A Decade Later...

My last post was almost 10 years ago.

I was looking for some specific information about the boys when they were little and decided to attempt to find it on this blog. What a happy journey down memory lane. The boys loved hearing about the funny things that would happen and specifically the funny things Connor would say. It makes me so sorry I didn't keep it up... How does one even begin to write a 10 year update??

I'm still a graphic designer, but I don't do invitations or book covers any more and I definitely don't operate off a blog like I used to -- that is kind of crazy actually. I now operate a successful Etsy store and specialize in Byron Center spirit-wear. It is called The Printed Peach BC and I just hit a big sales goal about a week ago, $200,000....that is not in 2024, but in the lifetime of my Etsy store. It does not include team sales or in person events. I still sure do love our small town. Byron Center is a blessing.

Brian changed jobs in early 2024. He started working for Gore Medical in January. His territory is larger and the product isn't as "sexy" as the surgical robot, but it is a very good company and the culture is a much better fit for him and our family. 

Connor is now 16 years old and is a sophomore in high school. Wow. He got his driver's permit shortly before he turned 15 and practiced almost exclusively on my 2022, Hot Pepper Red, Ford Bronco. It has a manual transmission and 2 doors. It is a blast to drive. I waited on that car for well over a year and it was the only way I would willingly let go of the 2001 VW Passat that was also a manual. Connor is such a good kid and he earned that car. He is a cautious driver and I'm so glad he ended up doing DK all those years ago and is on the older side in his grade! It is so nice that he can transport himself places now, though I rarely ever complained. He is just a very very busy guy!

Connor has been dating Maddyn Wonders for about 15 month now. Their first milestone event was Homecoming in 2023. They "talked" for a short time before that and the main thing I remember is when Connor told me, "The most beautiful girl in the school knows my name!" She is a year ahead of him in school. She is a beautiful sweetheart and her personality, priorities and values compliment his nicely. High school friendships can be complicated. I don't know why Connor doesn't have a core "group" but he doesn't. It reminds me a little bit of my high school experience too. Regardless, I am very thankful for Maddyn and also his good buddy Westin Brechting. 

Sports are still a big part of Connor's life. He played baseball for years and years but summer of 2024 was his final season for the Diamonds and coach Sokolove. He is now focusing on football and primarily track. That boy is fast. He joined the middle school track team in 7th grade and didn't lose a race. We knew he was quick, but we honestly didn't know he was so exceptional. That year he ran the 70m and the 100m as well as the 4x100. I remember him saying, "can you imagine how fast I could be if I actually had training??" God put some training in our laps through Devon Stubblefield and he ran a few indoor races at Grand Valley. Although he had a wrestling injury to his foot, he managed to WIN the Michigan Indoor Track Series STATE CHAMPIONSHIP in February of 8th grade. He ran a 7:35 in the 60m and a 23.72 in the 200m. In 8th grade, he ran the 100m and 200m and managed to quality for New Balance Nationals in Philadelphia. He actually got 3rd place in the 100m!!! It was absolutely incredible. Connor's indoor season his freshman year was challenging but he peaked at the perfect time finishing his season at the state meet with an awesome 7:09 PR finish and a 22.82 in the 200m. He pulled his hamstring pretty severely in his very first high school outdoor meet. The season was successful, yet disappointing for him because he didn't not get the times he was hoping for. However, he still was named "All Conference", placed at regionals and competed at the state meet as part of the 4x100 relay. He also competed at both Nike Nationals and New Balance Nationals, but most of the summer was spent playing baseball and working to strengthen and bulletproof those hamstrings. His current PR in the 100m is a 11:20. His sophomore indoor season has just begun. He ran an 7:15 in his first 60m. Not a bad start and very exciting for a sophomore.

Connor has played football since 4th grade. He broke his wrist during the 2nd game of his JV season this year crossing the track heading into the locker room at East Kentwood. :( It made for a tough season, but he was able to play with a "club" on his wrist the whole time and didn't miss a beat. His season was extra long because he had the honor of being "called up" to varsity for the playoffs!! He got his cast off on Tuesday and was taking the field with varsity on Friday. He got in for quite a few plays (primarily kick return team) and even caused a fumble during the game against Northview. BC's varsity team made school history making it all the way to the state championship game at Ford Field. They were defeated by Orchard Lake St. Mary's. but Connor actually returned 3 kick offs and was on tv! Gramm, Chief, Scott, Samantha, and Chris came to the game in Detroit as well as almost all of Bryon Center. It was such a fantastic experience for us all!

He still has 2.5 years before he graduates (thank the Lord) but right now, he wants to be a pilot. He would love to go to Purdue and sprint for them while participating in ROTC so he can become an officer and enter pilot training following graduation from college. I have no idea if any of this will come to fruition, but I love his vision and that he has big dreams and direction.

Connor continues to be extremely polite and well spoken. Sometimes I think he is more comfortable talking to adults than he is his peers. Just like when he was a little boy that wanted buttered pecan ice cream, he's always been a bit of an old soul. He follows rules and is a pleaser by nature. He is smart, but even more so, he is a hard worker. His days are LONG but the years are short. I truly admire him. He is learning so much about discipline and time management. I know he spends much of his time being exhausted but still prioritizes  eating right, stretching, school, sleep, etc, etc. I'm not sure if he will end up becoming a pilot, but I am extremely confident that whatever he decides to do, he will fly (thrive)!

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Little buddy, D. His hugs are unmatched. When we were on spring break in Mexico in 2021, we were walking to dinner and he grabbed my hand....as he often did/does. I asked if he would promise to always hold my hand. "I'll hold your hand as long as you're taller than me." Bless. Little buddy hasn't quite hit his growth spurt yet and is just shy of 5' tall....and he still holds my hand sometimes.

He is now a big 6th grader at Nickels Intermediate School and he turned 12 in September. Brian and I are so blessed that both of our boys are respectful, kind, genuinely nice people....my very favorite people in the whole world. I know D is almost a teenager, but I honestly love this time of our lives...all of us.

Declan has been almost all of his life involved with sports. He started by watching his brother and now is a tough football player, wrestler and baseball player himself. The boys share so many similar character traits, but they are so different. Declan is our little lefty. He pitches and plays first base and outfield. He isn't super fast (yet) but he is so smart. He is cool, calm and collected when he plays. He rarely gets rattled or shows much emotion....like he has ice running through his veins.

Football has been a bit of a challenge to get him to enjoy. He has really needed a coach that can find just the right fit for him. He isn't big enough to be on the line (yet he was his team's most outstanding lineman this year -- tons of pancake stickers and sacks), but he isn't fast enough or tall enough to be one of the "skill" players like running back or receiver. The last game of the season this year was the best. The team was down and Declan managed to cause recover a fumble and completely change the momentum of the game! His team tied it up and actually went for the extra point kick (worth 2 in rocket football instead of one) to win the game. I definitely don't think I've experienced a more exciting rocket football game. We are excited for him to have Coach Dennett next year and see where he can fit. He does so well on defense and I love watching him play!

Baseball takes up the most of his time. After 3 years with Diamonds, Brian is coaching his new Grand Rapids Royals 12-U team. Although the season hasn't started yet, there is a lot of talent and good kids on the team. It is mainly Byron kids which is fun with some other talent thrown in too. I did the new logos (though they look a lot like Kansas City) and it is fun to have a fresh start. D also has only on year left in Little League. His 10U All-Star team actually made it all the way to the state tournament in Birmingham, Michigan in 2023 and they played ALL THE GAMES. They couldn't quite seal the deal and they were the runner's up, but I think we calculated that he played over 60 baseball games that season. 

I am actually the president of Byron Township Little League now (elected in October). It has been challenging to say the least, but we have such a great community and great people on the board. The 2025 season is quickly approaching and we have a new system (again) with Sports Connect and registration is open. There is still a lot left to figure out with umpires and we need to get our tax exemption reinstated...you know...details....(ugh).

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We just spent Christmas in Georgia by way of Ohio. It was Declan's idea to go to Ohio first on our way down to Georgia since we didn't get to go for Thanksgiving. It was great to see literally EVERYONE. Sadie will be 2 soon, Quinn is 16 months old and little Zoe is 8.5 months old.

On the Trotter side, Nana and Monte-D had a FULL house and were gracious hosts! I think all 3 Trotter boys spent 3 nights at their house too and Vivian (12) and Winnie (9) came with Grant on Christmas Eve too. I know it is chaotic with so many people, but we had a blast playing "reindeer games" -- Connect 4 Ping Pong tournaments were a highlight with flip-cup tic tac toe and Head's Up. 

Notable gifts for the boys were a Quest 3 for Declan -- he found out about Santa this year. Connor actually had "the talk" with him on the way home from wrestling a few weeks before Christmas. I think I was the most sad....the end of an era. Declan also got some very nice Oakley sunglasses that he didn't ask for -- i'm not even sure he wants them, but he'll appreciate them on vacation! Connor got new Nike running shoes from Santa and was surprised with some Apple Air Max Pro headphones. Both boys got lots of sweatshirt and sweat pants and Nana even gave D his own clarinet with all the accessories!

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We covet spring break.

This is our family time. Our togther time. Our "just the 4 of us time". Don't get me wrong, we don't all sit around having deep conversations, but I truly love our time together. The boys get along so well and are genuinely friends. It is so nice to get away in the sunshine. 

We went to Jamaica in 2024. It was a great time, but the food was a bit disappointing. Connor made friends with a bunch of kids from Forest Hills Northern and we did lots of extra stuff. The boys really loved the "Luminious Lagoon" -- biolumiescence at it's best. It was so cool and no pictures do it justice. We also went snorkeling and parasailing.

This year we are heading back to Cancun -- to Fiesta Americana Condesa. I'm so excited, but we have GOT to get the boys' passports renewed. We went to Fiesta Americana Coral Beach and Moon Palace The Grand in 2021. We loved the Fiesta, but it was a little small. Moon Palace was too big, so we are hoping that this one is JUST RIGHT!

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I better get back to work. We are hosting NYE for the boys at our house tomorrow and I really need to get the BC area in better condition. I've got to get the tree and all the Christmas stuff down tomorrow too!! Bring on the coffee!

I hope to be better about updating.

Sorry about the last 10 years...

Red & Blue

unrelated --- Connor just asked me if I wanted to see him "freight dance". Yeah, he meant "break dance".

When the boys were little...maybe even before Declan was born, I sort of assigned them colors. Connor is blue/navy and Declan is red. I thought it was cute and easy to immediately tell whose was whose (when colors would help).

This mainly applies to bags/totes, matching clothes, and cups. Recently I got them new suitcases that followed the color trend and I realized that Declan is taking this color thing to a whole new level.

Last week, he refused to eat blueberry yogurt because it was Connor's...it was blue. And he had a fit when Connor wanted strawberry...because it was "his". Oh boy.

Additionally, he thinks that when firetrucks and police cars are involved, Connor is always the police car...because they are blue and he is the firetruck: red. He will only drink out of the red (or maroon) Contigo kid's cup with straws and gets frustrated if Connor drinks out of the orange or green one. If it is not red or blue, it must be mom's or dad's.

However, yesterday in the car Connor confused me. He asked if I was "black". Huh?! "What color are you if you aren't black?" I thought "white"??? On our recent Disney cruise, my suitcase was black and Brian's was a silver...so I guess those are our newly assigned colors. :)

I never really intended for the boys to take it to this level, but it is kind of fun and makes me smile!

If I don't laugh, I may cry.

I feel the need to document this season of our lives. The last 5 days have been pretty insane. Well, let's backup a bit more to Friday, August 29th.

Brian was tossing Declan on the bed a bunch of times. One last time. Crying. Intense crying. He won't stop crying. I get his shirt off and ask if he wants to go outside. This usually fixes everything. I see his elbow swelling up. Time to go to the ER.

His humerus near his elbow is fractured. They "splint" it, with a very sophisticated splint that is molded to his arm, then wrapped very well with an ace bandage. It is the entire length of his right arm. Thank goodness he's a lefty, right?

We are entering the Labor Day weekend and were told to expect a call from the River Valley Orthopedic office on Tuesday. If we don't hear from them, call on Wednesday. I call on Tuesday after not hearing in the morning. I have to take him in at 11:00 the next day. So long relaxing hair appointment.

Wednesday, 9-3-14, second day of school. I got to fit 1/2 of my appointment it in (highlights only) and I took off. Declan stayed with Amanda for the hour. Off to the ortho office. The nurse told me he would have to be in a cast. Damn. Now to decide which color...light blue? dark blue? The PA walks in. I ask her what she thinks about color. "Well, I have some bad news and I don't think you have to decide about color right now." Then more instructions that he will need to go to Helen DeVos Children's hospital. She showed me the x-ray. The fracture in his elbow separated and now there is at least one fragment (maybe 2)...will add photos later. I'm no radiologist or any kind of medical expert, but she threw out that he may need surgery and after looking at the x-ray, I didn't see any way around it. Now we had to wait for the call from the Pediatric Orthopedic office at DeVos. We FINALLY got the official call around 5:00 pm that he would definitely be having surgery the following day, 9-4-14 at 12:45. Dr. Cassidy was sent the x-rays and information and did not need to see him, just bring him in for surgery. No food after midnight. Clear fluids like water and juice until 7:00 am. After that....NOTHING, zilch, nada. What the f?

Thursday morning. Connor is waiting to go outside for the bus at 7:53 and gets Declan out of his bed. He comes out holding his cup, asking for milk. I'm on the phone with the nurse from DeVos who was calling to make sure we were given the correct pre-op instructions since the case was boarded so last-minute the day before. Thankfully, she said he could have juice until 8:00. Sweet, 7 minutes to pound as much fluid as possible. Brody has no clue Declan can't eat anything and offers him a pretzel while we stand in their garage waiting for the bus since it was so rainy and gross. He can't have it. Meltdown begins. Thankfully, he was pretty good about not begging for food or drink. He watched Daniel Tiger and I cleaned up as much as possible while we waited for Brian to get home at 10:30 so we could leave. We needed to be at the hospital by 11:00. Finding where you are supposed to go in hospitals stresses me out.

We got taken back pretty quickly and they gave Declan a tiget (not Daniel, but we told him it was) gown and socks to get ready for suregery. He played in the playroom for about 20 minutes while we killed time until we would meet with Dr. Cassidy. We took the new iPad mini (Connor's birthday, technically an iPad for the family). He watched PBS Kids and was pretty lethargic. I thought it was because he was getting tired, and very hungry. Afterall, his procedure was scheduled at his exact nap time!

Dr. Cassidy said they were hoping for a closed case where they could manipulate the bone fragment(s) from the outside and then put pins in to secure the area. If it didn't work, he would have to open. The incision would be about an inch long. The procedure would take anywhere from 5 minutes (closed) to an hour (open). He had to "open". He said since it happened on Friday there was a blood clot between the bone and the fragment and there was no way it was going back without significant "help". He was pleased with the pin placement. A follow-up appointment was scheduled for the following Wednesday, the 10th for more x-rays to make sure the pins haven't shifted. Then he will be in the cast for another 3 weeks after that point. Then the pins come out, and depending on the healing process, he could be in another cast for a few weeks up to a month. Apparently the elbow doesn't get much bloodflow, which is required for bone healing. We were told about possible side-effects from the surgery since it DID affect the growth plate (we were originally told it did not). His elbow could grow faster, and be larger than the other for a while, which may prevent him from straightening his arm completely. It could go in a little bit instead of out (when arms are palms up and outstretched). All of this sounded familiar to me, as my little brother had the same procedure on his elbow when he was 5...about 25 years ago. He has a wicked scar. Hopefully methods and techniques have improved significantly.

With more time to think about cast color, I went with red. We do have family photos scheduled for the 16th. Might as well coordinate...

Declan was groggy coming out of anesthesia and it took a while for him to wake up. He opened his eyes when Brian turned on the Daniel Tiger theme song...I kid you not. He had some water and by 4:10 we were home. He was not back to 100% but while I was at Target getting his prescription, he ate 4 Nutrigrain Bars and wanted a 5th, but I boiled some pasta for him instead. He ate almost all of it and things were going well.

Amanda Schichtel brought us dinner. Bless her heart. After being at the hospital most of the day and the stress from the previous 24 hours, it was so appreciated. Chicken tacos. Yum. Erin Morrissette got Connor off the bus (had to write all of those notes that morning) and he played over there until after dinner when AA brought him home. Crazy day....so I thought. We were discharged from the hospital with "taping a breadbag or garbage bags" to his arm for baths. Really. I ordered a waterproof cast cover on Amazon.com/Prime. He should be able to hold off on having a bath until it arrived.

Fast forward about 8 hours later. 1:00 am. Declan starts screaming in bed. I'm thinking the anesthesia is finally worn off completely and he needs pain meds. Poor guy. The main factor I forgot is that they gave him a narcotic Tylenol for pain....the same stuff he got when he had Hand Foot Mouth a few months ago. Medicines like this do NOT knock him out, but have the opposite effect. He was wide awake. He was also very warm. Why was he warm?? I felt HOT for a few hours. This concerned me. He just had surgery, what if he was having a reaction to something they gave him?? Infection?? I called the number on the paperwork were given at the hospital. I knew Dr. Cassidy was on call. I knew I would be asked what his fever actually was (I never actually take it...I normally can just feel when my kids are hot and feverish), so I pulled out the thermometer. Holy crap it is 103.2º. What the $*#%?

Cassidy calls me back. Get Motrin in him. It is too early to be caused by an infection and his arm would be really painful, etc. Absolutely nothing with Tylenol since his prescription pain meds are Tylenol based. My child hates medicine. The only advantage of the script meds is that he only needs 3 ml vs the 5 mL of Children's Motrin. I somehow got it in him shortly after 4:00 am. It takes almost 2 hours for his fever to come down and we go back to sleep around 6:00. Brian got Connor 90% ready for school so I didn't have to get up (just gave a few instructions from his bed). Declan was still up by 9:00. More Daniel Tiger. I had to keep the Motrin in him or he would have a fever. A really high fever. He acted much better without a fever. By 1:00 pm, he was a beast. He'd napped a little bit already so I thought he may need some of the awake-inducing pain meds. Withink an hour and a half, his fever was back. 103.7º. This is nuts. The poor guy watched a ton of Daniel Tiger and his eyes were about 1/2 open. Misery.

Tammy Kruse brought over some cookies and balloons for the patient. She also said there was a package on the doorstep. Holy cow. The cast cover had already arrived....less than 18 hours after I ordered it!!

The Zagars had already planned to bring us Noodles & Company dinner and eat it with us. Jill and Lucy walked in around 5:00. Declan looked terrible. I put him in his chair on the table to eat something. He really wasn't interested. He may have had 3 bites. PUKE. He threw up about 5 times....all the fluid in his system including the Motrin I'd just given him. There was puke all in the highchair. Chad walks in the door. Welcome to chaos.

Poor D was miserable. We got him out of the chair. It was soaked. Wrapped him in a towel and took him to the bathroom for a bath. B and I had to try to get his cast cover on as a team. He screamed the whole time. World's fastest bath. Got the puke-covered chair and floor taken care of. The bath seemed to cool him down a bit and he fell asleep with Brian in the chair. I was texting with friend, PA, & neighbor Abby and as she said, "puke and rally". He looked like he felt better.

The Zagars left around 6-6:30 and Brian walked into the kitchen and got chills. The kind you get from a fever. Oh boy. He took some Motrin and went to bed. Yes, at 6:30. A few hours later I took his temp. 101º.

I also got a text from Erin Morrissette. Connor's best friend Cam has a fever. He can't get warm.

The first ever Hot Air Balloon Festival was on Friday/Saturday. All of Fridays events were cancelled because of weather. Saturday morning, many of our neighbors saw a beautiful show of balloons pass right over our neighborhood! Connor was the only one awake and he was oblivious. Declan and I had been up at 5:00 and were back asleep at that point. (His fever got really high and he refused to take any medicine, even when I put it in his apple juice. It took a few hours, but came down on its own...but it was a rough night.) Brian's fever was controlled with meds and Declan seemed okay on meds too. So, we all went to the festival after he woke up. They had police cars, a firetruck, ambulance, rescue trucks, etc. We got there too late to go inside, but the boys got to see them. Declan was kind of in beast mode. We got to go inside a giant balloon on a "balloon walk". Those things are massive. Then we talked to the pilots and they distributed "trading cards" with their balloon's photos and some of their story. Connor was excited to collect them and we were anxious to watch them fly again on Saturday night and hopefully come over our neighborhood again!

We got home and Declan crashed. Connor and I have been at each other's throats a bit recently, so I thought we could use some one-on-one time. We headed out looking for balloons around 6:00. They were supposed to launch between 5:30-6:00. The winds were too high and they were delayed and hour. Then we heard that they were not going to fly. The winds were swirling up high in the sky nd it wasn't safe. Boo. Some of them inflated and we got to see the effects of the wind on the balloon. I really wanted them to fly, but also didn't want anyone to get hurt! We picked up corn dogs and Sonic to kill time (that took forever for some reason) and then wen't back to see the "Balloon Glow". It was really pretty and a fun time with Connor.

Declan woke up shortly after we got home. His fever hit a high of 104º. Of course the high fever was alarming, but I got scared when I put my ear on his chest and his heart was beating so fast I couldn't even count that fast. This prompted another call to Dr. Cassidy. Now that Brian was also sick, I felt certain it was from a virus and not a result of the surgery, but I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing something or passing off something as a viral symptom when it was really something more alarming. We can't exactly easily toss D in a bath to get his fever down, so I was holding him and covering him with cool, damp towels. I thought he would flinch at feeling them. Nope. Brian was dragging...big time. He had a cough, and fever.

Sunday, 9-7-14. I went to the grocery store with Connor while Declan & Brian rested. Brian was holding Declan in the doorway when we got home. More fever. This is ridiculous. More Motrin. The fever fell and that was the last of it. Brian somehow managed to cut the grass even though I thought he may keel over in the process. I think he wanted to sweat out some of the toxins and he has a busy week ahead....it needed to be done. I went across the street with Connor to celebrate our new neighbor's little girl's birthday. Ellie was one and they just invited us over for cake and ice cream. Understandably, Connor and I were the only ones to go. It was good to get out of the house.

Monday. I set my alarm and get up at 5:00. All of this time that I am writing about now, I did not even open my computer. I have SO MUCH work to catch up on. Proofs to get out. I need to get to OfficeMax at some point...sooner than later. Connor got up and went to school. Declan woke up in beast mode at around 9:00, right before Brian headed to Lakeland hospital in St. Joe (an hour away). Everything was "NO" and he couldn't get comfortable or happy. Sweet.  But he is in beast mode even though he doesn't have a fever. He was literally throwing himself on the ground or flailing to get out of my arms. Daniel Tiger was the only thing he wanted. I needed to work. So, that is what we did for most of the day. Even at nap time, he fussed and would randomly call out "Mom". I gave him some more Motrin even though he didn't have a fever anymore. The poor kid did have surgery on Thursday and I'd only given him 2 doses of his pain meds! Maybe that was it??

The mail arrived and Aunt Carrie and Uncle Grant sent him a care package. He got his very own Daniel Tiger. It has 14 phrases and sings. He exclaimed "CLOCK!" because he has a watch on. He hugged him and then was taken back when he started talking. "Button" (to make him talk). He wanted to sit next to him and "rock" him. Then he even asked Brian to rock him. :) However, he only let Daniel sit in the chair with him for a few seconds at a time. I have no clue why...

I was looking at his little head in the chair and I noticed a rash behind his ear. Upon closer inspection it is on the top of his back and he has them on his face and a few on his chest. WHAT?!?! I didn't want to take him in for what was sure to be the most horribly timed virus ever, but now there is a newsworthy virus called "enterovirus" making headlines for sending kids to the ER all across the country. I do some internet research and am pretty sure that Declan has/had Roseola. The symptoms are extremely high fevers from 103-105º. After a few days, the fever goes away pretty abruptly and about that time a rash appears. The rash apparently doesn't itch or hurt and should go away just as quickly. Oh good Lord. Well, if it doesn't hurt it doesn't explain the beast mode, but I'm sure it has something to do with it.

Connor gets off the bus and goes straight to the couch. 101.7º

I'm the only one left. Lord, PLEASE keep me healthy. Boost my immune system so that I can somehow avoid this horrible line of fevers. Brian and Connor now both have rhaspy voices. Brian has more of a cough. I've heard Connor cough a few times, but nothing like what Erin has described of Cam. Another friend, Aidan also has a fever and really bad cough...going on day 4.

I did get Declan in the bath tonight and he was finally happy and acting "normal". His first day of Kids' Time is supposed to be tomorrow/today (Tuesday, the 9th). Do I take him?? It was been well over 24 hours since he has had a fever. I may wait to see how the rash looks and make an assessment then.

So, that brings us to the present. I've been typing for far too long and should have been sleeping. However, once I get vertical it is tough for me to just go back to sleep immediately. So why was I vertical?? Connor came into his room. I had no idea what time it was. He had been sleeping in my bed with Brian. "I threw up." Oh dear. He tried crawling into bed with me, and I hope I didn't hurt his feelings when I said, "no, you can't get in here...I'm sorry, I absolutely cannot get sick." Brian turns on the light to get me up for assistance. It wasn't everywhere, but we got the blanket off the bed, and put him back in the bed with Brian. I got him some Motrin to bring down his high fever...he was shaking, and a cool wash cloth for his head. I also brought in the puke bowl. I still don't know if he coughed really hard and it made him puke or if he has yet another strain of this crazy bug.

I have no idea what today will bring. Connor will not be going to school. I don't know if Brian is going to go in to work. He is still taking fever reducers and now cough drops to ease the pain in his throat. Brian's schedule may determine if Declan gets to go to school, regardless if he has a rash at all. (They aren't supposed to be contagious once the fever is gone.) I have to send and get prints from OfficeMax and make it to the post office at some point today. I realize that my job is not all that important, but when people have paid me to provide a product, I also can't string them along when the materials are typically time sensitive... I may have to get creative. I don't want to cart Connor around when he needs to be in bed. I may see if someone can pick them up for me...I have no idea. I'll figure that out later.

PRAY I STAY HEALTHY!!

Full Moon

It has been a long time since I posted...oops.

I just had to document the "connor funny" that just happened.

He is about to go to bed (up way too late...even for summer) and he looked outside and saw the moon.

Connor: Wow Mom! Look at the moon!
Me: yes, wow...it is so big and bright. And it is a full moon.
Connor: it must have eaten a lot.

Such a sweetheart. :)

Additionally, today was the first day of the Providence Lake garage sale. After making quite a deal on an electronic Battleship game yesterday, he was up at 6:45 ready to hit the sales (that didn't open until 9:00). He kept asking me for money. Finally it occurred to me that on a brisk morning, he should earn his money...selling muffins and donuts. This neighborhood sale is a madhouse. He would learn all sorts of lessons in the process.

Too bad this brilliant idea came to me at 8:45 am. I didn't let it stop me and by 9:30-9:45 he and his friend Cam were set up in the driveway with chocolate and blueberry muffins, Connor-made sales signs, a full pot of coffee, little plates, coffee cups with lids, a communal stir stick, and 3 different kinds of coffee creamer. I did have to borrow 6 eggs and ground coffee, but we made it and each kid made over $9!

We will be out again tomorrow.

The whole process was MUCH easier with Declan asleep. The little man is EVERYWHERE. His new game is picking up pieces of mulch and running to the edge of the driveway and throws them into the road. Sweet. He does the same thing with rocks into the lake. Fun game.

He and Connor were both running around the house after dinner (homemade Mac & Cheese while Brian filled in for Mr. Tim on his golf league.) We took a selfie after both boys wanted to me ON my lap after dinner...I need to post it.

Anyway, I was talking to a friend and Connor was in his room building with newly purchased garage sale Brio blocks (that are too advanced for him at this point) and then we hear blood curdling screaming. I went running in there and Connor was crying. I asked what happened and he was pointing to Declan (who was backing away slowly) and Connor said, "he threw it at me". He was pointing at the floor and I saw an empty hanger. I said, "oh buddy, I'm sure it just scared you. It will be okay." (insert hug) Then I look at the floor again, there is also a very heavy metal stapler on the ground (Declan got it off the desk). Yes, he definitely threw the stapler at his head, NOT the hanger....

I feel Connor's head and there is a giant knot forming. I help him walk into the kitchen as I look for frozen veggies to act as an ice pack. Frozen chopped onions would work better than broccoli... Then I had to send Declan straight to the time out chair in the laundry room. He has only had to sit in it once or twice before. He was there a good 20 seconds before he got up. Then 10 seconds when I put him back.

Oh, and Connor said next time he would take broccoli...the onions stunk. hahaha!

I have so much work I need to be doing, but I lack motivation in a very big way. Today was sooo busy and a lot of fun and tomorrow will be the same. Perhaps I could watch one episode of season 2 Orange is the New Black before falling asleep and then I'll get up early tomorrow and work...

One of life's necessities.

Yesterday, I learned the importance of the sucker/lollipop.

All the boys in my Nealon family have hair that grows OUT. It doesn't just get longer and lay down, it poofs. I know many that would take this "problem" of vast amounts of thick, coarsely textured hair any day of the week. :) This hair also grows like it is on some sort of sterroid. I know for a FACT that we spend more (annually) on each male in our house getting their hair cut than I do in a year....and mine is typically cut and colored!

I digress.

Yesterday, Declan was looking shaggy. In addition to the previously mentioned challenges with his hair, he also has some sweet cowlicks that I think make his need for a haircut become more prevalent faster.

I took him at 2:45 following a remarkable 3 hour nap. He was happy and I thought this was our ideal shot. We had to wait 10 minutes at Great Clips. (Who knew 3:00 was a busy time?!) And then shortly after putting him on the booster seat and getting his smock on him, I quickly discovered they were OUT OF SUCKERS. Oh boy.

It went downhill from there. I had no idea that this sugary sweetness was such an integral part of his haircutting experience. He flipped out. He was trying to dive out of the chair. He would NOT sit still. I have never dealt with this. I have never experienced a crying child in the haircutting chair. Until yesterday. About 5 minutes in, I offered to hold him in my lap and let him watch videos of himself on my phone while the lady attempted to finish the cut. This lasted 5 minutes, but was still not without a challenge. Through additional tears (his, not mine) I finally just said maybe we would come back later to finish the cut.

So we left (I paid first) with his 3/4 haircut.

Several hours later, we tried again. This time, I found 2 suckers in our [seriously old] candy stash in the pantry and came prepared.

Wow.

The difference was remarkable. All of the same staff was there and one lady even said they thought I had twins...and he was the twin. Nope. That damn sucker makes all the difference in the world. He never cried, never attempted to dive out of the chair. He even let her use the trimmers on his neck.

Note to self, ALWAYS carry have a sucker in my purse in case Great Clips is out.

5 1/2 is funny

Earlier this week we were eating at the Zagar's house and there was a comb with a pick on the end on the counter. About 10 minutes into dinner, Connor holds up the comb and says, "Mom, this sure is a fancy fork!"
Of course it reminded me of Arial and "The Little Mermaid" thinking a fork is a comb...

Brian had to work at the Women's Expo today, so I got the baby seat put on my new bike (thanks Nana & MonteD!) and we pretended it wasn't 39º outside. We made it around our big loop and about 100 yards from our house Connor chimes in, "Mom, why don't we just spend winter at the beach? The ducks do it."
Very good point, little man! :) Ducks also don't have jobs. But what I loved most was that I know he didn't hear this from somewhere else. He didn't say "fly south" or "migrate", just go to the beach. :) What is ridiculous is that his first time stepping in the ocean was at Castaway Cay on our cruise. He didn't feel great and the water was too chilly to really splash & play. The beach to him is along the shores of Lake Michigan.

Connor walked in on my plucking my eyebrows this afternoon. He was horrified. "Mom, WHAT are you doing?!" I tried to explain. "Why don't you want any eyebrows?" "Doesn't that hurt?" "You will look funny if you don't have eyebrows." In the end, he approved and said they were even. :)

His favorite game on Brian's iPad is "Stack the States". He knows many of the states now by shape and can place at least 10-15 on the map. Trying to raise him right. The only problem is that is still requires some major assistance for him because he can't read the questions. (Brian and I are now experts on US trivia and I got a new high score on the capital conveyor belt game: 72!) The last few days, all of C's artwork that he creates during "free choice" time at school has been American flags. He knows that we love them and I also think he likes practicing his stars. We only got in one argument over the amount of tape needed to adhere said flag to the fridge (stainless steel = no magnets).

Declan struck again in Connor's room. In addition to finding ALL of my hidden snack places (I admittedly hide kid-type snack food around the house so we don't eat it when we are grazing in the pantry. I say, "we" and I mean it...but I mainly mean Brian. :) Well, Declan finds ALL of the places and comes out with treats of all kinds. He runs up to me saying "Mum." with his little arms out. He is currently sporting his second black eye and a gash in his chin from a week and a half ago that probably could have used some stitches or glue, but it was on daddy's watch and he is fine. Good thing he's a boy. :) The black eye was at a neighbor's house. I'm not sure what happened, but she said he cried for about 45 seconds and had a red bump on his cheek. So of course it turns into a black eye. I digress.

[I assume] Declan broke the CD portion of Connor's clock in his room. I assume this because I've seen Declan walking around with it, and there is no way that is good for the machine. The little man drops or throws just about everything. Connor is all about routine and part of his routine is books, prayers, night-night music. He's been at a loss without music for the last week. I gave him Declan's sound-machine giraffe, but he said it just wasn't the same. Tonight I finally took the CD player from Declan's room into Connor's (Declan doesn't like listening to it anyway...he actually cries if it is on). It had a CD that Leslie/Gramma gave to me/Connor when he was just an itty-bitty baby. Connor asked if I was going to put his CD in and I said that I wanted him to listen to his very first night-night music tonight. He obliged. We have a space heater in the boy's jack-n-jack bathroom to heat both rooms and I leave the door closed until I turn off C's light. I told C I was going to open the door and asked if he was okay. He replies, "I'm just having a happy cry." What?! "Yes, a happy cry. I love my music, and this song, and I'm so glad I have it back." omg. My little love. :)

I'm trying to think of other funnies. Oh, he told me recently that he only takes a bath if it is a pattern. Yes, a pattern. Like, "Bath, no bath, Bath, no bath". or "Bath, Bath, no bath, Bath, Bath, no bath." I was not trying to be too much of a smarty, but asked if he was going to throw a shower in there or just stick to baths. :)

This morning he came in our room at 7:30 wanting me to get up....on a Saturday. Like the mother-of-the-year that I am, I told him he could turn on Netflix if he wanted and I would get up at 8:00. He couldn't find the remote (We have a chair that literally eats the remotes. Getting them out is like performing surgery.) When I came out at 8:00, I found 4 fully assembled puzzles on the fireplace hearth. He did come in our room twice, but I'm so proud of him for not harassing me...like he normally does. He put together 8 more this morning. The little guy is getting so stinkin' smart.

Oh, the other night when he was begging me to "watch a show" before bed, I finally caved and said he could watch one show in our bed. I was listing several shows that we have recorded on the DVR. "Octonauts, Rescue Bots, Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Daniel Tiger, Sesame Street, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (Declan LOVES the last 3 in the list and Connor actually likes to watch them with him.) But I was really surprised to hear him choose Sesame Street. I looked at him questioningly and said, "Really". His response, "It is the longest." Of all the shows in the list, it is the only one that is an hour... See, I'm in trouble. He is smart as a whip!

God

For some reason, when Connor and his friend Cam are together the conversation frequently turns to theology.

This was in the car on the way home from For the Kidz, open gym last night.

Connor: I am so tired of this snow. Cam: So is my mom! She said she was going to have to have a chat with God and Jesus about this. Connor: Do you think God is a giant? Cam: I think he is "this" big (didn't see the hand motion) Connor: Whatever size He is, He fits in our hearts...and can never get out.

Such a precious age.

Providence Lake Fall Party 2013