UT

A few weekends ago, Joshua and I headed up to Knoxville to watch the Vols play Ohio. We had an absolute blast! I love taking my little man to a game and creating special memories for the two of us.

I have to admit, I almost turned around and drove back home after being on the road for about 30 minutes. It was pouring down rain! I hydroplaned about 3 times in 30 minutes and saw a truck skid across 3 lanes of traffic into the ditch. I have a big fear of car crashes and the rain was coming down so hard that I did not think that I could drive all the way to Knoxville in the rain. I had already accepted the fact that we were going to get drenched and actually considered it an honor to take my son to a football game even though we were going to be soaked to the bone.

Joshua talked and talked and talked the entire way. Around Chattanooga he got really quiet and I sneaked a peak to see my little man sound asleep. We arrived in Knoxville, walked to the stadium and couldn't believe our seats! They were incredible! We were 3 rows up from the bottom! Joshua sat wide eyed! We decided to hit up the team store and grab a quick bite to eat before returning to our seats. Once we were back in our seats, not a SINGLE drop of rain fell the rest of the evening! It was amazing! And, we won!

Jason got us a hotel in Knoxville for the night. I was so thankful to not have to drive back home at 10:00 at night. Joshua had to keep things a little interesting in the hotel, so he turned on the heater and that made the smoke detector go off in our room. It took me a minute to really register what it was (I almost bolted out of the room and down the fire escape), but apparently some dust had settled on the unit and caused the smoke detector to go off. He lasted in his big bed about 5 minutes, before snuggling up with me for the night.

We had such a great time! Go Vols!

Personal Space

We all long for our very own "personal" space. Don't you just love all of those "space invaders" that we all find out in public. You know, the person that just can't back off while standing in line. Or when you find yourself all alone on an aisle in the grocery and soon you look up and you have 2 or 3 space invaders that are curious to see what you are looking at. Please tell me that I am not the only one that notices these things. They seriously drive me a little nutty at times. I always "move on" and then look back at the person who just had to check out what I was looking at. Oh yeah, they go away in about 5 seconds of me leaving.

Anyways, the point that I am getting at is that we all need our space. It is a very healthy thing to need your space and a place to call your own. That brings me to Abby Kate. As you all know, Abby Kate is my passionate child! She is extremely passionate about whatever she deems of most importance. Right now that is her bedroom and all of her toys. I am all for giving Abby Kate her personal space. I think that children should have their own space, a place to put their things and the right to "govern" their property. However, every day we find ourselves constantly breaking up arguments over Abby Kate's room and her stuff.

Some days, Abby Kate loves to have her brothers come into her room and play with all of her stuff, and then there are days were we might as well lock up the door and not let anyone in. She has actually requested this, even if that means that she doesn't get to go into her room. I don't really know what to do. I don't think that she should overreact when her brothers come into her room, but I also feel that she has the right to be protective and a bit bossy over her room and her toys. I am completely torn on the situation and what to do about her room.

What are your thoughts?

That Was A Blur

The past week has been such a blur!

On Monday of this week, I went in for an endoscopy. I have had several of these over the years and didn't plan for anything other than to sleep all day. My throat was pretty tight, so they were able to go in dilate and stretch my throat. I slept through most of the day and managed the pain with some of the pain medicine that was prescribed.

Tuesday I woke up hoping to feel normal again, only to be forced back to bed because of the sick feeling that I felt. Jason was also scheduled to go to Atlanta to see U2 in concert. He had been planning this for close to a year! I was planning on tackling my to do list and hopefully cleaning this house of mine that has been neglected since the start of school.

Unfortunately I took a turn for the worse and wound up in the hospital. I was thoroughly tested and given medicine to manage the dehydration, pain, nausea, and persistent (and pounding) headache. Long story short, we think that I had a reaction to either the anesthesia or the pain medicine from Monday's procedure.

Anyhow, I have spent the past couple of days in the hospital and I am now home resting well. I am so grateful that I didn't have any esophageal tears or other gastro-intestinal issues. I am also thankful for a family that can run at any moment to take care of the kids, friends that can step in and help us out with the kids, and family and friends that call and stop by.

I have 4 more days of Fall Break left. I am hoping to use those days wisely as soon as I get my strength back. :)

Oh, and I also owe Jason a big one! He missed U2 for me! Suggestions???

Beyond Frustated!

About a year ago, Joshua went through a series of tests at UAB. One of those tests was an MRI. Insurance paid their part and we were left with the balance. I am so thankful for insurance. We were left with a balance of $493. Pretty high, but considering that an MRI costs thousands of dollars, I was thankful.

Time went on and we continued to pay our way through our bill. The bills kept coming and I always turned around and mailed out my checks. I have been doing this for OVER A YEAR NOW!!! I seriously thought that we were finished with our bill, but a random $160 statement arrived in the mail yesterday! Seriously??? What is going on with my account? I actually pulled out all of my bank statements from the past year and added up all of my checks that I have paid on this account and the total was quite shocking. $618!!! What are they doing with my money???

Back at the beginning of the year, we were threatened to be turned over to a collection agency because they were claiming that we hadn't been paying on our account. Several calls, bank statements, cleared checks, and faxes later, they realized that they had made a mistake and stopped threatening us with calls to turn us over.

Now, I am beyond frustrated! I am simply not understanding the billing department. I don't understand why I have paid this hospital $618 and now they want $180 in addition to that, when our bill states that we only owe $493! Why are they trying to charge me an additional $305?

I want my money back! I want an explanation! I want to know why this office is not managing my account correctly! It seriously makes me not want to visit that hospital again! I am beyond frustrated. If I have to, I will drive back down to Birmingham, demand to speak with someone about my account, and not leave until I have a check in my hand for my additional $125 that I have already paid! I simply do not understand and I want my money back!

There, now I feel much better... :)

Labor Day 2009

Recently we went to the Smoky Mountains to spend a long, relaxing weekend with some very dear friends. We all had such a great time together. We met our friends Matt and Cecile and their son, Michael. Our cabin was perfect and the kids played so nicely with each other. It was just a wonderful little getaway.

While Jason and his friend Matt were at the UT game, Cecile and I stayed at the cabin with the kids. Of course, this is when Jackson decided to lock our bedroom door. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be a big deal. The only problem is that the cabin didn't have any room keys above the doorpost to use to unlock the door in situations like this. So we had to call maintenance to come unlock it. After waiting for a few hours for the help to arrive, we finally found a bobby pin that we used to open the door. Fortunately there were diapers and wipes to be shared and not one child was locked in the room. I don't know what we would have done if that had happened!

We went to Pigeon Forge one night and we went to The Track and rode go-carts. At the cabin, we had access to a swimming pool and a small putt-putt golf course. As the pictures show, I think that we will stick with baseball. No Tiger Woods in our family!

She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain...

Today, the kids enjoyed music class at school. My kids have always LOVED music and that passion is still there for them. I work right across the hallway from the music teacher and she shared with me her "story of the day" about my child.

The class was learning and talking about the song, "She'll Be Comin' Round The Mountain..." in preparation for Grandparents' Day. They talked about the clothes that she might have been wearing, the six wide horses, the mountains, etc. One thing that the music teacher pointed out was that they didn't really have a name for the "grandmother". They just sang about "she".

Abby Kate then proceeded to tell our music teacher that SHE knew the name of the "grandmother". I thought that she might have mentioned my mom's or grandmother's name, but no she came up with her own name choice for this "grandmother".

Her name - Shelby!

"She'll Be" Comin' Round the Mountain = "Shelby" Comin' Round the Mountain

Rocky Top

Last year, I took Joshua to his first UT football game! We had so much fun and are looking forward to another trip sometime soon.

This year was Abby Kate's turn to go to Knoxville with Jason and see her first UT game! She was so excited about their special trip together and has been counting down the days since Joshua came back last year from the game. Joshua let Abby Kate wear his jersey with our last name on the back. She has a really cute pink "Tennessee" shirt, but she insisted that she look like her daddy.

They both had the best time together. I loved talking with them about their time together. Jason was very sweet to her and bought her a "T" necklace that she wears daily! I am glad that the two of them were able to go to Tennessee to see the Vols play. Here are a few pictures of their day!







And I...


I got to spend the day with my two favorite little boys!

Our Little Jack Jack

Some of the faces of our little Jack Jack...

Just My Thoughts...

This is just me...

This week has been one of those weeks that you don't ever forget...

This week has put everything back into perspective...

I am so very thankful for my family...for my children...for my husband....

I am thankful that I have incredible women in my life that love the Lord and that I can lean on...

God has blessed my life by surrounding me with some great friendships that I treasure and hold dearly, and for that I am thankful...

I feel so blessed to be a child of God...

It is my prayer that I can be the kind of wife that Jason needs me to be...

It is my prayer that I can be the kind of mother that Abby Kate, Joshua, and Jackson need me to be...

It is my prayer that I can be the kind of friend that others need me to be...

It is my prayer that my life can be a living sacrifice of praise to HIM!

Passing The Mic

I'm passing the mic to you. I'll give you my answers later on.


1. If you could drop everything and go anywhere right now, where would you go?

2. What is the name of the best pizza place that you have ever eaten at?

3. What time do you wake up in the mornings?

4. Are you a coffee drinker? If so, how do you like it?

5. What is the last candle scent that you bought?

6. What are your plans for Labor Day weekend?

7. When was the last time that you cleaned your house? (Don't worry, I'm sure that I have you all beat on this one!)

8. What show are you most excited about returning this Fall?

9. What CD do you find yourself listening to most often?

10. Do you go to sleep with your tv on or off?

Mrs. PC, I'm coming after you!

For the past five years, I have been working with a mac. I absolutely LOVE my mac! Sure, at first, it was not love at first click. I had to learn a few things, but learn I did! I am not a big computer person, but I do know my way around a mac. I love my iPhoto library, my shortcuts (gotta love that apple key), my applications and the way my mac is organized. I love my mac! I love my mac! I love my mac!

Now, I am back in the pc world at school! I feel like the oldest person EVER trying to figure out my computer. I am constantly trying to type in my shortcuts, only to realize that I can't do that on a pc. I'm sure that there are some shortcuts, but I couldn't even figure out how to get that little paperclip guy off of my page! I don't know how to set up my address book (or contact lists), and I don't know where and how I am supposed to store my pictures (if I even can). I would love to have some pictures from home as my screen saver, but I don't even know how to do that. I am helpless and I really miss my mac. Although I have been giving my computer at school the cold shoulder, I am determined to figure it out! I will not be beaten by a pc! Watch out Mrs. PC, I'm coming after you!

And my dear mac, you'll always be the one that I come home to.

Syringes and Needles and Pods...Oh My!

If you had told me a few years ago, that I would have a Sharps container in my house, I would have told you that you were CRAZY! You see, I, just like everyone else, cringe at the thought of needles and blood and IVs. Nursing had always intrigued me; that was until I realized that nurses had to draw blood and give shots - the two things that I despise. Seriously, I never dreamed that I would be ordering medicine to be delivered to our house, mixing high priced medicine in my home, giving my son shots in his thighs EVERY SINGLE DAY, ordering needles, alcohol prep pads, and sharps containers (also trying to find a place to properly dispose of said container), and finally having to give myself two injections into my own thighs once a month.


Yes, I now have to give myself two injections once a month. You might think that doesn't sound too bad, but you don't really know me. I am the worst stick when trying to draw blood. My veins roll, they blow, they hide and sometimes they don't give all that they need and then I get to have another stick just to get it all out. One time, I got stuck 7 times! I can't stand needles! Unfortunately the insurance company just approved that my medicine can be done at home. I am not a nurse! I cringe at the thought of having blood drawn! Are you seriously asking me to stick a needle into my thigh in a quick dagger-like motion and then do it all over AGAIN on the other leg??? Do you know who I am?

Well, I finally had to do this the other night! But, I cracked under the pressure and my dear hubby came to my rescue! Not only does Jason have to give our son his shots, now he has to give me my shots too.

Why the injections? Crohn's Disease... Fun, huh?

I am grateful for this medicine. Before having kids and after the twins were born, I was on an IV therapy drug that took 3 hours to drip in and left me with the most horrible headaches ever. I have been getting my shots now since about March. I don't have any side effects from this medicine, so, so far, so good. I don't really know if I will ever get over my fear of needles, but I guess that I better try...

For now, this is our life.

First Day Pictures and My Ramblings

We started back to school a couple of weeks ago. As you have heard by now, I made the decision to return to the classroom. It has been a decision that we have been praying about for a VERY long time! Here I sit, 8 days later, and this transition is going very well. Jason has seen to it that this transition takes as much stress off of me as possible. He (and the kids) love Daddy Days, he does the laundry, helps pack the lunches, does the dishes, the grocery shopping, and he evens drops my cell phone off at school when I leave without it. *I'm going to do a little bit more bragging...Jason is always this way! He is always willing to do anything and everything to help out around the house. We are a team, and we do things together! We always have, and we always will! * He has been so overwhelming supportive and I am so very thankful for all that he does! Since I started the school year, we have had something EVERY SINGLE night! I am really looking forward to having a more typical work week soon.

On Friday, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary. It was such a sweet surprise to wake and find what Jason had written here on my blog. I love Jason so very much and I am so blessed to be his wife. Jason treated me to dinner at Connor's and then to see the movie, Julie and Julia. Now, I am not a big girly/chick flick type movie goer, but I thought this movie would be a good one! I love food! I love to cook it. I love to eat it. And, I love to watch Food Network. I really wanted to see this movie, so Jason agreed and we saw this movie after our fabulous dinner. It was so good and very funny! I did get tickled that Jason ended up being 1 of about 6 men in that theater.

AND, if all that was not enough, he gave me an incredible anniversary gift - a diamond anniversary ring! It is so beautiful!

Okay, so I started off this post hoping to post pictures of the kids' first days of school. As you can tell, I got a bit sidetracked! Anyways, here's a little about school starting back for the kids...

Joshua and Abby Kate are at the little school where I now work. This is their 3rd year and they absolutely love it! They can't wait for their school days to roll around and are so excited to learn (and play). Jason and I made a HUGE decision a couple of years ago to let our children "start late". We sought the advice of medical and educational professionals about our decision. I could list the numerous reasons for our decision, but I feel that our decision is just that, our decision. The kids are really enjoying their Pre-K class so far and they are so proud of the work that they are doing!

Jackson also started a Mother's Morning Out program 2 days a week. He is SO HAPPY!!! There were no tears on the first day and he loved nothing more than going to school with his Daddy! He feels so big and is happy to tell me all about his day. "Momma - school - ride - dada's - truck!" I love his broken sentences, they are just too cute! He loves his lunchbox and insisted that I pack it one night (although he wasn't going to school the next day). You may be counting the days in your head, so I'll go ahead and answer the question that you have. We have the BEST family friend that comes to our house 2 days a week to take care of Jackson.

Joshua

Abby Kate

Jackson

Ten Years

I'm commandeering Sunny's blog today so I can wish her a Happy Anniversary! I love you, Sunny!

In many ways, ten years is a long time.

3,650 days
87,600 hours.

Like I said, its a long time.

But then again, it really doesn't seem like such a long time, not when you're married to your best friend.

Ten years ago today, Sunny and I stood before everyone we knew and loved and married each other. In many ways, it seems like another lifetime ago. I honestly cannot remember what my life was even like before I married her. Whatever it was, it was nowhere near as fulfilling and rewarding and satisfying as my life is today. The time I've spent married to her has, in many ways, been the only balm to help soothe much of the pain I've known in my life. I really can't even begin to think about what kind of person I would be -- what kind of man I would be -- if we had never met. So in that regard, ten years is a long time, long enough for love to grow deeper and stronger and more nuanced. Long enough to really know someone and to be known in return and -- in the knowing -- to allow someone to change you to the degree that you see yourself becoming a better version of yourself.

But today I find myself thinking about just how quickly ten years can pass. Even as I say the words -- "we've been married ten years" -- it sounds a bit odd. It just doesn't seem like its been that long. Its as if these ten years have been an elongated moment in time for us. We joke about it sometimes but in our minds we still think of ourselves as a young couple, newly married, right out of college. That is, until we look around and realize we have three children and a mortgage and a mini-van...then reality sinks in again!

Sunny, I hope we have many, many more years together because ten years simply cannot contain the great joy that is mine that comes from being your husband. Sometimes I'm still amazed by the fact that you choose to love me, even when I know I'm hard to love. You image God to me by your unconditional, unwavering love. I wish there was more I could do to show you how much I love you. I wish you a happy anniversary and I pray that we have many more decades of life together. I never knew I could be so blessed.

August 14, 2009

Around and Around They Go

Joshua, Abby Kate and Jackson rode go-carts for the first time this summer at the beach. I don't know who was more excited, the kids or Jason and my parents. I really wanted to get some pictures, so I sat the round out. I loved watching the kids ride in their go-carts. The looks on their faces were priceless. They all LOVED riding in their go-carts! Hopefully we will get to ride some again very soon.

Everyone waiting in line for their turn to ride

Jackson pointing to the cars that go "vroom"

My dad and Joshua

Once Joshua got in the go-cart, he started telling PawPaw about what pedal to push to go and which one to push to stop. He totally cracks me up!

Jason and Jackson

My dad and Joshua

I love the look on Jack's face!

He absolutely LOVED riding go-carts!

Jason and Jackson

Jason was putting his hand over on Jackson to help brace him, but Jackson quickly shoved his arm back over.

My mom and Abby Kate

Joshua was giving Nana a hard time about going so slow!

Hotels in Heaven

Jason wrote this tonight on his private blog, but I asked him if I could post it here on my blog. With his permission, here's what he wrote about bedtime with Abby Kate tonight:

Tonight I had one of those conversations with my daughter that I know I'll never forget.

As I was tucking her in bed, I noticed a pained look on her face. Abby Kate is my thinker. She spends time pondering the things she's learned. While we were doing our Bible story tonight, I made mention of the fact that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I guess she had been thinking about exactly what that meant, because when I asked her what was on her mind, she looked up at me and said, "When Jesus died on the cross, did it hurt him?"

I got down next to her face and I said, "Yes, sweetie. When he was on the cross, Jesus was in a lot of pain." I tried to comfort her by telling her even though Jesus died, God raised him from the dead and because of his death, we all can have life. Jesus DID die, but now he is in heaven and someday we'll be there with him and all the believers. "I'll explain all of that to you when you get older," I told her.

But I could tell there was something more. Abby Kate is also my most sensitive child. She not only ponders things, but she internalizes them. She has literally bawled her little eyes out over some toy or inanimate object that we've lost or left out in the rain; it's as if she has complete empathy for even the smallest, silliest little things. As we were talking, tears began to well up in her eyes. "What's wrong?" I asked her, pulling her even closer.

"Do I have to die on a cross, too?"

Now I understood. If Jesus died on the cross but now he's in heaven, does that mean that we have to similarly die on the cross in order to make it there. "No, sweetie," I told her, wiping the tears from her cheek. "Only Jesus could die on the cross for our sins. You don't have to do that. You can't do that."

We spent the next few moments talking together about who God is and how much he loves us. We talked about sin (in her words, "That's when we do something we shouldn't.") and how even though sin really hurts God, he sent Jesus to take our sin away. We talked about my Mommy and Daddy who have gone on to heaven and how much fun it will be when we can see them and all be together as a family. And we talked about how great it would be to see Jesus and be with him in heaven forever.

After covering all the appropriate theological bases, I asked Abby Kate if she was OK. She assured me she was, so I leaned in to kiss her, pulling the covers up to her neck. As I got up to leave, she had one more question for me.

"Dad, do they have hotels there?"

"Where?"

"In heaven."

(me, laughing): "I don't think so, sweetie."

(her, all earnest and serious): "Then where will we sleep?"

I don't know where we'll sleep, my precious daughter. But wherever we sleep in heaven, I hope we'll have the chance to remember together our little bedside conversation about theology and atonement and hotels in heaven.

Sweet dreams, princess.

Everyone Needs A Good Laugh

Here recently, I've been able to capture a few funny pictures. Here are a few that make me laugh every time!

I guess that Jason was talking to one of the kids, but this picture definitely makes me laugh.

Poor Joshua!

My little Joshua is allergic to mosquito bites and he always swells so badly. I snapped this picture on the first day of school! Even though this picture makes me laugh, I still think that the picture of his swollen ear is the funniest. (One day Joshua is going to be pretty upset with me.)

Lookout world!
This little guy will be hitting the streets in about 14 years!

Can you guess where Jason is?

Yep, he is riding in the BACK of our van!
We went out for dinner every night while at the beach. We always wanted to ride together and this was the only way to get our party of 7 into our ride. The best was when we pulled up to The Original Oyster House and I hopped out and let my dad out of the back. I'm not kidding here, a woman stopped walking and said, "Wait! I've just got to see how many people they have crammed into their vehicle." Fun memories....

Our Trip To St. Louis

Last weekend, we took the kids to St. Louis to see a Cardinal game. I had been hesitant about taking the kids to St. Louis in July because of the heat, but the weather couldn't have been any better! This was Jackson's first game at Busch Stadium. Jason and I have so many fond memories of our trips to St. Louis (he's been taking me since we were in college), and we have had the best time creating new memories with our children.

Joshua was our wide-eyed wonder this trip! He knows so much about baseball and he really knows his Cardinals. He is really in awe of Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina (Joshua calls him by his nickname "Yadi"). Every time they would come to the plate, he would cheer his little heart out! Side note: Jason and I saw Yadi play minor league ball in Johnson City when he was a rookie right out of high school. Joshua spent the whole game with his glove on his hand. He told his sister that he was going to try and catch a ball for her! As for Abby Kate, she enjoyed the game, but she really loves the snacks that come with the game.

This was Jackson's first Cardinals game at Busch Stadium and he loved it! He loved cheering and clapping and really found a new love of peanuts. Jason tried helping him open his peanuts, but he wanted to do it all by himself. He is getting bigger every day!

We had such a great time together at the game. As we were leaving, Joshua said "Guys, this is the best ball park EVER! Can we come back here every year?" We spent the rest of the weekend back in Nashville for a wedding and some more time with family.

My Super Cheap Deals

This week I have been really pleased with my bargains! I know that the people ringing me up must think that I am the biggest nerd, but I just LOVE saving money!!!! Here are my deals for the week...

10 cents!!!!
Yep, I got 2 packages of diapers for $.10 at CVS.
Advertised sale: $10 each
If you buy 2 packages, you get $5 in Extra Care Bucks (FREE MONEY).
I received a $2 off coupon in the mail the other day, I also had the P&G, $1 coupon that I used in this transaction.
At a previous visit to CVS, I received $12.50 in ECB's.
I spent $5.10 and got back $5 ECB.
I got my diapers for 10 cents!!!

58 cents!
CVS had their kleenex tissues, bogo for $2.39 each.
I had $2 in ECB.
I got 2 boxes of kleenex's for 58 cents!

36 cents!!!
CVS had their Colgate Total toothpaste buy 1 for $2.99, get $2 in ECB.
I had a coupon for $1 off. So I paid, $2.11, and got back $2.
For my 1 tube of Colgate Total, I paid 11 cents!!!

Kroger had their Crest toothpaste for $1 each.
I bought five tubes for $5.
I had two $.50 coupons, that were doubled for $2 off.
I then used two $1 coupons for $2 off.
And then, I used $.75 coupon.
I paid 25 cents for 5 tubes of Crest toothpaste!


I also bought 4 - 12 packs of Pepsi products at CVS the other day.
They were on sale for $12.
I used my $5 in ECB and spent $7.57 out of pocket.
For my purchase, I got $4 in ECB.
After my ECB, I got 4 -12 packs for $3.57!!!

I love shopping the sales and getting my super cheap deals!

First Day of School

Today was my first day of school! It is really hard to believe that it has already been 5 years since I left the classroom to have our twins. I have loved each and every moment of being home with the twins and then Jackson. I know that this time will be a time of transition for our family, but it is a decision that we have been praying about for months now.

I will be teaching 1st grade and I have a class with 12 students! Joshua and Abby Kate are excited about going back to school this year and were really happy to see some of their classmates from last year at orientation today. Fridays are going to be "Daddy Days". Since Jason is off on Fridays, he will be keeping all 3 kids home with him. I know that they are all very excited about their daddy time!