Checking In

Whew!  Things are getting a little crazy around here.  Every kid has something different going on and Jerry is getting to work a ton of overtime at work!  Which has been a total blessing, it couldn't have come at a better time.  But with him being gone an extra 2 days a week, it's been a struggle to rearrange my schedule and take all the kids to appointments that I didn't plan on taking them to.  But we are surviving, let's start with the youngest.

TYLER

Tyler's lead screening hasn't come back from the lab yet, I blame the government shutdown.  I think it's driving the nurses crazy, they keep calling me to tell me that it's still not back.  The rest of Jaxen's blood work came back and it wasn't perfect.  So little man must get his blood drawn again next week.  Tyler's white blood cells were elevated, which could mean something as simple as he was fighting some type of infection.  However, the scary part is that it could also mean something as horrible as leukemia.  So they want to recheck to verify the white blood cell count went back down to normal levels.  I'm not freaking out yet, because I honestly don't think anything is wrong with him.  He is a very healthy child.  But it's always nice to get the bad things ruled out completely.  So keep him in your thoughts because next Thursday or Friday is going to be a rough day for him.

Ty has finally added a few more teeth to the bottom jaw!  LOL, besides the two front teeth, Tyler just got his first set of molars.  It's quite funny how he has the front teeth, then molars but missing the ones in between on both the top and bottom.  I imagine teething has been the reason that he's been a total bear lately!

JAXEN

Since the last time we wrote, Jaxen has had his R.E.D meeting.  Basically, we had a meeting that went over everything we knew of Jaxen and determined if there was any addition information or testing needed.  He has about 3 - 4 more tests that need to be done to determine if he qualifies for services when he turns three.  It's all been a little overwhelming lately, he is doing so well and has come a long ways. . . I just hope he can continue to get additional services before he has to start school.  

Jaxen's tests are on November 1st at a Preschool in Belton.  Then two weeks later, November 15th, we find out if he qualifies for services beyond three years old.  Fingers crossed, I would love to see him continue on with at least Speech Therapy.

JACOB

This kid is going through some type of middle child phase. . . he has to be!  He's a mess. Crying about everything, getting angry about silly things, causing trouble just to cause it, and destroying things.  At first, I thought he was acting out because Jerry was gone more than he use to be {and I still do to a point} but now I think it's a boy/age thing.  The other little boy we watch after school is doing the same thing and driving his mom nuts, too!  I've really tried to make time for just Mom and Jacob activities and when Jerry's home he tried to include Jake in the "mainly" stuff.  Like tinkering in the garage.  I think he's just trying to find his place in the family.  He's not a baby anymore, he's a big kid. . . but he's not the oldest.

Jacob is doing really well in school, we have been having our issues on the bus.  And I'm afraid it won't be long until he gets an actual bad note sent home.  He doesn't see the bus as an extension of school, he see it as playtime with his buddies and that's getting him in trouble.  Jake is definitely a follower.

CHLOE

Little mama is doing good.  She's got her own thing going on most of the time.  With her is mostly Girl Scouts or the orthodontist.  She's doing great in school, really proud of her and the effort that she's putting towards her school work.  Third grade is suppose to be the harder transition.  And according to her midterm report card she's getting all A's and one B.  

Accident Prone?!

Sunday afternoon, we went to a celebration picnic for Relay For Life.  It was a family event at the park - a way of saying thanks to those who worked so hard.

Jerry wanted to go "make an appearance" before he had to head to work.  I got the kids ready and fed them before hand. . . you never know what they are going to eat at events like these and I like knowing that they have at least eaten something.  So while we ate and visited with friends, the kids played on the playground.  Chloe took Jacob and Jaxen and pushed them on the swings.

Then the kids decided to play on this huge hill - which I told them to be careful on because they could get hurt.  Needless to say - Chloe took a pretty good tumble. . .

Knees - all bandaged up.

Arm

Other arm

Face

Then in a seperate accident, while chasing after Chloe - Jaxen took a tumble and scratched his face all up.

What am I going to do with these children?!  I think they need to be wrapped in bubble wrap!

Coach's Pitch

Chloe had her first baseball game a couple nights ago.  It was a very cold and windy afternoon, but they all had fun.  Miss Chloe was so worried that she wouldn't get a hit but a couple of the times she was up to bat, she hit the ball on the very first pitch and I didn't have time to even record it!!

Chloe and Mr. Stahl

Coach's Pitch is just like T-Ball - no scoring, everyone gets to bat and run the bases - only difference is this year they learn to hit the ball when someone throws it to them verses it being on the t-stand.  I am really impressed with the way they teach and how fast the kids learn to hit the ball!  

Playing the Pitcher's Mound. . . Chloe's ready to stop the ball!!

 And of course, look at the smile on her face when she got her t-shirt.  Miss Chloe is #14 again this year!  And her teams gets the very bright, you-have-to-wear-sunglasses-to-look-at-her t-shirts!

Ready to go!!

With the pending arrival of Tyler, Chloe only has 2 more games that she get to play.  {She will miss her last game, because it is the day after my surgery.}  Next year, Chloe will stay in Coach's Pitch AND Jacob will start T-Ball!!!  Jacob is super excited and so I'm I   !!

Another fundraiser. . .

I feel like we do A LOT of fundraisers throughout the year. . . but I guess that's the way it is when 2 of the kids are in school and 1 in scouts.  {Just wait until I have four in school and scouts.  = \} 

With that being said, sometimes the food fundraisers are good and I really hate the ones where you have to buy crazy junky stuff.  But my favorite and best fundraisers are the ones that just ask for money. . . because lets face it - you pick the amount you can give.  $1, $5, $10, $15, $20 -- all make a difference for the organization raising funds.

So drum roll -- here's our latest {& hopefully our last for the year} fundraiser!  Chloe's PTO at school is organizing a Walk-A-Thon on May 4th.  From 5pm - 7pm, we will walk the track at her school.  There will be fun family activities and relay races with prizes for the kids.  We are encouraged to collect pledges from our family and friends.  If you are willing and able to, will you consider sponsoring Miss Chloe in the Midway Walk for Pride Event?  Pledges can be taken two ways - #1. In Person {Or by Mail} and #2. Over the Internet.

Just click the link below and click the Yellow "Donate Now" button at the top of the page.  Then it will ask you to enter the unique Pledge Code for the participant whom you would like to support in this event -- Chloe's pledge code is:  807_chldaily. 

Walk for Pride

To all those who donate or will consider donating - Thank You!  A donation to our school is a donation to our future.  = )

1st Visit to the Dentist

Chloe, Jacob and Jaxen all had their first visit to the Dentist this afternoon!  I know, most of you are thinking I should have taken Chloe years ago, but really my own insecurities have held me back.  I hate the dentist and when i go, I go alone so that my fears don't rub onto the kids.  However, it was time.  Chloe and Jacob are both old enough and what better time to start them down the right path than now.

Chloe was first.  She was scared and nervous but she didn't let that stop her.  She walked right in, sat down and asked the hygienist to go slow and nice and to please tell her everything she was going to do first.  =)  I couldn't help but think, "That's my girl!"  She laid it all on the line and the lady was really nice and did everything Chloe asked her to do.  Chloe even asked some pretty good questions about all the tools and gadgets.  The hygienist was very impressed with her. 

Chloe started out by getting her very first set of dental xrays taken.  The film hurt her mouth but she was big and brave enough to hold it long enough to get a decent picture.  She loved looking at the xrays!  She was even brave enough to sit through the entire cleaning of her teeth and the fluoride rinse (yuck!).  She did amazing with all the sounds and gadgets that they were putting in her mouth.

Once the dentist came in to check everything out, we got to discuss Chloe's Class 3 - Under bite.

UNDER BITE - This occurs when the lower teeth protrude past the front teeth. It’s usually caused by undergrowth of the upper jaw, overgrowth of the lower jaw, or both. It can also be caused by missing upper teeth. This can prevent the normal function of front teeth or molars, which can lead to tooth wear. It can also cause painful jaw and joint problems.

This is something that she's had for as long as I can remember and it doesn't bother her.  However, I learned today that if we don't fix it now while the baby teeth are falling out and the new teeth are coming in, as an adult it would require extensive surgery to re-align her jaw and then braces to bring the teeth into the correct placement.  *Gulp!*  Our dentist has seen a number of kids with this problem, including one of his own.  And he has an easy fix for it.  Over the next 6-months, Chloe will loose both of the top front teeth.  They are both currently loose.  Hopefully, when the adult teeth come in, they will automatically be the teeth out in front.  However, if they look like they are going to sit behind the bottom row of teeth, Chloe will get crowns glued on to the front set of teeth and over a 2-week period, during normal eating and talking, her teeth will move that direction and her bite will align naturally.  After 2-weeks, the crowns get removed and Chloe goes on like normal.  Of course, the dentist did say that it could take a couple tries with the crowns before the "correct" alignment is achieved and the crowns are a little bigger than normal teeth - so she might look a little funny or off, but they have seen very good results and it's a whole lot cheaper and less invasive than surgery.  And the dentist did say that Chloe could force the teeth forward with her tongue or fingers while they are growing in if she messed with pushing them forward.  So we will see, everything will take course once we see how her adult teeth are coming in!

Other thing that was surprising because she's still a little young, Chloe has her first set of adult molars coming in.  In fact, most of them are a good chunk of the way in.  These molars will need to be capped once they are in all the way to protect them from decay.

Next up was Jacob!  I wasn't so sure about him sitting still through the whole thing, but he did better than I expected.  He was really leery about the tools and gadget that they wanted to stick in his mouth, but they put him in charge of the air sucker and he was in heaven.  While they brushed and cleaned his teeth, Jacob got to hold the air tube sucking out the yuck.  It was so funny to watch him in action.  He even tried to suck up the hygienist's hand while she was cleaning his teeth. 

Jacob didn't get xrays done because he was so antsy, they are going to try next time since he will know what he's there for.  He did however get the fluoride rinse, but because they were worried about him swallowing it, it was a very diluted rinse.  He surprised us all and did great - I told him if he swallowed it I would know because his belly would turn purple!

The dentist checked in Jacob's mouth and said he had a great set of teeth, all his baby teeth are nicely spaced for his adult teeth to come in perfectly.  In fact, his teeth were ideal.  He isn't going to have any of the problems that Chloe might have.  Which is nice to know that we might only have to pay an arm and a leg for one child!  Just Kidding.

Overall, older two did great.  They both got awesome spinning tooth brushes - I always got the old cheap kind!  Chloe's is Cinderella and Jacob has a Red Power Ranger.  Jaxen also got his teeth looked at, but at this point it's more just to have interaction with the dentist and office staff.  His teeth are looking nice and he will get his first "attempt" at cleaning them around 18-24 months, once he has molars. 

Jerry got his stitched taken out.  He's all finished with the dentist until he goes back with the kids in 6-months!  I've already got the appointment scheduled so that he can't back out on me!!  Of course, the dentist did say that if he had any issues before then to just give them a call and they will get him seen asap.  Outside anything crazy, Wednesday, August 6th everyone goes back for another cleaning just before school starts.

Once we got home, Jerry got some of the dog fence posts put up.  After fighting over where to put the dogs, I gave up.  The fence isn't where I would like it, but it will do. . . I just want them out of my house.  Chloe and I also took full advantage of the nice weather and took a ton of boxes and trash to the burn pit and set her ablaze!  It was beautiful outside today - a year ago we had blizzard like conditions and 10.5 inches of snow on the ground! 

So we went from this in 2011:

To this in 2012:

And last but not least.  Here are the pictures of the curtains I made the kids, just as I promised.

Jacob and Jaxen's Room

Chloe's Room

And if you haven't lately, check out the Picasa web albums, I've added a bunch of pictures from my camera and my cell phone!

Chloe's 2nd Quarter Assessment Results

First off let me start by showing off Chloe's awesome assessment results.  Her school does these types of testing every quarter to make sure the students are progressing.  I don't ever remember being tested this often as a kid but I am sure this is another luxury of a small town school.  The first {green} results are from Chloe's math testing. . . the numbers like 1.3 {where she tested at that beginning of the year} is read like 1st Grade, third month.  The second {blue} results are from Chloe's DIBELS {Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills} and those results are just number based.  The first column being where she should be as a first grader and the written numbers are where she is at currently.

So as you can see, Chloe's doing an amazing job.  She is bringing home more extra reading and math assignments.  Her teachers don't want her to stop learning because she is excelling at the first grade level.  They want her to continue - the sky is the limit!  

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Someone's turning 7. . .

Not sure if you are, but I know I'm not ready for this. . . Chloe turns 7 on February 7th. 

Chloe and I sat down this evening and made her birthday invitations. . . the party sites were all "out of stock" of Monster High Invitations online.  I think they came out pretty good. . . there are a few more pictures than I would have done myself but I had to remind myself that these were Chloe's invitations, not mine.  :-)

We are holding her family birthday party Saturday, February 11th at 1:00pm.  Come celebrate the Birthday Girl at our new house. . . We will serve cake and ice cream.

 

And as an added bonus this year, since she has a nice little room she wants to show off and we have plenty of room to accommodate kids, Chloe get to have 2 or 3 friends spend the night Friday night!  These are the invitations her friends are getting. . . 

I'm still here. . .

Wowzers, I can't believe I haven't post since Jacob's birthday!  These days quickly got away from me.  But honestly, we have been adjusting to a new normal around here.

The day after Jacob's Birthday, I started my new job at the Distribution Center.  I love working three days and being home four!!  I didn't realize how easy Jerry had it!  He's had to step up his domestic duties since we are on the same schedule!!  I'm not cleaning the house by myself!  Okay, I suppose I should let him off the hook a little, he does work NIGHTS, so the shift in schedule is harder for him than it is on me.  And it doesn't matter what he's worked, he is up every morning with Chloe and Jacob getting them ready for school with me.  Which is something I really enjoy!  And I thought he would like that extra sleeping in in the morning. . . he must enjoy getting them ready too!

Chloe's in full swing with school, Girl Scouts, and Cheer leading.  The biggest difference between kindergarten and first grade is HOMEWORK!  The teacher is very good to us parents. . . I get a note home on Monday letting me know the days and the subject that will be coming home.  Which lets me make sure she does it right away and not wait until bedtime to remember!  So far, Tuesday's and Thursday's have been reading and Wednesday's been math homework.

I've been able to take Chloe to and from Cheer practice, but Daddy's had to do the games.  However, I want to take the time to complain. . . the games that fall on his days are at Chloe's school!  My games are always the away games, where I have to go find some tiny school out in the middle of nowhere!!  We still have another month and a half of Cheering.  I'm not sure if she's going to do it again next year - she might surprise me!

Jacob's absolutely LOVE pre-school!!  I was so nervous, because he's a shy guy until he gets used to something.  But he walks into classroom with his head high and has so much fun!!  He's talks a mile a minute when Jerry and I pick him up.  He's the youngest in his class. . . most of his classmates attended pre-school last year but the Level 1 time and days interfered with our work schedules so we elected to put Jake in Level 2.  Next year he will be in Level 2 again but he will go all day instead of half days. . . to get ready for Kindergarten.

My favorite part of Thursday and Friday is picking Jacob up at school.  Friday when I picked him up he told me he had "Cheese-It's" in his bag.  I questioned him. . . why do you have "cheese-it's" in your bag?  Jacob the digs in he bag, "NO Mom!  I have Chheeeeses." and pulls out a picture of Jesus!!  :-)  Gotta love him!!  The day before I asked him what his bible verse was and he says in a super cute voice. . . "In the Beginning God created the Heavens and Earth."  Then shows me how to do it in sign language!  I am so glad he is doing so well in preschool!

Jaxen is just cuddly, cute, and LOUD!  He's very mobile, very energetic and did I mention VERY loud!?!?!  He's about to get two bottom teeth, they are so close. . . I look every day to make sure they haven't popped up!  Jaxen will be 9 months old next weekend!  The time is going really too fast!  I don't remember the other two growing up as fast!

I've started Girl Scouts up for the year, my little troop of 7 girls is now 3 troops of 18!!  And I am literally getting a phone call or email everyday about another girl wanting to join!!  I've really gotten my hand full this year!!!  It must be a good thing I only work the weekends, now I can devote more time to Girl Scouting!  LOL

Well I better get going and get the kids in bed.  I have to have everyone up and out the door by 3am!  Please bare with me, next weekend my baby sister gets married and I'm working this new schedule. . . I use to update the blog on Sundays. . .now I have to find a new day to update!!  Hopefully, I will get an update are two in during September.  But I tell you now, it's a super busy month!!

Cheer Videos

Here are a couple videos I got of Chloe while she was cheering on Saturday.  She's still a little nervous in front of a crowd and she's really tired . . . This was also the first time with the pom-poms!  I hope you enjoy!

Used Blogger to upload. . .

Used Facebook to upload. . .

Which uploader do you like?  Blogger or Facebook?

Where has August gone?

I cannot believe that August is almost over!  Things have been so incredibly busy getting the kids back into school routines along with balancing extra-curricular activities.  Here it is, Saturday Night or Sunday morning. . . whatever you want to call it.  Babies are in bed, Daddy's at work, and I am sitting here at the computer - still.  It's 2:30am and I think I have most of my Girl Scout Newsletter and Parent Information typed up and ready to go for registration night on Wednesday.  All that's left is an activity or coloring sheet for the girls.  Let's take a look back on this crazy week. . .

Sunday, August 14th
I started working my last week of overnights, resetting the Toy Dept for Christmas.  And as much as I love resetting Toys, this reset was by far the absolute worse!  We fought store planning (going through a mini-remodel to make our aisle wider), the floor crew (had to strip and wax the floors once the counters were moved), and we fought the modular/floor plans.  After 5 days of overnights with a crew of 5 people, it's still not right but it's as close as I can get it.  Good luck to the next person!

With me overnights, Jerry got the night off.  I think he really enjoyed the time away from work.

Monday, August 15th
Worked overnights, then had a Wic Appt at 9:45am.  It was a long morning and I was tired once I finally got home and to bed.  But sleep was short lived - Chloe had to be at the football field at 6:00pm for cheer practice.  Which I'm glad we put her in, she really likes it and I'm surprised, because I didn't think she would!  She still has a long way to go before she's good but all the other girls either did it last year or has an older sister who did it in years prior, so she's doing good for being the only newbie!  Heck, even Jacob knows the cheers. . . "Hey Vikings!  Fight, Fight, Fight!!"  :-)  Speaking of Jake, this was the day he smacked his head against the wall and got a ginormous goose egg on his head!

Tuesday, August 16th
Worked overnights and when I got home I was able to sleep!  I believe this was the day that Jaxen climbed out of his walker all by himself, making us raise the setting so he can't!!  Getting close to having to raise the exersaucer too.  He can almost get himself out of it!

Wednesday, August 17th
Jaxen officially turned 8 months old!!  Worked overnights and came home to sleep!  Chloe had her "Back-to-School" Night, where we got to go meet the teacher and take in her school supplies.  Chloe was excited, she already knew her teacher from last year and knew exactly where her classroom was.  We all liked her teacher, and with my new schedule, I was able to sign-up to help out with the Christmas Party and Valentine's Party!  That I am excited about!

I also had a table at "Back-to-School" Night for Girl Scouts.  We passed out information about our meetings and registration night.  We had a ton of girls and parents interested in Girl Scouting. . . I am super excited and nervous about that!  I am happy all my hard work from last year payed off and Girl Scouting is coming back to the community.  Nervous however because I had a lot of Juniors interested and if one of their parents don't step up, I am going to have 3 troops next year and I have never ran a Junior troop!

Thursday, August 18th
Chloe's 1st day of school!!  I was able to get off work at 6:00am, so I could be home to get her off to school.  She was nervous and barely ate any breakfast.  When the bus came she was a pro at getting on and waving good-bye!  I was able to sleep while she was at school and awoke in time to be waiting at the bus stop for her return!  She had a good day and was ready to tell me everything!!

Chloe had cheer practice at the football field, where she got her uniform.  After cheer practice we were going to go out to dinner to celebrate the first day of 1st grade; however, after cheer practice Chloe put gum in her mouth and bite down the wrong way on a loose tooth.  Which jammed it into her gum and was causing her a lot of pain. . . she wanted it out and now!  So we headed home to see if we could get the tooth out.  After a lot calming her down, we were able to get dental floss wrapped around the bottom of the tooth and one quick pull the tooth was out.  Chloe was grateful and happy!

After the tooth was out and the bleeding had stopped, we went to Applebee's to celebrate 1st grade AND the loss of a second tooth!  After our meal, we headed to Walmart so I could buy bird seed and get some money for the tooth fairy's visit.  With all that excitement, once we got home, I had to leave again for work!  Jerry got to put everyone to bed and play tooth fairy!

Friday, August 19th
I pulled into the driveway Friday morning just as the bus was picking Chloe up. . . I got to yell good-bye to her as she boarded the bus.  Jacob wasn't up yet, so I grabbed a quick nap on the couch.  Once he was up and everyone was ready we headed off to his preschool to meet his teacher and take in his school supplies.  He makes me nervous. . . I'm not sure how well he will do the first day when we drop him off and LEAVE.  We stayed a while and let him get used to the classroom and play with a few of his classmates.  Hopefully, it will make it a little easier on him next Thursday when he officially starts school.

It was at school when Jerry and I noticed he had a swollen eye.  I didn't see it that morning, but then again I was really tired!  Thinking it was just another black eye he managed to give himself. . . we pushed it aside. 

After visiting Jacob's school, we grabbed some Taco Bell and went shopping at the party store and Michael's for a little man's Birthday.  I don't think we are going to do a big birthday party for him, he will have decorations and I will definitely make him a spiderman cake.  Then it was a quick stop at Pet Co. and then home to get our girl off the bus!

I cannot for the life of me figure out what we did Friday night. . .

Saturday, August 20th
This is where the original post started. . . I didn't post it last night because I was super tired and not sure if anything made sense!!

Today (or yesterday, however you look at it!) has been one heck of a day. It all started off at 6:30am, who gets up at 6:30am on a Saturday?!?, apparently Cheerleaders and Football players. Chloe had her first official Cheer leading event this morning. It was a football jamboree at Adrian, MO. . . it was only a 'for fun' event but it was good practice for her. And it was a beautiful morning, I was a little concerned about it because of the horrible storm that went through here last night. Anyways, Jacob and I went with Chloe to her jamboree - Jerry and Jaxen stayed home sleeping. And really the only reason I woke Jacob was to check on his eye. . . and boy was I glad I did. First thing this morning his eye was swollen shut and it has a little bit of junk holding it together. So he got a warm washcloth and was up and about with us.

After the Football Jamboree, Chloe and I took Jacob straight to the Walgreen's Take Care Clinic. Our pediatrician isn't open on the weekends and I really wanted him seen today. . . and I'm glad we did. The doctor said that Jacob most likely had Conjunctivitis or Pink Eye and put him on eye drops. Now pink eye can be both viral and bacterial. And the eye drops will only work if it's a bacterial infection. . . we should start seeing immediate relief. However, if it's a viral infection it will have to run it's course and we will have 7 to 10 days of this. And she did mention that if we didn't see any relief at all, to take him to an eye doctor so they can make sure nothing is in his eye. I am totally dreading that because he barely lets me examine his eye, what is he going to do for a doctor?!?! They'd have to knock him out! But either way, he's on medicine for the pink eye and will be able to start school on Thursday without fear of passing it around to everyone.

After a 2 1/2 hour wait at the doctor's office, off we went to Walmart to fill Jacob's prescription. . . another 45 minute wait. Can you tell it's been a long day?!?!

Sunday, August 21st
Today has been a lazy, cranky day for everyone.  I am hoping Jaxen takes a nap soon so that I can get things accomplished around here!!  But it doesn't look like Chloe's going to let that happen. 

Tonight is bath night for all the littles, tomorrow starts Chloe's first full week of school, my last full week of working in a Walmart Store, and Jacob's first ever first day of school!!  Hopefully, I can keep you updated along the way!!  Please hang tight, it's going to be a wild ride as we all get use to my new job and it's hours, and our new school routine!! 

Blessing in disguise?!

Okay, so I'm really, really nervous about this new job move.  I totally have it made in the position that I am in.  I hate walking away from a job that I love!  But after days and days of mind boggling thoughts, I believe the pros out way the cons!
Pros.

• Only working 3 days a week - Saturday, Sunday, Monday
• Having 4 days off with Jerry - currently we have no days off together
• More time with my kids.
• Shorter commute to work - less gas
• Off by 330pm on the days that I do work
• Off for doctor's appointments
• Off for most Girl Scout events and meetings
• Available for Chloe's school parties and field trips
• Jacob can go to preschool - simply wasn't an option before.
• Available for Jacob's school parties and field trips
• WAY more money!  Over $800 a month more.
• No responsibility - do my job and go home

Cons.

• Giving up a job I love for one I'll probably hate
• Working in the freezer - negative 52 degrees!!
• Stuck in the same position for 6 months - at least!
• Giving up my weekends off - no trips to Iowa once the kids are in school
• Being at work at 4am - Ugh!
• Jerry and I overlap an hour and a half Sunday and Monday morning. . . have to pay a baby sitter
• Jerry and I work opposite shifts so the 3 days we do work are going to be VERY long days
• Still only have 1 working vehicle.

I could probably go on and on forever but I don't think I have to.  One of the things I am most proud of and one of things that just wasn't an option because of work schedules and money - sending Jacob to preschool!!  I am going in tomorrow and registering him for Thursday-Friday Preschool Classes.  It was a lot of money that I couldn't justify with three kids and the rising cost of gas, rent, and car payment.  But now that I will be bringing in quite a bit more, it's totally justified.  Plus, I will be off those days and able to take him to and from school!  I am so excited, it's something I started doing with Chloe three years ago but Jerry had to take over once I got the Department Manager position.  So starting in Mid-August on Thursdays and Fridays from 8am until noon, Jaxen will be the only kid at home!!

Also, today we went and registered Chloe in cheerleading. . . so I am officially a cheer-mom!  She is totally stoked, she got to try on a uniform {for sizes} and everything!  So my schedules getting full again!!  Starting tomorrow - Monday and Wednesdays until school starts - Chloe has Cheer practice on the school football field.  Once school starts practices move to Tuesday and Thursday - which are better for us anyways!  Only have to figure out how to get her to and from the games that fall on Saturdays. . . because Jerry and I will both be working.  Hopefully, another mom will help me out with that. . . if not oh well, it's just for fun anyways.  :-)

So begins my crazy, busy life as mommy!!  Wish me luck. . . I will have 2 kids in school!!  Splitting my time between work, preschool, first grade, mommy, cheerleading, girl scouts and wife!  Poor Jerry's gonna get left out I'm afraid!  Oh wait!!  We will have Thursday and Friday without 2 of the 3 kids!!  :o)

2 week Update. . .

It's been a LONG two weeks and I'm so sorry for the lack of updates.  I've had a lot of things going on!!  Like kid/scout stuff and inventory stress at work.  Plus Jerry and I have had a lot of major decisions to make.  I've been wanting to update for days now, but my minds just not been into it.  Hopefully, I can get you caught up a little bit tonight.

Monday, July 18th
My littlest niece turned 4!!  Happy Birthday Emily!

Tuesday, July 19th
???  I have no idea what we did this day.

Wednesday, July 20th
I got to work and Jerry started spasing out my cell phone.  So when I got a chance to call him back, he had great news.  The Walmart Distribution Center called and they had a job position open and they needed my transfer request before 3pm.  I went straight to it and had my personnel office fax a copy of my transfer request to the DC.  However, according to my personnel manager, the fax wasn't going through.  {I feel she was sending to the wrong number on purpose because they got the first transfer request just fine.  But since that one was expired, I had to send another copy.  And since they had a position for me, all of a sudden the fax wouldn't work.  Very suspicious!!}

So after fighting the personnel office, I gave up, had them give me a copy of it and I drove it down to Harrisonville on my lunch break.  The personnel manager was very nice and took the time to talk to me.  It was a very positive meeting and she promised to call me by Monday.

Thursday, July 21st
After work, Jerry and I looked at a house that we wanted with a realtor.  We both really liked it and set things up for a meeting to make an offer.

Friday, July 22nd
It was a long day of shopping and packing for me!!  Chloe and I had Girl Scout Camp!!  I'm planning on sharing a bigger seperate post to this event so watch for it on another day!

Saturday, July 23rd
Girl Scout Camp ended at noon and when the parents arrived we had a short flag, awards, bridging ceremony!  The girls and I had a lot of fun; hopefully, next year will bring even better camping adventures!

After camp, we went to David's Bridal to pick up Joanna's wedding saches.  It was a long couple of days and I was happy to be home with my boys!!

Sunday, July 24th
Had a meeting with the Realtor to do house paperwork and make an offer.  We got a lot of good information from this meeting but also got a feeling that this house wasn't going to work out.

Jaxen learned to stand up in his crib!  And he decided to play instead of going to bed!!

Monday, July 25th
??? Besides going to work, I have no idea what we did this day.

Tuesday, July 26th
Jerry's 30th Birthday!!  It was a good day, we celebrated Daddy!!  He got spoiled with presents from the kids and ice cream cake.
 

But on his birthday, we got bad news from Realtor. . . the house that we made an offer to wasn't going to work. The seller actually decided not to sell at all. So back to square one on the house hunting. . . :-(

Wednesday, July 27th
Day before Inventory. . . worked 7am until 10pm {14 hours}.

I hadn't heard from the Walmart DC yet so I called them on the way to work.  The lady I needed to talk to wasn't in the office and they took a message for her to call me back.  14 minutes later, she called me back.  And the news was great. . . she was faxing me a job offer.  And let me tell you, it was a total shock because once my transfer request is sent and I job comes open, I am to be interviewed for the position and then offered a position.  I never got an interviewed, I skipped right to the job offer!  :-)

And truth be told, I was nevous about the job offer, ideally it is NOT what I want to be doing but it is a good raise and better hours/days off!  And the new position requires us to have a babysitter. . . because Jerry and I overlap by an hour and a half.  They offered me Frozen, Dairy, Deli Replisment Lift Driver working Saturday, Sunday, Monday from 4am until 3:30pm making $17.00 an hour (I only make $11.15 an hour now, working 7am - 4pm five days a week).  So roughly it's $340 more a paycheck working less days and hours!!

Jaxen's first taste of Chicken, too bad it was from a dog bone.  :-(

Jerry and I spent tons of time weighing the pros and cons of my job offer.  I hardly slept a wink. . . the stress of making the wrong choice was killing me.  I'm really good at supporting other when their plans don't go as planned but I'm not good at being the one to make those decisions!!

Thursday, July 28th
Walmart Inventory. . . worked 6:45am until 6:10pm {10.5 hours}.  And for my Walmart friends, our Inventory was .72 which was up from last years .57.  However, this year we were only a 9 month Inventory so it was going to happen.  The Toy department and Furniture department did better than years past, so that's all I'm worried about!!  In fact, it's the only numbers I can control!  So, Go me!

My sister-in-law called around 9pm and said she would help us out and watch the kids for us, so that I could accept  the job offer at the Distribution Center.  I didn't sleep at all!!  Still tossed and turned about my pending decision. . . didn't even eat dinner because I was stressing!

Friday, July 29th
Day after Inventory. . . worked 7am until 5:30pm {9.5 hours}.

After a lot of thinking and talking to friends and family, I accepted the job offer at DC.  I felt a thousand times better once the fax was sent. . . I am going to miss my friends and job now but I think in the long term I will be successful and happier at the Distribution Center. . . sure my weekends are gone, but I get to spend 4 whole days off with my husband and kids!!  Jerry and I get NO days off together unless I take a day off during the week.

Saturday, July 30th
Today, I've relaxed and watched "Bring It On" movies with Chloe.  She's really into cheerleading, tomorrow's the day we go register her for cheerleading.  I'm nervous as to what her schedule and my new working schedule will bring us, but like all things we will take it all one step at a time!

Girl Scout Camp Part #1

I survived part #1 of Girl Scout Camp!!  Chloe and I had a blast!!  Okay, EVERYONE had a blast.  The girls were not ready to clean up and go home once 3pm rolled around.  They are all super excited to return in two weeks to actually stay the night!  I'm sure that will be a whole other experience but one that I am excited for.  I took as many pictures as I could.  There are several things I missed, like the flag ceremony, because I was part of it. . . not a bystander.  Since I have so many, I'll tell you the highlights in pictures!

Chloe making her very first sit-upon.

Making the sit-upon was the activity that most of the girls were excited about.  Every girl scout must have a sit-upon!!  They all turned out great. See, here's the girls using them. . . :o)

We had 5 out of 7 girls show up to camp, and in all reality Miss Cynthia and I had to get them all there.  Most parents had to work on Friday, which is understandable, but two days before I was calling parents to find out how many girls I would have and majority couldn't come unless they had a ride.  So Miss Cynthia and I squeezed and tugged and got all the equipment and girls into 2 vehicles.  I was a little annoyed with the situation but it was all worth it. . . these girls had fun!!!

Cali, Chloe, Ty, Samara, and Kiarra.

It was interesting, but I FINALLY got the rope in the tree to have a flag ceremony.  Couldn't do it perfectly because we didn't have enough hands but we made it work and the girls enjoyed honoring the flag with the Pledge of Allegiance and the Girl Scout Promise.



This is one of my favorite photos of camp.  So simple and beautiful.

The campsite was awesome.  The weather was suppose to be 88 degrees with a heat index of 94 degrees.  Add in the Missouri humidity and it was suppose to be miserable.  I packed tons of water and ice, I figured I would have a hard time keeping the girls cool.

The campsite was so shaded that none of us broke a sweat.  The only time I got extra warm was when Chloe and I walked all the girls down the hill to meet parents and then back up the monstrous hill.  I got pretty lucky with our campsite.  Check it out. . .

Fire ring

Our camp site. . . :o)

View after walking up the hill, the campsite is behind my car.
Chloe is tired and waiting for me... I was a little slower than her.

For lunch we had hot dogs and chips.  Each girl at 2 hot dogs and a least one bag of chips - if not two!  I used a cool way to start a chemical-free fire with a bag of Doritos and some charcoal.  Lunch was delicious.
 

And if our campsite wasn't already amazing, it came with a tree house. . .

The girls were ecstatic when they came across the tree house meeting place.  I totally knew it was there the entire time. . . **wink, wink**

After making Sit-Upons, First Aid Kits, and Bandanna's, learning a flag ceremony, the buddy system, rules of camp, and all kinds of FUN. . . the girls DID NOT want to go home.  But alas, it was time to clean up and pack the car.

Another lesson learned. . . A Girl Scout always leaves a place better than the found it!

Overall, me and my girl had an amazing time.

We even had to stop for a train on the way home!!  The train was going a million miles an hour, I was surprised I got this shot!!

July 22nd is our first official overnight trip. . . Be sure to check out all the pictures from camp on my Picasa Web Album.