YAY!! im ON VACATION!!

My sis is coming down with her husband (has a seminar in spg) so i will spend the first part of the week with her! Shoppin in Branson on TUESDAY!! YAY!

Then? I'm taking a long weekend of respite with some girlfriends IN VEGAS!! we take one weekend a year and run away from home....and spend the rest of the year looking forward to it! All of us have kids with Down Syndrome, met online, and all of us devote our lives to our families and careers. It sounds glamerous, but honestly we sit around wherever we are, and just talk and laugh and let someone else clean up after US!! it is usually 3 days of laughter, tears, and the comraderie of sisters who understand each other and each other's lives. I usally leave sad that we all don't live closer together, and revitalized in my life as a wife and a mom to a child with special needs.

I CAN'T WAIT!!

Molly is still having a rough time at school...still acting out. We're running another round of anti-bi's, and claritin, and seeing if we can't get to the root of it. I so hope her classmates understand and don't start avoiding her. They don't understand it takes a long time for her to learn to trust them, and then BAM! a whole new group of kids! She wanted to stay in Kindergarten forever. It is so hard for her in other ways...they are all into hannah montana, and she still loves dora and the wiggles. The girls are experimenting with lip gloss, but she still likes to eat it! It has to be frustrating for her...Thank God for ROBERT!! He still adores her exactly the way she is.
I had to take the OTHER cat to the vet early Saturday morning...he has something wrong with his back leg...a 1/4 inch scratch was found, but i guess him being 13-14 yrs old, it was a big deal. He is ALSO on anti-bi's!! Giving the meds to the cat is still easier than giving them to molly! Poor Lucifer can barely walk, and if we don't see marked improvement by monday...off we go for x-rays! He is my baby, and another worry.




Molly came in today, while i was fixing bill's biscuits and gravy, COVERED in GREEN GEL TOOTHPASTE! we have not found the original crime scene....but are still looking....and just so you can understand a typical day at my house, she then brought me the kitchen scissors and her 'Easter Bunny Sponge Bob" and made me cut off his bunny ears. There was no dissuading her from it...obsessively they HAD TO COME OFF NOW!! I stapled his head back together, and she skipped off happily approving of the surgery (UGH!)

Kelsi, Bill, and Angela are in for the weekend (I ADORE a busy kid weekend!)and we took molly to McWilliams Pumpkin Patch.

Mr McWilliams is a conservation agent here in Missouri, his son, Levi (Shauna's age) is the Pharmacist across the street from us. They have some acreage outside of town and do some interesting stuff with it all year, and then invite us all in to look in October!! I love People like this!

Molly had missed her field trip to the patch with the class last week....so I was extremely glad everyone agreed she needed to go, regardless...this was our day:










she REALLY loved the bin of corn, and Bill had
to manhandle her out of it...she is IMPOSSIBLE to
move when she assumes the "flop and drop". It's
like trying to pick up a 70 pound water balloon!



Good thing we got her out, because she REALLY
loved the Hay Bale Maze! She ran right through
it, pushing me out of the way and taking the lead,
and didn't even stop to see the caged display animals.

except once, when the corn, which had been in her
shoe since we got there, just HAD to come out!!





Then? another fav!! a TRAIN! ok, not a real
train, but a tractor decorated like one...she
was confused because there were no TRACKS!!











This is Mr McWilliams and his other tour mode!
He's is just the BEST! thanks mr mcwilliams!!



I'll get back just in time to Spend Halloween in Springfield (i hope) and then MOVE MY PARENTS out here for the winter!! Molly had a pretty horrible time with me being gone last year, we paid for it for 2 weeks in weird behavior...but I'm not letting it change my mind! Keep Good thoughts that we all survive it!!
Enjoy your AUTUMN!!

We've had a reprieve from autumn....just for the weekend I'm sure. Our season changes for the worst, here, usually on Halloween when the brightly colored trees are hammered with a blasting cool wind and pounding rain. I say usually on Halloween, because that is 'trick or treat' night which is usually ruined! We just got her costume, and are looking forward to my prediction being wrong!

I saw it was snowing in Reno yesterday, so i won't complain about the upcoming rain and REALLY enjoy being outside today!

I will be taking one last dip in the pool, to recover all the stuff molly has thrown in there (i don't know why she does that) at which time we will tack on the new cover...and daddy is actually mowing the lawn this morning!

Miss tactile defense went right out to help. Made it to the garage, took out the push mower, and even though she cannot TOUCH it with her bare hands (the monkey had to do that) she did venture out onto the grass with bare feet! (an amazing feat for her!)



No worries now...it isn't running, she just went and got it from the garage!!
GO MONKEY! TOUCH THAT HANDLE!!




And for the OMG news in my small town...THIS appeared on the southern
hiway coming into town this week...made all the state wide news...





How embarrassing is THAT!! I cannot believe how UNenlightened people choose to remain, and pray that one day this will change. Only then can we reach world peace...when we learn to just ACCEPT people for what they are, instead of fearing it, judging it, and letting it
separate us as a nation and as a people, and instruments of world peace. *sigh* Just when i think we've come a long way, baby....someone has to do this.

Politicians?? you need to stop enabling the haters. I'm not voting for EITHER of you until I start hearing what you ARE going to do, IN DETAIL, instead of the mud you both seem to ENJOY slinging around......

and sara...dear sara (Palin-Rep VP candidate) you broke my heart. I KNOW they told you to fire up the masses.....but you DIDN'T have to DO IT!! You cannot advocate for my child on one hand....and PREACH fear mongering on the other!

You cannot promote world peace, by spreading hate.

DIVERSITY is not limited to our children. Think about it.

Molly is still recovering from the bug...we did not get to go back to school on Friday, but after calling the school, that probably was a good thing. Both her teacher AND her aide were at home. Teacher's daughter had the flu....the AIDE had the flu! Missouri even beat the flu shots!! Hopefully this means we are done with it for the rest of the winter!!

I am still cleaning up the aftermath, Lysol-ing all the common areas....bleaching the appliances, and shampooing the master bed and bath for the third time, trying to get all the peanut butter out of it. Maybe Molly is going to go into Interior Design....as she got the urge to turn my bedroom from blue to 'peanut butter' brown!

Daddy isn't seeing budding talent.....he is still just seeing red. It's a good thing she holds the key to his heart!

I think everyone else is recovering nicely in the family...missed seeing them this weekend, but Moll still isn't up to traveling. We may take her first trip out of the house this afternoon to go to walmart and restock(not buying peanut butter again....ever!) pick up more meds, and see how she does with a short trip. I know she's got the cabin fever, as she brought me her bookbag, and her lunchbox yesterday.

Hope this finds yall happy and healthy, and enjoying beautiful weather!! I will leave you with the Larson twins enjoying some time in NYC, the last week before chemo resumes on little Coleman.




Please continue to pray that Mercy and Total Healing is shown to this beautiful little boy and his family, and while we're on the subject of politicians...START DEMANDING A CURE FOR PEDIATRIC CANCER!! 64 kids will be diagnosed next week! it HAS to STOP!! We see lots of pink around...but we're not seeing any GOLD!! Pediatric Cancer has GOT to be ADDRESSED AS LEAST AS MUCH!!

da GERMS da GERMS!!

yaI am JUST about ready to run away from home...here's the update on my family Gabe, got into some bad mushrooms, and spent all of sunday evening/night/monday morning projectile vomiting from the pallet he made on my bathroom Floor. Poison Control called to tell him to get to his dr. and do a liver/kidney check.

Bill drove him home, and Gabe went right into the flu...as did the baby, who is congested and fussy now. Ally seems to have been spared so far....(but gabe's whining will probably be getting to her soon...hahahaha)

Bill and Angela both have strep/flu and are flat out and miserable in thier home at Fayetteville, and like me, wishing the toilet fairy would come to the house and sanitize the icky rooms.

Larry is down and out on the couch with the flu, BAD...he keeps waking up and deliriously trying to take out the trash (today is trash day, and i've already wheeled it out to the driveway) dutiful husband that he is....one more time, larry...one more time! you would THINK he would be worried about ME!! lmao! Im dripping from the warmth of the house (and the last of my fever) and he's complaining that i have the air conditioning on! Pile on another blanket.

molly is recovering from pneumonia but is on house arrest till we're cleared on friday morning...she missed a field trip (today) to the pumpkin patch. We either get cleared back to school, or she goes to the hospital on friday morning. She is coughing now, something i don't think she has ever done...and that is a good thing! new nebulizer? Priceless! (but still hoping the insurance kicks in a little for it) It came with a mask, and she's actually tolerating that a little better than when i swoosh it into her face!

I think she's going to be fine...as even tho her little lungs filled way up...she didn't fever. Maybe that will come NEXT week! EEEK!!Shauna? is glad she is wayyyyyyyyy far away from us...BUT her boyfriend actually dislocated his shoulder requiring an ambulance ride and a 3am dismissal from the hospital this morning!! He was SHADOW BOXING!!

Shauna, this boy is gonna have to toughen up a little, if he's gonna hang with YOUR brothers!! His SHADOW kicked his butt??? Sorry you had such a long night, and then had to get to work!
I'm about 1/2 over it...still fevering and now cleaning up a molly disaster - she took a GIGANTIC SAM'S CLUB sized peanut butter tub, and redid all the walls and carpet in my room. We thought she was napping and both of us took a little rest on the couch.

DO NOT REST with evil children in your home...BEWARE!!

I have made the chicken soup, but need 7-up. Just leave it out there by the dumpster thing...YOU do not want to be ANYWHERE near this house!!

Gotta love being older and having a little germ-carrier in the 2nd grade!! She just adds that little extra something to the WHOLE family!ok, I'll stop whining now...

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

The trees haven't turned yet, but it won't be long as the
evenings are perfectly cool, and the days pleasantly warm. i soooooooo love this time of year, especially when my boys are home!

Homecoming is this weekend, a special one due to it being their 100th anniversary of the first West Plains Zizzer Homecoming game. (I'm not from here..and still really don't know what a 'zizzer' is...but they seem awfully proud of them! Our symbol is a lightning bolt, and there doesn't seem to be a mascot! Any of yall out there reading this FROM here??? be sure to post up!)




Gabe left the baby with us, and attended the game and various get togethers all over town with his best bud, Bryson...(thanks pop for the fab steak he still gushing over!) Bill stayed home and helped with the baby:



and ate non-stop...and Aubrey, who was 4 months old on the 4th, decided she didn't want to miss a MINUTE of the hoopla, stayed up wayyyyyyyy too much, but managed to sleep ALL NIGHT! (down at 10pm, up at 8am) a FIRST!! YAY!! Although i must admit, between the slobbery face of new teeth trying to appear, and the lack of naps...some of the awake time wasn't as much fun for us as it was for her! Told her daddy he'd have to have 4 adults to care for her crabby-napless days, if he wanted an full night sleep at home!

Molly *sigh* dear molly came home from school early on Friday, cuz she was not wanting to be there and that means SOMEONE is going to get pushed, or pinched, or worse...that ONE big tooth is going to jump on someone's arm!! EEK!! Daddy was called, and was NOT happy about picking her up! There is no doubt that she totally understands just HOW unhappy he was with her...but my mommy heart breaks, as i KNOW what is wrong...and i KNOW she just can't do anything else BUT act out!

I am sure that there is a bug a brewin....and sure enough...This beautiful autumn Sunday morning....her nose is running yellow, faster and in larger amounts than a kleenex can handle....we've moved to baby wipes which are softer and stronger on her little schnoz.

The onset of fall is synonymous with the onset of molly's afflictions.

She has been dosed already this morning...and will be kept down today, in the hopes of being able to return to school on Monday. A slippery slope with her going from runny nose to pneumonia in 0 to 50...so we continue to hope we can handle this first round with Triaminic, rest, the love of older brothers, and of course the return of the Spongebob DVD marathon...something that keeps BOTH babies just entranced:







I can only hope that her classmates understand that they are able to COMPREHEND and SAY "I don't feel good" Molly? She just starts throwing her shoes. *sigh*

A Short blog today...limited to the naptime of my sweetest little g-baby. She is SO much different from last week!! This week? She squeals at Uncle Bill and Grandpa (the little flirt) and is starting to squint her eyes at me! We are teaching her to blow raspberries, and i know, deep in my heart just by the way she looks at me...that she loves being at Grammy's house!!

Shout outs this weekend to my parents, and thier 60th anniversary!! woooooooohooooooooooooo! So sorry about the scheduling...i would have done ANYTHING to be there!




And to little Ben Lee...who has finished recovering from his stem cell transplant, TURNED 6 years old yesterday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!) AND IS HOME!!..the absolute best birthday present we were all praying for!

www.carepages.com

cp BenTheBrave






Extra prayers to Coleman, twin to 3 yr old Caden, My Iowans who are displaced to Sloan Kettering in NYC...fighting a relapse. They have found the beast in his spine and brain as of yesterday...so we need to pour them on....we are praying for miracles. This is Team Larson

cp ColemanScott:








Remember to spend time giving back, paying forward, and remembering
these families in your prayers.

Peace!