The Time K.J. Saved The Day

Yesterday was the majestic, the magnificent, the firework and fire-laden Fourth of July. I wish I could tell you how very awesome it was to see the hill up behind the power plant go up in flames after the city lit off their majestic, magnificent firework display, but that is a story for another time. Needless to say, it was like two shows for the price of one. Perty dern exciting for these parts.

Ah. I love Independence Day.

We saw a ten-entry parade. We ate an ebilskever breakfast. We swam in Grandma's kiddie pool. My sister Sil was a trooper even though she is nine months pregnant in July (oh, how I remember those days). We saw 'Cars 2,' where at the very end K.J. looked up at me and exclaimed "Well, that was cool!" We consumed two buckets of popcorn and two large slushies. Katelyn learned how to suck through a straw and consumed roughly half of one of those slushies. And I am a totally awesome mother (take that as you will), because I let her. We crashed for a couple of hours and then came the Annual Fourth of July Barbecue at Shawna and Dennis'. It was a particularly fun year, I would say. But then, the Fourth is always particularly fun to me.

And here is the story of how K.J. saved the day, as reported by his friend Kendal:

A sparkler was thrown.
It landed in Olivia's hair.
K.J. shook it out of her hair!
It landed on her fluffy skirt.
K.J. yelled "Take off your skirt!"
And helped her pull her skirt down!
And she was saved.

How I came to this knowledge was when the Double B led K.J. to me in hysterics while he himself cuddled Olivia, who had waddled up to him crying with her skirt around her ankles and was now in the process of calming down from hysterics. Daddy said "Livi's skirt lit on fire, and K.J. helped her take it off so it wouldn't hurt her. He really saved the day, but it scared him, and I think he needs you, Mommy."
Poor big brother. Once the event was over, he thought of all the possibilities of his little sister being hurt, and it was just too much for him. He cried and cried while I told him how brave he was and I was so proud of him and he is such an awesome big brother, which only seemed to fuel the emotion. Then I offered him a drink of water. He guzzled and felt a little better. Then became overwhelmed and cried again, so I offered more water. He guzzled again, sniffed, said "I think I might drink all of your water, Mom." I gave him permission to do so. He did. All 32 ounces. And felt much, much better.
The moral of the story? Water will put out any fire.
But really.
This story warms my pea-pickin' heart. She really could have been hurt, but Big Brother stepped in, and he really did save the day. I'm thankful he was able to think so fast!
I'm proud of my little guy.
Big Brothers are the absolute best.

This morning they marched in to show me her skirt, which has a big hole burned right through the top layer and singed edges. To hear K.J. talk to her about it, he saved her from certain death. What a guy.

One other Livi story: the other morning Livi came into me and showed me a small bruise on her knee. The conversation went like this:

Mom - You have a bruise!
Liv - A bruise?
Mom - Yep. Does it hurt?
Liv - Only when K.J. pushes on it!

She then ran back to her brother, yelling "K.J., I've got A BRUISE!!!" in a very gleeful voice.

Big happenings around these parts.