Payton's Graduation Video

Make your own thank you

Update on Peanut :)

Had to share this!
Steph got Payton these 12 mon. shorts for her 1st birthday…….they finally fit right before her 4th birthday! LOL  

Little update on Peanut----She is still getting her feedings through the g-tube in her stomach 5 times a day. We have to increase her caloric intake because she grew! (YEAH) She will still eat some through her mouth, but can't sustain herself. We have a good routine down and she flourished her 1st year of preschool. At the beginning of the year we saw delays in her physical ability to perform and now her stamina to color, write and play at school are great but we are starting to see some small delays in her name writing and alphabet learning.

I can't believe she will be 4 in July. My, how time flies! I know a lot of you still think and pray for Payton and you don't know how much that means to us. Without the "silent" support, we wouldn't be where we are.

My goal was to have the g-tube gone by kindergarten in 2 years (we are keeping her in preschool until then) but realistically, it will probably be later, but it is still something to shoot for.
We are now trying a special powder in her water that has calories. It's not going so well, but we are adding it to all her foods as well. Payton had her first incident with being small at her gymnastics recital. She came up to me and said with a big pout, "Mommy…..those girls over there are calling me small and I don't like that!" LOL Hard not to laugh at her attitude. Lots more of that to come in the future!

Thanks for your support and prayers….keep em coming so this little peanut will be g-tube free.

Brandon, Jill, Payton and Weston Stannard

ps….Weston is a brute….my bull in a china shop!

Lunch Time for Payton

I get asked daily if they are twins! LOL

Anything I've done that was ultimately worthwhile initially scared me to death. -Betty Bender

What a teacher?!

 

This is beautifully said. I didn't become a teacher to he a hero, get rich, or even for the summers off. I became a teacher because I truly believe that teaching the next generation(s) is the most important job. Even though I have a family of my own, I still spend hours worrying about the children I teach.

FOUND THIS TODAY FROM: 

The Farmer's Guest House

 As a educator, I have to reprint something I found today....

“To parents who aren’t educators, this may be hard to understand. Five days a week, we teach your kids. Joke with your kids. Console your kids. Praise your kids. Question your kids. Beat our heads up against a wall about your kids. Gush over your kids. Laugh with your kids. Worry about your kids. Keep an eye on your kids.

Learn about your kids. Invest in your kids. Protect your kids. Love your kids.
We would all take a bullet for your kids. It’s nowhere in our job description. It isn’t covered in the employee handbook. It isn’t cited on our contracts. But we would all do it. So, yes—please hug your kids tonight—really, really tight. But on Monday, if you see your kids’ teacher, hug them too.”

 

 

 

 

 

"Mommy....mommy.....mommy!"

My children have hit the "mommy" stage. I am pretty sure that between Payton and Weston, mommy is said more than 50 times a day. It doesn't matter if I am cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, talking or going to the bathroom, my name is being spoken.
Sometimes I wonder if Payton is going to have a stuttering problem. She says, "Mommy, um, um, um, um, um; I, I, I, I need water." I wonder if she just says mommy before she realizes what she wants or if she needs anything.
About 8pm at night I am thinking of responding this way to the kids:

BUT...I smile and say, "Mommy is right here, what do you need?" Oh the joys of parenting.....I bet before too long I will ask them to zip their lips though!

 

I have been reading Love and Logic again to make sure that I am being an okay parent. I love their books. I try to listen to them in my car on my iPod so I can drown out Payton yelling, MOMMY!" Phahahaha

Here is a link to the Love and Logic website! Check out their free resources. Sign up for their email. I get it once a week and they are usually quite funny and have a good message behind them. 

                                         http://www.loveandlogic.com/articles.html 

My favorite is their "One-Liners" 

Kids seem to have a repertoire of "hooks" they use to get their parents to argue with them. Here are some Love and Logic One-Liners that will get parents off the hook and cause children to do more of the thinking.
Remember: The "one-liners" are only effective when said with genuine compassion and understanding. These are never intended to be flippant remarks that discount the feelings of the child. If an adult uses these responses to try to get the better of a child, the problem will only become worse. The adult's own attitude at these times is crucial to success.

• "Probably so."
• "I know."
• "Nice try."
• "I bet it feels that way."
• "What do you think you're going to do."
• "I don't know. What do you think?"
• "Bummer. How sad." (I say this all the time to Payton, especially when I tell her she can't wear flip-flops when its cold out and she argues and cries)
• "Thanks for sharing that."
• "Don't worry about it now."
• "That's an option."
• "I bet that's true."
• "Maybe you'll like what we have for the next meal better."
• "What do you think I think about that?"
• "I'm not sure how to react to that. I'll have to get back to you on it."
• "I'll let you know what will work for me."
• "I'll love you wherever you live." (I can't wait for Payton to say she is going to live with Gma and Papa and that will be my response! LOL)

GOOD LUCK! and send some back to me! 

SMILE-Tomorrow is Thursday!

JiLL

HaRvEsT "It's Go TiMe!"

Watch out bunnies.....The Stannards are picking corn your way!

Well Brandon has been harvesting corn and beans for 4 weeks now. The kids and I are very busy every night making a hot and yummy supper to take all the men in the field. I know it is a lot of work for us, but if I was out there every night away from my family, I would at least want a warm meal....I am sure Brandon will not want goulash, spaghetti, tator-tot casseroles, pizza bake, green bean casserole  scalloped potatoes and ham, etc for quite awhile though!

-Tonight we are taking a ham, mushroom, green bean creamy casserole to them. 

I can say that every year gets easy with harvest. We are able to adjust better as a family. It does break my heart and I know Brandon's too when Payton gives me that innocent look and says, "Mommy....I need my daddy." She knows where he is and what he is doing and she calls and talks to him often, but she still misses him as he does her. 

Weston, my little bull in a China shop" SCREAMS whenever he sees a tractor because he wants to ride in it with Daddy. He thinks that Brandon or Papa are in all the machinery he sees. The worst is going by Windridge every morning on the way to daycare. He gets very upset and yells "tractor" until I put him in daycare hands and leave :(

Our goal is to be done with harvest by Oct. 31st! Harvest as a whole has gone great with no major breakdowns and everyone has been safe. I couldn't ask for more. 

Since Brandon is gone and we have to be home to make supper for them every night, we are spending a lot more time at home and we are loving it! We come home and Payton and Weston start playing right away. Their imaginative play is amazing! I love when Payton says, "Weston, you are the daddy and I am the mommy. Come get the baby and I will make supper for you." LOL 

The other night, we were outside playing. Payton was riding around in her little red car. She was having some trouble getting it into the garage. She stops struggling, looks at me and says, "Mommy, will you help me get my car in the castle?" Aka the garage! Phahahaha!

I wish I had an imagination like that again. Reality sucks! 

The countdown has begun and I can't wait to have my hubby back!

Don't be lookin' too hard at the combine! Hahahahaha

Pulling at my heart strings....

In my sixth grade science classes, students are presenting on a genetic or inherited disease. They put in a lot of work and effort to wow me with their technological and intellectual abilities.
These presentations are amazing and full of important information, although I find myself tearing up during each one.
I know what some of these children and parents have been through. The feedings, surgeries, hospital stays, etc. In 85% of the presentations, I found myself telling students that Payton has that or had that done to her. In the stories they shared about the trial and error to find the right diagnosis is right up our alley.
Anyway, I just feel like these presentations are a great way for students to see what others have to go through and to count their blessings. They are so lucky they have a "normal" life. Pray for cures and hope for all those affected by things they can't control over the holidays!

Hug and kiss the ones you love the most! Here's one of mine!

Jill

Mistakes have been made....

Happy HALLOWEEN everyone!

What do adults do on Halloween? Well, usually they get a babysitter and go out with friends to celebrate a time of the year when you can dress up as something or someone else for a couple of hours.

Well, I did just that last night. I can say I had a good time, but there were some bumps in the road of celebration.

Which leads me to my topic for tonight....Mistakes

Sometimes people have problems and make mistakes. Everyone of us can say that statement is true. BUT...when we make mistakes, especially when we make them more than once or numerous times, people have a hard time supporting or wanting to be around us. We are all quick to judge (I do it too) and tell people what they should do about it. We think that if someone has a problem and is telling you about it, then a solution must be expressed. Well, sometimes it would be nice to hear, "I know you and your family is dealing with this right now and if you want any help I will be there for you."

That plays true to more than one situation in my life right now. I feel that my family is doing the best they can and our love for one another will trump. Patience and understanding are what build friendships and relationships.

I know I have made mistakes with Payton's health and I do wish I could take bad forgetting to hook her up at night because I am so freakin' tired that I can't pull myself out of bed to complete the 15 min. chore. I know that is so horrible and I stress about it for days after. I justify my actions by telling myself she ate well that day (which she did) but she still needs those feedings for extra calories. Sometimes we all make mistakes and wishing them back won't help the situation. My husband is the only one who truly understand what it feels like to feel resentment toward Payton at night when we wake up at midnight and she isn't hooked up because we fell asleep. It isn't her fault.....but it is what we have to deal with and we are not perfect and don't pretend to be. It is just human nature to feel resentment toward something you don't like to do, but have too.

Someone very close to me has some mistakes to overcome right now as well. They have a good soul and their love runs deep. I wish I could justify their actions, but it is only one person's problem, theirs. Will their family be there to provide love, patience and understanding, YES....but they will know that this is not our problem but theirs.

One can't help someone until that someone wants help.

Until life style changes are made, things will not change. Won't it be nice if you told that to someone and they make the life adjustments and became the person you thought they should be???

Sorry, life doesn't work that way. God only gives us what we can handle. How much can you stand to deal with before you wash your hands of people with problems. I know GOD gave me a lot of understanding and patience for certain people in my life that need my help, patience and understanding. That doesn't mean I don't lose patience and faith in people sometimes, but I also reflect on what kind of person I am and how important love and understanding are. God puts people into your life and you into others lives for a reason. Embrace the challenge and let your love shine.

It would be so nice if we were all conditioned to learn from our mistakes the first time and never do it again. Sometimes it takes making a mistake several times with different severity to make the changes. Do people get hurt a long the way, well sure, but one can't dwell on that. Once changes have been made and mistakes aren't being repeated numerous times, the ones left standing next to you are the ones that GOD gave to you to be in your life.

ps....learn to listen to others problems. Don't give so many damn solutions, but offer support and comforting words. "Let me know if you need anything, do you want to do lunch to talk?, etc."

Of course, these are my opinions and are subject to change. :)

JiLL