Our nephew Joe is coming home next month for a visit. He has been in Iraq for awhile. A long while. And I need to remember to call my mother in law and ask how I can help cook and coordinate a welcome home party for him.
He is such a super kid. Honestly. And cute. And quirky. A straight shooter (in more ways than one). Smart. And a smart ass at times. Hard worker. And is giving his time right now for his country.
I saw this on another website that just reminded me how much he is welcomed home. And how glad I am to have a dad who served in WWII, Iwa Jima, and Korea. My dad, hmpf. He retired from the Navy as a Master Chief. Toured with the Marines. And is such a terrific dad and one of the best people I have ever met in my life. He too gave most of his life for his country and I'm so glad he returned home also and this year turns 87. But for now, Joe is coming home.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/photography/2010/05/coming-home/
Tuesday, May 25
Sunday, May 23
Full weekend
What a full weekend. Right up to the brim and a little overflowing at times.
Nate and cousins Will and Mac and I all went to watch the Wizard of Oz live production and it was fantastic! Beautiful and amazing.
The Down syndrome outreach picnic was really fun. Lots of people, new friends and old, and I learned *a ton* of medical information from a couple of families. Encoragement. Inspiration from the adults with Ds. Love. And just a fun time!
Tommy and Liam got to see their cousins Owen and Gabe's baseball games, oh my were they fantastic at hitting the ball.
Cousin Madison is too cute!
Lots of gardening this weekend... this was the garden before planting.
And yes, Liam is driving the lawn mower with daddy. I almost spit my coffee out of my mouth when I saw this. Yikes.
The biggest news of all this weekend? Hannah got her fist car. It is beautiful. 2004 VW bug with a sunroof. Oh my goodness it is cute. Thanks to her dad for making a dream come true. Soon, my life will become a tad easier with her driving (and my anxiety level will go thru the roof with worry).
Friday, May 21
Weekend plans
We are looking forward to Sunday 12-3pm (5/23) Down syndrome outreach's SPRING FLING potluck and fun. It's at Fairhaven park this year, which is just south of 107 Chuckanut Dr. There will be activities for the young and older, super sitters to keep eagle eyes on ankle biters so parents can catch up with friends, and food..... Hempler's hot dogs, mmmm. Potluck if you can, and if you don't have time to make a dish come anyway!
Tonight Hannah and Nate have plans so it will be a quiet house. We have talked about seeing the new Toy Story movie so maybe tonight is it :)
Saturday will be green thumb day and hitting the garden again. My goal is to can 200 quarts this year. Okay, stop laughing. Seriously. Last year we canned about 100 by the end of pickling beets and making zucchini relishes and the insane 55 quarts of green beans. I also need to make some more goat cheese and Nora gave me lots of goat milk, mmm.
And of course do some laundry and baking for fun on Saturday. I want to make this:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/
Both of my sisters have made it, peer pressure! It looks wonderful.
We *might* get a chance to join the fun at the ARC's annual membership meeting from 12-3 on Saturday at the Dan Goodwin center but Hannah has cheerleading tumbling too so we will see. Also have invites to attend my nephews baseball games and would love to see how terrific their teams are.
Lots of fun activities this weekend.... what are you doing?
Tonight Hannah and Nate have plans so it will be a quiet house. We have talked about seeing the new Toy Story movie so maybe tonight is it :)
Saturday will be green thumb day and hitting the garden again. My goal is to can 200 quarts this year. Okay, stop laughing. Seriously. Last year we canned about 100 by the end of pickling beets and making zucchini relishes and the insane 55 quarts of green beans. I also need to make some more goat cheese and Nora gave me lots of goat milk, mmm.
And of course do some laundry and baking for fun on Saturday. I want to make this:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/
Both of my sisters have made it, peer pressure! It looks wonderful.
We *might* get a chance to join the fun at the ARC's annual membership meeting from 12-3 on Saturday at the Dan Goodwin center but Hannah has cheerleading tumbling too so we will see. Also have invites to attend my nephews baseball games and would love to see how terrific their teams are.
Lots of fun activities this weekend.... what are you doing?
Sunday, May 16
Lots of pool parties!
We LOVED spending today at my niece's Madison's 5th birthday POOL party. Lots of family and friends (cousin Andrew came too with his family) made the day even more special. Tommy was *running* everywhere so I got a fairly good workout keeping him safely away from the water. I would think at some point I would lose massive amounts of weight the way I run after him. Not so. Even funnier, when Tommy & I went for a swim he didn't get that excited today to be in the water. Nope, in fact he moaned a sad song the whole time. Hannah and Nate LOVED swimming with their cousins. Liam was more excited to ride the small atv (thanks aunt debbie for charging it up for him).
Our morning started with probably the best church service in recent memory. Children's church ran very organized today with the help of a mom that usually teaches in an older classroom. I told her no one would believe twenty 1-3 year olds behaved so well! We had circle time and sang (and signed) Jesus Loves Me. We made a craft and had a great snack. Tommy and Liam had fun!
But back to the pool parties. Last week we went to the Parent 2 Parent pool party at the Lynden YMCA. Oh my goodness. A long drive. But when we got there all these wonderful families were having fun and we got to meet some new friends (and see some old ones). We even met a young boy that goes to our elementary school and has *so* much in common with Tommy. Lots to share with this family in the future.
We also swam at Aunt Debbie's house last weekend and enjoyed lots of fun and a relaxing time in their very heated outside pool. Fun in the water lately.
Our morning started with probably the best church service in recent memory. Children's church ran very organized today with the help of a mom that usually teaches in an older classroom. I told her no one would believe twenty 1-3 year olds behaved so well! We had circle time and sang (and signed) Jesus Loves Me. We made a craft and had a great snack. Tommy and Liam had fun!
But back to the pool parties. Last week we went to the Parent 2 Parent pool party at the Lynden YMCA. Oh my goodness. A long drive. But when we got there all these wonderful families were having fun and we got to meet some new friends (and see some old ones). We even met a young boy that goes to our elementary school and has *so* much in common with Tommy. Lots to share with this family in the future.
We also swam at Aunt Debbie's house last weekend and enjoyed lots of fun and a relaxing time in their very heated outside pool. Fun in the water lately.
Wednesday, May 5
What works for us Wednesday
It's been too long for a What Works for us Wednesday!
Today I needed to take my oldest to the doctor as her throat continues to be sore even after a round of antibiotics for what they had thought was strep. Blood work was done as well as another strep test and we will wait until tomorrow for the results. Poor Hannah doesn't feel well!
The doctor's office today reminded me of a few helpful hints for scheduling appointments and how to make a doctor's visit successful:
1. If you find that a sibling also needs to be seen at the last minute, as I did today for Nate while Hannah was being seen, don't be shy about asking if there is room in the schedule for a sibling to be seen also. It worked out great for us that the clinic was slow and both of our oldest got seen at the same time! Two for one is a good thing!
2. Schedule appointments first thing in the morning or ask the receptionist when the doctor's first appt after lunch is, I find that docs are more likely to be on time early in the morning and after lunch.
3. Ask if an 'office visit' is necessary. Recently Children's Sleep center called to schedule a follow up which would have meant another 3 hour round trip for a 20-30 min conversation. They were happy to say we could just talk on the phone about the results and our next steps. They understood the drive was just too long plus a hassle.
4. Take along a grandparent, spouse or a friend to a doctor's visit that you know you are going to need to actually listen and take notes. My husband, my mom, and my mother-in-law all hear the doctors instructions differently than I do. Just having someone else in the room to understand and ask questions clears up a lot of the anxiousness that could come later. Ask if you can bring a small microphone tape just to be able to replay later, this is helpful on a swallow study because the results are complicated.
5. Request a copy of the chart, or a copy of notes, or have the doctor write notes for you. Having a paper document is helpful. The worse they can say is no. And if they do, well, it might be a good time to think about who you really need on your team. A doc that isn't afraid to put things in handwriting on a paper you find in the diaper bag is a doc that is WELL worth keeping. Keep your 'care notebook' organized. Having doctors instructions and information in one place is so helpful.
6. Ask doctors how they best communicate. Go ahead. You can do this. Sometimes they give me their email and encourage small "in between visit" questions. Occasionally I have heard faxes work well for some docs. They want you to succeed. They share the interest in providing your child with special healthcare needs the best care.
7. Don't be late for an appointment. The rest of the lobby full of waiting people doesn't like this. Your children don't like being rushed thru an appointment either. And let's face it, if you are late you are for a reason and perhaps you need to phone in and reschedule so you can attend to the issue that was causing you to be late in the first place.
8. Snacks and your own play items are a must when going to the doctor. For longer appointments we bring a small dvd player for Tommy to watch repeated Finding Nemo. Know what works for your child and bring that personal comfort for him.
9. Have questions prepared to ask your doctor. Know that one of your questions might be "What is my next step from here" and "What are the questions I haven't asked" or "If he was your son, what else might you be thinking about".
10. If you don't have health insurance, find it. Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access does an amazing job finding prescription cards, medicaid, other forms of private insurance.
And that is what works for your next visit to the doctor! See you next Wednesday!
Today I needed to take my oldest to the doctor as her throat continues to be sore even after a round of antibiotics for what they had thought was strep. Blood work was done as well as another strep test and we will wait until tomorrow for the results. Poor Hannah doesn't feel well!
The doctor's office today reminded me of a few helpful hints for scheduling appointments and how to make a doctor's visit successful:
1. If you find that a sibling also needs to be seen at the last minute, as I did today for Nate while Hannah was being seen, don't be shy about asking if there is room in the schedule for a sibling to be seen also. It worked out great for us that the clinic was slow and both of our oldest got seen at the same time! Two for one is a good thing!
2. Schedule appointments first thing in the morning or ask the receptionist when the doctor's first appt after lunch is, I find that docs are more likely to be on time early in the morning and after lunch.
3. Ask if an 'office visit' is necessary. Recently Children's Sleep center called to schedule a follow up which would have meant another 3 hour round trip for a 20-30 min conversation. They were happy to say we could just talk on the phone about the results and our next steps. They understood the drive was just too long plus a hassle.
4. Take along a grandparent, spouse or a friend to a doctor's visit that you know you are going to need to actually listen and take notes. My husband, my mom, and my mother-in-law all hear the doctors instructions differently than I do. Just having someone else in the room to understand and ask questions clears up a lot of the anxiousness that could come later. Ask if you can bring a small microphone tape just to be able to replay later, this is helpful on a swallow study because the results are complicated.
5. Request a copy of the chart, or a copy of notes, or have the doctor write notes for you. Having a paper document is helpful. The worse they can say is no. And if they do, well, it might be a good time to think about who you really need on your team. A doc that isn't afraid to put things in handwriting on a paper you find in the diaper bag is a doc that is WELL worth keeping. Keep your 'care notebook' organized. Having doctors instructions and information in one place is so helpful.
6. Ask doctors how they best communicate. Go ahead. You can do this. Sometimes they give me their email and encourage small "in between visit" questions. Occasionally I have heard faxes work well for some docs. They want you to succeed. They share the interest in providing your child with special healthcare needs the best care.
7. Don't be late for an appointment. The rest of the lobby full of waiting people doesn't like this. Your children don't like being rushed thru an appointment either. And let's face it, if you are late you are for a reason and perhaps you need to phone in and reschedule so you can attend to the issue that was causing you to be late in the first place.
8. Snacks and your own play items are a must when going to the doctor. For longer appointments we bring a small dvd player for Tommy to watch repeated Finding Nemo. Know what works for your child and bring that personal comfort for him.
9. Have questions prepared to ask your doctor. Know that one of your questions might be "What is my next step from here" and "What are the questions I haven't asked" or "If he was your son, what else might you be thinking about".
10. If you don't have health insurance, find it. Whatcom Alliance for Healthcare Access does an amazing job finding prescription cards, medicaid, other forms of private insurance.
And that is what works for your next visit to the doctor! See you next Wednesday!
Monday, May 3
Family dinner!
We ate lots of yummy foods!Read some fun books
And by all measure it was a fun time!Sunday, May 2
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