Some Videos to Enjoy

Vivacious reciting "The Man That Wants A Garden Fair", with an intro by Dynamite!

Cutesome learning to eat (crackers) and trying to do "raspberries".


Confidence's backstroke. I made her repeat level 4 from last year to perfect her strokes before moving on to level 5. She hopes to join the rec center swim team this year.

Dynamite rock climbing at the rec center.

Help! Something Must Be Done!

I have been having pain my right arm for about 6 weeks. After about a month I went to a family practice doctor, who diagnosed it as Tennis Elbow, a form of Tendinitis. He said I should continue to wear the brace I had bought a couple days before and use an anti-inflammatory every morning and night. Within 2 to 3 weeks the pain should go away or we could do cortisone injections. I wore my brace, even though it was really ugly. It did seem to help that particular part of my arm feel better, but higher up on my arm started hurting instead. When I stopped wearing the brace it seemed to be improving, so I didn't put it back on after a week and a half of wearing it.

Now, however, my shoulder (same arm) is in considerable pain most of the time, especially when I use it (even just picking up the diaper bag or brushing my hair is painful) and when I lay on my side to sleep. In addition, I have been having sporadic pain in my elbow and lower forearm as well. The pain I had that the doctor said was Tennis Elbow is almost completely gone. And here's the weirdest part - my other shoulder has been hurting now too. Explain that!

I think not using it would help, but that really isn't an option. I have a 9-month old baby and a bunch of other responsibilities and can't seem to stop myself from using it to clean my house. I need to see a doctor again, but having the kids all home for summer break makes it even harder to do stuff like that. Any ideas for home remedies? Do you know of any doctor that might be particularly good at figuring out what I should do? I'm open to suggestions.

More (can you believe it) Baseball Pictures!

The rain poured during Vivacious' final baseball game. Although the game was tied twice, making it extra extra long, she endured to the end and played her little heart out. The season has been long and she is ready for it to be over, but she enjoyed the attention she got at her last game. Her fan club at her final game included mom, dad, brothers and sister, both grandpas, Aunt Jenn and Uncle Fred and 3 cousins. Her fans all endured to the end despite being rain-drenched.
The kids huddling under Vivacious' umbrella in the dugout.

Soaking wet and chilled to the bone. When we left home for the ball park the sun was shining and we didn't think to bring so much as a long-sleeved shirt for her. Poor girl!

After much carrying and jiggling through Dynamite's game at 5:30 and Vivacious' game at 7:00, Cutesome finally gave in and fell asleep around 8:00. My sister held him under a tree for cover from the rain. He couldn't stay asleep until the game ended at nearly 9:00, though, so he cried for the last 10 or 15 minutes and she drove him around in the van to help calm him down. I couldn't have made it through 3 1/2 hours of baseball with that fussy baby without her help!

Dreamer helps out when they need an extra dad.

There was half an hour between when Dynamite's game ended and Vivacious' game began. Dynamite and I gathered all our stuff (huge blanket, the girls' library books, the diaper bag, the baby, his bat and glove and treats from his game) and headed to the opposite end of the field to catch a portion of my nephew's baseball game. The girls headed over there earlier and didn't take their things and Dreamer wasn't back from work yet, so he wasn't around to help. (Have I mentioned that I am having severe arm pain and using my right arm in any way hurts terribly?) I just want you to get a picture in your head of how pathetic I must have looked and how desperate I felt.

Somewhere between the two baseball diamonds I lost my car keys. After retracing my steps and calling my sister to see if she would stop at home on the way and pick up the spare key (just in case), we checked the snack bar, where someone had turned them in! Whew! Before then, however, I was comforted by the sight of my dad walking up because I knew that if anyone could find something little that was lost in the grass in a giant park it would be my dad. Luckily for all of us we didn't have to comb the park. Anyway, it was a long, long night, especially for Cutesome and I.

Some New Pictures

Dynamite and the bird feeder he made with Grandma J.

Isn't this so cute? I was trying to keep him happy outside long enough to get a little bit of yard work done.