Blue Ribbon, Cub Scouts, and Breathing

Hurricane had a third front tooth. After an x-ray at the dentist, we were referred to the orthodontist then to an oral surgeon. An appointment was made to extract the tooth.

 We asked if he could have the tooth removed with a local anesthetic. The doctor agreed with the caveat that he come fasting just in case he needed to have Hurricane go to sleep. Hurricane was a champion.

His tooth was extracted with a local anesthetic. He was in and out of the chair in about 10 minutes. The dental assistant said that he listened better than most adults. At the grocery store, he was allowed to get any soft foods he wanted. He has healed nicely and his other 2 front teeth have started to grow.

Underfoot has learned how to do flip turns! He aged out of the younger swim group that swims 25 meters for a race. This year he has started to swim 50 meters.

He has made great growth in his ability to swim building up his endurance. Hurricane had a goal to get a blue ribbon at a swim meet.

He met his goal 2 times over by winning his backstroke and freestyle heats. When he finished his backstroke, he immediately looked at the score board and did a victory arm pump!

We have completed our foster care classes. The classes brought great discussion for Sweetheart and I on how we currently parent and how we hope to be better parents. The process to be licensed is long. Just because the classes are finished, it doesn't mean that we are licensed. A home study needs to be done by the licensing agency along with 2 physical walk throughs in our house by the licensing agency and Department of Child Services.
 

Underfoot has invited his Cub Scouting friends over to work on the different required belt loops to earn his Bear rank. He has earned his Whittling Chip which he is most proud of and has taken to carrying a pocket knife with him. As a group, we have learned about knife safety, swimming and boating, contributing Americans, visited a historic site,

learned about the American flag, planned and did a carnival,

learned about plants, researched endangered and extinct animals, cooking outdoors,

and learned about gardening and composting. This has kept our afternoons busy.

Sweetheart took a trip to the emergency room. As we've shared before, he has an allergy to mesquite trees. After a monsoon rain, he started to have trouble breathing in the afternoon.

He used his rescue inhaler a few times, took some Benadryl, showered, tried to rest, and let me use some essential oils. Nothing helped. I kept suggesting that we take him to the emergency room because his wheezing (it couldn't be called breathing at this point) was so scary. At 2:30 am, he relented and decided that we should go. He was seen quickly, given 2 breathing treatments and prednisone, and his breathing resumed.

This event scared us both. He doesn't ever remember an event like this prior. We returned home at 4 and slept.

Our summer reading goal has been for each boy to read 2,000 pages because the Mormon Battalion walked 2,000 miles and did hard things. (Sweetheart and I each have a Grandpa that was in the Battalion.) Underfoot loves to read, and most the time when we can't find him, he is reading a book. Hurricane is still mastering the skill of reading. His reading requirements are a little different than Underfoot. Hurricane is allowed to count pages if he reads them, if they are read to him, and if he listens to an audio book.

I have been taking a sewing class to reconstruct some clothing.

I remade a jumper into a skirt. The jumper was purchased in Panama when my parents took me to visit after my mission. The jumper never fit me well, and I wanted to wear it.

The waist band was the collar on the jumper. I've also been able to put sleeves into a shirt that I wore at my brother's wedding and adjusted a few more shirts. Sewing is a wonderful creative outlet for me.

Be Well.

*****

 Peaches

 Pomegranates

 Sunflower

My Grandma Kirkham loved her type of gaspacho. I cleaned out the recipe box that I had of hers to find this handwritten recipe. It isn't the traditional Spanish gaspacho but what I grew up eating.