A Little Crazy is Good for the Soul

We're here

2009-08-17T17:09:00.001-07:00

We made it to Vanderbilt. We got to Dr. Moulton's office this morning, and he was pretty mad about the fact that we weren't transferred from ETCH to Vanderbilt last night. Instead we were discharged from ETCH and drove ourselves down here and stayed at a hotel last night. Dr. Moulton called down to the ER this morning, and we had to come down here to get admitted. Unfortunately, since we weren't transferred yesterday, there was no bed for us today. We are currently in an Observation room, which is still part of the ER, but is considered a transition room to await a bed upstairs. I am hoping we get moved upstairs soon, but there were 8 of us waiting on rooms, and now there are more than that, so I am not sure how long this will take. Hopefully they will discharge several patients tomorrow so we can get out of here and in a regular room. David will leave tonight to head back home and take care of some things there and work the next couple of days. It will be just B and I for the next few days. I will keep everyone updated as they do things and we find things out.

Decision Made

2009-08-16T10:10:00.001-07:00

Well, a decision has been made and we will be discharged from ETCH in a few hours and heading to Vandy. David, B and I will spend the night at a hotel and then meet the GI doc at his office first thing in the morning. I am assuming at this point that we will be admitted to Vanderbilt Childrens Hospital tomorrow and see if the GI can get this stuff figured out. I will update with more as we know it.

Decision Made

2009-08-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, a decision has been made. Tomorrow morning, pending a miracle healing of some sort, Brayden will have an NG tube placed to be fed through until this is over. The doctors here have talked to our GI doc at Vandy and that is the course of action he recommended. If B is not doing better by Monday, we will be heading to Vanderbilt as a transfer. He has had a pretty good day today, lots of poop, but lots of fun too. Alyssa is on her way down with Mimi and Pappy and David and I are going to take her to Chuck E Cheese for her birthday and then come back here and her and Brayden both get cake. We are going to wrap his iv hand up and then give him some cake and let him go to town with it. I will try to post pictures of everything later on tonight or tomorrow morning.

Birthdays

2009-08-13T21:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 6th Birthday Alyssa!!!
Happy 1st Birthday Brayden!!!

You two complete me. You are the reason I get up in the morning. I remember exactly how I felt this time 6 years ago and this time 1 year ago. It has been a long last couple of years, but we have made it. I love you guys dearly, and I can't wait until we can celebrate like we wanted to.

Alyssa, you are the most wonderful little girl I have ever known. You are sweet, kind, caring, and smart. I look at you and can't believe how lucky I am to be your mom. You are such a big girl and deal with everything that comes your way so well. You make me so proud to be your Mom. I can't wait to be home and able to spend time with you.

Brayden, I don't even know where to start. You are such a special little boy. We have been through a lot together, and although this is not the way I wanted to celebrate your birthday, I am so happy to have you to celebrate. I can only hope that the coming years will be easier on you (and me) than they have been so far. You have such a sweet disposition to have been through so much.

I love you guys, and I can never thank you enough for being my kids. No matter what happens, I will always be your Mom and always be proud of you.

Happy Birthday!! Enjoy your time!!

A couple of pics of the birthday kids taken this week

Alyssa proudly showing off her new earrings on Tuesday. She got her ears pierced Tuesday for her birthday present from Mommy and Daddy.

Brayden riding the hallways yesterday with Daddy

Here we are, again

2009-08-13T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, if you haven't heard by now, B is back in the hospital. We went to the doctor on Monday and she sent us to Children's and we were admitted Monday night. They have tested him for a couple of things, but the consensus right now is that he has something called Slick Gut Syndrome. We are still learning what this is and what it means, but we are hoping to break out of here soon. Tomorrow is his first birthday as well as Alyssa's 6th birthday. If you happen to see Alyssa, be sure and tell her Happy Birthday. Here is a picture from today as David was pushing him around the floor in his crib.

Not again. . .

2009-08-10T20:52:00.001-07:00

Well, we are back at ETCH with B. I took him to the ped today and she sent us to the ER, and we have now been admitted to Children's. We are in room 305. We are waiting on test results to come tomorrow, so we will see then what is up. Right now he has had a couple of weird results. Not horribly unexpected considering, just not normal. We will wait to see what tomorrow brings.

B is a big boy!!

2009-07-22T16:26:00.001-07:00

I just wanted to share some video of the B that I got tonight on my phone. He won't do anything once the video camera is out, so this is the best I could get.

Wow

2009-07-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Ya know, I try not to come on here and vent, but tonight, that is what is going to happen. I cannot believe the horrid display of sportsmanship and lack of class that was shown tonight at the Jefferson City T-Ball Championship. The Padres played the Reds. The Reds won. That part I am fine with, I wish our team had won, but I have no issue with losing. What I have an issue with is when grown men have their team celebrating after the 4th inning, when we play 5 innings and when grown men have their team jumping and shouting Three-peat while the other team comes off the field crying. I have no problem with kids being excited that they won. They should be. My daughter, who they were going to "gun for", was the last out of the ball game. The Reds coaches about knocked her off of first base when they got her out because they were jumping and celebrating. At what point did we quit teaching our kids to be good sports and start teaching them to be egocentric maniacs. Is this what kids' sports have turned into? If so, I think we will stick with dance. When our parents started applauding our team as they came off the field, one of the mothers of the other team called our kids losers. Their coaches had medals pre-engraved and gave them out to them on the field. When they started coming off the field, their coaches again started the chanting. Our kids were standing there crying. This is a set of coaches that it has been known for not calling the small kids on their team so they wouldn't have to play them, recruiting good players from other teams, and scouting the competition. Is this what T-ball is supposed to be about? These kids are ages 5-9. Is this the example that should be set for them? I don't think so. This is not what I want my kid to learn. They couldn't hardly say good game for hollering and jumping around. I am pretty sure sportsmanship got thrown out the window. Instead, we were forced to sit there and watch a bunch of classless, trashy people make our kids look bad. That is not what I signed up for and not what we will do again. Alyssa was finally having fun doing T-ball and had decided to do it next year. Now she thinks she is awful and says she doesn't wanna do it again. I guess that shows how much "fun" it can be. Way to take a good experience for a kid and ruin it. Way to go, Reds coaches. Great example you have set.

Good morning!!

2009-07-14T05:40:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Sorry it has been so long since I posted, I have been a little busy. Alyssa has been playing T-Ball, and B, well he is just being B. David is gone to Alaska, but will hopefully be home on Saturday. He left on July 5th, so we have been winging it by ourselves. This is the first time he has been gone like this since B was born, and I was a little nervous about it. We have done pretty well though and managed to only have one or two crises since he left.

Alyssa's luck has helped her out once again. She got put on the Padres T-Ball team. They are great team, and even more important the coaches are good people that seem to really care about the kids. As of right now, we are undefeated going into the playoffs. She is learning a lot about being a team player and says she is having fun, so that is what is important to me.

B decided to climb out of his crib the other night, so Daddy came and helped me lower the mattress all the way down. I should have done it before, but I liked being able to reach him and he was showing no signs of climbing out. He is definitely all boy. He keeps me busy running after him and he isn't even walking yet. He has definitely gotten his busyness from his Daddy. Mom says I haven't moved as much in my life as B does in a day. LOL!!! He is so funny.

I can't believe that he is 11 months old today. It makes me a little sad. I will never have another little baby. I am not complaining, I have two pretty healthy, great kids, it is just a little sad to know that part of my life is over. Since I am kinda looking back, I will tell ya, I never imagined I would be where I am at this point in my life. I have a husband that loves me and is a great father to our kids, I have two great kids, we have a home that we own and I can paint at whim (and trust me, I paint at whim), my family is pretty healthy, etc. I could go on and on. David and I have been together since January 5, 2000. We got married March 24, 2001. It is hard to believe that we have been together for this long. Sometimes we drive each other nuts, but beneath it all, we share a special bond and true love. I guess I am feeling pretty blessed today looking at my life. Not that I couldn't complain, there are always things that could be complained about, but in the big scheme of things, I am a pretty lucky girl.

I guess I will hop off here, but I did want to leave you with a few pictures, including picture of my B that my friend Melanie took back at Valentine's Day. I know I am late putting it up, but it is such a great picture.

B at Piedmont on Valentine's Day

My smiling, happy boy at a function at Mimi's church

And since I am looking back, here is B right after he was born.

Alyssa's first day of Kindergarten

Alyssa at her Kindergarten Program. Look how big she has gotten this year.

Enough already

2009-06-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Ok, when Ed McMahon died, I was a little sad, but figured he was really old. When Farrah Fawcett died, I was more sad, but relieved that she was no longer in pain. When Michael Jackson died, I was a little sad about the music, but not really about the person. Now Billy Mays has died, too. While I am not said that the tv won't scream at me as much now, I am beginning to be glad that I am not a celebrity. Apparently it is not a good week for them.

Last week was however a pretty good week for us.

Alyssa had three T-ball games and her team won all three of them. She did pretty good and scored 5 out of 6 times that she hit. Now, granted she is the last batter in the line up so as long as she gets on base when she hits, chances are good that she will make it home because she has great batters coming up behind her, but I was still really proud of her. She already has a reputation on the team as being the prissiest one out there. She definitely is. She has also started "swimming" underwater this week. She still holds her nose, but this is amazing progress for a kid that wouldn't put her head under until a couple week ago.

I took B to the doctor on Tuesday (I think) to have his ears checked out. He had been pulling at them and running a low grade fever. They looked ok, so we are putting him on a little allergy medicine to combat any further problems. The best news is that he weighed in at 21.5 lbs. Our little lightweight is becoming a big boy!!

David worked a lot last week. He worked at Rural-Metro on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and then KFD Thursday and Saturday with Drill on Saturday and again today. He works again at KFD tomorrow, then is off from there until later in July. He has to leave for 2 weeks in Alaska on July 5th, so we will be chugging along without him for that time period.

I have been working on designs for the new business. I am trying to get quite a few stock designs so that people can see what I am capable of. Between that and taking care of the kids and trying to get the house back in some kind of order, it has been a little hectic around here. This coming week we have 3 more T-Ball games, followed by 4 next week, so we will stay hopping. Luckily, we are gonna have a night without the kiddos on July 4th, so that will be a fun time before David leaves.

I can't remember if I already posted this or not, but the most important thing of the week was that Alyssa got baptized last Sunday. It was a great thing and I am so proud of her.

I think that is pretty much all that has gone on here lately. We just keep on trucking along.

Just a quickie!!

2009-06-21T19:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!! I wanted to post a picture of the "Happy Meals" that Lindsay, Mom, Andy, and I made for Father's Day. I got the idea from Bakerella's site. She is amazing. You can get to her site at bakerella.blogspot.com. The burgers were made out of brownies, the buns out of yellow cupcakes, the mayo, lettuce, ketchup, and mustard out of icing, and the fries out of sugar cookies. They were so much fun!!

David and the kids from today

Alyssa after her baptism

Baptism Day!!!

2009-06-21T04:08:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been up for about an hour. The taco meat for lunch is in the crockpot, and I am getting ready to start ironing the kids clothes for church today. This is an extremely special day in the Blevins house. Alyssa is being baptized, or as she calls it bapitized, today. I cannot tell you how proud I am of my little girl. She is such a kind and sensitive child. When she first asked me in the car what she had to do to be bapitized, the first thing I thought was A) you have to learn to say the word, and B) you need to be older. After talking to her about accepting Jesus into her heart and making the commitment to try and live her life like Jesus and God want her to, she decided she wanted to make the decision. We went and talked to Pastor Gene about it, while I still thought that surely my baby was not old enough to be doing this, and he woould talk with her and then ask her questions about what he had said and what it meant. Let me just tell you, the Love of God shines pure through a child. She is not perfect by any means, but she knows what she is doing this morning and has been excited about it since the day she talked to Gene. On May 17, she skipped, in true Alyssa style, to the front of the church and told everyone she wanted to join the church. Today, on Father's Day, she will be baptized. This is truly a wonderful gift.

I am hard on Alyssa sometimes, but she is truly one of the best children I have ever been around. She is kind and helpful. She makes us laugh at least once a day, and makes me cry twice. She is extremely smart and always asking questions. She remembers things and people in ways that I can't and manages to say the sweetest things about them. How do you tell someone like this how special she is? I have been so lucky to have been blessed with her. One day, I hope I can convey to her how proud I am that this wonderful child calls me Mom.

Summertime!!

2009-06-09T20:01:00.000-07:00

We are officially into the swing of Summer around here. Alyssa had her first t-ball practice on Monday. She is really excited about playing t-ball. She has a pink glove and shoes that match, so I am betting that is part of it. We had VBS last week and everybody had a great time. Alyssa will start t-ball games the week after next, so that should be interesting. She also has Dance Camp coming up and then Volleyball camp at CNC. She is gonna be a busy little girl this summer. She is getting to be so big. B has been motoring along. He is pretty fast at crawling now and has started standing up on his own a little bit. He is a little piggy and will eat as long as there is food in sight. I think he gets that from me. LOL!! David has been working lots and fighting off another ear infection. He is slated to go to Alaska in July, and I think he is pretty excited about that. I have been working on design stuff for the business. I have had several invitation orders lately and am just working on getting more business. My goal is to have the design business (along with consignment sales) make enough to pay for the kids clothes and activities. If you know of anyone that is in need of something custom-designed (cards, invitations, logos, etc.), please send them to my website and have them give me a buzz. The blogsite is www.wonderfullymadedesigns.blogspot.com. Other than that stuff, we have just been trying to adjust to summer break. Last week, my Papaw Charlie passed away. He has been sick for over 8 years, so it was a relief that he is no longer suffering, but it made for a rough weekend. Please keep Mamaw in your prayers as she adjusts to life without him. I will try to update again sooner this time, but until then, Goodnight and God Bless.

A few pics

2009-05-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I have a few new pics to put up of the kiddos. They are off my phone, but they will work. Alyssa has finished Kindergarten. She is so excited to start first grade. She has Mrs. Morell at Piedmont. We are trying to wrap up all the activities right now. She has her dance recital tonight at 6:30, then next Thursday is our last scout meeting for the summer. We start VBS on June 1st and she should be getting a call soon about T-Ball. Brayden went back to Vandy a couple of weeks ago and we have to take him back in 4 months, but the doctor was very please with his weight gain. He is crawling now and has cut one tooth and has another trying to come through. Now for what you really care about, pictures. LOL.

Maybe a little too much crazy going on lately

2009-05-16T18:47:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I have been really busy with PTO stuff and church stuff and the kids in general. I wish I could say that I have been busy with the business, but I can't. I haven't done anything lately, so if you know someone that needs something custom-designed, please send them my way. I have been working on a couple webpages, so hopefully I can get them finished soon.

It has been kind of a rough day today, so I am not gonna write much. Just remember to hug your kids, all of them. No matter how old you get, you still need to know you are part of the family.

Definitely been a day

2009-05-02T20:19:00.000-07:00

Today has been a very active day for me. I got up early this morning with B and then put some patches on Girl Scout Sashes and vests. Then Alyssa and I met the rest of the troop and we all went to Dixie Stampede. The girls had a blast!!! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and that is exactly what this trip was to be. This was their reward for selling co many cookies, so I really wanted them to have a good time. We got to see the girls that sold over 1000 boxes of cookies, including a girl from our service unit, Aspen Booth, who was the top seller for the second year in a row with 2300 boxes of cookies that she individually sold. By the time Alyssa and I got home, we were both exhausted, so she went downstairs to take a nap while I fought with B to get him down. The rest of the day has been spent trying to get things accomplished on the computer and take care of the kids. My friend Jen will be back in tomorrow for a few hours to come to church with us and visit for a little bit. Then one of the kids' favorite babysitters, Miss Courtney, is gonna surprise them and come by and visit with them for a little bit before she goes back home to Alaska for the summer while I take Jen and Lily back to the airport and pick David up from the base. Hopefully this trip to the airport goes easily and without incident.

I didn't have my camera with me today, so I can't post pictures until the other scout moms email them to me. I will get some pics put on here then of the girls enjoying Dixie. I am gonna head to bed. I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow.

Another Day

2009-04-19T11:31:00.000-07:00

Well, another few days has gone by. That is about all I can say for them. Friday, I went on a field trip with Alyssa to the Sugarlands. We had a great time. Had to run by Dixie Stampede and pay for the tickets for the girl scouts, and then we made a pit stop at Ben and Jerry's for some post-field trip ice cream. My friend Gail rode with me to the field trip, and we had both girls with us on the way back. They are really excited about the trip to the Dixie Stampede. It promises to be a lot of fun. That is gonna be a great weekend all around. My friend Jen is gonna come down from Maine and spend some time with us, I am taking the Girl Scouts to Dixie Stampede, and we are playing handbells that Sunday morning at church. I can't wait. Unfortunately, David won't get to enjoy anything with us, he has guard drill that weekend. Because of that and a few other things, I have 4 extra Dixie Stampede ticketsat a discounted rate if anyone wants to sit with us. Let me know.

Yesterday, started off rocky, and just got worse as the day went on. I ended up at the ER with both kids because Brayden was not breathing very well. We got to come home, but he has a follow-up appointment with the pediatrician tomorrow, so we will see where we go from there. This morning, we had Youth Sunday at church. The youth handbells that I direct played this morning. They did an amazing job. I am so extremely proud of them.

I am gonna run for now, B is yelling, and I think it is time for another breathing treatment.

Fantastic Friday, hopefully

2009-04-17T03:21:00.000-07:00

Well, after my last post of frustration, I thought I would put something on here when I was in a good mood. Granted, it is way earlier than I want to be up, but it is for good reason. Today I am going with Alyssa on the Kindergarten field trip to the sugarlands. I am excited about going and having fun with her and her friends without the B. Auntie V is gonna watch him, so I can go without stroller and diaper bag and bottles, etc. I am up waiting on stuff to finish drying and then I gotta pack everybody's stuff up. Although I won't have the baby stuff with me today, I still have to carry a big bag to put a blanket for the picnic in, and my lunch, and Alyssa's lunch, and the lunches of the other three kindergarteners that will be in my group. This may be a long day, but I am sure we will have fun. It is supposed to be beautiful outside today. Once we get home this afternoon, we will pick up B, change clothes and head to West Knoxville for a birthday party that Alyssa is invited to. Then home to put kids to bed and put petals on Daisy vests.

All of a sudden, I am feeling like it is gonna be a long time until I see the bed again. That's ok. I love staying at home with my kids and doing stuff with them. I can't imagine not being involved. It makes me sad to think about. Alright, I am gonna bolt and pack lunches and diaper bags and hiking bags, etc. I'll try to get some pics to post later.

Crap

2009-04-14T05:08:00.001-07:00

Why is it that everytime I plan something, there has to be at least one thing go wrong? I try to do nice things for people, and it just gets screwed up. I was supposed to do a ride along with David today on the fire truck for his birthday. After getting people to watch both kids and packing bags, he called me this morning and told me it was cancelled because they have a training to do today that they found out about this morning. How do you just tell people that morning that they will not be on the truck all day? I am so frustrated. This was supposed to be a fun day to celebrate his birthday and now it has turned into a crappy rainy day. We were supposed to get to have adult conversation without any kids around and without having to run get a kid or hope they don't wake up and without it being midnight. I have been looking forward to this for weeks. This really sucks. It isn't David's fault and there is nothing he can do about it, I just wanted to spend some time with him without responsibilities. I guess this is gonna be my whiny blog entry for today, but I am just really frustrated. It is hard to coordinate schedules with kids and sitters and family stuff going on and who knows when it will all fall into place again.

On a good note, they have figured out what is wrong with Lindsay and she will hopefully be getting it fixed soon and get some relief. Keep her in your prayers.

New business, New Blog

2009-04-03T14:40:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I have been working on starting a business. Well, today I got my first order, and I also finally got the blog for the business up. The blogsite is http://wonderfullymadedesigns.blogspot.com/ and I hope you will stop by often. My new venture is custom designing of cards, stationary, invitations, websites, business cards, brochures, blog layouts, blog headers, etc. Basically, I will custom design and print anything to be printed. I am using a professional lab for my printing, and I am very excited for you guys to see what I can do. My goal is for this business to give us money to do fun family stuff, so I am asking all of you to keep me in mind when you need something of this nature and spread the word. The email for the business will be WonderfullyMadeDesigns@gmail.com, so feel free to send me your comments and most definitely your orders!!

Made it home

2009-03-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

We made it home on Sunday night. Had a great time in Nashville, but it is great to see the kids again, too. B is still a toothless wonder. Alyssa is on Spring Break this week, so I am trying to balance getting caught up on housework with having fun with her. We are gonna go to Liza Moz pottery on Thursday for pizza and pottery. It sounds like fun, so hopefully she will enjoy it. I don't know what else we will get into this week, but I know I have to get a handle on this house. I have so much laundry to do it isn't even funny anymore. the problem isn't getting it done, persay, it is getting it put up. I always manage to run out of steam before it makes it to getting put up. My goal for this week is gonna be to get three loads a day done and up.

We went to breakfast this morning with Mom and Dad. They left for their mini-vacation in Asheville that Lindsay, Jonathan, and I gave them for Christmas. They will be back Thursday sometime. I hope they have fun and get to relax. I have been thinking a lot since we got back from Nashville. I have come to the conclusion that we have all become so intensely busy that we are paying attention to our kids (or grandkids), our jobs (whether they are paying or not), and our other responsibilities that we very rarely take any time to pay attention to ourselves or our spouses/significant others. I wonder if that is a contributing factor to the rise in numbers of divorces in our country. Maybe we should all sit back and spend a little bit of time doing something to either show our spouse/SO appreciation or arrange to spend some time with them.

In fact, in the spirit of having lots of fun with this, I am gonna do a giveaway. You read it right, I am gonna start a new tradition of trying to do a giveaway a month. This month's giveaway will be based off of this post. The giveaway will be for a new Blog Layout (or if you don't have a blog, a free design of your choice). All you have to do is leave me a comment on something you did to either show appreciation to your loved one or a way that you were able to spend some time together just being a couple. (Keep it clean!!!) I will draw from the comments left on April 1st. That gives you lots of time to get something planned. You can get an extra entry for following my blog, or sending people here from your blog or another site. Just leave me a message telling me you are following or giving me a link where you mentioned it. I hope there are lots of people to choose from at the end of the month.

Winding down. . .

2009-03-15T06:01:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am. It is 9:00 am Nashville time. I am enjoying the last of my time to sit on this balcony and play. I have to check out by 1. David is in Lebanon at his class, so I am gonna check out and then just roam around for a few hours. Should be fun. This has been an awesome weekend. I have gotten to relax and just do what I wanted to without having to bargain for it. I feel like this week I will be able to enjoy having Alyssa home on Spring Break so much more than I would have without this weekend. It is amazing what just a little bit of R&R can do for you. David's class is supposed to be over at 5, but he is hoping it is over just a little bit sooner than that. That would be great. I think we are going to try and eat at Longhorn Steakhouse on the way home tonight. I have to send out a big thank you to my family for keeping my kids this weekend and definitely to David for planning all this. I feel bad that he hasn't gotten to enjoy that much of it, but it was so great and thoughtful that he did it.

Just to throw this out there, I have a friend who was sick like I was during her pregnancy and her daughter is in the hospital right now with a relapse of pneumonia. She has been pretty sick for the last month or so. If ya'll pray, please put her in your prayers. I know not many people read this, but every prayer helps. Her name is Livy. She is just about a month older than B. Her mom and I are pretty close since we went through so much of the same sicknesses while we were pregnant.

I will try to blog with some pictures throughout the week with Alyssa. I am gonna try and find some fun stuff we can do together. David is working at the guard base Mon., Tue. and Thur. and at the Fire Hall Wed., Fri., and Sun. I am thinking we might can do some stuff at night since all other activities are cancelled for Spring Break.

A New Lease on Life and a New Layout to go With It

2009-03-14T15:01:00.000-07:00

Well, It is day 2 of my relaxing mini-vacation here in Nashville. I am having a great time. David surprised me in that we are staying at the Opryland Hotel in a room with a balcony overlooking the Cascades. It is GREAT!!! I love being able to hear the water and watch the people.

Here is a picture of the view off my balcony.

Yeah, that is what I have been looking at while I have played on my computer for two days. Needless to say, I was really excited when we got here late Thursday night/early Friday morning. We got here around 12:30, I think, so we went straight to bed.

I got up Friday morning to an email from David that I was to call the spa and schedule a mani/pedi for myself. I was so excited!! I went for that yesterday at 4. It was one of the most relaxing things I have ever done. I even got a complimentary glass of champagne. We went out to eat last night at the Aquarium Restaurant. It was really cool. We both kept talking about how much the kids, especially Alyssa, would like it. We are gonna bring them back soon.

I got up today and have literally only left the room twice. Once to get some lunch, and then once to walk around a little. I have seen 2 weddings today and a group taking pictures for a girl's quinceanera. David just now walked back in the door from his class. He scared me to death. I don't know what we are gonna do for dinner tonight.

Tomorrow we will head home when he gets finished with his class. I will have to check out of the hotel, I guess, and then find something to do while he finishes class. This has been a great way for me to relax and rest some. I have missed the kids, but it is really nice to just kinda hang out and do whatever I want. I think I will be a better mother to them when we get back.

Last week I took the kids to get their Easter Pictures made. Here are a few of them.

I guess I will go for now. We are gonna try and decide what we are going to eat tonight. Hope this post finds you all happy and healthy. God Bless!!

Update on B from his carepage

2009-02-16T15:58:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
Mom has been controlling this for way too long and since it is my page, I decided that today I am gonna write to you. I guess Mom told you about this weird stuff we have been doing lately where she puts this thing on my face for me to breathe through. Big Sis calls it my special air. She said she had to do it once too. IT has something to do with me making a funny noise when I breathe, but Mom says that is going away. We went to see Dr. Laura and Miss Rachel today. I smiled big like normal, I really like seeing them. Mom and Dad took me and Sissy stayed at Nana's. She spent the night there last night. It was really quiet at our house. Anyways, they took me and made me naked again. Then they took me to the big thing I sit in that makes Mommy nervous every time we go. She says watching the scale for my numbers is worse than watching it for her numbers. I don't know about all that though, she as more numbers than I do. Daddy sat me down in that big contraption and Mommy went from smiling really big to not smiling at all. She says I was not thinking Pizza Hut and Hoagie Shop. I am not real sure what those things are, but apparently I lost weight again. Dr. Laura said it was ok this time though since I have been sick and needing the special air. They took me back to the room (it was a room I hadn't been in, you would think I had visited all the rooms by now, but not this one). Then Miss Rachel measured my head and stretched me out on this things with lines and squiggles on it. Mom says I need to tell you that I was 15 pounds 7.2 ounces and 27.5 inches long. Everybody talked about how long I was today.
I also had to do all sorts of weird things today like sit up and lay on my belly and try to roll over. It was like an exercise class. Normally I just lay there and look cute, but this time it took effort. I guess I did good though, everybody was laughing and clapping for me. When Dr. Laura came in, she listened to me breathe and said I sounded a lot better. Then she said if I hadn't lost weight she was gonna take this thing out of my belly. I can't remember what it is, but Sissy says it is a Minnie button and Mom says it is a Mickey button. I wanna know who let them put a mouse in my belly. Dr. Laura said everything else looked good and that I was doing great. She said my muscles were doing lots better and Daddy said it is because Mommy makes me exercise all the time. I think he was being mean, cause she gave him a dirty look, but that is normal around here too. Dr. Laura said if I gain weight by the time I come see her again in 2 weeks, she will take this thing out of my belly. That made Mommy really happy. Up to this point, everything was going great. Then Miss Rachel came in and put this stuff on my legs. It felt really weird, but I was eating and playing, so I was okay with it. We sat around for a little bit and then Miss Rachel came in again and had stuff with her this time. Next thing I know, she is sticking me. I was a tough little dude for the first 2 times and wasn't gonna cry. Miss Rachel is a girl ya know and I can't cry in front of girls. Then she switched legs and did it a third time. That time I got real upset. Nobody asked me if I wanted to get stuck today. I don't know who they think they are, but these are my legs that they are poking and I don't like it.
Mom says I need to be wrapping up, so I will just let ya'll know that after the doctor's appointment, we went to the Cookhouse and ate with my friends Miss Patsy, Jenni, and Mr. Truett. Then we got Sissy back and went to Knoxville and Mom and Sis picked out outfits for pictures. Apparently Mom is getting our pictures made next Sunday and wanted us to match. I didn't get to pick, but I am hoping Sis did an okay job for me. I guess I will get off of here. Mom says I am awfully wordy for someone that can't talk yet. Maybe Mom will let me post more after the next doctor's appointment.
XOXOXO
B

Post Super Bowl post

2009-02-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

Hello again. I know it has been a while since I posted. Things have just been a little crazy around here. I am hoping they will get back to normal now. We have all been hanging in lately, just feels like time is flying by all of a sudden. Since the last time I posted, I have turned 28, which was celebrated by a great trip to my all time favorite, The Melting Pot. We have made another trip to Nashville for Brayden. He gained 14 ounces in 9 days and the neurologist up there said he looked good. It looks like we may finally be turning the corner for what all he has been through. Alyssa is still enjoying school, and is currently selling Girl Scout Cookies for her Daisy troop. She is getting excited about her dance recital. It isn't until May 23rd, but she is still really excited. This semester at school, they have Art instead of Music. She has loved it so far. She loved Music, too, but she seems to really enjoy drawing and coloring. She is such a big girl. She amazes me every single day with the things she comes up with. She is so funny and comes up with the neatest and most innovative things. B has started cereal since the last time I posted. He is also eating peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans. He gets to try squash the day after tomorrow. He has not shown any allergies to anything and he loves to eat. I can't believe that on Valentine's Day, my baby boy will be 6 months old.

We are looking to plan a trip to Atlanta to take Alyssa to the American Girl Store and Cafe and take them both to the World of Coke and the Georgia Children's Museum. Hopefully, we are gonna go right at the end of May. It should be fun, but I have got to get on the ball about getting a hotel booked. I just can't decide where to stay. We are wanting to stay someplace with actual suites, that way we can come back and lay B down in the bedroom portion during the day for a nap and play with Alyssa in the living area. It sounds like fun, but this is the first time we have tried to plan a vacation with a baby as small as him. We didn't go anywhere with Alyssa until the May before she turned 4, when we went to Disney World, so this is an all new experience. I also want to make sure she knows this trip is for her. It is a reward for doing so well this year in school. If anyone has any suggestions of a place to stay that isn't gonna cost an arm and leg, let me know.

I guess I will get off of here for tonight. Hopefully, this will find everyone healthy and having a good start to the week.

Good morning!!

2009-01-17T07:47:00.000-08:00

Well, the Blevins family has managed to survive the freezing temperatures so far. We have actually had a pretty good week. David didn't get to spend much of his 4 day break at home, so he is tired, but the rest of us are doing pretty good. Alyssa got her report card on Thursday and did great!! She got all 100% on her testing and she got all S's on her report card. In Kindergarten, they don't do grades yet, so S is satisfactorily completed. We are so proud of her. She is doing so well in school. She is selling Girl Scout Cookies now, and will be selling cookie dough Starting in February for school. Brayden got to start cereal this week and he seems to really like it. He has done really well with it. Hopefully, his appointment on Monday will show some weight gain. We did have some sad news this week. My great-uncle passed away, so I am riding up with Mom and Dad and Brayden tomorrow to go to the funeral. My cousin turned 16 this week. I can't believe she is 16. I can remember when she was born. I feel old. I think that is it for now.

Ronda

Weekly weigh-in

Starting weight - 265.6

Current weight - 259.6 (I gained 2 pounds in the first 2 days of my diet, so I have actually come down from 267.6)

It's a new week

2009-01-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

A new week has begun. There is just something therapeutic to me about Sundays. I know part of it is the normal going to church part of it, but since I have been skipping a lot lately (I know, bad Mommy), I don't think that is it. I think it has something to do with starting a new week. While I don't like to think about how time just kinda passes by, I do like the feeling that every Sunday starts us anew. I don't say that to mean I had a bad week. I actually had a pretty good week this week. I am especially looking forward to the next couple of days. David will be home from drill this evening and doesn't go back to work until Wednesday. I love his 4 days off. Brayden has a doctor's appointment tomorrow and I am glad that David will be able to come with us. I really think that he has gained some weight this time. He has been eating like a little pig, even started getting up at night again. I am hoping if he has gained some weight, we might be able to start him on cereal. Maybe that will help pack on the pounds and get him to sleep all night again. Alyssa has her first full week back to school since Christmas this week. We also start back up with all the church activities on Wednesday nights this week. It should be a busy week. I realized the other day that I have forgotten to post my weight, so I will do it today.

Ronda

Current weight: 262.2 (Down 3.4 from original, but gained 2 pounds in the first 2 days so all total, down 5.4)

Better today

2009-01-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I know my last post was somewhat angry and depressing, so today's post will be somewhat happy. I was reminded by an old friend this morning, via facebook, that I really need to look at the blessings I have. I have been trying to be more positive about things, and that started this morning. I got up, got ready, got Alyssa up, packed lunch, fed her breakfast, got Brayden up, took her to school, called a friend to tell her about ice on the roads and woke her up from oversleeping, came home, got ALL the trash hauled to the road, fed Brayden and am now sitting here on the couch for a few to write this while he sits in his Boppy beside of me talking up a storm. Pretty productive for the first 2 hours of the day. I have a plan of action today, and I am gonna try to stick to it. Alyssa decided on the way to school that she wanted to stay at school until 3 today, luckily when I packed her lunch I packed a little extra in case she decided to do that, so for once, I was able to tell her ok, that's fine. Normally she changes her mind in the car and I have to tell her that is just too bad, but not this morning. That made her happy, which in turn made me happy. I told her that by the time I pick her up, I will have her Playstation hooked up in my bedroom and we will play Dance Dance Revolution when we get home from school. I weighed this morning, and although I had gained 2 pounds earlier in the week, putting me at 267.6, I am now down to 262.2. I think this helped me have a really good start to the day. David is at work today, so it will just be me and the kids. Grace is gonna come over for lunch, and it will be nice to catch up. We haven't seen each other much since school got out for Christmas, so we are due a little girls time. Mom and Nana both went to the retail market in Atlanta, so tomorrow I am gonna actually go work for the day. I am real excited about that too. It has been a long time since I felt like I was being productive, so this will help lift my spirits. I guess this post has rambled on long enough, so I will get off this computer and be productive. Oh yeah, I guess I didn't mention, one of the reasons for my great mood is my husband. Some of you know he kicked my computer off the couch a few months ago and it just hasn't worked right since. The disk drive didn't work at all and other things were just kinda acting funny. Well, yesterday he took me down to UT and go me a Macbook Pro and Photoshop Creative Suite 4. I am guessing that means I can't complain about him for at least a couple weeks. Anyways, I thought it was very sweet since he has been wanting a Mac for a while and I really just got turned on to the idea here recently. The good news is now I have everything I need to make my business idea work, just waiting on customers. That being said, if you need some kind of card or invitation, please shoot me an email. Right now I am just gonna use my usual email address of Rondamb@charter.net, but once I get going, I will set an email up just for the business. I will be working on some cards and stuff for viewing purposes this weekend.

I hope you all have a great day and remember to stop and count your blessing today.

Dangit!!

2009-01-05T13:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, I know this blog isn't about Brayden's medical stuff, but I have to vent. How can a kid eat twice the amount of calories of normal babies, not puke it out, poop it out, or pee it out, and still lose weight. Every study he has had comes back normal other than his liver enzymes. I cannot believe he is still losing weight. He is still in the growth chart, but he should be chunking up like a fat kid at a dessert buffet. Instead he loses the weight. I am the one trying to lose weight, not him. I suer do wish things were reversed. I am so tired of knowing that my son can't lay on his belly because he has a button coming out of it and we can't make major plans because of doctor's appointments. I am tired of sitting at hospitals and doctor's offices. He has spent more time in medical facilities than the rest of us combined. I just want a normal kid. Is that so much to ask? I did my part getting him here, I took the meds and stayed in bed and hurt and puked. I did everything I could do to make sure he got here healthy. I dealt with the pain in my back and pelvis, not sleeping because I couldn't get in a position that didn't send shooting pains down my legs, eating things I didn't want and couldn't hold down hoping that it would give him enough nourishment, sitting and watching Alyssa's 5th birthday party happen and not being able to participate. When does it get back to normal? It isn't fair to Alyssa and quite frankly it isn't fair to the rest of us either. I'm tired of going to every doctor's appointment hoping we don't get admitted again. I am mad at everything going on. I don't enjoy things near as much anymore because I am always waiting on what is gonna happen next. I know I am rambling and don't have the right attitude, but I have to vent somewhere and this is it. Maybe when the GI doc from Vandy calls back, he will have some kinda news. For right now, I am just shot. I am over it all. I want my son to be better. I want to be able to enjoy my daughter without worrying about him. I want to be able to get a babysitter like a normal person and go out without either having to train someone to watch him or worrying that I leave the kids with Mom too much. I want a normal life. IS that too much to ask? Haven't I already done this once? I want to finish school and graduate and feel like I have finally accomplished something that has been 10 years in the making. I want to go out and have fun every once in a while. I want to spend a day with nothing out of the ordinary going on. I want to plan a get-together with my OL friends without me having to say I will be there unless we are in the hospital. I am tired of living this way. I just need some normalcy.

Resolutions

2009-01-01T20:07:00.000-08:00

I said I would do 2 things last night and I didn't get to either of them. I rang in the New Year with Alyssa . She called David right at midnight to tell him Happy New Year and we drank sparkling white grape juice out of the champagne glasses that David and I used at our wedding. I did say that I was gonna post my resolutions though, so here they are. I am gonna post them with my plan to achieve them, because if I don't have a plan there is no way I wil get there.

1. I am gonna lose weight this year. I have a goal of being back down to 135 by the time I turn 30. I originally set a short term goal of losing 60 pounds by June, but after talking to a good friend, I am going to thange that to losing 40 pounds every 6 months. That will actually get me beyond my long term goal. I have tried diets before with no luck, so I am going to achieve my goal this time by cutting back on my portion size and sugars and increasing my exercise from none to at least 1 hour a day.

2. I want to be a better mom. I am going to start reading a book to each of my children every night. I think that spending time with them doing this will be a nice change and will also ensure some alone time with them both every day.

3. I want to be a better wife. I have never been a good housekeeper. David is much better at it than I am and I don't enjoy it at all. He is helping me get caught up and then I am going to make myself a list (Ya'll all know I like lists) and use it to help myself remember what all needs to be done each day.

4. I am going to spend 15 minutes a day reading my Bible. I have never really been one of those people that can quote the Bible or find things easily. I think this will also help me get in a better frame of mind about things and will help me make sure that I get at least 15 minutes to myself every day.

5. I am going to start designing blog layouts, cards, siggies, etc. I think this is a way that I can use my computer and the fact that I don't sleep well to make some money, which will help with one of David's resolutions as well. I love being at home with the kids, but I miss feeling like I am contributing. This is a way that I can do that and still be here to take care of both kids and be at everything they need me to be at. That being said, if anybody needs something like that, please let me know. I am still learning, but I made this signature today, and I thought it turned out pretty good.

Let me know what you think. I have never really made resolutions before, so this is definitely new territory for me. I have actually always been anti-resolution because most people fail at them before January is over. I am hoping that since I have good plans set out for everything, that will help keep me from failing at them.

I guess I have gone on long enough tonight, so I will end here. I still need to read my Bible and then head to bed. I will do something though that I have never done and would not normally do. I want to be able to look back at this blog in a year and see how much progress I have made, so once a week, I am gonna post my weight. I hope this will help keep me motivated as well.

God Bless,
Ro

Today's weight: 265.6

And a change once again.

2008-12-31T08:06:00.000-08:00

Well, I have made two different layouts in the past couple of days and changed my layout and background twice. I will try to make one more today for New Year's and then I promise to leave it alone for a while. I am still learning Photoshop CS4 and also Photoshop Elements 7. If you have any quick suggestions, let me know. I downloaded the trials, and am looking to learn some stuff about them and possibly start making things for people to bring in a little extra money for us to play on. Let me know what you think.

The kids are both feeling better. We have managed to make it through a stomach virus with no hospital visits, so that is a definite improvement. David is at work today, so it is just me and the kiddos. We are gonna get snacky stuff to eat tonight and a couple movies and pile up in my bed to await the new year.

I can't believe it is almost 2009. It seems now like this year has just flown by. At this time last year, I was pregnant with Brayden and sick as a dog. So much has happened this past year. We have added to the family with Brayden, sent Alyssa to Kindergarten at Piedmont, had illnesses and hospital visits galore, changed fire halls twice, and left school again. I can truly say that while I hope the next year doesn't hold near as much sickness as this one has, I don't think it could be any better. Adding Brayden, while a rough thing to get through, has added tremendous joy to our lives. Watching Alyssa grow and become a great big sister is so much fun. I have so much fun helping her with school work and talking to her about school. She loves it so much. She asked me yesterday when she gets to go back. She has also become a Girl Scout Daisy and she loves that as well. I will get to work on my New Year's layout and then I will get to work on my resolutions. I will post those tomorrow, maybe it will help me keep them if you guys know about them too. I guess that is it for now. Have a safe New Year's celebration. If you are going to Knoxville, please watch out for my husband on the roads, as I am sure he will be cleaning up wrecks all day.

New look for a new year

2008-12-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I have decided to try my hand at Web design and layouts. I made the background on this blog. It is my first and is pretty primitive. I made it on Publisher, I have downloaded a trial of photoshop, but hav eto figure out how to use it. Let me know what you think.

Christmas times a'coming, and I am getting sentimental

2008-12-22T12:11:00.001-08:00

Good afternoon everyone. It is officially Christmas week!! This is my favorite week every year, and also probably my busiest week. I love trying to get everything finished up and then the culmination of watching people open what I spend hours picking out and stressing over. Christmas definitely took on a new spirit for me as I got older, again after Alyssa was born, and I am sure it will again this year. I thought about getting on here and telling you all my favorite Christmas memories, but I can't narrow them down that much. I love Christmas. I love the meaning of Christmas and being with my family. I even love the hustle and bustle, that's the little bit crazy part of me. I always start Christmas week saying there is no way we will make it through without at least one major meltdown. Amazingly enough, we always do. It is like something comes over people the week of Christmas.

Well, on to the news this week. Brayden is staring in awe at all of the lights and sparkles of Christmas. Sometimes I just wonder what he is thinking about everything going on around him. He has been doing really well with it all so far. We shall see what this next week holds. Alyssa is done with school for the year. She will start back for the rest of kindergarten in January. She had 3 Christmas parties, dance, choir, and a shopping trip with David last week, so she is definitely in the Christmas spirit. David is working his last day before Christmas. He will be off starting tomorrow until the 27th. This is the last year we are gonna be that lucky, but hey, I will take it. I am running around trying to get stuff finished, as always. I did decide yesterday that I am going to make some stockings at least for the kids, but as many as I can manage to get done before Christmas Eve is what we will end up with. Unfortunately, my sewing machine is in the shed right now, so I will start off hand sewing them until David can get the machine out tomorrow. I have never made stockings before, but I will post pictures of them as soon as I get them done. I am almost done wrapping gifts. I am down to one roll of paper left, so I hope it will make it. If not, I will be calling Mom to get some more paper from the shop. That is definitely a perk to being in my family.

I know Thanksgiving has already passed us by this year, but there are still things that I am very thankful for:

To my family. I would not have made it through this past year without each and every one of them.

To my friends, both old and new. You guys have kept me going this year when things have been rough. It doesn't matter if we are in the same town, or if I am across the country from you, I know I am incredibly lucky to have such great friends in all of you.

To my husband. It has been a really rocky year, and David has been right there beside me the whole way. From the countless trips to find something that I might possibly be able to eat when I was so sick to working so hard for me to be able to stay home with the kids, you are my soulmate and I love you dearly. Thank you for being there for me.

To my church family, you have supported us through a lot this year with meals, cards, phone calls, and prayers. You will never know how much it has meant to me.

To my Mom, I never realized how close we would be, but I am so glad we are. You are my best friend and the person that I know I can turn to about anything. You have listened to me cry over stupid stuff, rage about nothing, and worry about everything. We have a bond that I can only hope I will one day have with Alyssa. All of this we had before Brayden, and now we share the bond of knowing what it is like to sit in the hospital with your baby. I never wanted to share that bond with you, but I am so glad you are there. I can only hope that the next year will be spent bonding over more fun stuff than hospital visits and lab work.

To my sister: I can remember to this minute how excited I was when Mom said she was pregnant. I can also remember how many times I was ready for you and Jonathan to go away growing up. I love the fact that you are back home now. I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. You are my partner in crime, and I know you are the person that I won't be able to count on to bail me out because you will be the one sitting there beside me in the cell wishing we hadn't got caught and trying to figure out how to blame it all on Jonathan. I love the fact that we have so much fun together and I hope that never changes. You have been there for some of the most important moments in my life. I only hope that I can do the same for you. I love you!!

To my daughter: We have been through a lot this year. I am so incredibly proud of you. You are a beautiful girl. You are so smart. I am so proud of the way that you treat people and the big sister you are. I couldn't ask for a better child. I would go to the ends of the Earth for you and your brother.

To my son: It has been a long road. Things were supposed to get easier when you were born. You are the sweetest little boy I could have ever hoped for. You just have to gain weight. I am so sorry that you have had to go through the things you have gone through. No one would believe it by looking at you or being around you. You are so happy and I just want you to grow so we can make it past this hurdle.

Okay, now that this post has definitely taken a sentimental turn, I am gonna go get some stuff done. Stockings to make, cookies to bake, presents to wrap, etc. I will post some pics of Christmas when I get a chance and might even make it back on here before Christmas is over to share some stories of Christmases past. Whether I make it back or not, I hope you all have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas.

Merry Christmas from the Blevins Family!!

2008-12-20T08:16:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Santa stuff

2008-12-14T19:36:00.000-08:00

Well, Mom and I took the kids to see Santa this past Saturday. They both did really well. It has been kind of a busy weekend. I have gotten almost all of the Christmas shopping done, and most of it wrapped. I plan to finish my wrapping tomorrow. David is on his 4 days off, but he is working or in class most of the week. We go to Vanderbilt with Brayden on Tuesday. Hopefully, it will be a quick trip up there and back. Never know for sure though, so I am going to do laundry so I can take enough clothes with me to stay just in case. The rest of the stuff that I want to get done before Christmas will hopefully fall into place. We will have a busy week this week, I hope that we don't have to stay at Vandy. Alyssa's Christmas party at School is on Thursday, and she has stuff at church on Wednesday night. I am gonna jump off of here for tonight. It is almost 11 and everybody else is asleep. I will leave you with the pictures from seeing Santa this weekend.

And we're done. . .almost

2008-12-08T19:15:00.000-08:00

Well, after shopping all afternoon yesterday and then all day today, I am essentially done Christmas shopping. Now we just have to get it all boxed and wrapped. By the time that is done, it should be pretty close to Christmas. Alyssa had a great time at the santa shop today at school. She asked me tonight at dinner if I was thinking the same thing she was. I told her I didn't know and she said "Are you thinking about Jesus?" I said no, and then she asked if I was thinking about grounding her. It was really funny to us that she made the leap from thinking about Jesus to thinking about grounding her. She also wrote her letter to Santa tonight. Brayden has been a real trooper the past two days throughout all of the shopping. He did better and complained less than David did. Of course, David is now recovering from his small heart attack that he had as we shopped today. I had a really hard time finding what Alyssa wanted, but I finally found it tonight. I was starting to lose my Christmas spirit, but with the purchase of her stuff, I am back. I am gonna keep it short tonight so I can help David unload the truck and get stuff separated.

Finally got started. . .

2008-12-07T18:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I have finally started Christmas shopping. I even managed to get a couple people finished. David and I are going to go shopping tomorrow while Alyssa is at school and try to get her and Brayden finished. Hopefully, we can get quite a bit done and I can get stuff wrapped and under the tree. Things have been kinda hectic since I last wrote. I had some people out to the house Friday night for a cookie swap and Bunco party. I think everybody enjoyed theirselves, and I certainly had fun. While Brayden and I were doing that, Alyssa and David were riding a fire truck in the WIVK Knoxville Christmas Parade. I haven't gotten to look yet to see if there are any pictures anywhere, but I hope somebody got a picture of them. We are plugging away at everything else, and getting there slowly, but surely. Right now, it is 10 pm on Sunday night and everybody in the house is asleep, including the cat.

Alyssa has a busy week this week. Tomorrow at school she gets to go to the Santa shop. She is getting big so fast. She is such a big helper around here with Brayden. I can't wait to watch them grow up together. She is doing really well in school and seems to be enjoying herself. She loves to read and asks everyday to spend her time at home writing on post-it notes and her computer. It is amazing to watch her unlock the joys of reading. It is a whole new world to her. I always enjoyed reading and I love watching her learn to love it as well.

David has been busy, too. He is trying to finish up his schoolwork for this semester. He also has days that he has to make up for the guard where he was with us at the hospital and he is helping teach the haz-mat portion for the new recruit class at KFD. He was supposed to go to a conference in Columbia, SC the beginning of December, but that got postponed because of the last hospitalization. He is pretty tired, but he is doing all he can so that I can stay home with the kids. Right now, that is the only option we have because of Brayden's stuff. We are just happy to be home and trying to be in the holiday spirit.

I guess that will be it for tonight. I will try to update a little more often. I have actually not been on my computer since Thursday night, so I was going into withdrawal. Until next time. . .

My own place. . .

2008-12-03T18:09:00.000-08:00

Well, I decided to start a blog for me. Brayden has his carepage, and I will continue to update it until he is pretty much cleared for everything. I decided this could be a place for my own thoughts and family stuff. I don't promise that it will always be about me or that it will always include the whole family, but I am going to attempt to use this to record our experiences learning how to be a family of four and my experiences learning to balance everything in life.

I will start this thing off talking about something that has been bothering me. I direct the Youth handbell group at church and that encompasses 14 youth between 7th and 12th grade. Lately, it seems like they really just want to socialize and not do bells. I guess the stress of everything with Brayden and trying to be there for Alyssa while dealing with his stuff has gotten to me because I told them tonight that they needed to decide whether they wanted to have a handbell group or not. I also told them that if we are going to have a group in the spring, they need to decide what kind of music they want to play. I am tired of pushing them to play more intense music if they don't want to work for it.

Okay, enough rambling about bells. The holidays are coming up and I am so excited to have Christmas with Brayden and Alyssa. David will be home this year for Christmas and that always improves the mood. I love seeing Brayden develop more personality and I can't wait to see Alyssa this year at Christmas. She is so much fun and is turning out to be a great kid. She is doing really well in school and is so sweet when she interacts with her brother. I am also enjoying watching David interact with both kids. I really can't complain about anything with them. I am so lucky to have them.