Other April

It's been a busy month- at least according to Covid standards!

We got back from Arizona just in time for this:

yay.  snow in april.  it's so beautiful.

NOT.

Excepting that traditional freak April snow storm though, we've really had a wonderfully sunny and warm April.

He sure loves his baths!

He did NOT enjoy his 1 year shots though:

I had a dum-dum sucker in my purse that I pulled out for him... we use 'sweet-ease' sugar syrup in the NICU for pain relief for newborns, so why not a sucker for a 1 year old??  He liked it.... a LOT!

During national "Lost King" week, Nathan and I found this waiting for us on our bed:

our very own Lost King Fun Books!

TyTy loves waving bye-bye to his siblings every morning:

Are they back yet??

He is SO happy when they get home!

SPRING!!

A dear friend from church gave Tyler this {belated baby gift} stuffed puppy:

He loves it!!  He carries it around and cuddles it and even bestowed upon his puppy the highest honor of sharing his paci!

What a big helper:

I know my kids will end up giving me a hard time that "ALL the pictures are of Tyler!" but they're gone at school all day and Tyler isn't!!

Every once in a while Bryson can't bring his siblings home after school... Tyler is SO entertained while we wait in the pick up line, just exploring the car and watching all the kids walk by:

I babysat our neighbors little boy one morning- Greyson is a few weeks younger than Tyler, but twice his size!  And WOW, that boy's cry is more of a banshee shriek!  Tyler wasn't so sure what to think of him...

A little recycle bin scavenging:

Broken Pinky

So the other day when the kids got home from school (can I just add how nice it is that Bryson can drive and thus bring them home?!?), Eli sat down at the kitchen table and nonchalantly said, "I think I might have broken my pinky."  And then started reading a book.  I think if he'd have been super dramatic I would have brushed it off, but something made me take him seriously.  His pinky was pretty swollen, so it was hard to tell if it was actually crooked or not.  I asked him what happened and he said he was rushing to lunch and the kid in front of him stopped all of a sudden and Eli tripped over him and fell... so anti-climactic!

I stewed over it for a bit, and then decided to take him to Nathan's office for an x-ray to see if we could see anything or not...

Uh, ya.

When I texted the picture to a hand surgeon in our ward, he responded, "Well, you don't have to be an orthopedic surgeon to see that one!"

Dr. Turner thought that it was a bad enough break that Eli should have a few pins put in- so he spent the next two days in a splint and Thursday morning was ready for surgery:

Pre/Post pin placement:

After surgery he had a 'soft' cast that he couldn't get wet... it was a challenge for teenage hygiene for sure, but we managed:

At least it's his left hand!

After one week in the cast he had a custom splint made:

The pins stay in for 6 weeks...

Because of the pins, he obviously has to be super careful taking the splint on and off, which he has to do 3 times a day to exercise and stretch his fingers.  He even has a couple of "hand PT" appointments to make sure that he's maintaining strength and mobility.  A little hard to believe that with all my kids, it's only our second broken bone... I hope I didn't just jinx us!

DIY

The drain pump on my washer went out in the middle of laundry day.  Ugh.  And the appliance repairman couldn't come for 2 1/2 weeks!  What's a girl to do??  Bless youtube, I had it taken apart and diagnosed during Tyler's naptime!

Unfortunately, the part I needed took a week and a half to arrive, so in the meantime I had to bring laundry to my Mom and Dad's.  Super convenient.

When the pump finally arrived, I couldn't wait for naptime, so Tyler got to help out!

All fixed and working like it should, thank you internet!

The drivers side window on my car had been sluggish for quite awhile, but then, mid-winter, it went out altogether.  Of course it's the drivers window, right??  You don't realize how much you roll down your window until you have to open your door at drive thru windows instead.  *rolls*eyes*  I was waiting for spring to tear it apart and finally found the time on a sunny day!

It was a p.a.i.n. to fix, but totally worth it- it is SO nice to have a working window again!  I had tested it up and down several times without problem, but then a few days later, I was getting Krispy Kreme's after Eli's pinky surgery and as the window started rolling up, it suddenly crashed allllllll the way down.  And of course I had an appointment in Post Falls in 2 hours and there were huge black storm clouds rolling in.  My mom was going to watch Tyler (and post-op Eli) for my appointment, so I high tailed it to their house and tore the door apart in record time... the window was SO stubborn- it was crazy hard to get it back into the supports, but I was finally able to get it in the right position and had literally exactly enough time to get the door put back together to make it to my appointment on time.  *phew* Good thing too, because there was a torrential downpour on the way!  Yikes, so thankful that if it had to break again, at least I knew how to fix it!

My Happy {and COLD} Birthday at Silverwood

Bryson and Dallin had their first official day of work at Silverwood yesterday:

It was the parks 'dry-run day' so employees were given tickets to give to friends and family... and it happened to fall on my birthday!  Unfortunately, the wonderful weather we've been having took a break and it was cold and dreary, so we dressed warm and ended up having a fun day despite the weather.

Tyler anxiously awaiting his first roller coaster:

He wasn't exactly sure what to think of it!  Bryson was the ride operator on Tiny Toot, so when we'd go around and he'd see Bryson he'd smile, but then his face would return to bewildered.

Hailee and Jace on Super Round Up:

Eli took Tyler and I for a drive:

Good thing we've got a while before he gets his permit!

Hunter Jace

Jace is in that stage where he wants to be bigger than he is because he is definitely not a little kid. Naturally, hunting is on his brain- after all, what's more manly than hunting? We have had a plethora of turkeys around our house lately.  It is totally entertaining to watch the Tom's puff up and fan out their feathers, strutting around trying to get the hens attention- just like teenage boys *wink* but the hens couldn't care less.

We've even had some bigger game:

So every few days, Jace breaks out his bow and does some target practice:

Basketball

We've been having the mostly gloriously warm and dry spring- the kids have been loving playing ball outside... and of course Tyler wants to join in because, "BAH!! BAH!!!"

And when the big kids are at school, all Tyler wants to do is go outside and pick up basketballs and carry them around:

He's his daddy's boy for sure!!