Happy Birthday My Baby Boy

Seven years ago I met you my sweet baby boy. I have such vivid memories of that night. When you first heard my voice you turned your head to find me. I couldn't wait to hold you. I was so jealous that your father got to hold you first. The agonizing few moments it took you to cry, I was so worried about you.

Today we celebrated that miracle event. You have been waiting anxiously for this day I think since the day you turned six. I remember when I was a child and the days leading up to my birthday seemed to go so slow and then the magic day came and it was over so fast. I think that happened to you today. I felt so bad that bedtime came and all you wanted to do was play with your new toys. I hated having to make you put them away.

My dear, P, tonight we snuggled and talked about your birth and how happy I am that you are my son. You sat on my lap and snuggled with me while we talked. It was such a nice way to end the day. You even let me give you a hug and kiss. I dread the day that I can't just sweep you up in my arms and hug and kiss you. Since you were a baby you would sometimes pull away from me, now I know that is because of the asperger's. Funny how somedays I get tons of kisses and hugs and somedays I am lucky to get a smile.

Now you are sleeping and I can't help but to watch you. I can see how much you have grown this year. I can see how you have matured when you are awake. You are growing up so fast and all I want to do is press pause so I can enjoy you as a child longer than I can. Today you are seven and you age growing up so fast. Having you in my life has made life so much better. I love you so much P and this year will be another wonderful year that we will celebrate. Happy Birthday my baby boy!!!

Off to Thailand

I am about to make a huge decision. Should I go to Thailand next summer? At orientation yesterday two of the professors spoke about a University led trip to Thailand. We would have to move our Multicultural Studies class from this semester to next summer and we would take that class while we tour schools and universities in Thailand. It is a three week trip and would cost more than the regular class of course.

I wasn't sure if I would even mention it to D. I thought he would refuse to let me be gone for three weeks. Especially with the issues we have been having. But both times I spoke to him about it he seemed fine with the idea. We both worry how the kids will react. I do worry about how I will be away from them for three weeks but I think I can handle it. I contacted my mom to see if she could help Den with the kids while I am gone. She said she would and encouraged me to sign up for the trip.

How can I pass up an opportunity like this? I can be pretty sure that a trip like this won't fall on my doorstep again. So tomorrow I go to the Financial Aid office to make sure I can get the money to pay for this trip. If I can then I am off to Thailand.

Double the Beginnings

This is definitely a week of new beginnings for me. Over the weekend I started working on my Wood Badge in Boy Scouts. It will end up being close to an 18 month process. Today I went to Orientation for my graduate school program in elementary education. Oddly enough that will also take close to 18 months. So here I am starting two programs that take a lot of hard work and time consuming projects at the same time.

I have been made a member of the Bear Patrol in Wood Badge and have a wonderful group of patrol members who will be going through this process with me. We have quickly bonded and I know we will work well together on our Patrol project. We decided to do it on the history of Boy Scout Uniforms over the 100 years of Scouting. I am trilled that I found an author of a book on exactly that subject that I am in communication with. We have less than three weeks to get that project done.

It reminds me of the ACCEL Program that I went through to get my Undergrad degree. My study group was my lifeline through that time and they were the reason I made it through the program. We all made each other stronger. When one person needed help we were all there for them. I really find that learning with a team or cohort is the best way.

That is why I picked the graduate program that I did. It is cohort learning and I will be with the same group of people from beginning to end. So even though I am starting two intensive programs at the same time I know that I can handle it because I will have a good group of people around me in both programs. I met many of the people in the graduate program with me and found some fast friends.

Right now I know I should be feeling overwhelmed but I actually feel okay. Next week I get the syllabi from the classes so maybe it will kick in then. Oddly I find I thrive in situations like this. I have ideas buzzing through my head. I have a list of contacts I need to make and I am only one weekend into double the beginnings.

Our Date at the Fair

D and I spent the afternoon and evening at the Fair today. I have never had such a good time with just the two of us. I have to say the day was amazing. There was definitely a connection between us again. I honestly was apprehensive about the day because we usually fight at the Fair.

One of the first things he did was buy me a necklace I have been eyeing for the last couple years. I have only seen it at the Fair, it is a pendant with a moon phase on it. I was born under a full moon so he bought me a pendant with the full moon on it. The next couple years if they are still at the Fair I will get the children's moon phase pendants too. That was my anniversary gift.

We meandered through the Fair eating from this stand and that stand. I had stuffed banana peppers, a fried Resses Peanut Butter Cup (it was amazing by the way), Green Corn soup from the indian village, pizza and a wonderful peach wine. In fact the wine village was a nice addition that was added this year. D and I took time to sit and talk while we both had a glass of wine. Since we were at the Fair without children (thanks to D's mom for spending her day with them) we could take time to sit down and talk.

I really think spending time alone together is helping our marriage. We have been setting aside more time alone together than we used to. It is something that was always recommended but we found ourselves just falling into a pattern where we were with P and B almost all the time. Spending time alone together was something we would plan but often just didn't happen.

Today was wonderful, of course I am still full from all the food and my feet hurt from the walking. Overall it was just a great day with my husband. Dates are definitely something that we will be doing more often.

My Time to Shine

This is my last week of ease. This weekend I start more Cub Scout Leader training. Woodbadge, two weekends of camping and 18 months of work. Then of course next week I start graduate school. What am I thinking starting two intensive programs at the same time? Then the week after that school starts for the kids. It is a new year, new school and new principal. That is a lot of new things for P all at once.

I have gathered most of the back to school items for the kids and now I have things I need to get for me. Including things I need for Woodbadge. I bought myself new sneakers for the first time in a few years. I need to buy binders and notebooks for me. I might even get some back to school clothes for me in the next few weeks.

It is hard to put myself in me mode after years of doing everything for the kids. This summer I bought myself some new shirts. I have to start classes at the same time both my children start new school. Hopefully seeing me face a new school at the same that they are will help them out. We all are starting at new schools at teh same time.

I hope my teachers will click with me and I hope P gets a teacher as good as last years teacher. Hopefully she will understand about asperger's and work with us. B I am not as worried about. She is going to be in the same building as her brother and she is so excited about that. She was a delight in nursery school according to her teachers. I have to think she will carry that into pre-kindergarten with her.

So my whole world is about to change, I signed up for the changes so I had better be able follow through with them all. I know I will be able to handle it. I have been preparing for this for years now. It is my time to shine.

It's Not a Real Cow?

Today was our yearly trip to the Erie County Fair with the kids. I was all excited because I thought we would be able to milk a real cow. That is something I have wanted to do with the children for a long time.

NEW! Try milking a cow at the "Milkable Mabel's Stable."

I guess I should have paid more attention to the quotation marks. We found the stable and I was looking forward to the experience with the family. Well, Mabel was a large plastic cow with what looked like fingers from a rubber glove as the teets. I was so upset, especially since I had been talking about it so much with P and B.

Well, at least the pay one price for the fair rides was correct. For $26.00 both kids got three hours of riding any ride they wanted. It was comical to see them getting off a ride then they would circle around and get right back on it. Some of these rides were 4 or 5 tickets usually to ride. I figure with the amount of rides they went on we saved at least a hundred dollars. They had three hours of rides and still when 7 PM came and the ride special ended they were upset. They wanted to go on more rides. Daddy and I were worn out from all the rides. Chasing them around was exhausting.

B and I went on a last ride together on the big ferris wheel at the fair. I have never been so nervose on a ride before. There was no door, just a flimsy chain to keep us from falling out. B would lean forward ever so slowly and look down at the fairgrounds below. I was right there with my hands on her because if she leaned to far forward I am not sure if that would keep her from falling. Luckily she listened to my pleas and was extra careful. We both managed to walk off the ride with no real trauma, just some frazzled nerves for mommy,

Somehow in the middle of al this we managed to eat lunch, oddly this year we managed to all pick food from booths that were close together. B ate a whole corn-dog, she never eats that much. I was surprised by how much she ate. I had some BBQ ribs. Oh they were fantastic. I could have eaten double, but was good. Pizza was the rest of the clans choice. Somehow pizza at the fair always tastes better.



The sights, smells and sounds at the fair were as intoxicating as always - Italian sausage, chicken wings, sweet potato fries, ribbon fries, Chivetta's Chicken, ribs, onion rings, pizza, corn on the cob, tacos in a bag, funnel cakes, fried oreos, corn-dogs, and steamed clams. We saw people on stilts, cows, calfs and pigs, so many games and rides all over the place. Lights were flashing and people we walking all over the place. We heard people shouting "I Got It" including P. There was music from speakers all over the place from rides and games.

By the time we were ready to go home my feet ached and I had pains all over from lifting, chasing and keeping up with P and B. P chose ice cream as his snack, B picked corn on the cob. That's right corn for snack. She also put back a creme puff at a picnic once to pick up and eat broccoli. What can I say, my daughter loves her veggies. D had his traditional baked potato and I had my usual taco in a bag for the ride home.

My loot for the day was various spices, various maple sugar items, corn chowder mix, P and I got new "crocs. B had a new pink stuffed cat. D and I are going back just the two of us next week. Then we have a whole year to pass for our next trip to the fair. Though I still wish the cow had been real.

Tiny Fingers and the Car Door

D is taking both children to the pool for their swim lessons. I have a half hour of peace before I need to pick up B. I just settled down to watch some TV when I hear screaming. It is B and this is a OMG I am hurt kind of cry. D comes running into the house with her in his arms. She is screaming so loud that I am concerned something major happened to her. Somehow in the chaos I find out that P accidently shut the car door on B's fingers.

D gathers a few Band-Aids and we finally get a look at her hand. It isn't as bad as it sounds. She can move all her fingers and they all seem to be in one piece. He manages to get two bandages on the worst of it and B announces she is not going swimming. She clings onto me and won't let go.

I manage to get her to take some tylenol, I know from experience fingers in the door HURT. Then we snuggle on the bed. She is crying and obviously in pain. I cover her up in mommy's blanket and she is makes sure my arms are holding her tight. Somehow her eyes close and she drifts off into sleep.

Part of me wants to wake her up, because it is late and I want her to go to sleep at bedtime. Another part of me knows she needs that nap, the trauma of getting your fingers closed in a car door can be huge especially when you only have cute little fingers. All that crying exhausted her and well she is adorable when she sleeps.

Finally Daddy and P come home I find out that he finally put his face into the water and passed Swimming Level 1 (it only took two summers). Daddy put B into her bed we were hoping she would sleep through the night. Of course that didn't happen. When she woke up she was back to herself. She didn't baby her hand and was roughhousing with P as if nothing had happened.

At bedtime her fingers started to hurt so she got some more tylenol. I was right she of course is still awake and slowly trying to sneak around the house. She may have had a huge trauma today but she sure doesn't show it now. I bet she keeps her fingers far from car doors for a while now.

Going to the Drive-In Movies

There is just one drive-in movie theater left in our area. Add to that the decrease of rated G movies or even PG movies that are okay for four year olds to see and the result is we just don't get to the drive-in movies that often. When I was growing up we went to the drive-in often and I always had a fun time there. Dad would carry me into the house when we got home. It is such a good memory from growing up that we want to share with our children.

Usually we can get there at least once every season. Last night was the night we managed to get there this season. We watched G-Force, which is a PG movie, but reviews made it seem okay for the kids to see. After that Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was played. Since it started so late I thought the kids would be asleep by then.

Of course we got there before the movies started. The kids wanted to play in the playground and play miniature golf. I had badly twisted my ankle before we left so I waited in the car. The last thing I wanted to do was chase one or both of them around. My ankle was throbbing when I was just siting down minding my own business.

When it was almost time for the movie to begin the kids camped on top of our car. That didn't last too long because of course they took advantage of it.
Next they tried to sit on the hood. That might of worked if they had remembered I was in the car and would want to see the movies too.


When G-Force ended P went right to sleep. B however was stubborn and would not sleep. A couple times during the movie I made sure D carried her into the snack bar so she would not see the images o the screen. Especially near the end. She was still wide awake when we pulled out of the parking lot.

The rain held off until the end. As we left the lot the rain started. B finally fell asleep a few minutes after we left. Our excitement was not over yet, however. On the way home my husband decided to try a different way home. While on this route we came across a family of deer. They sprinted across the road and Dennis tried to stop. The last deer, luckily for our car a small deer, was clipped by the left front end of our car. It got up and ran away like nothing happened, we also continued on our way. I don't think we will be taking that route home from the Drive-In again. Bonus this encounter woke P up.

We finally made it home, No trace of our wildlife encounter was revealed when we looked over the car. P walked into the house and Daddy carried a finally sound asleep B to her bed. Our night at the Drive-In was over and we all went to sleep with smiles on our faces from our night of family fun.