Back to school this week and all that normal stuff...

Except Jockey had a field trip to the fire station. I was torn between my desire to get a bunch of errands done without the cumbersome nature of carting around two kids, and being a "good" mom and going on the field trip. In the end, I was surprisingly able to do both! That felt great, and the additional list of accomplishments for the day was long and it was a wonderful day.

Jockey really liked the fire station. What does it mean when he asks two questions: 1) Do you have any trophies? and 2) Where is the kitchen? He did not want to walk up and touch the fireman after he got all of his equipment on, but he really liked climbing into the ambulance and the fire truck. Other than just showing the kids around, I really got the sense that they were trying to put to rest any fear of a suited up fireman... I guess in the unfortunate event that there is a fire, the kids don't run from those meant to help. For the most part, Jockey was really good the entire field trip, and that is a blessing, I was worried that he wouldn't listen and would be disruptive to the classes' experience. And, hey, no rain as we walked back and forth, what more could you want?!

The boys enjoyed their first swim lesson on Monday afternoon. And their second is this afternoon. They are really looking forward to it. Although, from what I hear, Jockey isn't very cooperative in his class and Mike will have to go with him this afternoon. And Caleb is the best in his class! This last weekend, Jockey stop having to just hang out at the stairs and can swim short distances. He says "I don't use the stairs. But Grammy is very important to me, cause I don't use stairs." Hopefully the swim lessons will give them both skills and a boost up for the summer ahead.

We've decided on a pool party for Caleb's birthday. 5/17 @ 2pm @ club's pool. I am cutting corners and made invitations so that it was just one less thing to spend money on. We are only doing light snacks and cake. And I'm trying to find inexpensive "favors" that the kids will enjoy. Still it's expensive for a party.
Of course, expense matters even more now! We traded in the red truck (plus additional funds) on a 2000 white Ford Excursion. It's ALL PAID FOR!!!! no payments! yipee. I had to give up over 6 months of my income, and the $ that Mike was holding for a present for me, AND the Tax return we were getting AND Mike has to work for about 14 hours for his Dad (probably something he would have done out of niceness anyway). BUT the benefits: 1/2 the mileage that the red truck had, rated to tow 9000 lbs rather than the red trucks 7200 (which was just about maxed by our trailer), same gas mileage as the red truck so no change there, the exterior dimensions of this vehicle are within 1-2" inches in size as the red truck so still the same parking, New tires, the red truck started ticking and clunking right after the dealership test drove it so that means something was coming down the pike, etc. But did I mention Paid For!! Mike questioned why I worked and what I was doing with the money, I hope this settles it a bit for him in his mind. I've also garnered a few promises/conditions (in written contract), that will ensure that we are better off than where we were before Sunday. The best part, I think God gave me the answer to the who nervousness question about $ and change which I hate: Mike has to go alone and he has to be so confident that he doesn't need me there to decide. Which in turn causes him to be more objective and meticulous in his perspective. As always, God's got the answers.

Ok, time to get the little buddies out the door for school.

Just a short update since I'm not feeling verbose....

The boys are still away, and fortunately I've (and Mike) have gotten a bunch done. Not as much as we want, but.... some is better than nothing.

I have heard good things about 3 hour swims, Caleb's good behavior, Jockey being a rascal.

The Ladies Tea went well. I realize that I may put on a pretty spread, but I still subconsciously function with the theory that if your arm works reach for the tea pot yourself. I got the first round taken care of, but the refills were occassional from me, and I was assisted by Kristina and Mary twice. But hey, the conversation was good, the food was good, none of the plates broke, the silver is all accounted for, and they all loved the decorations and favors. I had a great time with the details: using my cricut machine (thanks mom again, still) to make place cards, I always love making flower arrangements, I even glitterized push pins to hold the placecards to the rose-holding-apples. I came home WORN OUT, but I still had to wash everything and put it away.

Here are a few pictures. ( I realized when I down loaded the card, I haven't shared pictures for a long time, I'll have to correct that soon.)

Kristina hadn't yet shown up, but she was there too.

And other pictures:

Clamming:

You can see, they started out interested, and then moved on to other sights like green sea worms

Ponies, Pool, and McD's... a big day:

Jockey DID get to ride the real pony too, but he liked this one just as much.

That's all for now. It's time to get some more things done.

Quick post in chopping language:

Caleb's @ School right now. We'll pick him up, take him and Jockey to Woodinville (I'm making PBJ for them to be garnished w/ delightful oranges) and drop them off with Grammy. She will take them until Papa Dahl gets off work and they will then leave to go to Chelan. Caleb's really excited and looking forward to everything. From the sounds of it, it sounds like he is going to rule the roost this weekend. (glad it's not my roost, he's been in a power struggle with me over this one, sigh.) Regardless, I'm sure that everyone will have a great time, they will do lots of things, swim etc. Thank you Grammy and Papa for taking them.

So while the mice are away, what do the cats do? BUSY BUSY BUSY. I have several errands to run, centerpieces to make (I'm proud of the inspiration I had to turn and apple&rose&ribbon&paper into a placecard), I have Devonshire Cream and Lemon curd to make, stuff to haul to the church, set up of course. Decide what to wear for tomorrow, haul more stuff over tomorrow, be a smiling hostess, bring it all home and clean it all up and put it all away. Attend church, and somewhere in the midst of it all.... Mike would like some of my attention too (and of course, watch the NFL draft... hopefully that will keep him occupied a bit.)

So I've got them all packed up and just running through my head over and over again all the things that they will need, where to find them, and all the things that I need to do and not to forget too. The sun is beautiful out and I'm going to feed off the brilliant energy as long as I can!

Have a great weekend.

Caleb's turn...

Caleb developed a cough yesterday and my8:30pm he had a fever. Thus, he is home sick today... although he is without a fever now, the school rules still state no fevers within 24 hours. He does still have a bit of a cough though. But I'm hoping that he'll be over this stuff quick.

However, Joshy and I look more sick with the runny nose, sneezing and snuffles... ALLERGIES, gotta love the nice weather, but the dry weather floats the pollen more than wet weather.

So with a sicky, we will probably stay pretty close to home today.

Last Friday at MOPS, there was a speaker whose topice focused on Training your Children in Chores. I really enjoyed it, and chores have more benefits than just me getting help. They will gain a sense of responsibility towards our home, a sense of their value as contributors to the home, a self of self-confidence in their success, they will be better team players as employees, they will be better spouses to learn how to clean and help in their future homes. Tips from the lecture: Boys are more difficult to train, make chores a routine rather than what can be perceived as an interruption to their life, set perceivable goals and consquences, and the most difficult part for me... taking the TIME (1 hours for a bathroom, sigh) to teach and make them learn rather than doing it in the fast 15 minutes (My mom was a house cleaner, I know how to work good and fast) and just getting it done with. It is so tempting to just do it, get it done and move on... but I really can't if this lesson is important. So we embarked on learning how to clean on Saturday. It took a really long time, a bit of frustration, and yes they are difficult, easily distractable boys. They were all about getting the rag wet (rather than the instructed damp), spraying the cleaner because that's cool, and moving on to the next before completing the first task. That's boys for you. I really did my best to reign them in. If I left it to them, they would be standing on the counter twirling dripping wet rags in the air in a fog of airborn cleaning chemicals. And cheering and squealing with glee. YET, I had to keep them on task and the cleaner used in an appropriately way. It worked sort of. Hard lesson from the lecture #2: Don't follow right behind them and to it right, they will see that they aren't successful and that will stunt their desire to learn/sense of accomplishment. So maybe tomorrow when they are at school there will be a quick tidy up. But at least we have begun the process. I can then give myself permission to dream of the cleanliness of my home in the future, or them rooming together in an apartment at 22 and 24 that's isn't close to being condemed as a environmental hazard or waste dump.

Jockey saw the neighbors have a party to include a pinata. It must be the sticks and whacking, but now that is what he desires for his party. Of course, Caleb will jump in the bandwagon too. What is it about pinatas that make me want to phrase an invite like "full face helmets will be provided"? Instead for Caleb, we will be having a pool party. And Jockey has informed us that he wants to go to Chuck E Cheese (without friends, this might be managed for him).

Jockey is practically living in the Buzz Lightyear costume (he calls himself Jockey Buzz). Caleb has condescended to wearing at least pants in the backyard now that he is older. Their greatest joy is to play with the rabbit still, or climb on the swingset to the highest possible point... and then talk to the neighbors if applicable. I just shake my head. Especially when I hear "Daddy, she's not wearing any clothes." I HOPE he is talking about the 3yr old, not the mom over there.

Ahh, summer.
TTFN

What a week...

We went clamming last week-Friday, I think we caught a cold... Jockey and I that is. We came own sickish on Easter, missed church sadly. Jockey missed school on Tuesday, which meant that I had to postpone work to Thursday. He and I are both on the mend, although still suffering from allergies. Caleb's doing well at school, although he forgot his backpack all week. MOPS this morning, which turned out well, lots of people enjoyed the craft. This weekend not that many plans, but hopefully a little calmness will ensue.
Next week promises to be busy, I'm going to host a table for the Ladies Tea. It's a stretch for me, but I think I can wash and transport my china/silverware which is at least 50% of the task. And that weekend, it looks like the guys are going to go camping, so I will have the time needed for the set up, prep and actual attendance. And if there is any scrap of time left in the weekend, then it is time to work on Caleb's 12 scrapbook project.
Caleb's birthday is also coming on quickly. He's decided a pool party, I've started designing the invites (a cost cutting device so that we can focus on the favors/fun at the party.) He's just going to be happy to have the buddies there, everything else after that is gravy in Caleb's mind.

Well, time for a late nap, missed that all week and it's caught up with me. The boys will be delighted to be allowed to sleep in each other's bedroom for the next two nights. Gotta love sleep overs.
So that's the tales of the "dahl-nut"-shell.

Thought this was fun to try...

Thank Goodness for Little Boys ...


GOTTA LOVE LITTLE BOYS
Two young boys walked into a pharmacy one day,
picked out a box of tampons and proceeded to the checkout counter.
The man at the counter asked the older boy, 'Son, how old are you?'
'Eight,' the boy replied.
The man continued, 'Do you know what these are used for?'
The boy replied, 'Not exactly, but they aren't for me. They're for him. He's my brother. He's four. We saw on TV that if you use these you would be able to swim and ride a bike. Right now, he can't do either one.'


Papa Bill forwarded this to me... fits perfectly, right up until the time Caleb convinces Jockey to lay on the swing set glider, pins him down with a hippty hop and glides while jumping on the hippty hop with a wailing Jockey below...

How to start a weekend?

Well, we picked up Caleb and headed up to Camano Island to attempt to find clams. I say attempt because that is exactly what we did... attempt. We tried 3 differenct beaches and looked for two others... visited the state park. Really we came back with a bucket of mussels, and a bit of time spent with Great-papa Severson (who is for all of you keeping track... 95, turns 96 this coming New Year's Eve!) He told some great stories: the big Seattle earthquake in '49 that broke the water tank/tower loose from the Fredrick & Nelson building and flooded the store; Big a cook for 3 years and the 3 nights the hookers came in and ordered Omlettes; that it was Watermelon rind (the part between the juice red and the outside green peel) that my Grandmother would pickle; the trailers that they owned; my great aunt Muryt (murt) who loaned them the money for their trailer; how he got his Camano lot for $1000 and his mobile home for $6800 (imagine a whole home for that!!!!) and delivered all the way from near Tacoma for only $75!!! Pardon what might seem uninteresting to you, but I'm writing these stories here and now so that I won't forget them and will be able to tell my sons when I'm older.

So anyway, we cheated a bit and bought clams and came home and ate them with our harvested mussels. Good. Dipped in butter just the way they should be. (P.s. GG Dahl, guess what I found Jockey eating this morning... butter straight from the butter dish as he sat and watched TV!)

We stopped at our church for the Good Friday celebration. VERY unique and very cool. We entered the sanctuary and it was very dim. There were donated/loaned trees & shrubs everywhere. The first stop on the path was a fountain that we were offered the touch and remember that Christ is the Living water that quenches the soul... the second stop was a cross all lit up, but the had huge stamps and we could go up and stamp the cross with the word "FORGIVEN", and then we could enjoy worship songs and then the last stop was a room with communion. Caleb was explained the whole meaning of communion as we listened to the songs and he decided that that was what he wanted to do. So Mike took Caleb to take his first communion. Caleb is very excited about it. While that went on, I took Jockey to the parking lot and he got a hand to bum talking to for disruptive, disrespectful behavior (it's been going on for 3 days now).

Now we are settling in for the night and trying to find a bit of peace and quiet. Tomorrow I work briefly, we have the Egg Hunt and then we will see...
Have a great RESURRECTION Sunday celebration!!!!

A Pretty Smooth Week

We visited the park twice this week trying to use the weather to the best of it's ability, and it helped the boys run off some energy! They promptly came home, ate lunch and began to play more in the backyard! I remember the times when I even slept outside as a kid, so those days/years must be approaching. They don't care how dirty they get, somehow dirt is just something that happens that Mom and the shower can remedy quickly, and they love the shower too!

Caleb his begun nagging again about his birthday, and it is almost time to actually start planning something. He's got some CRAZY ideas. All red frosting cake, hello, aren't you the kid we try to keep away from food coloring?! Maybe a Homemade Strawberry glazed cake, of course, that would call upon my less than stellar talents of cooking... but if it's what he wants, I can try to impress a 6 yr old once a year. As long as he's happy and it's not expensive. Joshy is even starting to get excited over the friends Caleb is talking about, AND planning his own birthday party too... sigh.

Easter is this weekend. The Egg Hunt is Saturday Morning. Church of course on Sunday. If I can talk myself into taking my children out on Friday, there is a unique walk through experience to commemorate Good Friday and the rest at our church. Mike is craving Clams and wants to drive up and get some. I guess a clam permit can eventually pay for itself in clams, ammoritized over several meals it should become affordable by the end of clam season. I'm sure the kids will love digging them, it's like hunting for buried treasure in a dirty way... dirt, boys, seafood= perfection in their world. I work tomorrow, and briefly on Saturday; Mike works an extra shift Friday morning. I'm hoping the weather cooperates for the egg hunt... And I hope that my kids go forth and hunt with boldness and come back with lots of eggs rather than a basket of full of disappointment.

So that's our week and our coming plans. Hope you all have blessed weekend of rememberance of our saving Lord.

Spring break week had just flown by!

We came back from a pleasant (though a bit wet) weekend from Anacortes on Monday. Anacortes was nice on Sunday, but we still kept busy on the rainy Saturday. Mike and I went to the St. Mary's rummage sale and filled up a bag full of stuff for $3.00 (by item count, everything turned out to under .10 Each.) Mike took the boys swimming with the Skoog family. I took the opportunity to let the dogs run a bit in the dog park, visit a second hand store on the hunt for books (note: cheaper prices than used bookstores, but hit and miss success if looking for something specific), and picked up a luxury coffee for Mike and I to warm ourselves up with because the cold is seeming to seep into our bones. The other highlight of the weekend, Thank you Peter and Lynda, was the indulgence in the seafood buffet on Friday night. The crab was delicious, firm and sweet, and quite a breed variety to sample. The kids were barely containable in their excitement the moment that they heard the words crab and casino. They are crab crazy, gee wonder where they get that from?!

Tuesday, Grammy treated the boys to a Pump it Up session in which they played with cousin Tessa. It was very fun, and worked well to get their wiggles out. We ate lunch (again thank you Grammy), and then met Mike for a bit of swimming at the club. Quite a full day!

Wednesday, I treated the boys to a playgroup that met at the Burger King. They needed to see their friends, get wiggles out, and it was raining... so where were we going to meet that didn't include cleaning up someone's house so that the kids can ransack it all over again? Worked well. And then I grocery shopped.

Thursday, I worked while Daddy watched the kids.

Friday, I worked while Daddy watched the kids. Then we scouted the prices of things for a MOPS craft that is coming in May.

Saturday, I worked and took the kids (isn't that nice), then we visited the Friends of the Library book sale and scored a few cheap books (probably could take them to the used bookstore and get trade in credit for more than I paid to get the book.) Then it was a quick bike ride in the neighborhood and then who knows....

Sunday, church.
Monday, back to the regular school, work, cleaning, grocery shopping, work, clean, routine.

The kids are enjoying more and more of the outdoors. And sigh, they have discovered the joys of MUD. A little mud never hurt anyone, well their theory... Alot of Mud is a laughing matter and results in an equally fun shower. They are trying their hand at baseball-esque activities, although occassionally they are misguided in their attempts to see how close they can aim the ball at Shooter Rabbit (who is equally excited by the out of the cage freedom that the nice weather brings.)

So that's a little catch up. Hope all it well with you.

(Carolina, if you're reading this, you are my new inspiration for positivity under stress. Book give-away contests to commemorate spinal taps, brillant and I'm in awe of your perspecitive and outlook. Still praying for good results on those tests for you.)

The weekend is here!

As soon as Caleb is out of school, we are going to head out to Anacortes (Washington Park) for the weekend. Well, more than the actual weekend, with Spring Break next week, we decided to stay through until Monday. So it will be like a mini-vacation. Mike is very excited for the first trip this year/season, and he's messed with the truck a bit and has to try it out.

Both boys are very excited to camp. Caleb has though we were leaving that day for the last 4 days. And they are fighting over who gets to sit in Wyatt's lap, since our friends are coming up to Anacortes too (although they are are not staying in the same campgrounds as us). The rain might come, but right now it's just overcast. So I'm planning on a dress warm, lucky if we get a fire, maybe a garage sale or two, hot cocoa with a good book kind of weekend. And MAYBE the boys will go swimming and/or bowling. I say boys because as of yesterday, I'm come down with the icks. I'm still trying to be optimistic that it is just allergies really bad... but a fever is kind of the defining difference and I had a low grade one yesterday. But at least we get to do something with Mike's long weekend. And I'm hoping that some daddy time will straighten out Jockey a bit, he has really been acting up this week, especially at school and Awana. Won't listen, won't obey, disruptive talking and even called something stupid. So hopefully we can get back on track with this weekend.

The rabbit stays here and should be fine. We are taking the dogs with us, but I have to watch Zuma carefully. One of the screws from her leg repair has started to move/shift and work it's way out. It's been doing so for the last 4 months. At first it was just a small lumpish look, now it's quite obvious that it is the head of the screw. The area is now pink and beginning to lose it's hair. I'm not sure if it will callous over, or whether it will break the skin and become a source of possible infection. Should the later happen we will forced to face some difficult choices: 1)euthanize, 2) amutation, or 3) another costly repair that we hope will last longer than a couple years. I've already had to start talking to the boys about maybe having to send Zuma to heaven and not to harass her in her small amount of time left here. It's sad to have to talk about this now when she would have had another 3-5 years to go minimum. But I've made the choice to begin preparing my sons for the eventual inevitable, rather than shock them later. I think it will ease the experience for them if they understand the circumstances and can slowly get used to the idea that our time left with Zuma is temporary and to slowly say good bye. I do worry about them, of course, and the best way to deal with this. The last time Jockey was too small, and Caleb was very small but still asked questions about the time we didn't think he even remembered Ike.

Sorry to end on a low note, but that's our life today. Rainy, gray camping and animal issues and a bit of illness. Maybe the weekend will give me a chance to rest up because next week I've got plenty booked to accomplish.
Have a good weekend.

Tuesday and all's well.

Caleb was blissfully ontime for school. In kid language that means he had time to run around crazy before the bell for class. And today, they are actually going to the Imagine Children's Museum in Everett for a field trip. He was really excited, which was a big rebound from thinking he wasn't going to go because he had forgotten to bring home and return the permission slip. I had the parent-teacher conference yesterday and it was brought up much to my surprise. So I got the paperwork taken care of then, but perhaps cruelly let him bring it up later so that he would understand the consequences of not bringing home work/papers. I hope that he learns his lesson with something like this before the issue is really big later. He was still tearful that neither Mike nor I could accompany him, but I explained that that was also a consequence of not bringing home the work he should have. He seemed to understand that he had made the choice and now he just has to stay close to his chaperone. So it's a 2pm pick up for him today.

As to the results of the parent-teacher conference... He has shown some areas of improvement, and some area's that are confusing as to why they slid back a bit. He went from being about to count to 21 to 43. His reading comprehension showed improvement, though the teacher admitted that the first test was taken in a group and the second was one-on-one which may mean more focus and better results. He can comprehend and complete patterns very well. His handwriting has improved and shifted to using the lower case letters; we are also working on this at home with the piano and stregnthening his hands. He knows his letters, though still turns a few of them backwards. At home however, it did take well over 30 minutes and help to get the lower case written out. I find that the Font that the paperwork chooses sometimes confuses Caleb, like the small t, with it's little tail... to him he starts thinking it's a j. The teacher seemed to say that Caleb wants to be right so badly, that often he chooses to copy other's rather than act independently. He also sees everything very black and white/right and wrong and tries to get others to follow along with what's right. (Gee, wonder where he got that???! :) ) He is caring for others and tries to adapt so the seat changes that occur every week now. Caleb has also discovered soccer, not that the teacher told us, it's just something he finally talks about. And of course, he has been discussing/planning/inviting (and dis-inviting Jockey each time he's mad) from his birthday party... for the last 2 months! I finally told him to stop talking about it until April 15th! Didn't work by the way.

Jockey, still 3 and crazy as ever. *TMI warning* I want him to learn to wipe, but NOOO, he just "assumes the position" most often leaning into the bathtub and waits for me and hollers until I get there. He's in love with showers. He wants to be a superhero. He's still whinny, but is also picked on a bunch. He's starting to put his socks on by himself, but WANTS us to do it... a battle every morning. He's still not such a great eater at the table... but would each 3-4 apples a day and a carrot too if I let him. This morning in the car, after dropping Caleb off, he saw the crossing guard and their flag... he says to me "S-T-O-P, stop." I'm thinking WOW, hello, WOW. Did you read that buddy? "No, it's just in my brain." Do you know why you go to school? No. To put more stuff in your brain. We were a bit early today, he joyfully played in their art/messy room. Water and a turkey baster were the focus catchers of the day.

Tonight we will be going to dinner at Grandpa Dahl and Grammy Dahl's house. We will see Cousin Tessa, Kristina (I don't know about Ryan). Jockey will spend the night with Grammy and Daddy will bring him home after work tomorrow. Should be good. He is so different by himself. He talks alot, and will also sit and draw by himself, and talk to himself. Very different from Caleb who wants to be entertained by others.

Have a great Tuesday!

So everyone is healthy. It is the start of a new week. It looks like it might be a really nice day out if a bit chilly. I know what's for dinner for the next three nights and so I don't NEED to drag the kids into a grocery store iminently. I work 2 days this week, Mike 4 and then we are off the Anacortes for camping this weekend. Because it's Caleb's spring break next week, we will most likely make it a long weekend and use the vacation time while Caleb has it.

We went to Jockey's preschool Easter Carnival/Egg Hunt/ Fundraiser. It was ok. PACKED with people, which is good for the school but hectic for us. The Egg hunt was poorly organized and suffered from a false start leading to my sons tearfully upset over only getting one egg each...(BUT the bright side is that for the first time in 4-6 years, Mike will have Easter weekend off work and we will be able to seek out other egg hunts for the kids and he will be there to manage the kids with me... after nearly loosing Caleb at one when I was by myself, I'm a little crowd shy.) Jockey did win the Cake Walk, and the fished for toys. The items we donated brought in decent money. The bouncy house was wet and being finicky, my boys didn't jump in it. Jockey loved the sand art, but chewed a hole in the cross and the sand started sifting out. Sometimes, I just don't get it.
Yesterday ended with dinner at Papa Bill's and Grandma Judy's. The boys are still unruly, even when we did bring things for them to do. But at least they harassed the dogs less than usual. And when asked, yes, they would like just ice cream for dinner next time. (rolling my eyes at the silly kids, of course, that is their preferrence, mine too right?)

Saturday we attended a choir concert for a friend of ours. It was good music, but making our sons sit for 1.5 hours in chairs was a test of creativity, endurance and patience. At one point, they tried to make and throw paper airplanes! Then, Joshy got to brush my hair to keep him quiet. It worked for the longest period of time. But Mike and I were both worn from trying to keep them contained and quiet for that long in a 4'x2' area.

So that's the update. Have a great week.

Thursday!

No fever, no hives, the barest of coughs... these kids will finally get out of the house and get to school. They have cabin fever really bad. But I couldn't let them out with fevers to play in the back yard, nor did I feel right about dragging feverish kids through stores infecting everyone. But today finally, they will get out among the short half of our population, run a little and laugh (hopefully) alot.

Caleb is growing so much. Most of his shirts are in Joshy's dresser in the place I put those things in limbo between the boys. He has grown 1 1/2" in the last few months! His pants are suddenly pulled on and look like Urkele (old TV show) pants without the suspenders. And just today, we discovered that his shoes no longer fit and had to move him up to the next size (fortunately, we had those on hand). He's still a little peanut comparatively with his peers, but he is progressing!

Joshy is growing in his own right. And he can't wait to be a big boy. It's hard to say good bye to the cute clothes as he grows out of them. BUT, after going through 2 boys and most often we bought them used or were given them... the clothes are looking their best, rag bin quality not donation quality. They play hard, what do I expect?

I have more to say, but I have to get the kids to school and myself to work. More later.

Wednesday...

Here we are, Caleb still hasn't been to school yet. Fever has kept him out for the last few days, but yesterday morning started with hives of a sort. And I thought that the antihistamine and hydrocortizone cream had taken care of it, but then this morning it was double the problem... 80-90% of his body is covered including his face. So I have given him another antihistamine, gave him a shower, fresh towel to dry off, fresh clothes, and slathered him in the hydrocortizone again. I'm in limbo now to see if that is going to work, or if I have to get him into the doctor.

He hasn't has any new foods, so the nearest guess Mike and I have come up with is 1) For Caleb's fever we've given him a new kind of children's Advil... a ocean blue one with Cool Berry Taste. It could be the food coloring in that, but he's never had a skin reaction to food coloring before. or 2) zuma is shedding and her little needle hairs can pierce the skin and if pollen is on it... instant reaction. This one I doubt. It does appear to be an allergy type thing to a untrained observer, but I really hope it's not some virus strain that is going around.

So in limbo I will be for a little bit more.

We did get word that the interested parties involved in the conference with Caleb could not make the rescheduled time, therefore, they went ahead and approved the paperwork for Caleb's retention. All Mike and I have to do is sign it, and it's done. I don't know quite what changed their minds from needing a conference to not needing a conference, but I'm glad; I hate red tape and hoops. So, hurray, it's Kindergarten again for Caleb. He'll be happy, know 1/2 the things already, on the brink or fully reading and thus at the top of his class, in a familiar environment hopefully we are still waiting to hear about the intradistrict transfer. I expect him to be more mature and stronger and able to deal with learning and even failure better.

With him being out now 4 days straight, I feel less pressure about trying to cram in and catch up on what he's missing since he'll see it all again next year.

Joshy is on the mend. He's down to maybe 6 coughs a day, and the nose down to a dull strickle. I think he can get to school tomorrow. Caleb, still not so sure about. I have to work tomorrow, and I have MOPS on Friday. And that's a snapshot at the rest of our week.

Monday---
Home and sick.
Jockey is congested, runny nose and coughing.
Caleb has a 101.2 temp last night at 6, so no school today. He's pale, coughing, and moving slower.
I've also had to cancel his parent/teacher conference and am waiting on the reschedule date. As it turns out (without telling me, so it feels like an ambush) there were going to be other people involved in the parent teacher conference, the principal &/or the school psychologist, maybe the school counselor too, with the intent of further discussing Caleb's retention for next year. I'm glad that the retention issue is going forward, but I hate ambushes, and there has been ample amounts of time to tell me who will be added to the parent-teacher conference. So perhaps I showed my cards a bit too much when I said that if this one lady that I've come in contact with before is the psychologist, then I don't want her there and prefer the principal. I didn't like the way she stood between my son and I; nearly an anti-family vibe from her. Perhaps this is a adversarial approach, but I view this as a battle. And as a strategy, I have to take out the opposition one by one and the "easy" way with a simple request first. I can deal with those people who don't force my hackles up on sight. So now the meeting will be rescheduled, and hopefully with people whom I've dealt pleasantly with in the past and feel truly have Caleb and his family's interests in their sights.
Caleb and I had to have a talk today about no adult at school gets to have a meeting/conference/talk with him without me knowing. Our family is a team, they aren't always on our side, especially if they don't understand Jesus and follow our Bible. Mom and Dad are going to be with him and on his team long after he leaves the 6th grade where as they are not. They will try to be sneaky in their questions and it is mom's job to fight for him and our team. It really was a revelation to him when I told him that Grandma Bishop had to have this same talk with mommy when she was little in school. Wow, for him; deja vu, for me. He is now to say "No meetings without my Mom, Call my Mom, I don't feel safe." (speak in their terminology and they might get it.)

My sick boys are playing Hungry Hippoes. I'm still fighting the getting of it with just a mild sore throat but I'm holding out hope that I won't get it full blown. We'll be staying close to home and resting trying to get better. So that's our day.

Caleb stayed home from school today. A bit of a fever on that one.
Joshy is acting normal, but occassionally still has a bit of a cough. We're keeping it under control with a natural honey based cough syrup.
Mike's recovered enough to spend the next three days off of work.
I get to go out with the MOPS ladies tonight, if I don't come down with the ick between now and 7pm.

Until then, we are enjoying a peaceful day at home in the sun. The boys (despite being sick) are in the back yard in the sun and fresh air doing their darnest to plant apple seeds in the hopes that one day they will have a tree that bursts with apples on which they would never have to ask permission to gorge. The rabbit is hopping blissfully around them enjoying an exploratory jaunt after being couped up the last few cold and snowy days. The dogs are blissfully hoping to get their chance at the rabbit or their turn in the yard. Mike has taken it into his head to cook something... what do I care, I'm going out tonight. And I'm going to take an easy day and scrapbook and read.

It's turned out to be a fine day despite the illnesses in the household. In fact, more days could be like this and it would be fine with me.

Still sick.

Mike's recovered. Last night was the first night he wasn't coughing up a lung and all his stomach contents.
Jockey though, his fever climbed to 101... hence, he did not go to school today. He's a little seal cougher right now too.
Caleb... well, he felt a little warm, but I'm going to check him in a little bit to determine about tomorrow.

I think we are going to skip Awana tonight. Joshy wouldn't be able to go, but dragging him back and forth in the cold/dark to drop off and pick up Caleb would be hard on him. Caleb's completed 97% of his book with 2 months to go anyways, so there is plenty of time to work on it.

This coming Monday, I have a regular progress teacher's conference with Caleb's teacher. I'm hoping that she'll report some improvement. However, it was discovered that he was 'copying' off his neighbors often in the attempt to 1-complete work on time and 2- correctly because he didn't want to be wrong or late. Of course if undetected, leads us to believe he's finishing on time, correct work when he truly isn't and needs attention/help or more time. Time to buckle down again and stand like a hawk over his shoulder and see what he can actually complete without help or prompting. And obviously, I have spoken with him about not looking at his neighbor's paper and instead raising his hand for help or saying when he didn't understand something. We'll see what the teacher has to say.

We are looking forward to a calm weekend with a bit of recovery for the sickies. And if we are recovered, dinner at Papa Bill's is scheduled for Sunday. So far, I'm not yet sick, and I'm still hoping I don't get it.

Have a great weekend.

Sick-ies again?

Mike is still sick. And now, Jockey appears to have gotten it. He's developed a cough and a low grade fever. So I guess it is a good thing that I don't have to work tomorrow since the chances are high that I'll have to keep him home from school. I haven't seen any sick signs from Caleb yet, and I'm holding out hope.

On the bright side.... the $74 of cough and cold meds that I bought for "Free" (ok, $7 of sales tax) is coming as a huge blessing and being put to use! The cough drops are natural, the child cold syrup, the Theraflu for Mike, the elderberry immunity booster that protected Caleb and Joshy last bout, etc.etc. I thought even I was a little excentric "buying" a whole lot of free cough/cold stuff in July/aug, but turns out to be a huge blessing brought on by a little wisdom from above coupled with opportunity, and the innate excentricity, of course. (Note to friends, read "Death of a Garage Sale Newbie" to truly understand my tangibly, physical, pathological inability to buy anything at regular retail cost.)

Caleb spent a nice weekend with Grandpa and Grammy Dahl. The weather was a bit cold (snowy) and wasn't cooperating with the bike riding plans. But, none the less, they had a good time, Caleb came home with thrift shop/garage sale treasures and the tale of eating a whole crab at the casino.

Jockey and I made the most of the weekend with attending a birthday party for not-so-baby Emily. And the of course we dragged out every artsy thing he had. Markers, crayons, finger painting, water color painting, play doh. He loved it. He spent hours doing these things. And watching Caillou. A near bliss weekend for him. (THANK YOU GRANDPA AND GRAMMY, of course he'd love to be the one to go camping next occurrence.)

So, that's the update. Enjoying the snow out there? We did, but now it's melted, dark and SO cold. But we'll all be cozy in warm blankets soon. Good night.

How did the meeting with Caleb's teacher go?

Well. I had filled out a questionaire, and so had his teacher. When the scores were within 5-6 points of each other and both scores fell into the "good candidate for retention (i.e. repeating kindergarten)". The counselor was there too. We discussed and wrote out the pros and cons, something that Mike and I had gone through at home, but they needed to know what we were thinking. There were dozens of pros, one maybe two cons that's it. Most importantly, this is 1) what we want as parents and 2) when asked, this is what Caleb says he wants. Those weigh heavily into the decision. Mrs. Gillespie fully supports our decision and can see the value in it based on her experience with Caleb. The counselor commended us as parents for looking at this decision so maturely and with such an open mind, most parents seem to think that a child's age mandates them into a school grade... you're going into kindergarten because your 5, come hell or high water, etc. She thought that it was great that we were trying to make a good Caleb decision. And that is our intent, not just to make a good '09-'10 decision, but a good decision that will give him a good footing for the next 15 years.
Thinking on the various points brought up at the meeting brought a dawning revelation to me: Caleb in his personality truly wishes to lead and be a role model to other kids. However, right now he lacks confidence and is so afraid to fail and face humiliation (points brought up by his teacher) that it is actually stunting that desire in his true personality. Thinking on that, coupled with the idea of not fighting my child's nature as lectured on at one of our MOPS meetings, I've developed the belief that maturity gains easier comprehension, full comprehension leads to confidence, confidence leads to leadership. I will be affirming Caleb's nature and personality by giving him the opportunity to mature and build into himself comprehension, success, and confidence.

So all in all the meeting went well. I have the teacher and counselor on board. The counselor has paperwork to fill out and to meet with the principal to make the final decision. I was told that at another school this might not be possible, but that our principal is in favor of retention when it is appropriate; this makes our intra-district transfer that much more critical... turned that paperwork in today too. And while I was at it, I told them I needed AM kindergarten for my job... I figured I'd get all my demands out on the table while I was in the building. So we are just waiting on paperwork and a meeting that should be pretty cut and dry because we (the parents and child) want this so strongly. I'll be praying and holding my breath in the meantime.

That's the results for today. I have to get the kids to Cubbies and Sparks.
Caleb has school tomorrow and then will be going camping with Grandpa and Grammy Dahl in Anacortes. Jockey and I will have some quality time (maybe slow bike rides and painting) while Daddy is working most of the weekend. So that's it in a nutshell.