Luke says the funniest things - now, get rid of those diapers already!!

When something goes wrong - "Oh, sunken ship!"
As he was ready to put two large sections of a puzzle together - "Prepare your eyeballs, Mom."

And, on the potty training front - it's coming along slowly. We did get a new Dora seat for the toilet, and that seems to interest him. And, a crazy but nice success - he insisted on going potty at Dr. Colan's office today. Complained that the toilet was too big (he did look very uncomfortable) - then, finally decided to stand like a big boy (just barely tall enough. As much as I wanted to tell him to just go in his diaper because it would be so much easier (for me), it was worth the extra effort when he actually went.

Julia is 6!

I know that my mind works in weird ways. I create stress where there doesn't need to be any. But, for a couple of reasons that exist mainly in my own head, this birthday has weighed heavy on my heart for a while. First, although no one can tell us how long we will have Julia with us and medical advances can give her many more healthy years, I've heard that the many Aicardi girls die between the ages of 6-8. So, even though Julia has been very healthy and we've been seeing better seizure control than we've had in years, this birthday marks a scary kind of milestone.

Second, when Julia started kindergarten and began to be more included with her 5K class, I said that my biggest goal for the school year was for Julia to have a friend birthday party. It was really important to me that Julia have a regular birthday party - cake, games, the whole thing. I just wasn't sure to make it all work out. Even the invite list was a bit challenging - after all, I can't just ask Julia which special friends she would like to invite. Luckily, we have been blessed beyond measure to have Julia be a part of a class that includes some truly exceptional kids. Back in December, Julia was invited to her first friend party. Maya Morris will forever be etched in my heart as a very special little girl. Not only was she the first to invite Julia to a birthday party, but I think she truly sees Julia as just another little girl rather than the kid in a wheelchair. I think this because when I called to RSVP for the party, I mentioned that Julia was in a wheelchair just so there would be no surprises. And, that was the first time that Maya's mom had heard that Julia had special needs. I guess Maya had never thought it was important to mention it because it's not the first thing she sees about Julia. Kids are sometimes so much smarter than us grown-ups! Maya's party was at the bowling alley, and Julia and I both had a great time. All of the kids treated Julia like one of the gang - no one made us feel like it was a hassle to set up the bowling ramp when it was Julia's turn (in fact, they all wanted the chance to help Julia bowl).

Julia attended her second party during spring break. The birthday girl was Ashley Schoen, and her birthday is just a few days before Julia's. Another great experience.

And, then Sunday was the day for Julia's celebration. Maya and Ashley both came, along with Aubrey (another 5K friend) and Caitlyn (Julia's best buddy from OHI - to make it more special, this was Caitlyn's first birthday party). The day could not have been better. The girls were so patient and into the activities we had planned. And, so thoughtful. Buying gifts for Julia can be challenging. Yet, each of the girls gave Julia a very well-thought-out gift. From birthday cards that included music to a princess keyboard to a framed scrapbook page with photos of the party guests, each gift was truly a gift from the heart. And, a complete hit with both Julia and her siblings - Alex has tried to adopt the soft MushaBelly bird, Luke thinks the pink and purple 'hairball' is just his thing and Erica has fallen in love with the Abby Cadabby doll.

Such a good day, such a good experience...such a good reminder that the heart of life is good. It gives me happy tears every time I think about it.

Spring is Here?

I took Luke and Erica to the park today. It was *almost* warm. Highlight - swinging. Erica likes to go higher than Luke, although he went "higher than a cow". Oh yeah, evidently I was the cow for comparison. Not sure where he comes up this stuff. I swear they would have stayed in those swings for an hour if I'd have kept pushing them. Although Luke was clear - don't push him as high as Erica. She just giggles like a maniac - push higher = more giggles. She's a daredevil.

Easter

We had a nice Easter. Finally, it was a Sunday where we were all healthy, so we began the morning with 7:30 mass. The kids were well-behaved (at least as good as it gets for them). I was especially proud of Alex since he was really excited to find his basket. The Easter Bunny left him a treasure hunt, and the first clue was under Mom's pillow for him to get only after church.

Best memory of each kid:

Julia - Looked so grown up in her Easter dress and headband (she slept most of the day, and we were grateful that she was just resting rather than having the sleepiness be the lead-in to some kind of bug)

Erica - OOOooooh - what she said about every item in her basket.

Luke - Kept telling us the "Easter Beagle" had been here. Also told us over and over that Jesus died on the cross to take away our bad choices.

Alex - Thought Mom was the Easter Bunny until he discovered that was impossible - the Easter Bunny came back while we were in church and hid Alex's basket in his bed. He's at that age where the Easter Bunny and Santa just don't make sense to his logical brain, but he still wants to believe.

All four - they all got "Crocs" in their baskets. It will make me happy all summer to see those cute shoes on their feet.

As always, Easter brings special memories of the days that Alex and Julia were born. It's still amazing to think that we've been given two of our very own Easter miracles.

Thank you, Jesus!

MER

More Hints

One of my favorite activities in high school was being a part of the yearbook staff. You would think that it would have dawned on me that I would like scrapbooking many years before I figured it out - after all, what is the yearbook besides a collective scrapbook?

And, the yearbook was also my first taste of what I would do in the career I chose - marketing. Putting together the yearbook is very similar to creating a promotional brochure or press release...strong copy, good pictures, a story to share.

Now, crazy as it sounds, I never realized back in high school that I should look for a career and a hobby that would build off what I enjoyed doing. Lucky for me, I eventually stumbled on marketing, and then years later, scrapbooking.

Lesson learned - do what you love. Work can be fun. It's possible to make a career out of doing something you really enjoy.

Winter Camp

Last weekend (Leap Day Weekend), Alex and I went to Camp Rokolio in Kiel for Winter Camp. We 'power hiked' through knee high snow, we went sledding, we slept in really uncomfortable bunks (Mom shared a room with three other ladies, one of whom was a very loud snorer), we played games, we shot mini marshmallows with a shooter made from PVC piping...we had a blast! Alex is now claiming it was just 'okay', but it was really a lot of fun. I really enjoyed spending time with Alex, and it was also rewarding to spend time with other adults (we played games after the kids went to bed).

Sign me up for Winter Camp 2009!

MER

Ji-Normus

What's that, you ask? Why, it means that something is really big in Luke-speak. When gigantic or enormous just doesn't quite do it, you say "ji-normus".

And, speaking of Luke, here's an update on the potty front. Grandma E bought him a Thomas calendar, and he gets a page to put on the top of his bunk bed every time he uses the potty chair. Four pictures since yesterday (and at least that many diaper changes, so we've got a less than 50% success rate so far.) But, it's progress.