Playground physics lesson

Picture a harmless 2x6 with a wedge under one end and a beanbag.  Yeah, pretty much like this...

Now, take that clever toy (designed to teach physics) thing out onto a playground full of 2-year old kids.   Let's say you get distracted for a minute.  What happens next?

Natalie can tell you what happens next.  You go to pick it up right as another kid jumps on it and your ring finger is squished between the board and the concrete sidewalk.  The result looks like this...

Daddy rushed to school to pick her up and took her to the emergency room.  After a few x-rays by Juan (Natalie still remembers him by name months later), we learned that Natalie fractured the tip of her right hand ring finger.

Next question is the viability of her fingernail.  The ER doctors tried to push the bed of the nail back under her skin but had no luck.  They referred us to a hand-specialist (also plastic surgeon) but let us know that they were doubtful she would ever get her fingernail to grow back.

Thankful for purple popsicles and Sponge Bob (we don't normally watch this, but after 4 hours in the ER and at 6pm you only have so many choices for entertainment).

Home from the hospital with a finger splint.

At the hand-specialist (again, also a plastic surgeon), reading about breast augmentation.  I had run out of things to distract her so I was letting her read whatever she could find.  But when I saw her reading THIS one, it made me laugh and I just had to snap a picture.

Natalie with her brand new purple splint.  She was a truly amazing patient -- she didn't cry once while they were examining her and fitting her for this strange splint thing.  She was very curious about what they were doing and watched their every step even once saying to the lady custom fitting and cutting the Velcro strips "be careful - don't cut my finger."

Mommy and Natalie go to Paris!

For the past few months, we've watched the construction of the new Mormon Temple from the freeway.  Once the actual building was complete and illuminated at night, Natalie began calling it "Paris."  So mommy and Natalie took a field trip one day to "Paris" and had a great day.

The Gusbuster

"New circus tent?  Fantastic.  I think I'll nap in it."

"Hey guys, can I play too?  Please??"

Napping with daddy.

"Reindeer.  You want me to pretend to be a reindeer?  This is totally humiliating."

Someone was full of Christmas spirit this year.

 

 Natalie told Gus to sit still because it was time for his checkup.  He obeyed.

Bike riding with her BFF.

It lives...

After being the butt of so many jokes it was time one Saturday to get the Bronco running.  So after a few hours of tinkering, turns out the ol Bronco runs again.

Now, it is by no means the cleanest or most efficient machine...

...and it might even be spitting a little oil out the tailpipe...

...but it was finally OUT of the garage (under its own power) and ready for a test drive with his faithful (but terrified) four-legged co-pilot.  Natalie was very bummed that she couldn't go for a ride with daddy in "his big stinky truck" but he assured her that once he verifies it is safe, he will toss a carseat in it and take her for a ride.

Until then, it's just daddy and Gus cruising around the neighborhood (because mean old mommy might have called the insurance company a few months ago and told them that because it was in no condition to drive - why pay to insure it?!?).

Date Night!

Thanks to Larry and Judy for watching the kids so we can have time together and be silly.

Turns out riding the Light Rail is only slightly faster than the speed of walk.

A photo from that night that we found in the Phoenix New Times of us with Stefan and Susie - taken at Stefan's concert.

We found remnants of Christmas downtown.

Mmmmm, Scott's famous cheese crisp.

December -- in photos

We decorated Christmas cards...

 

Someone continued to be helpful in the kitchen... but with her own sandwiches only.

 Someone discovered "fashion".  She would rarely leave the house without this scarf.

We decorated and prepared for Christmas...

 

We built some new Christmas decorations together (wearing the proper eye protection)...

 We opened Christmas presents early with Grandpa and Grandma and then wore them all. the. time.

 

We prepared for our upcoming ski vacation...

New Years 2013/2014

Since we usually take our ski trip on New Years, this was our first year in town for New Years since 2008 - and coincidentally - the first time since 2008 that either of us grown-ups have lasted until midnight to actually celebrate.

We went to our friends house to celebrate with a house FULL of kids and fun.

Our friends got some new outdoor playground equipment in their backyard for Christmas.  We came equipped with our warm coat and a headlamp for max playing.

 He never just smiles like a normal person.

 Fun with friends.

 Cheers at 10pm while watching the east coast countdown.

 

 

Natalie ended up staying awake until 2am.  When we put her in the car to go home, she was still talking "mommy, where's the moon?"  "Daddy, why did you turn left?"  Thankfully after being up so late, she slept in until 8:45am.