Worried....

My loverly sister, Jill, calls me this morning if I've heard from Mason. He's at camp. She *knows* he's at camp because it's the same one her kids go to (though not this week) and she's seen the pictures. Why would he call me?

Oh... because FIFTY kids have a raging stomach virus.

Um... hello, panic. Haven't seen you in a long time.

(Jill knew because her husband is a director of a Houston YMCA and found out at work -- Mason's camp is affiliated with Houstom YMCAs.)

Then, we got an email, explaining that there is a virus. Those sick have seen a physician and if the camp did not call you, your kid is fine.

For now.

So, I'm hoping Mason will be fine.

I'm taking a puke bucket on Saturday just in case.

In other news, Mom arrived last night. Yay! We drove around and looked at housing this morning and then had lunch at Pei Wei. And tonight, we went to see Indiana Jones at the Alamo. She loved both the movie and the theater.

Here are some new pics of Mason at camp from the last two days. He doesn't look sick, right????

At the pool. Am so glad bought another pair of board shorts for camp since he has worn the same pair every freaking day.
Yay! Again, he's using his swim towel and NOT his bath towel! And he has seemed to remember NOT to wear his sleep shirt during the day.
Mason and Dylan.
Apparently watching some kids play checkers or chess. He's in the top right corner. Gotta take the cabin photo quick before someone gets sick and has to leave!!

Please keep your fingers crossed that Mason does NOT get affected by this nasty virus at camp.

Bored....

So...

Mason is still at camp.

Mark is in San Antonio (and will be driving back-and-forth to Austin all this week).

My Mom flies in to Austin tonight.

Meanwhile, the house is COMPLETELY clean.

The laundry is finished.

And I am bored out of my freaking mind.

:'(

More Camp Pictures!

Ryan and Mason seem to be having a good time.

He's in a white shirt and board shorts.

That shirt was meant to sleep in. Lord knows what else he will wear this week. This is what happens when I don't pack planned outfits.

At least he's not using his bath towels for swimming...

Yet...

So, we drove 3.5 hours on Sunday to drop Mason and his friend, Ryan, off at camp. Then, we drove 3.5 hours home. A long day.

Anyway, Ryan's mom called me this morning to let me know that there are pictures of the boys on the camp website. It looks like they are having a blast (along with Ryan's cousin, Dylan)! We pick him up on Saturday morning. I can't wait to hear about all he did!!!

Let's hope he found a life jacket that fit him!
Big improvement since last year? He's NOT using his bath towel at the pool/lake!
Mason, Dylan, and Ryan at the lake.

In other news, my Mom arrives TOMORROW! I am so excited! I haven't seen her since Christmas. She'll be here for a week. Then, in July, Mason and I are flying to Ohio for ten days. We'll spend time in Columbus and I just found out that I'll be going to a baby shower for my cousin. Anyway, I have a lot of things planned to do this week with Mom!

Ouch.

So, on Friday I was leaving my house via the front door when my front wheels got caught on the threshold. This caused me to fall forward out of my wheelchair, landing on my stomach. Luckily, I braced myself with my hands. Mark came home to help me up (though Katie, who was with me when it happened, offered). I felt a little stiff and sore, but no big deal. Feeling my legs, nothing felt wrong. Usually after I fall, I have to go to the ER to make sure nothing is broken because my legs are paralyzed. My Mom freaked when I told her I wasn't going to go unless there was swelling or bruising.

We ran some errands and visited friends that night. No biggie. Then, at midnight, I was changing into my pajamas when I noticed my right leg was warm and swollen. Ooops. So, I called Mark into the room and told him we had to go to there ER. I called Lola and sent Mason down there to spend the night (awesome friends! Who would I have called at midnight in Delaware and not felt horrible about disturbing?) and Mark and I were off to the new Cedar Park hospital.

The diagnosis after three x-rays? Sprain. Did I want a splint or a wrap? My dumbass suggested a splint because I didn't want it getting bumped. Mark pointed out later that if it DID get bumped, it's not like I would feel pain. So, instead of the $20 wrap, we got the deluxe $200 splint. Ooops. We returned home by 3:45 and conked out, but not before much joking from Mark that I had once again, tripped IN MY WHEELCHAIR, got injured, went to the ER, to find out there wasn't much they could do (those of you may remember when I "tripped" over our floor vent, hit my head, went to the ER after passing out, had a CAT-scan, only to be told I had a mild concussion and to take tylenol). At least my foot wasn't broken.

My foot at the ER. Yes, I had my camera with me.

So, that was our fun trip to the ER. I've been propping it up, icing it, and staying off of it per doctors orders (which is pretty easy to do in a wheelchair, by the way). And, I haven't needed to take anything for the pain, as suggested. ;-) My right arm is feeling pretty sore and I have a big scrape on my palm, but other than that, I'm fine. Banged, bruised, but fine none the less.

Tomorrow, I will update with pictures from the last few weeks. For now, I leave you with pictures of my foot and our new patio furniture!!

My ankle today.

I have the big, long purple bruise, but then the whole foot is a lighter bruise. Loverly.

New patio furniture. There's a loveseat, two chairs, and a coffee table. I hope to buy a matching rocker and an outdoor rug soon.

Ta-ra!

Top TEN Reasons to Drive a Convertible...

My car.

(stolen from AOL)



1. A convertible eliminates blind spots.Put the top down on your convertible, and the dangerous blind spot created by the c-pillar (the column that supports the roof at the back of a car) disappears, leaving unobstructed 360 degree visibility. What could be safer than that?



2. A convertible facilitates passive multitasking.In an increasingly busy world, any time you can add a second task to your day without any additional effort, you'd be silly to pass up the opportunity. A convertible allows you to add sun tanning to your commute.



3. A convertible responds to your moods.Even on the nicest of days, people occasionally experience sour moods. Driving a convertible doesn't mean you have to drop the top every time you leave a parking space -- you can still choose to huddle beneath the fabric top, preserving that sour face until you are fully ready to face the day. Once you cheer up, you can put the top down and share your shining face with the world.



4. A convertible has unlimited headroom.How many times has this happened to you: You're on the road, when you see the perfect, authentic, 10 foot tiki totem pole for your backyard, and it's only $10! The only problem is that your sedan's trunk will barely hold a golf bag and the tiki gift stand is going out of business forever. If you were driving a convertible, that beauty would be in your garden right now, and it would have been a magnificent spectacle traveling down the highway all the way home.



5. A convertible gives you entry options. Haven't we all tried the Dukes of Hazzard entry into our sport coupes, leaping through the open window directly into the driver's seat? Well, with a convertible you can actually use those vaulting skills that your high school gym teacher insisted that you develop, and you'll have a chance of getting behind the wheel without sustaining major head trauma.



6. A retracted convertible top eliminates embarrassing phone calls.Leave your convertible top down all the time and you'll never have to call the auto club to confess that you've locked your keys in the car -- again.



7. A convertible fosters an interest in science.Take your children for a late night drive in your convertible, and encourage them to look up at the stars in the sky. Before long, you may be chauffeuring a potential NASA astronaut or rocket scientist.



8. A convertible is great for a relationship.Think about it -- when was the last time you saw an unhappy couple driving around with the top down? It's much harder to argue in a convertible -- the combination of wind noise and exposure make a fight much less likely in a Bentley Continental GTC convertible than in a sedan.



9. Convertibles are fun.Driving a convertible is the kind of fun that doesn't rely on speed or handling. Even a slow convertible is fun to drive. There's nothing better than being out in the elements while still being in your car -- the wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the smell of nature instead of the chill of air conditioning. When you have a convertible, you'll look for opportunities to drive -- a beautiful day can be amplified by a nice drive in your drop top.



10. Chicks dig convertibles.If you are a girl, you know that this is true; if you are not a girl, you will find that driving a convertible will help you to attract and retain them. This is a proven fact, at least according to my expert industry analysis.

Shhhh...

Today has been a great day. Mason and I had a quick lunch and met Lola and kids at the pool. Five minutes later, Mason's friend, Blake, shows up. Apparently they called us to see if Mason wanted to meet them at the pool. Hehe -- we were already there! After spending *three* hours at the pool, we come home and bring Blake with us. The boys played until 5:30, when Mason walked Blake home. When he returned, his friend, Ryan, called and asked if Mason could spend the night. They came and got him at 5:45. Mark's boss is in town and he'll be out late schmoozing. So, I have a quiet house with no boys. Peaceful.

I bet I miss them by 8!

HELP!

So, I changed the template on here. What do you think? Comment or answer the neat, new survey over there. -------------------->

In changing the template, I lost ALL of my links. So, if you have a website/blog that you want me to add, please comment below and send me a link! Thanks!!!

L/K

Awards Day

Yesterday was Third Grade Awards Day in the afternoon. I was getting ready and talking to Lola and she decided she wanted to take Shannon and Shane to it, too. Mason looked SO happy when he saw such a big crowd supporting him. See -- we have family in Texas!

Anyway, he won a ton of awards (honor roll, math fact mastery, behavior, etc) which we are very proud of, but he also won the Leadership award. One boy and girl from every classroom gets selected. We are so pleased that Mason has had an amazing third grade year!

Mason smiling when he sees his group of adoring fans. ;-)

Getting another award.

Shane goofing off for me during the award ceremony.
Shannon being all smiles at Award Day.

When he got home from school, we went swimming with the Monaghans for awhile.

We came home for dinner and returned to the pool. Later last night, Eric and Katie came over to try out Wii Fit. After they left and Mason went to bed, Lola and Jesse came down for a workout. I wish I could use it! Anyway, I am banned from taking ANY Wii Fit pictures. No matter HOW ridiculous my husband looks spinning an imaginary hula hoop around his hips or doing yoga positions, I cannot share that with you people. Sorry.

Tonight, we are going out to dinner to celebrate Mason's awesome year. Mark has to be in San Antonio tomorrow and Mason has a party after school (he gets out at 11:00), so we decided tonight was the best night to celebrate. When we return home, I think it's all night Lego Indiana Jones on the Xbox. ;-) (And yes, I realize we have way too many video game consoles. But we do limit Mason's use to once a weekday and weekends only! Except for Wii Fit, which he can do everyday.)

Oh! I found some more hockey pictures I forgot to post!

I am so proud of how well Mason has adjusted to life in Texas. While he still misses his friends and family in Ohio, he *gets* that Texas is home. He's had an amazing year here. Congratulations, kiddo!!!

Sorry... Sorry...

Life has been so hectic in the Miller home. OK... so maybe not "hectic" as we spend a huge portion of our time at the community pool... but socializing and exercise is important, no?

Mason and the Monaghan kids.

Mason and Shane at the pool.

Um... I haven't been wearing my sunscreen as often as I should.

We had a big party on Memorial Day with the Clarks, Dunagans, and Monaghans. And for once, I didn't take 49060 pictures. So, unless you want to see a picture of Jesse eating and Eric drinking a beer, I have nothing for you. We have gone over to the Dunagans for dinner and had the Monaghan clan down once, too. See? Socializing!

Mark and Mason as we waited for reservations.
Mason and Shane, his little buddy.

Mason playing the Dunagans' Wii.
Doing the Elephant on the Wario game.
Mason and Mark at the Dunagans.
My boys.

And we've also spent a LOT of time at the hockey rinks. Yes, plural. Now, Mason is in a league and taking more lessons and adding power skating to his routine. This summer, our hockey schedule is:

Monday nights -- League

Tuesday nights -- Power skating

Thursday nights -- Lessons

And stick-and-puck and drop-in hockey whenever we want to. The Millers are *REALLY* supporting Austin hockey this summer. Especially now since Mark has made friends with the coach and other dads who play -- something tells me Mason won't be the only Miller on the ice. Heck -- Austin even has a sled hockey team... so maybe all THREE of us will play in the future.

But we won't cheer for the Redwings. Boo!

Anyway, here are some pictures from Mason's last game on Saturday (yay -- we have weekends FREE again!).

He shoots, he SCORES!!!

Mason's last day of school is Thursday. He only goes until 11:00. At noon, he's invited to a birthday/end of the year party. Tomorrow is the class party. Ice cream sundaes (way early in the morning) followed be the award ceremony for third grade in the afternoon. This year seemed to fly on by. I can't believe he's finished with third grade.

I'll try and take pictures of the next few days and post them ASAP. I've been slacking, sorry... but we've spent so much time at the pool, I don't want to be the creepy lady that takes pictures at the pool.

Speaking of which, we had an HOA meeting today. Guess who is now on the Pool and Social committees? Yup. And Mark is on the Communication committee. We love our neighborhood and neighbors. It's going to be a great summer!!!