Sunny Sunday

What a beautiful day we had in Chicagoland!! High 70's with a little breeze. . .can't ask for anything better. I was so pleased because I got a lot of landscaping finished and I also got a chance to play a good ole game of baseball with the kiddos. Luke can hit the ball out of the field!! He amazes me! He can hit better than I can. (notice our awesome catcher)

Jake, of course, was the pitcher. Daddy wished he could join in
Caroline went inside and said she was going to return with a surprise. . .

After our game, Jake helped out with a few things that Daddy can't do right now.

I'm sad to see this weekend go. . .it was so beautiful and I didn't have to tutor at all, so I got to spend a lot of time with the kids.

Oh, by the way. . .Jake had a game on Saturday and he pitched one inning and struck out three people in a row! (they won)

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Character on LOST: Jack

My favorite character has always been Jack because not only does he take charge and save a lot of people with his medical skills, but I think he looks just like JOHN! :)

(I wanted John to pose for a picture that would make him look just like Jack, but he refused. . .you'll have to use your imagination and pretend that John has a tough look on his face instead of a nice smile.)

Jake's First Game of the Season

Jake's first baseball game as a Rockies player was last night. He pitched for two innings in a row and struck six people out. We were so proud of him.
This year he is playing on a team in Wheaton instead of Geneva. It's fun because now he can play with kids that he knows from school. One of the things he misses is playing with his cousin, Jack Krieger. Another thing he misses is having a number on his shirt. His coach is one of his friend's dad. John sure wishes he could help out. He is going to go to practices and give pointers from the bench. :)
Oh . . . Jake wants me to let you guess who won the game. . .


Luke was having fun playing baseball at Jake's game, too. :)

After the game, I asked Luke if he wanted ice cream or pumpkin granola for his snack and he shouted "pumpkin granola!!!!" That's how good it is!! :)

My Absent Blessing

There haven't been many pictures of this blessing lately because he is never home!! His life has been filled with fun play dates, school, baseball practices, and birthday parties. Jake is a happy guy when he is a busy guy, so I am glad when he is out doing fun things with good Christian friends. He LOVES to be around his friends and he absolutely has so much fun playing baseball. His first real game is tomorrow evening. I am praying that he will be able to play in it. .. as he was going to bed, he told me how bad of a sore throat he had. Uh oh . . . hopefully a good night of sleep will do the trick.

I'm always so thankful when Jake comes home and we get a chance to read together (we've been reading the Hardy Boys every night for a couple of years now. .. it's "our thing"). I cherish my time with Jake.

He's Awake!!

John is finally feeling a little better.
He is no longer sleeping all day. :)
The pain is still there, but not as great.
He is trying to get caught up on all of the papers that his students have been doing while he was away.

There were high hopes of returning to work tomorrow, but unfortunately, that will have to wait just a little while longer. His foot has some swelling because we have not been elevating it as much.
I have to keep a close eye on him because he tries to "get away" with things while I am not looking.
The other day, I busted him in the kitchen with no crutches!
When I asked him how he got there, he said,
"I hopped!"
Arg!
Oh well.
He is getting frustrated because he just wants to get back into normalcy again.
I keep reminding him that this is very temporary.

Do you see the blue tube coming out of his ankle??
That is our cool IceMan machine.
It is basically a cooler that I keep filling up with ice and water that is attached to a tube which runs really cold water through a pad on his leg.
Modern technology.
At least we don't have to use bags of frozen peas. :)

Soccer in the Rain

We are thankful for the blessing of rain today. Despite the rainy weather, Caroline played in a soccer game this morning. The rain came and went throughout the game. Her games are at 8:00 on Saturday mornings!! It is sooo hard to get everyone up and out the door on time, but we did it! :) Caroline played well and,more importantly, had a lot of fun with her friends.

Favorites on Fridays . . . Like Oprah's "O" List, But Not Really

Favorite Cereals: Kashi Cinnamon Harvest and Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola

I am a picky cereal eater. In order for me to like a cereal it must:

1. be made with all natural (preferably organic) ingredients
2. have a little sweetness (made possible by evaporated cane juice)
3. have 5 or more grams of fiber

4. NOT taste like cardboard!!!!

These cereals pass the test and my kids LOVE them. . . even LUKE!! :)

(oh. . . you can get them at the grocery store, TJ's, Whole Foods, Target. . . but they are the cheapest at WalMart. . . under $3.00!)