Field Trip!

I know, I have been slacking on the new posts... But there just hasn't been a lot new going on! We have all settled into our new school routine and days are pretty much the same! I'll try to do better in the future.

Well today was a very exciting day for Lillian. Field Trip! Her first, to the apple orchard. We had a blast. I drove and had one of her friends ride with me, it was so nice to hear her play and talk with another kid other than her siblings! She CAN make friends!!! It was a good day, hay ride to the orchard, stopped to feed the horses, and then we saw how the apples get polished before being sold to the stores.. no wax here! She had fun and it was a great chance for me to get some one on one time with her. Poor girl doesn't get it very much with the other siblings always along!

Which brings me to my other topic.. babysitting! Mikey spent the morning with another mom and 2 of his friends. A couple moms and I have worked out a schedule where once a week one of us will babysit while the other two can volunteer in their kid's classroom or have some sanity time! I never envisioned my life being the "suburban stay-at-home mom" but I love it! Who would have thunk it!

Here we go again.....

Pilomatrixoma.... That is a condition that Lillian suffers. It is defined as (per eMedicine) "...a benign appendageal tumor with differentiation toward hair cells. It usually manifests as a solid asymptomatic, firm nodule." In other words, Lillian gets harmless bumps under her skin that have the potential to grow quite large. She has already has one removed and it left a huge nasty scar on her arm (which I was not expecting.. they had informed me maybe a half inch..). Since that surgery she has recently developed two more bumps, one next to the scar and another on the back of her upper arm. I took her into the pediatric dermotologist today and they recommended removing them now before they get any larger.. the one on the back of her arm has grown quite a bit in a very short amount of time. I, of course, am torn. Last time she had one removed, it was very traumatic. It was about a year and a half ago and we had to go to the hospital and she was put under anesthesia, which, if any of you had kids go through that, is very traumatic when they come out of it. That and the fact that we were not allowed with her during the surgery and also that it left such a huge scar has me skittish. Do I really want to keep cutting her open everytime she gets these? But then again, do I want to chance the possibility that they get so big that they need to be removed anyway and leave an even bigger scar.

Now the part that really bugs me. The dermotologist I saw today wants to do it "in house" (or in the office) with just numbing meds. He said they can do it where it will leave only a little scar, very non-invasive while she lays there and watches a movie with me. I informed him that even if she can't feel it, once she realizes they are cutting her skin she will flip out. He then informed me that they can also do something called conscious sedation, where she is not put totally under, a lot less traumatic. This to me sounds like the best option. He is going to confer with some of the other doctors and get the best course of action and let me know what he wants to try first. They are leaning towards no anesthesia, I am leaning towards making her a little loopy. Anyway, I have an appointment for Sept 30th to get these removed, one way or another. Now my question. If they can take these things out this easily and non-invasive now, why couldn't they a year and a half ago!!!!!! I am kinda pissed, strike that, I'm a lot pissed that she had to go through all that then and has scars as a reminder, and oh yes, even though she was little, she stills remembers. Perhaps because she was so little they wanted a pediatric doctor to do it? Nonsense. The medical system can make me so mad sometimes. One doctor will say one thing and another something else. You think you have to trust your docs because they know best, right? Anyway, this new option sounds a lot better and we are going for it. I just hope she doesn't get many more of these, poor girl.

Out with the old.. In with my new love!!!!

If it were possible to fall madly in love with appliances then I have done it. After years and years of patiently waiting for my old washer/dryer to die, they have obliged me. They didn't really die, per say, they still work, they were just showing their age. When the washer finally started to show evidence of rusting out then Mike finally gave me the go ahead. I can't believe it. After all these years of waiting I now have a gorgeous set with all the bells and whistles. Huge 4.5 cubic feet capacity washer, silvercare, steam, stainless steel, etc, etc... I would be here forever if I listed all the perks! They are beautiful. I actually enjoy doing laundry now! And to think of how they are going to save me in time! Less loads of laundry to do since I can fit so much more in one load. And how much cleaner the clothes are going to be! I am stoked. I spent all weekend doing laundry, by choice! The kids get a kick out of them too, they sit on the floor and watch the clothes go around and swoosh. Hours of free entertainment! Definitely worth the wait! Now if I could only get them to automatically start my coffepot in the morning and check my email.... Oh the possibilities!!!

Rest and Recovery...

Well everybody is back home now and it is a period of rest and recovery for everyone!! Mike and I had a great time exploring California.. I can definitely see how people from there say it is the best place to live! I can see us going back again to explore a little more! (next time without the daily interruptions of classes and conferences, however..) This weekend has an agenda of early bedtimes and a lot of laying around. Gram and Gramps spoiled the kids rotten while babysitting and the kids had a lot of fun. I have heard the past two nights now how Grandma made dessert EVERY night... I can't thank you enough Mom and Dad for watching the kids for us, THANK YOU! I've attached a few more pics of beautiful California.. The time went by WAY too fast!!

Back to Reality...

So we decided to stay close to the hotel last night and just went to downtown Long Beach. The Queen Mary is docked there.. did you know that they have a hotel on that thing? That would be a cool room to have! For those of you that don't know, Long Beach is one of the largest docking ports on the West Coast. Kind of neat in itself seeing all the docking stations and cranes.. We then headed to the smaller, more quaint town of Seal Beach and did some souvenir shopping. A very laidback, nice evening in all. Tonight I head to LAX to catch the red-eye home. I don't want to leave but my reality is waiting for me. One last evening to enjoy myself in beautiful California! Mike wants to eat at a nice seafood restaurant so we will probably do that. Now it is time for me to go and take advantage of the last few hours of freedom that I have!

Just another town...

Last night Mike and I took a drive up to see the cities you always hear about with their glamorous lifestyles and celebrities... Beverly Hills and Hollywood. I must say they are not nearly as impressive in person as they are on TV. Oh, sure, in Beverly Hills you definitely saw a lot of REALLY nice cars driving around, and Rodeo Drive definitely has some upscale shops (that, IMO, only celebrities would be crazy enough to frequent and spend that sort of money on a handbag when one from Kohls is just as nice..) But in all, they are really just another town with people making a living. We can now say that we have been there, done that. And am I the only one that didn't know that the Hollywood sign was not spotlighted at night?? Mike and I spent an hour last night driving through the hills of Hollywood, searching in vain for this stupid sign just so we could get a pic and say we've been there.. When just as we were about to give up I happened to turn my head and look past one of the many multimillion dollar homes that we were driving around and see it's shadowy figure illuminated by the moonlight on the hill. Too dark to get a pic. Bummer. Attached you will see a couple pics of Rodeo Drive and some stores such as Versace and Louis Vuitton. Not quite sure what we are doing tonight, maybe Malibu, maybe stay closer, we shall see!!

Californication....

Right now I am listening to the title of this post, Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers... Awesome song, for those of you that know it.. sing it with me. For those of you that don't.. You can just say it as it normal, with no tune.. Still effective but not nearly as fun. Mike and I are in sunny, breezy California right now!!! Weather is gorgeous! Just what you would imagine it to be like. I must say the people are as you would imagine them as well. Laidback, relaxed... The hotel staff says man and dude. No kidding, they really do!

So some unexpected surprises of California.... As we were flying over I was not expecting to see the desert, mountains, and ocean all within a couple minutes.. The weather stations here report three different temps, one for desert areas, mountain areas, and coastal areas. Don't know why but I just expected beaches! It is such a diverse environment out here! Very cool. Another not as pleasant surprise, smog. I am so stunned at the amount of smog that lays like a hazy blanket over L.A. I'm sure it is better some days and worse on others. Just was not expecting to see such pollution! On a plus note, the beach that Mike and I went to last night was beautiful! Finally saw the Pacific and a gorgeous sunset!

We are having a great time. Really just settling in, getting a feel for the area. I will keep you updated on our trip as it progresses! Later, man!!!

Mikey's first day!

Boy was Mikey excited!!! He finally got to go to school just like his sisters do. This is definitely making him feel like a big boy. He has been having a "little guy" complex lately. I can not tell you how many times in the past couple of weeks I have heard "I NOT too little!!!" or "I big boy now, I not little!!!" And he is right... my little guy is growing up way too fast. Darn it. Anyway, he had a BLAST in class and can't wait to go again next week! He IS a big boy now!

On another topic, Maria had quite the adventure yesterday afternoon. She accidently got on the wrong bus after school. Here I am, waiting at the bus stop, the bus gets there, off get the other kids.... and no Maria. The bus driver calls me over and says she is back at the school in the office and I need to go pick her up. Somehow she got on the wrong bus. I immediately start thinking of the terror she must have felt when she realized her mistake. Just imagine it.. Looking around, realizing the bus isn't going the right way.. not recognizing any faces.. and panic. I am envisioning the worst, and I start to panic... well not panic exactly, just start getting really upset thinking my little girl is upset somewhere and I can't get to her. As it turns out she faired just fine. She realized her mistake as the bus was pulling away from the school. And she did start to cry a little. But she tells me "Mommy, I knew I had to stop crying so the bus driver could hear me OK so I stopped before I went to go tell him." She told the driver at the 3rd stop that she was on the wrong bus and then the plan of action to get her home made her feel better. Whew!! It's a good thing she is resilient. I am proud of her that she handled it so well... She did exactly the right thing. I myself know that if had been me at 6 years old I would have been a terrified, quivering little ball the whole time! I don't think she will be making that mistake again for a while!! (for My sake, not hers!)

Finally, some progress!

Lillian had a great first day of school! Her teachers are so good with her and totally made her feel welcome and comfortable as soon as she got there. So much so, that she actually was talking to them!!! Saying words!!!! For those of you that don't know, this is huge. Lillian is sooo shy and last year she didn't say ANYTHING! Hardly a word the entire year. I was so concerned I actually had her evaluated for Selective Mutism (which, thankfully, they don't think she has.. just extremely shy). For her to be talking out loud in front of the whole class on her first day is a huge accomplishment. I have a feeling this is going to be a great year and I hope Lillian starts to get over a little of her shyness and anxiety of new people. Yay!!

Friday is Mikey's first day.. Keep tuned in for updates!

Lillian's Day

Today was a day all about Lillian. Her first day of preschool is tomorrow and we had been busy "preparing" for it! Her nails are now a lovely shade of pink and THE perfect outfit was FINALLY decided on. All homework has been done and bags are packed! She is very excited to be starting again.

Not only were we busy with school prep, but tonight was also her first night of soccer. She was thrilled that the fall season was finally beginning. Last night she was hoping it would be a nice, sunny day so it wouldn't be postponed. For the past week she has been in "training"... running all the way back home from the bus stop every day. She's convinced herself that this has now made her the fastest runner on her team. She LOVES soccer.. I LOVE that she likes it so much. It is so good for her, especially with how shy she is. It gives her a chance to really interact with other kids and show how great she is! She did phenomenal tonight and had a blast! Tomorrow is the big day!