10 On Tuesday

Well, I think it would be safe to say that this poor blog hasn't had any love or attention for about 6 weeks! :( So sorry about that kids, but let's just say life with two young ones at home certainly has created some obstacles! Don't get me wrong, they are totally worth it, but with the hubby's schedule and the amount of meetings that have been crammed into the first 5 weeks of school, I feel a little overwhelmed! I know all of you want recent pictures of the kids, but tonight is just not going to be it. It's 8:23 and I have yet to eat dinner and we are working on getting the lil' man asleep. Speaking of which, here are our Top 10 Happenings in the Brinkmeyer Household since last updating!

10. Kendyn is now on the move, and has been for about 2 weeks! He is a little scooter and kind of does a leap frog action when wanting to move. Every now and then, he will crawl, but he is finding it faster and more efficient to "hop"!!

9. Kayin is our lil' ballerina! She started dance the end of August and beams every time she walks onto that dance floor. We are fortunate enough to also have two of her friends from daycare there on the same night! She has caught on to the steps rather quickly!

8. Husker football has officially started and schlepping two children downtown to tailgate and watch the "Big Red Band" has been quite a daunting task. However, to see the smile on her face and excitement when she hears them coming down that street is priceless!

7. Speaking of Huskers...her theme request for her 5th birthday...HUSKERS!!! (And no, it doesn't seem possible that she will be turning 5)!!!

6. Kayin also started Preschool! She was accepted into the Peer Model program at Prescott for the hearing impaired program. When I tell people this, they give me quite the eye because she is far from being hard of hearing. But when I explain to them that children are recommended due to their language development and vocabulary skills, they understand how and why she is in the program. She loves school and I try not to be that "helicopter" mom always wanting to check in with her teacher! The first couple of weeks were hard, and we narrowed it down to the bus ride after school, but now, that's all she talks about!

5. School is underway and in FULL force! I feel like I have been in my classroom for more than a month (I have with summer school) but not with all the same kids. Last year I co-taught but this year, I thoroughly am enjoying my own room again...but it is kind of hard to get adjusted back to not having to worry about doing activities or planning without "okaying" it with someone else.

4. Fall is right around the corner and I CAN'T WAIT!!! I enjoy summer, but I am more than ready for cooler temperatures!

3-2-1. I know, I am kind of cheating here, but these last three are biggies!

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary where my grandmother was admitted to St. E's...on Grandparent's Day...and our lives were changed forever.

It was 4 days after her second amputation...I won't forget that day...Kayin, myself, my brother, and his wife headed up to Madonna to visit with Grandma and when we got there, a good family friend was there and met us in the hallway and said things weren't good...and they weren't.

I won't forget how she looked when we went into the room...so still and extremely jaundice. I spoke with the on-call physician at Madonna and they had made the call to send her to the ER at St. E's. I made the call to my mom and things then suddenly were a blur.

Luckily, I was able to find someone to come and get Kayin and I headed to the hospital with her. All I wanted to do was hold my grandmother's hand and tell her it was going to be okay. After all the family had gotten there, we periodically took turns in her temporary room in the ER.

The next few hours were a little hazy, and I am not sure if family headed to a hotel, home, or what....but I was in the room with her when the ER doctor said she was heading for an ultrasound, she looked at me, grabbed my hand, and wanted me to go. That was a pivotal moment for me...seeing her wince in pain and grimace during the ultrasound. The tech soon realized that I had somewhat of a medical background due to all the questions I was asking.

When we found out they were admitting her, my sister in law and I headed back to Madonna to gather up her cards, flowers, and few belongings she had, one of which was her security blanket. That night, my brother, my sister-in-law and I were there by her side when they moved her to her room. I remember covering her with her security blanket, leaving for home, and crying all the way. (I could type more, but I still haven't eaten and Kayin isn't in bed...I'll finish more next week and have a box of kleenex's by the computer)!

Kayin and I got extremely close with her during her 9 month stay at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital fall of 2009-Early summer 2010. There wasn't a day that went by when we didn't stop and see her (how could we not, we only live about 5 blocks from there)! Of course, there were times when she would tell me that I should not have come and have our little girl out in the "that kind of weather" but deep down, I knew that she enjoyed those visits just as much as Kayin did.