weekend recap...

more GREAT weather & another GREAT weekend!

the wild roses in our backyard are in full bloom
the kiddos & i attended kelly & chris' wedding (curtis was working) - very cool, unconventional wedding - the bride is from my hometown & the groom, from new zealand....the ceremony was in our church, the entire bridal party was barefoot (including the adorable flower girl & ring bearer), the bridesmaids sang the couples' song a cappella, the bride's brother played a song on his guitar that he wrote for his big sis, both sets of parents read scripture....it was so sweet!

me & the kiddos waiting for the ceremony to begin
at the reception - in the bride's parent's back yard
jaden took this pic of me :0)
chris & kelly cutting the cake - they loved it!
after the wedding, we went by nana & grandpa's to try out yet another new toy! since the last go-kart he just bought was too big for the girls (and my nephew who's also corinn's age), grandpa went and bought another one - even smaller & this one seats 2! boy, he sure knows how to spoil his grand babies!
playing dress up with the new cheerleader outfit she bought with her own money!
sunday morning coffee & a game of Guess Who? i LOVED this game as a kid...it's so much fun teaching my kids to play! btw - the girls' "coffee" is really just coffee flavored, sweetened milk....they LOVE taking sips of my coffee & i've convinced them that this diluted version is just as good! ~lol~
more go-kart riding at nana & grandpa's after church
and eating fresh asparagus out of their garden....corinn is my veggie nut!more chalk fun at home that evening
this says "VASS" - gabrielle has circled & labeled the potted plant as a 'vase' - it was my mother's day gift from her, but she still insists on caring for it & taking it outside regularly for fresh air & sunshine :0) soon, we'll transplant it (and the ones that corinn & jaden gave me) into our flower bed!
here she wrote "NOASILD" - which is supposed to say 'no ants allowed'
i LOVE it! not only that my 5 year old, pre-k student is sounding out words & trying to create sentences....but that she's letting the ants in our backyard know to stay away from her drawing area! ~lol~
a pose on Memorial Day in front of the roses
the view on our drive back to west virginia to spend the day at my aunt's house for a cook-out
gosh, i love living in the mountains! (those dots in the field are sheep)
curtis did all the grilling while the other men watched (chicken, burgers, dogs - yummy!), the kids (i think there were 11 total there) played outside with water guns & us ladies had some cocktails & tried to stay cool (and forgot to take pics ~lol~)....can u believe how hot it got yesterday?! in the high 80s here!
the girls with autumn - a friend of the family
we stopped by mindy & mark's on our way home to visit the new baby....molly kate is 3 weeks old today & still so tiny!
mindy doesn't like her pic taken - this was the best i could do ;0)

we're all back to work/school/daycare today, after the long, lovely weekend....in the car this morning, jaden & gabrielle asked me how many more days of school are left! since when do 1st graders & pre-schoolers count down till summer time?!

btw - only 8 more days to go! ;0)

weekend cakes...

another simple weekend for cakes....had one cake truffle request, one birthday cake cancellation & one simple wedding...i am starting to attribute these cancellations to the economy....everyone i know is stepping back & reassessing their expenses before splurging on say...one of my fabulous cakes! ~lol~ and i can't at all blame them - we've been doing the same thing in our family....and honestly, i've enjoyed the break - the weather has had us outdoors about 90% of day on the weekends....and i'm not at all upset that i haven't pulled an all-nighter since this wedding cake! ;0)


i did NOT make the cupcakes around the wedding cake - those were made by some ladies at our church....the wedding cake is all my most popular birthday cake flavor, fudge chip - my kinda bride! ;0) all iced in my homemade butter cream....the gerber daisies are real

bunk beds

the girls are sooo excited - they now have bunk beds!

my parents gave us the bunk bed frame (sans mattresses) a while back, but the girls were still too little for them, so we stored them in the attic.....well, we were starting to go through all the STUFF in their bedrooms this past weekend - sorting out what they actually play with/want to keep from what we want to pass down to willow & matthew, and what we'll sell at our very first yard sale this summer

they have separate rooms, each with it's own doorway....but they also have a door that joins their rooms together.....both were still sleeping in toddler beds in their own room, & had their own dressers, tiny table & chairs, toy boxes, etc in each room.....i thought this would be a good time to go ahead and combine their rooms.....putting the bunk beds & dressers, books, games, quiet activities in one room.....and all the toys, play sets, their table & chairs, movies, etc in the other room.....so essentially having a bedroom AND toy room - connected

they LOVED this idea, and so we began.....we're getting mattresses this weekend, but went ahead and set everything up.....we've got queen size mattress pads (folded in half) on their beds right now - with their new lavender sheets & Princess Genevieve comforters (who by the way is a ballerina, just like my girls!) on top.....curtis also took off one of the guards from the old toddler beds, and attached it to the top bunk.....as well as secured the beds to the wall with brackets - safety first! ;0)


they both slept just as soundly as ever in their new beds last night.....their room, on the other hand, is still a DISASTER! u wouldn't believe how much STUFF they have! i'm hoping we'll get it all sorted & re-organized over this long weekend....curtis works & we haven't really made any memorial day plans.....it'll probably just be a chill weekend - and i'm totally cool with that! :0)

btw - this totally upset jaden....he now wants a bunk bed set sooooo bad - just to sleep on the top! he was very angry that the girls got these new digs & he is left with his same old boring room.....i think we've calmed the situation - i've been saving 3 paper lanterns (similar to this) & a dragon decoration that i ordered on clearance from oriental trading for him a while back.....and we recently got 2 huge maps for him - one of the US & one of the entire world - that still need to be hung up in his room (encouraging his interest in geography - namely new york, hawaii, alaska, and of course china...for the dragons, duh!).....so i told him that we would (maybe not this weekend, but soon) clean out his room, re-organize & hang up his new stuff.....he agreed to this (after also getting some play time with the girls on their new beds) & went to sleep in his same old boring bed without another word about it....whew! crisis diverted yet again! ~lol~

20 Ways To Maintain A Healthy Level Of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down.

2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can On Your Desk And Label it "In".

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write " For Smuggling Diamonds".

7. Finish All Your sentences with "In Accordance With The Prophecy".

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water whenever you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is "To Go".

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In the Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream "I Won! I Won!"

18. When Leaving The Zoo, Start Running Towards The Parking lot, Yelling "Run For Your Lives! They're Loose!"

19. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, "Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go."

20. And The Final Way To Keep A Health y Level Of Insanity ..

Send This To Someone To Make Them Smile. It’s Called....therapy.

Atlantic Beach, HERE WE COME!!!

i just got confirmation on our beach villa for next month!

we go through Curtis' work - he is the electrician for a set of condos on Massanutten mountain.....we get a SUPER deal through their management company & get to stay at any of the resorts that they manage in the USA, for a whole week, for only $150!!! this is our 3rd year using this great benefit & we LOVE it! the first year, we tried out Barrier Island Station in Kitty Hawk, NC - it was great but we wanted to head a little farther south last year....we tried out Atlantic Beach, NC (on Emerald Isle) and stayed at the Peppertree Atlantic Resort (their site isn't working any more) - this spot was AMAZING! i'd never been to a nicer beach - soft sand, great shells to find, fish to catch, dolphins to watch, family oriented, calm water for the kids to play in - FABULOUS! and the resort was just as great...private boardwalk & beach, tons of activities, huge villas with all the amenities, wonderful staff, indoor & outdoor pools, playgrounds, the list goes on & on

the only downside to this yearly deal that we get, is that you submit your top choices waaay early and just wait.....you have to wait to see if any of the timeshare owners cancel out of their reservation or if there's available units....as you get closer to your requested vacation date, they'll give you other options if your top choices still aren't available.....well, just 2 weeks ago, we were offered a spot at a not as nice resort - actually it looked more like a hotel on the beach, rather than a family resort....we turned it down & prayed that something better would come through....yesterday marked exactly one month until we're scheduled to head out & we were starting to get nervous that we'd end up with a not so nice condo this year.....then today, curtis calls me literally screaming with excitement - we got our top choice - the same spot as last year!!!

here's what the villas look like - view from the private board walk as you're coming off the beach

and here's the kids on the beach our last night there last year....i had already taken like 300 pics by then, so left my camera in the room - took this one with my cell (the family pics to the right of my blog were taken at Atlantic Beach as well)

OMG - we can't wait!!!

movie date...

no, not for curtis & i.....but for curtis & jaden


yesterday, curtis picked jaden up from school....and while the girls & i went to their dance classes, jaden & dad went to see the chronicles of narnia: prince caspian.....curtis let jaden pick their seat in the theater....and of course, jaden chose the VERY back row, directly under the projector.....curtis said that the movie started out kind of slow & jaden was more interested in trying to look into the little room that housed the projector than the move at first....he was totally fascinated by the beam of light, carrying the picture to the screen and watched it more than the movie....but eventually, the story got going, and jaden got into it

when they got home, i heard all about it from jaden....of course, i couldn't follow most of it, but i was thrilled that they had a good time....and he said he only got a little scared at one part

it isn't often that the boys get to go do things alone - usually the girls are begging to go too....but since there's so much dance hoopla going on right now with the girls & their upcoming recital....practices, costumes, pics, tech & dress rehearsals, etc.....we thought that it would be cool for curtis to take just jaden to see this one - he's only been waiting forever since seeing that first trailer for the movie.....the only thing is, now i'm jealous....guess i have to wait for it to come out on dvd ;0)

Jaden's IEP summary

i apologize in advance - this is going to get long....but i know i have readers that will be interested in this info (hi there fam!)


today was jaden's yearly IEP meeting - where we (his regular classroom teacher, resource teacher & speech therapist, the principal & me) assess the past year, determine if he's progressing & meeting the goals set at last year's meeting, decide if he still qualifies for special education services, and set new goals for the upcoming year.....this meeting actually followed jaden's recent evaluation by the county schools that's done every 3 years - to evaluate his special education classification & make any necessary changes

the biggest thing was having his label/classification changed from "developmentally delayed & speech and language impairment" to "autistic - asperger's syndrome" since he was officially diagnosed last fall.....he's met or exceeded his goals set from last year (the school is great about having us set realistic goals) & he's met all of his benchmarks for 1st grade (including passing the PALS testing - 1st grade version of SOLS)....so moving on to 2nd grade is a go (duh, i already knew that)! ;0) it was mentioned that they'd considered the possibility of him attending another elementary school in the area that has an autism program, but they feel he's too high functioning and that it wouldn't be beneficial - i agree! he's done so well where he's at and we really love our school & teachers!

jaden currently spends 72% of his day in a regular classroom & we all think it's best to keep things as is....of course, new goals were set & he'll always receive special accommodations in class (seated in the front, having directions repeated to him by the teacher, quiet time to cool down if needed, etc.), and for test taking (taken in a small group, can have instructions repeated, the teacher can even fill in the bubbles on those kind of tests since jaden might be more interested in filling in a pattern, rather than filling in the correct answers, etc.)

he was assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, a Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration & the Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scale.....here are some of the findings (assessments done by county psychologist)....

"Jaden's intellectual ability was assessed with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children. Consistent with previous findings, his nonverbal reasoning abilities are much better developed than his verbal reasoning abilities. Processing complex visual information without using words is a strength for Jaden, while making sense of complex verbal information & using verbal abilities to solve novel problems are a significant weakness for him. Jaden's Verbal Comprehension Index of 65 is in the extremely low range for a child his age, while is perceptual reasoning index of 102 is well within the average range for a student his age.

Jaden's visual-motor integration skills are quite well-developed for a student his age. His performance on the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration, a paper/pencil copying task, places him in the superior range, at the 96th percentile, compared with other students his age.

Jaden's skills in working memory are low average for a student his age. His ability to sustain attention, concentrate & exert mental control is at the 21st percentile, compared with age mates. Jaden's skills in processing speed are poor, within lower limits of the borderline range, for his age. This composite measures his ability to quickly and accurately process routine visual material. This weakness is the speed of processing routine information may make the task of comprehending novel information more time-consuming & difficult for Jaden.

Jaden's general and special education teachers completed Gilliam Asperger's Disorder Scales to assess his behaviors & characteristics in relation to a diagnosis of asperger's. All 3 raters endorsed items which resulted in quotient scores of 95 & above, indicating a high probability of asperger's. They all indicated that he has difficulties in social interactions & he demonstrates eccentric forms of behavior and preoccupation with specific subjects. He also has difficulty with pragmatic skills, such as understanding slang expressions & identifying when someone is teasing."

one other evaluation (my favorite) that was done was a classroom observation by the principal....i found out he actually sat in on jaden's class when they were working on this science project....here's what the principal had to say....

"Jaden alternately laid his head down on his arms during the review, but did appear to be paying attention. When questioned several times during the science review, he answered correctly & added to the discussion. He was able to identify specific animals that fit into each category (he did seem to be fixated on bats, however). Jaden demonstrated a VAST knowledge of each animal group (characteristics and animals in each group). He was able to describe what an exoskeleton is! He also worked intently on the written assignment."

his speech therapy hasn't really been about helping him speak for quite a while....as his therapist said to me today, he's a very eloquent speaker & has a wide vocabulary now....but she'll continue to work with him on appropriate social interaction, and verbal comprehension in how it relates to conversation.....here's a excerpt from her evaluation....

"Jaden demonstrates numerous language strengths. He speaks using grammatically correct complete sentences & has a wide vocabulary. He can direct attention, make predictions, make comments on what he has seen/heard, and ask for assistance. With effort, Jaden will initiate & maintain eye contact with a listener, yet it appears that this skill is not natural for him. Jaden has difficulty answering questions, whether the question requires a 'yes/no' response or an explanation. He struggles to organize his thoughts to present information in an orderly manner & has difficulty explaining things in a logical sequential style. This is especially evident when he attempts to respond to 'how/why' questions. Jaden tends to perseverate on a particular topic of interest to him and at times, will interject items concerning this topic into conversations when it has no relevance."

in summary, his resource teacher said...

"Jaden displays average abilities overall, but has extreme difficulties in areas that involve listening, spoken language, and verbal comprehension."

it is always great getting to not only catch up on jaden's progress with everyone at once, but to also hear stories about jaden & his life at school....his resource teacher is pregnant, expecting a boy....she said yesterday, jaden said, "you still have that baby in your belly" then he started tapping the side of his head with his index finger & said, "hmmmm, so what should we name him?".....his speech therapist said that the other day, jaden came up to her on the playground & said, "i've got good news & i've got bad news. first, for the good news..." then he went on to tell her something about dragons.....then he said, "next, the bad news...." and again, he went on to tell her something about dragons - only something totally different than "the good news" - so it had to be bad, right? ~lol~

even though they're not recommending he attend, we've enrolled jaden in summer school (as we do every year)....he'll be in a regular class only (no special ed accommodations) - it's only for a half day, and just for a few weeks....and it's right before school starts back up in the fall....hey, it can't hurt - and who couldn't use a refresher course right before getting back into full swing again?

i know this post is already long enough....but in thinking about my precious son today, i realized i never shared his sweet mother's day card with you....

the little colored pictures are magnets

♥ he & i ♥

his note to me....the gingabaminga is my dragon - at least that's what he tells me....he says we all have our own, and mine is called gingabaminga - pronounced just like it's spelled!
the flower blanket that he's referring to is what he calls the flower bed that we just planted (get it? bed/blanket ~lol~)....he & i started tilling up the soil by ourselves the evening before the whole fam helped complete it....he must have thought that was some special bonding for us - i did too ;0)

rainy tuesday...

i'm actually enjoying the rain this morning....it's nice to wake up to a cool, crisp morning, with just a slight drizzle coming down outside....everything all washed & new after an all night rain

[peonies in our backyard - thx nana for clearing that one up ~lol~]

jaden finally got trimmed up last night - his mohawk was starting to disappear into his unshaven sides....i tell ya, it's so hard to get it even, with all those curls! they lay in every which direction & make it very hard to shave a straight line....i guess that's why i'm not always on top of giving him a trim....but i got it last night - and he loves it....he says "it's getting taller now ma!"


jaden did have one special request this time....he asked that i add his "dragon star" on the side.....apparently, the star is some sort of button - when he pushes it, he turns into a dragon! ;0) i hesitated, not wanting it to look like we've carved some sort of gang sign into our son's head....but then i figured, what the hay?! it's just a star - not a swastika.....and no, it's not my best work - i'm no barber....but he's happy with it - and isn't that all that matters? [ps. i do set limitations....he also asked for a diamond on the other side & an Eragon "E" on his forehead (the dragon rider symbol - not sure how i'd pull that one off anyway)....but i told him he had to pick just ONE & he chose the dragon star]


oh! and i totally forgot to tell u guys....we didn't win the lottery on friday - i know, i know, u're all shocked! ~lol~ no, gabby's numbers didn't will us the $196 million dollar jackpot....we got 2 of the winning numbers right, but not the mega ball - and apparently, that's key ~lol~....but hey, that's okay - we're still very rich!!!


Psalms 112: 1 Praise the Lord. 2 His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. 3 Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. 4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. 5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. 6 Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. 7 He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. 8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. 9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever; his horn will be lifted high in honor. 10 The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

weekend recap...

saturday morning soup & backyard fun (while mommy & daddy do yard work)

saturday afternoon boxing & play-doh (while the girls nap)

saturday afternoon kite flying & scooters at the park - the wind was insane that day

jaden got this dragon kite from santa last christmas - it's so cool!

saturday evening grilling (with friends) & campfire (with s'mores)


a chill sunday with family...digging worms for socks


boxing with dad


helping daddy fix mommy's brake light


for me?


♥ carving our family name in the maple tree in our backyard ♥

growing...

our flowerbed is growing!

we planted it 2 weekends ago and we've loved checking out the progress since...


it's also the perfect spot to sit down (with your purse & cell phone ~lol~), and just enjoy the sunshine....or how about, make some soup?

i was actually impressed with this soup - so colorful & yummy looking

our roses are blooming too!

different AND equal...

once again, well said estee!

one of the things that jaden says every night when we pray together is "thank you Jesus for making me special"

i will FOREVER teach my children to celebrate their differences....not to feel that they need to learn to fit in with others, but instead, to teach others about what makes them special.....to celebrate diversity & to show others that being different is a what it's all about.....that the fact that God made us each unique, one of a kind, different from ANYONE else - indicates we are wonderfully made!

To Each His Own

I cannot change the way I am,
I never really try,
God made me different and unique,
I never ask him why.
If I appear peculiar,
There's nothing I can do,
You must accept me as I am,
As I've accepted you.
God made a casting of each life,
Then threw the mold away,
Each child is different from the rest,
Unlike as night from day.
So often we will criticize,
The things that others do,
But, do you know, they do not think,
The same as me and you.
So God in all his wisdom,
Who knows us all by name,
He didn't want us to be bored,
That's why we're not the same.

Author Unknown

Friday's Cake...

yep, just one cake this week - and my husband doesn't have to work! i'm LOVING it! ;0) i had one cancellation, and i'm getting better at not over-booking myself....especially after last weekend's doozy

you can't really tell in this pic, but SpongeBob is 2D on this cake - the icing image is laying on carved cake....chocolate fudge cake (super moist & dense), completely decorated in my homemade butter cream icing....the shells are not edible


have a 'sweet' weekend!

at least he's polite...

the other evening, jaden had to remove a sticker from his chart for not following directions....this upset him, probably a little more than it should....but without direction, he headed to his room to cool down....i know to give him his space, and that he'll come out when he's ready (he usually gets distracted with something in his room & gets over things quickly) & he will usually apologize once he's calmed down.....well, curtis isn't as patient & he went in jaden's room to try and cheer him up/coax him out....

jaden says in a very normal tone, "get out dad"

curtis says, "young man?"

jaden says, "get out, PLEASE"

hey, at least he's polite! ;0)

she's so smart! (& hopefully REALLY lucky!)

look at how smart my pre-schooler is! this is supposed to say "My favorite is butterflies." notice the FA for favorite & the BTRF to start butterflies....go 'head gurl! ;0)

by Gabrielle 5/08

the kids all have piggy banks, and as they get full, we separate out the silver change from the pennies.....leaving the silver & the bills in the bank, we take the pennies to be converted into bills & put them back in the bank.....it helps the kids be able to count their cash better, when trying to save up certain amounts for those special purchases.....eventually, as the silver grows, we'll cash that out too - but the kids like having some change in their banks.....makes em feel fuller & sounds so much cooler! ;0) the girls are change scavengers! and they love that daddy is constantly loosing his change - they walk with their eyes to the floor when they come in our bedroom, hoping daddy has lost more change, the last time he took off his pants! ~lol~

last evening, gabrielle & i went to the grocery store to use one of those coinstar counters....she cashed in her pennies and had 1519 of them! plus 2 dimes that snuck through our sorting.....it totaled $15.39, but after coinstar kept their share, she got $14.02 back! and she was thrilled! that, plus $10 she's been saving since her bday in november (that her great gma gave her), plus the $2 she's gotten from the tooth fairy, brings her up to $26 (not counting all the silver change)! of course, she thinks that huge amount should be able to buy her anything in the store she wants, but we're working on that concept! ~lol~

and here's what gabby helped me pick up after counting her pennies.....


remember all the luck that my girl has been having this week?.....well, i don't EVER play the lottery (maybe 4 times in my whole life), but i thought it would be fun to try it out with my lucky girl - and hey, some of the money goes to VA public schools....we messed up on the first game on the ticket, but she picked numbers for 3 games & i did 1....i told her to just point to any number she wanted....she says "how old is jaden?"....i tell her 7, so she picks that one, then 5 & 4 for her & corinn's ages.....such a sweet girl....then for the rest of the numbers, she'd just point & i'd color in the boxes.....the drawing is friday, so i'll let u know then....not if we won, but how much we won! (the jackpot is up to $196 million) ~lol~ i'm telling u, i feel good about this - the cashier at the exxon where we bought the ticket, says she's won the pick 3 at that store 3 different times....and then, the guy in front of us in line, bought a couple $2 scratchers & won $50! lucky store + lucky girl = winning ticket, right?! ~lmao~

another allergy update...

thx so much for the allergy advice that u gave me on my initial post (when i was totally clueless about how we should proceed).....i updated u a little while later when gabby was still having issues, but we were beginning to try out a new med & the drops.....well, it's been 2 weeks since she started out on zyrtec & naphcon-a drops, and OMG! what a difference!!!

i'm not sure if it's one, or the other, or the combination of the 2, but gabby hasn't had any real issues since then....occasionally, she'll come home from school & ask for more drops - she can feel her eyes starting to itch....but of course, those are usually on the days that it's super nice out and she's been outside playing quite a bit

now, my question is this.....how long should i keep her on the zyrtec? the blooms have mostly fallen off the trees here, but according to this awesome site (thx Shanna!), the pollen count is still pretty high here....the doc says the drops can't hurt - to use as needed, without worrying about over-dosing.....but i'm curious about the zyrtec......we did forget her dose one morning last week, and she didn't have any trouble that day, but that doesn't really mean anything (she still might have had it in her system, could have been a tame day for allergens, etc.).....i guess i'm just a worry wart when it comes to meds....i hate to b pumping something into my kids unless it's absolutely necessary, and this isn't something that the doc or i can test for and say "yes, she should stay on/come off of the meds"

i'm assuming i should at least finish out the spring....memorial day marks the beginning of summer (i know, june 20th is the 'official' 1st day of summer) - should i then try to wean her off the zyrtec & see if she has a reaction? should i try that now? should i not even think about it until the pollen count goes down?

i know u're not doctors, but i'm a firm believer in 'been there, done that' advice....what better way to get info, but from those who have been through it already?! (yes, this means u shanna! and anyone else who'd like to chime in too!)

my lil penguin trying on one of her recital costumes at tap practice...i CANNOT wait!

ok, i have to post one of corinn too (in her bird costume)

Green Our Vaccines Rally

I've blogged before about the vaccine dispute (toxins found in vaccines have been linked to "triggering" or bringing on autism & other neurological disorders in children) that has recently been brought to the forefront, primarily by Jenny McCarthy, her work with generationrescue.org, & her man Jim Carey.


Well, they're heading up a "Green Our Vaccines Rally" in DC on June 4th, and I wanted to spread the word. You need to register if you plan to attend.


Even though I don't believe that vaccines had anything to do with Jaden's autism (read my blog about a chromosome abnormality that has been scientifically linked to autism), I do believe that there are parents out there, living this horror - they take their child to be vaccinated & they come home completely different - running high fevers, they quit speaking, quit making eye contact. And believe me, from now on, I will always check the lists to see what vaccines do and do not contain toxins before my children receive ANY vaccine or flu shot (unfortunately, my kids had received most of their vaccines before I had ever heard any of this).


Curtis & I would love to attend this rally to show our support, but since it's on a Wednesday, we can't get off of work to make the trip.


I do believe that regardless of whether or not vaccines "cause" autism, ALL toxins should be removed! Why are mercury, formaldehyde & aluminum (just to name a few) added as preservatives?! These vaccines are injected into our children!!! Any why is a 10lb. baby given the same dose of a polio vaccination that an adult would?! The whole "green our vaccine" concept is not just a movement to remove the toxins from ALL vaccines - it's also a movement to encourage parents to see a "green" doctor or a pediatrician that will arrange an alternate schedule for your child's vaccinations - "too many, too soon" is the slogan being used in this rally. We need more doctors that will work with our children on a case by case basis - weight, age, immune system deficiencies, etc. should all be factors in deciding which vaccinations your child should receive & when!