Summer Fun so far...

we have been all over this summer so far- I am trying to do something different or fun each day. Here is Laney when we visited the far to get our veggies, while it was not an exciting outing, she loved it...

While Jonas was at cubscout camp, Christina and I took the girls to the Zoo- they very much enjoyed being pulled around all day

Rode a sea turtle

Pet some Goats

posed for pictures

and the highlight of the zoo trip---  the playground that we could find anywhere

Some days our special event is just playing outside with water...

He is proof that they sometimes get along...

I have no idea what my son is doing here.. no explanation...

My water bug "swimming" 

Every once and a while we end up in a real pool

Movie day- we decided to watch Toy Story 3- here they kids are at the incinerator scene.. L was terrified, and J was taking care of her for me

One of our science experiments...  Put Ivory soap in the microwave for 2 minutes, and played with the huge result

Made goo-- not a liquid... not a solid... what is it...  made out of corn starch and water

Salt paintings...    Glue, salt, and food coloring mixed in water, then dripped onto the salt with a dropper...

My fashion Dva-- check out the boots, with her dress, pom poms, and sunglasses

Park Playdates

We went to Kilgore Falls

Another park playdate--  This time Ice Cream was involved

Checked out a new place, Kiddie Crusoe 

Yes, he really stuffed himself into a tiny car

My little doctor

Catching up..

I really want a place to chronicle our journey through The kids' childhoods. I want to be able to remember these days, as happy and as frustrating as they are...

Brief summary- Jonas just finished 3rd grade, and is doing great. He has been identified as highly gifted, especially in math and struggles with anything written.

Laney has been diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency... we are in the process of getting more tests and deciding on our path for treatment.

handful

My morning--

Mom, Laney is hitting me

Laney no

Mom, she did it again

Laney- no hitting

Mom--- you get the picture--

so L goes into timeout- she has a lovely spot just for her, nestled in the corner where I can see her, but she can't see the tv or toys... she sits, whines, but sits... gets up, hugs, says sorry- turns around and smacks again-- then walks herself over to her timeout corner, and sits down until I tell her to get up....  gets up, sorry, hugs, hit... back to time out.... um, I am beginning to think this whole timeout thing isn't working for her...

Is it time to go back to school yet?

vacation

Who ever gave the impression that "vacations" are "relaxing" obviously vacation without children. I use much less energy going to work every day!  My parents recently moved to the beach- so we decided it would be a great idea to take a vacation, and go see them. They live 3 blocks from the ocean, in NC. So to avoid traffic, we leave here on Thursday night-- because obviously driving through the night is a better way to go.  So we have a mazda 5-- it is a minivan-- sort of-- it does have 3 rows of seats, but you can't use all 3 rows at a time, unless you have some folks with no legs... so now- imagine this "microvan" filled with 2 adults, a teenage boy, and 2 kids in carseats- PLUS enough luggage to last the occupants a week-- sound fun?

We did get a rood top carrier, and that is where he stored some lighter things- but putting too much on my roof might, you know, cause a cave in or something. I wish I had taken a picture of us heading down- D and K in the front seats, me smooshed into one of the middle seats, with L in the other seat- with a box of toys between us. J stuffed into a corner of the back seat- plus 4 suitcases, 2 laptop backs, 2 backpacks, J's sleep buddies, a cooler, a fan, a stroller, and DVD player all stuffed in around us-- i am sure there was more, I just can't remember what.

The drive was pretty uneventful-- except it was close to 4 Am when we got there. The children are not fans of sleeping in the car, but we did make it safely-

Stay tuned for... the first trip to the beach....

Zombie Eye

This is my beautiful daughter, Zombie eye...

after weeks of antibiotics, and her eye getting worse and worse....  so another trip the the dr was in order- this time the eye dr- who sent us to the ER...  This is my Zombie Eye, waiting in the pediatric ER-- she is so happy- having no idea what she is about to go through...

Believe me, her smile was gone by this point-- In her hands is her Ellie-- she loves Ellie...

ok, food makes everything better

got started on IV antibiotics right away, and her whole head turned red and swelled up...

by the time we get to our room she is so exhausted she goes right to sleep...  in a cage

her mood has improved in the morning- her eye, however has not

shortly after breakfast she pulls out her IV- 2 nurses came and took her to the  "procedure room" to get a new line put in. They said she was the best baby ever- and was patient through 2 tries in her are before they had to put it in her foot--  She was so good the nurses gave her the most annoying ELMO on the planet...

Now, if you have never had a 1 year old with an IV in her foot-- don't try it...  "keep her as still as possible"... "Don't let her walk around"... um, yeah you people do not know my daughter- if you want still you will have to knock her out. Her favorite pastime wsa climbing up the windowsill and sitting to watch the construction trucks...  

I am not sure if Elmo is trying to help her escape, or trying to talk her our of her great plans-- though I am pretty sure he was helping her figure out how to escape-

ummm, enjoying a PB&J

That night, of course, the IV in her foot pulled out of the vein and was pumping into her foot... She her foot is roughly the size of a watermelon-- 

after several tries they could not get a decent line in and gave up-- She went onto oral antibiotics, with the hopes they would continue what the IV ones started... by Friday Am, she could at least open that eye...

We were in isolation the entire time we were in the hospital-- she did not have to stay in the tent-  but it was amusing- she thought that was a great game....

I was minorly (ok majorly) freaked out when she started crying  bloody tears- and her eye caked shut with dried blood...

but, the drs said that it was just a broken capillary- and that since she had not gotten worse after switching over to oral antibiotics we could go home... so finally after 3 days, Laney got to sleep in her own bed...

and she enjoyed it

while she slept the boys played with silly string... everyone happy to be home...

and with her new best friend, who is soooo annoying....