History
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MAY 2003
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May 2, 2003
Slowly but surely, things are starting to get back to normal around here. Patrick and Mark went to "Daddy and Me" at the preschool while I took Alex to his soccer game. Patch is just about to burst, because they made my Mother's Day gift at Daddy and Me, and he has to keep it a secret!
May 3, 2003
Our community garage sale was this morning. Mark just loves the idea of buying things cheap, so he and Alex went off on their bikes to hunt for bargains. Turns out they found a great one - a model rocket. Mark took the boys out to a field nearby and shot it off and it worked great! I think we may have found our next obsession!
May 4, 2003
I've had my hands full with my little smarty pants kids these days. Here's just a taste:
The boys had been kicking this ball around the house all day.
I told them several times to quit. They did it again, so I took the ball
and said it was mine for a week. Patch stared me in the eye and said, "I
week is only seven days."
May 5, 2003
Patrick's class had our Mother's Day Breakfast this morning. What a special morning! The kids sang us a song and gave lots of hugs and kisses, along with a very sweet plate each one had made for us. I then went back in the afternoon for a birthday party for one of his teachers. What a great day!
I was very proud of Patrick when I took this picture. His entire class was
going wild because of the birthday party, and there he was, sitting quietly and
reading a book (what they were supposed to be doing) all by himself.
May 8, 2003
This hasn't been much of a picture week. I'm still having trouble getting back into the habit of taking my camera with me everywhere.
Patch's soccer team had a make-up game Tuesday night, and then tomorrow night is the last game of the season. He's getting his cast off on Monday, so we decided to go ahead and let him play his last two games. The official said he could only play as a substitute - they were leery of letting him play at all - but the coach made sure he got to substitute for everybody. ;-) He was ecstatic being able to play again, but I have to say, his cast is getting awfully ripe!
Boudreaux has gotten a hold of some food he's allergic to and has been scratching and chewing like crazy. I've given him a couple of prednisones this week which make him very hungry and he's always asking for more food. He doesn't have any trouble communicating what he wants, either. In this picture, his food bowl is usually off to the right, completely out of the camera shot. He had scooted it into the middle of the kitchen and laid down by it so we had to trip over him to get anywhere!
May 9, 2003
Today was the last soccer game of the season. The boys played great! After the games, Alex's team had a pool party at his coach's house and they got their trophies.
Look who we found in our garage when we got home!
May 12, 2003
Alex's class has their Mother's Day Tea today. We were treated to tea and snacks served by the children, the class sang us a beautiful song, and each child got to read the story they wrote which will be published. What a special treat!
Patch's cast came off today! Woohoo!!!!! It tickled like crazy when the nurse sawed it off, so the biggest issue actually was keeping him still. I'm wondering if the nurse somehow knows him. When she brought in the saw and noticed that he was nervous, she asked if this was his first cast. I suppose we probably should expect more in the future!
The follow-up x-ray showed that the outer layer (dura) of the bone still isn't completely healed (which is normal at this stage) so we're using the back half of the cast with an ace bandage as a splint. We're to remove it several times a day so he can use it and increase his range of motion, but he needs to wear the splint any time there's a chance he might fall (this is Patrick we're talking about), since the doctor said it would re-break very easily for the next week or so. He's very nervous about it and is afraid to move it, but I doubt that'll last long. He spent over an hour playing in the bathtub tonight, not that he needed it or anything!
May 13, 2003
Patch and I had a nice quiet day at home. Alex came home from school with a certificate because he had completed six months of the Book It program this school year. That means that each month he read at least eight books. The program is sponsored by Pizza Hut so Mom and Dad joined us there so Alex could get his free pizza as his reward.
May 16, 2003
We've had a pretty big couple of days. Unfortunately, once again, I have forgotten to take pictures.
First and foremost, Mark flew up to Baltimore yesterday and
came back home last night with a new job! He was approached a couple of
weeks ago by a company he used to work for about coming back to work for them.
Since then everything has just fallen into place. Mark's business was
going quite well, but our medical expenses were eating us alive. Very soon
we'll actually have benefits! Not to mention a steady income. The
first thing I did this morning was call my office manager and ask for fewer
hours. 
The boys' soccer league had their end-of-season party tonight at the game of a local soccer team, the Central Florida Kraze. The Kraze players were fabulous around the kids. All of the children's league players lined up and as the Kraze players' names were announced, they'd run through the line of kids giving them all high fives. The kids loved it! They also got medals from the league that they proudly wore all evening.
Patrick has been doing unbelievably well since his surgery.
He's a completely different child! Not only is he healthy as a horse, but
he's sooooo much happier! I've also been able to cut back significantly on
his medications - I can't remember when he's taken so little!
I'm doing
the H a P p Y D a N c E ! ! !
Life is Good!
May 19, 2003
We've now entered the insanity of the last two weeks of school. I had no idea how much more insane it would be with two different schools involved this year! I spent today shuttling between the two schools, and it looks like I'll keep doing this for the next week!
Alex and I had an absolutely fabulous end-of-year conference with his teacher this afternoon. I always knew he was brilliant, and his teacher confirmed it!
Now, get ready. You're about to witness an incredibly obnoxious brag by an incredibly proud mother!
They are only tested in two subjects, math and reading. The teacher has a portfolio of Alex's work that will be passed onto his first grade teacher. In the portfolio are all of Alex's math tests taken throughout the year. We went through his math tests, and out of every test this year, he only missed one question! The reading is tested in levels. I have no idea what the levels mean, but she explained that you need to have accomplished level 4 to move up to first grade. She said Alex had scored 97% - at level 12! She also gave Alex tests in each subject to test for "outstanding" performance. This is performance above and beyond his grade level. He scored 100% on both.
Like I said, he's brilliant!
There is a program at the school in which every child has a story "published." They receive a hardcover, printed version of a story that they have authored. I think I mentioned this before because the students read their books to us at the Mother's Day brunch. Alex finally got to bring his book home from school today to share with Daddy.
After dinner, Daddy and Patch went outside, and Alex wanted to surprise them with a cake. He went way overboard trying to keep them away from the kitchen (with the telltale aroma filling the house), but it was very cute.
May 20, 2003
Alex finally had a tooth come out normally. His first two were a little strange because his new teeth had already completely come in behind the old ones, and he also managed to swallow one and lose the other, so he didn't have a hole in his mouth or a tooth to show for it! This time he got both, and he's thrilled. He spent the evening playing around with the gap - it was hilarious!
May 21, 2003
Alex had a big day at school today. I went into the classroom this morning, and the entire class all started telling me that Alex had been on the "news" this morning saying the pledge. (So much for me trying to be discrete and not interrupting class!) The school news is broadcast to televisions in the classrooms every morning, and a student or group of students (3 kids from Alex's class in this case) say the pledge. It was very exciting!
I'm so sad that today was my last day helping in the art class this year. Fortunately, Alex's class had art today so I got to spend my last day with them. They made origami puppies. Alex brought his home and showed Patch how to make them. I swear we have an entire litter of paper puppies roaming around our house!
May 23, 2003
We headed over to the River this afternoon for a weekend with Mark's family. Today is Mitzy's 15th birthday. Mark's parents got Mitzy just about the same day that we got Bandi way back when (ok - about 15 years ago!) Mark's mom got all of the dogs Frosty Paws to celebrate her birthday.
May 24, 2003
We headed down to Tampa for Danielle's christening today. She was absolutely beautiful in the same christening gown that Alex and Patrick wore, which has been in the family for 91 years! She did great until they poured that pitcher of water over her head. She wasn't too happy at that point. ;-) Poor little thing also cut a tooth during the service. The church has a pond filled with holy water (I'm not sure what it's called) in the middle of the aisle as you walk into the church. Patrick asked why it didn't have any money in it. LOL
After the service, we gathered at KC and Stacy's for a pool party in their new pool. Mark's brother, Mike, is getting married in about a month. I finally got to meet Mary Beth and her three beautiful girls. She's a wonderful person, and all of the kids love each other. Suddenly, the four cousins have multiplied to seven!
Alex, Heather, Patrick, Ashley, Preston, Julia and Danielle
May 25, 2003
Mark's parents got a new inner tube for tubing behind the boat. We spent the entire afternoon out in the gulf tubing and picnicking in the boat. After we got back to the house, Alex and Patch went and played in the hot tub. They were big huge prunes by bedtime!
May 30, 2003
Our little world is in a huge state of transition right now! Mark is moving his office back into the house, and I decided to paint our room before everything gets settled (much to Mark's chagrin), we still have no idea when Mark starts his new job, I'm waiting for my employer to find somebody to do some of my work so I can cut back, because Mark is trying to train me to take over his closing business. Meanwhile, school let out and summer is in full swing (i.e., Mom, what are we going to do today?). Ack! Of course, all of these changes will eventually be for the better, but right now we can't even walk through our house for all of the boxes and moved furniture (for painting). On top of everything else, Patrick has a cold. We've been watching him closely since this is his first illness since the adenoids came out. He is back to sleepwalking several times a night, but it started with the cold and should end when the cold ends (although Mark and I are exhausted again). It looks like it's running a normal course (yippee!), except for the asthma flaring up, which was to be expected and we know how to deal with. I don't want to jinx anything, but I think we might just get through a cold without having to see the doctor!!! Just the other day, Patch was asking when he was going to see "Dr. Ann" again. He actually misses his pediatrician!
As a result of all of this, you'll have to forgive me if I haven't taken any pictures. Maybe this weekend I'll remember to get out the camera!
May 31, 2003
My little boy is growing up - and turning into Dennis the Menace!!!! Here he and his friends are trying to light a leaf with a magnifying glass. Ack!
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