End of the Year

I posted a status on facebook last week about the end of the school year always bringing a lump to my throat. It is exciting to have the summer ahead of us, but a part of me always gets a little sad at thinking that the year is over, the time my kids have with each teacher is done. Each year we have been blessed with fantastic teachers and our kids have really blossomed and grown. I was especially nervous about N and his teacher this year. Although I had heard wonderful things about him, part of me wanted N to have a woman teacher, to have that nurturing motherly influence.

first day of school

I have to say that Mr. F really did live up to all the hype. He was great with all the kids, and really taught them a lot. I am amazed at how much N learned. He barely knew his alphabet when he started, much less the sounds, no matter how much I worked with him. He can now read simple books, and write his "kid writing" stories.


I also love the relationship he formed with his teacher. Mr. F got a kick out N's personality, and actually did have a more tender side in caring for N when he was upset, hurt, or needed encouragement. It was neat to see the bond that formed between the two of them,

last full day of school

and I think I will miss having Mr. F teach N almost as much as N will.


As for E, she also had an awesome teacher who really pulled the class together, focusing on the team aspect of sharing a year together. E was able to let her gifts shine in academic areas, as well as experience growth in learning to be bold and speak out when needed. Every year E is sad at leaving her teacher behind, but this year was especially hard for her. I found her the morning of the last day of school under her covers, crying her eyes out. She loves her teacher so much, she hated to say good-bye. I really felt for her, and although it was hard to see her so sad, it is good because I know that she would always remember 3rd grade, and the impact this teacher had on her will last a lifetime. On a bright note, we think N might be placed with her next year, as she is moving down to first grade!

first day of 3rd grade

end of 3rd grade

Despite the initial melancholy over the year being over, we have all bounced back, and are ready to embrace the summer season with it's fireflies, pool trips, ice cream, late bed times, and days at the beach. Let the summer begin!

A new reason to smile

"Mommy! Mommy!" a voice whispered from the foot of my bed.

I groggily answered, "What's wrong?" while determining that it was N standing there.

"My tooth is falling out of my mouth!" I squinted at the clock, and noticed it was 2 a.m. "N, go back to bed. I'll look in the morning."

I rolled over and went back to sleep, wondering what he was talking about, but being too tired to really care.

He has had a loose tooth for about 3 months, and we have wiggled it at teeth brushing time, but it hadn't noticeably loosened. Apparently something happened in the middle of the night, because the next morning N came into the kitchen bright and early with his tooth just hanging out of his mouth.


I asked him if he wanted me to pull it, and he did. I took a tissue, twisted one corner out, and then gave a another twist and tug, and it was out!


He was so proud and happy.

I was so proud and happy. My boy had just lost his first tooth, just one month shy of the end of kindergarten. He had watched his classmates all year coming in with stories of lost teeth, and now he got to share his own. I love those gap tooth smiles, it is one of my favorite stages of childhood.

Lego Party

Last week N celebrated his 6th birthday. We started the morning off with our own family celebration at breakfast time. We actually celebrated on the day before his birthday, because his real birthday was on a Sunday, and we wouldn't have time to do breakfast and presents before church. N didn't mind opening his gifts a day early.

Then, after lunch N's friends came over for a Lego party. Originally N wanted a Bakugan party, but I couldn't really think of how I could pull the theme off with games or projects, so I steered him toward the lego idea. We ordered a ton of legos from ebay (actually, just 16 pounds) and poured them onto the train table. When the boys arrived, they built a lego man, and then a vehicle from the pile of pieces. After that, the challenge was to build something, anything, from a box with random pieces. It was neat to watch them create and use their imaginations.


For the cake, we had both cupcakes and a big cake. I had spent the day before figuring out to to make and color fondant icing. I made these cupcakes, designed to look like the parts of a lego guy. Then the morning of the party Ed iced several cake "blocks" so that they would look like lego bricks stacked on each other. The effect was pretty cool, and the boys each got to take home a cupcake as part of their party favors.


When the boys had all gone home, N settled down to start on his gift from us. He actually ended up building the whole thing with little help from us- a first for him.

When I praised him, he said, "That's because I'm six now!"

Soccer Saturdays

I always looked with pity those parents who were stuck on the sidelines all Saturday morning, in the rain, cold, blazing heat. I would cruise on by in my dry/warm/cool car thanking my lucky stars that I was not one of them...yet. I knew the day was coming, but I figured that maybe Ed could take over that aspect of parenting, and I could stay at home. Then E started soccer in kindergarten, and I found that I couldn't really stay in the comfort of my home in good conscience while I made my 5 year old go out and brave the elements for an hour of running. If I was going to put her through torture, the least I could do was cheer her on. And she did think it was torture, so after serving her time and putting in two years, she was allowed to move on to other pursuits while we had a blessed year of soccer free Saturdays. (Can you tell I am not a big sports fan?)

And then it was N's turn. The first few weeks were pleasant enough, with sun, moderate temperatures and our whole family went out to the field to support him. And then it started to cool down, and we had a couple of rainy Saturdays. So there I sat, that parent, huddled on the sidelines in my canvas chair, trying to shield my body as well as KK's with the umbrella, cheering for my sodden son as he chased the ball. N doesn't seem to mind the weather, and cheerfully heads out to play each Saturday. He seems to enjoy the game, so I have a feeling we have many years ahead of us. Even though I don't love the game, I love the player.

Letting go

The whole summer has been a count down of sorts as we looked towards the new school year, and N starting kindergarten. Well, at least for me. I found myself giving him extra squeezes and hugs, telling him how much I loved him, how he was getting to be such a big boy, even pulling him into my lap- because I still could.

When I sent E off to kindergarten, I was excited even as I marveled at how big she had become. For N I find myself blinking back tears as he starts on this next phase of his life. Maybe because it is that phrase about a daughter being a daughter forever, and a son is a son until he gets married. I know he is not getting married, but this is the first step of separation. He will now have his own separate life at school- his own little joys and disappointments, interactions, friends- that I will not be a part of unless he lets me in. I won't know what he is doing, and I won't be there to help him if he needs it. As I packed his lunch this morning, I fretted over if I had packed too much or too little, if he would be able to eat a peach on his own or should I cut it up (I cut it up), if he would remember his water bottle from his back pack or would he be thirsty? I even "walked" him through his lunchbox, showing him what I packed, what he should save for snack, the little wipe I had put in for him to wipe his hands before he ate. When he came home this afternoon, I found that only 1/4 of his lunch had been eaten (a couple of crackers and a treat from Aunt Cara) because he said they didn't have enough time. I think we will have to practice eating quickly this weekend!

I just look at him, and think of how little he is, how vulnerable and innocent. I know he will lose some of that innocence this year. I know it is a part of growing up, but as his mom, it is hard to not want to protect him. I just need to be in prayer for his heart, that he will do the right thing, that he will be teachable, and that he will continue to grow in his faith as he sees his need for Jesus ever more clearly in each of these steps of his life. And I have to cling to my faith too- not to be fearful as I let go, but to trust that the Lord loves my little boy so much more than I do. And the same truth that I comforted N with before he left for school, is the same truth that comforts me- even though I can't be with him at school, Jesus is there, right by his side, Always. And that is the greatest comfort of all.

Race Car Birthday

Although it was a week later than expected, N had his birthday party today. This year he decided to have a race car theme, so I started preparing a couple of weeks ago. First I got 4 boxes from the grocery store and cut them so they would look like cars.
Then I spray painted each one a different color.

Then came the fun part- docorating! I spray painted numbers on each car, added headlights, tail lights, and a grill.

I cut out decorations for each car and then named them.


They were finally ready to go! This morning when the boys arrived, we started off with painting wooden race cars.


Once they were finished that, we handed out racing caps, divided them into teams of two, and went out to the race track set up in the backyard.



The boys were supposed to run half a lap to a partner who "changed" the velcro wheels at the pit stop, and then run back to the beginning where they switched places. We did a practice race first, so that everyone was clear on the directions, and then we had the real race! The boys had a fun time, even if the cars kind of fell apart and the wind was blowing spare tires across the yard.


After the race, we had an awards ceremony where everyone got a trophy, which was a huge hit.

Then it was inside for cake. Since N is GF, we made him an individual race car cake, and then ordered a cake from the grocery store for the rest of the guests.



We finished off the party with opening presents, and then the boys played until their parents came to pick them up.
As usual, we had a great time, but man, these parties are exhausting!

Last night I was wakened around 11 to the sound of N crying and coughing. It wasn't just a normal cough, it was that tell-tale "bark of a seal" cough. My heart sank, even as I fumbled down the stairs, half asleep. Ed, who had been watching basketball, had already gotten N out of bed and into the bathroom where he was standing over the toilet crying, coughing and gagging. After a couple minutes of this, I said that I didn't think he had to throw up, but instead needed to sit down and calm down. N is very excitable, and if he is hurt, he will immediately throw a fit of crying and can NOT be reasoned with. With croup, it is very important to stop the crying, since it further swells the throat and makes breathing even more difficult. Although it took several minutes, he did seem to calm down, and so we thought we would try to put him back into bed. As soon as he lay down there was a panicked look on his face, and he started crying and gasping for air. I gave him some prednisone we had on hand from a previous bout of croup, but since it talkes 6 hours to work, it didn't do anything and he just kept crying and struggling to breathe. Ed picked him up and rushed him outside, but it was a warm night, and it didn't do much. He then tried to hold N up to the open freezer door, but that just freaked him out even more. At this point he was struggling for each breath, rasping in and out. I tried to hold him to me to calm him, and as I rocked back and forth with him in my arms, it became clear that he was getting worse- between his stomach and ribs was a very clear triangle as he sucked the air in. I was very worried that he would stop breathing all together, and we would lose our boy. We called the pediatrician and were advised to get him into the steamy bathroom immediately (something I knew was helpful for croup, but at this point I was thinking we needed to call 911- that it was too late for the steam to help). Ed sat with him while I waited outside with the phone. Half an hour later, several phone calls with the nurse, and an empty water heater, he had calmed down sufficiently so that he wasn't struggling for every breath. But since he was still wheezing, we were told to take him to the ER, as he might have another episode later in the night, and we might as well take him when he was calm. So Ed left with N around midnight, and I settled back into bed where I lay in the dark praying for the next hour and a half until I finally fell into a fitful sleep. They returned around 2:30, and Ed said that N was fine- he was perfectly fine by the time they got to the ER, and Ed had felt a little silly for bringing him in. They took his pulse-ox, made sure he was breathing OK, monitored him for a couple of hours and then sent him home where he slept through the rest of the night. This morning he woke up with a cough, but bright-eyed and full of stories of what happened at the hospital. Yet, he still isn't well. He just got hurt outside, which started another bout of coughing and some raspy breathing. I was able to talk him down and reminded him that he needed to stay calm, or he wouldn't be able to breathe. But I am admittedly worried as we are about to go into the night. I fear that we will be wakened once again with a panicked boy, struggling for his every breath. I just pray that Jesus will be close to him tonight as he sleeps, that his airways will be clear and his breathing easy.

This is not the post I wanted to write on the eve of his 5th birthday- I already had something planned, but I will have to save that for later.

Going Gluten Free

For some time we have been concerned with N's bowels. Around his birthday in March, things started to get pretty bad, with lots of gas pain that had him in tears. I took lactose out of his diet, and that seemed to help, although everything wasn't perfect. Then in August things started to get worse again, and it was almost like his body wasn't absorbing anything, and food was going straight through him. I thought that maybe gluten could be the culprit, so one day I just stopped giving it to him. I went out to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and bought GF cookies, pretzels, cereals, and various mixes for cookies, bread, pizza dough, waffles and other baked goods. He was such a good boy when I introduced this new diet restriction on him. I explained that in addition to his "special" milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream, he would now have "special" cereal, cookies, snacks and bread. He has never complained. He eats whatever substitution I have made, and does so cheerfully. I am just so thankful for this! I know that the Lord has his hand in it.

Anyway, within 5 days I noticed a difference, and we have never looked back. N's bowels are "normal" for the first time that I can ever remember, and it is such a blessing. Naturally, we went to the pediatrician for a consultation (coincidentally the same day Ed was in the ER for his own issues). N had a blood test taken, which came back negative for celiac disease. I actually didn't think he had celiac because his symptoms weren't that drastic, but I do believe he has a gluten sensitivity. It is the only thing that can explain this remarkable turn around.

But his not having celiac gives me a little leeway in preparing his food. True gluten intolerance calls for separate cooking utensils, pots, and bowls, as well as complete gluten removal from the diet, including trace amounts in things like vanilla extract, baking powder and other things you wouldn't neccesarily consider having gluten. It would turn our lives upside-down, and I truly feel for those families who bear the full weight of this disease. Instead, I avoid giving him things that blatantly have gluten (wheat based products), but don't worry so much about the smaller quantities in other things. Anyway, things were gong fine with just N having the GF diet. The food was more expensive, but I didn't have to buy large quantities since he is still a small boy, and I could easily prepare a small GF portion of whatever we were eating and still make dinner as usual.

But now we have decided to try out a GF diet for Ed, and things are a little more complicated, and a lot more expensive. The cost difference between GF and "normal" is quite staggering. For example, a regular 5 lb bag of flour is easily under $5. I went online to buy flour through a recommendation of a friend, and was astounded that it cost $15 for 5lbs, plus $11 shipping- that is $26, people!! I bought it because I wanted to try it out, but I am still suffering sticker shock! And that is how it is across the board- anything GF will be significantly more expensive than it's normal counterpart. It's also been harder fixing dinners that Ed and N can eat, now that I have to do a large portion of it, if not all, GF. But it seems like it is working for Ed too. He says the pain in his side is almost completely gone, and he feels normal again. Now that could be normal healing, or the effects of eating GF. We won't know for sure until he sees a specialist at the end of the month.

All of this is to say, we are still trying to figure everything out, and how eating GF is going to work in our family. Fortunately there are a lot of resources online, and many GF products available in stores in my area (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's and Wegman's). I am currently working on finding meals that I can easily make that are GF. For dinner tonight I didn't know what to make, and Ed suggested waffles. GF waffles do have a different taste, and I wanted something a little more substantial, although many times we do just have waffles for dinner. I found a recipe online for chicken and waffles (I thought the chicken sauce would mask any difference in waffle taste), and I thought I would try it out. I made some changes, and I had to make 2 separate batches of waffles, but it turned out really well, and it was delicious! The kids all loved it, and practically licked their plates when they were finished! Here is the recipe, with my changes in it.

Waffles with Creamed Chicken

Ingredients:
2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 small onion minced
1 glove of garlic, minced/pressed
*1 small can of cream of celery soup with 1/2 can of milk
1 tablespoon Madeira or dry Sherry
waffles (see below)

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic about 3 minutes, add chicken and sauté until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add Madeira and simmer about 2 minutes. Add cream of celery, put on lid, and stove on lowest setting. Periodically stir chicken as you make waffles.

Start making waffles. The original recipe called for frozen waffles for convenience, and I like to make my own. But this time, to speed up the process, I used a mix for both regular and GF. In both mixes, to make them taste more home-made I used butter instead of oil, and buttermilk instead of regular, and it made a huge difference.

Once waffles are done, arrange 2 waffles on each plate; top with creamed chicken.

* I realize that cream of celery does have some wheat to thicken it, but it wasn't enough to bother my guys. For those of you who can't have any gluten, here is the substitute:
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 tablespoons GF flour- Bob's Red Mill, or Better Batter would work
1 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/2 c of chopped celery
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk 1 minute. Gradually whisk in broth and cream. Add celery. Bring to boil, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer sauce 1 minute.

Boat Boy

Last summer N was thrilled with the boat on vacation, and was so happy to go with his dad on excursions into town. This summer we started out with our first boat experience on Tom's River. Jim (Ed's bro.) and his family were going out on the river for a ride and some skiing. We sent N, thinking that he would have a blast. Unfortunately, the river is very rough and the ride was really bumpy. N got really scared and was pretty unhappy the whole time. When he got off, he said he didn't want to go on the boat again, which didn't bode well for our NH vacation. Sure enough, when we got up there and loaded up the boat at the dock, he refused to get in. We told him he didn't have a choice- we had to go on the boat, no matter what. Ed dragged him in, screaming, and he was wedged in between E and some luggage for that first trip to the island. The day was nice and calm, so N gradually relaxed on the ride and even began to enjoy it. The rest of the vacation he was happy enough to go into and out of town, but he never regained his former confidence of the summer before when he would go on solo trips with Ed, sitting in the bow by himself. This was a little sad for me because I felt like part of his joy had been taken with that first boat ride of the summer.

Not to worry though, he still loves boats--

Actually, he is obsessed. Specifically, with "our" green boat- the island boat. He asks about it almost everyday, as well as related questions:

"Does our boat go fast?" Usually asked while driving in the car, maybe thinking in comparison of the speed of the car and of the boat.

"Is my life jacket at home?" I guess he wants to be prepared for any impromptu boat outing. He actually mimicked putting on a life jacket and snapping it, instead of using the words, as in "Is [putting something on, zipping and snapping it] at home?" It took me a couple of times to figure out what the heck he was talking about, although I suspected it had to be boat-related.

"Does our boat go like this?" This question is asked by indicating the plane of the boat with a tilted spoon or finger.

"When are we going on the boat again?" This is asked several times a week. Usually I say, "Not for a long time" or "Next summer" or "Next year" but finally yesterday, in frustration, I said, "Never! We are never going on the boat again!" He didn't dissolve into tears at that point, as he well might have, but instead looked at me and said,"A long, long time?" at which point E (always a stickler for correctness) said, "But Mommy, we'll go on again next year, right?" And I had to admit, that yes, we would go on it again, "When you are five. We aren't going on the boat anymore when you are four, but when you are five we will go on it again."

It's going to be a loooong year.

Milestones

At New Year's we were talking with E about making a New Year's Resolution. She didn't know what she wanted to accomplish this year, so I suggested learning to ride a bike. She was a little hesitant about committing to this, but cautiously agreed that she would try. It wasn't until June that Ed took off the training wheels, but it only took two times running around the block holding onto her seat before she was able to balance and ride on her own. However, she did not know how to stop and start successfully, so wasn't exactly independent yet. This past weekend Jim (Ed's brother) had the brilliant idea to bring bikes down to the river, and the kids could ride around the track there. It took a few times around, but E learned how to stop and start. She had one spill, but got right back on. When it was time to go home, she was tired, but happy, and so proud of herself! We told her that for every time that she rode around the track 4x, that it was a mile, so we guessed that she probably rode between two and three miles that evening. She was determined to beat that the next day, and excitedly set out after breakfast with her brother and cousins. K was taking a nap, so I didn't go, but Ed reported that she rode continuously for 1 1/2 hours, completing 17 laps!! She was so into biking that she didn't want to stop, but we promised we would be back again.
Meanwhile, N has been begging for a bike for the past year, and we have put off buying him one because we didn't get E's until her 5th birthday. When Jim heard that N was bikeless, he offered him Peter's little Batman bike and N was thrilled. He too, was excited to go ride his new bike, and after adjusting the training wheels, he rode around the track happily with the others. It was really cute to watch him and Erika as they rode around together, in tandem, chatting and just kind of taking their time and enjoying the ride.