We have leg braces!

Can I just say how absolutely happy I am that insurance paid for the braces at 100% of the cost?!? With that said, we would have gotten them no matter the price b/c that is what you do as parents. You get what your kids NEED.

Honestly, I am still not very fond of these things but what ever. He's got them & now he's going to wear them. We have a schedule to "introduce" the braces to him. A couple of reasons for this, 1) so he can get use to his 2 new friends, and 2) to make sure that they fit appropriately & not hurt or rub his skin causing discomfort or blisters.

Day 1 ~ Wear for 1 hr twice a day.
Day 2 ~ Wear for 2 hrs twice a day.
Day 3 & 4 ~ Wear for 3 hrs twice a day.
Day 5 & 6 ~ Wear for 4 hrs twice a day.
Day 7 ~ Wear for 5 hrs twice a day.

It is my understanding he will be wearing them about 8 hrs a day which is about all we are going to be able to wear them since he won't have them on while he is sleeping. We'll be cutting it close but it is doable. I'm sure I will get more proficient in getting them on although it wasn't too much of a hassle this morning.

I have to say that I am glad he will be wearing them during the cooler months. He has to wear socks that go up past the braces & b/c of the girls, wear jeans/pants so that they don't mess w/ them. Not only that, we had to buy new shoes THREE sizes bigger to accommodate the braces!!!

For those that have never seen them, here is what they look like. We got to pick out the pattern, for which I promptly called Daddy & let him decide! Superman it is!



And for your viewing pleasure, a video of Mr. Ian walking w/ them the very 1st time. You can IMMEDIATELY see how the braces for him to walk heal-toe. They make him much steadier as well! As much as I don't like them, I like what I see.



And for kicks, this was him walking a month ago. Notice the difference in his balance!?!

Getting creative

You don't have a choice BUT to get creative when you have 3 munchkins running around & able to destroy things. Thank God I have some creative skills such as sewing to help me out on my endeavors b/c otherwise, I would probably have to pay an arm & a leg for what I did or give up my 1st born in which case would be 1st THREE born, haha!

I haven't sewn in quite some time but the impending danger made me do it. Seriously, it has been over 3 years since the sewing machine has come out of the closet. Now it has a new home downstairs & will be used more often!

Back to the problem. We have a fireplace hearth that is brick. Up until about a month ago, we were able to use this firplace guard kit. Why they didn't start tugging at it sooner, I do not know but as of late, it seems to be their favorite toy. The only problem? It leaves the brick edges exposed which would invite a head to be banged against it probably requiring a trip to the ER & stitches. Um, no thanks.

Up until yesterday, we have been taking the pieces from the kids & putting it back on. When there is only 1 adult & 3 kids...well, you can see where I'm going with this. Fixing it became a priority but what the HELL was I going to do? The gears in my brain started turning & before I knew it, I had it all planned out in my head.

Um, except I hadn't sewn in years so that meant I had to find someone to do it. I talked to my friend, Andrea ( the one that made my cart cover & some other cute stuff) & she said she wouldn't mind doing it but we would have to plan it out. Well, it got to the point on Friday that I had enough. The kids were driving me CRAZY.

Off I went to Joann's on Sunday morning & found exactly what I was looking for, fabric & thread. Yep, I grew some juevos & busted out the sewing machine! The kids went down for their nap & I started pinning away. By 5pm, the cover was DONE. Finished & ready to put on. WAAHOO!




Now we just need a nice fire guard rather than the baby gate & we'll actually have a decent looking fireplace again! See what I mean about creative?

Getting ready for family pics!

Besides the craft show I am getting read for (my first), we are also going to be taking pictures tomorrow morning at 8:30 am. Yeah, a little early BUT at least we will get it out of the way while the kids are still "fresh" rather than waiting later in the day. It is a fundraiser for our MoM group. We pay $75 & get a 30 minutes session. We will also get a CD full of pics, no copyright issues so we will be able to print freely!

Last year we coordinated sweaters & colors, winter white & red. Red is my favorite color. This year we are doing the "classic" family yuppy picture. We are all wearing white polos & jeans. The girls' polo shirt has a pink pony which I think is cute & Ian's is in blue. Todd's pony is blue & mine...well, this momma didn't buy a real polo for herself. I got a Target special. Isn't that how it always goes? It's the small sacrifices, right?

Seriously, Todd already had his shirt & I got the kids' on clearance at Lord & Taylor. WOOT! That is the ONLY reason I splurged on the name brand shirts. I think that w/ jeans is going to look super cute.

The weather is suppose to cooperate as well. Sunny & just the right temp, somewhere in the upper 60's, lower 70's at that time of the morning. Now, I wish my son would cooperate. I've been desperately trying to keep them bite & bruise free all week long but you know how it goes. It will happen when you need it not to. Ian has managed to get a big mosquito bite on his face, right next to his eye. I've been doctoring it & had hopes today when he woke up that it would fade out nicely by tomorrow.

THEN...he had to go hit himself in almost the exact spot the bite is at. So now I am going to have to contend w/ a BIG bruise. It's gonna look like we beat him. Never mind the split lip he gave himself on Wednesday OR the one he gave Sofi that same day. Looks like we are bound to have face markings. Maybe I should paint their faces? Better yet! Use makeup to cover up the marks & bruises. HA! We'll see how bad his face bruises.

This is what happens when we let the kids have free reign w/ the books.


And the cat toys...


Learning how to put puzzles back together, at least they are in the right spot. They can get them in to the place but this is how I found it this morning. Too cute!

R.I.P. "Bossman"

He's gone. Boss was the heart of our family. He was given a 2nd chance when Ian got him 11 years ago. A skinny little puppy that was malnourished turned in to a beautiful dog & best friend as well as a "little brother". Our family will most definitely feel this loss for a very long time.



May God be w/ your doggy soul.

A trip to the dermatologist

Today has been quite a day. The morning started off beautifully. We were on time leaving to get the the dermatologist. Ian & Sofi were safely tucked away w/ Grandma & Papap. The weather was beautiful. Everything was GREAT!

Until...

We were 5 minutes away. Just 5 minutes AND...she pukes. Everything. I don't think anything was left from breakfast. We were doing so good. She was crying so I pulled over & did the best I could to clean her up. Thank God we have 3 car seats b/c I managed to get most of the puke off of her (she had a hoodie on so that was easy to take off) & put her in another seat. Off we went.

We literally got there w/ 1 minute to spare. Our appointment was at 9:45 & I signed us in at 9:44. She did fantastic while we were there. The dr came in & looked at her little spot. Turns out that she has something called a mastocytoma. It is a mass of cells at the surface of the skin. The good thing, it should fade out completely by the time she is 8-10 yrs old. YAY!

While she was there, she drank PLENTY of water & ate some goldfish. I got her in the car & off we went. She fell asleep almost immediately. She woke up as we approached the subdivision. Wish she would have just slept until we got home. 2 blocks away from the house, she pukes again. Yes, in a different car seat. If you know anything about having 3 car seats in a row in a CRV then you know this was shear hell.

I had to take all 3 seats out. I cleaned them up & had to manage to cook dinner all while the kids napped. I feared they would not nap well due to the days events but thankfully they slept long enough for me to get the seat covers in the washer & dryer. I got the seats back in the car (I've become a pro at this) in a matter of minutes as compared to my 1st few times which took like 90 minutes.

Everyone seemed happy & the reset of the day went well. Unfortunately, my brother's dog, Boss, is in really bad shape & is dying so after an already long day, I went to say my goodbyes. Boss is & has been such a good best friend to my brother. He has protected him on several occasions & accompanied him to several places that other dogs couldn't imagine going. Boss is a staple in our family. He is the dog that accepted Todd & put the other 2 dogs in place when they growled at him. Even more sad, our babies never got to meet him up close. He would have been good w/ them. I hope he goes quickly. God, please take care of Boss & my brother. Ian (my brother) is so, so sad. It is breaking my heart.

Boss, thank you for protecting Ian. For being by his side when none of us could be. Know that you have touched all of our lives. Go in peace & know your spirit will live on. We LOVE you!

Our 1st Trick or Treat!

Last year the kids were barely 7 months old. They were impossible to keep in costume, let alone take out trick or treating. We lovingly passed along the costumes to Susan & her trio. Glad they at least got 1 good picture out of it b/c we surely didn't get any good pics last year, haha!

We dressed the kids up right after dinner, 5:45ish & were out the back door by 6pm, right on schedule. I'm glad we listed to Daddy & went on our "regular" walking route b/c we had lots & lots of neighbors waiting to see the kids all dressed up! We didn't do the traditional knocking on the door thing b/c getting the wagon up the sidewalk was difficult & b/c we are also very weary of H1N1, colds, & anything else that can be passed along to the kids. Daddy did a WONDERFUL job of making sure nothing had peanuts (we are waiting until they are 2) b/c I sure forgot all about them.

Gabi in the most perfect picture of the night!


Sofi, the real devil but what a perfect angel!


What a handsome little devil!


Mommy & the kids. Yep, Ian takes after me, horns & all.


Daddy & the kids. Notice no angel wings?!?


All 3 together in the dressed up wagon. I wanted to put "Heaven" & "Hell" but Todd wouldn't let me. He said the neighbors would talk FOR EVER. HA!

2 Angels & a Devil

This is a preview of the kids' costumes. Let me tell you how impossible it was to get a picture of all 3 together. I don't know how this family portrait thing is going to go based on what we went through yesterday. Maybe the preparations for Daylight Savings Time is interfering & causing my babies to be unhappy. What ever the reason, it was not possible to get a good pic of all 3 together. Could it be the age?

Sofi being the perfect angel!


Gabi on the run!


Ian really shouldn't be the devil but since he is the only boy, it fell in his hands. He's too cute!


The 2 BEST group pics. HA! What a joke!



These are pics of the meltdown that happened after we came in. Yeah, not so much fun. Taking 3 19 month olds out of the backyard after being inside for 3 days straight due to rain...not such a bright idea.




I will say this much, they are DAMN cute! I think this is a great costume & they actually stayed in them the whole time. The only issue, Ian's horns. They just wouldn't stay put & not b/c he was taking them off. Oh well...we'll still have fun on Halloween!