Did you know...?

Another Erinism has come to my attention ...

Last week Erin and I were taking a walk around our little condo neighborhood, I was pushing Avery and she was pushing Abby in strollers. Erin's stroller is a little short for her now, so the walks are a bit painful to watch, but she still likes to do this. As we were walking, I noticed a dead slug on the sidewalk, and pointed it out to her, merely in hopes of helping her stroller wheels avoid contact with the expired slug. She skirted it, and I dismissed it. Two or three sidewalk squares later, Erin pauses, sniffs the air, and says,
"Yep, that was a slug alright."
I said, "I know, I pointed it out to you, remember?"
"Yeah, but how did you know, Mom?"
"Well, I saw it and just knew, because I have seen them before."
"Well, I know too."
"Oh?"
"Yep, don't you smell it?"
"Smell what?"
"The slug."
"Um, no, I hadn't stopped to sniff it."
"Well, you don't need to stop, Mom, just smell the air. Come on, try it. " (model sniffing ensues) "Don't you smell it?"
"Well, it does kind of smell like something."
"Slug stink mom, that smell you are smelling is the stink of slug, and that's how you can know if it's really a slug or not. Trust me, I know, I touch those things all the time, and that's what my hands smell like, exactly."
"Oh, thanks for sharing that with me, Erin, I learned something from you today."
"Thank you, mommy!" (beaming face emerges, and stroller resumes route).

Oh, what a kid!

Cast-Off!

Well, Erin's arm is stink-free now, as her cast came off last week. She was so itchy (and stinky), and scratched a sore in the crease of her arm. Poor thing, we were trying to wash it to remove the cast residue (and STINK), and she was so afraid of moving it, in case it wasn't better. Thankfully, it is healing nicely, and the bone has made the protective "cocoon" around the break, so she can be without the cast, but still needs to be careful while it is healing. We go back the first week of July to hopefully get the "all clear".

Some things we learned through this process:

1. not all doctor offices expect or display the same level of courtesy in their reception area
2. worm-diggin' four-year-olds can get dirt in the most interesting places
3. water can invade a plastic trash bag in many places
4. plastic trash bags tied onto arms make great baby-scaring splashers
5. a pink cast, no mater how cuddly it appears, is a weapon in disguise
6. it is hard to eat a sandwich when the arm is bent in a 90 degree angle without the contents falling all over the floor
7. a comfortable sleeping position is something highly desired by one wearing a pink cast weapon
8. a pink cast draws much attention and sympathy from adults
9. said cast also gets many great bargains (even free-bies) at garage sales
10. And, perhaps the most memorable, the aroma of a pink, fading to dirt-brown cast is overwhelming near the hand region of a small child (especially when the small child has been handling worms, slugs, mud, dead rabbits, snails, and other fairly disgusting and stinky things). (David and I actually bickered over who had to sit on the "cast side" of the bed during story time at night, it was so bad!)

Thank you so much for your prayers, notes of encouragement and humor, and just loving Erin and our family. We thrive knowing that God has placed us in the middle of such a caring family. Erin sends her thanks, and told me today how special it made her feel to know that people were praying for her and her arm getting better faster. Thank you.