"Mom, I Need a Box..."

"Why do you need a box, sweetheart?"
"I need a box to cut holes in so I can make canons."
"Canons? Like on a pirate ship?"
"Yes!"

So Daddy helped them make a pirate ship out of a box we had in the hall. James is playing the part of the sea monster, in the pictures.



Oh, and this is how the canons work.

In Stitches

The third Thursday of every month is my book group. I hadn't been able to go in a while because Jonathan had usually been working Thursday evenings. This month, though, was the happy coinciding of a free evening and one of my favorite authors--Bill Bryson. I hadn't read this particular book (A Walk in the Woods) but I still loved his work and was thrilled to join my friends for an evening of discussion. Just as I was about to walk out the door I watched Elena and Joseph chase each other around the living room. Elena pushed Joseph, Joseph fell, and his cheek hit the corner of the futon frame. We pick him up, and the poor guy is screaming as blood pours down his face. After cleaning him up a bit I get a good look at the cut. Not very wide, but it's pretty deep. He needs stitches. Seeing as I'm the one that's dressed in something other than PJs I offer to take him in.

It's 8pm, so his doctor is long gone for the day. Where to go? Most of you would say "a minor emergency clinic" because it is a minor emergency. The problem is that my children are on CHIP because we can't afford insurance. Doctors don't take new patients if they're on CHIP. We had the same problem with Elena's pink eye, three years ago, and I had to pay $250 to get a prescription for eye cream. The only option left was the ER at the hospital. I hate that I have to take up their valuable time with something so small, but it's the only thing I can afford. Off to the ER we went.

After three hours of waiting (thank goodness Joseph fell asleep after only one) the doctor took a look at him. Apparently the cut went in the correct direction for good healing, if you're going to cut your face, and with a couple of stitches he'd only have a tiny scar. I warned them that I'm not good with needles, so they brought in an extra nurse to help hold him still. Then they did the most ingenious thing I've ever seen--they pulled his arms behind his back and stuck them in a pillowcase, then wrapped him three or four times with a bedsheet. There's no way he could wiggle, now. I held his chest, the nurses held his head, and the doctor gave him a shot and put three neat little stiches in his cheek. They're actually kind of cute, in an I-want-to-puke sort of way. I don't like the thought of things poking me, and there's some sort of transitive (?) property going on with human flesh (needle+skin=pain+creeping nausea; his skin=my skin ==> needle+his skin=my pain+creeping nausea). We just need to get through one week and then the stitches come out. Anyway, I need to go hunt down my Neosporin.

Ignoring the Posted Rules

Elena made signs for each of the doors, upstairs, to let Simon know he was not allowed in the bedrooms or bathrooms. I told her he wouldn't be able to see the signs if she put them up so high, but she insisted.

July 4th

My brother and his family hosted a fabulous 4th of July party with food, swimming, and lots of family. We had a great time. So great, I forgot to get very many pictures.



We had a date for the symphony, though, and couldn't stay the whole night. We drove down to the library by our house so we could take the bus. Unfortunately, the bus decided, on a whim, to use a detour, and we waited a hour for a bus that was supposed to be there in two minutes. We ended up walking the rest of the way, getting to the top of a little rise at the edge of the park just in time for the fireworks. We missed the concert, and our view wasn't the best, but we still enjoyed the show, and that's what counts.

Adentures in Joseph-Land

There's a lot to get through, so each of the kids are going to get handled separately for a bit. First up is Joseph. Now that he's three, he's starting to get more dramatic, as well as running around in circles. Even so, we're often pleasantly surprised by the times when he can sit still and focus on projects. This one is called The Artillery Camp.


All that crazy energy he puts out can really wear a kid out, though. I can't get him to lay down for a nap, but he'll happily fall asleep in my bed, on the couch, on the floor, or even the laundry basket.

Yeah, he's totally unconscious here.

We've got him on lactose-free milk, now, and that's helped a lot with his diapers, but it's still not to the point where we can really switch him over to underpants. He loves to use the potty, and knows how to do it himself, even getting the diaper off by himself, but his body just can't handle what he puts it through. He's got an appointment with a gastroenterologist, but the first available appointment was in September so my poor boy has to tough it out until at least then. He's still got a bit of a speech "thing," too. For example, he brought his milk over to Jonathan and says "Eh, men-it mine beshial milt" (Open-it, my special milk). The ear infection is slowly clearing up, though. We're trying an allergy medicine, this time, since he had one last spring, too, and it may be related to congestion. We'll see.

Such a Sweet Girl

Elena is fabulously awesome. Her reading is coming along really well. She's starting to read parts of bigger stories like Alice in Wonderland and Stuart Little, all by herself. She wants to read Harry Potter, too, but keeps trying to start with the second one. We've told her that as soon as Mom and Dad finish that one we'll start reading it with her.

The other shirt I made.

While cleaning out my closet, the other day, I found a box with a bunch of jewelry I'd worn in middle school. Elena immediately asked if she could have it, and I didn't see why not.


She's been asking me for a haircut for a while, I guess because Joseph got a trim the other day before pictures. I got Daddy to agree to a trim for her, too. No pictures yet, since I did it right when she got out of the bath, this morning.

Getting so Big

James grows and grows. He crawls everywhere he can get to, investigating everything around him. He's tried to stand by himself, once or twice, and is starting to cruise around the couch and his crib.


Part of getting bigger is eating Big Kid Food. His favorite, of course, is bananas (his first word was "na-NAAAA?!?"), but he also likes avocado, cheese, crackers and Cheerios.

Bonus footage of his Happy Kicky Dance!