Christmas in Photos

 Merry Christmas, Buddy!

 

Christmas Eve Stockings.

 Away in a manger ... now time to open gifts.

 Another mark on the ruler.

 A little quiet time before the festivities continue at Andrew and Beth's.

 Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!

$6 Well Spent

The Accident

We have almost reached the other side of calamity, so now seems like a good time to share our first story of walking alongside one of our children through an accident, physical pain, fear, and recovery. I say first, because I have been reminded over and over that this incident wont be the last, considering the energy levels and spirit of adventure both our boys possess.

Tuesday, October 30 Chase fell off a wooden dinning room chair in our kitchen (he was previously playing with water toys in the kitchen sink). To my complete disbelief, Chase had severed the top portion of his ring finger - it got stuck between parts of the chair and the floor. Oh, yes. There was a piece of my son's finger on the floor. JJ called 9-1-1 while I called a neighbor (on my knees, putting pressure on a finger that Chase so urgently wanted free). In minutes everyone was here: the fire department, the paramedics, and my two, wonderful neighbors.

I knew before all this went down that I am not one who can tolerate blood. But, from the very first moment when I was on the kitchen floor pressing laundry from a nearby laundry basket tightly around Chase' finger, I was going to be traumatized. Chase has been strong through all of this (the accident, the ER experience, two weeks in a cast, stitches in and out ...), stronger than I.

It has taken me a few weeks to get ready to publish a post about Chase' accident. But as we watch the top portion of his finger die and detach, and for the healthy flesh to re-define the structure of his finger, we are at peace.

The loss isn't much, and as one of my friends and I chuckled over, hopefully Chase will enjoy making up stories about his finger for his classmates, like an alligator attack or wrestling a lion.

Neighborhood Fall Fun

Before Croup crept in we celebrated the coming of fall with a neighborhood block party in our front yard. A handful of neighbors chipped in with food, craft supplies and a small bouncy castle to make the party a success for nearly 100 neighbors.

We also did some pumpkin carving at our neighbor Dylan's house. The mommies did most of the carving. Daniel was a champ when it came to eating the roasted pumpkin seeds, though.

Sick

 Another round of Croup.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Although Chase was a little concerned at first about his brother's towing capabilities, he really did have a good time on the "train ride."

Daniel, The Independent

 We biked down to DU last night to catch the presidential debate "pre-game." As we mingled amongst the Romney supporters on the west side of University Ave. and watched secret service vehicles of plenty pass us by, we quickly learned that Daniel was the true Independent in the family. As Romney's and President Obama's motorcades drove past supporters chanted for their chosen candidate. Daniel, having seen dozens of orange snow plows (previously blocking the road) file off the highway, started chanting, "Snow Plow! Snow Plow! Snow Plow!" It's clear he won't be voting red or blue this election. He's going orange.

Song Birds

One Small Step in His Father's Footsteps

JJ never passes up a chance to stop by a lemonade stand. He's stopped at a couple with Daniel this summer, and Daniel asked time after time if he could "do a lemonade stand" too. After playing pretend lemonade stand hundreds of times in the front lawn, we finally decided to attempt the real deal.

Thanks to some great neighbors, and some generous passersby, Daniel made $13.00 at his first lemonade stand earlier this summer. Sure, Chase slipped a few soft pretzels - our novelty treat, but all in all it was a success. The best part is that Daniel wanted to buy some toys with his money - very specific toys: tow trucks or other big trucks that pull stuff, and a car carrier of sorts. We shopped around and Daniel found two, great trucks at Goodwill. His bill totaled $3.75 and on the way home he said, "It's like Christmas and I bought my own presents!" Indeed he did.

You Give a Little You Get a Little

 

 The other week JJ was out for the evening and mom had a friend over whom she hadn't seen for a while. A valuable parenting tip came out of their time together: Sometimes to get a little (in this case, some time to chat with a friend with no interruptions), you have to give a little (in this case, letting my two boys play in the mud until the casing of dirt around their eyes started to actually bother them and they asked for a bath). 

Family Campout: A Comedy of Errors

It may look like all fun and games during our camping trip last weekend. But if you look a little closer you will spy a band aid on Chase'  forehead that is the remnants of a fall smack dab onto the cement block surrounding the fire pit. In one of the first photos Daniel is acting in front of the camera, pretending to be cold. An hour prior he was so cold he threw a tantrum the entire time we tore down camp. Also, what you don't see is mom's first night and morning when she was throwing up every hour or two (thank you, migraine). The last three photos were at a playground outside of downtown Leadville, where we retreated for hot cocoa the first morning because our fire wood was too damp to light, and the stove we thought we had packed was nowhere to be found.
Needless to say, this trip didn't unfold as we had imagined. BUT, the boys did have a wonderful time and we are quite certain they will have only fond memories of the camping trip when they got to eat S'mores before lunch, where Daniel got to climb boulders all by himself, running back and forth in the tent jumping from one air mattress to the next, driving through a tunnel through a mountain...Good times.

Belated Cake Video

Chase' First Birthday

 You are a year old, Chase. Your dad and I can't believe it. But we know you can. These days you seem to think that you can do most anything your three-year-old brother can do. You were climbing chairs and stairs well before you could walk. You have mastered going up and down the steps and through the back screen door, giving yourself freedom to come in and out from the back yard on your own. You are playing with many of the same toys your brother got for his second or third birthday...

No matter how old you think you are, Chase, you are still our little baby. We love you and all the things that still make you a baby: your pudgy arms and legs, your ache for mommy or daddy when you have been gone from us too long, the comfort that a bottle brings before bed, you find joy in the simple things, you get excited about new flavors and sweet little treats ...

We love you, our little squirmy worm. We look forward to seeing what the next year brings.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!