Yeah, so I have time to keep changing my blog background, but not to type a decent post. I'll get there... :) Michaela turns 2 on Tuesday. She is having a "doo-doo party." Doo-doo = dog. Michaela loves dogs. Michaela is allergic to dogs. Poor kid. She is into saying "no," and this evening, she inexplicably started calling me "momia" and Pete "dadia" (as in mom-ee-uh). Ava thinks she looks like a boy because she got a short haircut. It was not my intention to have it cut that short. It happened. At least she's only 4. A lesson to learn early - hair always grows back. (well, unless you are Ava's daddy)

It's all work...

Working is a good thing, I guess. It puts money in the bank and keeps us a little saner and less worried. It also makes me so busy that I have little time for blog maintenance. I've cut back on my blog reading, too. What seemed fun at first is now just a little annoying. Who do these bloggers think they are, telling me what products I should buy...ha ha . The paid ads are a little annoying, too. Some of the products reviewed were given for free - my opinion is if you couldn't afford it yourself to begin with, then you shouldn't be reviewing it and telling others to buy it. I've culled my list of "blogs I read," and left only the ones I really like. Most are by my friends who are going through way more trying times than I am. Please check out Grace for the Journey and pray for my friend Adrienne and her family. Maybe this weekend I'll get an hour to update on the girls....Michaela is a word wizard now. The best is probably calling Ava a beast when Ava is being...well, Ava. Let's just say that the "sharing" lessons have not kicked in. Michaela is a great sharer, Ava...not so much. I do love watching them wrestle, though. Who needs boys! Here are some pictures from Ava's 4th birthday (butterfly party @ jill-jill's house...jill's birthday, too) and halloween.

Yes, there will be updates....

To my throngs of readers...I will update soon. I've been really busy with work, which is a good thing. Means more money for buying things like food, heat, gas....

Dog feeder

Michaela has been disciplined countless times for playing in the dog food, eating the dog food, carrying the dog food around the house. She's been doing this for months. At first she would sit in the bathroom and watch Kammie eat - trying a few nibbles for herself. Then she started opening the cabinet to get to the dog food to fill the dish (removing the "lock" had had on the door to get into it - so much for childproofing....). She has progressed to carrying the dog food to another room in the house - presumably to hid from me - and holding it while Kammie eats. Sometimes she holds the food in her hand...sometimes she just holds the dish. I finally gave up on the whole disciplining thing. I mean really, who does it hurt? My initial concern was the dog biting her or something, but it seems Kammie really likes it. She's also allergic to dogs. Poor kid. She gets hives if she gets licked. But, she's really cute, loves animals, and insists that it's her job to feed the dog. One less thing I need to do, I guess.

Tom's - fall fun

Last Thursday the cousins spent some quality fall time at Tom's farm. They had a ball running through hay-stacks, playing in corn, and seeing the animals. The apple cider donuts were pretty good, too. Pictured: Ava, Michaela, Zachary, Brooklyn, Anthony, Jack, and Cami (A&M's babysitter's granddaughter; A,Z&B's babysitter's daughter.)

Good news!

Ava's lab results are back, and she is fine. Her hemoglobin is within the normal range. Hurrah! She still needs to eat better and take her vitamin, but at least she's OK.

Glad the week is over

I'm almost 2 weeks post wisdom-teeth removal, and it's getting better day by day. I wish I could make my blog title show up on the picture I picked to add more pizazz. Cest la vie. (oh, and that picture is from last year in case you are wondering....) My poor little picky-eater Ava. She's anemic...at least that's what we think. We are waiting for lab results. Her hemoglobin is really low. She had blood drawn yesterday, and we'll get the results on Monday. This is the MOST obnoxious thing: my pediatrician's office REFUSES to do a finger stick in the office because my insurance company is contracted with a lab for all lab work. OK. So, you are telling me that I have to take my baby to a lab, hold her down while a tech sticks a needle in her arm to draw blood to tell me whether she has a low hemoglobin. And THEN when you find out it is low, you are going to send me back to hold my baby down again for another needle stick to run more tests? Ummm...I do not think so. My former pediatrician did this right in her office...with my same insurance. (Unfortunately, she's like an hour from me, so the travel got to be a bit much.) You see, all that is needed for the first test is a finger stick, a drop of blood, and putting it in a small machine for a quick-read result. My sister did it for me (yay Auntie Jill!) and it took about 30 seconds. I CANNOT believe that the pediatrician can't just stick the kids finger for a drop of blood and include it in the regular office visit charge. I'm not dumb - I do work for insurance companies, so I KNOW that they are not going to deny a claim because you stuck a kids finger for a blood sample. It's all in how you code it. If it's coded as a well check-up, and you happen to do this procedure as part of the well check-up, it will be paid. But, unfortunately, this doc likes to nickel and dime. A few months back I got a $6.00 bill for a urine bag that my insurance apparently wouldn't cover. $6.00 for a urine bag? and you billed me after I spent maybe $150 in co-pays in a 3 week period? You are kidding me. (Please know that I do like and trust the doctors, which is why I put up with their billing insanity...for now. I also have siblings and parents who can provide medical advice, so I don't rely on the peds alone....) We still haven't decided what to do about the Awana drama this past week. We did get an e-mail saying that parents CANNOT take their kids out of the room and then bring them back. Ummm...hello? Isn't that they whole reason why parents have to stay within shouting distance of the Cubbies activities to begin with? (We aren't allowed to leave the building during Cubbies.) Do you really want a kid in the room yelling "STOP SINGING YOU ARE HURTING MY EARS!"