Happy New Year Almost

I just wrote the longest post and it got eaten by who-knows-what. So, just know that I am thinking about all of you and will post more later.

Things I've Learned

I have learned that I have an amazing group of friends and family. People have been calling just to check up on Mr T and I, and I really appreciate it. I had no idea so many people cared. Thank you all for showing you care by the little things you've done. One person even dropped by with a couple of movies and sherbert pushup's. What a blessing. I am learning that it really does help to call and check up on people. Sometimes I worry that I'll be a bother, but I am seeing that it means a ton just to know people remember and they care.

I also have learned that ice cream (which I normally don't eat) is AWESOME at 8 a.m. Who knew? I could get hooked on that.

On the Road to Recovery

I wanted so badly to post something last night, but I was just TOO tired. We got up at 4:15 a.m. yesterday so we could be at the doctor's by 6. Mr T's surgery was at 8, and we were back home by 11:30. He DID AWESOME!!!! Before we left the hospital, he had to eat 2 popsicles. I assumed we'd be there ALL day, but he did it with no problem. We got home, and he began asking for breakfast, which of course he can't have. We instead fed him a bottle and a half of gatorade and 8 popsicles. With each passing moment, I was more and more thankful to God for letting him do so well. I was overwhelmed that God would hear my prayer and answer it. Little ole' me and my problems matter to God. Amazing huh? Another answer to prayer, Mr T is taking his medicine with no problem. If you ask him if anything hurts, he'll tell you his hand hurts from the IV. Go figure.

This morning, he is slightly more whiney, but I think that's because his big sister just left for school. He is gonna miss her today. At dinner last night, without Mr T there (he was passed out in our bed,) we all 3 sat and ate quietly. We realized that without Mr T there, we are pretty boring. We began to tell knock knock jokes in his honor. Miss A told one over and over 10 times so we could get the full "Mr T" effect. :)

I am speechless at how good our God is. Speechless. If you want to pray, you can pray now that we can keep Mr T down and still enough for 2 weeks. No running, no jumping for 2 weeks. Yeah, right. He also can't have anything hard or crunchy for 2 weeks. All the rules are going to be a struggle. And they say day 3 and week 2 can be worse than right after the surgery, so we're not out of the woods. But, it can't be too bad. We're on the road to recovery.

One Hurdle Down

Well, we have just completed our pre-op visit, which consisted of spending 5 minutes with the doctor and filling out a ton of paperwork. It went pretty smoothly. God has already answered one prayer. The surgery will be at 8 am, which is great. The earlier, the better, as far as I am concerned. He can't eat after midnight on Monday so I was hoping we wouldn't have to go all day Tuesday without eating while we were waiting for a late surgery.

Mr T is really worried about this whole thing. He asks every morning if today is the 18th. He knows that's the day. I just pray he'll take his medicine and drink enough to not get dehydrated. We'll see.

Alive and Kickin

We are over the stomach bug, and no one but me seems any worse for the wear. I am still extremely tired and can't stop coughing. I'll be glad when I feel like myself again. At least I feel like getting out of bed. I wondered if I was going to just sleep the rest of my life away.

On a lighter note, I love living here where it is 72 degrees. We ate dinner on the porch the other night, 12 days before Christmas. What could be better than that?

We are trying to wind everything up. I have a couple more small gifts to get; I have handed out most of the teacher gifts; the house is clean. I think we are all ready for the tonsil thing on Tuesday. We go tomorrow for pre-op and find out what time the surgery is. I am praying that God will make this whole thing painless and easy. I hope he decides I can't handle much whining and therefore makes Mr T a perfect patient. :)

In the car yesterday, Mr T and I were listening to the christian radio station. They were advertising some business that is in Buckhead. Mr T asks if saying Buckhead is ok. I told him that it was, and that it was just a city in Atlanta. Didn't think too much about it. Well, a few hours later, I hear Mr T in the back seat saying, "You're such a Buckhead. You're such a Buckhead." ARGHGHGH!!! We are no longer allowed to say Buckhead because he obviously doesn't know what it means.

Winter time

Although it is 77 degrees here in Georgia, we have still been bitten by the winter stomach bug. I was down all day yesterday and Miss A was "up" all night. So, I am staying home with Miss A today, which means missing Mr T's preschool ornament party. I hated to miss that; hopefully he won't be too disappointed.

I also have a list of about 7 more gifts to get, and it has to be done by next Tuesday, or it won't get done. And the days are flying away. Tuesday is the "tonsil removal" day. Mr T asked me the other day if they were going to have to take out all his teeth to get his tonsils out. Poor little guy has no idea. I heard that the medicine they give them tastes yucky so I know it's going to be a struggle to even get him to take his medicine. Please pray for us.

Oh Me

I was completely ready to post something today and just complain, complain, complain about my day, my life, my social life (or lack there of), etc. etc. etc. But first...I called someone who I thought was upset with me to find out what the problem was. It turns out, she is having a much more rough time than me and on top of it, feels like no one cares. Which leads me to 2 conclusions.
1. Life isn't so bad here at my house.
2. We women are not doing a very good job at caring for other women. I haven't figured this out, but she's the 3rd woman I have run into this week who is feeling like no one cares about them. Like they don't have friends. Why is that? Why don't we take more time to care? I just don't know.

My brain is whirling and I'll need several hours (or days) to just get my thoughts in order. But I do know that I have got to stop worrying so much about "my" little stuff and start looking to help others.

Oh yeah, the medicine is much better. There is peace once again at home with the children.

Just another Day

I have wanted to post something for a few days but haven't because I was afraid I would spend the whole post complaining. It's been a rough week. I promised myself I wasn't going to complain, but after today, I think I deserve to "update" you on how life has been going.

7 a.m. - Get both kids up and ready for school (enough said.)
7:45 - Walk out the door to pick up the cousins to take to school
8:00 - drop 3 out of 5 kids off at school
8:20 - drop Mr T off at preschool
8:40 - walk into the doctor's office to find out if Miss A still has an ear infection
9:00 - SHE DOES !!!! It seems that the last antibiotic wasn't enough to kill the infection. I knew this when we got that prescription but who am I to question the doc, right? UGHGHGH!!!
9:15 - drop Miss A off at school and promise to bring her medicine to her at lunch
9:30 - drive back to preschool to help Mr T make a gingerbread house (messsy!!!)
10:30 - drive to the pharmacy to get the prescription. Drive to the grocery store to get yogurt to take with it. Yes, this medicine will give her the "green apple trots" so we are to eat lots of yogurt, and NO juice.
11:15 - drive back to school to give Miss A her medicine. She is at lunch so I just sit with her to give it to her. It tastes so badly that she begins to shake and scream. She turns all red and is bawling and EVERYONE is staring at me. (Kind of like when she took her clothes off in Chick-Fil-A years ago, but that's another story entirely.)
11:30 - drive back to town to meet my dearest friend for a quick lunch--I needed this lunch date by now.
12:30 - head back to preschool to get Mr. T
1:00 - Feed lunch to Mr T while I call every pharmacy and beg for the stuff that makes medicine taste good.
1:30 - head back to the same grocery store where I bought yogurt from this morning because they are going to flavor and color the medicine. (I'll let you know if it works. It better. It cost $3 but I woulda paid more, I promise I woulda.)
2:00 - Lay Mr T down for a nap so I can write this painfully long post. I can't tell you how much money I spent today. I can tell you that I had to fill my car up with gas 3 times to get everywhere (not really, but it felt like it.)

Here's the kicker. I got up early to spend time reading my Bible. And it helped. I haven't been angry or upset about anything that's happened today. I even helped my friend feel a little better. God really does make a difference. Here's a verse I found this morning.

"I Samuel 2:2 There is no one holy like the lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God." Samuel's mom sang this as she was giving Samuel to Eli to raise. Certainly I can praise God in what I'm going through if she can praise God while giving away her son.

Hope ya'll's day is better.

Here we go

Mr T has to have blood work done today. I am DREADING it. He is just pitiful when we gets a shot or has anything like this done. The blood work is being done to get us ready for the tonsil removal thing---which I am in denial about.

The last time Mr T had shots, we got home around lunch time. He was so pitiful. He sat there on the sofa and said, "You will have to feed me. I can't lift my arms. See?" Then, he proceeded to sit there, with his arms at this side for a few seconds, not moving. "See, I can't lift them." It was the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen. Just so you'll know, I did in fact feed him. :)

Here's a verse the Lord gave me yesterday that I am quoting non-stop. "...And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 My God wants to be my Prince of Peace. He is everlasting and is more than enough to handle my struggles. I have been battling some feelings for awhile, and they popped back up again yesterday. Needless to say, I am tired of fighting this so instead of doing it on my own, I am going to run to my Prince of Peace, my Counselor who knows all. I am just going to let him deal with this. What a relief.

My son just said, "Knock, knock."

"Who's there?"

"Cargo."

"Cargo who?"

"Car go beep beep."

Ha ha ha.

Here's one more. My daughter was kind of moving slowly this morning. It wasn't like she was slow; she just kept getting distracted. Playing Lego's is so much more fun than brushing your teeth. Anyways, at one point, I said that she needed to hurry up. She looked me square in the eye and said, "I can't move any faster. My jeans are too stiff." Now that is one excuse that I was TOTALLY unprepared for. Do they teach them this at school?

Who is Garland?

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We went to my parents' house and stayed a few days. I bet my mom and my sisters would stay that we stayed and stayed and stayed. :) It was so much fun.

Last night, we hung the garland outside on our front porch's bannister. That was the last thing that needed to be decorated.

My hubby told my son, "I am going outside to hang the garland. Wanna come?"

My son replied, "Who's Garland?".......I think we have some explaining to do.

The things that come out of that little mouth.

Tonight is the Peanuts Christmas and I can't wait. The kids are really excited too.

Charlie Brown

It's been awhile since I posted anything and that's because life has been getting busier and busier. Last Saturday, we had Muffins with Santa at our church; I along with 3 other ladies was in charge of it, and let me say it was alot of work. The kids got to visit with Santa and get their picture taken. It was really a neat time. I didn't grow up knowing much about Santa, but when I saw my kids' faces light up when Santa walked it, it all seemed worth it.

Tonight we watched Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving. My kids have been talking about this for weeks. Mr T loves the part where Woodstock makes Snoopy's ear into toast, even going so far as to butter it. Miss A loves it when Snoopy is battling the chairs. That show is now my favorite Thanksgiving tradition. Mr T's laughter had all us laughing until we could not stop. It seems like we get so busy that we forget to be just totally silly and laugh. We don't laugh that laugh that you couldn't stop even if you tried. Like getting tickled in church or being overcome with pure giddyness. It was priceless. I had to video tape it. If I could, I would bottle up that giggle and share it with everyone I know.

It has been 70 plus degrees here for days. And I for one am not complaining. I love this weather. Here is why I mention the weather. Each and every day it is a STRUGGLE to get Mr T into a long sleeve shirt and long pants. I used to argue and argue and argue with him. Now, I take him out on the back porch with just his jammies on, and he normally gives in to wear long pants, a short sleeved shirt and a jacket. I am thankful for the warm afternoons and am dreading cold winter days when I have to threaten to tie my child up to get him to dress appropriately. Who knew he had such a stubborn streak? Here he is "fixing the swing set" wearing his short sleeve short...in the middle of November.

Miss A has had a ear infection so she hasn't had much patience for herself or anyone else for that matter. I am praying that all this works itself out very soon. I am looking forward to the holidays so we can spend more time together; we do better when she knows she isn't missing out on something because she is in school.

The Mayflower

My son and I were heading to Wal-Mart today and he says, "Mom, did you know the Pilgrims come to America on the Mayflower?" I replied yes and inquired who had told him that.

He replied, "Miss P, my preschool teacher. Where do you think she learned that?"

I said, "Probably from a book about history."

He said, "No, I think she came here on the Mayflower."

"No honey, she's not old enough for that," I replied.

"Oh, maybe she was in the water and held onto the bottom of the boat. Popeye did that once," answered Mr. T.

Finally, the truth has been told.

Thanksgiving Feast

Today was Mr T's preschool Thanksgiving feast. His class, along with around 100 other preschool kids, performed various Thanksgiving songs. It was so wonderful. They began by singing "God Bless America." I was in tears. There is something wonderful about seeing your little 4 year old singing songs praising God. It was so precious. Mr T was a pilgrim. It was quite a feat to get him to wear a long sleeve shirt, black pants, a hat and a collar, but it was all worth it. I'll try to post pictures later.

Shoulda Stayed at Home

I just got home from picking up my hubby's grandmother at the beauty parlor. Mr T and I picker her up around 10:30 so we went to eat lunch at McDonalds. Because that's what you do when you're 90 years old. You eat lunch at 10 or 10:30, dinner at 3, and a huge snack of cookies, candy and cokes later in the evening. Because at the age of 90, you don't have to worry about nutrition. AT ALL.

We get to McDonalds and I promptly get tangled up in Mr T's feet and end up on my bottom on the floor...right in front of everyone. Way to go Bumpsy Daisy. Then we get to the table and as I am handing Grandmother my pickles...I don't eat pickles, by the way. I like them on my sandwich because they flavor the bread, but I don't eat them. So, I hand the pickles to Grandmother and knock over her full cup of coffee. How I managed to spill the entire cup on MYSELF and no one else is beyond me, but suffice it to say, I was soaked. So, I had to eat my chicken sandwich soaked and shivering.

Now I am safely back at home, in my pajamas again, smelling softly of coffee, because I only have one pair of blue jeans fit to wear in public, and they are in the washer. And all I can do is laugh.

Nothing too Important

I haven't gotten too much done today, but the stuff I've done has made me oh so happy. I finally steam cleaned our stairs, which means I can walk up and down them without cringing. I built a fire earlier this morning so the house is toasty warm. Mr T has chosen today to be his one day in 3 weeks where he is finally going to go to sleep for a nap. I think I might take a nap too.

I have to tell you what Mr T said this past Sunday. He was going through the house searching for his gloves so he could dress up as a construction worker. He no longer wants to be a fire fighter; he now wants to be a construction worker. Anyways, he finally finds them and I hear him exclaim, "HALLELUJAH!!!! I've found my gloves." To anyone else that might not seem like big deal ,but I have been found myself using the word "Hallelujah" alot lately, and he seems to have followed. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to teach our children. I am really trying to be more vocal about things when all I'd rather do is be quiet and not say anything most of the day. I want my kids to see me writing scripture on my fingers and placing it in my heart so that it pours out when I'm not even expecting it.

A Great Saturday

I got to spend the day with some of my family. My hubby was helping his dad with some work so I took the kids and ran down to my parents' house. My dad was in town so it was an extra special day. This is a picture of the 4 cousins eating ice cream with their PaPa. We played soccer, ate more than enough of my mom's great cooking, talked about future plans, and just had fun being ourselves all day long. That's the best part about family, isn't it? I just love my family.

A Night Off

I am downright giddy. My hubby is out of town again so I made plans to go to dinner with a dear friend tonight. Her hubby was gracious enough to offer to watch my kids and theirs. I think he deserves the "Father of the Year" award. We had so much fun. My friend and I both showed up wearing our black boots with huge heels (big deal for me because I never wear heels.) We ate at On the Border then went shopping at the mall. It was so much fun getting together to just have "girl talk." We also stopped by Starbucks and I got my usual. Delicious.

This dear friend has been there for me through thick and thin, when I didn't even act like I wanted a friend. It may seem weird, but it reminds me of how Jesus pursues us. We may not act like we want Him to be our friend, but He never gives up. He pursues us. I have been praying that I would slow down and be more concerned about other people. I found a verse recently that said in the end times people would stop loving each other. I don't want to forget that there are other people out there who need Jesus. I don't want to forget that I need other people. I pray I will change so that I can become a better friend to others.

After I got my kids and was on my way home, my kids could not stop talking about the fun they had. My kids have never been to Taco Bell so my friend's hubby took them there. Mr T ate 3 tacos and Miss A had 2; they seem to have a new favorite restaurant. Then, they went back to my friend's house to play. They played trick or treat. My friend's hubby dressed up as a mad scientist and the kids went trick or treating in each room of their house, receiving various "treats" such as socks, sippy cups, hats, whatever he could find. Then they pretended to go camping and my friend's hubby was the bear trying to get into the tent. They giggled and giggled and giggled all the way home. What a blessing friends are. Salt of the earth. How blessed am I.

Words from the Kids

This is a picture of a quilt cabinet that my hubby refinished for me. I asked for a quilt cabinet years ago, but we just never got around to getting it made. Recently, we found a cabinet in an old basement that was about 6' tall, but the bottom was eaten up years ago by bugs. So, my hubby cut the bottom off of it and made me this beautiful quilt cabinet. I love it. Some of the quilts are ones I've made, others my mom made, and 3 were made by my hubby's great, great grandmother. I will probably one day take the really old quilts that are kind of falling apart and make bears out of them for my kids. I have 2 bears made out of quilts, one from my great-grandma that my aunt gave me for a high graduation gift and one from my hubby's great grandmother.

.

Here's a story that made me smile from ear to ear. Mr T and I were driving to pick up Miss A last week and he suddenly blurts out, "Mommy, did you know Jesus loves "P"? I wasn't too sure I heard him correctly so I asked him to repeat it...several times. He always said, "Jesus loves "P." Then he broke into a song to the tune of "Jesus Loves the Little Children" only he said, "Jesus loves the letter "P". Who knew Jesus was so fond of the letter "P."

Fall Festival

Here are a couple pictures of my little power ranger and my tinkerbell.

Last night was our church's fall festival. The kids had a ton of fun. I was dreading the whole thing because my hubby is out of town. That meant I was supposed to keep up with both kids and work some of the booths. In the end, it all worked out, partly because it rained, and they could not put up the inflatable stuff, relieving me of my duties.



And by the way, no one cried at swim lessons, not even me. I can't even imagine what I will have to bribe my son with to go back, but that's a worry for next week.

A Girl After My Own Heart

Sunday night, Miss A, Mr T and myself were riding home from eating dinner with my hubby's family. We had on the local Christian radio station, and the dj was having people call in to suggest places to hold her rehearsal dinner. We heard lovely suggestions like Maggiano's and Ippolito's (both places I have never been but am planning to go to one day.)

I had no idea the kids were even listening, but Miss A suddenly pipes up and says matter-of-factly, "They should just go to Captain D's. They give suckers there for eating all your food." Like, duh? Why wouldn't every one in the world want to go there? THEY GIVE OUT SUCKERS.

Love it.

Mr T has swim lessons today at a local indoor pool. I am dreading it. I'd give anything to not have signed up for it. There is guaranteed to be alot of screaming, whining and fussing (both from Miss A who loves to swim but doesn't need lessons, and from Mr T who DOES need lessons but DOESN'T like to swim.) And I'd bet money somebody will end up sick from it; can't say if it'll be me, Mr T or Miss A, but somebody is gonna be sick. I know it.

Now what?

I woke up yesterday excited and ready for the day. Mr T had a play date and for the first time in 2 weeks, I had not over committed myself. At 6:30 my hubby came in from his shop to say he had something in his eye. We worked for an hour to get it out but couldn't even find anything. We sent Miss A off the school and headed to the doctor. He worked for 30 minutes and couldn't find anything either. Off to Atlanta to the eye doctor we go.

Let me just say that I love going to Atlanta. My toes get all tingly, and I cannot help but smile when someone sends me to Atlanta. I lived there for 6 years and besides my parents' house, it is the place where I felt the most at home. I met the most wonderful people, I loved learning and being challenged, basically I just loved the whole experience. I used to wish I were still there but have recently changed my mind. I did love it, but I was so selfish then and so outside of God's will personally that I really was in turmoil most of the time. I am finally admitting that life is so much sweeter when I am living like God wants me to live. There is peace. I tried to tell myself that life was more fun when I was doing what I wanted, but it's just not true.

Ok, back to the story. My poor hubby was in so much pain by the time we saw the doctor. The nurse tried to give him an eye exam even though he couldn't open his eyes. I wanted to smack her and tell her to go get that doctor, but my 4 year old was there so I restrained myself. All the people in the waiting room were staring and whispering about that poor man who was doubled over in pain, the lady who was powerless to do anything, and the 4 year old boy who was content to watch tv and eat his sucker. That's right, all I grabbed for Mr T was a sucker, and yet he managed to make that last a LONG time.

The doctor finally came in and numbed my hubby's eye. INSTANT RELIEF. They removed a small piece of sawdust and said it had scratched his cornia all over. So, we are doing eye drops 4 times a day. And my hubby is doing much better today.

I say all that to say that we did not make it to the play date. We got home just in time to pick up Miss A from school, put the boys to bed for a nap and the girls to run around looking for a prescription. I babysat my nieces and nephew for a couple hours after we got home and then we went out to put up signs for the yard sale today. (Just writing about this makes me tired all over again.) Needless to say, we ALL went to bed at 9:00 last night and slept soundly until 7 this morning. Now it's off the yard sale. I'll try to put up some pictures soon. I have some from Stoney Mountain and Mr T's trip to the petting zoo (at preschool.)

Quick thoughts

I have been so so so busy this past 2 weeks. So much has been happening and I find myself praying that it all ends soon. I would say that I am weary. This morning Mr T got up and immediately asked if we were late. We got in the car and he repeated, "Are you late again?" I feel like I am a minute late everywhere I go these day.

Mr. T had an ENT appointment and they are wanting to take his tonsils out. It will happen in about 6 weeks so I have that much time to get ok with it.

Miss A had her teacher/parent conference at school today and as expected is doing great. Her teacher said she is sweet, kind, helpful, and very motherly (in a good way---wonder where she gets that good mothering from.) No problems with her.

Disclaimer: I am trying to be vague so this is not going to make any sense. :) I have a situation that is probably why I am so weary. I have a friend who is really struggling so I have been helping them out, or at least trying to. But all that has happened is I am stressed, my kids are stressed, and my friend is not any better off. I hesitate to say too much but I just am so sad over the whole situation because I know that all I do will never be enough. I have been thanked over and over again for helping, and yet I find myself wondering why they don't try to fix the stuff that is wrong so everything would be better. I could about cry over the stuff that I see. I guess we all forget that everything we do affects other people, lots of other people.

Well, I'll try to add more but I gotta go oversee my kidders. :)

How did this happen?

By 7:15 this morning, I had gotten a shower, made lunches for the kids, packed snacks, ironned clothes, gotten kids dressed and fed. I was on a roll. I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror brushing my teeth when my hubby stops, stares at me, and says, "Is that a grey hair?"

What? Have I not taught him anything? Never ask me if I have a grey hair. Never ask me anything before 8:00. Never, never, never. It's not a grey hair. It was just the light. Yes, it was just the light. I know it was.

I have made a highlight appointment, and we'll resolve this little issue next week. Never fear. By this time next week I'll be blonder than I could pay to be, once again.

Just Call Me "Handy-Woman"

This morning after my hubby left for work, I noticed that one of our toilets was running continuously. I tried the normal "jiggle the handle" trick but it just wasn't working. So, I called my hubby and asked him what to do. He suggested I cut off the water and wait until he got home but I just couldn't do that. So, I slowly lifted the back lid and entered into new territory. I began working and within 2 minutes, I had the problem fixed.

To fix something that early in the morning just sets my day in a wonderful direction. When I am cranky and at my wit's end, I should just go break something and then fix it. I think I'm ready for the day.

My kids don't have school today because it's Columbus Day so we're having their cousins over to play. I've got little pumpkins to paint, cookies to decorate, and all kinds of little crafts to do. They'll probably just want to play in their rooms, but at least I'm prepared.

Update on the Trapped Mommies

Quick update. We picked up Miss A from school on Friday and the first thing out of Mr T's mouth was, "Miss A, we had to help mommies today that were stuck at home. Those mommies had no where to go and they didn't even have any keys."

At least Mr T was saying this to his sister and not the "nice stranger" I had predicted.

We did have a great time at "Stoney Mountain." The weather was great and the entire place was covered up in pumpkins. I love pumpkins. I would have them all over my house and lawn if I had that many pumpkins. We had that many pumpkins out of our garden last year. They were ready to harvest in July because we planed them too early. Pumpkins in July? Anyways, we decided to plant them later this year and just plumb forgot. So...no pumpkins this year.

Yes sir

This morning was the first MOPS meeting of the year. So, needless to say, I was buzzing all about trying to get my quiche ready, kids out the door, and Mr D off to work. At one point, Mr T was upstairs and asked me to come upstairs. I get upstairs to him, at which point he turns around and asks, "Scratch my back." Oh my goodness. As if I don't have enough to do.

When Mr T finally found out we were going to MOPS, he was less than pleased. He really doesn't like being left with other people. So, I began to explain to him that we are going to MOPS so that other moms can have a chance to get out of the house. I told him that many moms just can't seem to get out of the house and MOPS is a great place to meet others moms. His questions that followed were, "Why? Can't they drive? Can't they find their keys? Why can't they get out of the house? Are they locked in there?" Lets hope he doesn't tell some nice stranger that his mommy has to go help other mommy's that are locked in their houses.

MOPS went fine. We had several new moms that had never been to our MOPS group. I had to fill in for a missing worker and help keep the babies, which turned out better than I could hoped. I was holding babies for Jesus. Man, are my arms tired.

Love ya'll.

Happy Thursday

It's been awhile since I've posted anything, and there are various reasons for that. I have been having computer issues, school has really picked up, and we've started all our programs at church. So, needless to say, life is busy. We have also been battling strep throat. We have an appointment with the ENT in a couple of weeks and I am praying that finally solves this problem. It's so frustrating for me because I feel like I am doing all I can to prevent it, and yet I cannot prevent strep or figure out how to make it stop. We'll see.

Mr. T is loving preschool. When he gets into the car at the end of the day, he is smiling from ear to ear. Every Thursday, the kids get to pick something out of the treasure box. He normally pulls out the goofiest thing he can find. For example, one day he came out to the car wearing fake sunglasses with a huge nose and moustache attached to them. The next week it was a fake purple worm that he cannot sleep without now. Do you know how impossible it is to keep up with a 2" fake worm?

We are going to Stone Mountain this weekend and staying in the old hotel. We have some reward points that are about to expire. I am just sad that the "snow" will not be there. We'll do the laser show and all the other stuff. Last time we went to the laser show, the kids fell asleep halfway through and totally missed the fireworks. Yes, they are heavy sleepers.

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Have a great day

I just dropped Mr. T off at preschool, and it went extremely well. He seemed completely unphased by the whole experience.

We pull up in the car rider line, and I rolled down the window to inform the preschool ladies that Mr. T had no idea where to go. Mr. T turns to me and says in his most innocent voice, "Have a great day Mommy." Then he throws his arms around my neck and kisses me on the cheek. It was so adorable, so loving.

"Have a great day too Mr. T." You are my heart.

Our week -- UPDATED WITH PHOTOS

Just a few quick stories on how life is going.

We went to a birthday party at one of those jump-places. Trent and Ashley went in by themselves while I was trying to get all our stuff to take in. I walked in to hear the young lady in charge ask Mr. T., "Are your parents here?" Mr. T. looked her straight in the eyes and said, "I don't have any." Hmmm...I'm not quite sure what to say. I bet after a couple weeks of preschool, I won't claim him either.

Friday we went to pick the watermelons from the garden. I know it seems late, but they haven't been ready to pick until now. We ate watermelon on the back of the truck and the kids got completely covered in sticky juice. My hubby's solution to this was to hose them down in the backyard. The kids had a ball. This morning, I tried to get Mr. T to take a shower for church but he suggested we just hose off in the back yard. I didn't give in.

Emotional Roller Coaster

Today Mr. T and I went to meet his preschool teacher. She is really nice and seems fun, organized, and caring. I think it's going to be a great year. We managed to get through the whole experience without either of us shedding a single tear.

As we drove away, I was flooded with so many emotions. A very small part of me is excited about having some time to myself twice a week. I have a LONG list of things I want to do. A bigger part of me is excited about the changes ahead. I can't wait to see how Mr. T will change and grow. I feel so blessed to be the mother of such a little bit of sunshine. But the biggest part of me wants to lock the doors, close the window shades, have everyone hide in the basement, and refuse to let anything change. I am perfectly fine with leaving things the way they are today.

I was thinking about how 7 years, 4 months, and 6 days ago, Miss A came into this world. I was totally unprepared for the changes that were about to happen. I was so worried and selfish. I felt like my life had come to an end. Here's the thing, I was right; that life was over. The part I did not know was that life now is so much better. I have been blessed beyond words. I have 2 wonderful children, a wonderful hubby, and a wonderful God who loves me more than words could describe. I had no idea that these years at home would fly by so fast. I had no idea. I look forward to the future with a hope because I never would have imagined 7 years ago that I'd be at this place today. My life is more full, more happy, more peaceful than it's ever been before. I would not go back for any amount in the world.

Recently, God has been challenging me to give Him my all. To stop being selfish and to surrender it all. Not only in word and deed but also in attitude. To surrender not only to Him but to all in authority over me. I really baulked at this. No way. How will I survive if I give all? There won't be anything left. But, to keep the peace, I decided to give it a try. I have been daily giving myself to God and to anyone else he asks me to obey. Here's the crazy thing. I didn't disappear. I became more. For the first time in maybe 7 years, I felt totally at peace taking an afternoon off. A friend gave me a gift card to get my nails done, and another friend invited my son over for a play date. They had no idea that God wanted to give me the day off to show me that when I surrender to him totally, He gives me more than I had. He is enough. He wants to bless my socks off if I'll just let him. Who knew that when God says "I am enough" he really means it. He is enough.

Here are the verses he has given me for my kids school year. They may seem odd, but they speak to me.

Isaiah 51: 12-16
12 "I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass,
13 that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in the dungeon, nor will they lack bread.
15 For I am the Lord you God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar--the Lord Almighty is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand -- I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, "You are my people."

We serve a strong God and He is surely going to watch over my children. He is my God and I refuse to live in terror of what might or might not happen. I trust in the God who makes the waves roar. The Lord Almighty is his name.

School time already?

One final day at the pool.

Yes, I ran over A's tricycle. She had to have a picture of it before we threw it away. She was totally heart broken.

It seems like we just started summer but it's over. We have now completed 2 days of school and so far, no catastrophes. I can't wait to get Miss A and see if we can make that 3 days.

Sunday before school started, Miss A was riding her bike. She was getting better and better with each passing moment. The wobbling was almost gone, and then it happened. She got all tangled up and fell face first on the pavement. It took only a minute to find the chipped front tooth behind the massive swollen front lip. We didn't even make it to her 8th birthday before she had chipped her permanent front tooth. Thanks to Aunt C for making me realize that later on, there are many things they can do to make it look better. For now, we'll leave it alone and call her Mr. T's twin. (He honestly has the same chip on his front tooth.)

Welcome everyone

E and A on the swing. The red teeth are from the icee's.

T and A have finally caught a frog. Poor little frog has been trying to play dead. :)

T all decked out in his helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads ready to "ride" his bike. He really just pushed the bike around because he can't ride without training wheels. J, his older cousin, doesn't have training wheels so of course T can't either.


Alright, I have finally decided to try to enter the world of blog-ing. I am going to try to post pictures and stuff like that so you can keep up with us and the kids. We'll see how good I am at keeping it going. :)

Here are pictures we took at Camp Meeting. I could try to describe Camp Meeting, but no matter how hard I tried, I would give you the wrong idea. It's actually pretty fun when the weather is cool, and the kids love it. We go to church 3 times a day and sleep in a cabin (called a tent) with sawdust floors. It's an experience. On Tuesday, a terrific downpour came and everyone was mud sliding and playing in the water. We saw a rainbow that was actually on the trees and very close. We didn't find the pot of gold. Oh well.

Hope everyone's summer is going well. We love you all.