Now my summer vacation begins...

That's right. This week marks the beginning of my vacation....from the kids. (I will not get much of a break as I've signed up to be a substitute with a local parochial school and with the big school district.) They all (well all but one) went back to school this week. Mr. C will start preschool after labor day (two days a week, 9 - 12), if I can get him more reliably potty trained. And after today, that's a big "if". Grrr. I'll spare you the details and have decided not to do obligatory potty-training posts. Just know, that potty training would be a GREAT birth control program for high schoolers. Mr. C in particular would have them runnin' for the hills!

So the first up Monday morning was Mr. J. He has NEVER gone to school before. As the ADL class he goes to isn't at our home school, the bus picks him up. At 7:00 am. Ick. His nursing has been drastically reduced, but I'm fortunate to have nurses here most nights to help get him ready to go. Here's what he looked like before we put him in his wheelchair:



He starts his day at 6 am with a breathing treatment, but it's not enough to wake him completely. Once he was in his chair, he woke up...kind of. Then he got loaded up on the bus. The bus driver and aide are super sweet and I knew he'd be taken care of. I had to go up to the school later to demonstrate how to run his pump, so I knew I'd see him soon.



Mr. C had a tough go of it. He wanted to ride the bus. He was equally distressed when we took the other four to school. Once we got home, he recovered quickly. :)



After Mr. J left, we got the rest of the crew dressed and fed. Here they are ready to go: Mr. B to second grade and the girlies to Kindergarten! My oh my, how time flies!


Miss M, Miss L, Mr. B, and Miss M.

Everybody came home from school happy, except Mr. J. I think he got the tummy bug that's been running through the house this past week (that would make it 7 out of 8 who've had it so far; I was not fortunate enough to be the lucky 1-that honor goes to Miss E...so far!). It's hard to tell with Mr. J though as he can't vomit due to a procedure he had done to his stomach while in the NICU so long ago (a Nissen fundoplication--say that three times fast!). All I know, is that he was not feeling well and had to miss school the next day. He went back Wednesday and seems to enjoy going; I get big smiles when I ask him about his day. His afternoons are busy as all the therapists have to cram their visits in those few hours and he has 7 visits a week from three different therapists! He's getting healthier very quickly, though not quite at 100% yet.

Once we have Mr. J's therapy times set as well as Boy/Girls scouts and soccer practices, I'll feel more settled. Right now, I feel like I'm in a juggling act. It should get better. Right? RIGHT????

Mr. J had ANOTHER dental appointment yesterday. I have no idea why we had to come back three months since the last cleaning for a child that has practically no teeth showing between losing 4 already and the swollen gums. Plus, we're right back there next month to see the periodontist about said swollen gums. Grrr.... Anyway, I had to take all the kidlets with me. Since only ONE caretaker is allowed in the exam room (and MOM wins by default), Jack's nurse kindly agreed to sit with the kiddos in the vacant waiting room.

They all brought a small bag with things they packed themselves to stay entertained, but for most of them watching Shrek The Third on the waiting room TV was entertainment enough.

Aren't they adorable? They were so good and stayed quiet and still while Mr. J had his teeth brushed. They were still like this when I came back; even Mr. C.

Oh. Did you notice Miss L's hat? I have no idea what's up with that. Miss E started the trend and the other two have followed. Miss L is the only one who's made it out of the house with her hat on. While I think it's kind of cute (in a skater girl kind of way), it was 102 degrees at the time! Miss E actually brought hers on vacation!

In all seriousness, though, my husband and I have always said we would have no problem with our kids expressing themselves. In fact, this summer, I reorganized the drawers and closet in the girls' room to allow them to choose their own clothes. No more coordinating "triplety" outfits (more of a sanity saver for me than trying to dress them alike). But if you look closely at the picture, they all match. Miss M and Miss E both have a pink polar bear shirt on and Miss L has a similar white panda bear shirt. But at least it's their choice now. :)

Our Annual Escape

Sorry for the long absence. It takes a lot out of a girl to pack up a family of eight for a six day beach vacation. My parents rented a house for the fourth consecutive year and my sister and I took our families down there to enjoy the sun. So between packing, dealing with the nursing hour reduction for Mr. J, landing a job (substitute teacher - it's the flexibility I need right now), and starting half-marathon training, I'm swamped!

We had the best time. It was sooooo nice to get away. We strolled down the historic area of town, explored the aquarium, and played miniature golf (very fun, but VERY hot!). But mostly, we just hit the beach. And do you know the best part of this family vacation? The WHOLE family came along! That's right -- Mr. J made his first appearance on the gulf shores! Nurse K joined us for a couple days just to help out (Mr. J is a full time job!). Mr. J hung out at the beach and even sat in the waves. We were a little nervous about his still open stoma, but we covered it with a waterproof bandage and that did the trick. Unfortunately, his poor neck could only take two days of the adhesive before turning to hamburger. Between his poor neck and the slight sunburn he got on his legs on his second day out (two layers of sunscreen and he still got burned; he's just not used to the sun at all!), he was done. Two trips was plenty. My parents were great and sat with him with him on the days that Nurse K was not there. Mr. C had one sick day and my Mom stepped in again to help out.

Enjoy just a few pictures from our escape...


Daddy and crew working on a sand castle.


Mr. J and I enjoying the waves. Mr. J's very first time at the beach!!


Daddy taking Mr. J and stowaways (Miss L and Miss M) out for a ride. Since Mr. J couldn't go out and jump the waves, we wanted to make sure he got to experience them somehow.


The kids and cousin C in the historic downtown area. Mr. C was back at the house sick. :( The sign way above the kids' heads denotes the water line during Hurricane Ike in 2008. Crazy!

Bobs and the Clam Shell

The process of getting the girls' hair ready for the day was starting to get arduous. Most days one of the girls (usually more) would end of in tears as I tried to get the tangles out. Even with the detangler spray, it was tough. The more they fussed, the more I threatened to cut their hair like Mr. J's. They always responded, "NO!" I just said, "Long hair is going to tangle. If you want long hair, you're going to have to put up with this."

Finally, one of the girls (I forget which) said they wanted short hair, like their 3-year-old cousin's. Quickly, all three of them were clamouring for haircuts. So, Tuesday after VBS we went. And they got haircuts. And you know what? I think they look super cute, if I do say so myself!


The Bobbsey Triplets. :) Mr. C couldn't help himself and had to try and get in on the action.


And the clam shell part? Mr. J got a new brace. To help with his scoliosis (curvature of the spine). We call it the clam shell. So far he only wears it in the standing frame until we can see his doctor and get a more specific wearing schedule. This is what my son now looks like for about 2-hours twice a day:



The Eeyore pillow around his neck is to keep his head up. The blanket around his arms is to keep his arms from just falling back. The clamshell is for his spine. The hole in the clamshell is for his g-button through which he is fed. And the standing frame is for his bones. Before the clamshell, he could wriggle some which helped his core muscles, but now the clamshell does the work for him. We're going to have to come up with a new plan. Despite all his "stuff", he still looks happy, doesn't he?

The Fourth

Yep, it's the 20th of July and I'm just now posting about the fourth. But, two posts in a row! Gotta love me! :)

We started our fourth out on the morning of third of July with the local neighborhood parade (I ran first with my running group; I'm a running freak!). We sat in the front yard of dear friends who live along the route and met my sister and her family there. The kids had a blast and we were blessed with overcast skies due to the threat of rain, but no rain. Nice breeze, lower temps, no sun = perfect. And even better? My husband joined us as he didn't have to be at work (bar tending) until just a little later (he left directly from the parade). Unfortunately, with the threat of rain I didn't feel comfortable bringing Mr. J due to the fact that the stoma (hole) left from his tracheostomy has still not healed (grrrrr). Hole in neck plus rain is not a good combination in my book. So he stayed home with his nurse and continued his daily routine of being spoiled rotten. :) After the parade, we headed home so I could bake the goodies for the next day: cupcakes, blueberry cobbler, and peach/blueberry pie. Oh, and I made the custard for the homemade ice cream.

After Mass on the morning of the fourth, my husband went to work and I finished the goodies: I frosted the cupcakes and froze the ice cream. The cupcakes (courtesy of the July issue of Good Housekeeping) were supposed to be topped with coconut and blueberries and raspberries. Only I didn't want to pay for raspberries and the kids wouldn't eat them as well. Instead, I chopped up strawberries knowing full well the liquid would cause the frosting to run. So, if you check the photo out carefully, you can see chunks of strawberries that have dripped off the sides. No worries, though. They were still super yummy!



We soon headed over to my aunt and uncle's house to swim and eat. Perfect combo. The pool was super chilly which didn't seem to phase the kids but sure kept me out of the water. After lots of swimming, we did lots of eating. Then the kids and I went home to reorganize and head out to see fireworks.


Fortunately, we live near a country club that puts on a super fireworks show. And the lawn of the library two blocks away is a perfect vantage point. I loaded my granny cart (L.O.V.E. my granny cart!) up with blankets, chairs, and new Crayola flashlights for the kids (distractions, baby!). Oh, food and water, too. [It never fails that they get "sursty" whenever we stray from the house. Plus, you have to keep them occupied while you wait or they'll turn on you. It's ugly. Trust me.] Then we walked down for the show. Walked. WALKED! Heavenly. Oh, then get this: we WALKED home! I so love where we live!

The kids had a great time watching the fireworks and an even better time playing with the flashlights. Except for Mr. C who threw his to the ground so many times, that the bulb broke. I actually had an extra flashlight that met the same fate. Hard lessons. We had a great surprise, though. Right before the fireworks started, my husband joined us! He managed to escape the bar and join his family. The only one missing was Mr. J who was done with outtings for the day and stayed home to be pampered by his nurse.

On the fifth we repeated the previous evening's activities. Almost. You see, the city usually puts on a big fireworks show. Except they had no money, so they cancelled. Then two companies stepped in and offered to sponsor so it was back on. Only, the company hired to do the fireworks had already taken another gig (on the fourth--go figure!). Which brings us to why we had Fourth of July fireworks on the fifth.

My mom babysat Mr. J (he's at the point now that he's trach-less that I can have my mom babysit him -- thank God for small miracles) until his night nurse came. I took the rest and got a good spot. Of course, to get a good spot you have to get there early. I came prepared. The granny cart was once again loaded with food (left over cupcakes!), water, flashlights, blankets, chairs, and this time a craft: black construction paper and chalk so they could draw fireworks.

This time around, the kids were noticeably crabbier. But two late nights will do that. I also got lots of "sursty" complaints, but I was stingy with the water. I did not want to figure out how to get them to the bathroom and watch my stuff at the same time.

At one point, I was reading a magazine (UsWeekly or People -- mind expanding literature, I tell you) when the man behind us (who was there with his wife and 1-year-old child) commented that he was impressed that I could sit there and read with five small children. Then, he asked how I did it. I just smiled and said that I was just blessed with good kids (which I am). Then he said, "My wife could really use the advice." By the look on the wife's face, she was not only mortified but definitely did NOT want any such information. I can't remember what I said next, but something about how hard it is with the first (which it is). Can you say "awkward"? They didn't have anything for that kid to play with and no food or special "treats". They'll learn, though. Keep them feed and distracted. I'm not above bribing with candy. :)

All was going well. The kids were pretty good, considering their level of exhaustion. Again, it was a gorgeous night: not too hot and a great breeze with clear skies. The wood symphony performed live and sounded beautiful! William Tell Overture -- enough said! Then the fireworks started. And they didn't shoot them high enough. A big tree in front of us blocked the view, so I grabbed the kids and moved closer, praying to God that the thieves would too busy jockeying for position to notice my unattended things. But moving away from the tree didn't help much: the building (which wasn't very tall) that they had us sit in front of (in a big plaza), blocked the bottom half of most of the fireworks. Big let down. They kids were pretty bummed. Then we had to get back to the car with the other thousands of people. Oh, then there was the drunk guy. "Stay close to the cart kids. STAY CLOSE TO THE CART!"

I'll end there. Whew. That was a lot. If you're still with me, bless your heart! You want more? Well, I got nothing left. Except this slide show. Enjoy!

Sweet Sixteen

As of Friday, my husband and I have officially been married 16 years. Oh my!! It's amazing how much stuff has happened in such a relatively short time!

We couldn't escape until Sunday evening, but we had a wonderful night out. Dinner and cocktails with my favorite guy. What could be finer?



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BTW: Thanks to "Anonymous" and her comment on Rain for the kick in the pants I needed to post. Yes, I know it's been a long time. I promise to do better (heard that one before?)

It's just C.R.A.Z.Y. around here. My husband was laid off at the end of February so we are trying to make do on any money he can bring in waiting tables and bar tending. I'm half-heartedly looking for something, preferably part-time with benefits close to home (a girl can dream, right?), but I'm starting to get more serious as we are dipping into our Emergency Fund (really grateful for that right now). Mr. J's nursing hours were cut by 56 hours a week, so I'm trying to adjust and figure out just when I truly need nursing help. One of his long time nurses is moving so I won't have her help after August. I also signed Mr. J up for school this year (AHHHHH!); half-days for now. He hasn't had an ARD meeting (won't happen until August--after summer school is over) so I have no idea when the bus will pick up and drop off. I HATE being in a state of limbo! The other kids have been busy with camps, VBS, swim lessons, and the playing at the pool.

Really overall, we're quite happy and having a blast. I don't like to whine as it really gets you no where. The lack of a job and the nursing hour cuts have just been big stressors. I'm hoping something will come up soon in the job market.

So with all my excuses out of the way, I will try to catch y'all up on what we've been up to in the next few posts. Stay tuned!!

Rain!

Mr. B spent a long weekend away. He went with my parents to a family reunion. His brothers and sisters missed him a lot. He was due home Monday evening. So after dinner, we headed out to the front porch to eat dessert and wait. But it was raining. A good thing, though, as we are pretty behind in the rain department. The rain was not too heavy, just steady.

After trying fruitlessly to keep the kids corralled on the porch and somewhat dry, I gave up. It was pointless. Since there was no thunder or lightning (I'm a safety nut about lightning), I decided to let them have a good time and get soaking wet. And they did.

Mr. B was a little shocked when he got home to see his sister drenched, but he definitely ate up his very warm reception! We are glad he's home. :)