summer days

we have been enjoying the kids out of school. we have had great weather & have enjoyed all the late nights. now, if i could just somehow force my kids to sleep past 7am - life would be perfect! here are a few snapshots of some of the things we have done around here:

baseball & more baseball


feeding the ducks - brock just popped a squat & joined them


golfing with dad


keegan loves her scooter


jake has started skate boarding


sweet summer watermelon


relaxing at the pool


walking on the trail


swimming

jake & keegan just finished swim lessons yesterday. they are thrilled as they did not think they needed to take them this year as they "already knew how to swim". they did it for me. i can now be without a doubt comfortable with them swimming all summer without worrying! now, i only have ONE to worry about instead of three - much better!

NutriSystem ... What's that?

Ok, so i have had a couple people who follow my blog ask me about NutriSystem. If you recall, i posted about starting it here. It was something that i started but ended quickly. Here is the scoop, it was a GREAT effort but I literally could not stomach the food. I know, I am the pickest eater - It isn't my fault I LOVE good food (or not so good-for-you food). The food was AWFUL - I held my nose & choked it down for a couple days. As I ate it, I kept saying - I wish I could just have some fresh vegetables instead of this disgusting soy wanna-be "roast" that had 400 calories & 12 fat grams & smelled like rotten milk. The packaging did not even fool a 6 year old. Keegan one night picked my dinner (chicken & noodles), as I ate it she said:

Keegan: Mom, why aren't you eating what I picked out for you.

Me: I AM.

Keegan: No, you aren't - it doesn't look like this as she held the box up.

She was right- my noodles weren't white, they were yellow-orange. The picture showed peas, onions, carrots - mine has no vegetables at all.

Not to discourage anyone from the program - but it was NOT to my liking. So, if you don't have tastebuds & can't smell then it would probably be a great program for you.

The good part about that experience is that it showed me that I have choices. I can eat healthy & it can taste decent. I just need to make it a higher priority & make better choices. I got a body bugg & LOVE IT!!! It makes you aware of your activity (or lack of) & calories consumed vs. calories burned.

go here for more on bodybugg
I assumed that if I worked a 12 hour day that I deserve to eat whatever I wanted because I worked hard all day. WRONG! I have lost 24 pounds. I know it is not a ton but I am happy about it. It hasn't been easy but it really hasn't been hard. It is just about making better food choices & looking for ways to have a more active lifestyle. If you want anything bad enough - you will make it happen. I just have 20 more to go!

worst feeling ever

i had this experience last week & it truly was the worst feeling i have ever had in my entire life. it was awful. i can not explain how my entire world ended in matter of seconds. i have had nightmares 3 nights in the past week about this expereince & i just can't keep stop thinking about it. needless to say, brock is no longer sleeping with a blanket in his crib!

well, brock usually wakes up about 6ish & babbles/plays for a bit then goes back to sleep until the older kids are up around 7:30. this morning i heard him about 5ish as my body was still on eastern time. well, brock slept through the morning routine of the kids getting out the door for school. i did not think too much of it except that he was exhausted from the day before. steve headed out running some errands & i was busy in the house getting things cleaned & caught up. i had his breakfast ready for him anticpating him waking up any minute. well, i got busy & the next thing i know it is 9:45 & still have not heard a word out of brock. i freaked out. i ran into his room & opened the door (which nornally he jumps right up even if he is asleep). he did not move. i ran over to his crib & found a blanket tightly wrapped around his head - from the neck up. i seriously about fainted right then & there. right before my eyes, i saw my entire world gone. i grabbed the blanket off his head & heard him breathing. i still did not believe it so i picked up his hand & when he moved it back, i was so relieved. he still was asleep. i left the room to try to get myself put back together- having so many emotions & thoughts in such a short amount of time was purely exhausting. i am so grateful for my children & steve - honestly i do not know what i would ever do if anything were to happen to them. they are my life. my everything. i know i take things for granted & it is just little reminders like this that help me stay focused.
enjoy what you have as you may not always have them. make sure you let those people know in your lives how special they are to you. enjoy today as you don't know what tommorrow will bring.

10 years ago

WOW! i was going through some OLD stuff & stumbled across a pic of Steve & I - 10 years ago! Ok, I know what everyone is thinking & that is OK ...

Steve hasn't changed a bit - he still wear those shorts

Shelby is tiny - see, i haven't always been fat!

This pic was taken in front of Elvis' house in Graceland, Tennessee. GOOD TIMES!

As I ponder the last 10 years, I can't believe all that has happened in our lives. It seems like forever but then again it seems like yesterday in so many ways. We are so blessed for everything we have. And most of all, I know I am the luckiest person to be married to Steve. I fall more in love with him every minute!!!

Thought, you'd like this BLAST FROM THE PAST!!!

ITP

ITP - have you heard of it? it stands for immune thrombocytopenic purpura. anyways, it is a blood disease that the cause is unknown. well, keegan was diagnosed with it in april. within a 24 hour period she was covered with unexplained dark, large bruises all over her body. we did our due dilligence on the internet & realized that it was either ITP or lukemia as their symptoms are very similar. we took her to the hospital & was relieved that it was ITP & not the other. her body sees her platelets as a virus & attacks them - she should have about 500,000 platelets & she had 6000. with a low platelet count if she bleeds, it will not clot = big problem. we can not risk her skinning her knee, or getting cut with scissors, or hitting her head (brain hemorage). so, i want to just wrap her in bubble wrap & put a helment on her & have her sit on the couch until her counts are up.

she was referred to primary children's hosptial oncology - so sad. it just tore my heart into pieces taking her down there & sitting in the waiting room with all these innocent children with cancer & lukemia on their last attempt to live. there i sat with keegan, as happy a a child could be, full of life but covered with bruises. brusies that appeared overnight. brusies that could change our lives forever. brusies that we are now so thankful for as they indicated a serious problem before it was too late. she has been going through treatment for the past 6 weeks & this is her last week. she has been a trooper. she has gotten her blood taken so many times that now when they put that needle in her vein in her arm, she doesn't even skip a beat. she has been on high dosages of steriods which has made her gain weight (which has been the hardest thing for her). she is SO self conscious about her clothes & how she looks. we have had meltdowns almost everyday even after buying her a new closet full of clothes. the steroids also makes her angry inside & she often explodes. it is just a side effect of the medication & are looking forward to her getting back to her normal happy self.

over 70% of ITP cases after treatment are cured & never seen again. the rest are chronic. we will not know until july where she falls. we have hope that she will not have to deal with it again. we are looking forward to seeing her body keep her blood counts where they should be on its own & without medication. keep her in your prayers!

texas

in the last few weeks - my travels have taken me:

st.louis
arizona
michigan
new hampshire
new york
& now
TEXAS

i love texas. i think there is some connection i have with texas from my past life. being born & raised in tennessee, i love the south. the hospitality, the humidity, the food, the lifestyle, etc. texas is always high on my list of favorite places to go. so i am heading out this afternoon. it is a long convention (3 days instead of 2) but looking forward to it. our convention is across thestreet from Six Flags. For the past 6 years, i have wished I could go play but never have had the time or energy. steve has even offered to come with me but knowing how he doesn't do rollercoasters just didn't seem fair to put him through that. so, this year - i really wanna go. ride the rollercoasters over & over. be a kid again & love every minute of it. so, i am hoping thursday night after the show, if i can bribe the girls to go with me.

have a great weekend... i hope to work hard & play harder!

way too long

i am sure you all have loved seeing crazy granny on my blog but for over 2 MONTHS???

i know it has been WAY too long since i have posted. i could detail a long synopsis of why i haven't blogged but i would not torture you with that - i will simply say that i have been a lame blogger & caught up in life. we have been:
busy.
sick.
baseball.
designing.
thankful.
doctor appointments.
laughing.
exhausted.
traveling.
loving life.
playing games.
hectic.
creating.
full.
enjoying the weather.
having fun.

i realized a couple weeks ago what a bad blogger i have been & thought i would do a cool post to sum up the last several weeks as they have been eventful & noteworthy BUT that hasn't happened & i have accepted that it isn't going to happen. so, i have come to the conclusion that i am better off just moving forward without looking back.

so here i am. life is good. we are busy but loving every minute of it.