Tumbling

Timmy has had an amazing week playing and tumbling at camp. Today is his last session in this series and I know that he is going to be sad to have the weekend come to an end. He has loved it so much that we are already looking at adding another week or two of camp to his summer adventure list. Since the weather is too miserable for playing in a pool, I suppose rolling and tumbling is the next best thing. 

While Timmy has been having an awesome week, Robby has not been well. He continues to fight a fever and a nasty cough has settled into his chest. He has been miserable since he came home from New Orleans. I wish he wasn't sick, but I'm glad that he is ill this week instead of last week. He is miserable being sick at home, but being ill at the Leadership Academy would have been horrible. 

Today we are dealing with more poor air quality and icky weather. Tomorrow we are packing up early and heading to a new flea market to push Flexi-Friends. We have heard that this demographic might be more interested in his little toys.  Wish us luck, and stay safe if you are celebrating with fireworks this weekend!

 

Ninja Tumbling Continued

 Ninja Tumbling Camp has been a huge hit with Hamlet. Each afternoon he eagerly waits to go and he is all red cheeks and smiles when we pick him up. I love getting there a little early and watching him run and play on the mats. Timmy loves tumbling camp so much that we ended up signing him up for continuing classes throughout the school year. 

While Timmy is busy at tumbling camp, Robby has been convalescing and finishing up his coursework. He became sick on Monday, waking up with a sore throat and a fever. He has spent the past few days sleeping and managing his fever. Yesterday evening he finally presented without a fever and was hungry for the first time since he came home. Hopefully he will wake up this morning feeling even better.

The weather has been so lousy this summer. I really miss the sunshine!

Ninja Tumbling

In an attempt to provide a distraction from our dreary weather and our inability to play in the sun, I signed Timmy up for "Ninja Tumbling" camp. Yesterday was his first session and he was both excited and scared. He loves tumbling and rolling, so he was eager to practice and to learn new skills. But he was also nervous about walking into a gym where he knew nobody. Thankfully his excitement was stronger than his fear and he walked into the gym like a boss.

Well, not really like a boss. He was scared and looked like a little deer shocked into place.  I watched him stand still, frozen with fear and uncertain about what to do. It took a lot of self-control for me to stay on the other side of the glass. Every part of me wanted to walk into the gym to involve him in the introductions. While I wanted to rescue him, I also recognized that he needed to work it out for himself. After several angst filled moments, a camp counselor finally noticed and approached him. By the time I left he was running in circles and jumping onto cushions.

Despite the tenuous beginning, he had a fantastic time at camp. I picked him up three hours later and he was red faced, sweaty and grinning from ear-to-ear. He chatted all about the games and his new friends throughout the evening. Hopefully he will continue to enjoy camp because he will go again today!

Home

After an amazing week away we finally picked up Robby at the airport on Saturday. I missed him but knowing that he was having a fantastic adventure certainly made the absence easier. I could tell on each photos that he was having the time of his life and that he was not holed up in his room missing home. While I might have appreciated a few more phones calls than I received, I am delighted that he did not have trouble separating from us. 

I feel an odd mixture of happiness, sadness, pride and excitement when I think about Robby getting ready to move out and start an adult life. Next year he will be a senior and will begin his last full year under our roof. Seeing how he adapted and had a wonderful time in New Orleans, I know that he is going to be ready for the next stage. Of course, him being ready and me being ready are two entirely different things!

It has been wonderful having Robby back home. Saturday night and yesterday he regaled us with his adventures at the Leadership Academy. The individuals at the National World War II Museum put together a stellar program for high school students from around the country. Robby is so fortunate to have been able to participate. Looking through his notebook and his photos from the various activities left me in awe of everything that he saw and accomplished during his week away. 

I am not sure what Robby is going to do in the future, but I know it will be amazing.

Big Climb

 Robby seems to be having an amazing time in New Orleans. He does not text often, but when he does the messages are filled with excitement and the few photos that he has shared show nothing but smiles.  I certainly miss him but I am glad that he is not in constant contact. The fact that he is too busy to text me is a good thing for him. I am happy to follow along on his adventure through the official messages provided through the museum staff.

With Robby away, Timmy is thoroughly enjoying his week of attention and fun. Yesterday he enjoyed pancakes, bacon and breakfast fries (long cut homemade hash browns) for breakfast before embarking on his unknown adventure for the day. To his delight, he had a rock climbing lesson and was able to climb for nearly 90 minutes. When he finally took the harness and helmet off he was a sweaty and exhausted little mess. But he was happy!

Today it is raining and Friend has an ear infection so our plans are going to have to be flexible. We had planned to take him to the Heavy Metal Playground to drive a bulldozer but the rain is going to wash out those plans. I also want to stay relatively close to home so that we can pick up Friend when he is done with the vet. The poor little pup has an ear infection and the only appointment we could get is a drop-off. I hate leaving him there, but I detest seeing him in pain more. 

I'm not sure about today's adventure, but I'm sure I'll think of something!

 

Wet Leg

 After nearly 20 years as an amputee, this past week I had another first. When packing up the car to go to the water park, Scott and I had a colossal miscommunication when it came to my water leg. I put it next to the luggage to be stowed in the trunk, assuming that its purpose was obvious. Scott, in a hurry to get out the door, carefully put my leg inside the house for safe keeping. We were halfway to Great Wolf before we realized that I did not have my water leg.

My mind began to reel as I tried to figure out how I was going to navigate a water park in my everyday leg. The long drive and heavy traffic provided me ample time to process and to devise a plan. Once I got over the shock of not having the correct leg for the first time in 20 years, I began to accept plan B. 

I knew that my everyday leg is waterproof. Although using it in the pools was not ideal for a variety of reasons, I refused to allow the absence of my water leg to ruin our special getaway. Although I always find it annoying, I tried to psych myself up to accept the incessant leaking that will inevitably present every time I move for the next few days. 

It has been nearly 24 hours and my leg is still leaking. I am deliberately keeping my leg upright because when it tips over it always leaves a puddle of icky dirty water. Eventually, the leg will dry out. In the meantime, I'm trying to remind myself to not become frustrated with it.

Great Wolf

Yesterday was certainly memorable for our family. 

Dropping off Robby at the airport was difficult but not as angst inducing as I had anticipated. He was so excited for the adventure that it was impossible for me to feel anything but pride and happiness. I already miss him, but I know that he is safe, happy and settling in for an amazing week. 

While Robby was in the air, we packed up the car and headed to the Poconos. We told Timmy we had to drop my computer off for repairs before picking up Friend and returning home. (Robby laughed when we told him because this was the exact excuse we told him when we surprise him with a trip to the beach.) Timmy, completely unaware of the rouse, sat quietly in the back of the car for nearly 5 hours as we navigated through horrendous traffic. 

We thought that he would become excited when he saw the entrance to Great Wolf Lodge but he seemed completely unphased. It wasn't until we pulled luggage from the car and checked in that he began to squirm and squeal. Apparently he thought we were just "taking in some sights" and he didn't even consider that he would be staying. It was definitely a memorable experience!

Timmy ran to the room and immediately climbed into the cave themed bunk room. It was surprisingly hard for us to convince him to leave the kid cave so we could explore the water park. A promise that he could sleep in the cave was enough to lure him into his swimsuit. We spent several hours splashing and playing so much that we were all water logged and our cheeks hurt from smiling. It was an amazing day.

By the time we got back to the room Robby texted us. The museum coordinator arranged for a party bus to pick up the kids at the airport. Talk about the ultimate icebreaker and a great start to the week! He and some new friends were preparing to explore the area around the hotel before the program began in the evening. I felt relieved to see the huge smile on his face in the photos. 

This morning I woke up in a bunk bed cave with Timmy. After all, how could I refuse his request to sleep in the cave with him? (In case you are curious, my back is now killing me. Cave bunk beds are definitely designed for the young.) Thankfully I'll be spending lots of time in the pool this morning to work out the kinks.