Some things never change

Apparently legos are just as popular now as they were when I was little because

this is all the kids have wanted to do for the past 24 hours.

Thank you, Grandma -

They love them.

No News.

In the interest of not jinxing anything, I am most definitely not going to tell you that someone may or may not have gained another pound and that person may or may not be in the 10th percentile now. Nope, no news here. And I am not doing cartwheels in the street. Nope, not me.

A whole Bunch Of Random Nothingness

Haven't taken any pictures lately, so I don't have any new photos to share.

Owen proved the theory that once you blog about something, it does in fact jinx it. He has had a terrible day. Awful. Don't know if I've ever felt sorrier for him and I'm not exactly sure what sparked it, but our happy healthy streak came to a screeching halt this morning.

Isaac wants a Star Wars V-Smile, a Star Wars computer, a Star Wars leapster, a pillow pet, and a hologram for Christmas. Apparently, it is not too early to start asking Santa for things. Including holograms?!

Emma Grace is learning the hard way that she should definitely go to the bathroom before she gets on the school bus. Every day we have to do an all-out sprint from the bus stop and she barely makes it in time. While I do feel sorry for her, it is also a little bit humorous to watch her backpack and pigtails bouncing as she sprints for the house.

I just found this picture from last summer of my nephew. It is one of my all time favorites; I mean, I could gobble him up in this picture. And just watching him munch on watermelon reminds me that summer is coming to an end....and I'm glad. I'm ready for crisp fall weather. I'm ready for piles of leaves and cups of hot chocolate out on the deck.

I miss my sister, but ya know, I always miss my sister. So nothing new there.

Todd's getting ready to kick off the new school year which means lots of fun events. The kids and I joined the teens for game night the other night and I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. I really don't understand why people are afraid of the teenage years. I find teenagers absolutely hilarious. I hope I feel the same way when they're mine. If they're anything like I was, I'm sure I won't.

Fall TV starts soon. I'm thinking about adding Modern Family to my list of things to watch. I hear it is hilarious.

Oh and I just started the last book in the Hunger Games series. So far it is about like the first two: disturbing but "can't put it down" good.

And that's it for my random update.

A Little Taste of Heaven

Okay - I haven't wanted to post this for two reasons:
1.) I don't ever want to seem "woe is me" on this blog because while Owen does have some issues, he is a fantastic kid and we are blessed because we know and pray for many families who are going through a LOT worse.
And 2.) because I haven't wanted to jinx it.

But I'll risk it and say.......we are now going on day eight of a seriously happy Owen. Day 8!! What does that mean? That means that besides a measly two hours of screaming on Thursday afternoon, Owen has been happy this week - really happy. We are assuming it's the combination of increasing medications and changing some things in his diet and Todd and I literally can't stop talking about it. Seriously - we're pathetic; we're like a kid at Christmas with a new toy. We're constantly saying things like, "did you see that smile?" or "Can you believe he just woke up and started playing?" or "Oh my gosh, did you just hear him laughing like that?!" or "Hurry, come look at him; he's having so much fun." etc, etc.

I'm soaking him up and thanking God for a good, no great, no.....fantastic week!

And in case posting this does jinx it, I will never praise my kids on this blog again. It will be all doom and gloom from here on out.

The Conversation that Never Was....

Hello, thank you for calling ______ Insurance Company. How can I help you today?

Me: Oh hi, I'm calling about my son Owen today.

Oh....this must be Mrs. Fischer. How is sweet Owen? We sure have been thinking about him a lot.

Me: He's doing pretty well this week. Thanks for asking. We're just wondering why his prescription formula isn't even at least partially covered?

GASP! Oh dear -That is a problem; that is atrocious! I am so glad you called today. We just changed our policy. From now on, we will cover it fully, send it directly to your house, and send a nurse over to help you mix it up and change any diapers it may affect negatively.

Me: Really, Wow! Thank you so much.

No problem. We are so sorry you had to even call and ask about it. And to save you your next phone call; don't you worry one bit about paying for his next procedure after the deductible rolls over. The fourth endoscopy is always free. You have a lovely day now.

A girl can dream, right?

Hairnets For A Cause

Today we went to downtown Durham and put on hairnets

to help package meals

with a lot of other people who packaged over 50,000 meals

to send to Ethiopia.

Random Thoughts

Happy Friday the 13th. Mwa ha ha ha.

Here's our week in review, boring as it may be:

We're all adjusting to the new school routine. Even with a bad I've never wanted to hurt two young girls more in my life bus incident, Emma Grace is loving kindergarten and excited to go every day. I love hearing her stories every afternoon. Like the one where she told me the boy who sits next to her tries to get her to talk to him during quiet time by saying things like "pssst....hey....do you like caterpillars?" Gotta love 5 year olds.

The boys and I are getting used to our days without the diva. Isaac is reveling in the fact that he gets ALL the talk time in the car now and doesn't have to take turns. This means I get to answer a gazillion questions about road signs, and hear the plot of every movie he's ever seen, and get explicit details about one of his toenails that has grown back, etc. Today he was playing with Owen at an indoor play area and another mom said "wow, they act like real brothers." Seriously, lady?! Maybe that's because they are REAL brothers.... But anyway....

This is not a great picture, but I like it because it shows Isaac being, well, Isaac. :)

My big chunkster photographed below had a good appointment at UNC this week. We needed it. He has gained a few ounces and climbed out of the failure to thrive category. We are excited and hopeful that this new mixture of special formula and increased dosages of medications will keep the scales climbing in the right direction. The doctor even laughed and said, "look, he has a little belly." And sure enough - he does. :) We are almost to the 22 pound mark and let me tell you, there will be celebration galore when we get there. That has been our goal for MONTHS. I mean, we will be passing out party hats and doing cartwheels in the street when we hit that number. And when we hit 23, (where the doctors really want him to be) I'll probably hire one of those planes that drags a banner around saying "Owen Zachary now weighs 23!!" Be looking for it. Although I don't know how I'll pay for it since his new formula costs almost as much...

And that's our week in review. I'm looking forward to the pool with my big kids this weekend if the weather cooperates. Happy Friday!