Ethan and Emily had their 1st Grade award ceremony this past week at school. I was so proud of them. Emily earned a very special trophy for reading and earning over 50 AR points. I think she had around 63 points. Out of all of the first graders (well over 200 of them), there were only 7 students who received this trophy. Emily SHOULD HAVE been very proud of herself. However, while she was on stage with her award, they made an announcement that there was one child in her grade that read over 100 points, and the look of total disgust on Emily's face almost made me laugh out loud. Talk about competitiveness. It was almost like she couldn't enjoy the moment of getting her special award because there was somebody there that read more books than her. I could just see everything that was going through her little mind while she was standing on those risers. I even had to call out to her to smile (we were sitting on the front row) so I could get a picture of her. On her way walking back to where her class was sitting, she came over so I could congratulate her and she immediately mentioned to me how the other girl got over 100 points. I told her how awesome she did and how proud I was of her, but I don't think she cared about all of that. Then I looked at her and said, "Okay, Emily, now you know who you need to beat next year and how much more you need to read." THAT was what she wanted to hear. Goodness gracious this child is competitive! And I wonder where she gets that from... Ha-ha!
As the award program continued, my pride increased. Both of the kids received the Superintendent Award, which is a medal for getting straight A's all year long. I've got to mention how great it is to see Ethan receive this award in his class. He is the only boy in his class to get straight A's. And both of the kids also received awards for receiving excellent conduct grades all year long. Ethan was so cute, though. When he got that award, you could see the look on his face like he didn't understand why he received it. As we were walking back to his room he even asked me about it. I told him it was because he has received G's all year long in conduct and is so good. He looked kind of shocked and sad, and said, "But I didn't." I said, "Well, do you want to tell your teacher and give the award back?" You see, Ethan had a rough couple of days during the first couple of weeks of school. This was before he was diagnosed with ADHD. He has had perfect conduct the entire year since then. The teacher saw Ethan's distress and she asked what the problem was and I explained his concern that he was afraid that he didn't deserve the award because he didn't earn G's all year. She kind of laughed and said that those couple of days in the beginning were forgiven because of the circumstances and he has been so good since then. So, Ethan went home with a clear conscience knowing that he really did deserve and earn his award. Ha-ha! I was also given some of the best news from Ethan's teacher. She gave Ethan a Star test to see what is his current reading level. When she started telling me, I could see how proud she was of him. Ethan tested at 3.8. Basically that means that he tested at 8 months into the 3rd grade year, so almost at a 4th grade reading level. When he started 1st grade, he was just at a 1st grade level and he has improved so much that he has jumped up several grade levels in that short of a time span. Wow! That is amazing!
I still can't believe that I almost have second graders. It seems like only yesterday when I was holding my tiny little preemies in my arms. We only have two more days left of school. Since it was the end of the year, I fulfilled a promise to Emily that I made to her a long time ago. I let her have an end of the year slumber party. It was a total last minute decision. I didn't know if we were going to be able to do it because we have had a lot of stuff going on, but we ended up not having plans this weekend and I wanted to be able to do this for her. I called her friends' moms and luckily they were all able to come. Emily was so excited!!!! Maddy, Molly, and Gracie all spent the night at our house. Those girls had a BLAST!!!!!! At first Ethan did not want to be here, but he changed his mind. He was stuck in a house with four girls and he ended up having fun, too. The kids danced and sang with Emily's Hannah Montana stage. They played in the playhouse. They ate a TON of pizza. We baked a cake. They painted their fingernails and toenails. We roller skated through the house. They just had all kinds of fun. I'm so glad that I was able to do that for Emily. I love seeing the friendships develop at this young of an age.
Next weekend is another big weekend for us. We will be heading up to Lake Martin for our annual Magic Moments Family Camp weekend. We had to miss it last year when Ethan ended up being hospitalized at the last second. We are very much looking forward to going this year!!!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
The Race
I have to dedicate much of this blog to talk about something that has been going on for several months. I will just call it The Big Race. I can't even tell you exactly when it started, but it was probably sometime in February. Here is what it is. The "race" is a fictional race against Ethan and his daddy that is drawn on the back of Ethan's school papers. The picture is always the same with the exception of one thing, who is ahead in the race. Let me see if I can set the scene for you. It is a bright and beautiful day with the sun shining big and bright in the sky. The race takes place in the ocean and Daddy is driving a boat and is speeding along as fast as he can go down in front. Ethan is riding a surfboard and appears to be on the ride of his life with this massive wave that is carrying him across the sea. Like I said, the picture has always been the same, except on some days, Ethan was ahead and on other days, Daddy was ahead in the race. The thing is, I never mentioned to Ethan one single thing about this picture. I just casually took his school papers out of his folder and immediately turned them over to see if I would have another drawing. I often wondered how he had the time to draw such detailed artwork on the back of his school work, but I looked forward to it. A while back, when I realized that he was drawing the same picture over and over, I started saving them. I now have a collection of the race pictures. And the best one of them all came this week. I suppose he felt like he had to finally end the race since we are on the last full week of school. The picture was a two part picture. The top part shows the boat and surfboard both heading toward a beach off in the distance with a finish line in front of them. You can see that on the beach is a first place trophy and an award stand. The second part of the picture is where Ethan (the surfer) is celebrating because he won the race. Confetti is flying in the air all around him. So, after months of this ongoing race, Ethan the surfer has beaten Daddy the boater.
It is hard to even comprehend that this is the end of the school year. The kids only have 5 more days left of school. This year has flown by and I am amazed at how much my children have changed during that time. This was definitely a year of growth and maturity. I am so proud of both of them for their accomplishments. This Thursday is their award ceremony at school and we are looking forward to it.
Regarding my dad, we have had some very positive and uplifting news. He had his adrenal gland biopsy and we were very surprised with the results. The test came back NEGATIVE for cancer. The oncologist was as SHOCKED as we were. This is very promising news because it means that we are just dealing with the large mass in his lung right now. Unfortunately for Dad, though, it means another biopsy. They will have to do a needle biopsy on the mass in his lung. They still don't know exactly how to treat it until they know definitively what kind of cancer it is. That test is scheduled for Thursday morning.
As far as Rob and me and the job hunt thing, well...we're still hunting. :)
It is hard to even comprehend that this is the end of the school year. The kids only have 5 more days left of school. This year has flown by and I am amazed at how much my children have changed during that time. This was definitely a year of growth and maturity. I am so proud of both of them for their accomplishments. This Thursday is their award ceremony at school and we are looking forward to it.
Regarding my dad, we have had some very positive and uplifting news. He had his adrenal gland biopsy and we were very surprised with the results. The test came back NEGATIVE for cancer. The oncologist was as SHOCKED as we were. This is very promising news because it means that we are just dealing with the large mass in his lung right now. Unfortunately for Dad, though, it means another biopsy. They will have to do a needle biopsy on the mass in his lung. They still don't know exactly how to treat it until they know definitively what kind of cancer it is. That test is scheduled for Thursday morning.
As far as Rob and me and the job hunt thing, well...we're still hunting. :)
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Lonely Weekend
Rob has Army Drill this weekend. He has been looking forward to this particular weekend for quite a while. It is a three day drill. Friday was spent all day preparing for the big maneuver training that will take place at Camp Shelby in Mississippi. He was pretty exhausted when he got home last night, and he had to be up at 3:30am to leave this morning. He is actually one of the Humvee drivers and had to get certified and receive his license last month. Rob is a little OCD, though, and he was going crazy this week trying to prepare while he was packing his gear. He still hasn't been issued everything from the Army yet and that was bugging him more than I can even explain. I just hope the weekend goes well for him. He didn't get much sleep last night and he has a hard time functioning well when he is overtired.
This weekend also happens to be my dad's birthday. He is turning 65. My parents are gone, though, and are in Houston for the weekend. They are staying with my sister. My cousin and her daughter, Tracy and Ashley, are flying in to Houston from Colorado to be with my parents for the day and to help celebrate Dad's birthday. I am glad that Dad will have a nice birthday celebration, but I am just feeling very left out because I want to be there with him this year. I guess Dad will just have to celebrate twice! And I know he won't mind because you can never have too much cake and ice cream. :)
Dad has had more testing at the cardiologist. He had an echo as well as a stress test. We were very happy to hear that although they still see a weak spot in his heart with decreased blood flow, it has not gotten worse over the past four years. This was wonderful news. This meant that he would not require any kind of heart procedure before moving on in his treatment, whether it was surgery to remove the tumor or whatever else is required. After getting his heart cleared, we had the appointment with the oncologist. In all honesty, we had the news that I was expecting to hear. Another biopsy is needed to fully diagnosis the cancer. This time the biopsy will be done on the adrenal gland. The oncologist is thinking that this is more likely a return of the kidney cancer that Dad had 13 years go and it has spread. The oncologist does not recommend removal of the tumor in the lung. He thinks that his recommendation is going to be shooting this thing with chemo to try and shrink it down, but of course we have to get biopsy results first for confirmation.
Ethan and Emily got their progress reports this week and both are making all A's. I can't believe that we are already approaching the end of the school year. Emily is not going to handle things well when she no longer has Mrs. Watson as a teacher. In fact, her teacher had to call me the other day because Emily had a meltdown in class because the teacher had to leave to go to a meeting. Emily has become very attached to her and I couldn't have asked for anybody better to take care of her when I'm not there, especially considering how rough this year has been for her and her headaches. Emily has had more headaches lately, too, and it got a little concerning for me this week. A couple of them were doozies!
Emily had her last tennis lesson this week. She is such a little tennis pro. I love watching her play. But what I really love is watching her excitement after she hits the ball. If she hits that ball perfectly over the net, she does this little booty shakin' dance thing where she holds either her racket up in the air or just her finger and sings "Oh yeah! Uh huh! Oh yeah! Uh huh!" It is just too adorable for words. And she is giggling so much on the court that her coach is always laughing and smiling at her, too. And that girl has more confidence in herself than anything I have ever seen. For somebody who used to be so shy that she wouldn't ever talk, I am amazed at how she can get up there and just be such a natural leader.
We are so deep into baseball that it is crazy. Man, this sport takes some serious dedication!!! Two to three games every week, plus practices on top of that. And then when I have to factor in time to take him to get his weekly shots and also tennis lessons, well, life has been crazy! And here is the thing about baseball and Ethan. The boy loves it. It doesn't matter to him that every other kid on the team is practically in the major leagues compared to him, he loves it. Half of the time he throws the ball, it only goes half-way to the other person and hits the ground. I've never heard him be hard on himself, nor have I heard the other players be hard on him. If he strikes out when he bats, then he just shrugs it off and runs back to the dugout with a smile on his face. If he happens to get a hit, then you would think it was a home run whether he makes it to the base or not. The best moment of our season so far (other than when Ethan was given that game ball) was when he got a hit and made it to first base. The player after him hit and he was able to make it to third. After that, the next player hit and Ethan started running home. We thought there was a chance that he might actually score a run in the game. He was tagged out at home plate. It didn't matter, though. The best part of the whole thing was when I heard every parent sitting in the stands with us yelling Ethan's name "GO ETHAN! GO ETHAN! GO ETHAN!" It was almost enough to bring tears to my eyes. Everybody knows what a special moment that was for us and for Ethan, too. And they realize what a special boy Ethan is, but they just don't realize what all we've overcome for him to even be playing that sport. We love to watch Ethan in the outfield. He is in his own little world when he is out there. You never know what you are going to get when you watch him. Sometimes he does these "ghost pitches" as we like to call them. He just stands out there and I think he is trying to perfect his form on throwing and catching, but of course he has no ball. Other times he is dancing. There are times when he is just spinning his hat on his head. And he loves to star gaze. We joke and say that if he had his way, he would take his telescope out on the field with him. And sometimes he just picks grass. And this is one that secretly makes me smile the most. Other moms would probably go crazy and want to yell at their child to stand up, but I think back to all of the years that Ethan had a grass aversion due to his sensory issues. I love the fact that he is touching grass. I still doubt he would ever sit in it, even today, but running his hands in it is a start. So, here I am, a proud baseball mom. Yes, not the typical baseball mom that you'd usually see, but let me assure you, I couldn't be prouder of my little star-gazing outfielder!
This weekend also happens to be my dad's birthday. He is turning 65. My parents are gone, though, and are in Houston for the weekend. They are staying with my sister. My cousin and her daughter, Tracy and Ashley, are flying in to Houston from Colorado to be with my parents for the day and to help celebrate Dad's birthday. I am glad that Dad will have a nice birthday celebration, but I am just feeling very left out because I want to be there with him this year. I guess Dad will just have to celebrate twice! And I know he won't mind because you can never have too much cake and ice cream. :)
Dad has had more testing at the cardiologist. He had an echo as well as a stress test. We were very happy to hear that although they still see a weak spot in his heart with decreased blood flow, it has not gotten worse over the past four years. This was wonderful news. This meant that he would not require any kind of heart procedure before moving on in his treatment, whether it was surgery to remove the tumor or whatever else is required. After getting his heart cleared, we had the appointment with the oncologist. In all honesty, we had the news that I was expecting to hear. Another biopsy is needed to fully diagnosis the cancer. This time the biopsy will be done on the adrenal gland. The oncologist is thinking that this is more likely a return of the kidney cancer that Dad had 13 years go and it has spread. The oncologist does not recommend removal of the tumor in the lung. He thinks that his recommendation is going to be shooting this thing with chemo to try and shrink it down, but of course we have to get biopsy results first for confirmation.
Ethan and Emily got their progress reports this week and both are making all A's. I can't believe that we are already approaching the end of the school year. Emily is not going to handle things well when she no longer has Mrs. Watson as a teacher. In fact, her teacher had to call me the other day because Emily had a meltdown in class because the teacher had to leave to go to a meeting. Emily has become very attached to her and I couldn't have asked for anybody better to take care of her when I'm not there, especially considering how rough this year has been for her and her headaches. Emily has had more headaches lately, too, and it got a little concerning for me this week. A couple of them were doozies!
Emily had her last tennis lesson this week. She is such a little tennis pro. I love watching her play. But what I really love is watching her excitement after she hits the ball. If she hits that ball perfectly over the net, she does this little booty shakin' dance thing where she holds either her racket up in the air or just her finger and sings "Oh yeah! Uh huh! Oh yeah! Uh huh!" It is just too adorable for words. And she is giggling so much on the court that her coach is always laughing and smiling at her, too. And that girl has more confidence in herself than anything I have ever seen. For somebody who used to be so shy that she wouldn't ever talk, I am amazed at how she can get up there and just be such a natural leader.
We are so deep into baseball that it is crazy. Man, this sport takes some serious dedication!!! Two to three games every week, plus practices on top of that. And then when I have to factor in time to take him to get his weekly shots and also tennis lessons, well, life has been crazy! And here is the thing about baseball and Ethan. The boy loves it. It doesn't matter to him that every other kid on the team is practically in the major leagues compared to him, he loves it. Half of the time he throws the ball, it only goes half-way to the other person and hits the ground. I've never heard him be hard on himself, nor have I heard the other players be hard on him. If he strikes out when he bats, then he just shrugs it off and runs back to the dugout with a smile on his face. If he happens to get a hit, then you would think it was a home run whether he makes it to the base or not. The best moment of our season so far (other than when Ethan was given that game ball) was when he got a hit and made it to first base. The player after him hit and he was able to make it to third. After that, the next player hit and Ethan started running home. We thought there was a chance that he might actually score a run in the game. He was tagged out at home plate. It didn't matter, though. The best part of the whole thing was when I heard every parent sitting in the stands with us yelling Ethan's name "GO ETHAN! GO ETHAN! GO ETHAN!" It was almost enough to bring tears to my eyes. Everybody knows what a special moment that was for us and for Ethan, too. And they realize what a special boy Ethan is, but they just don't realize what all we've overcome for him to even be playing that sport. We love to watch Ethan in the outfield. He is in his own little world when he is out there. You never know what you are going to get when you watch him. Sometimes he does these "ghost pitches" as we like to call them. He just stands out there and I think he is trying to perfect his form on throwing and catching, but of course he has no ball. Other times he is dancing. There are times when he is just spinning his hat on his head. And he loves to star gaze. We joke and say that if he had his way, he would take his telescope out on the field with him. And sometimes he just picks grass. And this is one that secretly makes me smile the most. Other moms would probably go crazy and want to yell at their child to stand up, but I think back to all of the years that Ethan had a grass aversion due to his sensory issues. I love the fact that he is touching grass. I still doubt he would ever sit in it, even today, but running his hands in it is a start. So, here I am, a proud baseball mom. Yes, not the typical baseball mom that you'd usually see, but let me assure you, I couldn't be prouder of my little star-gazing outfielder!
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