Sunday Morning Update

We were able to pick up Mary's glasses yesterday (thankfully) and when she put them on, all she could say was "Woah!!". (Which tells me that her previous prescription was completely wrong!) We are so happy that she can see :) She also scored two goals at her soccer game...and Katie had a pretty good day, too. It was nice to have a "good" day... it felt like we had been on a bad day stretch there for awhile. Well, it's a new week, and I'm praying for a great one. Hope it is for you, too.

Busy Saturday

I shouldn't be posting...too much to do this morning. But sometimes I think it is almost therapeutic for me to write about the crazy-ness in my life :) We have basketball and soccer this morning....and Katie would prefer to be outside already. 70 degrees at 8 am - pretty good for Michigan in the Spring! Katie's week continued to be frustrating, so I'm not really sure where we are at with that...praying for a better week next week, but as the weather improves her desire to be in school continues to diminish. Thankfully she has a great teacher who works with her daily to help her maintain her focus.

Speaking of maintaining focus, if you remember back to October, Mary had to get glasses. Here she is back then, proud of her new specs :


In our county the kids get an eye exam in the Spring of 3rd grade. Well, only 5 months after getting her glasses, she failed the eye exam. Seriously? I was floored. We took her back to the eye doctor and her prescription has changed 3 full prescriptions in 6 months. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? No wonder she is having so much trouble with her handwriting, she can't see what she is writing. I about flipped out. We don't know if they messed up the original exam, or what happened, but after some persuasive conversation, they agreed to give her new lenses (and the re-check exam) at no-cost. The downside is that she is completely without her glasses for a few days while they swap out the lenses, but hopefully with the warm weather, she'll be outside a lot and won't miss them too much :)

Happy Saturday....(I hope!)

Kind of a Blur...

Yep, my life, a bit of a blur right now. It's been a crazy few days. Katie has been having some trouble in school because of her stimming activity. It is very common in autistic children, but right now it is interfering with her ability to function in school. She stimms to the point that she is not willing to participate in classroom activities. She doesn't want to be directed. She isn't sleeping (she woke up at 3 am today and 4 am yesterday) and basically - I'm spent. She came home from school early yesterday because they weren't able to get her to "engage" with the class - she just wanted to stim. But then she comes home and she is "fine". She only wants to be outside (and that will increase as the temperature rises into the 80's over the next few days) and while she is outside all she wants to do is stim. She picks grass and watches it fall to the ground over and over again...when you call her name she screams, as if we are "interfering" with her agenda. Not sure where we are going to go from here. We may be able to change some of her meds...she has a neurology appointment in May - but that's not a guaranteed fix, either. So until then, maybe I can learn to nap in between work and the girls getting home from school......

Too Long...

It's been a week since I've posted -not intentionally, but more due to the craziness that is April. Back to school, back to work, back to soccer, basketball, Girl Scouts, Girl Scout cookies, and the list goes on and on. Today was my first day off since Easter - and I needed it! Katie was off, too...but she's enjoying the warm weather out in the sandbox and on the swingset. So ready for Spring, yes we are!

I promised a little blurb about Chinese food for Easter. Let me begin by saying that I have also had Chinese dinner for Mothers' Day, my birthday, Father's Day, possibly Thanksgiving,(but that is a bit blurry....) My parent's love Chinese food and they have instilled this love in their grandchildren (not Katie). I like Chinese food, but LOVE would be too strong a word for it. Bill LOVES chinese food and orders something different everytime we go. It seems that for holidays when you would often have a family dinner at home, we end up going out. Mainly this is due to the fact that my parents are extremely busy. My dad has a "normal" full-time job in addition to being a full-time minister - and as a result, the prep for cooking and having people over is often a lot for my mom to manage in addition to all of their church responsibilities. The result is that we end up going out...and almost always for Chinese food. The waitresses know my parents by name there. That makes me laugh. Mary loves to read the menu and figure out the animal that represents the year each of us were born. My mom and dad always say that the chinese calendar explains why my brother and I have never really gotten along all that way... I know he's kidding, but it does make for good conversation. So....there it is a nutshell....and check back with me...Mother's Day is on the horizon and we could very well be heading to First Wok.....

Sunny Saturday

Hard to believe that Spring Break is already drawing to a close. It's been quite the week. I wasn't able to post yesterday due to all of the craziness that was happening here -- and then I had to work last night...but today is a different story. The sun is shining, Mary has soccer practice this morning and then the rest of the day is going to be just about hanging out together. I'm looking forward to a little relaxation. I also think I'm going to make a "pre-Easter" or "Easter-Eve" as I like to call it, Dinner tonight. A little ham, some potatoes....we're going out for dinner with my parents tomorrow - so the pre-Easter Ham will be a good thing! (We're actually going out for Chinese food for Easter - but that is a whole different story - a blog post in and of itself :)

I've also moved on to my 3rd book in the Twilight Series -- I've read over 1000 pages already this Spring Break - that might be a record read for a week for me.....but I'm loving it - I'm just a little tired!

Happy End to Spring Break - and if I don't blog again before then, Happy Easter.

Rom 5:8 But God demonstrated His own love for US, in that while WE were yet Sinners, Christ DIED FOR US.

Spring Break Day 4 - Is it Friday yet?

Can I just say ..... I AM TIRED! This Spring BREAK has not really been a break. I'm beat! Between hanging with the girls, doing eggs, watching movies, going Bowling (I haven't told you about that) and stay up 'til wee hours of the morning reading my books (I have almost read 1000 pages during Spring Break alone)...and getting up at 4 am for work today - I am done! Tired, Spent, Kaput! Finished! I took pictures at the bowling alley - and no, Katie didn't bowl. If I am still awake after supper I will upload them for your viewing pleasure :). I may need to take a nap so that I can finish another book tonight! And by the way, the weather was actually beautiful today. What a treat for Michigan during Spring Break!

Spring Break, Day 3. Same Song, Different Verse

Is this starting to look familiar?
Katie's up!




And Mary's not! It's only 9:30...but it's starting to make me laugh!

Spring Break, Day 2

Well, it Tuesday. Spring Break Day 2. No sleeping in today. At 8 am Mary asked me why I wasn't boiling the eggs yet? Go figure, I thought sleep was a bit more of a priority! Anyway, by lunchtime, the eggs were boiled and colored and the girls were fully into the Easter mode! Even Katie got into the fun!

No snow today, so that's a bonus. But it's really cold out. Not quite the warm sunny Spring Break we had hoped for, but for now it will have to do. We did go see this yesterday. It was okay. The kids seemed to like it more than the adults. I have no desire to see it again...but it was a fun outing and a good start to Spring Break. No other big plans for today. I WILL finish this today. I cant wait to start reading this. Happy Tuesday...see you tomorrow!

Spring Break?

It's the first "official" morning of Spring Break. 9:45 am...and here is what I see...

In Mary's room....

and out my bedroom window...

Katie's been awake since 6:30. Happy Spring Break!

Fabulous Friday

Less than 2 hours until Spring Break. I'm actually excited even though we aren't really going anywhere. I won't have to work very much, and it will be nice to just hang out around the house and read (yes, my new favorite free-time activity.) I'm reading this and this. The latter for book club and the first for personal enjoyment. I just wish I had more time to read! I also have several "autism" books scattered around, but I have a feeling that Spring Break will be all about reading for pleasure -- and those books tend to be more for education - to help me better deal with Katie's autism, if that makes sense.

Wishing everyone a happy Spring Break!

As an added note....the reading is going really well...and I actually was able to take a nap this afternoon! Gotta love Spring Break!

Just Another Manic Monday....

So it goes, another Monday and more events to report on....I didn't have to work today for which I was very thankful. I was able to run some long overdue errands and even get a little reading done. I'm on a huge reading kick lately. Not sure why, but so much so that I had to go out and buy a pair of "readers". I'm nearing the big 40 and my eyes are not what they used to be. I bought a cute purple pair of 1.5's and let me tell you how much easier the reading is now :)This isn't the greatest picture but it gives you the idea....

I am not going to do any more posts stating that we are all healthy because without fail that has proven to be a bad move on my part. Katie has an ear infection as earlier reported, but she is doing much better. We have her on "permanent" allergy medicine now too - and I think that is helping a lot. Mary started with congestion yesterday and a cough today - so I'm not sure where that is headed. Spring Break is next week and it would be nice if they could both be healthy so we might be able to do some fun things. We aren't going anywhere out of town, but maybe we can catch a museum, a movie, you know...cheap, fun, local things :)

Also, because this is really Katie's blog - I have to share this picture of Katie putting her own coat on because she wanted to go "out" (this happens a lot). When she takes her coat of she just slips it off of her body so the bottom remains zipped. As a result, this is what she looked like when she tried to put it back on without assistance :)

What a week...

It's been a crazy one here. Katie has had quite the week. She has an ear infection .... I know, it seems to never end. We couldn't get her into the pediatrician's office - so I ended up taking her to immediate care yesterday. I think that was a great move actually. They got us in and out in less than 20 minutes. They gave her the numbing drops for her ears that seem to work amazingly, as she seems pain free for several hours after using them. She wasn't a big fan of having the drops put in, but once she realized that they made her feel better, she liked it :) We've also had to change her allergy meds in hope of improving her overall health. 6 months of the year with cough and a runny nose are getting a wee bit tiresome!

Mary also has had a busy week. Her third grade musical was last night. I will post more pics once I get mine uploaded..but here's a small sampling. She's the serious looking elephant :)

Bill and I finally got to watch "Fireproof" tonight. I would highly recommend it for anyone who is married, who is getting married, or who hopes to be married one day. Great movie. Great reminder of what God truly intends for marriage to be.

Well - that's it in a nutshell. I post more pics hopefully tomorrow....Happy Weekend!

Almost back to "Normal"

I hesitate to write this, but I think we are finally getting back into the routine of life. Both girls have recovered from influenza (which was the cap-off to a month of illness) and are back to school. Katie thrives on routine, so after 11 days off between winter break and illness, it has been a bit of an adjustment but she seems to be loving the predictability of school. Mary always loves school, so for her it's now all about finishing 3rd grade well and making her "AR" (Accelerated Reader) goal for the last trimester.

Not too much else happening here. Bill is headed out of town for a quick trip to Alabama -- flying down and driving a car back...so he'll be gone for about 36 hours. Not quite enough time for a room remodel or anything, but I may see how much CLUTTER I can get out of the house. I keep seeing the Oprah episodes with that organizational /de-clutter guy who talks about how much easier it is to enjoy life when you don't have all the clutter. I started today...but I'm saving a few of the big projects (linen closet and kitchen cabinets/drawers) for his absence...I think he'll be surprised. I probably need to do before/after pictures so I can realize and take a bit of pride in how much work it's going to be ...but it will be so nice when it's done :)

Vacation

So...we're back. My pictures were delayed because Katie came down with a 105 degree temp while we were away. She's still struggling a bit - missing the entire week of school. Her class is off on Monday, so she'll have been out 11 days by the time she goes back on Tuesday. That will be a difficult adjustment for her....but part of life that she needs to learn. Mary had the temp before we left (the pediatrician says they both have/had influenza...yucko!) but was fine while we were there. She still has a bit of cough, but is overall doing well. She went back to school when we got back from here. This is one of our favorite vacation spots...

I've got the LYSOL out again today, trying to kill all these germs that have plagued us all winter. They are forcasting warmer weather for the upcoming week, so hopefully we will get to air the house out and get some "good" germs in here!

I Almost Forgot

I almost forgot...this is what Mary learned to do when she was home sick (the first time) with Grand-moo :) She actually made a pillow-case for herself!!!!

Almost Unbelievable

Well, no sooner had I written the previous post that we were getting healthy, and BAM, Mary woke up Thursday morning with a 103 degree temp...so needless to say, we must not have been healthy yet. She missed school Thursday and Friday - which makes 5 days in the last 2 weeks. Thankfully, she did get a good report at conferences so I guess not too much damage was done... we are happy that 3rd grade is going well....

The girls have Monday and Tuesday off - and we have some fun activities planned - I will post on Tuesday or Wednesday complete with pictures and give you the full update... It's raining here - but I guess that is better than snow...enjoy your weekend!

Onward and Upward.....and maybe even healthy!

Yep, I hesitate to say this, but I think we might actually be getting healthy. Wow, it's been a long time coming. Katie is back on antibiotics, but they actually seem to be working this time...so that is a huge bonus. Mary is on the mend, too....so I think we're getting there.

School for Katie does continue to be a challenge. With two new children in her small (6 students) classroom - and her routine has been blown to bits. She has been a bit uneasy, naughty, and almost irritable. She didn't eat anything today at school, but when she got home she pigged out. She's been "hitting"( I hesitate to use the term hitting as I think it is more of an expression of dislike as to what she is being asked to do. Often when she is stimming and someone -- a teacher etc-- asks her to stop stimming, she almost slaps or hits them in a reactionary way as if to say "NO, I'm not stopping". ) and actually did try to run away as she often did in previous years. Only once though..teacher put an end to that at the first sign of fleeing.... We have conferences tomorrow and that will be a good time to see where she is. We do have that classroom locked in for next year, so that is a good thing....I think we are just in a period of adjustment for her as she gets used to the two new students that are finding their own way into this unique class.

The girls have half days tomorrow and Friday - and then are off Monday and Tuesday, so we are looking forward to a little family time. We have some fun things planned ....so there will be a lot to report on next week. Happy March!

Happy to be Thursday...

Well, I'm honestly glad that it's Thursday. It's been a week, as usual. Mary has been out sick from school for 3 days - she is going back tomorrow. She showed vast improvement today. We do have a re-check with the pediatrician tomorrow, so hopefully we won't be headed to the ENT for tubes.

Katie was home sick today too.... she was a "vomit comet" sometime in the middle of the night... we think it was just from her sinus' and her stomach couldn't handle all the drainage. It's hard because even at age 6 she isn't able to blow her nose independently -- so sometimes she becomes victim of more "toddler-ish" issues. She should be going back tomorrow too -- as she had a great day and according to my mom didn't appear to be sick at all... :)

I have the next 3 days off of work. After a week of 6 am's and taking care of "sicko's", I'm looking forward to it. The girls only have a half day tomorrow - so I'm going to get my butt in gear in the am with a nice latte' and get my errands done before we head off to the pediatrician in the afternoon....

And can I just tell you..it's going to be a great season of American Idol!

Sick of Being Sick

Well, I'm just back from the ER...has this been a winter or what? Mary has some weird infection in her ear where there is a bunch of fluid that has actually bubbled or blisted on top of her ear drum. It could rupture (we are hoping not)...and she has a fever and feels horrible. Her wonderful teacher had the office to call me to pick her up as she was so lethargic the teacher was concerned she wouldn't be able to ride the bus home successfully. She got a shot of rocefin in the ER. If you've never had the pleasure, I call it the miracle antibiotic. It truly knocks the bacteria out of their bodies - and considering that she has had 2 other courses of antibiotic in the last 6 weeks, I am ready for this to be done....

On a lighter note, I received a note home from Katie's teacher today which read:

"...Katie took all of her clothes off during circle time :), but other than that she had a great day!"

How can you not laugh when you read that!

A Day Off

So it's Friday - and finally a day off for me this week. Katie didn't have school today (her teacher's get one day a month off in lieu of planning time each day) so we are "hanging" out, running errands, etc. It's actually been nice to just spend some time with her. I should be cleaning my house, but at least I'm getting caught up on laundry (no pictures this time) and I think (cross my fingers) that we are all almost approaching the healthy stage! Woo-hoo! It's been a long-time coming. This has been the snowiest and "sickest" winter I can remember in ages. We are expecting another huge snowstorm tonight into tomorrow - isn't Spring supposed to be here soon?

Well, enjoy your Friday....more later.