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!