Relying on a 5 year old

This pictures has nothing to do with the post, I just figured I needed a picture to make it more exciting. I am going to work on another montage of beach pictures.


About a month ago, Jeff and I met with Carson's teacher about how he did on his first of the year assessment. Basically, they just want to see what the kids know. Being in Kindergarten, some of the kids can read while others don't even know their letters. We were told at that point that Carson was going to be pulled out for a reading group with the para pro. Well, it has taken a while, but it looks like it started today. Unfortunately, I am relying on my 5 year old for information. He told me that he went with Mrs. W and 2 other kids, one from his class and one from another class (2 teachers share a para pro) to the work room. He said they read a little book and did a work sheet. Thats all I got out of him. I have no idea if they will do this daily or how it will work. Hopefully, I will hear more in the futre, but in the meantime, I am glad they started the group. Clearly, a 5 year old boy is not the most reliable sourse of information!

Skating party

A few weeks ago, our friend Olivia turned 7. She had a skating party. It was a lot of fun. Both my kids tried skating. Carson fell a million times, but kept getting up and going again. Here are some pictures. There are a bunch of our friends included.

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Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. As many of you know, the summer and fall after Carson was born, I helped a student with cancer finish his math credits. While tutoring William, I got to know a family with a little girl who also had cancer. Catie passed away a few days after Macie was born (and a week before her sister was born). I am posting an email I got from Catie's mom. Please consider making a donation to this vastly under funded cause.


Hey there,

Most of you know that our sweet girl, Catie, was diagnosed with cancer on her first birthday and fought hard for nearly 3 1/2 years before earning her much deserved rest. Never did we dream that our lives would be touched by childhood cancer, and we certainly never imagined we would lose a child. Yet here we are, normal folks, just like you, in just that boat.

Throughout the month of September, we are participating in an initiative called “CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time.” On September 26, what would have been her 7th birthday, Catie will be honored. CURE Childhood Cancer will feature her story on its web site (www.curechildhoodcancer.org), its blog (www.curechildhoodcancerblog.wordpress.com, and on www.firstgiving.com/curekidcatiewilkins. Our goal through the Firstgiving website is to raise well over $1,000 on Catie’s day to help fund research that will lead to better treatments and cures for pediatric cancers. We want more survivors, and research (and therefore it's funding) is the way to get there. Our goal is for less families to have to say, "Goodbye," to their kids.

Did you know September is Childhood Cancer Awareness month? If you didn’t, you’re not alone. Many people do not know what the month signifies. Yet every day, two full classrooms of kids are diagnosed with cancer. And still, only 2% of federal funding for cancer research is directed at solving cancers that impact our children. The frontline drugs Catie received to attack her tumor were the same drugs used 20 years earlier. This is unacceptable. Research, and therefore funding for it, is vital to improve the chances of children fighting cancer.

While doctors and researchers have made strides in the battle against so many other types of cancer, the lack of funding and awareness for our children has led to an insignificant improvement in survival rates for pediatric cancer over the past decade. As a result, cancer continues to be the number one disease killer of children in our country, more than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and pediatric AIDS combined! So how does childhood cancer become a priority cause in this country? The journey begins with each of us. We need your help to raise more funds and more awareness.

If you are willing and able, please go to www.firstgiving.com/curekidcatiewilkins
and make a donation in Catie's memory. She was an amazing little girl who changed our lives forever. We will forever be challenged to live full like she did, no matter what we face and no matter how much we miss her. We hope you will help and share Catie's story with your friends and family on September 26, and ask them to join you in donating in her memory. Together, we can make curing childhood cancer as urgently important as it should be and reach a CURE in our lifetime.

Thanks so very much,
Tre', Jenny, Izzy, and Chip (and really, Catie too!)www.midgetsandmoonpies.blogspot.com

FINALLY

Macie's first day of school has finally arrived. I have always liked our school starting after Labor day. It gave us a long nice summer to enjoy. But, this year, our summer ended back on August 3rd when Carson started school. And, Labor Day was really late this year. But, the day finally arrived. I better hurry up and finish this so I can get a thing or two done before I have to go back for her.

The front porch picture taken this morning

Macie and her teacher Ms. Michelle. This was at meet and greet on Thursday.

The start of the day. Macie wanted to twirl out by the trash instead of pose for the first day of school pictures.

Then, she decided to try to run down the street.

I am still trying to get her up on the porch, but I decided I would settle for a picture by the tree. She would not let me see her face!

Finally, I get her up on the porch, but there will be no standing or smiling.

Until I offer her a pop pop in the car if she will stand up and let me take pictures.

Offering to let her see them on the camera screen also helped with her attitude.

I love to get pictures with their back packs. They always look like the packs are as big as they are when they start the 2 year old class!

The back pack is on and we are ready to go get in the car.

First one quick look back.

We made it to school. She talked about "Ms. Michelle say not to me", and "Addie no bite me" as well as a few other silly remarks. But, she did great. She walked right in to the room and started playing with play dough. (I was impressed since she is across the hall from her old class room. I thought she might try to go in with Paula and Teresa.) I left her happy and playing with Drew and Addison.
I am sure she will have a great day and a great year. She is in the same classroom (different teacher) as Carson at this age. If we are lucky, the next few years, she will be following in his footsteps.

Rough Afternoon that ended with a surprise

Yesterday was one of those afternoons. I got an email from Carson's teacher telling me he had pulled a card. If the kids don't behave they pull cards for different level of punishment. If they don't pull cards, they bring home a smiley face. On Friday if they have not pulled a card they get to go to the treasure chest. If you know Carson well, you know he is usually very obedient. I figured at some point he would have a bad day, but I was still a little surprised. We had just had a conference with his teacher on Monday, and she had told us he is always doing what he should be doing.

After checking my email, I can downstairs to talk to him. (I am not quite sure what is says about me that I did not even notice the missing smiley face until I got the email.) I told him there was something missing from his folder. He said the smiley face. So, I asked him what happened. He was of course upset and on the verge of tears. I was also about to loose it looking into his sad little eyes. He told me that "H" moved next to him and was bothering him all day. H was scratching him on the back of the neck and he kept telling him to stop, but he did not stop. By then he was sobbing. I sent him to his room to settle down. So, I emailed the teacher back to get more details. She said it looked to her like they were having a good time together.

Carson came back downstairs still gulping and asked that I email his teacher and ask her to not make him sit by H any more. He was pitiful. We talked several more times and he stuck to his story that H was bothering him. I told him, if that was the case he needed to go talk to his teacher. She had corrected them a couple of times, but he had not said anything to her. So, it left me in a place with two different versions of the truth. It was not fun and dealing with it would have been enough for the day.

But, a little while later, Macie and Carson were in his room. Jeff and I hear a huge crash, Carson yelling "Macie", and both of them burst into tears. We open the door and find Carson's piggy back in many pieces all over the floor.

After cleaning up the mess and promising a new bank, we went to dinner. Jeff took Macie to the bathroom, and Carson starts talking to me. Here is basically the conversation..

C: Mommy do you know God can see everyone at the same time?
Me: Yes. He knows if you do good things or bad things. Thats why you always need to tell him the truth and ask him to forgive you. And, we know if you ask him to live in your heart, he will always forgive you.
C: I already asked God to live in my heart.
Me: You did? When?
C: When I went to Coley's bible school

About this time, Jeff comes back with Macie. He was not happy with her, but I want to continue our conversation. I ask Carson something so Jeff can catch up with what we are talking about. We continue a little while and talk to him about what it means.

We think he knows what he is talking about. Bible school was 2 1/2 months ago, and he has not said anything to us before. But, he does not like to talk about what he is really thinking. It does not surprise me. It just surprised me that he chose yesterday to tell us. (If he was a different kid, I might think he was trying to win some points back, but that isn't really his style)

New activities video.

I know I said two weeks ago, I would get you a video of Carson riding his bike. I guess I am slow. Since you had to wait so long, I include Macie on the slide at the pool.

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