Pumpkin Patch

One little girl...

My Abs.

Things are ALWAYS interesting with her around. 

Gunner found my lost dental floss today--three packages.  They were undone and used to tie her closet together so that nothing would try and come out of there and get her.

She told us she could be trusted with a bottle of shampoo again.  She did really well for three weeks and didn't use the entire bottle all at once.  Tonight she said she just couldn't help herself anymore.  It's empty.

We had an OT evaluation yesterday and they determined that she had a visual perception and tracking problem.  She will need OT, VT (visual therapy), and probably PT again.  They were surprised she was able to compensate for her problem and read.  Apparently this problem is caught a lot sooner because the children are unable to read.  Abs is a great reader though.  I took her to the ophthalmologist, twice, for the problem I thought she had and it was dismissed.  I had never even heard of visual therapy, but they say that they have great results.

The shampoo issue doesn't seem like much anymore, when I look at the big picture and those big blue eyes.

Ab's new favorite product

Ab's is forbidden from using our bathroom.  Every once in a while the other bathroom is full and she manages to talk us into using ours.  One of us will stand outside and monitor her time in there.

Last week we didn't and she took all the cotton balls she could find and put them into the glass container so it was overflowing....everywhere.

Today I went to use my bathroom, walked in, and was overpowered by the smell of cleaning supplies.  I looked in the sink, it was clear.  The mirror wasn't covered with any foreign substances.

Enter scrubbing bubbles gel toilet cleaner.  I love the product.  It lasts a week, keeps the toilet smelling nice, and lucky for us is sold at Sam's, so I can keep a plethora on hand. 


We went to Sam's last week and I picked up a 3-pack of the product.  Can you see where this is going?


Yes, my darling Abs went through two tubes of the product and the master bedroom toilet is now covered in gel stars.....lots of them.....


Some days I want to deploy....

Brrrr.....

It's 21 degrees outside, but with the wind chill it feels like 9.  My computer backs up to a window, and I am freezing even in sweats.  I'm not made for cold weather!

After leaving a message with the clinic on their voicemail that says they will call back in one hour, I had heard nothing.  I called back and they told me that they were too busy to check the voicemail.  Ummmm.....maybe you should change the message?  Junior screamed most of last night about hurting but couldn't really say where.  He started running a fever, and is passed out on the couch right now.  The H1N1 is going around here, so I am hoping that is not what it is.  He's a pretty easygoing kiddo, so it breaks my heart to see him hurt so much.  He keeps complaining that his head hurts.

Sammy, so far, is wonderful!  Last night he slept next to our bed in his new little doggy bed, and he didn't even stir when we had Junior in there screaming for an hour, all our trips to the bathroom, turn the heater up, see what Abs wanted, etc.  At one point I asked Gunner to make sure that he was breathing.  He sighed, did it, and assured me that dogs don't have SIDS.  Yeah, you can only imagine how I was with my kiddos.  Em used to peep and we would both fly across the bed to the bassinet.  I was a little bit better with Abs, and Junior was born while Gunner was deployed, so I just put him in bed with me.


It's been snowing off and on all day, and Sammy does not like it at all.  He hates to put his feet down, so Abs

stole commandeered a ball of yarn and some knitting needles and is trying to make him some booties.  Em wants to sew him a whole wardrobe.

.....Apparently Junior has the flu.  They said they wouldn't prescribe tamiflu, and then Gunner just produced the papers that they gave him, and it is all about H1N1.  Great!  I have too much homework to do this week to be sick.  I'll just lysol the whole house, wash all sheets and blankets again in hot, and sanitize every surface I see.  At least there is no need for the sick diet.....yet.  Anyone want to come visit?

I've got chili on the stove, the heater is cranked up, and I have Mamma Mia from Netflix for the evening entertainment after the kids go to bed.  I'll be singing Abba all night long with a puppy snuggled up on my feet.

First Snowman of the Season

I love these guys! 

Gunner gave me the official deployment message.  Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh.  I should have known he would only be home 15 months again. 

For this I am thankful...

Junior has been dry the entire week.

Gunner has a 4 day weekend.

Em is home and my little girl is 12!  Happy Birthday Em!

We go tomorrow to get our new puppy!

I somehow got volunteered to make 10 pounds of pulled pork for Ab's school.  Good thing it is easy to make!

Our washer is not washing.  Gunner is ripping it apart right now.  Something about a guy in ACU's working on stuff....I like.

My working out is still going strong, but no races yet since we got here.  I'm ready to bite the bullet though and have a few that I am looking at participating in.  I'll have to wait till it warms up before I do another tri.  I don't handle cold well!

I've been busy volunteering, visiting PEO chapters (I feel like I am back in college during rush!), working on Christmas presents, and madly writing paper after paper.  I've decided the key to group projects, is do a rough outline, let them fill in their ideas, and then I write the paper, they help edit, and we are done.  No waiting till the last minute....too stressful for me!

No idea why the Done post went through, it was going to be something else before I got distracted.  I have thought about quitting, but with another deployment on the horizon, you can suffer through that with me.  4th one's a charm right?

More changes...

Em gets braces in less than three weeks.  We went to our consultation appointment yesterday, and since he came highly recommended and had an opening, we took it.  I cannot thank my parents enough for paying for me to have braces, but I can pass on the gift to my own children.  Em is excited....sort of.....until she realized that she would have them on before Halloween and wouldn't be able to eat most of the Halloween candy.

I took Abs to the doctor on Monday and asked for a PT and OT referral.  So far only the OT referral has gone through, but she has an evaluation set in a few weeks.  Hopefully this will get abs the help she needs.  She still really struggles with her handwriting, and she's such a bright, bright, bright kid!

Today Ab's class was going to the zoo on a field trip.  Her teacher asked me to accompany them, so I couldn't say no.  Her teacher told them to dress in layers because it was going to be in the low 40's today.  Abs took that to heart and wore a pair of tights, two pairs of leggings, two t-shirts, and a long sleeve shirt.  Then the girl tried to get away with sandals and no socks.  I vetoed that and she wore socks and shoes along with her unmatching outfit.  Oh did I mention she wore striped toe socks all her leggings and tights?

Junior had an accident yesterday, and the teacher asked where the puddle came from.  He looked at her, and answered excitedly "My penis!" as if it was some big surprise.

Making plans for this weekend, assuming I finish all my school work.  If you know of something good in Colorado, let me know!

All is well

Knock on wood.

Em was back at school today.  Abs is doing fine, and Junior is back in fighting form as well.  I have cleaned and sanitized everything.

The new roomba and scooba batteries have arrived and are charging.  I can't wait!

My group project is going okay I guess.  I told her to help me write an outline and I would write the paper and she could proof it.  Let's hope it flows to me easily.

It's supposed to be cold on Thursday again after the last few absolutely beautiful days.  Wouldn't you know that is the day that I am going with Ab's 3rd grade class on a field trip to the zoo.  I can hardly wait.

All those thousands of dollars of scrapbooking supplies that I own are finally being put to use.  Em has a "wanted" poster to do for a book report, and we spent the afternoon distressing file folders using the distressing kit that I had to have.  Abs got in on the action too, and plans to do her own book report for her teacher in the same format. 

The Children's Place is having a sale on their clothes.  Go through ebates to get 3% back, shopping is $5, and use the code NEXTJ78 to get an additional 10% off.  I got Junior some cute shirts (although he needs pants), and Abs some shirts that go with her clothes I bought for school from them in August.  I'm all about a good deal.

I'm working on Christmas shopping too.  My goal is to be done by the end of October for all the nieces and nephews, my mom, and most of Em's, Ab's and Junior's gifts.  I'm sure I'll add a little bit more as I land some good deals, but I don't want the stress of waiting till the last minute, and I hate the mall! 

I think the 17th is going to be renovate our basement day since Em will be at a babysitter class (I can't believe she is old enough to do that!), and Abs is taking a trip with her brownie troop to a dinosaur museum.  I have big plans--well sort of.  We realized that there is dry wall up down there so we just need to lay some flooring, setup the arts and crafts area, my sewing machine, and organize some toys and we will be good to go.  Don't quote me on that though!

"I'll make it up to you"

I'm sitting here watching Army Wives, with Em in her bed asleep, still running a fever and suffering through strep throat.

I just watched the part where Trevor had to leave the bowling alley and he promised Roxy that he would "make it up to her" as he raced off to do his job.

How many times have you heard that?  After a spur of the moment staff duty or CQ, a long deployment, JRTC, NTC, field time, TDY, PCS, and eventually one day, when he puts in his retirement package and there's finally an ETS.  I'm not even sure how many years Gunner has left in the Army.  I used to know at least how many years, but now it just seems par for the course.

When he calls from Iraq and I've got three barfy kids and am sick myself, he promises to make it up to me.  When he misses birthdays, anniversaries, and pregnancies, he assures tells me that he will try to make the next one (besides pregnancies, those days are over!).  He sends letters and cards.  He calls when he can, and he thankfully, does make up for it when he gets home. 

This weekend I left Gunner with all three kids while I headed off to the Great American Beer Fest with a good friend of mine.  He sent me off with a hug and a kiss, and assurances that everything would be fune, and I should have a good time.

I had a great time!  I went to my friend's house and then we met a friend for lunch and then my friend and I went to the GABF.  When you walk in they give you a small glass with a 1 oz mark.  There are thousands of beers to sample!  We tried a few on the way to find my sister's booth.  Met my sister and she gave us a list of beers to sample.  We headed out and tried those out.  We had our pictures taken in those photo booths, got a free tshirt, and met some interesting people.

We met friends again for dinner, hung out by the pool and went to bed early.  The next day we hit a Russian spa and had massages, body polish, and got hit with leaves in a steam room.  It was absolutely the best massage that I have ever had.  We ended the weekend with my first taste of Pho and I headed back to reality.

The house was a mess, Em now has strep, we're out of food (but he bought extra ice cream!).  The kids were happy though, had a good time, and I am ready to face the next week, but this time he's home, and he kept his word and in two days made up for the last year away.  It's the little things....

We survived

Abs wanted to go to school, and since she often throws up for no apparent reason, I sent her off and waited for the call.  Her school doesn't have a nurse (which seems really weird to me) and Abs called me at 11 and said she felt bad.  I went up there to check her out, and she came bounding down the hall. She looked fine, acted fine, and then confessed that her tummy hurt because she was hungry.

Of course there was no snack machine, so I found the apple I cut for Junior in the car and fed her that.

Me:  Here's an apple Abs.
Abs:  It's brown.
Me:  It's food, and it's not brown, that's your perception.
Abs:  Well it looks brown to me.
Me:  Just eat it.
Abs:  (pointing to the brown part) See, that's brown.
Me:  Looks fine to me, remember it's about perception.

She studied it for a while, ate it, and then bounded back to class.  Crisis averted.

I picked Junior up from daycare and he had had three accidents.  I made him carry his bags of clothes out, and he told me that they were too heavy.  I insisted and he wrestled those three bags of wet clothes out to the car.  We got home and he hauled them inside and put them on top of the washer.  I had him go potty.  Then potty again.  Then he had another accident.  His problem is that he hasn't figured out how to empty his bladder all at once.  What's the secret?

After dinner he was sitting on my lap, and Junior told me he wanted to marry me.  :)  I told him that he had to be potty trained before he could ever think about marriage (and college too, but I'll push that later).  He hopped up, went and sat on his potty for a while.  He stood up and announced "I peed and I have a HUGE turd!"  We all cheered and danced and then Junior came over and asked me to marry him again. 

Tomorrow I leave for Denver to visit my friend Dave, see my sister, and attend the beer fest!

Friday

I was imagining that it would be a relaxing day.

So far the garbage disposal broke and my sinks are about to overflow so I am bailing water. 

Abs threw up in the living room--did I mention I love having hardwoods?--but she seemed okay after that.  Abs is the queen of throw up once and then be fine the rest of the day.  She wanted to go to school, so off she went.  Hopefully she will be okay.  She always throws up once when she has strep, but she had her tonsils out and she said her throat felt a little okay.  Who knows. 

I've got papers to write, appointments to make, bags to pack, laundry to do and now I am waiting on the maintenance man.  I hope he works fast!

The sickness begins

Junior had a fever, so I took him up to the acute clinic and he has strep.  We spent yesterday napping and relaxing.  It was wonderful.  He was fine today, and I hope that the rest of us don't get it!

I have a meeting with Em's school tomorrow about the classes that she is taking.  Apparently military kids get lumped into the bottom classes and then if they see any noticeable discrepancies, then they will move them.  That's insane, both from a parent's perspective and that of a teacher.  Hopefully we will be able to reach a resolution quickly.

I did find a school that they are trying to get a charter that will service gifted and talented students.  Hopefully it will be a go and it will workout the remainder of our time here.


I'm studying, blogging, and watching P.S. I Love You.  I love netflix.


We had some snow today but still not enough to stick.  Abs still wore snow boots today and she came back when she tried to walk to the bus and told me it was snowing entirely too hard.  It was small flakes barely coming down, but I drove her to school so she could have breakfast.


I had to break down and go to the commissary today because we were totally out of food.  Noodles and pesto didn't sound appetizing to the girls for breakfast.  Thank goodness they serve breakfast at school!


It's almost time for Em to home and the great homework spectacle to begin at our house.  Even Junior wants to do homework, wonder how long that will last!

It's snowing!

They said it would snow above 7000 feet today and since we are close at 6550, it has been snowing all morning.  What a way to spend the lasy day of summer!  It's beautiful, but I am sure just the tip of the iceberg of what is to come.

My neighbor just brought over gloves and a hat for Junior since we haven't found his, whew. 

More Estes Park

Estes Park

We had a great time this weekend! More pictures to come. We spent 3 days and 2 nights at Estes Park, Colorado. Abs wanted to go swimming and was not happy when I sent her away from the water.

The reason she couldn't swim? Because we saw bears way too up close and personal. They were on the entire walk with us and we kept thinking they would find some trees, but apparently we ended up near their home.

We hiked.

Our friend the wild elk. It sure seemed like the same one everywhere we went around town.

It was fun, but we are exhausted. Next weekend is the beer fest!

Happy Birthday Gunner

What you should wear

Abs got a good night sleep last night.  Thank goodness.  Maybe it had something to do with what she wore?

Three pairs of tights.
One pair of socks.
Three pairs of underwear.
1 bathing suit
Two tshirts.

Hey, if it works, she can wear as much as she wants, it's not like I don't do laundry all day every day.

Found a place for swim lessons for the kiddos.

Went to The Displaced Dutchican's dentist today and loved him!  I get to go back next Thursday too.  Good thing I like them so much.

It's hailing....again....

I asked Ab's teacher about coming to observe and she told me I had to go through the principal.  That sounds insane to me, but I will do it, and just observe more than originally planned.  She is begging to go back to Montessori, so I need to figure out what is going on.  They did lose two students, so they are down to 28 students...for now!

I went to the Arc today.  I need to stay away.  I found the cutest creamer though....some books I NEEDED....a few odds and ends I couldn't live without and a small table for all my school books this semester and all the semesters to come since I can't seem to stop attending school.  

Guess Where!

Gunner is turning the big 3-9 on Friday! 

I was looking for something special to do and scored big.

Where do you think we are going?

They have a specatcular military special going on right now. 

Weekend Trip--Focus on the Family

The kids and I had already been to Focus on the Family, but since it was raining today, it was a good place to get out, not spend any money, and let the kids have fun.  Everything is entirely free(except for food, but it was on sale today)!  They also had the Sheriff, Army, Fire Department and more with their vehicles for the kids to explore.

They collected sheriff badges, coloring books, stickers, crayons, coupons from Chick-fil-A, and they even made them personalized dog tags!

Inside is decorated like the Adventures in Odyssey type setting.

Junior climbing on the airplane.  He was too small to go down the several story slide with the girls.  (We thought that the climb to get to the top of the slide would wear them out--they are still going strong)

 

 Junior loved the touch screen coloring game.  (BTW I put that jacket to the side for my nephew since Junior has outgrown it, but he was fixated on it today.  At least he took the hood off inside.)

 

 Family pictures...

 There's a stage with costumes so Junior and Em put on a short play.  Abs was not into pictures today.

A puppet stage...

Toddler playground.  This is going to be great in the winter!

A frog on the log in the bog...

They also have a radio station where the older kids can sign up to do their own radio show.  They have a script, practice, and record the show with some of the parts taped already so it is just like an Adventure in Odyssey radio show.  They had a great time, and they gave us a copy of the show too.  It's a really cute story and the girls did a great job!

Hot dogs and ice cream to finish it off. 

They gave Gunner a freebie too.  I can't wait to read it!

 

Tomorrow there's a free kid friendly moving showing with popcorn and drinks.

I better search the paper tomorrow for next week's activities.

Electricity & Bananas

We lost power at 1 this morning.  Thankfully we still haven't unpacked our alarm clock--I'm starting to wonder if it made the trip--so we had our phones set to wake us up.  We got dressed in the dark and everyone went to school.  Junior's school was in the dark too.

I went to the gym, and since the power was out, I lifted weights for about half an hour.  The lights came on and I fit in a 4 mile tempo run.  I figured the lights must be on at home, but I returned home to a dark house.

I showered in the dark.  I couldn't do my homework so I decided to head to the thrift store.  I scored on a brand new scrabble deluxe for cheap, cheap, cheap--dictionary included.  I found one of those 400 piece lego sets of a UFO for cheaper, cheaper, cheaper.  A couple of books, some vintage tupperware, a gigantic coffee mug, and I called Gunner.

He agreed that I should stop off and get Thai food just in case the power was still out.  It was still out.  It came on briefly and then was out again.  I got the kids, stopped by the office to find out that they had no clue when we would have power. 

Finally the electric company agreed to take the power from the command and give it to housing over the weekend.  Come Monday morning if the problem isn't fixed, we will be powerless again.  I was not made to be a pioneer woman!  Especially when I have a paper to write and need to do some research.

Tonight at the community center they had a banana party.  They had a decorating party and contest.  Our entries:

 

And what happens to the groom after the wedding?  (Or after Junior sneaks away with the groom)

The bride went into mourning per her creator Em.

They had banana splits too, so how could we say no to that?

I better get started on my paper before we lose power again.

Please let this day be over....

and let no one else get sick.

Abs was off from school today, so I figured I would have plenty of time with her.  I got Em off to school and then Junior woke up screaming....that should have been a sign.

Abs was in a mood this morning too.  I manage to get them both dressed and out the door after Abs overflows the toilet.  We headed over to Em's school to get her, so that we could go to their dentist appointments--bless the person who came up with the clinic where all three can be seen at once.

We arrive at Em's school and I start going through the process of getting Emily out for her appointment.  I was holding Junior's hand, and then Abs decides to start throwing up....in the lobby. 

Abs has anxiety and is terrified of the dentist, which lead to the nervousness I suppose, and the barfing.  I drop Junior's hand and try to help Abs move to the area that isn't carpeted.  If I thought I was bad at barf, the office staff was worse.  I turn around to find Junior climbing over the balcony.  I run and grab him before he jumps, give him the iPhone to entertain him, and get back to Abs.  I finally get someone to give me tissues and a trashcan.  Then someone tracks down some plastic walm@rt bags to keep on hand.

Em finally shows up.  (Moms that have multiple children under the age of 10, I don't know how you do it!)

Em grabs Junior's hand, I get Abs, and we head to the car.  Abs reveals that she's nervous about the dentist.  I assured her that telling me and talking about it would be far more effective than throwing up.  We get to the dentist and I warn them of Ab's fears.  Thankfully they (the staff) were great.  They were very patient with all of them. 

Junior loved it and wanted to show everyone his teeth.  Abs finally got to the point where she would let them work on her, thanks to the iPhone.

Em was so dramatic, beyond dramatic.  She just had her teeth cleaned, nothing major done.  She needs sealants done, which we tried before and she was so dramatic about the pain those caused (yes, I know they aren't painful in the least) that we only had one done and were unable to complete the rest. 

Em needs braces too.  Woohoo?  She can barely stand her teeth getting cleaned.  Hopefully Junior will love the dentist as much as me.

So we leave the dentist armed with flossers, toothpaste and toothbrushes.  (Note to dental people--make sure if you give one child a bag with a coloring book, give my kids each one!  If one gets a sticker, give them all one!)  We get Em dropped off at school, and I race to Andrew's school.  We arrive there and he had pooped in his pants.

Change cute baby boy, drop him off in time for lunch, head home to deal with Abs and do school work. 

The electricity goes out.  Call housing and they said it was a planned outage that no one told them about.  So it finally comes on and my computer wouldn't work.  I give up and Abs and I head out to lunch.  We have a nice lunch, until she tells me her tummy hurts again.  We race home, and she was lying on the ottoman and moaning.  I finally turned the tv on, and she seems to be feeling better all of the sudden. 

So hopefully it was just Ab's nerves.  Hopefully Junior stays dry.  Off to locate an orthodontist for Emily, an eye doctor for all of us, print off some stuff for school, get some work done, write some papers, clean the house, toss in a few loads of laundry, and a few other things.  It's no wonder I live on Monsters. 

Vulture Day at the Zoo

I had a ton of school work to do on Saturday, so Gunner headed off to the zoo with the kids. I had forgotten it was vulture day, but the kids were excited and got to see what the stomach contents of a vulture looked like, flight feathers, and lots more. The kids loved it, and Gunner loves the zoo, so it worked out.


They found eggs, and had to try out each part.

Hanging out with the bronze animals.

A gigantic chair.

Another egg view.

We thought it would wear them out, but it didn't seem to phase Abs. Em went off to the balloon festival with a friend, and we put the little kids to bed. Abs snuck out and grabbed Chris' iPhone. He stood outside her room, and she cried out in disbelief "How did this get in here?". No idea Abs. Then I checked my email and she had requested me to be in Gunner's mafia on the phone. She cracks me up.