Tues. 2nd--Happy BIRTHDAY to Dr. Seuss and Happy Independence Day to TEXAS!
For Book Character Day (in honor of Dr. Seuss and Read Across America), JJ and I dressed up as a duo from one of my all-time favorite books as a child. Can you guess? I had people asking me if I was a turkey, chicken, or the Little Red Hen. Negative for all three.
*HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEXAS! The students at A&M don't get a spring break this year. School officials didn't want students going home or traveling to other places and then coming back to campus. But they did get Texas Independence Day off. :)
*Rolo had a few poop fragments stuck in his butt fur that Jared and I needed to get out. Rolo wasn't a fan. But he was a good sport.
Wed. 3rd--This is a fairly common occurrence. Cooper crashes as soon as he gets home from school. He is not able to get to sleep for hours and then he can't wake up in the morning, or it's a big struggle. He's also been falling asleep in some of his classes.
*For our Primary Activities we re-watched the Friend-to-Friend Event just for children ages 3-11. It was even better the second time!
Fri. 5th--Jared and Cooper left that morning in the Mazda to drive up to Snyder (because the burb still wasn't ready yet). They were going to go fishing and test out the new boat Jared's brother, Kevin, just bought.
*I got a phone call from a number I didn't recognize after I got home from school. It was Calvin letting me know he had missed the bus. JJ hates staying alone with Rolo (because the dog often barks at JJ), so I took Rolo on a little drive to the middle school. He sat on my lap and did well, though the look on his face might say otherwise. Haha. Calvin enjoyed the surprise visitor.
I'm glad I got the tickets to the concert ahead of time when I did. Because of social distancing, there weren't very many tickets available to begin with. I was able to get the maximum of four, and it just so happened that it worked out to be the exact amount our family needed with Jared and Cooper out of town.
The choir was wonderful. The quality of the music was such that you couldn't even tell they were wearing masks, which is miraculous to me.
Calvin is on the bottom row, directly to the right of the music stand--not obstructed by the stand.
Calvin was able to perform in the first-ever Bryan/College Station Honor Choir because a regional choir isn't possible right now. I'm so grateful to live in a place that works hard to find ways for our kids to experience opportunities like these even with covid-19 restrictions.
*Silly Rolo.
*CVS opened up vaccines to teachers in Texas just a couple days prior and my awesome school nurse got me signed up to get my first dose on Sunday evening around 5pm.
Mon. 8th--I have car duty after school. So every day around 2:50-2:55, I roll one of two dollies out to the curb and set up the green, blue, and purple cones. An administrator walks past each car and assigns them a color while typing their students' name into a program that pops up in their classroom, notifying the kids that their ride is here and is marked with the corresponding cone color. JJ has typically waited for me in the Resource room or library until I'm done around 3:35. But the week before, he started venturing out to the car line. When we finished up, JJ began helping stack the cones and even pushed the dolly into the building a few times.
*It took four extra days, due to our schedules, but Karcyn patiently waited until we could have her family birthday party. She got a new dress, mascara, a candle-making kit, a gift card,
*I saw the post below on the choir Facebook page. It said: "Thank you Michael Vaughn for directing the BCS Honor Choir boys and to Victor Johnson for zooming in to rehearsal to chat with them!! It is amazing for singers to hear about the song they are singing from the composer who wrote it." I thought that was pretty special!! How cool for Calvin and his choir comrades. Calvin is the one with his arm up on the shoulder of the kid in front of him.
Sun. 7th--Jake sent a picture of him and his girlfriend, Trina, on their way to her place after church.
*I saw this post while I was scrolling through Facebook later that night and I laughed so hard, I was crying. I don't think I could have read anything MORE true. I was telling Jared about it, or trying to. I was laughing so hard, I was bawling. And then he was cracking up.
"I just cannot look at the grades. I can't do it. I can't look at the missing assignments or those that scored under 70%, because you know who set that dumb notification a few years ago? I did. What a dumb dumb. 70%??????????? THAT IS VALEDICTORIAN MATERIAL. If you get a 70 right now, I am taking you to a celebration dinner. We will apply for Harvard.
"I am just...not able. The prodding and begging has stolen my will to live. I don't want any more graduates. They can just be pretty."
One of the comments I read was also spot on! "To my 1st born: YOU'RE CAPABLE OF SO MUCH MORE. WHAT IS YOUR DEAL? I HAVE CLEARLY FAILED YOU. To my 4th born (or 2nd born) who is a 2021 Pandemic graduate: "For the love of all that is holy, JUST GRADUATE ON TIME. I care not about the GPA. Just make them hand you your diploma. It can be fake. I'm out."
Hahaha! Yes, Yes, Yes, and Amen!!!
On this day, we finished right as he was heading out. I told him we were done and kind of waved him off, hoping he'd go back inside. By the time I got to the front doors, he was standing next to the dolly and his hand was on his mouth. I asked him if he was alright. He said he was pushing the dolly through the grass. It hit the curb and instead of going over it, it stopped abruptly and the metal handle bounced back into JJ's mouth. I checked to make sure he was okay. He wasn't bleeding and there was no damage, fortunately. I told him I'd get him some Tylenol when we got home.
We went inside to drop off the dolly and back to the room so I could clock out. When we were walking out of the room, I checked his mouth again and now there was a chip in his right front tooth! Nooo!
Tues. 9th--In Wellness, Calvin chose to do his illness project on narcolepsy. I thought it looked really good. Especially coming from a kid who more often than not, chooses to skip these kinds of assignments. Apparently, his teacher thought differently. He only got an 80%. Still much better than a zero, however.
*We finally refilled all of the water bottles that we had used during the winter storm back in February. JJ and his little friends helped me restock them on our garage shelves.
*That night, Karcyn asked to speak with Jared about a pain she was having behind her left ear. You can see it's really red.
Turns out she had a small infection behind her ear. Notice how swollen it is.
*River Bend had its very first, whole school sing-along that afternoon. It was very exciting. Thirty minutes of singing together. It's the first time we were gathered as an entire school in one space. JJ's class got to be in the song "Deep In The Heart of Texas." Ignore the fact that his shirt has been stretched out by older siblings and is falling off his shoulder.
On our drive back to the house, I hurriedly called the dentist to see what they wanted us to do. They asked me to text them a picture and they'd call back. They wanted him to get an x-ray done sometime that week so that they can check for nerve damage. So we set that up for Wednesday morning, when Jared was going to have a day off.
So swollen, you can see how the infection is pushing her left ear out in this picture instead of her ear lying flat against her head. We were trying to figure out how her ear got infected. Duh...how about wearing masks constantly? Jared got her started on an antibiotic.
Wed. 10th--This was a big day for many reasons! First of all, Karcyn turned 15 years old! I can hardly believe it. And this is the first time since living in Texas that Karcyn's birthday has not been during spring break. It got pushed back a week this year for some reason. Secondly, my suburban was finally done and ready to be picked up! Jared and I planned to do that after I got home from school. We also had a new service company come to look at our non-functioning water dispenser on our refrigerator which has been out for five months now. Shortly after the serviceman arrived, Jared texted to tell me it was fixed. As it turns out, the water line was frozen and he took a steamer to the line and melted the ice. Voila.
Near the end of the school day, as we worked with an extremely aggressive student--struggling with behavior issues--I was bitten by said student. The skin didn't break, but I had to go get it cleaned by the nurse anyway and she reported it. There was a bump there for a few days.
*After JJ and I got home from school, Jared and I went to pick up my girl. As we waited for the cashier to ring us up, Jared decided he probably should go get his phone from the car in case we got a red flag from Lifelock--warning us of a huge purchase on our credit card. But I guess, according to their equations and algorithms, this purchase was acceptable. I know some people would question spending $10,000 on a new engine for a vehicle that is 14 years old. First of all, my car is in great condition for its age. And when we bought it used back in 2010, Jared said that he's more inclined to fix and repair a vehicle like this that supports our family, than a car. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't pay to put a new engine in just any vehicle. But this suburban is worth saving. She's been so good to us. And I wasn't ready to let her go, especially to get another used suburban with who knows how many miles and without the options (which aren't many) on our model and still have a substantial car payment for the next five years. I was SO glad to have her back! And wow! She has more pep in her step. It's like having a NEW car without the new car smell. ;) The ride is so smooth and quiet.
But this transaction got me thinking...I'm really, really grateful God doesn't work this way. He doesn't look at His children with all their different "options" like strengths and weaknesses or performance ratings before deciding if we're actually worth saving. We are precious to Him just as we are! We know this because He died for us. We also have the verification of His own words: "the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." That's ALL souls. Whether you believe in Him or not. Even if you were the only person on Earth, you'd still be worth saving and He would still die for only you.
*Karcyn took gluten-free cupcakes to Caldwell that Jared made and I frosted for the youth activities. The cupcakes were a big hit and didn't taste gluten-free at all. While they were gone, Jake called me by FaceTime. He was with Trina. He asked if Dad was there and I said he was in Caldwell. He said that was okay and it was better that I was there and I could just pass the info. along. He said that he and Trina had prayed about it individually and they decided to get married and wanted to tell us. They're shooting for an August 7th sealing. I wasn't at all surprised and very happy for them. (Jake's looking a bit like an absent-minded professor in this picture.)
*When Jared brought the kids back from Caldwell, Karcyn came through the door with a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her arms. I thought maybe someone brought them for her birthday. But no...the young women were taught how to arrange flowers for their activity, which was super cool. I was so impressed. She did an amazing job!
Thurs. 11th--I have a few dear friends here locally and across the country who are struggling with really hard things right now that weigh heavy on their hearts and minds. When I was praying for them specifically two nights before, this scripture popped into my head.
Fri. 12th--JJ and I walked into school and were headed to my classroom when he looked over at me and said, "Hey Mom--we're matchy-matchy!" Even down to the shoes! :)
Sat. 13th--I needed picture proof that Calvin cleaned his room and put his clothes away in the appropriate place. Sad but true.
Sun. 14th--I guess Rolo likes his pink pig.
and a pair of silver heart earrings of mine that she has loved since she was five. I always promised her that once she got her ears pierced, they would be hers. She was going to get her ears pierced a year ago, but covid...
*Cooper had been off his depression medication for almost a month to prepare him for the sleep study test coming up. It was really, really hard on him because he could tell the difference without his meds and he missed feeling better. With it being spring break, he finally had a chance to work on the outline for a book idea he's been tossing around. He needed a big whiteboard to record all of his thoughts which were coming faster than he could write them. This was his second or third time covering the whiteboard. Once he got it filled, he took a picture, erased the board, and was right back at it.
Mon. 15th--First official day of Spring Break! Calvin chillin' with the pupster.
Wed. 17th--JJ's lovely bed-making skills as evidenced here.
*This is such a great reminder.
*I was sitting at the dining room table and Rolo was on the couch. I was talking on the phone when I heard a crunching sound. I went over to find Rolo chewing on a RED pencil. Where on earth he found it, I will never know. We keep things up off the floor tirelessly.
Thurs. 18th--Cooper called around 6:30am to report that he is a little bit of a restless sleeper, but nothing showed up on any of the tests they ran during the night. So he would need to stay for the MSLT (multiple sleep latency test)--to see if he has narcolepsy. He wasn't thrilled about staying and my heart sank a bit, too. I didn't feel like he had narcolepsy and it was discouraging that nothing showed up on the overnight sleep study. But at least we were eliminating things. I headed up to the hospital as soon as I could get dressed and picked up some chocolate chip pancakes at IHOP for him.
For the MSLT, the patient stays awake, sitting on the floor or in a chair (sitting or lying in the bed is not allowed) until 8am, and is put to bed for a 30-minute nap. Eyes and brain waves are still monitored as well as a recording of him sleeping. They do this every two hours. Before they put him down for the first nap, he was asked if he was tired and how likely it would be that he would fall asleep. He had been up for 36 hours prior to sleeping the night before, but even still, he didn't feel like he'd be able to fall asleep for a nap during that short window of time. I left at that point and walked laps around the hospital wing until the 30 minutes were up.
We did this routine five different times. Every time I walked back into the room, Cooper was already awake. I asked him if he had slept through any of his naps and he said no. Except for the third one. He said it went by faster so he might have slept a little during that one, but he couldn't say for sure. It was a long day of forced naps. We were grateful to go home. That was when he could finally eat his chocolate, chocolate chip pancakes I got him for breakfast. He couldn't eat them earlier because the chocolate could have interfered with his napping. During one of my laps out in the hall, I phoned the pulmonologist's office to make a follow-up appointment with the sleep study results. I was shocked when they could get Cooper in the following Tuesday, the 23rd. It took Jake a couple of weeks.
*A little sleep center humor:
*Later that night, I drove JJ to Clockwork Games where he could look for Yu-Gi-Oh cards in a bulk area for 25 cents each. I gave him an hour and helped him with the search. He actually found a couple that he was looking for, plus a few extra.
Thurs. 19th--I decided Rolo needed a bath. I've never bathed a dog before, but I had some puppy shampoo and a deep soaker tub so we gave it a whirl. I was expecting him to thrash around and try to jump out of the tub, but he didn't. He just stood there. He was a good boy, even if he resented it the entire time.
Sun. 21st--Ponderize--week 242
1 Corinthians 3:8
"Every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour."
During church that day, the talks shared were about preparing for and receiving personal revelation. No matter how you cut it, the only way for you to grow and progress--physically, mentally, emotionally--is by the efforts *you* make. Likewise, the only way to grow and develop spiritually, and to receive personal revelation, is for *you* to work at it. Fortunately, the Lord blesses us with so much more than we put into it. Why? Because He loves us. And He loves effort.
Tues. 23rd--I was so saddened to learn that my friend Jackie's son, Keegan, passed away after a brave battle with Ewing's sarcoma. He was 16.
*Less than an hour after learning about the death of Jackie's son, Jared texted me from Cooper's follow-up appointment with Dr. Spencer to say that we now have two narcos in our family. I was stunned. We are grateful for answers though. Sometimes they're hard. Sometimes they're a relief. Sometimes they're both. Cooper was diagnosed with narcolepsy, just like Jake, though Cooper's narcolepsy follows the more traditional pattern of a slow developmental progression. Either way, it was quite a shock. I mean, what are the odds? Clearly, at least in our case, there's a hereditary component to this sleep disorder, but we have no clue which side it stems from. I'm asleep the second my head hits the pillow. Unless it's recessive. But apparently, it is very rare for narcolepsy to run in families, and truthfully, it's a disorder that still has many unanswered questions. Before leaving, Dr. Spencer asked Jared, "How many more kids do you have?" When Jared told him three, the doctor half jokingly said, "I guess I'll see you in a few years."
Remember those naps that Cooper had to take that he said he couldn't sleep during...yeah, he slept through every single one of them, but he thought he was awake. He hit REM in under 10 minutes for two of the five tests and that's all you need to get a narcolepsy diagnosis. I'm grateful that Cooper and Jake will have each other to lean upon as they navigate narcolepsy and not feel quite so alone while learning to live with this chronic issue. The plan, moving forward, is to start Cooper on a day-time stimulant to keep him awake during the day. We'll see how he does before adding more meds into the mix.
*We were thrilled to have Jared's sister, Nicole, and her children Daniel, HaleyJane, and Karyana visit us from Arizona. They stayed with Karole, but hung out at our house, which was fun. We haven't seen them since Jared's dad passed away 3 1/2 years earlier.
*No kidding!!!!
*This puppy has been so good for our family. It's hard to say which family member has benefitted the most. But Calvin has him a lot.
Sat. 27th--Jared's employer has a wellness program where you can do several different challenges or activities to earn money. Like having your dentist fill out a quick form and submitting it, watching a couple of videos online, or filling out your medical history. I chose to do a monthly challenge where you can earn $30 a month for walking 7,000 steps or more a day for 20 days each month. In my job at the school, walking kids to and from class all over the place and doing after school car duty...that is a no brainer. I usually hit 7,000 by 4pm. But there were a few times when I had to take an extra lap around the neighborhood to reach my goal. On this day, I was like 300 steps short of 7,000 steps, but I didn't realize it until 9:30pm and I was already in my jammies. So I did the next logical thing. I walked laps around my kitchen island. While eating a cookie. :)
Sun. 28th--Palm Sunday! Also Fast Sunday to prepare for General Conference the first weekend in April. This was Karcyn right before we sat down to dinner to break our fast. She was not looking good. Pale in the face and lips. Maybe fasting isn't something she should be doing. This isn't the first time she's looked like this at the end of our fast. 
Tues. 30th--Karcyn and I are THRILLED to announce that we are getting another GIRL in the family!! Jake got engaged to the beautiful, sweet, and amazing Katrina Bush. We are over-the-moon excited and can't wait for their temple sealing in Houston! They got engaged at Rock Canyon Park. Some of Jake's MTC sisters helped him pull it off.
I love the temple spire in the background and the stars shining down upon them.
Jake bought only what he could barely afford for a ring. And he used everything he had to get it. I love that he didn't go into debt for this simple, but meaningful symbol. But even more than that, I love that Trina loves it so much. The ring looks beautiful on her finger.
Wed. 31st--Tis the season for spring allergies! Actually, Calvin is about three weeks behind. Probably because it's been such a cold, wet spring. Poor guy. Thank goodness for steroids.
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