Katie's Dream House

Wednesday I met up with Katie at school to assist her in the construction of a gingerbread house. The entire first grade class was in the cafeteria and each child was encouraged to invite an adult to help them build. They gave us one hour to create and Katie continued working on hers at home. Below are pictures of her first ever gingerbread house.

Here is a view of the left side and front of her house. I had bought Lifesavers, licorice, mini candy canes, M&Ms and Starbursts. She was pretty creative with the candy.

Here is the backside and left side of the house again. The right side looks just like the left. The white frosting on the tray is supposed to be snow, but she ran out of frosting and couldn't do the snowbanks that she envisioned. She had to do Texas snow, which is just a light dusting.

I call the house Katie's Dream House because she would be in high heaven if she lived in this house made out of butter cream frosting and candy where she could eat a chunk of the wall whenever she pleased.

Movie Viewing

One thing that Katie and Rick do is watch movies together, not Barbie or Disney movies, but alien movies and war movies. This past weekend they watched Battle for L.A. and Jarhead. They are not the most age appropriate movies for a six-year old and this is evidenced by the fact that Katie's new favorite quote is from Jarhead. She'll say, "Hey Daddy" or "Hey Mommy" to get our attention. Then she'll say, "Welcome to the suck!" Then she laughs and laughs. . . . and so does Rick. During Battle for L.A. Katie asked Rick why marines are allowed to swear and Rick told her it was because they are marines, so now if you ask Katie why marines are allowed to swear or do anything naughty, she says, "Because they're marines." Maybe I should activate parental controls on the TV for Katie. . . . and Rick.

If a picture is worth a thousand words than I am off the hook.

Over a month has past since my last post, so it is time for a new one. To update you would take oodles of time and numerous keystrokes. Therefore, I'll give you the abbreviated text version and rely on pictures to give you the details.

Katie danced in The Nutcracker as a Tiny Angel; was in Abilene's and Anson's Christmas parades with her cheerleading team; visited with Santa at the Mall; received another report card of straight A's; and is growing and learning.

Rick is finally on his well-deserved and much-needed, month-long vacation. We have had snow already this year, but the dusting was gone by noon. The weather has been cold for the last few weeks--30's to 40's in the morning. It gets warmer as the day goes, but the temperature just drops once the sun drops below the horizon. I've decorated for Christmas, but have not gone all out like usual. The Christmas spirit eludes me this year. I try to fake it for Katie's sake. My dad has cancer and his treatment options would possibly buy him more time, but nothing will eradicate the cancer. He has turned down the options available and has chosen at home hospice. Right now he is holding steady and doing well.

Below are a few pictures and I hope they are worth a thousand words.

Family Christmas Picture 2012

 Katie with some of her fellow cheerleaders waiting to board their float for the Abilene Christmas parade

Katie lost her first baby tooth Dec. 15, 2012. It's the gap on the bottom front. The gap on the top front has always been there!

 Katie at Santa's Wonderland at the Mall

 Katie's 2012 Santa Picture

Katie after she visited with Santa at the Mall. She got the Elf hat from one of Santa's elves.

As the holidays approach, my prayers go out to the families and the community of Newton, Connecticut. My wish for you is that the quiet peace of the season remains with you throughout the year. Merry Christmas.

The Nutcracker Festivities

The Holidays are fast approaching and that point was driven home to me this weekend when the events surrounding Abilene Ballet Theater's performance of The Nutcracker kicked off. Sunday Katie and I attended the Sugar Plum Fairy's Tea at the Abilene Women's Club. The Tea is an important fundraiser for ABT and Katie and I have attended for the past three years. This year I participated in the silent auction and was the high bidder on a 18" metal Nutcracker and for the first time Katie really got into getting autographs from all of the dancers even though she sees them on a regular basis at Ballet Abilene where she takes lessons and where the ballet company rehearses. It must have been the gorgeous, sparkly costumes and the dramatic make-up that had Katie all awed and star struck. 

Like last year, Katie will dance in The Nutcracker as one of the Little Angels. She has two performances. One is Saturday night's and the other is Sunday's matinee. This year we opted to buy tickets for only Saturday night's. The Little Angels dance about a 1/2 hour after the ballet starts, so on Sunday Katie and I will arrive around 8 pm and I will wait in the tunnel while she dances. Then when she is done we will head home.

There's a lot more that has occurred the last couple of weeks, but I'll fill you in later. I really just wanted to post some photos for Rick.

 Katie and one of the Claras. ABT does six performances of The Nutcracker over the weekend and the part of Clara is split among three dancers. The part of the Sugar Plum Fairy, which is considered the principle dancer, is filled by two dancers.

 At our tea table. When you enter the tea party, the Claras hand out tiaras for the girls attending. This year Katie's was purple.

Each year Katie and I have our picture taken and this year like last we had to have our picture taken after the tea. The blue, metal nutcracker on the left is the silent auction item on which I bid. Each year at the tea I purchase Katie a nutcracker. This year she chose a gold and white one. This year I also bought myself one. It is purple and gold. The first year Rick and I were married I went hog wild--or I should say Rick did--and bought me every nutcracker that I liked from Michael's. It's time to grow my collection.

Til I have time to write a longer post. . . .Ciao.

Stranded at Corinth West

Today I hopped in the H2 to run errands before I picked up Katie from school. Turned the key. It didn't turn over. No fear, my bullet, the SRT8, was sparkling in the sunshine by Katie's swing set. I gathered up my belongings and slid into the seat that still fits me like a glove. Turned the key. Nothing. Dead as a doornail. You have got to be kidding me. I called our friend and neighbor Don and he came over with cables and such to access the situation. While he was here I had to go to the top of the driveway to meet Katie's bus and I tell you I was absolutely surprised when the golf cart moved when I stepped on the gas. With the luck I was having, that should have been dead too. Anyway, long story short the H2's battery, which had a 36 month warranty, died because this month is the 37th month and the SRT8 just needed a jump. So my errands did not get run, but I am thankful that my vehicle broke down in my own driveway as opposed to along side the highway. Matter of fact when a vehicle does strand me, 9 times out of 10 it is in my own driveway, carport or garage. Can't complain about that.

Professional Rah-Rah Picture

Oh jeepers. It's been over a month since I have last posted. Life always seems to get in the way. So to keep this post to a minimum, here's a quick update. They, meaning the all-knowing medical professionals, have no conclusive answer to my nerve issues other than I may have had a problem with one of my nerves in my hips that has since gone away. The numbness in my hands, possible nerve damage in my elbows. Even though they didn't do an MRI, they don't think I have MS because my reflex response is spot on. Now I fight with my insurance company. Unknown to me my blood capsules were sent to a hospital's lab that is not in network with my insurance, so they expect me to pay 30% of this outrageous bill. I am not kidding when I say outrageous. One test done on one blood tube was $784 and I had about 20 tests done.

In other health news, at the end of September my dad had a tumor removed from his bladder. It was malignant. Unfortunately it was also a secondary cancer which means there is cancer elsewhere in his body that caused this tumor to grow. He needs a whole body scan to determine where the pocket of cancer exists. Of course nothing is easily done in the U.P., so he has to travel 2 hours to a different hospital that has CT scanning equipment. Once the all-knowing figure out where the number one cancer is, they can figure out a treatment plan if it can even be treated.

Rick is still traveling back and forth to Springfield. He should be finished up by mid-December. Katie is taking a break from tae kwon do because we ran out of days in the week. With cheerleading practice two days a week after school, mighty mite football games on Saturday, ballet one day a week and tae kwon do at least 3 days a week, it was asking too much of Katie. . . . . and of me. Cheerleading doesn't end until mid-January after they participate in a cheer competition, so we will get back into tae kwon do then.

Speaking of cheerleading, one of the reasons for this post is so I can share Katie's professional cheerleading picture with you.

 I also purchased a team picture and a wooden cut out of Katie that just cracks me up. The cut out is the above pose adhered to wood. It's like a wooden paper doll of Katie.

The second reason for this post is that Rick found a snake in the shop, a rattlesnake of course. He left the shop open Saturday night and a snake was in it Sunday. He was about 3.5' long with five buttons. That brings the rattlesnake count up to three.

Caio.

  

The Wordy Wednesday Post

In total contrast to my earlier Wednesday post, this one is wordy.

As mentioned in a previous post, I now have a neurologist. Monday I met another neurologist who performed an EMG on me and a neurologist technician who performed a nerve conduction study. Let me get to the point, OUCH.

The nerve conduction study measured how fast my nerves send signals. This was done by sticking electrodes on me and then electrocuting me at numerous points on my hands, arms, feet and legs. The pain was the worst at my forearms, elbows, ankles and knees. The shocks were hard enough that I was worried that they were going to zap my heart out of rhythm, but the tech assured me that would not happen. For some reason I thought I was done after the tech rolled the electrocution cart to the other side of the room, but she didn't invite me to sit up. She did say, however, that she'd be right back with the doctor, so in comes the doctor and the cart is rolled back. Not a good sign. My regular neurologist told me about the test the doctor was about to perform, but I thought maybe, just maybe, I didn't have to have it. No, I was getting an EMG or an electromyogram or as I call it "stabbed with a darning needle." The purpose of an EMG is to listen to and measure the electrical activity of your muscles at rest and at contraction. This is done by inserting a needle into the muscle and then after a moment or two you contract your muscle. They started with my back which means the doctor went down both sides of my spine with that needle. It. hurt. so. bad. When I am in a lot of pain, I don't cry or sob, but my eyes will water and water they did when he stabbed my back. The part that freaked me out was that the nurse would dab up the blood with cotton balls. I was then asked to turn over and had no idea how I was going to lie on my back after that exercise in torture, but I did and my mind was soon off of the pain because I got stabbed in the calves and thighs numerous times. The doctor kept assuring me that he was almost done. I stopped believing him when he said it the third time. It was extremely hard for me to contract the muscle with the needle sunk into it. It was sadistic because it hurt worse when I did that. So there I was with my eyes watering, a tightly clenched jaw--surprised I didn't crumble at least one tooth--and a few "That hurts. That hurts." thrown in for good measure and the doctor informs me, "I am using a child's needle." I guess that was supposed to make me feel better in the sense that if he had used an adult size needle I'd be in a lot more pain. Thanks, Doc. Way to cheer a girl up.

The test finally ended and the doctor printed out the report. The good news is that I did not have a Guillain-Barre episode, but the bad is that I do have to go through one more test for more answers. I also learned that I have nerve damage in my feet and a nerve that runs down from my knee to my foot does not take a direct route. It does a loop around my ankle before going to my foot. The doctor couldn't figure out the numbness in my hands, which is a relatively new sensation. I have a pinched nerve only in my right elbow and that nerve would only cause numbness in my pinky finger. So all that pain and I am no closer to finding out what the heck is going on. And you know, that pain didn't stop with the test. I hurt for the rest of the day, all of the next day and my back and elbows still hurt. Initially huge welts appeared on my back where I was stabbed, but they finally went down and turned into bruises. My elbows haven't stopped aching from the shocks. I seriously felt and feel like I was beat up by the neurologist and his side kick the tech.

Word to the wise be wary of nerve conduction studies and EMGs.

Wordless Wednesday Post

This will be a Wordless Wednesday post. Perhaps later I will be wordy when I have the time.

 Hobo

 Hobo with Cody photo bombing.

 "We're going for a walk, going for a walk."

 Sunday, prior to Rick leaving for the airport. The stuffed animal is not mine. Kate made me hold hers. Really.

 Kate none too pleased about her Daddy going to the airport.

Hobo and Kate

Okay, maybe this needs to be called "Almost Wordless Wednesday".

Remembering. . .

EDIT:  For the 9/11 post I had put up a picture of the twin towers after the planes hit them, but before they collapsed. Tonight I stopped by my blog and the picture still dredged up fresh memories of that horrible day so I removed it and replaced it with something quiet and serene.

The Anson Tiger Mighty Mights and Their Cheerleaders

Kate had her first official game as a cheerleader this past Saturday. It was a home game against the Jim Ned Indians. (For those not from the area: Yes, Jim Ned is the name of a school district.) The Anson Tigers won 13-7. Watching 5 to 7 year-old football players is a hoot. They seem to specialize in breaking away from the pack and running numerous yards for a touchdown. And those numerous yards take such a long time for them to transverse with their short legs. Also, some of the little guys helmets looked like they came down rather low on their heads and had me wondering if they could see especially after one player, who was standing on the sideline, tripped over a yard marker. Then because he was so top heavy--helmet, shoulder pads--he couldn't get up by his own means and needed a hand from one of the coaches. Anyway, here are the pictures.

The cheerleaders hold up an Anson Tigers sign that the players break through to come onto the field. Kate is on the end of the second line. You can see her in profile. Memories:  In high school, we had a round hoop that appeared to be made out of black PVC. We would cover it with white paper and go crazy with the markers. Well, cheer groups have gotten smarter over the years. The sign Kate's cheer team uses is actually  two pieces of black fabric that are Velcroed together; hence, they have a sign for the players to bust through at half-time. Also, it sure beats making a new one for each game, which brings up another memory. I recall more than once putting that huge hoop--remember high school football players fit through that hoop--on the roof of my car while three other cheerleaders rode in the car with the windows down holding onto the hoop. How we never lost that hoop before we got to Agassi Field is beyond me. There were a couple of close calls especially when it was just myself and another cheerleader Gail transporting it from the high school to the field.

 The gaggle of cheerleaders. The two older girls in front are cheerleaders for the Pee Wee level, but were helping out the Mighty Might cheerleaders. Kate is the second from the left in the front row. 

 Look how strong and straight she has her arm.

 They really need to work on getting in sync. Each girl is at a different point in a clap. 

 "We're number 1!"

 "Ooooo, shiny." Like mother, like daughter.

"Hey, what are those boys doing over there? Are they playing football or something?"

On occasion the girls forgot why they were there. When the parents got excited when the football team scored a touchdown, the girls thought for a split second the whooping and hollering was for them.

Job well done.

Strumming

After many a week of anxious waiting Katie finally received her guitar. Kate actually "earned" the guitar earlier this summer, but it took me awhile to find a decent 3/4 size guitar. After receiving the guitar I had it hidden in our closet for a few weeks until the right time presented itself in which to present the guitar, which was two days ago.

As for the guitar, I knew I wanted to get her a real guitar and not one of those toys that have Disney Princesses painted on it. I did a fair amount of research online and discovered that a lot of the guitars listed as real guitars for kids have horrid reputations for not staying tuned. I finally found what I wanted with the Ibanez IJV30, which is a 3/4 size classical acoustic guitar for adults. I am really happy I spent the extra money and went with the Ibanez because the guitar is gorgeous. When Rick first saw it he said, "Heck, that's nicer than my guitar." If Katie stays serious about wanting to play the guitar, the Ibanez will serve her well. I also believe she enjoys playing her guitar because it is not a piece of junk.

Now, as for Katie. She loves her guitar. She strums her little heart out and sings. Today she had a little rhythm going on that sounded pretty good. So without further ado here is our budding songwriter/singer/guitarist.

Day 2 of 1st Grade

Last year on Kate's first day of school I took a picture of her eating her breakfast. She requested that I take a picture of her today since she was eating the same breakfast today, eggs. She was also happy because her hair wasn't sticking up all over the place this year.

Today was the first day that Kate took the bus to school, so I took a picture like I did last year that shows the bus disapperaring into the morning darkness. (The kid has to catch the bus at 6:55 am!) I also took a few extra pictures because we arrived at the bus spot--the end of our driveway--early.

 "Happy, happy, joy, joy. I'm going to school!"

 Today's fashionable outfit.

 She's looking like one of those The Price is Right girls showing the attributes of the Hummer. Is that show on anymore?

And there she goes. The bus usually picks up the girls down the road first then comes back and picks up Kate on the return. Today he picked her up on the way to their house. She was so excited when we saw the bus' headlights turn down our road. She was jumping and waving. Perhaps her bus driver stopped because he thought she had an emergency.

The Firsts

School started today. Daddy's Li'l Doodlebug is now a first grader. She was so excited that she had great difficulty getting to sleep last night, but no problem springing out of that bed this morning. I drove her to school, as requested, and will pick her up afterwards. She doesn't want to do tae kwon do, which I think is a good decision. With all of the excitement, she will be physically and emotionally drained by the end of the school day. I know Rick is sitting on the edge of his seat waiting for the pictures, so I will stop yakking and start showing.

 Last year we took a picture of Kate by a particular tree. I thought I got her in the same location again; however, I was wrong. Hobo wanted to be pet and when he wants to be pet, he tries to put his left on you. Kate was fearful of getting her snazzy outfit dirty so she ran to the center of the driveway. Doesn't she look stylish?

 Outside the H2 at School. This year she picked out a messenger bag that you had to color yourself rather than a backpack. The little bag on the ground is her new lunch bag. I have the school lunch menu for this week and all of September. I will be packing a lot of lunches.

Kate with one of her friends. They were waiting for their teacher to open their classroom. Don't they look happy? I am so very, very, very thankful Kate loves school.

This past weekend Kate cheered at her first football game. It was actually a scrimmage, so it was practice for them, as well as the football players. We had to be in Tuscola (about 55 miles from our house) at 8 am. We only had to stay until 12 pm even though the football teams scrimmaged until 3pm. The girls did a whole lot of cheering. Kate enjoyed it; however, there were moments of drama and by the end all of the girls, including the older cheerleaders, looked exhausted. Photos of Kate's first ever public cheerleading experience follow.

 Katie's down on the end.

 In this photo and the next, Kate just looks like a cheerleader. She naturally has the stance of a cheerleader. She is also very good at it, you know, being loud, vivacious and jumping around.

 Actually interested in the game

 Team picture. An volunteer school photographer was walking around taking pictures and she lined the girls up for a photo. I obliged too.

The Mighty Mights, Kate's team, helped the older girls cheer at one of their games. This was the last game they cheered and you can tell. You'd be hard pressed to find two cheerleaders in the exact same position.

That's it for the firsts. First grade and first cheer performance. 

Happy Birthday Baby Girl. . . . .

. . . but she's not a baby girl anymore. Last Tuesday Katie turned six. It was a tough birthday for me because the weekend prior while organizing in the shop I found a toter of keepsakes from when she was a baby. Seeing those items unearthed a flood of memories. Earlier that week I found a bag containing all of the keepsakes from the hospital, such as the gown Rick was wearing, the caps we were wearing. It all has gone by so fast and gosh, when I look at Katie now, I cannot even remember how small she was that August 14 six years years ago.

We like to change what we do for Katie's birthday. Last year we did the big princess blow out and went to Disney. We were planning on flying over to Disney for a quick four day vacation, but because of tae kwon do belt testing and my doctor appointments, it just won't work out. We also looked at going to the Gaylord in Grapevine, but there really isn't anything going on for kids during the week days. So we settled for a "Just The Three of Us" party. Rick and I decorated the dining room, ordered the cake, got flowers and managed to wrap all of the presents without her every catching on. When she woke up from a nap on her birthday, we had a sash for her to wear that said "Birthday Girl" and we escorted her to the dining room and her throne. It was a bit of a surprise for her because we never let up that we were going to do a family shindig at our house. She thought we were going out to eat. Anyway, we sang "Happy Birthday"; she blew out her candles which had colored flames; we ate cake and she opened a mountain of presents. Katie said it was her best birthday ever. So like Rick said, "Mission accomplished."

As for presents, her main present from us is a redone bedroom with the piece de resistance being a new loft bed. We also got her quite a few Lego items to build. From her Aunties she got a leather kit where she can make a wallet, key chain, coin purse; a jewelry organizer and nail polish. From her cousins, Aunt and Uncle, she got money. From one set of grandparents she got money and the other set got her books one of which is recorded in her grandparents voices; and a rock painting kit. After each gift she said, "Thank you. I really appreciate it."

She still loves Scooby Doo

 We went with the jewel tones of purple, green, pink and turquoise. Those are also the colors of her new, big girl bedroom.

 Waiting to be escorted to her party

 The traditional "blowing out the candles" shot

 Let the ripping begin!

As noted in the beginning of this post, I was running into a lot of stored keepsakes and that is because we are doing major reorganization/reducing. We emptied Kate's walk-in closet and put a closet organizer in there and it looks so nice now and you can even walk in it! I have finished the kitchen cabinets and drawers and pantry. The dining room cabinets are next, as well as our walk-in closet. It is freeing to rid the house of junk and to simplify and downsize. Nine years ago a fire destroyed everything I owned. While struggling to find a positive from the devastation, I found relief in no longer having a junk drawer and that stays with me to this day. If I haven't used it in six months, out it goes. I try to do this every six months. Rick does not follow the plan because we have the gigantor Quonset Hut, but I feel mentally happier without crowded drawers and closets.

A week ago Saturday, Kate tested for her red belt in tae kwon do. There are four levels of red belts and this is her first one, so she has three more red belts to test for before she tests for her black belt. She's nearing the end! She loves tae kwon do and we are so proud of what she has accomplished.

Acting as the attacker in a one-step

 Taking down her black belt partner in a one-step.

 Doing her high-blue belt form during testing

Now, as for doctor appointments. I am back on bone loss medication because I am showing bone loss. No big shock there because of my lactose intolerance and low calcium intake. I also broke down and saw my doctor about my migraines. I am on a daily medicine that I take whether I have a migraine or not and another prescription that I take if I do get a migraine. The second medication stops the migraine rather quickly, but the daily medicine did not decrease the amount of migraines so the dosage was increased. Another issue I have is a numb patch on the outer side of my left thigh. It started as soreness, progressed to intense itching then numbness and intermittent red hot tingling. I was referred to a neurologist and have another test to go through. The initial thought is that it is Guillain-Barré syndrome, albeit a mild case and not deadly as some cases can be. I am already on the upswing. As a side note, I was in the exam room waiting for the neurologist and in walks the mother of one of Katie's tae kwon do friends. We were both a little taken back especially since we have chit chatted at tae kwon do. I typically don't know the last names of the kids in tae kwon do, so I never made the connection.

Yesterday Kate received her red tae kwon do belt at the Team Chip tae kwon do Belt Ceremony.

 Kate sliding her high-blue belt behind her signifying putting her past behind her.

 Her black belt presenter tying on her red belt belt. She looks pleased as punch with her new belt.

 I have absolutely no clue what this pose is all about. I stopped taking pictures after this because I could tell more weird faces were going to come.

I know I am forgetting some major event of the past few weeks, so if the forgotten included you I am sorry for the oversight. Kate starts school next Monday and I hope to have a little more time, but not to spend on myself, just to clean this darn house! We have just been running, running, running and I have been struggling just to get dinner on the table. It's a good night if we are eating before 7:30 pm. Time to get Katers out of the bathtub before she's a prune. Ciao.