High School Diets

This afternoon I had to run to the bank and it just so happened that the time that I was leaving for the bank was the same time as many of the local high schoolers were returning to school with their lunches in hand.  Here in Littleton the high school campuses are open, unlike in San Diego.  So as I was driving by the high school I saw many kids walking back to the campus with their hands full of their lunches.  As I was driving I was in awe at what they were eating... I saw kids with Starbucks, donuts, McDonald's, Wendy's, large bags of chips oh and to top it all off cigarettes.  Granted I am not condemning them for what they are eating as I was just as guilty, my high school menu consisted of breakfast of a bear claw at the local donut store, a bag of either purple or blue skittles for lunch and after school I would have a large plate of nachos and occasionally I would eat dinner.  The one thing that struck me as I was watching the parade of poor eating habits, was I am amazed that kids actually grow up and are somewhat healthy... look at me, I am not four hundred pounds, and I choose to eat my veggies and fruits - it took living through the high school years to get me to this point, perhaps!  Regardless of how we raise our kids they will get to high school and will eat crap!  Even though in our house our boys rarely have sweets and usually eat fruit for snacks I know that there will come a time that they too will eat donuts for lunch and nachos for dinner - I guess until that happens hopefully I have filled their stomachs with enough "good" food that the "bad" food will just wash through them.

28 Years Old

Yep, that's right - I am now 28 years old.  For my birthday I did nothing... and I loved it!  I woke up later that usual because my boys let me sleep in.  Zeke made me a noodle necklace that I wore all day.  Ki had speech therapy.  While Ki had ST Michael took Zeke to the mall to look at puppies and get me a little treat.  When they got back we all shared me Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory caramel apple dipped in Oreo crumbs.  Then the boys played outside while I sat and ate a quiet leftover lunch.  Then  the boys and I curled up on my bed read a few books and then took a huge nap.  After nap we snuggled on the couch and watched movies.  Yep - that is how a mommy brings in her 28th birthday.  I feel silly telling people that ask how my birthday was, because I simply did the normal things in my daily life but just did then one year older... the nap being the highlight of my day.  So here is to being twenty eight years old - cheers and snooze!

Words

This past week has been full of little word mile stones for Ki.  Within the last week he has been a lot more vocal and has been making word noises that are understandable to myself and Michael.  With in the last two days he has managed to say a few words and each time he says them I feel tears fill my eyes.  The words themselves are not a huge deal, but the simple fact that my little Ki guy who is 19 months is now making noise and vocalizing words that I understand makes my mommy heart jump.  Ki has just about mastered the words "Let go" which are very powerful words, he has used them in context correctly and when he says it he does so with an authority that makes me smile.  Just today he said apple and turkey... not big deals but not only did I understand him but Michael did as well.  He has also begun calling himself "Ki guy" which is really cute because he saw his reflection in the mirror and said his name.  Another neat one for Michael was this afternoon I was taking Ki up stairs to get his diaper changed and Ki yelled out "Hi da-da" as we passed him.  Little by little Ki is getting there and it is such a neat blessing to see.  My baby is growing up and becoming his own little person and now with words it makes it all the more real! 

Thankful

In this season of Thanksgiving I have found myself in a place of being totally thankful for my friends.  In the two plus years that Michael and I have been living here in Colorado I have made some awesome friends.  Without these people I am not sure I could have survived here.  Colorado, not being my home state... no friends or family here, made the move a huge impossibility in my mind.  God being the author of all things good has shown me that I am right where He wants me.  The reason I know this truth in the bottom of my soul is because of the blessings that He has given to me in this season. 
When Michael and I moved to Colorado in July of 2008 I came kicking and fighting.  I felt like I was being taken from everything that was good and right to move to a foreign place and sequestered to a life of lonely motherhood.  So not the truth!  Within the last year I have made some awesome friends, through connections Michael had here with his friends from years past, through MOPS, through church and through playgroups.  It took me stepping out of my comfort zone and putting myself out there, but it has truly paid off.  After the first few months of living here in Colorado I realized that with Michael's crazy work schedule and my life surrounded around Zeke I needed to get out and meet other women.  My conversations had to consist of more than, "No" Don't touch", with Zeke and I had to have my needs met because I was miserable.  I joined MOPS as well as Mother's & More knowing that friends were not going to be knocking on my door to find me, so I was on the search for them. 
A year of getting out paid off, this summer I felt like I had finally made connections.  I have been blessed with a few women that I feel like I could call up and share my frustrations with and they totally get me.  I have been blessed by the outpouring of donations for my boys in the clothing department.  I have been blessed by a few women that I know are praying for me and are there to receive a text or a call of a needed prayer. 
God truly is good!  This year's MOPS theme is "Even there" taken from Psalm 139 and that rings so true in my heart.  Even when I thought that the move to Colorado would destroy me, it has been the opposite.  I have been more blessed than I could imagine.  I have grown closer to my husband, blessed with two boys and one more to come, and blown away by the women that God has brought into my life... some for a short season and some for a lifetime. 

Score!

Two very cool things have just happened...
About a month ago my car was having battery troubles (don't know if you remember) I spent a few hours at the dealership getting it fixed.  Thankfully it was under warranty so it was fixed free of charge to us, good thing too because the total bill was $210.  Yesterday I went and checked the mail and there was a check from the dealership for $100 for our troubles in dealing with the recall.  Michael said that I could have the money for my troubles of sitting in the dealership for a few hours during nap time with the boys.  SCORE!
Last week I got a letter in the mail from Kaiser (the insurance that covers the boys) for a referral for Ki.  The letter did not say what the referral was for.  The letter got shuffled under another pile of papers and I didn't pay any attention to it.  Today I was cleaning up a little and re-found the letter.  I made a call to Kaiser to see what the letter was for and come to find out, Ki has been approved for Speech Therapy through insurance.  So not only was Ki accepted for speech therapy through Child Find/Early Intervention but our insurance has said they too will pay for a therapist for him.  I am so excited about this, my hope is that between the two therapists that we might be able to get Ki on track and therefore eliminating his need to attend a public preschool.  SCORE!