Butterfly Festival

Saturday afternoon, we went to the Butterfly Festival at War Memorial Park in Oak Grove, Ky. We'd never been there, and it is a really nice park! We went late so we would be there to see the butterfly release at 5 .m., at the end of the festival. We didn't do much, just watched a kid-friendly presentation about recycling, and after that, found the playground. It was packed, and it took my full attention to keep an eye on both kids. Bean Dip, of course, was on the monkey bars. He was good about taking turns. I tried not to cringe at all the kids falling while trying to do them. Baby G found a climbing wall -- that seems to be her new favorite.

We ran back up the big hill to the stage to watch the butterfly release. I think they let free 500-750 butterflies. Before the release, they read a Native American poem about how if you want the Great Spirit to hear your wish, you need to catch a butterfly and then let it go, and it will carry your with to the Spirit. Great story, but then all the kids were trying to catch the butterflies after they were freed. I wish everyone would have just enjoyed watching them fly away.

Anyway, we went right back to the playground and stayed until Bean Dip's blisters broke open. We ended up playing on the big hill for a while, with them rolling and running up and down, and me taking pictures. It was a beautiful fall evening.

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Butterfly Festival
War Memorial Park

First Thing This Morning

The very first things the kids said this morning:

Baby G: "I farted, and it woke me up."

Bean Dip: "I want a big, juicy steak for dinner."

Our Week

It's funny how a week can slip by almost without you knowing it, and then all of a sudden, it's Monday again. We spent last week recovering from being sick. Baby G was sick Monday and Tuesday, but not nearly as bad as Bean Dip was. Wednesday, G and I walked and then had lunch with our friends, Vivian and her two little boys. Gabe is G's age, and they just love each other.

I sent G to school on Thursday, but she had a bit of a rough day. Her teacher thought she still wasn't feeling well. She took a long nap that afternoon. Katherine showed up that evening, on her way home from North Carolina. We had a great one-night visit with her, with the kids taking all her attention. Seriously, Bean Dip got mad every time I tried to talk to her. He even slept with her, and both kids were really sad that she had to leave.

I've started Friday Night Movie Night for us. I've been getting a kids' movie, and we all watch it together. This week it was Yogi Bear. They both got a kick out of it, and were laughing quite a bit. So far, we've watched Big Miracle and Journey 2: Mysterious Island. I'm hoping to do Cinderella next. Friday Night Movie Night is something Ivy's family does, and Bean Dip really likes that we are doing it too, now.

The Perks of a Fever

So while Lem has been suffering through this and now recovering, Gwyn's been waiting (semi-)patiently for her turn. Starting Saturday morning, she's been constantly telling me, "I'm sick.

Sunday afternoon, after we'd gone to the pool, Gwyn crawled into my bed and lay down, not sleeping, but just lying there saying, "I'm sick." I took her temperature, no fever. And on our thermometer, a smiley face or sad face pops up, depending on the temp.

After dinner (she didn't eat much), she went back in my bed and said she was sick again, and said she wanted to sleep in my bed. I told her I'd take her temperature again before bedtime, and if she got a sad face she could sleep with me. Well, she wanted me to take her temperature right then, and, once again, she got a happy face. When I showed it to her, she frowned and said, "But I have a sad face!"

Later, at bedtime, I took her temperature one more time, and sure enough, she had a fever and got her coveted "sad face." I've never seen a child so happy to be sick. She got a huge smile and said, "I get to sleep in you bed!" And so she did, and even got some Tylenol, which she slurped down like it was a treat.

She's not as sick as Lem, but she was still pretty sick today. By this afternoon she was not nearly as happy to see that sad face, and was quite eager to lie down in her own bed and take a long nap.

A Little Bit of Magic

I kept Lem home again today. He is definitely better, but I think he'd have been really worn out after spending all day at school. This morning he asked me to go play Quidditch with him outside, and after we played two short matches, he came inside and lay down on his bed for a while.

Lem and Gwyn got a mysterious package today in the mail. The return label said "Ollivander's, Makers of Fine Wands, London, England." And you'll never guess what was inside it. Two carefully wrapped felt packages addressed to each kid, and inside, a magic wand! Gwyn, of course, loved hers. The label read: Silver / 14 inch / Light / Wizards in Training, Level 2. It is silver with a star on top. Lem was a little more suspicious. He just couldn't figure it out. His wand is a polished stick, and his label read: Willow / 10 3/4 inch / Light / Powerful Wizards ONLY. When I read the last part, his eyes lit up. He said, "I don't know if I should try the Whole Body-Bind Curse on you." And I immediately said, "No! Do not try that one one me!" So instead he practiced a few Aloramoras to try it out. And then I warned him not to break it, because I was pretty sure he didn't want to be belching slugs like Ron.

I told them that I had no idea who it was from (I do have an inkling, though.), but I said, "This is truly magic." It definitely brightened our day. Thank you!

Murphy's Law of Deployment

Ask any military spouse, and they will tell you: The minute their soldier deploys, everything goes wrong. Cars have to go to the shop, appliances break, and kids get sick.

We had our first ER visit last night. Don't worry, Lem is fine. He had a fever in the afternoon, perked up after I gave him some ibuprofen, but when I checked on him at 10 p.m., his fever was up to 103.8. Then he woke up and was coughing and throwing up, and really miserable. So I called my mother-in-law (so thankful to have a P.A. and pediatrician in the family), and she told me to take him in. I woke up Gwyn, got everyone dressed, put his car seat in the truck (more about that later), and headed to post.

There were only a few people at the ER, and we were seen quickly. The nurse gave him some more ibuprofen (he'd thrown up the Tylenol I'd given him), and then we went back to see the doctor. Lem was really miserable and decided he didn't want anyone doing anything to him. At least the doctor was nice about it. After Lem bolted for the door and then did a slow motion punch toward the doctor, all he said was, "He's an aggressive little boy, isn't he?" He quickly diagnosed him with croup, and got him started on some steroids for his throat and a saline nebulizer treatment. I had to really work with him to get him to even put the mask close to his face, but once he did, it immediately started working. I watched him get better as he lay there, and by the time we left, he was asking the nurse questions and even asked if he could keep his mask. She gave it to him, and he was so happy.

He stayed home today, and we slept in (didn't go to bed until 1:30 a.m.) so Gwyn didn't go either. They spent all day playing with the mask, and he's much better.

Oh yeah, about the car ... we had been rear-ended in July on our way to St.Louis, and I'm finally getting it fixed. It was just a fender bender, no one was hurt, but there was some damage to Beemy. So I had taken it in yesterday to drop it off, and didn't have Lem's car seat installed.