Summer?

Catching up so it's a long one! Well really when isn't it ~ LOL.
Summer, or should I say winter, break has begun. Wednesday was the last day of school (I have a 4th and a 2nd grader now, OMG) and the temps were in the 90's with the heat index just about 100. For only the weather to drop out of the sky on Wednesday evening after another storm that passed through (yes we've been in the basement ALOT this year already) and now temps have not even reached the 60's. NOT NICE! I guess the weather is going to start to be more "normal" next week, so until then we really had to turn on the heat ~ in mid June???

I do have to say the sky was in all sorts of colors and clouds with this storm...unlike any I have ever seen.

The North West side of our Home

The South Side ~ Love the lightening strike!
Directly above our house ~ These are so COOL!
The East Side
With the end of the school year the school has been doing alot of fun activities for the kids. Here's Avrianna with her Principle Mrs. Renning at the Ie Cream Social... what's better then ice cream at school?

On Tuesday Dan and I volunteered to be chaperone's for a Field Trip to the Milwaukee City Museum. Not the day to be stuck on a school bus with temps almost 100, but the kids all had fun. Avrianna really liked the Butterfly exhibit ~ Or did the butterflies like her being there?

My bushes and plants are loving this weather. I LOVE the blooming flowers. The Rose bushes have buds on them but just haven't opened up yet, I can't wait!
The GREAT Hunter staking his ground....waiting patiently. You'd think these animals would get a clue and know by now that if you are in the yard YOU WILL BE CHASED! This week alone he's gone for 2 sand hill cranes (twice), deer, a turkey, and a cat. Really??

The pool is OPEN and it's getting alot of use already

My Sunbathing Babes! Oh Tis the Life!!
My good Friend Joe came over this week and put some "Personality" to my car....Thanks Calico, as always....I LOVE IT! You're amazing and so detailed ~ THE BEST!!
Check out my @$$ ~ LOL
My family symbol on the driver door :)Can you believe ALL of it free hand....it's an awesome thing to watch :)
Last night was the first night in some time...like since Feb/March that Danny didn't need any Oxygen through the night. I can only hope we can give that machine a break now for a while. I have an email into the Pulm Dr to see if we should put Danny on a C pap machine (ventilator) during the nite to help him breath and open his lungs, which we hope will slow these respiratory illness's down a bit. The Dr has been out of a couple weeks so hopefully she'll back to us with her opinion. We went down to CHOW on the 1st for appts with Danny but it was really a flop. Danny was able to get into see the ENT for a follow up with his ear, which is still draining...the Dr sucked out the goo (GROSS) and had it cultured. The culture came back with no bacteria but now Danny has a fungus there, great ~ NOT! From ENT we were suppose to see GI, suppose to be the key word here. We haven't seen a GI, other then when we've been in house in a LONG time. It's way over due and still ticking. Appts were running late that day and I had to get to my treatment on the other side of Milwaukee (I couldn't miss it) so we walked out of the exam room before the GI Dr even got in, UGH. I'm looking at see if we can get Danny into one of the GI Dr's that satellite here in the Fox Valley, as the one we would like to be followed by is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to get into see :( With Danny improving in his health we've been working his Lil Butt with therapies as he's been laxed with them this last school quarter. I'm sure he's thinking he thought it was summer break....BUT not with him. So back to work for him ~ LOL.

I've been a busy bee with end of school activities, dental appts, doctor appts, getting the RV set up, planning my summer activities. It's going to be a CRAZY busy summer..if it all goes smoothly it should be a FUN time. I have 4 possibly 5 parties planned here....Support Group meeting, Brownie/Junior bridging camp out/pool party, Eye Candi party, and a Block party. I'm looking at putting a get together with some of our "old" friends with their families....amazing when we all have families how time flies and we grow apart. It would be nice to start an annual reunion with them so we can stay in contact :) We have a family vacation planned to St Louis this summer and we're all excited to go. We just hope it's not so ungodly HOT. When we get back from there "A" goes to a week long summer Girl Scout camp. So READY.... SET.... GO for this summer!

Salon Osero was up and running....I had to wash those grays right out of my hair and then (with some help, thanks Gail) added some highlights in it. Now those grays will be camouflaged more and harder to spot :) Lil Man had to get a serious hair cut ~ He's so HANDSOME!!
Getting into clothes that fit better has been so emotionally lifting...there isn't that constant reminder EVERYDAY that I'm getting bigger. If you don't look at the # stamped and the back of the clothing it makes it easier. As long as I can feel good and look good, really what do I care. Not to mention going out on a shopping spree was a BLAST! I so appreciate all the kind words and support from my last post. Unfortunately there really isn't anything I can do. I'm eating right and exercising, but with the meds I'm on to control my MS and a DYSFUNCTIONAL thyroid ... I have to roll with the punches. I can only hope my thyroid decided to swing the other direction (which it tends to do) and I start losing some of it. I just had to post about it, get it out, and then I'm MUCH better. I'm so glad I was able to help others with it...that's the whole point of the blog. I received many private messages thanking me for posting as they too were having issues, thanking me for speaking up. Well you all know me by now ~ I say what I feel, I tell you what's on my mind .....even if it's about myself. Why not ~ If I don't speak up who will? I'm NOT PERFECT and I'm not afraid to put myself out there. My whole hope for the blog, the whole reason I started it is for an outlet for ME and OTHERS. ENJOY! We LOVE you guys and we're always excited to see you stopped by to check in on us.

Some of my favorite pictures of the Memorial Day Parade ~

So Proud :)All I can say here is "DOUBLE TROUBLE"!
So Sweet!!!

Better Days at HOME

Danny has been lounging around at home.........While Avrianna keeps him occupied ~ I LOVE watching these two :) What a great relationship these to have. They both adore each other :)

Life has been pretty hectic around here the last week. The beginning of the week was brutal with Danny rapidly getting sicker n sicker. UGH! Gail had her work cut out for her on Mon and Tues of last week. Danny was HIGH MAINTENANCE with needing to be suctioned constantly, gut issues, and doctors appts. We managed to keep him at home from any hospital admissions, but it was getting pretty close there for a few days. WAY TO GO ALEANA n GAIL!! We are still waiting to hear from CHOW to see if Pulmonary wants to have Danny put on Cpap over night and when he's sick to help keep his lungs open. One of Danny's issues is he's shallow breathing which allows areas of his lungs to get atelectasis or collapsing of his lungs. The ONE thing Danny has going for him is that he does have "healthy" lungs it's his muscle tone that isn't helping to clean the lungs out. Seeing we already bi passed his upper air way issues with the trache now we might have to help him clear the lungs better with the Cpap. It's alil scary as this means a ventilator. SIGH ~ I'm sick to my stomach. I know it's just another step in the forever lasting path of Danny and really I'm ok with it, but it's a VENT, ugh. It's amazing how through the "Danny" process the train of thought changes....all for the good :) But I can remember how I thought NO WAY a vent and then I've met these wonderful children that have vents and maintain and great life style. Now I'm still for no vent IF Danny isn't Danny anymore. God forbid something should happen and his personality and thrive isn't there anymore then I couldn't let a machine keep him here just for my self reasons. As long as I see the fight in him and will FIGHT FOR HIM!!

10.5 more days of school BUT who's counting. YIKES! Avrianna can't wait! Danny is already done with school. With him being so ill I cancelled therapies for the rest of this year for him to recover, but boy do we miss the therapist's. The last few weeks Avrianna has had alot of fun projects to do at school. She just did a learning box about the state of Tennessee and went in front of the class to talk about what she's learned and enjoyed about the state. She was excited she got a state that we drive through when we go down to Florida (We are planning on 3 trips down to FL next school year ~ YAY). Today she has a skit to do about the precipitation stages so this weekend we were making clouds and raindrops to go with her speech while her partner made a sun and lake. I hope they do well. Next week they have an ice cream social at school and then the day before the last day Dan and I volunteered to go on a 3rd grade field trip to the Milwaukee museum. God help us, LOL! I've never been there so I'm excited to go....just not the bus ride to get there. Then the summer break is here!! Avrianna is going to busy with Drama, Girl Scout camp, and having her cousin here for almost a month. We are taking a family vacation to St Louis..camping out at Jellystone Park, going to the Arch, Six Flags Great America, and what ever else trips our trigger :) Danny just behave himself!! We are going without any nurses.

Yesterday Dan started to plant the Osero Organic garden 2011. He got it about half planted before the storms started to roll in. Now to wait patiently to reap the benefits of having our own garden. While Dan planted the garden I moved the lawn, Avrianna went swimming in the pool (YIKES ~ it's not heated yet and COLD) yeap she is NUTS, and Danny supervised with Gails assistance. Somehow I was the only one that got burnt...I mean SCORCHED! I'm going to have to check to see if any of my meds have sun burn effects cuz ...... WOW I'm red. I was only out for around 3 hrs on the lawn mower but it looks as if I was out for 3 days. I hope it tans and it doesn't peel. I have to do my annual check over with my dermatologist on Thursday....I don't think he's going to be impressed with me. Whoops!

More tornados were storming through the area and in other states yesterday. My thoughts in prayers are with the families that were effected with the storms. I can't believe the severity of the storms not only already but just this year alone. I can't remember being in the basement this much....once a year, maybe twice. BUT we've been down there already 3 times and the season has JUST begun. UNREAL!!

Stay Safe