December

It's about time I actually update this blog. It seems I fell out of the internet world for the month of December. For one I got sucked in the Twilight world and read the whole series in less than a month. I never knew I could read so much so quickly (600+ pages in less than 48 hours during the holidays while taking care of 2 boys... no problem :)). Plus we had tons of stuff going on.

Austin had his first Christmas musical at his preschool and did great. He stood up on stage (actually at the very front so he could be in front of a speaker) and sang the songs and even danced. He made us so proud! I spent most of the time video taping it so I didn't get that many great pictures.


Up on stage

Austin with Daddy and Nanny (great-grandmother)

Then we had Logan's 1st Birthday party. He had a blast and loved his cake!


The week of Christmas brought double ear infections for both boys but some strong antibiotics meant they were able to have lots of fun once the big day got here. We now have way too many toys! Hopefully we'll get the basement finished this year so they'll have some where else to be besides all over the house.


You can now see our Phanfare pictures on Facebook. Go to my profile page and click on the Phanfare tab to see the latest albums. I'll try to keep this blog updated more often.

Crazy Life

So I'm going to shock everyone and actually update my blog. I check everyone else's out pretty frequently even though I don't always comment (quite often I'm interrupted or have a child in my lap).

We've had so much going on the last 6 weeks or so. First we had Logan's christening out at my mom's along with my cousin Brandy's daughter, Ella. We had it at my mom's for several reasons. The biggest being that the minister, Fred Hall, that performed the ceremony married my parents and christened my sister and I. He also married Bobby and I and christened Austin. He also married Brandy's parents, christened her and married her and Chuck. Fred is retired and no longer has a church. We had just close family and it really made it a much more intimate event.


I forgot we also went to the aquarium with some family that got to dive with the whale sharks. That was really cool! It's worked out where we've taken Austin every year for the last 3 years. We didn't plan it this way but it's been great to see how he reacts differently each time he goes.


We also had several weeks of colds, sinus infections and ear infections but we're finally better.

Austin finally adjusted to me dropping him off at school in the mornings only to begin having discipline problems at school i.e. biting, hitting, pushing, etc. I almost pulled him and to send him to a different school due to the lack of communication from the teacher about trying to resolve these issues but we ended up having a conference and now have had two great weeks of much improved behavior. Of course this is a summary because if I had written about it at the time, it would have been multiple pages because it was incredibly stressful for me. I read a quote recently in a magazine that was something like "parenting gets physically easier as your child gets older but it gets much harder mentally." This was incredibly true for this situation and made me fear the problems we have ahead of us.

Coinciding with Austin's behavior problems was my grandfather having lung surgery to remove a spot that was believed to be cancer (I think this might have affected Austin's behavior but it's really hard to know at his age). Once it was removed it was confirmed as cancer. He stayed in ICU at the VA for a week before he got to come home. It is a hard recovery for a 76 year old but he's doing well. They haven't decided on a treatment plan as of yet but will soon. This is my mom's dad and I'm quite certain he'll make it through this. He's already had 2 other types of cancers and beat them. He had prostate cancer when I was younger and I really don't remember all of the details. Then he had colon cancer in 2000 just 4 months before my dad was diagnosed. (Yes, that means I have a VERY high risk which is which why I'm a little paranoid about toxins in our homes and environment, demanded to have my 1st colonoscopy at 26 and will have one every 5 years...it is not fun but it's really not that bad and anyone who won't do it because that don't want to go through it is an IDIOT because it could truly save your life like it did for my grandfather).

I also went to my 10 year high school reunion, which was really disappointing. Ida, you did a great job but I know you were disappointed in the turnout as well. Either way I got to catch up with a few of my friends I don't really see often enough so it was definitely worth it.

This week has been one Halloween party after another and sugars highs and crashes. :) My kids are at such a fun stage right now and really make you realize how wonderful life can be.

Boys

I've been meaning to share about a book that I read recently. For those of you that have boys it's a must and if you're a teacher it will help you understand a little more about these troublemakers that just can't sit still like the girls.

So last year Austin had some problems in preschool. He'd hit, throw toys, tackle the other kids and not listen to the teachers. When his teachers would tell me about his days it always seemed like they were implying that I needed to do a better job of parenting yet in the same conversation they would say "well he's just a boy." So...is this normal or did I somehow end up with one of those kids that teachers hate despite my best efforts to raise a well-rounded child. He also never really talked to them the whole year.

We tried all kinds of things at home to get him to behave at school but to no avail. So the school year ended with his teacher recommending that he repeat 2 year old preschool. What?!? There are more details but after talking with many friends that were elementary school teachers with a lot of experience, I went with my gut feeling and their advice and enrolled him in a 3 year old program at another school. I couldn't believe that I was having to deal with such decisions so early.

So over the summer I finally bought this book that I had read about a few months prior called "It's a Boy! Understanding Your Son's Development from Birth to Age 18" by Michael G Thompson PhD and Teresa Barker. I felt so much better about where Austin was developmentally and realized that the problem wasn't him but the teachers he had. Boys just need a different type of approach.

Which leads me to another great source about this same topic. I was watching the Today show yesterday morning when they ran a segment on Why Schools Are Failing Boys. They showed a school that was teaching kids by using more physical activity throughout the day instead of requiring them to sit still. This way the boys were more engaged and focused but the girls weren't left out by this type of teaching either.



So while I think it's great that strides are being made to help us understand and educate boys, I fear that these advancements won't be in place by the time my boys are in school. I know I'll have to find a way to be an advocate for them if they're ever in an environment that doesn't facilitate their learning while trying not to become one of those parents that teachers hate.

The Complications of Making Mommy Friends

I know it's been forever since I've posted. Although I've probably drafted 100 posts in my head. The boys are doing great and we're liking Austin's new preschool. But this post isn't about my kids but me. Those other stay at home moms know how little time there is for that. I'm not discounting that working mothers don't have a lot of time either but there is that escape even though I know it's hard to be away from your kids.

So back to where I was going. Why does it become so much harder to make friends once you're a mom? I've been staying home for over 3 years now and happen to be the president of a moms group but I have still not found that person that I really click with. There have been a few times that it's been "maybe this is someone I can get close with" but then it doesn't happen. Maybe it's that there are so many more criteria. If you really disagree with someone's parenting choices, it's hard to be good friends. Of course the amount of time that you have to get to know someone is much smaller because well you keep getting interrupted by the kids.

The financial differences can make it complicated too. Some moms have to pinch every penny and others have a little more freedom with their money. The hurdle here is that some are inconsiderate about the costs when planning things while on the other spectrum others are constantly complaining about how much things cost.

I do still have a few friends that have been around forever but distance keeps us apart. Some would be there for me no matter what and others have disappointed me when I really needed them. But that the way things work out as time changes us and our situations.

So what is a mom to do? Obviously I need to quit feeling sorry for myself and just keep putting myself in new situations because that other mom that's also looking for a friend is probably just around the corner.

Quotes From A 3 Year Old

Austin has said some pretty hilairous things this week that I just had to share.

Last night Bobby and Austin were outside and Austin was trying to catch a butterfly (he is obsessed with ALL bugs). The butterfly flew away and he said, "Bye-bye butterfly, thanks for coming!"

After having an accident in his bed earlier this week we let Austin climb up in our bed and sleep with us the rest of the night. As he was snuggling up with his daddy he said, "Put the blanket on me, my skin is cold!" The very next day he told me that, "I got seaweed in my pants last night." Hmmm....I wonder if this is why we had the accident?

Catching Up

OK so I FINALLY got my computer back last Wednesday. The IT guy had to run several reboot programs to remove the 5 viruses that had decided to make my computer their new home. Thankfully my hard drive and files were all saved. However, I am not using McAfee anymore because it obviously did not help. We're using avast! which is supposed to be a lot better so check it out if your virus program expires soon.

In other news, the boys are growing both physcially and mentally like weeds. I amazed at how well they can play together now. Logan just thinks Austin is the absolute coolest person in the world. Austin will take a toy train and push it across the room and here comes Logan chasing after him. Of course there are still bad days like today when Austin bit Logan on the head twice! I keep a close eye on them but it happens in an instant. It's maddening to deal with but I know that it's all about jealousy.

Playing with their Leap Frog Learn Around Playground

Austin's language skills are improving at such a dramatic rate it is just blowing my mind. He misses nothing. The other day Bobby was looking for a lighter for the grill and wondering out loud where it was. Austin of course told him exactly where it was because he knows where everything is. (Thankfully it's in a drawer that Austin can't open) He's also begun "reading" his books and I set him in his window seat that Bobby's dad made him and he stayed there for a long time.

He looks so grown up!!

Also Logan has started standing up and makes it his mission to pull himself up on everything possible. He also wants you to hold him so that he can walk. I know that walking on his on is in the not so distant future.

Colds, Computer Viruses and Time Flies By

Title says it all! We all got a cold the week of the 14th. I think I had it worst though! It's probably due to the sleep deprivation. It was one of those where you just keep going from hot to cold because of a fever. Trying to take care of 2 kids who are also sick just plain crazy! This is definitely one of those times when I wished we lived closer to the grandmothers. Thankfully my mother-in-law came over the day I was the sickest to take care of the boys and let me sleep! Of course as I was getting better Logan got sick. At first he was the happiest baby with a fever I had ever seen but then the only way I was able to get him to sleep was by snuggling him into bed with me and setting the Pack N Play back up in our room. Did I mention that Bobby had to go out of town 1 night during all of this? Well all better now and it trully proves how much more you can handle than you think you can.

As for the computer....It has a horrible virus. One of those that attacks from multiple fronts. I think it was an e-mail that Bobby opened the night before I started it up and it attacked. After an unsuccessful fix provided by McAfee (think I'm switching after this thing got through) and the advice Jessica gave me didn't help (which I trully do appreciate), I sent it to work with Bobby to let their IT guy reformat the hard drive. I know I could have done it but I just don't have the time and he can do it so much faster. Evidently they had a similar virus on a couple of their work computers a few years ago so hopefully I'll get it back tomorrow! Two weeks of only being able to check my e-mail when Bobby brings his laptop home from work has been quite an adjustment. I haven't even been able to balance my checkbook (I manage all of our finances with Quicken).

So I was going to originally post about the great week that I had at the beginning of July. For my birthday my mom got me a horse back riding trip at this great ranch near Madison, Southern Cross Guest Ranch. It was only 2 hours but wonderful to get out and do something for myself. I took lessons in elementary school and had horses until middle school so it was passion that I let go and was glad to experience again. Me and sister have both been about having experiences to remember lately. So I didn't want anymore "stuff" and wanted to do something I enjoyed. By the way this place is a great bed and breakfast if you need a weekend away that isn't far away. It might seem a little pricey but considering all that's included it's a pretty good deal.

I also organized a speaker from Safe Kids Georgia to come talk to our local MOMS Club about car seat safety. I somehow have been talked into being the president of our group going on 2 years now so I'm in charge of keeping things interesting. Anyway she was able to answer a lot of questions for moms about car seat safety including the more controversial issue of booster seats. I was so glad to be able to provide my mom friends info to help protect their kids. One mom is now on a mission to get the elementary school her daughter goes to, to get the staff informed about safety and only allow children to be placed in the back seat of the vehicle. It is really scary so of the stuff we've seen people do including police officers. Which reminds me, if you do ever get your seat checked make sure that it is done by a Child Passenger Safety Technician. Sometimes there are seat checks provided but the people doing the checking don't really know what they're doing. So make sure that you ask to be sure!

Sorry no photos. I'll get some up when I get my computer back. I'll post more later but this is already so long and it's getting close to my bedtime. :)