Happy Second Birthday Tyce and Meeting Baby Briggs Bucy

Tyce turned two and we got to meet the newest little Bucy Boy. This addition brings the total cousins for our kids from our immediate brothers and sisters to 5. Five boys! So, Chloe has two brothers and five boy cousins. I hope I get to take a picture of her surrounded by the seven of the boys someday.

We finally got to meet Baby Briggs (Jay and Erica's second son) the week before Easter. He was 7 weeks old at the time. He is such a cutie, just like his big brother Tyce.

2009- Spring Break - Poor Jake

Well an unusual spring break is now behind us. The very first day of break, Saturday the 21st, Jake came running up from the basement at 8:30 in the morning. He'd been down there since whenever he got up and was laying video games. He came up all worked up saying, "My stomach hurts. I need to eat." So he ate some cereal and then said he thought he was going to throw up. I wasn't too shocked and just thought we had a round of stomach flu starting. Well, he didn't throw up but instead went to the bathroom and then came out feeling a little better and settled on the couch. He was watching tv and laughing but was all curled up with his knees n his chest. When I asked him to get something or come over to me, he would walk all hunched over. He told me, "I'm okay. I just have to breath kinda slow and bend over a little." Hmmmm. That didn't seem right. So, I got Chloe out of bed and went to walk in hours at the pediatrician. Just to show how good he seemed at that point, here'a a little video he made in the doctor's office.

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After a looong wait she examined him and told us she thought it might be his appendix and we should go to the ER. After a super loooooong wait there, they confirmed it was his appendix and by 2:00 or so in the afternoon he was in surgery. It only took about an hour and went very smoothly. They were able to do it laproscopically which means a shorter healing time. The only downside was that in order to do the surgery they filled his belly with gas to create room for the instruments. He had a pretty painful couple of hours the next day when that gas was trying to work it's way out. He didn't eat for about 30 hours or so. He was starving and he is so skinny I am not used to keeping him from eating! It was just about time for him to eat when the pain of the gas came and he threw up. That delayed him a few more hours. When he finally could eat, he ate about a days worth of food. We went home Sunday evening at about 5:30. Since then jake has gotten so many get well cards from Grandmas and Grandpas and neighbors and teachers. What a wonderful support system we have. We are just so blessed and so lucky.

A Chloe Brag Post

What a girl! I had her conference at school recently so I have to brag a little. Here are some things the teachers said:

• Chloe is just adorable and always happy.
• She is more advanced than many of the kids and they actually learn from her.
• She is able to reason with other children. For example, if there is a disagreement over a toy or a game she will say things like, "We can do it together." or "Let's take turns, you can go first and then I'll have it." They said this is very unusual.I think they were wondering why I came because it was optional and everything on her little report card was awesome. I explained that I had been the parent who was brought to tears at many conferences so this was one I wasn't going to miss!

Chloe is now drawing people with all their facial features, including eyelashes. She can write her name remarkably well. She had such amazing fine motor skills. I'm quite sure that by 5 she'll have better handwriting than me!

She's doing great at gymnastics! She can do a bridge, a backward roll and can almost do the splits! She is the littlest one there, but can totally keep up and hold her own.Lately, she likes singing. Her favorites are the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle.I could go on and on. She is just amazing to me.

Lucy's New Friends

Our neighbors got two new little puppies and they came for their first visit this weekend. Lucy was so funny! She was petrified at first! But then she warmed up and had so much fun running around with them. It is going to be great for her to have some friends to run around and play with.

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A Visit from Grandpa Pete

We had such a nice time. We went out to dinner and Grandpa read the kids stories and played with them. They all had a ball!

Becky Kurt and Ian

Becky and I have been friends since I started teaching at Grove. Justin and Kurt are friends and Ian and Chloe are the BEST of friends. They are in daycare and preschool together and will be in kindergarten together as well. When asked at school to dictate something about Valentine's Day for the bulletin board, Chloe said, "Ian will be my valentine." and Ian said, "Chloe will be my valentine." Sooo cute!

Valentine's Day Fun

The Styers came over and fun was had by all!

Hangin Out

Hangin out on Valentine's Day with Tony and Joey and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa.

Valentine's @ School 2009

Jake was home sick. Wyatt had a dress up like Lincoln day at school along with Valentines Parties. Chloe's class did a little song for the parents. Chloe's friend Ian is to her right. was not a happy camper because his mom wasn't there. She had to be there for the party in her kindergarten class. I really wish preschool would stop doing these little events that just make so many problems for working parents. Grrrr

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A Warm Day in FEBRUARY!

A sudden high of 65! When you get a day like this in February in Chicago, you must go to the park!

Jake came down with a fever and cough the next day. Can you tell he was not feeling quite right?

Chloe and Wyatt doing each other's portraits on the Magna-Doodle

KISS Ball

My friend since high school, Debbie, runs nonprofit for sarcoidosis. We went to their anual fundraiser for the first time this year. It was lots of fun and we got some fun pictures. Debbie's husband Rich recently came home from his second tour of duty in Iraq. It was so gtreat to see him!

This one was taken by the photographer and was on the NBC website.

Streppy Chloe

Chloe had her second case of strep. The last one was over a year ago, so that's not too bad. This meant she couldn't go to Jack's birthday party. It was after school on Friday. I left Chloe (who had stripped down to her birthday suit) watching tv on the couch and went outside to meet the boys when they got home from school and send them down to the neighbors to get a ride to the party. When I got back in Chloe had pulled her chair over to the coat hooks and was putting her coat on. She told me, "I'm ready to go to Jacky's party." So cute. So sad. :(

Superbowl 2009

Low key. Hangin' out with the neighbors. Notice there are no pictures of all the kids in the basement. I was afraid to go down there, I think. There were 13 kids.