Needles

So, I don't know if it is really possible to genetically pass down a phobia... but I think we might be living proof it is!

Seth has always been way too scared of needles. He covers his eyes, grabs his arm in pain, and shrieks in aggravation every time a movie feels the need to show a needle piercing some one's skin. He can't watch me get shots... he can't watch the kids get them... and don't even think about telling him he needs one! The flu shot? HA! Donate blood? Not gonna happen. The only time in the 11 years we have been married that he has agreed to have a needle put in his arm... was to draw blood for life insurance. That speaks volumes. I know he must REALLY love us! :) (But we don't need to mention I thought he was going to pass out the whole time it was being done.)

Anyway, somehow Connor seems to have developed this same fear. I mean honestly, who likes to have shots? No one. And who likes to watch them while they give it to you? Only weirdos!

But who screams and cries for days knowing they are going to get a shot? Connor. Who passes up bribes of being able to pick out ANY toy they want at the toy store afterwards if they don't act a crazy fool? Connor does. Who ups and chucks a huge ace garbage can (3 x your size and weight when you are only 4 years old) at the Doctor when he says you need to get a shot? My Connor did. Who has to have his mom hold him down along with FOUR other nurses just to get his vaccinations? Yep, you guessed it, CONNOR! He's never even known until recently that his dad has a similar fear of needles... so it's not like this behavior has been learned. I don't get it!

Now don't get me wrong... my other boys don't like getting their vaccinations either. But they also aren't crazy psychos about it. :)

So when it came time for Connor's 9 year well child check up... the first thing he asks me is if he is getting a shot. I have learned the hard way to be completely honest when it comes to needles. I told him I didn't think he needed anymore vaccinations for awhile... but that there is always a possibility. (I also knew with it being the beginning of flu season... that the Doc might want to give him a flu vaccine.)

He stressed all night and hardly got a wink of sleep. When he had to leave school early for the doctor... he couldn't answer his friends where he was going because if he talked about it he was going to cry.

They called our name and first things first... they took height, weight and blood pressure and sent us on our merry way into our room. 30 seconds later the nurse comes back in , in a bit of a panic, and asks if Connor is feeling okay because his blood pressure is through the roof!! HA! Poor kid! I explained to the nurse his situation. And she said the doc wouldn't let us leave until it was checked again AFTER the check up was finished. (This was a first!)

So the kid lucked out... no vaccinations again until he is 12 and he was able to get the flu mist (they put up your nose) instead of the needle. We ALL breathed a sigh of relief! :)

And sure enough... they took his blood pressure afterwards... and he passed with flying colors! Crazy kid!!! :)

But don't let that fool you. The countdown to the 12th birthday has already begun. And it's NOT because he's looking forward to it!

San Antonio Trip

In April we took a little family vacation to San Antonio. It was a fun filled five days and we were so glad my parents could share this time with us!

We walked down by the River Walk and took a boat ride along the river as we "oohed and ahhed" at all the shops and hotels. It is absolutely beautiful and I would love to go back for a romantic date with Seth sometime. (hint, hint!) But mostly I was just focused on trying to make sure my boys didn't fall in the river as the path runs right along it and there is no rail along the entire thing! :)

Our next stop was the Alamo! We first went to the mall and watched the educational, IMAX movie about it. After trying to answer 507 questions for Connor... we walked across the street and toured the real deal! It was very interesting. Much smaller than I expected. But you could not help but catch the spirit of "Remembering the Alamo". Connor (in all seriousness) wanted to ask everyone he saw "Are you for the Mexicans, or the Texans?" :) He was very pleased to know that even though the Texans had lost the Alamo... Sam Houston later formed an army and beat Santa Anna and his men gaining Texas' independence from Mexico. And now understanding the connection, he thinks living in Houston is even cooler!

Then came two fun filled days of rides, water slides, and shows at Sea World!

The Sea Lion/Otter show was very fun. The little ones loved it and it had a great set and a very cute "mystery" to solve.

I went into the Orca show hating these large mammals. I have seen one too many "Killer Whale" documentaries on the Discovery Channel for me to understand why they are called this. But these magnificent creatures demand respect and you cannot help but be amazed by their beauty. I caught the "BELIEVE" spirit (the name of the show) and felt amazed by all God's creations. A must see, when you are at Sea World!

Destiny and I had a great time off on our own. We got a "behind the scenes" experience with the dolphins. We were able to feed them, pet them, teach them commands and play with them, as well as learn more about them, how they are cared for and what it takes to become a dolphin trainer. I bet you didn't know the first thing they look for is a major in Psychology! (Paired with a minor in just about any science.)

Destiny was in pure heaven and very smitten with a certain dolphin. I personally think she would make a great dolphin trainer and should follow her dreams. BELIEVE Desty! :)

We also got to go see a good friend of mine (Regan!) that lives in San Antonio and spent some much needed catch up time with her and her family. I had not seen her for several years and it was so much fun! Unfortunately, I didn't think to take pictures being the dummy I am.

We had a great time and are already trying to plan our next trip back! :) Next time we want to try tubing down the Guadalupe River for sure!

Don't Hate Me...

Cuz I'm classy!

Today I was in a hurry to pick up Connor and his friend from Nature Camp. I was running late (what's new?) and I rushed the little boys into the car, got them seated and buckled, and jumped in my own seat. I backed up all of three feet before Eli suddenly claimed to need the potty.

Seriously? Why don't they tell me these things BEFORE we are out the door and in the car?? So instead of turning off the car, unlocking the front door, turning off the house alarm, letting Eli use the restroom, resetting the alarm and re-locking the front door... I simply open the van and tell Eli to have at it and pick his favorite spot on the front lawn to christen.

Sometimes I wonder, if given the opportunity... if I would be friends with me!?? :)

Camping

Over a four day weekend in April we decided to go camping at Sommerville Lake with some friends. It was hot and humid, but we didn't know it because we had torrential winds blowing non stop! It made camping life a bit hard, but we learned to like dirt in our food and the feeling of sand whipping against our skin. The wind flattened a few tents in camp as it snapped the poles left and right. 3 of our poles were included in that. But it couldn't keep us down! Good thing I am married to an Engineer who never leaves the house without a roll of twine! (Seriously, he keeps a roll in our car... I guess for just such a situation! :)

But the company more than made up for the high speed winds! We fished, swam, played in the sand, took bike rides, had cook outs, played in the fields, explored, enjoyed campfires (minus the fire part), and just enjoyed nature and all the play time!

And everyday when it was the hottest... or the wind was the strongest... (yes, that could mean multiple times in one day)... we would all head to the Blue Bell Factory (a short drive away) and enjoy the A/C, windlessness of it all and fill up on dollar scoops of the best ice cream money can buy! Pretty sure my kids ate at least 4 scoops each day! And when our tummies could hold no more... we just sat... and talked... for hours. You couldn't make us leave! Pretty sure they loved our dirty, smelly bunch!

And even though Blue Bell was only like a 15 min drive away... our kids would pass out each day on the way to and from. Camping is hard work! :)

And let's not forget our dear friend, the snake. He was spotted the last night in our camp and heading straight for our OPEN tent! I almost had a heart attack. Thanks to an axe and some one's wilderness skills... we were able to take care of business. (Thank goodness! There was some debate about whether to kill the snake, or not. I mean really? It was like midnight, pitch black, we did not know what kind of snake it was, and it was headed toward MY tent! Kill the sucka! :)

One could say I am not a fan of snakes. In fact, I have nightmares about snakes pretty regularly. Does that make it a phobia? Anyway, after all the drama I was pretty worked up (to say the least) and demanded Seth take us all home right then. Don't worry, he flat out ignored me and went right back to sleep... along with every other normal person in our camp site. Which means I had a very uncomfty, sleepless night ahead of me in the van. Good thing I have one of the best friends ever... and she slept in the van with me to keep me company, take my mind off of it all, and help me feel safe. (Wait, isn't that my husband's job?? Good for nothin... ;)

Dallin's 2 yr old pics

I finally updated Dallin's pictures. So lil' Dal had his two year old pics taken in April (yes, three months away from turning three... and yes, the last time he had professional pics taken he was 3 months old) so you all can stop judging me now! :)

He's one cute kid! Pretty sure I could turn some of these into a modeling agency and be making millions! ;) But we'll just stick with running around in our undies all day long, catching frogs, and ramming trucks into Mom's walls.

Mother of the Year

If after reading this post you don't want your kid to come over to our house to play anymore... I understand. But only if it's because you don't want your child around me. If it is because you don't want your child around Connor-- it's your loss. I'd go down swinging before I'd let his name be dragged through the mud. Connor has a heart of gold and is a good kid. He just has a troubled mother is all! :)

Let's establish this first. Connor is a big believer in abiding by rules... following them... keeping the commandments... and all that jazz. That's not a bad thing. But so much so, that if he weren't Mormon, I might think he would grow up to be some traveling Evangelical Preacher standing on roof tops and crying everyone to repentance if they don't change their ways. Okay, he still might? He doesn't like to mess up... and I can promise you that when he knows he made a mistake... NO ONE can punish him more than he does himself. It's quite worrisome for us at times, actually.

So, let's start at the beginning. All year there has been a particular child in Connor's class who has persistently teased and tormented Connor. He tells Connor he has a big head, he looks weird, he has too many freckles, he doesn't like his red hair, makes fun of his stuttering, the list goes on. He tackles him at recess during soccer or football games when Connor does not even have the ball. He teases him for playing with other kids. He throws things at Connor in the class room. He tears up his homework into a million pieces on the bus. If you ask me, he just wants Connor's attention and to be Connor's friend... and doesn't know how to go about it. But that does not give him the right to treat my son the way he does. I thought about going to the school about it... but I did not think it was bad enough to be considered "bullying". I'm still not sure it is? One second it seems like they were friends... the next Connor is crying his eyes out over something this kid did to him.

Connor has come to me many times over the year with these issues. To which often lead to the following conversation: (Here's where my fabulous parenting skills kick in!)

Me: "So then tell the teacher!"

Connor: "I do! But the teachers always just say, "Are you bleeding? Then don't tattle."

Me: (Sympathetically understanding this concept because my three kids tattle non stop on each other and it drives me crazy... I couldn't imagine having 20 kids tattling on each other all day, every day.) "Well, then turn around and punch him!!"

Connor: "But you always say I am not supposed to fight! I'll get in trouble."

Me: "Sometimes a kid like that needs to be hit. Better make sure it is hard the first time. You hit him once and he probably won't ever bug you again."

Yes, I truly had this conversation with my son... and here's where it gets better... not just once, but I probably had this talk at least three times over the course of this last school year.

Well, it looks like he may have taken me up on my advice!

I get a phone call from the Assistant Principle saying he has Connor in In-School-Suspension for fighting. And he will be in there for three days. I was in shock. MY Connor? He did not tell me the name of the other kid... but he did not need to. I immediately knew who it was.

Here's how it reportedly went down:

The kids were playing a game of "Cops and Robbers" on recess. This "kid" (to protect the guilty, I won't say his name) wanted to play. The other kids and Connor did not want said kid to play because he "doesn't play by the rules" (according to the teacher) "cheats" according to Connor. But Kid jumped into the game and started to play anyway. Connor told him to leave. Kid kept playing. Connor got mad... and pushed Kid. Kid pushed Connor back, jumped on his back and bit him on the shoulder. While Kid was still on Connor's back... Connor elbowed him in the stomach. That is when the fight got broken up.

According to Connor, this was Kid's THIRD ISS for fighting at school. Obviously, this is Connor's first. They both got the same punishment. Turns out the school has some lame "Zero Tolerance" rule for fighting. Okay, I AM joking! :) But I don't think they should have gotten the same punishment. Personally, I think Connor's biggest mistake was thinking that he could boss this kid around and decide who could and could not play the game.

Connor did tell me that his teacher (who was not on recess duty that day) did go to the office and try to claim in Connor's behalf it was "self defense" even though she did not see it. Which makes me feel better that without seeing it she felt she could claim this. It makes me feel that she was probably aware of the situation between the two boys and knows how both of them act for better or worse.

So as soon as I got that phone call... the guilt set in. I felt like I should be serving that ISS! Connor was hysterical and uncontrollably sobbing... for about three days straight saying that he was a horrible person and all sorts of personal torment.

I talked to Connor and told him it was wrong to try to tell other people what to do. That he doesn't get to decide things like that and should have found another way to control his temper... that in spite of my best advice, it is in fact wrong to get physical when things don't go our way. He understands this. I then told him I was to blame too because I should have gone to the school a long time ago and made others aware of what was going on... so that it was at least "reported". The next day I did go in and have a one on one with Assistant Principle and explained the same to him, that there have been issues between the two boys all year, but that I supported Connor's punishment and asked that the two boys NOT be in the same classroom next year.

Side note: Connor told me later that in ISS they told him that if they fought in Middle School... they wouldn't go to ISS, but that they would go to jail! They were asked if that was were they wanted to go and showed them pictures. I found this a bit funny. I guess their scare tactics worked... he's totally freaked over it! :)

As part of Connor's ISS he had to write a Speech about fighting and present it to the Kindergartners. He was mortified!!! He did not want to do this. But he wrote a honest and sincere speech during his lunch and recess time and presented it to those kids. He did such a good job he was asked to give it to the first graders too (if he wanted to). To which Connor kindly bowed out. :) (He has a buddy in first grade and was terrified he'd find out!)

I fully plan on posting the speech when I get a chance. It is pretty cute. :)

Overall, I would say this was a good learning experience for the both of us! Take my advice... Don't tell your kids to punch other kids. It just may come back to bite you in the butt!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! ( a wee late)

Our St. Patrick's Day party was a big success this year. It fell over Spring Break and we invited a few new families into the green chaos. We had a green potluck breakfast. (We provided green pancakes and rainbow shaped platters of fruit and let everyone else bring a green side. We had green donuts, and green shamrock shaped banana muffins, and well... I can't remember what else people came up with because it was over two months ago! :) We all feasted like fat leprechauns and then played some fun games of hot potato (to Irish music), tied green balloons to the kids feet and made them dance an Irish jig as they tried to pop each other's balloons, and the hunt for the leprechaun's pot of gold as the grand finale!

Eli and his BFF, Rani.

(His shirt that HE picked out says, "Irish girls love me!" :)

The goal for this year's "treasure hunt" was to help the kids learn a little more about St. Patrick's Day (other than to just wear green. :) Here were my awesome clues:

1. Me name's a Danny O'Brian

and I'm a leprechaun ya see.

I'm small and clever

and you'll never want to take yer eyes off me.

(I then explained what leprechauns were (not all the kids knew!) and that according to Irish folklore if you keep your eyes on them they can't escape... but as soon as you do... they disappear.)

Us Leprechauns like to hide our treasure.

To find it...

You'll have to prove yourself beyond measure!

Me travels have been long

and me bladder is wee

I skipped to the loo my darlin'

and took meself a green pee.

(This clue is a kid favorite and I use it in my treasure hunt each year. They have to find the bathroom with the green food coloring in the toilet water to find the next clue.)

2. Thee flag of me land is beautiful

and brings me much pride.

Yell yer mum the colors

and you'll find yer next hide.

(They had to figure out where leprechauns are from: Ireland. And then had to figure out what are the colors of their flag: orange, white and green... once they got it right, I pulled the next clue out of my pocket)

3. I'm a prankster by night,

and a shoemaker by day.

But if ye want me to fix yer stanky shoes

you'll have to triple the pay!

(more folklore that leprechauns are shoemakers. clue hidden in one of Seth's stinky shoes:)

4. St. Patrick was a saintly man,

one of the best I knew.

Tell yer Dad the day he died

and you'll earn yer next clue.

(March 17th- believe it or not, this was one of the hardest clues for the kids to solve! We then talked a little bit about who St. Patrick really was. The next clue was on Seth)

5. If you got this far

ye must think yer pretty smart

I hid the next clue

on an Irish piece of Art.

(Hidden behind a framed piece of Celtic Art that my mom gave me when I got married)

6. Look for the symbol of Ireland.

It represents divinity...

The Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost,

and is a symbol for the trinity.

(Answer: Shamrock. Then they had to find a shamrock that was hidden in the house to get the next clue)

7. As I walked on by

I saw a lovely lass with eyes of blue

she stole me heart

and yer next clue!

(I have an Irish doll with red hair and blue eyes my mom also gave me... under her hat was the next clue. It took them awhile to figure out it was a doll and not an actual person this time. :)

8. I've got this on me side,

but you'll need it more.

It comes from four leaf clovers...

if you believe in this Irish folklore.

(Answer: Luck. Then they had to figure out to look behind my cute letters that spell LUCK to find the next clue.)

9. Ahhh, ye kids are clever

and me gold is hidden nearby.

It's hidden in a place warm and dark

and keeps me britches dry.

Answer: In the dryer! :) (It has to be hidden somewhere the kids won't see it while playing and eating and hunting!) Yes, it was my best treasure hunt yet. Pretty sure I should stop this year while I am on top. :)

The kids waiting patiently to divvy up the pot o gold!

The gold here is butterscotch candy, Rollos, Hershey Secret Treasures (gold bricks), and Chocolate gold coins. Basically anything wrapped in gold foil works great! Also I put individual packages of Skittles at the bottom this year (for the non-chocolate lover kids) to "taste the rainbow". Yes, I am a genius. :)

Till next year... may you have Love and Luck at your side always!!