Go Brewers!

My parents came last Wednesday night to visit us for a late birthday celebration for Alex. So, on Thursday when it was cool and rainy we decided it was a perfect day to go to a ballgame. The benefit of having a field with a roof.

We were able to get great seats since mom and dad and the boys qualified for 1/2 off tickets. We were in the 2nd row of the first deck up. We could see everything. Too bad the Brewers lost, again.

The ballpark has a kids area that the boys loved playing on. Dylan could never have sat still for the whole game, so it really helped to be able to go and let them both burn off some steam.

In this pictre Alex was peddaling his sausage to the finish line in the kiddie sausage race. Dylan was not going anywhere near those fake sausages.

Dylan did so well during the game. He sat on mom's lap and she showed him how to follow the scoreboard with strikes, balls, and outs. And also how to see which player was up to bat. He did really well. He sat for most of the game and paid attention.

Here he is checking the scoreboard for who was up next. Alex also did really well and loved the game. They were both so dissapointed that the Brewers lost, but were redeemed by the fact that they got Brewers t-shirts from grandma. Alex picked out a Prince Fielder Shirt and Dylan a Corey Hart one. They were so excited.

It worked out great that Brian was at the game for work and rode home with us from the game and then Marcella and Cole came up on Friday.

More birthday celebrations later.

New school year worry's

Well here I am I'm supposed to be working this afternoon, continuing prep for the fall music season, but I can't get Dylan out of my mind, mostly because he hasn't stopped talking since he got up this morning. But also because the school open house / meet n greet for teachers is Thursday night. I'm obsessing about how much to tell the teacher and how much to let her figure out on her own. Do you tell the teacher that if the classroom is too loud, or bright that he might lose it? Or that if his sleeves get wet you might as well change his shirt becuase he won't be able to let stop thinking about it?

Or is that not fair to him? Should I let her form her own conclusions? Maybe he'll do better at school than he did last year?

Is it a help or a hindrance to explain about his sensory issues? I don't know the answers to that and I can't seem to think about anything else this afternoon.

To the rest of the world he is just a normal, talkative, energetic, sweet little boy. But there's that other part that can't function if things aren't just right in his space. Like if his desk is in the sun, boy will that be a disaster. He won't be able to deal with anything else because he'll be so busy trying not to freak out over too much sun. It's hard when to the outside world they are completely normal, but they have these overwhelming needs for anything sensory to be just so.

I've been laying awake nights praying about it and spending my days trying not to think about it. I think it's worse this year because school got so rough for him last January at school.

So, I'll continue to pray and try to keep my mind busy with other things. On that note I think I'll go work on curtains.

A Day at the Zoo

This weekend we went to the zoo. It was actually the first time this summer we had gone as a family. I've been with the boys, but usually during the week. We all had fun checking out the birds in the summer exhibit.
It didn't take long before we were all holding 1 or 2 birds. I kept trying to get a bird to sit on Alex's shoulder, but no luck.

OUr zoo sells tickets to feed the giraffes. We've never spent the money to feed the giraffes, but we were there when some others were feeding them and got a close up of one of the giraffes.

It was a very cool day and we saw a lot of animals that we don't see very often. Like this red panda. What a cutie.

Mark also takes great pride in catching those great shots. Like this one of Alex's hand on the glass as the cheetah walks past.

And this one of both cheetah's together mid leap.

All in all it was a good day. Unfortunately I had to leave early to go to a meeting at church, but the boys got to stay a little bit longer with dad. So they were happy.

Otherwise the weekend was pretty dull. Lots of catching up on errands and running around.

The boys got a trim from mom and Dylan now has a very weird look around his ears because he was being really, really wiggly. I think I"m going to have to figure out how to trim his hair with scissors becuase he's really been fighting me lately. We'll see.

And so it begins

Last night was picture night at school. We find out teachers, get fundraiser stuff, do pictures, check for headlice, sign up for PTA, and pick up the toolboxes.

So we found out the teachers, ALex has a new teacher, although she came from another school that closed with all the moving around in the school district this year. He adjusts well to whatever comes at him.

Dylan's teacher was one we had requested, although not our first request. His friend C is also in his class and they are so excited to be together. It's going to be rough for all the boys this year. They are all split to 1 or 2 of them in each K class. They're going to miss each other since they all got along so well. Dylan is now officially VERY nervous about school. I'm a little nervous for him, too. They got rid of the jitters program because most of the kids go to 4K, but in 4K they get met at the bus and escorted to their class by an older student. In Kindergarten they get off the bus, go to the playground, when the bell rings have to find their line, and go into the school. Not bad if they know where the line is and have practised before, but now they don't get to practise. The first day is the first time they do it all by themselves. Thank heavens for big brothers!

As for me, I'm really ready for school to start. Although I could have done without the hour and a half that I just spent filling out forms. I even copy them all each year to speed up the process. It saves looking up all the info, but there are just so darned many of them.

At least I don't have to school supply shop. We ordered toolboxes last spring and everything came in these nice little boxes. Labeled for grade and with stickers to label everything already made.

It even came with the disinfectant wipes and kleenex that they needed.

Life certainly doesn't get better than that.

AAAUGHHH!!

Okay I am seriously pulling my hair out right now!

Last night I was working on moving videos to DVD. A much needed and long task. So, after 4 hours I decided I needed a break, turned everything off and started again this morning.

Here is the mess I left, which of course also means the kids can't play WII, but that's the least of my worries right now.

So I finish supervising chores, and sit down to start again. But, the VCR died, yes died with the video tape from ALex's baptism on to when we got the new camera still in it. And, I can't get it out and I can hear it being ripped to shreds in the VCR. Now, it won't even turn on at all. I am seriously panicing and praying that all of the little tapes that only work in the camera have the stuff that is now destroyed.

Thank God we kept the camera when we got the new one. I just wish I had kept rcording last night and finished what I started last night, then I wouldn't be having this problem.

Oh yes and to make things even better, this is what I found when I just walked into the kitchen after the kids finished their schoolwork.

Oh, and to make things better I can't get the DVD player to record from the videocamera.

So, now I get to climb behind the TV to see if I can figure it out. YIPEE!

Update: First I got picture and no sound, and then sound and no picture. Taking a break before I throw something across the room.

Well it took all morning, but I finally got it going. Of course the boys are alternating between watching and asking "is this going to take all day?" And the answer is YES!

Tackle It Tuesday - Alex's room (again)

Well here we go again. Time to rearange and clean again. This week I've been Tackling Alex's room and a new desk.

Now that he's a little bit older Alex has been wanting a desk for his room. Of course anyone that has looked at desks lately knows that they're really expensive and I didn't want to spend a ton of money on a desk. So, I went to Goodwill and found a small desk for $20. It needed some work, but I figured I could do that.

It was pretty girly, all white with pretty flowers on the drawer pulls. Alex was less than thrilled when he first saw it. ANd of course I forgot to take any pictures of the before. But, here is the after.

Mark suggested the two tone and Alex picked out his own drawer pulls. I think it turned out really nicely.

A little bit of elbow grease and some paint and what a difference.

Here is the room in progress. He had a ton of stuff piled on his book shelves and floor, so I went through it all, got rid of a bunch and reorganized what was left between the book shelf and desk.

More piles of stuff. Isn't amazing what a 7 year old can accumlate.

Here is what the room looks like now. Who knows waht it will look like tomorrow once he gets loose in his room.