Xmas and Double Digits for Peyton!

Lots to report over the past week. Xmas came and went. We spent our first Xmas Eve solo this year so we started to create some of our own traditions. Delicious brunch at my favorite restaurant followed by shopping for our Xmas Eve heavy appetizer dinner. Then Xmas Eve mass, driving through our town to view the luminaria and then home for our fun dinner in front of the TV with a Xmas movie of our choice. It was nice and relaxing!

Xmas brought with it lots of presents but a fever for Peyton. Since we were going to pull double duty that day and go to both of our families, we decided I would head with Austen and Hailey to my mom’s in the morning and Tom would celebrate in the evening with his family and Austen and Hailey. So we both got a little Xmas with our families in.

Fast forward a few days and Peyton’s fever (common cold) breaks in time for her friend birthday party at the local crepe place where she has lots of fun. And today we celebrated her real birthday in Michigan, opening presents and heading to Build a Bear in the mall where both Peyton and Hailey created a bear (okay, it was a tiger and a wart hog) of their choice. Then on to ride some cool animals through the mall before heading to a movie then home for

dinner and cake.

It was a busy day for our now 10 year old but I think she had some fun!

Braces Phase II

Today we spent most of our afternoon at the orthodontist. Austen has been waiting patiently for his Phase II of braces to begin after having top only braces a few years ago.

Before

After a recent appointment, they finally deemed him ready to embark on this second phase and he was oh so ready. Most, if not all, of his friends have them and he was growing a bit self conscious about his teeth. So he was probably one of the few who wasn't upset that he was getting them on today, and just a few days before Xmas at that.

It was an easy appointment for him. He won't be disturbed by what he can and can't eat. He won't be bothered by having to refrain from chewing his fingernails or pen caps. And he won't miss eating loads of popcorn at the movie theater.

However, the whole time the hygienist was briefing Austen, Peyton sat there wide-eyed saying "this is going to be just awful (for me)." And yes it will be for everything they pretty much said you couldn't do or have, Peyton likes or does. Kettle chips - no. Popcorn -no. Sticky candy or gum - no. Chewing fingernails - no. And the list goes on. Good thing her ortho consultation today deemed her a one phase only braces patient with the process starting a good 1 1/2 to 2 years down the road. That will be just about when Austen is getting his off too - so just when we think we are done paying for braces, there will be another one entering the orthodontia fun!

After

Consultation

Nurse

After this fall/winter, I think I should be getting my nursing degree. Dealing with many health issues - not for ailing parents (thankfully) or for myself but with my children and my dog. I can't even imagine what it's like for families having to deal with chronic health issues. And, for this I am grateful and helps keep our issues in perspective although time consuming and frustrating.

For weeks now Peyton has complained of a stomachache and a headache. I thought she was just being over dramatic but after a few times where she looked like she was in obvious distress and not wanting to go out to dinner (her favorite), I thought it was time to call the doctor. They wanted a longer appointment with her to talk about her stomach issues so I had to wait about 10 days for an appointment. Ten days seems like an eternity when you're dealing with a kid who tells you her stomach hurts for 10 days straight with no solutions even after eliminating foods from her diet - gluten, milk - you name it - we got rid of it. The best part is Peyton went to school telling her friends she is now Gluten Free! Ha! One approached me at a school event and said, "Mrs. Szurgot, I hear Peyton is now Gluten Free!" Uh no, is that what she told you?!

So Friday we finally had an appointment and after meeting with the doctor for 45 minutes she suggested doing a strep test on her even though she only presented with a stomachache and headache. And what do you know - it came back positive! So over the weekend we treated with amoxicillin but her symptoms still persisted. So back to the doctor today (another day of missing school) to have a mono test done and then get orders for blood work, pelvic and stomach ultrasounds too. The doctor would still like her to finish her 10 days of amoxicillin coupled with ibuprofen for the stomach and head pain but believes we will see it get better soon but if not, we're moving on to more advanced testing. So fingers crossed this medicine starts to take effect soon.

As for Sadie, she's still limping. While it seemed her knee was getting better, she still refuses to put a ton of weight on that leg. Unfortunately, her vet/acupuncturist was sick for her last treatment so she couldn't make it so Sadie has gone a bit longer than we would have liked without treatment. Hoping to get back on schedule and see more improvement over the next few weeks or we may have to consider surgery for her.

All this in a day's work! Wait, this is my work now. Good thing I don't work outside the home anymore. I'd be fired for too much time off! Hoping my two sick "kids" are on the mend and 2020 proves to be a healthier year for all.

Elves

Three little elves come to our house each year (one for each of our kids) to watch our children for good and bad behavior and then report back to Santa. These elves are relics because they are the same elves who used to visit Tom’s house when he was a kid.

The elves come right before Tom’s annual business trip and then somehow they can never fly on their own and always need assistance when he’s gone. So this year, Austen (who finally told me that this is the first year he doesn’t believe) helped me help the elves. And what great fun we had together conjuring up places for the elves. We got really creative thanks to Pinterest! And it was a lot of fun for Austen to get into the spirit of giving (joy) now that he’s on the other side. He understands that he must protect the secret to keep his sisters believing for at least a few more years. But 6th grade?! He believed til he was in 6th grade! And Peyton is in 4th and still dies! (I was in 3rd.)

I love the magic that the season brings and how much my kids also love this time of the year. The other day I was thinking about my favorite Xmas childhood memories and wondering what my kids will say theirs are as they get older. Mine are: our annual roadtrip to see my grandma and relatives in Boston. Lots of stories from those trips and listening to The Beach Boys Xmas album on repeat. Also, all of us crammed into my Grandma’s 2 bedroom/1 bathroom house to eat dinner on Xmas Eve. The stories my aunts and uncles would tell as we feasted on a traditional Xmas Eve dinner of fish and my Grandma’s famous Lasagna. Oh, and that one year we didn’t go to Boston when I was in the 7th grade which was incredibly boring but I got the best gifts that year - all the clothes I really wanted - Guess, Benetton, Forenza... so many warm and wonderful memories. This time of year definitely brings back all of mine.

My Favorite Time of the Year...

It’s definitely this time of year. Pumpkin Pies. Egg Nog. Holiday Music 24/7. My family loves this time of the year. I swear Austen started commanding his Alexa to play Xmas music in September so he could fall asleep to it. Peyton and Hailey have been drawing pictures and doing holiday crafts to hang around the house since before Thanksgiving. And Tom even broke our golden rule of no holiday lights before Thanksgiving this year.

But I think the tradition during this season that our kids look forward to the most is cutting down our Xmas tree with friends. Peyton missed a friend’s birthday party this year to go and didn’t even feel bad about missing it. She wanted to go tree cutting. I think they really look forward to this event right along with us every year.

This year was a little rainy so to beat the afternoon downpour we tailgated first (hot cocoa, treats and spiked apple cider along with football and a lot of catching up) and then went to cut down our Xmas tree. Dudeck’s Pine Country store expanded and was spacious and nice this year. The trees looked a little sparse though like we’d better stop telling people we go there! The kids visited Santa. Austen played along as he finally realized the truth about Santa or finally admitted it. He is having fun keeping the spirit of the season alive for the other two though with lots of questions about the elves this year and how we moved them and our stocking stuffer tradition. I’m really glad he believed for as long as he did. It made the season extra special. Now he joins the rest of us in helping Santa spread the spirit of the season.

After tree cutting, we tried a new restaurant in New Buffalo called Beer Church. It’s an old church turned brewery with beers called Pontius Pilate and Crooked Cross. The food was really good too including their communion bread. We chalked this outing up to our mass attendance this week. We’ll be back to try out their heated igloo tents at some point too in the future but without the kids.

It was another great year with good friends and good food filled with thankfulness for all we have received this year - health and happiness.