More on the birthday....

Jake requested eating out for supper, so Shon picked up Mad Cow (which is identical to Five Guys) and brought it home on his way home. After eating, he was ready to open his presents. He received a Finn McMissile ridemakerz car from my mom and dad ( mom sent me money to pick something out for him) and he received several (on sale) Lego sets and a big floor puzzle from us. After presents it was time for cake. We then spent the next few hours putting together 4 different sets of Legos. Then it was time for bed. Today we decided to continue his birthday celebration and eat out for lunch:-) We ate at Texas roadhouse and it was very good. We had a lazy rest of the day and evening, which are my favorite kind of days on the weekend.
I tried to upload photos but so far no luck---I will edit this and add pics if I have the chance!

Happy 6th Birthday Jake

Jake, you are 6 years old today! I cannot believe how fast time has gone by. I remember the day you were born very clearly--it was another Friday the 13th and was also a full moon that night:-) We lived in Springfield, MO at the time. Mommy's doctor had been on vacation for the past 2 weeks and I had an appointment with him that morning. I was very ready for you to be born so we agreed to induce on Sunday. After the appointment I ran a few errands and then picked Caleb up from preschool. Emma started running fever so I took her to the pediatrician where she was diagnosed with strep throat and given an antibiotic shot. We went home and had naps and I can remember feeling contractions throughout the day. About 4pm I decided to take a bath and see if that helped soothe my back. My contractions were still pretty regular and starting to get closer together, so we called my parents to let them know we were heading to the hospital and would call them when we knew if it was "real" labor. When we got to the hospital about 5pm I was dilated to a 4-5 and they agreed to keep me. My parents arrived from Mountain Home (about a 2 hour drive) and took Caleb and Emma with them so that daddy could stay with me. I had decided about 6:30pm that I was ready for an epidural, and then when no one was in the room by 7:15 we called again and they finally came in (we had hit them right at shift change the first time). It was the worst epidural ever because it was a student and my blood pressure bottomed out and I passed out and threw up when I came to. After that experience, your birth was pretty easy. I pushed for about 10 minutes and then was told to stop pushing because my OB wasn't even in the room yet. Three pushes after he arrived in the room you were here. You weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and were born at 10:54 pm ( I believe that is right on the time). You were our biggest baby and had quite the squished appearance:-) You are a wonderful addition to our family.

You can be silly and goofy or shy and quiet. You are in kindergarten this year and love your teacher and your class. You enjoy going to school for the most part and look forward to it most days. You still don't really have any interest in playing sports, preferring to spend time playing with Emma or Caleb. You are a big momma's boy still, and are very helpful when you want to be. You love Will but are sometimes a bit too rough with him. Jake, we love you and hope you have had a very happy birthday!

Snow Day

We woke up to about an inch or so of snow today and the news that school was cancelled. I was pretty surprised it was cancelled until I tried to drive Emma to ballet this afternoon and slid around the neighborhood a bit:-) The kids enjoyed their day off and I can say I really didn't get much done at all. I had a girls night out last night which was a lot of fun. We meet at Applebee's on Wednesdays because it is ladies night and half-price appetizers after 9pm.
Jake's birthday is tomorrow so I am hoping he gets to go to school since I have ordered 24 cupcakes and really don't want all of them staying at the house:-)
Short post today--not a whole lot going on with the snow day.

Wishing fairies were real

I really wish I had a magic wand that I could wave and all the Christmas decorations would be neatly organized and put away. I am procrastinating so much on getting everything put away this year. Will went to school today and I ran to Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and a teacher supply store for a few items that I needed. I also was happy to learn that there is chalkboard spray paint--I really want to make some teacher gifts with the paint, some clay pots, and some herbs or flowers. Will is sleeping right now but instead of hitting hard on the cleaning, I am enjoying the solitude and sound of silence while I peruse the internet:-) Thankfully no one has anything after school today. I am making a recipe I found on pinterest, spaghetti braid. I have made it once before and it was very good. If anyone is interested in the recipe, I would be happy to post it. I hope everyone is having a great day!

Will's 6 month review

This is mainly for me for remembering later on in life. Will had his 6 month review from starting physical and speech therapy today. It is so amazing to see how much he has learned in the past 6 months. The main objectives for his physical therapy were to be rolling over and to learn to catch himself when he was falling. He is now walking (almost running) and doing much better at catching himself if he falls forward. Our goals for the next year are for him to learn to walk up and down the stairs and learn to balance on surfaces that are not flat ( ie. our driveway, which has a steep incline). We also want him to be able to use him tummy muscles more:-) As far as speech goes, he has learned so many words, especially in the last month. We would like him to have 2 word phrases and be able to say the names of his siblings. So, all in all, Will is doing extremely well in both speech and physical therapy. He is going to be starting occupational therapy in a few weeks to help with using both hands equally and a few other things. Also he learned a new word today--bubbles:-)

Trouble with Jake

Well, I am seeking advice today. Jake has been having issues the past few weeks in school with not wanting to do any of his writing work. He missed a recess last week because of his refusal to listen and do the work. Today I missed a call from his teacher and she left a message saying he wasn't doing his writing work again today and that after she worked with him for 10 minutes or so and sent him back to his desk, he got mad and scribbled all over his work so she decided he needed to miss lunch with his class and recess today to see if that would stress the importance of listening and following instructions. He had to eat in the office and stay there for recess. My question is, what should I be looking for as far as true delay in fine motor skills versus just not wanting to do work if it is a little difficult? His teacher is great and she and I so far have not come up with something that is working. Thanks for any advice you guys can give--it is much appreciated!

White Chicken Chili

Here is a recipe I found for white chicken chili--very good and low cal too.

1 package chicken tenderloins, cubed
1 medium onion, diced
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp oil ( I used extra virgin olive oil)
2 cans Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed ( I will probably add 1 more can of beans)
1 can chopped green chilies (the recipe called for 2 but 1 was perfect for us)
1 can chicken broth (14-15 oz)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 pkg sour cream (8 oz) I used light
1/2 cup heavy cream ( I used half and half)

1. Saute chicken in pan with oil, onion, and garlic powder in large sauce pan. Next time I think I will boil the chicken and shred it first, and then cook it a little with the onion and garlic powder.
2. Add chicken broth, green chilies, other seasonings, and beans to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and add sour cream and half and half. Stir and serve.

My kids ate this pretty well. I served it with corn bread.