I can read, momma! :)

Last summer, I tried working w/ Brynn to start teaching her sight words. It went okay but I don't think she was ready...too young. So, we sort of dropped it and focused more on continuing to practice identifying our letters and thinking of words that started wit those letters on the way to and from school. Then we started working on words that rhymed. Last night, I asked Brynn if she wanted to start learning how to read. She was so excited and went upstairs to grab the books I bought last year to start teaching her sight words and reading easy sentences. The series of books are numbered, so each set of sight words builds on the next set or sound. Last night, we made it through the first four books. The third and forth books were tough for her, but she continued to try. I could see her trying to use her sounds and spelling out the word to try and figure out the sound or the word. Tonight, she made it through the first four books with ease! I was so proud of her! I even covered up the pictures so she could only see the words. She continued to make it through reading each book. It's so cute to hear and watch. She is so excited to feel so grown up and after she reads a short sentence she thinks about it and gets what the sentence is saying and reacts to it/comprehends it. It's super cute.

As a teacher, I think I am more worried about my kids being good students and prepared for school, even though it's still a year away for her. I know how important it is for kids to know how to recognize sight words even as they enter Kindergarten and the advantages they will have if they know how to read well.

Uncle Paul comes to visit

It's been a long time since we've seen Uncle Paul. He came up to visit this weekend so we could take him out for his birthday. We enjoyed seeing him and glad he was able to spend the night and some time w/ us. It's been over a year since we have seen him last. He has been working really hard to find a job after losing his almost a year ago. It's been a tough year for so many and hard to see someone you know and love have to play the waiting game for this long. In the last year alone, he's applied for almost 500 jobs. He has about 12 resumes out currently so we're hoping for some good news for him. He is qualified for so many of the jobs but someone else gets b/c he doesn't have a Master's Degree. While he continues to apply for jobs, he has decided to return to school for his Master's. Hopefully this will entice schools who are hiring as well.

Ken is in style!

Thanks to G'ma J., Brynn received a small box of very fashionable clothes for her Ken dolls. Both Kens have many exciting outfits to choose from. This is the first outfit that has been worn...matching cow pajamas (including a pair of cow boxers) paired with his fancy dress shoes.

Running in circles...or really slowly

I don't mind working out. I like it even better when I see results, which is why I was so stuck on (and still am) my Jilian Michaels video (The Shred). I enjoy being thinner and when I'm working out regularly, I feel so much better and I have more energy. These are all benefits. Sometimes, though, I need to mix it up. So...over the past year, I've picked up running off and on.

Honestly, I hate running. Even worse, I hate running outside. However, I know it's good for me, so I do it anyway. It's actually super hard on my hips, which I blame on my second pregnancy w/ Bay. I never had problems before that. Earlier this year, I had to go to the chrio to get some work done b/c my hip was completely out of place. This happened b/c I was doing a lot of jogging outside. I had to wear an ugly brace, It wasn't cool or fashion forward. My chiro urged me not to run outside but stick to a treadmill until I was able to run w/ longer strides and at a faster pace. I wish I had a treadmill. I would use it.

The weather has been nicer lately, and I have had a few free moments after school, so I took advantage. Dj bought me a couple of new Jillian DVDs, which I'll be trying on rainy days. But I vowed to myself that when it's nice, I will run outside on the track near my school.

I shouldn't say run; what I really mean is jog. Last weekend, I went out and ended up making it for two miles. It wasn't bad. This week, I've been continuing to jog around 2.1 miles according to my pedometer. I still don't love it, but I know it's worth it in the end. I just need to keep thinking: Prom in May....healthy....swimsuit in June and July...yeah. :)

When will they ever go to sleep?

We are having a hard time STILL getting our kids to stay in bed and go to sleep. Baylen is MUCH WORSE than Brynn. I am not sure what to do to get them to go to sleep. Are they night owls like their parents? Is his nap too long at school? On the days that it rains and they can't go outside, it's even worse. He doesn't have enough ways to expend his energy so he comes home and he's ready to just run all over. It is seriously so tiring. I thought with the time change, it would get better. It has not improved. He's in bed between 8 and 8:30 and at 9, even 9:30, he'll waltz down the stairs with a big grin on his face. While cute, it's still very irritating.

Thanks for coming to visit!

We had so much fun and they kids keep asking when you are coming back!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

From our favorite little leprechauns!

Brynn update

Last Friday, Brynn had another appt. at CH. After spending some time conversing w/ the doctor, he sent us on our way to have some X-rays. The results initially showed some sort of bone issue that could be causing the "bump" or "lump" we've been feeling. After a radiologist looked it over yesterday, the report came back saying her first ribs were underdeveloped and showed signs of being hypoplastic. The doctor will refer us to someone in orthopedics and we'll go from there. We're not exactly sure what will happen next, so I guess, we wait and see. The lump bothers her when she gets buckled into her car seat, and can get sensitive after poking and prodding. One thing is for sure...going to that hospital the past couple of weeks has been eye opening and sad. So many sick kids and I just feel so bad for their parents. That has to be so hard. How brave are they? And those kids...such fighters.

Baylenisms #7, #8, #9

Funny Stuff heard from the Mister Mister this weekend

The last week or so, every time we say something to Baylen, he responds with, "What?"

I mean he says this after ANYTHING we say to him. Our response back to him lately (instead of repeating) is "You heard me."

Soooo when my parents were here visiting this weekend, here's what happened:

Bay: Papa...blah blah blah (whatever he said).

Papa: What?

Bay: You heard me!



Baylen letting go of a balloon after leaving Red Robin...10 seconds later: Did that go all the way to China?

Papa: yes!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mister Mister!

How can you be three already! You seem so grown up!

Doctor Doctor

Brynn enjoys pretending. She uses her brother to help her pretend or convinces him to "play" certain parts. After her first encounter w/ Children's, she now has a lovely "gas" mask to pretend with. I am going to "do surgery now, momma" and she'll pick a patient (one of us or a doll), dress up in her doctor gear, start checking & operating.

At my house

You will see lines of cars just like this. And lines and lines and lines of them...




courtesy of Mister Mister

P.S. notice how many Lightnings live at our house...A TON!

Rat City Roller Girls

The Rat City Roller Girls was interesting. The best part was listening to the teams being announced, hearing all of the funny sexually explicit names...and buying Brynn a t-shirt. :)

Birthday Boy!

Guess who's turning THREE this weekend?! My BIG MISTER! All of a sudden, he loves putting his hair in a "faux hawk" and wearing his father's cologne. :) Still ornery as ever, this one is now earning himself plenty of time outs at school b/c he isn't listening to his teacher. He loves to give smooches and laughs about EVERYTHING. HE gets out of bed at night at least once, but averages 3x. He has a hard time winding down. He loves his "Cars" cars and all that's Lightning McQueen. He is a SUPERSTAR on the potty, and goes #1 and #2 ALL of the time, and now, most of the time without reminders. He rarely has accidents and is waking up dry in the morning. Soon, he'll be wearing undies to bed. He's brave, crazy, energetic, happy, sad, throws tantrums, funny, silly, and so smart.

How can he be three already?! :)

Brynnisms #24 and counting

Funny Sunday full of laughs...

Lately, the age of 4 has not been my favorite. It used to be. Until now. I was warned of the 4's. By everyone. They were right. 4 1/2 has come into our household like a lion. No joke. We are getting a lot more talking back, arguing, attitude, refusal to do things, refusal to do ANYthing, lots of crying, lots of drama, and a lot of cranky attitude. Holy cats! It's kinda funny to see her become this little snappy thing but at the same time, she is getting really smart about her come backs and the decisions she makes.

I asked her to come upstairs and help me put away her clothes. She was not very happy about this. Usually she enjoys this job, but not today, apparently. She came in the room, laid on her bed and said...

B: "I'm too tired to work."

Me: "Well, I'm tired too, but everyone has to help. Please get off of your bed, come over here, and put away some of your clothes. You can start with your leggings...put them in the bottom drawer, please."

B: "But I don't want to!"

Me: "I know, but this isn't a choice. You can help put your clothes away."

B: SIGH "Huuuuhhhh Fine. Why do I have to do YOUR work?"

Me: ????? Bewildered by her comment...then a quick recovery: "Well, this is not my work. I washed the laundry and folded it...it's your turn to put it away."

B: "Well I don't like it!"

haha


Tonight at the dinner table, we were talking about getting married. She watched the movie, Cinderella last night and was delighted to see the prince and C. get married at the end. She exclaimed, "Look they got married!" and grinned.

So, that's why we were talking about getting married at supper.

B: Mom, will you marry me?

Me: Honey, I'm already married to your daddy.

B: Oh...okay well Torin is going to marry Elsa.

Me: Oh really...who are you going to marry? Hudson?

B: No...I'm going to marry my brother Baylen. Baylen, wanna get married? I need my flower ring.

Baylen grins, then giggles.

Me: Well, you can't marry your brother...that's against the law! (we laugh.)

B: But I want to.

Me: You need to find someone you're not related to and marry them. Do you want to do that?

B: But I just want to marry my BROTHER!

Me: Well, I guess if you want to marry him, go ahead. It might not last very long.

LOL

Tonight when Dj was tucking them into bed:

Daddy: Sorry I couldn't play surgery with ya earlier. Do you want to play tomorrow? (She is pretending to be a doctor w/ her new gas mask she inherited from the hospital on Friday)

Brynn: No, that's okay. I'm going to have a wedding tomorrow instead and marry Baylen.

:)

MRI results

Brynn made it through the MRI process like a champ. She was very brave and didn't seem scared at all. She was given anesthesia and her recovery afterwards was a bit slow. Bee was a little "loopy" for awhile, which is normal, but seemed to feel more like herself about two hours later. Today, B. is feeling pretty tired, which is to be expected.

After looking at the MRI, Brynn's doctor @ Children's decided he was not 100% sure what exactly is up w/ her lump or what it is. He said nothing looked dangerous on the scans and that it could be a lymph node that has hardened due to an infection. He wants to check it in a week or two and see how it looks. If it increases in size or remains the same, I am not sure what course of action they will take next.

We feel relieved for the good news so far, but still want to know what it is and if it could be harmful in any way. For now, we are just taking it as it comes, but definitely more hopeful.

I think I've covered everything

When one discovers something potentially terrifying regarding her child, a mother has several ways she handles the news. I think I have covered most of them.

-Pray...check
-Restless sleep...check
-Drink...check
-Retail Therapy...check
-Yelled/Took out my frustration on someone...check
-Zone out...check
-Cried...check check and check
-Search the Internet trying to find an answer...check
-Bite my lip...check
-Exercise...check
-Focus on work...check
-Try to pretend everything is okay...check
-Worry...CHECK
-Freak Out...Check
-Feeling sick...Check
-Think about it constantly...Check
-Staying up too late at night...Check
-Re-organize my craft drawers/stuff...Check
-Crafting...Check
-Feeling Anxious...CHECK

I don't like this.

More Tests...here we go again

Today, we didn't really get any answers. Bee will return to C.H. tomorrow for an MRI. She will be sedated for the procedure and cannot eat any food after 8:15 a.m. How will we get through the day until 3:30? Poor thing.

The ENT doctor/surgeon did not have any idea what the lump could be. He mentioned that depending on the MRI results, next steps could involve surgery AKA a biopsy. He also mentioned if surgery was needed, he would be on the surgical team along w/ a doctor from Oncology. Um scary. That is all.

The only positive thing about today was that Dj's fortune from his fortune cookie said "Tomorrow will be a good day."

Let's hope so.

Big Day tomorrow

Thank God I had to go back to work this week so I could think about something else for awhile. The closer it gets, the more nervous and sick to my stomach I become. Too many weird signs have appeared this week as I waited anxiously for the day to arrive. They are signs I didn't want to encounter. Is this a coincidence or is Someone trying to tell me something?

deep breath...Children's...here we come.

Sick boyyyy

Look at my sicky boy...this was at the end of the week on Feb. 18th and through the weekend...poor kid was sicker than a dog. Look at him! Thankfully, he's feeling much better after a round of antibiotics. He suffered strep but never complained of a sore throat...he had this nasty, sandpaper-like rash that's FINALLY disappearing and his Ped said that he probably had more of the scarlet fever strand of strep. Nice.