Five on Friday - House Landscaping, Grady Update and Reward Chart

ONE:
All of our dead landscaping finally got replaced this week.  They didn't want to do it until the weather started getting a little cooler.  I hope it lives.  I'm so over our 9 month punchlist that's still ongoing.  They have to redo some grading in our backyard so I'm sure our grass back there will look real good, blahhh.  

They also finally installed some brackets/corbels on the far right where the little jet-out is.  They're on the bottom of that and hard to see but don't ask me why those took 9 months to put there.  They are only for decoration and definitely make it look better.

The masons are coming early next week to work on our front stairs.  They're too white compared to the rest of the house and they're going to smear mortar on the tread of the stairs in addition to the risers which they've already done.  

Don't build a house.

Moving on.

TWO:
My niece's 11th birthday is next week and I asked her for a list of what she wanted!  She sent us a fabulous list that included a hamster, cat, fake nails, makeup and lots of other funny things.  She also wanted stationary, pens and a LOL doll.  I had fun finding all of this fun stuff at Target!  Things Aunt's can buy their nieces - makeup and fake nails mmmmkay!  Yall remember that 6' tall flamingo they sent Molly Anne for her birthday this year?  Payback!  :)  I love being an Aunt!


THREE:
Sweet children of mine.  One may be a little sweeter these days but I love her anyway!


FOUR:
I scored this Little English onesie off a local Mom's site for $10 because it had a stain on the arm 
(they're $36 new!).  I already got the stain out and it's as good as new!  Whoop whoop!



FIVE:
This boy has been working hard on his beach bod at Physical Therapy (aka Amy is helping him with his torticollis).  We have been going every week since the end of July and now we will start going every other week.  

We've had a little setback with the band.  Always listen to your gut because Mama always knows.  He got the band last Thursday.  He was so uncomfortable and I knew this wasn't right because Molly Anne did not care one bit about hers.  This killlled me that he wasn't happy and I was literally about to give up right then and there.  I took him back uptown on Friday, they adjusted it after I told them what was going on.  I have been so hurt up over making Grady go through with this band when his head isn't THAT bad.  But I know he has moderate plagiocephaly and I know over time it's possible I would look back and wish we had done this for him.  There's no going back - it's either do it now or live with it.  ANYWAY.  

All weekend I knew it still wasn't right because he was up in the middle of the night and just not himself.  Monday morning I took the below picture and sent it to them.  Sure enough, it's not supposed to do this.  I took him uptown Tuesday and they had to take new images and they're making him another band.  I won't bore you all with the details but it's not been a fun couple of weeks. 

Next Tuesday, the new band comes in.  My friend had a good perspective on it to just try it and see how he does and I don't have to be married to him wearing it 24/7 if I feel like he's miserable.  This helped me see the light for sure.   Okay, sob story over. 

SIX:
This one has been needing a little more of something to work towards for a variety of reasons so Ms. Becky suggested a reward chart.  No, I didn't buy a cute one online.  I drew 11 circles on a piece of paper and numbered them with #11 being a star and done.  We are on reward chart #2 now and I had her draw the circles for this one and she chose 11 circles again.  First reward chart she chose to get a pony named Sweetie Drops which was $2 on Ebay.  This reward chart she has chosen to go get ice cream with me.  

Ms. Becky told me to make sure the rewards are more experiences and less material things and I think this is amazing advice so that's what we will do.  She was just highly obsessed with sweetie drops so we let that one slide!  I have never seen her so proud and so excited as I did when we gave her sweetie drops.  

Reasons she gets stickers - using her manners (yes ma'am, no sir is expected in our house so she only gets a sticker for this random times to enforce the good manners), going into her classroom at school without crying, taking a nap, going on the potty (sometimes I'll surprise her with a sticker for this but this is expected too), being nice to her friends etc. etc.  Actually all of these things are expected but a little reward here and there really helps make this stuff happen more consistently.  

The other day she hadn't taken a nap and yall when she doesn't take a nap - Molly Anne is no bueno.  She "tapped" my face in a not nice way when I was putting her in the car so we had a nice long talk about that and I made her take a sticker off her reward chart when we got home.  She knew exactly why she had to and that was good.  

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!