Yard Sales

One of my most favorite things to do during the summer is to go to Yard Sales. I know most people look at it as buying someone junk, but if you hit the right ones you can really find some great stuff. This year I set off on my Yard Sale quest to try and find Tyson a larger bike. His is way too small for him but I really didn't want to have to go to the store and spend 100$ for another bike that would only last him a year or two.
This year Jeff actually promised me that if he had nothing else to do, (sleep, watch TV or find just about anything else to keep him busy) he would actually get up early and go to a few Yard Sales with me. The first few weekends we went, we really didn't find much of anything. Tyson found a few toys he liked, but nothing really big. The third weekend I drug Jeff out of bed to go, he was less then excited. He has even turned my yard sailing loving Tyson into a hater. When I woke Tyson up to get ready he told me "You know you can always go by yourself." After a few moments of convincing them that they really would love to go with me, they finally got ready and we headed out. The first few again were nothing we wanted, but then at last we found one that had just what I was looking for. A new bike for Tyson!!! It had some rust on it, the seat was ripped and one of the tires was broken, but I knew with some spray paint, a new seat and a little work it would look great, so for 10$ Tyson got his new bike! We also managed to pick up a really cute doll for my nieces to play with when they come up, along with another elephant for Tyson's room, all for around 12$. Here are some before and after pics. of his new big boy bike.





As you can see Tyson is very happy with his new bike!!

The next weekend, while Jeff was conveniently at work, Tyson and I decided to go to a few Yard Sales on our own. Most of them were again a flop, but at one I managed to get Tyson a new Jon Deer riding tractor and a new turtle night light, all for 7$ The tractor also needed a little work but with the help of my dad it is now one of Tyson's favorite toys. I will post photos of Tyson's new tractor soon.


Hopefully now both Jeff and Tyson will go willingly with me to any and all Yard Sales of my choosing. (I really doubt it though)

Project Kermit.......

Project relocate Kermit was a little project of mine to remove and relocate 3 very loud and annoying tree frogs from Tyson's pool. The first few days after they showed up I actually enjoyed listening to them chirp, croke, sing or what ever you want to call the noise they make. Anyway by around day 3 of them being directly outside of my bedroom window, I decided enough was enough and they had to go. The first night I decided they would be better off singing at Jerry Pond rather then my backyard, I managed to catch this little guy. He was sitting on the side of Tyson's pool and was more interested in what I am guessing was his soon to be girlfriend sitting across from him to even notice me.



I was able to catch him quite easily and put him in a box (yes with wholes) and wait for my Mom to help hold him until we got to Jerry Pond. There he was able to find a nice new home right next to the water and a lovely row of trees.

The second one was nabbed the next day, with the help of Tyson. Thankfully it was rainy and cold so he was in no mood to hop away and went into the box quite nicely. Because Tyson was actually awake for this one, he had to bring it inside to play with for a bit before we could bring him/her to Jerry Pond to join it's friend.





Once Tyson finally decided he was ready to go to his new home, we got in my mom's car and drove him down. I decided since my mom had helped move the first one, she should be there for the relocation of the rest that followed.


Tyson holding onto him nice and tight for the ride.

Once we arrived at Jerry Pond, Tyson took it upon himself to make sure the little frog found his way safely up a tree. I am sure the "help" from Tyson into said tree was way more tramatic for the little frog then the move itself.







Sadly I have no photos of the 3rd and finally frog to make it's way from my backyard to it's new relocated home. I am sure just by his large size that he/she was most likely the source of the majority of the noise. Anyway I am happy to report that as of now there are no frogs keeping me up all night.

(No frogs were harmed in the Kermit Relocation Program)

Baby teeth.

I was shocked a last month when I found that Tyson had two loose teeth. Because I have never heard of a 4 year old loosing baby teeth, I made a dentist appointment for him for the very next day. I though that he must have hit his mouth playing and never told me. The next day his dentist decided it would be a good idea to take a full round of x-rays to determine if his roots were dissolved or if his teeth were loose due to an injury. When the x-rays came back I was completely taken back when we saw that not only were his two bottom teeth loose because the roots were almost gone, but so were 4 other teeth. All four on the bottom along with his two top teeth are all ready to come out. When I asked his dentist if this was going to be a problem because of his young age I was reassured that it was completely normal. Because Tyson had cut his teeth so early on (three teeth at 3 months old) they would fall out early as well. I told the dentist that I was not ready for my baby to start loosing his teeth and she laughed and informed me that it would not cause him to graduate High School and leave home any sooner. True as this was, it's still I'm still sad to see him growing up so fast.
Tyson lost his first tooth (bottom left) on May 17th. We were sitting on the chair watching The Backyardardigans when I noticed his tooth was ready to come out. I told him that it was bleeding a tiny bit and that I was going to hold a piece of paper towel on it. While he was watching his cartoon, I slowly pulled his tooth forward until It finally popped right out. Tyson had no idea that I had even pulled his tooth until I finally held it up to show him. He was so excited and immediately wanted to call his Daddy. He was at school working when I pulled his tooth. For some reason the wiggling and loosing of teeth really makes Daddy squeamish so I guess that's another job left up to me, not that I mind at all. As soon as we got off the phone with Daddy, Tyson started begging me to walk down to his Nannie and Papa's house to show them. So at 8:00 I snuggled him up in this stroller and off we went. He was so cute trying to smile to get them to notice that his tooth was gone. They were both very excited for him, along with a little sad that he was already loosing his baby teeth. That night when we got home he was very excited about putting his little "treasure" under his pillow for the tooth fairy to come. He had so many ideas as to what she would bring him. At 5:45am, Tyson came running into our room to show me what the tooth fairy had left for him. Daddy was already at work so he got a nice phone call before classes started. The tooth fairy left Tyson 4 dollars and two cars. I told him that because this was his first tooth, the gift that she left would be a bit bigger then it will be for any future teeth lost. He was still very excited and said that he could not wait to loose more teeth. Little did I know how short of a wait that would be.

On June 7th, again while watching cartoons, Tyson lost his second baby tooth (bottom right). This time I used a washcloth to get a better hold on his tiny tooth. Even though this one came out a little bit harder then the first, he still had no idea that I had pulled it. When I held this one up he was a little more surprised to see his tooth in my hand. Although this one bleed a bit more, he didn't seem to mind at all. That night he slept in my bed and we forgot to leave his tooth under his pillow. He was so funny when he woke up and looked for his surprise. He told me that the tooth fairy must not have been able to find him since he was in my room. So last night we put him to bed in his own room and checked multiple times that his tooth was safely tucked under his pillow. This time Daddy helped me to make the exchange while he slept. It was a good thing he was there because he started to wake up. Finally I went to bed, expecting another early morning with him coming in to show me what the fairy had left him. We never even made it until morning, Tyson decided to wake up a 3am to see if she had already snuck into his room. Sure enough she had and this time she left him 2$ and a little light up glow stick ball. Thankfully I always have little treats hidden away in a closet for such occasions.

So now the wait is on for the other 4 loose teeth to decide when it is there time to come out. Poor kid is not going to have any teeth at all to eat with. Looks like not corn on the cob for him this summer.


With all his Baby Teeth.


Right After he lost his first tooth.


Happy his tooth is safe under his pillow.


Right after he lost his 2nd tooth.

Godzilla!!!

The more I think about what it will be like living in South Korea, the more I realize just how much I am going to stand out. The average height of a Korean women is less then 5 feet, I am 6 feet tall. Their average jean size is a 0 I am, haha like I was actually going to tell you, but lets just say it's not a 0. So this is kind of how I am feeling right now. Hopefully if I work my butt off before December I can slim down to more Mothra size before arriving in skinny land.

Daegu South Korea

I know many of you have already heard, Jeff was offered a job through the Lee Academy in Lincoln to teach in Daegu(Taegu) South Korea for the next year. I will admit when he first came home and told me, I never actually though it would happen. In order for him to accept this job he would first have to be told that his current job, that we both love, would be getting cut. We have been put on tiptoes every year since he started teaching French at the high school so this latest talk of a pink slip came as no surprise. However every year things worked out for the best and he was guaranteed a job for another year. We found out last night this would not be the case. The school bored told him that he will earthier be cut down to half time, that includes half pay, or his job would be lost altogether due to the budget cuts. To my shock it looks like Daegu might be our only option for keeping our house. It is strange to think that we have to move around the world to pay our mortgage her in the US. It really makes me appreciate everything that we have had while living here.
I don't want people to think that I am naive about what we are about to do. I have painstakingly written ever possibility out on paper many times. The risks, my fears, how this will change not only our lives but more importantly Tyson's. We are about to take him away from everything he knows, everyone he loves and move him around the world. I keep telling myself that we can not do this to him, that he will miss his family, his friends, his home too much. That his doctors are hear, if he needs new or different medication for his headaches, it is an hours ride to his neurologist. That if he or any of us gets sick will we get the same treatment that we would here and how will we get insurance to cover any unexpected medical bills while there. Will he be able to adjust to eating new food, drinking different water, breathing different air. Will he be scared not having everyone look just like him, speak the same language or wearing the same clothes. How could we take him away from his Nannie and Papa, his cat Thomas his soon to be new kitten Carmen. If we go can we even find someone to watch his cats, do we take them with us, do we have to tell him that Carmen will have to go to a different home.
Those are just a few of the things that keep me awake at night. Some of the other things are the idea of exposing him to new culture, new foods, new people and a new way of life. I keep asking myself when in our lives will we ever be able to give him this opportunity again. When will we ever live in a place that going to the Great Wall of China for the weekend is a possibility.
I found an add in one of my parenting magazines for a Little Passport adventure kit and ordered it right away for Tyson. I loved that once a month he would receive a package in the mail from Sophia and Sam, the two children going on the adventure, with information, photos and a small gift from a different country. I though this would be my best way to expose him to different countries and cultures and now we have the opportunity to take him to some of these places instead of just reading about them. We can take him to see a Buddhist temples, he can experience Chinese New Year in CHINA! He can go to some of the Korean fish markets and see where his food comes from. He can ride the bullet train to Seoul or Busan, get a pedicure by tiny fish, go to the center of town and get a free hug. Our apartment would be completely paid for from August 2010 to August 2011 even though we can come back home as early as June. To think that we could use the summer to travel to different places and just go sight seeing seems to outweigh any inconvenience. As far as Tyson's medical issues, the school he would be attending (with a 30,000$ scholarship) is all English speaking and can find us and English pediatrician. There is a state of the art hospital a few miles away, not to mention the largest hospital in the country only an hour away in Seoul. Of course we would make an appointment with Tyson's doctors here to discuss everything with them long before we would go, but I think he would agree this is an amazing opportunity for all of us. I know there are a million more things to work out before we would leave, but so far I can not find anything that would force us not to go. So for now there will be more long talks and late nights until the final papers are signed. Please wish us luck and pray that God shows us the path we should take.

Tyson's EEG

Tomorrow is Tyson's EEG and repeat EKG. I pray that we are finally able to get some answers as to what might be causing his headaches. We have prepared him for the test as much as possible and I really think he will do great. Having to keep him sleep deprived will be another story. In order to do the tests, Tyson has to be very tired. He is only going to be able to sleep from 12am to 4am with no nap today. I am sure that I will be able to keep him up at home with movies, walks and playing outside but the drive to Bangor is going to be a bit more difficult. Tyson almost always falls asleep in the car and the hour it is going to take us to get to Bangor is going to be hard. Thank goodness my father is going to go with us to keep him awake while I drive.

Happy Easter

I have to say that this year has been the best Easter by far since having Tyson. Not that he was not fun when he was three, but this year he was able to understand more what Easter is all about. We talked a lot about Jesus and how important this day is for everyone who has faith. It was not easy trying to explain to a four year old that even though Jesus did rise from the dead, he was not alive like we are. I don't want him to think that if someone he knows should ever die, they would not be able to come back to life. He understands that Jesus died for us and three days later he came out to show people that he was still here and would keep on living in heaven with his father and the angels. That we must thank him for the gift he gave us and that when we believe in him and thank him we too can live in heaven someday. I was surprised when he asked me why the Easter bunny comes to our house to hide eggs and how that makes us think of Jesus. I told him that the Easter bunny has nothing to do with Jesus and that we need to remember this day is about him. That the joy we get from finding the eggs and getting the gifts should remind us of the joy of having him in our hearts and knowing everything he has done for us. I told him it is a lot like Christmas when we exchange gifts to remember the gifts given to baby Jesus and the gift he gave to us. He seemed very happy with this explanation, at least for the time being.
As for him finding his eggs, all 130 of them, he was amazing. There are only about 6 left now that he has yet to discover in their hiding spots. I did not start off thinking I would stuff so many for him, but we had a lot of little cars, trucks and helicopters that we bought for him for Christmas and forgot about. The larger eggs we have collected over the years were perfect for hiding these special goodies. We also hid money, this year 30$ in quarters that will go right into his college fund. We started this tradition his first year and as much fun as he has with it, we know it is another way of making sure we are adding a little extra in his account whenever we can.
This year with the weather being so wonderful and the snow being gone, we were able to hide eggs and his two big gifts outside. As he was running around finding eggs in the grass and trees he found a new bubble blower and a pink T-ball set. I really hope that we will be able to do the outside hunt again next year because it was such a big hit.
With all the excitement we realized soon enough that Tyson was in much need for a nap, so down he went followed close by daddy. I stayed up trying to get the house clean again and to enjoying the little quiet. As soon as he woke up it was off to the playground to try out the new T-ball. I am sure he will be the only little boy around here with a bright pink bat, but he loved it. He managed to get in a few great hits before daddy tried a few pitches. So far he can throw a lot better then he can hit but I am sure he will get better with practice. After a stop over to the playground for some more fun we had to go home to start our Easter dinner. After everything was in the oven Tyson and I ran to Jerry Pond for a little more fun in the sun. Trying to keep him out of the water was a bit harder then expected so we went back home to play in the yard and clean out the car, not that I needed an excuse to stay out and enjoy the weather. After a wonderful dinner with just the three of us it was time to get ready for bed. Tyson and I went for a quick drive while Jeff finished up a paper for school. By the time we got home and jumped in for a quick bath, Tyson was more then ready to fall asleep.
Even though my parents were not with us for the first time and we missed them, it was wonderful spending the day together. I am happy for my sister and her family that they were able to spend today with my mom and dad and share their time together. I know it's hard on my sister to live so far away and not be able to spend every holiday with her family without having to pack up everyone and drive the 6 hours home, so I am sure it was nice to have them travel down to see her. Hopefully they enjoy the rest of their time together before my parents have to come home.
I hope everyone's Easter, Passover was just as wonderful as ours. Hopefully everyone remembers why we celebrate this day and that it is not about the candy or bunnies. That it is about family, faith and the gift of forgiveness through Jesus.

Loose Teeth

My niece Olivia lost another baby tooth tonight and when I was trying to show Tyson what tooth had fallen out, I noticed that his two lower baby teeth were loose. I have never heard of a child his age loosing baby teeth so I immediately got a bit nervous. I asked him if he had fallen and bumped his teeth but he assured me he had not. So off to the somewhat trusty Internet to find out if this was normal or we should be worried. To my surprise it is not unheard of for children his age to start loosing their baby teeth. As long as it is in the right order, lower front then upper front, it is nothing to really be stressed over. Many of the articles that I read said that children who cut their teeth earlier then 4 to 7 months can also loose their teeth earlier then normal. Tyson had 3 baby teeth when he was only 3 months old. We are still going to make an appointment to see a dentist just to make sure there not coming too early, but I think my little baby is going to grow up faster then I am ready for. The loss of baby teeth, at least in my eyes, is a very big deal. To me it signifies the last thing that kept him my little boy and thrusts him into being this big kid. I know this stage has to happen but I really though I had a few more years. I am not ready to see him grow up so fast. I truly believe it is harder because right now he is my only child and I want him to stay my baby. I am afraid that not long after this he will stop wanting to cuddle and want to be off playing with his friends more. That he will be reaching that "oh my parents are so annoying" stage before I know it. We truly only have a limited amount of time where we as parents are the center of their world. Where they want to play with us, cuddle and learn what we have to teach them. While I am thankful that he is growing into an independent child, it still makes me sad to know that he is growing up. I just hope I can be as brave as my little boy is so we can both get through this.

Tyson's neurologist appointment

The day after we got back from Florida Tyson had to go to Bangor to see the neurologist. We had been waiting for this appointment for over three months and were happy to finally get in. After asking the same list of questions as our pediatrician and a quick Nero exam, she decided that it was time to take him off the Cypro and put him on a new medication to try and manage his headaches better. She told us that the new medication can cause heart arrhythmia's so he would have to have an EKG and blood work to make sure there were no underlying heart conditions. After talking to us about some of the causes of childhood migraines she also ordered an EEG to test for seizures, there is a type of epilepsy that presents only as headaches instead of the normal tremors. She also ordered a sleep study to see if he is having any apnea spells that leave him unrested during the day. Because we were already in Bangor we decided to go ahead and have his blood work and EKG done that afternoon. Although the blood work did not go so well, mostly because the nurse missed his veins and had to poke him in both arms, but the EKG went wonderfully. Getting his EKG

This past month has been spent slowly weening him off of the cypro in preparations of the EEG and other tests. Once we get the results from those we may or may not start him on the amitriptyline. I am not thrilled with the idea of giving him an antidepressant, but I have been told by both the neurologist and his pediatrician that in low doses it can be an effective treatment for migraines. His EEG has been scheduled for April 8th and his sleep study for late May so hopefully we will have more answers soon. Until then we are trying to control his pain with Tyenol, Ibuprofen and Immatrex. I just wish we could finally treat the problem instead of the symptom. The idea of keeping him medicated until he grows out of them, sometime in his 20s, does not thrill me. I want him to be able to live without side effects from something that is suppose to be helping. While I am grateful that we are not dealing with a more serious illness, I still hate seeing him in pain.

Florida

I realize that it is almost April and I have not written anything since February so I am finally forcing myself to find the time to sit down and update everyone. So even though it is almost a month later, here is our trip to Florida.

After almost a 32 hour drive we finally made it to Florida. Because of a bad snow storm from Washington to North Carolina our drive was extended almost 6 hours. We were all in a great deal of discomfort after being crammed into such a small space for so long, not to mention completely exhausted. So our first night consisted of us checking into our hotel then going to get something to eat. My mom and Jeff really wanted to find a Golden Coral so off we went. Of course it would only be fitting for the one right around the corner to be closed for that night, but we managed to plug the address into the GPS and soon were sitting down to our first real meal in 2 days. After some much needed food and stretching it was off to the hotel to get some sleep. We said goodnight to my parents and tried to get ready to sleep when there was a knock on the door. Someone had come in to look at the heater/AC unit because it was not working. After about 20 minuets he pulled the entire unit out of the wall and said we would have to change rooms because this one was unsafe. So we packed up everything again and moved a few doors down. By this time we were so tired we didn't care where we went. We got Tyson settled down and were all asleep within the hour. The next morning we decided to go to a few flea markets to walk around then we went to Old Town so Tyson could go on a few rides. The place was pretty dead so he did not have to wait in any lines. Before we left I let him play one of those water games and he won a giant pink ball. That turned out to provide MANY hours of fun at the hotel and even helped him make a few friends on our floor.










The next day we decided to check out a few more flea markets along with walk along International Drive to check out the attractions. We walked over to the alligator golf course and found out that they usually had a demonstration with the alligators but because it was so chilly they decided the gators would not be in the mood. Somehow Tyson with his unique charm and millions of questions the guy decided to do the show just for him anyway. At the end of the show he even got to sit on a live gator. He was not scared a bit, just like sitting on a pony. Right before doing the trick with the guys chin on the gator's mouth he tried to make it a little more exciting by saying he had not tried it before and he was scared, so Tyson yelled to him "you don't have to do it if your scared". He told us later in the 5 years since he started doing it, Tyson was the only one to ever tell him he didn't have to do it. So cute!!!


The next day Jeff really wanted to go to the Spaghetti House, a restaurant he found online that serves a 15 layer lasagna, So we drove all the way to Tampa to go. Before heading over to the restaurant for supper we decided to hit yet another flea market along with the going to the beach. The flea market was kind of a bore so off to the beach. There Tyson got to run around collecting more shells then I know what to do with along with feeding the birds. He was a bit scared by the birds coming so close but he had a blast. He was not happy when we ran out of food for them.



After fattening up the birds he decided he wanted to go swimming, I tried to tell him it was cold but once a 4 year old has something in their head they are determined to do it. So off with the shoes and socks for about a 4 second run into the waves. After he decided on his own that it really was too cold he talked Papa into bringing him back to a playground he spotted by the parking lot. While he was off having fun, my mom, Jeff and I all walked along the beach for a bit longer before heading out to get Jeff his lasagna he had talked so long about. After what seemed like an hours drive we finally pulled up to this old brick building that did not look anything like a restaurant. In fact we had driven to the middle of no where on a one way street and I was a bit scared to even get out of the truck. After we finally saw a few people coming out with left over containers we made our way to the door. To my surprise it was a really nice place and packed full! After we sat down we got our menu's but we all knew what we had to order, the famous 15 layer lasagna. The waitress came over and to our complete anger Jeff decides to go with some chicken dish! I could not believe we had driven all the way from Maine hearing the entire time about this darn lasagna and he orders chicken! Needless to say we all gave him a hard enough time that when the waitress came around again he changed his order. Even though it turned out the lasagna was only about 5 layers, it was still really good. After that it was back to the hotel and some more sight seeing on International Drive. Tyson wanted to go see the giant sling shot ride that was right across from our hotel and while there we found a few rides for him to go on. He had so much fun on the trampoline and asked if we could get one for his house. At least I would know where he was during the day.


One of the best flea markets that we were able to go to had a little extra surprise for Tyson. An Elephant named Dondie has been a big attraction at the market for many years. At first I felt really bad for the poor elephant, he seemed to have only a little room to roam but I later found out that he actually lives on a huge farm. I always feel sad when I see animals being used for amusement but he was a rescue and his owners have loved him for over 30 years. They wanted to get Dondie a friend but because he has too much aggression towards other elephants, he has two miniature ponies that he loves. His owners even travel the country with him including a prison where his owners minister to the inmates. He said nothing gets men to Church faster then an elephant in the yard.

Out of all the fun things we were able to do while in Florida I have to say the helicopter ride was defiantly the most amazing. Tyson had watched the helicopters flying over the hotel and around Florida every day since we got there. He asked what they were doing and we told him you could pay to go on a ride. So after much begging my mom and I decided we would be brave enough to venture to the air with him. He was so funny the day we decided to go, he was not scared in the least. In fact he acted as though it was something he did every day. Even when we took off and hit a bit of turbulence he just sat there cool as could be. My mom and I were grabbing everything we could hold onto, but he was in love. We let him sit in the front so he could have the best view and he spent the entire ride looking around and talking to the pilot. He was so funny, he was comparing BoBo's with the pilot almost the entire ride. When we got ready to land I was praying that we would get on the ground safe and sound, Tyson was upset because we could not go longer. Here are some photos from our amazing ride.Here we are safe on the ground. Mom and I look scared because the blades were still spinning.


Us taking off......

Unfortunately Tyson's headaches did not improve at all while we were there and on the way home he had the worst migraine to date. Hopefully we will get some answers soon, but I think us getting away was truly the best thing for him and us. It has been such a long road and so far there is no end in sight but I am thankful for the time we got to spend as a family and even though his there was no change in his headaches, at least he got a chance to have fun and have two weeks where he didn't have to worry about doctors, needles and tests.