Over due update!!

Alrighty then...

Goodness, last time we chatted, I was so worried about Monday, and now it's FRIDAY!
The IFSP went great! And Amy...you were right. His therapists overrode the tests. He was only a little behind in fine motor, and she, the OT, kept saying..."I SO don't want to discharge him!!" The main concern besides speech, is keeping an eye on him. Checking in with him so to speak. So we have gone down to once a month with Teacher lady, and OT. He still get's speech 3 times a month, so every ten days or so, and Musikgarten, his little music class, once a week. They are also refering him for the little preschool. That is twice a week, for an hour and a half. WITHOUT ME!!!!!!!!! Not quite sure how I feel about that...I will be a few months before he starts that anyway. Probably not till summer anyway. And I may wait untill after we get back from Myrtle Beach!

The play tryouts went great! I love the whole process. They really do a great job. First they tell the kids about the play, and BEING in a play. They talk about commitment, and doing your best. They tell them, if you can't make a rehearsal, don't try out. They are trying to do a play in a week. Soccer baseball, parties...all have to wait, if you want to do the play. There have been a few years we have had too many other commitments, and couldn't do it. But sadly, some people think they are the exception to the rule... Last year even, Parker got sick at the beginning of the week, and had to drop out. It's a great lesson in commitment they teach.

Then they line up the kids in a BIG circle, and have them count off. Now they know how many kids, and didn't have to count themselves. It also gives them an idea of their "stage presence", before the even ask them to do anything. Then they go thr5ough a series of "tell us your name and age. Then tell us, as if you were a pirate! Then they have certain age groups do specific things. They had the little ones, K-2nd play Simon says, seeing how well they move, AND follow directions! The older kids, 12 and up, they taught them a paragraph, and they had to repeat it, in different charactors. One time they had to say it nerdy. Most of the had a southern accent. I thought that was funny. The age in between them, Parker's age, had to say a phrase a couple different ways. Then they had them all sing row row row your boat, like 20 times. NOT my favorite part...but it gives them a good idea of who can sing and stay on the beat...ish! :)

They play is written to incorporate LOTS of kids. So they give individuale parts, to the older kids. Then 3rd thru like 5th and K-2nd are a group. They little kids usually just have cute costumes, and come on stage only maybe 3 times, sing a little song, and do a little dance, and leave. It's WAY cute! The older set, will have some lines, and are on stage more. They also pick about 4 older kids, to be Assistant Directors. Last year, Nick was in charge of the sound. He hit play, when it was time! haha...

So THIS YEAR... Nick is again, an assistant director. He helps the older group of kids (Parker's group) learn their parts. He loves being in charge. Hmmm...wonder where he get's that? And Parker, is part of a silly group of kids who run around scaring people or something. They are both really excited. THey are having a blast! I can't believe it's friday already! It's been so quiet around here... :)

So if you're around...Try to come see it! They are doing it at 3 and 7, This Saturday, tomorrow. The 12th! Contact me, and I'll tell ya where!


And sorry for my long absence, my laptop is broken. I was on it the other day, and got a HUGE wave of nausua. So I set it down, open and went to the bathroom. I was so suddenly sick, I went straigh to bed. Luckily DH was home. While I was sleeping, I heard a LOUD CRASH! Yep, laptop. Jack had pushed it off, and it landed on the florr, upside down. UGH. And I just haven't had the time of the strength to deal with the idiots, geeks who think they know everything! Ya know? And the fact I live with a computor hog, limits me abit... so I jump on when I can!


And one of the other things from Monday, I was waiting to hear if I got job, but I didn't! *rolling eyes* I'll just keep looking. I did find a "home party" company last night that looks interesting. Check it out....what do YOU think... http://www.uppercaseliving.com/ They have the neatest stuff, and it's not outragously expencive. So, I'm thinkin about that...and a few other things.


Emma, has dance pictures tomorrow. Oh the horror! Do I doll her all up? Do I attempt to do her hair? Ugh ugh ugh...is all I can say. Her teacher wants them to have ringlets. Um ya...Emma can have ringlets.


Oh, and here's a recent picture of Jack, that just cracks me up. He was laughing hysterically! Can you tell!?!?

Random thoughts

I wanted to tell you a few things.

~About Pres. Hinckley's passing... SO MANY neat stories. Here are a couple, you might not have heard about if you don't live in Utah. This one was about how teens did what they could to show their respect. This one was so sweet, it brought me to tears. Not hard lately, but still, it was nice. Be sure to watch the video. The funeral is on Sat. and he will lie in state, Thursday till then. I hope we can go. It's one of those once in a lifetime things ya know?

On a completely different note...

~The kids wanted to play spoons, and this time, Emma decided she would play. To guarantee she would continue to play, we/I made sure she won, the first few hands. Then I was trying to let her play by herself. Let me see if I can paint the picture.

She had 3 six's. I was watching, waiting for that last six. 'Cuz when you get 4 of a kind, you grab a spoon. So Parker also knew she was close, and he was actually the one who gave her the last six. So Parker and I, both know she has all 4. She hadn't figured it out yet. So I'm watching her, as she gingerly separates them, so she can see what she has. All the while Parker is saying..."Emma, when you get 4, get a spoon." over and over. She continues to fan them, FINALLY gets them fanned out, and we are all waiting for her to grab a spoon. Then...she starts to count them... (in a whisper-totally unaware we are all staring at her) pointing at each card... one... two... three... four... Then her face lit up, and she looked down...realizing she had to grab a spoon, before anyone else did, and SNATCHED it...cackling all the while! Then Parker and I grabbed ours, and left Nick in the dust!! She was SO proud of herself! Oh...my... goodness... I was laughing so hard, there were tears, and no noise. *sigh*

Just now, she said to me, "Are Dragons real?" I said no. "Are tigers real?" Yes. "Are giants real?" No. "Phew!" ...oh that girl...

~Jack did the sign for "hurt" today! I was SO shocked! We do SO MANY signs with him. He only has like maybe 5 signs he does spontaneously. You know, like on his own, without being prompted. He does: drink, more, fish, shoes, and pig (for every animal) He copies a ton, and recognizes even more. It's frustrating, cuz i feel like he's not doing as much as he could, and exciting when he actually does it. As far as words...um...ya. Mom, Huh?, Uh oh, ya that would be it. We are going to try increasing his speech therapy from 2 to 3 times a month. We also started MusikGarten at Early Intervention. So far(we've been 3 times)...he just sits on my lap. But I think that will help his speech too. There are other kids his age talking, AND... he LOVES music and dancing. So we'll see...

~Guess who picked the glue off...well, it wasn't me!! haha, luckily, it has healed nicely! Probably cuz it wasn't that big to begin with!! *rolling eyes at myself*

~And...we are having the most GLORIOUS snow!! Oh how I love it. Monday we were BLASTED!!! Still have like 6 inches in the backyard. They say tonight...while I'm sleeping :) ...we'll get 3-6 more! And more the end of the week! WOO HOO!!! Seriously love it!! I'll get a picture in the AM!!! Cuz I know you can't wait to see it! ;)

Stuff, Stuff and Stuff

Today was better. But I didn't really have a choice. Thrown back into life. No ones fault, just life. But really, my b u m, is great. It's weird really. Wasn't even that gimpy, if that makes sense. I have had a dull headache, all day. Three doses of m o t r i n, and still there. I hope I'm not catching Nick's crap.

I went to the Internal medicine Dr today. To check in on the happy pills. We're upping the dose, see if that helps. I took Jack and Emma, as it was just a chatting visit. When we pulled up to the hospital, where the office is, Emma said, "This is the hospital!" I said, "Yep, this is where they fixed my b u m!" As we were pulling up to valet, she said, "Are all these people getting their b u m's fixed?" Oh the mind of a child.

After the appointment, since Jack was with me, we went over to the Women's Center to visit Maternal Fetal Medicine. As we walked in, Emma said, "Isn't this where you got Jack?" heehee I'm actually kind of surprised she remembered it. We had a nice visit with our favorite ultrasound tech, and one of the Doctors. As you can imagine, they LOVE to see him doing as well as he is.I told them how I spoke in that class. Hopefully, they will refer moms to me going through some of the same stuff. It would be really cool, if we could do a special support group once a month or something. I'm going back to the hospital next week, for my post op. Maybe I'll run over again, and mention it!

~*~*~

If you don't know this about me, I LOVE reality competition shows. American Idol, I'm completely obsessed. Jan can't come fast enough. But luckily, America's Got Talent, So You Think You Can Dance, and Dancing with the Stars fill in the gap!! Oh how I love watching your average person go on to greatness.

I LOVE Dancing with the Stars. I thought it was kind of dumb the first couple seasons, and then thought I'd give it a chance last season. OH MY HECK!!! I LOVE IT. I love watching the goofy stars be graceful. Watching the little clips of how hard they work, and then seeing it pay off. I am of course LOVING Marie Osmond, and Jennie Garth, and even Jane Seymour, for doing the MOM representation. They are so fun to watch. Helio- something too hard to say, is SO fun to watch, and I love Julianne from last season. If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. Seriously, makes me so happy. Don't we all just need to have fun and pure happiness. There costumes are a tad immodest, but I just try to ignore it. And most of the time, the dancers BEAMING faces, overshadow, the lack of fabric!!

~*~*~

Oh, and I wanted to tell you what Parker made yesterday. I so wanted to get a picture of it, but it didn't work out. Anyway, he STOLE butter out of my fridge, and made a sculpture of a budda. That's right, and butter sculpture. I honestly didn't know whether to kill him or applaud him for his artistic abilities. I'll see if I can get him to make another one, so I can get a picture.

Reflux and Scrapbooking

Emma had her follow-up. I was SO nervous. But Tuesday, she brought home Rumplebear. The class bear. He comes home with each child a few times during the year, and he has a journal, to write about his adventures. So we took him to the hospital. He even got his own ultrasound! It was so nice having him with us!

Her nuclear cystogram, was kind of a nightmare. She did NOT want the catheter. Who does? But did ok! Then when it was time to take it out, and "go" on her own, she FREAKED OUT. Screaming and crying. She held it, for like 8 minutes. BUT...it was kind of good. It proved...HER REFLUX IS GONE!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!! Even with her holding it, it never went back up...YIPPEE!! BUT...she has a UTI. The night before, she was crying that her bladder hurt. They always send some to the lab, when they do the cystogram, and sure enough, there was bacteria. She is doing better now! The doctor said, 2/3 of kids that have this surgery, will still get bladder infections or UTI's. It just won't hurt her kidneys now. And...we never have to go back again. Of course, if she has problems, ya...but as of right now...she's done! Cool huh...

I also had to make a scrapbook page for Emma's class. Like an "about me" page, for a class scrapbook. This was my first attempt at digital scrapbooking. What do you think? Oh...I'm looking for praise and accolades... *grin*

Let's do a One Eighty...

Sorry about making everyone cry. I just have to blog what's on my heart. And that was... BIG time yesterday.

ANYWAY....

I took Emma and Jack on a bike ride today! I know...HOLY CRAP! My legs are like spaghetti, but we had a great time, at the little park we rode to. Here are some pictures...some...you know me... There are pictures of the bike, and me on it, as proof!! *rolling eyes*

I got some cute video too! There are two parts to the swinging. He was so cute!





Then...on the ride home, Emma took video. OH MY HECK...it's too funny. Shows her tenaciousness... It's 4 min 24 sec. long, so just follow this link... It's hysterical.

And thanks for all the support, and great comments! You guys ROCK!!!

A week of "FINALLY'S"

Here are the contest results...FINALLY...

First of all, thanks to all those who voted for Parker, but alas a younger, cuter child won. ...toddlers... *rolling eyes* Here is the link to see who DID win.

And the caption contest. That was fun huh? I have a zillion more...If I remember, we'll play again tomorrow. That is... if I make it out of church alive. Anyway...Caption...

THE WINNER IS.....

"Yeah, really funny, I know where this thing is supposed to go. I am not amused!" by Christine!!!

So the other "finally's"...

Jack was fussy all week, in the evenings. Classic sign of over draining. Also the back of his head seems to have increased in size. Just the back, below, of course, where they measure his head circumference.
So after much thought, and worry, I FINALLY took him in. I showed them this picture, and the Dr say, "Well, it 'FEELS' ok, I think he's fine." She's right, it doesn't feel squishy. So that's good. But why is it bigger. Some say it's the light in the picture, some say, OH MY HECK, you need to call. Who knows. But I noticed it first,
caressing the back of his head.

Of course since I took him in, he has been better. Of course. I think maybe he was just getting used to the new pressure in his head. But it doesn't explain the bulge.

Emma started school!! FINALLY. She's is having a blast! I had quite the moment the first day. The last time Emma and I walked into Miss L's class, Emma was a newborn, in her car seat! It hit me so hard, and I almost started to cry, but decided, it would only embarrass her! She is so big! She is so OLD. It's just crazy. My friend was just reminding me all her kids are in the double digits! Goodness, where does the time go...

The first day, they were to bring their favorite bear. Of course I forgot, but luckily, there were some to choose from in the car! Chicken Little, and a frog. Emma chose the frog. They went around the room, and Miss L asked everyone their "bear's" name. Emma's was so unusual, she asked her where she got it? Emma said, "From the CAR!!" Oye...

Then on Thursday, they had a parade, and picnic with them. This is Emma, taking her "frog" to go down the slide.

As I've told you before, Nick and Parker both had this sweet teacher. And when we bought Emma's backpack, I had forgotten, that this teacher, supplies them with a book bag. So now, we have set out, to make her book bag, all pink and High School Musical, like her back pack! Hopefully, she'll still like it for kindergarten. You know, how their favorites change so quickly! I'll put up a picture when we get it all decorated. I ordered the cutest iron on off Ebay. She'll get the bag on Monday or Tuesday. And then begins my own personal struggle of, letting her do what she wants, and making it look "nice" ...hate that struggle!

Then Thursday, Parker FINALLY turned 10, AND got his skate board. Ever since they were about 3 and 5, the 21 days between their birthdays, has been filled whining from Parker. "When is it MY birthday?" "How come Nick got presents?"...you know stuff like that. I thought it would get better the older he gets. I guess it has just gotten different. This year it was, "Nick won't let me ride his skate board!" Although... he was MUCH more willing to let other people ride his, always with the..."See I can be nice and share"...tag...but still... He is so happy to have his OWN skate board!!



As far as the rest of the week, well you know what happened! *rolling eyes*

Sunday, I start leading the singing. *sigh* I'll let you know what happens! I do want to share this though. My dear sweet Lisa reminded me of something. Here is what she said:

"When Ethan was in NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit), for those longs months, I had the opportunity to meet one of the twelve apostles. He said something very curious to me, that I’ll never ever forget.

He said, and I wish I had it written down, so I could quote him word for word, but it went something like this…'It is our obligation to provide service, even if we don’t feel like the person who is asking, actually needs that service. It is not our place to question, them. It is our responsibility to help them. As well as it is their responsibility to ask. There are grave eternal consequences for those that do not ask for help. They that deny others the opportunity of service, are far worse off, than those who don’t help, those that ask.'

It still gives me goose bumps. He was so close to me, and his hand was on my shoulder, and I didn’t just hear what he said, I felt it."

Thanks LIS!! I'll try to remember that...and try to FINALLY swallow my pride, and ASK!!!

Another trip to the ER...

That would be Emma. She had been complaining about her arm, off and on, since Monday. She had fallen out of our neighbors little tree, but seemed fine. I checked it just like the Dr does. Pushed her hand backwards, squeezed it from the sides, and top and bottom. Asked her to rotate it. She did them all pretty well. No screaming in pain. A couple of, pulling her arm away. Last night, she was complaining again. This am, she was playing at said neighbor's, and when I picked her up, her hand was swollen, and she was SOBBING. Then I told her we needed to go get it looked at... SCREAMED even harder.

Luckily, she fell asleep on the long drive to PCMC. When we got there, she noticed where we were and started to cry all over again. Once I convinced her there were not going to be any needles, or pokies, she was ok.

We checked into the ER at a little before 1:00. We got right in. She did GREAT for the X-ray, and got her little splint on. She has a buckle fracture. When they went to put her splint on, she was wearing a longsleeved shirt. So we had to take it off, and get a shirt from the hospital. This picture, is awful, cuz she didn't want me to take it, so I took it fast. And she was in the middle of telling me, she didn't want her picture taken. heehee, I told her we had to show everybody!!

She'll get a cast, hopefully on Tuesday. And I can assure you...it will be pink, or purple!

The one silver lining, when we got home, I looked at the clock...3:04.

Oh the joys of being a Simmons...

Vacation?

This weekend is the first family vacation we have had since we got pregnant with Jack. If truth be told, ON our last vacation, was when we got pregnant. I know, TMI. ANYWAY....

We are heading to Vegas! But this isn't your normal family vacation. We are going to a Family Conference, but we will be split up. Steve and I have classes to go to. Nick has his age group, Parker has his, and Jack and Emma will go to kids camp! You can see our whole schedule at print program. I am excited for the boys, Nick and Parker, to get to do things, and learn, and meet new friends. But I'm nervous about them not having a real vacation. We don't have much time. Steve has taken so much time off work. Last week alone! So...

We are heading out of here on Sat. We are staying in St. George, before heading to Vegas. It's about a 7 hours drive to Vegas, 5 to St. George, WITH NO KIDS!! People have questioned, why stop in St. George. Well, my original answer was to break up the drive. As I have thought about it, Saturday will be our family day. In a perfect world. We'll get up bright and early, and head out before 8:00 am. Maybe even Friday night, if funds pan out... I'd LOVE to drive over to the Grand Canyon, but I'm sure that won't happen.

We'll be so busy in Vegas, I'm really looking forward to Sat. being just us. If we went straight to Vegas, we'd be with all the conference goers already. This way, it's a vacation before the vacation! I REALLY hope it will bring us back together. I'm tempted to leave my laptop home. I'm sure that won't happen though...*smirk* I just want to hang out with my family, ya know? At home, everyone is doing their own thing. Going their own separate ways, sitting in front of a box.

Emma is getting better everyday. But evenings are still hard. I just found out today, that the kids camp/child care, will be "manned" by moms, and respite workers! I feel SO MUCH better knowing that. I knew, they would have people in there who can handle kids with special needs. But it was confirmed this morning. And ya know, the whole conference takes place in a small area of the hotel, so it's not like we'll be in another building or something.

Wish me luck on packing for 5 people. Steve told me last night all he needed was a shirt and a pair of shorts, and he was set! *rolling eyes* My stomach flips, thinking about packing. Emma started yesterday. *rolling eyes again* I'm making my lists, and checking them twice, and then again! I'm sure I'll forget something. Let's just hope it's not anything too expensive. Last time, when we went to Logan, I forgot Jack's bottles... *sigh* Had to turn around.

Things I want to do in Vegas:

~ CVS I really want to go, but I won't die if I can't. It's an emotional thing. There is no CVS in Utah, I know, I'm a dork.
~ In and Out Burger! Oh my they are yummy! I think the boys will love them!
~ Shark Reef. We went when Emma was about 2. It is SO fun. My favorite part is the jelly fish!

I know, short list, but I told you, we are JAM PACKED!!

Wish me luck on bringing my tech dependent family back together... it's gonna be an adventure!

This is a little late, but I was trying to make another video, and came across this template. It was too cute to not put Emma's make over birthday pictures in it!

Sorry, I wanted to put in right one here, but it is NOT working.

So you're gonna have to GO HERE, to see it!

Enjoy!!