Inexperience

This morning, Nathan ran outside where I was cleaning out the van to tell me that a bird had hit the window. Hard. There were feathers stuck to the window. This happens often enough and the bird is usually o.k. Nathan ran out a few minutes later to tell me that it was a robin that hit the window and showed me where it had landed. Sadly, there it was in my hot poker plant. I picked it up and found that it was a juvenile robin that probably died on impact. Nathan gently buried the bird in his garden and then picked flowers to lay on the top of the grave. Sariah asked me if the bird was already in heaven.

Life and death. Poor little inexperienced bird that gave my kids a 'life experience' in its death.

It Was Bound to Happen

The builder of this house did not put 2" x 4"s behind this wall. With all of the crashing, smashing, and hurling that goes on in this house (despite my efforts to stop it), this wall was bound to get broken.

The kid responsible (who shall remain nameless), said something to the effect of, "Why now? That wall has been hit into many times, why does it have to break now?" This same kid is missing a window pane from when s/he was just hitting at the window to see what would happen. Duh!

Doesn't this add character to my house. We've got your customary bumps and paint chips. We've got your colorful streaks on the walls. We've got a double layer of plastic instead of a window, but now we can brag of a lovely ripped wall. I'm hoping this increases the selling price!

He's o.k.

Nathan had 10 stitches put into the top of his foot. It wasn't as bad as I was imagining it since I was worried he might have to have surgery or something. It wasn't a hole all the way through his foot, just peeled off the three layers of skin down to the fascia. Joseph was pretty wiped out. It was pretty gory for him to see. Nathan is in pain, but other than that is allowed to do what he is up to doing. He sang in his choir camp concert today just like a champ.

Thanks for all the support!

Accidents

First accident. A week and a half ago, Sariah slammed the bathroom door. Anyone familiar with my house knows there was a huge mirror mounted there. There was a mirror. Then it landed on May's foot and finally shattered all over into the wall and floor. Joseph took May to the ER where they took x-rays. We still have to take her to the Dr. tomorrow to see if she might need a cast. My feeling is that she probably does since it has continued to hurt all week.

Second accident. Nathan had been bugging me about letting him play behind the fence. Joseph said no, but I wanted him to be able to because he's almost 11 and we need to cut the strings. We decided together that he could go back there as long as he stayed close to the gate. Over the years we have lived here, we've been lazy about cleaning up the yard and tossed and stacked a lot of things back there that we are going to need to clean out. Additionally, the previous owner had put lots of things back there that really shouldn't have been there, like cans of paint, left-overs from projects.

At any rate, Nathan was back there today and I was showering after having planted one of my front flower beds. All of a sudden I hear this loud and wrenching screaming. Joseph was pulling in the driveway that very minute having been out looking for a new van for us. He yelled to me to get some gauze. I threw him the towel I had on. He rushed him to the hospital. I didn't see the wound, but my husband told me that there was a huge hole and lots of skin torn off. (He went back to look quickly to see if there was a piece of flesh to take with him.) It all sounds so horrible to me. I am very stressed and worried. Trying to turn it over to God since the only thing I can do is wait to hear what's going on and be a good parent to the other four who are home.

I have requested prayers from family. Anyone willing to send up a prayer, please do so. That always soothes me some. My maker is in charge here.