It was about the second grade that Danny joined the cub scouts. One of the first projects he did was to make a race car with his dad for the pinewood derby (racing against the other boys cars.) He was given a kit for this that included a block of balsa wood, sandpaper and I think it must have included the axles and wheels. The two of them put a lot of work in to this, it had a lot of carving and sanding to be done. Danny painted it red and put a number on it---I can't recall the number but I wouldn't be surprised if it was #1. The cars were raced on a real cool track at a Pack meeting (this is when all the dens of scouts get together). He didn't win, but didn't expect to. His reward was the memories he made with his dad making it.
A few years later all the dens of scouts made a cubmobile with the dad's. This was a regular size go cart. Danny really liked working on that and was looking forward to race day. He was in Den #1 and they won all the races that day. It was so exciting. Each scout in the den would ride it down the ramp and into a haybale placed in a designated spot. We all had a good time that day.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Allergies
It was around this time that Danny came in from playing outside with a swollen face. You couldn't see his nose at all except the nostrils. Under his eyes and across his upper face were all puffed up as if he had been beaten on. Keep in mind now that this is after three sets of stitches and having a t-shirt torn off of him at school (and he was only six or seven years old). My first response was "who has been beating on your face!" When the answer was no-one, I loaded him up and took him to the emergency room. It was an allergy reaction and he was given some medication that helped a lot. We had him tested and he was allergic to just about all grasses and weeds---with the real culprit being fresh mowed grass.Even though he wasn't tested for it, he was/is allergic to cats also. He would mess with and play with any and all cats or kittens his friends might have. He would come home with his face all swollen up again. I still can't imagine that the pleasure of playing with a cat is worth having your face swell up. I never have liked cats anyway
Monday, June 8, 2009
George
Laura's first baby doll was a little rubber doll, with arms, legs and a head that would move. There was no added hair---it was of the rubber also. This little doll came with a diaper, and was wrapped in a pretty little pink blanket--it even came with a bottle to feed the baby with. No it did not really drink anything and didn't go potty. She just loved this doll so much. When asked what she was going to name her dolly she said "his" name is "George". She had decided right off that if the doll had no hair it must be a boy. I don't know where or how she came up with that name because we didn't know anyone named George except my dad. She may have heard my mom call my dad George and just remembered it. Who knows, doesn't matter, his name is George. lol
Through the years she received several more dolls, but George remained her favorite. She got a Raggedy Ann doll that she didn't necessarily want, in fact she didn't even like it. "I" liked it and thought she should have one. She did have one ragdoll similar to Raggedy Ann that was a blonde with a blue dress on. She played with this one okay but not Raggedy. She did get another doll she just loved also, it was her Baby Crissy. Baby Crissy was a beautiful redhead (baby doll) and you could make her hair grow and put it back short. However, George remained her all time favorite.
Through the years she received several more dolls, but George remained her favorite. She got a Raggedy Ann doll that she didn't necessarily want, in fact she didn't even like it. "I" liked it and thought she should have one. She did have one ragdoll similar to Raggedy Ann that was a blonde with a blue dress on. She played with this one okay but not Raggedy. She did get another doll she just loved also, it was her Baby Crissy. Baby Crissy was a beautiful redhead (baby doll) and you could make her hair grow and put it back short. However, George remained her all time favorite.
Bedtime and the Orange Crayon
When we were moving to San Francisco from Minot we decided not to take Laura's crib. We figured that it wouldn't be long before she would be going into a big girl bed anyway. Dave's folks put the crib up in their attic, awaiting any future nieces or nephews.
Danny had some bunkbeds that we bought for him in Minot. Laura used her crib through that year. We bought her a bed when we got to San Francisco. Most people would have bought the nearly two year old a youth bed or a single bed. We decided to get her a double bed so if she wanted to have a friend sleep over (in the future) there would be enough room. We also had a bed for any overnight guests we may have.
Laura was so little she couldn't even get up into her bed. We had to lift her up on it when we went to tuck her in. One night when Dave and I were going to bed, we found her sleeping on the rug beside her bed. She was so darned cute. She obviously had gotten out of bed for something and then couldn't get back up.
Whenever it was Laura's naptime, I would put the safety gate across her bedroom door. She would just call me when she was finished napping. One day she seemed to be "sleeping" quite a bit longer than usual so I went up to check on her. She was a very busy baby girl, she had an orange crayon and had colored lots and lots of squiggles and loops all over the back of her bedroom door. This artwork was from as high as she could reach, clear on down to the floor. I had her help me clean it up and she never colored on anything she wasn't suppose to again. It seems to me that I also put her crayons up a little higher. lol
Danny had some bunkbeds that we bought for him in Minot. Laura used her crib through that year. We bought her a bed when we got to San Francisco. Most people would have bought the nearly two year old a youth bed or a single bed. We decided to get her a double bed so if she wanted to have a friend sleep over (in the future) there would be enough room. We also had a bed for any overnight guests we may have.
Laura was so little she couldn't even get up into her bed. We had to lift her up on it when we went to tuck her in. One night when Dave and I were going to bed, we found her sleeping on the rug beside her bed. She was so darned cute. She obviously had gotten out of bed for something and then couldn't get back up.
Whenever it was Laura's naptime, I would put the safety gate across her bedroom door. She would just call me when she was finished napping. One day she seemed to be "sleeping" quite a bit longer than usual so I went up to check on her. She was a very busy baby girl, she had an orange crayon and had colored lots and lots of squiggles and loops all over the back of her bedroom door. This artwork was from as high as she could reach, clear on down to the floor. I had her help me clean it up and she never colored on anything she wasn't suppose to again. It seems to me that I also put her crayons up a little higher. lol
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Danny's Second Set of Stitches
I had to go back and re-title a post in May that I had said was his second set of stitches. The one with the cut on the knee in his pool was his third set of stitches. This is the second set--- a cut above his left eyebrow while we were living with Kathy in St. Louis. We had taken Darren for a checkup to his pediatrician. Danny was sitting and playing around at a little table and chair set in the waiting room. He slipped off of the chair and hit his head on the edge of the table. Now one would think that since it happened in a pediatrician's office, that he could fix it right? Wrong!! He wasn't equipped to do stitches so we had to take him to a nearby hospital emergency room.
So my little fellow had three sets of stitches by the age of five. I was within a few feet of him for two of the accidents above his eyes (the first set was up close to his hairline). There is just no way you can prevent an accident like that from happening. When he got the cut to the knee, I was inside the house with Laura but could see the kids playing in the water.
So now the saga of Danny's stitches has been straightened out. Maybe these three accidents were a premonition to future accidents---ya' think?
So my little fellow had three sets of stitches by the age of five. I was within a few feet of him for two of the accidents above his eyes (the first set was up close to his hairline). There is just no way you can prevent an accident like that from happening. When he got the cut to the knee, I was inside the house with Laura but could see the kids playing in the water.
So now the saga of Danny's stitches has been straightened out. Maybe these three accidents were a premonition to future accidents---ya' think?
Friday, June 5, 2009
First Grade and the Peach
Shortly after moving to San Francisco, the kids had their 2nd and 6th summer birthdays. We celebrated both birthdays with cake and ice cream and a few gifts. We just had a family party, just the four of us. The only gift I can remember is Danny's Snoopy lunchbox because he would be starting school in a few weeks.
Yes, in just a few weeks I was to put this small 6 year old boy on a bus to go off of the base to a public San Francisco school and trust that somehow he was going to return to me. I wanted to keep him home all safe and warm under my care. This is the first time in my parenting days that I was traumatized. There were to be several more through the years, but this was devastating to me. When the dreaded day came I walked him down to the bus stop a few blocks away. Now this was a walk that he was quite capable of doing himself, but not today!!! lol I did put him on that school bus that day, and I asked the bus driver how in the world was he going to get him home. He assured me that they have been doing this for many years and they never lost a child yet. Of course I worried and stewed about it most of the day and I was at that bus stop to meet him when and if he ever got home. It was nothing short of a miracle to me that he did return home.
One day Danny came home from school with a large bulge in his pocket. I asked him what it was and he pulled his ripped tee shirt out of the pocket. When I asked him what happened he said that a peach boy ripped it off of him at recess. I inquired what a peach boy was and he replied that he wasn't black and he wasn't white, he was a peach.
Yes, in just a few weeks I was to put this small 6 year old boy on a bus to go off of the base to a public San Francisco school and trust that somehow he was going to return to me. I wanted to keep him home all safe and warm under my care. This is the first time in my parenting days that I was traumatized. There were to be several more through the years, but this was devastating to me. When the dreaded day came I walked him down to the bus stop a few blocks away. Now this was a walk that he was quite capable of doing himself, but not today!!! lol I did put him on that school bus that day, and I asked the bus driver how in the world was he going to get him home. He assured me that they have been doing this for many years and they never lost a child yet. Of course I worried and stewed about it most of the day and I was at that bus stop to meet him when and if he ever got home. It was nothing short of a miracle to me that he did return home.
One day Danny came home from school with a large bulge in his pocket. I asked him what it was and he pulled his ripped tee shirt out of the pocket. When I asked him what happened he said that a peach boy ripped it off of him at recess. I inquired what a peach boy was and he replied that he wasn't black and he wasn't white, he was a peach.
Move to San Francisco and the Oakland Zoo
Dave come back from his second tour in Viet Nam in early summer of '72. Our next assignment was in the Presidio of San Francisco. We had a little time to get everything ready for the packers and for Dave to see his extended family before we headed west again.We had to give our dog away, it broke our hearts but we felt it was the best decision for the dog. Dave had heard that there was little to no yards in San Francisco and that he wouldn't have anyplace to run around and no place for us to walk him to do his "thing". As it turned out, we did have a yard but he would have had to be on a chain because it wasn't fenced. We had a large woods right out beside us.
Our quarters were very nice. It was two story with the bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs and the living & dining rooms and the kitchen downstairs. If I had to pick something wrong with it, it would be that the only bathroom was upstairs. One of my first purchases was a safety gate to put across the top of the stairs at night. I was afraid that one of the kids, and in particular the baby, would get up in the middle of the night and turn the wrong way and fall down the stairs. She navigated them pretty well during the day, afterall she was going on two years old. lol Most of the time she was downstairs with me.
The first family fun thing we did together was to go to the Oakland Zoo, across the double decker Bay Bridge. They had a small amusement park so we put the kids on a few rides before going to look at the animals. The first ride we saw was the carousel (merry-go- round). So the kids and I got on, Danny of course was a big boy and was able to get on his horse with just a small boost to get his foot in the stirrup. I lifted Laura on her horse of choice and stayed there to be sure she didn't fall off. When the ride was over, Danny hopped off and was ready and eager for the next ride. Laura, however, hung on to that pole with all her might. She didn't want off and the only way she was going to come off was if I physically forced her to. I told Dave that she wasn't going to get off so give me a couple more tickets and he could go put Danny on a few more rides. After all the rides we went over to the petting zoo and had a great time. It was a wonderful day.
Our quarters were very nice. It was two story with the bathroom and three bedrooms upstairs and the living & dining rooms and the kitchen downstairs. If I had to pick something wrong with it, it would be that the only bathroom was upstairs. One of my first purchases was a safety gate to put across the top of the stairs at night. I was afraid that one of the kids, and in particular the baby, would get up in the middle of the night and turn the wrong way and fall down the stairs. She navigated them pretty well during the day, afterall she was going on two years old. lol Most of the time she was downstairs with me.
The first family fun thing we did together was to go to the Oakland Zoo, across the double decker Bay Bridge. They had a small amusement park so we put the kids on a few rides before going to look at the animals. The first ride we saw was the carousel (merry-go- round). So the kids and I got on, Danny of course was a big boy and was able to get on his horse with just a small boost to get his foot in the stirrup. I lifted Laura on her horse of choice and stayed there to be sure she didn't fall off. When the ride was over, Danny hopped off and was ready and eager for the next ride. Laura, however, hung on to that pole with all her might. She didn't want off and the only way she was going to come off was if I physically forced her to. I told Dave that she wasn't going to get off so give me a couple more tickets and he could go put Danny on a few more rides. After all the rides we went over to the petting zoo and had a great time. It was a wonderful day.
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