So much... maybe too much.

Okay so Ben's eyes are going wonky again. "Pesticide" eye drops for him... that were originally developed over 100 years ago. More Dr.'s appointments for that of course... and more to come for that... of course.

Bad appointment at the Pedi Endo for Ben. Lots more testing and about a million tons of worry over that one. Had some blood and x-rays so far. Waiting on results from those and then we decide what tests we have to do NEXT. The fun never ends.

Found out yesterday Patch has to have his tonsils out next week. His tonsils are so bad that his lymph nodes are all swollen. Blech. So next week, in addition to whatever additional testing Ben will need we have Patch's surgery.

Of course nobody to help out with the kids. Naturally. That's not really surprising, just continues to be disappointing... and difficult. Not sure how we're going to manage for the next two weeks but I guess we'll find a way. We always do.

In good news Ben is very happily enjoying art camp this week at the studio. TYPICAL kid art camp. Wow. That's big. It was a really big step for the Big Daddy and me but not so much for Ben... and my God how I love that about him. It was huge for Ed and I and it wrung our hearts but he just stepped into it and shone and is loving it. He was so excited this morning getting dressed for day #2 of art camp.

Tessa is LOVING volunteering at the studio with the little kid camp and is doing a great job we're told. One of the co-owners was raving to us about what an amazing job Tessa is doing and what a huge help she is. We are incredibly proud of her. Also it must be said that without Tessa volunteering at the little kid camp Ben wouldn't be able to go because he's still in diapers and they don't take kids in diapers. However since Tessa is his sister and she's there and said she'd be willing to change diapers they made an exception for Ben. It also needs to be said that Tessa, in her amazing "beyond her years" wisdom, is the one that pushed so hard for Ben to go to camp. She was the one telling us that we had to get over our own fears and just send him because it would be good for BEN! She was right, credit where it is due. She amazes me sometimes.

Gregory had pneumonia the first week and a half of summer break. He's doing fine now, thank God. He's now spending his summer (this cold rainy summer thus far) playing video games and mowing the lawn. I know once we get some nicer weather he will spend the majority of every day swimming in the pool with Patch so I'm letting that go for now.

Emi is being her usual moody kind of gothish self lately. No change. She's having more moments of being okay so I'm hoping that maybe this phase is ending. Em is spending most of her summer hanging over Gregory's shoulder watching him play video games... a little weird to me but whatever. She's also doing her fair share of lawn mowing too. She's already got a good start on her summer reading book, so I'm not complaining. Next week she will be volunteering at the studio and I know she's looking forward to that.

Oh Kit... Kit is fine. She's just happy go lucky girl that she is. Wildly independent and determined. She's anxious to get outside more too. Hopefully the weather will turn soon and everyone will get more outside time.

School's OUT!!!

Finally. School is out for summer. Gregory is now a sophomore in HS!! Emi is an 8th grader, and an "upperclassman" at her school. Tessa is also an upperclassman now and a 6th grader. Patch is going into the 2nd grade and is much excited. Ben is going to be in the 4 y/o Excel program next year. Everyone is moving up and up and up. We got Patch and Tessa's report cards yesterday -- they both did very well. Patch is having a little trouble with his organizational abilities but other than that got an excellent report card, and got highest marks for his behavior. Tessa got all A's and one B+ on her report card! We are VERY proud of her!!! Well, we're very proud of both of them of course :) Gregory and Emi's report cards will be mailed and we should get them within the next two weeks.

So we begin our summer break... well, the KIDS summer break anyway! I'm hoping we'll be able to do a few things close to home and have some fun. We got "Big Six" passes to Six Flags for the three oldest kids and Ed and I in hope we can take them a few times. We're hoping to hit a few fun events and fairs and hopefully this rain will stop and we'll get the pool up eventually. The girls have plans to volunteer at the art studio and Gregory says he wants to spend the summer just relaxing after a pretty hard year of school where he was inundated with insane amounts of homework. I'm thinking we'll do at least one trip to the Bronx Zoo and maybe one to our local zoo too. I think it's gonna be a good summer :)

Injuries on the field

Or, well... the street. Our street is very gravelly... it's not a gravel road, it's just a road... with lots of gravel on it. Yeah I know, weird right?

Anyway, today the second wave was up at the top of the driveway waiting for their buses and running a muck... like kids do. Patch was chasing Kit telling her he was going to kiss her and Kit was running away squealing with delight... when the gravel got the best of her and she went down like a stone... on her face!! OUCH!! Poor little bunny-boo Princess. She got a very swollen lip and abrasions all over her face. She was NOT a happy baby girl. We gave her Motrin and cleaned her boo-boo's and gave her love and kisses and she was okay.

She didn't nap so well but I think she was sleeping on the ouchie side of her face and it was hurting. I climbed into bed with her and she did sleep another two hours though... so not too bad all in all. She's acting fine tonight but I have to admit every time I see her face it just LOOKS painful.

So here you have it... our Kitten with the boo-boo face.