Keira had her eye appointment today. She failed her kindergarten eye exam (vision) part of the physical. She had to see the same specialist I saw for my eye migraines (ocular migraines).

When I made the appointment they told me it would only last an hour. So, I was thinking we would be done by 10:30. My best friend watched the other kids for me so I could spend more time with the specialist, asking questions, filling out paper work and answering questions without being distracted. ;) I texted her at 10:20 (her appt. was at 9:30) and said we were going to be another hour. uggg! It lasted from 9:30-11:30 a.m. After picking out glasses frames and setting up another appointment we got into the truck at 11:43 a.m.

She had an eye exam with the nurse, this lasted about 40 minutes. When the nurse was done, she saw the specialist, this lasted about 10 minutes. He said he needed to dilate her eyes and the drops would take 20-25 minutes to start working. We waited in the waiting room for 20 minutes.

He finally came back to get us, he did her exam and said that her right eye goes in a little (he used some other technical terms ;) ) Her right eye is not as strong as her left eye because when her right eye does its thing, the left eye compensates for that eye, making the left eye twice as strong. She does need glasses only to make the right eye stronger (not to correct the inward movement it does). He is not worried about the eye going in because it doesn't do it very often. He is more worried about the seeing part.

So, of course, Keira could see fine until the nurse told me that her right eye is not as clear as her left eye. That's when Keira started saying she couldn't see any letters with her right eye.

Here are the numbers for those of you who understand optometry talk ;)

Right eye at distance 20/50
Left eye at distance   20/25
Right eye at near       20/30
Left eye at near         20/25

She failed the Amblyopia part of the test or lazy eye.

We told her a couple weeks ago that she might need glasses when we found out she failed the vision part of her physical and she cried because she didn't want glasses. I told her that her cousin (boy) had glasses and that some kids have to have them. She didn't care, she still didn't want them. She saw a cute little girl at her cheer class with glasses and they were pink. She talked to the girl and is now excited to get glasses. It was hard looking at glasses frames, let her pick out what she wanted, then have to tell her we can't have them for a couple weeks because they have to put the "prescription" into the glasses for her to see. They already had glass in them though, so she didn't understand that. She was fine once we got into the truck and started talking about it.

I post every (most every) Friday that I get to sleep in for a couple of hours each morning and that the hubby gets to sleep in on Saturdays. The hubby actually also gets to sleep in on Friday's too. He normally gets up at 5:30 (sometimes earlier) Monday-Thursday for work. The kids usually wake up between 8:30-9:00 a.m., so when he gets up with the kids on Friday's, he actually gets to sleep in 3 1/2 - 4 hours. Sleeping in until 10 a.m is pretty good for me.

I have been so tired this week. I got up Monday and Tuesday before 7:30. Monday was on my own with the alarm clock and Tuesday was with the kids waking up before my alarm clock went off (at 7:30). The kids were up about 7:15 on Wednesday morning. Thursday morning, Taygen woke up at 5:50 a.m crying, which she never does in bed anymore. So, I rushed in to see what was going on, it didn't seem to be any thing bothering her. She just cuddled with her blanky and closed her eyes, must have been a bad dream. She didn't actually go back to sleep and was up the rest of the morning.

Wednesday at Keira's school they handed out a paper warning parents about an out break of chicken pox in the morning class. One family actually pulled their child out of the afternoon class for the day. The paper said if you see red spots on your child, go have them checked. Today, Taygen has been running a slight fever and has 2 spots on her face. They are red and actually look like the "baby pimples" that some newborns get. Am I being paranoid or could she actually have chicken pox? I will just wait to see what happens.

Today, Keira had her kindergarten physical and her 5 year well child check. Keira's birthday is in November, but the Dr. wanted to wait and do her physical and WWC at the same time, so they scheduled it on the kindergarten physical day.

She did great. She went back and did her vision test and hearing test. She passed her hearing test, but didn't pass her vision test. I was not with her when they tested her, so I don't know exactly what they did. I wasn't surprised by her vision, because I tested her a couple days before that and she didn't do very well for me either.

Her weight is 38 lbs (29%), her height is 41 1/4 inches (15%), her BMI is in the 50-75th %. Her pulse and blood pressure were good. Her percentages are normal for her. She has always been in the lower percentile. All my kids have been in the lower percentiles.

She didn't have to have any shots today. She got her 5 year shots at her 4th WCC. She thought she was going to get shots, so she was stressing out the whole day. She started getting a headache on the way to the Dr. office.

Keira got into Norris Elementary School. This is not her normal (district) elementary school. I do not like Lincoln Public Schools. We also had Lincoln Christian and Lincoln Lutheran on our list if Norris did not work out.

If you are anything like me, you love to clean. I Spring clean in the Winter, just to have an excuse to clean out the closets or organize.

I will give you some helpful tips that will help make Spring cleaning easier...hopefully ;)

• Make it easier on your self and do one room at a time
• Break the cleaning down between 2 days
• Do the upstairs rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, etc.) the first day and the downstairs rooms (kitchen, living room, family room, etc.) the second day, or visa versa
• When working in the kitchen, wash all appliances (big and small) with soap and water
• Wash all blinds and curtains
• Wash windows while you have the blinds and curtains down (a lot easier)
• Dust every crevasse
• Wash jackets/coats and hang them in your coat closet
• Clean out closets and put Winter/Fall clothes away or get rid of anything you don't use anymore
• Open the windows and just let the air in 
• Wash your door mats or buy more Spring like colored mats
• While you are vacuuming your floors also vacuum your couch and chairs
•  Make a detailed list of what needs to be done in each room. It makes you feel less overwhelmed when you walk into that specific room.
• Organize kitchen cupboards. Most people don't think about this. When most people think about organizing, they think of closets, so most people miss this step
• Put away all comforters and heavy blankets. Make sure you wash them before you store them
• If you have a curio cabinet or if you have shelves, update them with Spring colors and items

The most important part is, don't stress about it, have fun with it. Look at it as a whole new beginning for your house. You can make it fresh, bright and feel new again. 

Anytime I clean, whether it be Spring cleaning or just my weekly cleaning duties, I always have my music on. It makes the time go faster and I have more fun that way. 

We went to Colorado for Dan's uncle's funeral. We have gone every year for about 4 years. We stopped going when Taygen was born because we didn't know how well she would do on an 8-9 hour drive. So, we haven't been to Colorado in 2 years. We got a call from Dan's cousin (Ralph's daughter) that said he was in the hospital and was not doing good, so we were getting things ready to go to be with the girls and visit with his uncle. We were planning on going out their before we even heard the bad news. Dan got a text about 5:30 Saturday night with bad news.

The funeral was Friday morning. We left Nebraska Thursday morning about 7:30 a.m. We got to the hotel with the rest of the family and went to the visitation on Thursday evening. Went to the funeral Friday morning and all the family left immediately after the funeral/reception. Dan is extremely close with the girls (Ralph's daughters) so, we stayed Friday night and hung out with them and did a little sight seeing.

Friday afternoon we went to Pikes Peak. Made it to the top. I didn't do so well. I hyperventilated and it took me a while to get through the episode. The kids loved the views.

The summit. The sun is in their eyes, so it's kind of hard to see the camera

Friday evening, we went out with the girls and ate. Then later that night, Dan went out with them to their mom's and hung out, played games and talked.

Saturday morning we were going to do some more sight seeing then drive home halfway. We walked through Garden of the Gods for a little while.

The kids had a blast. We did not plan this as a family vacation, but we are not going to drive 9-10 hours one way and turn around and drive 9-10 hours the next day. You have to think about the kids. They need to stretch their legs and have fun. So, we made it a 4 day trip. Why not make a family event out of it?! Sometimes you can't just think of yourself. You have to stop and have fun once in a while. If you don't, then you won't have a life!

Here are my 10 ideas for celebrating Spring and ringing in the Spring Season.

Spring is my favorite season. It's not too hot and it's not too cool. My most favorite part of the season is doing/redoing the landscaping and just making my yard look fresh for the season.

1. Organize, organize, organize

     Be creative! Reuse old things or paint some old items a new color

2. Spend time with a friend

      Everyone needs their day to catch up on things. Why not use this time to get to know your friend more.

3. Have your first Spring picnic outside

     You are cooped up inside all Winter. Why not have fun and have your first picnic of the Season.

4. Update your house with Spring colors

     The Spring colors will make your house fresh, relaxing and it could have a calming affect ;)

5. Hang your clothes out to dry.

     Brings back memories of hot summer days

6. Work on your landscape

     Makes the house feel new and more welcoming

7. Clean out your closet

    Hardest job for me, but I feel so much better after I do this.

8. Patio furniture out

     Almost makes you have to sit outside ;)

9. Spring Crafts with the kids

    Kids love doing crafts, why not make a flower centerpiece?

10. Throw a Spring themed party.

     We all need a reason to get friends together, right?

Taygen had her 2 year well child check, I guess they call it 24 month well child check up.

She is in the 23rd percentile for her height at 33 inches. Her weight is 24 pounds and in the 25th percentile. She has only gained 1 pound since her 18 month check up and has only grown 2 inches in the last 6 months.

Her doctor was a little worried about her weight (only gaining one pound in 6 months). She asked me if she thought her diet was good, meaning if she was eating enough. I just started laughing, if anyone knows her they know she eats all the time and eats anything. Even though she only gained one pound, she went down on the percentile chart from 61st percentile to 25th percentile (in 6 months). The doctor thought even though she went down quit a bit in numbers that she was just fine.

Taygen is really such a big girl. When the doctor was talking to her, she kept saying, "I feel like I'm talking to a 3 year old." She was so impressed with how much she talks and how much she knows. She also kept saying, "she is so mature for her age." It's always good when someone else realizes the potential in your child like you do.

Taygen has her good and bad days. I love her good days, as we all do ;) On her good days, Taygen will listen to everything, all day long. She will give me hugs and kisses all day. She will come sit on my lap and be super lovey all day. She will want me to hold her and then want to cuddle with me. She plays good with the other kids and shares everything. At nap time, she will not argue with me, she will just lay in her bed and go to sleep. But...on her bad days she does not listen. She is not lovey ;( She is just very defiant on her bad days. She doesn't want to nap on these days. The good thing is that she has more good days than bad days.

She is definitely growing up way too fast! She is fully potty trained and only wears a pull up at night and nap time. We are slowly taking away pull ups at nap.

Taygen turns 2 (going on 4) today. She is such a big girl. Sometimes I forget she is only 2. People ask me how old she is and I have to stop and think, then she usually answers for me and says, "5." She hears Keira say it all the time, so apparently she wants to be 5 already. I, on the other hand, do not want any of them to grow up. I want them to stay little always.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl! 

We are so proud of you!

Well, he is not so much of a kitten anymore. He is the most precious thing and he is so good with the kids.

At the kids' bedtime, he will go lay on their bed. He lays on Aden's bed first and then when he knows Aden is okay then he will climb up onto Keira's bed and lay with her for a little while. When he knows she is okay then he will come down stairs (usually about 10 p.m) and lay on my lap on the couch.

He usually never sleeps on our bed at night, but one weekend I was really sick (cold symptoms) and he knew it, he was so cuddly and wouldn't let me out of his sight. One of the nights he climbed up onto the bed, crawled under the sheets and laid right by my chest.

This past weekend when Aden was sick (cold symptoms) and Aden was laying on the couch, Bandit jumped up onto the couch and laid right behind Aden's head (as if he knew not to get in front of him and block his show ;))

We were very hesitant on getting a cat when we first talked about it because the last cat we had (saydie) would always meow and she shed everywhere, it seemed like there was always a mess (cat hair) everywhere. We thought if we got another cat it would be like that, but Bandit is different, he doesn't meow, he doesn't play rough and he doesn't shed, mainly because he is a short hair breed.

We got our license for him the other day. In order to own a pet in Nebraska and other states I'm sure you need a license for that animal. We got a letter a couple of weeks ago from Nebraska Humane Society with a bill for a pet license. I did not ever think about needing a license, makes sense though. I probably wouldn't have gotten a license for him if I wouldn't have taken him to the vet because the vet sends them the information for you.