Our Christmas

I'm just now getting around to doing this but better late than never, right :-). It is Sunday night and the kids go back to school tomorrow. I don't know if I am sad because I will miss them or happy because I need some alone time. Jose' also goes back to work tomorrow. Landon has been saying he doesn't want to go back but while taking a bath tonight he said he misses his friends and could he go to school tomorrow. Kinley has been sad and watching the clock all day. Stephen left this afternoon to go back to college.

We had a very very nice Christmas and I had all my family home for two weeks. We've gotten use to staying up very late and sleeping late the next morning. It will be hard to get up at our normal time in the morning. Christmas eve we did the same thing we do every year. First we go to my dad's house around 5:00 and stay until around 8:00. There were 21 of us there. My niece, Jessica, drew my name and got me some pajamas and houseshoes from Victoria's Secret. They kids got too much to list between the four of them. It's so chaotic during present opening that I sometimes don't even know everything they got until we get home.

My dad and Kaylyn

Daddy and Lynn with all the grandkids.

I think it's time for Kinley to stop standing in front of her Daddy for pictures LOL.

After we left my Dad's we went to the in-law's house. We try to save room so we can eat again there. My MIL makes turkey tamales every Christmas eve. My contribution is always a vegetable tray w/dip. Most of the family was there but we were missing a couple. One BIL didn't come and one niece was with her Dad this year. My MIL got me a very nice Thomas Kincaid snowman. He's glass and the front of his belly is open and you can see a village in there with lights on in all the windows. Then there is a little train that goes around and around the base. It all sets on a wooden base. I was so surprised!! She usually doesn't know what to get me and will sometimes even just give me money. It made me feel good that she chose something that nice for me. My SIL got me a picture frame. We stayed there until around 10:30.

Me and my father in law.

When we got home we let the kids play a little while with their new toys. Then they got ready for bed, set our their gifts in separate piles and Kinley put out the milk and cookies and a letter she wrote to Santa. The letter says...Thank you elves for making all the toys for all the boys and girls. Thank you Mrs. Claus for making Santa Clause so round and plump. Most of all thank you Santa for delivering presents to all the boys and girls. I hope I am on the Nice list.

The kids all went to sleep very fast and it felt so good to finally get in bed that night. My favorite part of Christmas is going to bed on Christmas eve excited about the next morning and listening to Christmas music until I fall asleep. I'm just so happy at that moment!!

The kids didn't wake us up until 7:00 the next morning. Like always the kids waited in the hall until everyone was ready and then I opened the door. Landon had been practicing running down the hall LOL...he was ready. We spent the next hour seeing what we got and opening our gifts. We take turns opening one at a time so we could enjoy each one. I had a very nice Christmas! Stephen got me an IBook, Jose' got me a personal DVD player, house shoes, Victoria Secret panties, a goodie bag of things he knows I like and earphones for my dvd player. We helped Stephen get a Mac laptop and we got him Doc Martin boots, a Fossil watch and jacket. Kaylyn got a pink Dell laptop, down comforter and sheets, cross necklace, hair straightner and blow dryer. Kinley got American Girl twin dolls with a stroller, a chalk and marker board easel, disco light for her room, art supplies, Crayola magic light, Pictureka game and a footprints ring. Landon got a Wii with three games, guitar, Crayola magic light, dancing reindeer and a Trouble game. There were other small things but this was most of it. Jose' had a good Christmas too. I got him a cross necklace, pajamas, a Snapfish calendar I made and Stephen got him a surround sound system for the living room.

Kinley with her new babies, Emma and Andrew. I had more pictures from that morning to share but for some reason it's not wanting to add certain ones.

After we did gifts we ate Grands cinnamon rolls for breakfast and then Jose' and I started cooking lunch. He fried the turkey and made dressing and I made a brocoli rice and cheese casserole, homemade mac and cheese and bread in the bread machine. We didn't eat until around 2:30 because we ate such a late breakfast. We watched Elf while we ate and then just played the rest of the day. When it got dark we did our stockings. We started that tradition a few years ago. It gives us something to look forward to all day :-).

So, that was our Christmas. It was over too fast and as always that night I was sad. It's just such GOOD family time.

One More Week

Another week almost over and that much closer to Christmas break for the kids. I'm so ready and of course so are they. The kids always get so tired right before this break.

I am getting very close to being done with our shopping. I'm done with three of the kids and just have Stephen to shop for. Oh, I do still need to get Landon something Thomas because he thinks he's getting something Thomas and so far I haven't gotten him that. I guess he remembers all the Thomas stuff he got last year. I still need to buy for two nephews and two nieces, one teacher, one family name I drew and Kinley's gift for her school party. I ordered Jose' a calendar from Snapfish and got him some DVDs he's been wanting but still need to get his big gift, a GPS system. I'll wait until I get paid next week to get that. I want to pay for it myself.

I have most of the Christmas cards ready to mail. I'll do the last few in the morning and get them out tomorrow. I love mail days in December! I look forward to getting cards and seeing everyone's pictures. I get mad on days the mailman doesn't bring me any cards LOL.

Stephen started college last week. He moved in the first day by himself but Jose' and I went over there the next night and shopped some with him and helped him fix up his room. We hung some black curtains, put down a big rug, a floor lamp, a couple of chairs and some pictures. Stephen paid for all of it but the big chair. He has a private room...I'm really glad about that. I didn't like the idea of his stuff being open to anyone who came and went with the room mate.

Landon has his OT evaluation this week. It took three days to get it all done because once he lost interest there was no finishing and I don't like pushing him too hard. I was very irritated with the lady on the second day. She was not prepared at all and wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what she was suppose to be doing, finding the cards she needed out of a big stack and even cutting out stuff she needed. You would think since she knows she's going to be working with a child with attention issues she would have everything she needed ready. After an hour and 45 minutes we still weren't done and Landon was very frustrated...was even biting his hand. She said we still had one more book to get through :-0. I asked her what the book was on and she said communication. I told her we've been here for almost two hours and he's biting his hand...how do YOU think he's gonna do on communication. She said probably not too good so said I could come back the next morning to finish. I wasn't letting her push him any further at that point. Luckily, this is not the lady who will be doing his OT each week. I realized during these three days of the evaluation that he is going to have to have some help. I took him back to the doctor and asked to try him on some medication but she said she can't prescribe anything without talking to the doctor who diagnosed him. She called him the next morning and he said he'd have to see him again first. WHY? He's already seen and diagnosed him. What is another meeting going to show/tell him that he doesn't already know. ****BIG Sigh**** So, we have an appointment next week with him and then we'll see what happens from there.

I guess that's about all that's been going on. My sister told me I better start updating at least once or twice a week or I will lose any readers I might have. I don't know that I have that many but I don't want those to give up on me so I will try to do better.

I'll leave you with a few pictures taken recently.

Landon with his teacher.

Thanksgiving 2008

We had a perfect Thanksgiving day at my sister's house yesterday. It was our year to be at my Dad's house but since he's in Indiana Sherri and I decided there was no reason why our families couldn't get together. We decided to do it at her house since she has more room. Jose' fried our turkey and made the dressing and I was suppose to make the broccoli, cheese and rice casserole but he ended up making that too. He likes to cook, I guess. Sherri made a seven layer salad, sweet potatoe casserole, homemade mac and cheese, rolls and two pumpkin pies. Actually, Kinley and Madison made the pies.

We managed to get some family pictures before we ate and I even liked one enough to use as our Christmas card. This is the second year in a row Jose' and I have gotten in the picture. For years I just put the kids on our cards. Here's the picture I used.

We also got a picture of both our families together. Sherri got her neighbor to come over and take it for us....oh well, I can't get that picture to load.

Here is Kaylyn and I.Me with my twin sister, Sherri. After we ate Jose' and Jeff played video games and Sherri, Stephen and I played Spades for a couple of hours. I'm glad Jose' enjoyed himself so much and didn't mind staying as long as we did. The only thing that would have made the day better is if all our family could have been there.
I had more pictures I wanted to share but just can't get a lot of them to load. I have that problem a lot.

I'm so happy our families could be together for Thanksgiving. It's been a long time since we were all together like that. We vacationed together but Stephen wasn't with us.

Thank you Sherri and Jeff for having us at your house and for a perfect Thanksgiving day :-).

Stephen is home :-)

After six months Stephen is finally home for good. Six months!! Those first two and a half months were the hardest for me. He was in Arizona alone except for my brother, but he wasn't staying with them. He was in an apartment with a few other guys that he didn't even know until he got there. He was paying rent, buying his own groceries, cooking for himself, washing his clothes...everything. I am so proud of him and so glad he's HOME. He'll start school in December so we'll have a few weeks with him home.

He brought the new Guitar Hero home with him. Landon was SO excited! He's really good at playing but also just likes to sit and watch Stephen play. Landon was a little jealous when Stephen first got home. Everytime I'd hug Stephen or spend too much time with him Landon would want me to pick him up or would hang onto me. He's not use to sharing me with another son :-).

Here are a few pictures I took of them all playing last night.

Look at my sons :-). Makes me so happy to see them together. Landon most likely won't have any memories of Stephen living here. I have to explain why there is so much stuff on my living room floor. Most of it is stuff Stephen brought in but all the stuff beside the front door is my sister's bags...they spent the weekend and were getting ready to leave.

Stephen, Landon and my nephew Carter watching above and

Kaylyn and her boyfriend, Zach, below.

It's funny how when Stephen is home the whole atmosphere of the house changes. It's louder, a little messier and just feels right :-). I slept good last night knowing all my kids were under the same roof.

Our week so far

I got up Monday morning and went to work and sent Landon to school. I didn't want to but he had been asking me all weekend if he was going and saying he wanted to go. I can't keep him home if he's asking to go. I don't think he'd be asking to go if he were miserable or even feeling mistreated. When I asked after school if he'd had a good day they said he had one rough spot after morning recess and even told the aide he hated her but after that was fine. She said he did come back later and tell her he was sorry and that he loved her. She also said he had went up to one of the boys in his class who was sitting in his desk and kept pushing him. I told her I want him to learn he can't do that but also wanted the aide to understand that he wasn't doing it to be mean. In the book I'm reading, Look Me in the Eye, the man telling the story is talking about when he was a kid he'd hit or push to try to get a friend to play with him. The problem was he just really didn't know how to get other kids to play with him.

The past two mornings have been good because I've actually gotten him to eat all his oatmeal for breakfast. It feels so great sending him to school with something in his stomach and not worrying all morning that he's hungry. It's taken 11 weeks but I think he's finally gotten use to eating breakfast early.

I'm not suppose to have to work on Thursdays but my boss is going to be gone Friday so is going to do payroll tomorrow and wants me to be there. So, I'll go in early and work an hour then I have to come home because a lady is coming to my house tomorrow to talk about Landon and the services that are available to him. If I miss this appointment we won't get another one until December. Landon has to be here for that meeting so I guess I'll just take him to work with me in the morning and then take him to school afterward.

The fair is this week so of course it started raining yesterday. It always ALWAYS rains while the fair is here. It wouldn't seem like the fair if we weren't walking on wet, muddy hay that they've thrown all over the fair grounds. Sherri and her kids are coming Friday and we'll go to the fair Saturday. We all have our rubber boots ready :-). Landon is saying he doesn't want to go so if he still doesn't want to when the time comes he can stay with Jose'. In five years he's never once rode a fair ride.

So, that's what's been going on and is going on here. I'm ready for the weekend to get here.

Still not sure

I have no idea what to do and feel like I'm all alone in making a decision. Landon is not doing well in school and instead of things getting better they seem to be getting worse. Last week he had a rough day Monday and when I picked him up his teacher told me he'd said a bad word, a real bad one, to her in class in front of the other kids. It was a word we do not use in our house but I'm sure he heard it on the t.v. on some of the movies Jose' watches. I talked to Landon about it and told him that was a very bad word and not to ever use it again. He sit there a minute and then said "Is shit a bad word too?" He said next time he'll say dang it instead. So, that was Monday. Tuesday I got a call at work around 1:00 from the counselor asking if I could go ahead and come pick Landon up because he'd had another really bad day. He'd spent most of the day in either her office in the time out chair or the principle's office. He had thrown dirt at one kid and kicked another one at recess. Now, I don't condone him kicking or throwing dirt but I wasn't surprised to hear it was a second grade boy that has been picking on him. I've even seen this boy picking on him at the football games. I asked the teacher was she sure he wasn't just fighting back and she said the teachers on duty didn't think so. I wonder.

She asked me was he on any medicine for the cold he's had and I told her yes. She said maybe the medicine was making him irritable and I told her I don't give it to him in the mornings so he won't be tired and she said maybe it's residual from having taken it the night before. I really don't think so. He's on an antibiotic, allergy medicine and Musinex. She asked if I could keep him home until he's done with his medicine. So, that's what I did. I missed work the rest of the week and he missed the next three days of school. Am I going to have to keep him home every time he's on medicine?

So, I'm trying to decide what to do. Do I want to keep sending him to school where he's getting in trouble all the time, making the teacher's jobs hard, not really learning much and where I think his spirit is being broken. Or, do I pull him out now and homeschool him for a while? I know I could do it. I think I could even have him ready for first grade. What I wish is that everyone would stop telling me how wrong that would be to do that to him. How he NEEDS to be in school and how he'll never get use to it if I take him out. He's been in school for TEN weeks and he's not use to it yet. It's not a case of him getting use to it...why can't people understand that? I know they are just trying to help by giving me their oppinion but they don't know Landon and they don't know how hard it is to keep sending him up there.

I need to find out if he will still be able to get OT if he's not in the school system. I don't want to lose any help we are trying to get. I'll call Monday and talk to his social worker to fiind out these things. Landon has been asking me for the past few days if he's going to school and wanting to go so then I wonder, if he was miserable there would he be asking to go back?

I don't know what I'm gonna end up doing but I will probably go ahead and send him Monday and give it one more try. I need time to call and make sure he's not going to lose the help he's getting. But, if I am called one more time or if my instincts keep telling me he shouldn't be there then I will do what I think is right for Landon and try not to hear what everyone is saying.

What I'm Thankful For

I'm thankful for Jose' for being the provider that he is, working so hard and never complaining about it. I'm thankful that I got to stay home with my kids for 14 years and during that time he carried the whole financial load for our family...without ever making me feel guilty for being home. I'm thankful that he loves me so much and hardly a day goes by that he doesn't tell me how beautiful I am or how much he appreciates me. I'm thankful that even though things have been hard in the past at times right NOW they are good...we are good.

I'm thankful for my first born, my oldest son Stephen. I'm thankful for a very responsible young man who is mature beyond his years. I'm in awe of him leaving three days after graduating high school and driving 22 hours to work, away from home for the whole summer. I'm proud of the money he's made and saved. He has done so much more than most kids his age...so much more. I'm thankful for a son who loves me SO much and who I truly feel is one of my best friends. I am thankful for my oldest daughter, Kaylyn. I am thankful for her sweet spirit and huge smile that brightens everyone's day...everyone who can appreciate it. She tries to see the best in people and has a soft heart for people who are not treated fairly. I'm thankful that she loves God and is trying to live a life that pleases Him. I'm proud of her values and that she is determined to keep them...even when it's really REALLY hard sometimes. I'm thankful for her forgiving spirit which sometimes shows me I could learn a lot from her. I'm thankful that we are not only mother and daughter, but friends. I'm thankful to God for Kinley's life...that's she's still here with us. Not a day goes by that I don't look at her and know how blessed we are that she's here. I'm thankful that she listened to God when he spoke to her and look forward to seeing what he has in store for her life. I'm thankful that Kinley is not a follower and that she doesn't feel the need to do things like other people just to fit in or please them. I am thankful that she still likes to play with her dolls and is not trying to grow up too fast like so many girls her age. I'm thankful for the miracle of Landon's life. I'm thankful that God put it on my heart to have him and to trust Him and never give up. I'm thankful for the love of another son. I'm proud of who he is and I know that he is exactly the little person he is for a reason. God has big plans for Landon and all I can do is be here to help him and again, trust God. I'm thankful that Landon made me feel that our family was finally complete.I'm thankful for my sisters...my best friends. Where would I be if I didn't have them to talk to, cry to, laugh with?? Nobody makes me laugh as hard as they do...till I am crying. I need them and thank God that he gave us each other. I need thier approval and value their oppinions more than anyone else's. Thank you God for my sisters!! Sometimes, like now, when life isn't seeming fair and not much fun we have to remind ourselves how lucky we are. We have to remember what we have to be thankful for and how blessed we are. We should not lose sight of that. I just thought I would share some of what I am thankful for.