One more thing ~ see? I knew I'd forget something!

Okay, so if there is a stupid way I will be able to injure myself, you can bet, I'll 'git 'r done'! So, where today?? Beware of the sinks in Best Buy ~ yep, I was washing my hands! I do have to say they have the stupidest faucets I've seen. They are mini pressure washers so you come out all splattered with water on the front of you and your eyelashes are clumped together as the tiny droplets of water fall gently from your hair. . . Ah, such a pleasant picture isn't it? (I'm just glad it was Thursday a.m. ~ not a whole lot going on at BB that time of day!) And then to turn on these little bursts of pressured water you have to push the thing! It was during the third "push" that I was extremely frustrated with black streaks down my face just trying to rinse the soap off my hands (wouldn't you know that I had to use 3 pumps of soap!) when I cut my finger. . . I didn't think it was too bad, but it hurt like hell. As I walked across the store to Chris, it bled so much it was practically dripping on the floor. Needless to say, I was a sight to be seen and my finger bled for about an hour afterwards. . . Just another reason to hate Best Buy!

(Note: some details of story have been enhanced for the reader's pleasure)

I hope you can keep up and follow me. . .

I have a TON of stuff to share with you, so I hope I remember it all (some isn't so important as just funny) :~) and I hope it makes sense!

1) Yesterday we had an appt. for Taite to have his plantar's wart burned off his foot. They used some kind of very cold stuff (I can't remember what it was ~ -400 degrees liquid stuff) and spray it on the affected area for 10 seconds x 3 with small "warm-ups" in between the blasts of cold air. We really had no idea how they "froze" warts, but we've been trying Compound W and Taite was complaining that I wouldn't take him to the Dr to remove his wart, so he got what he wanted. . .or not! He was very nervous and had many questions, but I need to back track a little to a funny story:

Nurse: Let's check your height and weight.

Taite: I am 4'10"

(I explained that they had just measured last week is why he was so sure ~ the nurse measures him)

Nurse: Looks like you are 4'9 1/2".

Taite: Well, we did have a sub that day in school!

While we were waiting for the Dr. Taite was squirmy and all over his seat. I told him he couldn't ask any questions, just to wait and see ~ haha ~ totally NOT Taite (the not asking questions part!) She explained all that was going to happen (I was embarrassed by his foot odor, but she didn't seem to notice) and I tried to convince Taite to lay on his stomach so he wouldn't watch (he's really a wimp when it comes to this sort of thing) but he insisted on sitting up and watching! After the first blast of cold, they wait for about a minute for the area to not be white anymore and then they blast it again. Taite wanted her to wait a little longer because it was still stinging when she went the second round, but she insisted on forging on. Hopefully we got it with this one trip to the Dr because Taite said he won't do that again and she said if it's not all healed over to come back in a week to 2 weeks, but no later! GROSS FACT: In reading about warts (not sure if it's just Plantar's warts or all) they are caused by the HPV virus and show up after 1 - 20 months of coming into contact with this virus! FUNNY NOTE: While we were in the room, Taite was reading the posters and the word 'wart' catches his eye on the poster for GENITAL WARTS!!!

2) Last night was a first trial run with Josey. Steph was getting a massage at where our cousin teaches and so we watched Josey. It went perfectly fine with her ~ with our own son, not so much!

3) Brayton was in a very whiney mood and after listening to it all through supper, Chris decided he didn't want to work with Brayton in the shed (side note: Chris bought an old cab for his tractor that needs some cleaning up and then painting, so Brayton's motivation lately is to help with that). After Chris told him they wouldn't be working on that, Brayton lost it! He cried/hollered, hit walls, shut doors and every once in awhile would come out of his room to see if we could still hear him for an hour. All because he said that Chris had "promised" him to work on the cab and then he "lied" because they didn't do it! He was SURE they wouldn't get to work on it tonight (they did) and so he was just devastated! Josey fell asleep through the whole thing and slept most of the time and then after he had settled down, Chris snuggled with him in the rocking chair. Sometimes, just when you think they are too big for that, they still need it!

4) Pictures: I was going to take the camera tonight to soccer (just Taite goes now ~ Bray has no interest), but I enjoy my fingers too much! The wind picked up about 10 mph, I swear, when I sat down to watch Taite play! It was freezing, but I promise to get some pics soon! I know they make reading the blog more interesting and what the hey, I'll even throw in some of the cab and it's diligent workers too!

5) I mentioned that last Saturday Brayton was torn and wanted to go garage saling, but decided to get his Legos instead. Well, I thought he had forgotten all about saling, but today I received this email from his teacher (the subject line: cute. . .).
I just wanted to let you know what Brayton shared with the class today during Morning Meeting. He let everyone know that he was going garage saling this weekend. :) It was so cute and the kids were so excited for him! :) I love it!

Can't you just picture 22 little first graders all excited because their friend gets to go garage saling?! Haha!! Brayton was surprised that one student didn't know what a garage sale was!

6) BAGS!

Okay, so I do have a couple of pictures. Isn't this the cutest bag you've ever seen??? I know ~ me too!!! I wanted the little flowers on the bottom to be a little bigger, but could only find this size and I think they look perfect! I had to stitch each one on individually so they wouldn't fall off. The close up is so you can see them more clearly, but I didn't want the flash to wash the color out ~ not sure yellow is the look I was going for either, though!

I am now on a mission to find some more summer fabric for 2 reasons. First, I am going to donate a couple of bags for (follow me here. . .) my cousin's son's friend's benefit (he's battling cancer and is only 15/16ish!). I love making these and I like even better if someone can sell it and help out a good cause! The 2nd reason is because Monica and I are going to be rich! Well, she said there is a need for cute bags and can hold all purse things AND a camera/equipment. We have to get our prototype done by the end of May (shouldn't be a problem) and then we'll be rich (her words, not mine) :~) Oh, don't worry, I won't forget about all of you when I'm rolling in the dough ~ I'll keep you updated on what it's like when living with no worries ~ hehe

HAPPY MAY DAY! (tomorrow)

Just one more chapter in our file with Olmsted Medical. . .

So, I have to do a little venting. . .

We received the statement from OMC for Brayton's surgery and one item listed (which insurance paid for, but is beside the point) is: Tympanostomy w tube insert uni ~ Bilateral Procedure. Remember? He didn't have tubes put in, yet they are trying to charge $976!!! I understand that they should be paid something to make a small slit in his ear and look at it, but that isn't really how this line item reads, I don't think. I called the Patients Account and they have to put in a request that it be reviewed and then they will "see" if it can be removed! HELLO!!!!! I would know if he had tubes in his ears and all they have to do is check his chart in ENT! Sheesh, sometimes this crap is enough to make a person go cRazY!!!

Ok, call me a 'moron' and I DON'T mean the Hawaii 'moron'!

Remember my friend Laurie? Her daughter was diagnosed with diabetes last summer and they are participating in the Walk for curing Juvenile Diabetes. I decided I wanted to walk with their team and not just donate money ~ I can always use a date to exercise :~) So, what I didn't realize (the moron part) is that I'm supposed to "bring" my own donations to the fundraiser! I know I asked already once for this, but if you haven't helped Katelyn out, then can you help me out?? After having already made a donation, I don't think I can count my donation. When you make the online donation (even $10 helps!) you get a confirmation email and it says what cause you donated to, how much and if you print off the email, you file it away for your deductions on your tax returns next year :~) Oh, and if you would be so kind, put in a good word with the Lord for sunny beautiful weather on the 17th ~ hehe ~ okay, that's just me being picky! I'll walk in any weather. . . well, maybe not in a tornado, but in that case, I would think they'd cancel or postpone the walk.

When I think of childhood illnesses like these, I am even more grateful for the lack of illnesses in our boys! Any donation I can give is so much smaller than what our costs (both emotional and in actual funds) could really be! My heart truly goes out to families like Katelyn's!!!

Please no Family Services!

Yesterday one of the things I picked up were a set of Spiderman boxing gloves. Brayton quickly claimed them as his own and his brother didn't object, so I didn't say anything. Tonight he came to me, asking if I could please help him put them on. I helped him and then he asked if I wanted to box. To get out of it, I told him that I didn't have a pair of boxing gloves. Perfect, right??? WRONG! Last year I got Chris a heavy bag at a garage sale and he had gloves for that. . . Brayton quickly retrieved those gloves for me. At first I sat in my office chair so the height difference wasn't so obvious and as soon as I stood up, he socked me in the gut and says "that's why I wanted you to stand up!" Geez! He seems to have a little knack for boxing and would try to divert my attention and then would get a good one in. For more space, we moved to the living room. It was quite a workout! I was careful not to hit him seriously. He yelled down to brag to Taite that we were boxing and Taite was upstairs in a flash ready to play! I had to grab the camera because it was too funny. If Taite were to really connect with Brayton, I think it would put him out for a little, but it would just give him more ambition to get his brother. Here is a video of them and I didn't call it off because they were thoroughly having a good time! I only wish it was nicer outside and they could do this without worrying about them going through the fireplace!

Today we had a milestone!

This morning my mom, sister, Josey and I went to Pine Island for the first city wide garage saling of the season, well, our season at least! Brayton wanted to go with, but he wanted to get the new Lego set he's had his heart set on since Thursday (when Chris had to bribe him to go to school ~ if he went, he could buy this set ~ with his own money, of course!) so he went with Chris and Grandpa to Owatonna. Taite didn't want to go anywhere. He doesn't like shopping and even though he's been garage saling since he was a baby, he doesn't care for that either! So, after an hours worth of instructions (Chris was the one to leave him home) he was on his own. The dog was let out before Chris left, the alarm set, phone numbers given, the password for the security system in case he set it off and the security people called and doors were locked. He was forewarned that he would have to make his own lunch if no one was home by then and he was okay with that (I've never seen the kid not be able to find something to eat at home!). When I was on my way home, I called to see if he was okay and if Chris was home yet. It was almost 1 when I called and Taite hadn't had lunch which surprised me, but he said he just wasn't hungry. I thought that was okay because he was just on the computer when I left, so I don't imagine he'd run on the treadmill or anything to work up and appetite. You'd think I'd know my son better than that. . . When I was throwing something away in the kitchen I saw why he wasn't hungry for lunch! He'd eaten like 5 snack bags of popcorn & chips (the 100 calorie bags that are super handy for snacking on ~ if they're around)!! I was thinking he'd have more of a PB&J or a bowl of cereal or something. Well, those you can't eat in front of the laptop! Oh well, it wasn't like we had a lunch all prepared for him in the fridge, so I didn't yell too loudly or too long, for that matter!

Brayton's as happy as can be with his new Lego set and I am washing my goodies that need to be washed and have everything else put away. Next weekend Brayton is ready to go garage saling with me :~)

A post I started yesterday and was going to finish. . .yesterday!

I found this picture and thought it would be perfect for the blog!!! This was an "early" Brayton drawing. Can you guess what it is?


Some of you will already know. . .

It's a picture of me on the left and Brayton on the right. You probably got most of that right? But you are still wondering what is coming out the back of each person, right??

No, it's not "gas". . .

Of course, those are:

CAPES!!!

I'm bummed that I don't have this dated! I have no idea how old he was when he drew these pictures (there were many), but it was probably in preschool when he was 4. I am guessing that because he was HUGE into dress-up at that age. One of his favorites were the super heroes, hence the cape :~)

Have a good weekend!!

Just one more for today ~ Kid Friendly Search Engines!!

After I watched the video from my last post, I was exploring that website a little and came across some Kid Friendly Search Engines! I had no idea there were such things, but what a great thing! Here are the sites and short descriptions about each one ~ I'm sure my boys will use them as Taite is already on his 3rd report, I believe!

http://kids.yahoo.com/
This site contains movies, games and educational content. It also has a kid-friendly search. A real person has checked every site that appears in search results. There is also a Study section for help with homework.

http://quinturakids.com/
Quintura features a useful tag cloud. Kids can click on popular topics. Then a new tag cloud offers additional searches under that topic. Detailed searches can be made with a few clicks.

http://www.askkids.com/
This site lets children ask questions to refine search results. They can ask things like, “When did Hawaii become a state?” It will return a quick answer, as well as search results. And editors handpick those kid-friendly results.

http://www.kidrex.org/
Your kids will enjoy this fun site. It looks like it’s been drawn with crayons. It uses a customized Google search engine. However, the results aren’t handpicked. So, some sites can slip through. But parents can request that specific pages be removed from results.

http://www.thinkquest.org/library/
This site collects student-created educational Web sites. These sites cover a variety of topics, including sports, geography and history. The Library allows kids to search through all of these student-created sites. They’re really well done.

http://www.kidsclick.org/
Librarians choose the search results here. They select sites for children in grades K-7. Your kids can browse through specific categories like art, math and computers. Controversial topics (sex, religion, etc.) are included. These sites are allowed only if they are educational and age-appropriate.

http://kids.aol.com/KOL/
This is AOL’s site for kids. It has articles, games, videos and music. Kids can search the Web through a moderated version of AOL’s search. There is also a homework help section and message board for kids. Preschool-aged children should check the Jr. section.

http://www.factmonster.com/
This is another homework site. It is filled with facts and articles on various topics. Children can only search for content within the site. They’ll also get results for encyclopedia entries, timelines and biographies.

http://www.pics4learning.com/
The only thing kids will find here are pictures. Teachers, students and amateur photographers donate them. The photos are copyrighted. But students and teachers can use them for projects. These are great for presentations.

http://www.searchedu.com/
This search is great for homework help. It uses Google to search for sites with the “.edu” address. That means results are all educational institutions, mostly colleges. These sites are often created for adult students. As such, they may contain adult content. But it is educational.

Okay, one good laugh!

Steph forwarded this to me and it's too funny! You have to watch for about 2 minutes to see the funny part begin, but it's worth it!

http://videos.komando.com/2008/06/04/mans-surprising-laugh/

So the day didn't start out so well, and it's not ending much better. . .

Today did not start out as I had hoped. The pain Brayton was feeling in his leg last night (gave him pain meds and figured it wasn't so real) was even worse this morning. At first, Chris thought it was a testicular issue, but I disagreed. After making an appt. to see someone, then he finally figured out it was NOT related to the testicle, but rather a pulled groin muscle or something. We gave him more meds, cancelled the Dr. appt. & hoped that when he got to school and saw his friends that his pain would "go away". When he got off the bus tonight, he was limping a little, but he said he was healed. Oh ~ and he did finally remember tonight what happened yesterday at school to cause this pain! He slid down a fireman pole and when he landed his left leg "went up".

Taite's morning didn't start out much better. . .
He's always (well, I can't say it's only him) a slow mover and some days we have to constantly remind them to hurry up, hurry up, hurry up! Taite had been downstairs for 15 minutes today (supposed to be getting dressed and brushing his teeth) and still hadn't come up so I went to see what the heck was going on! He was standing at his dresser looking at the Legos on it standing in his pajamas! When I went downstairs, the clock read 6:57 ~ the bus comes shortly after 7!!! I screamed (okay, it wasn't that bad ~ I sternly asked him) "what the hell he had been doing all this time!!!" He assured me he was getting dressed, however HE WAS IN THE SAME CLOTHES AS WHEN HE WENT DOWNSTAIRS 15 MINUTES BEFORE!! He did get dressed quickly (I'll give him that) and when he came upstairs, I asked him "did you brush your teeth?" NO ~ he didn't have time! So-o-o, I headed back downstairs to get his toothbrush and tooth paste while he got his shoes on ~ the sink in the mudroom doesn't get used too often, but when we need it, it's a God-send! After he was on the bus, I went downstairs to check on Brayton and noticed Taite's clock read 7:04 ~ that's 7 minutes to get dressed, shoes on, teeth brushed, out the door and on the bus! I don't know why we get them up so early! If we could narrow down the time it takes to eat breakfast like that, then they might only need, say 10 minutes to get out the door! LOL

Since Bray was having hip issues today, he didn't go to soccer again tonight, which certainly makes my soccer nights earlier! Chris has been looking for work boots for forever, I swear, so he took Brayton to Fleet Farm to try on boots. I finally told Chris that I don't care what he does about boots, just make a decision and GET SOME!! Apparently he didn't appreciate that too much ~ so my day is finishing on a not so happy note as well. At least tomorrow is supposed to be another sunny, warm day! I'm sure he'll forget all about being mad at me by then!

Happy Earth Day!

Today I did go help with the "ditch clean-up". I was a little worried and when I got there discovered that their "ditch" is really just the school grounds. All my fears were not alleviated however because around the schools property there is quite a lot of prairie grass and although most of it is knocked down from winter, something could still be lurking in this grass and there was a strong skunk scent in the area. . . As luck would have it I was the only parent volunteer so the two teachers and I each had a small group of students and we took separate sides of the school ~ my side? The back of the school by the skunk odor! The closer we got to the grass the stronger the smell became (the wind was blowing slightly, but nothing like yesterday) it was this same wind, however, that cleared the air so I wasn't so concerned after a little bit. This wasn't before I had already conjured up a vision of me and "my students" running for our lives so we didn't get sprayed or attacked. . . All in all, I think the kids did find and clean up quite a bit of trash around the school grounds. I even found a spot in the prairie grass area (just outside the soccer fields) where it looked like someone had dumped their fire pit ~ many pieces of broken glass, ashes and bottle tops were a few of the items in this pile ~ SOME PEOPLE!!!

Brayton started the day out by accidental biting his spoon while eating his cereal and loosened his tooth a little more. Chris had to help him pull it completely out with a pliers, so it is even more difficult for him to bite things now! :~) Here's his "new" smile (I LOVE the photo shop software!)

Today Chris and I had to run some errands and we happened to be on the north side of town at lunchtime. After some deliberation, we decided to eat at Sushi Nishiki. I told Chris that it wouldn't take too long ~ my bad!!! First, he was excited because the last time I was there, they were supposed to be getting Udon noodles added to their menu and that is one thing that Chris loves from Japan. I, of course, ordered the Fire Cracker sushi roll. To start off, Chris ordered some dumplings and he was very impressed with the flavor. Next came my sushi and I shared that with Chris (we were both VERY hungry) and then the waiting began. . . Finally, after we waited probably another 30 minutes, they came and told him that they were very sorry but the Udon noodles are very new to the menu and the normal chef was gone, the replacement didn't know how to make them ~ Chris was impressed that they admitted to not knowing how to prepare them and didn't serve sub-standard food. Then our waitress said she'd get him something else on the house. Another server came to our table to apologize and suggested some different noodles (fried ~ Udon are a very thick boiled noodle) and we were under the impression it was on the house, so of course he said 'sure, I'll try them'. He'd never had them before and it wasn't like he wouldn't have liked something different on the menu, but I think the waitstaff was so flustered they didn't think to offer that. So the "other" noodles were all that was offered since I got the impression they thought he only wanted noodles. After another 15 minutes, these fried noodles came along with a 10% coupon off our next purchase there and a promise of free ice cream ~ I was a little surprised because I thought "geez, how much are they going to give us??" The bill came ~ SURPRISE! We were charged for the substitute noodles and ONLY comped ice cream, which we probably wouldn't have ordered anyway since our lunch took so long! Our 10% coupon (never even worth the paper it's printed on, in my opinion, unless it's for a house or something!) and free ice cream were our compensation for the 1 hour it took to eat our lunch and get the "opportunity" to try a different dish. Needless to say, Chris said he will not ever go back there again after the "compensation" he was given. I understand in that sort of place, a lot of people do take close to an hour to eat, but we specifically ordered almost immediately when we got there to speed things up. I was really disappointed for him ~ I sooo wanted him to like that place, but knowing Chris, he really will not ever go back there. Poor me :~(

I am finally finishing up work stuff along with this blog, so I can step away from the computer for the night. Even though I was helping the earth this afternoon, my boss didn't see the need to do my work . . . :~)

I'm being harassed (by my son)

Taite strongly believes that any and all movies are available for download (and asks me about finding it all the time!). . . Even as he has sat with me while we search out "I Love Toy Trains" movies for downloads and nothing comes up, he just thinks I am doing it wrong. I've spent way too much time already on this and then I thought 'the reason he thinks this should for sure be available is because the kid does NOT like to hear the word NO'. He is our 'arguer'. If we say the boys need to go to bed in 5 minutes, before we even say the 'tes', he's already lobbying for 15 minutes. He's very good at this. . . Brayton has witty comebacks, Taite is good at negotiations. In the bedtime situation, he will usually get them another 5 minutes, so they'll get ready for bed in 10 minutes. Unless, of course, I've had it with his "negotiations" then I'll be stubborn and stick to the 5 minutes, but most times he gives us a "look" and gets his way. Well, with the toy train movie downloads, I'm afraid he won't be able to have his way, but it won't be for a lack of trying. I even pointed out to him on Sunday that he was on the Internet himself and he knows how to search for things, but that lasted all of 3 minutes. . . Which brings me back to the question "why am I spending so much time on this when I know we won't come up with the result he wants???" The closest I've come is he can buy the DVD and we could save it on an SD card and put that into his MP3 player and maybe he can watch it that way, but I believe there has to be some converting in there somewhere. Oh well, I'll argue that point with him tomorrow. He was already disappointed that I wasn't going to volunteer to pay $10 for him to have a movie on his MP3 player! (a different one ~ they have all kinds of new releases and stuff, but he only wants the toy train video). I asked him if he knew how many people were probably looking for this I Love Toy Trains movie to download to their MP3 player and he guessed thousands ~ my guess: 1.

This morning when Brayton got up for school he was crying. Something about not being able to play before school (I took the boys and Bray's inhaler to school this am) because Taite had played with his toy and left the switch on, so it didn't stay charged and needed to be charged up again. Tonight after school, he was whining again. . . So, when he said he didn't want to go to soccer ~ NO ONE ARGUED WITH HIM!!! Of course he didn't get to bed early (was going to the bathroom), but hopefully he'll sleep well and tomorrow will be much better!

Tomorrow after school the Student Council kids get to do ditch clean-up. I'm not sure where they are assigned to pick-up, but I am thinking of helping out. I asked Taite if they needed parents help (just seeing if he read the letter they sent home) and he said 'no'. Then he asks "do you want to help?" Welllll, it's not so much that I want to help, it would be more like a feeling of obligation. . . We'll see how busy I am at work tomorrow and then I'll determine if I can go help.

Here is an old picture I was experimenting with ~ the color on Bray's face was washed out in the original, but I tried to use just the Photo Shop picture thing, but it didn't do the best job. I still like this cropped and not so bright ~ I think it would be a good candidate for the website Monica likes iheartfaces.blogspot.com ~ this is one happy, colored sugar-smiling kid!

Hello There, my loyal readers! I apologize for the looong stretch between postings! I've been off so long, there are now new features on here! I can post from my phone and something called email posting ~ I'll have to look into that one!

Well, we survived both of Brayton's birthday parties, which were held on Saturday! The classmates one was from 1-3 and the family one started at 4. I was a little worried about how many friends were going to make it to his classmate party. We only invited 7 and 3 couldn't come. It went well, though, and here is a picture of the kids wearing their "hats" for the game I found online. These were 2 bowls glued together (bottom to bottom) and then the kids had to try and catch the balls in the bowl on top of their heads. I didn't know if they would want to participate, but some of them wore the hats most of the time, even when they weren't playing the game!

I love this shot of Brayton blowing out his candles. You can see the smoke swirling after he got a few blown out. . .

And, here is a shot of him with his cake from his family party. (We didn't have as much cake leftover as you might think. . . the last piece was shared by us all tonight after supper!)

To back-track a little, we took Brayton back to the Allergist (what the hey, we've met our deductible on him for the year :~) on Friday to evaluate. He was coughing a lot, seemed to have a lot of gunk in his lungs and we were having to use his inhaler more than they would like us to. So, we changed the meds concoction again. Now he is on Allegra for his allergies and a corticosteroid inhaler 2x a day. We then just use his albuterol for if he exercises too hard and needs it. This seems to be working quite well. Yes, I know he's only been on it 4 days, but his coughing has improved tremendously ~ that's always the most difficult thing to listen to.

When we were leaving the clinic, there was a young girl walking in with a very small infant in her arms. I almost asked her if she needed help or if I could just wrap the baby up. . . it's bare feet and legs were hanging out and it was warm that day, but not for a newborn. If she would've given the baby to me, I'd have taken it. I feel so badly when you see innocent kids not being taken care of properly! I know I wasn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure no one could accuse me of neglecting their basic needs! But, as we all know, they survive despite the care-free "care" they are given. Chris, of course, was shocked I was going to say anything ~ who will speak out for the child then???

I am not liking our Minnesota weather. . . We get 2 warm days and then BAM ~ it's cold again and it was sleeting/hailing this afternoon! I'm not sure when you look at the temp which term is used, but there were small ice pieces falling from the sky in sheets. We are ready for summer ~ in fact I was going to see how a suggestion of camping next weekend went over with Chris :~)

Today and yesterday I had the peaceful feeling that everything is perfect in our lives. Do you have those days?? The house was clean (with everyone's help) and last night the boys came to me at separate times to just to tell me they loved me! It doesn't get much better than that!! The boys are on a big kick to earn $$$. After Brayton counted all his birthday money (Taite continually has a running total of his brother's worth in his head. . .) they were both gung-ho to earn more. We labeled some extra zippered coin holders with their names and we put extra money in there so they can see what is in their "bank" (don't worry ~ we have most of their money in the real bank), but this will give them a visual of what saving 10% each week of their allowance will get them. Taite is taking this very seriously because he wants to save his money for a $110 Lego set. To me, that seems like a lot of money to spend on one toy (his wallet will seem VERY empty), but I suppose what is the point if he can't purchase something he is dying to have?? He even mentioned being on a "tight budget" tonight! LOL He's sooo money hungry I told him last night that he owed his brother (meaning a favor) because Brayton picked up Taite's dirty clothes in the bathroom (that's a deduct on their allowance chart) and he said "Aw, how much?" I laughed and said he was off the hook, I just meant he had to pick up Brayton's clothes once.

Tonight the boys worked on videos to post to their blog, but the camera is using batteries like crazy, so you can watch for those videos probably on Wednesday night (soccer is tomorrow night). Speaking of, I forgot to mention that started last Tuesday. It isn't nearly as convenient as last year, so this will probably our last year (that or Taite will have to choose which sports he wants to play for sure and just Brayton will play soccer). The boys play at two different spots in Kasson and Taite's practice starts at 5:45 and goes to 6:45 and Brayton's practice starts at 6:30 and goes until 7:30. Then, where Taite plays, there is no parking lot. Everyone just parks in the street (the field happens to be at the end of Steph's street), but I'm sure the people who live around there are not too happy about the new soccer fields. Brayton plays over by the city park (like playground equipment for little kids) and there is also a couple baseball diamonds. There IS a parking lot there, but it's very small, so some just park in the grass on the other side of the baseball fields and walks to the soccer fields. So far, now, I've forgotten to bring a coat both times! You'd think I'd know by now, but I rush out of the house (we have to eat and leave by 5:15) and forget until I am at soccer that I need a coat. I have now put a pullover lined wind-breaker in the van, but I'm sure I'll take the wrong van then ~ just seems to be my luck! :-D

Other than that, there is nothing much new here! Talk to you soon!!

The "Holiday" Weekend

We made a long overdue trip to SD to see Chris' family this last weekend (the boys and I haven't been back in almost a year and a 1/2 ~ I had NO idea it had been that long!) We didn't get back at Christmas time, so there was a little birthday celebrating, Christmas celebrating and Easter celebrating! The boys (obviously!) had a great time!!

Birthday
Grandpa had bought a cake, ice cream and even had a #7 candle for Brayton's birthday! Here are some pictures and a video of Brayton reading his card from Grandpa ~ it was really cute with alligator jokes in it!

Christmas

For Christmas gifts, uncle Rick and Aunt Hiddy gave the boys Star Wars Light Sabers (and didn't forget the batteries ~ not bad for not having kids! I don't even remember those!!). They kept the boys very busy!! (in the pictures, Taite thought this was his best "funny" face):~)

They also got Legos, but that's not such a good thing to open before you are home, so they were content with putting together the people and playing "war" with them. The boys were very excited to see where Carmen lives (she lives just a few blocks from the school that she teaches at in a really cute and perfect size house). On Sunday, we went to Chris' grandma's house for Easter dinner/lunch. From there we came home, but not without having to change Brayton's jeans ~ they went for a walk outside and he managed to slip in the mud and get his jeans all muddy. . . We had a wonderful time and visit and as always, Chris has a difficult time driving back home from 'home'. About 1/2 way home, though he received an email from a high school classmate and that perked him up for a bit. We called him (so I wouldn't have to type a reply on Chris' Blackberry!) and as always, Troy was good for a few laughs :~) (he is the one who lives in Iowa ~ they came to visit us over the New Year).

Easter

I didn't bother to bring the boys' Easter gifts to SD (I didn't go all out and didn't feel like trying to keep them hidden 'en route') so when we got home and the boys woke up this morning (well, really just Bray because Taite has now figured it out, but played along nicely) Brayton asked if the Easter Bunny had come. Dang it! I thought I could just give them the books and cooking set without a big to-do. Oh well, they are only little for a short time and I want them to have fond memories. So, I told him that maybe the Easter Bunny would pop in today since we were gone over the weekend! It worked out well ~ while the Easter Bunny typed up the clues and letter, the boys played with Brayton's newest Birthday present (came in the mail while we were gone from Grandma Jane & Grandpa Tom) Wii Music ~ side note: the boys are now saving their money for a guitar and drums ~ guess who wants to buy which. . . Anyway, after I had the clues in place and the wrapped gifts ready, I put some of that fake grass on the table along with a few of their decorated eggs, M&M's and the Easter Bunny letter and then tried to get them to notice so the hunt could begin. That is easier said than done! Chris and I thought we could get the dog to bark and then we'd pretend she must've been barking at the Easter Bunny. After calling her, opening & shutting outside doors (usually works!) and trying the door thing again, she finally barked. Twice. So, it was all we were going to get to work with. I ran downstairs to see if the boys knew why she was barking (okay, I was stretching it a little here, but didn't want to give it away to Brayton). They didn't have a clue and could've cared less because they were making music videos. I will shorten this up a little here so I don't lose you. . .after 3 trips upstairs and me circling the table where the eggs & letter were laid out, they finally noticed it (actually it was all Bray, Taite didn't want to waste his time because he obviously thought we were losing our minds!). Brayton loved his cooking set and Taite had already read 1 of the 2 books I got! He whispered 'thank you for the books' to me tonight (so Bray wouldn't hear) when I was making supper and I apologized because he'd already read one of the books. He said, "No, it's like Mrs. Linbo always said 'a good book is meant to be read more than once' or something like that and I really liked that book!" Well, he was so sweet about it.

Brayton turns 7 today!

Well, it was 7 years ago that I was in EXTREME pain and about 12 more when I thought I was dying. . .so today we celebrate! Haha!

We started by singing Brayton the Happy Birthday song, then he got to open presents and that was it (just kidding). He received a watch with hands so he can practice his telling time, which they are working on in school (at one time he was telling us every minute what time it was. . . thankfully, that didn't last too long!) I love the watch because it just has a stretchy band and he can slip it on and off by himself. He also likes the Indiglo background (it's a Timex ~ of course the $5 watches had normal bands and we would have to help him put it on every time) His other gift was a hooded sweatshirt (just like the one Monica gave him) with the thumb holes in the cuffs.


To surprised him with his bike, we asked him to come upstairs so we could see what he wanted for breakfast. . .


It wasn't exactly the reaction we thought we'd get, but oh well, he's happy nonetheless. When the boys were looking at the bike Taite said "I wonder why they call it 'Next'" and Brayton replied (without skipping a beat) "Probably because you are in 2nd place"! I just wish for one day I could have his wit!! The breakfast he requested: scrambled eggs and oatmeal :~)

He couldn't wait to ride his bike, so he quickly changed out of his pajamas and put on his new sweatshirt, took two circles around the driveway and came back in for more layers! (The frost is still on the grass) So, now he has gloves, a stocking hat and a wind-breaker type coat added to his previous attire and is warm enough, I think.

He was waiting patiently for Taite to finish breakfast so they could race their bikes and now I see that they have the plastic bats out and are playing Star Wars instead, so I'm guessing that Taite didn't feel like digging his bike out.

I can't believe my baby is 7 already! Boy am I glad I have someone else's baby to fill that emptiness :-) Speaking of Josey, Brayton read her a story yesterday and I think they both enjoyed it!

Please help support a great cause!

I received an email (well, it wasn't just to me, there were many others as you can imagine) from a high school classmate today. We are a little more in touch with FaceBook, yet I was still surprised to hear about her daughter. I could try and recap it, but with her permission, I am just posting her email . . . (Laurie and I were supposed to be roommates at WSU until she found out she was expecting Katelyn our senior year)

Jesse and I are writing on behalf of our daughter, Katelyn.

As you may know, Katelyn was diagnosed with Type 1 (juvenile) diabetes on June 8, 2008. She will be insulin-dependent for the rest of her life.

Kate has endured over 1,460 fingerpricks and 1,095 insulin injections this year. In addition to her rigorous blood testing and insulin shots, everything she consumes must be measured and her blood levels even need to be checked while she sleeps and plays sports. Katelyn is always a trooper and rarely complains. As you’ve seen, she is full of smiles and laughs amidst her daily diabetes routine. She continually amazes us and is a blessing to have in our lives as a daily reminder of spirit, humility, and a positive attitude.

Type 1 diabetes is a devastating disease that affects millions of people. Many people think Type 1 diabetes can be controlled by insulin. While insulin does keep people with Type 1 diabetes alive, it is NOT a cure. Aside from the daily challenges of living with Type 1 diabetes, there are many severe, often fatal, complications caused by the disease. It’s our mission to avoid the heart and kidney disease, blindness, amputation, and early death that is a reality for many people with juvenile diabetes. The good news, though, is that a cure for Type 1 diabetes is within reach. We feel confident a cure will be available in Kate's lifetime. In fact, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) funding and leadership is associated with most major scientific breakthroughs in Type 1 diabetes research to date. And JDRF funds a major portion of all Type 1 diabetes research worldwide, more than any other charity.

Please understand, we are not trying to have a pity session. We truly believe that out of every difficulty comes something good. As parents, it’s our instinct from the moment our kids are born to protect them from any harm. We must do everything in our power to help find a cure for her.
Katelyn is now 15 1/2 years old and is excited about getting her driver's license in August. She is earning a 3.9 GPA in 9th grade at Stewartville High School with classes including Advanced Math and Honors English, playing volleyball and basketball regularly and is a captain of both teams, and living a normal teenage life. She is truly our inspiration. Katelyn recently told her doctor that "it's easy". If you know Kate at all, you know this disease has not gotten her down!

WE INVITE YOU TO HELP FIND A CURE FOR THIS DISEASE!
We are very excited to share with you that our family will be participating in the JDRF's "Roll and Stroll" on Sunday, May 17, 2009, at Soldiers Memorial Field in Rochester. If you would like to make a donation or would like to take the 3-mile walk with us, please see the information below.

*** To register to walk with our team, find out how close we are to reaching our family goal, or would like to make an on-line donation, we are registered as "TEAM HANFSTER" at this Web link: http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87334739

*** Otherwise, you can make checks payable to "JDRF - Roll & Stroll" and send them to our mailing address below. We will deliver any donation in Katelyn's honor the morning of the Walk.

Thank you for helping our family team meet our goal of raising $500 this year. Thank you for your support and we would be honored to see you at the Walk on May 17th!

Laurie & Jesse Hanf
31578 - 121st Avenue
Stewartville, MN 55976
507-259-7371 cell
507-378-2755 home

PS -- please feel free to forward this information on to anyone that might be interested.

This brings tears to my eyes because I remember Katelyn as a baby and even then, she was so very full of smiles :~) Please keep her and others with Type I diabetes in your prayers! Thank you!

Finished product

Here are the finished Easter eggs. Taite opted to do mostly sleeves (the things that shrink in the hot water) and Bray did a little of everything. Taite's eggs are on the right side and Brayton's are on the left. (this also gives you an idea of how they left things ~ Taite haphazardly and Brayton's all lined up in an order)

A better view of the eggs with wrappers on them

Here is a close up of the ones with stickers and one with a mask of someone on it ~ no, I don't know my Star Wars!

Okay, first I have to back track. . . I took these pictures of Brayton on March 21 (I know just because it's saved with the picture on my computer) and I forgot to post them. It's from one of the many days he was playing Star Wars. The "backpack" he is wearing is actually a traveling magna-doodle, but he calls it his "bag of tricks"! I'm not sure how the hat fits in, but that is definitely his favorite style of hat to wear.


Last night I was a good mom (kind of) and let the boys decorate the eggs for Easter. Grandma used to do this with them, but she didn't have the cups of highly concentrated dye either. I hated every minute of it ~ I know, I'm not nice, but I am not enthused about trying to get that dye out of rugs and clothing if they spilled and then leave me to do all the cleaning. Nothing was spilled, but they aren't done either because we still have those sleeve things to put on and then dip the eggs in hot water, so they will shrink to fit the egg. I don't foresee any messes with that one, but you never know. . .




Today I went with Brayton and his class to the Public Library (in Rochester) and to St. Mary's. At St. Mary's they go through a scenario of a patient getting their tonsils out (in a play-type way). All the kids get to volunteer for one "character" and they had props and everything. One thing that was really cute was the Dr, Nurse & Anesthethiologist all get to wear scrubs and everything. Here are some pictures of the other students getting prepped for the OR!

The Dr's & Nurse overlooking the patient (looks like a dire prognosis):

Brayton got to draw the patient's blood for the pre-op surgery testing.

Just a picture of Brayton's friend, Josh, and Bray

The class in front of St.Mary's main entrance

Each of the kids got to take home a bag with some coloring books about having surgery and some other goodies. Here is Brayton with some of his stuff on (he was smiling until I reminded him that I can't see it behind his mask) :-)

Just today

I will start with a recipe that Taite already asked me to give him when he is an adult. He loves it so much he said "it's worth liking spinach for". I have to tell Taite when he has to stop eating this because I'm afraid he'll get a stomach ache!

I've made this a couple times in the last two weeks. The sugar doesn't dissolve very well, so I'm thinking that next time I will heat the oil (way before I am going to serve it) and then add the sugar so it will dissolve. I tried this time adding the sugar to the strawberries to make juice, but I, personally, like the strawberries firmer. I just have to remember to heat the oil in time to be able to cool it so I can add the other dressing ingredients!

Strawberry Spinach Salad I (from allrecipes.com)

2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion (I use many more because we like red onions)
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds, blanched and slivered

DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover, and chill for one hour.
In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving. Other suggestions on allrecipes said to use cubed chicken with this salad or instead of strawberries, try mandarin oranges or kiwi with the strawberries.

Last night when I was up at 2 getting medication so I could sleep, I checked my computer to see what was up with the big storm we were supposed to get and I found a follow-up email from another mom whose son is in Brayton's class. She was wondering if we got the first invite for Aric's birthday party which was today at 2! I was kind of panicked because this was very last minute and then I remembered we had a Super Soaker from last year for a party that Taite was going to attend and then we were gone, so he didn't attend and we still had the gift ~ so all was well. After Brayton got over his crabbiness this morning. . .

Chris told the boys that we needed to clean the house this morning and then he got on Skype and talked while the boys and I were cleaning. That was okay because as long as I have someone helping me, I'm happy. PLUS Taite decided to earn $3 for his chores (for last week) so he would complete what I asked of him and then ask what he could do next. Brayton spent most of the time playing and doing his own thing, which I was okay with because every time I said something to him he was whining and I did not feel like dealing with that! I asked Taite if he was up for a project ~ cleaning the floor in the kitchen/entry way. He said he was, so I was ecstatic! I don't clean the floor as often as I should because I don't like doing it and it never stays clean for long enough! First, he shook the rugs out, then he Swiffered the floor. I showed him how to keep the dust in front of the mop the whole time and then he cleaned his "pile of dust" up with the Kone and I was impressed with his work. I stressed how important it was to go around under the edges of the cabinets, which I didn't expect him to get it perfect the first time, but he came close. I really thought the spraying on of the cleaner and wiping up would need a few touch ups, but I was thoroughly impressed with his work on the floor! It was almost perfect! I told him a couple times what a good job he did and then he asked me "Why do you keep telling me I did a good job on the floor?" Well ~ duh! :~) I told him he was hired forever to clean the floor!!

Chris and I attempted something that we haven't tried for many, many years! Now, this is a family-friendly blog ~ nothing dirty! I cut his hair! I've tried this before and usually he doesn't like it and I get frustrated and it never ends well! Today we were successful! That's good because we have gone to the same stylist for almost 6 years and she's moving to a new salon in May and is raising her prices.

Here is the 'before' picture (Chris said it's been about 4 months since he's had his last haircut! ~ I had to take this because he had major bed head!!)

Here is his 'after' picture ~ still just as good looking, I think :~)

After we dropped Brayton off at the birthday party, we went into Rochester to run some errands. We went to Sam's Club and Chris and Taite were in heaven because there were about 20 samples to try. :~) I kept shopping and tried to keep track of them as they nibbled. One of the samples was the Member's Mark chicken brats ~ MAN were they good!!! Then Chris pointed out that they only have 110 calories per brat!!! With only 40 of those calories from fat, which made them taste even better! (Johnsonville brats are 270 calories with 200 from fat!) And these had such good flavor ~ the ones from Sam's Club ~ we decided to try both flavors (the sample was only of Roasted Garlic and Mozzarella cheese and they also have Spinach and Asiago cheese). We tried the spinach ones for supper and they were just as good and flavorful as the garlic ones. They do have a little spice, but I'm pretty sure the boys had enough ketchup on theirs that they didn't notice ~ LOL!

After Sam's we went to Staples (Chris has something to get) and Taite and I went to Target. When the boys have birthday parties with their friends, their brother is always invited and I make sure they have a gift to give when they "attend" that party, so the other friends don't think anything of the "brother" being at the party. Taite wanted to get Brayton a couple of small Star Wars figurines, but I thought it would be a better idea to get him some Star Wars Legos (they have been so into Star Wars lately and Legos are always good!). While he was shopping, Taite's mood changed so when I asked him what was the matter, I really wished I hadn't!! He said that I didn't make Brayton come to town to pick out Taite's birthday present and Brayton didn't get Taite anything that he really wanted. . . How are we raising such a spoiled kid??? I pointed out that when Taite got a new bike just because he had grown that Brayton didn't say "what about me?" and when Taite got a loft bed Brayton wasn't jealous, he was just happy for his brother. How do we reverse these feelings in Taite? It's such a challenge when our first reaction is to get frustrated and have to resist the urge to shake him!!!

Today is finishing up to be an okay day, especially since the house looks great (well, at least better than it did earlier today) :-) And in the end, I guess we'll keep the boys ~ hehe!!

Today we were bums ~ all of us :~)

We decided to go to Winona for the best donuts ever ~ from Bloedow's (pronounced blay-dohz)!!! We ate some in the van (for breakfast) and then had to go back in so we would for sure have enough for grandma & grandpa! They are ooohh so yummy and a treat we can't remember when we've last had. Which is good because we really didn't stop this morning, we had some for dessert, and some for a snack and then some when grandma & grandpa came over to eat LOL We don't eat a whole one every time ~ jeez, we aren't pigs!! We cut them up so we can sample many of them! My favorite is the raised/glazed, Chris I don't think could pick a favorite, Taite liked the blueberry frosted w/blueberry filling and Brayton liked the powdered sugar cake donuts. Great fun was had by all, but I'm pretty sure the scale will NOT be my friend tomorrow!

The boys brought along 3 movies even though we told them Winona is only an hour away. . .


Chris en-route. . .

The 2nd box of donuts (Chris bought the first, so maybe if I bought the 2nd and went in by myself, they wouldn't recognize me?!)

Steph sent out an update email (I keep telling her she needs to just set up a blog ~ it's so much easier) and had some pictures of Josey!! I've modified them a little (zoomed, cropped and changed the color in one) but here is our little niece. She has her first cold, so we are all hoping that it is a mild one! I remember the first time they get sick. It seems like the worst thing in the world because you can't do anything but hold them. She obviously isn't sick in these pics ~ isn't she cute??? I see a lot of Brian in her. . . Sorry Josey ~ LOL (just kidding Brian!!)

Just an update

Today I helped with stations in Bray's classroom. Having the latest cold to spread through our house, I wasn't really myself, but I think I masked it well :~)

Brayton was very boisterous today and another mom who has 2 older boys (high school age) said he was just being a boy and they don't outgrow it. It got me thinking that most times I really don't mind. It's when we are with other people that I try to be conscious of the boys and their "happiness". So, if you have ever been with us at one point and the boys were extra-loud, but we didn't say anything to them ~ I apologize. You see, at our house, if they aren't fighting and crying, we tend to tune it out. There are days that even we can't tune them out, but for the most part, they are free to be "boys". On the way home, I was quietly listening to them. Brayton's voice was getting higher and louder the more Taite laughed. They always describe these made up scenes with crazy characters and happenings and then laugh hysterically about it ~ must be a brother thing. . . I am just (may have mentioned this before) :~) sooooo grateful that they get along as well as they do! I can certainly say that I don't EVER remember times like that; which is probably why I don't see the need to say anything to them. I really want them to remember all the laughter and fun they had growing up even if Chris and I aren't always in on the laughing ~ LOL (no pun intended!)

I did catch part of one of their "ideas" and Brayton was telling Taite (blah blah blah) and then he says "Do you get it sewer? You know 'sue her'? You know, like they were going to 'sue her'? 'Sewer'? 'Sue her'?" (remember ~ voice is getting higher and louder with a little giggling in there) Taite says "No, I don't really get it." Brayton . . . . (wait for it. . . ) "Yeah, neither do I!" WHAT?! It was too funny ~ then they both broke into peals of laughter (again)!

It's been brought to my attention that I don't mention Taite enough on here :~) He is still around, it's just that Brayton is the "character" of the two! Taite is usually the one laughing. Tonight, though, they were playing with the dog and next thing Brayton comes up to say that Baby ripped one of the blankets downstairs. . . He brought it up and feathers were following him ~ it was a down blanket! When Taite came up (Brayton said Baby just ripped it, it wasn't anything they were doing) he said they were hiding under the blanket and Baby was trying to get to them when she ripped it. She is definitely Taite's dog! I think if his loft bed had a regular ladder with flat boards for steps she'd try to climb that to get to him! If we do get the snow that they are predicting for this weekend I can work on fixing the blanket and making a duvet so you won't see that it's ripped :-) That's not so bad because the blanket is just a worn navy blue, so a duvet would be perfect!

Oh, yesterday I took Brayton for his follow up on his surgery and he is super duper fine!! It's oh so evident in his attitude and quirkiness!

Well, that's all I know ~ if I think of anything more, I'll let you know :-)