My New Hair

Well, I have to say I LOVE my new hair. All I could tell her was that I wanted probably 2 or 3 inches off the length, but wasn't sure where to go from there. She showed me the hair of a client she'd just finished and it was super cute, so I said go for it. Oh, and I got my eyebrows done, too! I knew they needed to be done, but I kept telling myself I'd pluck them....some day. (I think I've been telling myself that for probably 2 years, LOL!) As I was getting ready to pay, she asked if I wanted her to do them. (Hint, hint!) I said, "Yeah, I know they need to be done." Then she told me it was FREE! Uh...YEAH! This is only the second time I've been to this hairdresser and was unaware that you can get an eyebrow wax free with a cut. Bonus!

Against my better judgment, I am posting a picture. I hate having my picture taken and hate taking one of myself even more, but I did it just for you. It took me about 13 shots, which included the "Whoops, I'm not in position" shot and the essential "I look drunk" shot, but I managed to get a couple that wouldn't embarrass me too much ;) Anyway, here you go. Keep any rude comments to yourself, please ;)




Sorry, no "before" shot. Hey, you're lucky you got the "after" shot, LOL! Just trust me, it's WAY better.

Getting new hair!

WOOHOO! I've got a hair appointment this morning! I haven't had my hair cut since sometime in March, I think. Before that, you don't even wanna know how long it was. Somewhere between the 2nd and 4th child, my feminine upkeep took the back seat. While we were in Florida, I realized I HAD to get to the salon one way or another. When I would swim (which was every day) my hair got SO heavy. Then it would wrap around my neck and try to strangle me. It's the longest it's been in quite some time and it's driving me bonkers. The style I had gotten from the last cut has pretty much grown out and the only thing I can really do with it is put it in a ponytail. Easy, but doesn't exactly make me feel like a super model ;)

Wish me luck! I don't even know what to tell her to do with it this time except to get some of this length off. I'm not sure if I will post a picture, because I hate to be in pictures, but we'll see ;)

Google Diagnosis

Okay, so I know it's not always wise to Google as a means of medical self-diagnosis. Indeed, only medical professionals should do the diagnosing, although even they can get it wrong. And our untrained minds can concoct all sorts of scary things based on some common symptoms. But when you have a nagging question, it can be hard to wait for a doctor to figure out what's going on, especially when it concerns one of your children. And so began my Google search a few years ago for the key to Alec's bizarre problem....

Looking back, it all began somewhere around 18 months - 2 years. It's hard to pinpoint exactly because I didn't know at the time that it meant anything, but I know the first time it happened was before he was 2. What happened? Well, I thought it was a stomach bug. But it was a wierd one, for sure. He woke up feeling sick and miserable and threw up. I don't recall if it was once or more than once that first time, but it was over by lunchtime and he was fine the rest of the day. I'd never known a stomach bug like that, but whatever. But, then it happened again. And then again. It was always the same, not a typical stomach virus, and no one else had been sick. Eventually I got the hint that something was going on here, but I had no idea what.

It was so wierd. I had never known of any such thing. There were times when it was happening almost on a monthly basis. Shaun and I kept wracking our brains trying to figure out what might connect each of the episodes. What preceded them? What might have been the same? But we weren't connecting the dots. So yeah, I started Googling. I wanted anything, any idea that I might be able to bring to our pediatrician to try to figure this out. The only thing I could find that fit was a condition called Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome, or CVS. I printed out the information and took it to our pediatrician at Alec's check up. He agreed that it was a possibility, but CVS is a diagnosis of exclusion and requires many tests. He didn't seem very concerned and everything else was going fine, so we left without any real answers or plan. This was a few years ago.

Alec's episodes became less frequent and as I continued to research, I became skeptical that what he had was actually CVS. Some things just didn't apply to him and what he went through when he had an episode. But one thing that helped me investigate this was that episodes of CVS often had some kind of trigger, something that always preceded them. As we tried to identify what Alec's trigger might be, at some point, Shaun and I finally realized that there was something that seemed to connect after all. Episodes of recent memory all came after Alec refusing to eat his dinner, usually because it was something he didn't want to eat. Well, you know that a discipline tactic (one that I normally agree with, by the way) is that if kids don't eat what you fix, then they don't eat. They won't starve, they will eventually eat, as Dr. Phil teaches us. Unfortunately for us, hunger seemed to be the most likely connection between these episodes and so we determined that we would not let him go to bed without eating a good dinner, and probably a snack, too, and frankly I didn't care what it was. Alec has rarely had episodes since then.

But I wasn't satisfied yet. So, I kept searching. And a little while back, I do believe I found what Alec most likely has, something called Ketotic Hypoglycemia. It is a form of childhood hypoglycemia that becomes evident at 18 months - 5 years. Check. Episodes nearly always occur in the morning after an overnight fast, usually longer than normal, such as when they skip dinner. Check. Symptoms include lethargy, malaise, abdominal discomfort, nausea, and sometimes progresses to vomiting. Check, check check, check, and check! The first episode is usually attributed to illness, with further episodes occuring over the next few years and becoming immediately recognizable by the parents. Check. In mild episodes, carbohydrates and a few hours of sleep will be enough to end the symptoms. Check. It often occurs in children of a slender build. Check.

Once Alec has landed in the ER and had to stay overnight, but that was right after he had a bout of the stomach flu. Stomach flu will usually trigger an episode and make it difficult to get under control because so little stays in their system. This past December, we went to Urgent Care when once again he had a stomach bug and we couldn't get things under control, which was very illuminating because they tested his blood sugar while we were there. It was only 41, and 40 is considered hypoglycemic. We narrowly escaped another trip to the ER. Luckily Gatorade brought his blood sugar up enough that the doctor was satisfied and let us go home. He was fine after that.

What brought all this to mind? Well, while we were in Florida, Alec had an episode. It was that Friday morning after we got there and when I got up, he was curled up on the chair complaining that his stomach hurt. I knew. I tried getting some breakfast in him thinking maybe we'd beat it before he got sick. I left with my mother-in-law, Joey, and Lauren to go to a garage sale and when we got back, Alec was in the pool. He said he'd thrown up and now he was fine. He had eaten fine the night before, but he had been in the pool ALL day, so I figured that he had probably just spent more energy than he had taken in with food. After that, he was fine, and we were more careful about making sure he snacked throughout the day when he was swimming.

I might mention it again at his check-up next month, but really, I'm not sure if it makes a difference if we have him tested for hypoglycemia or not. With the particular kind I think he has, the treatment is basically just to make sure they have regular meals and snacks high in carbohydrates, particularly in the evening, which is what we do. It is usually outgrown by the time the child is 8 - 10 years old. But it would be kinda cool to know if my Google Diagnosis is correct ;)

WHEW!!!

Before we left on vacation, I FINALLY made those dental appointments I'd been meaning to make. I was thinking yesterday that I needed to check the dates because I knew Kyle and I would be going before Joey and Alec get back from Florida. Well, before I could even get out of bed this morning, I got a call from the dentist's office reminding me it was TODAY! Yikes! Now, as someone who has had more than their fair share of dental work done, I do NOT like going to the dentist. Nope, not at all. And since there was a discrepancy between the last two dentists I had about the number of cavities they found with both me and Joey, I was pretty nervous about what yet another dentist might say. But, off we went.

This was Kyle's first dental visit and he did super good. No fear, no issues at all. Best of all, no cavities! YAY! The dentist was super nice and personable. I had to bring Lauren along because Shaun got tied up at work and while I was in the chair he asked me if they were always this good. I giggled and said, "No, but if they're like this in public, that's good enough for me!" LOL!

Kyle's check-up didn't take long and I was next. The doc asked me if I was ready and I said, "NO." Ha. I really wasn't. But, it had to be done. As it turns out, I got some great news. NO CAVITIES!!! WOOHOOO!!!! Just one older composite filling I will need to have replaced, probably by my next check-up, and that's it. He said everything else looks good, all my other fillings, my crown, all in good shape. All I can say is HALLELUJAH! Between Joey's braces, school tuition, etc., I was nervous about either of us needing dental work. Of course, Joey and Alec go next month, but I don't anticipate anything major for either of them. They are a little overdue for check-ups, but I hope not much could have happened in that amount of time.

What I found interesting about this particular office was that he did everything himself. There was no hygienist doing the cleaning or X-rays, he did it all. That's fine with me, of course, just not something I have experienced before. At first impression, I really like the dentist and hopefully we can stay put at one office for awhile.

Potty Training Breakthrough?

I think I have posted here several times about the battles we've had getting Lauren to poop on the potty. For 3 out of our 4 kids, this has been a challenge, to say the least. Lauren has been peeing on the potty since last August or September. Since girls are supposed to be "easier," I had hoped that the poop would soon follow. It didn't. I have always said she is most like her oldest brother, Joey, and even on this point I am right. He outdid everybody and it took a trip to Florida where he spent a lot of time naked to get him to finally quit dropping deuces in his pants.

After almost 4 years without a visit to Florida, it was rather uncanny that we were going when we were, and I hoped that maybe this was the key to finally being diaper-free for the first time in over 6 years. The day before we left, Lauren did a poop on the potty, at her own initiation and of her free will. Hmmm. But, she has done this a handful of times before and it didn't go anywhere, so we were reserved about it, but made a big fuss for her. It was so funny because she was so proud of herself that she had to go tell our next-door neighbor, MaryAnn, that she had pooped on the potty. LOL! MaryAnn told Lauren that if she got a good report when we came back from our trip, she would get her a princess dishes set. Our neighbors are great ;)

A couple of days went by and Lauren didn't poop in her pants, although she didn't go on the potty, either. She tends to do this, often holding it for a couple of days at a time. I'm not sure why. Finally, knowing she needed to poop, one morning we told her she couldn't go in the pool until she pooped on the potty. She was not happy about this, of course, but we left her alone and finally one of the times I checked on her, she was going! WOOHOO!!! Then a setback and she pooped in her diaper a couple of mornings. I am not putting her in a diaper for naptime anymore, regardless of whether she's pooped that day or not. We believe part of the key here is that she almost never poops in her underwear. She almost always goes when she has a diaper on, either first thing in the morning or after a nap. One of these days, we're just going to have to bite the bullet and try no diaper at night. Since she sometimes still wakes up quite wet, I'm not looking forward to that part.

Since we've been home, she hasn't pooped her pants, but she's only gone on the potty once, I think. It's been a couple of days and I actually have her on the pot as I type this, LOL! She told me she had to go, but then after I put her on the pot, she said she couldn't do it. Needless to say, I'm making her sit there. I know she needs to go. I hope she'll get over this holding it business. But at this point, I'll take what I can get. I REALLY hope this is it!

UPDATE: Houston, we have a poop!

Hello from Sunny Florida!

Well, as I post this, our vacation is already on the downslope. We arrived here in Florida last Wednesday afternoon and we will be heading home this Thursday. Joey and Alec will stay behind to spend another week with Grandma and Grandpa. It has been almost four years since we've gotten down here to visit Shaun's mom and stepdad and it's been a lovely stay so far. The weather has been perfect for swimming in their awesome pool and even Kyle and Lauren are loving it. I remember coming down when Joey was about Lauren's age and we had to bribe him with bowls of M&M's just to get him to sit on the steps! Lauren is already jumping off the side while holding my hands. Kyle is swimming all over the pool with the aid of water wings and loves to go down the slide. It's about 9:30 a.m. here and Kyle just asked when we are going in the pool ;)

We celebrated Lauren's 3rd birthday here on Friday the 17th. We started the day by hitting a garage sale where Lauren got a Barbie princess book and a tricycle to ride here at Grandma's, then spent the day swimming and went to an area festival that evening. We didn't get a cake, but we did treat Lauren and the boys to some yummy ice cream. I'd still like to do a party for her after we get home, but I think she had a really fun day. We spent Saturday at the beach and the kids had a blast. Kyle and Alec absolutely loved playing in the sand.

I'm not sure what we will do the last couple of days here, but for us, playing in the pool and relaxing are as much of a vacation as anything else. I rather like not having to run here and there with 4 children everyday, but we may work something else in before we leave. It's crazy how fast vacations go. I'll have some great pictures to share when I get home!

From Bedroom Closets to Kitchen Floors

You may recall my post a little while ago about finding Kyle in the bottom of their closet asleep. Lately we've been having some issues with Lauren sleeping. Actually, it's been off and on since we moved. Since she roomed with Kyle until then, I think maybe she just wants someone in there with her. When we had Rex, sometimes we had to make him go in her room and "babysit". I'd put Lauren in bed, she'd say,"I want Rex!" and I'd send him in. (He was very good about this at first but eventually got tired of it and started breaking himself out of her room, LOL!) There have been a few times when I couldn't get her to go to sleep and she would just cry and scream. If I laid down with her, she'd be out in 5 minutes.

More recently I have to admit some of it has gotten comical. Well, except for the night she got up at 12:48 a.m. and I couldn't get her to stay in her bed and go back to sleep for almost 2 hours. It was ridiculous. But other times, I have to admit it's been kind of funny. I have woken up several mornings to snoring. When I was coherent enough, I realized it was Lauren's snoring. But why had it woken me up? Why was it so close? I looked over the side of the bed to find her laying on our hardwood floor, half on one of our giant throw pillows, sound asleep. That is, until I scoop her up and put her back in her bed. Every time has been around 5:00 a.m. Then I have to send Shaun in to get her to be quiet and stay in her bed. He has no memory of these episodes, LOL!

But last night took the cake. She had gone to bed easily and stayed asleep (YAY!). Shaun is on the afternoon shift, so he gets home around 10:30. He got home last night, went back to our room to change, came back to the kitchen and made himself a drink. Then he sat down with me to watch some tube. It was a typical night. Then we heard this noise. I thought it sounded like one of the kids was up. He thought it was the noise his cell phone makes when he gets a message or something. So he went and checked his phone (which was right by the kitchen) and sat back down. We heard it a few more times, but I dismissed it because, after all, he'd gotten up and didn't see anyone out of bed. A little bit later, Shaun started to walk through the kitchen to go to the bathroom when he said to me, "Uh, your daughter is asleep on the kitchen floor." Huh? I thought he was putting me on. So I went to look for myself and sure enough, curled up on the kitchen floor sound asleep was Lauren! Why didn't I grab my camera this time?

Lauren's New Bike & The 4th of July

Time for a picture share! Lauren's birthday isn't until the 17th, but she has been BEGGING for a bike and helmet. Every day she wants to ride a bike, but we didn't have one for her. So on a recent trip to Wal-Mart, I decided to just get her present early. Here she is with her new bike and helmet:



(Yes, we need a new driveway!)

On the 4th, several families right around us get together for a party every year. We've made friends quickly and were invited this year. The day started out rainy and we were only supposed to get a break for a few hours. Thank goodness meteorologists are wrong more often than they're right! We were able to get in all of our festivities and fireworks. The kids had a BLAST! We had fun, too ;) We really do have some great neighbors.

Here is the Princess Peanut all decked-out for the 4th. All the neighbors call her Cindy Lou Who:








Lauren and Addison:


Isn't Addison adorable? Her daddy is a little worried about all these boys living right down the street from his two beautiful girls, LOL!

Lauren:



The whole gang:



Kyle absolutely LOVED the sparklers:





This one cracks me up! That's my Kyle:



Lauren watching while Daddy lights her sparkler:



She is in awe:



They were all exhausted by the end of the night. Kyle was just totally wasted. He doesn't handle being tired very well and had a complete meltdown. But they all had a marvelous time and it is just SO wonderful to have this kind of atmosphere for them to grow up in...FINALLY. I want them to have great memories of their childhood. Shaun and I are already looking forward to the next party! LOL!

Goodbye, Rex

As you may recall, we sent Rex to live with another cop Shaun knows. Because of a biting incident with one of the neighbor girls, we felt it was best for him to go live in a place that would be safer for a dog like him. Although he had never done anything to one of us, nor do we think he would, we were very concerned about the children in the neighborhood, because you just can't control what they do. This friend of Shaun's has a farm with a lot of acres, horses, cats, and other dogs. We hoped it would be a place where Rex would be happy. By all accounts, he was doing well there. He had been "put in his place" by a feisty horse and was beat up by the cats. We were very amused by the stories. We hoped to eventually get out to visit him in his new digs.

Sadly, that day will not come. Last night, Shaun received the awful news that Rex has died. One of the hardest things for me is that we do not know why. They just went out and found him lying peacefully, apparently with his paws crossed, as he often did when he was laying down. I used to say he was being proper ;) There are a number of possibilities as to why this happened. Shaun thinks it's possible he was stung by something. He liked to try to catch bugs in the air. His real age was unknown and larger dogs do not live as long. I guess it's possible he had cancer and we just didn't know it. That happened to my brother's golden retriever. I don't recall how old he was, but not old, and they had gone on vacation, leaving him with my sister. All of a sudden, he became sick, and though she rushed him to the vet, there was nothing they could do. He had cancer, and they had no idea. Even though Rex went to the vet right before he went to his new home, it's not something they would have looked for if it wasn't suspected. Maybe it explains why he was constantly marking all over the house and why he snapped at the neighbor girl. Maybe not, we will never know.

I know Shaun is deeply saddened by the loss of his dog. Even though we sent him to a new home, he was still considered Shaun's dog. Our dog, too. I hope he knows I loved Rex, too. I know I got mad at him for peeing and marking in the house, but I still loved him. And he hasn't seen my tears, but I've cried them in private because I didn't think it would help him to see it. I feel bad because if this was something that was going to happen anyway and we had known, we could have just kept him so that Shaun could say goodbye. That has to be one of the hardest things for him, that he didn't get to tell his partner goodbye. To that extent, I feel guilty about letting him go, even though there is no way I could have known, and even though I know that we probably wouldn't have been able to be there when it inevitably happened down the road. At the same time, I guess it is a bit of relief that the kids didn't have to see it.

I hope Rex was happy in his last weeks on the farm, and I hope he went peacefully and wasn't in pain. I hope he knew his master loved him, that we all did. I want to share my very favorite picture of Rex:


Rest in peace, Rex. Thank you for protecting my husband and being part of our family.

Blogging Vacation

Perhaps a few have noticed that I haven't been blogging nearly as much lately. It is a different summer for us this year here in our new home. There are projects to be done, a beautiful atmosphere outside, and wow, even neighbors to visit with! Of course, we had neighbors at the old house, but in 8 years of living there, we didn't really know that many of them, and most kept to themselves. The closest friends we had there moved away a few years back. The kids couldn't play out front because our street was much too busy, and after our friends moved, they didn't really have anyone to play with. On a nice afternoon here, you will see the street abuzz with a bunch of kids riding their bikes and playing in the yards. The boys have lots of new friends. We are very blessed to have been able to make this move.

The past couple of weeks have been particularly busy. The week before last, Joey and Alec spent most of the week out at my dad's. My nieces are in town and he was keeping them that week and wanted to have the boys, too. Meanwhile, we spent a lot of time outside with Lauren and Kyle and our neighbors. Last week, all 3 boys went to Branson with my mom, stepdad, and the girls. It was oppressively hot here, so the street was much quieter between the boys being gone and the heat. I decided it was a good week to do the painting in the hallway and living room that I had been wanting to do for awhile. When we moved in, everything was white, and I need COLOR! It was quiet, and with only Lauren, it was much easier to do than with the house full. I was nearly finished by the time the boys came back on Thursday.

The heat and humidity has let up here a bit and is supposed to last throughout the week, so I'm hoping it will be more comfortable to be outside again. Shaun is (amazingly) off on the 4th of July and there is supposed to be a party with some of the neighbors. We are really looking forward to that! (We should be able to see a fireworks display from our very own deck, too.) I can't really remember the last time we really celebrated on the 4th. Shaun has often had to work, which left me with the kids, and we may or may not have gone to see fireworks. And on times when he was off, there was nothing interesting going on in our neighborhood, so we'd go see fireworks and that was pretty much it.

When I was growing up, we lived on a street where everyone knew everyone. I can even still remember the names of almost every family. We had block parties, progressive dinners, went to baseball games together, did float trips...I have tons of great memories from my childhood there. It is so wonderful to have found a little of that here for my own kids. I've been wanting that for a long time. And, we've only been here for 6 months, so hopefully that will continue to grow over time.

We'll be leaving for Florida on July 15th. We're going to stay with Shaun's mom for the first time in almost 4 years. It's been too long and I look forward to relaxing in the pool and watching Lauren and Kyle at the beach for the first time. We'll all be flying down together, but Joey and Alec will be staying behind for an extra week after Shaun and I leave with Lauren and Kyle. I'm tellin' ya, those boys are having quite a summer for themselves this year!

And so my posts here will be fewer, though I will still try to post the occasional update and some pictures. Not that big of a deal, really, since I'm not all that popular anyway ;) But I guess there may be a few lingering friends and family out there who check in from time to time. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

The Case of the Missing Kyle

This has got to be one of the funniest things I've witnessed as a mom...

Last night, I stayed up late watching a movie. Before we go to bed, one of us always checks on the kids and tucks them in. Since Shaun was working last night, it was me. Earlier in the evening, Kyle had woken up crying. He got a sunburn on his back the other day (I know, bad mommy) and he said it was hurting. Poor kid. So I put some aloe vera gel on him and put him back to bed. Well, when I went to check on him and Alec, I saw that their door was slightly open. I knew I had closed it. Oh well, maybe someone had gotten up to go potty.

But when I went in their room, Kyle was not in his bed. Uh...where did he go?!?! I looked around the room. No Kyle. I looked up in Alec's bunk. No Kyle. Huh? I looked in the bathroom and our bedroom. No Kyle. Where could this kid be??? I hadn't heard anything, I had no idea he had even gotten out of bed. My heart rate started to go up. Crazy as it seemed, I looked under his bed. Not there. Then, for whatever reason, I turned around and glanced in the closet (there are no closet doors on it yet). There, curled up in a ball with his arms and legs tucked under him and his head on a mattress pad, was Kyle! He was sound asleep in the bottom of the closet. I just laughed and then carefully scooped him up and put him back in his bed.

Too bad the camera battery is dead right now or I probably would've grabbed it and taken a picture. Now that would have been a great Wordless Wednesday!

I spoke too soon...

Lauren woke up from her nap with a fever. Great. Maybe she was coming down with it yesterday after all. Who knows. So I guess we'll be dealing with this awhile longer.

*SIGH*

Blogging Slump

So I guess it's been a little while since I've posted here. It's kind of funny...I haven't felt like I've had much to blog about, but now I realize I have more to say than I thought.

The sickies finally left. I think it was the day after my last post that the fever finally broke for both boys. I mean, as sicknesses go, it wasn't too bad (at least there was no puke, which I HATE). It was the being stuck in the house that was the hardest.

Tuesday I FINALLY finished painting the boys' room. I had done the bottom part under the chair rail it seems like forever ago and finally got the inspiration to just get it done on Shaun's last days off. It looks REALLY nice. Now I just need to find some wall hangings to go in there. All I have right now is the crucifix they got for Easter, which is going to look BEAUTIFUL with the walls. Under the chair rail is a very dark blue that we had mixed to match the dark blue in their quilts and above it is a lighter blue. It looks great with the mouldings in the room and really shows them off, which was my goal. Maybe I'll snap some pictures and put them up.

I think I have also picked out the colors for the hallway and front living room, but it will probably have to wait until next payday. But I am really motivated (at least right now) to get that done, too. It's been 6 months and I don't have a single picture on the walls here because I was waiting to paint. It's time! It's time to make this place feel like home. The family room will probably take the longest, though, because it has that paneling on the walls that we plan to drywall over. Unfortunately, that's also the room we spend the most time in. Oh well.

Hunger strikes again. Yesterday, I thought Lauren was getting sick. She woke up at like 4:45 a.m. screaming. I trudged out of bed half asleep and I could tell it wasn't going to be an easy fix, so I got Shaun since he was up anyway because he was going back on the midnight shift that night. She was quiet for a little while then started screaming again. He eventually brought her into our bed, then took her out to the living room, then ultimately ended up laying down with her in her bed. I don't remember what time it was when I got up with her, but she was laying on the rug in the hallway, saying she was cold. I thought surely she was getting the virus the boys had, although I couldn't figure out why she would have it so long after they did. But she did not have a fever. I put her in her bed and she asked for something to eat. So I got her a bowl of dry cereal. Then she asked for milk. So I made her go into the kitchen and she proceeded to eat 2 1/2 bowls of cereal!

She was still acting sick, but still no fever. I thought maybe it was exhaustion. She fell asleep for a little while until her loud brothers woke her up. She was then asking for lunch. Then I realized that the night before I heard Shaun tell her that she couldn't have a snack since she didn't eat her dinner. Aha! I had been painting and only came out to eat, so I didn't see how much she had. For those that don't know, 3 of my kids can't seem to handle getting too hungry. A good dinner is a MUST. Alec will physically get sick and throw up the next morning, I suspect at least one occasion where Kyle and Lauren have, too, and they both have now woken us up in the middle of the night or very early in the morning because of hunger. Shaun confirmed that she didn't eat very much, so that is the only thing I can think of that caused what happened with her. After lunch, she was fine. He doesn't take it as seriously as I do, but sorry, I don't want to deal with a puking child or getting woken up in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn. And I don't want them to be miserable, either. Eat what we make or go hungry isn't really a viable tactic for us. We just gotta do what we gotta do.

So, it's not that anything too exciting has been going on here, but there you have it. I may never have the cool, exciting blog that everyone wants to read. I realize more and more all the time that there just aren't enough hours in the day for everything I want to do. I'm managing my time poorly lately, I'm behind on laundry, and there are appointments that need to be made. Sometimes I wonder if I'm really qualified for this job!

GO AWAY, SICKIES!!!!

How long is this fever going to last? Both boys were running temps over 102 again this afternoon. This SUCKS! We've been in this house all week. And I just know if I take them to Urgent Care or something (which would be our 4th visit in 6 months!), the next day it will break. Been there done that before. So I guess we just wait...some more. *SIGH*

Spring Fevers

Geez, you think this time of year there is supposed to be LESS sickness! Alec and Kyle have both come down with a fever. It was just at the end of April that Lauren and Kyle had some miscellaneous virus like that. I kinda thought something might be up with the two of them today, but I kept dismissing it as something else. I really should know better than to do that by now! Alec was even outside playing all afternoon and didn't really complain of anything except something about his ear hurting. (I do not believe he has an ear infection.) It wasn't until after Kyle started acting funny (not his usual wildman self) and I found that he was warm and he went to bed early that I gave it a second thought. After Alec had his shower, he was just in his undies. When he was done with his snack, he complained of being "freezing". That's when I checked him and noticed he was really hot. Sure enough, his temp was over 102.

I think we've had more sickness than usual these past 6 months. It started with the heinous stomach flu that blew through the house right after we moved in, then we got awful colds which led to me having a fever and developing a sinus infection, then Kyle and Lauren, and now Alec and Kyle (again). Poor guys, I hope they get over it soon! And it's a bummer because my sister and I were planning to take them all out to do something on Friday. Now we may not be able to. Poo!

The Show Must Go On

I'm pretty sure that many of the moms out here in the blogosphere have at least heard of, if not seen, the reality TV show "Jon and Kate Plus 8" which airs on TLC. The show chronicles the lives of Jon and Kate Gosselin and their 8 children, one set of twins and a set of sextuplets. I haven't watched regularly by any stretch, but I've caught more than a few episodes in the past. Although I didn't find Kate particularly endearing, I did like the fact that, as a parent, I could identify with much of what they were going through, even though I don't have multiples myself. The show seemed to be a hit.

I'm also pretty sure that, if you've watched or heard of the show, you've probably also heard the stories coming out recently about Jon's alleged infidelities and rumors of Kate having some kind of relationship with her bodyguard. Not only has Jon supposedly been having an affair with a younger woman, it has also been alleged that he's been inappropriate with some college girls. And in the middle of all this controversy are 8 small children.

When I did watch the show, I always marveled at all of the things this large family was able to do...going to an organic farm and buying their own side of beef, a ski vacation, and although I didn't actually see the episode, I saw the previews for a vow renewal in Hawaii. They apparently have a million-dollar home. Even in the episode where they got new carpet, it seems the carpet was also a perk. Wow, this reality show stuff pays really well, I guess. We haven't been able to afford to take our 4 children on a vacation, much less 8 of them. But how valuable are those perks when the cost is destroying your family? How much are those 8 little lives worth?

Apparently, it's all worth it in the end to Kate. I watched a video story online today about the most recent developments since their new season just premiered, featuring the couple discussing these troubling new issues. According to the reporter, whatever happens, Kate says the show must go on, even if it's just "Kate Plus 8".

8 little miracles that beat the odds can be yours for just the price of a few vacations, a nice house, some new carpet, and a side of beef. What a tragedy.

Wordless Wednesday: Grandpa's Girl & Mommy's Little Soldiers

Decked out for Memorial Day:

Maybe it was nothing?

It no longer hurts when I floss. Hmmm. I know that gums can get irritated from various things, but it sure reminded me of the same kind of pain I had where I had that root canal. I had had an infection in the tooth causing the pain. I imagine if I had an infection now, it wouldn't just go away. Either way, I've been meaning to get in and I know I'm overdue, so I'm certainly going to call anyway. (Yeah, it should've been today, but I was busy picking and booking the hotel for our anniversary this weekend! WAHOO!!! Lots more fun than booking the dentist, I gotta say. Ha!)

I sure hope it's nothing. One of the reasons I tend to put off going to the dentist is because I always have problems, and then I have problems because I put off going to the dentist...Ahhh! I just really don't want to hear anymore bad news, not even a cavity. The dentist we had before our last one had told me I had all these cavities. Okay, 10 to be exact. Yes, TEN. No, wait, ELEVEN! He filled 3, which became 4 while he was in there drilling. "Ooh, there's another one! Must've missed it." Swell. So that meant I had what, 6 or 7 left? The account lady was doing acrobats to try to work the schedule so we could split them all up and get as much insurance coverage as possible. Lucky it was almost the end of the year! Well right after I had gotten started with the fillings, Shaun's insurance switched again and we could no longer go to that dentist. At first I was perturbed because we did like that dentist and I would have to start all over again in the middle of my dental work. That actually turned out to be a GOOD thing.

First the news with Joey. According to the old dentist, Joey had 2 small cavities (his first). But the new dentist checked twice and said NO cavities. Interesting. Then came me. No, there were not 6 or 7 that still needed to be filled, there were 3. Wow, that's quite a difference! So I told Shaun, "Well, either that other dentist was a quack that was giving us treatment we didn't need or this one's a quack and our teeth are going to start falling out." It's crazy I tell ya! So, I just can't even imagine what my next check-up will bring with yet another dentist. I'm really afraid to find out!

Of course, Shaun doesn't even floss, doesn't go to the dentist regularly, and he NEVER has cavities. Now tell me how that's fair?

Great...

I've had some really bad luck with my teeth over the years. It all started with being in braces for 3 years as a child and it's been pretty much downhill from there. Don't get me wrong, my teeth are nice and straight, but I'm not sure how much that's gonna count if I end up with false ones some day. Oy. I've got fillings everywhere, and when I was pregnant with Kyle, I had to have a root canal. Those are fun, let me tell ya. I'll admit that some of it has been my fault, but I think some of it is also some unfortunate genetics. And I've heard that having babies and nursing is hard on your teeth, too. So I got that little dental bonus, too. Times four.

So I'm really only a couple of months overdue for a check-up. I've been meaning to call the new dentist for weeks and today was going to be the day because, well, I have a problem. Great. No teeth have been bothering me, everything has seemed fine. Then a few days ago I noticed that when I flossed between two of my teeth that it hurt. Really hurt. It doesn't hurt otherwise, not even when I chew, but when I floss there, OUCH! And guess what? It's in the same spot as the other side of my mouth where I had to have the root canal done.

Of course, I got busy doing things today and totally forgot to make the call. Now I have to wait until Tuesday and stew over what lovely procedure may be awaiting me. If, heaven forbid, it would mean another root canal (which they'll have to tie me up and gag me for), Shaun will probably have me out on the street with a tin can. Please, PLEASE, don't let it be anything major. Stupid teeth.

I'm so happy!

My FAVORITE reality show is back! I LOVE "So You Think You Can Dance" and have been waiting and waiting for the season to start. I've always loved dance. I took a little growing up, and I don't know if I had stuck with it if I would have been any good, but I love to watch it. So be prepared, I may have to do a weekly dish ;)