School Starts

On Thursday, August 18, Ezekiel began his first day of school at FACS in K-4. He did great, of course, and has enjoyed being with others.

On Thursday, August 25, Malachi began his first day of school at C.A. Furr Elem. in 1st grade. He, also, did very well, but we have had some bumps in the road since then. He is a great child who struggles with the changes of life.

There is no picture of Malachi in the classroom because he walked into his class all by himself after getting out of the car!

Dear Malachi,

Today, you finally turned 6 years old! I say finally because being in a public school, you barely missed the cut off for starting kindergarten last August. So, most of your friends have been 6 for at least 6 months, now. AND the fact that we had your birthday party a week early to try to get some of your school friends to make it. We knew going into it that you would be a "young one." At times, you were proving our fears right. At times, you proved us wrong :) You have always been a child who HATED change. You have also seemed to have developed strong "fears" that only come out at certain times. However, this past year was a HUGE success for you!

You survived kindergarten & kindergarten survived you. You started out the year crying and crying and not wanting to go to school. The AP at your school literally had to climb in my car and drag you out (only for a few days). Then, you gladly did it on your own and had a great attitude! You had so much change to deal with the first few months of school. Your little brother went into the ICU for the second week of school. One of your grandfathers passed away in September, and you had to miss a whole week of school to travel back to NC. Then in October, Z went back into the hospital for another week. You would think it wouldn't bother you too much, but, again, things were different, and you don't like change.

Around that time your teacher, Mrs. Pattie, went on extended maternity leave, and she was concerned that you would not be able to read or "get your act together." Mrs. Lam took over. When Mrs. Pattie returned, she was pleasantly surprised to see that you were doing well reading and had adjusted to kindergarten quite well! Your reading skills were right on target (average) for your class. You excelled in math and earned on level on most things. You were even Excellent in things like science and social studies! Your behavior was on green everyday minus about 3 days, for the whole 2 semester. You are sooooo smart! I mean it, because most kids can't fully "catch up" after being behind in reading skills. Trust me. I know. I taught middle schoolers who couldn't read much better than you :(

So, needless to say, you finished kindergarten on level and with great behavior! I think Florida might be a little advanced from other states, which might put you at the head of your class elsewhere :) Even if you are still just "on level," your dad and I are so proud of you! To be one of the youngest kids in your class and succeed like you did, it something truly amazing.

From Christmas until the 4th of July, you grew about a whole inch! Your body has gone through a great growth spurt in the past few months. I could tell by the way you looked, how short your shorts were getting, and how tight your shoes were getting. You wore the same pair of tennis shoes all school year! I let you throw them away the next-to-last day of school. You never complained about them hurting your feet until then, and there was no way those shoes would be worn by Z. You wore them out! I was so thankful! You also got to throw your Mario lunchbox and Lightning McQueen bookbag away after the last day of kindergarten. Those could not be re-used either! You got your money's worth out of those :)

It's still surreal to me that I will have a young man starting 1st grade in a month and a half. You don't want to go to 1st grade, though. It's not because you don't like school, because you LOVE it. It's because you don't like change and would like to do kindergarten over again :)

Sometimes I wonder about your fits that seem to come from deep-down fears. I don't know where the fears come from and why they are so intense, but I realize that we just have to work through it. You are an awesome kid! I wouldn't trade you in for anyone else, and I try hard not to compare you to your brother. You are smart, incredibly handsome, and a people-pleaser. I guess I can claim all of those traits as coming from me, but your dad has most of those traits, too.

One other bragging point that I have to bring up is how you were able to share about Jesus with your friends in public school. I know you were only 5, but for you to tell your friends that Easter was not about a bunny but about Jesus is amazing! There were other things, too. Your Daddy got to lead you in a prayer of salvation in the car, on the way home from school around Easter time. I'm so proud to know that you are a light in a dark world! Don't ever be ashamed of Jesus! He paid the ultimate price for you to live this abundant life.

I can't believe that you are 6! I can't believe that you "graduated" kindergarten. You are my firstborn child. I am so thankful that God blessed us with you! I love how you love going to church! I love how you are truly your Daddy's buddy and will still crawl up in his lap now. I can't wait to see what you and your dad can dream up to build with all those new legos!

I love you, Malachi James, with all my heart. You are a true gift from God! What a blessing you are to our family and to this earth!

-Your Momma

Cow Appreciaton Day at Chick-fil-A

Today was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-fil-A. The boys got free kid's meals for their outfits. Daniel, Grammy, & I got a free entree (sandwich/salad) for wearing the iconic "Eat Mor Chikin" signs. It was fun!

The Back is Back

A little over 2 weeks ago, on Father's Day, Daniel and I were rolling up and moving the inflatable slide that we used the day before for Malachi's birthday party. I'm a lot heavier than I used to be and should be and have been so stressed/tired that I haven't been very active lately. So, needless to say, I strained several back muscles. At first they were concerned about a herniated disc, but we found out a few days later that it was just muscles. It is the worst pain that I have ever experienced. Every time I moved, it hurt. At times, it was hard to walk or even get to the toilet. I'm thankful that my husband was around to take me to all the appointments. He said that he was "driving Ms. Daisy."

It hurt to sit up. The only thing that didn't hurt too much was laying on my back. Monday, I didn't do much and thought the pain would go away. When it didn't go away by Tuesday, Daniel took me to a chiropractor. He suggested I go to the doctor and get pain meds. That was the best suggestion of the week! So, after spending an hour at the chiro, we got lunch. I hurt too much to eat, so it was just the boys eating. Then, we went to the dr., who gave me 2 shots, one was for pain, the other a steroid to decrease the inflammation. I left with 3 prescriptions (vicotin for pain, prednisone steroid, and a muscle relaxer). I felt MUCH better after the 2 shots. We, then, went to the chiro, again, and let him do some more therapy on me. It still hurt a lot to sit up, but I was dramatically better.

Wednesday I went to the chiro for therapy and tried to rest and sleep (thanks to the meds). Still in a lot of pain. It was also our anniversary. We made it to Moe's for lunch, but that was still hard for me to sit through.

Thursday, I made it to the chiro, again, and this time he felt comfortable in adjusting me. It made me more sore, but it helped more in the long run. That evening I felt up to doing a "sit down" restaurant. So, we took our family of 4 to Texas Roadhouse.

Friday morning came, and I was feeling much better. Went for another adjustment and therapy at the chiro. I still had to ice my back and rest a lot, but I was feeling like I could move a little without pain. Friday evening I took the last dose of meds. Saturday morning, we decided that Daniel would go and be a counselor at the SC district kids' camp with our friends from Beaufort. So, it suddenly became busy. We had to start packing. We took the boys to see Cars 2 at 2pm. We had an hour drive to church at 5pm. After getting home from church, at around 7:15pm, Daniel cooked dinner and mowed the yard. We packed up a little bit and went to bed.

Sunday morning rolled around. We feverishly packed whatever we would need for the next 2 weeks. After driving to Beaufort that afternoon/evening, we stayed with our friends. Monday morning they headed out early to camp. The boys and I were on our way to NC for the next two weeks. I had 4 hours to drive on my own. My back was ok until the last hour when we got into Charlotte. When I had to keep moving my foot back and forth from the gas to the break, it caused a lot of pain in my lower back. Thankfully, the boys were well-behaved. I didn't make it to the chiro that day.

Tuesday afternoon, I painfully made it to our favorite chiro, Dr. Love. He was able to adjust me, and I began to feel TONS better. I went twice to Dr. Love on Wednesday and once on Thursday. Each visit, I felt better and better. Now, I am just trying to move carefully and not strain the muscles and ice my lower back several times a day. I'm thankful that I can move, again, without any pain. It took about 2 weeks, and I still need to ice it, but I am thankful for getting somewhat back to normal.

...and that I picked Daniel up on Friday, July 1st, to help me and be with me. I miss him when he's gone.

Hinson Great-Grandchildren

Daniel's side of the family is a different H. It was nice to get some pictures of all 5 of them together today. In order from left to right, our boys (Ezekiel - 4 years & Malachi - 1 week shy of 6 years), Chris and Miranda's son (Bryson - 8 months), Nathan & Felicia's girls (Ivey - 2 years & Aubri - 4 years). Ezekiel is 2 weeks older than Aubri. So, they are definitely the closest in age.

Thanksgiving 2010 was the first picture of all the 5 grandkids together! From left to right, Ezekiel (3 years), Malachi (5 years), Bryson (3 weeks), Aubri (3 years), & Ivey (17 months).

Fun with Grammy

The boys enjoyed making cookies with Grammy while Mommy iced her back and rested. I don't think the mix was that great, but they had a blast helping.

Later on the boys helped pick up sticks and take them out to the road. They got eaten up by mosquitoes in the process :-/

Reading with Grammy

One of Malachi & Ezekiel's favorite thing to do while in NC is to have Grammy read books to them. Yesterday was no different. Usually they choose Berenstain Bear books (their Momma's favorites growing up), but since we took most of those books with us to Florida, they chose some Disney books from their Mom's and Uncle's childhood. I'm thankful for the break from reading Berenstain books and from reading them books in general, and Grammy eats it up!

June 19, 2011

Malachi & Ezekiel showing off Malachi's birthday toys - Special Agent Oso & Iron Man plane

Malachi's Birthday Party

For Malachi's 6th birthday we wanted a Lego birthday party with the water slide with his school friends. Since his birthday is in the middle of the summer, we decided to do it 3 weeks early to try to get some of his school friends to come. He ended up with 2 school friends, and 2 church friends. It was a blast! I know he wanted a few more friends to come, but he sure did have a great time and got plenty of Legos!!!

Spring Break at Myrtle Beach with Grammy & Grandpa

It was still a little cold at the beach in late April/early May, but they have 2 indoor pools. It didn't deter the boys' love for swimming at all. They love that Grandpa will get in and play with them!

Palm Sunday/Easter

At the Crossing Church in Brandon, Malachi enjoyed making a cross, and Ezekiel colored palm leaves for Palm Sunday Easter celebrations. Malachi went to his friends at his public school and told them that week that Easter was not about a bunny, but its about Jesus! So proud of that little dude! He loves church and shares his beliefs!!!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

For Daniel's birthday, we went to opening night for the Tampa Yankees. The Yanks won, there were discounted tickets and drinks, while there, and fireworks right after the game. Fun was had by all :)

The boys' first airplane ride

In March, we visited for an extended weekend in Houston, Texas. We thought they might be our new home and church, but God had other plans. We did, however, have the opportunity to take the boys on their first airplane ride and made a few friends out there. Our first flight out (of Tampa) got delayed, so the boys got to play in the airport play area. It was a nice way to get them excited.

Let's start with Z's birthday - Feb.21

Since Ezekiel didn't have a lot of close friends, we invited a family to meet us at Chuck E. Cheese for a little time to play and celebrate. Daniel met me at school, after I got off work with the boys, and we went to celebrate. I made Z's Special Agent Oso cake. I know. I'm the next Ace of Cakes :) At least Z had a fun time turning 4. He did say, though, that he didn't get a whole lot of presents (since he only had 1 to actually open). We got him a bike, and he picked out a few things with birthday money :)

Family Pictures

Today, our lovely sister-in-law took some family pictures for us. They turned out great! We were blessed to be able to spend almost 2 weeks in NC with family for Christmas. We were also blessed to spend lots of time with Josh, Erin and their 3 kids! They have been having a blast! Here is a teaser.

Back to "Normal"

Well the last post was Z's first hospital visit. Since then, Daniel's step-dad suddenly passed away. Ezekiel stopped walking well. Z had a second hospital visit, and Daniel is now searching for another job. The latter hasn't been too publicized. I'll explain more on that after he gets another job.

Something happened, and Z can no longer run or walk correctly. His left leg has almost no muscle. His right leg is stronger than I've ever seen from a 3 year old. He had another severe asthma attack in October. We thought we were capable of keeping it away, but we weren't. Now, he gets allergy medicine everyday. He gets 2 medicines daily via nebulizer. If the coughing is more than just a little, we have another medicine to give him. So far, we've been able to keep the asthma under control since then.

Finances are super-tight, especially since we are living off of one salary. The doctor & hospital bills are piling up, but God is so good! We trust him completely. He is taking care of us, and the mountain tops will come.

The madness that was the the HOSPITAL

Two weekends ago, Malachi started to feel bad and was getting a cold. Ezekiel got the cold the next day, then Daddy, then me. When Z gets a cold, his asthma flares; so we start to do breathing treatments to try to keep it under control. This was only the 2nd time that he had been sick since his surgery in April. The firs time, we were able to keep it under control with about 2 days of strict treatments. This time didn't seem any different. On Monday (2nd week of school), I took Malachi to school (since he didn't have a fever), and Daniel and Z stayed home b/c they were both pretty puny from the colds. They both were able to rest ad seemed a little better. Tuesday morning, Malachi had a dentist appointment to take care of 2 fillings (of the 5 cavities). Since I had already planned to be late for work, I decided I would take Z and then take him to the doc after the dentist visit for Malachi. We left the dentist at about 9:30am. Z wasn't feeling well and having a more difficult time breathing than a few min. before, but I thought he would be ok for about 30 minutes. I drove Malachi to school. When I took Malachi into the school office, Z was really pale and threw up in the office. He had been screaming in the car. It was about 10 more min. to the doc.

When we got there, I paid my money and asked if he could be taken to a room for a breathing treatment. He had been asking for one, and I knew he was due soon.As soon as she saw him, she rushed him back to the room and was starting to fuss at me for waiting so long. Really, woman, he hadn't been like that for long, and he'd never gotten pale like that before with an asthma attack. They pulled his doc out of the room that he was working in. They ordered him a breathing treatment quickly and called for an ambulance! I wasn't sure that they were really doing that until the paramedics showed up. His blood oxygen level had dropped to the low 80s. It's supposed to be 98-100. 95 is ok for a child having an asthma attack. Low 80s are not!So, Z and I got our first ambulance ride! Found out later, it was the first time the dr. office had to call for an ambulance, too.

Anywhoo, they didn't turn on the lights or siren, but we were heading to the ER with oxygen running into Z to keep him stable. If he didn't have a treatment or oxygen running his blood-ox level would immediately drop. I called Daniel and my work on the way. Since, I was planning on coming in for the 2nd half of my day, they had to get teachers to cover the last 3 classes. Daniel was quite upset (as I was when the tables were turned) and had to stop for gas but arrived at the hospital about the same time as we did int he ambulance. They monitored him from about 11:15 to 2:15, when he was released. He shouldn't have been, but he was doing some better. They gave him a steroid shot and sent me home with more prescriptions for stuff we had at home. Daniel dropped me off at the dr. office to get my car, and I went in to talk to the dr. I made an appt. for Z the next morning at 8am.
He didn't sleep well that night. We had to do treatments throughout the night and his breathing was really labored. I went into worked exhausted that morning and let Daniel take Z, thinking that he would be fine. Right as the kids were coming down the hall, I noticed I had a text from Daniel. The doc was sending Z back to the hospital but bypassing the ER and going to the Pediatric ICU. They could keep a good eye on his blood oxygen levels and other vitals that were dipping and rising with inconsistency. So, then it was my turn to be upset. I went to the office and told them what happened and that I needed to leave. They were totally ok with it, and reassured me it would be fine. I was very blessed to have a wonderful friend working next door who made "plans" for my class, and a sub picked up the absence for that day and would be there soon.
The doctor said that Z never should have been released from the ER the day before and just needed to spend a night in the hospital with breathing treatments, oxygen, and extra monitoring. His blood oxygen levels had to level out and improve. He was admitted around 10am to the PICU on Wednesday, Sept 1. They did X-rays, blood tests, and gave him an IV b/c he was a little dehydrated. He was put on a continuous treatment. He didn't really eat much that night. None of us got much sleep that night. Daniel and I both stayed at the hospital, and Malachi was picked up and taken care of by my wonderful school friend. He thought it was fun to have a sleepover on a school night with a 2nd grader and an almost 3 year old. Daniel went home for a few hours that night but came back later b/c he couldn't sleep.

The next morning, it was evident that we weren't going home that day. I went home to shower and pick up some late breakfast for Daniel and I. Thursday afternoon around 3pm, he was moved to a normal pediatric room with a simpler machine to basically just monitor heart rate and blood oxygen. They wanted him to get up and go walk and play in the toy room. It was a good idea b/c he was beginning to feel much better by then. He got pretty good at playing with toys with just one hand, since the other one was splinted with the IV.


When he took his nap, finally, around 4pm-ish, without oxygen assistance, his blood oxygen level dropped, again. They had to put the oxygen on him while he slept. We were looking at ANOTHER night in the hospital if he could not sleep at night without oxygen assistance. Lots of people were praying from all over the world, and we felt those prayers that night. Daniel took Malachi home and would take him to school the next day, while I stayed with Z. He slept all night long and kept his blood oxygen level around 95! He never had to have oxygen! What a miracle!!!

Since, he did so well, we were able to be discharged from the hospital on Friday morning and were able to leave around 11am. But, there's more... Daniel took Malachi to school. He walked him to the cafeteria for breakfast. Malachi walked in, and Daniel left. A few minutes later, Malachi walked out of the cafeteria and up to the front of the school looking for his Daddy. The teachers/staff out front noticed him crying and took him to get breakfast, which he declined it all (b/c he couldn't eat most of it). When he complained that he was still hungry, they took him to the nurse and hey gave him a granola bar with almonds. Then, they noticed all of his food allergies and called us. I told them he's never had almonds, but if he wasn't complaining of feeling nauseous then he must not be allergic. She called me back on the way home from the hospital to say that he needed to be picked up, and he was complaining of ear pain.

I asked Daniel to pick him up b/c I was in the car with Z and needed to get him home for a breathing treatment. I, then, called the dr. and set up an appointment for Malachi at 1pm. So, I got home at 11:30. Daddy and Malachi got there at noon. I, then, got a quick shower and left the house at 12:30 to take Malachi to the dr. We both thought it would be nothing but homesickness. The doc looked in his ears, and he had an infection in each ear, not super-horrible, but infected. His cold had finally given him ear infections, and we hadn't seen him enough/noticed him enough to know that he really was "sick," too.

All went well until Saturday afternoon. Z started limping and still had a fever. Sunday, he was pretty bad at church, so I left early to take him to the urgent care. They said it was just exhaustion. Monday was Labor day, and we just chilled. He was still limping everywhere. Daniel took him for a follow up on Tuesday morning. The wonderful doc said it was a virus and may have been what caused the horrible asthma attack. The virus was set to last 7-10 days. It is now, at least day 10. He has refused to walk since he got up Friday morning. I guess he is going back to the dr. tomorrow.

Tuesday also marked the time that Malachi began crying, screaming, and chasing me out the door every morning at school. We kept trying other stuff, but nothing worked. We're initiating plan Q tomorrow morning by getting his 2nd grade friend to hang with him and take him to class. I can't take another week of this. This past weekend was rough. I was feeling some depression coming on from all the stress. I missed 4 days of school in the 2nd week of school. All 4 days of the 3rd week began with a crying, attached 5 year old. Saturday, I was able to get a last-min. babysitter, so Daniel and I could go out. Sunday was restful, just watching football and doing laundry. I'm praying that God will revolutionize this week because I've just about reached my breaking point.

Malachi's first day of school was Tuesday. He was so excited/nervous that he had a hard time falling asleep the night before. He also wouldn't eat breakfast. He talked my ear off for the 30-40 min. drive into Tampa and waiting in line. He was ready to get out and get into the classroom. We put his stuff away, found his seat again, and I tried to get him to sit down and color like the other kids. I had been in the room for about 10 min. Then, when he realized I was leaving, he began to cry. That made me cry. I was ok until then. I kept trying to leave, but the teacher was busy with other students. Finally, after about 20 min. in the room, his teacher had a moment to grab him. He was the only kid screaming and crying that Mom was leaving :(

It also rained all day on the first day, so he couldn't go out and play at school or in the sports after school program we put him in.

2nd day went great! He yelled bye to me when I dropped him off and willingly went to work at this desk.

3rd day went well, also. He got to get all sweaty in after school!!! Love it. He's been on "green" every day, which is the best you can get. He did, however, tell me on the way home that the girls who sit across from him told him he "wasn't smart." Then, he said, "I know I'm smart, Mommy." I'm glad he understands a little bit better. In VPK, he continually got comments like that from other classmates and was hit often. He didn't usually tell us. We didn't realize it was a big problem and really bothering him until he suddenly became violent towards others. Malachi has never been that aggressive towards anyone until that point. I think I will talk to his teacher in the morning, just to give her a head's up. Malachi didn't seem too upset, but I'm really surprised that children would say that on the 3rd day of school. That is usually an indication of things to come. Malachi is truly smart and belongs in K. I know, though, that he hasn't said a whole lot because he's still nervous and getting used to so many new people. It takes him a little while.

just arrived at school, standing next to his new Lightning McQueen bookbag

dressed in his uniform, about to leave the house with Mommy

sitting at his desk for the first time...a meltdown in about to happen :(

Malachi's Going to SCHOOL!!!

On Tuesday, Malachi will start kindergarten. Last night he met his teacher. In total shy style, he didn't say a word to her, nor would he look at things or walk around the classroom. When he got up this morning, he asked if he could go to school. It's Saturday!!! I'm glad he's excited, but, seriously, kid.

His school has classrooms that have an opening between 2 rooms with bathrooms in between. It's a little weird, but I'm finding that is par for the course in this area of Florida. There are tons of books, stuff to do, and a jam-packed schedule. It looks like there are 18 kids, total, in his class.

His teacher seems very nice. She is 8 months pregnant, but the substitute was there at open house, too. I thought that was nice. I just hope that Malachi still likes being there by the end of next week :)

He has to be in the after school program at the school for about 2 and half hours until I get out of work. We had him transferred in the county that I teach in so we would have the same schedule. The county that we live in has a crazy-screwy schedule that would leave little time off together, so we opted for the easy schedule. Now I get to share my 30 min. car ride with a chatty 5 year old instead of being by myself. I think it will be nice....I hope.

We're all looking forward to Tuesday :) Malachi is ready...am I?

Z-miles (Z's similes)

Lately, Ezekiel has been using a lot of similes. We determined today that he gets it from his daddy, but he comes up with some crazy ones. It is a simile because he is always using the word like and making a comparison.

For example...

• I don't like this blueberry muffin. It tastes like strawberries.
• It smells like a poot.
• Toodles can't talk. He's like a dog. Kiev can't talk.

They don't always make sense, but it is very smart of him to make the connections that he does.


Z-isms

• "I smell." - I smell something
• "Army" - Barney - he did correct it with some coaxing
• "Jeff" - giraffe
• "effant" - elephant