Raible Designs

Jack's got a bead stuck in his nose!

This morning around 9:45 AM, I got a call from Jack's Teacher. She said, "Jack's got a bead stuck in his nose!" I heard a screaming kid in the background, so the first thing I asked was - "Is that Jack?" She said yes, and I was out the door a few seconds later.

Several minutes later, I arrived at his school and picked him up to take him to the Emergency Room. His teacher handed me the bead you see in the picture on the right. This was a replica of the one he jammed into his nose. I figured the ER was the best place to go considering all I saw was blood when I looked in his nostril.

10 minutes later we were in the ER and within a half hour we were talking to a nurse. Julie arrived just as the doctor walked up to talk to Jack. The first thing he suggested was that Julie hold one nostril and give him a CPR-type breath/blow into his mouth. She tipped his head back, plugged the free nostril and "pop!" - it came right out!

I wish I'd known that trick early this morning. How cool would it have been to walk into Jack's class, grab him by the head and blow that sucker out like I knew what I was doing? The good news is now you have this knowledge and you can be the hero in your kid's class someday.

Hike up Green Mountain

I can't believe these two actually hiked up to the top of Green Mountain. It must've been the promise of a picnic at the top that motivated them -- or maybe the ice cream afterwards.

Happy Halloween!

Abbie and Jack had great Halloween costumes this year. Abbie was Little Bo Peep (she even had a lost sheep) and Jack was Edward the Train. I emphasize Edward because everyone kept calling him "Thomas" and he kept getting mad and telling folks "I'm Edward, not Thomas!".

Julie's sister, Holly, made Jack's awesome costume. The best part about it was she made the back of it into his candy-holder so whenever folks would hand him candy, he'd spin around and look over his shoulder while they dropped it in. Today we found out the candy was actually coal - he said he needed a lot more to keep Edward chugging along.

Halloween was a blast this year: great costumes, two nights of trick-or-treating, and a parade/party at the kids' school today. Good stuff all around.

The First Day of School

Today was Abbie and Jack's first day at their new school and boy were they excited. With new lunchboxes and backpacks, what's their not to be excited about? They're both in preschool as Abbie is a bit young for kindergarten (she turns 5 in November). She did take a test for kindergarten and got in, but Julie decided it'd be best to try her in preschool first since her spot disappears as soon as she turns it down. I had a great morning today driving them there (it's about a mile away) and hung out for a while afterwards. Seems like a fun school - made me miss the old days of being a kid.

I went to a K-8 that only had 60 students. You think that's bad - a good friend of mine spent his entire elementary years in a 1-room schoolhouse! There were only 8 kids in his school. The Local School Directory lists that school at 6 students this year. Mine looks quite a bit smaller than 25 years ago - now sitting at 33.

They sure do grow up fast.

Happy Birthday Jack!

Today marks 3 years since Jack was born. He's grown up quite a bit in that time and seems destined to be a train conductor or a hockey player. Too bad he broke his foot a couple weeks ago - he was signed up to start skating lessons next week. Happy Birthday little buddy!

Jack's New Cast

On Monday, I took Jack to the doctor to see about getting a cast on his broke foot. We thought he might have to have surgery because the fracture is on a "growth bone", but they never mentioned it while we were there. He picked out his favorite color (red) and they wrapped his ankle up in a nice little cast. He liked it so much he was able to walk out of the doctors office.

On Tuesday, I took Abbie and Jack to the Zoo and again he did great. It's like he doesn't even know it's there. Yesterday he was running around like a madman. No, the new cast isn't slowing him down at all. The doctor said it'll be off in a month.

I'm hosting Jack's 3-year birthday party this weekend - I'd better find some markers so people can sign it.

Jack broke his foot

The scene looks innocent enough - a 2-year old boy and his 4-year old big sister having some fun playing together. They're in the 4-year old's room, being awfully quiet. The sister comes up with a great idea - they clear some toys off the book/toy shelf (which is built into the wall) and use it as a launch pad to get to the bed. A blood-curdling scream shakes the foundation of the house 3 minutes later.

I don't know how many successful jumps they made, but Jack didn't quite make the bed on one of his jumps. Julie called me yesterday to tell me he'd gotten hurt and couldn't walk. Neither Abbie or he could recall how he'd gotten hurt. He laid on the couch for a few hours before Julie decided to take him to the emergency room. It was a good thing she did - x-rays verified he'd broken his foot.

It's not a bad break, but it's a small fracture on a growth bone, so he's going to have to have surgery on it. I've been out of town this week, so I didn't get a chance to witness all the fun. After the x-rays, apparently Julie was able to pry the story out of both kids.

I'm pretty impressed that my little boy broke his first bone before he was 3. He must be a Raible.