Week three of school....

And I'm still playing catch-up from summer. I have loads of laundry, and a million house cleaning projects. Sample paint "swatches" painted on three different walls, and three weeks left of my last class before student teaching. In addition, as nice as it is having some time without the kids, I send the last two off on the bus, turn around and it's 2:00.  How??? I haven't quite figured that one out.

Delaney is loving school, but her hearing fluctuations have continued- Bummer. She is still experiencing some ringing, and by the end of the day her hearing is just not as good as it was at the beginning. She has started wearing her implant (yay!), and agrees that it actually *does* help her hear (yes, she's a slow learner ;) 

Everyone is doing well in the hearing department (well, as "well" as Emily ever does). She definitely struggles the most.... It doesn't make sense as she has bilateral implants but she definitely has good hearing days and bad hearing days.  She's always been a bit of an enigma. 

My camera is still broken- I miss it. I've missed eight soccer games, the first day of school, and who knows what else. The rationale side of me knows I have enough soccer pictures to last a lifetime, but who knows when it will be "the" picture. Anyway....I WANT MY CAMERA BACK. Please :)

Back to school (75% of the kids)

Can you tell which child is not THRILLED???
The picture of Delaney is not from the first day of school (although she *did* wear her hair in braids. And, as a plus she is posing with one of my other favorite girls, my niece Addison). My camera died (see previous post) and her battery was not yet charged so she got out of the traditional first day of school pic. Maybe Trey should have gotten out of it as well (????) He really, REALLY, really wants to go to the neighborhood school. Sigh.

Summer is over.....

And my children are all back in school. We had a great summer- lots of soccer, some vacation, several roller coasters, and a couple of water parks. I have tons of pictures, but my computer will not let me load a chunk of them, and my "baby" broke (while on vacation), so I had to use my parents' cameras for pix. My Canon DSLR is not working- Big, big bummer. I have a ton of soccer games in my future (like this weekend) and I might miss the perfect shot ;)

Delaney is now an 8th grader (SCARY, last year before high school)
Emily is a 5th grader (Again, SCARY, last year before middle school)
Jake is a 2nd grader (He's just scary- kidding)
Trey is a 1st grader (Hard to believe my baby is in 1st grade).

I will update soon with lots of pictures, but for now here are a couple of the boys....being boys. BTW- the pictures help explain how the boys 'kind of' got wet on their outing with my mom ;)

All boy, all the time....

that's been our house this week (w/ the exception of me and Maxine, our labrador retriever). When asked if they missed the girls, the boys LOUDLY responded, "Nope...do they have to come home?". Now, that's brotherly love.

We are home from vacation #1- which was centered around (yes, you guessed it) a soccer tournament!

We all had a fantastic time. Both girls' teams did really well, and I spent so much time shrieking, I mean cheering, the girls on, I'm hoarse. Of course that might have been the huge rollercoasters I was forced, I mean asked nicely, to go on. I've become so much less daring as I've gotten older.

Anyway- I have a full recap in the making and tons of pictures. The girls traveled to Southern Cali. to visit Rob's parents after the tournament, hence it is just the boys.  That is my excuse for why I haven't posted pictures or a recap. The girls actually help out a ton.....

They have had a great time getting spoiled by their grandparents, and get to do it all over again in less than two weeks (w/ my parents).

Summer- it's a good thing ;)

The unveiling (although not *on* Trey).....

It is the Phonak Naida (something, something, UP). His is clear so you can see all the inner workings, and it feels more substantial than the Widex p38.  Maybe that is just me trying to justify the investment. He has adapted to it immediately, but he is also just 6.  It is very awesome looking, now I just hope it works even better! I will say, the BRIGHT red ear mold that accompanies it kind of kills the supercool, high-tech look of it, but again....6.

Trey gets his new hearing aid today.....

I am so excited! The kids have had the Widex P38s so long, and they have been a great hearing aid (really powerful, which is great when it comes to fluctuating hearing). Jake has one P38 and one c19, or maybe even a c9.  Anyway, after the "Milo incident" in which the hearing aid(s) became a doggie treat, we needed to replace one, so Trey is the lucky winner. Jake's hearing is better, and he does well with his aids, so I gave him our last spare P38.  The new hearing aid is so much smaller....and a lot less clunky looking then the Widex aid. Now, let's just hope it works better as well!

If it does work better, we'll be replacing Delaney's P38 (that she has had since she was 3....not bad for a hearing aid, right?).  I was told to expect them to last 5-7 years. She's had hers for 10. Which is great as they were not cheap when we purchased them.  $4,000 for the pair.

Quick Post: Seattle Tournament

O.K. I *do* have pictures of the other kids, but Trey is till so natural (maybe not clear from these pictures). He is still quick to grab my hand, quick to give hugs, etc. I realize due to my oldest child that this is fleeting (unless coerced). I hope to win them back, but for now I'll enjoy my "baby's" hand/hugs, etc.

Delaney, my oldest (13+) has moments of great maturity, which give me hope. She will spend days on end being just an amazing child, but then turns on me/us in a second. Those moments of awesomeness (is that even a word) give me such hope. She has hounded me non-stop about working with children in a hospital. Wants to do mission work...anywhere, at any time. She is such a bighearted, caring child, yet she is till a 13 year old girl. I see just glimmers of the wonderful young woman she will eventually be. Yet, it inspires me. EDIT: And then, after writing this post she has turned into the 13 year old alien that is *also* Delaney at times. The one who does not know when to stop talking....sigh. Gotta love it.

FYI- regarding the dog prank (see Delaney's post)-

I cringed for weeks anytime I saw our neighbors. Fortunately that was 4-5 years ago, and it seems to be forgotten (thank goodness). Their boys have become good friends of Jake's.

On a sad note, we've lost two hearing aids due to the carelessness of two boys, and a puppy. Yes, Milo has eaten two hearing aids. Well,they were not completely consumed for those of you worrying about the effect of the batteries on our puppy's tummy, but certainly no longer useable. They are now small twisted piles of plastic and metal. BUMMER! We had been warned, but our older dog never goes near any of the children's hearing equipment.


What else is new. I believe I should be nominated for Mother-of-the-Year after taking Emily, my 10 year old to the Justin Bieber concert the other night. Picture an entire sports arena filled with 8-12 year old girls shrieking. One of Emily's friends mothers had access to a suite, so Em and I, along with about 12 of her friends/acquaintances and their moms all attended. The look on all of their faces made it worth while, but I must admit I am still not a fan. I clearly do not have the Bieber-fever.


I'm off for now. I have to wash soccer clothes for tomorrow's soccer festivities!

I Did Not Post Because My Hampster Ate My Computer ;)

So your probably wondering why I havent posted anything, just look at the title and you will understand!

Mother, you so have not won yet. Nice try! I do not find blogging hard at all. Hmm, Is kinda boring though.

Hello people of the world! I'm Delaney's best friend and you can call me Jordan! Me and Delaney go way back. Way back in the old ages when we were silly children! Well me and delaney together equal TROUBLE. So, One time me and delaney wanted to do pranks. So we thought it would be funny to put dog poop on someones front porch and were stupid enough to ring the door bell. Then we were very stupid to sprint back to the house. And what do you know, we got caught! Although now we are much smarter to put the dog poop in a garbage bag and hide in the bushes ;) HAHAHAHA JUST KIDDING.



Jordan and I will be making a post tomorrow, so stay tuned!

Btw ( This means By The Way). We had a great excuse, cut us some slack. :)

Psst....Me again (Melissa, that is)-

I'd just like to point out that my wonderful daughter Delaney is already letting you all down on day 2 of her 'guest blogging' experiment. She is off at soccer practice, and then going to a sleepover w/ no post for today...I win! Blogging is hard work (or at least a habit that you have to get into).

I hate to say it but juggling four kids, and going back to school for my masters did not help my blogging abilities. I guess I thought I was better (more organized....no, just better) than I was but I'll admit it now. It has been hard juggling everything.

One class left (after this one that I'm halfway through).

It's just me and the boys here right now, and I'm watching my baby (Trey) using his sister's iPod (yes Delaney, I am taking it away in 10 seconds), sharing headphones with Milo. The dog seems thoroughly unimpressed with Adam Lambert ;)

He is covered in dirt (Trey, not Milo), barefoot, tan, and blond. I'd say he's having a great summer, boy-style. That said, a bath is probably a good idea at this point. We've been relying on swim lessons to accomplish this goal-LOL.

Aloha all. It's me Delaney.

I have this whole blog for a week. Arn't you guys lucky :)My mom claims that having a blog is a lot of work. I am proving her wrong.

I am gonna start of with sharing how our 4th of July went.



My mom and I :) Not many of these :)



Emily. Getting eaten alive by mosquitoes.



Jake



Trey


Jordan (My best friend) and I :)

Hope you all had a great 4th of July and were somewhat safe.

- Delaney

Because I am a highly ineffective blogger these days.....

I am turning my blog over to Delaney for an entire week. I figure this can go one of two ways. Either she loses everyone who looks at the blog ;), or she wins new viewers-LOL.

Have at it Delaney,
Love,
Mom

Last Day Of School.....

(Sorry the picture is tiny....I'm working on it)
Not sure whether to celebrate or be scared ;) So far, Trey has spent many days holed up in the house to escape the rain and cold. Come on summer- I've heard you exist.

Just me today....

I couldn't handle Delaney's lack of proper punctuation (please ignore the triple dots above ;)

Actually, all in all I think she had fun with that. Or at least had fun making fun of her sweet, always nice and loving, mother.

As of right now we will go back to the Audiologist in a week or so. They will continue to monitor her hearing to see if there is continued improvement (of further downward fluctuations). I would say, if I had to take a guess, that she has continued to improve. Her hearing appears to be back to where it was prior to the downward slide.

Our kids have LVAS or EVAS (Large/Englarged Vestibular Aqueduct Syndrome) and are prone to fluctuations in their hearing. Typically if there is a downward fluctuation, and if it improves, it does not return to its previous level. For example, just prior to Emily's 3rd birthday she lost all of her hearing in both ears virtually overnight. We got her in to see our Audiologist who confirmed that she had lost it all. Before the fluctuatoin she had a mild to severe hearing loss.

Jake also lost his hearing in both ears (down to the profound level bilaterally) last Fall. We took him in to see the ENT/Audi right away, and they decided to try steroid treatment. Within two days his hearing was significantly improved. Not exactly where it was prior to the loss, but pretty close. Of course there is no evidence showing that steroid treatment works (or no "reason" it works), but considering we're two for two on recovering significant amounts of hearing w/ LVAS fluctuation I'm all for it. Hindsight is 20/20 but I wonder if we would have had any success way back when w/ Emily?

Well....I need to get the kids off to school. Emily has a field trip to visit Ft. Vancouver (of course it is pouring down rain, as usual of late).

I'll post some new pictures in a bit :) Not of my "white" hair....remind me to get Trey's vision checked.

Guest Blogger: Delaney

Delaney has been telling me I'm a terrible blogger (which I agree with....I've been too busy, and due to the number of papers I've been writing I'm just out of "words").

So, she is my guest blgger for today. Have at it D.
Delaney what was it like to lose your hearing in your aided ear?
I woke up last Thursday with ringing in my ear, it SUCKED (EDIT, by melissa: sorry, my 13 year old's vocabulary is limited) :)The following day I had an appointment with the ENT and audiologist. I had lost a good amount of hearing in my favorite ear, so the ENT decided to put me on steriods for a week... If that didn't work, I would have to have an injection in my ear...

I have been on steriods for a week, and had my follow up appointment today. I met with the ENT and audiologist again.. My hearing has gotten better, but still isn't as good as it was.. The ENT decided not to have me have the injection directly into my eardrum.. YAYY :)

While we were waiting for the ENT Jake had me cracking up.. He kept trying to do sign language and talking very SLOWLY (Even though i could hear fine)Jake kept saying "I come in peace" while making the peace sign with his fingers.. Since the ENT,my mom, and I were laughing at him.. He got WAY to carried away.. And started getting on my last nerves :)

This morning my mom and Trey were driving to school, and they were talking about what color Milo and Maxine were.. Trey was saying "We have one dog that is black, and one dog this is brown, black, and white" My mom said "Actually Maxine is black and white, because she has white around her nose and mouth" "Why mom?" Trey asked.. "Because Maxine is old".. "Oh she is white and black because she is old, like you mom" "But, I dont have white in my hair" my mom replied.. "YES YOU DO" Trey said.. :)

Hopefully this will inspire my mom to post more often..

EDIT: Melissa again, I also apologize for Delaney's unique use of the period???

Yes, I am a HUGE fan of cochlear implants....but

I have one hold-out. My oldest....She has never embraced her implant (which does not go over well amongst those of us who love them, and see no wrong). The main issue is her amazing hearing in her aided hear (which does not make sense when you see her audiogram...she should have marginal hearing from her dinosaur of a hearing aid, but no). She does so well. Long story short, that ear has quit on her (which we warned her about, due to our children's anatomy (LVAS....).

More to come tomorrow after many appts. I'm not sure whether to be thrilled (maybe she'll embrace her implant ), or sad, she's 13....change is bad :(

Life and Macaroni and Cheese (or more appropriately lasagna)

I am experimenting w/ homemade macaroni and cheese tonight. Why, you might ask. Because I am pretending I have some control over events by baking something from scratch. I remember way back when (September 26, 2008, not that I keep track ;), I left the gym to notice that I had several missed calls and messages. I quickly scanned them only to find that several were from my husband's boss....weird! I also (quickly) found out that my husband had collapsed due to sudden cardiac arrest and the outcome was unknown. I did not know what to do, how to proceed. This was not part of the plan. So I called the doctor who had been trying to reach me, then called my sister (to help w/ the kids), called my parents, and called Rob's family. Unsure what to relay, tried to sound like it would all be o.k. but was a wreck.

That's what family is for.....And, I have great family on both sides.

Rob survived, and emerged doing great. But, those meals that were delivered without request, and despite my protests carried me (and the kids, family) through. It seems that more and more we have friends, family, etc. that are in a similar position. At the time I did not realize that those meals probably helped the givers as much as they helped me. I felt guilty over lack of thank you notes.

But now, as I sit and watch another family struggle, the meal is really to make me feel better. One small way I can help, when really there is nothing I can do. What I can do is make sure that it is the best darn macaroni and cheese ever (breadcrumbs, a variety of cheeses, etc.)! And, I'll bring also bring Kraft (already prepared) because lord knows my kids hate mac n' cheese if it isn't bright orange.

Thinking of an amazing family as they embark on a huge journey.....If any of you have great casseroles/freezer meals I'm ready. I'm sure I'll be the bearer of many.

...On a Boat

but no flippy-floppies in sight (which makes no sense unless you've seen the SNL sketch). We recently traveled to Bainbridge Island for one of Delaney's state cup games. Beautiful place, but I did hear from a "local" that it can be rough living on an island- even if it is connected to land via ferry, and bridge. I don't know, it seemed pretty spectacular to me.

That said, it was a 3+ hour trip (one way) for a 85 minute soccer game. I had to sell it to the kids somehow, so I promised Trey, my sole tag-a-long a boat ride. Of course I also made him promise not to tell Jake (as he stayed home for baseball). First thing out of Trey's mouth...yep, you guessed it "we went on a big, big, boat). Of course, Jake later turned it into a "cruise"- if only!

Hola!

My daughter tells me I'm a horrible blogger and I'm disappointing everyone (sorry mom, and Laura- my two loyal readers ;) Nothing new going on here. We're smack in the middle of soccer tryouts. One daughter made the team of her choice, although she was really worried, despite the fact that the coach is her FATHER! Emily is also the team's only goal keeper at this point, so I'm not sure why she was worried :)

Delaney has tryouts coming up in a week and a half. Keep your fingers crossed that she too makes the team of her choice (she doesn't have her dad coaching at this point).

Jake has been getting in trouble at school all week for being off task and silly. That pretty much sums Jake up- off task and silly! He is playing baseball and loving it. When his team is focused (when, being the key word) they are pretty good. That said they are no Diamondbacks. This team has 2-3 practices a week and there is NO goofing off. They are hardcore (for pee wee little league).

Trey is playing t-ball and also enjoying it- most of the time. Tonight I can already tell he's going to fight me on practice. It's rainy and cold. I might fight me on practice as well. He is turning 6 in the middle of May- my baby is getting old....

Milo is still peeing (in the house, that is). See, you haven't missed much ;)

Quick update...

As usual, trying to catch up on life! Rob has been home since last Friday (almost a week), and walked over a mile last night. Not too bad 13 days post heart surgery. I came home just in time for the kids' spring break (hence the lack of updates..we were on the go). I will post a real update w/ pictures shortly.

We've been at the Mayo clinic....

w/ Rob, for his cardiac procedure (When I say "we" I mean me and Rob's dad, Bob...what a trooper). What a fantastic hospital/clinic/establishment. They were never late with an appointment, the nurses/staff/physicians have been excellent, and he is recovering amazingly well from surgery.

We are very relieved that things went so well, and I'm excited to rejoin the kids (and my parents who volunteered to kid-sit) tomorrow. I'll post a much more in-depth recap tomorrow, but just wanted to let you know where I've been, etc.

Happy St. Patricks Day!

In honor of my (meager) Irish heritage, I am making corned beef and cabbage. For most of my years I have claimed to not like this dish. Why? I'm not sure. My sister shares this feeling, yet neither of us has a real recollection of ever eating it. The kids are all gung-ho about St. Patty's Day this year so I decided to give it my best shot, and cook the quintessential Irish-american dish. I was planning on Irish soda bread as well, but I had a paper due- it is Wednesday after all (paper due date). It's really too bad....the Irish soda bread, at least on paper, sounds like the most appealing part of the menu (available at Trader Joe's ;) Anyhow, I'll let you know the end result in the morning.

Tomorrow Emily goes in to our much trusted Audiologist to figure out why the heck she can't hear when my back is turned or in the backseat of the car. She's really struggling in the hearing arena right now which is not good for her- she's a bit scattered anyway. More to come on the hearing front. We've had it pretty easy ever since Jake's temporary massive loss (he's still holding steady- thank goodness!).

Also, quick question for the masses (at least those masses that include parents of special needs children). Do you get to weigh in on teacher selection? Just curious as I'm considering doing this next year (at least a bit.) Is that a bad idea? Good idea? Neutral?

No pictures today (at least as of yet, but Trey has t-ball practice later so maybe I'll be inspired).

What I've Been Up To (Since I've Been MIA)-

Saturday was Emily's birthday party


So I spent all day Friday making party favors....


and baking this obnoxiously green cake! Isn't it bright?



I also dyed t-shirts the same very bright shade of green that the party guests then decorated with massive amounts of fabric paint. I should have bought extra containers of the glow in the dark paint. Who knew that would be the hit of the party? A few of the shirts turned out bright yellow as Delaney forgot to add salt during the dying process- oops! (Sidenote: Thank you to Delaney and Alexa for being my craft helpers. Delaney, next time you shake the paint make sure the lid is CLOSED).

The girls went on a scavenger hunt looking for various green items (beaded necklaces, light-up buttons, etc.) and gold coins (both plastic and chocolate). They then came back and made their shirts, beaded rings, and St. Patricks Day magnets (just included because it was one of the easier crafts....don't magnets scream St. Patricks Day ? ;).

(If you squint you can see the magnets....)

Milo (the non-housebroken puppy) escaped several times


And took great delight in running away from all fourteen party guests, my son, and the adults chasing him down. Those watching from inside the house seemed to find it rather funny. I did not. Right after this I realized we only had 15 minutes left to inhale pizza and cake, and open presents. Mass chaos erupted, but we managed to get it done (giving away extra cake as people departed). And we *still* have green cake. Next year we're bowling.

Happy 10th Birthday Em!

Ways to Procrastinate....

I'm supposed to be writing a paper on Learning Disabilities and the Classroom, but I'm finding my mind is wandering to a million other things. So, I thought I'd see if any of you can do some brainstorming for me so that I can write a 1,000 word paper asap ;)

We are having butternut squash ravioli tonight and I need some kind of sauce for it. My only caveat is that I do not want it to be too heavy or fattening. I love butternut squash ravioli but always struggle when it comes to saucing it up. For the record, I will be the only one eating this as my family has no taste, I mean prefers standard ravioli w/ cheese (yes, boring). I'm also going to throw in some regular whole wheat pasta w/ basic tomato sauce for those who cannot even handle a square pasta stuffed w/ something (Rob and Delaney).

I also will be visiting one of our local middle schools to sample various dishes prepared by a select group of students (Emily included). It is an annual recipe contest sponsored by the district's nutrition department. We practiced her dish last night and it was pretty good- I would have added a few extra ingredients, but she had to follow the recipe she submitted. She is making a basic tomato and basil crostini. She will have an adult helper to slice the bread (so as to hopefully spare her the loss of a fingertip), but will otherwise do all the preparation/cooking on her own. Maybe she can help cook dinner tonight, right? Nope, forgot she has soccer.

Milo- 5 1/2 months

Yep....still not housebroken. Yep....still pretty cute.
Definitely getting bigger as well (becoming harder to sit on my lap while I'm on the computer- just don't tell him that).

Emily's Birthday...

We celebrated Emily's birthday in phases this weekend. I was gone for much of her actual bday (due to a soccer game out of the area), but we managed to have a great night. The next day we went to her soccer game w/ cupcakes, and then went to see "Alice in Wonderland". Emily, Jake, and I really enjoyed it. Trey was kind of scared and didn't like the 3D glasses, and Rob thought it was just o.k. The movie was visually very attractive, and I thought the special effects were great (for what it's worth). It was a nice way to finish the weekend. That said, I needed one more day of weekend to catch-up on life...

We have birthday weekend number 2 coming up. The one in which 20+ girls show up at my house for a Leprechaun treasure hunt, assorted crafts, and food. Have I thoroughly planned it??? NO. But, I have the key pieces such as a couple of pots of "gold", and some lovely silver and green beaded necklaces- o.k. not really lovely, really just cheap silver and green beaded necklaces, but for our purposes we're going w/ lovely.

Now I just need to figure out a few craft ideas before Saturday and we're in good shape. My birthday party partner has left me (my sister) and moved out of state, so I'm on my own this time around. In the past anytime I came up with these involved party ideas I had a helper, which was always needed. This year I'm going to recruit my oldest daughter to help out (whether she likes it or not).

Today is Emily's Birthday (and at some point I will write a typical bday reflection)....

but we got home from Delaney's soccer game in Redmond about two hours ago and promptly whisked Em off to her birthday dinner (at our local Japanese grill) and then came home to enjoy cupcakes from the cute cupcake bakery in Redmond. Typically I let the kids pick their favorite meal (because that's how we did it in my house) but my mom cooked our meal. Tonight I had to scream "uncle". The japanese grill was a great replacement, and we came home w/ a ton of left-overs.

Delaney did not play today- her coach claimed he didnt' want to injure her prior to state cup, and that could be the case. But, she was heartbroken- she's worked her behind** off to get back on the field, and this was the last regular season game. Hopefully State Cup will be a new chapter in her soccer career (meaning a better one).

**feel free to supply your own synonym :)

My husband and I celebrated (o.k., not really) our 15th anniversary yesterday-

We didn't really celebrate as Rob was home sick with bronchitis....Which in his case is never ever really just bronchitis. For those who are new readers he has HCM (Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy), which makes most illnesses a bit bigger than the norm.

On a good note, he is feeling a LOT better today. Now we just need to keep him healthy for the next month. He will be having fairly major surgery towards the end of the month to help improve his quality of life (i.e. walk and run without being winded, etc.). It's a fairly invasive procedure, but should be worth it in the long run, but for the next 10 weeks this blog may be heavily focused on cardiac issues :)

The good news is that as of this years check-up the kids all show no signs of HCM (which is genetic in our family's case, and is about 50% chance per child). I'm hoping our "beating the odds" in the hearing area means we'll get off scott free for cardiac issues....right????

Bonus Day.....

So, I don't post forever, but you get two today (I think I'm procrastinating....I have a paper due). Anyway, yesterday I was told that Trey's teacher thinks maybe he needs one additional year in Kindergarten. It was not totally unexpected (we've considered having him repeat a grade as he is young for his grade, but we were planning on doing it when we bring him to our neighborhood school). And, maybe in a grade where they learn more academics.

Not sure what we're going to ultimately decide....
I'll keep you posted (and would love to hear from you if you've had a similar experience :)

Update on Delaney's Knee.....

Finally I have some good news to share! Delaney was able to attend her first soccer practice (since December) last night. She made it through a full practice with no knee pain :) So exciting!! However, we did have to explore creative treatments to get her there.

For those who don't know the backstory, Delaney tore/sprained her MCL in an indoor soccer game in late December. She was diagnosed with a grade 2 tear (but it could not be fully looked at as she is unable to have an MRI due to her cochlear implant). She was in an immobilizer for several weeks, and then a knee brace- and did physical therapy for several weeks with no improvement. As of a week ago Friday, she was in tears as her knee was no better, and it looked as though State Cup was going to be a no-go for her.

Then we heard of someone here locally who does ARPwave therapy,and he has had some success w/ ACL and MCL tears (among other injuries). So, we gave it a shot. She limped in on a Monday, and by Thursday was running sprints in his facility at 100%, with NO PAIN.

She had another treatment on Monday, and was cleared to go back to practice (but w/ a stern warning that if there was any pain, to stop). Anyway- she'll be working with this trainer for another few weeks, learning better form to avoid future injuries.....

Exciting, right?

My poor magnetic blog....

This blog was my 'baby' for awhile, and then my kids became 'normalized'...which is good, but I lost my fodder. It's now a magnet for WEIRD random comments. It's not so exciting to type "my child is doing THIS, and THIS", and they are (here is the big BAD word) "normal" . But we are good. That said, our life is now getting interesting again in a crazy, chaotic way, but I think that is our normal.

I'll try to ignore the weird comments and keep posting :)

Delaney is still sidelined w/ a torn MCL....

It's not fun for anyone. She's bored. And I'm bored of her boredom. This is a girl who typically has practice 2 to 3 nights a week, and a game every Saturday. She has played soccer since she was 3 (she's now 13). She is still going to at least one of the practices so she can watch, and then she sits on the bench during the game. She's not enjoying it. Hopefully she will get the immobilizer off next week and can at least start physical therapy (w/ the hope of getting her back on the field in the next 3 weeks or so). I miss watching her play....

For those of you are worried about us being deprived of watching our daughter play soccer, no worries. We have two basketball games (Emily), and Jake's indoor game to watch. We also will go and cheer on Delaney's team, just to ensure that boredom does not set in. If we're still feelign the need for a little excitement we can throw out one rawhide bone and watch the dogs duke it out ;)

Latest on the puppy front....

While Milo is still the cutest thing ever, he has developed a few bad habits....mainly tearing apart any pieces of paper on the ground, paper towels and toilet paper being the most prized possessions (I think due to their extreme shreddability), and using our house as his personal toilet. He has great days and terrible days. Today, is a not so good day. I've learned that the puppy is scared of wind. And rain. And loud noises. Any of these will distract him enough that he will just shut down and refuse to go to the bathroom outside. Luckily he's cute. Kind of like the kids when they were three/four- Cuteness was the only thing that saved them ;)

To Kindle or Not to Kindle....

I know I've blogged about this before, but I finally pulled the trigger (for Rob's 40th birthday). I'm not sure he was all that thrilled with the gift choice, but maybe that was my secret plan??? I'll take it if he doesn't use it ;) No, I really was just looking for a gift that he would never by himself, that he might enjoy. He does some traveling and ends up buying books for the plane quite often. I thought this might be a nice solution.

He also was greeted by Emily's soccer team (which he coaches) sporting large white 40's on their jerseys, and received a black soccer ball signed by the team. I think he had a great day (w/ a semi-surprise party coming on Saturday).

The final two of the kids had their yearly cardiology check-ups and they "passed" with flying colors! We are done now until the boys are 9/10, and until Emily is 11. Delaney still has to go back yearly as she is in the prime hypertrophic cardiomyopathy development range (typically is adolescent onset, and this was definitely the case with her dad). I'm so excited to be able to post this update :) When it comes to genetic issues, I'll take the hearing loss anyday!!!

I better jump off now to stop Trey from re-decorating our Christmas tree- I had to keep him home after the appointment seeing as I was so late to get downtown for the Cardiology appointment we left his implant on the charger (yes, BAD....) I couldn't take him to school without his implant, and by the time I drove home, drove him to school, and came back home, I'd have to just turn right around again. So Trey and I are going to spend some time bonding over the laundry.