Spotted: Another cavity.

Today I spotted a cavity on Max's left front tooth.  Oh no.  Another blow.  We've slipped back into the juice routine while Max was sick (to keep him hydrated), but now I feel like we need to ban it completely.  Nursing at night is much harder to eliminate.  Here is Max with some cauliflower.  We have to redouble our efforts at cavity prevention and fight the screaming to brush his teeth even better.  Worry over my kids' dental health is going to give me a full head of gray hair.

I wish Max was older so we could reason with him, and so it wouldn't be complete torture to just let him get the cavities fixed.

Bought SpongeBob Monopoly to play with Gabe today.

I've spent a lot of time the last couple of days calling and e-mailing animal shelters and trying to figure out what to do with this one, currently chained inside the fence.  Mom and Dad have put in a lot of time, money and effort to keep him contained.

The Buster Dilemma.

I feel almost too sad to blog about this, but we may have to get rid of Buster.  Yesterday Dan came to me and said something had happened, and immediately I interrupted him anxiously and impatiently to ask, "Did he bite somebody?"  Then I realized that I am expecting him to bite somebody.

What had happened was that Buster ran aggressively at a small girl visiting Brian's house, with the apparent intent to maul her.  Buster's aggressiveness toward strangers has become an increasingly scary problem, and that paired with his escape-artist tactics may spell disaster.  I didn't witness this incident but have seen this frightening aggressiveness a couple of times when visitors come over.  As far as some of us are concerned, the writing is on the wall.  I've looked around before after previous incidents, but now we are seriously looking for some place to take him before something bad happens to somebody's child.  

As I'm writing this, Buddy is due home from Oklahoma at any moment.  Max has missed him!

On to happier thoughts ... I realized today that in about 11 years, both my sons will be teenagers.  BUT, they will only both be teenagers for one month (from the time that Max turns thirteen till Gabe turns 20).

THEN I realized that all five of the kids out here will be teenagers at the same time, but only for three days!  (Three days after Nathan turns 13, Gabe will be 20.)

Gabe is not enjoying long division with remainders.

But he is enjoying his Bone comic books and toys.

Here's another character from Bone called "The Hooded One."

And here's Max, nibbling a big chunk of cauliflower and laughing at the antics of Shaggy on Scooby Doo.

Dentist.

First thing this morning, Gabe and I both had dentist appointments.

Gabe was pretty crushed to learn that he has two new cavities.

I have some problems with my wisdom teeth, apparently.  Because of constant changes in insurance, we rarely go to the same dentist twice!  So I've gotten many opinions.  Sometimes I'm told to pull 'em, sometimes to keep 'em.

This is the first picture Max has ever taken!  He held the camera himself and pushed the button.  You can see his legs, his feet and frog boots, and his finger in front of the lens.

Illness update:  Max has no fever, but he now has a runny nose.

Daddy is all better, and back to work.

But my left eustachian tube is plugged up worse.  Still can't hear!

Grandma took the boys to soccer practice tonight.

Buster Houdini Starr cannot be contained in any restraint for long.  Buddy is coming back tomorrow and has plans to put up an electric fence.  Zzzzzap!

A bit better now.

Max has had no fever today.  He's got a little bit of a runny nose though.

Alright, now here are some pictures Aunt Clari took on Easter.  Thanks, Clari!

This is his first year to be able to gather eggs and put them in a basket.

So cute, even when sick!

This year, each egg had only one jelly bean in it.

And now all the candy is hidden away -- out of sight, out of mind (I hope).

I didn't give Max any candy at all.  (Shhh ... don't tell him.)

Here's Gabe, posing next to Max today during his nap.  Time to wake him up!

The boys are interested in bugs right now.

Joe found a baby praying mantis!

In other news, Buddy is in Oklahoma now.  He and his brother Ricky drove up there this morning to spend a couple days with family.

Hopefully Max will be much happier and less fussy now!  I am concerned for his ears, though, because even mine are stuffed up ... ugh ... Huh?  What's that, you say?

Better later.

Better posts later ...

... when Max is better.

Sick house, again.

Well, as you might have guessed from the title, the Sickness Fairy has once again sprinkled sparkly magic germ dust over our household ...  

Daddy stayed home from work, and then stayed in bed all day.  Here he is at around 10 a.m.

Gabe is the only one of us who's well now ... He stays away from us and keeps washing his hands!

I feel yucky but not horrible ...

Here's Daddy at 4 p.m.  Blah!

Kids hunting eggs.

Sick on Easter sucks.

Short post because I am trying to do Easter preparations with a sick baby!  Max is running temps up to 102.  Sorry for the short post.  I am super-agitated today!