It's been quite some time again since I've shared here. This summer has been so busy as I have returned to school and am taking 2 classes, one of which is a Medical Terminology class and is kicking my butt. I'm nearing the end though and I'm happy to say I've got 100 in one class and a 97.7 in the other. But I've worked really hard for those grades, which are needed due to such high competition to get into these medical programs at our local community college. So in between class work, writing papers, studying and taking tests, we have been trying to fit in as much time together as a family as we can and fun activities for the kids.
Next week is Kyla's first week at Vacation Bible School which she is excited for. I remember loving VBS as a kid and it's about 10 times better now than it was when I went so I think she will enjoy it. We are also getting ready for her to start at her new elementary school. I have her enrolled in half day Kinder as it is a private school that I feel will be a little bit of an adjustment for her. Greg and I sat in on a class last year and they expect a lot out of the kids, so we will start half day and if she wants or I feel full day would be good, we can move to that any time.
Emma is also going to start preschool this year. She turned 3 in June, but she is ready for some socialization other than just Mom. This is going to be really hard for her and for me as well. I imagine the first 2 weeks will be torture dropping her off. I expect lots of tears and screaming for me to not go. :/ but I completely trust the women at this preschool and know that they will have her best interests in mind and will call me if needed.
Kyla has also been back in swimming lessons at our local court club. It has taken a lot for her to get comfortable in the water again, but her teacher is very good at working with her and pushing her to do more but not so quickly that she gets scared again. I am considering skipping a semester of ballet since she is doing so well at swimming until she can swim the length of the entire pool and back. These kids activities can add up if you do too much at once. Kyla is also going to be starting Upward soccer in just a few weeks. The season for that is short, but I think she will enjoy it. We will see, I have been told since her Dad was in Olympic Development soccer and her aunt and uncle were good at soccer as well that she will be too...but I dunno :) I never played soccer or had an interest in the sport so I know nothing about it and can't help her at all, her Dad will have to do that part if she finds she enjoys it and it could become a regular activity for her. The only concern here I have been told is for throw ins - that her little arm may be too short to get a good throw in - of course she has her prosthetic but the doctors as well as I didn't think it would be a good idea as she may hurt other kids with it - it is rock hard.
Anyhow, that's all the time I have for an update, hope everyone is doing well!
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Saturday, April 11, 2015
My Life
Wrote this note to my Husband tonight. A brief description of our life, I thought it was worth sharing:
All of the following has happened in the past hour: Emma peed pants while standing directly in front of the toilet - while I am hosing her off in the shower following peeing her pants Kyla is downstairs putting the cheese packet in the entire pot of boiling water & macaroni, while I am fixing the mac & cheese Emma grabs vacuum and starts vacuuming the house while naked, Emma spills her juice all over her chair while eating dinner, Macy comes upstairs after I fed her dog food and pukes right by the dinner table. Nothing else has happened in the last hour - other than all of that.
This past week has been eventful to say the least. I had a phone interview 2 weeks ago and was called back for an actual interview at the start of this week. It went really well even though I hadn't had a 'formal' interview in so many years. I was called back in a few days later for skills testing which was just typing and 10-key. Immediate following my testing the hiring manager took me upstairs, told the HR admin that I 'blew everyone else out of the water' and had me sign hiring paperwork, background check paperwork and then I was off for drug testing. I was totally kind of caught off guard by how quickly it all happened, but I went a long with it and thought I would just wait and see what the formal offer would be. The following morning I got the formal offer and with Emma still being 2 (almost 3) and having nanny or childcare expenses what they could offer me just wasn't worth it, so I turned the job down. The lady was very nice, I explained to her about our childcare situation and she said she understood that she has young children as well and has been in the same boat and told me that if I ever wanted to apply to the company in the future that they would welcome me there. Which I thought was very nice of her to say - the timing is just not right and childcare makes it so hard to make working worth it. I am still looking for a job and I've decided I really do need to wait for a PT position for now. I am also considering just not even doing the job thing and getting my pre-reqs done for the Spokane ultrasound program here locally and then once the girls are both to the age where they are in full time school (2 years from now) applying to the Spokane program. For now I know they are too young for me to do the school thing, but in a few years it could be a possibility. Hard on the family but a possibility and a year goes by so quickly that it would be over in no-time.
This is why you listen to people and do your schooling before you have kids. Not my fault - my Husband's ;)
All of the following has happened in the past hour: Emma peed pants while standing directly in front of the toilet - while I am hosing her off in the shower following peeing her pants Kyla is downstairs putting the cheese packet in the entire pot of boiling water & macaroni, while I am fixing the mac & cheese Emma grabs vacuum and starts vacuuming the house while naked, Emma spills her juice all over her chair while eating dinner, Macy comes upstairs after I fed her dog food and pukes right by the dinner table. Nothing else has happened in the last hour - other than all of that.
This past week has been eventful to say the least. I had a phone interview 2 weeks ago and was called back for an actual interview at the start of this week. It went really well even though I hadn't had a 'formal' interview in so many years. I was called back in a few days later for skills testing which was just typing and 10-key. Immediate following my testing the hiring manager took me upstairs, told the HR admin that I 'blew everyone else out of the water' and had me sign hiring paperwork, background check paperwork and then I was off for drug testing. I was totally kind of caught off guard by how quickly it all happened, but I went a long with it and thought I would just wait and see what the formal offer would be. The following morning I got the formal offer and with Emma still being 2 (almost 3) and having nanny or childcare expenses what they could offer me just wasn't worth it, so I turned the job down. The lady was very nice, I explained to her about our childcare situation and she said she understood that she has young children as well and has been in the same boat and told me that if I ever wanted to apply to the company in the future that they would welcome me there. Which I thought was very nice of her to say - the timing is just not right and childcare makes it so hard to make working worth it. I am still looking for a job and I've decided I really do need to wait for a PT position for now. I am also considering just not even doing the job thing and getting my pre-reqs done for the Spokane ultrasound program here locally and then once the girls are both to the age where they are in full time school (2 years from now) applying to the Spokane program. For now I know they are too young for me to do the school thing, but in a few years it could be a possibility. Hard on the family but a possibility and a year goes by so quickly that it would be over in no-time.
This is why you listen to people and do your schooling before you have kids. Not my fault - my Husband's ;)
Monday, March 16, 2015
I'm Old
My birthday was last week.... and I'm an old lady now. 32. Not sure how quickly that happened. I remember being 21 like it was just like two years ago. Ugh..... time goes by so quickly. BUT I did buy 2 tickets to see Ed Sheeran in concert in Portland in June as a late celebration. I am so excited. Greg bought me the CD and apparently CD's are like really not the main way of getting music anymore, well I didn't know that until my Husband went looking for birthday presents for me. Once again shows how old I am and how out of touch with society (besides my kiddos) I have become. Kids will do that to you; occupy a lot of your time ;). But he did find it and so I'm sharing one of my favorite songs. Love........... \
Ed Sheeran Photograph
Ed Sheeran Photograph
Sunday, March 8, 2015
It's March 2015!
Another update on our family happenings. Most all of us are doing well. The weather is getting warmer and we have been hitting up the park a lot more lately, which is nice. The park has it's great things but also it's bad things. To be honest the park is the place I like going to but also don't like going to. That doesn't make sense unless you are a parent like me of a 'different' child. Every park trip is interesting, we always get the kids who surround Kyla asking her questions, won't leave her alone even though she has already tried to answer their questions, run away from her once they see her arm, etc. I know it's going to happen but it doesn't mean I'm not going to take my kids to the park to play, we just deal with it, I sometimes have a few quick tears (not around the kids) and we for the most part have a good time out of the house playing in the sun, being a normal family. Regardless, I'm just glad summer is coming. The girls are I just got back home from a grocery store trip and there was a mid aged boy who had autism pretty badly (I am guessing) and he was not having a good trip out...lots of looks, lots of stares; but not from me or Kyla. LOL...and I told Emma to stop staring. I can relate..not to that extent, but I can relate and feel for those parents. They are struggling....although they have a child that is mentally having troubles, they still have to go to the grocery store just like everyone else. Anyhow, times like this make me realize just how good we do have it as far as Kyla's difference..she is completely normal to me...and to the rest of her family.
We made our annual Shriner's trip about a month ago to Spokane. We got some bad news being that they have changed their policies and they no longer fund for other prosthetic doctors to make prosthetics for their patients. So basically, before, Shriner's would cover the remainder of the cost of the prosthetic that insurance didn't. Which for Kyla's last prosthetic was over 1K. We paid that out of pocket since we were not yet setup with Shriners and now that we are, they change their policies. LOL, so once she needs another one we will have to make the 3-4 trips to Spokane in order to get the new prosthetic for her. It's a bummer, but whatever... Then earlier this week I just took Kyla to our local prosthetics doctor at Hanger and he made some adjustments to her prosthetic since she has grown so that it will fit her better. The next day after he made these adjustments she wore her arm for all of ballet and for like 2-3 hours following class, which was really good for her.
Only other news really is we meet later this week with Kyla's new school's headmaster. This school is very small, it's a Christian Academy and not accredited by Washington State, but it is in the same building she is in now for Preschool (which makes it nice since Emma is registered to start preschool this coming year) so less trips for me or whoever will be dropping them off/picking them up. Although this school is small, I did tour another Christian private school about 2 weeks ago that is much larger and felt more like a public school and I just didn't get a super great feeling about it. So we will see how this meeting goes with this other smaller school and go from there. With Kyla's monthly tuition and Emma's preschool tuition, I need a job, very very soon. It's been really difficult for me to find something part-time that still pays enough to make it worth it and can work with my husband's crazy work schedule and my kid's school/activities schedule. I've found and applied for several though and have had no luck. And for jobs I really feel I am over qualified for...but such is life, I am going to keep trying and if we get down to the point where I can't find something PT I'll take a FT job for now and continue to look for PT. The job I had interviewed for a few months ago would have been great, with NY Life but they did not want to pay me what I need to make it work for our family so it just didn't work out, which is a bummer because I saw the guy I would have been working for earlier this week and he just seemed like he would have been a great guy to work for, oh well. I do see myself going back to work at PNNL but it will have to be the right job, not just any job, we will see. Kind of funny because I talked with some of my old managers and co-workers a few weeks ago and I just don't think everyone thinks of things the way I do, of course my old Manager is very career driven, where as my #1 most important thing to me is my kids. Always has been and always will be. I've seen other kids at Kyla's preschool whose Mom has gone from not working at all to working FT and it has not been good on the kids... I also have been a caregiver for my niece for almost a year now while my Sister works FT and it does make me sad for those parents/children because they are missing out on so much, so many precious moments and opportunities with their children. Speaking of my niece, she's 1 in early April and I did just recently tell my Sister that I am not going to be able to watch her this summer on because I need to focus on job searching for myself and also summer activities like soccer (Kyla will start Upward Soccer soon) and swimming lessons. It's ridiculous that my kid is working on 6 years old and still doesn't know or have a clue how to swim. It's actually scary for me as a parent to not be able to trust my kids around water.... so I've found that our local Racquet Club does private 1-on-1 lessons so we plan to do that a lot this summer.
Overall monthly tuition for both kiddos will be like paying daycare all over again and then some since I will need to find someone to help pickup the kids and be with them for a while, while I work. I am trusting that it will all work out somehow....
Kyla has also been struggling with school, her teacher talked to me earlier this week and said she has just all of a sudden decided to not do her papers during class. She will sit and play with her pencil, play with her hair, etc. and comes home with blank incomplete papers, so I am taking the time in the afternoons to work with her making her finish up her work that she didn't get done during class. Regardless the teacher and I know that if she doesn't do it at school, I'll make her do them at home... little turd...she is the sweetest girl, has the sweetest heart of about any kid I know but she is also hard-headed and in her own little world a lot of the time. From getting dressed in the morning, to eating her meals, to doing her school work, it's all usually a struggle to get her to stay on-task or focused, so I'm hoping this will change, but we will see. Emma is very much the opposite, but all kids are different. Another thing that makes the job thing hard for me is Emma is still very much attached to me. She has been with me every day since the day she was born, she is 3 in June...she is used to Mom and her family and not a ton of other people....so school next year will be a big adjustment for her. I think all 2nd children are much less independent than their older siblings. Just kind of how it works out.
Need to get going.
We made our annual Shriner's trip about a month ago to Spokane. We got some bad news being that they have changed their policies and they no longer fund for other prosthetic doctors to make prosthetics for their patients. So basically, before, Shriner's would cover the remainder of the cost of the prosthetic that insurance didn't. Which for Kyla's last prosthetic was over 1K. We paid that out of pocket since we were not yet setup with Shriners and now that we are, they change their policies. LOL, so once she needs another one we will have to make the 3-4 trips to Spokane in order to get the new prosthetic for her. It's a bummer, but whatever... Then earlier this week I just took Kyla to our local prosthetics doctor at Hanger and he made some adjustments to her prosthetic since she has grown so that it will fit her better. The next day after he made these adjustments she wore her arm for all of ballet and for like 2-3 hours following class, which was really good for her.
Only other news really is we meet later this week with Kyla's new school's headmaster. This school is very small, it's a Christian Academy and not accredited by Washington State, but it is in the same building she is in now for Preschool (which makes it nice since Emma is registered to start preschool this coming year) so less trips for me or whoever will be dropping them off/picking them up. Although this school is small, I did tour another Christian private school about 2 weeks ago that is much larger and felt more like a public school and I just didn't get a super great feeling about it. So we will see how this meeting goes with this other smaller school and go from there. With Kyla's monthly tuition and Emma's preschool tuition, I need a job, very very soon. It's been really difficult for me to find something part-time that still pays enough to make it worth it and can work with my husband's crazy work schedule and my kid's school/activities schedule. I've found and applied for several though and have had no luck. And for jobs I really feel I am over qualified for...but such is life, I am going to keep trying and if we get down to the point where I can't find something PT I'll take a FT job for now and continue to look for PT. The job I had interviewed for a few months ago would have been great, with NY Life but they did not want to pay me what I need to make it work for our family so it just didn't work out, which is a bummer because I saw the guy I would have been working for earlier this week and he just seemed like he would have been a great guy to work for, oh well. I do see myself going back to work at PNNL but it will have to be the right job, not just any job, we will see. Kind of funny because I talked with some of my old managers and co-workers a few weeks ago and I just don't think everyone thinks of things the way I do, of course my old Manager is very career driven, where as my #1 most important thing to me is my kids. Always has been and always will be. I've seen other kids at Kyla's preschool whose Mom has gone from not working at all to working FT and it has not been good on the kids... I also have been a caregiver for my niece for almost a year now while my Sister works FT and it does make me sad for those parents/children because they are missing out on so much, so many precious moments and opportunities with their children. Speaking of my niece, she's 1 in early April and I did just recently tell my Sister that I am not going to be able to watch her this summer on because I need to focus on job searching for myself and also summer activities like soccer (Kyla will start Upward Soccer soon) and swimming lessons. It's ridiculous that my kid is working on 6 years old and still doesn't know or have a clue how to swim. It's actually scary for me as a parent to not be able to trust my kids around water.... so I've found that our local Racquet Club does private 1-on-1 lessons so we plan to do that a lot this summer.
Overall monthly tuition for both kiddos will be like paying daycare all over again and then some since I will need to find someone to help pickup the kids and be with them for a while, while I work. I am trusting that it will all work out somehow....
Kyla has also been struggling with school, her teacher talked to me earlier this week and said she has just all of a sudden decided to not do her papers during class. She will sit and play with her pencil, play with her hair, etc. and comes home with blank incomplete papers, so I am taking the time in the afternoons to work with her making her finish up her work that she didn't get done during class. Regardless the teacher and I know that if she doesn't do it at school, I'll make her do them at home... little turd...she is the sweetest girl, has the sweetest heart of about any kid I know but she is also hard-headed and in her own little world a lot of the time. From getting dressed in the morning, to eating her meals, to doing her school work, it's all usually a struggle to get her to stay on-task or focused, so I'm hoping this will change, but we will see. Emma is very much the opposite, but all kids are different. Another thing that makes the job thing hard for me is Emma is still very much attached to me. She has been with me every day since the day she was born, she is 3 in June...she is used to Mom and her family and not a ton of other people....so school next year will be a big adjustment for her. I think all 2nd children are much less independent than their older siblings. Just kind of how it works out.
Need to get going.
Monday, December 15, 2014
December 2014
Wow, last time I posted was September. It's been a crazy last few months. I decided to log back on to do an update of how things have been. They have been pretty good but so busy - too busy. My Husband's regular job is a lot and on top of that he has another job that he does for his friend's business, so he is either at work for his regular job, which equates to being away from the home 14 hours on the days he works, then his PT job in between, sleeping during the days or I am off on a photo shoot, baby sitting my 8 month old niece a few days/week or busy with our own kids. It's too much. On top of that I've recently been looking for a PT job that would allow me some time away from the home but still be able to be there for the kids for things we need like getting them up and ready for school and to school in the mornings (Emma isn't in school but would be if I got a job) and also just be able to be with them as well. I can't see myself going back to a Full Time position; not until both kids are in FT school themselves.
I guess when I left my career I did not realize how much I was going to give up to everyone else. I'm always constantly meeting someone's need, if it's not a kid, it's my Husband's, or our families need (doing everything at home). It is EVERYONE but my need's, which I am happy to do, but I'm also burnt out. I don't honestly think it's right that there is never anyone there to help me or just give me a break. I have been really wanting to take yoga classes and the fact is I can't. My Husband's crazy schedule and my kid's schedule allows nothing for me. Of course I could pay to have a babysitter so I could go, but guess what? Running on one person's income while the other stays home makes it hard. It's not like there are a ton of funds there for things like that, so our options are limited.
Getting back to a PT job, I did interview with a few NY Life Insurance Agents and I received a phone call after the interview from them last week and they told me they had let their FT admin go the day after I interviewed so they were looking at getting two people now instead of 1 so it was taking longer than expected and that I would hear back from them soon. I'm still waiting but expect to hear back today or tomorrow. It would be flexible which is what I need and possibly able to do some stuff from home or on weekends. It will be interesting to see if they give me an offer and how we will figure out preschool pickup for them and a couple hours care after that. I've got a few gals I have talked to already, but I just want what's best for the kids and now I realize that is for me to have at least SOME time for myself. I can't be the best Mom to them when I'm worn out being pulled meeting everyone's needs but mine for literally years. It's exhausting and just not really how things should be. Mom needs a break every once in a while.... and it's not like I'm a regular stay at home Mom...my Husband doesn't work a regular job and on top of that he also works a PT job in addition to that and oh yeah, we have our rentals he takes care of as well, hahaha. I talk to my Husband but I feel he more than anything just see's it as me complaining. I'm not really complaining but more just hoping someone will realize that I actually do have needs that should be looked at and at least considered and tried to figure out (like how to maybe get me to a yoga class every once in a while).
I have decided that I want to work in customer service type jobs so I'm not dealing with the same people every single day. I did that for 12 years and that gets old, I think it would be fun to see new people and be able to talk to new people every day...which is something I've never done...but still do administrative, office, accounting type work that I am used to, but I've realized that every job but 2 that I have applied for needs to be Spanish speaking or preferred - which I am not, so I've got the Rosetta Stone 5 levels Spanish for Christmas and will start learning as soon as I get that here in a few weeks - so dumb, but obviously have to do it.
Kyla is doing very good. She is in school of course 4 days/week and ballet 1 hour/week. Her and I went on a Mommy/Daughter date to the Nutcracker the other night and she loved it - she wants to be in it when she is old enough - has to be 7. It will be interesting to see how this ballet all plays out - I realized in the Nutcracker how much the hands and fingers really do play a part in the art of the dance - she really has done such a good job doing everything she does with her real arm mirrored with her prosthetic arm, but of course can't move palms flat or fingers posed like may be necessary someday (necessary for a performance maybe, but not for the sport). Kyla will start soccer here in the spring and I think she will do very well at that - she is a fast little runner - both our girls are super quick - they don't get that from me I don't think.
We got a letter in the mail to schedule our annual appointment with Shriner's Hospital in Spokane, so we will be making that trip again not too long from now, has to be done one time/year to stay a patient of Shriner's. I don't want to do it by myself this time, so am going to try to find a time that my Husband could come with us - if possible. Kyla's prosthetic arm is now a little short in comparison to her real arm, so she could probably use another prosthetic here in the next 6-9 months from now I am guessing. For now it works just fine. I would like to see about getting her a type that is more for looks than function since she doesn't use it at all except for dance. I saw an article today on Lauren Scruggs which is the lady who lost her eye and arm in the airplane propeller accident a few years ago; she was a model or still is a model and her prosthetic arm looks so real - it is very hard to tell it isn't real. I do love the fact that we can have fun with Kyla's prosthetic and make it look NOT real...I honestly do not want to hide it from anyone which is why we always choose a fun fabric, but I'm thinking once it gets to where she is old enough to be in performances maybe we will move more toward life like and no special fabric, or fingers that function (spring loaded to hold things - since she really doesn't use it anyway) or sleeves and Velcro straps to hold it on. Anyhow, that's my update now. Everyone have a wonderful Christmas!
I guess when I left my career I did not realize how much I was going to give up to everyone else. I'm always constantly meeting someone's need, if it's not a kid, it's my Husband's, or our families need (doing everything at home). It is EVERYONE but my need's, which I am happy to do, but I'm also burnt out. I don't honestly think it's right that there is never anyone there to help me or just give me a break. I have been really wanting to take yoga classes and the fact is I can't. My Husband's crazy schedule and my kid's schedule allows nothing for me. Of course I could pay to have a babysitter so I could go, but guess what? Running on one person's income while the other stays home makes it hard. It's not like there are a ton of funds there for things like that, so our options are limited.
Getting back to a PT job, I did interview with a few NY Life Insurance Agents and I received a phone call after the interview from them last week and they told me they had let their FT admin go the day after I interviewed so they were looking at getting two people now instead of 1 so it was taking longer than expected and that I would hear back from them soon. I'm still waiting but expect to hear back today or tomorrow. It would be flexible which is what I need and possibly able to do some stuff from home or on weekends. It will be interesting to see if they give me an offer and how we will figure out preschool pickup for them and a couple hours care after that. I've got a few gals I have talked to already, but I just want what's best for the kids and now I realize that is for me to have at least SOME time for myself. I can't be the best Mom to them when I'm worn out being pulled meeting everyone's needs but mine for literally years. It's exhausting and just not really how things should be. Mom needs a break every once in a while.... and it's not like I'm a regular stay at home Mom...my Husband doesn't work a regular job and on top of that he also works a PT job in addition to that and oh yeah, we have our rentals he takes care of as well, hahaha. I talk to my Husband but I feel he more than anything just see's it as me complaining. I'm not really complaining but more just hoping someone will realize that I actually do have needs that should be looked at and at least considered and tried to figure out (like how to maybe get me to a yoga class every once in a while).
I have decided that I want to work in customer service type jobs so I'm not dealing with the same people every single day. I did that for 12 years and that gets old, I think it would be fun to see new people and be able to talk to new people every day...which is something I've never done...but still do administrative, office, accounting type work that I am used to, but I've realized that every job but 2 that I have applied for needs to be Spanish speaking or preferred - which I am not, so I've got the Rosetta Stone 5 levels Spanish for Christmas and will start learning as soon as I get that here in a few weeks - so dumb, but obviously have to do it.
Kyla is doing very good. She is in school of course 4 days/week and ballet 1 hour/week. Her and I went on a Mommy/Daughter date to the Nutcracker the other night and she loved it - she wants to be in it when she is old enough - has to be 7. It will be interesting to see how this ballet all plays out - I realized in the Nutcracker how much the hands and fingers really do play a part in the art of the dance - she really has done such a good job doing everything she does with her real arm mirrored with her prosthetic arm, but of course can't move palms flat or fingers posed like may be necessary someday (necessary for a performance maybe, but not for the sport). Kyla will start soccer here in the spring and I think she will do very well at that - she is a fast little runner - both our girls are super quick - they don't get that from me I don't think.
We got a letter in the mail to schedule our annual appointment with Shriner's Hospital in Spokane, so we will be making that trip again not too long from now, has to be done one time/year to stay a patient of Shriner's. I don't want to do it by myself this time, so am going to try to find a time that my Husband could come with us - if possible. Kyla's prosthetic arm is now a little short in comparison to her real arm, so she could probably use another prosthetic here in the next 6-9 months from now I am guessing. For now it works just fine. I would like to see about getting her a type that is more for looks than function since she doesn't use it at all except for dance. I saw an article today on Lauren Scruggs which is the lady who lost her eye and arm in the airplane propeller accident a few years ago; she was a model or still is a model and her prosthetic arm looks so real - it is very hard to tell it isn't real. I do love the fact that we can have fun with Kyla's prosthetic and make it look NOT real...I honestly do not want to hide it from anyone which is why we always choose a fun fabric, but I'm thinking once it gets to where she is old enough to be in performances maybe we will move more toward life like and no special fabric, or fingers that function (spring loaded to hold things - since she really doesn't use it anyway) or sleeves and Velcro straps to hold it on. Anyhow, that's my update now. Everyone have a wonderful Christmas!
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
So Behind
I've been so behind on posting any updates this past summer. Life has just been so busy. I'm still babysitting my 5 month old niece 3 to 2 days/week and she has kept me busy, plus my kiddos and my photography business; my husband's weird work schedule. We recently made some big purchases - I finally got my SUV and LOVE it....makes my life so much easier. It's a hybrid, so I don't need a key - awesome for me since I'm always losing my keys in my purse anyways, it automatically opens all of my doors for me when I touch the drivers side or passenger side door handles (awesome, because once again don't need keys), I've got a DVD player for the kids for long trips or while we are waiting in the car for Dad to do some of his errands (he talks a lot ;)), which is so nice because they don't fight with each other; just sit quiet and watch their movie - all my cell phone calls come automatically through the car audio - another bonus since I also have a hard time finding my cell phone in my purse while driving (although this is a no no).....hmm, 3rd row seat which I used for the first time this morning while I took 3 kids to preschool drop off and pickup....just so much better making my life easier! Anyhow enough about my car, back to the kids.
Kyla is now 5! We had her birthday this past weekend at a skating rink. She enjoyed it, but could've used more skating time, less present/cake/ice cream time :) We let her get her ears pierced as her gift from us. My parents made me and my Sister wait until we were like 8 & 9 to get ours and Kyla had been asking for a few months now, so I had told her for her birthday she could. They pierced both of them at the same time, she was scared and wanted to back out but we let her pick some cute earrings and she was OK with it. Some tears after and I am such a weirdo about perfect placement and they didn't place one earring centered so that bothered me, but whatever - it's good enough, gotta let it go!
Kyla is back in ballet class and already outgrew her first leotard. Which those things are expensive! She also really could use some new tap shoes as well - out grew them in just a few months as well. No biggie, that's what she has a little Sister for ;) Emma will use them all someday I imagine. I did move Kyla to a different class yesterday, mid-day so stay at home Mom's and way less chaotic in the hallways - actually so quiet I could sit and just read Emma a book while we waited, which was much nicer than her first class back - it was nuts, grandpa's and grandma's so packed in front of the glass windows to the class that we could barely see her the entire hour - crazy grandpa's making faces at the kids while they tried to pay attention to the teacher, etc. Glad we got her in a good spot now and she is with a friend from her previous class earlier this year - even better. Different teacher, but her new teacher is also super nice.
Kyla also is back at her same preschool for her 3rd year, Pre-K class. But she goes 4 days/week now...gearing up for real school. I love her new teacher, she is an older lady but so sweet and has a super cute classroom, which I think is fun for the kids - they are always doing neat things.
I am so thankful that ever since birth Kyla has really been surrounded by good people who really do love and care for her. I've been stressing lately about where to send her to school next year. I want to avoid public school and want something smaller for her (less kids, more closely watched). And of course private school is so expensive. I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I'm going to start researching it soon to mainly just decide on a place so I can stop stressing. Kyla has such a sweet heart and I don't want any means kids damaging that...she really is a little angel (90% of the time - unless she is fighting with her Sister, or not eating her food like she is supposed to).
Anyhow, I've got both my niece and Emma asleep now and had a few minutes - having both little ones nap at the same time is sorta rare. Gotta take advantage of it while I can!
Kyla is now 5! We had her birthday this past weekend at a skating rink. She enjoyed it, but could've used more skating time, less present/cake/ice cream time :) We let her get her ears pierced as her gift from us. My parents made me and my Sister wait until we were like 8 & 9 to get ours and Kyla had been asking for a few months now, so I had told her for her birthday she could. They pierced both of them at the same time, she was scared and wanted to back out but we let her pick some cute earrings and she was OK with it. Some tears after and I am such a weirdo about perfect placement and they didn't place one earring centered so that bothered me, but whatever - it's good enough, gotta let it go!
Kyla is back in ballet class and already outgrew her first leotard. Which those things are expensive! She also really could use some new tap shoes as well - out grew them in just a few months as well. No biggie, that's what she has a little Sister for ;) Emma will use them all someday I imagine. I did move Kyla to a different class yesterday, mid-day so stay at home Mom's and way less chaotic in the hallways - actually so quiet I could sit and just read Emma a book while we waited, which was much nicer than her first class back - it was nuts, grandpa's and grandma's so packed in front of the glass windows to the class that we could barely see her the entire hour - crazy grandpa's making faces at the kids while they tried to pay attention to the teacher, etc. Glad we got her in a good spot now and she is with a friend from her previous class earlier this year - even better. Different teacher, but her new teacher is also super nice.
Kyla also is back at her same preschool for her 3rd year, Pre-K class. But she goes 4 days/week now...gearing up for real school. I love her new teacher, she is an older lady but so sweet and has a super cute classroom, which I think is fun for the kids - they are always doing neat things.
I am so thankful that ever since birth Kyla has really been surrounded by good people who really do love and care for her. I've been stressing lately about where to send her to school next year. I want to avoid public school and want something smaller for her (less kids, more closely watched). And of course private school is so expensive. I'm not sure what we are going to do, but I'm going to start researching it soon to mainly just decide on a place so I can stop stressing. Kyla has such a sweet heart and I don't want any means kids damaging that...she really is a little angel (90% of the time - unless she is fighting with her Sister, or not eating her food like she is supposed to).
Anyhow, I've got both my niece and Emma asleep now and had a few minutes - having both little ones nap at the same time is sorta rare. Gotta take advantage of it while I can!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
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Really Desperately Need to Get in a New Post....
So much has happened and I feel so bad for not adding these events here. I've been overwhelmed busy. Between babysitting my 2 month old niece a few days/week to summer break, family vacations, and busier photography business, I've been pretty swamped. Anyhow, before kiddos wake up, I've got to mention Kyla's first ballet recital, it went so well and we were so proud of her. The day before her actual recital was rehearsal and she didn't do so well so I was nervous for the actual performance. She ended up doing almost perfect and she had 2 grandmas crying. She was so confident and had fun up there. We took a family vacation with two of our friends families to Silverwood in Idaho two weekend ago. Kyla is so crazy and loved the rollercoasters - she went on rollercoasts I have never been on in my life because I'm like super scared freak that doesn't like to get too risky, LOL. Her Dad took her and she loved it. Four and a half years old and riding crazy wood rollercoasters.....if she likes it fine with me. Emma and I sat and watched :) Emma got to go on her first rides as well during the trip and she loved them as well.
Very very much need to get Kyla back into swimming lessons. She is terrified of the water still after her almost drowning experience last summer during swimming lessons. I've got to find someone to do private lessons with her because she is definitely old enough she needs to know how to swim so I don't have to worry about her. We will be going out of town again in a couple weeks to our friends cabin again and it's near Lake Roosevelt and again water. Kyla's Dad tried to take her down the lazy river at Silverwood - just laying on top of him on a float and she freaked...so not good.
Anyhow, Kyla did a week summer camp at her Preschool, Outdoor Camping Adventures and loved it. I've got her registered for one more week long camp at the end of July - just for something for her to do - she enjoys being with other kids.
Emma is talking more and we are starting to be more disciplined with her. Now that I have my Sister's baby some, I have to have her listen better when I ask her to do something or tell her to do something; which she has been able to get away with quite a bit so far so now it's time she have a little more rigid rules to follow. And by rigid I mean like eating her food at the table and only the table - pretty normal things..lol.
We did have Emma's 2 year birthday party bbq. She is so adorable, I think the best part was being sang to, she continues to sing her version of "happy birthday to Mama" or "happy birthday to Kyla" in her adorable baby voice. Love her like crazy!
My photography business is getting more and more clients, which is nice. I do enjoy it, it's fun - gives me something to do! Other than be a slave to my kids. Anyhow gotta upload some pictures and get back to my Mommy job. Take care everyone.
Very very much need to get Kyla back into swimming lessons. She is terrified of the water still after her almost drowning experience last summer during swimming lessons. I've got to find someone to do private lessons with her because she is definitely old enough she needs to know how to swim so I don't have to worry about her. We will be going out of town again in a couple weeks to our friends cabin again and it's near Lake Roosevelt and again water. Kyla's Dad tried to take her down the lazy river at Silverwood - just laying on top of him on a float and she freaked...so not good.
Anyhow, Kyla did a week summer camp at her Preschool, Outdoor Camping Adventures and loved it. I've got her registered for one more week long camp at the end of July - just for something for her to do - she enjoys being with other kids.
Emma is talking more and we are starting to be more disciplined with her. Now that I have my Sister's baby some, I have to have her listen better when I ask her to do something or tell her to do something; which she has been able to get away with quite a bit so far so now it's time she have a little more rigid rules to follow. And by rigid I mean like eating her food at the table and only the table - pretty normal things..lol.
We did have Emma's 2 year birthday party bbq. She is so adorable, I think the best part was being sang to, she continues to sing her version of "happy birthday to Mama" or "happy birthday to Kyla" in her adorable baby voice. Love her like crazy!
My photography business is getting more and more clients, which is nice. I do enjoy it, it's fun - gives me something to do! Other than be a slave to my kids. Anyhow gotta upload some pictures and get back to my Mommy job. Take care everyone.
Monday, June 2, 2014
Kyla/Emma Update :)
Hi everyone. It's been a while since I've visited Kyla's site. I have been pre-occupied lately I guess; lots of things happening with the girls and family life; haven't really had the time to think much about getting an update in.
Kyla finished her preschool year a little over a week ago. She had two great teachers this year; who I really liked, so it's always kind of sad to see the year come to an end. She is registered for two summer camps at her preschool over summer break, just fun camps for her to do. Summer break with kids can be quite long with kids if you don't keep busy. I found that out last summer with Emma, when she was too little to really take out for long periods of time. :)
I might be crazy but I'm supposed to be taking care of my new little niece soon; for when my sister goes back to work. Me with 3 kids. Whoa. I mean one isn't mine, but practically will be during the day time at least. I'm scared, ha! Not going to lie, so we will see how it goes. When I am around my niece I am all about caring for her, feeding her, changing her diaper, burping her...I miss having a baby, but then I don't. It's a strange deal. Emma has been sleeping in our bed quite a bit at night lately, which is great to snuggle, but then it's also not great because you don't sleep well, you get hot, 2 adults and 1 toddler squeezed into a queen size bed and you can't move at all and get sore because of that. But I do love the snuggles.
Speaking of Emma, she is 2 very soon. I am in the middle of planning her birthday party. We always have a big get-together for our girls birthdays, so this will be the same. Her theme is My Little Pony. I was making her invites the other night and she was sitting on my lap at the computer; all she kept saying was "pony!, pony!, pony!" very excited. Emma still doesn't talk much, but I think it's a blessing; Kyla talks plenty for the both of them. Silence is good :) (although she is slowly getting her words down, so it won't be long before I have two full blown talkers).
Kyla's first ballet recital is this weekend. She is really looking forward to performing for her family. I am very proud of her; she has done such a good job learning how to use her prosthetic to match how she uses her arm, she's gotten it down pretty darn well for only wearing it about an hour a week (only for ballet class). She doesn't want to wear it otherwise, and I don't make her...
Kinda side note, we met a local pastor at a park during one of my photo shoots a month or so ago. We went to his church about 2 weekends ago. I really like him as a Pastor; he teaches the stories of the Bible, which is something I need. I know I'm saved, I know I have the Holy Spirit in me, but I do not know Bible stories very well at all - I stopped going to Sunday School when I was a teenager, so it's been quite some time since I've studied Bible stories. I feel like a lot of Pastors, or at least Pastors that I am used to preach a lot on how to live your life, biblically, which is good, but I personally want to know more about the book that I believe in, so these podcasts are awesome if you want to take a look: http://www.crossviewcommunity.com/sermon-videos/
Kyla finished her preschool year a little over a week ago. She had two great teachers this year; who I really liked, so it's always kind of sad to see the year come to an end. She is registered for two summer camps at her preschool over summer break, just fun camps for her to do. Summer break with kids can be quite long with kids if you don't keep busy. I found that out last summer with Emma, when she was too little to really take out for long periods of time. :)
I might be crazy but I'm supposed to be taking care of my new little niece soon; for when my sister goes back to work. Me with 3 kids. Whoa. I mean one isn't mine, but practically will be during the day time at least. I'm scared, ha! Not going to lie, so we will see how it goes. When I am around my niece I am all about caring for her, feeding her, changing her diaper, burping her...I miss having a baby, but then I don't. It's a strange deal. Emma has been sleeping in our bed quite a bit at night lately, which is great to snuggle, but then it's also not great because you don't sleep well, you get hot, 2 adults and 1 toddler squeezed into a queen size bed and you can't move at all and get sore because of that. But I do love the snuggles.
Speaking of Emma, she is 2 very soon. I am in the middle of planning her birthday party. We always have a big get-together for our girls birthdays, so this will be the same. Her theme is My Little Pony. I was making her invites the other night and she was sitting on my lap at the computer; all she kept saying was "pony!, pony!, pony!" very excited. Emma still doesn't talk much, but I think it's a blessing; Kyla talks plenty for the both of them. Silence is good :) (although she is slowly getting her words down, so it won't be long before I have two full blown talkers).
Kyla's first ballet recital is this weekend. She is really looking forward to performing for her family. I am very proud of her; she has done such a good job learning how to use her prosthetic to match how she uses her arm, she's gotten it down pretty darn well for only wearing it about an hour a week (only for ballet class). She doesn't want to wear it otherwise, and I don't make her...
Kinda side note, we met a local pastor at a park during one of my photo shoots a month or so ago. We went to his church about 2 weekends ago. I really like him as a Pastor; he teaches the stories of the Bible, which is something I need. I know I'm saved, I know I have the Holy Spirit in me, but I do not know Bible stories very well at all - I stopped going to Sunday School when I was a teenager, so it's been quite some time since I've studied Bible stories. I feel like a lot of Pastors, or at least Pastors that I am used to preach a lot on how to live your life, biblically, which is good, but I personally want to know more about the book that I believe in, so these podcasts are awesome if you want to take a look: http://www.crossviewcommunity.com/sermon-videos/
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