tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220398602024-02-21T09:38:57.003-05:00Are We There Yet?We are a Catholic, homeschooling family of 8 who eats gluten free, casein (dairy) free and uses as many organic and locally grown foods as possible. We are in constant motion, growth, change and hopefully maturity. We are constantly learning and finding new ways to provide the best for our family. Come join us as we search for the answer every kid asks on the journey to some place new...are we there yet?Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.comBlogger249125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-15377629684730648292012-03-28T16:07:00.002-04:002012-03-28T16:13:46.841-04:00Where Does The Time Go?I swore to myself that I would be better about posting to my blog this year. I wanted to at least "beat" my postings from last year. Here we are in March with February long gone...and I've posted nothing new. I haven't posted a pik of Joshua in his new super cool glasses, or how we have rearranged our house...again...to accomadate our ever growing family of 8, or about how Mike's never ending quest for a full time job is taking all of his time, or even about how we are trying to put all of our trust and faith in God to help us through out it all. <br /><br />It is a balance of many things that keeps this family up and running each and every day, and my blog is only one of the many, non-priority things, that takes a back seat.<br /><br />Don't lose faith my friends...we are still here and we are still fighting the good fight. School for us will be done by mid April, (that's what happens when you start school in July), so after administering their final exams and getting our school room cleaned up and ready for the upcoming year...maybe, just maybe I will have the time to post some pix and talk about all the things that are Ouellette...and there is quite a bit to catch up on!! :0)Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-42732736442343692712012-02-06T11:10:00.004-05:002012-02-06T11:49:26.521-05:00Glad January Is Over...OH MY GOODNESS! I am so thankful it is February. January proved to be a very interesting month for us and I am so glad it is over.<br /><br />We are all much healthier now, only having a little sniffle and cough, and are praying that we are done with major financial issues for a little while at least!<br /><br />As I hinted to in my last post, during our time with all the kids sick we had to deal with an unexpected situation...and now we have this:<br /><br /><br /><p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5706056693494706322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXd2g9LRISqtS2h8oIiqgIqgDZi-BHg26cauA87sIj_SM_fEWmycBsy7hit9okXoSj14GZN5XnCe8GwFsHdEeKsJunzqMOBbm6pP5jt4BgtwIVr_Y4EPKPDUAL4VhHNJkVxjR3aw/s320/DSCN8847.JPG" />Yes, this our latest addition to the family. It is a 2008 Ford <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Econoline</span> 350 12-passenger van. We have lovingly nicknamed her "<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ginormica</span>". (watch Monsters vs. Aliens and you'll see why). We have been in need of a bigger vehicle since the day we brought Sarah home because our conversion van only seated 7 people. That meant we had to put Ethan in the front seat with either Mike or I sitting on the floor when we went anywhere together. It was either that or two vehicles, and with gas prices where they are...the van was costly enough.</p>On Saturday, January 7<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span>, we decided to take our sick children out for a ride because they needed to get out of the house. At the time they only had conjunctivitis, but just before we left Caleb throw up in the van. We weren't sure if it was due to coughing and crying, or if he actually he had a stomach bug, but decided to continue with our plans to run some errands. We had to go to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Walgreens</span> to pick up another bottle of eye drops and pulled into the drive-up. It was taking forever so Mike turned the engine off...it refused to start 15 min. later when we were done. A customer in a pick up truck pushed us out of the drive up and we called AAA, my sister and my father-in-law. We don't know anyone who has enough room to get all of the kids home.<br /><br /><p>Long story short, the vehicle started a couple of times before AAA got there, but we didn't want to take a chance. We had it towed to our mechanic who after the weekend informed us that he couldn't find anything wrong with it. However, due to the size of the fuel tank, (32 gallons) and the vehicle he couldn't put it on a lift to follow up on more diagnostics. So, we drove it over to Bonneville and Son. We had purchased this vehicle from them in 2008 just before the twins were born. After they took a look at it, they too couldn't find a reason why it wouldn't start as it started just fine and the fuel pump looked okay. It did need a new radiator, a radiator flush, some new lines and a thermostat, (all the reasons why the heater wasn't working all that great). However, he needed us to come down to show us a much bigger problem...<br /><p>He wasn't kidding. It is only due to God's good grace that we found out the way we did. It could have been much worse. The whole front end frame that basically holds up the engine and front end of the vehicle was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">severely</span> rotted and rusted through. I honestly don't know how the front end had stayed up driving over all the potholes and frost heaves we have around here. We could look right through the frame. It wouldn't have been seen unless the tires were removed. In any case, after an estimate it was determined that we would have to sink at least $7000 into the van to fix it up, and be without it for at least a week or two.</p>We made the decision to scrap it, and buy something else...enter <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">Ginormica</span>. Our salesman, Dan <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-error">Reitz</span>, from Bonneville and Son has and was awesome. This was the third time we've purchased a vehicle from him, and he went above and beyond his job to help us out. He was able to get $2500 for trade in on our van, and then began looking for a van for us. They didn't have any in their inventory so they had to look for vans at other dealers and then work out a deal to purchase it for us to then buy from them. He even brought a van to the house so Mike and I could test drive it, and try placing car seats in it. We eventually bought the one we test drove, and he brought all the paperwork to our house to sign.<br /><br /><p>In January we had very sick children, no van, our furnace died, and one of Mike's crowns decided to fall out. Through it all, we are still able to see God's blessings despite all of the financial setbacks. God is good all the time and all the time God is good!!!</p>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-53299483381220324712012-01-14T20:20:00.003-05:002012-01-14T21:55:11.615-05:00Sorry, We've Been SickThat's actually an understatement for what it is that we have been. As a matter of fact, I'm hoping that because we have been continuously sick since just before Christmas, we will have had a little bit of everything and can consider it out of our systems for the rest of the winter...hmmm, ya I know, probably not.<br /><br />In any case, here is our story... <br /><br />The week of Christmas up through the week of New Years the three youngest kiddos had croup. It wasn't as bad as it can usually get because we caught it early enough on Caleb that when Elijah and Sarah started with the symptoms we began the same treatment. The other kids had the same virus but other than high fevers, runny noses and vomiting once for both Joshua and Rebekah didn't end up with the same croupy cough. <br /><br />I had hoped that 2012 would start off a bit healthier...hahaahahahha, not really sure why I thought that because the second round of illnesses began with Sarah who developed conjunctivitis on the evening of my last post...the 4th. I began the eye drops on Thursday afternoon, just in time for Joshua to also come down with it. (Side note: Joshua is by far the worst child to get sick with anything! With all of his sensory issues...oy!) I had hoped that I would be able to keep it contained to those two, but then Elijah came down with it on Friday night. <br /><br />Saturday was a day that we would love to forget as nothing really went well that day. (There will be another post later regarding why this really was a day better forgotten) Even though we had a late start to breakfast, (not because we slept in or anything crazy like that) I wanted to get the kids out of the house because of the nice weather and I figured I could run the zillion errands that needed to be run at the same time. As Mike backed the van out of the driveway, Caleb (who still had a cough from the croup) decided to throw up after coughing and crying all at the same time. Mike pulled the van back in and we dragged Caleb inside to clean him up, shower him, put new clothes on him and get him back out to the van. We agreed that it was most likely due to coughing and crying at the same time and thought nothing of it. He ended up throwing up for the next 24 hours!<br /><br />At that point, I figured I was doomed and started treating my eyes for conjunctivitis as they were getting itchy and slightly goopy anyway. Then on Monday night, after recovering from a stomach bug, Caleb started with conjunctivitis and Sarah took a turn for the worst. I brought her to the doctors on Tuesday to check for ear infections, but she was clear. The doctor switched her eye ointment to eye drops and we started another seven days of treatment for her. (For those of you who have never dealt with or don't remember the dosing for this is 2 drops per eye 4x a day...per kid!!!) Within 24 hours her eyes began clearing up and Mike and I thought that maybe we were getting to the other side of it. <br /><br />Oh no, we weren't. Caleb woke up on Thursday morning with enlarged glands down the right side of his neck. He had complained about his ear a little on Tuesday night, but then didn't say anything on Wednesday. Whenever the kids get really congested I will begin putting garlic oil drops in their ears to prevent any kind of inflammation. So, after talking to the doctor I began some homeopathic treatments for him knowing that if he didn't improve by morning, I would have to bring him in to be checked. Well, Elijah decided to wake up at 4am on Friday by throwing up in our bed...sigh...sooo, between Caleb's still enlarged glands and Elijah vomiting every 45 minutes I found myself back at the doctors. This time the diagnosis was; Caleb had a severe double ear infection along with conjunctivitis, and Elijah also had a severe double ear infection with conjunctivitis, but also had bronchitis and some sort of stomach bug. Upon arriving home from the doctors, I discovered that Rebekah had also developed conjunctivitis.<br /><br />That brings us to today. It took most of the day for Elijah to keep anything down but by the end of today he had eaten some toast, a banana and some ginger tea and was playing with Sarah. I'll take that as progress toward feeling better. As for the rest of us, we are on the mend. I'm praying that the stomach bug will stay away from the rest of the kids. Only time will tell. For now we will continue doing eye drops, ear drops, antibiotics and ginger tea for everyone.Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-64214100277808013382012-01-04T09:12:00.004-05:002012-01-04T09:57:43.385-05:00Why We Avoid Food Dyes...And You Should Too!Our diet seems very restrictive to most people. I can certainly see how it would appear that way to a general observer. I can assure you however, that it is anything but. We have had many a family member and friend sit at our table to share a meal with us...sometimes a little unsure of what to expect...walk away saying "wow, that was gluten free, dairy free and good for me?" That's not to pat myself on the back saying what a wonderful cook I am, (or hubby for that matter) but to point to the fact that our diet truly isn't that limited. What we eat is what we <em>should </em>be eating...meats, fruits, vegetables, carbs and healthy fats.<br /><br />You may be asking yourself, "well what about desserts and 'junky' type foods?". Oh, we have our fair share of those too, but not every day. Sometimes not every week. My kids are able to have donuts, brownies, cookies, peanut butter cups, mint chocolates, candy canes, etc. It means making most of it from scratch, or shopping at specialty stores to purchase them...but even those, (to some extent) are either healthy or healthier than their counterparts.<br /><br />Yes, you can find some desserts out there without gluten, dairy and soy...but sometimes they still have a food dye or two in them. Granted most of the organic and dedicated gf/cf vendors wouldn't use those kinds of ingredients in their products to begin with, it's the companies who happen to also make a gf/cf product but still add the food dye, because it's cheaper and they want their product to "look" like their gluten filled counterpart.<br /><br />Why avoid food dyes? Listed below are the most common food dyes, where they are found, and why you should avoid them:<br /><br /><strong><span style="color:#000099;">Blue 1 (brilliant blue FCF):</span></strong> Beverages, candies, baked good, jellies, condiments. (did you know that marshmallows contain blue 1 food dye? It's to make the white more bright.)<br /><em>A potential mitochondrial toxin that inhibits the body's ability to convert food into energy. Could increase cancer risk. Linked to increased hyperactivity in children.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#000066;">Blue 2 (indigotine):</span> </strong>Pet food, beverages, candies, cereals, ice creams.<br /><em>Linked to nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, breathing problems, and increased hyperactivity in children.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">Green 3 (fast green):</span> </strong>Candies, beverages, sherbets, puddings.<br /><em>May inhibit the release of neurotransmitters, preventing nerve impulses. Linked to bladder cancer and increased hyperactivity in children.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">Red 3 (erythrosine):</span> </strong>Canned cherries, candies, baked goods.<br /><em>Associated with thyroid tumors in animals and increased hyperactivity in children. It has been banned for use in cosmetics.</em><br /><em></em><br /><strong><span style="color:#ffff00;">Yellow 6 (sunset yellow FCF):</span></strong> Beverages, sausage, baked goods, candies, gelatin, cereals.<br /><em>May cause adrenal and kidney tumors, nasal congestion, hives, or abdominal pain. Linked to increased hyperactivity in children.</em><br /><em></em><br />Anyone see a common problem here among the food dyes listed??? HYPERACTIVITY. How many of you either have a problem with, know someone who has, or have witnessed the child who fidgets, is restless and is unable to settle down to focus? This is above and beyond the typical active child. When did it become so important that foods should have something other than their natural color when prepared? When did we become so unaware of how are foods are prepared that we've allowed these dyes to become part of our diet every single day? Read your labels...you will be shocked to see which of your foods contain one or more of these dyes. I'm fairly certain you won't die if you stop consuming these foods, but I can't say the same if you ignore the labels and continue to put these toxins in your body. Our bodies just weren't designed to fight the constant onslaught of toxins we introduce to it on a daily basis.<br /><br />Eat healthy this year...if not for yourself, at least for your kids.Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-39630108791100936072012-01-03T10:32:00.004-05:002012-01-03T11:04:02.931-05:00A Blessed RoutineWe have been a homeschooling family since Ethan's first day on <a href="http://www.4moose.blogspot.com/2007/11/first-day-of-school.html">November 5th, 2007</a>. It has been one of the most difficult but rewarding endeavors we have ever been involved in. It means that I am able to be home with my children 24/7 to not only teach them, but give them an environment and opportunity to thrive.<br /><br />For those of you who don't know, we currently homeschool Ethan in 3rd grade, Joshua in 1st grade, and Rebekah in K. We are currently in week 22, the 3rd quarter of school, having finished 2nd quarter the week after Thanksgiving. The kids had last week off, so getting back to school yesterday could have been disastrous...but because Mike was home, it went smoothly.<br /><br />Routine for my children, (and for myself as well) has become incredibly important in how well we are able to function throughout the day. I used to consider myself fairly flexible, and in some ways still am, but have found that my ability to control the day for the kids can snowball out of control with one little interruption in the day. That could be an unexpected phone call, a visitor, illness, etc. Most of the time I can reel things back in...but when you throw the holidays into the mix...oh boy!<br /><br />I have always been one to look forward to the holidays...from Thanksgiving on. I love the decorations, food, music, family and friends and the general cheeriness of strangers you meet when out and about. Not this year. We didn't decorate for any of the holidays for several reasons. Reason #1: Hurricane and Tropical Force Twins. They are truly a force to be reckoned with and are able to turn a room upside down in about 3-5 seconds. Seriously. The thought of dealing with a tree, lights, bells, candles, etc. was overwhelming as I pictured myself chasing after them all day saying "don't' touch", "get away from there", "get down from there", etc. Reason #2: We have no room. You can only imagine how limited our space is having 6 kids. Every available shelf, wall, corner, cabinet etc. has been used to the best of it's capabilities. There isn't any space available to move around to accommodate a tree. Reason #3: Sarah. She had just learned how to walk and due to Reason #2, only has so many rooms she can be in...the living room being one of them...and she likes to eat EVERYTHING!!!<br /><br />So, we had to really get creative with helping the kids understand that it was the holiday season even though we weren't making the traditional foods, decorating or following our traditions. Our Christmas Craft Chaos day, setting up John Deere and Jane Doe with our Christmas lights outside, and playing Christmas movies and music every chance we had, certainly helped. Even with that, between all of the relatives, friends, change in our shopping schedules and interruptions in our school days we managed to stay mostly sane, put together and kind of in the holiday spirit. Well to the outside observer. Those who know us and are a big part of our everyday lives, knew better. :)<br /><br />Needless to say, a return to our typical routine is a nice respite from the craziness our lives have been for the last 6 weeks. From colds, croup, fevers and teething to gifts, visits from friends and relatives who live far away, and a kickin' New Years party; the kids, (as well as myself) have desperately needed the return to the scheduled routine of our lives. I'm sure it will get old by mid February, but for now I will take it.Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-14519480825844177582012-01-01T18:39:00.003-05:002012-01-01T18:47:08.598-05:002012...BabystepsA whole new year...wow, where does the time go? As with most people, I've found myself pondering the things in my life that I would like to change. How is that I can be a better "me" in 2012? I couldn't find just one answer, there are so many aspects of myself that need improvement. So, although my desire to change is strong, I realize that if I am too hard on myself, I'll never get my feet off the ground to head in the direction of change. Baby steps...like my little Sarah has done over the past couple of months. She started with just getting her balance while still holding on, then she would let go and maintain that balance. Once mastered she would try taking one little step forward to see what would happen next. Then, she worked up to multiple steps and before she knew it her confidence was soaring and she was running. She certainly had her bumps along the way, some bruises from <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">missteps</span> and a soar bum from landing so hard...but all in all she never gave up. That's how I want to be...like my little 16 month daughter. What an inspiration she is!Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-13637916912174608962011-12-05T16:31:00.000-05:002011-12-05T16:31:25.279-05:00Merry Christmas!<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWA66GVRsAQrCh4pfIHt2Ix9wwtbY9UsLcECeXZOPUbvcu_IO3Gv43h2BxNJuMZJrRi36DwVPAiEaaO2jI-fFzNfQNJSXwBuSI_e2qRoyakusEtqry0UeU2qjsjOdOFZodyvBxzA/s1600/Merry+Christmas+2011+2.jpg"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWA66GVRsAQrCh4pfIHt2Ix9wwtbY9UsLcECeXZOPUbvcu_IO3Gv43h2BxNJuMZJrRi36DwVPAiEaaO2jI-fFzNfQNJSXwBuSI_e2qRoyakusEtqry0UeU2qjsjOdOFZodyvBxzA/s400/Merry+Christmas+2011+2.jpg" /></a> </div><div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-67649191045806051772011-09-01T16:02:00.003-04:002011-09-01T16:12:40.017-04:00Really??<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjchi6nGPHMeaYMEkZNLxT2YQJKMtg0hFzQz9m3xGrtFa9iN7GbtXDqCDz7E_R38849iHGfTsFW_uVqZBUfjBJfJWd9wPE9D-g0AnhwtaGHW0Ggj3R7Oi1SvKOcydrrEAXQzQZw/s1600/Climber.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647484693660168770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjchi6nGPHMeaYMEkZNLxT2YQJKMtg0hFzQz9m3xGrtFa9iN7GbtXDqCDz7E_R38849iHGfTsFW_uVqZBUfjBJfJWd9wPE9D-g0AnhwtaGHW0Ggj3R7Oi1SvKOcydrrEAXQzQZw/s400/Climber.jpg" /></a>She crawls quickly and quietly. She can stand and pull herself up and over almost anything. She can charm anyone she smiles at, and now, apparently, she can climb stairs. Who knew that could happen <em>before </em>walking and running? Makes we wonder what other little tricks sha has been hiding from us.
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFr8A4SHTWVmJu-OTSHaTzWqqrjLlRPW73N5LE9qh-ztIghaxfFj9pdx-j3ZZ0Dv9sc5PZmm1Wp4V-DkiGGAR-HlrMik32dP492GxQQYU1O4Ccc-TKiShyphenhyphenMMXVFmJR8Aw-ojXdA/s1600/DSCN8469.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647484689665741138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFr8A4SHTWVmJu-OTSHaTzWqqrjLlRPW73N5LE9qh-ztIghaxfFj9pdx-j3ZZ0Dv9sc5PZmm1Wp4V-DkiGGAR-HlrMik32dP492GxQQYU1O4Ccc-TKiShyphenhyphenMMXVFmJR8Aw-ojXdA/s400/DSCN8469.JPG" /></a></div>
<br />Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-595164951066583652011-08-31T08:46:00.003-04:002011-08-31T09:06:12.650-04:00Happy First Birthday Sarah!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBL0og_8IMayqDek4IQmdZPCEN7Fa_dxr7P5yn5IrF9vtd0umD6m4MgrdN3aRP8R6Jur6DeRdIF9xdF-8opLWkmKpkvOfhiT_PMdzJ_W0yGa-3PgwCmtbBKJ2EpjAvrHwW6ONTw/s1600/DSCN8412.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647000885807022642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFBL0og_8IMayqDek4IQmdZPCEN7Fa_dxr7P5yn5IrF9vtd0umD6m4MgrdN3aRP8R6Jur6DeRdIF9xdF-8opLWkmKpkvOfhiT_PMdzJ_W0yGa-3PgwCmtbBKJ2EpjAvrHwW6ONTw/s400/DSCN8412.JPG" /></a>One year ago today, our sweet little Sarah came into this world so fast that if it weren't for the fact that it was labor we would have wondered where she came from. One moment I was pregnant, in pain, and uncomfortable beyond words, and the next I was holding my precious little girl. Nothing compares to the first time you look into those beautiful little eyes and say "Hello my sweet baby, it's so nice to finally meet you!" Now, here we are and I'm caught up again in the speed of things. No physical pain this time, unless you count my heart. For the first time, I'm sad that my little one is growing up. Where did the time go? I can't quite put my finger on why this birthday is so bittersweet for me. Sarah is growing up so fast and hitting milestones like she knew what she was doing the whole time. She is weaning herself and nurses only 2-4 times a day now, and will only eat food she can stuff into her little mouth...no more baby food. She wants to be right in the thick of the chaos and craziness that is the Ouellette household, and even though she gets stepped on, knocked over, and overlooked, she is loved so intensely by every single person in this house. Nothing compares to the love her older sister has for her. That's why Bekah is in the picture, she wants to do everything Sarah does and go everywhere Sarah goes...you know, just the girls. It's awesome!
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<br /><p>Happy Birthday my little one. We look forward to more smiles, laughter, and joy you have brought to our family. We love you!</p>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-49597343323174802922011-08-01T09:09:00.026-04:002011-08-01T16:33:53.194-04:00Twin Time<a MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0px; href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPAz_BPDWX6aKN0GKpNeYFaPG_VjyT97L9jGYzUcLvEC7Z0Tpad3pIa7hfCUfD78IX0h_mEtLubXlz-iHqEFt3ejMkMxx44gQ2t1NeRrTpz4NmqP6sQvVYLrcK4x74p1rD2-mQA/s1600/102_3146.JPG" ><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 0px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: inline; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635962772892518594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPAz_BPDWX6aKN0GKpNeYFaPG_VjyT97L9jGYzUcLvEC7Z0Tpad3pIa7hfCUfD78IX0h_mEtLubXlz-iHqEFt3ejMkMxx44gQ2t1NeRrTpz4NmqP6sQvVYLrcK4x74p1rD2-mQA/s400/102_3146.JPG" /></a> It's pretty tough to tell them apart even when they aren't dressed alike, so don't worry. Caleb is on the left and Elijah is on the right. They have slightly different smiles, and their eyes both sparkle differently. Caleb often wears his hat crooked and low, while Eli will wear it crooked but high. It's in the details. And being their mom who sees them every single day, I tend to pick up on it without even noticing. I don't dress them exactly the same often. As a matter of fact, I tend to dress them similarly, but not the same. So, if one is wearing a green striped shirt the other one will be wearing the same thing, but in blue. They know which clothes are theirs based on the color...Elijah will wear anything with green in it and Caleb will wear anything with blue. If there isn't a green item and only a blue item, then Eli takes whatever isn't blue. It's very funny how they know their colors.<br /><br /><p margin: 0px; >For this particular day, it was requested that they be dressed the same. Brittany and her boyfriend Dan asked to take the twins out to Charmingfare Farm for the day. So, I chose red so they'd be easy to spot. They wore these shirts for the 4th of July, so I figured I'd get some more use out of them.</p><br /><br /><p>The boys were thrilled to be going not only to the farm, but to be going there with Brittany. They have known her since they were 4 months old, and pretty much consider her a part of our family. They LOVE her, and get very excited when they know she is coming over. In addition, they were getting the chance to ride in her truck...a very big deal!</p><br /><br /><div><br /><a href = "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimf8LbzxfsUMaJRhthEIFoU5cjnuXXwRYtTRGfBjSEhsRgkRt69801vGYTzqxJixnwIS_JuA1_h_y7yzdirauJWsF0Oi3u80lEyKiTr7nmkiS3bs-HUQhk0xHtSKzHQF6ISbYMeg/s320/102_3158.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635943992848133746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimf8LbzxfsUMaJRhthEIFoU5cjnuXXwRYtTRGfBjSEhsRgkRt69801vGYTzqxJixnwIS_JuA1_h_y7yzdirauJWsF0Oi3u80lEyKiTr7nmkiS3bs-HUQhk0xHtSKzHQF6ISbYMeg/s320/102_3158.JPG" /></a><br />The twins recognize a lot of animals, and love to make the noises they know. But they tend to enjoy them better from a distance. Their curiosity gets the better of them, and they will slowly make their way closer, but I think they are each waiting for the other one to "go first". Sometimes Caleb is the brave one, and other times it's Eli. I never know which one will be the one to do it first, but generally if you can get one to do it, the other one will follow.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHElUvrrDBnsibW_nNwk1XCrQz6yDQdOWSKKUerWD1O2b3QFHbq9_YrihHt2V9kkBtPCrvFqFC4UWbFr5DtM7FwptQdhTB7ip_rpIx636Nn66l-c9aTerYF837b48xzcxFSprFQ/s1600/102_3176.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635943988746082690" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCHElUvrrDBnsibW_nNwk1XCrQz6yDQdOWSKKUerWD1O2b3QFHbq9_YrihHt2V9kkBtPCrvFqFC4UWbFr5DtM7FwptQdhTB7ip_rpIx636Nn66l-c9aTerYF837b48xzcxFSprFQ/s320/102_3176.JPG" /></a>Not the case here. Brittany couldn't get either one of them to touch the baby groundhog. You can tell they really wanted to...each picture shows them getting closer and closer, but neither one of them could muster the courage to do it. Finally they decided it was time to move on.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wrAcqj81ndPQ7kE51JeDPmWNwY_cW_T4kthFBWTD7-Ds9h7hscsIvPmY-aR49UYmOJQB7zPYzyoT90C-k2Xz5HVNi_-HAM7N_OWCYIuwO3wpAQcslk52NBzkhSy3DWjGhZeiJQ/s1600/102_3178.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635943985169686594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9wrAcqj81ndPQ7kE51JeDPmWNwY_cW_T4kthFBWTD7-Ds9h7hscsIvPmY-aR49UYmOJQB7zPYzyoT90C-k2Xz5HVNi_-HAM7N_OWCYIuwO3wpAQcslk52NBzkhSy3DWjGhZeiJQ/s320/102_3178.JPG" /></a> And that brings them right to snack time. Eli is such a clown, Caleb being much more reserved. They switch rolls...often. It's hard to keep up. If you had one pegged as the outgoing and the other one as the more reserved...chances are pretty good they've switched rolls by the time you see them again.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlTskdi4TxHbZQMLMKXVk81S-T7m5f6fYA5sV5MpGLPiKu8AXxxv7myExaSBUeOwOjzH1Xa7LH9_gRZ8lsHyIH4QPjYuyKoqgPHcnlQy2vH85eW5PX9rM6-TlfIs0pll-L4yEvA/s1600/102_3207.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635875222575459394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmlTskdi4TxHbZQMLMKXVk81S-T7m5f6fYA5sV5MpGLPiKu8AXxxv7myExaSBUeOwOjzH1Xa7LH9_gRZ8lsHyIH4QPjYuyKoqgPHcnlQy2vH85eW5PX9rM6-TlfIs0pll-L4yEvA/s320/102_3207.JPG" /></a><br />After snack time, they were walking up the path when Dan spotted a very tiny, itty-bitty, brown frog. (At least I think it was Dan, I'm trying to remember everything Brit told me!) In any case, Dan caught it to show the boys. Eli was apparently very interested in the little frog and even dared to hold it in his hand for sometime. He tried to convince his brother that it was okay to hold it, but Caleb wasn't buying it this time and wanted nothing to do with touching the frog. You can see how very tiny it was, as it looks like a little blotch in the middle of his hand.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0q9pSoQO8N81pWTvFNimTxpMMQvsvPHh8BByZ9MBBGq1rN8Ca7vW-3H0WFOjl0EjH1CUuPGhWgETyMKYWXxWp0t8NgnUW5BXS7zG-aDoDbt2PgN8cpEnEUA9kndkXwGrGWpZ9zg/s1600/102_3241.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635875213630472274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0q9pSoQO8N81pWTvFNimTxpMMQvsvPHh8BByZ9MBBGq1rN8Ca7vW-3H0WFOjl0EjH1CUuPGhWgETyMKYWXxWp0t8NgnUW5BXS7zG-aDoDbt2PgN8cpEnEUA9kndkXwGrGWpZ9zg/s320/102_3241.JPG" /></a><br />I didn't hear any stories about this play set area, but seeing the pictures tell me the boys enjoyed themselves. This was their first adventure out without any of their siblings OR mom and dad. So, I'm sure they loved the freedom that came with being the "only ones" to do everything. No getting pushed around, or waiting. For them, having the twin their to wait for isn't the same thing as having another sibling. So, they could figure things out themselves and help each other without a well-meaning, but overbearing sibling doing it for them.</div><br /><br /><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G9OfWbbrdmBnfoW7fpZMxvg78XPkFSisrIlL4bsZLaKZM2uWUXcuZYGiWGYtQlHvWjeaKw8pyZYmenAzvfUuyDHS0Hc0-hsDT4Okq8N6vSveCEFv4WfgcM9cLdz_VCMsUzuwlw/s1600/102_3263.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635875208298934002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3G9OfWbbrdmBnfoW7fpZMxvg78XPkFSisrIlL4bsZLaKZM2uWUXcuZYGiWGYtQlHvWjeaKw8pyZYmenAzvfUuyDHS0Hc0-hsDT4Okq8N6vSveCEFv4WfgcM9cLdz_VCMsUzuwlw/s320/102_3263.JPG" /></a><br />THE tractor ride. It's all my kids have talked about since they went on it last year. This is our third year for the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) at Charmingfare Farm and last year they gave the kids free tractor rides. Naturally, it's all the kids ask about every Wednesday when we go to pick up our veggies. They haven't done it yet this year, and I think it's because it's been too hot. Anyway, part of the admission to the farm covers the tractor ride. Caleb was less than thrilled about riding on the tractor and had to sit with Brit for a bit to settle into it.<br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5CXAvnG9RYfy-hY9O_cU5BFbAKGWjKITM2m8LXPhvHZfdN6vgx8HP3U3mtxTSAgdfuJc31sC2P444wp244t7j3h-EhigICRu-chXeseaWf3tRHMhfCrg23hh8RoxeE2gzn5evg/s1600/102_3266.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635875203787109170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5CXAvnG9RYfy-hY9O_cU5BFbAKGWjKITM2m8LXPhvHZfdN6vgx8HP3U3mtxTSAgdfuJc31sC2P444wp244t7j3h-EhigICRu-chXeseaWf3tRHMhfCrg23hh8RoxeE2gzn5evg/s320/102_3266.JPG" /></a> Eli on the other hand...no problem. Bring it on. He was all about sitting on the seat like a "big boy" all by himself. Eventually, Caleb decided it would be okay to sit with his brother, but you can see that he still wasn't all that comfortable with it. I believe he eventually warmed up to it and was fine, but that's usually how Caleb operates.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh031yCNuk6QLx6hfU_mJrCzTRQXVk7bqCmZKEWd3jGKUGb1aMsm1ckxy_GnTI7jeqpHJDg_UvlMBT7MMYZfSGufJzVna2SFsrKRyndpzS3Jb4jYVCAsHQRoBtn5mabN3TDZK1how/s1600/102_3275.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5635875199289972562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh031yCNuk6QLx6hfU_mJrCzTRQXVk7bqCmZKEWd3jGKUGb1aMsm1ckxy_GnTI7jeqpHJDg_UvlMBT7MMYZfSGufJzVna2SFsrKRyndpzS3Jb4jYVCAsHQRoBtn5mabN3TDZK1how/s320/102_3275.JPG" /></a> They left our house around 10:30am and didn't return until 3pm. As you can see they had such a good time, they fell asleep within moments of leaving the farm. </div><br /><br /><div>We can't thank Brit and Dan enough for taking the time to make this memory with the twins. It was so great for them to have special time without their other siblings around. But, it was also nice for us to have several hours of only four kids to take care of. The twins were numbers four and five for us, so we've never had just 4 kids...it was very quiet! :) </div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-45317631271658939892011-07-18T18:57:00.002-04:002011-07-18T19:10:44.997-04:00Happy 6th Birthday Joshua!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNboVS1YZARDXDtfWaIRr6Fr4rThYOFPGWEm7UdNP7pEHycCwlosBkghDO0aIUiDXOPay_jxpV-GFRmatY-Kzjh6T-VhJKatB9GBCUY4qoP8PFdi0QqMl6BlcMpdmWiwEpzX69Rw/s1600/DSCN8180.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630830909281859218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNboVS1YZARDXDtfWaIRr6Fr4rThYOFPGWEm7UdNP7pEHycCwlosBkghDO0aIUiDXOPay_jxpV-GFRmatY-Kzjh6T-VhJKatB9GBCUY4qoP8PFdi0QqMl6BlcMpdmWiwEpzX69Rw/s400/DSCN8180.JPG" /></a> Oddly enough, today was Joshua's actual due date. Yes, he came two weeks early, with a bang! A 4th of July baby is very exciting and we continue to tell him that the fireworks are for him every year on his birthday. However, the downfall to a big holiday birthday is the party planning. It is very difficult to find a time to have a party when everyone has holiday plans. Fortunately, Mike's cousin throws a 4th of July party every year up at their cottage on lake Winnipesaukee in Gilford, NH. The funny thing is that Joshua thinks the party is for him! So, for the past two years, we've brought cake and he is able to celebrate his birthday with Mike's side of the family at the lake. He LOVES it and thinks it's just about the most special thing he could do for his birthday. He's already making plans and talking about next years event.<br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LiyqZ49NCK2SVjVdRjdpiNl0oa-lc5pjWkb0ElsO-upTfgr7pBZM_kUDtHPX2Wg__PDW8HIaaFPIbg-B_Zr0Ax5CzFMFV15KIYHDTJAXJL55eivkk53JR6Fnx4bDIHoJt3zVWQ/s1600/DSCN8220.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630830903118538482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9LiyqZ49NCK2SVjVdRjdpiNl0oa-lc5pjWkb0ElsO-upTfgr7pBZM_kUDtHPX2Wg__PDW8HIaaFPIbg-B_Zr0Ax5CzFMFV15KIYHDTJAXJL55eivkk53JR6Fnx4bDIHoJt3zVWQ/s400/DSCN8220.JPG" /></a> Then, to celebrate with my side of the family, and some of his friends, we have a second party. This one wasn't planned as well, (all my fault), so none of his friends were able to make it. But he had the rest of his cousins there, (Ian and Emma were at the lake) and it ended up being a beautiful day. The kids has a blast running around outside getting absolutely filthy covered in bubbles, watermelon and cake! It's so much fun to be 6 years old!</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So, Happy Birthday little man! It's been a great six years and we look forward to watching you grow and mature into a seven year old! We love you!</div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-16307656580794906212011-07-14T13:30:00.003-04:002011-07-14T13:33:51.390-04:00I know, I know...Okay, so I was planning on blogging at least once a day, then decided that I would do it once a week. Then I decided I would blog when something fun and interesting happened. Needless to say, here we are and no updates. It's not like we've been sitting around twiddling our thumbs. I have many adventures to share...but it seems that finding the time after the adventure to document these things has been pretty tough to find.<br /><br />No worries, I will be sure to catch up on things such as Joshua's 6<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> birthday, our trip to the lake, a trip to the playground (including kite flying) and another birthday party for Joshua that we had here. Until then...Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-43317833732641431002011-07-01T16:54:00.004-04:002011-07-02T07:19:12.744-04:00Fire Dept. Field Trip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzRJIzlp2DWIbAmz3qGO1tYO7cnBv83GvbwvNcyFds3eNHPZYaUwLtqIevQEZ4sj0uFZxV0KUXY3zb2P20YQUCF5oCc71KwlsKU1bW4w3esJn4SiYt-EztYQANe1W0CmspoFEvA/s1600/DSCN8178.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624490653294823218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMzRJIzlp2DWIbAmz3qGO1tYO7cnBv83GvbwvNcyFds3eNHPZYaUwLtqIevQEZ4sj0uFZxV0KUXY3zb2P20YQUCF5oCc71KwlsKU1bW4w3esJn4SiYt-EztYQANe1W0CmspoFEvA/s400/DSCN8178.JPG" /></a> We took a field trip to the Manchester Fire Dept. on Merrimack Street this past Wednesday. By we I mean Mike, Brittany and myself. I couldn't have done it alone. The boys get far too excited and overstimulated by these huge trucks and all the blinking lights and noises.<br /><br /><div>Last year, I (with Brittany) happened to stop at a station out of the blue asking if it would be alright to show my (at the time only 5) kids around. I explained that I have one with Asperger and one with many other issues related to sensory and anxiety and wanted to have them see up close and personal what firemen and firetrucks are all about. Those men were so welcoming and so great with the kids that when it was time to leave they told the kids that they could come back anytime. Well, in the world of Aspie's that means...tomorrow or the next day! So, for the last year, every time we've driven past a fire station the kids have begged for me to stop so we can visit again.</div><br /><div>Fast forward to Wednesday. I didn't tell the kids about it until the last moment and even then it was difficult for them to contain themselves. Especially since we struck out twice. The first station we went too didn't have any trucks available, and the second station we went to had it's doors all locked. So that left us trying the "big" station. Immediately the kids were in awe at the sheer size of this station. It had not one big truck or even two big trucks but several big trucks to choose from. </div><br /><div>Before I brought the kids in, I went inside to find one of the firemen and asked if it would be a good time to bring my 6 kids in to see the trucks and the men. He said it wasn't a problem and they would love to show the kids around. As I was returning with the kids to the station, they were pulling out one of the water trucks and unrolling a hose. They greeted the kids, introduced themselves and went about lifting kids up into the truck and letting them "drive" the big rig. Then one of the men volunteered to go through the steps of putting all of his gear on...right down to actually turning his oxygen on...so they could hear what his voice would sound like with all the additional noises and what his face would look like with the mask on. Mind you, it was kind of hot on Wednesday, but he didn't complain once about doing it. He took the time to make sure they were comfortable and could ask questions. This was great for Josh who was very concerned about the noises. He stood by me the whole time, very rigid but ready to bolt if he got scared. He stuttered through his questions, but managed to ask the fireman why he needed to do all of that, and what all of the tubes for. (They do look kind of scary from a kids point of view) He answered the questions through the mask so that Josh could hear it and hopefully get comfortable with the sound. </div><br /><div>Then the fun really began...they "played" with the hose. They put it on the lowest pressure and all five kids got the chance to turn the water on and squirt the water everywhere. After they all had their chance, the men put the pressure up and showed them the true force of the water and how it takes more than one man to control it. Naturally, everyone got wet...and why not? Where's the fun in staying dry on a really warm day when your playing with water. Even Sarah got "rained" on sitting in her stroller watching everyone run around having a great time.</div><br /><div>We stayed for about an hour and the firemen were so patient with the kids. Again, they told them they could come back anytime, but this time it was Josh who said, "so, we can come back tomorrow and the next day?" They told him that whenever we were in the area, to stop in again and make sure they bring their fire hats.</div><br /><div>We hope to go back again in August and this time the kids want to climb all over the ladder truck too. Thank you to the Manchester Fire Dept. for taking time out of your busy days to educate, and play with my kids.</div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-27026385327243891002011-06-26T19:45:00.002-04:002011-06-26T19:55:21.885-04:00Johnny the Fish<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilZSL71CYYtVlWe0o6pn8IsJ6vHS1WAkJjCtJrc9MoM_-wSOJWcY9PUBsbqnsPKitlG8PNOthHv0k5yX8BJoPhJNRIvfxVfBDCI5pNxPyHPedbZw9lUBOvMX2TXUntjr-nJXBfQ/s1600/DSCN8114.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622679313493501938" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilZSL71CYYtVlWe0o6pn8IsJ6vHS1WAkJjCtJrc9MoM_-wSOJWcY9PUBsbqnsPKitlG8PNOthHv0k5yX8BJoPhJNRIvfxVfBDCI5pNxPyHPedbZw9lUBOvMX2TXUntjr-nJXBfQ/s400/DSCN8114.JPG" /></a> We have a new addition to our family...no not Brit, although we'd love it if <em>she</em> could move in! :) Nope, I'm talking about the little bright red beta swimming around in the tank behind Brit. <br /><br />His name, (finally...it only took all night for Josh to choose a name) is Johnny the Fish and he is Joshua's birthday present from Brit. Josh will be 6 years old on July 4th and she thought a fish would be the perfect gift for our on-the-go guy. It is! He even said a prayer for his fish tonight as he went to bed. He is very concerned that Johnny didn't eat his fishy supper this evening, so I'm sure first thing in the morning we will be taking care of dear Johnny's needs before anyone else.<br /><br />Why a week early? Well, we are going to a family party this coming weekend and were afraid that Josh would be more upset leaving his newly acquired fish if he received it the day before we go away. Now, he'll have a whole week with him and hopefully, we won't have any problems with Josh being overly concerned about the welfare of his fish.<br /><br />Thanks Brit. Joshua was truly surprised and so excited to take care of his new little friend!Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-30558636176706208152011-06-25T18:42:00.002-04:002011-06-25T18:52:51.278-04:00I'm A Big Kid Now!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJc82ralgpRUFZok49wjkv_U_7bfnx1rcHdQaJILk5161xNgA0H0u87UzC2gZ2oeIXiQlLNWgv1a7_JSqrwOKGe2EGZ-_e2Gz3Mz27YVkpV_BARHr-Tbv4g_m43jvvpLZUPfqrw/s1600/DSCN8105.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5622291752628230594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJc82ralgpRUFZok49wjkv_U_7bfnx1rcHdQaJILk5161xNgA0H0u87UzC2gZ2oeIXiQlLNWgv1a7_JSqrwOKGe2EGZ-_e2Gz3Mz27YVkpV_BARHr-Tbv4g_m43jvvpLZUPfqrw/s400/DSCN8105.JPG" /></a> Our Rebekah has achieved another milestone. She is very excited because for the past 7 nights she has kept her diaper dry through the night. So, tonight she gets to wear her panties to bed. <br /><br />Potty training, in this house, has been one of <em>the</em> biggest hurdles for every one of the kids. As a matter of fact, if I had to choose only one thing about parenting that I detest more than anything, it would have to be potty training. Out of the three that have been or are going through the process of training...Rebekah was probably the easiest, but it was definitely a case of <em>her</em> deciding it was time to use the potty, not me. I have read, and tried almost every trick, and taken every ones advice, using the most outrageous ideas only to have them fail miserably. I do think it is a matter of the child themselves being ready, not only physically but mentally AND emotionally. <br /><br />Take Joshua for instance: tonight is the very first time he has successfully pooped on the potty. He will be 6 years old in a week. He has, just within this last week, finally potty trained at home throughout the day for pee, but poop has been a struggle for a very long time. It would be very exciting to have 3 of the 6 out of diapers...and the twins are showing some interest too. Yippeee!Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-10664624318148171872011-06-24T23:24:00.003-04:002011-06-26T10:45:11.160-04:00What's In A Name?Hubby and I were chatting, and have come to the conclusion that neither one of us feel that the title of our blog really suites our family anymore. We most definitely have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Celiac</span>, and it does affect our lives every single day, but it's not as life altering as it once was. Eating gluten free is like breathing...we don't even think twice about it. Don't get me wrong, we have our moments, (especially when we leave the comfort of our home), when we wish we could just be free of our dietary constraints. For the most part though, we've learned how to cope in those moments and move on. We have a lot more resources at our finger tips than we did five years ago when we started on this journey. Besides, we've come to a place in our diet where even if we were told we could go back to eating gluten, we wouldn't. Simply because we've found that most of the gluten foods really aren't that great for us to begin with!<br /><br />So, for those of you who know us well enough...we are looking for suggestions. :) We'd like to continue our journey, it's just taking a new direction.Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-4696415244078185042011-06-24T12:59:00.003-04:002011-06-24T13:07:08.791-04:00This Is What 5 Minutes in the Bathroom Can Lead To...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8QzcGuSapVYtFSJOukBP3-A08-s4LNkHZkZEeChHO29I2Yq9abi_IIxiWrbZFZcnKhAOKsrAXEo-FYcRHbCrdgPcdnnmB-07b0o7WS-QsVMvGUGemqTLt6Ug7xLyoiIcEMf5YA/s1600/DSCN8103.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621832924244734914" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD8QzcGuSapVYtFSJOukBP3-A08-s4LNkHZkZEeChHO29I2Yq9abi_IIxiWrbZFZcnKhAOKsrAXEo-FYcRHbCrdgPcdnnmB-07b0o7WS-QsVMvGUGemqTLt6Ug7xLyoiIcEMf5YA/s400/DSCN8103.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQMKrt2EL3IX5i30UbW7WjxiJ6H7tr7wMhnbaHrKTcny9SV61ztUQehSdpgExsHaxA4GNWDU9cjVsaizI0RUoT1379CHB7UN0TYjj8DBxWXRLvnAKijapf5Sude_AQVYVQsaP1A/s1600/DSCN8101.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5621832920960319730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRQMKrt2EL3IX5i30UbW7WjxiJ6H7tr7wMhnbaHrKTcny9SV61ztUQehSdpgExsHaxA4GNWDU9cjVsaizI0RUoT1379CHB7UN0TYjj8DBxWXRLvnAKijapf5Sude_AQVYVQsaP1A/s400/DSCN8101.JPG" /></a> Yes, it's a heck of way to get back into bloggin', but I think it shows you the reason why I simply haven't had the time. My 6 little monkeys keep me more than busy. And they are always finding new ways to surprise me.</div><br /><div align="center">Take a guess at which <em>two</em> little troublemakers decided to take a black sharpie to the computer desk, floor, and carpet...</div><br /><div align="center">Any suggestions on how to remove permanent black ink?<br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div align="center"></div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-72774308869211084542011-06-23T12:29:00.001-04:002011-06-23T12:30:54.770-04:00Coming Soon......all new posts with pix and stories of wild adventures in the lives of the Ouellette family. Stay tuned...Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-35638313573687476472010-09-06T19:49:00.002-04:002010-09-06T19:55:05.058-04:00Our Beautiful Girl<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JhyphenhyphenbIhsdBdPT9sMXstwnNJX5yrvzprfikshWzEde5T4udCSLVu7WU-BFk8tVF25iZCDGwBqa5qT32rC40oaN-gDX4VN1re5WxQsKKY4zmWyYOsccbaDEb0ExZ6ALhQDNzcSf4Q/s1600/DSC_0677.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-JhyphenhyphenbIhsdBdPT9sMXstwnNJX5yrvzprfikshWzEde5T4udCSLVu7WU-BFk8tVF25iZCDGwBqa5qT32rC40oaN-gDX4VN1re5WxQsKKY4zmWyYOsccbaDEb0ExZ6ALhQDNzcSf4Q/s400/DSC_0677.JPG" /></a> </div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px">Sarah Noelle Ouellette was born on Tuesday August 31st at 4:13 am. She came in a hurry as labor and delivery only took about an hour! Weighing in at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and measuring 20 inches long she is our biggest baby! We are so thrilled that she has finally arrived. Her siblings are madly in love with her as are her parents. We feel like our family is now complete!</div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; CLEAR: both"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img style="BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BACKGROUND: 0% 50%; BORDER-TOP: 0px; BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial" border="0" alt="Posted by Picasa" align="middle" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" /></a></div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-29357345502114314642010-06-09T11:54:00.005-04:002010-06-09T13:04:52.518-04:00Our Joshua<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3AA-GH9N7hrPoLqiFujMT_2qJ9_0tecHPhv5uZQDHm_8LKHdqusWiBn3GIj6IXAyLmCkbOwfE9S9anY2SYMVfQFVLVkTK3B1l_gBs6PcEWIATg9rF6YTJ65YEOF1mCD-ypkoLQ/s1600/DSCN6677.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480803090611674770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3AA-GH9N7hrPoLqiFujMT_2qJ9_0tecHPhv5uZQDHm_8LKHdqusWiBn3GIj6IXAyLmCkbOwfE9S9anY2SYMVfQFVLVkTK3B1l_gBs6PcEWIATg9rF6YTJ65YEOF1mCD-ypkoLQ/s400/DSCN6677.JPG" /></a> Our little guy Joshua. We should have known from the moment we placed him in his car seat to take him home from the hospital that Joshua would be the one to confound us. Between the ear piercing screams coming from the tiny purple faced baby, and the nurse saying to us, "Oh, your going to have fun with that one!", our fate was sealed.<br /><br />Joshua is the fuel to every ones fire in the house. He is the one who will disturb a perfectly quiet, content room of his siblings and turn it into mass chaos. He is the one who has the ability to make <em>the </em>most annoying sound in the whole world even more annoying simply by adding it to the general level of noise that is already a part of a household with 5 kiddos in it. (If you've ever seen Dumb and Dumber...the sound is more annoying than that!) Yet, he is the most empathic, endearing, loving, snuggling child in the house. He is sociable with anyone he comes in contact with, and is more than willing to introduce himself...and the rest of us...to everyone he meets.<br /><br />Over the past couple of years Joshua has been seen by therapists for speech and developmental delay with a vast array of sensory issues. We've seen great improvements in his areas of speech and since last summer's PT sessions started have seen him improve strength wise as well. (Through a physical therapy assessment it was discovered that he has full body hypotonia with lucidity in all his joints with unknown cause) However, we still see signs of other issues that none of the therapists or his pediatrician can pinpoint the cause for.<br /><br />So, last Tuesday we went up to Dartmouth Hitchcock CHAD in Lebanon, NH. WOW! That place is amazing...and huge. I think it might be bigger than the Mall of NH!! In any case we met with Dr. Mott who is a Neuro Developmental Pediatrician. After an hour and forty-five minutes of discussion and observation he came to the same conclusions. There is definitely something going on with Joshua but it's too varied to come up with a definitive diagnosis...yet. The doctor is bound and determined to get to the bottom of it. What a relief it was to us. Why? Well, to have someone else see what we were talking about and trying to deal with, removed the fear that we were doing something wrong. Joshua doesn't fit into any kind of category for a diagnosis. The doctor said that at this point he won't rule anything out. The following are all a possibility: Autism, Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a metabolic disorder, and mild Ataxic Cerebral Palsy.<br /><br />Ya, I know...that last one through us for a loop too. But, with my prenatal and delivery history with Joshua, as well as some of his respiratory issues before the age of 2...there is a possibility that he had a lack of oxygen to his cerebellum at some point that would lead to this. AND this form is usually diagnosed around this age due to the mild and rare form of this disorder.<br /><br />In any case...we are in the midst of getting all of our ducks in a row. We are keeping a sleep log for the month of June, and we have to get him in for his 5 yr. checkup, (which isn't until August 3rd) to have a full blood work panel done. We have set up a full speech evaluation as well as a new sensory profile. He is scheduled to meet with a psychologist in September for a 2 hour behavioral assessment and then he will see Dr. Mott again to reassess. My prenatal and delivery records for Joshua also need to be sent to the doctor for review to see if there was any cause for a lack of oxygen. We will most likely have to do a full hearing and vision screening as well as a sleep study to rule out or include a few other pieces to this puzzle. In the meantime, we are just trying to maintain where we are at with PT, and Hippo therapy in the hopes that we don't have any further regression. Our hands are tied with insurance limitations so we are (again) beginning the yearly process of applying for as many grants as we are eligible for to help pick up where insurance leaves off. We pray that whatever the answer is we will have the grace and resources to handle it. We went through this with Ethan when we were expecting Rebekah and again when we were expecting the twins. Now, with Sarah due in a couple of months, we are repeating the process...but this time it's with Joshua.Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-42849109977726129622010-06-03T06:15:00.002-04:002010-06-03T06:24:24.348-04:00Isn't He Cute?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO8FkKtJg-itJnsFfrJFzihtzStXDuXmkVkC8i9qIcqhOOsAmpPw6eQNHc2nTM8DvjdrFUIJLxhDZa0nvNOsSOBkpHtiW6SY6dhgoA7QigVjIG7zXOBH_SovYxEjHKxhj8az51g/s1600/DSCN6676.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478489667721410578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO8FkKtJg-itJnsFfrJFzihtzStXDuXmkVkC8i9qIcqhOOsAmpPw6eQNHc2nTM8DvjdrFUIJLxhDZa0nvNOsSOBkpHtiW6SY6dhgoA7QigVjIG7zXOBH_SovYxEjHKxhj8az51g/s400/DSCN6676.JPG" /></a>We knew it was inevitable. We just didn't know when. At his yearly eye exam it was determined that because his eyesight did indeed get worse, (R- 20/25, L- 20/40) and he was having difficulty with his left eye straying with fatigue he should have glasses. We had noticed the difficulties he was having with reading and math and could tell that he couldn't keep the letters and numbers together where they belonged when he would do his schoolwork. It was a real struggle for him and he would get incredibly frustrated. Of course, we officially finished 1st grade last week...and he got his glasses yesterday! Figures. At least he'll have them when he takes his CAT next week as well has for his summer reading and math programs we have set up for him over the next several weeks.<br />He is soooo very excited over his new accessory and because we've told him how cute and adorable he is, don't be surprised when he sees you if he <em>tells</em> you just how cute and adorable he is! :)Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-77339271527395894472010-05-27T10:55:00.003-04:002010-05-27T10:58:17.177-04:00Too Hot<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sG4gvLz2uJrQBpUpOiAwqGCnSVNF-bLWYPyqkUIEE44gWRK11-G2hH6LCxCoBPVaa3nJ7HuXkr0taR-GQr7mxq3Wi6oCXAAVgXMuxu8TvtAKJJuboS7q5hycn5uq9KWgBv02Bg/s1600/DSCN6646.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475963938472724434" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5sG4gvLz2uJrQBpUpOiAwqGCnSVNF-bLWYPyqkUIEE44gWRK11-G2hH6LCxCoBPVaa3nJ7HuXkr0taR-GQr7mxq3Wi6oCXAAVgXMuxu8TvtAKJJuboS7q5hycn5uq9KWgBv02Bg/s400/DSCN6646.JPG" /></a><br /><div>We don't have AC in the house, so after a round of coconut milkshakes and a popsicle for Ethan, (he doesn't like milk shakes of ANY kind) it was time for shirtless TV viewing! It kept them from running around and getting overheated!</div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-55012846338971199482010-04-28T19:34:00.004-04:002010-04-29T06:52:49.405-04:00One Day Surgery for an Aspie<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0MLfAnndCocwHcFzQoy2iAH80Cbt5yWyEob_N5Q6H-PVn4XvcXrB0AEBiZLYcvMlooGsExZz_hOiR23Vs8AhuXdjZ9L_cEUlPULKWH3I_hVk4HWD55vcNVvr9CclxwZct6Jrwg/s1600/DSCN6600.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 300px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465510515785766978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV0MLfAnndCocwHcFzQoy2iAH80Cbt5yWyEob_N5Q6H-PVn4XvcXrB0AEBiZLYcvMlooGsExZz_hOiR23Vs8AhuXdjZ9L_cEUlPULKWH3I_hVk4HWD55vcNVvr9CclxwZct6Jrwg/s400/DSCN6600.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Ethan had surgery today to remove an cyst from his left pinkie finger. We had it looked at in June of 2009, and the doctor told us that unless it gets bigger or becomes an issue for him, to just leave it for now. Well, both of those things happened. Not only did it get bigger, but he began to "play" with it. I would find him chewing on it, squeezing it, and once time saw him poking a pencil into it! His pain tolerance is something to behold. This is the kid who has been known to run around playing quite intensely with a 105 F temperature, yet be bedridden when it barely hits 99 F. He has fallen down the steps and received quite an egg on his head and never stopped as he was on his way to play outside, yet is unable to sit up at the table to eat his meal with a cut on his toe.<br /><br />Having a child with Asperger has taught us many things. One of those things would be to always expect the unexpected. I guess you could say that about most seven year olds, but with Ethan it is never the same way twice. He generally handles things better than most kids, I think. For the past three weeks, he has known about this surgery and has asked a bizillion questions all which usually ended with "I just can't wait to get this little ball out of my finger and get a lime Popsicle!" He has had three other procedures: two endoscopy's and an adenoidectomy. So, he isn't a stranger to the hospital, IV's, flavored masks and johnnies! He has never had any trepidation about the event, and afterwards wakes up happy and fairly alert!<br /><br />That was until Tuesday...the day before his surgery. He woke up having wet his pants for the second night in a row, (he's been pull-up free for about a month now) and not feeling well. He refused to eat his favorite breakfast, and ended up running into the bathroom to vomit. After checking him for a fever, not finding one, and realizing that he hadn't had a bowel movement since Saturday night, I assumed he was constipated and made him sit on the potty to try to go...yet again. (Our days consist of reminding him to sit for 5 min. after each meal every day in the hopes of getting his body to fully empty itself within a 24 hour period. Autistic children are known for withholding their bowels for several days, even though the stools aren't difficult to pass...ya, ya, ya too much info!)<br /><br />After I got everyone else dressed, I began to ask Ethan if he was looking forward to the next day since he'd been asking every day for the past three weeks when it was coming. He told me he didn't want to talk about it. Hmmmm....so I asked him if he was excited about it hoping that a positive question would help make him talk easier, and he answered "ya". Okay, so I put a call into his old OT and his pediatrician. After talking with both of them we concluded that he was having high anxiety about the upcoming event, and this was the result. I tried making some chamomile tea for him, and doing some visual discussions...all failing miserably. He vomited again, and so I called his pedi back. She said unless he developed a fever there was no reason to cancel the surgery unless he vomited again after 3pm...then we'd be concerned about dehydration. Sooo, I started a new strategy. I planted his butt on the couch in the living room and for the next three hours, gave him coconut water. We started the first hour with 1 Tbsp, the 2nd hour with 2 Tbsp, and finally the 3rd hour with 3 Tbsp...all of this every 5 minutes! (Thank goodness for DVD's!) It worked! Not only did he keep it down, but he perked right up, and even had a bowel movement! During dinner time, he wrote up a list of questions he had for the doctor. His handwriting is very legible and his spelling is pretty good, (pat on the back to mommy and Ethan) and we packed it up in my purse to bring with us the next day. His questions were: Will Ineed stitches? Will they (the stitches) be red? Will I get a popsicle? Will it (the finger) hurt? Will it take 15 minutes? Will my parents be here?<br /><br />After that he ate three pieces of toast, and was ready for the next day.<br /><br />Which brings us to this morning...and the other extreme of Ethan. We call it "the high". At precisely 5:25am...5 minutes before my alarm clock was supposed to go off...Ethan excitedly came into my room and said, "Good Morning Mommy...today is the day! I'm soooo excited to go in for my surgery today and have this ball removed from finger. And then I will get a lime popsicle. And then we will come home and I will do my school work, and eat lots of food because I am hungry. Can I have something to eat? Do I need to take my shower right now? Do I wear my pajamas to the hospital, and can I bring my kitty and blanky with me?" Mind you, he said all of this in about 45 seconds, and then skipped off to tell his siblings that today was the day!<br /><br />So, we got everything ready and since we had our incredibly AWESOME Child Wrangler, Brittany, spend the night to be there first thing, we were able to focus better on getting everything done and out the door for 6:45am!! He had to be checked in at 7:15am with his surgery scheduled at 8:15am! First thing, he gave the nurse his list of questions. She was awesome and answered every one of them truthfully...even the pain part. They were amazed at how well he did, and the only time he showed a little apprehension was in the operatory with Dad when he had to put the mask on his face to "go to sleep". He had kitty and blanky with him, and liked the strawberry smell he had picked for the mask, but I think when it came right down to it, going to sleep and not "knowing" what was going to happen next made him nervous. Fortunately, he also choose the "fast" vs. the "slow" way of going to sleep. Basically, two deep breaths and he was down for the count. The slow way would have involved more breathing and awareness of what was going to happen next, which would have aided his apprehension. He sure is one smart little cookie...either that or he just likes to live on the edge!<br /><br />In any case, he came out of there doing quite well. I haven't taken a picture of his hand yet, but due to the stitches, it needs to remained well wrapped for the next 10-14 days until they remove the stitches. He's not happy that he can't see the stitches, but thinks his hand looks pretty cool! He was very proud of himself, and other than waking up feeling a little dizzy, was very happy to have his lime popsicle, and gluten free buttered toast waiting for him upon waking.<br /><br />We love that little guy sooo much. He never ceases to amaze us! Now we can relax knowing that this ordeal is behind us. We can only imagine when the next one will be!</div>Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-45392702046946459812010-04-10T09:59:00.002-04:002010-04-10T10:06:29.281-04:00As Seen For The First Time...<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocx7KNl2q3E6IMfv6GcHt-tZ0Gi4eXE2Jv61hnaEIqARahjBnNoAik5pnI4TA4lnJOzYZ_tkJBdC6jWUZ9wGHgotX7sx8XVf7c3PCIEUw4434Lx81t2a105oqP2rGILq_zWIWiQ/s1600/Baby+Sarah+Ultrasound+02.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 328px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458508178235589650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocx7KNl2q3E6IMfv6GcHt-tZ0Gi4eXE2Jv61hnaEIqARahjBnNoAik5pnI4TA4lnJOzYZ_tkJBdC6jWUZ9wGHgotX7sx8XVf7c3PCIEUw4434Lx81t2a105oqP2rGILq_zWIWiQ/s400/Baby+Sarah+Ultrasound+02.jpg" /></a> ...our little girl, Sarah. The picture on the lower left is of her attempting to suck all of her fingers at once, and the one on the far right is a side shot. She wouldn't hold still very well, and due to the fact that at this stage of gestation they don't have any fat on them yet...they look different. The top picture is my favorite though because if you look closely you can see her playing with her chin. She kept stroking her chin with her fingers and at one point turned her head toward the ultrasound wand and wiggled her fingers as if to say hi! It was so cool! Already, she is beautiful and we can't wait to meet her face to face!<br /><br />My due date is August 3oth, but hopefully as with my other singletons, I'll go about 2 weeks early! I'm at 19 weeks now, and am not looking forward to going through the summer chasing after 5 very active little monkeys while carrying one active little monkey under my heart. If the rate of speed at which the first half of this pregnancy has gone by is any indication of the how the second half will go, we will have her in our arms in no time!!Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22039860.post-80958821920436678792010-04-01T19:45:00.003-04:002010-04-01T20:37:37.972-04:00Easter Egg DecoratingFor our family, Easter is a time to reflect on what Jesus did for us when he died on the cross. This week being Holy Week, we've spent a lot of time discussing, (sometimes in depth with Ethan and Josh who asked very mature questions) The Last Supper, Good Friday, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus. It amazes me how easy it has been for the kids to talk about all of this when Mike and I sometimes have difficulty wrapping our minds around it.<br /><br />Mike and I decided a couple of years ago that Easter would always remain a religious celebration for our family. However, we would still keep the kids involved in some of the other Easter traditions...like decorating eggs. They LOVE to hunt for the eggs they've decorated on Sunday morning after diving into the Easter basket that is left for them on the table. We only do one basket, and the kids each get one large chocolate, (Swan chocolate is gluten free and incredibly tasty, so we this year we bought one large chocolate cross, three chocolate bunnies, two chocolate lambs on sticks, and three different filled eggs...raspberry, coconut and marshmallow) we also include a Veggie Tales video and some other religious gift. This year they are getting a children's Catholic Picture Bible, and a Catholic Bible of Saints book. <br /><br />So, I had my Child Wranglers come over after school yesterday, and together with Jaime and Josie we decorated eggs. It was a blast! <br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455325603596267842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsv0HRziVpoSU6c30p2YmlqLpdhlN-LGgCYk4YvXYZcZgP0ajPqTXxL0T5TLe-RCmO1QGR4N9Nu1EwHxrq5gnuIho7oLeBwHOM4QzeubtJr5absrARtW9TVb9qssf-ChMT391cGw/s320/DSCN6491.JPG" /><br />Bekah loved picking colors for her eggs, and letting Nicole add some finishing touches. Her hands were also covered in the same colors of her eggs! :)<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455325590307818722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQEz_gAYEVfVNAOB6XF_02_lymxSf1T6GFs57CWk0YPkuePyW35gVDiFEAkJWKtoVp0g4mzb3uqcUFIRVgmBUlx0WQD91Zyq3bE-HVRrwQKw3rPW1eULiLS4bOy2P-yQjYYiS6rA/s320/DSCN6488.JPG" /><br />Ethan was pretty much Mr. Independent with his eggs this year. He was very intent on how long each egg stayed in the dye so as to achieve the perfect color. However, he was more than happy to have help from Brittany!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455325587107717122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNMJq_z_tQRObOERlHusFfz0pSdNAZhUEVFff_Wv1PvdI8KeyBjTFhvv_Of36bNZNmWnLSOt-tzukUP0SR1gWVCojbe4yKdRTL292t2XLF6tNM6Vu63nPpGxe5YjCsGCuv6R-BVg/s320/DSCN6486.JPG" /><br />The twins were less than thrilled with their position...far, far away from the pretty colors and bite-sized stickers...but they enjoyed a bag of veggie bootie and had fun making faces at us.<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455325583005567282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiu1XjExUzh1usWv3C9tQ__isGPmejsWM0RtB3yw2h-44KvpB_kpbcX0RFWzGvsXRM1jPk6-acLyCm33GMlX-EPR6fpgo5STFk_KISy7AOQc4h69-XUsZMTbjvJBmtFANy4Cx9Q/s320/DSCN6490.JPG" /><br />Joshua loved every minute of his 12 minute egg decorating! Seriously, the kid had a very difficult time waiting on the egg to "hurry up and get colored", so he could move on to the next egg. Due to his impatience, two of his eggs did not make it as far as the dyes. But he was thrilled with the outcome of what he had accomplished declaring himself "The Winner of Egg Decorating"!<br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5455325578723517746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimrRzCk2XabK73M0hw-A4M66HA2nDMbOKKoKFsXZi1ItdhvprbQ4w5k5ZIp3OtGRw6mo__LZ7GQpyqhlNK_ryi3w2UnF0CsMspjLZuZCy9umAO86ZdK5_Nq7E-K8vsmPDkLLNHKg/s320/DSCN6500.JPG" /><br />This was Miss. Josie's first year decorating eggs, and in typical girl fashion she was very particular about color and style! She enjoyed "tossing" her eggs into the dye containers, to the point that Jaime got splashed in the eye with pink vinegar. Josie was very upset when the decorating came to end, but very proud of her eggs.Michael and Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16770559654447780046noreply@blogger.com0