Rough & Tumble Boys

The Damage, originally uploaded by cheryl.

Do you remember last spring, when Sawyer did this?

Sawyer has always been our cautious, somewhat hesitant child. I did not expect him to be the first to visit the emergency room, to need stitches or staples or whatever. But first he was. He and his brothers were playing in Xander’s bedroom, and the back of his head met the sharp corner of the chest of drawers. I had to pile all three boys into my truck and drive them to the urgent treatment center. The day ended with random acts of kindness from strangers, a transfer to another urgent treatment center that could actually do staples (not stitches, which the doctor felt would be better on a head injury) and staples in the back of my cautious child’s head.

Now Xander, on the other hand, is the opposite of cautious. He is full of energy and drama, just like his big brother. He is also fearless, and like his twin brother, has a high threshold for pain (which makes him even more fearless, if that’s possible). He is the one I fully expected to take the emergency room for stitches and staples and broken bones. You can’t bounce and climb and jump your way through life the way he does without a few scratches and bumps. He is constantly covered in head to toe bruises that cannot be explained beyond his rough and tumble personality. (Flinging yourself down on the floor with every mild outrage might have something to do with it, too).

That would be the back of Xander's head you see in the photo, with staples hidden under his long hair. Friday was his turn.

Josh was at home with the boys, awaiting the arrival of their two cousins who would be spending the night with them. I had just left for work. Xander was climbing in the play room, as usual. He slipped, and cut a deep gash into the back of his head. Clearly, not to be outdone by his brother, he was brought to the emergency room where he, too, received staples in the back of his head.

Six, in fact. And he wins, because he needed more than Sawyer's three last spring. Xander very much likes to win, so someday this will make him very happy.

Xander did as well as could be expected. He cried when they tried to examine him. He was really put out with Mommy that she only stepped away from her job (at the hospital) for a little while to visit and then had to go back to work. He did not like having the bandage adjusted or the anesthesia applied. And he really, really did not like the staples being put in the back of his head.

But Grammy (who was also working at the hospital, in the emergency room, as a matter of fact) made him a latex glove balloon, which he loved. It almost made up for the other bad things. And he got to come up and visit Mommy on the floor where she works, and she has suckers in her department, so that made him pretty happy, too. He was again pissed to leave Mommy, but managed just fine when he saw the elevator again.

And that was his adventure.

I really hope Connor is not next. Because apparently my boys have a little competition going on to see who can injure themselves the worst. My cautious child went first (very likely pushed or assisted by one of his more rambunctious brothers). My mischievous child was next. And that only leaves the first born.

Although you shouldn't rule out the other two either. Because even though you would think they have learned their lesson, that's clearly not the case. Our most recent bruiser was back to climbing the very same night he came home from the ER, bloody tee shirt, bandaged head and all. Clearly he learned a lot from his adventure.

Welcome to life with three rough and tumble little boys.

Baby Chicks!

Baby Chicks!, originally uploaded by cheryl.

Friday afternoon parents were invited to Connor's school for a "Chick Party" with the class. With Daddy off from work, he was in charge of getting the twins to and from school so that I could catch a nap before work and then head off to Connor's party at the end of the school day.

Connor's kindergarten teacher - Ms. W - has been teaching a life cycle segment at school that involved watching eggs develop into baby chicks. Connor has talked about the project non-stop at home, and the class was beyond excited at the party. It was one of those moments where you truly admire the teachers for what they do every single day in the classroom with twenty-some hyperactive children.

There was cake and punch. The kids got to show off their baby chick project folders and work. And everyone got to gently touch the chicks in their boxes under the heat lamps. The kids couldn't wait for that last part. There was also a silly chick story and also some class singing and dancing at the end.

I had a couple of cute class photos of the singing and dancing part, but of course that privacy waiver you sign at the beginning of the school year prevents me from posting any of those. I included a few of Connor and one of his teacher with the cake.

It was a fun day.

A Day in the Life

Cookie Monster, originally uploaded by cheryl.

Today was a busy day (meaning Mommy didn't get to nap after her usual 6:30 wake-up time)!

Connor was actually up before I was this morning. Shocking, I know. But before you get too carried away, please keep in mind that the kid went to bed at 6 o'clock yesterday evening. He broke down in tears during homework, a sure sign that the kid is tired. So Daddy put him in bed, and within five minutes (if that) he was out cold. And stayed out until about 6:15 this morning.

So we started our day by dropping off Connor at school. Then the twins and I came back home as usual. This is where my nap usually comes in, as the boys don't have to be at their school until 10:35.

But not today. Today we were on a mission. Sawyer's very awesome teacher (who he's been with for the entire three years he's been in Early Start) is out on maternity leave. Her new baby boy arrived this week, so we were making cookies for her! Sawyer insisted on taste testing - he didn't want Mrs. R to get any bad cookies. He had about four - uncooked - for his breakfast. He approved, right up until they were cooked, at which point he wanted nothing more to do with them.

So then we headed out to the twins school. It was their turn to be dropped off. And then I headed over to one of the local hospitals to say hi, see the baby, take a few pictures (of course) and drop off our tasty treats. He is adorable - with a full head of thick, dark hair. And he was incredibly sweet, not making a single noise the whole time I was there!

Then it was back home to take care of the first baby. Buster and I took our usual walk around the block, where he barked at anything and everything that moved. And a few things that didn't, like the lawn guy's equipment on the sidewalk across the street. He's quite fierce, or so he thinks.

And then it was time for school pick-ups. Twins first at 1:35, then a quick stop at Raising Cane's for a snack in car line, while we wait at Connor's school until he's dismissed at 2:35. The bad news is that the restaurant mixed up our order, which we of course didn't notice until we were sitting in car line. The boys were not happy. We drank the large Coke, but left the food alone. We would be making another stop back by on the way home. I had paid for the largest meal and ended up with the smallest one - not my idea of a good deal. The good news is that they felt so bad about the mix-up they let us keep the small meal and gave us the one we were supposed to get in the first place. And another large Coke. Connor and Sawyer had more chicken fingers than they could eat. Xander wanted no part of any of it. He ate yogurt at home instead.

We also stopped for gas on the way home. Seventy-five dollars later, my truck now has a full tank of gas. Not fun, since we do that at least once a week, if not more, just for school drop-offs and pick-ups. But what are you going to do?

And then we spent a quiet night at home. Homework first for Connor, which he was eager to start. He knows there will be no computer time until it's done. And he did well during his sight words and his little reader book, so he got to enjoy some computer time (the learning game from school, not the internet). The twins got to finish up the movie they watched during homework - WordWorld, of course.

And now the house is all quiet. For a few hours anyway.

And then we'll start all over again tomorrow ...

Back Yard Fun, Part III

Higher, Higher!, originally uploaded by cheryl.

Back Yard Fun, Part II

Happy, originally uploaded by cheryl.