Two Busy Months

 It has been two months since I have posted. I thought I did something more recently. But, the last two months have been a sea of busy. So, it's time to do the shorthand version of the posts that have been in my head but never made it here. 

Zach's 12!!!

In Early June Zach turned 12. It's a big deal and I am not doing well having such a big kid. Slowly, we are noticing the changes that come starting around age 12. Last year we did a drive-by party. That doesn't seem right this year. So, we did what Zach wanted. In addition to the gifts he was looking forward to we got summer themed table linens. 

We already have that for every month. But, Zach chose these. Every time we had a meal to celebrate his birthday, we used these linens. It made it special. You wouldn't think a 12 year old boy would like that. But, he loved that there was something special that he choose to celebrate him. We have saved them for future years. Josh and I will also be choosing linens to use specially for our birthdays too. 

I am proud of who he is. We take tablet time as a family and talk all of the time. He is still all remote. But, will be in the school building part time for camp this summer. We'll see how that goes. I hope he always feels as comfortable with us as he does now. 

Josh's Father's Day Event

Josh doesn't have hobbies. It's very hard to buy him gifts. What he likes is attention. So, Zach and I threw him a Father's Day party (just us 3) full of "WHAT THE?" moments. When set up, Josh left our room and found Zach in his hamburger Halloween costume holding a box. It contained the Hot Dog costume we asked him to put on for a picture. 

He walked into the living room to find a blow up lobster on a box. In the box he found legitimate gifts and a crown, medieval style. We took the picture of him the the costume with the crown then he removed the costume. Zach now has that with his hamburger Halloween costume. There is a good chance Josh isn't getting it back. 

This is where I have to back up and mention that when he woke up to grocery shop that morning he found a large blow up chicken leg laying on his cloths. He walked into work on Father's Day with the best story and people still get a kick out of him describing it! He had a few smaller surprises. But, it was nice to have the big ones in there too. 

Zach In Camp

Zach is finally back with other kids. Camp is held at the town high school. For him, It's a STEM camp that gets out at 11:30. They still wear masks in the building. He loves it! It's mostly engineering activities. He adds to his designs to make them better then the minimum they are told to build. That's the engineering genetics from my family. Remember, my parents and brother are all engineers. 

His teacher was the school Psychologist when I was in elementary school. I told him my maiden name and he hugged me (both fully vaccinated and I wore a mask). He remembered me clearly! Zach loves him as a teacher and is excited by most of what they work on! 

Josh's Shunt Broke

Josh was in the hospital for 5 days. He was born with Hydrocephalus. Excess water in the brain. I did a blog post on it a while ago. His last attack happened not long before we exchanged numbers and started dating. Our official "start of the relationship" date is July 6, 1998. On July 6th he went to the hospital for the break. 

He had a Neurosurgeon who is currently taking care of his mom from the practice that saved his life 23 years ago. We all felt confident that he is in really good hands. The surgery went well. He is home until later in the month. He can't lift more then 10 pounds or bend over. But, he can drive and do most normal things. He just isn't allowed to work yet. 

Scary? During the surgery, yes. But, we talked every night through video call and knew he was doing well. It's been nice having him home. He likes eating my dinners fresh from being cooked instead of reheated. He'll be just fine! I am grateful for the medical team that took care of him in the hospital!