Makes You Think, Doesn't It?

Hmmmm....could it be related?  There's still a good chance Shane's was a fluke. Then again, I don't really want to ask which rooms or how long the bug lasts either.

Everyone's Moving!

We're still loving the spring weather. I don't even bother to pick up any of the toys. I know they'll be put to use soon enough.

It's a real bummer Charlie's family is moving. I was sad to say goodbye to the Lutfi's and now the next best thing here is heading out in June.

The little boy down the street, Killian, made it up the street to join us today. Turns out he's moving this summer, too!

"Everyone's moving? That sucks," were my exact words. The house next to Charlie's went up for sale last week, as well.

I hope cool people with cool kids fill up some vacancies. Maybe the Lutfi's or John could be convinced...

Patrick Monday

Uncle Patrick stopped by on his way north from Nana's (SC). Shane broke out the beans to celebrate.

Uncle Patrick noticed that the bean suitcase hadn't changed from when he was a kid.....and neither had the beans.

And yet, the beans still grow if planted. Life's pretty amazing, huh?

Meanwhile, Raheem swept the street. That's not really what the broom part of the window scraper is for, but who am I to say otherwise? My brother and son were playing in a decade+ old suitcase full of dried beans.

Charlie, Matt, and Max all came out later for an impromptu block party. I love spring weather.

Carrie came home to a busy street. Then Patrick made a startling discovery: If you cheer, they will come.

And thus, Carrie was welcomed home.

Patty went with Shane and I to Costco and hung out until close to 10 PM. His youth allowed him to drive home to Harrisonburg while Carrie slept on the couch.

I hope Spring Break hits soon. I'm tired from all the excitement that's gone on around here.

Easter Lunch 2016

Shane, Carrie, and I drove to Grandma and Grandpa's after church Easter Sunday. We weren't the only ones.

Uncle Chris greeted us in the kitchen!

It was a big surprise. He was (relatively) in town to have his reserve duty orders processed. Rachel, Sophia, Nathan, and Noah were still in Singapore. 

I love an Easter with family! There were still more to come.

Shane amused himself...

...and snacked while we waited.

Carrie, Grandma, and Chris all cooked. Grandpa helped me with Shane by showing him videos from Disney World.

The Pennsylvania branch of the Cassanos arrived not long after. I failed to get a good group picture.

Carrie's Uncle Mike and I both tried to get a nice group picture at the dinner table. Of course, we decided to try at exactly the same time.

And on the second shot, I realized I could see my flash in the mirror. Live long and prosper, all.

There was a lot more adult talk than Shane was interested in. Uncle Ryan and I sat off in the kitchen and threw him around. Later, Carrie came over and we started to sick Shane on Kim and her sister, Katelyn.

For the record, I did not realize he would try to stealthily approach under the dining room table. I also take no responsibility if he startled anyone he jumped into the lap of.

Lunch did not last forever. Eventually, Grandpa was free to take Shane up to the train room.

We brought Ticket to Ride: Europe to show Grandpa, but we ran out of time.

It was a super busy weekend...and it wasn't even Spring Break yet! Work and school awaited us on Monday.

Happy Easter all! The Lord is Risen!

Easter Morning Egg Hunt

No Easter morning is complete without an egg hunt. I think Nana would have revoked my parenting license if we didn't deliver.

In Search of a Stud

Carrie wants a baby.

A baby horse.

To get said baby, she needs a stallion to breed with Mira. She found a prospect that we went to visit Saturday afternoon.

We went the scenic route.

The first leg of our journey took up through Appomattox. We didn't stay at the courthouse, but we did go into a book and coffee shop.

Carrie wanted to read some Babe to Shane, but he had other ideas.

He acquiesced when I told him I'd read Samurai Santa if he listened to Mommy first.

We had a lot of fun exploring the store, the shelves, and the town.

I love book stores. Before broadband internet access, bookstores were the place to hang out and read all sorts of things. There's still something special about being able to walk around and hold the books instead of reading off a screen. Libraries have a similar effect, but this book store had coffee, scones, and a lot of records, too. It was a neat place.

The stable was the next leg of our journey. Carrie was ecstatic. There were two stallions she was interested in. The first was a "bay tobiano APHA sporthorse" named Draco.

The other was a Friesian.

Carrie talked shop and horses for hours. I kept Shane busy.

The stable was located in Charlotte County, one of only three counties in Virginia without a single stoplight. Beautiful scenery, though.

There were plenty of other animals and activities to keep us occupied while Mommy horse-geeked.

I'm not sure what everything we found was.

Most of it was familiar.

We had no problem getting our outside time in.

The wife half of the couple that owned the stable was also a gourd artist. She let Shane break a few open to look in and take some home as a souvenir.

I thought they were eggs, at first.

I talked to the husband half some while the women talked shop. He was a veteran. I got to hear about some far ranging horse trips out to South Dakota and Ohio. We met a rescued horse, too.

Shane was wiped out by the end of it. He eventually laid down in the dirt to play.

That's what happens when you refuse to nap on the road down after a long soccer practice. We didn't stay much longer. Shane slept a good portion of the ride home. I'd hoped to stop in Farmville on the way back for dinner, but it's best to let sleeping boys sleep.

Spring Soccer!

The SOCA season has begun anew.

Shane's old team is mostly intact. He's got the same coaches and I recognized all the kids. How's that for continuity?

Most importantly, Shane's with the program.

A pleasant surprise!

With Easter Sunday, there was a slight theme to some of the activities.

Shane did a much better job of listening and running around than before.

They're all still kids, though. The blue grass fascinated Shane at game time.

I think a lot of the kids were pretty tired by the end, too. Shane started to hang around the goal.

Fall season, I coached Shane to stand in the goal and charge, because it beat laying in the grass and complaining. Now, he does it automatic. He even scored a goal once! Most of the other kids were on a water break, but a goal's a goal.....right?

If Shane keeps up the pace, he'll be a true soccer kid next Fall!

Adult Decisions

Shane threw up shortly before midnight. Round two was at 3:30 AM. However, the little tyke still came bouncing into our room at 7 AM. "I'm awake!"

If the kid was sick, I expected him to at least act like it.

This left Carrie and I with decision to make. Did Shane eat something weird? Was the throw up a cough gone wrong? Was he sick? 

Should he go to school?

I would have used sick leave, but I knew two other teachers were already out. We're a small program with four full time teachers. One teacher found a sub for a half-day, and the other put it for one with no guarantee. I had to go in for at least the morning.

Carrie's work started later. We decided that we would play "hot potato." She'd take the morning, and I'd grab the afternoon. I went in and talked to my boss. She understood.

Meanwhile, Shane bounced happy-go-lucky. Carrie gave him an ibuprofen and sent him to school.

I was worried, but this is what I found after school...

...a happy bunny. Carrie had asked the teacher to keep an eye on Shane. She reported he napped an hour, ate with a normal appetite, and dyed Easter eggs. Shane showed me some of his artwork on the way out.

I guess it was a fluke? It's hard to tell these things without hindsight. Shane had more energy than me when we got home. He wanted to play our new Ticket to Ride Europe map.

Shane linked St. Petersburg to France. I wanted to nap on the couch. Shane went back to sleep better than Carrie and I combined (the nap didn't hurt either).

Looks like things worked out. Shane would have been sad to miss out on the Easter festivities. I'm not as good at remembering to do special activities and crafts for holidays as Nana was.