That Girl, That Girl, That Girl

I think I could really just have a blog dedicated solely to Samara.  That Girl...
Tonight, I was standing on the front porch talking to a lady and her daughter. The conversation lasted maybe 3 minutes. Samara was supposed to be upstairs getting ready to take her shower.  She came to the front door butt-naked and of course, I wouldn't let her come out. Within a minute of that encounter, I was back inside ready for her shower.  She was nowhere to be found. She wasn't upstairs or downstairs.  Where could a little, naked girl go in the span of 1 minute?!?

The little stinker had unlocked the 2 back doors (the one to the mudroom and the door from the mudroom to outside).  I saw her little head from the living room windows.  I sprinted outside to snatch her up, extreme relief for finding her, mortified that she wasn't clothed.  Oh, and to top it off, she had hit her lip on a toy and it had bled quite a bit so she had blood up and down her arm from rubbing her lip against it.  So thankful that no one decided to drive by at that moment.

Which brings me to ask...what are we going to do with That Girl????

Treasure Map

It's Isaiah's newest infatuation.  A Treasure Map.  It all started with a Highlight's magazine.  There was a game in it that Isaiah said was a Treasure Map. He tore the bi-fold page out and has been carrying it around for a few weeks.  He even drew an "X" on it; EVERYONE in this house knows about the Map!  A Treasure Map is very serious business, you know.

Well, if 1 Treasure Map is great, then making Maps for all of the Dinkelberries would be even better.  And so Isaiah has made each of us a Map that contains squiggly lines and an "X" at the bottom.  A few days ago he began to roll the homemade maps up and use it as a telescope as well.

Darling imagination...

Can't Resist

I get the biggest kick out of Malachi.  He is now old enough to shower by himself.  He turns the water on, washes up, and dries off without me being in the room.  I think he enjoys showers just as much as I do.  But while he's in the shower, I can't help but to bust up laughing.  He LOVES to sing made-up songs.  And not just sing, but belt it out.  This can go on for several minutes. I remember doing this when I was around his age...Like Mother Like Son.

And So It Begins Again

I thought I would update you all on James' pursuit of med school.  This summer he decided to challenge himself and took a grad level Genetics class through (eww!) K-State.  After many hours of studying and preparation, he earned his "A"!  He also decided to apply to several schools; not just ones in Kansas.  So far, he has heard back from 2 of the schools and they have requested an interview with him.

The first interview is this next Thursday (Sept 1st) at Des Moines University, in, you guessed it, Des Moines, Iowa.  James' "Doctor Friend" attended this school and it sounds like the school has some amazing hands-on, state of the art labs that really equip the students.  Now the thought of moving to Iowa doesn't necessarily excite me. It would still be around a 3 hour drive to see my family, but it would be an additional 4 hours to see James' family.

The second interview is Tuesday, Sept. 27th.  This school is located in a suburb of Chicago.  When James first applied to this school, he thought it was a long-shot to get in because it is one of the top DO schools.  He was pretty surprised when they wanted to interview him, but felt honored to be chosen.  I'm not too familiar with the city so it is kind of scary to think that we may move there.  It is the 3rd largest city in the US.  (If it was NYC, though, I would have no problem...I love that city! So maybe I could learn to love this city as well.)   He just booked his flight tonight so we shall see what happens.

A few people have commented about our exciting life...it does seem that our lives don't stay stagnant for very long.  But, I guess that's the way we roll ;-)

Updates to follow...

Drop-Off

Each morning the gang unloads at Malachi's school and walks him to his class.  I never mentioned to him that after awhile he could walk in by himself. I just thought I would do it as long as he would let me.  Well...it didn't last long.  This past weekend Malachi informed James and I that we can pull up to the school and he could walk in without us.  I pleaded with him that I wanted to escort him just a little longer; I knew he could do it by himself, but that I enjoyed walking him in.  He gave me 3 more days of doing it.

Well, my 3 days are up and this morning, I drove up and he unbuckled himself, opened the door and walked by himself.  He met up with a friend from his class and they both ran to the front door and then he disappeared into the building.  I was left to just drive away.

But in the afternoon, I still park the vehicle and Isaiah, Samara, and I walk up to get him.  It's nice to chit chat with his teacher for a minute and still feel like I have a presence at school, too.  When we got ready to leave today, I asked him what he did.  He said that he "hung out with the guys".  Uh, "the guys"?  I dropped him off at Kindergarten not college, right?!?  He also mentioned that he made a new friend and there's a girl in his class that isn't his "girlfriend", but a "girl who is a friend".  Not too long ago, he would never make the distinction, but he is now of the mindset that having girlfriends or kissing is just gross.  That's a good boy, I have this written down so in a few years we can come back to this point ;-)

Isaiah is already plotting that next year, when he's at school, I won't need to walk him in either.  Not so fast there, kiddo!  It's mandatory that I walk you in at least the first week...so there!!!

5K Anyone?

So for about the past 10 years I haven't ran.  In high school, I ran cross-country and long distance track.  My first two years of college I ran for the fun of it.  But, I've gotten lazy.  Well, not necessarily lazy, but I've had other work-outs such as the mad dash to keep a baby from falling, or aerobic stair climbing while a kiddo learns how to climb them.  You know, not exercise, but "Mommy-cise". 

A close friend from my previous job started running about 6 months ago and I've been amazed at her progress and started to feel the urge to begin running again.  I mean I use to love to run so why not start again? It would mean some sacrifice, but to get back in shape would be wonderful.  Last night my friend emailed me asking if I would join her team for the Susan B Komen Race for the Cure 5K on Sept 24th.  This is my motivation that I needed to get started!  Cancer has greatly impacted my life...both family members and friends I have known have dealt with this disease and so it is my honor and privilege to run/jog/walk/whatever-shape-I-am-in-then in their name.

My journey to fitness once again begins now... 

Rock Chalk Go K-State!

My poor Isaiah is so torn between cheering for "Daddy's" team and staying true to his Mama.   This past week I have endured relentless teasing from the boys about how yucky KU is and how awesome the Wildcats are.  After taking Malachi to school this morning, we ran a few errands. It was such a glorious morning so we rode with our windows rolled down.  Isaiah saw a K-State vanity plate on a car and shouted at the top of his lungs (which is quite loud), "Rock Chalk Go K-State!!!" Who knows how many people heard him!
I explained to him that he can't have it both ways...saying "Rock Chalk" is so much fun to say, but he can only say it if he says "Jayhawk" at the end. Hopefully, he'll quickly recognize just how blah K-State is and will completely convert to my side...hehehe.

(and for certain Brother-in-law/Uncle (um Matt) and James who will probably post comments trying to sway my opinion of K-State....forget about it ;-) )

Busy Sunday

Whew!  We've had us a day.  We started out by having "Promotion Sunday" at church for the kiddos.  Samara graduated from the nursery to her preschool class...<sniff, sniff, tear, tear>.  After 5 years of a "Dinkelberry" being in the nursery, it is no more.  She moved into the class Isaiah was in, Isaiah moved to the class Malachi was in, and Malachi moved to the Kindergarten class.  This has definitely been a week of milestones at our house!

The sermon was preached by a guy I went to high school with.  Actually, his dad was the pastor at my church in KC and now he's the pastor at our church here...I love that I have known them for over 15 years and are able to be connected to their family.  After church, there was a lunch in the son's honor so we stayed around for that. 

We were only home for a little less than an hour and then headed back up to church.  Our Sunday school class is moving rooms and the walls in the new room were an atrocious yellow color.  So we had a painting party!  The guys painted while most of the girls were in the nursery caring for all the kiddos.  Our kiddos should definitely be exhausted.  Between playing in the nursery, running in the gym, and going up and down the stairs, they should have expended all of their energy! We ended the evening by eating pizza and chit-chatting.  It was nice to hang out with the group while completing the project.

Ahh, and so the weekend has come to an end.  Another school week is upon us.  I pray that it will be as great as last week was... 

The TP Goddess Strikes Again

Yesterday afternoon Samara went potty upstairs.  After a few minutes, I checked on her to see if she was ok.  I was not prepared for what I found.  She had stuffed the toilet again with almost a whole "double-roll" of toilet paper!  The last thing I wanted to do was to stick my hand in the toilet and retrieve the huge pile of TP.  I sucked it up and got busy.  To my surprise, she had also tossed her Cinderella panties in the toilet, too.  When I pulled out most of the TP, I flushed the remaining pieces.  But they didn't go down; instead the toilet clogged up even more.  I pulled out more TP, but again, no successful flushes!  Last night James attempted to use the plunger to get the toilet working, but to no avail. 

So for the last 24 hours, we've been down to 1 toilet.  This afternoon James had to disassemble the entire toilet, and "snake" it out in an attempt to dislodge whatever Little Missy had stuck in there (he wasn't able to find anything except TP.)  It took a few hours, but we now have a functioning 2nd toilet.  Thank you, James!!!

Now a plea to our precious, mischievous daughter...PLEASE, I beg of you to please not use the entire roll of TP while going potty!  Thanks....Love, Mommy 

Happy Morning

After dropping Malachi off at school, Isaiah, Samara, and I went to a friend's house where a group of mommies and kiddos were having a potluck breakfast.  It was wonderful to hang out with the girls while our kiddos played nicely together.  And let's not forget ALL of the yummy food =)

My kiddos are finally at an age where I feel like I don't need to be checking on them every 2 seconds to make sure they aren't into everything (well, Samara still needs checked on periodically, but it's not like that of a younger toddler).  This means more chatting time for me!  I have to say that besides being around my kiddos way more during the day, having play dates is one of the best perks of staying home.  When I worked, I rarely got together with my friends and their kiddos because weekends were already crazy-busy.  But now we get to hang out during the day without interrupting "family time".

It was interesting to watch Samara.  She was very quiet and even a little shy around the other kiddos (you mean she isn't always loud and outgoing?!?).  Mostly she just wanted to play with a pair of horses all by herself.  But when another mommy told her son that they were going to go see his "Grammie", Samara popped right up and went over to her jumping up and down while loudly talking about seeing her beloved Grammie.  It was quite the contrast of how she was the rest of the morning!

It's awesome to be able to have a group of friends who have kiddos around the same age as ours and be able to just "hang out" on a Friday morning.  Perfect way to end this week!

Level Red

When picking Malachi up from school, he immediately told me, in a very serious tone, that a girl in his class reached a "Level Red" today (that means she was in serious trouble for not listening/obeying).  I asked him if he was ever going to have a "Level Red" day.  He quickly shook his head and stated, "No, Mommy, because you have everything taken away from you. And the girl started to cry so it's not good to get a Level Red."   Here's to hoping that he keeps this in the back of his mind when he is having a hard time making good choices!

And So It Begins...

Today started our family's journey through the "school years."  We've had 5 1/2 years to prepare for this day, but nothing can truly prepare you for the broad range of emotions.  I'm thrilled for all the possibilities that await him, but sad that he is growing up way too quickly.  Here is a picture of the night we brought him home from the hospital...doesn't seem that long ago...

When I woke him up this morning, he immediately said, "I'm tired." Pretty sure this won't be the only time I hear those words uttered in the early morning hours.  But he quickly got up, ate, brushed his teeth, got dressed and anxiously waited for the rest of us to follow suit.  It was endearing to observe Isaiah.  He fussed over Malachi to make sure he had everything he needed.  He even laid out Malachi's new shoes for him.  Isaiah was just so excited for Malachi; not once did he complain that he didn't get to go to school.

The school is a little over a mile from our house so the 5 of us drove there.  Each kiddo got to take turns pushing the cross-walk button so that we could cross the street.  We stopped at the front door to take the traditional "first day" pictures.

Then we all walked Malachi to his classroom.  Mrs. O greeted us and we were able to get a picture of her with Malachi by his seat.

 When it was time to say good-bye, Samara whined and moaned that she wanted and needed "my Malachi".  She did not want to leave her buddy behind.  While I buckled her up in the car, she looked longingly at Malachi's empty booster seat and dramatically asked, "Why you kick Malachi out?"  Oh sister-friend you are too cute.

From time to time throughout the day, I teared up at the thought of our first born being at school.  But overall, I think I did ok.  I knew that he was in good hands and hoped he was applying all of the lessons we have tried to teach him regarding good choices, listening, and being a good friend.

We were all eager to pick him up from school.  Mrs. O brought all the students out and had them stand in line while she looked for each of their parents so that no little kiddo wandered away.  I was really pleased that they didn't just have all the students rush out at the same time.  When it was Malachi's turn to be dismissed, Isaiah grabbed him and gave him a hug and whispered something in his ear (I'm sure it had something to do with the game "Minecraft")  I asked Malachi how school was.  He replied, "Great" and that "everything" was his favorite.  He told us they had 3 recess times, they painted, sang songs, but they didn't learn how to read yet.  I told him that he would probably learn how to read around the time of his birthday.  So hopefully he won't expect it to happen so quickly.

In his backpack, he has a daily green folder that comes home with him.  For each day, there will be a color filled in so that we know how Malachi acted; they refer to it as a stoplight.  Green=he had a great day and listened well.  Yellow=he had some problems with listening.  Red=he had a very difficult day with listening and obeying.  Today, I am proud to report he had a Green Light!

Nightly we will have to record which books we read to him (it needs to be at least 15 minutes of reading a night).  James and I are both looking forward to the night where he will read to us!  We have to sign off that we read and return it in his daily green folder.  It's nice to be able to have daily communication with the teacher.

I expected him to come home exhausted, but for most of the night, he was pretty hyper.  I made a favorite meal of his: BBQ Chicken and Biscuit Bake.  He ate three servings and a peach.  (that was after a big lunch of a PB&honey sandwich, grapes, vanilla wafers, and chips).  Heaven help us if this "schooling" creates an even bigger appetite!!!

After dinner, it was shower time and then the kiddos and George and I huddled in the boys' room and did our evening reading.  We read the 2 new books Grammie and Papa mailed...Green Eggs and Ham and Fred and Ted's Road Trip.  Oh how he loved them =)

By 8:00pm, he was tucked in and I haven't heard a sound come out of their room.  I'm sure he's sleeping good tonight! 

This and That

Today was Malachi's last day of being home with us.  They were worn out from the BBQ so they slept in.  We had a leisurely morning of playing and just hanging out.  Tonight James took him to the school's ice cream social.  He was able to meet fellow classmates (one of the boys in his class is actually a friend from daycare!)  When he came home, he opened up a package that came in the mail today from Grammie and Papa.  It was 2 Dr. Seuss books he does not have in his collection.  He desperately wanted to bring them to school, but I told him that they needed to stay home unless there was a show-'n'-tell day that he wanted to take them to.  When it was time for the bedtime Bible story, he told James that after he goes to school tomorrow he'll be able to read the stories to us.  High expectations there, kiddo!

He had a homework assignment to bring with him for the first day.  Last week his teacher brought over a red Solo cup.  He needed to fill it with things that represented him, his interests, characteristics, etc.  We printed off a picture with all 3 kiddos in it to show that he is a big brother. Malachi also picked a screen shot from the game "Minecraft" so he can show the students what he created in the game.  He is bringing a blue crayon to represent his favorite color and that he enjoys coloring.  He also wanted to bring his Transformer because he loves the cartoon and the toy.  I think he's pretty proud of his assignment.

And what day would be complete without some antics from Samara?!?  Tonight she was stalling going to bed.  She came out from her room and said she needed to go potty.  After a few minutes, I went in to check on her.  Low and behold she had put an almost new roll of TP in the toilet.  A huge pile of white, fluffy paper filled the entire toilet bowl. When asked why she did it, she said she made us a cake.  How touching and utterly disgusting!  What are we going to do with her, I ask!!!!

Uh, Yeah I Did That

So tonight I was going to cut the grass.  I'm pretty sure we haven't needed to cut it more than 5 times this summer because of the severe drought we are in.  But alas it needed to be done. James and the kiddos headed off to a BBQ and I stayed home to cut the grass.  We've been busy and I knew we wouldn't be able to get to it for at least 3 more days so I stayed behind.

After they left, I went in search of some shorts to wear.  Now I'm not a "shorts person".  I normally wear them when it's super-duper hot outside or when I'm cutting the grass.  Thus I don't own many pairs of shorts.  Tonight I couldn't find a single pair, though.  I searched high and low...nowhere.  It was too hot to wear yoga pants and I HAD to cut the grass!

So I did the unimaginable.  I wore a pair of the boys' shorts.  They were nylon basketball shorts that were still a little big around Malachi's waist.  Of course, they hang loosely around his legs.  But for me, they looked more like biker's shorts.  You know...tight.  I wore a KU T-shirt and hoped that it would cover enough of the shorts so those passing by wouldn't stop to take a second look.

I'm happy that James wasn't around to take a picture and I pray that I won't appear on YouTube by someone taking a video of that "lady with the crazy shorts cutting the grass."   At least the grass got cut, right?!? 

Candy Land

While playing Candy Land this morning, Samara decided that her "Yellow" person needed to take a potty break.  She made her go all around the board all the while saying, "I need to go potty, I need to go potty!"  Finally, the "Yellow" person did her business and was able to continue the game.

Fun Friday

Since it was the last Friday before school starts, I wanted to have a fun day planned for my Malachi (and the other kiddos, too!)  We started off the morning by going to the doctor for Malachi's school physical.  He is 70th percentile for weight and 96th percentile for height.  The doctor summed it up, "He's a tall boy".  Yes, we knew that part!  Last year, we went ahead and had him get his "Kindergarten shots" so the only thing he got was the FluMist which is a nasal spray instead of a Flu shot.  He's good to go!

Following that, we went to a friend's house for a play date.  They have 2 boys who are around the same age as our boys so that works out great.  They have a son who is younger than Samara, but they all get along great.  We ate lunch there and then around noon, we came home to let George out to go potty. 

At 2pm, we went up to Malachi's school and met his teacher.  Malachi couldn't remember who she was and she was nice enough to let him see his classroom to help ease his fears.  Her name is "Mrs. O."  The boys immediately eyed the Mac laptops in the room and she immediately got on educational games.  They played that while Mrs. O and I caught up on what's going on in our lives.  Samara tried to find everything she wasn't supposed to play with instead of toys she could play with.  The principal came in for a minute and so I was able to meet him (and also get encouraged to join the PTA...knew that one was coming!)  So far everyone we have encountered has been incredibly helpful and nice.  On the way home, I asked Malachi what he thought about school now.  He exclaimed, "It's awesome!"  YAY!!!

We then met some other friends at the water park.  We had a few thunderstorms during the day and night, but at that time, it was sunny and warm.  All of our kiddos had fun splashing around while my friend and I were able to chit-chat.

Following the water park, we came home and per Malachi's request, had a pizza, soda pop, and brownie party.  I had the picnic table in the living room so we could watch a movie while we ate.  For bedtime, we had a "slumber party" in the boys' room.  The kiddos, James, and I slept on the floor.  We even put George's bed in there so he could be a part of the party.  Even though I was exhausted from the day, I didn't sleep very well.  Sleeping on the floor just isn't very comfy on these old bones ;-)  But the things we do to bring joy to our kiddos...

I think it's safe to say that we all had a super, terrific, fun Friday!

School Supply Shopping - Check

In hopes of increasing Malachi's enthusiasm towards school, I tried to make supply shopping super special for him.  This afternoon, instead of quiet time, I had a little date with him.  I had been driving on "E" (actually drove to and from another town 20 miles away on "E"...shhh...don't tell my dad!)  So, needless to say, our first stop was to QT.  I taught him how to pump gas and afterward, we went inside and he got a fountain drink.  He raved on and on and on about how this root beer was the best ever because of the special (crushed) ice it had in it.  "Oh man, this is great!". 

We then headed over to Walmart to pick up the essentials on the list.  He didn't have too many required items on the list...glue sticks, pencils, crayons/markers.  I did let him pick out a pencil bag (it wasn't required).  He thought the Transformer bag looked good so we got it.  We couldn't find a lunch  box he liked so we decided that we would shop at another store for that.  After checking out, Malachi proudly carried the bag to the car.

Next stop, Wichita.  He needed some jeans and shoes (and now a lunch box).  I had a coupon for "15% off everything" at Kohl's so I thought that might be a good place to pick up his shoes.  I was hoping that some of their name brand shoes would be on sale and with my coupon, the price would be comparable to what we would pay for shoes at Target.  I was thrilled to find just that!  After looking at their selection of tennis shoes, we narrowed in on the ones in our price range.  There was a pair of New Balance that I really liked (dark gray with green piping), but Malachi had his eyes set on this pair and it's exactly what he walked out of the store with:

 Oh how he "oohed" and "aahed" over these.  There were pricier pairs that he liked, but once he found out he could get these, none of that mattered.  While we were in the shoe department, these shoes caught my eye (for obvious reasons!).  They were on sale, too, and with my coupon, I, too bought these for comparable prices to Target. 

Our last stop was Target.  I thought I could get the best deal on jeans there and hoped to find a lunch box.  Malachi tried on a few pairs of jeans and we found a size and style that looks nice on him now and will hopefully get us through the year (and any possible growth spurt).  We then went to their school supply section and found a great variety of lunch boxes.  After pondering for a few minutes, he decided on this lunch sack.  No big surprise here:

Now, I was expecting to see lunch boxes like I had when I was a kid.  You know, the plastic squares with a handle that came with a thermos.  But like many things I grew up with, those are now "vintage".  They had stainless steel beverage containers, but I could not bring myself to spend $12 on it before knowing if it would last.  So James and I are in the process of reviewing beverage options.  Who knew that that would require research and thought?  I do have to stop for a minute to brag because Malachi REALLY wanted a Transformer stainless steel container, but I gently told him that it was just too expensive for a cup.  He didn't throw a fit or complain, he simply said, "That's ok, Mommy" and left it at that.  That's my boy!

When we came home, Malachi was all too eager to show everyone his school supplies (well, mostly just the shoes and lunch sack).  His teacher came by while we were gone to drop off his first assignment that is due the first day of school.  I'll post about that next week!

Oh and it goes without saying that Samara is head over heels in love with her shoes.  She put them on immediately, complained about taking them off to go to bed and couldn't possibly understand why I wouldn't let her sleep with them beside her.  That girl and her shoes =)

*Malachi's first day of school is a week from today*

Gotta Love Good Deals

As previously mentioned this week, I have a new addiction to online swaps.  Well, I have been able to get amazing deals on the boys' clothes.  Last year, we didn't have to buy much clothing for them, but weren't that lucky for this upcoming Fall/Winter season.  They needed new short and long sleeve shirts, pants, PJ's, and jackets.  Since combing through post after post on Facebook, I am happy to report that the boys have a whole "new", large wardrobe except they need a few more pairs of pants.  I have bought mostly Gap, Old Navy, Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, and Nike brand clothing.  I also found a lined, hooded, water resistant jacket that will be great for Malachi this Fall.  How much have I spent for all of their shirts, pants, jackets, hoodies? ... $45... I did not think that was possible!  I am so happy that my hard work of finding bargains has paid off.  If I don't find his size of pants soon, then I will have to buy new ones along with new shoes.  But to clothe 2 boys for that amount of money, I will not complain about the few things I may have to pay more for!

As a side note, the boys have really been into "camo" clothing and I found a Gap hoodie and a long sleeve shirt both made of camo material.  I was pretty awesome in their eyes when I brought them home.

What A Blessing!

I just had to share this really quickly before I head out for Girls' Night Out. Since the beginning of Summer,  Malachi has been extremely apprehensive about starting school.  So much so that he has begged me to homeschool him.  At this point in life, I know that we are not suppose to homeschool so we have really tried to talk up school.  He was a little excited to see the outside of the school when we drove past it, but other than that, he is resolved to not go to school.  I have been praying for good friends and a wonderful teacher who can help with the adjustment period.

And part of my prayer has been answered!  Tonight, I received an email from his teacher.  She is the ONLY teacher we know in the district and he's in her class!!! She and her husband were in our Young Married's Sunday school class.  She is an amazing person so I can't wait for her to teach my child. Now I just hope she won't have to call home this next year because he is on the naughty list ;-)

12 DAYS 'TIL SCHOOL STARTS!

Just Had To Share

I saw this bag on Etsy and had to share. Isn't it darling?  I love the colors, design, and who doesn't love the flower? 

My Newest Addiction

In search of good deals, I have come across 3 "swap" groups on Facebook that are exclusively for the county we live in.  There is an all encompassing group, a women's group and a kiddie group. People post things for sale and you can negotiate the price.  Kind of like Craigslist except I love this format more.  You can quickly discover the frequent buyers by their posts.  People joke around on there so it is entertaining as well. 

I am currently in the market for fall/winter shoes and jeans for the kiddos.  I was a few hours too late for a pair of barely worn pink Nike Shox shoes for Samara.  They were priced for $5.  Uh, yeah. Bargain.  I don't want to miss out on another bargain like that so I keep checking every chance I get for updated items. 

Hope I don't lose a lot of sleep over these groups =)
  

Now That's Just Plain Hot!

I was finally feeling back to my normal self yesterday; I can say that I have fully recovered from last week!  The plan for the day was to clean the house top to bottom because it needed it.  At 9:30, I was getting ready to start on the list when James texted me that we had a house showing at 6:15pm.  Wonderful!  I had plenty of time to get all the deep cleaning that needed to be done.  I wasn't rushing around, but I wasn't going at a snail's pace either.

Then at 11:42, James calls.  We have another showing for today.  But this one is at 1pm.  A little more than an hour away!  I was pretty far along on the list, but still was not close to being finished.  I rushed and got the basic tasks completed.  James came home and was on dog poop removal patrol in the yard.  I was so thankful for his help.  Unfortunately, because of the time constraint, the kiddos did not get to eat lunch before the showing.  Nor did I have time to get their swimming gear so we could go to the water park.  I hurriedly packed a few snacks with water.  At 12:40, I was in the process of finishing the vacuuming when the prospective buyers showed up.  Are you kidding me?!?  They really only gave us an hour to get ready.  They all stood outside by the porch while I was finishing the foyer rug.  I didn't get to do the "once over" that I normally like to do right before I head out.

Once everyone was loaded into the truck, we headed to the park.  We are very limited to where we can go since George has to come with us.  We sat in the gazebo while we ate and drank.  IT WAS 115 DEGREES...no I'm not exaggerating.  It was really 115 degrees.  Of all days, why would 2 people be out house hunting in this miserable heat?!?  The poor kiddos would play for a few minutes and then come back for more water.  Their faces were red from the little amount of activity they did.  I could not wait to get back home.

Since I had ran around for the first showing, there were just a few things I wanted to do before the 2nd showing.  It was a much more relaxed atmosphere (well until I was finished and then the kiddos kept getting things dirty or moving something out of place!)  For this showing, we made it to the water park.  It was only 108 degrees now and for most of the time, we were the only ones there.  Hmm...no one else wants to be outside when it's that temp???  The kiddos had fun splashing, I had fun cooling off with some water, and George roamed around the park in search of treasure.

We made it back home and then I had a sinking feeling.  Because we were going to the water park, I didn't want to bring my purse. And I had forgotten to lock the door because we were rushing.  My purse had my keys in it.  My set of keys are the only ones that has our house key on it (James' is in the lockbox).  We were locked out.  GOOD. GRIEF.  So James called our Realtor and she hastily came to unlock the door for us.  Thank you Realtor Lady!!!  To my dismay, the Realtor who showed our house was the same Realtor who came to measure carpet and thought our house wasn't stable and recommended we low-ball the price to get rid of it. So my hopes aren't really high for anything to come from the last showing!  Oh well, life goes on =) 

Oh Nuts!

Last week James took Malachi to the Allergist to recheck his allergy to tree nuts.  When he was 3 years old, I gave him one cashew and he immediately threw up and broke out in hives.  Of course it happened at night so, after calling our PCP, I rushed him to the ER.  He received steroids to counteract the reaction.  A few weeks later we saw the Allergist who performed allergy tests on him.  We found out he was allergic to all tree nuts.

By the age of 5, many kids will outgrow their food allergy so we were hopeful that this would be the case with Malachi.  It's not always a fun trip to the store when you have to read EVERY label to see if not only they contain tree nuts, but also if they were manufactured in a place that also handles tree nuts.  We couldn't buy many generic brands based on the latter.  So we were hoping that it would make his life easier as well as cheaper!

But our hopes were dashed.  He is still very much allergic to tree nuts.  The Allergist also did an allergy panel to test for dust, mold, types of pollen and dogs/cats.  He ended being allergic to everything EXCEPT cats!  UGH!  I have noticed that he rubs his nose a lot and his eyes are watery, but since I don't really like having the kiddos taking meds unless absolutely necessary, I have held off giving him Zyrtec.  James and I are still weighing the pros and cons of him starting daily meds.  I think we will wait to see if his allergies flare up more when he starts school.  Who knows how many years of dust is in that building...we certainly don't want a miserable little Kindergartener.

So for now we will continue checking all the food labels and avoiding tree nuts. Next year he can have a blood test to check for the allergies so we will once again hope that he will outgrow this...

I Survived Church Camp

A few weeks ago I was approached to see if I could be the elementary camp nurse.  Last year James had thought about being a camp counselor so this wasn't a complete shock to think about going.  The only down-fall was that it was the week after the kiddos were to get home from Grandma and Grandpa Dinkel's so I wouldn't see them for 2 weeks.  James agreed to take off work so he could spend the week with them.

Sunday, after I got home from my high school reunion, I hurriedly showered and packed for camp.  I only was home for about an hour and half and then left for the church.  We were carpooling up to the camp site which was about 2 hours away.  I was nervous.  I had never been a peds nurse and this summer we are having such a long, severe heat wave and so I was afraid of what overexposure to the heat might do to the little ones.  But, I put my trust in God that He would give me wisdom and strength (and I had a crew back home praying for me, too!)

The group of counselors and staff always go up the night before the campers arrive to get everything set up.  We all stopped at Pizza Hut for dinner before making it to the camp.  Once we got there, I took inventory of the first-aid tub and bag.  From what I could tell, I was pretty well stocked up.  I had brought my stethoscope along just in case (which came in handy later on).  The pastor had been told that there was an apartment that was really nice for the staff so he arranged for me and the craft/music staff to stay there.  We were in for a rude awakening, though.  It was DIRTY, smelly and had huge spiders in it.  While not wanting to complain, I just decided that I would spend as little time as possible in there. 

Monday morning all the 3rd-5th graders arrived.  They were pumped for camp.  I went through each of their health history to make sure I had everything and also checked to see what meds they brought with them.  There were several who needed meds given either in the morning, night or both.  I made a daily check-list so I wouldn't miss anyone.  The pastor had earlier warned me that I would probably be bored because,in the past, there hadn't been much for the nurse to do.  Uh, this week was the big exception!

Monday morning started off with a male jr. counselor running a fever and was just feeling yucky.  I gave him meds, sent him to get some rest and then set my phone alarm for every 3 hours to check on him, give more meds, if needed, and push him to drink fluids (well, not literally "push", but strongly encouraged!) There were tummy aches, headaches, every time I turned around someone was complaining of some medical issue.  By the end of the day, I was tired.  I thought that surely it wouldn't be so busy for the rest of the week.  I was ready to relax and catch my breath.  I was getting ready to leave the dining hall late that night when my fellow roomies came to tell me and the pastor that they killed a gi-normous brown recluse spider.  They asked if they could possible move into the big cabin where all the other female counselors and campers were staying.  The pastor readily agreed and so I moved into a cabin with 3rd-4th grade girls (they were super excited to have the nurse in their room!)

Tuesday morning was busy, but I was able to get away for a little bit and watch a group boys go through the obstacle course challenge.  It was hilarious to see their little minds problem-solve.  Early in the afternoon, I went with a group to go tubing.  Now let me tell you, I am NOT a fan of lake water.  I am repulsed by the squishy bottom of the lake and things floating next to you while you're in the water.  I like my water crystal clear.  But, I thought I would suck it up and go on the tube.  After the campers and jr counselors had gone, it was a female counselor and my turn.  We both kneeled in the tube and held on for dear life.  We screamed, laughed, and had a great time.  I was happy that we didn't flip!  There was time for everyone to go again.  When it was our turn, I stressed to them that I didn't want to get thrown off.  That ride was way more bumpy than the first; I remember hitting a wave and then I was thrown in the water, but I was still hanging on.  I pulled myself back on the tube, but was never able to fully recover from that wave.  I eventually had to let go and was thrown from the tube.  Somehow I lost my left contact during that incident.  The female counselor was able to barely hang on and wasn't thrown off.  What a ride!  I'm still not convinced that there wasn't a conspiracy on board the boat to get me thrown off the tube =)

The jr counselor who had previously been sick felt better on Tuesday, but towards the evening, his fever came back and he felt really sick. He really needed to go home. The problem was that his mom was a female counselor and so someone needed to fill her spot.  That's where I came in.  The room I moved into the night before was this counselor's room so I volunteered to take her spot as the counselor so she could take care of her son.  I was a little worried because I was still crazy busy being a nurse and I didn't know how I was going to manage being a counselor as well.  The lady in charge of crafts had also moved into the room with me so we both decided that we would tag-team it when needed.  I was also blessed with an amazing jr counselor who was a tremendous help.

The rest of the week was still non-stop.  I would get calls late at night regarding campers who needed medical attention.  The only really scary moment, though, came late Wednesday night when I received a call that a boy camper was having a hard time breathing and the counselor thought he heard some wheezing.  I rushed to the dining hall to grab my stethoscope, first-aid bag and also the boy's home phone number so I could call the parents on my way to the cabin.  They told me he had no history of asthma or allergies.  Once I got there, I noticed his nose seemed pretty plugged up and when I listened to his lungs, I did hear some wheezing.  He was talking a mile a minute, though, without needing to stop for a breath so that was reassuring. Since I was very limited to what I could do to treat him and many campers' allergies were acting up because of the dry, windy conditions, I gave him some allergy medication and asked the counselor to keep a close eye on him and call me if anything changed.  I slept with my phone right beside me in bed that night and prayed that I wouldn't get a call.

The next morning this little camper came up to me right away and told me that the medicine I gave him worked and he was feeling ok.  I listened to him and could not hear any wheezing.  My heart was relieved!

Thursday afternoon was "Water Fun".  We played a relay game, had a water balloon toss, and then the counselors/jr counselors started an all-out war with some buckets filled with water.  I had just filled up a bucket and was on my way to get someone when a jr counselor asked if he could see it for just a minute.  Not thinking too much about it, I gave it to him and he dumped the whole thing on my head.  Absolutely frigid, but considering how hot it was outside, it felt refreshing, too.  I got the bucket back, filled it up and got a male counselor soaking wet.  He threatened to call my cell phone every hour that night.  I think the teens and adults had more fun with the water than the kids!

One of the most moving moments was Thursday night.  We were supposed to be outside at the amphitheater, but because of a storm, we had to be indoors.  The pastor washed the feet of the staff, jr counselors, and counselors and then the counselors/jr counselors took turns washing the feet of the campers in their room.  The lights were dim, a jr counselor played worship music on his guitar and everyone was silent.  So powerful...

The next morning we packed up our belongings and headed home.  But first, we all had to stop at the DQ and partake of a Dilly bar.  What a great way to end a fabulously, tiring week!!!

I was greeted at home to 3 kiddos who talked non-stop for about an hour.  I finally told them that I needed a nap so I went upstairs, but little Miss Samara would not let me out of her sight so she played in my bed while I slept.  I took a 2 hour nap that day and went to bed early.  Then on Saturday, I slept in until 10 which is amazing for me.  I am still a wee-bit worn out, but I'm hoping I'll be back to normal by tomorrow.

This experience was exhausting, but uplifting at the same time.  I want to definitely do it again!!!