Every dog has his day...and today's was...........

KOTA'S!!!!

Despite little t having a fever and no nap we had promised T that we would take Dakota to the Wash place today. We stumbled upon a LOVELY dog spoiling store. It is called Wag N' Wash...it is AWESOME. If you love your fur babies as much as we do, then you will ADORE this place. Their tag line is "Wash 'Em, Feed 'Em, Spoil 'Em, All in One Cool Place"

It has everything you could imagine for pampering your pooches and kitties. They have hard to find collars / leashes / leads, awesome dog toys, Dog/Cat beds, Homemade ALL NATURAL/Organic doggie treats. These are gourmet dog treats, cakes, cupcakes etc...sold individually and by the pound. The best part about this place, and the reason T was so excited...was this

You get to WASH and DRY your dog!!!! Who in the heck needs Build a Bear with a place like this!!!! And WE LOVE Build a Bear, so, that is saying a lot. You get to pick your wash...Basic, Premium, or Ultimate. We opted for the Premium, you get to choose from a long list of designer shampoos and conditioners tailored for your dogs hair type and skin type (yeah, I know....) and it includes a after bath leave in conditioner, blowdry and a cologne. Trinity got to do the WHOLE thing (with our help of course) and it was so much fun. Dakota likes his bath, so this was like Disneyland to him. She put on her apron and just got to work....

The blowdry was a bit scary for him, but she liked it...

Our total after wash, conditioner, leave in conditioner, cologne, blowdry, nail trim (by the professionals) 1/2 lb of doggie treats, and 1 special cupcake for Kota was only $21.65! So, if you have pups or cats that you would LOVE to treat to a special day, look them up. They are located on 7th Ave. 2 blocks North of Indian School Road on the West side of the street. www.wagnwash.com/phx/

They are really AWESOME...sweet people, your kids can get messy in a clean sort of way, and you can take your time. They are caring too...they care about boy and girl dogs...so, they cater to both.

SO MUCH FUN!!!! Next week is Shy's day, stay tuned!

Fever, fever you're no fun..spoils the fun for everyone

Sooo, little t wakes up with a fever this morning...he slept like caca mufasa last night and decided to rise at 6AM..YAY! Poor buddy...We had to cancel his PT today, but, other than that, he did exceptionally well considering he was all hottish...that was until bedtime. He turned into a pumpkin around 8ish crying nonstop until just now...I have him sleeping here on the sofa so I can watch his breathing. Since contracting RSV at 6 months, he has already had 2 additional bouts with Bronchiolitis...and I think we are headed for Numero Tres.....I SOOO hate breathing problems. Give me a boogery nose, poop out the back of a diaper, vomit....yes, vomit...but no breathing stuff, that just scares me. Lets hope he feels better soon, I do NOT like a sad and tired baby....or mama for that matter!

What's In Your Pocket???

Because this is all the CRAP that I pulled out of mine when I was doing laundry....yes, that is a toy animal of some sort...some receipts, yarn, pennies, a hair tie, my handy dandy Discover card, a popsicle stick, a nail, lint, candy wrappers...what in the heck else is in there???

Oh yeah...we smoked you!

Is what came out of Trinity's mouth last night when we (Shannon and I) were "racing" *don't worry...we were only going like 50, but we would rev up the engine for T so she thought it was much faster*. Well, we won of course...and when we got home, Shannon gets out of the Civic, we pile out of the Magnum and Trin walks up to Shan, with a little pep in her step..."Hey dad...I guess we smoked you!" It was the cutest thing. I think I have a race car driver on my hands...just add that to the VERY long list of things that she wants to be when she grows up.

Back to Basics

We have homeschooled T since she was born LOL...I think all of us essentially "homeschool" our children without even knowing it. She LOVES to learn, which is why I was so sad that the "real school" was such a disaster. She is a social freakin' butterfly...loves kids, older kids, babies, adults, dogs, whatever...she loves being around others. So, when she told me "Mama, I wan't to go to real school and homeschool after ok?" I thought, WOW...I wish that it could have been better for her and the other students, as I am sure that many of the others are experience similiar issues. Today, we took t to therapy and while we were waiting for him to finish, T was playing with a wonderfully pleasent, easy going, sweet little 8 year old girl. She was working on some homework and T and she started talking. At the end, we found out she is homeschooled through an awesome Charter School called Arizona Virtual Academy. I enrolled Trinity today. It is all homebased, but you have a teacher that you can check in with ANYTIME. They have monthly socials, meetings, orientations, all that other stuff that you seem to miss with the traditional homeschool programs. The curriculum is based on the child's level of learning and it gets more difficult as they are mastering the programs. They offer World Languages and you can add a foreign language at anytime...it is a self paced program that has graphics, cds, dvds...your K-12 can learn English, Spanish, Mandarin, French, German, Portugese, Latin....I am excited...I have a new renewed sense of happiness! Check it out if you like... http://www.azva.org/ Let me know what you think.

This crazy life

I strive each and every day to appreciate our lives. I try and be greatful continously....I feel a little dissapointed at times though. Maybe it is the current state that our economy and world is facing...it is affecting me. I am still as loving as can be to my children, but, I find that I am not enjoying other things as I used to. I feel consumed by it all. There are moments that I am driving in the car, and the kids are playing...for a single moment it all seems "normal"....then, back the drawing board of therapies and supplements, diets and routines, sensory issues and setbacks...I just wish that for everyday that was off, I could have an on. I shouldn't feel like that though....I know that there are other families that have children on the spectrum that are so much more severe, I pray for them...I pray for us too though. I think I need to really find God again. I have been talking to Shannon about this because we have not found our "home" church since moving out here. I have always been about being spiritual, not needing to necessarily convene at a church to talk to God...but, I am starting to rethink that notion. I know how wonderful the feeling is when you enter a church, the overwhelming amount of love coming out of every person that is there for the same reason...well, different individual reasons, but a common playing field. Someone help me out with this...Katie? Any reccomendations??? I need some connection soon.

I Dance

Tristan LOVES music...ADORES it. We think that it may be his genius, he is like a metrinome when music comes on, he sways to the beat and listens carefully for it to change. He has rythym baby. Well, a few days ago he was dancing and I was sitting on the floor folding clothes. He kept saying "Ah Da" which I took for "All Done"...he would dance and look at me and say again "Ah Da" I would say, "you can be done sweety..." and go back to folding and watching him sway to the music...he stopped dancing, walked up to me and looked me right in the eye and said "Ah Da" and then danced again as if to show me....then I realized it, he was saying "I DANCE"....Of course I cried...are you crazy??

ON a happy note...

My Trinity has not yet lost her wonderful sense of humor despite being slightly broken from her school experience. Yesterday we were eating lunch, and she was "playing" with a fly. I watched her for a few minutes and she noticed that I was doing so. She starts a conversation that made me laugh so hard I almost peed...you may not pee, but, I thought it was funny.

T - "Mama, I think that fly's have eyes in their butts"
Me - *drink almost spraying out of my nostrils* "Why do you say that baby?"
T - "WELL *capitolized because it was a W E L L ...imagine hand on hips..* "WELL, everytime I try to touch him in the back...he flies away, so, he must have eyes on his butt."
Me - *Just laughing*

WHILE PLAYING WITH HER NEW CHINCHILLA...(I will blog about that later)

T - "Mama, mama! I am so excited for Sushi *her chinchilla's name*
Me - "Why!!! What's going on for Sushi???"
T - "Well, I was holding him like this *showing me how she is holding him in what seemed like a REALLY uncomfortable position, but, it was like he was sitting and you could see EVERYTHING...think Sharon Stone in that movie...you know the one.* "I was holding him like this, and I noticed his balls."
Me - *REALLY trying not to laugh as my daughter is referring to her chinchillas genitalia as balls....* "Oh, ok..."
T - "So, he can get married. Because he has balls."
Me - SILENCE
T - "Because he needs those to make babies...and you have to be married to make babies."
Me -*Not even wanting to get into the depth of that conversation* "That's right sweety...."

Gosh...where do I start???

So, I am sure that you all have been checking back in for updates day 2, 3 etc of Kinder, and I have to tell you now, that there will not be any. I wish that I could say that I have heartfelt stories to share...but, I only have a memory now of a very traumatic experience for our Trinity. I shared this story with a friend of mine, and I find it easier just to cut and paste it for you now.

"I was debating about when I would tell you this...through Myspace, an email, Blog...I just wanted to let you know how everything went. Gosh...where do I start??? You know how the first day went. Basically, running to the end of the story, we had to pull her out. She was so terrified. I can't even begin to explain the anxiety, fear, isolation...she seemed so completely different. I know that children have different ways of going through this "first" and it does take time...but this was different, and not even because she is my daughter, it was just so bizarre. The night after we brought her home she was laying with my and began to scream about being scared of school...she cried off and on for the entire night. The next morning, she was so quiet, painfully quiet. We got to school and began walking down the hall, she was saying her tummy hurt, then began to dry heave. She didn't understand what her body was doing and that scared her too. We got to the cafeteria and as we opened the door, the sound of the all the kids and teachers echoing..it stopped her dead in her tracks. She looked at me, and I saw her legs were shaking, she begged me to take her home. My dad had told her about the pony you know? Well, she looks at me and with fear and tears in her eyes says "Mama, I don't care about a Pony...I just want to go home now please." I picked her up and took her to the Principals office...but let me backtrack a bit.
Her teacher, she really should NOT be a Kinder teacher. I don't know if this is how all K classes are now, but, she was so strict with them. We had just dropped her off, and she was getting settled in when Ms. Wendt told us we had to leave. Then, she went right into rules, rules, rules. She reprimanded the children for not listening, she was very harsh. Trin told me that the just wrote their names all day...no crafts, no circle time, they didn't get to have books read to them since a few of the other kids misbehaved. WHAT???? It was just odd. So, back to the story. I asked my mom to watch Trin and Tristan so I could speak with the Principal. I told her what Trin was experiencing, and she suggested that we just take her home for the day and in the AM, bring her back to her office. On the way to my moms, Trin was just a wreck...she was so shook up. I came to the conclusion, in agreeance to my mom, dad, and Shan, that she is not yet ready. The amount of time that she is way, coupled with how far the school is from us and the fact that she had a HORRIBLE introduction to the school system...it just made it too hard to adjust. It was so overly instutionalized...I can't really explain it. We are going to take this year to build up to the 7 hours of away time that schools now require Kinders to have...that is a LONG f-ing day for a little one that has been with their mommy for so long. We may also try Montessori versus the traditional school. I may just go back to homeschooling in all honesty. Thanks for listening, if you have any suggestions, I really appreciate it! Love ya!~Jenn"

We have taken more time to talk with Trinity to find out what happened...everyday she is opening up more and telling me how her days went. They didn't go to the library at all..they didn't play games, I asked her if they laughed and she said no...they would get too loud and their teacher would yell "STOP LIGHT" and they had to be quiet or they got thier name on a stop light and if it happened 3 times, they would not get to have Friday Fun Time. It was horrible....I guess I just can't seem to understand why this teacher felt it was so important to focus on the negative behaviours in the classroom versus rewarding the positives.

I have since emailed the Principal and hope that she will be able to implement some sort of change. A friend of mine had her daughter start Kinder this week and I cried when I read their schedule, it seemed so fun...Trinity didn't get to experience that. It was so rigid and just scary. I sent this email to the Principal...I will let you know what I hear back.

"Dear Ms. H,
I am emailing you this evening after much time has settled and I am able to try and explain. As you know, Trinity had a really rough time adjusting to Kindergarten, and we do believe that a great part of that could be her age...though, as I think about it more and more, I am starting to come to the realization that their may be a greater issue to discuss. I am in NO way trying to bad mouth or cause ill will, but, I think that though Ms. W is a wonderful educator, I just don't think that she is 1) Well equipped for a large classroom of 5 year olds 2) That the approach to the first day was VERY unwelcoming and scary to even ME! 3) Too much emphasis was on rules and guidelines versus getting the kids comfortable to being in a new setting.
I remember Kindergarten, and after talking to most of Trinity's other friends' moms, they too are experiencing the wonderful Kindergarten memories with thier children and their respective schools. I am sad that we did not experience this. I think that the Cafeteria gathering is a bit overwhelming for the younger children, and it would be much more beneficial to take that time with them in the library, or the classroom getting to know one another. Trinity didn't even remember ANY of her classmates names. She expressed that all they did was practice writing their names and that she didn't remember any circle time or a time when they all laughed and had fun. That really saddens me. She was terrified to return. I recieved this picture from a friend of mine. Her daughter started Kinder this year, and this is their schedule...They also spent the first few days on the floor ALOT. I think it is SO important for the emphasis to be on learning, but in a way that young children are receptive, which is through play. I just felt it was important that you are aware of all this, and that our story is shared. I thank you for your empathy with Trinity and you willingness to help her through this difficult transition. "

Sincerely,
Jennifer Hydeman
Mom to Trinity Hydeman

Kindergarten, Day One

Trinity started her FIRST day of Kinder today. I can't tell you how excited she has been for this day to come. She has been asking me for the past month when school starts. Everyday I have continued to show her on the calendar and she still insists on me walking her through every day "Ok, so, today is Monday, then tomorrow is Tuesday, and then Wednesday...but not this Wednesday I am starting school...that is next, next Wednesday...right??" until she goes to school. We bought her school clothes, her GG took her to pick out her backpack, we have had ENDLESS discussions on how I loved Kindergarten and school in general and she has asked me to go into detail the events which took place back when I was 4..talk about a test to the memory, break out the B Vitamins, it's gonna be a long night! But I was happy to do it...she was afterall, excited! For the first time she showed exuberance towards the idea....She was ready.

Now, backpedal a few years. This is the little girl that would not leave my side...FOR ANYTHING. She has NEVER been away from both Shannon and I...meaning, no one either than Shannon or myself have watched her for more than an hour or so, and that was pushing it. She has been included in our live, every second, from doctors appointments, funerals, parties, weddings, labor and deliveries and all the rest. We have enjoyed her immensly...and she us. So, this morning..she is still extremely excited about her first day at school. I can't tell you how elated I was when I awoke to find a huge smile on her face and the question "Mama, is today Wednesday?? I go to Kindergarten today!!!!"

We arrive at school 15 minutes early and go to the Gymnacafetorium. There are all different aged little bisquits in there, all situated in their designated spots.

Trinity walked with the lunch lady to put her lunch bag in the basket...no worries there, she went willingly and happy. My mom met us...SO glad she came, I would discover how much I really needed her in just 5 short minutes. We did the pledge of allegiance, then I saw it, a quivering lip...a tiny tear developing in her left eye...oh shit. I didn't ignore it, but I told her that if she got nervous, just to look at her locket. We gave her a special locket the night before and it had a picture of mommy and daddy in it. WRONG ANSWER. Waterworks. Then we heard the principal quiet the children, they called the Kinders to the line...she went, but started to really cry.

My heart was aching. Daddy and I both followed her and tried our best to assure her that everything would be ok. It took about 10 minutes to calm her down, my mom was so good with her. She got down on her level, told her how I was afraid on my first day too, but then, once I gave it a chance, I LOVED it! Trinity went to the doorway of her class, it felt like she stood there forever, then she entered and took her seat. We told her that we would wait by the door for a little while, and we did. After about 5 minutes, we waved bye and blew a kiss.....walking away from her for the first time was so difficult for me...I had no idea that it would be that hard.

I was a MESS without her. It was like a peice of me was missing. It was quiet.....REALLY quiet. Tristan decided to make a exceptionally longer nap today, so, I missed her even more. My house got REALLY clean. I had to remember to eat, I became so consumed with the idea of her being there, possibly crying. Then mid day, the phone rang...caller ID showed it was her school.. My heart sank a bit. I answered a crackly "Heeeello??" It was her principal. She called me to say that she checked on Trinity and she was doing great. She let me know that she had a rough 1st half, but after recess she turned around. AH, my mind was SO much more at ease. How cool is that that the school principal called me at home to let me know that???

2:00 rolled around and we left to pick her up. We got there SUPER early. I stalked, er...I mean, walked the halls before she was released at 2:40. She was really excited to see me, she tried to walk out of her class, but I signed "Pay Attention, I will wait here" for her...she understood, gave me a thumbs up and listened to her teacher. Her teacher confirmed what the Principal told me earlier, but she also made sure to let me know that she gave Trinity extra special jobs to keep her busy, and she did awesome. Trinity told me "Mama, tomorrow, there is not going to be any crying."

Fast forward to 2 hours ago....we are lying in bed and she says to me "Mama, I thought it was going to be fun, but it wasn't...I don't like it. I don't like school." I told her that the first day is usually about getting to know everyone...she cut's in very indignant "I DON'T LIKE IT! I don't want to go to school." There was no getting through to her, she just kept yelling, and crying. We tried to calm her, asked her to go to her room and calm down, and we would be waiting in the loft to talk about it. It was just horrible. I have NEVER seen her like this. Fitting, raging, just really upset. Shannon went to her to help calm her down. She stopped the crying and was able to tell him why she didn't like it. She said "You see..I like school, I just don't like being away from you and mama for so long." AH HA. It is FULL DAY, that is 6.5 hours people, for a 4 and half year old that has never been away from her mommy and daddy....that is an eternity in her eyes. We explained all the positives. My mom and dad called and talked her down. They told her how proud they are of her, no matter what that they are proud of her. We have a trip planned for this weekend, so Shannon reminded her of that. My dad gets on the phone and drops the kicker...if she can keep with it, go to school, be a big little girl, he will get a pony for the farm for her! She was like a different child entirely. It is so cliche, the little girl that gets the pony..."I WANT A PONY!!!" Although, it didn't really go that way, but, it still sounds so funny.

She went to bed but before she fell asleep, she made sure to tell me now all the fun things that they did in school. It was information that she withheld earlier, I guess she didn't want me to know that she had fun....like it would make me sad to think that she as having fun without me. I made sure to tell her how happy it makes me that she had so much fun! She went to sleep on a good note, happy, secure and ready to start again.

Tomorrow is a new day, Kindergarten Day Two...please pray that we will get past it, that she will not cry, and that she can be open and receptive to all the wonderful things she can learn.

Blue is my new favorite word

Today was a L O N G Day. It started out with Tristan's checkup with his Developmental Ped...they moved offices to 40th STREET and Bell, and if you know where we live, OY! His appointment was at 930, so we had to scoot out by 8. It went GREAT. His Non-Verbal Test score was a 97 on a scale to 100, he mentioned that little t has the highest score of any other child under his care. He said that this is a great sign, that his comprehension is awesome and that by the time he is 5-7 years old, he may have grown completely out of his disability. I was ESTATIC when he told me this. His Verbal Test score was low, he is at a 63, and the doctor told me that we should start looking at other means of communication as a back up to verbal speech. If you remember a while back, his Speech Therapist mentioned that he may be Appraxic, and Dr. Jordan was in agreeance. So, one day at a time.

Now, onto why Blue is my new favorite word. We got home and I asked t if he was hungry, he looked at me and wandered into the kitchen, he then proceeds to climb into his high chair! He understood me! I was so excited, but had no idea what was to happen next. I handed him some berries, strawberries and blackberries and a few blueberries. He ate them all up, then looked to me and said "BLUE?" I asked him to repeat that...I said "What did you say bubbub?" strictly thinking it was a rhetorical question...and to my disbelief he says, "BLUE???" He was communicating with me the best way he knew how and he wanted more blueberries!!!! I can't tell you how exciting this is for us. Hopefully we will hear more from our little man, but for now, blue is good for me.

Check me out....my other blog

So, after much deliberation, I have decided to start another blog entirely dedicated to just Me. I know, how obsessive right LOL..I just wanted to keep this blog free of anything NOT related to the Hydeman Family Journey...so, if you do feel so compelled, please check me out!

http://www.jennishandstuff.blogspot.com/

Oh, and don't stop reading here, all the kiddos and family updates will continue!!!!

Holy Fun Wednesday Batman....Pic HEAVY!

Remember this feeling???

How about this one??

And who could forget this????

You wanna talk about some fun....A friend and I decided to take the kiddos to the Phoenix Children's Museum...I was SO hesitant to even leave the house since little t has been having some rough days lately, but, I finally just caved to the anxiety and loaded them up. We got there late because of horrifying traffic on the freeway, but, it was nice because little t could squeeze in a nice long nap on the road. T watched some tv while the little not so little t snoozed. I love looking back and seeing him relaxed and seeing a smile on her face. They really do so good on the road...if gas wasn't so high, I would probably just drive around all day LOL. So, on to the fun stuff. This place is awesome from concept to delivery...

First off...it is housed in the old Monroe School. That in of itself is exciting to me. Second, it is only $9 a person to get in...that is even better. 3rd, it appeals to all ages. There was so much sensory information for both of my kids, neither was bored...nor were the big kids *ehem, I mean moms* it was great. There are 3 levels of different activities. My favorite by far was the Art Room. It is like a Montessori session for 3 fabulous hours (0bviously you don't have to stay that long, we didn't, but, it is on for that long which is awesome!) There were 4 different stations, a crown making craft, a magical wand making station, an area to paint, and a decopague area. It was awesome and T ate it up (no, not literally)

The first thing you see when you walk in is a "gym" of sorts. Tunnels and tents, squishy soft ground underfeet, colorful puffy bean bags, kaleidiscope hula hoops, oragami cranes suspended from the ceiling, an entire wall covered in hanging repurposed DVD's (hence the squinty look on Tristan's face...he was in AWE of the shiny discs)...it was so cool.

There are reading areas spread throughout, an eatery on the 2nd floor (they offer REALLY wholesome foods, nothing processed and they use biodegradable utensils!!!) The kids LOVED their snacks!

The emphasis is on responsible learning, teaching children about recycling, reusing, and living green...it is a quiet undertone throughout the entire museum. All of the crafts are repurposed materials, from the napkin rolls, to the feathers and post it notes. I love this place. I am getting a year pass. For those interested in finding out more, check it out ">HERE

Here are some more priceless pictures of Trinity and some with her friend Tatum....it was a great day!

Kardashian Konfusion....

Ok, who are these Kardashian'? Am I completely out of the loop of all things gossip to not seem to know who in the world these ladies are???