Family Pictures

Corporate Jets

Ben had the opportunity this week to accompany some Target Execs on a three-day trip to CA and TX in a company jet. Spencer was so excited to be able to see a picture of the jet...have I mentioned that Spencer's knowledge of aircraft is unreal? Yep...he knows his planes! Ben sent many pictures of the jet (inside and out) for Spencer to see. And Ben has confirmed that traveling in a private jet is much more comfortable than business class. ;) Then again, traveling in the trunk of a car might be more comfortable than business class!

Utah or Bust!

Recently: Alex has been improving his cup-stacking abilities. We spent an evening at Feed my Starving Children with Stacey, Blake and Julianna! (Note: I hate the picture of me above...I somehow hoped after all of these years the size of my nose had shrunk. This picture proves it hasn't...good grief! Plastic surgery might be in my future.)

We have some excited energy at our house this week. We are heading to Utah on Friday morning and although we aren't excited about the drive ahead we are ready to get going!

Black Hills Week

Ben, Spencer and Sam returned late last night from their trip to the Black Hills with Gpa and cousins. They had a blast...so many fun things they were so excited to tell me about. I was expecting to post a ton of pictures but Ben wasn't able to get very many...I sent a camera that had a rechargeable battery and forgot to charge it before they left! (Nice!) Kate and Luke spent a good portion of the week here and it was great! We saw Stacey and Will almost every day and Emily and Laura a few days. Such a fun week filled with super fun memories!

Results for Hearing Test #100

Not sure how to make this a short post but I'll try my best. Spencer has failed every hearing test that has ever been given to him. Starting with the newborn test in the hospital. We took him back at 1 week old and they determined it was probably just some fluid in his ears. He continued to fail all of the screenings for preschool, kindergarten, and on and on. It was a cycle I was used to: he would fail the test and they would retest him. He would fail again and the school nurse would send me a letter. I did take him a few years ago to our pediatrician who did a quick check and didn't notice any fluid. But I started noticing little 'red flags' more and scheduled an appt. with an ENT. After a lengthy wait through many tests with the audiologist this week I was told Spencer has moderate hearing loss. He only hears about 30% of tones normally. All other tones he does not hear at normal levels. The dr. told me that it is the 30% that he does hear normally that has allowed him to "do so well". (In my words...not need a hearing aid or amplification.) I was told that he would benefit from a hearing aid but that is up to us considering how well he is doing. We can do further testing (ct scans, etc.) to see where the exact cause of hearing loss is (although we think it is most likely inner ear and not nerve) and the testing would provide us a better idea of if further loss could happen.

These results don't necessarily upset me...he is doing great. They do, however, provide soooo many answers to things I've noticed as his mother...almost like so many things just make sense now. He is extremely sensitive to certain tones. ie. I just thought he was overly dramatic at the noise on airplanes. Fact is that the tones an airplane provides seem to be at extreme levels to him. I'm learning more about it as we go. And that is a recap of Spencer's 100th hearing test. :)

Top comments of the week...

Here are some of my favorite comments of the week:

Sam: Mom...I can NEVER live in China.
Me: Why not?
Sam: Three reasons. 1. I can't speak chinese. 2. I definately can't use chopsticks. 3. They speak super funny.

Me: Alex, do you want cream of wheat now or later?
Alex: Later.
5 minutes later...
Alex: Is my cream of wheat ready?
Me: No...you said you wanted it later.
Alex: It is later!
Me: How was I suppose to know it's later?
Alex: Because you're a good guesser.

Spencer: I made myself a promise today that I would read a chapter in the BofM every night.

A little relief...

The upstairs in our home never cools down the way the rest of the house does...even with the air conditioning on. Especially in the boys' rooms...they can be saunas...so Alex came up with his own solution.

First week of summer...

Here it is......summer. It was HOT today...my core body temperature finally had a chance to rise. We spent a few hours at the beach....Jack the neighbor is always fun to bring with us. He and Spencer head off to the deaper water and Alex and Sam stay where the water is 2-4 inches deep. ;)

End of the 2011 school year!

The school year ended yesterday. Spencer will now be my middle schooler (5th) and Sam will be in 2nd. With the end of the year comes the mess of going through everything new, used and really abused ;) Crayons, markers, notebooks, scissors...the works. I tackled this project this morning with the boys. At the end of the year we go through their school 'bin' and once again decide what to keep and what to throw-away. I love these boys...and at this moment in my life I don't want them to grow. It's a great stage they are all in...well, for the most part....yesterday Sam and Alex were fighting so bad....they were in their swimming suits and each hit the other on their back so hard that the hand marks were there until bedtime. Nice...

Spencer also received a special award yesterday at the end of the year assembly. He was awarded an award for Academic Excellence. He was also on of the top 8 in the school for the most AR points read. He enjoys academic success and I am grateful for his inner-drive that pushes him to do the best he can. He's a great kid. Not perfect but pretty awesome.

Proof is in the sleeping bag...

I kiss Alex about a million times when he is sleeping...

If I ever wanteded proof that Sam does everything the unconventional way...here it is. He has slept in a sleeping bag on the floor in the loft for two weeks now. Why? Not quite sure...his bed is awesome! But this is just the Sam we know and love. ;)

Memorial Day with Galloways

We spent Memorial Day at the Mill City Museum with the Galloway crew...not a bad way to observe the holiday :)