Ultrasound

My life seems to run in circles, don't they say history is cyclic? This morning I took Ian back to the dr. to discuss what to do since he wouldn't do the CTscan. Apparently the only place I could have it done is at a hospital about 45 min. away and it would be treated like surgery, so it looks like we aren't going to have it done. They want me to take him back to the ENT. I also saw the allergist for myself since my sinus's have been driving me crazy. They want me to get a CTscan and blood work to test my immune system. Lastly, I took Ethan to get an ultrasound on his kidney's because the past few weeks he's been having problems with frequent urination. I also have been referred to a pediatric urologist which of course is located an hour away. I started crying this morning when I shared all this with my babysitter. I kept thinking that when Ian started school 3 days, I would be able to volunteer in some kind of ministry. This is something that has been on my heart to do for quite some time, I have little skills but I do know how to help those who are hurting and really feel compelled to do so. But since January it has been non-stop illnesses, doctors visits, and general craziness. Our sitter (who is our angel)told me that in the future it will become apparent why we have dealt with so many chronic illnesses in our family (she's convinced Ethan will be a doctor one day). So I keep reminding myself over and over that my ministry is to my family. I will catch on one day!

Brevard Zoo

After we left Disney, we met up with my sister and her boyfriend who were in Florida for the weekend to watch the Nationals spring training games. We went to the Brevard Zoo with them. We'd never been there before and it's much nicer than the other zoo we go to (not as good as the National Zoo of course:). There's a lot of kid friendly activities, playground, touch tank, swimming area, and even a train to ride.

Disney Again

A few weeks later and we're back at Disney. We went up there because George's family who lives in Alaska comes down to Disney every year (in fact they've come every year the last 30 years). So there were about 12 of us all together. This visit wasn't as enjoyable as our last trip because three of us are sick. The night before we left I started feeling like I was getting a sinus infection so I spent my time at Disney with my head feeling like I had drinken an entire bottle of wine. Despite my floating head I managed to do some outlet shopping:) Ian was cranky so he was more resistant than usual to riding on rides (mostly ones that are dark and loud). Ethan however had a blast with his cousin Cooper. Cooper is about ten months younger than Ethan so they enjoyed going on rides together and telling silly jokes. Next week the Alaskans are coming to our house for a couple of days and Ethan is counting down the days:)

Can it get worse?

After being up all night and then trying to get a CT scan and X-ray done on Ian, I didn't think my day could get worse, but it did. I took Ethan to the doctor in the afternoon because of his asthma problems in the middle of the night. When I arrived, they told me they were running on time (I guess I shouldn't have believed them). She said his nose, throat, and ears looked great and his breathing was fine and that she didn't know why he was coughing. So she ordered a lung function test. Apparently his lung functioning has worsened since the last time he did the test so then Ethan had to do a breathing treatment there in the office. I was starting to get a little worried about the time because we had been there over an hour by the time he did his breathing treatment. (My small group was supposed to meet at my house and I knew they were on the way so I had George send them info. on how to get in the house and wait for me). After the breathing treatment he had to do another lung function test. After that test we waited forever for her to come back and tell us what we were supposed to do for him. We were in a 5X3 size room for two hours and they were both hyper. I was so tired I started crying, not to mention feeling claustrophobic. I told the nurse I could not stay there another minute. She begged me to stay and wait for the doctor to return and feeling sorry for me, started playing with the kids. Finally the doctor returned and we got our orders for a round of steroids and we finally left. Thankfully my small group believed I would eventually return and they hung out at my house waiting for me. Needless to say, there was some venting that went on yesterday evening!

Alvin and the Chipmunks

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Alvin and the Chipmunks. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you remember Alvin and the Chipmunks? That was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid. I remember Saturday morning cartoons and laughing at the Chipmunks squeaky voices when they sang. You know you're old when they start making movies out of the cartoons you used to watch:). There's a movie version of the show now with a human Alvin. The movie "Alvin and the Chipmunk's: The Squeakquel" is now available on DVD and Blu-ray. It will become available on Digital Download on March 30th, 2010. The DVD pack includes a bonus disc ("The Squeak Along" bonus disc) that contains more songs and sillyness from your favorite "Munks."
My kids are always up for something silly so this morning we went online to experience More Munk Mayhem where you can dress up a chipmunk with silly clothes, shoes, hair styles, jewelry, and more. After you make your chipmunk, you can then either add your own recording or a preset one that is on the website, and then watch your chipmunk perform. Ian especially found this hilarious. We saw the first movie but not the "Squeakquel" but I know the boys will love the crazy stuff the chipmunks do as well as their singing. Interested in adding this movie to your collection? Then click here to order:buy it now

Road I've traveled before

So it seems we are headed down a road we've been on before. Ian has had four ear/and/or sinus infections the past four months. Words cannot describe how tired I am from being up half the night with him the past week or so. I took him to the dr. yesterday and she wants him to get a CT scan and Xrays and possibly blood work. I tried to take him this morning but he screamed and screamed so they pretty much told me to leave. I was a little irritated because at one point I finally had him calm and laying still and then the tech decided that since his face wasn't perfectly lined up how she needed it to be, she needed to strap his face down. That set him off for good. I know he has to be in the exact perfect spot for the scan to work but I was hoping that since he had calmed down, I could help him move his face right before she took the picture. Oh well. I'm not sure if I want to get medication from the dr. to sedate him for it or not. Ethan happened to be with us because he was up in the middle of the night with problems with his asthma and I wanted to make sure it was under control before I sent him to school. He was helpful and layed down on the bed for Ian to see that it wasn't scary, unfortunately it didn't work. So I'm afraid we're heading down the adnoid removal route, followed by possible ear or sinus surgery. I guess since I'm so familiar with this road, I won't be so scared and anxious about it. So, here we go again!

Kissimmee

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Kissimmee Tourism. All opinions are 100% mine.

I haven't had a sponsored post in a while to write about but I came across this one because it perfectly fits what we have going on. We are headed to the Kissimmee area this week for a trip to Disney. I was searching on line about Kissimmee to get some ideas about hotel stays and activities to do. The website was so helpful in finding ideas for places to stay, activities, restaurants, shopping, and anything else you could imagine to do while in Kissimmee. The last time we were in town, we stayed at the Omni Resort at Champions Gate and really liked it. It's a really nice hotel, with a great pool.
We plan on hitting Magic Kingdom while we are in town. The Disney parks are really close to Kissimmee and easy to get to. Because we have little ones, Magic Kingdom has the most rides and activities that they will enjoy.
The other important thing we have to do (and I don't think the kids will let us leave Kissimmee if we don't) is play mini golf. It is so much fun watching how excited they get at each hole ("ooh mom, a waterfall," "we get to hit it through a tunnel!"). We like Pirate's Cove a lot.
Last, but not least, I plan to hit some stores while in town. There are at least three outlet malls in the area with all my favorite outlets. I plan to leave the boys with my husband and head out with the other girls in the family and shop. So if any of my other mommy readers are planning a trip to Kissimmee anytime soon, check out the Kissimmee site for all the info. you need.

Happy Spring

It's the first day of Spring and I think everyone is happy it's here. This has been the best winter I have experienced since living in Florida but I know every other person in Florida would disagree with me. In fact, they may even blame me for the cold weather we had:) Usually it gets cold for a day and then warms back up until the next cold front comes through for just a day. This year we had days and days of cold weather and it was awesome. It makes the upcoming brutle summer more bearable for me. While I'm not cheering in Spring today, my son is(who I'm sad to say is a true Floridian). He hates wearing pants and insisted on wearing shorts during every cold day we had (which created an issue for the parents of kids in his class when they said that Ethan got to wear shorts when it was cold out). Every day it was cold he kept asking why Spring was never coming. I can't blame him really, he just doesn't know any better:)

New Book to Read

I need a new book to read, any suggestions? I have gone through the books I got for my birthday and Christmas (which is mostly what I asked for so I got quite a few). I'm not technically a speed reader, but I do read very fast. (and why I usually have several books listed on by Library Things widget). I am a thinker by nature which is probably why I get unsettled when my life becomes busy because there is no time for me to think and ponder ideas, issues, problems, etc. And books help to spark a lot of the thinking that I do. Thus my issue, I need a new book:) I'm hoping to do another book review for Reformation Trust Publishing soon as well. Anyone have any ideas? I like fiction, theology, spiritual growth, psychology, parenting/education, classics, just nothing violent or gorey. Thanks!

Underwear Man

Smores

Play time with daddy

Faith that Changes

You said "come, follow me"
they did and dropped their nets
fishing to set men free
for You would pay sin's debts

many years she had bled
and wanted to be healed
"i'll just touch him," she said
by faith her fate was sealed

full of hatred and spite
he killed and cursed Your name
You spoke and took his sight
never was he the same

As a child You called me
and took away my pain
You gave me faith to see
Your grace despite my shame

You heal our broken hearts
and give us faith in You
we get a fresh new start
to love the One that's true.

Children's Museum

It's been a while since I've taken the kids to our little children's museum nearby but I went with a friend yesterday and the kids had a blast. They had added some new exhibits (one being an exhibit on cars and how to repair them, which they didn't want to leave). They also pretended to design and build houses. An orchestra was playing there and we tried to have the kids sit and listen. They let the kids try out playing violins and cello's which was pretty neat. Ian of course did not like the loud noise of the orchestra and Ethan had no appreciation for it:) But it was a fun day! As is quite typical, I forgot my camera so these pictures are courtesy of Miss Marilyn. Thanks Marilyn!

Least of These

He came as a servant
a man full of sorrows
having nothing of his own
though he owned tomorrow

He fed the hungry
and healed all those in pain
He touched their broken hearts
and took away their shame

Our Lord and Creator
came to save the lost
with love and compassion
no matter what the cost

He calls us to the same
to carry our own cross
to suffer in his name
and count all things as loss

Each burden that we bare
the fallen we help from their knees
the hurts and wounds we help heal
we're loving the least of these

Behind each one we help
is the One we adore
for the love that we share
is fragrant to the Lord

Give all in Jesus' name
spread the truth to the poor
build treasures in heaven
the home you were made for

Decisions Decisions

George and I got a chance to talk last night about our decision for the fall. He and I both have been talking to friends who have walked this road before with their gifted kids and got some good advice. It looks like we are going to try the public school for kindergarten but we don't want to burn our bridges a the Christian school in case we're not happy with our decision. I ultimately decided I did not want to have to hold the kindergarten teacher's hand and constantly be on her about challenging Ethan because if I did that, I might as well teach him myself and save a lot of money. I also did not want to spend the year frustrated with her. I also was disappointed that while they made an attempt to try and arrange schedules so that Ethan could attend first grade classes, when it wouldn't work they did not come up with an alternate plan. I know that teachers are by nature and training planners and I was suprised that they had not come up with a specific plan for different ways they would keep Ethan from boredom while the class is learning that A says ahhh and B says buh. A friend that I spoke to said she would pray for contentment for our decision and that's definitely what we need. I don't want to spend the whole year thinking "If only.." so I'm praying for contentment with this decision and that God would bless it. I think God is trying to teach me something through this whole experience. Anyone who's read my blog for a long time will know that I really wanted to home school the kids and my husband is not comfortable with it so we compromised on the Christian school. Ironically, as it turns out, Ethan is too intelligent for me to homeschool for very long (did I mention that when we went to the gifted classroom this week the class was working on a complicated algebraic math problem?) and also too intelligent for the kindergarten class in private school. So we come back to the schooling choice I would have never chosen. God leads us to places we often would not have expected on our journey here and while I'm disappointed with this change in plans, I am also excited to see what God has in store for me and for Ethan this next year.

St. Jude Trike A Thon

This week the boys had their Trike A Thon at school to benefit St. Jude's. They had a great time and it was so cute to watch. Some of the younger ones had trouble staying within the cones or kept riding their bikes the wrong direction. This was Ian's first time doing it and Ethan's third and last time.

Feeling Torn

As I posted last week, I was feeling disappointed after talking to the teacher at the Christian school. Today we went to the public school to observe the gifted class for about an hour. It was very cool and the teacher was awesome. She really knew how to deal with the kids and their sensitivities. The projects they were working on were really neat. I know Ethan would fit in perfectly and really blossom in her class. We then went to talk to the assistant principal and asked her about kindergarten in general. We left feeling like the school as a whole really knows how to nurture and teach gifted kids. I've been really torn since my meeting last week and my experience today didn't help. If Ethan were an average kid, the Christian school we've chosen would fit our needs perfectly but since we've learned that he isn't, it seems to change things a lot. I'm disappointed as it seems like we are leaning more toward placing him in public school for kindergarten and I believe I'm turning on my convictions. As George says, its just for kindergarten and we can easily switch him if it's not working. We have until the end of the week to decide so we can get our hefty deposit back from the Christian school. We have cooresponded with the principal there today to discuss our concerns further and he is kind to offer to give us our money back. I've decided to just give it to the Lord, Ethan belongs to Him and He knows what is best for him. And sometimes what we assume is the best thing for our kids really isn't.

Smitty

Last night George and I went to a Micheal W. Smith concert. I was quite happy that I had talked George into going, since he doesn't like concerts. It's been 20 years since I last saw him in concert, and that was at a huge venue in D.C. Last night he played at a church and we were up front in the third row. It was an awesome night of worship. I love getting to experience in a very small way what our worship will be like in eternity.

A Good Time

Meeting Mater and Lightening

Playground

Honey I Shrunk the Kids Playground

When Ian found out what happens to the ball at hole 18

Mini Golf

Tom Sawyer Island

Choo Choo

Ian's favorite ride

Dumbo

Making cars at Lego Land

Lego Land

Trex Restaurant

George was gone most of the week for a conference in Orlando so we met him up there for a couple of days to go to Disney. And believe it or not, I had a good time! George wanted to record me saying that I think. The kids slept relatively well at the hotel and no one (including me) had a meltdown during the day. Ian tried a few more rides and had more confidence this time as well. He absolutely loved the Barnstormer roller coaster but continues to have difficulty with rides that are dark and loud (he hated the Muppet show at HS). Ethan's favorite is Space Mountain, or so we thought. Until we went and played miniature golf. He had such a good time that he decided he wanted to go back and play golf the next day instead of going to another park. Since I had a good time, George is trying to talk me in to going again at the end of the month when his Alaskan relatives are in town. I don't know, you know what they say about too much of a good thing!