Surgery, birthday and bucket lists... oh my!

It's been a pretty crazy 7 days around here!

Jackson's "adventure"

First, Jackson had a minor surgery Tuesday, which took all day long. He had to be there at 10:30am, with the surgery scheduled at 11am, and since he was having general anesthesia, it meant he couldn't eat past midnight, nurse past 2:30am and he was only allowed water, apple juice, or pedialyte till 6:30am. Jack was a trooper, but they never even came to get him for surgery till 5 minutes to 1! Then what should have taken about an hour, ended up taking an hour and half, plus then I was still in the waiting room at almost 3. They finally brought him out to me, he woke up and was in and out of sleep for the next hour, while I nursed him and we attempted to give him tylenol with codiene :( Not my favorite thing to do, but he was miserable at that point. Finally, we had the all clear and made it home around 5. Thankfully, Jason was able to leave work early and get the boys from school, though Julie offered too. That's a good friend right there!

Waiting...

Playing with "new" toys

Mama and Jack-Jack

Finally home: Daddy and Jack-Jack

In case, you're wondering, he had a "Fowler-Stephens one-stage orchiopexy" and it is expected to remedy the problem. (After you google that, know that yes, he is sore and a bit bruised, but all is well and even though he has a slightly wider gait at the moment, he will be fine :) )

 

 

Alex's Birthday!!

Alex turned 8 last Thursday and decided he would like a digital camera as his present. We didn't do a huge celebration, but he took watermelon slices to school for his treat, I made him a (dye-free, natural) chocolate cake with decorated homemade frosting and natural food coloring (made from annato) for the words, and he was given his presents.

From his brothers: 2 new Skylanders, one is a giant and the other a regular size one, as well as a storage bag.

 

From mom and dad: a new digital camera, a camera bag and memory card (plus some rechargeable batteries ;) )

Mom forgot to buy candles, so Jason improvised and grabbed the 3's from his cake in December and the 2 from my cake in April and we just counted that as 8, LOL! Alex and Ethan both thought that was funny. Jack really wanted some cake -------->
(Not sure why he has 2 sippy cups out... but looks like one had water and the other milk)

Summer Bucket List

Home Depot Workshop

So first thing Sunday morning, after we had breakfast and all that fun stuff, we took the boys over to Home Depot for their craft. They each got to make lawn-mower pencil holders. Even Jack got in on the action!

  It was a lot of fun and they even got to paint their creations! Jack, of course, wanted to just play with his and kept calling it a car. He still plays with, driving it around.

So bucket list item #5 done (home depot workshop - June 1st)

Tons O' Trucks

Then it was off to Tons O' Trucks, where we met up with Julie and her boys for a bit!

This is only one of many, many pictures we took but blogger is being finicky and not uploading anymore right now! Anyway, bucket list item 7 done! YAY!

There were lots of neat vehicles including a swat TANK! Of course, Jason's favorite was probably the GNX. :)

E and Alex each planted a flower to bring home and we got some free goodies, like chips, spray hand sanitizer and some teddy-bear shaped cold/hot packs for the first aid kit, as well as some coloring/activity books.

Alex also signed up for a free kids' hockey clinic in July! He's super-excited to try it out. The nice thing is that the kids don't need experience playing hockey OR even ice-skating!

We attempted to do our picture scavenger hunt but there were so many people and there was so much to see that it didn't work out. Plus Alex's camera settings were all off and it kept freezing up on him, as well as the photos weren't coming out clear. Now that we have that all figured out, we can plan it for another day.

More Birthday Celebrating!

Sunday afternoon, Jason's parents, sister and niece came up for a visit to celebrate Alex's birthday. He got a new skateboard and elbow and knee pads and wrist guards. Of course, he had to try it out right away, so Jason took him in the basement along with Grandpa Joe and gave him some quick lessons. I swear, the kid is a natural at anything daring! ;) After a little practice, we had cake and ice cream and played outside before Grandma and Grandpa and the girls went home (I say girls because Madison (Jason's sister) is only 17 and Jason's brother's daughter is almost 4).
For Alex's birthday dinner, he wanted to wait and go out Sunday night, so we went to Bagger Dave's - which was a new restaurant and bucket list item for us! It was ok, but we've had better burgers. I did really like their mac and cheese, though!

It's settled down around here now, at least till this weekend. We are possibly going over to the VFW to plant some flowers with the cub scouts on Sunday. In the evening, I have my kickoff for my June challenge group as a Independent Team Beachbody Coach. Looking forward to just getting caught up on the laundry and finding and organizing all the garage sale items. Jackson does have a follow-up with the urologist tomorrow afternoon, so we should know how everything is going.

Summer Bucket List - It's gonna "B" fun!!

*Guest post from Julie - well not really guest post, because she is technically a contributor/writer on this blog, BUT we are having issues right now getting her added on so she can access the page and write her own posts! So therefore, I - Crystal - am sharing this for her :) * (<--- hey, I figured out something new! I can highlight things! LOL.)

 Julie and the "B's" Summer Bucket List!

1) Visit a lighthouse 6/19
2) Play card games 8/12
3) Play in the rain 7/28
4) Watch fireworks 7/20
5) Watermelon eating contest 7/16
6) Blow bubbles 7/26
7) Make s'mores 6/30
Write & mail a letter to a friend/family member 7/8
9) Read a book as a family (a little every night) in process
10) Go to the beach 7/6
11) Go to Tons O' Trucks 6/1
12) Have a family picnic on a blanket 6/27
13) Go swimming 7/6
14) Plant a plant  /18
15) make a bird feeder 7/30
16) Play sardines or hide n' seek
17) Visit a splash pad 7/5
18) Visit a new Zoo 7/12
19) Stay in a hotel 7/11
20) Get an origami book and create some 6/8
21) Go to a nature center 6/9
22) Play board games 7/29
23) Have a garage sale 8/8-8/10
24) Dance party 6/27
25) Walk for a cause (Autism Awareness) 6/15
26) Build a sandcastle 7/6
27) Go to the movies 6/28
28) Boys cook dinner 7/8
29) Make cookies 6/28
30) Go to a new playground/park 6/1
31) Play tag 7/28
32) Play twister
33) Corn on the cob eating contest 8/16
34) Go for a bike ride 7/5
35) Go to River Raisin National Battlefield 7/13
36) Reverse meals day (breakfast=dinner, dinner=breakfast) 8/17
37) Make a mural with sidewalk chalk 6/8
38) Go bowling 6/27
39) Camping in the backyard 8/9
40) All day in PJ's 8/12
41) Ice cream from the ice cream truck 7/4
42) Home Depot's kid's craft 7/6
43) Have an "Unbirthday" party 6/27
44) Scavenger hunt 8/11
45) Make popsicles 6/8
48) Have a bonfire 7/20
49) Catch fireflies 7/26
50) Watch a sun set 8/25
51) Build a Lego city
52) Create & play a new board game
53) Go to a fair/carnival 8/15
54) Go fishing
55) Play video games mom vs. kids
56) Go to the library
57) Play charades 7/10
58) Watermelon seed spitting contest 7/16
59) Play a game of kickball 8/16
60) Write a story together 8/9
61) Have a water balloon fight/toss 8/26
62) Cookout/BBQ with friends 8/25
63) Visit 3 Metro parks 7/5
64) Play mini golf
65) Bury the boys in the sand 7/6
66) Put puzzles together as a family 8/12
67) Make a soda fountain
68) Dinner by candlelight 7/8
69) Go for a boat ride 7/21
70) Go strawberry picking 6/18
71) Fly paper airplanes 8/2
72) Melted crayon art
73) Pie eating contest 7/10
74) Have our faces painted 7/20
75) Play Pictionary
76) Go on a treasure hunt/ Geocaching 6/29
77) Go skating
78) Paint rocks 7/21
79) Go to the Dairy Queen 7/18
80) Roast hot dogs on a stick 6/30
81) Go to a water park 7/11
82) Visit a farm 6/18
83) Run through the sprinkler
84) Visit the fire department
85) Try photography (everyone gets their own disposable camera) 8/25
86) Play croquet 7/5
87) Go out to breakfast in our PJ'S 7/9
88) Visit the Detroit Zoo 7/31
89) Make sundae 7/21
90) Make our own mini beanbags
91) Volunteer
92) Build a birdhouse
93) Walk a nature trail 7/21
94) Teach the boys to play Chinese Jump rope 6/6
95) Create & run an obstacle course
96) Make "Sponge bombs" and play toss with them 7/9
97) Race in a foot race 6/1
98) Stay up late watching movies 7/24
99) Dress up and put on a play/skit 8/14
100) Make root beer floats 8/2
101) Cool Summer Hair Cuts 6/4
102) Complete a whole coloring book in process
103) Make a Summer Bucket List scrapbook (include pictures and journaling)
~Julie

Crossing off the bucket list and having a blast

The boys and the bucket list :)

 By the way, when we got home, the whole display had fallen, so we have to figure out something else...

This weekend, we went down to Toledo (#1 on our list) to see both my parents and Jason's family. The boys had an absolute blast!!

 

 At my mom and dad's on Saturday, we had a small birthday celebration for Alex, and had homemade cookie cake and homemade ice cream! So yummy! Mom and I took the boys for a walk and we all just visited for a few hours. We spent the night at Jason's parents and spent Sunday over there just being outside and hanging out. Ethan and Alex played on the playset, went swimming for a little while and just ran around. Saturday night, before bed, the older 2 learned to ride the mini-bike! They got quite good at it, and Alex likes to go FAAAAAST! We got to see Jason's sister, Madison and her bf, Rob. Jason's brother Jeff came over with our niece, Jocey and she played with the boys for a while. The 4 kids and I took a little walk.

 My father-in-law, Joe, and Jason decided to tie a kite on the mini-bike and the boys got it going pretty good and it was flying. Pretty cool :) (thinking of counting that as #11 ;) )

For the most part, our weekend was really nice. We got home late last night, and were up early this morning for Alex's cub scout parade for Memorial Day.

#51 - done!

Tomorrow is going to be a long day, with Jack having his (minor) surgery tomorrow, and we didn't go bowling over the weekend, so I'm thinking since Jas has class Wednesday, I may take the boys bowling sometime after dinner - the kidsbowlfree.com coupon we have for our local bowling alley is good on Wednesday from 6-9pm.


Check out The Happy Family Movement for more bucket list ideas and info!

Behind on pictures!

I was just looking through a bunch of photos I uploaded, trying to find a couple from today, and realized I never shared the ones from Alex's first Communion! My sister managed to get a few good ones at church and I got a couple there and some fun ones at the party after.

You can barely make him out but that's Alex standing by the cross

Ethan :)

Jason, Alex and I

All the First Eucharist students with Deacon Dennis and Father Chris

Deacon Dennis, Alex and Father Chris

Jack didn't want to sit still for this one ;)

Finally a great picture of all 3 sitting together!

Alex, Jackson and Ethan

And...we're off!

My nephew Jake, reading to Jack (my dad and sister Heather are there too!)

Ethan had to sneak in to the picture, and I love the look on Jack's face here.

Jake, Jackson, Dad, Mom and soon-to-be BIL Matt

My beautiful (slightly) older sister, Heather Jean

Dad (Gale), Mom (Linda), BIL Matt, and his daughter (niece-to-be ;) ) Megan

Miss Julie!!! Matt's other daughter, another new niece-to-be, Ashleigh, and Ethan

Ethan and Miss Julie's nephew

Heather and Jake

Being silly ;)

Tired after a LONG day!

Here's some cub scout pictures too.

flag retirement in the winter

Alex at Blue and Gold

Dad and Alex

Dad H (Joe) and Alex

Getting his awards at Blue and Gold

Awards :)

More pics to come later!

Summer Bucket List 2013 - Hamer Style ;)

If you follow us over on FaceBook or Twitter, you saw me post earlier this week about a summer bucket list and The Happy Family Movement!

I've been putting ours together with a little input from the boys, Jas and even our cub scouts Fun for the Family book! We have 100 fun things we are planning to do over the summer, starting THIS weekend!

Without further ado:

Our Summer Bucket List 2013 - Hamer Style!
(in no particular order)

1. Visit Toledo 5/25-5/26
2. Play charades
3. Make ice cream sandwiches
4. Read-a-thon - read aloud book(s) with everybody taking turns (cub scouts 3P) Didn't really take turns reading, but mom read aloud from a chapter book. We never did finish it :(
5. Cookout with friends
6. Dance party
7. Go to Jungle Java
8. Technology-free day - Boys pick activity for the day
9. Pajama and movie day with snacks
10. Catch frogs
11. Fly a kite
12. Obstacle course (cub scouts 5L)
13. Puppet Show
14. Play cornhole
15. Money games - Monopoly/PayDay (cub scouts 2K)
16. Watermelon seed spitting contest
17. Celebrate the Date (cub scouts 1B) - Moving to a Fall activity :)
18. Go to the beach
19. Heritage party (cub scouts 1I) - Fall activity, due to planning :)
20. Story Creator - write a story by taking turns adding to it (cub scouts 3R)
21. Tour Morley Candy 
22. Go to the library weekly - after school is out only made it once so far, but we did get a ton of books :)
23. Make homemade sorbet 
24. Go fishing
25. Catch fireflies
26. Make "recycled robots" 
27. Make your own pizzas
28. Picture scavenger hunt - use pinterest for inspiration on lists/ideas, can be nature, or in a city, even around the house!!
29. Make - or paint - suncatchers 
30. Drive in movies - Field of Dreams Drive-in or Ford Drive-In (Find one near you here) 
31. Lemonade stand - here's some cute printables 
32. Have a garage sale
33. Make tie-dye shirts
34. J's baptism - hopefully first Sunday in July!! (also satisfies "church visit" cub scouts activity 3B) - moved to later in the year
35. Water "sponge-bomb" fight 
36. Try a new restaurant 6/2
    
37. Visit River Raisin National Battlefield - check out free National Park days for a park near you! - Fall activity:)
38. Kids' Workshop at Home Depot June 1st - Lawn Mower Pencil Holder 9am
39. Kids' workshop Home Depot July 6th - Despicable Me 2 surprise craft! 9am  - missed this one due to a trip to their grandparents :)
40.  Banana splits/ice cream sundaes 
41. Play Simon Says
42. Go to Bay-Rama Fishfly Festival missed this one :(
43. Nature Honor - grow a small flower/plant (cub scouts 5J) - moving to spring :)
44. Go apple picking - Fall activity :)
45. Make chalkboard paint and make individual chalkboards for each boy
46. Face paint
47. Go to a Farmer's Market
48. Go bowling - up to every week!! Check out kidsbowlfree.com - 2 free games for each kid, every day at a nearby bowling alley from now till September, plus a family pass available for sale for up to 4 adults (not necessary but if you want to bowl with the kiddos, it's a great deal)! went twice so far but hope to go a time or two more before the end of summer.
49. Star Wars movie marathon - all 6 may end up taking a few days to complete with littlest.
50. Family campout in backyard (cub scouts 3D)
51. Memorial Day parade (and cub scouts potluck after) (cub scouts 3H) 5/27
    
52. Make homemade doughnuts 7/7
53. Backyard Angry Birds - some great inspiration on pinterest
54. Build a city with blocks
55. Make sidewalk chalk/paint and draw all over the driveway Never made the chalk but we did have a cool looking driveway ;)
56. Go to the Detroit Zoo or Toledo Zoo
57. Visit the DIA
58. Picnic
59. "Hamer" family reunion
60. Hide and Seek
61. Go to the playground/park 5/27
62. Treasure Hunt (Geocaching) - tried, but no luck so far
63. Family Game Day/Night (cub scouts 2F)
64. Water gun fight
65. Make S'mores
66. Play Sardines
67. Have a bonfire
68. Go swimming 
69. Take a hike at Stony Creek Metropark or Wolcott Mill Metropark
70. Visit Michigan Adventure 
71. Go to Tons O' Trucks - June 1st 10am-1pm
72. Watch fireworks
73. "House upon a rock" - build a sandcastle (cub scouts 1K)
74. Play mini-golf - Jason took the two older boys :) We did go a second time and Jack enjoyed watching us play.
75. Go on a bike ride (cub scouts 4a)
76. Wash the van/truck together ;)
77. Paint rocks
78. Star-gazing
79. Make a butterfly feeder
80. Watch the sunset
81. Make a name-book (cub scouts 1o)
82. Baseball game - Detroit Tigers or Toledo Mud Hens
83. Ice cream truck
84. Build a fort
85. Family restaurant (cub scouts 2d)
86. Play in the rain
87. Carriage ride - next summer possibly, with Mackinac Island
88. Go to Mackinac Island  - moving to next summer possibly, due to constraints
89. Play a card game
90. Collect shells
91. Fudge from Mackinac - next summer with 87 & 88
92. Neighborhood pixie (cub scouts 4n)
93. Finger paint
94. Make cookies
95. Video game tournament
96. Make mini-marshmallow guns
97. Guess who? (not the board game!) (cub scouts 2h)
98. Make a pool noodle race track and race cars
99. Pillow fight
100. Adventure Time marathon 

Pictures to come later of our bucket list "cards", if blogger will let me upload some pictures!

The boys are excited to do this, so even though they have about 3 weeks of school left, we are starting this weekend with 1, 48, and 51. Talk about a great start to a fun summer!

What's up with us

Monday, I took the older 2 boys in to their for their annual check-ups. A is healthy, his eyesight is great, he's about 63 lbs and 4'4" and in the 73% for both height and weight. He's happy and well-adjusted (which I already knew ;) ). E is also very healthy and has good eyesight. He's about 71 lbs and 4'7" and in the 33/34% for height and weight. She predicted that if he stays on this growth pattern, he'll probably be about 5'9" so average. E will be 11 at the end of July and has been having more mood swings - on top of his behaviors, meltdowns, etc due to his frustration and anxiety and generally, his Asperger's Syndrome, which we've been working with him to try and find some better coping skills - so I asked her if it's possible he's starting to hit puberty and she confirmed that it is definitely some of the "issue". Other than that, he's doing good. She checked both boys' cholesterol due to family history and while A's is fine, E's is a little high - 175 is what they watch for and his is 185 and his triglycerides are 120 rather than the normal 100 or less. We just did the quick finger prick test though and rather than put him through more blood work, we are just going to revisit it in a year and monitor him, since most likely it's hereditary vs. diet-related.

We did get a referral for A for his very dry, itchy skin. The poor child is constantly itchy, but no rash or anything and his hands will get so dry they look chapped. Nothing ever seems to help and now, the back of his hands are a darker tone than the rest of his arms! Hyper-pigmentation, she called it. She wants him to see a dermatologist to see what they recommend to prevent it from getting worse and to help relieve the dry and itchiness. E is also going to see a dermatologist for his arms. He's always had these little bumps, like acne on his upper arms and our ped thought it was keratosis, but after looking at it again and seeing him scratching it incessantly in her office, she's wondering if it's molloscum. Either way, we may be able to get him some relief. E is also going to see a neurologist for the first time. We've never had a referral for one before but I've always heard other parents talk about EEG's and other testing for children on the spectrum. She thinks they may also be able to give us some ideas for self-coping skills and maybe some sensory or other type therapies! I will do anything to help E succeed in the classroom and socially! He is such a sweet kid and deserves it.

A has finally seemed to settle down some in the classroom, not talking AS much ;) but he did get his "questions" today. I'm really proud of him though, because he's trying so hard to make progress with his behavior and not interrupting, etc. He's been really trying to help out at home too. A is a good kiddo.

Baby J has a dr appt Friday with an orthopedic surgeon. He's getting his left thumb looked at finally, since he can't straighten it at the knuckle and hyper-extends it where the thumb meets the hand. He compensates but we want to rule out any other problems as well as see why it's this way. 2 more weeks till his surgery.

On top of all that, Baby J and I helped out at the book fair yesterday and today, Jas and I have an appt tomorrow, A has basketball open gym Friday after school and then the weekend is jam-packed. Jas and A have an all-day spring fun day with cub scouts and then the pack meeting is Sunday! Jason starts college on Monday night!!! I can't wait for summer for the boys to be home during the day, so we can just lounge sometimes, and find some neat stuff to do this summer. I've got to get our summer bucket list made up!

Julie says... ;)

I'm going to continue where Crystal left off, school fundraisers. I'm all for them, if they are being done correctly. They are a great way to raise money for our schools and teams, but I think we lose sight of why we do them and how we do them. Some places seem to be taking things a little too far. Our school used to do your usual bake sales during concerts and parent teacher nights. No longer is the day of after school bake sales, it's an everyday thing. The administration realized that they could generate more funds by targeting our children during school hours, when parents aren't there monitoring what is being bought. They started doing "Terrific Tuesdays", where the kiddos could buy an ice cream sandwich during lunch. After learning that technically they weren't suppose to be selling unhealthy treats in the cafeteria due to Michelle Obama's Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFK), so they moved the sales to into the hallway. Seeing how successful the treats during lunch were they started adding more days "Wonderful Wednesdays", "Fantastic Fridays". We now have treats for purchase 5 days a week during lunch hours. Ranging in price from a quarter to $2, your child can buy (depending on the day) cheese filled bread sticks, nachos/pretzels and cheese, cookies, ice cream, freezer pops, chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes ,or brownies. Approximately 75% of students are buying these treats EVERYDAY. The students (as young as kindergarten) are throwing away their healthy lunches for the chance to be first in line to get the "good stuff" before it's sold out. There is the still the order form fundraisers, chocolate candies, pizza kits, cookie dough, candy bars, and pies.
I remember when I was kid doing maybe one candy sale a year. There were wrapping paper, cards, and holiday themed novelties to be sold also. Whatever happened to hosting a car wash to raise funds for new uniforms?! When did everything start revolving around food?
There are so many non-food related fundraisers. Why not sell a school cookbook (I still have a much used one from when I was in elementary school). Parents/grandparents (or the kids) pay a small fee to have their recipe featured in the cookbook and then the school sells completed cookbooks. They could even have the journalism class do this. School store are great, they shut ours down because they sold candy and chips. What about selling pencils, pens, cool folders, fancy erasers, and notebooks. I know my boys are always losing theirs. Kids are competitive, hold penny wars between classes; whichever class gets the most change earns extra recess. Post pictures 2-4 good spirited teachers (whom have agreed to this) and whichever teacher has the most change in their jar gets pied by the teacher with least amount. You don't have to even have them pied the "winner" could have to wear goofy glasses, hula skirt, fake mustache, or purple hair for a day. Who wouldn't have loved to see their principal wearing a neon pink wig?! My favorite is doing a 5k or Fun Run, this can be done on the school grounds. It gets the family out doing something together and it gets people moving. Top runners get their picture on the cover of the school paper. How about silent auctions? These can be done along side concerts, sport events, conferences.
Some healthier food related fundraisers, holding a school wide spaghetti dinner twice a year (and do a silent auction the same night). The kids get to enjoy a meal with both their family and with their friends. Set up a fruit stand to sell healthy snacks before school or during lunch. At most schools there is usually leftover hot lunch meals, why not sell them a la carte.
I really bothers me how food seems to be the center of everything. That if you sell enough cookie dough, you're class will win a pizza party. Food used as a reward, whatever happened to extra recess or class outside. That's a topic for another day.
~Julie

What fundraisers does your child/ren's school do? Do you support these fundraisers?