Rockr & Junkii’s Neighborhood

This video was shot in the dark in Josh's room at the hospital (so not much to see).  It was about 12:30am and I had just said to Josh "Guess what today is?  Its my birthday!".  He looked at me and said "Its too bad no one else is here to help you celebrate!  Looks like we will be having a hospital party for you!"  and then he started to sing me my birthday song- which I caught on tape....the red light floating across the screen is his little finger that has the oxygen monitor in it.  I just love to hear him sing.

For my birthday Johnny bought me a few cookbooks that are centered around kids and cooking.  I was so excited to get these since the kids just love to cook and these books are very specific to little kids.  So on Sunday, when Johnny was at the races, the boys and I decided to pick a few items in the cookbooks and make them.  We started by making a trip to the grocery store (becuase I hardly had any supplies).  Then we started making pizza dough (in my new food processor that I also got for my b-day).  Then we moved to making Pixie Wands.  We rolled out dough and made an egg wash for them with food coloring.  We colored 4 different bowls with orange, pink, green and purple food coloring and we painted up the sticks.....into the oven they went and we moved onto our Lilo and Stitch Tropical Smoothies....In about 15 minutes we were sitting down to a carb filled meal prepared by the boys......it was fun.  A little later in the day we rolled out our dough, and put on cheese and pepperoni and baked up our mini pizzas- which to me were very good!  Im looking forward to doing this again someday (although the mess of my kitchen took nearly 30 minutes to clean up- so maybe not in the too near future!).

Friday night my mother in law came over and she and I went to a tennis match.  That was a really fun night for me.  I got to go for drinks with her and a good visit, then we got to go watch Pete Sampras play a gentleman's match against Todd Martin.  And I should have known that things would go downhill from there- because they always seem to when I go out without the kids.  We had just got home and were visiting with Johnny and all about to turn in for the night when I heard it.  This terrible bark from Josh's room.  I went into his room and he is sitting up in his bed and barking and gasping for air and crying and scared, then barking again and gasping again.  He couldn't drink, he couldn't talk and he was struggling for air.  It scared the shit out of me.  I grabbed him and yelled to Johnny that I was calling 911- handed Josh to Johnny and with a minute 8 paramedics were in my dining room looking at Josh (on a side note, I was SOOO impressed with my cities paramedics).  After 10 minutes or so of them monitoring him Josh was breathing again fairly normally but when he coughed he was still barky and I knew something was wrong. The paramedics said that they recommend having him checked out at the hospital and that they could take us in the ambulance or we could go ourselves.  I opted for the ambulance (I figured I would be a wreck trying to drive and worry about him).  So the paramedics strapped Josh onto a gurney and I sat in the jump-seat beside him in the ambulance and Johnny followed us to Children's.  Once we got to Children's they diagnosed him right away with croup and gave him a breathing treatment and a steroid.  We waited there for 3 hours to make sure the steroid kicked in and they sent us home.  At 3am we were finally all in bed.  

I know it could have been worse.  I know that I may have have overreacted in calling 911- but I was seriously terrified.  I was so worried that he was dying honestly.  And as for the ambulance ride, I guess i could have taken him myself but I know that we got preferential treatment once we got there (i.e.- we got right into a room) and that to me is worth the deductible Ill have to pay for the ambulance ride.  Im just thankful the doctors and nurses and paramedics were so great with Josh- he never ever seem scared even when 5 paramedics were carrying him to the ambulance while I scrambled to find shoes, a jacket and my purse.  Josh even said to me when we were waiting at the hospital to be discharged "that was pretty cool getting to ride in an ambulance".....but I have to say, Im not anxious to do it again anytime in the near future.

At Jake's school they have been studying nursery rhymes now for the last few weeks.  Humpty Dumpty, 3 blind mice, Jack and Jill....all the oldies but goodies.  This week they end their studies with a Nursery Rhyme Kindergarten Hoe-down.  The idea is that the kids dress up as one of the characters in the nursery rhymes that they have studied and have a big party.  The only guidelines were that the school said "This is not an opportunity to get dressed up in halloween costumes and if the kids aren't dressed appropriately, they will be asked to remove their costume".  I racked my brain on what to do for this.  Little Bo Peep?  Too girlie.....Itsy Bitsy Spider? To icky.....Jack and Jill!  Perfect!  I told Jake that I would give him a pail, write the name Jack on it, and send him in tattered clothes and draw scrapes on his arms and face- he HATED the idea......I finally got him to agree to be "all the kings men" from Humpty Dumpty.....now to find a knights costume.....So I found a shield and a chest plate and a helmet for $4 at the halloween store (After Halloween when everything is 75% off).  Yesterday Jake said "I don't want to get dressed up- what if no one else is"....So I asked him to check with his friends to see what they were going as.  Last night he told me his friend Jack was going to be a Knight too.....so I thought I was golden.....then I realized last night that the directions from school said "NO HALLOWEEN COSTUMES" and Jake's really is a costume.....And i never even thought to hand make this- Im just not that artsy....so now I have sent Jake to school and Im figuring he will be told he cant wear his 3 pieces...I hope not....but Im really worried...I wish I had of thought to be crafty! Have I mentioned that Im not a big fan of this here hoe-down!?!

Can you say spoiled?  My poor dog- ever since Summer  (her sister) died last Christmas this dog has become super spoiled.  She sleeps all day and if you walk in the room and she is on her pillow and she isn't covered up, she will whine and whine until you get up and throw a blanket on her (trust me, the whining gets to you!).  She now begs at the table, she sleeps on the couch (which used to be a big no no) and if she is outside for more thank 5 minutes at a time she claws at the door and whines like you are beating her.  Yesterday was the most gorgeous day and I put her out to run errands.  The minute I got home I hear this terrible noise coming from outside- whining, crying, scratching....I thought she was hurt- but it was just her wanting in.....I love my dog- I just don't like how spoiled I've let her become.....at age 10 though, Im not ready to make a stance with her...I guess she will die an indoor dog, wrapped up in a blanket.

Josh is the Star of the Week at Spanish Schoolhouse......that means more work for me.....specifically I had to make a posterboard of pictures of Josh and his favorite things....Just what I need- more art projects for me!  Anyways, here is what I came up with...I have to say that Im kind of impressed with me really...I think it shows who Josh is and what he likes.  Favorite color:  Yellow and Pink, Favorite Animal:  Elephant, Favorite Ice Cream flavor: Vanilla, Favorite Sport:  Soccer and Hockey....On top of the posterboard I need to come up with a show and tell for today and thursday....Today he took his favorite game: Littlest Pet Shop......not sure what Thursday will be.

Regardless of how much work it was, the smile on his face when he saw the posterboard was priceless....and the fact that for the first time in 6 weeks, Josh was chomping at the bit to get to school today....It made my day.

Yesterday I went to Jake's school for lunch and I love doing that.  First of all it made him really happy that I was there.  Secondly, I get to listen to some great conversations between him and his friends....like this one between Jake and Kirstin:

Nice......

What a fun (and tiring) weekend it was.  We tricked and treated, we boo bashed, we decorated cakes and we even played oh so nicely together.....it was a very busy weekend, but one that I think everyone enjoyed.  Here's the run down...

We took the boys to the Young Chef's Academy.  It was a drop off event, which meant I could go home and read my book for a while in piece and quiet before I had to return to get the boys.  On the other hand, the boys were busy busy.  First they made pizza, then the got to frost and decorate a big cake shaped like a pumpkin (which incidentally was the worst tasting cake I have ever eaten) and lastly they got to decorate a cupcake to eat after their pizza.  When I returned at 7pm they hadn't eaten their pizza yet, or their cupcake, so we didn't leave there until about 7:30 or so.  And I nearly didn't get Josh to leave- he LOVED it there.  It was his first time there (Jake's second) and Josh wants to go back, pronto.  The girl that runs the place did say that after thanksgiving they will be doing gingerbread house decorating, so Im guessing we will be signing up for that. I love that the boys love to cook.

Dr Rubin, the boys dentist, was hosting his annual Boo Bash, so we went, along with the boys' friends Ella and Nate.  This was the coolest thing.  There were a ton of games there to play, art to do, face painting, a train ride, a bounce house, balloon makers, popcorn and a photographer making buttons to commemorate the event.  The weather was amazing too- mid 60s and sunny.  And being that the event was hosted by a dentist,   all the prizes were actually prizes, not candy!  BONUS!  Then to top the whole thing off, we won a Build a Bear in the raffle!  That was pretty cool- until we opened the box and saw that the bear was a GIRL bear complete with an orange pumpkin dress and wings and bows in her hair...and her name was Princess Pumpkin....the boys didn't want her then......Luckily, we had a party at Build a Bear later in the day, where I saved the day by buying Princess Pumpkin a basketball uniform and she became B-Baller Bear...

As I said earlier, we then went to the mall to a party for our next door neighbor.  It was at Build a Bear and the boys each made another bear......Josh picked a rabbit, named Brownie (he's brown) and dressed him in a volleyball uniform and Jake picked a Monkey, called him Climb (I thought he said Klein) and dressed him in an OU Sooners Football uniform.  We now have 6 build a bears.  1 Football player, 1  Soccer star, 2 volleyball players, 1 Hockey bear and 1 WNBA basketball player.....didn't I mention that earlier?  So I saved the day by converting the bear from a princess to a basketball player, but it wasn't until i got home that I realized the uniform said WNBA, as in WOMENS Basketball.....SHHHHHH  don't tell Josh or Im a dead woman!

Saturday night of course was Trick or Treating.  We left the house around 6:15 and made the rounds until about 8:15 or so....the kids were so exhausted at the end.  Jake went as GI Joe, but without the mask he just looked like a muscle man in a black outfit- even with the mask no one really got who he was.  Josh was a bit more recognizable as Superman, but his costume was a little too big on him so he looked like he was also wearing a super diaper.  We went with the kids next door- they were a greek goddess and a magician.  The night was beautiful and there were a ton of people out enjoying it.  Near the end of the trail we came across a house that had a free bounce house so we of course had to stop there for 20 minutes.....Now we have a ton of candy that I don't want.....but its all good....Halloween is always alot of fun.

We had a soccer game on sunday- the last of the season....we didn't win, but we came oh so close.....the boys love soccer so I have signed them up again....Josh and I also went for a bike ride and we played at the park.....but mostly the boys just played together....for hours they just played.  There wasn't alot of fighting, it was just fun....its been so long since they have done that....Im hoping we have rounded the corner on Josh's temper tantrums and we are into sunnier weather with him.....Of course, the time fell back, so we started the day at 5am.....grrr.....but it was cool towards the end of the night...we put the hot tub on and when it got dark at 6:15, the boys got to swim in the dark....they loved that...and the best part of all was that by 7pm Josh was asleep and Jake followed suit around 7:15pm......That is the up side of saying adios to daylight savings time....its the ONLY upside that I can see......

Seems like this year Halloween is a HUGE event for us.  Here is a list of some of the festivities we are partaking in....