Sparing Many Grotesque Details....

....the Foss Crew was sick all of last week. It started last Saturday and I think we are finally out of the woods now 9 days later. I originally thought Ian may have eaten something "bad" but by two days later when Casey was lying in bed, shivering, in the fetal position and a hooded sweatshirt on, I knew it was not just something "bad". This was going to be miserable.

It then moved to me, to Isaac, back to me, and back to Isaac. We've never done so much laundry or sanitized more surfaces in a week. A week I never want to encounter again!

One funny moment was Friday when I said to Ian, "These are the rules -- no answering the door. No going outside. If you need anything, come and get me." I then headed straight to bed while Isaac napped. Ian played by himself and about 30 minutes later I heard the pitter-patter of his feet coming up the steps. He entered the room carrying a 1/4 of a gallon jug full of apple cider, a straw, a cup and a lid that did not fit the cup. He said (while tossing the jug on the bed), "Mom, can I have some juice?!" What a trooper! :)

Though in the chaos, there are a few fun things to share. Isaac can completely walk with his cast and he's now as independent as he ever was. Good for him, but I was getting used to him not being able to zoom up and down the steps whenever he wanted! And Ian -- I just love his vocabulary and ability to express what he wants to say. He refers to his Leap Pad as his "com-pue-ged" (computer) and a piano as a "pam-a-mu".

Sickness aside now, it's time to enjoy Thanksgiving!

"Can We Play Hoick?"

Today we were driving home from taking a friend to an appointment. Ian said from the back of the van, "Mom, when we get home, can we play Hoick?" Recalling that he's used this term before, but not remembering what game he was referring to, I asked him how a person plays Hoick. (He's very into wanting to play games and making up the rules -- good creativity, in my opinion).

He said, "To play Hoick, you have to jump on baby Isaac 4 times and then you get a point." Huh?

I said, "Ian, do you think Isaac would like it if we jumped on him?" He firmly replied, "Yes, he does like it, Mom." Huh?

"Ian," I continued, "Isaac is your best friend. We don't jump on our friends -- they might get hurt."

"Oh," Ian commented. "Well, can I jump on the couch then?"

This week, he's REALLY turned into a boy. I mean, I think I understand now when people say that boys are physically draining at times.....from sun up to sun down, the kid wants to jump, kick, run, hit.........not meanly, but just as a form of expression.

And, no, we didn't play Hoick. We played Candyland instead! :)

"Let's Not Eat All of Them...."

Ian and I were enjoying some M&M's -- peanut ones, to be exact. :) We were eating them out of the jar. I know, he probably shouldn't be eating peanuts, and they're full of sugar. I don't care! :)

We were enjoying our little date. His eyes were almost glazed over in excitement and I said, "Now, let's not eat all of them...." as I daintly took one, then let him, then me.....

He said, "I will choke if I eat all of them -- so I'm going to have one at a time...."

Smart kid -- but I meant let's not polish off the whole container before dinner! :)

Wasn't It a Mighty Day...

Just a picture to have a face that goes with the story. :)

Ian is practicing two songs for the little Christmas program the 3-4 y/o classroom is participating in at church. Or, that's what the kids were told, anyway (I was a helper in the classroom the day it was announced). But, maybe that was just to get their serious attention.

And, serious is right! For having two parents who barely know how to clap, let alone hold some sort of beat (rhythm? tone? or whatever the word is....), I'm pretty sure Ian has already surpassed our musical ability. Though, this according to our tone-deaf ears.....

With the most angelic voice you've ever heard -- and of course with very boy actions -- we hear daily: "Wasn't it a mighty day, wasn't it a mighty day, wasn't it a mighty day....when Jesus Christ was BORN!" (With two fists in the air, looking like he just conquered victory, the word 'BORN' is shouted).

And yes, our sweet boy (who also commented today that since they don't sell bullets for his NERF gun at Target that we can, "....just buy them on-line....") it WAS a mighty day. And where did you learn about buying things on-line?! :)

That Crazy Truck Was In My Way!

It was about 12:30pm when Isaac and Ian were playing a bit before their naps. Isaac stepped on a toy dump truck on the floor and fell over SCREAMING. The kid is a brute -- he's been tackled, stomped on, taken his share of spills and yet, his behavior was so not him! I tried to put him down and he just buckled his right foot. He was hysterical. Mother's intuition -- something was wrong -- we got in the car and off to the doctor we went.

They x-ray'd it there, and then showed me the fracture, then put a temporary cast on it. We then had to take him to see an Orthopedic to have it casted. By 3:30pm, all was said and done. What an afternoon, though. He'll be in a cast for about one month, though next week we may be able to get a smaller cast on him at our follow-up appointment. Glad we can use up our flex spending $$ this year on this journey! :) *Sigh*

Thanks for praying for him -- specifically that he will not be frustrated by his lack of mobility for a little boy who's always on the go. The Orthopedic doctor actually said, "He's 16 months, a boy, clearly can hold his own ..... yes, we need to cast him to the top of the thigh so the fracture doesn't continue up the leg by him twisting his knee...."

"I got ANOTHER letter!!"

I don't recall being three years old and getting excited about getting mail. Maybe I never got mail. Whatever the case, you should see the delight on my son's face.....

"Mom .... I got ANOTHER letter from John McCain and Sarah Palin!!"

Granted, the postcard is not addressed to the little boy, but his excitement is inspiring! He wants John McCain, Sarah Palin, and Michael Phelps for President. That's my boy! :)

Income Tax Analogy (and free lunch!)

I received this from a friend; another topic to make sure a person understands prior to the election!!

There are few topics as complex, frustrating, and as misunderstood as taxes. T. Davies, professor of accounting at the University of South Dakota, explains the impact of tax reduction through a remarkably understandable analogy that is both entertaining and informative.

"This is a VERY simple way to understand the tax laws," says Professor Davies. "Read on, as it does make you think!" Here's his analogy:

"Let's put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

the first four men, the poorest, would pay nothing;
the fifth would pay $1;
the sixth would pay $3;
the seventh would pay $7;
the eighth pays $12;
the ninth would pay $18;
and the tenth man, the richest, would pay $59.

"That's what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement --- until one day, the owner threw them a curve (in tax language a tax cut).

"'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I am going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20.' So now dinner for the ten only cost $80.00.

"The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six--the paying customers?

How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share?'

"The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, Then the fifth man and the sixth man would end up being PAID to eat their meal. So the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay:

as before, the first four men paid nothing;
now the fifth man also paid nothing;
the sixth man now paid $2;
the seventh paid $5;
the eighth man paid $9;
the ninth man paid $12;
leaving the tenth man with a bill of $52 instead of his earlier $59.

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free.

"But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. 'I only got a dollar out of the $20 reduction,' declared the sixth man, but he, pointing to the tenth. 'But he got $7!'.

'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man, 'I only saved a dollar too; it's unfair that he got seven times more than me!'

'"That's true,' shouted the seventh man, 'why should he get $7 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!. 'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison, 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'

"The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night he didn't show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered, a little late what was very important. They were now Fifty-Two Dollars short of paying the bill. Imagine that!

And that, boys and girls, journalists, and college instructors, is how the tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.

"Where would that leave the rest? Unfortunately, most taxing authorities anywhere cannot seem to grasp this rather straightforward logic.