Addison Goes to Preschool Play Day

Today Addison had her first day of Preschool, sort of. It was a play day for 2-3 year olds. We had been talking about going for a while now, and Addison kept telling me she did not want to go, she wanted to stay home with me. So, we did not think it would go well. After all, Addison has not really not been away from Alivia and I both at the same time. However, this morning when she put on her pretty dress and got out her new backpack, she seemed excited and ready to go.

We arrived to the class at 9:30. Topher is off today, too, so we all went in to drop her off (big mistake!). Addison, initially, saw all the toys and ran to play. Then, it was time for us to leave. She broke down into tears and so did Asher. Chris left with Asher and Alivia, who was now in tears because she did not want to leave Addison crying, and I stayed with Addison for a minute. I had to pass her to her teacher while Addi was still crying uncontrollably (almost screaming at this point). Let's just say it was quite dramatic.

I called the Gingerbread House 20 minutes later to find Addison playing with Mr. Potato Head. I guess she stopped crying 30 seconds after we left. Addison met new friends, made a teddy grahams snack, listened to  a story, played and played! She reported having a lot of fun, showing us her touch and feel bear that she made and the picture she colored. She had fun in the end. However, Chris and I are still not sure she is ready for preschool. I am not sure it is completely necessary. I think going to preschool the year before kindergarten is enough. I mean aren't kids in enough school when they begin when they are 5 and finish college when they are what, 22 or something? I think if I was working, perhaps I would send her to preschool so she is learning something instead of just playing all day in daycare. But, we do all the preschool things at home and then some. So, the jury is still out. As of now...Addison is enrolled for fall.

Meanwhile, Chris, Asher, Alivia and I thought about Addison a lot. We went to Toys R Us and picked out 2 birthday gifts for Addison, then went to Target finding a couple more small things. I felt better being able to buy her some good presents with Chris' help without Addison standing there watching.

We topped off our morning with a lunch to Jason's Deli with a gift card Chris got for Father's Day. It was wonderful and a great way to celebrate Addison's big accomplishment!

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Chronicles of a Night Nurse

Okay, I am not an official full time night nurse, but I still am one. I work 11-7:30 (if I am lucky) 2 times a month. As a nurse, I have to either work so many hours as well as get continuing education, or not work and get substantially more continuing education. I decided, obviously, to at least try to get a small job to keep it up since getting continuing education can be difficult.

When I went to look for a small job, the least hours I could find was 24 hours a week. Um, no, that is too much! When I saw the posting for a 11-7:30 position only requiring 8 hours every 2 weeks, I jumped on it! The only thing was, it was in adult psych. Okay, I was not a fan of my psych rotation in nursing school. I was scared and felt like I was a fish out of water. However, I had worked in pediatric psych a little bit and now had a little experience (although nearly not on the same scale) and I knew I would not find hours like this job! So, I decided to try it.

I started in March and had been on orientation every since. I was working independently, more or less, but could not be taken off orientation because I had never had an admission, had not put in many orders, dealt with the phone calls, Drs, etc, associated with admissions.

My shift on the 4th of July changed everything. I arrived to the unit at 10:45 to 2 patients. Quiet night? Not hardly! They had cancelled the other nurse, not knowing I had not had admissions, and we were expecting 2 admissions, one waiting for me to clock in to admit. Awesome!

I got through the first 2 admissions, with a RN staying along with the tech that was already staffed, and one more RN called in to help, now awaiting 2 more admissions. Seriously, when it rains, it pours! The next patient was taken by the other nurse while I tried to finish up the orders, charting on the first patient. While the RN was admitting patient #3, patient #4 was brought in. He was reported to be manic with some auditory hallucinations. Okay, this ought to be interesting. As I took the intake, he was saying things that really scared me, and his eyes! My intake, that should take at least a half hour, took me 10 minutes! It was a long 10 minutes in a room by myself.

After the intake, the patient got rather scary, causing me to ask for help from the tech, RN, and security. This was about 6:30 am. At 9:30, we were ready to transfer the patient to a psych ICU (which the unit I work at is not and we can not take violent patients, which this patient clearly demonstrated he was. Charting, paperwork, conversations with the Drs, medications, and the patient was out the door and transferred by 11:30am! Yes, I was still at work! The patient was much happier and going to a much safer place for his condition and state of mind. I finished up and fought my way out of the unit just before noon. I was exhausted.

Meanwhile, I had taken the cell accidentally, leaving Chris at home with the kids without a phone. I had taken the van, too, because Chris' motorcycle was parked behind the car, leaving Chris with only the Camry. He had no clue where I was. He emailed his Dad who did not email back immediately (come on, the man has a life!). So, Chris drove to my work and called the Unit. Okay, typically I can access email and email him. However, I was so busy with this 1:1 patient, I really did not have an opportunity. Needless to say, Topher was not happy having worried about me most of the morning.

I arrived home after noon (when I had always gotten home around 8am) to 3 tired kiddos and a very unhappy and somewhat aggitated husband. Now you know why nurses can not stand it when teachers and school administration complain that they do not get more time off during the summers/holidays, etc. Come on! Work overnights, weekends, Holidays, summers, 12 hour shifts and get paid substantially less, and then you can complain!

Oh, the life of a night nurse. Gotta love it! At least I can say I made a difference, I think.

P.S. The RNs, Techs, and the Dr on call had never experienced a patient like the one I admitted. He was like night and day in seconds, which is obviously common in these patients but this was extreme. The other staff, Dr, had never had to call all the security up to the unit. Typically, this patient would present this way or have a history preventing an admission to the unit I work on. However, he presented calm but scary and then exploided. Topher and I are always saying, it is us! Crazy stuff only happens to us. This is just another example of it. Makes life interesting I guess.

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Independence Day 2009

Happy Belated 4th of July! The day began with red, white n blue bagels followed by a wagon ride/scooter around the neighborhood. It was so nice and cool! Alivia is now able to scoot a mile! We came home to make our traditional chalk flag in the driveway. Topher wanted to make it larger this year. Note for next year: BUY MORE CHALK! It is always fun to make the flag, draw a few fireworks, and explain to the kids what Independence Day is all about (and yes, it is more than fireworks, beer drinking, BBQs and acting crazy!).

I, admittedly, awoke on the wrong side of the bed. Actually, my bed was just in the wrong location, wrong house, etc. We so wanted to be moved by the 4th of July that being at home was rather difficult for many reasons that I will not dwell on. I had to work, so I really wanted to keep the day as low key as possible.

We all took a nice afternoon nap, visited a park, and went out for a quick and easy bite to eat (again, because Mommy was trying to save my energy which I knew I would be needing in the hours to come...and boy did I need it!). Alivia is afraid of the fireworks that just make loud noise and are not pretty. The little kids and I took long wagon rides to watch all the neighbors' money go up in smoke. They really liked them! We came back home to the Macy's fireworks on TV (which were really awesome!).

Once it became dark, we wanted to move outside until I had to leave for work. However, I looked outside and saw the neighbors laying in a pool of fireworks with roman candles in their mouths while they went off and decided, "Um, I think we will just watch from inside this year!"

So, we watched from barstools parked at our big window in our bedroom! It was actually a great spot to see a great show, and it was not as loud as being outside (for Alivia's sensitive little ears). The kids were really excited, jumping up and down when there was a really neat one. It was funny to watch. I put Asher to bed about 10 before leaving to work (and he went right to sleep in spite of the noise), and the girls followed soon after.

Although a quiet day, it was a fun day that we spent just as a family. And, you can't beat days like that, whatever the day or Holiday!

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Progress Towards 2009 Goals

Remember making 2009 goals? It is July, so time to review our progress.

Goals for 2009:
1. Continue to buy only bear minimum: Could do better on this, but we are doing pretty good.
2. Save more, more, and invest: Check. All the kids have Berkshire stock, and Chris and I have 3 shares of BRK plus many other stock. I try to check weekly. With that said, it can be depressing as so far the stocks have not done well. We are learning, though.
3. Move by the 4th of July? Although this is out of our control, I am so sad that we have not moved and may not be able to move. Once you are ready to move, you just want to move already! It would be one thing if our home was still for sale and the others listed with real estate agents in our neighborhood had sold. But, that is not the case. They are still sitting there, too. Whatever the news says, this is a rough real estate market. And, it may just not be our time to move, unfortunately. God really wants us to learn to love the neighbor. Love is tough.
4. Limit computer time. We can do better on this. Much of computer things are a total waste of time.
5. If we do not move: Get a deck: Obviously, we have not know what we are doing yet, so this goal will have to wait (and may continue to wait).
6. Take a family trip and book a 10 year anniversary trip for Chris and I for next winter (our 10 year anniversary is this upcoming August): We have a family trip planned and have already taken one (to the great wolf if that counts). I am looking into a trip in August (on a smaller scale) and then one in the winter for Chris and I to take alone together. I can not book the August one until we know if we are moving. If we are moving, we probably will not take the trip (just too much going on!).
7. Visit the Grandparents at least once a month: With selling the house, I have slipped on this goal!

8. I want to run a 1/2 marathon: CHECK! Now that I am done with that, I have little motivation. I am not running any more in my future. I am pondering running a full in the distant future, however, I think running 1/2 and marathons are kinda like having babies. You really forget about the process after it is over and you have the reward. However, I can not easily forget getting up at 4am to run 12 miles in the freezing cold.
9. My add on: Finish the 2008 Family photo album!

You have to have goals...so we will continue to work towards them!

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Night with 2 kiddos

Tonight, Alivia is spending the night with Grandma Kathy and Boppa Bob for the very first time. This is actually the very first time since Addison was born that Alivia has spent the night without Addison (and Asher for that matter). It did not go well on this end, but I will get to that later.

In order to make it a special night for Addison and Asher, we decided to take a trip to Zorinsky for a bike ride. We biked all the way around the lake, 7 some odd miles, stopping for a fun picnic and at 2 parks. We gave Biker Gang a whole new meaningThe weather was nice to a little hot at times. We saw bunnies, a deer, birds, and it was very peaceful! The kiddos had fun. And, as an added bonus, we went to TCBI for a treat afterwards. Mmmm!

When we returned home, Addison became really upset, missing Alivia aka A EE YA. It was seriously heart wrenching! We called Alivia and she was excited to hear from us and having fun with Grandma, Grandpa and Lucas. They told each other they loved each other and missed each other, which was nice to hear! Alivia sounded so grown up. Addison even made me call Alivia back so she could say good-night to her. We turned on a Curious George DVD and Addison got a little better. But, as she went bed tonight, she asked, "When will A ee ya be home?" Let's just say I think if one kid goes, they all (at least both girls at this point) need to go. Addison could not figure out why she could not go too, or why I could not go and get Alivia.

It is amazing the difference in noise level with just one kid missing. Addison and Asher together are just calmer by themselves than when Alivia is in the mix. There was way less drama, too. Not just because Alivia was gone, but Addison created less drama, I believe, because she was always getting attention from us (or getting more of it when Chris was at work. All in all, we had a fun night in spite of missing Alivia!

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June In Review

Oh boy, what a month! We started June with swimming lessons outside, which I thought was a good idea. BRRR! June turned out to come in like March! Alivia flip flopped between in and outdoors, but ended up really getting the hang of swimming. She is now able to swim 6 feet underwater, dive down to get toys, etc. She has really advanced in the last couple of weeks. We had some fun adventures, too, to the Wildlife Safari, the zoo, Children's Museum, Mahoney, the forest, Splash Station, Oak Hills Country Club, Fireworks at Shadow Ridge Country Club, and more! Baby Ben was baptised, and Chris is honored to be his Godfather. We had playdates with Riley and Brody, too. Alivia took 2 preschool classes, camping and Fancy Nancy. We celebrated Father's Day taking a trip to Iowa and then back to Millard. And, we did all of this while we had open houses nearly every weekend and showed our home through the week. Yes, we must be nuts!

Hard to believe it is July! The summer is going by too fast! We are trying to soak up every last free day until Alivia has to go to school...

...until next month...enjoy the summer!

 

I put together a picture viewing page of Shutterfly. Hope you enjoy it!

June Pictures

June Day at the HD Zoo

Today was our monthly visit to the zoo. It was a fabulous day, perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky. However, I soon found out that someone else had the same idea.

We were able to enjoy many of the outdoor aspects of the zoo like the zebras, giraffes, bears, seals, etc, as well hitting the jungle (one of Alivia's favs). But, we made the mistake of going to the desert (Alivia's favorite). Let's just say that if there were a fire in there, we were not ever going to get out of there! It was a zoo!

Let's hope next month is better.

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Homeowner Pains

There is always something, it seems, when you own a home, at least in our case. Just when we think we have everything in top shape, the garage door breaks in a near mangled mess!

Chris came home from work on Friday and asked me what I thought of the garage door. Huh? What are you talking about? I had just mowed, cleaned up, and shut the garage door with out any apparent problems. Come to find out, the screws I was finding all over the garage were from the garage door, causing it to weaken. The bolts and bracket on the door connecting to the garage door opener popped off and the garage door opener part was all mangled. It was a serious mess, not to mention a hazard.

So, I made the call...to my Dad. He fixes everything. He was down within a hour to help Chris diagnose the problem, buy the necessary tools, and eyeball what needed to be done. Chris already had a headache. Our plans for going to the art fair downtown today were blown out of the water. He was not happy.

Saturday morning came, and so did a guy who claimed to give free estimates. Of course, being a garage door salesman, he said we needed a whole new garage door, plus a new opener (which seemed quite strange since we just bought this one last year) costing $1000. Um, what? We still have our home on the market and are continuing to shell out money here and there for small repairs, but $1000 is no small repair! Chris wanted to go for it because our garage door has been a big problem for us. He just did not want this problem to pop up again. He was hesitant to fork out the big money. I, on the other hand, thought the salesman was nuts and wanted to go with my Dad's plan...or at least try!

So, Chris, with no excitement, spent the majority of the day sweating it out in the garage, taking it all apart, drilling new holes, buying parts, remodeling the set up a bit, stabilizing the unit and again and again, and piecing everything back together. In the end, he spent $80 (mostly for a new CORDED drill), and it is fixed. For now, our garage is as good as new (if not better!) Thanks Chris!

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Fireworks Show

Let the Show Begin!

Chris' brother invited us to the Country Club where he works for their annual fireworks show. We arrived shortly after 8:30, quickly catching up with Chris' parents and finding a nice spot to sit. It was a beautiful night with a nice wind to keep the temperatures comfortable. It was just nice to actually sit and relax a bit after our crazy week (3 showings, garage door repair, ugh!). The Country Club was really nice...makes you want to be a member (if only...!).

The fireworks began shortly after 10. Asher, laid his head on me, not liking them at all. He only cried a bit, though. Alivia and Addison really got into them this year, though. The fireworks were amazing! And, the finale - wow!! Highly recommend parking your car near this show every year!

Thank you Uncle Brent for the invite and the amazing show!

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Before and After: Dinette Area

Kitchen Dinette BEFORE

Finally, our new kitchen table has arrived! Here's the story. I ordered this table off of Ebay (this is what happens when you have 3 kids and no time to shop!). They claimed to hand make each one upon ordering. The table itself was made in Italy and shipped via cargo on a ship! Anyway, after 9 weeks, the table arrived! It is a bit large, but we have a large family. I love it! I am so excited for the new look.

Now it is official: We do not have any furniture in our home that we had when we moved it. That is a major accomplishment considering all the furniture we have in this home!

Kitchen Dinette: AFTER

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Children's Museum in June

Wild! That is all I will say about our visit to the Children's Museum today! There were numerous daycares and daycamps there today, so many that I did not think it was safe. We started upstairs at the at the Sesame Street Presents: The Body exhibit. We had been there before, but actually missed seeing some things last time! The kids still liked playing in all the areas. There was an Elmo meet and Greet...but are you kidding? The line was so long we would still be there waiting! There were just so many kids there today! We went downstairs to the ball room. It was filled with bigger kids who liked to push, so we did not last long. We went into all the rooms with similar issues. We ended up in the baby room, where we played for a while until lunch. I think the kids had fun in spite of the craziness.

Note to self: Leave when you see buses pulling up when you are getting out of the car!

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Reality Divorce

I'm sad....so sad, about Jon & Kate's decision to file for divorce. I watch very little TV. Let's just say I watch LOST and Jon & Kate +8. Other than that...I watch random TV, but nothing regularly. I have watched Jon & Kate since the first show. Their 6 were born 15 days before our little Alivia was born, so I liked watching to see how they raised their kids, disciplined them, potty trained them, and all the fun places they took them. It was no secret that Kate was a bit harsh on Jon. Okay, perhaps she was a bit more than harsh. Jon was the quiet one. All of that harshness had to get to a person eventually. I am not giving Jon excuses, because there are not any excuses. Both Jon and Kate are at fault. I just do not understand how they could not try and make it work for their 8 kids. They just renewed their vows last August afterall! Come on! They kept saying on the show how they do things for their kids. Since when is divorce the best thing for kids? Since when is Daddy not being home every night or Mommy being home every day the best thing for kids? I know, I know, I do not know their specific situation. With that said, you marry "For better or for worse" and they did that twice, once in front of their 8.

Thinking of our marriage, I just could not think of ever living separately from Chris (sorry to those who keep wishing...). I may get mad at him and vice versa (less now that I stay home. Our lives are so much more relaxed now that I take care of the kids and home and Chris works. HIGHLY recommend being a SAHM for any mom who is overwhelmed working. Makes everything better). We made a promise to each other x5: Once on the day we got married, then again on the day we got married in the Catholic Church, and then once for each child we had together. We are committed to each other. If the going gets rough, we will take a trip together and work it out, get into counseling, and recommit ourselves to US.

I think Chris can relate to Jon. Chris is the quiet one (shocker!) and I am the witch. No, I am not quite that witchy, although some would probably argue that. I am, however, more honest than I should be sometimes. I do say too much that is on my mind sometimes. Chris and I are really honest with one another, so my honesty does not affect Chris directly, but more indirectly. I like things perfect, but not as bad as Kate. I let the kids eat without bibs (the kids Alivia's age wear bibs on the show! Addison, who is 2, has not wore a bib in a year!). I do like our home to be clean. Anyone with kids knows this is rather difficult. I have gotten much worse since our home has been on the market, too. I am VERY particular, like having the laundry caught up, like cleaning one room before moving to play in another. I can relate to Kate, but she was a bit rude to Jon. I many times felt bad for him as she yelled at him. With that said, the bad moments made for good TV. So, I assumed that they portrayed Kate that way and she was not really THAT bad. Perhaps I was wrong.

The whole thing is sad. I feel sad for their beautiful 8. Jon's comment that he was excited for the next chapter because he is only 32 (so he is still young enough to start over or what? What crap!). I am sad, mad, frustrated, et al.

Now, what will be my Jon & Kate replacement? I'm sorry, I do not do reality divorce! 

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Storytime at Standing Bear

Well, just in case we continue to live at our current address, I decided to take Alivia (and Addison) to story time at Standing Bear Elementary tonight. What fun! Alivia was able to pick out some books (and Addison will check out some next time), make a fun ocean tube craft, and play a bit. It was fun. Think we will make it a habit of going every Monday and Wednesday night and Friday morning! At least she will be familiar with the library if we stay in this neighborhood! Next time, we will let Asher come along.

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Father's Day 2009

Happy Father's Day! This year Chris is the Daddy of Asher, 18 months, Addison, 2 1/2 years, & Alivia, 5!

After Daddy opened his presents at home (new shorts, shirt, socks and a gift card to Best Buy), we went to the annual flight breakfast in Harlan, Iowa. Although a little cloudy, some planes came in for breakfast. We arrived around 9, wishing Grandpa Bill a Happy Father's Day. We ate some breakfast (Asher ate eggs and the girls enjoyed some chocolate milk) and then watched the planes fly in and out. Asher waved "Bye Bye!" excitedly to each one of them. Asher really got into it! Addison wanted to take a airplane ride (soon Addison...soon). It was fun. We gave Grandpa a movie and a photo storage card for his new phone (techy Grandpa!).

Then we loaded up and came back to Omaha to visit with Grandpa Bob. Grandpa also got the DVD Gran Torino and a golf towel from the Oak Hills Country Club where they are now members. After visiting them for a bit, we went out for the annual TCBY treat (Daddy's get a free treat at TCBY on Father's Day!).

Back at home, it is now rest time. We hope to get in a good bike ride with the kids and maybe some water time.

Why can't every day be Father's Day...right Daddy?

3 Generations of Austins...

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A Dip in the Pool

Chris' parents invited us (the kids and I) to the pool at the Oak Hills Club Golf Course today. It was our first time there, so I was not sure what to expect. It is really nice. It is not all fancy like some of the newer pools, but it is quiet, warm, lined with a soft liner, has many toys and a water basketball hoop, and not chaotic busy which is really nice! Alivia played with cousin Lucas while Asher continued to swim without any fear. Addison, remained mostly on the side playing with toys and shivering. I did take her for a brief swim around the pool before she got out to get dressed just before the rain hit. We hope to visit Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bob's pool again sometime, maybe when it's hot. Grandpa has a goal for Addison to go under the water by the end of the summer...so we better get practicing! I am hoping she just gets in. :)

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