James and the Orpheum Children's Museum

Sat around the house most of the day. After lunch tried thinking of something to do...decided to take James to the Orpheum. Becca had been there before on a couple of fieldtrips, but we had never been there before. So...off we went...we had about an hour and a half to play before we had to be home for the other 2 to get home from school. I think James could have played for about another hour or so...he was NOT happy to leave. Here are some pictures from our afternoon...it was FUN!!

How do I catch this ball???

Playing in the sand...such concentration.

Peek-a-boo!!

Oooh...sand!!

The water is FUN!!

Is the weekend over already??

So, the weekend came and went...I can't believe it. I worked yesterday and Jason took the kids the library to see Superwhy, which is James' favorite cartoon. However, in person he was not a fan. He liked him from a distance, but no so much face to face. Wish I could have been there to see it. We sold our Barbie Jeep and bought an Escalade (Power wheels) for the kids. James was VERY excited about his new "truck". Becca didn't get a chance to ride in it till today, but she was very happy with the trade...the new truck "goes SO much faster"...she was very happy with that.

Today it rained...and rained...and rained. It was a very lazy day around the house. We did go out to lunch at Taco Bell (kids' choice) and then came home for naps. Becca had baseball practice from 4-5, and is VERY excited about baseball and is ready for her first game (at least she thinks she is). I am going to run to Wal-mart later tonight after everyone is in bed and get some of the things that we need.

Tomorrow and Tuesday I am off, however I am going to my program tomorrow night at Papa Del's...YUM!!! So, I have a few more days off...which will be nice!! I have a lot that I could do around the house, but don't have the "want" to do it. Oh well...it will be there when I do.

I hope everyone has a GREAT week!!! Bring on the warmer temps!!!

Easter Weekend

So, we spent the better part of the weekend cleaning inside the house and the play area in the backyard. It felt good to clean the whole house (except our bedroom, and the basement)...those are my next challenges. So, we woke up this morning and the kids got their Easter baskets, and then hunted for eggs around the house.

Then it was off to the races to get to church on time. We did make it, but had to take 2 cars and I left right after communion...James had, had enough. After church we came home and the kids hunted for eggs outside with the neighbors (4th annual egg hunt with 4 families). After that it was a bit of down time and we just picked up the odds and ends around the house.eggs in our yard and the 3 yards across the street...LOTS of eggs!!

Neighborhood hunt

My mom and step-dad, Jason's mom and sister, Katie and Troy and Troy's dad came over for dinner. It was 12 of us...and it was really nice. We had A LOT of food, and will have plenty of leftovers for a LONG time. The kids got presents from both grandma's and Aunt Katie...can I call them spoiled?? :) After everyone left we ran over to my mom's and the kids got their Easter baskets over there and hunted for more "candy filled" eggs!!! OMG we will be eating chocolate eggs and candy till Halloween!!!

Came home, kids got their PJ's on, brushed their sugar coated teeth, and went to bed!! BUSY DAY!!

Getting ready for Easter!!

So, we are hosting Easter at our house...this means LOTS of cleaning. It's been a while since we did a "real" clean, so it's a bit nasty right now. My mom, stepdad, sister, brother-in-law, Mother-in-law, sister-in-law, cousins, and anyone else that I am forgetting will be here. It should be lots of fun!!

We are going to try and get the kids to the Easter Egg hunt in the morning at West Side park. Hopefully I will get some good pictures!! After that Becca has a birthday party at The Little Gym that she is excited about. Then over to my parents for dinner. Pretty busy day tomorrow.

I have the next 4 days off, so hopefully I can go through some closets, get mine and Bradley's summer clothes out, and hopefully get down to the basement to work on it for a bit. We'll see...I have BIG dreams!!

Have a great weekend and I will post Easter pictures soon!!!

We really are still alive!!!

Well, it's been almost a month since I posted last. Sorry!! What's been going on...

Bradley- had a 90 minute meeting at school that pretty much was exactly what we expected. We had gotten his new "diagnosis" so we thought we would be able to get his IEP back with an "ED" diagnosis. Yeah...he didn't get it. I have not been so pissed off for a long time. He is SO behind in social skills (he has no friends, has never gone to a birthday party, doesn't talk about anybody at school, etc)...he really needs some social skills training. They are going to modify his 504, which I just about laughed my ass off when I heard them say this. He is suppose to have already been getting social skills training...they are just going to work at it a bit harder. Are you serious?? My biggest fear is that he has 1 year left before he goes to high school, and then he will pretty much get lost in the crowd. It is so important to help him RIGHT NOW, there isn't 1 person on his "team" that could look at me and tell me that they think he will be OK. UGH...Unit 4 school district SUCKS when you have a child that has a disability, but doesn't have a BIG enough disability. You can only advocate for your child for so long before you just get tired of getting screwed over.

Becca- had her parent teacher conference tonight. She is reading at a middle of the year 1st grader (she's in kindergarten). Her math skills are VERY high also. Her only problem right now is that she is being a bit defiant. She gets up from carpet time and goes over to the sink or her cubby or wherever she wants when she is not suppose to. She always has an excuse to have gotten up, but it's never a "real" reason. I am wondering if she is bored. We talked about it a lot tonight when we got home, so we will see if Spring Break will help.

James- is pooping pretty much all the time on the potty. He asks to go sit on his potty and he also asks to go to the bathroom when we are out at restaurants or wherever else. Peeing is another story...he doesn't have that "feeling" under control yet. He did get into Faithful Friends preschool next year, in the 5 day program, so we are pretty excited about that. I think it will be really good for him to be around kids his own age.

I am still enjoying my van...and it's clean...which is even better. We are going to High School Musical on ice tomorrow night!!! We are also going to try to go to the free movie on Saturday morning. Sunday we are driving down to my grandma's in southern illinois. Next Friday we are going up to Arlington Heights to a waterpark/hotel with the Courtneys. The kids are very excited about this. I am excited about going to IKEA!!!

Nothing else really going on here. Work, work, and more work!!! Hope all is well with everyone...have a GREAT Spring Break!!

Randomness....

Well, it has definitely been a while since I posted last. What's been up?? It doesn't feel like too much...the big highlight is we got a new (to us) van. Yes, we traded in our 10 year old van...finally!!! 2008 Grand Caravan, and I love it!!!

We also joined the Fitness Center as a family. We are hoping to go 3-4 days a week, Becca and James go to the playroom, and seem to really like it. I went twice last week...I know...I didn't do accomplish my "goal". This week I will have to go 4-5 times. I did the elliptical once and the bike once, along with weights. I would also like to do some of the classes that they offer, only I have never done anything like that before...and I feel really self-conscious, but we'll see!!

The kids are doing well. James has had a terrible cold this weekend, running a fever, nasty stuff dripping out of his ear, etc. Other than that...it was a good weekend...LAZY and not a whole lot got done, but a good weekend none the less.

My co-workers and I went out for dinner and a movie, and saw "He's just not that into you"...I think that was the name...it was the first time in as long as I can remember that I went to a movie after 7pm, with adults only!!! It was a lot of fun!!! It's nice to have co-workers that get along and enjoy being around each other.

Well, I guess I will go on with my "boring" life...I guess it's kind of nice being "boring". You don't have to get so bent out of shape with all of the big things that go on in life!!! Have a good week!!!

What's been up??

Well, it's been a while since I posted last...sorry!! Not a whole lot has been going on.

Work, work, and more work...and it doesn't look like it's going to get a whole lot better. It's going to be a long week or so with all of the things that are "due" in the near future...UGH!!

The kids have been great. James is talking SO much. He has a couple of books that we have read a lot and he will then sit on the couch and "reread" it...it is so funny...he has them pretty much memorized...how old is he again...2??? Becca is still loving school, hasn't missed a single day (knock on wood), and we are going to have lunch with her tomorrow...she's more excited that James is eating with her than Jason and I...oh well. Bradley is still Bradley...still sneaking things to his room, lying, talking back...what to do?? We have NO idea.

Jason's birthday is on Tuesday. My mom is going to watch the kids so we can go out and get some dinner...I don't know where we are going...it will just be nice to go out for "dinner" alone. He is going to be 32...wow...he's old...just teasing!!

The dogs have been sick, finishing up their last day of antibiotics, they had some infection in their intestines...yuck...diarrhea, vomit...what more can I say...I'm just glad they are feeling better!!!

We have enjoyed the wonderful weather this weekend. I opened up the windows on Saturday and aired out the house...it was so refreshing!! We went for a couple of walks, and tried spending as much time outside as we could...can't wait for spring!!!

Here's a picture of James we took last weekend...thought it was pretty cute!!!