Happy Halloween!

Shawndra and Shaylee ready to go trick or treating.

(Look at the height difference between them...hard to believe there is only 4 months difference in age.)

Vampire Shawndra. She said she wanted to be a vampire or a witch. She made a great vampire. I asked her if she ever wondered what she would look like with black hair and she said no. Well, that's her real hair. Looks good!
Cat woman Shaylee is what we decided to call her. It was tricky this year to explain to Shaylee that she didn't have to "be" somebody in particular, but that we could "make up" a costume. This was what I suggested and she really liked it, except for the itchy eye mask.
Jayden was a dragon again. While we were home, he liked wearing the skeleton mask with his costume. He cruised around from house to house in his car. That sure made the night go better. He would get up and walk to most doors, unless there was something scary. Jayden would take his candy and then I would tell him to say thank you. He said it, "ank oo". It was the cutest thing. He said it every time he was told.

We made a trip into town to grandma and grandpa's house. Dalton was Darth Vader. Jayden didn't care to have his picture taken, so he just roamed in and out of pictures.

Unfortunately, the other two kids were home with fevers. Sure was a bummer that they came down with the fevers before Halloween. We weren't even sure if Shaylee was going to go because she still has a bad cough, but her fever has been gone for several days.

he takes after me

I think this boy takes after me in more ways than one.In this way he takes after me for his love of cookie dough.

And his desire to eat lots of it.

And his demanding personality. Especially when he wants more!

His ability to use his persuasive eyes has also been known to help him get his way.

But most of all, he has a very large love for peanut butter, which he takes after me.

And as a disclaimer, our family is well aware of the sickness you can get from eating raw cookie dough, but I was raised eating it, and have never gotten sick. So in small amounts for little ones, they are allowed to eat it. And they LOVE it. And I can't blame them.

a one-eyed monster snowman

A very small, micro, little, one-eyed blue snowman has taken over guarding our yard from other big snowmen that may think they're entitled.

Can you guess how the snowman turned blue? I mean, we've always been told not to eat yellow snow right, but is there harm in blue snow? This little snowman turned blue from broken up blue chalk. Now isn't that creative! Oh and it only stands about 10 inches tall. And, it may have had two eyes, but I think the heavy wet snow which is melting fairly fast, may have been the culprit.Next up, a snow chair! Feel free to pull it up and have a seat, although, there may not be great conversation right now.
Looks like the culprit may have been Shaylee, but nope, she was confined to the house, so Shawndra went out and wrote it for her!

We're still battling lots of sickness here. Looks like we'll probably be laying low tomorrow night instead of trick or treating. I guess the final consensus will be tomorrow when we can evaluate them again.

Jayden's leg

Back a few years ago, roughly two, Jayden had some surgeries done to try to help stop his severe apnea. Doctors didn't really know what was wrong with him or why he kept turning blue. It was a very scary time. I reference a post from the year anniversary of his longest hospital stay, the one where a central line was put in his groin. Who would have thought two years later we would run into problems because of that central line.

Do you remember when he had his Mic-Key button taken out and the surgeon brought up the size difference in his legs? If not, please read this and it will further explain some of the issues he has had because of the old central line.

Now two days ago, I noticed his scar from the central line, which typically looks like a bite with two holes, was looking quite odd and not good. After a phone call to the ER they said I needed to bring him in. The scar was very red, swollen and had two blackish pussy looking things coming out of the holes. Here is what it looks like two days later.

Jayden is currently taking antibiotics to try to reduce the infection while we wait for the culture to see if it is MRSA. Since he has been MRSA positive before, it's likely that this could be the case this time. He goes to the doctor tomorrow for a follow up. I really expected his leg to look better than this. It still looks nasty. His leg is very sore and he doesn't like his thigh to be touched anywhere. I'm hoping the doctor tomorrow might have some better answers than the ER, or we might head back to Sioux Falls for the original doctor to look at it.

As for my previous post on GOING PRIVATE, I haven't decided yet if I'm going to now. I really like sharing in Mckmama's Not Me Monday posts and by going private I wouldn't be able to do that. I might try reading the comments first before they are published to take care of the one problem. As for the other problem, well, I'm not sure yet on that.

On another note, I would encourage you to visit MckMama's blog. Her sweet Stellan is in the hospital and is not doing well.

Going Private

I have decided to take my blog private for several reasons. I have been getting strange comments on my posts (which I've been deleting) from Spanish writing/speaking people. I don't want to take my anonymous commenting option away. And also, with a person in particular who is out of prison now, I don't want her knowing what's going on in our family.

So....if YOU want to continue reading my blog, you will need to email me at vathielen@q.com so that I can add you to the list of approved readers.

I do enjoy writing and sharing pictures, but now is the time to be a bit more guarded. So send me an email with your email address and everything will still be open for reading. Thanks!!

trip to hospital

I guess I should have knocked on wood or maybe kept my mouth shut before I posted about waiting because I know the obvious was inevitable and the obvious has arrived.

Shaylee came home sick from school today, early this morning. This evening there was a fever as high as 103.7. She looks terrible. She sounds terrible. She feels terrible.

Then I noticed something very wrong with Jayden's central line scar from over 2 years ago. The two holes had bumps coming out of them, kind of like a zit. It was red all the way around it. There was a bump underneath it and it was hot and he didn't like it.

After calling the ER and telling them about it, they said I needed to bring him in. So I did. It was a quick trip, thankfully. The doctor basically popped it and yucky green puss came out of it. He swabbed it to see if it's MRSA, which will take a couple of days. Then he traced around it with a permanent marker for us to use as a base line. It shouldn't get any redder beyond the marker line. They called in a prescription for Bactrim, told us to put some warm packs on it for the swelling and to see our regular doctor in two days. The doctor didn't figure the infection had spread to the rest of his body, so this is good.

Now, hopefully we can get that healed and get everyone healthy before Halloween, or we could be laying low this year.

waiting and hoping

Waiting seems to be inevitable in all aspects of life, doesn't it? The flu season is here and so many people are getting sick or waiting to get sick. It doesn't matter how well you disinfect, wash hands, cover your mouth, and follow other precautionary guidelines because the flu is going to get you, it's just a matter of waiting for the right time.

Sometimes the time is not right. Like my little niece, Rianna, who just had her tonsils and adenoids taken out a mere 48 hours before getting sick. And now her mom is waiting (and hoping) that she doesn't get it because it would be really, really hard on her body due to the medicines she takes and having a poor immune system. Waiting.

In our house, we've been extra careful when dealing with germs and sickness. Clorox wipes, Lysol, antibacterial hand soap, Kleenex, and Germ-X are spread around our house in abundance. Even though we are trying to keep the flu out of our house, I still feel like I'm just waiting for it to happen. Considering I have 4 kids in the school system, I feel it's inevitable for it to arrive and rear it's ugly face.

While our house is waiting and hoping, I've noticed some coughs developing among our children. We are blessed that we haven't seen true flu symptoms as of yet. I will continue to wait and hope that we don't have to deal with it.

The flu is something that is not exciting to be waiting for, but there is something coming up that is worth waiting for. The curiosity and excitement of Halloween is peeking around the corner. All the kids are excited and anxious for the day to come. And it's so hard for them to keep waiting.

kids' mom

The day has finally arrived where the kids' mom is no longer in prison. As much as I knew that day would come sooner or later, it snuck upon us quicker than I had realized. I'm relieved to know that the kids can now stop saying, "my mom is in jail" and can try to rebuild that relationship with her that was basically non-existent the past year.

One year passed with a handful of letters and a couple of phone calls. Yesterday we were getting the kids into the truck when she called and she was in town. Reality. Our understanding was that she was at the bowling alley and wanted to see the kids. We briefly talked about it and headed over there, except, after searching the bowling alley twice, we couldn't find her. Empty promises. Again.

We headed back home thinking maybe we had misunderstood her, but since there was no phone number to call her, we couldn't do much more than tell the kids, "she was supposed to be at the bowling alley". The questions came rolling out from them. They were curious. They wanted to know when they would get to see her.

And then it happened. She showed up at the house. I was expecting the kids to go bananas and run out to her and hug her and kiss her. They were excited, but they didn't run to her. They casually got their shoes on and walked out to her (except Devin...she ran.) It was as if they could see they needed to be cautious, that they knew the history of the past and they were cautious. Innocent kids that know they have to be cautious.

Apparently she had said she would meet us at the park. The kids walked to the park with their mom and her friend(boy). They spent an hour together and then came home. They seemed to be happy to see her. And I think they got a few questions answered, but I don't think that makes up for the past year and the stuff they missed out on.

Now the kids want to know when they can go with her for the weekend. It's hard for them to understand that she has nothing. No job, no place to live, no food. We try to explain to them that she has to get certain things in order before they can stay with her. She has to be able to support them and show us that they will be taken care of and fed.

But who's to believe that anything has changed? We have years of history to base the future on. We have years of empty promises and inappropriate living situations to compare to. Yet, now, we are hopeful that maybe the time away, the time in prison, the parenting classes and other classes she has taken, will be the beginning of something new and something better and more promising for the kids.

For now, we will answer their questions and encourage them to talk. In the meantime, we will wait and see what comes next and remain hopeful that something will change, for the sake of the kids.

Sophie

Our kittens, Macie and Allie, got a special post all to themselves, probably because they are kittens, they are the newest, and well, they just did. But here's a post all for Sophie. One of her favorite spots to sleep is on top of our dryer, in a backpack.

She's full of attitude and is caught talking back to the kittens on many occassions in a not so friendly voice. She has also been spotted on the counter licking on the plates, bowls, or whatever is in the sink.
She tends to carry herself with dignity and expects to be treated like royalty on her terms.

Sophie has also been caught loving on her owners, snuggling in a blanket with them and offering all the kids a wonderful companionship.

keeping warm during Hobo Days

Six kids, but not all mine. Although I would claim them all as my own. Several of mine were missing in this picture. Cousins...who enjoyed each others company today. But can you see how everyone was keeping warm with all the winter gear and many blankets? They all waited patiently for the parade to start.

Grandma was also keeping warm while waiting for the parade to start.

Grandpa never complained and it sure looks like he's having fun.

This little man was very intrigued by the bands playing music. He loved to dance, but was very unsure of the scary, noisy firetrucks.
I think Matt and I both have great expressions. I was trying, but not sure if Matt was or if the lens caught him at the best moment. :) Don't you just love how well I matched today? I mean, a 10 year old Adidas coat, a pink scarf, a blue hat, gray gloves. It was great! But at least I was warm!

twice in one night

My husband thinks he's funny. Especially after I've been sitting in training all day and then driving for several hours. I come walking in the garage door and I see Dalton cleaning up the laundry room. No big deal right? Well, behind the door was my loving husband, who looked slightly odd and made a slightly scary noise. Can you guess what I did by the picture?

Did you guess that I socked him a good him a good one right in the nose?

You're wrong!

I screamed and shook and probably should have cleaned out my shorts pants!

But have you figured out why he looks like that?

Guess again!

(scroll down)

Because he had toilet paper stuffed up his nose to stop it from running! And he didn't want me to take his picture. So he covered his nose with his hands. But I'm good. You knew that already though right? I held the button down slightly and moved the camera around the front extremely quickly while pushing the button and with the help of image editing software, I was able to pull this out for the results! You'd scream if you saw this too!

You remember the title of this post? TWICE IN ONE NIGHT. He got me again in the bedroom (not that way!!). Behind the door. Making that scary sound. And again, I screamed and shook in my shorts pants.

hilarious baby videos

A baby scared of his own fart.


A baby laughing....


A baby laughing very funny...

kitty update

Do you remember these two little furballs we brought home one early April day? Way back then they were small, innocent (not entirely), busy exploring their new home and also needed names. So much has changed since then. As you can see, they sit on top of the garage roof like the queens they pretend to be.

They try to act like they are still so tiny and get themselves into the strangest positions and predicaments.

They share a sisterly love for each other...well because they are sisters.
They cuddle in laundry baskets, on beds, under beds, and they explore the rafters in the laundry room while they act like they're ready to pounce.

They nap together, they unroll toilet paper, they climb trees and they eat us out of house and home.

These two not so innocent kittens helped themselves to a loaf of bread yesterday and hauled it through the house, shredded the bag and left slices of bread up and down the stairs and crumbs everywhere I toes walked.

But even through all of this, they are our pets and they are loved.

glasses

Shaylee with her new glasses that she will use for reading.

Joseph with his new glasses that he will use all the time to see if the headaches go away. If they don't go away then it's possibly from a side effect of the medicine he takes.
Both kids are excited for them.

busy weekend

We had a very busy weekend. Yesterday the girls were in a volleyball tournament that lasted all day. Shaylee's team, 6th grade, took 2nd place. It was a heart-breaker for her though because they had made it to that final championship game and then they lost the tie breaker game at the last 3 points. I still think they did great, I mean they got 2nd place and they got a trophy!

Shawndra's team, 5th grade, took 3rd place. Both girls played very well and had a lot of fun, but it sure tired them out. They both fell asleep in the truck on the way home.

Then we had to swing over to Elkton to pick up the other kids at grandpa and grandma's. We were supposed to make it to a wedding yesterday, but with the tournament, we didn't. We did make it to the reception (a little late). I wasn't too sure about going in the attire we were wearing, but we knew we couldn't waste anymore time, since the supper had started an hour prior. It was beautiful. The colors were the warm fall colors. And they had fun little bite sized pies to snack on for dessert. Yum! As a thank you, they sent home some apple butter and apple jelly...homemade!

Today we went to an auction and loaded up on lots of stuff. Then we came home and took care of our ginormous yard that was cluttered with zillions of leaves. Oh my gosh, I mowed up leaves and dumped the bag probably over a hundred times. It took me 4 hours. While I was doing that, Mike was finishing up the trailer and the kids were helping to rake. Our yard looks great. Now we'll see how long that lasts before the last few leaves fall or the wind switches and we get the neighbors leaves!

Did I mention that I have no pictures because my battery in my camera died BEFORE the championship game. However, another parent is supposed to be emailing us the pictures and when they do, I will add them up here.

new bedroom furniture

We finally got our new bedroom furniture and it was quite the fiasco getting it inside. Once we got it in, then we were in for another surprise...how big everything was and how small our room was upon completion.

This one is Mike's dresser. It's really tall. And you can see we have just a walk way through the foot of the bed and that. Not that we ever had a big space there, but it used to be bigger.

Here's our new headboard. King size! Woo whoo! And to the left is my, yes my, nightstand. I claimed it. He had it before, but I claimed it this time.
Again, my nightstand. Did I mention, that Mike didn't care I claimed it? He's such a wonderful husband.

And the big bed. Remember, King Size! A 4 post bed! And we love it. And we haven't even slept in it yet.

Now let me tell you, it took the furniture guys well over an hour to get everything in and put together. We amused them by our shock on how much room the bed takes up. They said a lot of people say that, too! Then they ran into the problem of the tall dresser not fitting through the door. Let's just say, when we move, maybe the new owners will want our new bedroom set, that won't be so new 100 years from now. LOL. In all seriousness, it's a huge piece, a "beast" as they called it. In fact, they even had to bring it up the back and through the patio. I tried to get their names so they could move it out when we moved, but they laughed.

But finally, we have a brand spankin new, fresh smelling, beauty shining real wood bedroom set.

wipers

Only I could get strung out, stressed and overwhelmed because of my wipers. Seriously...leave it to me.

Last year my work van was in the shop three times getting the wipers fixed. Well low and behold it snowed this past week and now my wipers are acting up again. And this time, the whole darn wiper tore requiring a new one.

No big deal, right?

I head to the store, find the wipers, but no book to determine the size. So I go to customer service to ask for help. Some guy comes and says he'd check in back. There was no book and he had no clue what size I needed. I can't blame him. That's the reason there's usually a book to look at to find the size.

I go to the second store, fewer wipers to choose from. No book. No one around to help. I leave.

I go to a dealership, to the parts department. They don't have the wipers. They have to special order them and they would take 2-3 days. Really? By this time, I've spent half my life a good hour searching for wipers.

Finally, stressed out and running late, I hurry back to the office and ask where else I can go because I need to be able to charge them. That's how this job works. Everywhere I go, I charge things. They send me to NAPA.

NAPA fixed my problem and even put them on my van AND offered nice conversation. They were amused by the fuss I had gone to trying to find my wipers.

Anyhow, after losing 8 hours of office time to the holiday yesterday (no I'm not complaining about a paid holiday) I was finding myself in a time crunch to get everything done. I have a pile of work to do at the office. But it will still be there tomorrow and the next day or until I get it done.

Those darn wipers had me in such a frenzy. Geez.

eye doctor

Today was the end of a great 4 day weekend. But wow, did the time go fast or what? We had appointments for all six kids to see the eye doctor and myself at the end. It turned out to be a pricey day after paying for Mike's glasses and contacts from a week ago, fitting two kids for glasses, me for glasses and our exams. Aye yi yi.

Sigh.

Did you catch that? Two kids need glasses. And several are borderline, which is a crappy place to be because the doctor says there is a slight lens presciption, yet it doesn't necessarily warrant glasses. But we can try glasses if we want, or we can ask the teachers to move the kids. Ugh. I wish it was black and white. Yes, your child needs glasses. Unfortunately it's not that simple.

Joseph is the first one that probably needed the glasses the most. He's been complaining of headaches for months, especially last school year. Joseph also takes Vyvanse for ADHD and it is a slight side effect of the drug to suffer from headaches. However, after watching him read the letters during the exam and seeing the large amount of letters he guessed wrong, we felt it was necessary for him to get glasses. We helped him pick out a nice pair of green glasses. Joseph is so excited, too! Now I just hope he can take care of them.

Shaylee is the other one who is getting glasses. She has never complained of having troubles seeing or headaches, but she had some troubles with the eye exam. Her prescription is not high and she could possibly do without them, but after talking to her, we felt she should get the glasses for reading. And the doctor agreed, that reading is when she would benefit from them. Shaylee said her eyes hurt when she reads. So we found a really cute pair of glasses for her and she is probably more excited to get them than Joseph. Next week, our kids will sport their new look.

Jayden did not cooperate with his exam. She got very little information from him, but she did get enough information to see that his eyes are not crossing or something else (I can't remember what else she said.) But since we don't have any concerns about him, we'll try again in a year. We went into the appointment knowing he would have troubles.

The funniest thing about getting drops in their eyes is who threw the biggest fit. Shaylee. The oldest. Devin, Joseph, Dalton, and Shawndra didn't flinch, cry, whine, pout or anything. They took the drops like champs. But my oldest on the other hand, wasn't so nice to the doctor, pouted in the corner while they dilated, and walked out at the end stomping her feet not looking back or answering the doctor. But, that's Shaylee for you. Believe me, we talked to her about this and how disrespectful it was to treat the doctor the way she did. Hopefully she'll use a little more respect when dealing with professionals (and others).

I'll throw some pictures on here when they get their glasses.

taco soup

I've had a few requests for my taco soup recipe. Well, I can't call it my recipe so to speak because I found it somewhere else. But it is mine now and will be used again because this taco soup was delicious! I'll give you a photo tutorial of how to eat it because I'm sure you're thinking how exactly do you eat taco soup? For starters, once it's cooked, you dish 1/2 to 3/4 of the soup into your bowl.

Then add some lettuce.

And a dollop of sour cream. I tend to use a bigger dollop.

And a handful of cheddar cheese.

Throw some tortilla chips on top. We also tried them on the bottom, but they get soggier faster. If you don't mind soggy, then the bottom works pretty slick, too. Some of the kids preferred to have their chips on the side to use them to scoop. And that worked too.

Stir it up and wah-la. Taco Soup! Enjoy!

Taco Soup

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans pinto beans (I used 3 cans and the reduced sodium.)

2 cans corn

1 large can diced tomatoes

1 can tomatoes and chilies

1 packet taco seasoning (I used Ortega.)

1 packet ranch dressing mix (I used Hidden Valley.)

1 lb. ground turkey or hamburger (I used turkey.)

shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, tortillas

Brown the meat, drain, and put the meat on the bottom of the crock pot.

Sprinkle the seasoning packets on top of meat.

Drain and rinse the beans and add.

Drain the ENTIRE contents of the corn and tomato cans.

Stir.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-5 hours. I think the longer you cook it the better it tastes. I cooked ours on low for 9 hours. Stir well and serve with a handful of shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream and tortillas.

whats for supper?

I love my crock pot. I just wish I was able to find more things to cook in it. Today, I have taco soup cooking. We've never had it, but so far it smells really good! If it's a good one, I'll post the recipe later.

So, what's for supper at your house? Do you know of any good crock pot recipes?

white stuff

What in the heck is this white crap on my deck? Are you kidding me? It's early October!

I don't want to be ready for this stuff already.

before and after

Spur of the moment today, I decided for the last time that I really hated the bushes outside the front of the house. So Mike and I went outside and started trimming. This is how awful things looked before we started.

Lots of trimming with the clippers. We wished we had a hedge trimmer to make the tops a bit more evening, but we did our best, making piles of branches, twigs, and leaves all over.
Upon completion, this is what it looks like. Yes, the bushes look much better. Now since we've been living here for a year, we probably should paint that one window. Aye yi yi. We had that window put in when we moved in and still haven't gotten around to painting the wood around it. I guess it's a bit more noticeable now.

And then we decided we really didn't like the dried up ugly bushes, so we cut them out of there completely. Now next spring, we'll have to pull the rocks out and redo the landscaping.

I would really like to get rid of the bushes completely, but since I have little talent in the area of landscaping, I'm not sure what we'll do. We've managed to do little odds and ends all summer. Now next year, bigger projects are in store.