A few more pictures.
We chose to use "Andrew" as a middle name, in remembrance of our little angel last year (Andrew Jack).
Caden's delivery was an emotional one, revisiting the same L&D ward, and actually in the room next door to the one we delivered Andrew in, last year.
We cried happy tears for his arrival, thankful tears for his miracle, and tears of sorrow for Andrew.

On another subject- Caden was not amused today when I decided he needed pictures in his Christmas Jammies.....but he cooperated.

xoxoxox
sarah

Merry x-mas, 2009

Yay -- Caden is finally HERE !!! and I love that you put Andrew as a 2nd name

Here are some pictures of the kids, December STYLE !!!

Caden Andrew, Dec 11th, 2009, 6 lbs. 4 oz. 19 inches.

:)

Mommy doing great. Caden in nursery for jaundice, but otherwise looks fantastic!!

sarah...

i hope that sarah won't mind but i just want everyone to know that today seems to be the day for frog's arrival ! she made a post on facebook and it looks like it's a go. lets keep both of them in our hearts today. the best kind of early x-mas present :) :) :)

Long Week Coming Up

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and ate just a little more than you should.

Maigan, Just be consistent in making sure Allie doesn't get away with throwing things and it should be fine. A firm no and possibly having to sit by herself or take a toy that she likes could help too.

Thanksgiving was interesting. About an hour after putting the turkey in our oven stopped working. We had to dump the turkey and figured we would just need to replace the heat element. No such luck, the entire range had to be replaced. I made a crockpot chicken dish for Thanksgiving and we did have our turkey dinner Sunday.

Ron is going in for back surgery tomorrow. He has a burst disk and has been pretty miserable lately. He will not be able to do anything for 10 days and then no lifting over 5-10 pounds for a while.

Everyone take care.

tis the season for heartburn...

happy thanksgiving ya'll ! it's time to loosen those pants and enjoy a third round of dessert guilt-free !!!

scary lil devils

oh maigan - two is fun, isn't it ? i used to have that problem with my girls except that avery was a biter. it was hard not to laugh but she would simply chomp down on reily when she wasn't getting her way. all you can do is be firm and consistant. every offense got a firm "NO" and time-out. if avery kept doing it, the time-outs and punishments got longer. eventually, she would start crying and i would keep repeating that biting wasn't nice and that she had to say sorry. what was also important to me was to be fair to reily. too often, the "baby" gets away with a lot and the older kids pick up on it real fast. so if reily is playing with something and avery steals it, i make her give it back (rather than the oft used "just let her have it" crap you hear all the time). i try to emphasize sharing and fairness - so hitting and biting are definite "no-no"s.
just try not to smile - especially if allie clocks her at 50 paces with a marble. she may be a hellava shot but any encouraging laugh or smirk will only make her do it again. and again. and again.
hope that helps
kri

PS number 3 is still nameless. squirmy and cute, but still nameless

scary allie

hehe... I can imagine it IS hard not to laugh, Maigan. I don't know, honestly, as I am just discovering the complexities of being a parent of two. But I can highly recommend the book "siblings without rivalry", and perhaps that will shed some light for you.

good luck, amiga...

Amy, I am sorry you had backsliding with Samuel. It must be hard to watch him have such a rough time of it. Do you and Ron have any support locally, other parents going through the same stuff who you can lean on/talk to? I dont know, but it seems like a network of families living with an autistic child could be a comfort. big love, sister.

wilder and i are much better. he is all the way better, really, except for a bit of a lingering cough and runny nose. I had a secondary complication of bacterial pneumonia, so I was mighty mighty sick on friday... but am much improved with lots of antibiotics.

how are the girls kri?

xo

marystarr

Rough Week!

Sounds like everyone is having a rough one this week...H1N1, MRSA, regression, baby pains, hang in there ladies! It will get better.

I need a little advice...Allie has decided it's fun to throw things. Doesn't matter what she has in her little hand, she will launch it with all her might at Lizzy. Last night she threw her Little Touch Leap Pad and hit Lizzy right in the face. Lizzy was totally minding her own business watching a cartoon and out of nowhere she was blind sided by her sister. It ended up splitting her lip open and scared her terribly. I know this is a result of the torture Lizzy has delivered to Allie over the past two years but I can't let it continue. Allie received a time out and as soon as she was released she came into the living room, found a hard plastic ball and nailed Lizzy right between the eyes. In a way it's funny, but I know I have to put a stop to it. Any thoughts?

Sarah, I truly hope that all goes well for you and will be checking Facebook a bit more often to find out how you and your sweet little guy are.

Kri, That sucks that Avery had to be treated for infection too.

Marystarr, Poor Wilder and poor you. Feel better soon.

It has been a bad week for Samuel. He had a bit of a regression and we saw behaviors that he had stopped over a year ago. He played with his poop, screamed, wouldn't talk, and was almost non-responsive. He is coming back, but it was heartbreaking to see.

sick bunnies

i hope that everyone is feeling better ! just finished treating avery for her MRSA infection. since i bathe the girls together, i was just waiting to see if she would develop the same symptoms. i wasn't disappointed. things with number 3 seem to be going well. 23 weeks down, 17 more to go. still nameless. i like monroe, harper, emerson, marlowe.....dan likes anderson and crosby. don't ask me about crosby - i've got no idea where that came from !
uh oh...i hear a tantrum brewing...
xoxo
kri

H1N1

seems me and the little guy have it. although no one can confirm this. been sick since saturday, and yesterday we were rocking fevers of 102. Last night I was alternately freezing (shaking and shuddering in the bed) and sweating like a mad animal. drenched. crazy stuff. I took Wilder in this morning and happily he had no fever today. they said we should keep doing what we're doing and come back if we have any respiratory distress. the funny thing is, I have had WAY worse flu than this before. WAY WORSE. I would have brought him in monday if I had any idea this wasn't just a bad cold. It didn't feel like flu until yesterday.

Sarah, sounds like you are almost there! You sound confident about the plan, which is good. Hearing it makes me incredibly nervous, as I am a nervous nellie about interventions in childbirth and induction and all that. But that is just me, and know that it is because I love you and I will worry like a grandma over you until you have that sweet baby home with you and you have kissed hospitals goodbye ;) big hugs!

xoxoxxo

MaryStarr

update

So, We saw my OB on Monday. He feels, that given my cardiac issues during pregnancy (super massive fast heart rate....that causes me to nearly pass out about 12-15 times a day), we should deliver the baby early.
I am 33 weeks on Saturday (2 days from now). The plan is to do an amniocentesis during the 36th week and if his lungs look good, then I will be admitted that same day for induction. Based on the doctors "on call" schedule (I only want MY OB to deliver, not any of his partners), I will be about 36 1/2 weeks on the day of the amnio so the chances are pretty good.
We're looking at a Dec 11th birthday. :)

Will keep you posted. For those on Facebook- It will be updated as we progress. So if anyone (kri, maigan, marystarr) see my FB status as "in the hospital", etc, feel free to share it here with the rest of the girls!!!!

Can't wait to meet our little (BIG) guy!!! He measured almost 4 lbs, 3 weeks ago!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

pics

3D picture of baby Frog....and a pic of Riley when she was smaller....I have a better one of her but can't find in for the life of me...
Regardless, he looks EXACTLY like her!!!
32 weeks....the countdown begins!!!! Off work now- will go back the first of Feb...
love to all...

Kri, Poor kid. That just sounds terrible. Hope she is doing better.

Here is a picture from our Halloween. The kids had a great time. Theodore was supposed to be painted up like a skeleton but changed his mind, Vivian is an evil mermaid (seriously, her own idea), and Samuel was a Jedi again.

Esme

is my favorite name. period. would sound good with your other gals too, I think. also

Phoebe

Charity

Viola

MRSA???? holy crap. I am sending hugs and love to poor lil miss reily. how yucky. poor baby. and how scary for you Kri... shit. I have a box of clothes here with your name on it. I am sorry i have been a slowpoke. i am so lame about mailing stuff. promise to do it this weekend.

will write more later. Maigan, I am so sorry about your dad! Glad he is doing better. Sounds like you are all on top of it. Let me know if you need any info on diabetes. I have a lot of info on managing it from my pregnancies, and my mother is type 2 as well.

xoxoxo

MaryStarr

Halloween...I was not able to get both kids to cooperate one the same picture

anyone out there ???

everyone busy with the holiday season ??? it has been very quiet. on my end, reily is healing and taking her meds like a champ. baby #3 is a squirmy lil thing....and as yet unnamed. avery still has a strong lisp but her sentences are improving weekly. work is work- people getting sick, some getting better, some dying. training a new nurse right now. the saints are rocking the NFL n'awlins style.
xoxo
kri

drug-resistant bacteria are great...

oh boy, this is fun. had to take reily to the MD today because she had a little boo-boo that become a huge pus-filled, weeping open wound on her labia. no idea how it got there but apparently she has an MRSA skin infection (nasty staph infection). it was the damnedest thing; a little sore that i thought was a mild fungal infection (like the ones she got as an infant) practically looks like an attack of the flesh-eating virus. poor little trooper, had to hold her down so that we could culture it and get the pus out. she is doing much better but it still makes me wonder....WHERE DO OUR KIDS GET THESE THINGS ?!?!?!
off to medicate a 5 yr old....wish me luck...

kri

Names...

Kri...out of your list I like Emerson the best!! If I remember right you had that as well as Monroe on your list last time. I think it's a good name for a professional and when she's little you can call her "Em" or "Emmie" which are both cute nicknames. I like Monroe, but would not choose it personally because there is a street in Spokane called Monroe and it's not the best part of town so it has a negative geographical association for me. I like the name Tyler for a girl and tried to get Eli to go for it with Allie, but he was having no part of it.

Anyone heard from MaryStarr? She was posting daily there and then they got hit with the flu or something and we haven't heard a peep out of her...hope everyone is OK!!

Personally things have been crazy. My dad has not been feeling well for a while and my brother called me Sunday afternoon saying he had just gotten off the phone with my mom and it sounded like Dad was really bad. We headed over and within 5 minutes of our arrival Eli was yelling out to have my mom call an ambulence (I was out in the car with the girls because we weren't really sure what was wrong with him and I didn't want them exposed). Come to find out he has Type 2 diabetes and was in shock. He has a severe kidney infection and his blood is infected. His temp was up to 104 by the time we got to my parents house...it was pretty crazy stuff. He's been in the hospital since Sunday afternoon and is doing much better now. We have to wear HASMAT suits in the room with him though becuase they don't have the culture match yet for his blood infection. I'm hopeful he will be home by the weekend. I'm just happy they figured out what was wrong with him so we can start a lifestyle change and treatment plan for him. My parents don't have insurance, but there is a social worker trying to get my dad set up on Medicaid or Medicare or something so that will be helpful.

Well...that's what's new with me...we're excited for Halloween on Saturday. Lizzy is going to be Sleeping Beauty and Allie is going to be a monkey. I think I'm going to take some of the HASMAT gear from the hospital and put that on.

Happy day everyone!!

Maig

Names...

Here are a few names that were on my lists when pregnant:

Beatrice
Danika
Jacqueline
Magdalene

Funny note with the name Charlotte, while I love it I could never bring myself to use it. It never made it through our first round of cutting names. I could not get away from Charlotte the Harlot (the name given to the Harlot from the book of Revelations by the band Iron Maiden).

No offense intended to anyone named Charlotte or would use Charlotte as a name.

names ?!?!?!

oh my ladies...we need help with names. nothing is *clicking* yet. i have monroe, emerson, and harper on my list....dan has charlotte. charlotte has been vetoed (it's my MIL's name)- especially since it would open up my daughter to being called charlie brown !! any suggestions ? thoughts ?
xoxo
kri

ANOTHER GIRL ?

Wow, and I have a friend who is only having boys....

Congratualtions sweetheart :)

Are ya gonna keep working ?

Congratulation on another girl Kri!

estrogen world...

it's an estrogen world and i am an estrogen girl......we've got another lil lady on the way ! i thought that dan was going to drop when he heard. he was praying for a boy..i tried to warn him that the pregnancy gods have a sick sense of humor. right now i'm about 18wks 4days with a due date of march 12th. everything looks good and healthy. maybe we'll finally get a raven-haired beauty to go along with my little blondes :)
xoxo
kri

October - Sick kids, and fall colours

I just back to work from 1 week home with Cedrik, who had HAND FOOT AND MOUTH: bleeding canker sores all over his mouth, fever... Couldn't eat (nor sleep) for DAYS !

Erika loves school (kg), though I believe she finds it too slow of a pace... but she is doing marvelous...

I gotta catch-up on some work, missed a lot while I was away.

Gen xxxx

guilt

yup. Ava has had such a hard with having a new sibling, although she seems to be on an upward cycle lately. It is nice to see them developing an independent relationship... sometimes I come upon her talking to him and it is so sweet and genuine, not like the frantic and intense way she does it when we are watching. I took her to see the musical south pacific last week, a special date just her and I. I realized it was the first time we had done something like that since Wilder was born. It was really fun. Amazing. She was like her old self again. You are right Kri, they just need time with us one on one.

One of my clients said to me this week, don't worry about the baby... as long as someone warm is holding them and they are fed and cuddled, it doesn't really matter who does it. Give your time to your older child. The baby will not remember this time, but your older child will. They will always remember, and they need you more personally. That really struck me. Because we have this inclination to think that our baby won't bond to us or whatever if we let someone else care for them sometimes, but they will. I am planning to have a special date with Ava every week now. She said "Mama, I have a great idea! We should have a date every week, just you and I, where we go out and do something REALLY fun... like see a play or a dance performance or go to a museum." Bowl me over, ain't she ever my girl?

Amy, what you are facing as a parent is an incredible challenge. You are doing a great job at the hardest job in the world. My nephew, who is adopted from ethiopia, has a number of challenges (behavioral, motor, developmental) that seem to be very clearly placing him on the autism spectrum. He has other issues too, with agression and behavioral/psychological stuff that is not just from the spectrum disorder, but it is such a hard road for my sister and her family. They are loving and great as parents, but this has challenged them tremendously. My other nephew said to Ava the other day 'it's nice to have a cousin who's normal. I wish my brother were normal like you'. Its awful but it's how he really feels sometimes. When you wrote what Vivian said about Samuel it just sounded so resonant of that same feeling. I wish I had some advice to offer, but I think you are doing everything the best you possibly can. Just questioning yourself and looking deeper at how you can handle things better and see Vivian more and give her more attention are signs that you are doing the best you can. I am sending you my love. You ever and always impress me, my friend.

xo

MaryStarr

Oops, I see my picture is upside down.
Well, the one photo is his profile (just like riley's profile) and the other pic is of his face. if you turn your head sideways you can see his face....lol;

Hi guys!!!!!!!! Little Frog is growing well.

All my critters here are doing well. Riley did have a little sinus stuff a couple weeks back, but I think it was from school starting.

Riley got her flu shot (seasonal flu, not H1N1), and the big kids will get theirs next week.

I declined the flu shot at work. I will be out on leave of absence from November to Feb, so I will miss most of it.....

Riley is loving Kindergarten. She is learning how to read and is doing great on the school work part.....but she has a bit of a hard time "listening"....LOL!!!!
She's had several days where her behavior was "S" (satisfactory) instead of "E" (excellent) because, as the teacher says, "not listening during instruction.....or off task during instruction"....
The way I see it, she's making A's so who cares. :) It's freaking Kindergarten.

:) Fall is here and I love the weather.
Forgive me as my brain is mush right now....

I'm 27 weeks.....counting down the days!!!

Easier Said Than Done...

So...I was all gung-ho on the flu shots for this year and I called my doctor yesterday to set up appointments for the entire family to get poked only to find out they are not offering the H1N1 shots AND they are only giving seasonal flu shots to high risk patients...!!! I think it's great that people who need the shots get the shots first, BUT I would like to know what the rest of us are supposed to do. They said the After Hours clinic is giving the H1N1 shot and I should be able to get the kids both shots at the same time there. I called the After Hours and they don't give shots to children!! GRRRRRRR. I then called back to our regular office and ended up talking to 3 different people who didn't have any answers. In the end I decided to just set up Lizzy for her 5 year well child visit and I will pow wow with our family doc at that time to figure out what to do about the whole flu shot issues at that time. This is all very frustrating. I don't take Lizzy in for her visit until Tuesday. I guess I shall have be patient.

guilt

amy-
i'm right there with you on the guilt front. it's hard when you have more than one child because you can feel torn between them. reily is my sensitive one and avery is my independent one but they both demand a lot of work-just in different ways. i've come to accept guilt and lovehandles as part of the "mommy package". i just try to single them out for little things when it will just be me + one child. sometimes it's only for 15 min and it means that i pick up avery first from school and let her pick out the special treat; sometimes i color with reily while avery is napping. it isn't much and it isn't often but i think the one-on-one time is the most important bonding time. i do believe, however, that i am preaching to the choir since you are definitely up for Mommy of the Year award.
xoxo
kri

Sick Kids

Hope all the little ones are feeling better soon.

Maigan, We have always done the flu shot and have never had a problem. I need to get Vivian, Theodore and myself in for the flu shot soon since our Dr office told us they would need to wait a month for the H1N1 from the time of our regular flu shot.

Vivian was sick on Sunday and Monday. Still not sure what was wrong. She was running a fever and had no appetite but was otherwise fine. She was running around outside playing and everything. Samuel is sick today. No fever but he hasn't wanted to eat, has been cranky, and mostly wants to lie down and rest.

I have been feeling some serious guilt lately. It is so hard to give Vivian the time that she needs with us. Theodore gets time while Samuel is at school in the afternoon so it is not as much of a worry for him, but Vivian sometimes gets left out and relied on to entertain herself more than we would like. She seems pretty understanding, but she said that sometimes she wishes Samuel wasn't her brother.

Oh my...

Sick kids are no fun!! Especially the flu...we have been lucky so far and have managed to escape the H1N1...I am hoping we can hold out another couple of weeks until the vaccine is available. They are saying maybe as early as next week, but who knows. Are you all going to get vaccinated? I have always done the seasonal flu shot for the entire family and we've never had any side effects, I think the benefits outweigh the risks...this year especially. I think the flu season is going to be brutal and I want to do whatever I can to avoid it!!

We spent the entire last week off...we went to Silverwood which is a local amusement park last Saturday and I think Lizzy is an adrenaline junkie. She went on Tremors which goes over 50 mph and has a 99ft drop 8 times (and I got to go along for the ride of course)!! She said, "Mommy...at first I get really nervous but then I get REALLY REALLY happy!!" Crazy little kid. Then the entire remainder of our 9 day weekend was spent painting. Our house actually looks like a real house now...it's crazy!! I know the neighbors hated our house because the paint was in such bad shape, but now it looks totally awesome. I will get pictures posted soon.

Good luck to all of our sick babies...and Kri...you be careful...the flu is bad news for pregnant chicks!!

Hugs,

Maig

sick here too

yup. Ava is running a fever of 101.8 and says her throat hurts. She has been cashed out in bed for the past two hours. I am getting the distinct feeling that she has H1N1 flu. Good times...

am quarantining her in her room, so that I don't get a 4 month old down with swine flu. C R A P.

ah..... the joys of motherhood. Crazy thing is, it is so beautiful here right now. It is 73 degrees and sunny with a slight breeze. Just ridiculously nice. Like L.A. or something. But we are inside, of course.

xoxo

MaryStarr

ps:

Kri, did you find out the gender beforehand with Reily and Avery? I don't remember. How fun for us that you will soon know. yay. I am sending those clothes this week, promise.

sick babies

one problem with having multiple children-if one gets sick, you know the other one will be eventually. the girls have been sharing the same cold this week. fevers, diarrhea, malaise, etc. i guess that i'm lucky that they aren't puking, at least.
so i went to the MD and he thinks that i'm further along than i thought. if that's the case, then i'm about 16wks. got an ultrasound scheduled for the 13th so keep fingers crossed that we'll be able to determine the sex and a reliable due date. i have finally started telling people at work that i'm pregnant. it's weird, though; we deal with death and dying every day. i'm not sure we know how to react to good news. announcing a pregnancy isn't met with the same glee or happiness that you see at other work places. since we are chronically short-staffed, we usually do a quick calculation to see when we'll be losing another nurse !
the girls are starting to get cranky so i must go. lots of love
kri

new career for Amy

Have you thought of going to pastry school? you should make cakes. Correction. Since you ALREADY make awesome cakes, you should be paid for it. Just my 2c....

trying out a new plan to write on here everyday even though I don't write much. am hoping that will spontaneously instigate a trend in that same direction by others...

xoxo

MaryStarr

Boobs

B cup before kids, C while pregnant, back to a B while nursing and down to an A now. Mine have run the gamut. And I hate that period where your clothing doesn't fit but anymore and you just feel chubby (even if you don't really look it).

Anywho, here is a picture of Samuel from his birthday. He wanted Snoopy in a car on it and I was pretty happy with the results even though I had to do a last minute fix when Theodore got into it and messed up the fondant.

hmmmmm

the trick is to have them far enough apart that you do not remember what you looked like before.

~m*

Boobie Fairy ?

Kri -- I went DOWN a cup size with each pregnancy.

From C, to B - to A !!!!!!

chubby

it's official - my clothes are approaching the uncomfortable zone. i'm about 15wks along and my size 1's just ain't cutting it. still look and feel chubby though. tried to buy a couple transitional outfits today but the stores are only carrying their fall lines. not exactly helpful in new orleans at this moment. it's still in the 90's and going strong. hopefully fall will start around november. and by fall, i mean anything cooler than 80. maybe if my breasts grew they could offset my "gut" but my size "A"s aren't budging :( rumor has it that a woman's breasts are suppose to enlarge when pregnant - this is my third go-around and the titty fairy is nowhere in sight.
i must be in a rambling sort of mood right now. avery is asleep, reily on the verge, and me avoiding dishes. gotta work the next two days so i'm in veg mode. sarah. when are you due ? it has got to be coming up soon !!
xoxo
kri

SAINTS 1-0

cute picture from tailgating before the game. (i wonder if i can cut and paste...)

Do you remember the 21st night of September ?

Been stuck in my head for a while now....

Happy 09-09-09

Kri -- yes, Keli is in Florida.. She is on Twitter and Facebook now... She is not giving many details though... I am very curious, and wonder how she is. I do hope she is ok. She seems to be in great spirits though :)

School started last week, and Erika turned 5 yrs old on the 7th !
All is well, though she is figuring-out that she can go through her lunch-box in the order that she wants, and start with the favorites... juice-box, crackers, cheese..

Cedrik is finding it difficult not to have his sister in the same daycare though...

oh how I wish I could send you pregnancy clothes Kri -- I have so many tops and long long jeans I could send you... And BTW Marystarr, I am a size 1 ALSO **grunt** :)

Much love to all you wonderful ladies...

xx Gen

I cannot believe that the kids are all turning 5. Samuel had a good day on his birthday (the 3rd). We did a small cake and presents with just the 5 of us and plan to have a party with neighbors and friends on the 12th.

I went to meet Samuel's aide yesterday. She was very nice and Samuel seems to like her.

drama queens

it sounds like Lizzy and Ava are two peas in a pod. I always tell Matt they are saving an oscar just for our girl. I am glad she is passionate and exuberant but sometimes I do wish she would just

C H I L L...

That so exciting about her losing her tooth! Ava mentioned she thought one of her teeth felt funny and Matt looked aghast... I am not sure I am ready for this, he says. hehe. Growing up indeed they are.

Kri, I will send you a bunch of stuff. Hooray. I bought some snazzy jeans this time, you will like them.

xoxo

MaryStarr

hell yeah

marystarr- hell yes i will take any hand-me-downs that you want to unload !! i just got rid of most of my previous stuff in april (it was mostly summer stuff that won't do any good this winter anyway). email me at krikelley@excite.com muchas gracias chica !!

horray for lizzy ! my girls still have their chompers. fortunately, avery isn't much of a biter anymore :)

has anyone heard from kelli ?? i don't know if i dreamed it but did she move to florida ?? pregnancy amnesia is in full swing now.

about to go into a four day work stretch. jesus, don't fail my now. or allah. or buddha. or juno. or the morrigan. or any other diety that i may be overlooking....

kri

It's Official...

Lizzy has lost her first tooth!! It came out this mornign and she was thrilled. Then she tasted the blood and cried for almost an hour. She told me it was the worst day of her life and she was going to sleep all day. Such drama!!

maternity clothes

KRI! do you want some??

I am going to pitch them otherwise, but I just read your post and thought AHA, perhaps Kri will want these. I bought a bunch of tops this time around for teaching in, cute stuff but too small for everyone else on earth except you and me. Do you want it? I'll mail it to you. Email me your address...

xoxo

MaryStarr

back in the saddle again

hello darlings
just wanted to drop in and say hello. things are in full swing now. we survived both birthday parties, kindergarten, work, and pregnancy anouncements without too much bloodshed. and in my family, that is simply remarkable. trying to bathe the girls now and think that i will opt for the grand american dinner- PIZZA. why sweat and work over a stove when dialing take-out barely cramps the fingers ;)
once interesting tidbit before i have to go - i just found out today that my bestfriend since middle school is pregnant ! this will be her first and she is about 6wks along. since this is my third and i'm about 10 wks along - my news was rather anticlimatic. she did offer to lend me some of her clothes in leiu of maternity stuff (she's normally a size 12 whereas i'm a size 1) :)
oh good lord, i think the girls are having a water fight....

xoxo
kri

Kids started school last week on Wednesday. Both Samuel and Vivian were very excited to get back. Will post more later.

Hugs to all!

33 years old

Hello my loves and darlings...

Happy Birthday Gen!  I hope it was marvelous, your children are so beautiful, it is so great to hear from you. Erika is so tall, what an amazing thing how they have all grown!

COngratulations Sarah, on Riley starting school and on your pregnancy which is going so well.  Are you sick?  I noticed on facebook that you are always going to bed ;p  Fingers crossed that your morning sickness wraps up pretty soon...

Congratulations Kri!  That is so great.  Perhaps this time you shall have a son.  Wouldn't that be something?  Are you and Dan planning to stop at 3?  I miss you...

I miss you all.  Apparently Keli moved to florida, she wrote on my facebook today.  I am now dying of curiosity and must know.

Wilder is now 3 months old, and he is so cute and sweet and excellent.  Ava is amazing, she had a big cry the other night which I think she had been storing up for awhile.  It was good and really made us feel closer, she is visibly more relaxed and assured.  She told me that she had something to tell me but she was afraid to because it would make me sad.  I tried to reassure her that she can tell me anything, that it is ok whatever she is feeling.  She cried and cried, but finally she said that when she hears me talk to Wilder it makes her feel like I don't love her anymore, like I don't belong to her anymore.  Break my heart.  It was so good for her to say that though, and to hear me say back to her that I do love her so and that I will always belong to her and that I understood.  We talked about how it is hard to be a big sister, hard to know what to do and how to be.  She asked me if it was hard to have a baby the way it is hard to be a big sister and we were able to talk about how I had to learn how to be a mom when she was a baby, how matt & i made mistakes too along the way but it was ok.  Ultimately I think it was kind of a breakthrough, and she cleared a lot of pent up feelings, because she has been much her old self since.

today is my birthday, and I wish you could all be here with me.  we could have a party.  apparently 33 is the age at which hobbits are considered to come of age... so in middle earth i am  now officially a grownup.  how do you like that?

xoxo

MaryStarr

35 yrs old

August 20th, my birthday : )

Hope all is well with everyone.

Congratulations to SARAH --- happy to see everything is going great

and Kri -- another one on the way ? Holy Cow !!!

Congratulations also !

Erika starting school on August 31.... time sure flies... I cannot even believe it !!!

Riley's First Day of School

She did Amazing. She even told daddy "Daddy, don't cry, it's gonna be O.K.!!""

Kindergarten

Happy Birthday to Allie! I bet Lizzie will love dance.

Sarah, How cool about the national cheer competitions.

Samuel is doing another year at preschool. He makes the cut-off (September 15th) but we feel that he will do better getting another year in preschool. He loves his teachers and it is going to give them the full year to work on kindergarten readiness for him. He will also have an aid this year.

Vivian is excited for dance this year. She will be doing her tap/ballet class and will be doing jazz for the first time this year. Next year Theodore will be old enough for dance! I spoke with Cherie and they will be delighted to have Samuel back if we feel he could handle it. Maybe in a few more years. I just keep remembering the meltdown during dress rehearsal and thinking that maybe just lessons (he loves being onstage and for whatever reason cannot handle waiting for his turn).

Happy Day!!

Hooray for #3 Kri and Dan!! Was this planned or a happy surprise?

Allie turned two on July 26th and we had an amazing day for her. Lizzy usually manages to steal the spotlight, but this time all eyes were on Allie and she was queen for the day. We rented a helium tank and had 200 balloons floating when she came in the house...we kept asking her what she wanted for her birthday and her only answer was "birthday balloons" so she got a house full. It was awesome. She also got her first big girl bike. Lizzy was not very happy about the bike because it has flowers on it. Lizzy has the exact bike only bigger and hers has bubbles on it...oh well. She will live.

Lizzy will miss the cutoff here by 14 days so I get to keep her another year at home...hooray. She doesn't seem to care either way. She will be starting a combination ballet/tap class on September 12th (the day before her birthday) though and she is thrilled. I think she is better suited for dance then she is for soccer!! I can't believe Reily is on a cheer team that won a national title...that is amazing!!

CONGRATS Kri!!!!!!!
How exciting.

:)

I saw the OB today. I'm 18 weeks. He agreed to induce me around Dec 19th (I will be 38 weeks) if baby boy doesn't come on his own by then.
We have to be in Orlando for Riley and Ashley's national cheer competition Jan 2nd, so he needs to be here before then. Of course, if he's not up to it, he and I will stay home and Chris will take the girls.

Last year Riley's team won the National Championship title, so it's kinda a big deal....but so is a healthy, germ free, baby boy....Luckily, my mom is coming along to help keep him quarantiened from the germs.
:)


School starts here next week...Riley's starting Kindergarten. HOw many of our babe's get to go to Kindergarten this year??



love to all!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS KRI!!!! And happy birthday to Avery. hard to believe she is 3. Time certainly flies.

Sarah, You look great and I love the bedding.

it must be in the water....

well my darlings, july 27th was avery's 3rd birthday. when did our babies start growing up ? the 27th was also the day that i found out that i am pregnant again ! baby number three is brewing as we speak :) i had my last period in june so i imagine that i am only a few weeks along. got to start making all of the appointments and finding another doctor - new health insurance :( i will write more later but i have to get the girls from school. i just thought that ya'll should be the first ones to know (besides of dan, of course)
xoxo
kri

The bedding we have.....and my little growing "frog"! We nicknamed him frog- because he's always soooo jumpy on ultrasound.
17 1/2 weeks....

Just some pictures from Vivian's party. It was chilly so we didn't have as many guests as planned but she had a great time. Kind of embarrassed about the cake, had buttercream trouble and couldn't get the icing on properly.

Great to find out that you are having a boy Sarah! It is especially good to hear that everything is on track.

Marystarr Wilder is beautiful. And do not worry, it will all get worked out with raising two kids. I remember feeling overwhelmed at first but it gets better. Just take the time to do little things with Ava. Read to her or build a puzzle while you are nursing Wilder or ask her to help by getting diapers if she is the kind of child who would like to be involved with helping care for a sibling.

Kri, You sound so busy. I am in awe of you.

Maigan, Enjoy the camping. Should be some fun times for both girls.

It has been a busy summer. I am no longer working and forgot how much harder it is to be home all day. The kids seem happier and Samuel is throwing fewer fits and has been a bit less violent (he has a tendency to hurt himself or others when he is frustrated). We are still trying to work our a way for him to release tension without casing damage.

Other than that just been busy getting ready for Vivian's birthday party this Saturday. I just got done making the fondant decorations for the cake (Little Mermaid themed so dolphins, fish, etc). She is super excited right now.

I am trying to get started making and selling cakes. Determined legality of it (can sell in Iowa as long as it doesn't require refrigeration) and am just trying to get the word out.

Its a......

It's a boy! Everything is right on track. I'm 15 1/2 weeks. If I can get past the next 2 weeks, I think I'll feel much more comfortable. I lost our little Andrew at 16 weeks.
:)
woo hoo!!!!

Howdy!

It's so great to get updates from everyone!!

I can totaly sympathise with you MaryStarr...when it was just Lizzy we had the perfect child. She was happy and kind and just plain perfect. Then Allie was born, and along with Allie came a whole new Lizzy, and unfortunately a whole new Maigan and Eli. I immediately became so involved in Allie that Lizzy got put in the back burner a lot. She was insanely jealous, and a whole new dynamic bloomed in our family. I think when kids have a few years between them it is good and bad. It will all balance itself out, but it took us a long time to get to that point. Allie will be two in a couple of weeks, and I feel like we are just now back on track. Don't feel bad if it's not always a smooth ride. It will all work out!!! Great picture of little Wilder!!

Kri~ You are a wild woman...work work work!!! I don't see how you do it.

Sarah ~ How are you feeling? Is everything still on track??

We are getting ready to embark on a camping adventure. I am leaving work early and we are going to spend the next three days in a tent. Should be interesting. Not sure that 4 people are actually supposed to sleep in a tent at the same time, but we're going to give it a shot! Daisy Dog might have to stay outside.

Hugs,

Maigan

here here

hi hi hi hi hi

i fell in a hole, forgive me.  but i have been thinking of you all the time, I promise.  Wilder is amazing, and we are doing our best to adjust to having two kids... Ava is mostly good, but it is a challenge for her to share us and it is a challenge for us to be shared.  Some days I feel like I will never be as close to her as I was, but then I am just trying to have faith that it will all even out over time.  I love her so much...  and him too.  He is such a cutie pie, super easy going...

more soon, i promise.  Sarah- HOORAY!  congratulations... xoxo

i love you all and miss you so

still here...

hello lovelies....
i know that i am still here. i've gotten into the bad habit of always thinking about ya'll but forgetting to post. i've been working 4-5 shifts a week (cursed 13hr shifts at that) so i have barely been home. for some odd reason, the hospital has been crazy busy lately....but with psych patients !!! there is nothing quite like having a schizophrenic try to hit you or a borderline threaten to jump out of the window (sadly we couldn't get the window open wide enough in time to take her up on her offer).
so how are the babies and pregnancies going ? is the little bean looing good ? is wilder just like his mama ? how are you amy ? keli, how are you and scott ?
the girls are tearing up the living room so i need to intervene before they get into mommy's books. if any of ya'll are interested, i am now on facebook (i know, i know-super cheesy). just search for kri kelley if you want.....
love always
kri

I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth. Sometimes I feel close to it though.

slipped....

Yes, I was just thinking the same thing yesterday......where did we all go?????
LOL!!!!!

So Quiet

Well...it's official...we have all slipped off of the face of the earth.

Head, shoulders, knees and toes!!!!!

Everything is perfectly on track.......Saw High Risk OB today. Have an appt in 3 weeks for repeat ultrasound, just to follow the course....

:)

Dance Recital

Just sharing a few pictures from Vivian's dance recital. I think it may be her last. She said that she likes gymnastics better. It was Disney themed this year. The favorite costume was the mermaid one but her favorite dance was the father-daughter one. Yes, that is Ron dressed as a dwarf.

Cute pictures Gen...it's been a long time since we last heard from you...how are things?

Maig

:)

Hello -
Congratulations to Marystarr and her family... Your son looks adorable.
Sarah - please keep me posted on your new adventure : )

Gen xx

Congratulations Marystarr

That picture is just so darned cute. I cannot wait to hear details!

Congratulations to you as well Sarah!

Welcome Wilder!

So exciting to add a new addition to our little mama family! Can't wait to hear all about the birth and how things are going as a mama of two kids!!

Hugs!

Maig

happy birthday !!!

congratulations marystarr and sarah !!! wilder is precious in that photo. i can't wait to hear the details when you have the strength (and time) for it. big hugs to marystarr, wilder, and sarah.
*kisses*
kri

Wilder Condon Hope

8:09 am pst May 20, 2009

8lbs 8 oz

21 1/4 inches

hooray i have a son!

Hooray to Sarah & MaryStarr!!

MaryStarr...you are nearly there...in the home stretch...be brave!! Remeber...the pain ends...you will have a beautiful miracle when it's all over...you can do it!! Good luck on the natural labor & delivery. You are a strong woman and can make it thru anything.

Sarah...thanks so much for sharing your news with us. We are all jumping with joy!!!

Nothing too exciting to report here. Soccer season is nearly over, and Lizzy is asking to try dance. I guess we will start that up in the fall. I want to have the summer open so we can just go with the flow and not be tied down to practices. It's supposed to start getting nice here after tomorrow, so I am thrilled to start spending more time out in the sun!!

Maig

hooray Sarah!

Congratulations... I saw on facebook you said you were so tired and I was hoping it meant what i thought it did.  I am so happy for you guys, and send you all my love :)

I am now more pregnant than I ever have been... since I had Ava at 38 weeks 3 days, and I am now at 39 weeks 2 days.  I had lots of prelabor stuff last week and friday I actually thought that was it.  I had contractions all day and by the evening they were 4 minutes apart.  But they faded out around 11:30 pm and I just went to bed.  Saturday I sure was tired.  Yesterday though I lost my mucous plug, which never happened with Ava since my water just broke at 38 weeks with her.  So I lost it yesterday and had some bloody show.  I have had some really painful contractions today but nothing patterned.  I am hoping for tomorrow... fingers crossed :)

much love to all... i miss you so

xoxo

MaryStarr

A little announcement......

Oh, and Marystarr, How are you girl?

Bully :(, sorry, long post

Glad to hear that Matt will be going back to his old school. Familiarity and consistency are so important to autistic children.

Samuel had his first taste of bullying. We were walking home after picking Vivian up from school. Vivian and Samuel had run ahead with kids they knew. Samuel ran into a group he didn't know.
I didn't see or hear what lead up to it, but a boy who was about 7 started bumping and pushing into Samuel. He must not have realized that I was behind him. The boy said that he was going to tell his dad that I yelled at him (I didn't, I told him to stop bumping into Samuel). I told him to go ahead, I live right here and this is my phone number if your dad would like to discuss it.
A few hours later I got a phone call from the dad. He told me that his son said that I yelled at him. After explaining what happened I could hear him asking his son if he had been pushing Samuel and could then hear a child in the background crying that he didn't mean to hurt or scare anyone. The dad promised it wouldn't happen again and that his son would be over this weekend to apologize to Samuel.
Poor Samuel was terrified. He has a hard time reading social cues and has never been pushed around by someone he doesn't know (pushed around by big sister is a different story). He went into what we call his other world. He ended up sleeping with us and didn't want to get on the school van the next morning. He kept telling me he was scared. At least he seems to be over it now.

I completely agree with the swine flu assessment...

It's such overkill right now. We have been slammed busy at work because of people watching waayyy to much tv....

As for matt- he's returning to a special needs school in the fall. they are trained to help autistic/autistic spectrum disorder kids.
:) I'm just relieved to find an answer.

Riley will start Kindergarten this fall. We register her next week. We skipped pre-K. I enjoyed having her home. I know not everyone has that ability and I don't fault anyone for preschool/daycare/babysitters. Matt and Ashley were in daycare/preschool for the first 4 years of their lives. I just wanted this time with Riley.

Marystarr- how are you feeling? You should be close to delivery!!!!!

My due date was May 5th, so that will be a hard day.....however.....we have an "announcement" that I will share if all goes well......hopefully by next week after another doctors visit.
*wink*wink*

love ya'll!

it's ok Maigan

My sister works in urgent care as a doctor.  She is here visiting me right now and gave me the following info, which is the latest updates doctors are getting from the CDC:

you are not likely to be at risk for this virus unless you have recently visited mexico or san diego county, california

more than 9000 people died of the regular influenza virus this past season, as they do nearly every year

normal precautions such as hand washing, covering mouth and nose when sneezing/coughing, etc should be very effective at preventing transmission

even if you come down with flu like symptoms right now, you will not be tested for this virus unless you were recently traveling in mexico, southern california or texas

I hope this helps honey...  even though the media are calling it the "swine flu Epidemic" it is so totally not an epidemic.  Just relax, use normal healthy prevention style precautions and try not to let the media storm make you frightened.  And don't be afraid of your pork chop.... it's yummy and it can't get you sick :)

xoxo

MaryStarr

Swine Flu...

So...I am totally freaked about this whole situation. My germ-o-phobe self is kicking into high gear. Any thoughts ladies??? I need someone to talk me down!!! They said on the news there are now confirmed cases in Washington. It's getting very close to home!! I know the regular flu kills thousands each year, but this seems way worse. I also know that there are anti-viral drugs that are effective...but still. Eli delivers to all sorts of doctor offices and hospitals...makes me nervous. Not to mention the girls...I know they can't live in a bubble, but it's very tempting to just take them inside and go into lock down mode until this is all over.

Maig

Busy But Good

We have been pretty busy. Today was a meeting with Samuel's preschool teacher and the head of student services for our school district to discuss him having a dedicated aid next year. It is looking like it will be a go for that. He is going back to his old preschool since he barely makes the cut-off for Kindergarten. He really flourishes when he gets one-on-one time and doesn't do well unless someone can be right with him to help with transitions.

Sarah, I cannot imagine going 12 years without knowing, 4 years were hard enough for me. Massive hugs and good thoughts going your way. I highly recommend attending your local chapter of Autism Society of America meetings. The one we are part of has given us a lot of insight. There are so many great parents who already have done a lot of research and have books and resources that they are willing to share. Not sure if it would help your son, but we started a weekly calender for Samuel that we keep on the fridge. We found a magnetized dry-erase board that has the days of the week already marked out. He has responded really well to knowing what will be happening in advance. We are also working on getting a schedule system set up for when we are out of the house shopping or traveling. We try to help him cope with day-to-day stress but have found that sometimes we just need to let him lay on the floor with a blanket on his head (seriously, he does this quite frequently and it helps). You are an amazing mother and I know you will do wonderfully with him. If you ever want someone to vent to let me know.

My favorite comment ever concerning special needs kids still comes from Vivian. We decided to talk to her about Samuel's diagnosis. We started to explain about some of the challenges and how Samuel is going to be a little different from other kids. She looked very puzzled and said "But he is just Samuel." I hope she forever has that attitude about him.

We have been looking into programs to help us pay for things but are finding that we make to much for almost all of them. We are waiting to hear back on a few.

hello!!!

OK- first- I haven't caught up on posts....so forgive me....

I just want to say that Matt was diagnosed as Autistic this past week. WOW. We've been 12 years without ever really knowing, because nobody would look at him.
Sad when the system fails you.

So now we are on the bandwagon looking for therapy, etc.

Riley is geared up and ready for summer. She can't wait to start school in the Fall. I would rather keep her home, but she will thrive. Registration is next week.

anywhoo....
will try to catch up ..


hugs.
sarah

Hello!

Well...it is a fine summer day in Spokane USA!! The sun is shining, the birds are out, and I am stuck in my office cave. It literally is a cave. I am on the back wall side of a circular cubical at this branch. I actually chose this place to get away from a co-worker with chronic illness. I just couldn't handle her coughing and hacking and snot snorting all the time. It was making me insane. I do get a lot more work done at this desk, but I do not have much to look at. Oh well.

So many posts!! First let me start off with my take on the foreclosure issue. Start off by contacting your mortgage company. Hopefully it's a larger lender because most large companies have entire departments dedicated to homeowner retention (ours is called the Home Preservation Team). Contrary to popular belief, the bank does not want your home. When all is said and done the bank will lose a lot more than they will gain on a repossession. They will probably be very willing to work with you. A lot of times they will put you into a plan with reduced payments for a specified time period then add the back interest onto the tail end of the loan. It allows you a reduced payment for 6 -12 months and you are not responsible for any type of balloon payment along the way.

On Kindergarten...I am actually thrilled that Lizzy is going to miss the state cutoff (Aug. 31st) and be forced to stay home another year. I believe in my heart that kids grow up way too fast as it is and if I can squeeze out one more year before I throw her out into the real world than so be it. When I look back on my life I can't figure out where the time goes...one more year at home is not going to hurt at all. And...if she turns out to be the sporting type one more year of maturity will give her an edge over the other kids. She is perfectly capable of going this year as she can write all of her letters and read small words, socially she is 4 going on 14...I just think that there is no hurry. I actually have a school all picked out for her, now I just have to wait and hope that we get in. It's a public school that is a Continuous Curriculum School. I am so excited to think that we will have several short breaks over the year opposed to a long summer break. I think she will stay sharp and we will have less behavior issues to deal with. There are only a few in our area and only one in our school district. Eli and I have really been on the fence between public or private and this is a great compromise. I was also a summer birthday kid (June) so I was younger than my classmates and it worked out fine, but as MaryStarr pointed out...if she needs to go up a grade down the road, then so be it. I have a lot of friends with September birthdays who were held back a year and they all loved it. They were bigger than their classmates, got to drive sooner...all that good stuff.

We are also preparing to plant a garden. Eli has greatly expanded our garden area from what it was last year and we are in the rock picking phase of our operation right now. It's very tedious, but I think it will be well worth the effort. Also going to be painting our house in the next few weeks...I will post before and after pictures of the grand event!!

We bought a kid pool off of Craig's List last weekend and I think it will be warm enough tonight to actually get into it. We filled it up last night and it too almost two hours. It's an 8' by 30" round one. Just big enough for Lizzy to stand up and not be over her head. Allie will have to be under constant surveillance though. I am hoping we can teach them to swim this summer. I like it because it has a filter system and is big enough to put chlorine tabs into so we can fill it once and keep it clean and I don't have to worry about bugs or algae. With our last pool I would fill and dump every time we used it because I am paranoid. This will be much better.

I guess that's pretty much it. I hope everyone is enjoying spring!!

Hugs,

Maigan

hi loves

Michelle!!!  Hi :)  Excellent to hear from you.... I am so jealous of your gardening.  Springtime is so nice in Wisconsin, too.  It has always been my favorite time to visit my sister.  So much joy and renewal in the air after you hard winters.  That SUCKS about Caleb and kindergarten.  Who lets their four year old CROSS THE STREET ALONE???  What, did they write that questionaire in 1910 when ll you had to worry about while crossing the street was a wagon and a model-t?  Ridiculous.  I am glad you like his pre-K.  And since he is a smarty then if he seems ready in a year or two you can try to skip him up a year.  I was an in between years kid... my hometown was so small that all the other kids were either 9 months to a year older or 9 months to a year younger.  There were two my same age but they both did homeschool.  So when it was time for school my parents held me in my montessori preschool an extra year, I guess they figured better to be the eldest than the youngest and they loved the montessori.  But it was always a bit awkward, and I ended up taking classes with two grades up anyways for all the subjects.  But I hated junior high so much at my backwards, hick local high school that I just skipped 8th grade and went to boarding school.  It was perfect.  I was exactly right with the other class, and it was just the right time to get out of there.  So maybe you will find a window for Caleb when you can move him up that will be just right for him :)

ok, gots to go although I still have much to say.  someday i will get on here with more than a minute to write.  today is my baby shower (fun!) in the botanical garden, and tomorrow I am 35 weeks.  In only two weeks if I went into labor my midwife would be able to deliver me at home (she does homebirth between 37 and 42 weeks).  So in two weeks I go into full on bring the baby mode.  My best friend will be here from chicago from the 8th through the 18th.  I am hoping to have the baby while she is here, so she can be with us.  I was there for both her girls, and since this is my last baby I want her to be here with me once too.  My sister will also try to make it from Wisconsin when I go into labor.  She actually made it to my birth when we were in NY, since my water broke at 7 am but I didn't start really active labor until 3pm.  She walked in the door from the hospital and things got going.  Maybe it will work out that way this time too... we shall see.   feeling good although I haven't gained a pound in 6 weeks.  That is just the way it works for me i guess, with the dietary restrictions and all the exercise from the diabetes.  Same thing with Ava, although I had gained more earlier in pregnancy with Ava.  So far I am at 18.5 pounds total, which is what I was at 28 weeks and have just held steady.  But baby is growing, and I am not tired so there is no cause for concern.  

miss and love you all so very, very much.

MaryStarr

Hey everyone,

Hope you all had a good Easter. The kids are on spring break now, and Scott is also off work for a few days, so its nice. We are doing some spring cleaning and getting the garden ready. We are putting up new chicken wire today because our old stuff was too big and was allowing rabbits to get in. This year I am planting strawberries and raspberries, which won't produce fruit until next year, and I'm planting sugar snap peas, green beans, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, basil, lettuce, zuccini, and bell peppers. The garden is fairly large :) I am looking forward to working the earth.

I am also going to build a new compost box today. I haven't been composting for about a year, after my old box broke. Guess I am not that good at building boxes lol. You'd think nailing together 4 boards would be simple enough.

Caleb was born on the 27th of September, and our plan has always been early enrollment into Kindergarten, but he was flat out rejected! He's been in pre-K this school year, and now he's basically going to repeat the class. The school district is really firm on keeping the age limit, and the kids they will allow early entry "don't need to posess the skills to start Kindergarten, but need to be advanced beyond Kindergarten" which makes no sense to me. I had to fill out this survey application thing, and according to that he failed, but I scored Caleb as top in nearly everything. What I gave him low scores in were things like "can make small purchases" "can cross the street" and "can bathe himself" because we don't let him do those things on his own...he's 4! Well, he does bathe himself for the most part but doesn't draw the water or anything, so some of those questions were confusing to me. I asked if we could have Caleb's teachers fill it out since it was hard for me as a mom to judge my kid's behavior, and they said no. So that is that. They wouldn't meet with him or anything. They wouldn't even call his teachers and ask how he is in school. They basically gave Caleb no chance. So, its back to pre-K. At least I like the program there. They teach sign language and yoga on Fridays and Caleb is a pro at both.

My 3 kids are best friends and they play together constantly. Charity is in 1st grade, Tyler is in Kindergarten, and now there will be a year between he and Caleb, because of a few weeks difference in a birthday. Caleb is pretty smart, but apparantly the school district doesn't even want to know how smart he is.

Anyway, that obviously has bothered me. Charity meanwhile is a whiz at school and will be in the gifted and talented program next year (they don't start it in 1st grade, but they have at least been giving her more difficult work to do). Tyler on the other hand hates kindergarten. We are hoping he will change his mind over the summer. He loved preschool last year, so I'm not sure why he hates Kindergarten. I think part of the problem is that in the begining of the year there were a few boys that were picking on him. And I think part of the reason is thaty Tyler's ego is easily bruised, so if he doesn't get a perfect score on something he wants to give up.

So that's my update.

Keli, I hope you and Scott can pull through. Maybe Maigan can offer some advice on the foreclosure. If your loan was based with the Fanny or Freddie programs, you can get help from the government's bailout. I think there are other options too, for other loans. Here is a website with some stuff that might help. http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/eligibility.html

Amy, hang in there with Samuel! I wonder if there is a program that can help you with your medical expenses too, like maybe WIC or something similar.

MaryStarr that is funny about the dreads! I am sure you're right as to why they searched you at gunpoint, I bet that was scary too. I was arrested once. I punched Scott and spent the night in jail. It was before we were married. Haven't done it since! The diet must suck, but at least this is something you can manage. Hope the rest goes quickly, although I know how badly and slowly the last month feels.

Well, I'd better go and start working on the garden. Hope you all enjoy your spring!

where is 08 going ?!?!

hey sweetcakes-
it seems like we have all been so busy lately. i'm doing our taxes today and trying to not lose my mind. work is crazy busy and it always seems like there is something out there that has to be finished. we just found out the reily got into this incredible charter school (a type of montessouri that focuses on the arts, music, performing....ie marystarr's mecca). i'm still on my knees thanking the dear lord that she got in ;) we've decided that avery will need speech therapy. since she was such a late talker, her pronunciation and sentance formation is far behind. and although the lisp is cute, i would like her to catch up with her classmates. hopefully it will help once reily is in a different school and can't act as her spokesman !
keli-hang in there sweetheart. it has been rough for you guys - i was hoping for an update since you had been so quiet lately. big kisses darling.
marstarr- so no more babies ever ? for some reason i thought that you and matt wanted more than two but i must be mixing up my girls. how is the lil bean ? is ava ready to be a big sis ?
to everyone else, i miss you too ! got to finish my taxes and go get Easter supplies before getting the girls from school.

much love
kri

me too

sorry to be so mia

I have so much to respond to with you, dear keli.  I will try to sit down and write a real post tomorrow.

Amy, that is rough about the costs of therapy.  Have I told you lately that you're my hero?

actually, you all are. i miss you guys.  and i love you madly.

xoxo

MaryStarr

Hey, Sorry I haven't been around much. Been busy trying to find a second job. We just started getting the bills for Samuel's therapy and all I can say is ouch.

Amy

Hello ladies. :) Had a moment to pop in & just wanted to say hey...haven't been able to read post too far back only enough to find out that we've had some illness in Kri's house, new bikes @ Maigans , & Marystarr is positively glowing again in her 27th week!! Hopefully, I'll be able to catch up soon.

Things here remain crazy as ever....Working fulltime as a pharmacy tech again & loving it. The doctor I work for is getting his masters from Harvard in antiaging & breakthrough medicine(ie...a natural approach to medicine, hormones etc...)which I'm stoked to be a part of....I'm home sick with tonsillitis today(YUCK) & will be going in for a A & P repair soon...yay me!! Figured I'd be a lil closer to menopuase for that one...she also tried to talk me into a hysterectomy to which I said..." Shut the F up, are you for real?!? Hell nah!!" Ok, maybe I didn't say it out loud but...I was certainly thinking it. ;p Instead I just bursted into tears like a fool...sometimes I do wish my inner lioness would come out !! Anyhoo, more on that later...

Scott & I continue to try & make it. The house has been in foreclosure for months but there's no sale date? We have been trying to work with our mortgage co since Oct...they won't respond so, we're gonna have to hire a lawyer b/c we think they can't find the original loan?? Apparently they were a subprime lender & we've read of similar stories involving that company? It all confuses the hell out of me. Don't know if I mentioned him losing his business & vehicle getting repo'd....his seizures & being out of work really changed our lifestyle for sure. ...what sucks the most is now that we are both working FT again...we have enough money to cover our bills it's just that we got so far behind that we are most likely headed for bankruptcy. Anyway, with the health & financially issues we have over the past yr have continued to allow us to push each other away & we have been tip-toeing around divorce for a few months now. The last thing either of us wants is to throw away 12 yrs but, at the same time we cannot continue on like this. We just keep chalking it up to stress & that we still love each other but, I think we both wonder if love is enough? Eventually, change must occur whether it be in the way we comminicate & treat each other or in where one of us lives. :(

Lily & Ava however remain the sunshine that brightens a rainy day....Ava had surgery last week to get tubes & remove her adenoids but ,was back to ordering her "subjects" (ie...us)around quite quickly. HeHe She still sings at an alarmingly loud decibal though so, I'm just gonna assume that was not part of the hearing issue & she's just a "belter" ;p Lily continues to do well in school & just got another belt promotion in Karate...also, she was asked to join the Black Belt Club. I'm excited for Spring(we have already had some 80 degree days) so that we can get outside & to the beach.....

Hope everyone and the fams are well & that I can be more regular here again soon....I do miss you all dearly!!
xoxo
Keli

Amy you jailbird

hehe

that sounds fun and funny.  has anyone ever actually been arrested?  it amazes me that i never was in all my time of wild touring and partying with rock bands all over this land.  I was handcuffed once by a sheriff who was serving me with a subpoena.  I am pretty certain that wasn't actually legal for him to do but he did it anyways.  it hurt a whole lot really.  and i did have my car searched at gunpoint by the LAPD once which was crazy... my friend and i were just sitting in his VW bus having sandwiches and the cops knocked on the window.  They made us get out of the car with our hands on our heads and lie down on the sidewalk facedown  at gunpoint while they searched the bus.  they said that since we were parked in a drug free school zone that we were not allowed to 'loiter' in our vehicle (aka eat lunch) and that this gave them due cause to search our vehicle for drugs.  Mostly it was the fact that we both had dreadlocks and were in a VW bus that gave them 'due cause' IMHO.  Crazy nuts.  Since they didn't find anything we were not arrested.  But I was freaked out enought that I went right home and cut all my dreads off...  after a year and a half of growing them.  felt like it was time for the freak flag to wave on the inside, and be a little less public about my musical taste and it's accompanying lifestyle.  when you have dreadlocks everyone thinks you are a drug dealer, it seems.

sorry to be so quiet.  i have been super tired.  I had my iron level checked and I am a little anemic, so that might be why.  now I am taking this stuff Floradix Iron and Herbs, which is supposed to help.  I am at 29 1/2 weeks and am feeling really OVER this whole pregnancy thing.  I am looking forward to having this baby, don't get me wrong, but I am thrilled that I will never have to be pregnant again.  if I could have the baby tomorrow, I would, but I wouldn't want the little one to be on a ventilator ;p

what's new you all?  Thanks for the sweet compliment Maigan, but you are pretty foxy yourself.  I did feel good the day those pictures were taken though, and I am glad that it is commemorated for all time in a photo because most days I do not feel that way.  

xoxox love love love

MaryStarr