Happy Easter

My Dad, the boys and I at Easter Breakfast....

Tyler's cool new sunglasses

Dylan got some awesome Monster Jam swim shorts....he LOVED them!!!

Cody was in Bakugan heaven!!! New battle gear, new volume 6 DVD, and new jammies....

All the kids lined up for the egg hunt...(well except Dylan as he took a spill in the yard and had a bummed knee...and maybe a little embarrassment going on too...but grandma got him some eggs....) Finally...we had a Easter that was nice weather. I remember last year having an egg hunt outside and the kids did it so fast cause it was freezing out. Mother nature was good to us and we had warm weather!

This Easter we were in Cuba. The Bunny didn't forget where we were and 3 little boys were so happy for that. It was fun for them to search for their baskets in a different house. Although I think the Bunny could of hid them harder. ;) Saturday morning the boys had us up and out of the house. I had a baby shower to go to and Brett and the boys stayed behind. Baby Shower was for a little girl....I loved all the pink....but only enough to want "pink" for a minute and then I quickly reminded myself how much "blue" I have at home and that's all I can handle. :) After the shower, we went to Aunt Joyce's for an egg hunt, good food, and lots of laughs. It was our first egg hunt with all of them and the boys had a lot of fun and I think the girls did a great job!

Sunday morning the boys were up and ready to find those baskets. Once they find them...which took about 2 seconds....they tore into them. That bunny is so smart and got them lots of stuff they can use this summer in Virginia. After baskets, we met my Dad at Sprague's for breakfast. I love breakfast! It was nice to visit with him. Darn hormones...they certainly got the best of me. But I'll blog about emotions some other time. We had a wonderful Easter dinner at Grandma Holden's. The boys had so much fun playing with the kids and of course more laughs.

Such a fun, fun weekend with family!

Catching up from the weekend....

This past weekend seem to be a busy one. However, I am finding that most all of our weekends are busy. Friday night we got to celebrate with my sister as she turned another year older. We had a great fish dinner/yummy cake and presents. 41 doesn't look bad on her at all! :) (She'll be so happy I shared that)

Saturday we woke up to a decent day and promised the kids an egg hunt. We've gone to this hunt just about every year and it's a lot of fun. Although, this year Karly was too old to participate she still managed to "help" her cousins and get a couple eggs for herself. They separated the kids by age group and even though Connor and Tyler weren't supposed to be together - Connor came over and hunted with his buddy! Heck, looking at the two of them you would have no idea who is older and who is younger. My kids were cursed with the short stick!

After the hunt, we headed to the mall for our yearly photo with the bunny. If I hadn't have started this tradition with them when they were babies we wouldn't have done it. $9.00 is the going rate for a picture with the bunny and it's crazy! He's more than Santa. AND that's just for 1 picture. But I guess my boys will soon enough grow out of this so we do it and I love to line the pictures up on my shelf to see them grow every year.

We are heading to Cuba for the Easter holiday. Looking forward to a baby shower I get to go to and a yummy dinner and just good/fun company. The weather is looking wonderful so that will certainly help and allow the boys to get outside and be boys, get dirty, go to the barn...oh who am I kidding.......I won't like the "getting dirty" part....that requires more work for me!

....bully...update!

Thanks to all of those that read and commented on my previous blog post. (I don't mean for all of my blog writings to come over to facebook but somehow I turned that feature on and can't figure out how to turn it off). However, since it does it also has allowed me to get great feed back from other's that have walked these shoes. And if you don't know me....that means a lot to me.

Anyway, I talked to Cody's teacher this morning when I dropped them off at school. She agreed with me and my request but said that her hands were some what tied as the student who did it was not in her class. Last night as I was going through Cody's bag I found that he had a nurses note so I felt that if the teachers knew, the nurse knew...the principal should know. Punching is a pretty big deal. He (the principal) agreed with me! He was not happy. He was concerned as to where the 4 aids were that are outside with the Kindergartners. He asked for the story and who the child was. I shared what I knew and he promised me he would get to the bottom of it. He felt that a good punishment would be to take away recess time. I agreed. It happened on the playground - so take the playground away. That is what happened. I am hoping the parents were notified and I really hope that the little boy understands that you can't punch somebody else.

Cody seems fine today. He didn't give me a fuss about going to school this morning. I honestly think that Dylan is more ticked off about it. As I was putting Dylan to bed tonight, he told me that he asked "boy J" why he punched his brother and the kid didn't answer. :) Dylan is a very big protector of his brothers. He might want to smack them around but don't let anybody else. :) That my friends, it just what it means to be brother's!

Kindergarten Bullying......."really?!?!"

I probably shouldn't write/act/talk about it as it all happened today and I'm pretty upset by it all. Who knows...maybe over reacting a little. However, it's my child and if I didn't, what type of parent would that make me. Honestly, I think my little boys are lucky that I have their back! :)

The morning started out good. Although I am still trying to catch up on that hour of sleep that seems to be kicking my butt every morning but whatever.... We were running 10 minutes behind. The boys were eating quickly and as they started to get dressed, Cody tells my mom and I that his head hurts. OK. So I gave him some tylenol and out the door we went. Got to school, dropped them off and he just looked a little out of it when he got out of the car. So, I got to work and decided to email his teacher to let her know. The day went on and I didn't hear from her or the school so I assumed the headache was gone and he had a fine day. It wasn't long before I was due to leave and go for my daily drive to pick them all up from school that the teacher wrote me back. Said he was fine all day .... but..... there was an incident on the playground today. As I read what was next my blood started to boil. Cody was on the playground and a boy "showed him his fist and then punched him in the stomach". Wow! Are you kidding me!

I left work to go pick them up and called my sister. I was angry but of course did not know the story. She suggested that maybe I don't speak of it first and see if they tell me. Good idea. I did just that. They got about 2 steps out of the school and Dylan spills it. So I talked to them a bit. Cody was on the playground playing with 2 friends "G" and "A". Girl "A" is not in his class. Then next comes over two boys. (one of them a few weeks ago pushed Cody).....the other boy "J" showed Cody his fist and then punched him in the stomach. All because Cody was playing with Girl "A". The teacher told me "J" apologized but Cody says not. Maybe the kid just apologized to the teacher/Cody - who knows and honestly I don't care!

I haven't spoken with his teacher but wrote her back. I will see her tomorrow at school. I am requesting the principal be notified and I am hoping something goes home to the parents. This boy isn't in either of Cody or Dylan's class. Is this a form of bullying....to me it is! You don't punch a kid because he is playing with somebody you don't want him too. And yes, I am very sensitive when it comes to Cody. I am only guessing I will be this way if it's the other 2 as well. I do know that Cody has enough fears and anxiety that I have to deal with - that are medically related. I am NOT adding school to the list....IN KINDERGARTEN! I have no tolerance for a bully. Yah, kids can be kids...I get that...but darn it - you don't let kids punch another kid. I don't let his brother's do it. And they are brother's - they fight! I've also asked what is the schools policy on bullies and what does the school do to prevent them. Yah, this kid just punched him, but in 3 more years when he's 9-10 years old...but is he doing. Perfecting the punch. So yah, for now...this child has hit the wrong kid. I'm not going to be quiet. I only hope that if my child did it to somebody else - the school and other parent would be just as upset.

A Busy Weekend

We had such a busy yet wonderful weekend. Woke up to the sun shinning and temps that reached into the 50's. It was still cool outside but that sun felt so great. So we all put on our "green" and headed out to the St. Patrick's Day parade. The streets were packed. By the time the parade finally reached us there was no longer standing room. Heck, people were standing in the road. The motorcycle cops kept driving up and down the street pushing people back. At times you wondered how the firetrucks made their way down. AND seriously...why on earth do people bring their dogs to a parade? Do dogs enjoy parades? Cause the dogs I saw acted as if they could just break away from their owners (who were doing everything in their power to control them) they would have a great snack eating another dog. So many people and you have to worry and look everytime a dog barks. It wasn't just a little "bark"...it was a mean "bark"....UGH! Anyway, we saw lots and lots of bagpipers. I absolutely love the sound of them. The boys got lots of candy! We saw lots of police departments (and everytime they saw a K9 until, they would mention that it looked like Tacko), lots and lots of firetrucks and so much more. We stayed for 2 1/2 hours and then left and it wasn't over but my parade go-ers were done! :)On Sunday, I left behind the boys for the day. They were busy playing their new Wii game. Mario & Sonic at the Olympics. If you have Wii, I recommend it. The boys love it! Karly had her first cheerleading competition. It was so fun to see her cheer through out the year. She picked it up quick and had such great enthusiasm about it. The girls had practiced a lot on their dance I couldn't wait. Not to mention it brought back a lot of memories from my cheering days. Actually, as I was sitting in the stands looking across the court at all the cheerleaders I realized that this was my first competition that I wasn't cheering. Only cheering that day were girls in Pee-Wee and in Grammar (which is 6-8th grade).....and I must say, these "grammar" squads did awesome and you would have never known they weren't in high school. The level of cheering out here is so much different than what I grew up doing/or around. The pee-wee girls didn't place..but rather it was for experience. The grammar girls competed and St. Anthony's grammar girls won first. So the pee-wee girls LOVED that! Karly did fantastic and made me so proud. She has done this stuff before being in dance but I think she enjoyed taking all the "cheer stuff" in too. She had attitude, she had her steps down, her pretty little smile.....she's not my daughter but she made this Auntie super proud! I can't wait to follow her through her cheering days. And I think my sister learned a lesson...never trust a man to do a women's job! :)

Ortho Visit - 8 months

It all started a couple of nights ago. I noticed that Cody's top wire had moved and that all the bonding was gone. The wire was in front of his top tooth. I asked if it bothered him and he said no so I decided to watch it as we were due for our checkup in a couple of weeks. Well yesterday after school he complained all day that it hurt. I looked at it last night and didn't think we could make it to our next appointment. I tried to push it back behind his tooth but could not get it to stay. He said it hurt and I noticed that is was poking his lip. I called our ortho office this morning and they got us right in.

I talked to Cody about it last night. After he finally settled down and let me explain things he said he understood why he had to go. He knows that when the wire gets moved it hurts and honestly who wants to have pain. So once I picked him up from school today *early* he was so upset he had to go. We came home to pick up our goodies and he just sat on Brett's lap and cried. All the way to Syracuse he would pipe up and say "mommy, if I let you move the wire, will you turn the car around". Finally we made it and he cried like I've never seen before when we reached the parking lot. The "mushy" mommy wanted to sit in the back of the car with him and cry too. Just cry to get it out..cry to say damn it this isn't fair...cry because I hate to see him cry or in pain ...cry because at times I HATE this road we are on. However, the "mommy in the armor suit" showed up and I let him cry for a few minutes but then I told him that I wasn't turning the car around and we weren't leaving the parking lot without going to see Dr. D. So he got on his coat and we went inside.

He really wanted to play but after we visited the bathroom and brushed his teeth, they were ready for us. This time he picked a stuffed animal from the arch and in the room he went to watch Nick. By the time Dr. D came in he was calm and he did FANTASTIC! I was so proud of him. Dr. D cleared away some old bonding and re-positioned the wire. He said that his upper tooth is sloped on the back and that I wasn't going to be able to just pop the wire behind the tooth. (That made me feel good that we didn't do the drive for something I could of done at home) He said his top two teeth are loose but no idea when they will be ready for the tooth fairy. As he was working he had Cody bite down and he said to the tech "appliance is doing it's job but isn't going to finish it".........OK.......I let that go and let him continue to work. When he was done - I pounced! :) I asked him what he meant and he said that the appliance we have in now is moving teeth and widening the front but won't complete the job. When Cody's top 6 year molars come in he will change the appliance to the type where we will turn a key every night and he will hook the head gear to it to bring his jaw forward. Right now though Cody is just getting his first bottom molar so not sure on when the change will happen.

I was really really hoping we wouldn't have to do the jaw part of this...or have to wear the head gear. I have no idea about that and will be doing my part to hook up with parents who have "been there/done that" as that is the best way to learn. (So if you are one of them reading this - we need to talk! :) ) I think about Cody's anxiety issues and can't imagine what the next step will be like for him. Just hoping that with time and age he will be able to understand more. Of course I won't talk to him about the next step until it's time and we have dates in mind but that doesn't mean I won't be thinking about it. I need to prepare myself first. It just hit me hard tonight. Maybe it's because we have "family" that I think truly believes that once Cody turned 1 and had his palate fixed that all of his issues went "bye,bye".....they truly suck at giving support. Thankfully it's a small part and can be over looked. So yah, I had a pity party tonight. All I can say is that yes, what we have happening in our life might not be the "worst case out there" and there is always somebody "worst"...but darn it - this is the worst for "our" family. This is what we know. This is what I know and I know I have to keep it together and keep it strong to get Cody through it all. So I will blog, I will cry to those that lend me an ear, I will hug my mom as she cries too, I will talk to my sister and get my strength back, I will sit with Brett's arms around me and know that we will get through this and Cody is going to do just fine!

Here is his bite 8 months into the palate expander.....

I am "way" behind....

Wow - it's been just over a month that I last blogged. You would think that nothing has happened in that time. Yet.....so much has happened. I think I got caught up in facebook and didn't post as much as I would of liked to on the blog. So I am searching my memory bank of what we did and the first thing that comes to mind is our birthday present to Dylan. We had gotten him tickets to see a real live Monster Jam show! We saw Grave Digger, El Toro Loco and a few other drivers. This time the show was on dirt and that made it even better. The smiles on the boys faces were priceless and something I'll always remember. Cody didn't come with us, he stayed with grandma. The noise is to much for him.

We've had some snow days finally. Last week we got about 2 feet of snow and it was fun. Brett was home from work, we had family fun out in the white stuff even if it was to shovel out our cars. However, I did reach a breaking point. I went out to shovel and had to start the minute I opened the door. The snow was heavy! I got to the steps finally and realized it was going to take me all day to do this. So I did what any logical person would do - found the nearest kid with a snowblower and paid him to come do the driveway and sidewalk. Yep, that was so much better! :) Sometimes it's just worth it to spend the money.

I am promising to myself to do a better job starting in March. I enjoy writing down what we are doing...it's fun to look back on. Life can be so crazy and weeks run into weeks. So to write it down and read it back later is so nice. Cody has another ortho visit in a couple weeks but I'm not thinking we are making that. His appliance appears to have moved, the wire is in front of his teeth and it's hurting him. So I need to make the call tomorrow and we will need to be seen next week if they can't do it this week. I've tried to bend it back but his teeth are so small, I can't get it to stay. Not to mention he is freaking out when I move it! Karly has her cheering competition this weekend. I can not wait to see their routine complete. Dylan and Tyler are doing great. We've had no more issues with Tyler's hand. Thank goodness! We are going to the St. Patty's day parade this weekend. I love the sound of the bagpipers! Even though we aren't Irish - with the last name of Luckey - how can you not get excited about this holiday! :)