Anna Banana's Last Day of Wee-3

We switched backpacks halfway through the year. The first Hello Kitty one had a broken zipper, so we bought this one to replace it. It is a bigger backpack, so we could not really compare how much she grew in relation to the backpacks. But it is so cute how the backpack is still so huge on her! She carries it right in, too.

May 2009! All ready to head out for her last day of school! I skipped the crying Mommy breakfast on Anna's first day of school, but I think I could have used one on her last day of school! I am sad that her first year is over because she had some wonderful teachers and such a great experience. Also sad that the year went by fast! And, of course, a little worried about the long summer stretching out in front of us. Anna behaves best when she is kept busy and has lots of opportunities to be active and doing something... a little worried about what a long, lazy summer might bring. We've got swim lessons and "ballerina school" to keep us busy, though. Pools to swim in, watermelons to eat... It's gonna be great!

Remember when...August 2008. Anna headed out to her first day of Wee-3. She was still 2 in this picture! Daddy was helping her get her backpack on. She was wearing her favorite shirt, her giraffe shirt that Lara got her. She picked her clothes out on her first and last day of school.

Look at that little face! She looks a little scared or overwhelmed. She did so well on her first day of school. I remember it well: the little over the shoulder, backwards wave, the Bye, Mama! she threw me as she walked away, marching into her class, totally unafraid. I think Anna is a very secure child. The other day, we were playing a game where she kept asking me to pretend to "dunk her." I was holding her in my arms and dipping her down towards the floor at a restaraunt. She was giggling like crazy, and she kept saying, "You would never! You would never dunk me, Mama! You would never!" She's right.

ANTS:Better than TV

Jonathan holding the test tube of live ants. They were transported with a piece of carrot. I guess this is what they lived off of during transit. Some of the ants did not make it to their final destination.

Both kids love the magnifying glass the ant home came with.

Jonathan using the included stick to make starter tunnels for the ants. The home is one solid piece of goo, and you dump the ants in the top, shut the lid, and they get to work making tunnels. The goo is also their food.

The kids taking a closer look.

I was the one who had to transfer the ants from their tube to their new home. I sort of liked it. It was a little thrilling.

And, as you can probably tell from this picture, I was also completely freaked out. They were pretty big ants. And if even one of them escaped during the process, I know I would have smashed it. And Jonathan probably would have been upset. He is really thrilled with his gift from Uncle Cory. He actually said, I really want to tell Uncle Cory thank you for getting this for me.

Dave and the kids checking out our new pets.

Jonathan using the magnifying glass. After we got it all set up, he unplugged it and asked it to be moved to his room. It doubles as a really cool nightlight. We went out to eat dinner at Friendly's tonight. Jonathan has been asking to go their for ages. He saw some commercial on TV, and was thrilled when he spotted the actor kid on the menu. Hey! It's that guy from the TV! He was so excited, you would have thought the actor was our actual waiter! The food was actually really good... really bad, but really good. He kept wanting to hurry up and get home because he wanted to see what his ants were doing. We kept reminding him that the book said it would take them up to 48 hours to start tunneling through the goo. But when we got home, those industrious ants had gotten busy! They had used one of the starter tunnels Jonathan and Anna made with the stick, and they were working really hard to make it deeper and deeper. It is so cool, they go down in the tunnel, pick up a tiny ball of goo in their mouths, and then climb back out and dump the ball of goo at the top. What was one solid, flat surface, is now covered with lots and lots of tiny balls of goo that look like air bubbles. Watching the ants is completely mesmerizing. It sends me into a trance... in a good way. I think it might be something good to meditate to or something. I can't stop staring at them. Neither can Jonathan. I never thought an ant farm would be so... relaxing. I think it is because it is a very futuristic ant farm, all blue lights and plexiglass curves and space-grade goo.

Grateful...

Grateful that...
we finally got some much needed rain today! Yay! Our county was parched.
my husband handled some errands for me so I could take a nap
and he made dinner and he remembered what sort of pie
I like. Pecan. Not as good as my Mom's but for the freezer section, not all that bad.
Very nice treat.
that I have been sticking to my walking plan. Grateful for self-discipline, even when I have no energy at all I have still been pushing myself to do it anyways.
That I finished my e-learning orientation class today, which was super tedious and time-consuming, and entirely not meant to operate with Vista, but grateful that it's done and my real class started today, and I am very excited about it. Very interested in the course material. Grateful that the instructor is letting me use my two kids (who just happen to be a boy and a girl and ages 3 and 5) to assess and observe all summer. That way I don't have to have someone watch my kids and go to the lab school at the college to observe other kids. Of course, it will be much harder for me to be objective... Looking forward to taking two classes in the fall also, and then I will be thinking about my next move... I am looking at a graduate program at UCF. We will see... But I am grateful for what I am learning, and that I am finding something that I really care about, early childhood development and education. Learning a lot about parenting, and also has been helping me with the Baby K ministry at church.
That my Baby K meeting went well on Sunday, and that I am able to put my time and energy into something that I think is very worthwhile and rewarding. I love the babies and tots, I love their parents, and I love the volunteers. I am often stressed and a little overwhelmed lately with my volunteer work at church, but the joy I get from serving far outweighs any stress.
That my Mom is picking my kids up tomorrow and keeping them for most of the day, so I can finish my online coursework and study for my testing on Saturday in Ft. Pierce. Am wondering why I signed up for all 6 tests at once.... But feeling confident I can pass them all with an 80% Fingers crossed....
And also so I can get caught up on some housework. Grateful for my Mom, so lucky to have her around.
Grateful that New Hope is providing some awesome encouragement for all the ladies through our Beautiful series, 21 day devotional series, and small groups.... very exciting for us all and a chance to get to know each other better.
That I have two beautiful, healthy, amazing kids, who unfold a little more each day to reveal just a little more awesomeness. They are two totally cool little people, and I feel so lucky that I get to have them as my own.
Grateful that Anna's in her last week of school, and Jonathan graduates next Thursday, and we can have some unstructured time this summer, some lazy time, to just be. Anna's going to ballerina school, Jonathan picked out music classes, they are both taking swim lessons... Gonna go to the beach, build some sandcastles, go in the pool a lot, hang with their cousins, eat lots of popsicles, bike rides at twilight, just have some down time...
Grateful that my new bladder medicine seems to be helping alleviate some of the chronic pain I was in... not gone, but definitely more manageable. And that my new urologist seems kind and knowledgeable. Grateful that my migraines have been much fewer and far between, compared to how I used to get them for days on end. Of course, I miss all of those wonderful migraine triggers like aged cheese and chocolate and sub sandwiches,and hot dogs, and wine and beer....
Grateful that I have a beautiful family and a peaceful home. Grateful that I have a husband who makes me feel loved and appreciated and who cleans the fridge out, throwing all the nasty leftovers out and cleaning the glad containers without me having to say a word.
Grateful that my sister-in-law has made it to 27 weeks in her pregnancy... cheering her on, praying all the time for her and the baby girl she is carrying.
Just feeling grateful...

First Half of May 09 Snapshots

Anna has attached to this one baby doll. Her name is Ballerina. Guess what she was doing in this picture? Ballerina needed some "booby milk." So glad I stopped nursing last year, since she apparently still remembers it...

Jonathan loves to wear this knit cap. (Even though we live in Florida and it is smoky hot outside.) It belonged to his Poppa Ed, and he knows it is very special.

Jonathan's new pasttime: bugkeeping. He catches little beetle bugs outside and then makes homes for them in his bugkeeper. He collects twigs, rocks, and leaves and creates homes for them.

Anna and Mama at Hope's 1st Birthday Party.

A dark picture, but still so sweet... Jonathan was holding a baby chick, only 5 days old.

Anna was very gentle and sweet with the baby chicks. There were three of them, and at one point during the party chaos, she saw that there were only two in the cage. She was very alarmed and kept asking, Why are there only two? Why are there only two? (The lady who brought them was holding the third one.)

Anna's awesome bedhead after a nap.

Jonathan in the pool.

Anna by the pool. I love the way she tilts her head and smiles for pics.

Friday AM

Anna was perched on my toilet this morning, standing on the lid and trying to dig around in my basket of stuff that sits on the back of the toilet. I had just woken up and had to use the potty! So I said, Get down Anna! She said, Why don't you just go in the other bathroom, Mama! I said, This is MY bathroom Anna, Get down NOW and go in YOUR bathroom! (I really had to pee and I am not very pleasant in the morning anyways.) Anna stood there for a minute, and then said, So this bathroom is YOUR bathroom, and the bathroom with the bathtub is mine and Bubba's? Yes, that's right, I told her. She spun around on her heel and went marching off. A minute later she returned, with my glasses case, saline solution, face wash, and my makeup bag loaded up in her arms. She laid them gently on the bathroom tile floor at my feet, and said, Here, Mama, you must have forgot and left these in MY bathroom. Then she walked out.
Well, then! Point taken.

Happy Mama's Day

A picture Anna drew: "All of my family. Daddy's the big one. "

Awww! This is me and her holding hands. (I'm the bigger circular blob with stick legs.) When they asked her to fill in this sentence, My Mommy is special because: SHE LOVES ME! That made me feel so happy.

Anna painted this pot all by herself! It is so cute and it came with a little packet of marigold seeds. I love marigolds!

My placemat at the Mother's Day Tea. Jon wrote across the bottom: Jon I love you Mom! The hand is sign language for love, he told me.

This made me tear up at the Tea Party. The teacher interviewed Jonathan and recorded his answers, and then brought him up and read his answers to all of us. All of the children had such sweet answers. I am so glad he said my favorite food was salad! I felt so virtuous! This is what his said: God made Moms: to love. My Mom's favorite food is salad at McDonald's. If I could buy my Mom a gift, I would buy her flowers (he was the only kid who did not answer a purse, necklace, shoes, or other clothing item!) I thank God for my Mom because she tucks me into bed. Sob! Tucking him into bed has always been our special time, and I am glad he has noticed this. Such a sweet boy! He was all blushing and bashful about all the presents he had made for me, he was so proud of himself and excited to give me everything. It was really special.

This is the portrait Jonathan made of me. I like the blonde yarn hair and the blue eyes. And the pretty bling I'm wearing!

Anna woke up extra early the day of the tea party, and actually WANTED to wear a dress! It was a Mother's Day Miracle!

Mother's Day plate that Jonathan made for me. I love his handprint, and how he signed it J-O-N. What a treasure!

Anna, Mama and Jonathan after Mother's Day Tea. They are holding puppets that Jon made. There is one for each of us! Jonathan gives Anna and I eyelashes, and Jonathan and Dave crazy hair.

Anna and Mama at her Mother's Day Tea at preschool

Mama and Anna at Mother's Day Tea

I really got spoiled this year! The kids made me all these beautiful treasures and they were so sweet at their Mother's Day Tea parties at school. My Mom got me a beautiful Vera Bradley purse, and she also got my hair highlighted, or really, low-lighted (trying to get back to a more natural color). Dave got me a Starbuck's giftcard (he knows what I like!) and two very nice cards. Happy Mama's Day!

Here's a video of the New Hope Worship Band on April 26, 2009. Sorry for the poor video quality. You don't get much with an old video camera and an $18 video capture usb device. Enjoy!

Who wants to hear about my bladder? I do! I do!

I feel like I have not complained about my health on here quite enough lately... so here goes!
I have been having a lot of pelvic pain and pressure for a long time now. Basically I walk around most of my life feeling like I have a UTI. If I am ever grumpy, you may now know why.
Since last May, I have been treated for many bladder infections, sometimes having to take one course of antibiotics after another. Trying to figure out my pain and symptoms, they screened me for ovarian cysts (which I have had in the past, and some of my pain feels exactly like that.)
I also had a full CT scan done, where I had to fast and then drink huge bottles of that white gunk. I have been tested for every STD (umm, nooooo still NEGATIVE on that!) by both my family doc and my ob/gyn. Even twice in the span of a month... um, I really still think that I don't have it... could you not just ask the other office to fax the results over???
I have been checked out for endometriosis and all kind of bowel and intestinal problems. (My insurance company must curse the day Dave ever married me! I am so blessed to have had insurance these last few years with all of the stuff I have been through.... ) My family doctor was trying to decide to refer me to a gastro doc, a urologist, or to an ob/gyn. I decided to go to the ob/gyn, since there was some question that maybe my IUD was causing my symptoms. But my ob/gyn said it was perfectly in place, everything looks great, and I have had it since Anna was 8 weeks old, and it really has not given me problems. He tested me for all sorts of infections, sent my urine (which had white blood cells in it and blood as ALWAYS) to be cultured for bacteria, that came back clean, so he decided from his exam to send me to a urologist. Both him and my family doc thought I might have intersistial cystitis. So then I wait weeks to get into the urologist, he rules out any hernias and gets yet another urine sample, sends it away to be cultured, etc. Then he schedules me for a series of tests, one of which is supposed to be quite painful, and the other one is really not that big of a deal (yet it involved putting catheters in my urethra and up my rear, and then filling my bladder up to full capacity while having electrodes taped various places, and it was really, not, not fun). Luckily, my insurance company refused to pay for the super bad test until I had the other one first. Thank GOD, because I don't know how much worse it could get than the test they did do! Finally, on Thursday, I got an answer.
I have an inflammatory bladder condition that they "don't fully understand yet." I really love it when doctors admit they don't understand something. It makes me feel really, really calm and reassured. Right. So now I am on some old person medicine for people with incontinence issues, that sometimes works for people with my problem, and sometimes does nothing at all.... But the excellent news is that I don't have intersistial cystisis, which is a very difficult condition to treat and sometimes results in people having their bladder removed. Don't want that, no thank you. I guess a lot of people with fibromyalgia suffer from this condition I have, also for reasons unknown. He explained that I have the white blood cells in my urine all the time because that is how the body reacts to inflammation, like it would if I had an infection. Since my bladder is inflammed, I test positive for UTIs and have symptoms of UTIs. Apparently, I have taken a lot of antibiotics that I did not need in the past year, and really, in the past several years... I wonder how often I did not have a legitimate UTI. I have been having some issues like this for a long time now, it has just gotten increasingly unbearable in the past year. And I have been reading that a lot of people who have fibromyalgia, migraines, and allergies, often also have this bladder thing. So I have all of those, and also now this. But so far, all of the diagnosis I have gotten have been better than the worst it could be, like last January when my dr. was concerned I had MS, but I have fibro instead, not I have this bladder thing, but not the really bad bladder thing. Guess I am pretty fortunate! But still, when you add up the sum of everything, I walk through every day feeling very miserable. Could be worse, could be worse, could be worse. Could be better.

Jonathan's Latest Creation

Jonathan made this yesterday. He makes these amazing creations out of his Magnetix toys. This was his biggest "ball holder" ever, as he told me. The Magnetix come with lots of tiny metal balls and he is always making cubes and other shapes to hold them. He had to hold this very carefully because it was completely hollow and would fall apart. An hour later, he came up to me and said, Look I found a way to keep it together! He had put a long rod inside joining the very center, and it did make it much more stable! (See the top picture above, a view from the side, the blue rod in the middle.)

He told me he thinks he could "probably be an engineer." I told him his Mama believes he can be anything he wants to be!

Tonight he made a "dragon that was halfway under the water." He is so creative! It really did look like a dragon partially submerged underwater. I think that was even harder to build because he had to think about not only what something looked like, he had to think about what something did NOT look like. Some parts of it would be underwater, and not exposed. Is anyone else impressed?

School is starting to wind down for the year. They have about another month, but it just feels like summer is flying up on us. The weather has been gorgeous here. Like the most perfect weather imaginable, I think. Except for the lack of rain and looming brush fires, but let's not discuss that! Anna is going to take Ballet, Tap and Tumbling this summer. She has to wear either a black or pink leotard with pink tights. She has to wear her hair in a bun and securely pinned away from her face. She went in her closet and got her tap shoes that a friend gave us out and was doing some little dances. I expect that will be her favorite part of the class, since she likes making noise. Anna keeps saying she is going to ballerina school. So sweet! We will see if she enjoys the classes this summer. I am thinking that she is going to wind up in drama camps and classes in the future. She seems to have a knack for drama (in both a good and a bad way). Jonathan was offered the option of either Music classes, YEAH, YEAH, DO THAT! DO THAT! THAT's WHAT I WANT TO DO!!!... or, um, what was the other class again? Something with a lot of different sports and games.... He was so completely enthused at the mention of the word music that he did not want to discuss the other options.

Anna's Wisdom

"French fries are made out of 'totoes and chicken nuggets are made out of chicken."
"Ice melts into water. And water freezes into ice."
"Germs are so small that we can't see them."

(Just a little sampling of her wisdom, from about a half hour time period this afternoon!)

A Few Pictures

Anna at the beach. April 2009

Anna, April 2009. What does this face mean? You've got to be kidding me, Daddy?

Jonathan sporting my shades at the beach. April 2009

Anna, Trystan, and Jonathan. 3,4 and 5 years old. My Dad and me. April 2009, Brevard Zoo, taken by one of the zookeepers.

Issues

This morning I woke up at 4 AM after only four hours of sleep... I was starving and we have no milk in the house, and we have no good coffee just nasty Maxwell House that I swear smells like skunk when I brew it-- so much for me trying to economize... Dave went and got us donuts and me coffee (not at 4 AM, but at 6 AM, and he was already up; I'm not a that much of a demanding witch). We had to say goodbye to my Dad this morning, he is going back to NY after almost two weeks, and I went inside and cried for about 10 minutes, and the salt from my tears aggravated this rash I have around my eyes, which I guess is from allergies, so now my eyes are all red and swollen with what probably looks like a contagious rash around them. Then my cat who is not supposed to be inside came over and wiped her nasty face all over my LAST clean pair of pants, and smeared this black gunk all over my pant leg. Nasty girl, needs to wash her face. So I came inside and dug my dirty jeans out of the wash since all my other jeans don't currently fit since I am having a fat crisis. I sprayed myself down with some Cherry Blossom mist from Bath and Body Works to get rid of the stale laundry smell and I swear I smell like Charmin toilet paper now. Not used Charmin toilet paper, thankfully, but like the perfume they put in Charmin toilet paper. My Mom would describe it as "snatchy." (I don't think she realizes....) Also, this nasty smell seems to be aggravating my eye rash and triggering one of my headaches. I took some Motrin which is hurting my stomach, which already hurts all the time, but is worse because coffee and donuts always make me sick.
Jonathan and Anna are refusing to wake up and I need to leave in about 10 minutes. My back hurts already, normally it does not freak out like this until the afternoon, so I don't know how I am going to make it all the way through church. My favorite necklace (really, the only one I ever wear) had about 4 knots in it. I worked on it for fifteen minutes, and now it has 10 knots in it.
There was some other stuff, which I can't remember now, but I am going to slap my happy face on and go put my kids in the car in their pajamas and hope my Mom does not judge me too much when I drop them off without proper clothing or breakfast. I am having some issues.