Lab Bill!

Only a short bit of info..I got my lab bill for my trip to Little Rock..it was a whopping $2916 for those 11 tubes of blood!!  I had nooo idea!  Add that to my $134 for the doctor visit, $8585 for the hospital, and lab, and doctor-now I'm up to $13,000. (Ok, to be fair, it's all pre-insurance.  It's not all settled, but doctor/hospital is around $1750 for my part.  Haven't gotten my EOB for the LR labwork).  But can you believe it??  Highway Robbery!  (what does that mean anyway?)  I'm just shocked.
Now have a picture (you'll see why below..)

Do you remember the bloated frog that Clay found in the skimmer out by the pool?  Did I tell you that story?  It was gross, and hugely puffed up from the death/salt water.  We fished it out, and it slowly shrunk.  Now it's this nasty shriveled body (you can see the ribs under the blackish skin).  So nasty.  Well..I knew something was up when I heard Clay strongly persuading Mary Claire and her friend to come upstairs to his room to see something.  I said I'd go, but he wasn't so excited.  When I got up there, he'd brought that shriveled carcass up there!  He'd put it in a K'nex lid (aahhh-germs!), and I freaked out, properly.  He took it outside (to the garage recycle bin!), and I freaked some more.  He put it on an outside table, and I accepted it.  I'm hoping one of those wild cats will eat it, and we'll be done!  Mom thinks he's a blooming biologist, I think he's all BOY!  So, now the k'nex lid is in my dishwasher, but I'm okay now.

Nasty Frog:

 

I took Mary Claire to the doctor, and she's okay too-we did the whole xray thing, and it's not broken.

It's was just hyperextended, and it's okay.  We learned that tendon is stronger than bone, and sometimes when you hyperextend, the tendon will pull off a small chunk of bone where it was attached, and the sliver will cause irritation, swelling, and has to be surgically removed.  Then, there's the physical therapy.  Let's just say we are sooo happy it's fine!  The doctor said to just wrap it in tape to the middle finger, and it'd heal.  I feel bad that she went to gymnastics on Tuesday with a sore hand!
Ok, Clay kidnapped my camera, so I predict there will be a nasty frog picture coming soon..
On a better note, I did a tiny bit of cooking today!  I made a beautiful roast beef (but the pictures just made it look bad, Mom says it looked like bad granite), cinnamon streusel muffins, and we had chocolate chip cookies after school.  I mean, I'm a great mom!  hahahaha say the kids.  (ok, so they were break-n-bake!)
And guess what I found on my bar today?  You'll never guess, so I'll tell you.  Some big, huge (redundant, I know) plat map for a neighborhood I've never heard of!  When is he going to tell me about it??

Then, I have this big boy, who runs from the camera.  He won't let me take any pictures any more.  It took 14 to get this one decent one.  I kinda tricked him, so he thought I was counting to three.  He's learned my technique, so he turns his head on two (but I flashed on one! hahahahaha!):

So. The title.  When I took Mary Claire to the doctor, she looked around at the brochures, and asked what puberty was.  !!  I told her it was when her body started to mature, she would grow hair under her arms, her breasts would grow, and she'd start her period (yes, we've gone that far).  She asked what BOY puberty was.  (cough, cough)  I told her they grew hair under their arms too!  Then she interrupted and asked to see the brochure.  I got it down (uh-oh), and she asked what the puberty hormone was.  (?)  I read it, and it said pituitary gland.  We talked about hormones, then the doctor came in (hooray!).  When he left, she asked me to put the brochure back, and I asked if she wanted to take it home. She said Eww-no!  (Should I be glad?)  I SO don't want to have the big talk.  My kids know that babies come from God.  I'm not ready to go farther!  Prayer.  I need more prayer about this.

Ok, we are now camera-happy, so you get to share our fun (like it or not!):

Muffins and Cookies!       

Earning Brownie Points

WooHoo-glad today is over-it was sooo long!  And now I get to tell you the abbreviated version..
I had Mother's Day Out-and sometimes it only consists of grocery shopping. Sad, isn't it?  I got two days of snacks and drinks (guilt over not teaching propels me) for our church VBS, and snacks for Clay's baseball team tonight, and Uncrustables to make my life easier for 5 lunch days, more Zyrtec for Mary Claire, and other stuff thrown in for good measure!
So, it gets better (and busier!).  Mary Claire hurt her hand last week doing cartwheels (she's still working on the one-handed cartwheel), and she fell backward on it, kinda pushing her fingers back (where they don't go).  Well, she complained once this weekend, and I forgot about it.  Last night it came back up, so I called the doctor today, and she has an appointment tomorrow.  We could've gone today, but there was too much scheduled that she didn't want to miss!
So, after school I took Mary Claire and Ethan to Mary Claire's Girl Scout Bridging Ceremony (for the third grade brownies to bridge to juniors).  It was at the beautiful Magnolia Gardens in Springdale.  Here are a few pictures for you!  (The magnolia trees are not in big, full bloom yet, so no pictures of them..)

Did you see those amazing little tadpoles?  There are thousands of them!  Just wait till they are big frogs.  There were also koi fish living in there-Ethan LoVeD them!  Can you believe in this horrible rainy day we had a tiny bit of sunshine?  I was soo thankful!  It was perfect timing.  Thank you, God! : )
So here are the girls in her troop on the bridge.  Adorable, huh?

She's in the front middle, in the striped dress.  We forgot her brownie vest (and our chairs..), but we made it there-totally big-time brownie points! heehee
Then, Ethan was just dying to get on that bridge!  I'd done all the holding back I could do (and the handrail was at head level-sooo dangerous!), but I let him up there as I panted in half-hysterics.  Yes, really-especially after our pool experience last week!)

He's such a cutie-and it was a great photo op!  I wonder if I could go back to Magnolia Gardens on a weekend just to take pictures??
And here are the two of them-wish Clay would've been with us.  He had a baseball game, so they didn't join us.

So after they were all a-bridged, we headed back home for a little bit to unload the dishwasher, take Genevieve out to play, and to get ready to go again!  We loaded up, gave thanks for the rain holding out, and went to Gator Golf for a JDRF ambassador event (aka get-together).  We met a few new families, the new JDRF intern, and new kids!  Mary Claire found a new friend, and wanted to call her after we got in the van.  She can be shy, then so friendly when she warms up!

Do you remember when we were in Universal Studios when there were photo ops around every corner-things to sit on, around, and with..so Ethan thinks the gorillas are to sit on!  I snapped a picture, then told him to get off!  Yeah, they're just for decoration.
Then, home, and put those kiddies to bed.  It took us till 9:20-I'm just glad school is winding down-it's been a lot more relaxed lately (for instance, Clay has two field trips this week!  A Naturals game today, and a trip to Devil's Den Friday).
I must go to bed, as tomorrow is doctor's appointment, another baseball game, and the busy continues.  So.. did you earn your brownie points today? : )

Memories

I finally got my Disney picture cd in the mail today!  Yay!  I will post a few pictures, even though the trip was about a month ago now.  Happy Memories.  I'm still glad we went, it changed some yuck into good. : )  Here's my favorite:

So sweet..makes me remember that night.. the night we got rained on running back to the car, and we smelled.  Ahh..good times!  heehee  That's what family is made of (not bad smells, just shared memories!).
Oh, and tinkerbell!  She was so cute!

And let's not forget the Buzz Lightyear Experience:

If you totally forgot the story (or didn't hear about it..) you can read it here.
Ok, so on with the show.  Today we were up early again, and had to hit the ground running.  It's going to be a busy week, and today I had to fit in grocery shopping and laundry.  Ethan and I also stopped by a couple houses..just for fun.  I really like one of them, but I'd probably want it rebuilt on a different lot.  It looks out into chicken houses and some barn/lean-to/horse stall things.  I love the house (smaller kid rooms and smaller garage size), but good.  Ches likes the idea of less yard to take care of, and I could clean less (maybe).  It's just a thought.  We always toy with the idea, and we are thinking.  I think if you aren't always conscious of what's going on in life, you aren't living.  I don't want to just coast along-I want to be actively involved.  That may involve downsizing!  We'll see how things go.
Tomorrow, another doctor's appointment for me.  I am going back to see my ob/gyn again.  We'd made an appointment to talk after the specialist appointment, but I already know my blood work was all fine.  Now, I guess we talk about what happens next.  Ches and I talked last night, and I decided (more me than him) that I could only do this one more time.  I can't take an endless stream of disappointment, so there has to be an end in sight if it continues to be devastation.  I have to know I can move on with my life.  I can live either way, and I'll be okay; I just want to know.  The not knowing what will be in a year is hard.  I'd like to plan for the future, whatever it is. I'd planned to go back to school before we decided to try again (and it became a passion-who knew!).  So, I'm psyching up for my morning appointment, and I'd like to go alone.  I have to discuss real options and what will happen.  I can't tell Ches to stay home, but I might if he asks.  If it's pregnancy, it's our decision, if it's my body, I think it's mine.  So pray for me!
Tomorrow is also Bunco (and we don't know where yet!), and Clay's baseball game.  Mom is watching Mary Claire and Ethan in the overlap, it's just crazy.  Wednesday gets worse with Girl Scout ceremony, JDRF ambassador event at Gator Golf (I'll have to take Ethan too), and another baseball game.  Summer will be a welcome calm after the storm!  We can't wait-although then the camps start..
Genevieve is still doing well.  Now, we can set her out the door, she'll do her business and come back to the door and bark!  She's so good.  She eats her meals, poops (sorry, but if you have a pet you understand) afterward, and takes a couple naps a day-we're kinda on a schedule!  I like a routine so we both know what to expect!  The only thing she's doing not-so-great is some chewing.  She's chewed my nice Pottery Barn bath mat, my wicker cubes & hamper, and some shoes. Mostly we've caught her before she's caused major problems.  She kinda chews/bites at the kids' heels/pants, and that makes them crazy.  Ethan is actually the bravest.  I think it might be since he's with her the most.  He'll play with her, run with her, and isn't afraid to pet her.  It seems like Mary Claire is still skittish (can you spell it better?) around her, and Clay will jump up on the couch to avoid her snappy playfulness.  They call her Nipper since she nips their heels.  Her bites don't hurt, but their fear makes them hurt.  Mary Claire cries.  Hope it gets better.
Ok, I should go to bed...Just one more picture: our day in Hollywood Studios!

Notice anything familiar?  Look closely... Yes, these were the same clothes we wore to Magic Kingdom in the very first picture!  We'd spent the day at Hollywood Studios, but I had to go back for the Wishes Fireworks-I just love going back at night-it's a whole other spirit being so close to so many people, and hearing Jiminy Cricket talk to you about dreams and wishes, and seeing Tinkerbell fly across the sky-so magical.  It's always worth going back, even the fifth and sixth times...
Take some time with the ones you love, even if it's a puzzle, game, a walk outside, or a vacation!  It helps you see the world in a whole new way.

Fancy Party with Nancy!

What a day!  It was my sweet baby girl's birthday-she turned 8!  It was not so long ago that she was in diapers and sucking her thumb.  She is so precious, and I'm so thankful for her-for so many reasons.  She is full of love and hugs-even when I wake her in the morning-she has hugs for me.  Her smile and even her puppy-dog-eyes can melt my heart-even if I think she's playing me!

So-on to our day!  We started early-6:15am-and got ready to go to our friend Angie's daughter, Andalynn's, party (I know I said that wrong, but I don't have time to rethink it).  It took me two hours to get there last time, so I used the GPS sooner, and it only took me an hour and 25 minutes!  You can bet I'll use it again next time.
So, we got there, and everything was just perfect!

Her table was sooo cute-she'd found a Fancy party in a Celebrate magazine-so adorable!  I think her stuff was better, but you can't tell a magazine that, heehee.  Anyway, they all had little buckets with tons of goodies: lip gloss, a big blingy ring, a flower ring, candy, and a sweet thank you for coming to my party bookmark-all just adorable!
They decorated picture frames with pink glitter glue and rhinestones:

Then they sat, and snacks and finger foods were served on cake plates and silver trays: Ooo-la-la!

They were all so lady-like and used the best manners!  There's nothing like a dress-up party to bring out the princess behavior (note to self).
Then Angie read them the original Fancy Nancy story:

She didn't really want her picture out there, but she was just beautiful, and it was a great party-she deserves some kudos! : )  Yay, my sweet friend-you did a wonderful job!  But, I'm not done yet... the cake was amazing-and she made it!  It took a few days of baking, freezing, frosting (and coloring frosting), matching frosting colors with ribbon colors, layering, more freezing, ahh-I'd have ordered out and given up, but it was awesome-and tasted just as good as it looked!  Tres, Tres, Chic!

Mary Claire got to open her gift while Andalynn was opening hers-she was so excited-since it was her real Birthday!  I think she was thankful to have that teensy bit of attention!

When the ladies got ready to leave, they got the most precious little buckets-want an even closer-up picture?  So cute!

And then we hung around to clean up a little, and we took pictures of Mary Claire with her new American Girl doll that she just got for her birthday (well, a little early-she got it in the mail last week!).  They are so cute-and she let Megan wear her :M: rhinestone bracelet for a necklace!  I love that she's a girl doll, and not a baby (for more than one reason).  She wears dresses and panties, not diapers and onesies.  I love it.  She has pierced ears and a cell phone!  Woo Hoo! But, here's a cute one:

We couldn't fine the small hot pink bow, so Megan got the light pink-just the best we could do.  But they are both wearing flowers and bows, so close enough. : )
Ok, so then..we went to Schlotzky's and then Target to spend her birthday money-it was burning a hole in her pocket!  We were there at least an hour, and I had on heels!  I got a little whiney after an hour of the toy department.  We looked in music, movies, books, then dolls, Barbies, Zhu Zhu pets, Pixo's (thought they were recalled!), and she would put stuff in the cart, then change her mind, and trade it out-this happened at least 6 times.  Decisions when you actually have money to spend!  She ended up with a Blender pen kit and a Chixo's Luxe Loft with girls and furniture (on sale!).  It was raining as we came out of Target, and she ripped into her toys in the van, so I have no picture here.  I'll try to get one of the new toys tomorrow.
Then the drive home, some time with Genevieve outside, then to Olive Garden for her birthday dinner!  Ethan was so sleepy he fell asleep at our table with food in his mouth!  Bless his heart-he was so tired.  Then to Gigi and Papa's for our cake-I haven't uploaded those pix yet-and more birthday!  She got more birthday money, so she begged to go back to Target tonight (yes, it was almost 8pm by then!).  I was so pooped, I said no.  She played the :birthday: card (it's her special day, she gets to do what she wants, etc.), but I said no.  So, we have one more long toy department visit ahead!  note to self: wear comfy shoes, bring a book.  : )
We got in late, more playing with Genevieve, and off to bed.  Clay's at a sleepover birthday party tonight at a friend's house.  He's only been to one before-and this is the same friend.  They are good together, so I think he's having a blast!  I just hope he makes it through church in the morning.  I bet he falls asleep-we'll see.  What a day of birthdays!
Happy Birthday, my sweet little princess-you'll always be my little girl.  Happy Birthday, Andalynn-your momma loves you so much-and does so much for you!  Happy Birthday, Sutton-I hope you boys are having fun, fun, fun, and that you get a teensy bit of sleep!
Thank you, God, for kids to celebrate!