There are times when I need duct tape

Unfortunately I let things get to me today. A little too much apparently. 

The day started off with me remembering that Addy's glasses were all bent and she couldn't wear them today. I didn't know until later today what had happened to them (she apparently fell in the hallway and bent them). So that made me a little irritated because I didn't have time after work yesterday to go and get them fixed and today wasn't looking much better. She did wear them some today but they need a major overhaul, she did a good job messing them up :(

After school I told Addy to show me her library book. We talked this morning how this year she was going to get to bring her book home (in pre-k they stay in the classroom) and we could read it for a whole week. I pulled out the book and it was ridiculous. It was pretty much an encyclopedia full of the life history of Edwin P. Hubble. Don't know who that is? Well, he invented the Hubble Telescope and just happened to be born in Marshfield, MO, our school, Hubble Elementary, is named after him. Addy doesn't have a clue about this and needless to say, the book was entirely inappropriate. I was frustrated. Why would she have a book like this??? So we went back up to the library to check out an appropriate book. She picked out Mrs. Wishy Washy ;) we read it three times tonight :)

Tonight we went to music therapy and were more than thrilled that it was going to be in Marshfield instead of Springfield (about a 30 minute drive). Addy was still very tired and didn't get her little power nap before it started, however, she was excited to be back to it. We had a couple of new kiddos tonight and one former student. An incident happened (not going into details) and apparently I needed duct tape over my mouth because I REALLY offended someone and ruined the evening. 

I have now been in tears on and off because I feel like I ruined a very good thing and I'm frustrated with how things went down. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

The Hair

As many of you know I cannot expose Little Man online but I think it's okay to post the hair. The hair is a major topic of conversation, looking at the pix you can see why :)

We were at the DS Clinic in St. Louis yesterday and there were 38 comments about the hair :)

Wow, I'm a slacker!

I think I may just be stopping this whole blog thing. I'm obviously not keeping up at all and I it's kinda hard to post pics and talk about our life when we have a little someone that can't be talked about or have photos posted ;)

I spent the first week of August in Atlanta at the National Thirty-One Convention. I had so much fun! It was wonderful! Cindy Monroe, the founder of Thirty-One it such a sweet, amazing person and her husband is hysterical! His praise band played for us often, the worship was great, truly enjoyed it so much! It was very nice to get away for a little bit, especially right before school was starting back up! Unfortunately my phone got ruined by a rainstorm and I lost all of my pictures on my phone :( I hadn't backed up with iCloud in forever so all of my pics from Zoey's birthday party and the beach are gone :( All of the pics I took of Little Man in the hospital are gone :( those hurt the worst! I'm so crushed! I am getting a new phone case today when I head to Springfield, it's a must!!!

Jake's been playing baseball and has been pitching a tiny bit. He really loves it! I've had to miss several games due to the heat which has been a bummer! Last week I actually had to miss due to Addy being completely exhausted, we got there and she was a miserable little mess, poor girl! No naps are not fun for her!

We finished up our summer by going to our annual church pool party on Sunday night. I haven't taken Addy to the pool all summer, just couldn't with the little one. Addy doesn't love the water but once she got in we did have quite the time getting her out! The water was freezing and she was turning purple so that was a pretty good sign that she had to come out to warm up! She still can't regulate her body temperature very well and between the sweltering heat we've had and freezing water, she was a mess!

I soo wish I would have gotten video of Jake's dive/flip things he's doing off of the diving board, he's very good!! The Olympics were so fun to watch and those divers inspired him quite a bit!

The kids started school on Thursday. Both boys are in Junior High (6th and 8th grade) and Addy started kindergarten! They all had good first days and liked school.

 Jake likes his teachers and had no trouble changing classes all day. I knew he wouldn't but you always have to worry a little right??

Cooper is in his final year of Junior High. I truly cannot believe that! These years are always a little tough and having an Autism Spectrum Disorder doesn't help that at all :( Fortunately he is a happy kid and hanging with his brother in the mornings before class starts :)

Addy was EXHAUSTED!!! Those hallways are very long for those tiny little legs that move at about the pace of a turtle!

We are working on some transportation logistics right now :) Her kindergarten classroom is the room farthest away from the bathroom with a changing table in it lol. So we are looking at changing her elsewhere ;) I told them to utilize the wagon for bathroom for Friday and I'm sure that helped! Addy would prefer being carried but not really appropriate for kindergarten ;) I admit I completely and totally carried her from her classroom after school yesterday, she is so worn out! I'm sure next week we will be looking at either an after school nap or a very early bedtime! I am so happy with her placement this year, we are truly blessed. Addy is fully included in kindergarten (as much as you can be with therapies!) with 150 minutes per week of speech/language therapy, 90mpw of PT, 60mpw OT, 30mpw of adaptive PE and 150 minutes per week with services in the special education classroom. Her schedule is looking fantastic, we are so pleased! Her teachers are wonderful! You know when someone truly cares about your child and Addy has been blessed with Mrs. O for her kindergarten teacher, what a gem she is! She happens to have a brother-in-law with Down syndrome :)

Mrs. Andrews is her special education teacher, and this is her first year with a classroom, but let me tell you, this girl is going to rock this! She has been given quite a caseload and she is doing everything she can for each and every child, she is a true blessing to these children!

Scott and I celebrated 16 years of marriage yesterday :) What did we do to celebrate? We took 4 of our 5 children on a date with us and we wouldn't have it any other way!

In a funk

For the past couple of days I have realized that I am in a serious funk. I don't really know why but things are just getting to me lately. I'm usually a very laid back person and don't let things bother me but for some reason things are making me so irritated!

They are little things too which usually don't bother me at all! The baby has some serious hair. I mean SERIOUS hair! It is very much a topic of conversation wherever we go. However, every time I hear "Look at all that hair" I just sigh. I'm with him everyday, I know he has a lot of hair! Why in the world does this bother me? I guess because I hear it so often, idk. I need to let it go for sure!

I'm also getting a lot of , "Wow you have your hands full", "I don't know how you do it", "You are crazy", "You got another one?", "Why would you do this?", "I bet you're so busy, I couldn't do it". Well you know what??? I do it!!! Yes my hands are full, I don't know how I do it either, but let me say this, I really don't know how Meredith, Shelley, Christine and Charissa do it either but it's none of my business! Could I do it? No I couldn't, but I would never judge them or say something to them about them being crazy. What works for one family doesn't work for another and that is fine! In our family I do everything. I am the one that bathes kids, cooks (Scott grills occasionally), cleans, laundry, shops for whatever is needed, runs kids to their activities (Scott takes on a baseball on the weekends and most games because of the heat). Oh and I work full time during the school year. Scott works from 9-6 during the week and 4-5 nights per week he works at a second job until midnight or 1 am networking computers. He works many weekends as well or he will go biking, target shooting or do whatever his current hobby is lol. So 99% of the family dynamics are on me. Do I love this? No, not really but it works. Do I wish I had more help? Yes I do and I'm wondering if that's where some of this funk is coming from. I know that in less than a month we are back into the groove of school busyness and I will be even more exhausted than I am now. The best thing has blessed us however :) Cooper and Jake are both in Junior High this year so they are in the building that is on the same campus as my building :), which also happens to be Addy's building! I am so looking forward to all of us being in one place. The blessing? The baby got into a facility for day care that is across the street!!! Sooo, my morning won't be too horrible getting everyone where they need to be :) I'm just dreading taking on all of the hustle and bustle that school brings again :) I've enjoyed my July of not working :)

I am pumped about going back to work though. I do love my job and my co-workers and especially my students. I saw a couple of my students yesterday while I was taking them some kittens (long story) and it made me realize how much I've missed them this summer :) We will be back in the swing of things before we know it!


I am really excited about next week though. I am escaping for six days!!! I am flying to Atlanta on Tuesday (the 31st) to go to the National Thirty-One Convention and I'm pretty excited about it :) I have really enjoyed selling Thirty-One and I'm anxious to seeing how I can make more of this business adventure :) I am looking forward to having some time away from the family for a bit. I will miss them, but I need a break, I think. The first day I'm in Atlanta is for Directors (which I'm not) so it will pretty much be a completely free day for me, so I plan on hanging by the pool and relaxing. It will be so nice not to worry about watching kids :) I will worry about them at home though! Scott rearranged his vacation time from work just so I could go on this trip!!! He has no idea how much this means to me! He's not getting a vacation at all! He will do a fine job taking care of the kids. I'm pretty sure I will have outfits laid out for Addy (so she'll match, I have issues with this!), I'm going to have to teach him how to put her hair up or it's going to be covered in drool (more to come on that later). I'm pretty sure the laundry will be waiting for me when I get home lol. The day after I get back will be Addy's FIFTH Gotcha Day and all we have planned for that day is her dance class. (If you ever need anything from Thirty-One, please think about ordering from me! I am donating to RR and my local DSGO with part of my commission. Last month my entire commission went to adopting families :) If you need something, click HERE, the July special is great and in August we are introducing PURPLE, my favorite color! We also will have Icon It available! So now you can do even more personaliztion with sports, flowers etc. :) Cute stuf!


That week will be my last one off before going back to school so I'm hoping we can fit in a few fun things to do but it depends on whether or not this nasty heat wave will go away. Poor Addy just can't tolerate this heat. I had her out for just 20 minutes yesterday after church so she could play in her watertable. She was drenched with sweat so we had to come in. She did have fun with it though :) Last year it took forever for her to be interested. Her being much more stable on her feet has helped! She's officially been walking a year now and she is still VERY slow but she is walking! Her gait is improved, it's not as wide now so I'm pleased with how she is progressing.

I'm also wishing that I could get to California so I can spend time with Heather (Zoey's mom). She just lost her mom and I know how hard it is to lose a parent. I just wish I could have been able to swing a little weekend getaway but we just couldn't. :( Maybe this fall I can convince her to come here to celebrate Addy's birthday, hint hint!!!

Okay, so my rant/vent is over and I'm going to enjoy today:) Jake and Addy have dental cleanings this afternoon. Well, Addy has a  "let's try and get her to open her mouth so we can see if she has teeth" appointment. She REALLY needs them cleaned, I'm hoping they will go ahead and decide to give her some gas or something so they can at least clean them. Brushing them is never pleasant. Cooper lucked out, he went with youth group yesterday to Joplin to help re-build after that devastating tornado. Jarika is probably going to pay him a little visit while he's there too :) Poor Jarika's air conditioning has been out for a couple of days and it was 98 in her house yesterday! My brother thinks it was the breaker so I'm really hoping she gets some relief today!

My little helper

Yes, he does exist :)

Too hot for fun!

It is absolutely miserable around here! The heat has been horrible and it's just too hot to do anything fun. I did meet up with some friends the other morning for a little bit of fun at the splashpark before it got too hot. Jake had a blast but unfortunately Addy isn't a big fan :( Makes me so sad for her, I know she would probably enjoy these type of things if she could just handle the unexpected and had better sensory/motor skills. Once she's done and doesn't want to do anything else we go into the Zoey Walk :) How we miss our sweet Zoey!!! I love it when Addy says "I Zoey" :) Can you see the ornery grin on her face???

We went ahead and headed to our 4th of July parade even though it was horribly hot. If you live in Marshfield it's almost a sin not to attend the parade on the 4th!! Addy and Cooper don't care for the big trucks and their horns and sirens, fortunately some good friends of ours have their office on the square and let us hang in there to cool off a bit and get away from the noise.

Once we got home and cooled off we headed to Springfield for some dinner. We weren't doing a family bbq thing this year since everyone is under a burn ban since it's been so dry and no fireworks allowed :( Scott has been going to Hibachi Buffet for lunch some days and that's where we went! Nothing says the 4th of July like Hibachi huh???? It was sooo good!!! Cooper was beyond thrilled, the buffet had pizza and french fries. Healthy huh???

So now we are pretty much staying at home and enjoying the rest of my summer off with the kids. Cooper is going to spend this next week with his best friend that moved away last year. He's really excited, those two are peas in a pod! The next week he is heading to Joplin with our church youth group for a mission trip. They will be rebuilding some of the devastation from the tornado. This is very meaningful for him since Joplin is where Jarika lives. That tornado really hit home. So scary. Jarika plans on visiting with him while he's there :) Jake is busy with baseball and swimming. His team is doing fantastic again this season, we are so proud of them! Jarika is enjoying her summer in Joplin, working and having fun. Just like you should in college! Our little man is good :) Wish I could give details but I can't :( He is doing well and we are enjoying him very much!

Don't forget about the July special for Thirty-One!!! I can't tell you how much I love these products, they are amazing! I have a challenge, for every special you take advantage of I will enter you into a drawing for $50 in free products!!! You can order directly through my site by clicking here. If you'd like to be added to my mailing list just send me an email :) cammie.heflin@gmail.com

Having a Little Challenge :)

If you've read my blog for awhile or are my friend on Facebook you know that I am a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts. The July special is absolutely amazing so I am hosting a give away/challenge!! For the month of July, every $31 you spend you can get any of these items for just $5!!!: ZIPPER POUCH, CINCH-IT-UP THERMAL TOTE, THERMAL TOTE, LITTLES CARRY-ALL CADDY OR MINI ZIPPER POUCH! But that's not all!!! Personalization is $5 on everything all month too!!! So, I am having a challenge. I'm going to run a give away for two weeks. For every special you take advantage of I will enter your name into a drawing for $50 in free Thirty-One Products!!! That's right! FREE STUFF!!! So, order away!!!! Just click here

School is going to be back in session before we know it and our thermals are perfect for all of those school lunches!!! They are extremely popular! For them only being $5 with $5 personaliztion, that's a huge savings!!! I've used one for Addy for a couple of years daily and it's still in fantastic condition! Keeps things nice and cold :) I love that the Cinch-It Up Thermal doesn't have to zip, Addy can get into it easily :) I LOVE how we have so many cute patterns and can personalize them :) So all of you with kiddos with unusual names or spellings, it's not a problem!!!

 My thermal tote :)

 Addy's thermal tote :)

Cinch It Up Thermal

I have zipper pouches that I use for different things. I keep one in little man's diaper bag that is full of diapers and wipes, one I use for my DSGO (Down Syndrome Group of the Ozarks) paperwork (file folders fit), I have one that holds my school Ipad and one that's full of school/art supplies at home. They are so useful!!!

I use my Littles Carry-All to hold little things on my bathroom counter and for office supplies in my kitchen.

My mini zipper pouches are useful for taking things to keep Addy occupied at Dr. offices, in the car etc. :)

All of these items being on sale for just $5 is awesome!!! So if you would like the chance to get $50 in products for FREE!!!!! Just click the link and help me meet my goal!!!

I just finished three fundraiser parties for families adopting through Reece's Rainbow, about $500 is heading their way :) So blessed by Thirty-One!!!