tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37196240815666059512011-10-06T09:37:33.576-04:00Our adventures in family, fun and faith as well as my random thoughts in adoption, special needs parenting and life in general.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.comBlogger1201100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-59132067924897260052010-11-30T12:27:00.003-05:002010-11-30T12:45:35.577-05:00

I am writing this to clear up a few things.My son is a remarkable, bright and gifted young man. He has triumphed over more things in his short life than the majority of the people I know ever will. We made the decision to send him to his new school this year because it was the best place for him. My son has learning differences that made teaching him in a typical learning environment a

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-2710710006879619562010-11-23T09:23:00.004-05:002010-11-23T09:39:47.575-05:00

For years we have thought Jason was part-squirrel. He scurries around, picks things up to store away and has about the same attention span. He shoots up trees and is hyperaware of all around him. Also, he LOVES to point them out to us. Seriously, mid-sentence exclamations of "SQUIRREL!!" are very common here.Well last night, while looking for something in Jason's room, we came across this:Did

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-5810234605756213762010-11-21T09:14:00.006-05:002010-11-22T08:46:16.272-05:00

The world would like to think that when you adopt a child you press a reset button on their life and all that happened before will be forgotten.This is so not the case.If you think about your own life and how it's shaped who your are, you know that it's all a culmination of what your life was like before. Yet society expects children to forget about their lives before their adoption. "But he's

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-1397081072069509542010-11-19T15:44:00.007-05:002010-11-19T16:23:50.147-05:00

Today is my Dad's birthday.I don't think I can say how old he is since we weren't even allowed to celebrate last year when he hit a certain milestone.Still, it's his birthday and to celebrate we're giving him and my mom our 3 rambunctious kids for an overnight.I know, not quite the celebration you would imagine, but my Dad has always been the type of guy who would do unto others before he would

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-6889165650973370512010-11-18T10:33:00.003-05:002010-11-18T10:59:48.869-05:00

I've been away for over 9 months now. A lot has been happening in our family. I thought it might be a good idea to bring everything up-to-date before I plow forward.Micah is still doing well. He played soccer in the spring and spent most of the summer swimming. He's really making great progress in OT and we're seeing his start to eat more and more. In fact, a few weeks ago Micah finally

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-91156703409826481412010-11-18T10:14:00.003-05:002010-11-18T10:21:51.024-05:00

..since I last posted. I could blame it on being busy or not having time to write. But the truth is that I had so much to say that I couldn't get my thoughts together. It's still a bit like that, but I realize that writing is something I love and even as busy as my life is, I have lots to say. I want talk about raising special needs kids. I want to talk about raising a gifted one. I have

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-335584134163782522010-03-22T09:25:00.004-04:002010-03-22T09:52:15.423-04:00

I've been staring at this blinking cursor for a few minutes now trying to get the jumbled thoughts in my head straightened out. I just can't seem to though. I think that is part of my problem right now. My brain won't shut off and I can't seem to organize my thoughts unless I have a specific task to do. Get Jason off to school. Check.Feed Hannah and Micah. Check.Wander the house aimlessly

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-26191343577014761442010-03-17T08:13:00.004-04:002010-03-17T08:28:50.629-04:00

Last week my world ground to a sudden and tragic halt.This week it's starting to move again.Regardless of my grief and everything we are dealing with now, the school year keeps moving forward. I had to reschedule a bunch of school appointments and they started again yesterday.Jason did his pre-admission testing for the new school yesterday. It was mainly to see where he was with his language

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-11282567656676669472010-03-16T08:03:00.002-04:002010-03-16T08:06:39.816-04:00

It's been a week now. Yesterday actually.Everyone's gone home, back to their lives, back to their families. The world keeps spinning, but for us it still seems to stand still.My kids are back in school, but where before I would run errands and do all those mom things I do. Now I get ready and head to my parents to help with, well, everything. We are 7 where we once were 8. There is a hole

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-40370535035300214412010-03-14T05:10:00.004-04:002010-03-14T05:36:27.639-04:00

33 years ago, my very pregnant mother asked me if I wanted a baby brother or sister. I remember clearly telling her I wanted a little brother. Later, I joke it was because I didn't want to share my toys, but the truth was that I really wanted a brother to play with. And that's what I got. A little brother who would become my friend and ally growing up.Michael was a wicked smart and funny man.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-87609346659203211892010-03-12T18:27:00.005-05:002010-03-12T18:44:11.161-05:00

Right now it is just too difficult to write about what happened. I loved my brother and miss him with my whole heart. Michael Carter, 33, of Toledo, and formerly of Worthington, passed away Monday, March 8, 2010. Mike was born January 25, 1977 in Columbus to Ben and Elaine (Newman) Carter. He was a 1995 graduate of Thomas Worthington High School and a graduate of Bowling Green University. For

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-23625695127999776312010-03-02T20:17:00.003-05:002010-03-02T20:51:48.423-05:00

Sometimes, when your kid has a bad day you can go back and analyze it and figure out all the places things went wrong that cause the problem.Well, yesterday we experienced a perfect storm, Jason-style.Because Micah is sick and Hannah is recovering, I made arrangements for Jason to walk home with the daughters of our friends. Jason has walked with them in the past on occasion and while it isn't

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-629360385754856792010-02-28T20:17:00.001-05:002010-02-28T20:18:23.508-05:00

Hannah's due diligence at wiggling has paid off. This afternoon the last of her loose teeth fell out, leaving her with an adorable gap toothed smile. I just can't beleive that my baby girl is growing up so fast.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-45390774508628762812010-02-28T20:15:00.001-05:002010-02-28T20:18:02.534-05:00

I though you would all enjoy a look at what my life looks like at bed time. All of these (except for the vitamins) are repeated at various points throughout the day and night. Modern medicine is a great thing, but a bit scary at times as well.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-39754333582906128312010-02-26T17:43:00.004-05:002010-02-26T19:34:08.866-05:00

Hannah's surgery went very well. Despite her fears, she was a real trooper through it all. In fact, when she woke up she didn't cry and simply went back to wiggling her tooth. So fervently that it ended up falling right out. Her look of delayed surprise was priceless. And I do mean delayed because the reason she felt so good was all the stuff they pumped in her. It took her a couple seconds

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-77338742027649054432010-02-25T09:40:00.004-05:002010-02-25T10:11:30.594-05:00

Our lives are just plain busy. Next week is March, bringing with it Andy's birthday which means Micah's is close behind. I still need to rotate the 2 bedrooms which including painting them both. Our Dave Ramsey class is continuing to go well, but it's a LOT of work right now. Laundry is piling up and really need to find the surface of my desk again. Needless to say, I've been struggling to

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-84209868869826353392010-02-19T12:48:00.007-05:002010-02-19T15:20:44.635-05:00

Autism Spectrum Disorder encompasses a wide range of disorders and diagnoses, each with varying severity, including Autistic disorder ("classic" autism), Aspergers Syndrome, and Pervasive Development Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified, or PDD-NOS. This means that you can have kids who are both extremely severe or really mild with the same diagnosis. Jason's actual diagnosis is Pervasive

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-66499114158514058492010-02-17T15:37:00.004-05:002010-02-17T16:06:19.288-05:00

Every time I think I have a handle on my feelings about what happened to Jason before he came home to me, something comes out of the blue and bites me.Over the years, I've come to terms with Jason's birth mom and her choices. They were not choices I would make, but I also understand better now how someone in her circumstance with her background could have ended up in the situation she did. I do

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-88580721344014965852010-02-13T10:06:00.001-05:002010-02-13T13:55:44.221-05:00

Given the weather outside, we figured it was the perfect day to clean out the fridge. Although I think the kids are a little disturbed by seeing an empty fridge and a full porch.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-44994341243468447512010-02-13T08:02:00.003-05:002010-02-13T08:30:40.576-05:00

I think the video says it all, don't you?

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-36126061136476482302010-02-10T17:24:00.000-05:002010-02-10T17:24:39.032-05:00

So, Andy and I started the Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University a couple weeks ago.  To be honest, I wish we had done this years ago, but as it is, we're figuring it out now.  Anyway, part of this is so we can be better with our money, save more, spend less and pay off all our debt.  And maybe even prevent our kids from making the same mistakes we did. How are we doing this? For starters,

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-4400433101960922932010-02-08T16:50:00.001-05:002010-02-08T17:21:12.007-05:00

This is Hannah today at the pediatricians. I took her back because after 7 days on the antibiotics, her strep wasn't getting much better. The fever is gone, but her throat is stil a bit sore and the blisters remain. They did another swab and it came back positive, again.After much looking and discussing, we determined that Hannah's tonsils have some spots that are holding on to the strep,

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-81925569460730612012010-02-07T20:06:00.001-05:002010-02-07T20:07:13.654-05:00

Jason wanted to read the bedtime story tonight. It's a family favorite, Where the Wild Things Are.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-90578389872448578542010-02-07T09:35:00.000-05:002010-02-07T09:35:09.237-05:00

Hannah, my beautiful, intelligent, witty, blessedly normal child, is driving me crazy. Years ago, my mother bellowed out a curse that I think we all have heard once-upon-a-time.  "I hope you have a daughter JUST LIKE YOU!"  I scoffed at the idea for years, thinking I would actually be blessed by a kiddo like me who despite my teenage attitude was actually a pretty good kid.  But I was stuck on

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-5148809710249593182010-02-06T18:22:00.000-05:002010-02-06T18:22:30.106-05:00

We got hammered. Yep, my guess is we have 12-14 inches on the ground. And it's beautiful, moist packing snow good for snow men, snow forts and snow ball fights. The kids were out last night in the heart of the storm and then again this afternoon for over 2 hours each time. It's great exercise especially since driveways needed to be cleared 2-3 times.Here's a few shots of all the fun we had

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-44490347427985354212010-02-05T10:23:00.000-05:002010-02-05T10:23:28.788-05:00

First, we have everything we need to get him the Autism Scholarship. Second, Jason's interview with the school went very well and the admissions director told me today that Jason appears to be the type of student they can help.  The next step is testing and a full day at the school, shadowing a fellow student.  He'll get to do this on the 16th. Keep the prayers coming!

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-72738164184556810712010-02-05T08:01:00.000-05:002010-02-05T08:01:09.823-05:00

Last night I had a meeting at the school to write a new IEP and discuss the results of the latest testing.  We also spent a great deal of time brain storming how to deal with the bullying situations.  The staff at the school really likes him and find him a joy to work with.  Overall, I am happy with the results, but still have some questions. Because at the time we started testing, Autism was

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-6957998849424776582010-02-04T09:43:00.000-05:002010-02-04T09:43:15.299-05:00

Well, after consulting with our ENT yesterday, it was decided that Hannah's tonsils need to come out.  They are massive, impeding her ability to eat and breathe and she keeps getting strep. On the plus side, she's little enough that the recovery will be easier, but it will still be hard. The surgery won't be until the end of the month, after her strep is cleared up.  I think she is pretty

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-60948964255900881332010-02-03T19:27:00.000-05:002010-02-03T19:27:15.086-05:00

"I don't want Green Eggs and Ham.  I want brownies and pancakes." Micah's declaration after bedtime story tonight.  Gotta love it.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-47378445406732394912010-02-03T12:15:00.000-05:002010-02-03T12:15:53.190-05:00

We have so much going on right now, my head is spinning. First, we have been invaded by illness.  Micah and Hannah have strep throat and Andy has tonsillitis, bronchitis and pink-eye.  Jason and I are so far healthy, but I think our days are numbered.  I think I might take my friend Nancy's advice and build us a bubble. Jason's observation by the new school admissions department went well and

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-19384730545244513192010-01-26T17:31:00.000-05:002010-01-26T17:31:36.575-05:00

...and sometimes it doesn't. I blogged last week that Jason was doing remarkably well.  And he was.  Until today.  I have no idea why, but starting this morning, he's lost the ability to focus, complete a task and hold a conversation.  Nothing obvious has changed.  His meds are the same as is his schedule.  He's sleeping, school is going well and we've entered into that mid-winter lull where we

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-57273975295759834782010-01-22T12:25:00.000-05:002010-01-22T12:25:23.705-05:00

Micah had his 3rd set of tubes pput in his ears this morning. He got his first at 8 months, his second at 22 months and now his third at 46 months. We are hoping these are his last. So, being an old pro at this, it didn't occur to me that Micah wouldn't remember a thing about the surgery center or the process involved. They offer a chance to bring you kids in a few days before the operation so

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-16619623042000117732010-01-20T12:56:00.000-05:002010-01-20T12:56:40.270-05:00

Almost 2 weeks ago I ran away for the weekend to Chicago. First, lets just say I had a GREAT time.  My friend, Ruth, was an incredible host and showed off the wonders of her city like a true Chicagoan should  Even with the frigid cold and snow, we still had a roaring good time.  It was great to see amy friends again, talk about our families and laugh at stuff no one else would ever think to

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-56097074655161757622010-01-07T13:40:00.000-05:002010-01-07T13:40:29.024-05:00

Or trying to at least. My amazing, loving, out-of-this-world husband knows that every now and then, Mommy needs a break.  So, once a year (and sometimes twice if I'm really lucky) I get to go away and spend time with some of my friends.  This time 3 of us are visiting our friend Ruth in Chicago.  All of us parent difficult kids and it's great to get together with other moms who really get "it."

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-20878271727559762162010-01-06T12:02:00.000-05:002010-01-06T12:02:36.163-05:00

A few weeks before Christmas, a dear friend shared with me that a local private school for LD kids is now accepting Ohio's Autism Scholarship.  I have been eyeing this school for a while, but it has always been cost prohibitive.  It has an amazing reputation amongst educators and special ed parents in our area.  The scholarship with make him going there a real possibility, so I finally called at

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-53407029205431604072010-01-05T23:15:00.000-05:002010-01-05T23:15:00.657-05:00

Tonight, Micah ate a bite of everything we put on his plate.  He had a steamed carrot, 2 steamed snow peas, a piece of steamed broccoli and about two tablespoons of homemade macaroni and cheese. Why is that significant, you ask? Because Micah only eats certain foods.  In fact, 3 months ago, he had reduced back down to about 6.  None of which were healthy and none of which were a protein source.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-10134161576971199652010-01-05T10:34:00.000-05:002010-01-05T10:34:14.242-05:00

No, I haven't gone anywhere.  I just disappeared into the lovely holiday madness we have around here.  Since I last posted, Micah has had 3 more ear infections, Hannah's taught herself to read and Jason started a rapid spiral down that finally hit bottom a few days after Christmas.  Those are both fairly normal things for this time of year around here, but it still doesn't leave me much time to

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-22804556206587809622009-11-28T00:24:00.000-05:002009-11-28T00:24:22.609-05:00

I have a cold. A bad one. The same one that Micah had last weekend which I described to people as a "faucet of snot" The one that lead to yet ANOTHER round of antibiotics for him and his ears. Thankfully, our ears are something we don't have a like so hopefully this will remain just a cold. Still, I'm miserable and it's a long holiday weekend. Yuck. Anyway, Thanksgiving was fun.  We spent

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-55041514811079105442009-11-24T10:07:00.000-05:002009-11-24T10:07:46.877-05:00

Today is grocery day and Hannah was my loyal helper.  To start, let's say that I am very picky about what foods I buy and what they are made with.   I have strong opinions on processed foods in general and work hard to make sure that what goes in my children's bellies is good for them. That said, here comes the story. I'm standing in the snack aisle, reading the ingredients on a box of organic

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-79637845701161635182009-11-21T21:17:00.000-05:002009-11-21T21:17:11.696-05:00

Guess who is using the potty? Yep. It's my little man, Micah. Can you tell he's SO proud of himself? Can you see that he is such a BIG BOY? Needless to say, I'm pumped. No diapers were used today and we had only one accident. And that is because he afraid of the water splashing him. I think we hae a solution, but right now I all I can say is WOOOHOOO! He's using the POTTY!

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-35196663078566868102009-11-20T16:30:00.001-05:002009-11-20T17:56:06.653-05:00

Hannah decided to give me a real scare this afternoon.  She couldn't get her 5yo shots at her physical because of being sick.  Since then we have rescheduled it 2 times and I was making it today gosh-darn-it! To Hannah, this was a very important day.  She calls these her "kindergarten shots" because she knows she has to have them before she can go.  I think she gets now that she isn't going

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-12677129695862657432009-11-20T16:09:00.000-05:002009-11-20T16:09:05.055-05:00

It's been a long week.  A very long week.  Lots happening and lots to do.  Gotta love the holidays. __________ We finally heard from the neurologist and Micah has an appointment...in April.  Yep.  You read that right.  April.  The day before he turns 4 in fact.  Meanwhile, he's still doing whatever it is that he is doing although, seemingly, not as often.  (or I could be having a kind of week

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-22265859188917814442009-11-18T17:13:00.000-05:002009-11-18T17:13:32.542-05:00

My son.  I love him.  I would die for him.  But right now, he is infuriating me to the point of madness. All week, he has "forgotten" his homework, despite it being written down in his planner and sitting a top the planner on his desk. Since conferences, he has been surly and out to prove he is not the boy the school claims he is. On Friday, he carved a 12 inch long gash in his wall. He's

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-84396606174133054482009-11-17T16:06:00.000-05:002009-11-17T16:06:06.455-05:00

Today was our much anticipated appointment with our pediatrician.  The official word on the EEG is that it came back normal.  However, they had noted something that I can't pronounce (and therefore spell)  that occurred between his changes in sleep patterns, which our doctor couldn't explain either.  She also noted that there was no other medical reason for these spells. I did ask if it could

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-91949875345940666412009-11-16T08:19:00.000-05:002009-11-16T08:19:32.724-05:00

This past weekend, Andy and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary a bit early.  The Fabulous Food Show was coming to Cleveland this weekend and we have been trying to go for the past 3 years.  This year everything worked out so we could go.  No one was sick or tanking things and my mom was more than willing to babysit for the weekend.  So, Andy made reservations at Lola, Chef Michael Symon's

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-49490958137807661802009-11-12T08:45:00.000-05:002009-11-12T08:45:52.098-05:00

Hannah has informed me that she doesn't like her nicknames. She has several., but the one most used is Boog. It started when she was an infant and Andy called her Sugar Booger. That became Sug Boog and then just Boog. We called her that so much that her friend Toby was calling her that when they were 2 and it's pretty much all Jason calls her. Most of the time we don't even realize we are

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-12246899407654654172009-11-11T15:55:00.000-05:002009-11-11T15:55:26.627-05:00

We just got back from Micah's EEG. He really did great considering he hates having people touch his head. He didn't nap long yesterday and then was up a bit late last night. Then we woke him up early (6am) and sent him to school with instructions to the teachers to "wear him out." What we got back was a very tired boy who, desite the strange circumstances, fell asleep during the test. It

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-50397728614665881732009-11-10T19:41:00.000-05:002009-11-10T19:41:01.584-05:00

It's been a rough day.  School conferences for Micah revealed he is "spacing out" during school.  It's happening often enough that the 2 teachers and OT felt it was an issue and even spoke to the school nurse about it.  It could be related to his Sensory Processing Disorder, but it doesn't seem to fit.  Also, when 2 special education preschool teachers and an occupational therapist bring up an

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-20739082994532804812009-11-09T20:50:00.000-05:002009-11-09T20:50:19.337-05:00

We learned last years during Jason's neuropsych evaluation that he has an underdeveloped left hemisphere in his brain.  Logic, mathematics and language are amongst the many functions of the left brain.  The doctor said this is why he struggles so hard with math concepts and other things.   To be blunt, Jason has a very poor understanding of time, money and is still working on learning his basic

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-1164542846320022192009-11-09T07:57:00.000-05:002009-11-09T07:57:33.457-05:00

A while back I posted about a family in need.  This weekend I got word that their needs have been met and a family has been found. God is AWESOME! The decision they were forced to make was possibly one of the hardest someone could ever make.  It was not something they did lightly or without cause.  What's awesome is that now their little boy can eventually leave the RTC to be with a family where

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-48281296500794141992009-11-08T20:10:00.000-05:002009-11-08T20:10:07.021-05:00

Tonight we ended the weekend with a bang. We got the fire pit going, invited over the neighbors and hung out talking, making s'mores and listen to our kids play. We also made a new discovery because we didn't have enough Hershey bars.  Our neighbors cut some Fun Size Snickers in half and we used those instead. OH MY GOODNESS!!!  Those were the best s'mores EVER! I can't think of a better way

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-66953604058555226142009-11-08T13:21:00.000-05:002009-11-08T13:21:04.513-05:00

Throughout the past few days, I have learned quite a bit about bullying I want to share.     Bullying is about power.  There is always some sort of power difference between the children involve.  It may be physical, verbal, mental, racial or what not.  It's all about perception.  One or more children will use that supposed power to intimidate or exclude other children.   The bully and the

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-17209367888097542462009-11-07T10:33:00.000-05:002009-11-07T10:33:59.956-05:00

I spent much of yesterday morning pacing our upstairs and waiting for the phone to ring.  I made my initial call to the school as soon as I return home from my school drop off rounds around 8:20.  I spent much of my morning researching the districts policy on "threatening acts" and "bullying" and ignoring the other things I needed to do like clean the kitchen and set stuff out for dinner.  I was

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-59560846137021204082009-11-05T20:51:00.000-05:002009-11-05T20:51:58.577-05:00

Apparently, today a girl in Jason's class decided to try and step on his foot, teasing him while she did.  Making Jason freak out while she laughed.  WHAT?!?! He did tell the teacher, who advised the girl to stop or there will be further consequences, but this is just another in a long line of situations Jason deals with.  It's bad enough that he has to focus on not hitting the unprotected toe

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-50675602239202934582009-11-04T21:02:00.004-05:002009-11-04T23:05:31.886-05:00

This morning started like so many.  Well, not so many really.  Jason was staying home from school again  since he'd thrown up less than 24 hours before and Andy stayed home from work because I felt like I was coming down with whatever Jason had.  Andy ran Micah to school and set the older two in front of the TV while he was gone. Here is where it gets interesting.  As I lay in my bed bemoaning

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-84334292282945422042009-11-03T16:43:00.000-05:002009-11-03T16:43:43.756-05:00

Just another collection of the randomness of our lives... _______________ During a conversation yesterday about using kind words with her friends, I asked Hannah what kind of heart she had.  She'd been a bit snarky with her friends, and wouldn't clean up the toys when we all headed in for the night. Her reply was to burst tears and say, "I have a Jesus heart!" I didn't feel the need to say

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-43808532317388160742009-11-02T13:04:00.000-05:002009-11-02T13:04:56.375-05:00

We have also always talked about Jason's adoption story.  At 5, Hannah has only a vague idea of what adoption is.  Her basic understanding is that Jason was born to another mommy before he came here.   She knows that he has a "mamawl" that he lived with for a while as well as brothers she doesn't know except in pictures.  Only recently, she began to ask more questions, seeking, I assume, to fill

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-56420396222759091372009-11-01T08:20:00.001-05:002009-11-01T08:21:06.526-05:00

[Warning: Do NOT read if you have a sensitive stomach.] We are never going to a McDonald's Playplace again.  In desperation of our busy schedule, we went there for dinner Tuesday night.  Things were fine Wednesday.  Sometime in the middle of the night Thursday, Micah needed changed.  At this point, we thought it was simply from too much candy Trick-or-Treating.  Friday, he had another blow out

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-38016363625860004952009-10-30T09:59:00.001-04:002009-10-30T09:59:59.146-04:00

One of the best things (for me anyway) about Halloween is roasting the pumpkin seeds from the Jack-o-Lanterns. This year I went simple, coating them in a small amount of oil and a few dashes of salt. My hope is to pass on my love of pumpkin seeds to my kids. That is if I don't eat them all first.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-39158534281149219952009-10-30T09:19:00.000-04:002009-10-30T09:19:20.672-04:00

Like always, my kids were super psyched about trick-or-treat this year.  Seriously, their love of dress-up coupled with candy and staying out past dark, what's not to like? We bought our pumpkins from a family farm on the way home from the Praise Peddler Festival a couple weeks ago.  Jason's was simply massive and when we carved it, I thought heavy machinery would be involved. In the end,

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-2322094292394369542009-10-27T16:03:00.000-04:002009-10-27T16:03:37.864-04:00

In the fourth grade, they study weather.  Jason has been at this since the start of the year and is finding it immensely fascinating.  They have moved on from basic weather and cloud types to extreme weather.  Stuff like lightening, storms, hurricanes and tornados.  We spent a whole evening talking about lightening strikes and what to do if you are caught out in lightening.  My advice was to come

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-46733047050132135592009-10-27T11:28:00.000-04:002009-10-27T11:28:58.373-04:00

My Monday morning bible study has been doing Priscilla Shirer's One in a Million.  Yesterday, she spoke about running up hill. Anyone who knows me, knows I am NOT a runner.  I used to though.  In high school and college when I lived at home I would run our neighborhood.  There is one street that is a long, slow uphill that lasts about half a mile.  I always saved that street for the end of the

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-84618027481371010492009-10-26T19:35:00.000-04:002009-10-26T19:35:17.890-04:00

I'm back from the meeting.  It was good, but turned out differently than we thought. The meeting went fairly well.   I started by talking about what we started this process and the events that led our principal to arrange for me to visit the classroom.  I spoke about the classroom and how it appeared to be exactly what I would want in a class for Jason.  Then his teacher and intervention

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-23128731370634434202009-10-26T12:58:00.000-04:002009-10-26T12:58:05.636-04:00

I am having a big IEP meeting at the school this afternoon, and I am freaking out. I can sit here and KNOW that what I am asking for is reasonable and appropriate, but I have this lingering fear that I have a fight on my hands. In truth, the only fight our school has ever given me was when Jason was 5 and leaving preschool for kindergarten.  They denied his IEP at the time because he had met

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-59115066927575864712009-10-26T08:43:00.001-04:002009-10-26T08:49:06.620-04:00

A while ago I linked back to a blog of a family making a very tough decision and looking for help.  Since then, I have been reading and commenting because so many aspects of Corey's story resonate with our own. She decided I needed an award for this. I totally agree with her that it seems weird to get an award for something I do in my pjs.  Plus, I don't think I'm very good a it.  English

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-35690504386843706002009-10-25T20:51:00.001-04:002009-10-25T21:34:27.696-04:00

Jason's soccer season ended yesterday.  In all it was a good year and he had a BLAST. This was the first year since he was 7 that he has ben able to play. You see, soccer is a seriously competitive sport in our area and kids (and parents) don't take to kindly to kids who just want to have fun and are a little different.  The final straw in first grade was when he kicked the ball the wrong

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-57898742478764797572009-10-23T12:14:00.000-04:002009-10-23T12:14:15.566-04:00

I decided that since my life is insane and I'll start dedicating Friday's to those random bits of stuff that don't make a full post.  And really, my life and my Fridays are usually pretty random. I think the biggest news of the week is my computer woes are soon to be solved.  I've been doing everything on Andy's laptop, which while functioning well, is not set up with my calendar, contacts and

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-41493618545641012222009-10-18T20:04:00.000-04:002009-10-18T20:04:11.114-04:00

There are many things in life that are hard.  One of those is taking your 10 year old son to visit the grave of his biological older brother.  Jason's brother, Jordan, passed away 3 years before Jason ever came into our lives. Jordan was born with Jarcho-Levin Syndrome, a very rare genetic disorder that lead to his death.  His arrival put Jason's birth family on social services map.  Because of

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-47168871197690764982009-10-17T20:58:00.004-04:002009-10-25T07:48:19.263-04:00

Last weekend, we joined Grandma and Grandpa Fenner, Aunt Paula and cousins Leonard and Allie at the Prairie Peddler Festival in Butler, Ohio.  Despite my initial fears of losing the kids in the crowds, it turned out to be a really nice day.  We took a real horse drawn hayride through the woods, the kids rode some ponies and we spend some time listening to some bluegrass music.  I was also able to

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-29603295895346864192009-10-17T20:48:00.000-04:002009-10-17T20:48:41.027-04:00

Today was the final game for Hannah's first soccer season.  Watching Hannah play is such a joy.  She has a smile on her face the whole time and whether they win or lose, she still has fun.  I think it probably helps that she is the scorer extraordinaire for the group. It's been really neat to see her pick up some skills while she plays her first season.  At this level, the kids sort of move in a

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-26317475499845477812009-10-16T21:32:00.001-04:002009-10-16T21:38:43.148-04:00

The kids had the day off today.  Our plans for friends and errands hit a snag when Jason and Hannah could not seem to finish their chores. I love that they have so much fun together, but they need to do their work first.  Micah got a pass since he woke up still running a fever.  He spent the day relaxing, napping and giving his body a chance to fight the infection.  Thankfully, the fever was gone

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-35809758672670713662009-10-14T21:09:00.000-04:002009-10-14T21:09:32.431-04:00

Today at Hannah's dance class I over heard a comment by another mom about the outfit her daughter chose to wear that day. "She looks like she belongs in special ed." The other mom she was speaking to guffawed a bit and the conversation took another turn before I could pick my jaw up off the floor and say something.  Just a few moments earlier I had been talking about how I had visited a new

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-25078565664147758992009-10-14T12:17:00.000-04:002009-10-14T12:17:05.331-04:00

You didn't think it ended with getting kids from school, did you? Micah was none to happy to be dragged back out again.  And I don't blame him.  Although we now knew what was wrong, it'd be another 24 hours before he felt well (or more as we are on hour 24 while I write this).  Plus, he was tired and needed a nap.  Something that just wasn't happening that day. So, off we went for the school

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-5472940335987068812009-10-13T14:22:00.000-04:002009-10-13T14:22:41.609-04:00

So, after making the call to keep Micah home, I called the pediatrician and started rearranging childcare and carpools. Once settled, I ran the kids to my dad who loves them in spite of goo and took off to observe one of the special education classrooms we are considering for Jason.  (I really liked it, but more on that later.) Leaving the school, I called Andy to report on what I thought,

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-87317051434738315192009-10-13T08:27:00.000-04:002009-10-13T08:27:14.423-04:00

Seriously. Over the weekend, Micah developed a minor cough.  Nothing big.  Nothing unexpected this time of year. This morning he wakes with a full blown fever, green oozing snot and a wet popping sound in his chest when I listen.  Being as I have hear that sound before, I know what this means.  Infection. Antibiotics.  A very cranky little boy. So, another few days off school for Bear and a

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-24248430782205758762009-10-12T22:40:00.000-04:002009-10-12T22:40:24.319-04:00

My computer died. Actually, the original board burned up, then the back-up board fried and now I am using something that was super fast...about a decade ago. So, I am relegated to the laptop.  This sounds like a good thing, but MY ENTIRE LIFE is on that super slow machine in our living room.  Really, with 3 kids and an average of 6 appointments a week, I need my calendar to load in less that 10

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-17527276839397925692009-10-09T12:42:00.001-04:002009-10-09T17:54:36.354-04:00

There is a family out there facing a horrible situation and is faced with a heart wrenching decision.  While I do now know them, I know their story and have lived parts of it.  In the end, the decision they are having to make was one made for us, although if very well could have been Andy and I facing the same choices years ago. Please lift them up in prayer. Family Needed

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-25458283706992034262009-10-04T18:06:00.001-04:002009-10-04T18:20:47.647-04:00

We're feeling better...finally.  I have to say that the flu is not much fun.  We've avoided it in recent years, but I guess this new strain is coming around earlier.  It's pretty possible that this is the H1N1 flu everyone has been so freaked out about, but as the Health Department is no longer testing and the doctors are simply telling you to stay home unless you meet certain criteria, we'll

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-76096746176527364782009-10-02T18:28:00.000-04:002009-10-02T18:28:44.800-04:00

I am a fairly proactive mom with my kids health.  We eat well, take vitamins and make sure to wash our hands frequently.  We even get yearly flu shots. Apparently, this year we were too late. We ALL have the flu.  Every single one of us has spent the last 2-3 days in abject fluish misery. The house is a wreck, toys are everywhere and I am frankly just too tired to care. The scary part is that the

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-49688547201192391322009-09-28T12:49:00.000-04:002009-09-28T12:49:02.351-04:00

We started out Monday morning bible study today with Priscilla Shirer's One in a Million study.  So far, I am loving it.  I'm excited to be in the word and talk about those things put the paths of us believer's as we journey for a more real faith and relationship with God.  I'm also excited about the fellowship with my friends.  Oh, and the wonderful childcare is pretty good too.  It's going to

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-76230956617007156632009-09-24T12:26:00.000-04:002009-09-24T12:26:01.885-04:00

Sometimes, it takes writing something down to really see it for what it is.  Maybe I should start typing out each art of my kids day to give my brain time to analyze their little though processes. Anyway, this morning I was emailing a list serve I belong to about Jason's current school troubles.  I am looking for advice specific to special education classrooms and was detailing our recent

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-12043347276557306852009-09-23T15:30:00.000-04:002009-09-23T15:30:40.403-04:00

Sometimes I feel like the more I do for my son, then more he sucks out of me. It's been a bad day. Or should I say a bad week. Oh heck, it's been just a bad start to the year. I really thought we were getting somewhere with moving his testing up, adjusting his interventions and now finding out that he is on the Autism Spectrum which should, in theory, open more doors for him. I had high

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-56678265913886077462009-09-22T08:29:00.005-04:002009-09-22T11:59:13.258-04:00

Yesterday, while doing laundry, a Canadian dollar bill fell out of Jason's pants. It didn't take long to figure out that this wasn't ours nor had it been given to him. At first he said he found it. Then he said someone gave it to him. Then he said he took it from a teacher's desk. A quick email disproved that one and after talking to his homeroom teacher, I ended up having to turn it over to

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-41308356866536285452009-09-21T15:25:00.005-04:002009-09-21T18:20:48.893-04:00

I haven't said much about Jason and the start of the 4th grade since last month. Not because nothing is happening, but because so much is.4th grade became too much to handle exactly 3 days in. He let me know this by taking a pair of scissors to his jeans and cutting a gash in them and his leg. Praise GOD this was the same day as a therapist appointment. Mrs. Donna was meeting Jason for the

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-91896375479890159502009-09-12T13:51:00.005-04:002009-09-12T14:11:08.725-04:00

Hannah played her first EVER soccer game this morning. To be honest, I didn't set my hopes too high. My princess is just that...a princess. I thought she would spend the practice/game picking flowers and looking at the cloud shapes. Heck, it's how she has spent countless of Jason's baseball and soccer games.However, I was WRONG! My baby girl went out there and kicked some serious soccer butt

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-32620946619148297832009-09-10T08:36:00.009-04:002009-09-10T09:23:15.997-04:00

My baby girl turns 5 today! I can't believe it's been that long. Here's a look back. I tried to choose pictures I haven't used before. These are some rarely seen shots of the Boog.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-22948942214842360892009-08-27T07:46:00.004-04:002009-08-27T08:18:48.718-04:00

I just dropped Jason off. He's a fourth grader now. At least that's what they tell me. My special little boy with the book like IEP and more time spent out of the classroom than in is in the fourth grade. I've spent the past week conferencing with teachers, the guidance counselor and his new therapist discussing my son, his struggles and how we will handle this new year. This will be a hard

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-11031408197310583772009-08-21T13:41:00.003-04:002009-08-21T14:38:28.830-04:00

I love taking pictures of my kids when they don't know I'm looking. Here's a set from today's trip to the park.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-1292550626776817622009-08-19T17:57:00.003-04:002009-08-19T23:45:14.303-04:00

...learning to abandon all gender stereotypes and embrace your feminine side.He'll probably hate me for this when he's older, but how cute is that?

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-22192968562952467612009-08-18T07:59:00.008-04:002009-08-18T09:29:23.121-04:00

Okay, sorry for the delay. We had company and they company fall-out. Now, back to your regularly scheduled Disney Day.____________________________________June 18, 2009After such a long day yesterday, I think we really needed a day off. However, looking at all the Disney planning information I had, I knew that if we didn't get back to Disney Studios this morning, we weren't going to get there.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-55330167768781718062009-08-17T10:23:00.003-04:002009-08-17T10:27:56.154-04:00

Jason is having a really hard time today. Really hard.A friend predicted he would last night. I should have heeded her wise advice.Jason's not good with words so he's showing me with his actions how he's feeling.Sadly, that resulted in a short-lived rage like one we haven't seen in nearly 2 years.I hate that my guy is hurting and I wish he knew better ways to show me.In the meantime, we'll work

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-25544151174013866052009-08-16T19:33:00.003-04:002009-08-16T19:56:56.298-04:00

A few months ago my friend, Kelly, contacted me about crashing here for a few days. She was coming to Columbus to the NACAC conference to represent the Attachment and Trauma Network. regardless of the reason for her visit, I was super thrilled to be seeing one of my on-line buddies again, but NACAC and ATN are both near and dear to my heart as well. So, plans were made and Kelly and her 7

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-43588182315030249532009-08-12T11:10:00.003-04:002009-08-12T11:48:15.880-04:00

Every mom I know has a story about leaving a store early because of a child's behavior. I am no different. I have left for various reasons, leaving half full carts if I have to, all in the name of good parenting. i have left for each child. No one is immune to Mom's desire to shop in peace.I've never really had a problem it. Once I even dragged a 6 year old Jason out of Lowe's on Saturday

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-74209602279048384122009-08-07T21:58:00.005-04:002009-08-07T22:19:19.649-04:00

We took Olivia the Turtle out for a "walk" tonight in the front yard. She explored all around the yard and was followed closely by a few admirers.Here's a video of her little stroll. The background conversation is Hannah and her friend Margo discussing the merits of wiggling loose teeth.

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-27221686092082459852009-08-06T22:31:00.003-04:002009-08-06T22:58:32.330-04:00

This summer Jason has spent 3 weeks at YMCA day camp. One week there, the next off and so on. This is both to give him much needed structure and activity and to give me a break. We went in with very high hopes. We are pulling him early tomorrow.Every week has been met with it's own set of difficulties. We made sure the staff at the camp (just 10 minutes from our house) knew of Jason's

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-25856751164967382052009-08-06T15:04:00.002-04:002009-08-06T15:07:21.734-04:00

Jason: "Okay, I'm Bobby Flay and I'm gonna challenge you to a throwdown."Hannah: "No. I wanna be a judge."Jason: "Then who do I challenge?"Hannah: "Micah. Okay, I have tried the food and the winner is B! Bobby Flay wins!"Yep, we've warped them....

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-37552341004749479722009-06-22T10:54:00.001-04:002009-06-22T10:56:22.079-04:00

Okay, I knew it had been a while since I had posted anything, but January...wow, I'm really, really bad.We just got back from our vacation and I'm going to post about it here over the next week. Starting with pre-trip planning since we know that taking 3 kids to Disney requires a lot of that. Stay tuned....

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-57922193197475252382009-06-18T08:16:00.000-04:002009-09-22T08:38:30.555-04:00

June 17, 2009We started the day wishing Jason a happy 10th birthday. Disney is doing some special things this year for birthday celebrations and we opted for the Birthday Fastpass. This gives each of us 6 immediate access Fastpasses on certain rides throughout the day. It was great, but we had such a great day timing wise, we didn't even use them all.But this wasn't all that Jason's birthday

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-65132993350505620552009-06-17T07:41:00.000-04:002009-09-22T08:38:05.997-04:00

June 16, 2009We started out today a bit later than we had originally planned. Before leaving Columbus, Andy was fighting a wicked cold that he sadly passed on to me. Being the awesome and caring hubby he is (and knowing that we had a light day planned), he let me sleep in until nearly 9am. Heavenly.But once up, it was time to get ready and go to the Animal Kingdom. This was the first park we

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3719624081566605951.post-50666410112390540522009-06-16T09:06:00.000-04:002009-09-22T08:37:42.870-04:00

June 15, 2009Okay, so after the kids waking us up at 7am on Sunday, we figured a 7am wake up call would be good to get us started on our next Disney Day...THE MAGIC KINGDOM!!! The MagicKingdom is a HUGE park and being that it's the most popular theme park in the world, youdon't really want to walk through the doors without a plan. (Thank you Jenny :) ) This is all preface to why we were doing

Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14525946734959214679noreply@blogger.com0