Tropical Storm Fay

Today we experienced Tropical Storm Fay! It wasn't overly exciting, but it was fun to be out in the wind and "Trist"! (Jim Cantore - our favorite Storm Tracker on The Weather Channel - said "Trist" is "Tropical Mist" LOL)

Really, it turned out to be nothing more than a very overcast, rainy day with lots of wind. I don't think that there was any major issues in this area whatsoever. (Then again, if you look at the map, you will see that we have pretty much just been hanging out in the eye of this thing for the most part!) I think that we ended up lucking out with this system, since from what the news has been saying, there have been nearly 5000 flood claims in the state of FL since Fay came ashore! Of course, we aren't through it completely, but I think that the "worst" of it is over.
So, I took some quick photos of the kids out playing in the early morning before the rain really started , but the wind was blowing nicely! They LOVED the cool weather that came along with Fay!! Here are Bug & Cricket playing with Fay!!

After a Long Day

It is a rare treat that Baby Blue cuddles up to Daddy, but when she does, it is too sweet to not capture the moment!!

Homeschool Begins!

YAY!! Yesterday was the first day back to Homeschooling for us! It was really nice to be back on a schedule again...and it seemed to be easier for the kids to get through the day as well. Bug had a fairly decent day - with very few meltdowns and was able to focus on the tasks given. It was very encouraging for me to have the first day go so well!!

Here was our schedule:
6:30AM - Girls & I are up and moving, getting dressed, breakfast & coffee, & chores.
8AM - Bug up, dressed & breakfast
9AM - MATH REVIEW & Independent work on workbook pages (I worked with Cricket on preparing her "school" room with posters of her colors, ABCs, and numbers! FUN!)
10AM - Break/Snack
10:20AM - HANDWRITING REVIEW & Cursive Lowercase Workbook Page
11AM - Break - Playtime
11:30AM - LUNCH
1PM - Errands
1:30PM - SPELLING REVIEW & Worksheet
2PM - READING & Quiet Time
3PM - Snack
3:15PM - Free Time for video games, friends, etc...
5PM - Dinner & Chores
6:30PM - Baths/Showers/PJs
7:15PM - Cricket to Bed
8:30PM - Bug to Bed

It was a simple day, with only review of information from before the summer, but it was a start! More importantly though, it was an ENCOURAGING START!! I am looking forward to today and what it brings!

Baby Blue

Now you know why she is Baby Blue!!

She's not so little anymore!!

Sweet N Innocent - 3yrs
Originally uploaded by luvinmyhunter

Cricket is growing up!!

A Father's Love

I am dedicating this post to my dear, loving husband, Randy. He is such a good Dad, and he gives no less than 100% to each of our adoring children! I can see the love that he has for them each and everyday. It shows in many ways, each dependent on the circumstances: in the sparkle of his eyes when they have done something to make him proud, his actions as he takes the time to spend some one on one time with each of them, and even by the frustration that he has with himself when he doesn't feel as though he has done as well as he had hoped or wanted to do with them.

Randy has a special bond with each of the children, but our middle baby, Cricket, is Daddy's Girl! Let me just say, I have never seen a bond like theirs!! They are "2 Peas in a Pod"...wherever Dad is, you can be sure that Cricket isn't far behind! Cricket says that Daddy is her "hero" and she misses him before he even walks out the door for work each day! These 2 can simply sit and do nothing together, but they are perfectly happy! Their connection is really amazing, in my opinion! I always thought that Cricket would be "Mommy's Girl," but no, she is far from it...and I am OK with that! I love watching Randy and her play on the Slip-N-Slide together, read books, play board games, and just "hang out" together. They even have their own "inside jokes" that the 2 of them laugh about. (Can you guess what Randy's cell phone ringtone is?? Yep, it is a series of cricket chirps!!)

Since Baby Blue was born, Randy has taken over Cricket's needs in the night...the fears and tears that require a parent's attention. He so sweet with her! He used to curl up with her at night to help her fall asleep, but he has since broken that habit and now just curls up with her in the early morning hours when Cricket wants to get up and play, but Randy can't force himself to get up yet! :) It is so cute to see them all curled up in the Twin Size bed...Randy all but falling out of the bed and Cricket talking to him while he TRIES to sleep!
Cricket benefits from this relationship, for sure!! She has him wrapped right around her tiny finger! All she has to do is look at him with those big, brown eyes and talk to him in her little, sweet voice...and he melts right into the palms of her hands! No matter what it is...riding her scooter, picking blueberries, flying a kite, swimming, swinging, or watching TV...Cricket wants to do it with her Daddy! He is her "rock" in this scary world and wants him next to her at all times!

As I said before, Randy is an amazing, amazing father! He doesn't always think that he is, but I know differently. We all feel like we aren't doing our job as a parent as well as we could be or should be from time to time. I just wanted to take some time to say that I think Randy is the best father that our kids could have and that I feel very lucky to have him as a partner in parenting!

Holy FIT!!

LOL - I have to laugh, or I just might cry!!
Yesterday was a LONG day. It wasn't too bad starting out...we had a doctor's appointment with Bug's pediatrician - wanted to keep him "on the loop" as to what was going on with the psych appointments. Thankfully, the doctors seem to agree on the pathway that we are heading down as far as diagnoses goes. (Whew, that helps put you more at ease when more than one "expert" tells you the same thing!)
We ran some errands in town and then had an appointment with Bug's psychiatrist. This is where it gets "hairy", so to speak. We started out having a chat with the doctor while Bug played on the floor with some magnets. Apparently, the Dr wanted to "push" Bug a little to see how he reacted to a little external challenging. He asked Bug to go sit in a chair and read a chapter in a book that we had with us. Bug told him that he didn't want to read the book, but the Dr persisted that he should sit in the chair and read just a bit of it. After a few dirty looks, Bug got up in the chair with the book and proceeded to find the chapter he had been asked to read. He was flipping the pages when the Dr turned to him and asked him how he was sleeping. Bug was a bit upset at the interruption and stated (not so kindly) "OK, I guess...well, not great." Then he was asked to please return to reading the book. Bug was NOT happy about this. He glared at the Dr and then started whispering under his breath to me "Mom, I don't want to read this book! I don't want to read it! I won't read it! Can I please take a break and go outside?" Meanwhile, the Dr continued his conversation with R and I regarding Bug's behavior during the last week. Bug got more and more worked up - just sitting in the chair...no one saying anything more to him about reading the book - that he ended up climbing onto the floor and hiding behind the table and chair. He wouldn't communicate with the Dr when he was asked why he was down there. (By the way, the Dr was VERY gentle and polite to Bug...not at all intimidating or rude in any way during all of this.) Well, the Dr looked at R and I and said something along the lines of how Bug had worsened in just the couple of months that he had been seeing him because Bug was able to communicate his thoughts and feelings at the start, but was unable to do so now. Anyhow, he increased the Risperdal to 1mg and sent us on our way - for another 2 weeks.
Once we got out of the office, Bug was SUPER Hyper/Silly and couldn't sit still in the car. Before we even got to our next stop, Bug was in tears because he had to wait in the car with me and the girls while Dad went into the store. (Not something that would typically cause a crying fit...) By the time we got home an hour later, we had witnessed a range of extreme emotions from Ultra-Hyper/Happy to Anger to Sadness & Depression. It was quite the car ride experience!! (Sigh)
We got home and the fits did not stop there. All evening there were meltdowns with frustration, tears, and hyperness...it was EXHAUSTING!! Just keeping your cool with him is extremely difficult...but watching your child go through all of this...is just heart breaking!! R and I were at the end of our rope by the time the kids were all in bed at 8PM. We both went to bed with a lot on our minds and woke up today with high hopes that the day would not be a repeat of the day before! As of now, Bug is still in bed, getting some much needed rest...we will just wait and see what the day brings!