What a week

Rhett came home from school Monday with a little fever and very lethargic.  He just laid there and didn't move for the longest time.  Well it sure seemed long to me.  I talked with the bus driver and he said that when he got on the bus he was shivering a whole bunch so the bus driver let him have his jacket to keep him warm.  I am so glad that he has such a great bus driver!  So I need for Rhett to get healthy and stay that way until his surgery at least.  Too bad he cannot go to school since they have a policy that you cannot send sick kids to school.  I think it is a great rule and everyone should follow it, since that is normally how kids get sick, they share with other kids.
So every morning I would take his temperature to see if he can go to school and if he still had a fever by Thursday I would take him to the doctors office.  But no matter what day it was he continued to have a fever.  He was up and moving around by Wednesday but with a fever still.  I am grateful that it wasn't a high fever at least.  But he would be zapped of energy by the afternoon and that is with just doing a little homework and resting.  I have no idea how that it is possible to not do very much but still get tired.  Thursday he still had a fever so it was off to the doctors that we went.  He had no sore throat, no ear infection, nothing in his lungs, and no other problems.  So he is thinking that it might be a mild case of the flu, or a virus that we have to wait out.  I was glad that he didn't have something really serious.  But still the doctor agreed that if he still have even a slight fever to keep him home.  So instead of worrying about things we just started to work on the science fair project that he has to turn in Monday at the latest.  The teacher wanted it by Friday but are willing to take it Monday.
By Friday the fever was gone and he was so excited to be able to go to school.  They were going to be doing some very fun things at school and he could hardly wait.  So I sent him on the bus and was grateful that I could do everything that I needed to do.  I ran to one of Rhett's schools to give them the note for him being sick.  As soon as I finished that I raced to the school of Nikole and Gavin to help with a class party for one if the classes there that earned it.  I got there just in time.  As I was helping I couldn't help but wonder how Rhett was doing and all the things that I needed to do.  As soon as I was done helping I took off to go back to the school that I went to first to see if one of Rhett's teachers were available to talk to since I had questions on how to help him.  Lucky for me she was still there and I was able to talk to her and get some help figuring out what I need to do to help him do better.  We had a good talk and then I went to the other school to take the note for Rhett and as soon as I was done I called the doctors office since we have been playing phone tag for a while.  We talked about getting him the Flovent that Rhett needs and also getting another opinion.  As I am driving around thinking about everything that is on my mind and looking for a UPS store.  LOL!  Not like I know where any of them are, which I really don't know.  But I found one and dropped off a package that needed to be sent out.  After that I went running to the store to get more things that Rhett needed for his science fair project.  I was suppose to stop at the car shop again and have something on my car fixed again but I ran out of time and headed home.  I had to head home to help Rhett with his project to see if we could get it done before Monday.  After the store I headed home with Dylan in tow.  We got home and my sister came over to visit with her kids.  We got home and started painting Rhett's project and then Rhett informed me to that his fever is back and he rested all afternoon.  DANG!  I cannot believe I sent him to school and his fever came back!  I am so frustrated.
We finally finished his project now all that he has to do is watch it for 2 days and make up his project board.  Then Monday he will be able to take it to school if he is better and if he is still sick I will take it to his school for him since it is due and it is also required.  He just better be better that is all I have to say.

How is it that this last week was a calm week and I am still feeling like I need to rest and recover from all the stress?

This next week better be better than this for sure!

My breaking heart!

So Rhett had his pre-op today while I mean the 6th so it might have been yesterday.  I went running to get him from school.  I get there and they go to get him, but I am not sure if they remember that he has oxygen and in a school with no elevator and 3 floors, I have to help him get everything down the stairs and get him to the car.  Well after we get to the car it was one of those moments that I was super stressed since I was sore from moving things around at my house the day before and Rhett was very not good attitude.  I was frustrated since in my heart I knew that this visit to the doctors was going to be very "bad".  Not in they way you may think but bad as my mind was going through everything that I found out not too long ago.  The more I thought about it the more nervous I got.  We get to the hospital and go up to see Dr. Smith his orthopedic surgeon.  We get there and check in with the front desk, and they tell me that my appointment was cancelled.  HUH???  What the heck why is that?  I never cancelled it.  They said that someone called and cancelled it on 12-8-11.  Then why the hack when I said that I had a pre-op on that day they said yes??  Man I am confused!!  I did call and cancel his surgery that was set up for April but then I set it up on the right day.  So I wonder that because I cancelled that one appointment they cancelled both and then forgot to set up another pre-op for us.  I asked what the heck am I suppose to do.  So the person at the desk that was helping me got Rhett's info and went to talk with Dr. Smith's assistant.  She came back and I asked so what am I suppose to do.  She said that they would talk to us.  So they worked us in and when I saw her she asked how we were doing and I told her that I could do without the drama but I understand.  She told me that we were not the only people that had an appointment and it was cancelled and came anyway.  LOL!  At least I wasn't the only parent there that came to a cancelled appointment.  So we are taken to a room and waited.  My nerves were a wreck!  I was so nervous that I couldn't stop moving.  The thoughts running through my head we so bad and depressing.

My thoughts:  Rhett's PFT dropped.  Why?  Not idea.  They said that they think the medicine will help him but that is only a maybe.  Do a even think that a maybe is a good enough reason to spend between $100-$200 for that every single time he needs a refill?  Can I afford the medicine?  Well if we get it and then it doesn't help then what?  He has taken the medicine better between September and Now then he did before September.  If has taken it more better between those times then why did it not help any?  He has had so many breathing treatments, and the medicine  more then ever before but still his numbers dropped.  I just don't understand.  If we are doing better but it isn't helping then what can we do to help him?  He is going to be on oxygen for the rest of his life and he complains about it often.  What is the doctor going to think about this and what is going to be his thoughts on what he thinks will help Rhett?  The more I think about this the more I want to cry because in my heart I know it isn't looking good.  Do you think he is going to have to break the ribs and pull out the chest cavity more, since all the rings are not holding anything?  Can he do that to both side at the same time or can they only do that one side at a time?  I am sure they cannot do both sides at the same time.  So what side would it be?  It better be the side that has something loose in Rhett's body.  If I remember right we are still planning to put pins in his left knee since his right knee has them already in there.  Oh boy my head is killing me!

When the doctor came in and saw us he asked if we had seen Dr. Uchida (The pulmonologist/lung doctor).  I told him that we had seen him, and he said "So what did he tell you"?  I said "He said that the lung volume is the same but the function of the lungs has decreased".  He told me that is what he had just read, I think he wanted to make sure that I had the same info and he wasn't going to surprise me with anything.  He had such a grim look on his face it was not helping my nerves any at all.  So he gets his computer out and looks over everything.  I did bring up what Dr. Uchida had said about the medicine possibly might help him, but isn't sure.  He was quiet for a while and I let him know that Rhett's had more medicine and breathing treatments between September and now then he had before September.  He suggested that if we give him the medicine and expand the chest have another PFT to see if has helped.  If it still goes down more then they have done everything that they can for him.  I asked about getting all the doctors together to have everyone on the same page.  He said that was a great idea.  I am going to work on getting all of them together.  We went over what the doctor wanted to do and we explained it to Rhett to make sure he understood.  Then we asked him if he wanted to have the surgery and if he was ok with what the doctor wanted to do.  Rhett said he wanted to have the surgery done.  So we are planning on having the ribs broken on the right side and than expand the chest on top of having a plate put in his left knee.  They won't expand the left side or do anything with the left side until a later time.

Surgerys that came and are coming update

The things that we do as a parent you do many different things to take care of your family.  Lately I have felt torn between so many different things trying to help my family that I wonder if it would help if I were 2 people.

Dylan had surgery on the 28th of February to get the putty he put in his ear on Christmas out and to make sure his ears were all cleaned out and put new tubes in his ears.  I was so worried that the surgery wasn't going to happen because Dylan has been sick for a while.  He has had a cough that hasn't gone away for a long time.  Just a few days before going into surgery he had some crackling in his lungs.  But because he just got off of 2 very strong antibiotics the doctor didn't want to put him on anything.  We tried a breathing treatment at the doctors office and it didn't even help anything at all.  Frustrating!  So by Friday before surgery he was put on steroids and breathing treatments trying to get what he has under control.  When we got to the hospital Tuesday morning I was praying so hard that they wouldn't hear anything in his lungs and that his lungs were clear so they could take him into the OR.  Gratefully his lungs were clear and he went into surgery.  They took him back right before 9 am and as soon as he went back we went down for breakfast.  We were starving since we didn't have breakfast either so that way Dylan didn't feel left out.  By the time we were done with breakfast and headed back to the waiting room they were done and Dylan was ready for us to go back and see him in recovery.  We went right back and he was sitting there drinking some apple juice.  What a cutie he was sitting there like that.  He wasn't quite sitting straight up he was trying to.  Then after a little while he starting coughing and it sounded like he was going to throw up, but glad that he didn't actually do that.  They told us that we could take him home about 10 am!!  Holy cow that was fast I have never in all my life as a parent had a child that had surgery ever left that soon after surgery.  We drove away from the hospital at 10:30 am.  The only thing that Dylan wanted all morning was pizza.  So we got him a little personal pan pizza from Pizza Hut.  He loved it!!  He could not even believe that there was one just for him.  LOL!  He just gobbled it down.  So daddy, Dylan and I hung out together all day.  We went to the store, we took daddy's work car to the shop and then we went bowling. Then we got lunch and did a little bit more running around that we needed to do and headed home.  All the kids were excited to see Dylan they were worried about him and wanted to go to the hospital to see him.  He still has the cough but at least we don't need to worry about him having to go in for surgery right now.

Rhett is working on a science fair project.  He has to turn it in before the term ends and he also has to his math project which was to sign about his VEPTRs and his small chest.  Too bad he didn't get all the requirements when he signed it in front if the school, well not suite the whole school but a lot of 9th, 8th, 7th and 6th grade students.  They had some awesome questions and it looked like they thought about the things they asked.  The term is almost over for him and he has got so much to do before it ends.  I had to show him on a calendar tonight what was all that was due and when it was due.  He just looked like so what about it...  Grrrr...  I cannot believe the attitude that he has sometimes.  Then I remember my youth and me giving my parents a hard time but when I did that I would get in huge trouble but I feel like my hands are tied because there are so many things that I cannot do as a parent that was ok for parents to do when I was growing up.
He had a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) this past week.  He is results are not that good.  His function has gone down some more, and his volume has stayed the same since I don't know, maybe this last fall.  The doctor THINKS that is he takes his Flovent everyday morning and night that it MIGHT improve.  The problem is that the medicine is over $100 and that is with insurance.  I have it and then he doesn't take it.  I seriously feel like I am wasting money when I get it and he doesn't take it.  I can't hold him down and force him to take it since he is 12 years old.  It is just 2 puffs 2 times a day but it seems that it is too much for him.  LOL!!!  That cracks me up!  Yeah right I know he can do it, he just thinks he can't.  But with this PFT we are going to find out what the doctor is going to do for his surgery coming up this month.  I am nervous since there are many rings on his VEPTRs that are not holding the ribs that they are suppose to be holding.  So I wonder if they are going to have to break ribs or not to attach them back to the VEPTRs.  I am not sure it is all a mystery.  I guess I will find out later when the doctor sees him and goes over everything.  I guess I wish my child was not the doctor's guinea pig and they knew everything there is to know about how to help him.  But then I wonder if he was sent here to help the doctors learn more and help people know that there is always good in ever obstacle that comes your way.

Nikole and Gavin have been a little frustrated with each other, oh wait that is Gavin with Rhett and sometimes Dylan too often.  Nikole is doing great and I have been giving her more responsibilities to help teacher her about life.  I hope that she learns from it.  We are working on trying to get her to get her homework done and then help around the house.  I have had her help with Dylan more she is still a little nervous helping so much but I just remind her that if I didn't trust her I wouldn't allow her to do so much and that helps her feel very important and respected.  So every now and again she asks what more she can do to help.  But then she is again only 10 years old and wants to play often just like all the other kids too.  She is still doing great in school and we only have to tell her a couple of times to get her homework done.  She is one of the best in the house to get her homework done.  She puts forth effort to make sure her hand writing is good and that it is correct.  I am super proud of her.

Gavin has been acting up lately and it has been making me crazy!!  He and his siblings fight more and more but he seems to be the one who cannot control his temper no matter what.  There has been some problems getting him to complete his homework but then when he does it and works really hard on his hand writing he does a great job.  He just told me the other day when he was fighting with Dylan and I asked him if they can just get along, I just about died when "I will only be nice if I get to do what I want to do." came out of his mouth.  I was so very upset with that attitude and informed him if he didn't change it then there were going to be serious consequences.  He can be really great and helpful when he wants like any other 6 year old.  He is doing better in school and his teacher is going to be coming back from maternity leave this month.  I hope he can be on his best behavior for her.  He was happy to have a book from the book fair to give to her.   He loves writing about angry birds and coloring his pictures from the story he has written.  He has even written a letter to all of us meaning to his family, mom, dad, Rhett, Dylan, and Nikole.  They were sure funny and cute.  He wrote pretty much the same thing in each of them.  You are the best in the whole world.  LOL  Best brother, best little brother, best sister best family, best dad, but mine was different he told me that he loved me so much and that I was the best mom.  I wish he thought that all the time, but I guess it comes and goes.

I will have to post later about Rhett's Pre-op appt that is happening soon and let you know what is going to happen and what the doctor thinks would be best for him.

Almost over for the year!

They are almost out of school and we just talked with all of the teachers for all of the kids.

Oh my goodness my kids are sure smart!

I have 1 preschooler that is just absorbing information like crazy and is enjoying school as long as mommy doesn't have to drop him off.  But everyone at the school thinks he is the cutest thing ever.  LOL I don't blame them I think he is pretty cute too.  His teacher says he is so smart and he understands things quite quick, and he can read all of his friends names and can tell me who is who which is great!!!  He was able to let me know what Valentine he wanted to give each of his friends.  It was cute watching him picking them out and tell me who they were for.  He tells me about his day every day.  Ok not really tell me but basically act it out.  LOL!  He is so CUTE!!!

Then there is my 1st grader and he is doing great!!!  He loves to read and right now he is at grade level I am hoping that I can get him higher over the summer since that way we can focus on that since he is excelling in math and writing.  He loves writing stories about angry birds. LOL!  It is cute seeing how he can come up with different stories.  Funny how that is and that he can go on and on about his story.  The only thing that the teacher said that he can work on is his behavior in school.  Heck he can work on that at home too! :)  It can be frustrating to see fight quite frequently with his siblings and others that make him mad.  Gosh what am I going to do with him???  I guess we will work on it everyday since I refuse to have my kids grow up to be those that others will be driven crazy being around. 

I demand that my kids are respectful to those around them, no matter what!

Nikole is doing so much better now in school than she did.  The teacher is going to be giving her and a few other students a special project to finish before the end of the year.  I am happy that she is doing so well.  She can improve on staying on task but other than that she she loves reading and does great in math.  I hope that she will continue to grow and want to keep learning.  I am happy that she has the teacher that she has to keep pushing her to do better and to do more.  She will do great next year!

Rhett is doing GREAT!!!  I am so happy!  We have talked to all of his teachers and many of them have said that he is doing so much better.  This is what he is getting right now that I know of:
Math - A
English - ?
CTE - A
Videorgraphy - A
Drama - A
History - B-
Sicence - B+
Directed Studies - A

I know can you believe it!  Super!  After struggling so much and not wanting to do the work he is trying harder since We have told him that he has to and give him incentive to get things done on time.  He can move the History grade up if he turns in one paper.  That would make it an A-!  It is a good thing that he is going to be working on it this weekend.  I am going to have to see how he can pull up all the other grades so that he can get that reward that we told him that he could have if he got all A's or A-'s.  It is going to be AWESOME once he can get that, because I will know how hard he worked for it.

I will have to see if I can update all the pictures and play catch up this weekend so that way you will be able to see recent photos.  They have all grown so much!

Why? Where is it?

So now it is almost Valentine's day and there is no snow on the ground.  What the heck!  Winter just never really came and now I just want April to come so Spring will be here and the surgeries will be over so I will not have to worry about the boys needing to stay healthy so they can have surgery.

Rhett has been complaining about his ears so he is now on antibiotics and is figuring out how to swallow pills.  At least they are capsules.  But hopefully they will help.  He has asked about getting his hearing aid fixed but it isn't insured and we cannot afford to pay to fix it yet.  Stupid insurance!!  They refused to cover his hearing aids because the original purchase date was over 5 years ago even thought the last time they were fixed they sent us brand new hearing aids.  What the HECK!  I am so not happy with the company that insures the hearing aids.  It has to go through a different insurance since they are not covered by the medical insurance.  Very stupid to have that as a non covered item but that is the way things are FRUSTRATING!!!  I have also talked with Rhett's math teacher and she told me that he is not as far behind as I thought.  I just hope that he will get his normal 4 on the CRT coming up.  He is starting to show his work after we had a long talk with him and let him know that his teacher expects him to show his work so she knows he can do it.  It was funny to see him get an answer wrong and realize that after I told him that it was wrong that he figured it out and got it right but that was also after he showed all his work.  I love being the one that is right.  Rhett is going to have his pre-op soon and then surgery next month.  Not sure what the doctor wants to do but in my mind I am thinking they are going to be breaking ribs on both sides of him, but I could be wrong.  As soon as I find out I will have to let everyone know.

Nikole is doing great in school!  We just had parent teacher conferences and her teacher really enjoys having her in the class.  I had taken her to the orthodontist and asked him about braces for her.  He said that he needed a panorex to see what teeth are where.  So I took her to the dentist for a check up and while we were there got the x-ray that the orthodontist wanted, so I then took that when I took Rhett in for his monthly check up.  I asked him what he wanted to do and he informed me that she needed to have 4 teeth pulled.  They were all of her eye teeth.of course, just like her mother.  So without telling her I made an appointment for her with the dentist to have her teeth pulled.  So when the time came I went and got her from school and told her we were going for a ride and we were in a hurry.  So as we were driving I just kept her talking, but she is super smart!  She asked me if we were going to the dentist when we were half way there.   So I told her that we were and all of a sudden there was tears and wailing and pouting.  So when we got there she finally calmed down after seeing other kids there that were playing and every time she played with a toy a little boy would come over and take the toy that she is playing with.  I smiled at her and told her that she made that toy look so cool and he just couldn't resist playing with it too.  I told her that no matter what toy she had he would think it was cool.  So she tested it and got another toy out and played with it for less than 5 minutes and he came up and get it from her again.  She smiled at me and knew that I was right.  She kept playing with different toys and he kept coming and taking it away from her.  At least it made her smile.  Finally it was her turn to go back and have her turn in the chair with the dentist.  She was crying all over again!  Oh boy.  The dentist was concerned and asked if she was ok and I told him that she was scared.  He told her that there was nothing to worry about.  He put some numbing gel on her gums as he got that shot ready to numb her really good.  She kept look over but the assistant kept her attention and held her hand.  Soon her gums were numb and he was able to give her the shots to numb her really good.  Then they waited about 10 minutes while she looked at a book with me.  When they came back in they talked to her as she gripped the armrest with one hand and the assistants hand with the other hand.  The dentist was talking with her and all of a sudden he had pulled on tooth out.  He told her see that wasn't so hard was it.  She started laughing.  Within less then 15 minutes all 4 of her teeth were out and she was surprised that it didn't hurt very much.  Later it hurt a little but that was after the numbing medicine wore off.  She did great and I was so proud of her!  Now she has recovered very well from the experience.

Gavin is great at his school work.  He still has a hard time controlling his behavior.  It is quite frustrating for all of us even for him too.  I have told him that he is going to need to figure out a better way of expressing himself.  He can be so kind when he isn't having issues with anyone.  I hate having him get on the bad side of others but heck he is going to have to learn to not throw temper tantrums.  He is a great runner and he can be very quick, but mommy can still beat him in a race.  He loves going to school and playing with his friends.  I wish I knew what went on at school while he is there but I don't know.  His teacher has been out on maternity leave but will be back in March.  I am glad that he has a great sub but I wish his normal teacher was there.  I am not sure if that makes any sense to anyone but me but that is ok right?  Gavin's dentist appointment went great just like Nikole's did.  So happy even though he is losing teeth every now and again.  It has been since November that he has lost any but heck he enjoys wiggling his teeth when they are loose.

Dylan is struggling this winter more so then others.  The cold then the warm always make kids get sick easier then if it were to stay cold or stay warm.  He had walking pneumonia the end of last month and was put on antibiotics then, and now he is battling infection in his ears, nose, and head.  So now he is on a different antibiotic.  I hate giving him medicine but it is not like I have a choice.  That poor boy is suffering so much.  I feel for him.  I am not sure where he gets it all these colds from but man I feel like he has gotten so many just this school year.  Dylan will be going in for surgery on his ears this month.  I just hope they can get the putty out of his ears that he put in on Christmas.  He loves playing video games and especially Zumba.  He gets home from school and asks before I can even help him off the bus "Dylan dance."  He is a cutie!  I will have to see if I can tape him dancing, oh I mean doing Zumba and post it.

Dear Mr. Winter,

You are so FIRED!

Sincerely,

Me


I just had to write a letter to winter letting him know how much I hate him at the moment.

Holy!! CRAP! Update at last.

Man I am horrible!  I wanted to write sooner but things have been really busy with the kids ending their terms at school, and 3 different birthdays and so much going on in January that it was impossible to be able to write anything.  That just means a whole bunch of catching up to do.

All the kids had end of the term in the beginning of the month of January.  So we had papers, and studying for tests and stuff like that we had to do, before the term ended.  Right after that was birthday galore and illness too.  I thought we were all over that but no we still have illness and more homework that I ever thought possible.

Dylan turned 4 and had a great birthday!  He loved handing out cake cones and heck he was happy just playing.  We had to convince him to open his presents.  LOL!  He was so cute he had decided that for his treat for his class on his birthday he was going to take string cheese.  What a great healthy treat.  LOL!  I didn't even need to convince him.  Then when he got home from school that day all he could tell me was that it was his birthday. :)  I asked him how old he was and he actually told me that he was 4!  I was surprised since it took him forever to tell me that he was 3.  What a funny boy.  We have been working on potty training him .  I think he does better at school with that than he does at home.  He has been making a lot of laundry of course.  Hopefully he will get the hang of it soon.  That would be AWESOME!  He had a sleep study the end of January and I am still waiting for the results.  But he had a very interesting thing happened while we were there.
Here is the story:
Check in at the hospital is at 8 pm.  So we get there at 8 pm, and they put him in the same room that Rhett had his sleep study in a while ago.  As they were getting ready to attach all these wires all over his head and body they brought in a movie for him to watch to try to keep his mind off of what they are doing.  As he watch I comforted him as they cleaned and put wires all over his head and body,  After they were done he still was watching the movie.  I sat with him on his bed because he asked me to be with him.  As he watched the movie I was working on all the papers that they needed me to fill out.  After a little while Dylan actually started to get tired and asked me to move the bed down which was perfect since the bed needed to be all the way down for the sleep study.  After he realized that he was tired he told me he wanted the bed up but I just kept telling him in a minute I have to finish this paper work.  Which was funny because by the time I was finished I turned around and he was completely asleep.  So I was going to give the staff the paper work to that I finished and there was no one in the hall so I was going to wait but I found someone and they told me to just put it on the chair that was across the hall from the room that Dylan was using.  So as I walked across the hall to put the papers downs the door closed behind me and I waited for a minute before I tried to go back in the room.  I found the man on the staff that was watching over Rhett.  He was helping the other person get another patient settled.  After I told him the papers were on the chair I pushed on the handle to enter the room again and the door didn't open.  I was like ok this is crazy why isn't the door opening.  You cannot pull on the handle since it isn't that type of door handle.  I asked the man, "How do you open the door?"  He told me to push.  I told him I did and pushed  on the handle again, it still didn't open so I pushed harder and then there was a little snapping noise that came from the handle.  He stood there and watched me try to open the door.  I looked over to him and said it isn't opening and so he came over to see if he could open it.  He tried to open it and there was no kind of latching in the door handle.  So the door was no going to open at all unless the handle gets fixed.  So he called someone in engineering to see if they can fix the handle to open the door.  The dispatcher forgot to inform them that there was a patient in the room by themselves and no one could get in or out of the room.  But lucky he slept through the whole thing and the whole time  only moving at the very end.  When the engineering person finally got there after an hour of waiting but after he got there it only took him about 5 minutes to pry the handle to the point of being able to open the door.  I slipped in when they got it open and made sure that Dylan was still asleep.  Of course he was which I was grateful for that since he does wake up almost every night in the middle of the night.  So that was around 11pm when I finally got beck in the room but I couldn't sleep very well until my anxiousness left me.  I was finally able to sleep around midnight.  Dylan did wake up and looked that the person that came in to check on him right in the face.  That was before he woke me up at 2:30 am.  He looked at me and said movie, and because I am not the bad guy at the hospital I told him I would ask but I knew the answer.  She of course told me no and I went and told that to Dylan.  I told him and he asked me if he could sleep in my bed so I asked him if he needed hugs and he said yes.  So I got into the bed with him and held him until he slept.  Then when the other person came to check on him I woke up and moved back to my bed.  That was at 3:30am, by then I was exhausted!  I had my phone set for an alarm to go off at 5:40 am since the study only went until 6 am.  Well the man walked in at 5:50 am and told me that the study was over.  We headed home and when we got there I slept I was so tired and Dylan slept a little later that same day.  It was funny.

Gavin has been doing good in school as far as I am aware.  He does show me his homework and it is always done and done correctly.  He loves writing about angry birds.  He has written 6 pages or something like that telling the story that he thinks is behind the game.  After he writes about the story he then draws a picture.  Very funny because he says read it and I have no idea where the spaces are and of course the words are misspelled so as I am trying to read it Gavin tells me the story out loud.  Funny boy!  He is an amazing big brother to Dylan.  When I ask him to make Dylan a sandwich he does and Dylan loves having such a great big brother.  He still goes to school with Nikole and has been pretty good about being nice to her as they go to school.

Nikole turned 10!  She is growing up so fast.  She can be a big helper when she wants to be.  Sometimes I think she wants to grow up faster than she really is, but gratefully she isn't growing up that fast.  She is really into art and craft things which can be frustrating since she makes a mess trying out all this different things.  But it is great that she has found something that she really loves to do.  She is very talented.  I am going to help her learn to draw and expand her horizon in art.  She went to the doctor and was told that she needs to go to the eye doctor.  She isn't looking forward to that.  She also needs to have all of her eye teeth pulled to make way for the adult teeth.  She is a lot like me  in ways that I remember.  She isn't looking for that at all.  Oh well not like she has a choice.  We will see how she handles it when the time comes for it to actually happen.

Rhett is stressing me out!!!!!!!  His little attitude and such.  He is not doing all the school work that he should.  He complains all the time about how it isn't fair that he has homework on the weekend.  I told him that it is life and he better get used to it.  I am going to have to go to his school to find out how far behind he is in all of his classes to see how much he has to make up before the CRT tests.  If he is really really far behind I am sure he is going to have even more work.  I will have to update this later today since I am going to go talk to school people about the issues that he is having.

The end of year review

I started writing this in December, but now it is the new year and I still need to finish it.  Bummer!  As you read you will see that I started the end of December.  Well the time has come to see how well I did this year keeping up on my blog. :)  I guess this month was really really bad!

Rhett had school up until the 21st of December and so did Dylan, but Dylan woke up Monday morning and had spots all over his little body.  I panicked and called to find out if there had been anyone at the school who had at one point had the chicken pox.  I found out that there had been no chicken pox but there had been a high school student sent home for spots being hives from a virus.  I was like ok but I am still taking him to the doctors to make sure that it isn't the pox.  I took him in Monday afternoon and the doctor confirmed that it was a reaction to a virus and it was hives nothing contagious.  Thank you Lord!  I seriously had me heart missing beats until he told me that.  Then it seem to have went away in 2 days later.  But by that time he had missed all the fun things at school, like the Christmas party that the preschool was having.  Oh well he enjoyed hanging out at home for a little while until Gavin started teasing him then it wasn't so fun.The kids had a blast listening to Christmas music!  They were actually sad to not hear it on the radio anymore. 

As soon as school all craziness broke out at my house.  Between them excited for Christmas and not wanting to sleep and no set in place schedule there was fights and frustration.  Glad that we are on our way down to school starting again.  The had so much fun spending time with family and friends over their break, but they have informed me that they are bored and are ready to go back to school.  Ok all except for Rhett.  Since Rhett got sick I mean really sick.  Took him to the doctors on Tuesday since everyone was closed except for the ER on Monday.  The doctor said that he has a virus that is causing him to cough.  Well it is making him exhausted.  He already uses all of his abs to breath but to cough he has to use the same muscles.  He is tired and of course we are working on breathing treatments, not helping, not thinking that steroids will help.  So I took Rhett back to the doctor on Friday and they said more antibiotics and steroids on top of the breathing treatments every 2 hours.  Let's just say that thankfully he isn't doing as bad as he was 2 days ago.

Nikole had the same thing that happened to Dylan.  All of a sudden she broke out into hives all over her body and was crying cause it hurt everywhere.  Notsure what caused it but the doctor that saw the pictures that I had taken when I took Rhett in said it was a virus knowing that Dylan had that same thing 2 weeks ago.  I said ok and gave her meds.  It cleared up in less than 3 days and she is ready for school.

We had an eventful year and are ready to start this new year with a great out look.  I will post some pictures hopefully tomorrow when I can get them uploaded on my computer.

Thank you to all the elves tht made Christmas so wonderful for our family.  I can hardly wait to have my children help me give a Christmas to a family that could use some help.  If I can get away with it I ould give to to several since I know that there are several families that could use the help and love from others.

Eeek! Hoping...

Dang it all I was hoping that I would have had time to update this before now, but NO!  I am quite furstrated with myself.

The Festival of Trees was amazing!  I had so much fun auctioning off the large trees this year, but we were not able to to go as a family since we were doing so much and time just flew by.  I have been busier than I thought I would ever be.  But you do realize that this is December and the busyest time of the year for all of us people.  Trying to get everything done that needs to be done before the end of the year.  There is still so much that I need to do. :(  Oh well I guess it is a good thing that there is only 2 more weeks of the year and then the start of a new year and more goals and  more time to get everything done. LOL!

Rhett has been a hand full between school work and health issues.  He had this issue with something in his back right where his VEPTR is located.  Well he still has the issue since the doctor hasn't done surgery on him to fix it.  There is a ring on the VEPTR that attaches to the ribs going around the rib and around the VEPTR.  It is loose since it is no longer around the rib at all.  So the doctor has to fix that this Spring, as long as he isn't in any pain.  So far it isn't hurting him but it is annoying him.  Grateful that he won't end up in surgery this month.  We will have to keep praying that it doesn't hurt him and that he will be ok.  He gets so bored with doing homework because he is so smart and he knows everything that he is working on already.  I just tell him that it is busy work and he has to do it, too bad.  He was like "But mom..." I then told him that not everything is going to be handed to you and you just need to do what your teacher tells you to.  I am quite frustrated that his grades are not as good as I was hoping they would be, but I can only do so much.  I cannot hold his hand and make him do it he has to choose to do it himself.

Nikole is doing better but still has issues getting her homework done on time. :(  Just like Rhett she gets distracted easy.  But she has been great making sure her room is clean just like Rhett and Gavin.  I am happy to see that she has the desire to keep it clean.  But she knows if it is messy and I ask her to clean it, she only has a little bit if time before I go check.  If when I check and it is messy I get to pick one of her stuffed animals and she will never see that animal again.  She wants to keep all her toys and is willing to make sure that she does keep them.  She is enjoying more responsibility now that she is getting older.  She wants to grow up so fast and I had to tell her that it is important for her to be a child as long as she could since you can only be a child once.  She is trying to accept that and still be a little girl. :)  I hope she doesn't grow up too fast.

Gavin is doing great and trying ot do his best at school which I am grateful for, but he does have some issues getting his anger under control if someone makes him mad.  We are working on it and so is the staff at the school.  I hope between us all he gets over it easier and than remembers how to control his temper.  He is so excited to be in school and learn but he gets grumpy often if he doesn't get his way.  He is doing great at making sure his homework is done before school.  He loves reading and enjoys the fact that he can read on his own now so he can look at more books.  He is understanding more and more.  I love seeing his face as he gets things and knows more and more everyday.  He has also lost 3 of his teeth in less than 2 weeks!  At first he wasn't too excited to pull out his teeth but after the first one came out the others followed very soon after.  He wasn't so scared after that. :)

Dylan loves school and is finally not crying each time he gets on the bus.  He leaves with a smile and comes home with a smile too.  Just the other day he told me as soon as he got home, "Autumn here."  It was super cute to see how happy that he was to come home and tell me about his day.  But what he says over and over again is Autumn. :)  Not sure all the signs other than that one since he still uses little boy signs. :)  He is trying to use the potty more and more but we are so far from having him potty trained.  He does tell mommy and daddy when he is poopy, but mostly he likes telling daddy and making daddy do all the dirty work.  LOL!  Sweet that means I am going to enjoy this while I can.  He loves being such a big boy, but every now and again he tells me that he is a baby and curls up like a baby in my lap.  LOL!  It is a good thing he is so small.  He finally got over the croup that he had, but he did give it to Gavin.  Glad that Gavin is over it too.  I hope that he enjoys the holiday and remembers school after it is over that way it will be easy for him to go back to school.

Oh the days...

Oh the days that have gone by.

I am so sorry I am such a bad blogger at the moment.  Things have been really stressful for me trying to get everything ready for the holidays.  It makes me crazy that I feel like I am not doing the best I can do and that I can do better.

Since I am writing this in the middle of the night I think I will finish tomorrow and post it them too.  I am too tired to try to stay awake.

So here it is tomorrow and things are rolling fast than I want them too.

Rhett is making me crazy.  I have tried to help him make sure everything is ready and have him turn in everything on time but NO!  To no end he refuses.  I finally told him that his grades do not affect me since I passed middle school a long time ago and those grades will just affect him.  He looked at me like but....  GRRRR!  Makes me crazy!  He has been missing out on scouts and mutual since he is not wanting to do his homework and it is taking him forever to get anything done before bed.  He knows it he just doesn't want to do it.  It is so very frustrating.  I would love some input on how to help him since I am drawing up NOTHING, because I have already tried everything that I know already.

Nikole has been struggling in school when I thought she was doing so well.  GRRR!!!  This cannot be happening to me!  She is really struggling with writing and I am not even sure how that is so since she is always making up stories and drawing.  I have informed her that ELP isn't something that she should worry about and that would be considered extra but she isn't in ELP right now anyways.  I told her that I expected her to do better and this show me how she will do in middle school and high school.  I then told her that I am not going to pay for her to go to college and they are going to have to make sure that they get great grades and earn their way through college.  That way it will mean more to them.

OK so I might help a little but I am not going to tell them that.

Gavin is doing pretty good in school.  YEA!!!  He has a few things that he needs to work on but other then that his grades are awesome.  He is having a hard time doing what is right and making right choices, I hope that he will understand that soon and stick to it.  He has been doing great on his homework and I am so proud of him for getting all of it done and heck he can write to the point that you can read it.  I am loving how he does his best just because I make it fun for him. :)

Dylan is doing great in school and is super smart according to his teacher.  He still sometimes has a sad moment when he realizes that him and Autumn are in different rooms but that is ok since she will be in there soon enough.  He has been getting sick quite easy this school year.  I am praying that he gets better and fast since I hate having him miss school since he really likes going and playing with his friends.  But better to keep him home and get him better than force him to school like some other parents probably do.

That was the update on the kids and now to update life.

We had Thanksgiving and I am quite really not enjoying that holiday ever!  It is really frustrating that Dylan gets sick following that almost every year!  What the heck!  I love getting together but not if he is going to get sick right after.  Ok let me back up a little bit.  The week of Thanksgiving Dylan had only one day of school while everyone else had 2 days.  He and of course all the kids were healthy and ready to go play with cousins and maybe eat some food.  So we head out to the place of gathering.  We stayed there for about 5 hours and came home.  Then the next day I went with Nikole and had our hair cut and spent time having girl time which was GREAT!!!  We did that most the day while daddy stayed home with the boys.  Saturday I ran to a store came home and then daddy took all the kids and headed out.  They hadn't been gone for too long before I got a call saying they they were out of gas.   Oh ok so I went and saved them all(I am so happy that it wasn't me this time.).  After I saved them we all come home for dinner and then sent the older kids to the neighbors house for a birthday party, and within 30 minutes we had to get them and headed to a hockey game.  As I am getting kids out the door I notice that Dylan has a whole bunch of green goop around his eyes.  I talk to daddy about that and found out that he has been cleaning them out all day.  Oh ok great just what I need.  We go and watch the game with all the kids and as we are getting ready to leave I am making sure no kids are leaving anything behind and I look around and don't see Dylan.  I ask and then the next thing I know he is screaming from a few seats from the isle and he is quite a few rows down from us.  I know he didn't fall down the stairs but he did manage to sprain his foot pretty bad.  We leave and before we can go very far he is asleep in the back seat.  Gratefully he slept the whole night but in the morning his eye was much worse and he was limping.  My poor baby!  I checked into taking him to the ER or Kids Care and decided to take him to Kids Care but they wouldn't open until noon so as soon as the clock hit noon I ran home from church since daddy stayed home with the kids and planed on just grabbing Dylan and taking him but NO, when I walked in he was in the bath and not even ready to go.  So as soon as he was out he fell asleep I let him sleep a little but then I took him and that is when I found out no school for him Monday but Tuesday he can go.  Great, that was because his eye are very contagious and he needed antibiotics.  They rapped his foot and tried putting a little shoe on him but he has in between feet so nothing fit and that was ok.  So Sunday night after everyone had gone to be I am hearing Dylan cough and cough.  CRAP!  NO!!  It is that horrible barking cough that is totally croup.  So first thing in the morning I took him to the doctors and yep he has croup.  Well no school for a few days for that .  Meaning the whole week for him since he only goes Monday through Thursday.  He has been home coughing and resting I hope.  I hope and pray that he will be able to go back to school on Monday.  But As you can see Thanksgiving weekend I could really live without.  Don't get me wrong I am very blessed and thankful.  I and thankful everyday for more than I can list.  I guess a better saying would be I can live without the drama caused by the weekend.

Ok that is everything for now I hope to update sooner since things go quite quick this month.

Oh my... long over due!

Now that things are less crazy at my house I hope to be able to blog more.  LOL!  I am feeling really bad about not keeping up as well as I was but I can only do so much.

Rhett is doing so much better at school than he was.  The staff have talked to the kids and let them know if they bother Rhett again then they will have some major consequences.  That made my day.  Since one of them didn't stop and was not able to attend school for a little bit and that changed that child's mind about giving Rhett a hard time.  The other one stopped after the school staff talked to him.  I am so very grateful.  I ask Rhett all the time how school is and if everyone is being nice and he tells me all the time so far that they are being really nice.  (SMILE)  I am so glad since it makes it so much easier for him to be able to go to school.  Now the pressure for him to get all A's is on.  I made a deal with him that if he got all A's I would get him a cell phone with conditions.  Meaning he cannot have it out playing it at school or calling weird people that I don't know, and he has to keep it safe.  He is working really hard since he really wants it.  It is good that he is willing to work so hard for something like that.  Once he gets it the only way to keep it is to keep his grades up, that way he knows it is a privilege not something that you get for free like everyone on his bus thinks.  He asked me the other day why am I the only one that doesn't have a cell phone on my bus?  I said because maybe the parents don't care how their child is doing in school, but it really didn't matter because I expect a lot from you.  He looked at me like this isn't fair and I informed him that life is sometimes not fair and he is going to have to get over that.  It is the beginning of a new term so he has all A's right now and I told him that he just has to keep them there.  No problem.  He looked at me like I had green hair or something.  I love being a mom!  It is great to see him be more focused and ready to take on the task of being responsible.

Nikole is doing ok, could be doing better.  She was worried so much about her reading group work and her ELP work that she forgot the focus should be on the class room work.  So her and several other kids that were in those have been pulled back into the class room to make sure they understand that the work in the class comes first no matter what.  She tells me she is ok with that but then acts all depressed and sad.  What the heck little girl!  What will it take to motivate her?  I have to come up with something and fast before it affects her school performance more.  She loves reading and would rather read than do anything else that I can think of right now so it is good.  She is such a great reader that I am not sure why she does some of the things that she does.  She enjoys walking to school with Gavin, which I think is great!  I tell them everyday that I love them and to take care of each other as the go to and from school.

Gavin is super smart!  He now has to come up with sentences with his spelling word in it and he gets them off the top of his head!  Man I wish I could have done that at his age. :)  He is getting better and better at waking up when I call his name to get him up which is great!  I ask him how he is doing in school and the only struggle he has is staying on "wonderful day" so that is pretty good right?  We are working at getting him to the point that he will be great at school and be on task the majority of the time if not always.  He gets all his homework done before he gets home and if he doesn't he gets it done in less than 5 minutes that little stinker.  He loves to read and reads every night no matter what.  I am happy that he enjoys books and I hope that he always will.

Dylan loves school!  Well that is what I tell him.  LOL!  He is normally one of the first 3 people to wake up and get going in the morning what is crazy for a 3 year old but heck I hope that he will always be a early riser.  He gets on the bus all grumpy in the morning after smiling and being happy.  WEIRD!  Then after the bus starts moving and he leaves the street that we live on he is all happy according to the bus driver.  What is up with that little man?  What a funny boy for sure!  Every now and then I will send some fruit for a snack to school with him.  Today it was oranges, and he looked so excited to take them to school.  Cracks me up!  He is so expressional and you will almost always know what he is thinking by looking at his face.  He loves mimicking what mommy and daddy say and do so we are working hard to make sure that we are saying and doing what we need to do right so he isn't doing anything we don't want him not to do.  Just yesterday I said "Oh boy" and this little boy sitting next to me tried saying "oh boy" it was so funny having it come out of his mouth because it isn't every day a 3 year old says that.

I am trying to stay busy and sometimes I do and sometimes I don't it is normally a hit and miss thing.  The kids we so cute for Halloween and I was surprised how well everything went together.  They costumes were GREAT according to me and they even liked them which was brownie points for me.

Here are my PUPPIES!

This is one of my Black Labs that I had.

My other Black Lab.

My Dalmatian, look at them spots.

And my little brown puppy.  Not sure if he is a mix, a lab, or any other dog.

Yep here they are in all their excitement.  Well as for me I was the dog catcher.  I do it all the time anyway so what is wrong with me doing it on Halloween anyways?

See piece of cake!  Thanks Brynne for the awesome idea!

My sister helped me make some awesome cakes for the scout auction and ward party that I couldn't attend since I had other places I had to be at.  She was amazing!  See how cool she is to help me with all of these?

Chocolate Cat aka Black Cat.

Bag of Trick or Treat candy.  Yummy!

Trick or Treat!  Yummy!

All 3 of them together!  

Thanks Hillary I couldn't have done it all with out you!

Now I am looking forward to getting my house clean and ready for the rest of the holidays that are fast approaching!  I will have to update more later but for now this will have to do. :)

Holy Crap!

So much has happened since I was able to make my computer work well enough to blog.  So here's to hoping that I can get it all in before it over heats and shuts down.

    Ok so the week that I posted last was the week of parent teacher conferences for Nikole and Gavin.  On top of that was also the bookfair at their school that I told them I would help with.  But since Rhett was having issues Sunday I stayed home to make sure he was ok after school.  He came home and almost instantly fell asleep and slept for 3 hours!  Ok he does realize that bedtime is 7:30 pm and I don't make exceptions on school nights.  He did go to sleep around 8 pm.  I hope that he is ok.  Monday nights are usually hard trying to get them back in the swing of things.
     Tuesday I was a good day and I was able to help in the bookfair.  Rhett was told to sit and do homework while I was busy helping.  Did he NO!  What is wrong with him?  Maybe it is his age thing but still it would sure help if he would do what he is asked to do without a lot of drama.
     Wednesday this got crazy trying to fit in both parent teacher conferences.  We were really late for one but daddy doesn't get off in time to meet earlier.  But both Gavin and Nikole are doing great!  They need to stay focused and have better behavior but other then that their grades are GREAT!  So proud of my kids!  They are super smart and they know it. LOL!
     Thursday I was able to help in the bookfair again for a little while but then it was like I was running to make sure everything was taken care of since that is a crazy night for me because daddy has things he has to do and is not available to help with anything on those nights.
     Friday is finally here!  So happy to be able to say we got through that week, but I guess I spoke too soon.  As I was watching Dylan and helping in the bookfair I was told that we were going to draw some classes to break pinatas since the theme of the bookfair was fiesta.  After calling down the 1st class and having a great turn out, the 2nd class came down to break their pinata.  Oh the joys of pinatas!  Well after we started not to far into the class there was one girl that found the rope that I was hanging onto with the stick and swung at my head.  It was like I saw it in slow motion.  As she swung I just dropped the rope and fell backwards on purpose.  Didn't hurt me but I wasn't sure if I would make it out of the way of the stick before I would get hit.  That was goal was not to get hit with the stick.  Well didn't get hit and didn't get hurt.  Scared the crap out of everyone there but I was having a blast!  Then the next girl started swinging towards Dylan who was very close to the windows and as she got closer to him I moved between her and my baby with the rope in front of me hoping that we would all make it out alive.  Did I mention that this was a 5th grade class?  Opps I guess I left that out.  Anyways since I could see that this was going to end badly if I didn't do something I reached out as she swung and grabbed the rope and the stick at the same time without getting hurt.  Put a end to that.  Finally they broke it open and that was that, or that is what I thought.  The principle saw what had happened and came to ask me if I was ok since all he saw was the girl swing and me fall.  LOL!  I told him that I was fine and dandy.  Well then I was told that we were going to finish breaking all of the rest of the pinatas which meant 3 more classes to swing.  Oh boy oh boy...  Well I was the only crazy one willing to hold the rope and have the kids swing a stick around close to me.  he he he So I went out and we got through almost 2 classes before my phone.  Well it was my husband and when I tried answering it I couldn't hear anything since the kids were all screaming and having a grand time.  So as soon as we were finished with that class I called him back to see what was going on before the next class came for their turn whacking that candy out of the paper.  This is what I was told on the phone...
     Rhett's school called and there was an issue that happened and they couldn't get a hold of me.  I asked what happened and I was informed that Rhett admitted that he had smeared poop on the wall in the bathroom.  I was like WHAT!?!?!  Ok now what do I do?  I asked my husband if I needed to go get him and he said that they didn't say, so I hung up and he called me back within 2 minutes and said yes you need to go get him.  OK!  GREAT, not really...  Ok it is going to take me at least a half in hour to get there.  I hung up and realized that I had one more class to go.  CRAP!  Ok let's get this party started and get it over with.  Well this class took it's time and I had to let them know that they had to wrap it up before the bell rang and then Rhett's school was calling me asking where I was and how soon I was going to be there etc...  I told them that I had to my car and then I would head out ASAP.  Hoping to be there before 12:30pm.  Well I raced home with Dylan after I had let everyone know that there was an issue that I had to leave for and I was sorry that I couldn't stay and help them like I had planned.
     I pull up to Rhett's school pissed off since this is something that he knows he shouldn't do.  There were kids outside ready to get on the bus that were middle and high schooled age children.  As they saw me get out of my car there eyes went from normal size to big.  I hope they were thinking oh crap don't mess with her.  Since that is how I felt.  I was so mad it wasn't funny.  I go in and the school psychologist was there waiting for me.  She explained to me that what Rhett was saying  about wiping poop and writing in wasn't adding up and she also explained to me that it took them over a hour to calm him down since they had informed him that I was going to be told and that he was going to have to explain everything to me.  I guess he knows that you just don't mess with me.  They were hoping that I could get more info out of him but nothing that they haven't heard.  It still didn't add up and make much since but oh well...  There was nothing I could say or do to get new info from him.  As he was telling me all what had happened he did say that he was just so very mad since there was at least 2 people that have been picking on him.  OH MY &%*^$!!!!!  I was pissed but I contained it.  I found out that some of the kids have been swearing at him since the 5th day of school and then they started playing the "F" game meaning that you would get hit if you saw the letter 'F' below the waist but he was getting hit no matter where the 'F' was.  I WAS SO PISSED!!!  At this point I wanted to clobber these kids that have been hurting my son.  I asked him to hit me as hard as this one boy has hit him, and he told me that he wouldn't.  I informed him that I could handle it after almost being hit in the head, but then he told me that he cannot hit me that hard because he can't hit as hard as this boy.  OH MY GOSH!!!  Can you say MAD!!!!  I wanted to do more damage and I was so glad that there were some days in between that day and the next day of school.  It took such a long time to talk to him and get all the info out of him, I mean I got at his school around 12:30 pm but I didn't get to leave there with him until almost 3:30 pm!!!  Holy CRAP child when I want answers you better give them to me faster than that!!  I had planned to take the kids to a pumpkin patch at 3:00 pm but no...  I called and let CR and Amy that we were running late and we would be there as soon as I could.  Then I had to find Nikole and Gavin since they were in the after school program and I had told everyone that I needed them at the school and to keep them there.  Found out that they were out on a field trip and I had to stop by the place that they were at and pick them up.  I headed home to pick up daddy and then hit the road to the pumpkin patch.  We got lost trying to find it and then when we finally found it the kids were so excited since they have never been to a pumpkin patch.

Here are some pictures of each kids and their pumpkins.  LOL!!!

I will post more pictures trying to catch up a little later.

The kids loved it!!!  It was fun being able to do something that we have never been able to do before.  I was so happy that the day was over since it was a very long day.
     So Saturday it was S.I.B.S. (Super Important Brother and Sister) day at PCMC (Primary Children's Medical Center)!  I was so happy since this is something that is just for Gavin and Nikole.  The hospital puts this program on for siblings of children with special needs.  I am glad that it gives them some place that they can meet other kids like them that also have a sibling that has special needs even if they are not exactly the same as Rhett and Dylan.  I had to take Rhett with me to the hospital because he had so much homework that he needed to get done before Monday.  So while daddy took Dylan to baseball I took all the other kids up to the hospital.  I dropped Gavin and Nikole off and then took Rhett with me to the parent hour they have, so parents can meet other parents dealing with some of the same problems.  I sat Rhett down at a table and informed him that he was going to sit here and do homework the whole time. while Nikole and Gavin are playing.  After meeting with the other parents I sat down with Rhett and read my book while he did homework after homework.  After the end of S.I.B.S. day I went home with all the kids thinking that Rhett had actually finished all of his homework.  I found out Monday morning that Rhett missed one subject and could finish it.  But other than that he got the rest of it done.
     Sunday I informed Rhett that he would have to talk to the bishop about what had happened at school and his eyes size went from normal to golf ball size really quickly.  I am hoping that he has learned his lesson and will never do anything like that again.  He had a great talk with the bishop and worked everything out.  I am so very grateful for having Christ in my life and showing my children that they are important to him and to my family.
     So come Monday I had to take Rhett to the orthodontist since he had a tooth fall out that that had the band on it.  But before I went on a field trip with Dylan's class to the fire station.  We walked there from the school and they had a BLAST!!

Here are some pictures of the great time that they had.  LOL!

We were at the doctors office a lot longer than I thought.  So I took him back to school after and headed home.  By the time I got home the kids were getting out of school.  What the heck the appointment was at 11:00 am.  Oh well at least that is taken care of and he isn't scratching the inside of his mouth like crazy any more.
     Tuesday was a normal day!  It is about time...  I am grateful for at least one normal day in my life.  LOL!  Usually they don't last long and I was right it didn't  By Wednesday there was no school for Nikole, Gavin, and Dylan.  Rhett was the only one that had school that day.  So Wednesday morning I took all of the 3 younger kids with me to the dentist but the appointment was for me not for any of them.  ARGH!  Having the kids run around while they clean my teeth really sucks!  Find out that I have some cavities and I am not happy about it but at least it isn't too horrible.  But I am working really hard to make sure I don't get any more.  Next time I go I will NOT take any of my kids.  he he he...  Then as soon as I was done there I headed toward Rhett's and Dylan's school because both of their IEP's were set up for that day.  But before the IEP's Rhett had to meet with the school director, the psychologist and myself.  So they grabbed him and went over what had happened on Friday and told them that there are consequences for his actions and that we were all there to discuss what was going to happen.  So we went over a contract that Rhett needed to sign since he was the one that confessed and admitted that he did something that he shouldn't have.  Then after we went through that and signed it then it was IEP time... Oh the joys!  NOT!!  Rhett's IEP was first and come to find out he should have had an interpreter ever since first grade but that is a long story and it is all in the past.  Then because he is so stinking smart he doesn't qualify for an IEP if he doesn't have speech or speech goals.  Oh I am so pissed about getting all this info that would have been nice way back then.  Then Dylan's IEP was right after and he is behind but ready to move forward.  He is going to be going into a new class starting Monday.  We will have to see how things will go since he will be in a different class than his friend Autumn.  They have been together since the beginning so we will have to see how he handles being separated from her.  LOL!!  After the IEP's it was time to go and we walk out to the car and I ask Rhett where his backpack and stuff was, at this he looked speechless.  GRRR....   So I sent him in and told him to hurry and I waited in the car after 30 minutes I sent Nikole in to find him and she came back out and couldn't find them.  So I get out and start searching the school for Rhett.  I was getting more and more frustrated the more I looked.  I finally found him in his science class.  After he gathered everything up I sent him out to the car and talked a little with the teacher and left.  I didn't get home until about 6 pm!!  WHAT!!!  It shouldn't have taken that long.  Oh well.  I went to my meeting Wednesday night and had a great time learning and being away and out of the house by myself. 
     Thursday was a day that I was glad that it ended.  We stayed home and I was telling Rhett to do his homework all day long.
     Friday was just like Thursday!  GRRR.....  I told him that if he didn't get what he needed to get done then we would not be going to U-fit.  He finally finished everything that was homework except for his airplane project.  Oh man it is going to be a long weekend!  All the kids were lucky enough to be able to go to U-fit and have fun.
     Saturday was a day.  WOW!  First thing in the morning we had Gavin throwing up until at least noon with the 24 hour stomach flu.  On top of that Dylan refused to eat dinner so he was so hungry that he threw up too.  Then we were suppose to meet with someone but we had to let them know that we couldn't since we had sick kids.  Rhett was working on his project using my computer starting at 8:00 - 9:00 am.  well he worked on it the whole day.  Since Gavin was feeling better and so was Dylan was too.  Nikole did was she was asked to do all 3 of them were able to go to a birthday party with daddy for their cousin.  They had a great time.  I was bummed and so was Rhett, but since his project wasn't finished we both stayed home and he worked on and on.  He got it all finished by 9:00 pm.  YES!!!  Now on to the next project. :(  He has at least 3 other math projects that need to be done this school year.  One every term, but still it is crazy!  It is nice that he is being pushed at school to his potential, but still it is a lot of work for me trying to keep him focused and on task.  The end of the term is October 27th.  I am looking forward to starting a new term and informing him that he has to work hard to get good grades.  LOL!  We will see how he is doing soon.
     Sunday was a pretty relaxing day since Rhett's homework was done and of course the house that was clean was not so clean anymore but at that moment I really didn't care since it was such a long weekend.  I am looking forward to school Monday morning and the craziness that happens at those times.  I also have to figure out costumes for all the kids. :(  Oh heck I am going to need prayers and lots of them.

I am so sorry it took so long to update you all but with my computer having fits I never know how long I can be on the computer before it dies.  I hope to update more often and post more pictures.  I know I will update the photos first but still...