The "To Do" List

We have been sooo busy this weekend at the house.  We have made some major dents in the "to do" list.

fix the back door - check
paint the hallway - check
clean the "black hole" (master bedroom) - check
finish the rabbit cage - check
clean the foyer - check
clean the toy room - check
clean the boys room - check
clean out the garage - check
clean out the refrigerator - check
climb mount laundry - almost to the top
mop the floors - check
vaccumn
paint the trim in the hallway

Just a few more things on the list and it is all done.....yeah and as a treat for all the hard work everybody has done we are going to go to the waterpark tomorrow --- The kids are all excited about this and they really haven't much at all about all the work.

Heath is being baptisted at church tonight and I am so proud of him.  He has made some major changes in his life and it shows each and every day and I am so glad to be walking with him in his New Journey.

Last few days

Been a few days so got lots to catch you up on....

Michael decided to stay instead of going home on Sunday so my family has been complete and will be that way for another week at least.  It appears that he may be going to go to work in the next day or so (so he may actually come back again or even stay longer....). 

Got Trace's report card today and he pulled his 70 in Spelling up to an 85 (I am so proud)....I just wish he had been trying all the time and not just at the end to pull it up, but I really hate to complain about his spelling considering the fact that I failed Yes actually failed spelling.  I get it honestly - my dad can't spell either. 

Work has been pretty nonexisitant these last few weeks and it has been long days with out that month end deadline hanging over my head....tomorrow will be better (I hope)....lol.

When I sat down to write this I had so much I wanted to say but then I decided that I really didn't want to get into all that tonight.....plus AMERICAN IDOL FINALE is coming on right now so I gotta go.....lol

Great Day

Has been a long day....Left the house at 8:30 this morning heading to the Birmingham Zoo.

My mom spent the night with us last night and she "helped' (translated into - made us clean up our back patio) and we sat outside while Heath grilled up some awesome steaks for supper last night.  My sister cleaned up my kitchen for me after said supper while I bath double trouble (Canon and Joe).  

The alarm clock rang way to early though it seemed but....mom made sausage and biscuits for breakfast and we loaded the three boys up and away we went.  We got to the Zoo and we made our way to the new Trails of Africa exhibit where we had a great lunch (albeit a little bit expensive but at least the food tasted good and it wasn't little portions) at the Safari Cafe....then it was on to see the ELEPHANTS....I have been waiting to see the elephants since we bought our membership last year....and I was a little disappointed b/c I only got to see 1 up close but I did get a really cool picture of it throwing dirt on itself (will post pictures later).  We will definitely be going back b/c in July they will be getting a 4th elephant.....for whatever reason I have fallen in love with elephants....and BTW at the Memphis Zoo I love the PANDA BEARS....I will be going back to see them again too....(FYI --- if you have a b'ham zoo membership you can get in half price at the Memphis zoo).  Trace, Canon, and Joe all had a blast today - I think Joe's favorite part was playing in the splash park.  Canon had no interest in playing in the water but he loved riding in the rented stroller (that was gotten for Joe b/c we took Canon's with us but Canon had such a fit to ride in the rented one that we just switched the boys).  I was a big girl and I did go to the barnyard petting zoo (mainly b/c Mom and Brandy and Joe had never been before) even though I didn't want to.  I HATE ROOSTERS....I mean HATE....they let roosters roam free in this barnyard......I HATE ROOSTERS.....a zookeeper even caught one and picked it up and was encouraging people to pet it....can you say UH NOT I!.  Needless to say I gave my little sister quite a laugh.  

Now on to a serious note, on the way home we drove down McFarland Blvd in Tuscaloosa.  I had chill bumps the whole way.  It is so heartbreaking to see all the damage.  I can only image what it looked like several weeks ago just after the storm went through.  I still pray daily for all those affected by those horrible storms.  Please take a minute to say a quick prayer for them. 

OK - today was supposed to be the end of the world - YEAH RIGHT.  You know it wasn't gonna be b/c there will be no predicting it.  The Lord will end it when HE wants to on HIS schedule. 

My family is all complete tonight.  Michael and Nicholas are both home.  Nick will be here for a few weeks but Michael appearing was a very nice surprise...he said he was coming to spend the night and then he wasn't so when he got here it was nice.  He and Heath are currently visiting with Paw-paw and my family will all be together tomorrow at church - I am smiling big.   Michael will be going back to with his mom tomorrow but he will be back to visit longer later in the summer - he is playing softball and working right now (yeah!)....he has a truck he has to get up and running so he has to earn him some money....

Michael and Nick finished school this past Thursday and Trace's last day was Friday.  Trace will be attending Tyson Lee's 2nd annual football camp on Monday and he is so excited.  We didn't know about this camp until Friday b/c he is actually still supposed to be in school until Wed but they aren't going to be doing anything in class next week so we decided not to send him and he went to this camp last year and he LOVED it.....Trace LOVES football...he eats, sleeps, breathes, lives for football.....

Oh well I guess I have gotten you all caught up from the last several days.  I have had a great day and am looking forward to church with my family tomorrow.

Nothing much to say

Not to much to say today....guess I could have skipped posting but I have found that doing this does help me feel better....I don't know why but it does.  

I really need to be cleaning house but I just don't feel up to it - I will be doing it at the last minute as always but what else is new...my mom is coming to stay with us this weekend.  She is going to take us to the zoo....yeah.....

Nick will also be home this weekend....I am so ready to see him again.....I just wish Michael was coming too but....he will visit later in the summer.....

I guess that is all for now...

Ramblings

This is going to be long and drawn out and random so here is your warning to stop reading if you so desire.

Yesterday was a really bad day. It was an emotional roller coaster - who am I kidding the last few months have been this way...anyhow....we had to give our written two week notice removing our children from daycare. This was very hard for me to do. I have cried and cried and cried about this. I did NOT want to do this but I had no other choice. We could not afford it. Trace has been in daycare his whole life with the exception of about 6 weeks in kindergarten when he picked up really bad habits riding the school bus home everyday. Canon has been in daycare since he was 5 weeks old. We put Trace at this particular daycare in Jan 2009 - after the 6 weeks of school bus ordeal (he had been in another daycare but it had changed ownership and I wasn't comfortable with all the changes the new owner had made so we decide to pull Trace out of daycare and let him be a "big boy" and ride the bus home everyday where Heath or Grandma would be waiting on him...like I said it only last 6 weeks and we HAD to get him back in daycare b/c he was picking up way to many bad habits and words and attitudes). Canon was born in early April and began daycare by Mid May of 2009 and he LOVES it there and they LOVE him. He gets up in mornings asking about his teacher and can't wait to get there to see her....needless to say this was a very hard thing for me to do....everybody knew it was coming, we did, the teacher did.....the reason why we are having to do this is b/c the funding for the government daycare assistance program that we were in did not come through and without this help we can not afford to pay for daycare.....needless to say I cried a lot yesterday and I will continue to cry about it the closer we get to May 31 (the actual last day the boys will be there)....

On a brighter note: I got a card from my grandparents yesterday that also made me cry - this time it was happy tears....it was a graduation card acknowledging my accomplishment.....my grandmother had written "You did it the hard way but you did" (or something to that effect).....this little statement from her just made me smile and think "Yeah I did it the hard way but I did it and it makes it that much sweeter" .... I am so waiting to see that diploma hanging on my wall (I just haven't made the time to go get it framed )....

I need to figure out how to make things better - placing blame here or there doesn't help and I refuse to do it and I think that is part of the problem (maybe if I would it would make things go away but I am not going to)....it doesn't matter why or who or how all that matters is getting past it and moving on....that is what I am concentrating on....How to get through this trial and on to the next one so to speak b/c there will always be a next one? When there are no more then what is there to look forward to?

I guess I have rambled enough....hope you were able to follow along if not Sorry but I warned ya....

I am gonna end on a Happy Note......

 :)

From bad to worse

So the day only got worse! Had to do something I absolutely hated to do and I am still crying every time I think about it... Can't write about it just yet.

I am really tired and frustrated right now so I am just going to go to bed and pray for a better day tomorrow. I promise the full story of my saga will be told in due time but I just can't yet. Still to painful

"Why bother"

Ever have one of those days where you just don't know why you keep trying...well that is what I have been feeling for the last little while....I feel like the more I try to worse things get.....I don't know if that is the case but that sure if the vibe that I keep getting.....today I am leaning more and more towards the whole "why bother" attitude but I know that is not the attitude that God wants me to have.  If I give in to it and just stop trying and caring then I am failing him and myself and so many others.......I so hate days like this......maybe writing this out will help it go away that and turning it all over to God.....

WOW

It reads "Trust in God, He will help you" Trace.

This little note written as encouragement to another child from my son just melts my heart.  I am so proud of Trace right now, this makes all the bad things from the last few days seem so very minor....

Trace's teacher has been paired up with a teacher in the 4th grade (Trace is in 2nd) for encouragement purposes b/c the higher grades are taking the MCT2 tests this week (this is a big statewide test).  Each day Trace's teacher has provided things for the kids in the 4th grade classroom - one day it was Red Hots with a note and then yesterday they got smarties with a little note and today they got a piece of gum, a trojan buck (which is a reward system that the school uses - so many bucks and you can go shop in the store / go to parties, etc...) and a note of encouragement from her students.  A friend of mine from church, who is a 4th grade teacher, was helping out in the classroom and she was walking around reading the notes from the kids and they all said things like "good luck"  "way to go" but then she came upon Trace's note and she said she was so excited b/c he got it....he was the only one of the children that really got it.....she made a copy of his note and was showing to all the other teachers bragging on him b/c he got it.......She sent me a text and said she had something that would make me a very proud momma and boy did it.....

I am so glad that we found our church family.  New Journey Church has made some big differences in our lives.  I can't tell you how much it excites me to know that Trace is "getting it" and then in turn SHARING it with other kids.  WOW is all I can say.  Thank you so much to the New Journey Kidz leaders for helping me to show my children what this awesome Journey called life is about when you walk it hand in hand with JESUS.

WOW - what a great gift....I am crying again just thinking about this.

Dr Visit

Well I am finally getting somewhere with my headaches....went to see a new dr today (thanks Mandee for recommending) and I really liked him alot.  He actually asked me questions and listened for my answers before jumping to another question.  He seemed genuinely concerned and wanted to help me out. 

Diagnosis is:  Migraines and possible tyroid issues......

Treatment:  A pill to take everyday to prevent the migraines, a pill to take as soon as one starts, Loritab to take if the pill doesn't stop the pain, and a pill with slight anti-depressant in it to allow me to sleep and get some rest at night...and once the results from the bloodwork come back a possible pill for my thyroid problem (will know about that in a few days).

My only problem with this new dr was the wait.....my appt was at 2:15 and I arrived at 2.  Sat in the waiting room until 3 (surrounded by old people in wheelchairs talking very loudly to one another).  At 3 I was taken to an exam room where I waited until 4.....Dr came in and talked with me, nurse came in and drew blood (after sticking and fishing in one spot, she had to pick another spot - so I now have two lovely bruises to show off) and I was on my way home at 4:30....

In the dr's defense I was told that this was not a normal thing.  That waiting normally doesn't take that long.  He was the on call dr at the hospital ER today and he had a patient he was dealing with over there and he did not leave the hospital until 2.  It was also his first day back from being out of town and lots of people were wanting to see him......

So.....hopefully in the next two weeks I will get better and all will be well once I go back for my follow-up appt.  

What a Day!!!

What a day doesn't even begin to describe how this day has been. 

My job has gotten more and more stressful over the last couple of years and the last few months have been really bad.  After the CT Scan and the MRI showed "nothing" I have come to realize that my horrible headaches must be stress or tension related and after a day like today it just proves my point even more.

The day started out OK but by 8:30 it was horrible.  I had to see walk-in clients all day (we call this Intake) and was not scheduled for this job.  Intake is a job that I have to syke myself up for on a good day and to be "surprised" by having to do this was not a good thing. 

Due to the tornado damage - we have put a hold on Monroe County cases for the time being so my actual caseload has been suspended somewhat.  Therefore I was the lucky person that got the job of Intake today - and let me just tell you that it was horrible.....which made me head hurt really really bad....took two Excedrin the minute I walked thru the door tonight but so far it isn't helping.

Had planned on going by the church to donate blood at the blood drive but my head was hurting so bad I just wanted to throw up so I just picked the kids up and came home.  So now I feel bad and guilty for letting my church and my husband down b/c he was the one that got the blood drive set up.  I feel like my head hurting has made me miss out / not do alot of things that I should be doing. 

Been home for about 30 minutes or so now and Canon has pitched two huge fits - screaming at the top of his lungs and throwing his cup....the leg popping over the first fit caused the second one....go figure....headache plus 2 yr old screaming equals more nausea....

I still have to go over Trace's homework and check his "How To" project over again b/c it is due tomorrow....right now he is playing playstation just so I don't have to fight with him over it....only two more weeks of school left (Yeah - not sure how much more I can take).....

Supper - ummmm don't know yet....maybe leftover pizza from yesterday or popcorn....who knows.....maybe Trace will make Easy Mac for he and Canon.......oh well......maybe tomorrow will better, got a doctor's appt in the afternoon so maybe just maybe I can get some relief for my headache....

A little bit about me

I decided that I was posting way to much stuff on facebook and decided that I need to start blogging.....forgive me if I am not good at this but I will learn as I go.

I thought I would give you an insight into my life.  My husband, Heath, and I just celebrated our third anniversry.  We have 4 children - Michael is 16, Nick is 9, Trace is 8 and Canon is 2.  Yes I have 4 boys....and  let's not forget Josiah (Joe) and his mommy Brandy (Lala), my nephew and sister.  Joe is 2 also.  My house feels like it is bulging at the seams at times. 

We have 2 hermit crabs, 2 rabbits (Dabbit and Nibbles), 2 dogs (Dixie and Itta Bit), and 3 cats (Gingerbread, Shadow, and Wicket). 

So that is an introduction to my family - I am sure you will hear a lot about them here....b/c my life revolves around them. 

I guess that is all for now.....