Hard Headed

Yesterday I took Nathan with me to the store. It is nice to take the kids one-on-one. I enjoy the time and I learn a lot about their day they might not share otherwise.

As I got into the car, my elbow bumped Nathan’s head, “I’m sorry, bud.”

”That’s OK. I have the strongest head in my class.” he assured me.

“You do? How do do you know? Did you test it?” I sarcastically replied.

“Yeah.”

In disbelief I answered, “Really? Like how?”

“We bumped our heads against each other, ” he said matter-of-factly.

“And you won?” I was in total awe at this point.

“Yep. One by one, they all lost to me,” he was proud of his status.

Without skipping a beat, he proceeded to show me the two BandAids on his arm. “I fell off the slide today.”

“I’m sorry, did it hurt?” I asked.

He looked out the window, “Yeah….it was fun.”

I was confused now. “I thought you said it hurt.”

“The falling was fun, but not the landing.”

All boy, that kid of mine.

Tell Me I’m Not the Only One

Last week’s wet snow and ensuing run-off wreaked havoc on our house.

Thursday- Monday was our spring break. It snowed 9 inches from Thursday- Tuesday. Last I checked it was April, but that doesn’t mean much these days.

Having six kids cooped up in the house for 5 days is not a good idea. Normally, we wouldn't have let the bad weather keep us in, but we are somewhat home-bound for 6 weeks. So inside it was.

We passed the time with puzzles, blanket forts, hot wheels races and lots and lots of Suite Life of Zach and Cody and the Cosby Show. 

I also passed the time with nagging, wiping spills, and picking up trash.

Needless to say, I was ready for: a.)a sunny day or b.)school to start

So Monday evening, after a much-needed wheelchair excursion to the dollar theater, I opened Emma's door and was greeted with a lovely mildew-y odor. A nice bubble of water under the paint had made its way down the length of the wall and soaked everything in its path. The bookcase hutch, 30 or so books, and a large section of soggy carpet fell victim.

I couldn’t even think about it that night so I decided to walk away and deal with it when my house wasn’t hopping with 6 feverish children (cabin fever, that is.)

Tuesday morning, I got the kids off to school, and came back home to move furniture and tear back carpet. So much for a relaxing day ahead of me.

But first, I had to find the floor. As if the rest of my house wasn’t bad enough after spring break, I also got to clean the room of the messiest one in the bunch! I quickly made piles of dirty clothes, toys, books, and garbage.

I got all that put away and I pulled the bed away from the wall, only to discover more. Really?! I mean, how does it even get under there?! Is she training for the World Cup? Maybe she’s the next Walter Wick. If I can’t teach my kids how to pick up after themselves, they could at least earn a living not doing it.

I spy a stretched out slinky, 2 blue cars, some chocolate chips and a lone U-N-O card.

By that point, I was tired decided it was best to leave her masterpiece alone. Everything, including furniture, was pushed to one side of the room and her bed was piled high with un-damaged books. I opened the window, turned on a fan and shut the door.

It has taken all week to reclaim parts of my house, ie: the family room, kitchen sink and fridge. The carpet and pad in Emma’s room is dry now, but the room remains in shambles.

I have no immediate plans to remedy that.

Grateful.

Randy took Casey and Hailey to the Warren Miller Film late last year. The admission price includes a lift ticket to a nice ski resort in Park City.

They have been dying to use them, but haven’t had the time. Randy has been really busy with work, and it is hard for Casey and Hailey to miss school. And then Randy badly sprained his ankle. He anticipated the day it felt good enough to hit the slopes. Slowly it got better, and it seemed they’d get to use the tickets after all. We planned for them to use them today as the kids had the day off school.

So early this morning, they packed up their boards and off they went.

I stayed home with the younger kids and had plans to take them swimming later in the day. After Emma got home from preschool, we did our chores and changed into our swim suits.

When we got home a few hours later, I had 13 missed calls. Most of them were from Randy. I knew immediately something wasn’t right. I said a quick prayer, that things were OK. I called Randy and he didn’t answer. I said another quick prayer and the phone rang. I sunk to the floor in the kitchen, preparing for the worst.

He sounded upbeat and asked me how my day was. And then he broke the news that Tyler had broken his leg. OK, I can handle that. It was ‘bad,’ was all he said. I knew he was down-playing the situation for my sake, but it could have been so much worse.

He was at Primary Children’s and they were preparing him for surgery. He put Tyler on the phone so I could talk to him before they took him to the OR. I could tell he was exhausted as he told me that he had hit a tree, he was a little scared for surgery, and his leg hurt a little. Thank goodness for morphine.

Randy said he’d call me back and I called my parents and put them on-call. I waited.

When Randy called back, I got more details: They had found the perfect run and were boarding close to the trees where the powder was the best. Randy glanced over his shoulder to see Tyler in the trees. As he was about to tell Tyler to come out, Tyler hit the tree. Thankfully, Tyler turned enough to avoid a head-on collision. I am grateful Randy was right there.

Tyler rarely cries. But this was the most pain he (or I am sure I) has ever felt. He started screaming. It scared Hailey more that he wasn’t crying, but she hurried down the mountain to alert the ski patrol. I am thankful she was so brave.

When ski patrol arrived on the scene, all Tyler said was that his leg hurt. They promptly cut his snow bibs and pants off to reveal an already swollen leg.

He took a ride down the mountain on the toboggan where an ambulance was waiting. I am thankful for the quick response and capable hands.

They loaded him into the ambulance for a trip to Primary Children’s. Tyler was scared, but in good hands. Randy, Casey, and Hailey followed behind all the way to the hospital.

They X-rayed his leg and hip. An obviously broken femur. The poor kid. I have heard that is the most excruciating thing. Thankfully, it didn’t puncture the skin.

The surgery went really well. He will get the rods out in about 6 months. Until then, he will set off every metal detector he goes through.

It is late, and I am here with Tyler. Randy took Casey and Hailey home, and my parents have the other three. I am here by his bedside, and will be all night. Hopefully we can go home tomorrow. 

He is still pretty tired, but otherwise doing really well. He is in a little bit of pain, but he is in the best place possible. I am so thankful he’s going to be alright. While I wish he wasn’t hurt at all. I am glad it wasn’t worse. It could have been so much worse..

I have so much to be grateful for.

Half-Pint

The third grade put on a ‘Wax Museum"’ last night. They have been working for weeks on researching, writing, and memorizing the life of an important person.

At first, Hannah said she was going to be Christopher Columbus. While I don’t disagree he was an important person, I hadn’t yet caught the vision of this project. “Really, Hannah? You wanna dress up like a man?” I felt bad for making her question her decision. I really did. I hate it when I do that.

The remorse ended as soon as she decided on Laura Ingalls Wilder. We are BIG Little House on the Prairie fans at our house. We own several seasons on DVD and have even approved them for Sunday viewing.  When Casey was younger, he proclaimed that he would vote for Pa if he ran for mayor of our town. Me, too, Casey. I realize the series is only loosely based on the books. But the books aren’t completely autobiographical, either. Nonetheless, they give an accurate portrayal of life in the 19th century. Hannah is the perfect age to start reading the series, so I dusted off my old set that had been sitting on Hailey’s shelf since she read them at the same age. Hannah fell in love. It became real to read the words typed by Laura Ingalls Wilder, herself. And that is what this project was all about.

I had a vision of what I wanted her costume to look like and for the past couple weeks, tried to make it happen. I spent the better part of Tuesday sewing her dress and bonnet. It was well worth it, wouldn’t you think? My little Half-Pint looked so cute.

Hannah wrote a short summary of Laura’s life (no thanks to me this busy time of year) and memorized it all on her own. She wouldn’t perform it for me until the big event because she wanted it to be a surprise.

At the door, we were given tokens. When you drop one into a student’s jar, they come to life. Our first stop was, of course, Hannah. I was not prepared for what was about to happen. As she recited her memorized speech, I became very emotional. I contained the tears and congratulated her on a job well done. This became the routine for the next hour. We’d drop a token in, watch the person ‘come to life’ and I’d fight my emotions.

I was so proud of each of these kids. They worked hard to learn about someone important in history. They made them real to themselves and each of us lucky enough to be a part of it.

Listening to a nine year-old talk in the first person about someone who has lived a full life and accomplished great things, made me realize the potential inside each one of those little bodies. They have so much ahead of them. What great things are in store for these young people?

Half-pint? I think not.

A Boastful Post

A friend of mine is always looking for fun things for her kids to do. Unlike me. I don’t actively seek extra-curricular activities for my off-spring.  She usually calls me and invites one of my children to join, even offering to drive every time. Great friend, wouldn’t you say?

I’m surprised she keeps asking because we usually politely decline or I am my typical flakey self and never get back to her.  A couple weeks ago, she called and asked if Tyler would like to do a pottery class. For some reason (divine inspiration?) I didn’t consult Randy on this and I just said yes. Come to think of it, I committed before I even asked Tyler if he was interested.

It is held on the one free night we have each week, the price is right, and a ride is provided. What’s not to love?

Last week, as we were going about our usual pre-dinner chaos there was a knock at the door. His ride was here. (Oh yeah….that’s tonight!) So without dinner, I rushed him out the door with a scribbled check in hand. Off he went, and on I went with my night. It was a particularly busy Thursday and I was headed out. I didn’t return until after he was in bed.

The next morning, he couldn’t wait to tell me all about class. He was able to successfully center his clay and throw a bowl. On his first night.

He was so excited to show me and asked all week if I could watch him. So tonight I did. And boy does he have skills. I was so impressed with both of the kids (a third friend was home with a fever.) Mind you, the class is mostly adults. I mean look at him, he’s not even watching.

His teacher proclaimed him Student of the Week after he successfully threw another bowl, trimmed last week’s bowl, and made a cup. He loves it. And I won’t lie- I do, too. I can’t wait to see the final products.

In the meantime, you might find me on Ebay. Bidding on a pottery wheel.

Aging Appliances

We’ve been in our home 11 years. Which means nearly every appliance in our home is at least that old. I knew this day was inevitable and we were living on borrowed time. In the past year, we have seen several appliances in our home fail. First it was the microwave. Next was the fridge, then the computer hard drive, and last, the dryer. Intermixed with these large failings were the food processor, flat iron, toaster and problems with the blender. 

Handy Randy does a fantastic job fixing things, but sometimes needs parts or tools he doesn’t have access to. However, he has had good luck extending the life of most of these useful gadgets. Except one.

Our poor dryer has seen too many loads of jeans in its day and simply had no more to give. But before giving up on it altogether, Randy thought he’d work his magic. He opened it up to give it a good cleaning and see what else might be wrong with it. Mind you, we have vacuumed out the dryer hose in the past and I am religious about cleaning the lint trap after each load. But apparently, a good deal of lint gets caught in the gut of the dryer.

We even found some lost treasure. How the harmonica got past the lint trap, I will never know.

Resurrection was not in the cards this time and the dryer drum is now used as a kid-size hamster wheel around our house.

Luckily, our friends were upgrading to a newer pair and gave us their old dryer. It will get us by just fine until we can save for our own.

Perhaps my favorite part of this long story is what Emma told me yesterday. As I was doing her hair, she said, “All the dryers in our house are old.”

“Yep, they are,” I replied.

“And so are the wetters.”

No comment.

Happy Groundbeaver Day!

Emma came home from preschool very excited about all she had learned today. She had me close her eyes as she pulled each masterpiece from her little bag. Until finally…

“Ta da! Mom, did you know today is Groundbeaver Day?“

I had no idea.