#7... Seriously?!?

Disclaimer: Stitched skin ahead.



I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't there to see it. At least, we have an answer to who's next in our long line of stitches.  Greyson busted his chin AGAIN!  We were over at a friend's house on this gorgeous day and Greyson and his preschool friend were playing outside while us moms were prepping lunch.  Next thing I know Greyson is coming in announcing he hurt his chin and after seeing the gaping hole in his chin, I thought, "here we go again." I told my friend that he needed to go to the clinic to get it sown up but that we would stay for him to eat a sandwich first.  I think she thought me a little weird; I know I would have if I didn't have so much experience with stitches.  But the boy needed lunch and we'd be at the clinic awhile.  Anyway... he ate up and then we went to the clinic.  Unfortunately, this time it wasn't as smooth sailing as it has been in the past.  Greyson did great and was very brave considering that when they put the needle through the second flap of skin, he *visibly* jumped.  It was obviously to me that it wasn't completely numb.  The nurse tried to play it off as "he felt the pressure of it" but I don't buy it.  They used a shot of lidocaine to help numb it more (freaking the boy out because they are coming at him with a shot to his face!) and then it went much better. After the stitches, the doctor decided to give him his last tetanus booster as a preventative measure.  With Madelyn, shots were never fun but they didn't freak her out.  With Greyson, I'm sure that he thinks the doctor gives him shoots just to torture him.  So, I asked the doctor that if he was going to give one of them to just give him all his kindergarten shots now and finish it out.  Torture the boy once, please.  But all in all, he did great.  I'm so blessed to have children that understand the doctor is the "good guy" and that also trust me when I say that everything is going to be okay.

So, here they are - two stitches and four shots later he is at home and sucking on a Sonic cherry slush.  Whew....  we've lived through another stitches episode. 



Oh, and Greyson has taken to taking picture too and seems to be pretty good at it. He insisted on turning the camera back on me after I took his pictures. :)

Bubble Yum!

Madelyn lost her second tooth yesterday...



...and asked the tooth fairy for BUBBLE gum. Since she asked last time for mint gum, she was careful to make the distinction. Of course, she made sure that we "called" the tooth fairy right away to tell her.



FYI - Two weeks ago Madelyn declared she didn't believe in the tooth fairy because "fairies aren't real." I guess when a tooth falls out, you can forget such declarations. :)

One reason to head south

This was forecasted but not appreciated ONE BIT! Every Minnesotan is ready for the tease to be over and for spring to come in. This makes me especially happy to be heading south tomorrow to spend time with my in-laws for Easter! Yay!

Poor tulips are trying to usher spring in, too.... unsuccessfully.

I have some friends in the southern regions that already have their spring and summer gardens started. I've learned (through experience) that starting my garden before Memorial Day (with a couple exceptions - onions, broccoli, carrots) is just a BAD idea. My garden is still waiting....

But we do get started inside so that they are further along when we DO plant the garden! Can you see the tomato sprouts and the green beans that are peaking? The egg shell seedling pots are an experiment I'm doing with Grey with the green beans. It's pretty cool to dig a new seedling up every couple of days to see it's growing progression from plump seed to emerging root to having root hairs to pushing out of the dirt and sprouting.

Even my Christmas cactus is confused....

Winter, you have overstayed your welcome. Please leave for at least 6 months and then maybe, just maybe, we'll be happy to greet you again.

Baby Fun

We had visitors over for dinner and we were so glad that they brought their baby with them! Everett, we love you!

Yay for Easter Sales

As my Mom and I headed out yesterday to look for options for flower girl dresses yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised that the Easter sales played along!  This dress is going to be perfect!  It matches the my sister's wedding dress color perfectly and we might add a little compliment of the bridesmaids' dresses color but all-in-all, we made out with this $37 flower girl dress!  WaHoo!

Short and Studly

Soon after we moved to Minnesota, I asked Ben to grow his hair out like it was our senior year in college. And he did it, just for me. I love him for it and know that he loves me because he did it too. Can you keep a secret? I find his long hair to be sexy. Really I do.

(What does it say that this Christmas time picture is the last decent picture we have of Ben? Incidentally, this is the picture that commemorates that all three of us sang in the Christmas music last December. You would have know that if I hadn't taken a blogging sabbatical. Sorry.)

But something happened last year. Ben got a motorcycle and he loves riding it. However, riding it also means that he can't care what the helmet will do to his hair and long man hair isn't very conducive to that. Also, I think that Ben wasn't very keen on the idea of having a little "salt" in his mostly pepper long hair.

So, as a last hurrah, Ben decided to grow his hair long enough to donate to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.

(BTW, we just found out the Locks of Love has questionable business model, even if Ben refused to grow his to their 10in requirement.)

So, today was the day.... and I so wish that I had had my head on straight and gotten a before-ponytails picture. But alas, I didn't. But here are the ponytails ready to be cut off.

and half gone...

and all gone.... but look at those eyes, aren't they beautiful.

Next we bagged up the ponytails, a picture also untaken :(, and addressed an large padded envelope to Pantene.  And Ben dropped it at the post office on his way to his haircut.  And my man came back with his short, studly hair.

As he came up the walk when he got home, Madelyn yells from the front window, "WOW!  Look at Dad!  Woo-Wee!  Look at Dad!"  And when Grey saw him, Grey did a double take and smiled so big his eyes were shining.  They love their dad and his short hair.  And okay, I admit, he's still my sexy man...

especially when I catch him working those manly jobs around the house! But shhhhh, don't tell anyone.