LATELY

 My latest niece Alice Ann was born.

 Last Friday Lincoln and Hunter came over for the day. The boys had a blast all day long. Above is a picture of them frosting sugar cookies. They actually had most of the frosting on the cookies as opposed to the table. I was impressed!

Rad and Cade have been having a blast in the laundry baskets lately. They line up on the couch and then "crash" off. No major injuries yet.

Cade is doing great in speech therapy. As of now, the insurance will only pay for the rest of the month. So we are hoping to get a lot done in the next couple of weeks. He has been quite the little love bug lately. He is constantly giving me hugs and kisses and "love you's". I asked him, "Why do you love me so much lately?" He said, "Um... I'm your son..." in a total "duh" voice.

Rad has been enjoying school. Recess has been an issue with his back injury that he received in wrestling. He comes home sore every day. He just can't seem to stay on his feet. :) We have all gotten into WII fit again and Rad is my favorite to watch. He wiggles and wriggles like crazy on those balance games.

Shayli is done with drivers ed but still learning lots about driving. She does not like driving at night, or in town, or in the rain, or in parking lots. Basically, She just needs to learn to like driving. Ha. She is looking forward to Christmas and I am excited to see her open her gifts. Her being 15, there is a challenge for me to evoke some candid emotion on Christmas morning. I take the challenge on and think that I really did it this year. I'm expecting an "oh my gosh... really?" and a goofy grin.

Derrick continues to enjoy doing mechanic jobs. There has not been a whole ton to do which has worked out great for me! He has had time to work on our own vehicles and I feel a lot more safe on these winter roads. He has been watching YouTube videos on pinewood derby cars. Rad get his derby kit on Friday and Derrick and Rad are really looking forward to the project together. I think that I may have to get Derrick his own car though. He is getting really into the whole thing.

I am still enjoying the hospital and The Mingo Marker. Cade goes to work with me on Tuesdays and Thursdays and my employer has so much fun spoiling Cade with cookies and milk and toys. As I type I am working a night shift and actually wide awake! I'm starting to get the hang of this back and forth business. I am loving being a Tiger Scout leader. I have 6 great Tiger Cubs and it's fun having that time with Rad during the week. He said, "Mom, I am so excited that you get to be in charge all of the time. I am not even embarassed to call you 'Mom' because you are." I have decided that next month I will start EMT training. It's a 5 month course and the training has been revamped to include starting IV's etc. I think it will be some really great knowledge to gain. Me on an ambulance... not as a patient. Ha! Who would have thought?



This makes me cry every time

Pictures and Update

 Cade cracks me up with all of his poses.

 While I was working the other day Derrick made the boys this fort under the table and they kicked back in there jammies and watched movies.

 Cade has had this think with mohawks... blue and green ones. When we ran out of the spray colors I cut his hair. ☺

 This is from a few months ago... a day at the track.

 Rad posing after he received his very first scouting badge.

 Trick or Treat! They had a lot of compliments on their helmets being used as candy buckets.

Watching some wrestling. Rad is out for the remainder of the season. He sprain/strained his back in practice. I was so relieved when the xrays came back showing NO structural damage. Whew.

No pics of Shayli... again... but she passed drivers ed with flying colors and is quite the cautious driver. Way to go Shayli!

HAPPY HALLOWEENY!

HAPPY HALLOWEENY! HAHA. A few years ago a buddy of Bob's named Brent called and left a message on the answering machine yelling... "HAPPY HALLOWEENY!" Anyone who knows Brent can imagine what the message sounded like, I think about him every Halloween.

This Halloween Shayli was bummed that she had so much homework and is so over the whole trick or treat thang.

I took the boys trick or treating around the hospital and local extended care facility, then took Rad to wrestling practice. Derrick and Shayli met us at practice and then we walked around the high school while the boys trick or treated. For the door knocking the boys dressed up in their riding gear again and used their helmets as their candy buckets. After trick or treating we parted ways... I headed to the hospital to work a night shift and the rest of the family headed home to mow down on candy.

Derrick they boys and I went to a Halloween dance party last weekend. It was fun. Derrick was an executioner, I was some creepy blond lady... really, kids walked in large circles around me, Rad was a snake and Cade was "scooby doo batman". The boys had a blast running around with friends and man oh man can my boys get down. They break dance and it is awesome.

My favorite part of this years Halloween festivities was this...

Pulling up to the extended care facility Rad tells me that when he thinks about the people there it makes him feel like he is going to cry because he feels so sad for them and the things that they can no longer do for themselves. I told him that by going in and spending time that they would be making the residents smile. While in ECF the boys gave hugs, said their pleases and thank yous, helped out when needed and told everyone they saw Happy Halloween. Back in the van Rad says, "Mom, I do not feel like I want to cry for them anymore. I made them happy." I love, love, love how sweet my little Rad is.

Update 2

Shayli is doing great! She is once again getting all A's and 1 B. The other day I received a phone call from her Art teacher. It was during the school day and my first thought was "Shoot! Did she get paint in her eye? Clay?" She was perfectly fine. Her teacher is just so impressed by her as a student that she tought that Shayli's excellent behaviour deserved a call home. How great is that?! She is more than half way done with Drivers Ed and she and Derrick have started a project together that will hopefully earn her some cash dollars. :)

Rad is doing great as well. His speech has improved so much from last year. All he is working on now is his "r" sound. He has earned 100% on every spelling test so far this year. He started wrestling and cub scouts and enjoys them both. He is still batteling dental carries and had a load more of dental work done last week. They orally sedated him and man oh man did he say some funny things...

To another patient, "We are the same! I didn't get to eat this morning either!"

"If you turn Dar around it would be Rad."

"You don't read straight ahead and you don't read toward the exit sign. You don't read toward that wall. You always read toward THAT wall."

"My cavities will be gone until my next birthday cake."

"My belly is so sleepy now... I'm breathing so slow... Mom if you cover up Brad's B then it is Me."

"One time at Grameri's an alligator was brushing his teeth and the frog and the bird said, 'We wish we had teeth!' Then I said in my head, no you don't. They are super hard to take care of."

"I know how to fly airplanes Mom, but not real ones."

"David really likes bread and he was like hogging it. So Sol said, 'Hey, why don't you give some to Rad?' And I was like YESSSSS!"

"My eyes are starting to get blurry now. I slept so hard I couldn't hear the wind. I like these pants now because they have cool pockets and when I take my lego man's hair off I can put it in my pocket."

"Apple seeds and pumpkin seeds really get mixed up. Sometimes I am funny and give my lego guy and blaket a kiss and I say, 'see you when I get back in the car after the store.' But they do not talk back, I hope people know that."

"I am getting sleepy because my head is dizzy. My brain thinks forward and then stops and goes backwards. If I stand up right now I will fall flat on my face."

"Whew, I'm dizzy Mom."

He would jabber, jabber, jabber, then fall asleep and snore. Then wake up again and do the jabber, jabber, jabber again. It was cute, funny and sad all at the same time.

Cade is doing... wouldn't you guess? Great! He is growing quick and is such a little ham. Aunt V has been watching him when I have to work a week day and he loves it. He starts speech therapy on Tuesday. I'm sure that he will do super and learn as quick.

Update

 Rad recently joined a local Cub Scout troop. I am going through the process to become the Den Leader. Hooray for Tiger Scouts!

 "Jersey is so cute, take a picture of us Mom!"

 Getting loopy...

 Getting sleepy...

 Out!

 Much better!

 Cade has pretty perfect teeth.

 Going down

Rad is loving wrestling!

Boys

 This is our access road. We take this road to get to the barn when the boys want to go on a "bike ride". It's not very far but I'm still not riding real bikes yet since surgery. This way I can walk.

 Cade's bike does not have pedals. He pushes himself along and is working on his balance.

 I love this face of Rad's.

Cade scored this Smokey the Bear bandana at the fair. He loves it and looks awfully cute wearing it.