Howard got his split removed earlier this week and we are thrilled! No boxing for the rest of the summer, but the bone is healing wonderfully and he does not require for it to be immobilized any longer.
After fishing every day in Michigan, that split was getting gnarly... we washed it repeatedly but the smell of fish was still there.
Having a seven-year-old boy is not for the faint of heart.
Well, Howard has his first broken bone -- his pinky knuckle (fifth metatarsal to be exact).
I only know the story second-hand from Howard, Caroline, and a friend of theirs, but it seems that Howard was invited to punch a punching bag as hard as he could... which he did.
This was a punching bag hanging in a neighbor's garage, and I guess an 8th grader told Howard and his friend that they could punch it as hard as they could.
We found out a few days later that the punching bag is full of hard sand and is un-punchable, and the 8th grader knew that no one is supposed to punch this bag. So that is helping us connect the dots a little more as to how Howard fractured his knuckle by punching a punching bag.
He has been seen by the Rangely clinic and referred to an orthopedic surgeon who is a hand specialist out of Steamboat. We will see hopefully see him later this week -- it is the last week of school so it is a hard time to make a doctor's appointment, but we also can't push it off.
Howard's one tough cookie, and has not really slowed down at all even with the injury. It is on his right hand (of course), and so far he has been most upset about the fact that he won't be able to throw during a Field Day Event.
Prayers appreciated for fast and complete healing.
If you ask our two-and-a-half-year-old Hunter, he will let you know in no uncertain terms that he is a big boy.
Just look at him ready to go on a bike ride with the big boys.
He made it about 10 yards before he asked Caroline to help him. She pushed him the remainder of the .5 mile walk.
My first project for Christmas break was completed by midday on Saturday -- creating a Boys' Room and a Girls' Room where our Kids' Room and Guest Room used to be.
This is the first time we've split up our big kids since Howard and Caroline moved into Tracey's room over 4 years ago. Howard and Caroline have ALWAYS shared a room -- even before they were born... haha but now we have our girls in the big room, and Howard and Hunter sharing a smaller room. Lee Lee has been in the Big Kids' Room for over two years. It was definitely time for this change, but it marks a bittersweet milestone -- in all likelihood, our big kids will never all share a room again in our home. I assured them that in hotels, and at grandparents they probably will still share a room sometimes.
This also marked Hunter's first time in a big boy bed -- and by his moving to the Boys' Room, that freed up a spot in the nursery for Brady to move into that room and a nice big crib.
Yay!
Howard is officially a successful hunter/trapper.
Howard and Daddy were moving things around in our shed and discovered mouse droppings, so (under Daddy's guidance) Howard was charged with hunting and trapping the mice. He was even promised a commission for each mouse removed from the shed.
Initially, Howard and Daddy set up standard spring mouse traps with peanut butter on the trigger. But, when he checked the traps, Howard found that the peanut butter was eaten, but the traps did not go off.
So, Howard and Daddy fashioned a different kind of trap. Howard filled a bucket half-full with water and sprinkled sun flower seeds in the bucket, so they were floating on top of the water. The bucket looked like it was full of sunflower seeds. You pretty much have to touch the seeds to know they are just a layer of seeds floating in water.
Then, Howard took a small piece of lumber and crated a ramp up to the top of the bucket. He put peanut butter at the top of the piece of wood with sun flower seeds stuck to it and a trail of sun flower seeds coming down the ramp. His hope was that a mouse would follow the trail up the ramp, and then see the sunflower seeds in the bucket and climb down for an all-you-can-eat feast of seeds only to drown in the bucket of water.
Howard was THRILLED to catch his first mouse a few days ago. Ignore his crazy outfit -- it was Wacky Wednesday at school. Since this picture was taken, he has caught a second mouse as well.
This little one is a full-blown toddler boy... and since Mama has to nurse his baby brother and keep up with his four older siblings... he gets into quite the antics these days.
Lord, help us!
Let's see...
Dead Grass
Puddles
Wearing Layers
Soaking clothes
Sports equipment
Happy Boy
All of this can only mean one thing:
Someone is ready for Spring Training!
I have been doing a really great low-impact workout the past two weeks called Barre Blend -- it is a lot of dance and ballet and work at a bar (but French is Barre - because it is based on ballet).
I am NOT a dancer... but WOW, these workouts are hard.
As my barre, I've been using a step ladder... Hunter LOVES when he is awake during my workouts because he uses that time to practice his climbing -- three steps up and three steps down for 30 minutes.
I even caught on our camera when I was doing leg lifts and he was doing leg lifts at the same time.
Don't let his short legs and his wobbly walk fool you... this little boy really is well into toddler antics. He has let me know this week in no uncertain terms that he is no longer a baby but a full blow little boy who wants to get into everything.
A few days ago, I was sorting laundry in the basement when Howard called me upstairs. I told him I was sorting laundry and I would be up in a few minutes and he calmly, but emphatically suggested I come upstairs now.
I went upstairs to find Hunter standing on the top step of a three-step step ladder. The step ladder was in the kitchen, and the kitchen gate was closed when I went down to the basement... but at some point of the few minutes I was downstairs, the gate was left open and Hunter was thrilled to show off his climbing skills.
The next day, as I was getting the twins ready for school, I found him determined to load nerf darts in Howard's nerf gun. Just last week, he was eating the nerf darts, but now he knows exactly where they belong and apparently he is determined to give his big brother strong competition in a fun nerf war.
All over the world are moms of little boys who dread the first haircut. Many of them put it off for a LONG time -- sometimes years. All over the world are mothers claiming that their son doesn't look like a little girl simply because the mother doesn't want to lose the baby hair of her baby boy.
I am not that mother.
I do not like long hair on my boys. My definition of long hair, is still pretty short, but that's how I like it. If I can put the hair in a tiny pony-tail, or use a barrette to get it out of your eyes, it is too long.
With COVID rules being what they are, babies have to sit in a barber chair by themselves -- they are not allowed to sit on their parent's lap. So... I decided to cut Hunter's hair.
Here was a picture from the other night before I cut it -- he's a mess because we had just finished dinner and I decided to take advantage of his being in his high chair, and about to get a bath.
Here is after the hair cut.
Certainly not going to change careers, but I'm very happy his hair is shorter and I don't have to worry about another hair cut for a few months at least.
Oh my little red head is at such an age... he is fun... and frustrating.
For one, when I'm taking a picture of something, he thinks it is funny to stick his hand in front of my phone.
Thankfully, this is the age of digital, and I can take another picture very easily.
