Pictures from the Road

These are a couple of weeks old, but here are pictures from our trip from Oregon to Montana. The boys were very good and Will really enjoyed the DVD player (that's why he's wearing headphones).

Broken, Round Two

So the day after Jack got his cast, he and I were shopping, I turned around to get something off the shelf and when I turned back he had pulled off his cast! Imagine my dismay and complete surprise. Turns out this is pretty common among toddlers, since their arms are larger than their hands (or something like that). So we took another trip back to urgent care where they split the cast in two and now we’re using it along with an ace bandage to hold everything together. Needless to say we’re re-wrapping and putting the cast on quite a few times a day. Turns out he only needs to wear it about another week. I guess three weeks is typical recover time for a toddler (lucky them!).

As you can see from the picture Jack is not the only family member with a cast, today Gus had a little accident. We’re not quite sure what happened, but Gus tore a nail. We took him to the vet hospital and now he’s sporting a charming red bandage. Hopefully that is enough drama for this week.

Enjoying the Outdoors

I know what you're all thinking, "finally, some photos!" The first two pics are from our first trip to the City Beach, they both really like digging in the sand and splashing the water. I love how beautiful it is and how close the mountains are. Also, we're spending a lot of time outside our house, since there's plenty of room to ride bikes, throw balls and run around.

Broken

Yes, Jack has a broken arm. I think we've been in denial that it was really broken, we just thought it may be a sprain. A week ago (yes, a week) Jack fell at the playground. Nothing huge (or so we thought). Just a typical tumble. He was complaining his arm hurt, so I put ice on it. It never really swelled and he was able to move it around so we assumed there was no way it was broken. Well, he’s been saying it still hurts and favoring it a bit, so we decided it would be a good idea to check and make sure it wasn’t broken. So you may imagine how completely guilty and awful I feel for not realizing this was much more serious. Jack was really good for the doctor, x-ray tech and even sat still while they put his high-lighter yellow cast on. I felt so bad this afternoon when he woke up from a nap and asked me to “take it off”. Poor guy! The cast only needs to stay on for 2.5 weeks, but we’ll be leaving for Portland then Hawaii in 10 days so the doctor suggested we have it cut off when we return to Whitefish. Thankfully they put him in a waterproof cast, I’ll just need to get creative when it comes to keeping it free of sand. Will is somewhat interested in the cast and refers to it as the “Band-Aid”. The lesson we’ve learned, if Jack says anything hurts we need to get him in and have it looked at. Hopefully he won’t hold this against me.

I’m writing this blog from my car, parked in downtown Whitefish, as I am pirating unsecured wireless access from one of the local businesses. Phew! We’ve survived our first week in a new state and house. And what a week it has been! We still do not have internet or phone in the house (that will happen a week from Wednesday). I apologize, but I won’t be able to post any pictures until this is set up Also, Doug has been battling with the satellite tv mongrels (aka Best Buy and Direct TV) who sold us our package, promised we’d have local channels (the major networks) plus a plethora of cable channels. Turns out our home is part of the 2% in the country who cannot get local channels. SO the solution was either getting the networks out of NY or LA. No thanks, needless to say it has been a very costly and time consuming problem. But on to more exciting things.

The boys – they are taking in the sights and making a name for themselves. We trained them early to wear sunglasses, so almost everywhere we go, we get comments. My favorite was an older man who told them they were very “Hollywood”, kind of funny. We’re making daily trips to the awesome park they have in town, the City Beach which is located at one end of Whitefish Lake and we recently joined an athletic club where they get to play while I get a breather, oh, and work out. The club is called the “Wave” but Will insists on calling it the “Storm”.

The two biggest mishaps of last week would be when Jack locked himself in the condo Doug was renting, along with my purse, keys and cell phone. I was get putting Will in the car and didn’t realize Jack as tall enough to lock the deadbolt. So, long story short, a kind neighbor suggested I check in the club house on site and see if they had master keys. Of course they did and Jack was freed within 5 minutes. Thankfully he entertained himself by opening a bunch of the cabinets in the kitchen, turning on the stereo and going poop (in his diaper). I on the other hand was frazzled and close to having a serious meltdown. Also, I’ve discovered the town dump – WOW, as Doug says the 80’s called and they want their idea back. So much trash in a big pit, it’s amazing. There’s no curbside recycling in Montana, so you have to make a conscious effort to take recyclables to drop off locations. Biggest surprise, they do not recycle glass anywhere! Anyhow, I went to the dump for the first time and was watching the other dumpers and reading ALL the posted signs, most important “no salvaging”. I pulled up to this row of large dumpsters and proceed to toss the trash in, just like the other people. Only I forgot I had my car keys in my hand and threw them into the dumpster with the trash!! Thankfully I spotted them fairly quickly and the dumpster wasn’t too full, of course I totally looked like I was salvaging AND I was in flip flops (so gross!).

Whitefish highlights – kids, lots of them everywhere. Riding bikes, in stores at the parks, it’s great. This is definitely a family friendly area. Also, the scenery is amazing, you almost forget it’s there, but every time I take a moment to look around I’m thrilled by the beauty. Being outside, a lot. The boys may be little blondies by the end of the summer. They are getting some color on their skin so they don’t look so pale. We’ve met other families who’ve made the same sort of move we’ve made and all say it takes about a year or two to really feel settled, but it’s worth it. Here’s hoping for the very best. Much love to all our family and friends. We miss you so much!!