Not the best Halloween :-(

I've had a rough couple of days here. Yesterday morning as soon as my feet hit the floor I knew something was wrong. I was just very off balance and felt weird. I tried to go about my morning routine but had to sit down for a bit. When I got up again the whole room started spinning and I felt sick, almost passed out. I made it to Kaylyn's room and lay on her bed and called Jose'. I'm not sure what I wanted him to do. I guess I wanted to hear him say I was okay LOL. I am pretty sure I scared Kaylyn because she's never seen me like that...I was crying. For the next fifteen or twenty minutes I sit on the edge of the bathtub by an open toilet waiting...and waiting, but I just don't throw up easily and didn't. I called my MIL and asked her to please come help me get the kids ready and to school. She did :-). I was very surprised with how well Landon did with the change in routine. After MIL left I took a phenergan and don't remember much else. I thought I had only closed my eyes for a few minutes and it had been two and a half hours. Then before I knew it the kids were home...the day was just gone so fast!

This morning I still felt a little off but got up and ready for work because it's Friday and my boss needs me on Fridays. Plus, it's Halloween and the kids need me and Kaylyn had a pep rally and I wanted to be there for that. But, I got a call from the school at 11:00 asking me to come get Landon because he wasn't feeling good :-(. I knew this morning he didn't feel real good but they were going trick or treating this morning and he was excited about that. Guess that wasn't a good call on my part. They said he enjoyed it, though, so I guess I'm glad he didn't miss out on that....especially since he won't get to go tonight. When I got him home he had 101 fever.

So, I wasn't able to stay all day at work, I sent Landon to school sick, I can't take the kids trick or treating tonight or go to the game with them to trunk or treat and Kinley is unhappy about that and making me feel very guilty and I didn't make it to the pep rally. I am in shut down mode and Jose' is taking up the slack.

***Big Sigh****

A near perfect weekend :-)

Saturday Jose' only had to work until noon. We've not had too many weekends together lately so it was really nice having him home for most of the day. He cooked on the grill...ribs, sausage, boudan (sp?), mushrooms, pork chops and made shrimp dip. Sherri came for the day and night without her kids. So, while Jose' watched the LSU game she and I played cards and ate and ate some more. The kids were playing outside so noone was asking anything of us. Jose's sister, Lena, and her daughter came over for a while too and Kinley enjoyed playing with Grayson. The weather was perfect...just beautiful.

Today, Sunday, we made it to church. It's been a few weeks since we went for one reason or another. After church we went to the in-law's house for a very big get together for Verna (my MIL's) birthday. I didn't realize there were going to be that many people there. It was all Jose's sisters and their families, our family, Kaylyn's boyfriend, SIL's boyfriend, an aunt and her daughter and three kids and another aunt. The only immediate family missing was Stephen, Sil's baby Holden and one BIL. I took the opportunity to take a lot of pictures for MIL's calendar for Christmas. Here are some of them...

Landon with his grandmother.

Me with my inlaws, Rene and Verna.

Kaylyn and Zach...they are so CUTE together :-).

So, the weekend is over and I'm ready for tomorrow. It was a very good weekend with a lot of good family time.

More Landon

We had a meeting yesterday at the school about Landon. It was a committe they have set up that included two teachers, the school counselor and the principle. Other people at the meeting were Jose' and I, Landon's teacher and the social worker assigned to him. The social worker brought a copy of the doctor's report. The school was hoping he would have some guidelines for them to follow in the report but he didn't. The school really wants to help him but this is all so new to them. But, they are trying. The social worker even told me today that she was very impressed with our school and how hard they are working to do right by Landon.

They talked about ways to help him in different situations that are hard for him. They have gotten funding approved to hire a full time aide for him that will stay with him all the time and will even go to the next grade with him. I guess this aide will stay with him until he doesn't need her/him anymore. Another thing they are doing for him is getting him a laptop and some educational games to use at school when he has to be taken out of the classroom. They are also getting him the weighted blanket that I've wanted for him for so long. I've never gotten it because it's so expensive.

I don't like trying to explain to people what Asperger's is. It's hard to explain. There are so many things involved in it and really you have to be around him to see it all. It only took his teacher a few days to pick up on it after he started school. Last night I went on Amazon and ordered three books. I'm hoping after I read them I can get Jose' to read them...even though he hates to read. The books I ordered are...

"Finding Ben: A Mother's Journey Through the Maze of Asperger's"

"The OASIS Guide to Asperger Syndrome: Advice, Support, Insight and Inspiration"

"Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's"

In other news, my job has been cut down to three days a week starting next week. I should be happy about this and about getting to be home two days a week but I'm sad about it. I can't believe how much I enjoy working again and that I never dread going. I love it!! She did say she would call me back every busy season so that's good.

Stephen is in Indiana now with Daddy and Lynn now. He said they are staying in a very nice cabin and it's almost like being on vacation. I hope he's taking pictures. He'll be there for two weeks and then he'll be home for good. He's gotten to see so much since he graduated and has learned a lot. It's been hard on him and on us being away from him but it's been good for him...he's grown up so much.

The kids just got their report cards. Kaylyn had A's, B's and only one C....the best report card she's had in a long time. I am VERY proud of her!! Kinley had only one B and the rest A's :-)....I'm VERY proud of her too. Makes all those nights of homework worth it. We won't talk about Landon's....he's doing the best he can.

I'm looking forward to the weekend :-).

Why?

Why do some kids not have to work as hard as others for what they have?

Why can some kids do wrong and not have to pay the consequences?

Why do MY kids have to work harder than others just because they don't have the right last name?

Why am I always perceived as the trouble maker when I'm just fighting for what's right?

Why are teenage girls so mean?

Why do some teachers and other people in authority not praise our kids when they do well and forget so easily the things they have done well?

Why do some parents believe anything their kids tell them and wear blinders to the bad things their kids are doing? Do they think as long as they ignore the bad behavior it will go away? Are some grown ups really that ignorant?

Why do people have to play favorites?

Why do some teachers tell kids they are not smart and that they should just drop out and get their GED? Yes, my child was told this and she has A's and B's this nine weeks.

Why do some people think the only right way is their way?

Why do bad things happen to good kids?

I could go on and on here but I'm sure most people didn't even make it this far. I am just feeling sorry for myself and my kids today. I'm mad at myself for having really bad feelings toward some people right now. I am not a trouble maker. I don't like anyone being mad at me and try to make peace when I can. But, when my kids are being hurt that's very hard to do. Seems like every day or so one of my kids are being hurt by either a teacher, boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, people in authority, grandparent....I guess even by me and Jose'. I just want them to know that no matter what anyone says to them or does to them WE love them and we think they are GOOD PEOPLE. I don't always agree with their decisions but I know they are good, if given a decent chance.

I guess that's all....

At Daddy's House

Yesterday I felt like a kid again :-). The weather was perfect and reminded me of so many childhood days spending the whole day outside playing. We'd make playhouses in the cotton fields across the road and sometimes, not knowing the danger, would ride on the irrigation thing. For a moment yesterday I was wishing my sisters and I were kids again and were planning out our day of playing.

One of my sister's kids asked me how far they could run out in the empty field and I told them until they get tired :-).

We took a trip out to Daddy's new land he recently bought. After we got there most of us piled into the back of his truck to ride around the land and look. I forgot how fun it is to ride in the back of a truck...it's been a while. Daddy even let us stop and take some pictures :-).

I felt like a kid again!!

My Cheerleaders

It's been fun this school year having two cheerleaders in the family. It's been a big adjustment with Stephen being gone and not having anyone playing football, but we've still been just as busy going to the Varsity and peewee games. Cheerleading is something, really the only thing, Kaylyn and Kinley have in common. So, here are some pictures we've taken this year :-).

This was from the cheerleading camp the Varsity cheerleaders did for the peewee cheerleaders this past summer. Kinley is on the right in purple and Kaylyn in the very middle sitting down.

I had more pictures I wanted to share but either I don't know what I'm doing or this site doesn't like me because I can't get them to show up.

Landon

Yesterday was Landon's appointment with the pediatric psychiatrist from New Orleans, Dr. Neil Boris. I've waited a long time for this and was so nervous. Nervous for what he would tell me and at the same time nervous that he would say I was crazy and there was nothing wrong with him. We were there for a little over an hour and answered a lot of questions. While the doctor talked to Jose' and I, Landon and a social worker were in the room with us and the doctor was watching Landon play with all the toys they had in there. He was watching how Landon interracted with him and the social worker. At the end of the visit the diagnosis was just what we thought it would be....Asperger's. For anyone who hasn't heard of that, it's in the Autism spectrum. Picture a rainbow and at one end is Autism which is the lower functioning end. At the other end is Aspergers. Aspergers, along with Autism, is a Pervasive Development Disorder. Here's something I read about it online.

The term pervasive development disorder (PDDs) refers to a group of conditions that involve delays in the development of many basic skills, most notably the ability to socialize with others, to communicate and to use imagination. Children with these conditions often are confused in their thinking and generally have problems understanding the world around them.

So, what are we going to do? I don't know :-(. I thought the doctor would give him a prescription for some medicine that would "cure" him. At least something that would help him concentrate in school and be able to sit still. But, he said he does not see an ADHD child with Landon. ADD maybe but that is just a side symtom of Aspergers and for some reason he does not want to put him on medication. I want to do what is right for Landon but right now I don't even know what that is. I don't know if I can keep sending him to school when I know he's not doing anything there. I know what a hard time he's giving his teachers and I don't know if it's fair to them. Should I just pull him out of school for now and homeschool him until he is older and can learn to cope with things?

We really liked this doctor and he went on and on about how bright Landon is. He said he's just as smart, or maybe even smarter, than the kids in his class but that he is just wired different and does not learn like the other kids. I won't make any dicisions now...not as long as his teachers and the school are so willing to work with him.

I'm Here

I'm here but have almost no clue what I'm doing. I have a blog somewhere else but I have a lot of family and friends here so here I am. I'm not a very faithful blogger but am going to try to do better. With my new job, football games and just life there's not a lot of time for the computer.
I'll start by posting some pictures of mi alegra familia...my happy family.

This was Stephen and I in Chicago this past September. We went with my dad, stepmother, sister, bil, niece and a couple of friends. It was the first time either of us had been there and it was such a perfect and FUN day

Me with two of my favorite men in the world...Stephen and my Dad. This was taken on my trip to Illinois to see them. Kinley...she's a peewee cheerleader this year. Kaylyn June 08 at our family reunion.
Landon, Jose' and I at Navarre Beach this past summer.
Now, let me go see if I did this right.