Running out of Energy

Well, we are two weeks into our battle with the head lice, and my positive outlook is slowly fading. We FINALLY got rid of it, only to have Emily bring it home from her class on Friday. I started work last week, and I worked all weekend, so Judd had to deal with it on Saturday. He is really far behind on his school work and can't keep dealing with the lice. I work all day, then come home and spend hours combing the girls' hair. Then I have to figure out dinner. In between everything, I am also running up and down the steps washing the sheets, towels, and our clothes... EVERY day! Sorry, I just need to vent because we are just plain exhausted. I think we are going to take the girls for short hair cuts over the weekend.

On a good note, I had a job interview today. It was actually with the 3rd company to which I applied while still in PA. For those of you who remember, they called me right away, but it was only a temporary position for someone on maternity leave. Well, last Thursday (a month later) the woman called me back to say that they now have a permanent position open, and would I still be interested? So I went in for my interview this morning at 6:45. It had to be early because I worked from 9-3, and she worked 6:30-2:30. So I was there until 8:30, but left with a really good feeling. Around 4 this afternoon, she called me back to set up a second interview, which is Friday.

So this job involves working with adults with special needs. My hours would be 7:30 to 3, M-F, so no weekends, and no need for after school child care! Yippy! The pay is $3/hr more than I am currently making. And, most importantly, it is a much more rewarding than slicing deli meats.

911 Call

I must say, I have a new hero. Yesterday after picking the girls up from school, I had the worst asthma attack of my life. My hands turned blue. I couldn't take a deep enough breath to be able to use my inhaler. Judd was at school. I was too dizzy to be able to drive to the ER, even though it is only right down the road. And I could not talk to be able to call for help.

So Madison called 911 and told the dispatcher that I needed help. I was aware of her being on the phone and what she was doing. She was very calm and collected while talking. Emily went out front to meet the ambulance. Both girls did an AMAZING job. And neither of them broke down until after they knew I was safe.

Thank you, Madison. I am really proud of you.

Judd arrived shortly after the ambulance and said that my face was still blue, even then. The paramedics were able to get my oxygen level back up. Since Judd was home, I opted not to go to the hospital. If I had any further trouble, I knew he would be able to get me there. It took a couple of hours and several more uses of my inhaler until I was able to breathe normally again. But by today, I was ok and able to go to work.

Thankful for the craziest things

Over the last week, life has been pretty crazy with this whole head lice thing. I have done a lot of complaining and have been really close to crying so many time. But today, as I was cleaning the whole apartment once again, I started thinking....

Right now, I am thanking God for giving my children asthma and allergies. Why?? Because we spent $150 on each of them to get the allergen covers for their beds and their pillows, which happen to keep the lice out too. Because I usually wash everyone's sheets at least once if not twice/week anyway to keep the dust away. Because I usually vacuum at least every other day, but really try to do it every day, to keep the dust and pollen to a minimum. Because we don't let the girls have ANY stuffed animals because they are so allergic to dustmites and end up with really bad asthma attacks. I really believe that that is why this infestation has not been worse than it has.

I am thankful that we were stuck in a 2 bedroom apartment and had to be put on a wait list for a 3 bedroom townhouse. Why?? Because the 2 BR apartments have FREE laundry, and even though I have to share with other people and make trips up and down the steps, it is FREE. (other than my soap of course) In a townhouse, we would have our own washer and dryer, but it would also be on our electric. And with having to wash and dry everything on the hottest settings, imagine the bill! 3 beds, with sheets, blankets, and comforters on each bed. Sheets have to be washed daily for the next few days. Laundry and towels for 4 people. Bathroom rugs. Plus all of the pillows (beds and couch) and the curtains, and everything else that can't be washed, but have to go in the dryer.

I am thankful that we moved to Madison and we ride our bikes or walk everywhere we go. Why?? Because I don't have to clean the car. (I will spray it with Lysol, but I think that should be good enough.)

And even though I can't quite be thankful for having my miscarriages, I could not imagine having to do all this cleaning while pregnant. If we had not lost Jo, I would be 8 months and on bed rest right now.

I have been so frustrated, and have done so much complaining about this lice, but have found some peace as I have realized how lucky I really am, compared to what I could be going through right now.

The Routine of Life

Hi everyone. I just got back from volunteering in Emily's classroom. I haven't updated in a while because life has pretty much settled into a routine. The girls are doing well in school and have made lots of friends. Madison brought home head lice the other day. Luckily we caught it before anyone else got it, even Emily. I guess that was.... Wednesday. It took us a long time of combing hair and doing laundry, but we are pretty sure we contained it.

The weekend was pretty "blah," weather-wise. It was rainy/cloudy and chilly all weekend. We did manage to get out for a bike ride on Sunday, though. Madison rode her bike about a mile to the grocery store! She did a great job. It's been really hard with her being gone for the summer - she doesn't have a bike in VT. So we have had to rely on the spring and fall to get her riding. Pretty soon she will be able to ride to school by herself! Emily got pulled to the store in the trailer, but after we got home and the groceries were put away, Judd took her out to ride too. She is doing really well, also. I made videos of her riding, and I will post them on here later.

I got a job. I decided to only work part-time because the after school care is so expensive that working those few extra hours would only go towards paying for that. So tomorrow I start at the grocery store. I am going to keep searching, but it's something for now. They put me in the deli, so with my height (or lack thereof), it really kills my shoulders to be slicing meat all day.

Judd is doing well, but incredibly busy. He has three classes this semester, plus clinic. That means that he is providing supervised therapy to a few clients. I think he meets with each of them twice a week for one-hour sessions, plus has a meeting with his supervisor for an hour/week/client. So that's 9 hours of contact time, plus all the prep that goes into each session. And of course regular coursework on top of that. He is also working 2 hrs/week at the moment and hopes to pick up a few more hours in the lab of one of his professors.

Tonight we are taking a little break though. A girl in Judd's class is going to babysit so we can go out and watch Monday Night Football. We probably won't have another chance to watch the Eagles, until the playoffs, of course. We have a few channels through the campus internet but not ESPN.

Oh, also, some of you may have already received letters from one of the kids. We are trying to have them write to someone at least once a week. Please, if you get a moment, write back to them. They would love to get mail. It would also give them positive rewards for all the writing I am making them do! (They had a lot of "Thank you" cards to write too.) Thanks! We love and miss everyone.

Photo Tour

I have been trying to take pictures of our apartment as we are finishing things, but with the entertainment center still not together, I still can't finish. You can go on our smugmug page to check out the kitchen, bathroom, and girls' room. Hopefully soon you can see the living room and our room. (the TV and coffee table are in our room, patiently waiting....)

We got a new shower curtain, so I had to take new pictures in the bathroom too. I don't know how many people will get to see where we live in real life, so I thought it would be fun to do this way.

Our Entertainment Center

The replacement top to our entertainment center arrived today. Enjoy the pictures.... The part where the wood is split is the original piece. The smashed corner is the piece that arrived today... with absolutely nothing protecting it in the box!!!

Our Adventure

We couldn't decide what to do yesterday. We didn't really have the money for a trip to Chicago. When we were looking online, everything was crazy. Like an elevator ride up the Sears Tower was $14! Yea, it's not that much, but if you multiply it by 4, then figure it won't take more than, what, 30 minutes to go up, take some pictures, and come back down, it's a bunch of money, then a lot more time to do things. So anyway, while we were fooling around online, we decided to check out amusement parks. Most of what we have nearby are water parks. Of course they are all closed for the season.

Then we came across Mt. Olympus, which has 4 parks included in one price: a water park, an amusement park, and an indoor park of each. It cost $35 each for all four parks. The 2 outside parts are closed, though, so we called to see if there is a lower rate for "off-season." It turns out that they are hosting a Polka Festival, and tickets are $15/person, AND the outside amusement park is open!!! So that's where we went! ($56 for one ride up the Sears Tower or $60 for our first family trip to an amusement park?!)

Madison, Judd and I took turns riding on all of the roller coasters. Emily did an awesome job being patient. Then we all rode on crazy go carts. After that, we stopped by the Polka Festival and had sausage, pierogies, and potato pancakes for lunch. We were pretty excited because they had a smaller roller coaster that Em was big enough to ride, so we got her all psyched up to go on it. But when we got to it, it was closed. Bummer. So Emily rode on all the kiddie rides.

Then we went to the indoor park where Judd and Madison went on another roller coaster type ride. There were more kiddie rides in there, but Emily only went on one, then she went through one of those climber/maze things and stayed in there until it was time to go. After that, we headed to the indoor water park. They had 2 big tube slides that we were all able to go on, 2 body slides that Emily couldn't do, a lazy river, and a nice kiddie section. We spent the next several hours playing in there before heading home. We brought Madison's camera, so hopefully I will have some pictures posted soon.

One of Those Days

Ok, so Emily hasn't been eating her lunch all week. We keep telling her that she has to eat before she can talk. But it's not working. So, Judd brought the girls to school this morning and went in to talk to Emily's teacher. We know she is not in the lunch room with the kids, but we thought that she could help somehow. She assured Judd that there is plenty of time for lunch, about 25 minutes. Judd told her that we know that, but that Emily tends to be a pokey eater and that we think chattering has been the problem, and that we told her not to talk to her friends until she is done eating. She agreed, noting that Emily is "quite social" with a big smile on her face.

After that, Judd went off to do school work, and I started cleaning. While I was cleaning, there was a knock on the door... Our entertainment center has finally arrived! They were supposed to ship it on 8/21, but never sent it out until 9/2!! I was all excited to put it together so our living room could finally be finished, so I opened it right away. And of course, a piece of the wood is split! So I called the company and was on hold for forever, but they are going to send a replacement right out.

I then decided to clean up and get rid of all of the packing materials. (So happy I didn't have to repack the whole thing and send it back to them!!) And while throwing stuff away, I dropped my phone into the dumpster! Luckily, the trash was picked up this morning, so it was empty. Also, I remembered the kids' butterfly net in the toy box, and I taped that to a long piece of cardboard to scoop it out. Judd used another piece of cardboard to push the cover and battery) which had fallen off) into the net, so fortunately I didn't have to climb into the dumpster!

I got an email yesterday saying that I did not get the teaching position that I had been hoping for. So I applied at the grocery store last night. They called me this morning to set up an interview for Monday. My thinking is that a grocery store is going to be much more flexible, so I can tell them I only want to work from 9-3, then I will be home with the kids. After school child care is 1. really expensive, and 2. completely full. I will also put up ads around our community, seeking some after school baby sitting jobs. Also, Judd got one position at school. It is only 2 hours/week, but will cover pizza on Fridays, if that's what we want! He is still waiting to hear about a reader/grader position.

We are hoping to take a day trip to Chicago tomorrow. Or we might go to Devil's Lake. Either way, we should have a fun adventure.

Newest Nephew

Congratulations to Alison and Josh! Jesse Saidou Kane Johnson was born yesterday afternoon. We're so excited, but so sad we weren't able to be there to celebrate with them.

TORNADO!

Judd does not have classes on Wednesdays. So we were able to walk the kids to school together again. (tomorrow will be my first day going alone.) Once we dropped them off, we rode our bikes to the store to pick up a few things. After we got home, I was not feeling great again, so I went to lie down.

I suddenly was awakened by what I knew to be the tornado alarm (an extremely loud, steady siren that lasts for a full three minutes!) I grabbed my bathrobe and ran out of the bedroom. Judd asked what was going on, and I said "Tornado!" He looked out the window with his head cocked to the side and said, "I don't think so." The sky was bright blue, with puffy white clouds. We went down to the basement, but then a moment later came back up. We looked outside again, and a mother was walking her baby down the street, calm as could be. Another child rode his bike by our back door, as though nothing was going on.

I finally saw that Sara, our neighbor and friend, had her door open and was pacing around, trying to calm her younger son. So we walked over to her house (me in my bathrobe, which was inside out, so I couldn't even tie it) and discovered that the first Wednesday of every month, even during the winter, the alarm is tested at noon. Unless, of course, the weather gives any indication that there may actually be a tornado.

Judd thought my reaction was hilarious and thought it should be posted. Please, just remember, that I was sound asleep, and all I knew was that the tornado siren was wailing!

My First Day of Kindergarten ~ by Emily

yestrday was my forst day fo kindargrten. my techr's nem is mrs. corey. shi is nise. i met som kids.

(Emily typed and sounded out that part all by herself! She will be dictating the rest.)

I got to play with Ana. I played in the classroom. I ate lunch in the lunchroom! I had a great time yesterday! It was so fun. I wish you could be there! I had computer time, and I played on the computer. Her name is Miss. Hatchel. She is the computer teacher and the art teacher. I love you guys and I hope to see you soon. See ya!

to evvre oun. love emily

First Day of Third Grade ~by Madison

hello, today at school I met my Teacher, Ms. Lambrecht (aka, Ms. Lambchop). She said we could call her that . I aloso made a name tag . and i played on the play grounb . My favv. part was makeing my name tag .

BBQ and more

Hi everyone!  I changed the settings on here to allow everyone to leave comments, not just if you have an account.  I am also about to start adding some pictures.  I can't figure out how to add a link to our picture website, but I am working on that, too.

We went to Judd's friend's house for a BBQ today.  It was fun.  We made some Dauphin-potato salad, and everyone raved over it!  I was even told that I was the "master potato salad chef"!  We also had the amazing experience of watching a cicada come out of it's shell!  Emily was collecting the empty shells when she discovered one that was still inhabited!  (She almost pulled it off the tree!)  The head was almost out, so Em ran to tell everyone, and several of us watched as it worked its way out and spread its wings to dry.  Pretty amazing.  The girls even said that it was better than watching a movie.

We were curious to see if it would fly away, but it was time to head home.  We came home, and the girls went out to play.  James and Jeremiah are here for Emily's first day of school, so they came over to see Emily.  Judd took them on a walk to picnic point.  They should be back soon, so I am going to say "goodbye" for now so I can try to add some of these pictures.