Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone is enjoying a pleasant time with their family. We've had moments :) I just frantically took the turkey out of the oven (two hours earlier than I had estimated) because the meat thermometer read 180 degrees. I rushed all of the side dishes, and scrambled to set the table. As Rob cut into my beautiful HUGE turkey, he informed me that it was raw. Yes, raw..... my meat thermometer is broken.

So, back in the oven goes the bird, and we'll have to reheat all the side dishes in a few hours. I think I'm off to play the Wii, and have a 'beverage'.

Trey and I Just Completed our First Turkey Day Item.....

which involved lots of flour, eggs, butter, sugar, more flour, some salt, lots more flour, some yeast, and, oh yes, did I mention FLOUR. That's what my kitchen floor is now covered in: a fine dusting of flour. My other three children should go gaze at it. They've all been pining (and whining) for snow- this may be the closest thing they get this winter.

We have the future rolls safely rising (we hope) in the kitchen, so that we can have more fun with flour this afternoon, when we will roll them out and shape them into perfect Parkerhouse rolls.....at least we hope. If not I'll let you in on a little secret. I have some frozen yeast rolls ready and waiting. I'll just swap them out for mine when no one is looking.

Now, onto the pie!

Make it stop!

This morning Delaney went down into our playroom and discovered a crack in the largest window in the room. The other night, Trey was tossing around a foos ball and we heard it hit the window, but saw nothing. Today, after several freezing mornings, and a windy day we have a window in need of help.

Bad things happen in three's, right???? Dishwasher, bad IEP answer, and the window. I think we're done. (I'm choosing to leave out Rob's cardiac issues in October, because that would put us WAY over the top. )

I was going to switch out my music today but I think Frank is still totally appropriate.

Just because...

I decided my blog needed a little goofiness to offset the bad news.....


I'm going to try to get the Christmas shot this weekend- prepare for MORE goofiness

Deja Vu- My Dishwasher Broke

I seem to recall posting this around holiday time last year! Same dishwasher.....I think it breaks on purpose gearing up for Thanksgiving. We may be going the paper route for Turkey Day this year (only we'd be in big trouble in this neck of the woods- not environmentally friendly at all). I'll just stick to hand washing a LOT of dishes.

For your viewing pleasure, here is last year's post on November 20th:
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Here's a funny one for you......
What do you think would be one of the worst times for your dishwasher to start leaking all over the kitchen, making it unusable???? If you answered right before Thanksgiving- the holiday that generates the most amount of mess, you'd be correct. Bummer, huh? (EDIT: Well, I guess the cause of the leaking was the Lysol cleaner I sprayed on the inside of the door to get rid of the bad smell- But, I'm glad they came out because of my note below).

But, I'm choosing to look at it this way- For the first 3 years of my oldest dd's life, we didn't have a dishwasher, a garbage disposal, etc. We lived in a historic 1930's bungalow, that was still quite.....rustic. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to be thankful for the fact that our current house has a dishwasher (that may work again in the near future).

Off to try (ha ha) to get the appliance person out before Turkey day :)

NOW FIXED- YAY! Well, except he discovered my heating element is not working (which explains the not so nice smell coming from the dishwasher, which was the inspiration for me spraying the inside of the dishwasher w/ Lysol), But it is usable, if I pre-wash well.

Finally heard from the school district- NOT HAPPY

They are standing behind their ammended IEP, which leaves us no choice but to take the next step (Due process hearing). I'm disappointed on so many levels. My last conversation with the second in command was so positive, and he conceded off the record that he would support us. I'm not sure what shifted. I guess the other scenario is that he said that, just to buy time, so that I'd back off for a few weeks??? I don't know.

This is new territory from here on out. That said, we have a great attorney working with us, who is taking the case pro bono. He feels really good about everything so we shall see. I just really didn't want to have things get nasty with the school district, as my long term goal is to have all four kids in the district, but it is what it is.

On a more positive note- I'm officially enrolled in school and start in January (M.ED-Special Ed). I guess the bad news is I probably shouldn't count on doing my student teaching at our school district-LOL.

Happy Monday Before Thanksgiving....

Being the smart, organized person I *try* (and usually fail) to be, I planned the entire menu for next Thursday, made my grocery list, and went to both Costco and our local grocery store yesterday. I was assuming they would be horribly crowded, and it was crowded, but definitely not 'horribly'. It was like any other normal Sunday weekend. It was a pleasant surprise. The only downside was I agreed to bring the two girls with me and I forgot how much more difficult Costco is with the kids. They are just too easily distracted.....samples, books, movies. All I needed were cupcakes for the soccer party, and some pizza. $150 later we left Costco.

We had the boys' end of year soccer party last night. It was fun, and Trey was thrilled to get his first trophy EVER! Pizza, trophies and cupcakes as big as their heads- it doesn't get much better than that.

Today, I took the boys on a fun field trip to our local hospital to get screening EKGs done (based on a recommendation from my husbands Cardiologist). The wait wasn't too bad, and the boys got to leave with EKG leads, and printouts of what their heart rhythm looks like. The fun never ends around here :) The technician commented that I "should have brought my camera", and my thought was "yes....cute blog pictures". But, sorry, no camera.

What we're doing today....

Keep your fingers crossed that it stays warm and DRY- games at 9:00, 12:00, and 3:00
More to come :)

Just finished Trey's evaluations.... (and, special bonus- I'd like to introduce SuperTurkey)

These evals were for his mid-year progress report. He has shown a lot of improvement between his last evaluations and now, but I'm not sure how many months of growth it translates to. I suppose I'll have to wait for our evaluation meeting to really better understand it....again, waiting. Definitely not my strong suit :) Three of the tests were administered by me, here at the house. They are tests I have done before so I have a good idea where he has been at, and was amazed at how many more boxes I could check. This is good, although he has definite holes that show up.

Em's IEP meeting is after school today but the IEP itself (that was sent home to preview), looked pretty good. It is one of the more thorough IEPs I've seen, up to this point.

And now, the part of the post I'm sure you are more interested in, the special bonus!

Today is Spirit Day at the kids' school, and the theme is superheroes. I figured Emily and Jake would just grab one of our existing superhero outfits and go with that, but no. Emily wrote a story in class yesterday about SuperTurkey, and, of course, she wanted to be....SuperTurkey (not sure if that's how it is spelled, I should have consulted the author-LOL). She did the costume all on her own, with the exception of some final taping. She cut up a large piece of two-sided poster board (one side red, one side blue) and created large back feathers, which she then taped together. She also made a large T for her chest. She wore a bright red sweater, and blue jeans. It was pretty cute, and more importantly she really did not want me to help (I LOVE it). And, I'll definitely give her an "A" for creativity.

Bad Jake (wow, was my post earlier timely)

I got a call today from B the bus driver, and Jake was not good today. In fact, according to B he was downright defiant. I need to re-read my post from earlier because right now Jake is not real high on my list. He did comment that Jake had taken out his hearing aids as soon as he got on the bus (which to me indicates that *something* was going on in his little head. He has never had a bus issue before this Fall. And, he never gets in trouble on the way *to* school, only on the way home (different driver, etc).

Sigh......boys!

Book Fair Fever....

My children are obsessed with the Book Fair. They've already been to visit it three times (which means I am book fair-ed out). But, this morning I took them for their last visit. It can definitely *only* be described as controlled chaos. They gave numbers out to the kids who wanted to enter without parents, but since I was with Jake and Emily they got to breeze right past the line, much to the dismay of the children waiting oh so patiently.

Delaney came with us, since it was an early start day, and she was greeted by many of the school staff with hugs, etc. (so she was on cloud nine....it's nice to be missed). However, what made my day, despite the crowd and the money I shelled out, were the wonderful comments I received about both Emily and Jake. I was told how sweet and polite they both are, numerous times. And, one woman in particular came up to me to tell me how much she just loves Emily. I think sweet and just beautiful was the exact comment.

As a mom, it is nice to hear such positive feedback every once in awhile, especially in regard to their manners. It's a treat to get a snapshot of our children through other peoples eyes in a completely unsolicited manner. I'm sure I'll hear plenty of the opposite in regard to Jake, with his mischievous soul, but hopefully I'll remember the days like today where I got to hear the *good* stuff, and maybe not get too, too mad at him :)

FYI- I've got Comcast coming out today to try to figure out why Rob can no longer connect wirelessly, so if I go "missing", you'll know something went horribly wrong-LOL.

Waiting......still (School District Update)

They *finally* called at 5:30 last night. Basically, still no news. They asked if they could give a final answer early next week, so they could be sure they were looking at every option. I have no idea at this point if that is good or bad, but at least they called yesterday with an update.

The good news is that Trey is currently attending the school we want him to, (he needs) to attend, so really the delay is not catastrophic. But, this has just been the longest process EVER. O.K., not as long as waiting for Emily's first cochlear implant activation. We had to wait one month back then- and she had no hearing. It seemed like an eternity. We had to wait a month with Delaney as well, but she had her hearing aid to fall back on. And now they only have you wait two weeks (which I'm sure still feels like a year).

Jake wanted to know how the dolt party was the other night.....

dolt: Definition, Synonyms from Answers.com dolt n. A stupid person; a dunce. [Middle English dulte , from past participle of dullen , to dull, from dul , dull ... doltish dolt'ish adj. doltishly dolt'ish·ly adv. doltishness dolt'ish·ness n.

I was confused for a minute or two, until I realized he meant the soccer club fundraiser. When he asked why he couldn't come along, I explained that it was going to be quite boring, and really was for adults only. Little did I know he now had us attending a dolt party.....only a small portion of the attendees, I promise :)

Now, I wait (update from the IEP meeting)

The big Trey meeting was yesterday. You know, the one where I was supposed to tell them, yet again, that we did not think the IEP was sufficient to meet Trey's needs. My understanding was that the meeting was more of a formality; however, this was not the case. They had definitely revised the IEP, to include Audiology (once a week, hearing aid check), Teacher of the Deaf in class (one day a week for 45 minutes, more as a consultant), and an FM system. I felt as though they did listen to the suggestions we had made, but it all just fell short. The Teacher of the deaf that they arranged for works with 7 other school districts- not her fault, but still not the ideal situation. The audiologist they have contacted is certainly proficient with hearing aids, but has not hands-on experience with cochlear implants. I brought up that the structure of the preschool class is not set up to facilitate peer interaction, and they didn't see it my way, that's o.k. But, that is a fundamental key to AVT/oral programs. Anyway- I could go on and on, but I'll spare you all the long (BORING) post.

Suffice it to say, I did reject the IEP, stated my reasons why (which were questioned at length, but I stuck to my guns), and I'm now sitting and waiting for the district to get back to me. They offered up mediation, but it's too late for that now. We started this process 2 years ago, rejected the first IEP last June, and are still going back and forth- quite pleasantly, but enough is enough. I have a lot of respect for our school district, so I'm hopeful that they will really think about Trey, and what his needs are.

More later!

Trey's IEP today

We get to formally reject the IEP, even though we've rejected it over and over again- but this time it will be on record. Again, the school district is being great, this is just one of the steps we have to go through to start negotiating on a higher level. So- I'll be doing that at noon today- with Jake (lucky me).

It was a beautiful day here yesterday (actually it has been beautiful for several days), which is a gift for this time of year. So Delaney and I spent several hours yesterday playing soccer outside. The boys rode bikes (dodging soccer balls), until it was too dark to see. It was great....until I woke up this morning and can barely move my ankles. I've discovered ankle muscles I never knew existed. Ouch! But, I think it was worth it-LOL.

We have a babysitter tonight....

Nice headline, isn't it??? If you knew how rarely this occurs you'd realize why it is headline worthy-LOL. We have the annual soccer fundraiser (which may be the last time we had a babysitter), and hopefully it will be a great time. We're supposed to dress up as our favorite rock-n-roll singer, but there is no way that is happening. We'll be lucky to get out of the house, dressed, hair brushed, etc., much less be 'creative' in our dress.

The house is eerily quiet at the moment (which means I should probably be investigating, why!) Delaney invited a couple of the Basketball girls over last night for a sleepover, so I think the boys are downstairs tormenting them. Better that than tormenting me.

I should be gearing up for Emily (and Trey's) upcoming IEPs. I need to pull all my various notes together, because I definitely need to make some modifications to Emily's plan. Her SLP is going out on maternity leave next week, and the new SLP has not worked w/ a deaf/HOH child before. I'd like them to do a consultation with the SLP and Audiologist at Trey's school so she can implement AVT into her speech sessions at school. Trey's IEP we're just going to officially 'reject' (again) so we can move forward with the district. Our district liason (for lack of a better word) is going to take the rejected IEP to the 'powers that be' and plead our case. Keep your fingers crossed.

Anyway- I need to get Emily dressed for soccer........

Just to clarify (and a comment on Cochlear Implant boxes)

There really wasn't any 'new' from my post below....unless you're willing to count a clean room. Which let's be honest, is kind of new these days. We'll have to see if Emily even notices. I wish someone would 'magically' clean my room.

One observation: Emily's closet would be so much more roomy if she didn't have three huge Cochlear implant boxes up top. Can they make those boxes any bigger??? She has a big silver one that housed her original AB Platinum series body worn processor, an Auria processor box, and a Harmony box. I'm thinking I can consolidate, but I don't know- I'd hate to throw something away that I might need. It was such a huge investment I feel like the box should be worth something.

Out w/ the old, in with the new.....

I am motivated ( to say the least) to dig in to Emily's chest-of-drawers. As of this morning, I no longer have room *on top* of Emily's dresser to store her clothing. That's bad. For the last month that is where her clean clothes have been residing, because her drawers are just stuffed! She is so darn skinny, she fits into three different sizes, which makes it hard to fit everything in. However, I noticed the other day she was heading off to school wearing jeans that were horribly short. So out go the 6s (yay!)

Anyway- I hope to be back later w/ a witty and original post, after "Operation Donate", Later :)

Bug boy....revisited

Last night, after getting the kids settled, Jake came wandering back downstairs telling us there was a big spider in his room and he couldn't sleep. He has used this tactic before and once we 'looked' and assured him there were no spiders, that was it. This time due to sheer laziness, Rob and I told him that it was in his imagination and to just go to bed. We didn't hear much after that, and figured our solution had worked.

15 minutes later, Jake comes flying down the stairs yelling, "Trey caught the spider for me, LOOK", shoving a plastic sandwich bag in our faces. Sure enough, there was a BIG spider....fortunately, safely zipped inside the sandwich bag. Jake, the brave big brother, went to Trey's room, woke him up, and made him catch the spider for him. I asked Jake exactly how Trey caught the spider, and he said that Trey had just held open the bag and waited patiently for the spider to crawl inside- I'm sure there was some spider herding involved. Trey was quite proud of himself- so much so, that he I think he had every intention of keeping the spider. Not on my watch :)

Only one more outdoor soccer game to go....

and that's Emily's game this Saturday (which it's supposed to be very nice- what a way to end Fall soccer, 55-60 degrees and sunny). We survived the big game last night, and the two teams tied....again :) It was a great game, but literally played as a whole lotta rain came down (and yes, that's a technical term). The girls were soaked. You could see water running off their clothing, off their hair, etc. The ball was sliding all over the place, but NO MUD. Turf fields are great in the rain!

Now picture the state of Delaney's hearing aid....ugh. She chooses not to wear her implant during soccer games, so it is just fine, but how that hearing aid is still working is beyond me. It is her original hearing aid that she got when she was 3 years old, and it has been through many, many, rainy soccer games. Hopefully it will last through many more. We probably should invest in a really good dry aid kit and not push our luck too much. Maybe another stocking stuffer (my children would be thrilled-LOL)

Rain, wind, and lots of leaves....

is the weather story of the day. The local meteorologists are predicting a pretty stormy day, which is o.k. We don't necessarily *have* to be anywhere, although my sister and I were thinking about taking all the kids to see Madagascar 2. Probably the perfect day for that. The exception to not having to be anywhere is tonight: Delaney's soccer team plays their hometown rival (at which point it's supposed to be very gusty, and very wet). Hopefully they're wrong on the forecast, because that certainly does not sound like a whole lotta fun, and frankly at a certain point the game itself deteriorates into a bunch of wet kids running around kicking a slippery ball that is blowing around in the wind. Maybe that is soccer, at least here :)

Veterans Day- I appreciate the spirit of the holiday, but ....

having school on Monday, and Tuesday *only* off, is just plain weird. We can't really get on track. Maybe it's just worse for us because we just got back into town, from a trip away, at 5ish yesterday. Getting everyone back into school mode last night was certainly not easy. And then, tonight I've got Emily having a sleep-over, but needing to get her weekly homework done. It's just a more complicated holiday , again, I'm a firm believer in giving Veteran's their due, but as a parent, kind of a tough one.

Anyway- we're off to finish celebrating the holiday that really is almost more work. And, I have to run P.J.s and a couple of implant batteries to Em's sleep-over. Goodnight!

I started doing some holiday shopping today.....

and found a gift for myself (one that I won't actually *buy* myself until we have no other financial priorities, so basically never :), but it is awesome. It's the Amazonkindle.....it will electronically store up to 200 books for you, and it is no larger than a typical paperback book. You can download a full length novel in less than one minute. Anyway- as I was shopping for the kids, I stumbled across it, and being the book lover that I am (and also the collector of piles of books, some of which I know I'll never read again) it just intrigued me. I will say I think I would miss the smell of a book. Does that sound weird? Probably. I love the smell of a new book, I always have, and I doubt the kindle will ever duplicate that, but if they could (and if it wasn't close to $400) I'd be all over it.

Now, back to e-shopping for Christmas. Maybe the kids will be happy with cochlear implant batteries in their stockings....maybe not.

Hi! We're back ....

It was a long ride home. After dropping Rob off at the Sea-Tac airport, and then driving the rest of us back home, I must say the hill down to our house never looked so inviting. It was a fun weekend- lots of soccer, not a lot of rain (well, actually, plenty of rain, just not falling during the soccer games), but so glad it's over. We swam, we hand elevator rides, and we watched a whole lot of soccer. Some good, some bad, and some ugly-LOL.

The girls managed to tie the #1 team in the state for their age group (WTG girls), but then had a horrible 2nd game. Their energy level was way off (a few hours after the battle of the century), and then the referee was like nothing I've ever seen. He was cheering for the other team during the game. How that happens, I'm just not sure. He called one of the girls for sticking her 'tush' out too far during a jump ball (probably not meaningful if you are not a soccer person, but kind of an insane call for those who know the sport). Anyway, all in all it was a fun weekend. Maybe a bit frustrating at times, but still fun- AND, Trey has no fever and no ear issues (see last years post if that reference is unclear :)

We're Outta here....(sorta, maybe)

We leave for Seattle tomorrow right after Emily's soccer game. We sent Delaney up with her coach this afternoon- they were going to check out a game tonight and give a full scouting report (actually, I doubt either of the girls really watch-LOL). This is the same tournament we went to last year, where we brought home a very sick Trey (and some girls that lost big time, but were big time happy). I don't mind the latter part, but let's not have a repeat of the first item :)

Have a great weekend, and recaps to come :)

Emily- Slow Down

is the takeaway from the Parent-Teacher conference from last night. Emily's teacher showed me her benchmark testing from the beginning of the year, and she did o.k. Not great, but not terrible. The thing that is frustrating to me (and quite possibly her teacher) is that many of the questions she missed, she just flat out didn't pay attention to directions. Let me clarify for those who are thinking, "Maybe she didn't *hear* the questions correctly...she is deaf/HOH, you know"- Nope, not an issue, these were written directions-LOL. The question might have read, "What color is the sky", and she would answer, "the grass is green." Huh??? Anyway- overall she is doing fine, but she really needs to pay more attention to detail, and not be in such a hurry.

But, it seems I'm guilty of it as well (I know, unbelievable, right?) I received an email from the college I am hoping to 'attend' in January, and I typed in two different social security numbers on my application. I was explaining to the very nice admissions person that I only had 10 minutes to get all my paperwork in that day, so I was in a bit of a rush. We're *still* trying to fix that one (oops). I also just ordered the boys' soccer trophies, and inadvertantely typed my debit card expiration incorrectly. Had to call in a correction on that as well, which took me twice as long as it would have, had I double checked my work......

Maybe I need to learn from Emily's Parent-Teacher conference.

We are off to Seattle this weekend for a soccer tournament....

and of course I am not at all prepared. The house is a bit of a mess, there is a large pile of clothes in need of washing (thanks to the bugs, of course.....), I have no idea where bathing suits are (which of course are a necessity since the kids equate Seattle with swimming pools, thanks to our many hotel stays), and since someone will be coming in the house to take care of the dog I feel the need to steam clean all of our carpets. That is a job I really do not enjoy, but I am always pleased with the end result.

This is also Parent Teacher conference week for Emily and Jake. Rob went to Jake's conference yesterday. Overall he is doing really well, although it appears he does not like to rejoin the class after recess, and sometimes 'lingers' out on the playground hoping someone will not notice him. So far they spot him every time, and the recess volunteers are hoping this behavior will disappear with a little help from mom and dad. He's on par with all his fellow students academically (and a bit ahead in certain areas), although he does have a problem sounding out the letters. Makes sense to me that he might struggle in that area. The overall assessment? Jake is a fun loving boy who is very motivated to get his classwork done- so far a joy in the classroom. I can live with that :)

Now let's hope Emily's goes as well. I'll be interested to see what her teacher has to say since I know WE'VE been frustrated with how poorly she's been hearing lately. I'm hoping that our mapping session on Tuesday has helped.

And, more Halloween (Emily included this time)

Delaney and her best buddy as a Rag Doll and a Madonna/80's girl


Emily and her best buddy as a Candy Corn Witch and a Dark Knight




I couldn't post enough pictures, so this is Halloween, Part 2
Bye Bye Halloween, until next year :)

HAIR today, gone tomorrow (and other assorted Halloween pictures)

Here are the promised Halloween pictures. Notice the change in Trey's hair (as well as the costume change: bottom two pictures)

My 'attempt' at a group picture (does not bode well for a good Christmas shot- the extra child is my daughter's best friend, as an '80s girl)


Ninja Jake


Pirate Trey


Bug boy....I mean Spiderman

The Best School District Meeting....

it almost makes up for the bugs in the hair :) I'm not really at liberty to say much, but let's just say I knew that our school district's heart was in the right place.

Dirty Little Secret- Shhhhh, don't tell anyone

O.K.- I went back and forth on just how much sharing really needs to go on here, but I've decided there will be no secrets. I will share all- even that which may disgust. Be prepared, read at your own risk.

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(Hopefully I've built this up enough that the reality will seem like no big deal-LOL). Trey came home from school on Friday w/ an itchy, itchy head- Rob took one look, and sure enough, head lice. (Not sure where they originated, maybe preschool, the other kids are all bug free). YUCK! He had eggs a plenty on his poor little head. So we rushed out, bought the lice treatment, poured it on, let it sit, and then combed away. Let's just say he had plenty to comb away. Just in case our combing was not thorough enough, we then shaved off all of his hair.....well, not *quite* all, but it's definitely cut 'summer style'. You'll notice in the Halloween pictures (which will be posted later today) how hair-free he is. By Saturday we were able to declare him bug free, but then calamity struck.

My head started itching.....yes, I too had bugs in my hair (all those afternoons, when taking Trey out of the car he would lay his little *buggy* head on my shoulder, in my hair, and sleep...sweet, yes? NO). We're talking a whole new level of repulsion. It's one thing for my little boy to have a bug, but on my head???? There has never been a combing so thorough (at least 14 times), and it appears that I caught it early, thank goodness. I will also be following up with every home remedy in the book, and potentially shaving my head (o.k., so not really. I'm not that crazy and neurotic...yet.)

So, there you have it. That said, I am quite confident that I will (or maybe even already have) conquer the bugs. For good, forever.

Soccer Saturday Update

After a fun-filled night of candy collecting, we're now moving on to a soccer-filled Saturday. We have an 11:00 am game, a 2:00 pm, and a 3:00 pm, with the promise of rain just adding to the fun. Actually it's not too bad at the moment, just a bit windy, but I'm sure during a chunk of the 3+ hours of outdoor fun, we will get wet. On a positive note, all three games are here in town so no 2-3 hour drive to Seattle.

I have tons of Halloween pictures to share but probably not until tomorrow. We have one last Halloween party tonight, and then it's on to Turkey Day.

Also, I can't remember if I shared or not, but in case I didn't, Emily's cochlear implant broke last Wednesday. It just stopped working- checked the earpiece, head piece, battery, etc., but to no avail. Anyway, long story short we still don't have it back, so she has been wearing her newer implant only. She's doing better with it, but definitely does not hear as well as she does with her original implant. Please Advanced Bionics, SEND IT BACK SOON :)