From Lexi to Ali with Love

What's Up with Ali...

2009-10-17T11:39:00.003-04:00

Several people have asked me lately about Ali. She's doing very well and enjoying Junior High. Many of her friends went to a different school this year, so Ali has made many new friends.

She is now playing on a select soccer team. The teams she was on in the past didn't win very often. I admired her love of the sport, despite the losing record. Now she's on a winning team and loving it even more!

Hopefully, she will miss the blogging and get back into it. Things will slow down a bit for her on the weekends with winter coming on. Perhaps she'll spend some weekends here and get back to posting. For now, I thought I'd post these pics her mom took last week. It was 80s day at school. Ali makes such a good valley girl!

Balloon Fest and Coco Key

2009-07-22T21:46:00.007-04:00

Saturday I went to a balloon fest. I had a blast, and so did my sisters. First we woke up at 7:00 in the morning. We had gone in the morning because they had a breakfast event. There was a guy named Chris cooking the pancakes. You get in line with a plate and when it is your turn, he flips them in the air and you have to catch them. I caught two. One for my little sister Melody and one for me. When I caught it the people behind me said, “Wow”. We also had sausage and orange juice.

After we ate, my little sister Gracie saw her two friends and ran over to them. All the sudden you here, “Gracie!” They were screaming and hugging. Her friends are twins Riley and Sidney. Gracie brought them over and they started hugging my dad because they think he’s funny and they like him. Then their mom comes running over saying that their uncle said, “Your kids are hugging some man.” But she was really scared.

After that we went home and waited until it was almost time for the balloon glow. Then we went back to the park. We counted down the time for the balloons to glow. It is so cool, especially when it is dark. Have you ever been to a balloon glow?

Tuesday I went to an indoor water park called Coco Key. It was so much fun! There was a hot tub and big water slides.
The water slides are huge. There are two that you can go on with an inner tube; in one you can see and the other is pitch dark. Then there are two water slides that you can go on without a tube. They also have one pitch dark tube and one that is light inside.

There was a playground area with smaller water slides and things you can use to squirt people. Here is a picture of that.

Around this area is a canal they call the Lazy River. You have a tube that you sit on and just float all the way around the river. Here is a video of me in the Lazy River.

There’s a little area for small kids. It is only a foot deep and it has three water slides; one is bigger than the other two. It has cones that dump water on you and a little fountain.

There is also a pool with a net that you hold on to while you walk on these Styrofoam lily pads. That pool also had two basketball hoops.

They have a bar called The Wet Lobster. They also have an A&W and a Pizza Hut. We had Pizza Hut for lunch. It was delicious. After we ate, we took some pictures.

We were there all day. Here is a self-portrait I took on the way home.

Coco Key is the best! Have you ever been to an indoor water park?

Where have I been?

2009-07-17T20:29:00.004-04:00

In June I went to a soccer camp. At first I loved it, but then I started getting cramps every day. It was so hot out every single day! But I guess it was still fun any way, even if it was hot and I had cramps.
First we spread out into three teams. There was Coach Chelsea. There was also Coach Jeremy. There was Coach Pete, which was my coach. Last but not least was Coach Sarah. I made a few new friends: Rachel, Emily, Kristin, and Amorah. We would play games like castle. You have two teams and each team has a castle and you have to line up all the balls on the middle line. Then when the person says go you have go get as many balls as you can and take them in your castle. Then the other team has to come over the line and since they crossed the line the other team has to tag them. But if they don’t get tagged they can get in your castle and they can take your balls and they are safe in the castle so you can’t tag them in the castle you have to take the ball away from them and take it back to their castle. Who ever has the most balls wins.
We also learned like four moves. One is, the Mathews. Another is, the fake Mathews. Also, there is the step over. And like a few others I can’t remember! But I had so much fun at soccer camp.

The other day I got to ride Maggie and it was fun. I had to say whoa a few times and she didn’t do that all the time. I guess it had to have been better when she went fast. I like Maggie a lot because she is sweet, loyal, and very gentle. Nekoda is also a sweet horse but pretty much the stubborn horse. Buddy is just a very sweet and gentle horse. Nana got video of me riding Maggie and Nekoda. Have you watched them yet? Have you ever ridden a horse before and what was it like? Do you have any horses? Well that is what I did just the other day.

Yesterday I had two friends over. They had a lot of fun. First we went and saw the horses. They got some pictures of them. We walked in the pasture where the horses were. We hated it in there because the grass was too long. We ran out as soon as we could.

Then we went swimming and played Marco, polo. We also played do you trust me? It’s where you stand up and fall back. The two people have to choose whether they want to catch you or not. It was Camden’s turn. He fell on Mikala’s head. She was crying and she told us she had a headache. It left a big knot on her head. So I told them let’s not play this game anymore. They said that was a good idea. Then we played color where you guess a color that the other person is thinking. If you get it wrong that person dunks you and if it is right you get flipped forward. It was very fun in the pool.

Then we went to see the goats and Mikala was scared of them. Camden and I were running and Mikala was right behind them screaming. Camden and I were cracking up.
After that we had a bonfire. It was big. We had about two smores and four plain marshmallows each. We had a blast. They stayed until about 11:30.

I am going home this weekend and this weekend is the balloon festival down in Middletown. My family and I are going.

PS, sorry I forgot to blog in such a long time. I’ll keep you posted on Monday about the balloon festival.

Ali vs. Nekoda

2009-07-16T15:58:00.005-04:00

Ali had a great time on Maggie Mae, but since Maggie pulled that stunt with Dani, Ali won't be riding her except in the round pen. ...and to think, I trusted her!

I have a borrowed saddle that I wanted to check out on Nekoda, so I saddled her up to work her a bit. She is green broke, which means she's broke to ride but doesn't know her hind quarters from a hole in the ground. I decided to let Ali test her horsemanship skills.

I'm glad I recorded her ride. I can use the video clips as teaching tools to show Ali what she did right, what she did wrong, and the response she got from Nekoda. A lot of people have someone record them riding to evaluate their own performance. After watching the videos, I can see what a help that would be.

Ali has pretty good balance. I don't let her use the stirrups yet, because riding without them is a great way to hone your balance. Plus, I don't have to worry about her getting hung up. The biggest danger in riding is not falling off... It's falling off and having your foot stuck in the stirrup. Once the girls are ready to trail ride, I'll probably have to invest in some break-away stirrups. They're designed to detach if they are tilted too far. It helps prevent being dragged by a run-away horse. I don't think I could survive watching that happen!

Ali decided it's too much work to ride Nekoda. She kept stopping! She's pretty buddy-sour (no pun intended) and kept stopping at the gate to look for Buddy. I thing once Ali learns to use her hands a little better, it will be much easier to keep moving.

Some friends from church came over today. Ali is having fun with them in the pool and in the woods. If their mom lets them stay late enough, we'll be roasting marshmallows tonight! Tomorrow, I must make her blog...

Ali's First Ride

2009-07-08T16:47:00.006-04:00

Hi. I'm Ali's nana. If you read my farm blog, blahwg!, you'll know that I have a beloved old mare named Maggie Mae. She has been gone for three years, but I brought her back home on July 4th. She is old and sweet, but still healthy and energetic. She is the only horse I would trust in open areas with my granddaughter in the saddle. Hopefully, Ali will be learning to ride this summer. But until then, she can mosey along on Maggie without worry...

Wilmington's Banana Split Festival

2009-06-17T22:12:00.008-04:00

Last week I went to a banana split festival. It was so much fun. First, we went to see the booths.

We went to all kinds of booths. A lot of them had jewelry and some had clothing like shoes, hats, T-shirts, and hair stuff. Then we saw one booth that had free cookies with a donation. The cookies were good but we had to get a banana split. I got two scoops of ice cream and it was chocolate. Then I got lots of hot fudge and got whip cream and of course cherries. So good!

Then we met my aunt and uncle there. We all went to see the old fashion cars. We saw all kinds, like trucks and vans and even just cars.

There was one that they let my uncle get in it and honk the horn. It was so loud me and my aunt screamed. My aunt said, “Next time warn me when you are going to do that!” A lot of people just looked at us!

The car was from the army. It was small. My nana got some pictures of me and some cars. Then we went to the games and some were rip-offs because I couldn’t win any of them. So I decided to go play on the bounce houses.

I went in to the challenger’s course and I ran through a plastic bar and got stuck! Then after that I noticed there were two more tickets left. I played this one game which was also a rip-off, but there was one game that I won and it wasn’t a rip-off. I won a football but I traded it for a yellow smiley face ball! I also got to pick a duck with a certain number and what ever number that was it would go with a bin and I got a two, so I got to pick a prize from that bin and I got play dough. Of course you have to get cotton candy, which we got. I also got a balloon. The festival was so fun!

Have you ever been to a festival? And what kind of festival was it?

PS from Nana... Wilmington, Ohio has bragging rights for inventing the banana split! It's about a half-hour drive from Xenia.

My First Award!

2009-06-16T19:58:00.012-04:00

I had a surprise waiting for me when I got online today! Charmine at my favorites gave me my first real award! It is the Lemonade Stand Award or the Attitude of Gratitude Award. Thank you, Charmine! Nana is teaching me how to post it and put in links.

The guidelines are:

1. Post the award logo on your blog.

2. Nominate at least 10 of your favorite bloggers.

3. Make a link of your list in your post.

4. And let them know about this award by leaving a comment on their blogs.

I would like to pass this award on to the other people that follow me and leave me nice comments. (besides Nana)

Lille Diane at ...This Time Tomorrow...

Aunt Jessica at Hey, Mrs Robinson

Judy at Through Squirrel Eyes

Rae at Weather Vane

Mark at From the North Fork Long Island

Jan at Jan Mader Ignite to Write

Nana said I'm a quick learner!

Not feeling different.

2009-06-16T14:16:00.005-04:00

With the medication I have been taking I haven't felt different. It is almost like no change. But I have noticed that I am changing. I don't know how but it is working and it doesn't make me feel a thing. I've told my dad about it and he understands. Well, I am going to see my therapist soon. My nana sees a change in me. I didn't know I had changed until a lot of people told me there is a change in my attitude and well everything.

Have you ever acted different but didn't feel a change?

Well, I used to be mean if we weren't winning a soccer game, but now I hold it in and keep it in. Not only does that make me have good sportsmanship it also makes me a better player.

Have you ever improved your actions?

The frog!

2009-06-10T14:16:00.002-04:00

Last night I saw a frog and touched it! Well, i wasn't going to pick it up! So instead I grabbed a bucket and threw the bucket write over the frog and screamed (ewe) my papaw came out and said,"you found it" because he had told me about it! I said "yeah, but I don't wanna touch it, so where is a lid? Because I wanted to keep it, but not pet it." So he said ,"No, it is suppose to live free!" So much for that. But any way, it had scaly skin and it was bumpy and fat. It was pretty small for a frog but also kinda an average size. So my papaw had to tell me not to let it pee on me or it will give me warts! I screamed again (ewe) and I ran inside and told my grandma all about it and she said she hates frogs! But Nana likes frogs! Have you ever seen a frog or touched one?

Diagnosing Ali... by Nana

2009-06-10T12:03:00.012-04:00

I know just enough about psychology and psychiatry to know that it is not a concrete science. There is no blood test to determine bi-polar. It is a skill of guessing. It turns out that Ali's doctor has not firmly diagnosed her as bi-polar; It is a possibility. They are still trying to determine exactly what it is that controls Ali's personality. The doctor now thinks she has Oppositional Defiance Disorder. To put it into layman's terms: Ali is a darling child as long as there are no requests, rules or boundaries.

To some, Ali might appear as a spoiled brat that can't take no for an answer. To those of us that know her, we know it is much deeper. She is a bright, loving, gentle person that looses herself to a force that takes over in the blink of an eye.

For example, the other day she texted me from the woods on Papaw's phone. I called her and told her to not text because (believe it or not) Papaw does not having texting! Ali replied, "Oh, OK." That was a miracle! The old 'Lexi' (her former self) would have immediately taken that statement as an attack, scolding her instead of simply informing her. She would have reacted with defensive anger. No matter if you told her, "You're not in trouble. I'm just letting you know...", it made no difference. It was a reaction she had no control over. If she wanted something in the store and you said no, her whole world came crashing down. A trip to WalMart might induce three or four of these episodes. Every time she was told to brush her teeth, get ready for bed, or turn off the TV was a call to battle. The rage flashed in her eyes and a verbal negative gushed from her lungs. It was not a 'normal brat' response. Even a simple 'smile for the camera' could bring out the rage.

As would be expected, Ali's school work and social life have suffered. She has friends, but she also has been shunned and teased. Even her teacher went from being helpful and enthusiastic, to irritated and resigned. I feared that if something didn't happen to change this cycle that Ali would end up in the court system.

She has been seeing professionals and is on a new medication. I am feeling very positive about the effects. The phone call about texting came after the new medicine. Also, we have been working on some projects outside. I can now give her directions without ruining the day. Even if she is irritated by what she is asked to do (after all, she is still eleven), she doesn't spiral out of control.

I am hoping that by spending the summer in a relaxed farm environment, she can form new habits of response that will help her get off to a good start in Junior High. I know it was a hard decision for my daughter and her husband to put Ali on medication. This is not the first time however that they've made that choice. I'm glad they did. I now feel that Ali has a chance to be the person she really wants to be... And so far, she has been a delight!

Ali and I talk a lot about the things she feels concerning this disorder. I think it helps her to share her frustration and receive positive feedback. She is starting to feel she is not alone, and she IS normal. Normal people experience emotional problems. Normal people can have chemicals in their brains get out of whack. Her new relationships in Blogville have helped her to see that. People have been sharing their personal stories with her and it has made her feel like part of an elite group. Thank you all for taking time to make a little girl feel good about herself. I love you!

soccer game!

2009-06-09T15:49:00.001-04:00

I had a soccer game on Sunday. We lost and I had an injury during the game! I went to kick the ball and a girl kicked me and I did the splits. I had popped my knee but now I am okay . I was going to go to the e.r but I wanted to stay. Well, one more game and it is over! I had an idea for my team that we would go for ice cream because it was hot out. Well, since it was the other direction from where we were going we went home and got slushies! What a fun time!

What I will become.

2009-06-09T15:17:00.002-04:00

I want to be a dentist when I grow up! My neighbor is a dentist but since I play soccer I practice outside A lot and he thinks I will be a famous soccer star in college. I mean I agree with him and I would love to be a famous soccer star but I would like to stick with being a dentist!
i want to be a dentist because they make A lot of money. I want to have enough money to pay bills and if I have a child I want to give it everything it needs without spoiling it! So if you're a dentist tell me about it so I know what it is like! Tell me if you like my blogs and I'll blog again!

What I've learned

2009-06-07T23:26:00.004-04:00

I have learned that even though I am bi-polar I can still accomplish things that normal people can accomplish. I thought because I am different I wouldn't be able to do things that normal people can. Like math is pretty easy for me and I thought it would be harder for me. I also thought that written language and social studies would be very hard just because I am different. I guess I had just thought wrong! Yeah well I use to think that until I realized that here I am going to junior high and just got through the fifth grade pretty easily! So this is what I have learned so far in my life! What have you learned in your life after you thought differently?

Hello Blogville

2009-06-07T18:27:00.000-04:00

Normally you would be reading my words at one of my three blog sites. ( MzzLily ) I am a guest on this new blog. I have come over to introduce my second-oldest granddaughter Ali to the world. She is spending the summer with me. This summer is a special one for her. She is going through a kind of metamorphosis.

Since her birth she has been called Lexi. Now she has decided to be called Ali. (I like it.) It's rather timely as she is going through a great transition in her personal and emotional life. Ali has been struggling to learn how to live bi-polar. She has just started on a new medication that seems to be making a huge difference for her. For the first time in her life, she is able to control her emotions rather than be controlled by them.

Ali and I think it is very symbolic to leave Lexi behind and let Ali shine. Lexi had problems and got in trouble a lot. Ali is calm and pleasant. This change also comes at an age where baby dolls take the back seat to more mature interests. I think this summer will be a turning point for Ali that will hopefully lead her to an easier path.

So here she will write. She will improve her reading, writing, spelling, thought processes, etc. while sharing with you her feelings and thoughts about being eleven and loving pink!