I bombed my test

My test Monday did not go well. I got a 66. That is a D! I am not happy. I have recommitted myself to studying and while I still have a 75 average which is what is needed to pass the course, I have no room for error. I have increased Mason to full time at the GAP program at school. I am studying every available moment I get. I was even looking at my flash cards at stop lights today while picking up both boys from their respective schools. I have a lot of work, reading and memorizing to do. The next material is pharmacology which is intense to say the least. Joe is away for another 3 weeks. That has made it extra difficult for me to find time to study but I am confident I can turn things around.
I have clinical tomorrow at 5:45am so Barclay has the boys spending the night at her house. I have one patient tomorrow. He is 86, just had a cerebral vascular accident (stroke) which has caused him left sided ataxis (problems of coordination). He is also diabetic and has poor vision. I don't know if the diabetes caused the stroke or if the poor eyesight is a result of the stroke. I will learn these things tomorrow when I assess him. Wish me luck. I am happy that he won't be able to see how nervous I am! :) Otherwise, I am enjoying school, my boys and the beautiful weather up here in Northern Idaho.

Tuesday

Joe just left for 4 weeks. That is a huge bummer. The boys cried when they found out. I reminded them that he will be back before they know it. A small white lie. They love their Daddy!

So both boys got haircuts which makes a huge difference in their appearance although Joe and I disagree on the best cut for Talan's hair. The big BIG news is that Mason can ride a bike without training wheels. He is so happy and excited. Joe and I have both taken him on bike rides. It is so fun to be able to go far with him on the bike! Talan loves to ride his bike especially now that we put new training wheels on his bike. His old training wheels got run over. :(

I have my first real clinical this Thursday. I have been assigned one patient. I hope that I do a good job with vitals, assessment etc. It is nerve wracking but this is how we learn best, under pressure and in a real life situation. I am doing quite a bit of research online about paraplegia and spinal shock so that I have a clue what I am walking into on Thursday. Wish me luck!

First Day of Kindergarten

I had my first exam today at school (I got an 84%) so I missed getting to take Mason to his first day of Kindergarten. Joe was fortunate enough to get to do that. :) I will be picking him up in the next half hour but I wanted to post some cute photos of the boys this morning. It is our ritual to take a photo the first day of school. I post later to tell you how it went.

We love our Babysitter Danielle

Yesterday, I had clinical orientation in Spokane from 8am to 5:15pm. My carpool wanted to meet at 6:45am just to make sure we were there on time. We were there by 7:10am! Anyway, Talan spent the night at Barclay's house so that she could take him to school in the morning but she had clients late so she couldn't pick up Talan. His school closes at 5:15pm. So, Danielle volunteered to take the bus to the college, pick up Talan and then take two buses back to my house. :) I was skeptical and warned her Talan would need snacks as he is always hungry immediately. She brought snacks. loved being in the college atmosphere ("lots of cute guys") and Talan loved taking the buses! The bus drops them off at the gas station right near our developments so it was a minimal walk home. I pulled up with Mason just as they were walking up our driveway. Very cool. Then Danielle made us all dinner so I could unwind/study. She walked herself home (as she is staying at her Grandma's which is very close by). She said she had too much fun to get paid. Don't you love it? She is so sweet and strict with the boys. I love it! We took some photos to upload onto her myspace account but I am posting a few here. Happy Friday to us all!

We are getting a visit from the tooth fairy

Mason lost his first tooth! Such a big moment for us. It really feels like a significant milestone. He turned 6 last Friday and starts Kindergarten next week. Wow, time flies. I missed the actual tooth falling out event as I was at school but he showed it to everyone at my Al-Anon meeting tonight and got a lot of attention for it which, is, as we all know what he covets most. Someone donated a $2 bill in the basket tonight so I traded two bucks for it and that is what I am going to put under his pillow. I remember getting a big half dollar coin so this is 400% inflation in just 30 some odd years! LOL

We went boating on Lake Ponderay on Sunday with our neighbors Matt and Keira. Both boys got to drive the boat which was, in their minds, the highlight. :) A wonderful way to enjoy one of the hottest weeks on record up here.

School is progressing. Today we got to try to put on sterile gloves while maintaining a sterile field. Harder than it looks on TV! I have my first exam next Wednesday so I am gearing up for a long weekend of studying. My babysitter Danielle is babysitting all weekend so that I can catch up and do well.

Please keep Joe in your prayers. His step-dad Curt passed away two days ago and, while we knew it was forthcoming, it is still a big shock and loss. A part of Curt died when Susie, Joe's mom, died Christmas Eve 2007 so, in a way, it is a blessing. Hopefully they are reunited in Heaven and enjoying each others company once again. Joe may be going to Anaheim next week to see what he can do to help his step-brothers deal with all the many details left to work out. It is Curt and Susie's wishes to have their ashes scattered together and so that will be an important part of the letting go process. Heavy stuff and nothing that I hope I will not have to deal with for many decades to come. Hawaii in March '10 here we come.

Morning of my first day of school

Mason just threw up all over the sofa so I guess that answers my question as to if he is still feeling sick. He looks pale and dehydrated. He hasn't eaten since Saturday. I have no choice but to send him to daycare. I can't miss my first class at 8am! What a great way to start off my school year! Do I tell the daycare people or not? Dilemma.....

Walter's Farm

We went with my new mom's group to Walter's Farm today for a little peach picking. The boys had a great time. We played in the giant sand box that was filled with dried peas not sand which makes for an amazing tactile experience. We fed goats, a huge joy for Talan. He quickly figured out the coin operated machine dispensing pellets was broken so he fed them to his hearts content! We picnicked there although my boys ate the entire ride up there so they didn't have much food left other than a spare juice box! I did bust out the cup-cakes for everyone in honor of Mason's upcoming birthday. :) We also took a tractor/wagon ride around the farm. The best part of that was that the farm dog joined us on the tractor ride which made the boys squeal with delight. "I like dogs" Talan kept saying. :)

We actually had to go to a different farm to pick peaches which was a new experience for us. Mason pulled down several peaches, bit into them, and then tossed them. No amount of explaining made him understand that this was unacceptable. It was clearly time to end our visit. We paid for a bunch of peaches and then departed. The boys were both asleep before we were on the freeway.

We had an ice cream party on Wednesday with this same group of women. Mason really enjoyed playing with Ethan (6) and his brother Kieren (3). I am getting to know their mother Jessica a little bit as our boys are very similar in age and play together well. I am not sure how much time I will have to spend with this new group of moms but I appreciate that they put the activities on and all I have to do is show up! :)

Talan's big exciting news is that he got some in-line skates at the consignment store (which we hit up after the ice cream party). He is very excited about them as his Daddy has some (Joe skated while we biked on our camping trip). Talan can skate and hold his kitty Luna. Not!

Mason's exciting news is that he has a loose tooth. I think he may lose it by his birthday next week. I can't believe my boy is turning 6 and loosing a tooth! That seems like such a major milestone. Wow!

The boys have been missing Joe this week. I have never heard them ask for him so many times in a week. When they get hurt, they want their Daddy. "Daddy will make me feel better" Mason will frequently say. I offer for them to call Joe but they decline. :( I think that our month together has a family on vacation made them used to Joe being around. Fortunately there are only 7 more races this year. Yippee!