Ha- I got one...

Man I really feel like a follower these past few days. My two friends who I blog with have both received "where's George" dollars at some point in time and I finally got mine over the weekend. I got it from the hotel we stayed at in Colorado Springs. I was buying a drink and it was part of my $4.53 change. Here is what I found out about my dollar; This bill has travelled 616 Miles in 115 Days, 13 Hrs, 50 Mins at an average of 5.3 Miles per day. It is now 616 Miles from its starting location. It started in North Dakota. I am excited that I found one. Now the West is included in receiving the Where's George Challenge.

Parent Teacher Confrences

So we had Mikayla's first Parent Teacher Conference today. It was so cute. We got nothing but great reports about her. Mikayla is now playing with (next to-that is what is appropriate) other kids. Her and Jaden argue like brother and Sister. They now understand what she is saying, and they admitted to jumping the gun about her speech and now that they know her they understand that she is an observer and that is just how she is. It was really good to here that, even though we went to have her evaluated it still feels better for the people who thought she had a problem to be the ones to say "we were wrong, and sorry for it all."
Miss Sally, Mikayla's teacher, has been asked to resign and not for any reason that has to do with her teaching. from what she says it is all personal. So it made my decision of taking Mikayla to a new school easier. Our drive to preschool on winter mornings takes at least an hour. I love the progress that she has made, but now that she is going to be 3 I want her to start making friends with kids who would be going to kindergarten with her. So I think I am going to start looking at the Schools in our neighborhood and find one that will fit her the best and only take me 5-10 minutes to get her to school.

Happy Birthday Big Papa

Happy Birthday Big Papa- Hope you have a great day!

We Love and Miss you so much! Here is a special picture of Seth. We bought him this hat because Mikayla found it and called it a "Big Papa hat" She really misses you! hope to see you soon:)

Love Billy, Gressa, Mikayla and Seth

I am not jealous any more

I was jealous of a few of my blogging friends. For those of you who do not know I am a big fan of famous people. I am not sure why but I want to be friends with famous people. And I can say that I am friends with people who have met the president, seen the pope up close and personal, had famous people comment on there WTJ, just to name a few. But I am happy to say that my and my Family, Billy, Mikayla, Seth, and My sister Brittany, and I are going to be in a food magazine. We were at Mt. Fugi enjoying our Sushi and waiting for our Hibachi chef when the owner of the place came over to us and asked if we would be in there picture. They had all kinds of food out and picture lights and a photographer. So our picture is us watching the chef make a onion volcano (includes fire) while we are amazed:)
I had to keep telling Mikayla to smile because she does not like the fire but she did great. You can't really see my face because she is blocking me but you can see everyone else so I am in it:)
Now I feel just as cool as my other bloggers:)
They are going to send me the picture soon so I will post it as soon as I get it!

Happy Birthday Melissa

Melissa '05 holding Mikayla for the first time:)
Melissa in '07 holding Seth for the first time:)

Happy birthday to a great Woman who has taught me a lot about boys, clothes, how to get back at your little sibling without getting in to much trouble, how to get what I want with kindness, and overall just how to have fun! Hope you have a Bee-autiful day!

Mikayla Ann says; "Happy Birthday to you Meissa"



Love, Billy, Gressa, Mikayla and Seth!!

There is a first time for everything...

So this weekend was very busy for Mr. Seth. He is now 7 months old and growing like crazy. Daddy thought he was old enough to have is first fruit roll up. Seth loved it, he chewed on that thing for a long time. It was kind of a sour so every once in a while he would make a funny face but he kept on chewing. The next thing he did was say "Dada". I thought he has been saying it up in his room. You know you can here the babbling and I would "hear" all kinds of words; "Mama, baba, Wawa, Googoo gaga," and some times I would here "Dada". Well on Sunday Billy heard it and now everything Seth says Billy thinks he is saying "Dada" it is cute and I don't have the heart to tell him that it is just a sound and that Seth has no idea that when he says Dada that he is really saying he wants his Dad. I know Billy knows that deep down because we went through the same thing when Mikayla said Dada first.

Some might get mad that their child doesn't say Mama first I am not like that- yes it would have been fun if Seth said Mama first but I think they both said Dada first because I always talk about their Dad to them and so that might be the word they here most well that and "No Dogs-ugh you drive me crazy"

Mikayla got a cold this weekend so she runs around telling every one she has a frog in her throat and that she needs to get him out, and then coughs all over the person she was talking to! One day she told me that the froggie came out and I said he came out of your mouth? and she said "NO he came out of my Butt" where do kids learn this talk? I do not talk like that, Billy sometimes says things like that but how do they know it is funny? Kids gotta love them:)

I am ready for today to be OVER...

Bad Day

Today is not my best day. First I was hoping Mikayla's school would have a snow day so I did not get snack for her class. So this morning we woke up to 3 (+) inches of snow and no snow day. So we had to leave really early so we could stop and get something for snack. It took an hour after stopping to get to school (usually a 20 min. drive). The wind is blowing so hard that it was almost impossible to drive. I wasn't going to go but I had to take snack and I felt bad that the kids there would not have anything to eat. So then I go and pick them up, and it is still really bad. Oh and the school district that is the same county is closed today and the town next to them is also closed. So I find out the Mikayla's school just got a new superintendent and he was trying to be tough. So that pisses me off that he would want to put kids lives in danger just so doesn't look like he calls a snow day for a snow flake. We should have had a snow day. Here in town is not so bad but out in Elisabeth it is bad!!

So then I get ready to make lunch and I thought I was making Chicken noodle soup but it is really vegetable soup and it has peas in it and Jaden is allergic to them, so I had to make something else. That wasn't so bad but it just threw me off.

Next, we were down in the basement playing with mega blocks and watching some Yo Gabba Gabba and it was time for me to put Seth to bed. So I took him up and changed his diaper and got him all ready and put him down. I came downstairs to find this:










White Erase Board markers all over my walls, couch, door and Washer. oh and all over the kids.


I had no idea how much damage they could/would do in 5 minuets.

They are now clean and sleeping. I hope I will get the walls clean I need one of those magic erasers. Billy is going to bring me home one:) I will let you know if it works!
So I guess the lesson learned is don't plan on a snow day and if it is your turn to get snack get it the night before!!

Happy News!!

Today was the big day! Mikayla went to her speech test. We got there and I was worried that she would be shy and nervous and they would not get a true read. Not our little blossoming butterfly. She walked right in and went with the teacher and did what she asked. She was doing great jumping high and putting all of the puzzle pieces in the right spot. Then she went to talk to the speech therapist and sat in her chair and answered all of her questions some more than what was asked. She did great. When the teacher would write something done she would ask "what are you doing?" all the would say is she is so cute and doing great.

So some of the informal results are;
She is above normal in understanding language
above normal for physical development
and acceptable in speaking language.
She does not need any further work but they would like to see her at 3 1/2 years to make sure she is progressing. What we need to do is speak slower. The teacher said that she misses a lot of the sounds in between the beginning and ending sounds so if we slow down and give her as many chances to hear the word correctly then she will start to slow down and say them.
It was fun to go and see her do so many things that I didn't know she could do. I knew she was smart but things that I haven't taught her she knew just from observing or by using her problem solving skills. I was so proud of her and am really happy that I can take her to preschool tomorrow and tell her teachers that I was right:) and that there is nothing to worry about!
Always go with your instincts, mine told me she was fine and she is!!

WTF

Really? Is this what Oprah is coming to? A pregnant MAN? No of course not she is just having a lady, who wants to be a man who one day wanted to have a child, on her show. I understand that maybe she did not feel comfortable in her skin and thought she would feel better in his skin, but why still want to have a child? That is a very womanly thing to feel and want. I am sure there are some men who want to know what it might be like and see if they could handle it, and I know from experience that we women want men to know what it is like so they can stop acting like it doesn't hurt "that bad". But I do not understand why s/he (I don't know what to call her) feels like a man but knew she would have a baby. I thought that feeling like a man would make you have feelings about sports or food. Maybe thoughts about being a father to children but not about having one one day. I am not one who can judge or look down upon someone else but I am just wondering what is the meaning behind this. Maybe she is proving that Women CAN have it all!!

Oh yeah, did everyone forget about the first pregnant man; Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Junior? I don't remember anyone talking about that movie as much as they are about this man. Is it because there are deeper feelings about a woman becoming a man then two OBGYN's trying to solve miscarriages. You decide:)

(Hey for those of you who might be mad at this, don't be mad because I think differently then you, think wow I live in America and I have the right to disagree with these thoughts)

Speech news~

Well Mikayla's appointment is next Monday but we did have a in home meeting. It was mostly just for us to fill out paper work and go over how the program works. It sounds really good for people who need it. I just don't think Mikayla is going to be in it for long if at all. The lady who came to see us kept saying; "I think she is fine." And that to me was huge because Mikayla is not very outgoing and she was talking to the lady and asking her what her name was and then she would cook her some food. So I am not worried about it. The best part well not really but is kind of frustrating is Mikayla went back to preschool on Tuesday and when I went to pick her up her teachers said " we had a whole conversation today!" I wanted to say Yeah no Duh (and a few other words) but I didn't. I just smiled and said that is great, I knew you could do it Mikayla!!

So I am kind of excited to see what the "specialists" say about her development and I hope I can go back to preschool and tell them that she is way above normal or at least at normal. In my world any one who can use 6-8 word sentences after only talking for 6 months is above normal!!

I know that preschool has helped in a lot of ways and I am grateful for that. She is learning all kinds of new things and she is making friends. It is amazing watching her grow and become her own little person. She is now the manners police. I had the hiccups today and after each one she would tell me to say excuse me. At the dinner table she makes everyone say "thank you" to the cook. And her pretend play is wonderful. She plays house with her Little People and has her Mommy and Daddy and the kids. It is cute how she mimics our words, at least until she says something to someone that I didn't want them to know:) And maybe the best part is how she loves her brother. She talks to him and tells him to talk back and he just laughs, it is great:)

I love that I can see all of this and be able to take a step back and enjoy it.