Calm Week

This has been a calm week! We have had no ER visits. No heart attacks. I can finally laugh and not cry about the time we have had. My dad is doing great. He feels like a new man. It is about time.

The story:
My friend Stephanie has a daughter named Meredith.
Meredith turned 6 years old in December. She was three when my MK was born. She came to the hospital to meet MK and to visit us a lot when MK was an infant. She has been there to witness all of MK's milestones. We live down the street from each other. Meredith has a Barbie Jeep. She used to drive it down the street with her mom following behind to take MK for a ride. It has a little seat belt that Meredith would wrap around MK. She was just learning to drive it. Mary-Kate wasn't scared to ride with her. Meredith was so worried that MK's head was bobbling that she would put her little arm around her neck. (I guess Mere was 4 and 1/2 and MK was 18 months old.) Stephanie recently had her house carpeted in bedrooms. She told me that she had a box for me that she had packed up in preparing for the carpet. I told her I really appreciated that. Well, it turns out it was more than clothes. She gave us a Vtech learning game system and a really cute elephant game. MK has had a ball with this. Thanks Stephanie! Look out when MK and Meredith are in High School!

Meredith has gotten too tall for the Barbie Jeep and wants to give it to Mary-Kate. I couldn't believe that. I will have to do something very special for them. I am glad that even though Mere is a big Kindergarten girl that she takes time out to play with my MK!

1st Battalion, 206th Field Artillery

My nephew, Josh, was honored with his field artillery battalion today. The program was entitled, "The Arkansas National Guard presents the Freedom Salute Ceremony." It was a welcome home ceremony to his group who came back from Iraq in December. The guest speaker was MG William Wofford. Governor Beebe was there to speak to the soldiers. It was very nice. I was so proud of him. My camera battery that I had charged up the night before, died, so I only got a few pictures. I'll ask his mom for the good close ups.

We had such a fun trip to Little Rock today! We went to see Mickey and Minnie's Magical Adventure. Mary-Kate thought it was the best thing ever. I wasn't sure if she could sit still through the show. She made it. She sat in her own seat between us until the show started. When the lights went out, she came straight for my lap. This show had skits from Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch, and Peter Pan. Mickey, Minnie, and friends were the hosts of the show. MK gave me a play by play as to who the characters were (just in case I didn't know.)

JUST FINDING OUR SEATS! SOMEONE IS EXCITED!

THE FAMILY

(Even though this isn't a great picture, I like it. MK is safe between her biggest fans.)

MK WITH MOMMY BEFORE THE SHOW

OF ALL THINGS THAT SHE COULD HAVE GOTTEN AS A SOUVENIR,

SHE PICKED A PETER PAN SWORD
(MK's school teachers tell me that on the play ground she can "hang" with the boys. She likes rocks, dirt, mud, trees, and trucks. Yet she can play with all of those things in a dress with a baby doll on her hip. That's my girl. She really is a princess too guys.)

After the show, we stopped by Thara's sister Alissa's. We wanted to thank she and Nick for checking in on my parents this week. Mary-Kate got to play with Isabella. She calls her "my baby Ella." So sweet.



We are safe at home and MK is fast asleep!

We are taking MK to Mickey and Minnie's Magical Journey on Saturday afternoon. I think she will absolutely love it. I can't wait to see her face when Mickey appears!

Are you doing anything fun this weekend?

Dad Is Home

My dad is home today. I just went to see him. He looks better than he has in years. His color is good. He seems more alert and together. Scary that you can have blockages and not know it. He is definitely going to have to have a life change. He has to eat better and exercise. I told him that God wasn't finished with him yet and he needed to be obedient and do what the doctors told him. I told him that we have been blessed so much. God has given him many second chances this year. I think this was a wake up call!

Remember he is a

• diabetic
• prostate cancer and bladder cancer survivor
• high blood pressure guy
• diagnosed with Parkinson's Plus (although now I think all of his falling, being dizzy and feeling unbalanced was his heart.)
• at one point we were told he had Alzheimer's. (Guys he doesn't have that because you don't wake up with it. The doctors have changed their minds on this.)
• (and he was going to a cardiologist regularly.)

All along I think it was his heart. You have to take care of your spiritual (heart) and physical heart. My dad is a wonderful Christian man. Now his physical heart will fit that.

Hold your loved ones a little closer. It is all about people and relationships. Things don't matter. You can't take them with you.

Check out this link to learn about Blake....

update on Heart Attack

My dad had a heart attack last night. He had chest pains and an upset stomach. My mom gave him a baby aspirin. Please be mindful that your arm doesn't have to go numb. My mom took him to the local hospital and they did an EKG. They didn't like what they saw. They did blood work too. His enzymes looked okay. The hospital doctor got in touch with the Arkansas Heart Hospital. Dr. Wong from Arkansas Heart Hospital told them to give him a clot blocker. He was transported to Little Rock by helicopter. Only because my parent's little town has 2 ambulances and one was already on route to LR. My mom drove down to LR last night with my brother and stayed in the room with my dad. This morning Drs. Wong and Henry performed his procedure. He had 4 blocked arteries. Two were 90% blocked, one was 80% blocked, the other only 60% blocked. They stented two and ballooned the other. Since his heart was damaged, they want to wait on a by-pass for a few weeks. My dad needs to rest and recover first from this procedure. They took care of the more pressing blockages first. I can't say enough good things about this hospital. They took such good care of him. He will be there until Thursday. He slept most of the day. Isn't supposed to move his legs until 6PM tonight. I am glad he is sleeping or this wouldn't work out well. Thanks so much for your prayers.

Our Hero Today

Our hero today is my brother-in-law Nick. First let me say that the Lord works in mysterious ways. When I was 18 years old, I met Nick. We became fast friends. We both went to the same college. After graduation, I lost track of Nick for a couple of years. I started dating my husband in 2000. About 6 months later, my husband's sister started dating someone. She brought him over to meet all of us. Low and behold, it was my friend Nick. Well, Thara and I got married in 2003. Nick and Alissa married in 2004. We are all a very close family, but also close friends. Back to today, Nick works at the Heart Hospital. I wasn't sure what he did. I thought it was transplants. Last night, he went to the hospital and met the helicopter there. (He was not working at the time.) He stayed with my dad until my mom and brother could get there. He showed them all around the hospital. On my way to LR I called my mom and she told me what Nick had done. He was there with them until after midnight and then had to go to work early this morning. She said that she thought he had something to do with my dad's case. I said, "I hope not because I think he is into transplants." Come to find out, Nick arranges for transports and schedules the patients for surgery. He introduced us to the doctors today that were performing the surgery. He was also with my dad during the procedure. I can't tell you what a comfort that was. He used to do transplants. He didn't do the procedures, but he transported the organs. He is also a paramedic. Yah Nick!

Again, God has answered our prayers.

Thanks so much for your prayers. My dad and mom are resting comfortably.

Heart Attack

My dad has had a heart attack and has severe blockage from the heart to his brain. Please pray for him. He has been flown to Arkansas Heart Hospital tonight.

Laminin

This is another video that is a must see. It will give you chill bumps! I told a friend I would find this and post it. Enjoy! Laminin. Take a few minutes to watch this whole thing. It is so worth it.

Don't judge a book by its cover

I know many have blogged about this.
It will touch your heart if you haven't seen it!
Susan Boyle

Things That Make Me Smile

PawPaw and Mary-Kate

Our New Family Member "Fishy Fish"

Mary-Kate learning to write her name. We started with Mary first.

Stuffing her bunnies in a pillow case "to keep warm," she said.

Mary-Kate and Me (She didn't want to take a picture.)

Hope you had a great week! My computer crashed so my husband has had to reformat it. Sorry my post is so short. Wanted to let you know I was still here....

Easter Weekend

Hairbows didn't last long. She ended up wearing a purple headband. Pick your battles.


We traveled to Little Rock on Saturday to see my husband's sisters and their families. Mary-Kate enjoyed playing with Connor (12), Claire (7), and Isabella (1). On my side of the family her first cousins are Aron (27), Josh (23), Mallory (21,) Raelynn (20), Collin (17,) Ivory (16,) Hailee (14,) Alexa (1.) They all love her, but the age difference does make a little difference.

We ate at a restaurant in LR called Ya Yas. It was very good and the atmosphere was romantic. While in LR we got Mary-Kate a big girl bed and brought it home.

After church on Sunday we went to my parent's house. My mom fixed a big lunch. This
is what MK likes to do with my mom's "parlor."

We hunted eggs inside because of the rain.

I want spring back! It has been rainy and cold enough.

My husband and I spent the afternoon transforming MK's room. I am still not finished, but I'll show the start of the room here anyway. I plan to add chocolate dots. I am going to do more with the curtains.

Dresses From Easter Past

I thought it would be fun for you to see Mary-Kate's former Easter dresses.

(Don't look too close. They have been hanging in a closet and look wrinkled. Ha!)

Mary-Kate's 1st Easter Dress (She was 5weeks old.)

Mary-Kate's 2nd Easter Dress (She was 1 year old.)

It came with a beautiful white blouse to place underneath.

MK's 3rd Easter dress (She was 2 years old.)

MK's 4th Easter dress (Not sure which one to go with for this 3 year old.)

Can't believe how much she has grown in just 3 years!

Have a Happy Easter everyone!

Every Morning is Easter Morning From Now On

I love Easter!

Easter is a time Christians reflect on what the Lord has done for us. It is a time to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus!

We should think about what Jesus did for us everyday not just on Easter.....


Proverbs 3 v.5-6
"Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not unto thine own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths."


John 11 v. 25
"I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."


I remember when I was 4 or 5 learning this song at church! I smile when I hear the lyrics!
Every Morning is Easter Morning
Every morning is Easter morning from now on
Every day is resurrection day
The past is over and gone
Good bye guilt, good bye fear, good riddance
Hello Lord, hello sun!
I am one of the Easter people
My new life has begun
Every morning is Easter morning from now on
Every day is resurrection day
The past is over and gone
Every morning is Easter morning
Every morning is Easter morning
Every morning is Easter morning
FROM NOW ON

You are my sunshine

I know this is lengthy, but it is so good. I got this as an e-mail today and wanted to post it here. I read this several years ago too! It is a feel good read!


You are My Sunshine, My only Sunshine

"Like any good mother, when Karen found out that another
baby was on the way, she did what she could to help her 3-year-old son,
Michael, prepare for a new sibling.

They found out that the new baby was going be a girl, and
day after day, night after night, Michael sang to his sister in
mommy's tummy.

He was building a bond of love with his little sister
before he even met her. The pregnancy progressed normally for Karen, an active
member of the Panther Creek United Methodist Church in Morristown, Tennessee

In time, the labor pains came. Soon it was every five
minutes, every three, every minute. But serious complications arose during
delivery and Karen found herself in hours of labor.

Would a C-section be required? Finally, after a long
struggle, Michael's little sister was born. But she was in very serious
condition. With a siren howling in the night, the ambulance rushed the
infant to the neonatal intensive care unit at St. Mary's Hospital,
Knoxville, Tennessee The days inched by. The little girl got worse.
The pediatrician had to tell the parents there is very little
hope. Be prepared for the worst.

Karen and her husband contacted a local cemetery about a
burial plot. They had fixed up a special room in their house for their
new baby but now they found themselves having to plan for a funeral.
Michael, however, kept begging his parents to let him see his
sister. I want to sing to her, he kept saying.

Week two in intensive care looked as if a funeral would
come before the week was over.
Michael kept nagging about singing to his sister, but kids
are never allowed in Intensive
Care. Karen decided to take Michael whether they
liked it or not.

If he didn't see his sister right then, he may never
see her alive. She dressed him in
an oversized scrub suit and marched him into ICU.

He looked like a
walking laundry basket.
The head nurse recognized him as a child and bellowed,
'Get that kid out of here now. No children are allowed.'

The mother rose up strong in Karen, and the usually
mild-mannered lady glared steel-eyed right into
the head nurse's face, her lips a firm line.

'He is not leaving until he sings to his sister' she stated.

Then Karen towed Michael to his sister's bedside.
He gazed at the tiny infant losing the battle to live.
After a moment, he began to sing.
In the pure-hearted voice of a 3-year-old, Michael sang:

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine,
you make me happy
when skies are gray.'
Instantly the baby
girl seemed to respond.
The pulse rate began to calm down and become
steady.

'Keep on singing, Michael,' encouraged Karen with
tears in her eyes.

'You never know, dear, how much I love you,

please don't
take my sunshine away.'
As Michael sang to
his sister, the baby's ragged,
strained breathing became as smooth
as a kitten's purr
'Keep on singing, sweetheart.'

'The other night, dear, as I lay sleeping, I dreamed I
held you in my arms’ Michael’s little sister began to relax
as rest, healing rest, seemed to sweep over
her.

'Keep on singing, Michael.'
Tears had now conquered the face of the bossy head nurse.

Karen glowed.

'You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

Please don't
take my sunshine away.'


The next day...the very next
day the little girl was well enough to go home"


NEVER GIVE UP ON THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE.

LOVE IS SO INCREDIBLY POWERFUL.

GOD IS GOOD!

Work

I designed this blog around the day to day things that happen to me being a working mom. I haven't posted much, if at all about what I do. When I first started teaching, I got a job right after I graduated from college. I was a long term substitute for a 1st grade teacher who went on maternity leave. I ended up teaching the students from December to May. I applied for a 4th grade position in the same district. I got the job and loved it. I taught 4th grade for 5 years. During that time I went back to school to get my Master's Degree in Instructional Technology with an emphasis on Library Science. I saw where a position became available in a neighboring district for a library media specialist. I wasn't tired of teaching at all, but I wanted to apply just to see. I got the job. The best part is, I get to work with my mom. My mom has been a school teacher for over 35 years. She started when she was a baby, too. I have been with this school for 5 years and love it. I love working with kids. I went from a classroom of 25 students to 800 kids in two grades. I love working with the teachers and staff on curriculum. I enjoy working with the students. They are middle schoolers and are taller than me. I help them with research skills, PowerPoints, web pages, and more. I also help them locate good quality books to read. I have to be a problem solver. I work with the technology department to enter their work orders. If I can fix something first, I try to. I have an awesome sidekick with me this year! Her name is Sheri. She is so great with the kids. She is also very organized and that helps a lot with what we do. She makes coming to work fun. I couldn't do my job without her. I am so blessed to have a career that I love. Now to set the record straight. People think teaching is great because you get 3 months off. Well, you don't get that much time off. At least I don't. I have an extended contract. I work in June. I have July off, but I have to take continuing education classes then. I start back to work on August 1st. If you have to work it is great job. I don't have mountains of papers to grade like I use to. I get more time with my precious girl.

Giveaway

Becky has an awesome giveaway on her blog! Go check it out here.
You will love it! Don't forget to leave a comment for her, that's how you register.
You don't want to miss out on the fun!

Grandparents

We are so fortunate to live so close to both sets of grandparents. I live 20 minutes from my parents and 10 minutes from my in-laws. They love Mary-Kate so much! It is amazing watching her with them. She knows just what she can get by with at each house. At my parent's house, they have antiques. Of course MK likes to play with breakables. She says, "I will be easy with that." My mom has little bunnies in one of her antique rooms. MK lines each of the bunnies up and gives them each a fruit. She also has a tea party with them with an old tea set. My mom has a doll that is about 80 years old that my grandmother played with. MK just found it and told me it was "treasure." She loves holding it and pushing it in her stroller. Yikes!!! I hope it holds together while we visit and my mom will hide it before we return! My dad has so much patience with MK. He loves to tell her about fishing, cows, and farming. My husband's parents are so great with her too. They are friends with my parents, so we can do a lot of things together! My mother-in-law collects porcelain dolls. MK loves these because, you guessed it, they are breakables. My father-in-law plays golf and so MK always runs right to his golf ball stash. She learns different things from all four of them. She will be well balanced. What a blessing to have them in our daily lives!

Good News, Bad News

I haven't blogged since Saturday! I have enjoyed reading other people's posts, but I just didn't have much to say I guess.

Some good things about this week:
My parents celebrated their 34 wedding anniversary! It was more meaningful this year for them since we almost lost my dad in January. He is doing so much better. I am thrilled about this! They married on March 29, 1975. My mom said it snowed. Remember how cold it was last weekend. In some places in Arkansas it snowed. When they got married she immediately became a step mom to 3 children. One was high school aged (Rhonda), one was junior high aged (Jim), and one was 6 years old (Blake). My mom was a school teacher in Little Rock. When Blake was in Kindergarten his classroom and her first grade classroom were beside each other. He would come by and talk with her a lot. She said he was so cute. He had a head full of blond hair and no teeth. He introduced her to my dad. He just new is his dad would love this teacher. They did fall in love. Thanks Blake! Rewind several years. When my mom was a student observer, before student teaching, the teacher she was assigned to had a young student in her class named Jim. You guessed it. Our Jim. He was 10 or 11 years old. Jim was one of the brightest students in the class. My mom was assigned to tutor the students who were struggling with their reading. All of a sudden Jim's grades dropped. He wanted my mom to tutor him in reading. He thought she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen. You can't image his surprise when years later his dad married this woman. My mom never tried to take their mother's place. They had a mom. She was their stepmother, but you would never know it because she loved them so much. Then I came along and it was gross for their dad to have a baby when they were high school aged. Blake was mad because I wasn't a boy. Of course everyone got over it. LOL! They all get her gifts for Mother's Day and her birthday. Happy Anniversary you guys!

I have had a wonderful week. It was long, but good. I got MK to daycare and myself to work on time all week. She was such a big girl! I walked her to the door of her school and she told me that she would see me in the afternoon. Walked in by herself and waved goodbye. What a big girl! We have played princess and castles all week when we get home from school. She calls herself the princess and I am the queen. She called me "Your Highness" one day. It was hard not to laugh. She was serious. I was glad I was finally getting some respect at my house. LOL. Then when my parents came over to visit her, she assigned them titles. My dad was "the king" , my mom was "the queen" , and I was "the wee-atch" (witch)then. Not the kind that flies, but the kind that walks she said. I laughed so hard I cried. She does have a black hat that looks like a witches hat I guess. I got demoted.

My sister, Rhonda, is coming in June to visit. She lives in Alaska. So we don't get to see her as much as we would like to. We are going to Gulf Shores in July. We haven't had a vacation in I can't tell you when. I am so excited about this. We are taking our little family and both sets of parents with us. We can't wait for our road trip.


Bad News
Blake's wife Louise e-mailed to tell me that she had been in a car wreck and it totaled her car. The baby (19 months) old was in the car, too. Neither one was hurt. Louise was very shaken up. As I am sure you can understand why. It brought back emotions in me that I thought were buried too. I have grieved all over again for Blake. I am so glad that they are both okay. A death of a sibling is really hard. It doesn't seem the natural order for things.


I hope you have a wonderful weekend! Anyone have any fun weekend plans?