Well.... I HOPE I'm back......

It's been over a year since I last wrote here. What a crazy year, and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. The quickest run down I can give you is this: last Thanksgiving we took the kids and my 83 year old dad to Disney World. When my mom past away, she left me some money and it seemed like the right thing to do. When my brother and I were kids, my parents took us all over the place. My mom wanted us to experience different places and cultures, so I thought it was a nice tribute to her. Otherwise, we just couldn't pack up 5 kiddos and hop on a plane on one salary. So off we went and hopefully made memories to last a lifetime. And the cherry on the top? I could eat everywhere! Celiac disease, no problem! It was great.

In January, I bit the bullet and went back to work. I am now a homebound English teacher. Basically, I go to the homes of high school kids that are too sick to go to school. It was a HUGE adjustment in the house, one I'm not sure we've conquered yet. We're lucky, Billy works for himself and just moved his practice into the house, but it's still so hard for me. I miss my kids. I know, they're all in school now, but I feel unavailable and it still smarts. But, there are so many positives. Health insurance is no longer purely out of pocket, we have more money to put away in college funds for the kids and honestly, we're probably making the kids more independent. Billy now does laundry and the grocery run (although not as well as I did, of course!). I do most of the high school/middle school shuttling. So I do spend time alone with the older kiddos. And I will survive....

The summer comes and I have gall bladder surgery.. (It's always something...) Surgery wasn't bad, my first at 42, so I figure I shouldn't complain. I'm still having trouble with some foods, but what else is new.

School started back up and I now have 2 high school freshman. God help me. A beautiful 8th grader, and gasp.... 2 kindergarteners.... Where has a time gone?? But they are loving school, so I have to be at peace with that. In 2 weeks, they turn 6. It feels like the social worker dropped them off 6 months ago,  not 6 years. We have been so incredibly lucky to have been given these beautiful kids. Yes, life is good, even the bad parts....

Summer 2013 Is Coming To A Close.....

I must admit there is a big part of me ready to get back in the swing of the fall schedule. Not because the kids get back to school, but I need a schedule back. Less gets done, I get lazy, kids get lazy, we need order to return. Now I say this with one week of summer left for the big kiddos, see me in a month when I am juggling football practice, volleyball practice, and band with them and goodness knows what with the shorties....

I am happy to report that Emi's collar bone has been given the green light and she is now brace free and back to her wild ways... I have a feeling this will not be her only broken bone. The girl is fearless....

Miss Emi right after being released from her brace.

My dad had foot surgery, only to be told that he could not go back home until healed. I'm not sure who was regretting the surgery more, him or me. I love my dad, but moving him into my house without a head's up is a bit overwhelming. But we seemed to figure most of it out without bloodshed. Emi was thrilled to be able to spend so much time with her PawPaw and I think that if the time came and we had to make that a permanent situation, we could do it in this 4 bedroom house. He is back home now, but he still has the other foot to go....

We then took off for a quick last beach trip.....

Kevin was THRILLED to pose for me....

Some of us are more than happy to pose....
 

And as I start heading up to school for football pads and locker check outs, I will miss these hot summer days. This is the last year Aaron and Kevin are in middle school. I cannot believe that they are so close to high school. Kevin is now 2 inches taller than me. So wrong.....  :) So while a lot of the past year has not been good for us, I am hoping that the rest of 2013 is something special.....

Ok, I May Be Back Into Blogging..... Baby Steps Anyway....

We'll see how this goes.... So much has happened this year, I must say 2013 has not been the best for my family. I lost my mom in February. After many year of fighting Parkinson's and dimentia, she fell quite ill and eventually passed in hospice February 7th. I miss her terribly. The silver lining if there ever is one, was to watch my father with her in those last days and then planning her funeral and eulogy that he wrote over and over again. Somehow, he managed to stand up at the funeral mass and speak about his wife of 47 years. I didn't think he could, I had my husband practice the eulogy just in case my dad couldn't finish it. But he surprised us all with humor and deep respect and love for his wife. I will never forget that moment.

Since then, in the months that follow, we have struggled to define a new normal. My dad is still, at 80, fiercely independent. But I worry. There will be a time that he needs to move in and we have to be able to decide when that is. I have convinced him to have dinner with us once a week. He doesn't always come, but it's a start. Billy and my dad have become closer, something I never thought I'd see. They have always been pleasant and friendly, but since Dad is around more and they have started really talking, I see a stronger bond between them. Maybe it's because Billy's dad passed away and my dad is filling a void, I don't know.....

The kids are doing well. Kevin found out that he is pretty good at the pole vault, and ended up at the district meet. At 13, he's 5'7" and looking down at me. Where has the time gone? Aaron is still slow on the growth chart, only 5'2" right now. I'm hoping he has some kind of spurt to catch up with his twin... Olivia is immersed in being a tween, watching endless youtube clips and asking me to go shopping 24/7. And my last catch up are my 4 year old babies. Ahhh, no babies here they say to me.... Simon is still in occupational therapy working on fine motor skills that he struggles with. Emi, oh this girl is going to be the death of me as a teenager... She is sporting an awesome brace after breaking her collarbone playing "Ring Around the Rosy" too wildly.... 13 years of being a mom and that's our 1st broken bone....

That's my toe dip into blogging again, it felt right to return, but of course now I have to bore you with family summer pics....

Summer Birthday Dinner for the boys
 

Olivia and the shorties

Aaron, Emi and Kevin
 

Emi and her new brace
 

I May Not Be A Blogger... Right Now....

I needed to stop for awhile, school and after school activities were taking up all our time and then my mom's health began to really deteriorate. She has Parkinson's plus, which basically means she also suffers from dementia. I probably haven't had a conversation with her in 6 months, and I'm not sure if she even knows who I am anymore. My parents adopted me older, so where I feel that I shouldn't be dealing with this at 41, my mom is 80 and this is just where we are. My dad sits with her in the nursing home every day for hours. He is truly dedicated to her. Several weeks ago he called me crying (I have never seen my dad cry.) saying he found her unresponsive in bed and they were calling for an ambulance.

Long story short, a UTI led to sepsis, which eventually leads us to today where my mom is dying in hospice. Her body is shutting down, and as my dad's only person to turn to, I have helped choose a casket, her last outfit, the plot, you name it. I am glad to be there for my dad. I am blessed to have a husband that says "just go, I have it here". I also know that I want to get this stuff out of the way for Billy and I, my kids don't need to do this stuff.

My kids all have appropriate clothing, they know it's coming soon. (well, the 4 yr olds don't) Soon I will no longer have a mom here on earth. And I will have to figure out a new path with my dad. Change (no welcome friend of mine) is coming and there is nothing I can do. I told my mom last night that I was going to take care of my dad. I hope she heard me. Pray for her peace and my dad's....

And Fall Is Upon Us....

Well, we got a taste of fall this past weekend, it was 50 in the morning, plenty cold for me... The biggest news that comes with this is finding out how much clothes shopping I have ahead of me when all I hear is, "my hoodie is too short" or "my jeans are too small!" Sigh... My sweet babies (my husband will disagree with the term "babies" ) are now too big for 5T jeans. Did I mention that they will turn 4 next month?! As I type, Simon is wearing 6X jeans... Good Lord.... Kevin's hoodie from last year looks like a 3/4 sleeve. I just can't believe how much they've all grown in a year....

I picked the party location for Simon and Emi's 4th birthday. We're going to do it at the Children's Museum. Fingers crossed that it's a lot of fun, it's their first "real" birthday party. :) Now I'm starting the goodie bag search, and lucky me, no presents to buy, we're biting the bullet and getting a giant playscape/ backyard thing...

The kids are great, grades are good, everyone is healthy and happy. So now to Halloween and the shorties' party!

Olivia's 11th Birthday Party....

We took a handful of girls along with our own 5 kids and headed to Amazing Jump here in town. I have to tell you, I think it was a big success and they all seemed to have a great time. Not always easy to get when you want her older brothers and younger sibs to have fun too. It included dodge ball and wall to wall trampolines. I think the best thing to do is upload the pics...

Olivia (2nd from left) and her posse

Emi and Simon had fun too!

Olivia in action

Dodge ball

We came home and opened presents then somehow I got gluten poisoned and felt awful for the rest of the night and even now I have a killer headache... (hence, the short post...) So onto Halloween costumes and then Simon and Emi's birthday in November!!!!

Monday, Monday....

Well, here we are at the start of a new week... I'm tired already. :) I was lazy over the weekend, so I am paying for it now with mountains of laundry to catch up on. My favorite part is that Kevin has a football game tomorrow and on game day, the players have to wear khakis, dress shirt and a tie. He looks adorable, but I could do without the ironing... So I still have to get that done today and figure out dinner. As you can tell, I was really phoning it in this weekend. I have no dinner menu planned, laundry everywhere, complete catch up day....

Saturday was fun, we celebrated Olivia's upcoming birthday (tomorrow she will turn 11!) at The Cheesecake Factory. Her choice and she loved it. Billy called ahead to see if I could eat there gluten free and the manager told him they had a "skinny menu" I could choose from... Ummm, not the same thing.. No big deal, PF Changs is in the same mall, so I ran in and grabbed my lunch and we were off... (I did miss out on the cheesecake, but my thighs didn't need it...) My dad met us there, so I'm glad he came out and had some fun with us. Next Saturday is the party with the girls, so I'm sure there will be tons of pictures then...

I need to set up an occupational therapy evaluation for Simon. I'm hoping of course that he doesn't need it, that he's doing fine and "normal". Wouldn't that be nice? I have to also take the shorties in to the eye doctor this week to see if Simon's glasses prescription is correct and to also check on Emi's stye on her cornea.

All in all, I can't complain. The big kids grades are good, they appear to be happy. Everyone is back in school and finally it feels like a normal schedule to plow through. If I can get myself back into menu planning and that stuff, we'll be good as gold....

Seriously, Is He Really Only 12???

Good Lord, how am I going to survive a surly 12 year old for 6 more years? My sweet Kevin, my sweet boy that has always been my sensitive one that tells me everything... has become a monster.... He is still sensitive, but now it's only about things that effect him or are directed towards him. I thought this was supposed to happen around 15-16??? It's unbearable....

On a happier note with Kevin, he started football and I became one of those moms.... :)

Today Simon and Emi saw their neurologist and he decided that they were done with Botox shots for their torticollis. Simon has also graduated from physical therapy and Emi is down to once a week. So yay for progress!

This weekend we will celebrate Olivia's 11th birthday at the Cheesecake Factory, her choice. Then the following weekend we have the party with her friends. I better get moving, the X Factor is on!

I Am Such A Bad Blogger.....

School is really kicking my scheduling butt this year. I have the three older kids in band and we added football with Kevin. Emi will start ballet next week, and Olivia's birthday is right around the corner. The days go by so fast and I am exhausted 4 weeks in. :)

Simon adjusted beautifully to his glasses. I guess I didn't give him enough credit, every night he puts them in their case and asks for them every morning. So cute. Today he was graduated from physical therapy. That's great news, we see the neurologist Thursday to see if he wants occupational therapy or if we will just see how it goes. Emi also had an MRI done a few weeks ago, so we'll see how the results there are. I'm hoping we're done with the Botox shots, they hurt and I hate sitting them down to have them done. School is going well for them, Simon of course, is slower to warm up to the new teacher and kids. :)

Olivia has adjusted to the middle school much quicker than I thought she would. She is still hyper emotional when she gets home, but her grades are high, no friend drama, so I guess I shouldn't complain. Her birthday is next week, so I am rushing to finish everything there.

Kevin has truly become quite the young man, no matter how hard I try to keep my baby. :( He's almost my height, his voice cracks and all he does is grunt answers. So far football is keeping him really busy (5:45 wake ups!) but he is enjoying it and his grades are still great. I was worried about 2 band classes and football, but he's adjusting better than I am.

Aaron is trucking along, he's happy but the grades are starting to slip. The most annoying part is that it's not understanding information, it's turning work in. He just would rather do the work and let it gather dust in his binder.

Everything else is moving along, Billy is really busy at work, I am still regularly examining my face for new wrinkles.... Working out has taken a serious back seat, but I tend to go in waves. I did run last week, but with orthodontist and neurologist appointments this week, I don't see it happening again. Never enough time in the day......

My Sweet Simon....

Well, he had to get glasses.... :( Made me sad and a little worried about a 3 1/2 year old keeping glasses on his face, but we're doing pretty well so far...

SOOOO stinkin cute!

And So The New School Year Begins....

This morning marked the first year in a long time without anyone in elementary school, without buying crayons and glue sticks... I love our elementary school and I will miss it until the shorties start kinder in 2 years... Of course I made the big kids take pictures, Kevin obviously loves me dearly....

Next week the shorties go back to preschool. Simon will be in glasses... :( Hope you have a good one!

Today is My Birthday.....

I feel like this.....

 

So not a fan of getting older.... Sigh......

The Annual Treck to The Beach....

We hauled everyone to the beach for a few days as summer is winding down. We had fun, had no car trouble on the way (which we tend to usually have a tire blow out or something...) and I hope made some good memories....

He loves his mom so much.... Especially when she has her camera....

Obligatory tourist photo op

And now we are knee deep in football camp for Kevin, band camp for all three big kids and lots of clothes shopping for everyone.... 3 more weeks until school. I can't believe how fast it went by....

Summer Is Slipping Through My Fingers....

Here we are at least half way through, if not more, and I can't believe it! We have kept busy with camps for the big kids, MDO and swim lessons for the shorties. Simon is no fan of swim lessons. It's brutal to drive there while he tells me he doesn't like it and wants to stay with me. :( But he needs to be safe when he is by the water.

We have gone through the big boys' 12th birthday, I am still wrapping my head around how fast it has gone. Kevin is almost at eye level with me, Aaron is quite a bit shorter than his twin, at least I have that. :) My dad's birthday is next week, then we progress to...sigh... my 41st. Yuck. Not a fan of birthdays. The kids go back to school right after my birthday and then September brings Olivia's. We go through 6 months of birthdays, the Christmas, then we exhale.

Everyone is doing well, Billy is swamped with work, which is always good for a guy in private practice. I would like to say that I have been good at working out, but why lie? I haven't run since the 4th of July and I managed one Jillian Michaels work out. I am still religious about weighing myself, it's the only way to keep track of my weight when kids are always snacking around me. I also have started buying chips that aren't gluten free, so I can't indulge even if I want to.... Whatever it takes!

Aaron has been added to the orthodontist list, it looks like by the end of 2012, all 3 big kids will have a mouth of metal. At.the.same.time. Ouch.... The dentist did say we could wait 6 months or so, so we may do that just to spread the payments around. When we decided on a big family, I'll admit I didn't expect everyone in braces all at once. That's what ya get for not planning! :)

Simon is trying to kill Billy and I slowly... He has this new sleeping pattern of up at 1 am, and again at 5:30. That's his wake up time. What on earth is wrong with this child? He is three, I figured up a few times a night was in the past... Sigh.... I think he's waking himself up when the overnight pull up gets wet. Maybe he's about to start getting up, going to pee, and going back to bed. One can hope...

I better go, I promised Olivia an HGTV night... :)

Billy's Birthday...

Well, my sweet hubby turned 41 this week and one of the things he wants every year is for the family to run the neighborhood 5K together (includes training beforehand) and then we head to Pappadeaux for lunch. He's pretty easy... So we've been jogging... Simon and Emi stay in the stroller, but we let them out to run a little....

DONE!

Then we showered and went to lunch... MMmmmmm.....

"I don't think I like the calamari..."

Then home for ice cream cake and presents....

Ummm, not sure what the bird pose is...

Yay for turning 41! And Billy, thank you for always being older than me.... :)

Swamped... Completely Swamped And It's Only June...

Whew.... I think this is the summer where the 2 age groups in my house collide. This is really the first summer since we brought the shorties home where I am having difficulty balancing 3 year old activities with 11 and 10 year olds. I am lucky, the shorties go to an MDO 3 days a week, so I have time for the older kids and errands. But now that summer camps and Kevin's athletics have started, I really need to find my groove. This week Aaron is in soccer camp, so I drive from Kevin's conditioning to the YMCA for pick up back to back. Thank goodness I at least have another mom to share drop offs with! I know it's only going to get harder as they start school activities, so I'm hoping I will nail all of this soon. It is no party having to stop and find a bathroom for Simon and Emi and then speed up to get to a pick up. :)

We're also busy in June with Billy stuff. He keeps us busy with Father's Day and his birthday being a week apart. I hope he had a great Father's Day, we grilled and went swimming at my dad's. It was truly a food fest. I have a few more gifts to pick up, but I think we're close to ready for his birthday...

I'd love to use my crock pot more this summer, getting going in the kitchen at 5pm is no fun. I also with my kids would eat salads for dinner sometimes, but when is that going to happen?? Simon and Emi got their last Botox injections in their necks last week. I am still amazed at how far they have come when I see their baby pictures and look at them now. The doctor did say he may want an eval for Simon with an occupational therapist, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it...

I hope you are having a wonderful start to your summer.

Time For A Catch Up....

Since everyone decided to share strep and then Kevin one upping his siblings with hand foot and mouth, I didn't get a chance to post pics from the end of school. Olivia had her piano recital:

Then we finished our stint at our beloved elementary school. I still can't believe that next year I won't have any kiddos at the school down the street. It's a strange feeling to have a school in your neighborhood that you have no affiliation with anymore. She looks so mature....

As far as my older boys go, middle school is kind of anti-climactic. They give out awards, but hey, they're 11 now, no big thing... They did get their yearbooks signed and managed to finish out the year with decent grades (not good enough for me) and smiles on their faces....

Emi and Simon finished their year in class with Miss Monica. I love her. I just LOVE her. I'm sad that when they go back, they will have a new teacher, but change must come and they are getting older and need to be challenged...

So we have easily settled into the summer slow schedule. Emi and Simon go a few days a week to an MDO so I can do things with the older kids that I can't do with 3 year olds. We also have started swimming lessons with the little ones, they need to be comfortable in the water... Big kids have sports camps throughout the summer (Olivia is at a volleyball one as I type.) and we're hoping to get some time at the beach if Billy's schedule allows for it.... Here's to summer!

5 Days, 5 Strep Diagnoses...

What a start to the summer! 5 kids with strep and it's a tough one to get over... Temps of 102 all day and everyone is miserable and achy...

Did I mention Kevin now has hand, foot, and mouth disease?! Calgon isn't enough for this week....

It's Been 20 Years, When Do They Start Communicating With Eachother?

So my dad had cataract surgery this week and when it came time for the recheck, Billy offered to take him since Simon and Emi were home. Let me throw this out there first. Billy and I have been together for 20 years. We started dating when we were 20 years old and I've known him half my life. So during the doctor appointment, my phone rings, it's my dad.

My dad: "Dana, I wanted to check when I can make the next appointment, since I need a ride."

Me: "Umm, ok, Monday, Wednesday, or Fridays. Isn't Billy there?"

My dad: "Yes, he's in the waiting room."

Me: "He knows the schedule and he's 10 feet away."

I called Billy just to let him know that my dad was finishing up. 20 minutes go by, my phone rings.

Billy: "Where is your dad?"

Me: "Ummm, I'm sorry, aren't YOU WITH HIM?!?!?"

Billy: "No, he never came out."

Me: "GO FIND HIM! He could be passed out on the floor or something!"

Billy: "Could you call him?"

Dana: "Seriously?" (This is not happening. I am not the intermediary between these two men that are 10 feet away from each other and I am at home, at least 10 miles away. Sigh... "Ok, I'll call him and ask him if y'all are on the way, you know I'll be calling him because you'll be driving and all."

Billy: "Yep, that's sounds good."  ---BTW, if I was doing this to him I would be told to put my big girl pants on and get moving....

I call my dad's cell 4 times in a row and he never answers... Now I get nervous...

Me: "Billy, he won't answer his cell, get up and ask the receptionist where your 79 year old eye patched father-in-law has gone."  A few minutes pass, my phone rings.....

Billy: "Ok, I found him, he's still making the appointment, I guess."

I am not making any of this up. They get along, they like each other. But the doctor's office was some kind of weird block that I had to help with.... And yes, I mocked Billy as long as I could that afternoon. But he still took off from work to take my dad to the doctor. Not all husbands would do that so willingly.... :)

This is our last 2 days of school for my older kiddos, then we dive into "I'm bored" "what can I do?" and so on... Have a wonderful Memorial Day and thank a veteran and their families for all that they sacrifice....

2 1/2 Weeks of School To Go!

I just cannot believe the school year is almost done... I had a great morning at Simon and Emi's school, the teacher had a Mother's Day Brunch that was so cute, the moms were tearing up. I am going to miss their teacher so much when they start up in the next room in the fall....

I worked out and then ran some errands, before I knew it, it was time to pick up kids from school and come home and start the whole, "what's your homework", "finish your project", "practice piano" routine. Olivia has a piano recital in 2 weeks, and unfortunately, a case of 5th grade senioritis. She's had 2 back to back field trips, so I suppose I can see why she can't get motivated. But there is just SO much to get done before the end of the month. I just hope I make it to June....

The older boys are doing well... I guess... Kevin is fine, if I can keep the eye rolling, I'm 15 now attitude in check. My poor Aaron is bumbling through 6th grade and it kills me. I thought he's get it figured out by now. Nope. I still have to see his homework to make sure it's done, organize everything with him or it's lost forever. I had hoped the year would mature him and it didn't. He is the same, my ADHD, socially awkward boy. Sigh. It physically hurts to watch him sometimes. I want him to realize his worth, make more friends, and be a happy kid. He's happy, but sometimes I'm not sure why....

I should go, laundry is calling, and who wants to do laundry on Mother's Day? (we're celebrating tomorrow) Have a wonderful weekend!