Little Sugar Mama and Sons

2011-03-11T12:48:00.003-05:00

L.S.M. has a new home!

2008-09-13T16:09:00.003-04:00

I have upgraded blog types, to a more customizable type. The new address is almost identical to the old. It is www.littlesugarmama.wordpress.com.

I hope you enjoy the new look!

Family Picture - DISASTER!

2008-09-12T22:27:00.002-04:00

Why do we even try??? All I wanted was a good family picture of me, my hubby and the boys. Well, I guess when you have a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old, that is about like asking the impossible. We have not gotten a family picture taken since Micah was 9months old. I have not even been lucky enough to get a good picture of both the boys together. We had an appointment to go last Friday, but everyone was just getting over being sick, so I decided to call it off. That was the last thing I needed to worry about. Earlier this week, I scheduled another appointment for this afternoon. I spent a good portion of the day picking out outfits and making sure that boys were well fed and rested for the picture. Our appointment was at 4:30. We got there and they were not ready to take us. I knew then that we were in for it. I almost decided to just go home. They finally got to us 30minutes late. We had a hard time getting both boys to coraperate at the same time. If one was smiling, the other was wanting to run around. If one was sitting still with a half smile on their face, the other one was crying. And then there was the decent picture of the boys, but I had my eyes closed. I'll just say I was praying. We just couldn't win. As frustration levels were rising, we decided to call it quits. The lady showed us the three pictures that were halfway acceptable. I did not like any of them and just decided to try it another time. The sunny side of it...we did not spend any money. I can remember times that I would just take Micah for pictures and would have to control myself or I would come out broke. Let's just say that I want have to worry about breaking the picture budget...at least for a while.

Does anyone with small children have any pointers for getting good professional pictures??? :)

To our family and friends-if you get a picture this year that has four separate pictures all pasted together, I hope you understand why.

Hello Gymnastics!!!

2008-09-09T13:24:00.007-04:00

I had always wished that I could have taken gymnastics when I was a little girl. I have never really been good at any other kind or sports, but I could always imagine myself twirling on the bars and doing floor routines just like the Olympic stars. Some times we live out our childhood fantasies through our children. So when I saw the flyer for the YMCA Gymnastics Preschool Team, I was excited. I was even more excited when Charlie agreed that Micah could participate. So off we went this morning to try out our first class. All the other little gymnast were Micah's age, some a little younger. It was fun watching them. I don't think there are any future Olympic medalist on the team, but It seems like a fun sport to try for as long as Micah enjoys it.

2008-09-07T13:55:00.004-04:00

The first week of September was one of sickness for Micah and myself. I had the fever when he did last Sunday and then it hit me again on Wednesday afternoon. I had a fever of 102, chills, I was sore all over, headache, sore throat, etc. I was miserable. The doctor started treating me for STREP and I feel much better now. For about three days, I didn't feel like doing much of anything. I took care of the kids and that was about all I had the energy for. I always feel bad for the boys when I am sick, since they don't have their normal mama to play with and take them places. I decided that this weekend would be a good time for another family night, since everyone was better.

Yesterday, we went around with our realator and looked at houses for the first time. We found one that we really liked, but will just have to wait and see if our house sales in a timely fashion. We then picked up pizza and took it to the park for a picnic. When we got home we made peanut butter cookies, let the boys play together on the matress for a little while and then it was time for Noah to go to bed. We did a craft with Micah and then ate our cookies while we laid in bed watching the movie. Micah loves to sleep with us on family night. I don't know what he likes more, the idea of camping in the living room or getting to sleep between mom and dad. I hope that memories such as these are ones that he can recall when he is older.

The Mysterious Fever Strikes Again!

2008-09-01T21:40:00.002-04:00

When Micah was 5 months old, I took him to the doctor because he had a fever. The fever was really high for his age and the doctor thought that he could possibly have Meningitis, so she sent us to the hospital. This was just the day before we were to fly out to Colorado. We had had the trip planned for months and my parents were going to go with us. Well, the trip was canceled as we spent most of our vacation in the hospital caring for one sick little boy. He did not have Meningitis, but they never did figure out what it was. It was labeled the "mysterious fever."

I had flash backs of that this weekend when once again Micah spiked a high fever. Sunday, he was burning up, crying and lethargic. I checked his temperature and it was 103.7. It came on quick. He seemed to be fine and then just a little while later was very ill. I immediately phoned the doctor. We were able to get it to come down, so we did not have to go to the E.R. over the holiday weekend. Thank you Lord! I also had a high fever last night. I have not had a fever in years and let's just say, they are miserable! I got over mine thankfully in just a matter of hours. Micah still has the fever. It comes and goes and has not been as high as it was yesterday, but we will probably be going to the doctor in the morning to have him checked out. He had an ear infection a couple of weeks ago, so maybe it is from that. You never know with little ones and that not knowing is what is hard.

Crazy Kid!

2008-08-29T13:21:00.005-04:00

Charlie and I were watching television together one night this week after the boys were in bed. As we got finished watching, Charlie got up to turn the t.v. off and noticed Micah laying on the rug, head facing the television. He was fast asleep. He did not even open his eyes or move when Charlie picked him up and put him in the bed. We had a good laugh about that!

?????

2008-08-19T20:10:00.004-04:00

It is about that time again. I need to post about something, but not sure what to post on. Life has settled down a little bit with school starting back and being in our routine once again. We have almost 50 kids enrolled at the preschool this year, so that has made work interesting, but fun! Micah seems to be enjoying school this year more than he ever has.

We were back at school for all of two days when Micah started crying and pulling at his ear. Last Friday, he was fine one minute and then the next he was crying and saying that his ear hurt. I quickly got him an appointment to see the doctor, because I knew it would be a long weekend if my suspicions were right and he had an ear infections. We had to wait about 2 hours for our appointment. Most of that time he spend laying on the couch crying and saying "doctor, doctor." He was pitiful. He never usually complains about pain, so I usually try my best to investigate and get to the bottom of his complaints. He did have an ear infection. This is his first one since he got tubes when he was 13 months old. I just hope that we don't go through that again this season.

First Day of School

2008-08-11T22:34:00.003-04:00

Today was our first day back at school. We have a total of 46 toddlers and preschoolers enrolled for the year. It was a typical first day, but overall everything went great! Here are a some pictures of the boys in their classrooms.

They are Watching Us!

2008-08-08T08:23:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, I was getting ready in my bathroom. Noah was with me. That is a good thing, because when I take my eyes off of Noah I better get ready to clean-up a mess. Well, this time Micah took on the role of mess maker. Micah was watching Mickey Mouse while I was getting ready. He usually never gets into anything, so I can leave him to himself for a while without worrying. Not this time! I walked back in the living room to see him painting his toenails on the rug. No only did he paint his toenails, but he also painted my hardwood floors. He has seen me paint my toenails many times and he decided he would try it himself. He actually did a good job with the toenail part.

That same morning, I watched a special on Stephen Curtis Chapman's family. It was very touching and I started crying. Micah came over to me and said, "mama cry, mama sad." I went in the bathroom and washed my face and then gave him a big hug. He is so sympathetic and does not like it when I'm not happy. He will randomly ask me, "mama happy?" I guess he could not get this incident off his mind. A little while later he was watching Mickey Mouse. He went in our bathroom and got that same rag and sat in the same spot where I had been sitting earlier. He came over to me and said, "Micah cry," Micah sad." That was very sweet. It makes me realize how he is watching everything I do.

The Wiggles are Back

2008-08-08T08:16:00.002-04:00

Shortly after Micah's first birthday, he became obsessed with The Wiggles! We bought the dvds found the toys at yard sales and went to two live concerts. I thought the phase would never end, and it last for 2 solid years. But then he started to want to watch Mickey Mouse more and more and The Wiggles a little less. We were done with The Wiggles for a few months. Long enough for me to consign some of the toys (thankfully not all). Now Noah loves The Wiggles. It is the only show that he will attend to for more than 5 minutes. Micah acts like he doesn't like them anymore, but as soon as I turn them on, he is joining in on the fun. Wiggles, we are back and I'm sure we will be seeing you in concert again soon!

There's a First Time for Every Thing!!!

2008-08-05T21:21:00.002-04:00

I got pulled over today. I was in the CVS parking lot...who would have thought???? The officer said that he noticed I was not wearing my seat belt and wanted to know if I had a reason for not doing so. I politely said, "no, I just forgot." He said that they were trying to crack down on this and that they are pushing for a higher percentage of the city to wear seat belts. He gave me a "seat belt citation." It does not go on my record. He said that it is just there to remind everyone of the importance of wearing their seat belt. It was for $15. I gladly took the ticket and told him that it would definitely serve as a reminder for me in the future. That is the first time I have ever had any kind of right up like that. I am just glad that it does not go against my record. It really will be a good reminder for me to buckle my seat belt every time I get in the car.

A Walking Maniac!!!

2008-07-29T23:55:00.004-04:00

Yes...Noah is doing it. He is walking on his own two feet. It seems as if the shoes were what he needed. It is so funny to watch him try and keep his balance as he walks. He is a very noisy walker. He is also very proud of himself!!! For him, this is just a step closer to being like his big brother.

A Must Read!

2008-07-27T19:28:00.002-04:00

I am currently doing a Bible Study with a group of ladies using the book, "When Women Say Yes to God." It is by Lysa Terkeurst. She is the president of Proverbs 31 Ministries. You should check out the website at proverbs31ministries.org. The book is short and easy to read. It gives encouragement to women about ways we can experience life in extraordinary ways and receive blessings that can only come from God when we are obedient to Him. I finished it in just a couple of days. I am way ahead of myself now with the Bible Study part of it, but I could not put the book down. It is another book on my list of must reads. I have ordered a couple of more books from the Proverbs 31 website.

2008-07-23T07:27:00.002-04:00

I took Noah to his first Physical Therapy visit last week. I know I have not posted about this, but thought that I should. This blog started out as a place to post updates on Micah's progress. Well, I guess Noah is wanting a little of the spot light now. Noah is over 15 months old and is still not walking. His feet turn out when he cruises. His left one is at a 90 degree angle from the rest of his body. When I took him for his 15 month check-up the doctor was concerned about it and said that she believed the problem was coming from his hip. She made an appointment for him to start Physical Therapy. I begin to research hip problems in toddlers and was starting to get a little anxious about what I was reading. If it truly were a hip problem, we might be looking at a full body cast for months and possibly even surgery.

The Physical Therapist said that she thinks his problem might just be in his ankles. Both ankles were super flexible, more like that of an infant. This means that his muscles are weak. This is something that years ago would have called for the big bulky braces, but she just asked that we get him some special high top walking shoes that he can't get off and that will give his ankles support. Saturday, we took a trip down the Buford to get his shoes from Stride Rite. I spent $50 on his shoes! I don't even spend $50 on my shoes, but I will take spending that any day over a full body cast. He has not made much progress with the shoes yet, but the next few weeks should tell if his ankles are truly the problem. Please pray for little Noah that this be a simple fix.

Just in Case You Need a Laugh...

2008-07-15T16:14:00.002-04:00

I met several moms from our MOPS group at Monkey Joes in Gainesville this morning. Monkey Joes is a huge indoor play place with lots of huge inflatables. It is a kids dreamland! I was just getting ready to leave and telling Micah we had 5 minutes left and turned around to engage in the following conversation with a 10-year-old little boy:

Little boy: Hey, I wanted to tell you that my friend has a crush on you.
Me: Oh really, how old are you?
Little boy: I'm 10!
Me: And how old is your friend?
Little boy: He is 10 or 11.
Me: Wow, well that's interesting!

I thought about telling him that I was old enough to be his friend's mother, but I did not want to break his little heart. I guess he went back and told his friend. The rest of the time we were there, they were spying on me. Whenever they would catch my eyes, they would run off giggling. My mom friends and I got a good laugh out of it!

Bath Time...Crazy Time

2008-07-09T20:14:00.005-04:00

Noah no longer sits in his safety seat in the tub, so bath time is always interesting. He likes to stand up and then let go, fall down and make a big splash. He has taught Micah how to do this as well, so lets just say there is some times more water on the floor than in the tub.

House For Sale

2008-07-09T20:10:00.002-04:00

Our house is ready to be put on the market. It does not feel like my house anymore. The rooms are all painted back natural and there are not any pictures on the walls of my sweet boys. I am a little nervous about the entire process, but Charlie has a complete peace, so we will trudge ahead. We will put a For Sale by Owner sign up on Saturday. Please Pray!!!

I would have two more children if.....

2008-07-05T23:13:00.003-04:00

my labors were as easy as my sister-n-laws!!!! Some things in life are just not fair. My sister-n-law, Kiley gave birth to her little girl last night. I was there the entire time and got a bird's eye view of the delivery. It was incredible! That type thing it so interesting to me, I knew that I should have been a nurse. The craziest part was that she pushed two times and that little girl came sliding out. I was amazed! I pushed for an hour with Micah and he still needed assistance making his way into the world. I envy women that have easy pregnancies and deliveries. In my dream world, my pregnancies would have been perfect, my deliveries would have been quick and natural and I would have had 3 or more natural children. My body has not been built for such and so two is enough for me. Seeing that little baby girl made me have thoughts of having another one, but those were short lived when I thought about having to get up several times each night.

Where Has the Summer Gone

2008-06-30T22:27:00.006-04:00

We have been so busy this summer that it has just seemed to have flown by. We are in the process of getting putting our house on the market. We have been doing home improvements and cleaning every spare minute. We are looking to find our bigger house while it is the time to buy and the interest rates are low. We should have it ready in just a few days. Please pray for us!

On top of all that we have been still fighting different sicknesses. The week of VBS we had a weird virus in the form of a severe headache. Right after VBS, we all caught a bad cold. We are now just getting over that.

I took Micah back to the Urologist last week. Everything was fine with his ultrasound...Praise the Lord. He is just experiencing some symptoms that should subside as his body grows and matures. I am currently being treated for a pinched nerve in my neck. The last several months it has been very painful, but is doing much better with current treatment.

Noah has become our little comedian. He loves life and enjoys getting everyone to laugh at him. He will be 15 months old this weekend and is still exploring his world on all fours...Talking about a late walker!!!!

We went to the Atlanta Zoo last week with our church group. Micah loved hanging out with the older children.

I have done some research on water slides. I really wanted to buy one to have here at the house and then use at preschool, church, socials, etc. I purchased one online and got a great deal. Here is a picture of Micah and his friends having fun in our backyard.

VBS Pics

2008-06-24T15:26:00.004-04:00

I'm Back!

2008-06-22T21:00:00.002-04:00

It has been a couple of weeks since I have posted. I don't like missing weeks at a time, but the last couple of weeks have been crazy. We have just gotten finished with a week of Vacation Bible School. My niece who is 8 stayed with us for the week of VBS. We had a great time with her here and stayed busy doing things that she would enjoy as well as something that our boys liked as well. Her and I got to spend some quality time together playing cards after the boys went to bed. It was neat talking and playing with a child that can actually understand and play games that I like to play. It makes me look forward to my boys getting older, but I also don't want to rush their toddler and preschool years away.

We had a great time at VBS! We had 24 kids that made decisions for Christ and it was overall a lot of fun! I will post pictures tomorrow.

We have also all had a weird headache virus. I got it last Wednesday night at church and had to have my friend drive me home. My head was hurting so bad that I could not even open my eyes. I was so sick that I was about to have Charlie take me to the emergency room. The next day, my friend had the same symptoms. A few days later another one of my friends had the severe headache. Then, right in the middle of VBS week, Charlie and my niece Kaitlin got it. It was stressful there for about a day. Taking care of VBS responsibilities as well as two active toddlers, one sick husband and sick child (who is not my own). The main symptom for everyone was just a severe headache. How STRANGE!!!!

We take Micah tomorrow for a follow-up visit with the Urologist. He is still having the same problems.

Another Specialist to Cross off the List

2008-06-09T22:30:00.003-04:00

ENT - check
Cardiologist - check
Opthamologist - check
Neurologist - check
Neurosurgeon - check
Physical Therapist - check
Speech Therapist - check
Urologist - check

We took Micah to the Urologist today to further investigate his weird bladder/kidney symptoms. He has a list of symptoms that Charlie and I have been concerned about and his pediatrician did not have an answer for either. We had his appointment at 3:20 in Athens. It took us an hour to get there. We woke Noah up from his nap and Micah did not have time to take a nap. You know you are in for an interesting visit when you arrive at the office and there is a sign on the counter that says, " Dr. _________ is running 45 minutes behind schedule. Thank you for your patience." Patience may be something that is easy for a 80 year-old widow that is there by herself, but not for a young family with a 3 and 1 year-old. We waited for 1 1/2 hours to see the Urologist who was in the room with us for all of 6 minutes. He did a short physical exam, which invaded Micah's privacy. Micah was not very happy about that. He screamed and fought it. I guess I can't blame him. A guy comes in the room, does not even acknowledge that you are there and has you get on an exam table so that he can prod different parts of your body.

The doctor's guess is that everything is fine based on his physical exam. He thinks that Micah might be going through a stage that some small children go through. He believes that he is having some type of spasms and suggested giving him medicine for it for about 8 months. Spasms explain most, but not all symptoms. He has scheduled an ultrasound of his kidneys to rule out other issues that could also be causing his symptoms. I have a prevalent history of kidney disease in my family, so the ultrasound is necessary and will help put our minds at rest.

Micah has seen many specialist in his 3 short years of life. We are thankful for great medical resources and care that is available today. Charlie was saying tonight that we are blessed that he has undergone lots of testing and seen many specialist, but overall he is a healthy little boy. He has developmental delays in a few areas that can make things challenging, but things could be much worse.

Noah is BETTER!

2008-06-03T16:19:00.002-04:00

I took Noah for his follow-up visit with his ENT today. He is doing so much better! What an answered prayer! That is one person in our house that has finally overcome the plague. Charlie's poison ivy is also getting better. Now the tables shift to myself and Micah. Micah is going to be seeing a urologist next week. He is showing all the signs of a kidney or bladder infection for about two weeks, but all of his test are coming back normal. Charlie and I are both stumped by his symptoms and are just praying that everything checks out okay. I am also going to the doctor next week to get my excruciating neck pain looked at, now that is now occurring more frequently. There is always some type of drama in the Kelly home. :)

This week, Micah has been going to VBS at Level Grove, the church where I direct the preschool. He is having a wonderful time. I guess this is actually his first time going somewhere like this all week with his mom not being in the same building. We have been practicing his memory verse today. We have his down to 4 words and if he says it tonight, he gets a special price.

My summer job started this week. I am working as intern to the children's minister at our church. I am going to be working on Tuesdays and Thursdays, plus on days that we do trips. Charlie will have the boys all day Tuesdays and Thursdays. I know they will have a great time!!!!?????

Camping Take 2

2008-06-02T15:33:00.009-04:00

We took our 2nd family camping trip this past weekend. We went to Tugaloo State Park this time with our friends The Hagertys. They have four children and Micah absolutely loves playing with them! He had a great time! It was fun watching him run around after them. It was much hotter this weekend, so it looks like we are going to have to do the rest of our camping trips for the summer in the mountains. Just Chillin...as always!

Micah got to touch a snake

And Noah got to touch a baby opossum!

Craziness!

2008-05-23T16:09:00.002-04:00

What a day! Charlie had a doctor's appointment at 8:30 this morning for poison ivy. When he got back Micah's doctor's office had me take him to the hospital and have him pee in a cup. We thought that he might have a kidney infection, but it turns out that he is just majorly constipated, so we are going to be cleaning him out this weekend. What fun! I took Noah to the doctor this afternoon, because he is 10 days out of surgery and he is sick again. So much for having a little extra money this month.

Moutain Laurel Festival

2008-05-20T21:17:00.008-04:00

We went to the Mountain Laurel Festival in Clarkesville on Saturday. Micah enjoyed running out to collect candy during the parade and Noah enjoyed eating the candy!

Noah's Surgery

2008-05-12T18:38:00.003-04:00

We left the house at 6:00 this morning to take Noah for his surgery in Gainesville. He did very good on the way down and while we waited, considering he could not eat or drink anything. He even did good when the took him from my arms and walked him back to the operating room. The procedure went well, but he had a reaction to the anesthesia. He freaked out on us for about 30 minutes with his eyes closed. Nothing we did calmed him down or pulled him out of it, so they gave him a couple of medicines through his iv to help counteract the anesthesia. He did not take to the surgery as well as Micah did. It took him until about 2:00 this afternoon to actually be consoled and start playing. It was a rough day, but we made it through and he is in the bed for the night...I HOPE!

Our First Family Camping Trip

2008-05-11T17:06:00.014-04:00

I have been wanting to go camping for a while. We have been wanting a pop-up camper, but do not have anything to pull it with or the money to spend on a camper, so we had no other choice but to start out with tent camping. We packed our family van full and headed to Unocoi State Park for the weekend. We were not sure how we would like it, but knew that we did not have a lot of money invested in it if we decided not to go again. We ended up really enjoying our time together away from phones, television and internet. The boys really loved it! I can't wait to go again. I think next time we will probably go with my parents or with some friends of ours. I am sure that one day we will upgrade and get a camper, but for now I think our WATERPROOF tent will do! Making his first smore!

The Wonderful Waterproof Tent!

My Parents visited us on Saturday afternoon

Fishing with paw paw and dada

Gorgeous view!

Enjoying his first Oreo!

A Day Out With Thomas

2008-04-27T15:10:00.016-04:00

We have just gotten back from our big weekend in Chattanooga and I am tired! I am going to need a couple of days to get caught up on rest. When we left the house, everyone was well. Noah is as well as he is going to get until he has his tubes and adenoid surgery on May 12th. On the way, to Chattanooga Friday night, Micah had diarrhea and I had to change him about 5 times before we even got to the hotel. That just came out of no where. I am not sure if it was something he ate or a short stomach bug. Things got better on Saturday and we had a good time seeing Thomas the Train and visiting the Aquarium and Children's Discovery Museum. We even got to spend a couple of hours at a big mall in the area that evening. Saturday was a busy, packed day and we were ready to call it a day. I finally got both the boys in bed and dozed off to sleep myself to be awoken not 10 minutes later by Noah throwing up all in his crib. It would not have been that bad if we were at home, but we only had a limited number of supplies since we were at the hotel. I was holding him while Charlie ran for a new sheet and changed his bed. About that time, he threw up again and this time a good bit of it hit me. I was hit with a sudden headache and sick feeling myself. At that very moment all the sickness of the last 3 months were flashing back in my brain and I just wanted to scream or cry. I was not quite sure which one would be more appropriate. All I could think was, "When will we get some relief from all this sickness????!!!!" It took all that I had in me to stay focused and not vomit myself. With Charlie's help I managed to make it through without a major break down. After that, he felt better and we were all able to get some rest. Thankfully he is fine now. We had to overcome some minor set backs, but we did have a good time. It was worth it all just seeing how much fun Micah had. This will probably be one of those things that he will talk about for a while.

Micah talked about riding Thomas for a while and then was not so sure he wanted to get on when it was time to board. He got over that quick though.

Two handsome engineers!

The following pictures were taken at the Children's Discovery Museum. This was probably the highlight of the trip. I highly recommend visiting this museum if you ever visit Chattanooga.

Cool Picture!

Our First Family Night

2008-04-24T13:54:00.002-04:00

Charlie and I have been brainstorming family traditions that we can start for our boys. One that we have known that we have wanted to do for quite a while is a family night. We are going to start doing this once a month with Micah and Noah will join in when he gets older. Charlie pulled our king sized mattress off of our bed and into the living room. Micah got to stay up late. We played outside until dark. We came in, fixed popcorn and ate in on the bed while we watched the "Bee Movie" It was the first time Micah has slept with us and I know now why he sleeps in his own bed. I ended up sleeping on the couch before he was pushing me off the bed. I did not get much rest, but the time together was worth it.

Tomorrow we leave for a mini family vacation. Thomas the Train is going to be in Chattanooga this weekend. We have our tickets to ride the train and Micah is excited. We are going to make a weekend out of it.

April Showers are Raining Down

2008-04-19T11:29:00.002-04:00

When it rains is pours! It has been pouring at our house lately. We have had a storm of sicknesses that have been going on strong since February. Noah got off of his antibiotic for the pneumonia on Sunday and we were in the doctor again on Thursday with another sinus infection. He is one sick toddler! The good thing is that we go to the ENT and Allergist next Friday. I got him taken care of Thursday and then it was time for me to go to the doctor. I have been needing to go for a couple of months now, but have just been putting it off. I have been spending so much time and money on Noah's sicknesses that I have not had time to focus on my own. I have had a sore throat and glands for a couple of months. It got so bad this week that I knew something was wrong and it was time to get it checked out. The doctor did a very thorough examination and asked me a bunch of questions. I was shocked when he mentioned that he thinks I have Mono, but it did make complete sense. I have been having headaches everyday, drained of energy and the sore, swollen glands...all which are symptoms of Mono. I have always thought of Mono as something you get when you're a teenager, so it never crossed my mind that Mono might be what was causing my crazy symptoms. I am glad to know that there is a cause for the way that I have been feeling lately and that it is not anything that won't heal in time. He said that it could take 6 months to get over and that the only thing you can do for it is drink and rest. He is doing several blood test on me and I will find out that results for sure on Monday. So for now, I will continue to press on and try to keep focused, so that I don't let myself get too run down. I will rest when I can, but when you have two toddlers, there's just not a whole lot of time for that. Why couldn't I have gotten this when I was a teenager. Then I could have been on homebound from school and had my assignments delivered to me. Everything around me would have still continued to function while I lay in bed. But now if I choose to just lay in the bed, there are meals that go uncooked, toddlers that go hungry and diapers that go unchanged. I will stand by the ole saying that says, "April Showers Bring May Flower." I am ready for some nice beautiful flowers to start blooming around here!

Some Pictures of Noah's B-day Party

2008-04-14T15:09:00.012-04:00

Doing Better

2008-04-14T13:09:00.005-04:00

I jus

Noah is into everything! I walked out of the room while he was eating breakfast to find that he had pulled the entire loaf of bread off the counter and had dumped out about 4 pieces.

Noah went to the doctor on Friday for his 1-year-old check-up. He weighs 25.5 pounds! He is in the 90th percentile for everything. His iron is low, so his immunity is down. That explains why he doesn't really have much energy. He is on an iron supplement now. He goes to see an ENT next week for tubes and to have his adenoids removed. I am excited to get that done! That is such an easy procedure that usually has great benefits.

Happy 1st Birthday Noah....

2008-04-06T19:13:00.002-04:00

Your present for your very first birthday is a new sickness, this time in the form of pneumonia. That's right, we spent Noah's 1st birthday in the emergency room. His fever got up to 104 last night and my parents stayed up pretty much the whole night trying to keep his fever down. We met them in Atlanta first thing this morning and I knew just by looking at Noah that this was not a normal sickness. I could tell he was even more sick than the last couple of times, I just wasn't sure what it could be. We decided to just take him by the emergency room in Gainesville to have him checked out. Well, I guess I should say Charlie decided that we would go to the emergency room. I was really concerned about Noah, because I knew he was really sick. But being the frugal mom that I am, I was also sick to know that going to the ER meant a big dent in the pocket book. I am glad that we went now though. They gave him a shot of antibiotic and prescribed another antibiotic for 10 more days. The shot should have him feeling better soon. He also has another ear infection. We go back to the doctor tomorrow to have him evaluated again. So much for his 1st birthday. I guess it is a good thing that he is too young to tell the difference. We will have a big party for him next weekend to make up for it! Please pray for Noah. We have got to figure out what is causing him to be so sick.

Wishful Thinking!

2008-04-05T19:28:00.002-04:00

We are currently is Birmingham and have just finished our marriage conference. When we got out of the conference, I had a message from my parents saying that Noah had a high fever and was really sick. I am not sure what he has at the moment. They are medicating him to keep his fever down and I guess we will be back at the doctor on Monday to start another antibiotic. The weird thing is that we have kept Noah away from all other children and public places for over 2 weeks, but he is sick again.

All Better!

2008-04-04T08:29:00.002-04:00

This post finds us down in my home town of Warner Robins. Charlie and I are attending a marriage conference this weekend in Birmingham and my parents are going to be watching the boys. I am so excited! We will not have any parental responsibilities for over 48 hours. This is the longest we have been away from both children since Noah was born. I am looking foward to being able to sleep until 8:00 every morning. I guess that might be possible if we don't have to be at the conference too early.

The best news is that finally everyone in our house is better! We have been sick now for over 6 weeks and it is a great feeling to not be giving doses of daily antibiotics and constantly wiping noses. I just hope that we stay this way for a while.

Easter Weekend

2008-03-24T20:04:00.020-04:00

We took Micah to the park to enjoy the beautiful weather on Friday. Snickers love to come along.

I took Micah to the Easter Egg Hunt at Community Bank & Trust on Saturday.

My sick baby fell asleep on our bed yesterday morning just one hour after waking up.

Look closely...there is a rooster on our back porch. He has been hanging out at our house for a couple of days, wakes me up in the mornings and poops in our garage.

We did not get to go to church on Easter Sunday, because Noah was still sick, but I dressed the boys up in the Easter outfits and took pictures of them with their baskets.

I want what he has!

We took the boys over the see Charlie's parents on Sunday and have Easter dinner with them.

Our Egg Hunt at Granny's house!

As we were leaving Granny's House today, it was SNOWING! Crazy weather for the day after Easter!

Let me recommend...

2008-03-22T22:19:00.002-04:00

I have just got finished reading the book "Making Your Child Mind Without Losing Your's" by Kevin Leman. I was on James Dobson's website researching discipline and saw that he recommended the book. It gave some very practical advice about discipline and why our goal should be to discipline our child and not punish them. I have seen a big difference in Micah's strong willed toddler behavior since I have been implementing some of his techniques.

The Plague Strikes Again Part Two

2008-03-21T14:05:00.002-04:00

Well, I type this as I lay in the bed sick. I knew it was going to happen. I just hoped that maybe just once it would pass me by. We ended up taking Micah to the Med Stop last night, because his fever was up to 103 and he was pretty lethargic. They did a strep test there and then sent us to the hospital for a flu test. Both test came back negative, so they are not sure of the cause of the fever and are currently treating him as if he has step throat. We were on the way home from all of that last night and Noah started screaming bloody murder in the back on the car. When I got him out, I realized he was burning up. His temperature was over 101. Micah seems to be feeling better today and Charlie is well at the moment, but Noah and I are pretty sick. I feel real bad for Noah, because now on top of an ear infection and sinus infection, he has caught whatever it is that Micah has.

The Plague Strikes Again

2008-03-20T08:16:00.002-04:00

We have pretty much been battling sickness since February. From STREP to RSV to ear infections...we have had it all. Noah is currently on antibiotics for twenty days in attempt to get rid of his ear infection once and for all. Charlie was sick again over the weekend and I have had a chronic sore throat for over 2 weeks. Sickness, take two...now Micah is sick with a virus. He was up from 2:00-5:00 last night with a high fever and vomiting. He was one sick little guy. I just wrapped him up in several blankets and held him until his fever broke, he threw up one last time and was then able to rest. I have not seen him this sick in quite a long time. I am just bracing myself, because the cycle is starting all over again and in about 12 hours someone else is going to be puking their guts out. So much for Easter Weekend!

"I Wanna Wing"

2008-03-13T19:18:00.003-04:00

Micah has been going to the hospital for Speech Therapy for about 6 months now. He loves the Speech Therapist there! He always wants to go home with her. She is young and pretty, so I think he might have a little crush. He looks foward to going every week. There is a swing hanging from the ceiling in the room that he likes to get on when he is done with his session. He likes for Noah to swing with him. I could not resist posting this cute picture of Noah sleeping on the swing.

Bye Bye Baby Hair! :(

2008-03-13T15:05:00.010-04:00

Charlie has been after me forever to get Noah's hair cut. It was really long in the back and I had many people come up to him and ask if he was a girl. So, yesterday I decided to stop putting it off and take him for his big boy hair cut. Taking him to have his hair cut was harder for me than it was with Micah. I am realizing more and more each day that my little boys are growing up. Part of me just wants to freeze time and cherish every precious baby and toddler moment. The other part of me looks forward to the day when our hard work as parents have paid off and Lord willing, they are young men that are followers of Christ. Noah sat in the chair for 20 mintues while the lady gave him the cutiest little boy cut. He was so precious. He didn't make a fuss the entire time.

I don't know if I am going to like this.

What is this lady doing to me?

Too Cute for Words!

All Done! How do you like my new doo?

2008-03-11T22:36:00.003-04:00

It has been almost a month from the start of this sickness, but everyone seems to be on the mend now. Noah is over the RSV. Praise the Lord! I do suspect that he has another ear infection though, so I will have to watch that. He has just turned 11 months old. That is hard to believe. Next month, we will celebrate his 1st birthday. I am going to miss him being my baby. Lord willing, I do get to look forward to adopting a precious baby girl. Just a quick update with that....we are still on the waiting list and trusting the Lord for the right timing. We know that there will be ups and downs in the process, as we have already seen them. But it is all in God's Hand and in His perfect timing.

Now to update on my sweet 3-year-old. He is my big helper around the house. He likes to set the table, entertain Noah and his newest skill is attempting to change Noah's diaper. It is so cute watching him interact with Noah. He is such a great big brother and sensitive to Noah's needs. As far has Micah's development goes, he is now receiving therapy 3 times a week for speech. We are seeing progress, but it is just slow. We both get discouraged at times, because it takes time and practice to see success. And he will succeed under such circumstances.

My Big Helper!

2008-03-05T14:32:00.003-05:00

Micah has proven to be the best big brother. He loves Noah very much and wants to know where he is at all times. He gets upset if we do not take him when we go somewhere. His newest thing is helping give Noah his breathing treatments. Noah is getting tired of his breathing treatments and gets a little fussy with me when I give them to him. Micah gave him his breathing treatment yesterday and Noah just sat there and did not even get upset when Micah would hold his head still.

2008-03-04T09:25:00.002-05:00

I just could not resist posting these adorable pictures of my chubby little Noah. I love to do different things with his hair after his bath. His hair is getting long in the back and it really bugs Charlie, but I am not ready to let go of that baby hair yet. Noah seems to be feeling better, but he is still wheezing and having trouble breathing. Through this horrible sickness, he still keeps his million dollar smile.

Will This Sickness Ever End?????

2008-02-28T13:21:00.005-05:00

Well, it has been a week since my last post and myself and the boys are still sick. Just when you think things are getting better, they make a turn for the worse. Noah has had a cold now for about 10 days. I heard Noah wheezing last night, so I took him to the doctor this morning to find out that he has RSV. He is a pretty sick little guy right now. He also has an ear infection. He is going to have to have breathing treatments every 4 hours for about a week. Thankfully we caught it before it got too bad, so that he did not experience any severe respiratory symptoms. These are pictures of him doing his first breating treatment at home. It is pretty high-tech! The machine is a bear and he gets to receive the treatment while sucking on a special pacifier.

Home Bound

2008-02-21T08:37:00.002-05:00

Well, it is know Thursday and we are still bound to the house with this flu/virus/cold/eye infection, etc. It is a little bit of everything. The boys have been sick since Sunday. Charlie woke up Tuesday with strep throat, so he stayed home from work. He is feeling better now, but my body has been fighting a variety of different symptoms all week. This morning, I woke up with every bone in my body aching and congestion in my chest. The boys and I have not been anywhere since Micah's Birthday Party. I am glad that we celebrated Saturday, because he was really sick on his birthday. I was planning on taking him somewhere special on his birthday, but he was too sick to leave home. We have not been to school, church or therapy in over a week. I just hope that my body continues to keep up the fight and that I don't get hit with everything at once. Mama does not have time to get sick!

"Mini Duggar Home"

2008-02-19T15:10:00.006-05:00

You may have seen that special that comes on TLC and documents the life of a family with 17 children. They have also been on the news, because they have such a huge family and say that they may have even more. Well, last night I got a little taste of what it would be like to have a big family. My friend Amanda had to take her husband to the emergency room, so she dropped her children off over here. She has kept my boys for me in the past, so this was my chance to return the favor. Well, Tom (Amanda's husband) ended up having to have emergency surgery to remove his galbladder and the children ended up
spending the night. They are great children, so they were not a problem to have around. The biggest issue was finding enough space to sleep eveyone in a 3 bedroom home. Micah enjoyed having them over and they all played great together. I can now see why people that have well-behaved children like having big families.

Mickey Party!!!

2008-02-18T15:23:00.009-05:00

We had Micah's birthday party on Saturday. He was so excited about his Mickey Party. He woke up that morning saying, "mickey, party, cake!" The thing he liked the most about the party was the presents and cake.

2008-02-18T14:50:00.004-05:00

I bought Micah some bubbles while I was out the other day. They were Mickey Mouse Bubbles, so he was excited about taking a "Mickey Bath." I put him in the bathtub with some bubbles and left to get Noah. Charlie came back with Noah just about a minute later to discover bubble mania!! Micah had dumped about half the bottle of "Micky Bubbles" in the tub.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

2008-02-18T14:43:00.003-05:00

Micah loves to watch Mickey Mouse when he wakes up each morning. He usally gets to watch one episode of it and then we turn it off. On Saturday mornings, we may make an exception and let him watch a couple of shows back to back. He would watch television all day if we let him. Noah doesn't care too much for tv, but he loves to be right with Micah. Micah doesn't seem to mind, as long as Noah doesn't mess with his food or trains.

One Blessed Mama!

2008-02-08T20:26:00.000-05:00

For those of you who have kept up with my blog over the last couple of years, you know that our son Micah has had some developmental delays. Right now that is expressed most in his speech. I have worked a lot with Micah over the last couple of years in different areas and have gotten discouraged at times. But all the hard work that being a full time mother demands is worth is all when you hear your little one say I love you.

I am constantly saying I love you to Micah, Noah and Charlie. He probably hears those words about twenty times each day. I have asked him if he loves me and he will say yes and repeat those sweet words after me giving it his best. Tonight I tucked him in the bed, told him I loved him, gave him a kiss and turned to leave the room. As I was shutting the door I heard him say, "wuv you mama." That was the first time he has said that without being prompt to do so. I left his room beaming with pride, knowing that I am one of the most blessed mamas in the world!

Micah will be three on the 19th. He is having a Mickey Mouse Party next week. Where has the time gone? Tomorrow he is going to help me stuff goody bags and a pinata.

Going to the Denist

2008-01-29T14:41:00.000-05:00

Micah went to the denist for the first time today. He did not have any problems, I just knew is was time to start taking him for his regular check ups. I was not sure how he would do, so I really talked it up. We took Mickey Mouse with us as well. It went really well! Micah was not scared at all. He let the denist count and brush his teeth. He has a total of 20 teeth!

A Long Road Trip

2008-01-23T07:42:00.000-05:00

We woke up Thursday morning to find out that school was called off and tons of snow on the ground. We made a last minute decision to go see my dad in Warner Robins who was having surgery that day. So, we braved the weather and took the long drive to WR. Micah was excited about the snow and got to play in it for a few minutes before we left. We surprised my dad at the hospital. He enjoyed having us there. The extra hands to help take care of him were appreciated. My mom and I spent a lot of our time shopping. We hit the 90% of clearance at K-Mart. It was AWESOME!!!

We left Warner Robins Sunday morning and made another long trip to see our friends David and Joanna in Birmingham. Charlie got to play with their children Elijah (3) and Libby (2). Seeing them play their toddler video game together reminding me of what it would have been like if Charlie and David knew each other when they were 3-years-old. They spent the majority of the weekend playing Xbox. The boys were great on the trip considering they were in the car for about 12 hours total over the week.

We are back home now and iced in for the day. There is lots of cleaning up to do from being gone for almost a week. I also have to baby proof. Noah is now crawling all over the place and his favorite thing to do is play in the dog's water and eat her food.

Allergy Tests

2008-01-16T15:11:00.000-05:00

We took Noah to the doctor yesterday for his allergy tests. They did ten different skin tests on him. He tested positive for dairy, oats and peas. So for the next 7 days he cannot have any food containing these three things. If he gets better within the next 7 days, then we know that he is truly allergic to one or more of these. If he does not, then I guess we start over and test for more things. If his symptoms improve over the next week, then I have to find out which one or ones he is allergic to. I have to do that by cramming his little body full of each one for a separate 24 hour period in attempts to make him have an allergic reaction. The doctor has also mentioned getting tubes in his ears and adenoids removed. That will be later if eliminating his diet does not prove effective.

My Lovely Foot

2008-01-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

I went back to the doctor yesterday for my first time since surgery. I have not been able to remove the bandage, so yesterday was my first time seeing what it looked like. The incision is a little larger than expected. The root of the cyst ended up going a lot further than the doctor thought. She was not able to get it all, but got most of it, so hopefully it will not return. The recovery was not as bad as I expected. My foot was numb for quite a while and I still don't have feeling in about 1/4 of my foot. It could take a year to get all of my feeling back. Since the root of the cyst stretch so far, it did some damage to one of my nerves, but other nerves should grow and compensate for that particular nerve.

2008-01-08T10:15:00.001-05:00

9 MONTHS OLD

2008-01-08T09:53:00.001-05:00

Noah turned 9 months old on Sunday. He is growing up way too fast. It seems as if time is flying faster with him than it did with Micah. Noah is doing new things everyday. He can say, mama, dada, bye bye, uh-oh and wave. He is not gracefully crawling hands and knees yet. This morning he started crawling backwards on his hands and knees, but he manages to get wherever he wants by either rolling or creeping on his belly. He is such a sweet baby! It is hard to have a bad day when taking care of him. He has the brightest smile and loves to make us laugh. I always say that he is going to be our little comedian and class clown. It is amazing how much difference I can already notice in their personalities. Micah tends to be more cautious and serious. He thinks before he acts. I can already tell that Noah is more spontaneous. Micah has always been able to tend to one activity for a long time, even when he was Noah's age. Noah does not want to sit still unless he is being cuddled. He is my sweet cuddler. When I pick him up, he pats my back and plays in my hair. Micah can play by himself for quite a while, but loves to be encouraged and is most successful when given lots of praise. They are both keepers and special in their own little way. I could not imagine my life without both of my boys. They are a wonderful blessing from the Lord that I hope I never take for granted.

Everyday....A New Adventure

2008-01-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

Everyday with Micah just gets more interesting. His language skills are slowly improving and he is beginning to say things that tend to just make Charlie and I look at each other and smile. Micah is pretty calm for a two-year-old and can attend to certain things for a long period of time. One of the things that he has enjoyed for a while is pulling his books and bedtime stuff into the living room and reading books to his pal Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse and Micah are inseparable. They go on trips together, nap together, eat together, watch television together, etc. This morning he pulled his stuff onto our bed and was quietly reading a few of his favorite books to Mickey Mouse. He was talking to Mickey Mouse just as if Mickey were talking back. He did this for quite a while as I worked on the computer. Those are the sweet moments that I wish would last forever.

Then there are the times where he shows his two-year-old side. Thankfully those seem to be surfacing less and less these days. Having a young child definitely makes you realize our fallen human nature. They are very manipulative and don't care what they have to do to get what they want. Well anyway, Micah needs lots of sleep to be able to function. That is a good thing, but can be bad when he does not get the sleep his body requires. He goes to bed at 7:00 every night and has been sleeping later and later every morning. This morning he did not wake up until 9:00. That was 14 hours of sleep, which is the recommended amount for an almost 3-year-old. I knew that he would probably not lay down for a nap at the same time, so I decided I would just let him skip his nap. Some times he skips his nap on his own and plays in his room for over an hour until I let him out, so I didn't think he would need one today. Well, he started acting ugly(tired) around three and I told him to go to his room until he could stop whining. We don't let him out until he stops pitching his little fit. It got quiet pretty soon after he went to his room. I waited about 8 minutes and went back there to tell him he could come out, only to discover that he had fallen asleep sitting up on his couch. Notice our dog in the picture. She is the boys' guard dog.

Honey, can you bring me....?

2007-12-27T20:41:00.000-05:00

The tables have turned and I am going to be the one being waited on for the next few days. I have just gotten home from the hospital where I had a cyst removed from my foot. My toe is about two times it's normal size. My feet are propped up and service is just a call away.

I have to keep my foot propped up for the next couple of days, so there is going to be lots of time to catch up on some much needed rest and surf the internet. I will probably be going crazy before it is over with. I better enjoy while I can though.

Christmas Pics

2007-12-27T12:37:00.001-05:00

We had a great Christmas. It was nice getting to see family that we don't get to see often. The above picture was taken at our house when we celebrated the Hooks' Family Christmas. This is a picture mine and my brother's children.

Micah and Noah were dressed in matching Santa Clause outfits. It is impossible to get both boys to look at the camera at the same time.

We spent Christmas Eve with Charlie's parents. We went to the candle light service at their church. Micah and Noah both sat with us during a 45 minute service. It was Micah's first time sitting through a church service and he did pretty good.

This is Micah camping out in the middle of Charlie's parents hallway. He pulls everything out of his bed every morning and camps out on the floor. Christmas morning, he decided to camp out in the middle of the hallway.

Opening presents at Granny's house

Noah will Charlie's Aunt Sunnie Ann

The four of us celebrated Christmas night when we got home from Granny's house. We celebrated by having Charlie read the Christmas story to Micah and then we opened presents. We had pizza for supper and then sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and had birthday cake. This was probably Micah's favorite part of the night.

It was fun watching Micah open his presents. I'm not sure if he fully understood the idea of opening presents. It could have gone on all night if we had allowed it to. He would unwrap a present and then immediately want to open and play with the toy.

Noah just hung out and enjoyed watching Micah open his presents for him.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Noah is almost crawling! He manages to get wherever he wants by scooting and rolling. Yesterday, he managed to get to the dog's bowl and feast on a handful of dog food.

The day after Christmas, Micah discovered a new area to nap. He stuffed all of his bed stuff and favorite toys in his new tunnel.

Micah's First Performance!

2007-12-22T19:07:00.000-05:00

Wednesday at preschool we had our Christmas program. Micah's class practiced Jingle Bells for about a month and they were ready for their big debut. Micah and I practiced singing it that morning as he got dressed. He had his own little way of singing it, since he could not pronounce most of the words. I did not think that he would really sing it in front of all the parents, but I was wrong. He was not able to sing most of the words, but he did not let that stop him. When the song paused on the words "way" and "sleigh," he yelled those out, jumped up and down and shook his bell. He was sooo CUTE! He was the loudest and probably most excited child in the class. I was one proud mama!

Poor Baby!

2007-12-20T18:17:00.000-05:00

It was ear infections with Micah and now it is allergies with Noah. Noah has been to the doctor three times with a sinus infection in the last 6 weeks. He also has exzema all over his cheeks and bottom. His ears are itching from within, so he has been clawing at them and making them bleed. He is pretty miserable right now. He is on two different allergy medicines, plus his third round of antibiotics. None of which seem to be working. When we were at the doctor on Monday, she said that she has done all she knows to do and wants him to see an Allergist. He will be going in January to get the skin tests done. I hate that we have to put him through that, but we can't figure out what he is allergic to, so the tests are our only option at this point.

The doctor said that he was one sick little fellow, but through it all he has managed to keep his smile.

Parades are FUN!

2007-12-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I convinced Charlie that we should take the boys to the Christmas parade in Clarkesville. I love the Christmas season and look for things such as this for us to do as a family. Charlie does not care for these type things, so it took some bribing, but I won. I convinced him by telling him that Micah would have a great time. He'll do just about anything for Micah, so that is all that it took. The parade started and all was going well. Micah was watching the fire trucks, band, little cars, etc. go by and collecting candy to put in his bag. Well, then came the motorcycles and they were extremely loud! That was all it took and Micah was freaking out and got Noah upset as well. This went on about five minutes and Charlie was enjoy taking pictures and nagging me about how much fun Micah was having. I don't know if I will be able to convince Charlie to take us to a parade anytime soon, but the pictures that we got of our first Christmas parade are priceless. I hope you enjoy the slide show.

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-12-15T09:56:00.001-05:00

Never a Dull Moment!

2007-12-05T14:35:00.000-05:00

I do not find too many moments for myself these days. Yesterday morning, Noah was napping and Micah was entertaining himself in the living room. It was my chance to do some work on the computer. I was in the bedroom on the computer for a few minutes and realized that it was really quite. I did not hear Micah playing in the other room. Instead, I found him in Noah's room throwing everything that he could possibly get his hands on into the crib. I uncovered Noah to find him awake and smiling.

A Few Pictures of the Last Couple of Weeks...

2007-12-04T12:59:00.000-05:00

We decorated the tree the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Micah hung all the ornaments down low and has a hard time not taking the cars and trains off of the tree.

It is almost impossible to get a picture of the two of them both looking at the camera and smiling, so I have just settled for candid and solo shots.

My dad with both boys

Micah loves my parent's dog. She is only 4lbs, so it is easy for him to carry her around the house.

Micah playing the guitar with Granny

Yes...We are Crazy!

2007-11-27T19:20:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Charlie's parents and my parents had lunch at our house. It is not often that we all have a chance to get together. This was also my first time having Thanksgiving dinner at my house. Micah's enjoyed having both sets of grandparents to entertain him. I guess he probably thought that everyone was there to see him.

After getting my lunch prepared, I spent a good bit of time looking at the sales papers for the "After Thanksgiving Sales." I had to make my Christmas list and see what stores to hit and when to hit each one. My mom and I have participated in the "early bird" shopping now for probably 10 years. I guess you could say it is one of our traditions. I love it, because I can get all of my shopping done in one day and save lots of money...not to mention the rush of just being out that early in the morning with thousands of other people who are doing the same thing. This year we set a record for how early we started. We got up at 3:15 and left the house at 3:30 to be at Kohls in Gainesville by 4:00. From there we went to Goodys, then the mall, Home Depot and Old Navy. Then it was back to Cornelia to check out K-mart and Walmart. We were done with all of that by 9:30! So, my Christmas shopping is over and now I looked forward to getting everything wrapped and under the tree.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T10:39:00.000-05:00

Another Great Deal!

2007-11-08T14:55:00.001-05:00

I went to K-Mart today to have Christmas Pictures taken of the boys. The picture experience was not great. This is the second time I have had a bad experience at Olan Mills since they are under new ownership. I don't think I will be going back there anytime soon. It is a lot of work to get two kids dressed and ready for pictures, so I just need to stick with who I know is good...Picture People.

Well, I did get something good out of the deal. While I waited, I strolled around in the baby department and noticed a double stroller that was on clearance. We have a sit-n-stand stroller, but I have not had great experiences with it thus far. Micah does not want to stay in it. The minute we stop to look at something, he is wondering off somewhere else. He does great when he is buckled in. He rarely even ask to get out. He has always been a good shopper. Since, Noah has been born, I have had trouble taking both of them shopping by myself, because there are not too many places that offer buggies in which both children can be retrained. So, a side-by-side that was on clearance caught my eye. The regular price was $56, but it was marked down to $36. I thought about it for a while and then decided that I would buy and try. I get up to the register and to my surprise it rings up at $12....WOW! I couldn't believe the price. It was my lucky day. Now all I have to do is use it a couple of times and I will get my monies worth.

7 Months Old Today

2007-11-06T11:13:00.001-05:00

Judgment House

2007-11-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

It was a long exhausting week, but well worth the efforts. We were at the church every week at 5:00 and did not leave until about 11:00. The boys were in the nursery all night and were exhausted by the end of the week. They both go to bed at 7:00, but most nights were up when I came to get them between 10:30 and 11:00. I was afraid that they were going to be off schedule for a couple of weeks, but so far things have been fine. Neither one of their sleep schedules have been disturbed. That is just one example of how the Lord answered prayers the entire week.

There was an entire group of people at church that spent the whole night praying for the workers and people that would come through Judgment House. We felt their prayers in so many ways. Those prayers kept up from getting sick when we were running on nothing but sugar for five days, but most of all lives were changed and souls were saved. There were close to 2,800 people that came through and 146 people gave their lives to Christ.

It was the most exhausting thing that I have done, but was such a blessing. We plan on doing it again next year. I am excited to see what the story line will be.

Fall Festivities

2007-10-30T08:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had our "Lil Pumpkin Party" at preschool. Micah was so excited! He could not wait to go to school. He dressed up like Mickey Mouse aka "Ra Ra." Noah was Blues Clues. The preschoolers got to play games and win prizes. They also got to eat tons of yummy food! I have posted the best pictures that I have of the two of them. It is almost impossible to get a good picture of two children together.

This week, we start Judgment House at our church. It starts tonight and goes to Saturday. Charlie and I are both involved. He is a counselor and I am an actor. I am a teenage girl in a gymnastics scene, so I get to show off all my stuff to girls that are at least 10 years younger than me. :) We have to be there at 5:00 every night and won't get done until 10 or 11, so the boys will be going to bed at the church. Micah is excited about it, because he gets to take his sleeping bag, pillow, blanket, etc. I just hope that the boys do okay. It is going to be a long week for them. They are usually in bed by 7:00, so I am going to have some tired little boys by the end of the week.

Not Sure What to Title This Post....

2007-10-23T20:33:00.000-04:00

Well, this will come as a shock to many readers. This post will officially let everyone know about a huge decision that Charlie and I have been praying about for months. Sunday, we attended an International Adoption Seminar in Atlanta. I have probably only shared my interest in adoption with just a handful of people. Charlie and I have been thinking about adoption since shortly after Micah was born. We have both done lots of research with different agencies and countries. We have chosen Christian World Adoption Agency and feel that the Lord is leading us to adopt a child in Kyrgyzstan. A predominantly Muslim country located next to China. We are currently on the waiting list, so the process will more than likely start in a few months. It is all in God's timing, because that is going to give us more time to pray and really seek the Lord's guidance in this MAJOR decision. I am nervous, yet excited. I have never taken such a huge step of faith in all my life. It is going to be a financial burden, but we both know that if the Lord leads us to adopt, then he will provide the means needed.

There is so much that I could mention on this post, because much thought, research and prayer has gone into all of this. I will keep this short and post more on the subject later. I will say that we are looking to adopt an infant girl. Charlie and I both want a girl, but realize that it is just not good on my body to go through another pregnancy. We also know that there are millions of children in orphanages that need a loving, Christian home. Please pray for us as we continue to seek the Lord in this important decision.

The Things They Say....

2007-10-18T16:24:00.000-04:00

I just have to post this cute moment before I forget. I am sitting here at the computer in our bedroom as Micah is talking to himself in the full length mirror. He is doing different things in the mirror for about 5 minutes and then turns to me with a very concerned look on his face saying, "Mama, I want out." At first I was not sure what he was talking about, but then I realized that he either thought that he was really in the mirro or a friend that looks just like him. He then stepped away from the mirror and said, "Where'd it go?" He has been entertaining himself with the mirror now for about 15 minutes.

TFC Homecoming

2007-10-16T13:24:00.000-04:00

Saturday, was Toccoa Falls College's 100th Birthday/Homecoming. TFC is where Charlie and I met, so the school has played a big role in our lives. We took the boys there to watch a parade and visit the falls. The last time that Charlie and I had our picture taken together at the falls was for our engagement. Six years later, we are taking pictures with our two precious boys...WOW! We only thought life was good then. The Lord has blessed us with more than we could have ever imagined!

Myrtle Beach

2007-10-16T13:09:00.000-04:00

Over Charlie's Fall Break, we went with our friends Matt and Debbie to Myrtle Beach. They have three boys, so there was never a dull moment. Micah can now say he has seen both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He went with us to SanFrancisco when he was 9 months old. While at Myrtle Beach, we spent our time swimming, resting and playing WII. Micah's favorite part was the lazy river.

The Only Thing Missing is the Rubber Ducky

2007-10-05T07:12:00.000-04:00

2007-10-04T08:30:00.000-04:00

It has been several weeks since I have posted. There has not been too much to talk about and I know that some may get tired of me showing off pictures, but I am posting these per request of family members that do not get to see my boys often. Noah is going to be 6 months old on Friday. I can't believe he has been a part of our family for half of a year. Time flies, especially when you have children to measure it by.
To update you on Micah, his speech therapy has been increased. He is now having speech therapy 6 times a month. We have had his hearing tested and it seems to be normal, so we are mainly focusing on the therapy at this point. He has come a long way since we started speech a year ago, but is still lagging about 9-12 months behind with his language. He understands what we are saying, but is having trouble putting his thoughts into words. I am seeing him get frustrated more often lately. He knows what he wants to say, but doesn't know how. The speech therapist has given me some great tools to use to help Micah. Having speech services is a true blessing, but it is something that has to be followed up with at home 24/7 to be a complete success.

He is almost holding his bottle

Big Brother is a Camera Hog!

Nothing Sweeter Than a Sleeping Baby!

Some Pictures Worth Sharing.

2007-09-15T17:17:00.000-04:00

Which one looks like their mama?
As always, Snickers must be a part of what is going on.
Two handsome young boys.

When Dad is Left to Babysit.....

2007-09-15T17:14:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I took Micah to a speech evaluation. When we got home, this is what I saw.

Mommy's Little Artist

2007-09-09T21:44:00.000-04:00

We spent the weekend with Charlie's parents. The weekend was fun and I had the opportunity to get some rest. It is always nice to have extra hands around to help with the boys. We do not get that very often, since both sets of grandparents live out of town. Micah still sleeps in a pack-n-play when we stay at someone's house. He switches well from that to a toddler bed. When we went in to get him this morning, we discovered that he had a Sharpie marker hidden in his bed and had him a good time. He colored all over his pack-n-play, comforter, sheet, Mickey Mouse as well as his body. He had a mustache and whiskers painted on his face. He also had it on his legs, knees, hands, arms and toes. He looked at my like, "What, what did I do????" I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. He ruined his pack-n-play, so for that reason I wanted to cry. But it was one of those tender toddler moments that will be remembered for years to come. The above picture is what it looked like after the first attempt to clean him up. He still has marker everywhere. They will be fun to explain to his teacher at preschool tomorrow.

A Few Pictures of the Week...

2007-09-07T13:50:00.000-04:00

5 months old

Playing in mama and dada's bed

2 Year Olds!

2007-09-07T13:45:00.000-04:00

You never know what 2 year olds are going to think of next. They make life interesting. When I went in Micah's room to get him up from his nap, this is what I saw....

#1 Babysitter!

2007-09-07T13:34:00.000-04:00

The other night, Charlie was suppose to be watching Micah while I got things ready for the consignment sale. I walked in the living room and this is what I saw. I wish I was able to sleep that good. Since having children, I wake up at every little sound.

No More Tubes

2007-09-06T05:14:00.000-04:00

Tuesday morning, Micah was playing as normal and then came up to me complaining about his ear. I thought that was weird. I looked in his ear and saw his tube just hanging there. I pulled it out and looked in his ear. His ear looked waxy and dark on the inside. After that, he kept complaining and crying about his ear hurting him. This was not usual for him. He had double ear infections for almost 4 straight months over a ear ago and never complained about the pain. I called the doctor and made an appointment to have him seen.

The doctor reported that his ear was irritated, probably from an ongoing sinus infection that he has had for over a week. He also looked in the other ear and said that the tube was just hanging in the ear canal and would fall out any day now. He gave Micah an antibiotic to clear up the sinus infection, which in return would help the ear.

My first question was, "Do you think the ear infections will return?" He believes that Micah has a 1 in 4 chance of having ear infections again. He said if he has three within a 6 month period, then he will get tubes again. I was hoping that we would keep the tubes through one more Winter season. My gut feeling is that we will be going back in for tubes, since Micah will probably be getting sick a good bit this season, but hopefully I am wrong.

On another note, today starts a baby and children consignment sale in our community. This happens once a year and it is one of my favorite times. I love to shop and this is the great opportunity to get everything the boys need for Fall and Winter at a bargain. I am also consigning a good bit of stuff this time and hope to make a couple hundred dollars. I am working the sale this afternoon. Since I am working and consigning, I get to shop the early sale this evening. I will get first dips on all the cheap bargains!!!

MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) starts at our church tomorrow and is an outreach to all moms in the community with young children. It is going to be a wonderful program for the moms and children. I don't have a whole lot of responsibility in the program, but I am going to be a Discussion Group Leader. My friend Meridith is leading up the program and has done a wonderful job to see to it that this ministry is superb! We will meet every other Friday. I am excited about having a special time just for moms that is designed to meet our needs.

Let Me Take A Moment To Brag

2007-08-28T08:01:00.000-04:00

I need to brag on my first born. He is know going poop and pee pee on the potty. I stressed about this for a little while this summer, because I wanted him to be potty trained before preschool started back. I worked with him some, but soon gave up when I realized that he was just not ready and that it was a battle of the wills. I decided that I was not going to worry about it anymore. People have always told me, they will go when they are ready. I thought, "yeah right, then I will be waiting forever." I was willing to wait though and just keep doing diapers (especially since I get them for little of nothing using my coupons!!!)

Well, we have been in school for two weeks now and all but one of the children in Micah's class is potty trained. I have not said much about it, but I guess Micah was feeling a bit of pressure from his toddler peers. That peer pressure starts early and it can be a good or bad thing. In this case, it has been a very good thing. Last night, he came up to me and said, "poop mama." I said, Micah do you want to go poop on the potty...thinking he would refuse as usual. To my surpise, he gladly walked back there pooped and peed on the potty. WOW! I was in shock and made a huge deal about it! He got to get a car of his choosing out of the Potty Training Treat Bag, a sticker to put on his chart and a small piece of chocolate (this in itself is a huge deal for Micah). But some occasions call for chocolate!

He woke up this morning and went straight to the potty. He takes Mickey Mouse ("Ra Ra") with him. "Ra Ra" sits on one potty and he sits on the other. He can't wait to get to pick something from the treat bag when he is done. Last night he slept with his new car and showed it to me first thing this morning. He is so proud of himself!

Today he is in BIG BOY UNDERWEAR! We will see how it goes. I am not a big fan of the Pull Ups, because they feel too much like diapers. Maybe he can wear his big boy underwear to school tomorrow.

The Lord Protects

2007-08-25T16:39:00.001-04:00

Last night, I was thinking about my blog. I knew that I needed to post something, but did not know what to post. Life has been pretty busy, but uneventful lately. I could not think about what to post on. Well, an outpouring of the Lord's protection took place early this morning and I feel as if I need to praise him publicly.

We never realize when an emergency is going to rise and test our abilities to remain calm and help as needed. This morning, Noah awoke as happy as ever and ready to eat. We went through our same routine of feed, change and play. He was lying on the couch cooing and then all of a sudden burst out in a pain cry. I knew that was not like him, so I rushed to pick him up. The minute I picked him up, he shut his eyes tight and refused to open them. He laid his head on my shoulder and did not move without being prompted. I tried to get him to respond for about two minutes, but was not successful...his eyes remained shut. At that point, I decided it was time to wake Charlie. He jumped up out of bed, took him and laid him on the bed. At that point, he began to flail, but would still not open his eyes. I knew that it was not a life or death emergency, because he was breathing and had a pulse. My first thought was that he was having a seizure. We pried his eyes open and realized that his left eye was watering. We were relieved, realizing that he probably just scratched his eye and was acting the way that he was due to the shock his body probably experienced from the pain. He then started to develop what looked like a rash on the left side of his face. I contacted the doctor on call and he said that he probably got something in his eye and to watch him over the next hour. If he was not better, then he would meet us at the office. Thankfully everything turned out just fine. Noah's eye finally stopped watering and the blotches around his eye disappeared.

That is probably the first time that I have ever felt sudden fear and panic for one of my children. After I knew that Noah was fine, I couldn't help but think that it could have been a lot worse. It could have been a life threatening situation. We never know when we will be faced with such a situation. Our health and safety is not guaranteed, but we will always have assurance that the Lord protects and blesses in every situation that we face. It is only by His grace that some situations do not turn out a lot worse.

First Day of Preschool!

2007-08-16T06:51:00.001-04:00

I started back to preschool on Monday. Micah missed his first day, because he was sick. Yesterday was his first day and he was excited! He got to pick-out his backpack. A friend from church who has a boy named Micah gave him a nap mat with his name on it. He also wore his preschool t-shirt. He was ready to go. This is his first year in a more structured preschool setting. He did great. The biggest issue he faced was only getting two servings of cookies at snack and not wanting to stay on his mat during rest time.

Another Reason Why God Created Women...

2007-08-14T08:57:00.000-04:00

This is the outfit that Noah was wearing Sunday morning after having spent the entire weekend with dada. He had on Micah's Spiderman top and Micah's bug pajama bottoms, which were both 2T. When Charlie got up, I asked him about the outfit and he said, "I could not find Noah's pajamas." What???? Noah has been with us for 4 months now and Charlie does not know where his pajamas are!!!

It gave me a good laugh though and a picture to help me remember that God created moms, because he knew that daddys would need a little help.

Women of Faith

2007-08-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I left both the boys with Charlie and went with a group of ladies from the church to a conference in Atlanta called Women of Faith. Friday, Beth Moore was the main speaker. How AWESOME! What a wonderful Christian woman! Of all the Christian speakers and writers, she is the one that has had the strongest influence on my Christian walk. I have been part of about 5 of her Bible studies, so it was an honor to see her in person. That night and all day Saturday we heard from singers Sandi Patty and Nicole C. Mullen. Their performances were incredible! The speakers were the Women of Faith ladies. They made us laugh, they made us cry and they gave us the encouragement to look to Jesus when we travel through life's valleys.

What a wonderful weekend. It was nice being away. Every mother needs that at least once a year. I did miss the boys though and called several times to check in with them. Charlie did great keeping them and I don't think that either one of them realized I was gone. But Noah did get very excited when he heard my voice as I got him up to feed him Sunday morning. When I got Micah up...he asked for Dada. Oh well, those precious boys love their daddy.

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?

2007-08-08T14:27:00.000-04:00

I took Noah to the doctor today for his 4 month check-up. I usually have a list of questions to ask the doctor...none today. Noah is doing great! I don't have any complaints. His reflux has cleared up and he is a good baby. All that I wanted to know was how much he weighed. I thought that he was probably tipping the scales at 17 lbs, but NO....He is 19 lbs 3 oz!!!! WOW! At this age, Micah was only 10 lbs. He is almost twice the size of Micah. He was off the charts for height, weight and head. The doctor was not concerned, because everything was proportionate. He said that either he was going to be a football player or that his growth would slow and he would be more average around 9 months. I guess we will see. It is interesting though to compare the difference between him and Micah. Above is a picture of Micah at 5 months and Noah at 3 1/2 months.

Super Shopper!!!

2007-07-23T15:10:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning I got to have a few hours out of the house by myself to do some shopping. I had the best time, because the deals were hot! I went to a few yard sales. At one of the yard sales there was a ton of size 0-4 junior clothes. They were all name brand. The price...10 cents!!! I got an entire big box full for $3.40. I got dresses, skirts, shorts, shirts, jeans and Capri's. I was pumped. Then I went to K-mart and they were having a super clearance. I spent the entire time there in the little boys department where I found about eight outfits for $2 each. This is a picture of my precious boys dressed up in their new outfits. Noah's outfit came with sandals to match his shorts. Since there is not much time for anything else now with two children, my new hobby is finding bargains and saving money!! I went to Ingles that evening and got $86 worth of groceries for $24. Gotta love those coupons!

Dada's Rabbit

2007-07-23T15:06:00.001-04:00

This is a picture of the newest member of our family. Charlie finally got his rabbit. The car that he has talked about for months.

Week With Mimi and Paw Paw

2007-07-14T14:32:00.001-04:00

Charlie is working part time as Youth Intern at our church this summer. This past week he went with the high school students to Daytona Beach. I do not like being home by myself, so I packed up the boys and visited my parents for the week. We had a great time down there. I would put the boys in bed around 7:00 each night and then my mom and I would go shopping. We don't get to do that together very much, so that was a treat. Micah had a great time too. We took him to Chuck E. Cheeses. He also got to stay up late one night watching home videos from when I was a little girl. He wasn't sure what to think about that.

Noah, Paw Paw and Babygirl

Micah and Paw Paw making snakes out of Playdough

Noah with my great aunt who is 93

3 Months Old

2007-07-14T14:27:00.001-04:00

Noah is now 3 months old. It is hard to believe that that much time has already passed. He is weighing in at almost 16lbs (the size of a 9 month old)! I never thought I would have a baby this big. I'm sure that will change as he starts moving around. He is laughing now and close to rolling over. The biggest accomplishment...sleeping 10 straight hours at night! His reflux is also getting better. Big brother has adjusted to having him around and is very sweet to him most of the time.

Happy Fourth of July

2007-07-04T14:13:00.001-04:00

Sunday we went to the fairgrounds for our church's Patriotic Celebration. Our Sunday School class was in charge of several of the booths and Charlie and I were in charge of the puppet shows. Micah's favorite thing was watching "dada" play the part of the crazy man puppet.

This evening, Charlie and I are finally going out on a date...first one since Noah has been born. We are going out to eat and to the movies. It has been so long since we have been somewhere without children. It doesn't even matter what movie we are going to see, we are just going to be free of responsibilities.

Cleaning Out - Making Money

2007-06-28T06:59:00.000-04:00

Well, Charlie and I have been busy cleaning out closets to get rid of junk and make money as well. We are both trying to find different ways to make extra money to buy some things we have both wanted for a while. Last week, we cleaned out all of our closets and attic and went to the flea market on Saturday. Our table was the hot spot, because we had stuff priced cheap! We still made $130 on just junk that we were not using. I also did a yard sale in May and make almost $200. I sold some stuff at a consignment sale in March and made close to $200. I am also still selling on Ebay. My goal was to raise all this money to buy a bedroom suite, something I have wanted for years. I still want that, but I might have to put that off a little longer, because there is something else that I am wanting now. I played a Nintendo Wii this week with one of my friends and loved it! It was my type of video game, because you were never still, but up interacting with the game. Great exercise!!! I know that sounds childish and I am surprised that I have come to this, (my husband has rubbed off on me) but it is tons of fun. They are also pretty cheap when you consider game systems. Charlie has just sold his Xbox as well. Our 5th anniversary is this Friday and if we can get our hands on one, that might be what we get for each other. That might be how we will spend our 5th anniversary after the boys are in bed. It is hard these days to go out by ourselves. Noah is very needy and a lot of time, I am the only one that can get him to stop crying. This soon will pass and we will celebrate then.

And yes, I almost forgot...Charlie is working hard to raise money to buy a Rabbit. This is something that I have heard about for months now and he is excited that he has gotten the go ahead to look for one. He wants something small to get back and forth the work in. At least it will be good on gas.

Weekend with Granny and Grandpa & VBS

2007-06-16T12:19:00.000-04:00

Twins

The New Member of the Family ("Ra Ra" - Mickey Mouse)

Sweet Smile

Getting into the Spirit

It has been over a week since I have posted. It has been a very busy week. We just got finished with VBS at our church. I ended up filling in for the director a couple of days, because she fell and hurt her knee. Everything went great though. I really enjoyed working in VBS this year and Micah and Noah both loved it has well. Micah looked foward to going every morning and Noah received one on one attention in the nursery. The theme was a sports one and the boys dressed alike 3 out of the 5 days.

The weekend before VBS, we visited Charlie's parents. Charlie took his dad horseback riding for Father's Day and his mom and I took the boys to a small festival at a park in town. When they got back, we had our turn to get out as well and went to a tea.

All of the big things for the summer are over now, so it is time to focus on doing some of those jobs that we don't get to do very often. Over the next several weeks, Charlie and I will be cleaning out closets, cleaning out the garage to get ready for a yard sale.