Life is not dull at the Topham house

Never a dull moment around here.

I have been having problems with my laptop. It started out being really slow to boot up, then the CD/DVD player quit working. I took it in and they tried to find a new or used player, but I got it in 1994, and no luck either way. And the problem was a virus in the Windows XP that they needed to fix with a disc, so no dice there either. So, I just bought my own birthday and Christmas present, a new laptop. It is really nice and fast! Now I can catch up on my blog.

Here are the Muppets aka Coxs. Hayden made a very cute Kermit, and Jennie looks like Vonda with blonde "Miss Piggy" hair. Jeff made his own "Animal" costume. I think his Mom helped him a bit.

Just before Halloween, Jackson woke up from his nap with a fever and complaint of an earache. His right ear was really red, so I took him to the Dr and they got him on antibiotics. Ryan had a week if asthma flare-up, so they neither one felt up to much Trick or Treat. Marian took them to the city park for a trunk or treat in the rain. Ryan came home and went to sleep. He would not wake up for the ward Trunk or Treat, which was held in the Primary room because of the rain.
Jackson went, but did not last long before he was ready to come home and go to bed.
Ryan was a dragon and Jackson was a bee.

They neither one went to Primary on Sunday, but are feeling better now.
On Monday afternon, Jackson was running from one mess to another. Paul had brought home a cake and Jackson proceeded to take it off the counter and help himself to it. It was a carrot cake with the cream cheese frosting, so my kitchen was coated. I had been cutting out quilt block pieces while they slept. I put down my cutting wheel, making sure I had closed the blade, and set to work cleaning up the mess. Ryan woke up and he and Jackson had the TV on. I heard Jackson whimpering, and went to check on him. He was holding his right thumb tightly in his left hand and blood was dripping around his fingers. My cutting wheel was disassembled on the floor. The thumb was cut right over the knuckle, where the tendons go. I cleaned him up, bandaged the thumb and called Marian to meet us at the ER when she got off work. Then I left Ryan with Paul and off we went to the ER.
Here is the Dr, suturing the thumb. He knicked the tendon sheath, but the tendon seems to be okay. 7 stitches in the thumb, and the only times he cried were when they numbed up the thumb and when his mommy got there. What a tough little kid.

Bandaged and splinted.

And this is what it looked like on Wednesday, when I changed the dressings.
The boys got their flu shots on Friday, and Jackson has complained about that MUCH more than his thumb.

And if that is not enough for 1 week, Thursday night I left the boys with Paul while I went to a meeting and Marian went to another meeting. I got home to an inch of water covering the kitchen floor, the cupboards were soaked, and water was running through the ceiling downstairs. So we cleaned up water from the floors, the counter tops, inside the cupboards for about 4 hours. My baking pans were full of water, too. We are still trying to get the rugs downstairs dry. What a mess!! Paint is peeling from the plaster, but it is real plaster and lathe, so it won't fall apart lke sheetrock. But it sure stinks!!! Be glad when it gets dried out.

Paul had sat down with them to watch a movie and he went to sleep. They took advantage of the freedom and had a free-for-all. At least my counters and floor are all clean, and my lower cupboards have all been cleaned out and straightened up. Not what I was planning for this week, but at least it is now done. I am so stiff and sore, I feel about 90 years old. Used muscles I am not used to using.

What next???