Planes, School, and Bee Stings

Last Monday began with a trip to Keene Elementary on the school bus. Andy was also able to come with us to take Abi to see her new classroom and spend an hour with her teacher while we and the other parents had a meeting.

A couple of hours after we had arrived back home Andy called us from work. We were invited to fly in a Kodiak which was making it's way home from an airshow and was stopping past MMS. MMS families who had never been in a small plane would have the chance to go for a short flight. Abi and Matthew sat in their own seats and we all had an amazing time.

Abi started school last Thursday - I would like to say it all went really smoothly and Matthew and I had a wonderful peaceful day but, life in the Swanson household is never dull! On Wednesday Abi was stung by a bee under her toe. Apart from being painful, her big toe and surrounding area was very swollen. Thanks to a Thunderstorm which lasted most of the night and the bee sting we were all rather tired Thursday morning. Abi hobbled onto the bus wearing her garden shoes (crocs) as nothing else would fit her swollen foot. I had many errands to do in town like taking our rubbish and recycling to the dump ( we do not have it collected), library and a food shop, then stopped at the school to give a very tired Abi some more ibuprofen before returning home. Despite the drama of the first few days of School Abi is having a super time. Over dinner she is so busy telling us about her day that we have to remind her to eat. She also informs me as soon as she gets off the bus who, if anyone, was misbehaving that day! LOL!

The last few days Matthew and I have been getting the house ready for Auntie Ruth coming. Andy's sister is the first Swanson to make it to Ohio. She arrived Tuesday night and is here for a week before going onto to visit another friend in the USA. This morning Matthew and I took her up Amish country to Hershbergers Farm. They also had lovely home grown produce for sale and we came home with fresh nectarines, melon, blackberries, gala apples and some freshly baked cheese tarts from Millers Bakery!

Matthew is slowly getting used to the days by himself and we have enjoyed some more frequent trips to the library to get some huge books on fire trucks and giant dump trucks! We also borrowed a video on Monster Trucks so I am feeling a little trucked out at the moment and glad that Auntie Ruth is here to share in this along with me! He was very upset the other day when Abi -who does not appreciate his love of trucks - refused to watch his new video with him! Thankfully, Andy is more than happy to watch it over and over. Please remember Matthew as he adapts to being without Abi all day and as he starts preschool on Friday morning. I will be going with him this week for a few hours and then next week he will start by himself.


Nature in Ohio is always fascinating and we have seen lots of amazing things. Tonight a swarm of bees arrived and have taken rest on our trampoline! Matthew was jumping about on it and Abi was about to go out when we noticed the air was full of bees! Andy rescued Matthew and we watched it all from inside! Thankfully our neighbour is a bee keeper and he came down to have a look. As the bees began to stop flying about and settle on the trampoline we had a cup of coffee outside watching and learning all about swarms of bees. I am really hoping they don't stay too long as I feel I have lost enough sleep over bee stings lately! : 0)