Tummy Troubles

Roan is a bug-magnet. And I don't mean insects. It seems whenever something is going around, he catches it. He had a bellyache at Nana's on Sunday, but we thought he got over it. I got a call this morning from the school nurse telling me he wasn't feeling well and needed to come home. When I got there, he was using the bathroom. I went in to see if he needed some help... I said "Oh buddy, you have a bellyache?"

He looked at me, in total seriousness and said "Get real, Mom. It's explosive diarrhea." He has spent the day lounging on the couch, watching Disney Channel, wishing he could eat. I wish I could be sick for him...

Home Improvement...McGowin Style

Last weekend, the kids were with Dad, so Shannon and I decided to lay new ceramic tile in the bathroom. We've had this planned for months; we bought the tile in the fall. It's been waiting patiently in the garage since then... I include this only because it shows the Man in kitchen gloves. I think it's cute. And handsome.

We pulled up the carpet and discovered this... it was actually in really good shape. But it was too ugly for words.

Our first row of tile...this after laying down concrete backer board. In case you don't do much tiling, backer board is some heavy, messy stuff.

First, please note the near-perfect circle around the toilet drain. When you put Mr. Meticulous and Mrs. Picky together, you get a perfectly cut circle. Second, I am the Grout Queen. It's my lot in life. I grouted the whole floor...and greatly impressed the Man with my mad grout skills.

The finished job. It is magnificent. Please note the off-set pattern. Yeah, we rock. After this, we put in a brand new toilet. It flushes and it doesn't leak...and we didn't need professional help. Again, yes, we rock. A couple of days ago, Nephew Josh came up and helped us install a new sink/vanity and fixtures. We officially have a beautiful "new" bathroom!

Small Smiles

We go to a great dental practice here in Jeff City called Small Smiles. They're terrific with kids. Dr. Ganz did an amazing job fixing Libby's broken teeth. They also make routine care lots of fun! Libby getting a cleaning. She's my thorough, conscientious girl. She carefully brushes her teeth every day, taking her time and doing a good job.

This boy, on the other hand... well, he's not quite as interested in his dental health. Despite this, he only had one cavity... and Libby had 3!

He wasn't crazy about having his teeth cleaned. You can't flirt with the hygienist when her hands are in your mouth. He was super excited about his new toothbrush and goody bag, though! Thanks to Ashlyn and Dr. Ganz for taking such good care of us! If you live in the area and need a fabulous dentist, head over to Small Smiles!

Princess & Papa Dance

Last Sunday, Libby had a super-special day! The Jefferson City School District hosted a "Princess & Papa Dance". Her "Baba" O'Donnell was kind enough to take her, and they had a big time!

Baba bought her a wrist corsage in pink and purple...her favorite colors! Isn't she cute? And so grown up? She looked so cute in her polka dots!

Libby and Baba, ready to go! They got to have their nails painted (Baba opted out of that), write letters to each other and have their picture taken...and of course, dance a little bit. I'm so glad she had the opportunity to go and have a great time with her Baba.

Tooth trauma

Two weeks ago, we were all working outside in the yard. Shannon told the kids that they could earn extra allowance by picking up sticks and limbs and carrying them to the burn pile in the back yard. Libby starting trucking it down the driveway -- she was running too fast and lost her balance. I'm on the front porch hanging a new flag when I hear a thud, then a blood-curdling scream. I RAN to the lower driveway and found Libby face down on the concrete. She was bleeding, screaming, and basically in an overall state of hysteria. She had scraped up her forehead, palms and knees, and worst of all, broken her teeth. Quite a picture, I know... but you can see her left top tooth broken in half, and the right one chipped significantly. Btw, this was two days after it happened...

This is the brave girl in the dentist's chair, waiting to have her teeth repaired. Luckily, we have a very talented dentist who rebuilt her teeth in less than two hours! You would never know by looking at her that she'd had such an accident!

Bedtime...

All kids do this, I know, but I think it's so cute. Every night, Roan arranges all his favorite toys in bed with him. It's quite a process...
The Dalmation on the left is Dexter. Nana got that for him when he was 2 or 3. Roan has been dragging Dexter around for half his life. In the front is an owl puppet and another dog. The most important thing is his baby doll, Riley. Usually, he dresses Riley for bed, then changes his clothes again in the morning. He holds on to that doll all night long. He is very attached to Riley, but he's beginning to be more conscious of what other people think of him. Instead of taking the doll into the store, or to a family dinner, he chooses to leave him in the car. It's interesting to see Roan change. There was a day he didn't care what anyone thought of what he wore or what he played with!

In the picture, you can see his blue sheets. They're flannel with snowflakes on them. Since he transitioned into a big boy bed at 14 months, these have been his favorite sheets. Not just favorite...the ONLY sheets he would sleep on. When he was tiny, if I used different sheets, he just refused to go to bed. This weekend, I washed his sheets, but forgot they were in the dryer until it was time to go to bed. They were still damp, so I pulled out some different sheets, made is bed and crossed my fingers. He got into bed and commented that the sheets were different.... he said he thought he might be able to make it one night. He had a little trouble adjusting, but made it! He woke up the next morning and asked nicely if he could have his blue sheets back. He felt the percale sheets were "just too hot" and just weren't as comfortable. This probably doesn't seem like a big deal, but really, it is to me. He's growing up, becoming less rigid, becoming more aware of other people. It's a good thing!

Roan's 6th Birthday

My baby is 6 years old! It's amazing how time flies! He decided very early on (back around Libby's birthday!) that he wanted his party to be at Bonker's and he wanted a 'dog' theme. Bonker's is a place along the lines of Chuck E. Cheese's, but much less obnoxious, with better food and better games. They have party rooms you can use, and you're assigned a party host who helps you coordinate the party.

This was his cake. The gal at the bakery is terrific! She copied the design from his invitation, and did a great job. He was thrilled with it!

Roan in his new Scooby Doo shirt from Aunt Ida and Uncle David. That's Ryan, his best friend.

Ryan's gift... a big, loud truck! He was so excited!

Getting ready to blow out his candles!

Me with my sweet boy!

Snow Ice Cream

During the Great Snowpocalypse of 2011, the kids got a little bored. So, we decided to make snow ice cream.

Roan adding the snow to the eggs and vanilla...

Libby stirring away...

We decided that snow ice cream is THE BOMB! I could have eaten the whole bowl! Shannon didn't want any. He didn't trust that I scooped "clean" snow. As if. lol.

Spirit Week at Pioneer Trail

A couple of weeks ago, the kids' school had spirit week. Monday was "Mismatch Day".



This is Libby in hairbobs that don't match, pants and shirt thtat clash and mismatched socks. About the only thing that matched were her shoes!

It's harder to see Roan...he's in a striped Izod with a wild Hawaiian shirt over it.

Wednesday was Hippie Day... I made the kids each a peace sign head band and a peace sign necklace. Roan had a tie dye shirt left from last Spring at preschool. He's soooo cool!

Libby had a shirt that said "Peace" and here, she's putting on her peace sign earrings.

Straight out of the 1960's, huh? lol!

The Leprechaun Trap!

Every month, Roan's teacher sends home a "Family Project" assignment. This month, the kids had a choice: they could decorate a rainbow, or build a Leprechaun trap. Roan chose to build a trap. I was proud of him, because it would have been a lot less work to decorate a rainbow. The assignment explained that the trap shouldn't be much bigger than a shoe box, that it had to have at least one moving part and that the child had to explain how it worked to his classmates. It went on to explain that Leprechauns are tricky! They love shiny, colorful things and that they disobey rules and signs.

So, Roan, Libby, Shannon and I put our heads together, went to Menard's and Hobby Lobby, and started building a trap! This is Roan paining a small wooden chest...just to prove that he did most of the work!

Here's the finished project. A glittery gold path will lead the Leprechaun past several signs warning him to "stay away" and "no Leprechauns allowed"! There's a big pot of gold inside the chest. When he dives, for the gold, the lid comes down and will trap the tricky Leprechaun!

Ok, I did some of it...

This is the pot of gold inside the trap. That's a toothpick holding the door open...

Roan with his finished Leprechaun trap. We took it to school this morning...and it arrived in one piece! He was sure proud of his project! He told me "Thank you for helping me with my project...it means a lot to me!" What a nice kid!

Roan and Taekwondo

Roan has been asking for a while to take Taekwondo. As it turns out, one of the doctors I work with has a good friend who owns a Taekwondo studio here in town. Dr Tang highly recommended Master Howard, so we went last week for our free initial lesson. Roan was so excited to go, he could hardly sit still! Master Howard asked me what goals I would like to see Roan achieve through TKD. I said he has a little trouble with bilateral integration -- he's not great at riding a bike yet. I also said I'd like for him to work on coordination, balance, focus and concentration.
He's so cute, I can hardly stand it!

During Roan's first lesson, he did a great job paying attention and following directions. Master Howard taught him how to punch, which Roan thought was awesome. Then he taught Roan to kick. Believe it or not, the boy can kick as high as his head! When he did that, Master Howard said "I think we may want to place him in the older class!" I sure was proud of the little squirt! So instead of being in "Tiny Tigers", he's in "Tigers BBC". This is a big deal when you're 6! He gets to go to class twice a week. Exciting for him, but a scheduling nightmare for mom!

This is Roan's first class last Wednesday. That's him in front. Look how much bigger the other boys are! There are a couple smaller kids, too. He paid attention and did everything the instructors asked. He was given a stripe on his belt; when they get three stripes, they get to move up to the next belt.

Look at the passion and concentration! He really loves this. In fact, after his first class, he said "Mom, I really think I was born for this!". In order to earn the privilege of TKD classes, he's committed to completing a checklist of responsibilities every day, such as making his bed, setting the table and putting his clothes in the hamper. He also is required to say "Yes, sir" and "No sir" during class; he decided it would be good to say it outside of class, too.

Now, of course, Libby wants to take Taekwondo, too!! I'm going to go broke on lessons!

Happy Birthday, Roan!

Can you guess who this little cutie is? Those big blue eyes give it away, don't they?

This is Roan when he was 4 months old. My friend, Amy Knollmeyer took these pictures for us.

I guess because Roan turned 6 last week, I'm feeling a little reminiscent. He's grown up so much, it's unbelievable. When I look at these pictures, I marvel at what we've been through. It was just a few weeks after this that he stopped sleeping. It was a year after these pictures that we moved to KC and I started chiropractic college.

The look on his face cracks me up! Look at those chubby legs!

We've been through speech therapy, occupational therapy, milk and wheat allergies and being obsessed with dresses. Now, he's a big boy, excelling in Kindergarten, doing great in Taekwondo and being a whiz on the computer.

Look at little Libby! She's not even 2! I love her curls!

Some things about Roan I don't want to forget:

• Right now, he's in love with "Riley", his bitty baby doll. He dresses him every day, feeds him imaginary food and sleeps with him every night.
• He had his first Taekwondo lesson this week. He's very good at it! He said "Mom, I think I was born for this!"
• He has a crush on one of my co-workers, named Adrienne. He is convinced he will marry her!
• He has a terrific teacher named Krista Merk. She totally "gets" him and appreciates his personality and sense of humor. Not everyone does, so I really appreciate her a lot. She has made Kindergarten a great experience for him.
• He loves to watch iCarly, Big Time Rush, and Shake It Up. He can quote most episodes of iCarly verbatim. He still loves to watch Scooby Doo, too!
• Right now, he is obsessed with Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas.
• At night, he still says "Goodnight, my sweet mommy."
• He claims to be "an early riser". He typically is up well before anyone else! I don't mind because he actually lets me sleep!
  

Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!