Christmas Day

The kids were up at 5:30 a.m. yup you read right 5:30 A.M.!! Let's just say Dane and I weren't very pleased especially since we didn't get to bed till 1a.m. anyway we were able to hold them off till 6 impressive eh? Anyway they sat patiently for me to get the camera;

Don't ya just love the look on Kaleb's face? Ellie was perfectly happy with the candy she got in her sock, forget the playdough and other toys! We had them line up youngest to oldest Kaleb was a little put out by that he thinks it should be by gender, boys in front girls in back! The second Dane opened the bedroom door the kids charged this was the best pic I could get;

Now much to their surprise they didn't see their typical unwrapped Santa gift with their sock next to it, but there was a note hanging from the light. Now I figured when they didn't see their normal gifts they would be upset but they weren't Kaleb explained that the note must say that "I was been a good boy this year!", here's what the note said;

To the Lamps children 3,
just between you and me,
My sack was full I couldn't get in.
What could I do? I said with a grin.
I sat awhile and thought about you,
then it came to me just what to do.
You have been good the whole year through,
so I left something you all could do.
If you will run fast out the back door,
you'll see more than you asked for.
I hope you like it have fun and share,
be good to each other and always play fair.

Santa

The rhyme was courtesy of grandma Clause! Anyway you can guarantee my kids rushed to get their shoes on, again as soon as the door was opened they charged, I wasn't quick enough to get in front of them to get a first look reaction but Kaleb's words summed it up " a PARK in our yard! We have a PARK in our YARD!!!!" of course he was speaking of this swing set;

Santa done did good with the swing set! So the kids played for a bit while Dane and I froze our bums off, once we got everyone inside we let the kids open their socks and 2 presents before church the first being their church clothes the second their secret Santa gifts.

Now there is a little story that goes with the girls dresses, I had been working on them in secret while the kids were at school, but one day I accidentally left some evidence as to what I was up too Ryne quickly surmised that I was making dresses for them so I came up with a quick fib I said I was making them for a friends little girls that were the same age as my girls yeah Harlee and Jordyn were gonna be some lucky girls (I hope ya don't mind Kym :) ). Needless to say Ryne was a little let down but she still thought the dresses were gonna be neat and was soon excited to see the final product. Now I know ya shouldn't lie but this turned out to be the best thing, cause I wasn't able to get them done before the kids were out of school for winter break so I was able to work on them in front of the girls without having to worry.

Kaleb's out fit was a different story I didn't even have his cut out yet! I was able to get his vest done after the kids were in bed on the 23rd. Dana took Kaleb to run some last minute errands on the 24th I had about an hr to get the pants and bow tie done! I didn't have a pattern for the pants so I  pulled a pair from his closet that fit pretty good except the length and went off of those, I have to say they turned out super nice Kaleb was thrilled to have more church pants "and these ones are long!".

So after the kids opened their presents we got everyone ready for church, I did simple french twists in the girls hair, I curled some pieces around their face and called it good. When I was getting Ellie in her dress she smiled and said "pincess, I pincess?" I thought it was so cute and once that dress was on and zipped up she was twirlin around in circles!  I wanted to get pics of them BEFORE we went to church when they looked their best, but we were runnin a little late (Ryne and I were suppose to be early for choir) so I had to settle for after church pics. They were excited to get home to open their presents that I couldn't get them to look at the stinkin camera and smile! We took several shots I finally just gave up and and figured I would work with what I got.

Yeah I didn't have much to work with! Now this is where the pics end cause I didn't take any of them opening the rest of their presents I know an epic mom FAIL!! But know they were thrilled with all their stuff even if most of it was clothes! After presents were open we made our traditional Christmas breakfast complete with little piggies (sausage links) and homemade buttermilk syrup ( thanks sis for the recipe it was delicious)! After breakfast or rather brunch Ellie and I took naps while Dane and the other kids watched some of the movies we got.

We had a great Christmas, Dane and I each only got one present so the kids would have what they needed but ya know I was thrilled with what I got and so was Dana. Dana got a wet/dry vac and I got a beautiful Nativity set. Oh and we also got this painting from my brother-in-law Mike isn't it awesome!?

A BIG thanks to grandma Nancy and grandpa Bill for getting us started with the essential oils and to Uncle Dave and Aunt Becky for the pure vanilla! We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and we wish you the best in the upcoming new year!

Christmas Eve

We were super busy Christmas Eve, I was finishing up Kaleb's church clothes, Dane and Kaleb were doing some last minute shopping, once everyone was home the baking commenced. After baking and delivering our Christmas treats the kids took baths and then got to open their Christmas jammies which was delightful!

 Once they were open we made many attempts to get a nice pic of them in front of the tree, we took so many I had to start deleting them because of lack of memory.  This was like attempt 10!!

 Attempt..... I don't know I lost count!

 This was the final one I took and like attempt 20 ,instead of saying cheese Dane said cookies now that got their attention!

After taking a million pics in front of the tree we did the kids favorite tradition of jumping on the bed and singing Ti's Christmas Eve Dear Santa Clause.

It was a riot watching Ellie trying to jump with Ryne and Kaleb we had to make the older kids stop so Ellie could get in some quality jumping time! One of the best things about the kids jumping on the bed is how much energy it gets out, they all went to bed without a fuss it was fantastic!

Trunk Show

Come check it out, I will have my stuff there!!

8 years!!!

Today Dana and I celebrate our 8th year anniversary!!

I have to say this year has been the toughest and best year. We have been through a lot this year for anyone who doesn't know we had 2 miscarriages one in Sept 2010 (6weeks) and February 2011(16 weeks a boy), my heart broke shattered. Dana picked up all the pieces and is helping me put them back together, this is the hardest trial we have had to endure so far in our marriage but it has made us stronger and brought us close together as a couple and a family.

The other day Ellie was watching one of her princess movies the line "true love conquers all" stood out in my mind I know there are many times when I have laughed at this and never really taken it seriously. As I look back at this year I can truly say I feel that our love for each other did conquer this trial, love does make you stronger, even though we struggled our love held us together. Our love grew stronger, we have a much deeper appreciation and understanding of each other now than we did before. I am so blessed to have Dana in my life to love me and to pick me up when I am down, our marriage is far from perfect we make mistakes and we have our trials but that's part of the journey if everything was easy then what would we learn? Happy 8 years to my hubby Dana Lamps I love you and can't wait for more years to come!

ALA Holiday Boutique

I'm gonna be at this boutique today come see me and all the beautiful crochet Christmas Ornaments I made just for this even!

Diagnosis & more details.

Yesterday's appointment was very informational and not as terrifying as I had geared up for. The Dr. was very thorough, she answered all of our questions and concerns, she didn't talk down to us or say we were imagining things. She thinks Kaleb is a good and intelligent little boy, very funny and imaginative, she had fun working with him.  We talked of many things and really focused on our biggest concerns his ad-version to other kids, his lack of focus, his constant leg pain and occasional involuntary movements, and his sensory issues.

As she observed while we talked she determined that ADHD is definitely a factor, but it isn't the only factor he scored way above normal on the autism evaluation form he has many autistic tendencies she explained the Autism Spectrum to us and thinks he is some were between Autism and PDD-NOS. At first sight she said he looks more like Aspergers but doesn't quite fit into the category because of his speech and language delays which are not typical in children with Aspergers. She explained that the ADHD can also be the cause of his language and social delays it could be that he is active and inattentive, so it may not be that he doesn't have any empathy for others, or can't read social cues,  it could be that he is on the go all the time and doesn't stop and wait for a reaction or response from others.

We also have Kaleb's sensory issues that make a diagnosis difficult, she mentioned that it sounded like sensory integration disorder but this isn't really a diagnosis and there isn't much to be done for it, he will just have to learn how to live with it. Along with the sensory issues we have the leg problems he complains often of his legs hurting it seems deep pressure is the only thing that gives relief and usually just briefly, now this can be many things he could have Anemia, it could be related to his Thyroid, Restless Leg Syndrome could also be a factor, or he could just be lacking certain vitamins that his body needs, she will be order some lab work to find out more but wants to wait till after he has been tested for Autism in-case any more work needs to be added.

By the end of the appointment ADHD was given as one diagnosis, we know that won't be the only one he has but it does give us a starting point. She gave us information on ADHD and things that can help, she recommended change of diet, and visual charts to help him with tasks,she also wants him the have speech and OT therapy aside from school, specifically to work with his sensory issues, at this point we aren't doing meds because along with the above mentioned issues (anemia, thyroid, RLS) we have bi-polar tendencies and depression in our family's background that could be affected by medications for the bad as much as the good. I like that his Dr. stresses is that medications are not a cure, they are not meant to make your child into a zombie, they are meant to be used as a tool along with other tools (therapy, diet change etc) to help him to learn self control.

As you have probably notice this is A LOT of info to take in, I want to educated myself as much as I can before our next appointment, if you have or know someone that knows about any of the things mentioned above I would love for you to share. I'm also looking for any websites or books on these topics, if you have any recommendations I would greatly appreciate it.

I am so thankful to my family and many friends that have showed us support and given us uplifting words of advise, you truly are my strength! I am "overwhelmed and relieved" as a friend of mine put it, what seemed impossible to handle before seems doable now, we have some answers and a place to start, we are going to have to make a lot of adjustments as a family but I know we can. I have felt a renewal of hope since yesterdays appointment, things will get better.

 November 10th has been a long awaited day, it's the day we take Kaleb to a specialist. We have had the appointment for months and have been wanting it to come and go, things with Kaleb have gotten intense, frustrating and sometimes even impossible. I love my son, it is really hard to see how much he struggles with everyday things that most kids don't even have to think about. I hate seeing how people young and old look at him as if he has the plague, it breaks my heart to see him off in a corner by himself then playing with other kids. He is already very aware that he is different that people look down at him because he doesn't do things "the proper way". He comes home from school almost everyday sad that some of the kids in a class call him a baby cause he sucks his thumb or weird because he has a hair fetish, they don't understand that sucking his thumb is something at this point in his life calms him down and brings him back to reality, and rubbing and playing with hair is much like a comfort blanket or favorite stuffed animal it makes him feel safe and gives him comfort, he doesn't do it to be weird he does it because he can't help it and he doesn't know what else to do.

I hate how my son won't even look me in the eyes, that he can't concentrate on simple tasks, that he is constantly saying that he hates his sisters because they aren't like him and realizing he doesn't like himself because he isn't like them. I hate how he cries at night because his legs hurt and won't stop moving, how anything sets him off you never know what to say or how to comfort him and dammit I want to comfort my child when he is upset! We desperately need help there is something wrong with my child and he needs help, understanding and compassion. It's funny to me how people don't give those things unless there is an obvious reason too, they have to see a physical problem and that's not fair, but then again when is life fair? I dislike that in order to have people give my son a fair chance at life he needs to be labeled, he needs to have something wrong with him. I'm not taking him to the Dr. to have him labeled for other people but for me and for him so that we can know how to help him and so that he will know that a label doesn't define him, he may be autistic or ADD/ADHD but that isn't who he is he can overcome it and do whatever he wants in life regardless of the label and what others think.

Kaleb has the most incredible imagination, he dreams up the funniest and coolest things at the drop of a hat, he sees things differently, he can take a stressful situation and turn it into a happy one, he has the ability to make me laugh in an instant. I love how he plays with my hair and tells me he loves me, I love how sensitive he his to his sisters, how he's willing to give up something to make someone else happy, I love how he is active, healthy and strong, how he is a new super hero everyday, I love the big words he uses and knows the meanings of. I love my son, he may be corky, different, and a little odd but I love him for who he is, he wouldn't be Kaleb without the good and bad traits.

I'm anxious and a little scared about tomorrow's appointment, no one wants to be told there is something wrong with their child. I've realized that I've always known that Kaleb was different I just haven't known how to help him. This appointment is to know how to better help him, to make him successful in life, I know it's going to be a long hard road with lot's of obstacles to get over but I know with help we can get through it.

HaPpY HOWL- O -WEEN!!

Yesterday was such a fun day, I have to admit I wasn't really looking forward to how busy the day was going to be, but everything turned out great!

First up for kicking off a fun Halloween day was the kids class parties. I volunteered in Kaleb's classroom cause I was able to take Ellie with me. Kaleb was the first to get to play pin the stem on the pumpkin, he was thrilled!

 So close!!!

 I snuck out of Kaleb's party and ran to Ryne's to get some pics. She's showing me her finger puppet bat. Her class went around each desk and went trick or treating she as so thrilled!

 Ellie even made out with a bag of treats!!

After the festivities were over we headed home were I made the kids do their homework, lame right!! Then I surprised the kids with making pumpkin pizza's for dinner they loved them and we all had fun making them.

Ok so they really turned out more like smiley face pizza's but the kids loved them anyway!

After dinner I got started on Ryne's hair and Ellie got a head start on her makeup!

Kaleb decided he wanted me to make him look like Jack Sparrow, so we used some black face paint and some of my makeup and eyeliner for his make up, sorry I don't have a close up pic of his face. Once his face was done and after daddy wiped off Ellie's make up job I re-did her make up, everyone got in their costumes and they were rearin to go!

 Dana stayed home and handed out candy this year since I stayed home last year. The kids got a ton of compliments on their costumes. They all did great while trick or treating, Kaleb introduced himself to anyone he didn't know so that they were no longer strangers then he would accept their candy. Ellie ran off once or tried to run off really she turned to run and there was teenager dressed as a zombie it freaked her out and she came runnin back to momma! After we said thank you for the candy Ryne would say "Happy Halloween MUWAAAAAAA!" everyone got a kick out of it. Ellie was a trooper she carried her bag the whole time till the last street, I offered to carry it but she wouldn't let me her solution was to have me carry her while she carried her bag!!

They were all tuckered out when we got home, they all had baths and went right to bed. While Dane and I watched movies I made a comment about how nicely they all went to bed, and of course minutes later Ellie rolled off her bed and was awake till 12:30 a.m.!! Oh well we still had a

Man it's been awhile since I have posted here on the family blog I have been really busy doing this, this, this, this, this, this and this for my craft blog and there's lot's more to come!

Update on the fam we are all doin good, Dana had yesterday and today off it's been kinda nice havin him around, I know the kids have enjoyed him taking them to school. Yesterday we helped a neighbor pack her moving truck and clean her house, Ellie was so good the whole time, everyone was surprised! After we got done with that went to lunch at AppleBee's Ellie ended up eating my soup and salad instead of her chicken tenders and fries. This morning Dane took all the kids to the Donuts for Dads at the kids school then he took Ellie to run a couple of errands, I have to say it was really nice to have a completely quite house I was able to clean up and get the last of the laundry folded and put away. After Ellie and Dane got home we watched Yogi Bear it was a lot better than I thought it was gonna be, Ellie sat still and watched the whole thing so you know it has to be good!

My hubby showed me how much he loved me by mopping the floors!! It was a surprise to me I didn't even ask, I am so thankful to him for the help especially since I broke my toe a week ago, I accidentally kicked a chair it was pretty mangled Dane had to pop it back into place, I have broken many toes in my life and none have hurt as bad as this, my whole foot was swollen up to my ankle, it's all bruised and super tender I can't even put an ice pack on it without being in a lot of pain, and I have a really high pain tolerance! It was healing pretty good till I kicked a curb a few days ago and mangled it again!


Wednesday night Author Bruce Coville was at the kids school he read them a story and signed some books, Dane took the older to kids (on the count of my broken toe). Dane bought a couple of his books The Dragon of Doom and The Evil Elves (1st and 3rd of the Moongobble and Me series) we had never heard of him before, the kids absolutely LOVE his books even Ellie will beg me to read them! I think we will be getting some more of his books for Christmas and birthdays!

So that's what we have been up too lately I promise I will do better and keep up!!!

Kaleb's mishap and kabobs!

Last weekend was eventful to say the least! We had been bribing promising the kids all week last week that if they were good all week at home and at school we would take them to McDonald's for happy meals and to play and that mine friends is when the fun started! When I picked up the kids from school last Friday the first thing asked as they jumped in the car was "were we good did we earn our happy meal!?" they said it in unison, even Ellie thought it was amusing. I explained that yes they had earned it but that "today still counts so you have to be good for me till we go, that means no arguing when I ask you to clean your rooms and help tidy the house kapeesh!?" their response again in unison " yeah, hey mom!?" me "what?" them (not so much in unison this time) "what does kapeesh mean?" and of course I answered with a giggle. Back to my story the kids did good before we knew it bedrooms were clean, bathrooms tidy, all dishes collected and floors nicely swept, all that was left was to wait for daddy to get home from work and of course it was one of those days when he had an errand to run before coming home so it took longer and I kept hearing " for cryin out loud when is dad gonna get home?", " for the love of Pete mom is he coming" and my all time fav coming from Kaleb " what the hell mom where the crap is he!?" yeah he did get chastised for cussin it was kind of one of those double standard moments my response was "dammit Kaleb stop cussin!" hey I never said I was runnin for mother of the year!


After 25 mins waiting daddy pulled in the driveway Ellie squealed with delight as the car pulled in and the engine stopped, the other kids shouted with glee as Dane got out of the car they started screaming "yeah now we can go get our happy meals!" we disappointed them by waiting to go it was only 3 and we new if they ate that early they would be hungry right before bed. Finally 4 rolled around and we started gettin ready by that I mean I had tackle the 2 yr old and get her dressed for the 3rd time that day, once she was dressed with hair done and shoes on I headed towards my room to get my shoes and see if the hubs was ready, Kaleb and Ryne were playing in the front room Kaleb was being the Hulk, they were running all over I said many times in that lovingly motherly tone "calm down or we won't go! I SAID CALM DOWN!!!!". They calmed down long enough for me to cross the room the second my back was turned the shenanigans started, I heard Kaleb yell " HULK SMASH!!" followed by a loud CRACK and a blood CURTAILING SCREAM, it's a scream we hear often from Kaleb I new he was hurt but none the less I made a snide comment something like " yeah hulk smashed alright his face" after I saw him holding his head, the comment became UN-funny when he removed his had from his face Dane said he's bleeding I looked up and boy oh boy was he bleeding it was gushin like old faithful!

As soon as Kaleb saw the blood he started to panic which made me more calm, my reaction was to lay him down on my lap, Dane grabbed a wet paper towel which quickly soaked up the blood which calmed everyone down considerably!

 Everyone knows head wounds bleed a lot sometimes even from a small cut, we hoped it was just a small cut but of course that wasn't in the cards. It wasn't a huge cut by any means but it wasn't a nice straight cut either it was more V shaped and it was pretty deep too.

 I know when Dane and I looked at each other we knew what the other was thinking " we don't have the money to take him to the ER for stitches" our co-pay for the ER is $150 and we just didn't have it, so we took a good look at the, pulled out the First Aide kit and went to work.

We ended up using a butterfly bandage and new skin, it worked really well. Kaleb was pretty upset that everyone would see his cut, or it could have been that we decided it was safer to not let them play at McDonalds all we needed was for him to split it open again! But we made it up by still getting the happy meals and renting a movie, it was actually a nice relaxing night (well you know relaxing after all the drama was over).

 Other than that we had a nice weekend it was our Labor Day weekend since Dane and to work the weekend before. I found out my cousin Ryan and been living in AZ for 3 yrs and I had no clue and he lives like 20 mins away! We re connected on FB and planned to get together and of course plans kept falling through, but finally last weekend he came over we went swimming and had a fun bbq. I wanted to get away from the normal hamburgers and hot dogs so we went with pork and chicken kabobs and they were so DEL ICIOUS!

 Sorry this post was so long, I still have pics from the summer hopefully I will get around to posting them soon. Kaleb's eye is looking a lot better the top is already healed the bottom was open a bit more so that will take more time. I'm glad we didn't have to take him to get stitches, we figured if the butterfly bandage didn't work we would figure out a way to get the stitches, I'm glad it didn't come to that cause it was hard enough to get him to sit still the first time!

Ok it's time to explain my facebook status from a few weeks ago: 

have you ever been so excited about something you want to burst with happiness and joy and in the same second you are so scared to death you want to cry? Yeah that's how I'm feelin at the moment.

First let me start by sayin no I am not pregnant, that's just not in the cards right now. Last month a company was interested in buying my aprons for to sell in there store. I met with them on the 19 of Aug I was suppose to hear back from them on Monday but that didn't happen, I figured I would wait a week or so before revealing anything, but the call never came. So it doesn't look like that will be happening right now possibly in the future. I apologize for not clearing the air sooner, but there ya have it. 

 

 

HaPpY bAcK tO sChOol DaY!!!

Can you tell I am excited!? I wasn't the only one the kids were stoked especially after meeting their teachers yesterday. Since pictures speak louder than words here they are:


Ellie wouldn't leave the house unless she had her own back pack, and she had to be in the pics too!

 They wanted a shot of their back packs.

 My little kindergartner {sniff, sniff}, he walked right in gave me a hug and kiss told me he would be ok and then he was off!

 Ryne was a little more nervous with starting a new school and making new friends but once she spotted someone she new she was off and playing!

This is my favorite of Ryne and Kaleb

I can't wait to hear about their first day of school!

"Is it time yet?"

 My kids have been askin me everyday for the past week "is tomorrow school day" and where disappointed when they got my typical answer "No, not for another week", which was always followed by moans and groans. When asked the same question yesterday I said the words they(and I) have been longing to hear "Yes, isn't that AWESOME!?" there were a hoopin and a hollerin music to my ears!

Yesterday we got to meet the teacher's. Kaleb found out that he was in the same class as a girl in our ward he was really excited about that. The kids were excited about there new classrooms, ok Ryne was excited about the classroom Kaleb was excited about the playground "wow mom they even have swings at this park!". I wanted to make the day before there first day back at school fun so when Dane got home we went swimming, played games and talked about the excitement everyone was feeling. I made a nice kid friendly dinner (it was divine!) Chicken Tenders wrapped in Bacon with a sweet mustard dipping sauce...

It was DIVINE did I say that already!? Seriously when your extremely picky 5 year old eats every bite and begs for more you know it's a keeper!

Along with the chicken I made my famous perfectly chocolate chocolate cake (it's to die for)!

 This is the BEST chocolate cake ever and I am not exaggerating, it is so moist, and very rich in chocolatey goodness! The kids were wondering who's birthday it was it's not often mom makes cake! I decided to make it a tradition to make a back to school cake from now on, Ryne said " I like the smell of that tradition!" what a funny girl.

After dinner we had the kids get all there stuff together on the couch, then Dane gave all the kids blessings even Ellie, then prayers were said and they were off to bed and asleep in no time! Dane and I made there lunches made sure they had everything they needed and went to bed by 9:30 lame I know but I have to be up by 5:30 to get myself ready then I get the kids up at 6 then it's a mad dash to do chores, eat breakfast and get ready for school, so 9:30 bedtime is good!

 It's been a hard and very emotional month for me, I should be anxiously awaiting the arrival of a new family member, instead I am crying myself to sleep wondering if the empty hole I have in my heart will ever heal? I know that I was only 14 weeks when we lost him, I never really got to feel him move, and I never got to hold him or see him, but I still felt so connected to him. It doesn't matter how far a long you are when you loose a baby, you are in love with it the moment you find out you are expecting. I have been struggling a lot with many friends updates of the upcoming arrivals, there's a big conflict inside of me every time I read one, on one hand I am happy and excited for them on the other hand I am jealous, frustrated and just down right angry. It's not their fault, it's not something they can control, and right now these feelings are something I can't control.

I have had some people tell me I need to focus on the here and now instead of on the past, and for the most part I do but I can't just move on like it never happened because I just feel this gaping whole like someone in our family is missing. I have been keeping my body and mind busy and I have been happy. I am so blessed to have the 3 kids I have, and I have learned to not take them for granted.  I have learned a lot from this trial, I have been doing pretty good with my feelings and emotions, been handling them as they come but last night and today have been extremely hard. I know things will get better, but at the moment they just plain suck.

Good things have been happening lately, like the kids getting into the school of our choice. We had some issues with the school that the kids are suppose to go to, like the choice that the district made to get rid of recess for 1st-6th graders, because they tested the lowest in the state so they think the kids need more classroom time, not to mention there school's communication skills were definitely lacking. Anyway I was thrilled when I went to this new school, a friend suggested it I was impressed the moment I walked in the door. The secretary was awesome she was quick to answer all my questions, and listen to my concerns, she also checked to see if they had room for my kids in there grades. They had to go over the IEP's to make sure that they gave the services requested and had the funds for some services requested. The next day I got the call that they had been excepted and I just needed to go in and sign a request form so they could get all the kids records from their previous school. When I went in I got to meet the principal, and she is pretty awesome, when going over the IEP's she didn't know if they had the funding for the aid that is required for Kaleb, their district representitive was out on vacation and she didn't want to wait 2 weeks to find out, so she called the district to find out if the funding was there when she couldn't get anyone to answer the phones she decided to go down and talk to someone about it in person how awesome is that!? Now that's service.

The secretary showed me around the school, were the kids classrooms are gonna be, she also gave me the # for the special ed teacher, and for Kaleb's aide, information that I could not get from the other school. The kids are super excited, even though they are gonna have to get up by 6 and be to school by 7:30ish. I think I am the one that's gonna have the harder time, last year Ryne didn't have to be to the bus stop till 8:30 so we had plenty of time, and 9x's out of 10 I just rolled out of bed in my jammies and walked her to her stop, now I will have to drive them. I decided it's not that bad the school is 10 mins away, and by going to school so early they get out earlier 2:15 which I think is nice cause that will give them more time to do home work and chores and have time to play before dinner and bedtime. I also think that since Ellie will have to get up so early she will start taking naps again.

We are going school supply shopping on Friday, the kids are thrilled. I figured I would take just Ryne and Kaleb and let Ellie have some quality daddy daughter time. We also got an appointment for Kaleb at the Melmed Center in November yes November I know it's awhile away but that's how far they are bookin out, I'm just glad we were able to get that appointment, plus this way Dane will have new vacation time and he can take the day off since the Melmed center is in Scottsdale and we have the other 3 kids that will need to be taken care of. The gal I talked to said the appointment will be 1 hr 1/2 - 2 hrs but by the time we leave we will l have a diagnosis and treatment plan no dragging it out.

Besides getting ready for school I have been busy gettin ready for an up coming boutique, and I have been working on aprons for my etsy shop. Here are some aprons I did for a friend, they turned out pretty good for wiggin it and making up my own patterns. So good things are happening, and I know I need to focus more on that and I think once this month is past me I will be able too.

Part 3

Ok so next up was Father's Day the kids were pretty bummed that we weren't with daddy again this year. We did go out and get him a present the kids decided on a small tent, since he doesn't need the big family one for scout camps and the Father's and Sons camp out that they have every year, plus the family one is a pain to put up by yourself. K-mart happened to be having a sell on their tents, so that was nice. I had the kids hold the tent while I recorded them saying happy father's day, then we sent it to daddy before heading out to church. I know Dane really appreciated it.


Grandpa wasn't feeling to good on father's day and the kids were dyin to give him his presents and stuff, after we had dinner it was time and they were so willing to help grandpa open his presents!

 This trip to Idaho I decided I would like to take the kids to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake I loved that zoo growing up we used to go all the time. Ethan and I packed a lunch and headed the 2 hrs to  Salt Lake, the kids watched movies the whole time so it wasn't so bad, we sat in the parking lot and ate lunch before going into the zoo we figured that way we wouldn't have to lug around an ice chest.

It's been about 14 yrs since I had been to that zoo, nothing was familiar about it, all the habitats have been re done there were quite a few animals that weren't there anymore, but it was neat to see all the changes.The kids had a blast here are a few of my fave pics from the day:

It was really neat to see this Elephant stretch her trunk to reach the melons the zoo worker was throwing in the water.

Ellie like the Elephants, she kept saying "whoa dat's big!"

K funny story with this next picture actually 2 funny stories. This T-Rex would growl and roar at passersby Kaleb was quick to point out that the actual dinosaur wasn't making the noise and was quick to point out the speakers hidden up in the tree's! He didn't want to spoil it for the other kids so he kept his discovery to himself and of course me. Ellie got a big kick out of this big dinosaur's growls, she stood a few feet from him stood on her tip toes leaned forward and with as much breath as she could muster she roared her biggest roar, turning red in the process, it was a cute site to see but the best part was when the t-rex roared his biggest roar right back at her! Ellie was quick to turn on her hills and RUN! It was the funniest thing EVER, anyone that was watchin couldn't help but laugh! I wish I would have had my camera out, it would have been a great shot to get.

 We went in to the snake habitat's Ellie was of course with her favorite Uncle Ethan, he took her over to see the snakes her quick response when he pointed them out od "eeeewwww YUCK!" now every time you ask her what a snake says she responds with "ewwww sssssss YUCK!". My thoughts exactly!

The kids were exhausted by the end of the day, but they had so much fun. Kaleb's favorite thing was the dinosaurs, Ryne's was the peacocks and Ellie's was the snakes monkeys. It was a nice day and we had a nice quiet ride home.