Coming Up for Air

Whew!  Its been a whirlwind summer already...I haven't had too much time for fun and relaxation since we've been working on the house, but we are definitely making progress!  Our room is finally getting put back together (I can see the floor now!) since we bought a new bookshelf and organized the books by author/subject/etc.  It looks really good.  We also moved Chris' desk for his online business upstairs to the "sitting room" area in our master bedroom so he can get his stuff out of the dining room. Most pretty much all of his stock is still in the dining room, but the plan is for it to be moved SOON.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend.  I can't wait to get my dining room back.  I am dying to get in there to sweep/mop/dust and get it back in order and actually resembling some sort of family dining area.
I have had two chances to get out and have a bit of fun.  Tuesday night was Bunco night, which is always completely awesome.  If you don't know how to play Bunco, its basically a dice game in which your goal is to roll three numbers that are the same (depending on the round).  You have to have 12 players, and in our case, its basically a really good excuse to get together and just let loose.  Its ridiculous how much fun we have.  I always come home feeling so much better and less stressed after talking and laughing and just relaxing for the night.
The other opportunity to get out of the house came yesterday.  I had the kids with me so it wasn't as relaxing as it could've been, but it was still fun.  We went to a friend's pool to go swimming and, while the kids love the water and are physically able to swim and splash on their own (with their floaties), they refuse to actually do it.  I had to be with them in the pool the entire time, and Hannah ended up being super-clingy...probably because there was about 20 people there that she didn't know and was kinda freaking out.  Sure, it would have been a bit more fun for me if I could have just laid around and chatted with my friends, but it was fun seeing my kiddos enjoy the pool.  We ended up going to Wal-Mart and buying a bigger pool for the kids and us to enjoy in our own backyard.  It has a filter and everything!  Hey, we're movin' on up, folks!
Today we are going to just enjoy a quiet day at home, playing in our new pool and continuing our work on the house.  Hannah's birthday is coming up (and Chris' as well), and we want the house to be in tiptop shape for the party we're planning on throwing!  The kids are going away for a few days next week to visit Chris' mom and stepdad in Alabama, so I'm betting those few days will be when we'll get most of the work done.  Believe me, we will definitely sleep in and go out and just enjoy being alone together, but it'll be a productive time as well.  Plus, a little time away from the kids will help us remember how very much we love them, so it'll be good for everyone!
So that's what's up in my world...how about you?

Eyes & Ears

So earlier last week I posted about Andrew's difficulties getting past the eye, ear and dental exams required for enrollment in Kindergarten.  He failed two hearing tests, completed a round of antibiotics, and now has an appt for July 13 (4-6 weeks after the antibiotics) to take yet another hearing test.  If he fails this one, we have to get a referral to an ENT to discuss tubes to help improve his hearing.  Sigh.

The kids' eye chart

Today we had our (first) eye appointment.  I was thinking it would be interesting, but no big deal and we'd likely have to get him some glasses and be on our way.  Umm...NO.  Apparently Andrew has very little vision in his right eye.  His left eye is perfect and obviously compensates for his weak right eye.  We realized this when the doc made him cover his left eye and try to read the picture eye chart with only his right eye.  He did GREAT with his right eye covered...he recognized the cowboy, cake, hand, bird, house, etc just fine.  With his left eye covered, however, he could only see the very top picture (a big airplane).  :(

I feel so guilty!  I feel like I somehow should have known that he was having issues seeing out of that eye.  Its ridiculous, really, because how would I have known?  When we read together or look at books/magazines and watch TV, he's not that far away and not really being asked to recite what he's seeing.  I can't help it, though.  I feel like I've let him down.  Same with the hearing!  I guess I should be grateful that our school system makes us get these checkups before starting school, though, because how in the world would I have known?  I shudder to think that these issues could have gotten much worse by simply not knowing they're even there.  At least we can get it taken care of NOW while he's still young.  I would appreciate any prayers or positive thoughts!  This whole ordeal has been stressful and worrisome for both me and Chris!