Ready or Not, Here it Comes!

2010 already! I remember the anxiety about y2k and here we are a decade later. I was not a parent December 31, 1999 and 10 years later, I have 4 kids aged 5 to 9. Wow. It's hard to believe so much can happen in 10 years!

My last post of the old year and decade...just think in 1999, I didn't have a blog or a facebook page. I think I had a cell phone, I can't remember. Yes, that's what age will do to you! I had no idea about twitter, and though, I've signed up, I've only checked it once or twice. I didn't belong to any yahoo groups, and now I belong to several, though, haven't checked them in months. Just keeping up with technology is a full time job!

My new year's resolution is to try to get more pictures posted on this blog! I hope that is one I can keep! I also need to work with my kids some more on how to handle bullying and ways of staying safe when they are separated from me. Last night at CiCi's near our house, they and one of their friends (6 years old) were bullied by 2 middle school kids. Charlie and Kyle were punched -- not hard -- but enough to surprise them. The kids were blocked from leaving the play area to get to me. The 2 police officers that responded were so helpful and were great with the kids. When we got home, I asked the kids what they are supposed to do if a bully is bothering them, and reminded them of the assembly at their school on that subject (I attended that one). They remembered exactly what they were supposed to do. I am at a loss as to how to explain why they didn't do that last night, except that they were surprised to find themselves in that kind of situation, and it was over before they remembered to yell. So, I am going to have to work a bit harder at teaching them survival skills and their phone number (they get the first 3 digits of my cell number, 919, mixed up with 911). I am also not going to allow them in that back area without me or another adult, and that will bother them (they love the relative independence). I will have to explain that I have to keep them safe.

Other than that little blip, we are having so far, a happy end of 2009 and are looking forward to a blessed 2010. Happy New Year to you all and God bless each and every one of you in more ways than you can imagine!

Christmas Joys

The kids were just beside themselves the few days they were off from school before Christmas. They had trouble behaving at daycare and they really had a hard time containing themselves at home. Fortunately, Santa believes in forgiveness and second chances, and the gifts were all laid out very early Christmas morning. Santa turned in around 4:15 (and had a hard time falling asleep, then woke up every half hour to hour for the next 2 hours), and the kids were awake at 8AM. Well, Charlie woke up at 4 but didn't peek and Marcie woke up at 6, and also didn't peek! The kids did as they were told and waited in a bedroom while I got the video camera set up and the tree lights on. They came into the living room around 8:15, and were delighted with their gifts. Then, the Christmas miracle happened -- they played very well together, looking at each other's toys and then playing Nintendo DS happily and quietly. After awhile, I did hear, "but I didn't get..." and I basically shushed them saying that Santa was quite generous and I had already told them they wouldn't get everything on their lists because the lists were too long and Santa had plenty of other kids to leave gifts for. They went back to playing, and then we packed up and went to my parents around 2. All in all, it was a great day and the kids went to bed so happy that evening. So, did Santa, very relieved that (s)he had survived another year. :)

The next day, as Marcie was looking again at her Baby Alive doll and the accessories, she kept saying, "I must've been really good because Santa left me all this..." and then she pointed to various things. It was so neat to see her the happiness on her little face while saying this. She was thrilled with her "Imagine Babyz" DS game and her other gifts. She quickly went through the Pixos, and had a little difficulty trying to finish one thing before starting the next.

Charlie was quieter about his gifts -- I think he was a little overwhelmed. He loves his Imaginext Dinosaur set, his gumball machine and his new DS game. He also got transformer walkie talkies and it has been funny to watch him try to figure them out.

Kyle was thrilled with his DS and his Handy Manny set. He also got some Bakugan toys that he enjoyed.

Joanna was shocked, I think, to get a DS. She was certain she wouldn't. She also loved her purple jacket and her footie pajamas, which were the only things she could remember that she had put on her list.

They also got some games from Santa and from family, and we are slowly checking those out. Marcie and Joanna got Liv dolls and Maxie girl, and they are studying them. It really is funny to watch them figure out what they are supposed to do with them.

We also talked about the real meaning of Christmas, and the kids are looking forward to their Christmas program at church (postponed from the snowy/icy Sunday until Jan. 3rd). That will extend the Christmas season for them. I'm looking forward to it, too. "Happy Birthday, Jesus" always makes me teary. :)

December Snow!

We had a beautiful snowfall last friday night and saturday. The kids were thrilled -- I was thankful to get home and parked in my driveway friday night -- the roads were already slippery by the time I got home around 7:15PM. We stayed home the entire weekend. The kids played for a short while on Saturday and I made a very small snowman (the snow was just too icy to do anything with). The kids didn't have the patience for making snowmen but they were okay with standing next to it so that I could get a picture. They enjoyed making snow angels. On Sunday, we were out a bit longer (maybe 30 minutes on Sat., but an hour or so on Sunday) and we went sledding down the hill at the end of our cul-de-sac. Or, rather, attempting to sled. We had snow plus a layer of ice plus more snow and with the sled we had, we had a difficult time making enough of a track to get really good, fast sledding. But, that's okay, the kids loved what we did. Then, we had to walk home -- up the hill, dragging the sled -- yes, I had to do that. Today, I'm nursing my back and the kids are at daycare. They did enjoy hot chocolate when we got in and they also enjoyed driving me crazy. They were wild at times and very messy -- they cleaned up a little bit but it is amazing how much they don't "see" when I tell them to clean up!

The build up to Christmas is nice but they are getting just too wild. I hope they are much calmer next week when they have their new stuff and are home from daycare all week. If they are not, you guys might need to come and visit me in the insane asylum, though, with my luck, they'd admit the kids there with me!!!!

Shows are over!

Our church's Christmas production this year was entitled, "No Man's Land," and Charlie had a small part in it. He was in the children's choir flashback sequence of a church service in England. The kids wore white choir robes with red skirts, red T-shirts and red dickies underneath. They really looked like an angelic children's choir! They walked down the isle carrying battery operated candles and sang a beautiful arrangement of carols. The church does 18 shows over 2 weeks and Charlie did all but 1.

Yes, all but 1. He had a coughing episode after the lunch on the 2nd Saturday and refused to do the 1:30 show. He did take a little nap, and after much coaxing and a phone call to me (he refused to talk to me), he did the 4:30 and 7:30 shows. He was happy as a clam when I picked him up Saturday evening and he slept well then was very excited about the last 2 shows on Sunday. The other kids and I were able to sit in on the last one and during the chapel scene, Charlie's candle went out. After the song was over, I saw Charlie look down at the candle, shake it a little, and then walk off swinging both arms. It was so cute -- I guess he figured since the candle didn't work, he didn't have to carry it in both hands chest level like the other kids were doing.

It's a grueling schedule but Charlie really did enjoy it. He's been singing around the house (opera style -- much of the show sounded like an operetta) and says he is looking forward to the next show. Last night, he tried out some other "voices" -- really cute -- guess maybe he's a performer at heart after all!

Terrific Kids

The day before Thanksgiving, when I picked up the kids from daycare, the sitter pointed out that Joanna had a sticker on her. Joanna showed me her "terrific kid" sticker and the sitter said she had a certificate in her bookbag. Sure enough, Joanna was selected a "terrific kid" by her teacher for "working hard in school." Of course, I made a big deal about it and congratulated her. When the excitement died down, I told all of the kids that I expected them to work hard in school and they wouldn't always get a reward like that for it, but sometimes they might. On the way home, though, Marcie said she had also gotten a terrific kids award. I asked her where her sticker was and she said it had fallen off but the principal had put the sticker on her and given her a certificate, too. I didn't see the certificate in her bookbag, so I told her that I remembered that she had gotten the award last year, but probably was just a bit jealous of Joanna this year. Marcie kept insisting that she was telling the truth and cried and cried about it.

On Sunday evening after the kids had gone to bed, I was getting the bookbags ready for school the next morning, and guess what I found pushed down in the bottom of Marcie's bookbag? You guessed it ... her terrific kids award. I felt terrible! She won it for being a good helper. I apologized to her the next morning and told her how proud of her I was.

The award is sponsored by the Kiwanis club and evidently teachers nominate some of their kids. It is given out monthly. A Kiwanis member and the principal signs each certificate and the principal presents it to the kids in class. Wonder if my boys will get terrific kids awards this month since last month was the girls' month? I don't know but they are terrific kids in my book (well, most days, anyway)!

Quick Update

I can't believe it's been more than a month since I've posted. Not much time with having Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday clinicals and soccer, dance and school activities during the week. On Saturday, Charlie had a soccer game at 9 and Marcie had to perform with her competition dance group at a charity fundraiser (outdoors) at 11:30 and 1. Charlie played so well! Marcie later danced well though she was a bit subdued. It was so windy but nice -- she got cold in her costume and she said that's why she was so quiet. After we finished with performances and activities, we were all starved and headed off to CiCi's. Charlie said he wanted to go to McDonald's so when he didn't eat at all at CiCi's, I figured he was disappointed about the McD's. He said he had a sore throat and headache but at first I thought it was just from allergies (windy day outdoors will get anyone!). Then, as the afternoon wore on, I thought he looked really bad. He felt warm and really was droopy so I ran to the grocery store next door and got him some ibuprofen. He finally started to perk up a little but still had a fever around 100 when we got home. I checked him out and figured that his sinus infection had flared up (lots of drainage in the throat and from his nose, junky but harsh cough that had gone on a few days) and noticed that he had a right ear infection. I got his zithromax refilled and started him on it Saturday night. Sunday morning he woke up with a fever of 101.9, so off we went to Patient First to get a flu test. Yes, you guessed it, he was positive...poor thing, he had just gotten H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccines on Friday! So, I got him Tamiflu and stayed home with him on Monday. He was fine on Monday and I sent him to school today (he had had no fever since 5PM on Sunday). All of the rest of us are on Tamiflu and so far, so good.

Charlie went with me to get my seasonal flu shot yesterday evening. He told me that if I would look away, it wouldn't hurt as bad. After the shot, he held my hand and rubbed my arm some. He was so sweet! Now, if I can just get the H1N1 vaccine before I catch it!

Marcie was really funny the other day. Kyle had brought up the fact that they needed offering for their Sunday School and Wednesday night classes. I decided that it was time to start talking about tithing, so I explained that when you get some money, you should give a little bit to the church. Then, I said, "like when you get a dollar, you give 10 cents in offering," but not explaining that they still wouldn't have a dollar -- that can come later. Marcie said, "no way, I'm not doing that," and when I said that it was in the Bible, she said, "where?" I answered, "in Malachi" and she bolted from the dinner table saying, "I'm going to get my Bible and see if my Bible has Malachi in it." Sure enough, she returns with her Bible and I found Malachi and read the relevant passage and then explained it. She wasn't happy -- she had to read it for herself. She opened to the index and said, "do you spell Malachi, m-a-l-a-...." She found the page number and searched for it. I pointed out the chapter and she read it for herself....precocious little thing that she is! Maybe she was really born in Missouri!

I have to do more work now. I will try to post more soon.

Overrun by apples

On Saturday, my mother, my sister, brother-in-law and their 2 boys, and myself and kids all went to Carter Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville to pick apples and enjoy the day in the mountains. We were each given a bag as we walked in though I had the presence of mind not to take one knowing that my kids would gather enough and I would end up carrying them. That's exactly what happened, although, my brother-in-law carried Joanna's for awhile. You know where this is going, don't you? Kids + trees to climb + apples to pick....well, they didn't do a lot of tree climbing but they did enjoy picking the apples and taste-testing. We ended up with 21 pounds of apples! Of course, the rule is that you buy what you pick, so yes, I bought all 21 pounds. I think they should just take advantage of the free labor and let us pick the apples and leave most of them at the check-out for them to box up and sell. Anyway, no child wanted an apple on Sunday, but they are going to have to eat them this week! I guess I will try to make applesauce, too.

The kids actually behaved pretty well and they really enjoyed the afternoon. That morning, we went to a church-sponsored give-away event of children's toys and clothes. We had an invitation and each child got a bag with a toothbrush in it and then whatever they wanted they could get and put in the bag. I got a label for 1 large item and then 2 large bags to fill. The kids all had a great time and really were reasonable with what they selected. Marcie got some books and a few little toys. Charlie and Joanna picked stuffed animals and a few little toys, and Kyle picked a large race track and a few little toys....so, my one large item was the race track. They were all happy with their selections. I just went down the isles trying to get clothes to fit them == mostly for Charlie since he is a 10 now and was a 7 and then 8 last winter. Got a few things for Marcie and Joanna, and just a few things for Kyle since he can wear Charlie's hand-me-downs.

After that, we went to Charlie's soccer game and he played very well getting a few good kicks in. He pretty much stayed with the ball and did A LOT of running! I thought he would be exhausted after all that and our trip to C-ville, but about 2 hours after I got them in bed, I found him laying awake playing Marcie's DS. It was 11:45 PM! I couldn't believe he was still awake. Needless to say, he did not want to get up for church on Sunday!

So, anybody have any good apple recipes? :)

Surviving Kindergarten

I can't believe that it's been nearly a month since school started. My kids all report good days at school and the teachers at Back to School Night were positive about how well they are doing. Joanna's teacher said she was doing well, that sometimes she struggles with being a little bossy but overall things were fine. Well, I have received the first official behavior report. Joanna had 11 days on green, 5 days on yellow (warning), and 1 day on blue (consequences) for the first 17 days of school. All she could say was that she had not been behaving but couldn't tell me what she was doing to get her card changed. I suspect that her chatter may have gotten her in trouble. Kyle didn't get his report yet but insists that he is on green "every day." We'll see. :) Kyle did get to bring Coco Bear home for a few days. Coco is a stuffed bear that gets to live with various children throughout the year and the parents document Coco's adventures in a little journal. It is very cute and Kyle was thrilled to host Coco for a few days.

Charlie is overall doing pretty well. He really is a calmer child in many ways. I think the hiatal hernia that we didn't know he had until after his surgery probably was affecting him in all areas of his life because of the pain. He no longer complains of belly pain multiple times a day. I am still getting used to the "new" Charlie. He is still so sweet and helpful *most* of the time. :)

Marcie is getting more like a teen-ager every day. Just the other day, we were leaving the house and from the car I glanced at the front door -- here's this trendy-dressed, petite girl, long-hair flowing, leaving the house with her bookbag on her back, food in one one hand, brush in the other hand, blanky clutched to her chest and something between her teeth. I couldn't believe how much she was carrying, but in a flash my mind fast-forwarded about 10 years to how she might look as a teen leaving the house to drive herself to school. I almost had a heart attack!

Well, I'm sorry but that's all I can update you on at the moment. More to come soon!

First Week of School

I can't believe it's the end of the first week of school already! Even though mornings are a little hectic, for the most part, this week has gone fairly smoothly. I got 3 phone calls from the school about Kyle's insulin pump on Tuesday and a phone call about Charlie yesterday, but otherwise, they apparently have all adjusted well. I haven't heard about any behavioral issues from Kyle's teacher, but I guess he's saving up for when the honeymoon is over!

Charlie did have surgery on Aug. 28 and the first few days were fairly rocky. He didn't really want to drink and could only have a pureed diet. He finally started drinking and eating better (mashed potatoes were his fav) but then by the evening on Labor Day, started complaining that he needed to throw up. He actually just spit up a little and I figured he must've eaten too fast. Then, on Tuesday, he said he threw up at school once and at the sitter's once, then twice at home he ran to the bathroom. What I saw wasn't much more than spit up, and since it was the first day of school, I attributed it to anxiety. He had his follow-up appointment with the surgeon on Wednesday afternoon who thought Charlie was doing well and said he could begin eating solids -- just chewed well -- even pizza. Well, of course, you know what Charlie wanted for dinner! But, he wanted that after McDonald's french fries. He ate the fries and then later, ate a piece of pizza. I tried to get him to stop and not eat the crust, but he was so excited that he kept eating. He then spit up a little (again, not much) and was fine for the rest of the evening. When we got home from church, he wanted another piece of pizza, which, of course, I wouldn't let him have right before bed. He ate very little all day yesterday and at school, tried a pb&j sandwich (not the one I packed for him that would have been softer!), and it didn't set well. I haven't heard anything today.

My major concern for this year is the HOMEWORK! Charlie hasn't had any yet -- he said the teachers said no homework the first week, but my other 3 have had homework. Yes, 2 kindergartners and a first-grader have had homework the first week of school! Kyle and Joanna had art projects and one word wall word to practice this week ("I"). Marcie had to read 10 minutes nightly and read and write some kindergarten word wall words as a review. Do you know how much time it takes to help kids with homework who cannot function even semi-independently with it?!!! The sitter did homework with Marcie yesterday but she still had to read last night and fill her "getting to know you" bag. We finished Kyle's and Joanna's projects (required them to draw a picture of their home and put photos on a page AND dictate to me answers to "We like to...") and Marcie's by 9PM but at 11:30PM, I remembered that I needed to sign forms for each of them verifying that they did it and get all of the stuff in their bookbags. I am really concerned about getting homework done for 4 kids (and Charlie with 3rd grade homework) and still have some sanity. At least I can maybe ease into it this year because the kindergarten homework won't be too excessive....I hope!

Reality Hits Hard

I came back from vacation to begin a new semester at work and hit the ground running. Believe me, I am wanting another July so badly!!! The weather was so beautiful that month, much more so than we usually have in July, and now, September is right around the corner...and the kids in school, soccer, dance class....and the rat race is on! The kids are "ready" for school to start, and I think the structure will be good for them, but I am so missing the sound of the ocean waves as I write this. Vacations sure are wonderful, but when you are in a really nice place, and have "down" time, it's really hard to gear up again!

The kids went to a different daycare setting last week because my sitter was on vacation. They all enjoyed their new experiences but were glad to go back to their sitter's home yesterday. Kyle is already testing his limits and yesterday, "belly-butted" (as opposed to "head-butted") the sitter when she didn't acknowledge him immediately upon calling her name. Today, he has already hit his sister with a toy truck causing her to cry. I feel sorry for his kindergarten teacher!

Charlie had a rough weekend -- he chipped his tooth at the pool and Kyle broke his glasses (was an accident). We got the tooth fixed yesterday but will have to buy new glasses. He is now wearing the ones we got for soccer (plastic frames). The lenses are 2 prescriptions ago, but he can still see out of them. The sad thing is, I don't have time to get to an eyeglass place this week and he has surgery on Friday. Guess we'll have to do that next week.

Marcie is still challenging but she just needs to get back to school. That child wants so badly to be independent that she gets in trouble. She is trying to read everything and I am anxious for her to get back to school so that she will at least feel like she's making progress. I can already foresee her reading well by Christmas.

Joanna is such a happy and contented child. She really doesn't mind what we do or when we do it. She had her school physical yesterday and has gained 6 pounds and grown 3 inches this past year! I think I am going to have to get her size 7 slim pants, she is getting so tall. This doesn't make Marcie happy. I think Marcie will be in size 6 for the rest of her life....just kidding! She was such a chunky baby that I never would've thought she'd be my tiniest child. She makes up for her size, though, with her vivacious personality.

So, now you are updated. Do you suppose we could get whomever is responsible for calendars to give us another July and then another August before we have to get to September?!!!

Last Night

This was our last full day at the beach, and we are so sad. The kids have enjoyed every minute. Even Kyle, still feeling a little under the weather, just did not want to leave the pool this evening. He has had no fever since early yesterday morning and did not complain as much about his throat today. He did eat a lot of popsicles and nearly every time he asked for one, he reminded me that the doctor said he could eat popsicles. He also ate chips later and said they were fine for his throat. However, not all is rosy as he is now complaining of pain every time his ear is touched. I think he has swimmer's ear. He definitely is not used to so much swimming!

Charlie has been asking for seafood the entire week so tonight we went out to eat. The restaurant we chose had a limited kids menu and the only seafood choice was popcorn shrimp. He has had crabmeat before and liked it. They did have crabcakes on the menu but they have egg in them, so that was out of the question (and they were also $20!). He chose the popcorn shrimp, as did Joanna. I tried to dissuade her because I was fairly certain that she would not like them but the word "popcorn" was too powerful. Marcie chose not to order because she wanted a hamburger from McDonald's (it smells better she said!). She ended up eating some fries and bread. Kyle ordered a cheeseburger and enjoyed half of it (it was really too big for him). The waiter came over and asked Charlie if he liked the shrimp and he nodded. He kept saying, "mmm, mmm" and I thought he was really happy with his choice. Next thing I know, he is saying, "yuk, I don't like this part," and he was pointing to the shrimp. He had been eating the breading and putting the shrimp to the side! I noticed that Joanna had finished her french fries but was picking at her shrimp. You guessed it...she did not like it, either. Charlie ate some fries and polished off part of Kyle's cheeseburger. I really enjoyed my meal -- BBQ ribs, baked potato and broccoli! There was one funny part -- Charlie had leaned over to ask me something and he said, "something smells good." In between bites, I said, "my ribs," but he thought I said, "my lips," and he leaned over to smell my mouth. He and I both laughed about that!

After we got back to the condo, Marcie ate her chicken mcnuggets (she had decided against a hamburger) and I made Joanna a sandwich. (I told them that I was buying one meal for each of them and if they didn't like it, I would fix them something at home.) Kyle had a popsicle and Charlie went on the deck to watch fireworks. We then took a walk on the beach with a flashlight which Charlie had been wanting to do. They found a few seashells and we saw a sand crab. Actually, I think we scared it half to death. It ran but stopped so we found it with the flashlight. It is amazing how well they blend in with the sand but the beady little eyes stood out. It stared at me as I shined the flashlight on it and I really don't think it knew which way to move. Finally, it scampered away and we couldn't find it again. Marcie was a little frightened and she and I were both glad we had worn tennis shoes. Joanna never said a word. I think she was happy to get inside. Kyle and Charlie were both enthralled and wanted to look for more....but it was 11PM and I knew they really needed to get in bed. I finally got Charlie and Marcie in bed around midnight and I'm not far behind now. I'm enjoying these last few hours of listening to the ocean. It's so much nicer than the mechanical sounds of the wave machine I usually sleep with at night!

Happiness Is Not...

...spending 3 hours at a doctor's office to get a rapid strep test for Kyle. He woke up today with fever (well, he felt hot but I don't have a thermometer here so I guessed he had a fever) and a very bad sore throat. His voice sounded thick and his breath stunk even after he brushed his teeth. He said his entire neck hurt and pointed right over his trachea moving his finger up and down. Then, he would hold his neck and every time he tried to talk, he would cringe, hold his neck, and say "accchhhh" almost like he was trying to scratch his throat in some way. He was absolutely miserable and I was concerned that he had strep. I tried to look at his throat but he couldn't keep his tongue down and I decided not to be more intrusive, so off we all went to a doctor's office. At the office, I sat next to a woman who has 2 adopted children and we had a great conversation. It is fairly obvious to most that at least 2 of my children are adopted. Some people are very blunt in asking about it but this lady was nice and really respectful. I enjoyed talking to her, though, Kyle did not enjoy sharing my attention with a stranger. The other thing that was interesting was that one of the employees recognized me from our (her old) neighborhood! She remembered seeing me putting Charlie on the bus when he was in Kindergarten. Turns out, she and her husband moved to Myrtle Beach a year or so ago. It is a small world!

Well, Kyle did not have strep. Turns out he has Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease, a fairly common viral infection in kids. He doesn't really have the rash on his hands and feet (maybe a few places just starting) but he does have the lesions in his throat. I could kick myself for not getting a good look at his throat before we went to the doctor's office! Had I seen his throat, I would've know it was viral!

So, as all vacationing people do, well, maybe not all, but this one!, we went to the beach late this afternoon. Kyle was feeling better after some ibuprofen and he did not have any fever (he was 98.5 in the office and I did not give him ibuprofen before we went to the doctor), so we played. The kids worked on sand castles and sand-writing while I took some pictures. Even Kyle seemed to forget about his throat for a little while and drew some cute pictures on the beach. He also wrote "yes" for who knows what reason but he did a great job! Joanna had fun building in the sand and spending about 15 minutes (at least!) rinsing the sand out of her bucket. For the life of me, I couldn't find a spec of sand in there but she kept rinsing nonetheless. It must be nice to have a little body with pliable bones -- she stayed in the same bent-over position the entire time she was rinsing her bucket. Marcie collected sea shells then started a sand creation and Charlie just had a ball standing in, and watching, the water. Just call him Poseidon, Jr.!

Oh, I almost forgot, we saw an older man sweeping the beach with a metal detector. Charlie asked what he was doing and he said that he was looking for treasures. He showed them some coins, then said he sometimes finds rings (showed one) and shark's teeth (showed a necklace). Then, he looked at me and said, "but the biggest treasure I found 54 years ago was that little lady in pink over there" gesturing at a woman sitting further up on the beach. He then said she had Alzheimer's but quickly said that's okay and smiled. It was so sweet!

Happiness Is...

...a day at the pool
...jumping waves at the beach
...eating snow cones
...pushing the buttons on the elevator
...riding the Ferris Wheel
...riding the choo choo train
...riding the Merry-Go-Round
...eating ice cream
...floating on the crazy river
...playing in the whirlpool tub
...watching fireworks
...learning how to dive (Kyle!)
...taking Communion (Charlie)

You might be wondering about the last one. Tonight, Charlie had fruit punch to drink. He asked me if I would get him a small piece of bread because he wanted Communion. He was serious, so I got the bread, we prayed, and had Communion. It was really sweet. Later tonight, he came in when I was saying bedtime prayers with Kyle and Charlie prayed for him, too. He is turning into such a spiritual little boy. :)

Crazy River

I am listening to the fireworks on the beach as I write this. I guess they must be legal in South Carolina because every night we hear fireworks. Sometimes we can see them well from the window; other times, we just hear them. Marcie was better today and we were able to spend some time on the beach and at the pool. Charlie only wants to be on the beach and eat seafood...I swear, he and one of my brothers have got to be cut from the same cloth. Marcie really only wants to be at the pool because the ocean is "too loud." Kyle enjoys both, and Joanna is happy anywhere. There is another pool here and it's a large oval about 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep, with a current running through it. You may only ride in inner tubes supplied by the resort and you float around it. It's called the Lazy River, though, Charlie is calling it the "crazy river." Whenever we are not on the beach, he spends most of his time on the crazy river. I am enjoying that, too, but have to stay at the pool with the other 3.

Marcie has taught herself how to dive and Joanna is working on her swimming. She's come a long way and is doing amazingly well for never having had lessons. Kyle is a regular little fish and has taught himself how to swim underwater. Marcie has made a few new friends at the pool but got her feelings hurt tonight when one of the kids apparently asked about her dad. I don't know what Marcie said, but the little girl looked up and shouted over to me, "do these kids have a father?" She didn't wait long enough for me to answer, so I didn't. It was sad, though, because Marcie was clearly hurt. I have warned the kids that folks will have questions and I always explain that some families have 2 parents and some have 1 parent. It has never seemed to bother Marcie before but I guess the fact that the little girl yelled across the pool was upsetting to Marcie. She was fine after I said we could go to Friendly's.

We got to Friendly's and Charlie said he preferred to eat at the steak and seafood restaurant across the street but Marcie really wanted ice cream. Since I had promised the kids we would go there, that's what we did. Kyle, however, had been complaining about his stomach hurting for about 20 minutes and it wasn't getting better. His blood sugar was a little high and I had given him some insulin. I really expected that his stomach would feel better after the insulin started working, but he kept complaining. He also felt hot to me and he was begging to go to bed. I started worrying that he was coming down with the GI bug, too, so I just suggested to the kids that we get McDonalds food and eat at the condo. (We were still waiting to be seated at Friendly's). I think they were worried about Kyle, too, so everyone agreed to go home. By the time we got there, Kyle was in tears and said his legs hurt, so I gave everyone else their food and told them to eat. I hurried and got Kyle's pajamas on him, gave him some motrin because he felt like he might have a fever and gave him some orange drink....oh, and some maalox to see if that would help him a little. He had fallen asleep for a few minutes in the car, and after he took his medicine, he fell asleep on the bed for a few minutes. The next thing I knew, he was up and asking for a popsicle. He said his stomach felt much better and he wanted his supper. Miraculous recovery, or perhaps the wonder of motrin and a 5 minute catnap. Actually, I think it was those prayers for wellness that I was praying on the way home and while dressing him for bed. He is sleeping now with a good blood sugar and no evidence of anymore belly pain.

I still have sand in my ears so I'm going to shower now before bed. I'm not entirely sure how it got there but guess it was when a wave broke right at my head. Guess I could have worse troubles this evening!

Vacation Woes

If it's not one thing, it's another! Marcie either is sick from swallowing ocean water (she got a mouthful yesterday), or she has the GI bug that everyone at her daycare now has (much more likely!). During the night, she woke me up and said she had thrown up after drinking some water. There was just a small spot on the bed, so I figured she must've been a little sleepy and choked on her water. Just a little while later, she came and got me again and then also vomited a little in the toilet. It was really strange, though -- she never really retched and each time she claimed that her stomach didn't hurt. I changed her sheets and left a pan with her and went back to bed. She woke up around 9:45AM and wanted to eat. She said she felt fine but after eating a little, she said her stomach hurt. She was able to drink some grape drink and a little while later, her stomach started hurting worse and she ended up in tears. I gave her some maalox and she settled down a little, then went back to sleep. She's been asleep now for about 3 hours and has had no more vomiting or diarrhea. Poor Charlie was so disappointed that we couldn't go to the beach today, so I called around and found a nanny service that is reasonable. A nanny now has my other 3 kids at the pool downstairs. It's *only* $18 an hour for 3 kids, so I bought 2 hours. Actually, I do think that's pretty good for CPR and First Aid certified caregivers, all over the age of 18 and all have had criminal records checks. Surprisingly enough, Kyle got really shy and had to take his blanky baby with him. The sitter was really good with him, so I think they'll be fine. Marcie is still sleeping so I have some time to myself. I just hope she will still be able to sleep tonight! Please pray that no one else gets sick!

Vacation!

We are on our first family vacation in years. The last vacation I took with my kids was 2 adoptions ago. We've taken some side trips here and there but no vacations. Thanks to some wonderfully generous friends at church, we are able to spend this week at North Myrtle Beach. The kids were so excited and we finally got on the road after lunch on Saturday. We had been gone only about 30 minutes when I realized that I had forgotten Kyle's insulin and the cartridges for his insulin pump, so I had to go back. We were back on the road around 2PM, and by 2:45PM, Marcie was asking how much longer. We had to make lots of stops and I got turned around once so we didn't arrive until around 10PM. We were beat. About an hour and a half before we got here, Marcie started asking what the condo would be like. I told her that I didn't know because I hadn't seen it. She said, "is it going to be like Extreme Over Make Edition when we get to go see the bedrooms? " They were so excited. When we walked in, Kyle kept saying, "Oh, my gosh!" like they do on the show. I finally got them all in bed just before 11:30, and of course, Charlie and Kyle were up by 7:10AM on Sunday. I told them to go back to bed but they were so excited. They went out on the balcony around 8, and Kyle came running into the room where I was sleeping and he just kept jumping right beside my bed. He was telling me all about what he was seeing on the beach. After breakfast, we went to Wal-Mart to get some groceries and it was packed! I guess everyone else had the same idea. It was all I could do to keep all of the kids together and I had gotten really frustrated with Kyle because he was being so obstinate. I finally bought some fruit chews and gave him a package figuring his blood sugar was probably low, and he actually did behave much better after a little while. After we finished checking out, the store clerk said, "you have such well-mannered children." She clearly hadn't seen them when we were in the back of the store!

We ate lunch after we finished grocery shopping then headed out for the beach. They were so excited and ran right down to the water. Charlie thought the waves crashing on him was pretty funny and none of them minded when they got knocked down. Marcie was the bravest, venturing out in slightly deeper water with her wave board (I guess that's what you call it). I showed her how to get on it and try to ride the wave in (laying on her belly, not standing up). She got a mouthful of water and I think was surprised how salty it was. I went a little further out (water was still only up to my chest) and a wave knocked me under. I came up and didn't see Kyle anywhere. I kept looking and asked the other kids but they didn't know where he was either. I sent Charlie over to an inflatable slide that I knew Kyle had been eyeing and then the girls and I went over to the lifeguard. I was really getting worried but the lifeguard was so calm. I guess that happens a lot. He was getting the form out that I guess they have to fill out and I'm describing the bathing suit Kyle was wearing, and his pen didn't write. I thought, "oh, great" and continued to look around. Then, I saw Charlie and Kyle walking back towards me. That was scary!

After the beach, we went to the pool. Marcie started "diving" off the side while holding her nose. Actually, they were belly flops but she didn't seem to mind. After about 30 minutes of watching her, Kyle started doing the same thing without holding his nose. He and Marcie both have just about taught themselves how to swim. There is another pool at the place we are staying and it's called the "Lazy River." Everyone has to be on or in the middle of an inner tube. The pool is a huge oval with a "current" and you float on the inner tubes around the pool. We all enjoyed that, and then sat in the hot tub for a few minutes to warm up. Then, it was back over to the other pool.

We ate dinner in the condo then went about a block from here to an outdoor carnival. The ride tickets were $1.25 each, 20 for $25.00 (includes one free ride ticket) and 50 tickets for $50.00. I got 20 tickets, which didn't last long. Charlie and Marcie rode the bumper cars and they all rode the little train. Marcie wasn't tall enough for the other "ride" Charlie chose == a huge, tall slide. Marcie, Kyle and Joanna also rode a "dinosaur" ride for little kids. They wanted to do more but I was nearly out of cash. We took a walk to see what was on Main St. and then they wanted cotton candy. I had a $1.00 off coupon that was attached to the ride tickets, so I used it. The cotton candy was $7 but $6 with the coupon. It was a huge bag but still expensive.

I don't know how we will organize tomorrow but I do hope they sleep longer than they did today. I'm tired!

Other Issues!

I will post about our vacation next but there were a few other things that happened before we left. Charlie was scheduled for surgery on Aug. 17 but the surgeon called and told me that he had to reschedule Charlie's surgery. There's another case that is more urgent that has to be done that day, so now Charlie won't get his surgery until Aug. 28th. I was upset, but understood why the other case had to be prioritized. I was really hoping to get Charlie's surgery over with before my semester starts at work (Aug. 20). Oh, well. At least that one didn't cost me money....

I took my car in for an oil change and an alignment and to get a noise checked (I knew it was something with the AC compressor). You probably already know what happened....yes, they found something else (isn't that the way it always happens when you take your car in?). I needed 2 new tires, but that's not really the worst thing (expensive enough, though). I also needed rear brake pads and could use the rotors replaced. And...they told me that Toyota recommends the timing belt be changed at 90,000 miles for my type of car. I had slightly more than 90,000 miles on it at the time. When they change the timing belt, they also change the water pump, and I can/should get the AC belts changed at the same time. (They apparently were functioning fine but making that noise due to age -- I guess they are less resilient). If I had had that work done (timing belt, etc.), I would have had to pay about $800 more than what I paid ($558.00). I wasn't really planning on that right before vacation! I did the tires and brake pads and put off the other work but know I will have to get it done soon. If anyone finds a money tree anywhere, please let me know. Charlie has been looking -- he thinks it would be great if money grew on trees -- but he hasn't found one yet. :(

Ballerina Issues

Marcie is at dance camp this week, and it's the 4th week of her evening classes on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings. She has been loving it! The dance studio is also having registration for fall classes. I asked her if she would like to take an additional ballet class (she will be taking a ballet/tap combination class already) and she said no, that she would rather take an extra tap class. I asked her why, and she said because "ballet hurts my feet." I couldn't quite figure out how ballet would hurt her feet, so I asked, "where do your feet hurt?" She pointed to her heels and her big toe, and then it occured to me that her ballet shoes were too small! Bless her heart! I mentioned it to her dance teacher and she said that Marcie has not complained at all in class. Poor thing was suffering in silence! I corrected that problem today!

I'm Unlucky

I always try to go grocery shopping, well, do ANY shopping, without children but still had to take kids with me to Kroger on Sunday. While there, I noted the 10 for $10.00 with $5.00 rebate sale so decided to take advantage of it. I thought about getting some school supplies (Marble composition books would have been $0.50 each) but then remembered that Wal-Mart has great sales on that stuff in August (same composition books were $0.20 each last year), so bagged that idea much to my children's shagrin. However, we did buy chewy bars, frozen pizza, and other favorite items that fell into that 10 for $10.00 bargain (you could mix and match). I am going to price the stuff at Wal-Mart the next time I go to see if I really got a deal. But, anyway,....while I was checking out, Kyle, Charlie and Joanna decided to check out the little toy and candy machines. (Marcie was "helping" me at the self-check-out.) They always turn the knobs first and check the dispenser to see if a toy (or candy) will pop out and they check the change return to see if some quarters just might be there. They didn't find any quarters but Kyle figured out that by turning the knob of one of the machines, toys would come out without putting any money in. They did have a few quarters of their own that they used but by the time I got over there, Charlie and Kyle had about 4 or 5 toys each. Kyle said, "look Mom, they keep coming out!" Marcie got in on it and as Kyle demonstrated, she got 4 toys. I told them that they needed to tell the sales clerk because the machine wasn't supposed to do that. They did, and were allowed to keep the booty. Charlie was so excited and kept saying, "I'm unlucky Mom, look how much I got!" I corrected him on that and taught him a new expression, "I hit the jackpot!" He had to call my mother when he got home to tell her that he hit the jackpot and then also to tattle on the mis-deeds of his siblings. Some things just never change, but all in all, the grocery shopping trip wasn't all that bad. Still, though, I really prefer shopping without kids!

King of Pop

For nearly 2 weeks there has been so much media attention on the death of Michael Jackson that I can't imagine that anyone hasn't heard. His funeral yesterday was a marvelous tribute to the life and creative genious of such a prominent figure. I grew up with the Jackson 5, the Osmond Brothers and the Partridge Family, and of all of those groups, it seems the Osmonds have had the most normal adult life (if you can call any performer's life normal!) ....seemingly free of addictions and controversy. The most tragic thing is that Michael Jackson's music has been ingrained in our consciences for slightly more than 40 years and spanned continents and yet he still couldn't find fulfillment in his adult life. I know he deeply loved his children and I admire how he protected them from the harshness of a life of performing and made sure they had what he felt he never had -- a childhood -- positive, free of criticism and full of love. There was a beautiful photo taken yesterday of his 3 children together -- the older 2 standing over the younger as if protecting him.

In spite of his shortcomings and other things that cast a more negative light on this controversial figure, there is no denying that his contributions to the music industry and his stature as a performer are among the greatest ever. He has left an undying legacy and with the unreleased works coming to life, his voice will be heard for years to come. He has also left 3 beautiful children who loved him deeply and a family reeling from his untimely demise. We must pray for them, especially his kids.

There is also another poignant lesson in this. Entertainers, and others we revere like Princess Diana, are humans who search for love, acceptance and peace. Those Christians in their sphere of influence need to minister to them and share the love of Christ, in whom there is perfect peace. The rest of us need to keep them in our prayers. We must celebrate their talents but remember that they have the same needs as all of us.

Michael, rest in peace.

He's Back!

Charlie got home from camp Friday afternoon, safe and sound, all in one piece! He was all business, though, when I arrived at the church for the post-camp performance. He was sitting with the other kids from his group and when I went over to say hello, he replied but didn't offer a hug or anything. Guess he was "focusing."

After he was finished with the first performance (his group doing 2 of their camp cheers), he came over and sat next to me. Then, he went right up to do the 2nd performance and came back to sit with me again. I think he was unsure at first if he could leave his group. I also think he had to deal with his emotions -- he was happy to be home but had such a good time at camp, he wants to go back. When I walked in the door of the church, the first person who saw me said, "Your son did so good at camp!" and then the camp nurse commented on how mature Charlie was when coming to take his medicine. The only indication that I can see that he might have experienced some stress at camp was that he did some sleepwalking Friday night. He came into the living room about 1.5 hours after going to bed and was saying "wait" "wait" and was walking quickly. I intercepted him and walked him back to bed. He woke up and I asked him if others had left him behind at camp, and he said, "yes, Nathan." He hasn't said anything else about it so I wonder if he had just been dreaming.

I learned that he had sausage every morning for breakfast and that for dinners he had lasagna and meatballs and spaghetti and meatballs. Apparently, for one of the meals he had mashed potatoes and "graby." He also visited the snack shack quite a few times. He said that the counselors in his cabin, Justin and Jamal, had a meeting every night after the kids went to bed and that they woke them up every morning. Justin and Jamal never slept. :) Also, the pastor on the trip, Pastor Shane, had to come into Charlie's cabin the first night to tell the boys to turn off their flashlights, stop talking and go to sleep. Charlie said he was not playing with his flashlight and that he was trying to sleep. (Hmmm....). He told someone we saw at McDonald's Friday night that he had been to camp and had a good time. Then, with a dead pan expression and monotone voice, he said, "and grow deeper with God." It was so matter-of-fact! He is telling me about his week in bits and pieces, but I can tell that he had a wonderful time and actually matured a little bit. He is already talking about going back next year. I am grateful that he was well taken care of and that he had this opportunity. I'm also really glad to have him home and back in his own bed!

New Day Care Arrangements

My children are now staying with a friend who has an in-home daycare. She normally keeps infants through preschoolers but had some openings, and decided to keep school-age kids so that her 6 year old would not be so bored. I also think she was ready to work with children who are a bit more mature! At any rate, she kept Charlie and Marcie when they were young but was afraid to take care of Kyle because of his diabetes. Now that we've been friends for so long and she's seen me check his blood sugars and manage his pump many times, she has become a little less afraid. The first day (Monday), she called me a few times to be sure she was doing it right but didn't need to call me the next 2 days. She, and her co-worker, Amelia, have taken it seriously and work together to meet his needs. In 3 days they've done a bit better than the folks at the previous daycare did, so I'm pleased.

Marcie has behaved very well but Hopie is like her second mom so I wasn't the least bit surprised. Kyle and Joanna, though, have been testing their limits. In just 3 days, Hope has seen the characteristics that Joanna displays that were downplayed by her previous caregiver. The first day Joanna didn't want to stay downstairs with the other children and while she wasn't aggressive about it, she was stubborn and refused to go downstairs when Hope told her to. Hope had to take her by the shoulders and gently move her. Joanna then complied. Joanna also took some M & M's without asking and tried to hide it. Hope spoke with her about that, as well, but let her have them (okay with me). Hope told me that she's already seen the behaviors that Joanna displays when she thinks she's not being watched -- mouthy (in a soft voice), stubborn, lying, not really nice to other children, sneaky, etc. These are all behaviors that came from being in an orphanage and I think also learned from being in daycare with other kids. It's not that they're so abnormal for a child but it's the fact that she so skillfully (or maybe not so skillfully) hides them from adults. Her more recent daycare teacher for the most part overlooked these things and always gave glowing reports when I would pick Joanna up from daycare. Kyle and Marcie, though, were always thrilled to give me a more accurate report. There were only 2 occasions when Joanna was more blatently stubborn and defiant and that caregiver was really surprised. I feel like I'm always a naysayer when it comes to Joanna but I don't want people to be fooled by her cuteness and her quiet and sweet demeaner. If she's allowed to continue with these behaviors, they will just get worse and one day, she'll get something back at her very harshly either by another child or by being punished at school (detention, suspension, etc.). I think it will be easier to guide her to more appropriate behaviors now than later. She needs to learn that being cute and sweet is not a cover for her negative behaviors. In case you're wondering, I do praise her for positive behaviors and do so to the extreme sometimes, often in front of her siblings and others so that she can feel proud of herself and understand that she's capable of behaving well. I have hugged her often when she has helped me and at other times when she has done well. She is a neat kid; just needs help in learning socially acceptable behaviors. I feel so much better that she's in a situation where she will be sent to time out for behaving poorly and also rewarded for behaving well. Hope is much more skilled than I am at loving discipline.

Then there's Kyle. You know, he's a really great kid, too, and I love his little pouty face. I don't reward him for pouting, but when I see that face, I just laugh inside. He has been more openly disobedient and when I got to Hope's yesterday, she told me what he had done wrong and her co-worker, Amelia, chimed in that he had been really good the rest of the day. So, I told him to go on over to Hopie to get his spanking. He slowly walked over to her and turned around then burst into tears. He was going to accept his punishment. We all laughed and also got a little teary. I, of course, hugged him and said that we were just kidding but that he did need to behave. He skipped off happily after that. I guess we were a little mean and I won't do that again but it was really funny. Hope told me that Kyle has been so sweet with the babies (she has 2 under a year, and yes, I'm getting my baby fix!). He tries to console them when they are fussy and he talks tenderly to them. That is the really great thing about multi-age daycare -- the older kids really see that the younger ones need more attention. I think that's why Charlie did so well when I brought Marcie home -- he had seen Hope care for babies and he waited his turn when he was with her (and he also helped as best as a 2 year old, developmentally delayed, child could). Back to Kyle -- I told him that I thought he was going to be a great dad when he grows up. He just smiled his little sweet smile.

So, I'm very happy with my new daycare arrangements. I know my kids will be getting awesome care. Their caregivers at their previous daycare loved them, too, but it had gotten so chaotic and was too darned expensive! My new arrangement is the right price dollar-wise, but priceless in that Hope and Amelia love my children. No amount of field trips or pricey "enrichment" programs can replace that!

He's At Camp!

Charlie is at camp -- his first ever sleepover camp! He has been so excited but this weekend, he started having some anxiety. At 4AM Saturday, I heard him gag. He didn't vomit then, but he started vomiting at 7AM. Everytime he moved after that, he would gag and retch. He never really had much volume to it and he had no fever, so I quickly figured out the problem. I had started him on Desmopressin a week ago to see if he could stay dry overnight. It did reduce his urine volume, but he was waking up in the mornings with a sore throat, and he was asking for more water. By Friday, he was more constipated than usual, and stupid me, let him have macaroni and cheese for lunch! He ate well all day, even at dinner, and drank some water before bedtime. At 4, he got up and went to the bathroom but said there wasn't much "pee" and that his belly hurt. I think he got dehydrated from the Desmopressin, which made the constipation worse and the macaroni and cheese must've done him in. He dry-heaved all morning, so I finally called the pediatrician and got some zofran for him. I gave him his first dose at 3:20PM and by 4, he was acting like his old self. He needed 2 more doses by 12 midnight but when he got up on Sunday morning, he said, "Mom, I feel much more better!" Needless to say, he got a lot of Miralax this weekend and no more desmopressin!

But, the fact that he needed so much care I think really worried him. He asked me last night, "What if I get sick?" and he also told me that he thought I might die when he was at camp. I asked him if he knew something that I didn't know! Basically, I reassured him that he was going to love camp and if he got sick, the camp moms and the nurse could help him. I also told him that they would call me if they needed me. This morning, he was so excited but then said, "what if I'm a little bit scared?" So, we had a nice talk in the car on the way over about how sometimes new things are a little scary but after you try them, you realize that you're not scared anymore. I told him about a couple of times that I had been a little scared when trying something. He seemed satisfied and everytime I turned around to look at him and talk about all of the fun things at camp, he would smile. When we got to church and he saw the busses in the parking lot he was really excited. I don't think he had thought much about how they would get to camp and he was thrilled by the look of the tour busses! He looked a bit sad as he hugged me good-bye, but he readily jumped up and went with his counselor when his name was called. I stood outside talking to 2 other brave moms and we waved as the busses pulled out of the parking lot.

You might be wondering how I managed to hold up....well, my little boy was a little scared, so I had to be brave for him. I think the gift of acting has to come along with motherhood! I have already written a card for him and will send another one tomorrow. The one I'm sending tomorrow is a music card, so he'll be thrilled. I'll be keeping my cell phone on at night in case they need to call from camp but I'm hoping they won't. I want him to have a terrific time and to be reassured that he can leave and I won't die while he's away. (I hope I don't!)

Last Day of School

Well, it's all over for this academic year. Charlie and Marcie got really good report cards and are moving on to the next grade level. Kyle and Joanna "graduated" from preschool and will be kindergarteners in the fall. Hooray! No more all day daycare except for school breaks! I did manage to make it back to KinderCare after leaving the elementary school. There was really no graduation ceremony -- a teacher did hand out "diplomas" and said some nice words about each child. I left there and went back up to the elementary school and after that, took Charlie and Marcie to Friendly's for lunch as a reward for their good report cards. They are at KinderCare now and I am going to do some errands before I have to go get them.

It's a little sad to see the classrooms all packed up for the summer. The school really seems so different when the children aren't there and aren't coming back on Monday. We had to return after lunch to pick up Charlie's medicines because I forgot to do that before we left this morning. The art teacher and a few other teachers were working on the bulletin boards so that they would be ready for summer school (the month of July). After that, I'm sure September 8th will come quickly!

Milestones Accomplished

It's June 11th -- one day before the last day of school this year. Joanna and Kyle are graduating from preschool tomorrow (at 11AM, no less!) and Charlie and Marcie have their last day of 2nd grade and Kindergarten, respectively. It seems like just yesterday I was buying bookbags and school supplies; and here it is June and the crayons are broken and the bookbags are worn. The elementary school has "community day" on the last day of school. The kids march around the school and then each grade level does a dance. The PTA President will speak and so will the principal. After the speeches and dances, everyone goes inside for classroom activities and then a magic show in the cafetorium. It is a great way to end the school year. I went last year and stayed all morning and was amazed at the number of teachers who were emotional at the site of the school busses pulling out for the last time. The kids were hanging out the windows and everyone was waving and shouting "good-bye." I won't get to see that this year as I have to run up to the daycare center to watch Joanna and Kyle "graduate." The "graduates" will sing 2 very short songs and the teacher will make a few remarks and then the parents and graduates will eat. They usually have this program in the evening but this year they are doing it in the middle of the day. I will be leaving the kids at the daycare center because it is their last day so I want them to have the afternoon to say their good-byes. On Monday, they will be going to a friend's home, where they will be for child care. They are excited about the change. Charlie will be going off to an overnight camp next week and he is really excited about that.

Our summer plans include some camps for Charlie and Marcie, dance classes for the older 3 (Kyle doesn't want to take dance) and a vacation in August. We will also try to visit friends from time to time but will have to look for lower cost recreational activities because after paying for camps and classes, my bank is empty! :)

Summer, here we come!

I Can Do Some Things Right

These are the things I've gotten right recently:

Carnation Instant Breakfast -- I bought it for Marcie hoping to get a few extra calories and nutrients in her since she eats very poorly for lunch, sweets for breakfast, and mostly vegetables and fruits for dinner (i.e. very little protein intake during the day). Well, Marcie hated it but Charlie loves it! He pronounced me the "best mom ever" after I let him have it the other morning.

Tooth Fairy -- remembering to put Joanna's tooth under her pillow. The tooth fairy left her $5 for the first lost tooth and $3 for the most recent tooth (last night). (The tooth fairy always gives a bit more for the first lost tooth because it's such a milestone). So, the morning after the first tooth was under her pillow, Joanna said, "Look Mom, The tooth fairy left me one dollar," and this morning, she said, "Mom -- the tooth fairy left me two dollars." She was happy with $2; imagine her joy when I said, "You better count again!"

Sweet smelling breath -- Marcie does not ever want to brush her teeth. It's not that she doesn't like doing it; she doesn't like the effort it takes to go into the bathroom to brush before bedtime because she's "too tired" and in the morning, she wants to "do it later." So, when she smelled my breath after I brushed my teeth, she said, "I wish I had a mint so that my breath could smell good." I produced a lifesaver (she said, "that's not a mint"), told her that it would help and that she must start brushing her teeth! She was very happy with that lifesaver.

Movie night -- I promised "movie night" tonight if they behave well, complete with "potcorn" (as Joanna says) and caffeine-free diet coke or orange drink. They love movie night but rarely finish the pop corn or the movie, so that's nice for me -- They're happy and quiet, then go to bed quickly and I get the rest of the popcorn!

We are looking forward to a sunny weekend and a pool party on Sunday. Happy Birthday, Carson!

I am one mean mama!

It's not a title that I'm necessarily proud of, but I think, one that reflects the necessity of providing strong discipline. I think my kids expect it from time to time. The other day, I discovered (with Charlie's help) that Kyle was throwing little rocks from my driveway onto my front porch. At least that was better than him throwing them on my car, which he and Charlie had done just a few days prior. I told Kyle that he had to put the rocks in his hand in the driveway and go straight to his bedroom for time out. Then, I said, "On second thought, you put those rocks back in the driveway and clean up all of these other rocks from the porch." I then went inside to continue making dinner. When dinner was ready (only about 7 minutes later), I went outside to call Kyle in figuring that he was still working. Well, he wasn't on the front porch or in the front yard. I asked the other kids if Kyle had come in and they said "no," then Charlie said Kyle was in the back yard. So, I asked him to go to the back yard to get Kyle in. I went back into the kitchen to put the food on the plates and the next thing I hear is, "Mom, can I get out of my room now?" Kyle had already come in and put himself into his room! Oh, and the rocks were all cleaned off of the porch.

Yesterday, they were all testing limits, well, except Joanna. At one point, Marcie and Kyle were in time out in their rooms and then I fussed at Charlie for copping an attitude with me. I threatened him with going to his room but he quieted down quickly. About 15 minutes later, he came and apologized. It was so sweet! Marcie also apologized with some coaxing and she was reasonably well behaved for the rest of the evening. Kyle did fine after time out, as well. Joanna knew she had come out smelling like a rose and promptly asked if she could have candy after dinner because she had behaved. You know what the answer was to that!

I knew it wouldn't last. Joanna was so stubborn this morning and simply refused to talk. She has several mosquito bites that were itching and I told her that I would put some cream on them but she had to use her words and ask for it. (I'm trying to teach her to communicate her needs using words, which she is quite capable of). I told her at least 3 times between breakfast and being dropped off at daycare that I would put it on her bug bites if she asked for it. She never did, so I never did. The only thing she said to me was "yes" when I asked her if she understood and told her that she had to open her mouth and talk to answer. So, I guess she wanted to suffer with itchy bug bites today, because she sure as heck didn't want to talk. I think she'll realize fast once she gets to kindergarten in the fall that if she wants something, she'll have to ask because people are not mind-readers!

May!

Did you think I was never going to post again? I didn't realize it had been so long. The events of that last weekend in March are still fresh in my memory so it's hard to believe it was so long ago! April was a very busy month. I was extremely busy at work and then with soccer and dance lessons, it seemed that every minute was taken up. We did have some nice, busy weekends and some fun with friends.

Marcie's dance recital was this past weekend, and as usual, she did a terrific job. She really is quite good for only having finished her 3rd year in dance. Age-wise, she was supposed to have been in the Kinderdance (4 and 5 year olds) when I enrolled her last fall but she was so serious about her dance that I moved her up to the 6 and 7 year old group (combination D) last September. That was a good decision as she really did pay attention in class, try hard and practiced a lot at home. It paid off and she performed very well. My tap students were nervous but they did a nice job, as well.

I got Kyle and Joanna registered for Kindergarten. All 4 of my kids will be in school in the fall! Both did fairly well on their "Brigance" testing. I was amazed at how well Kyle did considering he had only been in the 4 year old classroom at daycare for about 4 weeks prior to the testing. He scored a 72. Joanna, who had been in that classroom since last June, scored a 78. I think 100 is the highest score possible with scores below 68 indicating the need for more work prior to school starting. So, I was very proud of Kyle.

Speaking of Kyle and having moved to the 4 year old room -- yes, he finally did it! He finally figured out how to keep his pants dry! He is now fully potty-trained and is nearly always dry (sometimes his underwear get a little wet) and he is often dry at night. He is still a silly and relatively immature little boy for his age (but that's typical of boys!) and he's smart as a whip. I am really looking forward to watching him blossom with more educational opportunities. He can even read a few words and he just loves to learn. He has a very analytical brain, so I am looking forward to a future engineer making the big bucks to support his Mom in her old age! (Just kidding! I hope to be self-supporting!).

Joanna is still very quiet and obedient for the most part. She is a bit sneaky but seems to not hide things as much as she used to (unless she's getting better at it and I'm getting worse at finding them). She sometimes still has strange answers for the questions she's asked and she still lies a lot. She also still carries around paper and loves to fold and unfold paper. She enjoyed the dance recital and when people ask her if she wants to dance, she hesitates and then nods. She's never asked for dance classes, though. I think she's more of an artist. She seems happiest when she has paper and crayons. Because she gets preschool special ed services, and she has one more year of her IEP, she'll have special ed support for Kindergarten. I am glad because I think language processing is still an issue for her and that's why her responses to questions seem so strange. Maybe it explains some of the lying, too, as she has to search her brain for the correct words.

Prima Donna Marcie is doing exceedingly well in school and just loves the social opportunities school presents. Last night was Science Night at their school and the Kindergarteners sang. She looked so cute! My friend snapped a picture so after she sends it to me electronically, I'll post it.
Charlie just finished a science project -- a diarama (is that how you spell it?) of a habitat for an animal that the child could choose. Charlie picked "bear" initially, then narrowed it down to polar bear. He did a nice job and really loved his work. He did pull his science grade up from a "M" (minimal progress) to an "S" this past 9 weeks. He is working really hard in school but still struggling with language arts and reading.

So, that's where we are at the moment. I am still trying to figure out how to use coupons, etc., to save a little money. It just seems to take more time than I have but now that my spring semester is over, maybe I won't be so crazed. I do have students this summer but the grading isn't quite as extensive so I won't have so much to bring home at night. Now, if the weather could stay warm, it will really feel like summer is here!

They Conned Me Again!

It's hard to pass up on fun. I had anticipated being able to get a lot of stuff done in my house over the weekend because when it's rainy, the kids don't beg so much to go outside. Saturday started out rainy, so Charlie's soccer game was cancelled. Most of the day was really cloudy so we stayed in the house. I did 5 loads of laundry and put away all of that laundry plus the other laundry that had been resting nicely folded on my couch all week. When I went in to put the sheets on the girls' beds (don't you think someone could invent bunk beds that are easy to make up?), I noticed the junk underneath Joanna's bed (bottom bunk) and I pulled it all out. I told Joanna and Marcie that they needed to go through it, put the toys in the toy boxes or bins and through the trash away (a lot of candy wrappers -- Marcie and Charlie are the culprits). Joanna started working right away but Marcie balked and then ended up bossing Joanna around. Marcie even threw some cards on the floor and ordered Joanna to pick them up. I intervened and sent Marcie away and added a frowny face on her chart. I then got Marcie to work on the toys in the living room, though, it really was a losing battle. Joanna worked like a trojan all day. Charlie came in 2nd with the work ethic, then Kyle 3rd and the princess last. Marcie did vaccuum the living room floor and washed their snack dishes after dinner. My parents came over for dinner and my dad replaced the faucet in the kids' bathroom and put the mirror on the girls' dresser (thanks, Daddy!). My Mother made the cube steaks (a.ka. "Granmommie steaks" to my family), showing me how to do it without killing them (thanks Mom!). We had a wonderful dinner. I so enjoyed eating "real" food. I get tired of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, etc.

Then, Sunday dawned bright and beautiful. One of the kids said, "look Mom, the sun!" They were thrilled. Unfortunately, that meant the end of the cleaning that I wanted to do. They begged to go visit a friend, so I agreed and fully intended on only staying about an hour and a half so that I could come home and continue working inside the house. My friend has a large capacity, front-loading washer so she let me bring a comforter over to be washed while we visited and the kids played. When it was time to go, my friend's daughter who is Marcie's best friend, wanted to come with us, so I said she could go with us to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things. We had to stop by my house so that the kids could change clothes since they had squirted each other with the hose. I guess with the 80 degree weather, they decided it was time to play in the water. They wanted the pool, too. :) Anyway, when we went to Wal-Mart, I instantly realized why having the extra child wasn't such a terrific idea. The kids weren't bad, just silly. They wanted to walk in a line holding hands so they were blocking the way for some of the shoppers. Then, they wanted to run. Fortunately, my friends' child responded to my stern voice. Then, they wanted to goof off in the parking lot. After that, I took my friend's daughter home, and my friend and I ended up talking for awhile longer and watching the Medical Mysteries show on the Discovery Channel. Needless to say, no work ever got done at home. I kept thinking that I needed to gather the kids up and just go but they were having so much fun and I knew with all of the activity, they would end up going to bed easily. Well, I knew we had stayed too long when Charlie came running over to say that Marcie was hitting her friend. I looked over and saw the 2 girls literally wrapped all over each other on top of the trampoline. They rolled over and Marcie sat up and I saw the wild look on her face and her wild hair, then noticed the girls punching each other. My friend and I both ran over to them yelling at them to stop and get off the trampoline, which they did. Fortunately, neither had hurt the other. My friend talked to both of them and told them they had to kiss and make up. They started laughing at that and I moved them together to hug each other, joking about it. They both hugged each other and then we all started making kissing noises. It was really funny but there was a clear message to me that we had stayed a bit too long! They played a little longer, then I got my kids into the car and Marcie still wanted her friend to come with us (so I was relieved that there was no lingering hostility!). We finally got home just after dark and they had sandwiches and chips for supper (we had a decent Sunday dinner) and then my younger 2 had baths and were in bed by 8:30 and the older 2 by 9. I vowed never again to 1) let them con me into spending an entire afternoon away from home when I have so much to do and 2) let them con me into taking one of their friends with us to the store! I did enjoy the day, though!

To Worry or Not To Worry

My usual state of being....I don't really worry all that much, trying to choose the "not worry" option or at least choosing to live in a state of denial. I think not worrying is much better but somehow worry creeps in at times. Monday evening March 16, I received a phone call about Charlie's upper GI study done on Friday the 13th (hmmm....). Evidently, the radiologist was concerned about a spot on Charlie's right lung that had been seen in a previous X-Ray (December) but looked a little bigger when they did the GI study. So, she recommended a CAT Scan. Now, considering what my sister went through only a few years prior (and I recommended at the time that we not worry until after we had all her test results .... not that worrying would've helped but it turned out that we did have something to worry about), I said that I wanted the first available scan appointment and I would cancel whatever I had to to be sure that it got done. However, the gastroenterologist wanted to talk with the pulmonologist first. So, that seemed reasonable but I reiterated that I would just like to get the scan scheduled. Of course, I'm thinking that the sooner we could make the appointment, the better because it would be a few weeks (or longer) before an appointment might be available. I usually see the pulmonologist on the unit when I'm in the hospital with students but I didn't see him on the 17th. So, finally I emailed him, letting him know the GI doc was going to call and the reason and also stating that I would like to get the CT scheduled and then cancel if we decided we didn't need it (Charlie already had a pulm. appointment scheduled for 4/2). So, by Friday, I knew that the pulm. had gotten my email and was going to review the X-Rays with the radiologist and Friday night, I spoke with the GI doc. who basically said that he knew that the pulm. and the radiologist were going to look at the X-Rays. Of course, all week, I was thinking all kinds of terrible things knowing that it was most likely not the worst case scenario, but my mind still went there. Finally, on Monday, I heard from the pulmonologist and he said the radiologist recommended some additional X-Rays and that we could just do them on 4/2. Apparently, the radiologist thinks the "shadow" (not "spot" as I was originally told) might just be the pulmonary vein. Can you just hear my sigh of relief? I know we could still need to have more studies (CT Scan), but I do feel better that several folks have really studied those pictures and I trust their expertise and advise. I am most appreciative that all of Charlie's doctors were concerned and took time to study his X-Rays, and get back to me. And, had I checked my work email over the weekend, I would've discovered that the pulmonologist emailed me back Friday evening. So, I could've felt a little relief sooner! Oh, and by the way, Charlie will need some additional GI procedures, but all of us who know him well won't be a bit surprised by that!

So, back to worry. I decided to get my toe X-Rayed (wow, that looks strange!), and yes, it is broken. Spent 1 hour and 45 minutes waiting to be seen by an orthopedic doctor (yes, I had an appointment but they were 45 minutes behind, I was told....well, they were really behind!). The doctor was very kind, didn't look at my toe (guess he didn't need to), looked at my X-Ray, confirmed that it was broken and said there was nothing to do at the moment. Yes, I waited 1 hour and 45 minutes for that....missed a department meeting and photo...and party! He could've told my primary care provider that and saved me a visit! If my toe doesn't heal (and I have to wait until it has been longer than 6 weeks from the injury), then I may need surgery. Now, I didn't go to see if anything could be done at this point. I was just wondering if I could be injuring it further by continuing to walk on it, etc. I didn't think the weight-bearing was bad; just wanted a little advice. So, I wasn't really worried about it all that much, and it turns out that I didn't need to be worried. But, that's okay, Charlie causes me enough worry!

Fun In the Snow and Then Summer, Then Back to Winter

Wow! March has brought some crazy weather, but it usually does. March came in like a lion bringing first rain, then snow. So, you know what that means ... a layer of ice under the snow. It actually wasn't too bad as snows in this area go, although, I bet folks who were in accidents or otherwise inconvenienced by it, wouldn't agree. I was so excited, though, on March 1st late in the afternoon when it began snowing. I was holding my breath just about hoping for enough snow that the kids could actually play in. The last time we had enough snow for me to dress the kids in snow boots and get a picture was about 4 years ago. Charlie didn't even remember what measurable snow looked like! Anyway, everyone was excited and anxious to get out in it, but I wouldn't let them go out early Monday morning because it was only in the mid to upper 20's outside. I made them wait until late morning, and then they just about tore up the snow in the yard in under 10 minutes. It was kind of funny. They made snow angels and we attempted a snow man. Unfortunately, the snow was a little too powdery and wasn't packing well. So, after much effort, we ended up with an approximately 2 feet tall "snow lady" in a skirt with pennies for buttons and rocks for eyes and a nose. She had the classic stick arms and a curved stick mouth. She was really cute! Marcie wanted to go in less than 10 minutes after we had gone out because it was cold but I made her stay out for the creation of the snow lady. Then, we all went in and had lunch and goofed off for a little while. It actually snowed all morning and we ended up with about 6 inches. Later in the day, we took the sled down the street and a neighbor allowed us to sled down the hill in her back yard. It was great and the kids LOVED it! Joanna did not want to sled and played around in the snow while the other kids rode the sled down the hill, carted it back up and waited for their turn to come around again. Finally, just before I said we had to go, I made Joanna ride. I took it down the hill a little lower so she wouldn't have far to go, got her on it and gently gave the sled a push. She was scared but when the sled stopped, she jumped up and said, "I want to do it again!" So, she rode about 3 times and we just had to go home. My broken toe was really hurting (guess the cold wasn't the remedy it needed) and I knew the kids would be too tired and cold to walk up the hill back to our house if we didn't leave. The temperature never made it above freezing that day or night, so the schools were closed again on Tuesday. I was really hoping the University would close again so that I could take the kids sledding again on Tuesday but no such luck. They went to daycare on Tuesday and Wednesday. The roads were pretty good in my area but I heard that there were places throughout the county that were really bad because snow plows didn't come through and it was just so cold...not to mention the ice underneath the snow.

Fast forward to the end of that week and nearly 80 degree weather over the weekend: the kids wanted to go to the pool! Poor things, they are really confused! So, now we all have spring fever and it's cold again. It was snowing this morning, though too warm and not enough for any accumulation. It's 38 degrees outside with a cold rain. Not the weather that makes me the happiest! I wish we could get another great snow and I could stay home for a few days with the kids. I didn't even get to make snow cream for them, which my mom used to make for us when we were little. I hope it's not another 4 years before we can have fun in the snow again!

Well, the kids overall are doing well. Charlie is eating glue again for who knows what reason. He gets very defensive when I talk to him about it. So, the teachers are removing glue from his desk and making sure he doesn't get near any of it in the classrooms he is in. He had an upper GI today, which showed some reflux. Of course, we already knew that but now we have some more proof. Charlie's recent funny sayings: A few days ago, Kyle was sitting in the car behind Charlie and Kyle sneezed this juicy sounding, loud sneeze. Charlie whined, "Mom, Kyle bless-ed on me!" I had to try so hard not to laugh out loud! This morning, Charlie agreed that Marcie needed to go and stay with her daycare teacher for "camp boot" for a few weeks.

So, speaking of Marcie, she has such a hard time earning her rewards. She is supposed to get 6 happy faces on her behavior chart (she's 6 years old) and right when she gets to 4 or 5, she just simply cannot behave well enough to get the last one or 2. She has 5 on her chart and when she gets to 6, she gets her "High School Musical" tennis shoes. I told her last night that if she got ready for bed with teeth brushed and got in bed without giving me any trouble and if she was dressed and ready to go on time for school today, she would get that last smiley face and her shoes. Well, she did neither. She dawdled and essentially refused to get in bed last night until almost 10 and while she got up a little bit better this morning, finally ate and took her medicine, she balked at not being allowed to wear a sleeveless shirt to school. We ended up chasing the bus down the street again this morning and I practically threw her on it. So, for most of this week, she has made it to school dressed but with dirty teeth and un-brushed hair. So, yes, Marcie needs "camp boot."

Joanna is still the same....she is very compliant, does everything asked of her, tries her best, eats and does just about anything else at a snail's pace. Last Saturday, she was at a friend's house and she sat on the outdoor swing with my friend (an adult) for hours. She didn't play with the kids at all. Finally, I made her get up and go play. She's like a little old lady in a 5 year old's body! After she went and played, she said she had a good time. Go figure. She is still lying a lot and she is very sneaky. I think she's finally figured out that I will find most things she hides. I hope she stops doing that before she finds better hiding places and I find spoiled, molded food or other yukky things months or years after she hides them!

Kyle is still acting like a wild buck but is doing pretty well with his behavior chart. He does not like getting frowny faces! He only has to earn 4 smiley faces for a special treat and he now has 5! He is generally keeping his pants dry (2 accidents in the last 6 days) and has been very helpful at home. He told me this morning that he is going to "remember you to put my Thomas sheets on my bed tonight." So cute! He also told me that he needs to put "little money" in the "Marching Dimes" bucket at KinderCare. So, we will bring some coins for the Marching Dimes on Monday.

Quick Post with Momentous News!

Well, now that I have your attention, it's really not that big of a deal..... but, Kyle has been totally dry for 5 days in a row! (Maybe 6, I've lost count!). I don't know if the smiley/frowny face chart worked or wearing diapers again, or what, but he is finally serious about staying dry. And, he is even behaving better. He really does not like for me to put a frowny face on his chart. Marcie has started a chart for herself, too, and she puts her own happy faces on it. I had to put 2 frowny faces on it for lying. She didn't seem to like that but she also didn't change her behavior. She hasn't asked what rewards she will get for smiley faces but she keeps putting them on there (she checks with me first to see if she's supposed to get a smiley face). Kyle knows he gets a reward for accumulating 4 smiley faces (one for each year of his age). He now has 7, so just one more and he gets a 2nd reward .... nothing big ... he usually just asks for candy. :)

Happenings

So much has happened in the last month, I don't know where to begin. The spring semester started at work and it is every bit as busy as my semester beginnings and endings usually are. There is so much clinical coordination that I do in addition to my scheduled time with students that I literally meet myself coming and going. The kids have only had minor illnesses but their appointments have been very time consuming. Charlie seems to be functioning better in school and hasn't caught the wrong bus again! Marcie got a terrific report card with lots of Es and only 3 S's. She was concerned about the S grades but I told her that she can be very proud of herself; that her report card was excellent. Joanna is behaving a little bit better at daycare but then just yesterday she hit a child in the face with a toy and last week, she drew on the bookshelves with a marker. I guess she just decides she wants some extra attention and she'll take it any way she can get it. I also discovered in January that she was eating glue. No wonder her poops seemed so thick sometimes and would stop up the toilet (she was eating a lot of glue). Oh, and about the attention thing....Joanna gets lots of individual attention at daycare and her preschool special ed teacher sees her once a week in her preschool class, working with her individually for much of the time and in a group setting part of the time. I don't think giving her more attention will cure her. We are trying to figure out what to do next with her. Kyle is, well, he is still Kyle. Still unmotivated to keep his pants dry and still not in the 4 year old classroom at daycare because he won't stay dry. It doesn't have anything to do with his diabetes or bladder capacity -- he has had very high blood sugars and has been able to stay dry and sometimes wets when his blood sugars are normal. He is just LAZY!!! The teachers and I have been working with him and trying to help him understand that we will let him go back to playing if he needs to stop what he's doing to go to the bathroom. Now, I'm trying to motivate him with ice cream....if he is dry all day at daycare, he can have ice cream for a snack after supper. That actually might be working. However, typically on the days he stays dry all day, he behaves horribly. I guess it's a toss-up: you either behave or you keep your pants dry. We can't have both (!).

Some other things that have happened: On the night of Jan. 31st, my brother-in-law's and my sister's 16 year old nephew was tragically killed in a car crash. We were all stunned and saddened by the loss of this vibrant young man. He will truly be missed. Please pray for his family.

Joanna got her prosthetic eye. It has an iris painted on it to match her other eye and the iris is positioned in the outer corner so that it looks like both eyes are working together (she virtually keeps the iris of her actual eye in the center by the bridge of her nose as that's how she can focus without the eye beating so much). It is a little strange looking but I guess that's because I'm used to seeing her without a prosthetic.

I had to get 2 new tires on my car....I punctured one tire and when I went to get it replaced, the mechanic pointed out that I had another tire with virtually no tread left on it. So, I got both replaced, and am very thankful that I didn't have an accident caused by tire failure. While I didn't plan on spending money this month on tires, I am definitely grateful that I didn't have to spend more money on car repairs, medical bills...or worse.

So, here we are at Valentine's Day. The kids are all excited and I know they will have fun with their valentines from their friends and the candy. Now we only have 1 candy holiday (Easter) left before we get a few months break until the next candy event (Halloween). It's pretty sad that I have to mark our lives by the candy holidays...but I am really tired of sticky candy and being asked, "Can I have my candy now?" Maybe I can teach them to say, "Can I brush my teeth now?" or "Can I read a book now?" Okay, I won't hold my breath....

His Eye Is On the Sparrow

I know I've been delinquent and one day, I will catch you all up on the holiday events....and post pictures. But, for now, I am just going to tell you what has happened this week.

On Tuesday, Charlie took the wrong bus home from school. He got on a bus driven by his afternoon bus-driver last year. That bus does not go to Kindercare in the afternoon, so when Charlie realized that, he got off at a subdivision a little down the road and across the street from our subdivision. He then started walking. I didn't know about any of this until 4:17 pm when I got a phone call from a neighbor. She had been paging me (my pager didn't go off) and calling about every 3 to 5 minutes beginning at 3:56 pm. An off-duty school safety officer (police) saw Charlie walking in our subdivision. She said he looked tired and was dragging his coat and book bag. She knew that the elementary children should be home by that time, so she approached him and asked if he were lost. At first he said he was just walking home, then he admitted that he was lost and tired. She said he didn't cry, and after she showed him her police badge and her uniform with patch on it, he got into her car. She asked him where he lived and he directed her in this round-about way through our subdivision and then over to another busy street. He just didn't remember our street name, which he does know. She finally drove back into the subdivision and he showed her where to turn. They pulled up in our driveway and when she discovered I wasn't home, he told her that he could go to our neighbor's house. When they got to my neighbor's, the officer told her what happened and my neighbor called Kindercare. Turns out, the staff at the day care center thought Charlie had a doctor's appointment and I just didn't tell them.

It is all so frightening. I didn't sleep well on Tuesday and Wednesday nights because I just kept thinking about what might have been. Charlie had to cross a relatively busy 2 lane road in order to get to our subdivision. I drove the distance and found that he had walked 0.7 miles. That's a lot for him. He fell asleep on Tuesday evening while I was teaching dance and was soundly asleep when I tried to wake him up to go home. He kept saying he was so tired.

He was so brave. He didn't start crying until he heard my neighbor telling me what had happened. He knew she was upset that he had been dropped off without a parent present at the bus stop and that the daycare center hadn't verified that he was with me when he didn't arrive as planned. I've spoken with the day care teachers, the school principal and the county transportation department. The principal is going to ensure that Charlie is escorted to the correct bus everyday. I am so thankful that the police officer intercepted him and ensured that he was safe, and that this has a happy ending. I know that God was watching over him and kept him safe. It is quite humbling to realize that but for the grace of God, Charlie could have had a horrible experience, been hurt... or worse. Now, I just keep hugging my sweet little boy extra tight!