Ten on Tuesday - It's April!

1. The biggest news around here is that on March 24th I had surgery to reconstruct the ACL on my right knee. I've had this surgery twice on my left knee, and don't remember the road to recovery being so long, but the last time I was 9 years younger, and had no kids to keep up with. I was also on summer break, so had plenty of time to recuperate. I am headed back to work tomorrow, and am hoping that it goes ok.

2. The surgery was on my dad's birthday. We did manage

to have some yummy Thai food, and some sort of dessert (I can't remember what) for his birthday dinner, and then we celebrated again a few days later with my sister and brother-in-law. Of course Dad did cook his own birthday cake.

3. This is not the first time his birthday has been interrupted because of my knee. When I was in high school doing PT after some of my knee surgery I reinjured my knee (popped some scar tissue) at PT, and both of my parents had to drop what they were doing (Mom was cooking Dad's birthday dinner) to come and get me because I could not drive home.

4. Speaking of Dad's cake, we were discussing it a few days earlier, and someone brought up pineapple upside-down cake. Dad thought that that was a great idea for a birthday cake, when Claire piped up, "upside down cake? That's crazy! How will you have candles?" She didn't understand why this made all of the grown-ups erupt with laughter.

5. In other Claire news, she learned how to tie a bow today at school. She came in wearing a sticker that says, "I can tie!" and promptly ran to get one of her sneakers and show me how well she could tie a bow. It took her several minutes, but she did a great job!

6. Also, she continues to read everything she can get her hands on. While down at the lake she found an article on lemurs in my parents' Smithsonian magazine and read it (with some help). Then she read part of it again to me on the phone later that day.

7. Quite a while

ago

I ordered Ben a shirt and tie from Children's Place for Easter and a wedding we are going to next weekend. Ever since he saw the tie he has been dying to wear it. Sometimes he would fasten it over his pajamas, and he would

often ask to wear it to school ("Mommy, can I look handsome today?"). I finally took it and hung it up in my closet to keep it safe. He finally got to wear it Sunday, and he was thrilled!

8. Easter was nice, we had a relaxed brunch at the home of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, complete with an egg hunt for the kids. Everyone had a great time (except my leg which swelled up enormously in protest).

9. Spring has definitely sprung here in Virginia. The cherry trees are past peak, which means that we have drifts of cherry blossom petals covering our deck. Our dogwood is just about to bloom. Tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths brighten the garden. Even the bleeding hearts have started to bloom. I was thrilled last week to discover that the magnolia tree that Brian and I bought as an anniversary present two years ago. Last year it got leaves but never flowered, so I was a bit concerned, but this year it got quite a few beautiful large flowers.

10. Brian has also spent quite a bit of time readying the vegetable garden for planting. So far the only thing he's put in the ground are onions, but he has the rest tilled, raked into mounds, and ready to be filled with peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, and squash. Summertime is coming!