TV STARS!!!!

Ever since these boys were babies, they've been exposed to TV. Both boys were less than a day old when they were filmed the first time to be shown on the News. (Yes, it's shameless bragging, but a job perk to show off your beautiful offspring on tv for all to see! We even had some people so inspired by the beauty of our babies, that they actually sent GIFTS to the TV Station for the baby! The downside, when Logan was born at 10:01pm (1 minute into the nightly news...) they wanted to come film me and the baby RIGHT THEN to use THAT NIGHT! Breaking news...you know! Well, I basically said there was no way in HELL that was gonna happen!!!! And believe me, you don't mess with a new mom who's been in labor on pitocin (the devil's drug!) for 12+ hours. You just don't. (if your smart, anyway....)


Anyway, I digress.....


So, there have been times while we were in Topeka that they have called on my kids to do certain things for the news. (offspring of the business tend to understand a bit better.....) So, anyway, they were doing a feature called "Kid Cast" to help with the weather forecast. They wanted kids from 7-13 to come tape the Weather Almanac.


These are the highlights.....


The computer monitor with the video marker before the teleprompter starts rolling...


Stand By..... Logan in front of the green screen. (in case you didn't know, almost all
weather is shot in front of a green screen, so they can use a
"Chromo-key" to super impose the weather graphics.)

Big Daddy giving the close-up approval. (see you can see the graphics now!)


Now, Jensen's turn....I LOVE this photo! I think it's so cool showing the teleprompter that he had to read and him in front of the green screen! Very cool! And a shot of Jensen's Full-Screen with the graphics. I love how Big Daddy is watching in the background. He looks "unconcerned." Meaning, he wasn't worried about the boys performance, at all. (even though reading on the teleprompter was a real challenge for Jensen, since reading is harder for him. And to do it out loud AND on camera.....HE DID GREAT.
They both did!

And here are the links where you can see what actually aired on the News.

Jensen

Logan

I'm so proud!

TEN Years Old?!?

How in the world can this kid be 10 year old?!?
And in true form of a ten year old...he wanted McDonalds for his birthday lunch.
It wasn't fancy, but it was exactly what he wanted. Well, minus a Limo.
We decorated the living room with streamers and balloons and we tied yellow balloons to his chair. We even covered the door of his room with streamers, so you had to break thru them to get out of his room! Hilarious!!! And as previously discussed in this post, he had wanted a limo. But, when that didn't work out he had chosen to go to Chuck-E-Cheese for his party. So, we went there for dinner that night. It was our family, Mimi and Papa and our best friends here,
Kelly and her kids C, C and O. It was super fun!

We pigged out on pizza, salads and pop before we went to play the games!

And believe me, we had plenty of tokens!!
(this was only part of them....) J's favorite game is Skee Ball. And his sister tried to keep up with him.
Hilarious, I'll tell you! She doesn't get the "roll" the ball, rather than "throw" the ball! And then, it was WISH MAKIN' time!!
Too bad for him we used trick sparkler candles!! Heh! Heh! Heh!

(Logan made the cake...he's insisted on making all his sibs cakes this year!)


Then, it was on to the gifts!
Of course a new WebKinz was in order....AND a pile of Nintendo DS games.
He was a HAPPY CAMPER!!!

Then, it's time to cash in tickets.....He looks pleased with his loot, wouldn't you say?!

Happy Birthday Jensen! We LOVE you!!!!

*Paper Mache'*

Curses to the 4th Grade teacher who made us do the Paper Mache' project!!!!!!!! Yes, Jensen had an assignment to make a paper mache' animal based on one of the animals from the book, Bunnicula. So, his choices were a cat, a dog or a bunny. Jensen chose the cat, of course. (his favorite) And yes, it was his assignment, you know who was in charge of this project. Ya, me! (Big Daddy was in until the going got rough.)

So, with no paper mache' experience...I had no real clue what to do. but, I hate Elmer's glue, so I was hoping we could avoid that. Thank Goodness for Google! I quickly learned that flour and water could be used to make a "glue." And that sounded good to me. So, we began to cut strips of paper and mixing up the glue. And then the FUN began!


And by FUN...I mean we needed to Paper Mache' each other!!

Serious mess!

The drying cat base.... made from 2 balloons, some toilet paper tubes, newpapers, masking tape and the flour/water glue. It took over 24 hours for this thing to dry!!! Talk about down to the wire!! And then, the painting... And finally, "Chester the Cat" is finished!
(after 3 days work!) Not bad, if I say so myself!!!

LIMO?!!!!!

....more like LAME-O!!!!!


So, Jensen had a birthday.
(can you believe he's 10?!)

And for the past 4 months, he's had one request for his birthday.
He's wanted to have his party in a LIMOUSINE and take all his friends to McDonalds in the LIMO and then they'd cruise up and down the street while they eat their food and chill out in the LIMO.

Well, the last time I rented a LIMO was before Jensen was born, so I really had no clue how much it cost, but I thought I might be able to rent one for about $150. And, that's about what I would have paid for his party, anyway, once it was all said and done. The money would have just been spent a little differently than a usual party.

So, I set out to find my baby his LIMO.

Well, as you guys know, I live in Kansas. And although, I live in a city in Kansas, it's not one of the huge ones. I mean, we don't even have an airport here. (which reduces my pool of LIMO options, because we have no "airport" limousines that may have been an option in a bigger city.)

So, I consult the phone book.
(there are just some things that nothing beats the yellow pages for)

Well, as you might guess, there is not that many to choose from, but there seems to be 3 companies and so I begin my phone calls.

The first company I call, answers...."Hello?"
(this was my first clue that this one might not work out...)

I say, "Um, is this xxxxx Limousine?!?"

"Uh, YES it is."

"Oh, ok...I thought I might have the wrong number."

Pause.

"You don't. What can I help you with?"

Well, I explained what I was looking for and he explained to me they have 2 LIMOs....one traditional, one stretch H2 Hummer.
And then he drops the bomb.
They rent for $135/hr or $145/hr.depending on which you choose.......
2 hour minimum....plus 20% tip to driver.

WHAT?!?!?!

That's a total cost of over $300!!!!!!

THAT was my reality check.

I asked if they ever considered renting the LIMO for less than 2 hours.
After all, the kid only wants to go to the McDonalds drive-thru and wants to eat...how long could that really take. I mean, does he really need to drive around for 2 hours? Well, I'm thinking we get the food, eat and then go to the house to open presents and have cake.

I was quickly told that WAS NOT an option.

Well, THANKS SO MUCH FOR CRUSHING A BOYS BIRTHDAY DREAM!

So, I call the next company.

And again, I am met with a similar scenario.

Then, I call the last company.
(I am starting to feel the desperation of a mother on a budget and the thought of having to see "that face" on my child and possible tears when I tell him that there is no way he'll be having his LIMO Party.)

So, this one, a woman answers.
And, I can tell she's on a cell phone. And she's at home.
AND I can hear loud, noisy kids in the background.

Ah, GOOD!, I think to myself. She's a MOTHER.
Someone who can understand my plight and what I have now come to believe are the unrealistic birthday wishes of a child.

So, I ask about her LIMO's and she gives me the list of the 2 she has and then begins to tell me the prices. Well, her LIMO's are a tiny bit better in price....$125/hr.....2 hr. minimum.....20% tip to driver.

Still....way out of budget!

I begin to explain my dilemma to her.

And she, calmly explains to me that there is no way she could do that.
After all...she says....even if you take the car out for an hour, not 2, I have to pay $100 to have it cleaned.

What exactly was she thinking we were gonna do in this LIMO
that would warrant a $100 cleaning bill?!?!?

So, I hang up...defeated.

For Heaven sakes Lady...have a heart.

Rent me the limo for an hour

and

HAND ME SOME STINKIN' ARMOUR ALL!!!
I'LL CLEAN YOUR LIMO MYSELF!!!

FOR FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


At this point, I'm thinking...
"How can I call a funeral home and ask in a socially correct way
that if no one has died and their LIMO is just sitting there,
could I rent it for an hour for my child?"

But, in my mind, my fear is...all my birthday photos of the
LIMO will have xxxxxx Funeral Home on them.

Photoshop, anyone?!?!

Ha ha ha!

In the end, I gave my son a dose of "real life."

Me: "Sorry, sweetie. We can't afford it.
I know you're disappointed and I am, too.
But, we need to come up with another plan.
How about a bowling party?!"

Jensen: "I want Chuck-E-Cheese."

Well, FAN-Stinkin'-TASTIC.

Someone kill me now!
(Just run me over with a LIMO! I can give you the numbers!)

Clearly I am insane.....

...because I was up at 6am and off to the store to buy supplies to make dozens of chocolate chip cookies for Jensen for school.

They are having a bake sale to raise money for the folks in Chapman, KS that were devastated by a tornado back in mid-June this year.

I knew the bake sale was on Friday (yes, I know it's Thursday) but what Jensen failed to tell me until 9:45pm last night was that he need the cookies on THURSDAY!!!
(so they could mark prices on all the cookies)

Since I was exhausted, I was not going to the store at 10pm.
Just was not. gonna. happen.

So, what do I do instead?

I drag my happy a$ out of bed at 6am to go to Dillons and purchase cookie making supplies! AcK!!

(and somehow I thought this was the better option?)

See....like I said, CLEARLY INSANE!!

LOTS OF INFO.......

***Ok, this started out a story about the Great American Scrapbooking Convention, but has morphed into so much more........ Read on for the update on the Convention, update on Jensen and his school stuff and some reunions with old friends!***





~So, I was so excited for this convention because I have never been to GASC and it's a HUGE, 3-day convention. The vendor floor was massive and I was duly impressed. The people in charge, namely a girl named Rose were so sweet.

My job, as always, was to teach people how to use the Bind-It-All. And once they try it, they buy it. And it's really easy to demo a product that you love. (I love my Bind-It-All!!! In fact, getting ready to use it for a mini-album today!)

The worst thing about this convention was that Texas HEAT!
They say everything is bigger in Texas....and believe me, this includes the
MASSIVE HEAT!!!!!!!!!!
(just ask me how bad it sucked schlepping boxes in at 4pm from the parking lot!!!!)

And this trip was not without MASSIVE DRAMA. Fed-Ex lost a very important box that my boss had shipped to Texas for our classes. A box that contained the pieces for the Texas-shaped chipboard album class. And believe me, this was horrid! But, with grit and determination, we were able to finally get out hands on the box on Saturday and Kim and I worked our little tails off to get the albums kitted and to the women by Saturday afternoon. But, we did it!

And as bad as all that was. A certain someone had to make things more difficult for us by insisting we be moved from her room. (we were there first) So, there we were....with a million (literally) pieces of scrapbooking materials spread all over 3- 8ft. tables, frantically trying to make these album kits before the convention was over ....and this woman insisted we move, just to be nasty. Well, all I have to say is...karma, baby, karma..... and that kinda behavior will get you the bad karma!!
It's only a matter of time before she will get hers.

Ok...now on to the good stuff!

So, one of my all-time bestest friends lives outside of Dallas.
Jennifer was a Delta Zeta with me. And she was a bridesmaid in our wedding.

So, before my trip....I called her and called her and called her, with no response.
I was soooo bummed.
Finally, when I was actually on the trip, I heard back from her.

Turns out, she had just finished the school year and was moving schools, so she was swamped busy. And, she and her family (4 kids, too) were moving to a new house that weekend, as well. They were SO busy. And she hadn't received any of my messages.

I was so happy to hear from her and she happily drove the hour to come see me!!
(and the best we could figure is...we hadn't seen each other in like 7 years....it had been
so long...we couldn't even 100% pin it down exactly how long it had been!)

So, she showed up and pitched right in helping us tear down the booth.
Whatta gal!

And then, she was rewarded by going to dinner with us! (and by us, I mean, ME!) :D

So, here Jen and I are, after dinner.
Remember, we are in Texas and we had sweated ourselves silly!
(and this was at like 10pm...after a very, very long and stressful day!!!)

Then, my trip home was a complete, Texas-sized disaster!!

A MASSIVE inconvenience!

My first flight was delayed because the computer on the teeny tiny jet crashed 2 times before push-back. So, we were waiting on the computer to completely re-boot twice before we could leave. (way to instill confidence in the passengers by telling us that!)

So, once we finally did leave we were 40 minutes behind.

And I only had a 50 minute connection time.

50 min. - 40 min. = 10 minutes from landing till take-off =
ME NOT HAPPY!!!!!!

so I asked the Flight Attendant.....do you think I'll miss my connection?
Oh no.....it should be fine. The pilot will make up the time in the air.
I wouldn't worry about it. You should have plenty of time.
(ok....lesson learning time....DO NOT trust what flight attendant tells you while
in the air.....they are just trying to placate you.
DUH...you'd think I'd have picked up on that one!!!!)

Anyway.... so we land 35 minutes late and I run for a total of 30 gates to attempt to make my connection. (now...picture this...... so I have these shorts on that I hadn't worn since a year ago. And because I have mostly maintained my 30lb. weight loss, they are now WAY TOO BIG. And because I forgot my belt at home.
They don't fit. At all.

And as I am running with me two very heavy bags of scrappin' stuff.....
...my pants are FALLING OFF. Literally!!!!! FALLING OFF!!!!!

So, I am running.
Sweating my butt off. (still in Texas - Houston)
Panting.
Hauling 2 huge bags.
My pants falling off.
About to have a heart attack. Or a stroke.
Yanking my pants up again.
So tired.... from 4 days of hard work and stress.

And as I run up to the gate...they shut the door.

NO!!!!!

"Sorry miss, you're too late!" they unapologetically tell me....

WELL CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I step to the counter and say, "Well, what do we do now?"

So, the woman starts typing on her computer.
And she finally says, "Well....all the flights to Tulsa are way overbooked today. But I can get you out first thing tomorrow morning." (said like this is no big deal)

I FREAKED OUT.

"WHAT?!?! NO, NO, NO...I say!
That's not good enough. This is not MY fault. YOUR airline was late.
YOU MADE ME MISS MY CONNECTION.
I just ran 30 gates trying to make the connection. That was my part.
Your part is to figure out how to get me home TODAY!!!!!"

At this point, the exhausted and frustrated girl begins to cry.

She types more and tells me there is nothing she can do.

And I begin to sob.

I then say to her... "Ok. I am going to go to the restroom and try to calm down for a minute. When I come back, I trust the you will have a plan to get me home. TODAY.
Please figure it out....
It's not my fault I was late!
It's not my fault you have overbooked your flights.
And I have no intention of spending another night in Texas.
I have plans to see a dear friend tonight. And I have to be in Tulsa tonight."

And I then, walk off to the bathroom.

When I return, the gate agent is still on the computer.

But, within minutes...I have vouchers for lunch and a
FIRST CLASS TICKET on the next flight to Tulsa.

Oh ya, baby!!!!!!!

************************
BUT... the kicker is....my 2nd flight was delayed an hour, too........because, get this...of a broken armrest. Yep, you heard me. A broken armrest.
RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, at this point, I was laughing. I mean really....what else can you do?!

They had lined us up to load, then told us they were delaying the flight.
People were G.R.U.M.P.Y.
So, I decided to walk to the restroom to take a little break.
And when I returned to the gate, there were no chairs.

So, I spotted a spot on the floor by a nice looking guy.
I walked over and asked if he minded if I sat next to him.
He laughed and said he didn't mind.

So, I sat and we started the small talk.
"Where have you been? Where are you going? kinda stuff."
And I about fell over when he said he was coming home from a conference for his job, which is working with a Pediatric Opthamologist in Tulsa.

I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT.
(in fact, so much so, I gently shoved his arm and said SHUT UP! when he said it)

So, anyway...I told him....I know you probably don't wanna talk work, but I would realllllllly appreciate your insight on something. Well, then he was intrigued, so I began to tell him about the trouble Jensen has had in school with reading and everything we've been through trying to figure out the mystery of it all.
(read about that here.)

**(for that matter...I never updated about the progress with that. At the school he stayed in the afterschool program the entire year. In addition to that, I took him to a Optometrist that does extensive testing. And in April they determined that Jensen is reading nearly 2 years behind and they know that although his vision is better than 20/20, he is having trouble focusing his eyes and his eyes "stutter" at times when moving, rather than moving smoothly together.

Well, after over $500 in testing that our vision insurance denied.....
...they had recommended this "eye therapy" plan to help Jensen. And of course, our vision insurance won't pay for the 8 months of vision therapy they say he needs.
(for a grand total of over $2000)

Now, this is not about the money.......I'd do anything for this child.

A.N.Y.T.H.I.N.G.

The trouble is....there is no guarantee it will work.
(i mean...of course they say it will work, but what if we waste all that time...
8 months worth of time....and it doesn't work?!

By then, Fourth Grade will be more than half over....

And for some reason, I just haven't had the best "feeling" about it.

It just bothers me that if it's a ligitimate treatment....WHY won't insurance pay for it?
And why is there no study that PROVES it will work?
So, I have hesitated starting him in the "therapy."
(plus we still owe like $240 for the testing phase of this, which our insurance denied)

So, back to the airport......

So, I share with him the "readers digest" version of what we've been thru with Jensen.

And I share with him the reasons for my apprehension of putting Jensen in the eye therapy program. And to my surprise, he sided with me. He told me that there is basically a "division" between the opinion of the pediatric "Optometrists" and the "Opthamologists." Well, initially, I was looking for a Pediatric Opthamologist, but I could not find one. (you see, in Kansas, there is some weird law regarding insurance and the eye doctors, in which they can't advertise themselves as "pediatric" specialists or something to that effect.....so when I search my insurance, I can't see what type of specialty they have. Weird...I know. But, it is what it is......)

So, long story longer.......

...after I finished the story of what all we've done, he basically told me that I was right, there is NO PROOF that the vision therapy plan as outlined to me will work.

....also he told me the name of what he believes that Jensen most likely has.

...and without me telling him, he knew that Jensen had migraines.
(Jensen was diagnosed at age 6)

...and he's agreed to help me find a doctor for Jensen in our area.
(most likely it will be in Kansas City - 1 to 1 1/2 hours away)

So, hopefully, we will have a new, improved plan very soon.


And, like I told him.....
"I know God brought you to me!"

And I'm so very thankful.....

...and a MASSIVE BLESSING!!!!!!!


In the meantime, Jensen was doing additional therapy afterschool for 1 1/2 hours once a week with his classroom teacher. And then, he's been in Summer school this month.
(it ends on this Friday.....and then, he gets a break)

So, I hope to get a plan in July.


**********************

Ok, back to the trip story.

Well, I eventually made it to Tulsa and they lost my suitcase.

Yep. I go to baggage claim and wait till the very end. And my suitcase is not there.

I look one way, and there is the AA baggage claim office. The other side has the Delta baggage claim office. And I look around and there is no other airline baggage office.

WELL....GREAT!!!

So, I wander over to an information desk to a lady who tells me I need to go down to the ticket counter and stand in line to try to see if they can find my suitcase.

(now...let me tell you....I won't be working till August so I came home with over $200 of scrapbooking stuff in that suitcase, between what I bought and property of SNS.
BELIEVE ME....I WAS GONNA FREAK OUT IF THEY LOST MY SUITCASE!!!!!)

So, I go down to the ticket counter and wait in line only to find out....
...my suitcase made my original flight.

Figures........

Lucky for them it wasn't lost....


So, later that night I had plans to meet up with an old college roommate, Jenny.
Jenny and I met in the Fall of 1987. And we lived together in 1990-1991. (that was so much fun!) And then, Jenny lived with Ike and I for a short time back in late 1995.
Jenny was also a bridesmaid in my wedding.

Now, just a few months ago I received a surprising email telling me that after all this time, and at age 39....Jenny is expecting her 3rd child!

Well, Jenny looks beautiful, of course. With child and everything.
And again, this photo was taken at about 11pm, after another reallllly long day! And when I took Jenny home, we stayed out talking, laughing and crying till wee into the morning hours. It was just like when we shared a bedroom.

Minus another roommate.

And seeing her and her entire family was so great!!!

Here's a favorite Jenny story. When we lived in our apartment, we had a roommate we loved, but who could be a bit bossy at times. Now, Jenny and I weren't dirty, just unorganized and messy. And when we would be in the kitchen, we would rinse the dishes, but not always immediately wash them. Well, this would infuriate our roomie.
And she'd really gripe at us about this A LOT.
You know, the whole "that's how you get bugs" and "were gonna have bugs" speeches were getting pretty old. Especially when we didn't ever see ONE BUG EVER!!
(and remember, the dishes were clean, just not washed.....)

So, Jenny and I being who we are....decided to make a point.

So, she and I made hundreds of giant bugs out of construction paper and taped them all over the kitchen. On the counters. On the cabinets. On the orange juice inside the refrigerator. On the canned food in the cabinets.

It was HILARIOUS, I'll tell you. H.I.L.A.R.I.O.U.S.!!!!

And our roomie was furious!!!!

But, we made our point!


Ah, memories................

or should I say MASSIVE MEMORIES!!!!!! LOL!!!

School's OUT, School's OUT!! Teachers let the bulls OUT!!!!!!

HOLY MOLY!!!!

Here's the picture of Logan's 6th grade class. Poor guy wasn't even there on picture day due to a fever of 103. But, my point of this picture is....6th grade is over and my eldest child is in JUNIOR HIGH!!!!!!!
HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!?!?

Here's Logan and a couple of friends at the "yearbook signing" party on the last day of school. (it cracks me up the variation of their sizes!!) And here's Logan with his homeroom teacher. He actually has had 4 teachers this year. They each specialize in certain subjects. He really loved them all, but Ms. Fairchild was a very special teacher to him.


While at the signing party, I had Griffin and Marinne with me. After they ate a cookie each, they were sorta bored. But, just then the sweetest little 6th grader named Courtney came and asked Marinne to sign her book. (Now Courtney has Down Syndrome and she was sweet as a peach!) Marinne was overjoyed and I snapped this one of the 2 girls together.
(thanks Courtney, it meant so much to Marinne to get to do it, too!) After about 30 minutes with Logan at his party, we were off to Jensen's classroom to see Mrs. Bush and give her the calendar.

Mrs. Bush and Jensen had gotten very close this year and she's been a great advocate for him. We appreciate her so much! So, after we left school for the year, I played the role of "Best Mom in the World" and took them to Cold Stone Creamery for the best ice cream ever! (even though, they had already had a ton of sugar at school!!)(this picture cracks me up.....Griffin giving himself the "bunny ears" and Jensen ignoring me completely! It's so hard to get a picture of 4 kids that is decent!!!)

How do I have a 7th grader, a 4th grader and a boy going into Kindergarten? Doesn't hardly seem possible....

But, at least we get a Summer Break for now!

Holy crap, have I really not updated since WEDNESDAY?!?!?!

I suck!

I think I kept thinking I would do it....but I just never did. I hate it when that happens!

But, in my defense, I've had a bunch of stuff going on. (when do I not?)
I'm the mother of 4, it's always going to be that way!!

So, the weekend started out with a downer. Jensen's mouse, Bella, died on Friday afternoon. It's was so heartbreaking. I tried to comfort him and I knew I would soon be making another cross out of sticks and some grass to tie it together.

I was going to blog about it, but Big Daddy beat me to it. His post is sweet...so instead of doing it, too....so I'll post his post about it:

"It started with a phone call on Friday afternoon from my wife. "Ike, there's a problem... Bella is dead."

You see Bella was one of the non-human members of our family. He was a mouse. But not just any mouse, a very special mouse.

The story of Bella began in August of 2007 when one of our sons, Jensen, decided he wanted a pet mouse. So I took him to the pet store and let him pick out a cage, accessories and one little white (cute) mouse. While we were there he found out that the store would be holding a critter race for all small animals and Jensen was bound and determined he was going to enter Bella in the race.

Two weekends later we went back to the store with Bella the mouse, a little plastic ball and boy who wanted to win. Bella took second place and Jensen was happy. In the days, weeks and months later Jensen loved that mouse. He kept Bella's ribbon tied to the outside of his cage to show the world what kind of winner Bella was.

And then the call came yesterday. Jensen was devastated.

He sat on the sofa in our living room holding his award winning mouse, sobbing, until his mother finally told him Bella needed to be boxed up.

We held the funeral today. A simple hole in the backyard, two sticks tied together to form a cross and a little boy who was crushed."


Poor Jensen.

Well, we went out on Saturday and eventually ended up at the pet store. As we were wandering about we saw two of the cutest little hamsters we've ever seen. They are called Robovarski Hamsters. They are stinkin' hyper. They run all the time. It's hilarious!

And he's happy....and really, isn't that all that matters??

This is a hard one to write......

My two oldest boys are like night & day different. They look different (to me- although some people have thought in the past that they were twins.) They have different personalities. One thing they both have in common is being extremely intelligent. But, none of that matters when it comes to love. I love them both, equally, but differently. Because they each require things that are different, when it comes to what they need.

My oldest son is extremely gifted. He's so smart about so many things, but specifically his strengths are in reading, science, computers/technology and math. I mean, the child reads on a college level since 5th grade (and he's in 6th now.) This child is far more intelligent than I am. (He gets it from Big Daddy.)

Our 2nd son, he's also very smart. He is a Math Whiz!! His teachers have always commented on that and his outstanding artistic abilities. But, he's a completely different child than his brother. He seems to have trouble focusing his attention sometimes, unless he's extremely interested in it, and then you can't seem to break his concentration. He's quite immature for his age, still throwing the occasional tantrum. He will pout for a long time when he doesn't get his way and he can hold a grudge to punish you for quite some time. In addition, he still wets the bed. (now, he probably got this from me.....as I did this till the 5th or 6th grade. I'm just saying, another immaturity issue...) But, he's also fun and sweet and loving.

So, since our child began Kindergarten, there has been something that hasn't quite been right, regarding his learning. About 6 weeks into the Kindergarten school year, his teacher called me at home to talk. She expressed to me her concern about J's phonics on phonemics skills. She was concerned that he was very inconsistent from one day to the next about which letters/sounds he knew...then, seemed no to know. Like I said, inconsistent. And then, there were his struggles with reading. If you don't know phonics and phonemics, then you can imaging how hard reading would be.

And of course, as his Mother, all I wanted to do was help him. The teacher suggested that we put him in an after school tutoring program, funded by the state. So, Jensen went to tutoring after school, 3 days a week for about 5 months. In addition to this, we took him to our beloved pediatrician for advice. He had us and the teachers fill out some questionaires that are to help pinpoint what his difficulties were. In part, this was a screening for some common learning issues, such as ADD or ADHD. But, these were ruled out. We were sent for hearing checks. Eye checks. A speech evaluation. And nothing, nothing, nothing. Basically, at the Kindergarten level with the extra help, he eventually made it to a passable level, although, not necessarily where you would hope he'd by.

Then, in First grade, we got a wolf in sheep's clothing a.k.a. the dud teacher. She was not what she seemed to be. The entire year Jensen struggled, but when I specifically asked her, she always assured me he was caught up and doing fine. Before I knew it, it was Christmas Break. When school started up again in January, Jensen's shortcomings and struggles were becoming more and more evident to me. By March, I had serious concerns. I emailed the "dud" inquiring about his progress, specifically in reading and spelling. At home, Jensen was becoming more and more difficult when it came to homework and reading with us at home. I expressed concern about how he would ever be able to pass the CRCT tests. (the test they use in GA, associated with No Child Left Behind laws) But, she assured me that he was doing fine. (BUT.....when I went to pick up his report card 3 days after school got out.....another teacher that I knew said to me....I didn't realize Jensen was your son. Then commented how much fun they had together. Ummmmm.....excuse me?!?! I said, "What fun?" She said, "Oh, the fun I had tutoring him for reading and spelling for the CRCT." UMMMM.....EXCUSE ME?!?!
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT!!!!!

Apparently, after I expressed concern about Jensen being behind.....she placed him in tutoring. Now, I don't have a problem with him getting extra help. But, I DO HAVE a problem with being lied to about it. (omission is lying, in my book!) So....I was not happy. I guess after I pointed it out....she caught on to the fact that he was struggling and tried to cover her own ass.

But, when the test results were given to us, he FAILED the reading comprehension portion of the test and only passed the entire reading section of the test by one point. ONE POINT!

And they also gave them a Lexile reading test score. (A lexile score is a rating system to help match books to a person's reading level. It starts rating books at 10L and goes all the way up to Adult levels. For instance, Green Eggs and Ham is a 30L book level.) And Jensen's score on the Lexile was BR. Um...what does that mean? All the information that they sent home for interpreting the scores... the scores were numbers, not letters. So, I had to do research to find out what those numbers even meant. I thought for a while, it was maybe even a mistake. Nope, no mistake. It's just that my angel boy was so far behind that at the end of 1st Grade, he was reading at the BR level. BR=Beginning Reader He could not even read the simplest of the Dr. Suess books or a Clifford the Big Red Dog book.

I. was. heartbroken.

I felt completely and totally betrayed by this teacher. I trusted her and she let me down, but more importantly, she let Jensen down. I was completely devastated.

So, Jensen started 2nd grade behind. And just like in years past, his teacher in GA recognized a problem very early into the school year. She contacted me and suggested, again, the after school tutoring program. The conversation between she and I was like a flashback to 2 years earlier, when Jensen was in K-garten and the teacher first called me.

More inconsistency. More stuggling. Reading level that is at grade level 1.4 which equates to 1st Grade, 4th month, when he's in 2nd grade, 2nd month. (so almost a full year behind) Spelling tests were a disaster.

I went back to my now beloved pediatrician, who recommended that we go to a Child Psychologist for testing. We tried, but our insurance refused to cover it. And because Jensen is very smart in Math, the school wouldn't do anything for us. So, it was back to the eye doctor, ear doctor and the Speech Pathologist. All determine again, he is normal. So, we head to the Child Psychologist.

Before we go, I spend days and weeks on the internet looking, searching for answers. All I can find are more questions. Dyslexia?? Maybe. Unnamed Learning Disability? Possibly? ADD or ADHD? Maybe. I just don't know. At some point it all becomes so overwhelming as a Mother, that your ability to look at the situation becomes hard to see clearly.

After several appointments for evaluations. After having teachers fill out forms about him. We commence in having the testing done. The testing is supposed to look for learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD, etc. The testing pinpoints nothing. We are told. He's intelligent, but perhaps just immature. No specific learning disabilities found.

So, I figure, this is the expert, so this is the end of it. At least, what else can we do? So, we continue going to after school tutoring and we see the pediatrician who helps me monitor the progress, or shall I say his lack of progress.

Then, earlier than we thought, Big Daddy starts seriously looking at jobs in October of 2006. So, we know that we will be moving most likely before March '07, as we originally thought. When school lets out for Christmas break, Jensen is still behind, but doing a bit better. And Daddy moves on Dec. 30th. So, I am left in GA w/ 4 kids and a house on the market.

The tutoring doesn't start up again, until late January, the week we moved to Kansas.

We get to Kansas and things seem fine. Jensen has a nice teacher and due to all the extra tutoring, he's not terribly behind. But, in the teacher's defense, it's often hard to pinpoint these things when the student is new to you in February, with only 3 months of school left.

So, fast forward to this year. Jensen started 3rd Grade this Fall. And 1 week ago, Jensen's teacher informs me that she is recommending him to an after school program, called SuccessMaker. It's a computerized program and it is supposed to pinpoint his weaknesses and hopefully help him catch up. He is still reading nearly 1 year level behind. And his spelling, well, he's really having trouble. (She has cut his spelling list from 20 + 5 bonus words to 15 words.) We'll see if it helps. It's too soon to tell.

At this point, I am going to really push for some assistance. I want him tested again. Clearly, there is a problem. I'm just going to have to be persistent enough to figure out what it is. I at first assumed that I would have to get private testing again (which is super expensive and the insurance will not cover it - just like last time.....it cost us hundreds) But, my pediatrician here assures me that there is a law that requires the school system to test Jensen, as long as we put it in writing that we are requesting the testing be done. So, we're doing that, for sure.

In the meantime, we are trying to get a spot for the SIT (student improvement team) meeting on Nov. 28th. This is when the Principal, School Psychologist, School Counselor, classroom teacher and parents get together and discuss what the child needs to be helped and to be successful. The teacher has already warned me that the school psychologist will insist he doesn't need to be tested, since he's not that far behind. Well, screw that. If this was her child or grandchild, I'd be willing to bet she'd be singing a different tune!!! And most likely she'll be telling me about the rules and guidelines for testing and not to take it personally. But, you know what.....this is my baby and IT IS PERSONAL!!!! It's my job as his mother to get him the help he needs and that's exactly what I intend to do.

At this meeting, I plan to lay out my argument, regarding Jensen and his deficits. He clearly has a long history of problems and it's time to figure out once and for all, what the problem is and how to help him.

Have any of you had any situations similar to this and what would be your advice to me? Are you aware of any resources I should know about? My baby needs help and any information you might have would be greatly appreciated.

And....if not, thanks for listening......

roxann

MAKING UP for lost TIME.......

Well, I woke up today to COLD!!!! 37 DEGREES when I was getting the boys ready for school!! Actually, I came into town only to find it to be cold yesterday, but I've basically been in bed since I got home on Sunday. So, that didn't really effect me much since I was huddled under the covers in my bed!!!!


So, it's officially Fall (or is it Winter?!?!) in Topeka!!!
(Although, it was like almost 80 degrees in Kansas City on Saturday!!!)

Check out my weather forecast:

Topeka, KS

45°F
Clear
Wind: N at 0 mph
Humidity: 68%

Today

67° | 41°

Wed

62° | 36°

Wow!! I guess that's ok, though. I said I was tired of always being hot in Savannah. But, can't we find a happy medium here?!?!



PSCHEW!! I am exhausted!!!!


TheWAS AWESOME!!!

(check the NEXT post for details and pics!!!)

But, I am so tired!!!
Good times, good fun, good new friends!
The very best scrappin' supplies!
And I came home with WAY TOO MUCH STUFF!!
(you would not believe how much I get for free!!)


AND

I've been offered an exciting job to travel next year to all kinds of cities to do the CKC's and Scrapbook Expo and the Great American Scrapbook Convention....
just what I love to do!!!
So,
stay tuned for more on that later.....


But, I am so happy to be feeling better, albeit sore. You know the sore I am talking about. That upper chest pain, brought on from way too much dry-heaving!!! (sorry, tmi!)


AND...MOST IMPORTANTLY...

HaPpY 9th BiRtHdAy, JeNsEn!!!
You'll never know just how much your momma loves you!!!! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!!

Latest scrapbooking......

Ok....I am in love with this one........I have always wanted to do a "All About Me" type layout, but I just never had quite the perfect picture. Until now!

This was me at the tattoo parlor in Savannah when Sherry and I
got our tattoos. Isn't it a cool picture?! So, based on that, I fell in love with these pink/black Rusty Pickle Pirate Princess papers! They are fun! But, I thought they fit the "bad girl" feel quite well!


And this, is yet another example of working with things that have been in your stash to scrapbook. I've had this base page w/ the flap for probably about 6 years. At first I was saving it for "just the perfect" layout. And 6 years later it was in the bottom of a paper holder....just gathering dust. So, I took it out and laid it where I could see it....looking for pics that would match and work with it. I decided to use it with the "outside" pics, because it reminds me of the color of the sky on a perfect day....even if it is actually a striped pattern. Anyway, I was at the crop and I couldn't decide what to use with it. So, I found the rub-ons that matched other scraps I had previously used and some solid scraps....and viola' .... I made it work...... It's not perfect, but I still really like it. My white doodling pen was being a pain in the booty and that was making me nuts!

As it looks in the book.....

And open......

So....tell me what you think!!!!

Guess who lost a tooth?!?!

Believe me....he pulled it out. I can't handle it!

And the tooth fairy (yep, he still actually believes) brought a gold dollar and you shoulda seen his face when he saw what he got!! Priceless!!!!! Unfortunately, I was still in bed when he came in with "that face" so I missed it w/ the camera!!!!

Signs of Spring....

Caterpiller!

Looooove this pic!

--------->

Isn't this sweet?

This is our Redbud tree from in front of our house. Isn't it beautiful?

I've really enjoyed being able to look at it from our formal living room. It's directly out our big front window.

And look what we found while studying the tree....

A Robin's nest......
so Jensen climbed the tree and discovered we had 3 eggs. (yes, I made sure he didn't touch!)

And just this week........
we have 3 BABIES!!!

(photo by Jensen.... sorry the pic isn't great, but in his defense, he was hanging 7 feet off the ground and trying to take the pic!!)