Sweet Baby Jesus - Wordless Wednesday

PS.  I just realized I accidentally published my Wordless Wednesday post yesterday instead of just getting it ready to go.  Since I already messed it up, I might as well tell you the story behind the picture.  Ben is almost 3 and is not a baby any more.  But when Erin, our Christmas program Director suggested to the kids that they use a doll for Baby Jesus,  all the kids said "No we want Ben to be baby Jesus".  So we pulled out the very fancy (not) manger box that I saved from the last time he was baby Jesus, and tried to devise a plan. If you loot closely at the top picture you can see the blue strap around his waist for the booster seat that is hidden in the box.  Yes baby Jesus did a great job in his manger, but his little behind was strapped in the booster seat, and he was being fed Cheerios.  That is the trick for getting a toddler to sit still long enough to play baby Jesus.    Erin felt all my tactics were overkill, and that it would be cute if Baby Jesus got up and ran away.  She kept saying " Let Baby Jesus be free!".  It was a fun program. 

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Noah... The great shoe destroyer

Noah turned 8 this summer, and since that time, my very active boy has been blowing through shoes.  He went through a pair a month all summer long.  We tried expensive shoes.  We tried cheap shoes.  It did not matter.  He would split out the side or the toe or crack the sole.  I purchased his back to school shoes with high hopes, but one week after the start of school he showed me the hole that was beginning to form. 

He runs fast and stops short, which will quickly shorten the life span of most shoes.  For a while we thought that no one could make a shoe that could stand up to the Noah test. 

Until now.

We have found a shoe that can pass with flying colors.  The Slingshot by Stride rite.  Noah has been wearing these shoes since the end of August and they still look great.  He had just come in from the playground when I took the photo below, so they were a little dusty, but they clean up nicely.

Now I have to admit, Stride rite shoes are not that easy to find locally in southeast Nebraska.  However they do have a great website with a wide selection of styles and sizes that makes finding the right shoe very easy. 

They are a bit more expensive than some of the other shoes on the market, but boy are they worth it.  I think we may actually have found a pair of shoes that Noah will grow out of before he wears them out.  That says a lot about these shoes. 

Ben got a pair that light up when you walk.  It was so funny when he first put them on and I showed him the light, he just stood and stomped his foot.  He has been wearing his all fall and they still look new.  I am sure he will outgrow his before he wears them out.   

                                  

Thank you Stride rite for making a shoe that can pass the Noah test.  Ben likes his too.

Ho, Ho, HO!

This weekend was another busy weekend for our family.  Noah had a Cub Scout event, Ben had his DSAF Christmas Brunch, and John had a Small Fry Basketball game all on Saturday. 

The Christmas Brunch was awesome.  They made calenders this year, and Ben is Mr. August.  It's the same picture from the fact poster that were displayed along the Step up for Down Syndrome Walk route.  They will make great Christmas gifts this year.  It took a little bit of convincing, and maybe a bit of arm twisting, but the big boys did finally agree to come up to get a picture taken with Ben and Santa.   Can you see how thrilled they are?  Even Ben was not so sure about the whole thing. 

Last week's craft fair was very good.  I sold a bunch but I still have lots left.  John had a steady business of kids beading bracelets on his end of the table.  He is getting so popular that I might have to get him his own booth next year. 

Last Craft Fair

While my profile says I like to do crafts, I don't get to post much about my crafting.  The last craft fair of the season for me is this weekend at the Holiday Extravaganza in Elmwood.  I only do a couple craft fairs a year, as it gets to be a lot of work, but it is still fun.  The last couple of weeks I have been busy trying to replenish my inventory from the Ameritas craft fairs and get a couple of special orders done. 

When Ben was in the hospital, I was able to get a little crocheting done, but not much.  I also got a big order of gemstone beads in while Ben was there and I could not wait to get home and play with them. 

One of my new items this year is wire wrapped beaded rings.  I saw some similar ones at a bead shop when I was in Branson on vacation this summer.  As soon as I got home, I tried making some and figured out the pattern.  It turned out to be very addicting.  I finally got my 72 tray filled this week and have sizes from 3 to 11.  I call them Bling Rings.  At just $5 each you can get one to go with each outfit. 

So far I have gotten just a few of the bracelets made from the new gemstone beads.  I love the feel of cold stones.  Here is a small sample of what I have done.  Bracelets are just $5 to $10, and make excellent gifts.

If you are in Southeast Nebraska this weekend, check out the craft fair at the old roller skating rink in Elmwood (Now Josoff's Social Hall) from 8:00 to 3:30.  You will be sure to find some great gifts for everyone on your Christmas list or yourself.  There will be lots of fun things to do, all day long.  Click here for a complete list of activities planned for the Holiday Extravaganza.

Quick Update

We are home from the hospital.  Ben did great all day without oxygen.  His stats did go down a bit when he slept, and he did tire easily, but he was definitely starting to act like his old self again. 

Ben got to get down and play, and went on lots of long walks. He had fun sitting under his crib and stacking his signing time video boxes .  Those videos were a life saver during our stay at the hospital.  Many of the staff commented on how cute the Signing Times videos are and how well Ben was signing with them.  They also double as blocks when you are in a pinch. 

I loved Mom's Mac n cheese.  Did not want anything to do with my sandwich, but boy this stuff is yummy!

 Wow!  I knew these were great learning videos, but did not realized they make great blocks too.

Got my coat on.  Ready to bust loose!

Waving bye bye with my thumb in my mouth.

At home we have started to call him the tornado.  When he has been in a room, it generally looks like a tornado went through it when he leaves.  He is so curious about what might be up on the table or counter, if he can reach it, he pulls it on to the floor to get a better look.  He also just likes to throw things on the floor. He is good at the throwing motion, but now just wants to throw everything.   Newspaper, magazines, homework and other various school papers, piano books, it does not matter.   I have a feeling there will be a tornado watch issued at our house for tomorrow. 

At the Hospital

We have had a sick boy at our house.  It started out like a cold, but slowly got worse.  We went to the Dr. last Thursday and got some new antibiotic, but his breathing got steadily more raspy then it kept getting faster.  I thought surely the anitbiotic would kick in soon, but it did not.  Then he started to refuse to eat and we knew something was really wrong.  Ben was admitted to the hospital late on Tuesday afternoon with respitory distress issues and mild dehydration.  

 We have not gotten a formal diagnosis.  The x-ray did not really show pneumonia, and he was wheezing like he may have asthma.  His white blood cells were slightly elevated to show that he did have some type of infection going on.  So he has been treated with oxygen, steroids and more antibiotic. 

His oxygen requirements are what is keeping us here.  He is drinking buckets of apple juice, and is eating much better.  It is hard to tell if he is not hungry or is just mad about the way I cut his food, he is 2 after all and has started to develop strong opinions about what he should be able to do by himself.  

Today he got to be unhooked from everything 3 different times and had fun exploring the Peds unit.  We were the only ones here most of the day, so that was nice.   After I went home to shower and change I brought him a ball and he had lots of fun throwing it and chasing it down.  He does run out of breath a lot faster than normal and runs to me to be picked up. 

He only fought the oxygen in his nose the first 20 minutes or so and has done a good job of leaving it alone.  He is starting to not like anyone in scrubs and today decided that maybe he should wave at them and tell them bye when they come in and maybe they won't mess with him.  It only worked on the person coming in to get the lunch trays, and house keeping.  He is still in pretty good spirits all things considered and we hope to get out of here in a day or so.  Just need to work on keeping his stats up with out needing oxygen.

Here are some pictures from today.

 Playing with my piggy bank.

Tag team meanness.

A much needed rest after they messed with me.

Some seriously sweet toes.

Snuggled up under my Project Linus blanket.

Back To Normal?

Things have finally quieted down.  Hopefully.  The big boys had their last football game last weekend. John's team ended up 3 and 2, while Noah's team was undefeated 5 and 0. 

John was not able to play his last game.  At the Weeping Water game the week before, he looked horrible.  He was sick with a sore throat and cough, and looked like he barely had enough energy to run on the field.  I told him that morning that he needed to go to the Dr., but he insisted that he needed to play.  After the game he went home and he did not move much from the couch.  His dad was sick too, so on Monday they both stayed home from work and school and went to the Dr.  Randy's was first.  They said he had some type of micro virus that had turned into bronchitis.  John's appointment was the shocker.  Mono.  And all he could take was Ibuprofen.  So he was out of school for a week, but is feeling much better now.  His two weeks of no contact sports will be up on Monday, and he is eager to actually practice basketball with his team.

Mono did not stop John from participating in the Omaha Buddy Walk last weekend.  It was a beautiful and warm day.  The walk was held at UNO, and it was a nice venue.  Even with all the people, it was easy to find friends that we knew.  I was able to pick up the book The Little King and his Marshmallow Kingdom and meet the author Louis Rotella III.  He signed the book for Ben.  I think it is one we will enjoy reading over and over. 

Ben enjoyed playing the games at the Buddy Walk.  We saw our friend Claire from Lincoln there, and got to meet her friend Brady.  It was a fun day.  I hope the Lincoln and Omaha walks are on different days again in future years, as it is fun celebrating our amazing kids and supporting these groups that have done so much to help our family.  Enjoy these pictures from the day.

Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk

Yesterday was the 9th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk in Lincoln.  Between Ben's Brigade and the Elmwood Murdock School Team, we had 45 walkers which was awesome!  The Elmwood Murdock School Team got second place and a trophy for the school team with the most walkers.  Ben's Brigade also got a trophy for for collecting the second highest amount of donations.  In total we collected over $1600.  Which was well over our goal.  Next year we will need to set the bar higher and try to get more walkers and more donation. But no matter what we do, we know it will be a fun and heartwarming day!
Thanks to everyone who helped out by donating, walking or both!
The W Family.

Things have been crazy

Sorry for the delay in blogging.  It has just been very crazy around here.  First we had a couple of storms that went through.  The first one knocked out the power for 12 hours and we lost Internet for a week.  The second one knocked out some barn windows, and took down a lot of tree limbs.  We did not loose power, but we did lose Internet for a day.  Elmwood and Murdock were both hit hard, and they even called off school for a day.   Here is a picture of the barn minus a few windows.

The big boys have been playing football.  John is playing center on the 5th and 6th grade team.  They are 2 and 1 right now. Here is a picture of him about to snap the ball.

Noah is playing tight end and is trying quarterback a little.  He likes it a lot.  His team is 3 and 0.

Ben was enjoying one of the football games by having a nice cat nap.  Unfortunately we scored and the nap was cut short by all the cheering.  He has been fighting a respiratory infection and it got him down a bit this week.  Got some antibiotic yesterday and it seems to be helping a lot.  Now if I can just figure out how to get him to take it without having Randy hold him down while I try to squirt it down the back of his throat without choking him or having him spit it all out.  If he could just realize that taking it was what made him feel better. 

 Last week I went to Cincinnati for work.  Here is a picture of my work team.  This was the first time we have been all together in one location.  It was a good trip, but it was very tiring.  We got to go to an Ikea store while we were there.  I did not realize how cool it would be.  All three of us ended up bringing home light fixtures of some kind.  Randy already has mine installed in the basement.  It was worth all the worry and repacking I had to do to carry it on the plane on the way home. 

 

I have also been trying to help out the DSAF group by doing some web support for the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk.  We have had a few issues with registration and getting the t-shirts ordered.  Hopefully it is all straightened out now, as the walk is next weekend.  I am so proud of everyone who have stepped up to help out.  Ben's Brigade has raised,  almost $1500 and we will have around 45 walkers between Ben's Brigade and the Elmwood/Murdock School team.  Thank you to everyone who has helped out.

Come on Down and Join in the Fun........The Nebraska State Fair.

Today we went to the Nebraska State Fair in Grand Island, so John could do his Power Point Presentation.  He already won Grand Champion at the county fair with the presentation and now it was time to do it again at the State Fair.  The title of his presentation is "Will You Step Up for Down Syndrome".  He did awesome. He got a purple ribbon.   I think having 2 hours in the car to perfect it helped.  Here are the screen shots from his presentation:

 

Here is a picture of John with his Creative Mix Cookies that also got a purple.   They were made with a devils food cake mix and have a white chocolate drizzle on them.  They were yummy!  The ones left at home are long gone.  The best part is that now John can make the cookies next time we have to take some for school!

Noah got to have some fun too.  Here he is catching a pass from former Husker Player Eric Crouch.  The funniest part was that the boys had no idea who he was while they were doing the little obstacle course.  I asked them how it was to catch a pass from the former Husker Quarterback and they all looked at me like I was nuts.  After going back to take a look they figured out who it was.  They thought it was pretty cool.

He also got to milk a pretend cow.   I told him after seeing the way he was going about it,  he would have been kicked in the head by that cow if it had been real.

Ben got to enjoy the fair too.  He liked petting the goats.  But it was just too much for him.

On the way home we stopped at Chances R in York.  It was delicious.  Maybe going all the way to Grand Island to visit the State Fair isn't so bad after all.  Our first year attending there was pretty good.