No Words...Catching up...Brain Dump

There are no words to explain my absence except that I have probably been busier than I have ever been in my life!


To put the past couple of months in a nutshell...


Christmas was great!  John and Abby got new bikes, Lucy got her "big girl car seat" (booster seat) from Santa, Max got more Legos, Ruby got a sit and spin and I got an iPhone :)  Spent the morning at home then headed to my mom and dad's house to await the Charlotte contingent of the family and celebrated a loud messy Christmas together.  A couple of days after Christmas John headed up to Charlotte to go to the Bowl game (NC State) and the kids and I headed to Beaufort to hang out with my family some more.


New Years was uneventful.  The neighbors got together to shoot off fireworks and hang out but John and I had to tag team it because Lucy refused to step foot outside!  Ruby, on the other hand, was oooohhhhing and aaaaahhhhhhing during the whole thing...go figure!


We had basketball games on Fridays/Saturdays (Max) and swimming lessons on Saturday mornings (Abby). 


The first weekend in February was a memorable one.  I got to go on a Girls Weekend with my mama and my sisters!  We went to Asheville for the weekend and spent Saturday at The Biltmore.  It was wonderful to hang out and shop and eat and talk and laugh and SLEEP!  Another reason it was a memorable weekend was because it was the first time that John has EVER had all 4 kids to himself overnight!  Better yet, it was 2 nights :)  He did great and the house was still standing when I got home on Sunday!


On the way home from Asheville that Sunday I talked my mom into swinging by Charlotte so my sister's hairdresser could cut and highlight my hair.  She cut off 13 inches of hair and boy can I say was that ever a load off!  I mailed it off to Locks of Love the next day.  Speaking of the next day...


Monday the 6th...my 40th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!  I was showered with love and flowers that day.  John sent me flowers to my school, my mom stopped by with cupcakes for my class (see, you're never too old for your mom to bring cupcakes for your birthday) AND I received flowers at school from my mom and dad a few minutes after she left.  My two room moms also brought me a bouquet of flowers and MORE cupcakes for my class (thank goodness they have special area at the end of the day so I didn't have to deal with the sugar high!).  I also got a Starbucks gift card from one of my students and a Carrabbas gift card from another student.  John and I got Italian takeout for my birthday dinner that night :)


Tuesday the 7th was my baby sister Mallory's 27th birthday...dang she's gettin old!  I didn't get to see her but we exchanged texts and voicemails (played phone tag)


That Saturday John and I were able to go out for a combined birthday /Valentine's dinner (thanks Mama for babysitting).  We used the PF Changs gift card I had gotten from my class for Christmas.  It was delicious food, handsome company, and a great time.  We even stopped at Target on my way home to use another present from a student in my class (Target gift card) to buy me a new pair of jeans!  Haven't had a new pair in over a year so I was due (only had the one pair!)


We've had a break from sports and are now gearing up for another round...Abby in soccer and Max in baseball.


I am taking a class for recertification that is on Saturdays (8 in a row) from about 12 - 6pm.  We are taking field trips around the area (some about 100 miles roundtrip) to look at historical places.  I am learning and hearing some cool stories about Revolutionary War and Civil War times.


Ruby got her first haircut this past Saturday.  John took the 3 older kids to Charlotte and Ruby and I stayed at my mom and dad's so they could watch her while I went to my class.  She's had a cold for the past couple of weeks and I was so tired of trying to keep her stringy hair from getting stuck to her face by her runny nose so we took her on impulse and had her "mullet" cut and gave her some bangs and some shape.  John was excited and keeps trying to talk Abby and Lucy into getting their hair cut.  They aren't having it :)


Let's see, oh yes, Abby has recently joined Daisy Scouts and attended her first meeting a couple of weeks ago and LOVED it!  Max is still enjoying Cub Scouts.  Lucy's preschool class participated in a Hop-a-thon for Muscular Dystrophy and she won her class competition.  She jumped 410 times!  Her teachers said they were hoping the kids would be worn out...NO SUCH LUCK with Lucy :)  Our little Energizer Bunny!


Well, that is about it for now.  I do have some pictures to share but I have to find my camera buried down deep in one of my school bags so those will have to wait until this weekend.  I did update my picture at the top of the blog to our more recent Christmas card picture...that will just have to tide you over...


Be back soon...I hope!

Well Look Who the Cat Dragged In....

Is "Blog Abandonment" a punishable offense?  I have no clue what has happened to the last month and a half or so since I last posted!  Things here have been hectic and non-stop to say the least.  I don't remember being this frazzled when I was teaching before my 4 year "sabbatical" but then again I have doubled the number of kids I had back then and now two of them are in elementary school.  Mama is WIPED OUT!!!!!  I absolutely love my job though and I have a great class.  First grade is so awesome :)  It's strange though to be teaching the same grade that one of my own kids happens to be in too.  Even though we are in different school districts we have the same reading series and Abby's class is one week ahead of my class in the book so we talk about the stories alot.

We have had a break from sports for the last month or so but Max has started practice for basketball and Abby will start swimming lessons next month (at the indoor pool...obviously).  Lucy is LOVING her preschool and Ruby has adjusted very well and knows the names of all the kids in her class and her teachers call her the "Little Principal" because she likes to make sure the kids are following directions and if one of the kids takes a cup or pacifier that doesn't belong to them she will take it back and give it to the right child :)  Yeah, her teachers call her their "helper"...I think that's a nice way of calling her "bossy".  Oh well, she's the oldest in the class and won't ever have that status at home.

Speaking of Miss Ruby...guess who turns 2 on Tuesday?!?!?!?!  I can't believe it.  My parents got her a big girl bed for her birthday/Christmas gift and we'll be making the transition from crib to bed over the Christmas break.  Part of me is fine with it but another part of me gets teary eyed thinking about getting rid of the crib and the "baby" stuff.  To think that part of my life is over is tough even as I am excited about the future.  It may have something to do with the fact that I am staring the big 4-0 right in the face and that my 30's was a decade of getting pregnant and having babies.

Well, it's late, and I'm wiped out due to the stomach bug that took up residence in our house this past week ;p  I will try to do better about posting.  We have one more week of school then it's 2 weeks off!  Maybe I can catch up then.  Don't give up on me yet...PLEASE :)

Catching Up with Max...

Okay, I can't get caught up all in one post so I'll take it kid by kid :)

Hey there Max...what's up with you?

So far Max has been loving being at his new school (he moved up to the Elementary school...3-5th grade) from the primary school...K-2nd).  He loves his teacher Mrs. M and currently his favorite subject is South Carolina history.  He recently had to do a project where he had to make a model of SC and show the 6 different regions.  He also had to pick one of the regions and do a brochure/pamphlet/poster on that region telling about it's characteristics, major cities, and places to see/things to do. 

We decided to make the model out of rice krispie treats.  I made a double batch and then poured it out onto a board and molded it into the shape of SC.  I think I got it pretty good.  Then we colored icing into 6 different colors and I outlined each region and Max spread the icing into them.  It turned out really cool and wouldn't you know it...I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE!!!!!  I emailed Max's teacher to ask her if she could do it for me before the class ate it and she said she would but I haven't seen it yet.  If I get it I will certainly post it :)

Max has also been playing flag football this fall.  He was REALLY into it this year and John has been so excited at seeing Max out on the field.  He called me from one game to tell me that Max looked like a real quarterback out on the field and that he was taking a leadership role out on the field trying to direct his teammates on where to block :)  This was the year that he could choose between flag or tackle and John and I made the decision to have him play flag because we weren't sure that he was ready for tackle...now we're sure!  Max would put his arms up to block another player and the kid would run into him and fall down!  Also, Max would run the ball and was so fast he wouldn't have anyone around him sometimes.  I watched him run for a touchdown from one end of the field to the other during one game! 

He had his last game yesterday and at the awards ceremony afterwards his coach gave each of the players an award based on their skills.  Max got the "Lightning" award because of his speed.  The coach told everyone that Max had a bright future ahead of him and that he never liked to let Max have the ball on the first or second down because he knew they'd be playing defense again right away :)  We have a bit of a break now and then we are on to basketball season ;p

Max has also joined Cub Scouts this year and is loving it!  We got him his uniform and he and John went on their first Cub Scout campout a couple of weekends ago.  They had a great time :)

One thing Max has had a tough time with though is going to the afterschool daycare.  He gets picked up from school by their bus and does his homework there and has a snack and plays outside.  It is a great place and the people are very friendly but Max has started having anxiety issues.  He started worrying that something was going to happen to me and he couldn't stop thinking about it.  We had a rough few weeks where he would sob uncontrollably in the mornings before getting on the bus and then would cry at school because he was worried about me.  He told John and I that he was afraid if something happened to me he'd be alone.  I emailed the guidance counselor at his school and she has spoken with him one on one and he is now going to her once a week for about 40 minutes for a small anxiety/stress group.  It seems to be helping...we keep praying that it does.  Also, at the afterschool program they have been wonderful in letting Max stay in the smae room with Abby (they split them up K-2 and 3-5).  Since they have let him do that he has been doing much better as well.  He still asks if I can pick them up early though.

Another thing I have done is to talk to the school psychologist and his teacher (and the other people on the "team") about possibly having Max tested for dyslexia.  He has had some of the more classic signs for a long time and I had been told many times that he would outgrow them by the end of 2nd grade.  He hasn't and is showing some other signs as well.  I looked up what the characteristics of dyslexia were and found a list of 37 of them on the Dyslexia website.  It said that most children with dyslexia would exhibit about 10 of them from time to time.  As I went through the list I highlighted the ones that pertained to Max.  He hit about 25-27 of them or parts of them.  I was told by the school that it is a medical diagnosis so we'd have to go through his pediatrician for that but they reassured me that he is NOT showing signs of a Learning Disability (I didn't suspect that anyway since he is on grade level for reading and above grade level for math).  I'm glad I met with them though because they did say they would keep an eye on his progress to make sure he isn't stalling or falling back.

Finally, since I have started back to work we have really gotten serious about having the kids take on some responsibility around the house.  We are adding them in increments until they can do them without being reminded then we'll add another.  Right now Max is supposed to take care of getting everyone's drinks for dinner, rinsing the dinner dishes, and packing his lunchbox (supervised and helped by me).

So, that is Max...all caught up :)

Happy 40th!

Dear John,


     Happy 40th Birthday Sweetie!  Wow!  The BIG 4-0.  I guess I am married to an old man now huh? :)  Seriously though, I met you when you were 28, I can't believe how fast those years have flown by.  We have definitely been busy during that time too.  Getting married and having 4 kids has certainly been a journey.  I'm glad I have been on this journey with you.  It's had it's ups and downs but we've stuck together through it all.  We've learned so much about each other and there is so much more to learn.


     I love you John.  More and more with each passing year and each new gray hair (yours...I haven't found any yet :)...)  I look forward to spending MANY more birthdays together!


All My Love,
Staci

I'm Here...

Hi!  I'm still here...barely.  I feel buried under a mountain of laundry, dishes, lunch boxes, homework, school work, sports, kids (my own and my 18 first graders), Cub Scouts, daycares, and my van (since I am in it quite a bit).  I have so much catching up to do here but I have so much sleep to catch up on as well.

I'll post more later...hopefully on Wednesday.  We've had a birthday (Lucy's 4th), an Anniversary (mine and John's 10th!) and a VERY IMPORTANT birthday coming this Wednesday...someone in this house (not me) is turning 40!!!!!

One thing hasn't changed around here.  Lucy STILL wakes up multiple times a night so I am STILL not getting enough sleep.  I am looking into resolving this sleep issue soon...as well as her behavior issues...more on that as the story develops...

Good night everyone!

Been Kinda Busy...and an Allergy Update!

Just when I had the good intentions to start making time to blog more I went a got a job!  Last Wednesday I got a message from the principal of a local elementary school saying she really wanted to interview me for a 1st grade position at their school.  I interviewed Thursday morning and got the call 6 hours later that I got the job!!!!!

I have been at home for the past 4 years so needless to say the past week has been absolutely NUTS between finding the best possible childcare/preschool for Lucy and Ruby and an after school program for Max and Abby (I am not at either one of their schools and even though we could transfer them to my school we decided to let them stay at their schools with their friends). 

Ruby and Lucy were going to be able to start at their school this past Tuesday so that left me with figuring out what to do with Max and Abby.  Thanks and a big SHOUT OUT to my awesome sister Shea and my awesome in-laws Jack and Charlotte for agreeing to keep our two older monkeys up in Charlotte.  I drove them up Monday evening and drove back the same night since I had to go to work in my classroom on Tuesday.  Looooong night ;p

Lucy has taken to her new school wonderfully but Ruby is having a very hard time and has consequently screamed and cried herself hoarse.  She does calm down some during the day but will start crying periodically and doesn't really eat much while she is there.  Thankfully she does take about an hour long nap otherwise she'd be done for!  I know it will take time and her teachers are great so they are letting her do what she needs to do to adjust.  It breaks my heart and I wish we'd had time to get her adjusted more slowly but I had to report officially yesterday and we had Meet the Teacher tonight!

Okay, gotta go clean up the kitchen then head to bed.  I have to drop Ruby and Lucy off at school between 6:30 and 6:45 tomorrow to go to professional development meetings by 8am ;p

*****ALLERGY UPDATE*****

Got a call Tuesday afternoon from Ruby's allergist's office.  She is definitely allergic to peanuts but thankfully it is a mild allergy but we have to keep the epi-pen handy.  She is also definitely allergic to dogs (showed up on the skin test).  The blood work also showed positive for allergy to egg whites...she can have fully cooked eggs in cakes and cookies but no scrambled/fried/etc. eggs or anything where the egg may not be fully cooked.  He wants to do an "egg challenge" in the office in about 6 months to see how she does.  Also, what I had feared with all of my kids actually came true...Ruby is allergic to CATS!

We have 2 cats so I was sad when I was talking to the nurse about it.  She said that they have never told anyone they had to get rid of their pets.  She suggested just keeping Tai and Chi out of Ruby's room for now and see how she does.  The cats are 15 and 14 years old so it would be heartbreaking to have to find them a new home (if we didn't have a choice then we'd certainly pick Ruby's health over anything else) so I am glad we don't have to resort to that.

Reserved Parking...

You know how when you spend a lot of time at a certain place it can begin to feel like a home away from home?  Well, for the past couple of weeks that has been our pediatrician's office ;p  Last week I had Ruby there twice due to her high fever and sore throat, which got worse after I took her in on Monday so I took her back on Wednesday.  She thankfully started feeling SO MUCH BETTER Wednesday evening...just in time for John and the kids to get back from Charlotte :)  So much for all the projects I had hoped to complete while they were gone!

Then Sunday night Max started complaining of ear pain and drainage.  Abby had a case of swimmer's ear so we used some of her drops on him.  This was NOT fun and from past experience (using the drops after his numerous ear tube surgeries) I expected I'd have a fight on my hands trying to get them in his ear...Max met my expectations and beyond!  I got him into the pediatrician's office on Tuesday because his ENT didn't have an appointment available until next Thursday.  He was diagnosed with a "bad case" of swimmer's ear.  The Dr. prescribed drops which would require 4 drops TWICE A DAY.  I was tempted to ask if I could just drive Max downtown twice a day for the next 7 days to let the Dr. do it.  I didn't want him to think I was a coward though so I didn't ask ;p

The funny thing was, when I called to make the appointment for Max, the receptionist took his name then she got quite for a second and said, "You are here ALL THE TIME!"  She mentioned the two appointments the week before and then the appointment I made for Max.  I said, "Yeah, and I'll be back Monday for Abby's 6 year check-up".  She laughed and told me I might as well bring a pillow and just stay...I did ask if I could get a reserved parking space right out front though :)

The drops have been a nightmare and he has been on round the clock Motrin for the pain and swelling in his ear.  I had to call the after hours nurse Tuesday night because Max just couldn't sleep at all through the pain and the Motrin was wearing off about an hour before I could give him another dose.  He also started running a fever.  The wonderful nurse (they are the nicest ladies when a frantic parent calls in the middle of the night...I've never felt like I was bothering them at 3 in the morning when they would have to call me back) said it would probably take 2-3 days before he really started feeling better. 

I was driving Max around last night from 1-1:30am because he woke up in a lot of pain (and he tends to yell and scream through his pain) and he wasn't due for another dose of Motrin until 1:30.  He was able to get back to sleep right afterwards though and only fussed a couple more times before sleeping until 7:30 this morning :)  Ironically, my child that had the worst case of swimmer's ear is the same child that won't even put his head underwater at the pool ;)

Of course in the meantime Lucy had woken up and I found her in our bed with john when Max and I got back from our "road trip".  I went to sleep on the living room couch and caught some Z's for about 30 minutes before she woke up yelling and crying for me...yes...daddy was RIGHT THERE NEXT TO HER!...so when I got my tired body up the stairs I found that she had wet the bed ;p  It was one of "those" nights!  Good thing for me I had a job interview at 9 this morning!