Today is the last day of school for the rest of the Martin kiddos. JP finished college back in May, Maggie graduated 8th grade on June 4, and Brendan graduated Kindergarten on June 10. Andrew and Eamon have their last day of high school finals, and Alexander and Declan have a half day for their last day in 5th and 2nd grades. To say it's a busy time of year is an understatement and google calendar is my bestie. Let's go through my phone photos and see what we captured...
Declan's adenoid surgery went great! He went to Boston Children's Hospital and the surgeon said his adenoids were HUGE and this surgery should definitely help him breathe through his nose and stop snoring. His roommates were happy to hear that ;)
Maggie was recognized as a Top Ten high school placement exam winner at the high school where she will be attending next year. She is our second child to do this, following in JP's footsteps, and it means she gets an extra nice laptop for high school since they win $1000. It pays to be a nerd! :)
Andrew (left) and his buddy with the high school mascot...
And Eamon (blue crocs) with some other freshman and Sparty.
I made Crispy Slow Cooker Carnitas for dinner one night (thanks for the recommendation Suzanne!) and then Phil used the leftover carnitas to make these Keto Empanadas which were delicious!
Alexander had to create a simple project of the Scorpion Constellation - shoebox and Qtips to the rescue!
After Brendan's graduation, Maggie and I took him out to breakfast...just look at the size of his pancakes!
On Saturday, the youngest three boys ran in the annual Youth Mile race that takes place at a track we can walk to.
Big brother Andrew was a great coach and ran next to them to encourage them when they needed it.
Brendan (5) won first place in his age group for the half mile (ran in 3:50). Declan (7) won second place in his age group for the one mile (ran in 7:27) and Alexander (10) pushed himself through his hatred of running to place fourth in the one mile (ran in 7:58). Love their determination!
I made a batch of granola and it just makes the house smell so good and the kids love to eat it with yogurt. It's one of those things that makes me feel like a good mom. Sure, I may not sit on the floor and play with my kids very often, but I do make homemade granola :) We use Alton Brown's recipe but omit the raisins because eww, raisins.
No offense to my boys, but my girl is just so good at taking care of Brendan and keeping the house running until the rest of the family gets out of school for the summer. Maggie has taken Brendan to playgrounds and the track to run and to a convenience store for a treat. She makes him have reading time and plays legos and puzzles with him, keeps him fed and does a load of laundry too. I know she'll soon be old enough to work more and not home as much, but I can I please keep her 14 forever?!?!
Oh this was a yummy new recipe that Phil made this week. If you're keeping score, yes, Phil cooks dinner often because I get home from work later than him and we are a team. He made Paleo Chicken Nuggets (we will omit the cinnamon next time) with sweet potato fries and a salad.
We celebrated the ending of the school year with an ice cream truck at work. I got a Snickers Ice Cream Bar, because how could I not?
Strawberry Picking!! They were delicious!
I was inspired by their pickings and made a Strawberry Bourbon Crisp with vanilla ice cream. I actually used frozen strawberries because the kids wanted to eat the fresh picked ones plain. Can't blame them.
Phew, I'm sure I missed plenty of other happenings at Casa Martin but you get what you get and you don't get upset :) Coming up - Haley's wedding weekend, Father's Day and a new federal holiday makes it a long weekend!
I'm glad his surgery went well! Wow, what a busy time!
ReplyDeleteThank you, always a relief to get through those :)
DeleteSuch a busy time for your family! Your sons are amazing runners- those times are awesome.
ReplyDeleteQuestion about the surgery- how did you handle pain relief after? My daughter will probably have tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy later thuis summer ( turns out she has sleep apnea - whoops!) Things I've read indicate pain can be a big issue after surgery. Did your guy have any problems with pain?
Ok so just having adenoids removed was way easier in terms of pain relief and recovery time. Declan just took tylenol and ibuprofen, alternating, for 24 hours and that was it! Maggie had both tonsils and adenoids removed when she was 12, and her recovery was long and very very painful. I didn't fulfill the scrip for the strong pain meds, and just alternated tylenol and ibuprofen (for like a week!) but looking back I probably should have got her the stronger stuff a few days in when it was the worst. Each kid is different and the younger the better in terms of less pain. I hope your daughter fares well!!
DeleteWe had the same experience, adenoids are not such a big deal, just a day of discomfort. Tonsils were very painful for an extended period. Tonsils got better and then worse again when the scabs started coming off. Our little guy was 4 and we powered through with alternating tylenol and ibuprofen, but I too look back and I probably should have filled the scrip I had for narcotics. Having said that, it was life changing for him (drastically improved sleep and therefore a much happier kid) and very much worth it, but definitely go in with nothing planned for 10 days.
DeleteThanks for this information . It looks like we'll have a very difficult 2 weeks -my daughter does not like taking pills in any way shape or form.
DeleteCollen, your kids are looking so big and grown up - even the littles! I love that Maggie is such a good helper and I love that Phil makes dinner often. You guys really do make a great team!
ReplyDeleteDon't tell me the littles look grown up ;) Teamwork makes the dreamwork, as you know!
DeleteI'm glad surgery went well, but my goodness you sound busy! I like the recipes you linked to and will keep them in mind. I like your team approach to cooking dinner here. We're the same.
ReplyDeleteSo thankful for helpful spouses who just so what needs to be done!
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