Back in the Land

Of the living that is. I am feeling much better today. Whew! whatever it was that I had, it totally whipped my butt Monday and Tuesday. After a couple of nights of Nyquil and days of Dayquil, I am proud to say I am almost completely better. I still have a slight headache, and my nose is still stopped up, but at least I can see now. That is a true blessing. I had a shower, fixed my hair, and even put makeup on today. It is a new day for sure. I am probably going to head to Target in a little while with the kiddos. Lord knows we need to get outta here. They are just as stir crazy as I am. Thanks for all of the little prayers and well wishes, they were very much felt. I want to wish all of you all a Happy NEW YEAR. May the Lord bless you in 2009. As far as my resolutions go- here they are

1. To be more diligent with my bible study/quiet time each day. I want to set a specific time period in the early a.m. instead of doing it during the day when the time allows (usually at naptime). I yearn to have this first and foremost daily. I pray that the LORD will kick my butt out of bed early enough to do it. (5:30am)

2. To catch up on my scrapbooking- okay girls I know this is probably a lost cause

3. To eat better and lose the rest of this post Evan weight. I have around 25 pounds to go. Why is it so much harder to lose it than it is to gain it?

4. To have more patience with my kiddos. This goes with #1

5. To enjoy each day of 2009 like it is my last.

Until next time... in 2009

Pray for this family

Hey ya'll,

Please be in prayer for MckMama and her family, especially little Stellan. Stellan has RSV, extremely severe! MckMama's blog is on my sidebar (my charming kids)
I like to read it, and she and her family have an amazing testimony through little Stellan. If you have time, catch up on this testimony and pray for them during your quiet time.

I am pretty sick as well. It is some kind of sinus stuff that makes you feel like you have the flu without the fever. I am trying to rest, but you know that with three kids that is pretty impossible at times. I am going to make them all lay down today so that I can do the same. Until next time...

Not me! Monday

Last week after going to bed with my hair wet, which is something a curly haired girl should only do in the presence of someone who really loves them, my hubby did NOT ask me the next morning if I was from "Whoville" Hey, Cindy Loo Who has nothing on me! I didn't know hair could stand up in those directions.

My sinuses are NOT acting up again, and I am NOT typing this while my eyes are super swollen.

Speaking of eyes, I do NOT need to go to the eye doctor bad. In fact, I did NOT let Tristan's 7 year old friend tell me which streets to take b/c I couldn't read the signs when driving her home at night. I did NOT then tell her mother that I needed to get my eyes checked. I am sure her mother then felt pretty safe about me driving her child after that comment.

I did NOT have the best marathon cleaning session before our family came over for Tristan's birthday yesterday. So good in fact that you really do NOT want to see what is behind any door in our house. They are spring loaded- trust me!

Last but not least check out Mckmama's blog. She is not doing her usual Not Me! Monday marathon today. Her baby Stellan has been sick. For a really awesome story, catch up on Stellan. He is such an amazing miracle. It looks as though he is getting better, but pray for him and his family still. I love her Not Me! Monday posts so much that I wanted to carry it on today. I hope everyone has a great day!!

Another year over, and a new one just begun...

My life feels like this classic John Lennon Christmas song sometimes. It is hard to believe that 2008 is ending and 2009 is beginning. Where did it go? Do I really have an almost 10 month old, a 5 year old, and a 7 year old? My sweet little Tristan will turn 7 tomorrow. I still remember bringing her home from the hospital. Andy and I came home on Dec. 30, 2001. Her first night was great, but oh our New Year's Eve rocked that year- literally. That is rocked in the rocking chair all night long. Tristan cried almost all night long. I remember thinking, "What have I done? I can not possibly do this baby thing". It got much better though, and so did we. Oh what a joy she has been to our family. She is a sweet natured, kind spirit. I could not imagine life without her. We are so excited for her b/c tomorrow night, on her 7th birthday, Mr. David will be baptising our sweet girl. Tristan has never been more excited, and she has been telling everyone. I know this will be a birthday she will never forget. For not only was she born 7 years ago tomorrow, but she will also be able to tell the world the most important thing about her life- That she is born again. How amazing is that? Thank you God for your grace. We so do not deserve it! Thank you for my sweet baby girl's salvation. I truly do praise you for this.
On another note- anyone else's house look like Toys R Us threw up in it? I think we are extremely, highly, underserving at times, super-duper, you get the point Blessed. Until next time...

Not me! Monday

Hey guys! Welcome to Not me! Monday. I love this little blog fun started at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ So check it out, join in the fun, and have fun finding out how "perfect" we really are.

Okay, I did NOT just this past week change both Evan's main diaper pail plus the old standby diaper pail that we have. They were NOT completely packed full to over flowing with diapers. I did NOT change it b/c I was putting dirty diapers in plastic bags on the floor beside the pail and finally ran out of space. That would be so gross. The 30 gallon trash bag that did NOT get filled with the contents of both pails was NOT so heavy that I had to drag it down the stairs and across the living room floor and to the garage. It did NOT sit there for another three days until I finally had to heave it to the trash can. I did NOT almost throw my back out doing this. I mean come on who is that lazy??? I ALWAYS change the diaper pails before they overflow ;)

I have NOT threatened my kids one hundred times today to quit wrestling. The threat was NOT that I would tell Jack to tell Santa that the presents were not coming. I mean I would NEVER threaten with things that I could not follow through with.

I have NOT had the fleeting thoughts today that I am not going to make two weeks of school being out, and that I may have to be rescued. Not me!

Jack has NOT stayed in the same place for two different nights this week b/c I forgot to move him. I have NOT used the excuse that Jack must like that spot. The kids did NOT completely buy into it. I am NOT so bad at this job of relocating Jack.

Our family did NOT stay in our pjs all afternoon. I did NOT contemplate letting Evan sleep in the same pjs as he wore last night and all day long. I did decide to change him though. What kind of mother do you think I am?

and last but not least. I did NOT clean my bathroom today. I am NOT embarrassed to admit that it had been a really LONG time. So long that my sinks were crying tears of joy for seeing some cleaner and a sponge. I am NOT going to blame it on the fact that I have a baby. Wait though that baby is NOT now 9 months old so he is no excuse. Who waits that long to clean their bathroom? Not me!

Merry CHRISTmas everyone!!

Not me! Monday

Hey guys! Welcome to Not me! Monday. I love this little blog fun started at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ So check it out, join in the fun, and have fun finding out how "perfect" we really are.

I did not work out last Tuesday for a whole hour with my underwear riding up my rear end the whole time. When I finished my workout and went to pick Evan up from the Kids Klub I did not try to put my keys in my pocket only to not be able to find the pocket. I couldn't find the pocket because my shorts were NOT on backwards the whole entire workout. Nope! Not me. I mean come on, that would be too embarrassing.

We do not have a new addition to our outside Christmas inflatable fest. Nope!

It is not an inflatable Santa riding a John Deere Tractor, and he is not right next to our inflatable manger scene. Nope! That would be a little much wouldn't it?

Jeff Foxworthy is not going to add our house to the best redneck Christmas decorations. Nope!

My Evan did not start crawling pretty good yesterday. That would mean I am gonna have to buy more outlet covers.

What about the things you all didn't do?

Blessings Abound

My past few weeks have been somewhat hectic as I am sure everyone can relate to. As I have scurried to buy the last minute presents, food, clean the house, etc. I have not fully focused on what I needed to focus on. Our Lord's birth. I was reminded of this yesterday morning from Pastor Phil's sermon. Please check it out at www.fbcpowell.org.
I also wanted to share with you what I have encountered this past week to make me stop and reconsider the unimportance of the "secular" part of Christmas. I have been blessed abuntantly this week. The blessings have come from a couple of families. One we are close to and love very dearly, and the other we have only known for a short time, but also love them dearly. These two families have both experienced recent difficult trials right before Christmas. To see them glorify God in these trials has been an ultimate blessing to me. That was really all that I needed to be blessed with. God, however, chose to use me and many other individuals, as channels of His provision for these two families. That has been the most awesome blessing! It is truly much better to give than to receive. It starts a spiral effect that is absolutely intoxicating. I have been giddy with excitement this past week knowing how God was using myself and these other idividuals to help out these two families. It has meant so much more to me than buying that shirt for so-and-so, or another toy that the kids sure don't need. I had a concrete example for my children this week of ministry! That is a gift that you can never buy from a store. It is a gift for a lifetime that I hope the kids will look back on and remember. So I wanted to say thank you to the Hodson family and the Richard family for truly blessing me this past week. I pray that you continue to glorify God in these difficult times. Thanks for being a reminder that we should all celebrate Christmas the way it should be celebrated. Love, Giving, and Sacrifice should be our theme, just as it was the theme 2000 years ago. Thank you God for the gift of Jesus

I also want to mention how proud I am of Tristan. Her Sunday School class has been raising money for the Lottie Moon offering for missionaries. Tristan had what I thought was $30.00 saved in her wallet. She decided to give half to Lottie Moon. I was so thrilled with her decision. So when I went to get her from S.S. yesterday, Mrs. Kandy told me that Tristan had given $50.00. I was surprised. She had some more money stashed in another wallet. So when I was asking her if she was sure she wanted to give all of her money, she did not hesitate and said, "Yes, mama". When we got in the car I told her how proud that we were of her and so was Jesus for giving her money to the missionaries. She said, "Mama, I had to give it to them, because that is what Jesus told me to do. The missionaries need it". Oh, to have that attitude. So once again God used my own child to bless me yesterday. It was a great week.

Not me! Monday

Hey guys! Welcome to Not me! Monday. I love this little blog fun started at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ So check it out, join in the fun, and have fun finding out how "perfect" we really are.

I did not carry Evan upstairs last night to get him ready for bed and put him down on the changing table to find my whole arm wet. I did not proceed to find the biggest blow out of poop in my lifetime. It was not completely up Evan's back and out the sides of his diaper. I did not have to call Andy in for reinforcements because I did not have poop everywhere it could possibly go. Evan was not competely smiling through the whole ordeal like he didn't have a care in the world. Nope! not me

I did not let my kids eat way too much candy and junk this weekend. What kind of mom would do that? Nope! not me.

I did not eat too much candy and junk myself this weekend. For crying out loud I am not a fitness instructor and I am not supposed to set a good example. Nope! not me.

I have not forgotten to hide Jack, our elf on the shelf, at least three times this week. I have not gotten up in a panic to race downstairs before the kiddos and hide him before they could realize he was in the same spot as the day before.

I do not have more Christmas shopping to do. I am supposed to not be finished already, right!

and last but not least...

I do not have leftovers still in my fridge from Thanksgiving. That would be kind of gross, so Nope! not me

Have a great rest of your Monday

Jack, our guest

We have a visitor in our house for the next 20 days. The kids named him Jack and he is a scout elf.

You can find out more about elves like Jack at http://www.elfontheshelf.com/ This is how Jack works. Every evening when the kiddos go to bed, Jack flies to the North Pole to tell Santa how the kiddos have behaved for the day. Then he flies back the next morning only to hid in a different spot in the house. This morning he was on the mantle. The kids have had a blast finding Jack each morning. This is a new tradition we have started this year. It comes with a great story book. It has been so much fun to see the kiddos look for Jack.

Of course this is all in good fun. The kids know that it is a game, and that Jack and Santa are not the true reason we celebrate Christmas. The birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, is #1 in our household. Tristan even said today on the way home from school, "Mom, the presents aren't important, but Jesus' birthday is. Why do some people not think so?" Oh such thinking for her little mind, but she sure did hit the nail on the head. Without Christ there would be no Christmas. Without Christ we all would still be covered with sins. He was born of a virgin in a lowly manger to be our KING!!! Wow! how I will never get over this! What a perfect, spotless gift to us. JESUS is Christmas.

On a lighter note, I caught Evan taking his first up close peek at the tree. I love the look on his face. He seems to say, " Oh, how bright and shiny. I wonder what it would taste like"

Not me! Monday

It's time again for Not Me! Monday. I love this little blog fun started at http://www.mycharmingkids.net/. Check it out and join in the fun. Have fun finding out how "perfect" we really are.

I did not eat four different Thanksgiving Meals this week. No, not me!

I did not stick my finger inside Evan's diaper yesterday to see if he had pooped because that would really be gross. I did not, in turn, pull out my finger with poop on it. That would be extra gross! Nope, not me!

My dryer did not BLOW up completely last night. It did not happen 25 days before Christmas b/c that would be wonderful timing!

I do not have about 10 loads of laundry to do. Nope, not me!

I am not stressing about not having a dryer for a few days. Nope, not me!

My little Evan is NOT crawling now ever so slightly. That would mean he is growing up and he is most certainly not doing that too fast.

Oh so Thankful!

Well my two guys made it back last night about 10:00pm. Ty was wound tighter than a four day clock, as Andy would say. Andy said that Ty "daddyed" him to death on the plane. This is how he gets after anesthesia and when he is tired. He likes to talk 90 miles an hour. He also doesn't like to quit talking. The treatment went well. Dr. G, Ty's laser doctor, confirmed my suspicions that Ty's lips are growing. This can happen with vascular birthmarks. The blood flow to the area can cause tissue overgrowth. Laser treatments are a huge success in preventing this if started early. I can only venture to imagine what Ty's lips would look like had he not been getting laser treatments. Dr. G had told us early on that he thought Ty would most likely need a lip debulking surgery in the future. I have been concerned lately b/c the laser treatments have done so amazingly well on his face that it seems as though I have noticed his lip size more. His PWS is also on his gums, and Ty has lost his two bottom teeth. The top three teeth are not real. It is a partial due to knocking them out when he was three years old- NOT TY, NEVER! The dentist said that about 6 months after he lost his bottom teeth that he would take the partial out. As I was inspecting his mouth, I noticed the PWS on his gums is looking more red. It was just a concern that I had. So I had Andy bring it up to Dr. G. We really do not know what we are facing with his PWS until his permanent teeth come in. It is another unknown in the journey. Dr. G did however, refer us to a plastic surgeon in NYC who is also a dentist. We will soon make a consultation with him. He will be able to tell us more info about when Ty will need lip debulking surgery, what the PWS is doing in his mouth, etc. All and all it was a great trip. Dr. G said that it just makes his job more fulfilling every time he sees Ty because of the amount of clearing that he has had. It is truly amazing, I agree! Andy said Ty just walked into the surgery room, hopped up on the table and said, "Give it to me!" He is unreal. He did get the chocolate scented anesthesia mask this time. He is his mother's child for sure. I am just so thankful for many things as I reflect tonight. For the Lord blessing me with a wonderful husband who would miss Thanksgiving with his family in order to take his child to the doctor in NYC. Also for a wonderful child who does what needs to be done medically and never once complains about it. For the Lord bringing Andy and Ty home safely. For all of my friends and family. It has been a wonderful Thanksgiving.

On a funny note, I can't believe my Andy went to Macy's on Black Friday. I was impressed. Tracy G.- maybe you should take Andy shopping with you instead of me. He is obviously da' man! He tried to act like he walked right in and then right back out and that he didn't enjoy it. I am thinking a little different though. I noticed that he had a new shirt on and so I asked about it. He then said that he did in fact get it at Macy's. Then, hold your breath, he said that he wished he had more time b/c Macy's had Polo for 40% off. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. How impressive Andy! Ty, however, says, "It was packed mom!" I don't even know if I would do Macy's on Black Friday in NYC.

I am posting some pics of Ty after treatment, and of the Kermit the Frog balloon from the parade. Thank you so much for praying for our family and until next time....

New York Trip

Okay I am kind of sad. My baby and my hubby had to eat their Thanksgiving meal at Planet Hollywood. That makes me sad. Andy and Ty were able to check out part of the Macy's Day Parade though. They had walked around four blocks to get there and it was barricaded. So Andy asked Ty if he just wanted to go back to the room. Evidently a police officer was listening to the conversation and he told Andy that they could come on through. How awesome is that? They said it was really neat. Ty got to see the Buzz Lightyear balloon. I was hoping that he would. Buzz is one of his favorites. They have to be at the hospital bright and early in the morning at 6:00am. Ty is the first surgery at 7:00am. Pray for everything to go well. I miss my boys!!
Until next time...

Fantasy of Trees

We headed out today for our annual visit to the Fantasy of Trees. This is our third year to go, and I just absolutely love it. The kids have a blast, and all of the money spent goes to an awesome cause- East Tennessee Children's Hospital. So if you live in this area and have never been then I must recommend that you check it out. You will not be sorry.

I had a rough morning getting there. When I got downtown to the Convention Center the Holiday Inn Parking garage was full. I have never been when this garage is full, so I just wasn't sure where to park. It has been many years since I have been on campus driving around. (almost 10 to be exact). I was a little nervous, but eventually I found an obscure lot down behind the Foundry. I didn't have to pay, but that kind of made me nervous. I had visions of coming back to a towed car! I guess the catch was you had to walk 14 hundred miles to get to the Fantasy of Trees so who cares if you park there. The kids did great. Even Ty with his healing leg. It is pretty much back to normal now, and he only has an ever so slight limp. We just walked kind of slow for him. We made it finally. Then when we got in the door, I realized that my camera battery was almost dead. All my scrapbooking friend can relate. I thought I would die. I mean we had the matching outfits on. No camera- AHHHH! I did manage to salvage it for a few great pictures though. After these couple of mishaps the day turned out perfect.

This year my niece, Rachael, was singing. So we watched her junior praise team sing a few songs, which were so good, and then headed off to the booths. My sister-in-law, Susan and her mom Betty, along with Rachael walked around with us. My mom and my Gran E also met us there. I was grateful for the extra hands for sure since this was Evan's first year at the Fantasy of Trees. He did great as usual. Man, I had forgotten what it was like to have that darn stroller again. It is good for carrying things though.

So we hit some of our favorite booths. The cookie making booth, the nail painting booth, the mini tree booth, the craft bag booth. We also rode the carousel and the little tea cup things.

I know what you are thinking and yes, Ty does get his nails painted. He loves to do whatever Tristan and Rachael do. I just let him do it. I figure it will only last a while, and the year that he decides he doesn't want to do it anymore I will be sad. That means he will be growing up. So until then I will cherish these memories- Gold fingernails and all!
The carousel was fun this year. Mom rode with me and the kiddos. Evan had his first ride. He enjoyed it for sure. Tristan was so excited to ride on the horse sponsored by Dr. Abby and Dr. Greg. She raced to it and about took everyone out trying to get on "Dr. Abby's horse".

So after a quick look around at the trees, and I do mean quick, we headed home. The trees are beautiful, and I would so love to have an adult day sometime at the Fantasy. It would be great to look at them. With my kiddos it just doesn't happen. I don't really mind though because one day I will be able to look at those trees, and the cookie making, nail painting and tree decorating will be of the past. That will make me sad for sure. They grow so fast. I hope you enjoy our slide show of pictures.

On another note, please pray for Ty and Andy. They will fly out to NYC tomorrow morning at 5:45am for Ty's 16th laser treatment the Friday after Thanksgiving. I am sad as this will be our first year of not being together as a family on Thanksgiving. Andy and I know though that this is one laser treatment closer to maintenance. We are hoping for only two more until we reach maintenance- per Dr. G. I will keep you posted on his progress. Until next time.... Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. God is so good and He bestows many blessings upon us. We have so much to praise Him for.

Not me Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday. This is one of my favorite things to read about on MckMamas blog http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ Check it out and have fun reading about how "perfect" we really are.

I have not relented into letting my husband pick up the Santa Clause piloting the Pirate Ship to put in our front yard all in the spirit of Christmas for the kids of course. No, not me!

All three of my kiddos are not sick today and we are not all going to the doctor this afternoon.

I am not in the process of having Marathon Thanksgiving week. Last night, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. That would be a little too much Turkey so No, not me!

And last but not least, My husband is really NOT Clark W. Griswold (wink wink)

DOES HE EVER STOP??

Okay, so now we have a light up Santa Clause Mailbox. Ya just gotta see this. I am officially revoking Clark's Visa Check Card. He is out of control!

Oh, and here is the much anticipated Manger Scene

Merry Christmas, Clark!

Yes, I am the official owner of a classy, inflatable, manger scene in my front flower bed. Lessons on this. #1. Never let your husband go to Lowe's by himself with your 6 year old daughter
#2. Never talk around your husband about how you really don't like inflatable
Christmas decorations.
#3. Learn to let it go that your house now resembles Clark W. Griswald's house.

Just call Andy- Clark. I have been renaming him all week. So after I have given Andy heck about this inflatable Manger scene, Tristan put it all in prospective for me.

Andy : "Tristan, do you like this inflatable manger scene?"
Tristan: "Yes I do daddy"
Andy: "Why?"
Tristan: "Because it has Baby Jesus in it, and He is the most important thing about Christmas
anyway"
Andy: gives his wife "the look"

So I will once again listen to the heart of my children and keep my Clark W. Griswald manger scene. After all, the Lord's birthday is the most important part of Christmas.

I will however, draw the line at the Santa Clause piloting the pirate ship that is supposed to be here this week. I will make Andy, er Clark, walk the plank on that one.
Until next time....

Clean Slate

Ty went to the ortho doc this morning, but not before we had breakfast at Cracker Barrell where he polished off cheese eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and apples. Yep, his appetite is coming back. So the doc declared a pretty clean slate for Ty. He is not restricted to any activities, but we are not to push him too hard. He says he feel that he will continue to have his limp for around two months. Each day should get better as his leg becomes stronger. He will need to come back on Dec. 11 and have an x-ray to make sure there is no bone damage. He doesn't feel that Ty has any though. He is cleared to go back to school on Monday- YAY!(for him and me) Home health will come tomorrow and pull the PICC line out. I think Andy and I may be more excited about the PICC coming out. That means we can sleep a full night. W e have had to do Ty's medicine every six hours, and then it takes one hour to go into the PICC. We have to remove it after this hour. We have been running on around 5 hours sleep a night. For me that is not much. If there is one thing I crave, it is sleep. I need at least 8 hours or I am not a pleasant person. I think Ty will just be glad to have a nice hot fun-filled bath. He has only been able to stand up in the bath while we sponge bathe him. It is cold, and I am sure not too fun. I am so glad that Ty is feeling better, and pretty much back to normal. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, thoughts, gifts, cards, etc. We love you all. Until next time....

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday. This is one of my favorite things to read about on MckMamas blog http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ Check it out and have fun reading about how "perfect" we really are.

I did not eat a piece or two, or three of Halloween candy from my kid's stash every single day this past week. Nope, Not me!

I did not take Tris and her friend to see High School Musical 3 this weekend and love every minute of it. Nope, Not me!

I did not eat a bowl of cereal for lunch every day this week b/c I was too lazy to go to the store with two kiddos in tow. Nope, Not me!

I did not buy the new Casting Crowns Christmas CD because my friend Megan said it was great. (It is by the way) Tristan and I did not jam out to Away in a Manger before Thanksgiving because that would be way too early for Christmas music. Nope, Not Me!

I did not also buy Faith Hill's new Christmas CD and listen to it too. Nope Not Me!

Hope you enjoy reading about the things that I so did NOT do this week. Until next time...

A Friend Loves at All Times.....

"A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity" Proverbs 17:17

This verse sums up the day. I took Ty to have lunch with his friends at school yesterday. As you can see, they are missing him pretty bad. The feeling is definitely mutual. I am moved beyond belief at how concerned they are about him. They hugged, patted, and loved on him when we walked in and when we left. I only regret to say that I probably caused Mrs. Stephanie's Friday afternoon to be quite a long one. We had them pretty stirred up when we left. To see the smile on Ty's face was just priceless. He loves his buddies. When I see this picture I think about the prayers that I prayed before our decision to start Ty at Grace's Pre-K program. One of my concerns was would the kids accept him? I know it sounds a little vain, but never the less, I had it. You see he had been in Parent's Day Out at our church since he was 15 months old. This was his church, his sunday school friends, his territory. At our church he feels safe. Everyone knows he has a special birthmark and eye. Here he is just Ty. Would it be the same if we moved? What would the kids say about his eye, his birthmark? Oh no, here I have to explain it all over again. Then I realized that I can't control these things no more than I can control how tall Ty will be. I had to let go and let GOD! So with faith and trust, I did just that. I have continued to be blessed by the kids loving Ty. It is refreshing to see how little children just willingly except. No questions asked. I won't lie, I still wish I didn't have to witness him being made fun of, or stared at in his future encounters. It is hard, but I know that God will be there for him. He will never leave or forsake him. That is a comforting promise that I can release Ty into! Until next time....

Tagged

So my blogging friend Jenny tagged me for a little fun. I am to do these requests

1. Pick the 4th picture folder on my computer

2. Pick the 4th picture inside the folder

3. Explain the picture

4. Tag 4 other friends.

Here is my sweet Ty-Ty trying on his new "vampire teeth". We had a blast trying them on. Even mommy joined in on the fun. He continues to improve each day. He has lost about 5 pounds so I am just trying to get him to eat, eat, eat. He didn't have 5lbs to lose. He is still using the walker, but he has been crawling up the stairs, and sliding back down on his bottom. Each day that leg gets a little stronger. Apparently, I am not the best homeschooler. As he was doing his work yesterday, he told me he really, really couldn't wait to go back to school and see Mrs. Stephanie and the friends. (that is what they call each other in class- "the friends") He is bored here with mommy and Evan. So today we went to visit the kids. They all were so sweet and concerned about him. They truly miss him. We are going tomorrow to eat lunch with his friends. I will take my camera for some photo ops.

I had fun with this tagging game, and now I choose to tag my only two blogging friends left since Jenny is out. I choose Amy C. and Megan. I have to recruit more bloggers. It is so much fun. It is just like journaling and scrapbooking on the computer. Until next time...

Evan is 8 months

Little Evan is 8 months old today. I can't believe how fast time is going. He is such a sweetie. The most laid back baby out of the three of my kiddos. His newest thing is to sit in his Jumperoo and when we tell him to jumpy-jump, he just goes to town. I swear I think he is going to hop right on out of it. Of course, he just cracks up. He thinks it is so much fun. He has gotten his two bottom teeth in and looks so cute. He is also starting to babble a bit with ga ga ga ga ga. He loves to say this over and over. He is trying to crawl, but hasn't mastered it yet. Getting up on all fours and rocking is about as far as it goes. I am not ready for crawling just yet. He is not growing up too fast, I won't let him. Really though, I would like to slow it down. He is killing me on the clothing issue. He is wearing 12-18 months clothing and is a whopping 24lbs. How could you not kiss that little face? Check out the carrot nose from eating all of his orange veggies. Tristan had the same thing at this age. Until next time...

Out of the mouths of babes

Those of you that know me can verify that I am by no means a pack rat. I hate clutter, especially paper clutter. It makes me feel unorganized and messy. So does this mean that I don't keep all of my children's school work?- You got it! Even though Andy tries to make me feel guilty about throwing it away, I know that I can not possibly keep it all. I would be swimming in papers. I do however, keep the special things. Every once in a while a paper will come home that makes me smile. Tristan had one today that put a huge grin on my face, and I wanted to share it. It was written last Friday on Halloween and this is how it goes,

"To nigh I get to dress up like loosee I hope I get lots of candy. I really want imims!"

So to fill in some of the blanks for you all, Tristan was Lucy from the movie Narnia, and she really likes M & M's. I love the way kids just write words the way they sound. I mean who would not spell M & M's like imims? Needless to say, I will be keeping this paper. It will not be hiding at the bottom of my trashcan. Yes, this is where I put a lot of their old papers so that they can't see them in the trash can. Hey, I can at least be sympathetic when I part with the paperwork. Until next time...

Getting Back to Normal

Things are on their way back to normal around here. Ty continues to improve. He is able to put a little weight and walk on his right leg now. We still are carrying him up and down the stairs, but he is improving daily. He has not had any pain medicine at all today! This is great. It still hurts, but I think it is nothing that Motrin won't take care of. Andy and I are getting pretty proficient with the PICC. It is kind of scary though what parents are allowed to do concerning this PICC line. I keep telling Andy over and over it is a good thing that we are not squeamish about needles and also that Ty is a good patient. His spirit is definitely back to his old self. We even worked on some school work today. Here is a picture of him with his "loot" basket from his classmates from school. He was so proud. I am looking forward to getting back to my routine. I have been off of my healthy eating/exercise plan for about a week and a half now. I can really tell too. This Halloween candy is getting ready to meet Mr. Trashcan!! This is why I don't buy it. I have no will power when it comes to chocolate. Until next time....

Reflecting

Last night went well. We all slept really good in our own beds. Andy and I had to wake at 4:00am to give Ty his meds. It went over well, and we went right back to sleep. Even little Evan was exhausted. He slept until 8:00am, which is usually unheard of. Most of the time he is bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:00am. When Ty woke up this morning he was pretty stiff. We helped him out of bed and downstairs to the couch. He then had a bath, and I think that got the ball rolling. After his bath he started walking a bit with his walker. He was able to walk quite a bit today. I pray that he hasn't overdone it though. As far as his spirit goes, we have our Ty Ty back! He is playing, happy, and seemingly back to his old self. The leg is still painful, but we are working on that. Andy and I are giving Ty his antibiotic through his PICC line every 6 hours. There is a special process of cleaning, flushing the line, and administering the meds that we follow. It isn't too bad, and we will be pros before long I am afraid. Ty will need this medicine for two to three weeks. I still haven't told him about being out of school. I will do that tomorrow most likely. It is really so good to be home and reflect on our past week.
It is truly amazing how much our son is loved and prayed for. Not just by us, but by so many other people. We sat in the living room this evening just looking around. It looks like Christmas has arrived. Ty has so many gifts of well wishes. His teacher, Mrs. Stephanie brought over a big basket of toys, gifts, cards, and candy from the kids in his class. To say he was excited was an understatement. The cards, the food, the offers for babysitting. It all means more to us than you can imagine. Most importantly the fact that people have prayed for him diligently touches me so much. I am so humbled and amazed. I praise the Lord that He healed Ty. I know that your prayers obviously worked. I guess we just really want to say thanks for loving our little guy, and to God be the glory for his recovery. Until next time...

Homeward Bound

WOO HOO! We are heading home this evening. Ty has been up walking with a walker. It was a very challenging fight, but he did it. He cried the whole time. He is extremely stiff and sore. He only walked a bit, and was ecxhausted from it. The PT said that it will just take some time to regain that strength. We know that sitting around and lying around will just make it worse. So we have to encourage him to use it even though it is painful. He is still getting accustomed to the walker and trying to learn how to use it. Home health will be bringing us a walker to use. The nurses will be coming in shortly to give me the 101 on how to use Ty's PICC line. So we are getting the ball rolling. It is so good to hear the words you can go. We are all so exhausted. We thank each and every one of you guys for your wonderful prayers, and acts of kindness during this difficult time. We could not have faced it alone without the care of our family and friends.
I will periodically be updating the blog to fill you in on Ty's progress. Keep praying for a smooth transition home and continued recovery. We might be bringing Ty to Kidzfest tonight for a tiny bit depending on how he feels and what time we are discharged. We should have a wheelchair for this. We certainly don't want to overdo it. As for tomorrow, I am taking my sweet Tristan to see the Cheetah Girls. We have had tickets for a long time. She has been wonderfully obedient during Ty's hospital stay. I have just been so blessed with a great daughter. She deserves some mommy time tomorrow. Well, until next time.

Up and at it

Ty is up and at it with the coloring this morning. He is still having trouble moving his leg, but PT is on their way today to help assist him. He is sitting straight up right now and coloring in his Justice League coloring book that his Pre-K program sent him. He just colored a picture of Wonder Woman, or "hot girl" as Ty has been calling her. That child is a mess. We are hopefully going to get him moving a little bit today. Last night was a good, restful night for him with only pain meds before bed, and this morning when he woke up. He is acting like himself more and more each day. He has been fever free for 36 hours and his blood count is starting to get back to normal. We are maybe going to be able to come home tomorrow. We will see. Thanks so much for the prayers. I will continue to keep you posted throughout the day.

PICC Line is In

We have our PICC line!! YAY! Ty is resting tonight. He had a productive day and is doing quite well. Pray for no fever tonight. It is a crucial night. PT should be by tomorrow to assist him in moving. I will keep everyone posted. Check out the video from Mark Shultz that I have posted at the bottom of my blog. Go all of the way down. If that won't make you cry, nothing will. As much as I feel that way about Ty; I can't fathom that God loves him more!!! I couldn't move it up to the top b/c I am on Andy's laptop, and I couldn't get it to work. I am also not checking my email on Andy's laptop, b/c I can't so if you have emailed me and I haven't answered you that is why.
Love ya lots

Update

Ty made it from the bed to the chair this morning for the first time. It is the first time he has been off of his back since last Friday. He did well. Andy and I decided to give him a bath, but his pain is still there. Let's just say the bath didn't go over too well. Ty screamed so loud that I think the whole UT campus heard him. His hip is really sore, but I also think he is afraid to start moving it b/c he knows what it has felt like. PT will definitely be needed to help us get him moving. We are still waiting on that. I think they are trying to get the PICC line going first. The PICC line nurse was in around 2:15pm. She tried to get the PICC line in without Ty going under GA. She was able to get it into his vessel, but unable to move it along due to Ty's scar tissue from the 50 thousand (not really but it feels that way) IVs he has had in the past. He was extremely brave as she did her thing. He did cry, but never kicked or thrashed around. I can tell you now I would have been up off of that bed. Needless to say, it wiped him out and he is asleep now. So he is now headed back to the OR under anesthesia for them to put in the PICC line. Hopefully they will only gas him just a bit. It is a pretty quick procedure once it gets going. We are doing okay. I am exhausted from sitting here. Andy is doing okay, but he is antsy. We all know how he can't sit still for anything. We just want to come home- really, really bad. My poor little man is also allergic to the detergent that the hospital uses on their sheets. He has a rash on his back and butt. He has been scratching it quite a bit today so they are going to get him some cream. We have fixed that, and now he is laying on his fuzzy blanket from home. Still no BM. I am beginning to think it will be on my shift tonight after all. I will update more after the PICC line is in. All in all it has been an okay morning and afternoon.

STRENGTH

Last night was my night to stay at home with the other two kiddos and sleep in my own bed. Oh how I hate to leave my Ty-Ty, but how I long for my bed and my other babies. I have learned to treasure the time that I spend with them. Not that I don't already, but I think sometimes I take it for granted that I am able to be with them so much. It has made me sad not to have mommy routine this week.
On to other things though b/c I digress. Dr. Blackmon (Ty's ped.) and Dr. Crawford (Ty's ortho.) came in to talk to Andy this morning. Praise the Lord that Ty's fever went down after a dose of Tylenol last night, and did not return. I have no doubt that this was the power of many prayers being lifted up on his behalf. The docs stated that Ty's blood work looks real good, and that our next goal is to get Ty to have a BM. He has not gone since last Thursday. AHHHHH! Granted he has not eaten, but still I can only imagine. So Dr. Greg told Andy that he would have to give Ty an enema if he had not gone today. He also told Andy not to worry that he would make sure that happened on my shift. Okay, Greg if you read this... Not so funny;) What has to be done must be done though. The non-glorious side of motherhood.

The next step is physical therapy to get him up and moving. Also he is slowly being weaned from the morphine. He is rather cranky at times, but I know I would be too. He can either be high as a kite, or hateful as a bear. It just depends on the level of drugs in his system at the time. Andy said he had a decent night. The nurses had to change his IV. It did really well though. It lasted in his left hand from last Friday until last night- almost a whole week. They moved it to the right hand last night. We are praying to contine to see good results and soon his PICC line will go in. It looks like he will probably miss the Trunk-or-Treat festivities that our church is sponsoring, but I will be sure to load him up with his favorite M&M's- or wim wims as he would call them when he was little. He is a chocolate lover just like his momma! He and Tristan are suppossed to be Lucy and Peter from Narnia. How ironic that Ty is Peter. I know this child is so strong! It reminds me of a couple of verses

Psalm 18:32-33

It is God who arms me with strength, And makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of deer, And sets me on my high places.

I may just bring his costume to the hospital. He has a toy sword, and has been dying to play with it since I bought it.

We continue to covet your prayers. It is so hard to see your child in this situation. I also know this promise is true from Romans 5:3-4

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.

Through all of these trials that Ty endures, I will hold on to this promise. For it is exactly that, a promise. God's word does not lie!!! I am honored that HE is shaping our character through it all. I am anxious to see what the Lord has in store for Ty. It is something really big- I have no doubt about it. I will continue to update the blog often as Ty is recooperating. I am staying at home for a bit with Evan this morning. My mom will then come to watch him while I go to the hospital for my shift tonight. It looks as though we might be on the tail end of things now. I pray that we are. I am grateful for a couch to lay on in the hospital, but it sure isn't like my sleep number bed.

By the way, the "hot" anesthesiologist came in to check on him yesterday. He was sleeping though. She was so sweet to do that. Children's has been great. I meant to put this in my last post, but forgot. Ty's bottom tooth was loose before his first surgery. The docs pulled it out while he was under GA, and then they put it in a little bowl and taped four one dollar bills to the top. They brought it to us, and told us that the tooth fairy had visited in the operating room. Ty thought that was so cool. I just thought it was a great thing to do. He lost his first bottom tooth last week. Here he is from last week after losing that first tooth. I love this picture.

I just got a call from Andy while typing this update. Ty is sitting in the chair! WOO HOO!!! Keep those prayers coming.

Calling all Prayer Warriors

PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! I just talked to Andy, and Ty's fever is back up to 102. I am beginning to become frustrated, and yes, I will admit I am frightened. We are dealing with some serious staph, it is highly aggressive. I will post in the morning, hopefully fever free.

Feeling a bit better

We made it through the night with some decent rest. He is still having hip pain, but Dr. Crawford says that he really stretched out the joint with the scope yesterday. He has been fever free since early this morning so we are looking for it to continue on to the 24 hour mark. His blood work should come back tomorrow too. The pain should start decreasing tomorrow, and hopefully he will start to get back to normal. Physical therapy will come tomorrow to help him begin moving his right leg again. We are still looking at 3-4 more days in the hospital at least. Keep on praying!!!

Here We Go Again

Ty just came out of his second surgery of the week for the septic arthritis of the hip. The ortho doctor, like me, did not like his 102 fever last night, and even though after his blood work showed minimal changes we made the decision to go back into the hip for another look for more bacteria. We know that Ty never does things like he is supposed to do them; so after three days of his pain not really diminishing we knew something probably wasn't what it was supposed to be. It turns out that he had 3 cc more of bacterial infection inside his hip. The doc took a scope into his hip to examine the joint and cartilage. He says it all looks great, but that once again we caught it in time. He said he would not have gotten better had we chosen to wait for another surgery. In fact, he would have gotten worse. So now he has had his hip washed out one more time, and prayerfully is on the mend. He is once again on the Tordol and also Morphine for pain. The good news is that the bacteria is staph. It is a non-resistive staph, and they know just what type of antibiotic will treat it. It has just been a really aggressive staph. Tomorrow should be a day of recuperating after surgery, and hopefully the next day will go much better. Please keep him in your prayers still. By the way, thanks so much to my co-workers at St. Mary's for the yummy looking edible arrangement. Ty can't wait to dig into those Mickey Mouse shaped pineapples. We love you all.

The latest

Ty has a fever this evening. We were looking good at being fever free for almost 24 hours when this afternoon he started to spike the fever again. They did more blood work to see if the bacteria might be back. Pray that it is not. I am at home tonight to rest while Andy is staying with him in the hospital. When I spoke with Andy a moment ago, his fever had come down from 102 to 101.7 with Tylenol. He is still on the Morphine for pain management. He will see a physical therapist tomorrow to try to get him up and moving. My poor little angel boy has been laying flat on his back since Friday evening. I know he is so weak, tired, and in pain. I pray for this to leave his body immediately. Thank you so much to everyone who has visited, brought him toys, prayed for us, offered to help, and those who are helping us out. What would we do without you? Thank you too to my church buddies that work at ETCH. I so appreciate you checking on me, bringing me food and praying with me. Ty will pull out of this. He is a fighter.

On a funny note, here is a picture of him last night while on the morphine high. The shower cap has shampoo in it for bed baths. It is too cool. Andy was washing his hair.

Still hangin' in there

Ty is still hanging in there. I need to update my original diagnosis from the last post. Ty's toxic synovitis (ts) developed into septic arthritis of the hip. This occurs when a bacterial infection collects in the hip. This is much more serious than the ts. TS is just a little inflammation of the hip joint, which goes away in 3-7 days. It can be treated with basic ibuprofen.



We talked with the doctor today, and the infection is indeed staph. What type of staph we do not know yet. We will probably know that tomorrow. The doctors have told us that hopefully by late today or tomorrow his pain will start to lessen some. His body is slowly fighting its way back to normal. Ty had a bad night with pain last night. His leg continues to cause him unbearable, and unbelievable amounts of pain. He is on morphine and tordol, a iv ibuprofen. The plus side to these are that they make him feel better, almost too good. The down side is he hasn't been resting well b/c the drugs are making him high as a kite. He just talks, and talks and talks. You would really think he was just fine if you didn't know any better. Last night though we let the medicine wear off too much before he received another dosage. This caused his pain to be unreal. At 2:00am this morning I was at my wits end. While waiting for the drugs to kick in Ty turns to me and says, "Mommy, I love you. I wish you could be in the hosipital" I about lost it. I try not to cry in front of him though. Gotta keep his spirits up. I have been telling him over and over how I wanted to be in his bed taking the pain for him. I am sure that is what he meant when he said he wished I could be in the hospital. This child is a lesson in preserverance for me and the rest of my family. Oh how my God uses situations to glorify His name!!!

He is resting as I type this. I think he is so exhausted that the sleep has started to overcome the power of the drugs. This is good b/c he so needs his rest. They checked his blood count this morning and we are waiting for the results. They want to see it either remain the same or decrease. The good thing is that his fever has gone down. I pray that this is a sign he is on the mend. The blood counts will tell us for sure. If the counts are looking like they should, then hopefully we will get Ty's pic line in in the next couple of days. Then once he is stable he can come home. He will be on iv antibiotics at home for some time, possibly weeks. He has yet to move from the bed. So my next prayer request is for the pain to go away enough so that he can move out of the bed. I am praying that he will not have to undergo physical therapy for this hip. That is a question that I have for the orthopedic doc when I see him today. All in all the summary seems to be improvement. Slow and steady, but it is coming. Please continue to pray. Love ya lots, until next time....

Pray for Ty

This is how our story starts. Yesterday morning Ty woke up complaining of right knee pain. I immediately thought it was growing pains so we gave him some Tylenol and then sent him to school. Around 9:00am his teacher, Mrs. Stephanie, called me to tell me that Ty was really complaining that his leg was hurting and he was crying. He was telling Mrs. Stephanie that he fell off of his bike on Thurs. afternoon while playing outside. I thought that maybe he had twisted his knee or even broken a bone so I went to pick him up and take him to Children's for x-rays. Mrs. Stephanie had to carry him to the car for me b/c I was carrying Evan, and Ty could not walk at all. Gramps met me at the ER and helped me get Ty in and settled. By this time he was screaming in pain. Every time he would bend his leg to 90 degrees or rotate it at all he would cry out. He was saying that his knee hurt and now his hip. The doctors took his blood and did leg x-rays. Ty's bloodwork came back fine and the x-rays showed no broken bones. The doctor just thought that he had a severe bruise from his fall. The doctor did mention that it could be something called toxic synovitis, but that usually the patient has a cold for a few days and runs a low grade fever with hip pain on one side. Ty only had the hip pain, but I should have known because Ty chooses to do things that are not by the text books. He gave Ty ibuprofen and sent us home telling us to have Ty rest and to see the doctor the next morning. So we get him home, carrying him to and from the car, house, etc. Anytime he is in another position other than flat on his back he is writhing in pain and screaming crying. Immediately I know that something just isn't right. I mean the kiddo has had his eyes cut on multiple times and never cried like this. His pain tolerance is just extremely high. I knew it wasn't a bruised hip. I just wasn't sure what we were dealing with. So after talking to a friend who has a friend in orthopedics, he suggested I take Ty back to Children's. I completely agreed, and I was so thankful to have my concerns affirmed. We get to the ER and they do more blood work. Ty's counts had tripled in the 3 hours that we had been home. He also started to run a fever. The diagnosis- Toxic synovitis. They did an ultrasound on his hip and saw fluid collected on it. So they admitted us last night and by 11:00pm we were in a room. They wanted us to talk to the orthopedic doctor this morning b/c he wanted to drain the fluid. There was a chance that it could be a bacterial infection. In fact, they were pretty sure that it was. So at 1:30pm this afternoon they drained the fluid. He got 5cc of pus out of the hip. The pus is definitely a bacterial infection. So Ty is on a strong IV antibiotic. They are sending off the bacteria to determine what kind we are dealing with. It is staph, but what kind they are not sure of yet. Most likely it is MRSA. So Ty will be at Children's Hosptial until at least the latter part of next week. When he does get to come home it will be with a pic line so that we can administer his antibiotics at home. He will have to be out of school for probably 3-4 weeks. He is in preschool, but he absolutely loves it and will be devastated to know he has to miss. Tonight with the fluid gone and the bacteria out of the hip, he was feeling a little better. He still cannot stand on his leg. It is extemely sore. The doc says that hopefully in the next day or two he will start getting back to his normal self.
That little guy has been through so much!! I know God has an awesome plan for him, and He is toughening him up for some serious battle time.
Please pray for us. That Ty would heal quickly, and that the stress of being in the hospital with two other children to care for would not overcome us. We have had lots of offers to help with Tristan and Evan. I thank each one of you who have offered, and may be taking you up on that offer. I am not really sure what we need at this point. We are taking it day by day. Just continue your prayers. We really feel them.
On a funny note, the nurse had given him some morphine right before the procedure this afternoon. It made Ty high as a kite. So when it was time to talk to the anesthesiologist about the procedure, she introduced herself. She was young, blonde, and attractive. So Ty is laying in his bed, and Andy and I are on his left side and the doc was on his right. He puts his hand to the right side of his mouth to hide his lips so only Andy and I could see him talk. All of the sudden he whispers really, really loudly. "SHE'S HOT!" I thought I would die. We all three just busted out laughing. It was so good for the soul. At least he has good taste. GO TY GO! I will keep you all posted as much as I can. Ty is in room 405 at Children's Hospital.

Love you all

God's Glory

It is truly amazing how Glorious God is!! Every time I witness another account, I stand amazed and oh so humbled. I wanted to share a praise from a fellow blogger friend of mine. Her youngest daughter Greer has a facial/scalp PWS. As you all have read from my educational blog post, she is definitely at risk for SWS. So far though, there are no signs. This is a huge Praise, and as a PWS/SWS mom I can tell you it I am sure is an absolute peace for her mommy. Check out Megan's blog at www.holdituptothelight.com It is also to the side on my fave blog lists.

As for our family, we have been doing okay. The kids had their Fall Break last week on Thur-Mon. so we took off camping in Pigeon Forge. We spent Thursday in Cades Cove where we saw lots of animals. We saw a bear, wild turkey, a coyote, and a whole family of deer. A huge 12-pointer and his family. I think Andy was salivating at those 12 points. The kids loved it, and the weather was awesome. We took a picnic lunch, and just enjoyed God's creation. I am going to post the pictures soon. Friday we went to Dollywood with some school friends. It was fun too, but the highlight of the day had to be that Ty was tall enough to ride "The Blazing Fury" This happened just since the beginning of summer when he was still too short to ride. He loved it of course. I remember it being my favorite when I was little, and I am so glad it is still around for the kids to experience. It is funny to remember the experience of riding it when you were little versus riding it now. It is really pretty cheesy. NOT to a 5 and 6 year old though.
Little Evan has cut two of his bottom teeth finally. He is starting to make it on to his hands and knees and rock a bit. I am so not ready for him to crawl. It has gone by so fast. Christmas will be here before we know it. Take care until next time.....

Crash and Burn

Okay, yep that is what I did this morning. It started out with a rocky morning with the kiddos. Ty had grandparent's day at school today so I wanted to dress him in a nice pair of jeans and a short sleeved polo shirt. He decided that he hated the jeans and just had to wear shorts. It was cold this morning so we argued for 30 minutes about the clothing choice for Grandparent's Day. I won that round, but gave in when in came to the shoes. We agreed on short sleeve polo shirt, jeans, and sandals. He did look awful cute though. Next, I found out right before walking out the door that Tristan lost her brand new uniform hoodie sweatshirt. I just bought it on Tuesday, and she left it at school on Wed. It is now MIA. I was not a happy camper. Things got better at breakfast and on the way too school. Then they started getting rocky again. I usually put Evan in the stroller to take the kids to class, but today I decided I would carry the 21 pound chunky monkey in. What was I thinking? We got to Tristan's class room and I had forgot the ice cream money (they can buy ice cream on Fridays only) and also the spirit wear money( paying a dollar to wear a non uniform shirt) So I had to go back out to the car with Ty following and me carrying chunk-a-monk. So I get the money, come back in and that is when it happened. Of course my arm was about to completely break off from holding Evan. He also decided that now was the morning he would try to do back flips out of my arms. So as I am about to go to the couch in the front entrance area to reposition Evan and sit down for a minute, Ty walks right in front of my feet. I couldn't see him b/c of holding Evan . So like in slow motion... I CRASHED hard. I fell on my right knee and arm. I am sure it wasn't a pretty sight. I am proud to say though that I held on to the prize-EVAN!! He did not go crashing into the floor with me. So mission accomplished. Luckily, my cousin Missy was sitting on the couch so she helped me regroup. She held Evan for me, so I could then hold Ty, who was now crying thinking he had maimed us for life. Whew! what a morning. So now my knee is really sore. It defintely could have been worse though. It is just truly embarassing to fall like that. Especially when you are holding your infant son! Hope everyone has an awesome weekend.
Until next time...

Camping again!

We are getting this camping thing done! We just got back from another family weekend. This time we went with the Groom's family to Gatlinburg. It was a blast. The kids had so much fun just spending time together. They haven't been able to do that in a while. Our schedules have changed a lot since the kids have started school. I told Tracy after looking at some of the pictures I took of the kids this weekend that I was kind of sad to see them grow up. This picture in particular made me a little nostalgic. I can certainly remember five little kiddos downstairs on my couch eating popcorn and watching T.V. after swimming in the pool. Little kiddos does not really fit the description now. God has blessed both of our families tremendously. It is amazing to hear some of the things that they are learning. Mason just led a little boy at school to Christ last week- How awesome is that? Tristan talks constantly about her love for Jesus! She has such a compassionate heart that is only from Christ. Her and Carter are getting ready to start our church's "Now that I am a Christian Class" This is the class that saved kiddos take before they are able to be baptized. She couldn't be more thrilled. She is so ready to get baptized. She asks me daily.

Ty is learning lots of things too. He is so sweet. He has not a care in the world. A little stubborn at times though. I have to laugh at him when I ask him what he learned at school for the day it is always, "NOTHIN". Then when he thinks I am not listening I will catch him singing songs, reciting his memory verses, or doing his vowels.

Evan is growing, growing, growing. He is now sitting up for short periods of time unassited. We are still waiting on those teeth to come in.

Well it finally happened! Tristan learned to ride her bike without the training wheels this weekend. She was so excited. Tracy and I both believe that she wasn't about to let Mason and Carter show her up. She really is just one of the boys at times. She loves her Mason, Carter and Trent. Here you can see her pedalling away. As for Ty, he would rather do the Fred Flinstone on his big wheel. He can get around faster that way. He really has no desire to learn to ride his bike even with the training wheels on. Oh well, I guess I will be getting the bike that attaches to mine so that I can haul him around. We have scheduled Ty's 16th laser treatment for the day after Thanksgiving. Andy and Ty will leave on Thanksgiving Day and have the treatment that Friday. It will be crazy busy up in NYC with the holiday. I am praying now for travel mercies. On a positive note though, Ty's face looks amazing. We are praying for a few more treatments until we can claim maintenance. That is about once a year. Here is another picture of Ty this past weekend. Yes, he is nasty. What else should boys look like? That bath water sure was black.

Until next time guys....

All Tuckered Out!

All tuckered out! This is the theme for our week. I can't believe I haven't posted in three weeks. Where does the time go? We have had much happen in the Pritchard family in the past three weeks.

Labor Day weekend was our first family camping trip to Point Mallard Park in Decatur, Alabama. We had a great time, and we got to meet some wonderful birthmark buddies and their families. Check out the slideshow for the pictures. We are hoping to do it again really soon. The kids had a blast. Evan did great too. It was super hot, so praise God for air conditioning. Tristan and Ty met a little girl- Laney, who was camping two campsites down from us, and they played with her quite a bit. There were not many boys around so as usual Ty filed right in with the girls. He plays well with them. He is used to it with Tristan.

So the kids were making us laugh. They along with three other girls they met there set up a display show on one of the picnic tables. They had found things around the campsite and had them displayed for people to see. They even made out invitations and gave them out to people. To see these "treasures" through the eyes of a child was so cool. Some of the prize objects: a real live crawfish. That sucker was big too. He reminded me of those crabs in "Finding Nemo" that say, "Hay, Hay Hay" when Nemo swims by. He was snapping his claws like that. He was in a bucket of course. There were Chuck E. Cheese coins, leaves, sticks, marbles, bottle tops, and even an old bar of soap. That one kind of grossed me out. I had to not show my face when the kids were like, "Smell this mommy, it is great". All I was thinking about was whose body it had washed- GAG!! Well after I viewed the treasures, a few minutes later I had the kids come up to me wanting a quarter for viewing their treasures. So I obliged. I think they got a few quarters a piece for all 6 of the kids that were playing together. Not too bad for a days work. We had so much fun as a family that we are going again next weekend with the Groom's family. We will be watching the Florida game in style thanks to Mr. Neil Grooms! I can't wait for the kids to spend some time with their buddies. It has been a while since we have played with the Groom's boys. Watch for pictures and posts from this trip as well.

Ty's 5th b-day was last Thursday. He wanted to celebrate at his favorite place- Litton's. What can I say, the boy has taste. So we went with Kiki and Poppy and had our usual fare. The burgers were great.

Ty has been a little stinker this week at school. He has gotten into trouble a few times. His allergies are bothering him, and he is just getting so tired that he has been taking two hour naps when he comes home from school. As you can see in the title picture. He even fell asleep sitting up on Tuesday. That is no excuse though. He has to learn how to listen. Luckily, Mrs. Stephanie knows how to handle him. Tristan is doing awesome in her reading. She is really catching on. Her math is kind of troubling, but I know she will get it with time. Little Evan has decided to grow past the legal limit on his baby carrier. He went to the doctor last Wed. for a six month well check-up and he is 19lb. 7.7oz and 27 inches long. He may have been the smallest at birth, but by golly he is making up for it now. I think he will soon be buckling his momma into the car instead of vice versa. He is now rolling over both ways. So he is going to town when he is on the floor. He is also sitting up for a short period of time with a little help from me or Andy. He is trying to push through his bottom right tooth. It is really swollen so it won't be long.

My newest endeavor is trying to make streamer ribbon ponytail holders. I have made a few and am going to try my hand at some more. Here is a picture of one of them.

I got my idea from a website that sells bows. Tristan's school was selling them, and I bought one. After looking at it, I thought that I could do it and for cheaper. I did it! I am learning. I never thought I would want to be crafty, but I guess that is my momma coming out in me. It has been fun making them, and I am going to try to maybe sell some myself. I have much learning to do though. Well, I am getting ready to hit the hay. I am all tuckered out too! Until next time....

God is Good

Hi all!

As most of you know, Ty is coming up on his 5th birthday on Sept. 4. So with his Sturge-Weber Syndrome, which hopefully most of you have read about on this blog, he has a potential to have seizures. The doctors have researched that the percentage of seizures goes down with each milestone in age that a person with SWS reaches. (1 year, 2 years, and the last one being 5 years). Basically if Ty has not had seizures by the time he is five years old, then the liklihood of him every having seizures is maybe 3%. This is a huge milestone for our family. In short, Ty is a miracle child. Given the extent of his Port Wine Stain, he should fully be experiencing seizures right now, plus maybe even developmental delays. GOD IS SO GOOD!! Everytime I get down about his eyes, all I have to do is be reminded of what could be. I am so anxious to learn what God has in store for our Ty. I do know that Romans 8:28 promises that it will be good whatever it is.
Ty sees a pediatric neurologist here in Knoxville. His name is Chris Miller. He is wonderful in case anyone needs a reference for one. Ty had a check up last week. Dr. Miller says that everything is wonderful, and to look at Ty he couldn't even tell that he had anything wrong with him. I agree whole-heartedly. Ty doesn't need to see him again until he is 8 years old, and that is just so that he can monitor how his learning in school is going. So things look great from the brain end of Sturge-Weber Syndrome. As for the eyes, they are stable for now, and for the PWS it is fading so amazingly.
He just asked me yesterday about his birthmark on his scalp. We chose not to treat it b/c his hair covers it. He had his hair cut pretty short recently, and it is kind of visible through his hair. He just said, "mommy, what is that red stuff". I said that is your birthmark. He was too cute and said, "In my hair!" I had to laugh at him. He is so much like his daddy that it is scary at times. Let's hope that I stand a chance with Evan. I don't think my life can handle three Andys.
Until next time.....

School Has Begun

The first day of school has been here and gone. The kids did great! They both walked into their rooms and found their seats. They let me take my pictures and kissed me goodbye. I have anxiously been looking forward to this day. They were starting to get bored with me and each other. Although I was ready, I found myself missing them during the quiet today. It is so neat to watch them grow up, but sad at the same time. I was looking at last years school pictures and what a difference. They have grown up so much.
Evan enjoyed his day a lot. We went for a walk this morning, and then back home to do things at the house. He napped and played all day without being poked and prodded. He missed his brother and sister alot though. When he got to see them he gave them the biggest smile. Ty had him laughing this afternoon, and it was cracking me up. There is nothing like hearing your kids laugh.
It is hard to believe that another school year has begun, but I love the fall and I am looking forward to all of the activities that happen then. Miss Tristan has slightly fractured her growth plate in her right wrist. She is in a removable wrist brace for a couple of weeks. This is the same wrist she broke two years ago, just on the other side. The doctor wasn't sure when she had broken it. Neither are we to tell the truth. She had been complaining for a day or two so we took her for an x-ray yesterday. All I can say is thank goodness it isn't serious. That girl is so graceful. Gets it from her mother of course.
Our next adventure will be Labor Day weekend. We will go camping as a family for the first time. We are going to Alabama to meet some friends from our birthmarks.com support group. They all have children with birthmarks. There will be three-four families possibly. It will be so good to meet other people going through similar things that we are. So I will keep you posted on how that trip goes. Thank goodness we will stay in a camper. You all know how I HATE bugs!!!
Until next time.....

One week since Ty's treatment

It has been a week now since Ty's laser treatment, and as you can see he is healing quite nicely. I have been intriqued by the way Ty is handling some of the questions regarding his birthmark and laser treatment. He has shown me that he is growing up, and "Gasp!," doesn't need his mommy to always answer questions about his face for him. Sometimes it would irritate me when adults would just ask me right in front of him like Ty couldn't hear them, but now I find myself wanting to answer those questions. Like Andy has said, I must let him figure it out on his own. I know this, but the Momma Bear in me wants to take all of his anxiety and hurts away. God continues to teach me daily from Ty's challenges. For instance he had Open House at school yesterday. We went into a new classroom with around 9 new kids that he has never met. He was so great. One little boy innocently touched Ty's face and asked him what was on it. Without missing a beat Ty just told him it was his birthmark and the little boy was fine with it. I long for the simplicity and acceptance of children sometimes. They are so sweet, and just take things for how they are- no questions asked. I think that Ty will have a great year. His teacher, Mrs. Stephanie, is such a loving, kind, and patient person who loves her job. I know she will be great for Ty.
We haven't met Tristan's teacher yet, although I have heard wonderful things about her. We will meet her Tuesday night at Tristan's open house. We are winding down the summer. This Wed. school begins. We are praying for a great year for her as well.
Little Evan is finally big enough to play in his exersaucer. He has liked the new toys and chances to play. I think he is ready for the peace and quiet in the house that school will bring. That will be a new thing for him.
I just wanted to say, Happy Birthday Grammie. We are celebrating later this evening with dinner.
As I am typing this it is so quiet in my house. Andy is working today, Evan is napping, and Tristan and Ty are spending the night with their Kiki and Poppy. I am reminded of the simplicity of life with one child. Oh how easy those days were, even though I remember struggling to get things done. It is amazing how God teaches you to adapt your life to the changes He brings into it. Now I can't imagine life without three kids. It has it's moments, but for the most part is no more difficult than having two children. I get this question alot. I guess people think we are crazy to have more than two children. For Andy and I it is such a wonderful blessing to watch these little people grow. We praise the Lord for all three of them.
I want to ask everyone to pray for all of the children and teachers who will begin school this week. May everyone have a wonderful transition from summer to work/school. Until next time...

G

Ty's Laser Treatment

We just got back from New York tonight. Whew! what a quick two days. We flew up Thursday, and Ty went to see his glaucoma doctor, Dr. Ritch. Dr. R checked his right eye's pressure, and things are holding steady at a 23. He also took pictures of his optic nerve, and told us that things are looking just fine. What a huge praise here! Ty and Andy then enjoyed a slice of pizza with Dr. R in his office. How cool is that? Dr. R also told Andy that he has no doubt in Ty's lifetime that it will be possible to regenerate Ty's left eye. The optic nerve in the left eye isn't damaged, only his retina. Wouldn't that be amazing? Only time will tell. Dr. R said that he would love to be the one to do it too. He is a great doc. Since all is well Ty is to continue seeing his local glaucoma doctor, Dr. McDaniel, and come back to Dr. R in 1 year.
That evening Andy and I took the kids to watch the Yankees play the Angels. We had a blast. We rode the subway, and it let us out right at the stadium. I found this so easy, and only wish we had the same advantage in Knoxville when U.T. plays. We had awesome seats right behind the Angels dugout. The kids both got game balls from a couple of Angels players. They rolled them right over the dugout to the kids. They were so excited. As you can see in the pictures. Well the Yankees got creamed last night 12-6, but it was a great experience anyway. Yankee Stadium was neat. This is the last year before they move to the new stadium.
This morning was Ty's laser treatment. Dr. Geronemus, Ty's dermatologist, says that he looks great. I agreed with him. He feels like if we could maybe do around 4 treatments every three months this year that we could possibly acheive 100% clearing in some more spots. He pointed out that Ty has already acheived 100% clearing in some spots. This was great news. We will try to go back as much as we can before Ty begins Kindergarten in 2009. Ty did really well, and we hopped on our plane back to K-town at 3:40pm this afternoon. Although it was actually more like 5:00pm when we were able to leave. We made it home okay. Everyone is in bed now, and I am headed that way. Thanks so much for all of the prayers for the trip. Until next time...

Love,
G

Summer is fading fast

Just like I said, summer is fading fast. Andy and I took the kids to Dollywood yesterday along with Aunt Susan, Uncle Jimmy, and cousin Rachael. Yes, it was a unbelievably hot day, as well as humid. We had a great time though. Evan did really well. He was stripped of his clothing, and just rode around all day in his diaper. We found out that he loves ice water too. Who would've known!
I could tell that I am getting older when I had to take my Dramamine in order to ride the roller coasters with Rachael. So Aunt Ginger wouldn't get motion sickness. Wow! never thought I would have to do that.
Summer is almost over, and it will be back to schedules and homework. I will have a 1st grader and a Pre-K 4 kid. I dread the summer ending, but oh how I love the scheduling of school. It makes me feel like I am accomplishing lots more. Summer is for playing. At least while the kids are little because as we all know it won't be forever. Childhood too is just a season.
I am sure Evan is counting down the days so that he can take a quiet nap in the house without running and yelling. As for "Milk Mouth" a.k.a. Evan, he has now started solids. Graduating from rice cereal, to sweet potatoes, to carrots, to oatmeal. He loves them all and doesn't waste any time getting it down. He rolled over for the 1st time yesterday from back to front. He gets stuck in this position though. He is growing so fast. Andy and I have decided that we now remember what we missed about the baby stage- THEY DON'T TALK! Ah ha, ha. Just kidding. All of my kids are true blessings, and I am so thankful for each of them.
Pray for our travel mercies as NYC is coming up. Until then...

Love,
G

Welcome to Days Go By

Hey everyone,

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer. We are, but it sure is flying by. I can't believe the kids will start school on August 13. Only three weeks away. Little Evan is growing by leaps and bounds. He is 4 1/2 months old and just starting to eat cereal. He loves it. He is definitely his mother's child.
After looking at blogs that others have created, I was inspired to do the same for our family. Mostly though so that everyone could view Ty's progress with his laser treatments and his glaucoma treatments. I will have some family stuff along the way though. I am a newbie at all of this blogging stuff. It is amazing what you can do. I am still learning so if any of you are experts at it, and have some advice, feel free to send it my way.
Our latest update on Ty is he will have his 15th laser treatment in New York City on Friday, August 1. This trip will be fun because my mom is keeping Evan, and Andy and I will be taking Tristan with us. We are going to take the kids to see a Yankees game. This is the last season in Yankee Stadium so it should be a lot of fun. I can't wait! It will be a whirlwind trip though so pray for travel mercies. We arrive in NYC on Thursday at 8:00am, and then Ty will see his NYC glaucoma doctor at 12:00pm for a checkup. The game is later that evening at 7:30pm. We have to be at the hospital at 6:30am the next morning, and then we fly back home at 3:40pm. WHEW! I pray that things work out okay. I will post pictures and information on the trip as soon as we get back. Until then... Stay cool inside or in the water.

Love,
G