Day #18

Besides the kids giving me a run for my money on the patience department today the most exciting part of our day was seeing the neurologist.

Chris's appointment today was to rule out any neurological problems that may cause his toe walking.

Let me remind you when I started this journey a few months ago I really thought everyone was going to say that it was nothing to worry about and he would grow out of it. This journey has taken us to a new level of loving our health insurance when I have complained about it for the last 7 years. I have also learned to be more compassionate towards parents who have kids with more serious problems then simply walking on the toes. I feel bad for the parents that have to subject their kids to so many doctors and even more tests that are unnecessary.

Anyhow, the neurologist basically said that his final diagnoses for today is idiopathic toe walking, meaning they have no idea why Chris walks on his toes. However he did say that Chris could suffer from a very mild form of Cerebral Palsy. If that were the case though the exact same treatment would be provided, but he doesn't think this is the case. (Does that sentence make sense because that is exactly what the doctor said...he could suffer from CP but it would be useless to do the test because he would get he same treatment, but I don't think he has it...you figure it out.)

However, here comes the bad part of toe walking. Since Chris told me before we ever saw a doctor that it hurt his back when he put his heals on the ground there is now room for concern. The doctor said that it is very rare for kids to have back pain and when they do it needs to be taken very serious. He said that a cyst could have formed on Chris's spine causing the toe walking. This condition is called Syringomyelia.

Since Chris only complained about it once we don't need to jump into action just yet. I need to watch Chris and listen to his complaints, then return to the doctor in 3 months. At this time we will determine if he needs to have a scan to see if he indeed has Syringomyelia.

Am I worried...no

Do I think in 3 months they are going to suggest Chris have the scan done...yes

Am I going to put Chris through the scan...I don't know yet

They are really going to have to convince me that Chris might suffer from this condition rather then just a precaution. I am seriously starting to wonder if I am doing more harm to Chris then good. I feel these doctors are so worried about being sued that they are covering all their bases and ordering tests just to be safe when they know they don't need to be done.

Day #16

Happy Birthday Tracey!

Guess how many candles Tracey blew out on her cake this year???

 

1!!! Chris conveniently blew all the candles out while Tracey was taking a breath to blow them out herself. He even tried to get the last one but Tracey got to it before him.

 

We hope you have a wonderful day Tracey!

Day #15

Chris had his first baseball game yesterday. He did great. He was told though that this league does not tag people out and was made to throw the ball before the runner got to second base where Chris was waiting. Otherwise the baseball game was great. Neither team played positions and the kids all had a blast. My personal opinion is that more parents need to get involved to help the kids get the basics down. We had more then one kid run from second base straight to home plate. We also had a few kids barely hit the ball then run up and either kick the ball or throw the ball farther. The kids just get so excited to touch the ball that it doesn't matter what their role in the game at that time. Whatever, it really is fun to see the kids have fun.

We headed to my parents house after the game. Chris did not get enough sleep last night and was a hyper mess today. Actually both the boys were crazy. I didn't even experience the worst of it because I was outside cleaning my car and Ken's car. I experienced enough though that I left two sleeping boys and a dog in the car and bought beer on the way home.

Before any of that I took Chris to the Halloween store today. He has wanted to do this for about two weeks now.

Here is a little preview of the boys.

I need to make some adjustments to Ryan's costume so it fits better. I don't think I am going to be motivated enough to pull the sewing machine out so I am going to try some magic with safety pins. The costume is big enough that he can wear it next year too! I'll keep my fingers crossed that he wants to.

Day #13

It's almost been two weeks since Ken left...crazy! Only one month left. With Chris and Ryan in school and constantly running around the time has gone pretty quick.

We hit the Nascar Social today. I brought my camera but left it in the car because I didn't want to carry it around. They have this event on base every time Nascar is in town. Even though we are not Nascar fans this is the second time we have gone. They have free pizza and different activities which are all mostly free. They always have some Nascar drivers signing autographs, bouncy castles and passport drawings. This time they had the DCW. The boys have never seen wrestling before. I let them watch but during the very first match they asked to go home.

Since we moved off base I don't see many of the people that we used see when we lived on base. So it is nice to attend these events and see a few people we used to see more often. It is funny though because three of the women I saw today all lived in Washington at the same time as us.

To enter the passport drawing you have to visit different booths that have been set up. It is basically a way to get people to these booths rather then have the people sit there with nothing to do. I always participate in this activity because the very first event Ken and I went to an event with a passport drawing I won tickets to the local amusement park. So anyhow I learned something new today. They now sell lawyer insurance. Can you believe this? You pay a "small" monthly fee and if you are ever in need of legal advice or a lawyer they have over 10,000 lawyers in their network and your entire family is covered. I don't think I will be investing in this in the near future....however I do think the person that came up with the idea and advertising on a military base is a genius! I have known a few people since I married Ken that are defiantly looking to make their millions by suing people.

Tomorrow is Chris's first baseball game and then we are headed to my parents house. Should be a great weekend.

Day #12

Chris had baseball last night and he is by far the best one on his team. It probably helps that he is the oldest too. It doesn't matter though because he still has a problem catching so as long as he is having fun he will get it eventually.

Last night they had batting practice. The kids would each hit the ball four times then on the fifth time they would run the bases. Chris was so funny. First the coach did not put the kids into any positions so the kids were just running after the balls. (This league is not competitive at all and strictly learning the basics unlike his spring league.) Anyhow, every time Chris would get the ball he would run and tag the runner out then run to the next base before the runner and wait for them to get there and tag them out again. One time I saw Chris sprinting from the outfield to home plate to tag the runner...he got him. One of the kids did give Chris a run for his money though. Chris was running from third base and the boy almost got to home plate before him. This little boy and Chris were the only ones who knew how to play the game.

So now on to today. Ryan had his normal Thursday morning routine.
Ryan: I'm not going to school.
Me: Okay, then you tell Ms. Patty when we get there you are not staying.
Ryan: No you tell her.
Me: If you are not going to school you need to tell her.

Then we went to school, he stayed and had a great time. Now on Monday he will cry "Why can't I go to school?"

Ah, the mind of a two year old.

Speaking of the mind of a two year old. I told the boys today that they were my very favorite people in the world. Then I asked Ryan who his favorite person in the world was...I was hoping for me but had a feeling he would say MomMom or PopPop. However he said Mrs. Benedetto! She is one of Christopher's friends mom! Can you believe that? The last time we saw her was before school started too!

Day #11

I'll never be one of those parents!!!

After hearing stories of my friend's kids bringing toys to school I thought how can you not know what is in the kids backpack? Well, today we arrived at the bus stop and a boy pulls out a penny and Chris says "I couldn't find Bowser, so I brought you Boo."

I ask Chris what is going on and he tells me that they are paying him for one of his toys. Meanwhile, I had already told Chris that he was not giving any of his toys to his friend.

So this morning I guess I realized that I really have no idea what the kid puts in his backpack even if I did check it this morning when I put his folder and lunchbox in there.

I also thought I would never be one of those parents who sends their kid to kindergarten with partially completed homework. I thought that would happen more around 3rd grade.

Well, last night Chris showed me his homework and I told him he needed to write more. He had 5 lines to write. He filled in the lines like I asked but completely missed filling in the second line. I noticed this while I was putting dinner on the table. He told me he would finish it after dinner. Well, after dinner the Flyers were playing so we sat down to watch the game. It wasn't until this morning that I realized he never finished his homework. With PT at 7:30 this morning there was no way it was going to get done. So he went to school with his homework partially finished.

I also didn't think I would be one of those parents who would let their kids wear their cloths for more then one day. Ryan put his Flyers jersey on last night, slept in it and demanded to wear it today.


I guess I am one of those parents!

Day #10

Today was the same Tuesday as every Tuesday. Walked Chris to the bus stop, took the dog for a walk, went rollerskating, went to the commissary, came home, had lunch and quite time, picked Chris up from the bus stop, went to PT, went for a bike ride with the dog, had dinner, watched the Flyers and then bed.

The only good news that came from the day is that tomorrow is Chris's last PT session at 7:30 in the morning. From now on all the sessions are after school! THANK GOODNESS.

I plan for tomorrow to be a nightmare. The boys are always tired on Wednesdays because we have to get up so early. Tomorrow though, Chris has baseball at 6:00 so I have a feeling they are going to have poor behavior and be able to cry at the drop of a hate because they are going to be so tired. Who knows though, maybe they will surprise me.

Day #9

Camping arrangements are made!!!!!

Anita and I are taking the kids camping in the Poconos during the Columbus Day holiday!

Call us crazy, call us whatever you want. Here is a tiny tiny picture of how we will be sleeping for three nights...with a heater of course and possibly a dog.

We are going to have a great time. I think the boys are going to have a blast also.

Day #8

Yesterday I had a house full of Tigger and Pooh. I sent the boys upstairs to clean their room and the toy room and Chris came down wearing Ryan's Halloween costume from last year! I don't think you can tell from the picture but it is also inside out. I can't get over how skinny this boy is. 6 years old and able to get into a 2T costume. The other night too a pair of Ryan's pajama pants were accidentally put in Chris's drawer. He put them on and just thought they were long shorts. It never occurred to this boy that they might be his brothers.

Anyhow, he made everyone call him Pooh all morning. He even talked to my dad and told my dad that it was Pooh. Funny boy.

Later in the day when Chris was done being Pooh, Ryan had to put on the costume. Only Ryan told everyone he was Tigger.

One kid ate breakfast with the costume on and one ate dinner with it on!

Day #7

We started our day off today with Chris's baseball practice. We came home and Ryan put on Chris's shirt and hat then we out to play baseball in the backyard.

Ryan wants to play baseball on a team so bad. Just as we were going in for lunch Ryan sat down on the stairs and I told them if they gave me a good picture I would leave them alone. I actually got a decent one!

We finished our day with a picnic in our family room. We sat on a tablecloth, ate dinner and watched the movie Earth. After dinner we popped popcorn and finished the movie. I was surprised because both of the kids were amazed with the movie. They asked appropriate questions and when I asked questions to see if they were paying attention even Ryan could answer them. This is the first movie I have found that both boys loved.

Day #6

Day #6 was day #6 and that's that!

Day #5

I figured I would post now since I am not going to be able to post after the boys go to bed tonight. With Survivor starting, the Season Finally of Grey's Anatomy and a phone date tonight it is going to be a late night. Good thing the boys don't have school tomorrow. Does that mean they will sleep in?

Anyhow, last night was a night of musical beds in my house. While reading books Ryan was being disruptive and wouldn't follow directions so I made him go in the guest bedroom to sleep. He cried for literally two minutes. When I finished reading Chris's book I went to move Ryan back to his bed. However he was asleep and snoring already! Boy was he a tired child. So I left him where he was.

I walked up the stairs when I went to bed and noticed a nightlight on in the guest bedroom. Since I have a crazy mind my immediate thought was someone is in the house and they grabbed a nightlight for Ryan. They want to scare the crap out of me. I peaked in the room and Chris was in the bed. I could hear Ryan snoring but he wasn't in the bed. He must have fallen out of bed and never woke up. He was under the bed. The only way to get him back in bed was to turn him sideways and pull him between the bed and wall. I woke him up while trying to get him back in bed. That was fine because he just fell right back asleep.

Then about 1:00 in the morning Ryan came walking into my room. I told him that his pillow was still on his bed expecting him to get it and crawl in bed with me. I fell back asleep before he returned. Woke up about a half hour later and decided that I needed to check on him to see where he was. Well, the guest bedroom was empty and Chris was also back in his bed. Crazy boys!

On a different note I love our new marble reward system. I keep the marbles here.

The boys keep their bowls on the island also in the kitchen.

This morning Ryan was sitting on the bottom of the stairs refusing to brush his teeth. I started getting mad after he said no twice to me. I stopped myself though and told Chris to get a marble for coming upstairs and brushing his teeth. Ryan jumped up in a hurry and ran upstairs. Of course he asked for a marble but I explained to him that he did not follow directions so he didn't get one. Boy do I love this. Shoes and book bags are suddenly being put away. Now I just have to work on them cleaning their toys!

Day #4

Last night didn't end with the early bed for the boys. Ryan kept crying out and waking up last night. Finally I brought him into my bed with the hope that he would sleep and also not wake Chris up.

We had to wake up early today for Chris's PT so everyone was pretty tired. It was amazing that they did not fly off the handle tonight.

The greatest news of the day happened while we were at PT. I put Ryan in a pull-up. He uses them as diapers most of the time. Well, today while Ryan was playing he came up to me and told me he needed to use the potty. I immediately smelled something. So we went to the bathroom and I checked but his diaper was clean and dry! I kept telling him to hold it as I got his shoe off and then his pant leg and pull up. He unloaded in the toilet!!!! It is the first time ever while he has had clothes on! I have a feeling that we are finally getting pretty close to wearing underwear full time!

Yesterday I bought a bunch of marbles and two bowls. (I didn't feel like making another sticker chart.) I told the kids that every time they made a good choice they could get a marble for their jar. Once their jar was full they could get a toy, rent a movie, or stay up late one night. I think they were excited because today they were following directions a little more then normal. Chris even cleaned the table after everyone when I asked him to without any problems! This is also one of the first times that they were not hyper at the end of the day in about 2 years. I wonder if it had to do with them being extra tired or them trying really hard to earn marbles.

Day #3

Today started out uneventful. Ryan and I dropped Chris off at school and then went rollerskating.

I thought the most eventful part of the day was going to be the note I got from Chris's school today. It said that a maintenance man noticed a man across the street from the school with a sidearm. The school was put under lock down and the state police were called. The situation was resolved and they will let us know any further information as needed.

It made me think once again of that day I was in kindergarten on the bus. One of the older kids that sat in the front seat (for being bad) was picking on one of the kids in my class. Well, his dad got on the bus with a shotgun and scared the older kid straight. No one called the cops and the bus driver even thanked the dad.

Boy times have changed.

The most eventful part of the day, unfortunately, was the two out of control boys I encountered after Chris's PT. I decided to take them to Chick-fl-A for dinner. They finished their dinner and decided to trade their toys in for ice cream. While waiting in line I had to tell them to calm down and stop running around twice. The third time they left without ice cream.

Then we headed to Walmart to get trash bags. They continued their out of control ways and deliberately did the exact opposite of what I would tell them. I informed them they had a early bed. Once we got home we called Dad and he told me to call him back once they were in bed. He couldn't even talk to them.

Keep your fingers crossed for me that tomorrow will be a better night. We have to all be up early tomorrow so hopefully they will get enough sleep with their early bed tonight.

Day #2

Day number two without Ken was pretty boring. Ryan and I stayed in the house all day attempting to get this potty training thing nailed down. He was perfect again while he was naked. While he was clothed he told me he had to use the potty but went a tiny bit in his pants. I really didn't want to clean up a big mess so the only time he was clothed again was picking Chris up from the bus stop.

gotta love that winter boot

Today I also found out that Ryan really does like school. He was upset that we dropped Chris off at school and he couldn't go. I told him about a dozen times that he only goes on Thursdays and Fridays and today was Monday. I don't expect him to understand the days of the week just yet, but he didn't want to hear it. He just wanted me to drop him off at school.

On a different note. Chris has a little friend at school, named Sarah. Chris comes home with stories from Sarah everyday. Stories from she is going to call the cops on the workers if they don't make her a ride in her back yard to she is getting her own set of braces to stretch her "Achilles atendon" in two days. Well, today she told Chris that she was going to sneak on his bus to come home with him, play for a little while and then have her dad pick her up. Chris thought this was a great idea.

Notice Chris in the background. He kept telling me about a project he had to do. I was surprised when he finished his homework neatly and in record time. It didn't surprise me when I figured out why though...He was creating a pink 31 bus pass for Sarah to try and fool the teachers into letting her on his bus.

Day #1

We survived our first day without Ken around. Did anyone think we wouldn't? The day was pretty uneventful. We went to Walmart, the library and then grocery shopping. I bought the pull-ups for Ryan that turn cool when he pees in them, since they want him in pull-ups for school.

Well, the most eventful part of the day surrounds those pull-ups. After I finished unpacking the groceries Ryan found the pull-ups and immediately wanted to put them on. I laughed when I put them on him and told him not to pee in them or he was going to get a big surprise.

Ryan looked at me said "I pee here (pointing to his pull-up), I get surprise?" I told him that he does. He then proceeded to run around the house saying "I pee here, I get transformer!" Chris even got in on it. Finally I had to inform both of them that a transformer was not going to show up and it was just going to feel cool in there.

Boys!

So Sweet Part II

Chris over the few years he has been alive has acquired some money. It has helped that over the last year we have been asking Chris for quarters and giving him bills. (Before we were given a parking pass to Rehoboth we needed quarters for the meters to park) So he asked today if he could go to Walmart and pick out a toy. Ken took the boys.

I guess Chris brought some money with him to get a toy. He gave half the money to his brother so his brother could get a toy too! This boy must really love his brother. Ryan picked out two small transformers. Chris did not find what he was looking for though.

Two stores later Chris still could not find the transformer he wanted but was happy to settle for a different one.

I have to say I like the idea of transformers. They are just like puzzles but you can't loose the pieces!

What Do You Want to Be?

Chris: Mom, I figured out what I want to be when I grow up.

Me: Oh yeah, what?

Chris: A grocery shopper.

Me: What does a grocery shopper do?

Chris: You know when you go to the store and get your groceries you hand the person money and they give you change.

Me: Oh, you want to be a cashier when you grow up.

Chris: Yes.

I had to then stop and think for a moment why in the world my kid chose to be a cashier. It then hit me.

Me: You know that those people don't keep the money you give them. They have to give it to the store.

Chris: Darn, I thought I would get a million dollars and then buy a ride for the back yard.

So Sweet

On Tuesday Chris came home with a toy from school. It was some kind of truck. I was surprised because it wasn't the little cheap party favor toys he used to get at his old school...this was a good $2 or $3 truck. I don't think he had any idea of why he got the truck. All he kept telling us was that his name was on the list so he got to pick out.

Well shortly after he came home from school we headed to PT. Ken was home so I was able to take Chris by myself. After every PT session he gets to pick out a piece of gum, a lollipop or a toy. He mostly has picked lollipops because they will give him one for his brother too. I was surprised when he came out on Tuesday with a foam airplane. He handed it to me and said "This is for Ryan so he can have a new toy just like me."

His brother was excited. Ken and I were amazed. Chris is really such a nice and caring individual.

Ryan's First Day of School

Ryan went to school today. He was excited last night about school but not so much this morning. I dropped him off and he cried. I waited in the hallway peaking in the room through the reflection from the door across the hall. Once he thought I left the building he stopped crying.

He was most excited about having a backpack. He kept telling me that he could get on Christopher's bus now. Last night I showed him how to put his backpack on. I was pretty impressed when he remembered this morning.

My kids are so funny. Ryan wants to get on the school bus and Chris asks everyday if he can have parent drop off and pick up.

We got to school and Ryan wanted me to take some pictures outside of his school.

If you know my kids they can not pass up a picture with Mr. Man. Ryan is pretty excited that they have a Mr. Man at his school.

Ryan came home from school and I asked him a few questions. He answered me and then started telling me everything they did at school. They played with play dough, went on the playground, sang a song, made a hat, made a necklace, read a story and did puzzles. Ryan told me more about his day then Chris ever has! Ryan also told me twice that he likes his teacher. However, when I asked him what he had for snack I got "I'm not telling you."

I guess this is a good thing for Ryan because he seemed excited to tell me about his day. Just keeping my fingers crossed now that he will continue to be excited about school.

The President's Speech

Ryan is constantly stealing my camera and taking pictures. Two days ago he took the camera again. When I asked Ryan where the camera was he informed me that it was upstairs and that he broke it.

I had a feeling that he just didn't turn the camera off and it ran out of batteries...I was correct. Thank goodness.

Anyhow, today Chris and I sat down to listen to the President's speech to the school age kids. Chris wasn't really interested so I encouraged him to become interested real quick. I told him that he could play the Playstation 2 if he listened to the speech.

When the President started talking about the need to fail in order to succeed and to keep trying if you fail Chris started talking about math stations at school. He told me that at one of the stations they get to work on geoboards. He has been trying to make a spiderweb the last two time the geoboards were out but has not succeeded. He was going to keep on trying. I told him how awesome I thought that was and we continued to listen to the rest of the speech.

The speech ends and Chris heads over to the Playstation. He plugs it in and starts playing. Ryan and I are playing with a pegboard in the same room. Then this conversation:
Chris: Mom can you play the board against Daffy Duck for me?

Me: Chris you know I can't do that board, I have never completed that board. Ask Daddy to do it for you.

Chris: But just like the President said you need to keep trying in order to succeed.

I guess he missed the part in the speech when Obama told the kids to spend less time in front of their Xbox's!

Ocean City

We headed to Ocean City today for Chris's birthday present. I woke up this morning and checked the weather report. It was going to rain and I did not want to go. However, Chris and Ken wanted to go, so we went. Ryan just kept talking about going to the beach.

All Chris asked from us for his birthday was to get a wrist band and ride the rides in Ocean City, Md. We arrived around 12:30 which was perfect because the wrist bands were only good from noon to 7:00pm. The boys immediately started having fun. I love Ryan's face on this ride.

Chris must have went in this fun house 10 times. Ryan was tall enough but the floors moved in all different directions that he fell and came out.

So each time Chris went in the fun house Ryan rode the roller coaster.

Chris is a little bit too old to have fun on the kiddie rides and a little too young to have fun on the adult rides. We all went on the mixer and I got this great picture of Chris while on the ride.

At 6:30 we told the boys that they had to pick out one last ride because we had to head home. Chris wanted to go into the Haunted House so Ken took him. Ryan rode this little ride and had a blast.

Well, of course that was not the last ride for the boys. Chris and Ryan went on the merry-go-round and Ken and I found these fun house mirrors. We didn't even see the boys go around once because we were having such a blast looking at ourselves.


We finally left and wanted to get something quick for dinner on the way home. McDonald's would have been perfect if our family ate fast food. However, that isn't the case so we stopped at Applebee's. I had my camera in my pocket so I decided to take pictures. Here is a picture of my little devil!

Then I told the boys if they would let me take a nice picture of them, both smiling and both looking at the camera that I would put the camera away for 2 weeks. This is what I got.

Guess I will be able to take pictures the first day of Ryan's preschool! hehe

Somewhere in the mix of things we stopped to have lunch and I got this picture of Ken and Ryan...love it.

It was a wonderful day! I am so glad that I didn't make everyone stay home....although it did rain for a bit but we were able to go into the arcade (where each of the kids won a sword).

Back To Work

Ken took two weeks off from work. His parents came out for the first couple days he was off. They arrived the evening of Tuesday, August 25. They had been traveling for over 12 hours so we had dinner and they left for their hotel. They showed up Wednesday morning and put us to work!!!!(I thought it was supposed to be fun when you had company.) Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures of them...but I did get pictures of what was done.

Karen and I (with help from Scott and Ken) painted our family room. Our fire place and walls used to look like this

Now they look like this!

I now love our fire place. It doesn't stand out in the room anymore and looks like it should be part of the room.

Unfortunately I don't have a picture of our garage before. We had things placed wherever and you could hardly walk in the garage. Ken and his father put shelves up on Wednesday and started cleaning the garage. We have had a second garage door opener for about a year now just sitting in the box. So Thursday they finished cleaning the garage and put the second garage door opener up. This was the result.

Ken's parents rented a pick up truck while they were here. Since we bought a new car just that previous Thursday I took full advantage of the pick up. Karen and I went out and bought some trees to cover the eye sore fence and get some privacy (eventually) from the neighbors deck. They took us out to dinner Thursday night and left.

Friday I put my husband to work getting the trees into the ground. There is another burning bush just off the patio that you can't see.

We picked up Chris from his bus stop Friday and then headed to my parents house to celebrate his birthday with the family.

He is currently obsessed with two things in his life....Tracey and Mario people. Since Tracey pretends to talk on the phone with Goomba and pretended to be Goomba on the phone she is the greatest thing in the world currently! Tracey quick printed these Mario guys out and put them on Chris's cake.

I love Chris's face in this picture.

Now Lou has pretended to be Blooper on the phone for Ryan but not Chris...I think once he talks to Chris, Chris is going to go nuts.

Then I left my camera at my parents house!

So since then we have painted our kitchen the same color as the family room. We have finally started Chris's birthday present. He wanted to spend the night in Ocean City, MD. He wanted to ride the rides one day and go to the beach the other day. Unfortunately, Ken and I are awesome procrastinators so we didn't have any plans for the dog. We headed to Rehoboth today, playing on the beach, and will head to Ocean City on Monday to let him ride the rides. Finally a month later Chris's birthday will be over!

Then Ken heads back to work on Tuesday. Only for a short time because he is headed to Texas for 6 weeks, then to grave shift for about 3 months. I guess this was a good time for him to take off because we had a fun two and a half weeks.