Squamos Cell Carcinoma

So I have been pigmentally challenged my whole life. I guess you are or you aren't when it comes to that...To add to the lack of melanin in my skin I also have the red hair and freckles that accompany being high risk for skin cancer...but of course somehow it is still a shock now to be told that I have a skin cancer that I have to have surgery to remove. Not major surgery, of course...but any surgery is major to me. We have decided not to tell Bennett what is going on. I feel bad because when I go to get it removed on the 30th of the month I will come home with stitches. We originally thought the spot was a cyst and we have decided to stick with that story. Bennett has a touch of anxiety and Mark and I decided this wouldn't help ease him mind...

The type of skin cancer I have is called a squamos cell carcinoma. It is non-melonoma which I think means it doesn't spread to my organs or anything like that but only to my skin. It is very common and they will be using the mohs method to make sure they get it all during the minor surgery. Basically mohs method means, they cut, they check to make sure it is a clean cut...if it isn't clean, they cut some more.

So that is the news from the Lanier house at the moment. I will keep you posted if there is anything more to report.

END OF SCHOOL CELEBRATIONS!

Thursday and Friday of last week were bitter sweet. Bennett had such a great school year, we didn't want it to end. Knowing he was going to be sad about the school year ending (for once) I did what any good mom would do....I PACKED IT FULL OF DISTRACTIONS! :) Thursday Bennett's class party was all day in the park. The kids had so much fun and you could really see how much fun they all had together this year. They came to the party with a schedule of games they would be playing throughout the day. It was really funny to see them so organized. They had team captains picked in advance and everything. I attemped to be the umpire in the baseball game...I didn't do that great of a job I was so distracted by everything go on around me. I definitely could never be a teacher. I am sure Bennett's teacher was shaking his head knowing that Bennett comes by his focus issues honestly! We had pizza in the park and the class ate 8 LARGE pizzas in a matter of minutes. It was quite amazing.

The last day of school I invited a good friend of Bennett's, Ethan (who is leaving LWE next year because his parents have moved a couple miles away in the wrong direction from our school district) to come with B on the bus for an afternoon of jumping on the trampoline, and for a cook out. Bennett and Ethan started LWE together in the same Kindergarten class and have been great friends ever since. They were hysterical. Ethan got picked up around 8pm and then we rushed into watching Avatar! So when the night came to an end we all layed down and Bennett shed some tears (so did I). The fabulous Dr. G is officially moving on and B will have to cross his fingers to get a teacher that is half the teacher to him that Dr. G has been. Bennett takes with him this year, the knowledge that he can do it. He did prove to himself what he is capable of and that he can be the person he strives to be. I believe that Bennett will look back at this year as the year that turned a page for him.

Saturday Bennett went to karate and because of his straight A report card was inducted in to the A-Team. He has a new patch for his uniform. This has been a goal of his all year long and he achieved it with flying colors!

Last night we ended the weekend hosting some fabulous friends for dinner. It was kind of magical because we tried a new recipe and it was fabulous (that can be risky as we all know) and all of the kids got along all night long. No arguing, no picking on the little girl who was over, they all just played and giggled. It was the great ending to a jam packed weekend.

Genius...of course!

WARNING: BRAGGING PARENT STORY BELOW: If you don't want to hear me brag about my child...don't read this post.



Today, Bennett's teacher sent me Bennett's CRCT scores. I don't know if I have blogged about our history on standardized tests...it goes something like this...We tell Bennett's teachers how smart he is and that we hope that he will be challenged and that we know he can handle more advanced classes and we are told that his standardized test scores don't reflect that so too bad! This year I had Bennett put in Advanced Math. I had to go to the school and sign a paper saying that he didn't qualify for the advanced class but I was putting him in anyway. So I did. Bennett has done very well in the class. He has received 2 A's and a B so far this year on his report card in math. The grades have been there BUT he has also had some struggles. He was struggling with test taking, finishing his work in class and basically staying on task. This all really came to a head a month or so before the CRCT (standardized test here in GA). We were definitely moving in the wrong direction at the wrong time! After ALOT of back and forth and this and that...we ended up making a slight medication adjustment for his ADHD and putting some serious test strategy in place. Poor kid had to do CRCT practice testing over Spring Break. While we were dealing with the medication and focus issues, Bennett was also tested for TAG (talented and gifted). He didn't get in to the program. When he didn't get in to TAG he was crushed. Bennett scored very high on all of the academic testing they did, but scored low on the creativity testing...

I blog you all this so you understand this - Bennett knows he is smart and most likely, has been more frustrated than Mark and I to be left out of the programs for the more advanced kids. So as we were working on our test taking strategy with Bennett the conversation was about the fact that we know that he is smart, but we needed to figure out the tricks to help him capture those results on the CRCT. The other panic point about CRCT is that if they don't pass Math and Language Arts in 4th grade, than that means you repeat 4th grade. The kids know this fact and Bennett knows he hasn't been the best test taker in the past...

CRCT testing was over a 2 weeks time period and during that time they spread out 5 days of testing. He would come home after a day of testing and I would try to be all cool and casual and I would say "so how did it go today, did our plan help" and he would say "I didn't want to read all of the stories in the reading section so I didn't really follow our plan, sorry" I would say "oh" (keeping with the theme of being cool and casual and not freaking him out!) The night before science he had a complete panic meltdown because he couldn't remember anything he had learned. Now one side note...in years past Bennett has come home from the CRCT and told us he got all of the answers correct he was sure of it, so Mark and I just really had no idea what to think.

So my secret email from Bennett's teacher today told us that Bennett did extremely well this year on the CRCT. With his scores it looks like he will be in ALL advanced classes for 5th grade. Now in the end, we just want Bennett to be happy. I will tell you though, he has worked very hard to accomplish this goal. Just to give you some idea of what an issue this has been, when I got the results I cried...to be told over and over again that Bennett is smart but not TAG smart (a quote from the prinicpal by the way). So I guess I cried out of relief. I know what a dork. It felt like finally Bennett got the access into the advanced classes he wants to be in and Mark and I have the affirmation that we aren't crazy, psycho, my child can-do-no-wrong-and-by-the-way-he-is-a-genius-parents...he really is a genius! HA!

ARE YOU KIDDING ME???

So this blog post should be all about Bennett...BUT lets face it...it is all about ME! There are 9 days left before Bennett is out of school for the summer and the shocking news that has hit me is that BENNETT IS GOING TO BE A FIFTH GRADER!!!!!! Bennett and Mommy at Disney 5 years ago.

What, how, seriously? What does this mean? Does it mean that I haven't enjoyed enough of his time in elementary school? It is possible that he turns to me next year and doesn't want me to come to school or chaperon a field trip or be his class mom...it is possible. Bennett has had such a great year, it is sad to see it come to an end. He had the best teacher EVER and he really learned how to live in his skin. We are very proud of him and feel more confident about the fifth grade then we have probably felt about any of them so far...BUT still have to wonder how did this happen?

Spring Break 2010!

Spring Break photos scrolling above.

We had a wonderful time on our vacation. Quite a different experience from Spring Break 2009 (check out the post in the archives)

We ventured to Indian Pass (a peninsula away from Cape San Blas), we were looking for sand, sun and no crowds and we got it!

We relaxed, we played, we dug holes, we flew a kite, Bennett made some friends, we boogie boarded, we attempted to skim board, we ate some delicious seafood, I played in Apalachicola with Ashlee, we had a temporary pet peacock, we fed the wildlife, we layed around, we got sunburned, we packed up and then we came home. It was so nice to get away but as we all know that makes it even nicer to come home. Drake and Murphy were glad to see us and we were thrilled to see them.

This week we have a ridiculously high pollen count to deal with and Bennett starts taking the CRCT on Wednesday. CRCT=NO HOMEWORK! :)

Back to reality....
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April Fools?

OMG! The Lanier family has seriously earned the vacation they are about to embark on. I am wondering if this week has been one big April Fools Joke! In 48 hours we will have our toes in the sand enjoying PERFECT beach weather!

Flag Football!

Here is a picture of Bennett (#31) heading to the field to play some football! He absolutely loves this flag football program. He moves around so much I can't get a good picture of him so this will have to do for now. He scored 2 touchdowns last Sunday and removed many flags :) Go Colts!

Maestro!

Bennett attended a county-wide elementary school band clinic this weekend. Mark and I were totally amazed. 91 4th grade clarinet players spent there Saturday at the band clinic. They learned new notes, techniques and 3 new songs (check out video for a sample). After that they performed for the parents. To think Bennett couldn't play the clarinet in September of 2009 and now he can do this is just amazing to us! The other part of this is that Bennett doesn't practice his clarinet. Mark and I decided not to harp on him about it, as long as he was keeping up with it in school. Hoping that he would just get an appreciation of the playing and instrument and learning to read music. Just think what he could do if he actually practiced! The greatest part of this whole experience has been that he really likes it! :) It appears next year this will become an after school activity for him (like he doesn't have enough of those!) because the lovely county we live in has cut the elementary band program....but you can read about that a few posts down in my blog :)

How To Train Your Dragon Widget

Now that is a birthday with some meaning!

Remember when your birthday meant something? Double digits, you could drive, you could vote, you could drink, you could rent a car and then all of a sudden all your birthdays mean is you are another year older...well this year we wanted to wish a very Happy Birthday to my mother-in-law, Mark's mom and Bennett's Nana-Marianne. This one is a BIG birthday that leaves the rest of us working schmucks jealous! With this birthday Marianne is retiring! WOO HOO!!! So Happy Birthday and an even happier retirement to you!