Top Ten (April 23-30)

Here's our Top Ten list for the week

1. On Monday we started baseball - Woo Hoo

2. I got some pretties planted and guess who likes playing in them (Parker)

3. I'm thinking these kids are ready for summer break

4. Parker brought this drawing home - Isn't it cute?

I'm guessing this is what he thinks the Easter Bunny looks like

5. We learned to NOT to take valuable items to school this week

6. Amelia has been enjoying her time in the sun

The hubby and I both think she has been looking more brown around her neck

She must be getting a tan

7. The boys got a whole lot of Mama time this weekend while Dad was in Green Bay

8. The boys and I had a movie date with Grandma on Saturday
The boys decided that we would see The Three Stooges

9. The boys are LOVING Kid City at church

It's so nice to go to church and not hear a bunch of complaining

10.


Yep, #10 is blank
Other than living at Kent Stein, it's been a pretty boring week

The weather is supposed to be warmer this week
Lets just hope it stays dry

Tomorrow is a new day

Tomorrow is a new day

It's the only thing that's getting me through

It's a small kink in life

I have a lot going on and I feel like these shoulders can't possibly hold one more thing

In the midst of it all, 

The hubby got to escape to Green Bay with his bowling buddies

and 

I'm home attempting to keep things running as smoothly as possible

Mid week I sent my Mom an email

Please pray for me, I'm having a rough week

There is something about talking to my Mom that makes me feel calm

What would I do without her

She brings me peace during these trying times

When I have weeks like I have had lately

I check out my "words to live by" board on Pinterest

Here is one that I LOVE

Today the boys and I spent most of the day with the woman we LOVE the most

The lady that is always there for me/us

The gal that can pick me up when I feel like I'm down for good

I have the worlds most AMAZING Mom

She took us on a date to the movies (A real treat for us) and made us dinner

I know things could be so much worse right now
I shouldn't be complaining ( but I'm human)

I pray this prayer a million times a day :
LORD, THANK YOU FOR BLESSING ME WITH SO MUCH MORE THAN I DESERVE
but in reality we are sinners and we always want more

Tomorrow is a new day and I need to be thankful for everything around me

Life Lately (It's blooming)

Everything is blooming around here

I can't wait until these peonies bloom

They were transplanted years ago from my Mom's house 

  My hostas are finally looking like hostas

When they first popped up, their leaves looked kind of wrinkled and weird
I think our crazy back and forth temps got to them

After last weekends storms, I was worried these beauties wouldn't survive

My mulch had spilled over the brick edging

but these flowers didn't look like they had been touched

A couple of weeks ago, the boys and I stopped by an estate sale in Cranston IA,
on the way home we stopped by Taylor's Market
They have BEAUTIFUL flowers
I limited myself to $20 but could have spent hundreds
This is my favorite

and it's a good thing because I can grow these better than any flower



I planted these pansies this week
and guess who got caught playing in them

I'm certain this kid can smell worms

When I planted the flowers, I saw the worm in the dirt and decided to leave it in the pot
I can't believe he found it


I'm pretty much LOVING these too

I probably should have waited until the weather was a bit warmer
but I got antsy and couldn't wait another day

What do you have blooming in your pots?

Top Ten (April 16-22)

I'm sorry to say, it's been a pretty boring week

BUT GUESS WHAT

Next week is a BIG week for us

Here is the Top Ten from this week

1. The boys had to come to work with me on Wednesday

A miss-type on my part screwed up my sitter plans 

The boys were angels and want to come watch me teach more often

2. Spencer got his new glasses
Lets hope these eye balls STOP changing

3. On Thursday the boys had movie night at school

They picked The Chip Munk movie "Chipwrecked"

4. Amelia has made some new friends this week
(2 bunnies that live in the back yard)

5. On Friday the kiddos planted flowers at the Bandag learning Center

6. Parker LOVES Marci
(Whoever Marci is)
Marci is a student at the U of I
She is working with kids at Colorado to get some of the hours she needs
Parker is going to be devastated when she leaves

7. We saw "Annie" on Saturday night and it was FANTASTIC
The MHS Drama Department did a GREAT job

Spencer and I both decided we could watch it again, and again, and again . . .

8. On Sunday, the boys swing set came down
It was a sad day for me, I have these memories
(They were so little)

9.  Parker was picking the frosting off one of  these
Me : Parker, you can't just eat the frosting
Parker : You DO know that I LOVE frosting
(I LOVE that kid)

10. The best for last
Parker went ALL week without a bloody nose
I think it was because I decided to keep track of them so I could inform the Doc how often they happen
We made it a WHOLE week and I couldn't be happier

We are looking forward to next week
It's the start of our busy summer

Dad, You're AWESOME

The weekend was consumed by taking the swing set down

It was old and shook something fierce when the kids played on it

I suggested that we take the foot pegs from the rock climbing wall and stick them in the tree

Dad had a better idea

He took the boards from the fort of the swing set and put them up in the tree

Dad became AWESOME

I don't think the kids will ever come down

I may have some bunk beds for sale if they decide this is their new sleeping quarters
(I'm just kidding - I would NEVER let these monkeys sleep in tree)

Top 10 (April 9-15)

I have been slacking on the Top 10

I promise this summer I won't be slacker

1. The boys have been assigned to baseball teams 

They are excited but I'm thinking this Mama is WAY more excited

I love sitting in the sun, drinking my diet coke,
smelling sunscreen and watching my boys do what they LOVE

2. Parker is feeling MUCH better- Thank You for your prayers

Allergies and asthma stink!

3. My pretty girl went to the vet on Tuesday

She got a sanitary clip. We are hoping it fixes the poo issues

I missed her not being under my feet all day

4. Spencer had ITBS this week

This Mama was EXTRA kind and took snacks 2 days during testing

5. On Tuesday Parker wanted to ride the bus home

He never wants to ride the bus home so I asked him why

His response - Alivia

He's in first grade and wants to ride the bus because of a girl

Oh My, we are going to have our hands full

6. On Wednesday I picked the boys up from school, rushed home and began home work
We have been working on the dreaded 11 pages of sight words
When I opened Parker's agenda, there was a yellow post-it note that read
LAST THREE WORDS (with a big smiley face)
So, as we were practicing words on page 10 and Parker was struggling with a few
I asked- How can you be on the last 3 words when you are struggling with words on page 10
His response- I'm smarter at school

7. Parker has had more bloody noses this week than I ever care to experience in a life time
While Mama remains calm and hands him Kleenex after Kleenex,
Dad has no patience and tells him to twist a Kleenex and shove it up there
I explain that he has a stuffy nose and if he jams a Kleenex up there, his eyes water and he can't breathe
Dads response- Tell him to breathe out of his mouth
This is why I am the one that takes my babies to the Dr and takes care of them when they're sick

8. On Thursday Parker brought home a certificate for Subway
He finished the dreaded sight word list
On Saturday we celebrated with Subway, a movie and peach frozen yogurt (that was later puked all over)
"We bought a zoo" was an AWESOME movie

9. I often say - She (Amelia) is like having a 2 year old
Is it weird that I can't even pee without her barging in the bathroom?

10. I purchased tickets for "Annie"
The Muscatine High School Drama Dept. will be performing next weekend
We are looking forward to going as a family


As I looked over my post before publishing it,
I noticed that most of the Top 10 are about Parker
Spencer must have had a boring week
Let's see what this week holds

They have changed AGAIN

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my child or his eye balls rather

Spencer got new glasses January 12th 

Two weeks ago he started telling me he that he was having trouble seeing

NOT AGAIN!

Last time we made it 6 months, this time we made it less than 4

His eyes are changing ALL the time

The poor kiddo started wearing bifocals last year

I cried when the optometrist told me he needed them

I remember how mean kids can be and that's the last thing any mother wants for their child

We were also told at that appointment that Spencer has large optic nerves

The optometrist didn't explain a lot

I just remember hearing the word - Glaucoma 

As a Mama, I panicked and began researching online

I didn't find much on children with large optic nerves

When I took Spencer to a different optometrist last December, 

I explained that the last optometrist told us about the optic nerves being large

The Dr. looked at me like I had rocks in my head and asked where he was last seen

When I told him, he said, "That figures"

Long story short

He does indeed have large optic nerves and we are keeping an eye on them

Spencer's eye pressure is within normal range. His eye pressure is 18 (10-21 is average)
and
 the nerve is shaped like it's supposed to be
BUT

his prescription has changed AGAIN

I need to find a job with vision insurance!

Thirty eight

Somebody had a birthday at our house

Parker made Chip a present - A picture of our family

It's adorable and I LOVE it

I LOVE that he drew each one of us to look like us 

and

I LOVE the balloons with the # 38 on them

I think he forgot that Daddy and Spencer wear glasses and he forgot our hands

But he didn't forget the zit on Mama's chin

And look at these handsome boys

Great job Parker!
We LOVE your art work

Easter Weekend

After the week we had, we were ready for a nice RELAXING Easter weekend

We might have relaxed a little too much because it didn't really feel like Easter but that's okay

My little man has had allergy yuck, bronchitis and ear infection so we laid low

We had a wedding Friday night 

CONGRATULATIONS Mr. and Mrs. Joey Petty

I had my hopes set on some yummy wedding cake but Parker was ready to come home and chill out

We came home and made cupcakes since Parker missed his Spring party on Thursday 

He picked FUNFETTI (He is definitely my off spring)

We ended the night with a game of Bingo

On Saturday morning I jolted out of bed after hearing Amelia tear through the house

This long hair beauty has issues

Issues with Poo

She gets it stuck in her fur

Thankfully I got up quickly and confined her to the bathroom

This Mama didn't want to spend my Saturday morning disinfecting bathrooms

and bathing a cat 4 times but we didn't have a choice

She will be going to the vet on Tuesday for a sanitary clip

She can be a pain but we LOVE her 

She enjoyed her first Easter

After we got all the poo cleaned up, we decided to head to Davenport to get the boys new shoes

Am I the only Mama that HATES buying shoes for her children?

I would ALMOST rather stay home and clean up cat poo (I'm just kidding)

I told Spencer before we left - We will not buy you the most expensive pair of shoes you find

At the first shoe store, he found a pair for $82 and a pair for $80

He was convinced he was getting the $80 pair because they weren't the most expensive

Next time, I will set a dollar amount

At the 4th store, they both found some they liked and when the kids are happy, Mama's happy

I hope these shoes last forever

When we got home from shoe shopping, I took Parker to an Easter egg hunt at Bickford Cottage

I was scatter brained and forgot the camera and the inhaler

On a happy note- Parker got a whole bucket full, plus 2 handfuls of eggs

Candy, Candy and More Candy

I thought the boys might think they were too old to color eggs but I was wrong

Saturday night as we were watching TV, the boys were telling me what they hoped the EB would bring them

Why do my kids do this to me?

Now I know why all the CRAZY people waited until the last minute to buy their kids Easter stuff

Parker wanted a lollipop

Spencer wanted something totally different than Parker

AND they waited until 8:00PM the night before Easter to tell me

Needless to say, I did not go to the store after they fell asleep to buy them what they REALLY wanted

They got the same thing-

Animal Planet books

Nike goggles

Money

and 

More candy than any child would ever need

Next year I will be one of those CRAZY women tearing things off the shelf at Wal-Mart at 10:00PM

On Sunday morning I got up early and made the most delicious coffee cake

The recipe we be posted soon

I found the recipe on Pinterest from the Picky Palate blog

The boys loved it (It has to be pretty amazing for them to love it)

I'm sure it had to do with the fact that it was full of fat and sweetness -other wise known as, butter and sugar

We got every body spiffied  up (Is that a word? What's the past tense of spiffy?)

And we went to an AMAZING church service at Heartland Fellowship

Thank you Pastor Tim for your passion and energy

Thank you to the praise team for you glorious songs

and 

Thank you to the workers down stairs who watch over and teach our little ones

After church the kids hunted for some more eggs on the church lawn

Wasn't  the weather beautiful on Sunday?

We came home from church and did absolutely nothing

We hope you had a Blessed Easter!

Allergies and Asthma, Oh how we hate you

I would take them away if I could

As a Mama, I want to make him better but I can't

My little buddy went to the allergy Doc 2 weeks ago
He was doing pretty well

His doctor said he looked as good as he could for being allergic to every grass, tree and weed

The next day

The allergies hit like a ton of bricks

Itchy watery eyes

Stuffy nose

Cough

 NOTHING seems to help 

Right now we are using Zyrtec, Patanase,  Albuterol inhaler, Vaseline to prevent nose bleeds
and MANY MANY boxes of Kleenex

At 7 years old, this little guy shouldn't be asking me if his eyes are puffy as we head out the door for school

He's miserable and I would do anything to make him better but I can't

Our medicine cabinet looks like a pharmacy 

Every morning, his room looks like a Kleenex box exploded

Yesterday morning he was awake at 4:00AM
His eyes swollen and painful
Coughing

After school we headed to the doctor
There had to be something to give this little guy some relief

DIAGNOSIS : Bronchitis and ear infection

It's no wonder my little guy looked and felt so awful

After the doctor appointment, I had to go to work and the boys went with Grandma

When I came home at 7:30PM my Mom and the boys were home
 I knew something was wrong when I saw the look on my Mom's face - PANIC
Parker wasn't doing well!
It takes a lot to get my Mom worked up
She has been a nurse longer than I have been alive
Parker was struggling to breathe
His Dr. told us to give him nebulizer treatments 3-4 times a day
Last night he had his inhaler at 3:30PM,
 a nebulizer treatment at 4:30PM
and by 6:45PM he couldn't catch his breath

SCARY!

I got this email from my Mom this morning

How’s Parker this morning?  I thought and prayed about you all several times!

Mom

I called her with tear filled eyes and thanked her for taking care of my precious little guy
I couldn't be more happy that Parker was with my Mom last night
She's a nurse and knew exactly what to do
When I spoke to her today; She said she has seen children like that
and they can turn for the worse very quick

We had many people praying for Parker last night
Thank You with all my heart