Little Savers

Christian, Tori and Eli went to the bank this past weekend and opened their own savings accounts. We put in some money, and they emptied their piggy banks. It took a bit, and fortunately, there were toys for the kids to play with. The bank had also had a kids’ event days before and gave the kids a bag of goodies.

Now the kids can have checks made out to them that they can deposit into their accounts. No more making out checks for the kids to us. Every time they go to the bank and make a deposit, they will get to choose something from the treasure chest. What fun!

Oh, the Pain!

Christian does not do pain or blood well, so of course, he was the one that suffered a burn to his foot this weekend. He and Tori were whipping around their sparklers when a spark settled between two of his toes and left a nice little burn. That led to major screaming and trip inside to sit with his foot in cold water. The blisters broke right away, and we applied medication to them to avoid infection. He was a total pain about it all, yelling, whining, etc. Finally he settled down and went to sleep. He was fine the next morning, but the skin has been rubbing off, so Christian has started complaining and hopping around yet again. I applied some more medicine to it and told him to buck up,. He stayed home this morning, so hopefully, he will get some rest. This weekend wore him out and everyone else.

On a more positive note, Christian got back on the horse on Sunday night and had fun with the sparklers again. This time he got smart and put on shoes. We also made sure that he and Tori stayed far away from each other.

Home Today

Christian shocked me this morning by staying home. He didn’t really say why he was staying home, but I am guessing he needs some alone time. Annie is off today, though she has lots to do. Grandma is there too and she is feeling better than she has in some time. The kittens are there too—that’s right. Annie’s cat Dreamy had two black kittens in our closet on Saturday night. The kids have seen them, petted them and held them. Dreamy is OK with humans, just not any cats. So, today, she was moved with her kittens to Eli’s room. He rarely goes in there, and he will like the fact that he gets to sleep in Mom and Dad’s room on a separate mattress for the next two weeks. I am sure Christian will be checking in on the kitties today and keeping all of the other cats far away!

Sharon's

Ollie told me all spring that he was going to stay at home with Grandma this summer, and then summer came, and he changed his mind. Grandma is not as fun as Nathan is apparently. Ollie went to Sharon’s all last week and went there again this morning. I think he likes having someone his age to play with.

His finger looks better, but it is crooked. The lower part of it is also a bit swollen still. He can make a fist, and he is not treating it as gingerly as he was, so all is well. I’m sure it will be back to normal by the time school starts back up in late August.

Finger Improving

Christian can now make a fist, which means he is on the mend! He has also pulled off all of the old skin that cropped up due to the splint. He, too, is becoming more and more self-sufficient and mature. He even sat down with us last night to watch “Wild Hogs.’ He remembered scenes from it that we didn’t!

Christian is also getting good about helping out Eli, bathing him and turning on his light for him. He is turning into a really good big brother, though occasionally he fights with his little sister and brother.

He is also becoming a worrywart. He always worries about how much money we have and what the weather is going to be like. He panics when the TV warning system sounds or the severe weather watch pops up in the corner of the TV. Huts tells him repeatedly to find something else to worry about, but he always returns to money and natural disasters! Kind of funny sometimes.

Headed to St. Louis

Just one more day of work and school, and we’re off to St. Louis for a little fun with Huts’ family. His great aunt is turning 90, and in addition to attending her party, we’re also going to the zoo and the arch, we hope. The kids don’t seem too excited at this point, but that will change I am sure. Christian is bummed out about not being able to swim because of his splinted finger. He and I will have to find something else to do, like a puzzle a friend gave me.

Monday is the big day for Christian. He gets his splint off (we think) and will start working out his newly healed finger with exercises. Everyone assures me he won’t do them, but they don’t know Christian. He will do them because he needs to do them, no questions asked.

Pop Goes the Finger

There's been a lot happening since Christian's birthday celebration on the 13th. It all started to snowball on June 19th. As we got to after care to pick up the kids, I went out to the playground to get them. Tori was out there, but I didn't see Christian. The woman out there told me he was inside. No big deal, they are allowed to get drinks from the fountain. Unfortunately it was a big deal. I went inside and Christian was at a table crying with 2 of the other care takers and an ice bag on his hand. His Mom was trying to console him, but it wasn't working much. As I got closer I could tell it wasn't good.

His pinky was swollen from his hand to his first knuckle. I asked him to lay his other hand flat to compare it with the swollen finger. I could tell then that it was broken. He twisted it slightly (it wasn't flat like the other fingers) and it was pointing out more than usual. He told us a known ruffian on the playground slid down the slide and into Christian while Christian was getting off the slide. The kid kicked him in the nuts as Christian was getting off and his pinky was still on the slide. Apparently this caused his hand to bend back in an awkward position and break his pinky.

We took him to the prompt care after we dropped everyone off at home. He was still upset and crying, but eventually calmed down. He was OK as they examined him and did well with his first x-rays. Then it came time to set his finger. Before the fun could start they had to numb the fracture area. The only way to do this was with a needle. I took his left hand and kind of covered his face so he wouldn't see what was happening. The doctor injected one side of his broken pinky, then the other. He cried in pain, but he didn't wail, scream or thrash around. While the injection was taking effect, he was a jabber box about commercials and worrying too much about things like the weather and money. Eventually the doctor came back in to set his finger. He watched this time as the doctor twisted and turned the finger back into place. There were a few pops when he put it back. Christian said "Ow" a few times, but wasn't in a great deal of pain. They wrapped in in a splint and sent us home with directions to see an orthopaedist.

Luckily for Christian the ortho said he wouldn't need surgery. His finger may be a little crooked, but it would straighten out over time. He'll have the splint on for 2 weeks then he'll begin stretching the muscles in his finger. That is going to hurt a bit. We are just glad it isn't a lot worse.

Happy Birthday Christian

Christian turned 8 on Friday, but he’s been celebrating for about a week now. It all started last week with the getting of his birthday presents. He had been wanting a Lego set for so long that we had him go get it the moment it came out. He got Grandma Marie’s gift next. Then he got some money this week, so back to Target he went on his birthday. He got a remote control bug and is waiting on the Cars 2 Lego sets.

I made him cookies (he hates cake because of the icing) and Huts got him Avanti’s food. We took him bowling on Saturday night, and he seemed to have a good time. He also got a new loft bed this weekend, which of course he has decided is a little scary. He is toughing it out, though. I took several photos of him on his new bed. The first was his “sexy” pose—his words, not mine. Christian is 8, going on 13!

Field Trip 2

Christian has a field trip to Sommer Park tomorrow—whew it is going to be hot. And he has another field trip to a farm next week. He cannot wait. He had lots to tell Tori about her field trip in first grade.

Christian turns 8 on Friday, and he is ready to play mini golf and bowl. No party this year—just fun with us. He already chose his presents—Legos of course. Annie is giving him money, so I am sure we will be back to the toy store soon. !

Boy Scouts

Christian wanted to join the Scouts, Huts gave it a shot; it failed miserably. The school tried again to start a troop, and that didn’t pan out. So we asked our next door neighbor about her Scout troop, and she invited Christian to join it. Tonight is the first meeting. Huts is taking him to the school and sitting in with him. Christian says he is not interested in the Scouts anymore, but we’ll see. Tonight just might jump-start it!


Update: We got a call when we got home that a pack would be created at Charter Oak. Christian decided that he wanted to try his new pack before joining a new group.