Where has the time gone!?

Scott started 5th grade today. I took my usual "first day of school" photo which lead me to look through photos of years past.

Scott from Kinder to 5th grade.......

Did you swallow a bowling ball???

So, the fence separating my sister's dog and mine was accidentally left open this morning. Harley got into Kotten's food (he's a full size dog so he eats much more then my Chihuahua). It took all day before her belly bloated up. All of a sudden, after dinner, she was swollen. It looked like she swallowed a bowling ball! Her little stomach was rock hard. I didn't know what was wrong and I took her to see a vet. They took an x-ray and there was the culprit.... a stomach twice as full as it should be. You can even see the white speckles of the minerals in the food she ate. She was filled to the brim. Literally, filled EVERYWHERE from start to "finish". :0/  She will stay over night without food and water. They will give her fluids and x-rays to see how she is doing through the process of "elimination". 0_o  The cost involved is unthinkable. This is just one of those things where you need to remember to THINK about what you are doing..... when you touch something, move something, borrow something... put it back how you found it! I am now in more debt because of my doog's full belly from one person's bad judgement. (She is also on Prednisone... a steroid that makes her insatiable)

The teal rectangle indicates the approx size that her belly SHOULD be....

Drum roll please......

Scottie ROCKED last year's Star test!!!!

He struggled more this year with the consistency in his work. I figured, it's easy to get advanced scores in the lower grades when things are easier, but as time goes by, his test scores will drop. Not this year!


Scott's scores for English and Math were still in the advanced range. He received several scores of 100%. The lowest scores were for his writing skills. This doesn't shock me since he absolutely hates writing.

I am so proud of my boy!!!

A boy, a doog and a moose.....

Scott was playing with Harley all morning. She was chasing him around the house trying to get her moose. Here's a little clip of the silly children of mine.

Note: No doog's were hurt in the making of this video. The moose was farther from Harley then it looks in the video.

Feeling the love....

 
      Scott and I attended our first Yellow Ribbon event this past Saturday. I had called my nearest FRG (Family Readiness Group) to find out about resources for myself and Scott. This event was being held for the families of two of California's National Gaurd units who are currently deployed (and anyone else involved, like myself, who needs information). This was a full day event from 8am-3:30pm.

     The workshops were very good and informative. I also have a huge 2inch binder filled with information, resources, and numbers of people to call if I need help. The food was amazing. 

The people were amazing. One of the NG soldier's who spoke about communication and marriage, was also sooooo hilarious!!! He was passing out potatoes to random people during his speech (there was a point to the potatoes after his speech)

     The best part of all was how well the day went for Scott. For those of you who know Scott, you know that new social situations aren't always an easy thing for him. He started out his day playing his Nintendo DS in the corner of a little tent. I was worried about him, as a normal worry-wort mother that I am, but I walked away to the workshops and tried to get the anxiety out of my mind. From that moment on, every time I walked by the child care room, I witnessed Scott so excited while laughing and playing... all 100% involved!!! I later found out that Scott was the one to initiated games with everyone. Though he kept asking for cookies, he listened and ate all his food first. When 3:30 came around, he was sad to be leaving. (Of course saying he could have the other half of a cookie got his attention pretty quickly!)

     All in all, this was one of the best days I have had in a long time. I met other women that share the same experiences that I will soon have in future deployments. I have a network of "battle buddies" for myself and a slew of information to go through (and keep me busy for the next several months!)

     Thank you to the Yellow Ribbon Program for putting on these events!!!




 

A Boy and his Doog.... nuff said

Close a door, open a window?

I don't really like that quote. I would rather have a big huge door open for me then a little window. However, being in a positive mindset means appreciating anything you DO have!

I just did the math and there is NO way that I can afford sending myself and Scott... or even just myself... to Zach's graduation from Basic Training in Nov. The cost of flights and hotels and food is just unbelievable. I should have thought more about it before talking with Zach. For me, I figured it wasn't going to be easy, or even an option. But for him, I know he is set on it in his head. Now I have to disappoint him that he will most likely be alone for his graduation ceremony.

The ONLY upside to this is that Christmas Exodus is a month after graduation so he will be able to come home for a couple weeks so at least I get to see my husband once during his leave. Some wives don't even get that.