The Best Laid Plans

Well, we tried to be prepared for my return to school, but alas, the Fates have it out for us. Last night at Jeff's soccer game, he fell and broke his collar bone (or more accurately: was tripped by a player from the opposing team). Luckily our friend, Dustin, was able to take him to the ER at Swedish to get an x-ray (Thanks, Dustin!). Jeff had thought (hoped) that he had just dislocated his shoulder, but the x-ray showed a fracture. He has to wear a sling for 6-12 weeks and cannot move his left arm at all. AT ALL! This means our plan for Jeff to stay home and care for Marley four days a week - beginning on Tuesday - is out the window. We hope that Jeff's arm will heal enough over the next few weeks that he can at least change diapers and such. Needless to say, there will be no soccer or bike riding for a while (among MANY other things). So, if anyone has any free time and feels like caring for an invalid and a baby, let us know.

Here We Go

The school year has begun. At least for the teachers (the kiddos come next week). My days of stay-at-home-mommyhood have come to an end *sigh*. I think we've finally worked out the details who will look after Mars during the day.

Luckily, Jada doesn't charge much for her services:) Honestly, we think we have it worked out pretty well. Jeff will be home with Mars four days a week. He will go to work once a week on Wednesdays. Tanya (and Jada) will alternate with Nai Nai in taking Marley on Wednesdays. Jeff will work from home the rest of the week to get to 20 hours per week, giving us an extra half an income (originally, Jeff was going to stay home full time). We are immensely grateful to Tanya (and Jada) and Nai Nai for helping us out. We couldn't do it without them!

Marley Goes to School

Mars came into school last week to "help" me set up my classroom. Luckily, there were other youngsters "helping" their parents as well.
Addison and Marley
Addie, Maddie, and Mars

Four Generations

Back in June, we took this photo of Mars with Mommy, Grandpa Collins, and Great Grandma Collins.

Last weekend, we got to take another four generations picture of Mars with Daddy, Grandpa Franklin, and G.G. (Great Grandma Franklin).

July Photos

Finally, the July photos are up. Enjoy!

Photo Shoot

I took Mars to Sears today to get his picture taken. They had a pretty good deal. It was $5 for: 1-10x13, 1-8x10, 2-5x7, 16-Wallets, and 16-Minis (whatever those are). Of course, they are all the same pose. I picked the 4th one of him sitting. Check out the rest of the photos.

email address: dawn.franklin@gmail.com
password: marsphoto

Learning to Feed Yourself is Messy!

Sleeping Better

Well, Mars is still sleeping in our bed at night (and occasionally for naps since he will only sleep for about 45 minutes at a time in his crib). But, he is sleeping MUCH better. He's back to basically sleeping through the night (sometimes he wakes up once) and he's sleeping for 10+ hours now!

A Bedtime Story

Once upon a time, there was a Little Boy who, after a long hospital stay, finally came home to his parents. His Mommy and Daddy were so happy to have him home that they cuddled with him all night long in their bed.

The Daddy loved being able to hear the Little Boy breathing peacefully beside him. And the Mommy loved being able to reach over and stroke the Little Boy's hair at night. Before the Little Boy was even four months old, he was sleeping all through the night. His Mommy and Daddy were very pleased.

Then one day, the Little Boy learned to roll over. He decided to surprise his parents by rolling over in bed one night. The Little Boy waited until his parents were fast asleep. Then, he rolled toward his Mommy and chewed on her arm.

"My goodness!" exclaimed the Mommy. "Go back to sleep, Little Boy!"

On the second night the Little Boy, again, waited until his parents were sleeping soundly. Then he rolled toward his Daddy and pulled on his shirt.

"What have we here?" cried the Daddy. "Go back to sleep, Little Boy!"

On the third night, once the Little Boy's parents were fast asleep, the Little Boy turned sideways and kicked his Daddy and pinched his Mommy.

"This won't do at all!" exclaimed the Mommy.

"Something must be done!" cried the Daddy.

The Mommy and Daddy decided that the Little Boy must sleep in his own bed at night. The Little Boy did not like this idea at all and cried a lot. The Mommy had to get up many times during the night to nurse and rock the Little Boy back to sleep. And the Daddy had to sleep with a pillow over his head so that he could get enough sleep to go to work in the morning.

"This won't do at all!" exclaimed the Mommy.

"Something must be done!" cried the Daddy.

So, they decided to bring the Little Boy back into their bed, as long as he promised to practice his rolling during the day.

"Ahh, this is much better," said the Daddy, as he listened to the Little Boy breathing peacefully.

"Yes, much better," agreed the Mommy, as she stroked the Little Boy's hair.

And they lived happily ever after, or at least until the next time they want to try getting the Little Boy to sleep in his own bed.

The End

Sittin' Pretty, I mean Handsome:)