Our Kids

I mentioned the other day that our family has been attacked physically over the last few weeks.

It happened again on Tuesday.

Anderson came home from school complaining of a stomach ache. It happened around lunch time.

Something you need to know about Anderson. He can be a bit dramatic.

A relevant example: If he doesn't like a certain food that is made for him at lunch he's been known to feign stomach problems to try to get out of eating it. He's also been known to cry like someone cut his legs off when he gets a scratch or if he gets knocked down while he's playing soccer with Garrett in our apartment. Yes, we know they shouldn't play soccer in the house but this is Brasil. Try to stop boys from playing soccer everywhere. I've even seen kids playing soccer with a squished two liter soft drink bottle. Boys will use anything to kick and play soccer.

Anyway, we've been working on this with Anderson and I recently told him the story of the boy who cried wolf. I was, obviously, trying to get him to cut down on the fake stomach aches and soccer injuries.

So when he came home on Tuesday, saw some stuff for lunch that weren't necessarily his favorites and began to complain we all just kind of brushed it off.

My girlfriend took him to his soccer school after lunch and he had to leave early because he wasn't feeling well.

I had another appointment and got home after they got back from soccer. When I walked in Garrett came to the door and whispered that Anderson was puking. He didn't really have to tell me. I could hear Anderson hurling as soon as I walked in. Our apartment isn't huge and noise carries like crazy.

So our little wolf crier was actually sick.

He only threw up one time but his stomach was cramping pretty badly as well and he had fever. We kind of quarantined him in his and Gi's room. He didn't like being alone. So my girlfriend spent some time in there reading him a book to help calm his stomach. That reminded me of when Anderson did that for Ansley when she first got to Ecuador and was unpacking.

Later on Garrett asked me to print up something he was working on. It was a 3 page story that he had invented and typed up for Anderson. It was about an imaginary soccer game between Real Madrid and Barcelona.

I walked by Anderson's room as Garrett was reading the story to him and Anderson was so excited that all he could do was smile from ear to ear and get out of his bed and stand up in a chair to listen. It was like he was literally at this game listening to the announcer. Garrett, of course, read the play by play story like an announcer.

My girlfriend and I are blessed to have kids who take care of each other like that. This isn't the first time one of our kids has taken care of another. It's been going on for years. Garrett had two good role models in Winnie and Ans and he continues the tradition and is an example to his younger brothers and sister.

Tuesday night Gi slept in Garrett's bed. We wanted to keep Gi away from his room to not, obviously, catch this puking/fever/other stuff virus. Honestly, we were a little afraid that Garrett might kill Gi during the night because he is so big and he sleeps so hard and just tears up his covers while he sleeps. I literally went into his room at 4 to make sure Gi was still alive. They were fine.

Wednesday morning Gi told me that sleeping with Garrett was, "AWESOME!"

Wednesday night he slept in a pull out bed in Carys' room.

And the tradition rolls on.