What ever happened to a free evening?

So....our lives are turning into a wild and crazy circus. I think that Thursday nights are our only evening where all of us are here togethor with no place to go.....although Keith won't be back until late tomorrow night so that counts this weeks family free night null and void :0).
It's ok when you just have to get kids to preschool/school/therapy during a week but now we've added dance class for the girls, Wednesday night church for Gid...Tuesday night therapy for me, and Wednesday nights I go to work on a quiet book I'm making for Christmas for Lucy with a seamstress who is generous enought to work with a not so great sew-person like me :0).
The therapy is an hour away....an hour there and an hour back....the sewing is from 700-1100pm. Crazy....anyway with Keith traveling a lot our lives seem fairly chaotic....and with the holiday season approaching I can't see much relief soon.
Lucy's appointment in Cincinnati went great. This doctor is the polar opposite to our one here. He is helpful, kind, asks questions, listens to our answers and wants to make sure we are satisfied with instructions and care before we leave. He explained several things to us that Dr Haseeb NEVER did...lik a siezure under 5 minutes doesn't cause brain damage...so we don't have to worry too much about those. Also....if a siezure does last more than 5 or if she gets several in one night...he gave us a suppository for Lucy to stop the seizures. It's $400 a syringe but since we have met our medical out of pocket this year...we're getting it free...along with Keith's vasectomy red0, Lucy's high tech more intense MRI scheduled, her 3 day hospital stay for Video EEG, all my therapy appointment and all of Lucy's and anything else medically that may come along in the next 2 months...WOO HOO!!
Anyway so we are feeling better about Lucy. We switched her medication. He was not happy that her personality was changing so much on the Keppra and that her siezures had returned on it. He stated that ...."we don't want her to live like that and we don't want you guys to have to live like that"....Finally a doc who hears us....so we are now on a new med....hopefully it will work and we can quit the Keppra and be done with this.
So that's what's happening....until next week :0)

Lucy

For all of you who are not on Facebook. Things with Lucy in the last few months have gotten difficult. Her therapists are concerned because one day she can do everything they want and more and the next she is totally spaced out and can't do anything. We spoke to her neurologist at the beginning of September about this and he wanted to up her medication and then schedule her for a Video EEG in December. I told him that we had already done this and seen no improvement but he wanted to try it again. So we up'd the meds and I was to check back with him in 6 weeks to see how she was doing and maybe up the time for the EEG. I called him last Wednesday and told them that where we had not seen much of the spacing out....we HAD seen a change in Lucy's behavior. She turned into a very irritable angry girl with numerous fits during the day where she is screaming and crying at the top of her lungs for 1/2- 1 hour at a time. They stated that those were just side-affects of the meds and that they didn't have an opening any sooner for the EEG. The next day Thursday...Lucy was again spaced out in therapy and couldn't complete her tasks and the next few days...we saw the spacing out occuring more often. On Saturday night Lucy had a siezure which hadn't happened since last February. On Monday morning I called her neurologist and told them what happened and again...as they had in February...they doubted my word that this was a siezure. They called me back at the end of the day and told me that the Doctor wanted us to up the med's again. I said..."we just up'd them and she had a siezure...doesn't he want to see her?"...the nurse responded with "well she has a video EEG scheduled for Dec 6th." Needless to say....I hung up the phone and decided I was done with that Doctor and I needed to get Lucy better care...to a physician who both remembered and cared about her case....to someone who wouldn't want Lucy's brain cells to burn for 8 more weeks....someone who cared if the medicine was really working or not....so I did some research and came across Cincinnati Childrens. They are a highly accredited hospital with a division of Ped's neurology at the cutting edge. THey have 15-20 Pediatric Neurology Physicians all specializing in different aspects of neurology. We have an appointment with them on Monday morning. We are seeing a Pediatric Neurologist specializing in Epilepsy. PRAISE GOD!!!! I feel like I can hope again!!! Please pray for us as we work on making arrangements for the kids..and that God gives us the wisdom we need....and the physicians an interest in Lucy's case and most of all pray for answers and healing!!! Thank you!!

It's been a Chaotic Life.....

What has happened to time? I feel like the entire summer flew by and now we're into October and I missed it!! So what has happened in our lives the last 3-4 months? TONS!!! Our summer started with a trip to PA and it ended with a trip to PA :-)....actually it was offically fall when I went to PA the second time....but it still felt like summer there...which was great..except that I in one day, drove from 70's to 40's.....Ella I got some weird looks in the Ohio service plaza's wearing a skirt and short sleeve shirt and Ella in a dress with no sleeves....Anyway it was a great trip....along with the trips we had in between. The trip to California was great too as well as the trip up north with Keith's family....
So what have we been up to since the end of August then?? Well, I totally lost the entire month to a horrendous thing called a Kidney Stone....yes and a big one at that...7 millimeters...had to have a surgury and stent...well the whole process and recovery was about 2 1/2 weeks long...I laid in bed for 2 1/2 weeks...let me tell you...there is only so much of watching tv and reading books I can do before I get a little crazy. Anyway it's over and I had one week to recoup before going out to see my great friend Traci and her new baby for a week in PA....it was suppose to be a 6 day trip ....it ended up being a 7 day trip because we had problems with the van...$600 dollars later and not a fixed vehicle made it a little more frustrating trip than I thought it was going to be...however....the company is working on a reimbursment for us after I reported to corporate about their corrupt store :0)....anyway it was a great trip seeing Traci and Jason and baby Colin....and as a bonus I got to see Grace and Susan and Dany too! Well...now life has returned to as normal as it's going to get for awhile...we are throwing a Golden Birthday for Keith's mom this weekend and the kids currently have Hand Foot and Mouth again so that may be a little tricky .....but we're trying to manage.
Gideon is loving 1st grade still....reading and amazing us more everyday with his learning skills...he reads Dr Suess books to the girls in the evenings...crazy...he's also playing soccer and in God's Club so he's a busy boy
Lucy is currently on a up'd dose of her med's because the neurlogist doesn't think the abnormal brain activity is gone...we are scheduled for a Video EEG in December....this is where we stay in the hospital with her for 3 days and she's hooked to an EEG machine and camera the whole time and we have a button to push when she has "seizure like" episodes...anyway hopefully it will give us the answers we need but in the mean time the medicine is making her into a crazy mean little girl and it's frustrating for me and Keith...our sweet little Lucy is not showing her face very much these days....She's in Preschool and LOVES her class...she also is taking dance class and can't wait to go every week.
Ella is talking a mile a minute and getting a little better with her stubborness but she's still awefully set in her ways and hormonal for a two year old. She is also taking dance class and looks so cute singing baby face and squeezing her cheeks together....
Hope everyone is doing well...Sorry for the long delay in posting.....

Way too long....

Gideon posing it up with his spiked hair...he thinks he's hot stuff with his new do...... :0)

How cute are these cheeser's....they love eachother...sometimes.....

This pic was taken at sunset at Warren Dunes...it was absolutely beautiful...the kids LOVED it! The trip was a big success. Other than the fact that 60% of Warren Dunes folige is poisen ivy the atmosphere was perfect. There was plenty of dune climbing...tons of floatin and swimmin in the waves...taking walks...on cement paths (all wooded paths were covered with the infamous ivy)....an astronomy lesson....lots of good food...good fires and a smores extravaganza.....we had regular smores...smores with monstorous marshmellows....strawberry smores....smores with fudge shop cookies and cookies and cream chocolate bars...and smores with Reeses cups....delicious...other than the loud neighbors and an annoying baby praying mantis that settled itself between our tent roof and canopy..we slept amazingly well. The kids were thouroughly worn out when we came home but very happy too! I think we all want to do it over again next year.

Since then our lives have been crazy. I was sick for almost two weeks with what they thought was a possible kidney stone....but ended up being a combo of the new birth control pill I'm on, a nasty UTI, and an adverse reaction to the antibiotic combo'ed with my newly diagnosed IBS...that made me feel like crap for awhile...things are evening out a bit now though....(if you don't know what the pneumonics for the above mentioned things are ...you don't want too :0)..) Anyway so I've been out of service. However...still busy.....we've been running around doing all sorts of thngs to prepare for the start of school...because Gideon starts in just 2 weeks...can you believe it....I'm so not ready for summer to be over....luckily they get out May 20th and don't go back in next fall until Sept 7th....just need time to finish the school for the move in 2011...and Lucy's debute Kindergarten year....anyway...this summer stinks because it's so short but we're dealing.

Yesterday Keith and I celebrated 10 years married...actually...I celebrated...Keith forgot..hahahaha...I didn't think you were suppose to forget at 10...I thought that came later :) Anyway it doesn't really matter because we leave Sunday for a whirlwind trip of Vegas, L.A., Laguna Beach and San Diego.....I'm so excited...even though it's a work trip for Keith...I can't wait. The kids are staying with mom's and dad's and I even though I want a break from them...I know I'll be incredibly missing them by day two....such a typical mom :0).....

Anyway so that's the scoop...when we get back in a week it's going to be...go school/upper MI shopping....and then vacation/school start....and then on to September...where I'm headed to see Traci and the baby for a week and Keith goes up north on his annual fishing trip....throw in the Fair, preschool, therapy, Lucy's b-day and dance class and we've got a busy fall...hopefully I'll be able to write again soon!!

On your mark...Get set....GOOOOOOO!!!!

And we're almost off.........so we've been planning since about April to go on this camping trip to the dunes with the kiddos...I know...some may say we are completely nuts...taking 3 kids under 7 on a camping trip...but...it's only one night...I'm hoping we can hack it......we shall see....luckily it's camping... and it's only one night...so there really is no need for makeup, shampoo/conditioner and most "body cleaning" products/ lots of clothes....who wants to get all cleaned up only to sweat in a tent and get up the next day and go to the beach....pointless....so that significantly decreases the amount we have to take....food however...is a must and options are also a must...so the majority of things we are taking is food and tent-gear. We are hoping for a successful trip...oh and Jacob is coming with us!! So not only do we get to spend some quality time with our smart, talented and high quality nephew but the extra pair of hands will help too! When we come back from camping our summer will be on the fastforward setting...with Drew, Mel and Walter home next week and swim lessons every night...not to mention a make-up t-ball game...and work for me...it's going to be a busy one....followed by a busy week of Bible School and outings with friends that are in town and coming from out of town...then our trip to Vegas....a week to get ready for school to start....and then......school starts and we skip it to go on vacation in MI....whew......I don't know if I can handle this speed....hopefully I can hit the pause button in there somewhere to actually enjoy the summer :)
Update on Gideon- he hit two home-runs during his t-ball game a few weeks ago and we are currently (on the suggestion of Keith's cousin Kelli) almost done reading The Chronicles of Narnia...which both Gideon and Lucy (because her name is in it) have had their ears glued to the past week....(I did change the beer part to root beer for the kids...gotta make it pg)
Update on Lucy- She's doing great in her PT....she's having more body awareness....able to swing on the stand-up swing without falling off...jumping keeping her arms at her side....coloring a mural while standing on a teeter tottering board (I don't know if I could do that) and riding her bike better every day. She's also excitedly awaiting preschool this fall :) :)
Update on Ella- she's a stinker as always ....her favorite phrases right now are "leave me alone" and "get away"...in her manic state she also says " I loves you mama" and "I need to hold ju" when she wants to be held....Keith and I need to buy her a Ken barbie as she has been making her girl barbies kiss eachother a lot :) :) :)
Keith's keeping busy at work with lots of new responsibilities and projects....he seems to be enjoying it but feels the stress of living up to expectation.
I am doing ok...feeling old and out of sorts but ok :) I've been having some medical issues the last 6-9 months and haven't felt very good most of the summer so far but hoping that the five-million drugs I'm taking and trying to be positive will help all that :)
Hope all are well and having a great summer

A little bit of this...a little bit of that..

This last week has been a whirlwind...but I'm ok with that. I like to keep busy and I like to feel that I have accomplished something once and a while.
The kids and I worked outside almost all last week...weeding and trimming and planting. We don't have much land ...but man it takes a lot to keep it looking nice...and we don't live in one of those neighborhoods where it doesn't matter what your backyard looks like...unfortunetly we are lined by people on all sides and more often than not...welcome neighborhood friends in our backyard rather than our front...so ..there is no slacking off...everything needs to look at least halfway descent....so finally...it is...well almost...I have to weed the kids play area again....note to all who are doing any "play construction" in the future...the black plastic and stones does nothing to keep out the weeds...eventually they make there way through no matter what....
But anyway...we also have planted our own little garden in the back by the shed...I call it my salsa garden...because it only has cilantro, tomatoes, jalapeno's, chives and basil in it...we tried for parsley but the rabbits ate that up pretty quick....and even after catching them....I think the plant is still done for. But, we are excitedly watching our little plants everyday...Even though the kids and I have always gone to my mom's and helped with her massive garden and have always recieved fresh veggies from our neighbors gardens as well..it's kinda fun to have a little plot of our own...now I don't have to go to my mom's for fresh herbs either. :)
We hit a wedding this weekend of a co-worker of Keith's ...it was the first non-church wedding I think I have ever been at...in fact....God was not spoken about nor even mentioned. It was kinda sad and although everyone looked beautiful it was missing something for me. But, the food was amazing and the location was fancy and beautiful so I gotta give them props for that part. On our way home Keith and I surveyed the damage from the tornados...unbelievable that something could hit that close to home and be so severe....it was like a scene out of twister and I was ready to get home and hug my kids when we were done.
This week has begun pretty good. We've been keeping busy and taking bike rides every night to strengthen Lucy's legs and gross motor skills. She's doing pretty good. We've been told it will take awhile for her to learn to ride bike period...much less years before she will be able to ride without training wheels but we figure if we work with her on a daily basis with it...the chances are greater that she will overcome this at a faster rate. We rode all the way to the meat market today and she did really well. Sometimes with Lucy we forget how behind she is until something reminds us...that's usually Ella. At 2 and 1/2 Ella is now dressing herself better than Lucy and she is riding the trike that Lucy just learned to ride last summer at almost 4 years old. It's frustrating to feel that she has come so far but see how far she has to go yet. We just keep helping, hoping and praying.
So that's the scoop on us....more later..

Make'em laugh...

We returned from PA and Maria's Graduation on Monday night. The trip was as always relaxing and great. I LOVE going there...many times Keith and I ask ourselves on the way home why we do not live there...half of our friends (who are in the states) live there and so does a lot of the family. Oh...and it's be-autiful there in the mountainessness.....but we live here..in our little village....how exciting :) :)....no but seriously it was so much fun and had lots of laughs.
I don't know how many times I was introduced to friends of my cousins and they thought I looked like Grace...they could see a family resemblence....so weird...seeing as though she is Greek/Lebenese/American....dark skin/eyes/hair and I am as Caucasion as it gets with my blond hair/pale skin/blue eyes...oh well...the funniest thing that made me laugh was when one of Maria and Grace's friends found out I was their cousin and said...and I quote "That's so cool you're greek"....ahhahahahahah!!! I look soooo greek...obviously this 19 year old has never been to greece...so funny.
Then there was Lucy talking to Traci's belly...saying Hi baby, Hi Baby...I'm Lucy...Hi baby boy...so cute!!! and Keith getting in an accident on his way to Lancaster and the people in the car behind trying to convince him that the guy that hit him was drunk...so Keith calling 911 and keeping them on the line like 10 minutes only to find out the guy was not drunk and there was no damage to the car...
We also had some laughs about Grace calling a local winery a wienery...hahahahah...still laughing about that....and of course Paul scaring the crap out of us when we were sitting in the kitchen at 1130 at night when he reached his hand in the kitchen window with no warning screaming at us to unlock the door....I've never heard Maria scream that loud...:):):) Laughing with my aunts/cousins and grandparents is the best...that's why I love em so much.
Now that we have recovered from the weekend my kids are starting to relax and become their fun selves again...Gideon was talking to Lucy today about heaven...he was telling her how there will be a castle for her in heaven and she'll be a princess and "there might be a boy there in heaven for you that might play with you".....ok????? so confused where he pulled that out of...but funny just the same...and just a few minutes ago when they were playing on the floor Gideon told Lucy in the most seriousness of voices..."Lucy...you can NEVER trust a mermaid"....ok......well I thought it was hilarious!! But I just may be tired... :) Keith comes home tonight from the Ark so relief cometh......oh and fresh strawberries from my mom's may revive me....YUMMY!!!!
More later :) :)

LOST recap....

This has been a week of mixed emotion as it began with the close of my favorite show....LOST.
I must say, I appreciated the ending for it's simplicity and reassurance and yet it still had the LOST qualities of mystery that have surrounded the show all along.
What concerns me now, is what to do with my life now that it's over :) :)
Seriously, I think I have never in my life watched a television show from start to finish. Nor have I ever become obsessive about it to the point where I feel that these characters are real. So the after effects have been quite interesting. I cried through the entire thing, as somehow in my mind I had made these people my friends...seriously scary....and when it ended I could neither sleep nor stop thinking about this show and the impact it had on me...scary...I think I need therapy :) :) :)
In conclusion it is now day 3 PL (post Lost) :) and I am still kinda at a loss for words....I honestly have nothing to "wonder" about now when my mind is not otherwise occupied :) I have walked around my house the last 3 days in a bit of a haze....not to mention Gid's been sick to that's part of it...but in all seriousness I think this show got under my skin just a little too much and now that it's over...I need to "let go" :) :) :)
I have to agree with critics in saying that it was one of the best shows I have ever seen done and the writers did an awesome job these last 6 years keeping people hooked. And although it was INCREDIBLY Spoke-wheel theorish....it did related to Christianity on some levels and it was neat to see the writers incorporate some BIBLICAL theme into the show.
So, all in all I loved the show and will no longer know what to do at 9 on Tuesday nights.
Keith's perspective on all of this has been "My wife needs a hobby" :):):):)
So that's the recap...
This is Gid's last week of school and he's made 1 day so far...he's had a very low grade fever every afternoon for the last 4 days. Starts around 11 and goes up til about 100.6 then sits there....he's eating a ton and has no runny nose or any other symptoms...so weird...I am praying over him so that he can at least go to his last two days. Lucy and Ella have stayed healthy so far and despite the heat making them incredibly cranky (and mommy too) they are doing well.
That's the scoop... hope everyone is well!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Today I write from the coziness of my warm home. It is raining outside, yet again and is cold and windy as well...is this November or May? Seriously...I'm soooo ready for warm weather again. It's been awhile since I wrote but it's been a crazy life. I feel like I've been running since Grace left almost 2 weeks ago. My garage sale, though profitable, was insane....I will never do that again. It takes way too long to prepare and set up and tear down and I had a lot left over..... I just got everything torn down on Monday morning and have to make some deliveries yet to get rid of tables and baby stuff. We skipped right along from garage sale to Mother's Day...it seemed like a totally crazy weekend but a good one. Kelli and Marc, Jean and Doug came down and the girls actually got an afternoon away...we did some shopping and just hung out for awhile...it was great. For Mother's Day I got these gifts from Gideon that he had made at school that were great....a painted picture of me and him, a cookbook of his interpretation of my recipes, and a fill in the blank...all about mommy page that was hilarious. All in all it was a great day.
I haven't seen or talked to Keith for more than 4 minutes since Tuesday morning...usually when he goes on trips I talk to him numerous times on his to and from flights and then a few times when he's actually there...this time I have talked to him about 2 times...weird....it makes me worry about him in flight and I've never done that before...just because he usually calls before he flies and after he arrives....anyway he returns tonight and I am ready!! The kids have been extra naughty and mommies patience is running thin....I think when the kids get spoiled with being able to be outside everyday and then it rains and is cold for quite a few days it's hard on them!!
At least we got the trashed basement organized and cleaned today so I have a place to chase them too when they are getting to "intense"
Tomorrow night I work for the last time at the auction. Then, I will only have my hospital job! YAY!!! I am really excited to be done. It was fun but it took up too many nights away from my family and husband...especially when Keith travels so much. I'd rather spend the evenings he's home with him. They've asked me to work one more day a month at the hospital and I am not really wanting too but it's all up in the air at this point.
Lucy is doing well in therapy. I guess I never talked about our appointment with the neurologist. He feels that all of her symptoms are coming from the seizures because the things we describe to him that she struggles with all come from the areas of her brain that are seizuring and she has no problems in the area where she has no abnormal brain activity. He just feels that she is not medicated enough yet. She is on a very low dose of Keppra ...so we've up it to a higher dose to see what happens. Hopefully it will work. Anyway other than that she's herself...just a little more hyper....the higher dose of Keppra the bigger the mood swings and the more hyper she becomes....but I'll take it....Keppra is the only seizure medication that does not mess with your body systems...if we were on any other we would have to have blood tests once every three months to make sure it isn't ruining her liver...also she would be a lot more lathargic.
So that's the weekly update....hopefully everyone is good and having a warmer May than we are here!!!
Love to all!

Grace's Visit

This is the first day, since Gracie came to me almost 2 weeks ago...that I have had a few spare moments to blog. For those of you who don't know...my sweet cousin Grace has been having a rough time in PA where she lives...alot of junk is going on in her life that is waaaaaayyy too much for a 15 year old girl to handle...she needed an escape and so my aunt called to see if it would be alright if she came and spent 2 weeks with me in OH....So she came...and we've been having an awesome time!! Seriously....I thought I could helpt her out ...and she's been such a blessing to me that I have been helped in return!!! We are having so much fun. She is like the little sister I never had. We are so much alike..even though we are 16 years apart and have never lived in the same state or spent more than 3 or 4 days togethor a year. It must be that our mothers are similar or something...so weird...anyway I am sad to see the time coming to a close. Today she is spending the day with our Grandma and Grandpa ...then it's just Wed and Thurs...and then Friday her mom comes and she goes back to my grandparents to finish out the weekend with them.....my aunt is coming up to speak at a mother daughter banquet at my grandma's church on Sat...so that will probably be one of the last days with grace.

We started out the weeks with a visit and makeover from Jenelle and Colin who were home for a wedding...always great to see them....(Colin is NOT the one that gave the makeover :) Then we spent the rest of the week ...and this one also...staying up late and having long talks...great talks...but long ones.....I am not sure I'm prepared for all the pressures that my kids will have to face in their coming years...I only pray that God blesses me with open and honest children like Grace!!

On Sat..we had a blast shopping the day away....we were looking for a prom dress for her and of course with her complextion and thin frame she looked gorgeous in everything but we found a beautiful one for only 45 dollars...pretty good deal. She pierced her ear again (which is becoming a tradtion when Maria, Grace and I are togethor)---I almost did it again too but decided to hold off until Maria was with us....besides....one can only have so many piercing before I start looking like a 31 year old fool....:) That night we ended with supper at Nancy and Jim's and making pasanky eggs...which if you don't know need incredible patience but are so fun to do.

I've been taking Grace to Bible Study with me and she is being blessed by my girlfriends...what a blessing they are to me as well! When God gave me this group he truely answered more than one prayer of mine!!
SO that's the scoop....that's were we've been! Hope all of you are doing well and are enjoying the beautiful spring days!! Can you believe it's almost may????

YAY!!!!!

the replacements...

Have you ever had one of those weeks when you wish you had a second string to come rescue you and give you a break as a mother??? I am having one of those weeks this week. My kids have been antsy, cranky and full of mischief....and I have been busy ....the combo of which is not very good. It just seems as though everyone has been in major need...so of course...mommy's emotional survival needs are the last to be met :) Plus....in my venting...I have been told that the mischief of my kids is my own fault...that's always good for the self esteem........Keith leaves for NC for 3 days on Sat morning so the outlook seems a bit cloudy...but luckily my beautiful cousin Grace also comes from PA on Sat to spend 2 weeks with me so she will definetly lift my spirits and help me cope with single motherhood.
We are also needing to replace the avenger....the lovely car that was purchased just weeks before Keith and I began to date...in 1997......has lost it's transmission....Keith has been driving it back and forth to work in 2nd gear at 35 miles per hour for about 2 weeks now....we are looking for a replacement but for some reason everyone in this area doesn't want to sell :):) or sell in our price range that is....we are also looking at replacing the van in the next year...because it's going to need to go....or it's going to cost us an arm and a leg to fix it.....trade it while it will still be worth something :) Anyway...I told Keith to ask for a two for one deal......do you think anyone will go for it????
It is absolutely beautful out today at 82 degrees and sunny.......so my spirits are having reason to be lifted.....hopefully they'll stay high as we enter into the weekend :) :) :)

Lost in the Twilight Zone.....

So....there is one thing that has obsessed my Tues/Wed/Thurs nights (depending on the season) these last 5 years and that my friends....is LOST....I have grown attatched to my little friends on Jacob's island and Hydra-island for that matter and will be sad to see them go in a little less than 6 weeks.....however I am totally excited that they are finally revealing some mysteries....it's about time!!! The past few weeks the shows have been less than mediocre in the realm of previous LOST shows...but last night...I felt was great! It explained Desmond a little which of course I love him...and Penny..and it tied everything togethor a little bit...so I was pleased. I think there are only about 5 episodes left so they better all be good!!!!
My other obsession...has pathetically become....ok...I'll say it...Twilight....seriously as a 31 year old mother of three I do not exactly meet the "teenage screaming" typical fan that follows the books or the movie but sadly...I have fallen prey to the love story of Edward and Bella and now...must see it through to the end. The movies could've been done a lot better but it is still seeing a book on screen and therefore is good enough for me.....however...in my true fashion....I could not wait to see all the movies and have yet to be able to get ahold of most of the books at my dinky library....so I cheated...and went on wikapedia to read parts of the books and how it all ends.....I know...I'm totally pathetic....but I did.... oh well...but even so....I will read the rest of the books when they finally become available and then finish the movie series soon after I hope....
Our lives are moving forward in this gorgeous spring weather...the next few days is suppose to be chilly again but I'm hoping for a contiuation of 70's into next week....when my husband is scheduled to depart once again to the destination of China....seriously dreading...BOOOOO!!!!
Anyway...hope everyone is doing well!!

Back to Beautiful....

The weather today is A-Maze-ing!!!!! Beautiful!! Love it all!! Can't wait for more weather like this!! Springy weather is back and so is my husband! Love it when he returns! He's been in Arkansas for 2 days and before that he worked Friday, Sat and Sunday from home on the project for Monday's meeting....so happy that's over with....
My voice is also back!! YAY!!!!! It's been back for about 4 days now but seriously...I'm so glad I don't sound like Rachel Ray any more :) It's much easier to deal with naughty kids with a voice than without! :)
I learned something really interesting (medically) this week...did you know that they don't treat pink eye anymore with drops?? Well...they will if they have too but they prefer not to...I learned this because Ella has it...or a form of it. They have learned in the past few years that most Pink eye is actually viral...called viral conjunctivitis...not bacterial as once thought. In survey's done...98% of children with pink eye had viral conjunctivitis not bacterial (therefore antibiotic does absolutely nothing for it) and also the kids surveyed that did have bacterial and were given antibiotic and those that had bacterial and were not given them all recovered in 3-5 days...the same as the viral kind....interesting.....so basically what I'm trying to tell you is don't waste $60-$100 taking your child to the doc when they get pink eye...because you'll probably be just like me and walk out with a whole lotta info...that I could have gotten for free and nothing much else.....! :) The doctor wrote a prescription for me in case Ella got REALLY bad or significantly worse over the holiday...but he said the med's probably wouldn't do anything for it anyway....Great...there goes more money for nothing!!! :) I just thought I would pass on the news to my friends who have kids so they don't waste money like me....the ONLY reason they give the drops anymore is because the schools won't let the kids back in if the child isn't on drops...even though the drops won't do anything....just a little medical tidbit for ya'll :)
We've just registered Gideon for t-ball again this year and he is SOOOOOO excited...we had to go out this morning and play catch to prepare :) even though it won't start until may/june.
Lucy has a big therapy week this week with OT on Monday and PT tomorrow. She is not being very cooperative with them and they are getting concerned about her concentration ability again. She seems to go through stages where she is really into it and then she doesn't want to do anything. She is my faith child truly. This week I have really prayed her "life-verse" over her....Psalm 103:2-4.." Praise the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits. Who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you will love and compassion." That is so what I want for Lucy...for her body to heal and for God to fill her heart with an amazing love and compassion. Some days it's harder than others. Mommies want to fix everything!!
So that's the scoop on our lives. Easter Sunday is coming and this year more than ever I am grateful to Jesus for his love for us. Have a great celebration!!

Is it a "she" or and "it"????

So...the big question of the week is this....when a female dog/cat/any thing on 4 legs is fixed does that mean that you call her an "it"? I ask this because of little Maxie got fixed Monday..and I'm not sure how involved the surgury is...I know with male dogs/anything on 4 legs...they actually sometimes have an "amputation"....(gross)....but anyway that would make them an "it" I guess but with a female...does she just get her tubes tied or have a total hysterectomy or what? If anyone knows I would love to be informed....because I'm not sure what to call her now :0)
All I know is that she is going to be incredibly high maintenance for the next two weeks...between antibiotic/not being able to be wet or be outside except to do her doody/not running around too much or jumping too much (yah right with kids) ...and as Gideon calls it... "the cone of shame".....I didn't know it was such a long deal when I started this whole process...so if anyone has any suggestions I would most joyously except them! :)

Anyway...the past week went well....we finally finished the girls room...and now I live in a living room full of mattress' crib and baby furniture that will eventually be moved to my mom's for storage. We also celebrated Jacob's b-day which was a lot of fun as well. The weather was chilly like it's been every weekend...but the treasure hunt was fun and the food was great!
This week we are busy every night but not with anything important....just odds and ends of stuff. I work Friday twice...once morning/once night and my mom is possibly watching the kids all night so I'm going to try and convince Keith to come hang out with me for a while...we'll see if he does...it will be a long night of nothing for him if he doesn't...unless he goes to my moms house and helps her out.

I am enjoying this beautiful day today and sorting baby clothes for the garage sale.....eating sushi and drinking sweet tea....life is good....

:o)

It's a Beautiful Life...

God has once again been faithful to our little family. The time Keith spent in China passed quickly and we are all togethor again. Keith arrived home (after a delay in Tokoyo) at 530 last night to a ecstatic mommy, an excited 2 year old and a happy 6 year old. Lucy, was on the floor screaming because Gideon had "knocked her down" as Keith was coming in the door...she didn't care much about daddy being home in her tantrum but as soon as he told her he brought presents she perked right up :) :) :)! He got the kids little sun-powered chinese bobble heads and me a box of REALLY good chocolate (nothing compared to last time...these are AWESOME!!)....He had a good trip and a unique opportunity on the way home to witness on the plan to a distraught woman who confided and cried to him on the plane. Awesome story...Keith will have to fill you in with the details but it was really cool. He has to go to Bentonville next Friday to review samples and may have to go back to China at the end of April...(boooo) but we are trying not to think about that right now! :)
God has been amazing me this early spring with the wonderful weather. It makes me happy and helps the kids to not be so cranky when we can get outside and run around in the morning and afternoon! I have been stripping a night stand for the girls room and hope to get it painted while Ella takes a nap this afternooon...because it's impossible to do when she's awake!!
This weekend was a great one! I love visiting with Marc and Kelli and the kids always have a blast togethor! We got Jean and Doug moved in....well....I didn't but the crew did :) and the house looks great!!! Lucy had therapy Monday and we recieved some bad news...even though we have only seen this S.T. once she is moving to MI and effective immediatly we are out a therapist...so we may have to wait a month to get re routed into the schedule....STINKS!!! But, I am trying to stay positive..hoping we are just lineing up with an even better one :)
Last night...after relaxing with Keith and watching LOST...which by the way was not that good...I actually was pretty bored during it...it was more informative than action packed and fairly predictable..sorry Lost producers...you are going to have to pull some better one's than that or interest will be literally LOST quickly.......anyway we got new mattresses on Monday and although this mattress is really nice...I am having a heck of a time sleeping on it...so last night....I was in and out of sleep for about 1 1/2 hours and ...in my half sleep state..thought that Keith got up to go to the bathroom.....I thought I felt him getting in the bed again and said "Keith?"...all of a sudden I realized that the person climbing in bed with me was NOT Keith and was an attacker....I begain screaming and kicking at the top of my lungs in the struggle...I have never been so scared in my life....then I heard Keith's voice saying "Taryn....it's ok....it's ok....are you alright ....Taryn!!!!"" I was dreaming....and screaming....and fighting..no one....but seriously...a dream has NEVER been more real to me in my life....My body went into shock afterward and I shook for about a half an hour and then my muscles just ached from the intensity of the experience..>WEIRD!!!!...so needless to say I never really fell back to sleep very well and am exhausted this morning....but the day is absolutely beautiful so I'm going to try and get out of my slump and go out and enjoy myself !!
This weekend Jacob, Josh Les and Jay are coming for Jacob's b-day party....yummy Taco's , Rice and Beans and Guacamole are on the menu...YUM!! The kids are sooooo excited and it will be nice to hang out with family again at the lake!!\
Hope everyone is healthy and happy and having a great week too!!

Come on Spring....

Come on Spring...You can do it!!! Let's put all of those harsh winter temperatures into storage for another year and bring on the 50's and 60's and a lot more sun!! The last few days have been absolutely beautiful and even though it's raining today...it's melting all the snow in our yard which is what I've been waiting for....am I naive in thinking that we won't get any more...probably...but even if we do it won't stick around too long...I'm hoping that we don't dip below 30 degrees again this year....I'm ready for spring planting and opening windows and going to the park and going on bike rides and well....just about anything springy.
This last week was fairly uneventful seeing as though the family was sick. Lucy and I scraped out alive and are knocking on wood that since it's been 8 days since someone got sick that we are in the clear especially since Keith leaves for China for 6 days and I want to stay active and try and have fun while he's gone. That shouldn't be too hard this time. Thursday we have PT in the morning and then I work the auction in the evening. On Friday it's clean up the house and get ready for the Dykstra family to spend the weekend with us!....well they really arn't coming up just for us....but it will be awesome to see them while they are here!! Sat. is moving day for Jean and Doug and maybe for us too :) We get to "donate" some stuff to their new humble abode and I must say, in this little house, it feels really good to get rid of clutterage. We also have Andrews 6th b-day party on Sat which should be a lot of fun. Sunday and Monday I'm hoping to have my wonderful mother-in-love as a house guest to help with the survival without another adult.
I am hoping sometime while Keith's gone....maybe even Sat morning...the furniture people will deliver and put in place our new mattress and the girls new mattress sets.....then we are just one more step toward getting their rooms done!! WOOHOO!! We got the paint last weekend..."satin doll" is what it's called...really it's just pink but I have to do some major prep work before we can paint the walls...seeing as though there is a dark red stripe that runs the entire room....
Anyway so that's the scoop on our lives. We would appreciate anyone's prayers as we enter into this week without daddy...it's always really hard ....mostly on mommy!

Two Words....Puke Flu

Yep....I said it and I meant it....we've been hit with the bugs....and let me just tell you all that I don't think there is such a thing as the "24 hour flu" anymore. Whenever my kids get something like this it seems to last forever!!! Gideon started us out on Wednesday...coming home from school with a belly ache that proceeded to last for 2 days...Friday morning he woke up with vomiting.....he was in bed most of the day...but ok...Sat morning he appeared to be ok...but Ella woke up with puking and diarreha.....then...Sunday she and Gideon were appearing ok so they both went back on a regular diet....but by Sunday early afternoon...Ella had a tummy ache again....and it continued until she got sick again Monday morning. I sent Gideon to school on Monday...only to have him come home and have diarreha....(hope you're all enjoying the details...what can I say....) Last night things seemed to be mellowing out....but this morning..Keith woke up bright and early with diarreha and vomiting.....YUCK!!!! Ella and Gideon still arn't eating....and I don't feel like eating with all the puking etc....going on...so Lucy is the only one eating normally and feeling ok...for now. .....I really don't like times such as these where I have to make decisions like....am I going to sleep with my sick husband in bed....or sleep on the couch....will it matter if tomorrow morning I wake up sick....probably not...or....should I be keeping Lucy away for the other two at this point??? Pretty much nothing matters now but getting through the storm....hopefully it will end soon...
I did take Lucy to the geneticist today and found out that he does not think any of her problems are genetically based...and that is great because genetically based things are usually not that easy to treat if treatable at all....we did have to draw a little more blood to test her liver,gallbladder and thyroid function but he doesn't anticipate that coming back bad....he did say if it did that he would probably refer us onto a gastroenterologist....BLAAAHHHH....not another doc....I hope we are done....he feels too that we need to give the medicine some time to do it's thing and then see if her other symptoms dissipate....so that's the scoop. I mistakenly thought the appointment was only going to take about an hour...so I left Keith home on the couch with Ella and Gideon...with the DVD, VCR loaded with movies and bland food/drink with Ella hoping that I could get back before too much occured....it didn't exactly work...the appointment lasted way too long...so Grammy came to the rescue and delivered lunch to the two sicky's so Keith didn't have to do anything....I felt really bad....tomorrow I'm suppose to go to the doctor....unless I'm sick...then that will be another thing I cancel for this week!
We are surviving....hope you all are too.....
Bonus for us....Keith is not gone when all of this is happening...so even though he is not available to help me....he's HERE.....PRAISE JESUS!!!

Some Highs...Some Lows...

So, let me just start by saying that I am currently studying the book Battlefield of the Mind with my BBS girls because....well....my mind is a complete and total battlefield and I am currently losing the battle....IT IS AN AWESOME BOOK..I highly recommend it for those of you like me who struggle in this area....anyway this weeks chapter happens to be about positivity :) Totally something I need to hear and reading the chapter I was like...YES.....I totally needed this....well come to find out...I needed it a whole lot more than I thought because the same night as I was washing dishes my husband tells me....and I quote..." I have something to tell you and you are not going to like it"....now any time my husband begins a sentence with that i always think first...what did I do...and second....he better not be going to China.....well......He's going to China....AGAIN....in the next 3 weeks for 5 or more days....UGH!!!!!! HUGE shot at the old positivity moniter......so I am trying to stay "happy" "content" and "prayed up :)"....Good thing is that once he goes on this trip...he won't have to go again until next year...maybe early January next year but at least next year.... I AM THANKFUL FOR MY HUSBANDS JOB....I have to keep telling myself that...no matter how hard it gets. I'm such a wimp when it comes to stuff like this...I'll admit it fully that I have a weakness in this area.....so....I'm clinging to Jesus, friends and family support and time to change me into the more independent less stress-filled single mother at these times....So that was a low....
Now for the high....I have Lucy and Ella's quilts almost done!!! WOOO HHOOOOO...I've only had the material for about 2 years but hey....no looking back now.....I just have to do a few more snips and wash them and they will be finito....My hope is this weekend to get the paint and the last minute things like mattress' and curtain rods and then hopefully soon....we can begin the renovation :) :) So I am really excited about all that.
Second high.....NO SEIZURES FOR LUCY FOR 2 WEEKS!!! YES!!!! She's doing better on the meds and is not so emotionally distraught....excellent for Keith and I...one downer is I still can't get her to eat very well but hopefully once she's fully adjusted that will even out.
She has PT tomorrow morning and Speech and PT next week but no OT for three weeks......so mommy and daddy have to kick home therapy into high gear. I have a plan to have morning therapy...afternoon therapy and evening therapy and work on a few things at a time so as not to overwhelm her because lets just say her therapy in the morning (which is just to get herself dressed...which is incredibly difficult for her because of her lack of ability to manuver her hands) wears me out!! It is a fight the whole way...we try sticker rewards and that seems to be inspiration but man.....she breaks down and cries and gets frustrated and wants me to take over...it's hard for this mommy not to just want to jump in or spank her bottom for being so whiny....but I take deep breaths and just try and be patient and eventually she does it.....but as you can see...this whole ordeal (sometimes taking up to 1/2 hour just to put on underwear and pants) wears us both out and it doesn't work to fly right into another "therapy" right away...so anyway...that's my plan...we'll see how we do!
I think that's all for now...our lives will be crazy the next few days with me working ALL day on Friday...(morning hospital--evening auction)...doing chores at Mom and Dad's (hopefully no disasters this time) while they are visiting Brad and Jana and keeping up with Lucy's appointments and therapies....if you are praying for Lucy on Tuesday we meet with the geneticist to do some genetic testing and evaluation...hopefully it all goes well...I think all 3 of us (keith, me and Lucy) will have to be stuck!! We might all be crying at the end of this appointment :) :) :)

Highlights ...

So, most of you have heard that last week was a VERY emotional one with Lucy's seizures, sleep deprivation EEG and then diagnosis...I am looking forward to this week not being quite so traumatic...:) Anyway, Lucy is doing well. The first few days on the medication were horrendous....seizure medication is really scary stuff...it really can change a childs personality..which is scary since Lucy is so sweet. The good thing is that this med is extremely mild and usually only during the "faze-in" of the med is when the child is emotionally extreme....which Lucy was...like I said ..the first few days she was NOT herself at all and I thought....this is NOT going to work. She was like a woman PMSing or a anger ridden menapausal woman...I'm telling you it was HORRIBLE. She screamed and cried, disobeyed...non-stop...literally...there was a brief period on Sunday when we were with family that she was incredibly quiet and "out of it" a bit...but on the way home...she kicked it right back in...Sunday got so bad that in the middle of what I can only describe as an hour breakdown....she ended up peeing her pants (which she hasn't done in like 6 months) then we put her in the tub to calm her down and she pooped in the tub....(which again she hasn't done in longer than 6 months) crazy stuff....but thankfully Monday morning she awoke as a new little girl much more like her usual stuff...I just hope when we up the dosage on Friday she doesn't freak again....scary...anyway other than that she is doing well.
Monday morning Gideon was off for Presidents Day so we rushed over to the neighbors to see thier new puppy (it's a trend in our neighborhood :) Only their's is a little black lab....so cute...anyway the kids loved him and now Gideon says he wants a dog like that....I'm thinking..."buddy....we have this wonderful little pup at home that rings a bell to go out and pee and we don't have to worry about it that much anymore....and you want to start all over....I don't think so....." Anyway...at least he can go over with Max and have play dates...or more like Chew time for the lab :) Also on MOnday...while talking to the kids at lunch I discovered that none of them had ever heard of or tried a Twinkie or a HoHo...in fact they couldn't stop talking about them and laughing over the words...so while Lucy was at therapy I bought some for them to try (nothing like introducing them to major sugar treats :) Well.....I had a twinkie (it's been forever...I had to see if they were still good) and they had HoHo's...and they didn't even like them!!! I was shocked...and yet pleasently surprised....I guess I don't have to worry about them begging for the completely unnutritious treats in the future....
The last few days I have been just trying to catch up on stuff around the house and work on the quilts for the girls beds...Keith is going away for a few days here and hopefully I can get these things closer to being done so that we can start with the girls room renovation in the next few weeks...I need to get Ella out of the crib...my kids for some reason are not the crib livin kids that most children are at that age....they want out...and get more and more irritable at nap/bedtimes until we do the switch...so hopefully soon we'll be able to switch them....then we'll have a whole other set of issues :) :)
Hope everyone is doing well!

Definetly not Disappointing....

This week has turned out to be exactly the opposite of what I thought it would be. Let's just say Keith being in China is rough on me and I totally expected it to be tough until today but luckily relief came in the form of my husband on Sunday night...3 days early! We had gone to little Walter's b-day party in Maryland with my parents on Friday afternoon. We drove 4 hours on Friday and then stopped at a hotel where the kids got to swim and run around and eat pizza. It was a good time. Then, the next morning we attempted the 4 hour journey on to Fulton....however....we got stuck around Hagerstown in a really bad snow storm...there were people in the ditch all over the place and even the main highway 70 was not cleared! Scary stuff.....it normally takes an hour or hour and a half to get to Fulton from Hagerstown....it took us 3 hours.....we were suppose to get to Drew and Melinda's at 130 we got there around 430....crazy....needless to say when we got to the house the kids were READY to get out of the car and so were we. We had a great time at the party though....it was really neat. There was a Korean Pastor who prayed and gave a message and lead hymns all in Korean....Ella was a little freaked out (most of the people there were Korean or could understand Korean) anyway with all the different language she was quite uncomfortable and clung to me most of the evening but it was a really neat ceremony. Then, my brother, Melinda and Walter dressed up in authentic Korean dress and took pictures. After that they laid a whole bunch of bible verses on the table rolled up as scrolls and the one Walter chose first was dubbed his "verse for life". Then they put a whole bunch of different items on the table (not sure of all their meaning) and he chose his "destiny" ...not sure if I'm correct about that...all I know is he chose the ball. After that, they took some family shots and then we had a Korean feast....for all of you who know I LOVE different foods...I was in heaven..... They had korean beef, kimchi, kimchi salad, another noodle salad, egg/crab cake things , shrimp, veggies and rice desserts. Most of it was Amazing and I have to have my sister in law teach me how to make it! Yum Yum Yum. My littlest brother came from Maryland on the other side...after we were done eating....he was suppose to be there on time...however the regular 3 hour trip took him and Jenelle 7 hours!! CRAZY!! Anyway they ended up spending the night so the house (though large) was packed. I slept with the girls and Gideon camped out on a sleeping bag on the floor. It was a good time. Sunday we packed up and left for home. The kids were amazing on the trip. The plan was to meet Nancy at the house with Max when we got home...so when we pulled in the drive and put up the garage door and someone walked out with Max I at first thought it was Nancy....but then as the garage door came up....it was Keith standing there....I was in total shock....I didn't recognize him at first and then I just started bawling...he had a rose in his hand and I just kept saying..."What is going on....what in the world". He wasn't suppose to get home until today at 300 in the afternoon. Him and Doug just got done with everything in record speed and decided to surprise their families...and I LOVED IT!!! So needless to say I've been kinda ridin high since that...God is so good.
Monday at Lucy's speech eval we got some awesome news. She has issues articulating which we knew and that may be contributed to either numbness or lack of muscular strength in the mouth but we were not sure about her processing skills. They did an eval on her and she scored AWESOME!! We were so excited. Her processing skills were at a 5 1/2 year olds level!!!!!! Finally Lucy is ahead of the game on something......I haven't been this happy about Lucy's prognosis in a long time!!!!! So we have a smart little girl....the therapist said it could be just the day but that she didn't think there was anything wrong with Lucy's brain....just her ability to articulate.!! Great news....
The good week continued last night with the premier of my obsession LOST!!!! Woo Hoo! In the first 15 minutes I thought.....great....this is going to be so stupid and cheesy....but it just kept getting better and better and now......I am fully engulfed in the lives of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Hurley, Sayid, Jin, Sun and the rest of my family (hahahahahah) I am so pathetic....but.....it will sadly all be over in a matter of months....what will I do on Tuesday nights then??? Probably watch Flashforward :O)!!!

Hope everyone is doing well!!! Love to you all!!

Trying to Stay Positive in a Negative World....

The last few days/week has been a REALLY difficult one for me. I find myself a nervous wreck and sick to my stomach the majority of the time. It happens every time just like this and I have had it with this feeling. Everytime Keith goes to China I feel MAJOR anxiety. He's only been gone for 24 hours and I have cried more in that 24 then I normally do in a 6 month period. It's like my emotions and my body betray me when he leaves. I can't seem to keep it togethor and I should be able to...I'm a adult for pity sakes!!! I really hate that I am like this so on suggestion from my wonderful mother that I love last night I am now taking prilosec the entirity of the time Keith is gone and I have just called my physician who will hopefully prescribe me a little psych med to force my body into control since I can't seem to control it on my own. Pretty much I feel like a failure...like I'm letting the enemy take control of me and I feel like I should be relaying on Jesus and not medication....I know.... worry about the worry about the worry......I am pathetic. Anyway, I am hoping that she will allow me to be on some sort of drug seeing as though I am psyco and all when Keith heads to China. I don't know exactly what all the anxiety stems from but it's bad....let me tell you.. and I DO NOT want to be like this the rest of my life while Keith's in China so, at the risk of sounding like an addict, I only want to take this medication temporarily...to get control of my body...so that I can get control of my mind and then hopefully the body will fall into alignment with the mind in the future.....I hope it works.
This week is fairly uneventful which is probably why I am so nervous....I NEED something to distract my mind from the mountain of days I must climb over til Keith gets back. Tomorrow should hopefully be better. I am going to clean the house in the morning and then head to get Lucy's orthodics in the afternoon which by the way the insurance paid $600 worth of and we only have to pay $96 Woo Hoo!!!! So happy about that!! Anyway, then on Friday we are all headed to Maryland for the big 1 b-day for Walter.....pray for us all... it's a quick trip but a distraction which is personally something I REALLY need right now...plus just the sustaining adult conversation hopefully will make me feel "normal" again.
On Monday Lucy will have her first Speech evaluation and we'll be scheduled for future appointments...finally woo hoo!! Then she will have her normal OT appointment. After that...it's downhill....Tuesday is our last day/night without Keith...he'll be back Wed at 3. Luckily, my wonderful mother-in-law is coming to spend the nights with us when Keith's gone and watching the dog for us when we are in Maryland....what woul d I do without my mother in law! Thank you so much Nancy...words are not enough...Anyway...as you can see from this entry...my spirits are low and my hope is fragile....if any of you have a few seconds and want to send up some prayers for us that would be AWESOME....we're praying that time flies...that I stay distracted...and that NO ONE gets sick while Keith's gone which by the way is a way Satan seems to ALWAYS attack me with when Keith's away....Anyway hope everyone is ok!! ( sorry this is so negative--I'll try to be more positive next week when Keith is on the way home :)

Questioning my health status...

Well...right now I am not feeling too hot. I'm hoping I'm not coming down with something. I am either tired from cleaning the kitchen for the last few days....or I'm getting sick.....I'd much prefer the former......I have that achy, stomach upset, tiredness that could be associated with either condition...so I have to wait for the time to tell the final verdict. There is a TON of stuff going around ...so it very well could be a bug....but I'm hoping and praying not.....you are welcome to pray along with me....Feeling like this reminds me very much of the stinky part of being a mom.....dad's are sooooo lucky...if they get sick...on most occasions...they still have there wives to take care of them....they can lay in bed and sleep all day.....because their wives are caring for them and the kids.....but when the mom gets sick....like the way I'm feeling today....not sick enough for dad to stay home from work....mommy still has to take care of the children and put herself on hold... .even though everything in her is screaming for rest and relaxation...I think it's a movie mommy kinda day...... :0)
Anyway, other than not feeling well...this day is floating on by as is the week. We are trucking along at our schedule and days.....not much time left with daddy home....just holding on to him as long as we possibly can :0)
Hope everyone is ok......until next week......

Bread Makin for Bakin.....

In the last 3 days....all I have done is Bake, Bake , Bake....I'm trying to get back into somewhat of an order with breakfast again....Gideon has had one to many PB&J's and is getting really ready for something new for breakfast...so it's back to our daily schedule...the only problem is I have to bake an awful lot to get there....luckily since Keith was gone I had something to fill up my time. On Monday we baked Anadama Bread for Toasty Tuesday (yummy sweet/er bread with molasses) Tuesday we baked about a million and a half english muffins...it took all day....Today we baked again about a million waffles, a pan of baked oatmeal and a pan of granola bars....I think we are officially ready for school next week! :) I also organized my calenders for 2010...Geez we have soooo many appointments between myself, Lucy, Ella and the Dog!!! I feel like all I'm going to be doing is running around!!! I planned suppers for the next 2 1/2 months as well.....I feel like I'm getting organized in the brain...now I have to get the house organized....Man that is NOT fun....my house needs a thorough cleaning....I do normal cleaning every two weeks but I am talking about a top to bottom, clean out the cupboards/wash cupboard doors..organize cleaning...we've lived here 4 years and it's time to do the on your hands and knees scrubbing the floor boards cleaning.....it will probably take me a LONG time to get the whole house done but my goals are to have both bathrooms and the kitchen done by Sat evening...so I can go grocery shopping and fill up the cupboards again....
Whew...ok that just wore me out typing all that....
Keith's back!!!! YAYYYYYYYY!!!!!! I know it's only temporary because this is High travel season and the big one is approaching quickly but I sooooo miss him when he's gone....3 days and nights are NOT fun.....neither are two....I've learned to deal with one.....that's not so bad anymore...but 8-10 (china days) drive me insane....luckily this time I think we are going to take a little trip to the east for Baby Walters 1st birthday with my parents while Keith is away...that should be a good time consumer and plus we get to see family which will be AWESOME>..I love Walter...have I said that before?? :)
An Update on Lucy....we saw the neurologist last week and he's done with us....not in a bad way..it's just that he doesn't think he can do anything for us and he is sending us on to someone he thinks can. A geneticist. So.....on March 2nd Lucy is scheduled to see this new doc and also to get an EEG (for her muscle spasms). We are continueing therapy...please pray that we get into the speech program soon!!!

Hope all is well!!

Back to Life...Back to Reality....

Christmas was great...the New Year was fine....but now it's time to get back to real life....and it is ALWAYS a difficult time for me to look ahead to 4 more months of winter....but it's especially hard this time because Keith is going to be gone for the majority of the first month.... I will have my guard dog...and I will have others staying with me, I'm sure....but it's still not easy to not be a family. I'm trying to be positive though and think of things we can do to pass the time quickly and get through it all easily. We will be pretty busy anyway with all the therapies and appointments and gymnastics....yes I have enrolled Lucy in an 8 week beginner tumbling class. I'm hoping she really likes it and the teacher will have patience with her and it will help her with her issues. We will see. It starts next Sat and runs every Sat until March. She has no idea I've enrolled her...and I think she'll flip when she finds out. Hopfully she won't be too disappointed that it's not dance :) Anyway She has therapy tomorrow with her P.T...the first real session. Gideon will be at school so it will just be me and Ella traveling around so I hope it all goes smooth. Friday Lucy has another appointment with the neurologist. She wasn't too thrilled with him the first time so i hope this time goes better. I am assuming he will be scheduling some more testing...hopefully not too much blood work...I'm not sure how that all will go without Keith around...I hope ok.....Saturday I am babysitting Gideon's friend (Gordon and Margarets Foster kid) Johnny. Gideon is so excited....I hope they don't totally trash my house...I think I'll send them to the basement to have at it......It's a good place to trash because I can just shut the door and ignore it :) :) Next week promises to be a week of steady activity so time should go quickly.

We've just recieved some really sad news from Keith's parents about Keith's youngest cousin Cody. He has been battleing Melanoma for the last year and in his last scan it showed that the Melanoma has spread to all of his organs. Such a sad situtation. He's only about 20 and they are giving him 6 months to a year. Please keep the family in your prayers. Keith and I are praying for a miracle yet and praying especially for peace and healing spiritually and emotionally for Cody. It makes me so thankful for my family and their health. Really....the consequences that come from living in this fallen world stink sometimes more than others.....

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and New Year. We were blessed to be with all of our family and thoroughly enjoyed our time with all. Until next week.....

Count down to Lost premier: 27 days :) :)