New beginnings........

New Beginnings......Usually when you hear those words, you think of something positive. Something that was thought out, where there was a choice and a chance was taken. But, what if you are put in the situation where you have no choice. You were not the one to make that decision and you were left with no alternative. Welcome to my new life! This past year has been hard to say the least. My marriage crumbled. I watched my husband of 12 years call it quits and quickly move on with his new life. And then come the surprising news that three weeks before we seperated, we had conceived our fourth child, our fourth little boy. It was a hard pill to swallow at first because I was scared and I was alone, and to my shock, I was dealing with a man who had no hopes of reconciliation at all. He was ready to completely walk away with no regrets and pursue his new life that he was carving out for himself. Becoming a single Mom is hard. It is exhausting, scary, but at the same time, my boys are my little blessings that get me through. I can now look back and see where I took for granted that I had a normal family life. There were a lot of days I needed alone time. It is the alone time now that is so empty, silent, and so dreaded. I don't do well on the weekends that they are with their Daddy. I would rather have my house messy, loud, and full of chaos than to have to deal with a silent empty house. However, that is going to change in hopefully the next week or so. Grayson Reid is my little angel that was heaven sent in a time that I so desperately needed him. He was a surprise, but he was a good surprise. I have found so much comfort in carrying this baby. I have embraced this pregnancy and have not for once took it for granted. God chose me to be a mother again and I will accept that responsibility and regard it a honor to have this chance again. God has purpose for our lives and Grayson is just part of the master plan that has been laid out for me. Last Thursday I went for my doctor's appointment with hopes of having a scheduled date for my c section. They done a sonogram to make sure he was ready, and well.....he is just not ready yet. His lungs are not quite ready. So, I'll wait another week and hopefully he will be ready when he is checked at the next visit. I'm ready to meet this little guy, but not until he is. It has been a long time since I have posted anything to our blog. There have been a lot of changes. The next time I update, I hope to have pictures of our new addition. My boys are so exicted about getting a new baby brother. You would think they were getting a new puppy. It is so heart warming to see their excitement and anticipation. I cant wait to see what the next chapter of my life holds. It is said that good things fall apart so that better things can come together. It is scary to think ahead, but I know it will get better!!

Update on Kade.....Sometimes the harder answer may be the best answer

Warning, this post is long.

Sunday morning we flew out to Baltimore to seek a second opinion for Kade and his surgery that he is needing to treat his Chiari. We were hoping for the surgeon to either be in complete agreement with the surgeons at Childrens or to offer a safer alternative. Kade is completely clueless at to what is really going on right now. He has not once questioned why we go to the doctor all the time. All he knew about this trip was that he was getting to fly on an airplane and for that reason he was so excited. He just looked out the window and giggled the whole time. I am so thankful at this time for Kade's easy going little personality. He has been such a good sport with everything that is going on. He has even offered his little arm out for bloodwork to be done on two occasions, tears rolling down his face, but not putting up a fight. Here is a picture of Kade below. You can just see the wonderment on his face as he is looking out of the window of the plane. I just love this little face!



We landed in Baltimore and the words that came to mind after about 30 minutes of being there were, "Toto, we are not in Kansas anymore." Total change in scenery. As we approached downtown Baltimore where we were staying, we quickly realized that we were the minority. The city looked very, very, old. Although the building architecture was beautiful, it was absoultely spooky. I felt like we were in post apocalyptic Gothic City, with us being the minority. There were alot of homeless people walking the streets, alot, steam coming up from the sidewalks, trash everywhere, it was loud with firetruck and police sirens, and the air even smelled different. We ventured out one time, down to the harbor, and quickly back to our hotel room, where we slammed the door behind us, double locked it, and didn't dare come out, until our appointment time.



We got to Kade's appointment and Dr. Jallo was in and out with us in about 10 minutes, explained that he never starts out doing the fusion and decompression at the same time, and after reviewing Kade's records he would do the same in his case also. Although, it could be possible to later have to go back to do the fusion. Just not both at the same time. Whew! Okay. Although the appointment was brief, he gave us an easier answer. After all, that is what we were looking for. A weight had been lifted off of me, we felt so much better, so back to Alabama it was, to see if we could get the Alabama surgeons to agree.

We headed to Children's the next morning. Kade had to be sedated and have a CT done of his cervical spine to try to see some better images of the area. Then we met with Dr. Oakes and Dr. Rozelle. Dr. Oakes talked some, and then asked if we had any questions. I said, "Yes, I do. We have had a second opinion that recommends decompression only. Explain to me in your opinion why that would not be an option for Kade." He walked out of the room went and got Dr. Rozelle and we all four sat down with Kade's MRI. Is was at that time that I found out the Chiari Malformation was not Kade's main issue. His main issue is that when he was born the bones where the skull and spine come together were deformed in such a way that there is a certain bone in which is angled toward the back of the skull in a way that is putting pressure on his brainstem, and removing that actual bone is not an option. Instead we are going to have to remove a piece of skull and some parts of the vertebrae, try to shift the skull and spine in such a way that the pressure is taken off the brainstem and once that is achieved fuse the remaining part of the vertebrae to the skull. Freeing up this room should also help with his Chiari Malformation and allow the cerebellar tonsils to go back up into the skull rather than being where they are now, which is falling down in the spinal canal below where C2 is located. They explained if you only do the decompression from the back and free up that space, that it could shift so much pressure on the brainstem to the front, that we could lose his ability to breathe, and possibly not be able to get that back and that is why they disagree with Dr. Jallo at Johns Hopkins and absolutely refuse to do decompression only. At that time, Dr. Oakes looked at us and said that we need to decide where we want him to be treated at. After a thorough explanation of what was actually going on we told him we felt as if we were in the right place. He said to give him a week from Monday, because he was going to have to sit down with Dr. Rozelle and do some planning.

That was on Tuesday. Late Thursday afternoon I got a call at work from Dr. Oakes' nurse and she said after Dr. Oakes and Dr. Rozelle sitting down together and talking alot, that they wanted to admit Kade on Monday morning and get him started on a halo traction system and do that for about a week, and they need to know if you would be willing to do that? Of course I will. I will do whatever is best for him. So, we went back to Childrens on Friday morning, got measured for his halo device, and got some pre-admit labwork done. We seen Dr. Rozelle that day and he explained to us that the halo would be attached to his skull in six places and that it is attached with weights to the back of it that actually works like a pulley system, to try to see if they could get some more room in the area they are going to operate on. They will repeat his MRI after about 5-7 days then make final decisions on how to do his surgery. They think they will be ready for his surgery on Monday, March 12th, and that it would probably be an all day surgery. Once he is admitted on Monday, he will not come home until after his surgery. I also found out that day that on one side, his C1 is actally fused to his skull and on the other side, C2 and C3 are practically almost fused together with just a slight sliver of disc in between.

I never thought that going in on January 4th to have a simple sleep study could lead us to this point. As a mother it is so heart wrenching to know my sweet baby is having to go through all this. I would give absolutely anything to be able to change places with him. All we can do at this point is just to turn it over to God and let him handle this situation. After all, he is God's child that we so luckily and undeservingly got chosen to be his earthly parents. Please continue to pray for our family and for Kade's healing.

Needing Peace of Mind.........

It has been a month since we found out about the type of surgery that Kade will need, and as a parent the word "worry" does not even sound suitable. My sister in law's mother, Judy Bazzell emailed me a webcast that a Dr. Jallo @ Johns Hopkins Hosptial in Baltimore, Maryland conducted on Chiari Malformation and later, very kindly made the suggestion that we might want to check into sending Kade's records for this Dr. to review for a second opinion, just in case we would be interested in seeking a second opinion. After careful thought and much prayer, I started checking into Dr. Jallo, checked with our insurance in which it would cover 100% with no copay or deductible, and at that point I had no hestitation, booked his appointment, our flight and hotel, and started making preparations for us to go to Maryland.

That has been three weeks ago. Three weeks in which we could relax just a little, in anticipation that Dr. Jallo could either give us peace of mind by agreeing that the surgery that Dr. Oakes and Dr. Rozelle at Childrens want to do is the only answer to his problem, or by giving us some hope that there is something for Kade that would not be so invasive.

We fly out tomorrow morning. Kade's appointment is Monday. We fly back that night and go back to Children's on Tuesday for Kade to have a sedated CT scan and then we meet with Dr. Oakes and Dr. Rozelle for more discussion and to possibly set a date for Kade's surgery.

For those of you not familiar with Kade's situation, he has a complex Chiari Malformation in which his brainstem is being compressed which is causing him to have severe central sleep apnea, in which he quits breathing while he is sleeping, and this is constant, all night long. We found out Kade was born with this, and that the bones in his skull and cervical spine did not form properly. The only answer to his problem is to have a Chiari decompression with occipital cervical fusion. In other words, they are going to take out a small section of his skull, part of his upper cervical spine, and then fuse the remainder of his upper cervical spine to his skull.

Please lift up my little boy in prayer, and continue to pray for our family during this time. We should have definite answers by Tuesday.

Answered Questions........

Kade finally had his MRI done last Thursday. And before we left, Dr. Makris told us it was indeed Chiari Malformation and that he did have a syrinx also, which is a fluid filled cyst in the spinal cord and that they would set us up an appointment with a neurosurgeon. We seen Dr. Oakes today, where we got some answers. Dr. Oakes done a few tests with Kade, asked us some questions, and then asked the nurse to take Kade out for a little while.

Dr. Oakes then explained to us that Kade needed the operation, but it was not going to be a typical Chiari Decompression surgery. They were going to be removing a 20cm x 20cm piece of his skull above where his spine and skull connect (which I was aware of), but also they would be removing about a 20cm segment of the top of his outer spine and then fuse his spine to his skull. That is the part I was not prepared for. So, Dr. Oakes will be doing the skull decompression and Dr. Rozelle will fusing his spine to his skull. Dr. Oakes said that Children's performed about 500 Chiari operations last year, and of the 500, only about 5 to 10% of those were the type of operation that Kade is going to have. Dr. Oakes went over any and everything that could go wrong, and told us he did not have a magic wand to fix our problems. Needless to say I walked out of there in tears. The nurse pulled me to the side, hugged me, and told me that he may not have a good bed side manner, but he was the best surgeon there was, and she would definitely let him operate on her own children if it was ever needed.

Dr. Oakes believes Kade was born with Chiari Malformation because his skull did not form the way it was supposed to. It has just took it this long for his symptoms to become severe enough, that we finally found out what was causing them.

Next step will be to go for some type of special CT scan that will give them a better look at his upper spine and after that test, we will meet with surgeon B, Dr. Rozelle, who will be performing that part of the surgery. His actual surgery should be some time in February.

Continue praying for my sweet boy. But, in the mean time he will be getting extra loving from his Mommy, and anything he wants. Last time we went to Bham, he wanted some fish. So, he got some fish! This time he wanted a new Wii game, so guess what? He got a new Wii game! Maybe not the best parenting, but hey, it works! :)

A Mother's Heavy Heart..............

A mother's worst fear is for anything to happen to their child that would jeopardize their health and well being.

Earlier this week we started out with the hustle and bustle of back to work and back to school after the holidays. Normal week, everybody is well, and all is normal. On Wednesday I was working, getting off early and taking Kade to Children's hospital to have his sleep study done.

When Kade was around three years old, I started noticing that he was breathing funny when he was sleeping. There would be pauses when he would not breathe and then the next breath would be really deep and long as if he was catching up for the few breaths that he missed. This started happening alot and Andrew had me convinced that kids just breathe funny. Okay, I thought, I guess he is right. Some kids do seem to breathe funny and do strange things when they sleep. A year goes by, Kade is still have the pauses in his breathing and I mention it to our family doctor during a visit for strep throat in which it was mentioned that we get a consult for Kade having alot of throat infections and indeed I needed to mention to the ENT that Kade was having pauses in his breathing during sleep because that really needed to be addressed.

We consulted with an ENT and had Kade set up to have his tonsils and adenoids removed in which the doctor felt that this would cure some of the apnea Kade was having. Months went by and I noticed that there had not been that much of a change since his surgery, except for the fact that he was not having any throat infections anymore.

Kade started Kindergarten in August of 2011 and I noticed in the late afternoons I was dealing with a cranky little guy. I knew he was probably not sleeping well and was well aware that my child might actually have sleep apnea. It seemed to be getting worse. The pauses started getting longer and my poor baby was obviously overly tired during the day and falling asleep alot. Every Sunday like clock work Kade would fall asleep at church during preaching in which you could hear his heavy breathing and snoring. It was time to do something.

I made an appt. with Childrens Hospital to see Dr. Peyton Shirley, a pediatric ENT. My greatest concern was that there was pauses of about 15 sec. where Kade was not breathing during the night, it was happening alot, that he had started school and this seemed to be affecting him, and I wanted it checked out. I also told him that Kade stays sick alot with allergy symptoms, that almost always progressed to sinus infections, and that this was continuous. So at that visit, Kade had a severe sinus infection that needed to be cleared up first, then we would need to wait a month, come back, and have a sinus CT done, that would show any abnormalities that would block his breathing and therefore cause him to have sleep apnea. We went back in a month, sinuses cleared up, his CT scan of his sinuses looked completely normal, and I was asked if he was still having breathing problems since he was not sick at this time. Duh? Yes!!! This has been going on for a while. So, Kade was set up with an allergist at Children's and a sleep study would be scheduled. This was in October. Appt. with the allergy clinic was in November, and sleep study was scheduled for January 4th. January 4th?????? Wow, three months to get in for a sleep study.

We went to our allergy appt. and found out Kade was in fact allergic to household dust and dust mites. :S Wow! No pressure for this Mom! Dust is everywhere, I work full time, and live in a house with three little piglets, and one big pig, of which no one cleans up after themselves. Hmmmm....okay.

So, the holidays went as planned and everyone had a great Christmas and it was time to get back to the real world of the chaotic work-school schedule that allows minimal time for anything else.

On Wednesday I worked, rushed home, got Kade, and me and Kade head to Children's to have his sleep study done. I took him by myself. Being married to a Harris you learn to be independent and learn that it is better just to leave them out of most things unless there is no other way around it. Sleep study was going as planned. They had about 28 leads ( or whatever the correct word is) hooked up to Kade and had his head wrapped up to keep him from messing with the ones that were on his head. He aggravated the tech that hooked him up and after an hour of that poor man hooking him up, Kade looked up at him and said, "I'm about to rip everyone of these off!" Hahaha! Which was followed by the statement, "I just need my shotgun." The technician just looked at Kade and laughed and said that was the first time he had heard that one. I was slightly embarassed but realized they are their father's children.





We were getting ready to leave the next morning. Just waiting on the doctor to make his rounds so we could go home. I had asked the tech earlier if it had showed the pauses in his breathing, and he said that it did show the pauses but not really any snoring. At this time I was thinking that the worst case senario was Kade had sleep apnea and he would probably have to have a c-pap or bi-pap to sleep with, which was really going to be a trick. Two doctors came in, Dr. Mavis and Dr. Macris. They started with some small talk, then asked me had I ever heard of Chiari (pronounced kee are e) malformation. Yeah, I think I have heard of that before but, have no clue what it is. He proceeded to tell me that Kade did not have obstructive sleep apnea, but that he had central sleep apnea, which accounts for less than 5% of cases of sleep apnea and that he believed that Kade has Chiari Malformation in which the cerebellum, the part of the brain that is where the base of the skull and the spinal collumn meet, is protruding down past the skull and into the spinal canal. We would need to get a MRI, which he will need to be put to sleep for, and then I would need to meet with Dr. ????? and Dr. ????? because most of the time they treat this by taking a small section of the skull out to allow more room for that part of the brain and relieve the pressure that is on the brain stem so he could breathe normally and get the oxygen that he needs, but in the meantime we need to put him on oxygen at night. Next question was,"Does Kade have alot of headaches?" I replied, "Yes, he has always had alot of headaches. We thought it was due to his allergy and sinus problems."



My chest felt as if the weight of the world was on it. My biggest fear was coming true, that something was wrong with my child that Tylenol or an Anti-histamine could not fix. The doctor asked if I was scared and if I had any questions. "Yes, I'm scared, I'm very worried, but I don't have any questions at this time. We will just wait on the MRI." We waited on the nurse to come in and ask us where we lived so they could set up in home oxygen for Kade to use while he slept. I sat in the room, alone, with Kade playing and somehow found the strength to not shed a tear and to smile at my child when he looked at me. I didn't want him to get any anxious feelings or wonder why Mommy was upset because I realized he would see alot more of this place, and the longer we could help him to not associate this place with negative feelings, the better. I waited until I got in the car and my eyes were hidden behind my sunglasses and my sobs were unheard due to the radio, to have my breakdown. About 30 minutes after that, I called Andrew to tell him the news.

The oxygen has been set up, Kade is in Mommy's bed, and is doing well with that. He is still the same little boy he has always been. We just now know what is going on with him. The doctor assured me that he is the same little boy, will grow up normally and cause me all the problems any other kid would. We just have a little stumbling block along the way.

We are now waiting on our appointment for the MRI, which is taking longer to get scheduled than I anticipated because it has to be scheduled through the OR because he has to be put to sleep. I let them know I was getting antsy and they assured me that they would have it set up by Monday.

Please pray for our family during this time. When I think of Kade and what he is about to go through this scripture comes to mind:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

Halloween, a birthday, and a deer slaying.......

Wow! It's my favorite time of the year.....Fall! Lots of happenings lately, so I am going to try to wrap everything up in one post. This fall has been great. There is just something about the nip in the air, and the beautiful changing leaves that just makes my heart happy. Fall means dressing up the kids for trick or treating, lazy Saturdays at home watching football, Kamden's and Austin's birthdays, Thanksgiving, and the upcoming Christmas season. Love it! I always feel like a kid again this time of year.

First things first. I always get so excited about getting the kids dressed up for Halloween. Andrew, not so much! Although he does cooperate and try to behave and enjoy it, you can really tell this is just not his thing. This year Austin was a skeleton, Kade a Frankenstein, and Kamden an astronaut. Here are a few pics!




Last weekend we had Kamden a bday party. I can't believe my baby has turned four! Time needs to slow down and keep them little for just a little bit longer for me. Although it can be so stressful while they are at this age, I would not change anything about my life right now! I love my boys more than anything and I am blessed more than I deserve. Here are some pics on how we celebrated Kamden's birthday.











Last, but not least Austin killed his first deer today. He was one happy little guy. And that is deer blood on his face. Crazy (and quite gross) tradition is when a boy kills his first deer, he is to smear the deer's blood on his face. Yuck!

Maybe a new hobby?

Okay, I know it has been a while since I have blogged. But, I am not even going to try to catch up on what has happened at the Harris household since December '10. Yes, I know pathetic, but I absolutely do not have much time for anything anymore. Working full time with three little boys and a husband who works two jobs is not fun, and therefore leaves very little free time. Oh yeah, and my house stays a complete wreck. :/

This summer is flying by, and my husband got this new idea for some entertainment in Clay County. Yes, I know, you probably thought that was impossible. So after much thought and consideration, Andrew decided it was time to empty out piggy banks and his junk drawer (yes, it barely opens). He thought it was time to buy some kayaks. I told him he was crazy, we could use that money for something else. Needless to say, the very next weekend, I was begging for a trip to Dicks Sporting Goods to buy my own kayak. We have been kayaking for the past two weekends and it is so much fun! And I haven't even turned over yet! Last weekend we just played around in the water, but this weekend we put in at the dam, and floated down to Adam's river lot, which took about 4 hours. We were getting tired of paddling toward the end of the trip, but it was so much fun, and so relaxing. A bald eagle (Yes, it was a bald eagle. I know what a bald eagle is.) swooped down about 30 feet in front of me and got a fish out of the water. Wow! Plus, we had a flock of geese fly over us, we saw a snake, caught some fish, and I almost caught a turtle that I had trapped with my paddle. So, we got to see plenty of wildlife too! Yes, I like to put on makeup, have my toenails painted with my jewelry on, but the country in this girls comes out occasionally. For the past two weekends I have come home muddy, not matching, no makeup on,hair on top of head, and sunburned with mosquito bites. That is what happens when you look for entertainment when you live in the country! Here are a few pics:

Kade in his kayak. He needs a little more practice!


Austin has this kayaking thing down!


I love this picture of Austin. This is hilarious!! My tough little boy is crying because I wanted to take his picture! Hahaha!


And a little closer look! :D


Sweet picture!


The biggest kid of all!

Happy Anniversary!

December the 16th will mark the 10th year that Andrew and I have been married. It seems so strange that it has been that long. Alot of changing and maturing has went on in this 10 years. We have had alot of tough times, but alot of joyous, happy times. We have brought three beautiful little boys into this world, and they make my everyday complete. I could not ask for anything to be any different. Andrew is a very hardworking and devoted husband and I would not change him for anything in this world. There is only one like him, believe me. :)

We took off on Friday and headed to Nashville to stay at the Opryland Hotel and to go to a Christmas show. We had a great time, but it was sooooo crowded. When we left Sunday, it was snowing like crazy. Oh, how I love the snow! It was a much needed weekend alone. And we slept until 9:00 both days. Oh, how I love uninterrupted sleep! It had been such a long time since I had slept until 9:00. Actually, I don't even remember when. It has probably been before Austin was born.

When we got home on Sunday, it was back to reality. Kamden had been sick running a fever the whole time we were gone, so it was off to the doctor today. He has an ear infection, but not so sure what is going on with his belly hurting all the time. Me being at home with a sick baby has given me a little time to post. My blog is looking kinda shabby with mainly old pictures and little updates. Sorry! What can I say, life is kinda busy. So if no more posting before Christmas, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Class Reuninon Attempt

Okay, so I know that it has been a while since I have posted anything. I went from several posts a month to well....nothing! Life has been so busy. I have been working full time, and by the time we get home, get homework up, and try to get lunches and clothes ready for the next day, I am totally exhausted. Once everyone is in the bed, I try to sit down and watch t.v., but that lasts for about 20 minutes before I am asleep for the night. I sleep most nights on the couch, because that is where I crash. I have enjoyed my job in Talladega, have enjoyed the people and the type of work, but it has been so hard being that far away from the kids. With that being said, God has blessed me with a new job working in Ashland for Dr. Poole and Dr. Champion. It will be 8-5, Monday through Friday. Yay! No working Saturdays anymore, plus I am so happy that I will be able to get off in time to pick the kids up from daycare. I have had to rely on Maurine Monday through Thursday, and my Mom on Fridays to pick my kids up. I do not like relying on someone every day to pick up MY kids. But, I am so thankful for a mother and mother-in-law that has been willing to go that extra step to help us out. I will start my new job on Monday.

Last weekend was my class reunion, or should I say attempted class reunion. We were to meet at Court Square Cafe for supper and then attend the Homecoming football game. Well, four of us showed up for supper and then there were three others that were at the ballgame! Hahaha! Even though this was not as successful as intended to be, I enjoyed seeing old friends. Even though I see Matt and Ben pretty often, I do not get to see Lisa that much, and I enjoyed getting to see her. Lisa is a type of friend that it doesn't matter how long we haven't talked, we can just pick up like it was just yesterday that we seen each other. I really need to visit my friends more often. Here are some pictures that were taken that night.

Oh, and yes I do realize I have a summer beach picture of the boys and have a fall themed blog, and it is now October. :) Just so hard to get a good picture of all three of the boys together and this was the last attempt. Ha!

It's that time of year again......School time!

Austin is officially a first grader as of Aug. 10th. He has Allison Wesley as a teacher and I could not be happier. Allison is such a sweet person and seems to have so much patience. Austin started his year off just fine. I went in with him the first two mornings, but he really could of cared less if I went in with him or not. He does not get nervous or anxious about much of anything (well at least not at this point in his life). I even had to drag him out of bed on his first day. I think he is becoming little Andrew a little more every day, just doesn't get worked up about a whole lot.

Kade and Kamden start their school year at First Assembly tomorrow. Kamden will be in K2 and Kade will be in K4. They seem to be getting adjusted to getting up in the mornings and having to go to school. Kamden hardly cries anymore. KAMDEN.....Oh, my sweet baby is going through the terrible twos in a very terrible way. Some mornings it seems as if he whines and cries from the moment he wakes up until I get him out of the car at school. And we pick up where we left off when I pick him up in the afternoons. Somedays are worse than others. I guess this really started getting bad about 2 months ago. Don't get me wrong...he does have good days, just not a whole of them right now.

Kade has recovered from getting his tonsils out. Everything seems to be doing okay with that except for his voice. Kade has a nasaly voice anyway, but it seems to actually be worse. He is talking through his nose really bad. I am hoping it is related to this runny/stopped up nose he has been having. I am going to let him totally recover from his cold before I call the dr. But, it seems as though something may be going on with that. He sounds really funny at times, and yes, I admit we have been getting a laugh out of it. Just hoping his voice clears up really soon.

Andrew and I have just been working alot. I am off work today, but it is only because I have to work on Saturday. Andrew has been working until about 9 or 10:00 every night this last week and he is just drowning in work. Side work for him can be a good thing $, but I know he is getting exhausted. Just hope it slows down a little bit.

Well, that is about all we have been up to. I don't get to blog that often now, but I will try to keep this updated as much as possible. Hope everyone has a great week!

Sickness, Surgery, and Broken Bones......

Okay, so I have worked for a total of one month (almost). Since I have started working, Kamden has had a stomach virus, Kade has a possible fractured arm (accident that happened at school), and Kade has had to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. The first day I missed work was because I had to take Kade to the Ortho doctor, because our family doctor said his arm was fractured. The Ortho doctor couldn't tell anything for sure, so we have to go back this Thursday to get a repeat x-ray, because the doc said it is easier to see a fracture on a x-ray 10 days later. Why??? I don't really know. Just hoping it is not fractured because Kade would not be a happy camper in a cast. But, for right now, he is just in a splint (most of the time). :) Then, Kamden had a stomach virus. One day Maurine and Jenny took turns keeping him, the next day Andrew took some sick time and stayed with him, and then the next day, Shani (babysitter) stayed with him. Which brings me to today. Kade had his tonsils and adenoids removed this morning, and is asleep on the couch as I type this. He has done okay with the surgery so far. Just real sore throat and laying around. I will be home with him tomorrow too. Andrew will have his turn on Thursday, and not so sure what Friday holds. So, as you can tell there are definitely drawbacks to working full time and trying to be Mommy too. I know it will not always be this hard, but for right now it seems like a juggling act. Just hoping things will start getting a little easier.

So It's Off to Work I Go!

Well, after several weeks of feeling like it was the end of the earth because I was putting the boys in preschool, I started back to work again. I have been at home with my babies for four years, and it was the hardest decision ever to decide to go back to work. And, honestly, if we had plenty of money, of course I would still be at home with my monkeys, but that is just not the case. I started working for Dr. Pickrell (eye doctor) two weeks ago, and everything has been going pretty good. The first night I cried myself to sleep, because it was then that I realized exactly how much time a day I would be spending with the kids. I started Kade and Kamden at First Assembly Christian School and Austin is going too for the month of July. I have been very pleased with the care they are getting there and feel like they are in good hands of good Christian people. Kade absolutely loves it, and has not cried any. Kamden, on the other hand, is very hesitant in the mornings. For the first three days he cried, then the next two days after that he kinda walked in, slammed his backpack down, and looked at everybody like he really, really, didn't want to be there :), then Friday, he just kinda walked in and seemed pretty much okay, and I slipped out the door. To see him slam his backpack against the wall and give the look that he gave, was absolutely hilarious! But, we are slowly making progress. I am thinking this working thing may actually work out after all, although I do feel overwhelmed when I finally get home in the evenings and see the kitchen is still a disaster and breakfast from that morning is still on the table. :/ I am exhausted during the week because there is alot of preparation that goes into getting me off to work and the three monkeys off to daycare. But, anywho that is what life at our house has been like lately. As I am typing this, the boys are screaming and fighting, and Andrew is yelling for me to get in there. Another sign that all is well here! lol! Until next time.......

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Family Trip to the Beach

Our family went to the beach this past week and we had a blast. It was the first time we had been on a vacation without grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. It was kinda nice it just being us. Plus, you get to walk around only half clothed if you want to and that is always a plus! :) We stayed at Destin West Beach and Bay Club and it was so nice. It is somewhere I would want to stay at again! The beach was beautiful, the water was so clear, and guess what? NO OIL! Andrew and Austin done a lot of fishing, and me, Kade, and Kamden just enjoyed the water and sun. It was a great trip, although I could've went without the ride home. Kamden honestly cried and screamed for about two hours on the way home. He has never traveled well. To this day, he still cries when you put him in his carseat. But, I was impressed on the way down there because we didn't hear a peep out of him. All in all, it was a great vacation, and we got to spend some much needed family time. Just wish we could've stayed longer!

Kade's Birthday Party

Last Friday we had Kade a swimming birthday party. I honestly didn't think the birthday party or vacation were going to happen, but everything pulled together, the boys started feeling better, and everything turned out great. Thanks to everyone for coming, for the gifts, and for being part of Kade's 4th birthday. We love you all!

Happy Birthday Kade!

Today is Kade's 4th birthday!! I can't believe how the time has flown by. He is excited today too, even though he is running a high fever with a sore throat. He got a card in the mail yesterday from the church and toted it around the rest of the afternoon. I had to read it to him three different times. He was proud of his personal mail! We are going to have him a swimming birthday party Friday night, so I will post party pictures later. Happy birthday Kadie-bug!! We love you!

Update on Sparky

Okay, so maybe Sparky didn't adjust to the wild life after all. Less than 24 hours after being free, after a storm came through yesterday evening, Austin hollers out, "Look, there's Sparky." And yes, there was Sparky on our front porch on top of the rocking chair all drenched looking in the window at us. So, we went out to visit him and Austin had went and got him a piece of a waffle from supper, so Sparky sat on top of my head and ate part of his waffle, then took back off to the woods with the waffle in his mouth. We just thought he was probably hungry. But, no he came back, got back on top of the rocking chair and kept jumping up and hitting the window until we put him back in the house. So, he got to sleep in his stroller again or as known to him, his home. But, this morning Andrew took him back out to the woods, but who knows he will probably come back pretty soon, especially since he has figured out how to get our attention to let him back in. So cute!

You're Free Little Guy......

A couple of months ago, Jenny gave me a call that someone had given her a baby squirrel and that she didn't want it. I guess she knew I would take it, because I had to bottle feed one last year too. So, Sparky has been part of our family for a little while. I had to bottle feed him for several weeks, and he stayed in our bathroom in a cage, until he was active enough to get out of the cage and plus, to be honest squirrels are just messy little creatures. I took all I could with Sparky in my bathroom, so we moved him out in the garage until we could come up with another solution as to where we could put him until he was ready to be released. So he took up residence in my garage and called a stroller I had hanging up on the wall home. Yes, he slept in this stroller and when you went out there and called him, he would peek his head out of the top of the stroller. And, no this stroller is not usable anymore. He was very friendly and tame, and would love to crawl around on you and "fight" with your hand. He was definitely a cutie, but as time went on I was starting to miss my garage and longed for it to be cleaned out. Oh, did I mention that squirrels are not very tidy? So I started feeling sorry for him, because he knew nothing of the outside world, and me and the boys got Sparky and took him outside. At first he jumped off in my shrubs, but then came right back to me and jumped on my shoulder, but then it was like he realized he was free and took off running for a little patch of woods by our house and started playing in the trees. It was funny, because this even looked like new territory to him, because he actually fell out of the tree, but caught himself on another limb. So that is where we left him. A couple of hours later it started thundering and yes, I went outside and started to call him to see if he would come back to me. And yes, my thoughts were to put him back in the house until the storm was over, but no Sparky. I know, pathetic, right? So, anyways, this was my successful story of mothering a squirrel and returning it back to the wild.

What We've Been Up To....

I just wanted to update on what our family has been up to.

Austin is finishing up his last week of Kindergarten. He loves school, but I think he is ready for a little vacation. The other day when I asked him if he was ready for first grade, he replied,"No, I'm not signing up for first grade this time." It is funny how they catch on to the "signing up" thing. I guess in his little mind he had signed up for tball, had signed up for arts camp, will be signing up for peewee football soon, so he just took it that you "signed up" for school too. :) His last tball game (I think it will be his last) is Saturday. Tball has been fun and I think it has taught him some things. Our Awana program at church has ended for this year and we are having a pool party tonight at Meme and Paw's house. We have already been swimming a couple of times, and Austin is really getting better at swimming. He just needs to work on going under water, but he is definitely making some progress.

Kade is just Kade. He is just hanging out taking it easy. He is just going with the flow and enjoying life. I am beginning to see that he is taking on my personality. He tends to be quiet and keeps to himself alot. He likes being around other kids, but also likes to be by himself. As far as his progress in the pool...he would rather just float around relaxing.

Kamden is a clown. We laugh at him constantly. He is now using the potty (most of the time) and feels such accomplishment from this. He giggles all the time and is just so full of life. He is starting to become obsessed with playing ball. Any kind of ball, as long as it is round and he can throw it. You can tell he is going to be athletic. Me and Andrew was laughing the other day because we seen that Kamden could throw a baseball just as far as Austin could. But, of course we would not tell Austin that. Another thing that he does is he will run and jump in the swing, lay back, and wrap his little legs around the chains, and will swing completely upside down. He looks like a monkey when he does this. It is so cute!

I have just been chasing kids and doing the normal day to day routine. I have actually been sick with the crud, and didn't move from the couch much at all yesterday. I feel better today, but still not wonderful. Another "big" thing going on with me is that I have a job interview tomorrow. I had applied several months ago for a job opening in an eye doctor's office. It is a technician's job. I think I would enjoy this, but had actually just forgot about it since it had been a couple of months without hearing anything from it. So, when I got a message that they wanted to come in for an interview, my stomach automatically was tied in knots. I have been at home with my babies for four years now, and it is hard to imagine anything else. Plus, my first thought was,"Oh no, it is summer and Austin is about to be out of school". But after talking to Andrew and seeing that this could possibly take a load off of him from having to work all the time, it just feels right to go for the interview, find out how many hours per week, how much the pay is, and then sit down and figure out exactly if this little bit of extra income would make any difference because I have to consider the cost of daycare, plus it would be daycare for three for the summer. I just need to pray and weigh my options. I just know that our life feels a little off balance with Andrew working all the time. I just wish he could spend some more time at home with his boys, and if me working to help out means that he can be home a little more with the boys, and not so stressed out about money, then that is what I will need to do, because our kids need their daddy home a little more.

That brings me to Andrew.....he has been working his butt off! He is such a hard worker, and I am so thankful to have a husband that works so hard to provide for his family. He has been getting home around 8 or 9:00 alot of nights here lately and has been working alot on Saturdays. Do I think that getting a job would really make him home more and not work on the side so much???.....Uh,no. Are you kidding? But, maybe he wouldn't feel so stressed out all the time. He has been so busy with side work lately, that we are struggling to fit in some "family time". We really need a vacation!!!!

Sorry this post was a little lengthy, but just wanted to update.

Austin is a graduate!

Wow! This year has really flew by so fast. I can not believe that Austin's Kindergarten year is almost over. He had his graduation last night and I was so proud of him. Oh, yeah! Did I mention he was the most handsome little kid there? His part in the graduation was the groom, so he was all decked out in his suit and tie. And, he didn't go without noticing that he looked handsome either. We got a good laugh out of that. He held his head up and walked around the gym with a new found confidence. He couldn't even sit down and stay still. He wanted everybody to see him. The graduation was really cute, but it was suffocating hot in there. I think everyone could have breathed a whole lot better if they would have just had it outside. But, anyways I just wanted to share some pictures of my little man and his special night. I am such a proud Mom!