School's out for the summer and the pull ups are gone for good!

Well the kids are so excited to be finished school for the year. YAY for them. Now I just have to get busy keeping them busy so they don't get bored.

Courtney has Twisters gym club day camp for a week from the 16th to the 20th of July so that should be a blast for her. Swimming, hiking, and gymnastics. What more could my 8 year old girl ask for. I'm also going to sign her up for a club called girl power for a week in August where they do spa days together and all kinds of girly things together. That will be with her best friend so she will be in heaven doing that.

Jordan on the other hand will be a bit harder. He will have time at his bio dad's house which will be fun for him but he will be at home in the house during the day there with his dad's roommate who is a television addict so the time at home needs to be stimulating to make up for that. I don't think I wrote about this here yet but Jordan was entered back into public school the last term of the year after homeschooling for the first two terms. I also homeschooled him last year. He really needed the intense attention to try and help him get up to speed and stay on track. It was great for the first year and the first term of this year but the second term he must have started puberty because he rebelled against it all. I couldn't get him to stay on track with anything and then got a diagnosis of Lupus. I'm still waiting for a definate diagnosis but in short I didn't have the energy to force a 12 year old to do what he absolutely did not want to do. It was hellish. So I put him right back into school because it was not working for us any longer. He did fairly well. Lots of C- grades but they came at his grade level which is a miracle in itself. He is still reading at about a grade 4 level and is in grade 6 promoted to grade 7. I don't think they are doing him any favors by promoting him but I have stomped my feet and shed tears and nothing I say or do will change the fact that they will NOT hold him back. OK that was a bit of a rant. Sorry. Where was I.... Oh ya so I think I would really like to find a tutoring program for a couple of weeks out of the summer for Jordan. He'll be right excited about that. NOT but what else can I do. This week or maybe today we'll go to the bookstore and pick out some chapter books for him to read over the summer and at the end of each one I'll think of a reward I guess. I'll need to come up with some ideas. Maybe a new privlege. He really really wants to be able to walk down to the gas station/store. It's a 5 minute walk and 1 minute drive. Most of the time it takes is waiting to CROSS THE ROAD!!! That is where I'm freakishly paranoid. I should relax because he's 12 now and babysits his sisters and takes the bus to and from school very successfully. That would be a major reward for him if he read maybe a zillion chapter books. BREATH!!! OK one. Big one. Gosh if he know I was thinking this he'd be giddy with excitement. THEN though his sisters would want to go with him and that's not going to happen for me. RULES RULES RULES So anyway I will need to come up with lots of fun for Jordan over the summer. Waterslides with friends, maybe a nature camp, art camp, I'll have to look some up.

Reagan on the other hand. Hats off to my sweet 3 and a half year old who shed the pull ups at night now. YAY Reagan!! Way to go Ray Ray!! 3 nights dry now. We get her up whenever she stirrs in the night or wakes up and take her to the toilet and she goes. If we ask her if we can carry her to the bathroom to pee so she doesn't pee the bed she says yes and does it. I am so happy to not have to worry about running out of pull ups anymore.

Reagan will get lots of trips to the water park and swim in the pool here. There is so much to do around our home that she really stays busy all day long. Every day is an adventure for her. We can go for long walks up in the park area that we developed behind the house and pick wild flowers for the house. Count the bunnies and watch the crazy dogs of ours run with the deer. It's quite funny to watch. The deer around here are so used to us that they come right down to the house. The kids are really into building forts in the forest right now and determining what type of plants are safe for touching or not. Lots of poison ivy to stay away from. They learned the hard way. It's a beautiful day here. I want to take some pictures of the kids playing outside today and I need to cut the grass. It's a never ending job.

Taken sometime after all the leaves fell. This sweetheart is standing on the bank right beside the garage taking a peek at what we are doing in the driveway. We were cleaning up the leaves from the fall. There was acually another on right beside it but I just took a pic of this one.

Laurie

Sports day and I forgot my camera!

So here's our picture from when we arrived home. It was a looooong day with 3 yo Reagan running like a wild thing and 19 mo Maddy following her. Maddy (my sweet niece) had a blast playing and napped for 2 hours in the stroller at the end of the day. I was soooo ready for the day to be over in that last hour. The kids had a riot and Courtney was so proud to parade her sister and cousin around so it was a success. Too darn bad I forgot the stinkin camera. Swingset shots can be so cool too. My girlfriend on facebook had lots of pics of her son with Courtney in the shot for the activities so that's excellent for the memory book.
Here's our girl proud in daddy's jacket from his little boy lacrosse days. It got so darn warm out but she wouldn't take that jacket off. It just happened that she was on the red team and when I went to the closet this morning there it was. My mother in law had brought it with a box of stuff her last visit and I hung it in the closet. Weird because I soooo would not intend to put it on the kids but it turned out great. LOL It even smelled freshly laundered. Very weird...

My poor little Reagan got bit by a mosquito on the tip of her nose. For anyone else it would be no big deal but since Reagan was a baby we have thought at the beginning of each summer that she has developed chicken pox. Apparently she is just allergic to mosquitoes. Each and every time she gets bit it goes through the entire cycle of a chicken pock. So bit yesterday morning, swelling by evening, clear fluid pocket broke open by this morning, now we are this afternoon and it's oozing clear fluid. It looks very sore and I put some cortizone (sp?) cream on it. I really don't know what to do. Each and every doctor truly believes it's chicken pox. I know it's not. She's 3 years old now and she starts having it happen every June right through till September. I used to think I was crazy and cancel playdates all the time for fear of spreading illness. LOL This time I am using hydrocortisone cream and putting a bandaid right over it. She has not touched it once and says it isn't even itchy.

Jordan's lacrosse team is winning so far in the playoffs. They have won the first two playoff games. Not sure what happens next or if they go into another round or what. Dean is in charge of all things lacrosse.

Here's some pictures because well that's my favorite thing to do.

Don't worry mommy I'm just washing the sunscreen out of my barbie's hair.

She can find trouble in two seconds flat.

She's a mommy don't you know? You should see her breast feed her baby. It's a total riot of seriousness.

My boy!

He was trying to be a stinker but it turned out to be a great realistic shot of his face. I can't ever seem to capture "him" when I pull out the camera. He just gets all goofy.

Laurie

Remembering...

The kids with their cousin Bradley.

All of us 2 years ago.

I've been putting all kinds of pictures into a frame collage and I can't believe how much my little Reagan has grown up.





The kids look soooo serious in this picture.

Random Thoughts

Our black chow chow, Gracie feels a strong need to follow me into the bathroom EVERY morning and just as I sit down she wants to heave her front paws around my waist and hug me good morning. Sweet and all but come on dog can't you wait till I'm off the toilet. While I'm on the toilet subject our little Reagan monster thinks it's pretty funny to dip her rump into the toilet while sitting on the pot. I cannot convince her otherwise. She just howls with laughter at my reaction when I go to wipe her little rump and tells me she's cleaning her bum. I hate you is the new LOVE!! Darn those disn.ey movies and the I hate you comments. I'm just sick of it. The little mer.maid was how it all started. So when the kids say it I say "oh it must be opposite day. I love you too!"Then every time Reagan gets in the slightest bit of trouble she says "Mommy love Reagan?" over and over and over again. It's soooooooo annoying and I tell her yes mommy loves Reagan every second of every day no matter what. I'm sure it sticks because she tells her dollies that she loves them every second of every day even when they're naughty. LOL I just cannot for the life of me figure out why she thinks she's not loved when she's in trouble. None of the other kids have done that. My gosh and Courtney IS the drama QUEEN. All I can think of is that it must be a show or something. The monkey is with me 24/7 when she's not playing with her brother and sister and all there is between us is love and affection. Oh and a few temper tantrums when she cannot have something rediculous. She got in trouble for trying to play under the table last week at dinner at the grandparents house. She keeps telling me "You didn't love me under the table at Grandma and Grandpa's" My 12 yo son has found the inappropriate pictures on the internet. Thanks to learning all about goog.le and what you can search and see in school. I am lost. WHAT CAN I DO???? Is there anybody out there that knows how to put some sort of internet nanny on the computer. We have a kids computer downstairs in the family room and one upstairs. I don't spend as much time down there as the kids and my husband do. I need something. The kids all love the internet adventure games and really have a great time playing them. They have no clue about chat rooms and if the school teaches them about them so help me I'll go crazy. If there's anyone with any ideas please let me know. My friends all have young children and I'm the only one with a 12 yr old boy so I'm kinda lost. My husband thinks it's funny and says "hey! don't do that again!" and the giggling ensues. UGH! My Courtney has been doing well. She has been really enjoying reading and will get through an entire chapter book in a day or two. She's our amazing little 8 year old. I worry sometimes though about her frustration level because she will rage if there is any anger/saddness/emotion combined with the frustration. I'm not sure how that will pan out for her when she is an adult. I hope she learns some tools along the way to cope. There is no trauma in her life that she has experienced so I'm just not sure where it comes from. Daddy is a bit OK alot like her though I think. Time to get them to school. Laurie

Some pictures...

Cabin fun at the Shu Shwap this past long weekend.
I hate you mommy is the new I LOVE YOU!!! It just has to be or I'll cry. LOL
The dog who likes to hug you while you sit on the toilet. Sounds sick I know but she is so sweet.
This is Kovu and he is the uncle to Gracie. He is the most obedient dog in the whole world. He couldn't have more love in his heart. He is my amazing chow.

Fathers Day

We had a great day. Hanging out at home doing what we wanted to do. Relax without any agenda for the day. Dean put together his new super deluxe bbq that he picked out the day before when we were shopping. He is very pleased with it. I think he's a few bricks short of a load to think we need one that big but well enough said. The kids all love their daddy with deep never ending passion. They will cuddle and hug him and scream at the top of their lungs at him. No fear of communicating with daddy. LOL I enjoy the bond between Jordan and Dean and the way Dean supports Jordan as he grows up while I try to keep him young. LOL Jordan always knows that Dean is right their by his side and in trouble or not it's never too big because trouble from Daddy is never too terrible. As long as you are good listeners. The kids always know that their dad is a safe place to run to.

I'm really glad my kids have their dad.

Daddy with his first born daughter, Courtney. Still at the hospital.

Reagan at 6 months old with her daddy.

Reagan at 1 year with her daddy. We were at a wedding and she was scared of all the people.

This year's picture. 2007 All of us piled on daddy.

Laurie

SICK, SICK, SICK

I can't believe how hard this household has been hit this year with coughs, snot, eye gunk, puke and crap. Today...

My husband went to the doctor for the first time in 10 years because he has a pain in his left side and is feverish and sweating so bad. He can't even function. Gosh I hate when that happens.

Reagan has a fever for days now and coughing up gunk. Her eyes are both blood shot and putting the drops in her eyes that she needs is terrible. I have now deligated that to her father and she seems to do it much better for him. Reagan also fell asleep sitting straight up mid conversation with the doctor in his office and he was stunned. When I told him she does that after eating sugar some times he started scurrying around writing out requ's for blood and urine testing. Now that was fun too. I can't believe it never occured to me before. I just though she was one of those kids who didn't get hyper from sugar. I feel soooooo stupid now. I really am smarter than that. I hope and pray that the tests come back normal for her and she doesn't have to live a life of a diabetic. I would do anything for her without batting an eyelash but for her it would be a lifelong battle. I love her so much I hope its nothing. This coughing virus has her so wiped out that she's slept day and night for 4 days now. Up for 2 hours down for 2 hours all day and then sleeps through the night. Poor Reagan.

Courtney is coming to me in the night and asking for nebulizer treatments which she HATES with a passion but because they work for her that tells me she is really feeling rotten. Of course when she wants to go to a friends house she is miraculously better. She's a stinker but I'm on to her.

Jordan's asthma is totally gone off of the rails. Into the doctors this week to get him an action plan. He has never been like this EVER. It has only affected him when he had a chest cold. Now he carries a puffer around with him and uses it. I think he needs some sing.ulair or some kind of thing like that. He is really suffering and on that nebulizer every morning and every night for pulmicor.t and ventoli.n. I HATE ASTHMA and I can't believe I have passed this nastiness onto my children.

Me on the other hand am itchy for HEAD TO TOE!!! Why why why. The doctor figures it's from being out in the sun last weekend. Why now after all these years? I am going to go nuts from this itchyness. I've tried epsome (sp?) salts bath, baking soda bath, and benedry.l but I don't really want to take the prescription from the doctor because it will surely put me to sleep. OMG with this connective tissue disease I sleep enough already.


One foot in front of the other and no scratching. OK who get's the next breathing treatment?

Laurie

Reagan

Reagan is my youngest child. She is the baby I prayed and begged for and then took almost a year to get pregnant with. I was devastated that it took so long and gained 5 pounds every month leading up to that pregnancy because well what the heck I'm probably pregnant. Then when we finally found out she was a girl we also found out that she had an echogenic focci (sp?) on her heart. It's a small white spot of calcification on I think it was the left side of her heart. The doctors told me she could possibly have Down Syndrome. It was a LONG rest of the pregnancy and I was not prepared to have an amnio and risk the life it took so long to create inside of me. We have a couple of distant relatives with DS and I honestly was terrified. Those family members died young.
So on with the pregnancy and my rock in it all was the fact that my husband stood by me telling me countless times that we WILL love this baby no matter what happens. It changes nothing. I was still reading everything I could find. We told a few people but not my husbands family because we didn't want them at the hospital when she was born just to see if she was "OK". We knew that it would be about looking at her to see if she had "IT" or not. That was unacceptable to me. She was a little person no matter what her chromosomes (sp?) were. So of course when the little bean decided to be born 5.5 weeks early we were again worried that this could be a sign. After my 2 previous children were 10 lbs Reagan was born at a whopping 6 lbs 9 ounces by my 3rd c section. Dean and I studied all of the signs to look for and Dean took video of her entire first half hour after she left the operating room. I can hear him on the video tape asking the neonatologist if she had DS about ummm 50 times all nervous like. The doctor kept assuring him that she was a perfectly healthy baby.
They brought Reagan to me after I came out of recovery and everyone of course had a chance to cuddle her. Husbands family and mine. They put her in my arms and she was squeakily grunting when she took each breath and wouldn't even open her mouth to breast feed. I called the nurse into the room a few times and she finally took Reagan back to the nursery and the same doctor that examined her admitted her to the special care nursery. She was there with a feeding tube and an oxygen tent and heart monitors for 4 days before we took her home. Talk about a lonely hospital stay. Once she came home she ate, pooped, peed, and slept right up until her due date. She had to stay in the special care nursery because of her prematurity and nothing else.
She is wonderful and she is Reagan. We love her to bits and she is now 3 years old. Here is the first year video I made for her. It is long though. 10 minutes.

Test Post

Well I tried word.press and I think I like blogger better. It did take me 6 months to find a background template that I liked and I could figure out though. LOL This is just a boring mom blog about me and my trials with my wonderful challenging 3 kids whom I love with ever fiber of my being. I also struggle with a connective tissue disease in which the doctors have not decided which one it is yet. I also have the odd husband rant to be had. It always helps to write about it. LOL We also have a few fur family members in our household. 2 Chow Chows, Gracie and Kovu, 1 Himilayan Kitty, Texas and a Leapard Gecko (not so furry) named Tye. 33 gallon fish tank to clean too. UGH!!! Oh did I mention we house crickets for the Gecko and feed them before he eats them. Don't EVER do it!! LOL Fun for now. Laurie