Another day, another pair of undewear...

We've stayed in all day today in hopes of being a successful passenger on the potty train. Addison woke up this morning and decided she was going to wear underwear and keep them dry. Good for her to have a positve attitude. Since this morning we have had 6 pairs of underwear on and it's not quite 3:00. That's about a pair an hour. Gotta give her credit for trying I guess. Each time she's wet, she wants to put underwear back on instead of a diaper. That's something I suppose. She's got her ticket and she's determined to ride the potty train!


Taylor's looking forward to a field trip tomorrow at Severson Dells. I'm glad to see we're supposed to have nice weather. Tomorrow night is her 2nd grade concert at Machesney Elementary which she is also looking forward to. She is definitely a very outgoing girl who loves lots of different activities and is not afraid to get right in there and join the fun. I love that about her and I hope that she will always be so confident. I will try to do my part to continue to encourage her and nuture that part of her.

This morning she was sitting with me watching the news and she saw Farrah Fawcett's name on the screen. She laughed that Farrah was a name. She informed me that Farrah was a hairstyle, not a name. Oh the things she's learning in 2nd grade!

Nicholas had a play date with Emma from down the street on Sunday. On Friday he came home from school and said, "Guess what mom? Emma had a pretty dress on today." He's a very complimentary young man. We walked down to get her for their playdate and he told her she better ride her bike down because he lived several miles down the street. On the way home after dropping her off, he asked when he could take her to breakfast. I suggested maybe she could come for hotdogs for lunch sometime and he thought that sounded ok.

Aron is finally well. No ear or sinus infections. He went for a recheck from the recheck on Friday and she gave him the all clear. It's about time. He had 20 straight days of ear drop antibiotics four times a day. That's 8o doses!

He and Nicholas are going on May 21st for tubes. Aron is having his right one replaced and Nicholas is getting them for the first time. Nicholas has fluid in both ears that's been there for a long time so this should take care of that and prevent further problems.


Now it's time for me to switch loads and get Addison into the bathroom!

My Boys

I have always felt since Nicholas was very little that he had this gentle, sweet, and loving spirit. There is a kindness about him that is so touching. I don't see it on a day to day to day basis but when I do it stops me right where I'm at and I am reminded of what a special boy he is. Tonight was a perfect illustration of that loving spirit.
Aron was climbing up the stairs and normally Nicholas is so busy running around in his own little world that he would just blow right by him and be off to the next thing. But tonight he got down next to Aron and crawled up a few stairs with him and was talking to him just as if Aron could really understand what he was saying and have a conversation with him. Aron turned and sat on the stair and Nicholas sat right next to him and said, "Aron, I think about you when I'm at school all day. I think about you cuz I love you buddy. I care about you all day when I'm at school." I was up in Nicholas' and Aron's room putting away laundry and heard this and just stopped. These are the moments in our journey as mothers that make all the everyday trials and tribulations seem so worth it. These are the moments that you feel reassured that you are doing something right. I live for these moments.
This is a perfect example of why I wanted to do this blog. I want to remember moments like these and if I don't write them down, they will all too soon fade away and be lost in the everyday chaos of this season of my life.

Finally a Post!

Well I haven't been as on top of this blog thing as much as I would like but I'm vowing that I will get better! It seems like free time is very lacking these days since Addison and Aron either do not want to nap or don't nap at the same time. As a matter of fact as I am typing this right now a very tired and fussy Aron is slobbering all over my knee and Addison is probably coloring on the kitchen floor or rummaging through the fridge.


So, I had a birthday last week and thanks to my husband I am maintaining my blog on my very own laptop! I was very surprised and very, very excited! He even went so far as to get me a pink mouse to go with it. What a guy!


Other news: Taylor has been in a forensics competion over the past two weeks and Saturday was the regional competion. She did very well and we are so proud of her!













Addison continues to entertain me as always. We went to Walmart this morning for a few things
and as we were in the checkout she was her usual chatty self, talking with the pregnant lady in line behind us. She started telling her about her brother and her pink shoes that she was wearing and that she was buying an umbrella. This was all innocent enough and then the curious 3 year old emerged and asked the very pregnant mom, Why is your tummy so big?" The lady told her she had a baby in there and Addison then asked, "How did that baby get in there?" Luckily by that time I was swiping my debit card and we were packing up to go.




On the way home she gave me the play by play like she often does. We were stopped at a light and she saw a goose in the grass at Dairy Queen. I asked her what she thought the goose was doing. Did she think the goose was going for icecream? She matter of factly replied, "No, she's eating yard. That girl makes me laugh everyday!

Hello Everyone!

I am very excited to start this blog for many, many reasons.

I think it will be a great way to stay connected with friends and family. Life is crazy with four wonderful, energetic children and I think this will be a good way for everyone to keep up on what’s happening with us.

Also, as most of you know, I love, love, love scrapbooking and this is nice way for me to keep up on the journaling part of my scrapbooks. I have gotten very behind so when I scrapbook something that is—dare I say—from a year ago or sometimes even more, I have a hard time recalling exactly what I was thinking at the time or what I would have written back then. I can’t tell you how many times one of the kids has said or done something that I wanted to be sure to remember, and within a few days I couldn’t think of what it was. I’m hoping to be able to keep up with this blog, even if it’s only a few snippets every day or two, and then I will have more memories of our family recorded.

Another reason I wanted to start this was to keep everyone in the loop on our little Aron. Many of our friends and family are not fully aware of Aron’s condition, so we would like to “educate” everyone, so to speak. A lot happens with him in a relatively short amount of time, so by having this blog we will be able to update everyone on his progress. I have found some wonderful online support groups for parents who have a child with Aron’s genetic condition, and since we’re all sharing stories, it would be nice to be able to have Aron’s history down somewhere so we don’t have to recount it every time we meet someone new. To learn more about Aron, please visit his page on Paul’s Web site. http://paulgreenland.com/aron.aspx