So thankful

We had the scariest time of our lives tonight. I was cooking dinner and had just asked Mike to come in and shred some chicken for me, from that point on everything seems like a blur of activity, all happening in jumbled, concurrent time. We heard a bumping sound, then a very brief cry from Cade, then an, “I’m so sorry, Cade,” from Kyle.

But no more crying.

I was stirring cheese sauce at the stove, so Mike went in to investigate. In the back of my mind I was both relieved that there was no more crying, but also alarmed because the only other time I remembered hearing Kyle apologize so quickly and sincerely to Cade was when he accidentally knocked Cade’s tooth loose.

It was only moments later when Mike came into the kitchen saying, “Tina, Tina, it’s bad!” I dropped what I was doing and turned to see Mike laying a limp and unconscious Cade on the floor and repeatedly calling out his name, then directing me to call 911. My initial thought was that Cade was paralyzed. The phone wasn’t where I expected it to be, but I quickly found it and dialed the numbers you never want to have to dial.

I think I may have asked what happened, but I’m not sure. I remember screaming over and over again, “Oh My God!!! Dear LORD!!! God help us!!!” I remember screaming to the 911 operator for help in a complete panic, but by God’s grace managing to carefully articulate our address for her. I remember her asking me questions and I couldn’t put a cohesive thought together other than to say that I didn’t know what happened because I hadn’t seen it. I remember seeing Mike doing what seemed to be CPR on Cade and I was just screaming and praying and begging God for Cade to be okay.

At some point Cade started to open his eyes, but they rolled back in his head and he did some weird movements and I thought it was really, really bad.

Finally, he started crying and I felt relief like when you hear your baby’s first cry at birth. The 911 operator heard the crying and asked if that was him and then told me that was a good sign. I heard the sirens and felt even more relief. By this time we had all somehow migrated to the couch with Mike still holding Cade and I went to open the front door and flag the paramedics down. When Cade saw the fire truck and ambulance he pointed outside and said, “Da.” (His go-to word, in this case meaning, “Look, there, fire truck, ambulance.”)

The wonderful paramedics checked him out and basically let us make the call whether we wanted them to take him to the hospital for a CAT scan and X-rays or observe him at home for a while. I was definitely leaning toward taking him, but Mike was confident we could keep him at home and watch him so that is what we did. He was very clingy to me for a while, but eventually got back to laughing and playing.

There is nothing like near-tragedy to bring life into perspective. We are thanking God for His protection and praising Him for Cade’s precious life.

I guess I should add that we don't really know exactly what happened. Kyle said he was running and didn't see Cade in time (or at all?) and knocked into him and Cade fell backwards, really hard, on the wood floor. Cade didn't seem to have any symptoms of a concussion so based on our internet research Mike and I are thinking he passed out from holding his breath because of the shock, upset, and pain. Mike said that when he saw him on the ground he scooped him up and Cade acted like he was going to cry, but just made some strange moves and then went totally limp and unconscious. We are just so incredibly thankful that Cade is okay and have instituted a "no running inside" rule (at least until the bubbles arrive - one for each boy).

Internet, I'll miss you so!

Okay, so I keep starting to write something, then I get distracted for a few days and when I go back to it I decide it's not worth finishing, hence the long stretches in between posts.

I am also in a funk with time management and have not fully adjusted to Cade now being a once-a-day napper. Although it is really great for being able to do things outside of the house, it is more difficult to find uninterrupted blogging time.

Then throw in a heaping portion of getting ready to move and voila! no time to blog.

Add to that, the fact that I will be without internet until mid-July (gasp! shudder!).

Maybe one day soon (after mid-July) I'll actually finish and post some of my drafts or start (and finish) some of the posts I have in my head, like all the craft things I have gotten to get back out since Cade is getting older. Well, while I'm here I'll just show you a couple of them.

First, here is a grocery list I made for Kyle a couple of years ago that he and Cade are now both using. I searched for free printable food images on the web then printed, colored, and laminated them. I hole-punched and put them on a clasp ring and there you go!Second, I had fun coloring this pasta. All I did was get sandwich baggies and put in some dry pasta and a few drops of food coloring and a few drops of rubbing alcohol and shake it around until the pasta was all colored. Then I spread it out on wax paper until it was dry.

The options are limitless for these babies: sorting, counting, collages, etc. I get plastic eggs, measuring cups, and all different sizes of containers out with these noodles and it keeps the boys busy for half an hour at least.Please be thinking of me while I'm in the black hole without internet. I'm sure to come out on the other side stronger! (I'm only half-way joking.)

The Vickenstain Bears and an Unexpected Twist

Kyle authored and illustrated this book a couple of months ago.

It all begins nicely enough:

Big home for little baby tigers to rest in when their mothers are gone looking for food for them. Bike with Brother Bear on it.

The Vickenstain Bears and their new dog.
Their oldest dog.

The Vickenstain Bears have their newest dogs.
Papa Bear has a cake.

Now for the surprise ending:

The Dungeon-Maker Prison for people who try to destroy the Vickenstain Bears.

Have a nice day.

Pretty Woman

I was in Nashville recently and needed to do some shopping. Wait, where should this story logically begin? Okay, I blogged a while back about my fear of hurtling uncontrollably toward the earth in a plane flying and the decision we were making regarding flying or driving to a friend's wedding approximately 3 gazillion miles away. Although I was open to flying, for a variety of reasons we ended up driving.

In the days just before we left, we got a contract on our house (Yippee!) and my mind was all consumed with offers, counter-offers, searching for a new house, etc. When it came time to leave I still didn't have a dress for the wedding. I took a couple of dresses that would suffice if absolutely necessary, but really didn't feel like they fit the bill of semi-formal/summer classy (I think that's what the invite said). Anywho, I figured I would have some time to look once we got to our destination.

We stayed over in Nashville on our way and I thought it would surely hold a lot of promise for my shopping expedition. It turned out perfectly that the boys both fell asleep after we had been to the zoo so Mike happily agreed to stay in the van and play BrickBreaker on my phone while they slept and I shopped.

Let me back up at this point, to say that I was dressed for walking around the zoo comfortably. While we were at the zoo we got caught in a downpour. Without an umbrella. Suffice it to say I was not a pretty sight by the time I arrived at the mall. I was a makeover waiting to happen. When I was pushing a stroller around the zoo I didn't exactly feel confident in my appearance, but I didn't feel like my sloppiness was drawing attention. However, walking around a ritzy mall by myself I suddenly had no apparent excuse for looking as frightening as I felt. I can only imagine what the salespeople were thinking as I rushed around and in and out of stores, trying to shop as quickly as possible knowing the boys may wake up at any minute and this was my one opportunity to find a dress. It may have just been my self-consciousness, but I didn't sense that the salespeople were that excited to help me.

Eventually (after walking what seemed to be the entire perimeter of the mall five times), I managed to find a dress which also required a new bra and new shoes. As I walked through the mall with my Ann Taylor dress bag, Macy's, and Victoria's Secret bags, I thought this is so Pretty Woman-ish. I could walk back in those stores, hold my bags up and say, "You work on commission, right? Big Mistake. HUGE."

Of course I think Julia Roberts a.k.a. Vivienne spent a few thousand more than I did, but I think we felt about the same.

Make These If You Dare

A very clever friend of mine made these for a cookie exchange a couple of years ago and I am forever grateful. If you like Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies (and who doesn't?) then you will love these.

All you need are these:and these:And you end up with these delicious little beauties:Melt the Andes chips, dip the crackers, then set to dry on waxed paper. I just ate about 14 of them. I would be eating more if I weren't typing. They are seriously dangerous.

Seller's Remorse

We are planning to move (I say planning because you never know what can happen since we have 2 houses to "close" on, but anyway that's another post) to a house that already has a swing/playset. We have had one of those plastic playsets for smaller kids like you see at daycares, you know? Then, because I'm crazy we also have another playset inside our house.

Yesterday we sold the big outside climbing playset. Once I knew the arrival of the buyers was imminent I began to go through a series of thoughts with the main theme being, "What was I thinking? I have two little boys, why did I agree to sell this great, awesome, super-fantastic tunnel-having, telescope-looking, clubhouse-climbing playset???" I told Mike and he was quite unconcerned, apparently he's used to my crazy mind-changing shenanigans. He optimistically said, "Maybe they'll get here and decide it's not what they wanted." "Oh, they'll want it," I assured him, "it's like the best playset in the whole world." Sure enough, after much puzzle-like placement in their pick-up, the new owners drove off with our playset.

I don't know what the root of my little sickness is, but I know the side effect is that when my kiddos like something I get the urge to buy them seventy-two more. Take for example Fisher-Price Little People. Kyle received a small set for his first birthday. In the three-plus years since, I have gone crazy buying every Little People toy that I come across at garage sales and second-hand shops. His collection probably rivals the children of the makers of Little People.

I do the same thing with books: Touch and Feel collections, miniature book collections, puffy book collections, etc. Kyle liked this little Lego set we got him that you build a miniature car from, now he has four. Anyone know a name for this behavior?

It took a little self-convincing last night, but I think I finally believe that Cade will not grow up hopelessly deprived knowing that when he was a toddler he only had two playsets and not three.

Quick Funny

My little guys both love this lift-the-flap book and it cracks me up every time I read it. (Obviously, I'm easily amused.)

The name of the book is Daddy and Me, the first page reads: "I'm helping Daddy make something, first we saw the wood. Where is Daddy's saw?" Lift the flap and find the saw in the closet.
"Then we measure the wood. Where is Daddy's tape measure?" Lift the flap and...

Wait, stop, hold the press. First we saw the wood, then we measure it? I'm not very confident about the father's handy-man abilities.