Tired of worrying my mother

So there I was, not standing in line at the bank, but waiting for northbound Rt. 1 traffic to clear so that I could make a left turn to take Eli to school on Friday morning. There wasn't much southbound traffic, so I wasn't looking in my mirrors, when a Nissan Pathfinder slammed into the back of my van. CRUNCH! The general consensus was that she was going nearly 35-45 mph. The back of my seat even bent. I realized what was happening and somehow got my van off the road, asked Eli if he was okay, and called 911. I called Lee and a neighbor brought him and Nate down to the scene. Timothy's Dad was driving by and stopped to help. I was put in a neck brace and on a board to ride to the hospital. My blood pressure was 160/110 (after I was calm, it dropped to 107/55) and I vomited a couple of time in route. The paramedic had to tip the board so I wouldn't choke on my vomit. YUCK! After x-rays and a CT scan and 4 hours being flat on my back, I was cleared to go home. Sore and battered, but okay. I am so thankful for all the heaven sent blessings before, during, and after the accident. Haven't heard about the van or the insurance nightmare to follow, but I will update as I can tolerate the stress.

Lest we forget...

Each of my three school-aged  boys came home today, let's say, not "on green."  When they forget their good manners, I like to remember how it all started...beautiful and innocent and pure. Tomorrow will be better.

Shenandoah National Park

The kids were out of school for Columbus Day, so we accepted an invitation to join Mike and Joan, Randall and Rose, and all the kids, on a day trip to Shenandoah National Park. It's up in the Appalachian Mountains, inside Virginia, west of where we live. Isaac really enjoyed the ride. The weather was beautiful. The food was extra nummy. I'm sure because of the elevation. Can hardly wait to do it again.

 
Here we are at the entrance to the park after the hour and a half drive.

Nathan was the first to dig in.

Lily and Kyle had fun sketching the scenery.

Randall and Muffin took Isaac for a walk.

Lunch time was the only quiet time.

Isaac, of course, wanted "Some of Everything".

Eli couldn't resist climbing a nearby tree.

Nathan was investigating bugs in the grass.

Sam enjoying a quiet moment in the dirt.

October in Virginia.

 
Isaac wants to move our house to the top of the mountain.

Nathan was trying to scoot down the mountain.

Doesn't that say it all!?

WWF "Family Style"

New Calling

I'm now a Den Leader in Isaac's Cub Scout pack. I've been going to assist him since the beginning, but now it's official! Here's a picture of Isaac that sums up how he feels about scouting (and socializing in general)...

Budding Barber

We've all been there! You know, when life gets so stressful that we do something drastic... like telling the stylist to "take it all off" instead of "a little off the top".

As you can see, Sam was his own stylist. After creating the masterpiece he came to the kitchen crying and requesting help. At that point the only help we could offer was to take it all off! Poor baby!

It's all better... Sort of.