A long Labor Day weekend

Our Labor Day started out great. We were with some dear friends at their home on a lake with plans for swimming, boating, and a cook out. My husband went out for a boat ride soon after we arrived and returned to the house some time later a different man. No longer relaxed and carefree, he hobbled to a chair to sit down. Turns out that as he stepped off the boat, he landed in a hole instead of solid ground (disguised by the grassy shore). He hurt his left ankle--badly. He iced it, took ibuprofen, elevated it, and stayed off of it for a couple days. It has remained quite swollen nonetheless.

After a doctor's visit yesterday and x-rays today, we now know it's a "severe sprain" with lots of torn tissue in there. OUCH! As long as he's in bed with his foot elevated, he's fine. But the walking around, even with the crutches I bought him yesterday and the "soft cast" he got today, is extremely painful. The doctor doesn't want him to go back to work until Sept. 18th. That's right. He is getting two full weeks off for Labor Day. Now, I'm sure if given the choice, he would be working instead of nursing an injury. He takes responsiblity seriously and is a dedicated teacher. Thankfully, he can send his lesson plans for the substitute teacher by email, grade papers at home, and access his gradebook on his laptop computer. So when he does return to his classroom, he won't be AS behind as he might have been in a different era. Soon I will bring home some textbooks to help him complete next week's lesson plans and stacks of papers for us to grade together.

So, if you think of it, lift up a prayer for My Man. He'd surely appreciate it.

And here's something my son said when his Daddy was gone for x-rays today. "Daddy needs to go back to work so he can make money." He may have also said "so we can eat," but I can't be sure. We've talked so many times about the Scripture that says, "If a man will not work, then he shall not eat", and my son definitely grasps the meaning of that. I was more than happy to explain the concept of "sick days" and how his Daddy had lots of them saved up so he would still get paid even though he won't be working for a while. He was quite relieved to hear this; in fact, he grinned really big--and he probably jumped in his excitement (because that's the way he is when he gets excited). My son then commented that he felt sad for "the kids" (AKA Daddy's students) because they would miss Daddy, their teacher, but he was equally delighted to have Daddy home for another week. My boy lives so "in the moment" and feels things deeply. He is both passionate and compassionate. Thank you, God, for my Big Boy.

While I am talking about my son, I will share about my daughter, too. She adores her Daddy. And I suspect that he adores her, too. Though he doesn't come right out and say it. When she sees him, she whispers, "Dah dah" and giggles. Or giggles first and then whispers his name. So precious is the way she looks at him and the way her eyes light up when he enters a room. Every time she hears the garage door opens or closes, she thinks it's him leaving. She says, "Bye-uh" instead of "Bye", which is so cute. I am pretty sure she got that from a video she watches with her brother. When she was a newborn, someone said that she was a little lady. Then one day Big Boy called her Little Lady in the sweetest, most affectionate tone. For a while, that was her name, as far as he was concerned. Though he now refers to her by her given name (and an abbreviated version of it), she will always be our Little Lady.

Hopefully, while My Man is stuck at home in bed, he can help me figure out how to add photos to my blog. I know there's at least one aunt who is eagerly awaiting some pictures of her favorite Big Boy and Little Lady.