Month In Review

Lots has been happening around here in the last month...

Freddy turned ten, which is old enough to not want to hold up one finger for each year old. (see below) 

 We had a family taco dinner at home on his actual birthday and it gives me great pride that my children's continued favorite food is Mexican food. 

He's working hard on his cello piece that needs to be as perfect as can be by next week.

 "seriously?"

 "ok, fine. You don't have to hold up your fingers."

 Pai had his birthday just two days later, celebrated with carrot cake. I already forgot what he chose for his birthday dinner. Typing this has made me realize we forgot to give him the birtday present that didn't get done in time for Father's Day in March. See why this is more of a monthly blog now?

 Two days after that was Freddy's school birthday party. We invited the whole class to our house on what was the stormiest, rainiest day of the year. HE got lots of books from his friends who know he loves to read.

 Mooj's ankle healed enough to get back on the rugby field for the last two games of the season.

 Zita celebrated a Catholic ceremony that I was not aware existed until this year. It comes after first communion and before confirmation. A bridge, if you will. We all went to mass with hundreds of other families from school, and then had afternoon tea and cake at our house.

We could not find a white dress so she went with formal, flowy trousers and this top. She was in the exact outfit as someone's mother.

I snapped this as she was walking out the door last week. She's ready and walking out the door before we even know what day it is. 

 We are going to have so many grapes this year. The vines just glow in the morning sun.

 Even with a month of school to go, we have a distinct Summer pace to our mornings. The boys head to the trampoline in their jammies until it's time to come in for breakfast. If I had only known years ago how much use this trampoline gets. Live and learn.

Moojie's birthday present to Freddy was to take him and his cousin to Rock In Rio. It was Freddy's first concert and he's now hooked. They had so much fun last Friday. Mooj is going back this weekend on Saturday and Sunday with his friends. 

 Sebby can now climb the kids' favorite olive tree. All kids gravitate to this tree

 Sebby's thumbs up is the cutest; it's either a thumb to the side, or his pointer finger up.

We went to his last high school rugby game ever. Can't talk about that. Too many lasts are happening right now. 

I took this before we went into the restaurant last Saturday after the game. 

That just about brings us to this week. Mooj finishes next Friday, Zita the week after that, and Freddy at the end of the month. We have a graduation ceremony, dinner, and dance coming up, music shows, end of school shows and parties, music auditions (they have to re-audition every year), a three day orchestra trip, a three day end of year trip, and Mooj's major college-deciding national exams.

Bring on June!

Rugby in Photos

It turns out that a good camera doesn't always make good photos, but I try...

 I caught Moojie's assist, but the rest of the play seemed to happen everywhere I wasn't.

 I can't help but think of National Geographic scenes of wolves taking down a Bison.

 Number 13 went on to score a try right after this shot!

I had to leave at half time to catch Zita's tennis tournament and then Moojie was injured in the following game so there's no rugby until April. That doesn't leave many games left on this rugby team. I can't dwell on too many of these "lasts," or I would be a in a puddle of tears every day.

Recent Rugby Pictures

Mooji had heartbreaking loss last weekend. He played the team that broke his arm, almost exactly a year ago, and was especially determined to beat them this year.

His team was up 15-13 with two tries to one, (plus a few kicks on each side), and with 30 seconds to go, the other team scored a penalty kick and sealed the lead 16-15. There was a last effort to score, and they came so so close, as in right on the try line close, but the other team got the ball and kicked it out. With that kick, the whistle blew and that was it.

We were left stunned.  It was particularly frustrating to lose having scored more tries, but I think they will get one more shot at playing them before the year is over.

Some Recent Rugby Pictures

It has been a great rugby season so far. The whole league has been reconfigured and is now organized into World-Cup style groups instead of A league and B league. The team has won all three of their games so will advance into the winners circle (totally making up these terms as I go) and play what should be much harder teams.  Their biggest triumph was beating Cascais for the first time ever, and thus relegating  Cascais to the lower group. Or, losers circle if you will. 

I think my heart-rate reached record levels in the last ten minutes as Cascais put out a huge effort to come back. 

Rugby facial expressions are pretty much the best. These are not the Cascais game pictures, by the way. 

I'm so very thankful for the dads who bring fast long-lense cameras and get these shots. By the time I figure out that Mooj was the person with the ball, or doing a great tackle, it's too late for my point and shoot.

Re-Cap of The Last Few Days

Monday was a holiday so we had a long weekend filled with Christmas prep plans and we were all looking forward to a calm few days with the family.

Mooj had a rugby game on Saturday where in the last seconds of the game he broke his arm. 

The above picture is seconds before the accident. 

 

 

By Sunday, the above arm became this (see below) after a 2.5 hour surgery that was supposed to be "about an hour." Is there anything that makes a parent more nervous than a surgery that runs over?

The recovery period was brutal for Moojie who it turns out is allergic to certain opioids. Yes, truly allergic. We've done a lot of reading on adverse reactions vs. allergic reactions since then. Follow-up on that is on the to-do list.

By Sunday night we were settled into a room and I swapped out with Pai who did both night shifts. 

Early Monday evening, we all came home and settled Moojie into his new normal. It looked something like this as of Tuesday.

Tuesday morning we went back to the hospital to check his dressing and incisions. Sebby was a treat in the waiting room and really loves the wrench that has been thrown into his routine :-) I'm kicking myself for never having established any sort of a relationship with a babysitter before. 

 This might look like a pretty sweet set-up, but Moojie is missing out on so much. School, for one. Rugby is over and done with, along with any chance at a spot on the national team. He was right in the middle of try-outs. We had to cancel his driver's test right along with his Christmas trip to California.

Mooj is not your typical couch potato video game playing teenager. He was constantly excercising and doing either tennis, rugby, or gym time. Just a few days of sitting around and he's a little stir crazy. 

Friends showed up on the day he came home, and a group came by during their lunch hour yesterday. So it's not too bleak. I'm sure he'll be able to do more in a few days, but for now it's a little rough around here.

I have a lot more pictures, but I haven't run them by Moojie, and nothing (about him) gets posted here without his approval so those will have to wait. 

Weekend Rugby

Moojie went up to Lousã on Sunday for an away game. He scored two tries and of course I was not there to see it:( The coach did get a few pictures of him, which is always appreciated.

This weekend is a home game and my plan is to get more vídeo footage. Let's hope Seb cooperates.