Fall Time at the Ledges


Today we took a family trip to the Ledges in Boone to hike and enjoy this beautiful weather! When we arrived, the road was blocked due to the damage to the road this summer from all the flooding, so we hiked down the ridge and then walked back up the road after we were finished exploring.

It was a beautiful day to be outside, but I wasn't prepared for the amount of flood damage still visible in the park. I was surprised to see that most of the roads were covered in sand and almost all the grass areas are overgrown. This is such a beautiful park, I sure hope they get things repaired by next year.

Friends

The neighbor girl, Becca, came over to play today.  As you can see, everyone had a great time. 

If only life were this simple still.

Lil'Monkey is on the Mend

We had a recheck x-ray with the doctor today and have great news... Ethan's arm/elbow is not broken!  The area is still slightly swollen, but it's not broken.  While at the doctor he even tried to bear weight on it!  He favors it from time to time, but it seems to be getting much better.  Amen!

Signing Baby #2

Everett's signs are picking up and so is his vocabulary! Tonight, during family storytime, Everett pointed out a bird on a page of the book we were reading and did the sign for "bird". He kept pointing at the bird and doing the sign, then listening to us say and do the sign too.

His signs look a lot different from our signs, and very different from Ethan's when he was his age, but I am very excited he is signing! He is so proud when we acknowledge what he is saying. I remember when Ethan took an interest in signing for the first time... it wasn't long before I couldn't keep up with all the new signs he was learning. Here comes the learning spurt!

Another cute thing he did at bedtime tonight was give us all Eskimo kisses. It was so sweet watching him and Derrick share Eskimo kisses. He is such a cutie pie! Thank you Lord for our many, many blessings!

Slimy-Goo and Dominoes Too!

No, I am not talking about dinner! I am talking about our latest bargin from Hope Ministries (one of our favorite thrift stores). Since Ethan's arm has been injured, and he can't be outside in the pool or running around with friends in the sprinkler, I figured a trip to the "2nd-hand store", as he calls it, would be a great spirit booster.

Well, 1 hour and $25 later, we came out with a whole lot of gems!! I am amazed, every time I go, at the great finds I come across and the amount of books I seem to be able to carry! (Yes, my friends are telling me I have a problem!)


Our bargin finds this trip minus The Twister Hop-Scotch Game (not pictured)

This time our MAJOR find was the Domino Rally Mad Lab Set. I spotted the box when we walked into the backroom, and I knew right away it was exactly what Ethan would want. He saw me pull it down from the stack of board games and couldn't wait to have me "check it" so we could put it in our cart. So, with Everett strapped securely in the cart seat, and his overall pocket filled with goldfish crackers, I started to look through the box to make sure the main parts were there. It looked like it had most everything, and since it was 50% off the sticker, I couldn't pass it up for only $1.

Ethan couldn't wait to get home and play with it! I was happy to realize, when we opened the box at home, that not only was the set complete, but it also included a battery powered Domino Dealer that worked! SCORE!


Ethan, showing off his Domino Dealer!

So, today, I couldn't put it off any longer. Ethan was foaming at the mouth wanting to set everything up, and with the neighbor kids slipping and sliding in the water across the street and Everett taking his afternoon nap, it was perfect timing.

We set everything up and the only missing piece was the Slimy-Goo that pours out of the Mad Scientists mouth. So we made our own Slimy-Goo.



Slimy-Goo Recipe
1 4 oz bottle of white glue
1/2 cup warm water
1 tsp Borax powder
food coloring of choice

Pour white glue into glass bowl, fill empty glue bottle x 2 with warm water and mix with glue. Add desired amount of food coloring and stir until well mixed. In a measuring cup, measure 1/2 cup warm water and dissolve 1 tsp Borax. Slowly pour borax solution into colored glue mixture and stir with spoon until you have the courage to kneed with your hands (you will not need a lot of the borax solution). Drain off excess water and store in an airtight container. (For firmer goo, add less water.)



So, with the finishing touches of the Slimy-Goo and the water filled test tube to make the brain powder (included in the set) foam, we were ready to start the show.



I pulled out the video camera and Ethan got his position at the start line. Everett woke from his nap while we were making the slime so I had to keep him away before we started the show, but he clapped and cheered too!

It was great and the best part was the Slimy-Goo! When we were done, Ethan couldn't wait to do it again! I don't think he even cared he was missing out on the water fight fun outside. With a $1 thrift store find, Mom was pretty cool!

Lil' Monkey has a Boo-boo

Today, we had planned on a lazy day at home. Then, at the last minute, we decided to go to meet some friends from our MOPS group at Village Park for a play date. I wish I knew then what I know now.

We got there and the park was packed. There were cupcakes, lots of friends, and the weather was heating up. It was turning out to be a great day! Then, things changed.

I was standing and talking to a friend, keeping 1 eye on Ethan playing on the playground near by, when all the sudden I heard him screaming/crying and then saw him running towards me, grabbing his arm.

Oh no!" I thought out loud, "I hope he didn't break his arm!"... a friend's son a few years back fell off of a 4ft platform and broke his arm. I was hoping this wasn't also our fate.

I tried to calm him and give him some water, and he continued to cry. Luckily, a mom at the park with our group had some ice in a water bucket and she placed it in a Ziploc and we were able to ice it right away. I assessed his injury (it seemed to be his elbow) and he explained that it hurt like it was broken and he needed to see Dr. Timboe right away! "I know I need an x-ray Mom!" he exclaimed when I asked, "Are you sure?"

While in the van I spoke with the Dr's office and found out that they had meetings until 3pm and couldn't get us an appointment until then. It was around 11:30AM and I discussed this with Ethan. At first he was adamant that he had to see the doctor right away and he didn't want to wait, but as I explained we could sit on the couch, watch a movie or 2 and relax while Everett took a nap, he was a bit more understanding.

We got home, iced his elbow, talked a little about how it happened, and enjoyed Monster's Inc. and Finding Nemo while snuggling on the couch.

At 3PM we went to the doctor. Ethan told him the story how he fell off the monkey bars and landed on his elbow on the ground, and they took a few x-rays. It wasn't clearly broken, but due to the amount of swelling in the joint space, Dr. Timboe suggested that it be splinted and immobilized x 1 week until we could have a recheck x-ray. At this recheck they should, if it is broken, be able to see the healing fractures, and will then know if it needs casted or not.



Ethan is doing great and is handling the sling and immobilization wrap very well. He is still very sore and the joint is very swollen, but as long as he stays in the sling, he doesn't have any pain.

Please pray for him and for a quick healing of his elbow. He really wants to ride his bike, go to Worlds of Fun/Oceans of Fun and swim in the lake again soon, so a broken elbow and a cast for 6-8 weeks would really put a cramp in his style. Hopefully it is not broken, but if it is, at least it isn't his dominant hand.

Mommy's Morning Monet

Almost every morning I wake up to a freshly painted, drawn or multi-media composed work of art! This morning I caught my artist at work! I treasure these little creations! This one will be framed.