Max's Arm

And the story continues.....

When I last posted, I left you with how Max had fallen off the ladder on the playground. As we were driving home from the campground, he just kept saying that his arm hurt. We tried to distract him with a McDonald's biscuit, but he didn't want to eat, he just wanted to lay downstairs and rest. He was holding his arm like it hurt and still complaining. I thought that maybe he didnt' sleep as well as I thought he had. I tried to lay with him, but he was still complaining. He never really cried, just kept saying that his arm hurt. He screamed right when he fell, but he does that anytime he gets hurt. The thing that was different this time was that he couldn't be distracted.

Andy and I decided that we better take him to have someone look at it.

I jumped in the shower and we got Max dressed - (remember we were still in our pajamas). Andy stayed home with Maggie and I took Max to the local Prompt Care. Of course, they were busy. It was a Saturday morning, so we had to wait quite a while. They called us in to do that paperwork and then we had to go back in the waiting room and wait for the doctor. May poor little baby fell asleep waiting. When we finally got see the nurse, they took us back for a X-ray. Sure enough, Max broke his arm, it might just be his wrist, but we have to see an Orthopedic specialist next week. He is in a cast now, most likely the specialist will take this cast off, do another X-ray and put a new cast on. We just have to wait and see.

He has totally been a trooper. He had all the nurses laughing as he was telling them all how to ride a bike without training wheels. He didn't seem the least bit scared. He was more worried about not being able to start school on Tuesday and not being able to go to his cousin, QP's birthday party next weekend.

Looks pretty comfy!


This is a much needed nap my people needed after a night of camping and a morning of doctors!

A silly old cast won't stop me!
Andy put his training wheels back on so he can ride his bike!

Oh, a camping we will go....

Andy decided last Thursday that he would take a half day on Friday and we would pack up all the gear, get the kids ready and do a little overnight camp out. Andy and I used to do our share of camping back in the day before kids. All we needed was a tent, some food and some cold adult beverages and we were set.

So Thursday night I started a list. You know, the list of food, list of clothes for all of us, the list of camping supplies, the list of the lists. Since we were just going for the night, we thought it would be a pretty cheap start to our weekend. We ran to the store to pick up a few things...and 75 dollars later we were ready. Andy got home about 1:00 on Friday and by the time we got the van packed with all the gear, food, bikes and Charlie...we were ready to hit the road.

We didn't travel too far. This was really the first time for the kids had camp. We did go a few years back when Max was about 6 months old, talk about hauling the gear, but last summer the kids were afraid of bugs, so we decided it was better to skip it. Anyway....we only went about a half hour away...just in case we would need to venture home in the middle of the night.
The evening was great. After putting up the tent, we played on the playground, colored, played hackysack and rode bikes. Grandma & Paca even came out to roast hot dogs with us. It was really a great time. A perfect first camping experience for the kids.


So the park we went to was pretty much all RV's. Okay...no big deal....but I think we were seriously the ONLY tent. Everyone was driving around on golf carts. It was almost like a little city within this campground. Do you have the mental picture in your head? I told Andy, "This should work out great, we won't have any people staying up late playing loud music and partying."
I know, I'm totally old!

Boy, was I wrong. Of course, after playing all afternoon, my kiddos were tuckered out, thank goodness. They pretty much crashed about 9:30 (which is really pretty late for them) but then the people just up from us, were hangin' out and talked till about 2:00 AM. It wasn't that they were super loud, but it was just annoying to hear some lady cackle every few minutes. I thought the noise of all the bugs outside would finally put me to sleep, but nope...I was awake. At about midnight...another group started playing their music. MIDNIGHT! Don't these kind of places have quite hours...oh yes! They do! At 10:00 p.m. So where is the ranger? Isn't there someone to monitor these things? Aren't these RV people old? Shouldn't they be sleeping?

Needless to say, I was crabby. I was cold, yet hot from all the blankets and I was dry, yet damp from the dew. I think I finally got a little sleep before the birds woke up and then the kids. I can honestly say that right then at 6:18 AM, I was really to pack up and leave. We finally got up and out of the tent, walked up to the potty, came back to start some water for some much-needed coffee. The kids nibbled on doughnuts and chocolate milk while we were trying to get the water hot for coffee. It wasn't working. So now I'm crabby and have no coffee. It was not a pretty picture. I went into the tent to try and hide my frustration. I folded up all the blankets, got the sleeping bags back in their bags, so that Andy would know that I was ready to go. Like he didn't already know. He looked at me and then said to the kids, "Why don't we pack up and hit McDonald's drive-thru for breakfast". I have never loved that man more. We didn't get dressed. We didn't even brush our teeth. I just wanted to get home.

All and all it was still a great camping experience and the kiddos had an awesome time and THAT is what it all about.

A little side note:
The kiddos played on the playground while Andy and I got packed up. Right as we were getting ready to leave, we heard Max screaming. He fell off the ladder of the playground. He was walking, there wasn't any blood so we went on our way.

TO BE CONTINUED........................

Stranger(s) in the Night!

Okay, not really a stranger, but a child and well that is enough to freak ya out.
And, yes, I know that the song isn't about actual strangers, but it went with my title, and I'm just dorky like that.

Here's a little background.

First of all, we Sullivan people sleep with our bedroom doors open. Always have, always will. I'm sure that someday, many years from now, the kids will close their doors for privacy cause, you know, teenagers do that. But until then, we have an open door policy around here.

I think part of the reason the bedroom doors are open is my fear of fire. You see, both my aunt and uncle (sister & brother) have had house fires. It is a very scary situation. Thank goodness, neither of them or their families were hurt. Ever since then, I have had a fear of my house burning at night and I would need to get out quickly. This would also be the reason why I never sleep in my birthday suit. HELLO! If there were a fire, I wouldn't want to be standing outside buck naked. My poor husband just rolls his eyes on that one, but lets just see who's rolling their eyes if we ever really do have a fire.

Okay, now back to the story. So Saturday night, or early Sunday morning which ever it was, I woke up and saw the bathroom light on and heard a little "tinkle" going on in the nearby bathroom. I assumed it was Andy and rolled over to try to get back to sleep. As I rolled over, I bumped right into Andy. It took a second to register and then it hit me. If he's next to me, then who's in the bathroom??? OMG, someone is using our bathroom!

I have never heard or witnessed my kids going to the potty in the middle of the night. I was a little freaked out. A few seconds later, the light turned off and a silhouette of a small person walked by our door, back down the hall and I never heard another peep. I instantly thought it was Max, because he would be the one to have gone right back to bed. Maggie would have brought her blanket and pillow into our room and made herself comfortable. Besides, Maggie has bladder like a bathtub. The girl can hold it forever.

I finally fell back to sleep and told Andy about it in the morning. Then asked Max, "Hey buddy, did you get up to go potty last night?" I was totally ready to praise him for waking up to go when Maggie speaks up and says, "No, that was me mom. I got up to go potty." I didn't tell her how much she freaked me out....or that SHE was the stranger in the night.

It just made me realize that, yes there are other people living in my house that use that potty and they might even have to use it in the middle of the night.

WFMW - Taking off the training wheels!

I'm so excited, this is my very first WFMW and I hope it can help someone out there!

Both of my kids have learned to ride bikes this summer without their training wheels. I read this strategy in a Parents magazine several years ago. I don't know why it popped into my head when the kids were trying to learn, but it did. I think it was the first time that I actually remembered something that I had read...amazing! The magazine said that when you take off the training wheels, you should also take off the pedals. I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but we tried it. We took off Maggie's training wheels and then the pedals. She had to be able to touch the ground flat footed and then she used both feet to push off the ground (kinda like Fred Flintstone would do) Once she got the balance part down, we would see that she would coast 15 to 20 feet at a time. Andy put the pedals back on and she took off! The girl is currently a stunt bike rider like her dad and he wants to put her in a kiddy bike race this fall. Who knows, she could become a gold medalist in the mountain bike category in the 2016 Olympics.

This new knowledge of bike riding without training wheels also has helped several kids on our street get the confidence to take off on two wheels. Our neighbor Ashlyn who is 4 1/2 learned in one night with the help of Handy Andy. This Lord of the Bike has also taught Maggie's friend Autumn and of course, Mad Max! I'm telling you....it really works.

Here is Max:

Coming out of her shell!

This is Maggie's first full week of school and we are on a regular schedule now. This means that the carpool started yesterday. I am taking to school on M-W-F and she is riding with the neighbor on T & TH. Today was her first ride with them day. I thought she might have a little anxiety about it since she is just that way....well I was wrong, again! The girl is finally coming out of her shell. She informed me that if she didn't get going she was going to miss her ride.

It was more like this, "Mom, I know, I know, be a good listener, and have good manners, you tell me this everyday!"

I think I'm going to add something about being so sassy in my every morning lecture. I don't even think she wouldn't have given me a kiss goodbye, except for my pulling her back and making her. I totally think she is diggin' Kindergarten. And that makes me very happy!

Family!

Yesterday, (Sunday August 24th) would have been my in-laws 45th wedding anniversary. What a awesome accomplishment in the day of so many broken families. Their commitment and love for each other was strong. Strong til the end! It's so hard to believe that my mother-in-law has been gone from this earthly world for almost 8 months now. We all miss her very much yet know that she is with her Lord and Savior.


I have been thinking a lot lately about family. And how very important it is to me.

First there is the family that God gives you, your parents, siblings, cousins, etc. These are the people you grow up with and learn from. The dictionary definition is a social unit living together. I grew up as an only child, so it was just my mom & I. But that was our family. We spent a lot of time with extended family and we are all still very close to this day. Sure, there are problems, we all have them, but hopefully, for most people, their God given family is a group of very special people.

Then you get married and get an entirely new family. If you are lucky, like me, you marry into an awesome family. One that you have fun with, do crazy stuff with and just enjoy being with.

You still have problems to work through and tough times, but if you are close, and if you make an effort, all things can be worked out. Change is hard, and sometimes it takes time to transition into something different and uncomfortable. And that's okay. We have to remember that we would do anything to keep our family bond strong. When we have strong feelings about something, we need to be able to talk about it, be honest, and open and try to work together to solve the problem. We are there for each other and respect each others feelings. To me, this is what family is all about.

I feel very blessed to have the family God chose for me and also the family that God planned for me to marry into. God is so good!

What's up with this?

You think you put stuff up high and away from the kiddos,
and then you find this!

Guess he wanted to do some crafts!

Cousins!

Cool Fort! Did I tell them all take a drink at the same time?!?!

Say Cheese!

Maggie, Max & baby Sloan Joy

Maggie can totally make Sloan belly laugh, it is just too cute!

Off to the big K

Yesterday, Maggie went for an hour to school, a chance to meet her teacher, see the other kids and just get familiar with everything. I took this picture as we were going in. Today was her actual first day. I was so proud as she walked down the hall all by herself. Her friend Alex, who we will be carpooling with, walked half way with her, but I watched as she kept going right into her class. I honestly couldn't believe that she did it. What a big girl.

Maggie's first day of Kindergarten!

To our baby girl, Maggie Ray on your first day of Kindergarten,


It doesn't even seem possible that I am writing this now. I can remember finally holding you in my arms after a difficult labor & delivery. I remember staring at you and how amazed I was that God had given me this perfect baby girl. You have brought complete joy to my world.


We are amazed everyday how (in your five short years) you have changed. You have grown so big are able to do so many things on your own. Watching you ride your two-wheel bike for instance, that was just something you set your mind to and you didn't give up.


Your smile brightens my day and some of the things you say...well, how old are you again? You crack me up! You are my mature Maggie and I love your helpful nature. I love our little talks every night about the things we did that day and about all the things we are thankful for. I hope you will want that special "us" time for a very long time. I also love our pinky hooks with an air kiss. That is our special code, just between us.


You are our sweet girl and you are heading off to a big new world. Dad and I are so excited for you to learn all kinds of new things at Kindergarten. You will meet new friends and have a ton of fun. We look forward to all of your new accomplishments and even the challenges along the way. We feel very blessed that God chose us to be your parents and we love you very much.


All our love,
Mom & Dad

I don't want to miss this!

As I was on the phone with my friend Kristin the other day, I was yelling at the kids to give me a minute, telling them that I would be right with them when I got off the phone. Kristin's kids are in high school and she just chuckled when I kept apologizing to her because the kids were interrupting me. I think I said something like, "Oh, well when my kids are bigger like yours....and she stopped me dead in my tracks. She said she would go back to "this time" in a second if she could and then she told me to listen to this song.

OMG! Thanks for the eye-opener Kristin. I really need to try and remember to stop rushing the time away and to enjoy every moment right now. I don't want to miss this!

Saturday bike ride!

So both my children are riding bikes without training wheels. Yes, you read correctly, Max is 3 1/2 and is riding a two-wheel bike. I'm amazed myself. It's crazy to watch him, he looks like a baby on a bike. But he has been riding for almost a month now and so this past Saturday, we all went to a local bike path for a little ride. We all were on our own bikes! It was fun. I felt like I totally have "big" kids....oh wait, I guess I do. Of course, I didn't get any pictures of our ride...hello, safety Sally here can't ride and be the photographer at the same time, but I got a cute picture of the kids on a parked train at the end of the bike trail. Watch Wednesday for the take-off-the-training-wheels-tips!

My favorite "BIG" kids!

Birthday Bash!

Last Friday night, my cousin Tina had a surprise birthday party for her mom. Her mom is my Aunt Cindy (my mom's sister) and I love her with all my heart. She has always been a very special person in my life. She was actually the first person to see me. EVER! She worked in the hospital I was born in and well, was right there and saw me first! I think that is when our special bond started. Anyway...back to her birthday. So her actual birthday was on Thursday and the party wasn't until Friday. She thought she was going to dinner with Tina and her boyfriend Nick. Friday morning Aunt Cindy called Tina to tell her that she just didn't feel like going. OMG, Tina was freakin' out! Turned out, she changed her mind and it worked out great. I don't think she had any idea. Here are some party pictures.

Getting out of the car, very surprised!

Siblings - Leonard, Cindy & Sharon (John was gone on a trip)

Group of friends from work!

Great group of girls! This is most of the girls in our family!

Cousins - Tina, Trisha, Traci, Tami & Nichole

My handsome hubby!

Tina & Nick

Nichole & Matt

Self-portrait of Andy & I, what a goof-ball!

Hope you had a great birthday Aunt Cindy. We love you very much!

Day of Fun!

Last Thursday, after all the garage sale hoopla was finally over, I decided that the kiddos deserved a day of fun. We ended up going to a local water park with some friends. We had a blast. Max did great, he went right into the climbing part of the park....where a huge bucket of water tips over and dumps tons of water on you. He wasn't sure of that part, so he would back up until it was over. He went down the water slides and, just like the big kids, he climbed up and came down like a pro. Maggie wasn't sure of the whole thing. She got the nerve up to climb up and then after all the other kids went down the slide, she was left there by herself. I thought for sure I would have to climb up there and help her down. So there she is, all by herself and all of a sudden....she went down the slide. The first time she went down, she got a lot of water in her face, which totally isn't her thing, but she returned again and again. She was having fun! I couldn't believe it! I think a little peer pressure help too! Check her out!







I was so proud of both of them....who knows, maybe we'll go back again this week.

Great weekend with friends!

The kids and I spent last weekend in Iowa. Andy went to WI for a 24 hour mountain bike race, so I thought it would be a good time to take the kids on a little road trip. We traveled the 4 1/2 hours to see my friend Lani and her family. We had a great time. Lani has two little girls, ages 3 and 16 months, so the kids all had a great time. It was so nice to relax and catch up with each other, even thought we talk on the phone often. Oh, and Lani can cook! OMG, the girl made food like there were 10 of us staying with her. I totally think I gained 10 pounds in those 2 days. One of my favorites is the crab cakes. They are so yummy....want to try them?! Here's the recipe.

We took the kids to a great park on Saturday morning, and then that afternoon, while the little one took a nap, (her Daddy stayed home with her) we took the "big" kids to the local pool.








Saturday night, Miss Ginny came to babysit all the kids, so the adults could enjoy a nice dinner. Miss Ginny is fantastic! She's just like a grandma, and the kids really liked her. Lani, Kosta (Lani's hubby) and I all went to dinner and had a great evening. I kinda felt like a third wheel at first, but after we split a few bottles of wine, I forgot all about that. We had a fabulous dinner and great conversation. Thanks guys for letting us come and invade your beautiful home for the weekend. We hope to be back soon to hang out on the new party pad. We love you guys!

Today is it....

The last day of the garage sale. Can I have an Amen?! An Allelujah?! Louder, Louder!! I can't hear you!!!

Here are a few more pictures:

Yes, that is Sassy pulling her drink OUT of the garbage!

Princess & Pinky sporting their money pouches! Too cute!

Our youth, trying on some of the beautiful attire!

We are doing this all for them! Even the ones who don't want their picture taken! (Abigail)
We love you guys....ALL OF YOU!

Still garage selling!

Yes, we have now moved all our left over garage sale stuff to the church. We are having a youth basement sale as a fund raiser for our youth group. Do you think we have enough stuff?!?!?! Oh, and this is just the main room, there are three other rooms, plus stuff outside! Yikes~hope we raise a lot of money for our young people.


We have found some pretty interesting items! It's been crazy, but we are trying to make it fun!