You Tube

Video's up. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuAucIgWUsc

Out of the mouth of babes

Our last morning at Great Wolf Lodge, as we were walking up to breakfast, I could hear Katie yelling something that I couldn't quite understand. It sounded like it ended in "Mom", so I asked her to repeat it.

"Ni Hao Mom!"

I blinked.

"What did you say?"

"Ni Hao Mom"

Ummmm this kid is 2. And she's telling me hello in Chinese??

I know there's a show on TV called "Ni Hao Kai-lan" that the kids occasionally watch, but I know this hotel didn't have that channel, so it had been at least 3 days since she'd seen it, possibly longer.

She kept repeating it all morning, saying hello to everyone in sight, in Chinese. My Kids, lol.

The last great hurrah

Of the summer, that is.

Since the last few months (ok, who am I kidding, the last YEAR has been super hectic/stressful/pick your choice of adjective) have been busy, we decided we needed a family vacation that didn't involve weddings, funerals, or illness. We needed something relatively cheap, close, and extremely family friendly. The Great Wolf Lodge fit the bill.

It's a very nice hotel that has an indoor waterpark, an outdoor pool, a mini golf course and an arcade. Plus it's only 2 1/2 hours away. So we packed up our swimsuits and waterwings and headed out for a 3 day vacation.

We took a lot of video, which Jeff is working on editing, so hopefully it'll be up soon.

The kids had a blast! Whenever we walked inside the waterpark, we basically didn't see Emma for the next hour or so, lol. She would come back and ask if either Jeff or I wanted to go on one of the big slides with her. We took turns playing with the little ones in the kiddie area. Katie was in her new-found element. Apparently this child is a waterbaby. She was absolutely wild about the little slides and would go up and down, and up and down...for ever. She would also walk to these white tiles that were in the ground which had the depth of the water on them, jump along them (there were about 6 all in a line), pretend to jump off at the end and then put her arms up, like she was jumping off the balance beam. ROFL You think we've been watching too much Olympics?

Sarah was content to sit on the sidelines and play in the water. She was relishing in having daddy all to herself, with both sisters occupied. She was also being very friendly, talking to everyone within reach. She would go down the slides with Katie every once in awhile, but when she did attempt it, she would mostly just sit at the top of the slide and block everyone's path.

Emma was my little phantom child, showing up every once in awhile, to tell us what she'd been doing, to introduce us to a new friend. The hotel also had this interactive game called MagiQuest. It's a medieval role playing game that has the child going on quests for different items that were scattered around the hotel using a computer-chipped wand. Emma had a blast running around searching for the items she needed. It's a very long game so she didn't get to complete it, but she gets to keep the wand, so when/if we go back, she can play again.

Emma and I also were able to go get a manicure together. Well, she was in the kiddie spa area, and I was in the other area, but we did it at the same time! The kiddie area has an ice cream parlor type of atmosphere, which was cool. Emma got sugary sweet smelling hand lotion and pinky sparkly nail polish. This was the first manicure I've had in ages, so it was nice to just relax and be pampered for a bit.

Jeff was able to get away and work out for a little bit. That's his version of stress relief. I wish I had his determination. LOL

All in all it was a nice vacation. We were all sad to leave, but we know we'll go back sometime in the future.

Buddy Walk

Only about a year ago, our area of Michigan didn't have a local support group for families who had loved ones with Down syndrome. But, a wonderful woman, Sheryl, and her husband, Joby, decided that they wanted to start one of their own. I'm so very glad they did, because we have been able to meet a wonderful group of children and adults with Down syndrome from our area.
The Central Michigan Down Syndrome Society is having our 1st annual Buddy Walk on September 21st. The Buddy Walk isn't new, it was started about 13 years ago, with the idea of spreading awareness about Down syndrome. I believe there were over 250 walks around the country last year. Our team name this year is "Sarah's Superstars". Our goal is to raise $250 for our local group, to make packets for new parents, provide support, and encourage awareness and acceptance for people with Down syndrome in central Michigan.

You can click on the "ChipIn" icon in the sidebar. People are also welcome to come join us at the Buddy Walk. It's Sunday, September 21st at Chipp-A-Waters park in Mount Pleasant, MI. Everyone's welcome!!

Feeling like Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. Spring is a close second. I think it's partly because of the weather at those times of year. It's not at either extreme: too hot or too cold. Even after growing up in the valley of northern California, with it's extreme heat, I'm a temperate person at heart. I don't do extremes well. Which begs the question: why did we move to Michigan, which has the opposite problem? But, I digress.

Fall also brings memories of the start of school. I LOVED school as a child. It was the start of something new; new clothes, new backpack, new books, new teachers, new friends. Even now, as I am frantically trying to prepare 4 people for the start of school in just a few weeks, I'm looking forward to it.

I woke up this morning, and the day felt like fall. I know it isn't, I know that it's only the 12th of August, nowhere near fall. Maybe it's because the weather isn't so hot today. Not having A/C in this house yet has made me more aware of the daily changes in the weather. I feel like if I went outside, I might need a light sweater, although I doubt that's the case. It all started this morning, while getting dressed. I looked in my dresser, and decided against shorts or capris. I put on jeans, which I probably haven't worn in months, due to how hot it has been. And weirder still, a 3/4 length sleeve shirt; not a tank top, not a short sleeve shirt. It was like I was unconsciously aware that I wouldn't feel comfortable in anything else.

But the idea that fall is coming, even if it isn't here already, brings sadness, too. I feel like we've been so busy, like we are every summer, but this one even more so, that we've missed summer. Jeff working horrible hours trying to turn the IT world on its ear, Emma and Sarah in speech camp everyday, moving into this house, unpacking, housework, cooking, etc. And now that at least some of that is finished (Jeff's big announcement was over a week ago, Speech camp ended at the end of July) it's time to start looking toward fall and the start of school. I feel like I want to put a stop to it & say,"Wait! What happened to summer? I missed it, that's not fair." I suppose that's life when you're a busy family.

Not that fall will be any less busy. I'm starting a new part-time job and taking classes again. Jeff's got a new project, too. He's going to be teaching an IT class that he is creating from the ground up. I think Emma wants to do soccer again, and I'm debating putting Sarah and Katie into dance or Kinder-Music. We always seem to be busy at all times of the year. But, if we weren't, I suppose life would be boring. :)

On this day in...

So Renee over at Life with my Special K's gave this website where you can see what the #1 song on any day in pretty much the last 100 years was. It's pretty cool.

My birthday: "Stayin' Alive" by The Bee Gees

Jeff's birthday: "Le Freak" by Chic
(snort)

Our Anniversary: "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy & Faith Evans
(Not a very romantic song, lol)

Emma's birthday: "Smooth" by Rob Thomas
(The same as Kassidy's! :) I wasn't feeling so "smooth" either.)

Sarah's birthday: "Yeah!" by Usher & Lil Jon
(Jeff loves this song)

Katie's birthday: "Ridin'" by Chamillionaire

My mom's birthday: "I'm Walking Behind You" by Eddie Fisher

Jeff's mom's birthday: "Big Bad John" by Jimmy Dean

You can check it out here. It's fun!

Prayers for Emma Hope

This little girl is having major heart surgery this morning, even as we speak. Her parents lovingly adopted her and a little boy, both with Down syndrome, from Ukraine. This little girl is 5 years old but barely weighs more than Katie. She was given up on, she's been living with this heart defect her entire life. Doctors here in the US have told her parents that this surgery shouldn't be done, as it was unlikely that she would recover from it. But they persevered and found a doctor who gave them hope.

Just pray that this sweet little girl is able to continue her 2nd chance at life.

Happy Birthday Mom

Today would have been your 55th birthday. I hope you like the flowers that I had sent today. I wish I could be there in person to bring them to you, but that will have to wait until I'm able to make a trip out there.

I miss you so much, and so does Emma. She talks about you all the time. She even uses the furniture you gave us as part of her conversations. Such as,"Mom, the babies are climbing on Grammy's table." :)

You are always on my mind and often in my dreams. I'm so happy that you are no longer in pain. I won't lie and say that I'm not still bitter over the fact that you left us too soon. There are so many times I wish I could call you on the phone and ask your advice, or just to talk to see how you're doing. The girls are growing up so fast and it seems like they're changing everyday.

I know you're watching over us. Happy birthday mommy.

This is why I don't see doctors

Have you ever heard someone try to explain why it's been 25 years since they saw a doctor? I have heard the line,"I feel fine, it's only when you see a doctor that they find something wrong with you."

Yeah, I can relate.

First a bit of background: When we lived in San Diego, we had no family nearby, just a few close friends from church/the Navy. I had no problems taking Emma to see the doctor whenever she needed it. Me, on the other hand, not so much. This included dentists and doctors. The few times I had to go, I ended up having to take Emma with me, which was hard (little did I know only having 1 was easy, I now have to juggle 3). There were a few times Jeff was able to get off work, or one of my neighbors could help me out. But, those times were few and far between. I did manage to get a few things accomplished while in San Diego: I got my two top wisdom teeth removed, I had a couple moles removed, and I did manage to have my yearly "women's appt". But that was about it.

Fast forward to us being in Michigan. I'm pregnant, there's snow, and Jeff is still working ungodly hours. We STILL don't have family close by and the friends are even fewer. Getting to the OB each month while pregnant was enough to send me into the nuthouse with a clingy 4 year old on my leg. I KNOW I need to see a dentist cause it's been a year since my last cleaning...then it was 2...then 3, and then I was pregnant again, so I can't go, cause they'll want x-rays.

**Let me butt in by saying, I KNOW my excuses are lame, but they seemed rational to me at the time.**

So, here it is, 2 years after the birth of my last child, and I am just NOW seeing a dentist. Forgive me Mr. Dentist, it's been 5 years since my last confession visit. Oy.

6 CAVITIES PEOPLE!!!! I about died. My perfect record of having NO cavities for my entire life...GONE!!! I even went through 18 months of braces, when the orthodontist told my mom, "She'll probably have at least 1 cavity after these come off." But, NO!! I didn't. I thwarted ye olde tooth decay with my mighty brushing. And mouthwashing...and flossing...not so much flossing.

See, this is where my downfall was. I HATE flossing, with a vengeance. I still have my 2 bottom wisdom teeth, and they have been making a mockery of my 18 months worth of braces for the past 13 years since I got them off. They also have been making flossing a serious hazard. The space between my teeth is so small, I break most floss that I try to shimmy in between them. And, as with most hygiene regimens, once you're a mom, they kinda fall to the wayside. Cause, seriously? I can't even pee in private anymore, so finding the time to floss after the morning rush or before I collapse into bed at night is SO not possible.

So, here I am, preparing to endure 2 sessions of fillings (that's 3 cavities each, in case you're wondering), and after that, getting 2 wisdom teeth pulled. My Fall is going to suck, big time.

There's 1 other side effect to not having had much experience with dental work: I'm scared to death of needles aimed at my mouth. Need blood? Sure! A flu shot in the arm? No problem! But, needles coming towards my mouth with the intent of sticking into my gums has me doing the "all-over-body-shivers". I might need a mild sedative to get through this. Or a shot of vodka.

So moms aren't invincible

Big surprise, eh? Yeah, it was to me, too. I woke up yesterday morning with serious upper back pain. Like, it hurt to move/talk/breathe type of back pain. It was right between my right shoulder blade & my spine. Right where I couldn't really stretch it out to try to alleviate it.

I'm not usually one to run to the doctor for every little thing (well, not when it comes to ME), but I really wasn't able to do anything productive. I tried heating it and stretching some more, but no luck. I was thankfully able to get an appt with my Internist yesterday afternoon. She massaged and stretched and manipulated my neck. She also checked my make sure it wasn't my gall bladder. Apparently gall bladder issues can sometimes present themselves as upper back pains. But, that didn't seem to be the issue. She also said that she herself holds her stress in the same place, but on the opposite side. She asked if I had been experiencing stress. I had to suppress a snort, thinking, I have 3 kids and a husband who's been on 4 weeklong trips since the beginning of May, AM I EXPERIENCING STRESS??? I politely said, I might be, a little.

So, the diagnosis: strained and inflamed back muscles. Which might be from dragging carrying 2 little 30 lb. girls who think the "flop-n-drop" is the new Olympic sport and are going for the gold. I was given a Rx for a muscle relaxer and told to take some anti-inflammatory drugs. I picked up the Rx after dinner, took 1 plus 2 Advil, and waited...I didn't see any real relief until this morning, but I feel 100x better now.

Oh, and it was suggested I get a massage. Oh yeah, this is why I like this doctor. She tells me, in her professional opinion, that I need a massage, to help my condition. I definitely see some therapy in my future.

Preschool already??

I just put in Katie's application for preschool...for NEXT fall. Yes, apparently these things have to be done a year in advance, especially if you want to get into the Human Growth and Development Lab preschool at CMU. This is the same preschool where Emma went the year before Kindergarden. This doesn't automatically get her a spot, we won't know until next April or May if she got in. There's always a waiting list. There's also the not-so-fun aspect that it's freaking expensive preschool. $1,150 a year. BUT, that includes the fall semester, the spring semester, and a 6 week long summer semester. So, she would go from the end of August to the middle of June, with a few weeks off for Christmas, Spring break, and at the end of May. Not too bad. I was hoping that this would also be where Sarah went the year before she goes to Kindergarden, which would be the same year Katie would start. But, that's something that will have to be discussed with Sarah's preschool team closer to the middle of this coming year.

It's hard to think that my youngest will be old enough to go to school here pretty soon. The day that all 3 kids are out the door to school will be both sad and triumphant, lol.

On our own again

Jeff left early this morning for a business trip in Salt Lake. I feel so bad for him because we both got such a lousy night's sleep, but I was lucky enough to get to sleep in a bit after he left.

A quick recap of the last few days: We had fun during our 1 night "stay-cation" at the hotel. As soon as the girls got out of speech camp, we went home, finished packing up our overnight bag, and checked in. We immediately changed and went to the pool. The indoor pool was heated, so it wasn't completely refreshing, but it was better than nothing. Plus it started raining outside (go figure) so it would have doubly sucked if it had been an outdoor pool.

The girls had fun, although Sarah kept wanting to go into the spa, which was a lot hotter than she was accustomed to. Whenever we go to Nana & Papa's (who have a spa) they cool the water down to about 98 degrees, but I'm betting this spa was at least 103-WAY hotter than I was comfortable with. Sarah is still kinda iffy when it comes to water in general, but Katie was a fish. She absolutely loved it. She didn't mind if her head got dunked (although after reading about dry drowning, I was a bit nervous and kept checking on her after she went to sleep) and was happy as a clam jumping off the edge of the pool into my arms. We put Emma's pink water-wings on her and while she doesn't have the coordination to keep herself upright (her body keeps wanting to float on it's back) she WAS confident enough to jump towards me from the steps of the pool when I wasn't looking.

Emma is slowly getting more comfortable with swimming. I REALLY need to get her into swim lessons. I think with her being my first, I've been a bit too protective and was perfectly happy doing everything for her and not really noticing if she didn't know how to do something when her peers probably did (such as riding a 2-wheeler and knowing how to tie her shoes). I think I've been so focused on her school work and speech & the little ones, that I've kinda neglected that part of Emma's upbringing. Either that or I just assumed she'd learn how to do things on her own. I don't remember going to swim lessons as a kid, I just remember knowing how to swim. But, I was at the beach every summer, and had family who could take me all the time because I was the only child/grandchild that was around until I was 8. *This is the part when I get all pouty over the fact that we have no family nearby.*

Anyhow, the girls had fun, and it was a nice reprieve from the heat of our house.

Speaking of the heat, it is really affecting how Sarah & Katie sleep. Last night was just awful. We tried to get everyone to sleep in the basement (which is probably about 10 degrees cooler than the main level) but no one would settle down. So we put the little ones in their room on the floor with a box fan blowing right on them. Jeff went in their and tried to get them to fall asleep, but it took awhile. Then at around 2:45am, they took turns waking up and being restless. So, Jeff and I took turns trying to get them settled back down to make sure they didn't wake the other one up. We opened all the doors to let the cooler air flow through the house, but all that did was open the door for the girls to get up and walk around the house. They were each found asleep in the living room, at the side of our bed, at the door of the pantry after getting into it, in Emma's room, under their bed, and IN our bed. Needless to say, none of us got much sleep. Except Emma, who sleeps through anything.

I tried to put the little ones down for a nap this morning, to try and help them catch up on their rest, but it took almost 90 minutes for them to settle down. By that time, it was close to the time for Sarah to go to camp. I decided to let her sleep instead. So hopefully they'll both wake up refreshed and ready to give me a run for my money. :D

Quick post

We are retreating to an air conditioned bunker hotel somewhere nearby due to the constant bombardment of heat. The children are wilting as we speak. We are hoping that a night in a room where the inside temp is LESS than the outside temp will help to refresh us. That, and a dip in a pool that isn't inflatable.

Will update tomorrow when I won't be sweating buckets.

Alas, forsoothe...

or whatever it is, lol. So, I didn't get the part. The final cast list was posted this morning, but you know what? I'm not too disappointed. This was my first try-out in 12 years, and there will be more. I know why I wasn't cast, but that knowledge will help me in my next audition.

The call-back went ok. I realized after I saw the first few people up on stage that I had forgotten a key component to this part: the accent. This is a BROOKLYN Jewish family, and I really hadn't been practicing my accent. I did it ok on the first read, but the 2nd one was LONG and it required a lot of changing emotions, so I was focusing on that. The 2 women who got the parts had AWESOME accents. So, like I said, I'm not bitter. This is a learning experience and I'll know what to do next time.

Plus, now that I don't have this to occupy my evenings for the next 2 months, I will probably be able to go to an IRL with some people from one of the Down syndrome boards I go to. And I'm also picking my fall classes this week, so now I can easily figure out my schedule. :D

Busy bees

That's apparently our motto for this weekend. We have way more stuff to do than we ever do normally, and it's kind of surprising.

Today: I have my call-backs at the same time Emma has a birthday bowling party to go to. DH to the rescue, and have fun putting the littlest ones to bed, hehe.
Tomorrow: driving to a local lake for a day of boating/food/fun with a group of people from Jeff's work. I needed to make an emergency trip to Kohl's last night to find a bathing suit that covered up my "doughy-ness".
Sunday: taking Emma to her friend's house for a playdate in the morning, and then we have our monthly Central Michigan Ds group meeting at a park.

We're never this busy. And poor DH is going out of town next Friday, so he won't have another weekend to himself (well, with us, too) for 2 weeks. I suppose when you live in a climate where people generally hibernate during the winter, you try to get in as much socializing and outings as you can while the weather's good. The way I see it, if I can get the house clean before we have all these engagements and then we LEAVE the house, we won't be home to get it dirty. Works for me.

Call-backs

The audition last night went pretty well. I was the only one there trying out for either of the 2 older female roles, so I went first. Surprisingly I wasn't nervous, which was odd. But it got my portion over with quickly. Although the person I was reading with said they had quite a few the previous night.

Anyhow, the director said the call-back list would be on the door of the theater this morning, and call-backs were Friday night. So, where was I first thing this morning after dropping Emma off at speech camp? Of course, I was sitting in my car outside the theater, hoping no one would recognize me being a total loser and waiting for the list to go up. I saw the director go in, put up the list, lock the doors and leave. And because I didn't want to look desperate, I waited until he was out of sight before going up there. I was on the list. :D But so were about 30 other people, for only 7 parts. My odds aren't great, but hey, at least I got called back. That's pretty cool.

Broadway is calling

Well, the Broadway Theater here in town, that is. Those of you who know me pretty well know that when I was younger I was really into theater/drama/performing in general. I was in plays since I was around 9, I played 2 instruments starting in 7th grade, I was in choir at church, and a songleader my senior year in high school. I was also a weekly performer in Sacramento's Rocky Horror Picture Show for about 2 years....back when I was skinny.

Anyhoo, I was reading the local paper last week and saw that they were holding auditions for Neil Simon's play "Brighton Beach Memoirs". I'd only heard of the play, and only vaguely remember the sequel movie "Biloxi Blues". So, I decided to try out. They were held last night (but I couldn't go) and will be held again tonight. I've tried in vain to get ahold of the entire script so I can prepare a little bit, but I suppose if it's that hard to get ahold of, that probably means no one else will have been able to either. Making the playing field even. Aside from the fact that it's been over 10 years since I performed on stage, and WELL over that since I actually had to audition for something. There's also the tiny little detail that I'm really not the age for any of the parts in the play. There are 4 female parts, 2 of which are teenagers (NOT likely) and the other 2 are a little older than me (38 & 40). But, I figured if I did well enough at the audition, anything can be done with make-up, so making me look a little older won't be that hard. For crying out loud, I played Auntie Em in my elementary school's performance of "The Wizard of Oz" when I was 12.

But, I've read a little bit about this play, and it seems like it would be a lot of fun. It's set during the Great Depression in Brooklyn. It's about a Jewish family (HELLO, my maiden name is Yiddish) and mainly centers around the narrator, Eugene, who is 15. The part I am thinking I would be interested in is his aunt, Blanche. She's a widow, with 2 teenage daughters, and they are all living with Eugene's family.

So, I have no delusions that I might actually get a part, but I figured, this theater does plays 4 times a year, so I might as well get back into the swing of auditions. Plus, they have a kids theater program, too. And people keep telling me I need to get Emma into drama. So wish me luck!!

YouTube

We have recently come into the digital age in the Wilson household with the purchase of a digital video camera. Now it won't take 5 hours or an act of Congress to get videos of the fam onto the computer for the rest of our family far away to be able to see the kiddos. We went a little crazy this weekend, and put up 2 new videos. One from the 4th of July and one of Sarah doing some Signing Time. Here's a link to where you can find them all, yes it's on YouTube. :)

http://www.youtube.com/jmwolf

*Edited to add: the videos that are listed on the bottom of the page are Jeff's favorites.

Surgery day for Kennedy

I haven't had a chance to post today, but Kennedy had her spine surgery today. According to her mom's updates, she's now out of surgery & in the ICU. Things are looking good and the doctor's said everything went well! Here's a link to her mom's blog: Life with My Special K's

Bathroom Update #4...I think

Yay!! Toilet is now disengaged from my floor!! To quote Jeff as we were able to successfully remove the stubborn bolt,"Those Home Depot guys are freaking geniuses." ROFL

I took off the rest of the luan flooring this afternoon, but my goal to have at least 1 coat of the Kilz on before the girls got home from camp was not realized. That flooring took a lot out of me. But, I am determined to work on it again once the girls go to bed. If I can get the 2 coats I want on there before tomorrow morning, then I can head to Home Depot to get the new luan flooring and install it tomorrow afternoon! See? There is a method to my madness.