New School Year!

Hooray! It's a new school year, and it's off to a great start.

CC has been a bundle of nerves the last few days. She had trouble sleeping; she complained of stomach pain; she barely ate anything. She's starting at a high school where she doesn't know anyone at all, and the campus has multiple buildings that she'll have to navigate to get to her classes. But when I picked her up at the end of the day, she was all smiles. "I made two friends!" she squealed. One of them even has her same major -- Costume Design -- so they'll be taking classes together for the next four years. She only experienced half her eight classes today, because the school has an A/B day schedule. She'll have the other four tomorrow. But she is feeling much more comfortable now that she knows a few kids and is more familiar with the buildings.

Sweet Pea had her outfit planned out for weeks (discussed at length via a huge group chat with other 7th grade girls). She was up early, fully packed and ready to go an hour early. She didn't even bring the schedule I printed out for her, because she already had her classes memorized. After school she couldn't wait to tell me all about which classes she had with which friends and how her teachers were. But I know it was still a really big day for her, because after school she also had two hours of cirque. By the time I picked her up, she was in tears over multiple perceived slights (which is what happens when Sweet Pea gets overtired).

Little Man rolled out of bed and, in typical Little Man fashion, wore the clothes he slept in to school. "What?! I just put them on last night. They're clean!" 

He was happy to report that he has recess with one of his best friends, which is great news. And he's really excited about the robotics class he's taking this year. He told me about his plan for school this year: "If I do all my homework, and all my projects, and do well on all my tests, I'll get good grades!"

Um ... yes. That is literally how one gets good grades.

Little Man and Sweet Pea have all the same classes and teachers, but not at the same time. This is the ideal situation for me -- they will have the same projects and homework and teachers, but they won't be talking for each other (Sweet Pea) or teasing the other (Little Man). They also happen to have almost all the same teachers CC had when she was in 7th grade, and those were the best teachers she had in all of middle school. So I'm very thankful for that!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea and Little Man!

Holy cannoli, they're THIRTEEN!! I can't believe our little twinkies are teenagers already. They love to fight like cats and dogs, but as you can clearly tell from this picture, they aren't the worst of enemies. They actually play really well together, and often convince each other to get involved in schemes and elaborate plans.

Sweet Pea continues to be her sassy, spunky self. "That girl will go far in life!" is what I hear the most from people, and we certainly hope her strong will and definite opinions will pay off. She is determined, and an extremely hard worker, whether it's in school, in the neighborhood, or with cirque.

Cirque continues to be her biggest passion, and boy, does she dedicate herself to it. She'll in the studio for classes 7.5 hours a week this year, but on top of that, she volunteers for extra performances, and is eager to practice on her own if she feels she needs a little improvement. Recently she was selected for a major performance with an adult cirque company, so we're in awe and eager to see what it'll look like.

She's the only Morrison (sadly) who has qualified for National Junior Honor Society. She is self-motivated at school in a way our other kids aren't (... yet ...) and prides herself on getting straight As. The NJHS induction will be in a few months, and we'll be bursting with pride. 

Her favorite food is Chick Fil A (especially the Chick Fil A sauce, which she hoards at home and puts on anything). Like any self-respecting middle school girl, she's obsessed with skincare (not makeup) and anything Lululemon. Her favorite color is still yellow, and she currently wants to be a professional Cirque performer when she grows up -- which she's about to achieve at the tender age of 13!

Little Man is our talker, the one who wants to share every funny joke he hears, or have me read a funny page from his latest book. He's getting to be quite the prolific reader, and thankfully is starting to move beyond the graphic novels he's preferred for years. MJ has recently introduced him to the Sharpe's series of books written by Bernard Cornwall, which were MJ's favorites around this age, and Little Man is slowly taking to them. 

Staying organized and focusing on school continues to be a struggle, as Little Man lacks what therapists call "executive functioning skills." But I have a plan for this coming school year, and he certainly has plenty of support from multiple professionals. I keep telling him: he's so smart, it wouldn't be hard for him to get excellent grades if he could just stay organized!

He says he's done with baseball, and wants to go back to tennis. So this fall, he'll start practicing with the junior team at our racquet club. He enjoys coming to hit balls with me and MJ, and he's definitely getting better -- lots of wild shots still, but he can often keep a rally going for a bit, and his shots are noticeably improving. He took a few weeks of tennis camp this summer and enjoyed it, but it wasn't very intense training, so I'm looking forward to him having regular instruction with kids his age.

His favorite foods are cheeseburgers, mac n cheese, and gyoza (Asian dumplings). He has recently discovered he likes mushrooms, which is a revelation! His favorite color is still dark purple, and his favorite activities are playing Minecraft or Zelda on the Nintendo. He's still a cuddler, although less frequently now, and I cherish those little moments when he crawls into bed with me in the morning, or leans up against me at Mass. He still has a bit of "little boy" in him.

We can't wait to see what their 14th year will bring! Happy birthday, Sweet Pea and Little Man!

Summer Swim Season

This summer's swim team season was different, but still fun! CC was the only Morrison kid who swam -- Sweet Pea bowed out, and Little Man hasn't done it in years. But CC did more than just swim: she was also our team's Coach In Training, helping coach the Shrimps (kids under age 7). Some of this year's Shrimps are kids that she babysits and knows well, so in her eyes, it was the perfect combination of two things she really loves.

Coach In Training is an unpaid position, but she's hoping that by doing a good job, she'll be selected to be a full coach next year. Several moms approached me during the season to tell me what a great job she's doing. It was nice to hear that her efforts were appreciated. 

Meanwhile, as a 14-year-old, she also was a member of the team and swam in every meet. It was her goal from the first day of the season to be selected as a primary swimmer for the All-Star Meet (every year in the past, she's been selected as an alternate).

But it's a tough age group to be in, because most 13-14 girls have already had huge growth spurts and muscle gains. So her expectations were low. Surprisingly, she scored more points this year than she ever has before! At one meet, she was even moved up to the A relay team for a freestyle relay, and won her first ever BLUE ribbon for first place!

At the end-of-season banquet, three huge surprises happened: 

• She was awarded "Most Improved" for her age group
• She was selected as a primary swimmer for butterfly at the All-Star Meet (as well as alternate for backstroke, breaststroke, and the freestyle relay)
• She was paid $250 for being a great Coach In Training

All three of those were huge shocks to her. When she saw her name on the All-Star list, she actually started crying! And when they handed her a check, she initially gave it back and said, "No, sorry, that's a mistake -- I don't get paid." They laughed and said yes, she did such a great job that they really wanted to reward her. It's more money than she's ever had at her disposal before!

Once we arrived at the All Star Meet, she learned that in addition to swimming butterfly, she'd also be swimming in the freestyle relay to replace a swimmer who had to leave early. Her team ended up taking third in the event, which at the All-Star Meet results in a medal! She was so proud of herself!

It's safe to say that this year's summer swim season was a huge success! CC is already looking forward to next year, when she's hoping to be a full coach.

Happy Birthday, Brien!

It was Brien's first birthday celebrated in his new home, and he was full of smiles! Not only was he recognized all day at the facility, but Grandpa and Grandma joined us there for a little party after dinner. We were amused to see he was wearing a crown and a birthday cape.

We brought plenty of cake to share with the staff and other residents, and we sang to him before he opened his presents. I was especially excited about our gift for him -- I'd filled a digital photo frame with pictures of him and family members over the years. It's on his bedside table now, and I'm hoping he'll enjoy seeing all the pictures rotate through.

Cheers to many more birthdays celebrated with him! (The kids weren't with us this time, because they're at camp this week. Pictures to come.)

Welcome Home, Brien!

For the last 6 months, Brien has unfortunately been bouncing between the hospital and a rehab facility because of repeated UTIs, weakness, and digestive issues. And although we always hoped he'd be able to return to the independent living home he's lived in for at least the last 40 years, the determination was finally made that he will not regain the independence and mobility that he needs to go back. So we needed to find a new permanent home for him.

Although we were sad that he had to say goodbye to the friends and staff he loved as family for all these years, there was a silver lining: Brien could move closer to us! So we set about finding him a good nursing home in our area.

After a fairly comprehensive search, we landed on a place that fit our needs: a skilled nursing facility, recommended by a consultant, that accepts Medicaid, and had an immediate opening for him. Amazingly, it's so close to our house that we can walk there! That's not why we chose it -- it was the best of the options that checked our boxes -- but it was a very happy coincidence! 

We moved Brien as soon as we returned home from our cruise. Because he is confined to a wheelchair now, he required special transportation. He was sitting like a king the whole way!

Now he's set up well in his new home. We brought the kids over to help decorate Brien's half of the room with pictures on the walls, little trinkets, and a fun comforter on his bed. He had a roommate who was pretty loud (yelling during the night, unbeknownst to us), and Brien wasted no time asking for a different roommate. I was proud of him for advocating for himself! Now he has a new roommate who is very quiet.

One of the nice things about skilled nursing facilities that accept Medicaid is that the government requires them to provide activities for the residents. Multiple times a day, Brien has arts and crafts, music, games, and even visiting performers like magicians and choirs. There's a parlor where he can hang out with other residents to watch TV, and a dining room where he shares meals. A visiting doctor, dentist, podiatrist, and stylist take care of all his needs right there. And there are in-house physical therapists who already have a game plan for him to continue working on his strength and independence. First on our list of priorities: regain the ability to get in and out of a car, so we can take him on outings. 

"I think I'm gonna like this place," he tells me every time we see him. And fortunately, that's often -- MJ and I are able to visit multiple times a week. It's so close, we can easily swing by just to check in, or talk to his nurses or social worker in person, or have lunch with him. Grandpa and Grandma stop by often too. And we've submitted Amber's vet records so she can visit too, something Brien is very excited about!

I am so thankful for many things: that this move went smoothly, that Brien is close by for us to visit, that he is part of our lives, and that we can include him in so much more from now on. It is such a blessing. 

Rock Climbing

CC is taking a ballet intensive this week, so it's been just me with Little Man and Sweet Pea. Today we decided to go rock climbing, which was a nice indoor event to beat the heat.

It's been a long time since I've taken the kids rock climbing, and their growth is obvious. Not only are they stronger now, but they're much less fearful. In the past, they haven't gone past the halfway point, yet today they both easily scrambled up to the top on every run. They raced each other on several side-by-side runs, then set time records for each run that they'd try to break. 

The climbing gym has a rule that because they're under 16, I have to be the one to click their carabiners on and off each belay. That frustrated them to no end, because there were two of them and only one of me. Plus, it wasn't hard to operate the carabiners, and all the (younger) kids who were there attending day camp were allowed to do it alone. So after a few test runs to make sure they could do it correctly, I stopped insisting that they follow that rule. Still, I had to be supervising them while they climbed (even though there were more employees than climbers on the floor), so I followed them around and obeyed about a million "Mom, watch this!" commands. Safety first.

(I shouldn't have bothered bringing a book. It didn't get touched. I spent the whole time "supervising" them and being their official timer.)

Flood Damage

The morning after I returned from Pittsburgh, MJ came downstairs very early and later told me "it sounded like it was raining inside the house." He realized that one of our upstairs bathrooms had been leaking during the night while we slept, and had soaked through the ceiling into the downstairs. He turned off the water to that bathroom, got every towel we owned, sopped up the water, opened our giant cooler under the worst of the dripping, and ... went to exercise.

I woke up several hours later to a text from him that said, "Lots of water downstairs. Got it cleaned up. There is water damage to the ceiling, though."

That was the world's biggest understatement. I came downstairs to find strips of saturated drywall hanging down from the ceiling. The family room rug was completely drenched. Water was soaking down multiple walls, and the hardwood floors that MJ had dried were warped from the moisture. The water from the upstairs bathroom had also gone under the wall into Little Man's bedroom next door, so his room is also unusable.

That day was a flurry of calls to USAA, who sent out a company to assess the damage. They told me that it didn't matter that the water was clean; because it had originated from a toilet, anything the water touched had to be thrown out. That included multiple walls, carpets, rugs, and the majority of our downstairs ceilings and floors. Wow.

Demo began the next morning, and after it was complete several days later, there were 27 industrial fans throughout the house, running night and day for five days. We moved into a Residence Inn with Amber. It was tight quarters, especially since MJ works from home, and the kids had just gotten out of school and were now home everyday. 

But once the drying process was complete, we moved back home. We're living on subfloor, and we're missing several walls, the downstairs ceiling, Little Man's bedroom, and two bathrooms, but at least we're home!

Now we'll have to find a contractor to do all the repair work. The hardwood floors alone will be a huge process, since they are continuous throughout the first floor. Movers will have to pack up all our possessions from the downstairs and store them in order for the floors to be completely sanded down and refinished. Since we'll be moving out of the house for about a month anyway, I think we'll take the opportunity to put hardwoods in all the upstairs rooms as well.

But I am so thankful it wasn't worse. In a way, it was almost miraculous: we are all okay; the damage didn't affect anything irreplaceable or sentimental; none of the parts of the house that we've already renovated (kitchen, stairs, upstairs hallway) need to be torn out; and USAA has been incredibly supportive and helpful. I am so thankful for those blessings.

BUT ... it couldn't have happened at a worse time! We have three weekends of dance recitals, a baseball game, and a graduation that my dad was planning to come up for!