The Boys go to Florida

Even before I hurt my knee, Ben had planned on taking the boys on a trip to Florida to spend Spring Break with Mema and Papa.  It turned out well, since I wouldn't have been able to travel, and the girls and I made our own fun at home (more on that later).  And the boys had a great time doing their thing!  Their week can be summed up this way: fishing, fishing, museums, and more fishing.

They flew to Tallahassee, then spent the next three days fishing on the coast (out in the Gulf on Papa's boat, from the beach on St. George Island, off of the fishing bridge on SGI, and from the pier by Mema and Papa's condo in St. James).  They caught tons of fish and a couple of small sharks, and even helped a group of fellow fishermen reel in a 6-ft shark on the beach.  They enjoyed sunshine, real Florida rain (plus a tornado warning), and beautiful clear water.

When they needed a break from fishing or the weather wasn't obliging, they watched cartoons and movies, and went to a few museums.  They climbed to the top of the Crooked River lighthouse, got ice cream and souvenirs at Fishermn's Choice bait & tackle, learned about the area's role in the D-Day invasion at the Camp Gordon Johnston WWII Museum, and saw a lot more than antique cars at the Tallahassee Automobile Museum.

They loved getting Mema and Papa all to themselves and made so many great memories!  I enjoyed talking to them at night and hearing all about their adventures.  I'm so glad they were able to go on this trip together.

Luke was ready to head to the airport by 6:06 that morning!

You know Ben is letting the kids have their fun when he
agrees to McDonald's for lunch at the airport.

At Mema & Papa's condo

Ready to catch the big one!

Eliza wasn't really envious about the boys having this trip -
but she was disappointed she didn't see this turtle, haha.

John drove over from Jacksonville to spend a couple of days with them!

First day's haul.

Trying his luck from the beach.

Taking a break from fishing.

Check out that big guy they caught!

My #1 favorite picture from the trip.
Ben said the boys hurried into the water... then hurried back out.
Still a little cold at the beginning of April.

They're the cutest.

My second-favorite picture.

Climbing to the top of the lighthouse.

Luke finished his entire adult-sized banana split.

A shark from the pier!

Luke has very long legs.

Or they both have very long torsos?

Group picture at Mema and Papa's house.

Saying goodbye at the airport.

Killing time at the airport until the tornado passes...

Poetry!

Eliza and Luke were excited about the poetry recitation competition again this year and had fun deciding which poem to memorize.  We waited a little too long to begin memorizing and Luke's was a little tricky so he actually switched to a shorter, simpler poem the morning of the competition: Prayer of the Selfish Child by Shel Silverstein.

Eliza was reciting her poem all the time, though, and nailed the class recitation.  Her peers chose her as representative for the schoolwide competition, where she was the overall winner for the 5th and 6th graders!  She received a candy bar and a cash prize!  I was sad to miss the competition while I was home recovering from surgery but Suz and Ben were great cheerleaders!

Side note: the competition was held on April Fool's Day, a day which we usually have some fun with at our house.  I knew I wouldn't be celebrating the same way 2 days after surgery, so I made our customary fake sushi a few days early and pulled it out for the kids to have in the morning.  That was the only April Fools prank at our house.  Jack and Eliza reported having fake quizzes at school that day.  Luke was very disappointed that the only joke that was played on him at school was a Flood Drill - where the kids had to get on their desks and pretend to paddle.

Easter & General Conference

We had a great General Conference weekend!  We loved the messages and music of Conference, and having time to just hang out at home.  Ben and the kids and Suz and her family all pitched in to help out with our usual Conference and Easter traditions so even with Mom out of commission all of the bases were covered.

Enjoying a new variety of jelly bean.

The boys got a little rowdy here and there.

And sometimes they looked at Sunday books.

Taking notes and working on her diamond art
helped Eliza focus during Conference.

Cat typed away, taking notes all weekend.

Retsae on Saturday meant kids getting Easter baskets and
having an Easter egg hunt in the back yard.

I think this is Eliza reading her "Skip 1 Day of Piano Practice" coupon.

Ben helped Eliza with her diamond art for a minute.

Working on the little LEGO set that was in his Easter basket
was a great quiet activity for Jack on Sunday.

With Cat in charge, the kids did a great job of making
Resurrection Rolls between sessions on Sunday!

Perfectly hollow.

Eliza helped Luke take Conference notes on this box.
Eliza also took charge of the Conference Bucks on Sunday.

Easter Nest Cookies with Suz

Dyeing Easter eggs with Suz and Whit

Wheat grasss + Easter baskets in the window

Knee Surgery

My ACL/MCL surgery was at the end of March, on the first day the surgeon was available.  I was glad to be able to get it taken care of as soon as possible, since the recovery is so long and I wanted to start getting better as soon as possible.  I also knew it would be good to have Spring Break soon after the surgery so that I wasn't worried about the normal school schedules and stresses (though I felt bad for changing Spring Break plans on the girls).

Suz came over early in the morning to get kids to school
while Ben took me to the hospital for surgery.
She also set up flowers and treats for me to enjoy when I got home.
AND when my surgery ended up getting delayed and we didn't get
back at the time we expected, she also picked the kids up from school.

It was also fun to find the pictures and notes Suz had the kids
make for me in the morning.  This one is from Luke - a Zombie Mom
since my torn ACL was replaced with a cadaver hamstring during
surgery, making me officially part-zombie.  Love it!

My big ol' clunking leg brace meant that I was not only a zombie,
but also a cyborg, albeit one that prefers to sit on the couch.

Luke having fun with my durable medical equipment:

The surgery went well and I only had one semi-serious complication: severe cramping in my calf led to an ultrasound where we found out I had two blood clots.  But I was prescribed a blood thinner and the cramping is just about gone now, thank goodness.  I've started physical therapy and that seems to be going well, though I wish I could be getting better more quickly (but the truth is that I always want things to happen quickly, so that's not new).

Everyone has been great about stepping up and taking care of things for the family and for the house since my surgery.  And they've definitely taken good care of me, bringing me things I needed, keeping me company, and adjusting their routines to make me more comfortable.  It's been a huge blessing that Ben works from home now because he was able to help me during the day when the kids were at school and also drive them to and from school, since I can't drive.  Suz has been incredibly helpful, and we've had help with dinners from other family and friends too!

All in all, I think things are progressing at the expected rate, thanks in large part to the help I've gotten.  I'm thankful to be almost two weeks into the recovery process and looking forward to being able to walk without the big brace in another month or so.