Shhhhh.....

Is He talking to you? I know He is talking to me. And I am going to try harder to listen to Him. What about you?

Stacy

Weekend

I hope everyone had a nice long relaxing weekend. I know that for the most part I did.

I received a Gift Certificate for Christmas for the local outlet mall so Saturday we went down there for a little while. I got a couple of new outfits for work/play.

While we were there The American Association for Lost Children was doing a promo event. We picked up some material from them as well as a few Child-Identa Kits. If you have a chance, stop by their website and check them out. They are local here, but help all over. What a wonderful organization that I hope none of you ever needs.

They were doing face painting so Little S and Tween each got a rainbow. But not on their faces, no idea why.

And some other exciting news: Guess who learned to ride a big boy bike without training wheels?

WooHoo - What a big boy!

Great job Little S!

And one last thing, Tween is actually no long a "tween" he is officially a Teen now. I thought about trying to change his nickname here, but after thinking about it for a while I realized that he is still "between" the other two and therefore will always be "Tween". Happy Birthday kiddo!

Stacy

This and That

Not much going on around here lately. It has gotten hot the last couple of days. Guess that is good for warming the pool water up.

Tween went yesterday for a check up. Everything looked good on the X-ray, but they decided to take the cast off and check the incisions. So now he has a blue cast. He goes back in two weeks for another check, perhaps next time he'll get a green cast....lol

So I have a question today. What word or words that people say (or your kids) is like finger nails down a chalk board to you?

I have 2 that I can think of right off the bat.

Irregardless & Ain't

Every time someone says one of these words, I just want to turn around and correct them. (Sorry if you use them...lol) I am not sure why they bug me so much.

So what word(s) bother you to the point of annoyance?

Stacy

We Have a Cast

Okay, maybe "we" don't but Tween does.

First they made sure the swelling was down and took a couple of x-rays to make sure everything was still set right.

Not everyone wants to see these pics because they are kind of gross, but here goes.

This is a picture of the pins. Doesn't remind you on an alien or ant antenna?

Next they piled layers and layers of gauze and padding on the pins to protect them. And covered them with a another type of gauze that slid on like a sleave.

On top of that there were several layers of cotton.

This is after the first layer of the cast. Did you know it is made out of fiberglass and treated with something that makes a chemical reaction when put it water? It gets really warm for a while as it hardens up.

This is the final layer. He wanted orange, his favorite color, but they were out. Orange is also the school colors for a local school, not that it is a popular color. So he chose red which is his school colors and he'll fit in great for Memorial Day.

Next week we will go back for another x-ray. They watch a little closer with pins to make sure everything is still in line. In 2-3 weeks, they will take the cast off, remove the pins and after looking at the x-rays, will either recast it or put a removable splint on it.

Take Care,

Stacy

Night Night

Every night Little S and I lay down and say prayers. He always has me start and recite the simple child's prayer that most of us said as children...Now I lay me down to sleep. After that he says his prayers.

The simple prayers of a small child always amaze me. As simple as they are, they have so much more meaning and are said straight from the heart with no ulterior motives or bargains on the table. I am plenty guilty of when I pray trying to make bargains with God at times. I can't be the only one that says things like:

If you give me (fill in the blank), I will never (fill in the blank) again.
If you don't let (fill in the blank) happen, I promise I will (fill in the blank).

I don't' know why I even try to bargain with God. Not only do I end up letting God down, but I let myself down also when I fail. As I grow in my relationship with God, I try to bargain less and have more faith that God will handle everything as He sees fit.

So the whole reason for this post is to share what simple heartfelt things Little S says at night. These are just s few statements he has made in the last few days:

Dear God,
Please help Josh's arm feel better soon.
Please let my friend Zach come back to church soon.
Please keep Josh in the house when it is dark so he doesn't fall and break his other arm too.
Thank you for all the good fruits we had tonight.
Thank you for my pillow.

How many of us stop to thank God for the simple things that comfort us each day, like our pillow or the fruit we had for our snack?

I am so thankful that I get the opportunity each night to be reminded of what is really important. It isn't the bills, missed TV shows or even computer time, it's my faith in God, my family and yes sometimes even my favorite blanket.

Stacy

Shopping

Tonight Hubby, Little S and I went grocery shopping. When we got there I checked Little S into the Playroom and they were having a Beach Party tonight. He had a blast doing all kinds of fun beach stuff. Digging in the"sand" for prizes and seashells, making "beachy" crafts, searching for hidden (blow-up) fish around the room and playing "beach" volleyball and limbo.

This picture isn't a very good one as it was taken from afar through a window with my cell phone. He is in the middle in the yellow sweatshirt while they are playing volleyball with a bunch of beach balls.

The funny thing was that earlier today I was talking to my friend Lucky Dorito about the beach. So I text her and told her about the beach party.

What? Your grocery store doesn't have playroom? I thought this was a common thing. Seriously, we go to the grocery store and sign our kids in (ages 3-9). They are able to play with all kinds of games, computers and game systems. Most of them educational. It is a secured sign in and out. You have to provide ID at check-in and check-out. You get either a pager or specific number that that they call if your child needs you. The best part is I get to shop without whining and hearing "Can I have?", "Are we almost done?" The people that came up with this are geniuses! Here is a link to check it out - Giant Eagle Eagle's Nest. Do you have anything like this in your area?

Have a Great Day!

Stacy

Tween Update

We went back to the Orthopedic doctor yesterday and from the CT Scans he determined that the growth plate was split and rotated. He had surgery this morning to put everything back in place and insert 2 pins.

Thankfully he did not have to have a regular incision. The doctor was able to move everything back into place by manipulation and then just made 2 small cuts to insert the pins. Those will stay in for a few weeks and should be able to be removed right in the office.

We go back in the morning for him to check everything and make sure it all looks good. Next week after the swelling subsides from today they will cast it.

His fingers are all orange from whatever they use in surgery to clean everything. They are a little swollen at this point.

He did really well with everything today. They gave him a little something before they took him down for surgery so he was pretty calm. Which made it so much easier on me. I was a big girl and did not cry. I was pretty close a few times, but I made it.

We want to thank everyone for all of their prayers, calls, thoughts and well wishes over the last few days.

Stacy

Busy & a BooBoo

We have been really busy the last few days. Friday night we met Teen down at the Concept Car Challenge at PTI Tech. This was the first year their school participated and although they didn't place, they did really well.

Saturday morning we took Teen to ITT Tech for their open house.

Saturday afternoon we went to a mall in Pittsburgh that has a Euro Bungee. The boys each took a turn, Little S actually took two turns. They had a blast.

That evening we had cake and ice cream for Tween's upcoming birthday.

Sunday morning we came back home for Teen's band banquet.

Last evening, all the neighborhood kids gathered around to play tag in the dark. They do this all summer long. Tween was running and tripped, landing on his wrist. Just looking at it I knew it was broken. Although the ER doctor said it wasn't broken, but he was unsure of the growth plate. We went to the Orthopaedic Surgeon today and it is broken in two places. He sent him for a CT scan and we go back Wednesday to see if he can cast it or not. He said that he may have to surgically correct it and insert a pin in the growth plate. If so then he will have surgery on Thursday. I feel so bad for Tween. I know he is in pain and there is nothing I can do for him.

Tonight we are on the way to the High School band concert.

Have a great day!

Stacy