Hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to ER we go...

Here's something I never want to experience again - taking my three-year-old boy to the hospital for stitches. I realize I'm not the first mom to go through this kind of ordeal, nor will I be the last, but it's certainly something I pray I will never have to repeat.

Now, being a mom of three boys, I've always understood that emergency room visits would be an unavoidable part of my life. I just didn't count on my baby being three the first time I had to hold him down while a doctor sutured his face. No one really knows what, exactly, happened, but we're guessing he fell off the foot stool in my parents' basement and smashed his chin on one of the chairs. It's actually to the left of his chin, along the jaw bone. It took five stitches in total to close the wound; one on the inside, and four on the outside. The fatty part of his cheek was actually hanging out a bit and the doctor tried to poke it back in as he stitched. One piece refused to stay in and I watched as the doctor took scissors and snipped it off. Yes, I was there through the whole procedure, helping the the nurse and...male nurse/doctor/paramedic (not sure exactly what he was) restrain my thrashing baby.

The one thing I can say is God is good. Actually, He's down-right amazing. I have bragged on this blog that I have THE most amazing, wonderful doctor EVER! And we've seen quite a bit of him in the last two months. As we drove to the hospital, I had the fleeting thought of how nice it would be if he was the doctor on call. I immediately dismissed the notion, not even bothering to put the thought to prayer. The first sound I heard as I entered the sliding glass doors was the sound of Wonder Doctor's voice. At least I thought it might, could possibly be. I stood in disbelief, straining to hear. Then I snuck closer so I could get a tiny peek in the curtained off room. I didn't want to totally violate some one's right to privacy, so I settled for checking out the shoes I could see below the curtain. The feet were the right size, the shoes the right style and...IT WAS HIM! Isn't God awesome? I was humbled as I was reminded again that he knows the deepest desires of our hearts. He knows our inner-most thoughts and even when we can not put words to prayer, He answers.

So, now we're home, my family is sleeping and I'm even contemplating calling it an early (for me) night. Kolten's left cheek and jaw are swollen up like a chipmunk and he's not able to open his mouth wide enough to fit a spoon in which is making it a little hard to feed him. BUT, he has all his teeth and although he's going to turn all shades of blue, black, purple and green over the next couple of weeks, the bruising will fade, the swelling will recede, and the gash will heal. The kids are off school for spring break next week, so I think we'll take it a bit easier. I have play dates lined up for them, but nothing important that can't be changed.

And now, I've got to go change over the laundry and then I'm heading to bed. I may even turn the light off before midnight. Maybe.

Update

I was hoping to maintain this blog better in the new year, hoping to post more regularly, but obviously it hasn't happened. Which goes to show that good intentions will get you nowhere...or in my case, as far as the coffee pot.

My life has been a series of doctors' appointments and sleepless nights. I know, I know, it sounds like I'm whining, but it seriously has NOT stopped since the beginning of January. I'll come to a place where I think it's finally behind us, only to have some other strange symptom appear and then it's off to the doctor's office or emergency room we go.

Anyways, my ambition and creativity are at an all time low. BUT, I'm gonna add a quick update and hope you'll all forgive me for the scattered, unedited, sloppy, wordy sentences that is my mind lately...thought runs into thought, which runs into thought...you get the picture.

* First off, please, if you are a praying person, pray for my son, Connor. It sounds bad to say, but I am exhausted with all the weird things happening to him and just need it to stop! If I'm not losing sleep because he wakes me, I'm losing sleep worrying about the weirdness that's cropped up in him. Nothing serious or life-threatening...just weird and bizaare...and I need it to end and for him to be healthy.

Since I wrote the above, we saw our amazing doctor and I believe Connor is on the final stretch. One last thing to fix and I'm hoping, praying, we'll all remain healthy.

** A conversation a couple of weeks ago...

Connor - "Dad, do I have to go to school tomorrow?"
Chad - "Yes."
Connor - Big long sigh. "I don't want to go. I'd rather stay home."
Chad - "Why? What's wrong with school."
Connor - "There's this girl I sit by, and everday she loses her pencil and then she always says I took it and I don't! Why would I take her pencil? I have my own pencils!"
Chad - "Well, next time she does that, tell the teacher that she's blaming you and you don't like it. The teacher will deal with it."

A few days ago...

Me - "Hey, Honey, how was school?"
Connor - "Good."
Me - "Did you eat all your lunch?"
Connor - "Uh...I don't think so....no."
Me - "You didn't? Why?"
Connor - "Some of the girls took my nutrigrain bar and smashed it until it was all in little pieces."
Me - "They did?! "
Connor - "Uh-huh. And they also took some of my lunch and hid it. They took my napkin, I think."
Me - "Oh."
Connor - Sounding confused and frustrated, "Why would they do that?"
Me - "Um, they were probably just trying to be funny. They were just teasing you."
Connor - "Well I didn't like it and I told my teacher. She said that she would take care of it and that they wouldn't do it anymore.
Me - "Okay, that's good."

Later at supper that night...

Connor - "Dad, I told my teacher that the girls were taking my lunch and she said she would stop them. That was some good advice you gave me, Dad."
Chad - "Good. Your welcome."
Benen - "What's 'a-vice'?"
Me - "Ad-vice. It's when you suggest to someone a way to deal with a situation. You give them an example of what they could do."
Chad - "I told Connor to talk to his teacher if he was having any problems."
Me - "It's suggesting to someone how to fix a problem."
Benen - "Oh, like this! Connor I have some advice for you. Like maybe next time, whatever she does to you, you just do it back!"

THAT KID CRACKS ME UP!

*** My baby turned three on the ninth. I can't believe how quick the time has gone. He's still my baby, though. The problem is he knows it and he's beginning to work that angle. Such a mix of "adorable" and "mischief."

He has this one best friend and they are soooo cute together. It's my good friend's daughter, and the two of them are only 6 weeks apart in age. They've grown up together and they have the most unique friendship. I have never seen two kids connect, play and communicate like these two. They are hilarious together!

****At supper tonight...

Benen: (trying to get Connor in trouble) "Mom, Connor opened his eyes when we were praying."
Me: "He did?"
Benen: "Uh-huh."
Me: "Benen, you know what that tells me? It tells me you had your eyes open, too."
Benen: (pauses to think) "Well, you know, I just had my eyes open to check."

A little later during supper...

Benen: "Mom, you know, God can turn into a dinosaur."
Me: "Well, it's not really like that Benen. God doesn't turn into a dinosaur."
Benen: "But mom, he could turn into a dinosaur if he wants to."
Me: "Benen, God doesn't have to turn into a dinosaur. He's God. He created everything."
Benen: "But he can!"
Me: "Benen, no."
Benen: "But, Mom, he CAN! He's the Amazing God."

How do you argue with that? I agreed.

After supper...

Benen: "Hey, Mom, I'm your fan!"

I just laughed. It was completely random, out of nowhere.

*****This weekend we're celebrating Connor's seventh birthday. He turns seven on the twenty-third and I can NOT believe I have a son that old. He's growing up so quickly. He's such a smart kid and I love the conversations we have. He's a deep little thinker, which can be VERY frustrating when he's plying me for details a hundred times, but he thinks and reasons beyond his years.

The other day I had just finished filling his prescription at the pharmacy. As we're walking away from the counter, Connor turns to me and lets out a deep sigh. "I'm worried I'm costing you too much money."

"Connor, you are worth every penny!"

"But, I'm just thinking you won't have any money left."

"Connor you're not suppose to worry about money. You're six. When you have a family of your own to take care of and support, then you can worry about money."

"No, I'm not worrying about it, just thinking. I don't want you to run out of money."

"Are you concerned I won't have money and that you won't get all the toys you want for your birthday?"

"No, it's not that. It's just I really care about you a lot and I don't want to use all your money."

"Honey, don't you worry. We have money. And I would give anything for you. Okay?"

"Okaaay."

Now, when my kids have been begging for stuff in the toy aisle, I have used the phrase, "No, that costs too much money" for expensive toys, but I remember my mom saying things like that, or saying we didn't have the money for stuff and I never worried about it. Connor is such a sensitive soul and sometimes I'm still surprised at the things he takes to heart.

******Well, this post is getting long and I have to get ready to head to the church for worship practice. I have no idea what songs we're going to do this week, but I'm planning to work on this new Brian Doerksen song tonight and use it for Sunday. Enjoy!

UFC 94 - BJ Penn vs. Georges St-Pierre

I am ON TOP OF THE WORLD right now! Georges "Rush" St-Pierre just finished BJ "The Prodigy" Penn in four rounds. GSP dominated inside the ring for twenty minutes before a decision by Penn's corner and an octagonside physician put a stop to the fight, thus declaring GSP still the undisputed Welterweight Champion of the World. It was incredibly thrilling to watch and I admit my throat is a tad sore from all the whooping, hollering and cheering I did from my parent's basement. With the exception of my wedding day and the births of my children, this would have to rate as one of the most anticipated days of my life!

Of course I was cheering for GSP, and not just because he's Canadian. I mean, how can you NOT cheer for him? He's one of those once-in-a-lifetime fighters whose skill and ability seem to sharpen and improve with every fight. He offers his opponents a great deal of respect inside the ring and always shows a level class that is above and beyond the average fighter.

I really don't know what else to say. I don't want to go on and on and bore you all with the details, and it's too soon to post any of the highlights. I just know it's going to take a long time for this adrenaline rush to wear off so I can get some sleep.

A New Year

I started this blog post on Janaury 4 and am just now getting around to finishing it. There was so much I wanted to share over the last couple of months, but somehow none of it made it onto my computer. I kept meaning to get it all down, but then it started piling up, higher and higher till it just all seemed a little too overwhelming. So instead I've decided to give you the condensed version of the things I can remember, complete with pictures from my new Canon digital camera - Christmas present from Chad. This one has a stabilizing feature, so hopefully no more blurry pictures. Let's begin.

* All December we teased Connor, singing "All I want for Christmas..."

** Benen was given this shirt as an early Christmas present.

If you can't read the writing, it says, "Dear Santa, I can explain everything." It so completely defines our Benen and I laugh everytime I read it.


*** Here are some pictures from Christmas at my in-laws.

**** The boys got skates for Christmas and Chad built a rink in our backyard. This was their first day on skates.

***** Yesterday's interesting conversation:

Chad - "I found gum on the toilet seat."

A long pause.

Me - "How did you find it?"

****** December and January have been the months of sickness. Before Christmas, Kolten came down with a 'chest infection'. He started showing the same symptoms as last year when he got pneumonia, so I rushed him to emergency. The xray showed a white spot on his lungs, but the doctor said he was "hesitant to call it pneumonia." Basically it was a milder case and he's better now.

Although we had our first sickness-free Christmas in 10 years, January has more than made up for it.

- Connor developed a lump on his neck; we went for an ultrasound and they put him on antibiotics. Basically, there were multiple enlarged lymphnodes due to some viral infection - or so they think. It eventually went away...mostly. In February I'm taking him back for a follow-up exam and will have the doctor check the sore lump on his foot.

- The next week Chad got the flu.

- The next day Benen developed a fever and a cough. Fever lasted one day and he's still coughing ocassionally.

- Kolten followed Benen by a day, but his strange fever lasted five days and was hard to control. He's been feeling better for the past four days.

- Three days after Kolten started, Connor caught the fever and also had severe stomach pains. The fever lasted for three days, the stomach pain for two and now he's coughing. He's mostly better and because I think his cough is just due to postnasal drip, I sent him to school.

- I thought we were getting back to normal, but yesterday Chad came down with fever, chills and body-aches. It's some weird virus that seems to be running through our house, but *fingers crossed* I think we're at the tail end of it. Thankfully.

I'm not whining - honest - just giving you the low-down on the past month-and-a-half.

******* Benen comes up with the greatest words.

Toilet paper = wiper towel
Lost and found = Lost 'n fountain
Rice Krispies = Rice Kripsies
Grandma Sturge = The long Grandma (she lives a long ways away)
Normal = Nermal (he cannot say it right; makes me laugh everytime)
Root Beer = Root Beard
Mustache = Muss-beard

******** Boys - The Way They See It

Benen - "Mom, you hang with Tracie too much."

Me (chuckling) - "Hang? I hang?"

B - "Yeah, you know, like 'hang out'."

Me - "I know what you mean, and I like 'hangin'' with Tracie 'cause she's my friend."

Connor (in all his big brother wisdom) - "Benen, she does coffee with Tracie because that's what moms do."

Me - "That's right. It's how we keep our sanity."

Okay, I'm done. It feels good to be back and I hope to keep blogging a little more regularly.

Straight No Chaser - 12 Days

My cousin forwarded this video to me and I thought I'd share it with you all. It made me laugh. Enjoy!

Christmas Traditions

We're entering a season that is full of various traditions. Each family has their own special way of bringing in the season, different things they do to mark this blessed time of year. As the boys are growing up and getting older, Chad and I are beginning to find ourselves anxious to pass on traditions from our childhoods to our children, as well as discover and make new traditions all our own.

Today is just such a day. We feel the boys are of a certain age where we can now share with them a timeless classic of holiday fun - Home Alone. Chad has gone out to pick up supper and buy the movie and tonight we will be having an old-fashioned family movie night. I am SO excited. The boys are going to love this movie. They are, after all, boys. And what boy doesn't like watching people fall down, get hit in the face with a paint can and have their hand burned on a door knob? It's going to be a night full of laughter and fun. I can't wait!

For What It's Worth

My son is obsessed with money. Seriously. I'm starting to get concerned and wondering if somehow I've failed in teaching him the really important things of life. Everywhere we go he wants to know how much everything costs, how much money I have and why he can't have more money. It's starting to drive me crazy! This is often how the day goes.

"Mom, how much money do you have?"

"Never mind, Benen."

"You have more than a hundred, don't you?"

"Benen, let it go."

"How much money is this?" (Holding up a quarter)

"It's twenty-five cents."

"Wow! That's a lot! What can I buy with this."

"Not much."

"But what?"

"I don't know, maybe a few candies."

"Can I go buy some candies?"

"No."

"Why not? I have the money."

"Benen, we are not going to buy candy right now!"

"Can we go after Kolten's in bed for his nap?"

"No! I can't leave Kolten alone by himself, and furthermore, I am NOT taking you to buy candy! You don't need candy, it's not good for you and you get plenty of treats a day! Be thankful for what you get. Don't ask me again."

"But mom, maybe we could just-"

"BENEN! ENOUGH! I said not another word!"

A little bit later...

"Mom, you know that money I gave you?"

"Yes."

"Can I have it back?"

"Yes."

"No, I mean that money I gave you for a Christmas present." (A few coins)

"Yes, Benen, I know what money you're talking about."

"Can I have it back?"

"I already said yes, you can have your piggy bank back."

"No, I don't want the piggy bank, just the money. Can I have it?"

"Benen! I have already said 'yes'! Just go and get the money!"

"Okay."

A little later again...

"Mom, is that your wallet."

"Yes."

"What are you doing with it?"

"I was ordering something online." (Christmas stuff)

"Can I look through your wallet?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's mine and you don't need to look in it."

"But I just wanna see how much money you got."

"Benen, the answer is no."

"But mom-"

"Benen! When I say 'no' I mean NO! Do not ask again or I will send you to your room. No is NO!"

A little later still...

"Benen! What are you doing?!"

"I'm just lookin' in your wallet."

"I told you not to!"

"Well mom, how come you have this one dollar?"

"Because my Grandpa gave me that dollar bill a long time ago. Now shut my wallet."

"How come I don't have any money that someone gave me a long time ago?"

"Benen, just close my wallet and give it to me!"

"It's not fair."

********************

That's a typical day for me. There are times I just wanna scream and tear my hair out. Honestly, I'm so sick of talking about money. I've heard that a lot of marriages suffer because of "money issues" but I've never experienced anything like this!