Praise and Promotions

I'm just warning you up front, that this is a proud mama post.  Not an in-your-face, my-kids-are-better-than-your-kids... no.  But hey, I'm proud of these guys!

This young man (pre-surgery photo) is applying to work at CAP's Summer Encampment, called Cascade Falcon.  I have a feeling a ton of cadets apply.  After enduring a week of Boot Camp on a military base (PT at oh-dark-thirty, working your tail off all day long, and being yelled at constantly) wouldn't you want to come back as staff, and be on the other side of it?!  Anyway, I know he has the skills and work ethic to do well, but no idea if he'll get picked.

The Cadre Selection weekend happened to fall immediately after his surgery, (meaning he couldn't attend) so he had to submit a distance application, with a video of him drilling other cadets.

That's not exactly his strong suit, and he'd much rather (and applied to) work in Logistics or D-Fac (dining facility), so we'll see what comes of it all.  His commander wrote him a great letter of recommendation without Tate even asking him.

At any rate, last week was a big week for the Grasshopper boys, as all three were recognized at Commander's Call.

Gunnar had just enough time to pass his drill test...

... given by his brother, but scored objectively...

... to promote to Cadet Airman First Class.  Go, Gunnar!

Tate also promoted - Kerry is pinning his new insignia on.  He's now Cadet Chief Master Sergeant, and the other cadets are supposed to address him as "Chief" instead of "Sergeant".  Very cool.  Well done, Tate!

Wyatt, while not earning a promotion this round, was recognized as the Cadet of the Quarter - quite an accomplishment!

The commander (in the white shirt) just instituted this award at the end of last year, based on a point-system (they earn points for all kinds of things, from attendance to proper uniform wear to promotions).  Love this, as it is OBJECTIVE, not a popularity contest.  I think the top two or three contenders go before a board, so there is a bit of wiggle room to recognize personal effort, circumstances, or what have you, but still... you know whoever gets this award, earned it.

So there's my bragging mom moment.  I'll try not to wear out my welcome ;D

Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, May 12, 2014.

Outside my window... clouds of dogwood blossoms - love this view :D

Hearing...  robins.  Gunnar and I agree - they always sound cheerful.

Pondering...  today was the day to "get back in the groove" (after Tate's surgery).  Go ahead, laugh at me.  Because, yah.  Today...

* Get up

* Prepare schoolwork (did not do this yesterday because Mother's Day = relax)

* Turn on sparkly new computer (more about this later)

* Resist temptation to play/surf

* Start schoolwork with Tate and Gunnar

* During spelling test Gunnar gets a bloody nose (frequent)

* Pause...

* Move on to math with Tate... what in the world is this?

* Remember that Wyatt and I didn't finish the last chapter because what-in-the-world-is-this? and he got an A next year in math at the high school

* Decide to skip last few lessons in the book

* Uncle P drops by with new products from his company (where he works, not owns) and we get to be product testers (this is educational - as in, vocational experience)

* We find a grammatical error on the packaging, reprogram the lock, and complain that the beeping noise it makes is 1. too high pitched and 2. anemic (sounds like the battery is dying, only it's not).  The product itself, however, (a lock box for a handgun) is cool.

* Gunnar and I load up my sparkly new computer along with my elderly and feeble computer and take them both to the computer store for the free data transfer that would've taken me hours

* Cash lawn-mowing check at the credit union

* Pick up doughnuts at favorite bakery

* Make lunch

* Watch Wyatt make funny faces while he eats and suddenly remember that he has orthodontist appointment at 1pm

* Send him upstairs to brush his teeth

* Brush faster

* Make it just on time

* Arrive home to find other boys playing on their new computer

* Contemplate asking them if their schoolwork is done (it's not)

* Remember I forgot to hang the laundry on the line

* Go do this

* Notice elderly next door neighbors in their yard

* Practice the "art of sitting" with my neighbors

* Gunnar joins us

* Tate brings Polly (the bunny) to visit as well

* Defer the rest of school until tomorrow because, of course.

So apparently we ARE back in the groove, because that IS our groove.

Praying...  still praying for our friend from church who is sick with cancer, praying for Tate's continued healing (going great), for good weather this weekend (Wyatt going sailing), and for a good finish to the school year.

Thankful...  Tate is doing fabulously.  The incision was glued this time, instead of stitched, and he no longer has to wear the big head-wrap/bandage during the day.  If you're not squeamish, take a look at how clean the incision looks.  (Anything shiny is the glue, not oozing.)

Reading...  enjoying A Year Down Yonder with the boys, and still reading through Age of Opportunity for me.

Looking forward to...  Wyatt is looking forward to a sailing trip this weekend with a group from his school.  Every year they charter the Zodiac (not my pic) and spend a weekend exploring.

Sweetening the deal, a local grocery store lets the kids make money by selling gift cards.  They get 10% of the value of each card they sell and it costs the buyer nothing (they pay fifty bucks, they get a fifty buck card, Wyatt gets five in his account).  Make sense?  Anyway, his trip will be FREE.

It's mostly for fun, but the kids each have to research and teach a 10-15 minute lesson about something.  Anything they can somehow relate to the experience (knot tying, navigation, whales, tides, geography, etc.)  Wyatt's doing the Pig War, a piece of little-known local history.

In the kitchen...  leftovers!  Salad and baked potatoes - yesterday's menu!

In the learning rooms...  *ahem*   We've already had enough confession for one day ;D  Only five more weeks, counting this one.  And maybe less.  They don't have five weeks of everything left, and as they finish subjects they start accelerating on the others.  Fine with me!

Around the house...  turning the focus outside, with the warmer weather.  Woo-hoo!

The Mother Load...  um, I have a bit of tidying and organizing to do!  (Constantly.)

Something to remember for later...  though I assured the boys (Gunnar, especially) that I had already been gifted VERY generously and didn't need anything else for Mother's Day, they still brought me a card and flowers and chocolate.  Good boys :D  (And - I think - maybe some prompting from Dad :D)

Something fun to share...  oh, truly, I have been VERY generously gifted.  You see, I had a problem.  Admittedly, a First World Problem.  My computer was old.  Elderly.  (2003?  2004?)  And though it was actually working fine (because it's a MAC), it had become too feeble to DO anything.  Anything online.

The poor old thing was overwhelmed by anything moving (videos? no way.)  I could no longer attach anything to an email.  Or make a link.  And some of my favorite blogs?  As soon as the page would load, they would disappear.  Blank screen. 

So Kerry bought me...

... a brand new, shiny, sparkly, iMac :D  And it runs like a dream.

Mother's Day.  Anniversary.  Birthday.  All covered.  Really.

One of my favorite things...  I got a present!  And look, my desk is clean.  For a moment.

A Bible verse...  Be strong and courageous and do the work.  1 Chronicles 28:20
Always good encouragement.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  we are - really, truly, and I mean it this time - going to get back in the groove.  You know, and finish each day's work.

Unless it's sunny and warm and we "need" to work outside.

Because, you know, SUNSHINE.

Later in the week, Wyatt and Tate have their jobs at Thursday motocross.  Wyatt's sailing this weekend.  Gunnar and Tate will probably volunteer at the Heritage Flight Museum on Saturday.

Also, it's our anniversary on Wednesday.

I haven't made any actual plans yet, because of Tate's surgery.  I mean, I really believed he'd do fine, but you know...  We may have to defer any celebration (like a getaway) for just a little while.  Until I can find something in our budget.  Something creative.

A peek into my world...  twenty years ago!

Tate's CI Adventure, Take Two, or This Ain't My First Rodeo

I could almost reprint the post from 2012 (here, if you're interested.)

Grandma Grasshopper accompanied Tate and me to Seattle Children's yesterday.  (Grandpa Grasshopper is away, doing some volunteer work for a remote Christian camp, and Kerry stayed home with the other boys.)

Didn't have to be there too early - check in at 10am.

You see that smile on his face?  He wasn't faking it.

Tate has my admiration for his calm, un-anxious acceptance.

Just like last time, he seemed completely at peace and without fear.

I know that has a lot to do with how well he tolerates the surgery and recovery.

Two years ago, as we drove to Seattle, he said something like,

Mom, do you think there's something wrong with me?

Am I missing something?

Because I'm not worried about this at all.

Like, what's up?

Am I too dumb to worry, or what?

I assured him then, and again this time, that we're all calm and confident,

at peace with the decision as well as the surgeon and the hospital.

That peace in his heart is a gift from God :D

And yes, they do mark which ear they're going to do!

Not sure what the surgeon wrote, but it might be his initials.

Oh the layers...

we checked in and got our name badges.

We checked in on the 6th floor.

We checked in with the surgery reception.

We met with an intake nurse.

We met with the anesthesiologist.

We met with the surgeon.

We met with the OR nurses.

And everyone was completely kind and reassuring,

telling Tate exactly what would happen,

accommodating his wishes and concerns.

And off he went.

He walked off to the OR as unconcerned as if he were going for lunch.

Oh that does this Mama's heart good -

seeing him relaxed, confident...

such a young MAN.

And I was glad to have Grandma there to hang out with.

We grabbed a bite of lunch, read our books,

snoozed in our chairs, and waited...

Until...

... we met a very groggy Tate in his room.

Actually, the surgeon met with us first.

All had gone well.

The CI is placed properly, all 16 electrodes are working,

and his incision - which I saw later - looks great.

No stitches this time - they GLUED it.

(And that doctor had the nicest stitches last time - I was impressed.)

But the glue is a great deal because it apparently seals the wound from germs.

No twice-daily antibiotic cream needed.

Tate dozed for awhile, but by 7pm he was more himself.

Awake and, if not actually hungry, interested in eating.

Chicken noodle soup sounded good, with some crackers.

And some ice cream went down nicely and soothed his throat.

I guess it felt kind of weird and he had a bad taste in his mouth from the breathing tube.

And look!  He got the Red Thumb Upgrade!

(Everybody will want one, now.)

Actually, that thing drove me nuts.

Tate was monitored all night - pulse, breathing rate, oxygenation, etc.

Well, that kid is so fit, and sleeps so soundly,

that his resting heart rate is low.

And every time it dropped below 50bpm,

the alarm went off.

HE couldn't hear it

(no great loss without some small gain?)

but I could.

Four times,

before the nurse turned off that alarm.

On top of all the other routine checks through the night,

and waking him up to take meds once or twice.

And, you know, I had one of those fabulously comfortable

fold-out chair/bed things.

So we were really thankful that this morning he was...

eating and drinking normally,

coping fine with pain,

(on a scale of 1-10 the worst he ever said he was feeling was a 3,

and usually he says a 1 or a 2),

and - a great relief -

not feeling dizzy at all...

so they discharged us :D

I'm so glad we rode down with my mom (Grandma Grasshopper) and Kerry came for us, because I'm not sure I would have been a very alert driver coming home!

Tate is a champ.

If you're not familiar with a Cochlear Implant,

the surgery placed the electrodes into his cochlea.

They're connected to a receiver which is under the skin, above and behind his ear.

But the internal components don't do anything by themselves.

I guess it's kind of like having a (land-line) phone that's not connected to anything yet.

The normal progression of things is that Tate will need two to three weeks to heal before they fit him with the external components - the processor - and activate it.  In other words, he's not hearing anything yet.  But that's the plan.  Activation day sets off a flurry of appointments in Seattle where they continuously adapt the programming of the processor to stimulate the electrodes to customize and maximize what he hears.  He'll also be receiving weekly therapy through the summer to help him adapt to the new sounds he's hearing.  (Because it's REALLY WEIRD at first!)

But for now...

we are thanking and praising God for how well things are going!


* PS *

Tate CAN hear through the processor he received two years ago.
He's not getting any "new" hearing until activation day (May 27),
but he's hearing essentially what he was the day before the surgery.

Ta ta...

(Sad) Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, May 5, 2014

Outside my window...  rain this morning, and clearer skies now.

Spring weather is very changeable.

Hearing...  a crow.  Not my favorite bird 'song'.

Pondering...  we've had a sad weekend.  Our beloved rabbit Podger died.

We don't know what of.

He appeared fine on Thursday and we found him dead on Friday.

Nothing had gotten at the cage.

Praying...  still praying for our church friend who is fighting leukemia,

always praying for work for Kerry (he has some, just that it will keep coming),

and...

Tate's surgery is in two days!

Thankful...  I just paid all the bills - hallelujah.

The boys are over-the-moon excited that

the computer they ordered arrived today.

Going...  to get dinner going SOON.

Reading...  stalled for lack of personal time.

Finished the N.D. Wilson series with the boys, and we're reading Richard Peck's

A Long Way From Chicago and A Year Down Yonder.

Looking forward to...  better hearing for Tate :D

In the kitchen...  feeling very uninspired.

In the learning rooms...  what with having my niece here last week, and being in Seattle for a couple of days for surgery this week, we've spread one week of homeschool over two weeks,

so not much on my plate this week

(at least, as far as school).

Around the house...  moving things around to make room for the new computer (and desk and chair - thank you, Craigslist).  And Easter things to put away.

The Mother Load...  is whirling around me like salad in a spinner,

but I'm focusing on Tate and surgery.

I am running out of steam... so I leave you with a few photos of Podger.

And...

Behind the Moon

Did you ever see the movie Apollo 13?  There's a bit where the astronauts - who are in a precarious position - have to orbit around the moon in order to use its gravitational pull to "slingshot" them back to earth.  Right before they go behind the moon, and out of radio contact with earth, one of the astronauts says to Houston, "See you on the other side." 

Kind of how I feel when we have Naomi here for a few days.  We love it, but I do feel disconnected from my "normal".  I know if we had a toddler around full time, we'd adapt to a new normal, but since she's only here for a visit, we put a lot on hold.

I mean, look at that face...  wouldn't you? :D

I tell Gunnar that God is preparing him to be an AWESOME dad, 

because he is so helpful with Naomi.

Actually he's great with kids in general, but the two of them have a special bond.

There was lots of playing in the bath,

(especially after playing in the mud puddles)...

... trying to slide on this slope by the stairs...

... snuggling with Gunnar and trying to talk him out of his watch,

(I know it's not a great pic of her, but I love how she's so completely relaxed in his arms)...

... watching people and animals go by...

(though she thought the deer were goats, and wanted to hug them... ???)

... and lots and lots of going to the park...

... actually, FOUR parks...

... because somebody could swing all day long.

She loved to take a pile of books over to the bottom step

(a just-her-size seat) by the window and 

"Read-a-book".

I'd offer to read to her, and sometimes she would accept,

but often she'd say, 

" 'self."

She was pretty excited about her very own little doughnut

at our favorite bakery.

Pink! With sprinkles!

Then, yesterday it was time to watch at the window for Daddy...

... and what a happy reunion that was!

So now we're sliding back into our normal groove.

Well, as normal as things ever get around here.

And looking forward to the next visit :D

Ah. Maz. Ing.

I just had an entire (short) conversation with Tate about his schoolwork right before he went to bed.  He had some questions about his reading and when he needed to finish certain things.  We cleared it up.

As we finished, I looked more closely at him and realized - no CI.  He'd already taken it off for bed.

He was lip-reading the whole time.

He is amazing.

Thursday Brain Dump

The week is flying by.  

1.  I had my interview-that-was-more-like-an-audition on Tuesday evening - teaching a sample class for adults.  We'll have to see what pans out.  

In our county we have LOTS of homeschoolers.  Some families want to continue homeschooling, but as their kids get older, they have one or two subjects they either don't fell confident in, or don't enjoy teaching, or (?) For whatever reason, they want to "sub out" that subject to someone else.

Enter ZLO - Zaccheus Learning Opportunities.

Technically, that's tutoring.  But if you group a few tutors together, with a few students each, it's a sort-of-kind-of-almost-but-not-exactly a school.  Usually four to ten students per teacher.  Group tutoring.  Not accredited.  Not under the control or supervision of the government, so free to teach from a Biblical perspective.

Some of my friends' kids attend ZLO and I've always heard great things, but we've never taken any classes there.  But they're looking for more teachers, so I've offered to teach the science that I'll be doing with Gunnar next year.  Hence, the sample lesson.

If they approve me, well... then we'll just have to see if any students sign up.  I'm kind of ambivalent.  It's very comfortable to just stay home, work though Apologia's General Science with Gunnar, and stay in my comfort zone.  But Gunnar would really enjoy the interaction with the other kids and it would probably be a good challenge for me.

Whether my style of teaching is a good fit for other homeschool families remains to be seen!

2.  Our neighbors continue their quest to kill their lawn.  No, I"m not joking.

I'm thrilled at the way they've attacked the ivy - it really opens things up!

But wait, there's more...

They've spread truckload after truckload

of rocks, gravel, bark, and dirt over the grass.

On the one hand, it's THEIR YARD and I'm happy for them to do whatever they want on THEIR PROPERTY.  As I'd like to be left alone to do whatever I want on my property.  (Like cut down a tree that threatens the house, for instance.)

But on the other hand, it irks me that my tax dollars are paying for their yard work.

Yah.  The environmental-overkill liberals in our town are using our tax money to PAY homeowners to kill their lawns.

Because grass is EVIL.

I get that too much phosphorus getting in the lake is a bad thing.

But guess how many times I've fertilized my lawn.

0.

Yah, zero.

You don't have to make sense to make legislation.

3.  With our cloudy spring skies we've had some dramatic sunsets.

The light was so warm and golden it looks kind of fall-ish,

but I took these just last Saturday.

4.  Gunnar requested I take photos of this bumblebee.

You can actually eat the flowers of this Oregon Grape if you like tart flavors!

5.  Speaking of Gunnar...  someone didn't want to get up yesterday morning.

CAP nights are kind of late.

6.  My boys - who call these things "dumb cars" - found this hilarious.

7.  Gunnar is entering his Disneyland countdown.  Less than two months until his big trip!

8.  But more immediately exciting...  Naomi, aka Cindy-Lou-Who,

is coming for a visit.

Glad to have her.

Also, anticipating that my free time will be severely reduced.

Blogging will resume when life gets back to normal.

Normal?

Oh, I crack myself up.