Been Busy

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, that seems to be the theme lately. I went from posting every day to now maybe once a week. Oh well, I'm not the only one, it seems everyone has been busy lately. Its funny because in the beginning I couldn't get enough of blogging and now I feel almost luke warm about it.
Last week was Avarie's Birthday, on the 14th she turned "4". I really feel bad that I didn't do a whole blog dedicated to her. Maybe I'll do a slide show with some of the pictures I have of her. I don't have a lot because we only got a digital camera this year and then my computer crashed during the summer and I lost everything I had, so I have some from my sister in law last summer and a few from the last couple of months.
We did her party at my moms house with Hudson, who turned "1". It was a nice little party and totally not stressful, which I love. I had so much fun making her cake. My mom and Michelle's mother in law helped me and we had so much fun, it turned out so cute. Then the next day on her actual birthday a couple of the kids in the neighborhood had a little party for her. I included some of the pictures, they all dressed up and had a Princess Avarie Day. Only a portion of the kids in our neighborhood were around that day, but they had fun, especially Avarie because all of the older kids got involved in it too and did everything she wanted. I only got a picture of a few of them out, there were about 12 neighbor kids and then three of mine. It looked like halloween outside.
School is going well for Addisen and Carter. Carter says he does not like school because they make him work and won't let him play with the blocks he wants to play with, but I think he is getting over it and getting use to his new schedule. So far Addisen is doing really well and enjoying school. She has made a lot of friends and of course they are all boys, that is so Addisen. One day she will wake up and realize that boys smell bad and have cooties. I hope sooner rather then later on that one. She has one girlfriend and that is the girl across the street, Emily. I have really encouraged that friendship. Emily is a year older then Addisen and is in our ward. Oh I have forgotten another girlfriend of Addisen's. That is Rosie, she lives two doors down. She is 12, but socially a lot younger. She is homeschooled and so very innocent and sweet. I really like her a lot, except you would never know she is a girl. When we moved here I honestly thought she was a boy for the first couple of weeks and was lieing to Addisen. Her and Addisen have been good friends, but I find that their friendship just encourages Addisen to want to look like a boy. With her back in public school I don't want her to set herself up for being teased, so I would like her to do a few more things that girls like to do. I sound so superficial writing this. This is not something that keeps me up at night worried, but as she gets older I don't want to set herself up for any teasing. So I definitely encourage the new friendship with Emily, because Emily likes to paint her nails do girly things. Addisen seems to be enjoying her time with Emily, every day afterschool they are inseperable, so much so that the other kids on the street that she use to hang out with have become upset with her for not playing with them. We're trying to find a good balance. Neighborhood life can be very stressful sometimes.

Today just Sawyer and I were home. Addisen and Carter were at school and Avarie went to play with her cousin Lucy for the day, so Sawyer was really bored and I had to entertain him. I thought I was going to have a nice day and get a lot done, instead I had a whiny baby following me everywhere wanting to be entertained until I remembered how much he likes Carter's Cars and this Volcano car thing of Carters. I got it out for him and he sat here for almost an hour playing. I had to get him on tape, also he is into climbing on and in everything, watch it and you'll see what I mean. All in all it was a fun day with him. You forget sometimes how precious each of your children are and it is nice to have just one on one time with each of them.
Also a quick note Avarie had her Optomologist appointment yesterday to check her eyes. That is a big thing with JRA kids. The same way their joints swell and get inflamed for some reason so can their eyes. The scary thing is that there will be no symptoms if it starts to happen to her, she won't complain or have any noticeable swelling. If it goes unchecked it can lead to eye damage or otherwise called Glaucoma(which my mom has). They want to see her every 6 months until all of her symptoms are under control and then it will just be once a year for the rest of her life. Oh I guess I forgot to say that her eyes looked great, there was no swelling. It is great to go to a Dr and not have them find something wrong. She had to have her eyes dilated so she wore these silly glasses all day.

First Day of Kindergarten!!!

Carter started school on Thursday, it's just taken me awhile to post the pictures, sorry. He is in a.m. kindergarten. His teacher seems like a very sweet old lady named Mrs. Person. He walks to school each morning with the neighbor kids and then rides the school bus home. We barely live with in the one mile radius for them to not bus, but they provide buses for all the kindergarteners in the afternoon. I guess they figure they are safe walking in the mornings and after school when the whole school is out on the streets too.
Thursday his bus was late getting him home, it got lost. Carter kept trying to give the bus driver directions to his house, but the bus driver wouldn't listen I guess he thought a Kindergartener couldn't possibly know his way around his neighborhoods, but Carter rides his bike all over the place with his friends and our family bike rides, he knew the way home. The bus driver listened to him on Friday when he almost got lost again.
Carter did Kindergarten last year for part of the year before
we moved. He was a young kindergartener though and when we moved we just home schooled, but Carter was just not quite ready for reading and understanding somethings, so we decided to do "K" again. I think he will do great this year and really enjoy it.
Addisen started school on Tuesday and sorry I don' t have any pictures of her on her first day, I know I 'm a horrible mom. It didn't occure to me to take pictures until right before Carter got home from school on his first day. She is in the 3rd grade and has a young and very nice teacher named Mrs. Powell. So far she is loving school. She rides her bike to school with the neighbor girl and they lock them up together and then ride home together after school. Luckily the weather is wonderful right now so the kids look forward to leaving for school every morning, but I am worried what we'll do when the weather turns bad, I guess I'll have to start driving them, but I hate trying to get everyone in and out of the car several times a day. I've always had to do that with all the schools we've been in. It doesn't matter where I live I've never had bus service for the kids and have had to drive them everyday.
So far the kids are loving school and I have to admit I am enjoying them being at school.
Avarie was going to be in Head start this year but we just got a call yesterday that she didn't get in. She is on a short waiting list though and I am going to call on Monday and see if I can get her in by telling them about her JRA. It slows her mobility(extremely) and I think I may be able to work that get her in. Its worth a try anyway because she was so looking forward to being able to go. They offered a program where a teacher comes into our home once a week and works with her and then every Wednesday they go to a class room for socialization and an occasional field trip. I'm considering it. I really wanted her to have something that she gets to go and do and make friends though and honestly I don't want to have to make sure my house is completely clean that day and then have to go every Wednesday and stay with her, it takes away from me getting to get things done. I know that sounds probably horrible, but after the last year of having my kids home every single day all day I was really looking forward to them being gone sometimes and them having fun while being gone.

So it's started!!!

I wondered when this debate would start. I knew it would. Politics. Our family likes debate too much to ignore this huge issue in the world right now. So I am posting a disclaimer to all who may read our blogs over the next several months. Please everyone know that we all absolutely adore each other 100%. We just love to argue and debate. We have done it since young children and enjoy it even more as adults. We thrive on it. We love to share our opinion and then try to get each other to agree and when one of us disagrees we will go to great lengths to prove to them why they are wrong. So please anyone reading our blogs, please know that this is what we like to do and we love each other deeply. We actually enjoy debating or as mom calls it arguing.
Actually this disclaimer goes for all of our past blogs as well and all in the future. Sometimes our debates can get a little personal, but we never mean for that. We honestly try to just debate each other not attack each other. It can seem the opposite to many reading our blogs, but I think all of my siblings would agree with this statement and if they don't then you will see someone post a different thought about it, which would be great, let's debate it(hahaha).

Just a quick note!

Avarie was not doing so good today. It seems her ankles are acting up again. I am so frustrated, the Dr's said the steroid shots should put her in remission, in her ankles at least, for up to a year. They also doubled her dose of the neproxin for the last week, but that doesn't seem to be helping at all. She seems to be going down hill again and I know that means they are going to want to start her on some other meds. Which is ok if it is going to help her, but there are so many and some of them I am told are scary. I don't know anything about any of them. If it something that I was going to take I wouldn't hesitate, I can tell if my body is reacting weirdly or if I am having a side effect. That is not so clear in a 3 year old. I don't want her on something that could harm her. She is so young and there is so much info out there that I don't know what is going to be right for her. I know some people will have many opinions on this and I welcome them all. But please let me talk to the Dr's and get their take first and then I can ask for advice and input on their recommendations. Any more then that and I think I will be confused and overwhelmed. I am still trying to understand what her blood work means let alone memorize all these different meds and their side effects.
I think I was secretly(well maybe not so secretly) hoping that we were over the worst and she would be one of those lucky kids that outgrew this really fast. I have to admit I am worried about this down turn less then one week after the steroid shots.
The Dr's said that she should use the joints and that I should not stop her or try to make her take it easy on them, but I am wondering if she could maybe be over doing it. Is it possible that she should be taking it easier with them. I just am not understanding why these shots are not helping more, she was doing so good on Tuesday and Wednesday day. She never quite walked normally but she was getting better each day. Then last night she started complaining and walking less and now today it is even less and I can tell her ankle is still swollen.
Anyway, I just thought I would leave a little update.
I'm calling the Dr tomorrow, hopefully we can get her better soon.

She's a Walking, Riding Devil (kidding)

She started walking a little Monday, by Tuesday she was walking a lot and today she was riding her bike. She still turns the left ankle in when she walks and is very careful with it. It still bothers her some, but she is doing great. I just feel like there is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, where will it strike next? How bad will it be?
Maybe she will be one of the lucky kids that has seen the worst, its impossible to know.
The kids start back to school this next week. I can't believe it. I am nervous for them to go and very, very, very excited for them to at the same time. I just hope that they get good teachers and make good friends.
I have been so tired today. I have wanted a nap all day, I am definitely going to bed early.
More good new, Our car is fixed. My brother in law, Daren, fixed it for us and changed the oil, and did a few tune up things to it that I don't really know what they are. This last week is a wonderful reminder of the value of family, I am so grateful for all of mine. They have definitely been there and helped me through a lot.

Overflowing

Friday Avarie, went and had steroid injections in her ankles. They put her under anesthesia for it. They said it could take 1-3 days to fully work. Today is day 2 and we are seeing some improvement, although it is slow. They also said that the steroids could cause some mood swings, like extreme grumpiness, which if you look at the pictures below you can get a glimpse that that one is true. They listed a lot of potential side effects, so far the emotion one is the only one we have noticed. She stood a couple of times yesterday and today we are working on her starting to walk, she has walked a little this morning, but most times she starts crying saying it hurts, so we're not pushing it too hard. Although I did tell her that I would not carry her any more today, so she crawls and then carefully gets her self up on things. I think she is a little scared to walk just yet, but I can tell that it does still hurt her a little, and it is still swollen, its not as swollen though.

Her Grandma Giles gave her this little pink kitty to help her through the procedure. Then when she woke up she was nauseous and threw up on it. We then went and picked up the rest of the kids from my sister in law Rachelle's house, it was the first time I have left the baby that long, almost 3 hours and he did really well. I noticed that my car was acting up, and the battery light was on, but Avarie was so sick and they wanted her to take it easy all day and so I attempted to try to get her home. I thought if I could just get home the car could then die if it wanted. Unfortunately, we didn't make it. We broke down on the freeway. I was able to coast off at the Powell Blvd. exit, where I died in the
middle of the road. I have no cell phone right now and I couldn't get out and walk with Avarie, and the baby and two other children. So I sat and waved cars around me trying to figure out what I was going to do, when a really nice man stopped and pushed my car with his truck around the corner and up the street to a safe place to park. Then he let me use his cell phone to call my sister in law Rachelle. She came and picked me and the kids up and drove us all the way home. She had a million things to do that day, they are in the middle of moving, and her son had a birthday party that he then skipped all to take us home. I am so grateful that I have such a wonderful


family that would do so much for us and not even think twice about it. Turns out that the alternator went bad. We just put a new one in about a year ago and it is under warranty so Monday they are replacing it and my brother in law is putting it in for us. Again a wonderful family to give up his Saturday night to tow our van to his work and then Monday he is going to install the alternator.
Then that night I was suppose to be getting ready for a garage sale on Saturday that I needed to have, but I was so exhausted from the day I didn't know how I was going to get ready for it, until my sister in law Becky called and offered to come over and help me. She showed up and stayed until everything was priced and ready. My mind was so shut down that that was quite a task for her to keep me focused. The garage sale was a success and another wonderful sign of my family, my sister in law Rachel and my brother Ryan came over to shop at my garage sale, but ended up bringing us lunch and cleaning my kitchen for me.
I can not say thank you enough to everyone for all of their wonderful help. I would never have made it through this weekend with out all the help. This weekend was definitely one of those times when my plate was overflowing and I am so grateful to have loved ones that are willing to help with the overflow. Thank you, everyone.