Top 10 Gautreaux Facts of 2008

10. Jason became somewhat of the handy-man around the house. Too many times this year the kids tried out their acrobatic skills leaving Dad to repair the damages. The broken items around the house this year include the towel rack in the master bathroom, the shower curtain rod in the kids’ bathroom, a piece of tile in front of the fireplace, a strip of cabinet trim in the kitchen, and the kitchen table. This doesn’t include the many toys or play items repaired or deemed ruined in the midst of fun.

9. Brandie had two procedures done this year – she had her wisdom teeth taken out in May and an ablation procedure done in October. Both were much needed and life changing.

8. Courtnie cheered for the Falcons this year. The girls went to a local cheer competition and won 1st place for their dance and 1st place for their cheer/chant and came home the Grand Champions!

7. Cameron went to his first, and second, overnight camps this year. He went to Camp Goddard with a friend over the summer and he went to Sky Ranch Camp with his 5th grade class in September. Brandie went with him as a chaperone to the school camp. What great opportunities both of these camps were for him.

6. Brandie completed her Associates Degree this year. Jason took his first college course this year and will be taking quite a few more for work. Once he is done, Brandie has plans to go back and finish her Bachelors Degree.

5. Spelling Bee champions must run in the family. Cameron won 2nd place in his school Spelling Bee, after he purposely spelled democracy with a “k”. He didn’t want the girl he has a crush on lose or to see anymore girls crying for misspelling a word. What a guy! Next time though, let’s spell correctly and win!

4. Colton gave us quite the scare this year when Brandie went to wake him up one morning and found him barely able to breath. Trying not to panic and scare all three kids, she gave him breathing treatments while calling Daddy at work. By the time she met Jason to take him to the hospital, Colton was breathing much better. Apparently it was a small case of croup in the airway. Not sure who likes to call that small, but it was a big deal to the family.

3. Luckily Cameron did not take a baseball to the eye this year, but he did pitch a no-hit inning with a total of 10 pitches this Spring. He also made all four outs in this same inning. Trying to figure that one out? The catcher dropped the last strike and Cameron caught the bounce and threw him out at first. Later in the Fall season, he pitched a no-hitter game. Those are some great baseball skills! He still talks about going to USC or UT to play baseball when he graduates high school.

2. Courtnie won her first ever 1st place trophy in dance for her duet. She and her friend, who have both been dancing since they were two years old, are doing a duet together this year and they won 1st place at their first competition. These dances are different than her team dances.

1. Colton’s car, truck and anything-with-wheels collection has jumped up to 246. Can you believe just one child has that many transportation toys? Amazingly enough, he plays with every one of them, knows when a car is missing and exactly which car it is. A medical fund is now being set up for Colton because it seems his transportation interests are headed towards racing anything with wheels along with his desire to have his training wheels removed from his new bike that he received from Santa this year.

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas night and the day is coming to an end. I absolutely love this time of year! The lights, the joy, the gift-giving, the music, the questions and conversations this season brings and even the extra family time. This time of year cannot come fast enough and flies too quickly by. My Christmas tree is up the day of (or before) Thanksgiving and is not taken down until after the New Year.

I was really thinking this season of all the traditions we have started with our kids and even those we hadn't realized we had created with our own family. As the kids would mention little things that they were looking forward to is when I realized that traditions had been formed. The kids sleep together every year on Christmas Eve. We used to have walkie-talkies and they would radio us when they woke up on Christmas morning. This year since Cameron has his own phone, we were able to just use that. We also sit at the computer on Christmas Eve and track Santa online. Even after the kids are in bed, Jason and I continue to track him, lol. Did you know that Santa takes a break and moves slower over Reindeer Lake in Canada? Donder and Blitzen have relatives there!! The kids also write Santa a note. It's not tradition to just leave milk and cookies, my kids need to write to him. Can you guess whose idea this is??? We also always make a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas morning. This is so fun and a perfect reminder of why we are celebrating the holidays. We sing Happy Birthday aloud and have the best time. We also do not leave our house on Christmas Day. I grew up constantly on the go during Christmas time and hated it. I'd open gifts and have to get ready to go somewhere else, never really getting to enjoy my gifts until later. Jason and I, as well as grandparents, have enjoyed doing this as they get to see them in their Christmas pj's (and their nice clothes) and seeing them with all of their goodies - decorating their room, playing with their toys, eating the cake they made. We also only give our kids 3 gifts under the tree because when Jesus was born he too was given 3 gifts. And if the holiday is about him, we try to mimic the day of his birth in everyway possible This has probably been the best thing we have done as parents.

A fun memory for this year..... the kids didn't wake up for Christmas! They never have really gotten up early but this year they actually slept in. It's true, Jason had to call them to get them moving. We were just laying in bed waiting for them to call us and finally Jason sent Cameron a text asking if they were awake and he was the only one up, patiently waiting for his brother and sister to wake up. Again, being the sweet guy he is, Cameron let his siblings sleep while he patiently waited for them to get up.

The kids were super excited about their gifts Santa left them and even more about finally being able to open the gifts under the tree. After this, they made their calls to grandparents to excitedly tell them of their gifts and to know when exactly they were coming over for the day.

Here are our Christmas pictures on our online photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/bran0224.

Meeting Santa

Colton absolutely does not like giant characters dressed-up and eager to greet children. He normally frets about this and hides behind our legs. Until Santa arrived st his school yesterday. He ran to see him, jumped in his lap and talked to and smiled at him. What a perfect photo-op for me! None of our kids have enjoyed this once-a-year quality time with the most generous man ever. But Colton couldnt wait. Maybe he had to sweet talk his way with Santa and plead his case. Nah, just kidding. Colt's a great kid!

Spelling Bee

I was telling my mom today that I sometimes feel like I neglect the boys on my blog. They just dont do too many things blogworthy. Their days consist of running around, being loud and getting into trouble. That is until today....

Cameron was one of the top three Spelling Bee winners in his class and today the four classes top winners had another Spelling Bee to see who would move on to the District competition. As Cameron was walking to the car this afternoon he has this smirk on his face that tells me good news. I'm already getting so excited for him and he hasnt even gotten to the car yet. He climbs in and says, "I got 2nd today in the Spelling Bee." So awesome! He continues... "I let Kristen win. I spelled democracy with a 'k'." My mouth drops.

The poor kid has had this crush on this little girl since first grade. They send eachother gram-notes at school for the holidays. And he let her win. He said he didnt want her to lose and he didnt want to stand up there anymore. I am proud of him though. He has a kind heart for a girl, which tells me he will be a great man. He said all of the girls who were knocked out were crying and he wasnt about to make another girl cry. What a guy!

Dear Santa....

Another of Courtnie's sweet, loving, and oh-so-true letters she wrote last night.

12-15-08 Courtnie

Dear Santa,

I want Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Concert for Christmas. I have been realy good. Me and my little brother play together alot. Me and my big brother fight but now we do not.

Sincerely,
Courtnie

Do you like my moms cookies? Yummy cookie!
Have a holy jolly Christmas!

Here is what I find humerous, she fails to mention that sometimes she and her younger brother do not get along, even when they play together. Her comment about her and Cameron...... true. I do find it sweet though =) I asked Cameron what he thought of that and he picked his eyebrows up and said "she's right". Colton was a bit concerned that you had to actually tell Santa how you had behaved in the last year. That was a fearful face!!

Happy Birthday Jason

Yesterday, we celebrated Jason's 31st birthday. We made his favorite meal (jumbalaya) and baked a cake for him. Happy Birthday babe!! We love you!!!

Here is a picture of him with the kids:

Ugh! My Bank is Closed

I've already figured out my New Year's Resolution for 2009 - DO NOT STRESS ABOUT MONEY. I also intend to keep my financial fears to myself. Occassionally I stress about this even though I truly, truly try not to. I have been staying at home for 10 years now and since then our bills have always been paid and we have extra to do as we please, so why do I continue to stress about this? When will I learn to let go and let God? With this said, it isn't 2009 yet so I can still complain.....

Are you kidding me? It's December. Christmas-time. And just since last Sunday (which was only been 4 days ago) here is who has asked me for money - Cameron's basketball is $185 due this Sunday, Courtnie's dance $28 plus $63, plus we will be paying $25 just to get in to watch her first competition this Saturday, and all three kids need money and/or gifts for their class Christmas parties. And what time of year is it? December! A month when gifts are what I really want to spend my money on. I haven't even finished shopping for my own kids yet!!! So if you are reading this and need money from me, try again later. This bank is closed.

Now that I have vented about this, I'm letting it go.... really.

Cheer Competition '08

Courtnie had her cheer competition this past Sunday. It was super exciting but we are sooo glad it's over! Here is a video of both their cheer/chant and their dance. It's pretty far away but we were in the stands and there are quite a few girls on the team. Here are some pics from the weekend:

Courtnie is on the front row on the far left in the cheer/chant:

Courtnie is on the back row on the far left in the dance:

B's Senior Pics

My sister and her boyfriend's senior pics are up... I absolutely LOVE them!! Another great job by Rachael Leigh Photography.

What's Poppin'?

Cameron's first solo Science Fair project was due this year. (This should read: Mom's 5th grade Science Fair project was due.) Seriously, what are these extremely time consuming and difficult projects for? Are they to make sure parents are helping with the learning process at home? Because, really, the hour or so of homework every night is plenty enough. I prefer they play outside when they get home, not stay cooped up inside working after they have been at school for 8 hours.

Anyway, after talking Cameron out of a volcano (no originality here) we decided on trying to find the brand of popcorn that leaves the most unpopped kernels. Fun! We popped three different brands and found very interesting data. Without going into all of our research, I'll just say don't buy Pop Secret. It's on the more expensive end and leaves WAY more unpopped kernels. But Act II is cheaper and leaves far fewer unpopped popcorn kernels. Way more for your money!

Also, for those of you who helped with your opinion of your favorite popcorn, THANK YOU! The most favorite flavor is (drum roll please)....... movie theater butter. Here are some pics of his project:

Bow & Arrow

Courtnie had to make a bow and arrow for school (this reads: Mom and Dad had to make Courtnie a bow and arrow for school). Cameron hunted for the sticks, Dad made the bow and Mom decorated the bow. Courtnie, well.... she learned to shoot it. Cameron and my brother went on a stick hunt at one of Courtnie's cheer games and found enough sticks to help three of the other girls with their projects. The moms and daughters all came over this past weekend to decorate them and the girls were nowhere in sight! Us moms found ourselves having fun gabbing and making the bows and arrows very pretty. They may not win with the arrow shooting the farthest, but they sure are cute! (Which is VERY important to my daughter!!)

Christmas Projects

Aunt Cathie sent the kids some Christmas art projects. Courtnie created the Christmas tree, and Colton created..... the manger maybe? Cameron tried so hard to help Colton but he wanted to do it by himself. As you can see, the manger has hay on only one side while the other side has Christmas tree ornaments (which he stole from Courtnie's project), the faces of Mary, Joseph, Jesus and the wisemen, snow and other random project pieces. The same is true for the inside of the manger. We tried to tell him that baby Jesus slept in the manger but he was very insistent that Jesus was a pirate, a pirate with a patch on his eye. (Dear Lord, please forgive me!)

Child of Determination

Courtnie - our head-strong, determined, will never lose a battle, child. Last weekend, the weather was super cold and Courtnie had her last cheer game at 9am that morning. We woke her up and told her how cold it was going to be and asked her to put on a pair of leggings and her blue gym pants. She comes out about 15 minutes later with her cheer uniform on and her black leggings. (I already know how this morning is going to turn out, I heard the thrashing around in the room.) I walk her to the front door, push her out and shut the door. Through the window I am telling her to keep walking, keep walking, keep walking, until I feel she is far enough out in the cold and wind to actually "see and feel" how cold it is outside. She comes back in crying saying she wont look cute in the pants (because the black leggings with her blue and white uniform look GREAT!). I snap back that it's 40 degrees outside and cold, no one cares how cute you are only how warm you will be. She argues, runs to her room and hides and refuses to come out or get dressed. If you are laughing trying hard to picture my sweet little Courtnie doing this, try harder. This is a normal routine. She cares only about her appearance, not about warmth and we go through this same routine about once a week throughout every winter season. Anyway, Jason and I are laughing at her telling her to get out of her closet and get dressed. She isn't moving. So I tell her I am going to grab my camera. As I was running to get it, I can hear Jason telling her to get up quickly because if I actually got a picture of her I was going to post it on my blog for everyone to see. She does not care. So I snap away!

Jason finally convinces her to get up, dress as we want her to and when she gets to the game if she doesn't think she needs to dress warm, she can take some of her clothes off (great idea!). She agrees with this but continues to frown and stomp around.

Dad did good! I had to stay behind with Colton because he was not feeling great and he and I only had about 4 hours of sleep, off and on. But he took some pictures of Courtnie and sure enough she took off her coat and gloves. She had taken off the piece that covered her ears but Dad put his foot down (again, great job!). But do you notice the pants are still on? Even though she says they don't make her look cute? lol. After the game her hands were frozen and her nose and cheeks were super red. But she insists she wasn't all that cold!

Cheer Pics

Courtnie cheered for the Falcons this year, her second season of cheer. She loved it this year!! Here are some pics I was able to snap throughout the season. She has turned into quite the difficult child to tkae pictures of. Her smile is half there, her eyes wont un-squint, she just doesnt want them taken, etc. All of the pics we were able to get are posted on our online album.

Baseball Pics

Cameron's team split from last year and this year the new team name was the Seminoles. We had a great coaches and definitely needed a wonderful season!!! The boys had a great time and learned so much in the short season that it was. I tried to get a few shots throughout the season but there were always random people in the background, a fence in the way or just boys acting goofy and uncooperative, lol. A mom on the team, Angela, took the boys out on a cold Saturday morning and snapped some incredible pictures for us. Here is her photography website: http://www.artisticimagesbyangela.com/. Thanks Angela!! There is also a surprise for Cameron for Christmas; I will be sure to blog about that at a later date. All of the pics Angela took and that I took this season are posted on our online album.

Dinner-Strike Nearing...

I'm about to go on a dinner strike. I've done this once before, when Courtnie was around 2 yrs old. I got so sick of hearing complaints about dinner and never hearing a dinner suggestion from anyone, that I just went on strike. Jason and the kids ate sandwiches (which they made themselves) for 2 weeks when they finally came to me with apologies and begging for real food. After this, things were better.

Until now. Is it too much to ask that Jason cook dinner on Thursday nights since I am at dance with Courtnie from 5:30-7:15? I think not! He doesn't know what to make, nothing he makes the kids like, we have nothing to eat (ever!), and he knows I don't approve of eating out all the time. He also likes to complain (and this isn't the particular word I would like to use right now) about the kids complaining about his meal preparation choices. Hello.... isn't his complaining to me the very same as the kids complaining to him? If he doesn't want to hear it from them, what makes him think I want to hear it from him?

Pick something to make, make it, if they don't want it, then they go without dinner. Stand your ground once, and they wont complain anymore. As if we haven't been doing this for TEN YEARS NOW........

The Armor

The current fiction book I am reading talks about how a mother would walk her girls through a series of gifts that God had given her girls. She told them this everyday. I thought it was neat! My sister and I were talking about it and the book writes about it over several pages so I thought I would condense it all so that I could see it all together.

Put on your helmet of salvation, your belt of truth, your breastplate of righteousness, and your shoes of peace. As you head out the door, grab your shields of faith and your sword of spirit.

"The helmet of salvation - you got that the minute you gave your life to Christ. You don't have to pretend to put on some imaginary steel cap on your head in the mornings. It's already there. The belt of truth is in God's Word. You get it from studying it, learning it, knowing what it says. Not whipping it out of some pretend closet. As for your breastplate, you do have that protection, because you exchanged your sin for Christ's righteousness.... and your shoes of the gospel of peace. Again, you study God's Word, make it a part of you. But the shoes are about spreading the word, telling others about the peace you've found. You have something they need. The shield of faith - you have to feed it the things that make it grow stronger. Again, you have to study God's Word as if it were your very lifeline. Because it is. As you get to know the Word of God, front to back, layer upon layer - hunger for it, breath it - that sword will get sharper and become more effective. The truth is, you have to build upon these weapons before you need them, so you'll be ready when you're face-to-face with someone unkind, or un-Christlike."

Compassion

Compassion: sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together with a desire to alleviate it
Forgiveness: allowing room for error or weakness
Integrity: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values; honesty

These are just a few things many people lack these days. I realized today that sometimes people do not think of others or the trials they may be facing before criticizing or judging them. This is so sad. Anytime someone has done me wrong (whether it be cutting me off while driving, saying something hateful, or just giving a wrong look) I try to imagine something that has caused them to do this. I guess it's my way of hoping they did something wrong because of a stress in their life or even just not thinking altogether. I would not feel so great if I found out someone did something to hurt another deliberately. And the truth is, none of us are perfect!

After I was extremely offended today and noticed that this person lacked these incredible things, my anger was just fuming inside. How do people really lack compassion for others? My heart goes out to people who are less fortunate than I am. And it's times like this that I'm reminded that my house doesn't really need to be decorated exactly so, I don't need extra money to go out to eat, I don't need a new car just because I cant stand the one I drive. Those reminders put me in my place - I have food on the table, my bills are paid, there are clothes on our backs and shoes on our feet, a roof over our heads, and above all we are a healthy family who loves each other unconditionally. What more could a girl need?

Then I get this wonderful letter from my Dad. In his letter he reminds me of the forgiveness I have shown to him. This made me cry again (I cant even begin to guess how many times Ive actually shed tears today. Too many to count!). Isn't it funny how God works though? How he uses someones words or actions at the most wonderful time to remind you how you are supposed to act in a particular situation?? I sat there reading his letter and it struck me that I am supposed to use that same forgiveness to those who do not have compassion or forgiveness towards myself or others. And there isn't anything I can do for those who lack those things, other than pray for them. So I sit here now praying for those who do not have the kindest of words or actions and for those who have hurt me today. My prayer for them is that they will realize how often and how much people are hurting around us and that life isn't about them all the time. Its okay to show others forgiveness and its okay to let the little things slide. My prayer continues for myself - that I may forgive others and find the great qualities they have and that my example of compassion and forgiveness helps others to do just the same.

By the way Dad, I am looking forward to more letters!! I will never forget the incredible ways God uses and works through others.

Embarrassing Moment to Confess

I have been living with a secret. Awile ago, maybe 10 days or so ago, I noticed my eyebrows were getting a bit long. I like to try and keep up with my eyebrows in hopes that I can avoid the salon for more than two weeks. I come from a family cursed with serious hair growth. If you have ever commented on my hair being thick, it's probably one of the thinnest in the family. And my hair grows thick and full in every part of my body where hair is supposed to grow (and even in places it isn't supposed to).

I thought of pulling out my trusting eyebrow scissors and/or tweezers but it would have been so much easier and faster to use Jason's trimmers. He uses them and they work nicely. Not this time. And not for me. He has warned me not to use them time and time again and I figured if I could just keep them off my skin and they would just do a quick trim for me. And oops. They didn't. I placed them near the very end of one of my eyebrows and it scalped it. Ack! So I quickly put them away as if Jason was about to walk in and catch me and start harassing me for doing something he has repeatedly told me not to (he was at work already) and then I quickly looked in the mirror at the damage I had just done and was praying as I fumbled around inside my makeup bag for my eyeliner in hopes that I could just fill in the hole. This my friends worked.

As far as I know, no one has caught sight of my accident or actually said anything to me about looking different and I haven't caught anyone staring at me in awkward silence or wonder. So maybe no one realized my attempt at a fake eyebrow. And I learned a lesson - do not touch my husbands hair trimmers. Ever. I will however continue to get onto my children for doing things I have repeatedly ask them not to do.

Happy Halloween!

I must confess, I was dreading the aftermath of Halloween. The incessant question of: "Can I have a piece of candy?" But, my kids have barely asked for any at all. I'm proud of them! They definitley were cursed with their sweet tooths from me =(

We had a great Halloween night! Cameron tried to fake a stomach ache, but after talking to him we figured out he just didnt want to go trick-or-treating (we never did figure out WHY exactly this but his spirits remained high). So we found the perfect job for him - passing out candy! So Jason and I took the younger two trick-or-treating and Cameron got into his costume and passed out candy. Afterwards we hopped in the car and visited some family so they could see the kiddos. I liked Halloween being on a Friday night so we could enjoy the family time and not be so rushed for mundane duties of the following day.

Cameron was some sort of scary creature, Courtnie was Hannah Montana and Colton was a fireman. Courtnie dressed for Halloween at school:

Colton and I at school. I was Ms. Understood:

Pumpkin Carving

After Jason and I went to dinner tonight to celebrate our anniversary, we carved pumpkins with Grandmum and the kids. In the past they haven't been too thrilled about cleaning out the pumpkin but this year they seemed to really get into it. They made the face and all fought over who got to pull it's eyes, nose and mouth out (typical of my children). I think they did a good job!!

Happy 8th Anniversary!

It was 8 years ago today that Jason and I were married. Can you believe that? My life with him has been so wonderfully blessed. We went to dinner tonight, alone, and had a great time. I just can't believe we have been married this long now! I cannot imagine my life without him and look forward to the rest of my life and growing old with him. He is my everything! I seriously would be lost in life without him by my side. Here is a picture of us before we went to dinner tonight, Cameron took it for us. Not bad photography skills for a 10 yr old.

Some fun facts about us: We have known eachother and been friends for almost 14 years now. We have no clue when we went from friends to dating. We have no idea when our first official "date" was. We danced to "When I Look Into Your Eyes" by Firehouse at our wedding. On our wedding night, after the reception, we hit up Jack in the Box, fully dressed in our wedding attire. Starved was an understatement. That's all I can think of right now =)

Random Happenings

The kids have been quite rotten lately. So rotten I was even embarrassed by their behavior today with their Grandmum (Jason's mom). I know she has seen them all at their finest but lately their behavior is getting the best of me.

Courtnie brought home another round of not-so-good papers. If there is a question that she doesn't know the answer to on any of her papers or she doesn't understand part of the assignment, she just skips right over it. She never thinks to ask the teacher! We have talked about this time and time again and her grades are suffering because of this. When they receive their Tuesday folders and I go through her papers I seriously sit and cry. How can I "make" her do all of her work? And her handwriting is quite poor and because of this her teacher cant tell what letter is which. We've been working on this too for some time now. Because of her grades she wasn't allowed to buy anything at the Book Fair this week. On a different note for Ms. Courtnie - her reading level at school is close to a 3rd grade level. How great is that!

Later in the week Cameron decides to shove (he claims it was a slight push) his sister into the bathroom door. This too has been happening alot lately and we have given him clear examples of ways to solve problems other than being rough with his sister. I understand she may be irritating him, and more than likely purposely so, but must we be so hands-on rough? No! So he too was denied a chance to buy fun things at the Book Fair as well. What a mean mom I am. And a different note for Cameron - his reading level is at an 8th grade level. Can you believe that?

As for Colton.... well he has found his "tall finger" and is so very proud that he can hold that one finger up by itself. He has no clue he is flipping me off and has worked so very hard to be able to hold just one finger up. Those of you with kids know how hard it is for them to accomplish this. I just acknowledge his attempts at being kind (at least I hope that's his attempt) and ask him to do something else for the moment. Colton has also tried his acrobatic skills in the bathroom. He ever so wonderfully hung from the shower curtain and broke the rod in half. Nice. I appreciate that. It goes well with the missing towel rack in my bathroom where Cameron hung from and the cracked tile near the fireplace where Courtnie thought a Christmas stocking/holder would hold her up.

The bright side to active children - at least they are healthy!! I love them all - rotten, sweet, kind, pouting or enthusiastic. They bring my such great joy =)

Thank You for Prayers

I woke up this morning with very little jitters. Maybe it was because I was busy with the morning's to-dos but I suspect it was from being lifted up in prayers but my sweet, prayerful friends. I honesty was so worked up last night that I could not pray. I couldn't do anything but shake and cry. After blogging last night I was able to calm down some and get in bed. I didn't sleep so well though. It took me forever to go to sleep but I also woke up at 5am to a wonderful reminder of WHY I was having this surgery done. With one cough I made a mess everywhere, even ruined a good pair of pajama pants :( I know, TMI but I have never been one to let TMI's get in the way of honesty! I took my morning meds and they kicked in full force. I was passed out sound asleep on the couch in the waiting room at the doctor's office and they laughed at me when they came to take me back. My doctors were all laughing at how quickly the meds had me "all doped up". I didn't even fight the IV, and this my friends is awesome for me! I have been known to be the world's worst patient, especially when any needles are involved. After I got back there my sweet nurse asked me to pick out a blanket and matching socks - how nice is that!! I went into the bathroom and after stumbling and falling from side to side I was able to get my new, soft, pretty socks on and the blanket wrapped around me. When I got back to my room they had picked out a handmade soap for me to smell and had me guess it's scent, of which I had no clue what it was. They swear it was vanilla and that's the last thing I remember. I woke up sitting in a wheelchair with Colton laughing at "how silly Mommy is". My doctor assured Jason that not only was I going to enjoy this procedure in the next coming weeks but that he was going to as well. Now I don't remember saying this, but apparently I raised my hand and told the doctor I was the one with a high sex drive and I was going to enjoy it more. This isn't exactly something I wouldn't say to close friends but I have no recollection of saying this to my doctor. They were all laughing at my slurred speech and ever-so-slow movements. They did take before and after pictures of my uterus. He said there was one spot that was bleeding profusely (btw, today was of course the heaviest day of my cycle, hence the wonderful 5am surprise). He said they were able to cauterize everything and then go back to that heavy spot and burn it pretty good. I am super excited! I cant believe I have waited so long to have this done. I am not hurting at all and haven't at all today. The worst part of today was trying to sleep and wear off the anesthesia. I like to have full control of my body and don't quite enjoy being out of sorts for this long of a period of time.

Oh yes, one more story. Tonight Courtnie asked me if my doctor was a boy or girl, I told her boy. She just giggled with complete embarrassment. Then she asked if he used gloves, then giggled even harder. I wasn't even aware she knew what kind of surgery I was having or if she even knows at all. But I thought that was funny. She likes girl doctors herself.

I am going to get off here not and enjoy a snack and tall glass of chocolate milk. I NEED both of these things :) I deserve them! Now back to Grey's Anatomy....

Once again, THANK YOU for your prayers. I know the power of prayer and am certain I came through this so wonderfully because of my friends and their kind words to the Lord. Thank you!

REALLY Nervous

Getting brutally honest now.... I am FREAKING out! If you have called me this evening and I haven't answered it's because I don't want to talk about it. Thank you for your encouraging words and prayers but I don't want to talk about this surgery. My whole body has been shaking since I left work at 2:30. Remember me telling you my wiggly toe quirk? It's full force tonight and it isn't just my sweet little toes, my feet are won't be still either. My stomach is churning in knots and the toilet has become my friend this evening. I'm hoping writing about it will help me relieve some of my fears, but for heavens sake if my husband wants "to talk about tomorrow" one more time I am going to scream. And quite possibly at him. Aren't my tears and trembling body enough?? And my kids... I love their stories, I love hearing about their day and I love their jokes. But not tonight. I just want to take some PM meds and go to bed, except I know I need to stay up somewhat late just so I can eat before my midnight deadline to eat rolls around. Why is it that as an adult I am not handling surgery so well? I did this when I had my wisdom teeth taken out this past May and they almost didn't do it because I was in such a panic mode, cried all the way to the dentist. I feel like a big baby! I need a Valium. My doctor prescribed one for tomorrow morning, but what about tonight??? Off to visit my best friend again, please pray for me. I need to calm down, sleep tonight and not stress tomorrow morning.

Nervous

I'm starting to get somewhat nervous about Thursday. I'm more excited than nervous really but those little taunting questions and fears are still in the back of my mind. There's just those understood surgery complications that COULD happen, even when highly unlikely. Will I tolerate anesthesia this go-around? What if the pain afterwards is too great, even though I'm being assured there is minimal to no pain after the surgery? What if something pushes the surgery time back later that day and I cant eat for even longer? (I know this seems irrational but I'm not too friendly when hunger strikes.) Or what if something unforeseen does happen and I don't make it out? What if I hemorrhage like I did with my last "lady surgery"? That wasn't fun at all! My doctor called me "the ultimate pessimist" this morning. If I didn't like him it would have made me mad. I understand these are really terrible, irrational fears but this is reality to me people. I am almost never the "glass is half empty" kind of gal, but sometimes I think it's okay to have this mindset when something like this occurs. Right? Anyone? I think it's a good thing to have ever basis covered - my legs will be shaved, I just had my eyebrows done, my face isn't totally breaking out, and I'll talk to Jason on our way there just in case something happens to me. I almost always look at the brighter side or give others the benefit of the doubt and try to stay positive in every situation, but right now I just cant seem to shake of the nervousness and the what-ifs.

I just need to try and focus my jitters elsewhere: no periods for life, a little anesthesia and Valium, staying off my feet for awhile and doing very little, no driving for a day, no more pads and tampons, the overall cost factor, decreased PMS symptoms (although I don't think I have any anyway!) and did I forget to mention no more periods for the rest of my life! I need to just focus on these greater things.

Great Grandkids

Our family has grown in the last year or so - we have added 3 great grandkids to the family! Kaegen couldnt be with us, they live so far away but we did get to have Tynzlie and Riley here together for the first time (both are newborns). These little ladies are adorable! I actually think they both look like me, more than my younger two kids anyway :) We were able to get a picture of my Grannie with 6 of her great-grandchildren and hopefully soon we will be able to get all 7 together. We had alot of fun! Even had a mini photo shoot with the two baby girls. Man its hard to get them both doing what we wanted and both happy! One woke up while the other finally passed out, one would smile and the other would cry, one would lay still while the other was happily thrusting her arms around. It was sure fun though!! Here are the best pics we snapped:

Tuesday Storytime

I have been taking Colton to storytime at the Rockwall Library. These pictures are from our second visit, which was this past Tuesday. It was actually probably a better time to take pictures than last week anyway. Let me back up some and tell you about our last trip to the library over the summer....

We had just gotten there and had plans to go to lunch afterwards. Colton was insisting that he didnt want to go (this should have been my sign!). We get inside the storyroom and he starts yelling. I am trying to console him and pull out a carpet square for him - his favorite color, orange! He is not having it. So I sit down on the carpet square myself and rest him in my lap, only to see him quickly jump out of it and run away. This is in the library people! And the moms are now watching me!!! We left with him sidways in my arms and his arms swinging at my legs and his feet hitting my backside. I was mortified!! Something I have learned about library storytimes - the moms and children there are regulars. They know every song, their children listen to the stories and interact with the songs and finger plays, and they enjoy the crafts and activities. Not Colton. He couldnt care if he never went to another storytime again. But we can overcome this, I know we will.

Going back to yesterday.... This time we went with friends, they're children he knows and adores. Im certain he is going to love storytime! We have been twice now and both times he tells me he doesnt want to go to storytime, he doesnt like it. But I insist we go because afterall, ITS FUN! He hasnt thrown a fit again but he does sit in my lap most of the time and just observe. He did sing one of the songs this time AND he colored (well, made dots from an ink pad) on his craft. And get this, he wrote his name for the first time ever while we were there!!! Im going to have to scan this in and post this. Maybe I should even do Cameron and Courtnie's names the first time they wrote theirs; they would like to see that too.

Im going to have to start taking my camera every week. We invited a couple more friends to join us so maybe once he gets his own little "group" of friends he will open up and have more fun! Courtnie was with us yesterday too, the kids were out of school for a student holiday. Cameron is "too old" for the library! Also, if you are off and want to join us on any Tuesday, please do!!

Metallica's #1 Fan

I worked really hard this morning while we were running around to get a good video of Colton playing his air guitar to Metallica. He even breaks out to play the drums for a short moment. I need to get one of him playing the entire song (which he normally does) without all of our voices in the background. Our family car rides are always entertaining, so long as no one is fighting over who sits where this time as opposed to last time.

Drink More Beer

Jason had his yearly physical yesterday afternoon and was telling me all about it - his blood pressure looks great, cholesterol is down, he's allergic to nickel, etc. He goes on to tell me that the doctor tells him that he needs to increase his good cholesterol some and the best way to do this is to have 1-2 beers a night. [Not sure there is an emoticon for my facial expression to this comment.] As Jason says this he gets this smirk on his face just waiting for my response. Anybody remembering a similar episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where he comes home from the doctor and he was told to play more golf? With my silent response, Jason tells me that he isn't supposed to not drink all week and make up for it by drinking 10 beers in one night on the weekend, but having 1 or 2 a night is actually good for him. To keep myself from laughing hysterically, I told him I was calling his doctor Monday morning to verify what he had just shared with me. Not sure if I'm really going to call the doctor but I am tempted. He knows who I am and might find it humorous to return my call but I'm sure they have more important calls to return other than some crazy wife who doesn't want to give her husband beer every night of the week.

That's the most blog-worthy thing that has happened lately. Keeping busy with baseball season and Courtnie in cheer and dance. I did try to get a video of Colton playing the air guitar to a Metallica song but he realized what I was doing and quickly stopped. I'll keep working on that!

Super Mom

The other evening when I dropped Courtnie off at cheer practice, two of the moms had read my blog and commented on me being "super mom". One might think this is a flattering comment but if you know me at all then you know I was a bit embarrassed. Even though I knew ir was intended to be a sweet comment I actually think its a bit deceiving because I am nowhere near a super mom. So I have been thinking of all the things that would disqualify me for being super mom. Here they are:

1. My patience level could use an extreme boost on a regular basis. Over the years I have learned how to be more patient but from time to time I am reminded with the fact that I need to be a bit more patient and understanding.

2. I do not like to sweep and vacuum. Now I understand most people do not like these household chores, but how long exactly would you avoid these chores? I confess - I mop only when my socks begin to stick to the floor and vacuum when I get tired of seeing things on the carpet - playground mulch or pebbles, shredded balls from being thrown too often, torn paper that was once a piece of someones craft, or general dirt. I also mop and sweep when I know someone is coming over =) So for all of my dear friends who think my house is ALWAYS clean and spotless, its only that way because I knew you were headed my direction.

3. Be very careful when entering my kids' bathroom. I would actually suggest that you use only my bathroom when visiting. The boys dont aim very well when using the toilet, not one of my kids can nicely fold a towel over the side of the bathtub, Courtnie doesnt understand that all of her things do not belong ON the counter and the boys do not understand that their things do not belong on the floor. And somehow they all manage to splatter toothpaste all over the bathroom mirror and leave it to crust in and around the sink. I still havent figured out how they do this! However, if I know you are coming over I will clean their bathroom for you.

4. I am exhausted and get a hint of laziness in my system everyday at 8pm. When the younger two go to bed, I shower and plop my butt right here on the couch so that I can do nothing. I'm in bed by 9pm, not necessarily asleep but in bed for sure. If you call me after this time, I will not answer my phone. Forgive me though. If there is anything left undone in the house after this time, too bad. I will not do it. I am not a marathon mother who goes non-stop when her kids go to bed. I probably could accomplish alot more during this time but I just dont have it in me.

5. I am late to lots of places. I used to be very on-time everywhere we went, really it was a good 10-15 minutes early. One might think this is a good thing but that whole patience thing and waiting on others to get there and get there on time is a struggle. And no one ever seems to get in trouble anymore for being late. So.... I decided it wasnt worth my hassle and stress to be on-time all the time. We usually arrive to places right on time and sometimes even a little late. It makes me feel a rebelious! It does stress my kids out though; see what I passed on to them? Not good.

6. I do not feed my childrne gourmet breakfasts. Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, cold cereal, frozen waffles or toaster struddels it is. We do have gourmet breakfasts for dinner - biscuits and homemade gravy, bacon and eggs. But in the mornings, I confess, we eat lazy. I do make up for it though with healthy, fun lunches and dinners.

Anybody who reads this.... please remind me of the other non-super mom things I do.

Upcoming Surgery

I have now had both of my pre-op appointments. The first was a histo-sonogram. This is where they inject saline into the cervix to open it more fully to see if there are any possible reasons for the bleeding and to make sure there aren't any cysts that aren't easily detectable. Although there was some cramping it wasn't too bad and it was clear. The appointment today was... different. They scraped the lining of my cervix and will send it off for a biopsy. I was really expecting it to be similar to a pap smear. It wasn't. And I was unprepared. As my knees began to squeeze inward and my hands are gripping the table, my doctor says, "Remember your breathing exercises you used for natural childbirth? You need to use those again right now." The look on my face must have said it all - the quick disappearing smile, the immediate halt in the conversation, the sweat dripping down my forehead and cheeks, the sight of my eyes bulging from my head, the lack of oxygen from holding my breath. Either way, I was glad when he was done. I had to sit on the examining table just to catch my breath and muster up the courage to put my clothes back on while still using my breathing techniques like I was giving birth. Have you ever realized how often in life these nice breathing exercises work in different situations??

My actual surgery is schedule for October 16th, a Thursday. I'm super excited!! I cannot imagine a life period-free. Oh the joy this is sure to bring me =)

Courtnie Meets Skipper

Courtnie has a friend in school and cheer whose big brother plays Skipper in As the Bell Rings (a Disney show). The other day I asked him if I could get a picture of him with Courtnie and he was so kind to let me snap away. Of course Im certain this just melted her heart - to have met a famous person and then to have him wrap his arm around you for a picture!!! lol. He is a great kid with an incredible personality. He will do wonderfully in this business.

Sky Ranch Camp

Cameron's 5th grade class went to camp at Sky Ranch this week for three days. I went as a chaperone. I had sooo much fun. As did Cameron. I am absolutely amazed at how much learning the kids do and even more at the fun they have while learning. I have never seen a camp staff more excited about their jobs and a more perfect fit for teaching 5th graders in a camp-type environment. They had 3 hours of class time in the morning and another 3 hours of class time in the afternoon. The kids had skCRAZY time where they did wild movement type activities - Ive never seen a larger group of kids doing The Cupid Shuffle! We played a real-life version of Clue, our cabin full of boys came up with the best skit (and Im not being biased here), had smores by the campfire, hiked, shot off homemade rockets, held and pet the ugliest critters of all (tarantulas, snakes, lizards, hedghog, etc). They also had two hours of free time to roam around, play sports, mini golf, volleyball or nukem and this massive size jumping pillow. We honestly had so much to do and so much fun we really didnt have problems getting 12 boys to shower and get to sleep at night. Of course they had to have their evening activity of a 12 man wrestling match, but once we got them calmed after that they were pretty easy to get in their beds and off to sleep. Getting them up was a different story but we were never late for headquarters and breakfast!

I am so glad I went with Cameron. He doesnt show too many emotions so you never really know what he is thinking. But each meal time he came to sit right next to me (with all of his friends )and this just melted my heart. Its nice to still have that connection with your child, especially now that he is getting older and really isnt into hanging out with mom anymore. I tried to not embarrass him and am pretty certain I accomplished this.

Here are just a few of our pictures from our camp experience. Check out our family web album to see all of our pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/bran0224. PS - My son does actually own something other than that red hoodie. I just couldnt get him to part with it over these last few days, even in the Texas heat! Even at home he wears hoodies constantly.

My Dearest Courtnie

When I came home from school last night I was in quite the sour mood. I still do not love rocks and had sat on Hwy 30 for an hour and a half. Someone apparently couldnt drive and caused a serious accident. Im not lying when I say I actually put my car in park, turned the car completely off and read my new book. People looked at me like I was insane but truthfully I bet my nerves were more calm than theirs! lol.

I get home and find this sweet little note Courtnie wrote to me. She isnt the best trooper when Mom is away. She likes to remind who ever is taking care of her that everything they do "isnt the way Mommy does it". Apparently Daddy doesnt know what to cook for dinner, Mommy doesnt make sandwiches that way, etc. She reminded Jason all night that he was doing everything wrong. Poor baby!

Her note reads (her exact writing and punctuation):
"Dear mom I missed you today. I had a great time at school. We cleaned our the garge. We were stinky! Me and colton were playing school for a little bit. It was fun! At school today we watched magic school bus. It was about plant's. It was a little long. I unloaded the dishwashe. And bee we here. We were going to have hotdogs or samwiches. and we did. Well I had fun today!

Love
Courtnie"
How stinkin' sweet is that? I sat there after my long day from working, school, and the car ride home and cried. I miss my kids!! I see them on Friday mornings, drop them off at school and dont see them again until Saturday morning. We are just not used to that. I just think it such a sincere and sweet gesture for her to write me a note to tell me about her day. Love that girl!

What a Scare!

For more than two years now my periods have been horrible. They last 2-3 weeks and are pretty consistent at being every 4 weeks apart. As you can imagine, this doesnt leave alot of "off" time. Its no exaggeration that when one would last 3 weeks that I had one week off before the next one began. I have been to three gynocologists offices looking for answers and someone to tell me the problem and cure. Nothing. I finally heard of a procedure called NovaSure that would actually end my periods for the rest of my life. I really struggled with this. Few doctors will actually perform this procedure because of the risks - its harder to detect cervical cancer after this procedure has been done and my insurance wont cover the cost because "it isnt necessary". It must be a man who processed that claim, because bleeding for 2-3 weeks every month cannot possibly be normal or an okay quality of life. After my last period, which lasted 2+ weeks, I made the call and told them I was ready for this to end. They told me to call when my next peirod started.

This leads me to my scare. I was supposed to start my period LAST Monday (9/1) but as of last night it still hadnt arrived. Jason has had a vasectomy but all it takes in one furiously fast swimmer to change my life forever. After agonizing over my missing period, I finally mustered up enough courage to call a friend and tell her my fears. She laughs with me (my laugh was trying to cover up my worst fear come true) and tells me not to worry and just take a test. I didnt sleep at all last night. I kept going through every scenario possible that might occur from a pregnancy and nothing good was coming to mind. I finally wake up this morning to the happiest sight ever - my period! [insert BIG smiles] I was ecstatic! I called my doctor first thing this morning to let them know.

My first appointment is scheduled for next Thursday afternoon. This appointment is just a more detailed ultrasound. Ive actually had this done before when they were trying to find a cause for the bleeding and it isnt the most comfortable procedure. The next appointment is the following Tuesday with a biopsy being done on my cervix. I cant imagine this is going to feel wonderful either. After these, if all tests are good, I will have the final procedure done and be period-free for the rest of my life. I am sooo excited! The final procedure will be done under anesthesia but in the office. Ive actually had this done once before too from a hemorrage scare after a surgery and this was done with me awake and in excrutiating pain. My poor mom stood by me gagging trying so hard to be supportive. So knowing this will be done with me asleep is of great comfort. Im not exactly looking forward to the upcoming painful procedures but I know after they are done, relief from all of this will be a nice welcome and greatly appreciated.

I will keep you posted on how everything goes. I have never enjoyed a period more in my life and hopefully this will be my last =)

Stay-at-Home-Mom

Have you ever put thought into this title? Stay-at-home-mom. Tuesday was my only day this week to accomplish anything around the house and yet I call myself a stay-at-home mother. Hello?? When do I get to stay at home? I do work part-time, but the days that I am supposed to be at home, we are always keeping busy. Doctors appointments, dentists appointments, errands, practices, games or performances, grocery shopping, playdates. I dont even "stay-home" on the weekends! I will confess, there are times when I am "at home" that I completely do nothing. Sometimes I lay Colton down for rest time and plop my butt right here on the couch and do nothing. I dont feel guilty about it either because seriously, that may be the only time that week that I actually sit and that be the only thing I do for the moment. And Im okay with that.

This is what the "stay-at-home-mom" title really should be:
Housekeeper, cook, teacher and tutor, laundry machine operator, personal chauffer, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer, mediator, accountant, entertainer, nurse and psychologist.

This title comes with some clarity - I am oncall 24/7. No sleep, sick, want a raise, need a break, desire a hot meal, lacking new clothes? Too bad. Flipside - lots and lots of love, never ending smiles, the joy in watching your child grow and learn, knowing your child has endless appreciation for all that you do (although they may not realize this until years later). I love all those job titles!! Just think the "stay-at-home-mom" title is a bit of an oxymoron.

Homemade Forts

Did anybody ever make forts out of every blanket, pillow, cushion, or any other useable piece of material in the house to build forts? My kids do this all the time. Sometimes they try to build their own individually and sometimes they will build one massive one together. Today while grocery shopping (this is an individual sport for myself, no kids or husband allowed, ever) Jason sends me a humerous text. Here is our conversation:

Jason: "Forts r not turning out to be a good idea"

Brandie: "Why? Fighting?"

A few minutes later....

Jason: "We have combined forts and all is well"

Brandie: "On my way home"

Jason: "Finally peace after a hit in the face and a knee n the nuts"

Brandie: "Literally LOL"

Im not sure if I was laughing at the way Jason told me about the happenings going down or if the thought of him having to deal with the fort-issue was funny, or both. Upon getting home, I quickly grabbed my camera and counted the amount of things used to build their one massive fort. They used: 4 pillows, 1 body pillow, 2 bean bag chairs, 20 blankets, 2 arm pillows, 1 gaming chair, 4 comforters, and the couch. And of course they all had their flashlights! I have no idea how or where they were able to climb in and out of that thing. They do get an A for the afternoon just for getting along, who cares about the incredible size mess in the living room (you cant see the toys covering the floor either)! I'll take that anyday for happy children with smiles who are all getting along.

PS - Go Broncos, tomorrow night!!!

Back to School... For Me

I started my last class last night to complete my Associates Degree. I absolutley cannot stand this class (Geology, aka Earth Science). Do we really need to study rocks? Who truly cares about rocks and how they were made or changed form overtime? As I was sitting there in my fifth hour of class, I was contemplating these lovely rocks of all shapes, sizes, colors and form. I had just shaved rocks with my fingernail, a penny, a nail, a piece of glass and a piece of tile. Thats not all my friends... I scratched things with rocks and I scrathed rocks on things. We smelled them, held them, rolled them, examined them and above all tasted them. Just kidding!!! That actually is part of the class labs but he told us we didnt have to do that (liking the guy already!). He also told us he would teach our glass just as he taught his 8th grade classes for 15 years. What a deal, 'cause Im sure my learning level about rocks is at an eighth grade level. Im certain I didnt pay attention then either. It's rocks for crying out loud!

This class is only for 11 days, not bad right? Except the class is for 11 Friday nights from 5:00-11:30pm. Terrible times! But it actually works for our family. I dont necessarily NEED dinner and downtime from waking up at 6am and getting the kids up and ready for school, making breakfast and lunches for four, and working all day. No! I can hang... if only for 11 days.

Im not sure though what I want to do from here. Id love to continue with school and complete my Bachelors in Child Development. But Id also like to get certified to be a Lactation Consultant, which I would actually use. I havent decided, so pray with/for me to listen to His guidance and direction.

Sensory Integration

This month marks the one year anniversary that Colton completed Sensory Integration therapy. For those of you who arent quite sold on this being a real diagnosis, I wish you had met my child two years ago. For those of you who have never heard of this before, let me introduce you to Sensory Integration. And for those of you who understand this and can appreciate the therapy children receive, here is our story....

Around 15 months of age, we noticed Colton was very high-strung, demanding, and tempermental when he didnt get his way. I truly believed it was just his personality (which is still somewhat true today). If he didnt want tummy-time, let me tell you everyone around knew he wasnt having it. He refused to eat baby food and there was no one who was going to convince him otherwise. He wanted things his way and only his way. In his toddler years is when we truly noticed something wasnt right. Of coruse everyone around us kept telling me he was fine, he just wants his way, hang in there. Except, they werent with him 24 hours a day like I was. If he wanted something, he gave me a 5 second time frame to figure out what it was he wanted and give it to him. If I missed that mark, too bad. He would throw himself on the floor and scream. Sounds toddler-normal right?!?! Except his fits would last for hours and when one was over, then came another (because of course I couldnt figure out what my non-speaking toddler wanted in that 5 second timeslot). This went on for months, and months, and months. I cried. He screamed. I cannot tell you how many times the older two children heard, "Not right now. Colton is crying." or "Ive had a really long day, please behave." I didnt look forward to my days with him. We didnt go out in public because of the meltdowns. We didnt have family gatherings for fear of him going crazy on us. It was a battle to get out of the house or car and it was a battle to get in the house or car. It was a battle to get in the bath and out of the bath. To get dressed and to get undressed. To eat and then to quit eatting. I always made the wrong drink, gave him the wrong snack, his socks were wrong, his shirt wasnt right, his blanket wasnt folded right, nothing was ever right.

One day I was dropping him off to my mom so that I could go alone to an appointment. I left him with my mom, him crying of course, and just sat in my car and cried. I prayed and yelled, I was completely lost after a long morning of battles. I seriously had no clue what to do. I called a friend of mine and she told me to call Excel Pediatric Therapy. So I did. I called and told them I didnt really know what to say other than I have no control over my two year old - it may be my lack of confidence and slacking as a mother of three but if that were the case I was ready to hear it and if it were something more I needed to know and get him help. As we are ending our phone call she tells me that cost just for the evaluation is $450. So we dont exactly live in wealth and I had no clue how I was going to pay for this but I knew I had to have him evaluated.

I get home that evening and am going through the mail and find a refund check for $425. (The hair on my arms is standing and tears are coming to my eyes just reminding myself of this story.) I could easily come up with the other $25 right?! I hadnt even told my husband what I had done yet! Continuing to go through the mail, I open another check from Juice Plus for $25. Can you believe this?? I had the exact amount of money needed to have him evaluated. As a mother, I knew then something was wrong and he needed help. Why would God pave this way so perfectly for nothing? I call Jason to tell him and he isnt exactly on board but knew "I" needed help and guidance if anything.

We get to the evaluation, which takes 1 1/2 hours to complete and Colton goes back with his therapist. I had previously asked her what she does when children cry uncontrollably and she reassures me that she has never had a child cry so hard or long that she cannot complete an evaluation. After 30 minutes of Colton screaming and her getting absolutely nothing accomplished, she calls me back to help. Of course I am a blithering mess just hearing him crying and knowing something wasnt right and feeling like a failure. I get back with him and clings to me like a monkey with a death grip. It takes us 15 minutes to get him calmed down and in somewhat of a state to cooperate with her.

After his evaulation, here are his results at his age of 26 months:
Stationary (control his body with gravity) - 14 months
Locomotion (ability to move from one place to another) - 20 months
Object Manipulation (catching, throwing, kicking, etc) - 23 months
Grasping (ability to use his hands) - 14 months
Visual-Motor Integration (complex hand-eye coordination) - 21 months

Tempermental and Atypical Behaviors:
Detached - 3rd percentile
Hypersensitive - <1st>
Underreactive - 2nd percentile
Dysregulated - 5th percentile

She also noted that when walking he holds his right arm close to his chest (which I had noticed a few weeks before the test) and that his eye tracking wasnt complete, meaning he would stop tracking items once they crossed the midline. He was also very tactile defensive and had severe anxiety issues. Some of the things we noticed he did include: heavy walking, fear of walking up or down stairs, transitions, climbing in or out, touching things, extreme movement (running, jumping, bouncing, flying in the air, etc), not holding things correctly, his inability to control himself.

Of course I ask why this is a problem, why him, why us. She said they didnt really know or understand why so many children have sensory-type issues. For Colton it may have been me being on bedrest for so long and he never had true movement. He never would have felt me moving up and down and therefore he never grasped his sense of gravity. It may have been a result of him not breathing quickly after birth and his slight lack of oxygen. It could be because children do not have the freedom to run around play all day; we parents cant just send our kids outside to play and expect them home by dark. The world isnt a safe place anymore. Either way, he had some sesnory problems we needed to focus on to make our home life better.

We prayerfully considered our options: we could use our clean and clear AmExp card for physical and occupational therapy or we could do nothing. We did what any parents would do and maxed out a credit card for the sake of our child. For the next few months we charged each therapy appointment twice a week (which was $165 a week) and we never looked back.
At times I wonder if we made the right decision, especially when I am STILL paying that balance off. But I remind myself of where we were and how far we've come and I know we made the right decision for Colton and for our family. Each new day I am greeted with a smiling face and my heart melts with pure excitement. He is a completely different child and one that embraces life happily. He loves to be on the go. He is super friendly and has a kind-heart and compassion for others. He is almost always smiling and only gives us his grumpy face for a few seconds when he doesnt get his way. I honestly cannot remember the last "fit" he has thrown.

Thank you to my friend who pushed me to make that call. Thank you to everyone who stood by me (and Colton) and offered encouraging words. And thank you to those who chose not to be around us or refused to talk to me on the phone during that time frame. Although I promise to never do this to you, believe it or not, this was a confirmation to me that something wasnt right.

So thats our Sensory Integration story.....