Busted

This is the most graphic picture. Not bad at all. I wasn't able to stomach looking at the chin much when it was just busted open like it was.

This evening,  Danny and Nate sat quietly looking at books at the kitchen table. One of them accidentally scooted the bench back and Danny lost his balance and fell forward and hit his chin on the table.
He immediately started crying and I was afraid to look. It didn't start bleeding right away, but I knew that it would so I ran to the hall closet, got a clean wash cloth to hold on it and called David and then my neighbor. By the time I had gotten the washcloth it had started to bleed. I was afraid to look, but when I did, I just knew.

When David called me back we talked briefly (I was still holding the cloth on Danny's chin) and decided to take him to the after-hours clinic at the pediatricians office. I was thinking we were going to have to take him to the ER but then we remembered the after-hours clinic. Hallelujah!

My neighbor was at my house within two minutes of me calling her. She is seriously amazing. She came to stay with Joel and Nate and fixed them some soup and canned fruit since I hadn't made dinner yet. I took Seth with me to hold the washcloth on Danny's chin while I drove and we picked up David from work and brought him along for moral support.

Waiting for the doctor to come in.

View from the front. The underneath view was not so pretty.

The doctor was able to glue his chin with Dermabond (surgical superglue) rather than giving him stitches. He was an amazing little patient. No tears, no complaints, no wiggling. Afterwards he had to get a tetanus shot, which he actually laughed through since David was distracting him. David and I just looked at each other in amazement. What kid laughs while they are getting a shot? The doctor gave him a Thomas the Tank Engine sticker and the nurse gave him two more. Three stickers. He was that good.

We ended up being there for about an hour and a half or so. SO much better than if we'd had to go to the ER. I know this from having to make two trips to the ER this year. :\

On the way home he was very happy, chattering away and laughing. David asked him why he was so happy and he said, "Because I want to be. And I am holding my stickers." Well, that explains it. Sounds like a good reason to be happy to me.

Two things:
1.)  Now Danny will have probably have a scar on his chin to match his Aunt Anne's scar on her chin from when she was doing push-ups in high school and fell and had to get stitches in her chin.

2.)  I find it ironic that with all the rough-housing that goes on around here, the time my kid ends up having to go to the doctor to have his chin glued together is when he was sitting quietly reading a book.

Digraph

     This evening Danny was reciting The Three Little Kittens. We have the Paul Galdone version and it is one of his favorites.

     "Oh, mudder dear..."
     "Say 'mother', not 'mudder'", I interupt.
     "Mudder"
     "No--bite your tongue like this: /th/", (for any linguists out there, /ð/).

     Danny places his tongue between his teeth and makes a perfect /th/ sound.
     I get excited, "Very good! Now say "moTHer"
     "Thh-mudder"

     We'll get it one of these days.
      In the meanwhile, I am very pleased with Daniel's progress in speech therapy on his /p/ sound and Nate's progress with /s/ just recently.


Oh, and as a random aside, today was crazy hair day at school for red ribbon week. We are kind of tame around here. Joel opted for a hat and Nate wanted a fauxhawk--nothing too wacky, but we still had to take his picture. He's a cutie.

Ad-Libbing

Today was the annual children's program at church. The children work hard all year learning songs to sing about the theme for the year. Each child also has a speaking part. The message always centers around Jesus Christ and His gospel.

I look forward to this Sunday each year--and not just because it is the one Sunday where my children are under someone else's supervision--but because it is such a sweet, spiritual (and often funny) experience.  This year's program did not disappoint.

I waited excitedly for each of my boys to have their turn saying their part. We had practiced at home so I felt confident that they would do well.

Nate said his line with only a minor glitch of being in the wrong spot and saying his line before he was supposed to.

When it came time for Daniel to say his part, he was supposed to fill in the blank. The teacher said "I can follow the prophet by. . ." Daniel had practiced saying "being a good brother" but at the last minute he thought of something he wanted to say more:
He leaned into the microphone and clearly said, "Uhhh, my mom is awesome!"

I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud. So did a lot of other people.

He didn't get his line right, but it kinda made my day. I got lots of comments from friends after the meeting. I reassured everyone that no, I did not bribe him to say that. I really am just an awesome mom.

At least he thinks so.

Ordinary Saturday

The weather has been a little cooler lately which has been terrific but it warmed up again today. We'll probably have quite a few more warm days, but who knows how many times we'll be able to make it to the pool before it closes until next spring. So we went today. Carpe Diem and all that good stuff.

Daniel is such a funny little man. I guess my children don't really get the concept of "laying out" to get a tan. That's what comes from having such fair skinned parents.And just in case you are wondering, the weird lumpiness by his head under the towel is his life vest/water wings thingy.

 

Nate commented on Daniel's "cute little feet" sticking out. He liked the idea so much  he had to try it too. It did help them keep the sun out of their eyes and helped them both to warm up after swimming in, what Seth called, the "polar bear water". I hoped they would fall asleep and take a nap but no such luck.

I tried to get some epic action shots of the boys jumping into the pool. What I ended up with were maybe not exactly epic, but still, they made me smile.

 

 

 

 

We stayed for quite a while and had the pool all to ourselves. Apparently no one else was crazy brave enough to go swimming in the not-so-warm water. Then we came home and had a lunch of tuna fish sandwiches on buttered white bread with chopped up bread-and-butter pickles and crisp iceberg lettuce-- just the way my mom used to make them and just the way I love them. It was extremely satisfying, if humble, fare.

I keep a list in my head of foods which I might request for my last meal if I ever find myself in a position to request a last meal. One never knows when such a need may arise. A tuna fish sandwich like Mom used to make has now joined the ranks of other possible last meal requests such as fresh raspberries and cream or a lightly salted poached egg on buttered toast .

Going to the pool always wears us out. Considering the grumpy streak my boys have been on lately I was really hoping for naps this afternoon, but David was the only one that fell asleep before 8:00 (although he woke up shortly after this snooze). Yes, in this picture he is sitting at the computer (with his hand on the keyboard even), but he is asleep. There's something about the Dunn men being able to sleep just about anywhere and in the most uncomfortable-looking positions. This is further proof.

The rest of our Saturday was occupied with football games, baking, some church-y assignments that I needed to work on and a drive around the neighborhood with the windows down looking at homes and  feeling happy and wistful at the same time. I get kind of weird that way sometimes.

I hope your Saturday was filled with all the ordinary things that make life wonderful. Like leisurely drives with the windows down and tuna sandwiches.

Shenanigans

This morning I had to take Daniel with me to the chiropractor's office. David has a class that he is attending on Tuesdays and Thursdays and I didn't know about it when I scheduled my appointment. I was a little nervous but he sat there quietly and played with his cars and looked at his book. It was amazing.

He made up for it by running around like a crazy man the rest of the day. His shenanigans included pulling all the shoes out of the master bedroom closet, running away from home (at one time three of us were looking for him), dumping out a large bin of crafting supplies, pulling all the couch cushions off the couch multiple times, hitting his brother with a baseball bat (it was a plastic one, but still!), sneaking food out of the fridge, scattering Nate's school papers, stealing Joel's dinner and generally just being wild. I tried to diffuse some of the naughtiness by letting him run around outside for awhile. He played with the wagon and his car. He played in the sandbox. He especially liked using the bin we keep the dog food in as his stage and dancing around. He made up a funny little song about fire ants. I can't really understand everything he says but there is something about if "you get bitten by those fire ants then you die or get fired" and "See that ball? I'm going to get it when I'm done dancing" and a lot of "uh uh uh"s.


I love this kid, but this was one of those days when I was glad for bedtime.

Stop! Grammar-time.

I tried a new recipe tonight for dinner. Well, not new exactly, but new as in we haven't had it in at least three years. It wasn't all that I remembered it to be.

Me: This chicken isn't bad. . .
Nate: It isn't good either.
(Pause followed by me laughing.)
Me: I guess Nate doesn't like the chicken.
Nate: It's neutral. It isn't bad or evil.
Me: Is it chaotic? (showing my boys that I am not completely clueless when it comes to gaming)
Joel: It's "chaos", Mom.
Mom: Chaos is a noun. Chaotic is an adjective. I was describing the chicken.
Seth (to Joel): Ooooh. You just got grammared.

For those who don't know, getting grammared is like getting Jimmered but by your Mom when she corrects your grammar.

Word.

Indisposed

Saturday evening, as I was cleaning up from the day, my kitchen sink became clogged. I had put some orange peels in the disposal thinking to freshen it but instead of going down easily like they normally do when I do this, the sink started backing up. And it didn't smell like orange peels.

This is not the first time this type of thing has happened. I actually bought a plunger specifically for the kitchen sink awhile back and I have always been able to clear the clogs myself in the past. I spent an hour plunging, scooping tiny bits of chopped orange peel out of the sink with my hands and feeling around for obstructions (ick!), peering down into the drain with a flashlight and trying my husband's tried-and-true boiling water method. Nothing. Well, nothing much. I was able to get the sink to a point where it was draining, albeit very slowly. Finally I gave up and went to bed. Sunday morning I briefly tried again before church. Still nothing. After church I emailed the main office for our townhouses and put in a work order.

Yesterday morning we got up, got the kids off to school, I went for a brisk bike ride and then Daniel and I got ready and went to the day old bread store and to pick up a few groceries.When we got back the maintenance man had been here. I could tell because the sink was draining nicely again. And then I noticed something.

Sitting by my sink was the work order I had submitted, along with this:

Poor Mr. Turtle! Apparently he had a rough couple of days. He lost two legs--nearly three--and his head and shell got pretty banged up, but somehow he managed to survive.

The disposal, on the other hand, may not make it.

The Last Day of Summer Vacation

Three boys in the brook.

For our last hurrah before school started back up, I packed a picnic on Tuesday and took the boys to Monkey Park. (I don't know why it's called Monkey Park. There are no monkeys. I tried to find the history of the name but with no luck. Anyway, that's where we went). There is a smallish creek called Rocky Brook where the boys could wade and sometimes there is a little train that gives free rides around the park, but not on Tuesdays at lunchtime. It's a fun time-warp kind of park with funky cement structures and old-school metal slides and whatnot (using "whatnot" makes me sound like my grandpa). 

 

Daniel was on the move the whole time we were there. He didn't want to go in the water which surprised me a little but he definitely did his share of running. 

Running

And a good bit of climbing.

Climbing.

But his favorite hang-out was the blue elephant.

See what I mean about "funky cement structures"?

Nate and Danny rode on the concrete elephants and pretended they were elves on oliphants (Yes, my children have watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Many times). Nate was Legolas.

We saw all sorts of wildlife like this tiny frog that Seth caught:

Tiny little frog.

 And the salamander and fish that Joel didn't catch.

Joel trying to catch fish.

We also saw, dragonflies, squirrels, birds and a couple of butterflies.

Butterfly

There wasn't too much sitting around, but it was really hot. So there was a need for a little bit of cool down time.

Seth and Nate take a breather.

 And of course the little creek was very much appreciated by sweaty little boys.

Joel liked running in the water and getting all splashy.

Then it was time to go home. So we went.

Going, going, gone.

It was a good day.

They are growing up too fast.
They aren't so little anymore.
I need to enjoy these days while I can.

Tiniest acorn I have ever seen.

Freckled

Freckles are a badge of summertime around here. Daniel has gotten freckles for the first time this year. There aren't very many but I think they are darling.

Next comes Nate. Goofy Nate with his typical-seven-year-old goofy smile. He has a few more freckles than Danny but they are still just a sweet sprinkling across his nose and cheeks.

Joel has a few more than Nate. He loves playing outside, maybe the most of all my boys, so I guess it's only natural that he should get more sun than they do.

Seth, however, is the clear winner in the freckle category. I think the fact that he spent an entire week outside at Boy Scout camp last week might have contributed to the abundance of  "clusters of concentrated melanin" this year. He is covered!

Aren't freckles the cutest? I love my freckled boys. As John Greenleaf Whittier would say, "Outward sunshine, inward joy."
(from "The Barefoot Boy". Read it. If you have little boys like me, you will love it!)

Got Milk?: A Dinner Conversation

Source: humblebumble.tumblr.com via Jill on Pinterest

I made coconut chicken for dinner. It was tasty. Joel made the comment that it was a great meal. We had frozen peas and fruit from a can too in my pitiful attempt to make the meal more rounded. Not very glamorous, but Joel was quick to point out that we were having protein, fruits and vegetables and dairy. Nope, no dairy. The chicken was dredged in coconut milk, not regular milk. This was the conversation that followed. I've left out names so that my children won't be traumatized at some future date by having this conversation immortalized on the interwebs.

Child 1: "Regular milk comes from cows, right?"
Child 2: " And sometimes penguins"

I couldn't help it. I cracked up. I told Child 2 that typically mammals produce milk and birds do not (although a quick Google search showed otherwise, technically speaking). The conversation went on with him continuing to be confused and saying cow's milk came out of its "butt" (a word that I typically discourage, just to make that clear). Ew. Um, no. I don't think milk would be such a popular beverage if that were the case. I explained that no, cow's milk comes from its udders which he then began calling "butters." At that point I decided to change the subject before conversation went down hill any further.

I think maybe we need to have some simple biology lessons to straighten things out. David and I have obviously dropped the ball in this department.

Bizarre, Random and Puzzling

In my recent efforts to dejunk our lives I have come across some pretty interesting things. Well, interesting to me anyway. This is partially a product of having sons, but it is also just a product of life in general (and the fact that I have been cleaning my attic out). Of course, as is my custom, I must document these things for posterity.

 This appears to be an old shovel handle with some old-fashioned square head nails pounded into it to form some sort of weapon? Or coat rack? Joel found this on the curb the day before garbage day and brought it home. He wanted to put it in the fort that he and his brothers have  in the woods for use as a mace, but I did my parental duty and confiscated it. It does look like it could be dangerous in the wrong hands. I know they aren't worth much, but the nails are cool, so I'm contemplating pulling them out with my hammer before putting the wood back on the curb.

Second up we have this grocery list. It was discovered in a shopping cart (or "buggy" as people around here call them) by a friend of the family and then passed along for our amusement. I love it. We decided that the list must have been written by a little girl shopping with her mother (the "Brats mermad girl" and "lady items" clued us in). My favorite items on the list are "wolful's", "bred", and "torylet paper". The list immediately made me think of grocerylists.org. which I discovered recently when I was looking for a printable grocery list. I think it would make a nice addition to their collection.

I don't know the exact history of this drawing, but I know it was in the papers that my husband saved from while he was on a mission for our church in Chile. I believe it was drawn by his brother (who would have been about seven at the time) and mailed to him in a package from home. (Family, if I am wrong, please let me know because I'd love to know the origins of this drawing that David has held onto for so long!) This picture makes me laugh but it does raise some questions. Why is the person nude? Why are its hips so prominent and it's belly button so cavernous? Perhaps most importantly, where can I get a rainbow crown like that? Or is that hair? 

 My friend, Jen made this awesome pig-of-clay for my birthday my senior year of high school. He is one of a kind and one of the few pigs that I have held onto from the pig collection I started back in junior high. Jen has always been a very talented artist. I love having an original art piece made by her. I also love that that she immortalized a silly high school inside joke that I don't even remember the origins of inside the pig.

 Here is a bird's eye view of the toy cars that my boys were playing with in their room yesterday. The two lines on the left are the cars that Danny was playing with. The pile on the right is Nate's collection. I think this says something about their personalities. Actually, I think it says a lot of things about their personalities but it has been too long since I took Psychology, so I'm not really sure exactly what is being said.

That does it for this week's installment of "Bizarre, Random and Puzzling". I'm sure it won't be the last. Care to enlighten me on any of the preceding topics? Feel free to share any insights or information with me. Some of these things still have me scratching my head.