"Rebel Yell"

I can't imagine many things in this world that could possibly draw the attention away from my almost 8-year-old boy while eating his spectacularly tasty warm apple pie with it's ice-cream topper at Grandma's house.

Except that is...Grandpa with the promise of shooting a BB gun.

She loads, she points, she aims...she fires! So long says the can in the pasture. Time for some baseball, Madeline ponders while waiting her turn to bat...Noah in the outfield.

Later on in the weekend Sam discovers the base guitar. Now, he says, we are talking! Rob shared his pinnacle moment at 10/11 years when he & his cousin heard 'Rebel Yell' by Billy Idol. It was his moment of clarity...he knew he needed to play music. Well, Rob pulled up You Tube & told Madeline & Sam to prepare

for their socks to be knocked off!

Knocked off they were indeed. Sam said he had his moment of clarity...he wants his own base guitar, with his own amp. A future Scientist no-longer he says; I reminded him that being a mad-scientist could totally be a hobby...he has his whole life to decide. He wanted none of that; only an amp. So now we hunt through the classifieds for a used base guitar...and amp.

Meanwhile Noah is just enjoying the show...

and Madeline continues to knock all of our socks off...stay tuned to a music store near you featuring Sam's debut album ???

Cousins!

Noah started off his weekend with a cow-boy-bang! Well, and a runny nose...just to throw any bad guys off track. Then it was off to Savannah! The amount of fun that was had over Saturday/Sunday was so plentiful I don't think I would be giving it justice to sum up the amount of 'awesomeness' . There was ice-cream, swimming, giggles, memories, and life-long bonds were made, seeds for the future & hope of a reunion next summer were born.Noah Baker
The 1st grader, 2nd grader & Kindergartener...calculating the most extreme jump that would ever be jumped by these plotting cousins.

Madeline jumps....
It's a 10!
Now off to the football/soccer field for Sam's first game of the season. Madeline practicing her soccer moves.

Sam practicing throwing...(terrific throw!)
Meanwhile Rob comes over & chats with Sam while he awaits his turn to jump in...

Swish!

Sunday Drive

Rob showed the kiddos where he & his buddies in high school used to jump off the bridge into the river; when the water was up. In between the corn & some soy beans lay a small bridge, that has since been fixed. It is no longer the old iron looming kind.The kiddos started on the journey down, down, down...Madeline started out, but then some poke-y plants poked her...and up, up, up she came! Now it was off to explore a few different places in the country on our Sunday drive.
We found a great patch of wild flowers...

Madeline decided they smelled alright; but were pretty...spidery & buggy. Now to look way down at the river from the bridge...

All the while Noah looking for bad-guys...

He checked out this spot; coast was clear, we were on our way. Ended up going to Grpa/Grma's for a picnic in the back-yard; it was a great way to end our weekend!
Yum!

Madeline scores the first pumpkin @ Grma's of the season...well, between her & Noah Baker it may be replaced by the 2nd pumpkin of the season soonish...Which brings us to the end of last weekend. My favorite thing to see these days- is Sam in the recliner nose in a comic book. It has just occurred to him (almost over night) that he can read! Such empowerment, now he's off & running. He reads me the online comic strip in the mornings before school...it's really really really great to have a 2nd grader.

MRI part II

"Left frontal atrophy"

AKA brain shrinkage.

What the *%$@?!

So this, dear reader, is the part where I take a deep breath and assure you that it looks worse than it is. Probable. But still. Look at it. Ew. In case your not sure what your looking at...it's that chunk, piece, bite out of the top middle part of my brain. Weird huh? Overwhelming at best. BUT, a few very good points to be made here. Yes there were several white spots this time (I don't have those slides downloaded yet) but those come & go. I had a neurologist once tell me that he has seen people with one spot on the brain that have been wheel-chair-bound while in the same day he will see someone with 30+ spots & they are absolutely fine. So, there's that.

The Dr. as very informative. She will see me again in three months. I am to start Rebif; as soon as the insurance folks get around to approving it (so annoying!) Rebif has an 'auto injector'-hurray! Quite a few years ago I was self injecting Avonex shots; this will be nice that I just have to push a button & it does the rest. I will probably let the kiddos be involved & set a rotation on who gets to give mommy her shot tonight :). At least they won't grow up afraid of shots/needles, hopefully they will be compassionate & understanding adults (with an absurd amount of knowledge about how the body works)...maybe doctor's? Sam wants to be a mad-scientist like his Uncle Dan.
Here I am. Happy. Smiling... I am, and will continue to be, good. In good spirits. This writer is okay, super actually. So you, dear reader, need to be okay as well. Try super...it's quite satisfying!

102 River adventure!

One last Summer-time adventure before school starts. Exploring.

Noah Baker feeling mighty with his trusty boots on.

Sam leaping across the sandy crevasse. (I've been wanting to use crevasse for awhile now!) Exploring.

Heeeeeeeelp!

Madeline's turn to leap and jump!

Noah & Rob hanging out on the river.

Hmmmm, where now?

Sam, pretty high up!
Noah Baker...welcome to the jungle...

Rob & Sam...both looking ornery!

sun filled school supplies

Sam's "one strap college back-pack" & school supplies for 2nd & Kindergarten:After supplies are sorted & labeled...Sam's bag & Madeline's bag~we bring them to their 2nd & Kindergarten rooms Monday night!

Parking it...

My boys...Running, she WILL beat the boys!Risk taker!"Mommy, let me take your picture on the swing. I will hang it on my wall upstairs, you know I plan on living here, renovating the upstairs, and living here with my family, right? This is our Ferguson Estate." Ferguson estate Sam? "Yep, Ferguson estate; my children are going to grow up and live here, every Ferguson should live here. I mean it's totally perfect." Sam you won't even sleep upstairs! You really plan on living here, with your family 20 years from now, upstairs? "Well yeah, of course-it's the Ferguson estate!" Three kiddos enjoying the every last drop of late August sun!
Sam's after glow of successul risk taking on park equipment.

Miss Sassy-pants with her super cool Hollywood shades.

He looks so grown up! Only two more years until Noah Baker is in Kindergarten. You better believe this mom will enjoy every moment...