About Me

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Born in Atmore, United States
Wife & Mommy. I have a wonderful husband who loves me deeply and three great kids. I believe in my Creator who guides me everyday. My favorite interest are stage/theatre, music/singing, antiques and art.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

First day of ....SCHOOL!!!!


Brittney...Graduating Class of 2014
(yay!)
Monday, August 20th was the first day of Brittney's Junior year of High School. She is driving now and waiting patiently for dad to get a car so she can have his. That, of course means she is hitching a ride to school with a friend until that happens! 
Ehtan...Graduating Class of 2018
(We Hope)
Ethan began his first year of middle school. 7th grade leads to changing of classes, lockers, changing out for PE and hormones. Let's pray we all survive this one! 

Ivee...Graduating Class of 2025
(We Pray) 
Ivee was extremely excited about her first day of her second year of kindergarten. It wasn't a tough decision to hold her back, because we knew this is what was best for her. I don't think she has even noticed that her classmates from last year have moved on to another wing of the school. One thing that has helped was already knowing her teacher who was across the hall from her last year, and having a familiar face in there. One of her friends from her Pre-K days moved up to K5 this year and is in her class, and she just loves her. Ivee doesn't really take with all kids, probably cause of that fact that everyone at home is so much older than her, but she has a few that she really likes. And, unfortunately, she will let you know if she doesn't like you, not in a mean way, just in a matter of fact manner or ignoring you!  


I pray that my kids have a great year of school, that we all survive it and that they learn to succeed, either through success or failure. If there's once thing I've learned, it's that sometimes you gotta fail to succeed, cause from failure you learn valuable lessons. Let's just pray that the failing doesn't lead to flunking! 


2 weeks away...doctors visits...then we played!!

The end of July and August were quite busy. The kids and I were gone from Daddy for two weeks, and lets just say, daddy got really lonely, and eventually, we all got home sick.

 We began our adventures by heading to Memphis at the end of July. Mommy and Ivee were accompanied by Brittney and her friend, Corene. Corene has always wanted to visit St. Jude, and as it is with all people who visit there, she was quite touched. It doesn't feel like a hospital, and St. Jude is not draped in the doom and gloom that many think it might be. However, you do pass sick kids, kids on chemo, kids after surgery, and this time unlike any other time, there were many, many kids there that have lost a limb to this disease. I've never seen that many kids there at one time who are not only fighting for their lives, but have already had a disfigurement because of it. Many people who see Ivee don't know her struggle with this horrible disease, but these poor babies, many teenagers, have a very noticeable and embarrassing reminder! They're struggle, faces, and hearts are not far from my mind!




 We did leave early on Sunday morning so that we could fit a visit in to the Memphis Zoo. Ivee loves it there and Corene really loved seeing those pandas...who were awake and eating, luckly. 









And Ivee enjoyed her favorite part...
the Merry-Go-Round! 



















And my favorite part was in the indoor bird house....where birds were flying at Brittney's head! :) 

After Ivee's good MRI news and her loooonngg endocrine test, we arrived home late Wednesday night. I had one day to do laundry, recover and repack for a trip to North Carolina to see my dad's brothers, sister, and all my other family there. We left out VERY early Friday morning for a 14 hour trip. We actually made pretty good time! 

My dad's brother, Wesley, is an avid fisherman/boats man. He took the kids tubing for the first time on Saturday. Ethan was a go from the start, Brittney took some convincing, but loved it as well. And once we got Ivee on the boat, she LOVED the ride. She wanted to keep going faster. 


I just love Brittney's face in this one!! :) 

Ethan even got to drive it, making Brittney, who was on the tube, quite nervous. But he did a great job! 

That night we had dinner with most of my uncles, aunts, cousins and their kids. Here is my father, center, with his two brothers and my cousin Keith, who so graciously gave us a place to stay. 


Ivee took immediately to Mary Emma, my cousin Kara's little girl and the new baby, Michael! Ivee just loves them babies. 

Ivee's two greatest loves while we were there, though, were the Gator, which she asked to ride everyday, and the Barn, where we stayed. She commented many times that she really missed daddy, but that he needed to come see us, at the Barn! Even when we got home from our trip, she said, "Daddy, you need to come to the barn!" My cousin did an incredible job of converting the old place into this really nice two story living space. We truly appreciated being able to stay there! 

The Monday after we arrived in NC, we left out early again for a two day stay in Washington DC. I and the kids had never been there. It was quite warm, but I was very grateful to be able to share that with my children, and plan on going back when it is cooler with the kids and Emmett. 

We visited Ab two times the first day, during the day and at night. The next day Ivee awoke and said, "I want to go see the big boy in the chair." Love a child's mind! 

We visited the WWII memorial, Washington Monument, passed the White House, and ended the day at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. 


Ivee loves elephants. 

That night after supper at the GREAT Mexican/Salvadorian restaurant in Arlington, we visited the Capital at night. It was so beautiful! 

Then we visited the big boy in the chair again, and the Jefferson monument. 

Tuesday, we visited Arlington National Cemetery. I was quite moved and emotional at the massivity of the grounds and the many, many lives of service men and women buried there. 

In DC we were blessed to here the playing of this sax player outside out lunch establishment. He had only been playing 2 years, but you would have thought he was born with that thing in his mouth. He was packing up to leave as Britt headed out with money to give. She got out there and told him she had cash, but he had to play her a song for it. 

Our DC trip ended with a walk through the Air and Space Museum and the Smithsonian Castle! Beautiful gardens there! 

We left DC, headed back to NC for a little more family time. Saturday, made our way back home through the Smokey mountains, and into the arms of one happy Daddy!!!! Who was smothered by one happy Ivee! 

Two days later we finished out an exhausting time with my birthday "party", cause if you have a birthday in this house, there MUST be a party. This law is know as Ivee's LAW! She and Britt even went and got me a cake...it happened to be Brittney's favorite kind of cake! 





And so ended a long 2 weeks that left us with 1 week to prepare for school! 


Wednesday, August 01, 2012

Headed home late...

Ivee is currently sitting in a chair in Radiation Oncology waiting for her growth  hormone test to begin. We are waiting on a medicine from the pharmacy, one they didn't have in stock. I don't know other details, but I got a simple text message from Dr. Merchant yesterday stating, "MRI is fine!" Well, that works for me! Thank you for your prayers, but remember to still lift up her body in prayer today, that she won't become sick from this four hour test, and that we will be able to drive home immediately afterwards without her feeling horrible.