The Purple Cast

On Monday, Archer got his cast on. It was a long week of splint/sling/trying to keep him from displacing the bone! I was pretty relieved for him to finally get the cast on.

They took a few more x-rays to make sure it was still lined up, and it thankfully was. It turns out he also bent his ulna so they wanted to make sure that the radius was in the correct spot as well.

Little boy chose to have a purple cast. It is so bright and he loves it, except he complains of it itching every now and then. He says it doesn't hurt at all anymore though, so that is good since we were hearing complaints multiple times per day when he was in the splint.

2 weeks until a follow-up visit, then hopefully only another 2-3 until the cast is off! Really hoping it's off before summer is in full swing!

Mother's Day, Part 2

Yesterday morning, my thoughtful boys decided what to make me for breakfast: an egg quesadilla with lots of veggies & hot sauce, with grapefruit (they actually told John we should have peaches, but they had to settle for grapefruit). They served it to me in bed and I actually ate in peace and quiet which is extremely rare lately!

Preston had orchestrated a complicated treasure hunt for me, involving lots of clues that I had to decipher (made even more complicated by first-grade spelling!), leading me to various presents he had hidden around the house. I received lots and lots of beautiful homemade gifts, flowers that Preston planted at school (marigolds perhaps?), along with $1. Best Mother's Day ever!

After church, we went greenhouse shopping (which is my other Mother's Day present, but pretty sure we're going to build one from scratch instead of getting a kit). I didn't have to cook all day long, I got a yummy cherry limeade from Sonic, and even had a little time to read at the end of the day! The best part of the day: I got a picture with my boys where they are all smiling and (pretty much) looking at the camera. Amazing!

I am a lucky mom!

Mother's Day, Part 1

I know, it's not even Mother's Day yet. And really, these are things we would probably do on a "normal" weekend anyway...but I like I claim the entire weekend as "Mother's Day Weekend" just so I can milk it a little longer!

Yesterday wasn't super eventful...yard work all day, a short bike ride to pick P up from school, and BBQ with our home group from church. Today we woke up bright and early and we got most of the garden planted. Plus I got a bunch of the weeds cleared out from around our raspberries. We still have a few things to plant (green beans, corn, and I'm sure a few other things), but it looks really good so far. Not as good as pretty raised beds, but it'll do for now. Then we took the boys to Silverwood, which was fun but crowded. Poor Arch couldn't ride a bunch of rides due to his broken arm so that put a bit of a damper on things for him until we got some ice cream. I did feel sorry for him though, poor kid would get up to the front of a line to go on a ride only to be sent away.

We came home pretty much exhausted, and BBQ'd again (bean burgers and Brussels sprouts, yum!). Then movie night: Peter Pan. The boys had never seen Peter Pan, although we have read the book, and they loved it! Now John and the boys are plotting what to make me for breakfast in the morning, so I'm pretty sure the Mother's Day fun will continue throughout the actual Mother's Day as well.

The Boys

Sometimes I can't believe how grown up they are. I was pretty sick for the first few days this week (just now starting to get my energy back), and Preston really wanted to make breakfast to help out. He is such a sweet kid and always looking out for ways he can help around the house. He made oatmeal (in the microwave), but he requested that I teach him to make scrambled eggs when I was feeling better. So yesterday he cooked up 2 batches of scrambled eggs for the 3 of them (because apparently they taste better when he makes them so they ate more?!). He's under strict instructions to only use the stove when an adult is with him, but I'm proud of him!

B & Arch are growing up so much too. Some days I just look at them and wonder how so much time has passed. Archer has been very into cuddling since his broken arm, so I'm trying to soak it in since I know it won't last forever! And B...he's turning into such a goof. He's silly but at the same time will sit down and play the piano (and not just banging on the keys!).

Today's Excitement

We just got back last night from a trip to Oregon. I started feeling achy on the drive, but by the time we got home I was running a fever and my throat felt like it was on fire. I immediately went to bed and woke up this morning feeling like I was hit by a truck. Misery.

My children seem to enjoy capitalizing on my lack of attentiveness. I was on the couch (after my big kid made oatmeal and the boys loaded their dishes into the dishwasher!) when I heard complete panic from Archer in the bathroom. He had tried to flush a *little* too much toilet paper and we had a massive flood on our hands. I jumped up as quickly as my body would allow and got it cleaned up, but let me just say that is NOT a fun thing to clean up especially when you are feeling terrible!

We dropped Preston at school, came back, and I told the little boys to play nicely outside while I rested on the couch. Probably 10 minutes later I heard a blood-curdling scream from the littlest, and looked out to see him on the ground by the trampoline. Now, it's important to note that Archer is a TOUGH kid. I have never heard him scream like he did, so I was already concerned as I rushed out to him. He was holding his arm funny, and it just didn't look right. Off to urgent care we went for x-rays...poor little boy broke his left ulna. The boys particularly enjoyed seeing the "pictures" of Archer's arm, and Archer declared that he had a "cut" in his bone. It was lined up really well thankfully, but he's in a splint/sling for a week until he goes to the ortho for a follow up and cast.

So needless to say, today has not been a good day. At all. Turns out a trampoline with an enclosure only works if you are INSIDE the enclosure, not walking around the outside!

QOTD

"You're not a 49-er, you're a 40-10-er." - Bryton, while explaining to Archer why Bryton's soccer player (on his shirt) was superior to Archer's. (Obviously he's a little confused on his sports teams!)

Spring!

We have finally had a few days of spring-like weather! This past week it has been beautiful, and it gradually warmed up to where we can be outside without a million layers on. My birthday was this past week, and it was the start of the warm(ish) weather. Happy birthday to me! (Yes, it actually snowed a bit the day before my birthday, and I may have threatened to move away if it snowed on my birthday...)

Tonight we had a fire in our backyard firepit, and the boys got it all set up (minus the actual flame of course) while John ran to the store to get marshmallows (perk of living less than a mile from Target!). They were so diligent, and they had it all set up in a teepee by the time John got home. Apparently they retained some fire building technique from the multitude of campfires we had last summer!

I'm sure we're going to have another bout of chilly weather, but we'll enjoy it while it lasts!