Golden Girls

Brooklyn's dance team had their second competition this past weekend. This was the qualifier for nationals in Myrtle Beach this summer. The team had to receive a Gold ranking in order to qualify. We were all a bit concerned we were going to lose the deposit on the hotel we'd already booked for June. Five of the nine girls put in a 2 hour practice(complete with lots of playtime) on Saturday. Boy, did it pay off! The girls received "Top First Place" which is the highest ranking, first place(highest point value) in their age division(5-6 years) and fourth place out of all acts ages 8 and under. This was huge! We were so excited for them! Brooklyn is so proud of her first trophy. Way to go Huma Girls!

Incredible Hulk

It's kind of funny that Xavier's new soccer team's "mascot" describes him as a player. He IS the Incredible Hulk! He towers over most of his teammates and his playing really has become incredible! He's learned how to dribble, turn the ball, and turn on his speed when necessary. I'm most amazed at his defensive skills. He tracks down his opponents using routes no one can teach. I just need to talk to him about staying to the inside of a player while defending. Really, I'm going to explain that to a four year old? We'll see...

Reality Check

I am a self proclaimed blog stalker. I love reading blogs, especially those of people I don't know going through awful things with their children(I know, I need help.) The two random strangers I have bookmarked are especially intriguing to me. One woman lost a child at birth, the other's child has a very serious heart condition. They write the most amazing posts! What I find most interesting is their seemingly unshakable faith during the most trying times. They write about it so eloquently! I, on the other hand, am a faith clod. I am terrified to share my opinions and faith because...
1. I don't want to seem like one of "those people."
2. I don't want to offend anyone
3. There are days when I feel very shakable
The truth is, I AM one of "those people." My faith governs all that I do and every decision I make. I'm just afraid to admit it to everyone, including myself. I have this crazy idea that if I pretend I'm clueless, God won't give me hard things to handle. Well, I had my reality check last night.
Most of you know my 15 month old has major food allergies. His list is so long, even his allergist is shaking his head. Thankfully, although his allergies are many, thus far, they have been an inconvenience. I feel badly that he itches all the time. I'm sad that he can't enjoy the foods I love. But, it was annoying at most.
As I ran out the door to a meeting last night, Andy was cooking dinner for the kids. We briefly discussed giving Isaac the supper we were having. We decided that he'd been tested for fish, it was negative, and he could have the entree, sans seasoning. Ten minutes into my meeting I received a call from Andy. He was panicked and crying that Isaac had broken out in hives and his face was swelling in the five minutes since he'd eaten the fish. Should he use the epi-pen? I felt so helpless. I had no clue what to do! I told him to grab Isaac and go find a neighbor. Have the neighbor drive, he was sit in the back with Isaac, and at any sign of breathing difficulty, give him the epi-pen. I was afraid an ambulance would take too long. I told Andy I'd meet him at the hospital. I hung up the phone and bolted out the door. Meanwhile, Andy was heading to the neighbor's to get some help. They weren't home. He later described walking up the street, carrying Isaac in just his onesie, pleading for someone to help him. For anyone who knows my strong, confident husband, this is heartbreaking. He finally found a neighbor to help. Thanks to John and Shelley for coming to Andy's rescue! Once inside the hospital, they gave him a dose of Benedryl, a dose of Prednisone, and a shot of Epinephrine. Although acting like he was hopped up on massive amounts of caffeine and Fun-Dip, he came through the episode unscathed.
My reality is, I have a child with a life-threatening condition. Certain foods could kill him. I was always sure this wouldn't happen to me. God only gives you the trials you can handle, right? I'm trying to convince Him I can't handle it. Unfortunately, He knows me better than I know myself. He thinks I can do this. I am putting my trust in Him, no matter the outcome.
Thank you to my friends who came to my rescue through prayer, watching my kids, and talking me through this horrible experience. I am so thankful for you!

Eat your heart out, Octo-mom! My lips are bigger than yours!

Worm Farm

I guess this is an appropriate post for Earth Day...

We've decided to try our hand at vermicomposting. Andy built a 1'x2'x3' box in the backyard. We shredded pounds of newspaper(we needed 17 pounds, but we're not quite there.) Xavier watered the newspaper. Then, we poured in the worms(a.k.a. red wrigglers from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm.) A pound of worms is supposed to eat a pound of garbage per day. After 3 or 4 months, we will have compost to use in our garden. The worms are supposed to be non-smelly(only if we don't compost meat)and self-sustaining. We'll see how it goes. The kids are super excited! Happy gardening!



There's supposed to be 2000 worms in this bag. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about it!


Oh no, it's the dreaded shredded newpaper monster! But wait...look closely...he comes in peace!

The Upside of Rain

Recently, we've seen just a glimpse of warm, sunny, weather, only to have it rain the next day. I'm so tired of gloomy days! The kids just want to be outside! Monday night, it was raining, again. As I watched out the window, it rained, then hailed, then out came the sun! I immediately ran for the front door to look for the rainbow. It started slowly. Then, I noticed there were two! The entire sky was covered with a double rainbow! It was absolutely beautiful!

Easter, Easter, and More Easter

I'm trying to put all the Easter happenings into one post. We'll see how it goes...

My children left on Wednesday evening to spend some unsupervised time with their Oma and Opa. Andy spent all his time working on the bathroom(no, it isn't even close to being finished.) and I cleaned the house from top to bottom. No dates, no fun, just work. It was wonderful to get something accomplished without my helpers undoing everything in a matter of moments.

Saturday evening, Andy and I joined his family in Dayton. As we sat around the supper table, I made the horrific discovery that I'd left Brooklyn's Easter dress, complete with matching doll outfit, on her bed, an hour and a half away. Fifteen minutes later, five of us were loaded into the car to head to the nearest department store to find a replacement. The first two stores were a bust. Of course, the night before Easter, everything was picked over! At the last stop, fifteen minutes before the store closed, we hit the jackpot! We narrowed the dress choices from 15 to 4, then chose the winner. Despite all the chaos, I'm really happy with the dress we found! I'm also thankful I didn't make the dreaded discovery on Sunday morning!






Easter was beautiful! I took way too many pictures, but the brilliant sunlight caused me some problems. Once again, those photography lessons might have come in handy. Someday, in my spare time...




We enjoyed a beautiful walk in the woods, a delicious meal, and a super fun egg hunt. The day couldn't have been any better!

Does He Look Tired?

I am extremely frustrated with my oh-so-sweet fourteen month old. He won't nap! I know our schedule is extremely chaotic, but seriously, why can't he sleep? Three days a week he falls asleep on the way home from the wellness center. I try desperately to wake him up, to no avail. I then give up and put him in his crib. Immediate panic strikes and he is up for the rest of the day. Total nap: 20 minutes.
Other days, I try to put him down, fed, around lunch time. He either cries for ten minutes, then sleeps for forty-five, or cries until he makes himself sick. If I pick him up, he falls asleep on my shoulder. He'll sleep there, happily, but if I try to put him in his crib, it starts all over again. I don't have time for this! It is my only chance for a shower, unload the dishwasher, pick up the house, and/or what am I supposed to do with Xavier while Isaac drools on my shoulder? He goes to sleep at night without a problem and sleeps about 10 hours. I'm pretty sure he needs more sleep, but how to you force it?

Digging in the Dirt

Isaac is loving being outside in the spring weather. He's been watching us attempt to whip our sad yard into shape. Neither Andy, nor I are much of the landscaper type. While we were outside a few days ago, he stole some of his siblings' garden utensils and dove into a pot full of dirt. Every time he'd come up with a scoopfull, he'd get all excited and wave the shovels around. Almost every time, the dirt would land on his head!

Encore!

Brooklyn's first dance competition was today, in Elyria. We left the house at 5:50am in order to be at the competition by 8:30. After a few minor car mishaps we arrived almost perfectly on time! We had an hour to get ready and unload and assemble the large volcano prop in the back of the van. Unfortunately, her dance instructor got lost in Cleveland and arrived 10 minutes before they had to be on stage. It was a madhouse in the dressing room, trying to get nine girls, ages six and under, dressed(complete with stage makeup and mall hair) and ready to go. Once on stage, the girls did a wonderful job! Everyone smiled and there were no major mistakes. They received a gold ranking at the awards ceremony. High gold is the highest ranking, but I thought they did a great job in their first try. I was only able to snap a couple of quick pictures as there were no cameras allowed during the performances. Even though Brooklyn and I are completely exhausted from the day, I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Riding with the Big Kids

Xavier's riding on two wheels! I'm in complete shock. We tried to teach him on a 16 inch bike and he would freak out every time. Finally, Andy took the training wheels off his 12" and he was riding within two days! I think he was more comfortable with being able to plant both feet on the ground. His little legs have to pump so hard and fast to keep the momentum going. We're still working on starting and steering, but he's got the balance thing down. He wanted to ride around the block today so everyone could see his new skills. Amazingly enough, he made it!




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With the last photos, I'm seeing a glimpse of the future. Unfortunately, I think Xavier has inherited both of his parents' perfectionist tendencies. Every time his wheels get close to the grass, he throws his bike to the ground and falls beside it. He then pouts and says, "I'm no good at this. This is not good!" Hello!? You're four...this is great!

Whine alert

I haven't taken many pictures lately. I guess it's good since I'm so behind in my scrapbooking. Since I haven't taken pictures, I haven't blogged. I've been reading others' blogs instead...not good. These are random strangers! I find myself getting angry at their families. One woman blogged about her 9 month old eating an entire grilled cheese sandwich. I've seen lots of birthday bashes with cake everywhere. There was a less than one year old refusing baby food. I JUST WISH ISAAC COULD EAT!!!! I am honestly thankful that, otherwise, he seems to be a happy, normal child. But, it is heart wrenching to watch him beg for food he can't eat. To always be fearful that he will get into something that will make him sick, or worse. To worry that, this time, it won't just be hives and a horrible rash that covers his little body. I wish that, just once, I could take his clothes off and not have to pin him down so he doesn't dig holes in himself. Why is he like this? Why is food poison to him? Why can't it be just peanuts or milk? Why does he have to be allergic to everything? Is this going to get better or worse? Sorry for the rant, at the moment I'm feeling a little overwhelmed.

We Made It!

Spring is finally here! We've spent the past few days outside in the sunshine. Even though it isn't as warm as I'd like, watching everything start to bloom is a great mood-lifter!

Stolen Huma

Brooklyn, Xavier, and Andy headed to the Bautsch house yesterday for some playtime and volcano building. Andy and Brian are building a volcano as a prop for the girls' dance team. While there, the girls got in some good practice time and Julie captured it on video. I totally stole it off her blog. So, for the tiny fraction of you that don't read Julie's blog too, here is the video.

Minor Obsession

Isaac LOVES balls...especially making baskets. He will spend as much time as you are willing playing basketball. The only problem...you have to pick him up each time so he can dunk. As cute as it is, it gets old very quickly. My solution? Buy more stuff! Isaac received monetary gifts for his birthday from my grandma and her friend, Alberta, who shares the same birthday. What do you buy for the third kid that just turned one? The answer finally came to me! He now has a short hoop that he can dunk the ball himself! Problem solved and two happy campers!

Almost There!

We all have a major case of cabin fever. The weather was almost bearable yesterday so we bundled up and ventured outside into the dog-poop laden backyard. Seriously, it's disgusting! The boys didn't seem to mind one bit. They were so happy to be out of the house! I'm really hoping spring is just around the corner.

The Bathroom a.k.a. The Money Pit

We discovered our master shower was leaking behind the wall in the fall of last year.
Translation: Purchase and install new shower.
Simple enough, right? As usual, nothing is that easy. We found out our shower was not a standard size and we would have to custom order one. We decided that since we were ripping out the shower, we may as well get what we want. We used our garden tub, maybe 5 times in the almost 7 years we've lived in this house. The kids love it, but it is a water-waster! So, we ripped it out too. We replaced the old windows with glass block and are planning to put a new, large shower in the corner where the old tub used to be. We are installing a new vanity and a linen closet. This, of course, involves stripping the walls to their studs, moving plumbing, putting up new walls, etc. Demo began the first week of December. The bathroom is still studs and subfloor. Any bets on when it will be finished?

The before picture.

The demo-man and his trusty sidekick.

We've only just begun...