Thursday, August 18, 2011

Life.

Life is going by far too quickly! I swear, I blink and another week goes by. Summer has breezed by. I feel like it's not been much of a summer for the boys, and I HATE feeling like that. I've had a busy summer with photoshoots and Matt's work schedule has been crazy too.
We've taken the boys camping and had a blast with friends. We went to Michigans Adventure while we were there and to the sand dunes at Lake Michigan! The kids had a blast at both places...I enjoyed the ease of the theme park to the difficult climb up and down those dunes. My fat butt did not appreciate the exercise! I would love to make that a yearly vacation spot. We did have a disaster with our tent the first night though. There was a thunderstorm and some heavy rains. Our brand new, "leak free" tent, was not at all leak free. In fact, as soon as the rain started, the windows started to leak. After the windows the doors started leaking. Before long, it was actually RAINING inside our tent. The rain fly proved useless. Needless, to say, that tent went right back - the day we got home in fact. We solved the rain issue, with a GIANT tarp we bought in town. Our tent was quite a sight for the rest of the trip! Thankfully, we only had one small rain after the big one, but better safe then sorry we figured!
We've had a few trips to the beach here and some park trips, but that about sums up life around here. Just a few small things here and there. We won't be able to take our yearly lake trip this year, which has proven to be a big disappointment all around.
O starts school with the boys this year. I'm sad. Bittersweet really. He's grown up so fast - yet he's still my baby. M is excited to be a 2nd grader and S, is officially a 4th grader. Upper El for him now! He has two years left in elementary and then he goes to Middle School....gasp!
Not sure what I'll do with all my new found freedom during the day. Maybe, my house will stay clean for more than an hour or I'll go to the gym. Perhaps, I'll just hang out at the schoool all day and hope for small glimpses of my children...that sounds more my speed!

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Summer is Here

Proof of summer:

Musty smelling swimsuits found on bedroom floors
Enough sand/dirt in my bathtub at the end of the day to build a small sandcastle
Lot of mosquito bites
The smell of bug spray, sunblock and bonfires
Bare feet
Frizzy hair
Boys with dirty finger nails
Momma with dirty finger nails - need to invest in some good gardening gloves!
Loads of extra laundry from dirty/wet boy who think they need to change several times a day
I've already found THREE pairs of socks laying in my lawn
Extra room in drawers and closets because clothing takes up less space
More room in shoe bins because the shoes are much less bulky
Freckles on three little faces...and two big ones!
Blackout curtains to make the bedrooms appear like it's much darker out than it really is - it's hard to go to bed at 8 (since the boys have another week of school) when it's still light out!
Thunderstorms and tornado sirens
All things I love that signal the start of summer...well, except for the whole tornado siren thing!

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Little Man is FIVE

My baby is FIVE. When did this happen?!?! Where on earth did the time go?!? I cringe when I see the Kindergarten registration packet that is sitting on my desk right now. I took it from the school office last week and got choked up. How am I going to do this?

O's my little buddy. It's been just he and I for the last two years. We do everything together. We take naps, eat lunch, go shopping, read books. He's my sidekick. He's extremely easy going about a lot of things, which has made my life a whole lot easier. O, has been known to sit with me, in a hospital room, while we visit with my grandma, for 6 hours and not get into any trouble. We took a backpack with snacks, books, a few toys and a coloring book. Add the hospital TV and he was all set. He chatted with great grandma, colored, picked out a sandwich in the cafeteria, etc. He just goes with the flow.

He's got a temper on him, I assure you. He's spoiled in many ways - but he just does, well, whatever. He's like me in that aspect. I think O, can have fun doing just about anything. He's ok with a large or small group. He doesn't need a whole lot of "stuff" to keep him occupied. He's much more social than the older boys were at this age.

He's a ham. He's super silly. He's always talking in a silly voice. He loves to play pretend or to dress up as his favorite character. I'm corrected a dozen or so times a day when I call his name. "Mom, I'm Darth Vader, not O" or "I'm Nightwing Batman"...it changes often, sometimes within minutes.

He jumps everywhere. He has no "walking feet". We try, but I think he may be physically unable to walk. If he's not running or jumping, he's sleeping.

Everything has sound effects. Everything makes a laser gun or light saber. He's all boy.

He's also, tough as nails. This child can fall, slip, hit his head, twist his ankle, and smash his finger. He may cry for a second and then is over it. He doesn't want to stop moving long enough to deal with it. That being said...he does have a certain love affair with bandaids that is starting to get pricey.

He's had stitches once, his head glued once, and a home repair job on a few cuts that probably should have been "professionally" done. His brothers have never had ANY of these moments...not because they aren't as brave or daring, but because...well, I'm not sure why. He's also had his share of black eyes, bumps and bruises.

O has little to no fear - still. He'll jump off his swingset without thinking. In fact, just yesterday, I looked out of the corner of my eye, into the living room. I was standing at the kitchen sink, when I saw what looked to be, a blue shirted "bird" fly from my window sill across my living room. It was no bird, only a certain little boy who thought he'd try to fly. I assure you, NONE of my other children have stood on my window sill and "flew" across the room. I always tell Matt, I think, O may shorten my life span a bit.

He does have a few odd "fears" I suppose. He's still afraid of helium balloons and not a huge fan of regular balloons either. Someone tried to give him a balloon for his birthday - he politely declined. What kid turns down a balloon...mine. Birds are also not a big favorite of his. Why??? Who knows. I think it has something to do with the flock of seagulls that once dive bombed us in the Walmart parking lot. I had parked in a spot where someone had dumped french fries and those birds WANTED those fries I tell ya!

O is just a cool kid. Matt and I say that all the time. He's so different than his older brothers. In many aspects, he's a lot like me. I think he has a lot of my personality. O was not planned and came a bit earlier than planned, but he has added such joy and depth to our lives. He was a great surprise!

O has added a new and fun dimesion to our family. He's outnumbered us. He tipped the scales in the kids favor. Matt and I our officialy outnumbered!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Diabetes Stinks

Sometimes, being the parent of a child with a chronic illness stinks, BAD! Please, don't get me wrong. I am by no means complaining. I know that M's disease(s) are manageable and much better than other things we could face.

Is is annoying to nag your child to check his sugar, yes. Does it get old, changing wet sheets from sugars that run to high and cause accidents at night, sure does. Do I hate having to stop M from running to play because he has to be dosed right away, I sure do. Do I dislike having to stay up an hour longer than normal to recheck sugars that aren't right late in the evening, yeppers. Am I grateful that it's only diabetes - you bet!

It's not the inconvenience of his illness that's the most difficult - it's the mental pain for M that's the toughest.

He was so young at his initial diagnosis - just a few weeks after his 4th birthday - that I don't think the gravity of his illness was real to him. It was just something annoying he had to do. He had to take 4 shots every day and get his finger poked even more than that. He had to eat when he wasn't hungry and couldn't eat when he was. It was a pain in the butt for him - literally!

With his pump, things got easier for him and us. He can function more like a normal child. He can eat when other kids eat and what they eat. He doesn't have to have special food or treats and it takes him just a minute or two to check his sugar and dose.

As he gets older it's starting to bother him more. He knows he's different. You can only convince your child that their illness makes them "special" for so long. I think he's to the point where if diabetes is "special" he'd rather be regular. He doesn't like that instead of going right out to recess after lunch with the other kids, he has to stop and check his sugar and or dose himself. He doesn't appreciate that if he's in gym or computers when it's time to have his afternoon check, that he has to leave early to take care of it. It's annoying he says. We've told him - tough luck duck, that's life for you right now - and we move on. He seems to accept it.

We've had moments of heartbreak with M though. A few years ago, during a bad high sugar spell, M felt horrible. We couldn't get it down, he had ketones...it was a mess. He fell on the floor and cried.."why won't God just heal me now mommy". I hated that.

He's asked similar things since then to us and his grandparents. He doesn't understand why God won't make him better. Having a theology discussion with a 7 year old about how the Lord chooses to answer our prayers in different ways is tough, I assure you of that.

We hit an all time low last month when M started crying. He was sitting on his bed and the tears just started to flow. When I asked him what was wrong, I expected an answer like, S hit me or O took my book/toy. Nope - what I heard was: "Mom, I'm scared I'm going to die soon, before everyone else because of my diabetes"....rip mommas heart out right then.

I scooped him up right away and took him the living room to talk with us. We did our best to explain that as long as he took good care of himself and his diabetes that he could live a long and healthy life just like everyone else. I didn't bother to explain how we were told that people with Type 1 diabetes typically have a shortened life span of 10 years because, well, I don't like to think of it like that.

We talked to him about all the changes and advances the medical community is making and how many wonderful things are on the horizon. He seemed to accept that and wanted to be sure that everyone was still praying for him to get better. We told him they were.

I wasn't ready for it. M, is our laid back, fun loving kid. He doesn't worry much about anything. He lives in his imagination most days. He loves to play pretend and make up wild stories about super hero's and Star Wars. Reality almost seems too much for him...maybe it is. It's too much for me most days.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

One Day

One day I'll get disciplined and loose the weight I desperately need to loose.
One day I'll get motivation and paint the two rooms that NEED painted and the one room I want to paint...wonder which one will get done first?!?!
One day I won't yell at my children.
One day my children will obey the first time.
One day my house will be clean all the time. People will be able to stop by on a whim and I won't have to panic to grab any dirty socks, random toys or dishes while the people exit their vehicle and walk to my door.
One day I will know what is on TV during the day besides Nick Jr. and Disney shows.
One day I will grocery shop and not buy fruit snacks, Trix yogurt and Lunchables.
One day I won't have to hunt under boys beds and in their little covers for all the white socks and their mates.
One day I won't have to wonder how all the water, dirt, mud and rocks get in my house.
One day I won't trip over trains and matchbox cars or step on LEGO'S.
One day I won't have to buy toothpaste that cost almost $4 in order to get my children to brush their teeth.
One day I won't have to yell things like: let go of the cat, don't jump from the top bunk to the other bed and get your hands out of there!
One day I won't have to panic at 7am about how I'm going to sneak the "tooth fairy" money under the pillow of an already awake child who is searching frantically for it!
One day I won't grumble under my breath as I clean the bathroom and wonder how pee got THERE?!?!

Today, I will enjoy these things - because ONE DAY, I'll miss this!

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Put Down the Controller

He's 4.5 - well, almost 5. He's full of fire. He's all energy and all boy. He NEVER stops jumping, flipping, running and punching. He has even taken to watching TV upside down. He stands on his head on the couch. I'm beginning to wonder if I watched TV like that if I'd be thinner...experiment time!

He's obsessed....OBSESSED, with the Wii. Matt and I somehow stood firm and didn't buy one until this Christmas. M and S were 7 and 8 respectively. They seem to do better with it. O is another story entirely.

As soon as his eyes are opened it's "Can I play WEGO STAR WARS" if I say no, it's "Can I play WEGO BATMAN then". When we tell him no watch out. Stomping, screaming and crying insue. It is typically short lived, as most of O's tantrums are, but it's not pretty. It obviously is a problem for him.

Days he plays for a long time, he's a mess too. He crys more, yells more and paces. He starts doing his "wego" moves on me. Trys to punch and kick like the men on the game do. At first it was...cute. Now, it's annoying.

I've been monitoring his play much more lately and he seems to be doing better. I don't want him to be addicted to these games. He LOVES electronic games - so much in fact that he said the following things to me:

"Mom, why won't you let me play any ELECTRONIC games today?"

"Ok, I played Candy Land, Imaginext and played in my shaving cream. NOW can I play Wii?"

I fear I haven't worked with him like I did the older two boys. He's so much different than the other two. His personality is so much different even. We've always said - as horrid as it sounds - he's been the most like a "regular" kid. The other boys are brilliant and tons of fun, but they weren't without their eccentric things.

Although Owen did have an irrational fear of birds and balloons. The balloon thing was soooo annoying! Had to leave more than one birthday party with a screaming toddler. It did save a lot of money for his birthday parties though! He still isn't a big fan of balloons.

Maybe, he's too much like a "normal" kid for video games. Stupid electronic games.

Friday, January 28, 2011

Random

Stolen

10 years ago I was: a newlywed, who had just experienced a miscarriage.
5 years ago I was: mommy to two small boys, about to be a mommy of three.
1 year ago I was: probably posting a blog ;)
Yesterday I was: at the hospital with my sister Mary and my sweet nephew Asher.

5 snacks that I enjoy:
1. Chips
2. Hummus
3. Granola Bars
4. Cheese Its - which I never buy because I'd eat the whole box
5. Popcorn with Ranch seasoning.

5 songs I know all the words to:
1. Jesus Loves Me
2. How Great Thou Art
3. The Sponge Bob theme song
4. Be Thou My Vision
5. Put A Ring On It

5 things I would do with a million dollars:
1. Tithe
2. Invest
3. Put some away for the kids
4. Share with family/friends
5. Build a new studio and get a new camera

5 favorite TV shows:
1. Greys
2. Ace of Cakes
3. Private Practice
4. The Nanny
5. Teen Mom

5 things I am thankful for:
1. My family
2. Friends
3. God
4. A home
5. My husband - I'm certain there is none better suited for me than him!

2 names I go by:
1. Mom
2. Beth Anne

2 parts of your heritage
1. Italian
2. Yugoslavian

2 things that scare me:
1. Centipedes
2. Being afraid

2 of my every day essentials:
1. Diet Coke
2. My SSNRI ;)

2 things I am wearing right now:
1. Nightgown
2. socks

2 of my favorite bands/musical artists (at the moment):
1. Bruno Mars
2. Hillsong

2 things I want in a relationship (other than real love):
1. Honesty
2. Laughter

2 truths: (stole answers from votemom)
1. No word from God will ever fail
2. Satan already lost

2 physical things that appeal to me in the opposite sex:
1. Good teeth
2. Dark Hair

2 of my favorite hobbies:
1. Reading
2. Taking photographs

2 things I want really badly:
1. A new camera
2. For my sons to grow up to be men of God.

2 places I want to go on vacation:
1. Africa
2. Disney!!

2 ways I am stereotypically a chick:
1. I hate squashing bugs
2. I like to talk. A lot.

2 things I normally wouldn't admit:
1. I don't wash my hair every day
2. I play games on Webkinz.

2 things I am thinking about right now:
1. I need to go to bed.
2. I'm overly sensitve.

2 stores you shop at:
1. Target!
2. Walmart

2 people I would like to see taking this quiz:
1. Matt - although I'm certain he won't.
2. My sister Nancy

2 people I haven't talked to in a while:
1. My sister Sara
2. Julie