Uh...what?

What's that you say? Only 5 days left of school? Kripes! June seems to have snuck up on me this year...May was such a busy month that I think I left my brain somewhere back on the 31st.

What's new...hmm...well, my baby boy is turning 8 tomorrow! I cannot believe it. Cliche though it is, it just seems like yesterday when he was born...sigh. On Saturday, the Reptile Party Guy is coming over with a slew of creepy critters to entertain the troops. I really hope the weather holds so we can have it in the backyard. I actually kind of looking forward to the party; I think it will be pretty neat to touch and hold snakes and lizards and stuff.

Next week, as I mentioned (in shock!) is the last week of school. Report cards etc...I have a busy summer planned for the boys, so hopefully I won't get too many of the "Mommy! I'm bored!" cries. They have a week off, then Phoenix and Keegan are off to a week of camp. A week off, then the cottage for a week, a week off, then more camp, then two weeks off and school! Doesn't sound so bad that way.

Exciting development! Ty got into the summer session of CIP (Community Intervention Program) which is a short term, intensive intervention program for preschool children who attend child care and are experiencing significant challenges with social and communication skills
that may impede successful inclusion. A small group of children attend six weeks for three half day sessions delivered by a multidisciplinary team of professionals. Child care staff and parents receive opportunities for training and information sharing during the sessions. Keegan attended this program and it worked MIRACLES for him, so I am hopeful for the outcome for Ty.

The goal is to get him using more spontaneous speech, and build on sentence length. He starts in mid-July, and goes for 6 weeks. I was very happy to get him in the program, because otherwise, he would have had a 2 month break in service. This way he keeps to routine a bit, and is still enjoying the social interaction of his peers.

This summer we are renting our friends' cottage near Huntsville. The kidlets are really looking forward to it. So am I. It's nice to get away from the same old routine sometimes. We are also planning a bunch of day trips, and camping weekends, assuming we ever get back on track with the weather.

We've had so much rain lately! Major thunderstorms, brilliant lightning shows, tornado watches, and on Monday, a hailstorm, with fallout the size of marbles! All of these weather occurances seem to happen at 3:01 pm, just as the kidlets are getting out of school.

Speaking of school, apparently this year they are not holding a graduation service for the SK kids. This really pisses me off, and I know I'm not the only parent of a 6 year old to feel this way. We've all been telling our kids that they are graduating into big kid school and now, no ceremony. Word is, the teachers don't want to do one extra second of planning that they don't have to. It's the first time I can remember in the last 8 years that they haven't done it, and I think it SUCKS. I may have to go lay the boots to the administration. Stay tuned.

Well, I guess I should go finish my baking. I'm making cookies for Phoenix to share with his classmates at school tomorrow for his birthday. Next chore: his reptile cake!

Pictures, Pictures, Gotta Love Pictures

Phoenix on the tree swing his cousin Lucas rigged up.

Keegs and Phoenix kicking back on Uncle Paul's boat.

Keegan driving Uncle Fern's boat. Note the look of concentration!

Keegan's first catch! A good sized smallmouth bass.

Ty giving me the "For the love of God, Mommy, get me the hell out of this canoe!" look.

Keegan checking out a frog. He asked me if he kissed it, would it turn into a beeyouteeful princess?

View from the upper deck.

Front of the cottage.

For A Long Month, It Went Fast

At first, I thought March was going to last forever. And now, here it is, April already. Now is the busy time countdown in our household. For me, it is a busy cake making season. Lots of birthdays here and among friends and family, plus Easter treats to make. We also have EarthJam 2007 coming up, and Mark's band has a set list with 10 new songs to learn, so Mark is in the studio all the time in preparation for the show. Then in May, it's FSRT duck race season. So by the beginning of June, stress levels begin to abate, right? No, because there are more birthdays and parties and preschool graduation and the end of grade one...so really, I'm pretty much screwed until summer.

This week, Phoenix starts his after-school reading tutoring, twice a week. Keegs has his visit with the dr regarding his explosive nose hemorrages (8 last week, one this week so far, but hey, it's only Sunday!). Good Friday we are all off, of course. Saturday is a baking day. Sunday is Easter at Mark's mom's cousin's house (Zosia). Monday is another day off for most; Keegs goes back to school.

I have spent the day filling out forms, mostly disclosure agreements to release info regarding Keegan's psych assessment to various doctors, schools etc. Also filled out forms for summer camp for Phoenix. I am sending him to two, week-long day camps in July and August to break up his summer. He's going with his friend Hannah, so he should have a good time. Keegs we are keeping at the daycare through the summer to keep him in routine. It will be good, because it is at the main centre, and will be all kids in his age group, all going into SK. We ended up keeping the same subsidy level, so costs will be managable, and his transportation will still be covered. And in the off days? Well, play dates, and the weekly trip to the Farmer's Market to pick up fresh fruits and veggies, and to visit Grandpa who works there as well.

I have spent the weekend a: doing laundry, b: baking cakes, c: caring for fever-ridden child, d: losing 8 bids on E-Bay, e: becoming addicted to Facebook, f: all of the above. (The answer is F).

Phoenix came down with a fever on Saturday morning. Weird. No other symptoms, no stomach ache, no sore throat or cough, ear pain, nothing. Just a fever hovering around the 103 F mark. Which meant that we had to miss out on my nephew's birthday party (made him a guitar cake) and going glow-in-the-dark bowling. I did laundry and watched endless episodes of Justice League instead. He is okay today. Mark took the kids to church and they came home proudly displaying the crosses they had made with palm. (Palm Sunday craft...). I stayed home with Ty, who refused to nap and frosted my flakes. Refused to nap in the afternoon too. Was quite pissy by bedtime, let me tell you.

Anyway, it's approaching 11:00, I'm blind from all of the time spent on the computer this weekend, so I'm going to head out. Will update on Thursday with Keegs dr news.