Summer's Over

I took the boys to the state fair today while Eric and Taras worked on the house....that's another post that I just don't feel like doing now. With school starting Wednesday I wanted to do something fun. We got to the fair early because I wanted to watch the horse show. Really, if you ever need a cheering section, let me know and I will bring the boys. They picked a favorite in every class we watched. Usually their favorite did not win which didn't make them happy. Then of course we did the rides. My favorite was when they boys went to the fun house. I was laughing so hard I was in tears. People walking by must have thought I was crazy. Michael and David were trying to make their way through the "glass house". You would think after the first time Michael walked face first into the glass he would have figured it out, nope. He kept crashing into the glass face first, I think he started to panic because he started crashing face first into the glass even faster (I'm cracking up laughing as I'm writing this). Finally the carnival guy lets me in, but before I could get to Michael an older boy helped him. Now the other funny part is that I have to continue through the fun house. I have to admit it was hard making it through the glass house, but I was sure to keep my hands out!

Hopefully I did not wear them out too much. A full day of school and football in the evening? Stay posted....

Football Season

Today was the first day of flag football. I was really hoping that they would have fun, they were so excited about it I don't think they realize it would be hard work. Turns out that they loved it. The kids were divided up in groups and they would move around to different stations. It cracked us up to see the blocking station. I was under the impression that flag football was not a contact sport. Eric told me of course they still block, they just don't tackle. Unfortunately at the football catching station the boys seem to have inherited my skill of catching :( They played for about an hour and were tired and sweaty by the end but they both said they loved it.

Dorney Park

We finally made it to mom and Jerry's to go to Dorney Park. It just would not be summer with out a trip to the amusement park. We also went to the Crayola Factory in Easton PA. All in all it was a fun and exhausting trip. The boys seem to have never ending energy, I don't know how mom and I kept up with them.

David had a lot of fun catching bugs in the backyard. Mom had gotten each of the boys a bug collector kit. David caught mostly moths, Michael just wanted you to catch the bugs for him--they were hard to catch. The funny part was when David asked mom if she had coconuts in her yard--well, it wasn't a coconut, it was rabbit poop! Guess it looks like a baby coconut? Everyone except for David thought it was hilarious.

The Boy Who Tries Things

Hooray, "the boy who tries things" is back. David has referred to himself over the past year or so as "the boy who tries things". Well that boy has been gone for quite a while. Yesterday we went blackberry and peach picking with Sharon, Ben, Jessica, David and their cousin Rebecca. I could not get David to try a peach, but when we moved to the blackberry field he asked if he could eat a blackberry. Turns out he loved it. Sharon asked if he was the boy who tries things and he said that "yes, I'm the boy who tries things again".

After peach picking we went back to Sharon's to play, the kids had a great time playing on the slip and slide and the playground. While we were getting dinner ready the kids were watching the Olympics. If you ever need a kid to cheer you on in something its Michael. He is the most enthusiastic, team spirited kid out there. Michael was telling all the kids that we root for the USA because that's were we live, but that we root for the Orioles as well.

On Saturday we went to Glen Echo park. For the boys birthday Alex and Elizabeth had given tickets to a puppet show. Again, Michael was in the very front laughing louder than anyone else. It was a beautiful day, after the show we played on the playground and rode a carousel from 1921. Michael is still running around singing "were wolfing" from the puppet show.

Please help

Below is from my neighbors blog. http://sbwlw.spaces.live.com/ Slade and Wendy adopted a beautiful boy Nicholas from Russia. It turns out that he has something called Fragile X. Please take a minute and go to the AMEX site and vote.


Ok, I know that there are many, many readers out there. I see your numbers on my counter everyday. So, I am asking a favor of all my blog readers. I need you to VOTE. Not for the president but for a piece of the 2.5 million dollars that AmExpress is donating to organizations, and FRAXA is one of the organizations. You do not even have to be an AMEX member to vote. Here's the site to vote: http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/PUPSKI
If you have been reading the blog, you know that Nicolas was diagnosed with Fragile X back in July.
A little about Fragile X and the project
More than 1.1 million children and adults worldwide – 1 in 4,000 males and 1 in 8,000 females -- suffer from Fragile X, the most common known inherited cause of intellectual impairment and autism. Fragile X can cause seizures, mental retardation, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. An additional 1 billion people around the world are carriers of this devastating disorder – most without knowing it.
Studies of Fragile X and autism have been galvanized by families and loved ones of the disabled. Clinical trials of new treatments are ongoing. But we have not yet found effective treatments or the cure, and children are waiting. The need for more funding for Fragile X research is urgent. More broadly, this project will show parents of disabled, suffering children everywhere that they are not helpless: by banding and working together, parents can find a cure

Only back a day

We returned from our Vacation early Saturday evening. Having 4 kids in the car was really not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Everyone was great except for chatty Michael. My mom and grandparents often tell the story of how I talked the entire way home from Kansas (driving) when I was a little kid. I found that story endearing--that is until I have to hear Michael talk the entire way home from Williamsburg! Now I feel bad for my grandparents so long ago, must have been a long car ride from Kansas to Cumberland.

Sunday morning I receive a call from my mom who tells me that my Grandmother has been taken to the hospital basically unresponsive and they believe she has congestive heart failure. I could not believe it, we had not even been home 24 hours, Grandma had done well on vacation. I really had a bad feeling and knew that I needed to make the drive to Cumberland. Luckily Eric only had the 3 boys, Brittany was going to spend the day with my other nieces Danielle and Alyssa.

By the time I got on the road, mom called to tell me that Grandma appeared to be doing better and I did not need to come. I still felt I needed to go so I continued. Seeing Grandma in the hospital was hard, I did not really think that she knew I was there. Several hours later the doctor came and drained 1 liter of fluid off of her lung. After he drained the fluid she seemed much better and even ate a little dinner.

Funny story about the doctor draining the fluid. I'm a cop right? Seen a lot of things most people haven't, plenty of it not pretty, really down right nasty. Turns out I'm a complete wuss when it comes to loved ones. My sister Connie and I held my Grandmothers arms to keep her sitting up while the doctor drained her lung. I just kept looking at the fluid filling up in the bottle, there was a lot of it! I started to get this ringing in my ears, I know it means I am not doing great. I tell Connie that she needs to hold both arms so I can sit down. I figure the doctor does not need 2 patients. Connie thought it was hilarious, she thinks I'm supposed to be strong. I don't think she realizes how strong she is. I really don't think I could do the things she's doing right now, she really is doing an amazing job. I am very proud of her.