an april weekend at the lake

It was cold and overcast, but that didn't affect the one-card poker, or the shrimp eating.

Oh, look at that.  She's the dealer, and it got to the end, and she had a two, so she cut the deck, hoping for something better.

And got an ace. Ace's low.  See those ornery crossed arms?

Yah.

Sometimes it goes like that.  Nevermind. Next round.

Doin' nails:

Oh, and homeschool.  We took a bunch of stuff and worked on homeschool at the lake.  It's the perfect place, few distractions, lots of time.  Tim read us this story about the best nest.

Okay, even after vision therapy, see the rubbing of the eyes?  The annoyed body language? 

He's perfectly capable of reading this story, reading the words.  It is not too hard for him.

Mentally, that is.  But physically?   It's work.

All this physical squirming and fidgeting all about used to drive me CRAZY with John.

"Sit up here!  Look at the book.  Where are we?"

He'd flail about and complain and I'd grit my teeth until my temples ached.

Now he's a grown man, multiple college degrees, reads fine.  This afternoon I overheard him discussing Hunger Games with Kirsten.  (He even reads for entertainment now in his old age. Who could have imagined it?)

But now we've got uncomfortable Tim, making his way through this story. He said he hoped the bell would ring in the belfry where the birds had built their nest and, I quote, "Scare the shit out of them."

That would have been a better ending, I agree. Plus dyslexic kids can always sound out words like shit.

Lydia worked on math a while. She's getting much better this year--the ratios, the fractions, they're coming right along.

 Here they're working on equations and Maria is helping with order of operations.

 A Nintendo break right here:

John and Dannell and the kids gave me this new patio swing for my birthday.  It's quite adorable.

These two dudes managed to get it assembled, but it wasn't all that easy.

Oh, and this is Julia after she cut her hand.

She was trying to shove a chunk of stuck-together ice cubes into a flowered tumbler, and it broke, and she cut her hand in multiple places.

There was a lot of blood, especially that spot near her pinky--it was a smallish cut, but apparently deep because that thing gushed blood and didn't quit oozing for a couple hours, even with ice and a washcloth wrapped around it.

I was on the phone with a client when this happened and had to blurt out over the screaming,  "My seven year old daughter has cut her hand on a glass.  I'll call you back."

Oy.

Anyway, she's fine, and those long skinny fingers are too.    Sigh.  love, Val