Strawberry Crawfish

For Labor Day we were invited to go to Strawberry Reservoir with some friends. Despite the cold temperatures the kids and adults had fun catching craw fish for lunch. Ethan was really into it- and "accidentally" got wet more than once. From shoes and socks, jeans and shirt. Oh well- that's a boy for you! He had fun drying out in the cold wind later since I had neglected to foresee this problem and bring him a change of clothes. Ethan became quite the fisherman and loved picking up the craw fish with his bare hands. Erin became Jeff's right hand girl and collected all his catch into the net and then dumped it in the bucket. Katelyn was at the water's edge for a few minutes, but then decided to come sit by me on a little higher ground. I didn't trust myself climbing over rocks (great balance at 36 weeks pregnant) and became the official photographer.

After catching for a while it was time to boil the catch. Ethan ate one, said it was delicious, but decided that was enough. There was also fruit, corn, potatoes, salads, and hot dogs for the less adventurous of us. (Myself included.) It was our first time to Strawberry Reservoir and craw fishing. We will have to try both again sometime. Thanks to the Beagley's for the invitation!!

Cast Off!

After four short (but sometimes rather long) weeks it was time to get Erin's cast off. She was a pro because after only 10 days she had already gotten her cast replaced due to some padding coming out. This time was much less scary and more exciting.


Erin 's last cast picture.

The saw.

Peeling back the cast.

Yea! Erin's new arm. The x-rays came back clear and she just has to wear a brace for two weeks while doing anything "dangerous". Much better than a full time cast.

Back to School

I can't believe that it's already here! Back to school. I am a little sad to see it come so soon. I will definitely miss the lazy summer days of late nights and sleeping late in the mornings.


Erin is in second grade and is in Miss Wasden's class. She is excited to see all of her friends again. She starts school with her cast, but will get it off in two more weeks.

Erin loves her new backpack and wanted to make sure we got a picture of it this morning. :)

Ethan is in 5th grade now. He told me the last few days that he is ready to go back to school because summer is getting boring. He is excited to have his teacher, Mrs. Terry, and that his best friend Trey is in his class.

Erin at her new desk. (Ethan was too cool to let me take his picture in the classroom.)

A Camping We Did Go

We went camping for a last hurrah before school started. The kids were so excited to go. I figured at 33 weeks pregnant my bed was just as uncomfortable as an air mattress, so why not? A big thanks to the Gillmans for sharing their toys and making the weekend fun. Ethan passed off some Webelos requirements and help set up the tent, and started a fire. There was time for swimming, exploring, Rhino and 4-wheeler rides, and plenty of playing with friends. I didn't take very many pictures, but here are a few.

Erin woke up first in the morning (a little after 7am) and was plenty cheerful, even after not going to sleep until after midnight.


KK is our sleeper girl. She stayed up past midnight too, but slept in until after 9am. Even with all the noise around.

Jeff spent the afternoon exploring the mountains with the guys on the 4-wheelers and the Rhino. He got plenty dirty, but now has a new item on his wish list. I told him that we definitely need a new house and a garage first. Boys and their toys!



Having some dinner before we left for the night. One night in a tent was enough for me. The kids were definitely sad and not ready to leave yet. Hopefully next summer we can get more camping trips in. It was really a good time!

Things that go BUMP in the Night

No, not some scary monster that was hiding under the bed. It was Erin fast asleep, who fell off her top bunk bed at 2am Tuesday morning. After some late night diagnostics and ice, Erin went back to bed and we decided to wait and see how her wrist felt in the morning.

In the morning, it was a little swollen. Erin wasn't in any major pain, but because she was still not really using it I decided to make an appointment at the doctor's office. The doctor poked and prodded, and gave us the option of an x-ray now, or wait a few days to see if Erin's wrist was still bothering her. We were so close that I just took her over for x-rays then. I just had that gut feeling that we should go.

Later that night we heard back from the pediatrician. "You're not going to believe this..." is not a great way to start a conversation. Erin had a buckle fracture in both her radius and ulna below the wrist. According to the radiologist's notes there was something about the growth plate too.

This sent us to the orthopedic specialist yesterday. Erin got to trade in her brace for a more fashionable light blue cast. We were able to get a waterproof one this time, which should make life easier. (Ethan's cast story here.)

Erin was one brave girl. We also learned that she has a high pain tolerance and hasn't asked for any medicine during this whole ordeal. (Although I did give her some one night just because.) She is having fun collecting signatures. She will be starting school with her newest fashion accessory. She will go back in a month for more x-rays. Hopefully then she'll just be back in a brace for a little while longer.

The brace.





Her new light blue cast.

Wheeler Farm

The Lewis Family Reunion was at Wheeler Farm this year. There was lots of fun things to do while waiting for dinner. Some of the highlights:

* Seeing cows, chickens, pigs, ducks, goats and horses. Katelyn being scared to death of the chickens- she wouldn't turn around for a picture by them in case one moved too close and pecked her.

* Ethan and Erin milked a real cow. K would only watch and didn't even want to pet the cow. As soon as Erin was done milking the cow it decided to pee all over. She recieved some minor splash on her legs.

*Getting pictures taken on a way old rusty tractor.

*Playing in the old chicken coop, and Ethan pretending he was stuck in some sort of jail.

*Ethan "tries" out the old outhouse- he asked me to take his picture posing and then told me to put it on my blog. HA!

Swimming Lessons

This year all three kiddos were in swimming lessons. We just finished up a few weeks ago. All the kids passed their levels and did extremely well. Katelyn was my biggest surprise though. Before swim lessons she didn't want to get her face or ears wet and hated being splashed. Something clicked in her the first day, and she turned into a little fish! She now loves to go under water, swims all around and will even jump off the diving board and go down water slides! It has been amazing to see her confidence grow.

* On the way home from lessons one day Katelyn told me to "crank up the tunes!" I was so shocked to hear her say that- but after I recovered I turned on the radio and laughed most of the way home. She sure has a personality!