A Little Recap

Since life has had us running like crazy the past few months we have not had time to put new posts up since before Christmas. So here is an update, hopefully with a post with pictures to follow in a few days. Schooling at home has changed a lot in our house since January because I have not been home. I, Taylor, have been going to East Central College this semester which has taken up a lot of my time. My mom has taken it really well so far, though those first few weeks were some what chaotic and stressful for her. She didn't know what to do without her right hand gal at home helping her. She soon got into a new routine, but I on the other hand had some trouble managing my time between school work and serving my family. I felt as though I was not helping out as much as I should be so finally one day mom sat me down and told me to work on my homework, that she and the kids had everything under control. The funny part was I thought she was joking, but to my amazement the kids really did help her! I was floored and wanted to know why they hadn't helped like that before. I guess it just took a little motivation, like me not even being in the house, for them to notice that mom can't do everything on her own. It has really brought out helpful spirits in each of us these last few months.


Ryan and Olivia have been going to SLU ( Saint Louis University) a few times a month for AIMS (Adventures In Medical Science) classes. They listen to a lectures about things such as the heart and circulatory system and then go to a lab to dissect a pig heart. They have gotten to dissect a pig heart, cow eye and a sheep brain. During their lectures they usually get to see 3D images of cadavers or other body parts. We didn't think Ryan's stomach could handle the dissection part, but he really enjoyed the lecture and the lab.


Grandma went with mom and the kiddos on their Symphony field trip in February. I was in class all day that Tuesday so Grandma took my ticket. We are happy to say that she truly enjoyed herself. They all had a great time listening to music from Romeo and Juliette and West Side Story.


My Spring Break was March 18th through the 28th, so mom let the kids have a little break in the middle of mine so we could do some fun stuff. I was able to go an a field trip with them to the History Museum, which is a favorite of mine. We visited the Holocaust museum for the first time and listened to an amazing woman who had survived the Holocaust. She spoke about the beginning of the Nazi movement, her family, how the relationships changed in her small town and how she made it over to the states. She has since then married, had 3 children, 12 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.


Over our break Olivia, Jack and I went to visit Aunt Kristen, Uncle Eric and the twins for a few days. The girls are in gymnastics classes at a YMCA over in Waterloo, IL. We made sure we were there to see them go to their class. They are getting so big so fast. Somehow there needs to be a way to stop them from getting any bigger for at least a year, just so we can enjoy the cuteness a little longer. They talk like little 30 somethings, they love to talk on the phone and tell you what words you are not allowed to say. Teagen loves to sing and make up her own songs here lately. When a Francesca Battistelli song comes on Joy FM, especially "This Is The Stuff" she just starts singing along. Mairin has been trying her mothers' patience lately with the potty training issue. I think Kristen has finally broken through the Mairin stubbornness and has her going on the big girl potty at least twice a day now. We all told her we were very proud of her, but her sister had something else to tell her. Teagen and Mairin talk about wearing "big girl undies" (though it comes out more like big OLE undies). They have come to the conclusion that when you "join the big girl team", or start going on the potty, that you have now joined a soccer team. So Teagen kept telling Mairin that she was not allowed on the team because she was still wearing a pull-up. Ha ha ha, those two are hysterical. Now Teagen has congratulated Mairin on "making the team".


Poor Jack has now gotten head gear to fix his under bite. He had to use a "key" to turn the metal contraption in the roof of his mouth each day for the first two weeks. Now we are past that part, but he still has to wear the outer part which sits on his forehead and chin. He has a bar that connects the pieces from his forehead to his chin along with another piece in front of his mouth. There are brackets in his mouth that have hooks on them. He takes two rubber bands places them on the hooks in his mouth, then rests the exterior head piece on his face securing it with the other ends of the rubber bands. He has been a really good sport about wearing the head piece in public, but he only has to wear it 12 hours a day. If he wears it while sleeping then he doesn't have to wear it very much during the day.