Many Things To Share - Monday

My oldest had ESY again... I dropped off my mileage reimbursement sheet at the district office... This 22.5 miles 4 days a week is killing us with the gas costs... I usually wait till all 6 weeks of ESY are done but couldn't this year... Just costing too much to transport to and from... I went an exchanged an outfit... It was a 9 month summer outfit... Linebacker will be 9 months in February... It won't be any where near warm that time of year here... It will be frozen tundra in these parts... I exchanged it for a 3 month summer outfit he will be able to wear later this summer... I also picked up Peanut's Diego Cake Pan and Icing Coloring Set... I'm all ready to make her the Diego Cake for her 3rd Birthday next month... I didn't make it over to pick up her birthday gift yet... I'm hoping to do that some time this week... I want to have it... I made a few phone calls and worked in my gardens... I debated calling today's post Mosquito Monday... They are AWFUL!!! I can't wear spray unless I wash it off immediately after coming in because Linebacker is too little for spray... I never know when he might need me to pick him up... I can't if I'm coated in spray... I've been lucky and only bit a couple of times... I hope when the city sprays it helps... Rumors are they are spraying this week... It's hard to enjoy your garden when you are being munched on! One last exciting thing... I've almost finished knitting my scarf... Woo hoo!!! I'll share a PIC when I finish... It is really awesome... I can't wait till it's done... I guess that is all for now... Linebacker is sounding his alarm saying it's feeding time again... ::grin::

Snapshot Saturday

I took lots of great photos today...
Here are my three 'new' nursing dresses:

I could be a triplet... ::smirk::

Here are my little blessings:

This is the first photo of all 4 of them together... I think it turned out great! My husband and Monkey ran out to the PO and Library while I did some things around the house... We then headed out to Library for me to pick up some things... I hadn't been to the library for a while... My husband and just been taking the children and himself regularly... I have stayed home with which ever child(ren) were currently not feeling well... I signed the three oldest up for the Summer Reading Program... Which started June 9th... I'm usually there at the Grand Kick Off Party... Just didn't make it this year... So, everyone is all registered... I picked up Potty Learning Books for Peanut, Dinosaurs for Monkey, and Geography (US States) for my oldest... No books being checked out for Linebacker yet... He just has the ones around the house right now... I need to sign him up for the Imagination Library... Keep forgetting about that... After the library we went to the 'wood chip/dirt' place... Filled up our containers for woodchips... Next it was to Walmart for some more needed things... Picked up a few more T-Shirts for the older boys, Sharpie for me, and food... We snacked on Chicken Strips and Tarter Wedges on the way home... Yummy... We hadn't bought these in a while... I snuggled with Linebacker and became very sleepy... So, I took a nap... My husband with the older three put the woodchips on the garden path and did a bit of weeding... The mosquitos are awful so they didn't stay out any longer then they had too... They had leftover Noodle Casserole for dinner and pizza... I woke up from my much needed nap... I was stuffed with chicken and tarters from Walmart so I didn't eat anything else... Just drank a ton of water... All the children were in bed but Linebacker who was snugglin' and nursin'... We cleaned up the house... It was super cluttered... With all that had been happening the house had really fallen apart... The house wasn't 'dirty' just extremely messy! It looks aweseome now!!! I'm off to snuggle more with Linebacker... So, I will be back when I have TWO free hands again... ::grin:: Have a great rest of the weekend... See you all on Monday...

Feeling Better - Friday

I must say things are going much better today... Monkey and Peanut had ST... I worked on fitting in some 'extra' feedings for Linebacker... I even made homemade waffles and balanced the check book before lunch... ::grin:: After lunch and sending my husband off to work, my oldest had his orthotics appointment... He decided he wasn't going to cooperate... The respite worker had met us there so that helped she was there to assist... All the necessary measurements were taken and his new orthotics should be here in about 10 days or so... We have been holding off buying new shoes til they are replaced... The last thing we want to do is buy new shoes and then his orthotics don't fit and we have to buy another new pair... Sometimes buying a new pair of shoes for my oldest goes well... Other times it is a struggle finding the right size and he then doesn't want to wear them because they aren't the old familiar ones he's been wearing... He doesn't care how worn out they are or if they are too small... I dropped off my borrowed copy of the MOTH book to my friend... It rained a bit... A friend stopped by... We talked about the variety of things that are bothering me... So, I feel a lot better... She even gave me some really adorable nursing dresses that I will have to model for you all when I have a chance... I'm really glad she stopped by... She is also a former LLL so she gave me some suggestions about Linebacker... I'm grateful to have such a good friend... Her sister called just after she left looking for her... I said she had already left... Tonight is FMCHE Mom's Night Out... She needed a ride... I said I can give you one... So, I loaded up my gang and gave her a ride to the car pool place... I wish I could have gone to Mom's Night Out... Hopefully next month... Maybe in September I should be able to host my very first Mom's Night Out... That will be very exciting! I've wanted to for some time but haven't had reliable child care in place to make it happen... So, everything seems to be in an up swing... I heard from the organization regarding my oldest and we should have an 'official' YES some time next week... Our case manager doesn't see any reason why it wouldn't be a yes... It is just a matter of everyone from the organization sitting down and making it 'official'... We will then start the process of intergrating him into that organizations program... Thank you everyone for your prayers for everything... They are truly appreciated... Linebacker's hungry so I'm going to call it a night and snuggle with my little guy...

Too Much For One Person To Take - Thursday

I'm not sure how much more stress I could possibly take... There is all that is going on with my oldest and now Linebacker... I had my 6 week check up today... I'm doing well... I have about 20 lbs to lose before I reach 'my' perfect weight... I've already lost about 20 lbs of pregnancy weight... I have 10 to lose to make it to pre-Linebacker... Back to the stressful part... I mentioned (joyfully) Linebacker was already 8.9 lbs at 5 weeks old (stopped in for a weight check to ease my mind)... The doctor is concerned... ::sigh:: Many of you know about what I went through with Peanut and her weight gaining... She said to try to nurse more often and would like to see him weight 10 lbs by his 2 month well check (mid July)... If he still isn't gaining enough (in her opinion) we will have to talk about giving him some extra calories by supplementing formula... I'm sitting there why me! I really need a break... I really do! Monkey had ST today and is doing well... Otherwise nothing too exciting going on... Is it nap time yet?

Wondering Wednesday

I did it!!!! I'm 100% updated from the 7th till TODAY!!! Woo hoo!!! I still need to do Linebacker's first week and his birth story but at least I'm back current finally... It really bugs when I'm behind... Well I went on the gift card shopping spree today... Bought everything we needed... It feels so good to know the children have what they need... I've decided that it is time for Peanut to learn how to use the potty and not use diapers any more... I picked her up some practice pants (extra padding to absorb), some regular panties (just girly) and some CONGRATS you did it panties (Dora)... We also picked her up a potty seat (Dora)... I just need to stop at Ace and pick up a folding stool... She is still a bit tiny (hence the nickname Peanut) and our bathroom is small so I'm opting for a folding stool over the traditional potty stool... So, we are all prepared... Wish us luck... My oldest the school finally trained him at almost 6 years old... Monkey potty trained himself at around 4... So, I really have no clue how we are going to do this... I think she is ready though... Just a matter of taking the time and working on it with her... The making the crawl space 'pretty' guy came... He works for a company called Innovative Basement Systems... We are talking 6+K... YIKES!!! Our crawl space presents special issues... So, it will be even more then that... UGH!!! So, despite how awesome their products looks and what a great thing it would be... We won't be doing this type of improvement any time soon... I'm working on catching up on laundry... 2 Loads mostly done... 1-3 more to go... So, that is all for today... I'm still bothered by that thing... I wish I could stop thinking about it... Just annoys me... ::frown::

Troublesome Tuesday

I had a very upsetting day... There are many things that are bothering me... I talked with a friend online about them and that made me feel better but I'm still very troubled by it... The two books that were 'missing' magicially appeared... I picked them up today... So, now I'm done this that... That was annoying and bothering me... I ran around town and dropped off things that I didn't want in my house any more... That made me feel a bit better about that thing that is really bothering me... Monkey had OT... He did really awesome today with his drawing and cutting... Woo hoo!!! That made me feel really proud... I picked up swimming outfits for all 3 children and it cost less then $15... How awesome is that... A giftcard came today... A BIG THANK YOU to the sender... You know who you are... ::grin:: So, I'm going on a huge shopping spree at Walmart later this week to pick up things the children need... My oldest went swimming in his new swim trunks today... They fit perfectly and he had a great time!

More Sleep, Please? Monday

I'm just exhausted... Yesterday was a busy and and today has been go, go, go... Saturday we had an awful storm go through... It caused the tornado warning sirens to go off... Thank God there were no tornados near us but we were all hiding out in our awful crawl space... It is nasty... I contacted a place that makes basements and crawl spaces pretty... They are to come out later this week and take a look... It is a free inspection and estimate... I went by the place where my oldest was staying and picked up his things... I took a list with me... While I was there they found his coat and brand new shirt we had bought and brought to him... Two books are still missing... Amazing how when you take a specific detailed list with prices things they couldn't find suddenly appear... ::eye roll:: Peanut played with early intervention specialist... Her daughter is attending the Safety Town program this session... My oldest respite worker wanted to take him swimming and I realized I hadn't bought the children swim suits for this summer... Some money came today and I plan to go pick him one tomorrow... The respite worker comes tomorrow too... I stopped at my favorite 2nd hand store today... Every Monday they have $0.99 Colored Tag Sale... They pick a color... Everything with that color tag is $0.99... This week it was green... I picked up these two awesome skirts and two tops... Total cost less then $14... ::grin::

Maybe they can go swimming then... Hopefully I can make it to bed at a decent hour tonight...

Sewing Station Saturday

While I didn't do any actual sewing yet I did clean up what had become my catch all sewing station... It has become a delicate balancing act to pile new stuff on without the current stuff from an avalanche... LOL!!! Here are some photos of the clean up process that took about an hour (probably only 20 minutes of actual cleaning but with interruption it took about an hour from start photo to finish photo)...
This is what it looked like before I started... Yikes!

This was about 3/4 of the way through....This is the after... The 'calendar' on the right was a giveaway from a friend... She also gave me a couple laminated items... She gave me a world map but I want to laminate it first... It will then can be put up in my oldest room along with two other laminated items.. I decided to use it for all the things that happen every week like therapy, clubs/support groups, etc... I will save my 'date' calendar for those things that happen more randomly like doctor, dentist, meetings, field trips, etc...
I worked a bit in the garden picking out the 'trees'... Otherwise I relaxed because I'm still feeling a little icky... Mostly just tried from feeling icky... I have updated from the 7th till today... ::yawn:: Nap time...

Friday

Today was feeling much better... I still had a few lingering symptoms that made me nervous about going out and about but still went out any way... Monkey and Peanut had ST this morning... I then went by the organization that maybe working with my oldest to sign some release of information... They need to talk to people who work them him before they meet and decide if they are going to work with him... I'm praying all goes well... He really needs this place to help him... More remodeling was done today... I hang out during the afternoon with a friend... We went and bought more remodeling materials... We had cheese burgers and hot dogs on the grill... We even worked on the garden a bit... So, I have 2 boxes completed, 3 in the inbetween stages and 1 that I haven't done a thing to... Hopefully I can do more tomorrow if my ills continue to improve...

Tricky Thursday

I don't if I feel better or worse... I'm having different symptoms... I talked with a friend on the phone and it seems to be a popular 'bug' that is going around... I wasn't sure if I was going to make it to my oldest ESY program or not... I did manage to make it... I also picked up a box of food for Monkey... I felt a little bit better and did some things then I felt awful again... Monkey had ST and we didn't make it to the Family Picnic that Peanut had been invited to... ::sigh:: I had really been looking forward to going even if I had to go alone with all 4 of the children... Oh well... Hopefully we will be able to go to the next event that they have...

Will I Make It To The Weekend Wednesday?

Today was a rough day... To top it all off I'm catching the children's cold (started with Peanut/Monkey then next my oldest)... Runny Nose, Sore Throat and Fever... Linebacker was warm at nap time but seems find now... I'm just praying this is gone fast... I feel like a truck has run over me... ::sigh:: Despite not feeling so well... I paid the rest of the bills online that hadn't been paid this month... I also made a trip to the store and stocked up on meats for the freezer... For less then $30 I bought almost 7 lbs of hamburger, 2 pkgs bacon, 2 pkgs hot dogs, 2 bags of frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts and a couple miscellaneous things... I divided the hamburger up into 7 pkgs and put everything into our deep freezer... Peanut also had ST... I took a long soak in the tub after nap... That helped a little bit...

Too Much To Do Tuesday

I really need to find a planner with more space (or learn to write smaller)! I have to squeeze all I need to do and remember in a small space... Things are looking better around here... Next couple days should quiet down a bit and hopefully give me some time to sit here and update you all on everything... I think I'm figuring out Linebacker's schedule... I'm just waiting for him to change it so I have to learn a new one... ::smirk:: Thank you for all the prayers... I truly appreciate them... I can really feel the strength and Grace of God holding me... We went on a tour today with our oldest... The tour went well and may brighten our uncertain future with our oldest... Monkey had OT today... I was on the phone again almost all day... I'm glad I don't have a cell phone... I'd never rest... I ran out to the PO finally... I also made a stop at K-Mart for diapers and wipes... I also made a quick stop for milk, eggs, cheese, and juice... It doesn't look like much happened based on the space it takes up but I was on the run all day today... My oldest ESY takes up a lot of my time... It takes almost 1/2 hour there and 1/2 hour back... He is only there 2-1/2 hours... I drive 22.5 miles a day... So, that eats up my entire morning... Once everyone has lunch, we have OT or ST, my husband heads off to work the afternoon is over and it's nap time... It is up from nap, dinner, baths, some play time, clean up, and off to bed... The day is over... I've really learned a lot from the MOTH CD Box Set... I've also learned tons from what I've read so far in the MOTH book... I ordered my own copy... I can't wait for it to arrive... Switching over from a 'family' routine to this type of individual schedule is going to change everything! We have everyone going in some many directions a family routine just isn't enough structure for our household... I will update everyone on how it goes...

More To Do Then Ever Before Monday

I thought my life was busy before Linebacker arrived... I was mistaken! Today was phone call day... Oh my... I was calling people and people were calling me... We met a new Respite Worker... She will fill shifts on Mon, Tue and Thurs in June... I look forward to the extra help... She did great today and my oldest really liked her... The highlight of their time together was watching construction way down south... They are widing a road... I have a feeling that will be a regular event when she visits... We are now up to 2 Respite Workers... I scheduled Peanut's 3 year well check and Linebacker's 2 month well check next month... I also updated the 'Prenatal' program offered through my husband's work insurance... If you participate in the program and meet all the requirements (talking to a nurse after every prenatal visit)... At the end with your last phone call to your 'assigned' nurse you give the birth details and they send you a $50 gift card usable any where... How cool is that? I participated with Peanut also... I didn't know about it when expecting Monkey and my husband didn't work there when I was pregnant with our oldest... Today was the first day of ESY (Special Ed Summer School) for my oldest... He had a good morning... Today a friend delivered Breaded Chicken Strips and Cheesy Diced Taters... We still have Lasagna leftover so I froze it... The Lasagna is awesome... Very meaty and we love it that way... All in all it was a good day...

Shopping Saturday

I went shopping for Father's Day and had a blast... I picked up Father's Day cards... I didn't realize till late yesterday that today was Father's Day... Gee I wonder why... I will have to wait and mail them on Monday because the PO is closed already... They don't have a cash dispensing stamp machine no more... The automated machine requires you use a CC/Check Card and spend a minmum of $1... I went shopping at Sears... Good store to shop at for Father's Day... I took advantage of the 'sales'... I also had a coupon... I bought my husband a Craftsman 16 oz. Rip Claw Hammer with Hickory Handle and Craftsman 15 in. Electric Line Trimmer plus an extra Craftsman 20 ft. Replacement Spool, .065 Diameter... Today a Lasagna and Chocolate Chip Cookies with Nuts was delivered from one of our friends... We spent the rest of the weekend mowing the lawn (first time this year), doing some remodeling, and my husband loved all his gifts... After Mass on Sunday they had a treat 'Father's' to a Root Beer Float... It was a good weekend...

Frustrated and Fun Friday

The first half of the day was awesome... The second half was the frustrating part... I will start with the end of the day and then go back and talk about the morning to end of a positive note... I ready the littles to go pick up my oldest with respite worker in tow... We arrive... I start asking well where is this and that... They start looking... They only found a few of the things I requested... The rest they said they would hopefully find later... Otherwise make a list and cost and they would pay us... One thing missing is his Rand McNally 1934 World Atlas Book... ::eye roll:: We sat there for over an hour waiting till we could leave... I signed tons of paperwork... I was given one RX and they fax'd the other I needed... I'm not sure why they did it that way... He had quite the episode while the 'staff' ran around looking for things... Thank God for Plexiglas or there would have been at least 3-4 broken windows in the place... I love how they said prior to his episode he is stable... Yea, that is the picture of stability... We can't even leave and he is pounding on windows, doors and walls... So, we finally made it out... We head to the pharmacy because I'm thinking once I'm home I want to be home... Taking him out again probably wouldn't be a good idea... I wasn't sure how unstable his behavior would be... I had the respite worker with me... So, at least I wasn't alone with all 4... We were stuck at the traffic light prior to the railroad tracks... It wouldn't change because a train was going by... When I saw the train I was hoping this would help calm him since he loves the trains... It has the opposite effect... My oldest wanted to be closer so he could watch... He had another episode in the van and banged on the vent window in the sliding door he sits next to... Nothing I could do but wait it out... I was boxed in and couldn't switch lanes... Luckily it wasn't a long train... He was still very upset about the train thing 6 blocks away when we arrived at the pharmacy... I laid down some ground rules about going in the building to the pharmacy before going in... He was mostly calm... He couldn't sit still but that is understandable... He was still quite anxious and agitated by the train thing... The pharmacist who knows us put a rush on his order (moved us a head of everyone else)... She understand he has difficulty waiting and could tell he was already upset... Her plans were foiled when she tried to run billing... She told me the doctor didn't have a participating provider number for my oldest insurance and without that number she couldn't bill it... I gave her the number from memory of where we had just left... She tried several times and still didn't make it any where... She said go on home and she would call when they were ready... It has now been a half hour... We even tried contacting our usual psych (another number I gave from memory, pharmacist was impressed at my skills) but he had left of the day... It is now 4 PM on a Friday and I'm livid... There is no way I'm going through almost 3 days with no medicine for my son... Considering he is acting this way on his meds... So, I call over to where we had just left once I arrived home and told them they need to do something about this and do it now... After another 20-30 minutes (after I had left the pharmacy) everything was solved... The respite still had a bit of time left before her shift for the day was over... My oldest was happily picking up sticks that had fallen down in the yard during our recent rains... I pack up the littles and head back to the pharmacy... The pharmacist apologizes about the issues and the delay... I told her it wasn't her fault and not worry about it... Also, thank you for all her help... We chatted a bit about Linebacker and then I headed back home... I don't think she had seen him yet... We know several pharmacist there as well as their helpers what ever they are called... So, everything worked out... I had all the meds I needed for the weekend well the whole month... The rest of the night after the ordeal was much better... Everyone went right down to nap as scheduled, ate a good dinner, bathed and went to bed with no hassles... Now to the first part of the day... Monkey and Peanut had their first back to back ST session... That went pretty well... It has been 4 weeks since Linebacker's birth... Everything is going well... Today is his Saint's Feast Day... St. Anthony of Padua... So, we had a mini celebration about that... Now on to a very special part of our day that happened first thing...
Monkey had his Safety Town Graduation (told in pictures and captions)!!!
This is outside... He is said it was cold... So, I guess that can explain the expression on his face... He is also saying 'cheese' instead of just smiling...
This is the yellow dotted line he followed to his Safety Classroom every morning...
This is his 'group'... He is the 2nd from the left sitting in chairs (front row)... They had 4 groups... Green, Red, Blue and Purple... He was in the purple group... Aren't they cute!!! They song several songs about safety complete with hand movements... They all received a stop sign shaped diploma...
Proud Daddy and Mommy with Monkey newly Graduated from Saftey Town... He is mad and didn't want to wear his hat for the PIC...
Linebacker is telling me it's meal time... So, that's all for today...

Twists and Turns Thursday

We were told one thing and then when we showed up we were told something different for our oldest... That was frustrating, upsetting and a relief all at once... We are still very nervous but made real progress on finding help for our oldest... Hopefully tomorrow and beginning of next week we can move things along here towards the positive... Monkey had his first ST today... He did well... I updated the ST about our oldest... I was in a daze most of the afternoon after all that happened today with our oldest and all that is about to happen... In Safety Town today Monkey about Poisons and Pet Safety... They had a Pharmacist from our network give a talk on poisons... My good friend, Jen, stopped by with her famous soup, strawberries and bread... I'm thankful she was due to deliver a meal today... I really needed someone to visit with me and talk this afternoon... She stayed quite awhile... After she left I took a much needed nap... Today has been quite the ride...

Will we float away?

It has been pouring and pouring yesterday and today.... Yesterday he learned more about Fire Safety and toured a Fire Truck... He really liked that... Today he learned more about Fire Safety, 911 and BNSF (railroad) came to give a presentation about railroad safety... Monkey had another OT session yesterday... He did very well... He is picking up skills really quickly... My friend delivered a Roasted Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Green Beans and Fresh from the Oven Chocolate Chip Cookies... When I saw the rice I thought it was just plain white rice... However when you taste it... Yummy!!!! I went to my second API meeting since the group restarting up... It was fun showing off Linebacker... I was very pregnant at the last meeting... Cat had ST and did well... We talked a bit about my oldest... She is annoyed that it seems to be more nonsense like I talked about on Monday... She is hoping someone wakes up and gives real help... I had my post-partum meeting with one Doula today... We talked about everything under the sun... Despite all that is going on with my oldest I've had a very good post-partum recovery... It felt good to just sit and talk with a friend while the children napped... It was very refreshing... Really rejuvenated me... We talked about the MOTH people... I borrowed her MOTH book when we were at the API meeting... She is also the co-leader... I've enjoyed reading what I have so far... I ordered the Encourement For the Homeschooling Family Box Set of 10 CDs... I look forward to listening to them... We only part-time homeschool at this time but hope to full time homeschool in the future... I stopped by and visited my friend, Kristin (expecting twins), yesterday night... We chatted for a bit while the children played... She made us some spicy chili, and had chip/sour cream to go with it... Yummy... We planned an afternoon together when 'the guys' will be working on remodeling at our place... I can't wait for that to happen...

Mixed Messages Monday

We had Tarter Tot Hotdish, Salad and NY Vanilla Icecream delivered yesterday... Everything was delicious... We had leftovers for lunch today... I've never had Tarter Tot Hotdish before... We are receiving mixed messages about our oldest... I was very excited and thinking he would finally receive the help he needs... However after today's conversation on the phone I heard a lot of the same ole non sense and run around as always... That has me worried and nervous... Monkey started his 2nd week of Safety Town... Today he learned about Fire Safety, Gun Safety and Practiced saying his address... We practiced over the weekend to be ready for this week... He is doing very well at saying his address... Peanut had her lady come today... Only a couple more sessions because she will be 3 soon... Well, Linebacker is hungry... Growth spurt... ::grin:: So, I will have to cut it short...

Remodeling

When we started... Can you say WHITE?

We started installing drywall and wainscotting...

First Trim We Put Up Unstained... Later we learned it needs to be stained then put up... ::smirk:: It has also been primered...

More Trim... Stained Trim and Wainscotting...

First Coat Of Colored Paint...

All Done:

SFG Update

April 2008... Showing my old fence...

May 2008... Up close... You can see the damage done to the fence... Children have had a field day in the boxes digging... ::cringe:: My oldest was being helpful and put all the grid in the way he thought it should be... He was pretty close to how they needed to be put... A few days later he then proceeded to remove them all again and throw them around the yard... ::sigh::
Mid of May 2008 (finished day before Linebacker was born {16th})... I had a professional fence installed... Awesome huh? On Monday (12th) the set the posts in concrete... Thursday (15th) they finished by hanging up the fencing and gate...

This is what happens when you don't prepare (remove all the dead plant life and cover them) your boxes for winter because you have terrible morning sickness in the fall... Then you don't plant when you are supposed to in the spring because you are about to give birth at any minute and had to wait for the fence company to install your fence to keep your 'helpers' from destroying all your hard work... LOL!!!

This is the 'tomato' box... Those little white 'circles' are courtesy of our Siberian Elm... Those are all tiny seeds to grow new Siberian Elms... So, every where there is a white 'circle' a tree will sprout... So, I have to pick all those out of my boxes... Sound like fun? Want to come help? ::wink:: This box will also have one squash plant, onions and lettuce growing in it... It has 4 varieties of tomatoes... Tiny cherry/grape, red romas, yellow romas and big ole sandwich slicing...This is my 'Hot Pepper' Box... It will also have Watermelon, Collards, Onions and Carrots...

Updated!

I have 90% of my blog updated when I had left spaces... I still need to share PICS of Linebacker and the Birth Story... So, I hope you all have the time to go back and catch up... As far as my oldest I won't be sharing details... If you would like more detailed updates please email me not post comments... Thanks!

Sunny Saturday

It has been raining like crazy but today is beautifully sunny in the mid 70s... Today one of my friends delivered a Mexican Hotdish of some sort (freezing since we have tons of previous meals delivered we need to finish up), fresh pineapple and a delicious salad with a vinaigrette dressing I've never tasted before... A friend of mine stopped by and gave me a few of her laminated posters and another calendar I can use dry erase markers on... Now if I can just find a place to hang it! I really need the extra space... The children and I walked to the park... Monkey rode his bike all the way there and back with little to no help... I'm so proud at how well he has learned to ride a bike in such a short amount of time... We stayed at the park until the street lights came on... We walked one and arrived home at 10 PM... Just in time for the news... It was a really great day... I felt great and confident as a mom... Something I haven't felt in a long long time...

First Week of June

Monday:
Monkey started Safety Town today... He learned about crossing the street, playing on the playground and a Police Officer visited... He had a great time... I have to find his bike helmet... He's never ridden a bike before... He does own a helmet though... He will need it for when he learns about bike safety... He colored/drew a picture called "The Police Officer is my friend"... He had a great time! While he was there I ran to Walmart to buy a new Alarm clock... The one I have now just isn't cutting it... I didn't hear it this morning and we barely made it on time... It poured this morning... While I was there I also picked up Anthony another blanket and some bubble holders for the children... We had one spill proof bucket... I picked up two more... Monkey had his PT screening today... He doesn't qualify for private at home PT... His skills have really come along since he was tested at the school... So, he may not need it in the fall either even though it's on his IEP... I was very pleased by his advancement... Our first meal arrived to make tomorrow... Tuesday:
Safety Town Today he learned about Riding in the car, Traffic Safety Signs, Strangers, and a Police Officer explained the driving course (bike) traffic safety signs... It was too wet for bike safety so he didn't need his helmet... He colored Safety Signs and glued them on to straws... Monkey had his OT screening today... He does qualify for OT services private at home... They will come every week until he starts K... He will then only have OT on his IEP... They saw the same concerns as before... He has pencil grasp issues and some other fine motor skills... He is coming along but not where he should be... My friend watched Monkey and Peanut while I visited my oldest... She also watched them while I ran quick to Sam's to pick up Green Beans and Broccoli... We chatted for quite a while and I didn't arrive home till late... Earlier another friend stopped by in an emergency for me to watch her 18 month old... She forgot and I didn't ask for his car seat so I wasn't able to run to Sam's during the early afternoon like I had planned... My oldest was doing well today... We sat and watched trains... He was kind of all over the place in his conversation... Couldn't stay on one topic... We had our first meal from friends today... It was a hamburger/noodle hot dish and rice crispy treats... Both were delicious! Wednesday:
Safety Town today was a Police Car Tour and Introduction to the Bike Course... He colored a picture about Seat Belt Safety... We went to Walmart in search of Dinosaurs... We didn't find any... We did however buy a smaller jacket for Linebacker, bubble bucket for my oldest, Monkey picked out a View Master Disc Set with Dinosaurs and Peanut picked out a View Master Disc Set with Diego... Peanut had ST today... She did well... We moved our appointment time on Friday to make room to add Monkey in the future visits... ST wants to see them on the same day back to back if possible to save on gas to drive here and for my sanity in scheduling... Monkey had his ST screening... He qualifies for ST private at home... Again it will discontinued when he starts K because he will have it as indicated on his IEP... Having OT and ST at home over this summer is just a jump start and to help him so that he won't require it as much on his IEP... Tonight was the end of school year Mass for FMCHE... After Mass we had a Pizza Party Potluck... We had a great time... I didn't arrive home till almost 10 PM... There was a whole leftover Pepperoni Pizza I took home... Our next meal arrived for me to prepare tomorrow... Since we still had hamburger/noodle casserole leftover, pizza and other things we needed to eat... I didn't thaw the next meal but added some extra wrapping and put it in the freezer... I did start snacking on Raspberry Danish that came with it... I would never buy the Raspberry kind usually the plain or apple... It was delicious change from my usual... Thursday:
Safety Town today Monkey learned a lot more about Bike Safety... He had a great time... He rode a big boy bike for the first time... He glued red, yellow and green circles on a black rectangle to make a traffic light... We all ran errands with my husband... It was a long and busy day... I was at Walmart yet again... We found Monkey a Dinosaur that roars and moves... Peanut we picked up a Diego Game that teaches Numbers and a Dora Game that teaches the ABC... We went to the Library, Dollar Store, and Grocery Store... We had another meeting about my oldest... Looks like yet another 10 days... I took a very refreshing nap... The power went out in the middle of the night for 2-3 hours... Having more storms and rain yet again... We didn't call and report the outage... We decided if it was still out in the morning then we would call... The weather wasn't bad temperature wise... It was the middle of the night... If my husband wasn't up doing some last minute things really late we would have never known it was out till morning when we saw the blinking clocks down stairs... Alarm clock has battery back-up so it will still Alarm if the power is out... It won't tell you the time but still wake up up as needed in the morning... When the power does come on you don't have to reset anything... Very nice feature to have... Friday:
I took the Seafood Casserole that was delivered out of the freezer to start thawing... The first week of Safety Town is over... Monkey took a tour of a School Bus today and learned School Bus Safety... he learned about School Bus Safety and toured a School Bus... I asked him what he thought of a School Bus... He said 'It has lots, and lots, and lots, and lots of SEATS!... LOL... His voice grew louder and louder as he talked till he yelled seats... He cracks me up... He made a School Bus as his craft... Peanut had ST at her new time today... It was drizzling when I dropped Monkey off... When I picked him it up it was a fabulously sunny day... Less then an hour later when ST was to start the buckets started falling... It POURED!!! Talk about flip flopping... Luckily by the time ST was done it had stopped... A friend of mine watched Monkey and Peanut during my visit with my oldest... He is the best I've seen him in MONTHS!!! I couldn't believe it... We sat and watched the trains... We also colored a picture of Scoop (Excavator from Bob the Builder) together... It was a lot of fun... The children were having such a great time that my friend and I really were able to talk... We never really sat and talked with each other before... It was nice to learn more about her family and tell her about mine... She is a really wonderful lady and I look forward to doing more things with her family... Her children and mine had a terrific time playing... I have really Thanked God this week over and over for what wonderfully supportive friends I have in FMCHE... I'm not sure how I would make it through this difficult time without their prayers and support... They are truly a blessing... I'm honored to call them all my friends...