catching up...

Wow it has been a long time since I have blogged! 

 As many of you know the boys and I have been going through a lot of change over the past year and a half.  I feel that life has finally started to settle down in to our "new normal".  If there is such a thing?

It is good to have happy hearts again, laughing, singing, dancing, and just being plain silly!

I do have to say it is easy for life to get crazy being a full time single mom of four boys!

I don't feel bad for sending out Christmas cards in the middle of January, I am just glad the damn things got sent out!

I don't feel bad for not returning phone calls or emails right away....

I do however, get a little irritated with myself when the laundry gets this out of control!

Overall, we are all healthy and happy!

I am so thankful for that...

I so appreciate all of my family and friends that have been here to support us and to lend a hand when I need it!

I continually remind myself to live in the present and try not to look to far ahead into the future!

These are the moments I enjoy...

Watching my Frank guzzle his shake...

And Vinny enjoying the little things in life...

I still wonder what was so amazingly funny about this pencil?

Maybe it was the fact that he was able to "steal" it out of his brothers backpack...

Nothing surprises me anymore. 

Especially when I get a frantic call at work from the nanny regarding Leo getting a comb stuck in his hair.

This is what happens when you decide to "curl" your hair with a comb!

We had a fantastic Christmas!

I think Santa was able to bring the boys everything that they wanted...

Leo finally got the drums he had been asking for!

Vinners got a hat!  For some reason the kid loves to chew on the brims of hats?

Now all of a sudden it is February!

I was able to get a few snap shots of the boys the other day! 

I am so grateful that they are always reminding me to enjoy life!

As one can imagine,  our house gets VERY loud and CRAZY at times (ok a lot)!

But I would not change it for the world!

When I start to get down and out, it is my boys who constantly remind me that life will be ok!

I try to remind myself that I need to be patient...

slowdown and...

"stretch" outside of my comfort zone and embrace life!

Because I know they have.

Leo has enjoyed playing basketball...

Avery has all of a sudden gotten enough guts to give a girl a "love" note?????

Oh my! I am not ready for this!

Vinny is exploring new mobility skills.

Frankie is just Frankie!

This year I planned far enough ahead of time to be able to make their Valentines day cards for school!

So Happy Heart Day!!!!

10

Avery turned 10 on January 12th!

I can't believe I have a child with double digits!  Seems like he grew up overnight!

Here is our annual  birthday interview....

INTERVIEW WITH A 10 YEAR OLD

Best thing in the world ~ Sports

Favorite game ~ Playing sports

Animal I'd like to be ~ An eagle so I can fly

Favorite movie ~ S.W.A.T.

Skate boarding or bike riding ~ Bike riding

Worst subject ~ Math

Best subject ~ Reading

Best present ever ~ iPod Touch

Spots or stripes ~ Stripes

Favorite food ~ Hotdog

What do you collect ~ Bouncy balls

Wants to be ~ Surgeon

Best thing I've found ~ $20

Favorite word ~ Nebraska

Worst food ~ Vegetables

After school enjoys ~ Going outside

Hidden talent ~ Football

Favorite book ~ No More Magic

Favorite person to be with ~  God

Best thing about being 10 ~ Double digits

I love you more than all the stars in the sky! 

"You are my Sunshine!"

Sixty-Five Roses

Tonight I went to see Everlast play at the Waiting Room here in Omaha.  I don't know if many of you know who Everlast is, but he used to be in the rap group House of Pain.  Remember the song "Jump Around?" from the early 90's?  Anyway,  it has been awhile since I have gotten to see live music, so I thought Everlast would be a good one to go see since he just put out  a new album.

Before he sang the song Sixty-Five Roses, he explained that he has a daughter with cystic fibrosis.  So of course I had to come home and do a little research on the song.  This is what he said about it in an interview for the New York Times when he was asked if there was a particular track on his new album that he liked....

"There is a song called “65 Roses.” My daughter was born with a genetic condition called cystic fibrosis. As we did research we found there was this organization called 65 Roses, and we were trying to figure out why and it was like because that’s how kids who have cystic fibrosis end up pronouncing it: 65 Roses. The song isn’t about the disease, but it’s about the path of coping with and accepting this thing that has been brought into your life that you didn’t ask for. If you don’t get the right mental state as a couple and get yourselves together, it will break you and grind you into dog meat, sitting around waiting for the hammer to drop."

Something about the song resonated with me.   I know firsthand what it is like to have a child with a genetic condition and understand what it is like to have to cope with something that you did not ask to be brought into your life.

I hope you enjoy this song as much as I did!

It's been a bit of a while since I seen you smile 
It's been too long baby what went wrong 
Tell me how it got spoilt 
Tell me when it went bad 
How to get back to the times that we had 

We're both young 
And our spirits are old 
Now we're just angry and we act like we're old 
We can't even talk it out without one of us walking away 

You were 18 I just turned 29 
I was fresh out the coffin and 
Girl you were so fine 
The future was bright 
The world, it seemed new 
I was with some other woman 
I was thinking of you 
Knew how it hurts 
Knew how it feels 
Knew it how aches 
Cos the heart never heals 
We're so busy screaming that we don't hear the words that we say 

Taking out lumps 
Took a few blows 
Hit a few bumps 
Had our fair share of wounds 
We tried to see good 
Through all of the bad 
Put on our smiles 
Pretend we're not sad 
Gotta be tough 
Gotta be strong 
Gotta be right 
Can't afford to be wrong 
It's hard to sing the blues 
When you're hearing bad news everyday 

We worry too much for one couple to bear 
Hunger so much for one person to care 
Fooling our family 
We're fooling our friends 
Pray that the pain and the frustration ends 
Hope is a chance 
Hope is a dream 
Hope is a drug 
Maybe hope's a vaccine 

In the race against time I get down on my knees and I pray 
Shout at the devil 
I curse the lord 
Offer them everything I can afford 
I'd sell out my soul 
I lighten to see 
Tried to be righteous 
Tried to believe 
Prayed every prayer 
Kicked all of my highs 
For hours I'd stare at those beautiful eyes 
All of my problems seem to be melting away 
The smile on her face says daddy everything is okay 

In the race against time I get down on my knees and I pray

Oak Valley

I was fortunate enough to have a few hours to spend in Vinny's preschool classroom yesterday.

He has a fabulous teacher who has three wonderful para's in the room to help out!

Vinny has his own  chair to sit in when the class is participating in seated activities.  In this picture, Vinny is using the Big Mac switch to tell the class his name.

This is the schedule for the day...

Vinny's para is offering him two choices to decide which play station he would like to go to...

Of course he chose to go to music.

Vinny's grandpa got to spend the morning in the classroom with me...

He couldn't resist  playing with the other kids.

Vinny got to be the weather helper this day.

Playing music with his para.

 Vinny's locker.

He looked so big to me sitting in an actual chair!  His feet almost touched the floor.

Vinny and his teacher working on putting items in the cups.  

His teacher helping him make his name card.  She was giving him two choices.  Vinny would actually reach out and point to one of the cards of stickers.

 Check out all of these equipment options!  Vinny will be using the Pony Gait Trainer just like we have at home.

Kicked back reading (chewing) on books.

Playing outside in the gait trainer.

 Practicing walking with the PT and OT.

 Playing on the equipment.  I am surprised he allowed the PT to help him walk through it! 

Overall, I was very pleased to spend the morning at his school.  Everyone seemed so helpful and interested in Vinners!  I think I am going to like this preschool thing after all.  I hope that school will provide him with new opportunities to learn and grow!

As I was leaving the building, I walked out of his classroom and saw this teacher wearing this t-shirt!   This just re enforces my decision to send him to Oak Valley.  What a great school even though it is clear across town from us!

 I have to have one of these shirts, so I spoke with the gym teacher who put me in contact with the director of Youth and School Programs for the Special Olympics.  I am currently speaking with her about different programs that she gets into the schools......