I'm still here

Don't fall out b/c I am posting. I know I don't do it very often and I can't promise that I will do it more.

The kids only have 9 more days before school starts back and I am very sad. I am not ready for them to go back. It seems as the summer has flown by again. It has rained a LOT this year so we haven't gotten a lot of swimming in. Now the pool is closed during the week which bites.

Since my mom got fired we have been spending more time together. We have been going shopping together... she NEVER liked to shop or do anything when she was working. It's funny in a way but she has learned things about me she didn't know. Like today we were in Wal-Mart and I picked up some bean dip and she says.. you like bean dip too?! I am glad we have gotten closer over the last few months.

I might have a full time job when school starts back. I put in for a job in the High School for a teacher's aide. I was told I would know something by this coming Wed., only a week before school starts back. I have decided if it's meant to be then I will get it if not then I will still be a sub.

Lauren decided to do PeeWee cheerleading this year and cheer camp started tonight. She really enjoyed it and I know she will be a great cheerleader. She loves dancing and jumping around.

Hunter decided to do fall baseball. I can't wait to see him play again. It's been too long since I have watched him play. He wants to try out in the 9th grade for the school team so he's going to play as much as he can till tryouts.

I was thinking the other day about the kids and how fast they are growing up. In 5 years Hunter will be a senior and Lauren starts 7th grade that year! I wish we could go back to him just turning 5 and her being 3 months old. My how time flies!!

Different stuff

I just noticed that I hadn't updated about Hunter's report card... HE PASSED!! He's going to the 8th grade! I can't possibly be old enough to have an 8th grader. Right?! He's not ready for school to start back tho. Lauren asked me Friday how much longer she had till school started back. I take it she's ready to go back lol. We just have to get 2 boxes of tissues and 2 more packages of notebook paper and a new backpack and she's good to go.

I figured out what was up with her not wanting to stay the night... I think. She had told me her ear was hurting a few days before the sleepover but hadn't really complained that much till she came home. That Friday I took her to the doctor and sure enough she had a nasty ear infection. The same ear infection that she is still complaining with. Back to the doctor with her.

We haven't been doing much swimming b/c of her ear and Hunter's road rash. He's good now we have to wait on her.

Speaking of that we got a call from the insurance company. They went and had the vehicle fixed with only 1 estimate and now say we owe $3700.00! Holy crap... can they really do that? That was the first we talked to anybody. Please tell me someone out there as something good to say?!

I am trying to decide if I want to work at a different school this year or not. I really want to be at the kids school but the other school has a full time aide job open. It's a paycheck every month but it's not with my kids. If I knew I would work as much as I did at the end of the year last year it wouldn't even matter about the other job. I am wondering if I stay will I still be at the top of the sub list or will I only be at the top when the top one is busy? I hate to take another step back at the kids school like I did the year before. But I also hate to pass on a steady paycheck to find out I'm back at the bottom again! I HATE having to make choices like these!!! Somebody help me!

OK I am off to try and sleep. Last night was a restless night so I am tried but not sleepy!

Only my child

Lauren has been wanting to sleep over with someone all summer so yesterday she went down to a friends house and stayed the night. When I got there to get her today the mom told me that at 1 am she asked to come home. The mom asked if she would stay if she laid with them and Lauren said yes. So the mom figures she will lay there for a few minutes and go back to her bed. Boy was she in for a laugh... she said just when she thought Lauren was asleep she felt her touch her arm to make sure she was still there. So the poor mom had to sleep with 2 girls last night.

Anyway they have a in ground pool so the mom and I floated around while the girls swam for an hour and then I told Lauren it was time to leave. Do you know what that child of mine then asks... if she could spend the night again?!? Needless to say she came home and has been asleep since her head hit the pillow at 8:30. Kids!

You just never know

Today had to be one of the worst days of my life as a mother. Lauren had gone to stay the night with my mom so this morning I stayed in bed when Hunter got up. He got dressed and told me he was going to ride his 4 wheeler. I told him to take his cell phone and please be careful. We said our I Love yous and he walked out the door. The phone rang at 10:40 and I all I hear is "your son has been hit by a car"... "he's ok". I couldn't get to him any faster. All the time my mind was racing with all the "what if's". Once I got there and got my eyes on him I lost it. The police were asking him if he was OK and some other stuff and all I could do was cry! He told me he was OK and he looked OK but all I could think was OMG what if! After I calmed down. I was told he was coming out of the woods and couldn't stop in time. He thought quick enough to jump off the 4 wheeler before the car hit it... THANK YOU GOD for watching over him. The 4 wheeler hit the front of the car and then turned and hit the back passenger door before landing in the ditch. He ended up with some major road rash but other wise is OK. I am SO very thankful that today is almost over now!

I can't believe June is almost over

Where did this month go? I want summer to s l o w down. I am enjoying the time off. The kids are enjoying the time off.

We are trying to find a new Church. The one we have been going to is a great Church but there are no kids. I want my kids to remember VBS like I do. I always looked forward to that week every summer. Of course there is more to it than VBS. We are just looking for something that has more to offer the kids. Today we visited one I think might work. We will visit again and see where it leads.

Being the mother to a full blown teenager has been fun lol. He has days that I just want to lock him in his room and throw away the key. Most days are good tho. I will just be happy when he gets full lol his stomach is never ending. Tonight we grilled steaks. We had baked potatoes and brown beans with them. He then ate a bowl of chicken and dumplings and a piece of cake. If he's awake he's eating something. We are now looking each other in the eyes. He's LOVING that one but I just keep reminding him no matter how big he is I will always be his mother who is older and wiser lol!!

Lauren can't get enough of the pool. I think she's really a fish. The other day we went to the pool and she came swimming up to me and said she had find a $5 bill in the deep end and couldn't get it. I went out with her and got it for her. She is forever finding money in the pool. She then eats lots of ice cream with her found treasures.

I am off to watch a movie. Everyone is on bed so I get the tv to myself. :)

13 years ago...

today I was laying in a hospital bed waiting to meet the baby I had been carrying for the past 9 months. It was not an easy labor but the end results where worth it all. My baby boy was born at 12:59 pm (11:59 pm where we live now lol) and he has kept me on my toes ever since. I can't believe it's been 13 years. I am not ready for the teenage years... the dating, the smart(er) mouth, the hormones or the 8th grade. Oh my... my baby's not a baby anymore! When did that happen?

Happy 13th Birthday Hunter, I love you!!!

A few words

I just read this http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/rare_prenatal_testing_case_rai.html on another blog. Now I am going to tell a story about "normal" babies.

Here's my story. I was born to teenage parents who weren't ready to be parents. There was nothing wrong with me but the "new" wore off and I was passed around but mainly living with my mom and her parents. Once I turned 3 the passing game got old so I went to leave with my dad's parents. Never once did I feel unloved or unwanted by them just my real parents. I am sure at 50 something they wouldn't have chosen to restart with a 3 year old but they didn't blink and I was giving a stable home for the first time in 3 years. I can remember starting school and the other kids asking why my mom was never at the parties or programs and all I could say was she didn't want me. As a child I often wondered if I did something wrong or something was wrong with me for my parents not to want me but as an adult I see that it was all in God's plan. Now as a mother I don't see how one gives birth to a baby and years later change their mind. I too was young when my son was born but I NEVER thought about not wanting him. Yes he was a "surprise" but you know what he was one of the best surprises I have ever had. Anyway today I do have a relationship with my mom but it's not the normal mother/daughter one many of my friends have with their mother's. Our relationship is sometimes rocky but I truely believe I was raised by the best people. I often feel orphaned b/c both of my grand"parents" are gone but I am thankful they were there for me when I needed them the most.

100th post

I have been dreading writing this 100th post b/c nothing is really happening around here but here it goes.

Lauren and Hunter are both out of school and fighting like cats and dogs most of the time. I am grateful for them having their own bedrooms. I did see on another blog something I really need to try... she is making her kids hug for five minutes when they fight. That would kill mine.

The pool opened but the kids don't know that yet. The water is still so cold. I know they won't care and I don't plan to swim but I hate to start going so early b/c then they get tried of going. Come August the pools the only place to be here in Arkansas and even then it feels like your swimming in a warm bathtub.

We had talked about taking a vacation this summer but hubby doesn't have any vacation time left and since he's working as a conductor and not an engineer the moneys not as good. We decided to wait till next spring and try to do something big. We are going to do somethings close by throughout the summer. My sil, her kids, my kids and I are going to Wild River Country one day this month. We are aiming for the week of Hunter's birthday.

We are waiting for report cards... they aren't going to be mailed till the 5th. Hunter goofed off the 1st semester and worked his butt off the last nine weeks so we don't know if he made it out of 7th or not. He made 2 100's on his semester tests so we know he can do it... it's his want to that bites!

Lauren was on the Honor Roll all year. Hunter says it's easier in the 2nd grade but even back then he didn't give it his all. I hope that she will always love school b/c it sure makes things better. Hunter HATES it and it makes the school year hellish!

Jenny got a picture of Nate standing up outside the hospital last week. How awesome is that! What a wonderful God!!

I also can't believe it's been 2 years almost since this...http://brandyb.wordpress.com/2007/06/11/shes-gone/

Well I am going to run outside and play with the kids. See you later.

Falling so far behind

I don't know how any of you girls do it. I am so far behind with the housework it isn't even funny anymore. I have been working everyday the last 2 weeks and I am PRAYING for a break next week. Yeah the money will be super nice come payday but I am so TRIED and cranky. Now I know how Lauren (baby girl) feels when she's oh so whiny. I will try to remember that when she gets that way.

Then Vince (hubby) says he's thinking about laying off tomorrow night. Hello I have been busting my butt and taking EVERY call from the school so we can go somewhere this summer! Then he says "you wanna switch?" Will do buddy boy. I will ride the choo choo train to Dexter and then get a free hotel room and sit back, relax, catch up on missed sleep, and eat out while you go to the school and work then come home and keep up with house stuff and kids homework, baths, and feed them all before Lauren's 8 o'clock bedtime. Tell me where to sign on the dotted line. Oh and hurry before the bags under my eyes get bigger and darker.

I wanna know why I can't just say "oh it will be there tomorrow and go to bed at night"? I can't do it I have tried but I lay there thinking about what needs to be done and had I done it I would stop thinking about it already. Like right now my eyeballs are on FIRE but here I sit reading and writing waiting for the clothes to finish drying. It's just CRAZY!!! My body quit hours ago but not my pretty little head. One of you can stick me with a pin because I'm done! ;)

Hi Ho Hi Ho

it's off to work I go. I have worked everyday this week and will finish the week off working too. They have me floating around the High School in the mornings while they are doing the 7th and 8th grade Benchmark tests. In the afternoons I have been a few different teachers who have had dr. appointments or gone home "sick" (sick of the Benchmark test). I am working Tuesday next week too.

A little funny... Monday morning I had the 8th graders out in the gym (they started Benchmark Tuesday) and the Principal comes in to talk to them. He finishes with his talk and I got up and walked over to him to ask him something. He looks at me and says "Oh Mrs. Brandy I thought you were one of them"! Come on I know I look young BUT really 8th grade?!

The puppies had their first "real" meal tonight. They of course ate like 3 little pigs.

Only 28 more days of school!!!!!!!!! Yes I am more than ready for SUMMER vacation. I am ready for the pool to open and us hang out there most days. I am ready to not have an alarm clock waking me up Monday through Friday. I am ready to hung out with my kids and have no worries of homework, tests and grades!

Also one month from tomorrow I am going to see Kenny Chesney, Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum with 2 of my bff's. This will be our first concert together and I am so looking forward to it. This will also be the 3rd time I have seen Kenny.

I need to run and catch the weather and get into the bed before 1 am like I did last night. Thanks to Jenny! :P

4

These are the puppies we are left with. Early Wed. morning the 2 that looked so much like Lady passed away. The little boy dead first, I was trying to warm him and feed him and I thought for a minute that he might be OK. He died a few minutes later tho. The little girl died after I had gone to bed for the night. Since Lady wasn't with the boy she has been looking for him. I feel so very bad for her.

The little brown one at the top of the picture is still very small compared to the other 3 so I have been feeding her every 4 or so hours by bottle. I pulled her out yesterday and helped her nurse with Lady and I guess she finally "got" it b/c last night I caught her nursing along with the others. I am still feeding her to help Lady out but you can look at her now and see she's growing. I don't want to lose another puppy.

Going to the dogs...

I hope you don't mind more pictures of our newest family members. I don't figure you will tho. ;)

Here's piggy #1

Piggy #1

Piggy #2


Piggy #3

Piggy #4

Ladybug is doing a wonderful job with her 6 pack, but I thought once a day feeding them some mother's milk wouldn't hurt anybody. This was day 1 of bottle feeding and as you can see they ate like little piggies. Piggy #1 is the runt and she ate the longest. I will be back later with more pictures I'm sure. :)

Oh my!

My baby girl is now 8 years old!

This doesn't seem right. Where have the last 8 years gone? I really shouldn't be surprised because she was in such a hurry to get here back then. She tried to make her entrance into the world at 30 weeks but we put a stop to that after a week in and out of the hospital. After 6 weeks on brethine, 2 steroid shots and lite duty (whatever that means when you have a 4 year old too) she was given the OK to come. Which she did and then she wouldn't wait for the dr. to get there so the nurse delivered her. Every since it's been go go go. I've heard when can I do this and how old do I have to be before that? Why can't she just slow down and be little while she can? You are one of our blessings and I'm so very thankful for you everyday. I love you baby girl. Happy 8th Birthday!!

Wordless Wednesday - Pampering!

So glad it's the weekend.

Thursday started off bad. Around 2 am my baby girl woke me saying she didn't feel very good. Minutes later we were in the bathroom and she was throwing up. After I got everything cleaned up I got her a place on the floor fixed and the trash can beside her. I decided to do a suppository because she has a habit of going down fast when she gets a bug. She didn't throw up anymore and went back to sleep around 3 am.

At 4:58 am the phone rings!!! Not good for the phone to ring at that hour. I looked at the caller ID and see it's my stepdad. I answer and he tells me he feels bad. Then he says I don't think I am going to make it. WHAT?! I asked what he meant by that and he says he thinks he's dying!! I asked him where he was and he told me he was crossing the county line... ok that's like 2 mins from my house... come here. I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes, call my in laws, and start brushing my teeth. The phone rings again and he says "I've crashed"!!! Ok I am on my way. I jumped in my van and start down the highway. I find a car on the side of the road and pull over. A man is down in the ditch with him and they are standing outside of the truck. I got out and ran to see what happened. The man hadn't seen what happened just seen the tail lights from the highway and stopped to see if the person was OK. He had already called 911 by the time I got there. The man helped me get him to my van and we looked up to another car stopping... a nurse! Thank you Lord for both the man and the nurse. The nurse come to my van to see how she could help. Turns out he had a very bad reaction to something and by this point his throat was swelling up and I believe he was going into shock. The nurse told me she had some benadryl so I ran to her car and grabbed it and she give him some. During all of this I had finally gotten ahold of my mom and we were waiting for her so we could get him to the ER. She pulled up within a few mins of me calling and we left for the ER. They run some tests and couldn't figure out what did it but they said it was most diffidently a reaction. So after watching him and running meds they left him go him a few hours later. The real kicker is Wed. around 6 pm he and I talked and he told me he had gotten in something and he was breaking out in hives and itching like crazy. I told him to go get some benadryl and he told me he would. Well the 2 places he went didn't have any so he just went back to the lake to finish his night of running yo yo's. I didn't know he hadn't gotten the benadryl till after the nurse stopped!!!!

After all of that I had to get to Little Rock for my doctor appointment at the Headache Clinic. I couldn't believe my blood pressure wasn't high but it was normal. It was a fasting appointment so they could redue my blood work. Back in August my cholesterol was high so she wanted to see if it was still high. Plus my Vitamin D was super low the last two times.

My mil had gotten the boy off to school for me and my fil kept the girl. Once my mom and stepdad were released they stopped and picked up baby girl. Now that things were getting back to normal (whatever that is) I decided to go ahead and do the birthday shopping I had planned to do while in Little Rock. I got her some really cute clothes, a few toys and a game for the Wii. Mostly from my mom, stepdad and the in laws. I finally headed home and my mom and stepdad brought the kids home... they had picked up the boy from school. When they walked in the door and I looked at baby girl I knew she didn't feel good. I check her temp and it was 103, so I got Motrin in her fast and set her up on the couch. Her temp was 103 again this morning but since that she hasn't had any. So even though we have a bug running it's course I am thankful it's the weekend and I pray I never have to live this past Thursday ever again!

A few more details... for my new readers (if I have any) my stepdad is more of a dad to me than my "real" dad has ever tried to be but for my readers from my old blog I say stepdad because I have posted things about the "real" dad that I wouldn't want people to confuse my stepdad with. Anyway my stepdad is OK. He blacked out after calling me and crossed the highway and hit a HUGE Pine tree head on. He came to and called me back. His truck was totaled but it's just a truck. The only thing that matters is he was OK. I bought him a huge bottle of benadryl and I told him to please have some with him at all times from now on just in case.

Late call...

7 am is when the phone rang this morning asking if I could work today. Of course I jumped up and turned on the shower. After I got out I ran and woke up the boy and got him in the shower. Went back to start my makeup when I hear the shower in my bathroom running?! Hubby thought it would be a great time for him to get his shower also. You know since he wasn't really doing anything today... angry is what I became. The girl uses our bathroom first thing because her brothers in theirs. Nope not this morning cause daddy's in there being thoughtful and all. I got their pancakes ready and went to finish getting myself together in the steamy bathroom!! Fun time putting on makeup in a steamy hot bathroom! NOT!! Needless to say we were almost late this morning cause the hubby's always thinking of others.

After school the girl was complaining her head hurt. We got home and it only got worse. She finally threw up and about 15 minutes later she felt great. Lovely, she's going to have migraines too. The boy had his first migraine in the 2nd grade also. Gotta love that DNA they share with me. I do thank God that medicine has come a long way so we don't have to suffer like my great grandmother did.

I have been ebaying some and then last night while Im'ing with a friend I came across Etsy!! I got the girl a dress and I can only hope it's as cute in person as it was on there. She wants a Jonas Brothers party so I ordered a guitar cake pan off ebay... I am doing one chocolate and another yellow/white. I am also getting ready to order the invites... they look like concert tickets! How cool is that!?!

One last thing, I never did tell about Brad Paisley. HE WAS AWESOME!!!!!!! I will see him again when he comes back!! I heard Keith Urban and maybe Sugarland where coming... yep I will be there too!! :D

Another Long weekend :)

Hi, it's been a while. I can't believe we are more than halfway through February already. Where has the month gone? It's getting to close to my baby's 8th birthday. Wow 8 years old!! That is so hard to believe! Also there's about 3 months left of the school year... which seems to have flown by too (most days anyway).

We had a nice long weekend and I am sad to see it end. I started a new workout program today. I am sick of looking at myself when I get dressed everyday. But I'm the only one that can do anything about it so I did. I am aiming for 3 days a week to begin... the gym is in town 20 mins from my house. Once the weather warms up my mil and I will start walking again the other days. I would like to lose about 15 pounds and tone up. Swimsuits will be out way to soon.

I am looking forward to the summer. Last summer was such a bummer. Now that I have my migraine's under control more than not I am excited about spending the summer with the kids at the pool everyday if they want. By 2010 I want to have enough money saved to take a trip back to Virginia Beach and show the kids where we lived, walk on the boardwalk with them and show them were the boy was born. It doesn't seem like that was 12 years ago that we moved back home to Arkansas to be close to the grands and great grands. Never a move I regret either. Not that it wasn't great living in Virginia, it was just to far away from the family... and much harder when you have the first grandchild on both sides. Anyway I have rambled enough for tonight.

Been a while

I'm still around. It's been hard to post anything without feeling like crap doing it. I feel like I should feel very blessed and most days I do. But sometimes you just feel like every things against you. Lately I have been there. The boy has been having some problems and I felt like I was failing him. I think I am over that feeling.. I think. It sucks when you kids are hurting, failing, sick and it feels like the only thing you can do is NOTHING!!

I have been keeping up with little Harper and Brayden. They are both improving so much and I am so happy for their parents. I was glad to have come across their blogs and have enjoyed following them. But then I came across another blog... The Maxey family has been through so much and now are facing so much more. It's just NOT fair for any parent to know what losing a child is like. CANCER TRULY SUCKS!!!!

When I read about parents losing a child I have to remember my aunt lost 2 within 2 years of each other. How do you go through that? How do you go on?

I also have a family that is heavy in my heart right now. The guy is waiting for a kidney. The other day they thought they had one but it was damaged by the time it got to the hospital. I would love to just be able to make everyone well but that isn't possible...

Prayers needed

http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ and http://www.jennasjourneyblog.blogspot.com/Both of these families have babies that need you. Please keep Harper and Brayden in your thoughts and prayers. Leave them stories if you have one or just let them know you are thinking of them.

Our Traditions..

Sandra over at http://familycorner.blogspot.com/2008/12/from-rain-to-sun-shine.html asked that we share our Christmas traditions so here's ours.

Our tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving. Most of the time I already have some gifts bought and wrapped to put under there.

Our Christmas going starts this Sat. at the in-laws. We will have dinner and visit then open gifts. This started a few years ago before we did do it Christmas day and with sil living 2 hours away it was hard on her kids. So we do it the Sat. before Christmas now.

Then Sunday the kids, mil, sil, her kids and I will go to church. After church the kids and I will go to my Mamaw's house for our Christmas with my mom's side. Not really sure why she changed it this year.. we normally do it Christmas Eve afternoon. Also Sunday night the church is doing the candle light service... again not sure why this was moved from Christmas Eve night.

Up until my Mamaw that raised me went into a nursing home, we did Christmas with dad's side of the family Dec. 23rd. But that stopped in 2004. Hard to believe this will be her 2nd Christmas gone.

Christmas Eve night the kids, hubby and I go to my mom's for dinner, visiting and opening gifts. We stay till time to get the kids home and ready for bed. Santa comes that night with all his gifts unwrapped and put together... he's good that way. ;)

Christmas morning around 6:00 am the kids could and wake us up. We get up and they show us what Santa brought. Then we open gifts from under the tree. Once we are done we find something to eat and the kids play with their things the rest of the day. At some point both sets of grandparents stop and see what the kids got. It's so nice not to have to go anywhere Christmas Day.

Care to share yours? I would love to read them all.