My Boys and the GIMP a day in pitures

The boys have discovered GIMP it's my photo editing program,

so creepy but hilarious

                                                         A beautiful day spent at the park

Fighting Back

Three years ago this past November I was in a car accident.
A 76 year old man with Alzheimer's blew through a intersection.
I was on my way to a photo shoot with Callahan and Karrick
I thank God that I was driving the old Ford Explorer aka: the Tank.
It was totaled but we were intact.
Funny, the day before I removed the car seats as
I did periodically to re install them for a tight fit.
I suffered whiplash and permanent nerve damage. I have had nerve relocation surgery on my right elbow. I have also had 4 outpatient procedures Facet Injections
at C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 on both sides. I have also had numerous
trigger point injections. I take Lyrica
for constant burning, tingling pain in my arms and hands.
I will have a headache and neck pain for life.
The doctors and I get a good laugh during all
my injections due to the loud bubble popping noise as each needle
is injected. That is due to the chronic inflammation and muscle spasms.
The noise is worse than the pain of the needle. Very gross.
My activity with my boys has been forever altered

I honestly would take a painless life over any monetary settlement
No amt can replace what I've lost

Now to my Fighting Back
I am pledging to my family to get back in shape and rejoin the world
pain or no pain.
I know there are things I can change in my diet to reduce Cortisol

levels. It is a horrible side effect of all the steroids that have been pumped in me.
Melissa, I need your acupuncture lady. Only referrals are in Naperville. To far!
I am going to document it all on a separate blog
to keep me motivated and to hopefully see the transformation

After 3 years of moping around, I'm getting off my ass and will
FIGHT BACK!

Cheesy as cheesy can be... I KNOW

Sunday February 8th 2009

I went to the movies last night while Tim had movie night with the boys at home. I saw "he's just not that into you'. I liked it a lot. A feel good chick movie.

The last 3 mornings this is what I wake up to. Karrick comes in to our room in

the middle of the night. He says my chair has
"Scrumphty Bumps"
translation: Very soft

TJ warming up at his basketball game. They won! and I have nothing to say about the game. Sorry TJ, I chatted with the mom's the whole time. Baseball season is right around the corner and we had lots to discuss
To the general public all the games look the same
anyway

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Spring is in the air, if only for a day.  I was so excited to be outside today;  I started by washing the windows then we walked to Cal's basketball game. 

Well I walked

 he ran

and he ran...

and he ran

Some excellent action shots!

Team Chriskie really played well today. Callahan sunk 2 free throws, 

scored another basket and got robbed on 3 more shots. Exciting because he was in the game. 

It's hard for new players to break the ice and be comfortable shooting

Cal gave a great effort

That's Cals ball...Swish

Both teams played great, but only one team can win....Team Chriskie

A nice long bike ride

Lets Go To The Hop

Tonight was the annual sock hop at Callahan's school. The evening is filled with music, dancing, hula hoop and bubble blowing contests. Popcorn and root beer

 floats.

It's a great time for all and put on courtesy of the PTA.

Cal and his buddies

PL Alumni TJ and J, hoisting up Karrick and J

Karrick's Booking

Today Karrick had a photo shoot for Lifetouch. Think school pictures. Lifetouch trains their photographers using professional child models. There are no less then 6 backdrop sets, set up. How it works is the student photographers have to pose the kids using flash cards (all those popular poses). A whistle is blown and the photographer has a couple minutes to photograph the child. The photos are then critiqued on color, position, framing etc. They rotate kids from set to set, pose to pose.

Not the most exciting shoot for models because they are posed. What makes a child model successful is when their natural personality is captured

My kids have done this before so we knew what to expect. This time I brought my camera as you don't get any hard copies. The student photographers are very engaging and have the kids say funny words to make them crack up

Karrick was a trooper, he really is good at it. They only book the kids in 1 hr blocks with many breaks.

The old arm on knee. Critique by teacher was arm to high, bring foot forward

to lower knee

Karrick in the waiting room

Family Tree

For Social studies Callahan had to make a family tree.

(He did one in his gifted class as part of his research on Ireland http://mcgintyfive.blogspot.com/2008/12/ireland.html


This is part of regular 4th grade social studies curriculum

Thanks to my great great Aunt Betty Renehan we have records dating back

to the late 1800's on my dads side and late 1700's on my moms side.

Take A Picture

My friend Melissa tells me that if I don't have anything to blog about; just take a picture.

Here's my pictures. As I finished cleaning the kitchen last night I lit the candles and dimmed the lights. Oh the glow made my kitchen look so cute.

I couldn't capture the glow due to the flash, but still cute.

Still a work in progress. I've learned to do one thing at a time. Wait until I see that special piece and pay cash.

Next I am getting my granite counters and SS Appliances.

Boys...

Every time TJ goes to the Orthodontist I get the same report. His teeth are beautiful, but...always the "but" The but being "he needs to brush his gums better, gums better, gums better" I hear it in my sleep. I bought a Waterpik. The Ultra Waterpik, not the $20 one the $60 one. I always buy the cheapest, not this time. TJ response to my expensive buy " Wow, Mom thats a big step for you"

Only boys will fill it with mouthwash and make squirt guns out of it

Boys... funny little creatures

What's going on behind those Devilish eyes?

Just My Boys

I was so excited when I woke today. Karrick was to go bowling for to his friend Jacob's 5th birthday party at Brunswick Zone. Jacob is Karrick friend from Kindercare and the whole class was invited. These kids were Karrick's first friends and they were very close. I loved Kindercare, it is just a wonderful facility with great teachers. I became friends with Tina his mother, so a day a catching up sounded great to me. Long story short, the party was yesterday not today. I called Tina and she said all 26 other kids came, waited for karrick... After apologizing I was devastated

Karrick was like "We missed it? okay, I'll just

watch Star Wars with TJ"

Let me tell you, I could not shake the awful feeling of quilt because

a) Jacob was so happy to be able to see karrick again

b) Karrick never has play dates or goes to b-day parties. It happens when you are the youngest and there is a age gap between you and your siblings. Your life consists of being dragged to your older brothers sporting events non-stop

c) The kid didn't even get that he missed a party, because he's never been to one

So to ease my quilt I took the boys to Safari Land

Karrick was thrilled to play in the soft jungle the whole time.

It was pretty cool
Tina and i decided we will take the 2 boys bowling when the weather gets better.

They live way out in Oswego...of course they do

God forbid the kid makes a friend down the block.

Tina is a teacher out here

Just a couple of cute shots after a haircut and a bath

TJ's team lost their game today and my TJ just doesn't look right. He does not

sit on the bench with his head in hands

His knee is bothering him a little...a visit to the Orthopedic Surgeon

maybe in our future. He has Osgood- Schlatter

What is Osgood-Schlatter disease?
Osgood-Schlatter (say: "oz-good shlot-ter") disease is one of the most common causes of knee pain in young athletes. It causes swelling, pain and tenderness just below the knee, over the shin bone (also called the tibia). It occurs mostly in boys who are having a growth spurt during their pre-teen or teenage years. One or both knees may be affected.
It affects very active boys during Puberty. Ding ding ding...TJ all the way!

He has grown 1/2 of an inch in the last 2 weeks to a total of almost 5 inchs in

less than 5 months and added 4 lbs this month. He is now 5' 5 and 110 lbs at age 12.

His voice is changing and he just doesn't feel right.

I know it's normal, but when it's your firstborn...

I probably won't even notice Callahan going through it, when his time comes