Caught off guard....

So today, I had a conversation with the grade-mom in charge of Cody's class room. She is the head person in charge of communicating amongst us volunteers for parties and such. (first experience with that too)....But as we were talking and because you don't have much inter-action with the parents as we did in pre-school, I asked her who her child was. She said "john". Oh Ok...I've heard Cody talk about him but that's it. She says to me "Who's Cody, what does he look like?"....

I'll be honest, I wanted to say "he's short"..........ha,ha,ha....but then thought "duh Kelly all the kids are short - they are in Kindergarten". I hate to admit I came out with "he has blondish/brown hair"...(Yah that must of narrowed it down for her)..............but I will be darned if I was going to say "He's the kid with scars on his lip". I almost told her that but then thought I will not/can not describe Cody to another parent of which I don't know and who doesn't know Cody that way. He is way more than those scars. I'm not used to describing my kids, either they are with me or people just know what they look like. So I have to come up with something. But she caught me way off guard! So go ahead....ask! "What does Cody look like"????

He:

• has blondish/brown short hair
• has an amazing smile
• has big brown eyes
• has long eyelashes
• wears a blue winter coat.
• carries a Pokemon backpack

If you happen to notice he "has scars" then good for you! If you wanna know why, ask! But I will not describe him that way!

1st day of Kindergarten Camp!

Today was the first day of Kindergarten camp. We got to meet the teachers, see the classroom, meet some friends and just help ease them into the whole idea of Kindergarten. They did great. I was kind of curious how I would decide on who to go with. So I asked them, Cody wanted to go with Brett so I went with Dylan. Dylan has Mrs. Matyas. As I left him at the table coloring, he had a little tear in his eye but there was no way he was letting it go. I got down the hall to Cody's room (Mrs. Cluck's) and saw Brett talking with the teacher. I peaked around him and Cody's face was as red as can be. So I held back my own tears and we chatted with the teacher a minute. I explained he was a twin and that this is his first time away. That seemed to put things in perspective for her. So we left and Cody did fine. Brett picked them up at the playground and they were having fun. They have talked about it all night and look forward to going back tomorrow.

Now my thoughts......standing in that hall way with them I couldn't help but flash back to the day they were born. These little 5lb babies with big eyes just starring up at us for us to guide into the little men they have become. I remember back to Dylan's baby days and his crying and his reflux and thinking those nights of "jiggling" would never end. Back to Cody's early days and wondering what his future even held for him. Would he even go to the same school as Dylan? (may seem like a dumb thought to some, but those that have walked my shoes know where I am coming from....I didn't know anything about his birth defect)......then I watch the two of them grow up. Watch them sit up together, crawl together, stand up at toys together, took those first steps together....brother's through and through. Yes they fight and now that they talk probably have said some things to each other but really have never been apart. They have during Cody's surgeries and Dylan has been caring and wondered when his brother was coming home. I remember how Cody healed from his palate surgery so much faster after he got home to his brother. So to have them stand in that hallway and know that in seconds they are about to embark on a new path - a separate path from each other was sad, exciting, proud, emotional.....all sorts of emotions wrapped into one. Yes they will still be brothers, yes they will still fight and nothing will change at home.....but during the day they will go to their own class, meet some new friends, be taught similar things just in a different way. I know they will do great. Yes I'll probably cry one more time on the first day of school but after that.....who'll have time!!!! I'll be super busy keeping up with 2 little boys in Kindergarten! YIPPEE!!!!!

Finding the right words...

Ok....I really think I will be put to the test in the next couple of weeks. Cody had a pretty rough night of sleeping last night. Woke up a lot and just sat straight up. Now I don't know if it was from the dental visit but I can say he hasn't done this before and yesterday was our dental visit and he did experience some pain and discomfort. Tonight, I was sitting with him and we were talking about the rings on his teeth and I started to tell him that he was going to have to get them back on and that the dentist was making him something he had to wear in his mouth. He just covered his little mouth and started to cry and said no. Really, how on earth am I going to do this? How on earth do I really explain this to him? I told him it was to fix his mouth and all he wanted to know was how long. I can't even explain that as 9 to 12 months seems like an eternity to him especially when he is trying to get down the days of the week still. We've talked about the cool fact of eating lots of ice cream and stuff. His last surgery was when he was 2 and I doubt he remembers that. Ever since then it's just been check ups and things that certainly didn't change how he feels. So where do I find the words to explain this to him? Especially when at times I don't understand the "why" in all of this either. This next step has been an emotional one for me so I don't doubt there will be a lot of tears shed. I guess for now I just need to talk with him a little bit everyday as those 2 weeks will be here before we know it and we will be back in that car. For any of you that have traveled this road and have some advice - I welcome it!

My Birthday

This is a scanned picture of my card from my niece Karly. I love home made cards. This one though cracked me up. I love she made me the Birthday Queen! :) I then had to get clarification who the other two were. I thought maybe her and Connor. NO! It is ME (the queen with the crown on), my sister and my brother!

Well I am another year older....the big 32. I'm Ok with that....I love my birthday. Some hate it - but I love it. I had a great day all day. And yes, I even went to work. My co-workers are wonderful and I got a 2 great cards and a 12 pack of Mt. Dew. (You can say that is my drink of choice). Then today also was our bake sale for Relay for Life and OMG I ate to much. Everybody bought cookies "in honor of my bday" and well that required me to taste test. I think we could all quit our job and open a bakery and we would do quite well.

I got home and finished preparing dinner. Brett took the boys today to their end of year picnic. So hours home were cut short. He did all the hard work, I just had to put it in the oven. He got to come home at his lunch time and we all ate together. Then the Smith's came over after Karly's dance rehearsal and we did cake and presents. I got some great things. A new Bills lawn chair. I love it and will get to use it lots at teeball games. My mom and sister got me stuff to re-do my bathroom. Changing over from ladybugs to flip flops. Darn it, if I can't live at the beach - I am going to get ready in one every day. My shower curtain though comes with a story. I picked out a flip flop one from Target. My sister had to order it online and have it shipped to her house. So on the day it comes in the mail.....Shaun gets home first and sees it. He opens it and thought Tanya bought a new shower curtain. Knowing that he would just have to put it up anyways - he decided to surprise her and have it up by the time she came home. So she gets home and he is all giddy over doing it - until - they go in the bathroom and she was like "OMG - that is for Kelly's Birthday". So it got a trial run and looks really good hanging up. :) Super funny! I can't wait to do the "switch". I've had ladybugs forever and am ready for a change. My boys got me a great little purse and an IOU for all the rest of the bathroom stuff that I need.

So I had a fantastic day. What was even cooler was getting all sorts of birthday wishes on facebook. So cool to get those from friends that normally would of never known my birthday.

Yes that is a #3....cause I couldn't find a 2 and of course had no candles in my drawer. Whatever! :)

One of THOSE days

My day started out typical....hit the snooze on the alarm until the last possible minute. Then roll out of bed to get ready. Just to look forward to fighting with the boys to wake them up and get them ready. Once they are awake they are monsters and all the while I am trying to keep them quite not to wake Brett and Tyler up - who are so lucky to still be sleeping. Off to school we go and all is well. I decided not to have Tyler to go to school today so I could use my lunch hour to do errands instead of going to pick him up.

So at work, the managers were away so the mice must play. I did accomplish some major stuff but then Michelle, Jeff and I decided it was time to finally switch my cell phone over to my new phone. Not really new, new but new to me. Michelle gave me a flip phone so now I can text and write on a keyboard instead of punching the stupid button 4 times to get an 's'. So we are online and it's going smoothly until the very last screen where I forgot to change the number. Mind you I had only changed it 3 other times on the website. So we continue and yep, I de-activated Brett's phone. Oops. So I had to call him and get some numbers and it wouldn't work. Had to call Verizon directly for their help. Except I'm not "authorized"....so Brett had to add me and when the lady asked him if there way anything else she could help him with he just said "yah, help my wife fix my phone". Through it all I did get a "your amazing" from my husband. I think he was being sarcastic! :)

Then I was covering the reception desk (as our office was short staffed) and wouldn't I get a call from our CEO. He's a great man but aging and is around 80+ , his normal helpers weren't in the office and he asked "who else can help me get a flight"............darn it - that would be me! So I spent the day worrying about that and hoping he gets on his flight tomorrow morning.

At lunch I ran my errands and one of them consisted of going to Wegman's to get some snacks for our trip to grandma and grandpa's. As I was loading the groceries into my car - do I not realize in the cart, next to my purse is a bottle of hairspray I had picked up. And no, it wasn't paid for! OMG - I still feel really bad about that. Then I was waiting for store security to come and yell at me. Honest mistake really!

Finished out my "work" day......printing out Tyler's birthday invitations. Just to realize that I never put the date down on the invite. His birthday falls on a Saturday this year and so the party is on that day. I'm still shocked that everybody doesn't know when Tyler's birthday is....kidding.....so I had to many printed that I just had to write it in. UGH!

As I was driving home and heading to the highway do I not realize that I needed to go to the bank. So had to take a little detour. Tonight has just been crazy as I am packing to go to the in-laws and I have no idea what to pack. Wondering what the weather is really going to be like.

So I had one of "THOSE" days and I probably was trying to accomplish one to many things today. As soon as my kids fall asleep - I am going to go sit and relax in QUITE!

Happy Memorial Day!

The Math of Life

I'm writing my post for today backwards! I had a fantastic morning and I'll blog about it later - but this I could not resist from posting now!!!

The Math Of Life
What Makes 100%? What does it mean to give MORE than 100%? Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%. How about achieving 103%? What makes up 100% in life? Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%

AND,
look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that, while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there, it's the Bullshit and Ass Kissing that will put you over the top.

A little bit of Luck

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!!!

Brett calls me today to inform me we got the letter from the town court on my ticket. Great! I was waiting for him to tell me how much it was going to cost us. Instead.....the case has been dismissed. YEAH!!! Not sure why, the letter just stated that "due to the above mentioned circumstances, the case pending against you has been dismissed". Thank you very much. I am very grateful that we don't have to come up with that money. I was figuring an easy $150. So thank you to the district attorney for dismissing my case. :)

I guess on St. Patrick's Day - I had a "little bit of luck". Should of played the lotto but I didn't want to push it. ;)

Can you hear that??

Probably so if you are in my house - it would be the TV. With having 2 tv's downstairs and pretty close to each other (adjoining rooms) sometimes the two tvs try to drown each other out. For a while I just thought it was one of the boys turning the Tv up. So then I would turn it down and only get yelled at by Cody "mom, I can't hear". So I would brush it off and he would turn it back up and off I would go to do what I was doing. Well after a few other family members commenting to me that it seems like Cody is doing that a lot - did I start to get that wonderful mommy gut feeling that I need to get it looked at.

Rewind to December when we met with Dr. Tatum. He stated that Cody's tubes appeared to be out and he possibly has a hole on his ear drum. He did a tampanogram and it was basically flat line so that means the ear drum is not vibrating the sound. He wanted us to watch an infections and keep him in the loop. So I called his office today to see what they suggested. I really don't want to drive to Syracuse for a hearing test but would if we had to. Thankful, that is not needed - we will go to a local audiologist for a hearing test on 3/6. Then we see Dr. Tatum on 3/23 to discuss. My mommy gut is telling me the hole hasn't closed and the tubes are definitely out of place. I foresee another ear tube surgery in our future. Wonder if I'll be right?

On a different note, we are getting ready to go to my brother's at the end of the week. Yeah. I went tonight to get a hair cut. I've been growing it out but I told my hair dresser today that I am sick of standing in the bathroom for close to an hour to curl my hair. I sooooo don't have time for that. She said my hair was at a great length and we could do just about whatever! So we did! It's very short in the back and layered. Longer towards the front. Now let's just see if I can do it myself tomorrow before work. "Can you hear that?"...........it's me throwing my hairspray/blow dryer around my bathroom. Let's hope for the best! :)

I looked like this....

5 years ago today!

I give myself credit for even posting this picture. I don't exactly look "pretty". I noticed now that my smile is so FAKE. Standing up was a complete chore for me. The pressure was un-bearable. Clothes were non-existent. My pj's were my best friend. But this picture was taken exactly 5 years ago today - on a Thursday afternoon. I had told Brett he should take my picture as we were getting close. We had no idea this was my last pregnancy shot and that my water would break in the morning.

Unexpected Expenses

Well today as I was at my desk, I glanced down to my ring finger and noticed that something didn't look right. Sure enough - one of my diamonds was GONE! Thankfully not the big one but rather one of the small marquise on the side. I have no idea when it happened but I am thinking it was very recent as I tend to look at my ring a lot.

So at lunch I went to Kay's to see what can be done. They are sending my ring in for an estimate. All of my prongs were very worn down and the girl said I was lucky I hadn't lost more of them. So am I. So we wait for the estimate to see if they just repair it or if I get a new wrap. (My engagement ring was a solid diamond with a wrap that went around it) If it's cheaper - she did say I could "trade in" my old one and basically they would give me double the trade in merchandise for 1/2 the cost. Example.....give me $500, I could get a $1000 wrap for $500. Or...in January they are having a resetting sale and they could take my diamond and reset into a whole new ring. So we will see what we will do after we hear the estimate.

I hate not having it. My finger feels bare and I am constantly looking at my finger like I lost something. I think my heart skips a beat and then I remember where it is at. Just was not planning on coming up with money to fix it. But don't mess with a girls diamond!

Meet my friend

While at work today I happen to be checking my emails - I know not supposed to be doing this at work - but I was! I got an email from a dear friend. A friend I met for the first time at the conference in Vegas. He spoke for about an hour and I just thought he was fantastic. So did Brett. Just this past July he came back to the conference and we got to "meet" again. This time it was different. He remembered me. I was amazed and shocked. He is a dear dear friend of the cleftAdvocate organization. He tells a story like no other. Your cheeks hurt when he is done talking.

Meet my friend - David Roche.

I'll share something from his website........
" make my living as a performer, speaker and author. The time has come for me to blog. For more info about me, please visit my website. And, oh yes, I have a facial disfigurement. And I am very funny."

The email you may ask.......the email was that David has a blog. You all know how I love to blog. Well now I am so excited that I can read David's blog. I've read his book - he amazing. He is an older gentlemen, like he said that has a facial disfigurement, he is married, he leads a truly fulfilled life, he is my friend, he will rather he realizes it or not teach me how to prepare Cody for the world.

As I read this post of his, I closed my eyes...I was sitting on the chair in the Ballroom at the Tuscany, David was talking....I was laughing - this is what he was telling us: http://davidroche.com/myface/2008/10/at-middle-school-2/#comments

Trying to figure it all out

Well we have a new President. This should prove to be an interesting 4 years and I am very anxious to see what he is going to do for "me" - the middle class citizen. The family that has a child with special needs yet doesn't qualify for a thing because of it. The family that has mountains of medical bills - yet I pay a fortune every week out of my paycheck for health insurance. Folks - this is what I am interested in and what President Obama is going to do for me. Time will tell I guess - but I am not holding my breath. And honestly, I would of been wondering the same thing for McCain. I just hope that our president wasn't chosen because of the color of his skin but for what he can bring to us as a Nation. Again, time will tell!

Phew - now that that is off my chest. The other thing that has me puzzled is Cody. He's been on his pill since Saturday. Takes it every morning with no fuss. Today he said he just swallowed it but I'm not sure. However, I have noticed his mood swings to be interesting. Tonight he had an all out meltdown. I finally just picked him up, his eyes were so red and swollen and glossy, and I just held him until he slept. So not like him. So we will watch this. After talking with Brett tonight he has noticed it to so we'll write this down and keep an eye on it.

I did go back to the pharmacy today. After talking with the pharmacist, he said it was better to get the new script and start Cody on that. So I did. Still makes me very mad though that the office didn't call the script in correctly. Something I did not realize is by law a pharmacy has to fill a script generically unless it is specifically written as a "DAW". One thing for sure - I will double check this from now on. Almost like you have to before you leave the McDonald's drive-thru.

I voted!

Today was a first for me....I voted today. I honestly wasn't going to. I didn't think I was registered. I came home at lunch today so Brett could go and vote and when he got home he said - your name was below mine...you can vote. So I said "you know what - I should". So I did and it felt REALLY good. I didn't think it would feel like anything. So I voted and now am sitting with the rest of the nation to find out who the next president of the United States will be.

Not my mistake

So yesterday as I sat down to the kitchen table to read the drug insert that came with Cody's medication (you know..check it for signs of reaction that I should look out for, that type of thing) I read the drug name: Levothyroxcin 25mcg. Hm....that's weird - that is the generic drug. I read the next line........Name brands for this drug: Synthroid, Levoxyl, and 2 others. What the he!!. They gave us the wrong medication. Not freaking out as it is the right medication - just the generic form. And normally that isn't a problem at all. However, our doctor does not want Cody taking the generic form of this drug. I have been round and round with them.

At first he (the doctor) prescribed us Synthroid. Which was great till I found out it was going to be $40 a month. That was going to hurt. So I asked for the above mentioned generic and he told me in a kid Cody's age - he does not recommend the generic as we can't guarantee everytime we get this filled that we will get the same formulation of the drug. So it could mess with his lab results and possibly make this from a non-lifetime condition to a Lifetime condition. So - he asked if Levoxyl was a tier 1 drug for me - yes it is! So his office called it into the pharmacy and I picked it up. Apparently somebody (either the office or the pharmacy) didn't mention that it needed to be filled "as written". So the pharmacy filled it generic.

I called the doctor's office today and became very annoyed at the run around I got. Don't give me the run around. I know what I am talking about. This whole medical thing isn't a "new" thing to me. Been there - done that. I've even had a doctor ask me if I was a nurse. So don't talk to me like I'm an idiot. This wasn't MY mistake - you need to fix it. Finally after 3 phone calls - we got this straight, WITH THE OFFICE. I still need to go to the pharmacy tomorrow and see what they are going to do for me. At this point we aren't sure if I can get the new script (the right script) filled because I just filled the other one a couple days ago. I will be pointing out that my child is taking a medication that isn't prescribed to him and see where that gets me. I know it's not the complete wrong drug - but it is!

I do have to say though that the doctor called me back every time I have called. I appreciate that. Most offices you talk with his nurse or secretary. But he's the one that talked to me like I was dumb. So we'll see - my patience is short with the medical staff. If I don't keep that "feel good feeling" with an office - we won't stay. Time will tell! I am trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Not sure if it's to early to tell but I have noticed a change in Cody's appetite. He's actually eating food and not just goldfish, chips, etc. And he doesn't appear to be as moody. Like I said - this might be to early to tell exactly. Just starting to see a few different changes.

A thought...

Our paperwork came today for the endo. Wow - a packet, they weren't kidding. Now... I am used to filling out medical paperwork. I have thought about copying it all and just handing it in at every office we have gone to. Even though the information is all the same, the forms are all different. So I just have gotten good at this. This endo paperwork though is something so different. They want details. So I have some writing to do. One part of this paper work though kind of struck a nerve. Because we are dealing with even more stuff that can be genetic (beside from the cleft) it is asking for more family history. So at first thought, no big deal I'll talk with my parents. Done! Then there is the section for father's mom and dad. Not possible as Brett has no idea as to his medical history of his birth parents. Not that it matters a 100% because I feel that it's not all about genetics, we learn so much growing up from our parents and Brett and I have had great role models - but when it does come down to this stuff and with Cody this is something that we think about a lot. (sigh) So that section will remain a big ????? I however, am really anxious for this appointment and it is all weighing very heavily on my mind. I just have no idea what to expect.

Then tonight as we are watching Nick at nite - on comes Home Improvement. I love this show even though it is nothing but re-runs. So I watch it and it's the episode about Randy having hypothyroidism. Just kind of bizarre.

On a baby note for those following......my SIL is 40 weeks tomorrow. Yeah, she's about had it. It's funny when we get pregnant we can't wait to get fat, wear maternity clothes, feel the baby move......then the months drag on and while we still love it all a tiny part of our mind is going "ok, enough is enough".......then by 40 weeks - you've had it! You are now wondering when on earth is this kid coming out, you can't see your feet, you hate your maternity clothes, it hurts to walk, you can't bend over, you are so tired of looking at your bathroom you have re-decorated it a million times in your head and sleep is NOT happening. I think most people will agree! So tomorrow is her appointment and we are really hoping these doctors get things going. We are all so anxious to meet Jack!

A better day

Well after my pity party yesterday and into the night when my brain finally decided to just go to sleep....I woke up feeling much better. Still nervous as to what is to come with Cody. After doing some research and talking with others a lot of what Cody does is making light bulbs go off. I think the hardest part is I am in limbo until Tuesday when I can talk with our pediatrician and that is the hardest part for me. So while I can still say "why us, why Cody" I know that we will get through this too. The best part is I know I have lots of friends and family that will be there to cheer us on! And to them (they know who they are) a big ole thank you!!!!! HUGS....

I am so glad it's Friday. I'll get to see my husband tomorrow. :) He's only got one game tomorrow so what do we plan to do tomorrow evening you ask.....why go to another football game! But at least he doesn't have to ref it and we can all watch together. The boys are anxious and it's homecoming with two big rival schools playing so it should be some good high school football. Tomorrow afternoon is the parade and because we are experiencing an Indian Summer right now - I get to get back out my flip flops and the boys will be on a sugar high from all the candy that will get thrown.

Still waiting for my brother to call us and say "it's time". Kristie will be 39 weeks on Tuesday and we are all patiently awaiting the arrival of Jack. Patiently is the key word - is there such a thing when you are anxious for a baby to arrive!?? I text them today and said I was "up for a drive" but........we must wait.

Oh yah....one thing that helped today - Retail Therapy! I got a new purse for winter and I love it! :)

Things I realized

There are a few things I realized today. I realized that I am so very proud of Cody. Ok, this isn't the first time I have figured this out but he was such a trooper getting his blood taken. Brett and he arrived at the hospital and he came walking down the hall carrying his backpack. I was curious.....he felt the need to bring his turtle, turtwig, dolphin, juice cup, baggie full of gold fish and donuts - all for a few minute trip to get blood taken! How cute is that! They drew the one vial and the guy put a bugs bunny band aid on him. The guy made the comment "he probably doesn't know who that is"....you are so right. Thankfully, they did have Spongebob stickers and he got 6 of them. He was so happy as he didn't have to ask for some for his brothers.

That vial of blood is going to determine our next step. If his TSH level comes back elevated again, I will contact the pediatric endo and set up an initial visit. If the level comes back normal then I will contact Dr. Tatum and see what he suggest our next step is in following through on the adenoids.

Yesterday I realized something else. My little boys aren't so little anymore. We have moved onto different toys. I actually had to go on line last night to look up Dylan's new favorite - Tech Deck. They have a website for this and an online community. Really! In case you have wondered what you do with these little skate boards that are way to small for anybody to stand on - well......your fingers become the "person" and you can do tricks on them with your fingers! So of course I need to figure this out! This is gonna be good. Then I went onto the Bakugan website - I swear they have a website for everything. I finally figured these things out too. The little ball has a magnet in them. In order to "battle" you need to place the magnetized card on the floor and roll your ball to battle. These come with accessories too - a battle ground, shooter and carrying case. Santa, Santa, Santa.......read up!

My last realization came last night. I realized that you can get a head in this world if you know somebody. Last night I read the online newspaper from my hometown area. I came upon a story with the word "smile" in it. I was intrigued so I clicked on it. It was about a little boy that has a cleft lip and palate and how he got his surgery done through Operation Smile. What I know about this organization is that they don't offer "free" surgeries to anybody in the US. They do all of there surgeries for other countries. While I won't say anything bad about that as they do offer great work - I know to many families living and struggling with this diagnosis right here in the US. So I choose to stay home on this issue. The family got to this organization because the mom's father works for a company and the owner of that company knows the CEO/Founder of Operation Smile. That is neither here nor there. Very happy the family/little boy is getting good care and it's not costing them a penny. However, at the end of the article they give Operation Smiles website and fundraising plea. What I know is that it is so misleading. If the family - two towns over read the story - and then a week later had a baby with a cleft and they lived in the US - Operation Smile is not going to offer them free services. I once contacted them about an Amish family and I got the "thank you for thinking of us, we can't help you, maybe these people could" response back. So......I know I am getting off on a tangent here BUT I guess this article just shows you can't believe everything you read. This family got free surgeries and travel cost because somebody knew somebody. NOT because this organization does this for families in the US.

I did however, contact the editor of the paper and ask to be put in touch with the writer with hopes of coming into contact with the family. I would like them to join Lucky Smiles and become a part of our NY family. Regardless of where/how they receive care, they are walking the same road as I am and so many other families and we are here to support them.

Pumpkin Farm

Today we took the kids to the pumpkin farm. We had talked about it during the week but wasn't sure as we had some rain early this week and we weren't sure what the weather was going to be like. Today turned out to be a great fall day. A little cool but the sun was out and it was dry. You have to take advantage of these days. So Tanya called this afternoon and we said "let's go". We have a couple pumpkin patches close by but went to the "little" one and the kids had fun.
It's great when they cooperate for just a couple of seconds so we can get a picture!

As we all searched for the "BIG" pumpkin the boys found what they were looking for. I think they got some good carving ones.

Then it was onto the fun stuff. The bounce houses, playground and food. They wanted to do a tractor ride but I had to draw the line someplace. These fun days can turn out to be a $50 trip. So instead after we were done, we went back up to Tanya's and Uncle Shaun took them on a "hayride" of his own. I think they enjoyed it just as much.

Today was also Grandma Marilyn's birthday. The boys have been playing "let's go to grandma's house". They miss them and since we haven't seen them since August I guess playing this is rightfully so. Maybe Grandma will have to do a trip out soon. They called tonight to wish her a happy birthday.

Yesterday I got a much need haircut. I think Tanya was 2 cuts up on me. Just haven't worked it into my schedule. So I went and instead of cutting it, we decided it's time for a change. (Maybe a little inspiration from Tash too getting hers, thanks!). I have a lot of short pieces as I once spiked it, but it will grow and I plan to grow the layers out. I've gotten a lot of compliments so far, today was the first I did it and I think it looked ok. So......this will be a work in progress over the next several months. We'll see. The last drastic style change came when I found out I was pregnant for twins. Over 5 years ago. So time for a change.

Making someone else laugh

So yesterday my sister sends me a link for our local radio station as they are hosting a contest. Normally I don't even try because my last name normally doesn't bring me what I need. LUCK! But this contest was a 'Back to School - Back to Sanity' contest. Where you have to write about a horrifying experience with you kids this summer. Tanya suggested I tell the time of when I took the boys Father's Day shopping - they all had to pee and poop and then somebody stole our cart. If you want to read the whole story - I posted that in June!!! Anyway, I wrote the letter and sent it in. This morning on the radio they read my story. I didn't hear it but one of the guys I work with asked me the minute I got to work if I had recently sent my story to them. He remembered my complaining I did at work the day after it happened. So it doesn't mean that I win. The host (Louie G. & Tanya) will pick their top 3 and then post them on the Internet for the listeners to vote on. If you win - you win 2 tickets to the spa!!!!

Oh my heck - that would be fantastic. I could sooooooooooooooo use a day at the spa. Especially because I do this mommy thing every night all by myself. I don't know how those single mom's do it. At times I feel like one because Brett and I aren't home at the same time. And well let's just face it - as much as I love my husband, he doesn't do anything unless he is told to do it.

So wish me luck! If I get picked in the top 3 I will be sure to let you know so I can get some votes.

We are heading back home tomorrow for Kristie's baby shower. Can't believe she is 30 weeks pregnant all ready. This is flying by. She is doing fantastic and little Jack is getting bigger every day. I can't wait to see her belly in person. She went for her visit yesterday and is measuring 2 weeks ahead of schedule. So only time will tell. It's also going to be a nice weekend and the boys are hoping for some pool time at Grandma's.

You know what I hate....

I hate when you call a doctor's office 3 weeks ago and they still haven't called me back. I don't have many patients especially for this. I had called our dentist the Thursday before we left for Vegas. Made sure they received the copy of the x-rays from Syracuse and asked to be called back. That didn't happen, then we were gone the week in Vegas. I called last Tuesday and left another message and still they haven't called me back. I really hate that. So I must call again tomorrow. It's not that the decision will be made right away but I have a feeling we are going to have to take him to another doctor for another opinion and getting into that office might be harder.

I also am not fans for bosses who tell you one thing and do another. Enough said! I think that statement can hit home for just about anybody.