2008 Hamster Derby

Well, Damon entered his hamster, Shadow, in his first hamster derby at PetCo. It was pretty funny, to say the least!

Once they call "start," the owners are not allowed to touch their hamster balls. So, when the hamster runs half way down the track then decides to stop and do a bit of grooming, or decides to turn around and run the wrong way, the kids can't do anything to change their FATE.

It was pretty funny when the hamster next to Shadow stopped and began running the wrong way, the kids jumped up and down, yelling, "Go, you dumb hamster, THAT way!"

Shadow won his first race!

Then they pitted the first place winners from the "regular sized hamsters" and the "dwarf hamsters" (which are about the size of a large walnut) up against each other. Shadow didn't win that race - but came in 2nd!

Damon (and Shadow) were awarded a 2nd place ribbon along with some free hamster treats.

All in all, a good day! Enjoy a few pictures from the race. . . . .


Just warming up - getting ready for the big race.



The first race for "normal sized hamsters"



Shadow won this race!


Shadow has won 1st place in his group . . . now we are waiting for the finals race to begin!


Now it's time to pit Shadow up against the little "walnut hamster!" (dwarf hamster) Shadow came in 2nd place!


Receiving his prize . . . . a ribbon and hamster treats!


Our "boys" - Damon and Shadow

Here We Go AGAIN!

Damon was out playing basketball with a friend on Saturday evening. He came back complaining that he had fallen and his foot was a little sore.

I decided to just watch it and see how things went. By Tuesday, he was still complaining about pain (worsening) and he had bruising on either side of his foot. I decided to take him to the Dr.

GUESS WHAT?!?!? The child is in a cast yet again!

The way his foot twisted when he fell caused the tendon on the outside of his foot (below the ankle) to pull away from the bone, taking a piece of the bone with it! OUCH!

So, here we are again, in a cast for 4 weeks. Then we will XRay it again and see how things look.

I asked the Dr. if it was normal for a child his age (12) to be in a cast for various injuries 4 times in the span of 1 year. He said if they have severe ADHD like Damon does - YES. Especially at this age, they are more "gangly" (sp?) and are a bit out of sorts in the first place. Also, these kiddos don't pay attention to their surroundings as much as your average kid, and therefore, are more likely to step in a hole or fall or step off the curb on accident and injure themselves. They have already run a bone "strength" test on him, and things are totally normal - so there's nothing to worry about.

*SIGH* Oh, these boys. . . . .

Our "Critters"

Just a few cute pictures. . . . . since our "critter" side of the family has grown!

"Kassie" (the beautiful one)
"Rocket" (the snuggly one)
"Shadow" (the little one)

The "MAD" Scientist at Work

Damon absolutely LOVES Science. I never realized how much until I began teaching him this year. We have covered soil and are just beginning to cover plants (nothing terribly exciting - not like the human body or anything like that) - but he is so excited when Science rolls around each day . . . and of course, he just LIVES for the experiments.

Today, we were testing seeds for traces of starch. . . . . I snapped a few pictures while he worked on his assignment.

School has begun . . . . . .

While I haven't had any of these days YET, I got quite a chuckle out of this little cartoon. I think I might just post it on our fridge . . . . . . I know these days will come periodically - I might as well be able to laugh at them (after I've dealt with the situation, of course!)

I don't understand how people can fit "homeschooling" into just a few hours a day. Maybe they are homeschooling smaller kiddos, and the work is not as in depth? Damon takes a full hour on each subject area, which makes our day just like a "regular school" day - we are there from 8-3 each day.

I always knew he had focusing issues, but is that what is really causing the longer hours on our end? Maybe . . . . . I guess it can account for him needing at least 30 minutes on an assignment. These, in most cases, are pretty short assignments - I teach him the material, then he has a "practice" session with it (either verbally or on paper) - and as it doesn't take long to teach the material, the rest of that allotted hour is spent with him "practicing" . . . . not that he doesn't understand it - he's mastered everything so far - it just takes FOREVER to get it out of him.

Glad we had the forethought to slot all the time we did for each subject area - looks as if we are going to need it!

HAPPY BACK TO SCHOOL, Everyone!

Who's Your Hammy ???

Well, he has finally gotten his wish! Damon saved up his money over the last year in hopes of getting a hamster. Since it doesn't look as if we will be moving, we allowed him to go find his hamster and purchase all the needed materials. . . . . . .(Apparently, moving will "stress" out the hamster and make him sick, so we told him he needed to wait until we either moved or decided NOT to sell the house.)

WELCOME, "Shadow" !!!!!!!

"Rocket Man"

Just a cute picture - Rocket loves to bury himself under blankets and pillows. He quickly made himself a spot right after I made the bed this morning. . . .