What i did during the blizzard....

I hate snow, let me just say that right up front, i hate it. I was praying for a mild winter. I thought since we had a mild summer that it was only fair that we have a mild winter...with no snow, i guess God didn't see it that way, he disagreed and had to prove his point by sending us a massive snow storm...over Christmas no less.

So i spent Wed-Sunday with my family, lots and lots and lots of bonding. So what can you do during a snow storm that lasts for days. Well we played a lot of games, we watched movies, played in the snow, and my favorite...did 100 loads of laundry!!!! I thought that maybe, just maybe i would get completely caught up on laundry since i had nothing better to do. I was wrong, i will never be completely caught up on laundry. I figured it out, the only way i was going to get caught up on laundry during the snow storm was if everyone stopped wearing clothes, and that, just seemed a little weird.

Christmas day we let our children go outside and play in the snow. They all got bundled up, looking like little sumo wrestlers and headed outside. Jackson only managed about 5 min. outside and then he was done. When you are only about 3 feet tall, the 6+ snow drifts just seem a little scary. He kept getting stuck, and then did a face plant in the snow and after that he was just done, he wanted to go inside, dry off and take a nap. The other children had a blast, this includes their father who i think may have actually had more fun then the kids.

All in all, its was not a bad Christmas, there was something very relaxing about just being together with the family, about not having to rush from place to place. I do believe that God had a point with his snow storm. Not to make me miserable, but to make me slow down, to think about the true meaning of Christmas, to realize that one of the bests gifts you can get is family, and to maybe get caught up on my laundry.

Thankful

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and i feel i have alot to be thankful for, i am truely blessed and don't take the time usually to think about the many blessings i have been given.

Here is a top ten list of 2009 blessings
1. my mom had a succesful knee replacement surgery and is even thinking about doing her other knee this year!!
2. We took a family trip to St. Paul this summer, everyone stayed healthy (a blessing right there!!) and we had a lot of fun.
3. Lots of camping this summer, i am thankful for our camper and the chance to build memories with our children.
4. I am thankful that i no longer have strep throat and have gone almost 4 months without getting it!!
5. I am thankful for my home. Its not perfect, its not always clean, its not organized, but its my home and i am thankful for it.
6. I am thankful that my kids have so far had a successful year in school. They are both adjusting well and especially for Dylan has made so much progress...its great to see.
7. I am thankful that my children made it through the H1N1 virus without to much trouble...it was some stressful days, but God blessed them with speedy recoveries.
8. I am thankful for my job and for Brians job. We are lucky to have them, now more then ever.
9. I am thankful for my new van (well new the begining of the year) I don't have to worry about it falling apart on me, i don't have to worry about Dylan struggling to get in and out of it...or stuck in it.
10. Finally i am thankful for my family and extended family. I turned 30 this year and every year i think i realize a little more about how precious life is, how precious good health is, and to be THANKFUL, for every day given to me.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

On the ball!!

This year i am going to be organized, i am going to be on the ball, i am going to simplify my life. Or at least i am going to try. In the past around this time of year i think to myself that i should get a family picture taken and order Christmas cards. I should start picking up a few gifts here and there. I should buy a card for my brother in law who's birthday is in early November but usually does not get a card till the end of November.

I am going to try and do better.

1. I already have the family picture taken

2. I am working on getting the picture made into a card.

3. I am going shopping in two weeks where i hope to buy a few Christmas gifts and get Jackson b-day gifts bought.

4. Still need to buy the birthday card for my brother in law...but i am going to try REALLY hard to get it to him by his birthday!!

I will have to write a blog in December and let you know if i managed to get any of these actually done.

Here are a few pictures taken at falls park on Labor day weekend. The one of the family is going to be our Christmas photo...i think. I just need to order the photo cards because then i can't change my mind.

Learning to Crochet

Awhile back i thought it would be fun to learn how to crochet, i needed something to do in my spare time. HAHA....i have no spare time, but in the event that i ever do, i thought it would be a nice hobby to have.

I may have a learning disability or something because crocheting might not be the hobby for me, i am rather awful at it. Last night while trying to make a pot holder (i have been working on this for almost 3 weeks and no where NEAR done) i was having some trouble, seemed to have a big mess and was about to give up. Brian is sitting next to me, looks at it, takes it from me and proceeds to crochet my pot holder. So after only a few minutes of watching me, even HE knows how to crochet better then i do!!

He told me not to tell anyone, but crocheting can be manly right?

What a summer....

It's been awhile, life has been a bit crazy. To sum up my summer it has been camping, strep throat, camping, strep throat, camping, strep throat. I think you get the picture. It has not been the healthiest summer for me, but i am hoping that we have finally figured out the problem.

Today was the first day of school for Morgan and Dylan, and that's when it hit me that summer is actually over, but how can that be because i swear there last day of school was just last week!!!! So i suppose before i know it, it will be Christmas, and that's just not something i want to think about yet.

As for my strep issues, well after my 5th episode of strep the doctors suggested having everyone in the family test to see if they were possibly a carrier. Meaning the have the strep bacteria in their throat but don't ever get sick from it. Well needless to say my family was not real impressed with me making them do this, but hey, i had my throat swabbed 5 times over the past few months it was time that someone else had it done:) Well i hoped it would be Brian because that would make the most sense to me, he was tested first but was not the guilty party spreading the germs. Next came my four kids, at this point i was really not hopeful that any of them were a carrier and i was feeling a bit frustrated because we just could not figure out why i kept getting sick. Well the doctor called me back after the 4 strep tests and not only did i have one, but i had 2 children who tested positive for strep!! Jackson had it, but Logan we think is the carrier. He is rarely sick, has never been tested for strep before, shows not signs at all, his throat is not even red! So Jackson, Logan and I were all put on antibiotic's in hopes of getting rid of this stupid germ. WE left for vacation and two days later Morgan says to me "mom, my throat hurts." Just what i wanted to hear! So i called our doctor who nicely called in a prescription without seeing her because we all new she most likely had strep as well (her 3rd time in 5 months) So needless to say that past few weeks have been very busy with me disinfecting everything i can think of, and praying that once i go off the antibiotic i don't get strep again....ever!

So that's about sums up my summer. Well that and the bugs, did i mention bugs before? How much i hate them? Well i finally had to call a pest control guy to come and spray my house, not just for the earwig bugs that were all over my house, but also for mud wasps, or the technical term Cicada killer. I just love that i have a bug with the name killer in my back yard!! Not only did i have one next but i had FOUR!!!! So they sprayed the nests (all but one, it was hidden) and told us that might help, but really cicada killers are hard to get rid off. Oh joy! The good news about them i guess is that they don't life long, usually from July- September...so i guess i only have a few weeks left of the lovely little killers.

So maybe winter isn't so bad...i am sure i will change my mind when its -20 and blowing 40 miles an hour, but i don't really want to think about that.

camping, camping and more camping.

Its hard for me to believe that its July already...were does the time go??

This summer has been a busy one so far. In early June we took our first major road trip and went to St. Paul to see my sister. It was a great, and exhausting time!!

Last week was the first time we took our camper out since memorial weekend, we went to Yankton with some friends and had a very nice time. That was the kick off of a four weekend in a row camping spree. This could truly test the camper in me.

Tonight we are headed to the Lakes for the 4Th of July weekend, hopefully we will get some boating and beach time in, but the weather does not sound all that great.

Then Next weekend its off to Rock Valley for some more camping with friends.

Then the weekend after that is a family reunion at Storm Lake for Brian's side of the family and we will spend a Thursday-Sunday there.

I love camping, i like relaxing, i like that my kids have so much fun, i like that my kids have so much fun and stay up so late that they sleep so well! I like bon fires, roasting marshmallows, the big breakfasts, getting a tan and making memories. What i don't like is the laundry, laundry, laundry and more laundry.

So if you wonder why i have not posted much, i have been doing laundry, and that's what it looks like i will be doing the rest of the summer!

I will include some pictures from our camping last weekend. More pictures to come in the next couple of weeks. I am the annoying mom that can't stop taking pictures:)

Six years ago....

Six years ago my life changed forever. Not just my life, but my perspective on life. It was one of those days that i will probably never forget. I know what i was doing, the time of day it was, and how heartbroken i felt. Six years ago today, i received a call that my precious baby boy would not ever be like other little boys. I was given a list of things that he would probably never be able to do, and told that his was just the way that God had meant for him to be. Six years ago today we got a diagnosis of a Porencenphalic cyst on Dylan's brain, causing him to have Cerebral Palsy.

Now i am not meaning for this post to be sad, because really i am not. Six years ago i was heartbroken, scared, angry, many different emotions. Today, i see things differently, and mostly in part to my brave little boy. He has taught me to never say never and that the impossible, is possible. I swear he got the list of things his doctors said he would never do and decided to one by one prove them wrong.

Dylan is also a brave little boy. He has been seen by specialists, therapists, neurologists, pulminologists, cardiologists. He has been poked, blood drawn, x-rays and numerous other tests to even mention. Yet rarely did he shed a tear, he has always had the best attitude, and that in itself has taught me a lot.

Things still are not always easy, and i know he gets frustrated, but what child wouldn't when they can't use one arm or hand. When everything needs to be done one handed, things that those of us who have two hands take for granted. He has come a long way, as time has gone some issues have been figured out and new ones have replaced it. Now that he is starting school we are not just dealing with some of the physical limitations that he has but also some of the learning issues. He is a very, VERY smart boy, but focusing seems to be a problem. We start seeing a new doctor in a few weeks that i am very excited about, one that can hopefully shed some light on what goes on inside that amazing boys mind.

I just feel very blessed to have him in my life. He turns Seven in just a month, and like most kids he has been counting down the days to his birthday for, oh the last year or so:) He wants two things, and ipod and a skate board. The anxious mother in me thinks that maybe the skate board is not such a good idea. He struggles with balance, he will fall, he might get hurt, but maybe i need to listen to that little boy, and remember that he likes to prove people wrong, and to never say never to him.

Nervous Nelly....

That would be me. I am by nature a nervous person, always worried or having anxiety about something.

Well tomorrow we are going to St. Paul to visit my sister. I am excited, i know we will be doing fun things, i am anxious to see where she lives etc.

Yet i am also having major anxiety. What if i forget to pack something? How will the kids sleep in the hotel, its the first time for them. What if we get lost trying to find Kim's place? Will the kids stay healthy? Will Brian and I? Have a packed enough toys, books, movies, to keep 4 kids entertained on the four hour drive?

Hopefully by this time tomorrow we will be in St. Paul and i will be able to relax a little....maybe.

not sure what happened.....

I guess what happened is i got a little busy...imagine that.

I new the month of May would be hectic, i just didn't realize how hectic.

Here is a brief list of what we have been up to.

Camping-we went to Sandy Hollow on mothers day weekend, for a gift i got strep throat, it was a a wonderful weekend!! Then for Memorial weekend we went to Yogi Bear Campground by Sioux Falls and had a very nice weekend.

Dylan graduated from Kindergarten!! We made it through the first year of school...only 13 more to go!

Tulip Festival, i have no idea what i am going to do when all of my kids are involved in Tulip Festival trying to get two kids where they needed to be was exhausting!!

I turned 30. I can type this, i just can't really say it yet.

I took my accounting exams and PASSED!!!!!!!!!! I am now done with accounting and will start two new classes in two weeks...hopefully they will not be as hard!

Had my first root canal. It was a blast. Only 20 more teeth to fix. I could cry.

The kids last day of school was yesterday!! Now comes summer rec, swimming, vacations, etc.

So that's why i have not written much lately, i have not had the time, or really the energy.

I might be ready for winter.

If you know me, you know how much i HATE winter, i dread it, and mourn the loss of summer. I just hate being cold, i hate the snow, i hate bundling up 4 kids just to go a few feet to get in a van, i hate trying to strap bundled kids in car seats, I hate the constant missing mittens, gloves, boots, i just hate winter.

That being said, at least in the winter i don't have to deal with bugs!!!!! I HATE BUGS!!!!! Oh i am ok with a few Fly's lady bugs, ants (although they do annoy me when they get in my house), but the rest of the population of bugs, i just don't care for them.

Also if you know me you probably know that i run screaming when i see a wasp or a bee. I will leave my children behind, just to get away from them, i hate them!! So far i have not seen any yet this year, but i know that any day they will arrive. Then last year, much to my horror, we had wasps/bees on steroids. I don't know what they are called, but they are HUGE!!!!! They scared the you know what out of me, almost to the point i dreaded going outside. I am not being overly dramatic, these bugs were huge and scary looking!!!

Ok, so aside from all of that, its the bugs i find in my basement laundry room that have me troubled and might just be whats sends me over the edge. I am not sure what these are called either, but i am guessing they belong in the centipede family. They are about 2 inches longs, have a zillion legs, look kind of hairy, they make me want to gag!! So last night i was sorting laundry and one fell out of some clothes i was folding (pardon me while i stop to gag and shudder) anyway, i quickly stomped on it, the legs separated from the body and started wiggling on their own (more gagging and shuddering). I had to stop doing laundry and just go upstairs and compose myself, i HATE THOSE BUGS! Its just a matter of time till their close relatives show up, they are a hard shelled smaller version with a few less legs, these also gross me out, but not quite as much.

How do i get rid of them? I can't stop doing laundry, but i don't know if i can survive a summer of these bugs in my house.....

In sickness and health.....

Yesterday Brian and i celebrated 9 years of marriage. I can't seem to grasp that we have been married nine years, so much has happened!! Here is a brief run down of our 9 blissful years of marriage:
April 14, 2000 we were married.
May 1 we moved into our new but very small house
Middle of May Brian starts his new job at American Identity and i start working at De Jong Oil
August 10, we have our first child, the one we thought we would never have, and figured she might be our only...if we only knew....
Fast forward to September of 2001, we decide that maybe we should try for another child, it could take awhile if ever and we wanted Morgan to have a sibling...we got our wish!
October we discover that we are expecting our second child, evidently its not really all that hard for me to get pregnant.
July 31, 2002, we have out second child, a boy
October of 2002 we discover that our house is a bit small for 4 people so we decide to add onto our house. We double the size of our house thinking this should be plenty of room for our family...again, if only we knew.
May 2003 our house is finished and we are excited to have all this new space.
June 2003 Dylan is diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, its a blow but its one we get through together and are still getting through.
October 2003 Brian starts a new job at Revival animal health.
January 2004, we learn that once again we are expecting a child, not planned, but we are excited.
September 22, 2004 Logan is born.
October 2004 Brian starts another new job and Walstra Plumbing and heating and i am happy to say he is still working there!
March 2006 we once again discover that i am a fertile Myrtle and i am yet again pregnant. Brian comes close to passing out, but again, once the shock wears off, we are looking forward to another child.
September 2006 we decide again that maybe our house is still not big enough. So we should finish off our basement, we need a place for all our kids to go and play. Plus we needed another bedroom. We decide to remodel our house.
November 22, 2006 Jackson arrives-red hair and all!!
December 22, 2006 we decide that our family is complete and Brian goes running to the doctor to make sure it stays complete:)
June 2007 our remodel is done and our house is finished!!

I guess its no wonder that the past 9 years have flown by, we have been really busy. Its nice to know that after 9 years the romance is still there. This year i was sick on our anniversary, i had strep throat. Strep throat can be misleading, its not just your throat that hurts, although that does really hurt. Your entire body HURTS!!! I was feeling fairly miserable. Brian comes home from work, grabs my hand, shake it and says "happy anniversary, this is as close as i am getting to you." Awww...he is so sweet:) I guess i can't blame him. He did however buy me roses and he NEVER buys me flowers so that was really sweet.

So i am excited for the next nine years, anxious to see what the future holds....hopefully not any more babies or home remodels....

Beyond your normal headache

I have suffered from migraine headaches since i was probably about 16 years old. They are not fun, in fact i dread them. I usually average 1 migraine every three months, but sometimes i get more or less. I have also come to the conclusion that they are hormonal, meaning i get them roughly the same time during a month, oh the joys of being a woman. Really the only time i have gotten a break from these lovely headaches was while i was pregnant and usually for the first 6-9 months after having a child. Now this was great, but i don't think i can keep having children as a treatment for my migraines:)
So this week i have been having problems with them again. I knew one was coming Monday around noon because i ALWAYS have an aura before hand. I hate this because not only do i have a headache, but i also can not see anything!! So for roughly 20 minutes my vision is messed up and i can feel everything start to tense up...its a great time. Usually the worst of the headaches only last about 2-3 hours, and if i can rest they pain is not unbearable. After the worst of the headache is gone, i am just left with a horrible ache in the back of my head. I don't notice the ache unless i bend over and then it feels like a sledge hammer is going off...it really hurts! So Monday after the headache subsided i went about my normal daily activities, but instead of bending over (and as a mom of 4 i do a lot of bending over, i tie shoes, pick up shoes, pick up kids, pick up the junk the kids leave behind etc. you get the picture) anyway stead of bending to do these various jobs, i decided to squat, it hurt less...or at least at the time it hurt less. Yesterday morning i woke up, again with an aura so i knew i was going to have another milder migraine that morning. So again yesterday i did more squatting and less bending. By yesterday afternoon my head was no longer the only thing in pain!! I don't remember the last time i did squats, probably years since i really don't exercise. I keep thinking i should, but after the pain i was in yesterday, i may not ever start!! I guess i used some muscles in my legs that i don't normally use, and it hurt!! Did i mention it hurt really bad??
Today i am still in pain, in both my head and my legs, but i am back to bending over, i will deal with the pain in my head, but my legs need a break!!

So what is my point with all of this? Migraines suck!! Also i am very out of shape.

Kind of pathetic

Brian and i have finally have the opportunity to go on a date tomorrow night, just the two of us. I don't really remember the last time we went away just the two of us, maybe about two years ago on our anniversary.
So we have a babysitter, and the prospect of a night out, just us. Unfortunately we can't think of anything to do!! How sad is that???? We don't really want to go shopping because that costs money and Brian is really no fun to shop with. We don't really ever watch movies in theaters so that's kind of out. I guess we will probably go out for supper, somewhere:)

From fever to festival...

I think i speak for most when i say its been a long winter, and i think that most people are ready for spring in hopes that some of the flu/viruses will leave our homes and let us live in peace!

Morgan had some weird virus on Friday, i felt bad for her, she rarely gets sick, she is supposed to be my healthy child!! Well fevers make me nervous, especially with her because she has not always been content to just have a fever, she likes to add seizures into the mix to make it a little more interesting!! Thankfully that did not happen, and her fever broke by Saturday morning, just in time for her to play at her piano contest!!

I took Morgan to her piano festival and it felt like i just yesterday that i was the one having to play before judges, i was the one that could not get her hands to stop shaking and i was the one that had to pee 500 times before i played (those of you who know me know that having to pee that many times is amazing for me since i am part camel!) anyway, i never really enjoyed it, and this is also the reason i have ALWAYS refused to play piano in church, i just can't do it!!

So like a good mom, i make my daughter do it instead! She did a great job, and really amazed me. Unlike me, she was not nervous at all!! She waited calmly for her turn to go in the room, she walked right up to the big grand piano and sat down and waited patiently for her turn to go. She played her two songs almost perfectly as though she played on a piano like that all the time (i wish!!). Once finished she smiled sweetly at the judges and sat by me. She scored and excellent on her songs and i was so proud of her.

I really wanted to take a picture of her playing or take a video, but i guess that's not allowed. I really wanted to try and sneak a video of her while playing but the good angel on my shoulder would not let me do it...maybe next year:)

Prepared for the rain

I believe it was last week Thursday that we got a lot of rain, sleet, ice, etc. Well Logan was getting ready for preschool and heard the sound of rain/ice hitting the windows. He is not one that is really fond of getting wet, so he started getting prepared for going outside. He needed his cowboy boots (because you never go anywhere with out cowboy boots!!) he needed a hat to keep his head warm, some gloves and then to keep the water out of his eyes, he needed his goggles, then he was set to go.

He is such a goof ball but i love this kid!!

Random photos

Morgan went ice skating for the first time and did really well. I stayed off the ice and just took photos, much safer for everyone that way!!




We had a birthday party on Sunday and Jackson missed his nap. He is the only child of mine that has EVER liked taking naps and begs to take them!! He looks like he could fall asleep on his chair!










This is a picture of Jackson who loves to wear other peoples clothing (or no clothing at all!!) He had on my shoes and his sisters winter hat, and nothing else!

crazy...

Looking back over a previous post where i mentioned everything i had going on in February, i realized that most of what i thought was going to take place, didn't. This was one very messed up month.

*My moms surgery did go well! She is still in a lot of pain however:(
*My intention was to be their for her and help her out as much as i could, didn't really happen until this week. My kids all decided to get the stomach flu, it was a great time had by all!
*We did not get to celebrate Emma's 1st birthday at our house because 1st of all no one wanted to become infected with the stomach flu (can't understand that!) and second because Emma got RSV and Pneumonia (poor kid!). The party did eventually take place, at my moms a few days later.
*Jacksons appointment in Sioux Falls has not taken place yet because the doctor has been sick (guess that happens to them also!) So hopefully he will go next week and he will get to be in the new Sanford Children's hospital, that should be neat, and hopefully he likes it enough that he does not scream though the x-rays!

This month as just been crazy and i will say i am very relieved to see that March is just around the corner. I am not going to mention what all i have in March, my luck it will all change. I do know i have to visit the dentist...that can change, i really don't want to go!

My Baby

I was going through some old photos and came across these. These are some of my favorite of Jackson, he has such a baby face! Makes me miss having a baby.

Yet, no more babies for me, this is a good thing, i remind my fertile body of this every time i get the craving. My body may be willing, but my mind and more important my sanity, just can't take another.

Also after a week of cleaning up the results of the stomach flu, i just can't imagine having more, this is exhausting!!

Yet that face...uh...it just gets me every time!!

Ever heard the saying.....

Want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans? Well i think he is up in heaven having a good chuckle about now.

My mom is having knee surgery tomorrow. We have known this for a few months now. I really want to be at the hospital when she has surgery, the rest of my family should also be there. So i made plans. I had everything lined up. Kids would be in daycare full time, Brian would be in charge of bringing them and picking them up, he would take them to their evening church activities, it was all set, i was ready for Wednesday. Then that all changed with one puking child. All the sudden nothing was planned, i had no clue how the week was going to go, everything was up in the air. How silly of me a mother of 4 to think everything would go as planned...i should know better by now!!

So i still really have no clue how tomorrow will go. So far the rest of the family is fine, i am praying and crossing everything that will cross that everyone stays healthy and that my mom has a successful knee surgery.

This will be an interesting week, sending prayers up that God will allow my mom to have a quick recovery, and that my family will stay healthy.

Music and other stuff....

You may have noticed that i added music to my blog:) I am still trying to figure out how everything works, slowly i am figuring out how to do different things with my blog. So i added a few of my favorite songs, a few songs that are on my ipod, and that have special meaning to me. I have a variety of music i enjoy, mostly country and christian.

February is now here and i am just praying i can get through this month with my sanity still intact!! A brief outline of my schedule for this month is as follows:
Feb. 2 Girl scouts for Morgan
3 Piano lessons for Morgan
4 pioneer club parents night for Morgan, Dylan, and Logan, plus financial peace class for Brian and me. Not sure how this is all going to work.
6 a much needed night out for me!
7 Morgan has a girl scout/food pantry event at the grocery store and its the kick off for Nascar season...yes i might just be a geek:)
8 Church
10 Piano lessons again
11 My moms knee surgery (please pray it goes well!!)
14 valentines, not much planned but just getting the kids everything they need for their parties. Hopefully visiting my mom in the hospital some also.
15 Emma birthday party at my house. Can't believe she is one!! Then its also the Daytona 500, official start of nascar WOOHOO...yes, you can keep calling me a geek!
16 Girls scouts for Morgan
17 Piano lessons for Morgan
18 Jackson appointment in Sioux Falls, Pioneer club, Financial peace class
22 Is church, and bible study
That's it that i have actually scheduled. But the rest of the month will be busy trying to help my mom with what she needs, trying to keep my own household in order, and also trying to finish up two classes. I have an 11 page research paper due the end of the month.

Its all kind of scary when i think of all that needs to be done and all that i will most likely forget to do. I know God will get me though all this, he always does, but some days i swear he is up there having a good chuckle at some of the messes i have gotten myself into:)

Steph

Hoping......

I am hoping that 2009 is a healthier year for our family. I have been adding some things up for our 2008 tax return and here is what i have come up with:

20 trips to Le Mars for Dylan O.T.

14 Trips to Sioux Falls for various doctor appointments for Jackson and Dylan

5 trips to the E.R.-All Jackson

1 Hospital stay for 3 days....again, Jackson.

10 Trips to the doctor in Hull for Jackson.

Several misc trips to doctor, dentist, eye doctor involving the entire family

Total miles this year for medical=3786.00

No wonder it seems like i am never at work...because i am not!!

So far things seem to be improving for Jackson. Still no official diagnosis for what he has. Most likely its Asthma and Reflux. The common cold usually knocks him on his little butt and he get pneumonia. Well we have changed a few medications and since Dec. he has really been fairly healthy (knocking on wood!!) Now he did get a cold a few days ago, but so far seems to be ok (again knocking on wood!) We shall see if he gets over this and needs to be taken to the doctor to have his lungs checked. His next appointment is mid February in Sioux Falls. They will be doing x-rays to check on his lungs at that time and then seeing if his medication needs to be changed.

Despite it all he remains a happy and opinionated red head:)

New Van

There was a time not so long ago, that i swore i would never drive a mini van, it just wasn't my style. Well two kids later i had to admit that cramming them in the car was not the best idea either. So five years ago we bought our first mini van, and i hate to admit it, but i loved it. Well that van was great for our growing family, but 2 more kids and 75,000 miles later we decided it was time for another van.

My problem was trying to find a van that had low miles but would also be one that my family could grow in. I figure we buy i new van i want to drive it for the next 5-6 years, well that puts my oldest at 14 (GASP!!) and with 3 growing boys i know i am going to need room. The other concern for me was finding a van was finding one that would help Dylan. When we bought out first van Dylan had just been diagnosed with CP and was still very small, we never really thought that the van would be a problem. Well he is now 6 years old, and just a big kid. He is about the size of 9 year old versus a six year old. Then you add in his weakness on his right side and creates another problem. See Dylan sits in way back with Morgan, so that the younger two can be closer to me. Well the walk way between the middle seats in mini vans are very narrow, especially when they have cup holders attached to the side of the middle seat. So Dylan would trip over the cup holder, fall, and land in this VERY narrow space and get stuck. It was just frustrating for both of us, he would panic because he was stuck and really two weak to maneuver himself out of the tight narrow spot, and i am not really strong enough, nor was there enough room for me to climb back there and try to get him out either. So after this happened 4 or 5 times i mentioned my frustrations to Brian and we decided it was time for something different.

Well the problem was we noticed that most mini vans have the narrow walk way with the cup holders on the sides. We just could not find something that was wider without having to go to like a Tahoe, or a suburban. So we finally decided on a new Uplander. Its very similar to the Montana before, but its has far less miles, and we also removed the cup holders making at least 6 inches more room on the center aisle (i am hoping this is enough room). Hopefully in the next 2 years or so we can move the younger two, to the back seat and put Dylan in the middle and that should hopefully fix any remaining problems.

So i am enjoying my new van (and trying to avoid snowbanks-long story) and today is the first day i actually was able to drive it. Brian was not sharing yesterday and thought HE had to drive it everywhere...men! The kids love it because it has the dvd system, they think its great and yesterday on the way to church it was the quietest ride we have had since we started having kids:)

So if you see a metallic brown van around town it might be me, feel free to wave, i will try to wave back but i am learning that both hands on the steering wheel is best for me:)

Steph

Dancing on a Friday night

Happy New Year!

You know what i love about the new year? It means we are getting closer to spring!!

We survived Christmas. It always amazes me how it can take me 2+ hours to wrap everything and my kids can tear it all open in less then 10 minutes!! Then Brian and i spend another 2 hours trying to get everything out of the boxes!

Christmas Eve the kids had a program at church, they all had lines to say and they all did very well!! Morgan had a huge line to read this year and i really thought she would be nervous about it, but she did a great job. After the program we came back home and the kids were SO happy to see that Santa had come while they were at their program. Not sure how much longer Morgan will really believe that there is a Santa, she is starting to loose faith in the tooth fairy (she keeps forgetting) and i am afraid Santa will be next.

Yesterday was New Years day and we really didn't do much. I took down our Christmas tree, and we made a trip to Wal-Mart.

I am just really ready for a normal schedule again. I just keep thinking that things will slow down soon...yet it just never happens. Looking ahead to the next couple of months we have a lot going on again, its exhausting just thinking about it!