Hallelujah

Parker has words that he has has trouble saying

and 

and he has words he refuses to say the way they are supposed to be said

{such as, granola(ganola), library(libary) and draw (drawl)}

One of the words he has trouble saying is:

Hallelujah

He says it like: Halayoula

{pronounced  - ha. la. you. la}

On Saturday we laughed and laughed and tried to get him to say it right

Thankfully he was a good sport 

{I would have been completely frustrated but he laughed along with us}

About 9:00 that night he decided to try it again

At first it came out as hallelujah

and then all of a sudden, we were back to square one saying halayoula

followed by, 

Life is hard!

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time

I wish I would have video taped it to show him in a few years 

Maybe you just had to be there

He went to bed Saturday night practicing and guess what
He's got it!

It almost makes me a little sad that I won't ever hear him say - Ha.la.you.la


Our babes are growing up
{sniff sniff}

Back to School 2014

I thought about contacting some parents and picketing

Starting school on August 14th just about blew me off my rocker

I dread the two and a half weeks they get off at Christmas

and the week they get off in March when it's too cold to do anything

Why not start after Labor day, skip the long breaks and enjoy summer break

I sent them back

I didn't want them missing out on anything

I agreed to let Parker wear his Mohawk for the first day and then we cut it off

I still can't believe we have a 4th grader and a 7th grader

I feel like I was just in seventh grade

How does that happen?

Parker has Mr. Frost for homeroom and Math, Mrs. Dalbey for reading,

Mrs. Truitt for social studies and Mrs. Hartman for science

{I love that they're getting them ready for middle school by having several teachers}

and

Spencer has a whole slew of teachers in middle school
He was super excited to find out that he has Mr. Edkin for homeroom
{He's the cool teacher who lets the kids listed to cool music while they're working}

We're a month into school and so far things are going great

In just a few short weeks,
is homecoming, Colorado Fall Festival and the start of many concerts


When did my babies grow up?



Pumping Iron

For a little over a year, I haven't been feeling like myself

I linked it to working 3 jobs, taking care of the kids and holding the fort down

I mentioned my symptoms to my doctor in March

and asked if they tested hormone levels in the blood work they were doing

She laughed and told me I was too young to be going through menopause

I was ready to walk out and the appointment only went down hill from there

A few weeks ago I decided enough was enough 

I had my records switched to another doctor and went in for an appointment

I explained all my symptoms

Exhausted but can't sleep

Brain fog

Can't lose weight

Thinning hair

She ordered more blood work to check a few things

My iron level is a 6

{Booo!}

It's supposed to be 12.5

No wonder I feel like crap

I'll be pumping iron
LOTS of it
My doctor prescribed 325mg of iron twice a day
{my stomach hurts just thinking about it}
 I'll be rechecked in 3 months to see if my body is absorbing the iron

I'm pretty bummed about not being able to give blood
I know I need to concentrate on getting myself healthy but
giving blood is something I've become passionate about
So while the hubby will be donating blood today, I'll be moping

A new journey

Today we start a new journey 

A journey we hope will be worth the pain and the countless Dr. appointments

We actually started this journey quite some time ago {4 years ago}

Doctors couldn't explain what was wrong with our son

When I begged them for answers 

Not one of them could give us any

Fed up and exhausted with our options,

I decided I was his mom

I knew him the best 

I would figure it out

and I did

The diagnosis:

A food allergy to artificial orange flavoring

This was the start of our journey

An appointment to an allergy/asthma specialist revealed so much more

The diagnosis:

Environmental allergies

Ragweed

Kort grass

FireBush/koch

Pigweed

Russian Thistle

Ash trees

Birch trees

Elm trees

Hickory trees

Maple trees

Oak trees 

Walnut trees
and

Willow trees

Parker has been heavily medicated for 3 years now

His doctor told us that his allergies may get better as he gets older

but his have continually gotten worse

He is on as much medication I am willing to give him

This spring his doctor wanted to add another and we refused

Today I will be calling Town Square Allergy and Asthma Clinic to have his serum mixed

Parker will be starting allergy shots next week

We know this will be a long journey

He will be getting shots once a week for 4-6 months
Once he's had the maintenance dose,
he will get shots every 2-4 weeks for the next 4-6 months
Then he will be given monthly shots for 3-5 years

In the spring when we decided that we were running out of options,
I talked to Parker about what he wanted to do
He's tired of feeling awful and was ready to do the shots
We'll see how next week goes
He has been a trooper through all of the testing and meds so I imagine this will be nothing for him



Let's get this journey started!
The sooner we start, the sooner we'll be done!

The good, the bad and the ugly

I've been at my new job for over a month now

When I look back it's flown by but on the other hand every day creeps by

{especially the hot days}

Most days are good 

I've had one really ugly day and wouldn't you know, it was my birthday

A lady called my boss and told her I was unfriendly

I didn't know I had to hug people when I handed them their parking ticket

I was having a rough day anyway - who likes turning another year older?
No, seriously, it was just one of those days when everything that could go wrong, does

I took the complaint to heart and felt like my boss was siding with her

I spent the day an emotional mess wondering if I {the people pleaser} was cut out for the job

In the back of my mind, I still wonder if I made a huge mistake switching careers

People keep asking if I like my new job:
Who likes ticking people off all day?

On Friday as I was chalking cars on Second Street
An older lady in an suv pulled up and asked if I was waiting for peoples meters to expire
I told her I wasn't, I was chalking cars but what I really wanted to say was:
No you idiot, there aren't even meters on this street and mind you own business

 Most days are good
but then we have the ugly; REALLY UGLY

This smells as nasty as it looks

When I have a bad day, I find myself concentrating on the ugly
and then I round the corner and I see beauty

or a new friend or business owner I've met


I'm looking forward to cooler temperatures which will make the 8-10 miles more enjoyable

I'm dreading winter but keep telling myself that I can always put more clothes on


I'm hoping for more better days ahead!

Summer wrap up

I had BIG dreams for this summer but a new job took our plans to a screeching halt

We didn't get everything crossed off our summer list but we had fun anyway

 

 

Sidewalk Chalk . Parks . Play dough . Build a fort . Make a craft . Legos . Hike .

Bike ride . Walk . Bonfire . Board Game . Zoo . Museum . Swim . Parade . 5K .

Feed the ducks . Library . Picnic . Lowes workshop . Play date . Bake . Fishing .

Movie night . Ice Cream . Scavenger hunt . Drive in . Aquatic center . Read .

Slip and slide . Fireworks . Bubbles . Write a story and illustrate it . Skate park .

Play in the rain . Farmers market . Day Trip . Write a letter . Wild Cat Den . Baseball .

Mississippi Mist . Family reunion . Shaved ice . Random act of kindness . Smores .

Go to a camp . Catch bugs . Learn something new . Field Trip .  Vacation . Swim .
Aquatic Center . Shoot guns . Play with friends . Grandma Camp . Ice Cream . Fishing .

You read that right... we haven't had smores yet this summer
They're better in the fall any way


Just a few pictures from this summer:

Sweet Treats is a new ice cream shop on the out skirts of town

What's a summer without beautiful nights spent at the ball park

 

Slip and slide at Grandma Camp



 I can't believe the boys are already back in school





 



The NEW job

July was a whirlwind of a month

It was packed with VBS, Show Choir Camp, baseball tournaments, vacation and Grandma Camp

The second week of July I got a message from a friend of mine telling me her job was up for grabs
I wasn't really looking for employment

I responded back asking some questions and when I heard the pay, I jumped on it

It took days to get my application filled out

So many times I thought, what in the heck are you doing - you don't have a chance at this

All I saw were dollar signs and the thoughts of only working ONE job instead of three

I finally got the application done and dropped off at the City Hall

 

 

Fast forward to the following week

  I got a call that they wanted to set up a time for an interview

I freaked out a little because this was the week of VBS, show choir camp and tournaments

I called my mom and asked if she could be the taxi driver for that day

My interview was Wednesday at 3:30

As I waited for my time slot, the director of Parks and Rec. walked in and wished me well

{I'm certain he had a hand in all this}

Then out walks a gal who I know

She's worked dispatch for the City of Muscatine for years

My heart sank about 3" knowing she interviewed for the same position I was about to
 I just knew she had the job but I went in and gave it my all

 

Thursday morning, we grabbed some donuts and headed to VBS in Wilton

During my 10:00 break, I checked my phone and saw I had a voicemail from the City Hall

My mind raced, do I listen to it?

If I didn't get the job, I couldn't let it show - I had no idea what my emotions would be

I went in the bathroom and listened to the message

It was one of the ladies that interviewed me asking if I would give her a call

I immediately called her back and she offered me the job

I GOT THE JOB!
I would be a parking meter attendant for the City of Muscatine

 

Then all of these other thoughts started swirling around:

Oh my goodness, I won't be doing hair any more

I need to let the preschool know I won't be coming back

We're leaving on vacation next week

 

I had to pass a drug screen and a worksteps physical before I officially got the job

I did my physical on Monday morning before we left for St. Louis

I had talked to my mom about what to expect

She told me they couldn't make me do more for the physical than I would be doing on the job

I called her afterwards and told her she was a liar - It was awful

I had to lift 40lbs over my head in a wooden crate and 150lbs from the floor up

I probably could have done this once but the problem was-

they kept adding weight so I was lifting more weight every time

After all that, I had to see a physical therapist

He checked for flexibility and checked for popping of the joints

I walked out of there totally exhausted and questioning whether I passed the physical

I worried our entire vacation only to find out that Friday, I had passed

 

I started my new job on July 28th
 The first week was a challenge to say the least

The first day was great

The second day, I was told that I needed to watch what I said because the walls have ears

I thought, great, what kind of a place am I working at?

The gal that told me that had been burnt so she thought she was helping me out

Tuesday was hot, we walked 9 miles, I hadn't been sleeping well and it all just caught up with me

I was drained and didn't think this job was for me

The hubby assured me that it would get better and I needed to give it some time

I knew I was going to be out on my own on Friday

I fretted about it all day Thursday and broke down to the girl training me

She also told me to give it some time and that they didn't expect me to know everything

 

I just finished my second week and can't believe how fast it went
The weather this past week was incredible

The first week was rough
It was a huge change all around
I was learning new things {not as fast as I would have liked}
I was having mommy guilt and worrying about the boys at home
Wondering if I was really ready to hang up the shears
and
trying to be better at time management- getting things done around the house when I got off work

Throughout the day, I have lots of time to think,  pray and look for beauty all around
I work in the beautiful down town area
where there is always something to look at, people to say hello to
and just around corner I get to see the mighty Mississippi

City Hall - Home of my office
 

 The every day views walking around town

Down town apartments on Second Street

 

Apartments and businesses on Second Street

The Mighty Mississippi

 

Beautiful flowers

The Court House

The job is getting a little better every day

Thankfully the weatherman has been nice to me

 and I'm looking forward to my first paycheck this week