Happy 6 year Anniversary

Tony and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary last night. Our anniversary was Friday, July 23, but he was in Ft. Lauderdale. He came home this weekend and we had a wonderful date night last night. He leaves Tuesday morning at 5am back down south. It will be a long two weeks as we probably won't see him next weekend.

Here are some pictures from our 'big night out' at the fondue restaurant, the Melting Pot.

I love this first picture, all dressed up and in a barn. We were dropping the kids off at my parent's farm.





I got this dress almost a year ago, for $3, on clearance at TJ Maxx!! I really love good deals. I didn't know where I would possibly wear the dress but it worked out to be the perfect dress for a night out with the hubby.
Love you Tony! Couldn't imagine life without you!!

my latest find...

I got a bargain yesterday!!
A very nice family in our subdivision is moving to China! They are both teachers and they previously taught at a private school here in town. They are moving to teach at an international school in China. They are moving with their darling daughter who will attend the school were they will be teaching. Such a unique opportunity for their family. I am sure God will bless them in their travels and all their endeavors.
Now, for the bargain I got... A few months ago this family had a garage sale, selling most of everything in their home. We weren't able to go but I did drive by and noticed a few things of interest. Yesterday I was walking the dogs and I noticed a white cabinet thing in their garage.. one of the few things left. I figured it wouldn't hurt to knock and ask them if the cabinet/dresser thing was for sale.
The husband and daughter answered the door and he said I could just have it! FREE! I won't argue with that.
So, it needed a bit of work.. but here is what I got.





I decided to paint to a dark, gray blue color called 'seal pup'... Sophia picked it from a choice of a few other colors. We spent $12.12 on paint. Got home and began working... I let the kids paint the back, the side that would go against the wall.. LOL.. I put there names, ages, and dates on the back when they were done. Here is what they did...





And here is what I did...



With a little help from Troy...


Now Sophia placed herself in the A/C for the most part. She's a smart girl.. It was HOT working in that garage.

Here is the before picture of my dining area in the great room. Needed a splash of color if you ask me! ;)



So I switched some things around.. took the leaf out of the table, removed the broken chair from the dining room, and switched around some candles and pictures...
TADA!!






Let me know what you think? Oh, and you might be wondering why I decided on the dining room? We are embarking on a homeschooling journey, Sophia will be in preschool this year so we are calling it, "pre-homeschool." I needed somewhere to hid all of the 'fun stuff' that I have been finding for our "pre-homeschool" year. ;)
This will work just perfect!

old news.. but still news.

So I am sure I haven't shared, although some of you may know.
I write a blog for a local magazine. Lake Magazine, the blog is on their website. I try to write at least one blog every two weeks. Sometimes more, never less.
The blog is called 'In The Hood', motherhood. ;)
I am going to be on their radio show Friday to talk about the blog and motherhood. So if you are in the area you better be listening to HeartBeat Radio around noontime.
I figured I'd share with my blogging buddies. Some of the stories you will recognize from previous blogs on this site and some are new. If you want to comment, you have to subscribe to the website, thus subscribing to the blog. It is free just type in your email etc. Check it out.

http://thelakemagazine.net/archives/category/blogs/motherhood

If you are located in this area the website is packed full of local events, places, and things to do.

*So on a personal note:
We are in Ft. Lauderdale visiting Tony. It was a long drive down, totally worth it. Tomorrow the kids and I will drive back home and I'm hoping to stop and check out the Boynton Beach area on our way home; as that is a likely area we will move to, if we move. Maybe stop and get starbucks out there. ;) The drive on the beach is so beautiful I wish I could take A1A the whole way home. I may take it some of the way but it is filled with stop lights and may take me all day if I go that way. We are in the hotel right now the kids are napping and we are going to go for a walk along the beach when they get up.

Q-tip Stories

Before the Q-tip story... Here is my little doodlebugs watching Matilda with their friends over today. I love when they have friends over, I get so much done, they have a chance to play with someone other than each other plus these two little girls are totally adorable!

Troy, Delany, Sophia, and Ashlynn <3



The kids and I went in the pool the other day. We got inside and I got them changed. I love how their skin smells like cholorine and sun screen. A true Florida momma, I guess...



The kids were eating a snack and I was on the phone with a friend of mine while I was getting ready to make a quick run to the grocery.



I hung up the phone and turned around to see Troy standing there with me with a Q-tip in his ear. I didn't want to alarm him but I wanted him to give me the Q-tip. I knew if I alarmed him that he might push it in his ear or start running with it in his ear. So I quietly said, "give me that buddy."



He handing me the Q-tip but half of it was missing.



I was startled and looked on the ground. Troy looked with me like it was a big mystery. I asked him where the other half went.



He said, "In my ear."



Oh, Troy! I couldn't see anything in his ear but nothing was visible to me.



I looked around for a few minutes while I noticed that he was pulling on his ear.



I called the pediatrician and off we went.



While we were in the car he was so excited, clapping his hands and singing, "I'm going to the doctor."



Sophia was telling him, "Troy they are going to cut off your ear to get that out you better be worried, there is going to be blood!"



It didn't phase him.. Sophia!



These two kids are really going to be the death of me... I listened to them banter back and forth at each other.



We got to the doctor and he checked Troy's ears... he giggled the whole time. I was glad it didn't damage his ear. I wish he not been laughing through the whole thing, but I am glad he wasn't crying the whole time too.



After we got that handled we went to pick up dinner then we went home.



Tomorrow night I work, then Saturday we are going down south to see Tony. He works this weekend but we are going to stay on the beach just 8 miles from his work. I'm excited to see him and for a nice little vacation with the babies.

counting down...

Just got back from Sophia's doctor visit in Orlando...

Praise God for some much needed good news!

The MRI results are in... Sophia has portions of her brain that are enlarged.. exact terminology I'll leave up to the neurologist, but I do have it all written down. ;) These enlarged portions are creating a dilatation of other areas...

... so this is why she has seizures. Don't really know what to call it... I don't really care... but I am so glad to know that there is no tumors, no scar tissue, no need for a shunt... and maybe, a chance she can be taken off the medication.

No need for the botox injections, right now anyway... the doctor said the tap dance classes have been a great therapy in helping her get flexion in her foot. It is something she enjoys and practices all the time. You can't make a kid practice physical therapy but she is practicing tap. ;)

She goes back for an EEG next month. We then go to back to the neurologist for results and if the results are good we can discuss weaning her off of all medications in December 2010!!! Once/If she can wean off of the medication we will go to Children's hospital for another 4 day EEG and if those results come back normal she will not have to take medication unless she has a seizure after that point.

So a lot of ifs... but I am so hopeful. For the first time in a while seems like we have an end in sight. I get so hopeful about her coming off of medication. We have traveled this road once before and 3 days after the 4 day EEG she suffered a 14 minute Grand Mal seizure. (*A grand mal seizure — also known as a tonic-clonic seizure — features a loss of consciousness and violent muscle contractions. It's the type of seizure most people picture when they think about seizures in general.) So there are risks in this but I am so hopeful. The neurologist wants to see her seizure free (specifically, Grand Mal seizures) for 18 months, then we will wean and do the 4 day test... 18 months will be December 2010.

Let the count down begin.

I'm four years old now and grown up...

Sophia! She does say some of the craziest things.

We were snuggled on the couch last night and she told me that I was the best mom ever.
I said, "thank you Sophia."
She looked up at me with the sweetest eyes and said, "now you should tell me I'm the best daughter ever."
"You are the best daughter ever."

I have to take her to the neurologist tomorrow morning. Her appointment is bright at early at 8am, so it will be an early morning drive down to Orlando. The goal is to get 'official' MRI results, find out the status on the botox injections, and what the steps are for treatment at this point. I feel all to lucky that her medication has remained the same through the last visit. She has had some mild seizure activity recently. I can tell because her eye gets lazy and she starts having potty accidents. These are really upsetting to her because she does not like being a 'baby'. I try to explain to her that she can't help it but it doesn't seem to make her feel any better. On those days we just stay home. She is clingy and sleepy anyway. I noticed it worse the first few days Tony was gone, I think it was stress and lack of sleep, her sleep patterns were screwy until she got used to him being gone. Everyone seems to be adjusting. Except Papi.. the furbaby misses his daddy.

Troy is responding great to his medication. Oh, I think I totally left out that Troy has now joined his sister as a Children's Hospital patient... we went down about two weeks ago and met with a Pediatric Pulmonologist. His asthma was totally out of control we were having to do breathing treatments at least once a day. The pediatrician suggested we go to a specialist. He takes an inhaler twice a day, a few pills, and a nebulizer treatment when necessary. The doctor suggested that he does have asthma, allergies, and possibly reflux which is making the asthma worse because he may be aspirating. He throws up a lot, at least 4 times a week, sometimes more. He has always been a 'pukey' kid, I didn't realize the connection of the vomiting to his lungs though. He is on medication for reflux, which has helped a lot with the vomiting. He is also on an antibiotic right now that will clear up any infection that could be left in his lungs from the pneumonia, bronchitis, and respiratory infections that he has had the past year. The doctor suggested a lung biopsy that they could do to test for a multitude of things, but I haven't yet decided on that one. I took him for a chest Xray and bloodwork on Monday. We go back with him in two weeks. So far I've seen great improvements though. He has only had to use the emergency inhaler twice since he has been on the new medication.

Needless to say these kids have kept me busy with their medical needs but they are totally worth it. I am just so glad they are happy and active little beings. Even when they are fighting... which is why I am going to have to get off the computer. ;)

Tony is doing good, he likes the new job. Misses the familia though.. ;) We will see him Saturday night.

Life is like a box of chocolates...

...you never know what you're gonna get.

Tony and I, so young. I was 19 he was 24.

Reckless and Wild in Love!

...and Tony had hair! :)

I never imagined life would take us through all these twists and turns... it's been a wild ride, a ride we get on every day. I wouldn't want to ride this roller coaster with anyone else.

Just last week Tony was trying to figure out what exactly he was going to do. I mean the bookstore is a fun hobby that brings in some income and the consulting business is...well, slow.. so he sent his resume out to a few places. He interviewed on Tuesday near Tampa, they offered him the job. He withdrew his application on Thursday, when he was presented with a better opportunity in Ft. Lauderdale. This is all so exciting, but happening so quickly. He leaves Monday afternoon to formally accept the position and get started down south. The kids and I will stay here for a while so he can get settled, make sure it is a good fit. Then, we will be moving to Ft. Lauderdale area.

He has been home with me and the kids for a whole year now, other than a few consulting jobs that took him out of town for weeks at a time, having him work from home was very convenient, I always had his help and someone to keep the kids while I did homework, went to work, etc. It was difficult to adjust our spending habits but it was totally worth it for the kids to have the time spent with their daddy. We did a lot of fun things, trips to the beach, theme parks, etc. And now... a new job, new location, moving!!??

I pray that he likes the new job and that he is a good fit in the company. If everything goes as planned the kids and I will follow him down south, not really sure when, but I'm sure we will know when the time is right.

Mixed emotions, as I expected.. happy for the opportunity, nervous about moving. I have always lived close to family and we will be about four hours away from our parents. I do have a few aunts and cousins who live in Miami and the kids and I will be able to come visit often. Finding new doctors and a new children's hospital is a whole other box of worms... ugh! It can all be a bit overwhelming. I just keep reminding myself not to get ahead of myself and take it a day at a time. He has to go there first and see if he likes it... then we will figure the rest out.

Lots going on... please keep us in your prayers.

Yesterday at the beach... (in no particular order)

today...

I worked last night and I was far more tired than normal. I slept from about 8am-noontime. Although, I laid in the bed until 4pm trying to go back to sleep. I thought maybe I was getting sick but I think I'm just over tired. Next week is my last week of Child Development. I have a huge research paper due and my agenda for this week is already filled with appointments and things that must be done. I remind myself, one day at a time... I think I'd rather sleep. :)

I gave Sophia a bath tonight. She pretended she was a kitten. A kitten that had been lost in the woods. She was muddy and dirty. She was chased into the woods by wolves. The wolves threw applesauce and pickle juice on her. She fell into mud and an alligator tried to eat her. While she told me her story about how she got away from the wolves and the alligator all I could think of was... "SMELLY CAT, SMELLY CAT, WHAT ARE THEY FEEDING YOU..." haha! No worries though, I got that little kitten bathed and her teeth brushed and was fresh as a daisy and was very grateful to have a loving home, even though she was scared of my two dogs.

Yes, we have two dogs now... I don't know if I mentioned that but we have Papi and Jazzy Bell now. She is a little black miniature poodle. She is a sweet girl. A great friend for Papi. We really are enjoying have two dogs. Papi doesn't even have to wear his cone on his head anymore... seems like his nervous itching has been resolved by having a playmate.

Troy and I went to the grocery store today. We stopped by the Goodwill to see if we could find him some really cool superman t-shirts. He loves Superman, Spiderman, Hulk, and Ironman. He pretends he is Superman and will hold my arm over his shoulder and run around the house "flying" me to safety, just like Superman. He has one Superman shirt that Tony found him at a thrift shop. He asks to wear it everyday. He loves this shirt and when I am not home Tony will let him wear it all day, bath him, and then put it back on him.. eww! Needless to say, we need more than one Superman shirt. We found three shirts today. He walked around with his shirts and was more than thrilled that he had found his new treasures. When we went to the grocery store he told everyone in the store about his Superman shirts... anyone who would listen, anyway.

Well, I should get some homework done while I am wake, believe it or not, I'm still tired.

Church tomorrow, then lunch at my mom's house with my brothers and all their kids.

Sebastian Inlet

What an amazing trip we had.

So nice to get away and enjoy being a family.

It was wonderful to relax and lounge around with nothing to do. We played at the beach, cooked hot dogs and smores over a campfire. We slept together in our tent. Troy, me, and Tony on a big blow up mattress. Sophi slept next to me on her pink princess airbed. We had a fan in the tent and it was nice to snuggle together. Although with Troy's constant wiggling and Sophi's incessant talking I think one night was all I can handle of that.

We went on a nature trail; although we didn't go far, Sophi was nervous that we would get lost, so was I. It was a winding trail that went far into the mangrove trees. There was a one mile walk trail and a 15 mile bike trail, they kept intertwining and we were afraid that if we took the wrong trail we would be walking 15 miles in the woods with a four year old and a two year old, so we opted to go about a half mile in and then turn around; so we can still say we did the one mile walk.

There was an awesome area of beach where the ocean and the Indian River meet. It was a horseshoe shaped beach with sand on one side and rocks on the other. The kids could walk throughout as it was only knee high through most of it. At the deepest part it was waist high and during an early morning swim we saw a big manatee had come to join us for a swim. He was a social fellow and swam right near us while we walked through the water. Troy was swimming out with us and didn't realize that there was a manatee, or even what a manatee was for that matter. He was running out to me with his brown curls bouncing on his shoulders. Then about six inches from his face the manatee surfaced and two little nostrils came up right by Troy's face. His joyful little face turned to sheer terror and he screamed "Gator!" He jumped into my arms then fled for the shoreline. He ran up to the shore, onto the grass, past the picnic tables... finally stopping before he reached the parking area. He refused to go back in the water. I tried to tell him it was just a manatee and that they wouldn't hurt you. He was less than interested in anything I had to say and was happy to walk in ankle deep water where he was "safe".

We walked along the rocky shoreline. Tony found a crab for the kids to look at. There were lots of people fishing. We touched all kind of sea grass and slimmy rocks. Sophi was less interested in the slimmy rocks and more interested in the beautiful flowers. She must have picked me about ten flowers and had me put them in my hair or hers. I told her we were camping princesses. She told me I was the queen. I liked that.

After we packed up camp to head home we went two miles and found a cute little museum with an observation deck overlooking the beach. Apparently, there was a Spanish ship wreck off the coast in the 1700s and to this day there are still treasures waiting to be discovered. The museum was all about this ship wreck and the lost treasure.

We got home about 5pm and it was off to work for me... I got home first thing this morning and fell into the bed. So much needed sleep was in order.

It was an awesome two day adventure.