Family Time

For Memorial Day weekend, my family and I decided to go back to our hometown and spend the weekend on the river and relax. Oh did we ever!



My in-laws recently bought a cabin right on the river so we had all the amenities of home with an added plus and peacefulness that the river brings. We had originally planned on pitching our tent and sleeping outside along with the children, but I chickened out when the weather kept calling for rain.



Although we did encounter a few good showers and sprinkles, we still enjoyed the time away, each others company, as well as some good ol' family time. You can never have enough of that, right?



We attended a Graduation Party and played at the park:










Swam in the ice cold river, played sand volleyball, lounged around, talked past bedtime, and enjoyed the beauty that is God's Promise.





A peaceful, relaxing, weekend enjoying God's Creation is a Finer Thing.


This post is linked to:

• FinerThings Friday
• Family Friday

Catching Up

I didn't realize that it had been January since I made my last post over here. There is a lot of catching up to do.



First off: Nicholas is doing AMAZING! Apparently it really does make a difference to have a good nights sleep. We never mentioned to anyone at the school or church that we had made any changes, and we got the same response from both ends. "Whatever you are doing, keep doing it!" That is music to my ears!



We had another evaluation at the school, which happened right after we started the new medication. So far we aren't going to change a thing. Between their evaluations and the evaluations from the OT, we are fully convinced that it isn't Autism, but Sensory Perception Disorder instead. Completely makes sense now that I know what the issue is. It only took us about 4 years or so to get here.



Basketball has come and gone. The kids had a blast, although I thought it was a joke. Very poorly organized, and nothing like it was "suppossed" to be. But, the kids really did enjoy it, and really that is all that matters.



The garden is coming along quite nicely. I've been doing regular posts on my other blog charting it's progress. This has been really good for me, as it is forcing me to get outside instead of continually making excuses. It will also come in very handy with our diet plans. We are focused on becoming healthier and getting fit after getting Willie'c cholesterol results last week.



Lots of happenings going on--just nothing all too exciting! I really wanted to post some pics from our St. Patricks Day meal, but my computer won't recognize the USB cord from the camera anymore. Really not sure why--anyone know?

What's been happening around your house?

Things are getting crazy!

As soon as school was back in session from Christmas Break, I had a meeting with the school to discuss Nicholas's behavior and see what we could do. Basically we are doing more evaluations and talking with doctors to see exactly where we are.



Last week we went into his regular doctor to have a talk with him. Nicholas's behavior has been so variant, that at times it is hard to know if we are on the right track and if it is really worth it to have him medicated. I struggle so much with knowing that my 8 1/2 year old relies on medication every single day, but yet I refuse to take meds that the doctor tells me to take.



Nicholas has stated numerous times that he doesn't sleep one iota at night and his dreams keep him awake. We voiced this concern and learned that it isn't uncommon for ADHD kids to need a sleep aid to calm them down and get to sleep. I know right? Another med.



Unfortuntely yes. For now, he will be on a small dose before bedtime. He started Friday night, and it is amazing how refreshed he is in the morning and how fast he falls asleep. He used to stay up all hours of the night. I asked him the other morning how he slept and he said that that was the best that he has ever slept.



Oh what a great feeling to know that he is finally sleeping. But it pains me to think that yet again, he is reliant on a med to make it happen. Since the sleep aid is helping, there is a possibility that we pull him off of his ADHD medication. Maybe a good nights sleep is all he needed afterall.



We will also be starting Occupational Therapy before too long. This should help us a big deal, if with nothing more than just an understanding. It's been a long road, but atleast it is finally going somewhere!



We are also starting basketball. The big kids are just thrilled! In the past we have kind of strayed from sports because Nicholas has a hard time with competition and just his behavior in social settings period. However, I know that I cannot shelter him forever, and I hope that maybe this will help some. I guess we'll see.



Kait actually asked to play as well. I was floored. She never really has shown an intrest in basketball, just volleyball and cheerleading.



The only downfall with this, is that they have practice on Wednesday nights from 4-5. The kids don't even get off the bus until 4, so I will have to pick them up at school and waste an hour in town everyday before practice starts. I have a feeling we will become quite familiar with the local library.



As soon as practice is done we will have to rush home, eat dinner, and rush back out the door to church. I'm hoping that Wednesdays don't become a quick excuse to eat out. That would be a budget buster, indeed! I hope to rely heavily on crockpot meals or homemade frozen entrees.


I've been trying to spring clean before spring so that I can focus more on the garden. Our garden plans keep growing! Freecycle has become a good friend of mine! I'm tired of looking at all this "stuff" and although I was hoping to sell it and get some snowflakes for my snowball, I'm over it and ready to see it go. I've listed a few things so far, and they were claimed just as soon as I put them up. Oh the relief!



This has turned into quite the ramble..


Until next time.

Holiday Highlights Pt.2

I never did get around to sending out my Christmas cards this year. It pains me, but I just couldn't get it together. I've just decided that I will mail a "New Year" letter instead. I managed to get a picture of the kids, after the millionth time. I think it turned out decent. There have been better pictures, for sure. But it'll do it's job.

You can hardly tell, but Kait actually has a tear falling from her eye. She just finished a bawl fest.

These are the cookies that we made for Santa this year. Oh my word. They were great! And easy.

We make a gingerbread every year. For the last couple of years, I've made it from scratch. Now, that doesn't always mean that it stands and looks like a gingerbread house. But, it is more fun..and cheaper. A win, win. We're generally not huge fans of gingerbread though, so we would never even touch the house after it was made. My cheapness didn't really like this. This year, I went with a chocolate version of a gingerbread house. I think it was actually called Chocolate Dream or something like that. We're never goin' back!

We had some issues with the house, so I'll spare you all the lovely-ness. But, I did have to show you what would happen if you left the finished gingerbread house unattended in house full of kids with nerf guns. This:

Completly obliterated. Honestly, though, I have no idea if the nerf gun was to blame, but the bullet sure does look guilty.

And, I will leave you with the runner-up picture for the "New Year" letter.

I told them to loosen up, and this is what I get! Although, it may just make it in the "New Year" afterall!

It's how they are! :)

Holiday Highlights

I've kind of neglected this blog! Oops. Although things were rather quiet around here for Christmas and New Years Eve..it is almost all a blur.

We celebrated Christmas with Willie's family the weekend before Christmas. This was a nice change from years past. We did it at Willie's parent's cabin, and we went and cut down the Christmas tree on their land and made all the decorations for it. The children also made sugar cookies and we drank more than enough hot chocolate.

Noah and Kaitlyn cutting out sugar cookies.

It has been years since I have cut down a Christmas tree. This was so much fun, and a great reminder as to why I loved it so much as a kid! The kids (my 3 and my 3 nephews and a neice) were responsible for cutting the tree down, with a hatchet. For the most part, they did it all. Willie and Papa did a little (okay, a lot), but it still took forever.

In the meantime, my crazy child entertained himself "riding" the Christmas trees. Um yeah. Climbed to the top of another cedar, while someone else rocked him back and forth so he could ride it. My oldest nephew proceeded to say "We don't need Silver Dollar City, we've got Redneck City!" Welcome to the sticks, ya'll. This is how we roll.

And yes, that is Nicholas, and another unknown child.

They were quite proud of their efforts!

I didn't notice it until just now, but the mysterious hatchet is rather eerie. And as far as the getup on Nicholas's head. Not quite sure what that is..but that is what happens when you lose your hat, you get a funky spumonkey one!

And, if that isn't enough excitement for you...my husband rode the tree back to the cabin. Okay, not all the way, but far enough for me to snap this halfway blurry pic!








When we returned back, we huddled up and consumed some hot cocoa. To our surprise, Santa was canoeing down the river in our direction!! I, unfortunately do not have pictures, just a video. He came bearing gifts, and the kids thought that was the coolest thing in the world! It was!



Although we were busy for the most part, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable time.



Fun was had by all, as I'm sure you could tell!

Look what I can do....

Isn't she beautiful?! Her hair is a diaster mess, she just got out of the shower.

Don't look too close, you might notice that one sleeve is shorter than the other. Which is odd because I made FOR sure that they were not this way when I finished it. I measured, I folded, I inspected. Everything was A-OK. She wore it, twice, no problems. I washed it....one shrunk. I don't get it! :)

I finished it last week, and she loves it! I say finished lightly, because I haven't added the buttons yet. Did you know that in order to add buttons to something, you must first buy buttons. I keep forgetting to pick them up, but she likes it nonetheless.



I learned something (well lots of things) during this process.... I DON'T LIKE ARMS!!!! I think if/when I make something else, it will either be arm-less, or I will make it that way!!



My original plan was to make the boys a set just like this one....I think I'll just make the pants! I thought about going ahead and making them the shirt, just chop off the arms....I don't think they would appreciate that...



I think I'll opt for white t-shirts. Whaddya think?

The big kids didn't have school today due to some form of meeting. I was messing with them Friday before they left for school and told them that if they were good at school, then I would let them stay home Monday, and we would have a fun day.

Nicholas told me that he would just be bad then, because he wanted to go to school Monday because of gifted. Hrm. I had forgotten all about that...so I had to rebound quickly witht something.

I fessed up that they actually did not have school on Monday, and that instead we could come up with something so we could have gifted at home.

Okay, yeah, I was CLUELESS!

Kaitlyn wanted to build something, and Nicholas wanted to do science.

Ah ha! A baking soda/vinegar volcano! My mom did something similar with me and my brother when we were younger. We actually made an entire paper mache village...it was too cool! I would have loved to do this, but since we were gone all day Saturday, and Sunday is always busy...we just ran out of time.

But, after a rough start this morning..we constructed a volcano, and the eruption began!

*please ignore all my sewing gunk all over the dining room table...it's been temporarily converted!*

Nicholas is mixing up the volcano goop.

Sculpting the volcano around the water bottle.

Highly distressed that the volcano was not shaped like a mountain!

She's a bit blurry...but she's pouring in the vinegar.

Watching the eruption. Nicholas is not so secretly wishing that it was an EXPLOSION and not an eruption! Is this a boy thing?!

Now, off to build a house out of popsicle sticks!