Wow...

I think it goes without saying that those of us in the TC Metro area are still in a state of disbelief. The I-35 bridge was a bridge that all of us used repeatedly--it's such a main thoro-fare, a landmark of sorts. It's how most folks make their way into Mpls, and it was so huge that you almost did forget it was a bridge over the Mississippi. To think it's gone is something all of us here can't imagine, and won't be able to until we look upon it. When everything happened, all I could do was try not to dwell on who I know that either could be using that bridge or would have a loved one on that bridge. Everyone uses it, how could there not be someone you know on it? So far, so good...although I've heard plenty of folks that I know who were on it an hour before it collapsed, had family choose a different route home that night, etc. Despite the obvious tragedies of the collapse, it goes without saying that there were many more divine miracles that day.

If you're familiar with where our family lives, then you know that bridges are a way of life here. I have to cross a bridge each morning and night on my way to/from work, cross a bridge into our community, etc. Let me tell you, I would have bet that one of the bridges that I take on my way to/from work would have collapsed long before the I-35 bridge. This beautiful bridge in Stillwater (pictured here) is one that's been under the microscope for some time. The Sierra Club is currently blocking progress to rebuild it (the river is a national scenic riverway, so the environmental factor here is a big one). It's well known that this bridge handles more traffic than it was originally designed for and there is valid concern about how it will hold up to continued use. We'll see what happens now.

As for the Ribclan, it's been a little this-n-that. Kdee's incision has had some set backs. As it turns out, she got kicked in the incision area and her nice-healing incision is now a gash. The school did not describe the situation well to me at all (see last post)--very frustrating! We took her to the doctor that night and it turns out there's not much to do about it now. We have a game plan in place to try to help the healing go as well as possible, to achieve minimal scarring. All of this also means that Kdee has to take it easy longer than expected, which is hard for an active little girl. For the most part she's been so good at dealing with pokes, prodes, after care, etc. I am proud of her for that!

But...that said, Kdee has also been a bit more sassy/disrespectful! In some ways, it's not unusual that we have some behaviors flare up during the summer, but geez! One of her common come-backs to most requests lately is either "How do you know?" or a big huf sound. Yikes. I thought we had a few years to go on those reactions. ribB and I are hopeful that our growing lack of patience for all of this means we're almost through the hard part of this cycle of behavior, but one never knows. What I do know is that I do enjoy parenting with ribB--our shared values, dedication to consistency and humor get us through each of these rough patches and I am grateful for that!

This week Kdee received her teacher assignment...it's official, the new school year is almost here! Wow. Time to buy the school supplies and have fun. Kdee is reminding me that I'm more excited than her, and I believe she's right. What an awesome time of year.

Little B is doing well. He's been a singing machine lately--he loves to sing the "ABC" song, Twinkle Twinkle, Row-Row-Your-Boat, and just about any other song he hears. He seems to pick up on lyrics quickly lately...maybe a boy band is in his future--HA! He's showing a bit more of the typical 2-3 year old behaviors, but so far he responds pretty well to redirection and discipline so it's been pretty manageable. Keep your fingers crossed!

Last night we brought dinner to Grandma Honey. She's doing so well...really making nice progress and keeping a good attitude. We had a nice visit, but I'm guessing that my hyper children probably wiped her out!! On a side note, before we left for the fun we got a chance to see our new neighbors--a mother deer and her fawns are calling our backyard their vacation spot. They've been hanging out most mornings & afternoons, much to our delight.

Pics: Stillwater bridge, Grandma & Kdee, the deer neighbors and a pic from our playdate with Carly & Cole last Friday