Barbieri's In Tights

While in Florida, visiting my in-laws, the kids put together a show. Chuck worked realy hard to help them with the routine. Here they are, in their finest tights:

Vacation

The kids and I headed to Louisiana last Tuesday. After a trip that took longer than we thought it would, we got to Mom's late that night. Wednesday we packed and prepared to head to Florida with my Mom, my sister (Tootie), her two children, my best friend Danielle, her daughter, my Aunt, and another of my neices. We stayed in Panama City Beach from Thursday until Sunday. We had a good time. Here are some pictures Danielle took. I need to upload mine, though I didn't take many. I believe my sister also has some on her camera that I will have to put on my computer once I return to Louisiana.

Lauren, digging in the sand, making sand castles


Danielle and Me. Danielle was holding the camera and we were trying to not get bowled over by the waves!


Lauren, buried in sand.


Matthew, digging.


Jacob in the front, Lauren and Me behind him.


The kids and I are still in Florida, at my Mother-in-Laws house. We will head back to Louisiana on either Friday or Saturday. We have a fun week of things we would like to do, but nothing set in stone. It's nice to be able to just relax and have fun. I will post more pictures once I download them onto my laptop.

Goin' for a Ride

Mike and I went on a ride last Saturday on the Harley. We had a great time. I took my camera along to see if I could get some shots from the road. We were riding with some guys from the American Legion. Here are a few of the shots I got...

This was heading out from the American Legion:


This is Rick and the trike he designed.. it's pretty sweet!


The guys in front of us on the way up to Jefferson City:


And the view behind us. You can see Rick on his trike at the back of the formation:


A beautiful view of the countryside:

Water Play

The kids just finished two weeks of swimming lessons. We got off to a rough start weather wise, as the first day was cancelled due to rain. The first week proved to be a little chilly, but the kids enjoyed it anyway. The boys are totally swimming now and Lauren is pretty close. I have to say they are all fearless when it comes to the water. Here are a few pictures of the kids in the water. As always, click on any picture to see it larger.

Here is the crew: Jacob, Madison, Lauren, and Matthew


Jacob


Matthew:


Matthew, cannonball:


Jacob, bellyflop:


Lauren, jumping off the diving board with no life vest!

Back from a Trip

The kids and I went to Louisiana for a week. As of today, we have been back home for a week. I can't believe how fast time seems to be moving.

The kids are taking swim lessons. We went all last week and have one more week to go. They want to sign up for another session and I think it's a great idea! They love it.

I am going to post some pictures from Louisiana.. these are my favorites so far....

The kids at a rest area just inside Louisiana. When we were kids, we used to go camping in Mississippi every summer. On our way home, we would always stop at this rest area and take pictures at this sign. I will have to go through Mom's pictures next time I'm in Louisiana and dig those out!


This is Lauren, Lynzi, Matthew, Wess and Jacob. They had a great time playing in the pool!!


My neice, Anjel. She is such a beauty!


My cousin's daughter, Maria. She too is a pretty girl! I loved taking her picture!


Anjel and Logan. My godchildren.


My nephew, Dyson. He is such a cute and fun kid!


My sister and her son, my newest nephew, Joseph!! :)

Because Life is a Trade-Off

I posted yesterday that Lauren has outgrown her kidney reflux. I am so grateful for that.

I got a call from Matthew's doctor today. He has strep for the third time in a month. He is going back on antibiotics. I have to schedule and appointment to figure out where to go from here. It seems he is a carrier. There has been talk of removing his tonsils. He is against it as he is terrified to have surgery. I guess we wait until the doctor's appointment to figure out the next step. Of course, there are no available appointments through the next month. So, who knows when we will get to see the doctor.

Great News

As you may recall, Lauren was diagnosed with kidney reflux in Feb/Mar of 2006. She has been on a low dose antibiotic daily since then to prevent infection and damage to her kidneys. She had a VCUG last week to check the status of her kidney reflux. The urologist called this morning to let me know that the test showed there she has NO reflux!!!!! She has outgrown it and no longer needs the antibiotic!! I am sooo happy for her!!!!

Good Day

I got my referral from tricare. Now I have to call the doctor listed and make an appointment.

On a more exciting front, the kids and I got to watch the troops doing the pugil fights today. I think the kids enjoyed seeing them. I took a few pictures. Here are some of them.

Something Shiny

I had my appointment this morning. Basically, she put in a consult and now we wait again. YAY!

In other news, better news, I went with Mike to 'look' at a Harley Davdison. He has been looking for a week or so. Gas prices are insane and it will save us money in the long run. Needless to say, he drove the bike off the lot and now it is parked in our garage. And boy, is she a beauty!

When the boys stepped off the bus this afternoon, Matthew yelled "we got a bike, sweet!". When I picked Lauren up from Girls Scouts and let her know that we bought a bike, her first question was "Is it shiny?!". Whadda think?

Doctor Appointment

I have an appointment today to see my Primary Care Manager. It took three days of me calling my insurance and two clinics to secure this date and a wait of 9 days. The phone rang at 630 this morning. It was the scheduling part of the insurance company to let me know that my PCM called in sick this morning. Thankfully, I could be seen by another doctor today. Hopefully, they will give me my consult/referral and I can get some answers on what is happening to my body. I will update soon.

What a Pain... the Saga.. Part 2

I posted on the 28th of April, after my ER trip, about my 'female issues'. Well, I've been very patiently waiting for my insurance to call me with a referal to see a gyn. It's been over two weeks, so I decided to call. Insurance claims they have no record of the referral, although I do have a copy in my hands. They tell me to call the Gyn clinic to get an appt, if they can see me. I call Gyn (because when I was transferred, I was hung up on!) and was told that they can see the it was put in for an off post consult, but not a referral. They tell me that they are only seeing prenatal right now. They also say I need to call my clinic to see if my regular doctor can put in the referral. I call my clinic and after being on hold for 9 mins and a snotty rececptionist, I a transferred to my doctors nurse's answering machine. So now, I wait for a call from a clinic which has no clue as to what is going on. The pain is starting to creep back in and I can't imagine going through this again. Except for the fact that I'm still going through it! UGH

Jacob's Not so Great Day

I got a call from my supervisor yesterday that I needed to call the principal at school. (I work for the school, but was out doing home visits) I asked what about and said Jacob. My heart sank.

We have had issues with Jacob and anger for some time. He has done so much better. I have worked with his teacher all year to get Jacob to a point where if he is angry he tells her he needs time and he is taken out of a situation and left to cool down. He has even gotten better at home to where he will separate himself from a conflict.

Well, apparently, yesterday morning before school he and some boys were playing 'stampede'. Jacob was being chased and decided he was done. He went sit by a pole alone. A couple of the boys went over to 'check on him'. Apparently he got angry at one of them and chased him and hit him. Another boy started calling Jacob a cry-baby and just generally teasing him. Jacob then chased that boy and tried to hit him as well. He was restrained by other students. The teacher took notice of what was happened and stepped in.

The kids were asked what happened and the principal called a few in to get their stories. Jacob was given and 'academic reassignment' (read: in school suspension). I talked to the principal, the counselor and Jacob's teacher. I am miffed that the second boy was NOT disciplined (actually, only Jacob was!).

I asked Jacob today if anyone brought it up or if anything was said. I guess the second boy was again teasing Jacob today saying "Wanna put me in a headlock, you should put me in a headlock". I am to the point that I want Jacob to kick the kids ass as he has been bullied all year and I've had enough.

I will go back to the principal tomorrow and ask what is being done about the bullying. Because if Jacob retaliates again as a result of being bullied, I will be pissed if he gets suspended... again! UGH

What a Pain

My periods have been pretty painful for a while now. They aren't irregular. The bleeding isn't unusually heavy. I tend to bloat and get constipated. Last month was extremely painful. I could hardly move and cried to walk or sit. I started this past Saturday and spent yesterday in a ball on the couch. Motrin didn't help.

I got up this morning and got ready for work. The pain was still there and I couldn't see how I would be able to function today. I called to make a same day appt, but they couldn't get me in until tomorrow morning. I ended up going to the ER because I couldn't wait.

When asked what I was there for, I got some strange looks when I said that my uterus hurt. The doctor felt my abdomen and I was in tears it hurt so bad to just be touched. They started an IV and gave me morphine as they wanted to a pelvic exam. That was excruciating! (The pelvic exam). I was then send down for x-rays and as ultrasound.

The doctor came back and told me that I was constipated. (It happens every month when I am on my period). He also felt that was more to it. I have a referral to see a gyn. He basically thinks I have endometriosis. I was sent home with motrin, narcotics and a referral out to a gyn. So, now I wait for the phone call to see what the next steps are.

Busy Times

The end of the school year always bring with it lots of busy-ness. Last Friday night, Lauren had a lock-in for Girl Scouts. She and I got home on Saturday morning and got some rest. Saturday afternoon, I hosted a baby shower for a friend/neighbor. I was so exhuasted that night! Matthew competed in a math competition for a 10 school league on Monday. Tuesday was dance for Lauren. Wednesday was our "no activities after school day" which was filled with spring cleaning. Thursday was my aerobics day and more spring cleaning. Friday was my zoo trip with work. I got home and we had the after cycle party for Mike's drill sgts. It was great to get together with the people he works with. It's nice to put faces to names. Today was Lauren's Girl Scout trip to the Dixie Stampede in Branson. Tonight, we had a coule of friends over for dinner. Tomorrow, Mike is going ATV riding with friends. I hope to get some quilting done and just generally rest and be lazy!! Here are a few pictures from the zoo yesterday:

Two Things That are Pissing Me Off Today:

1. The fact that my washer broke and I can't order a replacement belt over the phone with Sears unless I use my Sears card. I don't have, nor do I want, a Sears card.

2. The fact that Mike's Bank of America card has not worked in 20 months. We got him a replacement while he was in Iraq (which took over 2 months to get to him) and it still didn't work. He accidently used it to pay for something online (it was already saved to a websites pay options) and it magically works now, to the tune of $70 in overdraft fees. And the bank work comp us any of it. Time to close that account!

I want a do over.. on the last 6 weeks or so. I am so beyond frustrated at this point, I just want to be alone for a LONG time. I can usually handle these things and it not make a huge difference in my day, but for some reason, lately, everything just pisses me off... grrrrrrrrr.

Toothless Wonder

Here is a picture of Lauren, taken Easter Sunday. The teeth are growing back now, but it is still so cute to see her smile!

Been a While

I did not realize it had been so long since I last posted. Life has been crazy and it is hard to keep up.

My Mom has been sick. It seems to be touch and go. We do know her health is declining in some areas, though the specifics of it all are still a little unclear. Along with her lung issues because of the schleraderma and the pressure, she is experiencing some heart issues as well. The doctors are working to get it under control. It's been scary and surreal to think of what can happen.

The kids are doing well. Lauren is missing her four front teeth at the moment and it's quite amusing. It's also quite sobering to think that my baby is growing so much. She continues to excel in school. She is convinced that the rash (poison ivy perhaps) on her nose is a zit and she is 'in puberty'. She always has something smart to say and often has us stiffling a laugh to correct her cockyness.

Jacob is doing well. He still struggles with anger issues. It's really hard to see him struggle and I often feel at a loss as to how to help him. We work on it and some days is seems to sink in while others, I feel like I am talking to the wall. He loves to read and can often be found with his nose in a book. Nothing is too thick for him and he can read and comprehend most everything he picks up.

Matthew continues to read at a 10th grade level (he is currently in 5th grade), though he much prefers to pick up a magazine or a complilation of short stories than to read a chapter book. He is doing really well in Cub Scouts. I am proud to see him and Mike working on his achievements. It's really been a great thing for both boys and Mike. Matthew is also taking guitar lessons and really enjoys playing.

Mike is about to have his first class of soldiers graduate basic training under his guidance. It's a proud moment for him and all involved. He will have most of the month of April off. We have already compiled the to-do list.

Mike and I celebrated our 10th anniversary on the 18th. We went out to dinner at a great place in Springfield. We have agreed that we need to go out more often. We had a great time. It's sometimes hard to believe it's been ten years. I think we are in a great place in our lives as well as our relationship.

I've got many more thoughts and such floating through my head. I'll try to get them down here. I don't update here as often as I would like, but I do hope whoever reads this (anyone?!) will continue to check in on us.

Oh yeah!

11 year olds are so cool, here is mine.

I'm an Aunt again!!!

My baby sister called me yesterday to ask about some strange pains she was having as well as a weird discharge. I told her that I thought maybe it was an infection and that she should see a doctor.

My Mom called today to say that my sister had gone to the doctor... and is pregnant. Once she went to the OB, they heard the heartbeat, then went on for an ultrasound. She was told she was 36 weeks, 2 days pregnant... and in labor! She proceeded to the hospital where a c-section was peformed. My newest nephew was born, weighing 7 lbs 13 oz. He has yet to be named, though Mike feels Speedy Gonzales is appropriate!! :)

Here is a picture of my Mom, holding her newest grandchild. Congratulations Tootie!!

The Best Christmas Gift

We had a great Christmas. Mike was home!! The kids got most of the things on their lists. I got a nice jewelry armoire and a Wii!! We have all had so much fun playing the Wii. The kids and all the adults here love playing it. It will give you a great work out. hehe..

But I have to say, above all the gifts we received, the best was that my Mom came up on Christmas Day with one of my brothers and his family. And being able to spend that time with my Mom was all I could have ever hoped for.

My brother surprised me a few weeks ago when he called and asked if we had plans for Christmas as he and his wife and girls wanted to come visit. Originally, they were going to come on the 26th and leave the 28th. Mom got invited (YAY) and they decided to drive up on the 25th. It all worked out perfectly as we enjoyed a quiet Christmas morning with Mike, me and the kids. Then I spend most of the cooking and getting ready for their arrival. We had a great visit.

I am taking the tree down today. I need to get the house to a managable state before my surgery next Thursday. I should only be down for a couple of weeks, but it will a while before I can do any heavy stuff.

I hope everyone had a great holiday. I'm looking forward to what the New Year will bring.