DAY 1 (of 13)

I survived the first day of my summer classes. Like last summer, I have one class in the morning and one in the afternoon, 3 hours each. It looks like there will be a lot of homework. As an "ice breaker" (btw, I hate those things!) we had to describe one stategy we planned to use to get through the month. Going for a little humor, I said that I was planning to pay off my boys so I could do my homework. However, that may not be so much funny...it just may happen!

One of the major challenges I face is not the homework, it is finding people to watch the boys while I am in class. Tracey took her turn today, and Kristen will have the boys tomorrow. Next week won't be bad, but I still have to find coverage for Monday afternoon. Beth is planning on taking them on Tuesday, and DH is off on Thursday. So, you can see the balancing act is challenging. At least the boys are pretty well-behaved, so they don't wear out their welcome too soon.

As for the bathroom, things are plugging right along. The tile on the floor is all laid, and it looks great, and we haven't even grouted it yet! We will grout on Sunday, then seal maybe on Wednesday, and put in the toilet and sink next weekend. Things are slowly coming together. Considering the length of time this has taken, I have decided a different approach to planning and scheduling our next project. When I figure how much time it will take, I will multiply it by 10, since that is probably how long it will really take. Then, when I figure the cost, I will then double that, because it will cost at least that much more :)

The bathroom floor...

We are getting closer to getting the floor tiles down. We got back from our weekend on Monday about lunch time, and started on the floor. DH worked very hard on it most of the afternoon and evening. I helped, but had to pick up the dog, take the kids to swimming, etc.

Today, my goal is to cut the last two ornery tiles (very complicated cuts) and adhere the rest of the tiles. We'll see how that all goes....

Another Delay

Well, there has been yet another delay in the progress in the bathroom. DH's father (FIL) has been in the hospital for the past week. First, he was suffering from congestive heart failure. Then, his kidneys began to shut down. It seems that the medication used to treat the CHF has damaged his kidneys. He is beginning dialysis to give his kidneys a break, hoping that they will begin increasing function. He has contracted pneumonia, which is further complicating things. So, we are headed their way to relieve DH's mom (MIL) and lend a helping hand, as well as some distraction (the boys) for FIL.

Complicating their situation is Great-great-great Aunt Mary, who is 95 and lives with MIL and FIL. She needs assistance and supervision throughout the day. MIL has been caring for her for over a year now, in addition to caring for FIL's needs. At this point, the family has decided that Mary will need to go into a nursing home, at least for a while. So, we will be helping with that transition as well. MIL feels badly about the nursing home idea, but she has given Mary wonderful, loving care for the last year and a half, but now needs to focus on FIL.

Please pray for DH's family, that FIL begins to improve and that Mary handles the transition to the nursing home well.

A side project

I have finished painting the bathroom, so since I am waiting for the paint to dry, I decided to tackle another small project. The laundry room has become a disaster lately, and I need at least one area that is orderly. So, while I ordered the boys around to clean up their part of the basement, I re-organized the laundry room. We'll see how long that lasts.

Tonight is the first of two weeks of swimming lessons. After lessons, we will head to Jake's baseball picnic. Tomorrow I will be starting to tile the bathroom floor. One step closer....

Now that the tournament is over

life can return to "normal". Today we finished out British Soccer Camp, where Jake's team (Australia) won the "World Cup" competition. During the penalty kick portion, Jake was the goalie for his team, and he blocked the last shot, which won the competition!

We headed to Boston's for dinner to celebrate the wins from last night. We also bought paint for the bathroom. We are finally to the stage where we will begin "putting it back together". I hope to prime and paint this weekend so that the floor can go down next week. I am very anxious to get the toilet back in....running to the basement to use the bathroom is getting to be a drag!

Tomorrow is the first time in weeks that there has not been someplace where we have HAD to go. I will probably get groceries, but other than that, I can work around the house. I can't wait to get cranking on the bathroom!

Tournament Update

WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!

Both teams won their championship games!!!!!

Josh: Tournament report- 2nd edition

We won!!!! We're headed to the final game!!!!

I did not get to see Josh's game, since Jake was playing in the next town over. DH was at Josh's game, and I got regular updates from another parent. Apparently, Josh's pitching was nothing short of amazing. He threw 71 pitches, and only walked one batter (plus one batter that he hit). He went into the fourth inning, which is longer than any of our pitchers have ever thrown. Once, while at bat, he got hit by a pitch, in the butt, no less.

Josh's team plays tomorrow, same place as Jake's team.

I'm not sure I can take all of this excitement!

Jake: Tournament Report: 2nd Edition

We won!!!! We're headed to the final game!!!!!!

Jake hit every time he was up. He had two really awesome plays at second base, throwing out a runner at first and tagging the base for another out. We play tomorrow for the championship.

After the game, the coach treated them to Dairy Queen. What an awesome team!

Josh: Tournament report- 1st edition

Josh's team played their first tournament game tonight. The team was definitely not on their game. They barely squeezed in a win, 6-5. They play again tomorrow. It will be a juggling act, since Jake plays in St. Joe and Josh plays here in Urbana. Another report to come tomorrow.

P.S. Somehow, I managed to catch a cold. Or maybe I am allergic to drywall mud....

Jake: Tournament Report, 1st edition

Tonight was Jake's first tournament game. His team won 25-5. Jake played a great game. He hit 4 for 4. Two of those hits were triples!! The bases were loaded for his first triple. It would have been a grand slam, if the other runners had been a little faster. All in all, a great game (though I feel bad for the other team).

Josh had a bye tonight, so he'll play tomorrow night.

In other sports news, the boys started British Soccer Camp today. I'll let you know how it goes.

P.S. The bathroom is coming along. I am currently finishing the drywall joints.

Our knight in shining armor....

has arrived! Dale is here! The bathroom sub floor is replaced, the tub is in, and the drywall is going up. Things are moving along well, and we couldn't be happier.

The boys had their last regular season baseball games last night. Both teams won. DH was working, so Dale went with me as we crisscrossed town to see the games, which were at two different locations. I did not time it very well, so we missed most of Jake's game. He hit 3 for 4, which was great!

Josh, my sports prodigy, had another great game. I didn't get to see him pitch, as I was at Jake's game. He didn't pitch a whole inning, which is strange, since he usually can go a couple of innings. He says that the other team was scoring because the defense was not backing him up, but I realize that is his perspective. I did not hear from the coach about his thoughts.

The last inning, Josh caught two line drives right in a row to get the last two outs. Pretty exciting.

So, next week the tournament begins. Both teams are pretty good, and they have a good chance of getting pretty far. Which means that many more games for me to go to...oh well. It's only one more week.

Kids and sports

Last night both boys had baseball games. Jake's game was a practice game,so it did not count for their record. Therefore, I spent most of my time at Josh's game.

Hitting has never been Josh's strong point, though this season has gone much better than last season. But, as you know, defense is as important as offense, and Josh excells in defense. His two regular positions are second base and pitcher. Josh has this sixth sense about sports. It is almost like he knows where the ball will go before it makes contact. Then, there is his deep understanding of the stratgey of the game. Most kids who catch a pop up have stop and think where they should throw it for the double play. Not Josh. He seems to automatically know what to do to make the best play. Last night, he caught a ball for the first out, then winged it to home for the double play, preventing the runner from scoring. I think if you could see inside his thought process, you'd see a diagram of the field, the placement of players, etc. Several years ago, his coach described him as the most analytical player he has ever coached. Hits the nail right on the head.

Last night, Josh also caught a great line drive at second for the out. Then, at the end of the game, when we needed one more out to win, the pitcher was struggling, big time. He couldn't get anything near the strike zone. The coach put Josh in, and the hitter stuck out. The game was over, and we won.

I love to watch my kids play sports. I have never been a true sports fan, in the sense that I would choose to watch a game as my choice leisure time. When it comes to my boys, however, I could watch them play anything. They amaze me. And they are mine.

Monday ramblings....

Kind of a busy day here for me. DH headed back to work after 11 days off, so I was sad to see him go. I made a pact with myself that I would be productive this week and not lay around in pj's all day. So, I started by getting myself and the boys going this morning. I had a few things to drop off for my students at summer school, then took Josh to basketball camp in Champaign. He goes everyday this week, for one hour, forty five minutes. He seemed ot like it. He didn't know anyone there, but said he made a few new friends.

While he was at camp, Jake and I did a little shopping around on that side of town--Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, etc. I have been wanting to get rid of the flower arrangements on the top of my cabinets, since they are so hard to keep clean. So, I found a few things to replace the flowers. Now I will need to come up with something new for curtains....sooner rather than later. The sun is killing me in the evenings.

Jack (Josh's best buddy) came over after camp, since his mom has to work one more week before summer break. He ended up staying over night. His grandmother is having surgery today (she's been in the hospital with heart problems since last week) so his mother headed out to be with her. It was nice to have Jack here to play with Jake while Josh was at baseball practice. Jack is just like one of the family. He just fits in. He is really great with Jake, like with Josh was at practice. It wasn't like he was "stuck" with the little brother. They play really well together.

I have been cleaning out and purging today. I went through the bathroom stuff and my bedroom and threw out a bunch of garbage. I have to get the house in presentable order before Wednesday, when Dale arrives. So, instead of just cleaning, I am decluttering too.

Enough ramblings....good night.

We never knew how valuable Gameboys are....

Until both boys failed to charge them before a long car trip. We just returned from a three day trip to Cinncinati and Louisville. We had a blast, and I will share pictures soon.

On the way down, Jake's Gameboy battery died. Shortly after, Josh's died as well. And neither child remembered to pack a charger! Amazingly, both boys, as well as Mom and Dad, survived the trip with no casualties, despite the lack of anything for the children to do.

P.S. Recently, while preparing for a trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house, I let the children pack their own clothes. I checked their bags before leaving, and that was a good thing...Jake would not have had anything more than three pajama tops and one pair of shorts. Guess now I will have to check their toy bag, too.

Bad news..

While cleaning up the dust from the bathroom demo, I discovered that the subfloor had some significant water damage, and would therefore have to be replaced. The really unfortunate part of all of this is that we have NO IDEA how to do this. Therefore, we sent out a plea for help to our dear friend Dale, who agreed to join us next week to help us take care of the problem. Dale is a high school buddy of Ken's. He has his own contracting business, and was the one who replaced our windows after we bought this house. While we are very disappointed about this setback, we are excited to have Dale visit for a few days.

Jake's end of the year picnic

I took the afternoon off to go to Jake's end-of-the-school-year picnic. It threatened rain all afternoon, and the temperature was a bit on the low side, but that did not stop the kids from having a good time. Water fun was a big part of the afternoon, with super soakers and water balloons.

One fun game was finding a piece of gum in a pile of powdered sugar. Apparently, this is a tradition for the third grade teachers. It's kind of like bobbing for apples....Here is Jake....



He can't have bubble gum due to his orthodontia, so he ended up with pop rocks....



It looked like so much fun that Belinda (Jake's best friend's mom) and I had to get into the action.....



(That's me on the left :)

Unfortunately, Jake missed the instructions to not inhale. So, he spent about 5 minutes coughing after breathing in a bunch of powdered sugar.

All in all, a fun time was had by all. The best part...it was the last full day of school.

Bathroom Remodel...

Yesterday was the first official day of the bathroom remodel. In the past two days, we have removed the tub, sink, and the ugly green tile from the walls. Now we need to get the place cleaned up so that the new drywall and tile backer can be put up. I am so excited about being able to redo the bathroom. Here are the before pictures...










But, there has been a stall in the construction...due to Josh's sleepover. Now, why would one plan a sleepover during a large project such as this???? We didn't!!! Josh managed to invite over two different kids for a sleepover without asking us first. Yes, I was mad at first, but, considering what a genuinely good kid Josh is, I decided to let him go ahead with the plan. I did, however, drill it into his head to NEVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!

Jake is at a friend's house, and will be joining us later in the evening. While the boys hypnotize themselves in front of the PlayStation, DH and I will be removing the rest of the drywall.

BTW, thanks for the congrats on the grade....I am SO HAPPY!!!!!

The votes are in.....

and my grade for my practicum is an......



A!

now, back to regularly scheduled programming.....

OK, now the story of the rental truck...

I mentioned a few posts ago that we had picked up the bathtub since we had the rental truck. Here is the backstory on life throwing us lemons, and how we made a little lemonade....

I took Thursday off to study and work on practicum assignments (ok, I called in sick...shhhh!) DH was off as well, and decided that he would go get the oil changed in my car. That sounded like a great idea to me, since it would get him out of my hair for a while. About 10:15, he called and asked if I was dressed. The answer, of course, was no, since studying is best done in pajamas. He requested that I get dressed and head to Wal-mart to pick him up, since my car needed to be towed to the dealership for repairs.

WHAT!?!?! Yep, once again, Walmart (during the last oil change) had overtightened the plug to the oil pan. Last time that happened, I just had to take it someplace else to have the plug removed and replced. This time, however, in their effort to remove the overtightened plug, had completely stripped the threads on the oil pan, which meant that the whole pan had to be replaced. Walmart's insurance would completely cover the cost of the tow and repair. That wasn't the problem. The problem was that I had to be at ISU for my final, and DH had to get the boys to their baseball games that night. And now we were down to one vehicle. Well, as luck would have it, Walmart's insurance would pay for a rental car, too. Great!

One problem....it was U of I's graduation weekend. The insurance would only cover $30 per day. There were no cars in Champaign-Urbana left in that price range, due to the large number of people coming to town for graduation. After waiting at Walmart for 1 1/2 hours while the manager tried to find us a car, they finally decided to upgrade us and pay for the difference. We were sent down to the airport to pick up a car, which ended up being a Ford F150, which has the perfect sized bed to haul home a bathtub. Therefore, we would not have to rent a truck to haul one home for our future bathroom remodel.

So, that is my story of making a little lemonade...

**A side note: Walmart went out of their way to be helpful and, while they may have an emplyee who apparently does not know how to tighten oil pan plugs, they took care of everything 100%.

A plan for a blissful weekend...

This is the first weekend since January that I have absolutely NO HOMEWORK. And to add to the specialness of the weekend, DH is off. So, I am hoping for a weekend of pure bliss!

Tonight: retirement party for a co-worker, whic meant that I got home too late to fix dinner and DH had ordered pizza; planted some glads out beside the house; planning on heading to the scrap desk later

Tomorrow: sleep in(!); take Gracie to the vet; cook out for lunch; send boys off to Corwin's birthday party in the evening; dinner out (a date!) with DH; shopping at Lowe's for our new vanity and tile for the bathroom

Sunday: church, scrap, clean, work outside, etc.

So, now that I have a lovely plan for my weekend, what do you think will go wrong?!?!?! Stay tuned to find out.....

Grades are in.....

for my Thursday night class, and I got an



A

As for my practicum, the jury is still out. There is some discussion on what kind of points are being given, what counts for credit and what does not. Since this is the first time this program has been offered, there is no precedent set for grading. Hopefully, the grades will be available soon. Right now, my supervisor says my work is A work, but she is not sure that she can give me credit for everything I completed. Unfortunately, now is a little late for me to find that out, since I cannot change/complete alternate assignments. We'll see how things will work out.

Happy Days are Here Again!

OK, so, after a little retail therapy, a movie night with my boys, and a good night sleep, I am definately recovering from the post tramatic stress of the semester. After consulting with my dear friend Tracy, I took her suggestion of retail therapy. The boys were somewhat tolerant of my plan, especially since I bought them ice cream at the mall.

I had promised the boys last week that we would rent Night at the Museum this weekend. We set aside Sayurday night for the movie. It was really cute. Much better than Everyone's Hero, which we rented last weekend. I missed about 15 minutes of the movie, however, when I choked on a piece of candy. I was terrified that I would not be able to get it out on my own. I was about a minute short of telling the boys to call 911 and go get a neighbor when I finally was able to breathe again. Now my chest, ribs, and back are sore from all of the coughing, but at least I'm alive.

Mother's Day was a fun, simple day. We went to church, then met Tracy and her boys at Red Lobster for lunch. Ken was working, so it made perfect sense. Tracy finally gave me my birthday present (yes, my birthday is in January, LOL!), but I am so glad she waited. It was a Red Lobster gift card (the irony, I know) and the new Jodi Picoult book. As she pointed out, now that the semester is over, I have time to read it! After lunch, the boys and I bought flowers and groceries, and spent the rest of the day working in the yard, cleaning the house, and just hanging out.

DH and the boys gave me a gift card to Christopher and Banks, which I will have the time to spend this weekend, when Ken is off, and I have no homework to do! Are you seeing a trend here? Also Saturday night has been set aside for bathroom remodeling shopping. The boys are going to a birthday party, so DH and I will be having dinner out, then buying the vanity, tile, etc. for the bathroom. The demo begins in just a few weeks. The bathtub is already in the garage; we picked it up while we had the rental truck. Now that is a story for another day.

The light at the end of the tunnel....

I am finally there. I have arrived to the official end of the semester. I have been working feverishly for the last few days to complete the assisgnments. I just emailed the last one off a few minutes ago.

I thought I'd be giddy, jumping up and down for joy. So, why am I sitting here, with a major headache, coming down from the rush of cranking out the work. I have no desire to move, much less go out and celebrate.

Hopefully a few hours of relaxing will help my mood.


But, the important thing is...

It's over!

My Final is OVER!!!

One more thing to cross of the to-do list!

Now, to finish my practicum requirements.....

Baseball

Here are a few pics from Josh's recent baseball game....





At second base...



At bat....

Isn't he cute?

Soccer Updates

Soccer season is soon to come to a close. It is by far my favorite sport to watch them play, so I am sad to see it end. Here are a few pics from recent games....

Here is our wonderful photographer, Alan.

Jake as goalie...with those gloves, looking a little like Mickey Mouse.

I included this picture to show you where we play...on the park district fields, right behind he county jail (hence the fence and barbed wire)

Jake and his friend Rosie.

KICK!

Run, Josh, Run!

It's DONE!

While it may not be the last assignment I need to finish this semester, my huge project for my Thursday night class is......


DONE!

And, before 2:00 a.m. on the day it is due!

On to the next item on the to-do list....

Do you hear it?

Chug, Chug Chug, up the hill I go....

I think I can, I think I can....

I can almost see the top of the hill....

A beautiful Sunday Morning

and what am I doing? HOMEWORK :( DH and the boys went up to visit his family, but I had to stay behind to finish all of these overwhelming projects. I made good headway yesterday, and hope to be pretty well finished with my big one today. While I wish I had the chance to spent the weekend with the family, the peace and quiet has helped boost my productivity. Two more weeks, and classes will be over.

I feel like the little engine that could....


I think I can.....


I think I can......


I think I can......

Two words.....stomach flu

Nuff said :(

baseball pics...

I was not able to be at Josh's game until the very end, since I was at Jake's game. I snapped this pic as we were waiting for Josh's coach to arrive. He had 2 hits and a walk. The team won, by a lot, but I didn't catch the score.....




I was able to see all of Jake's game. They lost 9-11 to St. Joe. Jake was 1 for 3, hitting a single midway through the game. He made an awesome play at pitcher, too.

My AHA! moment

or my DUH! moment, depending on your perspective. I have misplaced the cord that links my camera to my computer. So, I have not uploaded pictures in a while. (Alan has enabled me by supplying his). So, now that baseball season has started, I thought it was time to remedy the situation. So, I searched all over last night to no avail. So, I headed out to Best Buy, Circuit City, etc. to see if a replacement can be purchased. It would have to be ordered directly from Kodak, was the answer I got. But, another option, a card reader, seemed reasonable. Then, the Circuit City guy said something that made me take pause.....his computer has an integrated card reader! Heck, my laptop is less than a year old, maybe it has one, too! So, I headed home to check it out. Sure enough.....I have an integrated card reader! Problem solved! DUH!

So, the next post will include a few pics....

One more thing crossed off the "to do" list..

That's really how my life is structured at this point. One big "to do" list. I survive by crossing off one thing after another, watching the list dwindle. Yesterday, I crossed off my last seminar up north. Today, the boys and I crossed off another item on the list...

SELLING 80 CANDY BARS FOR LITTLE LEAGUE!

OK, I had already sold about 15, so 65 were left. In one hour, twenty minutes, we got them all sold. Actually, it wasn't hard. How could someone say no to those two cuties. Plus, when Mom goes along and stands in the road while the kids sell, how can one turn away a $1 candy bar? No, I don't go along to guilt people into buying; I'm there for safety. But, if it helps the candy sell, so be it.

OK, on to some homework, the next thing on my to do list....

Back from Chicago...

My last trip to Chicago for seminar is finished! It was such a beautiful day, and being cooped up ina car and in a conference room with no windows was not what I had listed for fun today. Sure, the first really nice day of weather we have for a soccer game, and I miss it. But, I got the report from DH and it sounds like both boys had a good game, each scoring a goal. The final score was 7-1.

Baseball season has begun. Jake's team had a practice game on Friday night. They won! The first official game for both boys is on Monday. Jake plays in St. Joseph and Josh plays at home. Life really gets crazy when baseball games start, since the boys play on different teams. Hopefully we will be able to pull it off. Thursdays will be especially challanging for DH, since I'll be at class. Hopefully, we will be able to pull this off, without losing the children...or our minds.

Thursday was my IEP day at work. I had 8 meetings that day. I was at school until 11:15 the night before,making sure all of the paperwork was just right. I have one more meeting to schedule, but that one should be an easy one. Therefore, the most stressful part of the spring semester is over for me at work, which will allow me to concentrate on college stuff.

My last trip....

to the Chicago area for my graduate seminar is today. Yes, I should be in the shower getting ready, rather than blogging. I just felt the need to log on and share my happiness! I do have seminar in May, but that one is in Normal.....a little more than a one hour drive. Doesn't compare to the three hours to Chicago. So, if I find the time tonight, I'll check back in and let you all know what's going on.

A few pictures from the soccer game

Again, thanks to Alan for his great photography (and his willingness to share)...

Here are a few of the many great moments Josh had yesterday...

One of his 4 goals...

and one of his break-aways...

Thanks again, Alan!

The soccer game from he@#!

What a morning! The ground was damp when we woke up, and the rain had only begun. We bundled up with multiple layers, grabbed our umbrellas, and headed out. Josh was wearing so many layers that he looked like he was wearing football pads (too bad he wasn't; more details on that below). I made a hot cup of coffee, hoping that would warm me from the inside out. By the end of the first quarter, it was ice cold, just like the rain that steadily fell throughout the entire game.

Thanks to the wet grass, Jake had a hard time staying on his feet. He had mud on his backside even before the game began. Of course, he probably would have been on his feet more had sliding across the grass not been quite so much fun.

Early in the game, Josh scored the first goal. A short time later, Josh took another great shot, but it was caught by the opposing side. Fortunately for us, it was not the goalie that caught it, which granted us a penalty kick. Josh let Jack take it, and he scored. Not too much later, the opponents scored against Corwin, who made a great effort to block, but the wet grass interfered

Throughout the game, there was some tension among the parents, as a result of some rough play by one of the opposing players. He had been called with a foul in the first half, but that did not end his unsportsmanlike behavior. When he went head to head with Ali, he kicked her pretty hard. Shortly after that, she came to sit along the sidelines for a few moments. When I asked her dad if she had injured her ankle, he told me that Ali had been upset that the boy had laughed at her when she was on the ground holding her leg. She needed a moment to gather herself. The rough play continued, with growing concern from our team's parents. There seemed to be no effort made by the official or the opposing coach to remedy the situation.

In an attempt to regain feeling in my frozen legs, I started to pace the sidelines. Josh had an incredible breakaway, against the goalie and a couple of defenders. He made an incredible shot, right in the goal! Score 2 for Josh! Play continued until, once again, Josh took command and sailed another right past the goalie! Then, as he was heading back down for another try, the boy who had taken Ali down shoved Josh to the ground, hard. Josh lay there, writhing, holding his head. Julian, our coach, rushed onto the field to Josh's side. I stood there, not ableto breathe, trying to keep myself from running on the field. Julian was trying to get a look at Josh's head, but Josh had both arms up holding it. It was sickening to watch him lay there. So many terrible thoughts ran through my head....concussion, stitches, emergency room. Julian picked him up and got him to his feet, and helped him toward the sidelines. I could not stop myself from meeting them half way across the field. Once at the sidelines, I removed his stocking hat to see if there were any visual wounds. I couldn't see anything. He looked at me and said, "I am going back in." I could tell he was mad! I looked him in the eye and said, "Make him pay, but play fair...score one more." He went back in and....

scored one more!

Final score.....5-1 Josh ruled the field today!

My heart rate was still racing, even hours after the game. Seeing Josh laying there was terrifying. The boy was taken out of the game after that, but, the damage had been done. Had the official been doing his job, that boy would have been taken out early on, preventing several injuries. Just by watching the opposing coach and the parents from the other team, it did not seem to be the way this team was coached. They were good, but fair. It was just this one boy.

While my heart has finally slowed down, I'm still not completely calm. Josh has developed a headache, which has subsided with ibuprofen. I am curious to see how he feels when that wears off. I pray that it won't return. Thank God my baby is ok.

A Miraculous product.....a testimonial

Un-du is an incredible product. I discovered it as a scrapbooker. You can "unstick" almost anything without damaging it. Thank goodness I had some in the house last night. It saved Josh from being skinned alive!

We were getting the boys ready for bed. I pulled back Josh's blankets, but they stuck together! I discovered glitter silly putty mushed all over his sheets, comforter, stuffed animals, etc. Needless to say, I was ready to scream. I called DH into the room while I took a moment to compose myself. When I went back in, they had stripped the bed. I handed them some clean sheets and headed for the kitchen to try to save what I could. After some elbow grease and about half a bottle of Un-du, I had salvaged the comforter, the Goofy stuffed animal from Disney, and possibly the beanie baby bear. The bottom sheet was a loss, but it can be replaced. I'm thinking Josh is not going to play with silly putty for a long, long time.

Easter Funnies...

Just a few funnies from Easter weekend....

• Josh and Jake stayed with Grandma and Grandpa on Saturday night so that DH and I could have a little break. This means that they had to go to Mass, which is WAY different from our church. About ten minutes into Mass, Jake scoots over to Grandma and asks, "How much longer?" just loud enough so that all of the surrounding people could hear. Grandma said you could see shoulders shaking from the laughter.
• At communion time, Grandma explained that the boys could not take communion since they were not Catholic, but they could go up to ask for a blessing. Josh asked, "Do I have to?" Grandma cajoled him into going up. In the car, on the way home, Josh asked, "What's a blessing?"
• When we arrived on Sunday morning, Scott (Aunt Sue's significant other) told us that he paid Josh to say that he believed in the Easter Bunny. Later in the day, Jake cought wind of the fact that Josh received money and he did not. So, he tells Scott, "I don't believe in the Easter Bunny." Scott asks, "So, would a dollar help you believe?" Classic Jake response, "Yeah, but five dollars and I would really believe."

Hope you and yours had a great Easter celebrating Jesus' sacrifice for all of us.

Brrrrr!

OK, so, you know what I said about soccer season being during warm weather??? Apparently Mother Nature didn't get the memo that soccer season has began, since she dumped a big ole pile of COLD on us this week.

Let's go back to Monday, when I was sitting at baseball practice with Jake, not paying any attention to what the kids were doing. I was busy typing up a reading summary (and surfing the net, since I found a wireless signal I could "borrow"). I was wearing a tank top and shorts, while I was putting my bare feet in the grass. It was a glorious day!

Fastforward to the end of the week. Tomorrow is supposed to be a soccer game. I say supposed to be since the park district has cancelled it due to COLD! I have watched soccer games, wrapped head to toe in the warmest layers I have, and complained the whole time how freaking cold it was. That's how cold the park district will let us play. So, needless to say, tomorrow is forecasted to be REALLY COLD.

Brrrrrr!

Soccer season has begun!

Gotta love soccer! Of all of the sports that the boys play, this is my favorite. For most of the season, the weather is warm. The families we play with are terrific. Our coach is great. And, thanks to Alan, I have great pictures to share....

Here is Josh, being taken out by his friend, Keith. Josh got back, later in the game, by blocking Keith's shot!

Here is the big news....Jake made the first goal of the season!

Here is the big score....

Since you really can't actually see Jake in this herd of players, here is a gratutious cute picture of the stud of the soccer field....

Baseball season started this week...more on that later.

2009????

OK, so it is common knowledge around our house that I will graduate from my current masters program in May 2009. In fact, it is something I have to tell myself several times a day, as a reminder that there is an end to the madness of homework. So, Wednedsay night I was tucking Jake into bed. I had spent the entire evening working on reading summaries and a group project, so I had spent no time with the boys. I was explaining to Jake how I missed them when I was busy with homework, and that it would get better. Jake said, "Yeah, in 2009." Ouch! While it was a little funny, it was a profoundly painful statement to hear. Yes, I am neglecting my family so that I can continue my education. I am negliecting my family and the end is two very long years away. When I said it would get better, I meant that at the end of the semester, I would have more time. How can I come up with more time? There just are no more hours in the day.

Ahhhhhhhh.....

That is the sound of me sitting down on our couch. Why is that such a big deal, you ask? Two reasons:

1. This has been the busiest spring break on record. Friday night our dear friends, the Jensen family an Dale, joined us for a weekend of fun. The Jensens have two boys, so it was just like one big slumber party. However, I was gone all day on Satuday for seminar for my masters program, so I missed part of the fun. After they left on Sunday, the boys and I packed up for a few days at Grandma and Grandpa Hogan's house. Well, they were staying there while I ran all over the Chicago area observing various deaf and hard of hearing programs as part of my masters program. While I really got a lot out of it, I was absolutely beat by the time we finally arrived back home on Tuesday night. Wednesday and Thursday brought more observations, this time in town. Thursday afternoon and evening was taken up with a meeting and class at ISU. So, here we are on Friday...the first day I've actually had free. Naturally, I have a bad head cold and can't really enjoy it, but I am resting none the less.

2. Our almost-brand-new couch and chair had to be taken back in for repair. The company picked them up on Monday to replace the cushions, which were already beginning to break down after only a few month's wear. They finally delivered them today, all puffy and comfy. After the busy, exhausting week, and only having folding chairs to sit on, I am so happy to have my couch and recliner back. I may not get up for a long, long time.

Basket Case

So, I stole this title from Alan's blog, but it fits the picture. He posted a picture of his young daughter Alice sitting in a clothes basket, playing with a doll. I had just taken this picture of Jake days before. Here he is, in his own clothes basket, devouring yet another Judy Bloom book from the Fudge series....

Copied from another blog....

I got these prompts from another blog on the ring, so I thought I'd share my answers....

1. ) Five Minutes to Myself. How would I spend them? Sleeping

2) Five dollars to spend right now. How would I spend it? iTunes....for my new iPod

3) Five Items In My House I Could Part With Right Now? this is a hard one, since I tend to throw things out pretty easily....1. old pots and pans from my old set. 2. rugs in my bedroom, I think they need replaced. 3. flowers on my hutch...I'd like to replace those too. 4. valances in kitchen and dining room, I'd like to replace those too....wait, I am seeing a trend here.... 5. all of the mcdonalds toys the boys ahve accumulated

4) Five Items In My House I Could Absolutely Never Part With? 1. scrapbooks 2. laptop 3. the boys' baby pictures 4. our wedding pictures 5. my palm pilot

5) Five Words I Love 1. love 2. Jesus 3. grace (the concept, not the dog, LOL!) 4. spring 5. Spring-Break

Parent Teacher Conferences

Last Thursdayand Friday was parent/teacher conferences for the boys. We met with the boys' teachers Thursday before I had to practically fly to Normal for my midterm (see below). Both boys received an excellent report from their teachers. While DH and I both know they are great kids, it's always nice to hear it from someone else.

Due to conferences, the boys did not have school either Thursday or Friday. Friday was easy, DH was off work. Friday was a different story. We went out on a limb and decided to allow the boys stay with Anwen, the older sister of Josh's best friend. She has babysat for them before, but never for the whole day, and never when Jack (her brother and Josh's best friend) was around. All three boys are terrific kids, but the more boys you get together, their orneriness multiplies exponentially. So, after a long lecture with the goal of putting the fear of God (or the fear of Mom, whichever is worse), we decided to give it a try. Thursday evening, Jack's mom called to ask if a mutual friend could take the whole gang to the Engineering Open House at the University of Illinois. So, this brave dad and Anwen took 6 boys out for quite a day. A link to his blog and the whole story is below:

http://order-horizon.net/


And, as mentioned before, I had a midterm on Thursday night. Let's just say that it was NOT the highlight of my week. As a way to ease the sting left fromt the test, I stopped by the mall to pick up my new Disney Crocs.....too cute!

Great Conference!

Thanks to everyone who helped out, I was able to completely enjoy the ITHI conference. It is so refreshing to spend time with like-minded professionals, learning new techniques. I always head back to school rejuvenated after a good conference. I am actually looking forward to work on Monday.

Upcoming conference

OK, boring title, I know, but I am pressed for time. See, I put in to go to a conference over a month ago. The conference is this coming Friday and Saturday. When did they finally tell me I could go? TODAY! Not like I needed any time to make hotel reservations, make arrangements for the kids, etc.

So, that left me scrambling to get DH to change his work schedule (thanks Rebecca!), find someone to take the kids ot school on Friday (thanks to Sandy at the Before Care Program), someone to watch the boys Saturday afternoon AND take them to a birthday party (thanks Christy!) and a place to stay Thursday and Friday nights (thanks Suzanne and Scott). Believe it or not, I was able to get it all arranged pretty fast. Once again, God was on my side :)

So, on Thursday, I will leave work to go to class, then will head to Suzanne's house. They live only about 15 miles from the conference center, so that is saving me from paying for the hotel. I get back Saturday in time to give the kids dinner. Bye!

Finally, a birthday party for Josh

OK, so if you remember, we had planned to have Josh's birthday party on Feb. 4th. Jake got sick, so we had to postpone it a week. Then, Josh and DH got sick, so we put it off two weeks. Finally, today was the day. Josh had not been himself for several days....lethargic, complaining of being cold and tired, not eating. DH and I were pretty concerned, since he was not what you would consider typically sick. We are concerned that it was something more serious. So, when he tried ot eat this morning but threw up immediately, we decided that we should take him to the doctor. DH took him to Convenient Care while I took Jake with me to church (I had to interpret, so I couldn't go with them). The doctor there said that they could not do blood work and that possibly he just had a virus (why do doctors always say that?) So, if we wanted blood work done, we'd have to wait till Monday and take him to his pediatrician. Since neither of us believed he was sick in a traditional (contagious) sense, we decided to go ahead with the party.

Josh really perked up during the party. For the first time since Thursday, he had color in his cheeks and actually ate a little bit of cake. He continued to feel fine all evening, so we are cautiously optimistic that he is on the mend. He ate dinner, his first meal since lunch on Friday. What a relief! He is already a really thin kiddo, so he can't afford to lose any more weight.

On another topic, Jake got a Webkinz for Valentine's Day. Josh was enjoying playing with Jake's on line monkey that I suggested to one of the moms who asked what he wanted for his birthday that Josh would like one as a gift. He got a dog (who he named Bob) and has already logged on to set up his room. Thanks to the ladies on SBA (specifically focadima (Lisa)) who first told me about Webkinz!

Check out their site:
http://www.webkinz.com/

My birthday present...

One month after my birthday, I was finally able to enjoy my gift from DH and the boys. My gift was two tickets to Mark Schultz' "Broken and Beautiful" concert. David Klinkenberg, a fiddler, started off the evening, followed by the opening act, Big Daddy Weave. Then, after a short intermission, Mark took the stage. He was incredible!!! I enjoyed the evening even more than I had anticipated. He was suffering from a cold, which made it hard for him to sing, but his voice was still awesome, in spite of it. Tears poured from my eyes during several of his ballads. I just can't seem to find the words to describe it all.

here is a link to his site....

http://www.markschultzmusic.com/

Enjoy!

Ten foods I hate...

Got this prompt from another blog....

10 foods I hate:

1. Tomatoes- I like tomato products, like catsup and spaghetti sauce,but don't ask me to eat an actual piece of tomato.....reminds me of an autopsy!
2. Mushroom- they're fungus, nuff said
3. oyseters- too slimy
4. mayonaise
5.potato/macaroni salad- when it is made with mayonaise
6. tuna- can't stand the smell
7. liver
8. beets
9, pickled pigs feet- used to make me nauseous to watch my mom eat those
10. okra

Don't eat yellow snow!

For once, the weather reporters weren't kidding. Everytime I hear that there will be a snow storm, I laugh because it never results in more than a dusting. This time, we got over a foot of snow. Naturally, it happens when DH is down with a strained back and can't help with the shovelling. The results were two snow days for the boys, three for me, and lots of fun for Gracie. She loves snow, and watching her helps define the word "frolic". She definately frolics in the snow!!

I think the flu is finally gone!

Wow! after Jake recovered from the flu, DH got it. He missed almost a week of work. Well, not all of that was from the flu itself. A side effect of all of the coughing was a strained muscle in his back, which resulted in a strained back muscle, an ER visit, and some muscle relaxers. He's finally feeling better, what a relief!

Oh, and poor Josh still hasn't had his birthday party :( He started running a fever on Saturday, and we decided to postpone again. We are trying for this Sunday (3 weeks from the original date).

Oh, and, as Jack (Josh's best friend) said when I told his mom that Josh was sick, too, "and Deborah is the last one standing!" I did not get the flu!

Mother-Son dance

Josh and I had a wonderful time at our 7th annual Mother-Son Dance put on by the Urbana Park District. What about Jake, you ask? Well, he was home sick with daddy. This is the second dance he has missed :( He threw up Friday morning (good thing there was no school--DH was already staying home with the boys). Then, by the time I got home Friday, he was running a moderate fever. He felt a bit better Saturday, due to ibuprofen. But, he was still running a 102 degree temperature this morning. So, not only did he miss the dance, we had to postpone Josh's birthday party and cancel our get-together for the Superbowl. Josh was pretty disappointed, but understood that locking his sick brother in his room so that his friends could come over really wasn't appropriate.

So, for the Superbowl, we watched the Bears lose :( as we munched and snuggled on the couch. Hopefully, Jake's fever will break soon and he'll be back to his ornery old self.

Ever have someone pee inyour cheerios?

Well, not literally. I heard this phrase somewhere. I think it is something like raining on your parade. Well, after the kind of day I have had...someone did more than pee in my cheerios...they took a big ol' dump in them!

First, I had to get up and wrap Josh's birthday presents AND type a letter of support for work. Let's just say that I do not have extra time built into my mornings to allow for this kind of extra stuff. That, along with the cold that smacks you inthe face when you leave the house does not make for a good beginning to the day. I did not have time to pack my lunch....keep this in mind. It is important later.

Next, I get to school and get started with my day. At 9:30, I am told that have to prepare paperwork for a 3:20 meeting...ACK! My class leaves at 11:10, I have a staff meeting at 11:20-11:30, a 30 minute lunch, then the next class arrives. Add an itinerant student on top of that, and you get no time to complete the paperwork! Remember that lunch I didn't pack? Well, that means I have to come up with something else. So, I tell my student teacher to skip the staff meeting to go get my lunch. I scarfed down a cheeseburger while going through files to prepare the paperwork.

So, I sit down to complete the paperwork. The laptop computer that my co-teacher and I have the share (which is a whole different gripe all together) is not working, so I track down a computer in the library to use. When I try to log into the file I need, someone else is on it. So, I have no time, and no access to complete the paperwork. I was so frustrated since everyone else had weeks to prepare their paperwork, and since they left it till the last minute and I couldn't get it done.

So, we have the meeting. It lasts almost 2 hours, which brings us to 5:20 p.m. Tonight is when we have been planning to go out to celebrate Josh's birthday, since I have class on his actual birthday. So, now I am running late, stressed out, and pissed off.

As I am getting my papers ready to leave the meeting, I extend one more pleasantry to the mother of the little girl we were meeting about. She says, "Some of her therapists have told me about you....they say you're the best teacher around." She just ruined a perfectly pissy mood, LOL!

Then, I pick up the boys at school and run into both of their teachers, who confirm that my boys are pretty cool kids. We went to Steak and Shake for dinner then came home to open presents. Josh loved his gifts and was too cute when he would say "sweeeeeeet" after he opened each one.

So, I guess now that I have finished my homework and paperwork for school, I will have to suck it up and admit that all in all, it wasn't such a bad day after all!

FOUND MY PALM PILOT!!!!!!!

WOW! I am SO happy! I love my palm pilot...I live by it. It ended up missing during Christmas break. I was so unhappy. I have still been using the computer based calendar and printing it, but miss my palm. I was actually considering buying a new one if I ended up with enough birthday money. Now, I won't have to! I was sure that the last time I used it was while sitting in the recliner. I had checked in, under and around the chair, with no luck. Today, I was cleaning and happened to look under the chair again...there it was, laying on the floor. It is really scratched up on the back, but it still works! My baby has come home again! Now I just need to find my stylus.....

OK, on to other things......

Here are my boys at their basketball game--which they WON! 17-13 :)




Here is Jake.....










And here is Josh.....



I love to watch them play. Josh is such a good athlete and really has a good head for the game (any game, for that matter). He is very sweet, helping Jake and the other young players to know what to do on the court. Jake is really trying hard. He is usually the smallest kid on the court, but he is getting really good at setting picks and running plays.

Today is better...

Since I decided to stay home from work. My head is throbbing, my throat hurts, and I am ready to curl up in a ball. So, I will do nothing today and hope I feel better tomorrow. At least I can avoid interacting with others, which will decrease the chance that my cruddy attitude will offend someone.

GRRRRRRRR!

I am in a BAD mood! I have a headache; I had to go to class tonight (which means a 2+ hour round trip); the professor spent an hour and 15 minutes reading the syllabus to us (I can read, you know!); then she made us do an ice breaker (I HATE those stupid things!); I'm all crampy and bloated; Jake came home from school sick today (DH was home, so he took care of him, but I HATE it when my kids are sick). GRRRRRR!

OK, thanks for listening....back to regularly scheduled programming.

My student hat is coming out of short-term storage

I start back to class tomorrow night. Last semester, I was nervous, like a little kid on the day before school starts. This semester, however, I am just dreading all of the work, driving, and loss time with the family. Tonight was so wonderful, with my boys curled up onthe couch with me. We were watching the Illini game, but it didn't matter to me what was on TV. All that mattered was that my boys wanted to be with me :) Now, with classes starting, that is less time to spend with them :(

Jake is fighting a head cold. He is stuffy and has a red nose from blowing it all day. He is sleeping fine, so hopefully it will not interfere with his day too much.

Josh is excited about his upcoming birthday. I can't believe that he will be ten years old! I hate that they are growing up, but they are turning out to be such wonderful boys. That makes it a little less painful.

With such a long day ahead tomorrow, I should head to bed. I stayed awake last night sorting scrapbook paper until almost midnight (guess I forgot to mention the huge sale at Hobby Lobby, LOL!) and had a hard time getting up this morning. Goodnight everyone.

Cyber Crop...among other things....

A huge thanks to Kathy M at Scrapbook Addict for hosting a Cyber Crop this past weekend. With the motivation from all of the scrappers involved, I completed 3 more layouts for our Disney album. I really liked all of the challenges....helped me to think "outside the box". See the slide show above for my layouts. Here is a link to SBA: http://www.scrappertalk.com/bbs/index.php

The boys had their first basketball game on Saturday. It was awesome! The score was pretty close in the first half, but the opposing team began to pull ahead in the 3rd quarter. Our team rallied in the 4th and tied the game 18-18. At this age, there is no overtime, since there are other games immediately following ours. Both boys played really well, and I had a great time watching.

OK, so life is not very exciting right now. Darn dishwasher acted up again today, but it required the same intervention. If it happens again....I am calling the repair man. Yep, life's really exciting when I am writing my second post about the diswasher, LOL!

Back to the old grind....

Last Wednesday, the boys and I headed back ot school. I think Jake was the most excited...he even thanked God for school so he could see his friends again. While it was only a three day week for us, it seemed so long. This week will seem like it lasts forever, since we go all five days.

After church today, I was trying to clean up the kitchen. I started the dishwasher, but it did not fill with water. Dang! Last thing I need is a broken dishwasher. It is not even two years old, so I knew it could be fixed. Stubborn mule that I am, I decided to check it out myself. After checking through the manual, I tried a few different things. Finally, I decided to "clear out" the control panel by shutting off the power for thirty seconds. When I turned the power back on....WOW! It worked! I am woman...hear me roar!!!!

Since I have been scrapping a lot, I am going to attempt to set up a slide show like I have seen on other blogs. Sounds like a fun way to spend the afternoon.

A couple of photos

Finally, I have the time to post a few recent photos...


This is our house, all lit up for Christmas....

Here is the family on Christmas Eve.

Here is Gracie, the princess, with her Christmas gift. She'll carry this bone around for days before she decides to chew on it.

Well, they haven't hog-tied me and locked me in the closet...

Yep. It's time for a sleepover for the boys. Each boy has a friend over, and since DH is at work, I am severely outnumbered! But, as long as I throw some food down the stairs once in a while, they will leave me alone. Actually, they are being very good. I am wondering, though, where I stand on the good mommy/bad mommy scale:

Good mommy points:
*let them have a sleep-over
*let them play their new PS2
*fed them a healthy, yummy dinner

Bad Mommy points:
*let them play too much PS2
*served them salad with their dinner (but 3 out of 4 boys ate it)


So, guess it depends on the perspective. Anyway, I am enjoying the relative peace and quiet upstairs. I am slowly dismantling the Christmas decorations. Thre ornaments are off the tree, most of the kitchen stuff is boxed up, and I still have the village houses to pack up. I'll have to save those for when DH or the boys can help me.

Pray for me....that the boys will sleep tonight....

Christmas Eve

It's been a quiet day around here. Just cleaning the house to get ready for my parents to visit tomorrow. The boys have been good all day. Wonder if they are trying to get in one last good day before Santa comes? According to NORAD, Santa is well on his way, so the little buggers better go to sleep soon!

We opened our gifts this afternoon, since we are on our own for Christmas Eve this year. No family staying with us means a bit more laid back approach. The boys were very excited about their PS2. I keep thinking, I should go down to the basement and try it out since they are in bed. I am sitting here in my new jammies (which have dogs on them), enjoying the scent of my new perfume (Euphoria by Calvin Klein), realizing that I am a little sad. Christmas is just not "all that" for me anymore. I enjoy surprising the boys and DH with gifts, but I am just not getting into the typical Christmas mood. I sure hope this isn't something more than a passing thing.

Christmas Eve service was nice. Our church is pretty casual, so seeing everyone all dressed up is fun. I interpreted part of the service, which means I get a bird's eye view of everyone. Usually, I get a chance to see who dozes off at church. Tonight's view was a little different. I had an up front view of some poor girl vomitting in the front row during the sermon. She was late teens or early twenties. Before church began, she and an older lady had hurried out of the room. Shortly after, they returned. I thought no more of it until her hand flew to her mouth about half way through the sermon. That's when she began to vomit. She and a family member ran out of the room, while the surrounding people tried not to look. Poor thing, how humiliating! Especially on Christmas Eve when the church is packed (over 500 people) and in the front row, too. I sure hope she is feeling better.

I'd better get to bed soon so that Santa can come. Good night to all!

Is this your first time?

This is the question I was asked yesterday by my new massage therapist as he led me into a dimmed room. My first time at what?!?!? There was a "table" in the middle, covered in sheets. Soft, soothing music was playing. There were plants, beautiful wallpaper, in fact, it looked a lot like a luxury hotel room. I couldn't help thinking, "I feel like I have entered the place of business of a high-priced gigalo!" I stifled my giggles and climbed on the table.

Seriously, he asked about my medical history, any areas of pain or discomfort, and my goals for the session. It was so incredibly relaxing that I felt the need to take a nap when he was done. It was definately the best hour I have spent in a long time. He was an absolute professional, and I hope to be able to go back again.

Ahhhhhhhhhh........

Do you hear that? That is the sound of one tired teacher relaxing on her first night of Christmas break! Yeah, I know, the school calls it Winter Break, but, please, if it weren't for Christmas, there would be no break. So, I am celebrating Christ's birth, with a little "me" time.

I spent part of the evening scrapping at a friend's house. She's one of those friends who you can "let it all hang out" with. I got a lot done, and now am inspired to scrap even more!

I completed my vestibular/hearing assessment today. The doctor does not have a definitive answer as to why I have a hearing loss and dizziness. The dizziness is resulting from one side of the vestibular system not reacting to vestibular input to the same degree as the other side, which gives the brain conflicting information. Why is this happening? No idea. The doctor feels that the hearing loss looks like a noise induced loss. I can't imagine why that would happen, but there's nothing that can be done to reverse it. Now it is just a matter of monitoring the loss to make sure it does not get worse.

I get a month off from wearing my student hat. Just got my grades today....yep, got an A!

I am so excited to get to wear my mommy hat for a while. Jake was home sick Tuesday and Wednesday this week with diarrhea. He seems to be fine now. Bad mommy confession time: While I would never wish for my child to be sick, I was secretly happy I got to stay home from work on Tuesday.

Tomorrow I am finally going to get a professional massage. DH and the boys got me a gift certificate for one for Mother's Day, but I have never taken the time to use it. I can't wait!

Really, I do need to post some pics soon. Maybe I will sometime this week :)

Candlestick Lane Opening

What a day! Actually, it has been a busy week. I took my final on Tuesday, then it was time to prepare for our Candlestick Lane Open House. Candlestick Lane is a long running tradition here in Urbana. The street we live on changes names for about two weeks in December. It becomes Candlestick Lane, where almost every house on the block puts out incredible light displays. This is our second Christmas here, and I was elected chairperson. I had the pleasure of reading the Mayor's proclamation and leading the processional down the street. I also was interviewed for the local news.

Our Open House was a big hit! We had a great turnout and lots of food and fun was had by all. The favorite activity, by far, was karoake time. Seems to be a theme at our parties (remember pirate karoake?) I have to say a huge thanks to my mother in law, who was an incredible help getting things ready. She's awesome!

When I get a chance, I will try to post some pics.

Surgery Observation

I had the most amazing experience yesterday. As a requirement for my master's practicum, I had to observe a cochlear implant surgery. So, yesterday was the day. I stood right by the surgeon as he implanted the device into an 8 month old little girl. I have been teaching deaf and hard of hearing children for years, but now I have finally seen the inner workings of the ear. The surgeon allowed me to look through the microscope several times. Half way through, the little girl's oxygen saturation dropped, so there were about ten minutes when things got a little tense. After re-intubating, things went back to normal. Prayers were definately answered.

Dr. Novak at Carle, along with the audiologists, were wonderfully gracious hosts and provided me with an incredible experience!

Just an update....

My student hat:
*only two more classes till the end of the semester!
*my practicum is finally taking off. Thursday I get to observe a cochlear implant surgery.
*I received my grade on my research paper.....100%

My mommy hat:
*Christmas preperations are coming along, with invitations for our open house sent and shopping coming along nicely.
*the boys are finished with basketball clinics, and the regular season starts next week. They will have the same coach Jake has had the past two years ! Yeah! He's a great guy and the boys are familiar with him.

My teacher hat:
*my kiddos are doing well. Two of them finally have received their FM systems for school, which means that they will be able to use what hearing they have left.

My "me" hat
*I am fighting some sort cold...yuck :(
*I have my vestibular and hearing assessments later this month. I'll update when I get more information.
*My scrap space is finally ready in the basement. Hopefully by Christmas I'll be able to actually use it.

Happy Birthday to My Brother...

Well, it's not his birthday yet, but he's going to be in town tomorrow night, so we will get to celebrate. I can't remember the last time we were able to celebrate his birthday with him. He is a truck driver and is gone for weeks at a time. His route brings him right to Champaign, so we'll have the pleasure of his visit. He is the boys' only blood uncle. Their Aunt Jill is married, but they have never met her husband, since they live all the way across the country. Aunt Sue isn't married, but has a boyfriend that the boys enjoy playing with. But I am glad that Uncle Brad will be able to visit.

Thanksgiving is fast approaching. I am SO ready for a break. However, with that term paper out of the way, I am feeling more relaxed. Still have lots to catch up on at school, but it will eventually get done. One day at a time :)

My term/research paper...

IS DONE!!!!!!!!!

My hats are fitting a little tight these days.

Sometimes, I wish the world would just stop and let me off! I am in desperate need of a vacation! Thanksgiving break can't come too soon.

Parent-Teacher Conferences were this week. So, I had to wear my teacher hat and my mommy hat for those. First, the teacher hat....just let me say that teachers put an incredible amount of work into preparing for conferences. I worked late two days this week, just to prepare, plus all I had already done before this week. When you figure in the one night I had class, the two new students that I had to prepare for, and just the everyday lesson planning on top of it all, I didn't get to see my family all week.

My mommy hat was a lot more comfortable :) The boys are both working about one grade level above their actual grade :) And they both are getting along well in class. I was so proud!

My student hat is giving me a headache. First, I have a research paper due on Tuesday, so you can imagine what I am doing this weekend. Plus, my practicum class is giving me high blood pressure. Everytime I have to deal with the supervisor, I can almost feel the steam rolling out of my ears. I have spent a number of hours in prayer over the situation, trying to deal and suffer through to get it over with.

And, the real shocker, is that I was diagnosed with a hearing loss last week. I saw the ENT and the audiologist yesterday. It doesn't look like I will need hearing aids right now, thank God. They are very expensive and not covered by insurance. I have a few more tests on the function of my inner ear next month, plus monitoring to make sure that the loss does not get worse. There is dizziness involved as well, so testing may help get to the source of the probrem.

But, inspite of all of these hats I am fighting with right now, I have so many blessings to consider....
-Kristen, my dearest friend, who will put up with my children and loves them like her own.
- Tracey, my other wonderful friend, who will chat with me for hours about any topic.
- my boys, who are so wonderful, that I can't even put it into words.
- My husband, who has been so supportive and is the best daddy in the world.
- God's grace and mercy, providing me all I need.


A side note: Thank you to all of the veterans and troops protecting us! May God bless you and keep you safe!

My poor boy....

Last week, I noticed that Jake had a cavity on one of his molars. He's 8, so it is a baby tooth. He went to the dentist last week. Since the tooth was already a little loose, the dentist said that as long as he's not in pain and not infected, we could wait for it to come out on its own.

Fast forward to today. I rearranged my afternoon so that I could attend the boys' Halloween parties at school. Thank goodness I was there! Jake bit into a piece of candy and made an awful face. I suggested that he spit it out, since he apparently didn't like it. When he spit it out, blood started oozing from his mouth. His tooth broke! So, the party was over for Jake. I cleaned him up and took him to the dentist.

Jake knew that the tooth would have to be pulled. He was nervous, to say the least. He handled it all like a man, even the shots to numb his mouth. It took three different shots to do the trick, so he really had it rough. He did cry, but laid perfectly still while the dentist was working on him.

He's doing well tonight and was able to enjoy trick or treating. Plus, he will be enjoying his money from the tooth fairy in the morning :)

Tummy ache update....

Well, I got the verdict.....small abdominal hernia off of my C-section incision. It has not herniated all the way through, thank goodness. I have to "take it easy", wear some support, and avoid lifting. "Take it easy"?!?!? Yeah, right. I'm a mom...I really can "take it easy".

My student hat is fitting well tonight

Got my midterm grade back tonight! 24/25.....96% !!!!!!!!

Tummy aches all around....

This morning, Jake told me that he had a tummy ache. This may bring a sense of alarm to some parents, but not me, when it comes to this son. He's been know to fake a tummy ache to come home from school. More than once, he managed to convince the school that he was sick and needed to go home. Oddly enough, this has only happened when Daddy had the day off. So, we instituted a family rule....to come home sick, you have to be bleeding, puking or have a fever.

Well, no surprise, today was Daddy's day off. About 1:15 this afternoon, DH receives a phone call from the school. Seems Jake has a tummy ache. After discerning that Jake was not bleeding or vomiting and did not have a fever, he told Jake he had to back to class. Way to go, Dad! I think he's almost ready for one of those "World's Greatest Mom" t-shirts!

OK, not to make us sound like horrible parents, he did tell the school secretary that if Jake continued to complain about his tummy to call back and he would come get him.

Now, Jake's tummy ache ended up being nothing. Mine, however, may be a different story. This morning, while at work, I sneezed. While that may sound like it has nothing to do with my stomach....just stick with me. When I sneezed, a searing pain tore through my lower abdomen (right where my C-section scar is). It was so painful that I yelled out. As the day wore on, it has gotten more and more painful. Now it is even difficult to sit up or walk. I think I need to call the doctor in the morning.

A new cap to wear....

OK, so jury duty only lasts a week, but it was a difficult cap to wear today. While the trial is over and I can freely discuss the case, I will not do that. However, I do want to address a few thoughts/experiences of the day. First, it was again illustrated to me why it is important to not make assumptions. After hearing the testimony and looking at all of the evidence, I was convinced that it was obvious that the defendant was not guilty. I assumed that everyone else on the jury saw everything the way that I did, and deliberations would be quick and painless. WRONG! In fact, I was in the minority believing that he was not guilty. Deliberations took several hours.

Second, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to serve with a group of intelligent, conscientious individuals. Even when our opinions on the defendant's guilt were completely at odds, everyone remained respectful and courteous while arguing their point of view. And, when things did not resolve quickly, and many individuals were concerned about their family obligations, not one individual in the room suggested that we come to a decision so that we could all go home. Everyone sincerely treated the decision before us with the gravity it required. I left today with a new respect for my fellow citizen.

Third, and most importantly, I was once again reminded of the awesome power of prayer. At one point, ten of the jurors had agreed that the defendant was guilty. The only ones who disagreed were myself and the gentleman next to me. After several hours of deliberation, it seemed that we were at an impasse, my head was throbbing, and I was beginning to think we'd be there all night. I quietly bowed my head and asked for God's guidance. I prayed that God would help me decide what to do....continue to fight for the not guilty verdict or change my vote. As I was ending my prayer, something one of the jurors said began to make sense. I can't even tell you what that thing was. All I know is that all of a sudden, I felt like I needed to change my vote. Just as I was getting ready to announce that fact, the gentleman next to me spoke up and said that he had also decided to change his vote. Again, as we were passing around the verdict slip to sign, I went to God in prayer that we were doing the right thing. I was so worried about sending an innocent man to prison. I was praying that God was helping us do the right thing. After delivering the verdict, the judge asked us to wait in the jury room for a few minutes. He came to address us and answer any questions we had. During this time, he confirmed that this man was a pretty scary fellow who had done quite a few awful things to the victim in the past, and today's trial was just one of a number of recent charges against this man. In other words, our guilty verdict had put a hateful, awful man behind bars for repeatedly and systematically victimizing a young woman.

I thank God for his guidance.

healthy habits

Have you ever decided to "give up" something in the interest of better health? Recently, I joined a "lose 10 pounds" challenge on SBA. I figured the only way to do this is to drop some of the nasty habits I have. First, I decided to stop drinking soda. I've tried this before...but never succeeded. I love Pepsi. I hate diet sodas, so making the switch to diet was not going to happen. So, I figured I needed to just drop it all together.


And....it's been 3 weeks! I don't even want soda any more. In addition, I am not craving sweets like I used to. I wonder if it's related. Anyway, I have lost 5 pounds, and I am thrilled! Only 5 more to go to meet the challenge.

Jury Duty

So, it's time...to finally show up for jury duty. I was summoned last spring, but I have had it postponed twice, so I am finally fulfilling my civic duty. So, I spent most of today sitting around the court house, waiting. Finally, this afternoon, I was placed on a jury. I have to report at 9:00 tomorrow. I need to find a good book to take for all of the down time. Any recommendations?

Extreme sleep deprivation.....That's what friends are for

Last night, as I was helping DH get supper ready, I was chatting with a friend on the phone. We haven't seen each other for about a week, so I asked her to join me for a soda after her girls went to bed. Once she was able to get away, we headed to McDonald's for some fries, caffeine, and girl talk (I forgot my cell phone at home....keep this in mind, as it will be important later). I dearly love when she and I are able to get our kids together, but I think I cherish even more the times when we can hang out, just the two of us.

So, after the fries were gone, we headed back to her place. I wanted to see how she had rearranged some furniture, so rather than drop her off, I invited myself in. (Gotta love the kind of friend who lets you do that :) As we were chatting with her husband, her cell phone rang. It was DH. I was surprised, since he wouldn't normally "track me down" unless it was important. She handed the phone over, and he informed me that my other best friend was desperately trying to track me down. Apparently, she had taken the wrong insulin (she's diabetic) and was in some trouble. I ran out the door, flew over past my house to grab my cell phone, and booked it to her house.

The problem was that she had taken 16 units of fast acting insulin instead of the slow acting insulin that she takes every night before bed. Now, that may not seem like a big deal, but what it amounts to is taking 5 times the necessary amount of insulin. People with diabetes must use insulin to control their blood sugar. Without the insulin, their blood sugar will be too high, which causes damage to vital organs over time. However, the more immediate danger for those with diabetes is their blood sugar getting too low. If one's blood sugar gets too low, he or she could go into a coma, or worse, die. So, having too much insulin, especially the amount that my friend took, was extremely dangerous.

On the way to her house, I toggled between praying that she would be ok and planning my strategy. She had called the patient advisory nurse and gotten some instructions. Take blood sugar levels at least every 20 minutes, drink sugared liquids, have a friend close by to help monitor the situation, and call 911 if her readings went too low. The nurse had predicted that it would take at least four hours for the insulin to work its way out of her system. If we could control her blood sugar at home, fine. If she ended up needing to go to the hospital, then we'd be in a world of hurt. She has four boys, all of whom are disabled. What would I do with the boys if she went to the hospital? I don't know who could watch them, and I felt like I needed to be with her. So, urgent prayers went heavenward...please help me help her control the unavoidable drop in blood sugar.

When I arrived, it was 9:30 p.m. She was chugging Sprite, admitting that she had made a stupid mistake. So, we got comfortable, knowing that it was going to be a long night. The nurse called to check in, as she continued to do throughout the night. The next day was the fifth anniversary of the September 11th terror attacks, so there were several programs on tv. We watched the documentaries and talked about all of those deep subjects that come up when you see people facing the unfathomable as the victims did that day. All between taking blood sugar levels, pouring more Sprite, and a quick run to the convenience store for 7 up for her, and Pepsi for me.

The evening wore on, and her sugar levels fell. However, God was at work, because her levels never got down to a dangerous point. As her levels began to slowly increase again, the stress began to lift. As we both realized that it was 2:00 a.m. and we would both need to get ready for work in a very short time, we got a little slap-happy. Everything was funny...especially the sloshy feeling in her stomach from drinking large amounts of soda, and the resultant trips to the restroom. Her new nickname is Pee-didy slosh....think rapper. OK, not that funny, but at 2:00 a.m., it was hilarious!

FInally at 2:45 a.m, I headed home for a precious 3 hours of sleep. That day of work was hell...every single things my students did got on my nerves. But, since I didn't have any students to see in the afternoon, and because my boss is incredibly understanding, I headed home for a nap that afternoon.

It has taken me a few days to get over the sleep deprivation, but that is what friends are for.

Jake's 4th and final birthday party is finally over. I am so glad to check that one off of my to do list. As usual, the kids were loud, but well behaved. There were, all together, 3 girl pirates and 7 boy pirates running around. The treasure hunt was huge fun. And, I have to say, pirate karaoke was hilarious!

Now, I need to upload pictures from ALL of the parties to scrap. But, at the rate that my Disney album is going, I may scrap this birthday when he starts high school! Maybe I should publish this post and hit the scrap table?