Two New Words

Woo Hoo, I'm blogging!!!

I am actually waiting by the computer to skype with Josh and Leigh Ann and my precious nieces from Lodwar, Kenya. So...I thought I'd kill the few minutes I have with a "Kilpatrick Life" update!!

I never thought I'd drop my blog but once school started something had a give. Sadly this was it. Let me tell you why...besides the obvious (4 kids, sports, teaching, laundry, housework, my hundreds of little house projects, traveling, my reading addiction....)

I was so blessed to get a teaching job at Calvary this year. It has been very important for me to send my kids to a Christian school and for me to be there with them...Maci too! It has been a wonderful experience for us. But, pretty much right off the bat Eli was having difficulty. At first it seemed that he was just easily distracted and that was causing him to do poorly on tests, handwriting and just listening overall. He does have a mild hearing loss because of all of the ear infections and surgeries as well as a receptive language delay. I went ahead and took him to a psychologist and had him tested for ADD. The results were negative on the ADD but he does tend to be easily distracted. His grades plummeted, his handwriting is atrocious and he can't spell a lick. I spend over an hour with him each night going over concepts and doing work together. (Goodbye blog) His grades didn't improve. And his self esteem is just sad. He'd ask why his brain doesn't work and why he can't remember. I've taught this curriculum for 4 years and have never seen this in any of my students. I new we were dealing with something pretty major. In November I got the ball rolling at LSU Childrens Center to have him tested. I had some ideas but needed them confirmed so his IEP can be adjusted. He was tested in February and I got the results last week...dysgraphia and dyspraxia. Both are visual processing disorders affecting fine motor and gross motor skills. It explains so much! Both of these cause major problems in handwriting, creative writing, spelling, math, reading, comprehension, phonics, and the list goes on. Aaaaaahhhhhh! So what now? The answer is public school. He needs to be tested differently and taught differently. He'll receive OT, speech, language, reading specialists, and I am so excited for him. We live in a great school district! It has come into some major money from oil and gas and they have all the perks. We are ALL hoping to make the transition next year. I've applied there and am praying hard that can get a job in Desoto Parish! My principals at Calvary have been wonderful and supportive. Though, I know that school is going to be difficult for Eli his entire life, I am so grateful for answers. My little Eli is fearfully and wonderfully made. I take comfort in that!
Dysgraphia in pictures...

We're alive!

I interrupt this blogging absence to let you know we're alive and well! Life is good and we are staying busy.

We spent the weekend in Covington!

My 4 Monkeys!!



Hopefully I can post again soon!!!

A Super-productive weekend!

We had quite the weekend here in Stonewall...as far as never ending home improvement projects go! My sister has a good friend in New Orleans that is an AmAzInG artist. My sis is all about murals and wanted Kelly to paint a shark scene in Caleb's room. Don't forget Caleb is a shark-aholic and has been obsessed with them since birth. He was beside himself and HE got to pick which sharks he wanted on his wall. He wanted a Mako and a Tiger shark. He also wanted a jellyfish.
This is what it started like...a boring brown wall.

Drawing it out!

Kelly at work!

The Shark Room! They look VERY real!!!



On Saturday we went to Canton, Tx to see my mom and mother in law (who drove in from Austin).We were on a mission to find old, blue mason jars for Leslie's wedding. It was also time to pick up my tv thing that I had made for my living room.:)
While there, I stumbled upon these guys that were 1/2 off! They look GREAT in the new kitchen!


I got my TV thing. Alrighty, this house had a giant alcove where you HAD to have something huge. So mom recommended her friend Mike that has a store in Canton. I did the measurements, sent him a pic of the alcove, and another pic of some of my furniture and he did this!



I love it! I had several mini panic attacks on the way home worried that it wouldn't fit. I'm not known for my tape measure skills and Eli was in charge of holding the other end of the tape measure. It fits perfect though!
Next thing on the list, paint the mantle. That may come right after "get classroom ready". School starts in 2 weeks:\

My Chair, Micah's Hair, Maci Claire

Mom and I reupholstered my old chair a few weeks ago.
Micah Man had to get his first big boy haircut (per school rules). I didn't recognize him for a few days...but I'm getting used to it.
May-May is almost 11 months old:) She and Micah are pals.

Roadtrip? Really? This is dragging out.

I despise blogger.
The picture poster seems to be up and running. But this is its last chance.

Alrighty, back to Friday, we went to the cute little park in Tyronne and rode horses at Seth's house.


Caleb driving:)


My little Cowboy...

The happy couple! We donated the boys' sports pillow to Norman since he peed all over it in the car.

Early Saturday morning all of us loaded up and drove 2 1/2 hours to Hershey...home of the chocolate factory and Hershey Park.
Not too many pics here because of the craziness. Eli walks in and looks up, he immediately wants to ride the tallest rides at the park. Seth and I got our roller coaster fix and mom and Robin who aren't coaster fans got to babysit the baby girls.
Meeting Mr. Reese's

On the chocolate factory tour...loved it!

Hershey park is HUGE it has a mini zoo, the chocolate factory, the amusement park, and an enormous water park (with absolutely freezing cold water). It was a fun day for all. We left around 10 that night and headed for Amish Country.
I'm gonna skip over the scariest night ever in the roachiest of roach motels. The cold water didn't work in my room:\. Strange. Showers were interesting. I was scared to touch the carpet with my bare feet. And I don't want to talk about the visible stain on the mattress. I was happy to leave the next morning and drive to Intercourse. Yes, that is the bizarre name of a large Amish town in PA. Someone didn't think that through. The town right next to it is called, Bird in Hand. THAT sounds like an Amish town.
Enter "Kink in plan #2": We visited an Amish town on Sunday. Not much open. But we did see all of the Amish coming and going from church. We also go to see their homes and absolutely beautiful gardens and farms!

A silo! I want one.



Amish parking.

One thing I noticed in Intercourse and all throughout PA is that the houses and barns are VERY close to the road. If you are hitting the shoulder you are likely going through a barn.

The last leg of our trip was Gettysburg. I was super excited about Gettysburg! We did the movie, museum, cyclorama, cemetery, and auto tour (sort of). I loved the Cyclorama. It was my first time even hearing about it. It is an ENORMOUS circular painting done by a French artist in 1883. The way it is done it looks 3D. The boys asked me more than once if it was real...it looks like you are there in the battle. My other favorite thing was watching the kids take musket loading lessons. Eli got it in the head by Randee's musket a couple of times.



Caleb and Reece in Charleston.

The Cemetery.




Well, wouldn't you know it. The picture loader is no longer working. I know you are probably thankful:)
The trip is almost over anyway. The auto tour was a blur (literally). My brother drives right at 20mph over the speed limit no matter where he is, where he's going, or what the terrain and/or road conditions call for.
After that, we headed home. Surprisingly...we stayed on major roads the whole way! It was a great trip! The only thing that would have made it greater is if Jordan could have come:) We were ready to see him.

Our Roadtrip....finally!

Finally, a chance to sit down! We are smack in the middle of our mini Kitchen remodel. It is exhausting and if I never go to Lowes again it will be too soon. I can't wait til it's done:) Pics to come....
Anywho, on to The Roadtrip. This trip was planned on a whim 2 weeks before we left. My mom wanted to go up to Pennsylvania to see my brother and his family. She asked if the kids and I wanted to tag along. Sure we did! I am tired of doing new house stuff anyway. So I planned our trip up to Houtzdale, Pa. It is near State College which is where Penn State is (about 1300 miles from here). So on Monday, 5 hours after our planned departure time...we hit the road...(major kink in plan).
Me, my mom (Maggie is what the kids call her),4 kids and one cute (but not potty trained) piggy named Norman (or Normal as Caleb kept calling him) were on our way! *Sidenote* Norman was my mom and brothers' idea, I had no say in this. Norman is to be Beulah's husband. Beulah is my brother's pig.

For my plan to work we needed to be in Chattanooga, Tn on Monday night. Not happening. We made it to Tuscaloosa Monday night and then to Chattanooga the next day.




The original plan was to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville, NC and then ride it up to Roanoke, Va. Realizing we would be too late for Asheville we headed for Boone, NC. The Boone area is absolutely beautiful!
Appalachain State University...




We finally got on Blue Ridge Parkway about an hour and a half or so before dark. For the short while we drove on it we had to stop for an entire herd of cows that were loose, we went the wrong direction for about 30 minutes, and there were SEVERAL deer in the road. I don't have a great rapport with deer that like to hang out in roads. There are also no street lights on the BRP or bathrooms for that matter. I quickly realized we weren't riding this puppy to Roanoke at night with 4 kids and Norman with his pea sized bladder. Enter GPS.
I can honestly say the rest of the trip up was one geographical surprise after the other and we CERTAINLY did not need the Blue Ridge Parkway for the scenic route. What we could have used was an Atlas or something with a little more perspective than the 3 inch partial map the GPS provides. We were on the curviest, most mountainous, backroads EVER for most of the rest of the trip up. We were actually on a gravel road at one point. I would have never thought to jump on Hogback road to get to Pennsylvania from Louisiana...but we did. And let's just say there is no cell service in the town of Mouth of Wilson, Va. We went through Virginia and to West Virginia on Tuesday night. On Wednesday, we went through Maryland (we were on the gravel road when we entered Maryland) and finally into PA. Pennsylvania is stunning. The farms look like they belong on postcards. We finally made it to my brother's new house Wednesday afternoon. While there I got to meet Murphee, my newest niece. She was born at 32 weeks and is just a little peanut of a person.

That day the kids chased the chickens then we had a bonfire and made smores.
The next day it rained so we went bowling in State College and had ice cream at Penn State's famous creamery.


On Friday, we went into town and had I had a Philly Cheesesteak at a place that makes the best bread ever. We went to a super cute park that had chipmunks everywhere and then we rode my brother's horses and his ranger around his land.




Alrighty, the picture thing is no longer working. Stink. To be cont'd....again!!!