It's been a long time

I was thinking about this blog today realizing it has been a while since I posted anything.  Come to find out it's been 2 years since I've posted.  Things have been pretty busy but we are starting a new chapter in our life and I thought it would be fine to maybe blog about it.

In December we purchased a house and closed in March. We are all moved in and it is great to finally have the space that we had been missing.  We went from about 900 square feet to over 2800 square feet. We have a master bathroom now.  No more sharing with the kids and I have a walk-in closet.  Lots of room for all my clothes.  Yay!!! We have a fireplace now. I have always wanted a fireplace for those cold winter nights.  Snuggle down in our recliner beside the fireplace with a warm blanket, my cat sleeping on the back of the chair, a hot cup of tea and a good book. Sounds weird but I can't wait for winter this year. We have a big back yard and hopefully I will be able to get my raised beds in place next spring and have my garden I want instead of just my 2 tomato plants in containers I have right now.

Sine we have a yard I'm now trying to talk Mike into getting a dog.  I have fallen in love with the labardors and I have found a couple that I'm interested in. Wish me luck on that one.  He said I could get one but he's not thrilled about it.

The kids are doing well. Michael is starting the 8th grade this year and Mason will be in the 6th. They both will be in the same middle school since Mason's old school only went to the 5th grade.  Not sure how I feel about that. At times Mason doesn't seem mature enough to be in middle school but he's looking forward to it and his attitude seems to be changing so maybe things will be ok. I have to take him Thursday to get his class schedule, locker number, and combo, and student id.  I was able to do early registration with Michael and him so that part of the equation is done.  School shopping is also done.  The only thing that is left is supplies for Michael but I won't find out what he needs until probably the first day of school since he's in the life skills class.

Ill post pictures later when I get a chance. At work at the moment.

It really has been awhile

Wow, I don't even know where to begin. It's been such a long time since I posted anything here. So much has happened in the last year. Matter of fact I'm not even going to get into any of it. It's a new year and a new me I guess you can say.

I've been having some anger issues so I've been seeing a therapist since the beginning of December and she has really helped me made better choices. As the old saying goes choose your fights wisely and that is what I have been doing.

Things have been better than ever between Mike and I since I started seeing the therapist. I'm happy for my decision.

I have also decided to quit smoking. I am working on day 6 and doing very well. The money we are going to be saving is going to be great. We are planning a to take Mason to Hawaii in July and that is going to be extra mad money for us to use. I've also started working out on the wii fit again. My goal is to do a little everyday. Yoga is my thing. I've done 2 days in a row now. If I can get Mason off the wii I can make it 3 days. LOL...

The kids are doing ok. Mason has been having some issues in school and we are wondering if he is going to pass the 3rd grade. He really wants a Nitendo DS so we are making him earn it instead of just out and getting if for him. If he gets 100% on his spelling tests he gets a $20.00 credit. We aren't giving him actual cash. So far he has 60 credits which is $60.00. This is giving him some incentive. I hope it continues.

We went to Fairbanks and Chena Hot Springs for New Year's Eve. We spent 2 relaxing days at Chena then spent New Year's Eve with Mike's sister and came home on New Year's Day. If was a great trip.

Other than that not much more to report on. Just wanted to drop a line since it's been quite awhile. Really am going to try and post a little more this year.

It's been awhile/Faibanks pictures 4

I love mountain shots. This is right outside Denali on the way home.

This is Mason's shot of the passenger train we passed going through Denali.

Our only family photo we have. Mason was not wanting to have his picture taken.

Close-up of Michael.

Mason helping his aunt Jenny water her flowers.

It's been awhile/fairbanks pictures 3

This is my sister-in-laws house. I like to call it the mansion on the hill since she lives on a hill.

This is a view of Fairbanks from my sister-in-laws front yard.

Michael's enjoying himself on the air mattress.

Mason and my sister-in-laws dog Abby resting on Mason's bed.

Mason enjoying his corn on the cob and hot dog he ask to have for dinner.

It's been awhile part 2

Here are some more pictures from our 10th anniversary trip to Fairbanks to visit Mike's sister.

Well I didn't realize how late it was getting so I will have to continue in another post tomorrow. I have a lot more pictures to upload.

It's been awhile

Wow it's been too long since I've posted anything. I can't believe that summer is over already and it is now fall here in Alaska. The leaves are turning and falling and the snow is almost halfway down the mountains now. It's been getting into the 30's in the mornings and I've been having to scrap my car windows in the morning before going to work. Not sure if I'm ready for winter yet.

This summer was pretty busy but we did manage to have some fun. Mason went to summer school this year and I think it really did him some good. His reading is so much better now. If he would of have 2 maybe 3 more weeks I think he would have been to were he needed to be when he finished the 1st grade. He started the 2nd grade and this year he had a really good teacher that seems to really be willing to work with him. Since he has ADHD the medication he's on only tapers his behavior it doesn't control it completely he still needs structure. This year his teacher is really trying to help him like his kindergarten teacher did. I think he's going to have a really good year.

Michael has been doing really well also. He didn't have to attend summer school again this year and he's really seeming to retain a lot of information. Therapy has been going well for him too and he's adjusting so well to change. He's had so many changes this year. First change his occupational and speech therapist moved to a new building. It didn't take him as long as it usually does for him to adjust to a new place. Second he got moved to a different classroom and has a different teacher this year in school. Originally he was suppose to stay in the class he's been in for the last 3 years but his teacher got an unexpected student and she had to move someone up. There was only Michael and another kid in his class that moved up to the 4th grade. Well it turns out that the other kid and another kid in the other class don't get along and they yell at each other all day long so they decided to move Michael instead to avoid the yelling. He was a little confused the first week of school but he seems to be adjusting well to his new classroom. I'm not sure if I really like his new teacher this year. The verdict is still out at the moment. There are some things that she does differently than his teacher that he had the last 3 years and I'm not sure if I really like the differences. Maybe I'm the one that is having a hard time adjusting. I really liked his old teacher. She was one of the best teachers Michael has ever had.

In July Michael celebrate one year post leg surgery. He seems to be doing really well and his legs are really getting strong. Mike and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in July. I can't believe that we have been married for 10 years. We've had our shares of ups and downs but I can't imagine my life with anyone else. Mike is the one and only for me. We really didn't do anything too special for our anniversary. We hadn't see Mike's sister is quite a while so we took the kids to Fairbanks the weekend of our anniversary to visit her. We had a wonderful trip there and back.

These are some pictures that I took on our way to Fairbanks. The fireweed was so beautiful and Mason was so cute standing in front of it.

We went to Chena Hot Springs while we were in Fairbanks and above is some of the pictures I took there. Michael didn't get in the water with us. He really wasn't into the whole thing so he sat in his wheelchair and played with his music. He seemed to really be enjoying himself as you can tell in the above picture. Mason had a blast. He was really fasinated with the fish pond they have there. It use to be the theraputic pool but the closed it down and turned it into a pond.

Well this entry is turning out to be pretty long so I will post more pictures of our trip and the rest of our summer in another post.

Mother's Day

This year was a wonderful Mother's Day. The kids out did theirselves and my heart was overflowing with love and joy.

In school Michael planted nastersiums in a pot that he got to decorate and made me a card and in his speech class at school they planted a gladiola bulb in a pot that he got to decorate and also made me a card. I love the homemade cards my kids make me. Right from the heart.

On Mother's day we went to church and I got 2 cartnations. Every Mother's Day they give carnations out to all the mom's. In Mason's Sunday school class he got to decorate a pot and they planted a petunia in them for their mom's. After church we went back to my parents house and the kids gave me their cards and present that grandma helped them make. Mike and I got this etched crystal picture frame when we got married. My mom and grandma before she went back home got the picture frame and in the middle they put a wedding picture of ours and on either side they put a favorite picture of mine of each of the kids. Mason was so excited to give it to me. After the gifts were given, I got my mom a beautiful azalia and a card, I played with Michael on the livingroom floor for a while then I went outside with Mason and watched him ride his bicycle. He's so proud of himself that he can ride it now without his training wheels. He can really make that bicycle move. LOL

I am so grateful that god has blessed me with a wonderful family especially my kids.

Summer days....Mama's little helper

Yesterday was a great day. The sun was out and it was really nice outside. Tuesday when I got off work Mike needed to go to Home Depot and he was in a very generous mood and got me some more flowers. I had two hanging baskets that I still needed to complete. Since we are already into June he let me pick out the remaining flowers I needed for the baskets plus I got another rose bush. I've been trying for a few years now to make a rose bush last and come back the next summer. About two years ago I thought I was finally going to succeed but Mason had other ideas. I babied my rose bush all summer long. It was full and beautiful. When fall came I mulched it really well and put it up on the deck so it would be out of the snow. It was looking like it was going to make it and I would have my beautiful rose bush come summer. One day I went outside to check on it and I found out that Mason while he was outside playing decided to trim it back for me and broke all the limbs off. Needless to say the rose bush didn't come back for the following summer. Last year I decided not to even bother, mainly because I couldn't find the type at the garden centers that would survive in a container up here. This year while we were at Home Depot I found the kind I had the year before and Mike told me to go ahead and get one. I haven't gotten a chance yet to plant it in the container I have for it. I was going to do that today but Mother Nature had other ideas. It's been raining on and off all day today. I did get my baskets done yesterday and I let Mason pick out a couple of flowers and I got those planted also. I bought another hosta for under out tree and I still need to get it planted too.

After I got done with all my gardening, I also weeded all of my beds too, it was time to get dinner started. I promised Mason I would make corn on the cob because he absolutely loves it so when I got started he came into the kichen and helped me. He helped me husk the corn. We also had mashed potatoes and I let him help me cut the potatoes up. Of course he almost gave me a heart attack because he came close to cutting his fingers a few times so I had to continue to show him how to do it. After that he finally lost interested and I finished dinner by myself but it was fun having him in the kitchen with me.

I'm missing my boys at the moment. Since Mike and I both have to work on Fridays and Mondays and school is out for the summer my parents are watching the kids for us until school starts so we have to drive the kids out to the valley Thursday evenings and they bring them back home on Monday. I have tomorrow off. It's going to be weird being home all day long with no kids and no husband around. I will have the house all to myself. A very rare occasion but one I will enjoy nevertheless.

Happy Memorial Day!

It's been awhile since I've written. Hard to believe that May is almost over and today is Memorial Day. Nothing special going on here. We were going to go to Fairbanks and visit Mike's sister with Mason since Michael had therapy on Friday but I forgot that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law go to Dawson City every year with a group of friends Memorial Day weekend so those plans got cancelled and we ended up having to stay home. It's not bad though. Mike and I went out Friday something we usually don't get to do because of the kids. Saturday we hung around the house. We did some shopping then barbequed.

Mason's birthday is Wednesday so we decided to celebrate it on Sunday since Mike was off because he took the weekend off. We went to church with my parents then we through Mason a small birthday party at my parents house. My dad grilled some hamburgers and hotdogs and we had cake for Mason's birthday. Mason was happy with all the presents that he got. Mike and I decided to do something educational for Mason this year instead of typical today. I found these kits at Fred Meyer's from the Smithsonian Institute. One is growing crystals the other is making gummy bugs that he can eat. Mason was very excited about them. Today I'm going to clean house a little and clear off the kitchen table then Mason and I are going to sit down and do the crystal kit. They can't be moved once the process is started so we have to have a nice clear area to start off with. I think it's going to be a lot of fun for both of us. Mike may even join in.

We finally got our new vehicle. We got a Toyota Sienna and I absoutely love it. Two weeks ago we took the van in and got the auto starter, seat warmers, and DVR player installed along with the undercoating done. We still need to get the wheelchair lift installed and the crystal fusion but on the windshield. That's going to have to wait though because the second week we had the van a rock hit the windshield and now we have a crack in it that needs to be fixed before they can do the crystal fusion. Not sure if we are going to be able to do it at all because since the crack happened before the crystal fusion was put on we have to pay out of pocket to have the windshield fixed and right now our finances aren't the best. Long story that I really don't care to go into. Personal reasons. I'm hoping we can get it done though because I think it will really come in handy this winter.

The kids last day of school was Thursday so they are both enjoying summer vacation. Mason was suppose to go to summer school but we got a letter like the second the the last week of school telling us that they had too many kids sign up for summer school so Mason got put on a waiting list. Now we have to wait for someone to drop out and then it depends on how far down the list he is. More than likely he won't be going at all. My parents are going to be watching the kids every weekend until school starts since Mike and I both have to work on Mondays and Fridays so my mom is going to work with Mason on his math and reading 15 minutes a day and so am I. Hopefully that will help him out. It's not really summer school but it's close enough.

Michael is doing great and getting stronger and stronger every day since the plates were taken out of his legs. We found out that he's not going to be in the same class next year like we thought. We had his transition meeting Friday and met his new teacher. The jury is still out on what we think of her. She's defintely not like Michael's old teacher. I guess only time will tell how well she is going to work out. It's going to be a big change for him next year. New teacher, new classmates. He's also going to have a new physical therapist and occupational therapist at school. It's going to be a rough beginning for him. He doesn't handle change very well so it's going to take him a few weeks to get use to all of the new people. At least he's going to be going to the same school and there will be familar people around so hopefully that will help some. I'm going to take the first day of school off so I can take all of his incontience supplies to school and see how his handling the change.

I need to get Mason in to see his pediatrian because we need to get his medication changed before the new school year begins. I'm hoping the second grade will be better than first grade was.

We just need to keep praying for strength and courage that we can make it through the rest of this year.