A Much Needed Update!

Wow, I guess I got busy with everything and it's been a long while since I've updated this. I've been working in Madison now at my new job for over three weeks now full time. It's going quite well. There is a lot of paperwork to manage and it seems that one paper leads to another. The home visits are going good. I have some really unique families in all aspects.

It was Homecoming in Volga this week. The kids were really excited about it. There was a school parade that went through town and each grade dressed in a different costume. This town sure shows spirit and comes together as a community!

Jayden and I watching the parade.

Jayden was telling me a very serious story about the rocks. Haha. It was too cute.

Then he started walking around the driveway which was all wet from daddy washing vehicles. You can see his little feetprints all over.

They were just too cute!

My Office

So I'm loving my new job. My house is an entire preschool and also houses my office. There is anything and everything I could ask for inside this place. I still have lots of organizing to do within the closets. Every closet, except one has supplies, like toys, crafts, paints, infant toys. All the rooms are set up for children birth to 3. Jayden would have a wonderful time there! Here's just a few pictures of my little place.

This is what you see when you walk in the front door. This is technically called the toddler room. It has a toddler climber, a dramatic play area, a book corner, plus shelves to hold toys, cubbies for personal items, and a fish tank!

This room is dedicated for crafts and for snack. The table is about as high as my knees. It's so adorable. And the little chairs that go with it are perfect. Behind the table is a loveseat. In the closet is my incentive program where parents can earn points to "win" things like diapers, wipes, bathroom stuff, clothes, or whatever they need.
This is my office. It's located in the kitchen. To the left of the desk is a closet which has a washer and dryer, many shelves and a copy machine. I even have a fax machine....guess that means I have to learn how to fax huh?!
This room is the infant room. It has mats laid down and soft blocks and anything you can imagine perfect for a baby. I have not been able to organize this room. It's fairly cluttered right now. Behind the picture is a double rocker glider as well.
This is just one closet that is loaded with toys and activities to take on my visits. It's amazing all the stuff there is and it's all so interesting and fun! Sometimes I have a hard time deciding what to take on the visits.

Jayden's Lump

A few months ago, I noticed a lump under Jayden's arm by his armpit and between his breast. It was scary so I took him to the doctor. The doctor told me it was a swollen lymph gland probably from an infection. Well this lump seems to still be there or has possibly gotten bigger. It is like a marble under his skin and it sticks out. It moves around. Mike took took him "along" to the doctor with the girls on Friday. The doctor didn't have his chart, but again, stated not to worry unless it stops moving around, feels warm/hot to the touch, or turns red. I was telling a couple I work with about it and he's worried. He has had cancer and it was a lump in that same spot and it wasn't red or hot. His was bigger. Anyhow, he begged me to take Jayden to get a second opinion and demand an MRI to see exactly what it is. Tonight I sit here and did some searching online and it seems I find the "not scary" stuff and the "scary" stuff where both sides tend to aim towards his lump. At this point, I'm not sure what to do. Our doctor has told us if it does become red, hot, or hard, then he would have to have it removed. It's just so creepy to see this bump coming out of him and even worse to feel. I'm just hoping and praying it's nothing and that it will go away. I'm probably going to call the doctor again and talk to him personally on Tuesday about why I shouldn't worry about it. How does he know for sure it's not cancer or a tumor? I don't know what to do!

First Day of School

So the first day of school went off without a problem! The kids came home bouncing off the walls with excitement. They had all made friends and they all told me they loved Sioux Valley "way" better than Medary. This made me feel awesome! I walked them to school today and introduced myself to all of their teachers and made sure the right rooms were found. Joseph's teacher even said he worked hard today and he was a great student. We are a bit concerned about Joseph because he has trouble focusing and staying on task. Dalton broke his sandal, so Mike had to take him his other shoes. Shawndra and Shaylee both had a good day. YAY!!

Swinging Tonight

Took a few minutes tonight to enjoy the gorgeous weather before supper. Jayden and Devin played on the playset. Jayden loved swinging.

He kept throwing his head back and laughing.
Then I took him out and put him on the slide. He wasn't too thrilled with that.
But he got used to it and loved exploring.
Devin kept asking for "underdogs".
Tomorrow we will be celebrating Shaylee and Dalton's birthdays. Since we moved the week of their birthdays, we had to celebrate late.

New Job, New House

Hello. That's right, I have a new job. I've spent the last 3 days thinking really hard and crunching numbers on paper, along with writing down the pros and cons. Last night, Mike and I decided I should go for the job. It's in my field, Early Childhood Education. I am now a Family Advocate with Early Head Start in Lake County, which is Madison. I will be driving, but am hoping that in maybe a year or so, the opportunity might arise to transfer into Brookings. For now, I'm getting my foot in the door. I will have approximately 10 families and will serve children in their homes who range in age from Birth to 3 years old. I see each family for 1 1/2 hours one time a week and bring activities to their home. I will also be responsible for PALS, which is like a big open invitation for my families to come to my office/PALS site and participate in the parent education I will provide, the activities, and the snack. I am totally excited. I haven't even graduated and I've already been offered this job!

We are in our house! We love it! We still have lots of unpacking to do, but initially we are done. The kids are super happy and so are we. We finally have the much needed space we all desired.

School starts in Volga on Monday. Hard to believe how fast the time went once again. Seems like not long ago we were beginning summer. I hate to think snow will be on the way in just a few months! Oh well, I guess I'm ready for cooler weather. I've never been one to enjoy heat. Plus I hate bugs!! HAHA!

The Move

We are finally in our new house and so excited to be here. The kids love it. We ran into a minor setback when we moved, actually on the 14th hour of moving. The boys' room reeked like cat urine. I called the people who cleaned our carpets and they told me that what probably happened was the urine was soaked into the pad and by shampooing the carpets it brought the smell back to the top. It was so bad I can't even explain. We hauled all the boys' stuff back out and shut the door. We went to Midstates yesterday and bought new carpet and ripped out the old crap last night. Tonight we still need to scrape the rest of the padding up and then bleach the concrete. So far, since we pulled the carpet out, we can't really smell it at all. All we smell is paint. So I believe the problem will be solved. It just amazes me how nobody could smell that before the carpet cleaning, so I guess it was kind of a save for us.

We have spent the last three days packing, unpacking, putting things together, organizing, and doing some cleaning. We are finally out of the trailer completely, but no where near put together here. Our garage is packed full. We need to have a rummage sale, but I would like to wait until next year during Volga days when there are lots of rummage sales. I actually tried to arrange the garage somewhat tonight in order to make room for ONE van. I thought I did good, got in my van, pulled it in, but it wouldn't fit. It went in, just not far enough, and I don't think I could have opened my door. So hopefully we can get some more stuff unpacked so we can actually use the garage!

Anyhow, I best get back to cleaning and unpacking.

What a Day!

Guess it's been awhile since I updated again. We closed on the house this morning. We are official home-owners! It's so exciting and overwhelming. Today we did a little cleaning and then started painting. We got the boys' room painted, which is a sky blue. I'm not crazy about it, but I think it will look good when we get the Superman comforters in there along with furniture and whatnot.

The girls made a deal with us today. They have also wanted a blue room, except their bedding has no blue in it. So I kept telling them that the blue is just not going to work and I'm not buying them new bedding because theirs isn't old. Well anyhow, we broke down and bought them new bedding that has blue, purple and bright green in it. The deal was....we keep their last paycheck from the paper route. They had to talk about it and discuss if it was worth it, but in the end they told us money isn't everything. Their room is now bright blue and purple! It's crazy in a good way. Then they will have bright green curtains to go with everything.

We also tackled one wall in our room. We actually put grey on that wall and it looks pretty neat. The carpet is such a bright blue it's hard to find a color that we liked that didn't completely clash.

We also had a couple of guys installing a window today in one of the bedrooms. What a difference that made! The room had no window before, now it does. They just need to put the trim on and it's done.

I also went to court today to testify as a witness. That was interesting to say the least. Of course it couldn't have happened at a worse time. I'm glad it's done. I guess the case is now headed to a jury trial.

Tomorrow we both work and then are headed back to the house to do more painting. We have 8 gallons waiting!! Well, maybe 7 now. Then on Wednesday I suppose we'll tidy up the house and get ready for the carpet cleaners to come. And then Thursday we start to move.

I will add pictures when I get time.....

What's in the air?

Man I tell you. There is something in the air that is causing people to be really crabby. I suppose it has something to do with the economy and the uncertainy of it, the rising gas prices, or maybe even the weather. I have had my share of run ins with people who have been having a bad day and have taken it out on me, personally. When people have a bad day I wish they would take a step back and realize what they are thinking of saying or how they are thinking of treating someone. It's amazing how many people take their frustrations out on innocent people at Wal-Mart. The last two days I have felt sorry for myself and for many of our cashiers for the situations they have had to deal with and the rudeness of the many customers. Maybe if these customers would actually think that WE also live in this economy and WE also have to deal with the rising prices they would stop and just keep it to them selves. Could just be me dreaming of that ever so perfect world again.

The house is coming along well. We have almost made it to third base. The appraisal was done on Wednesday. I ran into our mortgage lender and she said we would be getting a phone call on Monday regarding the appraisal. We are praying for nothing major to have been found. Considering we had an inspection done and there wasn't anything to major found on that we figure we should be ok. The soffit (over hang by roof) has a rotten spot, so we figure we might have to have that replaced before we can close. We'll see. We're anxious! We haven't even begun packing because we don't have any place to put our boxes unless we want to start stacking them in the living room. Gosh I can't wait for the day when we are in our house with double the space!!

Today I took my PRAXIS exam. It's an exam I have to take in order to get my diploma. If I don't pass this test, I don't get the diploma. I do have the option to retake the test, but it costs $140 each time. I thought it was fairly difficult....enough so to make me nervous. But I was nervous about the last PRAXIS I took and I passed that with flying colors. It's hard to believe I'm graduating in December! Wow, where has the time gone. 6 credits and I'm done!

We took the kids over to Volga on Friday to see the school. I think I will like it and I think they will too. Right now they are pretty excited, except Shaylee. She doesn't want to leave Brookings. The nice thing about Volga is they can actually pick their teachers. Registration is August 5th and school starts on August 25th.

Family Update

Joseph went to the doctor yesterday. His arm is healing nicely. He will get his cast off in two weeks. Just in time to help us move!! Only kidding. Shaylee and Shawndra are slightly bummed that they have to stop their paper route here in Brookings. We're hoping maybe someday there will be a route open close to our house in Volga. It's been a great opportunity for them to earn some money. Jayden is doing well. He's been OFF, yes OFF, of his antibiotics for two weeks and his ears STILL look great! Here are a few pictures from the other day.

Busy Preparing

I can't believe it's already been a week since I last updated this! Wow, time really flies by when you are buying a house and even if you aren't!! Things are rolling along well. As our realtor says, we're on 2nd base. The house is ours when we make it to home plate. The inspection went pretty good. Anything that was found was minor, except one spot in the sofit (sp?). There is a rotten section, so I'm sure the appraisers will find that. We had the appraisal and title work ordered last Friday. They have until the 28th to get it completed. We've already made appointments to get the carpets cleaned and a window installed. I just hope my work schedule allows for me to get a bunch of cleaning and painting done that week.

Not much is new around the house. I've got some cold or something. We have three kids on antibiotics for strep throat. I've never had strep....knock on wood.

Mike and I went to Sioux Falls on Sunday and did more window shopping than I have ever done. We were trying to get an idea on prices on the appliances, furniture, grills, and patio sets. That sure adds up quick!

House!

Some of you may have heard...we retracted our offer on the house we originally wanted. However, we have found a different house that suits us much better and the yard is much bigger. We are super happy to have found this home and to have found out today that the sellers accepted the offer! We have it inspected on Friday.

Pictures of a Broken Boy

The broken arm was bad. Then the next day he thought he'd stand on a ball to see if he could balance. He couldn't. He face planted into the asphalt and scraped his chin, cheek, and bit it. He was really puffy.

Hey Sylvester...how's it going?

House/Joseph/General

I never knew buying a house could be so nerve wracking and stressful. I mean I've always heard people say that, but thought how bad can it be. Well I found out. The thought of getting into that loan with the huge payments is really scary. In the past 24 hours we have even gone as far as possibly retracting our offer in order to find something that is cheaper. The part that is so hard about this process is the amount of change we are encountering right now and all at once. I have to make some phone calls to the bank tomorrow and find out some answers to some very real questions we have. And we also plan to look at another house on Tuesday. Who knows...plans could change once again. Sometimes I think I shouldn't say anything at all, until I am for certain what is happening...but that would spoil all of the fun.

Joseph is now sporting a red cast up to his elbow. It has quite a few signatures on it already! The silly boy took a good tumble yesterday now. Is this where I say "boys will be boys"?? He actually stood on a ball to see if he could balance. Needless to say, he couldn't, and tumbled to the ground. He scraped his chin and his cheek and he bit his cheek really hard as well. Today it's all puffy. The best way to describe that side of his face is to imagine someone who has had their wisdom teeth pulled. He's still in good spirits though!

The kids are finally done with swimming lessons for this summer. It's been a long 6 weeks, but a skill that is so important for them to learn. Shaylee has passed level 6 now. I believe she's considered a junior lifeguard at this point, but am not totally for sure. Shawndra is moving on to level 5. She needs to work on the breast stroke. Joseph even passed to level 4 and he missed the last week of swimming lessons. So that was pretty amazing! Dalton will need to retake level 2. He tends to be more afraid of the water and doesn't want to do things on his own. I'm sure this will improve with age and practice.

The boys are not in t-ball anymore. We felt Dalton wasn't ready for it and then when Joseph broke his arm, the doctor said no more. The girls are done the end of this month and then will have the month of August to just relax and do fun stuff.

Well I suppose...it's after midnight, so I should try to sleep.

House Update

So the whole house shopping thing moved into rush mode this week, but not solely on purpose. We looked at 3 houses on Tuesday, but knew none of those would work. So we looked at 2 more on Thursday and ended up really liking one of the houses. We decided to make an offer on it this morning. The sellers counter offered and then we did the same. Finally today, they came back and accepted our offer. So needless to say, we're excited and nervous at the same time. We've made it to 1st base! YAY! It will have 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, huge laundry room, sun room, double attached garage and in a perfect location. As we move further through the process, I'll tell you more. Right now we feel scared and excited. We're so ready to have our family in a nice sized house where the kids actually have room to spread out and play! But on the other side, we're getting into a house payment so that is scary.

Good News and Bad News

First the good news. I took Jayden to feeding clinic yesterday. We got great news! He is no longer required to be on the feeding pump. I was so excited to hear this. He is doing so well with his oral intake that he no longer needs the additional calories at night! So now that we don't use his Mic-Key button, he might get it removed in 6 months. My goal is Christmas. Jayden has to go back to feeding clinic in November. At that time, we will discuss taking him off of his medicines and the possibility of taking out the button. When he does get the button removed, it is an actual surgery and he will be in the hospital. His stomach is sewn to inside wall of his body. The surgeon has to correct that when the button is removed. Jayden sure has come a long way!

The bad news. Joseph fell out of bed last night around 4am. He sleeps on the top bunk. He cried right away and Mike checked on him. This morning his wrist was swollen, he wouldn't eat, his throat hurt and all he wanted to do was sleep and lay around. I took him in to the clinic and he actually broke both bones in his right arm at the wrist. The breaks aren't bad and the doctor says they should heal up nicely. We go back tomorrow to see the ortho doctor and find out when it can be casted. Right now it's really swollen, so it's in a splint, and he has to ice it and keep it elevated. Needless to say, that means no more t-ball this summer. He's pretty bummed. To top it off, they tested his throat and he has Strep. Joseph is having a rough day. Poor kid.

We Have Officially Started!

We finally got pre-approved for a home loan. We are very excited to actually
start looking at houses now, instead of just seeing them online. I've been looking
at them for years online and always thinking I wonder when I will get to have a
house. Well the time has finally come and we got our ducks in a row and went to
the bank today with a huge stack of papers. Now that we are approved, we can
look and see which house will be the one for us.

Living in this trailer is "do-able", but definitely too small for 8 people. We're hoping
to find a minimum of a 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom house, somewhere near Brookings.
We'll keep you posted!!

A True Artist

Jayden was painting with frozen paint. However, the paint

was not frozen very well. The spoons kept coming out.

So he started to just move the paint cubes around

with his fingers. It was cold! I took this picture just as he tossed

the spoon onto my white pants! I wonder what he's thinking?
Once the spoons came out we moved onto paintbrushes and he painted his high chair. He made little blotches all over and then smeared it together.

And proceeded to smear it all over his tray!

Forget paintbrushes, lets use fingers!!

A close-up of his masterpiece!

Back to the paintbrush for some final touch ups!

At the end he figured out how to splatter the paint! It was all over everywhere,including the wall, floor, camera and me!I think Jayden really had fun painting. It was a good texture experience for him because the paint was cold and had a crunchy feel to it since it was slightly frozen. In the pictures you can see his Mic-Key button on his tummy, well, he painted that purple as well! It took two baths to get him clean!

Harvest Festival

Jayden was scared to death of the parade! We had

to hold him the entire time. First the firetrucks and ambulances

scared him, then just regular vehicles scared him. Poor guy! He

did watch, but he had to be held and his head was resting on my shoulder.

Here's Devin in the cars, all ready to go for a ride!!
And here's where Devin was...but changed her mind

before the ride started. She was freaked out of all rides!

Lined up waiting for the parade. They got so much candy!
Jayden did love the football he received.

Bubbles

Jayden had his first experience with bubbles today. His OT (occupational therapist) was working with him. He was not enjoying therapy today, so she pulled out the bubbles. He loved them! He was stomping his feet and trying to catch them. It was really cute.

Here he is trying to touch the bubble.

And trying to catch the bubbles! I don't think he understood

where the bubbles went when he touched them.
They even landed on the rug for a few seconds.
That's his therapist blowing bubbles.

On a different note, we are off to the doctor today. Jayden's ear has been draining consistently for a week or so. He's been on antibiotics for a month. Nothing is fixing it again. We have to go have it cultured to see if it's MRSA (staph infection resistent to antibiotics). There's a chance we will be ending up at St. Paul Children's Hospital to see a Pediatric Infectious Disease doctor. Unfortunately we have to deal with the doctor ONE more time in Sioux Falls for insurance purposes before we can go to Minnesota. Stupid....but if it means insurance will cover it, then it's the smartest thing we can do. I will update on the culture in a few days as it does take a few days before we get results back.