ARRGGH!!

I hate sudden suprises, unknown fees, and hidden arrangements. It makes me crazy. Especially when I find out about these things a week or so before I am about to take a trip.

Situation #1 - We owe more money to our resort because Dylan will be 5 when we travel. Children under 5 are free and he was under 5 when the reservations were made. But when the person who made the reservations for us was giving ages she gave them at time of reservation, not time of trip. I tried to tell her, but she just waved me off. Now, if this wasn't an international trip maybe we could get away with not paying. But, he has a freakin' passport with his date of birth listed right on it. No way can we get around paying this extra couple hundred dollars. Now, I know part of this is my fault for trusting someone else to make reservations for me, but geeze, at least attempt to give the company accurate information. By the way, I did call the company and clarify. We definitely owe the money and the policy has not changed recently to exclude 5 year olds. It was clearly a problem that created by the person who made the reservation.

Situation #2 - We did not purchase a ticket for Brady on the airplane. He is under two and can fly for free in our laps, right? That is what everyone told us. Nope, wrong. That only applies to flights within the USA. International flights require a ticket for children of any age no matter where they will be sitting. Now, the ticket in a small percentage of the adult fee, but still. I find this out one week before we leave. I mean, when I made the reservations online, I put in that there would be 4 people, 2 adults, 2 children and the ages of the children. Wouldn't you think this would have come up at some point during that transaction? Nope.

This is almost more stress than I think this trip is going to be worth. Plus all the packing and planning for what about this and how am I going to keep Brady and Dylan happy on the plane ride. WHAT WERE WE THINKING??? This had better be fun or I don't know what the heck I am going to do.

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas

Okay, so I said I wasn't going to do it. I wasn't going to decorate for Christmas because we weren't going to be home. But Jason convinced me to decorate the outside and the downstairs so that the kids have a feeling of Christmas. We did decide not to put up a tree this year, but at least the house looks a little festive.

Dylan helped me outside and inside. He was a good helper and had a good time. I guess just letting him enjoy putting up the decorations made it all worth it.

Brady is already trying to tear stuff down, so that will be my challenge for the next few weeks.

I have a little work to do before we leave for Christmas, but the major thing I have to do is to dig out all of our summer stuff again. Christmas at the beach should be interesting to say the least.

Big and Brave

Dylan's class performed a Thanksgiving program today. All of the kids were dressed up (in costumes made and provided by the teachers - yeah!!) as pilgrims, Indians, corn, or turkeys. They each had group speaking parts and individual parts. Dylan was an Indian man ("big and brave"). He did so great. He remembered all of his lines and spoke loudly enough that you could hear and understand what he was saying. I was so proud of him. After the program, we all went back to the classroom and had a Thanksgiving feast. The meat was provided by the teachers and the parents provided the rest. It was wonderful. Here is my big and brave Indian man.



Brady was with me at Dylan's program and he was such a good, big boy. He sat quietly throughout the program and was just wonderful. He, however, was not interested in eating lunch and refused everything I offered to him. He seems to be on an eating strike right now and I can only get 1 good meal into him each day. He does snack some throughout the day, but not enough to make up for refusing to eat at mealtime. Here is a picture of my big, little man.

On Your Mark . . .

So, it's that time of year again. Whoever decided it was a good idea to have two of the biggest holidays within one month of each other was just crazy. Now, I suppose, the argument could be made that when the holidays were originally established families lived much closer together and the holidays in general were not commercialized or resembled anything like they appear today. But, now, everyone travels everywhere for what seems like a month to a month and a half and spends way too much money. Things are tight everywhere this year, but my family has been pretty lucky so far (knock wood). No one, that I know of, has lost their job and everyone still has their homes. So, in the grand scheme of things, we are probably a lot luckier than most families in this great country of ours.

For Thanksgiving, we are headed down to see my family. We will split Thanksgiving Day between my dad's family and my mom. On the day after Thanksgiving, I am planning to spend some time over at my dad's house beginning to pack of all of his stuff in anticipation in possibly renting it out after the estate is settled. My grandmother (dad's mom) and my aunt (dad's sister-in-law) have spent a lot of time cleaning the house. Apparently, it was pretty disgusting. On Saturday, we are going to an old fashioned cane syrup making session and having a miniature family reunion.

For Christmas, we are flying to Mexico and spending Christmas at the beach. We are all looking forward to it and I hope it is as wonderful as we are expecting. Due to the expense of this trip (which was paid for almost a year ago), we are having a very small Christmas present-wise. We are thinking this may be something we do every year - a fabulous trip the week of Christmas as our main family gift and then have a few gifts for the kids just so they don't completely feel like they didn't have a Christmas.

Nothing Much To Say

Well, I'm still here. Nothing much going on.

Brady is still growing and learning new things everyday it seems.

Dylan got his second report card yesterday and is doing well in kindergarten.

Jason is still really busy and the kids only get to see him a couple of nights a week. He is home every night; he just gets home after they are in bed.

I am hanging in there; thinking, maybe, I should go to the doctor and see if there is anything she can give me to work through this funk that I am in.

Anyway, we are all still here and still doing relatively well.

Halloween - Take Two

After school, Dylan kept asking every ten minutes if it was time to go trick-or-treating. It seemed like Brady was in on the conspiracy to drive me crazy too because he refused to take a nap today. Anyway, after all of that we finally got the kids dressed and they stood still enough for one decent picture.

Darth Vader and Yoda . . .



Dylan did all of the trick-or-treating this year. He was so cute. He still gets a little shy when he is talking to strangers, but at least this year he went up to the homes by himself and usually remembered to say "thank you" to everyone handing out candy.

Brady just rode around in his little push car. There were several very kind people who actually walked out and handed some candy to Brady too. He did eat his way through a couple of packs of sweettarts while we were walking around the neighborhood.

Halloween - Take One

Dylan dressed as the big, bad wolf for school today. The costume we had already purchased for trick-or-treating was "not acceptable" as a storybook character, so we had to improvise.

We did purchase the wolf mask. I bought some brown clothing (that will be reworn - darn it) and then purchased brown fur and tacked it on myself. I tacked fur onto the tummy, around the hands, and around the feet. He looked so cute.

So, may I present "The Big, Bad Wolf" . . .



Sadly, soon after the school day started one of Dylan's classmates ripped off his tummy fur (after he had told her to please be careful and not to pull). His teacher, however, was very kind and gave him a safety pin so the the fur could still be used.

Traveling Pajamas

These pajamas have been around and survived three boys. I love looking at pictures of all of the boys wearing the same outfit. Sadly, I don't have a picture of my nephew wearing them when he was 18 months old.

Dylan - 18 months old in 2004 (sorry for the poor quality, we didn't have a digital camera then and our scanner is pretty bad too)




Brady - 18 months old in 2008

Dylan's Nose

I got a call from Dylan's school yesterday. He had fallen down some steps at recess and hit his nose. It bled quite a bit and the nurse was afraid he may have broken his nose. So, we rushed to the pediatrician's office and got him checked out.

(Can I just say I love our pediatricians? The doctors, not the office staff, took it upon themselves to get us in and out in under twenty minutes. Most of the doctors were on their lunch break and one of them saw us sitting in the waiting room (by ourselves) and said there was no reason we should have to hang out all afternoon just so she could shine a light up his nose and then send us home or to the ER.)

His nose was not broken - just some soft tissue damage. He is a little bruised, but the swelling has gone way down. We actually expected him to wake up with raccoon eyes today, but he escaped that fate. Actually, for as bad as his nose looked yesterday, I am suprised at how little bruising there is today.

Just a Few Pictures

Family Pictures

We had family (and extended family) pictures taken yesterday. I don't have any of the pictures back yet, but should have them soon. I can't wait to see them and share them.

It was quite an experience. We had nine people (Jason's grandmother, Jason's dad, Jason's sister, her husband, and son, Jason, me, Dylan, and Brady). We tried really hard to get a good shot of everyone, but with the three kids ages 5, 3, and 1, it didn't quite work out the way we had planned. Brady was not happy at all to be held and he was screaming and kicking. Dylan and Ty (our nephew) were almost never looking at the camera at the same time.

I am sure the photographer got some great candid shots (which she admittedly prefers doing with kids). We have used her before and she always winds up getting some really good shots. Not to mention, she was amazing with all of the chaos of the kids and fighting of the adults - it was a very interesting couple of hours. She just laughed it all off - though she may have gone home and gotten drunk afterwards. I probably would have in her position.

I am hoping we got some good shots of our family. We haven't had a family shot done since Dylan was a baby. I did get to see some of her previews and they look promising, so keep your fingers crossed for us.

Pictures to come in the next day or so - I hope.

Give Me A Break . . .

or, you know, a sprain.



So, I was walking down my driveway on Monday and my foot decided that it should twist up underneath of itself instead of actually walking.



I thought I had torn a ligament. It looked like a small snake or large worm had crawled into my foot and coiled up on top of it. Then, it started swellling like crazy. We wound up going to the ER that night and found out that nothing was broken or torn. But I had sprained my foot.



A couple of days later and I feel better, but it still hurts to walk on it. Not fun, not fun at all. It's really swollen and bruised and I can't move my three middle toes very well, but it definitely could have been worse.



Please forgive my ugly toes - I can't remember the last time I had a pedicure

31!!!

Well, I had another birthday. I am thirty-one years old now and, no, I don't feel any different.

Saturday was a good day. We lazed around the house for a little while and then went up to the lake for the rest of the weekend.

Went out to dinner, went swimming in the lake, and came home today.

Dylan stayed at the lake with his Nana for some one-on-one time. He really needs to feel special and loved and he doesn't just need it from his parents, so this came at a great time. I think they are going to go out to eat (Mexican, Dylan's choice) and maybe to see a movie tomorrow before he comes home.

Dylan will be home tomorrow afternoon and we will have a cook-out with Nana.

Just a relaxing birthday, holiday weekend. They all should be like this.

It's a Showdown

Little Brother

Big Brother

Stare Down

Little Brother Wins and Jumps on Big Brother's Back (See how Brady is all blurred - he was in constant motion)

Nuttin' Honey

Well, there's not much going on here. We are trying to get back into the swing of the school year and I am trying to get on some sort of a schedule - again. Why does it always seem like just when I get a schedule worked out - it's time to start something new?

Anyway, Dylan is still doing good in school. He hates getting up in the morning (I have no idea where he got that from, nuh uh, not me), but once we get past that he looks forward to going. Well, I mean it is only the first week, but we can hope it continues, right?

Brady is doing great. I am going to start taking him to storytime at the library, I think. I am also going to make sure we (I mean, I) get back to the gym. That way, I know he is getting some interaction with other children. It was so important for Dylan and I don't want Brady to miss out, but I also think it is important for me to be home with them too.

Jason is tired and stressed. This new school is going to drive him (and maybe me via secondhand stress) crazy. I hope things start to shape up soon.

Anyway, I have made out a huge list of projects (some big, some small) that I want to get done around here. I don't have a deadline for myself, but I am thinking I could have everything done by Christmas (or maybe next summer, yeah, that's sounds more like it) without really stressing myself out. I mean, if I will actually get started, I could.

First thing on the list (and most important to me right now) is to start sleeping at night. I just can't seem to fall asleep at night and then I am waiting like a crazy woman for Brady's naptime so that I can take one too. How sad is that especially since I need to be working during that time? But it's what keeps me sane right now. I also think the reason I continue not sleeping at night is because I nap during the day, but if I don't nap during the day I can't function. It's a crazy cycle that I just need to break somehow.

Well, TTFN - Ta Ta For Now.

First Day of School - Part Two

Well, he was less troubled by having to walk in on his own than I was apparently. He said that as soon as he got to the school doors someone walked him to his classroom.

He really had a good day. He learned the rules and ate a good lunch. I think he likes it that he has two or three choices for lunch each day. Maybe that way there will be very few days that he doesn't eat (in pre-k he would have many days where he wouldn't eat anything all day long because he didn't like what they served for snack or lunch).

He couldn't remember anything else that they did, but he did say that he wasn't afraid to talk to his teacher anymore. That's good, right?

Anyway, first day down - many more to go.

First Day of School

Dylan started kindergarten today. I dropped him off like a big boy; however, I wasn't exactly happy that no one walked him into the school. The teachers working the drop-off line just kind of herded him towards the door. Hopefully that didn't upset him (he was walking really slowly towards the school doors, but at least he was going in the correct direction, right!?!?!?). I will update more after I pick him up this afternoon.

Here's a look at my big guy:

My Brother and My Boys

I took this picture the night before my brother left to go back to the Air Force. He had come home to see Dad before he died and then was able to hang around for another week or so. (The pillow was purchased at the zoo earlier in the day - LOL!!)

I don't know when I will be able to see him again, but I really enjoyed having him here. It had probably been twelve or thirteen years since we had spent so much time together. He is such a great guy and I hope for all the best things for him.

He's Gone

Less than three weeks after my dad was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, he's gone.

He died at approximately 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 13, (my brother's birthday) at his home surrounded by his wife, his children, his siblings, and his parents.

He was buried on Tuesday, July 15, at the church he attended for the majority of his life.

Strep

I think both the boys may have strep throat. Their Nana kept the boys Thursday night while I went to "boot camp" (another post for another day), but started feeling bad on Friday. She was diagnosed with strep on Saturday.

Brady is cranky and sounds strange when he cries. He also has a weird cough, almost croupy. Dylan says his throat feels "funny" and "weird", but it doesn't hurt. (YET??) So, with it being a holiday weekend, we went to the doctor's office. Because what is a holiday without a visit to the doctor, right?!?!

The rapid strep test came back negative, but I have heard they aren't completely reliable. Both of the boys throats were a little red and the doctor admitted it could be the very beginnings of strep. But it could also just be a virus.

We have well-checks for both boys on Monday (Dylan - 5 years, Brady - 15 months). So, if they are both still icky, we will probably retest. The one good thing the doctor said though - if one of them has it, she will give meds to both to be safe.

Wish us luck through the holidays, very limited doctors hours and I hate the ER.

Terminal

In 1967, my dad, at the age of fifteen, almost died. He was diagnosed with diabetes and had to start taking insulin. For almost 40 years, he had relatively few complications from the disease.

In 1994, my dad's kidneys failed and he was placed on dialysis.

In 1996, he had a kidney and pancreas transplant. In the twelve years since that transplant, he has had no complications related to this procedure.

From 1996-2006, he was in and out of the hospital and sick off and on with various illnesses. Most of them were made worse by the fact that his immune system was suppressed from the anti-rejection medication required due to the transplant.

In 2006, we were blown away when he was diagnosed with relatively late stage esophageal cancer. The cancer was actually caught rather early, but it had grown fast since he didn't have an immune system to slow the growth. He had a portion of his esophagus removed. He has had numerous complications from this surgery including, but not limited to, the inability to swallow.

In 2007, he was diagnosed with cancer in his mouth. He had been in pain for months and had numerous CT scans which never showed cancer. But, it was back. There was a mass on his jaw bone, so they removed almost half of his lower jaw and pulled up part of his chest muscle to "replace" the part of the jaw that was removed. He went through chemo and radiation this time.

Today, he was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer. It is in his arms, legs, hips, and just about everywhere else. They also believe it is in his liver and possibly other organs, but it doesn't really matter because they can't treat it. Hospice has been called in.

It's crazy. He has been fighting and evading death for over 12 years., well really longer I guess. For the past two or three years, I have been preparing myself for this phone call - or so I thought. Nope, not prepared. Not shocked, but not prepared. I am already grieving like he is gone, but I just talked to him on the phone. He sounds good. He knows this is going to kill him, but he sounds okay.

For now, we anticipate only a few more weeks, or maybe months, for him to live. My hope for him is that he continues to enjoy a good quality of life for however long he can and then he just slips away quietly in his sleep. No pain, no anticipation.

We're Home

We had a great time. It was really hot, but we still enjoyed ourselves.

Indy Speed Track at Magic Kingdom

Animal Kingdom (there's a male gorilla in the background) - funny/scary story here - We were looking at the gorillas and all of a sudden one picks up a huge rock and throws it toward the group. Apparently, he had seen a rabbit and was trying to hit it. Then, he took off chasing it. Who knew gorillas could move so fast - it scared us because it actually looked like he was charging our group. Jason did comment, though, that he was a little disappointed with the gorillas aim. He said the rock didn't even come close to hitting the rabbit.

The Boneyard in the Animal Kingdom - had a great play area that looked like an excavation site and had a "bone dig" for the kids.

Epcot - it rained that day, but after the storm was over the park was pretty emptied out and we got to go on more rides than we would have otherwise.

It's a Small World - our last ride of the trip.

Dylan hated the character dining experiences. There was one where he sat with his face hidden against the back of his seat and wouldn't turn around to look or eat the entire time. The second one we did, he still wouldn't interact with the characters, but he did at least turn around and eat. After that we cancelled the rest of the character dinners. Brady, on the other hand, loved it.

Meeting Cinderella - he was in love

Pooh - he couldn't take his eyes off of the characters at lunch this day.

Tigger - probably his favorite of the day

Eyore

Dylan really enjoyed meeting some of the characters (I guess because it was on his own terms).

Mickey and Minnie

Donald

Goofy

Pluto

We will definitely be going back, but not until Brady is several years older - hopefully by that point we won't need to lug a stroller around everywhere.

WE ARE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD

We leave Friday and will return late Thursday night. I am so excited and hope Dylan and Brady really enjoy it.

Pre-K Graduation

My big boy graduated from pre-k last week.

Tagged

Okay, so I was tagged twice by Lisa M. I am a little late getting around to this, but here goes . . .

For the first one, I am supposed to tell you three things about myself.

1. I never imagined how much I would enjoy being a SAH/WAHM. Now that I have realized this, however, I dread ever having to go back to work outside of the home. I am a much happier, more patient person staying at home.

2. When I was in high school, I sang at Carnegie Hall with my high school choir.

3. I am a worrier and a planner. I will keep myself awake at night just worrying and planning. Unfortunately, however, I am much more ambitious at night than I am the next day.

For the second one, the rules are below:

1 - Post the rules on your blog
2 - Write six random things about yourself
3 - Tag six random people at the end of your post

1. I always wanted to get married, but I promised myself that I would graduate from college before doing so. I got married one year and a couple of weeks after I graduated from college.

2. I hate to drive.

3. From the time I was born until I went away to college at age eighteen, I lived in one home. In the thirteen years since I went away to college, I have had 7 different addresses. (OMG, thirteen years).

4. I talk about my mommy/online friends all the time and value their wisdom. I wish I lived closer to all of them so we could spend time together IRL. I think they may have been what kept me reasonably sane over the past five years.

5. I love to declutter, straighten, and pick up. I hate to clean. I can probably count on one hand the number of times that I have vacuumed since Jason and I have lived together (9 years).
ETA: Jason does the vacuuming. After re-reading this, it sounded like our homes were never vacuumed, so I wanted to clarify.

6. I am in denial that I have a child that is old enough to go to kindergarten.

So, I am tagging . . .

Mary
Kim
Geena
Allison

Hop to it ladies - LOL!!

Happy Mother's Day

To my two beautiful boys,



I can't imagine life without you. You are more wonderful than words could ever describe and you make your mommy experience every emotion under the sun all within one day. Thank you for coming into my life and forever changing how I look at life.



Your Mommy

Playing Outside

Yesterday, Dylan and Jason went outside and played a little baseball. Dylan has a great eye and can knock the heck out of that ball.



He has a pretty good arm too.





Brady is not too sure about how he feels about the grass yet.



It's still a little too prickly for him, I think.