"Ch...Ch...Changes"

Our season of change continues. About a month ago, after long discussions and lots of prayer, Cory and I put Sami on the waiting list for St. Paul's School. We didn't expect any openings until the next school year, but God had other plans as He usually does. Last Tuesday I got a call from the school saying they had an opening and would like Sami to come in for her assessment. I told them we would be there but I was hoping to wait to start her after Christmas break. After her assessment they asked us what the plan would be and when Sami heard me say "Start in January" she almost jumped out of her seat. "January...January?!?! I don't want to wait until January, I want to come tomorrow!" was all Sami could say. Cory and I looked at each other in dismay and quickly decided to make the change while she was excited. So the next day we let her teacher and principal know of the change. On Friday we had a "Going Away Party" with the kids...goodie bags with cookies, lots of pictures and hugs. I was fully expecting a tear or two...but none! Each day she kept asking, "Can I go to St. Paul's today???". We had known one of the girls in her new class but hadn't seen her in a long time. So on Saturday we had a lunch date with her, her sister and of course Mommy. We met at Red Robin and by the time we left the girls were hugging goodbye! Then, this Monday she made the switch and had her first day at her new school. Again, expected tears and a little anxiety...none! The teacher had put her desk next to our lunch date friend and had told the kids all about her. When I walked away Sami was literally skipping to chapel! Any hesitation or anxiety we had about switching schools was wiped away with that smile on her face! God is good!

Trick or Treat

Spiderman and Hannah Montana had a successful Halloween this year...way too much candy and even more fun!

Season of Change

Where to start?! Season of change is putting it mildy for us lately. Since my last post we have had Matthew's 3rd birthday at Boingos, my birthday getaway in Monterey, going back to work 4 days a week and Cory starting a business! Did you catch that last one?? Yes, you read right...Cory's business. Let me back track a little for all who don't know the story. Late August we found out that Master Pools by Paul Haney, where Cory had worked the last 6 years, would be closing their doors and the owners retiring. We were shocked and scrambling for what to do next. Well, God is good! Cory, along with much guidance and help from Master Pools, opened the doors to Genesis Pools just after Labor Day. There are 3 employees, all former Master Pools employees, that are trudging through this with him. At that same time my employer, Cypress Surgery Center, offered me double the hours I was already working! See what I mean? God is good! The business is going better than anyone could have expected and we can only hope it continues to thrive. It has been a wild ride these last 8 weeks ... we are just now starting to settle into our new routine and adjust. I truly feel God has been leading us and I hope that a year from now we will look back and say, "it was worth it!". I do miss the park play dates, story times and benefit of daily nap time. But the sacrifice of now will be worth it later! I am so proud of Cory and all he has accomplished...I have no doubt he will have long term success.

In the midst of all of this chaos we also had the engagement and then wedding of my brother and Kari. They were wed on October 17th in a beautiful wedding at her parents home in Woodlake...it really was gorgeous! As said above, season of change is putting it mildly! Thankfully, we have had all GOOD change and can only be thankful for all we've been blessed with! I am going to embrace this season of change and all it has to offer!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

1st Grade

Well...despite my constant requests to go back to preschool - Sami had her first day of the 1st grade yesterday. She had been so excited all summer since learning who her teacher would be, she could not wait for school to start. We got a new outfit, backpack, lunch bag and had everything all set out ready to go. She woke up that morning ready to get the day started and after her favorite breakfast we headed to school. She was completely fine until we hit the school entrance. Suddenly she was attached to my leg and really nervous. I was suppose to be helping at the PTA table but that went to the wayside. Daddy arrived and we went into the room, talked to the teacher and met the kids. Then...the bell rang and it was time for the day to begin. Poor Sami just lost it - tears, grabbing onto any body part of ours she could reach and pleading for us to stay with her. A new friend came over and took Sami's hand but she was still not having any of it. Fortunately, the wonderful Miss Haley came over, talked to Sami and took her by the hand to go get in line. It was so cute as Sami turns towards us - hair messed up, tear streaked red face - and says, "OK Mommy and Daddy...bye." And that was that! She ended up having a wonderful day that we all heard every detail of over ice cream after school. It was a good, good day....hopefully the first of many!

School Time

I cannot believe summer is already coming to an end....in just a few days I will have a 1st grader! How did that happen? My stomach turns in knots every time I think about her on that "big" playground. Nevertheless, the time has come to get ready for a new school year whether I like it or not. One night Cory and I were sitting in the living room watching the Dodger game - well Cory was watching and I was on my laptop - and the kids were in the toy room watching a movie. Suddenly Cory looks at me and says, "This is ridiculous...what kind of family time is this??".

And with those words began the transformation of the toy room (and extra TV) into a school room. The next day I went on hunt and hit the jackpot. I ended up at Rescued Treasures (the Rescue Mission store) and found the perfect desk for only $20. Next came Target for 2 desk chairs, a storage bench, rug and decorations. When we came home the demolition began. We took out the entertainment center, TV and futon which we will be selling. Then we took the bookshelf from Sami's room and brought it into our new school room where we put all of the books. Then we organized the closet with one side being school supplies/puzzles/crafts and the other for toys shared by the kids. It all came together so cute and the kids absolutely love it! Sami can get on the computer without help and they are both able to be at the desk at the same time with no fighting! Mission accomplished! After a little back to school shopping we are all set for the year to begin....now if only they had something to take that knot out of my stomach?!

Life's a Beach

After 2 years we finally went on a vacation that did not involve hospitals, doctors or stress. We took off for Pismo on a Wednesday and didn't come back until late Saturday! We never get to go out of town during summer because of Cory's job. The last time we went anywhere it was November and only a quick trip to the beach. So this time was so nice to be able to actually unpack and relax. We spent the first day on the beach all day....sandcastles, playing in the water and a picnic. The next day we drove to San Simeon to see the elephant seals then stopped along the way back to Pismo. We had lunch in Cambria, fed the seals in Morro Bay...so fun! The last day we had a big breakfast then headed to the Avila Farm. We took the tractor ride, fed the goats and got some goodies for Granny and Papa (they had been babysitting Bear for us). We finished off with more fun on the beach at Avila before heading home. I think we all threw a fit when it was time to head back. We had so much fun being to focus on nothing but each other, the kids even got along better! We ate yummy food, filled our bellies with as much Pismo Yogurt as possible and ended each night with the relaxing spa! It was a very long overdue break from reality...now where to go to next?!

Fun, Fun and More Fun!

Summer fun has arrived! With school ending came all the joys of summer - kicking off the festivities was Kindergarten Celebration (aka graduation) where the kids sang some songs and had yummy cake! The very next day was Sami's 6th birthday. Honestly, how did this happen?? Six years old, really?? I cannot believe that much time has gone by since I first held my baby girl. She is becoming such a little lady. Any remnants of those toddler days are long gone! She had all of her cousins and family over for a swim party that weekend. She and Cory shared a birthday present (his birthday isn't until July 14th..didn't this work out well for him??). They got a Wii..she was showered with all kinds of fun games and goodies to go along with it too. She can almost duplicate Miley Cyrus' "Hoedown Throwdown" dance from the movie. Oh, the joys of video games! We took a family trip to the Fresno Zoo and had a fabulous time - the kids loved seeing all the animals and we got to eat at our favorite Fresno restaurant, yummy! Next came Sami's June ballet/tap recital at LJ Williams Theatre. The theme this year was
"Broadway Babes" and she did an awesome job! Her "boyfriend" Joey even brought her flowers after the performance. Very convenient that his Mom is one of Sami's ballet teachers! We celebrated with Red Robin afterwards, of course! Then we had our Father's Day BBQ at church and home. And now, 4th of July just came and went. We went the Rawhide game the night before. The kids had a blast running around, eating snow cones and watching the fireworks at the end. The next day we had dinner at Granny and Papa's, then off to Exeter for the fireworks show. This is our absolute favorite place to go for fireworks. Blankets, lawn chairs, drinks and a few yummy treats is all you need. We loved it! All in all, this summer is shaping up to be fantabulous! Our next adventure: 4 days in Pismo...can't wait!!

PooPoo Play

Matthew has been showing a lot of interest in potty training these days, so I try to take advantage of it when I can. A couple of days ago, we were staying in for the afternoon and he had just gone potty on his own. So...since we weren't going anywhere, I figured I would let him wear his new Cars underwear. Two minutes later this is what happened:

Matthew: "I peepee in my chonies Mommy"
Me: "It's ok buddy, you're learning. Come here, we will change you."

Matthew walks over to me and I proceed to pull down his shorts and then underwear.

Me: "OH NO!! You didn't tell me you had gone poopoo in your chonies!"

Poop is all over the floor and his legs at this point.

Matthew: "I sorry Mommy, I sorry" as he tries to step away from to poop only to actually step in it and then do a banana peel slip and fall in it.

Me: "Matthew, just stay still. There is poop everywhere!"

Matthew is now getting upset and starting to cry. Sami meanwhile has been sitting at the table nearby doing homework and decided to help out.

Sami: "It's ok Matthew. You are learning, this just happens sometimes. I used to have this problem when I was learning too."

Such a sweet girl, she then goes into Matthew's room and gets a diaper to try to be even more helpful. Meanwhile, I have most of the floor cleaned up, his feet and legs. I turned to get more wipes and that is when I saw poor little Matthew with a wipee in each hand cleaning the floor!

Me: "Matthew it's ok honey, you don't have to clean the floor. Mommy will do it."

Matthew steps away and I continue to clean up the mess not paying attention to what the kids are doing. When I got done, I stood up to take it all to the trash and what do I see? Sami has lifted Matthew onto the coffee table to put a diaper on him. Great help but one problem...I hadn't quite got to cleaning his bottom just yet!

Me: "OH NO! Sami you can't put him up there...Mommy needs to clean his bottom."
Sami: "I'm sorry Mommy, I didn't know where to put him."
Me: "It's ok but he needs to get cleaned up and now we need to clean the table."

Matthew gets down, I wipe his bottom and head to get more cleaning supplies. When I return, there is sweet Matthew with yet another wipee in his hand cleaning the table and saying...

Matthew: "It's otay Mommy, it's otay. I cleaning...all better!"

And with such satisfaction on his face he goes and puts the wipe in the trash. How could you not just sit and laugh at all of this?! That is exactly what I did...sat down with them and laughed until it hurt. I wish I'd had a video camera of the whole experience....kids - gotta love 'em!

Time Flies...

Here again, I have let time get away from me and the blog has been neglected. Between work, sick kids, holidays and activities - we have been flying by the seats of our pants! Let's see...what has happened: Sami lost her 2nd tooth at ballet, Matthew has been through the ringer with a virus, Easter/Spring Break, ending of the weight lost competition at work (didn't win but lost 15 lbs), warm sunny days outside, our first swim and now Mother's Day. This is my 2nd favorite time of year and I am relishing every ray of sunshine. The effect the extra time outside has on the kids is the cherry on top...sleep! Here are some random pics taken over the last month or so, enjoy (see slideshow above).

Oh the Lil' Leprechauns

St. Patrick's Day came with much excitement this year. Sami was so excited to see if the leprechauns would visit her house this year and Matthew was even a little curious as to what exactly was going on! While the kids and I took a nap, those little tricksters invaded the house and caused all kinds of trouble. They knocked over the chairs, got into the flour leaving footprints all over the house, tied our curtains together and made an overall mess. Fortunately they also left behind a bucket of goodies: chocolate coins, gold nugget bubble gum and suckers! Who said you need to be Irish to enjoy this holiday?!

Friends from Afar

While I was growing up my family had exchange students from other countries that lived with us for a year at a time. Lars is from Denmark and lived with us while I was in elementary school, I think maybe 4th grade. He moved to the US several years ago but we had lost touch along the way. Thanks to the wonder of facebook we all reconnected. Lars, along with his 3-year-old son Tristan, came and spent the weekend with our family 2 weeks ago. We had so much fun and the kids got along perfectly! We ate lots of yummy food, watched Josh play some baseball, went to the St. Patrick's Day parade and even roasted marshmellows over the fire pit at Papa & Granny's house. We are all looking forward to many more visits with the two of them! Here are some pics of our fun times:

Matthew MRI Update

Matthew had his MRI on February 25th at Lucile Packard (Stanford). It went very well...he tolerated the anesthesia much better than last time. We were suppose to meet with his doctor the next day but, fortunately, he met with us in the recovery room afterwards. The spot they had found on his rib with the last MRI is stable, meaning it has not changed at all. This was very good news since we don't know what that spot is. The doctor said if it were going to grow he would have expected it to do so by now. The area where they removed the vascular malformation last June did have some changes. There are two areas where the malformation has begun to grow back. The surgeon wasn't completely surprised to see this. He said that one of the areas is near a nerve root that he didn't want to try and manipulate with the surgery. The other is between two vertebrae where they avoided removing any bone and only shaved the surface to cut off blood supply. Both spots are very small, less than 1 cm, and not causing a problem at this point. We will monitor him for any symptoms and do another MRI in a year. Worst case scenario would be he would need surgery again to remove these growths. But the doctor was very optimistic that this wouldn't be necessary. He doesn't expect them to grow very much more if at all. My feeling is...at least we know what these are and why they are there. It was much better than to have seen the rib lesion growing - we don't know what that is. So, for now, we thank God for the good news and the good doctor he provided us with. And we are prayerful and hopeful that things will stabilize and no other surgery will be needed. Thank you to all who continue to pray for Matthew and send their love our way!!

February Catch Up

Gotta love February...Valentine's Day! It was a big occassion for Sami this year. The festivities began on February 13th with her kindergarten class party. She, of course, picked High School Musical cards and we had made goodie bags for each of the kids. They inhaled candy, cupcakes and juice like you wouldn't believe! After school we met Joey (her "boyfriend" from pre-school), his Mommy and little sister at Red Robin for lunch. The two love birds exchanged little gifts and lots of giggles as they played and ate. These two are hysterical when they are together - they picked up right where they left off! Next Sami and I went for pedicures and she got her fingernails done in preparation for the big night ahead! Cory took Sami to the Father-Daughter Dance at the convention center. She wore her fancy dress from the Espi's fashion show, we curled her hair all up and even put on a little lip gloss. Cory got her flowers and a new bracelet to wear. They went to Henry Salazar's for dinner with some other daddies and daughters. Then they finished off the night with lots of dancing and fun! I am sure this was a night she will remember for a very long time! The next day (the 14th) we had our heart shaped pancakes, sandwiches and candy to top off our Valentine's celebration! Funny how this day becomes less about our spouses and more about our kids as time goes by...how did that happen?!

This weekend was wonderful. We were able to go out to Uncle Carl and Aunt Shelley's house in Tipton and spend the day with family. It was one of the best days we've had in a long, long time. Sami actually milked a cow in the milking barn. Uncle Carl answered her million questions about milking the cow, where the milk goes, who takes it from here and on and on and on. After that we got to ride cousin Sydnie's horse Milo. We all loved it but Sami was IN love with it. She could have stayed on that horse all day if she had her way. Matthew's favorite thing was "driving" the truck and cart. He thought he was such a big boy. How lucky we are to have such a wonderful family...it was a day we will cherish for a long time to come!

My Big Boy

Mommy's heart is breaking! Even with RSV and an ear infection, Matthew is hitting milestones. He is asleep for the very first time in his "big boy" toddler bed! We started processing the idea of moving him out of the crib a couple of weeks ago. He has figured out just how to climb over that rail perfectly! Also, he keeps getting his feet stuck in the slats and then complains his foot hurts. I knew it was time - after all, Sami was in a toddler bed at 18 months. But I just wanted to hang on to that baby phase as long as I could. Never again will I have a crib up in my house and a baby in my arms. This is a big deal! I am perfectly content and blessed with my 2 children and I know (when I think about it logically and not emotionally) that we should leave our family as a family of 4. But my heart breaks to think this is it! My wonderful hubby is right though - he always tells me it wouldn't matter if we had 2 kids or 10, at some point I would feel the same way. So...when a friend a mine offered up her toddler bed for free we decided to go for it. Sick or not, heartbroken or not. The time had come for Matthew to be a "big boy"... but he will ALWAYS be my baby no matter what bed he sleeps in!

Sorry, no other way to say it - RSV Sucks!

The Reeder household is a sick household yet again! It started 2 weeks ago with Sami. She came down with the flu - chills, aches, fever, sinus congestion, cough - the whole thing. She stayed home from school for 3 days and then we had a 3 day weekend. By that weekend, Matthew started with a low-grade fever and runny nose. By this last Monday Sami was improving and Matthew was about the same. But, I had the day off and figured it wouldn't hurt to go ahead and take them both to the doctor. I really felt silly for making an appointment. Well we ended up leaving with 4 prescriptions! Sami had an ear infection and she had not complained about her ear at all! So she was given an antibiotic and cleared to go back to school the next day. Matthew was a different story! One of his ear tubes has come out and that ear is infected. Then they tested his nasal discharge and, sure enough, he has RSV. Also she officially diagnosed him with asthma. He was given an antibiotic for the ear, a nebulizer and 2 different medications for the nebulizer. By the next day, the RSV was in full force. Even with the 2 medications, he was still wheezing and having trouble moving air. So, the doctor increased his breathing treatments to every 2 hours and that has finally helped. Finally, 6 days later he is really improving. We are weaning down the breathing treatments and no fever for about 4 days now. So even though he is getting better, the rest of the family is a mess. Cory now has a horrible head cold and last night, around 11pm, Sami started puking!!! Are you kidding me?! Fortunately, it was a one time thing and she has been fine today. No more puking, plenty of eating! But what is left is one EXHAUSTED mommy! I am ready for a healthy house!

Snow & Fashion Show

Once again..playing catch up! We took the kids to Badger Pass for the first time this month. We rented a loft condo and took my parents, brother, his girlfriend and my nephew along. It was absolutely beautiful and the kids had a blast. We went sledding, played in the snow and even went ice skating one night. Sami was a champ and was skating with only a little help by the end of the night. Matthew was not happy that he had to just sit by the fire and watch - poor little guy! The next day we went skiing...well Sami went skiing anyway. I am not a skier in any way, shape or form so I took pictures and watched as she had her very own lesson. She did awesome, only falling a couple of times. She went down the bunny hill for the next hour and loved every minute of it. Once again, Matthew was not a happy camper and said over and over, "I ski Mommy? Pweease??". He was finally content throwing snow balls as Sami went by on the bunny hill! Cory tried snow boarding for the first time and hated it! By the time Sami was done with the bunny hill, Cory was ready to go too. So we let the rest of the gang ski and took a drive to through Yosemite before heading home. A long weekend, but very fun!

A couple of weeks ago Sami did a fashion show for Espi's at a luncheon. She absolutely fell in love with the idea but when the moment came to do the walk...the anxiety was a bit much. She got through it with Mommy holding her hand and says she can't wait to do it again...we'll see! So here are some pics of our latest adventures - enjoy!