The last few weeks...

Well, 3 weeks from tomorrow will be the first day of school for my kids and for myself! This summer has been the quickest ever! My kiddos were out May 23, so that have had a L*O*N*G summer whereas my first official day was June 13th! Throw in a busy month of June getting ready for a wedding and then July with my surgery and downtime, this summer has went by at lightning speeds!!

We are going to make the most of these last weeks and weekends. This weekend, we will have a mini-getaway and be sure to come back next week to see where we went! I am also starting the arduous task of getting my classroom ready without too much heavy lifting. I have a very small class this year so it does make everything more exciting and pleasant!!

Getting back to normal

Well, it has been almost 4 weeks since my surgery and I am starting to feel my old self again. I have been in a cleaning and purging mode. Four bags of broken/old toys later, we have two clean and organized children's bedrooms! I have been working on 1-2 rooms a day and want my house clean and organized before I am back at work. It makes me feel SOOOO good when rooms are clean and organized!!

Yesterday, Matt had the day off so we went to Kings Island. Matt and Mr. C spent the day in the regular park while Cinderella and I joined my sister-in-law and her four kids at Soak City. We had a lot of laughs and fun despite my agonizing sunburn. Let's just say I DID put it on, but never re-applied when I should have. My face, arms, shoulders, and back looks very similar to a lobster!! I am hoping it will tan, but knowing my body, it should peel in about a week!!

I am trying to plan some fun weekends and activities for the kids so that their last few weeks of summer is fun for them. Next weekend should be a BLAST!

More gray hair...

Yesterday was quite the day. First of all, Mr. C had 2 appointments. He had some testing to see if he qualifies for extra services. He did so very well and did his best! The rest of the morning and early afternoon was typical. Then, he had a pediatrician visit for his ADHD meds. His ankle was still swollen and starting to look infected so I told Matt to have the dr. check it out. Upon examining it, he sent us to the ER at Children's. He basically scared us to death thinking the worst case scenario.

When we arrive, they whisk us back right away (due to the dr. calling before we arrived). Two doctors checked it out and it was not as bad as the pediatrician first suspected. No fever was also a good sign. It was infected, but not to the joint or bone. They placed topical creme on it and covered it for about 30 minutes. This creme sedates the area and also causes the infection to start draining. The creme worked its magic and most of it drained with the creme. Then, the doctor lanced it (gross and painful) and sent some of the fluid off for testing (we won't know for a few days). The doctor diagnosed it as cellulitis and sent us home with strong antibiotics and ordered Mr. C to soak his feet 3 times a day.

Before leaving, Mr. C was treated with 2 bags of cookies and chocolate milk, which he downed very quickly. He also scarfed his dinner down so that was a relief!! It was also great to see him WALKING on the foot for the first time in 4 days!!

It took quite awhile for Matt and I to calm down this evening. I love these kids more than anything in the world, but boy do they age me so quickly!!

Another Flashback pic....

Here's another 1983 pic.....

This is a great pic of me! I am actually smiling and looking at the camera!! I have lost some of my school years books in the elementary years and had no clue who were in my second grade class. It was so very precious to have been tagged in this photo on Facebook. I plan on sharing this pic with my new second graders somehow. Our teacher, Mrs. R, was somehow tagged and it was great hearing her comments about her very first class. Out of all the teachers I had in elementary school, she was by FAR my favorite!! It was also the year that I went from the bottom reading level (going to the Reading Center) to jumping to the highest reading group. I'll never forget that year!!

Flashback to 1983

I found a photo on Facebook of a pic of a classmate of mine, while looking carefully at the pic, I noticed *I* was in the pic! What's really cool is that it was when I was in second grade and y'all know I teach second grade!! So cool! I am at the bottom of the pic, in the middle with shoulder-length light brown hair with a white blouse.

Another exciting weekend!

 Well, let's just say that life is not dull in this family! Saturday, we took the kids to the park for a bit (until I got sick) and played outside, etc. Our headlight went out in the van and when we priced how much it was going to cost to replace it, we decided to have my dad look at the actual light bulb. With just a little adjustment, it started to shine again and saved us over $100!

Before bathtime, Mr. C and Cinderella were playing in Mr. C's room when we heard a noise and heard Mr. C crying. Then, he refused to walk and was crawling around. We get the full story from Cinderella on how he jumped off his dresser and landed on his ankle. It was red and starting to swell. My parents and I took him to Children's ER to see if it was broken.  While there, he was being rolled around in a wheelchair by an orderly who was taking him to get x-rays of his ankle. He looked up at the orderly and said "Go fast!" We ALL had a good chuckle about that! Thankfully, it was just severely sprained with fluid and he was ordered to stay off the foot (Ha Ha Ha Ha) and stay in an air cast for a few days. If you know my son, you know how he is not one to sit still and lounge around all day.

Today, he had to miss a fun day for the children at our church, but he was quite demanding on his poor mom. He was telling me where to put his food, where he wanted me to take him, etc.! He did a fabulous job shopping for school shoes and having an old umbrella stroller really helped out!

We are planning a Lake Michigan weekend that we just discussed yesterday and am so excited to go to. Even though it is just an overnight stay and 2 days at the beach, we are just thrilled to get out of town. I need to just get away before school starts!! Cinderella is so excited about the indoor pool and the beach.

Eventful Evening

We finally received some much needed rain with a bit of lightning this afternoon and early evening. All of a sudden, I heard a LOUD pop and I figured the lightning hit something! Then I started back to doing my business and went shopping for a few things. We find out out that a transformer exploded and our power went out. Well, since it was still out, I went up to my sister's and we were talking to neighbors on her porch when the transformer exploded again! It scared all of us out of our minds!!

When the kids arrived home from church, Mr. C was NOT happy about his piano not working. At one point, I didn't know what was worse...the piano or Mr. C's wailing because said piano was not working! *sigh* A trip to Sonic changed everyone's mood and the flashlights entertained them until the power came back on a few minutes before 10pm.

Once the power came back on, Mr. C went around the family room hugging and kissing his piano, the tv, his bedroom. He said "My piano! My tv!" He was so happy that the things he cherishes were working again!

Ahhh, another exciting night on our quiet little lane!!

The Ringmaster/Magician was on "Saved By the Bell."

Riding "Woodstock Express" without Mom.  :(

Our Weekend

We had a fun weekend, ate too much food, and I paid for it!! Friday evening, we visited The Cone. I think that was my highlight of the weekend! I have lost over 7 lbs from surgery and I think I gained it all back that night!!

Saturday, we went to Kings Island after the rain ended. I mostly watched Matt and the kids enjoy the rides. I did ride a few, mild rides. We watched a different type of Circus/Magic Show. It was really loud which sent Mr. C's sensory issues into a tailspin, but Cinderella LOVED it! I was a big overzealous about walking around for 6 hours and literally PAID for it the rest of the evening. Ouch!!

Matt and his parents took the kids to their baseball awards picnic on Sunday. (I wasn't going to overdo it AGAIN.) They had fun with playing carnival games, winning prizes (see the Michael Jackson hat Mr. C is sporting?), and receiving their tropies. Their trophies are starting to pile up! I need to get a special shelf (or two) to display them. They discovered their friend from school was on another team and that they will play a game with him very soon due to rescheduled games due to heat.

All in all, it was a good weekend!!

Shelter will be rebuilt for Challenger league baseball team

Shelter will be rebuilt for Challenger league baseball team

Cinderella was on tv last night! Check it out!!

Brave One

My daughter rode this scary, adult ride last night! She knows how I feel about this ride and Matt refuses to ride it. A friend from church made an offer to ride it with her if they are in the park at the same time. Well, Matt took the kids last night and met up with B and they rode it together!! Apparently, Cinderella was talking to B the entire time on the ride! When she got off the ride, she was jumping up and down. I fear I am going to have one wild and crazy teenager on my hands in a few years! She is the most fearless 7 year old I have ever met!

Cinderella and Bella

I walked down to my niece's house to chat and Miss Cinderella wanted to come. She loves Bella (and well everyone on the planet does too!) and loves playing with her! I now have puppy fever!!

Bridal Party

Surgery Update

I am doing ok! The surgery went VERY long! I was wheeled into the OR at 1pm and the surgery was over around 5:30pm. I didn't completely wake up until 8pm. I was placed into my hospital room around 9:30pm Monday night and went home around 11am the next day. The first few days were rough, but each day, I am getting better! I ventured outside (in the 100 degree weather) for a few minutes today and have been walking around trying to get my strength back. I should be good as new in 4 weeks and I am so excited to be cured from an awful health problem that has plagued me since I was 16 years old!! I am so looking forward to getting healthy again and begin my new life!! Thank you so much for your prayers!!

Bridesmaids

I am in the center (second from left)!

Blog Break

I will be taking a blog break due to my surgery today. Hopefully, this break is just a week or so break. I appreciate prayers for a successful surgery and easy recovery.

The Wedding

The wedding was beautiful, elegant and simply emotional! Brittany was the most beautiful bride ever and had the wedding of her dreams! The reception was at the Oscar Center and it was gorgeous, the food was the best I had ever had at any wedding, and everyone did well going down the aisle.

A little wedding humor: The flower girls were told to drop the petals. Well, Cinderella took her job so serious and when she ran out of petals mid-way, she told people sitting in the pews "I ran out of flowers!" and then  proceeded to run down the aisle!! She also found it fun the twirl her necklace around her fingers during the ceremony. All in all, she did fine. She loved to dance at the reception and looked like a blonde doll in curls in her flower girl dress.

The hot pink Hummer limo ride was fun and it was the first time that Cinderella and I have ever been in a limo. Mr. C. was very well behaved during both the wedding and the reception. It was such a fun evening!!