The Monyhan Update...it's a long one!

Wow, what can I say?? I had a great Summer Vacation, as you can see by my "non-posts". I have so much to say, but never get the chance to sit down and say it. I have very good intentions, but I'm a mom and all that jazz. That's really not a good excuse, but it's the best one I have for the moment.

We went back to KY for a week in July.....hated it. Let's just say that we'll keep KY as a Christmas visit and leave it at that.

The boys did well in their Summer Bridge Program. Not a lot was lost in that brain of theirs this summer. So as school began, there was not much that we had to review.

Now that we've been in school for almost one month now, we've finally got back in the swing of things. We changed curriculum....again - We are doing LifePac by Alpha Omega Publications. I seem to like this one ok. One of these days, I'll find something that "knocks my socks off"!! Yeah, right....who am I kidding?? I've know families that have homeschooled for 10 years and have used something new each year. I'm just thankful that God has given me the opportunity to take on this challenge.

Looking back, when I first started to homeschool Caleb and Cameron....I never thought that it would become such an awesome part of my life. It's truly a blessing!!

Oh, back to updates....this may be one long blog! :o)

Cameron was diagnosed with both Scoliosis and ADHD this summer. He started a medication for his focusing issues, or lack there of in July. What a difference this has made. I was never a huge encourager for medicating children, but once I heard the facts and saw the results....This has been a blessing to the Monyhan household! Matt and I both wrote blogs about this. Matt's is on his word press account and mine is on MySpace.

Back in May of this year Cameron was diagnosed with Scoliosis. He had a 14 degree curve in his spine. A 14 degree curve is not serious, unless you are under the age of 12. Since Cameron is only 9, we along with the doctor were concern. Especially since there is really no family history. And he has not gone through his "growing spurt", so the doctor was concerned that once he went through his "spurt" that it would probably progressively get worse. Hopefully, it would remain at 14 degrees and he would not have to wear a back brace.

He said that he "very much doubted that the curve would ever reduce". "The curve would either stay the same or progress." (The doctor's words....)
I remember telling my sister, "Well, he must not know my God!"

So every four months until he was an adult, Cameron would have to go through a series of X-rays and they would compare them to the last ones taken. I was concerned about what would happened to Cameron after he was exposed to X-rays three times a year for the next ten years or so.

Well, last week was his second of what I thought was a long road of visits to Denville Diagnostics. So, after much anticipation, I finally got that call.

Cameron's curvature is now measured at 5 degrees!!! God reduced the curve 9 degrees! I could tell that the doctor was quite stunned. I'm not sure if he could believe the results himself.

The doctor said that it is VERY unusual for there to be a reduction of this much, especially in this short amount of time and without treatment.These were his exact words....."This is an awesome finding!"Cameron doesn't have to go back now until May of next year!

Caleb is doing great. He's now officially in the "youth group". And I guess this year is even more special to Matt and I because we're not only Caleb's parents, but also his youth pastors. Now if I can only discern between the two.

I will try not to be his "mom" on Sunday nights. This is a new chapter in a an already huge book of my life. In some ways I wish that Caleb had a "youth pastor" of his own....but I feel blessed that I get the opportunity to play this role too!

And so far, Caleb doesn't mind. Like I said, he's been in the youth group almost his entire life. It's not that big of a change. He says he likes it, because he gets to know things first about what's going on before anyone else.....little booger! :o)

Ahh, let's see....My parents were up in August. We went to the Bronx Zoo. If you get a chance...YOU SHOULD GO! That's a great field trip!

My sister had her second son (Matthew Ryan) on August 25th. I thought I could wait until Christmas to see that precious baby, but I just couldn't! So I loaded up the boys and we left on September 5th to surprise my sister. Did I mention that we live 12 hours away from my family?? I drove by myself, all the way in one day, with my boys in tow! I'm pretty darn proud of myself. I don't think I could do it again....But I can say that I definitely did it!! :o)

We took out first "Official Field Trip" of the 2008-2009 school year this week. We went to Chocolate World in Hershey, PA. And we did learn a lot! :o) We also ate a lot too!

So as I leave you, I've tried and written many recipes this summer but here's one that I made and I loved!! Matt was sick on this day, so I almost ate the whole thing by myself!! (BTW - I made it for dinner!)

Orzo Frittata

1/2 cup orzo pasta
5 eggs
1/2 cup of grated white cheddar cheese (I use Havarti Cheese, when I have it.)
1/4 cup sour cream
4 scallions, chopped
2 tbs chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup diced red bell peppers
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.

In a large bowl combine the eggs, ricotta, and sour cream and stir until the eggs are beaten and the ingredients are combined. Add the cooked orzo, scallions, parsley, red bell peppers, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish or glass pie plate. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden on top. Remove from the oven and let set for 5 minutes.

Enjoy..it's yummy!