I have spoken that phrase many, many times to describe the craziness that is our life. Just when we get into a routine and think things are running smoothly, suddenly they aren't. And it's not usually just one thing. These things tend to happen in groups. There have been many things I've wanted to blog about over the last several weeks, but haven't found either the time or the energy to do so. So I decided to just put it all in one post. So hang on to your hats. Here is a glimpse at what has been going on with us and what to expect in the coming months.
All mom's know that the end of the school year is a complete whirlwind. There's Teacher Appreciation week, end of school parties, award ceremonies and much much more. There is a blog post floating around that adequately explains how hard the end of the year is on moms. If you haven't read it yet, you can do so
here. But there was one end of year event that I was looking forward to. It was our Special Buddies party. Being in charge, there was a lot of work that went into organizing and pulling this party together, but with the help of other parents and of course our awesome school counselor, it was so worth it. Throughout the year, teachers and parents took pictures of the kids and their buddies either at other events or in the classroom as they interacted with each other. We took those pictures and compiled a small photo album for each kid. Yes, that was 34 photo albums, plus one for each teacher and for Mr. and Mrs. Shafer, the couple for whom our school is named. This was quite a process of sorting pictures and then putting them in the albums. But I think each kid really liked it. We also had a certificate of participation made for each student that was designed by one of our very talented dads. And each kid got a chance to write a short note to their buddy telling them how happy they were to get to know them this year. And for the grand finale, our counselor made a slide show of many of the pictures and we showed that to everyone there. It was a great party and a great way to say goodbye to our buddies for summer. And let me just say that these kids really bonded with their buddies. The kids chosen to be buddies to our life skills kiddos were fantastic. Not only did they interact with their own buddies, but they interacted with other kids. I have seen pictures of some kids attending parties and hanging out together outside of school. That is what this program is all about. Just because someone isn't like you, doesn't mean you can't be friends with them. I look forward to seeing just what next year will bring with these kids. Here are a few pictures I have with John and his two buddies.
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| John and Charlie |
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| John and Hannah |
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| Both of his buddies |
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John and Drew in class
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Another event that John and I participated in that was related to Special Buddies was the Cinco Ranch Rotary Camo 5k. No, I did not and probably never will run a 5K. But they also had a 1 mile family walk and that is what we did. Part of the proceeds from this event will go to the Special Buddies programs in Katy. Our school had an incredible turnout of supporters. Most of us participated in the walk, but it was great fun to support this cause together as a school. Here are a few pictures from that event.
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| Before the race |
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John with Mr. Shafer
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| Our Shafer Supporters |
The same day as the race, we had John's 8th birthday party. I can't believe my baby is 8. Am I old enough to have an 8 year old? Last year's water party in the backyard was such a huge success, that we decided to do it again. We scaled it back a little, with only one slide instead of two. And instead of Tommy having to spend time cooking burgers and hot dogs, we ordered pizza. I again enlisted "the best neighbor in the whole world" to make the cupcakes, and of course, she didn't disappoint. John and I got to hang out in the pool while the other kids got to play on the slide and the swing set. The weather was cloudy, which was actually perfect for those of us not in the water, but made the pool water a little chilly. I think it was as big of a success as last year. I know we were all worn out when it was over. I realized after that I didn't take one single picture from the party. Fortunately my mom and sister-in-law took a few, so I at least have a few to share.
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Fun on the slide
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| Kash and Reagan |
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| Kash and Reagan |
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| Kids in the pool |
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| John and his buddy Jaden. |
Yesterday was supposed to be John's Celebration of Learning for 2nd grade. However, John had some tummy trouble this week so he missed school on Tuesday and Thursday and missed his Celebration of Learning.
Our summer is not going to be any more relaxed. We will be very busy through the month of July and into the first week of August. Technically, Wednesday June 5 is the last day of school. It is a half day, but John's last day will be Tuesday. That night he has a sleep study at TCH. I'm not expecting much to come from this sleep study, but it will be interesting to see if he's made any improvement. We won't get home until after 7:00 Wednesday morning and on those days we normally come home, give John a bath to get all of the goo out of his hair, and then he and I usually crash for a couple of hours. The next week is Vacation Bible School. I will be teaching in a 4th grade class and John will be in the Treasure's Department. I will also have Kash and William with me that week. Then the next week will be an interesting one for me.
If you don't know me very well, you might not know that I was born with a heart defect. I had open heart surgery to correct the defect when I was 13 months old, and most of my childhood, I lived a very normal life. As I've gotten older, however, I have begun to develop more issues. Most of them have to do with the electrical side of my heart. Over the last several years, I have been on medication to control some arrhythmia. Over time, the arrhythmia has gotten worse and I have had to take more and more medication to control it. I'm to a point now that I am completely maxed out on the medication I have been taking for the past 3 years, and it's not controlling all of the arrhythmia. My doctor in Houston thought it was time for me to go on a different, heavy duty medication that he is sure will control the arrhythmia, but also can have nasty side effects over time. Some of the things the drug can effect are my liver, lungs, and eyes among other problems. This has always been a possibility, but I've been putting off this drug for a long time. It's kind of a last resort and I wanted to be sure I explored every other option before I went to that drug. So I called up the doctor I had for 13 years, who moved to Ohio 3 years ago. I knew that of any doctor, she knows me best and would be completely honest. If she said this drug was what I needed, then that's what I would have done. But that's not what she said. She thinks there may be a chance that a procedure called an ablation could be a way to get rid of some of the arrhythmia for good. If this works, not only will I not have to go on the nasty drug, but I may be able to get off of some of the drugs I'm currently taking, which could lead to me feeling so much better and having a lot more energy. But the catch is, I have to go to Ohio to do it. So that is what we are going to do. I will leave on June 16 to head to Columbus, Ohio. I will go off of my current meds when I get there. I will see my doctor in clinic one day and she plans to admit me into the hospital on Wednesday of that week. The procedure will take place on Friday, June 21 and if all goes well, I will be able to come home Saturday or Sunday. Tommy is coming with me, so the biggest issue is child care for John. Fortunately, our awesome nanny, Caitlin, has been working for us the past month or so and she has agreed to keep John while we are gone. That will be a big undertaking for her since he won't be in school and she will have to sleep here at night. But if anyone can do it, I know she can.
On July 1, John and I will set out for therapy in Austin. I told you about this in an earlier post. He will be in therapy 3 hours a day, Monday - Friday from July 1 through July 19. We will come home on the weekends, but will be spending 4 nights each week in Austin. I really think this will be very good for him, even though it will be exhausting. I'm sure we will be going to bed early every night and we will be using the weekend to rest up and get ready for the next week. That is going to be a very busy month, but hopefully it will all be worth it in the end.
The last 11 days of July we will spend just hanging out and recuperating from our trip. August 5-9 will be Super Place Camp. This is the 4th year John has been able to attend this camp, and this year it is being held at our church. That will make me much more comfortable having him in a place where we are familiar and with people we know. And I think after that, we are just going to sleep until school starts again. We will need it after everything we will have done.
Please pray for us as we go through these super busy few months. We will all need patience, strength and especially energy. It will be a grueling time, but we will make memories that will last forever. Thank you once again for being our army of support. It means the world to all of us to have your prayers and support.
