Sunday, January 23, 2011
It really has been awhile
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.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
It's been awhile/fairbanks pictures 3
Saturday, October 3, 2009
It's been awhile
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.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Summer days....Mama's little helper
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.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Happy Memorial Day!
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.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Busy, Busy, Busy
My car died on me again so we have finally decided to get our new vehicle. We are going down to the dealership on the 23rd and sealing the deal. Turns out my new transmission they installed back in January died on me. I found out the hard way when I was on my way out to my parents house last Saturday. I got to the first stop light in Wasilla and my car wouldn't go anywhere. I finally got it into 1st gear and from that point on I had to treat my automatic transmission like a standard. Mike took it into the shop on Tuesday and they had to seen my transmission back to Subaru and they are waiting for them to return it now. Fortunately we have a 1 year warranty on the transmission so we don't have to pay anything when we get it back.
Michael went back into surgery on April 2nd. This time he had the plates and screws removed from his legs so he's back in the healing process now. It's not so bad this time around. He's already back to walking and crawling. Hopefully there won't be anymore surgeries for a very long time. Michael had his IEP last week and he's doing very well in school. He had met quite a few of his goals and they are starting to work on a new set now. It also sounds like he may be in the same class again next year which makes me very happy. I love Michael's teacher and she is so good with Michael as are her aids. Since he will be in the 4th grade next year he was suppose to move to a different class but that class seems to still be pretty full so they are probably just going to leave him where he is and he will just do 4th grade work instead.
Mason has his IEP the first week of May. He's having some troubles in reading and math so he will be attending summer school this year.
East was nice this year. Mason dyed eggs with my mom on Saturday and on East we attended church as always and when we got home we hid the eggs so Mason and Michael could go out and find them. The East bunny also brought both kids a huge Easter basket with lots of goodies in them that both kids enjoyed. As so as I get my pictures uploaded I will be posting them.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Birthdays, Valentine's, and doctor visits
Michael had his follow-up with Dr. Arnold and his eye's are still doing pretty good. No significant change so he didn't need to have new glasses this time around. He did give us a new prescription though so we would have it if we needed to get new glasses. He tends to be pretty rough on his glasses. He also had his follow-up with Dr. Geitz and it looks like Michael's legs have heeled up very nicely and he can have the plates and screws removed at any time. We have scheduled that sugery for April 2nd. He also had his pre-IEP evaluation and it looks like he's meeting everyone of his goals that his therapists and teacher have set for him.
Mason is doing pretty good also. I got a letter from his school and I have to call some gal there and discuss his IEP with her. He's met all of his goal so his IEP has to be changed.
As for me I saw the surgeron and I ended up having my gallbladder removed last Thursday. I've been off work for the past 5 days but I will be returning tomorrow. I had orignially taken only 4 days off but yesterday my body was telling me that I needed one more day so I called my manager and he went ahead and gave me today off. I should be ready to go tomorrow. It only hurts now when I laugh, cough, or sneeze but it's getting better. They did the surgery laparoscopicly so I only have 4 small incision marks. Not bad. Mason was such a sweet heart when he came home from grandma and grandpa's yesterday. He knew I wasn't feeling well and that I had just had surgery so he picked out a bouquet of roses for me and a get well card. I almost cried when I saw them. Looks like I'm going to have a romantic son on my hands. LOL
Well that's my update. I'm definitely going to try and not go for so long before posting again.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Happy New Year
Now that the new year is here I have decided to cut down my resolution list that I have every year and just concentrate on two major resolutions that mean a lot to me. The first is to quit smoking. I have smoked on and off for several years. I know it's a very bad and nasty habit but it is a very hard habit to break and I'm bound and determined that it stops here now today. I am on day 1 of my not smoking and I'm doing good so far. I've noticed I've been a little grouchy but that is to be expected. I've just been trying to keep myself busy. My best friend is joining my in this quest so hopefully it won't be so hard.
Second I plan on loosing weight. I was suppose to get the Wii Fit for Christmas but they were sold out of it. I have Tuesday off so I think Mike and I are going to stop by the Dimond Center and see if they have any in stock now. If they do we are going to get it. I think with that and the elliptical Mike got me last year for Christmas I should be in shape in no time. I'm not getting any younger and with two kids to chase around the house I want to be in the best shape I can get myself into so I can enjoy my time with my children and hopefully on of these days my grandchildren.
It's been really hard to get motivate to do much of anything around here lately because it's been so cold. It's been in the double digits (minus double digits) for the last few days and just plane below 0 the rest of the time. I really hope it warms up soon.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
First Entry
My name is Cynthia but most of my friends call me Cyndi. My family and I live in Alaska but Alaska is not where I'm originally from. My dad was in the Air Force for 20 years and I was born in Delaware but since my entire family is from West Virginia and I've spent probably most of my life there West Virginia is where I call home.
I have quit a few hobbies that I enjoy when I get the chance to do them in between work and kids. I love to garden. I think that is a great passion of mine. I'm more into flowers than vegetables but that is only because I don't have a huge area to do my gardening so I have decided to just stick to flowers. My flower garden wasn't a huge success this year because we had pretty bad summer. It rained just about every day. I think we may have had a total of 3 or 4 weeks of good weather out of about 3 months.
Besides gardening I also love to cook, scrapbook, knit, photography, and do lots of outdoor activities. I also am into collecting shot glasses from the 50 states and around the world. I also collect nic nacs that are cobolt blue and cats.
I put cats right up there with gardening. I have all kinds of cat collectibles including 2 real cats. I had 3 but I had to put one of my cats to sleep right before Christmas last year because he was really sickand the vet told us that his problems were irreversible. He's in heaven now with god and I know that every now and then he is looking down upon me and happy.
I'm also a certified medical assistant and I work for a local pediatric clinic. I absolutely love my job. I started out working ob/gyn but there was just something missing. Pediatrics was my first choice but I couldn't find any openings when I was job hunting right after I got my degree. I ended up quitting the job at the ob/gyn clinic and took some time off to be with my kids until they both were in school all day. That happened last year and in February of this year I found my dream job and I plan to be there for many many years.
Besides everything that I have mentioned I am also married to a wonderful man who I consider one of my best friends and my soulmate. Mike and I use to work together. We ended up falling in love and getting married. We've been married for 9 years now. We've had our ups and downs as most married couples have but I wouldn't change anything for the world. Mike is a network analyst for I have my own personal computer geek to help me out when I get into a jam. LOL...
We also have two beautiful little boys. Michael who is 8 and Mason who is 6.
Michael is a rather special little boy because we almost lost him but thanks to lots of prayers and people behind us he pulled through and is a happy healthy little boy.
Do to some complications that we still don't know exactly what Michael was born not breathing and because his brain was without oxygen for about 3 to 5 minutes he suffered significant brain damage and now has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. He's doing well though. He has physical, occupational, and speech therapy once a week privately and once a week during school. He also has an excellent eye and orthopedic doctor and a pretty good pediatrician too. Just this this summer he had what is called derotation osteotomies done on both of his legs and he was in full casts up to the middle of his thighs for 4 weeks then half casts for 2. When they came off finally he ended up having to go in for one more surgery because the hardware on his right leg was coming off so his doctor had to go back in and remove the old hardware and put new hardware on. He has to wear the cast on his right leg for 4 weeks. Next Wednesday he should be getting it off and if all goes well he won't have to have any more surgeries until it's time to remove all the hardware permenantly which should be around January or February I believe.
Mason is a happy healthy and all around 6 year old. He's had his moments though. Ever since he was about 3 I thought that there just wasn't something right. He was always so active and hyper. I kept asking his doctor if this was normal and she kept saying that it was until he hit kindergarden. At that time I mentioned to his teachers that I thought he may have ADHD. They did some testing and come to find out they agreed with me. At the end of the school year I got him in to see his doctor and took the school evaluation and had his teacher do the clinics evaluation and sure enough he has ADHD. We have him on medication now and it seems to be doing the trick. He is much more calm that he use to be and focused. We can really tell the difference when he doesn't take his medication. This past weekend he had only 2 pills left. He had one on Saturday and I saved the other for school on Monday. Tuesday he didn't have one and there was a big difference. I got his prescription refilled so Wednesday will be a better day for him.
Besides school Mason is also taking swimming lessons and is in the cub scouts. He's on a little break right now from swimming but will be resuming in November. There are 6 levels and he is in level 3 at the moment. He's been there for quite some time but I'm glad to know that they want to make sure he knows his stuff before they move him up. As for cub scouts he hasn't made it to a meeting yet. I was hoping to get him to his first meeting this Friday but that's not going to happen because I have to work on Saturday so Michael and him will be going to grandma and grandpa's house on Thursday because there is no school on Friday and they will have them until Sunday when I go out to the Valley for church and to pick them up. I think cub scouts will be a good adventure for Mason. It will give him more useful skills and get him around more kids his own age and for him to have fun because lets face it he doesn't get much interaction from his brother since Michael can't do the things that normal little boys can do. Plus he can't really carry on a conversation with you and pretty much just repeats whatever it is you say. Doesn't give Mason much to work with. It's hard for him to understand at times but as time goes on he will start to understand what is wrong with his brother and learn to work with it.