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Monday, January 28, 2013

FRUSTRATED.........

Well today I think I may have gotten a little frustrated to say the least.  First let me start by saying we are spoiled horribly when it comes to our doctors.  We love them and we always receive wonderful prompt attention.  In addition we have a wonderful nurse at our pediatricians office that ALWAYS provides us with answers.  I usually text this particular nurse to call me when I have issues with Coop or if it is an emergency I contact our doctor directly.  This morning however I did not feel there was any emergency to the questions I had so I decided to go through "normal" channels and just call to talk to our pediatricians phone nurse.  When I called and left a message for her, I was asked what the call was regarding and I let them know the whole situation about Coop bleeding for over 10 hours from a tiny blood blister this past weekend.  When the nurse called she had no idea why I was calling and didn't even know Coop was a cardiac kid.  Maybe it was my fault that I assumed they would at least scan his file before calling or while on the phone.  Anyway, as soon as I mentioned he his last surgery and she figured out he was a cardiac kid and was on 1/2 an aspirin she said I should call the cardiologist.  I did not disagree with this and was not at all bothered about her recommending us to call them.  I always start with our pediatrician but understand if a situation is referred to our cardiologist.  So I called the cardiologist nurse and guess what?  She would not even acknowledge the length of time he bled and just said we should have the spot checked out by our pediatrician and this wasn't a cardiac issue.  She literally said to me, "Well as a Mom I would want to know what this spot is that was bleeding."  I calmly said, "As a Mom I would just like to know if my son is bleeding to death from a paper cut what my options are!"  I think she caught on to my sarcasm but again referred me back to my pediatrician.  I was so frustrated by this time and knew that my normal calm self was being replaced with a psycho angry Mom that I chose to make no further calls.  What is most frustrating is that at either office I have no idea if my actual doctor even knew I called.  I also still am a little uneasy should Coop have any real cut or bloody nose or bumped lip and the bleeding won't stop, what do I do then.  I guess being a prepared parent is not that important nor is the fact that our son's blood took over 10 hours to clot!  Ok, so yes, I am a little frustrated at this point but tomorrow is a new day and maybe I will be ready to try addressing the issue again in my nice calm voice and not my psycho angry voice.  Wish me luck!

Saturday, January 26, 2013

FAMILY MEETING..........

Raelynn came up with this idea that we needed to start having Family Meeting Nights.  These are to consist of a 30 minute meeting to discuss things we think need changed in our family and things we really like or appreciate.  Basically it is a time to air all feelings.  We decided to hold these meetings the last Saturday of every month.  Tonight was our fist meeting.  I think for the first time things went pretty well.  The kids decided they needed to go to bed earlier which made Terry and I laugh, and Terry and I decided they both needed to get ready more efficiently in the mornings.  We all decided we have a pretty great family!  After our "meeting" we had pizza and watched a movie.  For the most part it was a pretty great night.  The only interruption was that Coop had a blood blister burst early in the evening and it wouldn't stop bleeding.  It happened about 5pm and we have tried everything to get his blood to clot but as of 10pm it was still bleeding.  Luckily the area is small and the blood loss is not significant but the fact that his blood will not clot is concerning.  My Dad has quite a bit of medical training and works as an EMT.  He has advised us and we are holding out until morning providing it does not get worse.  We sent the video below to my Dad so he could see what it was doing.  No need to watch it if you don't want to see a small burst of blood.



It just keeps doing that over and over again no matter how much pressure we apply, ice we apply or anything else.  No indication of stopping either.  Anyway, it is so hard not to worry or be alarmed but we are just waiting it out and hoping it does not end with a trip to the ER by morning.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

WOW, THEY NEVER STOP AMAZING ME....

Whew, and tomorrow is Friday! I can tell already this year is going to go by so quickly I cannot even let one day go by without making the most of it!  So I had mentioned that many things I see changing this year and there is one that I can finally confirm and talk about.  CCF has brought on board and Administrative Assistant.  We reached a point it was time to decide; we either keep going along as we are or we grow.  If we choose to grow, we grow big and growing big is what we decided.  In saying that, we need more man power because I simply cannot keep doing what I am plus more.  So we started interviewing and it didn't take long until we found the most amazing candidate.  She was everything we could hope for plus some. She made us laugh and cry in her 2+ hour interview.  The foundation is so important to me, to all of us, and I never imagined it would develop into what it has.  We have been blessed over and over again and all I can say is great things are sure to come!

Changes are also developing in Raelynn and Coop's education and school system.  I sit on the Site Council, PTO and several sub committees so that not only do I know what is going on at their school but also that I can be a part of making their education the best it can be.  I do not see any reason to sit on the sidelines and either question why things are being done the way they are or simply be incoherent to what surrounds them on a daily basis.  Their education is extremely important to me and so is their future.  While I feel like I am a fairly intelligent person I think I lacked in broad thinking and characteristics of an entrepreneur which I would have given anything to have.  I remember as a youth and young adult I used to wonder why we were taught certain things and why I would ever waste space in my mind remembering some of the things I was taught.  On the other hand, there were things that were difficult and challenging but I understood how I would use them for the rest of my life or how they would apply to almost any job.  As an adult, I believe constant progression with technology and understanding the world around us and adapting to our world's constant changes tops my list of focal points.  With the thoughts I have from my youth and the focus I have as an adult, I must say the current Bond Issue being presented for an April vote is absolutely intriguing, arousing and necessary as far as I am concerned.  The Bond Issue is presented as a renovation to many schools and a preparation for the use of technology in all schools.  It highlights safer entries to our schools and better interior design for teaching.  I hope that all those that do not support the bond would take a really hard look around and ask themselves what they really don't support because when it comes down to it, you either support your neighborhood schools and the children you pass by daily or you don't.  Simply enough, if you don't, look not too far away at KC MO schools and ask your self if that's what you want Lawrence to be dealing with in the years to come.

So as you can tell, this past week has been pretty exciting but I don't think any of it compared to the excitement I felt inside as I sat with the kids Tuesday night eating dinner.  Tuesday was a pretty crazy night.  I had exactly 50 minutes after work to prepare dinner, get the kids fed, bathed and homework done before I was off to Site Council and PTO.  One of the things I am working on is playing it cool at times when everything is rush rush.  So Tuesday night was a perfect night for application of my theory that more gets done if I just work quickly and efficiently but not rushed.  The kids did great at doing homework and getting things together for the next day and setting the table while I got dinner ready.  We all sat down to eat together.  As we ate Coop said, "Mom you know what?  There was this lady a long time ago who had to sit in the very back of a bus because her skin was a darker color."  Raelynn popped right in, "Oh yea that was Rosa Parks."  Coop replied right back, "Yea Rosa and she was nice but those other guys were mean to her and we would never do that."  The two of them went back and forth just feeding off of one another with more details of Rosa Parks which then lead to discussion of Martin Luther King, Jr. which then led to Raelynn saying, "and do you know some of the presidents are assassinated?"  I indicated I did but again had no time to reply before Coop was right back in the conversation stating that President Kennedy was assassinated.  Now I don't know about any of you but I did not even know what assassinated meant when I was 5.  The entire dinner the 2 of them discussed various presidents and asked me several questions which finally lead me to grab my iPad and google answers for them.  They both were seriously taken back by how the color of someones skin would affect the way they were treated.  I was so proud of their knowledge but also of their perception of things.  They continue to amaze me by they information they long to have about our history.  This is something that has never interested me and in the 7 years Raelynn has been alive I have probably learned more about politics and our history that I did in the 30 years before that.  Between the two of them they want to know different aspects of historical events.  Raelynn always focuses on every one's feelings and why things happened the way the do.  Coop just wants facts; who, what, when and where.     With the combination of questions topics are covered very thoroughly around here.

Raelynn also informed me this week that she wants and injured animal.  I was a little taken back or concerned by this statement so I questioned why.  Her response, "I want to get an animal, a dog or horse, from the shelter so that I can take care of it and make it healthy again."  She continued, "I know you don't like animals but I want to take care of the sick ones, and oh Mom?, I am going to adopt kids, maybe have one of my own, but I am going to adopt kids that don't have a Mom and Dad like you and Dad."  And well there you have it, another generation just like my Mom, my sister Steph and myself.  Raelynn is right, I don't love animals, but I would adopt or foster children anytime!  I just smiled and told her I would let her love her injured animals and I would be the best Grandma her adopted kids could ever ask for!  To watch both she and Coop grow and develop into their own personalities is truly the greatest gift ever!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

WHAT A SOMBER WEEK..........

This week we have seen a lot of scary things.  I have several friends that have encountered terrible losses or scary illnesses.  It really makes you reflect on what you have and what really is important to you.  I think Terry and I have a better understanding of this than some, but even so we still have to squeeze the kids a little more.  Tonight neither of the kids are home.  There is no school tomorrow but unfortunately Terry and I still have to work so we had to make other arrangements for the kids.  Raelynn is at a friends house and Coop is at Aunt Steph's.  I know they are both having a great time but I miss them.  I always do.  I don't know how you can't miss cuddles and kisses and smiles and laughing and constant chaos.  I always try to get so much work done when they are gone but instead just find myself thinking about them.  I love my kids so much!  They both know too and it is so sweet.  Coop gave me extra soft kisses on the cheek and told me how he always misses me when he is gone.  I know it is all for my benefit because he left without even looking back but I still love hearing it.  Raelynn just makes fun of me and while we were waiting for her friends we sat on the couch chatting.  As she was teasing me and we were laughing about how much I miss them she says, "well I guess we always know you love us!"  That was a perfectly wonderful thing to say because I never want me kids to question if I love them.  She knew too because she let down her sarcasm, smiled at me and said, "I love you just as much", and gave me a big hug.  Gee I wonder why I miss having them around?!

This past week was a little busy as everything is in full swing.  On Wednesday night at Karate as Raelynn took class I watched some, talked to Coop some, and cleared email while we waited.  After we got home and Raelynn got out of the shower she said out of the blue, "when I looked over at you tonight you weren't watching me."  "I watched you", I replied.  "Well when I was looking at you you weren't watching me and that made me feel sad, I just thought you should know." I felt horrible and so happy at the same time.  I felt horrible that she thought I wasn't watching her and that made her sad but I was so happy that she was so willing to communicate that with me.  I sat down next to her and thanked her for telling me and we discussed how it made her feel, how I appreciated her telling me and then how much I admire her.  I would have given anything to be able to verbalize some of the times I felt unimportant or ignored.  I keep thinking if our communication can continue like this, we actually have a chance of making it through the teen years.

Saturday was a fun day.  Raelynn had a Brownies meeting and Coop had soccer.  Then the kids and I met their cousin for a birthday lunch and then play at Laugh Out Loud.  They had a great time!






Then we got home and decided it was a good night for a movie night.  It is so awesome to just snuggle and watch a good movie.  So needless to say Saturday was a good day.  Today however seems to have been a lot of trying to get stuff done but succeeding at very little!  We will start fresh tomorrow though :)
Ms Thing modeling her newest style :)


Monday, January 14, 2013

I DO BELIEVE THINGS ARE CHANGING....

I don't exactly how to explain it but I think 2013 is going to be a year of change.  I can't really disclose too much yet but in the first 15 days of the year there have already been some changes under way.  I don't know what it is but when I sat down to set my 2013 Goals it hit me that only I could change things and that it was time to either settle in and accept the things I didn't love in my life or make them better.  Now understand I am not referring to my husband or children or family in general or friends.  These are areas in my life I love.  There is always room for improvement in my relationships but that is always given and I reflect daily on my interaction with those I love and what I can do to make our relationship stronger.  What I am referring to is everything else; career, religion, financial,t he various committees I serve on, our Foundation, etc.  I have fallen in a comfort zone in many things and do what I need to be successful but not what I need to be outstanding and outstanding is what I am looking for.  Therefore, I have made some changes personally and am redirecting my focus during the day.  I can feel a few changes already and I am liking it.  I just know I will have to work hard to keep up with my expectations especially when my own excitement for my changes start to dwindle.  I am constantly telling my kids to focus and to  be all they are capable of being every minute of every day and it is time for me to show them how to do that.  So needless to say, I see a busy year ahead!

So much has happened all ready just since my last post.  The first weekend of January we had a Christmas celebration with Steph and Cody since they weren't able to come out to Mom and Dad's.  My Aunt came too that was unable to make it at Christmas so it was a great family time.  We had a great time picking on Steph as this was her first "big" family gathering.  We laughed a lot which we usually do at some one's expense but if we weren't, I think we would all feel like someone was upset.  :)  Anyway, it was a fast but fun celebration with the whole family.







Last week began Raelynn's first week of Karate.  The first night was hilarious.  Raelynn was literally scared to death.  She looked worried and confused the entire evening and the Sensai made me stand up there and do it with her just so she would not be so afraid.  The good news is as we left she was grinning and saying how she was so scared but never once did she say she did not want to return.  Her class is twice a week until March so I was a little concerned as we have a firm rule that you cannot quit something you start.  You don't ever have to do it again once your session is complete, but we never quit in the middle.  Two days later she had her second class and it was almost day and night.  She stood up there by herself and did what was asked.  The instructors even came around and helped her.  The first class I think they were afraid to approach her in fear she would either pee her pants in fear or cry!  Tonight was her third class and it is amazing.  She is still uncoordinated, clumsy and doesn't know her right from her left but she is already improving amazingly!!!  She never once has complained about going and she does a good job of paying attention for the most part.  She barely will admit it but I think she is really liking it and I just like seeing her involved in something that will teach her a discipline and confidence when it is to cold for her to be on a horse.



So as Raelynn is finding a new activity, Coop is just perfecting one he is getting much too good at......getting in trouble! I have almost decided that after every surgery we will face this crazy hyper boy until he learns to manage his new amount of energy and feeling so good.  Monday nothing really happened until we went to Karate.  As I said Raelynn spent the whole evening listening with a certain amount of fear in her eyes.  She was a little taken back by the strong voice of the Sensai and the aggressiveness of the punches and kicks.  Coop sat and watch most of the evening and when we got home, Raelynn stood in the middle of living room staring at the TV as she passed through.  Coop was passing through behind her and without missing a step he did one of the karate kicks that was taught making perfect contact with Raelynn's hiney.  With a grin on his face and before Raelynn could even scream out, "MooooooM!" Coop says, "Better get used to it!"  While I scolded him for kicking his sister I laughed under my breath.  Coop knew he had me and there was no way I was going to hold my laughter for long.  On Wednesday I received a text from Coop's soccer coach that Coop had struggled listening during practice.  He was laughing about it and just said he was really hyper.  As I cooked dinner I addressed the situation with Coop he explained to me how that was the only time he had to play with his best friend and he just couldn't help but talk to his friend.  He went on to tell me that this is just how God made him and he couldn't help that.  Then he really topped things off when he said, "Did Coach Kevin tell you?"  I assured him that no one needed to tell me that I knew everything that happened every day.  Without hesitation Coop responded, "Weeelllll that's unfortunate!"  I did refrain from laughing at least in front of him but it did end his scolding.  Then Friday rolled around and one of Coop's teachers asked me if they had him on a steroid because he was just so hyper.  She said the same thing I had heard all week, he was not misbehaving he was just very hyper which was out of character for him.  Well by this time the humor was gone and I was frustrated with his behavior.  Friday night I sad him down and discussed with him our expectations of his behavior and discussed what we been done if he could not behave as we expected.  We also discussed why he was acting this way and how we could change it.  We even prayed that God would help him make good choices that would make our hearts happy.  So today as we left for the day I reminded Cooper how we expected the day to go for him and I will be darned if he did not have a spectacular day.  The teachers said their Cooper was back and he was their same perfect little boy.  As we left school I told him I was proud he made good choices today and he told me, "the bad stuff was in my forehead but God kicked it out and put the good stuff in so your heart would be happy."  I thought I was going to cry, but just kissed and squeezed him instead.  Anyway, after this weekend and many discussions I think he finally gets that even though he makes us laugh a lot and he is incredibly cute, he still is expected to behave.

This past weekend started off pretty bad but turned into a great time.  We were headed to Tulsa to spend the weekend with our dear friends.  By noon on Friday our trip was cancelled due to their son getting very sick.  It was so hard for both of us to tell our boys as they were very excited to see each other.  It was truly sad when I told Coop and when I told Raelynn she just felt bad for Coop.  So Friday night we decided to have a movie night and we put in "The Amazing Spiderman", a movie Coop had gotten for Christmas.  Weeeellll although Raelynn and I totally got into the movie, it scared Coop to death.  We tried for 30 minutes to get him to bed but he was scared and ended up spending the night in our bed.  It was an awesome movie but was definitely more than I had ever let the kids watch.  I think we will reserve another viewing for awhile as long as Coop is there.  Saturday morning I woke up early, went in to work for a few hours, headed to the gym for an hour and was home before 8am.  Great start to the day but then by 9am I was in bed with a migraine!  I had to get Coop to soccer by 11:30am and fortunately by 2pm or so I was doing ok.  Raelynn had gotten a GC from Aunt Steph to her favorite clothing store, Justice.  We decided to meet Steph at the mall late in the afternoon and then the boys joined us for dinner.  We had a GREAT time shopping.  It was one of those unexpectedly wonderful days.  I love spending time with Steph and Cody and to watch Raelynn have so much fun shopping really couldn't have been much better!


This is her begging for more!


Sunday we cleaned and caught up and watched another movie at home with the kids.  We rarely take time to sit and watch TV so 2 movies in one weekend, we were feeling pretty lazy.  It was fun and a little relaxing as well!

So that should catch things up and now maybe I can be more diligent in posting so I can make sure I don't leave out those really funny things like listening to Raelynn explain to Coop what "hit 'em where it counts" means.  Yes, that was our discussion this evening and Raelynn did a good job of explaining it and Coop did a good job of reacting to her description the same as every boy I know.  But it became funny when Coop asked Raelynn what it's called where they kick her where it counts to which Raelynn responds, "Yea I don't know I always forget what mine is called because I can't see it."  I literally spit the water I had just drank clear across the kitchen.  Neither of the kids seemed to understand at all why I was choking on my water but at least my episode ended their conversation!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

It is unbelievable that it is 2013 and if it wasn't for the uncertainty of the economy, I would be sure that this would be one of the best years yet.  We had a wonderful New Year's Eve with a few friends and too many Margaritas!  The kids have started the year out full of silliness.  Raelynn continues to be one of the funniest people I know and yet one of the most interesting.  Tonight, as she was playing on her iPod and we were approaching bedtime, I reminded the kids it was time to go brush their teeth.  Without hesitation, without looking up from her iPod and with with a slight grin, Raelynn responds, "I'm sorry, I'm unavailable."  I often wonder where she gets this stuff but regardless where she hears it, her personality is what drives her sarcasm.  I continue to wonder if I will still find humor in her and her "off the cuff" comments when she is in her teens.  Coop continues to be adorably cute and sweet and carries his own sense of humor.  He is equally as witty but just presents it in a different manner, one with more orneriness than sarcasm.  He has developed such an imagination and he wants to know how everything works and what parts make it up.  The other night as I am waiting for him to go potty, he is completely distracted by trying to figure out exactly how the flushing system works.  I cannot help but laugh because he reminds me so much of Terry.

On New Year's Day I sat to write down my 2013 Goals.  The kids asked what I was doing so I explained what and why I was doing.  Then last night Raelynn says, "I have made my goals for 2013." What was more, she did not only have a list of goals but also an outline of how to achieve her goals.  Her goals were very relevant from goals on how to relate with her friends to improving on certain aspects of her horse shows.  I was so proud of her and just thought about if she can do this at 7 what she may accomplish at 18 or 25 or 30.  I love my kids and watching them develop and can only hope I am introducing them to things that can make them more well rounded.

2013 could not have started out better in every aspect except financially.  I am terrified at how the economy is going to recover or not recover and what journey that will make for us as a family.  I continue to work on our budget and continue to ask "How?" but with each concern there is still a very vivid reminder of how fortunate I am that this is my only real concern and that I am abundantly blessed in every other aspect of my life.  With that I say, "Bring on 2013, I can handle anything with my family and friends by my side!!!