bless him) and the Mighty Bears

We recovered from soccer and geared up for a day of dance. Little bit was going to be in her first dance recital and we were equal parts excited and scared. Caroline was pumped to dance for her family--Josh and I decided that dragging the whole family to each competition was insane, so this was the first time for he and the kids to see all of her dances. My parents and my sister and brother-in-law and sweet nephew, Baby Davis, came too. That's love, y'all. 

I have heard from several friends whose girls dance in the recital only classes that this was the best dance recital they have ever been to and that they ended up staying for the whole thing because they were so thoroughly entertained. I agree. The staff and teachers at RCDC do an AMAZING job of teaching and honing talent while promoting character and it's all done in an a really fun and supportive environment. Just like at competitions, you could hear the girls cheering for and encouraging each other. I am so thankful to be a part of the Rock City family. I know when Caroline and Sascha walk through those doors for the last time, they will not just be better dancers, they will also be better people for their time there. You can't put a price on that.

 How stinkin cute and sweet were they?

And here are 2 of Caroline's

 Conga--oh yes! Love some Gloria Estefan . . . I never sat still through this one

 Courage . . . I loved this one too--tear jerker

 That's my baby up there! They never dropped her once all season :)

I'm not gonna lie--it's fun to watch your kids. At least, it has been for me! I love seeing Bo master, okay, improve in a sport he had never played before. I loved watching my girls on stage doing things I could never do. I get excited when Tru gets a hit in baseball or moves up a belt in karate. I just love seeing them active and enjoying it. It's definitely worth the money we pay and it's even worth the way my legs felt by the time I got home Sunday.

Friday confessions

Confession #1- I am procrastinating. This blog is not for you dear readers, it's me avoiding doing some work, some laundry, and even showering. It's too hot to even shower. Thank you May in Arkansas.

Confession #2- My phone is more aware of my non-hipness than I am. My sister and I were texting back and forth (because she was holding a sleeping baby and we tend to be loud) and I answered her back with a straight-up gangsta "Fo shizzle" because, y'all, I spent some high school time listening to Snoop Dog and Dr. Dre, and I know a mad beat when I hear one. My phone, however, auto corrected my shizzle with Shipley's. The donut place. A much more accurate representation of my life than Snoop-speak.

Confession #3- My sister thought that confession #2 was so funny, she ended up waking the sleeping baby up anyway laughing at the text.

Confession #4- I am a big believer in not letting school get in the way of your education . . . or as Josh would say, letting my kids skip for various reasons I deem worthy . . . until the last 2 weeks of school when the impending summer vacation is looming and I panic and insist that they "make as many memories as possible with their class and teacher!"

Confession #5- I have hit an exercise slump. This always happens to me. I peak in January and February and then slack off in late spring and early summer . . . you know, the months when you are wearing bathing suits and need to look better than the months when you wear layers and can hide your cellulite.

Confession #6- I am not admitting that I have cellulite, just saying that if one did, one might not want to show one's cellulite.

Confession #7- I bought an ice tea maker at the store today because my math skills deduced that it would be CHEAPER TO BUY A SMALL APPLIANCE than continue my Sonic habit.

Confession #8- I will still need to hit Sonic occasionally because it wasn't until I got home and opened the box that I remembered I love their ice almost as much as their tea and Sonic ice did not come with the ice tea maker.

Confession #9- I am afeared for the possibility of Sascha RUINING the dance recital on Sunday. Flat out quaking in my boots.

Confession #10- If I don't stop coming up with things to tell you about myself, I am going to end up at the dress rehearsal for dance smelling worse than the 5th grade boys did today at field day. (And that is not an award I want to win.)

Confession #11- My final confession is this . . . I think it is clear from this video who Caroline gets her dancing skills from. You are welcome, Josh Bass, you are welcome.

Kindergarten Safari

Why is Bo going to kindergarten so much harder on me than the first two?! I find myself tearing up all the time about it. And the truth is, I am so thrilled that he is going! He has really had to fight and struggle to get himself kindergarten ready and I am proud of him for being such a hard worker and eager achiever. Maybe that's why it is so emotional for me . . . because I don't take it for granted or, maybe it's because I was so sure that I would get to keep him around for another year and I am grieving him leaving me earlier than I imagined.

Today the elementary school he will be attending had a Kindergarten Safari, and while a lot of  5 year olds gathered to preview their classes and play, moms and dads gathered in the dining room of the school to get educated on kindergarten. It is so much less overwhelming to hear about your child's first year the 3rd time. I am overly emotional, yes, but so much less concerned about how carpool works and what their day will look like and all the things I (rightfully) fretted over the first time around.

I asked Bo what they did when I picked him up and got the usual, "Oh, I don't know" response from him. After a few times asking, he said, "Well, well, well, we did NOT go looking for things." Hahahaha, apparently, Josh told him they would probably go walk around the school looking for things like the library and the dining room. They did eat animal crackers and drink juice boxes and take this adorable picture.

In TOTALLY unrelated news, I am an unwilling, reluctant, but total fan of Duck Dynasty. And if you don't know what that is, you probably don't have either a TV or any rednecks in your life. Holy smokes, it took about 9 episodes, but I kind of look forward to the new episodes and love, love, love Si, the crazy uncle.

And as long as I am making reality TV confessions, I have to say that I turned off the Bachelorette last night. I could NOT get into it. Don't get me wrong, I may give it another chance over the next few weeks, but I just found it hard to watch those guys act like a bunch of girls. Yes, I am incredibly unfeminist because I AM entertained when 25 women fight over 1 guy.

So, to recap, I am emotional and I prefer the redneck duck show to the MOST ANTICIPATED AND DRAMATIC SEASON OF THE BACHELORETTE!

Please, please, please stage an intervention if I ever start watching the gold panning show.

Wedding Week

I have the post wedding blues . . . you know what I mean, right? When you wake up the morning after a fun event and are sad that it's over--it was such a precious gift to witness the whole wedding shabang with the Monnahans and Morgans this week! Sascha was a darling little flower girl and made some sweet friends--flower girl reunion to come!

Here are some highlight pics . . .

 Getting ready for the bridesmaids' luncheon

 "I yook so handsome!"

Hanging with her girls in their adorable monogramed shirts

 it was hard to sit still and pretty for so long

 some moments were harder than other

 ring around the rosie with Savannah and Cassadie

 the BEAUTIFUL Monnahan girls

 time to PARTAY

 love my girl

the inevitable crash on the way home

Thanks again to the Monnahans and Morgans for letting us be a part of such a special time!

Abby

Our amazing, wonderful, sweet, awesome, gorgeous babysitter is getting married today!

Abby and Sascha at the bridesmaids' luncheon--isn't she just a knockout?

Last night, as people toasted Trent and Abby at the rehearsal dinner, I heard people refer to Abby as many things . . . sister, daughter, best friend, example, role model, gorgeous, and more. And, it's true, she is ALL those things. Around our house, however, she is referred to as my sanity.

The first time Abby came to our house to babysit, I handed her an inhaler for my 8 month old and said she would know if he needed it and then drove to Hot Springs to work all day at a golf tournament for my mom. I don't think I had a cell phone back then either, so she would have had to track me down if there was a problem. And do you know how many times I worried about my kids that day? ZERO. Because they were with Abby.

About 1 1/2 years ago, Josh and I went to Kansas City for the weekend and Abby stayed with our kids. Around 24 hours into the trip it occurred to me that I hadn't called to check on them. Because I wasn't worried--I knew they were having fun and in great hands--because they were with Abby.

But the part that makes her my hero and my sanity? That started around the time Sascha turned 1. Sascha went through a rough patch medically; She had RSV for 7 weeks that resulted in some pretty bad asthma and then, late summer and early fall of 2009, we noticed that she kept getting a fever virus. We started charting them and noticed that they seemed to happen every 4 weeks and no one else ever got them. Her pediatrician ran tests to rule out leukemia and a few things and diagnosed her with cyclical fevers. Between that, her asthma and the predicted swine flu epidemic, Sascha was considered high risk and basically quarantined to the house. The pediatrician told us that for the next 6 months Sascha should not be in very public places and should definitely avoid contact with kids other than her sibling. To protect her further, Bo could not go to mothers day out or Bible study or even the church nursery because he was very likely to bring home illnesses. Tru and Caroline changed clothes and washed their hands as soon as they came home from school. I followed her directions really closely (except ONE time I took her to IHOP and forgot her seat cover and within 24 hours she had another severe case of RSV). I knew the sacrifice was necessary and worth it because she had been a very sick baby and my pediatrician is not prone to overreacting. The thing that broke my heart was having to drop out of Bible study--not only was it a great Beth Moore study, it was also my social time and very precious to me.

Abby, meanwhile, was a college student in Conway  and very busy with some regular babysitting jobs and school. Out of the blue, she called to do a Cutco knife demonstration for us and we said sure. As God would have it, she came over the same week I had been told to drop my life and go into hibernation. She gave her pitch, we bought some knives, and I jokingly asked her if she happened to have Wedensdays open. Never, in a MILLION years did I think that she would. Miraculously, however, she could keep my babies and I could go to Bible study.

God love her, she has worked me in to her weekly schedule ever since then. (Even after Sascha was cleared to return to public life.) I look forward to my Abby time every week. For a stay at home mom of 4, 3 hours a week of alone time is priceless. I'm not the only one who anticipates it either--Sascha wakes up every day asking if it's "Tursday and time to doe see Abby." My older kids LOVE to be sick on Abby days (yes, that's how amazing she is, she STILL COMES WHEN THEY ARE SICK!). When she graduated from college, I tried to be brave and tell her I would be ok, but she said her work schedule was unique and she could still keep Sascha one day a week. If pharmaceutical companies could bottle Abby up, there would be no need for antidepressants!!

Last summer, Abby came back from the beach with a glow that was much more than just tan. She was obviously in love and after hearing about her week with Trent and his family, I could tell he was the one. A couple of months later, I was loading my kids up in the car when I got a call from Trent explaining that he was trying to surprise Abby with a proposal followed by a celebration/birthday party and would we please put that date on our calendar. And now, here we are, on their WEDDING DAY!!!

Abby, you are BEAUTIFUL on the inside and out--absolutely STUNNING in every way. I cannot imagine how I would have survived the last few years without you. I don't think I would have. I am so blessed to have you in my life and SO thankful my kids have you in their lives. Anytime you and Trent want to play house with some kids, you definitely know where we live! I know that you guys will have an amazing life and I am so very, very excited for you both! Thanks for including us in your weekend--no matter how Sascha acts walking down the aisle (hahahaha), it's such an honor to get to witness this union up close. We love and adore you! 

Trish and Scott, well done raising Abby! Trish--I think we are going to need to grab some more lunches so I can soak up more wisdom and tips. 

And, Trent, now we love and adore you too! You have definitely won Sascha's heart. 

Enjoy this day! Congratulations!!!!!!

Our neck of the woods

It's purty crazy up around here, so here are some highlights . . .

* You may remember Sascha's adventure with the stamper not long ago . . .

 Well, apparently, she likes the inked look and went for a more dramatic, smurf-like image yesterday:

We knew there was trouble when she called from her room, "Nobody come check on me, ok?"

* Of course, she and Bo are still partners in crime. Last week, I was upstairs folding clothes and they were downstairs in the playroom, playing. Or so I thought. At some point I realized that it was pretty quiet for those 2 and decided to peek in on them.  As soon as my foot hit the top step, Sascha gasped, "OH! SHE'S COMING! QUICK! HIDE!!"

Well, I was intrigued. And since I didn't smell smoke, I was way more interested in them going back to whatever they knew they shouldn't be doing than I was in just storming down into the playroom. So, I hid. And waited. And waited. Until FINALLY, they believed I was gone and jumped back onto the couch, where they resumed . . . swapping hits off the syrup bottle. 

Yep. My two little Buddy the Elves were DRINKING. SYRUP.

Gross.

* And after too long of Caroline not feeling well and listing off various symptoms frequently, I decided to make an appointment with the allergist to see if there was anything to her complaints. Ummmm . . . 

So, yeah, she may be allergic to a few things. Like, every tree, grass and weed that they test for and dust and cats and a few other things. The dream of the live Christmas tree is gone and we start weekly shots soon. Her tonsils are also huge and may need to come out. So, I guess her complaints and the dark circles under her eyes are legit. 

*Yesterday we celebrated Josh's bday. He was lovingly mauled in his bed with songs and gifts

and this is the only picture I took because he wasn't thrilled with early morning photography that might be posted on the world wide web. He is in the middle of the bed with Caroline and Bo to the left and Sascha and Tru to the right. He kindly spent the day as the Watchdog Dad at the kids' school and then we celebrated him with BBQ and cupcakes. Love you, Josh! You are an amazing husband and daddy and we are very lucky to have you!!

*In between these monumental events, we have had beaucoup de soccer, baseball, karate and dance: 

Tru is testing for his next belt and scored runs in both of his baseball games last week. He had a pretty unique (but successful) slide into homeplate, too. He also managed to lose both contacts on Friday at 2 separate times (one was recovered).
Bo did NOT score a goal during soccer, but he DID catch a cricket on the field.
And Sascha continues to find new ways to be cute at dance. I am DYING for her recital in 2 weeks. DYING, I tell you.

                                     
Here is one of Caroline's dances from her competition in Little Rock last weekend. It's called Mad Scientist and it received Diamond Elite Top First . . . which is the highest rank it could get. Her other 3 dances did well, too.

I'm sure that I have left out several memorable things, but it's time for me to throw some food at my people and load up for more baseball. I know, we need to get some hobbies around here because we seem bored.