Jackinator

Stormy

I arrived in PA today where I will be staying until Saturday, helping Nana out.  So, Dad and the kids are "home alone."  This is the first time I've been away by myself.  Jack must've been worried that he wasn't going to be fed because he woke up a few nights ago and asked me to stock the fridge with Lunchables before I left.  Amanda's worried that she'll need a parent signature while I'm gone (ummm, Dad's home, Amanda :)  I'm a little worried to see what the house is going to look like when I return. 

P.S.  There was a toad in Stormy's (Nana's giant dog's) water bowl!

Jake! And Nurse Lisa!

Nurse Lisa, who cared for Jack while he was in his spica cast, came to visit this afternoon, with her adorable dog, Jake.  The last time that Lisa brought Jake over, the only thing Jack could do was throw a ball & feed him treats.  This time, Jack ran all over the yard and living room with him!  This was also the first time that Lisa saw Jack up and about.

Animal Escapades

Well, apparently, Jack's gerbils had a fun vacation, too.  Friends up the street were pet sitting for us and one day when they came to feed the animals, the gerbils were not in their habitat!  They were able to catch the white one, Osi, fairly quickly.  But the other one, Mr. T (I guess we know what the T stands for) decided to hang out behind the fridge.  They tried several methods to lure him out but he wasn't falling for it.  He was 'at large' for a few days before they finally caught him!

Crab Hunting

Each evening we've been hunting ghost crabs on the beach.  The first 2 nights there was a beautiful full moon.  Yesterday afternoon, it was a bit cloudy so we couldn't see the moon at night.  And it actually was a little cool when you got out of the water.  (But don't worry, we survived by warming up in the hot tub :) 

Amanda has also been crab hunting with us but she still screams when a crab is flushed out and comes scuttling toward her.  So, last night, while we were all quiet and scanning the beach for crabs, Jack suddenly yelled, "Amanda!  There's something on your foot!"  She started screaming and flailing her feet around but it turns out, Jack was just playing a joke on her!  Ahhhhhhh, little brothers...

Zoo AND Beach

We went to the Zoo AND the ocean beach yesterday!  This has been the busiest week since Summer 2008 and there have been no leg complaints, other than Jack complaining about how we make him rest his leg.  I didn't even get a chance to post our Wednesday activities which were the town beach with friends Steph and Jeff and Jack's first golf lesson (which he enjoyed).

Zoo:  We met my college friend Amy and her 3 kids Hal, Julia and Robert at the Roger Williams Zoo.  Robert, who is 2, was attached to Amanda - very cute!  The hi-light of the zoo trip (for the kids) was getting soaked in the fountain and getting a Del's Lemonade.  The weather was perfect and it was nice catching up with Amy.  Jack was in and out of his wheelchair.  When he wheeled up to the first exhibit and jumped out of his chair to get a closer look, he turned around and said, "Whoa - that must look weird." 

Ocean beach:  After resting for an hour, we met Grace and Ethan at Sand Hill Cove.  The dads took a half day and came also.  This was our first time at the ocean since Summer 2008!  It was calm and the kids had fun trying to protect a sand castle from the incoming tide.  Afterward we went to a seafood takeout place, Aunt Carrie's (or as Jack calls it, Aunt Kerri's) for dinner and ice cream.  A perfect day.  Here's to many more this summer.

Gerbil Playtime!

Jack got a check from Dad's aunt and decided to spend the money on a playpen for his gerbils (thanks Aunt Georgean!)  Mr. T, the escape artist, was able to scale the wall after just a few minutes testing the perimeter, but the gerbils seemed to have fun, and Jack enjoyed watching them.  It's been difficult for him to play with them while in his cast.

    

MY favorite National Geographic Pics (by amanda)

 

National Geographic Pics

We received an email from a friend (thanks, Lillian!) with National Geographic's best pictures of the year.  Here are Jack's favorites:

Jake!

Nurse Lisa stopped over today with some Munchkins (thanks!) and her puppy Jake (now sometimes called the Jake-inator).  Jack had fun throwing a tennis ball and a stick for Jake to chase in the yard.  He also did a cute trick for a Munchkin (Jake, not Jack):

 

Good Afternoon!

This afternoon, the Wettergrens stopped by with some treats for me (thanks, Jenn!) and letters from Jack's classmates.  The letters were great - thanks Mrs. B's class!  Later on, we got Jack into his new wheelchair and cruised to the hospital cafeteria.  Jack got some popcorn and then we stopped by the mini zoo.  There were some active turtles, a tarantula and a giant millipede.  The millipede was really cool but I couldn't get a good picture of it.