Friday, January 5, 2018

Random Tid Bits

  1. Isaak's teacher taught his class how to do Sudoku puzzles. He's been attached to this book of puzzles the first 1/2 of the break. I wish I would have known. I would have gotten him more books like this for Christmas.


  2. Do you remember my co-worker that makes me clean and hide things? I blogged about her here. She hasn't made me move the student's folders yet this school year. Either she A) Gave up. or B) Hasn't found them.



    She has made me clean. The day I had to leave early for Mica's surgery she came into my office asking if I'd have time to sweep the first year classroom? I agreed, but thought it was WAY SILLY considering that I just swept the concrete floors the last day of the student's being here. I swept well! I went over to sweep, and got maybe 4 command strips in a full dust pan. I made sure to show her all that dirt I had.

  3. I get songs in my head that just won't leave. The latest one is the Dirty Dancing song, One look at you and I can't disguise I've got hungry eyes... This visual came to mind, so I made it happen...


  4. I'm ready for the weekend. Are you? 

  5. Mica seems to be healing up from his surgery. He hardly complains about it. I have to ask to see his scar to make sure it's not infected. It's just on his lower stomach. 

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

WW: All Dressed Up for Christmas Eve {Linky}

It's been busy around the Apel house. Between Christmas events, a New Years Dance Party, and Mica needing a hernia surgery we've been swamped. How has your holiday break been?





Meet Hernia

We got Mica into surgery as soon as possible after we learned that he had a Unilateral Inguinal Hernia without obstruction or gangrene.

A) We wanted him in because I had already hit my deductible. Might as well add to hit the family one. Yikes!

B) We didn't want obstruction or gangrene to happen.

C) It wasn't going to go away on its own. He had it at least a few years.

D) He'd have some recovery time before school started back up.

Travis took the boys to the doctor, and the pre-op appointment. I love the boy's doctor, but I am annoyed that he didn't look into there being a hernia before at his last appointment. At least we caught it before obstruction or gangrene happened!

I took much of Friday off to be with Mica for surgery.

The boys used to beg me to go to Children's Hospital. It was a big deal when we went. I never would let them go because I sure as heck didn't want them to pick up anything at the hospital. We really only went when one our our own kids had to go, or when my nephew Emerson was in the hospital.

Mica's sure showing his age because he wasn't stoked about the lobby of the hospital like he always was before. They even had a party going on with snacks and costumes, and Mica wanted nothing to do with it.

We had to be there 2 hours before the surgery time.

He didn't complain about being hungry at all. Surgery was at 1:30, and he hadn't had anything to eat, since 6:30 the night before.

The most pain he had was the IV being poked into him.

He laid there reading a book called Ugly, which is kind of like Wonder only less emotional (according to Mica).


I didn't see him for a little over an hour.

The nurses were cracking up over the stuff the was saying!

He dreamed about Jen and Pat talking about Mine Craft, which I happen to call Mine Crap. He wised he dreamed about kissing a girl. 

He was freaking out about not having boxers or pants on. 

He kept covering up his head to look at his incision; even thought it was covered up.

He went to the bathroom, but came back apologizing to the nurses and me because he forgot he was supposed to sit, and not stand to pee. 

Then when he was handed his bear, which they give everyone he named him, "Hernia Man". He said he had to name him that because Isaak got one and named him, "Stitches" when he was younger. I'm just glad he didn't name him "Nut Job" because that's what Mica and Travis kept inappropriately calling his procedure. 

Meet Hernia Man:


We got home safe and sound. Mica asked if he could take his hospital band off. I messed with him and said, "No! You have to leave that on until you're all better. That's how they track you!" I think he believed me for a minute. 

He's done really well! Kind of looked peeked. No fever, rashes, and just a little muscle pain. I only had to give him 1 big pain pill. His surgery strips fell off. He kind of panicked with that. I told him that the nurse said that may happen. 

He only has to miss 2 weeks of activity. That's 1 week of gym participation. 

What kinds of surgeries have you had? I had 2 C-Sections and the nose surgery. The nose surgery was far worse than the C-Sections. 

Doctor Time

I wanted to get the boys in to see their doctor before we switched insurance. Our new insurance sucks!

To be honest I thought about skipping their well check all together this year. There were a few things of concern, so I made an appointment the day after Christmas, and Travis took them in.

Little boys Big boys supporting their new headphones they got for Christmas:


I always find their stats to be interesting!

Mica

BMI: 18 - 50% 
Weight: 107 - 70%
Height: 5' 4" - 95%

We had Doctor Harrison check out Mica's moles. He's at that age where things like that pop up! All of them are ok. 

We learned that Mica did need surgery on a hernia! That post will come. It was an expensive 2017! I'm glad Mica got it taken care of though! His doctor said he needed surgery, and it could have messed up his bowels if we let it go.

Isaak

BMI: 15 - 16%
Weight: 72 - 63%
Height: 4' 10" - 95%

Doctor Harrison said we're doing all the right things with Isaak in regards to bed wetting. We limit drinks after 6:30, he goes to the bathroom before bed, and we take him to the bathroom at 10 or so before we go to bed. That prevents bed wetting 99% of the time.

Isaak did, or maybe still does have a cyst on the back of his neck. I told him, "Join the flipping club!" Travis, Isaak and Doctor Harrison tried to find Isaak's cyst, and poof it was gone, or moved. They couldn't find it. We just were pointing it out the night before to my mom. It would be nice if it magically disappeared! I wish the one on my forehead would do that!

They are both tall and skinny! Mica's filled out a bit more than Isaak. Mica's clothes go directly to Isaak. Isaak can wear them, but the pants are questionable. Isaak has trouble keeping a lot of pants up. He really is a stick! 

Travis' Mom has some tall brothers. My Dad is tall! My Mom is taller than I am. My projection will be that the boys will end up to be tall.


Apel Christmas

Christmas Eve is just as big of a deal as Christmas Day is for us. I hardly take photos. The lighting is crappy on Christmas Eve because it's so late. The lighting on Christmas Day is crappy because it's so early. - Thanks to Mica; he's my early to rise kid.

Christmas Eve:

We dress up to go to church. I have to be honest - we're not typical church goers. Then we go to my parent's house to eat soup, shrimp, cheese, crackers, and more. We open gifts after that.

While we were getting the food on the table the boys played their instruments. I thought at first, Oh God help us! Someone is going to get annoyed they are playing. My Grandpa and Aunt Becky loved it. They don't get to hear them play at school. Mica plays the trumpet, Isaak plays the violin, and my nephew Evan plays the flute.

It does seem like emotions run high during Christmas time. Someone gets pissed off at something. That night seemed like it worked well.

The food was great like always!

My big gift was a genealogy kit, which I still need to read over. Both boys got a big Lego gift. Travis got some cargo pants he's wanted.

We got home about 9:30.

Christmas Morning:

I heard coffee being made at 4:30. It was Mica. He was sitting on the love seat reading a book my sister got him the night before. I said, "Go back to bed! It's too early to be up!" He said, "I can't sleep." You'd think with not believing in Santa that he'd be ok with staying in bed. He's always been the first to be up on holidays and weekends. We have a rule that he has to make coffee before he does anything else. Ha!

He did go back to bed, but not to sleep.

I messed up an item in one of their stockings. One got something the other was to get. I'm pretty sure Isaak doesn't believe now, but he pretends he does. 

Mica's Stocking: Heat Holder Socks,  gloves, a fidget spinner, a couple other fidget toys

Isaak's Stocking: Heat Holder Socks, a leather wallet, a gold harmonica, a fidget spinner, a couple other fidget toys, and a few sewing cards he thought were a joke 

I thought he'd enjoy the sewing cards.

Isaak did grump a lot when he found out he didn't get a drone. My goal wasn't to mess up his Christmas. He felt like I was trying to. 


 Travis loved this manly apron I got him:


We ate cinnamon rolls my mom makes us every year.

We went to my Aunt's house for Christmas Day.

Some of the food I brought:



My Aunt Becky has Mica and my nephew Evan help give gifts to the little kids. Most of them are my cousin's kids:



Isaak was a bump on the log with taking pictures:


We didn't get any snow until the day before Christmas Eve, and it's been flurrying and bitter cold since. I'm ok because it is winter. I am more of a summer girl! My Mom drives me batty because she posted that she's ready for spring now that it's snowed. When summer gets here she complains about the heat. I want my birthday at a park, and she flat out won't do it because it's too hot! 

I guess Omaha, Nebraska has been the same temp as Antarctica, just cloudier. It's been popping up on people's facebook posts. 


How was your Christmas if you celebrate it? Has it been super cold where you live? 

Holiday Freeze Frame Program

Isaak's elementary school had a really fun holiday program this year called Freeze Frame. I think I enjoyed it so much because Isaak was in it so much. 

He's in strings this year:

I think he was thinking, Mom why do you have to take a photo of me?


It slightly cracks me up that Mica and Isaak are some of the tallest kids in their grades, and their best friends are the shortest.


He's not a master of the violin, but for starters he plays really well. Their whole class is ahead of where classes usually are.

Isaak likes to play. He practices songs beyond where they are at. He tells me the hard thing is to stay with the others. During the concert his teacher played the piano to get them to stay together.



Isaak tried out for  Show Choir, and got into that:

As his teacher puts it, they are just starting. Their Show Choir consists of 4th and 5th graders. Show Choir usually doesn't start until 7th grade in many schools. They do minimal actions.

After a few months, Isaak still loves to go to Show Choir in the mornings! He got really bummed once when he and Dad forgot about it.

Little man was sort of stressed out because he had Strings, then Show Choir right away. He had to hurry to take away his music stand. He wanted to wear his dress up shirt for Strings, but decided it was too much, too fast to have to put his Show Choir shirt on between them. He just left it on.

Some of the songs were from The Beach Boys. Isaak wanted to hear them on YouTube. He said, "Why are all their songs about surfing and the beach?" I laughed and said, "Well they are called The BEACH Boys." He said, "Oh."

I of course recorded everything, but the last section of song. That was the best part. Oh well.



He also sang two songs with his class:


The next photo cracks me up! It's Isaak telling the other kids to be quiet! It wasn't time for talking! He's great at standing up for himself, his friends, the rules, fairness and what's morally right. Bossy to some, but to me I wish I had a little more of him in myself.


Most years my Mom leans into me and says, "Now why can they sing about Hanukkah, but not Christmas?" Well they did sing about Christmas, just not Jesus. Nor did they sing about God, Mohamed, or any other spiritual leader. I had to point that out to her.

Just like some get hung up on weather one should say Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays, there's people that get hung up on if kids doing The Pledge of Allegiance in school, and what's sung in holiday programs. I have people in my life that are really religious and people that are not religious at all. Whatever is fine by me. I error on the side of schools not getting into religion; as they are state funded. If they do, they should talk about many religions. Not just Christianity. If you want a religious base go to worship somewhere, put your kids in a private school, or homeschool them.  What are your thoughts on this? I have people I love on different sides, so I'm not here to judge your thoughts. It's an interesting conversation.

Did you go to any holiday programs this year?

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The opinions on this blog are my personal take on products and topics relating to motherhood. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me.

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