Category Archives: Travel

What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger

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Or so the saying goes. And perhaps that may be true for the boys. But I’m beginning to wonder if all the 3 Amigos’ falls, bumps, bruises, scrapes, gashes, maladies and injuries aren’t going to put me in an early grave. This stuff can stress out an old mama like me.

So here we are, tending to Houston’s mending arm and dealing with all the to-dos that come along with his recovery: cast removal on 8/6; getting a removable hard splint; the twins and I accompanying him to physical therapy twice a week; applying a heat pad and doing arm-extension exercises at home; keeping the arm safe, etc.

Woody & the Injured Boys: Sounds like a great band name for a couple brothers who are bound & determined to get boo boos.

But really, things are good. Houston has gained back a lot of flexibility, mobility, strength and use, especially in extending his arm out straight. In fact, he improved by 5 degrees just this week.

Houston does have ways to go with bending his arm, though, which is not surprising due to the severity of his break. We’re optimistic overall and are just taking it one day at a time. Please still keep our tough guy in your prayers!

“Write your injuries in dust, your benefits in marble.” — Benjamin Franklin

So on 8/14, we met some of our CC friends at a park few towns over for some fun in the unseasonably temperate weather. Houston worked his arm responsibly and the twins had great success in bike riding on the playground’s flat, paved surface.

As I was packing up the van, I heard Zeke wailing. He had fallen from the play equipment and had a huge, golf-ball size lump on the back of his head. I think I went into mother shock ’cause some of the details after that are kind of blurry.

Stephen is now giving the kids Spanish lessons every Sunday for an hour — a longtime goal of ours that is finally happening & everyone is loving it!

I didn’t see the accident and there are differing accounts as to what happened. Some eye-witness parents told me that Zeke hit his head on a metal pole when coming down, while the kids said his head only hit the ground (which was luckily covered with ultra-safe shredded-rubber mulch).

But what everyone did agree on is that Zeke fell from a very high height, which Miss Christie estimated to be about 15 feet. And thank God my dear friend was there ’cause I was pretty much speaking in tongues when I called Stephen, so he had to talk to Christie to figure out what had happened and then the best course of action.

Fortunately, Zeke wasn’t puking or blacking out or doing anything much other than crying. But due to the extreme elevation of his plummeting descent, Stephen wanted me to meet him at the ER. So, Christie led me out of the semi-unfamiliar town to the the highway, until I was on a recognizable route and could speed away toward the hospital.

From Lincoln logs to Legos, the 3 Amigos are passionate about constructing things out of tiny pieces & then inevitably crashing their creations down.

The CT-scan showed that all of the swelling was happening on the outside of Zeke’s head and that his brain was fine — no bleeding or contusions or distension going on inside my sweet boy’s head. Thanks (again), Lord!

And according to Zeke, he and Asher had been playing an intense game on the towering platform, which required him to chase Asher with his eyes … wait for it … closed! I’m telling ya, I really abhor helicopter moms, constantly hovering over their kids and their every move.

“Raising children is an uncertain thing; success is reached only after a life of battle and worry.” — Democritus

But perhaps I should take a closer look at this modern phenomena and attempt to reattach the umbilical cord, for safety concerns, of course. Obviously, I’m kidding.

But c’mon … can’t my boys just be a little more careful? Or do I have to become an overbearing, overprotective zealot? Surely, there’s a compromise somewhere in there. Hopefully, we’ll figure all that out before I have a trauma-induced heart attack!

I keep telling Gabriel that if he (my boy who is most like a bull in a china shop) can avoid major injury during childhood, it will prove to be an amazing story for he & brothers to share w/ their own kids one day.

Even if the self-induced injuries were nil, there are still always medical concerns that can eat away at a parent. As you know, Houston has Horner’s Syndrome, which we were fairly certain was caused by an injury to his sympathetic pathway during birth.

Yet, there was always that slight concern that the condition was due to something other than birth trauma, like a mass or tumor in the chest or neck, which in turn, affects the ocular muscles. Our local eye doctor has always been great and given Houston phenomenal care.

But with Houston’s semi-frequent headaches, auras and nosebleeds (and Obama-care looming), we wanted to put to rest any serious concerns once and for all. So, we headed to the Duke Eye Center on Tuesday to see one of the country’s leading pediatric neuro-opthalmologists.

Now that summer’s almost over, this pre-injury pic of the dudes swimming w/ Daddy reminds us that we’ll have to get the boys their aquatic fix @ the YMCA’s indoor pool this fall & winter.

As we had hoped and prayed, it was confirmed that Houston’s syndrome is indeed congenital and, thankfully, not a severe case at that. The doc said we might want to consider cosmetic surgery for his ptosis down the road.

Stephen and I figure that we’ll discuss the eye-lid-correction procedure (which is a routine, day-surgery kind of thing) with Houston when he’s older and can make an informed decision on his own. But for now, all is well.

Other than all that heart-rending medical stuff with the kids, I recently underwent my first mammogram, which was pure torture! I also found out that I now have tendonitis in my left thumb. I love the wisdom that comes with age, but I could surely do without this lame body!

August hasn’t been all doctors and hospitals, though. We really have managed to have quite a good month regardless of all the healthcare happenings.

Zeke & Houston get giddy over a dancing ghost @ Cracker Barrel, where we stopped for lunch en route home from the Duke Eye Center in Durham.

On 8/7, Miss Christie had us over for cupcakes and ice cream for Jackson’s 4th birthday. We then hit their neighborhood pool for what was our first swim since Houston’s accident. Everyone took like fishes to water, and it was a pleasant, injury-free outing.

On 8/12, we went to the sprayground for the very first time this summer with Miss Beth and the boys. We had a grand time and plan on going again tomorrow with the J-Crew.

On 8/13, I took the dudes to see Despicable Me 2, which was Gabriel and Zeke’s first real movie (meaning at the theater and not a dollar flick). Their obsession with Gru and company continues unabated, so much so that we are even toying with the idea of them dressing as minions for Halloween.

Another thing the 3 Amigos are really into is Pink Floyd. It started when Daddy and they watched a documentary about the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Pompeii in 79 AD.

A tad perturbed by the fact that Mommy will only let them spend $1 from each of their piggy banks on video games, the 3 Amigos gather in front of the Tim the Minion poster after seeing “Despicable Me 2.”

Somehow, this morphed into viewing video clips of Live at Pompeii, the 1972 concert film in which the band performs in one of the Italian city’s ancient amphitheaters. The boys are especially enthusiastic about the movie’s version of the ethereal song “Echoes.”

Also on their fave Floyd playlist is GoodBye Blue Sky from the 1979 masterpiece, The Wall. Even though it’s a spooky, foreboding song about the Blitz of the U.K. by Nazi Luftwaffe during WWII, the dudes find it utterly appealing.

From British progressive rock and American punk (particularly The Ramones’ Beat on the Brat), to classic country and contemporary Christian hits on K-Love, the kids have quite a diverse ear for music. And luckily, Stephen and I would have it no other way!

The dudes stand in front of a beehive during a visit to Historic Orchard @ Altapass during their time in the mountains for the Houston Family Reunion.

Last weekend, Stephen and the boys went to the mountains for the annual Houston Family Reunion. Other than the accidental deaths of Amarillo (a yellow caterpillar from home) and Zebra (a found caterpillar from Granny’s), they enjoyed seeing family, some from nearby and others from afar.

I stayed behind to clean and reorganize the house, since we had our walls, ceilings and all trim professionally painted earlier in the week. The mess was definitely similar to that of a move and my work is not yet complete. Sigh.

But the casa already looks great! It’s amazing how much dirt and funk some spackle, primer and a fresh coat of quality paint in beautiful colors can hide. Plus, I’m confident I’ll have things in working order by the official kick-off our homeschool year on 9/3. Yee haw!

“In summer, the song sings itself.”

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First off, Houston’s recovery is going amazingly well thus far and he has a nice attitude to boot (which is saying something, since big bro’s usually quite pooty when he’s sick). Honestly, Houston’s biggest complaint these days is his itchy left arm. Yeah, casts are very unforgiving in that regard.

As far as the fall goes, Houston explains, “It just felt like a growing pain. That was it.” I assume he was in physical shock right then due to the severity of the injury. It’s just an awesome thing the way God made our bodies capable of coping with such immense pain.

Asher & Houston, a.k.a. Big Hashy, get rowdy after seeing a Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game for Houston’s 6th birthday!

And the couple instances that Houston’s elbow has hurt him during this week’s recovery, he describes that too as “a growing pain” sensation, but with a “burning” feeling. Luckily, those episodes have been rare and fleeting.

Since the healing seems to be going fairly well, Houston and I met up with the J-Crew at the Science Center’s brand-new aquarium (shhhh, don’t tell Gabe and Zeke, who are still staying with Gramsey and Papa). I was a tad apprehensive about the outing, but Houston did a great job of using his noodle and playing it safe.

Our season before the broken elbow was bustling and brimming with fun. As the quote from William Carlos Williams says in this blog’s title, summertime’s magic has a way of doing that, despite the heat and the almost daily downpours of rain.

“But now I am six,
I’m as clever as clever.
So I think I’ll be six
now and forever.”
— A.A. Milne

Houston’s birthday was on 6/26. He got to pick the outing for his celebration and Houston chose going to a Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball game. Stephen worked a half day and then we headed downtown with the birthday boy, brothers and Houston’s best bud, Asher, to catch the daytime double header.

Zeke works hard washing Daddy’s car, which was Stephen’s Father’s Day gift from the 3 Amigos & Mommy!

It was an extremely steamy day, but luckily, Daddy bought us shady seats behind home plate. All the dudes behaved impressively well, especially considering the heat and the lengthy playtime, and learned a bit more about America’s Pastime by drilling Daddy for some play-by-play information.

Houston and Asher even got to participate in some between-innings entertainment on the field with bat dog, Miss Babe Ruth. Each was supposed to try to coax the black lab over to grab a baseball, but she kind of brushed past the both of them. Houston ended up winning a shirt and “Big Hashy” got to be seen by all on the stadium’s big screen.

That evening, we had neighbors Dixie and Maddie, as well as CC buddies, Alex and Olivia (who also live nearby) over for cake and ice cream. Asher stayed for a sleepover, rounding out the day’s birthday activities.

Gabriel relaxes in Miss Heather’s pool back in mid-June; he no longer needs the inflatable dolphin, since he & bros swim like fishes these days!

But the festivities continued on when Aunt Dina and Cousin Kara rolled into town the following day, staying till 6/29. It’s always great seeing our Virginia crew … thanks for the fun visit, girls!

“Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

From 6/30-7/5, we took our greatly anticipated low-key family vacation to Surfside Beach, SC. We stayed in a hotel (mostly paid for with points from Stephen work travel days!) and didn’t do much more than play in the surf and sand, hit the hotel pool and hot tub, and eat out at good restaurants.

It was particularly relaxing for me, since there was no laundry, no dirty dishes, no housework period. Ah, how incredible it is to use a fresh towel every day when you take a bath … or have someone else prepare your meals and deal with all the clean up.

The weather was tempestuous the first part of the week. Huge, dark clouds would roll in and rain (and sometimes hail) would pour, yet beach-goers kept on doing their thing. It’s like we all collectively shook our fists at the sky and said, “Stormy weather can’t chase us away from our vacations that easily!”

They ain’t scared! … Houston & Stephen are steadfast in battling Surfside Beach’s onslaught of summertime storms.

One turbulent storm, though, gave the kids quite a fright. The temperature dropped in an instant and violent winds battered the beach. In fact, Stephen had to hold on to our canopy with both hands and I with one, while my other arm wrapped around our shivering, cold and scared boys.

We survived, were no worse for the wear and just kept on plugging away at vacation. Ah, such is life at the beach.

Independence Day “ought to be celebrated by pomp and parade … and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other.” — John Adams

Of course, the 4th of July featured some impressive fireworks, most of which were amateur shows put on by other vacationing families. But from our hotel balcony, we could also see the faraway professional fireworks displays north over Myrtle Beach and south over the Surfside Pier … pretty cool to be able to view such a patriotic spectacle while wearing pajamas!

Gabriel, Zeke & Houston pose for the obligatory shot under a palmetto, the state tree & enduring symbol of South Carolina. And yes, according to brothers’ shirts, I suppose Gabe did it!

The 3 Amigos swimming really blossomed while at the beach. Before vacation, the kiddos has been working diligently on their aquatic skills: at Miss Christie’s community pool; in our neighbor Miss Heather’s above-ground pool; with our CC pals, Miss Rissa and her kids (the aforementioned Alex and Olivia); and at the Y with Daddy.

And with each water adventure, the boys improved by leaps and bounds. And that was no exception at the beach. They swam confidently in the ocean, tackling waves and handling their few tumbles in the water like such brave, determined dudes.

“The water is your friend. You don’t have to fight with water, just share the same spirit as the water, and it will help you move.” — Aleksandr Poplov, Olympic gold-winning swimmer

And their aptitude for swimming continued to unfold and impress in the hotel pool, with Houston pretty much “officially” swimming and the twins being not too far behind. Way to plug away at it, darlings! I promise to take y’all for lots of indoor swimming at the Y when summer’s over and Houston’s arm is healed.

Gabriel & Zeke try to befriend one of the peacocks @ the Science Center, where we love to visit outside sunny days or inside on rainy days.

June was particularly challenging on the home front because Zeke decided to make a (thankfully brief) return to the dreaded stage of toddler tantrums. They weren’t daily, but their intensity certainly harkened back to the age-2 episodes of yore.

One day, Zeke started to have a meltdown when leaving church on the last day of VBS, that is, until he saw the baptismal fountain/pool. He looked at me, smiled and simply said, “It washed away my sin, Mommy!” And so the freak-out had run its course. Amazing!

That was such a miraculous happening that we joked about making our own baptismal at home in order to help Zeke gain his composure, if necessary, at our makeshift holy spot. Interestingly, the tantrums started to subside around this time, and all has been happy on that front ever since vacation.

Perhaps seaweed was the clincher, but Zeke’s aberrant behavior began to turn around @ the baptismal fountain last month & was near-perfect @ the beach. Way to transition, Z-Bird!

Last but not least, I want to send a shout out to Granny for her constant visits to help us with the 3 Amigos, giving us some much-appreciated spare time to tend to our to dos and also to cherish each other as husband and wife, not just mom and dad. You’re awesome, Granny!

And a huge thanks goes out to Gramsey and Papa, too. We are truly grateful to y’all for taking Gabriel and Zeke for the last six days and nights, so that Houston could heal as best as possible this first week since surgery. Our Virginia posse rocks!

Our first family camping trip!

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We did it … we all survived our first family camping trip! The grand adventure took place from 5/17-5/19 at Myrtle Beach State Park. And to make things even more exciting, we went with our good pals, the J-Crew: Christie, Logan, Asher, Jackson and Piper.

The campground was packed with a diverse array of outdoor enthusiasts and a few family-friendly motorcyclists visiting the Grand Strand for Bike Weekend. In fact, our first night there, we fell asleep to the constant hum of popping, revving and roaring of bikers cruising the beach streets.

Stinky, tired, bug-bitten & sunburned, the J-Crew &  Clan Dillingham manage to get a group shot on the day of our departure.

The second night was filled more with the sounds of nature and many native critters welcomed us to their subtropical forest home. Mosquitoes buzzed about in the surprisingly windless air. Copperheads were spotted at a nearby picnic table. And once the sun set, raccoons brazenly trolled the campsites in search of human food.

Admittedly, our six kids together made for some wildlife of their own, offering up quite the comedy show for our mellow neighbors from Quebec. But the Canadian couple was cool, and it was only expected that our brood was just a tad overstimulated with their introduction to the wonderful world of camping.

Of course, our exhilarating trip also entailed treks to the ocean, and unlike last summer, the 3 Amigos were confident at the beach! The were comfortable in the water and sand, and just relaxed, frolicked and had fun in the sun. We’re looking forward to going back to Myrtle for our family vacation (in a hotel) in July!

A gleeful Gabriel uses two light sabers to battle the surf @ Myrtle Beach.

Overall, the camping experience was a positive one, with some mistakes made, many lessons learned, and lots of good times and memories made. Can’t wait to put our new 10-person tent to use again for the next excursion to some place mountainous and a bit closer to home.

We kicked off our post-camping recuperation early morning on 5/20 with Houston’s adenoidectomy and tonsillectomy. It was an outpatient-procedure that went smoothly, thank God, and rather quickly to boot.

The recovery, on the other hand, has been rough and prolonged. In fact, at Houston’s ENT check-up just last week, the doc said he’s only 80% healed. Each day seems a bit better than the previous and Houston’s sleep apnea has all but vanished, but my brave boy still complains of some lingering throat pain on occasion.

An intent Zeke braces himself in anticipation of the next big wave.

And then if recovering from surgery weren’t enough, the entire family (sans Stephen) has been battling a nasty illness the last couple weeks. It started with Gabriel, whose fever and cough caused him to miss AWANA closing ceremonies on 5/29.

By the next morning, Zeke was hacking, too, so I took the twins the doc. Told it was just a gnarly virus working its way through town, the ailment eventually nabbed Houston, me and even Granny. Our regimen of over-the-counter meds has helped, but none of us is feeling ultra-healthy quite yet.

So, the boys and I had two weeks of major unproductivity. There was little schooling and structure, lots of TV watching and napping, and virtually no outdoor play, and our lethargic moods were accentuated by unusually tasteless food (for Houston’s tender throat) and a general feeling of listlessness.

Although Daddy told Houston & Asher tales of mermen smelling of cucumber, Houston wasn’t dissuaded from taking on the Atlantic & its chilly waves.

Luckily, Daddy never got sick, so he was able to tend to us. Plus, Granny came to visit for Memorial Day weekend to help with Houston’s post-op recovery and also made an emergency trek to town the following weekend to care for the virus sufferers. Sorry we got you sick, Granny!

Getting back in the swing of things, Houston and I kicked off June by finally completing his kindergarten phonics curriculum (although the book says he now is proficient at a second-grade reading level). Whatever … we’re just psyched we survived our first year of phonics and that we can spend the summer gobbling up books galore.

And just when I think I’ve hit a milestone as an educator, Houston proclaims that Ms. Frizzle from his current favorite show, The Magic School Bus, “is the coolest teacher ever.” My immediate reply: “Hey now, I think I get that honor, son.”

Munching on quickie snacks while patiently waiting for the fire to get going is par for the course when camping.

I mean, I might not have a bus that can jet through space or explore the depths of the ocean floor, but I did give my child the gift of literacy, for goodness sake! That should count for some level of coolness, right?!

And just when I needed it most, the CC Practicum took place in Burlington from 6/4-6/6. While the twins attended Play Camp and Houston Geo-Art Camp, I participated in discussions and workshops on this year’s theme: The Art of Arithmetic.

“You cannot teach a man anything, you can only help him find it within himself.” — Galileo

After all, Leigh Bortins, the creator of Classical Conversations, got her degree in aerospace engineering. So she wants to demystify arithmetic for home educators, especially those who have told themselves they just aren’t math people (read: me!)

Houston climbs into the kayak for an ocean voyage that didn’t last pass the breaking waves. Oh well, maybe next time, Mr. Logan!

Here’s the gist of what I learned: Human beings shouldn’t be excluded from any realm of knowledge, and that includes the challenging pursuits of mathematics. So, the more we understand math, the more we can understand beauty and the Creator who made it.

“Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe.” — Galileo

God is expressed through math in its absoluteness. Math, like God, is unchanging, consistent, orderly and logical. God is the “eternal inventor” of arithmetic, and it’s a privilege to be able to stretch our minds through all learning to better understand our magnificent and benevolent Heavenly Father.

This line of thinking is music to my ears, since I have always struggled with math. So, not only will I be teaching my children all subjects and their connected relationships through our awesome Creator, but I will also be redeeming my own education in the process. Good news!

From superheroes & pirates to cowboys, cops & fire fighters, & shows like “Samurai Jack” to Sunday school studies of the Old Testament battles of Jericho and Ai, the boys incorporate all their current likes into an armed mass of powerful weaponry.

The practicum also serves as fellowship between we Christian sisters (and a few brothers) and a way to foster relationships in the greater homeschool community. It aims to encourage and equip us a parents and teachers, so that we know we can achieve our education goals, even on those inevitable rough days.

The practicum reminds us that that we want our students to desire knowledge, and that each child is “a soul to be nurtured, not a product to be measured.” The annual events are part therapy, part instruction and part sermon — just what the doctor ordered for the tired homeschool mama!

On 6/7, we continued the fun with a few of our fellow CC families and hit Backyard Paradise for the June-birthday-boys bash. Of the six kids from Ms. Murphy’s Abecedarian class, four (including Houston on 6/26) have birthdays this month.

Off to church on Mother’s Day: I could ask for no better gift than my beautiful boys & wonderful husband … I’m so blessed!

So, we moms gathered all six boys and their siblings at the outdoor-play-equipment facility and celebrated the special June occasions. And for gifts, we did a book swap, which worked out great for the kids and didn’t break the parents’ banks.

The next day, Daddy took the 3 Amigos on the first boys-only outing in a while. They chose to go swimming at the Y, and had a blast showing off their matured swimming skills and using their new goggles.

This week, the boys are doing Vacation Bible School at Westover. The dudes absolutely love getting to hang with old friends, and enjoy learning about Paul’s journey to Athens, as well this year’s mission focus on India’s rail children. VBS rocks!