Golden Shoe time

The boys look forward to the golden shoe competition every year. They train in PE class in the weeks prior to the race.  E even trained a little bit at home. 

The kids all run a mile.  They are given a number as they cross the finish line.  All of the numbers are added up by class and the class who has the lowest number is the winner.  The winning class gets to brag and keep the golden shoe in their classroom. 

Excited about running

He won't look at me.

E comes in 7 with a time of 6:50

Jay comes in 11 with a time of 7:11

Neither of their classes won, but it was a fun run.

Kindergartners also participate in the race but they don't run as far and their is no golden shoe awarded.  Nevertheless, Tee was very excited. 

So happy.

He was the 4th student to cross the finish line.

Tee ran hard the entire way.  He shocked both his Dad and I.  At home he bragged to his brothers that he was the first in his class that finished.  What a fun morning.

Halloween 2012

Although Hurricane Sandy caused 2 days off of school, we were fortunate that Halloween was a go.  You know Halloween is really important.

The older boys purchased scary hooded costumes and Tee was able to "shop" in our bin.  His choices were a blue power ranger, a red power ranger or a puffed up spiderman.  He decided he would wear the two power ranger costumes(we had a few parties to attend).

We went to a friend's house for dinner on Wednesday.  The kids were all very excited.   



A picture of the group!

 

I managed to NOT get a good picture of my kids at all.

Most of the kids in the picture above went house to house together.  Just call me Sally social planner.  I tried hard to make sure everyone was happy.  The group started out with 8 kids and 3 adults (my husband being one of them).  At one point the group ended up with 2 adults and only 7 kids.  Then at the end is was only my husband with 5 kids.  Tee and his friend did a great job keeping up with the older boys.  



After the first couple of houses, the masks on E and Jay came off.  Unbelievable to me.  So I told the boys from now on, no more expensive costumes.  They will need to be a little more creative and definitely no more masks.

Tee ended up tuckering out about 1 hour.  He came and hung out with the ladies.  The older boys kept going.  They got a lot of candy.  In fact, we just went through today and sorted.  They kept some and we are donating the rest.  I have a friend who will take the candy to a homeless shelter.

An update on E

E has been seeing a psychologist once a week since July.  I remember the first day I had to take him.  He had a huge meltdown earlier that day.  I had to force him in the car and pull him into the office.  We got into the office and he sat slumped in the chair not even wanting to show his face. 

She called us both back to her office to explain the situation.  It was basically that we had already talked with her and explained some issues he was having.  Everything they talked about was staying between them and the walls of the office.  At that point I was excused and they started working.

He came out with a smile on his face.  I imagine that it was such a relief for him.  It wasn't as bad as he thought and finally someone who could get into his thoughts.  He told me he liked her.  When asked if he thought she would be able to help he, he gave me a definite yes.

So he has been talking with her once a week.  We, the parents, have had a meeting with the psychologist on our own and the three of us have met.  I can't say enough good things about her.  She is wonderful and works really well with E.

In our meeting with her, she was able to tell us a little bit of what they had been talking about.  She actually told us much more than I thought she would be able to.  It was good to finally get a peek in to what he is thinking. 

E thinks (or used to think) that he needs to be perfect in everything he does.  He gets so mad at himself when he messes up.  This was a big problem on the baseball field.  When he got yelled out for doing something wrong he would totally breakdown.  He would cry and throw a fit.  There was NO reasoning with him.  He was not able to recover quickly or at all sometimes.  It was a rough June and I was wanting to get through the season as fast as we could. 

His issue was an obstacle in more than just playing baseball.  But it was definitely more prominent during the season on the baseball diamond. 

We had a really big decision to make during July.  The coaches, including Dad, were very frustrated with E.  I totally understand why.  Based on a conversation that Dad had with the head coach, it was very questionable about having E try out for the team again.  Yes, they have to try out every year.  I can't tell you how upset we were.  We felt bad for E because we were not going to stop Jay from trying out. It was heart wrenching.  I can't even describe it.  It was even worse having to break the news to him.  I think he was a bit upset.

So this is why we have 3 different baseball games in a weekend.  E is playing on a recreational team.  It has frustrated us beyond belief.  The rec team is run so much different that a travel team.  The coaches are a bit less experienced.  It is definitely more relaxed.  We are hoping to work him back onto his travel team and if not that one a travel team somewhere.

Well, at E's appointment today, we were told that we can scale back to 1 visit a month.  He was worked really hard and has really improved dramatically.  He still gets upset but he manages to use his skills and recover.   

I feel so relieved to see his improvement from June.  I felt a bit hopeless at the beginning of this.  I am a true believer in therapy.  She has worked wonders for E and our family.  It is so wonderful to have a happy child again. 

Here is what we have been up to

We are four weeks into the school year and we are all getting used to our routines.  We are back to homework, sports and other fun activities.  So here is what we have been up to:

• Tee has adjusted to Kindergarten very well.  He has made many friends.  I was able to go in and help at lunch the first couple of weeks.  You know Kindergartners need help opening this and that.  One day Tee was sitting next to a girl.  They were talking to each other nonstop.  I asked him what her name was and he wasn't sharing.  So I asked her.  It seems as though he sits next to her many days.    One night at dinner, I asked him if he liked this girl you know as a friend or if he liked liked this girl.  Yep, answer was he liked liked her!  Oh boy.
• E and Jay have both adjusted to the 5th grade.  Yes, I can't believe they are in 5th grade.  They both seems to be doing well.  In past years, I have complained that E has not been placed in the correct math class.  He was not being challenged at all.  I just found out recently that he will be working on 6th grade math like Jay.  The best part is that he will not have to change his math class and will not be in class with his brother. 
• We were able to take the boys to the Baltimore Grand Prix.  We were spectators from a building (yes inside) overlooking the course.  The boys really enjoyed watching the race.  So glad to be indoors.  The cars are so loud.
• We were able to go to a Nationals Baseball game down in DC.  It was a very nice stadium.  We were being threatened with rain but luckily it just sprinkled.
• The boys are all playing baseball.  In fact, we have three boys on three different teams.  We have E taking a break from the travel team.  That is a story for another day.  He plays on Saturdays.  Tee plays on Sunday mornings and Jay plays Sunday afternoon.  Yes, we have full weekends.
• This past weekend, the husband and I were able to get out with some friends.  We went to a Maryland winery for a tasting.  We then sat at a table to talk and have some wine and snacks.  It was a fun time with fun friends.  We really needed that.
• The boys will continue with scouts this year.  The will complete their Weeblos this year.  I don't believe the boys will continue after this year and I am ok with that.
• We recently had our sun room tiled.  The carpet was really gross and we needed a change in that room.  It looks really nice.  I was able to clean it up, which was needed desperately.

The weather has been really nice.  Low humidity and in the high 70s.  In line for the weekend, you guessed it more baseball. 

The first day of the 2012 school year

I think the last few weeks we have been experiencing the funk before school starts.  This happens at the end of the year also, not sure if I know which is worse.  There has been a lot of bickering and a lot of anxiousness. 

So today was the first day of school.  Tee saw the weather forecast and heard it was going to rain today, by the way it never ended up raining.  He asked me if he should stay home from school today because of the rain.  I wanted to say, yes that make perfect sense but obviously that would not happen. 

The boys got ready in the morning and I was able to snatch a few pics.

5th grade and Kindergarten

A little hesitant but got on fine.

I did end up finding someone to sit on the bus with him.  He has to sit in the front of the bus and his big brothers get to sit in the back.

After seeing the kids off to school, I went to breakfast with some friends.

I did go to the school to help out with the Kindergarten lunch.  Tee was so happy to see me.  It was a little funny to see all of the kids.  Some still a little nervous.  It was a lot of work, opening lunch items and managing bathroom visits.

So my friends decided that we needed to make a little gift for the kids when they got home from school.


So we made little fruit baskets.

I wanted to catch his coming home reaction.

Not really sure where to go.

And sure enough he was as happy to see me as I was him.  I got a big hug!

He had a really good day, but it was a long day.  I could tell from the behaviors of the boys this evening.  They were all very grateful that I made them the fruit basket.  They loved it. 

Before bed, Tee asked if he had to go to school tomorrow.  He was a little disappointed but I am sure he will be fine.  He wants me to go to help out at lunch again....you know like every day.

Twas the night before Kindergarten

It is hard to believe that tomorrow I will send my little baby to Kindergarten.  I think it hit him last tonight as I tucked him in.

He said "Mom I am a little sick of school". 
I said you mean you are a little sick that you have to go to school tomorrow?
He said "yes"
I told him we would be fine.
He said "without you"

He went to his classroom on Friday and met his teacher. 

The older boys also met their teachers on Friday.

I guess I have to admit I have a bit of a knot in my stomach too.  We will see how it goes tomorrow.

Ahhh.....Vacation

It seems like just a distant memory now, but it was just last Saturday that we got home from our wonderful vacation. 

We always have the same thought as we start our drive down to SC.  Is it worth it?  We were questioning it even more this year.  Someone decided that we had to take our four legged puppy.  You know the one who doesn't like being in the car.  She drools like you have never seen, cries like a baby and sometimes it involves vomit and or poop.  But I know that so, of course, I got her medication.  The medication I guess is like puppy Valium. 

As directed, I gave her the medication about 1 hour before the start of our trip.  Our drive started at 4:30am.  A bit early but we thought the earlier our drive the faster we get to our destination.  Sadie was not liking the drive.  Not more than 30 minutes in she vomited.  Poor Jay was next to her and had to deal with the stink.  And she was drooling like crazy.  We stopped for breakfast and to clean her area up.

I did have to medicate her a little more but she eventually settled down for the rest of the trip.

We were fortunate enough to have a big enough place and invited my parents to come up for a few nights.  My nephew, who has just completed law school, drove them up.  It was nice to be able to see my parents as it had been a year since I saw them last.  It is hard to be so far away from family.

We took everyone out to lunch at a place called One Hot Mama.  The owner of this restaurant was on The Next Food Network Star.  She didn't win but she did go far.  The food was really good.  We then stopped by the Harbour for a few pictures.




My parents and the grandchildren.




Tee was able to get across the monkey bars.




A lesson in tic tac toe with Popi.




We have to get the picture on the tree.  The tree gets smaller every year....or my kids get bigger every year.



The kids love their cousin.  He was throwing the kids into the pool.



There he goes.



And another child.



Up in the air.




Family picture on the beach.



We had one day of fairly decent waves although that didn't stop the boys.....

Tee loved the ocean

Lots of digging in the sand.



A big hole and sand castles.


  Not only were we lucky to have my parents come up, the husband's Mom was able to fly down and spend some time with us. 

Our house was on the golf course.

Our trolley ride to Harbour town. Even though we were close enough to walk



Gregg Russell.  Of all the years we have vacationed in HHI we have only seen a part of his act one time.  The boys were not overly thrilled but it was nice.




Family shot



Love my boys!



The dog loved the ocean.



Got to the beach extra early for Sadie to have one last swim.



Yes, Sadie does think that Tee is one of her playmates.




114 steps up to the top of the lighthouse.



It was a bit windy up there.



We had such a great relaxing vacation.  I felt like we did a lot but managed to spend some time relaxing. 

We spent every morning at the beach with the exception of one.  The water was so warm and felt really good.  Tee LOVED the ocean.  He told me before we left that he was not going to get in the ocean.  He would just jump the waves.  I had a hard time keeping him out of the ocean. 

The boys spent a lot of time playing in the sand.  They also played beach golf.  By the end of our vacation, I think they were getting a little tired of the beach but they managed to stay entertained.  By the last day, they were catching little fishies in the water. 

One evening we went to another location for singing and games.  There was a baseball stand and you could buy balls to determine how fast you pitched.  The boys took part in the competition.  E and Tee both made the board with the fastest pitches in their age group.  They both won $15 gift certificates for a restaurant on the island.  So cool. 

We were lucky that our first week swimming in the ocean did not involve jelly fish.  We were able to swim freely with out much worry.  Then after a week the jelly fish appeared.  The first day there were just a few stings here and there.  The next day there was sting after sting after sting.  I got a two stings.  It must have been just a little brush up but it did well sting a little.  I put sand on it and after a while it got better.

One day we were called out of the ocean because a shark was in the area.  Many days we would see the dolphins swimming.  Sometimes they looked like they were so close to shore. 

After spending time in Hilton Head Island we realize why we go back every year.  It is such an awesome place.  But it always seems as though our drive home is so hard.  It took us an entire hour more to get home then it did to get down there.  And Sadie, well I gave her medication about 2 hours before we started our drive and she did great.

Summer

On June 8th, I thought summer would last forever.  But here we are at the end of July and we have about 1 month left of summer vacation.  And the best part is that we will be gone for a while on our family vacation.  Very much looking forward to that.

There has been a lot of bickering in the house this summer.  It seems as though it is always two of the boys that hang together and then there is one man out.  The arguments are ridiculous.  I get a lot of Mom he touched me with his pinky or Mom he is looking at me cross eyed.  It has been a bit frustrating to me.  Typically, if the boys are having a hard time, I get them out in the pool. But at times even that does not settle the arguing. 

We only had a few camps lined up for the summer.  Yes, I made a mental note to have more camps for next summer.  It helps for the boys to have an activity in the morning.  The boys recently did vacation bible school at our church.  They really had a good time.  Tee went to a Wee chefs camp and had a good time making and eating the food.  The older boys did a baseball camp last week.  They were taught by professional baseball players and learned a lot.

The boys have been working on their summer homework.  I ended up finding a package for Kindergarten for Tee.  So he has been working on that as the older two work on theirs.  Summer is just so long and it is good to keep their math skills sharp.  In fact, the boys have a tutor who is reviewing some of the math concepts they learned last year.  She will only come once a week for 4 weeks but I think this will help for when school starts.  I really noticed that the tutor helped last summer.

We decided we were going to ban all technology (itouches, computers, xbox, wii) for three days during a week.  The boys will go from one thing to another and I just get so frustrated.  We sat down with the boys and made a list of all the things that they could instead.  It was so nice.  They found other things to do.  I am getting ready to pull another round, maybe even do 4 days this time.

Garden was a bust this year.  I ended up planting it late and have had very small yield.  I usually have more cucumbers than I know what to do with.  This year, I have not had a one.  Zucchini, same thing.  I have had a nice helping of green beans and the boys just picked another round today.  I am fairly certain a family of bunnies have nested in my garden and are having an easy time getting their meals.  So mad at these creatures.  At this point, I will probably pull it all up.

I have made progress on some of my home projects.  It has felt good to clean up and clear out.  I still have a ways to go but progress is progress.  It makes me want to keep on going.  Of course, I always get sad when I have to clear out the stuff Tee has outgrown.

But now my focus is changing to get ready for vacation.  And that makes me happy.

2 Wheels

The husband has worked hard on teaching Tee to ride his bike without training wheels.  He did not have a lot of motivation to learn.  He was forced a bit.  But has picked it up pretty well.  Dad has tried to teach him at home but we have a few hills.  We have taken him to a flat parking lot and he worked on turning.  He definitely likes turning left and not right. 

Let's get started.

It is a family affair!



Every once in a while he goes off track!

He has fallen a bit but always gets up and right back on.  He took a big spill the other day and scraped up his hand really bad.  He did not cry. 

We had hoped that he would be ready to have his own bike on our vacation but he is just not there.  He tends to look down at his feet and crashes.  But is will work out with a tandem bike.

How did we get here?

I am not sure how we got here but I know for sure this is not where we can stay. At first it appeared to come on very suddenly. Then we realized it has been a problem for a while and we got little bits of it here and there. Now it just seems really big but we are hoping to be on track to get it under control. 

Our first born is having so many issues. We really took note of it probably about a year ago. He would have these crying fits. He would typically say that he hated his life during these periods. We, the husband and I, knew this wasn’t normal but at the same time thought he would grow out of this stage. It was hard for us to understand and we were not really sure where it all was coming from. These fits eventually became less and less but the problem didn’t go away.

The problem is a little more evident during sports. He strives to be the best and is disappointed when he is not. It was a little problem during basketball in the winter but really came to a head during the baseball season. They practice throughout the winter and start tournaments in March prior to the season starting in April. They played many more games this season.


He was giving the coaches (including Dad) a hard time during practices. He did not like being corrected and at times he would end up crying. Prior to every practice a talk was usually had but it really didn’t help much.


The end of the season was worse than it had been all year. He had started to struggle a bit with hitting which would spark this terrible attitude. He did get taken out of a few games and he only played in a few innings in the last tournament they played in.

Summer and non-routine days has not been a good thing for my child. He struggles with what to do minute by minute. Any suggestions given are shrugged off. He has really been so angry much of the time. If you correct him for anything, he will usually stomp off and get really mad.


I can’t describe how frustrating/upsetting this has been for both the husband and I. It hurts so badly to not be able to do anything to help your child. It is hard to see your child suffering. It just sucks all around.


You would never know any of this if you just met my child or were around him for a little bit. He is such a sweet caring child.


I am not sure why I didn’t do something prior to now and why I let it get this bad. But that is no longer the case. I have a friend who referred me to this great psychologist. She works just with children.


The husband and I met with the psychologist a few weeks ago. We were able to share all of the experiences we have had. She is certain she can help us. What a relief.


E’s first appointment was last week and boy did he throw a fit. I literally had to drag him to the car and into the office. But I felt so much better when he walked out with a smile on his face. I asked him after the appointment if he liked her and he said yes. I also asked him if he thought she would be able to help him and he says yes. He is getting help, now, while he is young and before we get too deep into whatever we are dealing with.


Today was his second appointment. There was no fight to have to go. He came out with a smile on his face. He told me a little about what they talked about. So I guess I don’t really care how we got here anymore…..and I know we have a long way to go but I am just focusing on getting better.

Summer

It is July already.  June seemed to drag a bit but that may have been due to baseball season extending to the end of the month. 

The boys had their end of season tournament.  The team played so well.  They ended up winning the tournament.  Out of the 6 games they played, they won all but one. 

Happy boys with Coach Dad!

I have not enrolled the boys in many camps this summer.  I did put them in a track and field camp.  I wasn't sure how they would like it.  They did it with a couple of friends.  They had such a good time.  The camp is held one week by a local small church.   

All week the boys did different activities leading up to the meet on Friday evening.  All of the running races would be held Friday evening.  In order to get all events in they have 2 kids qualify for each of the other events.  E and Jay wanted to do the Discus and long jump.  E qualified to compete in both events. 

E threw it beyond where the tape measure ended.  He got first place.



E was struggling a bit with this one, he ended up taking 2nd place.

 The boys decided to participate in the 100, 200 and 400 meter runs.  The 100 meter was first.  They placed second and third.



2nd place



3rd place

The event also did a fun run for the younger siblings.  I had Tee do the run.  He was pretty excited about it. 


Loved his ribbon.

 I took this photo and was texting it to Dad.  Dad was in SC with his Dad who had surgery earlier in the morning.  He was bummed he didn't make the meet.  So as I was texting I motioned to Tee to come around the fence.  I looked up thinking I would see Tee right next to me or walking towards me.  I didn't see him anywhere.  I couldn't imagine where he had gone.  I started to panic a little bit.  I then looked around and noticed he was running around the entire track.  Then my laughing started.  He thought my motioning was to tell him to go around the track not to come to me. 

Unfortunately, the meet was stopped early because of lightning in the area.  We were bummed!  This camp will be on the top of my list for next summer.  All the boys will be able to participate. 

When I am able, I take the boys to Speed and Agility training.  It is a really good work out for them. 

Tee took swimming lessons.  He really improved from the first lesson. 

In our free time, we have been working on a puzzle.  We are at the point where we only get puzzles that have 1,000 pieces.  We have had a puzzle sitting around a while but we finally got to working on it.  It was a hard puzzle.  But we managed to get it all done.  The big bummer was that when we got to the end we realized we were missing a piece.

It has been so hot here lately.  We have been spending a lot of time in the pool.  It is the only way to stay cool but be outside for a little exercise. 

We are on the countdown to our vacation in August.

A little bit about Tee

I still have a hard time believing that my little baby is 5 years old.  He is as old as the boys were when we moved to Maryland.  The time has just flown by.

This kid cracks me up.  Some of the things he says are so grown up.  A few weeks ago Tee was really tired from our busy weekend.  He had been disrespectful to me.  I decided that he was going to get a spanking.  Yes, I have to admit I was a bit miffed he didn't cry but none the less he got the point.  Fast forward to the next day, we were in the car on the way to the ball game.  He said Mom I am sorry for the way I acted yesterday.  We talked a bit and I told him I knew he was tired but his actions were not appropriate and I was sorry I had to spank him.  He said Mom that is ok it didn't hurt.  Really?  He really had to say that?

He has said so many other funny things and I am kicking myself because I don't remember them all right now.  I knew I should have written them down.

Tee had a great baseball season.  He absolutely LOVES baseball.  Many times he tries to copy his brothers in stances and throws.  So adorable.

Tee had a great preschool year, despite my views on his teachers.  He loved going to preschool everyday.  He made so many good friends.  He is definitely a social butterfly. 

The preschool holds an art show every year.  They showcase a few of the different art projects for each child.  He was so proud of all his art work.

One of his many art projects.


 The preschool had a graduation for the kids.  The kids performed a few songs.  They picked their favorite songs.  I know they spent a lot of time practicing. 

One of the songs.

Another song!

Graduation beads were given.

Diploma time.

All his good friends from class.

His best buddy.

I was determined to get a picture of just us but he was not happy at this moment.

The family.

Tee thought after graduation he would be going to Kindergarten, like now, not in the fall.  I have had to explain summer vacation. 

Tee had the opportunity to meet his Kindergarten teacher at an orientation.  We are so fortunate that he got a really good teacher.  I am so happy as I have heard so many good things about her.  I think he will have a great year. 

But now we get to enjoy our summer before the big day.  And I am going to do just that.  I am going to miss my little buddy.