Party Time

The last week of school before winter break was party time! We started with Sydney's class party on Thursday. The 2nd graders had a lot of fun decorating cookies, making ornaments, playing games and having their book exchange. I had to leave early to go across the parking lot to Hayden's school.













His preschool put on a neat production with the 3s, 4s and 5s. The boys were shepherds and the girls were angels. They replayed the birth of Jesus and sang songs. It was so cute. Hayden looked like many of the other 3 year olds and was bored, but he only called out to me 4 or 5 times! We then enjoyed a wonderful lunch hosted by the school.


Friday, Anna and the rest of the 4th grade had their round robin party. Our room was the story room. The kids had fun that morning playing games, reading, doing crafts and a community project. The project benefited the senior citizens of our community and was such a nice gesture by our students.






Friday evening, Jason and I got all dressed up and headed into Houston to the Museum of Natural Sciences for his company party. There were about 100 guests for dinner and dancing along with a private showing of the Museum's Faberge exhibit. It was stunning! We so enjoyed being out with the kids and had a nice evening.




Right now, we are just enjoying our time together before Christmas. Unfortunately, Anna and I have strep throat and are quite uncomfortable. Honestly, Anna is miserable and I'm getting by as mommies do. Jason's been great taking care of the other 2.

Oh, I almost forgot! I ended my cancer treatment today! Nineteen months and 1 day after starting chemo, I'm finally done with all my infusion treatments. I did it! Yippee! Now, I have surgery in January then on to the maintenance drugs that I take at home. Just 10 more years and then I'm done with it all.

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas. I'll update again soon.

SURPRISE!

Yep, I’m finally updating the blog. It’s been over a month and I intended to do this many times since then, but just never had the time or energy. The Doornik household is a busy household!

The kids are doing great. Anna finished soccer and has enjoyed having a little more after school time with her friends. She loves to talk with one friend in particular on the phone while they play the same online games. I do need to refocus both kids back a little to homework. We’ve slacked off some in the last 2 weeks.

Sydney also finished cheerleading last month. She really liked it, but has decided she wants to play tennis in the spring. I played varsity in high school, so I’m pretty excited to see her play. We are still working on her reading and math at school. Currently, she’s undergoing in class intervention for dyslexia and it does seem to help some. I’m going to try to push it more after the winter break.

Hayden has really blossomed. His language is improving. He just started using “and” in his sentences. It’s a huge thing for me to hear. This morning he told me he wanted “butter and syrup” on his waffles. In the past he would say “butter syrup.” His regular preschool teacher has been very impressed by his increased language. He’s actually loving Christmas right now. They’ve been working on that in his auditory class. The only problem we are having is potty training. That’s my goal during winter break. He will be potty trained. I hope…

Jason’s been working hard. He just go back from a conference in Washington DC. All of us wish we could have gone, but maybe next time. Once in a while, Jason does get to squeeze in some golf, but not as much as he’d like.

As for me, well, I’m doing great. I have 2 more Herceptin treatments, then I’m done!!! Yippee!! Ring the bell, ding the gong! Celebrate! My last treatment is December 23rd. What a great Christmas this is going to be. Yesterday, I saw my plastic surgeon for my pre-op stuff. Everything looks good for January 12. That’s the big reconstruction day. It’s the first of 2-3 surgeries and this is the big one. I’ll be in the OR for about 5 hours, then ICU for 24 hours. The hospital stay will be 3-5 days. The best part of the whole thing is that I get a tummy tuck out of it. Three kids, boy do I deserve it. See, there’s a bright spot to everything, even cancer.

Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving. Our friends from Dallas came down as is our families' tradition. We just love seeing them with their 2 kids. In a couple of years, I can't wait for Hayden and AJ to play like Anna, Sydney and Rowan do. Being thankful for friends and family are just a part of Thanksgiving and we certainly had that.

Now on to Christmas! More to follow. And I promise it will be before the end of the year!

Happenings...

I love this time of year! The weather this week has been so nice. Cool mornings, comfortable days, and blue skies from horizon to horizon.

Last weekend we enjoyed Halloween around the neighborhood and then Wings Over Texas Air Show. The kids brought home so much candy, it was crazy! Some friends down the street turn their garage into a haunted house. It was neat watching them set up that day and then having the kids go through at night. They loved it! We enjoyed the evening with our neighbor and his daughters and then grabbed a friend of Sydney's to finish. It's so neat we don't even need to leave our little pond area. The street circles the pond with 4 cul-de-sac off-shoots. It's all we need for a grand-ole time!

The air show was fun. We joined three families from Jason's men's group from church. The kids thought it was really loud but they did enjoy seeing the Blue Angels at the end. Poor Hayden didn't have a good time. He developed another ear infection. So, 2 weekends, 2 events, 2 trips to the on-sight first aid tent. This weekend is going to be quiet!

My dear, sweet, darling, daughter, Anna, turned 10 years old on Wednesday. She spent the afternoon in a makeup soccer game, then we celebrated with cheesecake and presents. Her party with friends is on Sunday. I just can't believe she's in double digits! She's a decade! Wow!

Fun, Fun, Fun

Soccer, Cheerleading and Renaissance Festival, oh my! What a fun weekend we had. The weather was beautiful and we just had great family fun.

First, Saturday was sports day. Anna had a soccer game and pictures early on Saturday. It was really cold, so Jason took her while I stayed with the other kids. She played a good game, really strong on offense. She usually likes to play defense so it was great to have her break out a little.

Next, Sydney had her game. She cheers with the YMCA at their flag football games. This was her first game and she seemed to have fun. We noticed she was kind of quiet, but she still had a good time. We'll see how the rest of the season goes.

Today, Jason and I took the kids to the Texas Renaissance Festival. This has become an annual event for us and we all have a good time. This weekend, we enjoyed the Pirate theme along with the great weather. The kids got to ride ponies, giant swings, and other rides. We ate good food, listened to great music, watched jousting, and enjoyed several shows. Our favorite show is the Mud Show. Sydney actually hates this one, so Jason took her and Hayden off to play while Anna and I watched it.

We were really proud of the girls. They both decided they wanted to try the bungee ride. Bungee cords are attached to harnesses they wear and they get to fly in the air. Sydney even did a back flip!

Hayden loved riding the ponies the most. Our day ended when little man got stung by a bee. He was in a lot of pain, but is doing better now. Thankfully I had some Benadryl on me. The folks at First Aid where helpful too. With the exception of the bee incident, we had a beautiful weekend. I love this time of year and really enjoy spending it with my family.

It's Fall!

Well, it is officially fall here in The Woodlands. Both girls were cold enough last night to sleep under their covers and all 3 kids wore jeans for the first time here since April. It's wonderful!

I've been super busy this past week. Our fall fundraiser ended yesterday. I, along with 10-15 volunteers, spent hours processing orders. We do most of our PTO business online to stay within compliance with the state, but this is one event we have to process checks and cash. It takes a lot of hours to do that. Our goal was $30,000 in sales. At the end of the day Friday, we were sitting around $40,000. I'd be surprised if we didn't get another thousand or 2 before the end of next week with all the stragglers. Not to bad for my first time doing fundraising. My chairperson has done a great job handling this project and its been a pleasure working with her and the other volunteers.

The kids have been busy too. Anna is in soccer again this season. She had her first game last weekend. Her team lost, but they played well. The other team has played together for several seasons. We were rained out today. Sydney opted to try cheer leading instead of soccer. She's been having fun learning the cheers with one of her best friends. The parents have had a few issues with the YMCA, but hopefully we will get those worked out by next week. I don't want to pull her out since she is having so much fun, but if some safety issues aren't corrected soon, then I may not have a choice. Her 2 coaches are doing a great job, but their supervisors aren't and as a result unsafe situations are occurring for the girls.

Hayden missed 3 days of school last week due to an ear infection. He kept getting a fever but always responded to Motrin. I knew it wasn't the flu but still had to take him in. The pediatricians office was full of sick kids. The nurse practitioner was so excited to write a prescription for an antibiotic. It was only the 3rd one in 2 days. The evening we took him in, his eardrum burst and all the fluid was draining. That's why he didn't go to school; it was just one more orifice for little germs to get into his body. Hayden can't get the flu shot because he is allergic to eggs. He's had it the last 2 years, but since he had a documented reaction to eggs, he can't get the shot now. We hope he'll outgrow this in a few years and then can get protected.

Yesterday, when I was going thru Sydney's school folder, I was so excited to see the initial paperwork for Sydney's dyslexia testing. Her reading level is in the bottom range of normal, but her fluency is very low. As a result, she'll get tutoring at school for that and she will be tested for learning disabilities. I've found that there are several types of dyslexia and I know Syd has some variation of it. For example, she tries to read "almost" as "mlast". She does this quite often. She also has the classic symptoms of reversing numbers and letters when she writes and reads. We've known she had dyslexia since before she started Kindergarten and now we are finally moving forward.

To end, here is a picture of my sweethearts from yesterday morning. They are all wearing their spirit wear for school. So cute! Also, these are the before and after pictures of our powder room. It's been done now for a couple of weeks, but I just haven't loaded any pictures.

Anna's Teacher Needs Help

Please vote for Anna's teacher! He's trying to win a grant for the 4th grade students. Go to http://www.weareteachers.com/web/512963/ise and look for Clinton Dulworth. Voting ends October 12. Thanks!!

Fundraiser time!

Okay, I'm going to be shameless and use this post to plug our fall fundraiser. As the PTO vice-president of fundraising, I do need to do my best to get sales in. This year, we are partnering with Sally Foster. They have a great reputation for the quality of their products and our teachers are so excited to be using them again. Galatas Elementary will get 50% back from purchases which is a great deal!

In addition to the traditional prizes kids get for selling items, we are rewarding the top seller, the top selling class and having a drawing for those that sell 5 items of more. The drawing winner and top seller will have the choice of a Nintendo DSi or $150 gift card to Toys R Us. The top class gets a pizza party and the teacher gets $100 school supply voucher. For parents that don't want want items, but want their children to participate, we are putting together a wish list from our teachers.

So, if you'd like to help, click the link below and have fun shopping. Items should be received in time for Christmas. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email me. Thanks so much for every one's support!

Use the seller number below after clicking on the link. You may need to change the seller.
https://www.sallyfoster.com/sally/credit/sellerGroupCredit.cmd

Last name between A and L, use Anna: 429546

Last name between M and Z, use Sydney: 429547

Just another weekend

The kids have finished their 3rd week of school and I think we are all doing well adjusting so far. All 3 kids love their teachers. Anna is really doing well in Mr. D's class. He's very much into technology and uses it when ever possible in class. This works well with Anna. Sydney still needs a nurturer and Mrs. B is just that person. She loves each child as her own and wants to see them grow in her class. Hayden has 3 teachers at 2 schools. He's already figured out he goes to Mrs. K's class when he gets to ride the bus. Mrs. J and Mrs. S have done a good job so far in his regular preschool. I really hope the rest of the school year continues like these last few weeks.


Jason and I have been watching Sydney since she was 4. We believe she has some type of learning disability. Our school district doesn't do formal testing until 2nd grade to allow for normal development. Well, she's in 2nd grade and her teacher does see reading fluency isn't where she should be. I'm waiting for her to finish benchmark testing before Sydney can move forward. Last week she complained about seeing double while reading. So, off to the pediatrician we went. After failing the vision screening, we visited our optometrist yesterday and ordered Syd's first pair of glasses. They are really cute, even if they are Sponge Bob frames. Syd tests slightly farsighted with astigmatism. She also has some muscle weakness which could be contributing to her poor reading. Her lenses will have special prisms which are supposed to help. A couple of weeks after getting her glasses, she'll go back to see how things are going. I hope this helps. Sydney still has a love of school and a desire to read. If she has strain on her eyes and continues to struggle, we can lose all that.


Jason complained that I haven't posted any pictures in awhile. So, here is the only one I've taken in a couple of weeks. I need to get the camera out. We were in Dallas last weekend and the kids enjoyed dinner outside with friend Rowan. This is Rowan's little brother, AJ. Can you say happy baby?

Hayden's Activation Day!

Hayden was finally activated this afternoon. It's been 6 weeks since his cochlear implant surgery. After school, we had lunch and he had a little quiet time. Actually, his time wasn't quiet, but at least I tried. At 2:00, we made our way downtown for his activation appointment. Thankfully, Hayden fell asleep on the drive in. I wanted him to be rested so that he might be easier to work with. Recently, his visits with his audiologist has been hit or miss. Sometimes he will be good during mappings, others he screams and fights.

Going into the mapping room, Hayden was pretty good. He did try to lock and unlock all the doors around so he didn't want to sit. After getting caught up with our team, we began the process. When it came time to have Hayden wear his new implant, oh boy, he was not going to have it. He screamed and fought every time I tried to put it on. Luckily, we got just enough time to see that everything was looking good. Dr. Ross had to guess at a low setting and seemed to be happy with the small response that Hayden gave him. Our job this week is to get Hayden used to wearing the implant so that on Friday, Dr. Ross can do a better adjustment with a true response from Hayden.

After we got home and had dinner, I tried to get Hayden to put on his ear. Initially, I tried bribery with a lollipop and then ice cream. He kept saying no, so into timeout he went. This worked last year with the first one, so I thought I'd try it again. Nope. He willingly walked himself to his timeout spot and sat down. After a few minutes, he got out. I was talking to the girls and turned around to see his implant was gone! I thought I lost it. I started to get really upset and angry, asking the girls to help me find it. Hayden realized I was getting angry and walked into the living room with a guilty smile on his face. He walks to one of his trains on the coffee table, then to another one on the floor by the couch. Inside of each is a part of the implant. The little stinker took his implant from behind my back, took it apart, then hid the 2 pieces in 2 different places. No one can tell me my child isn't smart.

Finally, I had to tell him if he wouldn't wear the implant it was time for bed and took his shoes off. This is what finally did it. He didn't want his shoes off or go to bed. So, I was able to get him to wear it. He spent the rest of the evening almost happily wearing his implant. He even asked me to put it back on when it fell off. Let's see if we have better luck tomorrow.

Trip Video

Here are some memories from our trip. I hope you enjoy it.

First Days

School started yesterday. We were prepared to go Monday morning. Backpacks were ready, lunches packed, clothes picked out, supplies at school. Everything was a go. The morning was fast, but smooth considering we haven't had to do this in 3 months. The girls were great going to their classes. No tears or anything, though I was waiting for it with Sydney. Nope, she's a big 2nd grader now. Anna has the school's new, only male teacher, Mr. Dulworth. We think he's great so far. He has high energy and loves to challenge the mind. Sydney is with Mrs. Bickley. She's a fabulous teacher and is a good match for our little Syd Syd. This will be a great year for our girls.

Then we were off to Hayden's school. He goes to another elementary school, Bush, which has the only deaf ed/auditory class in The Woodlands. His teacher, Mrs. Kehlenbeck, is wonderful. She is really going to help Hayden. I think there are 5 kids in his class and he will have so many opportunities to expand on his language skills. Hayden will go MWF for 3 hours.

The other 2 days, he goes to a regular preschool. I was very anxious about that today. I can't explain it, but I actually wondered if it was a good decision. Since he still isn't potty trained and has a few other issues we are still working on, I didn't know if he could handle being in the class. Today went well, so I just need to see how things go. Time will tell. His teachers are very nice so that will help.

This year is going to be an interesting year. Three kids, three schools, PTO obligations, household obligations, surgery and cancer treatment, a husband. Life is not dull in the Doornik family.

What a trip!

The kids and I rolled into our driveway last night at 10 pm. That ended our 22 day trip across the western half of the USA. I'm really amazed that 1) we made it, 2) I drove every single one of the 5947 miles, and 3) my kids had a great time. One of my favorite quotes from Anna was "Mom, why is America so beautiful?" We saw such a variety of countryside from the deserts of Arizona to the California Redwoods to the plains of Kansas and everything in between. The scenery was great to see in between the family visits.

We didn't make many stops along the way home. I think we all were ready to be home. Hayden was a little car sick on Monday afternoon. This is the one and only time on the trip that any of the kids was sick. Not to bad. We also had a little bit of traffic right before entering Texas. Two miles to the state line and we had to stop. It was torture to be so close and yet so far. Once in the state, it almost felt like we were home, even though we still had another 5 hours to drive. We do the Dallas/Houston drive enough that it's not travel.

This trip meant a lot to me. First, I missed my family a lot. I mean, a lot! It's been a long time since I've seen most of them. Second, most of the family hasn't met Hayden yet. I really needed him to have a chance to get those early memories of the people I love. Third, there were so many places I used to go as a kid that were special to me. I wanted the chance to share that with my children. I know they got different things out of this trip than what I got, but that's okay. That's the joy of trip like this. Finally, I wanted to end the past year on a bang. Last summer was terrible. With chemo, we were so limited on our family fun. This summer, I just wanted to do something that we could talk about for years to come and have a smile on our faces. I think we did that.

Thank you to everyone that hosted us. My grandparents and dad were amazing to put up with us. The Ryans, Stiblings, Hoys and Granholms fed us and kept us entertained. The cousins were an absolute hit with my 3. Seeing my brothers and sister-in-law not once, but twice was great. And having my Uncle Steve and Aunt Holly along the way was very special. I even considered adding to our family by adopting a kitty and a puppy. I rethought that though when I considered our drive home!

Next trip though, Jason will be there. That was the only thing that could have made this any better. The kids and I missed him so much. I really wished that he could have flown out for part of the time. I guess we will have to do it all again so he can come. ;)

WWRT - Days 14 - 19

As of 6:30 pm today, our vacation was unofficially over. I say that because I'm still in a hotel room with my kids, roughly 2200 miles from home. I'm hoping we can make it in 3 days, but I have 4 days set aside to get there.

Tuesday, we spent a wonderful day with my cousin Heather and her kids. We all just talked and played the day away. Heather was so sweet and made an appointment for me to get my hair cut. She knew I wanted to do that when we got home. It was fun to watch our 6 kids just be kids and play with their cousins.

Wednesday, we left Seattle and headed to Yakima. I originally planned on going through Mt. Rainier, but the cloud cover was so low, I didn't think we'd see anything. Instead, we went to Snoqualmie Falls and on through the pass. That afternoon, the kids were swimming at my grandparents' pool with more cousins.

Thursday was sightseeing day! We drove around Yakima and saw the number of houses and schools I spent my childhood in. We had another great afternoon with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. I love my family!

Friday, we went down into the valley and visited with my Great Uncle Dave and his daughter Donna. Our visit included my Uncle Steve and Aunt Holly. I was lucky to have them along most of our trip. Then, back to the Ryans for more family bonding.

This was party weekend! My cousins had us over for an anniversary barbecue on Saturday. The kids played all over the hill, dogs & cats tried to get in or stay out of the way, and I tried to keep Hayden corralled to the playhouse. The kids found a pretty little kitty that I seriously thought about taking home with us. Today was the 40th annual Paradise Picnic to celebrate the Ryan's 65th anniversary. They aren't my biological grandparents, but they have been in my heart since I was a baby. I'm glad the kids and I could make it. I saw family and friends I haven't seen in 15 years. I also really enjoyed seeing my children play with their cousins the way I did at their age.

I hope the girls remember this trip. It's been long, but worth it. We saw a lot and we aren't even done yet. I wish we lived closer to everyone. Maybe someday.

Pictures

These are the promised pictures so far. Enjoy.

WWRT - Days 8 - 13

Wow! We've been on the road for 13 days! It doesn't seem that long at times, then I think it seems longer. This has been such a fun trip so far and I'm so glad we did it. The kids are doing so well and have complained very little. And you know what? I don't think I've heard "Are we there yet?" once. Thank goodness for DVD players.

Well, July 29th we headed up to the Redwoods. We had such a nice drive up 101. It took a little longer than I thought, but by early afternoon we were driving through a huge tree! The kids thought that was so cool. Thanks to the kindness of a guy in the group ahead of us, I actually managed to do it without scraping my car. After that, we stopped at a few side of the road places to see neat wonders in the redwoods. Our last real stop was the Avenue of the Giants visitor center where the kids got to do some exploring and see the various sites they have there. We ended the evening in Crescent City, CA, spending the night near the ocean. The kids actually needed their warm pjs that night.

At the last minute, I changed the route to Corvallis, OR, by going up the coast. I've never driven along the southern coast before and, considering the heat wave inland, decided the cool weather would be nice. We didn't see much because of fog, but we still had a good drive. The foliage and mountains and ocean all together are just lovely. Finally, I had to cut across the mountains to get to my brother, Cory's, house. There, the kids and I had a nice visit with Cory and Meg and their latest addition, Linus. He's one of the biggest 5 month old puppies I've seen in awhile.

The next morning we were driving up to my dad's house in Seattle. We stopped at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center along the way. I was living in Yakima when it blew and wanted to show the girls what happened. We couldn't see the mountain due to haze, but the kids all enjoyed the walk through the nature trail around the marshes. Hayden walked most of it himself as well. That evening we were in Seattle with my dad and Aunt Holly and Uncle Steve.

The next 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, were spent in party mode. Dad and Hayden share the same birthday. Dad's 60th party was Saturday with his friends. It was so much fun. Great food, music and people. The kids also got to ride horses. Hayden's 3rd birthday party was Sunday with more aunts and uncles and cousins. All of us enjoyed just visiting and playing. The kids especially had a good time getting to see each other again.

Today, was just a nice quiet, relaxing day. The birthday boys just took it easy and had fun. We took a nice walk by the lake and again enjoyed each others company. I love Seattle so much when we have weather like this. It really makes my want to move here. Yes, Jason, we will be talking more about that!

I'll post pictures tomorrow. We are going to have another relaxing day with the Stribling cousins. Then we are off to Yakima, WA. The last leg is coming up!

WWRT - Days 2 -7

Yes, it's been a week now since we left Texas. And yes, I'm still alive and not resenting my road trip idea. The kids have been relatively good and we haven't had any issues along the way. One week down, 2 more to go.

After leaving Texas, the kids and I drove into New Mexico, staying in Albuquerque for the night. The next day was spent driving into Arizona and seeing the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. The girls thought that was beautiful. That night, we stayed in Needles, CA. This is the home of Snoopy's brother, Spike. After staying the night, I can say that is the only neat thing about Needles, CA.










Day 3 brought us to my grandparents house in Mountain View. There is something so comforting about stepping foot in your grandparent's house. And when those people are 2 of the most amazing people around, you feel even better. The kids really got to visit with them and get to know them a little better, Hayden especially. They all played games and read, just like I did at their ages. The rest of the visit was spent at Shoreline Park, visiting Mount Diablo and Vallejo, a lunch with my brother Joel, exploring the new Academy of Sciences and seeing the Pacific Ocean near the Cliff House. All in all, we had a great time.


Today was our day to explore the Redwoods. After breakfast, I packed the car up again and off we went. We got to the Avenue of the Giants around 2 pm and enjoyed the drive through the redwoods. The kids thought driving through an actual tree was so cool. The rest of the trip up to Crescent City was beautiful. It was really worth the drive. We even got to see a big herd of elk along the way. The girls couldn't believe they were wild and weren't afraid of the people watching them. It was such a cool experience to share with them.