Happy Mothers Day

Happy Mothers to all of you mom's, aunts, and grandmothers....

My day started as usually making breakfast for everyone and then running to a ball game (Zach's first one of the season...pictures later)....and then cleaning up a gory, nasty mess from Maddie all afternoon (did I mention that it included a good 4 different diaper changes).....so much for sleeping in, getting served breakfast in bed, taking a nap and overall relaxing...maybe next year when Mike returns home!

So an email arrived last week that lists the difference between special needs moms and regular moms. I totally could see myself in that list. So for all you mom's out there...enjoy this list and count your blessings!

By Dawn Villarreal, One Place for Special Needs, May 2010
"Moms, a stranger walks among you. We look like regular moms, but we are the hybrid to your standard engine. Our child's disability altered us, enhanced us. Many words describe us: resilient, creative, protective, emb lodened, sympathetic, fierce and determined. We are speical needs moms. How do our lives stand apart from your own? Take a look the hood and see for yourself.

Regular moms tell their kids to wake up and get dressed in the morning. And they do it. Special needs moms put on battle gear to get our kids ready to start their day.

regular moms ask their kids if they brushed their teeth. Special needs moms prompt, "brush your top teeth. Brush your bottom teeth. Did you get the sides? Open your mouth. My God, give me that toothbrush! You've left half your meal in there."

Regular moms wave goodbye as their kids run off to catch the school bus. Special needs moms get awesome door-to-door bus service for their child.

Regular moms know the names of all their friends. Special needs moms know most of their friends by their username.

(my addition: regular moms know the names of the kid's friends and classmates....speical needs moms hope and pray their child has A friend)

Regular moms judge other moms when kids have tantrums in stores. Special needs moms say to themselves, "Hmm, I wonder which disability he has?"

Regular moms complain about driving their kids to sports and reacreation classes. Special needs mom grin and bear the weekly trips to tutors, doctors and therapists.

Regular moms' kids have a teacher. Speical needs moms' kids have a TEAM.

Regular moms talk about accomplishments. Special needs moms talk about skills, as in play skills, conversation skills, life skills, social skills and vocational skills.

Regular moms relax with their kids during the summer. Special needs moms start their second job as home teachers, therapists and skills coaches.

Regular moms think accomodations refer to hotels. Special needs moms have memorized the top 20 accomendations for their child.

Regular moms hope their child finds a good career. Special needs moms are hopeful someone gives our child the chance to work.

Regular moms soak in the tub when they want to unwind. Special needs moms consider a bathroom break a luxury.

Regular moms enjoy reading the latest best selling book. Special needs moms should receive an honorary degree for all the disability books they've read.

Regular moms go out for dinner and a movie with their husbands every month. Speical needs moms have a date night with their husbands every....wait, what decade is this?

Regular moms complain their kdis won't eat their vegatables. Special needs moms are so desperate we consider chicken nuggets to be a legitimate meat product and throw in ketchup as a vegetable.

Regular moms' kids go to play groups. Special needs moms' kids go to therapy groups.

Regular moms meet for a ladies night out. Special needs moms get together at a support groups and forums.

Regular moms have medical claim forms that fit into one file folder. Special needs moms will tell you a small forest was cut down so we could receive our claims.

Regular moms think OT means overtime. Special needs moms know more acronyms than a NASA engineer.

Regular moms have time to cook a full dinner every evening. Speical needs moms will never admit how many times we've picked up fast food.

Regular moms complain their husbands sit on the couch while they do all the work. Special needs moms...well how about that? Some things do stay the same! "

Where did MARCH go???

I am just going to type one big blog for the month of March because it literally flew by.

1. First we started off with a wonderful two week visit from Grandpa and Mimi (grandparents from Alabama)...Eddie wasted no time in tackling my to-do list and Mimi was a tremendous help around the house....she cleaned and did laundry like nobodies business. They also took Zach to ice skating lessons, golf lessons, Maddie to therapies and celebrated in her school birthday party (video on that later...sooo cute)...and took Ash to school when she "missed" the bus or picked her up from school track. I hated to watch them go!

2. Due to the in-laws visit I got to fly to Maine to see my best friend from college, "Bubblebut." Christy and I spent an entire weekend shopping, eating and hiking (not to mention we almost died). I even got to meet and greet and approve of the new boyfriend:) I had not been back to Maine since college oh, so long ago...I forgot just how beautiful it is! It went by way to fast so I am hoping for a speedy engagement/wedding soon!!!!! he he he

3. Returned from my relaxing weekend and went right into party mood. Madison turned four and is now one year seizure free. So I decided we do 4 right and we had a big "horsey" theme party. My great neighbor Theresa took over the cake duties and produced a fantastic horse and even showed me how to make horse cupcakes....so so cute. The kids had a horse pinata, decorated wooden horse shoes, ran a sugar cube race, played pin the tail on the horse then went in search of the missing horses. I believe it was a good party had by all. Madison is still slowing opening her gifts.

4. However, I believe the biggest gift was the one of her Daddy showing up on her birthday! Yes, yes, yes, he suprised us all and made his journey of 20+ hours, got a ride from a stranger, and ended up in the house undetacted prior to our arrival home with last minute party things. It was a wonderful suprise.

5. We then spent several days resting from the party and suprise. We headed down to Alabama for Easter. We started our morning with a service with Grandmommy and then home to a wonderful Easter dinner....the kids were able to find all the eggs the "Big Bunny" hid however, he forgot how warm AL gets in the early afternoon so most of the chocolate eggs had melted.....then we got back in the car headed toward Birmingham were we spent the night with Uncle Phillip and Aunt Kristin. Kristin and I headed out for a girls dinner (never ever happened in our eight years of marriage)....we had a wonderful gab session, wished lived closer together.

6. The next day Mike and his brother got up early (before dark, ugh...we are on vacation) to go play a round of golf.

They returned home to a packed car. We loaded up and headed to Pensacola, FL for a much needed vacation. We checked into Portofino resort (highly recommend) and spent the 5 days playing in the pools, building sandcastles and eating out....Pensacola was a beautiful vacation we did not want it to end. However, all good things must come to an end....

Mike took the kids to see the Navy Blue Angels....they said it was a great show!

Our condo is behind us....look at that white sand!

7. We packed up the car again and drove to the University of Alabama. Apparently, Ashley is thinking this is where she wants to go to college so we took a trip there to walk around the campus and of course eat. It is a beautiful campus, people are friendly, however it isn't THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY (I am a bit bias I know) we got back in the car and drove up to Huntsville, AL stay one night with Grandpa and Mimi and left the next afternoon for Ohio. It was a long drive but the kids hung in there.

Not sure who that coach is???? Anybody????

8. Mike left this past Monday to finish is deployment (Zachary and I took him to the airport in the afternoon - poor guy's flight was delayed so that added an additional hour). Back to life, back to reality, back to being a single, stressed out parent.....is that how the song goes????

9. So here we are...it is now 17 April and I am finally back on the blog...trying to get my desk cleaned off, house cleaned and the lawn mowed and to top it off my on-line school homepage has changed and I can't figure it out!!!!!!!! Here's hoping April will slow down!

Cast video

Cast Comes Off

"The Saw"

"Its off"

"What was in here?"

Madison finally got her cast off yesterday....I think I was more worked up about it then she was. In the end she did great, no crying or trying to jerk her arm away. Way to go Maddie....

PS -- x-rays look great too!

Stir Crazy at its best....

Ok, so being cooped up in the house with three kids drove me to insanity....no seriously, I have always disliked the toilet paper holder and towel rack so I took a hammer to them...only to realize that what the builders used was for tile so they cut into the dry wall to hang those two things up...ugh...no I have to figure out how to fix the holes....fun, fun, fun

Daddy's Valentine

"Will you be mine, Daddy?"

Snow Snow Snow

Here is Ashley measuring the second big "SNOW" storm this year....yes that is a grand total of 9 new inches.....fun stuff, fun stuff