Last Day of Summer O'Fun 2009

The boys and I packed our bags and headed back to that private beach today so they could slide into the water and jump off the floating dock. Can you believe the frigging beach was closed again today for a private event?! Shit! I almost called in advance to check but then I thought that it is not the weekend so it should be open. Fortunately, there is another beach a couple of miles north of there so that is where we headed. They had a great time playing in the sand and water.

Afterwards, we headed out to pick up the last of the school supplies. Well, what I thought were the last of the supplies. Tonight as I poured through the reams of paperwork sent home after the Meet'n'Greet, it turns out that I need a clipboard for Cars and a thesaurus for Dex. It is never ending.

And in the First Day Packets, Jax's was missing the Emergency contact card (bright yellow), Dex's was missing the School Closure Release form (white) and Cars had no release form for the student directory (blue).

Ok, I need to head to bed a little early so that I can get up early to pack lunches and prepare to drive my kids to school since I know that the school nurse did not yet train the bus driver. She also did not return my emails about reviewing the 504 Plan with teachers before the start of school. So frustrating!

We were getting ready to go to the beach today to enjoy the last day of summer (ok, the kids have tomorrow off too but today was a nice day so we thought we'd take advantage of it), when Spy's dh called to see if we'd like to go out on their boat on the lake. We spent the day at the lake and the kids went tubing behind the boat and Stephen even water-skied. It was great fun!

And speaking of Spy, she has been away for a while and I miss her! We haven't seen much of each other this summer so I am looking forward to school starting so I know I will see hear at least on Wednesdays at the park. And, her daughter is in Jax's class, and her 4th grader son is in Dex's class so at least I will be able to find out what is going on in those classes! ;)

We had a great time at the Toronto FC v Seattle Sounders FC game today. We had no idea until we got there that our seats were a SUITE! Wow! Of course we had to share it with others (Paul and his counterpart on the player side as well as some super fans who flew to Seattle from Toronto just for the game). This was our first professional soccer, sorry, "football" game (or match?) and we all enjoyed it. Well, I think Cars enjoyed the free popcorn and tortilla chips the most.

Paul was kind enough to bring Toronto FC official replica jerseys for the kids too.

The game was tied 0-0 but it was exciting and we cannot wait to go see another game. Of course we'll be rooting for the Seattle Sounders FC then.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 50

You know that feeling when you see a friend whom you haven't seen in a long time and who knew you way back when? That is what happened tonight. Stephen's friend, Paul, whom I have known for 23 years and Stephen has known for 29 years is in town and he came over for dinner (just pizza). It was great seeing him and catching up. I felt the same way when I was in Toronto at the "reunion" and a couple of days later when I saw my friend, Sheila (whom I met around the same time as Paul as she was Stephen's next-door neighbour and we all used to hang out together).

Paul is in town for the Toronto FC game vs the Seattle Sounders FC game tomorrow. He has tickets for us and I excited to go to our first professional soccer - sorry...football - game.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 49

Ugh - blogger ate my post...

First off, today was a much better day. :)

Today we:

1. had fevers broke
   
2. got haircuts for Dex and Cars
   
3. bought Benadryl for Jax and Cars for school because I misplaced the Benadryl I bought last month at Costco
   
4. dropped epi-pens, Benadryl and the billion forms off at the school to the school nurse
   
5. gathered 6 cups of blackberries at the park
   
6. called orthopedic doc for doctor's note for Jax for the school because I forgot to get one while we were there
   
7. met the kids' teachers at the Meet'n'Greet
   
8. picked up Ash's son from football as her dd is still in the hospital (staph infection but they were able to find an antibiotic that is working
   
9. did 5 loads of laundry
   

Tomorrow will be even better! :)

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 48

Ok, this has stopped being fun. Dex is on this third day of a fever and Jax is on his second. Jax was not able to go to a birthday party today. He slept the day away, in and out of his fever. Even Advil did not bring it completely down.

Dex's is not as high as it was but he still has one. Tonight, I poured two three tbsp doses of Advil for the boys and Dex drank them both. I freaked out and he started to cry as I called Poison Control. Thankfully, a double dose is not life-threatening!

Tomorrow the kids get to find out who their teachers are and we meet them at 2pm. I have not heard from the school nurse this year about meeting with the teachers before school to review the 504 Plans. I know the nurse is swamped with the new regulations for Food Allergies that the schools state-wide had to implement for this school year. But, it would be reassuring to know that the teachers know what they need to know about Jax and Cars as far as their food allergies. Also, I need to find out if any accommodations need to be in place for Jax for his fractured wrist. Who knows that the plan for PE is for the next two weeks and if he can do it with his wrist.

On the good news front, Cars "graduated" to the next level of swimming. These daily swimming lessons really helped. I have now signed him up for weekly lessons and he will take them from the same girl who was Jax and Dex's instructor. I was hoping that his instructor was going to be teaching his level in the fall but she does not. I do like the other one but this one was really great with the little kids.

Ash had to take her dd to Children's hospital today because she cut her foot a week and a half ago and it became infected and the infection is spreading. Her foot is swollen and red and they have her in isolation in the hospital while they pump IV antibiotics into her. Poor thing! I hope she is better soon. I feel badly for Ash's son because I cannot even have him here since my kids have had such high fevers.

I am looking forward to the end of this week.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 46 & 47

My inlaws left today. We were up early and I drove them to the airport at 10am. Then the boys and I went to IKEA, then shoe shopping and finally to swimming lessons. I am so tired and I should be going to be now.

I still have some back-to-school shopping to do. Jax needs more pants. I don't have all of the supplies but I am getting there. I cannot believe how much money I have spent this year!

Looking forward to having more time to myself again very soon.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 45

Ok, that was really yesterday. I took the kids (and my inlaws) to Archie McPhee's in Seattle to spend some money they received from my mom and from my inlaws. They had a blast poring over everything and chosing their goodies. Dex bought a punching nun and "Broccoli v. Corn Dog". Jax bough the nun too as well as fake glasses/nose. Cars bought an "Ark of the Covenant", some plastic space ships and something else that I cannot remember. They were so proud of their purchases.

I took Jax to the orthopedic doc in the afternoon. The doc said Jax's fracture was like a can being crumpled and there is a "slight" chance that he also did damage to the growth plate but we won't know until next year. He does not need a regular cast - just one of those ones that attach with velco and is very similar to what I used to wear for carpal tunnel syndrome. He only needs to wear it for 3 weeks and he can take it off to shower/bath and he is allowed to swim! He cannot bike, skateboard, use his scooter though. We need to go back in three weeks if he still has pain.

Jax was so happy to hear that he only needed to wear it for three weeks. This brace is so much smaller and he doesn't need to keep his arm in the sling. So really, this is the best kind of fracture to have in terms of downtime.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 44

We went to Seattle today to explore the tidal pools in Puget Sound. We found lots of fun things:


Then Dex found a bottle with a note in it:


The note said:

Dear Dad -
You were supposed to be here with us today, celebrating your 70th birthday. You seemed so full of hope here, ready to make a change. I wish you were here to feel the sun, to watch the mist over the Olympics, to revel in nature and your family. We miss you. We love you always. We will guard your legacy with love and ferocity. You are loved. You are missed. You are a wonderful Dad. And you live on in our stories, out hearts and our memories.
Love always,
Lynn
YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Makes me wonder what happened to Dad.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 43

Cars had a fever last night and by this morning it was fluctuating between 101.5F and 105F!! Yikes! Even Motrin would not bring it down below 101.5F. I did end up taking him to the doctor because he was complaining of back pain too. However, it was "just a virus" and I need to take him back on Friday if the fever is not gone. I am hoping it is gone by morning so I don't have to spend another day hanging around the house (and miss out on Cars' swim le$$on).

What a way to end the summer.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 42

So, Jax has a temporary splint on his arm that lasts "about 2-3 days" yet no orthopedic doctor can (or will) see him for 5-7 days because of swelling. WTF?!

I did get him an appointment for Friday afternoon at a pediatric othopedic doc who takes our insurance. Seriously, who knew that our insurance would be a problem? I have heard grumblings amongst other Big Software Company people that this doctor and that doctor no longer takes it but apparently there is a HUGE number of doctors who do not because the insurance company (and no doubt Big Software Company is self-insured) does not reimburse the doctors enough.

Anyway, Jax is still in some pain but not as much as yesterday but I figure that is because the splint is not allowing him to twist his wrist. He was in good spirits today and stopped listing all of the things he cannot do.

He stayed at Ash's today while I took Dex and Cars to swimming lessons. Then we came home and I tidied like a mad woman because my inlaws arrived tonight for a one week visit.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 41

The day started off fun.

It wasn't warm enough to go to a beach so we decided to go to a park in Redmond that the boys really love. I pulled out the PITA bike rack and put the kids' bikes on it and we met Ash and her kids at the park. While there, Jax decided to go over a skateboard ramp that some kid had brought along to the park and he went up and over and landed on his front wheel and somersaulted a few times. Of course I did not see this but I did see Ash's son racing his bike over to spot behind a little grassy knoll. Then Dex jumped on his bike and raced over to me to tell me that Jax was hurt.

He was holding his wrist but he could move it so I was not worried. We left the park and went to the club for Cars' swimming lessons (he is two weeks of daily lessons). Jax said his arm hurt too much to swim so he just sat on the side and watched Dex while I took Cars to the lesson pool. It was cool because there are just two kids in his class so semi-private lessons for half the cost!

I saw Jax's swim instructor (his lesson is tomorrow) so I told her that he hurt his arm and there was a small chance that he would not be at lessons tomorrow but I would call her. She told me she hurt her arm when she was a kid and her mother did not believe it hurt as much as she did but finally took her to the doctor 4 days later and her arm was BROKEN! And that it had probably would have been less severe if she had had immediate medical attention. Hmmm.... I decided then that I would take Jax to the doctor.

I called the doctor's office but they had no appointments left for the day and the nurse I spoke to told me to take him to urgent care. I thought briefly about just waiting until tomorrow but Jax could not turn his wrist without wincing in pain so off we went.

Sure enough, his bone (ulna or tibula - the thicker one) is fractured. So they put a temporary splint on it and I have to call an orthopedic doctor (orthopedist?) tomorrow to get a regular cast on his arm.

He took it all in stride. He was in a lot of pain and only cried once at the hospital from the pain. And on the way home he started thinking of all of the things he cannot do - swimming, going to the beach (he is invited to a beach b-day party at the end of the month), riding his bike, skateboarding, tumbling down the big hill at the Locks, and he was pretty upset. When we got home I told him he could cry if he wanted to because I could tell he was fighting back the tears. He is worried about hockey "try-outs" (just evaluation because he is playing in the rec league) at the end of September.

And he is even a little worried about homework once school starts (it hurts for him to turn his wrist to write). Poor boy.



If you look closely, you can see the grass stains on his right shoulder from his fall.

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 38, 39 & 40

I have been horrible about updating my blahg lately!

On Wednesday, the kids played at Ann's again and I practiced guitar and cleaned the house a bit. I had a terrible migraine so I took the kids out for a quick dinner and asked that they play quietly when we got home so I could go to bed. Just after 8pm there was a huge eruption of screaming and crying. Dex and Cars were fighting. I got so mad and yelled at them both (not my finest parenting hour) and sent them to bed. The both then could not go to sleep because I apparently hated them ("No, I love you and like you but I don't like your behaviour"). Now I had a migraine and I was riled up and could not sleep at all. Aargh!

Thursday, I took the kids to the aquarium. We met some friends there but they were about an hour or so later than we had originally planned to meet so we did not have much time together because the parking is limited to 2 hours. It was still a good time for the kids though. It is a really nice aquarium and I love the little tide pool-like display they have so the kids can touch the marine life.



There was face-painting and Jax asked for a soul patch and Dex had a moustache, soul patch and an otter. Cars just loved his shark!

Friday
Spy's youngest son is coming over to play with Cars today. Cars is very excited to have a friend over to play. Lately, the older two have gone off on bike rides together leaving Cars home alone and he is feeling rather neglected. Of course, he makes up for it by fighting like mad with them when they are home. *sigh*

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 36

A little more rain today but that's ok. I won't complain about it (but I do wish it were a little warmer).

Today was an errand-filled day and terribly exciting for the boys. I dropped off school forms at the allergist and then mailed prescriptions for epi pens to our mail-order pharmacy. I hope we receive the epi pens by the 27th (Meet'n'Greet and the day that I usually hand over the epi pens and Benadryl to the school/teacher).

The boys then had swimming lessons. Just two more left of the summer. Hockey does not start until the end of Sept or beginning of Oct so perhaps I will see if their instructor will be able to schedule some lessons on the weekends in September.

Dex is having a sleepover with Spy's oldest son tonight. We had tried for months to schedule it and usually as soon as it gets scheduled, Dex gets sick. He is healthy this time (and we had some back-up dates this weekend in case he was not). :)

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 36

Jax and Dex spent the morning riding around on their bikes with their friend. I took Cars to Target so he could spend some of his birthday money on a Transformers toy. I also picked up 4 cans of hand wipes for Jax for school. I have to supply them for him this year as the 6th graders will be in portables with no running water.

Starting tomorrow one of the main streets off the Plateau closes for one full week. And the other main route towards Redmond is under construction (repaving!). Going south, the main way off the Plateau is also under construction because they are building a roundabout. The third way off the Plateau to the north is also under construction as is the second main route off the Plateau to the south. We are basically held captive! It is outrageous that all of these construction projects were allowed to go ahead at the same time. Granted, two are being done by the City of Issaquah (the ones to the south) but still, the could have coordinated so it was not happening at the same time. And the morons running out city scheduled the repaving project to run the same time as the road closure on the other route. I wish I could vote because then I would vote against every single member person who is currently in office. Yes, I am irrationally annoyed by this. Aaargh!

I went to hockey to watch the boys for the first time in weeks (ok, months). I had decided that hockey was going to be Stephen's thing since 1) I cannot tie their skates tight enough and 2) I have been the one to always take them to practices for every other sport forever so I figured it was his time.

Anyway, I was so pleased to see how well they are skating considering they all really only started in January. Jax has improved the most. He seems to be the most interested in hockey. We've signed him up for PeeWee hockey (recreation team) for the fall/winter session. We need to get out and get him some gear because the rental equipment is only for beginners and the session ends next weekend. The try-outs for him will be in early September so we need to get him fitted and accustomed to his new gear before then.

Cars will do beginner hockey again next year. He enjoys it but he doesn't seem to have the drive to chase the puck. We'll see what happens after this year.

And Dex. Poor Dex. His skating has not improved as much as Jax's has. He seems to like being at hockey and enjoys the time there but I think he would be just as happy staying home or doing something else. He says he cannot decide if he wants to play again in the Fall or not (he'll just do the beginner program again - he is not ready for a team). We'll wait a couple of weeks before we make him decide. Too many tears right now forcing him to make a decision.

Probably unrelated to his weepiness but his tics are back after being absent for a few weeks (head shaking and throat clearing). :(

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 35

Just three weeks of summer left! Wow!

Today, the kids painted some wooden alligators that I bought at Michael's back in the spring. Then we pulled out the foam crafts and they assembled some tanks. That hardly filled our day. Jax is now working on building yet another Lego set (the third free one that the kids won).

In a bit, we'll go out because I need to get new passport photos for my Canadian passport. I wonder how much they are this time. Probably about $30. I miss the days when Canada accepted US passport photos because I could get those done at Walgreens for $7.99.

Summer o'Fun 2009 Day 33 & 34

Day 33

Today was Cars' 6th Birthday! I cannot believe that my baby is 6 already! Really the time has flown. I think of all of the things that have happened in these 6 years. Most of them are chronicled here on this Blahg because it was started as a type of therapy for me to write while I was suffering from PPD.

Cars had a terrific day doing what he wanted. He watched tv and played video games. He played outside and then chose where we went to dinner (Red Robin). He so badly wanted the staff at the restaurant to sing to him and then he pretended to ignore them when they did. He is a card!

Here are some photos from his party this past Sunday as well as one from his actual b-day.



Sad looking cake. See the icing is falling off the side because it was so damn hot that it was virtually a liquid!


Cars and his friend M


Cars with the Lazy Daisy Cake that he wanted on his actual birthday

Day 34
My friend Ann invited my boys over to play with her boys from 11 until 4 today! Whoo-hoo! I browsed around REI and then looked at virtually everything in Co$tco. Then I came home and read for an hour. Great Summer O'Fun day for me. :)

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 32

The temperature was finally reasonable today! It was cool in the morning then the sun came out and I took the kids to a great park in Redmond. They love, love, love this park. Afterwards, we went to swimming lessons.

Jax is working hard on the next Legomation movie. I am super impressed with his determination to get it right.

And today is the LAST day of Cars being 5 years old. He cried a bit tonight while telling me that he is going to miss being 5 even though he is very excited about being 6 and all of the great things that it will bring (he has a loose tooth, he'll be in Grade 1, etc).

And I cannot believe where the time has gone. Really...

Summer O'Fun 2009 Day 31

Cars' birthday party was yesterday at one of those bouncy places. There is a large room of bounce houses and blow-up slides and the kids run all around and get all sweaty. Fortunately, it was air-conditioned so it was a nice time away from the hot, hot house.

The cake was a wreck because it was so hot that the icing melted and slid all off the cake. I am too embarrassed to even post a photo of it. Thankfully, Cars still loved it because I plopped a few Transformers action figures on top and that is all he saw when he looked at it. He loves Transformers!

Today, I took the kids shopping because both Jax and Cars needed new swimsuits. I bought them white swimsuits from Old Navy before we went to Hawaii and from playing in the sand there and at the beaches here, the white suits are now a beigy colour. They will not come clean no matter how often I wash them! It looks so gross that I could not face taking them to the club again to swim in the pool with this very dirty suits! I found the last two of three bathing suits left in Fred Meyer! Now I won't be ashamed at the club tomorrow during Jax and Dex's swimming lessons.

As I walked up the stairs to the kitchen from the family room tonight, I nearly stepped on a gargantuan spider! I shrieked and asked Stephen to kill it. He said "Oh boy!" and admitted that it was a bit big and that it creeped him out. A-ha!! He finally admitted that the spiders in the house are HUGE. He said it was only huge because of the legs. Duh! All spiders are small when you just count the bodies.

Anyway, the spider has been properly smooshed and flushed.