Tuesday, May 29, 2012

1st Tooth

My baby girl the one I brought home barely 5 years ago lost her 1st tooth.  I don't know how I feel about this.  I am so sad she is growing up so fast.  There have been so many changes in just the past few months and it seems to be happening so fast.  For now I will be excited we have hit another mile stone, but inside terrified she is growing up way tooooooooo fast.  


Tuesday, May 22, 2012

We found a home

Yes we found a home and no we are not moving.  We have found a church home.  We searched a lot after we left our old church and found a hard time feeling at home.  You know the feeling that you know you are where you belong.  Back in January after we had Hunter we started attending Wilson Community Church.  It was ok, I mean the pastor is very good, and it had a very organized and thriving children's ministry (one of the things we were looking for), but we seemed lost.  It was such a large church, something we were not used to and we were having a hard time connecting.  We wanted it to work, but it never quite felt right.  However, we felt this almost pull to keep going.  One Sunday when we were sure that we wanted to move on I filled out the connection card and checked the little box that said we were interested in a small group.  Later that week I got an email from a small group leader interested in us joining their group.  It was a sign for us to keep trying because things were turning around.  A few weeks later I noticed they were doing a child dedication Sunday the next week.  I was really excited because we had not had the chance to have our last baby dedicated back to the Lord.  The next Sunday felt different, we were so excited to go to church we saw everything in a different light.  We were happy, very happy.  That week we attended our 1st small group and it really solidified everything for us.  The more we attend church and small group the happier and more at HOME we are.   SO we have finally found our home.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The calm before the storm...

I am sitting here tonight preparing myself to take Ashlynn and Everett to preschool like any other Thursday.  Giving the kids dinner, getting them to take a bath, getting on their PJ's, making sure the book bags are packed, their clothes are picked out, and then get them ready to go to bed.  However, I realized tonight that this is the last night I will get my sweet girl ready for preschool.  Tomorrow is it the last day my sweet girl will ever go to West Nash (as a student anyway) and I don't know how I feel about it.  I cry every time  the word graduation comes up, every time I see her name on the list for tomorrow's program, and every time I catch her singing her graduation songs for tomorrow night.  How did we get here?  Was it not just yesterday I brought my tiny little girl home?  I know we have a long time before she graduates high school, goes to college, or even gets married.  I know I will still have her for the next 13 years at least, but at the same time it feels like it will all be over tomorrow.  The past 5 years flew by and my sweet girl is looking at KINDERGARTEN.  She will be in school and once you start school the next 13 years will fly by in a blink of an eye.  I bet my parents are thinking the same thing right now I was born they blinked and now I am married with 3 kids.  I know I should be happy we made it this far, that she has accomplished so much in 5 years already.  She can walk, talk, dress herself, feed herself, swing all by herself, she can write and recognize her letters, write words, she is learning to read and so much more.  I am so proud of her accomplishments but at the same time I am terrified.  She is becoming more and more independent and tomorrow is just the start of it all.  She is no longer a baby, toddler, or a preschooler but at the same time I still see her as this tiny little fragile girl who needs me for every little thing.  I am terrified of the changes our family will experience over the next few months and years.  A season in our lives is over and a new one is soon to start.  We will embark on a journey of raising a school aged child and all that comes with growing up.  I am not sure mommy is ready for this CHANGE.  What an evil word when you are talking about your tiny humans growing up.  Tomorrow we as a family will close a chapter and start a new one.   In the mean time I will spend my night is denial that tomorrow is like any other preschool day.   I will leave you with the story I am reading my sweet girl's preschool class tomorrow.  When I was in Gamma Sigma in college we would read "Oh, The Places You'll Go"  By Dr. Suess to our graduating members.  So as a little treat to the graduating preschoolers. 


Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on y our way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Monday, May 14, 2012

Best Mothers Day EVER!

Yesterday I had the best Mother's day a woman could ask for.  It started off with 2 sweet homemade cards from Ashlynn and Everett.  Of course the hubby gave me a very sweet and heartfelt Mother's day card.




Then the absolute best part of my Mother's Day was dedicating our sweet little Hunter Matthew at church yesterday.  We have been attending Wilson Community Church and we are very happy there.  So Don and I were thrilled when we heard they were doing a baby dedication service.  It was the best Mother's day gift I could have ever asked for.  Hunter is such a little blessing to our family especially since the end of my pregnancy and the beginning of his life was very difficult.  Our little miracle overcame polyhydramosis (too much amniotic fluid) and the complications from the condition which almost caused my uterus to rupture from the pressure of too much fluid.  I had 9 times the normal amount of fluid and it caused a lot of issues for me and Hunter.  Then he wasn't breathing at birth and that was the scariest first minutes of his life.  You expect when the baby comes out to have a robust and loud cry and when you don't hear that its so scarey.  He had a wonderful team of doctors and nurses that had our baby boy breathing rather quickly.  Then our sweet boy developed jaundice after only being home fore 24 hours.  Hunter's case was very dangerous because his levels were not slightly elevated like most baby jaundice cases.  His jaundice levels were above 27 which causes severe brain damage to a baby.  The pediatrician and doctors at Wilson Medical were very worried about him and had us very scared for his life and the potential complications.  Our sweet boy's life was once again in jeopardy.  They sent him to the specialists at the Children's Hospital in Greenville where he had to have photo therapy, several iv's of fluids, saline, potassium, etc. to get his little system back on track.  We were finally sent home where he was still on photo therapy for a few more days,  All of the cards were stacked against him and he still made it with no physical problems, no health problems, and PRAISE JESUS no brain damage.  We are so lucky to have Hunter here and for him and I to be healthy.   We were ecstatic to be able to dedicate him back to the Lord because without him the outcome could have been very different.  So this year I am very blessed and very thankful to be a mother of 3 little angels.   Hunter Matthew belongs to Jesus and I hope and pray that he has a long rewarding life that is a not as tough as the start of his life.




Then we celebrated my sweet nephew's 4th birthday party at Five county stadium at the Mudcats baseball game.  Ashlynn and Everett LOVE baseball and Muddy the Mudcat and were so happy to spend their afternoon watching baseball and eating peanuts.  Hunter enjoyed being passed around to family and friends.  I can't wait till he can enjoy the baseball game in the same way Ashlynn and Everett do.  My sweet nephew has a great time and a big turnout for his birthday.  Ashlynn was so EXCITED to get time with her Ben.  She loves being with him.  We had a great afternoon watching the Mudcats win and watching little Ashy and Ben run the bases after the game.


My day ended at my parents house sitting around the dining room table playing board games till late at night.  I love getting that time with my family.


There is no material gift in this world I could have wanted more than the wonderful day I had yesterday with my family.