Where has the time gone?!

Wow, life has sure caught up to us the last couple of months.  I don't even know where to begin, but I sure do miss journaling about our lives on here.  So, bare with me as I update on the last couple of months.

1.  Alex turned six years old!  

2.  Rhoslyn had her first dance recital.  She starts again in a couple of weeks.

3.  Alex has been working really hard on tying his shoes.

4.  Alex joined soccer this summer and really enjoyed it.  He just had his tournament last Saturday and his team won both games.  He is very excited to play again next year.

5.  Rhoslyn is a superstar at riding her bike (with training wheels).

6.  Rhoslyn turned four years old!  She of course had a FROZEN birthday.

7.  We went "camping" (we stayed in a small cabin) for the first time at Jelly Stone in Warrens.  We had a ton of fun and the kids are talking about going back there next summer.

8.  Alex was cleared of Kawasaki Disease after his 3rd Echo.  His heart is looking great and all valves are in working order.  Many children still suffer side affects years after, but there isn't enough research about this disease.  We take it one day at a time.  He won't have another Echo done until next March.

9.  We became official members to St. Pauls Lutheran Church and Billy and the kids were both baptized.  We are really enjoying being part of a church and going every Sunday.

10.  Speaking of church, I will be Co-teaching Sunday school this year.  I am looking forward to this experience.  Our children will also be attending for the first time.

11.  Bill has gone to Indiana twice in the last month.  His payment for going is bring us presents when he returns.  We aren't complaining...

12.  Bill and I have become totally addicted to Grays Anatomy (not sure he would want this out as public information).  We are also addicted to Orange is the New Black... but we blew through those series in about two weeks.  We are pretty cool like that...

13.  I am joining the PTO this year!  

14.  We officially have two school aged children.

15.  Alex has his FIRST loose tooth.  The tooth fairy should be visiting in less then two weeks.

And... that about sums it up.  Summer has gone by way too fast.  I still have a mountain of work to get done before I am back in the classroom and I'm not quite ready for the crazy schedule school brings.  Plus in a couple of weeks I will be turning the big 30.  Yikes.

Kawasaki Disease

Alex had a fever for four days.  He had a rash all over his body that was very itchy.  His lymph nodes were swollen and he had a "strawberry tongue."  His hands and feet were red and swollen.  His eyes were pink like pink eye.  He had a cough and stuffy nose.  He wasn't sleeping much, so he was tired, crabby, and miserable. After dealing with him being miserable for four days, we decided it would be best to take him into the ER.

They tested for strep which was negative.  They also took blood work which would help diagnose Kawasaki Disease along with all of his other symptoms.  The ER doctor and the Pediatrician that was on call that night both thought it was Kawasaki's Disease.  Around 10:00 at night we were admitted and sent to our room in Childrens.  The staff was so nice with making him feel at home.  They had a fleece tie blanket, a book, and a toy for him to keep.  Around 12:30 a.m. they began his IV treatment which is called IVIG.  It takes 1,000 blood donors for one IVIG treatment.  He had to be observed the first hour (he had a nurse bed side) to check for any bad reactions.  He responded well to the treatment.  He didn't go to sleep until 1:00 in the morning.  He had been up for nearly 22 hours and was extremely tired and overstimulated by all of the poking and prodding.  The nurse came in around 2:00 a.m. to check his vitals and he lost it.  He was kicking, screaming, crying, flailing his body, and trying to rip out his IV as well has rip off the EKG they had going on him.  We have seen him act like this before, and it's really hard to watch.  You feel helpless as a parent.  It took about half an hour for me to get him calmed down and I slept with him that night.

The night Alex was admitted.  Daddy brought us things to stay in the hospital and red books to Alex before bed.

His rash and fever were already subsiding by morning.  He had a little bit more energy to him.  We had visitors on Saturday which was a great way to break up our day.  He also had his first Echo-cardiogram done.  The IV treatment took 12 hours and then they had to observe him for 24 hours after it was finished. Monday morning he woke up with a bad headache and ending up throwing up.  We weren't sure if he was going to make it home that day, but luckily he did.  We were so happy to get back home.

Rhoslyn and daddy came to visit on Sunday.  Rhoslyn sat with Alex in bed during his Echo.  Such a good sister she is.

His journey doesn't end though.  Today he had his second Echo done and it showed that his left coronary artery is larger then the others.  He also has some fluid around his heart.  The Pediatrician didn't seem too concerned, but he will have another one done in 4-5 weeks.  If there aren't any changes or it worsens, we may be referred to a cardiologist for further testing.  He will also get his cholesterol checked once the sickness is gone.  He may also have follow up echo's and check ups in the years to come, just to be on the safe side.  Some children can suffer symptoms for months.  In rare cases children can get Kawasaki's twice.

They don't really know why children get Kawasaki's Disease.  They feel that Alex could have had a virus and his body just reacted to it differently.  Unfortunately, there hasn't been enough research done to find a cause.  It can affect inflammation in the arteries and blood vessels surrounding the heart.  Most children recover just fine, but it is definitely a scary situation to be in.  Alex has to be on aspirin to keep the blood thin and flowing.

Even though he does not have the fever, rash, red eyes, etc.  He is still dealing with symptoms.  He becomes very agitated very easily.  He is often tired.  A full day of school is exhausting for him.  His skin on his fingers is peeling off in sheets.  Children also tend to have joint pain.

Only 19 in 100,000 kids will have Kawasaki Disease!  It is the leading cause of heart disease in children. Sometimes it can even be fatal.  Alex has been such a trooper through all of this so far.  We are so proud of him.  It has been an extremely trying couple of weeks at our house and we aren't out of the clear yet.  We are so grateful for those that have given their prayers and help during this time.  Mom and dad have been on an emotional roller coaster with all of this.

Dentist

Both of the kids went to the dentist last week and they both did great!

We were super proud of Alex.  He was very brave.  This was his first dentist appointment where they did EVERYTHING.  Super huge deal for him, and he enjoyed it which was even better.  

We are also super proud of Rhoslyn.  It was her first time at the dentist.  She was a little skiddish, but dad said she did a great job.  They did x-rays, scraped and cleaned her teeth and they did fluoride.  She wasn't too sure about the water and the sucking hose.  The dental hygienist let her take a drink and she thought that was super cool.  It was game on after that.

Both kids are clear of cavities!  Alex's teeth are still in nice and firm.  Dentist doesn't think he will be losing any too soon.  We have already been told that Rhoslyn will for sure need braces.  Nothing like hearing that when your daughter is only 3!  I am sure both kids are doomed... they have moms mouth.  I guess dad and I better start a braces savings account.

January Photos

Our New Years Eve was celebrated with the kids having Sparkling grape juice and ice cream sundae's.  It was perfect!  We watched a movie and the kids were in bed around 8:00.  Mom went to bed around 8:30.  (I am cool like that)

I made homemade chocolate cake and frosting for Billy and Uncle Rob's birthday.  The kids enjoyed licking the frosting off of the beaters!  

We LOVE chocolate!!

Happy Birthday Boys!!  They each got their own candle to blow out.

Alex drew this picture and wrote this sentence.  Don't you love how he spelled house?!

And that has pretty much been our January so far in photos!

Time Flies..

I am finding it more and more difficult to keep up with this, but have no fear... I will continue!  Time seems to be in fast motion lately.

How about I update on some little things that are going on with our family?  (Which we all know usually means the kids, right?!)

Alex just figured out how to whistle!  He has been trying and trying... and finally he got it.  This is what he told me Wednesday after school.  "I practiced at school, but my teacher kept catching me."  Gotta love him!  I told him that he was probably being a bit disruptive and it might be a good idea to save whistle practicing for recess time.

Rhoslyn is moving up to the preschool room at daycare.  Her current teacher is sad to see her move up, but all of the kids spend time together in the morning and afternoon.  I am excited for her, yet sad at the same time.  Getting this information made me realize just how fast she is growing.  To top it off, we will have to school aged children this fall.  I am finding it even harder this time around.

Our children amaze me everyday.  Although it's hard to watch them grow up before our eyes, I love seeing them grow.  Daddy was gone all week for work, so I declared last night as movie night.  Mom needed a night to sit back and veg out.  The kids were showered after school.  I put chicken nuggets in the oven and even hopped in the shower myself.  I asked Alex to get the ketchup and ranch out of the fridge.  Not only did he do that, but he put it on our plates, filled two cups with water and one with milk and Rhoslyn set napkins out on the table.  I got dressed and was so pleased to see how much they helped with getting dinner together.  Also, Alex is making his own toast now!  He puts it in the toaster, gets it out by himself, butters it, and even puts cinnamon and sugar on it.  He is becoming a little man.

Alex can also read a little.  We have some early reader books and he has read two of them all on his own.  We are also enjoying the Magic Tree House books.  It's crazy to me that he is requesting for me to read chapter books more so than picture books. I am enjoying it though.  

Rhoslyn is our little social butterfly.  As soon as we walk in at daycare she has at least one or two friends just standing there, waiting for her to play.  The other day at daycare she was the prayer person (one of her jobs) and she thanked God for one of the kids at daycare.  It pretty much melted my heart... and her teachers too!  She writes her name so well now.  She can also right Nan (her teachers name), Kerri, Dad, Mom, and Alex.  Her favorite books right now are the David books.  She looks through them and has most of the pages memorized.  She has mastered zipping her jacket.. which is awesome!  She loves doing puzzles and playing the matching games.  Her favorite toy right now would probably have to be her ponies and pony dolls.  She loves playing with Alex's toys and watching him play Skylanders.  I'm sure it won't be long before she is asking to play.

Keeping things in order...

Perfectionism...

This is a trait that we are noticing more and more in Alex and Rhoslyn.  Who do they get it from you may ask... well their Mother of course!  =)

Rhoslyn is working very hard at writing her letters.  Tonight her and I sat on the couch and we wrote out Grandma, Grandpa, Kerri, Billy, Alex, and Tucker.  When she was writing Billy, she messed up her B a bit and started to get upset (totally something I would do).  So I showed her that we could just scribble it out and start over.  I can't believe how well she is doing with writing.  Her "E's" are very cute because she puts a bunch of lines across instead of three.

Meanwhile, Alex and daddy worked on work sheets.  Oh yes, we have been doing a lot of worksheets lately.  Alex more so than Rhoslyn.  Over the weekend I had them each pick out a folder (Rhoslyn is puppies and Alex is sharks.. go figure).  I then went through some of our work books and put some work sheets into their folders.  One side is for work sheets to be completed, and the other side is to put work sheets that are finished. (Auntie Kelly is probably grinning ear to ear while reading this).  When the work sheets are done, I will add more.  Let me just say that Alex LOVES this.  He loves pulling out his folder and working on the sheets.  Rhoslyn hasn't explored too much into hers.

I also typed up chore charts for the kids (with pictures) and laminated them.  When each chore is done they get to check it off with a dry erase marker.  At the end they get $1 for completing the four chores.  Some of their chores are; dusting, cleaning toilets, feeding pets, dishwasher, cleaning bedroom/making bed, wiping table and chairs.  They each earned their dollar in one day yesterday.  I better stock up on singles! 

Stone Soup

Last night we headed to church for family night.  The daycare children had a small program.  Rhoslyn's group sang two songs and did Stone Soup.  It was so fun to watch the kids sing.  Rhoslyn had her mouth wide open and a loud voice for all to hear (as well as the other children).

After the small program we were invited to go downstairs and have soup, crackers, and cookies.  The daycare teachers and the children helped put the soup together.  There were even stones in a few bowls!  We had such a great night.  It really made us realize that we have picked the perfect place to live and the perfect daycare for our children to go to.