First Broken Bone

On Saturday Elias hopped off the bar stool like he always does, except this time he fell forward a little more than usual and caught himself with his hands. 

It was a cry I’ve never heard him cry. I knew right away we were going to the ER 

The ER said it was nursemaids elbow. 

They didn’t X-ray it...

and the next day we were still doing nothing more than icing and cuddling blankie. Something wasn’t right. 

So we had an X-ray taken and the pediatrician said it was a fractured wrist. We headed to the children’s hospital to get a short arm cast. 

When we got there the doctor told us it wasn’t his wrist. It was two pressure fractures in his elbow, so we would be going home with a full arm cast. 



In all my experience with children, this was completely new. The casting process is fascinating. 



And completely overwhelming too. He felt quite defeated, but was very calm. When I asked him if he liked the orange cast he chose he said, “I should’ve picked blue.” in the saddest Eeyore voice I’ve ever heard.  

He’s been a brave little boy through the whole thing. He got right to work figuring out life for a month in a cast. 

His brothers stepped up like champions through the whole thing too. When I initially said, “everyone back in the car. We’re going to the ER.” they not only obeyed right away but anticipated needs of our family and helped out. I was blown away. 



Each day he gets more confident in doing things despite the cast. 

He is on strict large motor restrictions, so we are figuring out things to do as we go, day by day. He’s a lot less tired than usual because there aren’t many ways to burn energy when you’re not allowed to jump, climb, ride, or swing. We skip nap every other day. 



One thing is for sure...he can still chainsaw!

Zoo Afternoon

We explored the new splash stream at the zoo and it’s very fun!













A wild turkey walked by. 

It was a fun afternoon with friends!

Preschool Tour

The big boys have been wanting to see Elias’ preschool so they picked him up with me on a no school afternoon. 

They enjoyed it! Augustine would like to volunteer in Elias’ classroom and help with activities. He would be really good at it!

Family pictures on the wall. 

So much important work to do in preschool. 

This & That

After five years the beloved preschool backpack is finally retired. It was looking disproportionate to my 3rd grader’s body, and it didn’t fit all his books. 

I know he likes dogs. I’m surprised he chose me for the other wings with as much as he likes sugar. 

Levi is enjoying some different activities now that he has been sitting up for almost a month. He loves to sit in his car. 

I ran in to the honorary Carlson sister the other day!

You know it’s been a long week when you use a burp cloth under the wine bottle. 

Catch-A-Cop

Logan and the big boys enjoyed the catch a cop fun run again this year with Grandma Kathleen!











Logan said both boys are significantly faster than last year. He had to make an effort to keep up with them both for the first time!

The medals are so cool at this run. 

And they enjoyed he other activities too. 

Almost 5 Months

Levi will be five months in two days. He’s accomplished a lot! He enjoys the exersaucer. He’s been sitting up for three weeks now. He got a tooth. He had his first haircut (See next post). He rolled over back to front. He discovered how to use his fingers, including using the pincer grasp a little bit. 



We put the swing away because he’s just too big for it. The swing can’t keep a steady pace with a 23 lb baby in it. 

He mostly takes naps on my lap or in the bouncy. 



His brothers make him laugh the loudest. Especially when they put on their Batman costumes and do all the fighting moves. 

I tried to transition him to a big boy binki, and he tolerated it, but he really prefers his fox. He falls asleep in no time and gets a solid nap if he has the fox. Seems like a reason to just keep using it. Why sacrifice sleep?

The day I realized it was time for that first hair cut. 

His newest face. He makes it all the time when he’s playing. 


Hanging out with this buddy, Mary. She and her husband are in our Wednesday night bible study. They are also in our parish so sometimes we sit together at Mass and they get more cuddle time. 

When your big brother is asked to get you something to play with you get to try things your mommy would never think of. 

He’s even too long for the swing. 

Tolerating the big boy binki during a nap. 

He’s still very happy playing with his ducks. He is using his feet to kick them these days, and he has noticed the toys on the sides too. 

Studying with Daddy. 

He sits with us at the table for meals now and is quite happy to be in the mix.