Memories

I decided to redo the boys' bathroom, that I painted blue yesterday, in a beach theme. I am going to be on the look out for some beach pictures I can hang, but also decided to do a collage of pictures from our many visits to Orange Beach, Alabama over the years. I put some pics from the past four years and while looking at them, I realized HOW FAST my boys have grown up.

Elijah was so skinny four years ago and still skinny two years ago. Now he could play football and tackle the heck out of someone. Jacob has changed so much in the face. He has lost his boyish look and looks more like a young man now. He is also TALLER than me and not just by a little bit.

I hope to create more memories of my boys. I need to start taking more pictures!

Here are some of the pics.

Cool pic of Elijah at the water's edge. You can see a storm coming in. This was in 2008.















This is a picture of me and the boys in 2008!




















This is one of the very few pictures I got of Jacob (2010) at the beach this year.
















This is a cute picture of Elijah at the beach this year(2010). We are at my Aunt Peggy's beach house and he grabbed her hat to wear. I didn't even ask him to pose, he just did it and I was able to snap the picture.












This is a picture of Jacob back in 2008. Just two years ago and see how much he has changed from the picture above! He has hair on his legs now as well as a few chest hairs. He would kill me if he knew I was sharing this information!














This is my SKINNY Elijah back in 2008. I was taking pictures of the cool sand castle we had all helped build and he just cocked his head to the right and I snapped the picture. It is one of my all time favorite pictures of him!




















This is one of my favorite pictures of the boys. This was taken on our last morning at the beach back in 2006. We got one last visit to the water before having to check out at 11:00.

Our Vacation at Orange Beach June 2010

Jacob, Elijah and I left for my mother's house on Friday afternoon. She lives in Marshall, TX. We stayed the night and then left for Mobile on Saturday morning. We arrived in Mobile and got checked into our hotel. We then went to my grandma Ruby's house. I have not seen her in two years and was looking forward to seeing her. She had hip replacement surgery about six weeks ago and was still recovering. Several of my aunts, uncles and cousins came over that evening. Grandma Ruby surprised all of her great grandsons with a joint birthday cake and cards!



This is a video from that evening.

A little bit of chaos, but fun! We crashed hard that night at a hotel and got up the next morning to Krispy Kreme donuts! We then went for another short visit with my grandmother and then headed to Orange Beach!

We have had a great time so far and got two and half days of NO oil and were able to swim. Elijah has NO fear at all went way out into the water with his boogey board. He loved riding the waves in. If he flipped off of the board he just got right back on it and tried again. I have learned to let go a bit and let him have his freedom but also keeping an eye on him. I don't want him drifting too far down the beach with the current pulling him down. He did well though and kept an eye on me too. Now Jacob only made two short vists to the beach. It really isn't his thing. He did spend a lot of time at the pool. My nephew Trent was quite brave and went out in the water quite a few times. He and Elijah have had a good time together!!

There is a video of a sand castle that Elijah and I built today at the end of this blog entry. He is wearing his backup "ears". Oh I have really liked having two sets of ears for him. He wears his new gray "ears" most of the time, but when we go to the beach he wears his back up beige "ears" that have the earmolds. We didn't go in the water today due to the arrival of the oil so he kept them on while we built the sandcastle. The other night we took him and Trent down at night. It was so nice to see him playing at the edge of the water with his ears on. He was able to communicate with his cousin quite well and enjoyed hearing the sounds of the waves! Elijah has still had his tics, but they haven't been that awful. His cousin Trent tried to tell us one of his mad faces was a tic. It was sort of cute. Overall, he has done well. A few spats with his cousin, but typical BOY stuff!

I think Elijah has enjoyed the beach the most. I have really enjoyed it myself. There is something about making a sandcastle and having NO other worries while you are building it. Listening to the waves with the wind off the water keeping you cool. It is so theraputic. I also rode the waves with Elijah and felt like a KID again! My legs let me know the next morning that I wasn't still a kid, but I did it again that day anyway! We have had crab claws for three nights. My mom cooked for two of those nights. OH they were so GOOD! She is such a good cook. We went souvenier shopping today and I got t-shirts for the boys and myself. Tomorrow we are going to go and see my Aunt Peggy! It should be a nice visit. We will swim some more and probably make one more walk down to the beach. We leave for Marshall on Friday morning. We will spend the night with my mom and be home on Saturday. It has been a great trip so far, but there is no place like home. Elijah is missing his kitties and I think Jacob is too!

New Ears!!!

Today Elijah and I drove down to the audiologist's office and pick up his new silver Freedom Cochlear Implant processors. It was like gettin an early Christmas! The secretary handed me two brown boxes full of equipment. We got everything that you get with a new kit. Each processor came with an extra controller(we didn't get that when we upgraded in 2006), two coils,two rechargeable batteries and charger, as well as a case for each processor and some other odds and ends.



I let Elijah choose his color this time and he chose the silver. The other choices were black, beige, brown, pink and blue. I was really surprised he didn't get the blue ones! I decided I would keep the eargear on his beige processors, that are now his backup processors, to use for soccer and also for when we go down to the beach for our vacation. I'll take all four processors and use the beige ones for the beach and pool, but he still won't wear them in the water. I need to order two snugfits and might even get him some different colored mic covers and also stickers to decorate them with.

He was very cute when we were in the office. I put one of them on and he liked it. I then assembled the second one. The audiologist had programmed them for, but had not put the whole processor together. I didn't make an appointment to pick them up because she just loaded the MAPs and let me pick them up. She knew we didn't want to wait to get them. I put the second processor on him and he looked at me and said, "Mom, we going to take these home, right?" I told him, "OH yes!"

We got home around 4:15 and I went through everything. I basically cleaned out one box and loaded up his body worn processors in them. I found the return paperwork and I decided to run them to the local office supply place which fedex picks up from so I could get them on their way! I came home and went through all of the body worn processor cords and such to get rid of them. I then organized all of the new equipment and put the beige processor equipment in one area. I am OCD that way!

Tomorrow is the last day of school and Elijah will get to wear his new EARS! I like the sliver, it goes good with his red hair!

Summer is Almost Here and an Update!

We are definitely on the countdown for summer. The kids have five more days and I have six more days!!! All of us are very ready for it to get here! We are going to the beach in June and will see family while in Mobile! I have some workshops to attend in July and August and then school starts back up again.

I have acquired some new students from some districts that just joined our day school program and I will be busy getting their info into our database. I will also be working on moving IEPs to our software program. It is not a lot of work and I can spread it out over the summer. I also need to get all of my kids working folders that stay with me in my car in order.

Jacob got commended on his state testing (TAKS here in Texas) for his social studies and passed his Reading and Math. I am very proud of him. This was Elijah's first year to take the test and he took the accomodated TAKS test. He did not pass, but was close in math. He will most likely take the modified test next year. He is having a great week so far this week so things are going well. Jacob is planning on doing ROTC next year...he will be a freshman...and take ASL as his foreign language.

I do hope we can rest and relax this summer. We plan on swimming at my dad's house that is for sure!

Three More Weeks!

I am on the countdown! Three more weeks and we leave for the beach. First we drive to my mom's house and stay the night with her and then we leave for Mobile. I can't wait to see my grandmother and other family members there. We then head to the beach for five nights! I am so ready. Elijah absolutely loves the beach. Jacob loves the beach, but is deathly afraid of getting sunburned. I bought my first can of bullfrog sunscreen today. These blue eyed red haired boys just burn so easily. I think the boys will miss our kitties, but they will survive!

Cat video

I am trying this out to see if I can load videos more easily. These are my cats Oreo and Tiger.



**Well it looks like it worked. I am loving this flip camcorder! Now I just have to figure out what else I want to record. I can't wait to take it to the beach, but you won't be seeing me in my swimsuit!

Update on Tics and meds

Elijah seems to be doing really well right now(knock on wood!)! He started taking a new medication for his tics back in February and it seems to be helping. We have also lowered one of his other medications that he had been taking for tics. Hoping we can lower it some more too. Both meds increase his appetite and he has PUT on some weight.

I spoke to the teacher about a month ago about his tics. She reassures him as do I that he can TIC at school. However, I still was thinking he was self concious about them. Now he has a "tic room" that he can go to if he wants to "get the tics out". It has really seemed to help him a lot.

I am seeing fewer tics at home, but he still has his "bathroom tics". For whatever reason he just lets those tics out when he is bathing. He makes all kinds of noises and slams his legs, feet and hands around the tub area. I guess he is relaxed in there. He has longer periods between tics and that has helped a lot. Back in February he never seemed to get a rest from his tics.


We have six weeks of school left and then we head to Alabama to see family and go to the beach. We are all so excited. Elijah LOVES the beach. It is one of his most favorite places to go. Jacob likes the beach, but is paranoid about getting sunburned, but I don't blame him on that one!

Another Update!

The week started off rough for Elijah, but slowly got better. He has had an increase in tics and a change in meds. I think that has affected him, but hopefully we are on the right track now. His stomach troubles have improved. I think he has about cleared out his system! He amazes me with his academic knowledge and his ever increaseing vocabulary. Just crossing my fingers that things continue to go well. He is playing soccer and had one of his better games last night. He actually kicked the ball!

Jacob is out of his room more and playing with friends. Now that the weather is nicer he is out playing with friends most evenings. He and two friends came in when the sun went down and have been playing back in his room. I'll have to send them home in about 45 min! I am glad to see him get out more and off the computer!

I am doing well. Work keeps me very busy. I will travel to Austin for a meeting at the beginning of May. I have a three day workshop in Fort Worth in July. Thankfully, I'll be off most of the summer!

We head to the beach in June with my mom, sister, and my nephew. It will be fun. My grandmother has been ill and I cannot wait to see her. Please keep her in your prayers.

Update on us!

We are counting the days until Spring Break. We aren't doing too much, but Elijah and I will be going to a Dallas Stars Hockey Game next week. Jacob did not want to go so my brother Jerry is going with us. We got free tickets from the hearing foundation who has helped us with a great deal of our expenses with Elijah's cochlear implants and therapy.

Elijah is doing GREAT in school right now. He has had SEVERN good days in a row. He had to take 5s or take 10s yesterday or today. This is excellent for him. It means he is complying more and not argueing. His tics have improved dramatically and he has them a lot less. He is really enjoying recess. He told me it was his favorite thing at school when I asked him. I really do appreciate how well his teacher works with me and HOW hard she works with him!

Jacob is still an eating machine. I wish he would get over his moodiness, but oh well, I guess it is part of being a teen! He is still a handsome kid and so good at heart.

I made reservations for a five night stay at Orange Beach in June! My sister, her son and my mom are going too. My mom will be staying with me and my sister and her son will stay with one of our relatives who has a house at the beach. Elijah really LOVES the beach. Jacob does too, but worries about getting sunburned. Those two have the red hair and blue eyes and BURN very easily. I am going to have to stock up on sunblock....bullfrog has been the best for them!

I am excited about seeing family when we go. My grandmother and many of my aunts, uncles and cousins are in Mobile. We will spend one night there!

I need to get my camera and get more pictures of my two boys! I'll try to do that soon. I hope everyone enjoys the rest of their week!

Welcome 2010!

Today was just about like any other day, except I didn't have to go to work. Elijah and I went grocery shopping. He spent the last of his Christmas money on a toy car. We hung out at home and then I started making some calls. I wanted to find some gloves for Elijah to help him with his hitting tic. I called one place and didn't get much help there, but then called Dick's sporting goods. The woman was very helpful and went to check and see what they had. She thought a women's small athletic glove might work for him.

Elijah and I set off and went down to Dick's. Lisa, who I had talked to on the phone, helped me find Sherman who helped us with the gloves. When I mentioned why we wanted the gloves they didn't even flinch or ask questions. they just helped us find a glove that fit. They asked if color mattered and it didn't, but of course NO PINK! Elijah tried them on, and I never know if he will cooperate but he did.

We bought the gloves and came home. He has worn them since he has gotten home and I think they are keeping his hand from hurting. He slams his hands down HARD on the computer desk we have sometimes with a fist and sometimes with just his hand palm down. These gloves have some panding in the palms so hoping that will keep him from injuring himself. The psychiatrist also said that the weight of the gloves on his hands might help some. I did email Elijah's teacher today to explain the new tics that have come about and about the gloves. I'll give her an update on Monday. He goes back to school on Tuesday.

My brother, his wife and my niece came for dinner. We had some blackberry wine, OH it was so good. Dinner was great and we played some Wii. What an exciting life we live. They cruised home a little early. Peggy, my SIL, and I are going to go and see New Moon tomorrow! My brother is going to watch Elijah for me!

On Sunday, I will go to pick up a former student who is going to babysit the boys on Monday. Someone suggested I let his 13 year old brother Jacob just babysit. Normally, a 13 year old could watch a little brother that is 9, but this is not a typical situation. Now I have left Elijah with Jacob for short periods of time while I run an errand in town, but not for long.

I am hoping this will be a good year. I am going to start back on my weight watchers next week and will continue with my Wii fit plus. I dropped about 60 lbs 5 years ago and I can do it again!

Hopefully Jacob will one day emerge from his room. He is addicted to his laptop right now and I am letting him has his fun. School will start back up and I'll have to be the MEAN mom and make him get off his laptop and go to bed.

My next goal for us is to make it to the beach this summer. Elijah really loves it. Jacob likes it, he always comes around once we get there and I love the beach...although I hate getting into a bathing suit, but maybe I'll drop that weight and won't mind so much this year!

Cute Conversation

So, why a picture of the beach in November! Well, as I said before Elijah has been asking me WHY questions a lot lately. On Friday morning, as we were driving to school he asks, "Why are the leaves fall from the trees?" I said, "well because it is the Fall, Autumn, and the leaves fall. Then winter comes and it gets cold and then the spring comes." Elijah says, "Oh the snow melts!" We don't get much snow here, so that was cute! I wish we got a little just for him! Anyway, I said "Yea, then then summer is after spring." He replied with "Oh the summer....We going to the beach??"

How in the heck did we get to the BEACH from a conversation about leaves falling from the tree! He does love the beach. He loves the wind coming off of the water. He had the best time the last time we went. He was the only kid who got in the gulf water and he wanted to be on the beach every second he could! He would just rip off off those processors and hand them over to me, then run for the water! I do hope we can go this next summer. I love the beach too, but I love it even more with both my boys.

Jacob enjoys building sand castles and roaming for things to look at on the beach. He isn't into swimming as much. On this last visit, we both got sick so that was no fun! He was sicker than me and had to spend one day in.

We could also see my grandmother. She is in her 80s and I have so many fond memories of my time with her as a child. I enjoy going to her house and just being with her. The boys really enjoy it too! I'll just have to see if I can put some money away so we can go!