The big craft project reveal.... just a little late. Our fabric ripping and heavy duty gluing were all necessary steps to make this lovely little birds nest. We made two, one for Papa T and Cathy's Easter table and one for home. I got the idea from Growing Up Creative.

Birds nest spring craft.

These cute little guys were my Easter gift tot he kids. For once I looked at cute Easter knitting patterns a few weeks before the long weekend. Yay me! The inspiration for my little bunny friends came from Drops Design.

Bunny egg cozies

Update: Leo and I just got back from his cast check at the hospital. The bone is still in position which is very good news. We go in again next week for another x ray since apparently, the bones can move for two weeks after an injury. The doctor told us to be prepared for this to be a 6 week cast :( I guess I have to call the pool and officially pull Leo out of swimming lessons this session. He's NOT gonna be happy.

Easter 2010

Where, oh where to begin? It has been a weekend to go down in our family history books. Our four day vacation from school and work began with such promise; beautiful warm, sunny days in the forecast, park playdates scheduled, Easter egg hunts, and a family lunch in Bromont. We did managed to fit it all in and even tossed in a broken bone and a 8 hour visit to the Montreal Children's ER.

After playing at the park on top of Mount Royal for 3 hours with Clara, Max, Esther, Chloé and Zaco, Leo took a bad fall. He'd been playing on the zip-line structure for 20 minutes and had dropped to the ground about a dozen times but on his last ride something went awry and he landed on his back. I guess he tried to break his fall with his hands but it was clear within seconds that the impact had broken a bone. First, Leo usually bounces back from injuries pretty quickly but this scream was very obviously something more serious and he was not stopping. Second, when I got a peek at the arm, I could tell the shape was not quite right. My mama bear instincts kicked in and I started barking out orders for Marc to pack up our stuff, we were going to the hospital NOW.

We left Clara behind with Karen and thankfully in the moment we were gathering our stuff Jayne pulled out some kids Tylenol for Leo to take which we figure kicked in upon our arrival at the ER. It was a long walk to our car but Marc managed through a combination of adrenaline and pure muscle to carry Leo as gently as he could all the way. The drive to the hospital was one of the more stressful things I've experienced, Leo cycled from screaming, to whimpering, to silence, to moaning "I'm gonna die". It was heartbreaking holding him in the backseat but I think Papa was experiencing even worse stress, he was trying to drive quickly, safely, and smoothly while listening to buddy boy's cries.

Once we got to the ER, everything went pretty smoothly - Leo was seen quite quickly and he had a series of X rays to see what exactly he'd broken. Turned out to be a wrist fracture. I saw the X ray image and it was like the tip of either his radius or ulna was snapped off. It needed to be set so the doctor explained that Leo would need ketamine sedation in order to set the bones before casting. Katamine is some funky stuff. Marc and I were both there when it went in the IV and Leo just sort of stared off into space - eyes don't close when you are sedated with ketamine!

The most entertaining part of the hospital experience was when Leo started waking up after the sedation. Oh man, was he funny! Some of our favorites were:

"Papa, why do you have two heads?"

While flailing his foot with the red light attached to his big toe (to measure blood oxygenation I think) "oooohhhh, look at the lights!"

Leo: "Papa, what is 10+10?" Marc: "20" Leo: "then, I have 20 fingers!"

So, all in all we spent 8 hours in the emergency department and we brought home a very tired boy with a big, heavy cast. What a way to start Easter Weekend!

Like I said before, we still managed to fit in most of our planned Easter activities. The lunch in Bromont with the GIANT egg hunt was certainly a highlight for us all. Two hundred and fifteen eggs for four kids to find anywhere in the backyard - Awesome!

searching for eggs

Gordo followed Leo around carrying his basket. Lucky kid!

Spring Craft Step 2: Glue. Lots and lots of glue.

Leo managed about 30 seconds with glue on his hands before he begged to wash it off. Turns out he is just like his Papa in that he can't stand to have dirty/sticky hands! Our compromise was that I'd do his dirty work while he directed me. Clara of course, loved every moment of the mess.

Sticky hands

Strips of fabric and lots of glue come together

Close up!

We are working on a Spring craft project this week.

Step one: Rip fabric into strips and collect other random little bits and pieces from around the house.

Riiiiiip!

Don't give up

Some fabrics refuse to rip, scissors become necessary.

Step 2: Stay tuned.

RIP Lily :( Last weekend was had to get Lily the rat euthanized. It was unexpected but the decision was not difficult. It won't go into the details but I'll just say it was a traumatic event for Clara, Leo and I (Marc had stayed home, we hadn't expected the vet's prognosis). The waiting room at the vet's office must have gotten quite an earful listening to the sobs of two truly heartbroken kids.

Marc's explanation on the pain of grief has certainly helped Clara, she asked if she would always hurt and cry every night. He told her "the pain from your sadness will fade over time even though you are sad and will always miss Lily." He was right, a week has passed and Clara is doing much better.

Rosie is home with us and has been getting LOTS and lots of extra attention. She is much loved.

Yes, I am also thinking what you are all thinking - all this emotional turmoil over rats!?!? What can I say, a pet is a pet :)

Olympic fever!

The Olympics may be over but we are still in the spirit.