We are finally on the road to recovery. Mack and Eli went back to the Montessori yesterday. I have your typical cold symptoms... runny nose, aches, and tiredness. (What a surprise being I've been coughed on for 4 days straight = ) Luckily, I've gone to bed around 9:00 the past 2 nights, which is unheard of for me. Schuyler appears to be losing her voice and has developed a cough. This a.m. she had dark circles under her eyes. I am praying she stays healthy for Halloween! Maybe I should start bathing her in germ-x as I have done for the past week!
My wonderful MIL watched Schuyler yesterday as well as do my dishes, scrub my toilets, wash and fold 4 or so loads of laundry and I'm sure there is more I'm forgetting. She is heaven sent and the reason why I was able to go to bed early.
During our time together, the 2 sickies and I were able to gut and carve the pumpkin. Unfortunately, this meant I wasn't able to roast the pumpkin seeds like I do every year but it was entertaining. This is our sole pumpkin. With the kids being down and out and now the cold, rainy weather, there was no trip to the pumpkin patch = ( I always enjoy all the activities, the fall colors, the smell in the air and of course the wonderful photo ops! Back to our pumpkin, her name is Flower Rose and I'm sure for those of you who know us well, you will know who named the pumpkin =) So from our kitchen table to your home, Happy Halloween!!
Where, oh where do I begin... How about a little game... Where's McKenzie?
Can you find her? This my friends, is what micro soccer looks like. A herd of children trying to get the ball and break free of the mass chaos. Mack's last soccer game was last Sunday. They ended with their only win = ) The score was 3 to 1 and my little Mack scored 2 goals. (Yes, I am, one proud mama)! Oh, she has also decided on Monday it was time for the training wheels on her bicycle to come off! It's a little rough riding but she can occasionally make it from one driveway to the next. Surprisingly, she actually does better on a slight incline. That's my Mack!
There is lots going on with schools. I observed Mack and Eli at the Montessori 2 weeks ago. It was so heart warming to see Mack reading to one of the younger students. Learning to read is such an amazing thing. Eli was busy doing activities... matching physical objects to the flash cards. This was in preparation for their conferences, which was last week. (More on that in a minute). Two Fridays ago, when I picked up the kids, Mack came running up to me and said "Eli's moving to my room on Monday". I looked to one of the teacher's who confirmed this. My baby in the primary classroom!? Really? Is it possible that he's ready but maybe I'm not ready? I have mixed emotions. He was so excited and that excitement continued on his first day and through the week. Back to conferences. Mack was up first. With only 3 kids in kindergarten program, she is getting a lot of one on one and has evolved into a leader. This reaffirms our decision to keep her at the Montesorri. We had to make some sacrifices, like the new house we want. This was her time to step out of the shadows of her older sister. She can be found helping younger kids with work or snacks or reading to them. They great thing about reading to a younger child is there is NO pressure. They don't know if you mess up a word and they don't care if you do. She has completed her first workbook and is already on to the next. As for Eli, he had mastered everything in the toddler room and was becoming frustrated. He wanted and needed more.
Schuyler had her conference on Tuesday. She continues to do well in school but more importantly seems to have a true love of learning. Her teacher had many nice things to say but the one that stands out is about her as a whole. She is a leader, but not the "I'll tell you what to do kind", it's more of a lead by example. He equated it to sports, she knows what the goal of the classroom is and is there to master it and help others along the way.
Here's the saga of sickness. Thursday, after the Montessori conferences, we notice Mack and Eli were warm. Sure enough fevers, Mack low grade but Eli higher. Friday a.m. - Mack is warm but well enough to go to school but Eli is not. Saturday - Eli becomes progressively worse. His cough is now a bark and Mack's fever is going up. We call the Dr. and they say it's flu (possibly H1N1) and to wait it out. Schuyler is sent to Gma and Gpa's in Hastings. Saturday night - Eli sounds like a seal. His fever is 103.6 and the coughing spells are severe. We contemplate taking him to ER. Mark waits for 53 minutes on the line with ask a nurse. We are tired and frustrated. I sleep in regular clothes, prepared to leave at a moment's notice. Eli sleeps on me or next to me. Sunday - we get the kids into the Dr. Without the official swab, he's 95% sure it's H1N1. Eli gets a steroid shot b/c his throat is swollen and restricted. At this point, there is nothing they can do for Mack. Sunday night - repeat of Saturday night but this time it's Mack. Monday - call Dr. and they prescribe liquid steroids for Mack. Monday night - By this time, I am tired and exhausted and would like to sleep in my own bed! I get 2.5 hours of this before Mack is up. I sleep in her bed with her. Then, Eli is up, I sleep with him in the recliner. He's back to sleep and now Mack is up.
On a brighter note - Schuyler had her last soccer game on Saturday. I was solo coach and there were just enough girls to play - no subs. Not ideal! However, it was one of the BEST games. I don't know what the reason - maybe all the hard practice paid off, maybe they were so tired they figured it out they had no choice but to find their teammates - but they were passing. They did some amazing things... dribble down the sideline and center the ball to the middle, score off a corner kick, etc... Schuyler scored one of the most amazing points, the ball was up in the air and to the corner of the net. They played with guts and grit and everything they had. They tied. I was SO proud of them. I was a bit bummed I couldn't take pictures so I hope the hubby got some = )
One more thing. There has been a lot of uncertainty regarding my job. I am fortunate and will keep my job. My duties may change and I'll have a new manager. However, this is not true for everyone. It has been the first time in my life I've seen fellow friends and associates lose their jobs. Deep down I know there is a new journey waiting for them and God has a plan for each of us. I try to find comfort in this but my heart still goes to them during this transitional time. I'm in awe of their optimism.
Welcome to "How to make a snowman" with our host, McKenzie (aka Mackie). You will need a small amount of snow, warm clothing (mittans, winter coat, boots, and hat), what ever you can find for the eyes, mouth, etc..., and some determination and patience. Once you have your winter gear on, you will need to start forming the snow into balls. Mackie demonstrates below by rolling and packing snow.
Repeat as necessary, stacking each ball one on top of another, until you reach the desired height of your snowman.
Find items to use for eyes and nose. Originally, Mack chose a baby carrot for the nose and raisins for the eyes. Apply each by gently pushing them on to the face of the snowman. Note, you may need to temporarily remove gloves or mittans.
At this point, the snowman was done. However, Sunday rolled around and the snow began to melt some, as you can observe by the green grass. However, Mackie's snowman still stood. Unfortunately, his head fell off (with the assistance of the older sister) and a dog ate the eyes. This greatly displeased Mackie and so it was time to re-do the snowman. Again, the baby carrot was used for the nose. This time round pretzels were used for the eyes. Twigs and sticks were used for the ears, mouth and arms. And, as a bonus, a branch with leaves was used for the 'fro! Here is snowman in his last leg of life...
Thank you for joining us. Mackie is ready for the next snow. Me, not so much = ) It can come in November or December and that would be perfectly fine with me!
I posted this on my photography blog but thought I would post it here as well, even though you all know who I am! This picture was taken by Jen Hoevet, a photographer based in the LaVista area. We just "met" a few short weeks ago but through the wonderful world of email, quickly became friends. Her family ventured down to Lincoln and we traded services. My ultimate goal was to get just 1, count it 1, family picture. When I saw the picture below, it warmed my heart. Don't be surprised if that's on our xmas card!!
Last night we had another McKenzism. We were at the dinner table and she said, "Mom, this is the BEST dinner ever! It's deliciable". Yes, not delicious but deliciable. Now, guess what we had... tuna noodle casserole. Really, that's all I had to cook to get a compliment like that! Wish I would have known that earlier.
It's getting cooler here in good 'ol NE. I finally convinced Mark to turn the furnace on. I've only been walking around in several layer for 5 or so days!
On another random note, I can hear again! I've felt like my hearing has been muffled for the last several months. Last week, I went to the Dr. and my ears were clogged. I think he said it was like little rocks in my ears. Not uncommon. I've had my ears irrigated before as I have small ear cannals and apparently the my ears are very proficient at making wax. Well, he couldn't get it out and prescribed some ear drops. I went back yesterday and this time he was successful in removing the rocks! My first response was how loud the Dr. sounded. He said I would likely want a volumne control b/c people would sound loud. My 2nd response, "Great, I can't wait to really hear how loud McKenzie is when she screams!!"
