Tales of Woe and Injured Toes

Halloween 2008 looked promising. Costumes were found, pumpkins were purchased, the children were excited. Everything was planned and in order. Thursday morning came and I woke up to a bit of an upset stomach...I just must be hungry....so I ate. It didn't help. By mid afternoon I thought I was going to die. This was no little stomach bug this was the dreaded flu. Getting the children all dolled up for Halloween was going to be impossible. So I called Dallan. He went in and told his boss he wouldn't be in on Friday and after completing work that evening he drove the 2 hours to my grandparents house. The next morning the plan was to get things cleaned up, pack our things and head down to Dallan's parents house. He would drop me off, and then take the kids to the apartment to clean and pack up all his stuff (it was a corporate apartment we had for thirty days courtesy of Palo Verde). After that was finished he would load up the kids again and drive to his sister's house where they would go trick or treating. It wasn't ideal but at least the kids would get to go and have fun and I could get some rest. Friday morning came....Dallan was packing....I was sleeping....the kids were playing. All of a sudden my bedroom door flew open and Madelyn was screaming that I needed to get up and go look at Jackson. I have to admit I was thinking to myself "this better be good or she is in serious trouble". It was bad...VERY BAD. Jackson had been trying to get some crayons out of a storage box bench at my grandparents house. The lid is solid oak and very heavy. In the process of looking he dropped the lid on his big toe. There was Jackson crying because he had just about chopped off the tip of his toe and then there was Dallan crying because he felt bad for little buddy. So we loaded up in the car and headed for the nearest urgent care (an hour's drive). One x-ray, 4 stitches, and one lost toenail later we headed back to Kearny. Once we got there Dallan packed up the clothes, costumes, and kids and headed to Mesa by himself (I stayed at my grandma's). Madelyn went trick or treating with her cousins and Jackson got to be pulled around in the wagon. After the festivities were over Dallan and his brother made the hour drive to the apartment and cleared out Dallan's things. I think they got home after midnight.

Here is a picture of his poor little toe once it had been cleaned up. The toe nail is just sitting on the nail bed. The doctors wanted it to stay on there as long as possible. The stitches came out on Tuesday and the nail finally fell off yesterday morning. Madelyn was so impressed with it that she insisted on taking it for show and tell today. Believe me I tried talking her out of it but she was adamant about showing it to her class. My grandma told her that all the kids were going to say "OOOOHHH GROSS" and she said no Hannah (she calls my grandma Hannah) they will all say "OOOHHH COOL". I am sure her teacher will love it!