Before and After!

We have had a laborious Labor Day 2013. Despite it being a holiday we had school...due to the fact that they will be leaving for Africa soon they are trying to get in as many days of school as possible. Isaac, Elijah, Esther, Joy, and Graham had time over here. Graham had decided before he got over here what type of lever he was going to make today out of K'nex...a type three lever--a croquet mallet. This thought was put into his mind because Woody and Elijah had gotten out our "real" croquet set. He did make a croquet mallet and a couple of wickets out of K'nex, but then close to the end of his time with me, he and Goosey decided to set up the real croquet set. They set it up over at their house so several have enjoyed their first attempt at the game of croquet. Esther, Elijah and Goosey played a game of Monopoly (or Bonopoly as Elijah calls it!). At this point Esther has wiped Goosey out of the game with her hotels on Park Place and Boardwalk. She is just waiting patiently for Elijah to decide to play again so she can get him out too! After lunch I headed to my newly clean and reorganized sewing room and spent several hours sewing. I managed to get two Christmas ornaments completed...so a start on Christmas! This afternoon Woody and I got things ready to take over to Nathan and Kathy's for a Labor Day feast. Tonight's photos show Elijah before (at the start of the meal) and after (during dessert). Sometime in between he had an encounter of a rough kind with the edge of a desk. He got up all excited to get ready for a show...he wanted to show us how he has learned to do the Alaskan yo-yo. Well, that show didn't happen. Goosey held him for a while with an ice pack and then he finally felt like coming back to the table to have watermelon. We are wondering if he will be able to open his eye in the morning. He took a pretty good lick! Isaac was so concerned. He got down from the table and took several of his knitted lovey blankies to help Elijah feel better! Very sweet! I was so full after the meal that all I have been able to do was sit down in the chair in front of the computer and doze off! I think that I am "sort of" awake again. I wonder if this blog has made any sense!