Bruised heads and egos

Yesterday afternoon Walker called me at work and very calmly told me, "Daddy, Anderson bumped his head on the toy box and it's kind of an emergency so Grandma's coming over to look at it because she's a nurse so she can tell mommy if she needs to take him to the doctor to get his boo boo fixed. He took 10 or 15 steps and that's why he hit his head. Mommy just wanted you to know."

Turned out to be an accurate story. Anderson split his head open near his right eyebrow. They butterfly stitched it and he forgot all about it. That should be his first of many many scars. Oh, wait, his second. He also broke the glass jar that held one of Carla's candles and cut his finger on that.

Carla, trying to explain to Ellie why one little girl in her class needs a teachers' aid: Well, her brain's just a little bit different and she needs someone to help her.
Ellie: Why is she a little bit different?
Carla: That's just he way God made her.
Ellie: Oh, like Daddy. He's a little bit different.
Carla, through tears of laughter: Oh, yeah? Why's that, Ellie?
Ellie: Well, that's just the way God made him. The other day when we were putting Anderson to bed, he thought he had a frog in his throat.

Oh, that reminds me, the other day Ellie told me her throat hurt (not because it hurt but because Walker had just gotten over his sore throat) and I told her to let me look at it. She said OK and pulled her shirt up to her chin.

I'd be losing all kinds of points in Oregon Trail

Carla called me at work yesterday and told me Walker has Scarlet Fever. Back in Oregon Trail days, he'd be in a lot of trouble because I'd have picked to be a carpenter instead of a doctor. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Who cares if a wagon wheel breaks? Family members dying is worse when you finish. Also, I've been unsuccessful hunting, yet again. Not even a squirrel or a rabbit. And, the other day, I tried to fjord a river on my own instead of paying a trusty indian guide. Needless to say, that didn't work out very well.

Well, Walker really does have scarlet fever, anyway, but, apparently it's not as big of a deal today as it used to be. Some antibiotic will have him going again soon. Actually, he's feeling better already and has only been sick for 2 days. Now we just have to avoid dysentery and cholera. And high water. I think if we keep eating the max and resting often we should be in good shape. Though I wish I had purchased two more oxen. Oh well, that's what I get on a carpenter's salary.

Uh oh, they're getting smart

Ellie: Daddy, why do toothpicks get food out of your teeth? Because God made the world?

She finally figured out the shortcut to my ultimate answer to every kid question. I usually try to explain things but after a half dozen "why"s, I always end up back at "because god made the world." Good job, miss Jane.

Me: Hey Walker, if you get 4 cookies and Ellie gets 4 cookies and i get 4 cookies, how many is that total?
Walker, less than 2 seconds later: 12

Anderson added Truck and Ball to his vocabulary. Also, next time you're holding him, chew some gum. He loves watching people blow bubbles and he'll even pucker his lips and stick out his tongue when he wants you to do it. Very cute.

Bye.