Fractures, facial hair and other tomfoolery

I hate to be so cliche...but, honestly, where does the time go?!?! Sheesh. Here we are in April and my last post 2 months old. Well anyway, here is our latest:

This little one, who is not so little, brings such joy to our family. His good nature, liberal smile, and mischievous sense of humor are loved by all. He's recently discovered the toilet. Ahem. Many a treasure has been dropped into the toilet bowl recently.

 

 Mustaches are always fun.

 Nutella Mustaches are fun AND delicious!

Matt thinks mustaches are fun, too. He went to a barber and had his burly beard coiffed into this burly mustache. I tolerated the mustache for a solid week and then asked, politely, for it to be removed.  

Light-up glasses (thanks, Grammie Laurie), cape and purple boomerang.
Sawyer: Mom, I'm WordGirl!
Me: Uhh, how about you're WordBOY?
Sawyer: Oh, yeah...right.
 

We dined and played at Fuddrucker's for Gunner George's 1st Birthday. Our baby is one?!? Wha?!? His birthday fell right in the middle of all his sick spells (see below) and this mama couldn't pull a party together. I shed some tears about this but Gunner didn't seem to mind.

 

In the past few months, we've spent many hours at our {much loved} doctor's office. Sigh. Sawyer snapped this pic with the ipad while we waited for the doc...again.

Gunner caught a cold that led to a terrible cough that led to bronchitis and a terrible regime of steroids, antibiotics, and nebulizer treatments. Boo. A few weeks later, he caught another cold that led to a terrible cough that led to bronchitis and a terrible regime of steroids, antibiotics, and nebulizer treatments. We were almost hospitalized this time due to his low oxygen levels and labored breathing. Boo. So, we now own the nebulizer machine and our doc told us Gunner is "asthmatic" but wouldn't go so far as to say that he HAS asthma. Boo. 

We took him to our church elders and they prayed over our little G. We asked for healing but also for strength and wisdom in dealing with the diagnosis. We trust God's perfect plan for G's life, with or without asthma. And don't let this picture fool you into thinking Gunnie enjoys his treatments...quite the contrary. It's a two person job: one person to hold his flailing limbs and the other person to hold the mask to his mouth and nose. Fun!

Two days after G's asthma scare, this little punkie was playing with Smith on my bed and was "accidentally" pushed off onto the wood floor. This boy of mine is tough so I knew by his cries that he was more than bruised by the fall. And, sure enough, a trip to the doctor and an x-ray revealed a broken collar bone. I've never experienced a broken collar bone but I'm told it's horribly painful. He wore the sling day and night for 3 weeks and healed remarkably fast.

A typical morning. Four little buzzed-heads eating breakfast while watching cartoons. These simple, ordinary moments are what it's all about folks. Sure, there are firsts, and birthdays, and broken bones, games and graduations, and extraordinary moments of accomplishment. But, the seemingly mundane thousands of moments are the stuff of life, the daily opportunities to practice love, patience, self-denial, and relationship. I'm still learning this lesson. But, I  recognize that it's one worth learning...and mastering.

Mason and Smith attended their first round of ski lessons and really enjoyed it. Here's to a winter activity that is outdoors and energy-burning!

One night, while Matt and I were attending our couple's Bible study, Smitty fractured his tibia wrestling with Mason. Apparently, the baby-sitter testified, he whacked his leg on the wood leg of our couch and she heard a loud crack. As there was no swelling or bruising (or bleeding), we weren't sure it was broken had him sleep on it and kept him home from school the next day. Midday, he still wasn't able to put any weight on his injured leg so I took him in. The x-ray revealed a fractured tibia, of course. At this point, I asked our clinic if they offered a frequency reward program. No dice. (Notice Smiggy's tongue in the pic. Hee hee.)

Six to eight weeks in a cast and a walker for this handsome fella. 

Since Smith wasn't able to finish his last ski lesson, Matt took Sawdog up to Bridger to ski for the first time. No surprise, he took right to it and was disappointed at the slow pace of the kiddie hill. I foresee more broken bones in his future. :)

We hooked the Burley to Mason's bike so he and Smitty could ride around outside. His cast doesn't bend, obviously, so his leg just stuck straight out. Makin' memories!

So, I think I covered all the main points - phew, long post! Check back "soon" (relative term) for pics and stories from our trip to Padre Island, Texas.