Changing Plans

When you have children you have to learn to expect the unexpected and be prepared to be flexible and change all plans at a moment's notice. That is what I had to do this past weekend. Joe stayed home from work to take the girls to the doctor. Other Mama was great enough to meet him there to help (it can get hectic if one needs to go potty and keeping them entertained while you wait). The verdict, Lol had strep and Josie just has a cold. I know it seemed silly to take Josie too when she was not running a fever, but there have been so many cases of the flu around here, I just could not take that chance, especially when we are around so many other children. Well I had had a full weekend planned with lots of time with other children. Not anymore. This was Joe's weekend to work, so I was responsible for keeping the girls. Saturday I was supposed to be at a fundraiser for our Sisters of Service group at church. The only people I could find to watch the girls were Chris and Crystal (not that this is a bad thing, but they have two small children), so I had to stay home with the girls and hope that Joe got home from work in time for me to go for a little while. He didn't. I had also planned for after the fundraiser for our friends Mary Kelley, Tim, and their children to come over to eat so Mary Kelley and I could plan our Sunday School room. (Sidenote: Joe and Tim will be teaching Josie's age group one Sunday a month. I am so proud of him for stepping up this way, actually I am proud of both of them. There just isn't enough male Sunday School teachers.) Well since they have small children, we had to cancel those plans as well. So we spent the entire weekend in the house playing. I think we were all about to go stir crazy and they were super excited to go to Erica's today.

Sometimes when you embark on the journey of parenthood you don't really realize how much having children affects your life, but there is nothing like it. You have to take the good and the bad. My girls are my world. When I start to get down, depressed, or have a bad day I can just look at any of the 11 pictures I have of them around my desk and smile. They never cease to amaze me in how fast they learn things or how much they are absorbing. It is so rewarding to watch them do right and take care of each other and others.

We very rarely get to eat as a family of four because most of the time Joe is not home from work when the girls eat, but on those occassions where we do, it means so much to me. Granted we are bribing Josie to eat one more bite and telling Lol to sit down in her chair the entire time, but to look around at all of us sitting at the table that I ate at as a child (it was my grandparent's table) and knowing how close of a family we are, there is no greater feeling. So sure, I didn't get to do what I wanted this weekend, but that's okay. My girls come first no matter what that means for me.

Yesterday and Today

When we found out we were having two girls, Joe was a tiny bit disappointed. Like most men, he wanted a son to be able to play football with, hunt and fish with, and teach him manly things. When other guys would teasingly ask Joe what he was going to do with two girls, Joe would tell them the same thing I would with boys. I was very proud of him. Joe has always been a hands on dad and I love that our family plays together and our children are well rounded. They do things that both boys and girls do. I say all that to say, that Joe got the moment he had been dreaming of last night. On our to the Burdicks for dinner last night Josie asked me if I would take her hunting. (I have no clue where this came from, and I know she has no clue what actualy hunting is.) I told her that was a Daddy thing and that she would have to ask Daddy. Well sometime after Joe arrived (about an hour to an hour and a half later)Josie asked Joe if he would take her hunting. He told her he would. Well she wanted to go right then. Joe tried to explain to her that they couldn't go right then, when that didn't work he told her they couldn't go until he had bought her special clothes to go hunting. Well that got her even more excited because my girls love clothes and shoes. Joe was on an absolute high last night. Now let me calm any of you with fears, we would never ever let her have a gun at this age. I think Joe decided to take her squirrel "hunting" so that way they can walk through the woods and look for the squirrels. I'm not even sure when that is in season, it may be all year long for all I know. Whatever it happens, I know it will mean so much to Joe to share something that he loves and is so passionate about with his daughter.

Now for the today part. During the week all four of us have progessively felt worse with cold like symptoms. Erica called me yesterday around 4:00 p.m. to say that Lol was running a fever and that her face had broken out in welts. She gave her some Benadryl and tylenol. I kept a close eye on the fever all night and she never ran one again, so I was thinking maybe it was just a slight fever with her cold. I sometimes do that when I begin a cold. Well this morning when Joe's alarm went off at 4:00 a.m., I got up and checked Lol. When I opened the door and heard her breathing I could tell she had a fever. Sure enough she was burning up. I got some tylenol and juice in her and then Josie walked in. Her nose looked horrible and she was a tiny tiny bit warm. Joe decided to stay home and take them to the doctor. We have had so many cases of the swine flu around here, we just don't want to take any chances. Hopefully he can get them in as soon as possible. Other Mama was also nice enough to say she would meet him at the doctors office to help out if she wasn't at her eye appointment. So right now I'm praying, nothing serious and that we wasted $60.00 on co-pays for nothing.

Another full Weekend

Well we had another packed weekend. My mom and Bet came up Thursday to see the newest family member, Tanner. After eating dinner with us they headed over to my brother's house to hold and meet the newest grandchild. Friday Joe was off so that he could go with me to a doctor's appointment and then he picked up the girls for some quality time with Grammy and Emmie. I got off a little after 2:00 p.m. and went straight home. We put fresh water in the kiddie pools and let the girls have at it. They are just so much fun to watch, they always have a blast. That evening we we all went over to Ben and Tiffany's to visit. Saturday my dad came over and helped Joe get our new countertop in. I absolutely love it. It looks so good. Now all I have to do is paint the cabinets. The house is slowly coming together. The girls played outside in the pools again and we cooked out later than evening. Sunday me and Josie went to Ben and Tiffany's church. Tanner was dedicated yesterday. I aboslutely love baptisms and dedication services. I always cry. It is such a special thing and it has such a profound meaning. Not only are you dedicating your child to Christ and to Christ's service, but you are openly allowing your "village" to help you raise your child. I get goose bumps just thinking about it. Tanner did great and looked very handsome. I'm still just in shock at how our family is growing. On our way home from the service we saw that a person that had been riding a motorcycle had gone off the road and was lying in the grass. I pulled off to help. Of all the people that passed us only me and another girl stopped. Ben stopped when he passed, just in time to help the guy get the motorcycle back on the road. I'm sure it was quite a site. Me and this other girl in our church clothes helping this guy with the motorcycle. All that to say, when we got to Me Maw's to eat lunch and pick up Jolie, Josie told Me Maw the entire story. It was so sweet and the way she kept saying "and my mommy helped him." It was like I was her hero or something. It was so sweet. It was also a great teachable moment. My daughter learned from me yesterday that God calls us all to help other people whether you are qualified to do so or not. After lunch I took the girls home and put them down for naps. I actually got some cleaning and laundry done while they slept instead of napping too. I was impressed with myself. When they woke up it was raining outside so we put their rain slickers on them and went outside to play in the rain. They had a blast and thought it was so funny. Our ditch filled up fast with water so we put them in the push car and pushed from down through the ditch so that the water would splash over them. They both just thought it was so hilarious. They also thought it was funny to watch me jumping in the mud puddles with them. I love that every experience for them has the potential to be so much fun, even if it is just playing in the rain. I really hope that they will able to look back on their childhoods as fun times where mom and dad played with them and always tried to make the best out of each situation.

Reflections

Yesterday was the first day of school here in Elmore County. Sunday during the preacher's talk with the children he asked how they all felt about going back to school. An older boy said that he was nervous because this was the first year he had lockers and he would have to get to classes that were spread over the campus. I remember feeling those exact feelings when I entered the seventh grade. I was so nervous. I just could not figure out how it was going to be physically possible to get everything done without being late for my next class. Of course you find your grove and sometimes can even visit friends before the next class. That being said, you couldn't pay me to go back to high school.

Yesterday was my cousins' twins first day of kindergarten. I remmeber the day they were born. Joe's family and I were in Andalusia visiting Mr. Randy's aunt and uncle. I was hesitant about going that day because I just knew they were going to be born. Sure enough a couple hours into the visit I got the call that they had been born. We rode with Quint and Sheila and Quint and Sheila were nice enough to go ahead and leave so that I could go to the hospital. Andalusia is about a 2 hour drive from Montgomery. We rushed there and Quint and Sheila even stayed at the hospital with us while we visited. It is so hard to belive that was five and a half years ago. I remember that day clear as anything.

All day yesterday you could read people's updates on facebook, they were all waiting on their children to get home to talk about their first day, writing how they did or did not cry as they dropped their child off at kindergarten, or you saw pictures of children ready for school, backpack on their back, lunch bag in their hand. I know my time is coming soon. I know I will be one of those parents that writes how I balled as I dropped my child off. Josie will be four this January so I have 2 more years before she starts school, but at the same time I see little signs all the time that she is growing up and maturing.

Wednesday when I picked them up from school I told her that Ben and Tiffany's foster son would be staying with us. She asked where Uncle Ben and Aunt Tiffany were. I told her that they had gone to the hospital to have baby Tanner. She then asked me if Aunt Tiffany would be lying down. I told her yes. She is so observant and remembers everything. She knows that every time we visiited someone in the hospital there has been someone lying in a bed. The other day she begged me for a drink. She then said, "I'll drink it like a big girl, I won't spill it, I promise." I promise. Like she really knows what that means. The thing that absolutely touched happened yesterday. After I picked them up I took the girls to Dollar General to look for Josie a new lava lamp. When she sleeps she needs a light stronger than a night light and so we have been using an old lava lamp. Well the Dollar General didn't have lava lamps or even night lights for that matter, but they did have some cute shoes for a dollar. So I bought the girls a pair of shoes each. (They love shoes!)

Next door to the Dollar General is a flea market. So we went in there and looked to see if they had any lamps that would work. In seraching for a lamp Jolie found a lunch bag for $1.00 and Josie found a purse for $1.00. Well since they were both being so great in a flea market (they hardly touched anything) I told them we could get them. We eventually found a lamp that spins and has dolphins so it looks like an under water scene. So we get home, eat dinner, take baths, put on their pjs, brush their teeth, and told them to get their pillows and lovies. Well Josie walks about of our room pjs and new flip flops on (you can not call them shoes or she will correct you that they are flip flops) to get her pillow from the living room. Well she starts off down the hall and comes back, sticks her head in the door, and says thank you mom for my flip flops. It was so sweet. She knew that I had to pay my money to buy them for her and she appreciated it. It was the sweetest moment. I seriously almost cried. She is growing up. This morning she thanked me again and this time she thanked me for both the flip flops and the purse. Now both things combined cost me no more than $3.00, but to her they meant so much. And Lol, even though she does not have the words to express to me that she is grateful, shows it in her actions. She kept telling me to look at her shoes this morning. She was so proud of them. And the lunch bag that she uses as a purse, well she played with it the whole way home and the whole way to Erica's this morning.

I will be the first to admit that Joe and I are far from the perfect parents, but I feel that we must be doing something right that at the tender age of 3 and a half, my sweet girl knows that it is important to say thank you.

Jumping

Well as you all know my sweet precious nephew is here. I know most of you have all gotten the e-mails I have sent out, but for anyone who only reads my blog:

My nephew Tanner Blayne was born on Thursday, August, 2009, at 12:16 p.m. He was 7 lbs, 11 oz, and 19 inches long. He and mom are doing great. They got to come home yesterday afternoon. Here are some pictures:



We had a great weekend spending time with the kids. We went to Bass Pro shops, I took them to the Millbrook park and we played in the creek, we played in the kiddie pools, and rode bikes. All in all it was a great weekend.

Here is a play by play of Josie running and jumping into the pool. She was having an absolute blast and it was so fun to watch her:





Here is Lol watching her crazy sister:


Our phones are so slow we had to take the picture before Josie was even in front of us. She would run, jump in the pool, and then run to us to see what the picture looked like.

Now I can't wait to go and see Tanner again and hold him. I also can't wait for my mom and Bet to come up this weekend. I know that they are coming up to see Tanner, Ben, and Tiffany, but I still love to have her here.

Also, I was able to buy a new kitchen coutertop this weekened with my birthday money. I am so excited. I still have the original counters from when the house was built in the 60s. White with gold specs -- yuck!!!!!! Anyway, hopefully my dad and Joe can get it in before my mom comes up.

As

Around the time that Josie turned 3 I bought a dry erase book for her to learn to write her letters. At that point, she was still a little too young to grasp the concept although she tried very hard. Well Erica has book materials to start working with Josie an a little boy that is a little older than Josie to start getting them ready for kindergarten. Below is Josie's first two A sheets. I am so proud of her. She did really good.

The End of July

It seems as if every week I write about what a busy weekend we've had. And this past week I was so busy at work that I never had a chance to update during the week. I feel like I could write a short book about everything that has been going on. First this was a tough week because RTJ in Greenville had a really big tournament this weekend that they were getting ready for all week long. Joe did not get to see the girls until Thursday or Friday. They were in bed asleep every night before he got home. It made a tough week for both of us.

Let's see. This past week the girls went to the Zoo with Erica, Desmond (Erica's husband) and the rest of the children Erica keeps. They had a blast. And it was so funny because Josie remembers that the last time she was at the Zoo is when Other Mama took her. She kept saying, Other Mama took me to the Zoo too. It was so cute that she remembered that and that it made such an impression.


(As you can see Erica's phone takes much clearer pictures than mine does.)

We also had several birthdays this past week, Uncle Quint's on the 26th, my cousin
Kevin's on the 27th, Gigi Berdine's on the 28th, Paw-Paw's on the 30th, mine on the 31st, and Gigi Green on August 1st. Josie was so excited about everyon's birthday and in her mind every time you have a birthday you should have a party. Every time she asked me where my party was I kept telling her to ask her Dad. Joe didn't find that too funny. Joe and I just celebrate birthdays very different. Joe gets several days of celebration with cards and presents and cakes, and well, I get told Happy Birthday. Oh well, that is just him. Erica did make birthday cards for me from the girls. They were so sweet. I also had to renew my drivers license on my birthday. It was very bittersweet for me. The last time I renewed my drivers license I was about 2 or 3 months pregnant with Josie. I don't have that many pictures of me pregnant with her and for some reason that drivers license also felt special to me. We had tried so hard for her and I was just so happy. Sick, but happy. I will probably put it in her baby book. Friday was also the first time Jolie has gotten her toe nails painted. She was so excited about it and keeps showing everyone her toes. She keeps grabbing at them. It is so awesome to watch how the smallest things mean so much to them.

Friday night Sheila told me to pick the place to eat for my birthday before going to the Biscuits game. We ate at Mellow Mushroom. I loveee the Magical Mystery Tour pizza. After dinner we met Mee-Maw and Paw-Paw at the game. It was country night and they had free pony rides. The girls loved it. They weren't as into the game and we didn't get to watch that much of the game, but they did sit still long enough to watch the fireworks. As we were leaving the stadium Jolie feel face first on the concrete. She busted her mouth and under her nose pretty good. Joe scooped her up and all she said was "Ouch." She never cried. We could see that she was bleeding but could not tell where because they had not turned the lights back on from the fireworks. She did not bleed for long. That girl is one tough cookie. That night Josie spent the night with Aunt Sheila, Uncle Quint, and Caden. She has gotten to where she wants to spend the night with whoever we spend the afternoon with. The past three weeks she has spent a night away. First she spent the night with Annaleigh, Elias, Aunt Crystal, and Uncle Chris; the next week with Mee-Maw and Paw-Paw; and then Aunt Sheila, Uncle Quint, and Caden Friday. Jolie is always so cute the morning after Josie spend the night away. She gets up and looks all over the house for Josie. It is so sweet.

Saturday morning and afternoon I felt horrible. I had a migraine and I am having hot flashes as a result of some antiobotics I am taking for a UTI. I was miserable. We had a wedding to go to that night so I just tried to sleep the morning away hoping I would feel better. Well I laid around too long and made us late for getting up and getting dressed. Then when we did finally start getting dressed I didn't have everything I needed and we had to run to Wal-Mart to get me a strap less bra then when we pulled up to Uncle Ben and Aunt Tiffany's house to drop off the girls, I realized I had brought one brown shoe (to match my dress) and a flip flop. Thank goodness Tiffany had some shoes I could borrow. We then raced to the church and had to walk through the wedding party at the back to get in. I was so embarrased. But the wedding was amazing and everyone was so beautiful. It was a
Scottish wedding with kilts and bag pipes. Joe said it was the best wedding he has ever been to. (I try not to get offended by that comment :) The reception was at the Gunter Annex at the Falcon's Nest. The food was great and the fellowship even better. We got back to Ben and Tiffany's and the girls were asleep. They of course had a blast and Aunt Tiffany now has a clean bathroom because of Josie :) Oh, that child. Since they were asleep Joe and I ran to Wal-Mart to get what I needed to make food for the family reunion the next day. When we got back Ben and Tiffany needed to stay and help with something so Joe took the girls home and I stayed. I got home around 2:30 a.m.

Sunday morning we got up and went to Sunday School. It was my Sunday to teach the 3 year olds through 5th graders. (The classes are combined for summer.) We were learning about Jesus' first miracle (turning the water into wine). I brought a cup of water and a wine glass and gave each one of them a chance to concentrate really hard on the cup and then asked them to pour the water into the wine glass to see if they could do it. I really think some of them thought they might could do it. It was so funny to watch. After Sunday School we went to Maplesville for Joe's mother's side of the family family-reunion. Here is a picture of the girls. I have no idea who the other girl is (I guess they are related saying we were at a reunion though).

After the reunion we went back to Aunt Bobbie's and visited with everyone.

It feels as if we did not have a weekend and I was so exhausted this morning, but I guess that is life.

In the midst of everything I have began planning Jolie's birthday party. It is going to be a Minnie Mouse party. It is going to be so awesome. The cake is going to be similar to this

Except for that it will be two layers of cake below the head. It will be hot pink instead of soft pink. The head will be a big rice krispie treat and her bow will have polka dots. Everyone will get a set of ears in their invitation to wear to the party. My mom has ordered the plates, napkins, balloons, t-shirts for the girls, and special for the girls. In fact I got the plates, napkins and balloons today. A friend of ours, David Hicks, did up the invitations and they look fabulous! I found a Micky & Minnie shirt at Wal-Mart for me to wear. Now we just have to wait for September to get her to have this wonderful party. I can not believe that in a matter of six months I am going to have a four year old, a two year old, a three year old nephew, and a brand new nephew and a brand new niece. Wow, Life is Good!

Again, I warned you this would be a book!