It Never Stops...

So...we had a rather busy three-day weekend around our house.  It was a three-day weekend because, unfortunately, Craig and I both took Friday off to attend a funeral in Buffalo for someone on his side of the family.  It wasn't someone we were close to, but we're closer to many of his close relatives and were definitely going to support them regardless.  This person was far too young and the circumstances very sad.  We wanted to be there on Thursday for the wake, as well, but between Jacob being in school, his baseball game Thursday night, my parents being out of town (so no backup child care), and the fact that I don't get time off for funerals unless I take vacation, it seemed best for us to stay in Rochester on Thursday and to head out on Friday while the kids were at school/daycare.  I had to enlist godmother Lori's help to get Jacob on the bus since we had to leave before he was picked up, but it worked out well. 

Most funerals we go to end up being a very lengthy day--funeral home, church, cemetery, luncheon--but this one was just the church and a luncheon.  It was no less sad, of course, but knowing how exhausting funeral days usually are--between the emotional toll and the physical toll of the long day that usually includes a sleepy drive home--I'll admit it was a bit of a relief to have a shorter schedule.  But the service was nice (though the priest was a bit unorthodox--no one is falling asleep in his masses, for more than one reason) and the luncheon was pleasant considering the sad circumstances.  When it was over we found ourselves with a free afternoon, which was a nice surprise. 

Initially I had wanted to stay in Buffalo and have a bit of a date day, possibly down at the new Canalside development along the water in the city, but due to an issue that cropped up the night before, we decided it was probably best to head home.  See, while we were at Jacob's baseball game the previous night, I noticed that a couple of Carter's mosquito bites on his legs had formed rings around them.  Of course my first thought was the bullseye of tick bites, but considering there were two of them, one on each leg and in totally different spots, and I had never seen any sort of tick, I didn't want to jump to conclusions.  I also didn't think there would have been ticks in the areas where he'd played outside prior to when the bites appeared, but I guess you never know.  We're not exactly in the woods, but we're only a couple blocks away from a golf course and we do see deer once in a great while.  I posted a picture on Facebook and immediately everyone was commenting that it looked like a tick bite.  Now, I don't know how many of those people have ever seen a tick bite in person (possibly a couple), but I still felt like the scenario made it doubtful and I was a little annoyed that no one was saying, "Oh, yeah, I had bug bites freak out on me once like that..", which is what I actually asked for in the post itself.  Instead I got more than a dozen people who were immediately convinced it was a tick bite.  Sigh.  I was going to call the doctor anyway, but had to wait until later in the day to get an appointment.

So...upon returning home from Buffalo, a thunderstorm hit.  Craig relaxed with a movie and I headed out to run a couple errands.  I stopped at the liquidation sale at a craft store to snag a couple more cheap jewelry making supplies (I'm not totally into it, but I do find it fun to make my simple, limited-skill stuff!), and then went to the upscale consignment store down the plaza and snagged a $5 blouse for work.  Love it!  I called the doctor to get Carter an appointment, and confirmed it would be after 5:30, meaning that Craig would have to take him.  I had to do my volunteer work at the Little League concession stand that night.  It's a once-a-year thing and I'm getting pretty good at it now!

Once the schedule for the evening was set, I made the most of my extra time and ran off to Target to pick up a few things.  I bought more than I bargained for, as usual, but I got great deals!  I then headed home to get ready for my duty and just missed Craig leaving to get the boys.  My duty was busy but fun, though it got cut short by a nasty thunderstorm that rolled through.  Meanwhile, back at home, the boys did this...

Tents in the living room while watching Despicable Me!

Oh, and the verdict at the doctor was that Carter's bites were just mosquito bites that had a reaction, just as I suspected.  The doctor suggested hydrocortisone and Benadryl if he needed it, and the hydrocortisone worked like a charm.  They're fine now.  And while I appreciate everyone's concern, can I say, "I told you so!"?  I'm glad he's fine, though rest assured I am going to continue to keep an eye on him, just in case.  Between last week's virus and a little rash he's had around his mouth, it's enough to make me nervous, even after a doctor visit!

Saturday Jacob had a lacrosse game in the morning and a baseball game in the afternoon.  In between Carter took a short nap and I spent a couple hours doing my least favorite outside task--trimming our bushes.  If you remember, a couple years ago I sliced my finger open with the hedge trimmer and got a few stitches.  I've dreaded the job even more since then.  Our bushes are all just too big!  Some of the evergreens are bare underneath and I can barely reach up to trim them.  One of these years we'll need to get them ripped out and start over.  I can't wait.

Sunday we were back off to Buffalo for our nephew's birthday party.  It was a beautiful day and we had a very nice time.  Jacob played a lot of lacrosse with his cousins and their friends.  Carter was a very good boy, just riding around on a toy and running around the fenced yard. 

His other sweet ride :)

Jacob wanted to go in the pool but he didn't want to wear his floatie, so he mostly hung out near the stairs in the shallow end with Craig.  We tried to get Carter in, but he didn't like it.  He took a little break after his first attempt, and I tried to get him to take a selfie with me, but this was as good as it got...

Oh, and before I forget, here's a good picture of the two of us together, taken at daycare at the Mother's Day ice cream social last month.  I finally remembered to send it to myself from the text messages on my phone!

Carter decided he wasn't done with the pool, but he still mostly sat on the stair dipping his feet in.  By the end he was putting his hands in a little, so maybe there's hope...


Carter, Daddy, and Jacob sticking close to the stairs

Daddy and his boys



Jacob saw me with my camera out and started doing "tricks"...notice the kicked leg!

We were all pretty tired by the time we got home and an overnight thunderstorm didn't help me one bit (but the boys all slept through it, thank goodness), but we're off and running on another week anyway.  I actually had a busy day at work today (yay!), and Jacob's last lacrosse game is tomorrow.  I won't miss the time commitment it involves for him, but I will miss seeing him play that sport for the next five months.  He's gotten so much better, and while it doesn't show on the scoresheet yet, I just love seeing him improve.  We've got baseball later in the week, too, but luckily the weekend doesn't look crazy just yet!  It'll get there, I'm sure!