Asthma + Double Ear Infection

So Gabriella has a double Ear Infection and has been on an antibiotic for about 8 days now. Her antibiotic ends on Monday but I'm not sure that it's working. I say this because her ears still hurt and I think its affecting her hearing. I called the doctor to follow up and make sure we get you better girl, but I'm waiting for an answer.

Her asthma, on the other hand, has been acting up for about a week before her infection took place and is constant throughout this infection period. You experience violent coughing in the morning and at night. Sometimes you gag and spit up and it breaks my heart. My demeanor is angry but it's not at you. It's at the sickness that I cannot control.

Feel better my little girl. Daddy's working hard to make sure you don't suffer.

Thanksgiving Parade on Mill Creek Year 1

We attended our first parade since we've been in Levittown. It was a good time but Katie was too excited so I had to take her back to the house. The parade route was around the corner of our house so that was perfect. It only lasted for about 

There were so many cool things about the parade that I need to bookmark for all of you in this post. I'll take a moment to talk about the take-aways of the parade and our family fun.

For one, we were super cold so we need to remember gloves and hats (if they fit over all of my girls' lovely hair).

Secondly, they were giving away a lot of candy so we need to bring our Halloween bags.

Third, Katie was way too crazy because of the action so we need to leave her at home. Sorry girl!

And the last option, we should remember to bring a camera to capture all of the Hasty Family fun times during this parade!

What a great time!

B!6&$

Dear Quentin,

You keep saying profane words at random and have been for the past few weeks. I don't know where you got them from but I wish you would stop.

I have talked to you up close, in front of your siblings and even yelled a couple of times. For the sake of this time capsule, I'm documenting the fact that this goes on and it should stop.

I love you!

Day 4 Picnic

Super excited about our picnic this evening. What can you say about meatloaf, mac & cheese and the Grinch?

Thanksgiving 2013

This Thanksgiving was quaint but filled with love. Your Me Mom came over and represented for the special guest portion of our celebration.

We had our first fresh turkey from Whole Foods. We were macaroni and cheese less. We had 3 different different pies. It was shoe cold outside but with the new space heat Mom and Dad got we were toasty in the house.

Your favorite things about thanksgiving were: 

Gabriella: eating the turkey and the cranberry sauce

Molly: eating the apple and pumpkin pies

Quentin: chocolate milk but when led he said the pies and the turkey

We had a great time overall. I wish we were with more family but any is better than none. We look forward to Christmas.

6th Anniversary with the #HastyKids

Well who would know it would have come so fast? My 6th Anniversary to my lovely wife Eileen!

The kids are so excited and I'm sure they wouldn't be if they knew all we want is to have someone watch them so we can reflect and have a good time, just the two of us.

It's all good and as Molly shows her excitement it renews mine. Red Lobster is the destination and even though I am allergic to shellfish we are going for a memorable time.

Thanks HastyKids for sharing these great memories with us.

Nothing like [new] friends

So Gabriella and Molly made friends with the girls across the street, Brie and Emily a couple of months ago. They play nice together however I don't dig their habits of riding their bikes int he street. Our girls are smarter than that. Additionally Molly doesn't like the way one of them acts so they don't spend that much time with them.

Quentin also made friends with Matthew about a week ago and 3 other boys today. I didn't catch all of their names but it sure is nice for him to have new friends. Quentin, I don't know if you'll remember this but you played so hard with them that you fell asleep around 6 pm for the night and didn't wake up until 5:30 am the next day.

Nothing like new friends!

A Time To Grow

We were outside today and my wife suggested that we try Gabriella on the bike that is the next step up (i.e. doesn't have training wheels). We did and after a couple of hours of training and running alongside her, I feel she is ready for it. What a big girl. 

GOAL:  Riding without training wheels for next Spring 2014.

Our First Camp out

With our Aunt 'Reen and Uncle Pete we were in South Jersey camping out. Eileen didn't show because Katie was sick but she arrive just in time for some breakfast.

All of us had a great time especially at night when we went to sleep. Uncle Pete and I didn't sleep well and we were often cold and stiff from the ground. It didn't matter because it was one night of a ton of fun.

This fun includes the following: teaching Molly how to put a nice charcoal crisp to the exterior of marshmallows, eating breakfast and dinner from a fire, making a fire and exploring the woods (Quentin had a blast with that one).

Bass State Park was where we had our first camp out and it was an experience that I will never forget.

I like oatmeal now

When Molly was about 7 years old she  started changing her eating habits. She was hesitant to try a lot of new things mainly because of the consistency and texture. The day has finally come when she's branching out into trying and liking other foods.

She likes a specific type of blue cheese dressing that me mom provides. She loves peanut butter and jelly (which hasn't changed) but is open to trying difference lunch meats like ham and turkey, most recently.

I am happy to say that just this morning on my way to work she called me. Eileen and I are often frantic when our children call us early in the morning but I was pleased to hear that she was inquiring where the oatmeal was located.

Houston we have landed!

Happy birthday Molly!

It was our girls 10th birthday on the 7th and she had a ball!

On her birthday I got her all her favorite food via Eileen. She had pizza and ice cream instead of her original request of a cheeseburger. Nonetheless she enjoyed it and had a great day in school.

We celebrated her birthday and invited all her friends and some of her family to the house last Saturday. We purchased the DVD Croods and had our homemade movie theater in the backyard yard projecting the movie on our shed. There were approximately 20 people in total and we had fun.

We feasted on hot dogs Bagel Bites mac and cheese potato salad Buffalo bites chips candy and popcorn. Shout out to Eileen because she got the movie theater type popcorn bags and the kids loved it. We had plenty of soda and water to go around so no one was hungry or thirsty.

Molly misses her friends from Chestnut Hill and this was a great time to invite them have them come out and kick it like they used to a little less than six months ago. Unfortunately Eileen and Molly experienced how much they missed Chestnut Hill again.

It was great to see the family and the friends from that area are sorely missed. I look forward to the next event (Gabriella's birthday?). I wonder who will come out for her that?

Quentin

I love you! However it is time to vent. Over the course of this year you did the best job of using pull-ups. For that I am grateful. But lately things are different.

It seems that your learning due to your new circumstances (i.e going to a new school) and you're so mature and I'm so proud of you! We had a good week last week when you were not wetting the bed. This week we've taken a turn for the worse.

You wet the bed Sunday and Monday night and I have a feeling that tonight's not looking any better. On top of all of this you're in a mode where you whine and persist at the things that you desire until you get your way. I think this comes from me because I used to act just like this and in fact I did get my way. However your mom and I are part of a new generation where we're not having it!

This is just a note in my time capsule for the Hasty kids. I love you! Try to do better because you can and you'll reap the rewards in the future. The near future would be increased video game time playing. The medium future would be better learning, quicker learning and better results academically. The distant future is an approved success for your future mate, career and your relationship with God.

Ultimately, please stop wetting the bed.

Flash Cards Are Cool!

Gabriella prepared flash cards the other day to study words that I thought she ought to know. Whether she reads now or later I want to have more of an influence on the decision and that is why I suggested making the cards.

She loves the idea and (for almost a week) was actively studying them. Now how do I get her back on that train? The initial reason for the flash card movement was to increase her vocabulary and edge her closer to ready but it also provided for good Daddy & Daughter time. I am lost without this necessity because she lost her cards.

Lord help me get back on track with the flash cards and other activities to enhance our relationship. Gabriella, if you read this you are very smart for your age. As soon as you learn the benefits of discipline and routine (and then practice both) you will be on your way to success. I love you!

I don't like turkey or ham

After a nice trip to the library I'd take the hasty kids to my favorite supermarket, Shoprite. We were on line for about 7 minutes waiting for lunch meat; 1 pound of ham and turkey each. I let everyone try both and all loved it except with Molly. She was hesitant to taste either but decided she preferred the ham over the turkey she had. What a great opportunity to obtain another option for lunches during the week.

Molly also informed me that she loves Peanut Butter & Jelly (PBJ) and would try salad. Both like carrot sticks and Gabriella doesn't prefer PBJ. My hands are full (as usual) but at least I am getting better at the likes and dislikes of my children. Oh, Quentin eats just about anything. Sorry BJs, you're just not fitting the bill anymore.

Can't wait until October when I start introducing nuts, seeds, and dry fruit for the many adventures of homemade trailmixes. Stay tuned for that post.

Parent Teacher Night

The second week of September Molly and Gabriella had their Parent Teacher night. This night at their new school displayed the classrooms, teachers, and goings on of their day. Both teachers were nice and seemed organized. They also both commented on how smart our children are.

Molly received descriptions like: smart, high reading level and shy. While Gabriella received descriptions like: happy, energetic and lovable. It was a pleasure to meet with their teachers and see their school. I am excited for this new adventure for my girls and look forward to their growth.

SuperKids

Quentin got sick and vomited for the first time last Friday. I felt horrible for my little boy to have gone through that. I wish I was there. I even wish I was the person to have picked him up from school but the next best person did, my wife.

It seems that he had a 24 hour stomach bug that slowly infected all of us toward the end of the weekend. My wife is suffering as I type. I wish I could have avoided that but we had to let it run its course. Molly and Gabriella felt it slightly but Gabriella got sicker.

The Hasty Kids pulled through and have thus earned the name SuperKids!

Missing the Hasty Kids

Oh how I do miss the Hasty Kids. I miss all of their warm hugs. I miss their quirky ways (most not worth mentioning). I miss praising them learning doing good things for others and themselves.

Molly, I'm so proud of you for being brave and playing right field in your first of many softball games. I'm mentioning you in this post because of the milestone of your first major sport game. The others will have their time but you are blazing the trail in so many ways that you make me proud to call you my daughter.

I LOVE YOU!

First Day of Daycare

I dropped my son off at daycare this morning and without hesitation he said bye. The maturity in my son (as this is his second daycare) is overwhelming me. I miss him! I'm proud to say that he is growing up to be a big boy. This is evident by his willingness to eat his pop tart and be the Pioneer at daycare, as he's the first to arrive this morning. I love you Quentin!

The end of Summer 2013

The summer has ended and now the Hasty kids are all off to their respective schools. Molly and Gabriella attended their new school last week so tomorrow won't be the first day for them. Quentin, however, will start his new daycare tomorrow and I'm super excited.

After being home with Dad all summer, and Mom for the last week, he's spoiled once again. He is good at having a routine so I'm sure he will be alright with the new one we have planned for him during the school year. As we finished off this summer strong at the pool (see the picture below) we are ready for a year of firsts and hard work to come...

Gabriella's first swim

Gabriella Lee Hasty finally did it! about a week ago she was the first of the Hasty kids to swim. Yes she had a life jacket on but swimming is no major feat and she conquered it at 5 years old. I am so proud of her and I'm sure she will inspire her siblings to follow suit shortly.

We have been working on swimming (the 3 kids and I) most of the summer and after getting the life jacket's at my mother-in-law's house, we finally had a breakthrough! See the following videos for evidence. I'm so proud of you Gabriella!

Swimming Breakthrough p1

Today Quentin is going under water when ever he wants to. Molly was floating, kicking and kinda-stroking. And Gabriella was seen relaxing with her mouth closed under water.

The Hasty Kids are well on their way to learning how to swim and they've conquered the first challenging step of overcoming the fear of going under water.

Lesson in May 2014...

The Number 5

"If you say the number 5 you will get disqualified."

Molly's 9 and Gabriella's 5. The girls were playing a thinking game like they same age. I'm so proud of Gabriella because she did a good job. In this game you have to m count up from number 1, taking turns, and skip over the number 5 every time you approach it. Hence the name.

The fact that they're playing nice together with a plus but the maturity and both of them not to get upset and to figure the rules out and share the game was remarkable.

ICE CREAM TRUCK!

Today marked another Mother's Day but I'll save the elaboration for another post. Instead I will talk about how I spoiled my children with their own ice cream treat from the ICE CREAM TRUCK!

As you can see, they all were into the ice cream I purchased them from the truck that taunted us for about 20 minutes until I finally caught up with it. $6 dollars and a Strawberry Shortcake, Chocolate Eclair, and SpiderMan ice creams later this is the result:

 

Hello this is the hasty home...

Recently Molly (our eldest daughter) started answering the phone and even using the phone to call people. I am excited but this should come with some type of training that is necessary. 

As I recently called home and Molly answered, it was a flat and almost non-responsive "hello" with subsequent 1 word responses instead of an object-oriented conversation.

The main thing I want her to do is perform a proper greeting, find out who is calling, and connect that person with the person they are looking for otherwise take a message.

I guess it doesn't help that Sallie Mae is the most frequented caller...

Sleep-overs

Well we picked up our girls the other day from my brother-in-law's house. They were exhausted (as usual) and my poor little Gabriella survived despite her asthma issues. As a side note, Gabriella has asthma mainly, from me, but when the seasons change it makes her cough a whole lot and it breaks my heart. Out of her most recent asthma episode we learned that honey settles her coughing down.

I am proud of how the Hasty Kids act when they are in public and away from us especially during sleepovers but why are they so tired? I am sure it has to do with their personalities being maxed out with nonstop fun, this time with their cousins.

What my name is...

No this is not Slim Shady. Nor is it Eminem. But according to how the story goes I am not Dad or Desmond Hasty either.

My son Quentin has been calling me "Das" for the past 2 weeks (approximately). My wife picked up on it and I am still clueless. How could he do this to me? How could he deliberately call me"Das"?

I'm sure I have been strict in how I discipline the Hasty Kids but for him to call me "Das" out of my name is uncalled for. Initially I still feel a little bit upset because it seems as if he's disrespecting me. But at 3 years old this is not a way he shows his disrespect. He is usually out-right defiant.

For example, I will ask him to do something and he will tell me no. He covertly asks me to repeat myself about 2-3 times or just doesn't respond to me but I'll elaborate on that in another post. Ultimately I am proud of Quentin either way and have accepted my new nickname as "Das" (which through my research he interchanges with Dad at random).

Random coloring

Gabriella is so talented. She loves coloring and did this beautiful picture (below) that I printed from the internet.

Molly's responsibilities...

Well my girl Molly is 9 years old and she's officially a big girl! We have entrusted her with the responsibility of caring for Gabriella in the following ways: making sure she's dressed, making sure they both eat breakfast, and walking herself and Gabriella to school in the morning. This will all take place this fall for their new school Jenks.

This is quite a responsibility for Molly but I know that she can handle it. She is memorizing our numbers (home, cell, mom cell) as we speak. She's a very good students and the walk to school is only 2 blocks away. There is an easing in. Which I will walk both of them to school in the morning...and then we moved to Levittown.

Both of us...

My Quentin is so cute! He told me that I can't have one and he can't have one but both of us can have one. I forgot what we were talking about but it doesn't matter. The fact that his vocabulary is expanding is astounding, amazing, and exciting!

The Adventures of Gabriella

How creative my girl can be. After school she tends to get a little bit silly because she's so exhausted. Well this  just about tops the silliness for the week when she decided to put her socks on top of her shoes.
As you notice in the pictures below, she spares no expense. The funny thing is she didn't even expect anyone to notice.

Filibustering

Its tough to tell the Hasty Kids no. As soon as I do they begin petitioning for what they want. It's amazing to watch but stressing out the same time. They're so determined/stubborn and focused on the greater good (i.e. what they really want).

When I started to blog this had a specific example. Since then if has been forgotten. Part two will follow one day...

Gabrielle is all grown up now...

Recently Eileen straightened Gabriella's extra curly hair. Immediately I grew with great dislike. To see my girl growing up so quickly with the straightening of her hair shocked me. 

After surveying a few of my male friends, I was contented to know they share the same sentiments. However, she is 4, it is the same hair (just in a different style) and she is no where near the phase of dating.

Thank God for that!

You are not forgotten! Lucky #3

Dear Quentin,

When you demand the iPod, demand to watch Shrek, demand a taffy at 8 am, or scream louder or more annoying than Gabriella, I hear you.

The fact of the matter is, I am attentive to you regardless of what you're doing. Take your time to be patient with me and your sisters. Learn as much as you can about taking care of yourself and then your family. I am still learning myself.

Love you always,

SuperDad

Me Mom's house

Whenever tnde Hasty Kids come from Me Mom's (my mother-in-law's) house they are exhausted. Take for instance the many times we have driven them home from her house, around 3:30 in the afternoon and they knock out in the car. Not only do the two little ones knock out, but Molly is out too.

When we get home and go into the house Molly wakes up to walk herself but many times, Gabriella and Quentin stay asleep from the car to the door of our house and then they are surprisingly awake to commence with their commands & demands.

But why? Why do they act this way?

Eileen and I think it's related to food and their diet. I will elaborate in another post.

Say it ain't so!

My lil' girl has slight pneumonia and I pray that I didn't give it to her. When I told my doctor I thought that was the case he said, "Don't be ridiculous!"

I on the other hand have bronchitis and pharyngitis. Pharyngitis? What is that? After looking it up on Wikipedia I found out that pharyngitis is just like laryngitis but it's another part of your throat that's affected/infected.

As we both progress to get better we are simultaneously growing closer. Gabriella is a very smart girl who likes to have fun and will not (under any circumstances) be held down/back from doing that.

The Independent Hasty Kids

Gabriella looks so cute in her outfit today. Quentin is getting dressed by himself. He can pee standing up and brush his own teeth. Unfortunately, Molly has been independent for some time now so as her siblings take their time practicing their independence she is doing chores (i.e. taking the laundry downstairs).

Morning times in this house (when we have somewhere to go) are crazy especially during the week. I am excited that the Hasty Kids are learning about what it takes to be independent and what jobs are "must have's" in life. I can't wait for the summer learning to begin!

Gods got it!

"I ain't gonna worry 'bout the money in the bank. I ain't gonna worry 'bout the gas in the tank. I gonna worry 'bout the things I can't control. I ain't gonna worry 'bout it all I do is pray about it. Why? 'Cause God's got it!" ~J. Moss, Gods Got It

I reveled in joy as I heard both of my girls singing this song in the car this morning. What a blessing and an honor that my girls know that they don't need to worry about anything. Being a Christian and having a relationship with God is more than not having to worry but it makes the days that more enjoyable.

My kids are awesome!

Fevers are us!

Poor Quentin is sick! He isn't throwing up but he has a fever. I don't know where it came from but today (Sunday) I noticed a rash on his neck and the rest of his body.

I am so sad my little boy isn't feeling well but it was inevitable because he never gets sick. Moreover, I had to call out of work because only I can take care of him (my wife doesn't have any days to take off from work).

I bought an interchangeable thermometer to measure his temperature over time.  His temp was a 101.4 but has since lowered to a 98.3 and then back up to a 99.4. I inquired with the doctors in what my next steps should be they were helpful and the verdict is that we just have to wait it out.

The next day Quentin and I took the girls to their drop-off location weekday mornings. He was very patient in the car when I took them, which never happens. While at home we played video games, ate, he took a nap, and when he awoke we played more games. I was beginning to think that he really wasn't sick at all but if you saw this rash, I'm sure you would be convinced.

Although Quentin's fever has been non-existent since last night, I am not taking any chances. I called the Dr's help line and requested a call back in regards to the steps I need to take next. My wish is that they clear him to go back to school but I am patient and giving it to God to handle.

Balance

The other day I was in the car with the Hasty Kids, taking them to school at their respective drop off locations, when I started on the topic of balance.

Molly loves to watch her TV shows, play her iPod, and just relax but I told her that all things should be balanced. For example, her entertainment can be the fun part of her day combined with the following: studying her multiplication tables or playing her recorder can be the work part of her day, maintaining her good health (e.g. not eating too much junk food, taking showers and brushing her teeth, getting enough sleep, exercising, etc.), speaking to God, and socializing with family, friends, or via reflection.

As I struggle with balance in my life, I want her not to do this when she gets older. As the responsibilities pile on for all of us in life, starting good habits while we're young is ideal. For the Hasty kids, I'm trying to make it real!