The Strode Family

Lots to update!

2009-04-06T23:28:00.002-04:00

We finally got our computer fixed so hopefully I can start updating again. (The computer may only work for a short period before it dies again...come on tax return!)
Dynah had surgery Wednesday for adenoid removal and to put tubes in again. She got an infection from it, of course, so she's on a round of antibiotics in addition to her eardrops. She handled the surgery well and seems to be doing fine. Now is the test to see if taking her out of school has helped. We do a daily "school" time with a small lesson, craft, storytime, and flashcard test. She is picking up information so quickly and I am excited to see where she will be this time next year. (Of course, it also helps that she can finally hear.)
Clayton isn't doing so well in school so he now gets to come over every day so I can tutor him and get him back on track. He mainly needs help with story comprehension and writing. He has terribly sloppy handwriting but I think it's because he goes too fast.
Dillon is the newest addition to our family. He is our foster son. We know him from the church youth group and as a friend of Jesse, Bryan's little brother. He will be with us for quite a while and we are hoping to provide a loving and stable environment for him to thrive in. I don't think he likes our (mainly MY) strict rules very much, but he's adjusting well. :)
Bryan, Dillon, and Clayton were in an accident Saturday night that completely destroyed Bryan's new truck and sent him and Dillon to the ER. Both were released soon after x-rays and CAT scans with large doses of Vicodin and muscle relaxers. Now we get to play the waiting game with insurance companies. Yay!
I am now looking for a part-time childcare job that will allow me to bring Dynah along. I have found a few things for work here and there, but nothing too permanent yet.
I will do my best to update as new, although not exciting, things happen.

ENT visit

2009-02-20T15:12:00.003-05:00

Dynah had her ENT visit today and they suggested removing her adenoids and getting another set of tubes put in her ears.
I am really debating on whether to go through with it now (while she has Medicaid and it's covered) or just wait it out and see if not being at school will help her. The first time she got tubes it was really quick and easy and they worked great! I just don't want to rush into it because of convenience...it's not MY body!
Any advice from moms who have had to do this would be great.

And, here we go again!

2009-02-16T14:04:00.002-05:00

I took Dynah in to get her legs checked out for some pain she was having. It turns out that she has double ear infections and possibly a ruptured ear drum. She also has "froglegs" that are causing her pain when she sits certain ways. She doesn't look bowlegged, but apparently she is. We are taking her next week for an x-ray of her legs and to the ENT to get her ears checked again and see about getting tubes put back in.
Wish us luck and pray for her health!
This is her last month of school so hopefully that will help lessen the amount of junk she catches.

Dynah Update

2009-01-26T12:42:00.002-05:00

So, it seems that each day we encounter a new illness or reaction. We have decided to take her out of school again and possibly switch to all green cleaning supplies to see if that helps. (If not reduce the amount of illnesses, then maybe the amount of reactions to things.)
I'm going to miss being able to do things by myself while she played at school, and I know she is REALLY going to miss going to school and playing with friends. But, I'm hoping I can work out enough playdates during the week that she will still get that interaction. Anyone up for a playdate?

what's wrong with my kid?

2009-01-12T09:49:00.002-05:00

Lately, Dynah's body has been reacting to EVERYTHING. She has had multiple ear infections, one of the tubes in her ear went in too far and punctured near her eardrum, she had strep throat, she is allergic to: nuts, cinnamon, band-aids containing latex, ranch dressing. This poor kid is taking/applying 5 different medicines right now daily.
I don't know what's going on! It seems that as soon as she turned 2 years old everything started falling apart.
Help!

Yay for illnesses, and I'm a bad mommy.

2008-12-16T11:14:00.002-05:00

The day of Dynah's party, she kept telling me that her earring was hurting. I glanced at it, it was fine, and I went back to getting ready for the party. That night she was up numerous times screaming in pain because--here's where I'm bad--she had a terrible double ear infection. I never thought to check IN her ear for a problem. poor kid! Then came the clogged sinuses, cough, sore throat, and red cheeks. I waited and waited to see if the cold would go away. Here's where I'm bad again, she had strep throat. I was making her wait and she desperately needed antibiotics. I have learned my lesson.

Dynah's Princess Party

2008-12-08T08:11:00.013-05:00

Here are some pics from Dynah's party. (Courtesy of Krystle--Thanks!)

Dynah is 3!

2008-12-03T08:32:00.002-05:00

Monday was Dynah's 3rd birthday! She was so excited about not being 2 anymore and getting to tell everyone that she is a big girl now. Bryan and I got her a birthday pizza, a tiny pink cake, and a few presents to open. I got a picture of her opening up a pack of makeup...it was too funny!
She will be having a party on Saturday so I will post some pictures then.
Happy Birthday Dynah!

I can't believe she is already 3. Where did the first year go? Wasn't she a baby not too long ago?

The big 25!

2008-10-29T08:27:00.002-04:00

Woohoo! My birthday was this past Sunday so I got to enjoy as much "calming" as a typical Sunday will allow. I got a nice breakfast (and song) of my favorite donuts and some very interesting birthday cards from the kids. **Clayton's card said-- "I will be good today." Then, he drew me a picture of a boy sitting in a chair and a boy standing next to a chair and it read-- "this is me sitting in my seat. This is me standing. The first one is right." Apparently this kid thinks I only require obedient children for happiness. Ha! Although... my days would be so much easier if my children listened to me. :)
I also got to take a nice nap, had a clean house, and got to hang out with Bryan (sans kids) for a nice evening. Would birthdays be as enjoyable if they happened more than once a year??

it is done...

2008-10-08T10:44:00.002-04:00

Clayton's mom pierced his ear yesterday. He has one small silver stud. She said he cried before she even put it through. We warned him! He thinks he's tough stuff now. We'll see how long it will take for an infection, although he claims he will: turn it every night, wash it with peroxide, rinse the shampoo out, and ONLY touch it with clean hands. Did any of us actually do all of that?? I still catch myself turning my earrings with gross hands. :)

Pics from our last trip to Grandma and Grandpa's House

2008-10-07T09:38:00.003-04:00

The kids got to see some family they haven't seen since Dynah was a baby and hang out in the pool.

Some older ones from this summer

2008-10-07T09:33:00.002-04:00

Here are some pics from our last beach trip. They were too cute to not post.

Playing with Daddy

2008-10-07T09:27:00.004-04:00

Dynah has a strange way of showing affection for her Daddy. Whenever he sits down and asks for a hug, this is what he gets.

Sebastian Ferrero Foundation Fair at Tioga

2008-10-06T19:29:00.003-04:00

We took the kids to a fair in Tioga to raise money for the Sebastian Ferrero Foundation. For $2, both kids got to get their faces painted, enjoy a bounce house and bubbly slip-n-slide, play at a dunking booth, and get a snowcone. Talk about cheap!

Punk rock or hillbilly?

2008-10-02T23:49:00.002-04:00

Clayton decided he wants to pierce his ears. (What?!) He's only 8 years old. Do we tell him no b/c he can barely remember to brush his teeth, or b/c he probably only wants it since a friend has it, or b/c it looks silly? (my opinion.) OR, do we tell him yes b/c it's really not a big deal, it can heal easily, and it might make him happy? This really shouldn't be that big of a deal, and yet I find myself stumped on how to handle it. I think he will look more like a hillbilly than a punk. (Picture this: his rat-tail haircut, wrangler jeans, camo jacket, and 2 big diamonds in his ears!)
Bryan decided to tell him he has to wait a week. And if he remembers to ask again on Monday, he can get it done. If he forgets to ask, then it probably wasn't that important to him anyway. He has never brought it up before so I'm almost positive it was just a spur of the moment desire.
I feel like such a hipocrit parent telling my kid he can't pierce his ears, while I sit across from him with 3 ear holes, one in my eyebrow, and tattoos on my back...while his Daddy is next to me with even more piercings! Ah! Parenting is hard!

Achew!

2008-09-16T09:49:00.000-04:00

Dynah started school recently and she LOVES it! (I guess I bored her.) She was so excited to start playing with new friends and getting to play all day long. I thought she would do fine with the sickness stuff...until now. She has caught a nasty sinus thing. I have tried every medicine and homeopathic trick I can think of and nothing seems to be working. I tried benadryl for the first time yesterday and she went to bed at 5:30pm!! Now, I'm not complaining since that gave me some much needed "mommy time" but I still felt pretty guilty about taking such joy in my child's misery. :)
Any suggestions out there??

Woohoo! Finally, a blog!

2008-09-15T19:49:00.000-04:00

I guess I have had enough people on my back to start a blog, so I finally gave in. I don't know how interesting it will be, or how many pictures I will end up posting, but at least it's a start.