New Arrival!

Well, it finally arrived. We have been waiting on it for several days now, maybe even weeks. It wasn't here yet last night, but sometime through the night it came. It is Xavier's second tooth. The right one on the bottom. It is just barely through the gums, but it is definitely there. Maybe that would explain his not wanting to sleep the last couple days and nights. He is not fussy, just not really himself. So we will see if this helps him rest. Also it could have been his shots. He did develop a very minor small fine rash Friday morning. It is for the most part gone now, so not sure what caused it. So for now, we will be awaiting the arrival for numbers three and four.

Syd has come down with a nasty cold. Her nose runs constantly, and she sounds a little horse and stuffy. We will wait to see what happens. With her asthma, she usually gets worse before better, but the last few times it has not been as bad. So we will just wait and see what happens. I did start her meds immediately as soon as I noticed she was coming down with something.

Dylan had a basketball game yesterday. They won!! They are getting so much better. That is really the goal for them. Not to necessarily win, but to improve. They have two weeks of games left.

And as for Madison, nothing much going on. Her new thing is to run, run, run. We made a new rule in the house in order for the kids to get on to the lap top they have to run. When it is nice, they run ten laps around the house. When it is not, they run half a mile on the treadmill. Every time Madison asks to get on the laptop, I tell her she needs to go run. She always asks how far and I say half mile. She has been going above and beyond her half mile. I think she has been running at least 3 miles each time, sometimes four. I think she found her calling. She is not much into sports, but I think with a little training and encouragement from her dad, she will be a long distance runner.

In close, just a concern from a conversation Syd and I had the other day. I got a new washer and dryer. And she and I were sitting in the laundry room watching the clothes wash. She is as most of you know my loving child. And she said to me "Mommy, I love you", which is not unusual. And I of course said, "I love you too". Then she said, "I don't ever want you to die." WHAT?? Why is my five year old worried about me dieing? I don't want her to have to worry about this. But I guess for her to understand it at her age is really special. I suppose it is because of the deaths we have had in our family. She talks about how she misses her Grandpa Flentie quite often. She too talks of Mariah, but in a different way. Maybe because she only knows her from pictures. And angel Ava. She remembers it vividly. So I guess she has been through enough to know. It really makes me sad to know that she is thinking of losing us. And I hope and pray that God's plan for us it to be here with our children and them here with us for a long, long, time.

Does This Look Familiar?

I know one of our kids favorite movies of all time is the Wizard of Oz. Funny, I hated that movie as a kid. But our kids, all of them, have loved it from the first time they saw it. A few years back, we took them to the musical production in Wamego. They have been to the Oz museum in Wamego several times. They have met four of the original munchkins. And every year they want to go back to the Oz Fest. I am planning to take them this year. So knowing all of that, when I went in to check on Xavier a couple days ago during his nap, this is what I saw. And of course, to us it looked like the Wicked Witch of the East. Enjoy!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!

Okay so they are in reverse order of what I thought, but that is okay. These first two are Xavier on his half birthday. Exactly 6 months old.

This has become one of my favorite photos of him.

This was taken just a couple weeks ago. He had just gotten out of the bath.

To remind everyone, this is how he looked just a few hours old.

And, just a few minutes old.

My Little Man is Half a Year Old!!

Well as I promised, the update from Xavier's appointment. He is currently 17 lbs and 4 oz. which is about a pound and a half more than double his birth weight. He is 26 7/8" long and his head circumference is 17". He is right on track as far as growth. As far as development, he is right on track and a little advanced. He pushes up with his arms to 90 degrees when on his belly. He sits with support and is starting to sit for a few seconds without support. He is reaching for things and trying hard to get them. He is eating number 2 foods now. He has tried many different things and seems to like them all for the most part. Green beans are not his favorite, but he does eat them. He is starting to get separation anxiety. Strangers scare him, and if mommy leaves the room or goes out of sight he cries:) (What a great feeling that mommy is needed) He isn't at all spoiled!;-) So he is right on track. He got four injections today. His immunizations and a flu shot. So that is how that appointment went.

As for the others, just school, religion and basketball practice. Tonight as I picked the kids up from religion, Madison and Dylan were arguing over who could be your girlfriend or boyfriend. Dylan's "girlfriend" is his his 4th cousin. He said it is okay to marry your third cousin, right mom. I said legally, I think so but I don't think it is something to worry about in 3rd grade. He just replied, "well that is what I am going to do with Parker" (marry her I guess). How funny!

Okay, well I really tried to download pictures for all of you. But I seem to be having problems doing it. I have tried several times and it is not working. Our Internet has not been working properly lately so that may be the problem . I promise to try tomorrow as Xavier is fussy and crying right now and I think he needs his mommy.

Happy Half Year Birthday Little Man

WOW where does time go????? I am both excited and sad that Xavier is a half year old today. He has a 6 month check up here in about an hour, so we will go to his appointment and I promise to post more later, including pictures. So hold on tight, and I will return later to let you know all the details of how he is growing up soo fast.

We had a Great Weekend

Well, it's Monday morning and it did feel great to sleep in my bed last night. I think the kids must have felt the same way as I didn't hear too much from them during the night. The kids and I went to spend the weekend with my family in St Joe. They always have big sales on their winter clothes at the mall there on MLK weekend. I usually buy the kids clothes for the next winter. I have gotten great deals on winter coats in the past. Like $80 coats for $8 bucks. This weekend my best buy was some rugby type shirts for Michael that were $40 for $4.18. I did get some other pretty good buys as well. Also felt great just to get away and spend the weekend with some family. We just shopped, hung out and played Wii. The kids just love those games. And it is a special treat since we do not have a Wii here, and have no plans to get one any time soon. Michael just hung out at home and enjoyed some quiet time. He had some work he needed to get done, so it was a great time for him to do that. however we really missed him while we were gone.

So now it is back to school and work. The sun is shining beautifully today. I am ready for warmer weather. Not too much to report for last week. I do want to wish my sister, Becky and sister in law, Amy a belated happy birthday, as well as my great aunt Millie. They all share a birthday, and my sis and sister in law share it the same year and all. How ironic.

They older kids are all enjoying school. Xavier still just has the one tooth. He is diligently trying to learn to crawl. Now when we sit down at the table, he thinks he has to have something off of our plates to put into his mouth. He has started this high pitched loud screaming. It is hard to believe he will be 6 months old in just a few short days. That of course means he will have to have more shots on Wednesday:( But I am excited to see how he has grown. He has tried many different fruits and vegetables and loves almost all of them. We are moving him up to number 2 foods. He is also enjoying the graduate puffs starting this past week.

I am excited to have a new washer and dryer to be delivered on Thursday. My wonderful husband bought me a new front loading washer and dryer. I have heard lots about these, good and bad. So we will just see for ourselves.

Just a quick story from the weekend in close. Saturday night we went to mass at 6 oclock, grabbed some sandwiches from Goodcents for dinner and after we were done eating, enjoyed playing Wii together. We played some Mario racing game. We all took our turns at it. Anyway about 11:00, I think or a little after, we headed off to bed. Syd and I got the bedroom, my aunt and Dyl on the air mattress, and my mom on the sofa. Maddy took the floor in the sleeping bag, by my mom and the air mattress. Everyone was down for the count. Well around 2:30 or alittle after, I hear my Aunt and Mom trying to wake Dylan. For those of you who don't know, he sleep walks. We have caught him trying to go outside before in the middle of the night when it was 10 degrees below. Anyway, I rushed out there to see what was going on and as I got out there I could hear him yelling also. I got out there with a little flash light and my mom had gotten ahold of him and was trying to wake him. I ask what was going on? And they said he was fighting. (in his sleep). Well once we had the light on we could tell, he had punched the TV and moved it. And it is a 42 inch flatscreen. He had knocked over some other decor in the living room and he was after more. Thank God my mom was able to get ahold of him and from behind before he broke anything and hurt himself or someone else. They say in your sleep you are much stronger than you are otherwise. On Sunday morning we ask him about it and of course he has no recollection of any of it. It is both funny and scary. I worry about him wondering out when he gets older and getting hit by a car on the highway or something. And like at my aunts, if he would have went the other direction he could have went to the windows, broke them and fell out. This would have been from a second story to concrete below. I am hoping it is something he will outgrow.

Little Mother Hen!!

Well, quick story to start off with. Tonight Michael worked late so that means I was doing the single mom thing of making dinner, trying to keep Xavier happy, homework, and whatever else needed done. Michael had actually just gotten home as I was finishing making dinner. So I told Sydnie who was finishing homework to go down to the basement and tell the older two they needed to turn lights and TV off and wash hands to get ready to eat. Here is what I hear from the kitchen.


Syd: Dylan you turn off the TV and go wash your hands. (And she continues to tell Madison to turn off the lights and wash also as Dylan interrupts her).

Dylan: I just washed them down here.

Syd: Well (and I can hear the attitude) I didn't see you wash them, so get up here and do it again so I can see you. (Wonder where she has heard that??)

That's my little mother hen for me. Always making sure no one skips a beat. She is just a crack me up. What would life be without her? And on the other hand, (since she was a twin in utero) what would we do with two of her? :-P

So yesterday we were working on the attic. Remind you that the sheet rock has been sitting up there since we built in 2004. We were about to get all the sheet rock hung. Man it is going to be a nice storage room up there. And Michael had gone outside to get something, I was finishing up screwing the rock (that doesn't sound good, but I am going to leave it since you all know what I mean). I decided to come down and take a bathroom break. We have one of those pull down metal ladder things for steps in the garage. Well I hit about the first 3 or 4 steps going down them facing the front thank God, and went down the rest of them on my back/rump/arms. Laid there for about 15 seconds, came in the house holding back tears, asked the kids where Michael was and went straight into the jacuzzi tub. I was done for the day. I escaped with only minor injuries, injuries none the less. My rump is incredibly bruised and scraped up, both my arms have huge bruised on the backs of my bicep area. I think my shirt saved most of my arm, as I tore basically the whole length of the long sleeves. And my neck is stiff today. For the most part my back is okay. Most of you know this is my major worry area as I already have titanium rods, pins, and screws in there. So I feel lucky, it could have been a lot worse.

I am really trying to loose the baby weight so I decided if I post on here where I am at maybe I will be more likely to stay with it. So as of today, I have a good 8 lbs to go. I say a good 8 lbs because 8 would be fine, if I could loose 10 that would be fantastic. That would get me down to where I was before I had kids. I have just changed my diet slightly, and am trying to exercise and tone my body. Even if I do get to my prebaby weight, I know my body will not be the same.

So, I am hoping to stick with it.

Not much else going on. We are trying to stay healthy. Seems the flu is going around the school. I go back to the dr for my back and leg pain on Friday. Seems that is is better, somewhat. So we will wait and see what he want to do next. Good night and try to stay warm.

Lucky Me, Lysol, Lysol, Lysol

Well I don't know exactly how lucky I am. Madison has the flu. Not influenza, but gastritis. You know the vomiting, tummy achey stuff. She is resting well right now. I am hoping she is able to sleep it off. It must be going around her class. I know of at least 2 others with it today also. Hopefully it will pass as quickly as it came.She seemed fine when she arrived home from school around 4:00. She went outside and played some bball with Dylan. When they came in I had dinner ready. I was asking who wanted soft and who wanted hard taco shells. She said she wasn't feeling well. I ask her what, and she said her tummy hurt alittle. So she didn't eat. I had her go ahead and get ready for bed, take a shower etc. After her shower she was in the living room and gagged alittle. I thought she was getting sick then, but nothing came up. Then she went right to bed. I had her go to bed in the "office" (the bedroom upstairs next to Michael and I's room. I gave her a bucket and off to sleep she went. About 8:oo I was in the living room on the laptop and I heard a weird noise in the hallway, I know right away what it was. Needless to say, I think she was sleeping and didn't realize she was sick. Now I have a beautiful stain on my carpet. I cleaned it up right away, and put stain remover on it. Then got the carpet shampooer out and sucked it up, but I can't seem to get it completely out. So I got everything cleaned up including her, and got out my Lysol. Now any of you that know me, know that Michael says we should buy stock in Lysol. When my kids are ill, I spray the whole house several times, in hopes to kill the germs and keep everyone else from getting it. So let's hope Madison can sleep it off, and no one else gets it. And that it is gone as quickly as it came.

On a better note, I realized I haven't posted that Xavier is now speaking in words that we understand. On Christmas day night, he said "da da". Yeah I know, I was hoping for it to be mama, but it wasn't. Ever since he says it all the time. What's really funny is when he is saying dada, but wanting me. Maybe he is a little confused.

Houston, We Have a Tooth!!

OMG! Finally, Xavier has his first tooth. I thought I felt it earlier this morning, but couldn't feel it when i was trying. But now I found it. It is just barely through. It is the bottom on the left. I knew he was really working on teeth because the other day I kept hearing this squeaking noise (like a clean finger on clean tupperware). Well I finally figured out it was him rubbing his gums together. And he has started biting his spoon when you are feeding him.
On another note, he has to be getting close to crawling as well. He gets up but doesn't go anywhere. Right now he just rolls where he wants to go. But he really digs his toes into the floor and pushes.
I am going to try really hard to post often to the blog. I have a ton of pictures that I need to download, just don't have the patience to wait on them. But I am going to get that done yet this week.
Wishing a Happy Birthday to Jamie Boeckman (niece) today and James Boeckman (Michael's Brother) tomorrow.
TTFN!!

Christmas, Year End, Snow Days, Never a Dull Moment!

WOW! Where to start?? I shouldn't wait so long to post. It has been crazy busy here. Since my last post, hmm, well the kids were out of school due to snow days on Friday and Monday before Christmas break was to start. So we have had a much longer break than planned. I really could have used those two days without any kids here to wrap gifts. But I did manage to get it all done even with them here. I just locked myself in the bedroom for two days.

Any way, Madison had an orthodontist apt. on the 23rd. She got her spring jet appliances installed. She was having some trouble eating and talking for a couple of days, but now is in the swing of things.

Xavier caught a nasty head cold right before Christmas. I had to take him to the Dr on Christmas Eve morning. They said good thing it was in his head and not his chest. They did start him on some antibiotics since he was so full of congestion in his head, to help prevent it from draining into his ears and giving him an ear infection. He just finished up his antibiotic and it doing great.

I have been trying to catch up on some much needed bookwork. It is all the stuff that has to be done at the end of the year. I was behind on doing some of it as well, so I am caught up now and plan to stay that way.

Dylan has started winter basketball league now. They play for about 6 weeks or so on Saturday mornings in Frankfort. This is a new sport for us this year. So we just add one more to the calendar.

Hopefully you all had a great Christmas and great start to 2009. We had a Christmas starting on Christmas eve, everyday up until last Sunday. Michael has been able to take some time off the last couple weeks, which has been very nice. We have done alot of hanging out and being lazy. We have made a couple of shopping trips, just whatever. Today he helped me and the kids take down the Christmas trees. I am glad to have that done. And in the process somehow we ended up cleaning the whole attic. Am glad to have that done also. It will be so different come next week when the house is quiet again. I have some winter projects, I hope to get started now.

Not much else carrying on. I had my second injection on my back this week. Might be helping Little. Not sure what the next step is. We will find out in a couple weeks. I have some resolutions to post and hopefully some new pictures. I will try to do that soon, but right now I think it is time for me to hit the hay. Tah, tah!!