Just us - there’s a little of the before, but mostly it’s the after...: May 2010

It is not often

that toddlers stand staring up at the naked impaled bums of potatoes.

This was such a cute activity...

would have been even better had the toddlers been able to reach the pieces for the potatoes!

(but that is what Mommy's and Daddy's are there for)

"The Good Ones"

You guys know that I have my key phrases that I use for a variety of situations.

I have added a new phrase and I am starting to think I just need to write a survival guide for special needs parents.

My new phrase is, "the good ones".

This phrase began when I was so incredibly frustrated with a situation lately and I was venting to the director at Addie's school.

The phrase just came out of my mouth and stuck and then I realized just how many times I have said it since that first time.

I have said it concerning physician's, therapists, friends and other parents.

It is so very fitting and it basically sums up my thought process...

It is "the good ones" that work harder, strive further and go beyond what they feel their "job description" entails.

It is the good ones that I keep and that we surround ourselves with.

I personally hope that I live up to the standards that I expect from others.

This is not a negative post

This is an informational post.

An informational post about what we encounter all the time....

For starters - please notice the smile that is plastered on my face.

Chunky Monkey wanted to get into the car with this little girl, so I helped Monkey up into the car.

This little girl immediately acted like my little Monkey had the plague.

Since Monkey got into the car and thought she had to invade the little girls space, I moved Monkey over to her own side of the car and sat her on the bench.

It was at this moment that the little girl looked at me and said,

"she has a small head".

With that same plastered smile on my face I looked at the little girl and said,

"Yes, she does and she is still beautiful".

That was the conversation ender and the little girl left...

leaving the little Monkey by herself in the car.

I am still trying to decide what type of t-shirt the little Monkey needs in order to display the quote:

"Carrier Monkey"

I think it should be in rhinestones on top of cottony soft blue fabric.

(Chris was on the other side of the little wall taking pictures and had no idea that he was capturing the little episode.)

(Yes, I know kids are kids and they have no filter...I just don't get why kids think she has cooties. I mean really...what the heck?)

Typical? You bet!

I don't know who ordered up this weather for Memorial Day weekend, but it is just horrible!

We had all intentions of spending the day at "our" pool today and going to a friends house on Monday.

The weather was just irritating today. We were stuck in the house all day until 6:45 when the weather finally broke. I grabbed Addie and decided to head to the pool for an hour.

I realize that it was way too close to bedtime and so Addie was crabby. She did fairly well after she got into the water and played for a few minutes, but when it was time to go...

life fell apart.

Addie started fussing, screaming and saying, "no".

I went over to her, picked her up, looked her firmly in the eyes and told her,

"please don't be one of those children".

The whole time all I could think was "how typical".

Aaahhh...life is good!

100% Certainty

I can say with 100% certainty, that Mr. Potato Head and the Chick-Fil-A Cow are evil.

Not as evil as clowns or scarecrows, but pretty high up on the demonic scale.

We had a great time visiting The McWane Science Center today...

just as long as we didn't get too close to Mr. Potato Head...

or the cow.

Just a bit of information and a great recommendation

Most of you have read before that I don't broadcast our entire lives on the blog, there is quite a bit that I keep private

Part of the information that I have kept private is the hard, hard work that Addie's daycare, awesome therapist and I have put into trying to get her ready to move up to the next classroom at school.

This is a process that started over seven months back and we are still not there yet.

It is a painful and difficult process.

Part of that process includes Chris and Me buying any type of item that is needed to adapt the new classroom to fit Addie's needs.

One of those adaptive items is a potty stool.

I took major issue with the thought of Addie having to use metal handrails - it just felt too "institutional" (if that makes sense), so I looked far and wide for the perfect item and found what I was looking for on Amazon.

We finally received the potty stool on Monday and after we put it together and put it into the powder room, it took Addie all of three minutes to figure it out.

I let her try it the first time and my silly baby girl didn't understand that she wasn't supposed to try to step UP onto the potty, so I had to redirect her and show her how to take her right hand and put it on the left rail along with her left hand and turn around.

Then came the process of getting onto the potty.

I will leave out the boring particulars, but I have two reasons for sharing this story.

~ I try to remember each day not to take for granted how easy it is for me to stand, sit, walk and turnaround. It is an effort and sometimes a struggle for Addie - it is heartbreaking.

~ If any of you are looking for the perfect potty stool to use for potty training or just as a "safety net" for your toddlers, I have found the perfect one! See below for the information for anyone interested!

Now that Chris and I have purchased one for daycare and feel it will work perfectly, now we have to buy three more for our house!

We use The Potty Stool in combination with the BabyBjorn potty seat!

Just a little tip from a Mom who has spent months researching potty stools!

Here is a look at it before we put it into the powder room.

It is very well built, sturdy and the perfect size.

Julien

Julien left tonight for an almost three week vacation.

He will be hiking, rafting and camping in Utah and Colorado.

I ask that each of you please say a daily prayer for him until he comes back home safely to us June 13, 2010.

I will keep a reminder posted at the top of the blog.

Any updates that I make to the blog will be made below the reminder, so just scroll down to see the newest postings.

I know I ask an awful lot from you guys, but prayers are needed.

I am ever so grateful!

Awards Day

Class of 2017

Oh boy...
I was not prepared for today.

How can I be the Mother of a 6th grader?
Well, I am not "officially" going to allow myself to be called that until August.
For now, I am officially the Mother of a son who just finished 5th grade and just so happens to be the best son in the world.
The one who got an award for art...

and for the A/B honor roll...he missed the A honor roll this last nine weeks.
You know what...he has a lot going on, a lot that most other kids his age will never have to encounter, so for him to "slip up" and make a B...it matters not one bit.

He is just so awesome.

I cannot wait to see how he continues to make me proud!
I think we have both learned over the years that the students who don't make honor roll are just as important as the ones that do - some kids just have to work harder or struggle more than others.

It was a hard, hard lesson to learn, but it put life into perspective and enabled me to really enjoy moments like this:

We are so proud of Julien!

Now and Then

Kim sent this to me.

There really is no explanation needed.

Almost three years later...

Our babies grew...

Just a little.

We are three very lucky and blessed Mommies!

(and I am one very blessed person to have these two beautiful women as my friends!)

(Once again, I don't know what was going on with my camera - the picture quality is horrible!)

My Momma?

When I walked into Monkey's classroom this afternoon, one of Monkey's teachers opened the door to the playground as soon as I walked into the classroom and the conversation went a little something like this:

Monkey's teacher: "Can I tell you how smart your daughter is?"

Me: "Absolutely, please tell me!"

Monkey's teacher: "Monkey saw your car and turned around and looked at me" and she asked me..."My Momma?"

Me: ....absolutely ecstatic....went and grabbed Monkey up and gave her a big hug!

Monkey's teachers were thrilled, Chris and I were thrilled - this is just wonderful!!!

Not only did she recognize our car, but she thought to ask her teacher if it was Me (and her Daddy). I could just imagine the thought process taking place for the little Monkey!

What a beautiful, beautiful day and what a beautiful sight for those who were witness to that moment!

The best PT in the entire world!

I have been blessed to find a handful of therapists and physician's that are truly heaven sent.

Heather falls into that handful.

We met Heather when Addie was an infant at The Bell Center.

Heather was the one who gave me hope and who responded to me when I voiced my fears.

Heather never sugar coated anything, but she never discouraged me either.

She would face every situation head on and instead of finding the negative, she would immediately lay out the options on what we would do to correct/move past/live with whatever the situation may be.

There was no "wait and see" mentality, she had the drive to push Addie every step of the way.

She is an amazing person and someone that I am honored to have as a friend.

The Bell Center Graduation

(I have no idea what was wrong with my camera, but the pictures from graduation turned out just terrible!)

Last Sunday, we attended The Bell Center graduation.

We were so proud of our little Trenton and Bergen - and all of the little ones that graduated!

I cannot believe that it has been over three years since I sat in a room with Trenton and Bergen's Mom's and watched as our infants struggled through each day of therapy.

We have come such a long way and I am so happy to know that I will get to see our little ones continue to grow together - there will be amazing accomplishments and beautiful memories that I look forward to witnessing!

Look at Trenton, just so proud of himself!

Bergen is just beautiful in her dress!

I'm not entirely sure that Monkey would know what to do if I put her in a dress with lace on it....sigh - maybe Bergen should have a talk with her.

Happy 21st Birthday Corbin!

Oh my goodness...I just can't believe it!

My cousin is now 21 years old...

WOW!

We had the very best time celebrating Corbin's Birthday with our family.

It was fabulous to sit back and enjoy the atmosphere and to vaguely recall being 21...

Enjoy every minute of it Corbin!

Before we know it, we will be celebrating your 30th...oh, wait just one minute...we have how many 40th's in the family to celebrate before you make it to 30?!?

(Stunned silence)

Chris had tough decisions to make...should he order red or white wine to compliment his cheese covered entree.

Oh yes...we are the epitome of class and grace.

C'Jay and MK kept Monkey entertained the entire evening.

I just love restaurants that cover their tables with paper and provide all the crayons a child could ever want!

Mother's Day - Part 2

The day was so incredibly gorgeous that I didn't want to go home after lunch.

I decided that I was going to forgo all grown-up responsibilities and personal deadlines and spend the day doing absolutely nothing at the park with my family.

It just so happened that we had a picnic blanket in the car, so we went directly to the park and had the best time - doing a whole lot of nothing...

besides posing for pictures and feeding the Monkey pretzels...

reading books...

being silly...

playing ball....

and sitting with my baby and watching my boys have fun.

It was by far the best Mother's Day that I have ever had.

Mother's Day

We started the day by having lunch with my family at The Bright Star.

My sister made reservations way ahead of time, so there was no wait - woo hoo!

Did somebody say ducks?

You guys might remember the SnuglyMat from last year.

The SnuglyMat that I waited so patiently for MONTHS to receive because Traci had so many orders for the SnuglyMat's that she had to shut down her shop over the summer just to fill the orders.

This year, I decided to beat the summer rush and order Addie's new nap mat early.

When I contacted Traci about a new nap mat, she informed me that she did not have any duck fabric in stock, but would be happy to consider making us a duck nap mat if I could find the fabric for her.

Well, it didn't take me long to find the fabric and Traci was just thrilled with the selection!

Once again, I am more than pleased with the nap mat from Little Brown Crane!

If any of you are in the market for a new nap mat for your little one for next fall, check out Little Brown Crane - I think Traci's work is pretty awesome!

Happy Birthday Daisy!

After the Buck Creek Festival, we went to Daisy's Birthday Party!

Daisy and her brothers are the sweetest kids and made us feel more than welcome at the party and it was such a beautiful event to witness.

This was the first time in Daisy's short little life of six years that anyone has ever acknowledged her birthday - how beautiful that she now has a family who will give her everything in life that she deserves.

Seeing her so happy to open presents was just wonderful and it was even more wonderful to watch her family find so much joy in the life that Daisy now has, because of their selfless choice.

Happy Birthday Daisy!

Thank you for inviting us to celebrate with you on this very special day - it was an honor!

Daisy was more than thrilled with the bubble maker that she received as a gift.

I can only imagine the batteries that this family will go through this summer!

This park didn't have the handicapped accessible swings, so Addie couldn't swing by herself, but she had the best time watching Daisy - who is crazy over the swings!

I have decided that the balloons that were given out as a party favor will be given out at our next party.
It was the simplest, best idea and the kids had the best time and it was great because we didn't have to worry with the balloons popping, just with the kids bopping each other on the head with them.