Bless you

Isaac funny:

The other day Isaac sneezed. He wiped his shirt off and said, "I bless you-ed all over my shirt" I could not figure out what he was talking about. He repeated himself. What he meant to say is that he sneezed. When he sneezes, we usually say "bless you". 

Life

Things are well around here. We are getting back into the swing of school. As much as I miss my summer, I can honestly say that it is nice to have a routine and schedule again. I think I function  best with a schedule and a purpose. I get to lazy if I don't. It is nice to be at work and around other adults. So far, things at school are off to a great start! Last year was a rough year and I remember by the fifth day of school, I was ready for summer again. 

The boys are doing well with the school routine. Evan is still loving school. I will be interested to see how he is doing when he starts bringing stuff home. I hope he is getting back into the swing of things. The reading and writing really clicked for him at the end of last year. I hope that it is coming back as quickly.

Isaac had another day of preschool yesterday. He was a bit nervous to go, but Vickie said he went in fine. Later in the day, I talked to the preschool teacher (mostly to see if she served "blood" at snack time again ... if you don't know what I am talking about, see an older post). She laughed and said Isaac is doing fine. She did ask if he is a loner at home. She said he hasn't played with the others yet and just does his own thing. Of course, now I am worried again - just when I started to feel better about things. His teacher said that she thinks he just isn't too confident yet. It breaks my heart to think of him not wanting to do things because he isn't confident in himself. I was trying to think of things we could do at home to build him up. I think Ben and I do praise him a lot and get excited when he does color or draw something. I think he looks at Evan and sees how well Evan can do, and feels like he can't do it. His teacher said he didn't want to swing yesterday because he didn't know how to pump his legs. It is so strange how he is such a stinker at home and yet at school he is so quiet and unsure of himself. It seems like he would just come into school being as bold as he is at home. I suppose it isn't necessarily a bad thing that he is so quiet and shy at school, but I hope that his personality starts shining through too...that's what makes Isaac, Isaac. 

Eli is doing awesome. He is eating like crazy! Last week when we took the boys to their appointments, I had Eli weighed. He has gained a pound in a month. Since he has had his tubes, he has really taken off. His cheeks are finally filling out and his legs are getting bigger too. He is eating mostly table food, and only some baby food. Last night he had a whole banana, canned carrots and toast for supper. 

He is one active little boy too. He is into EVERYTHING!!! He opens cupboards and drawers and climbs on everything. He pulls himself up to things, but doesn't walk around things yet. Still no teeth either. He tries to say everything too....his favorites are "all gone" "Isaac" "da-da" and "uh-oh" 

House Progress

We painted ALL day yesterday. We had a bit of a hold up with the drywallers, so we weren't able to paint on Saturday but we did get in there on Sunday. We have the first coat on most of the house, but need to touch up and put second coats on most of it. It look good. The house definitely has a lot more character now. I am worried that I don't like it as well as I thought I would, but I think it will look good with all of our stuff in there. The light color we picked for the main part of the house is darker than I was hoping, but it will be fine I think when we get the flooring in there. Next week the carpet and vinyl will be put in so before then, there will be a lot of changes going on...doors, trim etc. I think it is starting to come together and it won't be long now....

We could not do this without all of help from our families....it seems like everyone has had a hand in this "adventure" whether it be moving us, shingling, painting, babysitting, letting us live with them, providing awesome discounts...I am sure I am forgetting something. I don't think we could ever thank everyone enough! We are so lucky to have such a great family. 

My niece

I miss cuddling with Sarah. She always has a hug and a snuggle for anyone that wants one. All she needs is a lap and she is all for hugging and cuddling! We had so much fun this summer with Sarah and Jacob, and we all miss them now that they are back in Texas. The boys keep asking when they are coming back...it's amazing how quiet the house is now with only 3 kids!

First day...

The boys both enjoyed their first day of school yesterday. When we got in the car, I asked if they had fun...Evan's response "Oh yeah, it was so fun. First grade is awesome!" He loves school. 

Isaac said it was fun too, but without as much enthusiasm. I do have the luxury of seeing the boys' teachers whenever I want. For the past two years, I have made it a point to not be "one of those parents" and even though I work with the teachers, I seldom asked how Evan was doing. I figured they would tell me if there were concerns. This morning, I just couldn't resist. It was killing me not knowing how Isaac did yesterday. She said he did just fine. When asked if he wanted chocolate milk or white milk, he responded with  a straight face "I don't drink milk, only blood" He eventually settled for chocolate milk. She said she and the associate busted out laughing. I was of course embarrassed! I worry about lots of things with him in school. I know deep down that he will eventually learn to hold his pencil the correct way and learn his letters and numbers and how to write. What I worry about the most is what comes out of his sweet little mouth. I feel like I no longer have any control over it....I just hope he doesn't get me turned into DHS! 

I just have to document this so I don't forget it....it is something that happened a few weeks ago. Isaac wanted to color so I sat down with him and we were coloring. I asked him if he wanted to draw a picture. He didn't know what he would draw, so I suggested he draw a picture of himself. He started with a big circle for his head. He kept getting stuck on what to draw next, so I would ask him "what else do you have" and he would say legs and draw legs, then arms, then eyes, etc etc. After a couple times, he said what now. Instead of telling him what he should draw I tried to get him to think of it on his own. I said "what else do you have" and he said "a penis" and proceeded to draw a line between his legs. I had a hard time telling him he was wrong, but tried to explain that he shouldn't draw things that we can't see when our clothes are on! This is why I worry about him going to school :) 

Three years

preschool

kindergarten

1st grade

Look at how much he has grown from preschool to 1st grade. How is this possible? 

First day pictures

No tears...

For the boys anyway....I shed some tears in the car. I don't know how these little boys grow up so fast!

I got the boys off to the first day of school without any trouble at all. Evan was up a 6:30 and wondered if we could leave for school. He has been so excited! He was dressed and was wearing his bookbag by 7:00 a.m. He loves everything about school, the social part, the learning, the playing, the eating....EVERYTHING. He loves it all.

Isaac was not so peppy. He was just very nervous. We have been reading a book about a bunny that was going to preschool and was very worried. I think Isaac really connected the whole idea. He was nervous about it. Once we got in the car, he was getting more attached to the idea. He said he was nervous (omit the r's) anymore...Before we got out of the van, we gave each other our kissing hands...and whispered about our little secret. I cut a small piece of one of his blankies and put it in his sock...just in case he was sad, he could think of that. He thought that was a great idea and relaxed a bit when he knew he could touch his blankie and not be scared. 

We dropped Evan off. He walked right in his classroom, waved and that was it. He was so excited! Isaac was a bit clingy, but went with the teacher to find his name badge and empty his supplies. He did great, found his locker and waved and walked into his classroom. I really wanted to go see him again in his classroom, but knew I should leave before he changed his mind about staying. He should be getting picked up right now.  I hope he had fun and I hope it went alright. Evan was a huge factor in today being a success. I wish I had a big brother to show me the world. I wish I had someone like Evan to hold my hand and walk me into places that are new and scary. 

Evan held Isaac's hand all the way into the building. He is an awesome big brother...it is definitely the role he is cut out for. Last night, I was listening to them talk in bed. I was hiding around the corner. Evan was telling Isaac that preschool is not scary. The only time the Isaac won't see Evan out at recess is if it is snowy, because preschoolers don't have recess in the winter. He told him that he was just down the hall and if he needed him, he would be there. He told him preschool is fun because you get to paint and have chocolate milk. 

Evan is the most compassionate kid I know. That is what makes him so special. He truly has a gift of reassuring Isaac...Isaac is one lucky kid. 

As always, I have plenty of pictures to share...I will load them tonight. 

My boys

These are the boys I am sending to school tomorrow. How is it possible that I have a 1st grader and a preschooler?? Where does the time go?

favorite

And these two pictures may be my favorites of the whole summer. Look at this boy....I don't even have to explain what is going on. I think this is one of those times that a picture is worth a thousand words. Enough said.

This summer...

Ben and I in Chicago...no kids, just us.
Ben's brother came home for his 2 week leave from Iraq. He will go back until September 2009....This is Evan's hero. He brought them Army uniforms just like his. Evan has worn his nearly every day for a week. He loves the fact that he has a uniform just like Uncle Jason. Jason even brought them patches just like his. The night he gave the boys the uniforms, he showed Evan his "Kalainoff" patch. He asked Evan if he knew what it said. Evan of course did. Jason asked if he needed one for his uniform. Evan was speechless....Jason removed the patch from his unifrom and handed it to Evan. What a special moment as Evan just stared at it with disbelief. He is proud to tell everyone that his "Kalainoff" patch is real and it was already used all the way around the world. It was an amazing moment I wish I could explain...he is Evan's hero.
We can't forget pinata fun at Jacob's 4th birthday party!


more to come.....

Blogging

I have written about 15 blogs in my head....I just can't find the time or energy to get them typed. The house is always loud, chaotic and crazy with all the kids and by the time it is quiet, I have to get things organized for the next day. 

We are back to school now. The kids come tomorrow. Evan can't wait, he loves school. Isaac is very worried. We had his preschool visit on Monday night. We took him up to the school for his visit since it is hard to do a home visit without a finished home. We thought going up to the school would calm some of his nerves. He did better than I expected. He was shy and quiet at first, but he warmed up. He is so quiet in those situations and totally a different child than Evan. I am so worried about him going to school. I feel much more anxious about him going. I am worried they won't understand him. I understand him...I know why he does the things he does. I am scared they won't get him. He just "works" different than others. He is very emotional and doesn't always know what to do with all of his emotions...sometimes he cries, sometimes he screams, sometimes he hits, sometimes he laughs. I just hope his teachers understand him. I am supposed to be working on my stuff today...but this is all I can think about. 

I am sad that summer is over. It has been a very rough summer, but we have had many great times. 

--Our vacation to the train in Boone and the Omaha zoo.

--Spending so much time with Sarah and Jacob. They have been here for 5 weeks and leave on Friday. It has added more stress having more kids around, but it has been wonderful having them here. I love it that we have the opportunity to get to know them so well. I love it that the kids get to know each other so well. Unfortunately, with their visit brought another change. We (Ben, Evan, Isaac, Eli and I) are all in one room! The kids had to give up their "room" and now sleep on the air matress on our floor. It has been interesting. It leaves Ben and I no where to go to relax and watch tv or a movie. We can't get to our clothes at night or in the morning until everyone is up so the air matress can be put on our bed. It is frustrating, but it is just for a short time. We keep trying to tell ourselves that it will all be worth it in the end. 

--Getting to live at Grandma and Grandpa's house...Grandma hugs and kisses everyday and a giant MidAmerican truck to look at everyday...and listen to it back up and go beep, beep, beep...the highlight of Isaac's day. 

--Ben and my vacation to Chicago without any kids!

--Eli having tubes in his ears and wanting to eat EVERYTHING in sight! What a relief. He is still teething something fierce, but doing very well with the ears and eating. He is finally putting some meat on his bones. 

--Living in GC for a while during the flooding. Getting to wake up at Grandma's house with mommy there too....unlike the past three summers of me being at grad school, taking care of Sydney the beagle (Evan's favorite) and making cookies with Grandma (Isaac's favorite). 

--Watching our house be built before our eyes. Making major house decisions, right down to where the doorbell should be put and what color to have the outlet and switch colors. 

I really better get busy, just needed to get a few things off of my mind. I should be working....the kids are coming tomorrow and I am not ready. The big boys have their physicals tonight so I have to leave right after school so I have to get going. I have had all summer to get them taken care of and of course I wait until the very last day!!! I think Isaac has a shot today, so that will be rough. 

On a house note....

The drywallers and plumbers are there today. We are on track to paint this weekend! Our carpet is being laid Sept. 2-4. We will hopefully be done shortly after that. We are very anxious! 

Eli's day

Eli has had five ear infections since Memorial Day. This last one about did him in...they put him on a very strong antibiotic and he had a pretty bad reaction to it. He broke out in a rash and cried for three days. He is not a fussy baby at all, and he literally cried just about the whole time he was awake. He was up in the middle of the night for a couple nights. On Friday night, I finally called the ENT and asked what I should do. I decided to stop giving him the medicine to see if things improved. She said that it wouldn't be bad to try. Friday night he was up for two hours screaming. Finally on Saturday we saw some improvement and Sunday he was doing pretty well.

Today was the day for his ear tubes. He did great. We had to be at the hospital at 6:30 A.M. and he was the first patient of the day. He didn't cry when they took him back. The nurses said he just laid there watching them. The doctor said he had a lot of fluid in his ears and he should feel a lot better. When they brought him back to the room, he was pretty agitated. He ate some of his bottle and was pretty fussy so we decided to take off. By the time we got to the car, he was pretty happy.

He slept all morning and has had a great rest of the day. In fact, he has been happier today than he has been in a long time. He is very smiley, talkative and giggley. He seems to hear a lot more too....he is checking everything out. It is good to see him back to his happy self.

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Walls

Looking into the living room.

Looking into the living room and dining room from the front door.

Front door and downstairs stairs. The doorway is into the boys' rooms.

Kitchen, desk area and the doorway to our bedroom.

We visited our house on Friday. Much to our surprise, the drywall is hung! Every last piece! So, now we are waiting for the drywallers to mud it and texture it so we can paint. We may be painting as early as next weekend! We are so excited. It is so much easier to see what the house will look like.