FIVE!

This year for the boys' FIVE year pictures I decided to spend less and get more.  Get more as in more of what the boys truly are everyday.  So I decided I would take their pictures.  They are not professional by any means and do not look near as good as what Marquette has done in the past, but they are truly the boys.
I only took a few because that is all they would allow me to take.  I had the prints made into a collage with a black border all around.  It is priceless and shows the truly personality of Ryan and Matthew.
Beginning with their one year pictures I dressed them in white tshirts with khakis or cutoff blue jeans.  The tradition continues and I hope it will stick for years to come.  To me it allows you to look at the boys and not their clothes.  This may be the first year they actually had shoes on.  It was a must for these pictures!
I love them!  Take a look.

8AM-Joys of being a five year old

This could actually be joys of having a sister that lives in an apartment!  Today we are headed to Licia's to enjoy some fun in the sun.  The boys are most excited.  Matthew wanted to go before he went to bed last night.  And has instructed me today that we should "Just go!"   It will be a nice start to a long weekend.  Enjoy your time off and have a Happy Memorial Day! 

 Lets see do I have everything.......sunscreen, towels, toys, sunglasses, hat, snacks, etc.............  

growing and GROWING!

The garden is GROWING!!  Here are just a bunch of pictures of our Gardening School. One of dinner last night with edible flowers and Ryan with one of  the many friends in our backyard.
I get SO excited by all the growth.  And hearing the boys tell me the names of plants, flowers, trees, veggies, fruit, etc.  They may not be doing all the work, but they are learning as we go.  And that was my goal in this.
Enjoy all the pictures.

YOU CAN HELP!!!

Dear Family and Friends,


As you know, Ryan, is being treated for Progressive Infantile Scoliosis. Dr. Min Mehta, who pioneered the non-surgical Mehta Method/EDF casts as an Early Treatment method for Progressive Infantile Scoliosis, is set to travel to the U.S. to train other orthopedic surgeons next month. She will give hands-on training to these doctors, her precious, vital wealth of knowledge and experience will be passed on. Ryan did not benefit from this type of treatment so it is my goal to make sure other precious children do.  And you can help! 

ISOP needs your help. This small, grass roots non-profit organization that was instrumental in bringing this cure to the U.S. must raise $3000 for Dr. Mehta's airfare cost, and, as she is retired, this will probably be the last ET Tutorial in the U.S. This tutorial is essential in helping children on the West coast….the region needing properly ET trained docs the most. We only need $3000 to help more children on the West coast…which will in turn, help children with Infantile Scoliosis worldwide.

As more top orthopedic surgeons take on this knowledge, it will become the norm in the medical community. Many children will not suffer through needless, invasive surgeries, as they do now, and families like ours will not have to travel, as many of us do, to receive proper care for our children.

ISOP will gratefully appreciate anything you can spare: $10, $20, $50, $100, $1000! If 30 people give $100, the money is raised. If 300 people give $10, we have done it together! All donations are tax deductible, and are going straight towards Dr. Mehta's airfare.


Just send a check to:

UCP of Colorado

ATTN: ISOP

801 Yosemite Street

Denver, CO
80230

Please designate on the check that it is for ISOP, so it goes to the right place! 


Let's mobilize to raise this vital $, and ISOP will tell the attending surgeons that Family and Parent Power made this happen! The word will spread, and you will know that you have helped save countless other precious children. Thank you for helping children with scoliosis grow straight!

With Love,

The Fontenot Family

Dealing with the heat

The hot weather has hit us around here. I usually am thrilled for the heat(because I love to tan), but it just feels hotter than normal.  Maybe humidity??  We can all change into something cooler when we are hot, but not Ryan. 
I forgot about how hot he gets in his brace......or maybe I blocked it for this very reason. 
There is no way around it either.
He has to wear a knit brace shirt under a hard plastic brace that does not allow any air in. And some times a tshirt over that.  I am trying to get him to just run around in the brace shirt and brace.  It sure will allow for spreading awareness....right?
For you Scoliosis Mothers you know exactly what I am going through right now.  Summer time in a cast or a brace is awful.  Maybe not the brace so much because we can take it off, but our main purpose right now with Ryan is to KEEP IT ON!!!  It breaks my heart that I have to tell him no.  And he comes to me often asking to take it off now that it is getting warmer.  All I can do is remind him that he would have to go back into a cast that can NOT come off.  I remind him he would not be able to take a bath and would not be able to swim/play in water this summer.   He quickly agrees to leave it on, but within 15-20 minutes he is asking again.  He has two choices in the matter.  Deal with the heat or stay indoors.
Neither are fun when you have a brother that has no worries in dealing with this.  I try very hard to make Matthew understand what Ryan is going through right now.  And he does for the most part, but he gets upset when Ryan decides he wants to play indoors.  Its no fun playing outside alone for Matthew.
Many people look at Ryan and see this happy and healthy little boy running around and having fun.  And usually with his brace on.  Not many people realize all the heartache and struggles we encounter because of Infantile Scoliosis. And most importantly what Ryan goes through dealing with it.  Don't get me wrong we are extremely blessed that he has not had to have one surgery for his scoliosis.  BUT it is just hard sometimes. 
I personally do not think it matters what the degree of the condition is.....it is there and we have to deal with life differently with Ryan.  Our whole family deals with this. I think any parent of a child with any condition will agree you make it your life and stay as positive as you can, but things are different.  The brace consumes me some days.  I am constantly watching the clock for that magical time when the brace can come off.  And then watching it again to put the brace back on.
This is when I really dislike Infantile Scoliosis and want to scream to the world, "THIS BLOWS!!!" Or "Why can't pediatricians catch this EARLY?" Or my all time favorite....."WHY?!?!"
I don't hate it because it has taught me so much and made us all stronger.  God gave it to Ryan for a reason we do not know yet.  A reason that I know without a shadow of a doubt is a spectacular one!!!  I have to trust in God and His plan.   I know as each year passes I will see little bits and pieces of His reasons in all this.  I already know that Ryan's personality can handle this.  Only God could have done that.  For that I am happy and eager to continue down this road......Ryan's walk with Infantile Scoliosis.  Many on my support group describe this journey as a roller coaster ride.  Major lows and awesome highs.  When you are at the bottom your stomach is churning with anticipation because you don't know what the next turn will bring.  You make it to the top and it is pure joy and excitement.  Just as you are enjoying that high you are falling down....very low again.  And then it does it all over again.  DOWN and UP until you can't take it anymore and want to get off this stressful ride.  Reality sets in and you realize you have no choice in the matter and have to "deal with the heat".
OK so I kinda got off a bit, but the heat I guess just brought it all out.
All I can do is try to be positive and find fun and COOL ways to deal with the heat.
Popsicles, ice cream, snow cones, water hose, swimming pool, etc. to name a few.

8AM-Joys of being a five year old!

Well it is not exactly 8am joy, but pretty close.  After 2 nights of the boys getting in bed at ELEVEN they needed a little extra sleep.  We are at my parents' house this weekend and it has been a busy 2 days.
So this is more like 9am joy, but JOY none the less. 
Here are the boys playing in the pool and hunting for water beetles or June bugs.....not sure.  Using their new critter box from Grams and Pop. Enjoy the picture and have a GREAT weekend!

Transforming our space-Update

A few of you have ask about our "school" room.  A while back I did a post about transforming our space.  Our dining room turned into a DR/home learning room.  And the coat closet turned into a school supply closet. 
We are only a little over 3 months away from starting kindergarten.  I recently had a friend let me borrow the teacher's guide for the curriculum(http://www.mfwbooks.com/) I plan to use.  It was SO exciting to look over what I will be teaching the boys!!!   I can't wait to order it!!!!
Finding space for everything is a must for me.  I want it all within my reach.  Or at least in the same room.  I want every supply imaginable for them to get their little hands on.  And as you can see in the picture above the table is scattered with supplies.  That is from number 2.  He is always doing something with his hands.  And the table stays cluttered.  I don't mind because he is learning.  In fact the other night he sat at the table by himself and started sounding out and writing words!  No one ask him to or gave him the idea.  He just did it!!
When he brought me his paper with the first word on it I ask him how he did it. 
He said, "From my brain." 
Well of course!!!  After that I could hear him sounding out words and trying to write them.
HE IS SO READY!!!!!
Anyway I want an inviting, happy space for them to learn when we are indoors.  So far Matthew seems to approve.  Ryan is a different story........he might miss out on a truck or car by sitting to learn. 
For now I am still transforming our space and having fun doing it.
I'll update more as we get closer to day 1!
Here are some pictures of our room.

More gardening

I have discovered a new plant thanks to my SIL. Thanks Renee!  It is milkweed.
Milkweed is a host plant to Monarch Butterflies.  The caterpillar stage of the monarch butterfly feeds on milkweed plants.
There are over 100 types of milkweed.  I planted the only one I could find.  The Tropical Milkweed. 
It is a frost tender perennial - A few milkweeds fall into this category. You can still grow them anywhere in the United States. However, if you live in a zone that falls between 1 and 9, the plants will die in the winter and you will have to replant from seed in the spring. In zones 10 - 11, these milkweed species will grow year round.   What zone are we?  According to the USDA we are zone 7b so we will have to replant.  I was hoping for a hardy perennial milkweed, but the nursrey I went to did not have that kind.  I'll keep checking around.  We already saw our first monarch today while we were playing outside.  Can they really already know we have this plant? I hope so!!!
In addition to being a host plant for the monarch the milkweed has benefits for other creatures.
Milkweed flowers produce nectar that all butterfly species benefit from.
Honey bee's take nectar from milkweed flowers. There is a decline of honey bee populations in the US, planting milkweed in your garden can help to provide feeding stations as they fly between crop fields and orchards.   The boys will be excited about this because they have seen a special about the decline in honey bees.
Also hummingbirds often use the floss from milkweed seed pods to line their nests.
So you can see why I was anxious and excited to plant it.  It just SCREAMS,  "Learn from me!!!"  Gardening School right in our own backyard.  All of which God miraculously designed!!!
Enjoy the pictures.....for now I am off to do more gardening. 

8AM-Joys of being a Father

8AM-Joys of being a _____ has mistakenly become a Friday thing.  I did it last Friday and was searching my blog for a post and realized I did the 8AM joys thing the Friday before that too!  2 Fridays in a row.  So here it is again.  Maybe I will run with it and make it an every Friday thing. 
Very well then.......on to today's 8AM-joys.
This has got to be pure joy for Brant.  The boys love and insist on standing outside on the porch to tell Daddy good-bye as he goes off to work.  And they will stand there waving until he is around the corner and completely out of sight.  It warms my heart just watching them so I can only imagine what it does for him.
Now that is JOY of being a Father.
Have a GREAT weekend and let the SON shine in!

Gardening School

I thought I would update on our "Gardening School".  It is GROWING!!!!  The squash and nasturtium(edible flower)are the big hits so far.  Everything else is just thinking about it.  The boys are not as "into it" as I had hoped, but they do like to check on it everyday.  They like to show me how much things have grown and love to show me all the weeds that  "I" need to pull.  I suppose for a five year old they are showing an interest in it.  I don't mind the weed pulling either.  Dealing with plants, flowers, dirt......God's creation.....is truly therapy to me.  I love getting my hands in the soil and working with it all.  It calms my spirit.  I have been known to sit with the boys and dig in their dirt box.  Just digging in the dirt.  Mostly looking for WORMS!
Anyway a few weeks ago we also added another tree to the back yard.  All of the landscape in our yard has been done by us.  OK mostly my dear, hard working husband.  And it is not easy.  The soil around here is like digging in concrete.  Brant has had the grueling task of digging at least 15 holes with all we have planted in the last 10 years.  This most recent tree he started digging and hit a pipe.  It was a pipe to the sprinkler system, but thankfully he did not destroy it and we were able to move the hole over just a tad.  After using different shovels and tools that I am not familiar with, Brant was able to dig through all the rock and clay soil.  We now have a beautiful Lace Bark Elm to add to our other list of trees.  In the Fall we will add more, but for now we will concentrate on trying to keep up with watering in the HOT months to come.
And for now I will look forward to a squash quiche and a green salad with the nasturtium on top.
Gardening School will continue...........

Making a little money

The boys are at the age or stage where they like to help clean around the house.  And they are still, and will be for a long time, at the age where they ALWAYS want a new toy. 
Well you put the two together and you have a way to make a little money. 
We do not believe in an allowance, but we do believe in them helping around the house and outside.  So we have come up with a deal with them.  They find things that need to be done around here and we will negotiate a wage.  Cleaning there rooms is not up for negotiating.  That is a given and must be done.
So yesterday I was cleaning around the house and the boys wanted to help.  They love to swiffer the floors.  And I sure do not mind them helping out.  They each took turns using the regular swiffer and the swiffer vac.  I was low on the clothes so we had to cut it short.  But they did managed to pick up a ton of dirt, grass, etc. that they bring in from outside. 
They were done quickly and ready to do something else to make $$$$MONEY$$$$$.  So I had them wipe down the DR table.  Ryan used a wet rag to clean it and Matthew went behind him to dry it.  I am sure I will need to go back and see what the middle looks like because they were only going around and cleaning what they could reach. 
I am so proud of them for wanting to help. I know it will end soon and they will complain about helping.  But for now it is fun and will be go with that.  Their other chores are to help Brant take out the trash(which they LOVE), help set the table and feed Arthur.
After they were done yesterday they sat done and wrote out what they had done to show the negotiator.  That is Brant BTW. 
For all their hard work they each got $2 in quarters.  They were so excited and can not wait to spend it ASAP! 
**Sorry the picture is sideways......this new computer is turning it.  Not me!**

Mother's Day

I know I am a little late posting this, but we have had major computer problems.  As in my computer decided it was time to go.  And poor Brant is still waiting on his computer.  Life without a computer is weird.  It shouldn't be, but it just goes to show me how much we use them. 

Anyway my Mother's Day was a GREAT day!  Actually it started the day before with a luncheon at church for Mothers and Daughters.  Then I came home to the boys begging me to open my gifts. Homemade cards and dark chocolate.  Oh how I love them both!  That along with other thoughtful gifts made my Saturday a wonderful day.  Sunday just got better......my sweet husband went and got all my favorites......chips, hot sauce, queso, flour tortillas and 2 yummy desserts for us all to share.  Now that is a complete Mother's Day.

Nice job honey!

R.I.P. Heidi girl

I usually do not post twice in a day, but I couldn't help it today.
If you are not an animal person you will not get this post, but if you are you will totally understand it.
My parents had to put down their dog this morning.  The vet found out she had a large mass in her mouth and it was not good.  It would require invasive surgery and radiation.  My parents just did not feel this would be something they wanted her to go through.  Not to mention her quality of life would be awful!  As hard as it was they decided it was best to let her go.
As a lover of animals, especially a household pet, this is heartbreaking and very sad to me.  I cried when my mom told me and will miss her every time we visit or when they visit us.  Heidi liked to travel so she always came to visit when they did.
Growing up we always had lap dogs or cats.  Mostly dogs.  They become part of your family.  Someone who is always there for you. Someone who is happy to greet you at the door.  Someone you become so familiar with.  Someone you watch grow and know their personality.
Through the years we have had to let go of 3 Schnauzers.  Anka-she was mine, Greta-she was Alicia's and now Heidi.  Anka and Greta were litter mates.  Heidi joined the crew years later.  Arthur is the only one left of the bunch. 
God gave us pets for pleasure.  To hold, to love on, to visit with, to have as a companion, to talk to and to play with.  But they are just pets so this is what makes it so hard I guess to let go. 
I had to tell the boys about her because we will be going for a visit in a couple of weeks, but did not tell them they had to put her down.  I simply said she died.  Matthew(my sensitive one)of course turned away from me and was about to cry.  Ryan said, "Well now she is with God."  With a tone like he was saying, "Why are you sad......she is with God?"  He sure does have the right idea!
Anyway feeling a little sad and remembering a family pet that was dearly loved.
R.I.P. sweet Heidi girl!

8AM-Joys of being a Mother

It actually started well before 8AM.  I have played with Crazy Creatures(BEST new toy....link to follow), Legos and Lincoln Logs.  I do NOT care for Lincoln Logs at all, but for some reason boys do.  Legos are OK, but my favorite is the Crazy Creatures!  I really play with these.
Oh to have the energy of little children.  I am a morning person by nature, but I don't really like being forced to sit and play.  BUT this is one of the joys of being a Mother. Besides if I don't do it Matthew will bug me all morning until I give in.  He does not give up on anything.  It will all happen so fast in the big scheme of life that an hour is nothing to sit and play.  And I end up enjoying it anyway.  :)
I will sit one day and remember these joyful mornings when they are much older.
As you prepare for YOUR Mother's Day this weekend I hope you can sit for a while and play.  Or sit for awhile and remember the many joys of being a Mother.
Happy Mother's Day to all my family and friend Mothers!  Love you!

http://www.fisher-price.com/us/trio/product.aspx?pid=49203&cat=1

Here is my Crazy Creature!

Get it done early!

If you do not know by now I am a morning person.  I bounce out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off and am ready to begin my day.  Unlike my dear husband who continues to push the snooze button until I nudge him so hard he almost falls out of bed.  J/K, but he does like the snooze button.  I despise it.  Why set an alarm to get up if you are not going to get up?!  Brant and I are so opposites when it comes to mornings.  I am up with a smile and ready to talk.  Drink my coffee, take the dog out, start laundry and maybe even go grocery shopping at 6AM! 
Well that is exactly what I did this morning.  I was up at 5:15 and out the door by 6AM.  I could have left earlier, but I did need at least one cup of mud. 
I loved it!!! It is now going to be my new time to grocery shop.  The store was empty.  I was one of maybe four shoppers.  And those were shoppers that were in and out quickly.  I was all alone.  No interruptions, no chasing little boys, no gritting my teeth to get their attention, no threats, NO extra food in my cart........as much as grocery shopping can be, this was nice.  I was not stressed whatsoever and had it all done within an hour.  I did have to do self check-out, but I didn't mind.  It was worth it!
I know you are saying, "Tasha, get a life!" 
And I will tell you this........Life is good and I like to get it done early!

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Psalm 118:24