My Limping Girl

Yesterday afternoon my girl became even more cranky than usual and held on to me for dear life. I finally noticed that her left foot seemed to be bothering her and she didn't want to put any weight on it. Her left foot is her short foot and the one that we worry about having any tissue break down. The only thing that I noticed was a slight reddened and tender area underneath what would be her big toe. I think it was the beginning stages of a blister and I have no idea how she got it. It was very tender and poor thing just cried and cried. Today it seems a little better and she has put slight weight on it, but she has developed a little limp and looks so cute trying to keep the weight off that foot. I really don't think it's anything serious, but if it's still bothering her tomorrow it might warrant a call to the doctor.


We had speech this morning and Emma was very interested in playing with Play Doh - which she has never shown an interest for here. She also enjoyed bubbles, when only 2 days ago she was terrified of the wayward dish soap bubble. Maybe that desensitized her. She enjoyed her fries on the way home and I hope will take a long nap this afternoon.


No other exciting news on the horizon. House cleaning, laundry, dishes, etc. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Deals, Deals, Deals - Oh, and Cute Hair

What can I say, she wanted me to do it. And she looks cute to boot:)

Walgreen's Deals for this week included these items:

Before coupons and Register Rewards, total was $52.48. After RR and coupons my out of pocket was a little more than I wanted it to be at 29.06 and I received $13 in RR, so basically my total was $16.06. Not too bad considering what I got. Best deal, free Ecotrin and I ended up with an overage because I had a coupon for it. Same thing for the Nivea body wash.

CVS deals this week were great. Well, that and I found several deodorants that were on clearance for $1.12 and $1.00 and I had $1 coupons on them!

Price before coupons and ECB $29.36. After coupons and ECB, my out of pocket cost for these items was $5.85 and I received $13 in ECB for my next trip. Great Deals!

So I spent my morning at the doctor's office for my yearly physical. I don't mind it except the whole blood thing. I don't like to have my blood drawn because I am a hard stick. Yes, I hear patients tell me all the time that they are hard sticks and it always drives me a little crazy so I just don't say anything until the phlebotomist starts looking and feeling and looking some more and then asks me "where do they get it from". Then I break the news to her. Oh well, she only had to stick me twice, but the second time was in the hand so that counts for more.

After the physical I decided to run my errands and do my CVS and Walgreens shopping. However the kicker was that Harris Teeter was having triple coupons again this week and I was in the neighborhood! Yippee. I love triple coupons. I got free egg noodles, rice, sour cream, and great deals on most everything else! I saved $73.20 in coupons and ended up spending $65. The reason that my total was higher than I really wanted it to be was because I had to buy some milk, chicken, and ground beef. I was pretty pleased with the overall amount of stuff that I got. If you have a Harris Teeter nearby, stock up before the good stuff is gone! I had a man ask me as I was checking out "Where do you get all your coupons?" I was pleased to share that I get most of them from the Sunday paper and also my mother's paper. I think I may have turned him on the the art of coupon clipping.

So that about wraps up my exciting morning. How was yours?

It's Called a Hissy In the South

Yes, my daughter had another "hissy fit" yesterday at lunch time and was placed in time out where she actually did a little kicking the floor fit. She had a similar episode last week at around the same time so I have decided that the 11-12 hour is definitely our melt down hour. I don't know what triggered it and when she kept refusing to eat her sandwich I finally just put her to bed and that seemed to do the trick. I think she was suffering from too much weekend. She was a bit clingy all afternoon and has developed a runny nose. I suspect she may have allergies as most people do in our great state.




I spent the morning at my favorite place - the dentist's office. I hate going to the dentist. I would rather go to the gynecologist any day of the week than the dentist. That may sound weird, but it's oh so true! So at least that is behind me for another 6 months I hope.

Not too much to write about today. Emma is busy following me around, playing the keyboard, being afraid of a wayward bubble that escaped the dish washing liquid, eating lunch (discovered Giggee's chicken salad and loves it), but so far, NO HISSY FIT today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Weekend Wrap Up

Emma made the most of her time at the ballgames. Playing with her tractor and eating lots of popcorn.

Ashton is listening so intently. He's probably thinking, "I wish my mom wouldn't take my picture right now."

"Yes sir Coach. I know Coach. I will do better Coach."

Spent weekend at ballgames. That about wraps it up.

Ashton had his first AAU tournaments this weekend, starting Friday night at 9 P.M. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? That is entirely too late for little boys to be playing ball, but what do I know? It's also entirely too late for little girls to have to travel 1.5 hours and stay awake for a ballgame and travel back, but she managed pretty well. I was hopeful that she would sleep in Saturday morning, but when I got home from work at 7:30 she was up and had been for a while. She and daddy had already been planting in the garden.

Saturday was also spent playing basketball. We had 2 games at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. at different places, so that was fun. Emma was able to catch a nap in between games while we were on the road. She held out really well, although she was a little cranky at the second game. Who could blame her?

Now to the important stuff. Ashton's team won all 3 games! He scored 4 points in each of the last 2 games and had several assists and rebounds (do I sound like ESPN or what). Most of all, he loved playing basketball! They only won by a few points in the Friday night game, but the last 2 games they won by a lot. Ashton is taller than me and then I see some of these other boys who are taller and bigger than Ashton. WOW. I can only be thankful that I am not feeding them.

We had church yesterday and then I spent the afternoon baking and making desserts. We had a dessert auction at church last night which is our youth group fundraiser. This helps send the kids to camp this summer and everyone has such a good time. It gets a little crazy and there are some signature desserts that bring in a lot of money. One coconut cake went for $130 and the dessert that I wanted the most (apples dumplings - yummy) went for $71 - yes I was outbid by my brother and then he didn't even offer me one. RAT. The sale raised over a $1,000 and that will help the kids out a lot.

We have another BUSY week ahead and today is the only day that I have to play catch up. I have a dentist and doctor's appointment this week, Emma has speech, the boys have haircuts, algebra boot camp, ball practice, a mandatory parent meeting at school, I am working a few extra hours, Esther study, and then the weekend rolls in with another AAU tournament and the band banquet. WHEW.. I'm already tired. I have really been letting all the business get to me and I am praying that this week I will handle it better. It just gets so crazy and it's hard to take it all in and just enjoy life. So, I'm praying that I have a better handle on things this week and I will see how that goes.

Have a great Monday.

This Little Piggy Played Piano

Watching Wiggles, eating goldfish crackers, and simply looking cute.

Okay, so I was inspired by my friend Maria when I looked at her blog yesterday and saw Ellie in pigtails. So I decided to give it a whirl while my girl was in the bathtub. Not as easy as it looks and I have lots of room for improvement, but I ask you, is she not the cutest thing you have ever seen in your life?

So my plan to bring up the keyboard from the man cave yesterday has been great. I think we may have a prodigy on our hands. Look at her technique. Have you ever seen more talent?

Playing it with her feet. Have you seen Billy Joel do that? (Well, probably not sober.)

The squatting technique.

Using all four to make the music.

So that about wraps up my morning. Playing with my daughter and enjoying the 80 degree weather. It's a perfect day.

I am off to shower, get a hair cut, pick up the boys, get ready for work and plan on spending the rest of the weekend watching Ashton play in his first AAU tournament. I am hoping for an easy night at work tonight so that I won't be so exhausted tomorrow. We will see about that one.

Have a great weekend.

Just a Bunch of Random Stuff - Sort Of Like my Life

This child insists on wearing paper clips in her hair and likes to have an ink pen in the waist of her pants. You tell me? Nerd or just plain fashionable.

I think the look on Emma's face is priceless in this picture. She loved riding on Brady's shoulders.

Okay, so a totally random string of thoughts today.

Emma and I went to our first speech therapy visit this morning and it went well. I was so impressed with the Speech therapist. She gave me some ideas that I hadn't really considered. She suggested making a picture of things that Emma tends to whine for (applesauce, shoes, drink, etc, etc.....) and put it on the refrigerator or door so that she can point to what it is that she wants and then say the word to her each time. I thought that was a good idea and I can only imagine how many times she will point to shoes and applesauce. She was very impressed with Emma's ability to use her fingers so well, especially since she hasn't had OT yet. Emma would pick up little flash cards (like from a Memory game) and put them in a plastic container by dropping them in a coin size slot. She was quick to tell me that she had lots of kids with 10 fingers that can't do that.

Our treat for surviving Speech and going Krogering was a quick drive thru at McDonald's so that Emma could have fries on the ride home, which also has the dual purpose of keeping her awake so that she will take a real nap when she gets home. So she enjoyed her fries and I have discovered that I really like chicken mcnuggets. They are so yummy, especially with honey mustard sauce and a Diet Coke. Who knew that 2 people could eat for less that $5.00.

Emma has been VERY attached to me the last few days. When I say that, I mean LITERALLY holding on to my leg when I go anywhere in the house. She goes to the bathroom with me and sits in my lap while I attempt to take care of nature, she holds on to me while I cook, clean, attempt to blog, do the laundry. Well, to say that it has begun to drive me a little bit nuts might be an understatement. Her only distraction is The Wiggles on occasion and going outside after the boys come home. I have decided that I may have to pay the boys to take her out in the afternoons so that I can cook dinner and breath. Please don't misinterpret what I am saying. I adore my daughter, but I can remember the boys doing the same thing at times and after a while it will make you a little crazy.

Emma loves music and instruments. My plan is to move the keyboard from the man cave up to the living room, take it off the stand, and let her have it. I'm hoping that she will enjoy playing it long enough that I can at least go to the bathroom by myself. We will see how it goes:)

I am okay with Emma's hands. I don't pay attention to them. I do however notice when other people pay attention to them. I understand curiosity, I have been guilty of it on many occasions. I don't however like it. I don't like the feeling that wells up inside of me when I notice someone staring at her. As much as I know this is always going to be an issue, it still makes me furious. I saw 2 teenage girls do a double take today and look at Emma and then whisper to one another. Well, since they were probably underage and assault on a minor may be more than a misdemeanor, I decided to ignore it, but I was quick to give them a look that I hope they understood to mean I knew they were looking at my daughter. Pretty soon, she will know they are looking too and that is what hurts me. I know that God will lead me in preparing Emma for this, but it is still something that I dread.

Okay, so enough of my ranting. I tried to warn you that it was just random thoughts today!

Ever Feel Like a Rotten Parent?

What are the first things you learn about babies? Are they hungry and are they dry and/or clean? What was the one thing that I missed yesterday afternoon and couldn't figure out why my daughter was such a bear and turning me into one? A DIRTY diaper, hello! Okay, in my defense, for some unknown reason she didn't smell bad. Go figure. She had already had 3 dirty diapers yesterday and I wasn't expecting the gift of 4. So while I was attempting to get dinner on the table and get Ashton off to AAU I missed a key element and my daughter screamed and was cranky. Well no wonder. Then her little bottom was red and I could have just sat and cried if it would have made any difference. She did get to take a second bath and at least she enjoyed that. So note to self, it might be the diaper goofy!





Today has been a better day than yesterday, SO FAR. She has been somewhat cranky, but not too bad. She is very clingy right now and that makes for a long day. She did enjoy Miss Jennifer this morning when she came and worked with her and then we played outside for a while. She is so funny watching the dogs and the rooster while she is riding in the wagon. She is actually letting Molly (our lab) get closer to her without screaming, but she keeps a very close eye on her. She certainly doesn't like animals or bugs. She absolutely FREAKED when she saw a moth last week.



I have a very profound appreciation for parents of special needs children. I have to admit that probably had no clue exactly how much time is spent taking care of a special needs child. Emma's special needs are not that big of a deal, however, they do require a lot of time spent dealing with different specialities to get her the assistance that she needs. We have finally gotten the approval from TEIS for speech and that starts Thursday. That will be 2 times a week and she also has her EI teacher that comes on Tuesdays. We are waiting to hear about an OT referral and how often that will be necessary. I am running out of available days. I am not complaining and am very thankful that I can take her to the necessary appointments and get her the help that she needs, but it's hard to fit it all in. I simply don't know how a single parent or full time working parent/parents manage. It consumes the calendar and leaves very little time for anything else. So again I say, I really have a new appreciation for those parents with special needs that

Weekend Wrap Up

Is that the sweetest little mouth or what?

Emma is loving her new head rag thing that Melissa gave her. You can tell by my description that I am a fashion expert.

I know that it looks like we never have pictures of Ashton and Emma, but in all fairness he was gone all weekend.

I am so glad that last week is over with! I am finally feeling better and everyone else seems to be too. I passed ACLS, yeah, and don't have to worry about that for another 2 years. Now I am trying to make up for lost time with my cluttered, crazy house. I have done 8 loads of laundry this morning and still am not finished. I managed to clean out the refrigerator and I hope that I am not the only person who has condiments that are dated 20o7 in their refrigerator. If I am, then shame on me.

Emma has been so sweet and busy this morning. She made up for it in about 15 minutes when she had a melt down regarding lunch (I think). She wanted applesauce and that wasn't on the menu today, plus she had it for breakfast and I have suffered the consequences with 2 disgusting diapers this morning. Apparently, she wasn't pleased with the menu and hell hath no fury like a girl who doesn't get her way! She fell apart and it's so frustrating that she can't communicate with me in words. I will be so glad when she can talk and we can understand one another better. Don't get me wrong, she communicates. Oh, does she ever. I am just looking forward to the day that it will be with words and not whines and screams.

Our weekend was busy as usual, but it was nice as well. Ashton spent the weekend with a friend and Bo, Brady, and I went to see Aliens vs. Monsters Saturday evening and out to dinner. Emma stayed with the grandparents and it was really nice to have an evening out with just one child. It felt so weird. Brady seemed to really enjoy it as well and given that he is a 15 year old boy that actually seems to like his parents, I count myself blessed.

Yesterday was church and lunch at my mom's house to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday. It was nice to be with one of my nephews and his girlfriend and everyone seemed to have a nice lunch. I took advantage of the afternoon and did my CVS and Walgreen's shopping and got some pretty good deals. I also enjoyed a little shopping at Belk and although I was looking for church clothes, I ended up with 4 pairs of Capri's, 3 shirts, and a pair of sandals. Everything was on sale!

Okay, so for my really good CVS deals here goes:

• 2 boxes of General Mills cereal
• 4 (6 packs) of Mott's Applesauce
• 1 Crest Pro Health
• 3 John Frieda hair products (shampoo, hairspray, straightening cream)
• 60 count of Zyrtec
• 60 count One a Day Men's Vitamins

1. Total before coupons and without tax $68.20
2. Total after coupons and ECB (with tax) $39.14
3. ECB earned $21.00
4. Total $18.14

I was very pleased, especially to get such a good deal on Zyrtec! Living in Tennessee we use a lot of it.

Walgreen's seems to never be as good a shopping experience as I would like for it to be. The cashier seemed to have a really hard time with my items and had to ring it up 3 times. Poor guy. He was also the manager so imagine my feeling of confidence in him. My best deal at Walgreen's was on Claritin which was on sale for $19.99 with a $5 register reward and I had a $7 coupon off. We are in good shape on antihistamines at our house for now!

• Scrubbing Bubbles Shower Spray
• Mitchum Deodorant
• Edge Shaving Gel
• 3 12 packs of drinks
• 4 packages of paper plates
• Claritin 30 count package
• Nature's Source Natural Bathroom Cleaner (there's nothing natural about my boy's bathroom)

Before coupons my total was $49.47. After coupons and RR it was $32.43 and I received $15 in RR for my next shopping trip. Grand total for it all was $17.43. Also not too shabby.

Okay, so I'm a nerd and love to get good deals and see where I can save the most. The John Frieda deals at CVS were great. They were on sale for $5 and if you spent $15 you got a $5 ECB. I also had $6 in coupons making all three items cost $4. Pretty good deal.

Well, it's almost 1 p.m. and I am still in my p.j's. Yes, a vision of loveliness beyond all words. I am heading for the shower before Little Miss awakens and continues to hold out for more applesauce. We all know that she is stronger than me as evidenced by the bottle fiasco.

Have a great day!

You Know the ONE I'm Talking About

My daughter was the one today. You know the one that screams and cries for no apparent reason while you try to shop. She attempted to get out of the buggy and when I looked her in the eyes and told her no and sit down or else I will buckle you in snugly, she just laughed at me and made a noise as if to dare me. Well, she sat back down and I didn't have buckle her too snugly after that. But man, I hate it when everyone is looking at you like you are beating the kid or something. What, can they read my mind? I might be thinking about beating her but I would never do it, especially not in public! So I continued perusing the aisles of Target and picked up a few things including a new toilet brush because mine is disgusting and when you live in 3 story house with bathrooms on each floor, you really should own more than one toilet brush. Emma was enthralled with the toilet brush and the caddy that it was in. She played with it a for while and I know that people thought the child was deprived. Oh well, happy kid, happy mom.


Emma had an ENT follow up this morning and her tubes were clear. They wanted to do another hearing test, but realized that short of sedating her, it would be a worthless effort.


So, I'm off to attempt to study some more for ACLS which I am hopefully getting to take tomorrow. When the instructor called she told me she had an available spot tomorrow at 2 if I was interested then she told me that I would be taking it along with a Cardiologist but that I shouldn't be intimidated. Right. So say a prayer for me that I don't blow it. At least if I begin having anxiety that leads to chest pain, maybe he will come in handy.

Wednesday (Flashy title)

Clown feet!
Okay, so this is the latest addition to her fashion statement. I bought this hat on clearance before Emma ever came home and we found it in the drawer while I was cleaning and she hasn't taken it off. Doesn't she remind you of Raulo on Sanford and Son?

Flower child. Another sweet present from Mrs. Jeri at Giggee's church.

Watching Wiggles with her best friend. She has been so sweet with this doll. She holds her and rocks her and pats her back so sweetly. Then she throws on the floor and moves on.

Dancing with my big brother. Don't they look sweet together.

Poor Brady, he got my hair.

Well, I am hoping that I am on the mend and now Bo and Brady are not feeling great. This crazy cold has taken over our house!

I had to work until midnight last night for Dede who also is feeling poorly. Her son Lawson has the flu and it sounds like it's taken over her house as well. What's the deal? It's time for the flu season to be long gone.

My schedule is busy as usual, but Emma and I are hanging around the house this morning and then Ashton has an orthodontic appointment this afternoon. I will be so glad when this boy with all the metal in his mouth is able to GET IT OUT.

So, I'm pretty boring today as well as tired, so it's off to attempt to get something done before the day passes my by.

Happy Easter

Easter at my in-laws. It's almost impossible to get a good picture of my boys. They are so goofy.

Emma was loving the egg hunt with Giggee.

Camden, Emma, and Rory at the egg hunt after church. Are they just the cutest kids or what!

A rare photo of Bo and me together.

Emma needed very little help with the egg hunting. She would walk up to the egg and hold out her basket for me to put the egg in. She held on to her basket for dear life and didn't want anyone to get anything out of it.

The Easter Bunny left Brady a basket too. Ashton took his and ran, so there is no photo of him getting a basket.

Emma loved her wheel barrow.

Candy! Okay, so she had a few M&M's for breakfast. It was her first Easter, what can I say!

Jackpot!

She literally sleeps with this head band!

We has a good Easter and enjoyed Church, an egg hunt, and time with Bo's family.

I am slowly feeling better. I am still coughing way too much and hope that will end soon. So far the kids and Bo are okay. Ashton has a cough, but otherwise is okay.

So as I admitted in the last post, I caved. My girl got her bottle back and I really don't care at this point. She was thirsty, her urine output as decreased, and I think we may have been facing a bladder infection. After much deliberation and driving my friends crazy talking about it while I was at work Friday night, I decided to let her have it back. It really came down to a co-worker (Francis) saying something that made me feel better. She said that whatever I decided would be the right thing because I am her mother and I know her best. She was right. I feel better and Emma is drinking again. She will not take the bottle forever and it's not like she sucks one all day. She takes one in the morning and at night and I am constantly offering the cup to her. I plan on slowly increasing the size of the nipple and see if that makes a difference for her. If she can't suck it then maybe she won't want it. I don't know and at this point, I don't really care. I can't tell you how much I have fretted over the whole thing and I am sick of worrying about it!

Okay, so if you have not seen the movie Marley and Me, you should. If you are dog lover then it's a must see. Be prepared to have a box of tissues nearby. It's so much more than a dog movie though and it really makes you think about your own mortality.

Well, enough for today. I am hoping that this week is much more productive than last week. Emma has a follow up appointment on her ears and I have a dental appointment. I hate to go to the dentist. It's a fear that goes really deep! I still have to make up my missed ACLS class and attempt to get this house in some type of order. So another busy week ahead.

Have a great week!

Short and Sweet

I caved. What can I say, the kid's a camel.

Living in a Haze

So the last 48 hours have been a haze for me. Drug induced haze. Cold medicine of all types have been in my system. I began feeling bad over the weekend, but then it got a little better and then Tuesday it started getting worse. By Tuesday night I was out of it. I cannot say for a fact that I have had the flu, but it certainly has felt like it. I am beginning to feel slightly better, but still have some fever and a horrible cough. Needless to say, I missed the ACLS class and will have to make that up.


Emma still refuses to drink from a cup and I have almost given in. It would be so much easier, but it's been a week now and I don't want to confuse her and let her have it back. I would never have guessed that she would hold out this long. This girl is something else!

Negotiations Continue

Want to know how long a toddler can go without drinking anything? Well, stay tuned to find out. It has been 5 days now and she has probably had approximately 6 ounces to drink and that is with us dripping it into her mouth from a straw. She has taken a few sips from her cup, but not many. She is the most stubborn child I have ever seen. Before I get any comments about giving her the bottle back, I have talked with the Doctor and he says to hold out. She will drink. She continues to pee, although not as much. I am certain this child is trying to kill me. She knows that I am worried about her and she wants to see how long I can hold out. I will not be beaten. She will not win this battle and the bottle will remain a thing of the past. Don't get me wrong, I have certainly considered giving it back to her!

She is starting to walk independently, especially on the carpet. She is still a bit wobbly and reminds me of Otis from The Andy Griffith Show, but she is doing so well. She just lights up when she takes off and then she likes to stop in the middle and do some type of dance and hold her arms back like a plane. It's hilarious to watch. This girl is so determined. (Determined to put me in an early grave, did I mention that:)


Taking some steps.
She dug out this microphone from all of her toys Sunday night and started singing while the ACM awards were on.

These glasses are so smudged and dirty! Isn't that face adorable. She is so COOL.

Giving cousin Mike a big kiss.

Aunt Sissy spent the weekend with us and Emma was loving it. She kept walking back and forth from me to Aunt Sissy and anytime she wanted something she would go to Aunt Sissy and give her "the look".

Two of my favorite ladies in the world!

Okay, so this purse is adorable. One of the sweet ladies at AC First Baptist sent her a dress, purse, and hair band with a pink bow on it. I will have to get some pictures of her with the dress on and post them soon. It was so sweet of her to think of Emma. Emma is loving this purse.

She refuses to pull the hat up off of her eyes where you can see her. And if she gets mad, she pulls the hat down even further so she doesn't have to look at me.

So we had a very busy, but nice weekend. As I mentioned, my Aunt Sissy spent the weekend with us and that was very nice. We had Homecoming at church and enjoyed it so much. It was nice to see people that we had not seen in such a long time and that meant so much to our family.

I am attempting to study for ACLS and will be SO glad when it's over. I am also fighting a cold and horrible sore throat, so my week isn't going as well as I had hoped. I just hope the kids and Bo don't get it.

Well, enough for today. I just put her highness down for her nap and I need to try to study some more while I can. Have a good day!

Another Stand Off

It has been 34 hours since Emma has drunk anything. No, she isn't ill. No, we are not out of beverages at our house. We are giving up the bottle and she has decided that she can wait it out. Well, so have I and let me just say, it's harder for me than her. I spoke with Dr. H's office yesterday and he encouraged me to throw away the bottles so that I wouldn't be tempted to give them back to her. I didn't throw them away, but I did hide them so others in the house (dh) wouldn't be tempted:) He also encouraged me that she will drink if she is thirsty. I keep offering her the cup with milk and she will let me put it to her mouth and then turn her head away. She has taken a couple of sips over the last 24 hours, but will not attempt to drink from the cup with any real effort. She has eaten a lot of applesauce to help with the hydration issue. So, here we are. I hate it. I can't stand for her not to drink and in all reality I love giving her a bottle, but she is 2 and needs to drink from a cup. Her teeth are already showing signs of too much bottle and it will make life much easier if she can take a cup with her when we are out. But she is STUBBORN. So please say a prayer for her that she will begin to drink soon and that I will have the endurance to get over this little battle of the wills.


Losing our innocence. I've been thinking about that with her giving up her bottle. As she gets older and has to give up those little things that make her a kid. Remember those? I've been thinking about how simple life was when I was a kid. It was a different time and when I look at the things that are going on around us in our own back yard and what my boys have to face everyday, it just blows my mind and makes me so sad. A few weeks ago Brady accidentally took a pocket knife to school in his backpack and one of his friends saw it. Luckily no teacher saw it or Brady would have been kicked out of school. When he told me that afternoon that he had taken it to school he said he just forgot about it being in there and he had been in the woods "scouting" the day before and had taken his supplies in his backpack. Simple enough. We live in a rural area and our kids have a lot of woods to play in and I am thankful for that. But that got me to thinking about growing up in the 80's and going to high school and never thinking about the fact that most of the boys in school had a pocket knife with them. It was just a normal thing and you never worried about someone stabbing someone else. Those same boys had a hunting rifle or a shotgun in the cab of their trucks that they would use later on in the day during hunting season. Again, you never thought about someone shooting someone else at school. I think that innocence was completely lost 10 years ago at Columbine. I think it was probably lost before then, but that is the moment that really sticks out in my mind. What a sad world our world has become. Our kids are forced to grow up too soon in the environment that we live in. Our kids are surrounded by the Internet, t.v., movies, lack of parental involvement, etc. I know those same issues were there when I was a kid (minus Internet), but certainly not to the same extent. I miss the 80's.


I was talking with someone recently about being a stay at home mom and how thankful I was that I could be home with the kids. I have worked full time and know how hard it is for everyone. When the boys were little and they were at a sitter's house for 12-13 hours it killed me. Praise God that I can be home with them now and that was the point of the conversation. I really believe it's better to be home with them now when they are older than it was when they were babies. I am home every afternoon and I get to hear about what is going on at school. I get to pick them up everyday and although that can be a pain, I am glad to have the opportunity to hear them talk about what is going on in school and with the other kids. I am lucky that my boys share with me, especially Brady. I am also lucky to be very sneaky and able to con them into telling me things when they don't realize that I am doing so:)

Well, I didn't realize that my post was going to head in that direction, but it's been on my heart. Above all, it's so good to know that God is with us all the way. He will not leave us, even when we leave him. So when I am worrying about my daughter not drinking or my boys growing up in this crazy world, He is right beside me through it all.

Thursday

Okay, I know it will be hard to draw your attention away from my cabinet, counter, and refrigerator, but I really wanted to get a picture of my boy and his black eye. He wouldn't agree to having a picture taken of his eye so when he fell for getting his picture taken with Emma, I took advantage of it. His left eye is black. FEAR NOT. He wasn't in any scrap at school or home, but was clowning around in his classroom with another boy and somehow was hit in the eye with a book. Of course, the teacher was out of the room at the time. Can you imagine kids misbehaving while the teacher is out of the room:)

Emma was very excited to get to eat after her surgery yesterday. She looks like she hasn't eaten in weeks the way she is cramming those chips in her mouth.

She is loving her new dump truck.

Once again I say, my daughter is going to be a fashion queen. She has added the hat to her ensemble and almost refuses to take it off.

Emma had a good night last night. I was afraid that her ears might bother her but evidently they did not. We are having to use drops 3 times a day for the next couple of days and let me just say, she isn't a fan!

Well, we have no big plans for the day. I am attempted to clean and study. It's amazing how many things I can find to do when I need to be studying. We start the Beth Moore study tonight and I am really looking forward to that.