MIL and FIL are here visiting from California....

and we've been on the go doing many 'projects' (like my weed, I mean "flower" beds). It has taken me away from the laptop and out into the sun. I will be back tomorrow w/ a better update, but just know that I'm up to my eyeballs in bark dust :)

Happy Memorial Day Weekend....

Half of the time here the weather does not necessarily cooperate w/ my plans to play outside all day, but definitely no complaints this weekend.

Delaney had four games, so we had a busy soccer weekend. The boys and Emily had a great time inhaling Jamba Juice smoothies, and playing in the creek (drainage ditch???). We bbq'd a lot, and didn't get nearly enough sleep as all of Delaney's games were on the early side, but still a lot of fun!

We also had Trey's IEP yesterday....

He has made amazing progress, but he is still on testing at 28-30 months of age. He just turned 5. He's got a lot of catching up still to do. It was a great meeting, and our local school district did attend. They will be taking a crack at his IEP as well, and hopefully we can all *really* work together to do what is right for Trey**.

**And, I'll solve the world peace issue, and worldwide hunger at the same time. Sometimes I just like to be an idealist....even though it is not practical, and ultimately sets me up for disappointment.

Preview of our weekend...

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to those here in the U.S.A.!



We'll be heading an hour away tomorrow for an 8:00 am game (which means we have to arrive by 7:00 am), WAY TOO EARLY. But, it's supposed to be sunny and beautiful, and as long as the other three have lots of snacks, and grass to play in, it should be a great time! We'll also be bbg'ing, and playing in the water, etc., just to fully appreciate the sun. We really try not to take it for granted here :)

For those who are observant, and wondering where Trey's hearing aid is....

that was the question of the weekend. He had a loaner aid as his was sent in to Widex due to distortion, etc., and it somehow fell off his ear. The ear mold was still securely tucked into his ear, but the aid was no longer attached. We scoured the neighborhood but had no luck. So, now we get to purchase Trey's school a new loaner. And to add insult to injury, he got hit in the ear with a basketball breaking one of our large batteries on Monday. Today Emily's headpiece stopped working. They say bad things come in three's, right???

Happy Wednesday!

Where I've Been.....Picture Post

Trey turned 5 on Monday! My baby is now not so much a baby....Can you tell how excited he is??? We had to wake him up to open presents and eat cake. (Edited to include a picture w/ the "missing child", who is now missing all of those ugly bruises!)


What is a weekend for us without soccer? Delaney had a scrimmage against the other ODP team to prepare for the ODP tournament this weekend. Not the best picture, but that's where I was all day Saturday and Sunday.



Trey dressed himself on Saturday morning (at 8:00 am) for Jake's t-ball game. Lovin' the boots.....



And, here is Jake at 8:00 am on a Saturday for t-ball. Isn't that a wee-bit early for baseball?? Or is that just wishful thinking on my part- maybe that is a perfectly reasonable time.

I Got to Visit Trey's School as an Independent Observer Today....

Part of this class I am currently taking requires 15 hours of teacher observation, and our local school district did not call me back, so I visited our trusty private school. It was such a great visit! They were gracious and accommodating (which is good, because I've only done 5 of my 15 hours at this point :) But, the kicker of the day was when Trey's classroom ceiling started raining worms of some sort. Yes, actual larvae fell from the ceiling......now THAT'S a day for ya!

I'm Waiting for Delaney to Get Home After a .....

soccer game (ALS?). Our local city's club, and basically I'm not expecting her until close to midnight. That is way past my bedtime, so I thought I'd *finally* watch the season finale of LOST. I've been waiting all day. It's two hours, which is great, but not great at the moment. I know myself, there is no way I'll make it up until 1:00 am to see it all, and if I do? Even worse, I'll be way too tired tomorrow.

And, on top of that, my husband has the stomach flu. Keep your fingers crossed that I quarantined him soon enough.

On a sidenote, did you know that salt is considered a poison? I didn't. And, (fortunately for me, not so much for my sis), it actually *wasn't* one of my kids that ingested the salt- yes, shocking, right? That is definitely something that would happen to one of mine....just because. But no, it was my poor nephew- the cute little guy in the previous pictures. Somehow he (and friends) had the great idea to ingest salt, and he ate a good amount. And, then quickly threw up. Which was good. Because, as I now know, salt is pretty dangerous, and can be used as a poison. So- there is my new public service announcement. Avoid salt, especially in large quantities :)

The Medical Mystery Continues....

Our fantastic pediatrician is at a loss. Her platelet count is great, and most of her other coag. numbers are good (which is good). But, what is causing the weird bruises?? We've been asked to consult with a pediatric hematologist (who we've already been forewarned is also at a loss). Her white blood cell count is slightly low (which can indicate an infection, or virus), and her platelet size is slightly below the norm. But, this is the same child who at age 2, ceased walking for a day, had a high sedrate, and had a wacky white blood cell number (high I think), and it all resolved a day later.

Weird. As much as I like playing the "House" game, I don't like mysteries when they involve my children. Thank goodness she is acting like nothing is wrong (except for the ugly purple bruising up and down her arms. I even checked to make sure she wasn't giving herself self-induced "hickies", but there is just no way she could pull some of the positions off, not to mention the spontaneous appearance of the second arm in her sleep.

Photos for your viewing pleasure.....Check out the SUN

Jake High-Five'ing his cousin Connor
My nephew at bat

Jake being a goof

Trey enjoying the weather

I'm back! Paper due, website difficulties, and Emily's mystery bruising is back

which meant a surprise appt w/ the Dr., and a whole lot of blood drawn (and now sitting and waiting). At least this time they are not throwing around Meningococcal disease and no IV antibiotics. In fact, I took her back to school after her rather large blood donation (w/ a subway sandwich in her lunchbox as a consolation for the stick in the arm).

My university's website had major issues last week, so I'm playing catch-up right now. I have 500-700 more words to write before midnight tonight.....

I'll post the pictures of Emily's weird arms later to see if anyone has seen the likes of it. Can't hurt! She's now officially a medical mystery.

We Are Anxiously Awaiting the Arrival of a New Nephew and a New Niece

The boy from Rob's sister, and the girl from my sister. Name suggestions are being discussed by all, including an *outstanding* conversation I had with my sweet niece Addison this morning. Addison informed me that she thought her new sister should be named "Rainbow". Hmmm....definitely unique? But, she was a little perplexed as to why her mom rejected her first suggestion- Cinnamon. I'm so going with Cinnamon! That's a name that people will remember :) Whatever her real name eventually is (she's due in September, right around my birthday), she will always be Cinnamon to me.

Big Ear Day: New ear molds, new(ish) hearing aid....

and a whole new ability to hear. I'm so glad we have the 2nd hearing aid back, it has made a huge difference. I had every intention of taking pictures of Jake's beautiful new ORANGE ear molds :)

And, Emily made the premier soccer team (So proud)...yes, her dad is the coach, but he said she would have been one of his top picks anyway.

Soccer tryouts - Bring On The Rain

Day one of soccer tryouts is over. The turnout for the club was fantastic, the girls were all in high spirits, and there was over an inch (maybe two) of standing water on the tryout field. I don't know that Em's cleats will be dry in time for tonights tryout :)

I've heard newspaper tucked inside will help...seems a bit hopeless right now. However, she'll be back out there tonight, ready for day two. I definitely have to purchase some of the great suggestions I received regarding sports and hearing aids/implants, in terms of keeping the equipment dry. I'm surprised her CI is working after last night. She looked as though she jumped fully clothed into a lake!

Emily's Last Recreational Soccer Game

Emily had her last game of the spring season yesterday, and she gets to enjoy a (short) break before tryouts....tomorrow night! I think she has a good shot at making a premier team (especially as my husband is coaching a team). You'll notice Emily only wears one of her two implants for soccer. She spins around, jumps over the ball, and generally just moves too much to manage to keep two on her head. Any suggestions? At this point we've used toupe tape, a huggie, and sweat bands. It sure would help her ability to listen to her coaches give her instruction....then again, maybe she's better off *not* hearing that well. She'll probably have more fun out there than the girls that can actually hear ;)

General Ear Update :)

Rock: Removed....very little pain and anguish, but as my ENT descibed it, "a small piece of dried lava like material". Huh? How? As he pointed out, he's a boy. 'Nuf said.

Jake: Still missing important decibals, but totally unconcerned due to his fantastic hearing in the other ear. Which will also keep him from being an implant candidate at the present time.

Emily: Hears great with two implants, pretty crappy w/ each separetely. Good or bad= depends on what the final outcome is. If bilateral hearing is the goal, she is doing great.

I'm tired, it's been a long week, and I haven't even started my final paper for school. I'm going to splurge with a beverage, a movie which requires no thought whatsoever, so that I can wake up at the crack of dawn and write my next masterpiece (defitely said w/ great sarcasm:) Happy Friday, and good ear health to all!