My Classroom in September

Happy Birthday Aunnie!

Hey, sis!
Hope you had an amazing birthday!!!
We have a super cool present for you in Mesa...
Now it is just a matter of getting
my over-worked brother to deliver it to you!
Hope today was filled with tons of smiles
and some yummy cake!
Love ya!

I have an itch

Yep. You read that right. I have an itch. You could also call it a bug. An itch to hit the open road. A travel bug, if you will. I would have thought that given my non-stop summer this itch would have remained on hold for at least a little while. But today as I was completing a two hour circuit to feed our former cat I realized that I am once again itching to hit the road. To go somewhere different. Shop in different stores, eat different food, see different sights. I found myself wondering where the road could take us next. Prescott for an arts and crafts show? A cabin in Snowflake over winter break to play in the snow? Safford...because, well we have never been there so why not? Maybe just a day trip up the mountain for fun and giant cookies? Next week we will be hitting up Apple Annie's Apple Orchard and Farm. Maybe that will quell the itch for awhile. If not...it may be time to bite the bullet and teach another online class. Surely the proceeds could take us somewhere else...maybe Albuquerque for Veteran's Day? Just a thought.

Set change...magic in the making

Making magic happen in my classroom is often time consuming, hot, and messy. People marvel at the end result and tell me, "you make it look so easy." Well, my most recent set change took place this past Wednesday. Down came the bear tent and up went the Fall Farm to mark the first day of fall. So...here, in pictures is a small part of the process. Just a note---this picture was taken roughly 45 minutes after I wanted to pick up Sugar and Spice from preschool and roughly 1 hour before I finally managed to get him!

And...the finished product!

The rest of the story

I have been wanting to write down some of my thoughts about the 2nd MRI since the day it happened. At first I waited because I didn't want to be overly optimistic just in case things did not turn out the way I wanted it. And since we learned the good news I have just been overly busy with some projects (ones you will just have to wait and see!) and with work things. Anyway, there were definitely things that I wanted to share and I realize I need to do it now while it is still so fresh and while it still matters so much. So here goes...

With the first MRI I was a mess. The entire drive from our home in Sahuarita to the hospital I went back and forth between almost crying and almost throwing up. The songs on the radio were all wrong. Songs that reminded me of exactly how much I would lose if the test revealed the worst. And then, as you know, the whole MRI experience did not go as well as it should have. It broke my heart that I had spent so much time convincing My Little Reader that the MRI would not touch or hurt her only to be turned into a liar as they stuck her with an unexpected IV within the first 5 minutes of our visit. Holding onto her during the test was also heart wrenching. Standing there praying and silently begging that the test would reveal nothing. Again on the verge of either throwing up or crying. Only to have the whole test be a waste. Heart breaking. Then to be told the news that with the next MRI she would go under general anesthesia. Suddenly the test that I had promised would not hurt her was getting more and more complicated.

Fast forward a month. Yes. We had to wait a whole month for the second MRI. With school starting I was able to push that worry away for awhile. But starting the Sunday before the second MRI I was again in a constant state of begging and pleading and not sleeping. Nothing, nothing, nothing. Please be nothing. You know how the what-ifs can take over your thoughts. Well, they certainly had mine.

But, come Friday, driving into town I was not a mess. There was no urge to throw up or cry. I felt an unexpected peace and calm. The whole day was completely different from our first experience. We were given so much information and we were talked through the whole procedure by both a nurse and Dr. Esparza while My Little Reader happily played away with the toys. Dr. Esparza deserves special mention here. They call him the child whisperer and I don't doubt it for one minute. He was amazing. He sat on the exam table right next to My Little Reader and had her laughing hysterically. No fear and crying like the first time. Just see for yourself.

And when it came time, they marched on down the hallway without us. Now, if you had seen how hard the first MRI was for her and how scared she was and how upset about the poking in her arm (IV) you would know just how much of a miracle it was that she walked down the hall with that doctor and did not once look back for her mom and dad. She was off to take her test without us and she was laughing while she went. What an incredible blessing that was.

And just to show you exactly how much I knew that everything was going to turn out right this time...we didn't even sit and wait in the waiting room. Nope, we went to the cafeteria and had a snack. The peace and calm that I felt that day were proof in my heart that my little girl was going to be just fine.

Look! They were smart enough to weigh her!

A pain free blood pressure check!

Waking up happy!

Now...it did take several days to finally receive that official news...but it was the news that we had prayed so hard for! Just another reminder through the life of my little girl that prayers are answered and miracles do happen every day. I told her, though, two big miracles in such a short life, she better wait awhile to put her mommy through another one!

Adding Up

My Little Reader's "Nothing" is starting to feel a whole lot more like "Something" to my checkbook. The bills are rolling in...time to have a chat with the first hospital and the insurance. Right now it seems as if no one is applying the $500 deductible that we shelled out on that first less than fun visit. And here is a shocker, the less-than-stellar hospital that returned absolutely no results, yeah, they want more money than the hospital that got it right. Something is seriously wrong with this picture.

Sugar and Spice Turns 4!

For Sugar and Spice's Happy Birthday dinner he of course wanted Sweet Tomatoes. It is, after all, his favorite place to eat. Unfortunately, he had a bit of a tummy ache the entire time, and ended up getting sick once he got home. :( But, he did get some great presents! A few days later he got a 2nd Birthday party complete with more presents and friends. His favorite part was getting cards from everyone. With each new card that he opened he would ask if he could keep it. Too cute!

Groupon

Have you heard about this? If not...you totally should! Today, for example I got $20 gift certificates to Magpies for just $10. And since you know BBQ chicken take and bake is a MUST in our house you know exactly why I did a happy dance when I saw today's special. Last week I also got $50 to Gap for just $25! I pass on a lot of the deals, but the ones that make me happy...REALLY make me happy!