Happy Birthday Addy Bear!

The bear turned five today, I cant believe it has been that long. She had the nickname bear long before she was born, but it turns out it was a very fitting name for her. She was a very grumbly little baby, and can still be a very grumbly child.
She got to be the "Big Cheese" at school today. We made purple rice krispie treats for snack, took show and tell, and got to be the line leader. She was so excited.
We are having her party this coming sunday, providing that we are not snowed in.
We are expecting up to a foot of snow over the next couple days plus some ice. We also expecting high winds reducing visibility and making roads almost impossible to clear. I am so ready for nicer weather.

Back By Popular Demand

Ok, so maybe not popular demand but I have had a couple people ask when I was going to update my blog. The fact of the matter is, there just hasn't been a lot to write about. When I end up doing almost the same thing everyday, it is hard to come up with things to write about,nor have I had anymore entertaining "kidisms" to share. The past week has brought some challenges to my life but it also brought some answers to prayer!
My morning started off early. Landyn was wide awake at 6 a.m. and super cranky. I got the girls up and got them ready for school. Emmaleigh got on the bus at 7:45 and JR took Addy to school, while Landyn went back to bed. I could have gone back to bed with him but I was watching my neice for a little while.
At 10:30 I got a phone call from the school. I was really hoping they weren't calling to tell me Emmaleigh was sick. They weren't. It was the speech pathologist calling to see if I had forgotten about Addy's annual case conference. Oops! Indeed I had. I hurried to get ready and fortunately we only live a couple minutes from the school. I made it there by 10:50.
We discussed some of the changes we wanted to make to Addy's IEP and decided to add a couple goals as well as getting an OT evaluation for fine motor skills. Addy is doing really well in her new class and fitting right in. She is much happier!

Love That Boy

"Jax just told me that when he was still a baby he was in heaven and he saw Jessica's baby there and he saw Jesus. He (Jesus) was walking around and picked up baby Hudson and sat in a rocking chair. He sang him twinkle twinkle and gave him a bottle. He was very detailed about it and so serious"

This was a text message my sister sent me just a few minutes ago. Jax is her four year old son and he always knows just what to say. I have a lot going on in my life right now, a lot of which I haven't shared. It brought tears to my eyes, but they were happy tears. Who is to question the innocence of a child?
It wasn't until after my sister had sent me that text that I realized what day it was. It has been two months since Hudson was born, where has the time gone. That just makes what Jax said that much more meaningful. When I pointed it out to my sister that I didn't realize what day it was until after she sent that text she told me that its a sign that I am moving on and can get through the 17th without being drowned in sorrow....I can still remember and feel the pain but also get through it. I couldn't agree more.

I LOVE YOU TO THE MOON AND BACK JAXSON DALE!

Dinner with the Sisters

In the last two weeks I think there has only been two nights where one of my sisters has not been at our house for dinner. My brother in law asked me if I got tired of everyone being at my house every night, and of course I said no! I have always felt that it is easier to cook for everyone than just for us. We always plan our meals the night before and whoever is coming brings something that we need. This weeks meals have included chicken parmesan, tacos, steak and baked potatoes, and orange chicken with stir fry veggies and rice.
The kids all enjoy playing together and it is wonderful that they all will be going to the same school (except I feel sorry for the teachers that will have them one right after the other for six years straight.)
The weatherman has predicted yet another round of snow (YUK!) It is supposed to snow Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I am really hoping spring comes soon so we can walk to the park and let the kids play til they drop.
This weekend I have decided it is time to tackle the garage. We have so much unpack still, but I am usually doing good to keep up on whats already in the house.

Kids

Snow is nice (for Christmas), but it has been snowing here since about six o'clock this morning. (a total of about 5 inches) It wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to get out in it, but the girls still had school today and my husband still had to go to work (I think they have only shut down once in the 4 years he has worked there). It also wouldn't be so bad if it weren't cold! So I say....snow snow go away!
Addy started her new school yesterday and she is doing great! She is so happy when she comes home, instead of having a meltdown every two seconds. I know how much she is eating because the teacher sends a note home with her letting me know, and I know what she can do on her own and what she has to have help with. She also does not cry when I drop her off, she is such a big girl! I can't explain how much of a relief it is to know that she enjoys school and she is getting the help she needs.
Emmaleigh seems to have adjusted well to her new classroom. She goes to bed easily and gets up without a fight in the mornings. She told me today that she didn't have time to drink her juice at lunch because she was too busy eating but personally I think she was too busy socializing.
Landyn, well he is a boy, and I think he may have hit the terrible twos. His new favorite phrase is "no I not". He is a climber and knows how to get into the snack cabinet. Just like his dad, he thinks he has to be eating every minute he is awake. When he thinks he might be getting ready to get in trouble he will climb up and snuggle and sweetly say "Hi Mommy". Oh how I love that little man!

Writer's Block

It seems odd that I would write a blog when I don't have anything to write about. We didn't do a lot this weekend...grocery shopping, church, and a birthday party.
Noone really wants to read about the grocery shopping.....I will tell you that the kids and my husband are happy that we once again have snacks in the house. (Now if I can just keep them from eating everything in one day)
I can spend all night writing about church and how God has blessed us with such a loving church family, but I will just say that I am excited about what this year has in store for us, and I am ready to learn and grow in many areas of my life.
The birthday party we attended was for the son of a dear friend. She has four children the same ages as our four. Westin is just a few weeks older than Addy. The kids played a lot together when her and I worked at the same childcare, and they played well together today. Emmaleigh begged me to let her stay and play. We haven't done a lot together recently but our conversations always seem to pick up where they leave off.
I also want to take this time to thank everyone for all the positive feedback and for taking the time to read my blog. I started this blog to be able to put into words the emotions I was feeling and knew I would never be able to speak them, but having people actually read them is an added bonus.

A School for Addy

Since we moved we have been searching for a new school for Addy. This was not an easy task, especially being in the middle of the year (but nothing is easy with Addy). We had to make sure that the school had a program comparable to what she was in and make sure that it would meet her needs. Her new class is much smaller and I think the teacher is more willing to work with her on an individual level. We had a conference this afternoon to discuss the program that we found, and I feel comfortable with the decision to send her to this school.
Yesterday I took her to meet the teacher and see the classroom. The teacher expressed concerns that she couldn't write her name but if confident that with a little one on one, she can get her caught up. After looking over her IEP, the speech pathologist realized that her speech goals had not been updated since she was first evaluated two years ago. No wonder she was reaching her speech goals yet not seeming to make progress, he speech goal are not age appropriate.
We will have her annual case conference in a couple weeks so we can hopefully develop a better plan of action. I am looking forward to see how she progresses and maybe she will be ready for kindergarten next year after all.