Lucky 13

13 years ago I stood in front of a young man who is now my partner and has held my heart for almost half my life. Back then I was niave and alturistic. I had pie in the sky hopes and dreams. I had no idea what I was doing.

13 years later some of those dreams (and others I had no idea about) are now a reality. However, my life is not and never will be a pie in the sky. I have often thought that I am glad we all must live life in linear fashion. As I look back on the years, I am not sure I would have had the courage to continue if I knew some of what would face Nathan and me. Yet, life has happened and Nathan and I have moved with it together.

Last night we sat and discussed our greatest accomplishments to date. The only rule was it must not be our children. The children are definitely up there, but them as a response would be way too easy. We were going with deep thoughts.

As we talked, I got an amplified sense of us as real partners. Sometimes I push at things and sometimes he quietly sits a waits for things to happen. At times we both puff up and bump heads. But together, we are a team. My affection, love and need for him grew again last night as I sat talking with him.

In spite of my niavity at age 20, God was with me and helped me make the right choice in a lifetime partner. I have been blessed beyond measure. God gave me the right partner to have as we moved from our first out- of- college jobs to our current jobs, became parents of a kid with special needs, and began working our way towards the "greater good" through education, service, ministry, and family.

In linear form, I am unable to know what will happen in the next 13 years. What ever it might be, my prayer is simple...By Your grace, my God go we...together.

Jugs and Drugs

Once in a blue moon we would get a snow day growing up. It was very once in a while because I lived in Missouri then and regularly went to school in knee deep snow. Now, occasionally we still get a snow day. It is more of a black ice and crazy driver day, but still I get the rush of getting a freebie. A whole day without schedule. An opportunity to do nothing and catch up on what ever I am behind in.

So this morning at 5:30 I started my wake up routine only to be interrupted by the house phone. The ringing felt odd at this hour and I thought, surely not, but deep inside I knew the caller was the bus dept. Nathan answered the phone and got the news, no school. This started to sound like a very elaborate joke, because we were not expecting no school. The weather didn't seem too bad outside - just amazingly cold. On came the t.v. and school was definitely called.

One of the great things about a day like today is the opportunity to linger at the dinner table. Tonight, while eating, Aaron started talking to us about girls with red dots who live in England and carried jugs on their heads. We explained this was probably India. He agreed and we kept the conversation going. He kept explaining about the jugs, and then he suddenly said he didn't know why they carried the jugs since he learned in school that you shouldn't do
jugs. They are dangerous. "Those girls dipping river out into the jugs should find something else to carry the river back to their villages." he said.

I tried to keep a straight face - but yeah right. That was classic. Jugs instead of drugs. These funny little miss understandings are exactly what makes living and working with children such a joy.

Crazy Weather

Will Rogers once said if you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, wait a minute. Well, I'm not in Oklahoma, but the weather here changed in about a nano second today. I rose to balmy seventy degree weather and left my first school in frigid weather about 11:30. Now I hear sleet and straight line winds outside. If it would all accumulate into a snow day, this weather would all be worth it.

Students as always were crazy all day as the weather dropped. I actually had 2nd graders hide under the table, kindergartners fall asleep and a third grader make strange noises in the middle of class. I saw my eldest child burst into tears four times today and my youngest was at fault for only three of them.

I guess the whole family is feeling a bit under the weather, both figuratively and literally. So it is nice to all be curled up and sitting on the couch, if just for a little while.

8 more days to Christmas break, but who's counting.

Fast Forward to Christmas

Our Thanksgiving holiday turned out fairly well. We roasted marshmellows, sang songs and told stories around a bonfire and ate loads of food. It was complete with all four of us having a stomach bug right before or during the holiday. That didn't stop us from going to Nathan's homestead and visiting, though.

Then we rushed right back to the daily grind complete with our own children and students believing that the Christmas holiday has already begun. Therefore, this week has been filled with lots of angst in regard to doing what before we have always done. Here are examples of what I get to hear daily.

"Mom, why do I have to do all the work." After unloading the dishes, one time.
"I don't want to do the project over. I can read it just fine." Sure you can read it, but your teacher's 40 year old eyes will not be able to see your pencil scratches on blue construction paper.
"My teacher says I don't need to study my sixes." Upon me asking him to study the morning of the test.
"I am not tiiirrred." Said while crying at 8pm when they got up at 6am.

It has been a littany of these little things. In fact, as I write this both boys have been sent to their respective rooms for fighting.

But I digress...

One of my most difficult lessons that I must learn over and over is that I don't have to be in the middle of everything. I went to exercise this morning and ran right into the parade and Home Town Christmas Extravaganza that our little town always has the first weekend of December. I immediately called my adoring husband and said we should join the bounce house fun that I saw before me. The cute homey crafts, hot cocoa, visiting Santa and the allure of being in the middle of excitement was sucking me in to their fold.

Unfortunately, I heard no excitement in my darling H's voice. He hates crowds and a morning filled with the revelry of Home Town Christmas is like death by a thousand nicks to him. The rest of my workout, I silently struggled with not going. I want to be there and see it all, and I wanted to rest. Back and forth, my thoughts pulled me. But in the end, logic prevailed. I reminded myself that Christmas doesn't have to be a continuous race to see it all and get it all. In fact, Christmas should be a time when you get to slow down and enjoy the blessings that we all have.

I can rejoice that I have (currently) two healthy boys, Nathan and I have good jobs doing things we love, and supportive family and friends. In the perilous world in which we all live, this is about as good as it gets.

So please, all who might read this, have yourself a very Merry and restful Christmas.

Also, please take a look at the blog prayforeli.blogspot.com The Ramirez family can use our prayers.

Singing In the Early Morning

Wednesdays come too soon each week. It is what the boys and I call our early mornings. The only good part of a morning when you have to leave the house by 6:45 is the quick run to Chick Fil A to get the chicken minis. We love 'em.

Unfortunately, we have been getting up later and later. Now, our 6:45 is more like 6:55 and Chick Fil A has gone out the window. But I still have to be at early morning duty at 7:15 and so, the boys and I rush around. Me rushing and the boys resisting. It is like a crazy tug of war, where the rope usually gets tied in knots and someone ends up crying. I was the crier only once, thank you very much.

Today started exactly like last Wednesday. Me prodding children along. Children roaming the house in search of forgotten items or just roaming the house. Needless to say, when I finally hit the road to school, we all needed a bit of a pep talk from God.

In goes the worship music and "How Great is Our God" begins to play. It is one of the most beautiful contemporarty Christian songs and one I love dearly. From behind me I hear a little high pitched whine that seems to be moving with the music. I am not sure if it is another morning fight and so I turn down the music and it stops. Up goes the music and the little whine begins. Suddenly it dawns on me that I am hearing singing.

I ask if someone is singing the song with me. And Aaron's little voice says yes with just a touch of embarrassment. I say great. Then let's all sing. I turn the music back up and I hear the most beautiful sound in the entire world. Two little voices singing about how great our God is. I did cry this morning on the way to work, but not out of frustration as the last time. Today were tears of joy at the pure love and faith my children were demonstrating - singing praises to God!

Bless them!

Pictures in the Camera of my Head

We got home today! The whirlwind camping trip was great fun. I do have pictures to share. Presently, they are stuck in my camera that has a dead battery. I'd love to charge that battery, if I could only find where I put the charger. It might still be at Camp John Marc. Right now if my Father in law is reading this, he is laughing and wondering if I have my glasses. Yes, I do. They are on my face. He has mailed them to me at least three times after I have left them at his house after visits.

So, instead of pictures of Isaac climbing walls, or Aaron painted to look like the most cool red and green snake in the world, readers will get the top ten list of things I forgot this week because my brain is just too full.

1. Battery charger for camera
2. calendar - left in the Doctor office bathroom on Friday - it is unfortunately still there and at least 45 minutes from home.
3. calendar - left in the Doctor office waiting room where I remembered it only about 10 minutes before I lost it again.
4. Lesson Plans - lost in the room I was working in and found after my classes were over.
5. Computer - Left at home
6. Computer charger - left at home the day before
7. My lunch - at least once a week left at home - Thank goodness for Chick Fil A
8. My children - left at the camp cafeteria, but don't worry it was only a short walk back to the cafeteria and they didn't even know I actually left them.
9. Lubricant for Aaron's cath - Somehow we made the whole weekend on 6 packets of lubricating Jelly.
10. My brain - don't know where I lost it and definitely can't get it back

Spina Bifida Family Camp

This weekend we are enjoying a family getaway accompanied by about 15 other families. It is SB family camp weekend and we are all at Camp John Marc. Camp John Marc is constructed in a way that people with special needs can easily access everything from the kitchen to the swimming pool. It is lavish and beautiful with deer grazing on the lawns and large sprawling oak trees. This camp is also where Aaron will spend a week of every summer enjoying complete freedom from his ever- present parents. It will be a wonderful experience for him when he turns 8.
Family camp originally came about as a help for those parents and children who shy away from that step to be independent. These weekends give parents and their kids a time to meet other children who will be at camp when it is their turn to go. We are an automatic group that understands the little things when it comes to SB.
For Aaron, I hope this weekend also allows him to bond with other people living with SB. He lives in a world with a different norm than his own. Understandably, this causes him frustration. So, this weekend lets him see all his friends and say to himself, look there are children living with SB just like me. No need to worry about what other people might think about his eye patch, cathing or scar here. At this camp people in general talk about the weather, what activities they will do for fun and the placement and size of their scars.
Being a family camp, it also lets Isaac meet new friends and try new experiences. This year Isaac climbed the climbing wall. I was very proud of this effort because it was such a challenge. He went at least 20 feet in the air and did it with only one little glitch. But hey, his mom wouldn’t do it at all. I am still amazed at his daring!
Tomorrow we drive home and back to our daily lives. We take with us the knowledge that we are not alone in our constant struggles. Their is a group of moms, dads and kids who are surviving the same trials that we do and that is comforting.

A Continued Frustration

It seems that each day is unpredictable in our lives. I am not talking about the weather, or something trivial like that. I am talking about Aaron's incontinence due to Spina Bifida. Today was a particularly bad day. For no known reason, this last month or so has been racked with issues. Perhaps it is him growing, or being in the school environment where he has little control over his input and output.

Last week, it looked like we had it all licked. Schedule is going fine and we are making it pretty well. Then today out of nowhere comes a day of complete ruin where the schedule is concerned. I often think how my little boy must feel taking wet clothes in a baggy into his classroom. He does this often. I have asked him if he wants to give up on the padded underwear and move back to something a little more absorbant, but he says no.

The unanswered questions are palpable in my head and I can't do anything about them but pray that it will work out and God will surround my little one with strength, faith, and family and friends that will love him even when his body refuses to work with him.

A lazy Sunday Afternoon

This looks like a lazy Sunday afternoon but looks can be deceiving. It seems that whenever I want to take a rest all the dogs find their way to my lap.

In reality, this was a brief ten minutes after teaching Sunday School, finishing off my mother's birthday cake, and completing a Turkey project with Aaron made completely out of seeds.

But if a 10 minute rest is all I can get on a Sunday afternoon, I will take it - even with a doggie blanket.

The boys were outside playing Knights in Shining Armor during this time, which could explain why the dogs were seeking my protection. 8 and 5 year olds yielding swords makes the back yard a little dangerous.

This Fall Season

This Halloween was a happy one. The week before Aaron and I spent the day with my parents at the Arboretum while Nathan and Isaac camped. Seeing as I had just spent a night in a tent, I was glad to not be sharing that experience again. My sinuses are really made for the air conditioned indoors. We also carved pumpkins this year. We each have one, but Aaron's never got carved. Anger reared its ugly head again and then he was too proud to admit that he might need some help, so he just ended up coloring all over his with black sharpie. It still looked pretty scary, though.



Two days before Halloween our church had its annual Harvest Festival and costume night. It is always fun to see all the kiddos dressed up and then to do Carnival style games. There were literally 2500 people who came to our church! Crowded was an understatement, so we didn't stay too long.



Halloween night was really great the boys loved going around the neighborhood. We saw tons of people and neighbors. It really was fun! At the end of the night, they even got out the camping chairs and did a little giving of the candy. I think they were just as excited about this part of the experience.



I am posting the picks from this in a new slide show. I hope you all (whoever you might be) enjoy! By the way, sorry it is a link and then you have to make it a slideshow by clicking instead of all the work being done. I am frustrated that I can't figure out how I did this before. Oh well. If any out there know how to get picasaweb to make the cute one I did with my Galveston slide shows then please let me know!

HOA

Most fairly new neighborhoods have an HOA these days. These organizations of human conformity mean to keep the community beautiful. In their pursuit of beauty, we have received another "nicely" written notice that we need to weed our front yard. In went something like this:



We are writing to inform you that you must have overlooked the enormously large amounts of weeds that have killed all your grass in the front yard. Please rectify this situation immediately, or pay the dire consequence of being the worst land owner on the block. Oh yeah, we could also fine you. We love to fine people a minimum of $50.00 because they do not want to conform to our understanding of the beauty that is a well maintained and perfectly green front yard. Sincerely, Your ever checking, measuring, and scrutinizing HOA.

Ok it wasn't that bad but, we do have a weed issue. Our weeds are not the gangly type that grow up past the grass and sprout nasty nobby little burrs that catch on socks. These weeds lie low to the ground and at the present moment they are flowering. We have had them all summer but up until now they were green like our sparse grass. So from a distance green meant lawn was being kept up tidily and HOA left us alone.

The white mass of weeds have now given us more than the plain green lawn would ever give. Outside today, the boys and I stumbled upon three monarch butterflies feasting on my weeds. They fluttered to and fro and gave us such a wonderful moment of peace. The boys and I paused on the sidewalk and gazed at God's glorious creatures.

I guess we will eventually comply with our HOA. But, for now...I think our lawn mower is broken.

The Case of the Milk Nabber

Saturday, I made the weekly trip to "The Walmart". I am to the point that I really don't like Wal-Mart. It is big, crowded and, really, not that much cheaper than the other grocery stores in town. It does have an Optometry Center, though and that is where I needed to go. Yet again, I needed to straighten out the badly shaped frames resting precariously on Aaron's nose. Being Walmart, it was open. So, in I went.

Like all Walmart shoppers, I found myself thinking that I might as well get the week's groceries and not make two trips somewhere. Yep, I was falling right into the dark and dangerous schemes of Walmart's Top Brass. Get 'em in and they can't leave for under 100 bucks!

Aaron and I shopped, and then went to the check out line. Amazingly, there was only one solitary man checking out in front of us. I unpacked my cart and began browsing the magazine rack. After about half of some cheesy entertainment magazine, I felt a tug at my shirt and heard Aaron ask why the man in front of us had taken our milk. As it happens, when Aaron talks, I usually don't believe him. This is one of those sad consequences of a boy who continuously tries to get out of trouble, but as I scanned the conveyor belt I saw no milk.

"What did you do with the milk?" I questioned Aaron. Indignately, he looked at me, mouth gaping and pointed to the man wheeling his cart toward the exit.

I grasped what Aaron was saying about the same time that the clerk did, and she turned and caught the man and tried to explain the mistake. "No, he said. I bought milk, too." She turned and looked helplessly at me and stated that this man obsconding with my milk had told her it was his. But, where was my milk that I had put on the conveyor belt? I told her my milk color and make. I looked in my empty cart to just be sure milk wasn't hiding there.

Sure enough the milk in his cart was the brand and color I usually buy, sure enough my milk (that I can visualize getting out of the case at the back of Walmart) was also not there. The man just stood there and shook his head at us like we were all idiots. And out the door went my milk.
The clerk did go get me more milk, but I have to wonder if that man really knew what was going on, or if he was a MILK NABBER!

11 days

I can't believe it has been 11 days since I last posted anything. That's a tale tell sign of how busy we have been. We have had piano, soccer, grad school, boyscouts, a camping trip that turned into a sinus infection for me and a new dog to top it all off. The school year is flying by with homework, projects and loads of activities. It seems that we can barely catch our breath.

Here is a top 10 list of the most exciting portions of our lives over the last 11 days.

1. Getting Marley our new Shepherd Mix dog from the pound.

2. Introducing Marley to Pete and Harriet - keeping them from killing each other for the first day. Now they are best friends.

3. An Eye Doctor visit, Pediatrician Visit and a Urologist Visit. - All is well, but Aaron's eye sight is really bad! We are now using the eye patch four or more hours a day - like it or not.

4. Camping for one night at a local lake and watching Marley play in the water.

5. Aaron goes a whole week with good behavior at school!

6. One nature hike where lots of fishbone pictures were taken.

7. Isaac is exited from the Speech program at school - He has come a long way, baby!

8. Aaron keeps the patch on his eye for several hours without complaint.

9. Boys attend their first ever bicycle rodeo.

10. One 30 minute nap today after I finished writing my 3rd paper for graduate school.

Whew! I am tired just remembering it all. Below is a pic of our newest family member.

A Strict Policy

Yesterday we sat in a popular restaurant eating a late dinner. A t.v. buzzed behind us and Isaac kept looking at it. Suddenly, He yelled. "Hey, that's Barack Obama" and right after that announced John McCain had filled the screen. He looked at us with great importance and then made the announcement that he would like to be President someday. Well, that's cool. I could be the first mother. I might even get a secret service detail out of the deal.

Aaron, of course, wanted to join in the conversation. He stated that president wouldn't do for him, but he would like to be a judge. That of course, prompted a discussion about which had more power a judge or the President of the United States. Then out of nowhere, my 5 year old, kindergartner stated that if he was judge he would ...Now brace yourself...I swear these are his words....

"Make a strict policy on pizza" I looked at Nathan and then at Aaron and I repeated "a strict policy" Those words just came out of my child's mouth. Where in the world did he pick that up and then use it in a sentence that made sense. (well, mostly)

A policy on pizza, I asked. What kind? "A policy where I could eat it whenever I want!" Aaron stated with a smile. Yep, it was used correctly.

Goodness, my children don't miss a beat!

My Three Joys

I am sitting tonight in a hotel. I have called my children and husband and said I love them and miss them. I can't wait to see them again. As I sit here tonight, I think about the boys' sweet voices over the phone and how much I miss being able to take my hand and brush their hair or rub their backs.

I have thought about all the things that my loving husband has given me and sacrificed for me and my happiness. Too often, I do not tell him this. (Don't tell anyone, but I can be a bit critical)But he is perfect for me and I delight in his abilities, kindness and love.

Earlier today it struck me that I almost feel empty. I am so connected to my three Guys. I am proud of them, love them and at times I have been known to fight for them. I want happiness, love, and most of all for them to be right in God's will.

Tomorrow I will be back at home and I know I will sense the feeling of peace that comes over me knowing that the ones I love the most in the world are just a breath away.

Checking up on Grandma

About three Saturdays ago I was asked to make sure that my grandmother was doing ok. Mom and Dad were on a hiatus down south a little ways speaking at a conference. Since Grandma spends her week days alone, my mom didn't want her spending this particular Saturday alone as well.

At approximately 10:30, I made the short drive over to my parents house. I had been told the back door would be unlocked. I was to just walk in, check on things and perhaps make a little small talk. When I got to the back door, however, I found it locked up tight as a drum.

I knocked and hoped that Grandma might be able to hear me. As I stood at the backdoor I realized the inevitable. Grandma can't hear us across a table at dinner. She wasn't going to hear me knocking at the door. Perhaps she would hear a ultra loud new doorbell at the front of the house. Around the house, I trekked. I say trek because the bushes around the front walk are overwhelming and my parents can not seem to get them trimmed properly. When I finally rang the doorbell, I heard the chimes ringing from inside the house. I waited. And I waited. - Nothing, again.

Back around the house I went. This time I banged on the glass windows and the door. Still no movement from within the house. I was beginning to feel slightly panicky. After all, Grandma is old. What if her time had come on the day I was supposed to drop in. What would I do? I pushed those thoughts away and sallied up to her window. I could hear a faint droning inside and felt sure it was the t.v. I leaned over the prickly holly and knocked on the window. - Nothing- Not to be daunted (or have to tell my mother that I had not actually seen Grandma all day) I flattened myself next to the corner of the house and worked my way to the window, the prickly holly to my backside.

I reached the window and had the sudden thought that I might be able to open it from the outside. It might just be that the window would be unlocked here. As luck would have it, Grandma's window was unlocked and I began to push upward hoping to make entrance from the outside. As I pushed on the window, I looked in through the blinds to find Grandma on the phone. Part of me wanted to just let Grandma be, but then she was expecting my company, so I carried on trying to push open the window.

Well, I pushed a little too hard and the window fell inward knocking over a standing lamp. I was now leaning inside the house, holding up the window and trying to right the lamp. Grandma was still jabbering away on the phone. "Grandma", I yelled at the top of my lungs. I was maybe 24 inches from where she was sitting in her lazyboy. She was oblivious! I yelled at her again. And again. Still nothing, but I continued to yell in the hopes that something might change. Finally, she told her phone companion that she could hear what sounded like my boys at the front of the house. She hung up. I continued to yell, thinking that surely she would now hear me trying to get her attention while holding up the window only inches from her chair.

She lifted herself off the lazyboy and got her walker. To my amazement, she went towards the hallway. She still couldn't hear where the noise was coming from. By some sort of grace, at the door of her room, she turned to see her youngest granddaughter half in the room, holding up the window and lamp. Her only statement "My goodness! What are you doing there!?"

Time

One of the best and worst things about time is that it passes - and quickly. When I read a nightly "chapter" to my boys time passes very fast. When I spend an evening with friends, time passes very fast. On Christmas day, time passes very fast. And this crazy busy week has passed by very fast!

Since my last post I have accomplished lesson plans, half of a graduate paper, and have helped to begin a 3rd grade project on Deserts. We have also, mostly finished the work on the rent house. At least, 7/8 of the house is painted, the house dusted and vaccuumed, paint scraped off counters and cabinets, light bulbs put in, new toilet seats have been attached and a door knob added to the bathroom door. In the least, I am feeling slightly accomplished.

A Day in Our World

I feel like all my creative ability has dried up with the responsibilities that are now sitting upon my husband and me. Cute antedotes and funny happenings haven't stopped occurring around me, but the time to reflect and write about the humor has evaporated before my eyes. And of course, by the time I am able to reflect and write I can't remember what was so funny.
So to commemorate how crazy my life has been (be it my fault or not) here is a rundown of my week.

1. Wake up at 5:00 and am at school until 4:00 at least every day during the work week
2. Class on Monday until 9:00p.m.
3. Tuesday Cubscout meeting after school, soccer practice after school, and the Mayor gives a commodation to scouting, so of course we go.
4. Fill out paper work for scouting
5. Husband goes to paint the rent house again. - He has been painting nonstop since Sat. Morning. I get the boys to bed, make lunches, do homework with them, clean the house.
6. Wed. - more painting, I skive off choir and help clean the rent house, come home and get boys to bed, homework done, and reclean the my house.
7. Thursday hasn't happened yet, but I have already been warned that renters will move in around 7pm and we have until then to complete painting, cleaning, repairing odds and ends and mowing the lush jungle that was formerly known as the backyard. Of course we both will be at school until 4:00 and Nathan won't be in until after that sometime.
8. Friday - Husband works football game
9. Saturday - Soccer game and scouting event that will last all day
10. Sunday - Teach Sunday School, Cubsout planning meeting and I will probably be trying to do a ton of homework during the weekend that I haven't gotten to yet for my graduate school that I thought was such a great idea last June.

My question is this. What happened to the "Leave It To Beaver" world I thought was and adult's life when I was a kid? I remember wanting to be BIG so badly as a child. Now all I would like to do is go right back to kid-dom.

Anyway, cheers to survival and to keeping my chin up. :-)

Surgery Went Well

It has been a whirlwind weekend. We did the day surgery on Friday, Nathan worked a football game friday night, and since then he's been painting the inside of our rent house for all of Sat and Sun.

Now I is close to nine pm and I have finished making sure the boys' have their schoolwork in order. I still have lesson plans to do and my house isn't up to where I want the babysitter to see it tomorrow.

So, this is very short post to say that I am ecstatic about how easy this day surgery was. Aaron commented on it during our drive home. After all, the last time he went into surgery it was a four day stay in the hospital with many tubes to care for after. This time the Doc didn't even make an incision. He simply threaded all the needed materials strait up Aaron's penis and injected the Deflux strait into his urethra. The fact this can be done is simply amazing. Saturday we had great day. We were completely dry between three hour caths. Today, it didn't work so well, and I am wondering if we are still experiencing bladder spasms from the UTI. It is a wait and see game from here on out. I am just praying this works well enough to keep from having to eventually do a bladder augmentation.

Aaron's Life 3

I realized tonight that I haven't blogged since Monday night and I left any would be readers hanging regarding Aaron's fate. Aaron has been on antibiotics since Tuesday for a UTI and will have day surgery tomorrow. Aaron will arrive at the hospital at 7 and should be in surgery at 9. The Dr. said it could be a short and 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours in the actual surgery. Hopefully, when all is said and done, Aaron will get an extra hour of dryness.

Isaac has gone to spend the night with Papa. He is very excited to have Papa take him to school tomorrow and eat lunch with him at school.

Of course, Aaron asked me when he got to spend the night with Papa. Papa joked that he could spend the night when Isaac went in for a surgery. Ha Ha Dad. I am sure Aaron will get his chance soon enough.

When we got home from dropping Isaac off, the first thing Aaron said was how much he wished Isaac was with us. It's nice to know that even though Aaron often looks for ways to fight with Isaac, he still loves him.

Thank you all for praying for Aaron tomorrow.

Aaron's Life 2

I am so excited. It looks like the preliminary urine culture was wrong and Aaron does have an urinary tract infection. Of course, I don't like him feeling bad or hurting in any way, but yippee, it's an easy fix.

Many questions are now raised as to whether he will have his surgery on Friday. I will need to call the dr. tomorrow. But it can always be rescheduled and I am still rejoicing in the small stuff.

Aaron's Life

In the midst of all the crazy schedule changes, early mornings, late evenings and hurried trips to well, everywhere, Aaron has been having a rough week bladder wise. Nathan and I have gone over Aaron's in take, out put, etc with a fine tooth comb so far and can't figure out where the problem is occuring. We took Aaron for a urinalysis this week too, but it came back fine. This is not the comfort people think it might be due to the fact that the symptoms persist and now there is no real reason. Plus, we will have a couple bad days and then a good day when things look like they are going well, and BOOM, back to a bad day.

His Urologist believes we need to wait a couple weeks to monitor his progress or regression. It seems that the symptoms could mean anything from schedule changes to a tethered Spinal Cord. This is also not comforting, since in the summer the only real schedule each day was that from what ever time we got up til bed was that we cathed every two hours. We just aren't scheduled people. So he is actually on a much more rigid schedule now.

At any rate, the ugly part of Spina Bifida is now raising its head. Aaron told me yesterday that he wants to go back to pullups all the time because he hates being wet. I just get frustrated that we can't pin point a reason. A feeling of helplessness keeps trying to wedge its way into my brain. But, I will persevere and not let it get to me .

So there is nothing to do but wait and see and pray. Aaron is also having day surgery on Friday to try and elongate our times between potty. I would appreciate prays for that, too. It is always scary to be put under. This will be Aaron's 6th time, I think. He will have an injection into his urethra. I am not sure what that does, except hopefully give us another hour before heading to the bathroom again.

Thanks for praying for us this week. I will definitely post and let everyone know how it went.

Vaccuuming in a Whole New Way

Jasmine has been in our family since I was 15 or 16 years old. That makes her a very old cat. With age has come problems. Her back hurts her very much and so she can't clean herself like she used to. She also will not have anyone touch her back without much hissing and carrying on. So, yesterday my mom found a fix for the grooming problem that has developed. Please view her cat grooming ingenuity.

Cowcium

In a conversation at lunch today, the topic of what exactly milk was came up. Wanting to be exact, my mom began to explain to the boys that is was made of Vitamin A and Vitamin D. Before she could get the word calcium out, Nathan spouted something like "and don't forget Cowcium" Not noticing this small change in pronunciation, mom said "Yes, calcium too." Nathan, not to be daunted due to the miss of his pun. said it again - Cowcium. My mom looked over and smiled in that sweet way she has (which really means - Hey, I just said that. What is wrong with you - and said "Yes, calcium" Nathan again repeated "cowcium." At this Aaron finally got the joke and said "Hey that sounds just like Cow. It makes sense!" And began to giggle profusely.

I guess the reason G didn't get the joke that Aaron got is simply because - well it really was 5 year old humor :-)

First Day of School

If anyone had asked me Sunday if I was ready for school. I would screamed in anguish, ran around in circles like a chicken with my head cut off and then sat down to weep at the frustration of it all. Never did I think it would be so hard to get one boy into kindergarten.

Nathan and I have spent the last week becoming intimately accustomed to the bureaucracy of hospital record departments and how they relate to the outside world. We have also been around the block with our own school district about how to best get my kiddos from point A to point B after school. And finally, Friday Aaron came down with a nasty case of strep throat which led to antibiotics which in turn caused a great deal of intestinal issues.

As the popular country song states "If you're going through he** , just keep on going" Well, that is what we did. Today, Aaron entered the hallowed halls of his elementary school. He participated in his first day and reportedly liked kindergarten. His only reservation was the nurse, who (by his own account) he likes personally, but doesn't like going to see her all the time.

Isaac said his day was awesome!!!!! He met a new friend and knew four other students from last year. No fun for him though, 3rd grade is all about work. Today was the first day and he did math, and reading.

Here is a pic of Aaron entering his classroom. I am not sure of the emotion he is expressing here, but everything was all smiles at the end of the day when I got home. Notice how he doesn't have any glasses. He spent his first day in a fuzzy state, since I ushered him out of the house without glasses or his special timer watch. Ooops.

2 AM Worry Attacks

Now all of you who know me well understand that I worry. Here I am on a thundering rainy night at two a.m. worrying about my life in general. I blame it all on the kids really because before them I don't ever remember waking up like this and not being able to go back to sleep. Now, however, my mind simply races.

Tonight my mind races around the fact that presently my boys have no transportation to my campus after school. To make matters worse, at this point (due to numbers) they can't transfer to my second school, and Aaron has needs that make it difficult for him to be left on a bus for too long or to be left and entrusted to someone who doesn't know the medical world fairly well. I also have no home of my own as I now share a room with two other teachers. I am trying to figure out how to organize/squeeze 9 years of teaching materials and books into their rooms with their collective 20+ years of materials and books, while also holding on to the minute possibility that I might actually get a spot of my own that will unfortunately need a lot of cleaning! And adding to all this frustration is that we still don't have our rent house rented and September is sprinting up behind us. I can hear its feet pounding in the distance and getting louder. Did we remember to put in an advertisement to the fact that we have a rent house ?- um no! Why? - ummmmm, no idea!

Now taking one of these at a time (with the exception of not knowing what my children will do after the first day of school) would not put me near the edge of fear. But borrowing on the principal of compounded interest from accounting and using it to measure my fear at what the future holds for us in the next two weeks...um well I just became a fear millionaire - without any real moolah - unfortunately.

But as I laid in bed wide awake at an hour when I should be asleep, thoughts of where fear comes from begin move into the sides of my brain and push to the front.

Fear is not of God because God is in control of everything. If I have faith, then I need not fear. God has never let me down, ever!

Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you" declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Phillipians 4: 6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, present your requests to God and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

I have felt the peace that transcends all understanding and covet it again as I return to my bed. I am choosing to be greatful for my life at the moment, choosing to see all this as an opportunity and a blessing waiting to be revealed because I don't have God's whole plan outlined to me. If it sounds like I am talking myself into having faith, well I am. But I have discovered that faith is not a feeling but a decision to believe even when circumstances look impossible.


Now with that...back to bed and hopefully to sleep!

Canoeing

At the present, I have a huge black bruise on my right hip. It is a bit painful to sit. This bruise is my badge of honor and remembrance for the family's last summer fling - canoeing down a river.

I have done this before a few times, but never with my children in tow. The boys have experienced a canoe on a lake, not on flowing water. As for Nathan, well, he didn't take his fishing pole. So, for all of us there was something new. The word adventure floated through my brain Thursday on the drive to the Guadalupe.

Our adventure had many rocky parts, but the figurative rockiness began immediately. Where Nathan had decided to put in was not navigable and so we headed disgruntedly to a new location where there were more tourists, and I was afraid less nature to awe the kids.

We finally situated ourselves carefully in our canoe almost two hours later and began to paddle down stream in the midst of many other people tubing and floating the river. Soon we broke free of the tubing tourists and were basically alone. Out ahead, I saw some rapids and began to straighten up and told Nathan to get ready. I knew we could handle it. Visions of happily screaming boys, of a family working the rapids together and bonding all the way sped through my mind.

But for some reason, when we did get to the rushing water, the canoe went to the side and the water beat against the largest part of the canoe, and pushed it onto its side. When we tipped, my hip and leg got the brunt of the collision with the rocks below, but I was able to stand up fairly quickly. I was laughing at the unfortunate event and looked around at my family to see if they were sharing in the exhileration of our first real adventure. I, however, was the only one laughing. Isaac was crying while holding a scraped finger. Aaron was holding onto the edge of the overturned canoe looking stunned . Nathan was scowling at me like I tipped the canoe on purpose. We got the boys back in the canoe and then pulled it out of the rapids with the help of some people fishing from the bank. All was well, and I thought everyone would soon find the whole thing great fun. I was wrong. 15 minutes later, Isaac is still crying, Nathan is being plain surly and Aaron wanted to go home.

Finally 15 minutes or so down the river we found a sandy area to take a break and eat. The pained fingers and bruised legs and egos were soon forgotten as the boys and Nathan climbed rocks and looked at little fish swimming in the river. We were having fun again, and that made me happy.

We finished our short excursion down the river. I am ready to go back and to do it all over again. The boys are leaning more towards riding on motor boats, but I am sure that as they grow they will always remember our first canoe trip.

Sorrow

It has been a difficult last 24 hours. There I was in the San Antonio area getting ready to spend a lovely day with the family when my phone rang and I got devastating news. A child that I had known past away.

It is difficult enough to fathom why children suffer, but a child who dies is unimaginable. I have never actually known a child who has perished until Saturday. This child was one month old and diagnosed with Spina Bifida just like Aaron. In fact, in many ways her SB mimicked Aaron's. She had good leg movement, a VP shunt to control hydrocephalus and a low lesion. Her Dr's were Aaron's Dr's.

It is not known at this time why this little girl that I held in my arms on Monday past away this Sat. She seemed fine and thriving. My heart aches for her mother and father. I am at a loss at how to describe the feelings that I have regarding this subject.

I ask those of you that read this blog to please pray for this family who has lost their only daughter before her life really even got a start.

Thank you.

"I'm A Genius"

In a state of incredible self esteem, Isaac announced to me this evening that he is a genius. Now, personally, I believe this to be true. I am pleased with the fact that at his tender age of 8 he feels like he can create what he wants, own the world, and self actuate himself. I am very aware that in a few short years all his feelings of assured ability will change due to adolescence. I am praying that he will be strong enough to muddle through that time and come out on top.

However, tonight, Isaac is not worried about his teenage years. He is just happy he has learned to open my locked bedroom door with one of those little plastic bread closures. You know, the ones on every unopened bread bag in the grocery store. His grin went to both ears as he stood in front of me and giggled at his new found ability. He now has the power to open my door whenever he wants. He has a little more control over a bit more of the house. He has a little bit of access to my secret quiet times. (As if I really ever get these) At this point, Isaac stood in front of me and said "I'm a genius. Can you write about this in your blog?" Well, how can a mom say no to that!

I was not angry at Isaac for stripping away my momentary peace, however. Seeing his glee and triumph are all it takes for my annoyance to be tempered with joy. It is my prayer that I will see the same glee and triumph in years to come. I hope it never fades!

People in Pictures

I need to learn how to make captions for the slide show, but until then I wanted to tell everyone about the extra children in the slide show. The one picture of 5 kids(two of them mine) standing in a row in front of the Rainforest Cafe are Cody and Trish Blair's. We know them and purposefully met them in Galveston. But the other children seen playing in the sand and walking on the beaches are short term friends that my boys made on the trip. Nope, we are not shy!

Galveston Part 3 - the Upheaval

I just reread my Galveston Part 2 blog and realized that my brain was on vacation, too. Oh the run-ons and fragments! It will be revised soon!

We are now home again. As we drove into our neighborhood, I told the boys to look around and tell me where we were. Aaron piped up quickly. "We're home! I love home! It is so cuddily!" That statement warmed my heart to know that the boys enjoy home as a place of comfort and relaxation. As much as the beach was fun, home is always better.

Yesterday, Nathan discovered that the open waters of the gulf are not his friend. He came back from his 12 hour fishing trip with a vivid knowledge of the boat's cabin and bathroom. Unfortunately, as soon as the fishing boat rounded the jetty to open sea, Nathan felt the first 4 foot swell of water raise the boat and plop it down for the next swell to raise it up again. As the boat came down everything inside of Nathan went up, and Nathan's fishing day was over. This was especially sad for Nathan who has been wanting to do this type of fishing excursion for the last 5 years and had finally talked me into it.

Cody, Nathan's long time boy scout buddy, went with him and caught plenty of red snapper for both Nathan and him. So considering red snapper is 18.00 a pound at the local market, we feel the trip was still successful. But the dream of retiring to a sea worthy vessel and fishing for pleasure and money as gone by the wayside. As Nathan said, that dream has set sail without him. From now on, he will crab and do wade fishing where his feet can be on solid ground.

For the kids and me, yesterday was simply a day at the beach and pool.

We have only 18 days left of summer vacation. I felt a little heart palpatation just now at the thought that our summer will soon be over and our winter schedule will soon swing into high gear. As for now, I am determined not to think about it.

Galveston Part 2

When we got up yesterday, we had no plans. We tooled around the condo for a while and then decided to go see the shrimp boats come into the dock. We got to the dock about 2 hours too early for the shrimp boats and then decided to drive east. As we drove down the seawall, we saw a sign for the ferry. It has been dubbed the "poor mans tour" and since we like it when things are free, we rode. On the tour we saw pelicans, sea gulls, and dolphins.

We spent the afternoon at the beach and pool. Where Nathan caught many crabs and saved Aaron from drowning one time. Nathan and Aaron had gone walking in the water with our friend Cody and his girls. Aaron was walking a lot faster than Nathan and we both realized he was way too close to the rocks for safety. So we started moving faster, but I was still on the beach and Nathan was about10 feet from Aaron when Aaron took a step and was suddenly no longer above the water. His head came up and he was treading water (thank you swimming lessons) Nathan thought he was just lying down on a sand bar. So, Nathan was still leisurely getting around to reaching Aaron. I, however, was panicking and running toward the rocks. When Aaron's head went down the second time, Nathan knew he was in trouble and grabbed him moments later. The only injury was Nathan's leg which was scraped and bleeding. All I can say is that Life Jackets will be worn at all times today! Constant Vigilance.

Finally around 10:00pm we packed it in for the day and watched Shark week while thinking about the hidden dangers in the Gulf. Tomorrow, Nathan is going to sea for a deep sea fishing trip and I will be with the boys at the beach all day. I am nervous about being alone with them in front of a vast water source riddled with sharks. Funny how I am alot more relaxed when I have Nathan around.

Galveston, Texas- Part 1

We have been in sunny Galveston, Texas for the last 24 hours. Many people say Galveston water is dirty and why would anyone want to vacation here. We, however, love Galveston. It is more than a beach city. It has character, history and is a very easy place to have a family getaway. It is true that the water is a little grungy and you have to worry about what you can't see because, well, you can't see anything at all in the gulf.

I have taken many pictures already of the boardwalk on Kemah and was ready to share, but then I discovered that my USB cable was left at home. Go figure. So, pictures will come later.
But I can report some highlights.

1. We spent most of this morning on the beach doing beachy things. Immediately, my boys made friends with the other children in our beach area. This has happened every year and is one of the things I like most about this area. People talk, share and swap Galveston/fishing stories. Isaac found a little girl friend (age 9) that he walked up and down the beach with for a long time with her. I found out later that they were swapping Pokemon strategies. :-) Whew!

2. Later in the day we went to Kemah and rode lots of carnival type rides. Isaac loved the bouncer that jolts your stomach to your adam's apple. Aaron was partial to the crazy submarine ride that went in circles and up and down. Nathan enjoyed the Kemah Boardwalk Tower that hoisted us way up in the air to see the whole town and most of the bay. I, on the other hand, was partial to watching from the ground. My stomach is not what it used to be. Ahh... age sneaks up on the best of us.

3. The highlight of my day was touching the stingrays in Stingray reef. Nathan fed them, I touched them and the boys ran around screeching that I would probably die because the Crocodile Hunter fell to one of these strange creatures. Nothing I said changed their minds, so I just ignored their pleas to please leave the attraction and go elsewhere. I loved touching the stingray "wings" and heads. They are incredibly smooth to the touch with just a little bit of slime. It was exciting to be so close to a creature so foreign to me. It reminded me of the vastness of God's creation.

4. Nathan caught a "really large" ( Of course this depends on how you see the word "large", but he is sitting right here calling the fish large as we speak, so it was LARGE!) catfish in the gulf and then we both used the sein net to drag up little fish. One of these little fish looked like it had already been attacked by some ocean creature when we got hold of it, so Nathan threw it back. As he pitched it behind him in the air a sea gull saw what was happening and swooped in and grabbed this poor little fish the moment it touched the water. Talk about a fish having a really bad day! So far, we have caught no shrimp or crabs. We are hoping for better luck tomorrow.

All in all, the last 24 hours have been fun, adventuresome and somewhat relaxing. The adventures will continue and so will the posts. So to all, Buenas Noches and Adios Amigos!

Dooney and Burke and Me

Three weeks and three days ago, I was given my first real designer purse. A Dooney and Burke leather and canvas bag that, even though it is circa 1998, looks brand new. It actually doesn't have a giant decoy looking duck on the front either and is styled in a very sustainable fashion. So in all, I was pleased. I could carry a really nice bag that unless you looked really closely could not be recognized as almost vintage D&B.



However, it only took about 4 days and a little chocolate to prove that I am not worthy to carry an almost vintage 300 dollar purse. There I was leaving the 103 degree sweltering heat of the swimming lesson where sweat was streaming down my back and pooling at the top of my pants. I somehow staggered heat-stricken to the car and opened the front door while instructing the boys to belt themselves in. I turned the ignition of the car and ramped up the AC as high as my Volkswagon could go. Then I decided I needed to check in with my hubby. So I reached into my new D&B and came out with a brown and gooey phone. I held the chocolate smudged phone in my hand and panicked. My thoughts turned to the first day I carried my lovely D&B. It was going to be a long day at a mall and then a show. My boys might need a treat, or bribe, or a momentary silencer. Therefore, the the hershey kisses had been packed and subsequently forgotten at the bottom of the bag.



I spent the next ten minutes emptying and cleaning all the contents of my purse. Then I dilegently scrubbed the bottom of the purse itself with a wet wipe. All the while, I was shaking my head and thinking that this is the reason I buy my clothing at Walmart, and my bags on sale at a minimum 50% off. This is also the reason that I should have eaten those stupid kisses earlier in the day when I had discovered them at the bottom of my purse. But, no. I had had a moment of concern about my waistline and decided against it. I had placed the 4 kisses back in my purse for a much more messy fate.

The purse cleaned very well and so I gallantly carried it to Galveston, Texas where I knew nothing more treacherous than salt air would surely touch it.

We entered the Rainforest Cafe triumphantly. I had remembered at the last moment to go by a conveinent store to purchase a diet sprite for my littlest to drink at the Cafe. It was the first time all trip that I had remembered that restaurants carry diet nothing! I was proud of my self as I ordered my son only a glass of ice and took the Diet Sprite from my D&B. I admired how large this bag was and yet streamlined so nicely. At the present time it held a 20oz Sprite, several catheters, a camera, an extra pair of little boy underwear, lipstick case, wallet and etc. I still had plenty of room, say for some shorts. But, I digress about the bags ample innerds.
Anyway, then I placed the bag at my feet. I picked up the Sprite bottle and turned the lid to find that much pressure had built up under the lid. It spewed everywhere. It spewed on my lap, on the person next to me and it spewed inside the D&B.

I looked down at my bag. My hands dripped with Sprite. The D&B dripped with Sprite and I again thought that I was not meant to carry any purse over 50.00 and that was pushing it! I do still like the D&B, and I am sure it will be the only one I will ever own.

FYI - Aaron can't have any corn products as a general rule and therefore can not have regular sodas, or most other drinks at a restaurant. He can have milk and water, but that gets old.

VBS is Put to Rest and Moving on South

The week was hurried. The week was busy. The week was crazy. But, the week was fun! And I am tired. It is always one of the best weeks in the summer. Vacation Bible School. I have been part of this American Summer Tradition for at least 25 years so far (counting the years in the nursery of course). I actually know parents who planned their summer in such a way as to make it to as many VBS weeks as possible. It is a great way for the kids to be busy and out of their houses and their mother's hair for 3 hours.

The theme Outrigger Island: Living God's unshakeable Truth was, in my humble opinion, the best theme ever. The music was great. The Bible truths were simple, to the point and relevant to what children today must face in the very shaky world in which we live.

I have lots of stories that I am banking in my head to write about, however, I am just too pooped. We went from VBS in the morning to two hours of swim lessons in the afternoon at an outdoor pool. It was sooooo hot! From there, I had to get ready to teach the next day's VBS lesson. We also somehow found time to go on a day date, swim at our friends' pool and then have a cubscout summer party, (thankfully at someone else's house)!

Nathan helped me this year and he was surprised by the amount of work it takes to get a lesson together. I wasn't surprised at all. Teaching kids anything takes tons of work!

My big idea this year was to actually use the digital camera project that was suggested in the book, so I on the last day of VBS I got it in my head to make a movie from still pictures via Windows MovieMaker. The second graders would be my actors and narrators. We did finish The Good Samaritan - Hawaiian Style. And, yep, I did bite off more than I could chew. Imagine that. The movie will not make its world debut, however, because I forgot to have the students take off their nametags before recording their images. Ooops.

I managed through the week though and treated myself to doing very little this morning and getting my second mani/pedi for the summer. I am now ready for the beach!!!!

Eyebrow threading and the whole Nine Yards

I don't know what possesses me to fill every hour/minute of everyday of my existence. The last three days I have really packed every waking moment with something. Now, I am tired! This week most of the Stevens' clan got together to share a little time with family. I remember back when we were planning this excursion and I thought that the children might be bored and restless. Well, they were rested less that is for sure. We did enjoy ourselves and saw some new things around our Metroplitan area.

One of the highlights included eyebrow threading for Margaret, Anna, and Nancy. Since my eyebrows have to be penciled in for anyone to see them, I did not feel the need to take part in this interesting way to trim a brow from a kiosk at the mall. The experience was a mixture of strange and interesting. The workers take sewing thread and contort it with their hands. Then they begin to razor a person's eyebrows using the thread alone. Anna, my sister-in-law told us it was the rage in New York City. I should have taken a picture of this in hind sight. Margaret had a couple taken of her by Anna while she was being threaded, but I don't think Margaret will allow them to go on line. She kept rolling her eyes at me when I mentioned I could post the whole threading business on this blog.

Then we visited Medieval Times. A little hoaky, a little contrived and a whole lot of fun. I enjoyed watching Aaron pick his favorite Knight. He was also very impressed that the Prince fought 4 bad guys at once. I didn't get to see Isaac because our party was 10 people long and Isaac sat 5 away from me, but Nathan said he was really getting into it. I believe my favorite part of Medieval Times was Sat. morning when all the kids created their own castle. It was neat to see how their imaginations recreated what they had seen the night before.


We also visited the Nature and Science Museum and played with all their exhibits. Informative and fun are the only words to describe it.

Lastly, I really enjoyed my nieces. They are the cutest little girls and they are growing up way too fast. We swam together and colored together. Both are very creative and the youngest, who looks like a carbon copy of her mother, is very independent. Since her mother and Nathan are siblings, I am now blaming all Aaron's bull headness on the Stevens' family clan. It couldn't have possibly come from me!

Natasha's Last Day

Today we lost our oldest dog. She fell ill Sunday morning. This morning Nathan drove her to the vet and she did not return. My heart is filled with sadness at her demise - more sadness than I had expected.

Natasha was purchased in my home town, in the fall of 1996 and lived with us through 4 houses, 2 children, one rabbit and countless strays and other pooches that found their way into our backyard. Natasha was special. She was our solid dog who protected us when we needed protecting and had the confidence to relax when protection wasn't warranted. I only heard her growl menacingly twice in her life. Both times it was truly needed for the protection of our property.

I found myself looking for her today several times and not finding her. I walked the backyard and found her kong ball that was never far from her. I put her food bowl in the garage so as not to look at it the rest of the evening. In short, I miss her quiet strength and companionship.

Both boys have taken it much better than Nathan or me, but then they didn't know her when she was young and vibrant.

Natasha was truly the best dog we have ever owned and I will miss her deeply. I think my mother said it best. God loves our family and that includes our pets. Wherever Natasha is, I believe she is happy and being taken care of very well.

INS Finger Prints

Today we journeyed to the big city to get our fingerprints made for the second time while waiting for Sarah to join our family.

The boys have recently procured Nintendo DS's and we thought the wait at the INS building would be a good time to practice gaming skills.

First, it was incredibly hard to find this wonderful government institution. We drove in circles for a while and finally stopped at the best looking building in "little Mexico" that we could find to ask for directions. We were just praying that someone spoke English. Lucky for us, they did. So we drove some more and finally made it to a building with no outside signs or windows. For all those that think we make immigration easy on people, just try and find an INS building. It would be easier to contact the President and probably with less security involved.

So we entered the building, with DS's in tow only to be told that all electronics must remain in our cars. Cell phones, ipods, DS's...all of it. Well, Isaac was crushed. I tried to appeal to the oversized security guard, but to no avail. After all, what are two little boys supposed to do in a waiting room where the only t.v. seems to be stuck on Judge Judy. As I tried to coerse our DS's into the building I hit on the beurocratic road block. "These are the rules if you want finger prints made. No electronic devices." the security guard regurgitated. At this point, Isaac noticed the Judge Judy spewing T.V. and announced to the security guard that in fact the t.v. was also an electronic device, so why was it allowed. Go Isaac!!!!!

We were then told that their copy machine was broken and to go down the street to the library to make a copy of the finger printing paper and bring it back when we were done. Ahhhh the government. This is what we pay taxes for!

Boys Who are Very Very Good

I stood at my youngest sons' side today as he was xrayed, poked, prodded and sonogrammed. We started the yearly rounds at 9:45 am and we finished at 2:30ish. It is a long day for a 5 year old, especially when he is the proverbial science project. But, as I stood there I remembered the nursery rhyme about the little girl with the curl on her forehead. When she was good she was Very Very Good. But when she was bad ,she was horrid.

Aaron has had his horrid days. But today he was exemplary. He was cooperative, sweet, inquisitive and kind to everyone he met. One Dr. took great delight in his discovery that his heart isn't heart shaped. We saw it on Xray, so there is no denying it. We read stories, watched podcasts on my ipod and played Simon Says and I spy games while waiting for the entourage of people making the rounds to see him.

I don't really mind these days at Scottish Rite Hospital. The Doctors and Nurses are experts and kind. They treat the parents like we are part of the healthcare team and they mean it when they say comprehensive care. Not to mention that everything at SRH is kid friendly and FREE! Today was such a contrast to last weeks eyeglasses beginnings, that I felt the need to chronicle it.

I didn't have to tell him twice to put on his seat belt. He went potty with me when it was time with out complaining. He ate grilled chicken and didn't complain that it wasn't breaded and fried. He ate fast when I said he only had 5 more minutes. Amazing! This morning he even got up and asked where his glasses were so he could wear them! Ahhh, I feel the fruits of my labor growing ripe.

I realize that this moment of perfection will not last forever. But, I am not always a glass half full person, especially when I am in the throes of a conflict. Therefore, I am writing this to let everyone who might read this know and to remind myself that if my child or another child is being very very horrid. Then stay calm, stick to your guns and tomorrow perhaps they will be very very good!

Side Note - Aaron is healthy and can hold exactly 250cc of liquid in his bladder before it leaks out and currently there is no reflux into his kidneys.

Side Note 2 - Isaac spent the day cleaning up the rent house with Nathan. He was a great help and earned a little money toward his next DS game. He also started piano lessons up again after a three month hiatus. That boy can practice each song 5x faster than a speeding bullet. After all, he has to get back to his gaming. Don't worry grandparents, he is limited to one battery a day or 1.5 hours electronic time. Which ever comes first.

The Bespectacled Ones

Here are the Pics of the boys in their new specs. Very Smart.

Very Adorable!

The Show Must Go On - and Blessings through it all

Friday we went to the eye doctor. What I thought would be the usual routine visit changed very quickly. First stressor: They dialated Aaron's eyes. It was a twenty minute ordeal to get him to take the drops and I finally resorted to bribing. Yes, I caved. The eye tech lady said it was painless so I parroted that over and over again as we struggled to get Aaron to keep his hands from covering his eyes. Then in swooped the new eye doctor who put the eye drops on his closed eyes and then told him to open up. Which to my surprise, Aaron did. Then he screamed. Evidently the no pain line given by the eye tech lady was a hoax that I unwittingly played a part in. The guilt.

Next came the appointment - second stressor. In about two nanoseconds it was apparent that something wasn't right with Aaron's vision. I sat there thinking - no, we have enough on our plates. With the cathing every two hours and medicine and the enemas every night. Nothing new... please. Then I heard the words amblyopia and eye- patch. I almost teared up right there. But, it wasn't too bad. Aaron can just wear it at home only and only for two -four hours a day. Ok, here was a silver lining that I can get my head around. After all he can play pirate. As I drove home, Queen played on my IPod and I heartened myself to the music of "The Show Must Go On".

Well, you try telling my strong willed, firefilled boy that he's a pirate who can sit really close to the t.v. when he doesn't want to be a pirate. The pirate thing was a no-go after he figured out that - hey...with a patch over his eye He Can't See! Ugh. So we tried bribing him with money, but evidently the supply and demand principal doesn't work when an eye patch is concerned. Toy swords, video games, special costumes or anything at the other end of an hour of patchwork also doesn't work.

By Monday morning I am feeling a little tired. After all the patch war has been waged at each usage for the last couple days and so far it is a stalemate. On top of this, Aaron's delicate internal balance was messed up by too much pizza over the weekend and a neglected enema on Friday night. I had to renig the swimming promise today due to this unforseen medical necessity. He was very upset at this and announced that "It just isn't fair". I agreed and felt the guilt/helplessness/frustration that comes sometimes with being a parent of a child with "special needs".

So, I left the room sat down in a chair and just started balling. Isaac is my silver lining in human form and he found me and asked what was wrong. I told him that sometimes it was hard to not get upset that Aaron has to live with Spina Bifida. Isaac looked at me and said he wasn't sorry. He has met lots of great friends that otherwise he would not have met.

I listened to Isaac and thought how Isaac sees the good things that have happened because of this part of our lives when I was only seeing the dark. His sincerity and momentary jump into an ultra adult like clarity made me warm inside. I love that kid. Over and Over Isaac has made us laugh when we needed it most. He is always ready to welcome a new friend. He is always ready to help out when asked. Isaac doesn't always get the most attention, but he doesn't complain. God blessed us with both kiddos, but Isaac was a special gift. The gift of laughter, understanding and the silver lining.

By the way, Isaac only has to wear his eyeglasses when he needs to see the whiteboard or a film at school. Nathan also wanted it noted that he made Aaron a very cool eyepatch out of leather. It was cut and tied by hand. My husband to do anything!

As soon as their way cute new eyeglasses come in, I will post pics.

Can Aaron walk in his Father's Pants?

Why does a little boy want to wear his father's clothes? Is it the constant want/need to feel like daddy and the wonderful blessing to be idolized by a child? Or is it to show the adult, that yes....kids are a whole lot leaner?

He's thinking. I can fit two of me in here comfortably, Daddy.

They Played Me Like a Fiddle

Often I have heard the wishings from moms with toddlers that their children are just so young, needy and, well, always right on top of a mother's every move. I, too, occasionally felt the walls pressing in around me when I had 2/5 year olds or 3/6 year olds. But this year things seemed to get easier in many ways. Isaac can really help clean the house now and Aaron can be kept busy "helping" long enough not to bother his brother. This is one of the great joys of older children. Now there is a down side. With age and maturity comes the ability to plot against their mother.

Yesterday, I stood at the kitchen counter preparing grated cheese for our lunch of Hebrew National Hot Dogs ( Yes, we love them). My sweet, kind Isaac came into the kitchen, looked at me with a slight frown on his face and stated he needed to talk with me in his room. Now, I have been known to be less than accomodating in matters like this, but I suddenly thought that being 8, he might need a little privacy. After all, living with Aaron isn't always easy. I followed Isaac to his room passing Aaron as we went. Aaron announced to me that he would stay out in the living room while we talked. I was now becoming seriously impressed. Aaron is the boy who never wants to be alone. He follows me everywhere. When he isn't with me then you can bet that he will be hooked to Nathan's side or pestering Isaac.

Here I was thinking that Aaron was showing some mighty consideration for Isaac's feelings. I was also sure that Isaac had reached a new level of maturity. I was now envisioning a tender moment of mother/son time where I could impart advice to my growing boy.

Isaac sat down on his bed and looked at me - brown eyes wide with emotion - and said...."Mom, do you know that I hurt my toe this morning." My first thought was...Is he serious. He wants to delve into the reasons for a hurt toe. And then it all clicked.

Cheese, yes Cheese. Both boys had asked for some moments before this "hurt toe" conversation. I had said no to them and told them to wait. I turned and went back to the kitchen fully expecting to find Aaron yellow handed. What I found was an almost empty cheese plate.

I yelled for Aaron and began searching. I knew he was close by because all the cheese wasn't gone yet. So, I followed the cheese trail to Aaron's room and there he sat at the back of his bunkbed with two large handfuls of cheese and (if you don't mind the pun) a very cheesy grin.

He gave the cheese back of course and we did get to eat it on the hotdogs. But as we ate, I was struck with the knowledge that my two sons, the children I helped to bring into this world, that I provide for, that I love had played me and had played me well!

It is interesting to note that right this very minute I heard crackling of plastic coming from the kitchen. Aaron is getting himself some more cheese.

Aaron's Story

Two years ago this June I was in an in-service on using technology in the classroom and the instructor told us to create something that was personally motivated. I think the point was a personal experience will motivate the learner more. So, I created a movie about the most changing personal experience I have had to date. This movie has been sitting on a flash drive for two years, but Nathan finally cleared our desk off and I found it. It is a small look at how I felt/ feel about the experiences Nathan and I have shared in raising Aaron so far.

For squimish viewers there is one picture of Aaron's lesion when he was first born. Be forewarned. :-) But it is not that yucky - I promise.

Me Made Over

I had the great priviledge of spending this week with Aaron, alone. Usually, it is two boys in tow who play, fight and use each other for company. But this week, it was just Aaron and me.

I have always known that Aaron is more like me than Isaac. Isaac is his Dad done over,but not until this week did I know how much Aaron really is like me.

He is drama laden. He plays dramatically and he lives dramatically. He is very linguistic and remembers songs and sayings that he has only heard once and he repeats them with the right intonation and dramatic emphasis.

This week he came up to me and asked if he could have a cereal straw because all you have to do is "Sip, Dip and Munch" then he told me it was "part of a a days balanced breakfast". Hmmmm... where have I heard those lines before.

He also very seriously told me that we would have to get our "new item" while supplies last. I just stared at him for this, because the t.v. wasn't even on at the time and I couldn't figure out what the item was.

Next, I came into a room where he was all alone, but he was talking. He was adamantly pointing at the table and saying "You're just a kid like the rest of us, quit being our mom." It took only seconds to recognize the last Avatar episode he had watched.

I have also gotten used to hearing Earth! Wind! Fire! Water! yelled through the house as he brandishes his ninja swords and sabers. Aaron relives every story he sees or hears. I vividly remember doing the very same thing. I was Princess Leia hiding from Storm Troopers and for a while I replayed a scene from Magnum P.I. in which I was a psychotic woman with two personalities. I loved that scene and if I knew which episode it was on I would find a way to download it.

I think my favorite resaying of Aaron's is Edmund saying "You bowled it" from the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe. Often ,when something goes wrong, we will say "You bowled it" to one another.

Yes, Aaron gets the drama honestly. And I am glad to join in.

Time Flies...Always

Goodness, my days are flying by so far this summer. The odd thing is that we really haven't done anything wonderfully exciting yet. We are just living life.

In the past week, we have interviewed and hired a new caregiver for Aaron. Like everything Aaron, it hasn't been simple. We get these lovely respite hours from Medicaid each month. Because the State is involved in this matter there is a lot of paper work and more paper work. Did I mention, there was paperwork? I have spent a couple days dealing with that mess and I hope everything is in place next week when Aaron and Isaac spend their first two days with her.

We have also been working very hard with Aaron's continence. I still haven't given the world the full story of Aaron, but if you don't know him...Here is the short of it. He lives with Spina Bifida. This is a genetic defect that has affected his bowels and bladder the most, so continence to us means to be socially dry. This involves intermittant catherization every two hours during the day. We have discovered this week that even a little caffeine effects this. Basically, this means that my life has been broken down into two hour intervals and I spend 15 minutes of those two hours coaxing Aaron in and out of the bathroom. Sometimes it goes smoothly and other times my blood pressure rises and I can feel my skin begin to crawl from the stress of getting him to cooperate.

Besides those two things, we have gone to the pool a couple times. Isaac is spending this week at Cub Scout Day Camp and Nathan is studying, so I am doing just about all the housework. However, I still don't take out the trash. As far as I am concerned that is definitely the man's job. Just a little of my old fashioned nature coming out, I guess.

And my ultimate accomplishment so far this summer.... I have finally made dental appointments for me and the children. Yippee....

So, here we are living life. Maybe we're not living it to the fullest this week but I think there are times when just living is just fine.

Harriet

Our newest edition to the family is Harriet. She came to us last November. I was driving home and had just entered our housing edition, when I spotted the cutest little ball of fur. She reminded me of the three cocker spaniels I had growing up. I watched her sniff her way around a mail box as I drove by. Then the idea that this little bundle had lost its home, so I turned the car around and drove up to her. I opened the car door and commanded "Come Here". She looked up at me and ran to the car, jumped in and looked at me as if to ask where are we going.

I had both boys with me at the time, and so I asked them to check to make sure it was a girl. It had a pink collar, but I know that I would find it it funny to put the wrong color collar on Pete, so I am sure someone else would also think it was funny. The boys checked and proclaimed her a boy. Well, that was that. I will not have another boy dog - ever. So, we took Harriet home and I started calling Vet offices. No one had reported the sweet thing missing. Meanwhile, Harriet met the other two dogs and my children were telling me that HE would be a great addition. I was not to be thrwarted, however. I put my boys back into the car and we went to the vet. I just knew a dog of this caliber would have a chip that would tell us who the owner was.

On the way to the Vet, the boys named her Harry after Harry Potter. Unfortunately the Vet office found no chip and also proclaimed her to be a boy. But to her credit, she only inspected her from a distance.

Soooo.....later that night, I was eating dinner with my parents - new dog in tow, of course. After all, HE might not feel comfy at our house alone. I decided to play a little with our new Harry and rolled HIM over to rub his tummy. As I scratched, my finger hit something large and round and white. This did not seem right. Not long after, my mom and I figured out Harry was a girl.

Harry became Harriet. No one ever called us to claim her and now she is ours. I have never heard her bark at anything, and yet she has quickly cowed Pete. She always gets to eat first and she gets first pick of the crates when it is time to go to bed.

Please, without further ado...meet Harriet. She sits up to get cheese which is her favorite food and she is very cute. Sorry about the color on these. I am not sure why I couldn't get a good pic, so these will have to do for now.

Introducing Pistol Pete the Pug

This picture pretty much says it all for Pete. Right now he is curled at my feet and is still. This will last about 3 minutes. Normally, he likes to run, lick, chase Natasha,eat anything left out and protect the front porch through the front window.

Pete and I have a love/hate relationship. He loves me all the time and I usually want to be rid of him. I once announced this to the family and big crocodile tears fell from Isaac's eyes as he cried that we couldn't get rid of a family member. So, Pete stays and I am preparing to buy stock in Resolve Carpet Cleaner and Pet deodorizer.

He is occasionally good for a laugh. I find it really amusing to watch him tear around the living room in circles for absolutely no reason.

Our Dog Day Lives

Isaac wanted me to show the cyberworld our dogs. So before the end of the post you will be blessed to meet the first lady of the dog world. As I searched frantically for the flash drive that holds all our pictures, I began to think about how our lives right now are alot like a dog's life. Thursday was the last day of school and we lost no time in immediately jumping into our summer schedule. That means, of course, sleeping til after 8, resting when we want to rest and playing when we want to play. We even went to see a movie on a Thursday night. We are living on the edge!!!!!

So, like the dogs in our house we have very little to worry us at the present moment. Don't get me wrong, we do manage to keep some resposibility during the summer. I have a couple trainings to attend, while my ever quizzical husband is teaching me all about triangular numbers. He is currently taking a master's level mathematics course in number theory. Isaac has a couple camps to attend and Aaron is hanging out with the family - his last two months before school officially makes him a kindergartener.

Ok, Here is the oldest and most wonderful dog in the world. Nathan and I bought her right after we were first married. She is almost 12 years old and was born on the 4th of July. She is smart and self assured. She house trained in one day. She never barks, unless hungry. She never growls without a reason. The one time she had a reason, Nathan's bike was being stolen from our front porch. She is the German Shepherd - Natasha Jo!

Here is Natasha "the Pillow" and "cruising in the Kharma Ghia."

Isaac's Soccer Season

I am posting some really great action shots of Isaac in his first soccer season. Out of all the sports my two little ones have been a part of, I like soccer best. At least there is always action back and forth, and I don't have to watch anyone play in the outfield grass and pick their nose. Basketball is my second fav.



Upward basketball and soccer associations are also my favorites because there is equal play time and a policy of not keeping score with the younger teams. Of course, they always know who wins, but at least there isn't a coach on the side lines yelling at them for missing the ball. Or, as we experienced in t-ball, a coach who just never let one of my darling children do anything but stand in the outfield where he was already bored. But enough of my soap box.





This first one is his Game Face.

Determination and Dedication. Do you feel the intensity?

Isaac likes throwing the ball in the best. That way he is positive to touch it at least once during the game. But he was actually pretty good at kicking too. After the first 42 throws, I think the coach put a ban on Isaac throwing in. It was definitely someone else's turn.

Hannah Really Hangs Out

We were invited to attend a family get together during Memorial Weekend. It was not our family, but close friends that have let us camp with them several times during Memorial weekend. Actually, I am really not sure they don't know we are NOT family, because we are always included in everything and greeted with many a hug. Besides there are so many cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts, more cousins, etc. that they probably just think we are distant relatives. Isaac might actually think we are related too, as I have told him several times that Hannah and Katelyn are not our cousins.

I was not actually present to witness this wild event, so I am recreating the story as told by the mom - Angie. I told her to get a blog to tell these things and she rolled her eyes and asked when that would happen in her lifetime. Message received and now the story is mine.

Anyway, to set the scene...loads of children of varying ages, lots of tents, campers, and one little girl who found herself in a very awkward situation late at night in a thunderstorm.

It had been a long night with many needs being pronounced loudly from Shawn and Angie's lovely children and nieces and nephews. After a long period of eating, playing by the campfire and bathing in the one outside bathroom, finally everyone was set in their popup camper beds and told to talk no more.

From the west a thunderstorm was brewing and lightening streaked across the pop-up camper. Angie and Shawn finally closed their eyes and prayed that the storm would not wake any of the snoozing children. Sleep drifted in to calm their minds, and dreams replayed the day's fishing and swimming excursions. A perfect end to a family day.

Then the camper was rent with a terrible scream. A high pitched wail that pounded at Angie's ears. She knew that action must be taken quickly so as not to wake the one year old in the camper. "Shawn, it's Hannah. Find out what she needs." Angie mumbled through the pillow.

A low moan and the creak of the camper told her that Shawn was up and tending to the problem. Angie rolled over and began to beckon sleep again, only to be halted by a strong and very unusual explicative coming from Shawn. The screaming young girl had also not stopped her wailing.

Then Angie was up and moving quickly to the other side of the camper to see what had caused such a reaction in her husband. And still the screaming continued. Shawn stood leaning over the bed his arms grasping something by the cloth wall. Realization scrambled over her as she realized that Hannah was not where she had laid down to sleep. Instead she was hanging feet first out of the top of the camper - her legs dangling two feet off the ground and her arms stretched over her head. Of course, she is half asleep and disoriented, not to mention scared to death to find herself half out of a camper while rain from the storm pelted her abdomen and legs. Shawn continued to try and pull her up but she only sliped a little more and then the canvas and bungee cords were only inches from scratching her beautiful ivory chin.

Valiantly, Shawn gave up the idea that he would not get wet and gave Angie the job of holding on as tight as possible to her slowly falling child. In the meantime, he rushed out and around the camper to claim his sopping, sobbing child. Eventually all family members were back in the camper and the rain stopped. Life returned to a semblance of normalacy - at least until the sun came up and they decided to return home...but that is another story.