We're A Busy Bunch!

Welcome to a little thing called life! 

I cannot believe it's been so long since I have posted.  If I remember correctly I posted last, just after passing my nursing boards.  HAHA!  That was stressful to say the least. However, I passed those with flying colors in 75 questions and have a blast playing with tiny humans in the NICU.  A place that touched my heart and drove me into a new career.  It's amazing how my kids see me in the nursing profession.  Emma has taken an interest in also being in the medical field and I couldn't be more proud.  She went from wanting to be a full blown Princess to being just like her Mommy.  The boys have shown interests in being firemen, police officers, and IT designers.  I'm proud of their ambitions.  

Other happenings include the kids and I moving into a cute little house in Danville with a pending divorce.  It's cozy, and we downsized quite a bit, but we have so much fun.  We have found a love for I spy BINGO, biking, we've done more hiking in the state parks, and watched scary movies.  I hate to say that we didn't swim as much this past summer due to our moving locations, but we did have a lot of ice cream.  The kids are adjusting well to their new schools and doing well with homework.  I feel like it's not such an overwhelming amount that we can't have fun at the same time.  It's a win for them and me!  

In the last year since I've posted, we've taken a few trips.  A long weekend to Ohio, which included the Newport Aquarium (so much cool stuff to see and touch), a really good burger bar, and all the excitement Great Wolf Lodge can offer.  Our favorite was the build a bears we got with a computer chip for the scavenger hunt.  Next time we go, we have high hopes of doing the wand games throughout the hotel.  We visited Orlando and Cocoa Beach over Spring break.  That was amazing!  We spent an entire day at Magic Kingdom and this time made it through the fireworks show!  We rode as many rides as we could, ate ice cream for lunch, and met some of the characters we didn't get to meet the first trip there.  We rented a condo a block from the beach and spent time building sand castles, burying each other, and boogie boarding.  Our condo had a private swimming pool so we didn't need to share with a ton of people.  Our neighbors at the condo were fun.  The kids had a blast with their kids.  I wanted to take the kids to Kennedy Space Center while we were there this time.  They loved it!!  So much to do and see.  My parents took me there when I was little and wow!  It has changed so much!!  We loved seeing Atlantis, it's incredibly huge.  We were also able to see some of the debris from Challenger and Discovery.  Its amazing how a persons feelings can change in a matter of seconds when seeing those items behind glass.  Knowing that is all that is left from a space mission.  I have been extremely lucky in having been to Las Vegas for my 37th birthday this past year.  I went with three girls from work and we had a blast.  I was nervous about keeping up with the girls, but found out I can still hang!!  Hahaha!!  I took a verrrrry long plane ride to Germany in July.  Let me just say how beautiful it is there.  It completely took my breath away at times.  I was lucky enough to meet a very sweet, fun, and loving guy who lives there.  I also have to mention that I have not walked as much since high school as I walked in Germany.  Everything is walkable....and when I say that I mean: you walk and walk and walk!!!  

So, looking ahead, the kids and I are looking forward to pumpkin patching, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I'm not a big Halloween fan, but do love Fall and going to the patch with the nuggets.  We always go to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving and the tradition continues!!  Along with the quads birthday.  Can you believe they will be 9?!?!  Christmas is our favorite season and holiday.  This year we will get to buy a new tree and oraments.  Starting over with our own design!  What are the chances we can all agree??  And we can't forget Santa!  The kids are already planning that list....

That's all the updates for now! Sending hugs to all.  <3 div="">

A New Beginning.

Welcome to 2017! I looked at our blog and was shocked to see I hadn't blogged since 2015!! How life has changed since then. If I remember correctly nursing school for me was just beginning....well now it has ended. I now officially have a B.S in Nursing, an B.S in Speech Pathology and a minor in Audiology. The future may hold a Masters!! Yes, I plan to pursue my FNP eventually. As for now I have accepted an RN position in the NICU at St. Vincent Women's Hospital and Indianapolis. Our family has recently sold our home in Indianapolis and will be moving to Brownsburg for a short period of time. We will be trying out apartment living for six months. I'm not sure if I should be more worried about me surviving in 1200 sq feet for that amount of time or if I should feel bad for those living in the unit below us. Brian already has a game plan in place consisting of beer and flowers. I hope they drink beer...if not, they will now!! We took a vacation over Fall break. It was much needed. Nothing too fancy, we visited Hilton Head Island and had a blast. Four days of beach, mini golf, dolphin excursions, and sunshine. The kids did great being in the car for such a long period of time. Drew and I taught the quads how to boogie board....we had a blast!! Parker attempted to bury Brian in the sand, but it didn't go well. We ended up building a sand castle and collecting shells instead. The kids are doing well. School is something they love and hate. They hate getting up in the morning but love their friends and teachers. I already fear the teen years and waking up on school mornings. Emma is already in the habit of asking "do I have to get up for school in the morning?" The kids are ready for the upcoming soccer season. Emma has opted for gymnastics instead. She's such a girly girl! I love that about her. She's tough when it counts but isn't afraid to stand her ground and go for what she wants. Drew decided to run for Student Council this year. He was voted in and loves it. He's very responsible. Maddox is very strong willed...some days are better than others. He's doing well in school and loves to entertain his friends. I definitely see more colors on his behavior sheet than I do from the others. Parker has been struggling with school and his migraines. He is so sweet and tries so hard to please everyone. We are working on getting him extra help but it's been a real struggle. Jack has finally found his groove. He has made a lot of progress this year and I am really proud of him. I must say though....four sets of first grade homework has be about crazy! More to come soon...lots of changes coming to our family!

We Love Summer.

Summer break is here! Can you believe our micro preemies are going to Kindergarten? I'm torn between feelings of joy and sadness. Feeling joy because they are getting old enough to go and do big kid things and sad because they are growing too fast. Drew is heading into second grade. Where does time go?? Drew did fantastic in first grade. He's reading at a third grade four month level and scored in the 94% in the United States in math. Proud Mama moment! We've kept busy with sports this spring. Drew is playing baseball. This past weekend he went 2 for 2 with an RBI and a run scored. The quads are playing soccer. They have their last game this weekend. They will get their trophies and soccer patches. I will admit I've failed in the patch department this year. Time just flies by. We've been so busy riding bikes, playing outside and finishing school there has been little time for anything else. I'm still a full time nursing student. I'm doing well so far and really loving it. I finished Abnormal Psychology this past weekend. Next up Theology! It's my last co-requisite before clinical rotations start in the fall. Brian too, has gone back to school. He is studying marketing through Indiana State University. I'm not sure when he will be finished with his degree, but it's a great decision for us as a family. Someday we will be able to have more time together as a family. Coming up for the summer we have some fun planned. Zoo trips, swimming, biking, I might like to try hiking with the crew. I'm still on the fence about that one, but Brian had mentioned camping. If it comes with a mattress I might consider it. My body may not handle the ground so well. Emma is also having her second cranial surgery. That happens next Thursday. She is ready. I'm good with our decision to go ahead with it this time. While it will be tough to start Kindergarten in a hat and half a shaved head, I'm confident she will do just fine. I will do my best to update on her progress during and after her surgery.

We're Still Alive, Just Hibernating!

Don't worry, we are still here! Lets just say busy around here is an understatement. The last post was after we came back from Disney in October. Since then I have continued Nursing school classes, Drew has started swim team (although it's now competition season, so it's in mid season break), we've been through lots of Neuorology visits with Drew, influenza, multiple colds, GI bugs, IEP's and more. Nursing school has kept me busy on top of working part-time, and being a full time Mommy. I have successfully passed Anatomy, Physiology, Human Growth, Chemistry, and am currently taking Microbiology. I am liking Micro, but don't see myself as an Infection Control Officer. This class is really putting a lot of things into perspective for me. Especially with micro-preemies! We are very lucky to have four healthy little monsters on our hands. Don't get me wrong, I love all five of my kiddos to pieces, but at this age they have become sweet and independent. This many personalities all mish mashed together is a challenge. Yes, at age five and Drew at age 7 somedays feel impossible. After some discussion with Drew's teacher, Brian and I decided to have him referred to a Pediatric Neurologist for his previous concussion. After some lengthy testing (two EEG's and an MRI), we have found he has no signs of tumors, lesions, or bleeding, but he did have an abnormal EEG. There were findings of seizure's in his occipital lobe. There were no findings in his frontal or temporal lobes which is good. Drew was exhibiting some major focus problems, impulsivity, and staring into space. His Neurologist suggested trying an ADHD medicine to combat the focus problem. He has not been diagnosed with ADHD, and will not be on the meds forever, but this is only to aid him in class. It was hard for me as a mom to understand this as I knew he didn't fit the criteria for ADHD. His teacher has noticed he has improved so much which is also causing less behavioral issues at school. It's truly crazy to see what TBI's are capable of, even when it's just from a fall on the basement stairs. Drew returns for a check up in March, we'll keep you posted on his progress. In our extra time (because we have so much), we have tried out swimming with swim team. Drew loves it! Surprisingly he is really good. He was able to try out and skipped the first level and swims on the red team. He is diving off the diving board head first without hesitation, has a good backstroke, a decent breaststroke, and butterfly. He needs work on his frontstroke before moving up to the blue team. Our quads are not quite ready yet, but hopefully by the end of April will be able to join him in the pool. They all love the water. Soccer season starts in a month. The quads are signed up and feeling really excited. We will post pictures when they start the season. Drew has opted for Spring baseball again. He has asked to practice pitching. This will be interesting. Hoping for no broken windows!!! Our family is in the same boat as most other households in the US with the passing of germs. I opened the windows yesterday so hopefully a little fresh air will help with ridding of germs. Lysol, bleach and handwashing have helped, but they still seem to be hiding it secret places.... Stay healthy, we'll post pictures of our busy selves soon!!

Disney or Bust!

What an AMAZING week we had! We left for Disney World last Sunday with Drew and crew, along with Nana, Papa, and Grandma Susan. The kids were so excited to ride on a plane. We arrived at the airport (after discussing airport rules and behavior of course), and grabbed our tickets, checked our luggage and talked to the TSA people. Parker thought it would be great to "talk" it up with the gentleman scanning our ID's. Thankfully it wasn't too busy, and the officer was more than happy to chat back with him. The kiddos did a fantastic job waiting for our plane. We shared leap pads and drank Starbucks. After arriving in Orlando we boarded the bus to the resort and walked Downtown Disney. We ate at Planet Hollywood. The kids loved the music and decorations. We started the week off with a visit to the Magic Kingdom. We rode roller coasters, met Pluto, Mickey Mouse, Baloo, and Stitch. Brian and I were so excited the kids liked the coasters. That all changed when Papa took Parker on Splash Mountain. After that it was all over for him. I'm hopeful he will change his mind as he gets older. Drew was that way too until he rode the rides at Disney. :) We ate at Whispering Canyon Cafe and had the best time. The food was good, and lets just say if you eat there be sure to order ketchup!! Tuesday, we spent at Animal Kingdom. It was really beautiful! There is so much foreign culture and the animals were amazing to watch. We took an African safari and saw the animals in their natural habitats. We were able to ride in a safari jeep and the kids thought that was really neat. We met Daisy Duck down on a boat dock and met Mickey and Minnie. Wednesday, we ate breakfast with Mickey, Stitch, Lilo, and Pluto at O'Hana. I'm not sure any of us ate much we were so busy having fun. The juice was delish! After breakfast we went back to Magic Kingdom and rode more coasters and met Tangled (Rapunzel) and Cinderella. We visited some of Brian's old favorite rides from when he lived in Orlando too! Thursday we went to Hollywood Studios and ate lunch with Jake (from the Neverland Pirates), Princess Sofia, Doc McStuffins, and Handy Manny. We of course went for more coasters and rode Tower of Terror. There were lots of screams and a few fake tears. Jack said he didn't like it but then by Friday he wanted to go again! Emma and Drew liked it and Maddox says he hated it, but then later can't make up his mind about it. Friday we spent the day in the spa. Brian and I went for a couples massage, then Emma, Susan, Nana and I went for a princess pedicure. Emma received a new tiara from Queen Elsa and Princess Ana. She was thrilled! Us girls continued with a little shopping downtown while the boys tackled the pool and giant water slide! We finished off the vacation with a very yummy and fancy dinner complete with make your own Mickey sundaes. While our vacation was fabulous, other happenings in the Scott house include one completed soccer season for the kiddos. They did great. Drew played up a league this season. It was a whole new world out there. He played both offense and defense. He doesn't really understand playing goalie yet, but has the hang of the rest of it. The quads moved up an age level, but I feel like they were so small compared to everyone else, it kinda worked against them. They were not able to keep up with the other kids as well. Nursing school is going well for me. I just finished my second set of classes. Starting my third round in November. All five kids are doing great in school. They all really enjoy going. It's been fun listening to them sing, talk, and share stories from class. My favorite though, is listening to Maddox sing his days of the week. It's time to tuck my little ones in, some of them have school in the morning. Hopefully I will blog more soon, I hadn't realized it had been four months since my last post. YIKES!

Furry Fun Plus Some.

Furry is right.....Drew and crew saved their allowance up and purchased a puppy. A black lab to be exact. She is CUTE!! We drove to Terre Haute to meet the litter of puppies. One little girl puppy was so drawn to Drew. We knew immediately she was the one. Drew gave the owner the cash they saved and away we went. We hadn't picked out a name yet, but by the time we got home with our new addition the kids had named our furry friend "Peppy" short for Pepper. Peppy has been so good with the kids. She loves playing fetch and rope. She is still learning to walk on her leash with the kids. They run and she runs, then the kids stop to pick leaves off the trees and she thinks it's time to lay in the grass. I guess comical would be the appropriate term for it. Either way we love her and she seems to be enjoying us. We are in full swing of the spring baseball season. Drew is enjoying it and doing well in the sport. Soccer has ended. Maddox, Parker, Emma and Jack had a blast this season. They earned patches and trophies, which they were really excited about. It's been really nice to be able to sit back and watch them all play sports. Hopefully the sports enjoyment with the kids will continue. We have a very busy summer planned for us. Summer break is only seven weeks this year. Maddox and Parker return to school July 31st. It doesn't leave us much time to have lots of fun in the sun. We had splash pad fun planned for today, but it's raining. So, today looks like it's bounce house and movies in the basement. It may just give me some treadmill motivation!?!? We have Mason's (my nephew)first birthday, a wedding in Wisconsin, our Anniversary, Brian's birthday, the Fourth of July festivities, school starting and then it's the State Fair. While I will have to juggle the kids school schedules to go to the State Fair, we are definitely looking forward to it. On top of all this summer fun, I have been fortunate enough to return to school for a second degree. While I do love speech therapy and have some amazing co-workers and friends that I have been lucky to work with over the years, it's not my true passion. Since having the quads I've realized that nursing is what I want to do. I'm scared about juggling school and a family, but at the same time I think back to working full time and juggling a family. It's possible. Luckily a lot of my credits transferred and I will be done by September of 2015 (if all goes as planned). I'm really looking forward to a new career and helping to support my children. They deserve the best, and Brian and I are going to make sure we do our best. I hear crying, I guess it's time to be done blogging....welcome to summer break, day 1!

Let the Games Begin.

Maddox started the soccer season with a bang! For someone who is so stubborn, he sure found a way to release those feelings. The little man scored three goals in 16 minutes of soccer play this weekend. Emma J scored two goal and Jack scored once. Parker came close to scoring but is still learning to be aggressive during the game. They all had a blast though, and I'm one proud Mama. My cheering section (AKA: Drew), was so helpful in yelling like a lunatic when our team scored. Always the good big brother!!! Drew decided to play baseball this season. We've had so much rain that the season has been off to a later start. We missed his first practice due to a concussion he sustained while falling head first into the stairs. It was quite scary, he has already missed one week of school and will miss this week as well to recover. His reflexes checked out well at his last appointment, but his balance and memory are still areas of concern. He will go back this week for another check up. He's been very irritable, tired, and when he's not in bed very "busy". Poor kiddo can't stand in one place for more than two seconds. I've also noticed he's been stuttering while talking. Nothing too terribly bad, you can tell he's trying to complete his thoughts. It's crazy knowing I've been trained in college to treat traumatic brain injuries, I've treated students with them and now my own child is going through this and it feels completely alien to me. My heart is breaking for him, he knows he can't remember things and he ends up crying over it. He can't play anything because he needs to rest; so he's then upset that he's bored. I'm praying he will recover faster so he can get back to doing the things he loves and can play with his friends at school. He got upset at the soccer fields on Saturday because he couldn't play sports yet. Luckily his games don't start for at least two weeks yet, so he has time. We've been laying low lately as a family. We've had a few germs passed around, and now with Drew's head injury there's not been enough time. We are looking forward to Summer break. It will be a short one for the kids, as the snow days added up and Maddox and Parker start in July. This balanced calendar stuff for schools is good, but it's almost like where did Summer go? Oh well, I will enjoy them while I have them!! Looking forward to more Saturday sports....we will keep you posted on Drew. XOXO