Nate
We had a parent-teacher conference last week, where I had a chance to talk with Nate's main teacher as well as the special education co-teacher who works with him. He is reading at the level they want him to be at by the end of the school year. He is such a good little reader and can figure out just about anything. I'm so proud!
He's right where he needs to be in all areas except handwriting. It's still pretty atrocious, but he's improving. Previously we had made a plan to cut out the "social skills" class that was pulling him out of his regular classroom because his teachers contend he has no problems with social skills. Awesome! (This was one of our big worries as he entered Kindergarten.) We talked about ways to get him more one-on-one help with handwriting during the school day, but the problem is he is out of school every Thursday for outside physical and occupational therapies, and on Wednesdays and Fridays he goes to Speech Therapy during writing time. So that just leaves Mondays and Tuesdays for extra help. That's when I asked why in the world my chatterbox child has 2 days of speech! I mean, I know why he has speech--to work on answering questions appropriately, etc. But twice a week seems a little much. So we all agreed to drop one day of speech so he would have more time in class to work on writing. In fact, the speech therapist says she is sure he will no longer qualify for speech after this year! That's great news! (If it was OT or PT, that would be a different story.)
So then I asked the question: Are we still on the same page that Nate will repeat Kindergarten next year? They looked at each other. And the Special Education teacher said, "We really have no justification for holding him back." He's right on track for academics and social skills. Oh wow. I have such mixed feelings about this. I'm ecstatic that he has caught up so much after being out of Kindergarten for four months in the fall. What a smart boy! But I've just had it in my head and in my gut for months now that he would repeat Kindergarten. I guess I would rather have him repeat Kindergarten than have to repeat 3rd grade.
I mentioned my concerns. First is the handwriting. Well, we have a plan to work on that. (And to be honest, I saw some of those kids' handwriting on Valentines, and they aren't much better!) Second is that he's still in pull ups. But we are working on an appointment with a great doctor to work on at least bowel continence, and I think we can get there before school starts in the fall. And the third thing is his self help skills. He currently has a great aid that works on his independence at school. Like if he is washing his hands and tells her he needs soap, she tells him to get it himself. Lol! I love that!
Nate will have a very thorough evaluation this year for his IEP, so we will wait to see how that turns out and how the rest of the year goes. We can talk it over with the guidance counselor and his therapists too to get their input. We certainly haven't made up our mind yet. But 1st grade may be more of a possibility than we thought.
Tonight Nate came home with a special bag in his backpack. He is Star Student this week! That means he gets to be the teacher's special helper and the line leader (heaven help them get down the hallway with pokey leading them!), and he gets to share about himself. So there was a poster that he got to color and put pictures of himself and his family and his favorite foods. And he wrote his favorite color (blue) and favorite book (a train book) and what he wants to be when he grows up (engineer). He wrote his friends' names (Spencer, Eddie, Cade, and Georgia) and where he lived (in a house, haha). Then he was supposed to gather some items to do a little show and tell about himself. He chose a train (Gordon) plus a caboose to one of his model trains, his drum sticks and harmonica, a couple baby pictures, his stuffed turtle (we could not pack Seal the Sea Lion because we wouldn't get him back until Friday, and how would either of them sleep at night?), AND last but not least his Redefining Spina Bifida shirt. I quizzed him a little about Spina Bifida to see what he would say about the shirt. First he said, "That's where you work." Well, that's true. But then we discussed that meant he had a hole in his back when he was a baby, and it's also why he had surgery last fall. Let's hope he represents well.
Georgia
Poor Georgia has been sick twice in the past month. The first time she had an unexplained high fever for days and days. We took her to the doc once and got an antibiotic because she seemed to have an upper respiratory infection. Finally after 5 days of high fevers, I took her back to the doctor. He told me to take off her shirt so he could listen to her, and voila! She was spotted. She had roseola! Usually when the spots come out is when the fever goes away, and that happened with her too.
Two weeks later, she started feeling sick again. Very stuffy, bad cough. She was in the bed with us one night (more on this later), and out of the blue says, "My ear hurts." I am so happy that she can tell me what is wrong with her. You just don't appreciate that until you have a screaming baby and not a clue as to what is wrong. We got her ear treated, and got her cough checked out too--it's fine. She's still not 100%, but she's much better finally.
When she was sick, she got in the habit of sleeping in my and Blake's bed. Blake thinks it's a great idea to have the kids sleep with us when they are sick. And I always know it's a bad idea, but when they come in at 3 am, I sometimes don't even notice until morning. After several nights of this, it was time for Georgia to go back to her room. Oh, she really didn't like that. We had one terrible night of getting up every 15 minutes to put her back in bed. (I would have given any amount of money to have the crib back that night.) And every time she would scream her head off. Awful night. And since then, she has still had trouble staying in bed most nights, but I think it's finally getting better (knock on wood).
But her tantrums are really, really bad right now. She is SO good at being two. I bet my two year old can throw a better tantrum than your two year old. Blake took her to pick up Nate one day, and she threw a really good one in the floor in the middle of all the other parents. Then I made the mistake of attempting to take her to Nate's OT appointment one evening. The real victim was the poor woman who had to share a waiting room with us. Screaching, screaming, time outs, smacking (her smacking me, not the other way around), etc. So we're dealing with it, but it's not the most fun stage Georgia has had. I guess the terrible twos just showed up a little late. And I know what happens after 2 and that it doesn't get better for awhile!
And now I think we're pretty well caught up after my month off from blogging. :)
Monday, February 20, 2012
I've had a secret.
I haven't blogged in over a month, because I have a hard time blogging with a secret. :)
I'm pregnant!
I'm about 11 weeks along. Around 6 weeks, Blake and I saw the baby on ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. Last week I was able to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. Is there any sweeter sound? I had waited 2.5 hours for this 4 minute appointment, and as annoyed as I was at that point, I just couldn't help but grin big at that thumping sound.
The next morning, I finally told Nate and Georgia I had a baby in my belly. They don't fully understand, but they were somewhat excited. Nate had some questions.
Me: The baby is very small now, but it will get bigger and bigger, and then I'll go to the hospital and the doctor will get it out.
Nate: Is the doctor going to have to break your belly?!
Me: No, I'll have to have surgery to get the baby out. Kind of like how you had to have surgery.
Nate: Are you going to have a hole in your back too?
(Bless his heart.)
Me: No, I'll have an incision in my belly. But the doctor will be very careful, and the baby and I will be fine. I had surgery to get you and Georgia out too.
I couldn't resist asking him if he thought we were having a boy or a girl. When I told him I was pregnant with Georgia, he knew right away she was a girl and stuck with it the whole time (he was only 2). This time he thinks it's a boy, and he wants to name him Nate. I told him that might get confusing when I call for Nate and they both say what.
Georgia didn't have much of a reaction, but after Blake told her babysitter that morning, I guess they talked it up all day. That evening, she was putting her baby doll down for a nap on the couch, and she says:
Georgia: Mama, are you gonna have a baby in your bewwy?
Me: I DO have a baby in my belly! ... Georgia, what in the world are we going to do with a baby?
Georgia: (Pointing at the couch) I gonna lay it right here to go to sweep.
Later, my neighbor came over, and she commented on how tall Georgia is getting. Georgia says, "That's cause I'm a big sister!" She is very excited about being a big sister.
On New Year's Day this year, I wrote on the blog: "The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up."
Well, there you go. Seven days later I found out I was pregnant--quite unintentionally! When you give God control, great stuff happens. So I can worry about birth defects or prematurity or how I'm going to handle 3 kids and a full-time job or how the kids will react to a baby or how we'll afford a baby. Or I can believe that God knows what he's doing. And I do believe that.
I'm pregnant!
I'm about 11 weeks along. Around 6 weeks, Blake and I saw the baby on ultrasound and heard the heartbeat. Last week I was able to hear the heartbeat on the doppler. Is there any sweeter sound? I had waited 2.5 hours for this 4 minute appointment, and as annoyed as I was at that point, I just couldn't help but grin big at that thumping sound.
The next morning, I finally told Nate and Georgia I had a baby in my belly. They don't fully understand, but they were somewhat excited. Nate had some questions.
Me: The baby is very small now, but it will get bigger and bigger, and then I'll go to the hospital and the doctor will get it out.
Nate: Is the doctor going to have to break your belly?!
Me: No, I'll have to have surgery to get the baby out. Kind of like how you had to have surgery.
Nate: Are you going to have a hole in your back too?
(Bless his heart.)
Me: No, I'll have an incision in my belly. But the doctor will be very careful, and the baby and I will be fine. I had surgery to get you and Georgia out too.
I couldn't resist asking him if he thought we were having a boy or a girl. When I told him I was pregnant with Georgia, he knew right away she was a girl and stuck with it the whole time (he was only 2). This time he thinks it's a boy, and he wants to name him Nate. I told him that might get confusing when I call for Nate and they both say what.
Georgia didn't have much of a reaction, but after Blake told her babysitter that morning, I guess they talked it up all day. That evening, she was putting her baby doll down for a nap on the couch, and she says:
Georgia: Mama, are you gonna have a baby in your bewwy?
Me: I DO have a baby in my belly! ... Georgia, what in the world are we going to do with a baby?
Georgia: (Pointing at the couch) I gonna lay it right here to go to sweep.
Later, my neighbor came over, and she commented on how tall Georgia is getting. Georgia says, "That's cause I'm a big sister!" She is very excited about being a big sister.
On New Year's Day this year, I wrote on the blog: "The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up."
Well, there you go. Seven days later I found out I was pregnant--quite unintentionally! When you give God control, great stuff happens. So I can worry about birth defects or prematurity or how I'm going to handle 3 kids and a full-time job or how the kids will react to a baby or how we'll afford a baby. Or I can believe that God knows what he's doing. And I do believe that.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Getting a great start to 2012
Everything is going pretty well here! Nothing much to report, but I thought I would check in and give a few little updates.
First, the best news. Last week was Nate's first week back at school, and he has done great. He's been ready for bed by about 6:30 (and so has Georgia!), but the teacher says he's not complaining of being tired until after 3 and he gets out at 3:45. The teacher told me she was going to do an assessment of him to see how far he might have fallen behind while out of school all last fall. Keep in mind he went to Kindergarten 3 weeks in August and hadn't been back until last week.
So on Monday, I got a call from one of the special education teachers that comes into Nate's room to co-teach. She also takes him down to the self-contained room for a social skills class every day. She explained to me that they would like to reduce his special education services because when his teacher did the assessment, he scored AT or ABOVE grade level in EVERY AREA. After only 3 weeks of Kindergarten back in August! He's not behind, and he's even a little ahead in some areas! I was stoked. That is my smart boy!!
He gets two hours per week of special education services, and she said that's really not warranted at this point. Specifically, his teacher wanted him to drop the social skills class because a) He is not showing any delays in the classroom with social skills and b) taking him down the hall for that is taking him away from something she's doing in the classroom at that time that she wants him to be a part of. So I said drop it! I never really liked the idea of him being pulled out of the class every day for that anyway, but we were concerned about his social skills. But everyone agrees he is doing fine in that regard.
So my next question was, if he's at or above grade level in every area, is it necessary for him to repeat Kindergarten? She said we just need to see how he progresses this spring. The main concern for everyone is his handwriting. He still needs lots of work there. So she (the special ed teacher) is going to his class twice a day during normal writing times and working one on one with him. I'm not sure if I would want him to go to first grade next year anyway. I think he has some maturing to do before he's ready. But in the school's eyes, the handwriting is the only thing they are concerned about right now. So, we'll see. We will probably hold him back. But it's nice having the option because he's so darn smart!
The other consideration is we would ideally like to have Nate out of pullups by 1st grade. We are taking steps toward that now. We have a pretty good routine now for #2 where he's just going once a day around the same time. That's big progress!! Now we just have to figure out the bladder stuff.
Nate's favorite thing right now is the ipod touch Granna and Pop got him for Christmas. The loaded all of his favorite songs--Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift, Sugarland--and he is singing along with this thing constantly. I could have lived without hearing him singing "country girl shake it for me!" It also has his favorite games and apps. The other day I showed him it also has a camera on it, and you should have seen his face--classic wide eyes and open mouth surprise.
Georgia is also doing great. She is potty trained! We started the week after Christmas on a Monday afternoon, and that Thursday was the last accident she had at home. She had an accident at church the next Sunday because I forgot to remind her she had to tell the teacher when she had to go. But since then, there has not been one accident. She is so proud of herself! I don't even have to ask her. She'll just say, "I need to go pee pee on the potty" and will go over and do it herself. She's been using a little potty but is starting to use the big potty just fine. She wears a pull up at night, but if she wakes up needing to go, she will come tell me so I can help her get on the big potty. This is so easy!
Georgia is really into dressing herself now. She must pick out the clothes and put them on herself. Every.single.time. For the last 3 days, she has only wanted to wear the same red and white striped pajama bottoms, a tutu, and different shirts. Today's is tye-died. Oh, and her "cow boots." One day this week, she picked out jeans, a puffy plaid skirt, and a purple sweatshirt. Nicole said, "Did you see what Georgia wore to Bekah's house today?" I said, yep, I let her wear it! She's decent at getting herself dressed, except she needs help with getting the shirt over her head.
Oh, I've been meaning to write this on here. On Christmas day, one of Georgia's gifts from my mom was some pots and pans for her play kitchen. She had a toy muffin tin and was stirring something imaginary, and my mom said, "Are you bakin'?" And Georgia says, "I not bacon. I Georgia!"
Work is going awesome. This week I wrote 2 grants that have the potential for a total of $50,000, and I crossed a bunch of big things off my to-do list.
And I am loving having no real plans on weekends. Today the kids are going to Nicole's house, and Blake and I are going to go to dinner and catch a movie! I can't remember the last time we went to a movie.
Hope your 2012 is going just as well!
First, the best news. Last week was Nate's first week back at school, and he has done great. He's been ready for bed by about 6:30 (and so has Georgia!), but the teacher says he's not complaining of being tired until after 3 and he gets out at 3:45. The teacher told me she was going to do an assessment of him to see how far he might have fallen behind while out of school all last fall. Keep in mind he went to Kindergarten 3 weeks in August and hadn't been back until last week.
So on Monday, I got a call from one of the special education teachers that comes into Nate's room to co-teach. She also takes him down to the self-contained room for a social skills class every day. She explained to me that they would like to reduce his special education services because when his teacher did the assessment, he scored AT or ABOVE grade level in EVERY AREA. After only 3 weeks of Kindergarten back in August! He's not behind, and he's even a little ahead in some areas! I was stoked. That is my smart boy!!
He gets two hours per week of special education services, and she said that's really not warranted at this point. Specifically, his teacher wanted him to drop the social skills class because a) He is not showing any delays in the classroom with social skills and b) taking him down the hall for that is taking him away from something she's doing in the classroom at that time that she wants him to be a part of. So I said drop it! I never really liked the idea of him being pulled out of the class every day for that anyway, but we were concerned about his social skills. But everyone agrees he is doing fine in that regard.
So my next question was, if he's at or above grade level in every area, is it necessary for him to repeat Kindergarten? She said we just need to see how he progresses this spring. The main concern for everyone is his handwriting. He still needs lots of work there. So she (the special ed teacher) is going to his class twice a day during normal writing times and working one on one with him. I'm not sure if I would want him to go to first grade next year anyway. I think he has some maturing to do before he's ready. But in the school's eyes, the handwriting is the only thing they are concerned about right now. So, we'll see. We will probably hold him back. But it's nice having the option because he's so darn smart!
The other consideration is we would ideally like to have Nate out of pullups by 1st grade. We are taking steps toward that now. We have a pretty good routine now for #2 where he's just going once a day around the same time. That's big progress!! Now we just have to figure out the bladder stuff.
Nate's favorite thing right now is the ipod touch Granna and Pop got him for Christmas. The loaded all of his favorite songs--Justin Beiber, Taylor Swift, Sugarland--and he is singing along with this thing constantly. I could have lived without hearing him singing "country girl shake it for me!" It also has his favorite games and apps. The other day I showed him it also has a camera on it, and you should have seen his face--classic wide eyes and open mouth surprise.
Georgia is also doing great. She is potty trained! We started the week after Christmas on a Monday afternoon, and that Thursday was the last accident she had at home. She had an accident at church the next Sunday because I forgot to remind her she had to tell the teacher when she had to go. But since then, there has not been one accident. She is so proud of herself! I don't even have to ask her. She'll just say, "I need to go pee pee on the potty" and will go over and do it herself. She's been using a little potty but is starting to use the big potty just fine. She wears a pull up at night, but if she wakes up needing to go, she will come tell me so I can help her get on the big potty. This is so easy!
Georgia is really into dressing herself now. She must pick out the clothes and put them on herself. Every.single.time. For the last 3 days, she has only wanted to wear the same red and white striped pajama bottoms, a tutu, and different shirts. Today's is tye-died. Oh, and her "cow boots." One day this week, she picked out jeans, a puffy plaid skirt, and a purple sweatshirt. Nicole said, "Did you see what Georgia wore to Bekah's house today?" I said, yep, I let her wear it! She's decent at getting herself dressed, except she needs help with getting the shirt over her head.
Oh, I've been meaning to write this on here. On Christmas day, one of Georgia's gifts from my mom was some pots and pans for her play kitchen. She had a toy muffin tin and was stirring something imaginary, and my mom said, "Are you bakin'?" And Georgia says, "I not bacon. I Georgia!"
Work is going awesome. This week I wrote 2 grants that have the potential for a total of $50,000, and I crossed a bunch of big things off my to-do list.
And I am loving having no real plans on weekends. Today the kids are going to Nicole's house, and Blake and I are going to go to dinner and catch a movie! I can't remember the last time we went to a movie.
Hope your 2012 is going just as well!
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011 in Review
Sometimes life goes at such warp speed that I forget to take time to reflect. But starting a new year is always a great time to look back at where we were last New Year's Day and what has happened since then. Wow. It has been a life-changing year in many ways.
Georgia! At the beginning of this 2011, she was just a baby! She was so little.
This year started with her getting a new babysitter, Bekah. And now Bekah is like a member of the family. Georgia loves her to pieces, and the feeling is mutual. Georgia also got her first haircut, even when she didn't have much. This summer she turned 2.
Everyone talks about the terrible 2's, and of course she is stubborn and throws tantrums just like any 2 year old. But I honestly love the 2's. Georgia has such a great little personality and talks up a storm and has such cute interests. She's now in her big girl toddler bed.
And just this past week---She has potty trained! I'm so proud of the big girl she has become, and I wish I could freeze time so she could be at this stage just a little while longer.
Blake has also had an amazing year. I've never mentioned on this blog that Blake is a recovering alcoholic who essentially stopped drinking shortly after Nate was born. But the last few years have still been a struggle at times. In January this year, he seriously committed to Alcoholics Anonymous, and he recently finished his 12th step. The 12 steps are neverending, but this was a huge accomplishment for him. He also did the Man Challenge at church and is now in a Disciples of Christ class, which is an intensive nearly 2 year class to learn the Bible. Even though his work has been difficult at times, as his company has been bought out twice in the past year, Blake has still done well at work and with balancing work and home. He has quit smoking ... 4 times! But we think this time is the charm. :) He is constantly trying to be a better father--and he is so intentional about playing with the kids. And this is really been the best year of our marriage so far. I'm so proud of him!
Nate. Oh, Nate. At the beginning of the year, he was having major behavior issues, both at home and in preschool. We didn't know what to do about it. Then for the most part, they just stopped. He still cries and fits more than I would like, and more than I think is age appropriate. But most of the time, he is a very sweet and often obedient boy.
This summer, he played T-ball and turned 5.
In March is when I first noticed Nate's left foot turning out suddenly, but the PT placated me for awhile. In July I called the neurosurgeon to move our appointment up sooner. Then a couple weeks later we realized he had lost major function in his foot. So began the full-on freak out (my and Blake's), and we got in to see the docs in August. Tethered cord surgery was Sept. 7. This was Nate's first surgery since before he was born.
He came through the surgery fine, but two weeks later, he had to have another surgery to close a spinal fluid leak in his back. A couple weeks later, it happened again, and we made the decision to go to Boston for another back surgery and ETV. Nate rode on an airplane for the first time.
He learned how to use a wheelchair.
He laid flat for 7 days.
And he has come through it all with amazing strength. I so admire this little boy.
What about me? I've had a pretty amazing year professionally. One of the highlights was the SBAK Day Conference when Aaron Fotheringham visited Louisville. It was amazing, and I was so proud of my work contributing to that day.
Another highlight was the SBA National Conference in Anaheim, where I got to meet so many of my SB mommy (and daddy) friends. That was an awesome experience, and I am pumped about this summer's conference in Indianapolis.
In September I became Executive Director of SBAK, and with that came much more responsibility, and just a lot of cool things I get to do for my job. I never would have guessed that would happen this year--that was a huge change.
So many things happened in our lives this year. Blake's stepdad, Bob, died way too young. We miss him every day and grieve for the whole family, especially Janie.
My cousin Nicole moved to Louisville to be the kids' nanny over the summer. She has been a HUGE help with Nate as he's been out of school so long this fall, but we've also just enjoyed having her and her son Cade as part of our daily lives.
We traded in our truck for a minvan. Then I wrecked it.
We went on a family vacation to Florida! That was a blast!
We also went on a Labor Day weekend trip with my dad's whole family to Gatlinburg. This was such a fun time right before Nate's first surgery.
And my best friend had twin boys! I got to visit with them this weekend.
Like I said--Wow! It was a life-changing year. It's easy to look back on the year and just see the bad and hard stuff. But so many good things happened too. And even in the hard stuff, we grew closer, learned to lean on God because he was all we could hold on to, and came through it with a better focus on our blessings. If I had known all that would happen, I would have been so scared. But God gently led us through it and gave us everything we needed when we needed it. His love and grace amaze me.
Now we begin another year, and of course we have big plans. I look forward to another eventful year professionally. My goal is to get our family healthier, and Blake is focusing on getting us in better financial health. The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up.
Happy New Year!
Georgia! At the beginning of this 2011, she was just a baby! She was so little.
 |
| February |
This year started with her getting a new babysitter, Bekah. And now Bekah is like a member of the family. Georgia loves her to pieces, and the feeling is mutual. Georgia also got her first haircut, even when she didn't have much. This summer she turned 2.
 |
| July |
Everyone talks about the terrible 2's, and of course she is stubborn and throws tantrums just like any 2 year old. But I honestly love the 2's. Georgia has such a great little personality and talks up a storm and has such cute interests. She's now in her big girl toddler bed.
 |
| December |
 |
| This weekend, with her bff Ellie. |
Nate. Oh, Nate. At the beginning of the year, he was having major behavior issues, both at home and in preschool. We didn't know what to do about it. Then for the most part, they just stopped. He still cries and fits more than I would like, and more than I think is age appropriate. But most of the time, he is a very sweet and often obedient boy.
 |
| February |
Nate started Kindergarten! He went for 3 weeks, and he hasn't been back since. That's ok. He'll have another first day of Kindergarten next year. :)
In March is when I first noticed Nate's left foot turning out suddenly, but the PT placated me for awhile. In July I called the neurosurgeon to move our appointment up sooner. Then a couple weeks later we realized he had lost major function in his foot. So began the full-on freak out (my and Blake's), and we got in to see the docs in August. Tethered cord surgery was Sept. 7. This was Nate's first surgery since before he was born.
He came through the surgery fine, but two weeks later, he had to have another surgery to close a spinal fluid leak in his back. A couple weeks later, it happened again, and we made the decision to go to Boston for another back surgery and ETV. Nate rode on an airplane for the first time.
He learned how to use a wheelchair.
And he has come through it all with amazing strength. I so admire this little boy.
What about me? I've had a pretty amazing year professionally. One of the highlights was the SBAK Day Conference when Aaron Fotheringham visited Louisville. It was amazing, and I was so proud of my work contributing to that day.
Another highlight was the SBA National Conference in Anaheim, where I got to meet so many of my SB mommy (and daddy) friends. That was an awesome experience, and I am pumped about this summer's conference in Indianapolis.
In September I became Executive Director of SBAK, and with that came much more responsibility, and just a lot of cool things I get to do for my job. I never would have guessed that would happen this year--that was a huge change.
So many things happened in our lives this year. Blake's stepdad, Bob, died way too young. We miss him every day and grieve for the whole family, especially Janie.
My cousin Nicole moved to Louisville to be the kids' nanny over the summer. She has been a HUGE help with Nate as he's been out of school so long this fall, but we've also just enjoyed having her and her son Cade as part of our daily lives.
We traded in our truck for a minvan. Then I wrecked it.
We went on a family vacation to Florida! That was a blast!
We also went on a Labor Day weekend trip with my dad's whole family to Gatlinburg. This was such a fun time right before Nate's first surgery.
And my best friend had twin boys! I got to visit with them this weekend.
 |
| Truman |
 |
| Thomas |
Now we begin another year, and of course we have big plans. I look forward to another eventful year professionally. My goal is to get our family healthier, and Blake is focusing on getting us in better financial health. The truth is, we have no idea what will happen this year, and I'm pretty happy with that. We give 2012 to God, and we'll follow him wherever he leads us. Wherever that is will be something way better than we could have dreamed up.
Happy New Year!
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas Joy at Home!
After all that Christmas Joy at Work, it was immediately time to start celebrating Christmas with family! Every year we love going to my Granny Ethel and Papa's house to celebrate Christmas with my dad's family. Because it's about a 4 hour drive, we also spent the night, which was a real treat to be able to spend more time with my grandparents (and parents!).
And after we got home, we knew we would be HOME for the holidays. That means so much. In years past we have traveled for Christmas and had a great time visiting family, but we have really loved being home for Christmas the last couple of years. And THIS year, after two weeks in Nashville and three weeks in Boston and mucho travel for work, being home is heaven.
On Friday, Blake's mom (Memaw) came to visit. Somehow, this is the only photo I have from the day! Georgia getting a diaper bag for her baby dolls. But the kids loved having Memaw here to play with them all day.
Friday night as I was finishing up all my preparations and wrapping some gifts, I could not find the gifts I bought my brother and my dad. Anywhere. I turned this house upside down and they were nowhere to be found. In fact, I still have not found them, and I have no idea where they could be. The only thing to do was ... go back to the mall and buy them again. While I ran into the mall, Blake and the kids stayed in the van. When I was done, we made a spur of the moment decision to go to Lights Under Louisville. It was so unplanned, the kids didn't even have shoes on. :) And they were wearing shorts/a dress because it was unseasonably warm and we were inside all day.
On Christmas Eve, my parents came over in the morning. Even though Georgia already had her Christmas dress on, she had to change when she saw what my parents brought her.
They brought Nate an air hockey table. And these are just the first of many gifts from my parents, and from the kids' grandparents in general. They get so, so, so spoiled at Christmas. It is mind boggling. For that matter, Blake and I get majorly spoiled too! As I look around my house, there are probably as many things I can point to that one of our parents bought us as there are things we have bought ourselves. Pretty much every piece of furniture came as a gift, lol. We are very grateful for what our parents do for us all year long.
We got ready to go to church. This was special, and a little anxiety-producing, because Nate has not been to church since August, before his first surgery. As you know, it was three surgeries in a row, and then a couple of times this month we have thought about trying it, but we didn't want Nate to get to chapel and start busting a move to the music like he always does, and to hurt himself. Not to mention all the walking, or taking his wheelchair and then what does the room volunteer do with it and do we trust Nate to not run over other children, and what about getting sick from the other children. So he has just stayed home. But he was SO EXCITED to go to church on Christmas Eve. He kept saying, "I love chapel!"
We debated on whether to take the wheelchair in. Our church is enormous and requires a lot of walking. Nate can walk/run short distances, but after that you're carrying him. But Blake pulled up close to let us out near the children's church and we decided to risk it. He did great, except he fell a few times on the way to his classroom, then who knows how much he fell while he was in there, but he came out happy and uninjured, so it was a win.
After church, I was letting the kids run around and blow off some steam while Blake was getting the van. Georgia finds some gum on the sidewalk. This video cracks me up because it is so the essence of all of our daily conversations.
We came home to eat yummy finger foods and open a few presents. Lucas got Nate a play doh dentist kit, which is so funny. (Lucas is a dentist.) And he got Georgia a playpen for her babies, and she's crazy about it. Nate got train stuff, and Georgia got Hello Kitty and Tinkerbell stuff from Nicole and Cade. A couple more gifts from Granna and Pop. They were WILD. Bedtime could not come soon enough. Georgia was easy, Nate not so much.
Sprinkling reindeer food in the yard with Pop.
Nate left cookies and milk for Santa, of course.
Okay, when Maggie snagged the cookies, I wasn't surprised. I mean, we just invited that by leaving them on the floor. I was surprised, though, when she drank all the milk.
Merry Christmas, Maggie!
I was SO excited for Christmas morning that I could hardly sleep (a head cold and a snoring husband didn't help).
This morning I couldn't wait to see Nate's reaction when he saw that Santa left him a real Lionel model train. This ain't no Thomas. This is the kind of train old men tinker with in their basements. I just knew he would flip.
He walked in the room, and I had the video camera ready, and he goes, "Oh! A new model train!" and he walks over to it, gets down on his knees, and then ... reaches right over it and says, "Hey! A new train movie!" :O With equal enthusiasm. Blake and I were in shock, like what just happened here? lol! We should know by now that Nate's reactions to gifts are sometimes underwhelming. (Like when he opened the ipod touch from my parents and said, "Cool" and then put it to the side because he didn't really understand it was like our iphones until Blake got it turned on for him.) So of course by the end of the day, he totally knows how to work it and thinks it's awesome. It was just an underwhelming initial reaction, that little stinker! Being all nonchalant about a model train.
And Georgia made a bee line for some play money in a cash register! But she was all about her baby accessories all day. She was feeding one of her babies and said, "She yikes it! She get it alllll over da place!" Georgia knows a lot about babies because there are 3 of them at the babysitter's house.
She loved giving her doll a bath. She kept saying, "Now let's wash your butt!" It sounds hilarious the way she says it.
We now have the full Lionel Nation train movie collection. Nate is way more excited about this than I am.
There were so many spilled skittles and goldfish on the floor today.
Santa's big gift for Georgia this year was the Little Mommy and Me Very Real Baby. She says 150 different things. Sometimes she needs a hug, or her bear, or a popsicle, or for her mouth to be wiped, or to fix a boo boo ... on and on. Georgia laid her down in the bed, and she just kept talking and Georgia turned around and sharply said, "Shh!"
She was such a busy little mommy today. She lined all the dolls up on the couch, and I saw her furrow her eyebrows and tell one of them, "I goin go get you a paci. Wait just a minute. Mommy be right back!" She was pretending they were all in the car, and she grabbed a set of toy measuring spoons and said they were her keys. She said, all bossy, "Nate! Get in the car!" and he said, "I don't want to," and she said, "Well, I'm leavin!" and stomped off! Ha! I promise she didn't learn that from me!
This is pretty much how my living room still looks, but at this point in the morning, they had switched sides of the room and were playing with each other's toys.
She's going to need these because potty training starts tomorrow.
Lots and lots of jumping!
Here they were having a serious train session.
Granna and Pop brought twin dolls. We have named them Angelina and Justin, but I'm pretty sure they have already been renamed to Nate and Georgia.
When Nate figured out his ipod touch had his favorite songs already loaded on it, he sat there listening and playing angry birds for a good half hour or more.
With the light shining on her, she looks like a magical fairy!
And this reminds me so much of a picture of me when I was just a little older than her, in my dance costume before a recital. :) It's kind of cool having a mini-me, and also a lot of pressure!
We had a great dinner--we made up for having Thanksgiving catered by outdoing ourselves with good food. And we just let the kids play all day. I'm so grateful for family around the table at Christmas--I know some people spend the day alone. I'm so thankful that we are home--I know many families are spending the holidays at a children's hospital or somewhere similar. I'm grateful for my God-fearing husband who loves me enough to go along with my crazy notions, who helps prepare the meal and then cleans the kitchen afterwards, and who is right there in the floor playing with the kids and their new toys. I'm thankful for my sweet children who bring me so much pure joy and make this time of year magical all over again--and that they are healthy, safe, and happy.
Most of all, I am thankful that my God, my King, is also my friend--because he was born as a vulnerable baby, a perfectly holy being subjected to an evil world. He was born to die, in order to save my life. I know he understands me, he intercedes for me, he loves me even when no one else could, and he has forgiven me. THAT is worth celebrating. Happy birthday, Jesus, and merry Christmas, everyone.
And after we got home, we knew we would be HOME for the holidays. That means so much. In years past we have traveled for Christmas and had a great time visiting family, but we have really loved being home for Christmas the last couple of years. And THIS year, after two weeks in Nashville and three weeks in Boston and mucho travel for work, being home is heaven.
On Friday, Blake's mom (Memaw) came to visit. Somehow, this is the only photo I have from the day! Georgia getting a diaper bag for her baby dolls. But the kids loved having Memaw here to play with them all day.
Lights under Louisville is in the Mega Cavern, this big giant underground cave thing. It's pretty neat--they do ziplining under there, and historical tours, and other things. This was the first time we had gone to see the lights. You just drive through in your own car. It was expensive and a very long line, but it was so worth it because the kids were totally excited and we all enjoyed every minute of it. I'm so glad we did this instead of just staying in like we had planned, because it was awesome memories.
On Christmas Eve, my parents came over in the morning. Even though Georgia already had her Christmas dress on, she had to change when she saw what my parents brought her.
They brought Nate an air hockey table. And these are just the first of many gifts from my parents, and from the kids' grandparents in general. They get so, so, so spoiled at Christmas. It is mind boggling. For that matter, Blake and I get majorly spoiled too! As I look around my house, there are probably as many things I can point to that one of our parents bought us as there are things we have bought ourselves. Pretty much every piece of furniture came as a gift, lol. We are very grateful for what our parents do for us all year long.
We got ready to go to church. This was special, and a little anxiety-producing, because Nate has not been to church since August, before his first surgery. As you know, it was three surgeries in a row, and then a couple of times this month we have thought about trying it, but we didn't want Nate to get to chapel and start busting a move to the music like he always does, and to hurt himself. Not to mention all the walking, or taking his wheelchair and then what does the room volunteer do with it and do we trust Nate to not run over other children, and what about getting sick from the other children. So he has just stayed home. But he was SO EXCITED to go to church on Christmas Eve. He kept saying, "I love chapel!"
We debated on whether to take the wheelchair in. Our church is enormous and requires a lot of walking. Nate can walk/run short distances, but after that you're carrying him. But Blake pulled up close to let us out near the children's church and we decided to risk it. He did great, except he fell a few times on the way to his classroom, then who knows how much he fell while he was in there, but he came out happy and uninjured, so it was a win.
After church, I was letting the kids run around and blow off some steam while Blake was getting the van. Georgia finds some gum on the sidewalk. This video cracks me up because it is so the essence of all of our daily conversations.
We came home to eat yummy finger foods and open a few presents. Lucas got Nate a play doh dentist kit, which is so funny. (Lucas is a dentist.) And he got Georgia a playpen for her babies, and she's crazy about it. Nate got train stuff, and Georgia got Hello Kitty and Tinkerbell stuff from Nicole and Cade. A couple more gifts from Granna and Pop. They were WILD. Bedtime could not come soon enough. Georgia was easy, Nate not so much.
Sprinkling reindeer food in the yard with Pop.
Nate left cookies and milk for Santa, of course.
Okay, when Maggie snagged the cookies, I wasn't surprised. I mean, we just invited that by leaving them on the floor. I was surprised, though, when she drank all the milk.
Merry Christmas, Maggie!
I was SO excited for Christmas morning that I could hardly sleep (a head cold and a snoring husband didn't help).
This morning I couldn't wait to see Nate's reaction when he saw that Santa left him a real Lionel model train. This ain't no Thomas. This is the kind of train old men tinker with in their basements. I just knew he would flip.
He walked in the room, and I had the video camera ready, and he goes, "Oh! A new model train!" and he walks over to it, gets down on his knees, and then ... reaches right over it and says, "Hey! A new train movie!" :O With equal enthusiasm. Blake and I were in shock, like what just happened here? lol! We should know by now that Nate's reactions to gifts are sometimes underwhelming. (Like when he opened the ipod touch from my parents and said, "Cool" and then put it to the side because he didn't really understand it was like our iphones until Blake got it turned on for him.) So of course by the end of the day, he totally knows how to work it and thinks it's awesome. It was just an underwhelming initial reaction, that little stinker! Being all nonchalant about a model train.
And Georgia made a bee line for some play money in a cash register! But she was all about her baby accessories all day. She was feeding one of her babies and said, "She yikes it! She get it alllll over da place!" Georgia knows a lot about babies because there are 3 of them at the babysitter's house.
She loved giving her doll a bath. She kept saying, "Now let's wash your butt!" It sounds hilarious the way she says it.
We now have the full Lionel Nation train movie collection. Nate is way more excited about this than I am.
There were so many spilled skittles and goldfish on the floor today.
Santa's big gift for Georgia this year was the Little Mommy and Me Very Real Baby. She says 150 different things. Sometimes she needs a hug, or her bear, or a popsicle, or for her mouth to be wiped, or to fix a boo boo ... on and on. Georgia laid her down in the bed, and she just kept talking and Georgia turned around and sharply said, "Shh!"
She was such a busy little mommy today. She lined all the dolls up on the couch, and I saw her furrow her eyebrows and tell one of them, "I goin go get you a paci. Wait just a minute. Mommy be right back!" She was pretending they were all in the car, and she grabbed a set of toy measuring spoons and said they were her keys. She said, all bossy, "Nate! Get in the car!" and he said, "I don't want to," and she said, "Well, I'm leavin!" and stomped off! Ha! I promise she didn't learn that from me!
This is pretty much how my living room still looks, but at this point in the morning, they had switched sides of the room and were playing with each other's toys.
She's going to need these because potty training starts tomorrow.
Jumping!
Lots and lots of jumping!
Here they were having a serious train session.
Granna and Pop brought twin dolls. We have named them Angelina and Justin, but I'm pretty sure they have already been renamed to Nate and Georgia.
When Nate figured out his ipod touch had his favorite songs already loaded on it, he sat there listening and playing angry birds for a good half hour or more.
With the light shining on her, she looks like a magical fairy!
And this reminds me so much of a picture of me when I was just a little older than her, in my dance costume before a recital. :) It's kind of cool having a mini-me, and also a lot of pressure!
We had a great dinner--we made up for having Thanksgiving catered by outdoing ourselves with good food. And we just let the kids play all day. I'm so grateful for family around the table at Christmas--I know some people spend the day alone. I'm so thankful that we are home--I know many families are spending the holidays at a children's hospital or somewhere similar. I'm grateful for my God-fearing husband who loves me enough to go along with my crazy notions, who helps prepare the meal and then cleans the kitchen afterwards, and who is right there in the floor playing with the kids and their new toys. I'm thankful for my sweet children who bring me so much pure joy and make this time of year magical all over again--and that they are healthy, safe, and happy.
Most of all, I am thankful that my God, my King, is also my friend--because he was born as a vulnerable baby, a perfectly holy being subjected to an evil world. He was born to die, in order to save my life. I know he understands me, he intercedes for me, he loves me even when no one else could, and he has forgiven me. THAT is worth celebrating. Happy birthday, Jesus, and merry Christmas, everyone.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)