Bees, bees, everywhere.

So we had a little excitement in the house. Yes, bees! We have had our windows open a lot since the weather has been so nice and I have noticed a few bees in the house right by my bay window. I didn't think much of it since we have a small hole in one of the screens and just thought they were getting in that way. Well, when I noticed that I was still killing bees and my windows haven't been opened, I knew we had an issue.

I took the kids outside to play a couple of days ago and saw where they were getting in. There is a small roof on our bay window and they were getting in through one of the grooves on the roof. Great. I sat and watched for a few minutes and probably saw 10-15 bees come in and out. I knew we had a bigger problem and it certainly wasn't something I was going to mess with. I called around to a few places and found a recommended local place with a good price. I finally got a hold of Greg and he said he wanted to see if he could take care of it on his own. I tried to explain to him that I would be nowhere outside when he did it and I would not get the stingers out of the stings that he would inevitably get. (Ok, I would but I didn't really want him to take care of it. I just wanted to "call the man".)

One of the great things about technology. Video conferencing! So I took my laptop outside and held it up to the bay window, where Greg immediately saw how many there were and said, "umm ya, just call the man".
The guy came over and had this huge injector looking thing and sprayed a powder in the hole. Ya, that really pissed the bees off. About 50 or so came swarming out. He had to do that 2-3 times and sprayed them as well. Almost 48 hours later, the bees are gone! Thank God! Anyone that knows me knows that I hate bugs, especially bees & ticks. Ewww.

So does anyone know which classic tv show this quote is from? "just call the man". Hint: It is one of Greg's all time favorite shows and we watch it every night.

Ethan's first heartbreak.

So Ethan is super in love with this little girl McKenzie in his class. He came home the first day and she was all he talked about. Mommy, she has yellow hair and it's long and she is really cute. He says they play together at recess and they sit together on the bus on the way home.

So today, he comes home and is in a really bad mood. I can't figure it out. I ask him if he had a bad day at school and he said no, school was fine. Finally, I asked him if McKenzie sat with him on the bus and he just burst into tears. He said McKenzie sat with Caden on the bus today and they didn't want to sit with him in seat 1. :(

My poor baby. I am sure, the first of many heartaches. Of course, mommy made it all better with pb&j & pink (strawberry) milk.

Walk Now for Autism!

We are very proud to be taking part in Walk Now for Autism. We have often wondered if Ryan is on the spectrum, so raising money for other kids battling this disorder if very close to our hearts. One of my very good friends has a daughter on the spectrum and they have helped her so much. She and her husband are wonderful advocates for their daughter and are always doing everything they can to help her. So we are walking in honor of Hallie. Please visit this link and make a donation. Every penny helps!

Please read this heartfelt letter from a wonderful father fighting with all he has to help his daughter navigate the spectrum.......

Hallie and Noah are the light of our lives. But unfortunately, we have been fighting to get our little girl back from Autism. We have financially bankrupted our family to provide the services that our daughter needed. She still needs speech to give her a voice. She still needs to learn better social skills. She still needs special education to help her understand her math and reading homework. She still needs to see a psychologist to help her understand all the pieces to her puzzle. She still needs Occupational Therapy to help regulate her sensory surroundings. And the list goes on. All of these services have paid off. Hallie enjoys soccer and we were told she would not play groups sports by the so-called experts. She is beginning to laugh at the appropriate time and is beginning to eat a variety of foods (if variety includes all forms of chicken nuggets!). And yes, she has a voice. But we still have a lot of obstacles to face and we wake up every day not knowing how Autism

Walk Now for Autism is our chance to make a difference in the fight against autism by raising money for autism research and heightening public awareness. Please join me in my fight as I raise $500.00 to help fund essential research. I will be walking on October 12 and would like you to support those affected by autism. You can donate to Walk Now for Autism and join my team online through my webpage at www.walknowforautism.org. Donations can also be mailed to Autism Speaks using the donation form located on my page or send me a check made out to Autism Speaks. My team name is Buckeyes for Hallie; please note this on your check and the donation form.



Sincerely,
Chris (Hallie's dad)

Update on my neurologist appt, night out and Hurricane Ike aftermath

Well, it is not good news. There is surgery in my future, hopefully not in the near future though. I have 2 small herniated discs but I also have arthritis as well. Not a good thing to have both. Since I am not in pain now, my neuro said we can wait on it. I am scheduled for some physical therapy and a follow up with him in 6 weeks. We are hoping this can be put off for a year or two. There is absolutely no way I can have it now. I still lift Ry a lot and between Ethan's school, Ryan's school and the kids I watch, there is just no way. If I have more pain, I can get more injections. There is no cure for this other then surgery but we are hoping to prolong it as much as possible.

I went to a Pampered Chef party last night. So much fun. We saw all of the new gadgets PC has to offer but it was so nice to sit back, drink & eat with some new friends. I had a great time. Thanks Christa for inviting me! And it was nice to come home and find both boys all snug in their beds.

Wind Storm of 2008: Update! We were very lucky. We lost a few shingles but though for sure we were going to lose our birch tree next to our house. It was strong though and stayed put. We never lost power but about half of our neighborhood did. Our immediate neighbors lost power and we have an extension cord running to their freezer so they wouldn't lose all of their food. We offered our oven & stove and we even had another neighbor come down to do some laundry, after much coercing from me. There were even extension cords running across the roads. Probably not the safest thing but it was nice to see our neighborhood come together and help those in need.

The boys both missed a couple of days of school but Ethan was very happy to be back. Ryan had some adjustment issues and cried for the first time while getting on the bus. He just didn't know what to think but I was told once he got to school, he was in a great mood and his teacher said she would have never known he was upset.

Now we are ready to root on the Buckeyes! Hopefully they will do better then last week!

Hurricane Ike & Go Bucks!

Before I wish the Buckeyes luck, I need to take some time to remember my friends battling Hurricane Ike right now. I have been in contact with a few of them. Their families are safe but are worried about what they might go back to. Many prayers for all of them for minimal damage and an easy cleanup.
Melissa, Lauren, Stacey & Bre: You are all in my prayers. Love you girls!


Buckeyes:
Lets all hope they can pull this one off and not play like they did against OU. Go Bucks!!

Ryan's first day of school!

I am so proud of my boy. We have been talking a lot about him going to school and riding the bus like a big boy. All morning, he would play and then ask "bus". He was so excited. The bus was late, as expected for the first day, but all of Ryan's friends came out to see him off. He had quite the send off. The biggest his bus driver has seen! There were about 12 (adults & kids) out there. Everyone was excited for Ry.

I carried him on the bus and he waved and said hi to everyone that was already on it. His driver took us back and showed us his seat, complete with his very own car seat. We got him all buckled in, took some pictures and he waved goodbye to me. I walked off the bus and joined his crowd to wave goodbye. He did so well. I am so proud of him. Then of course, I cried and got some hugs and encouragement from our neighbors.

I had to take Ryan's supplies over to his school after the bus picked him up. I wanted to get in and out of there before he saw me. Mission accomplished. But all of the teachers were waiting in the waiting area for the buses to arrive and his teachers from summer camp were there. The tears started again and I got my more hugs & encouragement. I am not sad for Ryan because I know he is going to get to school and have so much fun but, it is hard to watch another one of my babies grow up.

And onto the good stuff. Pics! And please excuse his hair. He is way overdue for a hair cut but I have to wait until his stitches dissolve.

Another installment of, are we doing the right thing?

Ryan starts school on Monday through Easter Seals. It is at the same place he went to over the summer and we both absolutely fell in love with the place. We were very fortunate that this was his placement again since there are about 10 schools throughout the city. Anyway, he got an afternoon spot and because of me having to be home to get Ethan off the bus and the wonderful kids I watch, I have to send him on the bus. I just saw the bus drive by (I am guessing for a trial run to see how long it is between houses) and I just got this huge lump in my throat. How on earth am I going to put my 2 year old on a bus with strangers? He has come a long way as far as speech but he doesn't know how to convey his feelings or emotions. He just cries until we figure it out.
I know this is the absolute best place for him, it just sucks that I can't go out and buy a mommy mobile (aka mini van) so I can transport everyone to take him, which would suck anyway but still.
And I know deep down that riding the bus is nothing. We are very fortunate that he is healthy and is making huge strides in his speech & sensory issues but being a parent is so hard sometimes.
His teachers seem to think the first few days will be hard but after that he will love riding the bus. I will be the one buckling him in on the bus every day so I know he will be safe and won't be running and jumping on every seat while the drive is yelling at him. I can just picture that happening. Ry would have a hay day.
Any parents BTDT?

Busy weekend & lots of updates.

We had such a busy weekend! We are all exhausted.
Friday night, the boys went to my parents and Greg and I went to dinner with one of Greg's work friends and went to a wine tasting party. It was a lot of fun and we got to try some yummy wine. The boys had a great time and Ryan is such a Grandpa's boy. I am not sure what it is but Ry is totally attached to him.
Saturday was a great day as the Buckeye's kicked butt! Our neighbors had an all day party so we watched the Buckeyes, had some drinks, put the kids to bed and had some more drinks. It was a great night!
Sunday & Monday were spent cleaning & shopping.
PSA: If you have never had a Whole Foods burger, go and get one now! They were on sale this weekend so we bought a ton and they are the yummiest burgers I have ever had.
Ethan is sick. He has a bad cold, complete with a fever, cough & runny nose. We are going to see how he is Tuesday but he might have to stay home from school. He is not very happy about that.
Ryan's new teacher is coming over for a home visit this week. I am very excited to meet her.
And speaking of Ryan. We feel like he is making wonderful progress. As I sit here writing this, he is actually playing with his brother! Ethan made a tent with his blankets and he and Ryan are hiding under it. I am sure it won't be long before Ryan decides to pull it down and anger his brother. But it is nice to actually see him interacting with Ethan. We have waited a long time for this.
I go to the neurologist on September 19th to talk about my back. I am very interested to hear what he has to say and maybe a tad nervous too.
Greg is having some back issues too and is deciding if he should be heading the doctor to get it checked out.
Hopefully we will all stay healthy for a while!