How to Get a Free Frosty

They say that you're most likely to cut yourself while cooking if you're using an unfamiliar knife. Last week, this proved true for running in unfamiliar footwear as well. Wednesday night, Jane and I went shopping for new shoes. Her old shoes were seriously small and I thought she would be so much more comfortable in her brand new well-fitting shoes.

The next morning, we received a call to come get Jane. She had been running, tripped and had embedded a rock into her forehead.

We went to our local urgent care and discovered that a preschooler with a head wound gets moved straight to the front of the line. Fortunately, the other patients were very understanding.

I will spare you the photos of the open wound because they still make me a little queasy, but I will say that Jane felt much better after she was stitched up and she was thrilled with how her stitches looked.

(Jane seeing her stitches for the first time after we removed the bandage in preparation for bath)

After urgent care, we decided Jane deserved a treat so we took her to Wendy's for lunch, where we discovered that a preschooler with a head wound gets a free Frosty.

Although the free Frosty almost made the whole thing worth it, I think I will have Jane break in her next pair of new shoes around the house for a few days before they make their playground debut.

A Scoop of Leftovers Casserole

There have been a few things this summer/early fall that I meant to blog about, but never got around to it. Welcome to the leftovers casserole edition of my blog.

This past summer, Jane took swim lessons for the first time. Emily also took swim lessons, but I can't seem to find pictorial evidence. This is most likely because their swim lessons were back to back, Jane went first and I spent the vast majority of Emily's lesson time in the bathroom with Jane.

I'm not sure how much either of them progressed this summer, but we have very good intentions of visiting the pool this winter to gear up for next summer. Will it happen? Stay tuned...

In addition to her swimming, Emily has been working hard on her Lego skilz which, I assure you, are mad. She apparently gets this interest from her dad, who kept all the pieces and instructions from his childhood Lego sets. He and his brother had saved up a giant tub of bricks and kept them safe in an outdoor spider infested playhouse for (cough cough) years.

Uncle Brian was kind enough to sign over rights to his half of the Lego collection so it came home with us. The only obstacle to Emily's Star-Wars-fighter-ship-bliss were the few unwelcome six-and-eight legged creatures who had taken up residence. Don't tell her (because she would never touch them again), but that's why we pulled out the jug of Clorox and gave all the Legos a bath in the tub. There were a few unintended casualties (such as the batteries that somehow made their way in) but all told, they came out quite well. Here they are drying after being disinfected and de-bugged. Thanks, Grandma Carol and Grandpa Walter for buying your children such a vast assortment of Legos. They are a wonderful heirloom.

Last, but not least, Emily has finally learned to ride a bike without training wheels!

I worked with her a bit and Chris worked with her a LOT. Finally, yesterday, she got it. You may notice that the bike is a bit small. It was good for learning because she didn't have far to fall, but we do have a bike buying expedition planned for the near future.

Great job, Emily!

First and Foremost

Last week, Emily started first grade (I know - my blogging is a bit delayed, but this has been quite the week). I really believed that this year would be easier than Kindergarten. After all, she was used to being at school all day and we were even able to get Emily in the classroom she went to for reading last year so she already knew her teacher. Still, the night before school started held tears, hysterics and an extensive list of fears. The tantrum ended in a declaration, "I won't go to school! I'm staying home!". Needless to say, we were dreading the next morning.

Eventually, Emily calmed down enough to get a blessing from daddy.

After an abbreviated night's sleep, Emily seemed more amenable to receiving some book learnin', which is fortunate because a Kindergarten education doesn't do much for your resume.

She was in good spirits as we walked to school.

And when she had found her chair and her supplies, she seemed ready to go. (As you can see, Mrs. Smith is an enthusiastic Pokes fan.)

In the afternoon, Emily was exhausted but happy. It's good to be getting back in the groove. We'll see if that holds true next week when Emily starts back to ballet. Whoever decided to give the kids a grace week the first week of school must have been a mom. Smart thinking, Ballerina Bob's. (Okay, so her dance studio isn't named Ballerina Bob's, but there are lots of creeps out there and this isn't a private blog).

Good job on your first week of first grade, Emily! You are indeed #1!