tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63424292854988069652024-03-20T05:53:48.902-04:00Never A Dull MomentWith a husband, 2 kids, and 2 cats in my life, there's never a dull moment!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.comBlogger69125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-49165258291970412422010-04-14T09:49:00.005-04:002010-04-14T15:07:35.261-04:00History Repeats ItselfJust when you thought your children had learned from their mistakes, they set out to prove you wrong. In <a href="http://pednurse.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html">January of 2009</a>, DS had been whittling and managed to slice up his right index finger in such a manner as to require a trip to Urgent Care. Well, guess what? He did it again!<br /><br />Right after school, I took DD to her piano lesson. I left DS at home, alone, as I've done many times before during DD's lessons. Upon our arrival back home, I discovered bloody bandages on the kitchen floor! I called out for DS and he came slowly walking into the kitchen....with a HUGE bandage on his left index finger (I'm pretty sure he used about 6 feet of medical tape to hold the bandage on!). Upon inspection of the obviously injured finger, I immediately had the kids get in the van and off to Urgent Care we went. At this point, it was nearing 5pm, and DD had to be at school for her musical program by 6:30pm....so I called DH to have him pick her up on his way home from work so she would be able to get supper before going to the school.<br /><br />After a very long wait at Urgent Care, during which DH did come and get DD, we were finally finshed. After very nearly lopping off the tip of his finger, DS now has this lovely bandage on his finger for the next several days:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/S8XHQ_HVMvI/AAAAAAAABSk/JnCXoy-qV1s/s720/DSC_0566_041310_205550c.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 478px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/S8XHQ_HVMvI/AAAAAAAABSk/JnCXoy-qV1s/s720/DSC_0566_041310_205550c.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Meanwhile, it was already 6:15pm....almost time to be at DD's school! So my mother-in-law met DS and me at Urgent Care so she could take him to get a quick supper before dropping him off at his Boy Scout meeting, while I quickly headed home, arriving just in time to leave for the school with DH & DD.<br /><br />After watching DD's musical program, I finally arrived back home to stay at almost 8pm. It was then I started finding out just how much bleeding DS had done....and in how many places! Besides the kitchen, he had bled in his bedroom, the upstairs bathroom, the master bathroom, the carpet in my room, and on the quilt on my bed! I found bloody bandaging in the hallway, in the family room, and next to my bed. I must say, after discovering all of this, and knowing how DS reacts to blood/all things medical, I am very impressed that he remained as calm as he did during the 10 minutes after it happened before I got home. I did ask him why he didn't call me when it happened, to which he replied, "I was already busy having a conversation. I was praying!" (He said he was praying God would make the bleeding stop and heal his finger.) I must say, we must be doing something right in raising this child if his first thought in a crisis is to call on God rather than a human. :)<br /><br />Hopefully, this time DS has learned his lesson. Be careful with the knife! And never whittle when he's home alone! Ah, the joys of motherhood!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-76073068201180635982010-04-05T09:07:00.002-04:002010-04-05T09:21:22.313-04:00It's Monday!Yep, it's Monday. Definitely Monday. One of "those" days. Yep. What a way to start the week. I'm sure you're wondering what happened....especially as it's only 9am on this particular Monday. Well, both kids had a part in this one.<br /><br />Neither child could find their sneakers this morning. And <span style="font-style: italic;">both</span> of them have gym class today. Which, of course, means that <span style="font-style: italic;">both</span> of them need their sneakers today. I don't know how they do it, but it seems that if they <span style="font-style: italic;">both</span> need something on a particular day, then <span style="font-style: italic;">both</span> of them will have "lost" that item. Go figure. So, of course, neither realized this until it was time to head out to the bus stop this morning to go to school. So there was a lot of frantic looking all over the house.....with no luck! So I sent DD off to school in her Crocs with the promise that I would continue looking for her shoes & bring them to her if I found them. I gave up looking for DS's and called my parents. We had been at their house this weekend for Easter. Guess what!!??!! YEP!! DS's shoes are at my parents' house.....an <span style="font-weight: bold;">hour</span> away from here!<br /><br />So what did we do to solve this problem? Well, I sent DS to school in his sandals. For gym class? For that, I sent his very old, too-small, missing-the-shoestrings-sneakers (which are in very pitiful shape considering he used them all last summer to wear when he mowed the grass & other such stuff) in a bag with him to use just during gym class. And to solve the missing-shoestrings problem? Good ol' duct tape of course! So, yes, my son will be wearing duct-taped falling-apart shoes for gym class today (and for who-knows how long considering his better shoes are currently an hour away!). Ah, the joy of children.<br /><br />Oh, and for DD? I finally remembered that she had last worn her sneakers on spring school picture day last Thursday....carrying her sandals that she was going to wear for the pictures in a bag to be able to change into them later in the day. Then I remembered that she had come home Thursday wearing the sandals, not the sneakers! I finally found her sneakers this morning in a bag under her bed and was able to take them to her at school. At least one of my children will be wearing shoes <span style="font-weight: bold;">with</span> laces for gym class today!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-7641616441914366192009-11-13T23:30:00.001-05:002009-11-13T23:41:56.036-05:00Spell What?!?The things my kids learn in school never cease to amaze me. School is <span style="font-style: italic;">definitely</span> a whole lot different than when I was a kid! After DS had the word<span style="font-weight: bold;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;">regolith </span></span>last year for a spelling word, I didn't think I would be stumped again so soon. Well, this time it was a word from DD's spelling list. What word did I not know? How many people know what <span style="font-weight: bold;">triskaidekaphobia </span>means (much less how to spell it!)? I certainly didn't! Not until this week, that is. Yes, DD's teacher assigned that word for spelling this week. So I learned from my 2nd-grader that triskaidekaphobia is the fear of the number 13. Who knew?! And yes, DD was able to spell the word correctly. Amazing. I guess that instead of asking "Are you smarter than a fifth grader?" they need to be asking "Can you spell better than a second grader?"<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span>pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-32554125947533936192009-08-19T14:07:00.009-04:002009-08-19T15:04:28.034-04:00Where Did It Go??Wow! The summer just flew by and now the kids have already been in school for a week. Time seems to have this way of zipping past the older I get. We did have a lot of fun packed into the last month of summer break. One of the highlights was the visit of friends who moved out-of-state a couple of years ago. The kids (and I!) were excited to get to spend some time with them when they returned for a visit. My friend, J, may have a differing opinion though.....especially after DS & DD taped her eldest son to the floor of the playroom (using an <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">entire</span></span> roll of masking tape in the process!). And if that wasn't enough, DS also spray-painted him blue after that. Luckily it was only his arm.....which was still a bit blue by the end of their visit..... It must not have been too startling for J though, as she did let 2 more of her children spend the night with us later in the week. While they were visiting we also had some more "normal" adventures as well.....visits to the park, splash time in the fountain (great way to cool off on a hot day!), and a visit to the children's museum. <span style="font-weight: bold;">(Please click on the pictures in this post to see the whole picture....they have been chopped off in the post somehow.)</span><br />Dale Chihuly blown glass sculpture in the stairwell:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SmkQCRDVQfI/AAAAAAAABA4/s0JK741jDDM/s512/DSC_0552_072209_120538.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 340px; height: 512px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SmkQCRDVQfI/AAAAAAAABA4/s0JK741jDDM/s512/DSC_0552_072209_120538.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Actual lightsaber prop used in filming the original Star Wars trilogy (temporary exhibit at the museum):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxENYHCHGI/AAAAAAAABHY/JfcPpmYnohE/s720/DSC_0547.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 478px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxENYHCHGI/AAAAAAAABHY/JfcPpmYnohE/s720/DSC_0547.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Obi Wan Kenobi's spaceship prop used in filming:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxDiFTZBnI/AAAAAAAABHQ/-loDr7vV21I/s720/DSC_0567_072209_134302.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 478px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxDiFTZBnI/AAAAAAAABHQ/-loDr7vV21I/s720/DSC_0567_072209_134302.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>During this time as well was the local 4-H fair, in which DS entered 3 projects. I'm proud to say he received blue ribbon awards on all three, with his woodworking project being the best.....it scored a perfect 100/100!!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxGOnSsd3I/AAAAAAAABHc/bG3q-ILo_p0/s720/DSC_0581a.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 478px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxGOnSsd3I/AAAAAAAABHc/bG3q-ILo_p0/s720/DSC_0581a.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>And as a final way to finish out the fun, yet very busy, summer, I took DS & DD to the state fair. We had awesome weather that day, and had a lot of fun. Even though we enjoyed the animals & exhibits, I would have to say that the best part of the experience (and it was their first time to the state fair) according to the kids was getting their first tastes of funnel cakes & elephant ears.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxHR9D3paI/AAAAAAAABHk/3PSLcrw8Gew/s720/DSC_0644_080709_114732.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 478px;" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxHR9D3paI/AAAAAAAABHk/3PSLcrw8Gew/s720/DSC_0644_080709_114732.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxHTdcWrsI/AAAAAAAABHo/quSF0DQyKwE/s720/DSC_0646_080709_114825.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 720px; height: 478px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SoxHTdcWrsI/AAAAAAAABHo/quSF0DQyKwE/s720/DSC_0646_080709_114825.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />All in all, it was a very fun, busy summer. Now I'm just trying to come to terms with being the mother of a middle-schooler.......<span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span>pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-83498503766955490472009-07-11T19:52:00.004-04:002009-07-11T20:29:44.217-04:00Just WHAT Is That In My Washer??I did laundry today....4 loads. In an average week I do around 8 loads of laundry. I refuse to add up how many loads I've done in the past 11 years since the kids have come along (especially since DD spit up so much as a baby that I did at least 2 loads a day for about 4 months!). It never ceases to amaze me the things I will find in the washing machine as I'm doing the laundry. No matter how many times I remind everyone to check their pockets as they sort their laundry, there's almost always something that makes it through.<br /><br />I've found more rocks than I care to count (both DS & DD have at different times "collected" them), enough coins to buy any entire vending machine's worth of snacks, lip balm (thankfully found <span style="font-style: italic;">before</span> it made its way to the dryer), a few crayons (also found before the dryer), fruit snacks (unfortunately NOT found before the dryer.....putty knife works well to remove these from the dryer drum after it's cooled), assorted candy wrappers, a handful of uneaten candy, loads of tissues (<span style="font-style: italic;">always</span> in the dark load when they appear), rubber bands, toy jewelry, a few rubber snakes, and more things that I'm sure I've forgotten.<br /><br />There are three things that are even more amusing than the rest. One time I had a wet, furry toy mouse come flying out of the washer at me as I pulled clothes out.....this was <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> amusing <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">after</span></span> I realized that it was one of the cat toys and <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> a real mouse! Last year I heard something clunking loudly in the washer. When I went to see what it was when the spin cycle finished, I found.......two full-sized screwdrivers....yes, TWO! (It was later determined that these came from DH's pockets, not the kids'!!) Today I added to the list of amusing washing machine discoveries. This is what I found:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-4iROLjVbMe5wiMn2HU4LJ5kB2bSTfbWnQV44bSQlRWCFh876WCtuGqRAPaUVFXrocaDroFzSABZ5S8HYTSfkfodD_WviLlVr9G8tC9VDAE_8qh6nP0pRQuKAHDBSZlxqdfTiux-AFI/s1600-h/06-disposable_ear_plugs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq-4iROLjVbMe5wiMn2HU4LJ5kB2bSTfbWnQV44bSQlRWCFh876WCtuGqRAPaUVFXrocaDroFzSABZ5S8HYTSfkfodD_WviLlVr9G8tC9VDAE_8qh6nP0pRQuKAHDBSZlxqdfTiux-AFI/s320/06-disposable_ear_plugs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5357360777299591410" border="0" /></a>Yes, two orange disposable ear plugs.....which at first I thought were cheese puffs (not thinking at the time about the fact that had they indeed been cheese puffs, they would have completely dissolved in the wash water). Where did these come from? My son's pockets......where most of the strange things that have shown up in my washer originated. Over the years I've determined that you just never know what strange things will be found lurking in the washing machine.pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-46630641526829450742009-07-07T20:39:00.002-04:002009-07-07T20:50:40.946-04:00Fourth FunWe had a fun weekend celebrating the 4th of July. Unfortunately there was rain predicted for the actual 4th (Saturday), so the kids set off their fireworks on Friday evening instead. They had a blast! (Pun intended!) This was the first year, for many reasons, that they have had a chance to do their own fireworks. Between the smoke bombs,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlORvJRK12I/AAAAAAAAA40/pM6r8oKEHho/s640/DSC_0280_070309_195004.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 425px;" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlORvJRK12I/AAAAAAAAA40/pM6r8oKEHho/s640/DSC_0280_070309_195004.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>sparklers,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlOR-dDHO6I/AAAAAAAAA48/zjTfB5A2DGw/s640/DSC_0287_070309_212530.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 425px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlOR-dDHO6I/AAAAAAAAA48/zjTfB5A2DGw/s640/DSC_0287_070309_212530.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>and spouting fountain fireworks,<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlOSWcgIm3I/AAAAAAAAA5A/4mS-JlwmjmA/s640/DSC_0318_070309_220745.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 640px; height: 425px;" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlOSWcgIm3I/AAAAAAAAA5A/4mS-JlwmjmA/s640/DSC_0318_070309_220745.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlOSW2VBjBI/AAAAAAAAA5E/3vVgnCxECKo/s400/DSC_0319_070309_220850.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_IEgVnno-Q2o/SlOSW2VBjBI/AAAAAAAAA5E/3vVgnCxECKo/s400/DSC_0319_070309_220850.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>a great time was had by everyone. Also, thanks to my parents' competitive neighbors, the we were even able to see a lot of "traditional" fireworks shooting off high in the sky. The kids are now asking if we will buy them that kind for next year. DH, of course, is just as excited as the kids......pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-62978442595030881622009-07-03T14:49:00.015-04:002009-07-03T15:15:56.697-04:00Zoo AdventuresEarlier this week the kids & I met friends (J & P) at the zoo for a fun-filled day. We had awesome weather...not too hot, not too humid....and had a fun time. We started out the morning at the Oceans exhibit, where the kids had a chance to pet sharks. Both DS & DD declined this opportunity. DD started to but got a little freaked out when the shark came close enough to touch.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvRoZA15AFI-UlnFZUvFPCn_f4LPoPPaMR1WZXtIoOhQaWUrj_wJM9yws_9FnCvlFecwbD24xY8p1Q1JWzwAkdMlYFuolO3IJCkprP24TPZbUrPQM8Mch4IVhU5_Q9AiwaPP85hNDirY/s1600-h/DSC_0161_062909_091338.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvRoZA15AFI-UlnFZUvFPCn_f4LPoPPaMR1WZXtIoOhQaWUrj_wJM9yws_9FnCvlFecwbD24xY8p1Q1JWzwAkdMlYFuolO3IJCkprP24TPZbUrPQM8Mch4IVhU5_Q9AiwaPP85hNDirY/s320/DSC_0161_062909_091338.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354308991335328082" border="0" /></a>We then moved on to the area where the kids had the opportunity to touch a starfish. DD did decide to do this and was amazed at how different a living starfish feels from the dead ones she's seen in gift shops.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhf9c2q-H1gurn3pUN0ZpvVnR8yTEdJtSrUj44m4uK5IukBkKeFFUNLKNrKl0rrxcoFdKO3BgcSv4jJ1gYPrY3OWOUz-SIOohCRraZLOwJSt_SM8tOyP4SxzIIKNAQNG8HYzm2JIo7gI/s1600-h/DSC_0162_062909_092452.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyhf9c2q-H1gurn3pUN0ZpvVnR8yTEdJtSrUj44m4uK5IukBkKeFFUNLKNrKl0rrxcoFdKO3BgcSv4jJ1gYPrY3OWOUz-SIOohCRraZLOwJSt_SM8tOyP4SxzIIKNAQNG8HYzm2JIo7gI/s320/DSC_0162_062909_092452.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354309577982822626" border="0" /></a>Per DD's request we then moved on to the Dessert Pavilion to view her favorite reptiles. I don't know where she got her love of these things, but she has claimed snakes as her favorite animals for years. She's quite put out with me that I won't let her have one for a pet. From there we went all over the zoo looking at various animals in their habitats. One special exhibit that the zoo has on loan for the summer is the Kimodo Dragons.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxFz1hP0ywdVMwn2xvIMxETGo8EtsHjmppW1KNTFT614xUsn4vzy7lq7I4pduGV4G1TyBr2LeiNP0wR_E61L2tJ1GhlsH-4T7sVV_Orm9TAeCOuFKli4lhhyhyphenhyphenVA9lFQVRkKe2voq678/s1600-h/DSC_0207_062909_111453.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxFz1hP0ywdVMwn2xvIMxETGo8EtsHjmppW1KNTFT614xUsn4vzy7lq7I4pduGV4G1TyBr2LeiNP0wR_E61L2tJ1GhlsH-4T7sVV_Orm9TAeCOuFKli4lhhyhyphenhyphenVA9lFQVRkKe2voq678/s320/DSC_0207_062909_111453.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354310892529168690" border="0" /></a>After viewing most of the animals (and DD having a chance to also pet her favorite animals), we ate lunch & let the kids play in the spray park in the zoo. We then headed over to the adjacent Gardens to check out the butterfly house. One compliant butterfly even stuck out it's tongue at us:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e2ayHXVhNEea1SyKdScjyrRa0XKJoaTNpuWJrHGBaH2fysO49B6OoCW_s0u9VbTVY_0tD76NDzX2EnbnKqC4jvbXashKQd0Etggu4G3IjvW5wUMElPFKzhvh8IGekKdNbFE7eZUiXO4/s1600-h/DSC_0225_062909_132947.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_e2ayHXVhNEea1SyKdScjyrRa0XKJoaTNpuWJrHGBaH2fysO49B6OoCW_s0u9VbTVY_0tD76NDzX2EnbnKqC4jvbXashKQd0Etggu4G3IjvW5wUMElPFKzhvh8IGekKdNbFE7eZUiXO4/s320/DSC_0225_062909_132947.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354311513278468098" border="0" /></a>After viewing the multitude of butterflies (which DS was thoroughly bored by!) we checked out some of the rest of the Gardens area to see the frog fountain<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZrZEShLpUGewWv51cTaus55xpChYoZCBl-0TnZMRXutW0U6ciRP76iopLXUhxq1FxcjP6oRuv59KMs82HHmi6nLmnJIpbnL5WUncsLJV1XvaMCRSA8YgRZSw7pRY8PlSUfEZ-4SKa40/s1600-h/DSC_0230_062909_134014.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrZrZEShLpUGewWv51cTaus55xpChYoZCBl-0TnZMRXutW0U6ciRP76iopLXUhxq1FxcjP6oRuv59KMs82HHmi6nLmnJIpbnL5WUncsLJV1XvaMCRSA8YgRZSw7pRY8PlSUfEZ-4SKa40/s320/DSC_0230_062909_134014.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354312887093618578" border="0" /></a>as well as some of the pretty flowers that abounded.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ziHdWR9fBEA6V3WZsQmeDRrVk6F4jGQYMFbGrfkHxkH7IU81Gp3Blo3e_-LnowpIj7dsLzIZ4NKSfZ_eh0HUGN7G1U8GXzuVHVP9sCf9t-XbJqOlCMOGsY3YrT8yyfnv_D5rBotIcMQ/s1600-h/DSC_0234_062909_134736.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ziHdWR9fBEA6V3WZsQmeDRrVk6F4jGQYMFbGrfkHxkH7IU81Gp3Blo3e_-LnowpIj7dsLzIZ4NKSfZ_eh0HUGN7G1U8GXzuVHVP9sCf9t-XbJqOlCMOGsY3YrT8yyfnv_D5rBotIcMQ/s320/DSC_0234_062909_134736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354313313522799554" border="0" /></a>Then DS & DD spotted this fella:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3ZFMeQe4SJPrAv1ym09MqUEG_X-pvUSotq1G4wJ9I7X-KiJlX_yVmWdosUUwvXWB8gMuIzL3Mr0FULGbvBUYYAq9z1v40pvBtmlh0BOxMjfz_xrFCq7f35IR0Mv2UVf6gCDbSc-PsVU/s1600-h/DSC_0236_062909_135045.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij3ZFMeQe4SJPrAv1ym09MqUEG_X-pvUSotq1G4wJ9I7X-KiJlX_yVmWdosUUwvXWB8gMuIzL3Mr0FULGbvBUYYAq9z1v40pvBtmlh0BOxMjfz_xrFCq7f35IR0Mv2UVf6gCDbSc-PsVU/s320/DSC_0236_062909_135045.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354313698103947250" border="0" /></a>and quickly decided it was time to go home. All in all it was a very good day. And one of the best parts is no one got hurt, no on got sick, and no one had a total meltdown. Gotta love those kinds of days!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-62180417348083975852009-06-27T14:24:00.003-04:002009-06-27T14:30:36.346-04:00Gone To The DogsOur local art museum is sponsoring a public artwork display this summer entitled "Dog Days of Summer." Several local artists have painted/decorated life-sized statues of dogs that have been placed all over town for people to see. As a part of their kick-off celebration for this exhibit, several elementary and middle school students were invited to have their own dog artwork displayed at the museum for the next month. I am so excited and proud of DD as she was one of the kids who were selected! She is definitely a much better artist than I could ever hope to be. Congratulations, DD!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCujlzqLv3KqO7RQ79JvTLCimdkaxyfUC793hgQXGMvIBiCEwjFJqnZxjGGfGuTSWbqO8SWmlXwlzpjLZbw1oUpOfvg2DHNxkxXO_zw_il7vsgFSGP0bNZZV3t2CKEPuX0Twzs0vuVOQ/s1600-h/DSC_0149_062609_164023b.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCujlzqLv3KqO7RQ79JvTLCimdkaxyfUC793hgQXGMvIBiCEwjFJqnZxjGGfGuTSWbqO8SWmlXwlzpjLZbw1oUpOfvg2DHNxkxXO_zw_il7vsgFSGP0bNZZV3t2CKEPuX0Twzs0vuVOQ/s320/DSC_0149_062609_164023b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352076221179221026" border="0" /></a>pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-62966678196685972572009-06-23T19:09:00.002-04:002009-06-23T19:20:42.798-04:00How To Get The Attention Of LifeguardsOne of the local high schools offers swimming lessons during the summer. Four days a week they offer "open swim" immediately following the lessons for the public to come and use the pool. Today was the third time I took DS & DD to open swim after DD's swimming lesson. I've always wondered just how much attention the teenage lifeguards are paying to the swimmers at times. Well, today I had the chance to find out.<br /><br />We had been in the pool for about an hour when the incident happened. DS & DD were throwing diving rings out into the pool and then taking turns going out to collect them. They also decided that I needed to dive after a few as well. As I was coming up from collecting 3 of the rings I hear a loud, piercing scream. Of course it was coming from one of <span style="font-style: italic;">my</span> children....DD. I got ahold of her and put her up on the side of the pool as I tried to figure out why she was screaming. At that point I noticed the blood dripping from her lower lip. So I climb out of the pool and walk her into the girls' locker room to check her out and clean her up. A couple of minutes later, after I had gotten the bleeding to stop, one of the life guards came in with a first aid kit to see if DD was OK. As I answered her that DD was fine, all I could think about was that the response time was not very quick. Hopefully it was just due to the fact that I had already gotten to DD and gotten her out of the pool & was obviously taking care of her.<br /><br />Now you may be wondering just what happened to DD to cause the bleeding & screaming. Evidently DS had gone to get one of the diving rings and in the process kicked DD in the mouth. (He did apologize profusely when DD & I came back to the pool.) Ah, the joys of children. You just never know what will happen next.....pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-45706687293003759832009-06-16T23:13:00.003-04:002009-06-16T23:35:48.490-04:00Always The UnexpectedI just never know what to expect during even the most mundane outings with my children. One would think that with only 2 kids, life would be a little more bland. But not with my two! We went to the bank this morning. Both kids had done chores for my mother-in-law (who currently needs extra help around the house & yard due to recent knee replacement surgery) and she had paid them for their efforts. So both DS & DD had checks they needed to deposit in their savings accounts. Now, I have taken both kids to the bank many times before without incident and had no reason to believe this time would be any different. They're 11 and 7 now....how difficult could it be? I found out the answer to that today.<br /><br />I had both DS & DD fill out their own deposit slips (want to start them early on knowing the ins and outs of financial responsibility!), then we headed over to the nearest teller. DD made her deposit first. As I was handing her the receipt, I noticed that the amount listed on it as her current balance was way off....as in about $13,000.00 off!! I pointed out the error to the teller, who realized she had printed off the wrong balance. She quickly corrected her error (at this point I should have realized that things happen in threes!).<br /><br /> DD had picked up a sucker from the basket of suckers while making out her deposit slip and requested to be able to enjoy it at this point. She also then asked to get a drink at the water fountain. I gave her an affirmative response to both requests and let her head off for her drink while DS made his deposit. Just before he finished up, DD runs up to me saying, "Mom! Help! My sucker's caught!" I look over to see her holding out a section of her hair away from her head.....with the sucker dangling from it! I tell DS to finish up his transaction as I take DD to the bathroom to deal with the stuck sucker. (Luckily it comes out very easily by running her hair under a flow of water from the sink....so she ended up with very wet hair, but at least the sucker was out!)<br /><br />One would assume that DS would be waiting for me just outside the bathroom door as he knew that is where we went. We were only in there for a couple of minutes, but when we exited the bathroom, DS was not anywhere to be seen! Someone else was at the teller's station where he had been. I started looking around (the bank is very small & it's very open with even the doors to the offices being all glass) and couldn't find him anywhere. I even looked out the door to see if he had gone to wait by the van. Nope! At this point the bank manager had come out of her office and noticed me looking around. She asked what the problem was, and when I told her I had lost my son she promptly started frantically looking around the lobby (she started by looking at the kids' area, which is stocked with paper, crayons, a small table, and little chairs....until I informed her that he was a tall 11-year-old!). At this point it dawned on me that maybe, just <span style="font-style: italic;">maybe</span>, he had decided to go to the bathroom. So I went over to the men's bathroom door and hollered in, asking if he was in there. And yes, that is where I found my son. (And when he came out, we had a little chat about letting me know if he was going to be somewhere other than where I was expecting him to be!) I must say, I never thought I would lose my 11-year-old, especially in someplace as small as our local bank. And especially as <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> is the child who has never been one to wander more than 2 feet from me at any store or such, <span style="font-style: italic;">ever</span>! But I guess that just goes to show that life will never be dull with these two around!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-7501542642982167682009-05-31T21:08:00.008-04:002009-06-04T13:41:01.715-04:00Never Take Your Eyes Off Of Them....Friday we had friends over for dinner. So DS & DD had K1 & K2 to play with that evening (K1 is 8, K2 is 2). Most of the time K2 played on his own, although he did join in with the older kids from time to time. So most of the playtime was spent with DS, DD, and K1 playing together. After dinner, while us grown-ups were visiting in the family room, the 3 kids went upstairs to play. Now they are old enough that one would think you don't need to constantly watch them. A <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">lot</span></span> of giggling was being heard. A <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span></span>. I knew they had been playing with a toy that is basically yarn coated in wax, but I could not imagine how it was causing so much giggling. So when we went to see what they were up to, this is what we found:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeEud-JKGLkj05d6iwShruTrO4g5n1vQeVmnYKzu8Tj1mAmftmOCviLlPePXNagO2wmeveKsVL6A9iQzXAGs6gMIeiLznJ8Z747ZJHomfr4OP8dbF0LOiaCeNrjnsAuecmTe7jJMH2r0/s400/DSC_1018.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVeEud-JKGLkj05d6iwShruTrO4g5n1vQeVmnYKzu8Tj1mAmftmOCviLlPePXNagO2wmeveKsVL6A9iQzXAGs6gMIeiLznJ8Z747ZJHomfr4OP8dbF0LOiaCeNrjnsAuecmTe7jJMH2r0/s400/DSC_1018.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhup83JqwtFgiNuhyphenhyphenFY1y33_h3SbYoaU0DrGpgO4i__sw-y84RwBiKCcJHqgj-GuwSArg0Jwl5nOfTMQaulvL9Zo7OM18wMo0jmBXvbpRc5CFPBCRmHN1RSMY7DIWVAODdTcWwen1-PNXs/s400/DSC_1019.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhup83JqwtFgiNuhyphenhyphenFY1y33_h3SbYoaU0DrGpgO4i__sw-y84RwBiKCcJHqgj-GuwSArg0Jwl5nOfTMQaulvL9Zo7OM18wMo0jmBXvbpRc5CFPBCRmHN1RSMY7DIWVAODdTcWwen1-PNXs/s400/DSC_1019.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lCqgCp_j2tO1Im1r7yPri2pOnOcCVHQAK9b2aSZ1IHUOnzeuk5IVw8q6_aahsgpwN7KkAiK4GAhINydJNcXcQ0vYpJBgMjzInxOsR6zxYfA3NtlhhsQREE8WdVA7mtQK1Ad4O4W7xPo/s400/DSC_1020.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5lCqgCp_j2tO1Im1r7yPri2pOnOcCVHQAK9b2aSZ1IHUOnzeuk5IVw8q6_aahsgpwN7KkAiK4GAhINydJNcXcQ0vYpJBgMjzInxOsR6zxYfA3NtlhhsQREE8WdVA7mtQK1Ad4O4W7xPo/s400/DSC_1020.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpaD5y4LkAqk3Hiu8jc9HH3U5DGFa1rSppgALkdlaVCKUZsviIsbKQ6XRukns5gWagzvNMUbSo45KmaUcUYECdHTn2iUOEAnftTQ594DoKpBE8Bjp5NxRej9meCaQAEM7zN04wDBjf40/s576/DSC_1021.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 576px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUpaD5y4LkAqk3Hiu8jc9HH3U5DGFa1rSppgALkdlaVCKUZsviIsbKQ6XRukns5gWagzvNMUbSo45KmaUcUYECdHTn2iUOEAnftTQ594DoKpBE8Bjp5NxRej9meCaQAEM7zN04wDBjf40/s576/DSC_1021.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86hOX7gG33y_kahe6Llv5ncp9-bLPkI0VutUP38wG2RJZbjYQj15c_bHLJO0uOrEjomOadrndvYFH5vagh-fx5taVxaDvyXAFq0Dl6DhKmUTrdDJII-cFPVMEVcY1AyENPxu8GeIt9a4/s576/DSC_1023.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 576px; height: 383px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86hOX7gG33y_kahe6Llv5ncp9-bLPkI0VutUP38wG2RJZbjYQj15c_bHLJO0uOrEjomOadrndvYFH5vagh-fx5taVxaDvyXAFq0Dl6DhKmUTrdDJII-cFPVMEVcY1AyENPxu8GeIt9a4/s576/DSC_1023.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Then we opened the door to the room they were hiding in....and this what happens when two girls gang up on one boy (in case you can't tell, that's a WHOLE roll of masking tape used to bind up his feet and hands):<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWwc13yBSBlE6bJar9d45YxteYeExaPtfvU3Ev7eLt4dBt5Mxr8H8A6R8oL7e0GEkvipsJnkMspO7MWmKjVzx5irB8s1gLqYxN7gA93cpx1TgMdpA1fz27x7l2UJifR9ZF2DJP1dD8_o/s320/DSC_1025c.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimWwc13yBSBlE6bJar9d45YxteYeExaPtfvU3Ev7eLt4dBt5Mxr8H8A6R8oL7e0GEkvipsJnkMspO7MWmKjVzx5irB8s1gLqYxN7gA93cpx1TgMdpA1fz27x7l2UJifR9ZF2DJP1dD8_o/s320/DSC_1025c.JPG" alt="" border="0" /></a>Needless to say they had been having a <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span></span> of fun! And <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> is why you never take your eyes off of them, no matter how old they are.....pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-20293675186836306342009-05-27T14:09:00.002-04:002009-05-27T14:25:21.361-04:00The End of An EraToday was the last day of the school year for DD & DS. It was an exciting day, yet a touch sad as well. Today was the last day of 5th grade, and thus the last day of elementary school, for DS. He has been at this school for 6 years.....Kindergarten all the way through 5th Grade. It's hard to believe I have a middle-schooler for a child! Surely it was just yesterday that DS was toddling off with his toy tools, mimicing DH as they worked around the house. Now he's old enough to use real tools all on his own to build/fix things. While I am excited for this new phase of his childhood (what little of it is left!), I am also sad to be finished with this phase of it with him. It also marks the last time DS & DD will be in the same school building, ever. By the time she reaches this point in her school career, DS will be a Freshman in high school!! To think of it that way really makes this all sink in even more.<br /><br />At school, to celebrate the 5th-graders' achievements, they had them all stand up on stage in front of everyone at school (during the awards ceremony) to be applauded. Then at the end of the school day they had all the other students line the main hallway to applaud the 5th-graders as they left the building for the final time as students of this school. So DS has "left the building," moving from elementary into a new stage, middle school.pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-64667476349877452622009-05-12T14:39:00.003-04:002009-05-12T14:55:34.033-04:00Watch It Wiggle....I had an interesting "job" to do this week. On Sunday (Mother's Day no less!) I spent the afternoon making Jell-O brains. Yes, you read that correctly....brains made from Jell-O. Oh, the things we will do for our children! The brains were for DS' class at school. They are studying brains this week. Since today was the day I needed to bring them in to school, I made them on Sunday so I would have time to re-do them in case something went wrong with them. Luckily they turned out correctly on the first try. So for the past two days my fridge has been filled with "brains!"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzNA4kT-uBgjB7bFLwMEGE89x68KyXEkxcp0Fi6dpwdCYYjCiMnY-2Splr_Fu2APnv0dp8BX8doRSPh1tow0Qv8W2Z7OKMFjETUBPmE86ezlsnJiDZ0cPxXPyoduyQOj6-BVhDxlzArw/s1600-h/DSC_0924.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRzNA4kT-uBgjB7bFLwMEGE89x68KyXEkxcp0Fi6dpwdCYYjCiMnY-2Splr_Fu2APnv0dp8BX8doRSPh1tow0Qv8W2Z7OKMFjETUBPmE86ezlsnJiDZ0cPxXPyoduyQOj6-BVhDxlzArw/s320/DSC_0924.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335011434579701730" border="0" /></a>When I took them in to school today, the kids were highly amused. They used the Jell-O brains to be able to see in 3-D what the brain looks like (without having to have a "real" brain to look at.....a few of the kids were having enough problems with the Jell-O ones!).<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AIR26g47btMoGioTCcP2Gt42Shy3Zk0PC_onSUxFotaQb-yA3RoBmw1LfCr9cVHE-tSdeSl6AapVUKie_5HAqemDxSjhaG0uJEHia8g2SGr2_O-85lQQTvI_DxzS5fQBmPp-UxZ5dDc/s1600-h/DSC_0933.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AIR26g47btMoGioTCcP2Gt42Shy3Zk0PC_onSUxFotaQb-yA3RoBmw1LfCr9cVHE-tSdeSl6AapVUKie_5HAqemDxSjhaG0uJEHia8g2SGr2_O-85lQQTvI_DxzS5fQBmPp-UxZ5dDc/s320/DSC_0933.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335011441852760706" border="0" /></a>After studying the model brains, they were given the chance to then eat the brains as a snack.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWeIQ9yudlvYWRhK9gDVvq2sB4lkYn8b2KAw1S5rk6Ta6dLxtr1lzfB54ZzImv7TxhEqy-MeAnMU7EZ_8cDbf4OPycgkbv_mxJeTCvgdL7U-cz_lEeGslGdpO_yWq5NNaTl4zHkz0uCo/s1600-h/DSC_0939.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSWeIQ9yudlvYWRhK9gDVvq2sB4lkYn8b2KAw1S5rk6Ta6dLxtr1lzfB54ZzImv7TxhEqy-MeAnMU7EZ_8cDbf4OPycgkbv_mxJeTCvgdL7U-cz_lEeGslGdpO_yWq5NNaTl4zHkz0uCo/s320/DSC_0939.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5335011446255557442" border="0" /></a> Nothing like watermelon-flavored brains to start the day out right!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-37068965839280046572009-04-28T23:19:00.002-04:002009-04-28T23:32:23.192-04:00Beware of the Offerings of ChildrenLast night I had the opportunity to once again play the role of "Tooth Fairy" for DS. I had no idea he had a loose tooth (he had not mentioned it to me). He said he had no idea it was loose enough to come out. While I should have performed my role on Sunday night instead of last night, I can honestly claim that the delay was not my fault. DS forgot to put the tooth under his pillow (no, he no longer believes in the Tooth Fairy, but he continues to want to play along for the fun of it and actually put his lost teeth under his pillow in order to receive the customary payment for his teeth). I'm sure you're wondering what was so interesting about this particular lost tooth. Let me explain.....<br /><br />Every previous tooth that DS has lost has been fraught with a bout of nervousness from him about whether or not it will hurt to come out. He's lost enough at this point that he knows it doesn't, but he still gets a little nervous. So I have removed all of his previous loose teeth for him as he has been unwilling to try to pull them out himself. Well, things were different on Sunday. I did not pull out that one. Neither did DS. The tooth was so loose that it fell out on its own while he was eating a snack in his Sunday school class at church. How did I find out about, you ask? I found out when he walked into my classroom, said, "Here, Mom, I have something for you." He then proceeded to drop the tooth into my open hand (with a huge grin on his face at the time). There were quite a few chuckles once the people sitting nearby realized what he had given me. It's not just every Sunday that a mom is presented with her child's tooth at church. Hmmm.....DD has a very loose tooth at the moment. Maybe I should be prepared next Sunday for another presentation.pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-13588516902580129912009-04-27T11:49:00.003-04:002009-04-27T12:02:24.081-04:00Making MusicIt's been a very busy time for DD with her piano playing. On the 18th she participated in Junior Festival, which is a piano "competition" in which the kids are basically competing against themselves. They get points based on how well they do, with different point levels achieved providing different color ribbons. At certain cumulative point levels (they accumulate the points year after year to reach higher & higher levels) they receive increasing sizes of trophies. This was DD's first year to participate in Festival. She was very excited to be able to participate, although a bit nervous as well. She performed in 3 different categories: Solo (in which she had to play 2 memorized songs), Duet (in which she had to play 2 non-memorized songs, which she did with her friend AP), and Theory (in which she took a written test over music theory). I am very proud of her achievements: Excellent (blue ribbon) in both Theory and Solo, and Very Good (red ribbon) in Duet.<br /><br />Then this past Friday DS & DD's school had the annual student talent show. The kids who want to participate have to try out, and then those selected from the try-outs get to perform in the show. This is the 2nd year DD was able to participate. It takes a lot of courage to get up in front of over 700 people (students, staff, parents, etc) and perform. She played one of her memorized solo pieces from Festival, Ladybug Waltz, and did an excellent job! I am so proud of her desire to share her talent, and her being able to perform in front of so many people. For only having taken lessons for one year so far, DD is doing very well in increasing her skills as well as overcoming her shyness to share her developing talent. Great job, DD!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-82656374767498050942009-04-19T20:35:00.003-04:002009-04-19T21:06:40.577-04:00Hair Yesterday, Gone TodayLast week, after much thinking about it and a decision to wait for more growth for a while, DD decided to cut her hair. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUNZ8MruKLmzsdKT_ppdHUB27Uu_6M_RbXMHV-80FK65hY3eahACcyXDdRCPR6LwXpaQ-c9uxJez6Woof1J5S9k6oBTY3OESiBXuQWt94u9vjWRsokQiYuMAFc5oA2wT_U_n1RSe7dOc/s1600-h/DSC_0682c.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuUNZ8MruKLmzsdKT_ppdHUB27Uu_6M_RbXMHV-80FK65hY3eahACcyXDdRCPR6LwXpaQ-c9uxJez6Woof1J5S9k6oBTY3OESiBXuQWt94u9vjWRsokQiYuMAFc5oA2wT_U_n1RSe7dOc/s320/DSC_0682c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326572727242303570" border="0" /></a>Now for most of us, this isn't such a big decision. But for DD this was a huge decision as she has never before had a haircut---she has been growing out her hair for her entire life. So for her to get her very first haircut at the age of 7 years was a big deal. The other decision she made along with this was to donate her hair to Locks of Love, a charity that takes donated hair and makes wigs/hairpieces for children who are dealing with a long-term lack of their own hair (such as alopecia, or in fewer cases children with long-term hair loss from cancer----these children are the minority because in most cases their hair will grow back relatively soon whereas the alopecia children can no longer grow their own hair at all). I was so proud of her for this decision to help other children. In order to do this, and still have the length of hair she wanted after her hair was cut, she waited a few months after making the initial decision to cut her hair to make sure she had enough to donate. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xYnTzxmj1aO-oed_6WnzICnV4hr50xXSamhLEIN3t1T9xmktmgw0gHDKHliZ0VYiiN2J4jK94iz7-dDj8DWZC-YS8lyGwKPbzJhiNq4x0xMl-tJicBI8C8ElmmUyykOMejQQW12tbR8/s1600-h/DSC_0674c.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xYnTzxmj1aO-oed_6WnzICnV4hr50xXSamhLEIN3t1T9xmktmgw0gHDKHliZ0VYiiN2J4jK94iz7-dDj8DWZC-YS8lyGwKPbzJhiNq4x0xMl-tJicBI8C8ElmmUyykOMejQQW12tbR8/s320/DSC_0674c.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326572731487496450" border="0" /></a>So now instead of hair hanging down to where she was sitting on it, her hair is now just barely below shoulder-length. Quite a change for a little girl who is so used to super-long hair! She loves her new hair length and is happy to have been able to help out other children in the process. She is also already talking about letting it grow out again to be able to donate her hair again in the future. It definitely makes a mom proud to see this desire to help others show up in her child.pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-59691979416045581172009-04-13T13:59:00.005-04:002009-04-13T14:08:48.906-04:00A Birthday & A HolidayYesterday was a very busy day. It was DD's 7th birthday, as well as Easter! It is hard to believe that DD is already 7 years old! The time has passed so quickly. It has been a fun 7 years and I'm looking forward to what the future holds for DD.....I am so proud of all she has accomplished already.<br /><br />With the two events coinciding, there was a <span style="font-style: italic;">lot</span> of excitement yesterday. Birthday decorations, birthday cake, birthday presents, family over to celebrate, Easter baskets & goodies, Easter egg hunts.....just so much going on! Because of when her birthday landed, DD requested a bunny cake this year (which she had had once before, when she turned 2 years old). It definitely made the tie in of the two events even more evident. Definitely a fun day!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ByhZJawtxElg_1b8pD7I4ee_1GrOglv3Q5hiC41IWel8LlrY-jW4KcC5LcYym9N7J4tRIVqqIKnAP-TwqoSRpscGOZyc8e7qC3hL3eg14GlDGvuX-vdDq8q_OwFo8ssNDyBYuMV1nE8/s1600-h/DSC_0621.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ByhZJawtxElg_1b8pD7I4ee_1GrOglv3Q5hiC41IWel8LlrY-jW4KcC5LcYym9N7J4tRIVqqIKnAP-TwqoSRpscGOZyc8e7qC3hL3eg14GlDGvuX-vdDq8q_OwFo8ssNDyBYuMV1nE8/s320/DSC_0621.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324239040198405490" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;">Happy Birthday, DD!!<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"></span></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></span></span></div>pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-42684301612675111652009-04-09T19:19:00.002-04:002009-04-09T19:31:46.817-04:00Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go In The Water....This evening DS had a swimming lesson. He takes private lessons at the local university's aquatic center. We have resorted to this method as other, more common methods of learning to swim have failed due to his extreme fear of deep water. I must say, he has done extremely well over the past several months and made great strides in his comfort level in the water, and thus is getting much closer to being able to actually swim on his own. Most of the time when we are at the aquatic center it is a relatively uneventful time.....just a swimming lesson, showering & changing afterwards, and he's done. Not the case this evening.....<br /><br />DS had only been in the water about 5 minutes when there was a bit of a commotion at the other end of the shallow area of the pool (it's an Olympic-size pool so the shallow area is huge). Soon one of the other instructors was walking over to the near side of the pool with a young child. As she approached the parents sitting in front of me she says, "He threw up in the pool." OK, this is <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> what you want to hear when your own child is in that same pool! I immediately called out to James to get out of the pool (it's amazing how quickly he moved when I said that!). His instructor came over to see what was going on as well, and then she immediately had the life guard on duty call on the walkie-talkie to the pool manager to report the incident. At this point they both cleared everyone else out of the pool. I sent DS off to shower & change as this meant there would be no more pool time this evening! Clean-up efforts began while he was in the dressing room and it was rather amusing to watch all of these childless college students dealing with this issue (at least from this mom's point of view!).<br /><br />I think this will go on record as the shortest swimming lesson of all time. And I am relieved that it wasn't due to anything one of my own children did!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-14235076694502357292009-04-03T14:44:00.002-04:002009-04-03T15:04:27.187-04:00The Joke That Never WasApril Fool's Day was on Wednesday. Many people, including my children, greatly enjoy the antics of this day. My kids spend hours upon hours plotting and planning tricks to play on DH and me. DD spends the day waiting with bated breath for tricks to be played on her (she greatly enjoys this part as well....unless it is DS playing the trick on her!). DS, on the other hand, spends the day trying desperately to avoid being tricked. He tries to stay one step ahead in figuring out what just might be a joke on him so that he won't fall for it. For instance, his teacher this year had put up on the chalkboard that the kids needed to study for a Latin quiz to be taken that day (each day she lists things on the board, in the order that they are to be done, that the students need to accomplish in the morning....then it is up to them to manage their time wisely and get it all done). DS quickly figured out that the Latin quiz must be a joke (yes, they are studying Latin, but no quiz had been announced previously). So even though Mrs. B. was telling the kids that they must have forgotten that she announced it before Spring Break, he was sure she was trying to pull a fast one on them.....and he was right!<br /><br />Well, I had no joke I was planning on playing on DS. He was sure I was going to though! On Wednesday morning I needed to call my Mom to ask her a question.....only when I called, my brother answered the phone & told me she wasn't there....she was at the emergency room! Now, I know this is not something she would joke about, so it never entered my mind that they would be trying to trick me (especially as they had no idea I'd be calling at 7:30 in the morning!). She had a nosebleed that wouldn't stop after 40 minutes, so my Dad had to take the day off work & take her to the ER. Now, when I told DS about this, he was <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">totally convinced</span></span> that I was trying to pull an April Fool's joke on him! Nothing I could say would convince him that I had actually called and that my Mom, <span style="font-style: italic;">his Grandma</span>, was actually in the ER! Nothing! Needless to say, when I called later in the morning to check on my Mom, she got quite the kick out of this (and she had her nose taken care of & is fine). She was just waiting to see what would happen when DS got home from school that afternoon.<br /><br />As soon as DS got off of the bus, he <span style="font-style: italic;">immediately</span> asked if I was ready to tell him "April Fool's" yet! I tried again to convince him that I was not joking, but he would not believe me at all. This went on for a good 1/2-hour. I finally gave up. What finally convinced DS that I was <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">not</span></span> joking?? My Mom had to scan and email me copies of her hospital ID bracelet (with the date on it!) and her discharge papers (with the date on it AND my Dad's signature, proving he was there!) for visual proof that we were not trying to pull an April Fool's joke on DS and that my Mom had <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">really</span></span> been to the emergency room that morning! It was too funny! It was definitely better than any real joke I could have ever come up with. Never before have I been able to "trick" someone by not actually tricking them to begin with!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-8773222991104746512009-04-01T16:47:00.002-04:002009-04-03T13:41:32.563-04:00Legos and DollsLast week was a very busy week. The kids were on Spring Break. Now for some people, that means a less hectic time, a time to rest up and get energized for the last few weeks of the school year. Not for us! I think last week was just as busy, if not busier, than any other week we've had this year! Trips to the grandparents' house for the kids, 4-H workshops, swimming lessons, a sleep-over, and then to top it off an extra-special trip the kids had been looking forward to for weeks.<br /><br />We took the kids to Chicago for a day! DD had decided that this year for her birthday she wanted to do something very different since having a party with her friends on her actual birthday was not an option (seeing as how it lands on Easter Sunday this year). She requested a trip to the American Girl Place in Chicago. DD had been saving up her Christmas money, allowance money, and birthday money to buy herself a doll and she was ready to make her purchase. DS heard her plans and decided against a party this year as well, thinking that a visit to the Lego store in Chicago would be a good replacement. DH & I gave the kids each the amount of money to spend in Chicago that we usually would have spent on their birthday presents. Anything above and beyond that they were responsible for paying for out of their own money. They both readily agreed and the trip was planned (it worked out well as Spring Break landed 1/2-way between both of their birthdays).<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePQwUGvr3NzDO4pGocJfTMaG-RnobVhGSRRKZDpFxJDTTlHVeAJloXhQF7FaCq3mD675kSazBmb-pp0OBiOyF7BEEpYseMQHDcpDtbBtJidyN78YoMgPl1vt9zENzkqd-PqCXM5G-IOA/s1600-h/DSC_0483.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjePQwUGvr3NzDO4pGocJfTMaG-RnobVhGSRRKZDpFxJDTTlHVeAJloXhQF7FaCq3mD675kSazBmb-pp0OBiOyF7BEEpYseMQHDcpDtbBtJidyN78YoMgPl1vt9zENzkqd-PqCXM5G-IOA/s320/DSC_0483.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320517287897172850" border="0" /></a>We visited the American Girl Place first. DD was <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">be</span></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">yond</span></span> excited! (DS, on the other hand, was not so excited----he spent the entire time wandering around with us playing his Gameboy!) She was in absolute awe while looking at all of the dolls and their accessories throughout the store. The store was quite amazing. Two stories of dolls, accessories, books, and clothing, as well as a photography studio, doll hair salon, craft store (to make doll T-shirts or other accessories), doll hospital, sweet shop,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTct4d36FKzqEob3YV1aWn4F52Kue64IoQw-Xsl_36o313aAYtip-UnxNhEFbAox8lLmjaYWICVkSHPNIzwqlfUnOWiPQ8ieGkU63VvKbYqHgXc5LnRxq5ZcyRrPeiPx9Tv0BiIMGYZQQ/s1600-h/DSC_0501.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTct4d36FKzqEob3YV1aWn4F52Kue64IoQw-Xsl_36o313aAYtip-UnxNhEFbAox8lLmjaYWICVkSHPNIzwqlfUnOWiPQ8ieGkU63VvKbYqHgXc5LnRxq5ZcyRrPeiPx9Tv0BiIMGYZQQ/s320/DSC_0501.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320518314330913970" border="0" /></a> and restaurant. As a treat (originally for DD, but DS greatly enjoyed the food as well, if not particularly the pink, dolly atmosphere!) we ate lunch at the restaurant after DD had made her doll selection & purchase. She purchased Chrissa (the "Doll of the Year") with her own money, which she was very proud of,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcTzQw4_5aEV45eouIFlBA9EAnV4lCfqBeQtiPLplVHGUJ1kyTaytixt8La2RYjgK-NcpVBBdlZkRg3WYf15Tzkfg4rkMRfvt3SOYytfTsuIuu_KavP2rw93aTmzZMnKp6etWYYOdVnA/s1600-h/DSC_0495.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglcTzQw4_5aEV45eouIFlBA9EAnV4lCfqBeQtiPLplVHGUJ1kyTaytixt8La2RYjgK-NcpVBBdlZkRg3WYf15Tzkfg4rkMRfvt3SOYytfTsuIuu_KavP2rw93aTmzZMnKp6etWYYOdVnA/s320/DSC_0495.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320517609848866690" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9ZizAjLdiGxYGUNfQaKnSZDanpXxHzJfApOKt8hP26PDt9UshIOOiDSGZ2Dy-y6I17RviqRX5aUA-WL1nVBmDa1RdEuPKiWG7I7ObQe4hTPW1Iy-lfOPgsdrhpaBr4VzjPtFZUhAfCI/s1600-h/DSC_0499.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq9ZizAjLdiGxYGUNfQaKnSZDanpXxHzJfApOKt8hP26PDt9UshIOOiDSGZ2Dy-y6I17RviqRX5aUA-WL1nVBmDa1RdEuPKiWG7I7ObQe4hTPW1Iy-lfOPgsdrhpaBr4VzjPtFZUhAfCI/s320/DSC_0499.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320517937645615938" border="0" /></a>and used her birthday money from us to buy a doll carrier and several books. (I do have to point out at this point that she ended up with an extra book as a reward for finally riding on the escalator in the store. She was terrified of it and refused at first to ride it, but after several attempts finally faced her fear and rode it.....and now loves escalators!)<br /><br />After lunch we headed down the street to the Lego Store for DS's birthday treat. He was quite excited to be surrounded by so many of one of his favorite toys! There were several very large Lego models built and on display that intrigued both kids.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmdL2veLSQ7Ie0jUW4Ap4aEqYQIBp-doyCCfeWH3pN-Y1SR89vaU4F9x6ZEoinfxgB_p8vMpOiYA-Yw1a1ISzZNibVV7ja05UXoHGaOpmUadlSnTkplcOt0n9VWYumBcQSaHVSlvqdQs/s1600-h/DSC_0513.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEmdL2veLSQ7Ie0jUW4Ap4aEqYQIBp-doyCCfeWH3pN-Y1SR89vaU4F9x6ZEoinfxgB_p8vMpOiYA-Yw1a1ISzZNibVV7ja05UXoHGaOpmUadlSnTkplcOt0n9VWYumBcQSaHVSlvqdQs/s320/DSC_0513.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320519114764553426" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVJT5EBdDiU6a-fRFEnpylLGlFvCA7OX25odL1CadflC3B7_-TLUScv598dMtVRjpPGBRP84VZMD3kiUfr_9nRh8tb7roTrlYQDYh8I-4pA7vNMbDzgYTo-RXgCUpfw_vPt_fok4hNts/s1600-h/DSC_0510.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVJT5EBdDiU6a-fRFEnpylLGlFvCA7OX25odL1CadflC3B7_-TLUScv598dMtVRjpPGBRP84VZMD3kiUfr_9nRh8tb7roTrlYQDYh8I-4pA7vNMbDzgYTo-RXgCUpfw_vPt_fok4hNts/s320/DSC_0510.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320518681177332514" border="0" /></a> Poor DS had quite a hard decision to make as he tried to figure out just what he wanted to buy. So many Legos to choose from! After filling a small container with loose bricks that you can choose from on your own, he spent a <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">very long</span></span> time trying to decide which model-building set he wanted. After a while he had finally narrowed it down to the fact that he definitely wanted a Star Wars vehicle.....but there were several of those to choose from! With some very much appreciated help from one of the store employees, DS finally narrowed his choices down, one-by-one, until he chose a set that will make the Twilight starship from Star Wars Clone Wars......and to top it off, it was on sale for 1/2 price! What a deal! He was almost as excited about getting it for such a good price as he was about the Lego set itself!<br /><br />After finishing up at the Lego store, we headed back to the parking garage to load up and head home. The kids, as well as DH & myself, had a wonderful, fun-filled day in Chicago! The kids had never been there before and were quite intrigued with the sights to see (especially Lake Michigan & the Sears Tower) as much as they were with the two stores we specifically went to see. All in all, a wonderful way to help them celebrate their birthdays!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-9744909691317750892009-03-18T11:31:00.002-04:002009-03-18T11:44:21.150-04:00Musical Performances & Flying ObjectsLast night was DS' last musical performance of his elementary school career. The fifth-graders did a lot of musical numbers from the '20s all the way through Elvis. They played selections on the recorders they have been learning to play all year. I was highly impressed with how well they did! Of course, it seems that something unexpected has to happen during these performances. No, it wasn't when the gymnasts were doing their tumbling act.....they all survived without incident. No, no one choked on the strings holding the recorders around their necks. Instead, it was taken from the stage out into the audience (and no, the audience didn't <span style="font-style: italic;">cause</span> the incident, they <span style="font-style: italic;">received</span> it!).<br /><br />During one of the numbers, a few kids came up to the front of the stage to mention times when they listened to music (while exercising, while at the beach, while doing homework, etc.). Well, one girl came up and said, "While bowling." And these children had props in their hands. So, yes, she had a bowling ball in her hand....which she swung like she was actually bowling. Only she wasn't <span style="font-style: italic;">supposed</span> to let go.....but she <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">did!!</span></span> Yes, that bowling ball went flying out into the front row of the audience! Stunned looks from the kids on stage, gasps and squeals from the audience (especially the front row!)! Followed by relieved laughter as the bowling ball bounces as it was made of hard rubber & was hollow (it was one they used during gym class, so it was made to be light and rather harmless). The girl leaped off of the stage, chased the bowling ball until she caught up with it, ran back, and climbed back up on the stage. All of this happened very quickly. There was a short pause in the music, and then it started up again.....once all of the kids on stage had stopped laughing.<br /><br />So, once again an excursion to my children's school has provided us with unexpected amusement. You just never know what's going to happen next over there!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-7421546111292637042009-03-16T17:03:00.002-04:002009-03-16T17:14:50.952-04:00Case Solved!DD has been missing her glasses since Thursday. The kids had a 1/2 day on Thursday (as well as Friday) for parent-teacher conferences. I know that she got off of the bus before lunch with her glasses on her face. By the time I realized she was no longer wearing her glasses it was a little after 4:00pm, while at her piano lesson. I figured she had just taken them off sometime before we left for her lesson (she only needs them for reading and other such close-up work) and forgot to put them back on before we left. We have spent the past 3 1/2 days looking all over the house (even in strange places like under the couch, in her dresser drawers, in the fridge, etc.) for DD's glasses with no luck in finding them. So this morning I even had her look in her desk at school, thinking there was a distinct possibility I had misremembered seeing her with them when she got off of the bus on Thursday. No luck....they weren't at school either. So today I was at a loss of where else to possibly look and almost resigned to ordering her a new pair (which would, of course, had to have been paid for out-of-pocket since the vision insurance won't pay for 2 pairs in under a year) when a funny thing happened. I posted a status update this morning on my Facebook page that I was frustrated about DD's glasses having gone missing. This afternoon I checked my Facebook page to see that DD's piano teacher had commented on my status update that she had found a pair of glasses at her house. So after school today we headed over to the piano teacher's house.......YES!! They were DD's glasses!! I was so relieved! Evidently DD had worn them to her lesson but taken them off and set them aside while waiting for her turn at the piano, then forgot to pick them back up. So DD has her glasses back. Case solved!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-26307926922880778882009-03-16T15:16:00.003-04:002009-03-16T15:21:19.984-04:00Proud MomentsToday was the end-of-the-9-weeks award ceremony at my children's school for the 3rd 9-weeks grading period. Spring was definitely in the air as all of the school children were more restless than usual. They did, however, cooperate for the most part and remain quiet when necessary, thus proving what an overall well-behaved bunch they are. I am proud of DS and DD! They both made the A/B Honor Roll again this 9 weeks! Great job DS & DD! Mom is proud of you!pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-49325411914237641832009-03-15T20:09:00.002-04:002009-03-15T20:17:48.739-04:00Remembering....I need to remember something tonight......DD lost her first tooth!! So I need to remember to play the Tooth Fairy. She was quite nervous about this occurrence (it had been very loose for several days but she wouldn't let me near it), but excited at the same time. This afternoon DD & I went to one of the local high schools to see their performance of "Once Upon A Mattress" which is a version of The Princess and the Pea. DD absolutely loved the musical (she loves going to the local high schools' theatrical productions), but about half-way through the first half of the performance she became panicked as her loose tooth wiggled enough to cause the gum to start bleeding. She was adamant that I not pull it there (she wanted DH to watch when she had the first one taken out) but was not happy at all about the bleeding. I quickly gave her a tissue to help staunch the little bit of bleeding so we could make it through the rest of the performance. As soon as we got home, she grabbed DH's hand, I reached in, and out the tooth quickly came. She looked up at me and said, "Did it come out already?" in quite a bit of astonishment. She was sure it would hurt, despite her older brother's reassurances that it would not (and despite having watched me pull out one of his just a couple of weeks ago without him even flinching). After getting over the shock, she ran to look in the mirror to see what she now looked like. Her comment? "Mom, I think that after a while people's smiles start to look a little boring, so losing teeth is one way to make them interesting again." Said, of course, with a big, gap-toothed grin.pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6342429285498806965.post-72055857115002354672009-03-07T19:10:00.002-05:002009-03-07T19:16:12.551-05:00Time Marches OnIt's hard to believe but today DS turned 11 years old! Where have those years gone?? It seems like just the other day that he was born, learned to walk (at the ripe old age of 8 1/2 months!), learned to talk, went off to his first day of school..... So many firsts have come and gone. And yet I keep reminding myself that there are so many firsts yet to come. As DS himself keeps reminding me, only 5 short years until he gets his first driver's license, 7 short years until he is first considered an adult..... I am sure somewhere in there will be first dates, first love, and somewhere in the more distant future his first child will bring another set of firsts.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Happy Birthday, DS!!<br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /></div>pednursehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06770023278799359097noreply@blogger.com1