George Family Update

WOW...it has been an entire month since I have posted. Where have I been these days? I've thought about posting, but the couch keeps calling (loudly, I might add) to me in the evenings. Oh well...I am here now and that's what really matters, right?

So, I have added a cool feature to my blog...MUSIC! Yep, if you stay on my blog for a little bit, you will be enamored with wonderful music...while reading about our crazy lives! Sounds like fun, doesn't it! I hope you enjoy the tunes.

I have recently taken up scrapbooking...digitally! A couple of weekends ago, I was able to scrap ALL WEEKEND! It was nice to be able to do what I wanted to do...when I wanted to do it! I thought some of you would enjoy seeing a couple of my favorite pages. So, here they are!

I like this page because I was trying to learn how to use the 'wand' tool. This tool is used to cut out objects from a photo, so I used it to cut around the front portion of the bike to get rid of the rest of the photo...pretty cool, huh? It took me a while, but I like how it turned out.


I like this page because of the layering effects of the paper and the colors...doesn't it just scream SUMMER? Oh, how I miss those days!

So, on a completely different note...I have been pretty discouraged about my weight and have finally decided to do something about it! I have been a Weight Watchers fan for 20 years (YIKES!), but this time I just can't seem to be making any head way with the program! So, I decided to mix it up a bit and join Jenny Craig! So, I joined and have been on the program now for 1 week. I lost 4 pounds my first week! YEAH! I'm pretty excited about that! It's nice because I just eat what they tell me and that's about it! It's a great way to jump start my weight loss and hasn't taken too many brain cells to figure it out! So, I'm hoping for some good success this time around! Wish me luck!

I haven't been working much since August. I keep waiting to get that call to help fill in somewhere at the last minute...and it never comes! I wish I could say that I've completed some amazing projects around the house, but that hasn't happened. As one of my friends puts it, I'm "in a funk!" I guess that sums it up...I'm waiting to get out of my funk and get my good 'ole self back, but that doesn't seem to be happening as quickly as I would like. I think losing some weight and getting some energy back with help (or at least I am hoping)!

Carson went back to preschool on 9/28 after the teachers decided to stop striking and to start working! Here are a few photos of him getting on the bus!

Carson has been doing well. His fits are still there, but they have significantly decreased! It's fun to see the twinkle in his eyes when he sits and laughs with me. This morning, I was sitting by him at the kitchen counter while Logan was in timeout in his room, and Carson just loved that undivided attention! I went to get up to do some laundry and Carson says, "Mom, don't go yet!" "OK Carson, did you want me to sit with you a while longer?" Very cute!

Carson has been doing Occupational Therapy (OT) since the spring (in hopes of helping him learn some self regulation skills) and he will be transitioning to a Social Skills group this next week. He tends to not know how to interact with other kids, especially when conflict is involved. He gets too close to others, not respecting personal space and is still biting, hiting and scratching when he is upset with. To say that he could use some knowledge in the social skills arena is an understatement! The purpose of this group is for him to actually gain some really close friends out of the group. We'll update how the group is going...

Just as Carson is getting more manageable, then comes Logan! YIKES...that kid gives you NO breaks! He is always on his toes and keeps you running! If he slows down, then you know he must be sick. He has lately been working as a blossoming artist in our home...decorating the walls in his room with chalk and last night he decided to color on the carpet and couch with a black permanent marker! He certainly got sent to his room to go to bed early over that one! Daddy was FURIOUS! And then this morning, I found him coloring on the computer screen with a pen as well! YIKES...will he ever learn? He also has taken to throwing things...over the fence, in the house, wherever he chooses. Very frustrating as well! And, does he have any other words in his vocabulary besides "NO!"?? ARGH!!!

He turns 3 years old on the 19th of this month. Since we have been doing speech therapy and occupational therapy thru SKIP since he was 18 months old, he is supposed to transition his services to the school district by age 3. That's if he qualifies. Well, you have to be at least 1.5 standard deviations (SD) away from normal in 2 areas in order to qualify. Logan was -1.4 SD in speech articulation. Hmmm...that's not going to go over so well. Our speech therapist wrote a very convincing report to the school district, but so far they are not buying it. You see, all the testing accounts for articulation of single words. Does he talk to single words? Nope...in sentences! And, when he talks in sentences, he is about 25% intelligible! But, the testing doesn't account for that! Also, we asked for the school district to do a full assessment (social, emotional, behavior, fine motor, gross motor, etc.,) and apparently they don't have that request. How do things get so messed up along the way? So, the battle with the school district begins. I have already made lots of phone calls and will continue to do so until I hear what I want. Also, when Carson was evaluated by the neuropsychologist, she told me that if Logan doesn't qualify for the developmental preschool program, to let her know and she will ensure he DOES qualify. So, I am meeting with her next week to discuss what needs to happen. We'll see where that goes!

Then there is daddy...who was involved in a hit and run accident on I-5 last Friday morning. He was driving in the far right lane when a car was weaving in and out of traffic and clipped him in the bumper...spinning him across all lanes of traffic. It tore up his back and he was taken to the hospital. The driver didn't stop! Can you believe that? Anyhow, some other driver followed the guy and called 911 with the license plate. We were notified a few days later that the reported license plate was invalid. Not sure if we will be able to catch the guy. What kind of moron doesn't stop after they hit someone? Poor Kelly! He has back problems anyway and this just adds to them. So, he was down for a good couple of days. Since they took Kelly to the hospital, they had to impound his vehicle. Kelly had to pay $250 just to get his car back and towed to the shop. And, we get to pay our deductible if they can't track the moron down! Such is life driving to Seattle, I suppose. ARGH!!!

Daddy (and Frankie) has recently finished building the boys a tree fort. There was already one started in our backyard (was there when we moved in), so they reinforced it, added guard rails and changed the staircase and voila!...a tree fort! The boys are very excited about it!

Whirlwind Update

I have been getting quite a few e-mails from friends asking me how our camping trip went. I have been meaning to blog about them, but just couldn't seem to get myself in gear. As a matter of fact, I guess I have taken a "blogging vacation" for a while. My hubby is very proud of me since he thinks I am addicted to the computer (well...what would I do without my computer?). To be perfectly honest with you, I have been doing a lot of sleeping...yep, that's right...a lot of sleeping! I guess I have been tired the last couple of weeks, so I have been taking advantage of my vacation time with (and sometimes without...YIPEE!) the boys.

So, to get you all back up to speed, I will attempt to recap the last couple of weeks for you!


We went camping in Easton, WA (on the summit of Snoqualamie) with my parents the week of 8/17 for the whole week in their 5th wheel. Kelly and I have never taken the boys camping, so this was a perfect way to introduce them to it...and it was my way of having a comfy camping trip (minus the dirty tents). God Bless my parents for putting up with my crazy boys (and all the grandkids for that matter...they took each family camping seperately!)!

I wanted to bring our bikes since they are a life saver when Carson needs an outlet for himself. So, when the boys discovered I would be bringing the bikes, they asked if I was bringing daddy's new truck! (new to us, not new to the world...). After explaining that we wouldn't have our cool DVD player OR air conditioning in the truck, I gave into their demands (hmmm...I think they just wanted to see me drive the truck!). So, we had no problems fitting all our stuff into the truck...and I was able to bring my bike as well as theirs!

Camping puts a new spin on the word 'dirty!' The boys were clean when I put them in the truck and we hadn't even arrived at the campground and they were filthy (hmmm...must have been that chocolate popcicle they were eating on the way!). Nana was all prepared with a pan that I could wash the boys in each night before bed. At least that way they were clean when they started their day. Lord knows they needed a bath at the end of it!

Nana and Papa were very generous and fixed all of our yummy meals (the boys loved papa's homemade oatmeal with oranges each morning) and even allowed me to catch up on my sleep at naptimes! We were truly spoiled!













Our campground had a nice little kid's playground and we went there frequently! One morning, we ventured out for what we thought would be a short walk on a trail that said "15 minutes to the lake" and after about an hour of walking, decided we should turn back since we were worried how much longer the boys were going to make it (and we weren't in any condition to be carrying them). Bummer! We really wanted to see that lake!


So, the next morning, the boys and I took a bike ride to see if we could find the lake. Come to find out, we had come very close to it the day before! When we arrived at the lake, we found a great kids play area and a nice grassy picnic area complete with a beach and flush toilets! So, we played for a bit and then had to go back to camp to tell nana and papa about our find! We had to go back later to play in the water, for sure!






The next day, we packed our lunches, bathing suits and lawn chairs...we planned on spending the bulk of the day at the beach! The boys were very excited!









It didn't take long for the boys to get into the water. For about an hour, we were the only ones at the park and on the beach. Slowly, folks joined us and the boys found some friends to play with. Two girls from the Seattle area showed up and they instantly bonded with Carson and Logan. There was this really big round blow up mattress thing that someone had brought and left in the water. They were all over it and had a blast! The girls were wonderful with the boys! They were helping them get up on the mattress and all sorts of things. It was fun to watch them play together!






Carson, Logan and the girls all having fun together!










Logan loved playing with his front loader in the sand and water!
















I helped the boys try to build a sand castle. It didn't work out too well because the sand wasn't wet enough, so Carson thought he would help out with that!

Thanks to nana and papa for taking us all camping! We had a great time and look forward to our trip next year!

(I swear this post toook me days to complete! I'm just going to scream...why does it have to be so difficult sometimes???? ARGH!!)