The last few weeks have been busy, to say the least. There have been extra appointments and phone calls as we work through trying to decide the best path to take for Madi's upcoming surgery. We are working hard on getting to Boston to get a second opinion from a neurosurgeon there. Before they will make our appointment, though, they want to get all of Madi's medical records. I have pre-registered Madi and have also returned all of the forms they needed to be able to request the records. I am praying that they can get them quickly. The doctor we are trying to see goes out of the country in mid May and is also taking the last week of April off, so it's going to be cutting it very close. Please join me in praying that we can get an appointment before Madi needs to go in for surgery here.
This weekend was busy, but a lot of fun, and I am thankful for that! Thursday at homeschool co-op we had a special guest... Jungle Jill! The kids really loved seeing all of the animals. It was great!
Friday we had friends over for dinner and we made a few treats that we can eat on our cleanse/diet. It's been stressful the past few weeks and not being able to medicate myself with starbucks and chocolate has been hard! It's actually been really good for me, though, because I munch a lot when I am feeling stressed and use eating as a coping mechanism. I feel so much better and have a ton more energy since I've been eating a cleaner diet. I feel happier and more in control of my eating as well. I also have some weight I've been yo-yo-ing back and forth with since I had Madi, and I am really hoping to get it off and keep it off this time.
Yesterday we had errands to catch up on. David needed new softball cleats, Madi's seizure medication needed to be refilled, and we needed to catch up on grocery shopping. I hadn't been to Sprouts in about 2 weeks, so I had a big trip to make. While we were there, an employee told David that all the employees love when we come to Sprouts. They said our kids are always so well behaved and happy, and Madi always has the biggest smile. It's funny because if I haven't been in a week or two, I get multiple comments from the workers about how they have missed us and haven't seen us in a while. I'm glad to hear they think the kids are well behaved, though, because I'm usually shopping alone with them and sometimes I feel like I'm wrangling squirrels :).
Saturday night we went to my friend's wedding. The kiddos looked adorable and had a lot of fun. It was Ramya and Madi's first wedding, as well as the first wedding Conner remembers. It was very kid-friendly, and we always appreciate that!
Just to be totally real, though, let me tell you a fun story about the wedding. I don't want you thinking our life is TOO perfect ;). David came to the ceremony but then had to leave for his softball game. His team was already down players and he didn't want them to have to forfeit. I had the three kiddos by myself at the reception. It was time to get food so I had to come up with a plan for getting 3 kids and 4 plates of food to the table by myself. I decided that each child should hold their plate and I would hold mine while pushing the girls. The dinner was not very diet friendly for my littles, as most everything had gluten and dairy, so the only thing we could really eat was the chicken. I put a few pieces on each kid's plate and then asked them to carry them. Sweet Madi (you know, that adorable little girl who was complemented for her great listening and smile earlier in the day) decided she wanted noodles. Instead of asking me, though, she decided to just put her plate on her head and pass it back to me, without using her words and actually telling me her plan. She ended up dumping her chicken, as well as the sauce on it, in her hair. In my effort to catch her chicken, I dumped mine on the ground. As I dug chicken out of her hair, I told her that her behavior was not ok and that I was not happy with her choice. She got upset and decided to go on strike and not move her wheelchair, or let me move it. When I told her that we were holding up the line and she needed to listen, she broke out in her classic hysterical crying. Madi doesn't really have a medium, so she is either incredibly happy, or incredibly upset. Thankfully she is usually very happy, but she has her moments, just like we all do. I shuffled the kids back to the table, put the food down (thankfully someone brought us new plates of food), and bent down to hug her and hold her because she was still sad. Because she had been crying, though, she did what she usually does when she cries; she puked.... all over her dress and my feet. I cleaned her off the best I could, wiped off my feet and shoes, and we quickly ate dinner. A little girl asked me why Madi puked, and I told her that Madi just throws up easily and that puke was just part of life for us. The look on her parents face was quite classic ;). After that we decided to head home so that we could all clean up , Madi could have a bath, and we could head to bed. The kids were looking forward to cake, though they couldn't really have it anyhow because it wasn't gluten, dairy, and egg free, so I stopped on the way home and got them a little treat. That made them very happy!
Today was another busy day, but it was a lot of fun. Our Church, Imago Dei, was having a community snow day. After Church, there was 25 tons of snow to play in. The kids had a BLAST!! We threw snowballs, went in the jump house, ate, got our faces painted, and went sledding down a snow slide.
I am about ready to call it a night. I picked up the house quite a bit as it was so very messy. Now it's time to tackle the dishes, and then, off to sleep. Amongst the other things we have had going on, we've also been working with the district to get the girls evaluated. Arizona has a very cool program for kiddos with special needs that are homeschooled called an ESA. Basically you can get any extra money that the district would get for servicing your child and can use it towards therapies and curriculum. I'm hoping to get the girls qualified so that they can start a therapeutic riding program. It can also go towards the out-of-pocket cost we have for Ramya's physical therapy every week. As an added bonus, any money we don't spend can be saved for college for them. In order for them to qualify, they have to get MET reports done through our local district. Madi should be able to qualify after that, as she is 5 years old, but Ramya will need 100 days of pubic schooling next year since she is over 5. Since I can't actually put her in a public school (let me rephrase that... I don't think it's a good idea to put her in a public school), I am going to sign her up for K-12 online, or another similar online school, so that she can do public school from home. I may sign Madi up as well, just to keep them on the same page and make next year's homeschooling year run smoother. Tomorrow morning I have to get Ramya to our neighborhood school at 7:15 am for a meeting, as well as a hearing/vision test. We are not usually up until about 7:30 or 8:00, so I am not looking forward to being there so early! If anyone wants to show up at my door with an iced coffee, black of course so I don't mess up my cleanse, I won't say no ;).
As always, thank you for following our journey and for praying for us! Your prayers and support make a world of difference!
This weekend was busy, but a lot of fun, and I am thankful for that! Thursday at homeschool co-op we had a special guest... Jungle Jill! The kids really loved seeing all of the animals. It was great!
Friday we had friends over for dinner and we made a few treats that we can eat on our cleanse/diet. It's been stressful the past few weeks and not being able to medicate myself with starbucks and chocolate has been hard! It's actually been really good for me, though, because I munch a lot when I am feeling stressed and use eating as a coping mechanism. I feel so much better and have a ton more energy since I've been eating a cleaner diet. I feel happier and more in control of my eating as well. I also have some weight I've been yo-yo-ing back and forth with since I had Madi, and I am really hoping to get it off and keep it off this time.
Yesterday we had errands to catch up on. David needed new softball cleats, Madi's seizure medication needed to be refilled, and we needed to catch up on grocery shopping. I hadn't been to Sprouts in about 2 weeks, so I had a big trip to make. While we were there, an employee told David that all the employees love when we come to Sprouts. They said our kids are always so well behaved and happy, and Madi always has the biggest smile. It's funny because if I haven't been in a week or two, I get multiple comments from the workers about how they have missed us and haven't seen us in a while. I'm glad to hear they think the kids are well behaved, though, because I'm usually shopping alone with them and sometimes I feel like I'm wrangling squirrels :).
Saturday night we went to my friend's wedding. The kiddos looked adorable and had a lot of fun. It was Ramya and Madi's first wedding, as well as the first wedding Conner remembers. It was very kid-friendly, and we always appreciate that!
Of course, whenever my kiddos hear music, they dance! They love to dance!
Just to be totally real, though, let me tell you a fun story about the wedding. I don't want you thinking our life is TOO perfect ;). David came to the ceremony but then had to leave for his softball game. His team was already down players and he didn't want them to have to forfeit. I had the three kiddos by myself at the reception. It was time to get food so I had to come up with a plan for getting 3 kids and 4 plates of food to the table by myself. I decided that each child should hold their plate and I would hold mine while pushing the girls. The dinner was not very diet friendly for my littles, as most everything had gluten and dairy, so the only thing we could really eat was the chicken. I put a few pieces on each kid's plate and then asked them to carry them. Sweet Madi (you know, that adorable little girl who was complemented for her great listening and smile earlier in the day) decided she wanted noodles. Instead of asking me, though, she decided to just put her plate on her head and pass it back to me, without using her words and actually telling me her plan. She ended up dumping her chicken, as well as the sauce on it, in her hair. In my effort to catch her chicken, I dumped mine on the ground. As I dug chicken out of her hair, I told her that her behavior was not ok and that I was not happy with her choice. She got upset and decided to go on strike and not move her wheelchair, or let me move it. When I told her that we were holding up the line and she needed to listen, she broke out in her classic hysterical crying. Madi doesn't really have a medium, so she is either incredibly happy, or incredibly upset. Thankfully she is usually very happy, but she has her moments, just like we all do. I shuffled the kids back to the table, put the food down (thankfully someone brought us new plates of food), and bent down to hug her and hold her because she was still sad. Because she had been crying, though, she did what she usually does when she cries; she puked.... all over her dress and my feet. I cleaned her off the best I could, wiped off my feet and shoes, and we quickly ate dinner. A little girl asked me why Madi puked, and I told her that Madi just throws up easily and that puke was just part of life for us. The look on her parents face was quite classic ;). After that we decided to head home so that we could all clean up , Madi could have a bath, and we could head to bed. The kids were looking forward to cake, though they couldn't really have it anyhow because it wasn't gluten, dairy, and egg free, so I stopped on the way home and got them a little treat. That made them very happy!
Today was another busy day, but it was a lot of fun. Our Church, Imago Dei, was having a community snow day. After Church, there was 25 tons of snow to play in. The kids had a BLAST!! We threw snowballs, went in the jump house, ate, got our faces painted, and went sledding down a snow slide.
Even the girls went down the snow slide and loved it. I helped them at the top and my mom helped them at the bottom. They were VERY proud of themselves!
(both the girls flop off at the end, but both were happy and laughing and safe, so don't worry :))
There was music too, so of course, there was more dancing!
After our Church event we trekked downtown for an Arizona Rattlers game with Hopekids. This was the kid's first football game, and they all loved it! Conner said he wants to go back every week :). Just to keep it real, I will share that taking the girls potty in the public restroom did lead to me getting slightly covered in pee; twice. Luckily I keep a melaluca spray in our bag, though, so I can disinfect any messes I need to. I was pretty quickly and easily cleaned up. After the game they let us all down on the field so that we could get autographs and the kids really had a blast with that. Some of the players were really sweet and took time to talk with the kids. They also had a kids area with a fun jungle gym and video games. They were very accommodating and the kids had a blast. The workers even encouraged me to put the girls on the zip line. Madi was wanting to ride it, so I held her and ran across the netting so I could hold on to her a little in case she slipped. She had a blast!
I am about ready to call it a night. I picked up the house quite a bit as it was so very messy. Now it's time to tackle the dishes, and then, off to sleep. Amongst the other things we have had going on, we've also been working with the district to get the girls evaluated. Arizona has a very cool program for kiddos with special needs that are homeschooled called an ESA. Basically you can get any extra money that the district would get for servicing your child and can use it towards therapies and curriculum. I'm hoping to get the girls qualified so that they can start a therapeutic riding program. It can also go towards the out-of-pocket cost we have for Ramya's physical therapy every week. As an added bonus, any money we don't spend can be saved for college for them. In order for them to qualify, they have to get MET reports done through our local district. Madi should be able to qualify after that, as she is 5 years old, but Ramya will need 100 days of pubic schooling next year since she is over 5. Since I can't actually put her in a public school (let me rephrase that... I don't think it's a good idea to put her in a public school), I am going to sign her up for K-12 online, or another similar online school, so that she can do public school from home. I may sign Madi up as well, just to keep them on the same page and make next year's homeschooling year run smoother. Tomorrow morning I have to get Ramya to our neighborhood school at 7:15 am for a meeting, as well as a hearing/vision test. We are not usually up until about 7:30 or 8:00, so I am not looking forward to being there so early! If anyone wants to show up at my door with an iced coffee, black of course so I don't mess up my cleanse, I won't say no ;).
As always, thank you for following our journey and for praying for us! Your prayers and support make a world of difference!
1 comment:
Hi! Anonymous here - K12 does not have that great a reputation...they like to cut corners to save money. I would go with connections academy. They are similar to K12, but their goal is education, not money.
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