the big K!

And just like that, there he goes.  Logan has been SO excited for kindergarten, and this morning he couldn't contain himself.  I literally had to set a timer for him to countdown minutes until we could go to the bus stop.  The bus was a bit late coming, and the kids were antsy but then it pulled up and off they went!

I know he'll have a great first year of grade school!  I just can't believe its already time!

My Dad and Bobbie are visiting, due to a power outage at their house from Hurricane Irene.  They enjoyed seeing the boys off on their first day of school!

Logan and his good friend, E, ready for school!

How cute is this ... stepping on the bus at the exact same time, holding hands.  Be still my heart!

After school we have a first day of school cupcake social, and then a pizzaria dinner with the neighbors.  What a big day!!!

and third grade begins

What's the first day of a whole new school year without getting emotional?  This morning, my sweet first born climbed out of bed at 6:45, got dressed, ate his pancakes and was ready to go seek the Adventures of Third Grade.

Third grade.  How did this happen? Where did the time go?  I know people say that, and I know exactly where the time has gone because I've savored every second of it.

Dylan, you make us proud every day.  You approach school with such willingness to learn and welcome new experiences.  Enjoy every moment, as I know you will!

Now, I have another one chomping at the bit to get to school, but the kindergarten bus doesn't arrive until 11:20.   He's ready to go right now, counting the minutes!  Photos of that send-off forthcoming...

Happy New School Year!

a new year ahead..

This afternoon, the boys' elementary school held its annual open house event.  Its an opportunity for the kids to come see their class, bring their supplies, meet their teacher and lets face it... start to mentally prepare for another school year.  We start school Monday - Dylan, 3rd grade and Logan, kindergarten.  They're both very excited, and we're all ready.   It was fun to run into a lot of friends at school today and get excited about the year ahead.

Their teachers are both fantastic; we're so very lucky.  Among other kindergarten-y things, Logan will get to take part in planting and working in the schools' garden and he's so excited about it.  He has a couple of really good buddies in his class, and he's chomping at the bit to get in there and get busy.   Dylan has some good friends in his class too, and his teacher is so kind, and experienced.   I've signed up to help in both of their classes when I can, and always love to watch them in action at school and be a part of that experience. 

Dylan will switch out to other classes for Social Studies and Language Arts.   He has P.E. three times a week, and art and music, Spanish, and SEARCH (guidance).   Logan will only go half day this year, so most of this day is spent in his same classroom.   I'm happy DYlan's lunch is at noon - 12:30 this year.  Last year, 12:40 just seemed so late. Both boys are allowed to bring a snack and water bottle to school though.  I don't think we were allowed to do that when I was in school.

Dylan and his teacher, Mrs. W. 

Dylan and our next door neighbor, S.  They sit right next to each other in class!

Logan and his teacher, Mrs. H

He's so excited about all the fun stuff in the class!

These late summer weeks always seem to go on and on, and their boredom kicks in.  Fighting reaches an all time high, and my patience is running thin.   School starts a week earlier than usual this year, and will get out a week earlier in June.  This works for me!

Homework starts for third grade on the first day of school - around 40 minutes a night.   I'm hoping we can roll right back into that routine as smoothly as last year.  Logan will probably have a little homework as well.  And if he doesn't, I'll make some up!
T-ball, taekwondo, fall swimming and Cub Scouts will all be firing up soon and life is about to take on a whole new level of busy. But its all great, and I welcome it all!  Fall is a great time.  It almost seems like the New Year, instead of January 1st.   We all love the routine, the schedules, and giving our brains a work out again after summer. 

We still have a few summer-ish adventures coming up in the weekends ahead with a trip to Grandpa Joe and Grandma Bobbie's, and a trip to the beach at Chincoteague. We're not quite ready to totally say goodbye to summer yet. But we're definitely ready to welcome the routine of fall. 

laser fingers and crabbies

Saturday we journeyed to Maryland for the 7th birthday celebration of my stepsisters' son Trent.  The party was at a honest to goodness roller skating rink, straight out of 1981.  Logan didn't take much to the roller skating, he was much more interested in the arcade.  His game tickets won him these beauties.... finger laser lights.  Now that's disco!

The birthday party ended near dinnertime, and since we were so close to Annapolis already, we arranged to meet a couple of my dearest friends for crabs.  We went to Mike's Crabhouse, right on the water.  Growing up in Maryland, I spent a fair amount of time in Annapolis adoring the waterfront homes, eating lots of crabs, and loitering at the mall.  It was fun to take the kids and make some new memories, and on such a beautiful night!



Logan's sleep study results

Logan's sleep study results are in.  Very interesting stuff indeed. 

First, I love this doctor we've found. Thank goodness for honest to goodness doctors who take the time to explain things, take notes for you and follow through on all of your questions.  This pediatric sleep doctor we're seeing is just fantastic and I fully trust she is thorough and completely an expert in her field.  If anyone wants her name, just let me know.

The sleep study revealed that Logan has two sleep disorders:  Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD). 

The apnea is mild, and we'll be pursuing a possible tonsillectomy and possible adenoidectomy with our ENT.  Our ENT appointment is Septmeber 12th.

The more moderate disorder for Logan is the PLMD.  Normal involuntary leg movement is only up to 5 times an hour, Logan had an average of 23 movements an hour.  I was not surprised to learn this.  If you would see his bed in the morning, its always a twisted mangle of sheets and blankets. And if you sleep in the same room with him, you hear him moving around quite a bit.  I asked the doctor if this carried over to daytime living and kids being unable to sit still for more than a few moments at a time.  It definitely does.

So what do they recommend for kids with PLMD?  Many kids with this condition have an iron deficiency.  So simply adding an iron supplement to increase the ferritin levels.  It has something to do with dopomine levels in the brain, which are fueled by iron and ferritin levels.  If there is a deficiency, it can cause irregular limb impulses during sleep and a proper level of REM sleep is hard to reach.   

This lack of great sleep may very well be leading to behaviorial/mood issues and is most certainly the reason he is so tired during the daytime.  There is certainly a proven relationship between lack of sleep and ADHD kids.  Our sleep doctor has treated kids with PLMD by increasing iron levels, and ADHD behaviors have vastly improved.  

The first step with all of this is to have Logan's blood drawn next week, and a full work up looking for iron levels.  She also requested a look at his thyroid levels.  Thyroid issues exist in our families, and thyroid imbalance can also cause and/or lead to sleep apnea.  I have sleep apnea.  I have a thyroid disorder.  Its not surprising that one or both of our kids could have inherited some of this stuff.  Also, Logan has always been a very picky eater with limited foods he likes to eat.  So we need to make some changes to his diet.  If giving him an iron supplement doesn't decrease his PLMD, more serious medications might help.   One step at a time.

Surprisingly, breakfast cereal is high in iron. But kids have to eat it dry.  Once you add the milk, the calcium prevents your body for absorbing the iron. Also, don't buy OJ that contains calcium if you're trying to increase you iron levels.  Interesting, right?

If the bloodwork shows low ferritin of 55 or under, he will be put on an iron supplement and she'll recheck him at the end of November.  By then, his levels should start going up.

So, maybe we have another few pieces to the Logan puzzle.  Time will tell.   I'm sure we still have a lot to learn, but I know we're on our way.

Rebounderz Trampoline Arena

This place opened a couple of weeks ago near us, the first of its kind in all of Virginia.  I bought one of those Certifikid deals online before they opened, and the boys and I decided to go check it out this morning.

Whoa, is it cool.  I mean COOL.  Its a huge indoor warehouse space, with two giant trampoline arenas (one with a giant foam pit off the side), an expansive arcade, snack bar and lots of party rooms.   The staff was really cool and nice. They played with my boys and showed them some tricks.  I liked that it was really sunny inside too, you didn't feel holed up inside a video arcade.  It was also super clean, and the cafe looked inviting with good snacks.

They're big on safety there.   They of course made me sign a liability form, and took our photos for their system so next time we won't have to go thru those steps.   Then we all got special soft shoes to wear while jumping, and the boys got helmets as well. 

We were given a 'tutorial' by one of the coaches and then we were free to jump for our hour. I was thinking going into it that an hour didn't seem like a long time but I'm here to tell you, one hour of hardcore trampoline jumping is PLENTY.  They do have giant fans blowing down on you; if those weren't there you'd just die.

Also, a warning to women who've given birth.  Be sure to FULLY empty your bladder before attempting to jump.  Too much information?

You will be sweaty and thirsty immediately upon jumping, so hit the snack bar before you begin and keep your drink close.  They had benches outside of the arenas, but I didn't see any lockers.

The video games reward you with tickets and that gives the place a Chuck E Cheese feel (although on a scale of 1 - 10, Chuck E Cheese is maybe a 1, and this place is a 12!), as the boys were able to pick out prizes from the tchotchke bar at the end.    You have to buy tokens for the games and most things I saw took 2, 3 or 4 tokens per game.   They have skeeball, our family favorite!

It wasn't very crowded when we arrived, just a few other people.  But mid-morning things started to pick up and the staff was gearing up for some birthday parties later this afternoon.  I imagine they'll do really well once the cold weather arrives too. 

My boys gave it two thumbs up, we'll be back for sure!

bittersweet vacation

We just returned from a week at the family lake house in Lake Anna, Virginia.  As always, it was a week of fun, adventure, and together time.  Only this time, there was also a bittersweet tone to our week.  Unfortunately, the house is on the market to be sold.  To say we're all very sad about this is a huge understatement.   Its been on the market for a few months already, and since it hasn't yet sold, we were still able to go last week and enjoy a last vacation there.

For that, we're thankful.  But I'm very, very sad it will no longer be a family place for us to come together.  Our boys don't remember a time we didn't have this house.  Its been a wonderful gift for us all, and we're so very lucky to have had all the years we had there.

Before I get more emotional about it than I already am, I'll just let last weeks' photos tell the story. 

I know in my heart there will be many other family vacations.  But the memories from these past five years at Lake Anna will never be forgotten.