July 01, 2009

The summer is steadily going by and we're enjoying the break. We went out to my parents last weekend and Mark helped my dad put up gutters. We left there Sunday around lunch and met up again at my sister's house that night for my niece's birthday party. Her birth was the beginning of a lot of changes for my family. Just over two weeks later I had my first child as well and I just can't believe it's been six years.

Monday I headed out and jumped on the Wii Fit bandwagon. I tried it at a friends house last week and loved it. I know I've only had it for two days, but I think it's awesome. I'm a huge fan of the yoga. I love yoga and it's the only thing I miss about our gym membership that is no more. The yoga moves on the Wii Fit are surprisingly accurate, my muscles burn right away and I love the feature that let's you see if you're balanced as you're doing the move so you can make adjustments to get the most out of it.
The kids love the hula hoop game and the ski jump. They're not good at it, but they love it.

Last night I went out to dinner and a movie with a girlfriend, Melissa, and we saw The Proposal.
So funny!
I highly recommend it if you like romance/comedy movies.
It was nice to go out with a friend too. A group of us do Bunco every month, but I haven't been to the movies in a really long time. Honestly couldn't tell you when the last time was. Not because of the length of time in between theater visits, but probably because the movie wasn't that memorable. I don't know.

Anyway, I'm off to watch a movie with my girls now.
(Mark's working night shift tonight)
Tales of Despereaux, twizzlers and cuddles coming right up.
Ahhhh.

June 25, 2009

TB test was negative. I guess I should have mentioned I had no worries about that one. He mentioned there was a new strand that wouldn't present with the coughing/chest stuff TB usually does so he just wanted to rule it out. The other good part about the change is that they don't hurt to be touched anymore.
We're at a point of just watching the other two, keeping an eye out for more and possibly seeing a dermatologist.
Here's a picture I took back on the 11th. It was very difficult to get a picture that would give a good idea of how they look and feeling them is completely different as well. They felt horrible and they just don't anymore. I'm of course hesitant not to worry at all anymore, but it is weird that they would just start going away.
That's a little bruise on the bottom part of the picture, but the lump is on the top of the leg, right in the middle of the picture. I tried getting something dark behind her leg to give a good contrast of how they were raised.

He's still thinking her leg pain is related to growing pains. While she does only complain about them in the evening and just as much after doing nothing all day as she would after running around a lot or even long days at Disney, I still find it odd that it's been three years and sometimes she's in tears over it. I don't know, no mom wants to see their kids in pain, and growing pains is something I can't do anything about. So, naturally I don't like that answer.

Anyway, I wanted to update everyone and thank you all so much for the thoughts, suggestions and prayers. I'll of course update if more happens or changes.

June 23, 2009

We had Madison's appointment yesterday, but over the weekend our worries were relieved quite a bit when two of the bumps nearly went away completely. It makes a diagnosis all the more difficult, but seeing them go away does wonders to my concerns. Her doctor really has no idea. He told us when he got back in the office they handed him the ultrasounds and told him about her, he started looking up some things, but really doesn't know for sure what they are. One of the four that is still there happens to be the first one that appeared and he said the radiologist noted there was a lymph node in that one. His guess is that they're her body's response to something. Maybe hematomas resulting from her hitting her shins hard on something. He agrees that's a stretch since there weren't any bruises. The other thought is they are some type of immunologic response to something. He tested her for strep and tuberculosis. The strep was negative and we go back tomorrow for the TB tests.
I just can't tell you how relieved I am to see them going away. His only other suggestion was a biopsy of one of them and he would refer us to a dermatologist for that if necessary.
So, we'll get the TB results, monitor them and see a dermatologist if the other two don't dissolve or more come up.

June 17, 2009

After I dropped Chloe off at my sisters house, Madison and I headed over to her ultrasound.
They got us in quickly and I was impressed at not being treated like a number. That shouldn't be something to be impressed by, but over the 6 years of having kids in Florida healthcare facilities, I've gotten used to impersonal medical service.
The tech doing the ultrasound asked what was going on and seemed to actually care. She said her sister went through a lot of leg pain growing up and in her twenties found out it was something in her bone. I then mentioned the xrays we had on Monday and she said those were fine. That was my first surprise. I'm not used to a tech or nurse actually giving a clue of results, let alone actual results, of any previous test before the doctor has. She said our doctor would discuss it further with us, but their staff didn't see anything in her bones.
She started the ultrasound, and was marking edges with the computer of the four shadows (can't think of how else to describe them) on the screen. She asked me a few questions...has she had any trauma to her legs, has she been bit by anything, has she had a bad cold recently...all of which I said no to. Unless she's been bit by something she didn't know about, but I find that highly unlikely since they came on at different times.
She said the doctor who would be reviewing them later may still be around and she wanted him to see her since it was so puzzling to her. He came in, asked some of the same questions, but also asked if she's been scratched by a cat. The answers are still no to all of his questions.
He doesn't think they're cysts and he doesn't think they're tumors. He said they look like subcutaneous inflammation and said it's non-specific. Which if I'm translating correctly...someone please let me know if they know otherwise...tells me he knows what they're not, but doesn't know what they are.
So, of course I'm relieved in one sense, but there's still a question as to what they are. When I look up subcutaneous inflammation I find Panniculitis.
Internet research is a tricky thing. I don't think a parent can look up any symptoms or keywords online that their child is experiencing without freaking out about the results. However, without doing some research online, how am I to know what questions to ask, what tests to ask for, or sometimes even what to call something?
I'm her medical advocate.
I'm her resource for getting her answers.
And I'm totally in the dark on this one.

We see her pediatrician on Monday and we're going to ask for bloodwork to be done to help rule out any possible worst case scenario.
I'm still trying to think positive and I'm hoping this is going to end up being one of those mysteries we go through just so I can keep Clairol hair coloring in business.

I'll update as I know anything.

Hot. So hot. Can't breathe.
We're reaching 100 degree temps this week with 101 in the forecast for Friday. Friday also calls for a heat index of 109.
I think of the summer months in Florida like the northerners think of the winter months.
I get done what I can when I can, but spend the majority of each day hibernating inside.
Drapes stay closed, I try to keep the air on 76 and we plan indoor activities. The summer movies, Zoinks Kidstation, whatever we can as long as we're not in the sun.
I've managed to keep the girls busy regardless.

Friday the girls and I met my sister and her girls at Build a Bear where I spent way too much money on ridiculously dressed stuffed animals. They're on skates too, with a leash, the girls really just wanted to drive me crazy pulling them around the house.
Later that afternoon I picked up a friend of Madison's and she stayed the night at our house.

Saturday morning I made the three girls chocolate chip pancakes, dropped off Madison's friend, then my sister and I carpooled to our parents house in Georgia to spend the day visiting with them and my grandma. The cousins had fun playing and Mark enjoyed a much deserved quiet house on his day off.

Sunday we mowed the lawn, got groceries and spent the remainder of the day lounging around.

Monday I took Madison to her xray. They scheduled the ultrasound for today, but since the xray is a walk in type deal once you have the order paper, I got antsy and didn't wait to do them both in one day. I'm no doctor, but the xrays looked fine. Chloe and I sat back in the room with the computers so I was able to see the four shots they took. Her followup appointment is Monday so we should hear then.
After the xrays I had to take the truck back to the tire place because the tire they patched last week was losing air. They ended up replacing the tire altogether.
Then we went to SAMS for a stock up on our necessities trip and once I got home I went to work reorganizing and finding homes for everything. I don't think everything at bulk stores like that are worth it, but some of the everyday things we use are enough of a cost savings that I'll buy them. It's the finding room for it that's a problem.

Tuesday, yesterday, we had a pajama day then went to the girls tumbling/cheerleading class in the afternoon.

Today we're still in our pajamas, but will be heading out later for Madison's ultrasound. Mark is on a shift right now with weekends off, so everything I've done during the week has just been me and the girls. They're really getting great at being in the car and showing their maturity when it comes to doctor offices, stores and restaurants.
Not that we don't still have the occasional "down on their level-low voice-through my teeth-scolding" going on, but generally speaking I'm quite comfortable taking them out anywhere, anytime.
And I have to say, the three of us spending so much time together has opened the door for some very sweet moments. Yesterday in the car, I enjoyed listening to Madison read Chloe a book and the other day (also in the car) Madison helped Chloe count past her 39 she always gets stuck on. She seems to think 60 comes after 39, so Madison helped her get to 100.

Anyway, I'll update again soon, but I have to say the girls and our to do list are sure keeping me busy.
And tired.

June 11, 2009

Morning therapy

I was doing a little gardening this morning…aka therapy…and realized I haven’t shared pictures yet this year! It’s my 3rd Spring attempting a garden and I think I’m going to try for the first time this year for a Fall garden. This is the most successful it’s been and I’m absolutely loving it.
It has cucumber, squash, red and green bell peppers, jalapenos, banana peppers, 4 different kinds of tomatoes, snap beans, sugar snap peas, herbs, onions and leaf lettuce.
I’ve also planted cantaloupe, watermelon and blackberries for the first time this year.

I made it a little bigger this year and we put a fence around it because of Bella and the bunnies.

Jalapenos…these and the banana peppers are for Mark’s nachos, salsa and other Mexican dishes he enjoys.

Cherry tomatoes…these are Madison’s favorite, she eats ‘em before I have a chance to save any for my salads

I planted more sunflower seeds this year too. One glance at these in the yard and I smile.

Here’s the not-yet-ripe blackberries

This isn’t in the garden, but I wanted to share with you my favorite rose bush. I love roses. We have 24 rose bushes in the yard, but this one is my favorite. It grows red, pink and white roses. The white one is hard to see, but it’s near the bottom right of the picture.

On a Madison update...the tests are scheduled for Wednesday afternoon. Longer than I'd like to wait, but at least it's scheduled.
I'll keep you updated and we really appreciate the prayers.

June 10, 2009

For three years Madison has complained about her legs hurting. It's in the evening, it's her lower legs and it's quite often. Her doctor has assured me it's growing pains and quite natural.
Still, I keep an open ear to any changes in her complaints.
A little over a month ago I felt a bump on her lower leg. Right along her shin bone and not very big. It hurt if I pushed on it, so I figured it was a bruise. But, over the course of the last month 3 more have appeared and there's no bruise appearing with them.
I called her doctor and the soonest he could see her is in two weeks because he's in Japan.
Why doctors think they can vacation I'll never know.
So, wanting her in sooner, I agreed to see the nurse practitioner just to get the ball rolling. She's actually really good, but I've always wanted to have a doctor sitting in the room giving me their thoughts.
Well, her appointment was this morning and Ms. Marci (the nurse practitioner) was concerned. She went to consult with another doctor on the staff and then he came in to look. He's also concerned.
They've ordered xrays and an ultrasound.
He said they don't feel like calcifications (like what could result from a really bad bruise) and 3 out of the 4 are in soft tissue. The one is difficult to tell for sure if it's soft tissue or bone. They move around like a cyst, but they don't think that's what they are either. One is 2.5cm across and the other three are 1.5cm across.
Basically neither of them know what they are and I'm going crazy waiting for the tests.

On top of that she has an eye appointment this afternoon because for a little over a month she has complained about seeing things floating around and is getting headaches. She was in tears the other night about her head and, based on the tears and head holding, I can only guess she was experiencing a migraine.

Prayers for her, my nerves and our family in general are appreciated.

Continue Reading »

June 08, 2009

We're back! It was such a quick trip but we had fun. We left at 7am Friday and got to the hotel around 3pm (Mississippi time). We all took a quick nap, then got ready for the dinner party at Garreth's house. They eat a lot later than we do so we decided to take advantage of our free time and went to a highly recommended pizza place on campus. Oh, in case I didn't mention it before, we were in Oxford at the Ole Miss campus. The pizza was delicious and I tried a crawfish roll while we were there too.
Really yummy!
After dinner we headed over to Garreth's house where I was able to see all 4 of my cousins, their kiddos and my Aunt and Uncle, as well as my Grandma and my mom. The girls had a lot of fun playing with all the kids and Madison discovered lightening bugs!! We tried to get her to pull their light off but she was grossed out by it.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at the hotel, then went down to the pool. It was way too cold for this momma, but Mark was happy to get in with the girls. They were in for a little over an hour, but then got too cold themselves. We met up with my mom and grandma after changing and headed out for lunch at another recommended restaurant, but this one was Mexican. Oh, we stopped at this candy store first and the girls loved it! Mark got some coke bottle gummies and these black and red berry candies that he hasn't had in forever. The girls got all kinds of goodies and I got some fudge, jelly bellies and gummy treats myself. So fun!
After lunch we all napped again and then got ready for the wedding. The whole weekend went so fast and we feel like we spent more time in the car than anything else, but I'm still so happy we were able to be there.

Chloe in Garreth's yard at the dinner party.

Madison finally jumping in the pool!!!

Chloe thinks learning the doggy paddle means you have to act like a dog too.

I tried playing with some of the pictures so that's why they may look different.

This smile is so big because she's taking her shoes off to go dance in the grass. Girl after my own heart!

Madison made a new best friend too. My cousin Bronwyn's daughter Hannah and Madison got along great and she already misses her.

I just love seeing girls play those hand clapping games!

Inspecting their bugs

Dancing the night away

June 04, 2009

What a day. A damn long day.
I had plans to go out this morning to run two last minute errands. Return library books and pick up 5 things from the store.
One hour tops.
I didn't shower, I didn't put on makeup, I knew I still had a long day ahead of me after I got back home since I still needed to drive to Georgia after naps (hour and a half away) to bring our dog to my parents as well as pack the car and the cooler and clean up the house so we didn't return to a messy casa. I hate that.
We leave bright and early tomorrow morning and everything needed to be finished today.
Well, I had a brilliant idea to run into town. By town I mean the real town 45 minutes away. I wanted to check out Old Navy's sale on $15 dresses, I love their comfy dresses, and I still was hoping to find one of those fancy boobie holders with clear straps.
I knew I was extending that planned one hour trip, but I didn't know I had a flat tire in my future.
Flat, flat, flat.
We just got 4 brand new tires maybe 3 weeks ago spending a pretty penny on them and new brakes.
A two hour trip had a 6 hour fiasco added to it.
I was 15 minutes from the house when it happened. A coworker of Mark's changed the tire (Mark was an hour away). But the spare tire wouldn't keep air. Mark met me at home, where I needed to pick up our dog, filled the spare tire and followed me back into the aforementioned real town. My dad met us at Goodyear to get the dog since I wasn't driving to Georgia on a crappy spare tire and this event was cramping the day a bit. We then waited at Goodyear.
I finally got to the store to get those 5 things and I am completely exhausted.
I'm thankful the girls were so good. I'm thankful they had just used the bathroom before we got the flat tire. I'm thankful it happened today and not tomorrow on some backwoods Alabama road.
And I'm also thankful I was so on top of things and did all the laundry and packed our suitcases yesterday.
My hips hurt, I have a headache, and I seriously need to regroup so I don't forget something like the dress I'm wearing to the wedding or the map for our 8 hour drive.
Be back in a few days!

June 03, 2009

Ok, I'll have to admit that so far I'm enjoying the summer. Yes, we're only on day 5, but who's counting? Yesterday was a busy day that included a free summer movie, some errands and them starting cheerleading. We happened to leave the movie before it was over because they were so bored with Horton hearing a Who and keeping busy throughout the day meant the arguing was at a minimum. They started cheerleading yesterday afternoon, but it's more like tumbling really. Watching Madison was like a train wreck. She is so uncoordinated, but you have to watch because she's laughing, giggling and saying "did you see me?!?" with every fumbled move. Her cartwheel is more like a donkey kicking an annoying cat walking behind it and her handstand looks like what our dog does after she poops.
She thinks she's awesome. Which just makes it all adorable.
They assured me it's natural and she should get better with practice. They probably just want more money, but Madison really wants to try cheerleading, so the gym will get it's coveted money and I hope she gets better. They tried talking me into the competitive cheerleading squad for her age group and it took all I had to hold back my laughter. I politely said something to effect of, "let's just see how she does this year and I'll get back to you."
The girls are in different classes, but they both were exhausted by the time it was over.
Today is a stay at home day. I have laundry and random prep work to do for our trip this weekend to see my little cousin get married. He's the last of six of us and the only boy. It sounds weird to call a grown man a boy, but he'll always be "the littlest cousin and the only boy" to me. Since he has 3 older sisters who adore him, I'm anticipating lots of sobbing. I'm not even sure they'll attempt to be quiet about it. While I'm not emotional at all about his wedding, although totally excited for him, I bet I cry just watching the three of his sisters.
I'm thrilled to see everyone again, but I have a lot to do today to get ready for it.
Ta ta.

May 31, 2009

School is officially out. My big girl will never be in Kindergarten again and it was bittersweet Friday knowing it was her last day. I walked her in so I could get another picture of her and her teacher to match the one from the first day of school. I got an awesome surprise when she handed me a huge vase filled with gorgeous flowers and a restaurant gift card attached! It was from all the Kindergarten teachers to thank me for helping out through the year with the reading groups. So sweet!
Madison got her last report card and another round of all E's!! The comments from her teacher were:

Madison is a wonderful girl and I am happy to have had her in class this year. She is well-adjusted, kind and bright! With her friendly, cooperative attitude she will be a pleasant addition to any class.
Promoted to 1st Grade.

When I read the 1st Grade part it was a little surreal. They're both just growing up so fast. Last night Mark got a call from a coworker of his who's wife is a 2nd grade teacher. He was calling on behalf of his wife to let us know she was switching back to 1st grade next year and was asking if we "pretty please with a cherry on top" would send in a request for Madison to be in her class. I was happy for a few reasons. The first being that I know her and she is very much a what you see is what you get personality. She's upfront honest, rough around the edges and tells it like it is so-to-speak. The second being she's a really tough teacher, very well liked, but tough. The third being Madison loves her and she loves Madison. Madison has been begging me since the first warm day of the year if we can go swimming again at Mrs C's house. We went there last year during the summer a few times and they even made Madison a cake on her birthday last year. Madison's teacher this year was such a sweet heart, full of hugs and kind words, soft spoken...basically perfect for a Kindergarten teacher. If my intuition is right, I think Mrs. C will be a perfect fit for Madison as a first grade teacher. Don't get me wrong, we love seeing all the excellent marks on her report card, but we also want to have her challenged more. She's already reading chapter books (Junie B Jones is her current favorite) as well as doing the math worksheets they're doing in first grade. Her weakness is writing. I have her starting a journal this summer to try getting her used to all the writing she's going to do next year. It's not just the penmanship she struggles with, it's the creative writing aspect as well.
Anyway, we're very proud of how well Madison did in Kindergarten and we're really looking forward to how much she's going to blossom in First Grade. I think it's going to be a very exciting year!

May 30, 2009

Here's some pictures from today. I was a sucker again and bought the disk so I could have a copy of all of them. I just can't say no to pictures of the girls!

May 28, 2009

After getting the girls set up with breakfast this morning I headed to my bathroom to get myself presentable for the day. I must have been in there longer than I thought because when I came back out to the kitchen, I swear I was looking at a teenager sitting at the table.

Can't you just picture her saying "I don't do mornings"

My other big girl looks even bigger today!!! She knew exactly what she wanted for her hair and she actually told Ms Nikki how to cut it. It was so cute. Ms. Nikki had to promise her she would make it as short as she wanted it.
I really didn't care until she tied it off in a ponytail and handed me the hair she cut off. Good Lord!!! I was holding almost 6" of my daughter’s hair as well as my breath.
After it was all done I just couldn't believe how much older she looked and how cute the cut was.
She was all smiles and can't stop looking in the mirror.

This week is proving to be busy. Nothing major, just a lot of little things.
Monday was of course the holiday. The girls had a Veggie Tales marathon before our cookout in the afternoon.
Tuesday I spent the day at Madison's school then we had game night.
Yesterday I headed to my sisters house to meet my mom to give her two bags of clothes she left here Monday. She wanted my sister and I to give her our opinion on them, but we all forgot and then she left the clothes here. After that little jaunt into town, I headed to Publix to take advantage of their buy one get one sales, then to Chloe's school to pick her up early. You see, Madison's school was having a party at 2:15 and she wanted Chloe there, but Chloe's school would rather kids not be picked up during nap so I picked her up early and she napped at home. Madison loved having Chloe there to show off to all her friends. With all the petting and doting, hugging and even kissing she was more like a doll than an actual child.
Today I'm letting Madison play hookie. She only has a half day today, and I love spending time alone with the girls. We're going shopping, out to lunch and then we have a hair appointment this afternoon. She's been begging me to have it cut again and I'm two months overdue myself. After that we're going to grab an ice cream cone before picking up Chloe from school. She only knows about the hair cut though, so I'll be surprising her after we drop off Chloe.
Hey, wanna skip school today???
How fun!

Two days left...
dun, dun, dun!!
Can you hear the scary orchestra music?
No?
Just me then.

May 27, 2009

How do you thank someone for doing something you thought was impossible?
How do you thank someone for saving you from an impending hole of depression?
How do you thank someone for retrieving 16,000 pictures taken over the last 6 years of your family's life?
I have been harboring a secret for the past few weeks because I was too mad, scared and sad to accept it was possible.
Our picture drive stopped working about 3 weeks ago. We took it to a computer store, paid $70 and thought it was saved. Only to have it not work again 3 days later. We were seriously kicking ourselves for not backing the pictures onto to DVD's then.
Mark took it to someone with the state who takes information off computers for investigations ( I think ) and after 3 days she couldn't retrieve the pictures either.
He then sent it to his cousin Scott in Maryland. His wonderful, amazing, computer savvy cousin Scott.
Scott called me this afternoon and told me the great news. I really can't believe it. I'm pretty sure I hurt his ears screaming so loud in the phone. I had been trying-unsuccessfully-not to think about it, but the thought of losing all those pictures was overwhelmingly sad.
He is backing them all up to DVD tomorrow and in turn making me happier than he can imagine.
We are sending him a gift tomorrow, but there's nothing we can say or send that will match what he's done.
Nothing.

May 26, 2009

The weekend was good.
We were lazy some, in the yard working some, going to church, having a cookout, the girls had some friends over on Friday evening and again on Monday. We had friends over too, but I almost appreciate it more that they have kids my kids get along with and they all entertain each other.
It was actually a little tough to get going this morning. My gears were slow and my head was foggy from all the relaxing. I really didn't want to do the morning school routine, but we muddled through.
I was at Madison's school volunteering all day and came home with my usual headache and back pain. Today I was sitting on the floor filing a HUGE bin of random papers that have been collected through the year. It took about 3 hours and just as many advil.
Due to the company we had over yesterday for a cookout we postponed our family game night until tonight, so I must sign off now that I hear Madison's shower is finally done.
Madison can play a mean game of checkers, but I get her back when it comes to Uno.

May 23, 2009

School pictures!! We just got Chloe's back on Thursday, so to the grandparents and aunts, they'll be mailed out next week.
Thanks to my sisters annoying pestering, I finally have the girls set up for pictures together next weekend too.
Chloe wouldn't smile for her school picture so I'm hoping we have better luck at Sears.

May 22, 2009

I think this 3 day weekend will be a good way to ease me into the summer. And next week is pretty much end of year parties, half school days and whatnot, so that too will help me get used to the idea that summer IS going to happen.
Last year I really looked forward to the summer and having the girls together with no morning clock ticking in my face.
I'll still like that part, but once the clock strikes about 9am I know they're going to be bored and down each others throats if I don't have things planned.
Our friend Angie has put out a list of dates and activities, the local movie theater is having their free summer movies again and my sister is doing a once a week school review for kids the same age.
Hopefully that's enough.
I told my mom today while we were out that just the thought of the summer has me frantically searching for the happy place within myself.
If I'm not found in the closet rocking back and forth and mumbling to my imaginary gnome friends by the end of the summer I'll be shocked.
To be fair to the girls, they're actually really easy children. I can go just about anywhere with them and they'll be more than thrilled to do just that. They're really not that mischievous and they also have grown attached to going outside and playing for a very long time. It's just the arguing and yelling and fighting to be the leader that rips up my nerves. We told Chloe the sky was blue one day and she said no it's not, it's light blue. Madison then said, no it's light blue with white clouds in it. And it started.
They will fight about who gets to play the teacher all the way down to what color Goofy's hat should be in a picture they're coloring.
I'm pretty confident that the most common word out of my mouth is "Girls!!"
Anyway, the first week will be filled with some long awaited pajama days and nothing remotely resembling a schedule just to give us all a chance to relax. After that we go to Mississippi and the fun will begin!
I hope all my mommy friends are looking forward to the summer more than I am.

May 21, 2009

Well, I talked to the teacher more about it and while they don't discuss the details of discipline of a child with a different child's parents, I was pretty much told all is done and the administration is considering it "handled".
So, not happy with that, Mark and I wrote a letter to the Principal expressing our very strong feelings on the matter and how we feel there should have been stronger consequences than just an apology note, sitting out recess and PE for the day and having his parents called and told about it.
Having been at the school volunteering yesterday while all this happened is the only way I know what his discipline was.
The Principal called me today and we talked about it further.
Again, she said she can't discuss the details of his discipline, but she wanted us to know there is more being done and their ultimate goal is to ensure he never does anything like this again. I reiterated what our letter said by telling her we feel an in school suspension or out of school suspension would have been a stronger message to him as well as the other kids who knew about the book.
We also requested they not be placed in the same class next year and she said no problem.
It was basically left that she acknowledges our displeasure and her door is always open if we need to talk to her anymore about it, but we won't know what more is being done.
It's a very tough situation for so many reasons. There's the obvious-the theme of the book. But then there's also the fact that he's really a good boy. As their teacher said there are others she might expect something like that from, and even some that she's been told not to let out of her sight, but him...he's one of the leaders in the class. He excells academically, he rarely gets in trouble and he's one she doesn't have to watch as much because like with Madison there's a level of trust that he's not getting into trouble.
He comes from a very good and Christian family and I actually wouldn't be surprised if I get a call from them sometime in the next week. His mom did go in to see their teacher yesterday morning and expressed their embarassment. I'm not sure that makes it better, but I guess it's an olive branch of some sort.
It's also tough considering Madison's feelings toward him. Then there's also the thoughts in my mind about him. Is he ok? Is something going on in his life? Is this a sign? A child calling out for attention?
I did a little better today distracting my mind. Tomorrow I'm going shopping with my mom just to get out of here and have something fun keeping me busy.
It helps that there are only 5 more days of school and the knowledge that this too shall pass.

May 20, 2009

Another First

We had another first in our lives this week. This one gave me a heavy heart and I had a lot of emotions yesterday.
On Monday Madison had some scraps of colored paper in her backpack and I asked her if she needed them or wanted to keep them. She said no, they were just some notes from some boys at school. Well, you know that had me taking a second look at what I thought was just innocent scribbles.
Various messages "I love you Madison" "You're hot Madison"...all of them spelled wrong, some with hearts on them, some with just M instead of her whole name.
Really it irritated me, but whatever.
But then, the shocker.
It was a book. A book obviously done by a child. Ackwardly cut paper, 7 staples to bind the book together, all in marker, etc...but a very descriptive book nonetheless.
My heart first went into my throat. I couldn't talk. I had so many emotions running through me so quickly.
Without talking to Madison about it and just looking at the pictures, it had no words on it besides an M over her and a C over the other character in the book, I had no doubt as to what the theme of the book was.
I did ask her about it and she just said very casually "Oh, that's the book "C" gave me about him hating me and in the end I die".
The title of the book was "I hate you M".
I think I stayed very calm considering and I really don't know how or why I didn't freak out on the outside, because on the inside I was screaming and throwing a tantrum. I waited until Mark got home because between the two of us, he's more level-headed and I could ask him if I was freaking out too much.
He actually was more furious than I was. Rare.
Front cover: "I hate you M"
1st page: picture of him standing, picture of her standing, he's sticking his tongue out at her.
2nd page: picture of him standing, picture of her standing, he's pointing something at her. I can only guess what it is. And this was the only page that had a different color on it. Everything was done in purple in the whole book except here she had red around her.
3rd page: picture of a heart all scribbled and scratched out. (He told her that was her heart not being loved)
last page: picture of him standing, picture of her lying down. Little slashes coming out of what he was holding and landing on her. (That's where he told her she was dead).

I asked her some more questions about it, but of course I knew I wasn't going to have any real answers until I talked to her teacher.
I happened to be volunteering yesterday, so I pulled her aside before all the kids came in and showed it to her. I told her how upset we were. She too was furious, walked over to her desk, pulled out her book and called his mom in for a meeting telling her that C was on his way to the office. He went, he denied, he blamed, Madison was called down to the office, he admitted it, she came back to the room and to her, it was like nothing ever happened.
I really like her teacher, but I can't find any reasonable explanation how no less than 9 kids in her class (I had the pleasure of watching the class during all this) chimed in about why they thought they were going to the office and they all thought it was about "the book", and yet her teacher had no clue. I know we have sucky education budgets so her having 25 kids in her care is not her fault, but I can't help but think about how much time it took him to make that book and she never saw a thing???
C'mon.
I don't know the full extent or end result of his punishment because it was pretty much taking up the whole day. I plan on going in tomorrow with her and asking her teacher what the status is. I know his mom was called and they don't tell the other parent about that conversation. His Dad was called and coming to pick him up because he wanted to see the book. He had to write her an apology and tell her he was sorry. She told me last night when I was tucking her in that she forgave him. One of the tough parts about this is that there's no way for her, in all her glorious innocence, to realize what things like this can mean. A six year old having thoughts like that, putting so much effort into making a book, then even going so far as to giving it to her, only to deny it and blame it on someone else the next day....that's troubling.
I asked her last night how she felt about it and she, again very casually, said I'm fine, I didn't care about it. I asked her how she felt about C and do you know she said she feels bad he got in trouble! She said if it hadn't been her, or if I hadn't been mad that maybe he wouldn't have had his parents called. She's such a sweet and caring girl and they actually have been friends all year that I think she just feels bad she lost a friend. We kept it simple with Madison. We told her how wrong it was for him to do that, how much we love her and we talked about how good friends should treat each other. Mark and I decided not to bring it up again to her and let her just carry on with her care-free life.
Until the next "first" happens.
God give me patience.


Extended entry added after some thought.

Continue Reading »

May 19, 2009

New Looks

Madison and some of her girl scout friends went to a cute little party over the weekend. It's a place called Cookies and Tea for me and they had a blast. Although, just as with my Mother's Day Tea, they weren't served tea. I don't get it.
But, they had their nails done, make up put on, they got to dress up, dance and enjoy pink lemonade, gummie bears and cookies.
She really enjoyed her new look!

By last night we had another new look to get used to...

She lost her first tooth!!! She was so excited. There was a lot more blood involved than I would have thought, which only grossed me out, and it was a really quick event.
She was eating some watermelon and started screaming. Thankfully it was a happy scream because the blood threw me off.
Her tooth behind it started growing in a couple weeks ago and she's been complaining that it hurts, so we're all very happy the baby one finally came out.
I had to wipe the dust off her tooth fairy bear, but at least we finally got to use it!

May 10, 2009

I took the girls over to a friends house yesterday for some swimming. It was 84 in the water, but I was still freezing my tail off. We got the kids out for a 20 minute break just to warm them up some. Even through chattering teeth they argued.

I was spoiled this morning! The girls let me sleep in...and I'll need to explain that one. I don't sleep in, I just don't know how. I woke up around 5am and snuck back in bed around 6:30 (when they usually start coming out of their rooms) where I waited to be woke up. Much to my surprise, I actually did fall back asleep!! They both came in so sweetly and covered my face with tiny little angel kisses, wished me a happy mother's day and told me they made breakfast for me!
It's been a wonderful day and a huge thank you to Mark who made it all happen.

May 08, 2009

I had a very good morning today. Chloe's school had a "muffins with mom" morning that was very sweet. For the first time since she started school she didn't want me to leave. She told me how special it was to have me at her school and she wanted to show me each and every toy she's ever played with there.

After leaving her school I took Madison to hers and stayed for their Mother's Day Tea morning. Although I was a bit disappointed they didn't serve tea...it seemed like the obvious thing to expect. We watched all five Kindergarten classes put on a little program for the moms...well, it was an hour long program. They sang songs, said poems, we watched a slide show of pictures taken throughout the year and then went back to their class where we got little gifts they had made and a Publix cake Madison had decorated for me. It was really a sweet morning and I felt very special.

The girls are VERY excited about Mother's Day. All week Madison has been expressing her undying love for me. She's even going so far as to tell me who she loves me more than. We discussed that a bit, but really I can't say I don't enjoy hearing it.
Chloe has a special gift for me that she made at school and is doing very well at being top secret with the box's contents. She wouldn't even let me hold it while she got out of the car this afternoon.

Mark told me I couldn't mow the lawn this week. Not because I get the week off, but because my gift is in the shed and he doesn't want to move it again. Bummer.

Here are two pictures from this morning.

May 06, 2009

Mark took the girls out yesterday after school for some shopping and dinner. They left at 4pm and got back at 8pm. Just the look on his face when he got home and the first sentence out of his mouth "I don't know how you do it" was enough of a gift for me. It was also a very nice evening just hanging out alone since I wasn't feeling good yesterday.
I asked the girls what they got me for Mother's Day and they pulled the same trick out of their hat from Mark's birthday with the response of "nothin' you scallywag" as they sounded like pirates.
Can't blame a girl for trying.
Today is Mark's day off, I'm still not feeling well and Chloe is home from school with what I think is a cold. She had some pretty impressive crap come out of her nose this morning and she coughed a lot last night while she slept. So, we'll all be getting in a lot of tv and nap time today which is actually a little overdue with all the fun stuff we've had here over the last 6 weeks.
I hope there's some good shows on today.

May 04, 2009

We had so much fun at the campout this weekend! It was completely crazy, but such a great memory for the girl scouts. We played games, we ate dinner, made smores, sang songs around the fire and the girls even had to go find their breakfast in the morning that the Girl Scout fairy left.
Many of the Dads were dreading the family fun day part and many of the moms were dreading the sleeping in a tent part. If I hadn't explained that before, we had the families participate in our end of the year family fun day and then the moms stayed overnight with their Daisy daughters for the campout. Much to our surprise, ever single family showed up and every girl got to participate in the campout. I really thought some of the Dads would chump out on the game part and I thought a mom or two would "fall ill" being unable to campout. But, everyone showed up and I really think everyone had a blast.

Nothing like a little water relay to get the fun started!

Maddy and I getting ready for the 3 legged race. We didn't win, but we also didn't break anything so it was a success.

Water balloon toss

Time to set up the tents. The Dads all left after they got the tents set up.

Well, Mark had to stay. He should earn a girl scout badge or something. He cooked the food, got the charcoal ready for the box oven brownies, built the fire and fixed the swing set after it broke. What a man!

We sang songs around the fire.

The girls giggled A LOT before falling asleep

Breakfast was bright and early...7am!!

This will probably be the girls favorite part of the Girl Scout year seeing as like most of the other girls, Madison didn't stop smiling for 7 hours.