"Daddy, I Don't Want This" / Avery's Birthday

Okay, so my Benjamin is the one who knocked out 2 top teeth, within 3 months of each other, 2 years ago (he was only 3).  At dinner the other night, he was eating chicken.  He says, "Daddy, I don't want this."  Jim held out his hand, thinking he was going to get a piece of chicken.  Instead, he got one of Benjamin's bottom teeth!  We're not sure if it was even loose.  It was the whole tooth, root and all, that came out.  Benjamin just handed over the tooth and kept on eating!

Avery had her 7th birthday last Friday.  Her party was Saturday.  She wanted a girls only swim party at Gramma's house.  Her theme was mermaids.  If you haven't tried out Pinterest....oh, you should.  Now, I'm not one that has the time or the desire to just get on there and look and look and look.  However, if there's something specific I'm looking for, it's a great place to browse.  So, I searched for mermaid party ideas, and got a lot.

Cake/Icrecream:  I didn't get to the make the mermaid cake I really wanted to make because, amazingly enough, I do not own a fish mold.  But I was pretty happy with the cake I made.  I usually make her an icecream cake, but just didn't want to this year.  So I tried a Jello poke cake.  I used a strawberry cake and blue berry jello (I wanted part of the cake to be purple).  It was really moist and good.  The frosting is a recipe a friend gave me.  I won't use any other frosting now.  It's just instant pudding mix and whipping cream.  You can use any flavor.  I used vanilla so I could use food coloring to color it.  It was supposed to be blue, but turned out green.  It worked.  It is the best tasting frosting (IMO), and so easy to manipulate on the cake.  I got the icecream idea from Pinterest.  I absolutely hate the serving mess of icecream at parties, which is why I typically make an icecream cake.  But this idea saved the mess.  It's pre-dipped scoops in cupcake cups.  Just pull 'em out of the freezer when you're ready to serve up the cake!  Fabulous!  (the waves are a bit funky looking, but Avery knew they were waves)

Decorations:  Since it was a swim party, I didn't do a lot with decorations.  We hung blue and green streamers at the front door, so it kinda seemed like they were entering through water.  We also hung a sign welcoming all the mermaids to Avery's party.  Then I made fish balloons that I found on Pinterest and hung them throughout the house.  So cute, and so easy!





Food:  We did the party in the evening (after dinner time) and decided to do snacks.  You guessed it....I found the ocean-related snack ideas on Pinterest, as well as the cute labels (which my mother-in-law made up on her computer).  I actually ended up puting the 'octopops' with the goodie bags instead of on the snack table.  The only thing I forgot to label was the lemonade (which was gonna be 'ocean water').  I put the snacks in sand toys and sand bucket and used shovels for some for scoops.

We had a really good time and everything was so easy to do.  The only things we missed were all her little male friends.  But she sure like all the girly attention!

Avery Saying:  We were in the car and Avery was in the backseat reading.  This is part of what she read out of Purplicious (however it's spelled).  "I wrote with my pink pen in my pink diarrhea."  I laughed so hard I couldn't even tell her what was so funny!



Toothless Benjamin and Brave Avery

So a few years ago I posted about Benjamin knocking out a tooth at the denist office and then less than 3 months later, knocking out the one right next to it on one of our barstools.  I think that happened when he was 3.  He's now 5.  He's gotten quite used to the 2 missing teeth on top.  Well, now he has to get used to a missing one on the bottom.

We were eating dinner the other night (chicken).  Benjamin reached out his hand to his daddy and said, "Daddy, I don't want this."  Jim obviously thought it was just a piece of the chicken.  But upon closer observation, he realized it was a tooth.  Sure enough, we opened his mouth to find a little blood and an empty space on the bottom.  At least this one was harmless and included zero tears.  Benjamin just gave it to his dad and kept on eating.

Avery got a couple shots this morning.  I held off telling her she'd be getting them til last night.  Of course, the questions came flooding.  Here's the conversation in a nut shell:

Mom: Avery, you'll be going to the doctor in the morning.
Avery: Will I have to get a shot?
Mom: Yes, honey, you will.
Avery: How many?
Mom: Two
Avery: Well, one in this arm and one in this arm?  Or two in this arm (point to right arm)?  Or two in this arm (point to left arm)?
Mom: Well, I'm not sure.
Avery: I'm scared.
Mom:  You can bring one of your dolls to help comfort you if you want.
Avery: (giving me a big hug) Mommy, I already have my doll......it's you!

Can everyone say, "AWWWWWW!!"

She did great!  A few tears before the shots began.  But I led her through how to be a little more relaxed. My brave little girl just smiled after each of them (one in each arm, BTW) saying, "I barely even felt that!  Her first words after the last shot were, "Can we go get icecream?"   How could I say no to that?

Avery Saying

This one was extra too cute to not write about.

Avery: Mommy, can I get a cookie at school today for lunch?
Mommy: How much are they?
Avery: 4 quarters.
Mommy: A dollar for a cookie?!
Avery: No, mom....4 quarters.

Blanket Mahem

So, there's this blanket that Avery is EXTREMELY attached to, and has been since, oh about...BIRTH! We're rushing about this morning, trying not to be late for her second day of school. She goes into her room, comes out crying and mumbling something I can't understand because she's crying so much. Ian was in her room too, so of course I thought he hit or something. Uh-uh....way worse.

Once I could finally understand her, these were her words, "Ian barfed on my blanket! Now it's ruined!" (more crying continues) Sure enough, poor Ian had vomited in her room, on her blanket and elsewhere.

After all humans and belongings got cleaned up, we managed to convince Avery that I would get her blanket washed and dried and good as new before she even got home from school. And so it is.

Oh, the pains of life. And yes, I got her to school on time...thanks to Jim helping to clean up, getting the boys dressed, and taking them to his school with him until I dropped her off. Love you honey!

Avery Saying Worth a Whole Entry

I emailed this to my friends/family and then decided it was worth sharing with all who would read.

Just wanted to share the latest "Avery saying". Warning: Not for the faint of heart. :)

Background...She's been having some bowel movement issues. We'll leave it at that. We had to tell her that if she didn't go, we were going to have to use a sapository. See if you can guess how Jim explained one to her....(the shape)

Today....she went into the bathroom to go. Of course she wanted me in there. (Nothing I would rather do.) She gets that look of fear on her face that it's going to hurt. So, me, being the cheerleader I am, start chanting a little cheer to encourage her. Pretty soon (longer than I would have liked), I hear several big droppings go into the toilet. She gets this big grin on her face and we high five and hug.

After she gets off, she says, "Mommy, I guess this means I don't have to have a bullet now."

Yep, for real.

The Sweetest Moments

For Jim and I, one of our biggest desires as parents is to know that our children are growing up seeing Jesus in us. We often wonder if that is the case...you know, at those moments where you just 'lose it'. Well, God has shown me otherwise in my children. Just today, I can list the sweetest moments.....watching Ian singing during worship time at church, hands raised, eyes closed, voice loud....Avery in her room singing "Jesus Loves Me" and "This Little Light of Mine"....Avery telling me her version of Noah and the Ark and Jonah and the Big Fish.

If it's such complete joy to my heart, I can only imagine what joy it must bring to their Father in heaven!!!!

Avery saying: Playing hide and seek, Avery's turn to count. Avery: "Okay, it's my turn to count. Hide someplace I can find you."

OMG!

That's about all I can say these days. Well, maybe I have a few more words, but you don't really want to hear them right now.

After catching up on some of ya'lls blogs (finally), I've realized that I'm not the only one extra tired these days. And I don't mean sleepy type tired. Everything about my life is exhausting me to the point of crying...which I have done. From vomit trying to brush teeth, to really SICK AND TIRED of changing pull-ups, particularly poopy ones, to books being ruined, to markers being ruined, to being woken up at night, to boogery noses, etc., etc.

Here's the real deal...we really do have a lot of sweet days. And when my kids are sweet, they are really sweet. Take for example, the wonderful kisses (for no reason) that Benjamin just came to give me! My real struggle has been that I have not been holding on to God's grace and strength. And because days have been so crazy over the last month or more, I have not stayed in touch with the ones who really challenge me to seek the only One who can get me through this life. I've lost a lot of the 'challenge' (you know, the ones who ask the hard questions and don't just 'fluff' the conversations) in many of those friends, but it only takes one. (BTW, I just got a kiss from Ian too.) So, as I prayed the other day, I will praise Him for all His good gifts (for He knows exactly how good they are). Even when my days are tough, He will get my praise.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am NOT unhappy with my life. Yes, it does get hard to watch 'normal' families, but that doesn't mean I'm unhappy with my own life.

Okay, the next entry will catch up on all the Christmas joys, like listening to Avery tell me all about God's forgiveness!

Avery saying: Avery: "Mommy, how do you spell 'drum'?" Mommy: "You mean as in the instrument?" Avery: "No, I mean as in the word."

Needles Update

Thanks for the responses from the help entry I posted. I actually ended up getting my answer from the doctor. Imagine that. I've had such not appealing luck with doctors, I almost just don't trust their 'opinions' anymore. However, a friend referred me to our new pedi and she's great...so far anyway. She's actually familiar with fragile X. She not only did not look at me weird when I told her that Benjamin had not any shots yet, she also wisely helped out with where to start. Basically she suggested to get the ones that are pertinent for today. For example...she says they don't see cases of Hib much these days, but do see Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetnus stuff. Therefore, skip the Hib for now and go for the DTaP. Okay, you get the point.

So, we pull up to the dr. office and I tell Avery (who has been a brave girl thus far) that she can take her bear in to help her feel better. She told me she didn't think that would make her feel better. I asked her what she thought would help. She says, "Mommy, the only thing that will help me feel better is if I don't get the shot at all." Smart one.

We get in there and she diplomatically tells me all the reasons Benjamin should go first. She had done so well....until....the nurse came in with the shots. Eyes get big and filled with tears and the pleading begins. After finally getting her on the table, she proceeds to hold her arm and scream and scream and beg and beg. Ultimately, the nurse and I won and she had 2 shots before she knew what hit her. I felt so badly for her, but she did eventually recover. This was her first time to get a shot in the arm. Typically, she had gotten them in the thigh and couldn't walk for the rest of the day (drama queen). When we got home, she told me she didn't want to walk. I told her she didn't get the shots in her leg so she would be fine to walk. She held out a limp arm and said, "But Mommy, when I walk, my arm moves." How could I argue that? By the end of the day, she was all better.

Benjamin, you ask? He was a trooper. Zero tears. Of course, he didn't know what was coming, so he was all relaxed and didn't tense his muscles. Hope he stays doing that well in the future!

So, we all recovered the whole immunization thing once again.....until next time....

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!

41 and Red.....Red?????

Yep, that would be me. I turned 41 years old this weekend. The tulips (my favs) are from Jim. And here are the things I did:

Decided to get my hair cut and had my niece color it...a proud #22, Cinnaberry. It's quite, uhm, RED! Just when I think I'm getting used it, I look in the mirror and a quick, Whoa!! hits me. I've gotten reactions that range from "I think it's sexy" (from my sweet husband); to "It's butt ugly" (thank for the honesty, FIL. Let's work on the tact.). I like it. And I like the cut. I think it brings out my green eyes. Hopefully, I'll get a pic on soon. So, that's that.

Had lunch with a friend. Got to have an afternoon marguerita.

We went out to eat (Thai food, yummy) and bowling with a group of friends, and had a blast. I actually won a game. I still haven't figured out if Jim let me win or not. I only beat him by 1 point. He's normally pretty good, but I guess had a bad 2nd game. He won the first. Thank goodness for me the other bowlers stunk as bad as me, so my measley 124 looked pretty darn good. Thank you, Kathie, for watching the kiddos for us. Hope your knee feels okay! The first thing Ian said the next morning was, "Where's Kaffie?" He loves you! And so do we! And thank you, Jim, for organizing a great time! I love you!

And I got the sweetest card from a dear friend. She and her 4 children came to town and stopped by for a visit recently. In her card she mentioned me as a hero, mainly referencing having our situation and still reaching out to be a friend to others. That is such a huge compliment, especially coming from her. And although I don't see myself that way, I was sooooo encouraged (and needed it). But, we ALL know that parenting, whether it be to typical or special needs, 1 child or 19, biological or adopted or foster, SAH or working, is THE hardest job on the planet. So, to all you moms (and dads)....you are all heroes!

Avery sayings: 1) We were on our way home one night and I informed Jim that he would be sleeping on the futon that night (because he had allergies going, and it keeps me up....we switch off sleeping on the futon when necessary...don't worry, no problems). Anyhoo, Avery heard and said, "But Mommy, then I'M gonna want to sleep with you tonight." BTW - at 2:30am, I hear the sweet little voice. I think she was just waiting til I was too tired to say no.

2) Long story short, I went to the store with Avery. We went in one end of the store. I forgot that we did, and at the end of the shopping, we headed for the other end of the store to leave. So, we walked around the outside of the store to get to the other side. Avery asked why we were walking to the other end. I told her it was because I wasn't thinking straight. She thought a moment and asked, "Were you thinking crooked?" Hey, she knows her opposites!

Spring Break

We're back from the little cabin in the woods. As usual, we had a great time. The disk swing was the hit of the week. That's about all the kids wanted to do. Ian was able to swing on it all by himself this year. He was sooooo proud! And so were we. Avery just wanted to keep going higher and higher. Benjamin just couldn't understand why he couldn't swing on it by himself. He's our independent wanna-be. A dangerous thing!

The kids were also thrilled because we let them all sleep together this year. We did have to get up 2 of the nights to move Ian to the downstairs room cause he woke up and woke the other kids up. He didn't seem to mind too much.

Jim and I were the only ones who got hurt this year, so that was a plus.....sort of. I missed taking some pictures I really wanted to take; like the kids sledding down the hill (of leaves, not snow), and the lake, and the beautiful daffodils. I figure I'll just take some shots of daffodils around here and put them in as if they were taken there. Who'll know?!

So another spring break is done. We've been conspiring with my in-laws about finding some land with a dwelling for us all to buy. They are sooooo incredibly gung-ho. So, if other things that need to happen work out, we'll have our own 'little cabin in the woods' to go to over spring break. (okay, so it won't be as nice as this one, but we'll be just as happy!)

Avery Saying: I was using a curling iron to try to put some curls in Avery's hair. She saw felt how warm the curl was when I let the iron go and the piece of hair whirled to her face. She said, "Mommy, you're cooking my hair."

little cabin in the woods

This morning we leave for our spring break trip to the 'little cabin in the woods', owned by some sweet friends who have allowed us to vacation there at least once a year since Ian was diagnosed. We've made some great memories there. The family picture to the right is from last year.

This year will be just about as much needed as the year Ian was diagnosed....might be a bit exaggerated. We're once again encountering family issues that are just draining us. I won't go into it all, but I am thankful to be getting away someplace we cannot receive a signal. We need to relax.

Ian and Avery are SO STINKIN EXCITED about going. For days they keep asking, "when are we going to the cabin in the woods?" Usually when we go over spring break, it rains. Well we never prepare for it, so the kids rarely get to go play in it because we've only taken one pair of shoes. HA, this year I AM PREPARED...COME ON RAIN! (not the whole time please) I bought the kids rain boots. I decided if it didn't rain, I would just return them. That way I wouldn't feel like I wasted the money. Well, once I got them home and Avery put hers on, I knew I would NOT be taking them back, rain or no rain. She put them on, quickly got her umbrella, and began to dance around in the boots and twirling her umbrella. So cute! She keeps saying, "Mommy, I'm ready to dance in the rain!" This coming from a girl whose first words when it starts raining are "Mommy, is it going to thunder? I don't want it to thunder." So, for their enjoyment I hope they get their rain.

So, I'll return to the blog world once we return to reality and our home-sweet-home. TTFN!

Can't Sleep

It's 1:40am and I can't sleep. Didn't someone else just have this problem not too long ago? So, I thought I would get up, eat another 1/4 of the container of icecream, and add an entry to my blog.

Ian is up to his old habit of not sleeping through the night again. Very irritating. He doesn't cry out and get mad like he used to. He just 'happy screams' in there. Not too long ago, he woke the other ones up. Not cool! He's in there now awake. We just up'd his does of guanfacine cause we were noticing that it didn't seem to be having the same affects. If we don't notice anything after a few weeks of the increased dose, I think we'll go back to clonodine again. We're thinking that maybe since he's gained weight since the last time he was on it, maybe he'll be able to take a small dose of it during the day without it knocking him out.

Remember my 20 year old niece who got married in April? Well, I don't remember if I already told you that she's pregnant. She got pregnant like immediately. She's 17 weeks. Well, she called about a week ago to let me know she got tested for FX and found out she's a carrier. It's weird, but all of a sudden, it seems the whole family is now wanting to read up on it more. It's a good thing, but it kinda woulda been nice to have them so gungho about knowing more about it when we got our diagnoses of fully mutated. My other sister just recently asked me for the websites. My mom said she read something, something, something about the repeats. And of course, my oldest sister (the niece's mom) is wanting to know more about it obviously. I'm not mad, just kind of feeling.....I'm not sure. Probably don't need to go there anyway. I just wish everyone would have wanted to be more educated when I needed them to be....with all my diagnoses. I actually hadn't thought about any of that until I started writing this entry. Oh well, better late than never.

Ian LOST another tooth. No idea where. But at least there wasn't blood everywhere this time. He looks awfully cute with his two bottom teeth out. He's got a tooth growing back in place of the first one. I just hope his permanent teeth are as pretty as his first set. I love his teeth.

AVERY SAYING: One more story, then off to bed. Grandma was watching the kids yesterday and told me this story: The kids were watching football (we have several games recorded for Ian, who loves to watch them over and over and over and over). She decided to give them a quick football lesson. She told them that the man with the ball needed to run fast to the yellow (first down) line. If he didn't make it, they had to try again. So, Avery pipes up and says, "Oh, that's like when I wait to long and don't make it to the potty. I tee-tee in my panties because I didn't make it to the yellow line." Too cute!

Exciting News

Okay, we all know things are 'final' until the ARD meeting. However, I got a note in Ian's backpack about him going to the ABLE summer school program at his school. This means he will be in the program for kindergarten. This means we are very happy. He'll be in a regular ed class, but with a full time aid to shadow him. I'm not 100% sure of what all this looks like, but we had a lot of help from inside pushing for us to get him in something like this, and we are very grateful. I am just so praying that he will learn more self-control over the summer. I know he'll be excited though because he'll get to ride the bus. He loved riding the bus at his Extended year during the summer last year (even though that school is less than 1/2 mile from our house). Mommy will enjoy it as well. :)

Today when we picked Ian up from school, the first thing he said was 7 layer burrito (a Taco Bell item). I hesitated and then thought 'why not'. So I asked Avery, "Do you want a ham sandwich or Taco Bell?" So sweetly she said, "Oh, Taco Bell will be fine Mommy." Unfortunately (actually very fortunately) she got in trouble and nobody got Taco Bell for lunch. Oh darn, no junk for lunch! The amazing thing was that Ian didn't throw a fit. He was so interested in why Avery was crying and in trouble that I'm not sure he even noticed. He was just fine at home with his all natural PB&J and fruit.

Avery Update

Well, Avery is still just a sweet little princess......with some attitude. We're working on that. Who can blame her though with bro hitting on her and pulling her hair??? Some days I wish she would just have some super power strength and club him a good one. Problem is, he would probably just laugh. Anyhoo, Avery and I had some mommy/daughter time away at a hotel this past weekend. The goal was to do whatever the little princess wanted to do, with no interruptions. So, what did she choose do, you ask? We checked into the room, took our shoes off and jumped on the bed. Then she headed for the remote and pushed buttons like a mad woman. Then we went out to eat and got icecream. Then back to the hotel where we painted toes, did crafts, played games, took a bath, pushed buttons like a mad woman again on the remote, and ate princess snacks while drinking a princess drink. She loved it. Then around her bed time (which she told me when that was) she was ready to go home and see daddy. It took her a while to catch on to the plan, which was to STAY ALL NIGHT. When we checked in I had tried to talk her into getting her own bed, but she would have nothing to do with that. She said she might get scared. So much for mommy getting a good night's sleep. So, we got the king.....and she slept right next to me....then perpendicular to me.....then partially on me.....then perpendicular again. I didn't sleep too great. But we had a wonderful time and she's ready to do it again.

She's still doing great in her preschool. She loves to read the letters of words and read numbers. She can say her phone number. We're working on the days of the week. Also out of the blue, she told me when her birthday is. I didn't even know she knew. She loves to go in Ian's room at bedtime and say a night night prayer and sing to him. It's really cute to hear her pray. She thanks Jesus for EVERYTHING! Last night, she thanked God for Uncle Josh and asked Him to protect his heart and his BOTTOM! I almost called Uncle Josh and asked if there was a problem with his bottom.


Latest Avery sayings:
**When we were getting on to the elevator to go up to our room at the hotel (she HATES elevators), she stood outside of it and said, "Mommy, I don't want to get on the ALLIGATOR."
**There's a song we listen to that says, "Come where the peaks meet the sky." However, when Avery sings it, it turns to, "Come where the PIGS meet the sky."
**The other day she asked for a video that we don't even have at our house. So, I asked her, "Avery, where did that come from (meaning where did that thought come from)?" She waited a minute then said, "It came from my mouth."

Getting Old? .....Just in Time

It seems, according to Avery, I'm getting old just in time. The other day we were waiting in line for drop off at school. She noticed some dry skin on my face and asked, "Mommy, are you getting old?" The funny part about all this is that I turn 40 later this month. You think she knows????????

Avery Saying

I don't normally post a blog just on one of Avery's cute remarks, but this one was so cute I didn't want to forget to post it.

I pulled out some pictures the other day, one of Nana and Papa taken 20 years ago.....no gray, no wrinkles, you know. So here's the convo:

Avery: "Mama, that's Nana."
Mama: "Yes, that's Nana."
Avery: "Mama, that's Papa."
Mama: "Yes, that's Papa."
***Silence, silence, silence***
Avery: "Mama? Is that a NEW Papa?"

She is sooooo cute!

Bittersweet; Avery Saying; Family

What an adorable face this is! This was our dog, Dante. We got Dante pre-kids. You know, when you have infertility issues, you get a dog! Well, we WAAAAYYYYY spoiled him. I wish I had some of the old pics on my computer to show you. Dante would sit in a chair with us at the table as we played cards. No, he wouldn't play cards, but he would eat pretzels and drink wine with us....don't worry, only a sip. He's a great dog.

Well, then we were blessed with children. I think our first really did him in with his loudness, inability to pet easily, etc. etc. We could see Dante's personality start to change. It's like he was trying to say, "Hey! What happened to my family, and who is this little terror taking my place!" Imagine his dismay when we had a second....then a third! His world was rocked. Sad to say, he growl at the kids, but it was more like a "Get out of my space and quiet down" type growl. Some friends couldn't believe we still kept him. Sometimes I couldn't believe it, but I just couldn't give him up. If I really believed he'd hurt the kids, I would have in a heartbeat. Anywho, times have gotten worse for Dante. He has really bad skin allergies and started "leaking" pee everywhere. After spending a lot of money at the vet (twice), we found out he had a really bad urinary tract infection and was put on meds.

We decided we really weren't being fair to our first baby (Dante). The vet agreed that under our circumstances, he was greatly stressed. So, we listed him on Craigslist (if you haven't gotten on this "better than ebay site" you should try it). We noted our circumstances with the SN kiddos, and commented that he needed a stressfree home with no small children. Long story long, we had someone come look at him and wanted to take him. Jim called to tell me so I could come say good-bye, but I couldn't do it. So, I drove around until Jim told me he was gone. We've been able to email the new owners to find out how the transition went, because we wanted to make sure that if it didn't go well, we got him back. They love him! They even kept his name. I had Jim email them again to let them know he liked to 'sing', especially to "Happy Birthday."

Thus, the bittersweet moment. I miss him dearly, especially when I see all the pictures of him. How are the kids doing you ask? The don't even ask about him! I couldn't believe it. Neither Avery nor Ian even miss him! Probably a good thing. We won't be getting a new dog for quite some time.

Avery Saying: One morning Avery was jabbering stuff. She said, "Mama, I'm such a mess." I said, "You are? Then what am I going to do with you?" She sat and thought for a moment and replied, "Throw me in the trash." :) :)

Family: Do you ever get so frustrated with family that you just don't know what to do anymore? I know from some of your blogs, that you deal with the same thoughts. I recently did a Beth Moore Bible study that mentioned that unity among family is more difficult because you don't choose your family. You can choose your friends. Face it, how many of us would choose to be friends with people with have nothing in common with or have a difficult time being around? If you said, "Hey, I would" ....more power to you. But the study reminded me that God chooses our family, and He knows the complete story and all the why's. He calls me to persevere with family and do my best to rise to peace and unity....even when others do not and no matter how I am treated. It's a tough battle everyday. If we ask and seek, He even shows us amidst the issues, the areas in our own lives where we need to be humbled and where we need to be prayer warriors. Isn't He great.....even when we are not!?

Stuff Again

Betsy asked if Avery was still potty trained. Very good question. Well, no more poops in the potty since the big one. And, a day or so after I did my bragging to ya'll, she wet THREE TIMES in her panties. What's up with that? She must have been having an emotional day that day. Since then, she's still doing good with the pee part. School starts for her the last week of this month. I'm just gonna pray she doesn't have to poop while she's there. I guess I'll find out the true meaning of potty trained from her teachers!

Avery saying: I was going to get on the treadmill this morning and Avery was going to fingerpaint. She asked me if I was going to work-out. I said, yes (but quickly changed my mind when I felt how sweltering hot it was!). She grabbed her fingerpaints and said proudly, "I'm going to work out my fingerpaints."

I can't believe Ian's ESY is almost over. His last day is this Thursday. I have to say, his time there has way exceeded my expectations! I've been very pleased. He'll start his last year in his PPCD program the end of this month. I don't want to think about the future.

That brings up another stress point time. Drugs. I know you've all dealt with them or the thought of them. Ian will turn 5 this year, and I know that reality says he can't concentrate or sit still unless he's sleeping....even then, it's debatable. When he was diagnosed and I started learning more about it, I was absolutely against him ever being on drugs (other than the ones that help with his sleep). I saw too many kids, FX or otherwise, who just totally lost their personality once on drugs. I can't stand the thought of this for Ian. He has such a great personality. It makes me cry to think of him any other way. However, it also makes me cry to think of him having to go through life as hyper as he is. It's like his brain just never stops being on overload. He's beyond HDHD. It hurts to think of how he must feel having to live with it. Anyway, our neurologist is a great guy, but not very knowledgeable about FX. We're going to see another one that has been recommended. I don't want him medicated by anyone who doesn't really understand his diagnoses. Truth be told as well, I don't know how long the rest of the household would stay sane if Ian doesn't get help. He's only getting bigger and stronger. Anybody have any words of wisdom for me?

Can't they just stay young?

My Little Girl Turned 3 and More

It's been a while since I've gotten on blog to read or to write. I've been blessed to have my family in town the last 2 weeks. My sister and niece came in last week, and my wonderful mom has been here this week. And I had all my family in (well, except for my oldest niece who I don't see too much anymore.....teens!) for Avery's 3rd birthday. Since she has the only summer birthday, she gets the pool party at Grandma's.

Sorry, but since I can't figure out how to get the pics to position correctly with the text, you'll have to figure out what pics go with what. It won't be hard. First 2 pics are birthday/birthday cake.

Avery also had her first haircut. Yes, 3 years after her birth. She has unfortunately been blessed with hair like mine.....very thin....very fine. Well, her hair hadn't even gotten really long anyway. Then on top of that, Ian pulls her hair. He doesn't just pull it, he pulls it OUT. I started noticing that the girl just didn't look right. Her hair was uneven and had gotten bizarrely short. Her hairdresser also said that sometimes baby hair falls out. That made me feel a little better. Now, hair is short again...hope it grows fast.

Now, the cake. I have a friend named Julie who is AWESOME at making cakes. One day if I remember, I'll post some of the cakes she's done for my kids' birthdays over the last 4 years. To my total horror, she was going to be out of town for Avery's birthday and couldn't make the cake. Oh my, I almost thought I'd have to cancel the party. Her cakes are that fun! Back on track....so I decided to make the cake this year. I found a recipe for a butterfly cake and flower cupcakes on KraftFoods.com. I didn't want to just do the butterfly cakepan. I figured it take me longer to figure out how to decorate it. They were both so easy to make and if I may say so myself, they turned out pretty good (not as good as Julie's, however).

Okay, the finale picture is my best friend, Zane. She was in charge of pictures at the party. I figure if she was brave enough to take a self-portrait, then it was good enough to post. Seriously, we are playing jokes on each other all the time......re-setting cell phones with different ringtones and backgrounds; turning on the wipers, A/C on high, and radio really loud in the car for when she gets in to go to work in the morning; taking self portraits for me to see when I look through the pics....stuff like that. She's great! I don't know what I'd do without her all these years!

Oh, I can't forget the Avery saying for today. We were in the van and she wanted to hear a certain song from her CD. She kept saying "guac-a-roni". After my mom and I put our heads together, we finally figured out she wanted to listen to "Yankee Doodle"....you know, the part that says, "....called it macaroni".