3/8 - Can't keep up with life ...

As you can see from the frequency of blog posts, life is just moving faster than I have time for and it really bothers me. We will have some big changes coming in a few months. I was excited that Brad came back at the beginning of February and was so looking forward to family time. The joke was on me and after a week of being really frustrated and upset, I realized that if I just changed my expectations, things would start to get better. Brad was not home much ... at least not at the same time that the kids and I were. Because of the level and needs of the younger pilots in the squadron and the ratio of pilots who are qualified to check-off certain things, Brad ends up flying 2 times a night and usually has the latest flight which then means even more time to clean everything up. This past week he finally made it home for dinner on Monday which was awesome. He's been working until late on Mondays because he has meetings all day and can't get anything done so he gets home around 6:45/7:00pm. On Tuesdays he goes in late because he has to fly on Tuesday nights. This stinks because everyone else is up and going and we need to try and be quite so he can sleep and we don't get to see him. He usually does wake up for a few minutes to say bye to the kids and I but then we don't see him again until Wednesday morning when I or the kids wake him up right before they leave for school to say bye. This interferes with his sleep though because he's tired because he didn't get home until 1 or 2 am. This cycle continues of seeing him for just a few minutes in the morning all during the week. Needless to say, no one planned for this regular of a night flying schedule and not ever being able to see the kids or me. I have to go to work on Tuesday and Thursday morning and then on Wednesday I've been going to bible study. We thankfully have Saturdays to spend together and some of Sunday. Because of church in the morning and awana in the evening, we actually don't have much family time on sunday. Whatever time we do get we are cherishing it right now because it's better than daddy being gone completely (that's what I have to keep reminding myself).

I have way too much work to do and have had some problems with a medication interaction with my narcolepsy medicine which was a problem for a bit. We are working the kinks out of that right now hopefully. Eli goes to occupational therapy on Monday afternoons. I had no idea how much help Eli needed. I knew he had a lot of sensory processing stuff going on and now it's trying to figure out what it all means and how to set him up to succeed as best as we can. We are trying to get his trunk stronger and also increase his bilateral coordination. Ms. Lisa had him take his right hand and bend up his left knee to touch and it was so challenging for him. She then had him alternate to make the left hand touch the right knee and he was all kinds of backwards. We are trying to do all the therapy she gives us as homework but Eli is not near as compliant as Aiden and sometimes that is a challenge. Thankfully Eli really likes Ms. Lisa and I can convince him to do it for her because she asked. Here are some pictures from therapy over the last few weeks. Ms. Lisa let Aiden come a few weeks back and that was fun for both of them. Ms. Lisa was Aiden's original therapist and he misses doing therapy so he had been asking if he can go with Eli sometime.

Eli's trunk is getting stronger and he doesn't get as tired so soon when he's doing activities that use his core and trunk. The fine motor skills are starting to develop and he can actually do a few buttons now. He is still switching hands when doing various tasks but is starting to be a bit more right-hand dominant. Most of the time though, he just switches hands when the hand he is using gets tired or when he's forced to cross midline. He really doesn't like to hold a marker or crayon correctly so I've tried to stick with tiny pieces of chalk so he's forced to use his fingers. He's starting to get the hang of some bilateral coordination exercises but is still really struggling with doing the bicycle (see the bottom right picture in the collage above) and hopping when he touches his right hand to left knee.

We built a new car track on our rolled paper and it's been good for Eli because we can force him to cross midline as he is playing because we make him stay in one spot rather than moving all around the paper which is what he used to do. We have to get sneaky with therapy with Eli but at least we still try and make it fun.


The boys have been doing a lot more chores around the house to earn money for awana. Right now, the club is collecting money to adopt a club somewhere and the boys have really gotten excited about it. They are unloading dishes, separating perler beads for me, vacuuming, and I have bribed Eli once to do his therapy for money (it is a good cause). Aiden has actually finished his Sparks book already is going back through to review it. He is very good at memorizing and he gets that from Brad since my short-term working memory is completely broken. Eli is doing well in Cubbies too. If I can put his verse to a tune he's familiar with it and sing it, he's good to go. He loves music and I'll use that to his advantage to help him memorize his verses.

We decided it would be a great idea to take the boys to Monster Jam to see the monster trucks. They did enjoy seeing the trucks in the pre-party and even got a few autographs. They probably had the most fun after eating dinner in the back of the van and then playing in the grass with a few others kids while we waited until it was about time for the show to start. The boys thought he first 10 minutes were really cool. Aiden was asking Brad all kinds of questions and he was so excited. Eli was excited that we bought a container of french fries because it was so cold and he kept trying to sneak a bite (bottom row, center picture). About 40 minutes in to the show both boys were asking if it was time to go home. The fun stuff was coming up but they didn't understand or care at that point. We ended up leaving at around 8pm which made me sad because they would have LOVED all the stuff after the racing but they also had a long day and it was past their normal bedtime and Eli didn't get a nap so I was slightly scared of a complete meltdown. Next time Brad and I will go and leave the boys at home so we can stay for the entire thing and we can take the boys in a few years when their bedtime is a little later and they have more interest.

Teeball has been going pretty good. Aiden is letting practicing with me some which is great so he's getting better. Eli doesn't want to practice so he's not getting any better but that's okay with him because he doesn't care. Aiden won his i9 medal in the 4th week and Eli won his in the 6th week. We will definitely not ever play i9 tee ball if I have any say about it but it's been a mostly enjoyable experience and it's been great to get the boys exposed to sports.

Eli continues to love his new daycare and says, "this is my favorite daycare and I don't ever want to move to another one" which makes my heart happy. In the picture below, he's riding around with Tortuga, the class pet. He was able to take him home for the weekend and we had to document all the things they did together and then add our page in "Tortuga's Adventure Book" which was neat.


Aiden has continued to do really well in school and is reading like a champ. The past 2 weeks have been Dr. Seuss theme and he came home off the bus like this the other day. They read Horton Hears a Who and had a blast. His teacher is just fabulous and even made green eggs and ham for them one morning when they read that book. I was shocked when Aiden told me that the liked it because I would have put money that he wouldn't even have tried a bite of it. He's world is expanding everyday and he's doing so much better with food and trying things.

We took he boys to Dairy Queen last Saturday night and we had a blast. Eli has been begging us for ice cream and we got some coupons at the Monster Jam so we decided to use them. We had a nice time sitting outside and just chatting away during dinner. It was dessert time and it also started to get cold outside so we went inside and had dessert. Eli ordered a cone and Aiden ordered a Dilly Bar. The awesome thing was that Aiden didn't get sick from it. I was nervous to let him have it but he didn't start itching or anything which is promising. We may try pudding soon for him as a dessert if he wants. 

I volunteered Aiden's school for Jump Rope for Heart and he said, "can you come early and have lunch with me?" How could I turn that down? I went early and had lunch with him and then was even paired with his class (and another) as the volunteer so I went around from station to station with his class. It was fun and I wish I could have stayed for a few other classes to help out but that was not an option. Nana was nice enough to volunteer for a time slot too. Speaking of Nana. She's had to go a few months without any medication for her MS and it's wearing her down. She's a huge help for the boys and I because she pretty much packs both their lunches the night before. Here she is below playing with new flashcards that I got for Aiden. They are playing a game and adding up their cards and the person with the highest total gets the cards. It's like math war and it's great that Aiden thinks it's a fun game. 

Brad and I were lucky enough (thanks to Nana) to escape for a night and go to Gainesville to watch the Lady Gators do some awesome gymnastics.

It's been very hectic and I think I am done teaching my on-line classes. I'm not being able to be the kind of teacher I want and I am also failing at being the kind of mom I want to be so something has to go. I love teaching in the classroom so I will stay with Jacksonville University and I even get to teach 2 classes next fall. I have no idea what I'm going to do this summer because I'm not sure if I can handle both boys home for the entire summer. That would be a first for me. If my narcolepsy is under control and we can find some other kids to play with, it could be a lot of fun. I think we have also finally found a church. We've tried a couple of churches but I think we've finally found one we can call home and stay at. It's called Journey and it's much different from what we are used to but ... hopefully it will work. Brad signed me up to join the softball team and we both were able to play last week which was a ton of fun. I was so incredibly sore after not playing for so many years but it was fun. We were supposed to play again on Friday night but the games were called off because of all the rain. It's the first time in a long time that I've actually looked forward to doing something because it's something fun rather than a chore or something on my "to-do" list. Hopefully I can get myself in a different gear and be able to post more. I say this is going to be the boys' scrapbook but it's not a great scrapbook if I can't write and post pictures more. Here's praying I can be better at time management or being okay at something being "average" rather than great and allowing myself more time for other things.

1/31 - Tee ball and Eli in therapy now

I'm not really sure where the month just went but I but hurry and post this. The first 1.5 weeks of the year were great because we were a family still. But then Brad had to leave again to go out on the ship for almost a month. We enjoyed being a family and finally got a tiny glimpse of what that may look like here in Florida. It's been a tough 6.5 months with Brad being gone for 6 months of that time almost. That is the life of a military family who gets really bad luck with orders and deployments :(

Once Brad was home and saw Eli's daycare situation, we decided we really did need to change. The new place that we chose is so very expensive (and it's the only place where we have to pack his lunch - even crazier why it's so expensive) BUT it's totally worth it. He LOVES it!!! I think morning time is horrible right but that should change in a few more months. Right now, since it's been so cold, they won't let the kids go outside and play like is on the schedule. Instead (this is the part that kills me) they have them sit on a carpet and read to them for 30 minutes!!! What? Sure, let's trade exercise for something completely sedentary and boring for that long for 3 and 4 yr olds. Besides that, he loves his 2 teachers and says "I never want to change daycares again. I love this place." Music to my hears. :)

So Nana's birthday was on January 4th and we had a little party for her here. The boys (headed by Brad) made Nana a cake and frosted it. We took it easy during the day and then Aiden invited Nana into his tent set-up in his room in the evening. After dinner we we had some cake and Nana got to open her presents and she got some new jewelry so she can get all fancy.

The first part of January had pretty nice weather. Here are the boys on a dirt mound. I had to post the close up rather than the other picture I had because I needed to be able to see Eli's crazy one-eye closed pose and Aiden's typical I'm-trying-to-smile but won't look at the camera face. These boys crack me up.

We had some fun while Aiden still was out of school. He had break for 21 days which is a lot. While I was trying to do laundry the boys got their sheets out of the closet and it was quite funny how long they entertained themselves with crib-size fitted sheets.

Aiden "Smarty Pants"

Eli "Speedy Pants"

We signed the boys up for i9 t-ball and it started the second saturday in January. The first day was crazy with the coaches kids' not wanting to be separated at all from them and then no one really having any idea what was going on. Aiden and Eli hit like champs off the tee which was cool. Eli would hit the ball and then run to get it. He cracks me up. We finally got him to run the bases and on his second (and last) at-bat he still picks up the ball that was thrown/rolled to almost home base and yells "touchdown" as he crosses the plate and then hands the ball to the head lady. Oh my. Needless to say, he had quite a few parents laughing. Aiden did well but I needed to explain the game to them a bit more before we went. Aiden retrieved the ball a few times in the field and then just would chase around the other kid running. Eli did the same thing and finally got the kid out right before they touched home plate. It was very comical. Eli thinks it's funny when people swing and miss the ball on the tee and then he laughs. I told him that wasn't nice the first week and we talked about it. The second week he did the same thing and that weeks lesson was on respect so needless to say, a coach went over and talked to Eli for a minute.



In an effort to make them better a t-ball, I got out our tee which our movers damaged and taped it back up. I also found a bat and wanted to at least teach the boys how to hold the bat. Eli looks so very uncomfortable and has a really had time remembering how to even try and hold it. After this week in therapy, I understand why more since he doesn't have the trunk rotation that most kids have. Aiden did better but doesn't want to turn his face forwards which is weird to me. For right now, we are teaching Eli as a righty but when Brad gets back I might have him try as a lefty. Aiden is definitely a lefty.


On the same day the boys had t-ball for the first day, we also had tickets to the circus, which the boys have never been to before. They enjoyed it for a bit and the motorcycles in the ball were their favorite part. Eli was done with it about half-way through because he was so tired (he still normally naps) and then Aiden started asking how much longer it was. We stayed for the whole thing but as soon as we got in to the van and started driving this is what we found. I cannot even remember the last time Aiden took a rest; especially in the van (he can't sleep in the van usually). I also realized how cheap I am because the prices at the circus were just insane. It was about $11 for a snow cone or bag of popcorn. Just insane.





The boys have been asking me for a sleepover and then I realized that they haven't slept in the same room since we moved here. In AL they shared a room and then we had a toy room but we separated them since Aiden wasn't napping and Eli was and it was making thing challenging. I let them stay up and be pretty quite for a while but at about 8:45/9:00 I told them they had to go to sleep. Aiden usually falls asleep within minutes of tucking him in so he was beyond exhausted the next day since he didn't get near as much sleep as he is used to.



Last week after t-ball the boys decided to go next door and make paths in the empty lot next to us. They would take the shovel and walk around the lot with the tip of the shovel in the dirt and then come they would both line up and follow the path all around and then they would switch and the other would draw the path. It's so funny how they can actually entertain themselves if we let them. If this world of electronic driven junkie kids (mine included often), it's nice just to give them some toys/tools and be outside and see what they will do.


This picture of Aiden and Eli is too precious. It was right after rest time and Aiden needed to read me his book and Eli came in right as Aiden started to read so Aiden just read the book to Eli as I watched. Too precious. Let's talk about reading. Aiden is doing awesome. He knew a handful of sight words before he started Kindergarten but has just done awesome learning how to read. He just got moved up to D level books (it only goes to E in the system his teacher uses) and that is beyond a K level anyway. His teacher told us he has all his K sight words down and there are 3-4 in the first grade list that he didn't know but to move on to the 2nd grade list. Just amazing. He will only check out non-fiction books at the library which cracks me up but he's doing a great job of reading.

Eli started occupation therapy a few weeks ago. He is going to the same place that Aiden went when he did therapy in Jacksonville and we were fortunate enough to have Mrs. Lisa (who was Aiden's therapist) to work with him. She tested him and has been seeing him for the past couple weeks. I never realized how much he does actually struggle with some stuff and how much work he needs to do. He has mid-line stuff going on as well as bilateral problems and trunk stability and rotation issues. He's not really enjoying t-ball right now and I think a lot of it is that he can't physically move how he needs to be able to do stuff. At least now that he's working with Mrs. Lisa he will slightly entertain doing therapy stuff at home  which he wouldn't do before. Even stuff I would have him do for fun (which was never fun because it's so hard because of his issues) he would just quit on. Mrs. Rusty was the queen of obstacle courses so Aiden helps me make them and then Aiden and Eli do them. Aiden would do them all day and Eli asks if he has to do it "just once?" They are so different. I'm not sure how we ended up with 2 kids with sensory processing stuff but they are opposite. Eli likes loud, physical stuff and Aiden ... does not.

This was one our our at-home courses: I pick out 3-4 colored mini cotton balls and showed Eli. He had to remember the colors and then had to jump 10 times on the tramp, jump with 2 feet over the tubes, crawl with the tunnel stuffed with pillows and blanket so that he can barely fit, then pick out the color cotton balls, go back through the tunnel, over the tubes and back to the drop-off area where he had put his cotton balls down and use the thongs to pick them up and put them in the cup. We then compared his cup with my cup (where the original cotton balls were at) to see if he was right.

Here is another picture of the boys doing a "challenge" that I gave them one night (Eli doesn't like doing therapy so I have to try and make it fun or a game). They had to pull the tube all the way out and then push it back in. Eli (in the red jammies) was seriously concentrating to push it all back together. I have to let him wear it like a belt after he pulls it out because that's the only joy he gets from this. Aiden will do it all day because it's fun and that's just Aiden. :)

The boys really are too cute. I've been having some listening issues with them lately so I've gone back to my Celebrate Calm CD's and have established a few rules and incentives to get us back on track. These boys really do love each other.














Wednesday this past week marked the 100th day for the kids in Clay County Schools. It's big deal although I don't remember ever celebrating 100 days. This was Aiden's crown that the made and he's wearing 100 fruit loops as a necklace. His teacher did some pretty fun stuff for his class that day.



Here are some random pictures of the boys and I playing around. In this first one Eli is trying to stand on my leg and is being completely silly and then started to fall down. Aiden gets the photo credit for that picture. In the picture below, Aiden is now balancing and also laughing a lot so it looks like there is something in his mouth. I've had to play with them every now and then for them to get a similar experience to when daddy is here (although daddy is so much better).








I then got a really good workout by dragging the kids around the track (a pathway in our house where we play tag and chase - in the living room, through the kitchen and back to the living room) in their sleeping bags. Aiden is actually strong enough to pull Eli but it's a relatively slow pace and Eli only functions at a really high pace or completely sedentary. It's also good therapy for Aiden so it actually really worked out for all of us.





I have some more therapy pictures to post in the next few days but those will have to wait. I'm teaching at JU in the classroom again this semester but only have to go in 2 days a week (versus 3 last semester) and am teaching 2 on-line courses for the College of Southern Maryland. I was a bit too ambitious this semester and realize that next spring semester will have to be very different with Brad deploying for 9 months. I'm a little too busy at the moment but my commitments have been made and I can't change anything now. I'm trying to make enough time for Bible Study Fellowship (BSF). It's such a great way to get in the Word and truly learn it but it's also a huge commitment to truly do the work. Brad comes home in just a few days and we are beyond excited.