Colin's 7th Birthday - Part 1

Since we celebrate birthdays in style around here, this is just the first post of many regarding Colin's 7th birthday. On March 3, he'll get his presents from the family, pick a restaurant for dinner and take treats to school. We'll decorate his place at the kitchen table, sing to him a zillion times and otherwise spoil him for a few days. On Saturday Colin had his birthday party at the Longmont Humane Society. He really enjoyed seeing the animals and the shelter dog that we spent time with was so sweet. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Mom...Can I?

These are the questions I have been asked in the last 20 minutes. No joke.

Mom, can I have more pretzels?

Mom, can you sew me a robber costume?

Mom, can we go to the store?

Mom, can you log onto Disney.com?

Mom, can you cut up some apple?

Mom, can I have a present on Colin's birthday?

Mom, can you build me a fort?

Mom, can I use the glitter?

Mom, can I have a gumball?

Mom, can we go outside?

Mom, can I watch a show?

Mom, can you read this to me?

Mom, can I play wii?

Mom, can you play this game with me?

Mom, can I have a milkshake?

Mom, can you write this card for me?

Mom, can you go upstairs, sit in a nice warm bath, read a book in peace and quite and take a nap? (Oh wait, that was just in MY head, not Cam's.)

Ten on Tuesday

1. Seriously parents, if you kids are sick, DO NOT BRING THEM TO OPEN PLAY PLACES. We have been stuck in the house for weeks and weeks because of our sick kids. Now that we're better, we'd like to spend a few weeks cold free before the next big thing hits. Please keep your snotty nosed hacking children at home!

2. Cam had a 2nd round of blood work yesterday. It was just as bad as the first. On the bright side, Cam did say last night that he thought the next time he might not cry as hard. Hopefully there won't be a next time buddy.

3. Colin has made a really good friend at school. Yesterday, he had a play date at the WOW Museum. Colin and his friend spent an hour creating this poster. We were the lucky winner and now the poster has a beautiful place in our play room.

4. Colin's birthday party is this weekend. We had to schedule it the weekend prior to his birthday since the Humane Society was booked the weekend after. I can not believe that Colin will be 7. I also can not believe how unorganized I am right now. I have only bought 2 presents and ordered a cake. I'm not sure what else I need to do but I feel like I am missing something. I hate that they put a strict limit on the number of kids that can be invited. We had to pare down Colin's list quite a bit. He wanted to invite most of the kids from his current class and from his previous class. I wanted to invite MY friends but I guess I have to invite HIS friends instead. Bummer.

5. Camism from yesterday; there was a woman driving very slowly in front of me. I might have mentioned something about her general "slowness' loudly enough so that Cam heard me in the back seat. His comment, "Where'd you get your driver's license lady, Clown School?" Oh my goodness.

6. Still mulling over what I want to be when I grown up.

7. I finally got my repaired Maui Jim's back. Oh how I love those sunglasses.

8. The colder it is outside, the more I want to go to the beach this summer. Mountains are fine and all, but I might need a beach instead of a staycation.

9. Cam's speech therapy is going well. He's finished with his L's and we're moving onto R's. He might just be finished with speech before summer.

10. Come on spring!

My President's Day "Off"

My President's Day "Off"

9:00am - 12:00pm - WOW Museum with kids

12:15-12:45pm - Go home and throw lunch at the kids

1:15-2:00pm - Speech appointment for Camden

2:15-3:00pm - Dr. office for Cam's blood work

3:05-3:25pm - Wal-mart to let Cam (and Colin by default) pick out new toy for torture of blood draw

3:30pm-4:45pm - Eye appointment for Colin

5:00pm - Collapse from mental and physical exhaustion of the day but still have to keep going because my kid need to eat dinner.

Cleaning is Good for the Soul

I know, I'm a bizarre person. I get anxious when the house gets messy. After being stuck inside with Camden for 3 weeks straight, I just couldn't take it anymore. His room made me anxious. We swapped out a toy shelf in Cam's room to store all of our Legos and that left no toy storage in Cam's room. Since we promised him he would get his room redecorated, I didn't want to invest in any cheap storage for his room.

Here is what his room looked like last week. Gasp!

I started painting on Saturday morning and Steve went to pick up the new bed. It was so sad to take down the nursery theme. Camden decided that he wanted a Batman Lego theme for his room. Changing out the light sage green for a slate grey was a step from Cam being my baby to Cam being my school age boy. Sniff.

Camden loves the "hide out" underneath the bed. Colin helped him decorate it with stuffed animals, pillows and push lights. Camden asked if he could sleep in his hide out last night. He decided right before bedtime that he wanted to sleep on top of his bed. That was probably a good idea.

As you might have guessed, the boxes that the bed came in were utilized for a fort. The boys were getting along so well this morning, I had to draw a line down the middle of the fort and claim sides for each child. Sounds a little like my own childhood.

We're not done painting Cam's room yet. I have all the paint ready for the Batman Lego project. Steve has to draw the characters on the wall since I am a challenged artist. That being said, I let the kids color on the lower half of the wall yesterday before I started painting. My only rule was that they could not color on the blue part of the wall, only on the green. I emphasized several times that I would be very upset if any crayon reached over the line. Guess what? Really, you can't guess?

Ha. Bet you were wrong. It was COLIN that colored over the line. I did not even have a chance to get really upset because he went into a complete tailspin. He was so upset with himself. It was a pretty big ordeal.

The second mishap of the day occurred when Camden managed to put the bottom of his foot up against a wall. Not really a big deal until you consider the fact that he did not realize that he had paint on his foot. He then proceeded to walk all around the room before he noticed. Super. So his carpet now comes with a few assorted shades of gray embedded into the fibers. At least it matches his walls. I could have screamed and yelled. But I have found that the only thing screaming accomplishes is me being really mad, the kids crying and I still have to clean up the mess. So, I just cut to the chase, cleaned up the mess and heaped an uber amount of guilt on the kids with this simple sentence, "I'm very disappointed in you." Ironically, that seems to do the trick.

I feel better now that Cam's room is at least organized. He's still not feeling 100% himself. He is still having trouble with his legs. I did take him to the Dr. on Friday for her to check him over. She ordered blood work which was a complete hour of sheer hell for me. He was absolutely freaked out about having blood drawn. The whole thing ended with me telling the nurse that unless he was willing to hold him down and use brute force, there would be no chance that he could get Cam's blood drawn that day or any other day. Cam either had to be held down or it was not going to happen. It took three of us to hold him while the nurse drew blood. It was an awful experience that I hope I never have to go through again.

Cam was exhausted yesterday and by the evening, was really complaining about his legs. I hope that the Dr. has a diagnosis and a solution to this on Monday because this grouchy kid is wearing on me. But, at least his room is organized.

Ten on Tuesday

1. Cam is walking again. We dogged a bullet there. I was ready to take him in for a bunch of tests. What a difference 9 days make. I am glad he is better but it was a long haul getting here.

2. Today was a gorgeous Colorado day. It was sunny and 65 degrees. I know we'll probably get another snow before spring gets here but we sure enjoyed today.

3. We found Cam a bed and dresser at American Furniture. He was pretty adamant about not wanting a day bed until he realized that this one comes with its own secret hide out underneath. We don't have the furniture yet as they were out of stock and should get more in on Saturday. That will (maybe) give us time to paint Cam's room before we move the new bed and dresser into place.



4. Colin seems to be doing better with school. He has made a really good friend that he talks about constantly. I think that has made all the difference.

5. On Valentine's Day I delivered flowers to a resident at The Balfour in the Hospice Unit. I have never met Delinda before in my life but I wanted to put a smile on someone's face on Valentine's Day. The idea was to extend love to a stranger. I was so taken back with her gratitude and attitude. She was just the sweetest lady.

6. I have successfully cut $500 from our monthly budget. I have basically scaled back our groceries. I don't buy things that are not on the list and use coupons and plan meals according to the sale ads. I thought I was doing a good job of this before, but I guess not. Now that I am really paying attention and trying to save, it's working. I wonder what I should do with my extra $500 a month?

7. Camden complained through the entire meal tonight that he did not like steak. I served him turkey. I wonder if that is a good or a bad thing?

8. I have started exercising again after a good two month hiatus. I can't exercise if I can't breath. I have been surprised that over the last week I have made it back to a 4 mile run pretty easily.

9. For Valentine's Day Steve gave me a gift card for a massage. To top it off, he wrote me a note that stated he would take a day off of work so that I could have a "work week" day to myself. That makes me a very happy girl.

10. I have been reading a book, One Thousand Gifts, by Ann Voskamp. It has inspired me to start keeping a list of all of the little things that I have to be thankful for. Here is a small start....snow dripping off of the roof, bubbles crackling in the bathtub, the smell of citronella candles in the seasonal isle at Target, the rustling sound of legos, soft hugs from my boys.

What Valentine's Day Means to Me

Valentine's Day used to be a measure of flowers, candies and fancy dinners. It used to be me holding my breath at work in wonder if my guy would send me flowers so the whole office would know that I was special to someone. It used to be surprises and secrets and a little bit of stress to make the day "just right".

Valentine's Day has certainly changed over the years for me. It's not about stuff and expense. It's no longer about being a couple and holding secrets. It's about family. It's about being sweet to someone. It's about the little things. It's about putting a smile on someones face on a special day. It's not all about "me". It's not about what am I going to get?

Yes, I know I have a husband that loves me. Yes, I know my kids love me. I'm reassured everyday that the hugs and kisses will never run dry in this house. I am kissed a bazillion times a day by my kids and I wouldn't change it for anything. Colin was so sweet last night. He made all of us a homemade card. No prompting, just thoughtfulness. Cam made each of us an individual card last week. He couldn't wait for Valentine's day. He had to give them to us right that minute. Steve's gift this year was thoughtful and sweet. He really knocked it out of the ballpark.

But today, I will celebrate Valentine's Day in a different way. Today I will go out of my way to put a smile on someones face that I don't even know. Here's the plan. I will pick up some flowers and take them to a local nursing home. I know of a few in the area. At the front desk, I will ask that those flowers be given to a resident that does not have family close by. I will say a prayer for that person and keep them close to my heart by just knowing their name. Today I want to put a smile on a strangers face. I want someone that might not otherwise experience love, to get a chance at a minute of happiness.

I am so thankful that my sis lives close to my elderly grandmother. I know grandma is well taken care of and that she gets frequent visits from someone that loves her. But not everyone has family close. Today I will honor my sis and my grandma by reaching out to another that might just need a little pick me up.

Happy Valentine's Day. How will you make someone smile today? I'm off to the flower shop!

Setback

I'm not sure what happened but Camden can not walk again. In fact, I think it might be worse. He had one good day (a fluke maybe?) on Thursday. He went to gymnastics and ran around for an hour and a half. Then we came home and rested. He appeared to be fine the rest of the day. However, on Friday he woke and couldn't walk again.

Right now he's on the floor playing Legos with Colin. I suspect that this will be the activity of the day. It's supposed to be really nice outside but Cam can't really get out there since he can't walk in shoes.

Last night I made the mistake of searching the net about other possible diagnosis for Cam. That was a mistake. I couldn't sleep after reading, "May cause death." at the end of one of the possibilities. I'll stay off the search engines and take him to the Dr. on Monday. It's probably not going to be an easy visit for him. It sounds like they'll take blood and xrays at the very least. I don't really want to think about the other possible tests right now. It's not something I would want to go through and it's not something I want to put my child through. I have just been praying that this will just go away. I will double my prayer efforts this weekend because as a "worrying mom", my mind goes to the worst place and gets stuck there.

Hopefully with rest and Motrin, this will be a thing of the past on Monday. Wouldn't that be a great Valentine's present?

Ten on Thursday (Because I Wrote Something Different on Tues.)

1. We are well! Wait, did I just say that out loud? Knock on wood. We are all fever free. We are on our last few days of antibiotics. Best of all, we can all walk! Cam has had a really good day today. I suspect within the next two hours, he will be so tired he can't keep his eyes open. But today he has been active and "boy like" all day.

2. We have yet to touch the layer of snow out in the backyard. It looks so pretty out there. I know the kids will make their foot prints in it this weekend when we have more hours of daylight. It's just too cold/dark when Colin gets home after school. I'm excited for them get a chance to play in the snow this weekend.

3. It seems that Colin has made a good friend at school (finally). I went in to volunteer today and saw him playing and joking with his newest buddy. I don't know, do boys call them "Besties" or "BFF"? Somehow I don't think so.

4. On the way home from school today Colin asked me if it was legal for a person to play a guitar on the side of the road and ask for money. I am not sure where this came from but I had to explain to him that it was not actually legal to panhandle or beg for money. That led to a whole different conversation about helping others, the government, taxes, homelessness, helplessness.... That kid is a deep thinker.

5. Colin is making his Valentine's box for school. This might be the first Valentine's box in history that has nothing to do with Valentine's Day and everything to do with Legos. Very interesting.

6. I have plowed through a lot of books already this year. I know there is no way I can year 100 books in a year (a goal many set for themselves as a Resolution) but I can count 12 books that I have already read. It's nice to have a little extra time to read but I will admit, the housework is suffering.

7. I don't really like cold weather. I get so cold during the day that I can not do anything to get warm. It's kind of ridiculous that I am inside a 73 degree house with my coat on and I am still cold.

8. Brothers wrestling until someone pees their pants is just beyond me.

9. Are there any brand of socks out there that don't have the seam at the toes? Every morning we have issues with socks, seams, tears and frustration. I have tried every sock sold at target, Kohl's and Wal-mart.

10. I think I am addicted to diet coke. I have worked my way up to three a day. That's not a good thing in my book. When I was pregnant/nursing, I gave up all soda. That means I went almost four years without soda. Why oh why did I ever start drinking it again?

The Strangest Thing (Instead of Ten on Tuesday)

The strangest thing has happened to Cam. From all of his recent illnesses he now has a condition that causes fluid to build up in his hips. As the fluid builds, it sends pain through his legs and he can not walk. He can not put any pressure on the bottom of his feet. If he does, he crumples in pain. He can walk on his tip toes as it alleviates the pressure from his feet. Strange but true. This Toxic Synovitis does not have a treatment other than time and pain relievers (like Motrin or Tylenol). It can last 7-10 days.

He literally can't walk. That means I have to carry him (or maybe drag out the stroller) if we go anywhere. We have to carry him up and down the stairs. He won't be going to school the rest of the week unless his symptoms get better. If he gets up and forgets to stand on his tiptoes, he falls down and crawls on the floor dragging his feet behind him. It's the saddest sight I have ever seen.

The good news is that his fever is gone. More good news is that Colin is recovered. The other good news is that it's too cold for Cam to go outside and do any sort of activity anyway. I see more movies, play doh, crafts and legos in our future.

But alas, this blog is getting too heavy. It was created to be a light hearted synopsis of crazy life with three boys (yes, one of those is my husband). So, here are some cute picture to liven the mood.

First we have Mr. Squirrel. We had nicknamed him Squirrelyhead for many years. Yesterday he earned the name of Mr. Chubsters. He is a fiend for food. Colin and Steve bought me a shepard's hook so that I could hang some bird food that the squirrels could not devour. We have moved the hook to three different places and each time the squirrels figured out how to launch themselves off the fence to reach the food. It's funny to watch them try and balance on the hook, loose their balance and slide down the pole like a fireman. I never thought I would be mooned by a squirrel. Guess that day has come.

Next we have the USS Kitty Hawk. Snicks took up residence in the box for Colin's model. I thought the name was very appropriate.

So there you have it folks. The only two bright spots in the week have been supplied by silly animals.

Camisms

Camisims: "Mom, if you ever go up to space to look at the satellites you should take a hot dog. The satellites are so hot, you could cook your dog."

In a different conversation with Cam, I could not understand what he was talking about. This was his reply. "Let me rephrase that. This is what I meant."

I tried to get him to watch some of the Superbowl with me last night. His response, "Mom, football is a ridiculous sport for little boys. It's boring." Well said Cam. Well said.

And last but not least, "My brother knows how to spell superfradcalyloolisticly." Ok Cam.

I think we are on the other side of these illnesses. Colin is much better and went to school today. Cam went to school today but was not too happy about it. His fever is gone but his legs are really hurting him. He still has a cough and just looks down and out after 2 1/2 hours at school. He's going to get to spend the rest of the day on the couch watching cartoons. I'm a sucker for sick kids.

One Down, Two to Go

Just a quick update on "The Cold That Wouldn't End 2011". Colin appears to be on the mend. He has not had a fever since early yesterday morning and even then it was only 99.6. He is no longer complaining about his legs or a headache.

Cam is not much better. His fever is up, his throat is still hurting. His eyes are also watery and hurting but not swollen or gooey. He's in a feisty mood and fighting with Colin but he still does not feel well. I gave him Motrin so he's feeling good enough to play wii and argue. Maybe I should reconsider drugs that make him feel better.

I feel worse than yesterday. My main issue is a headache from a stuffy head. My cough is not bad but my head hurts. I took a 2+ hour nap a little while ago and am looking forward to bedtime tonight.

I think we are all on the mend but we're not completely well yet.

And So It Continues....

I thought we might be on the upswing of illness around here. Wrong.

Here's what we currently look like:

Cam now has a 102 fever that had been nonexistent since he was diagnosed with strep last Thursday. Cam's strep is better but now he has a horrible cough and headache. He's complaining every once in awhile about his ears hurting and he's barely moved all day. The Dr. won't prescribe a different antibiotic without us coming in for an appointment.

Colin's fever is holding steady at 100. He's had a 102+ since Sunday. Colin's strep is also better but he's on a different antibiotic now for a sinus infection. He was also diagnosed with influenza yesterday. His latest symptom is that his legs hurt. I can't decide if his legs hurt from the flu, from not using his legs the last 5 days or if it could be something else.

Thanks to all of the friends that have brought over food, books, dvd's and have listened to me bang my head against the wall.

Just to give you an idea of how much fun we've had, here's a list of the movies we have watched.

Toy Story 1, 2, 3

Shrek 1,2,3

Tom and Jerry

Up

Marmaduke

Cats and Dogs

Care Bears

101 Dalmatians

Scooby Doo - several variations

G Force

Peter Pan

Happy Feet

The Tale of Desperaux

Monster's vs Aliens

Ice Age

Peter Pan

This is over a 5 day period. We've built a lot of Legos while watching movies too. But the fact that my kids have sat through all of these movies means that they are down and out for sure.

Ten on Tuesday

Ten on Tuesday

1. Today is supposed to be the 100th Day of School. However, the kids have a "cold day" today. Cold as in, "Man, it's cold outside." Although, Colin would qualify for a, "I have a horrible cold and kept my mom up all night coughing." cold day. Nonetheless, Colin organized 100 Lego mini figures in honor of 100th day. Here's to you Mrs. Larson. Thanks for the inspiration.

2. Speaking of cold. It really is cold outside. I am surprised that school was cancelled, but I'm really not complaining.

3. Colin's strep throat/cold is really giving me a run for my money. He keeps coming up with new symptoms unrelated to his strep. I have his fever under control now. He is still taking round the clock Tylenol/Motrin. Between Colin and Cam, this is a photo of what we have used in the last 24 hours. Ridiculous.

4. I am about half way through one book that I got from the library on anxiety. It really describes Colin perfectly. The only problem with the book is that it gives strategies that are very time consuming and maybe a little too involved for a 6 year old. I have three other books to wade through so I will see if I can come up with some strategies that will help.

5. I am convinced that Legos are like crack to kids. You know how there is a mystery ingredient in McDonald's french fries that make them addictive? Or the special thing in Diet Coke that makes you want ONLY diet coke and no other type? How about cigarettes, alcohol, chocolate, video games, facebook, blogging...these are all addictions. You can add Legos to the list. Over the last week, my kids have been willing to do just about anything to earn marbles. One marble equals 10 cents. It takes a lot of marbles to earn enough money to buy a Lego. They are constantly begging for more chores. The neat thing is, they have both said that they will share their money with each other if one does not have enough to buy a Lego. But seriously. Did you see the photo above? When is enough, enough? Addictive.

7. Is it bad that it's only 9:45am and I am already looking forward to putting the kids to bed tonight? I'm happy to spend the day with them but I know we can't go anywhere (both because of Colin's fever and the cold outside). I'm a little restless. I don't want to get out any big craft projects because there are already so many Legos out all over the place that there is no room for anything else. (Do you see a pattern here?) That means another day of watching movies. That's fine with me but I don't think the kids are on board.

8. I just looked over at Camden and he is licking his arm. I guess that it my sign that he is bored and needs some entertainment.

Not gona' make it to 10 right now. Maybe I'll post more later.