Another knocked out tooth...is that really necessary?

Yes, he did it again! Benjamin was running with the football away from his brother. Being the careful boy his is not, he turned his head for a second. In that second, he managed to swerve his body too much to the right, smacking himself into the barstool. Now let me tell you, it just did not look like a very hard hit. He cried, I went over to console. Then Jim tells me there's a lot of blood. As we attempt to look at him, Jim says it's his lip that got busted. As I look a bit more, I notice the space where he knocked out his first tooth is bigger. Jim was in shock when I told him I think he knocked out another tooth. "NO WAY!" were his exact words.

Sure enough, once the blood cleared a bit and we managed to get Benjamin's hands out of his mouth for a few seconds, we could see the missing spot. I ran over to the barstool to look for the tooth. I found it a few feet from the scene of the accident. I found 2 pieces. I was confused however, because one looked like a whole tooth, the other looked like a piece, and I couldn't get them to go together. Of course, I panicked thinking he had also broken a piece off another tooth. After looking at the second piece, Jim informed me it was only a pebble. Whew! After feeling a bit silly, I was quite relieved.

The meltdown of the episode didn't last near as long as the first one. Does this mean he's getting used to it? No, no, no, no! It also didn't bleed as much or as long as the first time. And mommy didn't freak near as much as the first time.

So, his nickname lives on...BooBoo!

Catch Up Time

Summer is going pretty good so far. Ian is doing extended year and has 2 more weeks left. Since its from 8am-2:00pm, that leaves a lot of time spent with Avery and Ben together. They always play really well together and I think have enjoyed their time. But it's always nice to hear, "when will Ian be home?".

This past week, Avery did a Princess Ballerina day camp Monday-Thursday. She really enjoyed it and looked darn cute! They had a 30 second 'recital' the last day. Avery completely froze. Oh well. She was still cute.

We took Avery and Benjamin to a nearby mini-aquatic park. It's a great way to beat the 98 degree heat without having to endure the bigness of a water park. Of course, Benjamin waited that day to have his first poop until about 10 minutes after he'd been playing in the water. No biggy. Just changed and went on as usual. They've also been swimming in the little backyard pool. That's a nice easy way to beat the heat as well.

Of course, they've all been swimming at Grandma's a few times. And of course, I forgot to take pictures each time. I always like to get their 'first swim' of the summer. So, pics will say first swim, but it'll actually be later. Who'll know?!

We've gone to visit my family once since school's been out. My newest niece is just adorable.

Jim leaves for Chicago to visit his dad next week for a week. So, I'm planning my 'time alone' today at the pool. No kids, no noise, just me.

My niece on Jim's side left yesterday to live with her dad. It was a sad day. I won't go into how all worked out that way, but I'm sure if she's going to live with her dad, you can guess the jest of the reason why. I know it's absolutely the best thing for her. She's actually been living with Grandma and Papa for quite some time now, which has been great. But life was just too 'unknown' and topsy-turvy here. I know she would have rather stayed here and stayed living with them, but she needed to get away and start a new, stable life. We'll still see her when she comes back to visit, but it's just strange now to know that we won't see her as often. I'm just thankful for the closeness of our relationship. Rambling now.

I get a mom's night out tonight! So excited. These are some new mom friends that I don't get too see all at once too often, and they are so much fun. Looking forward to it.

I think that's about it.

Green Thumb Yet?

                                            Begonias, overtaken by Impatiens

                    Rose moss, verbena, lavender, rosemary, birdbath

                                          Pentas (planted pink and white)

                   Yea! Ripe! And tasty! Just picked another one today.

                                                     Dusty Miller and Verbena

                                                                 Avery's Daisies

Okay for those of you who are really good at the gardening thing, please don't laugh. I'm just getting into it and have been enjoying it, thanks to my MIL. I just decided to quit thinking so much about what to put where and with what, and just plant.

So, I'm the proud mother of 3 finally ripe tomatoes and plenty more growing. That's the extent of the veggies so far. Luckily, Ian's only picked and tossed one tomato over the fence.  I've got a bush bean plant started, but not sure what it's gonna do.  Not really even sure what one is.

Then I've got the decorative items. I'm one of those that sees it wilted or 'dead' blooms and thinks, 'That's it. I've killed another." MIL says, "no, they'll come back. Just keep watering as needed and watching." So, I do, and they bloom. Puts a smile on my face. Avery has a couple as well and she's very proud of them.

Goal for next year or later this year....pull the front bushes and plant veggies in back.

Know What Bugs Me?

Okay, I'm not a person that gets bothered by much. Well, the list grows a little the older I get, but that's beside the point. If I get bugged by something, I'm generally pretty quick at letting it go. A) because many of them I'm guilty of myself, and B) really, what good does it do to gripe and gripe about the same thing. Don't get me wrong, I have a subject or two that can get me going at the thought of it. However, that's not for today (or anyday on blog).

I'm a big fan of Craigslist. We've gotten many a good deals on it, and never been scammed. I'm pretty darn picky though. That helps. Okay, so there's this item we want to purchase. I mean REALLY want to purchase. That doesn't happen too often. Most of the time, I hesitate so much, it's either gone or I decide we don't need it. But not this one. I've emailed the person twice about it, left them my email address and phone number, told them I'd come get the item that day, blah, blah, blah. HAVEN'T HEARD A PEEP BACK! So, okay if they sold it....TAKE THE DUMB THING OFF THE FOR SALE POSTING FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Now, my husband, being the kind man he is, says they may be out of town. Okay, possibility. But seriously, I emailed them THE MORNING IT WAS POSTED. If you're not going to check your email or are not that serious about selling, DON'T POST. If you're serious about selling, but don't check your email, LEAVE A PHONE NUMBER. Are ya'll feeling my frustration? Okay, I'm done. Overall, it's a really, really, really, stupid thing (oops, we don't say that in our house :)) to get stuck on. So, I'm over it.

Year 5 Anniversary; Tooth Fairy Overrated

Well the time has come around again. The 12th will be the 5 year mark of our first of 3 diagnoses. It hits me differently every year. This year feels especially remarkable as I see how far Ian has come and how incredibly happy he is the majority of the time. I feel especially blessed as I realize that the only medication we have him on is clonodine, and at a very low dose (sometimes lower than we would like). Hearing about all the meds is one of the things that scared me the most about this diagnosis. I'm not saying that Ian will never need to be on anything 'heavier', but I am soooooo glad his quality of life is such that we have not felt the need to change things. So, Ian, I just want you to know how incredibly proud I am of you and how much I love you! You are my big boy! Now, could you work really, really hard on the potty training thing, PLEASE!

Okay, wait til you hear this. Avery lost her first tooth last week. We've never been big fans of the whole 'imaginary character' things...one being the tooth fairy. However, with Avery being the only one who will actually be interested in the whole thing, we decided to tell her that the tooth fairy is one of God's angels, and that when she leavese her tooth under the pillow, the 'angel' replaces it with gift from the God who formed her and created her teeth to fall out and grow another. Well, that night I had her tooth in a little box ready to put under her pillow. She just looked blankly at me and told me she didn't want it there. I explained that that is how the tooth fairy gets it and puts her surprise there. Again, weird look. Then, as she looks around her room, she tells me she doesn't want the tooth fairy to come. Hmmm, what do I do now? So, I tell her that if she doesn't want her to come, she won't, but she can't be mad in the morning. She told me she wouldn't be mad in the morning. So, I complied and took the tooth with me. Low and behold, I never heard another word about it! She said nothing about it in the morning, or any time since! What's up with that? I'm thinking it kinda freaked her out to think that 'someone' might come in her room while she's sleeping, although I told her she would never even know. That's my little angel!

Black Thumb Gardening

No, that's not my beautiful landscaping. Wish it was! Okay, I've been threatening for years to try out gardening and finally plant landscaping stuff. Now that I have a little time by myself before summer starts, I thought it'd be a great time to start. There are no pics, because I start out VERY small. It's kind of like me trying to add wall decor to my house. I'm too 'chicken' because I think, "What if I don't like it there? Now I've got a hole." Yep, that's my thinking. It's not really the small decor that worries me. It's the larger, sinker needed, type stuff. But I've finally concluded that I CAN cover the hole if needed.

Okay, how does that relate to my gardening phobia? Well, I think "What if it dies? How do I know what kind of soil or fertilizer to use, or which part of the house offers the right amount of sun during the day? How do I know what will grow well together?......" Thanks to my friend, Jill, who suggested I just go for it or I'll never start.....I did just that. I read a bit on-line and then just did it. I bought a potted tomato plant, and just a few flowers. I plan on a ground garden for veggies soon, but I have to wait until I can figure out how to keep the rodents/rabbits/other creatures of the night we have hanging around out of it. So, for now, I'm good with potted. I transplanted 2 of the flowers (verbena) into an area under a tree in our front yard; one of the begonias into a pot to use as a house plant; and then one begonia and 2 impatiens in an outdoor pot on our front porch. If anything dies? Okay, I just go buy more. I think I'm reaching a break-through!

I have also decided to really start using the tools I have....my mother-in-law and the internet. I have read so much on-line, I've decided to start a 'gardening' folder. Today, Avery and I are going to start a compost bin. Should be exciting! When I'm feeling more confident, I'll attach pictures.

Any suggestions out there.....I'm all ears!

Benjamin Turned 3!

Lego Block Cake

HOURS of fun on the new trampoline!

Cute, Rian!

Benjamin turned 3 years old this weekend! I can't believe it. We had a great bday party for him. I was pretty proud of how the cake(s) turned out, but they still didn't turn out as smooth looking as the lady who did it on the video...go figure! He had great fun on his 'big' birthday present. Don't tell him, but it's really for the whole family to enjoy...which we did. Oh, and don't you just love your self portrait mug shot, Rian!

Oh my gosh, I'm cute!

So, now that he's 3, that also means he started his PPCD class today. MY BABY IS IN SCHOOL! I really thought I would cry, but I didn't. I kept my mind focused on all the things I would get done in the 2 hours I have by myself 3 days week, until summer. He looked darn cute (and small) with his

backpack on!

Ready to learn with my teacher!