I got this great email from Missy today

I got this great email from Missy today:

Subject: Your Dad

Would've been 73 today. I think of him often and wish he was still here to get to see our kids grow up.  I think he and Jack would be so close.

I love you honey!


It touched me a great deal and I wrote the following response:

Wow, thanks honey! I'm so glad you still think of him. I definitely do too. I think Jack has a lot of my Dad's qualities. Very confident, loves the outdoors, very athletic, and "moves well". I used to love watching my Dad do things. He just "moved" so well. It used to crack me up! I see the same things in Jack. Everything he does, looks perfect!

Sunday, June 29

Jeff and Jack have been dirt biking more regularly since he quit baseball and the girls and Jack B. were wanting to go.  While I went to Dylen's All Star Champ game in Newburgh, Jeff took them to Greg and Billie's.  After the game, I went out there.  As I drove up, there was Abby on Jack's dirt bike and Ally on a small 4-wheeler.  Both had on helmets but I was a nervous wreck.  I drove up and parked and was talking to Greg and Jeff about Dyl's game.  I was there maybe 5 minutes when Ally stopped and said "Watch this" and started off on the 4-wheeler standing.  As she rounded the front of their yard a good 200 feet from us, I saw her flip.  I told Jeff and about that time Jack came running from that direction yelling she broke her arm.  Jeff took off running and I kicked off my flip flops and took off too.  I decided to turn around and get my car as Greg was taking off on Jeff's dirt bike.  I jumped in my car and backed up as fast as I could while Jeff was running towards me with Ally...still with her helmet on.  I expected to see her arm really broke but couldn't see much.  We took her helmet off and buckled her in and I took off.  Her left wrist was swollen but no obvious signs of a break.  She cried the whole way to the ER.  We arrived at Deaconess Gateway ER and they got her right in and put ice on her arm.  Jeff and Abby showed up not too long after we got there.  Abby was very sweet and worried about Ally.  She said she wished it would've been her.  After a small wait, they did an x-ray and said it was a Buckle Fracture and would need a cast.  Soon, a Orthopedic Tech came and put a temporary cast on.  The Tech was great!  Ally enjoyed being the center of attention and was a trooper.  Monday morning, we called and made an appointment with Ortho and Assoc. for Thursday.  The doctor said she needed to be in a cast for 4 weeks and would then move to a removable splint for some rehab.  Of course, she chose HOT PINK and luckily they had waterproof!  She's done very well...loves being noticed...hasn't slowed down!  She is set to get the cast off on July 29!

Well - the time has come for "the talk" with Jack.  We figured it was time since he hears and sees so much on TV and with his friends.  Also, with him going to Middle School, we are trying to prepare ourselves!  We told him to go upstairs and he looked terrified.  Jeff asked him if he knew what sex was and he said no.  After telling him it was (penis to vagina), he said that's what he heard.  Jeff started with the basics about how sex for procreation, we talked about how to treat girls and not hurt their feelings, how girls can get pregnant, how bodies are changing, etc.  He played with a rubber band and stared at the floor most of the time!  After all was said and done, Jeff asked if he had any questions and he said "when can we play golf"!!! 

Ally won the "Character Counts" award!

I have to brag on my precious Ally a bit here...

One of the neat things they do at Newburgh Elementary is pick one student each week that demonstrates a high level of character and highlight them in the "Character Counts" section.  This is a pretty big deal and the first time one of our kids has won this award.  You have to be nominated by a teacher and it can't be that student's teacher.  They only give it out to one student per week so with 36 weeks of school/year and 620 students in school, it's pretty rare.

It's also very exciting for the kids when they announce the winner every week.  The principal gets on the intercom and reads the story of what this person did to get nominated, which takes a couple of minutes, then he says...  "This week's winner is in 2nd grade....  In Mrs. William's class....  The winner this week is........   ALLY PATTERSON!!!!"  As soon as he announces the winner, the Vice Principal walks into that student's class and gives them a lapel pin, banner, and a gift cert. to a free meal at Olive Garden.  Missy was there and said it was very exciting to hear Ally's name and she was thrilled too.

I was so proud of her b/c I'm always stressing how important it is to help other people and that's exactly what she did!