New Year - starts with a BANG!

So I'm wondering if Alec is a cat. He must have nine lives...and I'm not sure how many he's used up already!

On January 4th, he undoubtedly retired one.

Sunday evening Billy went with Aysia to see Grandma Boam and take her some rice pudding. I was in the hall looking in the closet for some medication when I heard both my boys scream. Adian only once, but Alec kept screaming. It's one of those that you know something is really wrong. A terrified and pained scream. I ran to the family room, and Alec was already running to me still terrified and crying. He jumped into my arms and was shaking all over. I asked him what happened. He showed me his hand, the palm was completely black, but wouldn't say anything. He was crying and even though I was holding him he acted like he couldn't get close enough, like he wanted to climb inside me. But, I couldn't get a thing out of him. Aidan finally pointed behind the couch and said he was back there. When I looked behind the couch I almost had a heart attack myself. Which in turn set Alec into histerics again. What I saw was a key hanging out of the electrical socket, and all around it the wall was black. My devil child tried to electricute himself.

I quickly took him into the kitchen to clean his hand off and run it under cold water; so I could see how bad it was. His ring and pinky fingers had big blisters on them. And one blister one his palm just under his ring finger. I made a bucket of ice water and made him soak it while I called Billy.

Alec's bandaged hand

Billy had said just days before when we both kept telling him to stop playing with the plug to the space heater, that "...he's going to end up learning his lesson the hard way". Which at the time gave me a terrible feeling of forboding.

What's left of the keys - notice I can no
longer drive the jeep with this one!

The key ring that the keys had been on was melted through. He was lucky to have only used one hand to insert the keys one at a time. What we have put together with my dad's help is that he put in the first key (all metal) and the second key followed (which had a rubber cover on the top). When he put the second key in, it arched and fried his hand; giving him a good a zing I'm sure. He let go and only the fingers that were not holding the rubber part of the key ended up blistered, but the whole thing was black!

If he had put both keys in at the same time, one in each hand, the current would have travelled up his arm, through his chest and down the other arm. Most likely this would have stopped his heart. I would have found him 5-10 minutes later when I went looking for him. Because he's never quiet for long, unless he's getting into trouble.

He likes playing with my keys. I have the keyless entry on mine. He likes to set off the alarm. Now... I keep my keys up on a cupboard above the stove. So luckily the stove wasn't in use, and hadn't been for a few hours. Because he climbed up to get them first. And instead of setting off the car, he decided to hide behind the couch and stick them into those curious holes in the wall!

Aysia and Aidan showing off Aysia's snow flake.

Remember Billy had a cold over New Years? Well, I felt like I was coming down with a cold Wednesday evening. I figured it was my turn for Billy's stupid cold. But on Thursday I had a parent of one of my students call to say her daughter had strep. She had been to class on Wednesday, but was sick on Thursday. Well, my symptoms got worse, and Billy insisted on testing me for strep. So he went into work Friday afternoon to put in some over time on a special project and tested my specimen. It came back with a faint positve. When he got home I went to Instacare and it was confired. I have strep. The symptoms at this point were getting a lot worse. I could hardly swallow for the pain. I now have antibiotics and am a bit better. I hope the whole pre-k doesn't end up coming down with it; also Taunie's family. I spent a few minutes there on Friday after pre-k when I went down to pick-up Alec. I would hate to be the cause of an outbreak! Well, it started with my student, but I ignored my symtoms thinking they was something less.

Amanda came over yesterday to open her Christmas presents.
We haven't seen her since just after Thanksgiving.

All the kids

Amanda and her pile of presents

Aidan opening his gift from Amanda

Angel and Aidan during pre-k snack time.

This week we learned about the five sense. On Friday we talked about the sense of touch. Here Aidan, Brynlee and Chloe are finishing the pudding they were finger painting with. Notice Aidan is using both hands and is the messiest!

Next we explored our sense of touch with Gooey Gak.
Aidan, Brynlee and Chloe

(Jonah), Angel and her cousin Kaitlyn are having fun with it too.

Paige brought some pretty smelling lotion for show and tell on Thursday. Here she is letting Eleanor smell it. I'm not sure why but it looks more like Ellie's about to taste it instead of smell it.

Well, that's it for now. I hope you are all well. We are praying for Christy and Michael's family. And we are getting very anxious for Gramee and Poppi to come home!