A Great End to a Crazy Week!

First of all...I could not be happier that this week is OVER with. It was so chaotic and hectic and I had 10 million things going on at the same time.

On Monday I had my final in my education class in the morning. It was the last time for Mikayla at her babysitters (at least until fall). Then I crammed like never before for my Environmental Science final and went back over to school to take that at 6:00 pm. So that was my Monday...one more semester of school DONE.

On Tuesday I recouped from Monday. LOL.

On Wednesday I took Alec to preschool and then had to drive across town to Mikayla's hearing screening. She passed!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am thrilled she passed something. HAH. God bless my little girl who has seen too many DR's lately. Then we hit up the HUGE Gymboree sale and stocked up on lots of goodies for next winter.

On Thursday my mom came up to watch the kids because Kris and I had a parent conference with Alec's pediatrician to discuss some things. It was a good visit and the kids, of course, loved seeing my mom!

On Friday Mikayla's new teacher came to our house to meet her and to get acquainted with her before she starts school in May. I really, really love her teacher and she is truly going to get the help she needs there. She will have Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy during her visits. She will be at the school Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9 am to 11am. She starts next week. Her teacher did say she saw some very, very severe signs of Sensory Disorder when she ate her lunch and played in the living room. I am currently reading a book called The Out of Sync Child that has helped me learn a lot about what she has and ways to try to help her. I highly suggest this book to any of you who have a child with SID.

So I came home Friday and reviewed and studied and FREAKED out because I had my first Praxis test on Saturday morning. I was so stressed over it I nearly threw up. I was one huge ball of nerves. This test was the first of four I have to pass for my Ohio Teacher Certification. I have to admit...I felt really prepared when I went to bed.

Saturday morning I was FREAKING out again, a total wreck, but somehow made it to the testing site. Well....lets just say I have no idea how I did but that test was HARD. I know my stuff really, really well....but I am only going to be certified grades pre-K through 3rd. The test for Ohio covers pre-K through grade TWELVE (which I knew already) and I would say half of the questions on the test dealt with older special needs children, children that I will NOT be teaching. I think this is SO unfair. If I don't pass, that will be the reason why. It is beyond me why Ohio tests teachers on grade levels WAY higher then they will be certified to teach when it comes to the special ed test. I am peeved about it...I will know in four weeks if I passed and I have no idea if I did or not...usually I have a FEELING about how I do on tests, but not this one. YIKES.

While I was taking my Praxis State Test, Kris had Alec and Mikayla up at the ball field for Alec's team pictures. Kris said he did AMAZING and took an awesome picture. AND...since Kris is one of the coaches, he is in the picture too! Alec thought that was super cool. I met them at the park after my test and then we came home and cleaned house because.....

Joe, Gina, and Christian came down to visit today! AND TODAY IS CHRISTIAN'S ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!! So I bought a cake and some balloons. Kris and Joe were gone all day, they had a golf outing, the proceeds went to Alec's Softball Organization. So Gina, Christian, me and the kids all went to lunch at Red Lobster where Mikayla proceeded to through a chicken tender at someones head. :-) We came back here, Mikayla took a nap and Christian hung in there like a trooper because the guys didn't get back until 7 pm! We had such a fun day and took the kids to the park and such. SO...it was a great end to my CRAZY week!

~These first few pictures were taken on Friday~

Alec showing off his new Webkinz that he got the Webkinz Extravaganza Day at Hallmark
Mikalya quickly confiscated his balloon he got there

Wait....Elmo is on...
On the MOVE
Alec also got a new haircut on Friday

~These pictures are from TODAY~

Watching Elmo AGAIN
Fighting over the Little People bus. LOL.

Two tots TOTALLY mesmerized by Elmo...and I can't STAND Sesame Street
On the MOVE...AGAIN
Alec hanging out at the park
He just runs all over the place over there
Mikayla LOVED the swing

Christian crawled into the dog crate right after we left Sam out....hence all the HAIR in the crate. THEN...he couldn't get OUT. It was hysterical.
Just hanging out!
It was a great day for the park...so nice today
I love this face:-)
I FORCED Alec to let me take a picture of him

SWINGING!
On.....THE....GOOOOOO!
C'mon mom.....catch up with me!
Pretty girl:-)
Gina and Christian hanging out on the swing

And off they go...
Having fun on the slide!
Mommy and Kayla swinging and YES people...I have a death grip on her...she wasn't going anywhere.
Come here Christian...let me give you a kiss!
Christian's Cake

~These pictures were taken last week at my mom and dads house and at home~

Just a close-up
Alec posing for my mom
Lunch at the park
Mikayla loving every minute of her FREEDOM
WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!

~Hope everyone had a WONDERFUL weekend~

Daddy Came to Preschool!!

Alec's preschool asked me if Kris could come in and do a presentation with Plato and of course I said he would be able to. I told them to write the official request to the Sheriff's Office and if it was approved I would get back to them. Well it was and today Kris came! He did this with Alec's preschool two years ago too! It was so much fun. The kids all loved it and of course this visit was extra special since it was Alec's preschool. Kris actually does school visits like this all the time. Alec was just SO SO proud that his daddy was at school today! Mikayla, on the other hand, was quite annoyed by the whole thing. She did NOT understand why daddy couldn't hold her and give her attention. She was one mad chick...let me tell you! But it was a lot of fun and I got some good pictures.

This afternoon I had a DR appointment and my mom came up and took the kids, yes BOTH kids, home with her for the night! She took them to the park and they are having all kinds of fun in Mansfield while mommy and daddy have fun up here! We went out to dinner with Joe and Gina....ADULTS only. It was soooooooo much fun. We were laughing so loud and I am sure annoying everyone but we could have cared less. I mean come on, it's not every day you get to go dinner with your best friends without the kids! So we had a great night!

Here are some pictures:

This was in Alec's classroom before the presentation...notice who daddy is holding!

They were all so excited to see the dog!

Mikayla decided to play "tea"

Talking with the kids...

Alec was super proud of his dad today:-)
Kris showing Plato's bullet proof vest to the kids


I have no idea why this picture is blurry but I am mad about it. We had so much fun tonight guys!

Goodnight everyone...have a great weekend!

Last week of school!

I'm sorry...I have been very, very busy with my last week of school. I have had a lot of assignments and projects due. So I haven't had much time for my blog!

Nothing much new going on here at all. On Friday Mikayla had three shots. YUCK. She has a miserable weekend because of it. She never reacts well to her shots.

Then today I gave a presentation. One of my professors asked me to come to one of her classes to do a presentation about Mikayla and her IFSP(Individual Family Service Plan). So I put some stuff together, including pictures of her hogar and pics from Guatemala. I talked about her life in Guatemala before she came home, the scarce medical information we got leading up to bringing her home, and then the conditions she has since been diagnosed with upon coming home. For me, as her parent, I am seeing BOTH sides of this. I see the teacher aspect, and I also feel the frustration of being stuck in the system waiting for services. We are going on almost 4 months of waiting to get her services. I have a friend in a nearby county who called like three weeks ago to even START the process, we started ours in OCTOBER, and now her child is going to start getting services NEXT WEEK!!! It's not right and it's very unfair. The good news is that Mikayla has finally gotten in and her teacher will be coming to do a home visit next Friday....and then she can FINALLY start her classes and therapy there. It was a good presentation and Mikayla was quite the hit:-)

On Friday Alec AND Mikayla are going to spend the night with my mom and dad. I have a DR appointment that day and so my mom offered to watch the kids so I could go. Well....that turned into her taking the kids HOME for the night. So Kris and I are going out and the kids will get some great one on one time with their grandma and grandpa. We are HOPING to go to dinner with Joe and Gina...c'mom Kayla...babysit for them one more time. They need to come out with us!

So here are some pictures. I took these tonight of Kayla and Alec. Alec was DIRTY because he has just gotten back from T-Ball practice. LOL. The first picture, however, is of Mikayla and her daddy...he was who she wanted when she came home from getting her shots. She was NOT happy:-(