Celebrate Birthdays!

Well, we have had a busy sort of week and just haven't sat down to update, so . . . here it goes--

Monday through Wednesday was spent kind of catching up. Jason had to leave Wednesday through Friday to go to Boston and had to prepare 3 presentations for the trip, pack and sit down with me to discuss Olivia's IEP, etc. So, we spent a lot of time running errands and catching up at work.

Wednesday, Jason left and the girls and I ran to McDonald's for dinner because Josie had a great report card!!! She had several "+'s" and didn't get into any trouble at school--so we celebrated! I had a little trouble getting Olivia to sleep that night (her Daddy usually puts her to bed). She was pretty sad to see him go and clammed up in the morning when we told her that Daddy had to go on a trip.

On Thursday, Nisho was kind enough to watch the girls later than normal (and feed them!) so I could go to Olivia's IEP and Jocelyn's parent-teacher conference. It dawned on me as I was writing this that many of you have not met Nisho yet so I included a picture. Nisho has been watching the girls since Jocelyn was 8 weeks old so they feel very comfortable with Nisho and her family. This picture is a little bit dated, but gets the job done. Olivia's IEP came out okay, we agreed with many of the things that they see her struggling with and appreciate that they are "seeing" Olivia and the progress she has made. The first thing the teacher said when I got there was "we can really tell that you all work with Olivia at home". That, at least, helps make it worth it--that they can see some progress! Olivia will no longer receive occupational therapy at school and is not eligible for the summer school program based on the fact that she has been retaining her knowledge over breaks. I was okay with the occupational therapy change, but was a little disappointed about summer school--mostly because I just don't want her to 'relapse' and I don't want her to sit around bored in the summer. It's a long summer . . . Jocelyn's parent teacher conference went well. Her reading ability has improved dramatically (she said from level 6-16). I don't really know what the numbers mean, but I think Jocelyn was struggling a little at first and is now past the 'end of the year' requirement for first grade. We have really noticed an improvement!

Friday, we tried to go to Olivia's gymnastics but neglected to actually check the schedule before we left so we went to a home show instead. The girls thought it was really fun--they got a balloon, sticker and piece of candy (can't beat that!). Plus, we got home earlier than expected and Jason was waiting for us there! He had a good trip so that was nice to hear.

Saturday we drove to Cole Camp to surprise mom for her birthday--HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! We all acted like we were busy over the weekend and dad told mom that they would go out to dinner together around six but instead we all showed up at the house (we did bring the dinner so she didn't have to cook--dad even ventured out to Wal-Mart and picked up some items for dinner without mom knowing it!). Hopefully, she wasn't TOO disappointed that we ate at home instead. The kiddos had a GREAT time playing.

Today, we worked on getting some stuff done at home. Jason made another batch of beer (another brown ale) and I cleaned out the car, visited with Vanessa and Mila who are back from Brazil after spending two months with family, and straightened up in the garage. With the wind blowing, we had all the windows open and it makes the laundry room doors slam shut. Well, Olivia, of course, doesn't know this and got her hand slammed in the door. It is bruised and a little swollen. We don't think it is broken, but she was wimpering quite a bit this afternoon (after the screaming/crying phase so we know it is hurting her). We're keeping an eye on it.