Lilly News

Have lots of news on Miss Lilly.

She is having a great year in Kindergarten. We love watching her learn and grow. She is making great progress in reading, writing and math. She is also doing well with Mandarin Chinese! She is Student of the Month in her class!

Here is a link to the school web-site. You can see her picture and read what her teacher wrote about her! http://www.oregontrailschools.com/299820111917106820/site/default.asp

We have some news on her hearing issues. She has had a lot of appt's, evals and tests lately and has a few more to go, bless her heart. She has handled everything very well and is really doing great. We have known since she was 2 that she wasn't hearing at 100%. She qualified for early intervention services and started speech therapy shortly after we found all this out. She did 2 years of speech and was talking clearly by the time she started her 2nd year of pre-school. I was relieved that she had made such great progress with her speech. I didn't want her to go into kindergarten with an IEP for speech, hearing, etc unless it was absolutely necessary. All of the doctor's and specialists couldn't tell us at that time a whole lot about what caused her hearing loss, how much she had, what type, etc. It was really difficult to find answers. We knew that we would have to wait some things out and that we would eventually get some answers. We are starting to cross that bridge now. After some recent testing, we have been told that her hearing loss is likely Sensorineural hearing loss. This means that there may be some problems with the nerves connecting the inner ear to the brain.
In the inner ear, tiny hairs on the cochlea act as a neural pathway, transmitting through the inner ear. Usually, problems with these hairs on the cochlea are responsible for sensorineural hearing loss. It is usually permanent and present at birth.
She is scheduled for an Auditory Brainstem Response Evaluation Test (ABR Test) on the 16th of this month. (less than a week away) It is a lengthy test and she has to be under anesthesia. We will be up at OHSU for it. This test can identify cases of sensorineural hearing loss. It is a sleep EEG hearing test which shows the softest sounds your child's ears can detect at various pitches. The ABR compares changes in brain activity to the timing of repetitive sounds to determine whether the particular intensity of sound can be heard. Sounds will be presented through an earphone to each ear separately while a computer analyzes the changes in the brain wave pattern in response to sounds. We will be in the room with her during the test, and the results will be explained immediately afterward.We are a bit anxious about it, but will also be relieved to get some more definite answers about what is going on with her hearing and how to best communicate with her, what steps may be necessary to improve her hearing, etc.
She will likely be diagnosed with CAPD- Central Auditory Processing Disorder. We have been working with this diagnosis for awhile and communicating with her as if she already has it because she shows almost all signs of it. This ABR tests will more than likely just confirm the type of hearing loss and decide whether or not she needs hearing aids or maybe a cochlear implant. I will get in to the CAPD symptoms and treatments in more depth after we get through this next test. There is a lot of info on it. Here is just a little piece of it- this sort of describes how Lilly responds when she is being asked to do something or follow directions. Her biggest inability at this point in time is "the inability to tune out background noise", it's very hard for her to focus or hear what she needs to hear when there is back ground noise or when someone is speaking rapidly. She is definitely struggling with the Auditory Part of Hearing.

The easiest, quickest way to communicate is simply to say something and then deal with the other person's reply, right? Except that if your listener has a CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder) your remark might come through with certain words drowned out by other noises, or with some words sounding like different words or as meaningless strings of verbiage. You might begin to suspect this when the other person's expression doesn't register understanding, or if she "answers the wrong question," or when she asks you for additional information which most people would have been able to infer from what you just said.

Most of us aren't that sophisticated about CAPDs, however, and are much more likely to wonder if the listener is just not very intelligent or doesn't really care about us and what we are saying. People with CAPD (which are usually part of a learning disability) have been embarrassed by situations and reactions like these all their lives.

A CAPD is a physical hearing impairment, but one which does not always show up as a hearing loss on routine screenings or an audiogram. Instead, it affects the hearing system beyond the ear, whose job it is to separate a meaningful message from non-essential background sound and deliver that information with good clarity to the intellectual centers of the brain (the central nervous system). When we receive distorted or incomplete auditory messages we lose one of our most vital links with the world and other people.

These "short circuits in the wiring" sometimes run in families or result from a difficult birth, just like any learning disability. In some cases the disorder is acquired from a head injury or severe illness. Often the exact cause is not known. Children and adults whose auditory problems have not been recognized and dealt with are forced to invent their own solutions. The resulting behaviors can mask the real problem and complicate not only school and work, but even close relationships, where communication is so important. Advice like "Pay attention," "Listen," or "Don't forget --," hasn't helped either.

It takes specialized testing to identify a CAPD. Some of the tests used by educational therapists, neuropsychologists, and educational psychologists give at least an indication that a CAPD might be present. These include tests of auditory memory (for sentences, nonsense syllables, or numbers backward), sequencing, tonal pattern recognition or sound blending, and store of general information (which is most often acquired through listening). The most accurate way to sort out CAPDs from other problems that mimic them, however, is through clinical audiologic tests of central nervous system function. These are better at locating the site of the problem and reducing the effects of language sophistication on the test results. Do your best to choose a professional who is familiar with CAPD. Also, there may be conditions accompanying the CAPD which are medically treatable like allergies, Attention Deficit Disorder, Tourette syndrome, or nutritional deficiencies. CAPD is a complex problem affecting about 5% of school-aged children. These kids can't process the information they hear in the same way as others because their ears and brain don't fully coordinate. Something adversely affects the way the brain recognizes and interprets sounds, most notably the sounds composing speech.

Kids with CAPD often do not recognize subtle differences between sounds in words, even when the sounds are loud and clear enough to be heard. These kinds of problems usually occur in background noise, which is a natural listening environment. So kids with APD have the basic difficulty of understanding any speech signal presented under less than optimal conditions.

This is a lot of info and only certain parts of it pertain to Lilly. She is REALLY doing well considering all that is against her. I had a meeting last week with her teacher, the learning specialists and the speech therapists at school and they couldn't say enough about how impressed they are with her. She is in the lower range for reading, but not the lowest. There are kids below her that have no learning issues/disabilities like she does. For speech, she passed her evals. Of course she has some speech sounds to work on, but she can produce the sounds when she tries really hard, which is amazing considering all things. I think that things will just get better and easier for her from here on out. They are going to "tweak" a few things in her classroom to help her a bit. I think she is in the right place for now and that she will surprise us all and exceed all the goals that have been set for her...like reading by 1st grade. I know she can do it! She is fearless and strong willed...thank goodness! Here is a picture from last weekend at The Whitlock's. They put in a Zip-Line and Lilly didn't even a blink eye. She climbed up there and took off. FEARLESS is definitely a good thing!

I will keep you all updated on results, etc as we navigate our way through this process. Just keep her in your thoughts and send me some strength to keep up with it all!

ABR Test Results

Our day at OHSU went very well. Lilly was such a trooper, she did an amazing job. She was so patient with everyone and did everything that was asked of her. I am so proud of her!
The test showed that her Auditory nerve is working correctly. This is really good news, but it also comes with a grain of salt. If the test had revealed that the dis-connect with her hearing was in the Auditory nerve, we would be looking at a fairly easy fix. She would have been a candidate for hearing aides or a Cochlear implant. If we had gotten the diagnosis for Auditory Neuropathy or Auditory Dys-Synchrony, her testing would be mostly over and we could have decided what step was next to best treat her hearing issues. Neither of these diagnosis are possible causes because her Auditory nerve is "firing" correctly. Like I said, it is good news.
The bad part of this news is the specialists would like her to be tested for CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder). CAPD is a much more complicated diagnosis and is much more complicated to treat. There isn't necessarily a fix for it. It's more of an "accommodated" type hearing issue and people that are diagnosed with it are coached/taught different strategies on how to learn/deal with it. Hearing Aides and/or Cochlear Implants have not shown to help in any way with CAPD patients. There are things that will be done for her specifically if she is diagnosed with it. All CAPD diagnosis are very individualized. The catch to all of this is that they suggested we need to wait about a year before beginning all of the testing. It is long, very in depth and can be somewhat grueling for young children. They recommend kids be 7 yrs and up for the testing. CAPD is technically an auditory processing disorder and can be present even if the auditory nerve seems to be "firing" correctly. The ABR test she had today tests sounds entering her ear, traveling through the ear and up into the auditory nerve that connects at the bottom part of the brain-stem. This test does NOT measure/track sounds, brain waves, etc after it leaves the bottom portion of the brain-stem. To have testing done that does track all that above the bottom portion of the brain-stem, you have to do the ABR test first and pass it...which is exactly what Lilly did today. Most hearing issues that are caused by a dis-connect in the upper portion of the brain/brain-stem come with a CAPD diagnosis and are complicated to test for, etc. This is why they prefer to have a child be at least 7 years old.The good news is that there is an EXCELLENT CAPD testing treatment center right here in Portland, so we have a great place to go to when the timing is right. Part of me wanted the neuropothy diagnosis simple because it's somewhat of an easier fix, but I am glad that her auditory nerve appears to be working properly at this point.

The other good news is that Lilly is really doing very well all around. She is doing great at school, she is doing great socially and is emotionally very healthy. Waiting about a year to do this testing is not going to hinder her in any way at all. We have been doing exactly everything that she needs all along.
The other GREAT news is that the staff at her school have already put into place all of the things to help her along that the specialist recommended be done for her starting from now until we start the CAPD testing. She couldn't believe that I had gotten the school to put in place any of the suggestions without having an exact diagnosis for Lilly or an IEP. She said almost ALL schools require an exact diagnosis and/or an IEP before they even offer to help a student in this way. I was already very aware of all of this, but it was so reassuring to hear it from a specialist that deals with it all the time. She stated that it is completely backwards how they run and govern helping kids with any type of learning disabaility, so she was very pleased that we were in a school that didn't operate that way. I am VERY PLEASED too, because I have had a few "lingering" thoughts about our decision to place both kids in the Charter School...they diminished as of TODAY! I now know that it was a good decision to make for our family.
One more note- when we got there, they gave us the option of attempting the test without anesthesia and if it was not successful, we would proceed with the sedation part of the test. I was somewhat surprised because they hadn't discussed this option with me before the appointment. We were all for it as long as they could assure that the test results were going to be just as accurate as if we had done the sedation. They did the test with her awake and like I said earlier she was an absolute TROOPER! They said most kids needed the sedation, but that it's always worth a shot if you think your child can go without it. I felt so guilty about starving her for 6 full hours when she ended up not needing the anesthesia after all!! Poor thing. She ate like crazy all afternoon and evening- LOL.
Well, that's it for now. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We will continue our interesting journey through this hearing stuff and just keep looking forward!

Oh My Goodness...

Oh my...is it really March? Wow...we have been slammed here in The Potter Home and I am definitely behind with my blogging.

I guess I will start with Griff. Our fun, crazy, high energy, stubborn...but very loving lil' guy that keeps all of us on the run all of the time. I know a lot of you love our Griff stories and we love them too. They make for great laughs and great memories!! 

We have been concerned about how "wild" he is and the fact that he is now 3 and just basically stopped talking...he never talked in full sentences, but at a year old, and even two years old, he was saying basic words that showed he was meeting the correct "milestones" that the pediatricians want to see a child meeting. I can't really pinpoint the exact time that he stopped saying words and turned to all-out screaming out of frustration to try to communicate, but it happened and before we knew it, he was so mad, so frustrated and so upset that he could not tell us what he wanted/needed. I was thinking (maybe more hoping) that he just had a speech delay and that in time he would start talking again...but it became apparent that something more was happening. It has been a long journey. The screaming and fits have been very trying for all of us and have made for some very long days, weeks, months. His temperament was changing and even his diet was taking a bad turn. He barely eats at all right now. Pat and I tried all kinds of things and I read and researched a million different ideas and just felt lost as to how to help him, so it was time to turn it over to the pediatrician and see if she could help us. We also had a dear friend (thanks Elyse) refer us to a speech pathologist, whom has become an angel and blessing to us!

We took Griff to Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies for a speech evaluation and a full OT evaluation. I could tell right away that this facility was equipped to help Griff. It was pretty amazing. He has been diagnosed with a form of Apraxia, also called CAS. It is a motor speech disorder that first becomes apparent as a young child is learning speech. For reasons not yet fully understood, children with apraxia of speech have great difficulty planning and producing the precise, highly refined and specific series of movements of the tongue, lips, jaw and palate that are necessary for intelligible speech.  Apraxia of speech is sometimes called verbal apraxia, developmental apraxia of speech, or verbal dyspraxia.  No matter what name is used, the most important concept is the root word “praxis.” Praxis means planned movement. To some degree or another, a child with the diagnosis of apraxia of speech has difficulty programming and planning speech movements.  Apraxia of speech is a specific speech disorder.  This difficulty in planning speech movements is the hallmark or “signature” of childhood apraxia of speech.

The challenge and difficulty that children with apraxia have in creating speech can seem very perplexing to parents, especially when they observe the skill of learning to speak developing seemingly without effort in other children. 

The act of speech begins with an intention to communicate.  Next, an idea forms, outlining what the speaker wants to say.  The words for the desired message are put in the correct order, using the correct grammar.

The brain must tell the muscles of these “articulators” the exact order and timing of movements so that the words in the message are properly pronounced. Finally, the muscles themselves must work properly with enough strength and muscle tone to perform the movements needed for speech.  Amazingly, all of this happens in the blink of an eye.

When speech is developing in a normal way, children make word attempts and get feedback from people around them and from their own internal sensory systems regarding how “well” the words they produced matched the ones that they wanted to produce.  Children use this information the next time they attempt the words and essentially are able to “learn from experience.”  Usually once syllables and words are spoken repeatedly, the speech motor act becomes automatic and less effortful.  The child doesn’t have to think about how to say the word or phrase they want to say. At this point, speech motor plans and programs are stored in the brain and can be quickly accessed and put together effortlessly when they are needed.  Children with apraxia of speech have the most difficulty in this aspect of speech.  It is believed that children with CAS may not be able to form or reliably access speech motor plans and programs or that these plans and programs are faulty for some reason.  Unlike children developing typical speech, speech motor plans and programs for children with CAS fail to become automatic and easily accessed when they wish to speak.

Recent research also suggests that, to some degree or another, the sensory feedback loops needed for learning and acquiring accurate speech may not work well in children with apraxia of speech.  There are several forms of feedback children use to learn speech and the complex series of movements underlying it.  First, children use auditory information (through their hearing system) to judge whether their word attempt was correct.   Researchers believe that the child’s speech processing system “couples” (or ties together) an auditory event – what they hear themselves say – with the movements of the oral structures needed to produce an utterance.  Secondly, sensory feedback called proprioception is used so that the child knows where speech structures like lips, jaw, tongue, palate are physically located and how they relate spatially to one another during speech movement.  So, for example, during speech attempts the child may not be aware of where their tongue is within the oral cavity or how its position relates to other structures like the lips.  Sensory feedback is especially important during the learning of motor plans such as in early speech learning or speech acquisition.  If these two feedback mechanisms are not working properly, speech intelligibility is affected.

This is just a basic outline of what CAS is, if you want more info- click here  http://www.apraxia-kids.org/guides/slp-start-guide/

As with most speech disorders, every kid is different and their treatments are different. Griff is going to speech sessions twice a week now and we are already seeing a good improvement. We are still awaiting the results of his OT evaluation. We have talked with the OT specialists and he has had a few sessions with them as well. We agree that he has some sensory issues, but feel that those will improve greatly once he is able to communicate better with everyone. The speech therapy and OT therapy is very expensive...so we decided to just go with the speech therapy for now and really think the sensory stuff will fall into place. I also feel that I can give him plenty of sensory input/therapy at home and so far, it has been going OK so far. I hope that we are spot on about the sensory issues improving with his speech. I guess if we are wrong, he can begin OT sessions after he completes all the speech he needs. I also called this week and have him being evaluated by Early Childhood Services through the school district/county to see what their opinion is and what services they may have to help him. It is really a lot of work and trying at times for all of us, so please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We will do whatever it takes to get him on track. It's baffling to me that we have two kids that have sensory and speech issues. Lilly had to have speech early on and we are awaiting the final part of her CAPD (central auditory processing disorder) testing upon her 8th birthday. If you need to re-cap or catch up on what we had to do with her, click here- http://potterluv.blogspot.com/search?q=CAPD

She turns 8 in April and will be going back to OHSU to complete her testing. I wish I knew why we have two kids with speech and sensory issues! It really bothers me. I know they will both be fine, in fact, Lilly has already far surpassed many of the obstacles that she has faced with her hearing/processing issues. Yes, it takes work, but she is scooting right a long. She is doing great in school, has lots of friends, is outgoing and healthy. You can tell that some days are harder for her to focus and that she is struggling to process certain things, but she always tries and that's all we can ask of her. Dance/Ballet has been a great benefit to her. She has to focus hard to follow the beats, rhythms and do the moves on time. I know she will not be happy about having to go back to OHSU in April, but it's the last phase of testing in this long journey...we have been doing this since she was two!

I know there are way worse things out there that can happen to kids and I am grateful that they are healthy and happy. We make the best of every day, make lots of fun memories, provide them with consistent learning experiences and stability and lots of LOVE....so in the end, it will all be OK. I just sometimes get lost in the craziness and hectic times that are avoidable on some days.

On another note- there has been a lot happening with the kids' school. It is a fairly new school and an IB charter school that we are very involved in. We had discussions and forums recently to decide if the school was going to make school uniforms a standard. We were against them and of course showed up at every meeting and every forum to voice our opinions. Mac even wrote his own speech and got up in front of everyone to voice his opinion. it was really cool to see him do this. Anyhow, in the end, the district board decided against them. The school was pretty divided. Votes were very close and I was so relieved when it went our way. We just felt that they were not needed or the right fit for our school. It's not that I totally oppose the idea of uniforms, but our school has none of the issues that other schools have had, so we felt like it was an UN-neccesary change/restriction. I did a ton of research on it and called and emailed other charter schools in Oregon, California, Arizona, Texas and even New Mexico. I think in the end, it paid of and informed others about why some schools decided to implement them. I felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off my shoulders after the whole thing was over.....BUT little did I know, we had another issue creeping upon us and it was a biggie. It involves the MYP (middle years program). I don't even have the energy to get into details right now, but it is flat out maddening and the complete opposite of what they have been telling us was going to happen for our kids. I do not understand why we have to constantly be baby-sitting or debating or fighting for what is best educationally for our kids. It is common sense what works and what doesn't and every educator knows this and if they don't, then they need to get the hell out of the education system and go take a class in common sense...........ahhhhhhhhhhh! I am frustrated, if you can't tell! So, in my "free time", LOL, I am researching, calling, interviewing, discussing, etc how to try to make sure certain things are available to my kids and that they are getting the best education as well. It's all a bit ridiculous, there is too much red tape, politics, ego's and plain B.S. going on within school districts right now. I am tired, but not too tired to fight it. So, stay tuned for more info!

Well, I think it's time to log off. Pat and I are going away for 3 days alone later this week...very much needed! Momma B will be watching and caring for the kiddo's. It can't get here fast enough.

God Bless and thanks for reading (0:

Sensory Playing and Learning

We have been playing and learning around here like crazy...it's all pretty fun, it takes some work and creativity on my end, but it's all well worth it!

Griff is doing great. He is learning all sorts of new things and making good progress. He isn't "talking" a lot, but he is communicating in many different ways...which helps all of us out and definitely has made him a happy guy!!!

I wanted to share some of the stuff we do that has made a big difference for him. There are so many great ideas out there and I am looking forward to trying as many of them out as possible. We play a lot with painting, play-doh, shaving cream, bubbles and water. Griff is a "sensory seeker"...he needs to be moving and going most of the day. His central nervous system is similar to an infants instead of a toddler's, so he is just constantly on the go, and is just now learning how to slow himself down a little...it's a struggle for him, but he's catching on! If you are "new" to my blog and want to read more about Griff's issues, click here (0:

Bubble blowing is definitely a lot of fun! It helps him with motor planning and fine motor skills. He is learning how to "organize" and use all the muscles in his mouth and also having to practice his fine motor skills. You can tell in this picture that he is having to focus hard on holding the tubing and getting it to his mouth to make the bubbles....all while playing!!

This whistle is a bubble blower and it helps him with coordinating his lips and mouth. Kids with Apraxia have difficulty getting their lips and mouth and tongue to all work together. It takes practice and time and patience for it to all come together.

We have a new addition to our playroom...most of you know that we have hammocks hanging up in there and the kids have always loved hanging and swinging on them! I took them down (for now) and we now have a trapeze bar!!! Ha...who'd a thought??

It's a big hit and great therapy for Griff...

...as well as all the other kiddos around here!

This is a lot of fun too...these are socks (in fact, they were my Dad's socks...miss him terribly) filled with pinto beans of all things!! They are HEAVY...Griff loves to pull, push and carry heavy things. It helps him organize and strengthen his core. The stronger his core becomes, the more progress he will make all around, even with speech. We have relays in the yard to see who can carry them the fastest from one end to the other end. He also puts them in his shopping cart and pushes it every where. He even puts them in his backpack and wears it around for a good part of the day. I am AMAZED at how much this has helped him. I can take him in the stores now and he he behaves very well!!!!

Lilly seems to enjoy it as well...both of them are going to have some major muscles from hauling these socks around!

I also have Rubbermaid bins/totes filled with rice and beans. They are the big bins, so Griff can sit in them if he wants too. The rice and beans feel kind of cool on your feet, legs and hands. Again, helps with sensory stuff. Sometimes he just plays in them with his cars or I hide little toys in it and he digs them out with a little shovel. On a "rough" day...he just throws the rice everywhere and makes a big mess! LOL...it's still a fun play idea.

These are Griff's communication boards- 

The first one is his daily schedule. He gets up every morning and checks it to see what his day has in store for him. I am amazed at how much this has helped him. If he can't say the word, he can usually find a picture card to show me what he is trying to say.

 This next boards are is his communication boards... helps us with daily communication needs-

 

This one is my "on the go" board for him...has come in very handy! 

 As I said earlier, Griff has made some awesome progress! The only place he hasn't improved in is eating...ugh...such a battle. We are trying different things/tactics and I know we will get there in time. This place mat has helped some. It gets him to at-least touch his food, even if he doesn't eat it! It also gives him the option to taste something and put it in the "yucky" spot if he doesn't like it...or "yummy" if he does like it. I just want him to eat...it's definitely a work in progress-

This is our Time Timer...why I never knew about or had one of these before, is just dumb! It is awesome!!!! It would have worked for all of my kids! Whatever the task is- craft time, reading time, play time, eating time or a time out (LOL) Griff can SEE how much time is on the timer and watch it to see how much time is left before we move on to our next task. It even beeps when time is up...very cool gadget to have for little one's!
I am learning a lot from this experience with Griff and he is too...I think we have a long road ahead of us, but he is so sweet and so playful and so full of life...I wouldn't have it any other way.
I have found some really, really useful books for kids that are "high energy" or difficult or inattentive or are autistic or have ADHD or any type of central nervous system issues or sensory issues...in fact, these books have great info for any parent or caregiver that has kids!!!
Here they are-
The Out-of-Sync Child by Carol Stock Kranowitz
The Out-of-Sync Child has Fun by Carol Stock Kranowitz
Growing an In-Sync Child (same author)
They are a great read with TONS of great info. I have even found some things to try that should help Lilly with her CAPD difficulties.
Anyhow, just wanted to share everything with you all and let you know that Griff is making lots of progress.
Thanks for reading and God Bless!

Keepin' Busy...

I am going to post multiple pictures and happenings in this one post because I am pretty far behind on blogging. The kids have all been going in opposite directions for different things and all I can do is smile and get them where they need to go...HA!

They have been skiing a lot. It has been a great ski season for everyone. It is still going strong too, but we know that it will also be ending before too long. Spring has arrived and that's always a sign that the resorts will be closing as the snow melts away. 

Lilly has been doing dance now since January and goes to every single class so that she can be in the up-coming spring recital . She is very, very excited...just ask her (0:

I am very proud of her for sticking with ballet. It has had a few challenges with her CAPD issues, but she has worked really hard and figured out how to make it work for herself. I can't wait to see her dance! We don't get to watch them during class time, so I haven't been able to see what she does in class...other than all the dancing/practicing she does around here and in the middle of the store while I am shopping!

Mac has been working hard on his school studies and is getting ready for track season. It starts on April 2nd. We have been contemplating on letting him participate this year because, as most of you know, both he and Lilly attend OTPA (charter school) and they do not have any sports teams and also get out of school an hour later than the other schools in our district. We were told from the very beginning of this school opening/starting that our kids would have the same access to all after school extra-curricular activities that other students in the district have. It wasn't going to be an issue for us personally until Mac reached the middle school years...Mac started at OTPA in the 4th grade. I asked every year how the school was going to accommodate him and other students that wanted to join the other students. I was told not to worry about it and things were in the works, it wasn't going to be any problem...etc. There were discussions of a possible time change for the middle year students or moving PE to the last period of the day, so kids that were on sports teams could leave an hour early to get to practices on time and it would count as their PE credit...and a few other ideas. Well, I should have pushed harder I guess for more exact answers and a better time-line, because I was shocked (as well as many other parents) by what choice was given to us as the time clicked on and on and was running out for Mac and his 6th grade class-mates. We went to a middle years info night a few weeks ago and felt like we had gotten a HUGE slap in the face!!! I was so shocked and so furious...by the time we left. The first big shocker was that they told us the school was no longer going to be a K-8th grade IB program, where students learn the IB curriculum through middle school years and then go to Sandy High School, where they could continue their IB classes and graduate with an IB certificate or an IB diploma. The school was NOW going to be a  K-12 IB school/program and our kids would not be able to go to Sandy High School to continue their IB focus. If they want to graduate with an IB certificate or diploma, they would have to stay at OTPA all the way through. (I could go on and on about why a lot of us disgaree with this, but I won't right now) We were also told that start times for the next school year would not be changing for any of the grades and that PE would not be the last class of the day for the MYP. If we (as parents) felt that it was important enough for our kids to participate in extracurricular sports, or other activities, we would need to check them out of school an hour early each day that was needed and they would be missing their advisory period and would have to make it up. WHAT??? REALLY??? Why in the hell should there be a consequence for students that are choosing to be part of a team, or better themselves, or make friends that go to other schools in the same district, to be a bigger part of the community they live in?? I was FURIOUS...for a number of reasons. I was blatantly lied too about a lot of the things I inquired about and that is beyond wrong. I was also furious that they seemed to only care about IB curriculum and nothing else, but yet when asked how changing the hours of the school would affect or change the mission of the school or interfere with any IB rules/regulations, they admitted that it would not. I think the IB curriculum is a great way to go if your child can do it...but curriculum alone does not make a well-rounded student or individual. There are many life long lessons that are taught outside of a classroom and not in a book. Kids need a balance of both and anyone in education should acknowledge this no matter what their personal opinion is about certain extra-curricular activities! Well, those of you that know me...can guess what happen next. I went on an info seeking, interviewing and somewhat fighting stampede. I called OSAA, I called the High School principal, the other middle school principals, teachers, coaches in our school district and yes, of course board members. I called every single parent that I knew and didn't know. I posted things on FB, went to a gazillion different meetings and spoke up and fought for a time change for next year and also voiced my concerns about why our kids should have access to all these great programs our district has for ALL Oregon Trail District students and how NO student should be denied access to them or have to miss class time in order to do so...how could that be the only choice, especially if academics and attendance are SO very important!! Believe me, I could go on and on...and our board got an ear-full from me. I did feel a bit bad about how "gruff" I may have come across, but they needed to have a very clear picture of where I was coming from. I had been asking about this issue for years and had been told by our director (principal) that it wasn't going to be a problem...I had been pushed in a corner and felt that approaching the board with everything was the only choice I had left to advocate for my son and daughter. Many other parents felt the same way and some voiced it as well and others chose to sit and watch...which is fine too. We all have our ways- anyhow, it paid off. Last week the board voted that the hours for ALL GRADES for the next school year and forward would change to match the other schools so that our kids could make it to practices, etc on time! I was sooooo happy! I was soooo happy that they just listened to us and gave it some real thought and consideration. Yes, I most definitely stepped on some toes and ticked a few people off, but I don't think their hearts are in the right place on some of these issues and in my opinion...they needed to know that just because they say "this is how it's going to be" doesn't make it so. Especially without really discussing the issue or even letting parents know what's going on. Our school is small in size and most of the parents really, really care about what's happening and that needs to be honored with discussions and feedback on any issues that effect our kids. I hope that in the future, better communication is practiced. I think everyone involved in this latest "dilemma" learned something. I have no idea what's going to happen with the IB curriculum and being able to have IB classes at Sandy High, but I do know that now more parents are aware of it and our director, board members and district are going to have to listen and take parents input to heart when big decisions are made. It's very clear that most parents have a very clear opinion about it. I am just glad that everyone is at-least in the "know" and discussing it now! 

As far as this year goes for Mac, I feel that he has been let down. The time change didn't happen fast enough for him, but because he is such a great student and his teacher has kindly offered to meet with all the track students an hour early once a week before school starts to teach them what they will miss in class- we have decided to let him be on the track team at Cedar Ridge. This means I have to pick him up an hour early Mon-Fri in order to have him at the field on time for practices and he may have to leave earlier on some days for the track meets. It is an UN-necessary consequence for him. He has great grades and is a great student, he should not have to miss any class time just to make it to practice on time. I am glad that we have this remedied for the future.

UGH...enough about school...between all this school stuff and all the things going on with Griff, (see earlier post) I can honestly say that my brain is tired. LOL!!

We have been having fun during all of this and actually we never let the kids know what all was happening at school until it was over. I want them to be happy and proud of where they go to school and they are just that. I don't want them to ever be worried about where they go to learn and grow, so we were very careful about what we discussed if they were in ear-shot.

Here are just a few of the things we have been up too-

Lilly has been wearing and modeling all her cute hairbands, hats and scarfs from Crochet Craziness! Our friend, Lisa makes them. You can check out her great stuff on FB under the name Crochet Craziness (0:

 Griff only has interest in Mac's favorite hat...

 Lilly made an awesome Leprechaun Trap to take to school...

 The trap needed to some how trap the leprechaun, but make sure to not harm him in anyway. This was Lilly's idea for it- She would "entice" him to enter the house with some of his favorite things...gold, candy, a huge flat screen TV with Barbie playing (we all know he has a crush on Barbie) and a nice comfy chair for him to sit in. She put clear/invisible tape on the chair so that he would get stuck to it as he sat down to eat all his yummy candy and watch some TV. It was a very clever idea and he did indeed stay awhile and ate all the candy...but he somehow freed himself from the tape. He did leave Lilly a note and wished her better luck next year! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next go around...

 Last week was buzzing with all kinds of excitement for spring break and other events going on. One was Catie Lynn's Birthday! 

 Happy 5th Birthday!

I love the picture below because both girls are SOO excited about the gift Catie Lynn opened, and all the boys are completely oblivious to it...

 Griff and Brewer enjoyed playing together and eating lots of cake-

It was great to see everyone, it has been awhile since we have all gotten together. We even got to do "face-time" with Sydney! We miss her!

The first few days of spring are always a bit wild when it comes to the weather around here. We have rain, snow, sun and hail. This looks like snow, but it's hail and of course Mac had to go out and jump in it until the pelting hurt. 

We are now officially on Spring Break and have plans to go and do different things, but now some of the plans may get changed...but no matter what we end up doing, we will have a great time! I can't believe how early Easter is this year! We are having a hard time deciding to go away and miss the holiday with family...but, I am sure whatever we decide will work out. April is coming all too fast...for me it means Lilly's birthday is right around the corner. Yikes, she is going to be 8 already. Wow...

well, gonna log off now. Thanks for reading and make sure to catch up on the latest update for Griff. It's long and has a lot of info, but it's there for those of you that are interested.

Ta-Ta for now...