15 April 2011

1.  I said that nothing before or after we went to Florida was worth posting during that two week period.  Most things weren't, but there was one thing that I definitely have to post.  Two days before we left for Florida we surprised my Grandma and Grandpa with an 80th birthday party.

The whole celebration got a bit delayed by my grandpa's unexpected trip to the doctor, but they were both so pleasantly surprised when they finally arrived that it made it all worth it.  They really are AWESOME grandparents.  All of us grandkids are so lucky to have them!

2.  Now onto THIS week...I spent last Sunday with two of my besties from high school. Milena was in town from Colorado to surprise her dad for his birthday and we got to steal her away for the afternoon.  I am so mad at myself for not bringing a camera.  We did have quite the afternoon with plenty of laughter.  We even set Tracie up with Facebook (finally, woman!) and made plans for a new secret project.  Cross your fingers things will go well.  =)

3.  In February Tate's class did a project based on the book Flat Stanley.  I was soooo excited because I did this project with my class when I was student teaching.  The book is about a boy who gets flattened by a bulletin board falling on him.  His parents decide to send him around the world in an envelope now that he is flat.  Each kid in Tate's class made a Flat Me and had to decide somewhere to send themselves.  Tate couldn't decide where to send his.  E and I suggested he send it to my friend Renè in Australia.  Tate agreed that it would be cool, but at that point we really had no idea just how cool it would be.

Tate became kind of disappointed as all his friends Flat Mes started to return and still no sign of Flat Tate.  Most kids sent theirs to a different state or even somewhere in Minnesota.  It took a week just to get to Australia!  The wait got even longer, as fate would have it, because it worked out that Renè got to take Flat Tate on her volunteer trip to Africa, too.  Bonus trip!

Fast forward to Monday.  Tate came in the door yelling "I already know what my high is for the day!  Flat Tate came back today.  Mom, I was with a LION!!!!"

Renè had already sent me the pictures via email, but we decided to let Tate be surprised when they arrived at school so we didn't show any to him.  She had sent about 5 pics to him at school but I showed him all of them that night.  I can't even tell you how excited he was.  Here are some of the highlights...

Flat Tate by the Sydney Harbor Bridge (that Tate just saw on Oprah not long ago!!)...

and the Sydney Opera House (which Tate said he knows from Finding Nemo??)...

Then they were off to Africa, where Flat Tate saw a LOT of animals.  He just couldn't believe it!!

He liked the one of the safari driver and his weapon, too.

He only wishes he was there in real life to see all those animals.  He was also over the top excited about the school children Renè worked with, too.  He said "I went to school even in Africa!!"  =)

I haven't seen Renè's letter yet or the pictures she sent.  When he brings it home I will take a pic and add it to this post, but I think it will be hanging up a school for a bit.

Thank you, Renè, for being just OCD enough (her words...love it!) to do such an awesome job with this project.  Love you, Soufflè!!

4.  That is kind of where things for Tate take a nasty turn.  His stellar week turned sour on Wednesday night.  I had gone to my friend Mel's to see baby Linc but got a phone call from E after I'd been there a half an hour saying he was 99% sure Tate had broken his collar bone while playing tag with some kids in the back yard.  I could hear Tate in hysterics, which is NOT like him at all.  This kid has a high pain tolerance.  As I rushed home, this picture came to mind...

Yes, unfortunately this is not the first time T has had a broken collar bone.  He broke the exact same bone close to the same spot when he was 18 months old.  After his 6th and quickest trip to the emergency room (I swear this kid is not wild...I do not know WHAT the deal is!)  we were home again.  There isn't much you can do for a broken collar bone except sling it and take Tylenol and Ibuprofen.  He was concerned Thursday morning about picking out an outfit that looked good with his sling.  He settled for this one...

He tried school all day Thursday but I got a call and left work early to get him.  The nurse and his teacher said he tried so hard to stick it out, but they could tell he was miserable.  He has had a really positive attitude about the whole thing, but he just keeps remembering all the things that he can't do for the next 6 weeks...piano, swimming lessons, recess, gym, riding bike and scooter.  His face kind of says it all, doesn't it?  He had a rough evening and start to this morning, so E is going to pick him up at noon today so he can try to get some rest when his brother and sister aren't here.  Say an extra prayer for him that he will heal quickly, will you?

5.  After E got home last night and we got the kids fed and settled, I got the word we had been waiting for all day...my friend Leah had her baby.  I asked Rach to ride along with me to keep me company and we headed to Wisconsin to see the baby for a bit.

Maddox Jon Wahlberg

4.14.2011

9 lbs 6 oz

Love that hair!  Congrats, Wahlberg Party of 4!!!