Atticus's Latest Adventures

I'm going to go in reverse order just for the heck of it.

THE OPERA
Atticus's class created an opera, "The Legend of the Tumbleweed," through a partnership with Utah Opera, and they performed it at the Rose Wagner Theater downtown as part of a showcase with two other schools.  Here's my favorite part:

Atticus is standing in the back to the right. I wasn't quick enough to catch the previous line, which is, "We are here now safe and sound. In this cave we will never be found." See, the peaceful Sekoa tribe had just begun their spring festival to celebrate the flowers blooming in the desert when the shaman's evil twin brother, Black Elk, comes and tries to throw down. He gets banished, but the tribe apparently still feels threatened, because they decide to seek shelter in a cave. And then I guess there's a storm? Anyway, it's pretty dramatic.

This is the 5th year this teacher has done an opera as part of a unit on legends and storytelling. She gives the class the basic characters and rules (setting, conflict, resolution), and each child writes his or her own legend. She then took something from each story and created the libretto for the opera. I think Atticus's contribution was a cliff. His story included the chief getting poisoned and someone having to climb the cliff to get a flower that would provide the antidote. Which is certainly more dramatic than Mia and her mother getting lost in a storm, but who am I to judge?

Anyway, the performance was a really Big Deal, and even though Atticus was nervous and said he didn't want to perform downtown because he felt "too important" on stage, he had a fantastic time. It didn't hurt that the class and families met at a restaurant next to the theater beforehand for dinner. It was total pandemonium, but the kids had a great time, and I finally got to talk shout across the table to the mom of the kid in his class who lives in our neighborhood.

My sister Erin came, which was a treat for Atticus. When the performers came off the stage to give flowers to the audience, he gave his to her.

COMIC CON
James and Atticus went to Comic Con last weekend, and Atticus spent Saturday as Link. He bought the Master Sword on Friday, so he felt his costume was complete. He debated about getting the shield but decided he didn't want to carry it around.

They saw who they wanted to, and Atticus got to ask the creators of Rogue One why everyone had to die at the end, and they actually had an answer: they actually filmed a version of the ending where the girl gets away, but the writers insisted that at the end of Episode 4, there's a medal ceremony for everyone who helped destroy the Death Star, and no one from Rogue One was there. So they clearly had to have not survived. Makes sense, I guess.

THE HAIR

Atticus has reached the age where it's time to figure out who he is as an individual. He's concerned about what's mature, what's cool. And, happily, he's not too affected by what his peers think. For a couple weeks he wore a green bucket hat we found when cleaning out his closet. It didn't go with anything he wore, but it had skulls on it, so it was cool. I was happy to see that go, especially since it covered his eyes and ears halfway, and he's already not great at listening and watching where he's going.

Anyway, the latest manifestation is his hair. We had just gotten him a really nice looking haircut, where it was still long on top and the bangs framed his right eye so nicely. A week later he decided to part it the other direction, creating a messy mop with weird long bits covering his left ear. And the bangs flipped up. Goodness, he loves that flip:

He had to document it in about 20 photos on my phone. It's serious business.

He asked what we thought, and we told him we thought it looked dumb, but it's his head, so it's up to him. That's been my approach to most things like this: I'll tell you honestly what I think, but the decision is up to you. I did ask him to make one compromise and comb it the other way for church. Deal.

It's been so interesting to watch this boy grow up. I look forward to many years of figuring him out.

This Kid.

Here are a few things I want to remember about Atticus.

• We bought some dolls and toys around Christmas to donate to the homeless shelter, and Atticus liked the baby dolls enough that he made one for himself. He named it Joe. Atticus has grown attached to our neighbor, who is named Joe. And apparently there's a Joe in the show he's currently watching, so baby Joe it is. He's lying on a blanket.
• 
• He's currently afraid of elevators. And ghosts. And public bathrooms. But he's no longer afraid of the characters from the video game Five Nights at Freddy's, which he's never actually played or watched anyone play. But the logo and the licensed apparel he's seen at school were apparently enough. He will go on the biggest, scariest roller coasters and have no problem watching orcs and alien monsters in movies, but whatever you do, don't make him get into an elevator. Or watch a clip from A Christmas Carol. *sigh*
• We were cleaning his room Friday when he mentioned that he wanted to create a little library/reading nook under his loft bed. I thought it was a great idea, so we went to IKEA on Saturday and got him a bookshelf and repurposed a lamp, and he's got a cozy little spot under there now. As we were brushing our teeth he asked, "Why did you get me that shelf?" He'd asked me that about three times already, so I told him again that I just liked his idea. Should I NOT have gotten him the shelf? And he said, "No, I just didn't think it would ever actually come true." Yep, son, sometimes you DO get what you want.
• James and I went to the temple Friday, and Atticus went to hang out with my visiting teacher and her 14-year-old son. On the way to the door, Atticus said, "I don't want you to leave." Me: "Why not? You'll have a great time here." Him: "I'm afraid you won't come back." Me: "Atticus, we're just going to the temple. I will always come home to you." Him: "But maybe there will be a shooting at the temple." Me: "If I have to crawl on my hands and knees, I will come home to you." *smiles* (He had so much fun, it was hard to get him to leave.)
• Saturday night we went to a blues/jazz performance by 97-year-old local legend Joe McQueen and his band. (It was fantastic.) Atticus wasn't thrilled about it until he heard the words "refreshments booth." During the second number James gave him some cash and sent him for snacks. He came back with a Sprite and a Twix and was happy for the rest of the show. Or at least most of the show. We left before it was over, and he fell asleep in the car on the way home.
• He was so tired because he didn't get to bed until 10 the night before. Then he came into our room at 6:00 in the morning, wearing his Link costume. We told him to go back to bed, and he said he'd woken up at 5:00 and had already been waiting FOREVER before coming in. Duuuude. Get some sleep. 
• While I was taking a nap on Sunday, Atticus decided to create a restaurant called "Home Servis Inn." I woke up to a boy in a sweater vest and a dishtowel belted around his waist for an apron. He had a name tag and handed me a menu of snacks I could order (I went for the "walnut yum yums" and a glass of water). He was very professional about it. We had a very simple dinner planned, so I decided to extend the game by letting him serve us dinner in his restaurant. I talked him through reheating everything, then placed my order at the hosting counter. He seated us when it was ready. We had placemats and nice glasses and artistically arranged veggies. And he insisted that he had to eat after we were done because he's the server.

I just realized that most of this occurred in one weekend. That's my boy. I love this kid.

This boy...

Atticus and I had a good day today. James had parent-teacher conferences yesterday and today, so we were on our own until bedtime. And it was nice. I don't think I want to be a single mom anytime soon, but one-on-one time with my boy makes me happy.

Here are a couple things from today that I want to remember:

1. This morning we got to school just after the first bell rang. Atticus was a little frantic about being late:

A: "No time for kisses today, Mom."
Me: Uh-unh. There's always time for kisses.
He gives me a brief brush-by kiss, gets out hurriedly, and slams the door. [Pause]
He opens the door again.
A: "That wasn't a long enough kiss."
Climbs back in the car to give me a real kiss, gets out hurriedly, and slams the door. We exchange vulcan greetings as I drive away.
I smiled the whole way to work.

2. When I got home from work I put on my favorite Spotify playlist, and we listened to it most of the afternoon and evening. After he got out of the shower, he asked me to replay this song:

"It makes me feel whole," he said. I know exactly how that feels. It's how I feel as I write this now. My heart can hardly contain how much I love this boy.

What else we've been doing: August update

 James spent his summer as a stay-at-home dad. Atticus loved having him all to himself, 

especially when James agreed to built him a fort downstairs. 

We went to the Ogden Temple open house. (Yes, that's the Ogden Temple. It got a major facelift.) Atticus complained the whole time and really tried our patience. The temple was beautiful, but at the end Atticus said, "I didn't feel God there." Yeah, that's what happens when you complain the whole time. He does remember the sealing room mirrors, though.

Taking deep breaths after the tour. We then went to the exhibit tent to check out the historical exhibit I helped put together in three days. Talk about last-minute projects, but everyone seems to remember that the marble used inside was quarried in Egypt and shaped in China. 

Yeah, I totally wrote those labels.

And Atticus lost a tooth. He pulled it out himself.

And that's been our August so far. School starts on Monday. We find out which class Atticus is in on Friday. First grade will be a big change for us. I'm used to walking Atticus into class and helping him get started on his daily work, but that's a big no-no in first grade. You drop them off, they line up outside, and you wave goodbye. Each teacher decides how parents can get involved in the classroom. So we'll see how it goes. It will probably be better for both of us.

Drama Week

We've had our fair share of drama this week. The most frightening being when our neighbor Kaden was hit by a car outside of school. He's ok, but it was still terrifying. We carpool with Kaden, a third grader, so Atticus was standing on the curb with Kaden's stepdad, Mick, when Kaden ran out into the crosswalk. The first car had seen Kaden holding a flag and stopped, but the second car didn't. And since Kaden was running, she didn't have time to stop. According to witnesses, he flew pretty far when he was hit, and then landed on his wrist. He has a broken wrist and road rash on his face, but no internal or brain injuries. Lucky, lucky, blessed boy.

Mick immediately ran to Kaden, leaving Atticus alone on the curb. Other adults there took care of my now-hysterical boy and started leading him to the office when a friend of ours from our last ward found him. She called me and stayed with him until I arrived.

Atticus had calmed down by the time I arrived and was acting normal, if a bit restless. He didn't want to talk about the accident, so I told him he could talk about it when he was ready. We drove home in silence, then picked up James and headed to the library. As we were walking in to the library, James said, "You don't need to talk about it now, but sometime tonight I'm going to want you to tell me what happened and what you saw." Atticus nodded. A minute later he said, "Dad, if you want to know what happened, I'm available now." So he told us about it. He'd thought Kaden was dead. He was scared and alone on the curb, but people helped him. He was visibly relieved when I got the report from the hospital that Kaden would be ok.

Whenever we talked to Mick, his first concern was for Atticus. He felt horrible that he'd had to leave him like that, but what choice did he have? We assured him he was fine. The school and his teachers were very kind to Atticus, too. When the school brought Kaden balloons and cards, they brought a big balloon for Atticus as well.

Oh, and all of this happened the day before I went in for surgery. Veronica, Kaden's mom, was going to take the boys to school, pick them up, and keep Atticus for us until I got home. Slight change of plans... But it all worked out perfectly. My surgery was scheduled later than expected, so I was able to take Atticus to school. James was able to leave early to pick him up. And my parents were already in Salt Lake with my sister who had also had surgery the day before, so they picked me up and took me home.

Now I'm hobbling around on a sore ankle (removed my hardware from the accident) and a tender tummy (gall bladder removal). Eating pudding and funeral potatoes. Could be a lot worse.

So that was our week. How was yours?

This week's Atticus-isms

Presented with minimal context:

"How much does it cost to change your name?" (he wants to be called Frodo James Bennett)

"Let's go to McDonalds. It has crap food."

"Mom! My butt looks like the eye of Sauron!"

Atticus quotes of the day

We had stake conference today at the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. We normally sit on the main level, but this time our friends were in the front row of the balcony, so we went up there. Atticus had never been up there and was enthralled. He saw the organ pipes up front and said, "Mom! It's like the kingdom of God!"

A few minutes later he leaned over and said, "Mom, Daddy has a superpower. Know what it is? The priesthood. The priesthood is a superpower. And when I'm older I'll have the EXACT SAME superpower." He was pretty excited.

First Days of School

Atticus and I couldn't decide which picture was our favorite, so I used both.

Atticus's first day of kindergarten was cowboy day. I think he looked mighty spiffy, and so did he. He was a little nervous on the way over, asking, "Is anyone else going to be in a cowboy costume?" I'll admit I had my doubts. But no worries, there were other hats and boots. He held tight to my hand until we got inside the classroom, but then I was no longer needed. I had to pry his attention away from the legos to get him to kiss me goodbye. 

His class is half day, but then he goes to a second class called Enrichment, where they have a theme for the week and more hands-on activities. When I came to pick him up, he begged to go to aftercare, like some other kids in his class do. No, sweetie, you have to come home with me. Sorry.

In our morning prayers we pray for Atticus to have a good day at school. The other day he told me I didn't need to pray for him anymore--he always has a great time at school.

I love picking him up and seeing his eyes light up as he tells me about his day. I think this school thing is going to work out for us. 

Anthropomorphism at its finest

"Mom, take a picture of me with Blankie and Passa where we're all smiling." I should note that the string coming out the top of Blankie is her hair. Yes, Blankie is a girl. 

She used to be an actual blanket, but Atticus rubbed the corners enough to break them free from the center, and the "spicy corner" became a long string, so we wrapped her up with the string. Now Atticus has something to snuggle AND something to rub between his thumb and forefinger. (When we left blankie home from church the first time, Atticus got panicky and said, "what are my thumbs going to do??")

"Mom, take a picture of me and Mona." Now, Mona IS real, at least in this household. She's been my friend since I was nine, and now Atticus has fallen in love with her. She can be a naughty monkey sometimes, but we still love her.

"Mom! Come downstairs! I have something to show you!"

 So I rush downstairs and encounter this:

"I'm Han Solo in carbonite!!"

 Without the blanket for the full effect. Atticus insisted on doing it again because Han doesn't have his mouth open big like that:

You'd think it was a still from the film....

May Update

 Atticus made me a birdhouse for Mothers' Day. We hung it up in the back yard. He's pretty proud of it.

 He insisted on helping James replace the parking stops. James appreciated the help, I'm sure.

 Preschool "graduation." He gets shy in front of crowds. Each child was invited to say something nice to his or her parents. Atticus said he liked it when I co-opped. His best buddy, Austin (with glasses), had both sets of grandparents and an older sister there, and he chose to say something nice to Atticus instead. He said that Atticus was his best friend, and he liked how Atticus made a book about him. Atticus and Austin are always the heroes in Atticus's books, and they're always playing Super Hero Squad.

 We have LOVED his teacher, Miss Stephanie, and are very sad to lose her. She is the rare combination of being excellent with the kids and with the parents. 

 Atticus finished his first round of swimming lessons today. He's come a long way in just a few weeks, from refusing to put his face in the water to floating/kicking on his stomach under water by himself. The goggles made a huge difference. Once he could open his eyes under water, he was unstoppable.

I love this kid.

In other news, James has finished his serious teaching for this school year. Next week he's showing a movie, and the week after that it's just cleaning out lockers and signing yearbooks, so even though he has to be there, he doesn't have to coerce students into caring about anything. Then he's FREE for two months. Yea!

Our only big plan for the summer is our family reunion in July. We're really looking forward to that, especially since all the out-of-towners will be here. James's mom will be in town for a few days in June, and it will be nice to see her and Grandpa Clarence. Other than that, we plan to visit lots of local parks and pools and spend time with friends. Maybe James will finally make it to the zoo. We do plan to hike, but we probably won't spend as much time in the big canyons. We're still a little freaked out by canyon driving. I also plan to pick up more hours at work if I can. We're planning to buy a house within the next year, and every little bit counts.

Here's to summer. :)

Atticus quote of the day

At a BBQ with James's coworkers:

"I don't know how to play baseball. Nevertheless, I'll try it."

May Update

I have a food hangover. I ended a low-carb diet a week ago, and though I was careful about reintroducing grains gradually, I've gotten back into bad habits. So instead of doing the dishes, I'm drinking "detox" tea on the couch, watching Highlander (the series--soundtrack by Queen!) on Netflix, and updating my blog. Not a bad way to spend my few childless hours.

Highlights from the last week or so:

Family: Saturday was a family party to celebrate two of my sisters receiving their masters degrees. It was a good party, with family members who don't normally spend much time together getting along really well. My dad grilled carne asade, and my mom made Riley cake. It was all delicious, and I ate way too much.

Work: Yesterday I kind of got promoted at work. I've been working as an independent contractor with the Missionary Department, writing for historic sites and visitors' centers. Now I'll be doing the same thing, just as an "on call" employee for the Publishing Services Division (PSD). The benefits of this change is that I'll get involved in more projects, get more hours, and get a small raise. I'll also get more training and networking opportunities, which will help if I eventually want to go full time.

Atticus: He's started taking swimming lessons. It took us two weeks to get him to put his face in the water, and now that he has goggles (reward for putting face in water), he's willing to put his head all the way under the water. He's gotten good in the tub, so we'll see how he does in the pool Saturday.

The biggest event of the past couple months was, of course, Atticus's fifth birthday. My boy is 5! At first he wanted to stay four, but now that he's older than some of his friends, he thinks five is pretty cool. The day of his party started with the St. Patrick's Day parade. His preschool had a float, and James brought the pram. I think Atticus would have rather stayed on the float, but oh well.

 

I wanted to keep the party fairly small but still fun, so we rented a bounce house. It was a hit.

The boys. Atticus's best buddies, Caleb and Austin.

The girls: Sonora, Clare, and Ellie. Clare is his Scooby-Doo playmate. He's Fred, and she's Velma.

The cake. Atticus requested chocolate cake with blue frosting and pirate candles.

He was really excited about this present.

He told me several times that day that is was his best birthday ever. And I'd have to agree. I wouldn't say the party was mellow, but it was definitely low stress. A few of the parents hung out, so we talked while the kids played both outside and in Atticus's room. 

So life has been pretty good. Daily life, ups and downs. The usual.

Atticus-isms and December Recap

Yeah, I know February's almost over, but better late than never, right? December was a busy month. Atticus and I visited my sister Susan in Illinois for a week while her husband was on a business trip, and of course I forgot my camera. He had a great time with his cousins, even though he was a little sick. And he did great on the plane, except that he had to go to the bathroom 5 times on the way home. Our seatmate wasn't too excited about getting up all the time, but he was nice about it.

The fun part was getting to make "girl food" that our husbands aren't excited about, like tofu and quinoa and all those fun things. When Atticus and I got back to Salt Lake, it was after 10 p.m. by the time we were in the car. I was hungry, so I wanted to stop somewhere on the way home to eat. I asked Atticus what he wanted, and he said with enthusiasm, "bwown wice!" Mama victory! But also a failure because of course there aren't any drive-thrus with brown rice, so I said, "How about chicken nuggets?" *sigh*

Then about a week after we got back, we loaded up the car for our first road trip to visit James's family in Arizona for Christmas. I wasn't sure how Atticus would do for so long in the car, even though we were breaking up the drive by stopping in Vegas. I decided to take notes.

Friday, 10:40 a.m., driveway: "I want to stay home."

11:30 a.m., Orem: "I want to squirrel around like I'm not in my carseat!" (Blankie and pacifier calmed him down.)

11:40 a.m.: Atticus asleep.

3:15 p.m., Kanarraville: "Atticus, stop hitting yourself in the head with the dreidel."  "No, Mama, the dreidel is my friend and he keeps hitting me for something and he won't tell me what it is. Ow. Ow. Ow." (Dreidel got a time-out.)

5:01: "I feel like eating play-doh."

We finally made it to Circus Circus and settled in to our room. Atticus thought it was pretty cool. His favorite part was the lighted wardrobe: 

The next day we checked out all Las Vegas has to offer, which we concluded isn't much if you're not going to gamble, watch a show, or eat at fancy restaurants. Or shop in high-end stores. But we still had a good time. Here's Atticus on top of the "Eiffel Tower" at the Paris casino: 

Sunday we stopped at the temple before hitting the road again. The  notes resume:

Kingman rest stop: (Said rapid-fire to no one in particular as he got out of his seat) "My body's saying POOOOOP! POOOOOP! My body's selling poop to anyone who wants some. They're poop toys."

Finally we reached Nana and Grandpa's house. It was good to see the family and spend Christmas with them. Here are some of my favorite photos:

With the saguaro next to Nana's house (the red roof is theirs) 

Making our gingerbread house.

Public art in downtown Mesa

With cousins Brian and Thomas. It took us about 5 tries to get Thomas's "action shot." Atticus was really sad to leave their house. He had so much fun with them.

Heading home. This time we stopped overnight in St. George. 

The night before we left, Atticus said, "I never want to leave this place." He had it all worked out how we could move in with Nana and Grandpa. He even claimed his bedroom. He was sad to leave, but he was happy to see his own room and toys again. I was happy about the box of lemons Atticus helped me pick from Grandpa's tree. They were gorgeous and tasty. One medium box gave us 1 1/2 gallons of lemon juice, most of which is in our freezer. We've been drinking it in water, club soda, and lemonade. Yum!

It was a good month. Lots of family, lots of travel, lots of love. 

Progress?

Atticus made his bed this morning. He was very proud.

He decided he needed only one blanket because the others were "too tangled."

Small victories. :)

Of course ours is the weird kid

Atticus participated in his first Primary program on Sunday. He had his line memorized and had practiced saying it slowly and clearly. He even knows some of the songs.

But once he got on the stand, it all disappeared. During the songs he didn't know (and even parts of some he did), he leaned on the railing with his chin in his hands, looking really bored. Or he danced around. One of our friends in the front row observed that it looks like Atticus always has a Star Wars battle scene in his head that he's trying to act out. That kid is never still.

Then came the moment: his line! He stood at the microphone and wilted. Even with prompting he curled up and refused to speak. They let him go and little Afton, who isn't even officially in Primary yet, marched up and said her line, pleased as punch.

Afterward I asked him why he didn't say his line, and he just said, Huh? I reminded him, "I follow Jesus' example when I go to church." And he got really upset: I want to say it! I missed it! What happened?! We let him say it at the pulpit (microphone off), and the Primary president said he could do it again in Primary next week.

I think Atticus just didn't get what was going on. He'd missed the forest for the trees, lost in his perpetual narrative.

Speaking of narrative, Atticus pulled his new socks up to his knees this morning and called himself Wonder Boy. I asked him if he wanted to wear his soccer socks, which are even longer, and he said, "No, Wonder Boy doesn't wear blue socks, just white socks." Good to know.

My goodness, I love that boy.

Ready or not, here comes Chrismas

(from last year)

Atticus has been talking about Christmas for the past month. For a couple weeks he was obsessed with nutcrackers, asking over and over again for a nutcracker that's NOT a Christmas decoration. I blame his friend Henry, who has fireman and soccer player nutcrackers. I wasn't about to shell out $20 for the not-really-a-toy nutcracker he begged for at Lowe's, but James made Atticus's week when he found a small one at the dollar store. It even had a working lever that makes the mouth move. Fan-TAS-tic.

Last week at preschool they had face painting, and Atticus asked for a Christmas tree. Everyone else was a butterfly or a tiger or Spiderman, but Atticus had a big green nose and a gold star between his eyes. He was thrilled. 

He's also been talking about what he wants to get, of course. I've been very upfront about how Daddy and I are Santa Claus (yes, I know, I'm a HORRIBLE person for attempting to deprive my child of Christmas fantasy), but my efforts have fallen on deaf ears. He asked how he could tell Santa what he wanted, and I said he could just tell me, because I'm Santa--I buy the presents. "I know, I know, but what about the REAL Santa? With the reindeer?" Ok, fine. I'm his helper. (I'm not going to insist he stop believing; I just don't want there to be disappointing surprises later.) 

Now when he tells me about something he wants, he asks if I've written it down. I only write down what he mentions repeatedly, and so far the list is a DreamLight and a Scooby-Doo Mona-Tiki-Tia play set. The problem is he wants a Curious George DreamLight, which they don't actually make, but he thinks maybe it can be found at another store or Santa can just make it. (And they're $30! Are you kidding me?) And though I've seen pictures of a Scooby-Doo figure with a tiki head, they don't make them anymore, and they certainly don't come in the exactly-like-the-episode detail in a foldable, portable play set that he has described. So I can pay top dollar for a collectible set, but it still won't be exactly what he wants. (See why I'm reluctant to perpetuate the fantasy of elves that can make anything??) We may have to settle for action figures of the full Scooby gang. A friend found Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy at a thrift store, but we're missing Fred and Scooby.

Then there are the things I want to get him, like a bike or scooter, and maybe some better shoes. I'm all for restraint in gifts (I really like the idea of three gifts like the gifts of the Three Kings--not counting gifts from extended family), but it's hard not to try to make all his dreams come true. 

I believe experiences are more important than things, so I'm going to focus my energies on memorable activities, which are often free. Sledding, lights, live Nativities, a trip to the mall to see Santa, gingerbread cookies, decorating the tree. That's what Christmas is made of. I hope. 

A Few Things

How do you not love this face? And the bundle of energy behind it? It's 9:30 p.m. and he's acting out some wild adventure with Shaggy and Scooby in the form of dollar-store mini car spaceships. His ongoing story pulls characters from everywhere. I even heard him yell, "Watch out, Magnum!" the other day. (What can I say? I've spent most of the summer in bed and the entire series is on Netflix. Quality TV.)

Now for the brain dump:

• My ankle really hurts today. It might be because my physical therapist is having me walk on it more, moving from two crutches to one, and doing strengthening exercises. Or it *might* be because I had to carry a screaming, thrashing 4-year-old over my shoulder up the stairs--without crutches--to get him in the shower and jammies. My sweet boy had the meltdown of all meltdowns last night while James was over at the other property trying to fix a leaky sprinkler in the dark, and I'm happy to say he was calm by the time James came home. But man, it was a rough half hour. Other than my sore foot, we seem to have suffered no lasting effects.
• If you haven't heard, we got a new car. It's a red 2010 Subaru Forester (Subaru forever!). Atticus's favorite feature is the cup holder that flips up from the middle of the back seat. I'll get pictures one of these days. 
• Two more weeks and I hope to get the big screws out of my ankle. The little screws and their plate are going to stay. Probably forever. Here are the x-rays so you know to which screws I am referring:

• I thought I had preschool set up for Atticus, then found out last week the teacher gave our spot away. Frustrating. But I hear there's still room at his old preschool, so we'll see if we can get in there. It's half-day afternoons, which isn't ideal, but I think we can make it work. If we get in.

I'd better sign off now. My sweet boy wants me to go snuggle him in bed. How can I resist?

America's Birthday

Yesterday we celebrated the 4th in typical mellow style. And just as typically, I don't have any pictures. Sorry. James and Atticus went to the ward breakfast while I stayed home and slept. Atticus had a lot of fun and didn't want to leave, even after most everyone was gone. Except that one of the few stragglers was his friend Afton. Her mom thinks they're such good friends because Atticus is an older, male version of Afton. They're the kind of kids who like to randomly shout out made-up words and laugh. That reminded James of the time Atticus decided to call him "Dr. Poop Suzie." Atticus thought it was the funniest thing in the world.

Last night our friends Sharon and Larry had a party. (I like to call them "ShaLar", which is probably funny only to me and Susan, who lived in the ShaLar apartments.) Friends, homemade ice cream, sparklers and fountain rockets. Most of the kids left early, so Atticus was the only kid left for fireworks. He was soooo excited. A little scared of the sparklers at first, but he got into the swing of things soon enough, keeping up a steady chant of YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA YEA! And then clapping after each round.

By the end of the night my leg was getting pretty sore, and we came home and all fell into bed. Slept in until 9:00, and to be honest, I haven't gotten out of bed yet (it's 1:20). I told James I felt a little guilty for being so lazy, and he just told me to take a look at my leg. I can live with that. Outside is a gentle rain, the windows are open. Atticus is singing a song he made up. Today is a good day.

What my summer blog posts were supposed to look like

Here are some fun things we did this month and had planned to do frequently.

Grilling!

Laughing together outside!

Let Atticus get soaked to the skin in the sprinklers

Visit local destinations like the Kennecott copper mine 

Hike the beautiful trails just minutes from our door

Ward campout and music with friends 

Climb lots of rocks

Enjoy beautiful mountain lakes

And then last Wednesday a lot of that changed. We were on our way up Big Cottonwood Canyon to venture out on another beautiful hike to another beautiful lake (Twin Lakes by Brighton). About a mile up the canyon, we started around a corner and saw a large truck in our lane. Less than a second later, the scene looked much like this:

My first thoughts were inventory: James is talking and moving; no apparent injury. Atticus is freaking out and breathing; no apparent injury. How are we still all alive? How are we this ok? I am breathing and talking, but there's a gaping wound on my ankle and my foot is hanging funny. My leg is broken.

I smell chemical smoke from the airbags, now sagging uselessly. The engine block is hissing, people are yelling. James has taken Atticus to the side of the road. He tells me they're ok and checks out my leg. I call 911. Why is it taking so long to connect? Oh, I forgot to hit "send." Now it's ringing. I tell them what happened. They want an address. An address? We're on the road in Big Cottonwood. Where the hell is there an address? Having reached the limits of my usefulness, I pass the phone to a witness who knows exactly where we are. The other driver comes by several times, freaked out and apologetic. 

Soon paramedics arrive and the next stage of our surreal adventure begins. More on that tomorrow.