Monday, December 19, 2011

Viewing Pictures

Every once in awhile I am sometimes pleasantly surprised when i am downloading pictures the kids have taken, usually pictures i did not know they were taking!  Mostly they are the most random of shots, a shoe, Ty's trombone, and of course a LOT of their friends, but every once in awhile there are keepers for MY photo file!  Here are some from when we were in Virginia.  Ty and Ryan use Ed's deployment camera when he is home and i found these that made me smile....

Before we had asked Ty to take a picture when we were at Mt Vernon


I remember this picture...

I don't think Mr. Hottie likes these kind of pixs to get out....


Had no idea the camera was clicking, the kids do say we kiss toooo much!!!


He always holds my hand because otherwise i wander off and he looses me...


Strike A Pose!

I asked them to strike a pose...this is what they gave me...

When Did SHE Begin Hanging Out With MY Friends?!!

Just a random evening hanging out with my friends....than i notice Vicki in the pictures and i am wondering when SHE began hanging out with us?!!!  Time is going by much tooo fast!

We Call Him Hollywood

We call him Hollywood....and i don't know why ;)
'


Boys & Football

I am not exactly sure when it happened but Ty and Ryan each acquired a favorite football team.  Ty picked the Panthers and Ryan the Falcons.  Ryan picked the Falcons because there is a player with the name Ryan on his jersey and Ryan of course had to have that jersey and it has been his team ever since.  Ty picked the Panthers.  Don't know why, and neither does Ty....Ed's team ever since he was a little boy has been the Steelers.  He likes the Saints and some other teams, but the Steelers are his die hard team.  It is hilarious to listen to Ed and the boys talk trash to each other about their teams and even more hysterical to listen to them when their teams are playing each other or just another team.  I am afraid for when they get older though....i think there might be broken furniture during games and i am going to wish they drank and i could just drop them off at a bar to go watch their games...but than that could end up scary too....tonight was Ed's team playing a non Ty and Ryan team, so the boys had fun trash talking anything the Steelers messed up on against the 49ers.  The power keeps going out in San Fran, so who knows when this game will ever end, good thing i have been baking because all three of them decided to watch it in mine and Ed's bed!  The picture was hilarious!  Maybe i will add it to this blog if i ever pull those pixs off the camera.... 

Holiday Baking 2011

Holiday baking this year has been massively condenced since we are leaving for Sunny California for Christmas and New Year!  I managed to finish it all in one day!  Tomorrow it all goes out to my neighbors, well that is if Ed doesn't get up tonight and eat it all!  I told him i will kill him if i have to spend all day tomorrow in the kitchen again!  It was bad enough that my lemon cookies didn't have the white chocolate chips in them because Mr. Hottie ATE them!!! 

This year i only made fudge, lemon bars, snickerdoodles, peppermint chocolate cookies, lemon cookies, 7 layer cookies, noel cookies, peanut butter balls, and i have no idea what these other things are called since i just have the ingredients and nothing else for the recipe!  I just do half red and half green and they are very yummy! 

Sooo, hopefully tomorrow morning everything is still in tact and Mr. Hottie stuck to only the items in the cookie jar for his mid-night snacking!

Football Photo Shoot

Picture time for the Panthers!



The Soul Taker

Ryan just barely made the cut off for Ty's division when we signed the boys up for tackle football summer of 2011.  The cut off was July 31st and that was Ryan's birthday, so he was able to play on Ty's team.  He was the youngest one out there and one of the smallest, but he is SOLID!  He outweighs his big brother by 1 1/2 pounds.  He was thrown around like a rag doll but nobody ever had to take a knee for this little guy.  If he sticks with this sport i think he is going to end up being a tank out on the field....
Ryan finally let me take a picture of him


Taking a break on the bench

He is solid!

Football 2011

Go Panthers!!!

Football season has come and gone for 2011.....but it was a fun season and the boys were the Air Station Champions!  Ty earned his latest nickname, Touch Down Ty and Ryan was fightfully called the Soul Taker. 

I am happy to be done with driving the 100 miles a day to get the boys to practices, but i do miss watching them play, the conversations we had driving back and forth, singing with them at the top of our lungs, and my cardios on the flightline....but i do NOT miss all the driving i did between driving to Lejeune for work every morning, to drive back to Richlands to pick up the boys, drive to the Air Station for practices, sometimes leave Air Station to zip to Camp Johnson if vicki wanted to swim laps, than back to Air Station to pick up boys to finally arrive home in Richlands around 8 pm.   

Here are just a few pictures from the season....

Ty & Ryan after their first Football Game

Ryan on the far right Ty on the far left, a Kretschmer on each side

Heading if for weigh in before a game.  Neither had any worries this season on being over weight!  Vicki could have even played in this league!


Heading out after a good game


After a rough game in the mud!


Love his grin when coming off the field after a win

Ty at the far left of pix taking on 3 guys!


He loves making touch downs!

Vicki gave her brothers the run down on what they did right and wrong after every game.  She moved all over the field so she could watch and holler at them 


Ty wasn't sure about tackeling at first, but once he got a good tackle in it became his favorite thing to do and lucky him, he played the entire game so he was able to tackle and make touch downs!

at the end of another hot game


Huddle...Ry, no socks on left Ty, no socks, on right

 

Friday, December 16, 2011

She Does Like Me!!!

The Special Needs student i had just walked by my classroom on her afternoon stroll with her new aid.  She was all excited when she saw me!  I wished her a Merry Christmas and a Happy Birthday and gave her a big hug!  I guess she does like me after all!  Or atleast out of the classroom! lol

Camping on Mothers Day

I found pictures from our Mothers Day Camping Trip on my work computer!!  Not alot, but a few!!

Ed  and the kids took me camping for Mothers Day this year.  It was fun to just sit back while they loaded the truck and i just packed my own little bag.  (I did pay close attention and picked up some of the important things they were forgetting.....bug spray, stuff for smores, you know the stuff ya just can't forget camping!!!)  We got a great spot right on the water at New River!  Ed and the kids set up the tents while i just sat in the chair....i think Ed was a little purterbed that i was taking this "sit down and relax Mothers Day thing" just a little too far.....but i sat and listened to some grumbles about how he had never put up this tent before, blah blah blah.....yes, i am the only one that has ever put this tent up, pretty much by myself and i think Ed was really wondering how i had done that since the kids werent making it very easy for him.....I did finally get up and help as it was looking like he might just have us sleep in the back of the truck under the stars.....i guess he is only used to the Marine tents which are always missing parts and he gets to just improvise and make it stand up or something.....or maybe, just maaaaaaybeeeeeee he has been spoiled with Jr Marines always doing the work of setting up tents....that is just a speculation and probably wrong, but just a thought....tent was up, we went for a walk, had fun watching the fish jumping out of the water.  There was only one other camp site taken, so it was relatively quiet.  we had decided since it was Mothers Day Camping that it would be as simple as possible for me, the MOTHER!  Sooooo, Vicki went with me to get food from Wendy's drive thru!!!  PERFECT!!!  Burgers and i didn't have to prepare anything at home before we left or sweat to death grilling them!  WONDERFUL, except for the incompetant peeps working the drive thru.  I started to check our order to see if it was right but the girl at the drive thru was giving me the EVIL EYE, so i drove back to camp.  Vicki and i saw a HUGE deer as were turning into our camp ground.  We were having soo much fun on our drive back! She loves it when i do my silly voice and talk about crazy stuff.  Our stomaches were hurting from laughing soo hard by the time we got back to camp.  Yes, we were missing like 4 things and the things that were supposed to be plain were loaded and the stuff supposed to be loaded was plain, so Vixs and I drove back to ge the missing items and the wrong things fixed.....i asked for the manager when i got to the drive-thru.  I explained what happened showed her our reciept and she began fixing everything with many apoligies.  Things were still messed up but oh well, that is just society these days, dumb people too self absorbed to really do anything right.  But, there was enough that everyone was full and we had SMORES still to come!  We had a fabulous night, not too many bug bites, totally fun being in the tent with everyone as we crowded around the itty bitty DVD player and watched Beverly Hills Ninja's.  Ryan brought his BB Gun, he is soo funny.  He always has a weapon on him!  We convinced him that he should surrender the weapon to Dad and he could sleep without worries of an intruder!  Our tent was full of giggles and peaceful dreams as we drifted off to sleep.....it was a Fabulous Mothers Day Weekend!  Memories to treasure forever!

Vicki was awesome in getting everyone packed and ready to go!

Ryan, all excited and giving a sweet face for a change!

Our Campsite

Setting up the tent....

Frustration mounting....hee hee hee hee hee

Ty showing us his ninja balancing talents

Vicki watching, slightly amused....
What would they do without ME?!!!  Mwahahahahaha!!!

Again, why is there NOT a rotate button on here?!!!

Down by the water the next day, hoping to see NO alligators!!!

He loves me.....

They love me!!!


Ready to go!  I wish blogger would let you rotate pixs!  Oh well! lol  I got my bag packed and my favorite camping clothes on!  Ready to sit back and relax for the first time EVER on a cmaping trip as a Mom!















Don't Miss These Crazy Mornings

I think mornings are always crazy in any household.  I know ours always are....Last year i did not need to be out the door until 7:30.  It was wonderful being the last one out the door!  I even got to vacuum before i left!  Occasionally the carpets were even done by 7:29!  This year i am at the High School on Camp Lejeune.  It is only about 4 miles further to drive but takes 40 minutes longer to get there!  Go figure! Pending what i am subbing for I leave between 6:15 and 6:30.  I feel bad for those rainy days where Ryan can't sit in my car at the bus stop, but my neighbors are great and he gets to jump in their cars on those wet or chilly mornings.  I am glad he is naturally VERY warm blooded and doesn't mind being wet, actually not much of anything bothers the little guy...Most mornings go somewhat smooth...there is the random "Mom, i need you to sign this right now, I need to take ________ to school today, what matches this?," etc.  Sometimes there is the occasional mess like someone shaking their protein drink after i already removed the top, the dogs are missing, the cat is choking, and so on.....but i always give myself a 15 minute cushion so i am usually okay.  BUT thank goodness the kids don't pull these kind of messes anymore as i am hurrying out the door!


A cereal bowl left unattended always ended up in a disaster zone with Vicki!  Jammies, chair, everything ended up out on the back patio for me to take care of after i got home from taking Jorden to school and work!
 

This picture was in the same folder.  If you weren't fast enough Vicki jumped in the tub, shoes and all!  She is like me and has always loved the water!  We thought we were getting ready to leave, but Jorden's bathwater was in the tub!


Another Long Term Assignment Finished

I just finished a long term sub assignment for an extreme Special Needs student.  Peachtree was in the process of hiring for this position, but they take forever, so i knew i would be with her for awhile.  I love all the kids in this class, i have subbed in there before and i was the nurse for the first month of school, so i saw some regularly who came in for daily meds, diaper changes, etc.  The student i had was a 20 year old girl who has absolutely no verbal skills, a feeding tube, and requires a diaper change twice a day. My days were long and tedious.  She is very smart but would rather just curl up in her favorite chair and sleep and just wander around when she feels like it.  I wasn't her favorite person, because we HAD STUFF TO DO!!!  I have to document everything we do in 5 minute increments, weather she is engaged, inactive, or in avoidance.  My goal is to have her engaged as much as possible.  The first week was rough and it was physically, literally, she is strong! and emotionally draining!  I got her into a groove and by the end of the week we had a field trip for Special Olympics, Basketball!  She was engaged almost the entire day!  The Marine assigned to help me with the one on one with her was a fabulous Corporal!  Could NOT have asked for a better Marine to be her buddy.  We did everything!  She participated in all her events with hands on help, she made a Christmas card as well as even let her picture be taken for another card to take home!  The second week we were in full mode!  We began each day with reading and writing.  I would pick stories for her on the computer and read them aloud to her and guide her hand to click the mouse to turn the page.  She doesn't like this....  We would do all the activities that followed each story.  Than we would go over calendar, her name, her birthday, her address, the weather, the season, etc.  By this time she was ready to get up and go for her morning walk.  While walking the halls i would just reiterate everything we had done and point outside to things that had to do with the weather or seasons.  My right shoulder really got a work out from having my arm around her and than using my right hip to keep her in line and than i was constantly steering her.  This is tricky and i know all the tricks!  ha ha We would head back to the room and continue to work on her writing.  I would have things printed out for her from the stories we had read or about the season or weather and i would let her do free hand and than i would do hand over hand with her.  Next class was PE.  During PE we would walk a few laps in the gym with her peers and than i would strap her in tight into her bike, especially her feet on the pedals.  I think that is the only time her feet are pointed straight is when they are strapped that way on the pedals, otherwise they are completely turned out, and she can run fast like that!  It is amazing at how fast she is!  I got my daily exercise with her!  I would push the bike so her legs would go round and round, so she can get different movement with her body.  I would randomly stop pushing and help her legs put pressure on the pedals.  She HATES that and would usually start trying to take off her helmet, so i would go back to pushing.....i would talk to her the entire time about her, who she is, the community she is in, lives in, etc.  After PE it is time for a diaper change.  Week 2 she had an infection on her side that got out of control and needed to be drained every other day and the antibiotics did not make it pleasant for diaper changing....next it was off to the classroom for lunch.  She doesn't eat due to her feeding tube and there isn't time for me to eat as she likes to wander and i have to always be at her side or she will knock computers down, etc.  She could cause 10's of thousands of dollars in damage in a few seconds unsupervised!  Her least favorite part of the day is the Vocational Skills part.  I would spend the last couple of hours each day preparing her to (hopefully) someday work an assembly line job.  I know she can do this, but she is lazy and has no desire to do something productive.  She might not have the mental capacity to know what it means to feel good about being self sufficient or accomplishing something.  But we worked every day on sorting Lego's, building Lego's, linking chains, putting combs in and out of pouches, putting toothpaste holders together and taking apart, sorting colors, matching, etc.  You name it, we attempted it!  I tried so hard to get her to respond to SOMETHING!  ANYTHING!!!  I failed in this, but it hasn't been accomplished by anyone before, so i didn't beat myself up too bad when my long term ended.  I found a book in the room that was not a little kid book and every time she would go into avoidance i would read from Hawkes Cove.  I loved the book, so i had no problem reading aloud when she decided she was done.  I wasn't sure if she had been listening or what she is capable of grasping.....but a few days after i started the book she brought the book to me and pulled me to her favorite chair!  This completely caught me off guard because i really think she hates me, if she is capable of having those feelings!  End of day meant taking her to get changed again, backpack packed, and walking her out to the bus.  Our schedule was pretty much the same on Red or Gold days, just a slight change on Gold days.  During her block to go to Art, which she spent the second half listening to the Chorus class i took another one of the students to PE.  He is in a wheelchair.  He would do a couple laps with his peers and than much to his dismay i would take him into the PT Room for his Physical Therapy.  This way he is out of his chair and getting some stretching and exercise done.  I don't think he is out of his chair much.  Getting him from his chair to the table is a bit tricky.  He isn't fat, but SOLID!  He is super social and loves to be with his friends, so that is the motivation during the 40 minutes of exercise we do on the PT Table so he can get back out and do whatever it is his classmates our doing!  This is hard work, for both of us!  He is really tight, so the positions i put him in are not comfortable.  He is a sweetheart and i just keep reminding him that as soon as we are done we can go back out with his friends and PLAY!!!  The kids are really good and let him join them for whatever they are doing and just modify for him to participate.  From PE i take him to the cafeteria and get him his lunch, and than head back to the room and switch to get my student back and the other aide heads to the cafeteria to be back with her student.  We had another field trip on Friday of week 2.  It was Christmas shopping and lunch at Ci Ci's Pizza.  First stop was the Dollar Store where we did some of her Christmas shopping.  She had a few meltdowns and my shoulder was on fire from pulling her up off the floor and being careful of where she is injured and being drained.  Next stop was WalMart.  She enjoyed walking up and down the aisles and especially loved the kitchen section with all the appliances.  CiCi's was next.  She loves Coke and had one while we were there, carefully drinking out of a straw.  She doesn't have very many teeth left, but she doesn't eat...and a straw doesn't require them.  Our last stop was the Mall.  She was done.  Every time we passed a bench she pushed me toward it and we sat down while her other classmates looked in different stores.  By the time we got on the bus, again, i wasn't sure if i would be able to get her off the bus!  She stayed awake, YAY!  Because we got back just in time for Pep Rally!!!  We had front row seats and she seemed entertained watching all the madness going on with the kids getting ready for basketball games and wrestling matches!  I think it also helped that her brother is a Senior and had the mic most the time talking....Got the word today, Peach tree has hired someone and i am done.  I love the work with her, but wow!  It is just exhausting!  My only breaks are at diaper changes when i ask someone to watch her for as long as it takes me to quickly go to the bathroom and wash my hands!!!  Thank goodness i was put in computer lab the following week because i had a TON of handwritten documentation that needed to be typed up!!!  It took 2 days but everything has been typed up, photo copied and all the students work has been copied and everything is turned in!   

I Have Froze All Week!

I have spent this week subbing for the Distance Learning teacher who was in a car accident early Monday morning on her way to work.  She is going to be ok, but she is out for the week recovering and i have her class.  It is a piece a cake!  Especially after the long term sub i just finished for an extreme Special Needs student i will write about in another blog.  It has been great to get caught up on all my emails, purge downloaded photos, (i've deleted thousands of pixs!) and get somewhat caught up on all these blogs i have found still in draft form and even more in the family journal i type into every day.  My only complaint is the thermostat is broken in here and i have literally frozen all day, every day this week!  In between classes i power walk the halls for 3 minutes to defrost my blood and get it circulating again!  Sooo, i was going thru pictures on my hard drive and decided to post pictures that remind me of times when i was sweating....i am limited on what i have on my work computer....but there are a few that are reminding me of times i had wished to be cooler.... 

Yes, i remember sweating to death taking Jasper for a walk while the boys swam...

Another VERY hot day....


Oh yes, i would sweat buckets every Saturday morning walking down these stairs to dive Meida Point, and sweat even more coming up the stairs after our dive...soaked in sea salt and sweat salt....i am feeling a little bit warmer now....



Another get soaked climbing Pina Blanca Cliffs so you could jump down to the murky waters below....
 

Painting a fence on a hot September day....







I sooo wanted to ditch the camera and jump in the water when Ryan was spending the day learning how to train a dolphin in Japanese!!!


After dive two and already sweaty again heading to our 3rd dive spot on a surprise date Ed took me on



Loving the coolness with Ty as we watched the Killer Whales on this hot day at Sea World with a very large Ryan in my tummy! 
 

After a fun day snorkeling at Hanauama Bay in Hawaii, it was a VERY LONG, HOT hike back up the hill!  Not sure why Danette is going down, oh, and she is wearing my clothes...lol