A Thanksgiving to Remember

Sorry it's been so long since I've written! Thanksgiving morning Evan decided to pull Blake out of his crib! Andy had gotten up early to go deer hunting and I was brushing my teeth when I heard Blake crying painfully outside of my bedroom door. I didn't notice right away but after I fed him his breakfast and put him down I realized that something was NOT right with his foot or leg. He tried to take a step and just collapsed. I had him try to walk a few times and each time was painfully unsuccessful. I decided to take him to the children's hospital an hour away because I was so concerned. The doctor explained that although babies bones are very difficult to break he could have what they refer to as a "toddler fracture." A toddler fracture happens along the shin bone and is the result of more of a twisting action. I told her I didn't see the accident but that I suspected that maybe his foot got caught or something. We agreed that if it wasn't his foot then it was a good possibility that it was his leg and that that could've easily happened as he was being pulled out by a kid not even 10 lbs heavier than him. She also explained that there was a good possibility that the "toddler fracture" would not show up on xray, that it is something that is much more easily detected on xray after it has healed. They did 15 xrays from the hip down and Mommy got to play assistant to the xray technician for all 15, fun, fun. The xrays came back clear and we concluded that it was either a bad ankle sprain or in fact a toddler fracture. She explained that the toddler fracture would heal so quickly that he wouldn't even need a brace. As the days passed it was evident to me that it was his leg and not his ankle. He slowly started to bear weight on his leg and pitifully limped around. It just so happened that I had videoed him walking just a couple of weeks prior to that. He had gotten some new "sqeaky shoes" and I wanted to get him on video walking in them. So I couldn't resist comparing that to his limp walk. So now I will always have to tell Evan the story of how he broke his brother's leg! This was definitely a Thanksgiving to remember!

Clayton's First Lost Tooth!

Clayton has lost his first tooth! It has been loose for less than a week and when Andy wiggled it last night it came right out! I was so shocked - I guess I really wasn't expecting it to happen so soon. Another bittersweet milestone that means my baby keeps growing up, waaaaah! He was super excited and giddy and it was so neat to see him that way, he is usually so serious! We don't do the tooth fairy, but I did reward him with a whole dollar bill and he couldn't believe it. I snapped some pics this morning, but his overbite is so significant it is hard to see where the tooth is missing. Here are a couple of the pictures. I have also thrown in another one, I guess you could call it a "before" shot of his smile, lol. It's just another example of what life is like with boys!

Tech Savvy Baby

Someone has been watching his Mommy (and Daddy!) too much. Blake runs to the laptop when he hears the sound that means I've got new email and tries to push buttons. He definitely knows what the telephone is for and loves to have pretend conversations. If he is being fussy from boredom in the car I can give him my cell phone and it is instant entertainment. Yesterday I had him at the doctor and someone's cell phone rang and the ring was identical to Andy's phone. Blake heard it from across the large room where he was playing in the play area and ran with excitement on his face toward the sound. I am convinced he thought that sound meant his daddy was there! I caught him in action today, pizza face and all, lol. Maybe I should get him Bluetooth for Christmas???

Hardin Memorial Hospital Run for Fun 2009

I did my third 5k this year! I finished this morning with a time of 31:46 - definitely not my best, but it is always such a thrill to compete and finish. This race was sponsored by our local hospital and they even held a "Fit Kids Race" for ages 3-8. The three older boys have really been looking forward to it. We had to deal with a some illness this week with strep throat (Clayton) and a nasty stomach bug (Grant), but luckily everyone was well again just in time for this morning's race. The boys definitely enjoyed competing and were each rewarded with a medal, jump rope, and a sucker! It was a lot of fun and I look forward to doing it again next year!

Flag Football 2009

Clayton just finished his first year of flag football! Their team finished the season with a 2nd place trophy and he has enjoyed every minute of the season. Here are some highlights from the championship game.

Halloween 2009

I am finally getting these pics up! We had a Mickey Mouse (Blake), 2 Spidermen (Evan & Grant), and a GI Joe character by the name of Duke Deluxe (Clayton). Blake was not crazy about wearing his hood/ears and even less fond of getting his picture taken with his brothers - he tried to run away several times!

Happy 6th Birthday Clayton!

Here it is, over a week past Clayton's birthday! It was Monday, October 12th and we celebrated with a party on the day before.

I am loving this stage of the game with Clayton. He is mature, responsible and eager to please. I can tell we are on the brink of that "I can make my own choices" back-talking phase so I want to savor every moment while I still can! Clayton's strength of will has always been a challenge, but now we are seeing that being shaped into a self-challenge and motivation to excel in all he does! His teacher says he is doing wonderfully academically and that she is so proud of him - we are, too!! Clayton learns from his mistakes and strives to be better. He follows directions well and I can really trust him - thank goodness he is the oldest! He is still very independent and loves his "me time" more than anything else! The hardest ajdustment to school has been being gone all day and having less down/play time to himself at home.

We love you buddy!

Here are some pictures I wanted to share:

Cake




With Mommy - I can't believe my baby is 6!


Gotta love the cash!


His most prized gift - a DSi - his first handheld electronic game!


My Big Boy