The Jist Of It

Well, it has been way beyond hectic around here. Edward is just working on this visual ABC's, Numbers, Colors, Shapes, Numerical order, Days of the Weeks, Months of the Year and the Seasons. This is mostly flashcard work but I am so glad that we have taken time off to just focus on this. I have seen so much improvement in his recognition of these things. We will return to normal curriculum work on Jan 7,2008. We had our Christmas parties at Co-op and Bowling League last week. I was the person who did the Co-op party. I baked over 4 dozen gingerbread boy cookies for the children to decorate, assembled party bags, planned party games, made party treats, bought supplies, decorated, planned the crafts and helped with the clean up afterwards. It was a hit. We have been watching these 2 new shows every M-F morning on our local PBS station. One is called Super Why and the other is Word World both teach reading. I love them and encourage anyone with children pre-reading to early reading levels to check them out if your local PBS station carries them.
We are also preparing for a huge remodel on our house at the beginning of the year. We are going to have an additional room added upstairs, relocate and design the kitchen, move the school room into the existing kitchen area after it has been gutted (except for the wall to ceiling cupboards on the East wall (will make great storage for all our supplies, books and school goodies), we are enlarging our down stairs bathroom and modernizing it. The new room upstairs will be the theater/playroom (yeah no more toys will be allowed down stairs for the most part). All the prelimanaries for the remodeling are turning out to be very time consuming. Luckily we are trying to deal with this all during the next 2 weeks because there are no co-op, kindermusik, monart, or bowling classes.
I am doing a co-op class this Semester so that will also be consuming my time. Makes me wish there were more than 24 hours in a day, some days.
Edward is getting excited about Christmas.
Well that seems to be it in a nutshell for now.

Edward's Celebrity Look-A-Likes

Thompson Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities - Collage - Morph

PARENTS BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!!

Please follow the url below to find out VERY IMPORTANT Info about a movie coming out in December called the Golden Compass. We need to be aware of this so that our children (whom this movie is geared towards) are not subject to this movie's message against God. Urban Legends Reference Pages: The Golden Compass ( http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp )

Elephants, Horses & Clowns oh My!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We took Edward to the Barnum & Bailey Circus. He absolutely loved it. He loved the clowns. Will add pictures as soon as Kirk gets them uploaded from my phone.

First Crush

Well it has happened, Edward officially has his very first crush on a little gal. Her name is Emma and she is in our homeschool co-op. He just thinks she hung the moon. His way of showing his affections to her was to push her into a recycle bin. We told him how to let a little girl know that he likes her but we also went over personal space and not being forward. Doing nice things for her was the best way to show that he liked her. Awwwwwwwwww Puppy Love, isn't it grand?????

Should I wear a Disclaimer or Defective Badge?

I have been feeling lately as if people are judging me by the way I look. My hair is thinning in places, I have fair that grows from my chin & I am fat. These are only the things that they can see on the outside. No one can see the issues my body is going through on the inside. No one knows how hard I struggle and hate the way I look. I know if you are reading this then you are saying if this is the issue then fix it. But it's not 100% fixable for me. I have a disease, one that a lot of people don't understand or even know that in addition to having infertility issues there are so many other health problems and little quirks that go hand and hand with my disease. My Disease is called Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. I struggle with this disease and have every day since I was 11, when I was blessed with my cycle. I didn't know it though until 1999 or 2000. I went through years of not knowing what was wrong with me, why I couldn't do that simple thing of giving a child to my husband. People star at me, their looks tell me everything that they are thinking. Lady loose weight. Lady take care of yourself. Lady quite being so lazy. Heck, I have actually had a family member tell me that I was Fat, Ugly and Lazy. This broke my heart. I don't want to be fat, I would give anything to have the body that Britney Spears (NO I DON'T CONDONE THIS LADY LIFE...I am just using her to make a statement...you will see what I mean as you read on) that the press and tabloids had the audacity to claim was a fat. LOL! Yeah right if that is fat then I am in HUGE trouble and no wonder why I keep feeling like people are judging me for my weight. It is exteremly hard for a woman with PCOS to loose weight, so much so that my doctor told me she wouldn't put me on a diet. It would be more disasterous for my state of mind and mental well being because it would be so fustrating for me. She just said eat breakfast, get 30 mins of exercise a day and take care of yourself by taking your meds daily.

FACTS ABOUT PCOS: Is also known as Stein-Leventhal Syndrome or Polycystic Ovary Disease (PCOD). Affects an estimated 6-10% of all women and most don't even know they have it. Is treatable, but not curable, by medications, changes in diet (sometimes but not always..this depends on lots of other factors) and exercise. Is one of the leading causes of infertility in women. Has been identified for 75 years and they still aren't sure what causes it. Affects far more than just reproduction. IT IS NOT just a cosmetic problem. CAN INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS: Irregular or absent menses, Numerous cysts on the ovaries in many, but not all, cases, High blood pressure, High Cholesterol, Acne, Elevated insulin levels, Insulin Resistance, or Diabetes, Infertility, Excess hair on the face and body, Thinning of the scalp hair (alopecia), Weight Problems or obesity that is centered around your mid section

I feel like I need walk around with a huge badge on my chest or a tattoo on my forhead that states I AM DEFECTIVE, PLEASE DO NOT JUDGE ME ON MY OUTSIDE APPEARANCE

No Halloween Celebrated Here

We don't celebrate Halloween in our house. We celebrate Fall/Harvest This is our choice. We feel that Halloween is not a holiday, that we as Christians should celebrate. God laid this heavy on our hearts and we are choosing to follow His wishes (this also applies with Harry Potter Books....he has laid that heavily on our hearts that these books aren't of Christ, nor something that we would want us polluting our minds with). Yes, that means our son, doesn't get to go trick or treating but we don't feel that he is missing out on much. It is just so dangerous to go trick or treating anyway. He is old enough to understand that Halloween is a day (thanks to the fact that people do celebrate it and tend to decorate their homes (some not so tastefully)) that might look fun, but we are trying to give him our Christian values and see that it isn't a day that God would want us to celebrate. This year so far he hasn't wanted to decorate or even look at decorations pertaining to this holiday. He actually gets upset when he sees them. However we did decorate for the fall/harvest time. We have pumpkins (no carvings) and gourds on our front porch, with some fall flowers. A fall wreath on our front door. A welcome Fall Sign on front porch wall. We also have a beautiful fake pumpkin that is engraved with a great saying: Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, on each side of that pumpkin (we bought this last fall). We have some scarecrows (a boy and a girl,...really cute ones...we even have a couple of bigger ones for the front porch) sitting on our front entry hall table with some pumpkin spice potpourri. We have other fall decor that I need to go up to the attic to get that we bought last year (fake pumpkins with no carvings and so forth, nothing haunted, bloody, screaming, scary or questionable). So see we do decorate, we just choose to do it for Fall/Harvest not Halloween. For the most part Edward seems to understand that Halloween is a no no, the Lord has really been letting his heart hear what we are telling us and he hasn't questioned us about this yet. He might in a few years but I have a few great books to refer to incase he has questions and the Lord will help us to get through that too. Praise the Lord for those.

What is his name again mommy?

This afternoon, Edward suddenly got really quiet. I called through the house for him but couldn't find him. I went outside to see if he was out there playing. At first I couldn't see him at all (my heart began to drop) then I looked over our fence to our neighbors yard and there was Edward "helping" our elderly neighbor work on his bright yellow moped scooter. He always is coming in the house and asking me the neighbors name. I think it is cute that Edward wants to help him. The other day, Edward brought in flowers from the neighbors garden that he cut for him. We put them on a vase and put them on Edwards desk. Don't worry the neighbor doesn't allow Edward in his house and his wife is there. He tells Edward to come tell me that he is helping him. I think Edward does but I think it comes out a different way...he is showing the neighbor something (usually something to do with his trains). Edward doesn't have any grandpas around so this is a blessing for him. I did go over with Edward today though that he isn't to go any further than the neighbors yard, he can't go in their house or garage. He is to let us know know that he is over there. If he breaks any of these rules, he will not be allowed to go over there to "help".

My FIL's Talents

As you read in a previous post my Father In Law, Stan Thompson passed away on Wednesday Morning while jogging. My Father In Law was a journalist, a artist and a photographer in heart, mind and soul. He loved what he did, he had a great talent for he. He was free lancing for the San Luis Obispo Newspaper which is a sister paper to the Tribune. Here is a link to the article that they posted about him the day after his passing: http://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/story/158122.html I have also added the link to the last article that he wrote for the newspaper, it was published on the day that he pasted away: http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=11C1307237A1DDF8&p_docnum=1 I share these things with you because I want you to know what a brilliant talent he had. He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, especially his loving family.

By George He's Getting

Today during school like every day for the past 5 1/2 weeks we have been working our way through the alphabet. We are up to Ff now. Everyday we begin with saying the letters and their sounds. Today like every day I ask Edward the sounds that the letters make to see if he knows them before I begin reviewing them with him. He successfully made the A B C and D sounds with no help or reviewing of them. I am so proud of him. He is also working very hard on writing his name all by his self. It is just amazing to watch his learning grow every day.

In Mourning

We are grieving the loss of my beloved Father-in-law. He died unexpectantly yesterday morning. In a way this might have been heaven sent because he would never get sick where we would have to watch him go through pain. But never the less, to loose him in a blink of an eye is very shocking to all of us. He will be greatly missed. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers as we go through the grieving process (this includes my Sister-in-laws and their families, my FIL siblings and their families and other who knew him). This is hard for Edward being so little to understand, especially since he only got to see his Grandpa once in Nov of 2005. It is so hard to be so far from family, especially since there is no stopping aging. PTL though that Kirk was able just last month over Labor Day Weekend to get together for a 3 day vacation together with his Dad. I felt on my heart that they needed this weekend alone together with out Edward and I. God must have been telling my something at that time, I am so happy that I listened to what he was telling my heart. We have decided that Edward and I will remain here in Kansas instead of going to the funeral. Edward is confussed about exactly whom it was that passed away and since my FIL will be cermated there will be no way for Edward to put the person with the death. We have talked to him about it and he knows his Grandpa has passed away. I think it is in his best interest to keep it simple at this point.

The Woman You Love To Hate

I am one of those women you just love to hate, I already am doing my Christmas Shopping (our spare room is already storing some gifts and waiting to store more) and have my Christmas cards ordered. They were delivered today, I will be making my Christmas Card list here in the next few weeks, addressing and preparing to have my cards in the mail December 1st. Christmas packages will go out at that time too. I think having to live so far away from family has taught me to be ahead of the game.

Edward's Curriculum For This Week

This week's curriculum is pretty interesting. Edward is learning about Helen Keller and the Braille system. We have learned what his name looks like in Braille and will be learning what Braille looks like. We are reading a biography about Helen Keller. We have also been learning the letters Cc, Dd and Ee. We have been working on A through E (including the sounds that each letter makes). We are learning the colors BLACK and WHITE and Circle is our shape. We also have a new Memory Verse, Genesis 1:3 (NIV) And the Lord Said "let there be light" and there was light. He pretty much has our first Memory verse, Genesis 1:1 (NIV) In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, memorized now. Beginning in October we will start having a weekly theme. We are going to be doing Apples the first week of Oct, for the 2nd week Fire Saftey(that week is Nation Fire Safety Week...we'll be covering some other safety issues during this week too), Farm Animals will be the 3rd week, then Popcorn for the 4th week (did you know that October is National Popcorn Month?) and the last week of October we will focus on Autumn, Leaves and Harvest time. 3 is our number this week. Edward is also now writing the first 2 letters of his 1st name by himself. I had been holding the pencil to steady it and guide it for him in the past as we talk about the way the letters go. I am so proud of him. He does tend to make his E huge, jetting way. We've also started incorporating computer learning programs into our curriculum. We've joined both the Preschool Playhouse Disney online program and the myNOGGIN online preschool program, not to mention we utilize alot of the free kids sites like pbs.org and dailynoggin.com too. We also have 3 computer program that are Christian based that came with the Horizon Preschool Curriculum that we are using this year, as a part of it's media program. We also are using Jumpstart Preschool Programs, and other learning programs like Blue's Clues. It is amazing to watch Edward grasping concept after concept. Tomorrow we have Co-op class. Still no Monart or bowling due to the thumb. We are still working on the first pre-reader book. I will not let him move on until he can actually read the words in the book. I have made flashcards with the words on them so that he doesn't use the pictures in the book to help him know what words I want him to say. I want him to see the words and know what it says. I got the rest of his Scholastic Phonics Program in the mail today. We will begin that program in January. I am excited, he'll be able to read by himself before we know it. Which I know he wants to do so bad, he is always looking at books and making up stories about the pictures because he wants to read. Speaking of books, Edward wrote on this week for Kindermusik class. It is cute. Well, that is about it in a nutshell for this week.

Arms

Edward loves to point out to Kirk that he only has one arm. He always says "Daddy I have two arms, you only have one arm." Now that Edward has broken his thumb and has to wear a splint like brace on his right hand, he has been saying " Daddy I only have one arm like you." LOL!

Ode to the Squirrel

We have some squirrels that live in our neighborhood. I refer to them as cheeky. We have a few that will sunbathe themselves on our front stoop. They love to dig up my flower pots. Then when we had our new front lawn put in, they began to dig little holes in the bark. They are looking for nuts that fall from a few of the trees in the area. We have hazelnuts and walnuts. Our neighbor also feeds them so, this also tends to attract them to our area of the neighborhood. Edward and I even have made up a song about them:Those cheeky, cheeky squirrels dug up my plants. Thats okay 'cause I'll teach them to dance.Well, today I went out to bring in the trash cans. When I was walking back into the house, I noticed that they had been digging up my fall plants in my pot. I had bought 7 little pumpkins to put in front of the pot to add a little harvest (fall) look to the area on the stoop. Guess what now those little stinkers are stealing the mini pumpkins. There are only 4 of them left.

Update on Edward's thumb

Edward went to his Pediatrician this morning. They took more x-rays of his thumb. The crack in the bone is length wise not width. It is the 2nd bone in his thumb. He has to wear a splint that looks like a brace for 4 weeks. In about 2 weeks we can take it off for about 30 minutes 2 times a day and let him begin to exercise it by squeezing a ball. So he will not be able to go to his Monart Classes or Bowling League until the 4 weeks are up. Bummer! Poor Kid. He is taking it well so far. I know that this splint is a lot easier for him to deal with, as it is evident in just the short time he has had it today.

Incoming Newsflash...The Great Flood of 2007 hits a Kitchen in Newton, KS

Wondering about the title of my post? LOL! Wait until your read what it is all about. It was a cool evening in Kansas. Nothing out of the ordinary seemed to be looming over the town of Newton. An unsuspecting family was settling in for a quiet evening at home. The father was off at the store picking up something for the mom, that she need to complete the evening meal. She was in at the computer printing off the recipe that she needed for dinner. The little boy and his 3 faithful four legged companions where outside playing. The mom goes back into the kitchen to begin to prepare the evening meal, when she hears what sounds like rushing water. Having just loaded the dishwasher and started it, she steps over to see if something is amiss with it. She steps in about 3 inches of water. Still hearing the rushing water, her eyes wander to the back door and through the flap in the pet door she sees the little boy holding the backyard hose right next to the pet door....water is just rushing in through it. All of the back part of the kitchen was flooded and was starting to pour into the main part of the kitchen. After she yelled at the little boy to turn off the hose, she grabbed her faithful Floor Mate and sucked up about 7 gallons of water. Thankfully she didn't end up needing a row boat.

Where I stand in my family of boys......

I have to laugh. This morning on the way home from Kindermusik, Edward informed me that he and daddy were going to go on a trip (this weekend) to stay in a hotel and have fun at an amusement park. He also continued to inform me that during this time of his absence and daddy's, that I was to clean (this is what I always do when Kirk takes Edward out of town...I don't get to rest and relax) the playroom, his bedroom, the couch, the front room, the schoolroom, the kitchen and do the laundry. LOL!!!! I think someone (or should I say some people) are a little bit on the spoiled side in this family. I told Kirk what Edward said and he just laughed, he thought it was funny. However, he said he hadn't planned on taking Edward. I think someone might be a little heartbroken when he doesn't get to go somewhere with daddy.

Pre Dawn Babbler

Edward had a tough night sleeping. He finally ended up in our bed. He tossed and turned for a while then decided around 4:30 am that it was time to talk. We were awake for about an hour. He was just chattering away, including telling some stories that he made up. It was cute but tiring for us needless to say. Daddy wasn't feeling well so he went to sleep on the couch. Edward shortly there after asked to go back to sleep in his bed. I put him in his bed, stretched out in ours but guess what that didn't last that long. Edward was back and after about 15 more minutes of chattering, tossing and turning he finally went back to sleep. THANKFULLY!!! LOL!!!

Ouch, my poor baby!!!

Today Edward broke his right thumb at bowling league. Here's how it happened. He was doing so well, he was doing really well bowling without me being right by his side. I was sitting up at the table watching him. He took about 2 to 3 steps over the line about before I could anything, he raised his bowling ball to throw it and went sailing backwards, ball still in his hand. He was very upset needless to say. We (myself, his coach and the head of the youth bowling league) all checked out his hand the best that we could (he wasn't to keen on us looking at it), we couldn't see any swelling and he seemed to be able to move his hand easily. He just wanted to go home, so we forfeited the 2nd game and left. I went by Starbucks to grab a iced coffee for myself and a frap for Kirk. I stopped by Kirk's work to have him see if Edward would let him look at it and to see what Kirk thought. By the time we got to Kirk's work the fat palm part under his thumb was about 3 times as large as his left hands. We both agreed he needed to be taken to the ER. So I rushed Edward to the Newton ER. They took x-rays and found that he had a non displaced fracture of the thumb. He has to wear a splint for the next 6 to 7 days. He isn't allowed to go bowling for about 2 weeks. He has to go back to his pediatrician in 10 days and get follow up x-rays to ensure that it has healed correctly.

Summer Bowling League Fun

Above are pictures of Edward and his favorite Bowling Coach, Karina. She has been his coach since we started bowling. Edward just loves her. However since this year we switched to the Homeschool Bowling League through the Bowling Alley, she isn't his coach because she herself is in public school at the time our league plays. He really misses her. The other picture is of Edward and his team mate (this is the first session that Edward has had a team mate since we begun bowling league with him), William. The bowling ball that they are holding, is Edwards own personal ball. Edward and William called their team the Speedy Rollers. LOL! They did awesome. Edwards game has improved so much. We are so proud of him.

Edward and Cake

I have to share this. Edward is so funny when it comes to cake or cupcakes.....he will eat all the frosting off of the cake or cupcake but refuses to eat the actual cake part of the dessert. Instead he gives it to the dogs. I can't get him to eat it for anything. What a silly kid.

Why We Choose To Homeschool Edward

I have been having some difficulties with people not understanding why we are choosing to homeschool our son. There are so many reasons and I find it hard to verbalize the reasons to them correctly, so I thought that maybe if I wrote about it it would help me to be able to get the reasons across correctly. Of course there is the freedom of being able to worship and learn about God. Teaching Edward the TRUE reasons why this country was founded. School is in no way like it was when I was in the education system (not saying it was the greatest then either) and it defiantly is nothing like it was back when our parents and grandparents went to school. School has become an institutional setting. It is a proven fact that children who are homeschooled are more socialized than those who attend a public (and sometimes Private) school setting. Children are made to act like as the teacher thinks all children should act, there is no room for individualized personalities....you risk your child being slapped with a label if they don't conform to the way their teacher(s) feel that a child should be. Children in public school are required to sit still for hours on end at desks, they are not allowed to move, talk or do the things that come natural to a child. I know that schools have lots of great programs for advanced learns and if the teacher is really on top of things they might catch one or two who are struggling in reading or writing. But there are those students who might be so great at math but wonderfully smart at science. This student is usually overlooked, instead of working on the child's strengths and helping them with their struggles they are just shuffled into the mix. Yes there are some good school districts but you have to realize that ME ME ME is the structure of ALL public school systems. A child's individual interests are not used as a way to help make learning more interesting and fun for them because so many children are shoved together into one classroom that it is hard to individualize their learning behaviors let alone their interests. Homeschool tends to be more hands on, individualized to each child. Yes even if there is more than one or two children being taught by one person (even when they are of different ages. I wont even go into the fact that public school is dangerous to our children in so many ways. God didn't make children, let alone people, to all fit into one "cookie cutter mold". We are all different and unique, we all learn in different matters and to make school the best for our children their learning situations need to be individualized for each child. Homeschooling allows us to do that. My son does not lack for socialization, he is able to socialized daily with everyone from the elderly to babies. He is able to learn according to his unique learning behaviors (some people learn by sight, others by doing, others by repetition and so forth) that God has given to him, he is able to incorporate his interests into his learning situations so that it makes learning more interesting to him. He is able to go to locations and see things (daily if we choose) that teach him how things work, are made and so forth. He is able to learn history right were it happened, if we want to take him to those locations. We are able to educate him during the time of the day that is best for him, when he is alert and able to grasp concepts. We are able to go at his pace not a pace that is made to accommodate the average child in the room (therefore those ahead of the average learn are forced to lag behind in their learning experiences unless they are able to meet the requirements for advanced learning classes. Those who struggle and are unable to grasp a certain concept of the subject being taught them are forced to struggle and usually lag behind the rest of those in their class...which causes them to stand out to the other children and they are usually ridiculed by their peers for being slow or having less than average grades. Yes there are special education classes for the slowest of learners but once again you have to meet the requirements for those classes that have been set forth by the public school system. So those that don't quite meet these requirements for advanced classes or special ed classes are forced to learn at the pace of the average learner in their class(es).) I will force myself not to get on my soapbox about recesses being shortened in lots of public school and in some place done away with all together, no more music and art classes, PE being done away with in some schools, and my favorite of all right now.....free constructive play time being taken away from Kindergartners when it is one of the most important aspects of their education at that age. Kindergartners are now forced to sit for long periods at desks and learn like the older children. In case you were unaware Kindergarten is now being considered the new FIRST GRADE. SAD is all I will say about all these topics, sad for our children, sad for our society. I wouldn't doubt that if in a few years if Preschool was considered the new FIRST GRADE and 3 & 4 yrs olds were required to sit for hours on end doing paper work and being drilled with facts. Our government through our public school systems are slowly taking away our children's only chance at CHILDHOOD. So Preschoolers will be required to do hours of homework after they come home from a long day at school, cutting out all chances for playing. SAD SAD SAD!!!!! I hope that this has given some insight as to why we have chosen to educate our son at home and not through the public school system. Please note that I do realize that for some the public school system is the only option, but please be your child(ren)s advocate.....stand up for what you want your child(ren)s learning experience(s) to be. You know your child(ren) better than any teacher ever could, you know their learning behaviors, where they excel and where they struggle. Be their voice when educators choose not to listen. This is not to say that there aren't awesome educators out there but you have to remember sometimes their hands too are tied by the government and the public school system.
I have a personal quote that I think says it best: As Homeschoolers, we are not limited by where and what books might teach us, or what a building can provide for learning experiences and materials. The World is our teaching resource....our learning palette, we learn from it by seeing, hearing, touching, and hands on experiencing it personally.~Desiree Thompson 9/6/07

Edward's Terminology

I don't think I have shared this but I think it is cute. Edward loves to sleep in footie pj's. He absolutely loves them. He calls them Zip em up, foot holders. I am not sure as to where he came up with this but he has been calling them this since he was 3.

This Is The Day That The Lord Hath Made

Edward has a Veggie Tales Toddler CD that he loves to listen to on his portable DVD player, we recently bought him earphones so that we don't have to listen to his DVD movies while we are watching TV or listening to our CDs on the CD Player. Anyway, on the CD is the song "This is the Day that the Lord Hath Made" He will start belting this song out, not all the words come through clearly when he is singing it. This is especially funny to hear when he has his earphones on because you don't hear the song or the music, just Edward belting out the song. At the end of the song, he literally scream sings the end. To Funny. I need to get this on video some day.

Edwards Funny This Morning

LOL!!! Edward came up to me this morning and said to me: "Mommy, I still love you!" What a crack up. He is so funny sometimes. I don't know where this came from or even why he said it, but it was funny probably because it was so out of the blue.

Newflash from the Thompson Household

I am in the middle of cleaning the house so the maids can come in and do a deep clean, so we can start off the year in a spic and span environment. He and his daddy are going to have a boys weekend this weekend, so I can get the main parts of the house clean without Edwards "help". He tends to go behind me and re-mess up what I have already cleaned. I have our upstairs all done. Going to do the Entryway, Kitchen and downs stairs bath today.
Still working on catching up the laundry from when I was sick in July. Now my brand new washer is coding on me that its having issues with draining, so I will have to have a service repairman come out next week and fix it for me. It is frustrating. I can get a load or two done then it starts to act up on me. So that is making it even harder for me to catch up on the laundry.
Next week, on Monday, I have an exterminator coming in to do a spray, he'll come every 3 months and do it. Then on Wednesday, the Maids are coming in to do a deep clean. Plus I hope to get the repair man in to fix the washer next week. Kirk is going out of state next Friday for the 3 day weekend with his dad in Las Vegas. Then things get really exciting for me. Edward will start school either the Tuesday after Labor Day or the following Monday. However Friday the 31st, we will be attending our first Homeschooling Co-op class. He is going to be taking a Storytime & Music Movement Class for 4 to 7 yr olds. I have volunteered to do a P.E. class for Preschoolers and Pre-Kindergarteners.We will also be doing Kindermusik again this year, however the classes will be on Tuesday Mornings. We will be joining the Homeschooling Bowling League on Thursdays this year, instead of participating in the bowling league on Friday and Saturdays. This is the first year that he can join the HBL at the bowling alley. We will be joining the Homeschooling Monart class on Fridays too, a lot of the children from the Co-op participate in this class. Edward will learn to draw using all types of mediums. He will be learning about famous artist this session, like Van Gogh and Gloria O'Keefe. If you would like to learn more about Monart or what see what types of things Edward will be learning you can go to www.Monart.com . He will be learning actual drawing techniques. I am pretty excited about this class for him. I plan to do homeschooling Monday through Friday from 9:30 to about 12:30/1:30. But that is just a general time for now, because with the new Horizon's Preschool Curriculum that we bought through Alpha Omega, I am not sure how long each section will take, I used their time line but after a couple of weeks I should have a better idea of how school will take us. I want to allow Edward time to be a child too and have free time to enjoy too. So as you can imagine our lives are about to get extremely busy and exciting. I will scan Edwards first Monart Picture that he brings home, to share with you all.
Well that is us in a nutshell.

Wanted to Cry

Today, I went to buy Edward some new Underwear and Socks. I about broke down in the store, I had to go to the boys section, not the baby/toddler section to get my "baby" these new items. He now wheres a 6 in underwear and a medium in boys socks. He even can wear a XS shirt from that area now. He wears a 5T or a 5 now in shirts and a 4T (which he seems to be quickly growing out of) in pants. Granted he still needs the adjustable waist bands. Before I know it he will be in the BIG BOYS section.....boooooo hoooooooo. :0( Time just flies by way to fast.

What I have been busy doing

Finally got a Dynamo Labeler and let me tell you, I have been going hog wild with the thing. I have labeled all Edwards toy bins and buckets in the playroom, not to mention various containers that hold things for Homeschooling in the schoolroom. Speaking of Homeschooling, I bought a Laminator to do laminating when needed. I laminated over 80 Curriculum flashcards, that came with the new Curriculum that we are using this year. This laminater will laminate items up to 9 x 11.5. Which is great, I came make Wipeable Letters that Edward can trace over and over again. Still working on getting the house back in order after being sick much of last month. I have the maids coming in at the end of the month to do a deep clean, so that we can start the school year off in a spic and span house. That will be nice. Still need a few things for Edwards new Curriculum but slowing collecting what is needed. I thought for sure there wouldn't be anything else I could need for him but when I got the new Curriculum there were things in there that I hadn't even thought about. Edward is getting excited about school but most of all I think he is excited about going to his Grandma Bev's House for Thanksgiving. We watch Noggin and when it asks where you want to go on a vacation, he has been answering GRANDMA'S!!!! After the house is back together, Edward has begun homeschooling, then it will be time to start working on these neat projects that I have bought to make for Christmas this year. I need to get them done by the end of November, so as you can imagine, I am giong to be one busy girl. I like staying busy or at least keeping my mind and hands busy. I plan to conquer the attic and the craft room this winter too, when it is much cooler to work in them, as there is no air conditioning in them. The attic more likely will be late fall before it gets to cold. I want to get everything organized so I can get to our holiday decorations and go through all of Edwards old play things, see what I truly want to keep for any possible future child(ren) or grandchild(ren) and what I want to sell a garage sale next year. I need to get my craftroom cleaned so that when I am done working on my Christmas projects, I can get my scrapbooking going towards caught up and maybe get out a cross-stitch project to do. I am itching so bad to do some crafting. Plus there are things in there that can be used in Homeschool Arts and Craft Projects. Well I think I have rambled on enough for now.

Oooopppppssss!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday after returning from Wal-Mart, I went to put some frozen goods in our freeze in the garage. To my horror I found that it had been left ajar from the previous night when Edward had gone out to get Ice Cream for him and Daddy. Everything in the freeze was ruined. I ended up throwing 5 36 gallon bags of dethawed food(they were about 1/3 of the way full...or else I couldn't have picked them up and lifted them into the trash), there was no way I was going to be able to cook it all to save it. Kirk is out of town for the weekend. I saved a few things to cook and re-freeze but the majority of it went to the trash. Unfortuantly, our trash was just picked on Thursday and it is hot here. Talk about STINKY by next Thursday. YUCK!!!! I had to laugh wondering what the neighbors might be thinking when I was hefting this large black trash bags into the trash. I wonder what they will be thinking once it starts stinking and Kirk is no where to be seen. Thankfully he will be back Sunday Evening. Accidents happen, I am proud to say I never yelled once at Edward about this situation. Its not the first time it has happened to us. Regan left it open when we lived in Edmond. Yes, it is an expensive mistake but it can happen to anyone....including us adults.

Trying Hard

I have been trying super hard to clean up my "potty" mouth. I probably can out swear a sailor at times (BLUSHING). My new "swear words" are quite imaginative to say the least. They are: Cheese and Crackers, Oh Pickles, Frickle, Ding Dong Dang. I am trying very hard to be conscious of what I am saying before I say, but I must admit at times those other bad words slip out but no where as much as they use to.

Cats and Dogs!

Regan (one of the girls I use to nanny for), who is now 12 yrs old, wanted to come and stay with us some this summer. She was suppose to come the first 2 weeks of July but because I was down with Walking Pneumonia. I went and got her on Friday the 13th and she stayed until Wednesday the 25th. Let me tell you, a 4 yr old and 12 yr old do not always get along, they mostly fight, nag at each other, bicker, and antagonize one another. I thought with the huge age difference there wouldn't be so much of that.....boy was I wrong.....LOL!!! All in all though we did have a great time. One bad thing is that Edward ended being treated too for Walking Pneumonia just as a precaution as he ended up with a horrible cough. The first Saturday we had Regan we took her to Yoder, a Amish community that is about 30 minutes Southwest of us. Sunday we didn't go to church because of Edward's cough....I have a pet peeve about spreading germs intentionally. We also ended up skipping Edwards Bowling League, Swimming Lessons and 1st Vacation Bible School at our Church. So from Sunday to Thursday, we kinda just hung out at the house and kept a low profile. Bless Regan's heart. Thursday we walked around town, ran some errands and just had a little fun. Friday we headed out of town. We started off in Salina. We stayed at the Days Inn with the 145 ft water slide. Saturday mid-morning we headed off to Kansas City, Missouri. On the way we stopped by Wamego, KS and went through the Wizard of OZ museum there. There is even a Mexican resturant there called Toto's Tacoz. LOL! Except they don't sell taco's called Toto's Taco. Kirk was kinda disappointed about that. Cute little town though. Kinda uses the Wizard of OZ theme to their advantage. We checked into our Jr. Suite at the hotel around 3pmish. Went to diner shortly there after. We stayed in the room the rest of the night, we watched Meet the Robinson's. Sunday we went to the Legends in Kansas City, KS. It is a shopping Mall. They have a T-Rex Cafe there. Anomatronic Dinosaurs and the only Build A Dino Shop by Build A Bear are in this resturant. The kids did a dino dig, airbrushed off a dinosaur and meandered through some caves. there were other things to do to but off course just about everthing cost money now days. We also went to Dave and Busters for lunch, chose not to go to lunch as the T-Rex Cafe because there was over an hour and a half wait for a table. The kids loved Dave and Busters because they have a game area. Went back the hotel in the evening and hung out in the room. Monday took us to Worlds of Fun Amusement Park. We came home Tuesday evening, and took Regan home to OK (Edward and I, that is) on Wednesday. We had a great time all in all, minus the fighting that is.

So Excited!!!

I am just so excited. My lost sister (in New Jersey), one of my Best Friends and one of Edward's God Mother's had her miracle baby on Tuesday the 24th of July. Beautiful Baby Girl, Gracie Noelle weighed in at 8lbs and 2 ounces. Welcome to the World Gracie Noelle!!!!! We love you already Sweet Angel! You'll ALWAYS be in our prayers (as are your brothers and sister). Jennifer has PCOS like me and after 13 yrs of marriage and no success a pregnancy even with fertility meds, she and her husband had adopted 3 children and felt that the was the way God wanted their family to be created. Little did they know that God had an extra special miracle in store for them, for listening to Him and His calling in their family and lives.....a pregnancy. It was a difficult pregnancy needless to say but well worth it all in the end for this terrificly wonderful family. Gracie is a miracle in the fact that she was concieved but also in the fact that she was born alive. Mommy had to stay in the hospital for a week, the doctors decided to do a emergancy c-section at 36 weeks into the pregnancy. They tried to do a amnio but they couldn't get a big enough pocket of fluid to do the tests to make sure that baby Gracie's lungs were well developed. So they did a Sonogram. The Sonogramed showed something very life threatening to baby Gracie (her heart rate had become irractic during the last day), her umbical cord was tied in 2 knots, cutting off all blood, air and food supplies from mother to baby. PTL! She is healthy, lungs were fully developed and no low blood sugar levels (mom is diabetic also).

Another Book Completed

This book had a great story line however I will warn you if you are uncomfortable reading about sexual situations, there are 2 very intense ones described towards the end this book. This is not a Christian book but I couldn't put it down. Not sure where I got it but it was a great read. Right now, I am at the beginning of a Novella (four stories in one book). This is a Christian Novella and I am excited about it. When I am finished I will let you know what I think of it.

Down for the count

Sorry I haven't been keeping up with this the past 2 weeks but I have been extremely sick. It started 2 Thursday's ago when I woke up with a sore throat. I thought it was just allergies so I didn't pay much attention to it. By night fall, I was running a temp of about 103 and had the chills bad. Saturday found me running over a 105 temp, so off to the ER we went. They said I was extremely dehydrated and needed to have an IV of fluids. I was told I had a Urinary Tract Infection and a Sinus Infection. I was sent home with antibiotics, thinking okay I will be great in a few days. Wrong, by Wednesday I was in to see my own Family Physician. They took chest x-rays. When she showed them to me I could see that my lungs were full of fluids and I am just a layman at this stuff. Diagnosis, Walking Pneumonia. Trust me I would never wish this or any form of Pneumonia on my worst enemy. It is awful. So I was prescribed a 2nd antibiotics, still had to take the first ones because they were for the UTI and the new ones wouldn't help with that. The timing for this sucked, I was suppose to go get Regan the first Friday that I was sick but of course not wanting to get her sick postponed that. So now I will get her this Friday but she will only be able to stay for 1 1/2 weeks and not 2 now. I feel so bad. At least I am starting to feel better. Praying for no relapses, trying to take it easy but get the house back in order before I go get her Friday.

Can You Spell Pitiful??

Well it is official, Edward has his very first ear infection. He has been so pitiful all day, bless his heart. We had to skip his swimming lessons this morning, I was so afraid that he had gotten Swimmers Ear and that is why he had woken up this morning crying that his ear hurt. I of course took him to his doctor as soon as they could get us in, which ended up being at the same time as his swimming lessons would have been this morning. She told me it wasn't do to Swimmers Ear, that it was an actual infection of the ear itself. Poor thing, I feel so bad for him. Hopefully this is the only one he will have to endure. She put him on Pain Ear Drops, Amoxicillin and Motrin. I bought some ear pillows for him to use next week during swimming lessons, too keep the water out of his ears....so as not to make the issue worse for him.

Another one down.

Guess what? I finished another book. I loved it, it was Two Little Girls in Blue by Mary Higgins Clark. I was delightfully suprised by this book. I had never read a book by Mary Higgins Clark. I tend to stay with books by Christian Authors. I would suggest this book to everyone. It kept you hanging in there until the end, guessing and never knowing the answer. It was a easy ready and hard to put down.

What was in the bag??

Today was the birthday party that Edward was invited too. We bought a couple of things to give as a present for the little boy. I put them in a gift bag with some tissues and included the card that Edward picked out for him. While I was putting together the bag and stuffing it with tissue paper, Edward was eating a lunchable. Zoom ahead about 2 hours, we are the part of the party where the little boy is opening his present. He gets to Edwards and is basically just pulling the things out (he was overwhelmed) and not paying much attention to all the contents of the bag. The mom picked it up to see what else was in it, she reached in and took out a small block of cheese and 3 crackers....she said "I especially liked this part of the present." Everyone laughed. I was so embarrassed at first and began apologizing profusely. She smailed and said that there was nothing to be sorry about, it could have just as easily been her and both the other moms said the same thing. Too funny. I would have never thought that Edwards snack ended up in the gift bag.

Question for ya?

I am watching Wife Swap (it orginally aired on Nov 27, 2006). This particular episode has a family that is exteremly laid back with their 3 daughters, one has some serious issues with authority figures. The parents feel that the children have the right to have their own lives and to live them as they see fit. The second family, polices their 2 daughter...including going through all their things in their rooms, listening to them over an intercom system that has been installed in every room of the house, the big topper to is that the parents have a security system with video cameras installed in EVERY room of the house, to monitor them. These 2 girls aren't allowed to have any friends over, the parents feel that family is the only thing that is ever going to constantly be there for you, that friends come and go. Do you feel that this is a invasion of privacy? Do you feel that parents have a right to go through every personal item of a childs and to snope on them? Do you feel that there are certain bounds that shouldn't be crossed with teenagers to show that you trust them fully, unless they have given you just cause (which isn't the case in this show) not to trust them fully? Their 17 yr old daughter is not allowed to date, never been on one. She has to work for her parents around the house doing the things that her mother should be doing in the first place in order to pay them back for the car that they bought her (she has to pay the full cost of the car back).

The Next Camp Snoopy Idol

We went to see a kids show at Camp Snoopy and Edward got up on the stage and sang Dry Bones with Snoopy, it was so cute. He was acting light he was meant to be up there, he did great until a few other families walked in (we had been the only ones in there for a while)....then suddenly he became very shy. Once we get the pictures and video from Kirk's Cell Phone, I will upload them to this blog.

What there is participation in this???

We stopped in to see one of those shows at the Worlds of Fun Amusement Park. It was about 60's and some 70's music. After the first song, they were looking for people to dance with so one of the little gals asked Edward if he wanted to dance with her, he freaked out and started to cry. So she didn't force it. The show went on. As the show progressed they did some TV show tunes from that era. They were doing the dating show. They got down and went and found a woman in the audience, whom they called Lucy. Then all of a sudden a different little gal was standing in front of Kirk, say and here's our Ricky. They took Kirk on stage and sang the dating game theme song, then the Love Boat Theme song putting lei's on Kirk and the gal from the audience. Then they moved Kirk and the gal back, opening these doors on their background. On the front of these doors were Sonny and Cher with holes where the faces are suppose to be. Suddenly Kirk's face appeared in the Sonny's hole. They had Kirk and the gal from the Audience singing "I Got You Babe!". It was hilarious. I wish I would have brought my camcorder. I had left my camera in a locker at the Amusement park so it wouldn't get stolen. So I missed getting something that was probably once in a lifetime on tape or film. That will teach me.

Heart Break on the Red Barron

We were in the Camp Snoopy part of the Worlds of Fun Park, Edward asked to ride the Red Barron Ride. Well just before the ride was going to be start a little girl about a year or two older than Edward wanted to ride. She got into Edward's plane (note there were a few empty planes and others with just one child in them). The whole time the ride was, Edward kept turning around talking to the little girl and grinning. When the ride was over he waited to walk out with her, he wanted to go again. He thought the little girl had followed him for another ride. He turned around saying "Follow me, let's ride again." and she was gone.

Byway equals lost

On our way to Kansas City, we say a sign for a historic site for a Rock City. So we excited the freeway. The beginning of the Scenic tour byway was only a few miles from the freeway. We started the Scenic Tour Byway drive, it took us 17 miles from the start through winding roads. We ended the tour in Alta Vista, Kansas, a very small in the middle of no where town. We asked for directions back to I-70. We got lost 3 more times before we finally found the freeway. Kirk kept telling me that it was a byway that it would loop back around into itself. LOL!!! Yeah right, never going to listen to him about that one again. By the way the Rock City was just a bunch of rock walls and farm buildings (like barns) built of rocks. Neat but not worth the 17 mile byway tour to me.

Visited Abilene KS

Today (and last night) we are in Kansas City, Missouri. Yesterday after we left the hotel in Salina, Kansas, we went to Abilene Kansas to take a Historical Train Excurision ride. We learned some very amazing things about Abilene. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was born and raised there. His presidential library is there. We didn't visit that yesterday but we do plan to in the future. It will make a great Homeschooling trip. We learned that Wild Bill Hickok was also the sheriff in Abilene. We got to see some local play acters do a gun slinger shoot out. It was very interesting and loud. Today we are headed to Worlds of Fun, here in Missouri. Then we will be staying overnight here in Kansas City again. Then we will head home tomorrow morning, and be back in Newton Kansas in time for Edward to go to the Birthday party he has been invited too. I do have to tell you that we are staying at the Argosy. We have an awesome room, very classy. Great for a Father's Day Weekend Vacation.

Watery Fun

We are in Salina KS overnight. We are staying in a hotel that has an indoor pool with a huge indoor curvy water slide. This is the first time Edward has ever been on a water slide of any type. HE LOVED IT!!! I rode down with him the 2 times, then I went first, then he came after I was in the water waiting to catch him. Then he went about 4 times by himself with me waiting to catch him at the bottom. Then we went 2 more times where I went first and then he came after I was in the water to catch him. Sorry didn't get pictures, camera not water friendly. Next time I will bring a water proof camera. He has so much fun. Tomorrow we will go to a train museum here in Salina, then we are head to Kansas City overnight so we can go to the Worlds of Fun Amusement Park there, then off to Topeka (maybe not a 100% sure on that one) overnight then home Monday morning in time for swimming lessons.

First Birthday Party Invite

Edward is so excited he got his first invite to a birthday party. He was invited to a party for another little boy here in town, that was on his blast ball team. It is this coming Monday. It is at 3pm, he has bowling league on Mondays too at 1pm so I set up for him to do a pre-bowl this Friday instead, so he can go to the party.

Thank Heaven's

Last night (kirk is out of town for the next few days on business), Edward ended up in my bed about 230 in the morning, saying he had a bad dream. About an hour later, I thought his side of the bed felt wet (mind you I can count on both my hands how many times he has had an accident since he was potty trained in Jan 06). He had an accident. He was rather upset about the whole situtation. I got up and changed the bedding hoping I had the mattress cover that had a water proof lining (I bought it so sippy cups that tend to leak wouldn't ruin our temprupetic mattress pad). Thankfully it was on our bed and the mattress and mattress pads were as dry as a bone. I gave him a hug and reminded him accidents happen to everyone. I wouldn't have been mad at him even if I had had the other mattress cover on. He's just a little boy and things like this will happen from time to time.

Update on Edward's Sleeping

I am proud to announce that Edward has been successfully sleeping in his bed 97% of the time from bedtime to sunrise, for the past 7 weeks. He is doing great and we have made even more changes to his bedtime routine. He now starts out in his bed, we read him 3 stories, kiss him and hug him goodnight, tuck him in, turn on his lullaby music and turn out the lights. He stays there and will sleep the whole night through unless he has a bad dream, then he comes to our bed. He must have been ready this time to sleep in his own bed because we didn't have the issues we had before with getting him to sleep in his bed.

Ummmmmmmm, Daddy!!!

Sebastian had knocked over Kirk's soda while scrounging from something that he thought was up on the TV tray to eat. Kirk said some expletives at Sebastian. Edward walked up to Kirk, and said "Ummmmm, Daddy you're suppose to say Oh Pickles, not naughty words."

Our Niece

It is so hard to believe that our niece Megan who was almost 3 1/2 years old when Kirk and I got married, will be graduating from High School tomorrow. Where in the World did the Time Go? We wish her well in life and in her college years, we are so proud of her. We wish we could be there to spend her special day with her. I hope that she knows that she will be in our thoughts and prayers tomorrow, as she walks into her High School as a Senior for the last time and walks out a woman, a High School Graduate.

Edward's Bowling

Edward had his second week of league today. His average so far is 79 (that was averaged out of last weeks two games...doesn't include todays games). He is now bowling with a 8lb ball. He got one strike last week. This week he got 3 spares and bowled, get this, a 103 the first game and a 74 the second one. He got an announcement over the intercom for everyone to hear. She said that Edward Thompson in the Bumpers League just bowled a 103 game. He was so excited to hear that. He is doing amazing this season, I hope that he keeps it up. He gets so excited when he does well. He does have team this year, with another little boy named William (who is also home schooled). Their team had the second highest combined game score last week. Not bad for a 2 4 yr olds. The name of their team is Speedy Rollers. Cute, huh?

My Awesome Weekend

We had an Awesome time! Friday night after we arrived we just stayed in. I had a fruit and cheese tray along with a small bottle of white wine in the room for when we arrived. So we enjoyed that when we got in. We had a separate sitting room with it's own 1/2 bath, mini bar & TV. There was a small balcony. However there wasn't really a view to see so we didn't use that. There were 2 double beds, a TV and full bathroom in the other bedroom portion of the suite. We ordered room service for dinner (which were so wonderful...she had chicken and I had steak) and played Here and Now Monopoly, while visiting....we also watched a little TV. We got up Saturday went to Inspirations Tea Room for lunch. This tearoom is owned by Christians. It is fabulous, we both have been there other times. I told the waitress that we were celebrating Trisha's Birthday. When she brought back our dessert (we were sharing, it was a Strawberry Shortcake) it had a candle in it. They also gave her a little gift back with some of their scones (yummmy) and a few teas. We wandered around their gift shop afterwards until we had to leaver for the spa. I have to say that I went to another spa last Feb and that spa has nothing on the one we went to. It was so relaxing, tranquil, and serene. The treatments that we had were just fabulous. We started with a Lavender Hand Luxury Treatment. We soaked our hands in this water that had a lavender fizzing marble in it, then they took our hands and massaged them with lavender lotion and then dipped them in paraffin wax, we sat there with our hands in the wax, covered with plastic bags and these towels that were sewn like huge mittens, while they did our feet. We had the Grape Peel Foot Treatment. Our feet were soaked in Champagne fizz. Then they were exfoliated with Grape Pedi Peel and Champagne Oil (it was a foot mask), then they put our feet in plastic bags and they blue slippers. They looked like Smurf booties. LOL!!! While our feet sat in these booties, they finished our hands. They removed the paraffin wax, and massaged our hands with lavender oils. Then they removed the booties and finished our feet. We were able to stay together during these two treatments, we visited and just had a great time. Then we were taken to separate rooms for our facials. We had Chocolate Champagne Facials. First we had to remove our tops including our bras and done the soft spa towel tops that snapped closed. Then we laid down on massage tables and covered with sheets. They started our facials with a facial cleansing with Chocolate milk (LOL....that is what they call what ever it is), that was followed with hot stones rubbed on the face, then removed with a steaming hot cloth massage. Next came Exfoliation with a Revitalizing Exfoliating Scrub, and another rub down with hot stones, then removed with another steaming hot cloth massage. Then the Chocolate Masque was applied. While that was being allowed to do it's thing. We received a Champagne and Rose Butter Oil Massaged to the hands, arms, shoulders, neck and scalp. The Chocolate Masque was removed with a steaming hot cloth massage after it was rubbed down with hot stones. Then we had ultra hemp moisturizer put on our faces followed by a cold stone rub down on the face to help with the redness. This was heavenly. We finished up the day at the spa with Chocolate Strawberry crepes and tea in the fireside room. When we checked out we were given some Ultra Hemp Moisturizer and Eye Pillows that you can heat or put in the freezer. We went shopping at Target afterwards, then back to the hotel. We decided that we were going to go to Brick Town for dinners at an awesome Mexican Restaurant called Abelous. We were just about to leave when my cell phone rang. It was Kirk. He was Frantically asking me where Edward and I go for walks. I was trying to figure out why he was so frantic about going for a walk and why it was important that he took Edward where we go. I kept asking why he wanted to know and was so frantic about it. Finally he tells me he can't find Edward anywhere. He explains that he hadn't seen or heard Edward in almost 30 minutes. That he had looked all over the house but he was no where to be found. That he had called the cops and that they were there searching the house too. He told me he had to go, leaving me hanging and not know much more of what was happening. I called my mom, my step mom and Jennifer to ask them to start praying that Edward was found. Trisha called her mom and did the same. I called Kirk back and asked if they had found him. He said no, that he was looking for something that Edward had been wearing for the scent sniffing dogs that they were bringing in. Our elderly neighbor was searching the alleys and streets for Edward. Kirk hangs up on me. I can tell he is frantic. I am trying to stay calm and not just jump in the van and fly home, thinking how long do I wait before I do so. I felt that Edward had just fallen asleep somewhere in the house like he does at times with me and that Kirk just couldn't see him. I wanted to give ample time for them to look and not have Kirk worrying about me driving frantically home. Kirk called back and I asked him if they had found him. He was saying no, then in the back ground I hear a cop say that they had found him. Relief filled me so much, and Kirk too, I could instantly hear it in his voice. Kirk asked where they found him at, Edward had gone and curled up in his big butterfly chair back in the little reading nook in the playroom and fallen asleep. This chair is full of stuffed animals. He had crawled under all of them (probably had been playing there and fell asleep unplanned), the only thing that was sticking out was his hair and a tiny portion of his head. They brought Edward to Kirk and I could hear Kirk squeezing the stuffing out of Edward. PTL That he was safe. I finally got the rest of the story. Kirk was trying to surprise me while I was gone with redoing our downstairs bathroom. Edward had been going back and forth, and then Kirk realized that Edward hadn't come around for about 20 to 30 minutes, it was awful quiet so he went looking for him. Couldn't find him and this freaked him because there had been a yard sale just a few houses down the road with lots of people coming and going in the neighborhood. So he called the cops after he was unsuccessful in locating Edward. He says now he feels like an idiot but I told him not too. He did the right thing, minutes are so important in finding a lost little one. After everything was calmed down, Trisha and I decided to still go to dinner. We hoped the downtown trolley (caught it unfortunately at the beginning of the route so we had to ride it the whole route...it was only a quarter though) to Brick Town. We had a great dinner at the Mexican Restaurant, went back to the hotel, rented a movie (Because I Said So with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore) , order a midnight snack from room service and then went to sleep. We woke up Sunday morning, ordered breakfast from room service, packed up and left. She went to her aunts, I went shopping (had to get some things for father's day to make for Kirk), then I went to see the Wilkinson's (my first nanny family).....visited for almost 2 hours then came home. It was a nice weekend minus the missing Edward thing.

Temper, Temper, Temper

What are we going to do? I pray that this is just a phase but Edward has gotten a temper going on ever since he turned 4 last month. He has taken to hitting, biting, screaming so hard his face turns beat red (I can only imagine what that is doing to this little guys blood pressure level), chocking and clawing at us when we are trying to punish him or he is not getting his way. Does anyone have any suggestions? I just don't know where all this anger is coming from.

Husbands Sense of Humor

I asked Kirk to give me a check to transfere funds from his checking account to our main account and do you know what that silly man wrote on the memo portion of the check that he gave me to deposit while I am in OKC? He wrote: For Sexual Services Rendered. He says he refuses to write a new check. I wonder what our bank in OKC will think when they see that.

Finally Finished A Book

I finished Saving Levi by Lisa Misraje Bently yesterday, while Edward was in Kindermusik class. It was a very moving, touching book. I highly suggest it to everyone to read, especially if you are considering missionary work, adopting a special needs child (especially from a foreign country).

Will They Survive???

I keep wondering if my going away for a whole weekend is a great idea. I am not sure Edward and Kirk (or my house for that matter) will surive the weekend. I keep wondering if I should just cancel. I wont, I need to go but I know that I will be spending time worrying if they are killing each other. I guess you never can truly leave your family, can you?

Edward's 4yr Well Child Check-up

Edward had his 4 yr well child check up a few weeks ago. He measured in at 40 1/4 inches tall. He weighed in at 36lbs (at this rate, he will be riding in a booster seat until he can drive a car...lol!!!). He is where he should be in somethings and ahead in others. They tried to do an eye exam on him but it wasn't really very helpful. I am sure next year will be a better time for him to do it. He had his ears checked, they are good his right ear was a little off but she felt that, that could be due to fluid behind the ears due to allergies. He seems to have inherited that from me, poor kid. Sneezes like crazy some days. We have him on Claritin for Kids daily now. He seems much better.

Edward's Day

Today was Edward's first day Summer Bowling League. He has a team mate this session, which is great. Last 2 sessions he was the only one on his team. He scored a 73 his first game and a 69 his second game. He started off the very first frame of the session with a Strike. The 2 boys (Edward and his team mate, William) decided to name their team the Speedy Rollers. He also had his first day of his week long Kindermusik camp. He loved it. We go every morning this week, it is an early rise week for us. I am considering doing the Homeschooling Bowling League in the fall, William is homeschooled and they were a part of that league. She said it was great. They also had the cutest T-shirts for their league. That league is during the school year from Sept to April.

A Edward Funny on the way to the Zoo yesterday

Yesterday, while we were driving to the zoo for Kirk's company. Edward was sitting in the back of the van in his car seat behind his wagon (had to take one seat out to fit it), says to his daddy in a very stern tone of voice: "Daddy we're going to the zoo today! There are lots of animals there, so you need to stay with us and not get lost. If you get lost then you will be in LOTS of trouble."

Evel Knievel the next generation

I just found my son trying to roller skate down our stairs (luckily it wasn't the top of the staircase were I can't see him (wall in the way). I told him no and he took of his roller skates. He has those Little Tike Adjustable Roller Skates that you can put over their shoes. He loves them. LOL!!!! What will that boy try to do next? Everytime I turn around he is trying to do something that might hurt him, like jumping off the deck railing, climbing the fence, hanging over a railing and so forth. Oh the life of a little boy, always excitement!!!

The Amish Came To Live........

I stopped by Sonic for drinks and a light snack on my way back from the zoo, I had met Kirk and Edward at Kirks work this morning, so we had both vechiles. I needed mine because I had to transport Edward's Wagon for the zoo (one of those really cool ones with a canopy, complete with cupholds and a stashing place under one of the seats). Anyway, Kirk got home before Edward and I did. I get up to the back door and he greets me, in my mind I am thinking why does my husband look like an Amish man all of a sudden in the face. Did we convert and I didn't know about it? He was giong to shave, I guess. He had only shaved his mustache off but not his beard. He was looking for the cord that goes to his shaver. I promise he looked just like an Amish man. It was too much.

A Quiet Night

Last night Kirk took Edwared to stay overnight in a hotel just to give me a break, even though I am going out of town next weekend for a Girls Weekend. It was a great suprise. I rested some and cleaned some. We went to the zoo this morning with Kirk's work for a company picnic. Everyone is tired and grumpy now. Think I might see if I can go get Sir Whiney Pants to go lay down with me upstairs for a little bit.

What a Night

Last night was awful here in Newton Kansas. We had just laid down to go to sleep, when the lights all of a sudden went out. There was a very wicked thunderstorm a brewing. Well when the lights went out we lost the fans, the air conditioning. I must admit that I need the sound of these things to sleep not to mention the cool air because we have gotten to the humid hotness of the year around here. So with no air conditioning and fans, we had to open the window, which at least created a pretty cool breeze at times in the room. It took them forever to turn back on the electrity. It was almost 5 am before it came on, so needless to say it was a pretty bad nights sleep for both Kirk and I.

I say YOU GO GIRL

YouTube - A Fat Rant. If you are a overweight woman like me, check this out. I say you go girl! Those of us who are Plus Size have just as much right to look awesome in our clothes and have up to date things to wear as those who aren't plus size do. I can so associated to what Joy is saying in this clip.

Boys with Long Hair

I was watching ET (entertainment tonight) and saw a picture of Celine Dion and her 6 yr old son. I promise you if they hadn't mentioned that he was a boy, you would have thought he was a girl. His hair must be mid back length. Why oh why would a parent allow their sons to grow out their hair like a girls? No wonder we have people walking around with sexual identy problems. I would never allow Edward to grow his hair out like that. I am not as much appalled by boys who have long in your face hair that is shoulder length. I believe in keeping it nice and neat when it comes to boys (a little spike is okay). Yes, I do find it just as appalling when mom's cut their girls hair into short page boys and so forth, causing them to look like boys. I am understand though when it is for a medical reason or due to something like lice, those are issues that have to be dealt with as delicately as possible.

What to do??

I have an issues, that I am not sure how to deal with. Right now it is okay but here in a few weeks we might be back to the same issues. Let me explain. Edward started going to Children's Church and Sunday School at mid-April. There are 2 teachers (they alternate weeks) for his class (4 and 5 yr olds), one of them seems to have issues either with Edward or what little kids say in general, I am not 100% sure which yet. She has been leave for 2 weeks but should be back in about 2 to 3 weeks. The first week she had Edward in her class, she came to the door as soon as she saw us. She quite huffily and rudely, announced to us that we need to "Talk to our son". We asked why, she said because Edward said that a Tuba sounded like a Fart. For crying out loud he is a little boy and pretty much all little boys would say something like that. 2 weeks after that, she meets us again at the door, and tells us that Edward said that He wanted a baby brother or sister, that mommy was trying to get one in her tummy. She acted like this was offensive. She acted like he was talking out right about sex, he is a little boy, he doesn't even know what sex is. I told her that he was a little boy and didn't know what that meant, all he wants is a sibling. I forgot at the time because I was so upset that I had told Edward (who has been bugging me endlessly lately) that he needed to ask God for a sibling if he wanted one, that he wanted to pray about it. So, I am thinking that this topic of discussion came up when prayer requests were asked for. I went to the other teacher, but I still dread when this teacher comes back. What would you do in this situation? I would love any suggestions.

Mommy, Can We Chase the Ice Cream Man?

Today, I was out mowing the lawn. I was doing the lawn by the carport/garage first. Edward was riding his bike on the driveway area. He heard the music of the ice cream man. He came over to me, so I stopped mowing. He said "Mommy, Can We Chase the Ice Cream Man?". I told him that I didn't have any cash, he said you do to, in the car (we keep change in there from when we are given it back from buying something). So I told him if the Ice Cream Man was out front when we were up there for me to mow the front lawn, I would buy him an ice cream. He took this to mean that we were going to chase the Ice Cream man. He grabbed his bike and started running down the back alley with me following pushing the mower with me. Needless to say I was about half of the way done with the front yard before we saw the Ice Cream Man's Van. He was about 2 streets down from ours (we could see him). Edward went to the road (I was with him) and was waving him down, screaming "STOP HERE ICE CREAM MAN!!" It took everything I had not to bust up laughing right there in the street. Guess we will be seeing a lot of the ice cream man this summer since Edward seems to be able to hone in on the music that the Ice Cream Man plays, even in the house.

Such a little Gentleman!

Yesterday Edward and I went to the post office while we were doing errands. He saw some women with their arms full, and he went and held the door open for them. He was very polite and so sweet. I was so proud of my son in that very moment, I know that we are raising him well.

Backwards Underwear

This morning, I noticed that Edward had his underwear on backwards. I told them that the hole in the underwear needed to be in the front. Well he turned them around, and show me that the hole was in the front with pulling his penis out. I told him that that was exactly what the whole in the underwear was for, so that he didn't have to pull down his underwear to go pee. He said no, that he goes pee like this. He pulled his penis out over the top of his underwear, I said that that was okay too but they put in hole in the underwear so that you could do it that way too. I thought that this was the end of the conversation. NO!!! I picked up the phone to call Kirk to see what he wanted for dinner and when he might be home from his trip, Edward takes the phone from me. He doesn't say hi daddy, not I miss you.....just goes right into telling Kirk that He pees like this (showing daddy who is not even in the room, let alone the state but on the other end of the phone) and he doesn't want to use the hole to pee, he wont put his penis in the hole. Kirk has no clue what Edward is talking about other than peeing and something to do with a hole. I can't help myself, I am cracking up the whole time. Picturing what Kirk is thinking in his mind about this subject that Edward is being very adament about with him. Edward hands me back the phone, not good-bye daddy, not I will see you soon, just stops talking about peeing and the hole and hands the phone back to me. I asked Kirk if he had any idea what that was all about. Kirk said peeing in holes? I laughed and told him, well sorta. I explained the whole thing and then he understood. That child!!

Mother's Day 2007

I hope that your Mother's Day was a joyous one. I was able to spend this Mother's Day with my own mother. We got her a new Digital Camera. It was great to be able to bless her with something that she wanted. The Digital Camera that she was using was slow responding after you clicked and the pictures were dark even with the flash. She needed a new, more up to date one. She helped Edward to make some presents for me. They painted a ceramic bird house, made me a sun catcher and a purse that I can hang around my neck when I go places like the zoo or the park and don't want to lug my purse with me but still need to have my id, credit cards, cash and or passes with me. Very cute and will be very useful. Kirk also took Edward to our local Rec center to make Mother's Day Gifts for me. He painted me a hand towel, lamented hand prints, a card, and a picture frame. I also received a pink bowling ball and a bowling bag (as per my request). I also got roses, a card and a balloon. It was a great day for me. Now it is time for me to get things done for Edward to give to Kirk on Father's Day. We will do that the week right before Father's Day. We are going to make him a t-shirt that Says: Property of my Kid...it will have Edward's hand prints on the front and footprints on the back. We also got him another T-shirt about Dad's and a leather travel dual, foldable picture frame for him to use when he travels. Still need to find a few more things for Kirk plus something special from me for him, after all he is the love of my life and the father of my child....I want him to know that I think he is an awesome Daddy and that I appreciate all he does for Edward.

Nana Comes to Visit

My mom (aka...NANA to Edward) came to visit us for 2 weeks from May 3rd to May 16th. She got to experience our busy daily lives. She was able to enjoy 1 bowling league session with Edward (he bowled a 73 and a 77 that week with his New 8lb Toy Story Bowling Ball...he broke the 6lb ball he got in Feb....he is doing awesome with the 8lb ball...thought it might be to heavy for him but he handles it quite well). She also got to go to his Bowling Awards Ceremony the following Friday with us. He received another trophy, which is now proudly displayed in his bedroom. She also got to see his participate in 2 games of blastball. She also was able to go to 2 of his Kindermusik classes with us. He had one of his 3 birthday parties on the 11th with his Kindermusik pals, so she was there to help out with that. She was also here for his other 2 parties. More on his parties in a later blog post. I hope that she had fun. She helped him to make a couple neat Mother's Day Presents for me. More about Mother's Day in another blog post. LOL!! We of course also enjoyed going to Yoder (a local Amish community) together and we went and saw Georgia Rules together. I personally loved the movie thought it was a good flick. We also visited and she helped me get some things caught up around here...which was a thankful help to me. I already miss her. We plan to go see her in March for her birthday, it had dawned on me that Edward and I haven't ever spent her birthday with her. I thought he would enjoy that.

I Promise

I know I haven't posted in a while. I have so much to share. I promise in the next few days to get my blog up to date. I have to share all about Edward's Birthday, My mom's visit, My upcoming Girls weekend trip with one of my "sisters at heart" (God has blessed me with two of them and I love them both....I wish I could have a special day like this with my other "sister at heart"....maybe some day soon we will be able too). I have a ton of things to blog about, please bear with me while I get caught up on my posts. I appreciate your patience and that you read my blog. God Bless!!!

So many Books so little time

I had to laugh this morning.....I took a book with me to read while Edward was at Preschool Gym Games and wouldn't you know it as I was walking in the door I remembered I already had a book out in the car that I was reading (It's my car book, I leave it in there to have to read when I am somewhere where I need to have a book to read to kill some time). So here I am starting a whole new book. Plus I have 5 books in the house that I have started reading at some point in the last few months but haven't finished. Oie Vey! I need some quiet reading time.

BlastBall

Edward just finished Blastball (these are pictures from his one and only practice). They had 4 games altogether....Every Monday for a Month. The name of his team was The Bears and they work Green (this color) t-shirts to their games that said Blastball on them. It was a great introduction to T-ball. Next year he will still be young enough to play Blastball, so we will sign him up for that again. He seemed to enjoy himself greatly and learned a lot of valuable lessons about Sportsmanship, Teamwork and Sharing. Being an only child, who is homeschooled we felt that these were very important lessons for him to learn. You could tell that he was the only child on the team without siblings, because he was the one out in the field laying in the grass throwing a screaming fit because someone else caught the ball. His Nana got to come and see him play 2 of his 4 games. Of course both daddy and mommy were there to cheer him on at all his games and his practice. We have a ton more pictures. I just haven't uploaded them to my computer yet because it desperately needs to be reloaded. For those of you who aren't familiar with what Blastball is, the children hit the ball off of a tee. The ball is soft (like a nerf ball) and so is the bat. The children only run to 1st base and when they jump on it, it honks. There is no score left and the games only were 45 minutes long. If you hadn't played all four innings by then, that was okay. The game was still over. Great for little ones and to see if they even like the sport. They also have Munchkin Tennis through our rec center but Edward is fully booked both set of sessions with that, so we will not be able to do that this year. Maybe next year. We just want to give him the opportunity to try all sports, even though neither Kirk or I are sporty people. We don't want our dislikes and likes to flow over on Edward, we want him to decide for himself....after all he is his own person. We try very hard to take this attitude towards everything from food to activities. Of course there are a few activities that because of being homeschooled that we do feel aren't optional choices....we do them as a part of his curriculum.

Thomas and Friends Live

We took Edward to see Thomas and Friends Live last night. We loved the show, it was like seeing a show on Broadway. It was very musical. Edward was enthralled with it the entire time. The only down side was you weren't suppose to take pictures (I plus a lot of other parents) snuck a few pictures. I understand no pictures but at least set up away to the children to be able to commemorate seeing the show with something. They didn't even have programs. A chance to take a picture with Thomas or something would have been nice and so many parents wouldn't have been sneaking pictures of the show. If you know anything about Thomas the Tank Engine, you know that there is a ton of different engines on the Island of Sodor. At this show the only characters were Percy and Diesel, that is besides Thomas himself, Sir Topham Hat, and a handful of "Islanders...i.e. townspeople."

Grateful

I guess I am being sentimental since Edwards 4th birthday is drawing near, but I keep going back to what was going on at this time 4 years ago as we were eagerly awaiting his arrival. He is such a blessing and sometimes I still think wow someone is really calling me Mommy. God is just so great. Being a mommy is such a wonderful adventure, you never know what the morning will bring when you have a child in your life. I know that not all children are blessed to mommies through the natural way, sometimes God blesses mommies with children in very special ways through adoption, foster care, and as a step parent. I don't care how you come to be blessed to be a parent, just take everyday like it is a new adventure. Not all days will be perfect but trust me...the food covered hugs, wet kisses and sugary sweet I Love Yous will make up for all the bad plus more. Enjoy your children while they are small because it will make all the difference to them when they are adults.

Send In The Clowns

We took Edward to his first Circus (Shrine Circus) today. He absolutely loved it. He adored the clowns. We had a blast.