May has been a BLUR!!! 5/21/10

Hi Everyone--

May is always a crazy month, and this year has been no exception! Moving Britti to DisneyWorld and juggling a competitive softball league (Emmy), varsity HS track (Chelsea), various school functions (Emmy and Chelsea), an energetic toddler (Ellie-Kate), a lingering sinus-related illness (Ellie-Kate, Emmy, and Roger)-- not to mention full-time jobs (Christie and Roger)-- have resulted in a non-stop, exhausting time. To be honest, we're doing our best to give due attention to everything, but the parental units in our house are pretty sleep deprived and distracted these days!!

Minor whining aside, we're very grateful that all of us are generally well and that the girls are having so much fun in all of their assorted endeavors. Here's a quick update on each of them:

Emmy has had the most drama lately. She was playing softball on Thursday, May 13, and she injured her thumb while batting. Unfortunately, the injury occurred around an hour before she was scheduled to perform on her cello and recorder for a school concert. We dashed to an urgent care facility, explained the situation, and obtained a large ice pack and a splint before hustling to the elementary school for the concert. Emmy had to figure out how to hold her bow with the cumbersome splint, but she dried her tears, fought through the pain, and performed with grace on both her cello and recorder. She had been selected for a special recorder ensemble, and her music teacher had provided her and her friend, Douglas, a violin player, with a rare chance to play their string instruments at school. (The school doesn't have an orchestra.) Thus, she didn't want to miss this special concert! After she finished, we headed for the hospital and obtained an x-ray. The thumb wasn't broken, but it remains tender. She's hoping that it heals enough for her to finish the softball season and to make the all star team. (Yup, we're praying for rain this week-end so that she doesn't miss another game and all star practice!)

I drove Britti down to Florida last Sunday-- a 15 hour drive! Fortunately, we listened to Survivor by calling the house phone and putting it on our cell phone speakers so that we could hear the three hour season finale. It gave us just enough of an adrenalin boost that we were able to stay away until we arrived at DisneyWorld around 1:30 a.m. on Monday. We slept in a bit on Monday and then got up and found our way around Orlando, discovering a Walmart, getting the fluids checked on Britti's car, finding Britti's new apartment complex, and going to Downtown Disney for the evening. We ate dinner at a cool place called T-Rex, complete with moving dinosaurs and a "meteor show" created by amazing lights and special effects.

On Tuesday, we went to the Magic Kingdom. (Thanks to Britti's friend who used her special pass to admit us for free!) We treated ourselves to breakfast at the Crystal Palace and enjoyed visits with Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. Britti and I had a blast throughout the park, but we spent more than one moment bemoaning the absence of the rest of the family. We didn't even stand in line for autographs with the princesses! However, we did manage to find some shorter lines for a few characters, and we concluded our day with dinner at Liberty Tree Tavern (just not the same without Mickey and Minnie in colonial outfits!) and a cool fireworks display.

On Wednesday, we headed for Britti's new apartment complex at 7 a.m. We were able to check in around 8 a.m., and I had a blast visiting with Disney cast members and other parents as Britti started processing the necessary paperwork. She got the key to her room, and I had a quick chance to take pictures before she had to dash for the bus and a trip to casting. While she was visiting casting and getting settled during the day, I traveled back to Ohio and two sick/injured kids, an exhausted husband, and a ton of e-mail messages.

Ellie-Kate is doing fine, and she's loving the new Mister Potato Head that Britti and I created for her and Emmy at Downtown Disney. Roger is beat as well, but, hopefully, he'll get some sleep this week-end. Chelsea started to feel sick, but she has rebounded, and she's headed for district track competition tomorrow.

Enjoy the new pictures, starting with a batch of "sister pictures" that we took at Walmart last Saturday before Britti left for Florida! Hope that everyone is having a great end of the school year and that you're gearing up for a super summer :)

Christie