SEMIORGANIZED CHAOS

My Little Guys Favorite Spot

2009-12-27T18:00:00.000-08:00

They know where the love is <3 This felt as great as it looked. Too bad Andy wasn't here to join too, but he was having fun elsewhere. I LOVE this picture so much I just had to pretty it up and post it :-)

Playing With Pictures Again

2009-12-12T15:38:00.000-08:00

I downloaded Picasa 3 on my computer today. This can be dangerous! I really don't know what I'm doing, I just try everything! I started playing with some pictures I've taken with the kids and stuffed animals and while we were out in the leaves on a fall afternoon. I think these turned out pretty cool. Here are my favorites!

It's That Time of Year Again

2009-11-29T16:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming. I put up the Christmas tree today. In time, I'm going to buy some other decorations and a star for the tree. Couldn't find one last time I was out. The tree is beautiful. Jon seems to have some issues with keeping the ornaments on the tree. From the moment I bought these, he was quite interested in them. Now he thinks these are his toys, and if anyone dares touch them he melts down. So now I'm waiting for him to fall asleep so I can put the ornaments back on the tree. We'll see how long they last on there this time. There are a lot of pictures here, I could not narrow down my favorites. I love this time of year, and I'm so happy that I can enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T16:12:00.000-08:00

This year Thanksgiving dinner was at my house. My parents were here, and Mike was here to see the boys. Dinner was great! This was the first time in a long time that I cooked a meal for others like this. Just finished up the leftovers today :-) For the most part we all enjoyed ourselves. Jon was a little fussy because he wasn't feeling that great, but we got through.

I love this picture of my mom with Jon. They really enjoyed each others company. I'm glad this could happen this year.

Jon's New Bed

2009-11-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

The time has come for the big boy bed. He's become an escape artist, as seen below:

He got quite good at that. Not safe. Naps were non existent. He was wondering the house at night so I had to put a gate up (there's no door to his room, probably a good thing). I had the twin bed for a while, but needed bedding. Here is his big boy bed!

The first few nights were hard because it was different for him, the bed, having the gate closed, ect. He rolled out of bed into the pillows I had below the first night. That seemed to scare him, and he wanted to sleep on the floor until I got the rail up. Last night is the first night he slept in it, and stayed in it all night. Here he was this morning. The way he was turned made it very hard for me to get a good picture of him, but that's Jon under all those blankets. I'm letting him keep his blankets from the crib, that seems to help.

It's quite popular with big brothers too. Eric has therapy in this room, and he likes to lay there and chill out when the therapists give him a break. Andy didn't want to get off of it at first. He loves Lightning McQueen.

Are you ready for some football?

2009-11-09T18:35:00.001-08:00

Eric is! We were tossing around this football for a while on Saturday. I've gotta say this was more entertaining than watching the Packers play.

Who Are You Calling Jon?

2009-11-08T17:55:00.000-08:00

Someone in China??? lol...This is about the best toy out there I swear. This is a phone that was taken off the line, and the base plugged into the electricity. He can push buttons and still have the sounds and lights, but mommy don't get a huge phone bill or people a bit upset with me! He hasn't gotten the pretending to talk on there yet, but that will come.

Family Picture

2009-10-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

I was having thoughts of doing a family picture for Christmas this year. Last weekend, all 3 boys were outside with me, and the ABA therapists were here to help so one volunteered to try to get a picture of all 4 of us. Eric sat nice. Andy, and particularly Jon were not into sitting still for a picture. These boys are too busy having fun and making trouble for that! We tried 3 times, this was the winner. It's still cute, we can see everyone. I've gotten good reviews on this pic on Facebook, they seem to like this is more live action and real, not posed. That surprised me. I think I will save the money I would have spent on the photographer. Maybe in a year or two.

Fun In The Leaves

2009-10-29T14:08:00.001-07:00

Last weekend the ABA therapists decided to take Eric out to play in the leaves. The other 2 boys were awake and had energy to burn, so I took them out to join. I also have some earlier pics of the leaves while they are still on the trees.

The source of the fun.

The Park

The view from the top step of my porch

This is cool mommy!

Get me out of here!

Jon in the pile of leaves, he liked it, but didn't know what to think at first.

Get me out of here!

Andy in a pile of leaves, he even let me bury him a couple of times, but wouldn't let me get the picture

Eric wasn't as thrilled with the leaves falling on him

Andy loved having the leaves falling on him

Are you going to be the World Series starter Eric?

October 15th Pregnancy and Infant Loss Rememberance Day

2009-10-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

A Victory For Halloween In the City

2009-10-13T07:38:00.000-07:00

For many years trick or treat in this city was held on the Sunday before Halloween. For a while it was in the early afternoon that day, the last couple of years they had the sense to move it to 3 pm. This is done apparently for safety reasons, and because the kids are not in school on Sunday. It was scheduled for the same time this year. Many people were not thrilled, but if it's for the safety of the kids, nobody really argued it. Halloween is on a Saturday this year. The issue finally came up to the city leaders. Trick or treat is now going to be ON HALLOWEEN!!! There were business interests involved, but finally this city came to their senses. Here is the story.

I have to be honest, this really don't affect me and my kids much personally. My kids just can't handle costumes, and the walking around trick or treat entails. Then explaining they don't talk, and they don't eat candy anyway. As much as I love it my waistline and big rear sure don't need it! Many other activities the crowds, the sounds, and the lighting, ect is all just too much for him. It makes me sad that we can't really enjoy this holiday that to me is meant to be fun for kids. With that said, I am glad that the children of this city can get a taste of what Halloween is really like, on Halloween. Hopefully this can continue.

Time To Bundle Up

2009-10-13T07:16:00.001-07:00

It's the middle of October. Leaves are starting to fall, but for the most part it's green out yet. Yet here it is, time to bring out the winter coats, ect. Yesterday morning it was cool enough for mittens, too bad they wouldn't keep them on. Temperatures are in the 30s. There was talk of snow last weekend, but it never came thankfully. Summer was a joke, now this is fall. Winter scares me.

Remembering Baby Rachael

2009-09-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

September 12, 2008 you were born into the arms of Jesus. While I wish you were here with us, I know you are well taken care of.

Mommy, Eric, Andy and Jon Jon all love you. Hope to meet you some day.

Andy, The Bubble Machine Expert

2009-06-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

The bubble machine is very well used around here. Some may think it's an addiction. All the boys just love it. We go through a lot of batteries and bubble juice. Sometimes it looks like I am walking on to the Lawrence Welk Show (my mom watched this all the time ugh!). If it keeps them happy, it keeps me happy. Yesterday Andy noticed there were no bubbles coming out of the machine, so he had to come investigate...

Will this make it go???

That didn't work, what next???

What's wrong with this thing??? I want my bubbles mommy!!!

I know, it needs some of this. I'm a smart boy and know this makes the bubbles. I see mommy pour it in there all the time.

Good thing the cap was on, or there would have been a bubble mess. I'm impressed that he figured this out though. And yes, he was right, it needed more bubble juice :-)

Andy's Arm Is Free Again!!!

2009-06-17T14:49:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Andy had his cast removed. He was not a big fan of the saw they used to take it off. It was loud and scary, even to me. So I can't blame him on that one. After all of that screaming and fighting they wanted to get an xray to make sure it was healed. He wanted nothing to do with that. He would not stay in position for anything. Finally the xray tech brought in the doctor. The dr. was pleased with how his arm looked and the fact that he was trying to move it. Yeah, it was still stiff but it looked like there were no problems. It was decided to not do the xrays this time. I was told to make another appointment for 2 weeks later. If he still seems in pain and is not using the arm they would get the xrays somehow at that point. If there are no problems I could cancel the appointment and be all done with this. After the first 2 days of stiffness he has using his arm normally since. It is fully mobile and he's not in pain. That is one dr. we are finally done with. I am so glad to see that he healed so well and he handled this whole thing so well. Enjoy the freedom of using both arms Andy, you deserve it!!!

It's a souvenir now!

Here he is about a day after it was removed. It is still a little stiff, hence it being bent a bit. He is very happy to have that cast off.

Summer Thinking

2009-06-08T13:09:00.000-07:00

Thinking is about as good as it gets here :-( The boxes pictured above contain winter clothing for my children. They are still stacked in my living room right now. Why you ask? I cannot bring myself to put these away yet in case they will be NEEDED!!! It is now June according to the calandar. Our temperatures are in the 50s most days and in the 40s at night. It seems to be raining a lot these days too. It feels like it's March or April. On Saturday the high temperature was 52 degrees. That set a record for the lowest on June 6th ever! We still have the furnace going some nights. Our window units have not been installed yet, we've had no need for them. We get a warm day here and there. It is warmer today but there is rain and storms in the area all day.

Hello Mother Nature, are you forgetting about summer here???

This is a Bit Popular...

2009-06-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

It looks like Jon is going to have to fight for time for this birthday toy. This is just a large chute that balls get dropped down with a mirror. I'm telling you, it's the simplest toys that can be the biggest hit with these kids. This is also about the best picture that I will get of all 3 kids for a while. That is not an easy feat by any means.

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY JONATHAN!!!

2009-06-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Have a great day big boy!!! I love you!!!

Unexpected Blessings

2009-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

June 6th 2007 at 5:07 pm CDT I recieved a true gift from God. I will never forget this day, or the days leading up to this. It is said that the best things in life never come easy. Let's just say this is the best thing that has happened to me. Back then I didn't realize it...

I found out about this pregnancy when I was 7 months along. Let me tell you that was the shock of my life. This little boy was trying to tell me for a quite a while he was there, I just wasn't paying attention. How can this happen you might ask? After I had Andy I started birth control shots. My cycle stopped. Even when I stopped taking the shots because of side effects my cycles never restarted and was told it could take over a year. Yeah, I felt like crap starting that fall. Mike lost his job months before. Evenings I was working at a call center doing market research surveys at that time (yes, I was one of those annoying callers , don't kill me folks) and overnight or early morning I worked at a grocery store bakery either baking or working the counter. I hated the first job with a passion. I thought that and all the stress was making me so tired and throwing up. We didn't have much money or any insurance at the time so I just forced myself to keep going. I figured if someone found me passed out somewhere that something would have to be done then. Otherwise whatever happened, happened. He finally found a job and I got canned from the survey job (thank God!!!) . There were times I felt flutters in my stomach that felt familiar but figured it must be gas. It was still stressful around our house because we were trying to pick ourselves up finacially. Late Feb. that year I got really sick with a respitory infection that would not go away. The nurse practioner at the urgent care center chose the meds she prescribed because they were "safe for pregnancy". I just thought that was a precaution, as these folks tend to assume women of my age are pregnant if not known. But I found it funny she said it. By then the possiblity was on my mind but I was trying to deny it. When I took Mike to his eye doctor appointment an elderly lady kept asking when I was going to have my baby! I told her I wasn't pregnant. She didn't believe me. Later that month I felt movement inside of me I could no longer deny. I started buying tests. The electronic ones didn't register. Once I tried the one with the lines it was dark positive! I got into the doctor on March 26th 2oo7 and heard his heartbeat for the first time, and got my confirmation I was pregnant. If I would have known then how truely special this gift was as this was the due date of his baby sister that was born into Heaven last September. Two days later I got the ultrasound and found out there was a healthy baby boy inside of me. You would have thought this would have been such a happy moment and such a relief. I was scared out of my mind!!! We had very little money, was living in a very small apartment and I had so much going on with Eric and Andy. I had no idea HOW a baby was going to fit in here. Heck, I didn't even know where I would put this child to sleep. The ultrasound looked good but I could not let go of the fear that something was wrong that it didn't see. I did not take the best care of myself during this pregnancy since I didn't know. Mike was still new at his job at the time so he had very limited time off and no help with watching the other kids. With that came the fear that I was going to be giving birth to this baby at home in front of my other 2 sons. All I did was worry and cry these last months. I just wanted to run away. The induction was scheduled for 6/6. Mike was able to schedule some vacation time last minute. He took me to the hospital while the upstairs neighbor watched the boys. Once I was settled he went home to Eric and Andy and I was to call him when it was close to time. Then my parents would watch the kids for the birth. I did labor myself, and was prepared to give birth with only medical personnel present. That's how it was for Eric's birth. If I could do it then, I could do it again. I had to wait quite a while for the epidural so this was a painful experience. Once they gave me the epidural I was so numb and placed on my left side since my blood pressure was getting low. The phone was ringing but I could not turn to answer it because I was so numb. I was feeling pressure but the call button was out of reach. The doctor finally heard me yelling. Mike was then called, I was deemed ready to give birth and this show went on the road. Jonathan waited until his father came to make his grand enterance into this world. Here is the picture Mike took of him on his phone just minutes after he was born.

This little guy seemed so much smaller than his 2 brothers. He had a hard time getting used to drinking. There was a spot on his head where the skin did not grow in, so there was some concern about that. Otherwise he was very healthy,and so beautiful.

He was so tiny and skinny. I was scared to handle him. He was fiesty though. I have heard that the smallest ones can be the strongest ones...

This is the first picture taken of him at home, when the jaundice set in. This was a very difficult time because Mike was quite ill and unable to help. I was an emotional mess and overwhelmed with 3 young very needy children. This is where the scariest time of my life began. I so wish I could have these days back with a clear mind. While I wish I would not of had to go through that I have grown, learned so much and met the greatest friends on earth (at least on the internet) that I would have never gotten to know otherwise. I found direction in my life, and learned what I needed to do to get to where I wanted, and needed to be for myself and my children. Most importantly, I have this very handsome little boy

This little boy has made my life what it is now. I would not be the person I am now if it was not for him. He is healthy and happy and such a joy. Happy Birthday Jon. Mommy loves you bunches !!!

It's Finally Coming Out

2009-05-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Here in a reputable publication. The deterioration of this family before my very eyes in the last 2 years has made me sad. If anything shows that money don't buy happiness, this reality show hits it head on. Those 8 children are the losers in all of this. While the season premiere of this show is on many TVs this evening I will be praying for this family.

Andy's Owie Arm

2009-05-22T16:17:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night Andy tripped over a toy on his way to my bed. He kept holding his arm and crying. He would not put any weight on it. I wasn't seeing evidence of major injury so I figured he bruised something. A couple hours later no improvement, and he could not pull himself up on to my bed when normally he could do it no problem. At this point I called my emergancy babysitter and we were off to the ER. It was just before 1 am Wed. morning. I honestly thought they would not find anything major and we would be sent home with instructions to keep an eye on it. The xrays...let's just say this was not a fun process. It was obviously painful for him. Being held down was not helping matters. The doctor saw swelling in his elbow so they took pictures of that. No break was seen so they brought him back for pictures of his wrist and forearm. After this he was quite angry with everyone. Doctor came back and told me that they did not see a fracture in the xrays but with the swelling and fluid in the elbow joint provided evidence that a break was there but could not be seen. Doctor said they would be coming back with a sling he had to keep his arm in. I was worried how I was going to keep him in that! Then 2 nurses came in with bandages, ect and told me they were putting a cast on him. I wasn't expecting that. They acutally put a molded splint on him. They used bandages around a splint that got really hard, no plaster was used. It looked enough like a cast to pass as one. Then his arm was put into a sling. It was hard to find one that would adjust to fit him. We were sent home with instructions to see an orthapedic surgeon, keep the arm in the sling during all awake times and to not get it wet. We got home a little after 3:30 am. Of course this was my birthday. Happy Birthday mom! I got a broken arm! At least I will remember this one (for this and many nice reasons too :-) )!

Here is the molded splint.

He is not too happy about this sling. Don't blame him. It was a real pain to adjust so it would do it's job.

He went to the ortopedic doctor this morning. More xrays were taken and this time it was seen that there is a chip in the forearm bone by the elbow. He was put into a regular cast and we lost the sling thank God! He will wear his cool new blue cast for 3 weeks. Then he will go back for more xrays and hopefully be done with this. He his handling all of this so well. He did fuss when xrays were taken and when they put the cast on this time. He has been in a great mood today. He's not letting this stop him. I have pictures of him waiting for the school bus yesterday (he got sent home until he has a release from the dr., didn't go as well as I thought it would) and many pictures of his new cast. Unfortunately the transfer cable for my digital camera got fried with my computer during that power spike yesterday so I won't be able to post those until the new cable is shipped to me sometime next week. At least there were no people hurt in that incident so I am not complaining about that (even though it blew out the mouse and keyboard too, the power of electricity!). It is going to be 2-3 weeks before I have my PC so the laptop it is. It works. So the short version of this, more pics to come :-)

The Bubble Machine

2009-05-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

This was the best $11 I ever spent. I seen Kym got one for her kids and KNEW mine would love something like this, Andy in particular. The first day Andy would have had this out all day and night if I let him. I even had to change the batteries on this thing the first day. It is so awesome to see them so happy. I hope this works. Thankfully I uploaded this video on Facebook since a power spike fried my PC yesterday. I lost my other videos, and most of my pics of this which really stinks. We will see if this works...

Play Ball!!!

2009-05-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Last week my wonderful friends David and Tracy treated me to a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game as an early birthday present. The respite funding for my boys just recently came through so I took advantage of that for the free babysitting and enjoyed a few hours of adult company. This is the first opportunity for me to do this in months. It was so needed. The stadium. I was very happy to see the retractable roof open. Temperatures in the mid 60s, sunny and a light breeze makes for perfect weather to see a baseball game. The roof is a nice thing to have when it is raining or cold so there are no delays, but it feels so much more like a real baseball game when it is open.
We had a great view of the action. Our seats were great for seeing the game. Too bad they were right in the middle of the row and we were a little late. All the other seats in the row were occupied so we would have had to go around a lot of people to get in and out of them. With that we decided to not use the seat and watch the game from inside. While it seems like a waste I felt better that way having more space. Ryan Braun up to bat. This is our multimillion dollar man.

Prince Fielder up to bat. Another one of the teams bombers.
Berny Brewer's Dugout
The $4.25 brat. It took a bit to get over the sticker shock at the concession stands. This was a good sausage, but $4 good, nah! I could buy a package of 5 bratwursts and good buns for the price of 2 of these. My friends each bought a cheeseburger and a large soda for a grand total of $20.50. They said it was good, but not worth $6 for a cheeseburger. There was a $1 special on hot dogs and small sodas. Too bad I'm not a big hot dog fan. Maybe I should have been anyway for these prices!
The Klement's Sausage race. The contestants: hot dog, brat, italian sausage and polish sausage. The winner this day was italian sausage. This pic may be a bit blurry. Everyone gathers to watch these folks in sausage costumes run around the field. It's not easy to get a pic of this.Me at the game.

The Brewers won the game. The score was 5-3 I believe. We had to leave after the sausage race so I could get to an appointment after. I had a great time.

Remembering Grandma

2009-05-20T17:50:00.000-07:00

June (Tetzner) Sampson
June 9, 1915-May 12, 2002
Mom to 4 sons and 1 daughter
Grandmother to 13
Great Grandmother to many

Mother's day of 2002 the Lord took a very special mother home to him. She had a stroke that left her incapacitated. She was still bossing around the hospital staff however she could until her last breath. That would never change. Don't think any nursing home would be ready for Grandma Sampson. She took care of Grandpa after he lost his legs while being in her 70s and not that great of health herself. She would have it no other way. All the while she would host me and my older cousin for 2 weeks every summer. I looked forward to that every year and cried every time I had to go home. Every 4th of July the whole family would get together at their house. Getting into a bathroom was not easy those days. This was the best time to enjoy the beauty of Northwest Wisconsin and Lake Superior. Grandpa built their house in the woods with his own 2 hands. It was a very unique design, but was perfect setting for the heart of the Sampson family. She never kicked me out of the kitchen when I wanted to watch or help. It seems like she always picked the vegetables I did not like and would not let me go until I took one bite. She taught me to sew and crochet. I was introduced to rummage sale shopping during my summer visits. The last 2 years of her life were a struggle with the death of Grandpa and declining health. X The last conversation I had with her was on the phone. She was talking me out of getting married, and told me it would be a mistake to make a rash decision just because I was pregnant. Maybe somehow she knew what would happen, or that I was not happy going along with this. It didn't take long for me to wish I would have listened. When I heard of her stroke I was 7 months pregnant with Eric. She passed away before my dad made it up there. She lived 400 miles away. My husband and his mother did not want me to go to the funeral because of the pregnancy, and whatever other reasons. Like an idiot I let them order me not to go. The family probably never understood why I didn't come. I never got a chance to say goodbye. Any time I brought it up I was cut off and told too bad, my current family came first. Someday I want to visit her again. This is an 8 hour drive across the state. The house has been sold long ago. My parents, myself and one uncle are the only remaining family members in WIIt wouldn't be the same. Most have moved to the Minneapolis area and I've already been invited to go there . It would be the closest I would come to the family gatherings of my childhood. Now to get brave enough to attempt this trip with 3 kids. I know she would have enjoyed Eric, Andy and Jon. She is seeing them from Heaven. I love you Grandma. The time to say goodbye is now since I couldn't before. The memories in my heart will never die...

Sombody Has Something to Say...

2009-05-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Andy thought it was time to update my status on Facebook. He has my feelings right now down pretty good. Over 30 times wasn't necessary, but he wanted to get the point across ;-) This is what happens when I get sleepy, and wait for Eric's bus to bring him home. I tried to turn off the monitor, Andy is too smart for that trick to work. He likes Zac Browser, but this must be more fun. Sorry Andy, you are too young to have your own Facebook page. You may be more of a Twitter guy anyway...You are one lucky boy Andy. There are a bunch of ladies noticing you and saying how cute you are. My friends are nice fortunately for you. To those who thought I lost what little of my mind I have left, sorry to disappoint you. I'm crazy, but this is not me at the controls here. It didn't take long to clean all of this up before Facebook mistakes me for a hacker, spammer or total nut job.

With that friends, Andy says Hi!!!

Our taste of summer

2009-04-26T08:10:00.000-07:00

We took advantage of every minute of the warm sunny weather. I was able to spend some time in the front yard with Jon while his brothers were in school. Eric's ABA therapists took him outside for part of his session and I was able to join them. Later I got brave and took all 3 boys to the park. We all got our exercise. Mommy has to get in shape. I was dead tired after this. It was totally worth it. We are now paying for that nice day with cool, rainy, cloudy weather with some storms in the mix. It was nice while it lasted. Hopefully I can put the winter clothing away for the season some time soon!

Appreciating the Beauty of the Park

2009-04-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I went to the park with Eric and his therapists during his therapy session. There were 3 other adults here so one watched little brothers and I took advantage of the time to join on this trip. We could not go on the equipment because paperwork and prior approval was not given. We hung out by the trees and the lagoon on the other side of the park. This is the first time I've been able to get good pictures of some of this place. We are so fortunate to live right across the street from this beautiful place.

The lagoon. It is so calming to look at this water. Apparently there is good fishing here. Not like I've ever tried.

The biggest and prettiest bridge to cross the lagoon. The playground equipment is on the other side. I look out my living room window and I can see this. This is the first time I could get a good picture of it.

A pair of ducks swimming in the lagoon. Too bad we didn't have any bread with. Maybe next time :-)

Another shot of the ducks.

I don't know what kind of bird this is, but it is sure pretty. There were many of these flying around. I was lucky enough to catch one on film, they are fast!

This is the perfect place for me to go when I need to get out for a little while by myself. It is so calming and beautiful here. This side of the park is a nice place to think, and cry if need be. The pictures I took of Eric during this outing are on the other blog. I also have a bunch of pictures I took when I got brave and took all 3 boys to the park. Those will be posted soon, gonna need some time to get those together.

It Must Be Snack Time For Jon Too

2009-04-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

Someone got a hold of the potato chips. I never thought he would eat these, but he took them down one day and started chowing. They are fun to make a mess with too :-D
How can anyone resist this smile and get mad? It is totally worth the cleanup and the lack of nutritional value :-)

A Little Hungry There Andy???

2009-04-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

yp-----h

Well, Andy answered his question in his own way and POSTED THIS!!! Smart boy!

This is his work in all it's glory. Must be mommy's lucky day...
It's so cute it's hard to be mad at him.

What Happened to Compassion in this World?

2009-04-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

This is just outrageous! This does not involve my family but it makes me so angry for this local family that I had to get this out. I understand that they may be legally entitled to this money, and that bills don't necessarily go away when someone dies. There had to be a much more respectful way of handling this. Is the bad publicity really worth it, along with bothering this grieving family? Asking for late fees and early termination of lease fees was way over the top in my opinion. It's not like this young man knew he was going to be killed.

Now I know who not to rent from.

My, Aren't We In A Fine Mood Today...

2009-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much how the day went. At least he wasn't screaming here. This is the first time that he has slept for more than 10 minutes straight and it's been as quiet as it gets here. Most of the day was spent crying unless I was holding him, that was not even a guarantee.

As for this day, stick a fork in it, it's done.

Poor Andy

2009-04-12T16:10:00.000-07:00

This is how he has spent most of Easter weekend. I can tell just by looking at him he feels so yucky :-( I was getting ready to change the sheets on this bed. Once I had it half way stripped I realized that I forgot the sheets downstairs. I got interrupted and then I came back up with the sheets, emptied the vacuum and this is what I found. Andy had other plans I guess... there is no way I can move the him. Rest well little one...

Playing with Pictures

2009-04-12T11:50:00.000-07:00

Picture of Andy resting on my steps. Poor little guy was not feeling well yesterday.

My favorite time of day...nap time. Eric was home, so I couldn't join them. They are so cute when they are sleeping.

Eric outside with his therapists. The therapist took the pic, I just played around with the effects on it.

Eric holding a stick. This is a first for him. Normally he won't touch anything outdoorsy. I'm very proud of him for this.

I LOVE this picture of Jonathan. His hair was so wavy after this day time bath. Those big brown eyes of his melt me.

Our Um...Smelly Visitor

2009-04-12T11:27:00.000-07:00

On many occasions I have smelled skunk around here, more than any other place I have lived at. I noticed it most by our front door under our steps and porch. Let me tell you, this is something you can never get used to. On this particular day I got lucky in that respect. This happened about 2 weeks ago when we still had snow. I'm just now getting to posting this.

While I was outside waiting for the boys school buses, I noticed a lot of people acting like it stunk around my house. One of the neighbors was complaining that it smelled like something died in our yard and wondering how I could miss it. I had a bad sinus infection that day and I was so stuffed up I couldn't smell anything. The buses came and I went back into the house. Soon after my other neighbor was knocking on the door complaining about the odor and said my house reeked badly too. We go check everything in the basement, all is well. Then I look out the living room window and this is what I seen. Yes, it is a skunk, it's bottom side just happened to be showing. The animal was injured and spraying all over creation as it was dying. Animal control was called and the skunk was taken to his/'her final resting place. I was watching him die the whole time.

RIP dear skunk. The smell...lingers on at my front door and porch.

Jon Reading and Talking

2009-03-17T05:59:00.001-07:00

Let's just say he had plenty to say to me :-)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

I Was Not Yours To Keep

2009-03-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

I did not write this, but I don't know who to credit. I found this and it was just too beautiful not to snag. It makes me cry.

I was not yours to keep but children never are,
My life and death have touched others and changed you in ways you cannot completely know or understand.
Ripples in the pool spreading,
my life and death will enrich your life,
pain and loss are not my only legacy.

Weep for i am worth every tear, each worth more than gold.
A gift of love from you to me, and many die with no one to weep for them.
But do not weep for my sake.

Know and remember,
I never once was touched by fear, i never was afraid,
i never felt the cold, not once, nor hunger pains
and never, never was alone,
you were with me always.

You gave me chance to be and now i have a spirit and a soul that can never be lost.
To you the days were few, to me a lifetime.
A week to a child is a month or more.
To me the days were long, with all my needs supplied by you.
Till time came to move on to better things.
Leaving you to pay the higher price.
Sometimes living is harder than dying.

So weep to heal yourself, you will never be the same,
allow my life to touch your heart and you will grow.
Learn from me that life is always precious and today is all we have.
Learn to love others today not tommorrow,
maybe tommorrow they are gone or we are gone.

Learn this and my life has had purpose and my death, meaning.

I will be forever safe in your heart.

RIP baby Rachael Leigh
Born into the arms of Jesus September 12, 2008
Due to be born on Earth March 26, 2009
Love and miss you always Mommy and big brothers

Eric on the Slide

2009-03-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

This is from Friday's park trip. This one was really short because it was colder outside than I expected, and Andy was not in the mood to be out to say the least.

Wow Eric, that slide would be too big and high for me! He got all the way up there!

That was fun!

My Eric is a big boy.

Next time we are going to wait for a day off of school so we have time and warmer weather before we try a family park trip again.

One May Actually Talk Back to Me???

2009-03-06T09:28:00.000-08:00

Should I be careful what I wish for lol?????

Jon was stinky so I told him I had to change his diaper. He was busy playing with his peek a block wagon. I told him it was time for a new diaper, he said "NO" to me. There was no mistaking it, he said it very clearly.

Yesterday he told Eric's ABA therapists to "go away". Again, it was very clear. Wow, that is not nice. Then he saw the box from his favorite cereal "mine". OK. We have a toddler that is not afraid to speak his mind!

I know that toddlers do this. It should not be a big deal. Heck, some parents may dread this day. Not me. I never heard this out of Eric or Andy at 21 months. Eric is just learning words now at 6 years old. I will take it, even if he starts aruguing with me :-)

Andy and Jon at the Park

2009-03-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

We headed to the park late morning to enjoy the weather. It was a bit challenging getting both of them ready to go. Once they were outside there was no fussing :-) I forgot my digital camera so I had to take the pictures with my cell phone. That was not easy to do. These pics are not the best, but they will work. I will make sure I leave with my good camera next time!

On the bridge going across the lagoon and entering the park. The boys were not in the mood to stand idle.

The lagoon from the bridge. I have to get a picture of this when the ice is gone. It is so beautiful. We are very fortunate to live across the street from this park.

Jon enjoying the freedom and the space to run! Notice that one foot has no shoe.

The missing shoe.

This is what Jon spent most of his time doing, playing in the wood chips, dirt, grass and leaves. It was very encouraging to see him touch all of this without issue. He loves exlploring his surroundings.

Big boy Andy on the play structure. He gets through this thing like a pro!

Here he comes!

My slide man Andy. He could do this all day.

Jon hasn't figured out he is supposed to go down the slide, not up. He was getting quite frustrated.

He figured if he could not go up it, he would put wood chips on it.

I lifted him up on the play structure. Here he is chilling and checking everything out.

He finally figured out the slide. He went down on his tummy going backwords, just like he goes down stairs. He enjoyed it, that was the main thing.

Jon LOVES the swing. I was a little concerned because he would not hold on with his left hand. It is really hard to get Andy on a swing. He won't hold on well enough for a regular swing, and he is too heavy to lift into a baby swing. He is all about the slides anyway, so all is good :-)
Tomorrow is supposed to be nice too. If it doesn't rain we have a date with another mom and her daughter after school. This time I will be going with all 3 boys. I'm ready to brave it. We have to take advantage of these times while we can.

A Taste of Spring

2009-03-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

The boys and I spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather! It started out a little cool and grey, but by afternoon the sun was shining and it was in the mid 50s. It hit 60 degrees towards the end of our outing. Nice weather days like this are not consistant this time of the year in SE WI. Gotta take advantage of them when they are here. In this post I will add the pictures I took of Eric and Andy this morning and one I took this evening of Eric, since he was in school during the park outing. I will post the park pictures in the next post.

Andy and Eric waiting for their school busses

Eric smiling. Capturing this is not an easy feat. It helps that he loves being outside. I love this pic of him :-)

Andy did not want to stay still so it was hard to get his picture.

Eric outside during his therapy session. He was being asked to jump, clap his hands, run in place, touch his toes to see if he could comply consistantly. Normally I would keep this on the blog dedicated to the boys and their therapy, but I was so happy that he could go outside during his session that I included it here.

Tag Game

2009-02-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine tagged me. It kind of makes me think of a background get to know you tag.

1.Your Nickname(s):Pegster, Pegs

2. Natural Hair Color: dark blond

3. Eye Color: blue

4. Favorite Subject(s) in High school: history, biology, art, business

In College (If applicable): computer programming

5. Groups, Clubs, Organizations you have participated it: Future Homemakers of America, Key Club, Association of Information Technology Professionals, ppd support page, various online autism support groups

6. Sports or other Activities you've been apart of or enjoy (List all :): I am not the least bit athletic. I like to watch baseball, football, bowling, swimming/diving, gymnastics and pool on TV when I have the opportunity

7. Your Best Experienced Job positions: baker, computer operator, mom, special needs chidlren advocate

8. Places you have lived: Kenosha, WI, all my life. Hopefully not my whole life...

9. Do you play or did you learn to play musical Instrument(s)? I wish I did

10. Favorite kind of Music or Groups/Singers? Pop from 80s to present, adult alternative, oldies, some country.

Who do you tag: someone I know lol!!!

Group Shot Time

2009-02-18T08:28:00.000-08:00

Let's just say this is not an easy undertaking with 3 very active boys.

Jon was not in the mood for a photo session, at all. It's so cute to see though!

This was a long time coming. To see all 3 of my handsome boys with their new haircuts and cute faces it was totally worth the effort :-)

Haircut Time

2009-02-14T14:25:00.000-08:00

On Thursday Eric and Jon got haircuts. Two little kids, one mom in the salon proved to be an interesting experience.

This is Jon after his first haircut. He did GREAT!!! He cried a little at times but he didn't move much and stayed calm through it all. He wasn't in much of a mood for a photo session after so it was hard to get a good one of his face. This shows how handsome he is.

As you can see the results from Eric's haircut were great. The process of getting it done...well let's just say it was Eric being Eric and I got a good workout from the experience, along with a few bruises and scratches. Many of his sensory issues involve his head, face and mouth. He does not understand that this is not supposed to hurt and that it has to be done. It is so uncomfortable for him he starts screaming and getting combative. It has been arranged for his ABA therapists to attend his next haircuts for 6 months. Hopefully they have some ideas. It is getting harder for me to lift him and hold him as he gets bigger. He dead weights himself when he is scared and don't want to do things. It's a wonder I haven't pulled out my back lifting him like this. He has progressed verbally so that may help with all of this. The main thing is that he looks great. All 3 of my boys are handsome :-)

The Things We Take for Granted

2009-02-14T07:04:00.000-08:00

until they are gone...

My dryer quit on me about a month ago. The drum just stopped turning so some of the clothes would just get hot, not dry. The washer was making ungodly noises and was not cleaning well. Washers and dryers are not cheap machines. With 3 little boys I need close access to working laundry equipment. I am thankful for everyone who let me use their machines. The laundermat was interesting to say the least with 3 kids in tow. It was a happy day when my new to me washer and dryer came to their new home. Another exciting purchace I made with my tax refund money:

This has already earned it's keep as can be seen. I never thought I would appreciate a vacuum cleaner that actually picks up and isn't loud/noisy enough to wake the dead. I can even use this with Andy and Jon awake! That is huge, and I don't have to wait until midnight to vacuum! Vac and I still have plenty of work to do. Too bad the last of this pneumonia is still hanging with me.

This brings me to being greatful when I am healthy enough to care for my children. A few weeks ago I caught a flu bug that blew up into pneumonia. This was the result of not getting anywhere near enough sleep for so long and stress. Caring for 3 kids on my own makes it hard to take the time to rest and take care of myself. Friends helped when they could and I was very thankful for that. I had a hard time letting go of the fact that I could not care for and play with my kids the way I thought I should. I've never been that sick in my life, and would never wish on anyone feeling that bad. After being sick for over 2 weeks I finally went back to my doctor, got a lecture about caring for myself and some new meds. The next day I had my wonderful friends here with my kids, and slept for 6 hours in the middle of the day, and more later on. The sleep, fever and meds finally took care of the worst of this and I feel so much better. I'm still coughing and tire easily but I am heading in the right direction. Just like when I was struggling through PPD I had to take the time for me. I learned what helped me through that, and use it to get through the rest of life's trials. For now I am praying that all the germs stay away from here for some time.

Can You Guess What Was for Dinner Last Night?

2009-02-02T15:10:00.000-08:00

He was stealing meatballs and spaghetti off my plate after he was done with his! This boy is an eating machine. My appitite is not that great from being sick and he is a growing boy, so eat up baby boy!

He was wearing as much as he ate. The mess is so worth it to see him eat. His brothers would have never ate anything like this at that age. It is also great to be able to have fun with this rather than obsess over the mess.

Andy Got Buzzed

2009-01-23T23:52:00.001-08:00

Here is my handsome little man after his hair cut this afternoon. I am SO proud of him! He behaved quite well while having this done. He was also much more tolorant of the clippers than I ever expected. This was long overdue. Every time I was going to get this done something happened and I couldn't. I can't put his hair in pigtails anymore lol! He finally looks like a boy again. Eric's turn will be coming in about a couple of weeks. That is an adventure all it's own. Jon will be getting his first haircut soon too, although the back is all that really needs to be cut. He has fine hair that seems slow to grow. He is also my guy in curls which makes it hard for me to cut it.

Not happy here.

I think he is telling me to put down the camera and leave him alone...In no uncertain terms!

My big boy being so good for the camera :-)

Winter Is Here

2009-01-23T23:37:00.000-08:00

and it has a good bite this year. We've had way too much snow. There have been at least 4 days of below zero temperatures. We will be getting close again this weekend.

I would not want that falling on my head!

Even Old Glory is not spared.

This is the long hike my boys and I take when I take them to and get them off the school bus. This is really long when I have to carry Andy because he will not walk into the house!

Stuck!!! My winter driving needs some work. It's sad, I've lived in WI all my life and driving in snow still gets to me.

At least it's pretty!

The icicle posted above before it broke off. It grew just a bit...good thing nobody was standing there at that time!

With that I am going to try really hard to think Spring!