Tuesday, August 25, 2009

The boys start 1st and 4th grade next week.. I can't believe it.. The summer has flown by. And like every summer's end, I start getting butterflies in my stomach.. full of worry and concern about the upcoming school year. Of course it's more about me, than the kids (of course!). I can't help but get taken back to my own childhood and the dread of going back to school. Then I have to remind myself that my kids actually LOVE school, and can't wait to get back there.. So whatever butterflies I get, I keep them to myself, and get just as excited as the boys do..

My youngest son is going to have the same teacher his brother had in first grade. Someone I really really liked (despite one of my first impressions of her.) And my oldest son is having a newer teacher, who was an aide in his first grade classroom. Someone else who I'm sure remembers our family well.. He also has his two best friends in his class again this year. I love that the school does that, I love how they foster good friendships and aren't afraid to let the kids be together year after year.

We still have shopping to do, haircuts to get.. but with 5 days left, we've got all the time in the world! Now it's time to get the kids out to the sprinkler, to try and soak in some last summer fun...

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Eighty

This was taken at my father in laws 80th birthday party.
It was a great time.. the entire family (except for one of our nephews in the military) was there. 80 is a big deal!
My father in law has had some health problems recently. He's been on dialysis for the past month or so.. and both his kidney's have failed. It's been a sad and stressful time for my husbands family.
I've known this man for almost 20 years. In some respects, he's been more of a father to me, than my own. I certainly see him more.
It was a great way to pay tribute to the man who so many love.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Still Potty Training..

My girls (who just turned 3) are not ready for the potty.. or I'm not ready to commit to teaching them how.. I'm a firm believer that kids will do it when they're ready.. and when their mother is ready, because right now, having a minimum of 7 kids here most days, does not afford me the time needed to teach 2 little girls the in's and out's of potty training..
My concern at this point, is training my 6 year old how to pee IN the toilet, and not ON it. I can't tell you how many times I have sat down to do my business, only to realize that I have just sat my ass on a very wet, nasty toilet seat. You would think I would have learned after about the bazillionith time, but most days I'm in a mad rush to finish up and get back to the insanity occurring outside the bathroom door.
Anyway, if he doesn't stop doing it, I've decided that I'm going to make him sit down and pee. Maybe right after he's soaked the seat.. let's see how he likes that!

Sass-A-Frass..

She actually asked me to take a picture of her like this.. boy, I'm in trouble!

BFF's...

Isn't it funny that people actually ask me if they are sisters? It's amazing how they can be so nice to each other, and yet so evil. This was taken on a particularly nice day when they were each other's best friend... cuties...

Black and Blue..

Can you see the yellowish/blue tone over his eye? The remnants of his concussion.. He's doing fine. In fact you would have never known that this boy had been in such miserable shape the day after it happened.. I'm contemplating putting a permanent helmet on him. I could do that right?

What Happens When Daddy's Left In Charge...


Ok, so this could have totally happened while I was alone with her, but it didn't! He was "only on the computer for a minute.." when she decided that green was a good color for her!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

Good Behavior Has it's Rewards..

The other day my family and I were at a local restaurant. Most times when we show up somewhere to eat, I can almost hear the fellow diners sigh, seeing me, my husband and our four young children arriving to most definitely ruin their dining experience.

This doesn't bother me one bit. I totally understand, and would most likely react in the same way. However, these people don't know that my kids are really, really well behaved in a restaurant setting. More so than any other place we've taken them. I think partially because they are naturally introverted, shy children, and perhaps the thought of some stranger commenting on their bad behavior would be just too much for them.

On this particular day, as we were getting ready to leave, an older woman came over to our table and quietly handed each of my kids a dollar. The man she was dining with thought they deserved some of their own money, for being so good. He was legally blind, and could barely see my kids, but commented on how quiet and well behaved they were.

It's times like these that I sit back and look at these wonderful little creatures, and wonder where the hell they came from!! And how on Earth, did I deserve them?? ;)

Thursday, August 06, 2009

My Pulse has Finally Returned to Normal..

As I type, my 6 year old is on the couch, asleep.. recovering.


This morning, when he was playing in my bedroom downstairs with his cousin and twin sisters, he jumped off my bed, hit my ceiling fan and fell to the floor.


Of course I didn't witness any of this because I am the wonderful parent I am, and was upstairs taking care of the rest of the household of children.


When I heard the crying, I went downstairs and found my mom was in my room already and my son was on the floor, grabbing his ankle, screaming out of control. I thought he had broken it. It wasn't until I got closer to him, that I saw the huge welt on his left forehead.


It only took moments for me to realize that this was no normal bump, and that the screams I was hearing were none that I had ever heard before. These were serious cries.. the ones that tell you in the pit of your mother gut, that something is not right.


He wasn't responding to me, and only continued to cry. I ended up having to carry him upstairs, and lay him on the couch, where he stopped crying and instantly started to fall asleep. After a phone call to the local Emergency Room, my husband carried him to the car, my mom stayed with the rest of the kids, and I drove as fast as I could..


Upon arriving to the hospital and after checking in, he started vomiting. Naturally I thought he had some sort of bleed in his brain, and that we were going to be airlifting him to a neurological hospital in Boston.


I was soon put to ease when the triage nurse told me that his vitals were all great, and that most likely it was just a concussion. Thank God. The mind of a mother in distress is a dark place.


The ER doctor thought it was best if they gave him an i.v. to administor meds to help him with the nausea, and to get a cat scan to rule out any sort of serious issue, like a bleed. I was more than willing to have any testing done. My husband was a wreck, more so than me, which is the way our relationship runs. He freaks out, and I calm him down. I knew at that moment, when I was holding his hand and they were strapping his arm to a board putting in the i.v. (while my husband stepped out of the room) that I would have my breakdown later.


The cat scan thankfully came back negative, and my son was a trooper through the entire ordeal. The dr. wanted to keep him there for a while to make sure his vomitting stopped.. eventually it did, and we were discharged with instructions to wake him every 2 hours for the next 24.


This will be his 4th visit to the ER for head related injuries (the other 3 were for stitches) The concussion has been the most serious. I'm going to try to sleep tonight, and not worry about him.. although how can I? My husband is going to stay with him, and wake him and find out if he still knows who we are.. and to make sure he's still breathing..

update: This post took me almost two days to write.. my son is doing great. At this point, one would never know that yesterday he was so sick.. in fact, as I type right now, he's playing with my wireless mouse, and pretty much driving me up a wall.. welcome back buddy! I missed you!