Tuesday Tidbits

1. While in Wisc. I got to read a magazine--almost 1/2 way through.  In it was a receipe for this zuchinni dish.  G'ma Wisc. was kind enough to tear it out so we could try it at home.  I'm happy to report we loved it.  We told the kids it was a dug out canoe and the mixture was people and animals.  Josie gobbled all but the boat, and Eddie took bites that didn't add up to much.  They both enjoyed the 'river' of rice.  Den and I loved it and it seemed pretty easy to make.

2. Quick, name this fruit.  I will give you a hint--we thought it was watermelon until we cut it open.  We plant watermelon each year and usually only get a couple because I never think they are ready because they are the personal size, so picked this just to check.  Boy were we surprised when we sliced through...

3. J had quite the hair today--so good Den took a picture.  She was apparently proud of its energy.

4. Eddie was supposed to take a basketball camp from 9-3 each day this week.  I then signed J up for a camp running 8:30-noon.  Perfect, I'd have the mornings free and see what it would be like in the fall when Ed is at Kinder and J at preschool.  I had all sorts of misgivings about sending a 3 year old off to a camp without her brother that wasn't even at the preschool she'd attend in the fall, but had decided to soldier on.  Then Eddie got sick.  J has LOVED the camp.  When I picked her up the first day she asked if she could go again.  Problem is she has been a terror the rest of the day because she is so tired. 

5. Finally got the chance to check out the veggie garden (as evidenced by the above photo).  I will have to post it later, but the weeds had completely taken over.  Climbed up over the top of the tomato cages, obscured the green peppers and established themselves almost better than the veggies.  I spent 45 minutes this morning getting one 12 foot row weeded and another 45 minutes getting a second row.  Just 3 more rows to go.  This always happens when we go away for a longer trip in the summer, but because we didn't get mulch down this year, woowee.  I need to research better weed blocking options.

Am I the Only One...

I've recently had others comment that our kids seem to be sick a lot.  They definitely do seem to be sick more than most kids I know.  I've also been sick more times since having kids than I feel I was an an adult all together. Just since May, J's massive and long lasting fever, Ed's stomach bug, which he shared with me and now this. Is it me, or do I just share when my kids are sick more than others?  As I mentioned in a previous post, Eddie is sick with a really bad itchy rash.  I'd say it is an 11 out of a scale of 1-10 on itchiness.  I will spare the details except to say that Ed and his parents have not had a decent night's sleep in about a week and that he asked last night if he was going to itch until he was 6 years old. 

Remarkably, he has been in great spirits, no other symptoms, nada.  Just a rash that itches so badly it will make you want to take your skin off.

We were put on 3 perscription meds on Monday, including a topical, and an anti-biotic as well as several over the counter options, this was to cover the bases of whatever could be causing the problem.  That seemed to have helped the rash a little, the swelling a lot, but not the itch.  Today we were put on prednizone and given some new topicals and told to stop the anti-biotic as it's possible an allergic reaction is developing.  Mental note:  Eddie is potentially allergic to cefelexin.  So now he's got the original rash and then a secondary rash that is now spread all over.  The first dose of prednisone seems to be working as Eddie commented on how much better he felt, announcing that he was ready to go to grandma's.  Too bad that trip was to have occured this weekend and it was a little late to head over...Needless to say, we will be scheduling a visit with a derm on Monday.  I've never been so thankful in all my life to know a doctor personally as I am to know my grad school roommate who luck would have it is a dermatologist!

The man deserves sainthood for reassuring me that my son was not going to die from his illness (it is apparently possible).  All while trying to prepare for his wedding in two weeks--thanks Dr. Dave!

Beach and Wisc

We are now back from our back to back trips...
We drove down to the beach the day before our house rental was to begin as it was going to take most of the day to get there. 
1. Left Sat. Jul 2 at 6:20 in the morning and glad we did because traffic started up by our house around 7am.  We ended up taking a lot of back roads after witnessing a motorcycle cartwheel off the freeway.  I was apparently one of the first to call 911. 
2. Ate a dinner of fried foods.  Fried corn on the cob (yummy), 4 kinds of fried seafood, and then hush puppies.  Elapsed time from being seated to being finished eating:  30 minutes.  Fastest dinner ever.
3. Den took the kids to the hotel pool at 8am for a dip before heading to the beach.  Inspired several other kids and reluctant parents to a similarly early swim.
4. Brunch with old friends of Den's where a dead manta ray lay unbeknownest to us in a fish tank.  Then the resturant staff tried to get the ray out and lost the net in the tank.  Called in an expert who ultimately removed the dead ray.  Entire episode took the entire 2 hours we ate and talked and tried not to stare at the dead ray and net.  Eddie talked about it the whole day, wondering what they would do with the dead ray.
5.  House ready early.  Checked in and headed for the beach. 
6.  Beach, beach and more beach.  G'parents came with us to the beach quite a bit and the kids loved having them around.  Got the kids boogy boarding.  J LOVES the waves.  Eddie prefers playing on the sand and chasing minnows in the tidal pools, but both thoroughly enjoyed themselves and I am happy to report no shark sitings. 
7. We did have dolphin sitings.  Both only about 20 yards off the beach at low tide and also at the inlet where we had dinner one night.  Got to watch them chase down and catch some fish.  There were literately fish flying out of the water and dolphins were doing a Sea World show for us less than a hundred yards away after their dinner.  Apparently it was a regular feeding area for the dolphins.
8.  Checked out the Charleston acquarium.  It was a nice size for a 1/2 day and had some interesting programs.  We rushed through in order to get to...the beach!  Nice cafe, not so good gift store.
9.  Tried unsucessfully to rent bikes to run the kids around the island.  Mental note:  do not visit the beach over the July 4 week again. 
10. Drove back all day Thurs.using almost exclusively back roads.  Only thing we think we left behind was Eddie's brand new swim shirt.  :(  Friday morning, packed up for Wisc. flight that afternoon.

1.  Arrived into Wisc. at 11pm on Friday.  Was the most peaceful 2 hour drive from the airport we've had since kids came into the picture.  The kids fell asleep about 10 minutes into the drive.  Might need to do this again. 
2. Sat. we Visit Pioneer Days at local museum where g'ma volunteers.  Eddie was fascinated by the well and pump here.  Out of the picture is the windmill.  The cool thing about visiting a place like this with g'ma is she can tell you first hand about having a windmill pump on her family farm growing up and teaching in a one room schoolhouse.  It's like talking to a living, breathing, Laura Ingalls Wilder.   Hard to say if the pump or this tractor ride the 100 yards to our car was more of the highlight for the kids. 
3. Sunday, my round up of shopping while Den took the kids fishing, where they were skunked.
4. Monday, visit to the local doctor to treat really severe rash on Eddie.  The rash was slow coming and we had been treating it with all sorts of over the counter products, thinking if we gave them a couple days they would work, but after not sleeping and severe swelling and rash, we had an 8am apointment.  After consults with our friend the dermatologist and our pediatrician back home, got Eddie on a treatment plan of 3 perscription meds and 2 anti-itch meds as well as our friend Ben.  Poor kid was in misery and basically didn't sleep for 3 nights, yet trooper that he is, continued to be in good spirits.
5. Flight back, we got a ride on the electric carts because Eddie's rash made walking difficult.  Once we landed back home, I called the peds while still on the plane and got an apointment for that afternoon. 
Disappointed that Eddie felt so poorly on our trip, as he had been looking forward to the visit. 

Difficult to get back into the swing of things...I'm ready to plan the next trip!

Grandparent Heaven

Just got back from 4 nights at beautiful Isle of Palms, just outside of Charleston, SC.  It's a great beach, perfect for little kids and these 4 had a blast.  G'parents were in heaven, but I think are exhausted.  They are 2 3-year olds, 1 3.5 year old, and one 5.5 year old. 

Everyone is smiling and looking up with no obscursions in the faces, so I call it a sucessful photo.

The month of June

Aside from my phone, this pretty much sums of the total of my photos for the month of June.  Has to be about the fewest photos I've ever taken in a month. 
Our garden seems to be doing well...not that I would know as late, as I haven't been there in a while and our weeds are likely doing as well as the produce.  We didn't get out with the mulch very well this year.  This was our first crop.  The green beans did great and are about done, so we'll plant a new set in a couple weeks.  I'm hoping to try some fall spinach and see how it does...anyone ever sucessful with fall spinach?

Eddie is playing with the toy he'd just gotten that day--he was making it into all sorts of letters and numbers and showed me the way that all the pieces connect. In the photo of J she posing with a birthday gift she recently became interested in using--the crown and purse.  So interested that she wears the crown all over town.  I'll try and post the picture from my phone with her in hello kitty rainboots wearing the crown, it really makes the outfit.

Eddie still takes his asthma meds once/day at night and in the last photo the kids are watching their TV program with some of their 'friends'.  They are into playing 'friends' and delight in packing up their friends to move all over the house and onto the back porch.  They unload the friends and set them up.  They produce puppet shows for the friends and have birthday parties, the whole bit. 

In the last photo, they are exhausted because Eddie is taking a baseball camp this week and while he seems to enjoy it, he has been sleeping in until almost 8 each day.  We try to get them to bed as close to 730/8 as possible.  J is just running hard all day.  btw, she has also (not to jynx anything), but she has been sleeping in underwear now for 3 nights in a row.  I told her if she makes it until Friday, I'll buy her a celebration gift.  Course she insisted on a bunch of water in bed, so I'm not optimistic for tonight, but she does seem to be able to hold it as she doesn't wake up running to the bathroom.  Eddie likely has a few more diapered nights ahead of him, but we are not pressuring him....our nanny is, but we are not.

Den is at one of his regular haunts and the home of my favorite zoo---Fort Wayne, IN.  They have apparently done some updates, so now of course I wish could see it.

For daddy...

Den left before the kids woke up this morning for a trip to his annual middle of nowhere destination.  It was apparently quite the adventure...even for a seasoned traveler.  He connected in ATL and the connecting flight was cancelled due to mechanical (after he was already on the plane).  He was rebooked on 2 flights later in the day, one standby and one with an acutal seat available. 

Then he calls to tell me his luggage (a piece he could have easily carried on with him, and that contains his company logo shirts for his stint at a conference) was lost and that while they are pretty sure it reached ATL, didn't know where it was until about 5-6 hours after he landed.  His next call is as he is chasing down the car rental bus, only to find that his car reservation had been cancelled because he was so late getting there.  Back to the counter to get a car.  Then a couple hour drive in rush hour traffic in a strange town (one of Den's favorite things).  It could have been worse--he could have had the kids with him for all that excitement.

Thought it appropriate to include photos from the local air show weekend back in May.  I do have some photos to post, but am too tired to upload...hey the clock says 12:34 (1.2.3.4).  I love that, but I should not be up at this hour...


J really likes her camera...wish we did.  We're disappointed in the quality of photos it takes...even when we are taking the photos.  Had hoped to get Eddie the same kind of camera in blue,but now it appears we will be looking for another model.  Any recommendations?  Am considering the Olympus 'tough' cameras that are shock resistent, waterproof, etc.

This is a recent photo--she insists on wearing long sleeved pjs at night.  Personally I think it's a clue that the A/C is turned down too low, but Cookie and Den complain they are hot all the time.

I had to wear these sunglasses the other day while driving because the sun was glaring so badly and I'd left mine at home.  Doubt I looked this cute.

I had to work tonight.  Last meeting of the session, get 2 months off from the intensity of meetings, but lots to do in the off season.  I do love my job, but sometimes I wonder how I would survive as a stay at home mom.

Okay, kids will be up in about 6 hours, off to bed.

Truck Touch

I had to work this Saturday and suggested that since Den could not spend from opening until 5pm with the kids at the pool, that he take them to the local 'truck touch' where all the public works vehicles were being set out for people to interact with.  The kids had a good time and it occupied several hours for Den.  Then it was off to the pool.  Dinner with friends that night was at a habachi place that did NOT go over well for the kids.  Josie watched as a nearby table had their food prepared and screamed before the chef got to our table.  Eli, who was with us ran around the corner so as not to be near the flames. 

After dinner, the kids went out and played in a sand volleyball pit, which was great after they had new sheets on and fresh baths.  But it did ocupy them for a while so the adults could talk.  Running around catching fireflies from probably the highlight of the night.  In pat because our kids are usually in bed by the time they come out.  I think Eddie is ready to plants some beans, don't you think?

Speaking of which, our garden is doing well.  We've harvested lots of green beans, already have a cucumber to pick, lots of tomatos and green pappers coming in and will be dtrying potatos for the first time this year.  Somehow we are still getting strawberries.  The kids usually enjoy helping to harvest things, but not not after spending 5 hours at the pool today.

Grocery shopping

This last school year it has just been Josie and I at the grocery store, but now that Eddie is out of preschool, he is now accompanying us.  They enjoy helping both load and unload the groceries from both the cart and at home.  This day that had an especially patient clerk who allowed them to hand her everything (usually the clerk picks the groceries out of the cart in a logical repacking/bagging order).  By the time I got this shot there was nothing more they could reach, so they were a little disappointed to have finished.

Eddie's Last Day of Preschool

I cried today.  I wasn't ready for it, but when I called Den in to our room to tell him what was going on, he began to tear up also.  Just over 5 years ago we brought Eddie home from the hospital and neither of us imagined how quickly we would arrive to this point.  Eddie's last day of preschool was today.  I had always scoffed at preschool graduations and it seemed parents placed so much emphasis on this.  I now can understand where they are coming from. 

We have LOVED this school.  The staff and teachers are just wonderful and supportive to both the parents and the kids.  We certainly have 2 years ahead of us with Josie, but sending Eddie off to kinder brings tears to my eyes just writing about it. 

I was a room parent this year with a mom I'd gotten to know well last year.  We had a good time, but it was more work than we thought it would be when we signed up.  My co-parent asked me to give the 'thank you to the teachers' speech.  As a gift to the teachers, we'd had each child draw a picture, title the picture and then write their name.  We then recorded something they liked or would remember about the teacher.  We attached a photo of each child and a couple class photos and gave them each a scrapbook with everyone included (we also gave a gift card too).  Den hadn't arrived yet, so I can't get a true critique of my comments, but I'd given some thought to how to sum things up.  I thanked everyone for their support as my friend and I cut our teeth as room parents.  I then thanked the teachers for providing such a fun and welcoming place for the kids.  I explained that while it is often the kids that teachers know thay have impacted, that they also impact the parents.  Knowing that our kids were coming to a place each day that they enjoyed and knowing that as they head off to kinder, they are as fully prepared as they can possibly be is such as wonderful feeling as a parent.  About half way through, when I started talking about the parents, I choaked up and had to fight back tears.  I was so not prepared for that.  At least I had seen a couple other parents tearing up, so it wasn't like I was the only one overcome by the transformation of ending one chapter and beginning another.

After I spoke, I was blown away by what I heard next.  Our kids love art.  It's one of their favorite things to do and Cookie comes up with such creative projects for them and we have enrolled them in classes to have even more fun (especially for the messy stuff).  So Eddie will make pictures for everyone in the family--included g'parents and sometimes extended family and friends.  One of his teachers told the whole class that today Eddie announced to her that he wanted to make a picture for each kid in the class.  She thought he needed 16 pieces of paper, but he said he wasn't going to make one for himself, only to give to each of the kids.  When you looked on the wall above all the hooks, was a picture for each child that I recognized as crafted by Eddie.  I asked him about it tonight and he said he didn't want any of the kids to feel sad that the teachers had all gotten artwork by each of the kids, so he wanted to draw a picture as a present for each kid so they too had a piece of art to take home.  Wow! 

My co-room parent really wanted some way more than a pizza party to indicate to the kids that this was not just another day of preschool and so she spearheaded an afterschool dance party with diplomas and caps for each kid.  While permitted, it was not an offical preschool event, so the parents took care of everything (for all its virtues, the school is slow to change and many of the teachers had been around for a couple generations of kids).  We had a photography skilled mom take photos of each kid (so I don't have the photo yet), but the parents had a good time as did the kids.  The preschool director thought this was a nice direction to consider for the next year. We even had t-shirts for their kids with their names on the back (written by the kids). 

Everything was going great...until almost everyone had left except about 8 little girls and Eddie.  One girl whom he knows well said to him, 'no boys allowed!'.  Apparently earlier in the play, the boys had said something similar to the girls.  He came bawling to me.  Extremely upset.  I tried multiple times and multiple ways to reintegrate him and he would have none of it.  Even the little girls realized how sad he was and tried to get him to join in.  At the very end, he did, but he said he couldn't stop crying, blotchy face, red eyes and running nose.  I was so sad for him and tried every kind of pep talk I could think of.  Not how I wanted things to end for him.  He did manage to cheer up, but it is these expereinces I do not look forward to. He is such a sweet kid, and while he is not an angel, does have thin skin himself.  I figure I have the summer to help him adjust to kinder and grade school and that I can't create an artificial cocoon that will protect him from most of the ills of the world.  Any advice on how to help him develop thicker skin or learn how to react to these types of things?

So the pictures:  the first one I couldn't get them to pose until I pulled up the picture from Sept. 2009 of Eddie's first day of school, it was a cute shot and they basically recreated the picture.  Then you have Eddie with his 2 main teachers (there was also an assistant).  The one thanked Den for Eddie being in her class (we figure she did this with each child).  This last one is at the after-party.  Eddie was loaded up on sugar and having a great time.

PJ day to cat day

Eddie's preschool class recently had pajama day as the last day of show and tell.  Each kid was to bring in waht they slept with or had in their bed, so Eddie brought in a blanket grandma Wisc. had made.  He so enjoyed the day that he did not want to change out of his pjs as we headed to a local attaction.  He proceeded to parade around said attraction, loving every minute of his PJs.  I suppose if you are going to do something like this, you should go all out.



Josie decided it should be princess and hello kittyrain boots day.  She mercifully changed into something more suited to the weather before we went downtown.  But she did go grocery shopping in this attire.  Got a couple smiling glances.  She is not normally one to go around dressed like this, so I just went with the flow.  The boots started to drive her crazy, so that was an easy switch.  And she was so worried about keeping her dress clean that she asked to change out of that too.















Fast forward a bit to Saturday night.  We were babysitting the kids of some friends of ours whom both our kids adore.  Josie wanted to show off her collection of barettes and bows and as she and Eddie love to play with them, they entire right side of her head looks like she might as well have curlers in.  Here they are having lunch/tea with their zsu zsu pets. 




Then we have today.  They play a game of 'cat' pretty regularly.  Eddie is the owner and Josie is the cat.  Near as I can tell on the handful of times I've been drafted to play, it involves Josie crawling on her cat legs and meowing and Eddie asking her, as the cat, what she wants to do.  You can't see it in this picture, but she has a cardboard tail that Eddie taped to her backside and then (entirely his idea), we taped cat ears to her headband.

Eddie has changed so much since the beginning of the school year, he is scaresly the same child.  He can both buckle himself in and unbuckle himself from his carseat.  I removed the child lock on his door so that he can now open the door and get himself out.  He likes helping Josie get out of her carseat too. 

He can definitely read some (can absolutely sound out words, thanks to the TV show Word World) and can spell, so spelling things out around him is becoming more difficult.  He has been really into building and constructing things...from his train tracks (probably his all time favorite toy) to integrating other toys into his track designs.  Josie LOVES art.  It is the first thing she asks to do almost every day.  Eddie has lately been claiming that Josie knows everything.  "Ask her anything," he implores.  She then gives her best educated guesstimate answer.  She is a classic 3 year old.  Striking out on her own and insisting on things 'her' way.

We somehow let the day get away without making any preparations for dinner and I'm proud to say that Eddie ate his weight in cantalope, which Josie refuses.  They both enjoyed the recently picked strawberries, Josie decided she does indeed like edamame and ate her weight in those.  After inhaling beets 2 nights ago, tonight she decided she didn't care about seeing if she peed pink and refused them.  We made Eddie try beets again and for added effect, he shuddered as he swallowed.  Not to be too healthy, we rounded out the meal with tator tots and sweet potato fries.  Josie walks into the kitchen while it is all being heated up and announces, "it smells like tator tots."  maybe we need to try some other potatos.