Seb's Big Week

Our poor sweet Seb... a few weeks ago, he came in from his morning wanders, limping terribly. It was obvious he'd done something serious, and sure enough, the vet said the next day he'd torn his ACL.

This pretty much meant surgery, and a severe limitation on how much he was able to get around. 

We were actually told to keep him in a crate, but that was just not going to work out. But we did accommodate him with a ramp up to the couch, so he wouldn't jump. the rug on the ramp was to make it less slippery, and we put bricks on the end to hold it in place. Really classy looking!

Seb had his surgery Tuesday, and it went well, other than learning that his OTHER ACL is also messed up and arthritic. 

We were under the impression he'd be drugged and sleepy when he came home. Um, no. He was ANGRY. Mad every time he tried to move and found that he couldn't. He was hissing and making cat-fight sounds in his rage, scaring the girls and making them cry. We aren't used to our big lovebug acting like this!

I finally gave him extra medicine that night, even though he was supposed to be good until the morning. We had him the little orange tent the girls use, with his litter box, food, water, and a big comforter for him to sleep on.

Our first two nights were rough. 
 
But by the third day, he was acting much more like himself, and I was able to sleep in my own bed the whole night.

His incision was healing beautifully, and the vet took off the bandaging on Friday. 

Seb decided he really didn't like staying in the tent all the time, and made a new window. The next day, Stace duck taped it, but our resourceful cat created a new exit through the side of the tent. We then gave up and let him come out permanently. Don't tell the vet.

After leaving his incision alone for a full week, Stace and I heard him meowing plaintively Tuesday night, and found that he had a tooth stuck in a staple! Stace unhooked the tooth, and on Wednesday, I took him back in to remove the half-out staple. He'll get them all removed next week. Now, he wears the Cone of Shame and looks very pathetic.

Weekend Fun

Cora helped Melanie with a wedding in Moorpark on Saturday, and Mel gave us some extra flowers to take to our friend Michelle when we visited her and Rob later that day. Michelle and Rob live just 15 minutes from the wedding location, so it worked out well. 

Rob and Stace picked up Cora from the wedding in an awesome Jeep Rob bought earlier this year, which eventually might be Brooke's. Cora had fun driving a bit on a back road. She'd love a Jeep of her own!

Michelle and Violet made some delicious cookies...

...and after dinner, the kids played on Rob's little minibike. 

We also had a game of wiffleball out front with the neighbors. It was great fun to see them, and so nice to get out of our heat!

On Sunday morning, Vi and I snuck out for a short walk in Quigley Canyon before it got too warm. It's so lovely there, and we saw a family of quail.

Later Sunday, we went out to the archery range for the first time in a while. Violet's still got it! She wants to get back to archery on horseback, but it's still too warm for that.

Cora was at D&D, and Vi didn't feel like going this weekend, so after we took her to the archery range, we went to Pocock Brewery for a drink and a big soft pretzel.

All in all, a lovely weekend!
 

Sporty Week in Review

Spencer thought we might like this baby dove, so he brought it into the yard, with a few puncture wounds. We tried our best, with water, food and a safe spot in the bathroom. Sadly, after a few days, it passed on. I weighed it, and found out online that it was only 9 or 10 days old, so it was still young enough to require mama to feed it with chewed up seed. Not exactly something we were capable of doing...
 

My parents got Dodger tickets for Wednesday night's game, and invited me to come along. This photo shows A.J. Pollock hitting a home run. I've been having pretty good luck when I take photos or video of Dodger hitters!

The reason my dad picked this particular Wednesday night was because of THIS giveaway to the first 40,000 fans - this replica World Series ring! We were fortunate to get their early enough to get ours. They are beautiful, and weighty! No cheap plastic here.

Violet and I are enjoying her Friday half-days - hard to believe this part of our school life is in its final year!

This week, we took her coupon for a free mini pizza to Pizza Hut for lunch.

On Friday night, Cora and I went to her first high school football game. What an amazing thing, seeing all these happy kids together, outside in the stands, cheering on their team! This didn't happen last school year at all.

High school football happened all over the United States in the fall, but not in California. Finally, California allowed for a very limited season in the spring, but fans in the stands were very limited. I think it was two people per player? Anyway, it was GREAT to get this bit of normalcy back. 

Stace came by after his own football game - well, the OTHER football!

I snuck this pic of Cora and her friends - she's the one who looks like a hand is coming out from behind her head.

She took this silly shot of hanging with her friends. I'm so happy she's getting a bit more of a normal life again! Fingers crossed it lasts!

Tidbits

On the first day of school for the big kids, a few of us moms went out for breakfast with the little kids - not that they're little anymore!

Before Vi went back to school, she earned a bit of money by repainting the gate. (Don't worry, the drips on the ground are on a clear bit of sheeting!) She did a good job!

A local web site I follow was giving away sushi from a new place in town, and I was lucky enough to get some! It was a huge roll, and big enough for Stace and me to share for dinner.

On Violet's last day of summer break, we went to Starbucks. Either the sun was in her eyes or she just doesn't like posing for photos.

Over the weekend, Rigo and Stace went to the weekly "Cars and Coffee" morning out. This takes place every Saturday, and it was nice for the guys to get together and hang with like-minded people.

Later on Saturday, Cora went to a Halloween monsters-and-ghouls convention with Grandma and Grandpa, so Violet went alone to our Cami's birthday party. 

Cami is Melanie's big sister, and her party had a Gilmore Girls theme. Vi and I watched one episode so she would "get" the thematic elements. She had fun and came home with some cute party favors.
 

Violet Starts Sixth Grade!

Cora and Violet are in different school districts, and Violet started two days after Cora. I actually like this - I get to spend all of Cora's first morning of school with her, and then turn my attention to Violet when it's her first day.

On Wednesday night, we went to Back to School Night, and miracle of miracles, it was IN PERSON and we got to be on campus and meet her teacher! (Small blessings we wouldn't have appreciated pre-Covid!)

We're very happy that Violet is in Mrs. Fusner's class. I've heard great things about her, and I know she's artistic, which will suit Vi perfectly.

Again, not to overstate the fact, but last year parents weren't on campus whatsoever, so it was lovely to step back into the classroom and see where Vi will be spending her days.

This was a project the graduating sixth grade class did the year the schools shut down. They weren't able to spend the money they'd raised on the fun activities Cora's year was able to do. But they gifted the school this mural, and I hadn't had a chance to have a good look at it yet.

Since she's entering her last year, time to get the cheesy sign photo!

We also sneaked into her fifth-grade class to have a peek, and saw that the dragon she drew Mrs. Dallaire is still up. 

On Thursday, Violet started 6th grade! Check out the cute photobomber.

One last pic before she entered the gates... clearly she was through taking photos.

Happy girls after school on Day 1 - I'm so glad Melanie and Violet get to share a classroom one more time! And no, they didn't plan to match!
 

Cora's in HIGH SCHOOL!

 Cora started school on Tuesday, and Stace took Monday off to hang out together as a family. We went to see the Jungle Cruise at our new Laemmle theater in Newhall - my new all-time favorite theater! Small, comfortable, clean, affordable. There weren't many in since it was early on a weekday, and everyone wore masks.

The movie was a fun watch, too.

After, we went to Big 5 to get Cora a new backpack and double-walled water bottle to keep her drinks cold. She didn't want to get any new clothing or shoes - my little minimalist - so a backpack was a natural purchase.

The big day arrived! First day of high school for our Cora Rose. Very hard to believe, yet here we are.

Cora went to school in her Critical Role hoodie, one of her favorite articles of clothing, and a gift from her dear friend Violet. The hat is her souvenir from Disney World, and it's from Pirates of the Caribbean.

The traffic was awful - stop and go for blocks. Cora hopped out and walked when we reached the park two blocks away. 

By afternoon when I picked her up, the sweatshirt was off. Cora was upbeat - her day wasn't as awful as she'd feared, and she'd found her friends and they ate lunch together in a shaded grassy area. She has three academic classes - AP Environmental Science, Honors English and Algebra - along with P.E., Show Choir and Theater III, the class which will produce the fall musical. 

High school is one of periods of life we all look back on - memorable for many reasons, positive and negative. May you make many more positive memories than negative, my dear Cora!

Final Week of Summer!

The girls head back to school next week, and - so far - it's looking like it will be full-day, "normal" school (with masks), so we're excited about that. Well, I'M excited about that. The girls are nervous - Cora starting high school and Violet not wanting to go back to school ever.

But, be all that as it may be, we enjoyed our last full week of vacation. Cora had registration at her high school, which involved getting her schedule, taking photos for her ID and buying PE and spirit clothes. It went well, until she ran into some snarky older girls in the library. Ugh. All the memories of why I didn't enjoy high school came flooding back!

After registration, we went to Hobby Lobby so Cora could get some supplies for a D&D craft project she's working on. She is so creative! 

While there, I noticed these gorgeous dollhouses and furniture, and immediately got that pang of wishing my high schooler were 6 years old again.

Violet spent many of the nights sleeping on the couch, so she could stay up late and watch her favorite show, Dragon Prince. Seb joined her and looked so sweet.

Violet saw her endocrinologist this week and she had a great two months of growth since her last appointment - a full inch! She's now a hair shy of 58 inches tall.

Our friend Liz had us over Friday for an end of summer pool party. After swimming, the big kids played Jackbox; later, they all played a live-action murder mystery game.

Here are the younger kids, still in the pool into the evening.

We didn't have big plans for Saturday, and Stace has hardly been to the beach this summer. The girls weren't that excited to go, because no friends were going. So Cora spent her time whittling a stick into a wand, to make her own Harry Potter-style wand.

Violet and Stace enjoyed the sea and frisbee before settling into a crossword puzzle.

Cora stayed dry, and later took a nap. 

We picked up dinner in Ventura and ate in a cool mist - crazy with how hot it is at home!
 

Here are some of the healing potion jars Cora made this week to take to share at D&D on Sunday. Aren't they so cool? She made resin, dyed it red and poured it into the bottom of the little jars. She bought red D4 dice and add them, and then melted red sealing wax to put on top of the corks. 

D&D on Sundays at Green Tower Games is the highlight of Cora's week. Violet goes most weeks, too.