Disney on Ice: Mickey & Minnie's Magical Journey

Disney on Ice: Mickey & Minnie’s Magical Journey is coming to Bismarck for 3 amazing shows!! My family can not wait for this amazing adventure for us all.

Make imagination your destination!  Join Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse on a journey into the magical worlds of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan, and Lilo & Stitch.  Discover Ariel and Sebastian’s enchanting undersea kingdom; visit the Pride Lands with Simba and Nala; soar through starry skies with Peter Pan and his sassy fairy friend Tinker Bell; and say “aloha” to fun with Lilo and Stitch. You'll be captivated by the music, beauty and laughter in a journey so magical, you’ll never want to go home.

Tickets are on sale now!!You can purchase tickets by visiting THIS LINK here....

I miss my friends...

Back when I was 'just' a mom (please note this is a slam on society and their belief that woman who choose to stay home with their children are just choosing not to work) I was able to spend time with my friends. I was able to see my friends several times/week and in fact I was able to see my friends so often that I would actually have 'stay home days' because I was seeing too many people.

THAT was before I started working. This past July I accepted a part time (at most 20 hours per week) , position at a local long term care facility. Well let's just say I am working far more than 20 hours per week, never mind adding my classes for school, and the fact that I am still a mom and let me tell you there are not enough hours in a day for me to get the things done that are simply expected of me, much less 'extras'.

So that being said plain and simple, I miss my friends.

A boy and his dog....

Last night the children got their new puppy, Izzabella. Izzabella is a schnoodle... you're probably asking what the heck that is, it is a schauzer poodle cross. Brody (as are all the children) is in love with this little dog. She just sits on his lap and cuddles with him... seriously the kids are awesome with her. In fact this morning we had the "I get to" fight in regards to who got to take her to go potty-- although I'm sure that won't last ;)

K5 Learning Program

K5 Learning has an online reading and math program for kindergarten to grade 5 students.  I've been given a 6 week free trial to test and write a review of their program.  If you are a blogger, you may want to check out their  open invitation to write an online learning review of their program.

whoopsie daisy

Hello my dear blog readers. I must apologize for apparently falling off the fact of the planet the past almost 2 months. We have had a lot happen and go on and sadly my blog (and pretty much everything else) has had to get moved to the back burner for awhile but hopefully things are looking up and we can get it all together and figured out from here on out.

Friday Flip Off's...

It's FRIDAY!!!! And that means that it is time for "Friday Flip-Offs"... this was originally found via THIS blog but was created by THIS blogger and you know me... I'm kind of a 'follower' so I had to join in. Here are my Friday Flip-Offs for this week.

1. The fact that even though I work outside of the home now, all the 'household duties' (except for mowing the lawn, shoveling and taking out the garbage) fall to me.  I was actually told this morning after 'someone' was complaining about the kitchen table being a mess that and I quote "It's not my job"... when I questioned just who's job it was I was given the "Not the person with a real job".... yep... its been one of THOSE types of days.
2. CANCER... simple as that it sucks!
3. People who do not follow doctor's orders and then wonder why things aren't going the way they should.
4. Stupid people
5. My washing machine... once again I (because its not ANYONE ELSE'S job) had to take the washing machine apart to clear the drain trap, which is no easy feat all the while having a 3 yr old over my shoulder trying to 'help' me. 
6. The disorganization of some organizations... I mean come on people if I can see/state your disorganized what does that say... I mean REALLY PEOPLE!!!

Oh I think that's good...

Hopefully the weekend off will help to 'fix' this negative Nancy funk that I've been in as of late and I'll be able to find the pieces of my home and put them back together etc.... wish me luck!!!

Totally Ticks Me off Tuesday

Hang on to your hats boys and girls... its gonna be a bumpy ride. Please note that this is just a venting of frustrations and some boiled over emotions... this is no way means that I do not like my life, nor do I not appreciate my life. I love the life that I have... and I love the jobs that I have in my life... I just needed to vent so that I can move on... Thanks.

1. When I was 'just' (not how I feel about it but how society classifies it) a stay at home mom, I completely understood and expected for the house hold duties to fall on to me. Even though I didn't 'just' stay home, I had college class loads, therapy appointments, soccer, swimming etc you name we were going and doing it. Granted the house wasn't always up to other people's expectations, but I was ok with it. My husband would certainly NOT be ok with it. He would get mad about it  and pull the passive aggressive card on it and just make little off remarks. But NOW that I'm working out side of the home (on top of class four days a week, swimming, Girl Scouts, dance etc) I had hoped that maybe just maybe I'd get a little help... nope. Most definitely not. In fact my house is more of a mess now that when I was home. Why you ask? Oh because you see when I was 'just' a stay at home mom, I would pick up the laundry after the children were changed into the bed clothes, and while it was more often than not on a pile in the corner of my living room, at least it was kept to that pile. I would have the children pick up some of their toys, and the dishes were always done before I went to bed. Now I come home to laundry all around my house, my children's toys all over heck and dishes stacked in the sink at odd and weird geometric angles. So I come home and try to find my home and I'm lucky if I can manage a load of laundry ( the other adult in my home has been forbidden from EVER touching my washing machine again since the last time he did it cost $200 and was a week without it) and get a load of dishes done while I am doing homework till 2-3 in the morning and get to start it all over again at 7am. 
2. I worked this weekend (as I do most weekends now) and we arranged childcare for the kids so that Chad could 'get some stuff done around the house'... I am THRILLED that my garage is clean... too bad I can't find my living room :(
3. Sick adults. Especially sick adults who get sick time. They wine, cough, hack, etc all night long while YOU don't get sleep and then they get to take a day off to sleep to recover from their illness etc. I don't get a day off when I'm sick... nope, on top of being sick I have to typically care for the others in my home who are also sick, on top of doing all the other things that no one else is doing.
4. In my next life I am totally being a dad!!!

First Reconciliation...

As the Catholic (albit a bad one) parent in our family it is my responsibility to take the children to their religious education classes... I do my duty and sign them up. We learn the prayers and we go over the homework etc.

This year as the parent of a 2nd grader going to religion classes she will be receiving two of the sacraments this year, 1st Reconciliation and 1st Communion. Last night I went to the parent meeting for the 1st Reconciliation and frankly it just torked me off....

Let's clear the air, there are obviously things that I don't agree with that are 'part' of or 'rules' of the Catholic church... no secret. And Reconciliation is one of them. I'm sorry but the bible clearly states "Jesus Died for our Sins"... DONE... plain and simple. I don't need to 'shame' myself any further by telling this sins to a priest ( who for the record has known me since I was 7 years old and therefor fully recognizes my voice) so that HE can offer to me the absolution of God.... Sorry just doesn't jive with me...

Does this mean that I do not confess my sins? No... I confess them to God and I repent for my sins in my own way.

So last night as I was sitting there I was torn... do I teach my child the 'way' of the Catholic church or do I allow for her to make up her own mind as I did??? Parenting is so not easy...

And the last thing that really stuck a bee in  my bonnet was when the priest stated "I know that all other ministers of other faiths wish they had confession the same as we do"... really? did you talk to ALL of them??? UGH!!!

All because of a story....

With the new school year starting for my daughter, I knew I wanted to be prepared. I wanted her teacher(s) prepared and I wanted her classmates prepared. So I searched high and low for all the information that I could that was teacher and child friendly on Sensory Processing Disorder. I found a lot of great things, but hands down the best tool that I found was the book "This is Gabriel, Making Sense of School" written by Hartley Steiner

I emailed her teacher to set up a time that I could read the book to her class. I told Shelby that I would be coming and talking about SPD and helping her friends understand it. This kind of set Shelby into panic mode. She instantly was worried about what others would think and how others would react. My husband and I explained to her that no one in her class would know that the book was about her, I would just be reading a story to the class and helping them learn the big words and about their senses...and that while she has SPD no one in her class would know unless she told them.

The morning of the story time came.... Shelby was bouncing off the walls with her anxiety. She had to take a few items with her to school to help herself remain calm, but she went. She greeted me at the door when I came to read the story. The teacher quickly organized the room full of kindergarteners on the circle time mat and I took my seat to read the children the story.

I first asked them how many senses they had? No one really knew, so we started listing them, the kids gave me taste, touch, sight, sound and smell. We started discussing how we used those. And then I brought up proprioception and and vestibular. The kids had no idea what I was talking about so we 'tried' to find these senses on our bodies. We spun in circles and jumped etc and we were able to find out the meaning of these senses... we made sense of them.

We then read the story...

The children were so excited to not only hear the fun story and see the awesome pictures and understand a little bit more about how people can be 'different'.... BUT for the first time EVER I saw my daughter PROUD of her SPD!!!! She loved knowing that "This is Gabriel..." is basically about her too, she loved telling her friends about the whys and how comes of how SPD effects her.. for example she said "That's why I get to stand up when we write our letters" or "that's why my shirt sleeve is wet" etc. SHE WAS PROUD to be HER!!!! It brought so much joy to me to see that for ONCE she wasn't embarressed about being 'different' she was enjoying every second of it...

We taught her classmates the words propreiception and vestibular and 'showed' them what those senses were etc. The kids LOVED it... they were so accepting of ALL OF IT and it literally brought tears not only to my eyes but to the eyes of her teacher and also the aid in the room.... and all it took was a story....

So to the author THANK YOU!!!! Thank you so much for writing this amazing book and for sharing Gabriel's story so that other parents/families/children can help others understand more about their 'quirks' ... but mostly... THANK YOU for giving us this story so that I could FINALLY see my baby girl proud of herself.... THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart... there is NO way that I can EVER repay you.. THANK YOU!!!!

Today I failed my daughter.....

Today was supposed to be the first of many meetings to set up and implement Shelby's IEP for the next school year. I went in prepared.... I knew what I wanted and I also knew what to expect after talking to other special needs parents in my community. Let's just say I got exactly what I expected at this meeting..... Absolutely nothing. I got the song and dance about how Shelby will never qualify for services because her "issues" do not effect her education and she will not qualify for an IEP. Blah blah blah.... The meeting ended with them telling me nothing and me getting nothing.

I made several mistakes during my meeting today, the first being I went alone. I knew that was a mistake before I even entered the room. I have heard story after story about what happens when people go alone and I went alone anyways. Second mistake I let them intimidate me. I let all the letters and degrees behind their names get in the way of my daughters right. O don't care how long they've been a child psyc, or a teacher or even a principal. I have been Shelby's mom for 6 years!!! I know her better than any one of them ever will... Unlike any of them I will never give up on her.

It is now my responsibility to gather the information needed to go forward. I requested today that she be evaluated for OT and will be requesting tomorrow that she be evaluate for speech as well... it seems to be a foot in the door so I'll go with it. But it has now fallen on me to do the 'paper chase' to get the school results of evaluations and notes from my doctors. I refused to sign a release of medical records with the school for our doctors/therapists because frankly.... I don't trust them. Why would I. So I will run around town getting paper work that I am willing to share with them... I will do it will a smile on my face because I know in the long run I am doing what's best for my child and the other children in her class as well.

All in all TODAY I failed my baby.... but I won't do it again!!!

Totally Ticks Me off Tuesday

It's been awhile since one of these delightful posts have reared it's head but honestly... IT'S TIME!!

Let this be a warning to you, if you don't want to hear me bitch, moan, complain and basically have a temper tantrum about shit that bugs me, do us both a favor and just stop reading now... I mean honestly, it will be best for everyone.

1. The ability for people in my home to use the dishwasher. I mean come on people, you put dirty dishes in, you take clean dishes out (and put them away). This IS NOT rocket science... its a simple task that EVERYONE could do 
2. Laundry: You take clean clothes out of the drawers and take off the dirty ones. Please put the dirty ones in the multiple baskets placed through out our home. If you do this I can promise that new clean clothes will be placed into the ... if you do not place your clothes in the baskets... do NOT expect to find clean clothes in the drawers... and please do not yell, scream or cuss at the person who does laundry when you fail to do this task and find that you are out of clothes.
3. Support: or should I just say lack there of lately. I try to be there for my friends (probably not always the best at it) but it seems like I am constantly having to go to the same 2 friends (they do ask me what's wrong etc not exactly me having to beg etc) when something is difficult in my life... I really wish I had a better support system in place... it hurts that I am willing to be there for others and they can't offer me that same respect, and honestly I'm fairly certain those two friends could go for me having someone else to bitch too as well..
4. Anonymous Comments on newspaper websites: I mean come on people!!! It takes a real tough guy to make comments that there is NO recourse for their stupidity of their actions. You get to make all the comments you want about someone else and what they did or do, but you can't be brave enough to put your name to it?? If you aren't willing to put your name on it then just shut the fuck up!!!
5. People who comment on Newspaper Websites: Ok, now hear me out. I don't mean ALL the people who comment... but often people who really have no idea of what the situations was/is comment on what they 'think' it is... NEWSFLASH people... this just hurts the innocent people involved. So you "read" about a situation... that does not mean that you know the people involved or even the facts... there is ONE PAPER in this town... so you're only going to get that one writers opinion of what REALLY happened or what was preceived to have happened.
6. People who lack the ability to do their job: I get that each job comes with a "job description" and maybe I'm off base with the way that I think/feel... but it will not kill you to think outside of your job description to help others out. It makes you a better person for being willing to do it... put a smile on your face, step up and just do it!!!

That's good for now... I feel better and that really is the point to this whole rant lol

Friday Flip Off's...

I was recently introduced to THIS blog and have been an avid reader every since. Well today there was a post called 'everybody needs a good vent one in awhile'. I read it and nodded my head the entire time... and in THAT post she mentioned THIS blogger and her awesome 'fun' blog roll type of thing called "Friday Flip-offs" and let me tell you, I'm in love.

It is similar to my previously done "Totally ticks me off Tuesdays" but really... who DOESN'T want another day of the week in which they get to bitch and moan... just sayin'. So here is this week's Friday Flip-offs!!

Flip Off #1. Fake friends. Yep I said it. You know those people who when you show up make a big deal about 'how long its been' or 'how much they missed you'... oh stop acting like that... we all have some of THOSE people in our lives, and if you don't trust me you do... you just don't know it. I realized a long time ago that not everyone is going to like me, I struggled with this because lets face it everyone wants to be liked right, but plain and simple I realized that I was no longer going to attempt to change just so people would like me... and I found this quote once and it has kind of turned into one my mantras "I'd rather be hated for who I am, than liked for who I'm not".

Flip Off #2. Family. Yes, I said family. Although honestly the family that I am talking about could very well fit into the same section of my life as the above mentioned fake friends. Lately there has been a lot of "stuff" going on and frankly, I'm kind of over it all. I would like nothing more than to just take my immediate family (meaning my husband and children) and just disappear. I am so tired of everyone being in 'our' business and thinking they get a say in things. And in addition to that, I'm also tired of people thinking they can say whatever the hell they want about my family. I am a firm believer in "sweep your own front porch" and frankly these other people really need to get sweeping before they come on over to my porch.

Flip Off #3. Laundry  Seriously... I just want to flip the bird to the piles of laundry that seem to keep showing up in my house. It seems like I do laundry all day long and the piles never get smaller and never go away. I know some where... my laundry room/basement has a floor but it seems to constantly be covered in laundry.

Flip Off #4 Being broke. You know what I'm talking about. Today my husband's pay check hit our checking account and its already almost gone... its sad. REALLY

That's all folks :)

Two years....

Its been two years....
 It hurts more today then it did then. Then I was in a fog... today I am wide awake. and it hurts....

But I know you are watching me... You are missed and you are loved!!! Your memory will not fade from mine, or the minds of my children.... always and forever loved Papa!!!! We love you!!!

Kind of proud of myself....

Today my oldest asked me if we could go to a local water park. I explained that we couldn't go.

She continued to ask about it and I kind of got tired of having to explain it. So I thought that just maybe if I talked to her like the mature child that I assumed  thought she was and told her that it would cost over $70 for our whole family to go to the water park and that right now we can't afford it.

She stomped and steamed and then she said .... "If you didn't have to many kids we could afford it"....

And it hurt... but I looked at her and said "Ok... pick who you'd want to get rid of just so you can do things like the water park"... she looked at me and burst into tears and ran to her room.

I let her go... I let her think and all by herself she came out and said "Mommy... I'd rather have my whole family then go to a water park ANY DAY!!!"

so what started as a bad mommy moment turned into a learning lesson for my oldest daughter... I think we both learned something though. I learned she can handle the truth... and she learned she actually likes her siblings :)

Totally Ticks Me off Tuesday

It's been awhile since I did one of these but it is most certainly needed after the last couple weeks, months days that I have been having lately. Totally Ticks me off Tuesday was created by another blogger, and I borrowed it... it seems that she hasn't been posting them with her links anymore, so I hope that she doesn't mind that I am borrowing it again.

 be warned... if you don't want to 'listen' to my bitching/ranting/whining then just close the browser window and come back another day.... 

Here goes......
1. Being unappreciated. I know that what I do seems insignificant to you and irregardless of what you think... I do alot. It may not be what YOU want all the time, but it is what is best for my family. I'm not asking for a parade by any means... but would it really kill you to at least acknowledge my successes.
2. Lack of support. I'm struggling right now, with a lot of things and because I have been told  in the past that I tend to be to negative I have been keeping these things to myself. Rather than reaching out and asking for help, I am allowing for myself to get further and further into the hole.... There has been two people that I have felt that I could reach out to... and to them THANK YOU!!!
3. Understanding. In so many aspects of my life.... I would love to have just a little bit of understanding.
4. Lack of honesty. I'm sorry but not telling the 'whole' story is the same thing as lying.
5. If you have something to say.... just say it. You'll feel better and we can all move on from the passive aggressive behaviors.
6. Laundry... nuff said
7. 1/2 finished projects
8. My own compulsive behaviors... I wish I could get a handle on them.
9. Cancer....
10. A certain doctor who stole so much from us....
11. That my grandfather is not here... it isn't any easier 2 years later. In fact because of my own stuff its so much harder. He used to be the one who could talk me off my ledge... He had my back... for real!!

That's enough for today.... Happy Wednesday to everyone tomorrow!!!!

My life with Twins: Sleeping Arrangements

My dear friend Pam, has been doing a fun thing on Mondays in regards to her multiples. And normally I just read what she writes and chuckle... but today I felt the need to participate. You see she is talking about sleeping arrangements.

When we found out we were expecting twins my brain instantly went to OMFG we have to buy two of everything... we were one of the people who really did buy two of everything... boy were we stupid!!!

We spent tons of money on two cribs, two bedding sets, etc. And this is what the girls room looked like when they were finally brought home after an 11 day NICU stay.

Shelby and Avery's finished nursery - Door way view

and THIS is how they ended up sleeping for the next several months:

Avery and Shelby 11 days old Home at last

Always needed to be close

Yes... this is really how we co-slept. It was the ONLY way this mama got any sleep

We did try to get them to sleep in their own beds as they got older but honestly that never ended well. We often ended up with one girl (Shelby) trying to climb from her crib into the other. We finally just pushed their cribs together and bunji corded them together so that they couldn't move and the girls could 'safely' climb from one to another.

Here is a video of what often happened when we would try to get them to nap seperately:

We did go against what we had already learned and went ahead and bought two toddler beds and that went ok for a little bit... well except that we had to still have their beds pushed together so that they could hold hands in their sleep...

Avery and Shelby in their 'new' beds

They now share a full sized bed and I don't see that changing any time soon... they love sharing space with each other... its pretty awesome!!!

2 years...

Two years ago today my life changed forever....

I was told that the man that I knew I could always count on and who always had my back was in fact going to die. That there was nothing more to be done... he was going to be leaving us.

I find myself remembering back to where I was when and what came next etc... and I have to be honest. It hurts more now than it did then. When we were actually going through it I was in a fog. I didn't know what it was going to be like to go on without him. I didn't realize how even two years later I still wouldn't have processed the pain properly... I didn't know what was coming....

Now I do... I know how much my life had changed because he is gone. I know how much it hurts to have my children ask questions about one of the greatest men who ever walked the earth and not because to answer them because of my pain. I now know what it is like to have to go on day after day without the greatest man who ever (to me) lived...

I never imagined it would still hurt this much... It's just not right.

trying not to be bitter....

Tomorrow is Father's day... and frankly I'm majorly torn.... why you ask?

Because Mother's Day around our house is just the same as any other day... there is no fan fare, there is no celebrations and sometimes just sometimes I am lucky enough to get chucked a card (and I mean literally thrown) about bed time with a "oh sorry forgot" or the ever famous "your not my mom"....

Well once again I have gone much further than he... today the kids and I am worked on a shirt that I purchased a few weeks ago that labels him "Best Dad in the World Hands Down"... with their hand prints on it and I also purchased him a coffee mug with a vintage motorcycle on it.

Part of me so wants to be childish and pull the same garbage he pulls... but really in the end who wins? No one. But that doesn't mean I don't want to.... but as usual I will be the 'bigger' person, and do it for the kids...

Hope everyone else has an amazing Father's Day

2 wrongs.....

I am frustrated with society. Roughly a week  ago a sports celebrity used the "R" word. There was no real backlash, other than a few status updates on Facebook. There was no formal apology, there was nothing.  The other day another celebrity made negative remarks in regards to sexual orientation and he has been blasted up one wall and down the other (AS HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN)... he has since apologized and has offered to help with legislation etc.

Why is society not up in arms because of the use of the "R" word... if this sports figure had used a racial slur, a slur against sexual orientation or had an affair he would have been blasted ineo the media. He would have been made accountable for his poor choices and would have been made to apologize.... but since he "JUST" used the "R" word that makes it ok?

Really people??? Where are our moral compasses??? THIS is just WRONG plain and simple...

It is not because I am the mom of special needs kids that I find the "R" word offensive... I find it offensive simply because IT IS!!! Get with it people!!!

http://www.r-word.org/Default.aspx

if life were a pimple

I've have acne....

There has been a lot going on and around in my house the past few weeks. Not just for me, but for the children, others, and even our town as a whole. Well my personal frustrations with some of these things came to a head on Friday... and it wasn't pretty. I was certainly not parenting (or wiving, or daughtering) from my 'engine'... I was in full out 'trunk' mode.


Friday evening I got the ever famous "what did you do all day".... and it wasn't in a 'just  want to know how your day went' type of manner, not once but twice. So I burst, but thankfully I was mature enough to just burst internally. After the kids were in bed I started cleaning... and I mean like a mad woman.I had decided that I was going to clean the house and then not do anything (for real) for the entire weekend where housekeeping was concerned. I loaded the dishes, started the machine, cleaned the rest of the kitchen and walked away. I went down stairs and placed a load of (MY) clothes into the wash and stayed up long enough to put them into the dryer and then again I walked away.

This weekend was crazy, I'll give others that. But in the span of less than 24 hours, my kitchen table completely disappeared, as did my counters. Last night I actually heard someone say "Great, I have to rewash my clothes because you didn't take your clothes out of the dryer"... umm hello?? The basket was right there...

So again worn down from a busy weekend of running, errands and children not on schedule, and me just plain out worn down, I stomped away and restarted the laundry and went to clean my kitchen. I bend to open the dishwasher and what do I find???? A dishwasher (that was previously clean dishes that I had not unloaded) with roughly 14 things in it ... that includes individual pieces of silverware. Rather than unload the whole machine people were just grabbing what they needed... UGH!!!!

so on top of my kitchen being trashed and looking like no one has touched anything in months now I'm just mad... I'm still mad and my kitchen is STILL a mess :( hopefully tomorrow will be another day and I'll be able to get it together and clean up alot of stuff...

1,000 posts???

I can not believe that it has been 4 1/2 years and 1,000 posts ago that my blog was started. Alot has happened since the first post on December 18, 2006... ALOT.

In December of 2006 Delainey was three, Shelby and Avery were just about to turn one and there was no Brody :) We were just in the beginning stages of thinking 'something' was up with Shelby and Avery as they were still only 14 lbs and wearing 3-6 months clothes. We were also in the beginning stages of trying to figure out Shelby's quirks.

I created the blog so that we could stay in touch with family and friends who were further away. I created this blog as a way to stay connected with them... and honestly there are now days that I wished I hadn't, but then I think about the fact that my children will be able to look back on this and see what life/memories really were ... well from MY perspective :)

I don't want to quote a silly reality television show but it completely fits.... "It may be a crazy life.... but its ours" and honestly... I LOVE IT!!!!

Here is a picture I took of the kidlets a few days ago... enjoy!!

Crazy days...

Holy cow, it was a crazy weekend around here. Mostly it was just a crazy Saturday....but because of all the craziness of the Saturday the exhaustion carried over into Sunday.

This past Saturday was the Bismarck March for Babies event. Our family team raised over $3300. I couldn't be more proud... oh wait, yes I can my 7 year old won the award for top youth walker for raising over $1500 for the March of Dimes.

Delainey receiving her award from Sam from MOD.

After the march Delainey had another fun and memorable event. She bridged from being a Daisy in Girl Scouts to being a Brownie. There are several different levels of Girl Scouts and with this bridging means Delainey is now on the second stage. She was so proud and excited.... 

Delainey with her flower and bridging certificates.

Next on tap was a birthday party for Delainey's friend and after that a birthday party for my cousin's son. It was alot of fun! 

Sunday we went to my cousin Amanda's high school choral concert. It was a lot of fun and the girls (Shelby and Avery) had alot of fun being able to watch Amanda sing.

Avery and Shelby with Auntie Amanda

Oh and while we were at Amanda's concert Brody was at Papa Kevin's house having a blast of his own....

Brody dreaming...

Hope everyone is having an awesome week!!!

March of Dimes...I am a mom

The March of Dimes has always been important to me...even before I was a preemie mommy. I knew the amazing work they did, I knew what their funding and research had accomplished. They help babies be born healthy and full term.

This video was created as a small fundraiser for the March of Dimes. 10 cents will be donated with every view of this video... Let's keep it going and help fight the battle against prematurity. It is wonderful!!!

When twins come early... March for Babies

I have always supported the March of Dimes and the amazing work that they do.  They have helped to fund the research of amazing medical advances such as the polio vaccine, perfect amniocentesis, and helped to educate women of child bearing age about the importance of taking enough folic acid to prevent neural tube defects.
I supported the March of Dimes and their mission to help moms achieve full term pregnancies and researching the problems that threaten health of babies long before I ever fully understood just what the March of Dimes does.Then in December 2005 I saw firsthand the amazing things that the March of Dimes has accomplished with funds raised…because I became a Preemie Mommy.
In May 2005 my husband and I learned that we were pregnant. We were over the moon, as we had been trying for over 18 months to get pregnant after the birth of our first daughter, Delainey in 2003. In June we learned we were expecting twins…. It was amazing and we couldn’t have been happier.  Our pregnancy went extremely well. We did have a few pre-term labor scares and a few bouts with modified bedrest but once we made it to 33 weeks in mid December both my doctors and I sighed a huge sigh of relief because we knew that our girls were going to be ok.
The Thursday before Christmas I began to get ill. I started feeling dizzy, flushed, and swelling a lot. I went to the clinic and was told to go home and try and relax over the holiday. During the Christmas holiday my symptoms got worse. In addition to being dizzy, swollen and being flushed I began to have horrible headaches. I went to the hospital to get checked on Christmas Day and was again sent home and told to relax. My husband and I finally went into the hospital on Dec 26^th, the Monday after Christmas, as I had begun to have contractions and we were only 34 weeks pregnant.  When we got to the hospital they attempted to stop the contractions but also began to explore my symptoms further as I had begun having severe abdominal pain in addition to previous symptoms.
I was eventually diagnosed with HELLP syndrome Class 1 (the most severe). I had all the signs of HELLP and they were ignored both by the clinician I saw on the Thursday before the holiday as well as the doctor who saw me on Christmas Day.  Both my husband and I were very scared when we learned that our twins were going to be joining us in a matter of minutes. I was quickly rushed to the operating room where I was placed under general anesthesia (because of my illness I could not be awake during the operation because of risks to me).

Our girls were born at 11:44 and 11:46am on Monday, December 26^th, 2005… and they were both quickly rushed into the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) because of respitory distress. They were both placed on breathing machines and given IVs. I was unable to see my daughters until 7pm on December 27^th due to the severity of my own medical condition but when I was finally taken to see them it was just amazing. At the moment you don’t think of all the wires, lines, machines and people… you only think about your baby… or in our cases babies.

 Life in the NICU is different that is for certain. Having had a NICU free preterm birth with our first daughter, this was all new to us. There was no seeing your baby when you wanted to, there was no cuddling with them in your own bed, there was no holding them when you wanted, or even showing them off to family. They were kept in small incubators and behind walls, doors and glass. It required 2 full minutes of washing up before you could even enter into the NICU to see them.

Our daughters were placed on “grow/feed” status which really truly meant they were just there to learn to eat and breathe at the same time, regulate their body temperatures and put on just a little bit of weight before they were able to come home.
We had a rough 11 days of trying to coordinate schedules of “NICU time” and making sure that we spent enough time with our older daughter who was only 2 years old at the time. I wanted to be at the NICU as much as possible so that I could establish a healthy breastfeeding relationship with my girls… I wanted to be their mom and not just a bystander.
Our NICU staff was amazing! The nurses were by far angels on earth. They would comfort me when I couldn’t get Shelby to nurse and they celebrated with us when Avery actually ate her whole feeding with neither of us wearing it. We all celebrated together as the girls moved from their incubators to isolettes (open air glass cribs).
Honestly, our girls had a relatively uneventful NICU stay (praise God), and we were only in the NICU for 11 days.  On January 6^th, 2006 at 11 days old, both of us girls were able to come home. Both my husband and I sighed a huge sigh of relief to have our family at home and complete. And it has been wonderful ever since.

As a NICU graduate Mommy, I have just a few ‘survival’ tips to share with you:

• Trust your medical staff. They are there to support you and to care for your child(ren). They do know their jobs, and they are good at them.
• There is no ‘planning’ in the NICU. You will not find out that you are going home until probably the day of… you may get to know the day before. It helps no one to get disappointed if you are given a date and then something happen that can change that.
• You can still breastfeed your preemie, and you can breastfeed your preemie multiples. It will be difficult, but it can be done. I took the ‘stance’ of whatever gets them home, so my girls were allowed to have bottles of expressed breast milk while in NICU (bottle feeding is easier). It wasn’t until we got home the breastfeeding got fully established.
• When someone asks to help… LET THEM. We know we are all super mom, but even super mom deserves a break.
• Remember to sleep. Because trust me, once your preemie gets home you aren’t going to get any.

It is because of the wonderful help that our family received from the March of Dimes and their amazing research that we like to give back.
The March for Babies, is the biggest annual fundraiser for the March of Dimes. Walks are scheduled all over the country beginning in May and going through June. Our family has been active walkers in the March for Babies since 2006 and we are doing it again this year.  Please join us in fighting for the   babies…because babies shouldn’t have to fight.

If you are unable to join us, any and all donations are accepted. You can easily donate online by visiting our easy to navagate web page. TEAM OUR PRECIOUS MIRACLES

Thank you all so much!!!!

What makes a friend

I know we all have times in our lives when we 'grow' and 'change' and frankly life just happens. You would think that since I live in the same town that I grew up in I would have the same 'core' friends that I had growing up.... not even close.

That does not mean that I am not friends with the people now that I was friends with as a kid, because I am... our friendships have just changed. ALOT.

Middle school and high school was the first time in my entire academic 'career' that I was ever at the same school for more than 1 1/2 years. I formed some fierce friendships in middle school. I thought for sure that these 4 girls and myself were going to be best friends for life.. one of the specifically. But then life happened. Situations changed and our friendships all began to become strained and different. Honestly, my senior year of high school I mearly 'existed', I went to school, went to work, and that was it. Looking back I never went to a school dance, and I think I only went to a homecoming game once and that was strictly because it was either go to that or stay home.

After high school I moved away from my home town. I needed the change. I needed to find myself and be who I knew I was inside. And I found that. I moved about 500 miles from home and I loved it. I couldn't have been happier. I found a best friend who REALLY understood me, I found my now husband-- someone who loves me up/down and even crazy. I found a job/career that I loved and loved me back. I even enjoyed being a part of my husband's family. But then again, life happened.

Chad and I moved back to my home town. We kept trying for a baby. I tried to re-establish those old middle/high school friendships, but there were too many differences to get that back. I had been gone for almost 3 years... too much had changed in my life. I wasn't into the same things they were... I was married, trying to have a family and they were still very much into the 'scene' (we were 22... they were doing what they should have been). It only got 'worse' after Delainey was born.

In 2004 when we started TTC again, I found a website. It was an internet community that was based on TTC, infertility, pregnancy etc. I met an amazing core of ladies. Honestly...these ladies are amazing friends. They were there for me when even family didn't know what to say. They 'held' my hand as I cried over month after month of disappointment/heartache. They were the ones who celebrated with me when we learned we were pregnant in 2005, they were the ones who frankly were more excited then I was when we learned we were expecting twins. They were there through it all with me. They are true and amazing friends. My life is better simply for knowing them... and I have never actually met them.

When I was about 5 months pregnant with Shelby and Avery I joined a local MOMS Club. I met several amazing women through this club. Friendships have come and friendships have gone in MOMS Club, but again this was a time in my life where I met an amazing group of ladies that I know are there for me regardless of the bumps my life hits in the road, or the mistakes that I make. I met friends who realize I am not perfect, that I am messy, unorganized and sometimes just plain crazy... but they love me anyways.

What makes a good friend in your mind? Lets share and discuss :)

I'm back

I am sure you were all freaked out because of my lack of posting and all (or not)... .but I have decided that it's time to come back to blogging publically.

We had some family shit that caused Chad to want the blog to go private and frankly, I am kind of over family drama and I am sick of people that I could care less about dictating what I do with my life. You will see that the blog address has changed though and that's because we are hoping they won't be able to find it now... lol

And if they do, they best hold on to their hats because I am done editing my life because of them. They don't care about my feelings... why the hell should I care about theirs.

So here we go folks.... I'mmmm BAAAAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKK