Pics Are For Kids

Hangin' With My Bros

"Who cares about TV, I'm just happy to be up here with the big kids!" -Ella

Block Party!

Yesterday we had our annual Windham Hill block party, and this year it was held right in our front yard!



The party committee rented a moon jump for the kids complete with a huge Batman, and Gavin and Abe got full access hours before the rest of the neighborhood came because it was on our lawn. (Needless to say, they were completely exhausted by the end of the day!) We all sat around and visited with the neighbors, meeting new people and chatting with our friends. There was a pinata, games for the little ones, and plenty of food. Everyone brought drinks, snacks and homemade goodies. Despite a few questionable mystery items ( . . . is it supposed to be sweet? Salty? Yikes!), everything was tasty. Karen contributed a West family favorite: little smokies in BBQ sauce on toothpicks with cheese and pickles. (They were the hottest item at the food table!)

The fire department brought a fire truck for the kiddies to check out, and Gavin and Abe loved it. They got free fire hats and learned a few lessons from the firefighters. It was all very cool and a fun afternoon! It's always fun to spend time with our great neighbors.

Gavin's little accident

This last week has been an exciting one for us! On Monday, as I was walking in the door from dropping Gavin off at school for the day, my phone rang and it was the school nurse. She said "Gavin got hurt and you need to come pick him up". I panicked a little, but figured it couldn't be anything too serious since he had only been there five minutes. I walked in the doors of the school and immediately heard his screaming. He was UPSET and his mouth was severely swollen. The school nurse told me he wasn't watching where he was going as he went into the classroom for the day and he fell face first into the corner of his desk. I got him home quickly and looked to see that his 2 front teeth had gone completely through his lip and were fairly loose in his mouth. I called the dentist and brought him right in to have his teeth checked. The dentist said his mouth should heal on its own and we would just have to wait and see what happened with the teeth. He was in a lot of pain that first day and spent most of it laying on the couch and complaining. Our biggest concern was that he was refusing to eat or drink for the first 3 days. I had to sit with him and force him to sip nutrition shakes from a straw as he screamed and cried in pain. Finally last night he gave in and ate some refried beans and ice cream for dinner. Today he has been more willing to eat and he is much happier because of it. He actually bit into a chocolate chip cookie this afternoon! We are still waiting to see if his teeth fall out or turn black, but if they do it will be a temporary problem because his adult teeth should be coming in a year and a half to two years.
On top of all Gavin's problems, Abe has been having asthma attacks all week and Ella is still battling her diarrhea and severe diaper rash. I can't compain about being bored! Everyone seems to be on the mend today, so I feel optimistic that we will have a great weekend! I hope you all do too!

Karen

Ella's Blown Away

Some great photos of Ella.