Hi all!
Paul and I are absolutely amazed at how quickly the last few months have gone by. With 4 children, we are so busy that the days seem to pass by so quickly. We are learning to not take our time as a family for granted, and to carve out more time for memory making. Sometimes that means spending a bit more money to do something fun, but it is worth it to have the memory.
This children are doing amazing in school. Ethan and Isaac have excelled in school this year! We've watched as Ethan has made a huge change in his maturity level from last year at Cherry Creek Academy. This year he takes more of a responsibility for his own school work. I have very little contact with the teachers, and Ethan is the one who discusses missed assignments and problems with the teachers on his own. His principal encourages parents to let their children advocate for themselves starting in 2nd grade so the students get used to discussing issues on their own. Isaac is excelling in school! He loves to read, and works to finish a chapter book every week now! He makes school look easy. Elizabeth just loves preschool! She was sick for almost a week recently, and she begged to go to school every day. She is working on writing all of her lowercase letters and learning how to read. David is finally talking!! Thanksgiving weekend was a huge weekend for him, and he just keeps moving right along to add words to his vocabulary. I think we may be at a point where we can remove our speech behaviorist from our weekly visits and focus strictly on speech therapy. I am so happy to finally hear "mama" it just makes my heart melt.
As of Monday, December 3rd, Paul start a new job! God has blessed us yet again :) I am amazed everyday at the simple blessings in our life. God has been so good to us and we are so appreciative of all the big and little ways He works in our life. Paul has moved on from his job as a Senior Mysql Engineer at Godaddy to a Senior Database Administrator for a small local company called TrackVia. This is a huge promotion and opportunity for Paul as he will be working directly for the CTO at this company. We are both excited for where this opportunity will take Paul in his career.
Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We have much to be thankful for each year, but especially in 2012!
Sunday, December 02, 2012
Sunday, September 09, 2012
September update
Sorry it has been a bit since we have posted any updates.
Ethan turned 9 on September 5th! His birthday was not as we planned because David partially amputated his thumb and fractured it when he shut the dog run door on it! I'm so glad Paul was home because he quickly grabbed a towel and David's thumb as I grabbed my keys and shoes and we headed to Children's Hospital. They were able to stitch his thumb back together, but he is now missing his thumb nail. Thursday we went to a top hand surgeon who steri stitched the foil in hopes of a new thumb nail coming in. He also got a bright green cast up to his elbow for the next 2.5 weeks.
Isaac made the ACES year-round swim team! He was so excited and now joins Ethan with swimming on a USA swimming team. Isaac also stays busy coloring at home. He loves art and is always making something. He has also been building a lot. Isaac has caught onto the game of chess very quickly, and now asks to play as often as Paul is available to play.
Ethan loves the band and playing the baritone horn. His new favorite hobby is building with the new legos he got for his birthday. He has been playing a lot, but his school works tends to keep him pretty busy at night. This year Ethan has taken more responsibility for his own work, and that has been a huge blessing.
Elizabeth loves her 2nd year of pre-school. It has been a bit tough for her as the boys are getting to a point that they don't want to play with girls. The class has mostly boys in it, and about 4 girls. She struggles to enjoy playing girl games as she has 3 brothers she plays with all of the time.
David is improving each week with his speech work. He is starting to talk more. I think some of it has to do with giving up the pacifier a few weeks back. He signs a lot, but he has begun to say words like, all done, thank you, da da, icky, hot. There are more, I just can't remember them right now. The great news is he is working at talking more.
Blessings,
Sarah
Ethan turned 9 on September 5th! His birthday was not as we planned because David partially amputated his thumb and fractured it when he shut the dog run door on it! I'm so glad Paul was home because he quickly grabbed a towel and David's thumb as I grabbed my keys and shoes and we headed to Children's Hospital. They were able to stitch his thumb back together, but he is now missing his thumb nail. Thursday we went to a top hand surgeon who steri stitched the foil in hopes of a new thumb nail coming in. He also got a bright green cast up to his elbow for the next 2.5 weeks.
Isaac made the ACES year-round swim team! He was so excited and now joins Ethan with swimming on a USA swimming team. Isaac also stays busy coloring at home. He loves art and is always making something. He has also been building a lot. Isaac has caught onto the game of chess very quickly, and now asks to play as often as Paul is available to play.
Ethan loves the band and playing the baritone horn. His new favorite hobby is building with the new legos he got for his birthday. He has been playing a lot, but his school works tends to keep him pretty busy at night. This year Ethan has taken more responsibility for his own work, and that has been a huge blessing.
Elizabeth loves her 2nd year of pre-school. It has been a bit tough for her as the boys are getting to a point that they don't want to play with girls. The class has mostly boys in it, and about 4 girls. She struggles to enjoy playing girl games as she has 3 brothers she plays with all of the time.
David is improving each week with his speech work. He is starting to talk more. I think some of it has to do with giving up the pacifier a few weeks back. He signs a lot, but he has begun to say words like, all done, thank you, da da, icky, hot. There are more, I just can't remember them right now. The great news is he is working at talking more.
Blessings,
Sarah
Monday, July 30, 2012
Ethan band
Ethan has been excited all summer about the opportunity to begin band in 4th grade. The program is new to our charter school, and Ethan is all on board. Today he went to meet with Mr. Kelley to determine which instrument was best for him. He went in hoping to play the trombone, but left excited to play the baritone horn! This is the same instrument Paul played in band. We are on the search for a reasonably priced baritone horn, so if you know of someone selling one please let us know.
Isaac baptized!
Sunday we attended at church baptism after service. As Paul and I were wrangling our children outside we couldn't find Isaac. We look around and found him in the group of people waiting for a before picture for baptisms. We asked him what he was doing and he replied, "I am getting baptized today!" Isaac accepted Jesus a few years back, and asked to be baptized last summer, so we didn't say no this time. So, with 20 other people, Isaac gave public declaration to his personal relationship with Jesus Christ! It was a very exciting and unplanned celebration for our family.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
School supplies!!
I am amazed at how expensive it is getting to buy school supplies!! I love back to school time because I usually load up on crayons, colored pencils, and markers for our home. My kids love to draw and color. What I don't like is all the money I have to spend. I don't have a list yet for Elizabeth's preschool class, but I tried to assume what I would need for her. So, for 3 kids and what I have for home, I spent....between $300 and $325! I haven't bought Ethan's new lunch box yet either. Now, I did buy Ethan an L.L Bean backpack this year in hopes of it lasting through high school, and I purchased the more expensive supplies with heavy duty notebooks and folders so they will last all well. This year I was able to reuse all of Ethan's folders from last year, his scissors, and his ruler. I was still shocked by the cost of everything I purchased. That didn't include the stuff I already had at home that we needed to buy. This year each child needed to bring 2 20lb packs of copy paper to school. I understand that buy purchasing so much it keeps the costs down for the school, but man oh man! I am grateful for Wal-marts price match guarantee, and their lower prices. I could have saved more buy not buying the nicer supplies, I chose quality over price. I can't imagine what it will be like when we have 4 in regular school. I will have one year where all of our kids will be in one school. I will have kids in K,3,5,8 all at the same time!
So, on top of extra school supplies, we are now charged a fee for the school. $25 PTO fee, and a $75 materials fee for each child! So, we are to bring our checkbooks ready to pay $200 for the boys. Yikes!! Top that off with the $400 I paid for uniforms this year and I am in shock! Thankfully I was able to find some really cute clothes for Elizabeth at the thrift store, and I still plan to shop at their back-to-school event where all kids clothes are $1. School is getting more expensive each year, but I try to tell myself that I'm investing in my children's futures. Education is so important, and we have been abundantly blessed to have a private education at the public charter school. $100 per year is cheap for a top education. CCA is an amazing school, and we couldn't be happier to be accepted into the program. I did have a hard time thinking about dropping $400 the 1st year (or more if the price goes up) for fees when all 4 kids are at CCA.
Ethan and Isaac are both excited about starting activities this year. We are trying to convince them to stick to a recreation swim team rather than Aces so they have the time to focus on school AND activities. Aces is so time consuming, and costs a small fortune as well. Ethan is going to be in 4th grade, and has the opportunity to start band. He goes on Monday to check out the instruments and see which one is a good fit for his body type, but he is excited about possibly playing the trombone. Both boys want to start Chess Club this year, and Ethan wants to check out Geography club too. I think it is going to be a very busy year!
With those thoughts, I am asked a lot why 4 kids. I know these days families chose 1-2 kids max due to cost of raising a child. While the cost of raising a child is increasing, and extremely difficult for a one-income family, it can be done. Our family doesn't have cable tv, we don't eat out for dinner, and we don't take big vacations. Our vacation time/money is spent visiting family that we live so far away from. Our family has never packed up and went on a family vacation where our time wasn't spent with family. For example, when we've gone back to visit Paul's parents in San Diego, we don't sight see at the zoo, Sea World, or Disneyland....we spend our time with Jim and Janet soaking up as much family time as we can. I can guarantee you, those precious moments with family will stick in the kids' minds a lot longer than a trip to see Shamu. This year I took the kids back to see my mom in Missouri. While it would have been great to go here and there with the kids, we spent our week at the park, their house, and fishing. Once again, I can guarantee the kids will always remember the excitement of catching their first Catfish! This time next week, we will be off (with Paul this time) to Iowa for the Otto family reunion. This time I have planned a few stops along the way for some fun sight-seeing. My hope is to take the kids to the Omaha Zoo and Aquarium, and then to The Living Farm museum in Iowa. Then the rest of the weekend is going to be filled with fun activities with the Otto family. So, while we could drop several grand, and go into debt, to take the kids for some amazing place, we would rather spend our time and money investing in our family relationships with people that won't be here forever. I have another hope to travel out to Arizona this year and spend more quality time with Paul's Grandma. She is an amazing and kind Grandma and Great-Grandma to the kids, and Arizona isn't too far of a drive.
So, is having four children difficult...at times yes! Do I wish I would have stopped at 1 or 2 children....nope! We love having a big family, and while it can be a strain on the finances at times, God is faithful to provide exactly what we NEED, not always what we WANT. Children are a Blessing and gift from God, and Paul and I both wouldn't change our family dynamic for the world.
So, on top of extra school supplies, we are now charged a fee for the school. $25 PTO fee, and a $75 materials fee for each child! So, we are to bring our checkbooks ready to pay $200 for the boys. Yikes!! Top that off with the $400 I paid for uniforms this year and I am in shock! Thankfully I was able to find some really cute clothes for Elizabeth at the thrift store, and I still plan to shop at their back-to-school event where all kids clothes are $1. School is getting more expensive each year, but I try to tell myself that I'm investing in my children's futures. Education is so important, and we have been abundantly blessed to have a private education at the public charter school. $100 per year is cheap for a top education. CCA is an amazing school, and we couldn't be happier to be accepted into the program. I did have a hard time thinking about dropping $400 the 1st year (or more if the price goes up) for fees when all 4 kids are at CCA.
Ethan and Isaac are both excited about starting activities this year. We are trying to convince them to stick to a recreation swim team rather than Aces so they have the time to focus on school AND activities. Aces is so time consuming, and costs a small fortune as well. Ethan is going to be in 4th grade, and has the opportunity to start band. He goes on Monday to check out the instruments and see which one is a good fit for his body type, but he is excited about possibly playing the trombone. Both boys want to start Chess Club this year, and Ethan wants to check out Geography club too. I think it is going to be a very busy year!
With those thoughts, I am asked a lot why 4 kids. I know these days families chose 1-2 kids max due to cost of raising a child. While the cost of raising a child is increasing, and extremely difficult for a one-income family, it can be done. Our family doesn't have cable tv, we don't eat out for dinner, and we don't take big vacations. Our vacation time/money is spent visiting family that we live so far away from. Our family has never packed up and went on a family vacation where our time wasn't spent with family. For example, when we've gone back to visit Paul's parents in San Diego, we don't sight see at the zoo, Sea World, or Disneyland....we spend our time with Jim and Janet soaking up as much family time as we can. I can guarantee you, those precious moments with family will stick in the kids' minds a lot longer than a trip to see Shamu. This year I took the kids back to see my mom in Missouri. While it would have been great to go here and there with the kids, we spent our week at the park, their house, and fishing. Once again, I can guarantee the kids will always remember the excitement of catching their first Catfish! This time next week, we will be off (with Paul this time) to Iowa for the Otto family reunion. This time I have planned a few stops along the way for some fun sight-seeing. My hope is to take the kids to the Omaha Zoo and Aquarium, and then to The Living Farm museum in Iowa. Then the rest of the weekend is going to be filled with fun activities with the Otto family. So, while we could drop several grand, and go into debt, to take the kids for some amazing place, we would rather spend our time and money investing in our family relationships with people that won't be here forever. I have another hope to travel out to Arizona this year and spend more quality time with Paul's Grandma. She is an amazing and kind Grandma and Great-Grandma to the kids, and Arizona isn't too far of a drive.
So, is having four children difficult...at times yes! Do I wish I would have stopped at 1 or 2 children....nope! We love having a big family, and while it can be a strain on the finances at times, God is faithful to provide exactly what we NEED, not always what we WANT. Children are a Blessing and gift from God, and Paul and I both wouldn't change our family dynamic for the world.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Trip to Missouri
This past week was pretty exhausting. I thought, last minute, to take the kids and drive to Missouri to visit my mom. My mom and I have had our issues, but I felt God's tugging to get them out there to visit with her. She is having surgery the beginning of August, and it had been 3 years since we had seen her. So, we packed up, and drove 12 hours to High Point, Missouri. My prayer was for a peaceful trip with lots of memories.
God blessed our trip abundantly!!! The kids got to meet my mom's new husband, Danny. They quickly warmed up and began calling him Grandpa. I think that would make my Dad really happy. It has been easier to accept Danny into the family because I know him. He lived in the town I grew up in, and I knew him as Bandit growing up. He was so good to the kids, and spent so much time playing with them. This gave my mom and I a lot of time to talk.
Danny took the kids fishing ALOT, and the boys had a blast. Ethan caught a blue gill, and a few catfish, and Isaac caught a catfish too! It was the boys' first time to go fishing and catch fish on their own. They are finally old enough to enjoy the sport. :) Grandma spent time with Elizabeth giving her a make-over, and lots of jewerly/make-up to take home. Elizabeth loves her new bag of goodies. David was a mama's boy, but he did warm up to Grandma and give her hugs and kisses. It was very hot during our visit, so we didn't get to do as much as we wanted, but I went and bought a small pool for the kids to play in. David really loved playing with my mom's German Shepard, Bud. Those too had a blast together. All-in-all it was a fantastic trip and the kids never wanted to leave. They had such a great time, and have memories that will last forever.
Next time we hope to get a trip in to the Ozarks...my mom lives less than 30 minutes to the Ozarks, and another trip out to Ruby's to ride the horses. In just over a week, we'll be heading back out on the road. This time Paul will be with, and we'll be headed to the Otto Family Reunion in Iowa to visit with family Paul hasn't seen since he was a child. We can't wait!!
God blessed our trip abundantly!!! The kids got to meet my mom's new husband, Danny. They quickly warmed up and began calling him Grandpa. I think that would make my Dad really happy. It has been easier to accept Danny into the family because I know him. He lived in the town I grew up in, and I knew him as Bandit growing up. He was so good to the kids, and spent so much time playing with them. This gave my mom and I a lot of time to talk.
Danny took the kids fishing ALOT, and the boys had a blast. Ethan caught a blue gill, and a few catfish, and Isaac caught a catfish too! It was the boys' first time to go fishing and catch fish on their own. They are finally old enough to enjoy the sport. :) Grandma spent time with Elizabeth giving her a make-over, and lots of jewerly/make-up to take home. Elizabeth loves her new bag of goodies. David was a mama's boy, but he did warm up to Grandma and give her hugs and kisses. It was very hot during our visit, so we didn't get to do as much as we wanted, but I went and bought a small pool for the kids to play in. David really loved playing with my mom's German Shepard, Bud. Those too had a blast together. All-in-all it was a fantastic trip and the kids never wanted to leave. They had such a great time, and have memories that will last forever.
Next time we hope to get a trip in to the Ozarks...my mom lives less than 30 minutes to the Ozarks, and another trip out to Ruby's to ride the horses. In just over a week, we'll be heading back out on the road. This time Paul will be with, and we'll be headed to the Otto Family Reunion in Iowa to visit with family Paul hasn't seen since he was a child. We can't wait!!
Sunday, July 15, 2012
So exhausted!!
Championships were a blast and exhausting all at the same time! We woke up late as Paul's phone had an issue and didn't go off as planned at 5am. We woke up to the boys' alarm at 6am, and we needed to be at our pool by 6:30 to caravan to the meet. It was a mad dash of a morning, but we made it to our pool by 6:28 in time to leave with the team.
Paul worked the first 2 hours helping with DQ scribing, and I lugged David around while getting the boys ready for their first event. I was so happy when Paul was done so he could help. It was so crazy busy and full that David had to be carried everywhere. We were able to see our boys swim each of their events, and they did very well. This was our Division (C) Championships with the other 5 teams in the division.
Results:
Ethan 25 free 6th place
25 back 3rd place
50 free 5th place
This was all while Ethan was less than 24 hours without a cast. He was able to get his cast removed on Friday, but still has to wear a split for 3 weeks while participating in any activities. So, he swam with a splint, and stiff/sore arm. He was bummed he hadn't done better in his events, but we were still very proud of him. We learned that Ethan was the talk of the division, as everyone knew the 8-year old swimming with a blue cast and STILL winning events!
Isaac 25 free 3rd place
25 back 2nd place
25 breast 2nd place
This was Isaac's first year swimming on a swim team. He worked so hard, and was always excited to go to practice. Sometimes Isaac would practice in the morning and evening to work on his strokes. He really gained a lot of endurance over the summer, and can't wait to try out for a year-round team. We are so proud of both of our boys.
After Championships were over, we had a few hours to go home before meeting back at the pool for the year-end party and awards. Everyone was so tired, but we really enjoyed watching all of the kids get their awards and hearing the fun stories. Ethan earned the "no more playground" award as his coach told him next summer he is only allowed to eat, swim, and sleep...no more injuries. Isaac earned the "3 amigos" award because he and 2 other boys were always found together. His coach said if you were looking for one, you always found the other 2 as well. After the very long awards ceremony, they opened the pool and the kids got to swim for an hour or so. It was cold, so our kids swam for a little bit, and wanted to get out to warm back up. They ate some more, watched a picture slideshow of the year, and were ready to head home.
All-in-all it was a fantastic summer with the swim team, and we can't wait for next year to begin and start Elizabeth on the team with the friends she made this year. There were 5 other 4-year olds that she played with throughout the summer that might join the team next year. The boys are already talking about ACES year-round team and getting started on that. Thankfully for us, we have until the end of August before that begins. Next weekend, Ethan has his AllStars meet where he will compete with kids from all 24 teams in the Mountain High Swim League in the 25 fly, 25 back, and 50 free events.
Paul worked the first 2 hours helping with DQ scribing, and I lugged David around while getting the boys ready for their first event. I was so happy when Paul was done so he could help. It was so crazy busy and full that David had to be carried everywhere. We were able to see our boys swim each of their events, and they did very well. This was our Division (C) Championships with the other 5 teams in the division.
Results:
Ethan 25 free 6th place
25 back 3rd place
50 free 5th place
This was all while Ethan was less than 24 hours without a cast. He was able to get his cast removed on Friday, but still has to wear a split for 3 weeks while participating in any activities. So, he swam with a splint, and stiff/sore arm. He was bummed he hadn't done better in his events, but we were still very proud of him. We learned that Ethan was the talk of the division, as everyone knew the 8-year old swimming with a blue cast and STILL winning events!
Isaac 25 free 3rd place
25 back 2nd place
25 breast 2nd place
This was Isaac's first year swimming on a swim team. He worked so hard, and was always excited to go to practice. Sometimes Isaac would practice in the morning and evening to work on his strokes. He really gained a lot of endurance over the summer, and can't wait to try out for a year-round team. We are so proud of both of our boys.
After Championships were over, we had a few hours to go home before meeting back at the pool for the year-end party and awards. Everyone was so tired, but we really enjoyed watching all of the kids get their awards and hearing the fun stories. Ethan earned the "no more playground" award as his coach told him next summer he is only allowed to eat, swim, and sleep...no more injuries. Isaac earned the "3 amigos" award because he and 2 other boys were always found together. His coach said if you were looking for one, you always found the other 2 as well. After the very long awards ceremony, they opened the pool and the kids got to swim for an hour or so. It was cold, so our kids swam for a little bit, and wanted to get out to warm back up. They ate some more, watched a picture slideshow of the year, and were ready to head home.
All-in-all it was a fantastic summer with the swim team, and we can't wait for next year to begin and start Elizabeth on the team with the friends she made this year. There were 5 other 4-year olds that she played with throughout the summer that might join the team next year. The boys are already talking about ACES year-round team and getting started on that. Thankfully for us, we have until the end of August before that begins. Next weekend, Ethan has his AllStars meet where he will compete with kids from all 24 teams in the Mountain High Swim League in the 25 fly, 25 back, and 50 free events.
Monday, July 09, 2012
The Big Rainy Day
Today was it...prelims were here! It was a great day with the kiddos, although very wet. It started out nice and cool and cloudy. The boys finished up their 25 freestyle events, and then the rain came and we all got soaked. We were waiting in heating for backstroke to begin, and thunder and lightning went on for what seemed like forever. We eventually packed up our stuff and headed to the van so I could warm the boys up. I think we were in the van for about an hour before the meet resumed. All in all it was a great meet. The boys both placed within the top 8 for all three of their events so Saturday they will race again with the other 7 boys to see who gets what medal. Paul also called the orthopedic dr today to make sure taking the cast off would really be a good idea. Dr Eric assured Paul that Ethan's break was minor and he should be able to resume swimming right away on Friday afternoon without any problems. Ethan is extremely excited to show up on Saturday cast-free and blow the competition away.
David also had a well-child visit today and it went fantastic. No shots!!!! He is 25 % for weight and 90 % for height. Imagine that...a tall kid :) David is right on track and progressing a lot in his speech therapy sessions with Abby.
David also had a well-child visit today and it went fantastic. No shots!!!! He is 25 % for weight and 90 % for height. Imagine that...a tall kid :) David is right on track and progressing a lot in his speech therapy sessions with Abby.
Sunday, July 08, 2012
Prelims are tomorrow!!
I am so nervous and excited for the boys tomorrow. Prelims for our division championships are tomorrow morning for the 8 and unders. :) I made the boys are nice pasta dinner, and had Ethan take a nap yesterday and today in hopes of his body fully healing before tomorrow. He has been battling a sore throat and fever since last week and it showed in his meet on Saturday. He had his worst swim meet ever Saturday, and was bummed and crying afterwards. He didn't remember that he hadn't swam but once on Monday all week long, and I tried to remind him that other kids were probably not sick and swimming every day to prepare for championships. He hasn't had a fever all day, so hopefully tomorrow will go well. We have tried to focus more on his perseverance than winning all summer, but he has really enjoyed all of his first place finishes. He will have a tough race tomorrow against all of the kids in our division, but hopefully he has a good attitude no matter what happens. Our main focus has been for him to stay confident with swimming even though he has a cast on.
Isaac has done really well this summer too. He has the chance to place in the top 8 tomorrow for all of his events if he stays focused. He has really gotten competitive, even with his friends, but it is all friendly competition. We have been so happy with all of the friends he has made this year, and can't wait to watch them get back together next summer. It is sad that the season is almost over, and I'm already excited for next summer when Elizabeth swims with the team, and the boys see their friends again.
So, the kids are in bed and I'm praying they get some good sleep before tomorrow morning. For me, I want them to get in the top 8, but more than that, I want them to give it their best and be proud no matter where they place. It really is a team effort, and as long as the team does well, I could care less if they win. I want to be the mom that is proud of her child's accomplishments, and encourages them to swim hard, but be there when they don't come out on top to tell them I love them anyway. It isn't about win or lose, it is how you play the game. :)
Isaac has done really well this summer too. He has the chance to place in the top 8 tomorrow for all of his events if he stays focused. He has really gotten competitive, even with his friends, but it is all friendly competition. We have been so happy with all of the friends he has made this year, and can't wait to watch them get back together next summer. It is sad that the season is almost over, and I'm already excited for next summer when Elizabeth swims with the team, and the boys see their friends again.
So, the kids are in bed and I'm praying they get some good sleep before tomorrow morning. For me, I want them to get in the top 8, but more than that, I want them to give it their best and be proud no matter where they place. It really is a team effort, and as long as the team does well, I could care less if they win. I want to be the mom that is proud of her child's accomplishments, and encourages them to swim hard, but be there when they don't come out on top to tell them I love them anyway. It isn't about win or lose, it is how you play the game. :)
Sunday, July 01, 2012
Another weekend of swimming
This was an exhausting weekend for our family. David has been fighting off an illness that included fevers between 102 and 104 since Thursday. I, Sarah, have been dealing with some major stomach pain that has led me to believe I may be IBS. So, David and I spent our weekend snuggling while Paul was busy with the kids. I have so enjoyed those moments with David. For those that know us well, David is a daddy's boy big time. So much so that he cries when I pick him up, or take him out of Paul's arms. The only time he loved on mommy is when Paul is not home.
Saturday was spent with Paul taking the boys to swim. It was HOT, but they still had a great time. Ethan took home 1st place for all of his events! Isaac knocked off 3 seconds for his freestyle taking home 1st, and took 3rd for his breast stroke. Both boys swam their IM events so they could complete the IM Strong challenge. For those that don't know, an IM is a series of stroke all at once. The boys swam butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle one after the other. At the end, Paul competed in a coaches/parents relay race. He said it was a great time for all.
Next weekend is the last dual swim meet before we gear up for championships and All Stars. Ethan is really looking forward to All Stars because he will Get to see his Aces coach as well as most of the kids he swims with for Aces. We should hear about getting his cast off right before the finals for Championships.
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Update
Sorry we haven't been doing a great job of keeping up with our blog. Lots of things have happened since school got out. The kids have been reading a lot, but I haven't done a great job of working on Math or writing with them.
Paul is finishing up his Masters class tonight! We will then get 2 weeks off before the next class begins :) 5 more to go and Paul will have his Master's Degree!
I am healing from my surgery well. I still deal with fatigue and pain when I exercise. Other than that, I have been pain free since the surgery!!
Ethan broke his arm last Thursday falling from the monkey bars!!! Thankfully, it is a simple buckle break. He has a waterproof cast, and even swam in a swim meet this weekend. So many parents encouraged him because he didn't let his cast get him down.
Isaac's toe is healing well. He has been really enjoying the swim meets as well. Swimming pretty much runs out life now, but we don't mind. The boys are getting great exercise and making great friends along the way.
Elizabeth is having a fun summer too, but she really misses preschool and her teacher Miss Kathy. She loves dressing up, and has recently begun brushing her own hair in the mornings. Today she had me pain her nails pink and purple.
David is growing up so fast. He and I had some great time together this past week when Paul was in Arizona. I loved the snuggle and play time. It ended as soon as Paul got back home though. David now cries if Paul leaves the room. He really is a daddy's boy.
As a family, we have made Calvary Fellowship Cherry Creek our new chuch home. :) we all feel that God has led us there to stay!! The kids love Sunday School, we love the solid Bible based (verse by verse) teaching, and have made so many friends! It really is a family and everyone cares about each other more than just a "hello" type of care. Today Ethan chose to stay out for regular service with me, and he loved learning from Pastor Matt. So, he has decided to sit in regular service from now on. :) That is a somewhat short update on our family :)
I am healing from my surgery well. I still deal with fatigue and pain when I exercise. Other than that, I have been pain free since the surgery!!
Ethan broke his arm last Thursday falling from the monkey bars!!! Thankfully, it is a simple buckle break. He has a waterproof cast, and even swam in a swim meet this weekend. So many parents encouraged him because he didn't let his cast get him down.
Isaac's toe is healing well. He has been really enjoying the swim meets as well. Swimming pretty much runs out life now, but we don't mind. The boys are getting great exercise and making great friends along the way.
Elizabeth is having a fun summer too, but she really misses preschool and her teacher Miss Kathy. She loves dressing up, and has recently begun brushing her own hair in the mornings. Today she had me pain her nails pink and purple.
David is growing up so fast. He and I had some great time together this past week when Paul was in Arizona. I loved the snuggle and play time. It ended as soon as Paul got back home though. David now cries if Paul leaves the room. He really is a daddy's boy.
As a family, we have made Calvary Fellowship Cherry Creek our new chuch home. :) we all feel that God has led us there to stay!! The kids love Sunday School, we love the solid Bible based (verse by verse) teaching, and have made so many friends! It really is a family and everyone cares about each other more than just a "hello" type of care. Today Ethan chose to stay out for regular service with me, and he loved learning from Pastor Matt. So, he has decided to sit in regular service from now on. :) That is a somewhat short update on our family :)
David's progress in communication
David has been seeing a behavioralist for a few weeks now, thanks to Cherry Creek School District and the State of Colorado. He's made progress in leaps and bounds!
Words Sarah has heard from him this week:
We'll add more if there are any others Sarah can think of. We'll try to make quick blurbs going forward to keep track of his progress.
- Paul
Over the course of the month, David has begun to do more than just point and grunt - he is starting to communicate, which is exciting! Abby (his behavioralist) has been working on simple signs, such as "more" - he has done that one to me a few times this weekend.
Words Sarah has heard from him this week:
- yes
- please
- outside
We'll add more if there are any others Sarah can think of. We'll try to make quick blurbs going forward to keep track of his progress.
- Paul
Saturday, June 02, 2012
Ethan finally wins ribbons
I completely forgot about posting a blog about our Mother's Day weekend wins!! The weekend of Mother's Day, Ethan swam in his first long course meet with the Aces. He brought home his first ribbons of the year. I am so grateful for this past year because it taught Ethan humility, dedication, and perseverance. Ethan started learning to swim April 2011, and throughout the year-round season, he was swimming against 8-year olds that have been swimming for years. He went to each and every meet, and never won. The Aces mighty mini meet was the worst for him, because he saw all the other kids with multiple medals, but he didn't win at all. My heart broke for him, but at the same time, I thought it was a valuable lesson to learn. So, when Ethan won two 2nd place ribbons and one 3rd place ribbon. He did a fantastic job!
Almost summer!
Wow! The last part of the school year has flown by, but not without several more trials to face. Lets see, Sarah went to the hospital for food poisoning after a family dinner at Chilis. It was so bad, I don't see us eating out for a very long time!!
Sarah turned 30 over Memorial Day weekend! We had a very relaxed and special family weekend. Our neighbors threw a party, band and all, so we enjoyed spending time getting to know the neighborhood. We went to our neighborhood pool, and played some board games.
Isaac hurt his big toe :( Poor kid opened a door onto his foot and ripped his big toe nail right out of the nail bed. Sarah thanked God that Paul had been home so she took Isaac straight to the dr. The dr sent them to Children's Hospital where they spent several hours waiting for x-rays, and finally having Isaac numbed so his toe nail could be pushed back into the nail bed. It was an exhausting day, but God provided a stress-free environment that allowed Sarah to care for Isaac alone. Isaac also got to see for his own that God is with us always.
Paul headed up to the mountains this weekend for his first Men of Calvary retreat. Hopefully he is learning a lot about his walk with the Lord, and strengthening some friendships. We started going to Calvary Fellowship Cherry Creek last week. It is a much small church when compared to Calvary Aurora. We are very happy, and hope to make it our new church home. So, Paul is with 16 other men from that church group.
Sarah took all 4 kids to the dry run swim meet today. It was an experience, but God was with her the entire time. Ethan did fantastic! He already beat the times to get into the All Stars swim meet, and the season hasn't officially started yet! He is excited about pushing himself to beat the team records throughout the summer.
Sarah turned 30 over Memorial Day weekend! We had a very relaxed and special family weekend. Our neighbors threw a party, band and all, so we enjoyed spending time getting to know the neighborhood. We went to our neighborhood pool, and played some board games.
Isaac hurt his big toe :( Poor kid opened a door onto his foot and ripped his big toe nail right out of the nail bed. Sarah thanked God that Paul had been home so she took Isaac straight to the dr. The dr sent them to Children's Hospital where they spent several hours waiting for x-rays, and finally having Isaac numbed so his toe nail could be pushed back into the nail bed. It was an exhausting day, but God provided a stress-free environment that allowed Sarah to care for Isaac alone. Isaac also got to see for his own that God is with us always.
Paul headed up to the mountains this weekend for his first Men of Calvary retreat. Hopefully he is learning a lot about his walk with the Lord, and strengthening some friendships. We started going to Calvary Fellowship Cherry Creek last week. It is a much small church when compared to Calvary Aurora. We are very happy, and hope to make it our new church home. So, Paul is with 16 other men from that church group.
Sarah took all 4 kids to the dry run swim meet today. It was an experience, but God was with her the entire time. Ethan did fantastic! He already beat the times to get into the All Stars swim meet, and the season hasn't officially started yet! He is excited about pushing himself to beat the team records throughout the summer.
Tuesday, May 08, 2012
David plays basketball
Isaac's first swim team practice
Here are pictures of Isaac's first competitive swim team practice.....the Smoky Hill Sharks! Paul has been taking him each Monday and Friday evening (with David tagging along). Isaac loves practices, but does not like the cold water. Big brother Ethan gave Isaac some pointers about how to stay warm in the colder water. Isaac can't wait for his first real swim meet.
Elizabeth's new haircut
Family lunch at Red Robin
Here we are having lunch at Red Robin after helping clean up the long-course pool with the Aces team. Isaac enjoyed his corndog and salad, Ethan a hamburger and fries, Elizabeth mac-n-cheese and fries, and David a corndog and mandarin oranges.
Boys love to build
These are a few interesting things that Ethan and Isaac chose to build during quiet time in their room. We love when they dig out the trio blocks, because their imaginations start flowing.
David helps himself
We have learned that David helps himself all of the time. We don't know if it is typical of a 4th child, but David doesn't wait or ask for things he wants, he finds a way to get them himself. As you see in the pictures, David has decided that he wanted some Oreos. He dug through the snack area under our cabinet and found these.
Teacher Appreciation Week
Thursday, April 26, 2012
David - Our Little Helper
A couple days ago, our little man toddled over to the couch, got Sarah's dinner bowl and fork, walked them over to the sink, reached way up and pushed them into the sink! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture or video, since I had no idea what he was about to do - I thought he was just stealing her bowl. :)
Anytime he sees one of us loading the dryer, he scurries over to help. The other day, he actually came over and helped me load the washer - he stood in the laundry basket and handed me clothes one at a time. Took a while, but was much more fun! I have a video of David helping load the dryer:
Today, right about 5pm, David decided he was going to feed the dogs. It was uncanny - as 5pm is their usual dinner time, yet none of us had yet mentioned it. I could be wrong, but I don't think our 15 month old knows how to tell time! :) -- He came into the living room where I was working, and grabbed both dog bowls. Then he walked over to the laundry room to get some dog food - Sarah had one of the other kids help fill the bowls. Then, David came back to the living room with two bowls full of food and made the dogs sit (at least I think so - he had his pacifier in his mouth!). As a reward, he helped himself to some of Peanut's food.
This evening, I spent a while roto-tilling another area in our yard to plant grass. David came up a couple of times and held onto the handle, as if to help me. He looked up and smiled, with a very proud look on his face.
Sarah and I talked about it today - we cannot believe what a big boy our David is already! He certainly has a personality unlike any of the other kids. The way he nods his head or even his whole body when he
"approves" of something we do for him is a crack-up! I will try to get it on video one day soon.
- Paul
Friday, April 20, 2012
Ethan ER scare
Yesterday was a whirlwind of a day!! It started out with Paul having a horrible migraine headache. He really wanted to take the day off from work, but felt he needed to do some work this week. He figured today would be worse as migraines tend to get worse the 2nd day.
I was ok throughout the day yestesrday. I had to handle a bit more than I should have because of the events of the day. That has led to cramping and pain today because I did a lot more than I should ever have. Yesterday marked 1 week post-op! :)
A friend of ours bought us an awesome chicken pot pie from Costco. It is so big, and looks so good! When I went to preheat the oven yesterday, I got an error message. Turns out, a sensor went out on the oven so I can't use it. Thankfully, I had some leftovers in the refrigerator and I was able to make dinner for everyone that was home.
Our friend Lisa brought Ethan home from school. He came home and laid on the floor as he was not feeling well. Paul took his temperature and it was 102.6. Ethan has been having a lot of coughing issues so we had planned to take him to the dr to see about an asthma plan to get him back on track. A quick call to the dr and Paul was out the door within 10 minutes for the 25 minute drive to our pediatrician. By the time Paul got there, Ethan was pale, lethargic, and very dizzy. Paul said he could tell something was wrong. Turns out Ethan's had a pulse rate of 260!! Paul was told to drive Ethan to the ER right away and he would immediately be took back for observation. So they got into the van and a very scared Ethan made his way to the ER.
By the time Paul got to Children's Hospital in Parker (7 minute drive) Ethan's pulse was back down to 140. From what I understand Ethan was hooked up to an EKG and monitored for what the dr's believe Ethan has....SVT Supraventricular Tachycardia
http://www.childheartassociates.com/PatientInfo/SVT.htm
The Dr was not able to recreate the high pulse rate. Ethan was then taken to x-ray to check for pneumonia. Paul said that Ethan told the x-ray techs all that he had learned this week about light and was excited to check out his x-rays with them. He was finally able to go back to his room and order some dinner while they waited. From what I understand, it was the best burger Ethan has ever had. :) Ethan stayed a little while longer so the Dr could administer a new asthma medication that would not raise his heart rate. After all of that, he was sent home with strict instructions to return to the ER if the high heart rate came back.
This morning Ethan has been fine. He was able to finish up his homework and even got some Wii time in before his Dr. visit. Hopefully we will receive some answers. While his regular pediatrician is not working on Friday, Ethan will see the same dr that sent him to the ER last night. We should get a new asthma action plan, and hopefully some direction with the SVT. It seems we cannot get a true diagnosis until it is caught on an EKG.
Hopefully this will not affect Ethan's swimming plans. He already has to miss this weekends big meet. It would have been Ethan's first long-course meet, and he was looking forward to it. I am grateful he did not have to stay in the hospital, and that he didn't need an IV or any shots. I hope the Drs are able to figure all of this out easily, and that it won't hinder Ethan's dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer.
We are so very grateful for everyone's prayers. They are much appreciated in what seems to be a very difficult trial period that we are going through. It was very hard for me as his mother to be at home when all of this was going on. I don't think I could even handle a car ride right now in the early stages of my recovery. I am so thankful that my friend Kelly dropped everything to come sit with me and help me with the younger children yesterday. When you can't have family nearby, it sure helps to have a few great friends. Great friends is what we have indeed. I know at any given moment, I have plenty of people to call that would be here in an instant. Thank you to those that are faithful friends that are by our side through all of these trials.
When things like this happen, all I can wonder is what God has in store next. It always seems that when God has BIG plans, Satan throws some curve balls. Well, this family is about to hit those curve balls right out of the park!! We've got the King on our side, and with the King nothing is impossible!!!!
Sarah
I was ok throughout the day yestesrday. I had to handle a bit more than I should have because of the events of the day. That has led to cramping and pain today because I did a lot more than I should ever have. Yesterday marked 1 week post-op! :)
A friend of ours bought us an awesome chicken pot pie from Costco. It is so big, and looks so good! When I went to preheat the oven yesterday, I got an error message. Turns out, a sensor went out on the oven so I can't use it. Thankfully, I had some leftovers in the refrigerator and I was able to make dinner for everyone that was home.
Our friend Lisa brought Ethan home from school. He came home and laid on the floor as he was not feeling well. Paul took his temperature and it was 102.6. Ethan has been having a lot of coughing issues so we had planned to take him to the dr to see about an asthma plan to get him back on track. A quick call to the dr and Paul was out the door within 10 minutes for the 25 minute drive to our pediatrician. By the time Paul got there, Ethan was pale, lethargic, and very dizzy. Paul said he could tell something was wrong. Turns out Ethan's had a pulse rate of 260!! Paul was told to drive Ethan to the ER right away and he would immediately be took back for observation. So they got into the van and a very scared Ethan made his way to the ER.
http://www.childheartassociates.com/PatientInfo/SVT.htmThe Dr was not able to recreate the high pulse rate. Ethan was then taken to x-ray to check for pneumonia. Paul said that Ethan told the x-ray techs all that he had learned this week about light and was excited to check out his x-rays with them. He was finally able to go back to his room and order some dinner while they waited. From what I understand, it was the best burger Ethan has ever had. :) Ethan stayed a little while longer so the Dr could administer a new asthma medication that would not raise his heart rate. After all of that, he was sent home with strict instructions to return to the ER if the high heart rate came back.
This morning Ethan has been fine. He was able to finish up his homework and even got some Wii time in before his Dr. visit. Hopefully we will receive some answers. While his regular pediatrician is not working on Friday, Ethan will see the same dr that sent him to the ER last night. We should get a new asthma action plan, and hopefully some direction with the SVT. It seems we cannot get a true diagnosis until it is caught on an EKG.
Hopefully this will not affect Ethan's swimming plans. He already has to miss this weekends big meet. It would have been Ethan's first long-course meet, and he was looking forward to it. I am grateful he did not have to stay in the hospital, and that he didn't need an IV or any shots. I hope the Drs are able to figure all of this out easily, and that it won't hinder Ethan's dreams of becoming an Olympic swimmer.
We are so very grateful for everyone's prayers. They are much appreciated in what seems to be a very difficult trial period that we are going through. It was very hard for me as his mother to be at home when all of this was going on. I don't think I could even handle a car ride right now in the early stages of my recovery. I am so thankful that my friend Kelly dropped everything to come sit with me and help me with the younger children yesterday. When you can't have family nearby, it sure helps to have a few great friends. Great friends is what we have indeed. I know at any given moment, I have plenty of people to call that would be here in an instant. Thank you to those that are faithful friends that are by our side through all of these trials.
When things like this happen, all I can wonder is what God has in store next. It always seems that when God has BIG plans, Satan throws some curve balls. Well, this family is about to hit those curve balls right out of the park!! We've got the King on our side, and with the King nothing is impossible!!!!
Sarah
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Sleep, sleep, and more sleep
I want to start off by saying thank you to those that have been there for us the past 6 days. It has been an exhausting week, and we really appreciate all of the prayers and help we have received.
Day 6 has been all about sleeping. I don't think I have been this tired since the night of surgery. Last night was a hard night filled with pain, so neither Paul nor I got much sleep. Paul had to take the day off from work because he has been so exhausted from wearing so many hats. I am so happy he took the day off because I was no help at all today with the kids. I have been asleep more than awake today. I was so out of it that the kids didn't wake me up, even though they were playing right next to me. I still haven't made the transition upstairs, and my bed is the couch.
For those that are wondering, the recovery time is usually 4-6 weeks. But can be 8 weeks. I can't drive for 2 weeks and won't be able to lift more than 5-10 lbs for 4-6 weeks. Even though my surgery was laparoscopic I had major surgery and if I do too much too soon I can tear the stitches that are inside of me. I had everything removed except for my left ovary and both tubes. I guess the recovery is similar to a c-section. I have never had a c-section before. After childbirth I am usually up and back to taking care of things in a matter of days. The most help I ever had with having a baby was when my mom was here and I had Elizabeth. I am pretty much use to being on my own and just having the support of Paul. I am not use to having so many restrictions on what I can and cannot do. There is not a whole lot that I am allowed to do besides sit on the couch. I thought it would be hard to be restricted from doing things, but the pain and exhaustion makes it very easy to follow the dr's orders.
I am grateful to have found a website/discussion board for women going through what I am right now. I have a group of ladies that I check-in with each day that all had their surgeries the same week as me. It is great to go through this with other women and have support from people that are experiencing this at the same time as me. I can also ask question of women that are further along in their recovery than me. I have also read stories from women that ended back in the hospital having surgery from tearing things inside from doing too much too soon. That is a major reason why I am taking things slow.
Tomorrow will be my first day outside. I plan to walk Elizabeth to the curb in front of our house to get Elizabeth on the school bus. Now for some fun info!!! Since I began sleeping on the couch, David has begun waking me up in the morning when he and Paul come downstairs. David comes right over to the couch and wakes me up by opening my glasses and sticking them on my head. He has done this every single day. Paul finally recorded David in action this morning after David's morning nap. It is too cute.
Ethan has been learning how to play songs on his recorder at school. They are doing a program his music teacher calls recorder karate. Paul has a video of Ethan playing Mary had a Little Lamb. He really enjoys leaning to play, and he is dedicated to practicing. At the beginning of the school year, Ethan begged to join band, I think we will have to figure out how to put it into the schedule this next year. I don't know how it will work with swimming, but we will make it happen somehow. After all of this writing I think it is time to spend some snuggle time with the kiddos before bedtime. Ethan should be home any moment from practicing with the Jacks swim group!!
Day 6 has been all about sleeping. I don't think I have been this tired since the night of surgery. Last night was a hard night filled with pain, so neither Paul nor I got much sleep. Paul had to take the day off from work because he has been so exhausted from wearing so many hats. I am so happy he took the day off because I was no help at all today with the kids. I have been asleep more than awake today. I was so out of it that the kids didn't wake me up, even though they were playing right next to me. I still haven't made the transition upstairs, and my bed is the couch.
For those that are wondering, the recovery time is usually 4-6 weeks. But can be 8 weeks. I can't drive for 2 weeks and won't be able to lift more than 5-10 lbs for 4-6 weeks. Even though my surgery was laparoscopic I had major surgery and if I do too much too soon I can tear the stitches that are inside of me. I had everything removed except for my left ovary and both tubes. I guess the recovery is similar to a c-section. I have never had a c-section before. After childbirth I am usually up and back to taking care of things in a matter of days. The most help I ever had with having a baby was when my mom was here and I had Elizabeth. I am pretty much use to being on my own and just having the support of Paul. I am not use to having so many restrictions on what I can and cannot do. There is not a whole lot that I am allowed to do besides sit on the couch. I thought it would be hard to be restricted from doing things, but the pain and exhaustion makes it very easy to follow the dr's orders.
I am grateful to have found a website/discussion board for women going through what I am right now. I have a group of ladies that I check-in with each day that all had their surgeries the same week as me. It is great to go through this with other women and have support from people that are experiencing this at the same time as me. I can also ask question of women that are further along in their recovery than me. I have also read stories from women that ended back in the hospital having surgery from tearing things inside from doing too much too soon. That is a major reason why I am taking things slow.
Tomorrow will be my first day outside. I plan to walk Elizabeth to the curb in front of our house to get Elizabeth on the school bus. Now for some fun info!!! Since I began sleeping on the couch, David has begun waking me up in the morning when he and Paul come downstairs. David comes right over to the couch and wakes me up by opening my glasses and sticking them on my head. He has done this every single day. Paul finally recorded David in action this morning after David's morning nap. It is too cute.
Ethan has been learning how to play songs on his recorder at school. They are doing a program his music teacher calls recorder karate. Paul has a video of Ethan playing Mary had a Little Lamb. He really enjoys leaning to play, and he is dedicated to practicing. At the beginning of the school year, Ethan begged to join band, I think we will have to figure out how to put it into the schedule this next year. I don't know how it will work with swimming, but we will make it happen somehow. After all of this writing I think it is time to spend some snuggle time with the kiddos before bedtime. Ethan should be home any moment from practicing with the Jacks swim group!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Elizabeth the big helper
I completly forgot that I wanted to brag about Elizabeth this evening. She surprised me today with wanting to help with so much!! The boys were not interested in helping mom out tonight while Paul gave David a bath, but Elizabeth did. She has done so much today. She brought me diapers and wipes when I needed to change David, but that is normal stuff. Elizabeth helped clean up dishes around the house to go into the dish washer tonight. She even went upstairs to check for sippy cups. Then she cleaned up all of David's toy messes in both the play room and the family room.
She made the play room look spotless and put the little chairs where they belonged. I praised her so much she just beamed with joy. Elizabeth also helped with David a lot this evening and asked her daddy several times how she could help him. So, besides earning an extra $1.50 in her allowance today,she got a glass of milk and some Oreos before bed. The boys were not happy to see that, but neither one of them helped when asked today. I am so proud of my little girl!!
 |
| Elizabeth cleaning the bathroom mirror |
She made the play room look spotless and put the little chairs where they belonged. I praised her so much she just beamed with joy. Elizabeth also helped with David a lot this evening and asked her daddy several times how she could help him. So, besides earning an extra $1.50 in her allowance today,she got a glass of milk and some Oreos before bed. The boys were not happy to see that, but neither one of them helped when asked today. I am so proud of my little girl!!
Day 5 much better......
Today was so much better than yesterday!!! Praise the Lord because I needed a good day after all that happened yesterday. Paul has kept me on a pretty strict schedule for the medication so that has helped tremendously. I slept a lot better last night, and skipped coffee so my body was much happier. Paul has been a huge help even though he is trying to work from home. Oh, and David took 2 naps today!! So other than making dinner tonight, I pretty much sat on the couch. Before anyone freaks out, I sat at the kitchen table while preparing everything to be cooked, and Paul was gone when I did it. If he had been home I would have been in trouble. So, while I helped Ethan with homework I made mini hamburgers and deviled eggs with a salad.
David and I played a lot today so that was fun. He enjoys bringing me items to put on my head. He then laughs as they fall off. We looked at some books, and snuggled on the couch. Ethan snuggled up to me for awhile while he played a wii game. This was a treat, as my 8 year old is too old for snuggle time with mom. I got to watch Isaac and Elizabeth play wii for awhile too today. Elizabeth and I also worked on writing her numbers.
It was a good day. I didn't take but one 20 minute nap all day and felt just fine. I can't believe I don't have cabin fever yet!! I have spent a lot of time thinking about all of the things I want to do with the kids when I am all healed up! After being in so much pain, I look forward to a summer filled with lots of fun. I hope tomorrow is another good day. It would be nice to sit outside a bit and watch the kids play if the weather is nice.
David and I played a lot today so that was fun. He enjoys bringing me items to put on my head. He then laughs as they fall off. We looked at some books, and snuggled on the couch. Ethan snuggled up to me for awhile while he played a wii game. This was a treat, as my 8 year old is too old for snuggle time with mom. I got to watch Isaac and Elizabeth play wii for awhile too today. Elizabeth and I also worked on writing her numbers.
It was a good day. I didn't take but one 20 minute nap all day and felt just fine. I can't believe I don't have cabin fever yet!! I have spent a lot of time thinking about all of the things I want to do with the kids when I am all healed up! After being in so much pain, I look forward to a summer filled with lots of fun. I hope tomorrow is another good day. It would be nice to sit outside a bit and watch the kids play if the weather is nice.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Kids are big helpers
I forgot that I wanted to share about how amazing the kids have been. I can't seem to edit my blog posts on the iPad so I am starting a new post. One of these days I will figure how to blog on an iPad properly.
Yesterday Isaac worked hard and vacuumed our downstairs. He did a great job considering he is 6 years old. He was very happy to help out. Today Isaac fed the dogs, he helped with David, and he helped with his and Ethan's laundry. He brought their basket downstairs, and Paul taught him how to put it in the washer properly. Then Isaac took stuff out of the dryer that was already in there, and loaded his clothes into the dryer. He was so proud to participate in all of the steps of doing laundry. Ethan helped by doing an amazing job vacuuming the downstairs and filling the dishwasher. I was amazed at how helpful they were, and at how much they can do even at a young age. They were pretty excited about receiving bigger allowances this week too. Elizabeth is a bit young to help out much, but she is great at feeding the dogs and wiping down things with disinfectant wipes. I am sure we will find some fun cleaning opportunities for her in the weeks to come.
I have some pretty amazing kids!! I wanted to share that with the world. I want my children to grow up and know how to clean a home and cook for themselves. My boys will be taught just as much as Elizabeth. I want my future daughter-in-laws to be blessed with a husband that can cook and clean like my husband does. :) I don't need Paul's help all of the time, but Paul can follow a recipe and makes some meals better than I do. Paul does laundry, cleans bathrooms, washes dishes, mops the floors.......he does it all. I am blessed beyond my dreams with a husband that will step up and help out when he is needed most. He is working, going to school for his Masters Degree, and now he is taking care of me and the kids AND the house while I recover. Add in the fact that he is on call for the next week, and I have a pretty amazing, hard working husband that is going to need a vacation when I finally recover and can return to duty. Thank you Paul for sacrificing so much for our family.
Sorry for the long post about my family. I just feel truly blessed right now with an amazing family. Even with all of my pre-term labors and after delivering my babies, I never stuck to bed rest. I was always right back on my feet doing my mother/wife job. This is the first time that I have stuck to dr's orders and stayed off of my feet. I am learning to let others take care of me, and it isn't easy to do. I have a strong desire to care for my family, but I know my job is to heal, and in order to heal, I must rest.
Sarah
Yesterday Isaac worked hard and vacuumed our downstairs. He did a great job considering he is 6 years old. He was very happy to help out. Today Isaac fed the dogs, he helped with David, and he helped with his and Ethan's laundry. He brought their basket downstairs, and Paul taught him how to put it in the washer properly. Then Isaac took stuff out of the dryer that was already in there, and loaded his clothes into the dryer. He was so proud to participate in all of the steps of doing laundry. Ethan helped by doing an amazing job vacuuming the downstairs and filling the dishwasher. I was amazed at how helpful they were, and at how much they can do even at a young age. They were pretty excited about receiving bigger allowances this week too. Elizabeth is a bit young to help out much, but she is great at feeding the dogs and wiping down things with disinfectant wipes. I am sure we will find some fun cleaning opportunities for her in the weeks to come.
I have some pretty amazing kids!! I wanted to share that with the world. I want my children to grow up and know how to clean a home and cook for themselves. My boys will be taught just as much as Elizabeth. I want my future daughter-in-laws to be blessed with a husband that can cook and clean like my husband does. :) I don't need Paul's help all of the time, but Paul can follow a recipe and makes some meals better than I do. Paul does laundry, cleans bathrooms, washes dishes, mops the floors.......he does it all. I am blessed beyond my dreams with a husband that will step up and help out when he is needed most. He is working, going to school for his Masters Degree, and now he is taking care of me and the kids AND the house while I recover. Add in the fact that he is on call for the next week, and I have a pretty amazing, hard working husband that is going to need a vacation when I finally recover and can return to duty. Thank you Paul for sacrificing so much for our family.
Sorry for the long post about my family. I just feel truly blessed right now with an amazing family. Even with all of my pre-term labors and after delivering my babies, I never stuck to bed rest. I was always right back on my feet doing my mother/wife job. This is the first time that I have stuck to dr's orders and stayed off of my feet. I am learning to let others take care of me, and it isn't easy to do. I have a strong desire to care for my family, but I know my job is to heal, and in order to heal, I must rest.
Sarah
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Ethan Made the Team!
So yesterday our whole family went to support Ethan's time trials at ACES Swim Club. He was doing trials to prove he could make the cut-off time to move up from the Jokers practice group to the Jacks. He was required to swim the 100 yard freestyle in under 2:10 4 times and the 100 yard individual medley in under 2:25 4 times. Ethan came well below the cut-offs consistently with freestyle times averaging around 1:45 and IM times around 2:10!
We are so proud of Ethan for all his hard work and dedication week in and week out. We are also grateful for such a great coaching staff - Coach Morgan cheered for him and encouraged him the entire IM! It helps that he's been taking private lessons with Coach Morgan, and will continue to do so.
After swimming, the family went to Dairy Queen to celebrate Ethan's victory! Everyone enjoyed their ice cream treats, even David! :)
We are so proud of Ethan for all his hard work and dedication week in and week out. We are also grateful for such a great coaching staff - Coach Morgan cheered for him and encouraged him the entire IM! It helps that he's been taking private lessons with Coach Morgan, and will continue to do so.
After swimming, the family went to Dairy Queen to celebrate Ethan's victory! Everyone enjoyed their ice cream treats, even David! :)
Sunday, April 01, 2012
New Haircut!
After several weeks of rescheduling, I finally met with my amazing hair stylist to cut my hair. I cut it much shorter than I had originally planned to. The last thing I want to be worried about after surgery is long tangled and matted hair. So, I took in a picture of a cute style, and Jillyn did an amazing job! I always feel so special when she cuts and colors my hair. :) I love it!!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Isaac's haircut
I got a chance to take Isaac to get a haircut this morning. He definitely needed one before going back to school after spring break. He and I were both very happy with how nice his haircut turned out! Isaac says he loves Floyd's Barbershop. :-) Doesn't he look handsome?
- Paul
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
We used to have a life, but now we are swim parents!!
Yep, I found that bumper sticker online today, and it pretty much sums up our life. Isaac is joining the Smoky Hill Sharks for the summer team, and he is super excited. He practiced a lot with Ethan on Saturday during open swim at Safesplash. So, starting April 30th, Isaac will begin practicing with the Shark coaches. Ethan is on the fence on whether or not he wants to join the Sharks as well. We think this is a great opportunity for Isaac to be exposed to the competitive swimming world, and for both boys to meet kids their age in our community. We don't know anyone in our community with children our children's ages. Most of our neighbors' children are much older.
I personally hope Ethan goes for the summer team. This has been a hard year as he started learning to swim one year ago, and didn't earn a single medal all year with his year-round team. I think the summer team could give him the opportunity to have lots of fun, make new friends, and boost his confidence. We have heard that age 9 is one of the more difficult years for swimmers because they are competing with 10 year olds. Whatever happens we already know we have officially become a swim family. Chlorine, swim caps and goggles, Jammers, tons of wet towels, weekends cheering on the kids and many family memories to come.
I personally hope Ethan goes for the summer team. This has been a hard year as he started learning to swim one year ago, and didn't earn a single medal all year with his year-round team. I think the summer team could give him the opportunity to have lots of fun, make new friends, and boost his confidence. We have heard that age 9 is one of the more difficult years for swimmers because they are competing with 10 year olds. Whatever happens we already know we have officially become a swim family. Chlorine, swim caps and goggles, Jammers, tons of wet towels, weekends cheering on the kids and many family memories to come.
We are swim parents!!
God always provides!!
David was sleeping, the kids were playing quietly, and I thought it best to head to Costco to grab a few things. I headed out and noticed the stop light wasn't working. I called Paul and found out that the house electricity was out too. I went on my trip not thinking anything of it. I decided to also stop by the grocery store for a few other items for the week. Little did I know, I was coming home with a van filled with groceries and no electricity. I found out only after I texted Paul about getting milk that he couldn't get through to IREA and there was no info on their website about an outage.
As I drove away from King Soopers, I started praying for God's help. I thanked Him for providing the funds for me to purchase the groceries, and asked Him to provide electricity so our food didn't go bad. I told God that I believed this was important to Him as He asks us to be good stewards with our resources and now I needed Him to help me do that. I then trusted God to come through knowing and I had no worries.
As I got to the intersection by our home, a police officer was still directing traffic. I turned on our road and immediately saw an IREA truck. Tears filled my eyes as I saw that truck knowing God quickly answered my prayer. See, God does care!! I know not everyone believes in God, but to me, that prayer answered was just one more example of how much God loves my family. I thanked Him as I pulled into my driveway for answering me so quickly.
We must now have faith and continue to pray for rain. I know rain is not in the forecast, but we need rain to help fight the wildfire in the mountains. As I have learned from Elizabeth's Cubbies verses, "even the winds and the waves obey Him." we need God to bring rain to the mountains. Will you join me in praying for rain? If God cares about my groceries how much more will he care about thousands if homes and wildlife? Please pray for rain!!
Monday, March 26, 2012
Winds and Wildfires
We had crazy winds around our house to exceed 50 mph! At one point this afternoon, our neighbor came by to warn me that part of my rain-gutter was readying to fly off. A fire broke out near Aspen Park - a long ways from our house. Went from 5 acres this morning to 200 acres this afternoon; now they're estimating 3000 acres.
Smoke has blown all the way into our area, along with ash falling from the sky. Reminds me of the wildfires growing up in San Diego. I took a couple shots of the smoke as we could see it from our home as it blew in. The whole house smells of smoke now.
We pray for those whose homes are in danger, and the firefighters and that are trying to save them.
Smoke has blown all the way into our area, along with ash falling from the sky. Reminds me of the wildfires growing up in San Diego. I took a couple shots of the smoke as we could see it from our home as it blew in. The whole house smells of smoke now.
We pray for those whose homes are in danger, and the firefighters and that are trying to save them.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Spring Break is Here!
We are excited that today is the beginning of the kids' spring break!! I am so excited to get a break from the taxi driving job I have :) David is feeling much better, and actually slept last night! It will be a very busy day, but we will enjoy the beautiful weather!! We are looking at 77 degrees here today.
Elizabeth has a teacher conference and swim lesson this morning. Then it is an afternoon of bike riding for her. Isaac's Africa themed party is today. They will make a special snack and have a parade with their homemade African shakers, drums, and masks. Ethan's multiplication ice cream party is this afternoon.
Last night at the boys' swim lesson, Isaac learned the butterfly! Paul said he stood up in shock and excitement that Isaac had it the very first time he tried it!! Isaac was so proud and told me all about it when he got home. I might as well get a swimming bumper sticker because it seems our family will be a swimming family for years to come.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Busy week with sick people
Last week Ethan, Elizabeth, and I were sick. This week it is Paul, David, and possibly Isaac. It has been a horrible cold season for our family.
On a positive note, Isaac has his first school field trip today. His class is going to the children's museum. They have been learning about Africa, and Isaac made an African shaker for his class project. Paul and I both helped make the paper mâché shakers. It was fun!
Elizabeth is as accident prone as her mama was growing up. She fell and hurt her head pretty bad this week. This morning she woke up and told us that her "egg" hatched. The huge bump is finally going down.
Ethan is excited for his multiplication ice cream party this Friday. He has been working hard to learn all the multiplication facts to 12. He passed each test with flying colors and gets to enjoy a big ice cream sundea to celebrate.
Next week is spring break! If you want to get together let me know. The calendar is filling up. I think we may need to plan a trip to the science museum to see the snakes and lizards. Park dates with bike and scooter rides are a must as well.
Happy Wednesday!!
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Elizabeth accepts Jesus
Today is a very exciting day in the Otto household. Elizabeth and I just finished going over her Awana work for this week. We went to special day 4 which was about Easter. After discussing what Easter was all about, Elizabeth decided that she wanted to ask Jesus to be her forever friend!! Paul then talked to Elizabeth and asked her questions about Jesus to make sure she understood orrectly. After that, we prayed with Elizabeth to accept Jesus as her forever friend.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Our Blog - Starting Over
Hi friends and family!!
We are starting our family blog back up in hopes of getting away from Facebook, and allowing those not on Facebook the opportunity to follow our family. Here is what is going on in our life right now.
Paul works for GoDaddy as a database developer. He is also working hard to finish his master's degree in Organizational Leadership with an emphasis in Information Technology.
Sarah is a stay at home mom. She is busy taking care of our home and our four children.
Ethan is 8 years old. He attends 3rd grade at Cherry Creek Academy, a public charter school. Ethan also competitively swims with ACES swim club. Ethan's other love is nature and animals.
Isaac is 6 years old. He attends Kindergarten at Cherry Creek Academy. He loves playing computer games and riding his scooter. He too wants to swim on the swim team and hopes to swim on the summer team.
Elizabeth, the princess of the family, is 4 years old. Elizabeth loves preschool! Even though she is only 4, Elizabeth is the tallest child in her class. Elizabeth loves dressing up and riding her new princess bike.
David is 1 years old and our climbing monkey. Now that he can walk, David loves playing outdoors. He loves to explore, play ball, and go down the slide. We have recently begun keeping all chairs away from our table. If there is a chair nearby, you can find David standing on the table.
We hope this little update finds you all well. Those that have been on Facebook all know this information. Those that don't use Facebook, we hope you have enjoyed our update.
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