September 25, 2007
September 24, 2007
First Frost
So tonight's supposed to be the first frost. Argh. I'm still trying to get the hang of the Boise growing season. Last year I planted late cause we'd moved here the last of May and I just didn't have it in me until really late. This year I was all set, knew the safe date for last frost and planted. Problem is, this Georgia girl is used to, well, Georgia. You just can't plant from seed at last frost in Boise and expect to actually have a productive season. We were able to partake of zucchini, squash, beans, eggplant, bell peppers, cucumber and strawberry tomatoes. We just ate our first cantaloupes today. I have lots and lots of butternut squash (yum!!!) ready for my favorite fall soup and a couple pumpkins that have fully oranged. But the thing is we only barely got into the partaking before this stinkin' frost came. Apparently I've got to start seeds indoors or buy plants for after first frost. I'm just a scatter-brainer. If I'd thought it through better this all would have been obvious. So Andy laid a tarp over part of the garden and I did plastic bags over select pumpkins. We'll see how things look in the morning. Next year I'll buy plants. Because as my sweet Aunt Donna said, "With gardens, as in life, you learn as you go."
Pumpkins bit by frost.
'Scuse Me Moths
We were heading upstairs to bed, small talking it and Isaac told us he was looking for moths. Okay. At the top of the stairs Andy said, "Hey - Ike" and let a big stinky one rip in his face (tell me we don't know how to raise boys). Unfazed, Ike says, "That was a 'scuse me moth."
September 23, 2007
Touching God
At bed Gid, quite excitedly: "Mom, I just don't want to be in this world. I want to be in heaven. Mom, in heaven do I get to touch God?"
This was followed by a thirty minute conversation in which I got roughly three words in. He talked about how awesome heaven's going to be and about how excited he is about when he gets to be dead and have God come and take him. We did discuss that Gid is still in this world b/c God has special tasks just for Gid to do here. "What is a warrior, Mom?" "What is a battle?" "God is a spirit but he should become a person like us, too." "Mom, is our battle good?" "What does it mean that God wins?" "Oh, Mom I'm so glad I get to touch God in heaven!" My little warrior.
September 14, 2007
"It Tickles When God Is On Us"
First from Gid: "I have two questioms (not a typo - how he said it): Is the God in the Joseph movie the same and when will Phineas be big like me?"
So earlier Gid had asked me if his chest would still be "like this" when he dies. I told him probably not because God tells us he's going to make our bodies like new and that means fixing the things that aren't quite right. About ten minutes later he looked up from wrestling with Arlo and said, "Mom, it tickles when God is on us."
"What do you mean 'when he's on us'?"
"You, know, when God fixes our bodies. It tickles when God is on us."
"Oh."
September 10, 2007
Twisted
My sister inspired me and I just couldn't resist. I know it's a little twisted but it's so funny to me.
September 07, 2007
My Nephew Philip
My sister Amie, her husband Charlie and their five kids (Krista, Chase, Jeff, Kate, Philip) are house parents to some teens in Papua New Guinea. This is Philip with one of the boys, Josh. Ooh, and doesn't Philip look like Ike? Wanna be, wanna be, wanna be like Ike.
September 06, 2007
Phin Update
Phin woke up yesterday with his rash worlds better and his outlook on life much improved. We went crazy and spent a couple hours at Target buying some miscellaneous supplies for Gid's schooling this year (perhaps more about our home schooling later?). It was so nice to be out. I'll post a copy of an email I sent to Chloe.
Our pediatrician's office called us back Tuesday evening and said basically they didn't need to see him and that what he has isn't the measles, but a "reaction" to the measles. What the Physician's Assistant told me was this: He gets the fever, diarrhea, runny nose, cough & rash exactly like those who have the "real" measles. But it's not the measles. Apparently the difference is the level of something in his blood (it's so hard to get all the details and carry on a real conversation while juggling three boys and making dinner) such that he is (supposedly) not contagious nor do we need to worry about the complications that make the measles so scary (blindness, death. . .). The difference is obviously academic to poor Phin but allows me to now leave the house w/out worrying about starting the Boise Measles Outbreak of 2007 and causing birth defects in my neighbor's unborn baby. I still have my doubts and remain skeptical as to what kind of research has been honestly conducted regarding the difference b/twn "real" measles and the "reaction". I wonder if anyone out there has an opinion on why Phin's case is called a "reaction". Re: It seems to play better to the public and allay fears to call something like this a "reaction" rather than the "real" measles.
September 02, 2007
MMR gave Phin the Measles
Yup. Some of you know I'm one of the parents who's always been freaked out by vaccinations. Aluminum as a preservative in them, questions about links to autism, rare cases of paralysis, neurological disorders & even death. I don't like it at all. I also understood the only reason it might be safe for me not to vaccinate my kids was b/c for so many years U.S. children have been vaccinated. The almost complete eradication of these diseases from the U.S. it what makes me able to consider not getting them for my kids. Last year when we moved to Boise Andy and I finally decided to get the boys vaccinated. Each time at least one of the boys has run a high fever w/malaise afterwards. Each time I call my oldest sister and get calmed down. "No, it's not an early sign of neurological damage." "No, that's perfectly normal." "No, probably not a first symptom of autism." When I called her yesterday about Phineas she calmed me down again and told me to watch him. Give him Benadryl to see if it's an allergic reaction. Watch him. Trust my guts, she said. If it really seems abnormal take him to the doctor and if nothing else it'll reassure me. So when I got home from church today to find Phineas standing in his crib screaming (Andy was napping. He'd taken the older boys to the first service while I stayed at home with Phin and I went to the third service while Andy stayed at home w/all three boys), and his rash full-bodied and bright red I decided to check the internet for photos of rubella, mumps and measles. Phin's rash looked exactly like all the pictures of the measles and his symptoms were textbook: about 8 days after exposure he got a cough, runny nose & high fever; fever dropped and he began to get a rash on his face and some diarrhea; as the fever rose and fell off and on the rash spread from the face down to the torso and finally to the arms and legs. I was pretty convinced and took Phin to a clinic down the road to get the diagnosis confirmed. Yup, the doctor says, he has measles. "This is just extremely rare," he says. He just wasn't very informative. They sometimes treat it with vitamin A, which is easy to overdose on and which they don't have at the clinic. He told me to wait and call Dr.Eck, our pediatrician. They'll definitely want to document it and keep track of him. 'Kay. And until then I'm making phone calls to my friends who have been with us the last week, one of whom has an unvaccinated, not nursing eight month-old. So, there you have it. There were 44 cases of measles in the U.S. in 2004. Of course one of the very few kids who get it from the vaccine is the child of a mom freaked out by them anyway. Well, God knows what He's doing and I know He's got a sense of humor. I'll try to get a good picture of Phin that shows the rash. Until then, this guy looks pretty much like Phineas does right now.