So I am FINALLY Posting!

Kids had fun with Halloween. I took Cody and Skye to Michaels in the morning where they did a craft and received a nice bucket with stickers and a piece of candy. Then we went to my mom's to visit.

Then took Cody to his Dojo for their Halloween party, boy was that manic. I think we will skip it next year.

Then the Larsen's came over and we had dinner then off trick or treating. Shea was confused and wanted to go into everyone's homes but he did well. Skye didn't want to sit in the stroller and little missy walked and was carried by Matt or Tom. After a bit Matt, Skye and Shea stayed home, were the candy was being passed out swiftly! Seriously we went through 8 bags of candy and could have gone through more but I wasn't going to bankrupt us on candy!

Cody was worn out so went home a little early with Tom. He held up pretty well considering he hasn't been feeling all that well since Wednesday night. I am happy to report that he is on the mend today. I continued on with Traci and the boys. Where oddly enought at the end of our night we encountered the neighborhood pediphile and his friend. Since neigher one lives in the neighborhood I am not sure why they were here.

School is going well for Cody and they again cannot keep up with him! He is reading at about a midsecond grade level or higher. Dad printed out a couple of math worksheets from grades one and two, so Cody looked at him and asked him for a 3rd grade sheet!

Shea is still going to lots of Occupational Therapy and Speech therapy in addition to going to his autism preschool 4 mornings a week. We have also started the listening program. He making more sounds but not talking yet. He seems to be saying some things at school so hopefully he will start doing so at home also. I know OT would like more progression. We had him using a fork but now he is resisting that again.

Skye is an adorable trouble maker! I just had her in for her 18 month check up. She is 22 pounds 8.5 onces (25 %), 31 3/4 inches (50 %), and her head is in the 25 percentile. As she is usually in the 10-25% for height not sure when she shot up! She is talking in sentences, now if we could only understand all the words LOL. So far her favorite color is pink and she LOVES animals.

Matt is getting some things accomplished with his lay off. Now with quite a few events over I am hoping he can get more done. We have some walls painted and I am hoping to get most of the rooms painted by Christmas. And the Basement and Garage clean. Would be nice if the kids could pay downstairs, so that is a goal. I think Matt is now going stir crazy so we will see how long he lasts at home.

I got away for 5 days without Matt or the kids. First time I have been away from the kids for more then 2 nights in 7 years. While I missed the kids it felt great to get away and met some friends I had only met online. And we managed to do Vegas very cheaply. It was warm and sunny and mom and I enjoyed the pool every day.

Wow Time Flies!

I suppose I should now update as it has been awhile. Cody finished up school for the summer on Thursday, Matthew finished up on Friday. Can anyone tell me why the kids get so squirrely and sassy right before break. Makes one want to quick schedule LOTS of activities for the kids LOL. Actually our activities are pretty minimal as we plan on biking, playing at the park and playing at pool and of course we will keep Karate in the mix also. Plus my sister and niece will be here for two weeks in July. Shea will be in summer school (for Special needs kids it is acutally ESY, Extended School Year). They didn't have him on the list then had to quick scramble when I pointed out that according to his IEP he IS elligible and I expected him to be there. At least the morning bus drivers are the same so they will be here to pick him up.

Anyways Shea has made a lot of progress with the school based Special Ed. His Occupational Therapist has noticed a difference and he seems to be becoming more and more engaged. In fact today he was playing with Skye having a good time. Monday we are adding private speech to the mix. We are doing cotherapy with speech and OT and hopefully he will respond well and start communicating better. I really like the staff at North Memorial Rehab clinic in Maple Grove. So far my experience there has been worlds better then what I experienced at the Maple Grove Children's. Somehow that just seems wrong to me but oh well I don't care as long as Shea is being helped.

Cody is scheduled for 2 sessions of swimming lessons, I am hoping he gets past level 2 this summer. However he hates to practice so I am not sure he will build up his endurance. He can swim underwater like a fish, but to actually do the the strokes is a different matter all together.

Matthew's baseball team has been doing very well. They are wrapping up the normal season and will be heading into tournaments/playoffs soon. We would have liked to make it to more games then we did but difficult with the situation, especially those 8 oclock games that don't get over until 9:30-10:00! With summer we should be able to make it to more of his games coming up. Cody also loves spending the time with Jacob.

Oh and I have begun helping Cody to ride his bike without training wheels. He is excited to do it. I am somewhat fearful as you just know they are going to fall. I think I will have to go over the how to stop and get off the bike before it tips over on you more.....

It's Spring!

Cody had his school spring concert yesterday. Oh boy were the kids so cute. He was supposed to wear a purple shirt but had to settle for one with purple writing. (A Vikings shirt LOL, actually 5 boys including Cody had Vikings shirts on) The singing was great and the teacher put on a great production!

And Matthew's Baseball season begins! Here is the schedule:

The Jamboree is May 2nd (yes the same day as Shea and Skye's b-day Party) starts at 10:00, I don't have the specific date for Matthew's team yet. He is still on the Dodgers.

Mon 5/4 6PM VS Red Sox

Weds 5/6 6PM VS Blue Jays

Thurs 5/7 6PM VS Cardinals

Tues 5/12 6PM VS Orioles

Weds 5/13 8PM vs Pirates

Fri 5/15 8PM vs Athletics

Tues 5/19 8PM vs Red Sox

Thur: 5/21 6 PM vs Athletics

Tues 5/26 6PM and 8 PM Cardinals then Orioles

Fri 5/29 8 PM vs Pirates

Tues 6/2 8 PM vs Blue Jays

Fri: 6/5 5 PM Crystal Padres at Crystal Major Field 4800 N Douglas, Crystal 55429

Mon 6/8 6:45 PM Crystal Mets at Crystal Major Field

Weds 6/10 6 PM vs Crystal Angels at Zachary #4

www.plymouthnewhopelittleleague.org


Matt has softball starting tonight and our coed team starts in a couple of weeks on Mother's day.

The kids and I have been getting out for lots of walks and enjoying the playset in the backyard. I am looking forward to going on bikerides with the kids and going to the pool. (now that it is spring I keep getting the "When does the Pool Open? Why isn't the pool open?" Questions from Cody LOL)

Autism

Someone on my thread asked me about my thoughts on Autism. Here is what I posted. (and the today show has a few interesting clips on Autism and their sensory needs)
Autism: No it wasn't us in the clip (on The Today Show). They would be showing the rest of my house with the inside climber, swing, tunnel, bucket full of beans, trampoline...... Here is my view, no Autism cannot be cured BUT with early interventions and proper help the affects can be minimized. I tell my other kids DS#2 is simply wired differently. Many I know use the slogan "Autism a different state of being" While some believe it is the shots that may have caused the autism I do not believe it caused it in our son. I think in many ways it is just the timing that many people notice the signs of Autism is the same time those shots are given. There is also a theory that the shot schedule it too agressive for some children subsceptible to autism and there needs to be an alternative shot schedule.

While not many doctors think the Gluten Free Casein Free diet works I know of many parents and teachers that have seen differences with some kids on it. I have done the Casein piece of it and we found that DS#2 does not do well with cows milk but we have no issues with other forms of dairy. Soon I plan on trying the Gluten free but that is a lot of work. It's one of those things that doesn't hurt to try but could help so as a parent I had to try it.

With the early interventions it helps to meet their needs and organize themselves so they can deal with everything else. My best analogy is think about if you have a bad itch, one you cannot reach and is driving you nuts. Now in that state how well do you operate if you cannot scratch it, can you concentrate on other things? Maybe but I would bet not to the extent you usually could. These kids have such intense needs that need to be met BEFORE they can focus on anything else. My son needs to jump, crash, bounce, chew on things. These are not wants he truly NEEDS to do these things and cannot focus on anything else until his sensory needs have been met.

Early interventions also help to rewire the brain. I have not done Applied Behavioral Analsys (ABA) and I think by nature it is a part of our world but I have no interest in doing that therapy by itself. I am more interested in engaging him and having him have a vested interest instead of just training him on what to do in certain situations. In my opinion it doesn't give him the tools to deal with other situations. ABA is much like Pavlov's dog in my opinion. If Y happens you need to do X. The problem is it doesn't deal with when W happens.

For example in ABA some are big on forcing the kids to look at people. Now with Autistic kids there is often too much information on someone else's eyes/face, they can't handle it. So other therapies deal with having them learn adaptive strategies, for example they will teach the kids to look at the person's forehead or ear. This way the person they are talking to gets the feeling they are paying attention to them yet the Autistic person isn't overwhelmed by all the information they can see on a person's face.

In the year I have been treating DS#1s autism he is much more engaged, he goes to people, he makes eye contact with people he is comfortable with, he is taking turns much better and he doesn't spin nearly as much as he did. He is still nonverbal and has many sensory needs but we have hope that he will be mainstreamed in school and in his future most won't even be able to tell he has autism. So in many ways the early interventions are helping to redirect the brain connections in a more normal pattern. While he will always be autistic it gives him the chance for a more normal life.

There are also positives with Autism. The intense focus he/they can achieve can be a positive. Many of the researchers we have very well may be autistic, they can focus and notice the slightest change in something. I have given up worrying about jumping on beds, couches anything and my kids have a wonderful inside play area. You learn to value the kids and not the things, since I never know when my things will be broken and they often are. When my son gave me his first kiss I cried and really cherished it. When he starts talking I will be throwing a party.

And a follow up post when someone asked me about Jenny McCarthy

I have had to have a crash course in Autism and do feel strongly on some aspects of it. As you gals can probably tell I do try to focus on the positive side of things in most situations. I never thought I would have a special needs child, there are none on either DF or my side of the family. BUT he is and it is a matter of dealing with what we have and doing the best I can. I often feel I am failing him since I cannot be doing something with him all his waking moments. There are times (most afternoons) I put on Thomas give him his bucket of toys to throw down the cat door and come here in the den and look at things. Other times I rock him and read while he watches Thomas. It is a juggling act to make sure all the kids needs are met and the others are not neglected just because one is so high maintenance. So in many ways I include them in his therapies and get them involved. DS#1 LOVES OT time and in many ways it also helps DS#2 learn about taking turns, he doesn't like it but he is learning. The other thing is to keep in mind what is NORMAL 2-3 year old behavior. At that age NONE of them like to share. The challenge is the stubbornness, the length of time to learn to share, and the intensity of the temper tantrums. But hey we deal.

I desperately want to know the cause and if all our children are now more susceptible to having children with Autism. I think it may be both environmental and genetics. I mean honestly nothing changed with the kids environment so why is one autistic but not the others. I worked for both DS#1 and 2s pregnancies in the same environment. Heck for DS#2's pregnancy we were in a new home. You also look at yourself and your partner and go could it be X? I am not necessarily the best in social situations, I fake a lot of things but I don't have a lot of close friends and don't make friends easily... I know I am opinionated, don't tolerate fools well etc.

I did read Jenny McCarthy's book since so many had mentioned her, I commend her on doing the best for her child as she saw it. Is she a little crazy, in her own admission yes she went full bore on many things. I disagree with her on some things but am also glad to have such a public figure to give more attention this disorder needs. It is amazingly underfunded for being the epidemic it is becoming.

My DF and I have many conversations while relaxing in the hot tub in the evenings. We don't know what will happen with DS#2, will he live with us forever, will he be independent, will he be able to function fully as an adult, will he be able to mostly function in the "real world" with some help? More questions then answers at this point all we know is that we love him and will do all we can for him.

Now the challenge is what does everything entail? Many have mortgaged their homes to the gills, used all their retirement, stopped funding their retirement, stopped funding their other kids needs of sports etc. While I will do all I can for DS#2 I am also not willing to put every cent we have into him. I am not willing to take money out of our home and possibly loose it, I am not willing to sacrifice my retirement for a therapy that "may" help him. I am not willing to sacrifice my other kid's needs for his so it is a balancing act in all ways. I am just glad that in the last 10 years we have not had any debt other then mortgages, if we had had other debt we would have been sunk or at least extremely stressed out. Does this make me a bad person IDK.

Skye's One!!!!!!

One and walking all over the place. She is so cute. Went to the doctor today:
20 lbs 9 oz 25-50%
28 inches 10-25% Hmmm will she sprout up in middle school or be a shorty like mom?
44 Cm head circum. 50% (short, perfect weight with a big head......)
3 shots and is currently a KlingOn, NOT a baby. The only time she is not a klingon is when we go for walks.....Yes we have been walking daily, given more time it would be several times a day.....
And teeth, wow she now has between 8-10 teeth including 2 molars.

We had a very uneventful first birthday for her, her party will be May 2nd. We are having a combined Skye's 1 and Shea's 3 party since she is too young to care and Shea doesn't like all the attention focused on him. Man I hope we can do this a lot in the future.

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter Weekend. Saturday went to G-Pops (my dad's) and Grandma Kelly's home. Grandma Kelly was shocked at how well Skye is walking, she also bought Skye a cute little outfit. Kids had a blast playing outside and looking for Eggs. Well Shea couldn't have cared less but he loves the outdoors. (In fact Thursday he decided to take a jog outside as I was changing Skye's diaper and Matt was attempting to bring Cody to Karate. Cody had not closed the front door well.) We had wonderful food, the weather was beautiful and we spent a lot of time outside.

Sunday Cody woke up and looked for the Easter presents for all the kids. Shea unfortunately wasn't feeling well and kept falling asleep twice on me, once on my mom. Poor kid, I am hoping he feels better tomorrow and is able to go to OT. Anyways got a lot done, haircuts for most of the family, laundry, dinner, watched a movie while Shea was conked out on me.....

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter/Passover!

Skye's Walking and Teething!

Hard to believe she will be 1 in only a week. While she took her first steps Valentine's day she has chosen now to truly walk. In fact at times to her detriment as she likes to walk with things in her hand, so of course she gave herself a black eye (nothing like making mom look bad.) I would love to get pictures of her but alas with the black eye and the drool rash from all her teething (of course this is when ALL her teeth have chosen to come in poor baby!) it will have to wait a little while. She now has 6 teeth and more coming every day.

Shea's First Day of Preschool!

Isn't he SO cute! So he is officially no longer in Special Ed Idea part C and now in part B (or is it the other way?) center based. So Monday morning I woke him at 6:45, got him dressed (which entails much more then one would think), fed him breakfast and off on the big yellow bus he went (and yes it was a big bus, not quite as big as Cody's but not the little bus either, he has that on the way home.) He fussed a little bit on the bus at first but settled down once they got moving. The bus driver and the aide are SO nice and helpful on both the buses. They certainly make things easier being such nice people. Puts a mother's mind more at ease.

So in school he has been doing very well with little transition problems from home based to school. A few minor issues like the first day transitioning from one activity to another but nothing major. His first day was the first time his teacher met him and I got a note "What a cutie" Of course she is correct. It really surprised me how well he is doing. I thought he would have more transition issues but I am very happy it is going so well.

I think Cody is enjoying some time with mom, we have been able to play on the computer together. I am really looking forward to going to the park and pool with alternating kids. In the morning I can go with Skye and Cody, in the afternoon just Shea while Skye is sleeping (to the pool once it is open or the backyard, obviously not the park) Once Cody is on summer break obviously he, Shea and I will do things while Skye sleeps.

Next week we will resume Occupational Therapy, I put it on hold this week while we started preschool. The week after Shea is going to have a Speech Eval done at the place he has OT and hopefully sometime in the near future do both Speech and OT at the same time. They don't usually do this but it may help Shea. The only downside it that OT can only be right during Skye's naptime OUCH! I can survive this, I can survive this.....

UGH! This is more of a venting post then anything fair warning. I am SO tired of not being able to do so much because of Shea's disability. Right now it seems as though I am just doing the best I can so he doesn't hurt himself. For his birthday I am hoping to get him and Skye a slide/climber thing that usually goes in the backyard but we would put it in the living room. Hopefully that would take care of his climbing needs in a safe way. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope school helps him out in this area. I would like to be able to just pack up and go to the zoo, a park, a movie whatever. Right now it is very difficult since he doesn't understand/listen so he could easly run off. Plus he will cry/whine demand my attention and it just makes it impossible to go out with him and Skye. Poor Cody is a trouper. This summer I may hire a babysitter or have someone over to help with the other kids and take Cody out. I want them to have good memories of their childhood and have it NOT be all about Shea's disability. Although in some ways it does make our lives more fun. How many other homes have an OT room in them with a swing, trampoline, mattress, exercise balls and toys to play in?

Like I said I just hope all the therapy and schooling will help him later so life isn't always like this. Honestly by the time late afternoon gets here I feel like I have been drug through the mud, then done a triathalon and I still have dinner to make, kids to give attention to, kid's activities (like Karate and soon Baseball) baths and bedtime. Then you have a Cody who HATES to go to bed. I am instituting a sticker chart again to help correct this problem. And here he was doing so well for SO long. UGH School next year should be fun since he will have to get up between 6:45 and 7:15 depending on whether I enroll him in the school district here or a charter nearby.

Update

Skye: Littly missy is getting teeth, she currently has 4 and a couple more may be coming in. I am planning on scheduling a time for her to have picutes done. While she has taken her first steps she is lacking in confidence to walk. She is standing on her own and thinking about it. Within a couple of weeks she will be off and running. I can't believe she will be a year soon!

Shea: Little busy man. Has been doing well in Occupational Therapy, not so well in Speech. He starts Special Ed Preschool (ECSE) Monday April 6th. He has a backpack and will go to school 4 mornings a week from 7:40-10:10, we will know when the little bus will pick him up the Friday before. Then in the summer for 5 or 6 weeks he will go 3 days a week. I am looking forward to being able to bring Cody and Skye to the park.

Cody: Loves school. I am looking into our options for his schooling coming up. St Michael just isn't going to be able to keep up with him. There are a few options I want to check into. He is now a purple belt in Karate and we are going to check out Dojo in Roger's MN as the instruction may be better/more strict in knowing the moves. Next summer he will be doing baseball, this summer will just be too busy with Karate and swimming, plus he let me know he had an interest after they raised the fees $25. We are also saving up for the next Karate program which is going to be expensive, or we may do something else. We will see.

Matthew: Just ended basketball and Baseball practices may start April 1st depending on the weather. With practices and baseball it looks like our weekday time with him may be cut down again. Cody will miss him.

Carmen: Looks to have a promising year in real estate. I am thinking of training for a short triathalon for summer 2010. This summer is just too close, although if I can't get my behind in gear I may sign up for the duathalon. OF course this also gives me time to find/save for a decent bike for events and a wetsuit.

Matt: Working hard and looking forward to softball starting. He has started bowling again after a long hiatis and is enjoying it. His softball has their beer bust Saturday April 11th, the day before Easter.

Oh and we were able to refinance for 4.5% with reasonable closing costs, I am SO excited to save quite a bit each month.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Lots going on in our family so I figured I would update the blog.

Matthew: recently went snowboarding with school. He was lucky enough to have Granny Lynn go with him. Unfortunately his basketball team didn't do so well in the playoffs and they are through for the year. Soon baseball begins, April 1st weather permitting (now WHY would anyone schedule something to begin April Fools Day is beyond me...) He is also getting a small lesson on responsibility as he gets to purchase a new adaptor for the game boy as he lost the other one. At least it is a cheap lesson at $10 plus tax. I was just watching the Today show and realized soon we will need to have the sex/drugs/alcohol talk, YIKES! Since some children are having sex at the age of 14 or before it is going to have to be sooner rather then later!

Cody: is still loving school and starting to read books and everything else. The child will bankrupt us buying him books! I plan on buying workbooks to supplement the summertime and hope to participate in the library summer reader program. It also looks as though a week from today he should graduate to a purple belt in Karate (white, gold, green, purple, blue, advanced blue, red, advanced red, then black belt is the order of the belts in his program.) Not sure what we will do with Karate after he is done with the program which ends at red belt. The next program is either a 3 year black belt program for $5000 OR $8000 for a 7 year program! We will see if his interest remains, maybe he will like to take a break and try other things. Although if we leave and come back the price may be even more! I was also thinking if he wanted to we could check into other martial arts programs like Thai Kwon Do.

Shea: Had his 6 month follow up appointment with the developmental pediatrician at Children's hospital in Minneapolis, MN. His doctor is VERY happy with his progress and what we have been doing with him. Called him a "charming little fellow" LOL. This time Shea was very quickly curious about him instead of taking and hour to even acknowledge him. We are also working on the state approving us for TEFRA which is a supplemental insurance program for people with disabilities. It will cover the copays we have and various therapies insurance won't like RDI. I would like to go meet with the people who run the RDI program but until we are approved there is no point. This program is $3000 for 6 months or $5000 for 12 months. Not to mention the $250 we are currently paying for copays for Shea's Occupational Therapy visits (lovely Medica charges us a copay EVERY time we go ACK) TEFRA will run us around $160 a month but as we would save at least $250 it would be worth it.
I will be observing Shea's special ed preschool this coming Tuesday with the intention of his starting March 30th. I will know for sure after I observe when he will start. He is a very stubborn little boy and has decided to stop working with PECs. Was doing well until Christmas and then just stopped. Hopefully the 4 mornings a week will help him a lot. We all figure his being around other children with similar needs he will adapt quickly and have a lot of progress in working with people and interacting better.
Tomorrow I am going to attempt to take him for pictures, so wish me luck. I am not sure how it is going to go. However he hasn't had pictures done since he turned one so it is time.

Skye: Now has 2 teeth (well almost they JUST broke through) Poor girl has been miserable, she may also have a cold so hard to tell but not a happy girl right now. She is starting to walk and took her first steps Valentine's Day. She has also been sleeping through the nights for the most part which is a relief to mom and dad!

I am currently drowning in paperwork and wishing for more hours in the day to get everything done. Maybe I will have a clean/picked up house in 10 years or more.....

Matt is working lots and has rediscovered bowling. He has been having fun going out with the boys for $1 bowling on Tuesday nights.

Matt and I also recently celebrated our 10th anniversary. We got away to Alexandria, MN and had a wonderful time. Stayed one night at Arrowwood which has a good sized water park for MN standards, small for WI Dells standards. Had fun and ate at a make your own pasta bar. The next night we stayed at a B&B Countryside which was wonderful. Very nice setup, the owner has 2 rooms he rents out in the basement of his home which are completely separate from his home. Each room had its own bathroom and separate spa that sat 2 people. The rooms then share a sitting room with a fireplace, sauna, and kitchenette. It is a walkout home so the patio doors overlook Lake Mina and we were treated to seeing a herd of 15 deer in the morning. The breakfast was fabulous and I highly recommend his place to anyone looking to get away. We also opened up one of our bottles of wine from Australia we have been saving for a special occasion. Well worth the wait, it was seriously the BEST bottle of wine I have EVER had. 2000 Punt Road Cabernet Sauvengian (spelling?).

Progress! We Hope

So a couple of interesting/exciting things with Shea. Now Matt and I both agree Shea is going to talk before he participates in the Picture Exchange System (Pecs). I also think he will start talking in sentences or phrases. Anyways I took him to Occupational Therapy today and when his Therapist came out she asked how he was. Both of us heard him reply "I good."

Therapy went well, I went in with him while he dressed and then left and went to the viewing room. Talked to one parent there who child is going back to OT since their insurance only allows 20 visits a year, Man I HOPE Matt's is NOT like that! I do however need to check into how many visits a year they will allow.

Anyways I digress, came home and as Uncle Nate was leaving he said goodbye to Shea and say responded "Bye." I can't express how much that meant to Uncle Nate. Now lets' keep building on that and see if we can't get him to start talking!

On another note this household is vastly disappointed in the NFL NOT reviewing the last play of the Superbowl. We all wanted Arizona to win (well Matthew was voting for Pittsburgh but was outnumbered) While they probably would not have won they deserved the NFL to make the correct calls and the chance. Oh well at least it is only a game and maybe the Vikes can do better next year!

Winter Blues and Stress Bite!

Ug I NEED some nice weather. Unfortunately the sledding hill is icey so we can't even push the kids outside to play lots. I SO want to be able to go outside and play with the kids, go for walks/runs/bike rides. Take the kids to the park. Actually I am really looking forward to biking with Cody on his new bike and the 2 youngest in the trailor. I am hoping to be able to bike to some nearby parks and maybe the Dairy Queen. The other winter events are SO expensive. Tubing is $12 a person for 2 hours ($48 for the 4 of us for 2 hours is a little steep!), skiing is crazy especially with the additional cost of renting equiptment. $26 for adults for an evening and $21 for kids with the equiptment being $19 times two. Yeah sorry don't have $115-$145 to spend on one evening not to mention who watches the little ones.

So it looks like we may have a copay EVERY time Shea goes to Therapy, that is an additional $225-$250 a MONTH YIKES! Man I am irritated Matt's work changed insurance plans, his other one would have covered the whole dang thing after the initial copay as an ungoing condition. Gotta love cost saving measures NOT. Plus I think the supplemental insurance we can get with him having a disability will be too expensive. Although if we get it and they will cover this and RDI it may make sense to have it for a short period of time. Hoping for a family grant to come through in a timely manner to help with these costs. I am also looking into RDI, but of course insurance doesn't cover it since they are training the parents to do the therapy and we don't take him to someone for it. So if we do that the cost is $3000 for 6 months of $5000 for a year. We won't go into the fact that we will probably need a fence and that will be an additional expense. Let's hope I get some deals this year or make some money in Real Estate.

Calgon Take me Away!

On a good note Matt and I have decided (okay I decided and Matt is going along) starting this spring to teach the boys how to save. Matthew wants to spend his money as soon as he gets it and Cody worships his big brother thus copies him. So we will have the kids put a minimun 30% of all earnings/gift money into long term savings. At some point we should have them add in giving to charity but not right away. (They can pick the charity). A great book I read on finances and kids is "The Financially Intellegent Parent" by a couple (I believe and not brother/sister) with the last name of Gallo.

I already talk with Cody when we are shopping about why we don't buy everything we want. I don't use the phrase "we can't afford it." Instead I tell him that we choose not to purchase it since we only have a certain amount of money and we need it to do many things. So we are choosing not to buy X so we can save for Y. I also talk with him about the toys we see and the quality/cost. Some toys are cheaply made and don't last, this can be okay if the toy's cost is minimal but if it costs a lot obviously we want to get our money's worth out of it. So I guess I am trying to get him to set his expectations accordingly.

Speaking of costs do you know how irritating it is when his school doesn't send home 1 flyer for books, they send FOUR plus one for computer games. Seriously we do buy books every month but could they limit the number of flyers to reasonable number? The boy LOVES books and I want to encourage this but we cannot go broke buying $50 worth of books each month!

Matthew's Birthday

I will try to add pictures later but we had a nice day yesterday. All the family that lives in MN showed up, including Uncle Nate and Cheyenne. Matthew received many gift certificates and cash along with a few games for the PS2. He seemed to have fun and enjoyed playing his new PS2 games.

Unfortunately his basketball team lost. Anyone else have a child who seems to perpectually get on sports teams that are subpar. I mean Matthew is VERY athletic but even when he went to the majors in baseball his team was lacking we will say. Very frustrating as a parent as you want him to do well but he can only do as well as his team. Plus then I think when a team isn't doing well it has the potential to rub off so to speak. Oh well at least we are just in the junior sports and hopefully it will get better as the years go on and the ones who aren't as talented decide to pursue other interests.

He is very excited to spend his money/giftcards, how does one nicely put the damper on such enthusiasum. He DESPERATELY wants Guitar Hero World Tour Band Kit.

So about time to update this blog!

Had a busy but hectic holiday season. We LOVED seeing my sister, niece and brother in law while they were here. Kids were properly spoiled and loved their gifts.

Now it is back to life as usual. Shea was ill last week boy that was not fun. Nothing like a nonverbal child who is ill. At least the Tylenol and Advil really helped with most of his discomfort and fever. When it was coming on and he was sitting in my lap moaning pitifully I wondered if he were going to throw up on me....Yup you guessed that was the very next thing that happened EWWWWW!

So I made the difficult decision to pull Shea from Private Speech therapy at Children's. It made it more difficult to get someone to watch Cody and Skye (not to mention putting my wonderful people who help out a lot more,) Shea was fighting the in home speech through the school district a lot more, I question the therapist's skills, and Shea never connected with her. My decision has been reinforced by the fact that the therapist has yet to call me to question WHY I pulled him from her therapy. (I called during business hours last Friday and left a message.)

I think most of us are entrenched in the winter blahs. The sledding hill is all ice, it has been to cold to send the kids out or take them places, Cody hasn't even wanted to go to Karate (we have had him go anyways). Man I need the nice weather back (before of course it gets to hot LOL). I want to go to the park, play in the yard, go for walks, swim in the pool, go for bike rides......

Now onto Matthew's birthday party on Saturday and having a few people over for Superbowl on Sunday!