Halloween Fun!

Our Neighbors have a Halloween Party every year for the kids. The boys love to go and dress-up and play w/their friends. It's always big fun!

Andy went to the party as a scarecrow. He looked so cute. Ben and Will went as themselves. They didn't dress up this year.

Andy

Andy : )

David kicking balloon with Andy.

Ben and Will

My handsome husband (needs a haircut) - but soooooo handsome!

Will getting some goodies...

Kids playing ...

David and William

Andy taking a swing at the pumpkin...

Will taking a swing at the pumpkin......

Ben taking a swing at the pumpkin..

And me - in devil horns!? ... I don't know.

It's a "no adult party," so we took the kids for awhile and then left and came home to make a cake with the boys. They had so much fun! David loves to cook and he likes for the boys to help him.



Halloween Lights!

David went on a walk with the boys (which we typically do every evening in the Fall) and stopped in front of a neighbors house to take a photo of the boys. The Margolis' always do pretty cool Holiday/Halloween decorations and our boys LOVE going to look at them. When we come home or leave in the car, we always have to leave via the Margolis' house.

Andy, William and Ben

Second guessing

I sent Will back to school today, even though I am not 100% sure if it was the right thing to do. He's missed four days with his stomach pains and having his scope done yesterday.

With this swine flu lurking in every crevice of every desk and every corner at school (at least that's the way I feel) - David and I had almost made up our minds to take him out of kindergarten and let him start again next year. After all - it's just kindergarten right? And he's a young kindergartener, at that.

With the decision to take him out of kindergarten and restart him next year - we had rationed in our minds that he would have a better chance of getting into Ben's school if he were older. The G/T testing would be easier for him to understand because he would be older. And that's important to us. We LOVE Ben's school and we want all 3 of our kids in the school.

On the other side of it: with his Reactive Airwary Disease - the flu, especially the H1N1 strain could possibly be more difficult for him. The good news is - the doctors feel he could be outgrowing his RAD. But with this pig flu - it could flare up again (darn pigs!). We have dealt with the RAD since he was 6 months old when he got RSV (Respiratory virus). RSV changes the shape and the function of the lungs and makes kids more susceptible to RAD. Thus - why he has it. At 6 years old - the doctors will either say "he's outgrown RAD and he will continue to outgrow it" or "he has life-long asthma." We were praying and hoping for the latter of the two. And we are almost there - it's just around the corner. That's why this strain of H1N1 scares the daylights out of us.

Yesterday - his pulmonologist's office called me to tell me that the cultures back from his nose that they took last week - it's Streptococcus Pneumoniae. Not anything to worry about now - he's on an antibiotic to take care of it. While I had her on the phone - I asked her opinion about my decision to take him out of kindergarten. She suggested I not do it. She said "this strain of H1N1 isn't as bad as the normal seasonal flu - if it's treated properly. She assured me that as soon as he got a fever or any symptoms of the flu, I should immediately call them and they would prescribe him tamiflu. Even if he tested negative for the flu - he would still get the medication. She said getting the tamiflu in the very beginning is what makes the difference and whether or not the virus spreads throughout his body and therfore causes more problems." So with that information, reluctantly, I sent him back to school today. I'm not sure if it's the right decision - and even as I type this, I'm still having doubts.

The news media is all over this - they are loving this story. I just wish they wouldn't try to freak people out with their 'big win.' Hearing that children are dying from this with underlying medical issues - some like his - keeps me afraid. Afterall it's my job, as his mother, to protect him. Am I protecting him by sending him back into the warzone where the kids are "dropping like flies" with this stinkin virus?

I have a conference with his teacher today to talk to her about his progress. If she tells me that he's immature and he could benefit from being held back - then I will pull him out and we will wait until next year to start him. Now if she tells me - academically he's doing well and she thinks he'll be ok. I'm not sure what I'll do - because I think down deep I'm hoping she tells me that he should be held back.

Everyone always says - go with your gut, go with your mommy instincts. I feel like my mommy instincts are telling me to keep him out, then I start second guessing them.

Hopefully his teacher will make this decision for me. In the meantime - I think I will stop watching the news. Those media people are nuts.

Will's surgery (a scope)

I didn't explain to Will what he was having done. I didn't tell him that he was having surgery or even that he would get an IV. He is very much afraid of pain and very emotional when it comes to things like this. So I told him that they were going to take a picture of his stomach. I left it at that - and he was ok with it.

We got to the surgery center (thank goodness he can't read : ) at 7:30 am. We checked in and they took him back pretty fast.

They gave him a DVD player and let him pick out a movie. His movie of choice: Polar Express (one of his favorites).


Getting ready to go back and get the surgery done. He doesn't look happy, does he?



Back in the surgery room. They told him to "blow up a balloon". This would happen by him putting on a mask and inhaling the sleepy medicine. He stopped half way through and said "I don't want to do it anymore." The doctor said "a few more times." Once more and then he was out. They looked at me and said "Ok, mom - see you in a bit." It was so difficult to watch him go under the anesthesia. I definitely had a hard time leaving him there.

I shut off my flash for these pictures (should of adjusted other settings - but no time) - because they had Halloween lights on the wall. It was really cool.




After surgery.... still alittle asleep. They gave him a "pink" popsicle (as requested). He had a hard time eating it, but he did finish it : )


Alittle more awake - but freeeeeezzzzzzing


Back at home. Laying on the couch eating a frozen gogurt.


On the way home - he noticed the bandaid on his hand and asked what it was for. I tried to change the subject. He said "why does it hurt when I push on it?" I told him what really happened. That the blowing up of the balloon was really sleepy medicine, the bandaid on his hand was from an IV, the procedure was surgery and they put a tiny camera down his throat to look into his stomach." From that moment on - he kept saying "I can't do that - I had surgery. You have to do this, because I had surgery." Nice - huh? Totally worked it to his advantage.

The doctor said he would lay around all day and be tired. NOT SO! She said no activity that required balance until tomorrow morning. He kept sneaking onto his scooter when he went outside to play with daddy and his friends. Boys! Boys!

The surgery was a success! The surgery center was fantastic! From the moment we walked in - it was geared towards kids. A very fun, kid-decorated place. It was all to make the kids as comfortable as possible - and it definitely worked. Will was very Brave!

An answer to the stomach pains????

Will has been having 'stomach issues' for about a year now. It has not been consistent - just randomly throughout the year. A few weekends ago - his stomach started hurting and hurt consistently all weekend. On Sunday, he told me that he may have swallowed a rock at school on Friday. He wasn't real sure and couldn't remember - but thought he did. I wasn't sure if he did or didn't - but the pain was pretty bad.

Sunday evening - I took him to the Urgent Care and they did an x-ray. The x-ray looked normal - no traces of a rock.

Monday morning - he had a check-up with his pulmonologist. So I told him about the stomach pains. He wasn't sure what might be causing it, but thought I should take him to see a GI doctor (luckily I had already made an appointment for Wednesday).

Monday afternoon - we went to the pediatrician. I called them hoping there was some miracle medicine they could give him for the pain. She said she definitely needed to see him. She said "there was nothing else she could do - I needed to see the GI doctor." Seriously?

Wednesday afternoon - I took him to the GI Doctor. He saw this same doctor as a baby when he had reflux and the swallowing issue that he had. The doctor asked if I had tried prevacid - thinking it was reflux. I had and it had no affect on him. He said he needs to do a scope to see if there is an actual rock or something else causing the pain.

Monday morning - I took Will at 6:30 am to get his scope done. It was a fast procedure. The scope was normal. He said everything looked great, except his stomach was overproducing acid. Since we had already tried the prevacid and his pain wasn't constant. He gave me a prescription for Carafate. I am to give it to him when he has pain - so it coats his stomach. If the medication isn't effective - we'll have to go in for more tests. Hopefully, this does the trick. A combination of the medicine and avoiding juice, ketchup, tomato paste. Will isn't real happy about the juice and ketchup - but hopefully it's just temporary.

Fluffy & Kuma : )

My sweet moochies sleeping together : )

Love them!

State Fair Time!

We wait all year for September and October. We love LOVE to the State Fair! All the corndogs, cotton candy, exhibits, Big Tex.... love it!

We arrived at the Fair and found a parking spot on the street. David was so freaked out that we might get towed. I guess it looked like a "park here and be towed" parking spot. Although it didn't say that. So - David took MANY pictures of the truck so that he could prove it did not say "tow away zone" in case he needed too.

First stop - massaging chairs : )

Will, Ben and Andy

2nd stop. Attempt photo in front of Big Tex. We weren't real successful - but here's our try.

Andy, me and .... some of William.

Ben standing reluctantly in front of Big Tex. He really wanted a corn dog : )

 The boys standing in front of Big Tex looking at the train.

If I can't get the front side of them - I guess the backside is just as good and cute : )

A stop by Elsie the cow and MILK!

William, David and Ben

Andy was SOOOOOO excited to be at the Fair!

And even more excited to get to walk around and not be in his stroller : )

I think the boys favorite part (aside from the corndogs) was the petting zoo.

Ben and Andy

Andy - so happy....

Ben and William

William and Andy

David, Andy and Ben (where's Will??)

Here he is : )

My four boys. The loves of my life : )

Taking a break to play in the gigantic sandbox,

Ben and William

Ben and Will wanted to see the snakes. David said it was very sad. Big snakes in small cages : (

We let the boys play a few games.

William, Ben and Me

Stoping to wait for the parade and finishing up some cotton candy

William, Ben, Andy (in stroller) and Me

Our Family : )

David, Me, Ben, Andy and William

Leaving the Fair.

Ben's holding the spiderman glove that Will won.

Actually - William really wanted that glove.

He didn't win, but the carnie saw how sad he was and gave it to him. So SOOOOO nice!

We had a FANTASTIC time at the Fair (as usual) and already excited about next year. And the good news: Our truck was still there : )

Going Dark for Fall!

With Fall blowing in - I wanted something different with my hair. I normally have alot of blonde - which I like. But I feel as I get [gasp!] ... older - I feel it doesn't suit me. So this time around I went darker - and I think I like it. It feels and looks healthier to me - which I love.

here's me before with blonde highlights .... which i do still like.

and me now w/brown hair. i like them both - i think.


what do you think? i love the lighter in the summer - and probaby will end up going back. but the dark is fun for now : )