The Girls went on a road trip last weekend. Sally, Mabel and I all truckstered down to Aunt Jill's to watch her in the Windmill Follies production of Natalie Needs a Nightie. It was HYSTERICAL! My sister is amazing as an actress. It's so neat to see her up there - I don't see my sister - I see the character. She really does become the character and not just someone standing there delivering lines.
Sally enjoyed it too and was a little concerned when in the play they talk about the chamber maid, Rosebud (Aunt Jill), going to jail for stealing babies. After hearing *that* Sal sat up straighter and said "Aunt Jill can't go jail". I don't think anyone but our table heard it - but it was funny.
Aunt Jill left early - she had to get Uncle Mike from the Home and then go early to the play so Sal and I decided we'd go visit Grandpa. As we were getting ready to go Aunt Jill came tearing back through the lane - she had forgotten something. As she saw me putting Tiny (St Bernard) on the rope she said "you know, just leave him." (Tiny likes to go visiting. "Are you sure?" I questioned.
"Yeah, because Tiny won't go unless a cat goes and Mabel is keeping the cats away." (Mabel tends to howl at the cats - they ignore her and give her that *do you have a death wish* look) I had to laugh. That is by far the most common sense reason to why a dog won't go running off. Leave it to my sister.
And, when we returned home at around 10 pm - there they were - all 3 dogs and cats were out in the barn. I guess Mabel IS good for something.
I *got* to feed Uncle Mike at the play. :-) He can't hold a utensil anymore. He shakes SO bad that all the food falls off. One thing - he's pretty fast at eating. I could hardly spoon it in fast enough. It is like having a kid. He comes complete with his own clothing protector (bib) and water bottle and silverware. I'm not sure Aunt Jill had planned on having a child in her 50s. But he's still Uncle Mike and I still raz him just like I did when he could walk - and he dishes it out too. But it made me thankful for *my* little Special Needs one.
Granpa was glad to see Sally. She had brought her silver medal from basketball and I brought the book that Jack had written. We always try to bring presents. :-)
As usual we had dinner with Gpa and Gma on Sunday before we left (dinner=lunch in the "south") :-) Aunt Jill came along too - she had to do one more performance on Sunday for the Home residents. Dad gave her the business about when she was going to move to Hollywood. The local grocery store owner was in the play too - Keith Wilson. He's the son of a guy who went to school with my brother and OH my the stories that can be told about his silliness - anyway - their last name is Wilson so when my Dad goes up to the store he always yells "Hey Mr Wilson" at the meat counter (their office). He told Keith a joke that Keith used in his monologue before the play started. My Dad just beams when he tells jokes. :-)
The sad part of the journey was when Dad said he wasn't sure he was going to play golf this year. My Dad will be 82 this year and I realize things will be changing - but it's still sad. He said the biggest reason was because Squirty had died. Squirty was always at the golf course and would ALWAYS play - no matter what, and now with him not there Dad doesn't have someone to play with ALL the time. And "golf's no fun by yourself". Now mind you neither him or Squirt could hear worth a tinkers damn so it's not like they chatted up a storm as they played, but Dad just isn't sure he wants to play anymore.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Stuffed Head
Jack has been to the Orthodontist recently and the Dr has literally rubbed his hands together in anticipation of the new Summer home, boat, and trip to Italy that Jack represents. :-) Seriously - the child has a TINY mouth. It's very hard to believe that something that's used THAT much and can be THAT loud is actually very small compared to the rest of us. He has TONS of teeth pushed up there in his skull that can't get out and we have to start with a spacer to make room for all of this.
As I was putting Jack to bed the other night he complained of a headache again. Jack has headaches pretty much since he started talking. Nothing severe - but I've never heard of children having *a* headache - let alone one every couple of days--- but that's Jack. And since Jack is knowing for his 'distortion' of the truth we don't pay it a big deal. BUT after seeing his x-rays I kind of wondered aloud to him that night that maybe his headaches have been because of all those teeth up there that are so crowded together.
'No, Mom." he said in that 'you're so stupid old woman' tone "It's because I have so many things stuffed up there."
"What?" I asked - thinking he may have shoved something up his nose or ears - this is Jack, after all.
"You know, like Math and Writing and Grammar and stuff" he said - totally serious. "that stuff is all crammed in there and it makes my head hurt sometimes."
I am SO amazed that I can hold my composure as much as I do with this child. He comes up with the most comical things. God love him. It's stuff like that - that saves his butt when I find my OLD books (as in NOT replaceable) all over my floor after he's been in there. Oh Jack Jack you are a treasure. :-)
As I was putting Jack to bed the other night he complained of a headache again. Jack has headaches pretty much since he started talking. Nothing severe - but I've never heard of children having *a* headache - let alone one every couple of days--- but that's Jack. And since Jack is knowing for his 'distortion' of the truth we don't pay it a big deal. BUT after seeing his x-rays I kind of wondered aloud to him that night that maybe his headaches have been because of all those teeth up there that are so crowded together.
'No, Mom." he said in that 'you're so stupid old woman' tone "It's because I have so many things stuffed up there."
"What?" I asked - thinking he may have shoved something up his nose or ears - this is Jack, after all.
"You know, like Math and Writing and Grammar and stuff" he said - totally serious. "that stuff is all crammed in there and it makes my head hurt sometimes."
I am SO amazed that I can hold my composure as much as I do with this child. He comes up with the most comical things. God love him. It's stuff like that - that saves his butt when I find my OLD books (as in NOT replaceable) all over my floor after he's been in there. Oh Jack Jack you are a treasure. :-)
Thursday, March 11, 2010
On the Run, Run, Run
So it's been crazy since we got back from Aunt Jill's. We had a GREAT time. Jack got to spend the night with my friend from H School's kids. Who would have ever thunk that when we were hanging out in HS. :-) Sally got to bum with her daddy and help set up and be in on all the behind the scenes.
Aunt Jill and I got there around 12 and walked around and saw ALL the stuff for raffle. If it wasn't there - you didn't need it - that's for sure. Seed for fields, gravel, fertilizer, tvs, spa packages, basketballs, you name it - and one that I thought was really cool: A baseball signed by Swisegood - the winning est baseball coach in IL. :-)
So after we got all settled in - Jill went to get Mike. Melissa and I sat at the table and tried to hold spaces. When Jill came back (she had taken Maddux and Sal) we got in line to get Sal something to eat. Dick and Laurena and Mom and Jackie were all out in the cafeteria and Sal saw them - but still got in line - didn't pay much attention--- until she saw Grandpa. "Hi There, Granpa!" She ran over to him and gave him a hug. Too cute.
It's now several weeks later and there are STILL checks coming in. So far they've raised over $64,000. In an area where $35,000 is a GOOD yearly income - that says a LOT! Not to mention that times are tough down there. I'd say the majority of our unemployment is in areas like that.
So, on to the next event. Swimming. Sally competed in the Special Olympic swim meet in Palos Heights. She won bronze. It was SO cool. I think she likes swimming the best. When she came back up to the stands with her coach after her heat she said "I swim again?" :-) I'm just SO proud of her on this. I also noticed that Jack was no place to be found most of the day - he was with a friend playing DSI and hardly saw him at all - UNTIL Sal swam. I then noticed that he was right up front at the rail, squatting down and cheering her on - with no prompting from us. He talks a big game about not wanting to be around her and how she bugs him so much (which is true) but I can tell there's a soft spot for her still. I'll never forget when he was smaller he called her his "big hero". :-)
Fast forward to last weekend. We all truckstered down to ISU in Bloomington for the STATE Special Olympics in which Sally's team (Jr Jaguars) played and the older group(Sr Jaguars) played. We went down Friday after work and checked in and watched the kids discover the hotel room. This was their first hotel stay ever. We got two queen beds and decided we'd each sleep with a child. With Sal and her "sleep alone and away" I was a little nervous.
The kids immediately got changed and headed for the pool. Where we met Tommy and his mom - a player on Sal's team. We stayed in for a while and then Sal and I headed upstairs to watch "Naughty Kids" (Supernanny to most of you). Figured I'd wind her down a little and get a grasp on how the night was to go. Jack and Daddy hung out in the lobby. Jack fascinated with the room key (credit card key) and was constantly visiting the coaches on the 3rd floor and coming in and out. He also enjoyed giving his key to the lady at the cafe and telling her to "charge it to the room". :-)
Had to play the bad a$$ on Friday night when Jack and Bill neglected to come back to the room in a timely manner. :-) We *played* at 8 a.m. on Sat which meant if we were following the bus we needed to be up early and it was obvious that Sal was NOT going to sleep until Daddy and Jack were safely tucked into bed. But as much as they grumbled they were seeing that the next morning the people they were "partying" with were nowhere to be seen. My Dad always says: If you stay up late with the Turkeys you can't soar with the Eagles in the morning. :-)
Saturday's game was a joke. I do believe the refs had never called a special needs game. They called "illegal screen" on us! Our kids don't even know what a screen is let alone an illegal one. Ugghh. So we lost - and Tony came very close to fouling out (NEVER have had even close to fouling out in the past). After the game
we went back to the room and got some lunch and just hung out. I was the mean Mom again who wouldn't let them go swimming. We had to play again at 12:30 and I felt like they would tire out too much.
Our 12:30 game was a LOT better - AND we had the same refs. But they had settled down and were obviously schooled about exactly what Special Needs ball is like. Our team took silver medals home. Sally was ALL smiles getting that silver medal hung on her neck as she stood on the podium. It was cute.
The next day we went to Wesleyan and watched the Senior team take gold. Aaron thanked the ref for calling a foul on him and was apologizing all over himself. They are a very quick and entertaining team to watch. Sally got to see Mark play. Mark and her have the same number - 21. They're a lot alike too.
And now to tell about what *I* think was the best part: The Opening Ceremony. All the teams from the state were marched in and introduced. They stood together in their areas (IL has 17 areas. Sally wore her jersey and her gold medal. She looked SO proud of herself. Mark sang the National Anthem. I do believe that was the first time I cried at that song. It was BEAUTIFUL! The Bloomington mayor welcomed us and the Pres of the Olympics gave a speech. Then the lights went out. In the far corner there was a policeman with THE TORCH! He brought it down the arena and gave it to one of the Athletes who brought it around the arena and through the tunnel and then up the stage and lit the cauldron. GOOSE BUMPS!!! HUGE lump in my throat. It was amazing! The cheering was deafening!
I can't explain just how energetic these kids are. The excitement from them hung in the air like stripes of gold. Even Jack was taken in by it. I think his mouth was in a permanent O for a while. After the ceremony there was a dance for all the kids but we decided we'd go back to the hotel and swim. Getting through the crowd was no easy task but they are the kindest and most polite kids. It was just a FANTASTIC experience. Our coaches Danielle, Heather and Oscar are just the BEST! What a fun group. They're always up for anything and they have the patience of Job.
We all had "favorites" from the weekend. Sally's was: Sleeping. I'd say because she didn't sleep alone like usual. Jack's was: Swimming (of course) Bill's was: the games Mine was the torch (and maybe how the beds were made when we came back to the motel - why can't that happen at home) :-)
Aunt Jill and I got there around 12 and walked around and saw ALL the stuff for raffle. If it wasn't there - you didn't need it - that's for sure. Seed for fields, gravel, fertilizer, tvs, spa packages, basketballs, you name it - and one that I thought was really cool: A baseball signed by Swisegood - the winning est baseball coach in IL. :-)
So after we got all settled in - Jill went to get Mike. Melissa and I sat at the table and tried to hold spaces. When Jill came back (she had taken Maddux and Sal) we got in line to get Sal something to eat. Dick and Laurena and Mom and Jackie were all out in the cafeteria and Sal saw them - but still got in line - didn't pay much attention--- until she saw Grandpa. "Hi There, Granpa!" She ran over to him and gave him a hug. Too cute.
It's now several weeks later and there are STILL checks coming in. So far they've raised over $64,000. In an area where $35,000 is a GOOD yearly income - that says a LOT! Not to mention that times are tough down there. I'd say the majority of our unemployment is in areas like that.
So, on to the next event. Swimming. Sally competed in the Special Olympic swim meet in Palos Heights. She won bronze. It was SO cool. I think she likes swimming the best. When she came back up to the stands with her coach after her heat she said "I swim again?" :-) I'm just SO proud of her on this. I also noticed that Jack was no place to be found most of the day - he was with a friend playing DSI and hardly saw him at all - UNTIL Sal swam. I then noticed that he was right up front at the rail, squatting down and cheering her on - with no prompting from us. He talks a big game about not wanting to be around her and how she bugs him so much (which is true) but I can tell there's a soft spot for her still. I'll never forget when he was smaller he called her his "big hero". :-)
Fast forward to last weekend. We all truckstered down to ISU in Bloomington for the STATE Special Olympics in which Sally's team (Jr Jaguars) played and the older group(Sr Jaguars) played. We went down Friday after work and checked in and watched the kids discover the hotel room. This was their first hotel stay ever. We got two queen beds and decided we'd each sleep with a child. With Sal and her "sleep alone and away" I was a little nervous.
The kids immediately got changed and headed for the pool. Where we met Tommy and his mom - a player on Sal's team. We stayed in for a while and then Sal and I headed upstairs to watch "Naughty Kids" (Supernanny to most of you). Figured I'd wind her down a little and get a grasp on how the night was to go. Jack and Daddy hung out in the lobby. Jack fascinated with the room key (credit card key) and was constantly visiting the coaches on the 3rd floor and coming in and out. He also enjoyed giving his key to the lady at the cafe and telling her to "charge it to the room". :-)
Had to play the bad a$$ on Friday night when Jack and Bill neglected to come back to the room in a timely manner. :-) We *played* at 8 a.m. on Sat which meant if we were following the bus we needed to be up early and it was obvious that Sal was NOT going to sleep until Daddy and Jack were safely tucked into bed. But as much as they grumbled they were seeing that the next morning the people they were "partying" with were nowhere to be seen. My Dad always says: If you stay up late with the Turkeys you can't soar with the Eagles in the morning. :-)
Saturday's game was a joke. I do believe the refs had never called a special needs game. They called "illegal screen" on us! Our kids don't even know what a screen is let alone an illegal one. Ugghh. So we lost - and Tony came very close to fouling out (NEVER have had even close to fouling out in the past). After the game
we went back to the room and got some lunch and just hung out. I was the mean Mom again who wouldn't let them go swimming. We had to play again at 12:30 and I felt like they would tire out too much.
Our 12:30 game was a LOT better - AND we had the same refs. But they had settled down and were obviously schooled about exactly what Special Needs ball is like. Our team took silver medals home. Sally was ALL smiles getting that silver medal hung on her neck as she stood on the podium. It was cute.
The next day we went to Wesleyan and watched the Senior team take gold. Aaron thanked the ref for calling a foul on him and was apologizing all over himself. They are a very quick and entertaining team to watch. Sally got to see Mark play. Mark and her have the same number - 21. They're a lot alike too.
And now to tell about what *I* think was the best part: The Opening Ceremony. All the teams from the state were marched in and introduced. They stood together in their areas (IL has 17 areas. Sally wore her jersey and her gold medal. She looked SO proud of herself. Mark sang the National Anthem. I do believe that was the first time I cried at that song. It was BEAUTIFUL! The Bloomington mayor welcomed us and the Pres of the Olympics gave a speech. Then the lights went out. In the far corner there was a policeman with THE TORCH! He brought it down the arena and gave it to one of the Athletes who brought it around the arena and through the tunnel and then up the stage and lit the cauldron. GOOSE BUMPS!!! HUGE lump in my throat. It was amazing! The cheering was deafening!
I can't explain just how energetic these kids are. The excitement from them hung in the air like stripes of gold. Even Jack was taken in by it. I think his mouth was in a permanent O for a while. After the ceremony there was a dance for all the kids but we decided we'd go back to the hotel and swim. Getting through the crowd was no easy task but they are the kindest and most polite kids. It was just a FANTASTIC experience. Our coaches Danielle, Heather and Oscar are just the BEST! What a fun group. They're always up for anything and they have the patience of Job.
We all had "favorites" from the weekend. Sally's was: Sleeping. I'd say because she didn't sleep alone like usual. Jack's was: Swimming (of course) Bill's was: the games Mine was the torch (and maybe how the beds were made when we came back to the motel - why can't that happen at home) :-)
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
We were on Channel 10 News!
BOWEN, Ill. (WGEM) -- Mike Gooding fell from his roof last May and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. He is restricted to a wheelchair and is living in a nursing home. The medical bills from surgeries keep piling up.
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of Gooding's family and friends turned out for a benefit to help him through the most difficult time of his life.
"There are people from everywhere here. I don't know how far they have come for the benefit, but it's great," said longtime friend Ron Smith.
The Southeastern Elementary auditorium in Bowen, Illinois was packed with people, there to help a loyal friend. It was the first step, they hope, in getting Gooding back on his feet.
"With this crowd here, it's nothing like I expected. I knew there would be lots of people but maybe not this many," said Anne Goudschall, Gooding's friend.
Gooding is thankful for all the support from the community. "It's just amazing. It's a lot of people I haven't seen in eight months," said Gooding.
Gooding may be in a wheelchair now, but he says just wait a little while.
"I'm planning on walking again, though it may be a year or two," said Gooding. "I'll walk one way or another."
The benefit raised almost $25,000, which will go towards medical expenses.
"It's fantastic. I just can't thank people enough. I don't know how I could ever repay all these people," Gooding said.
On Saturday afternoon, hundreds of Gooding's family and friends turned out for a benefit to help him through the most difficult time of his life.
"There are people from everywhere here. I don't know how far they have come for the benefit, but it's great," said longtime friend Ron Smith.
The Southeastern Elementary auditorium in Bowen, Illinois was packed with people, there to help a loyal friend. It was the first step, they hope, in getting Gooding back on his feet.
"With this crowd here, it's nothing like I expected. I knew there would be lots of people but maybe not this many," said Anne Goudschall, Gooding's friend.
Gooding is thankful for all the support from the community. "It's just amazing. It's a lot of people I haven't seen in eight months," said Gooding.
Gooding may be in a wheelchair now, but he says just wait a little while.
"I'm planning on walking again, though it may be a year or two," said Gooding. "I'll walk one way or another."
The benefit raised almost $25,000, which will go towards medical expenses.
"It's fantastic. I just can't thank people enough. I don't know how I could ever repay all these people," Gooding said.
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