A "Ham"full

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T21:23:00.001-05:00

Love – Luke, Abby and Jack

Remember me?

2011-12-18T21:01:00.001-05:00

Hello there, it’s been a while now hasn’t it?

Well, all I can say is that life got busy, days got shorter and I got tired……. blogging was dropped from my list of “Things to Do".” But I am here to make a go at it again- Happy ‘Carrow and Amber?

So I’ll start with some pictures- who doesn’t like pictures right?

This was my attempt to play around with easy backdrops- Christmas lights, low aperture- we had fun playing around….

What inspired this impromptu photo shoot you think to yourself- well I found the piglets playing under the barstools and as I laughed at them, they all started asking me to take their picture. So here are the pictures that started it all-

I will try to make a better effort where the blog is concerned- I do love that I can go back and read and remember when they were all little piglets……but no promises!

help….

2011-09-13T13:29:00.001-04:00

I’ve lost The Complete and Comprehensive Guide to Everything your Children will ever do Instruction Manual…..

….. please note my sarcasm, but maybe this will help you better understand my MIA status here on the blog.

It’s always something these days- my computer crashed, Brian bought a new toy (a jeep), Abby had a little surgery and got her second set of tubes, Jack got an ear infection that pushed one of his tubes out, I am working on my senior project for school, preschool for the piglets is in full swing, oh, and we do try to maintain some form of a social life. Add in the new evaluations that Jack is having next week and the mountain of concerns and questions that we have regarding his development and you will hopefully understand why that instruction manual would be so handy right about now =)

A Little Sneak Peek….

2011-08-21T22:34:00.001-04:00

Couples Retreat 2011, 2.1

3,287 days

2011-08-17T18:46:00.001-04:00

3,287 days since I vowed to love you all my life.

Nine amazing years full of great highs and deep lows.

I can’t imagine not having you by my side through it all!

Happy Anniversary B- I love you!

We’re alive……….just barely.

2011-08-09T22:30:00.001-04:00

Oh. My. Goodness. I had no idea what an adventurous week we would have last week.

Let me start from the beginning. Thursday July 28th, Abby went to her ENT for a one year check up on her tubes. After a quick check, at 14 months post-op, she still has the right ear tube and the left has fallen out since her 2 year well visit in early May. The Dr. said that her ears “looked great” and that he would see her again in 4 months to check her right ear again. We head to Brian’s parents’ house for the weekend and Abby wakes up screaming early Saturday morning and we couldn’t figure out why. Later that night, Brian’s parents kept the kids so that Brian and I could go out to celebrate my birthday. Brian’s mom told me that Abby cried for a while when she put them down to bed, which is not like her, but she was asleep when we got back, so we didn’t worry about it. Sunday morning when I went to get her up, there were yellowish spots all over the sheet where her head was- hmmm, interesting. I thought that maybe she had gotten so upset that she had thrown up the night before so I watched her that day and she appeared alright. Then Sunday evening at dinner, I went to wipe her face off after we ate and noticed that her ear was draining yellowish fluid, her left ear. Since she didn’t have a tube in that ear any longer, I immediately knew that if fluid was coming out she had ruptured her ear drum. I called her ENT first thing Monday morning, but since they’re office has been so busy the last few months, I also put a call into our Pediatrician and made a sick appointment for her- figuring that I could cancel once the ENT called me back. Surprise, surprise, her ENT didn’t call me back before her appt. with the Ped. and Dr. P said that yes indeed she had a severe infection that ruptured her ear drum. Needless to say, Brian and I were confused on how her ear “looked great” on Thursday and ruptured on Saturday, but we’ve moved on. Since that Monday was August 1st and Brian’s first day on COBRA insurance, we then spent two days fighting to expedite the paperwork and get us valid for coverage since Abby needed antibiotics ASAP- oh boy was that good times!

Wednesday rolls around and Jack starts running a fever out of the blue- still have no idea why? And I cried my way through the day, nervous about Luke’s surgery on Thursday. I had a hard enough time sleeping on my own so the storms that night ensured that I got about 3 hours of sleep all night. Thursday morning we had to be at The Surgery Center at 7 am for an 8:30 am surgery time. My anxiety was ok and it was all eased when the nurse anesthetist that was going to be taking care of Luke walked in and I realized that we were old friends! Kim and I went to school together at Alabama and also worked together at Outback! I felt so comforted that he was in such wonderful hands. The surgery was a quick 25 minutes, the Dr. said that he did great and that his tonsils and adenoids were HUGE, so it was a good call to remove them. He was sent up to the recovery floor for a few hours {where Kim’s husband, also a nurse, took great care of my little man} and we headed home. Oh and then the party really got started….

Here he is in Pre-Op watching a little Mickey Mouse Clubhouse which was made even more fascinating with the “good relaxing medicine” they gave him =)

And here he is on the recovery floor- drugged to the gills with Demerol- watching PBS with Woody and Buzz.

The Dr. had given me warnings about what to expect and I felt prepared, somewhat, but I was wrong. I was very, very wrong. The pain medicine that they gave Luke causes him to become cranky and restless- not good =( Not to mention that it tastes awful, he hates taking it, it cost over $100 dollars and he spit out about $20 all over my bed. He wouldn’t sleep ALL Thursday night. I rang in my 32nd birthday with an all nighter…..only not the kind of days past, but of coffee and DVR’d cartoons with Luke on the couch. Two nights of no sleep wore. me. out. I returned to the pharmacy to have his medicine flavored on Friday morning and then we headed to Target to buy some bribery- I’m not too proud. I called in backup from my Mother to help us over the weekend and Brian took him Friday and Saturday night so that I could finally get some rest. Since B had to go back to work on Monday, I took him Sunday night and he did really well. He slept all night, only waking up once at 2am for a drink and a dose of medicine. The days have been a mix of ups and downs but I thought that the nights were getting better and I was thankful. Then I learned that I know nothing. I went to bed at 8:30 last night and B said that he would take him so I could get some sleep again. Luke woke up crying at 10:30 and that started a very long night. When he woke up crying again at midnight, I told B that I had him and I was up every 2 hours after that. I suddenly remember having newborns very vividly again…. and I am exhausted. I have no clue what day it is anymore- because my body just knows that I have missed too many hours of sleep…

Pre-School starts tomorrow and after the “fun” we had at orientation yesterday, I think that I will be worn out again tomorrow night. Jack started crying as soon as we got into the parking lot and cried anytime I tried to walk away from him. He’s going to love it tomorrow, I can already tell….HA!! Luke is going to be home for at least the rest of this week, and we’ll decide about next week once we see how the weekend goes.

To end this post that is dragging on- I want to thank everyone for the calls, texts and emails to check on Luke and prayers for his recovery. Thank you all for the Facebook birthday love on Friday- you know how to make a girl feel good. And thank you to the friends that have so generously cooked meals for our family- Kim, Tracie, Ashley, Stephanie and Lindsey- THANK YOU!!! From the bottom of my heart, you are angels and I hope that you now how much I appreciate your kindness!!!

Now I am off to fall into bed for a few winks of sleep before Luke wakes up…..

Just for a laugh

2011-07-27T13:21:00.001-04:00

Carter’s has the brother/sister shirts every season and just because I have that kind of sense of humor- I always buy a “Big Sister” shirt for Abby and a “Little Brother” shirt for Jack- because she is technically older by one minute! I can’t help myself, it’s seriously cracks me up =) Ha!

Wait……what’s happening now?

2011-07-24T22:32:00.001-04:00

Oh you readers of mine just wouldn't know what to think if one member of our house wasn’t sick or having some procedure would you? Well friends, I don’t disappoint.

I’ll start with the results of Luke’s labs {mentioned here.} I lost my patience and called on Friday. They said 7 to 10 days for the results and the weight of the possible outcome was too great for me to sit patiently and wait for them any longer. After 15 days of waiting- I called them. His results were in and the receptionist said that she would have a nurse call me later. I waited and just after lunch, the nurse called to tell me that they ruled out all the major congenital conditions that would be causing his cyanosis- WHEW! So he has the benign type and his vascular system just doesn’t work quite “up to par” and he turns blue……but it’s no biggie.

In the meantime, we had a consult with Luke’s ENT. Luke’s pediatrician mentioned that his tonsils were large and that he would, in his words, “pluck them out.” Hmm, interesting. I talked with the asthma specialist at his appointment and we decided that a consult with his ENT may not hurt. Ok then, off to the ENT we go.

We went to the ENT and it was quick and simple, as usual =) He looked at his throat and rated his tonsils a 3 out of 4 in size and we talked for a minute about what was going on with Luke {the asthma, the blue spells} and he started asking me about his sleep. Is he a sound sleeper? Well, he’s a sound sleeper but he’s all over the place. Apparently that’s not how it’s supposed to be- who knew? I thought it was completely normal for a 4 year old to make circles around the bed all night long in his sleep- but no. The ENT said that children should fall asleep and sleep like a rock – literally- until morning. The restless sleep, in combination with the large tonsils, asthma and blue spells led him to say that he would recommend that we remove Luke’s tonsils ….. and adenoids while he was under. {Let me just say that our ENT must see our name on his schedule and see $$$ signs- this is the 4th surgery he will have done on my boys in 8 months!}

I talked to B and we decided that the sooner the better since school is just about to start and it will be easier for him to miss now, so Luke is scheduled for surgery. Oh to say that I am a mess about it may be a tad bit understating it. Tubes are an easy, quick, no blood, no pain kind of thing. Heck, they say some children actually feel immediate relief after tubes. A few hours later and you would never even know they had any procedure done. But tonsils and adenoids- not so. I mean I do realize that it’s not open heart surgery or anything- but there is blood and pain…. and he’s old enough to really feel bad- and I could cry. I am so worried about him. I had mine removed at 19 and it was the worst surgery I have ever had- and I’ve have a few friends. I hurt so badly that I wouldn’t swallow anything except for the pain medicine for almost 2 weeks - it was horrible! And I know that they say the younger the child the better- but the Dr. said that his pain will peak on day 3 and hang on until day 6 or 7 and that it will be NO FUN for any of us that first week =( I was also warned that if he is in a lot of pain and refuses to swallow anything he’ll end up in the hospital. He has to be out of school for 14 days so he’s going to miss the first two weeks but that’s just the way the timing is going to happen- I mean at least it’s only Pre-K =) But once it’s all said and done- I can’t wait to see this smile again….

So there you have it- the latest update in our ever unpredictable saga!

You’ll thank me- I promise

2011-07-24T21:18:00.001-04:00

{photo courtesy of P- Dub}

If you know me- you know that I love P-Dub. {That’s short for Pioneer Woman for those of you who don’t already know her =)}So if you like coffee and/or Starbucks, you are going to want to race over to her site to print out her Iced Coffee recipe- OH. MY. DEE-liciousness!!!! It looked a bit complicated at first glance but ‘Carrow made it and assured me it was all in my head. I gave it a try and she was so right! Heck, even my Dad made it- and that’s really saying something!!!!! So scurry on over there and start yourself some iced coffee!!

My other favorite cook is naturally Paula Deen- although I don’t quite love butter as much as she does- she makes some tasty food y’all! I was in the mood for a pot roast and had remembered seeing her do one recently on a show so I grabbed my Lady and Sons cookbook and found it- and it too was SO. DANG. GOOD! Here is the link to that recipe of anyone wants to try it =)

Hope that you all had a good weekend!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

2011-07-21T15:21:00.001-04:00

It’s not Christmas yet, but look what is just around the corner!!!!

Oh school supplies, a fresh start to a new year, I love it!

We got an email from Luke’s new Pre-K teacher and she included his supply list so we hit Target this morning to get them crossed off our list. {Unfortunately, my little man will be missing the first 2 weeks of school this year but I’ll explain more on that later.}

Remember when…

2011-07-20T22:49:00.001-04:00

Abby and Jack were 3 months old in these pictures- 2 years ago! It’s so amazing to look back at these and then look at them now- they look so different to me!

Choo, Choo!

2011-07-18T16:03:00.001-04:00

I must admit that we had some LONG days last week with Brian starting his new job, so we were very ready to relax for the weekend! And we are so thankful that we had such a great weekend! My little piglets do love a train so when I saw that there was going to be a LEGO exhibit at the old train depot I knew that the 3 little Hams would love it- and I was right!

Luke and Brian would have stood there for hours watching if it weren’t for the rest of us =)

The museum has several full sized trains on the property and you can get in all of them- heaven to my children!

They seriously loved it! And if exploring real trains wasn’t enough fun, they have a special play area for children 6 and under!

Abby and Jack loved driving the little truck……

……and there was even a little kitchen to play in!

Then inside the garage there are several old cars and an old fire truck!

and while the boys thought it was great….

…….this was all this little girl wanted to do!

Heaven help us in 14 years!

The boys worked on the air while Abby helped Daddy with the oil….

We all had such a great time and the train depot is actually included in our membership to the local children’s museum. This was our first time visiting but now that we know how much fun it is, we’ll certainly be back again!

Hope that you all had a great weekend too!

Finally some good news!

2011-07-14T15:36:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned here, we finally threw in the towel and took Jack to an Immunologist last month. All of us, including our pediatrician, were ready to try to figure out why Jack is always sick. After our first appointment and round of labs, the Dr. said that he wanted to re-check his Immunoglobulin levels and his protective ranges after the Pneumovax booster. He had his one month follow up labs done last week and this morning the nurse called to report that his IgM level was up and his protective range level jumped from 11/23 to 19/23!! Such wonderful news to this mama’s ears!!! The plan is to keep him on the two prescription nose sprays and watch him. I can also report that Brian and I have noticed a difference already! In the last 6 weeks since his appointment, he’s caught one cold {an improvement!} and in a little over a week he is just about over it with no sick visit to the Dr. or antibiotics!! Yay for Jack-a-roo!!!

Bye Bye street sweepers!

2011-07-10T21:31:00.001-04:00

So Brian is going to officially start talkin’ trash tomorrow! He left the world of Schwarze street sweepers on July 1st {Bye Maxx!} and he’s moving on to trash – how exciting!! In honor of the end of his days at Schwarze {and his being close enough to meet up for lunch!} we went out to lunch with Brian’s old boss Andy, his wife {and my good friend} Heather and their sweet Baby Kate! After a yummo lunch at Oh!Bryan’s, we wandered over to let the little piglets get an up close tour of all things street sweeper…. and they LOVED every second!

It was good times to these kids- and thanks Schwarze!!!

Talk about a bad hair day!

2011-07-10T21:18:00.001-04:00

The kiddos ate a messy lunch one day last week and since Brian was off, we decided to give them baths before they went down for nap. That whole going to sleep with wet hair thing didn’t work out too well for Jack…..

Poor guy- that’s just awful! {But hilarious to your parents!}

Answers…… and now more questions……

2011-07-08T21:21:00.001-04:00

June 7, 2010

That was the day that it all started- it’s still amazing to me that one hot summer day last year while Luke played outside in the sprinkler- his lips began to turn blue. I couldn’t figure out why? It was so very hot outside, which was why he was playing in the sprinkler, he couldn’t possibly be cold? And he was running around like a little wild man! But the longer he played, the worse it got.

I am actually so glad that I had my camera out there and took these pictures. It happened several times last summer and they all involved him being in the water…….. He would play in the water and his lips would turn blue. As winter came and he stopped playing out in the water, it happened less frequently but it would still occasionally happen after bathtime. It was so strange.

I mentioned it to Dr. P and since he has asthma we just watched it. And then we hit summer time again this year and it’s been worse than last year. Almost every single time he plays outside in the water, he turns blue. His lips turn blue and now around his eyes even turns a shade of blue. It happened three times in one week {about 3 or 4 weeks ago} and when I told Dr. P- he said that he wanted Luke to see a specialist. {Funny- Luke went to the same specialist that Jack saw about a month ago!} The specialist said that while his having asthma complicates it, it doesn’t cause it to happen. Luke has a condition called Acrocyanosis.

Basically, he has vasospasms that cause his blood flow to constrict and then make him turn blue. It can be a benign condition {meaning that it just happens and it isn’t harmful to him} but he also said that it can be a marker for certain congenital conditions.

WHAT?!?!?!

Now we have even more questions than we started with! The Dr. said that for now, Luke is on all of the right asthma medications and he ordered blood work to check for allergies and for a few conditions that can cause this. So we will watch him and wait to hear the results, praying that it’s the benign type and that there is nothing more serious causing all of this.

Saturday Night {the iPhone version}

2011-07-06T18:14:00.001-04:00

The Boys and their sippy cups

A little humor

2011-06-28T23:28:00.001-04:00

If you’ve read this blog for long, you know that Brian and I have been blessed with four of the most amazing friends- Tim & ‘Carrow and Amber & Jason. They help us keep our sanity and sense of pride in check on a regular basis and for that we LOVE them! We also have made a habit to go away without children twice a year for Couples Retreat…… last summer it was a cabin on the Lake, this past winter it was a cottage in Tennessee. They are weekends full of laughter and memories - last summer’s “retreat” resulted in a t-shirt related to the humorous highlights of the trip =)

Front

and Back

Brian was sporting that shirt when he went to pick up a prescription from the pharmacy yesterday and the pharmacist noted his shirt and asked, “Oh Couples Retreat, does it really work?” {Oh to have been there to see the look on his face!} All he could say was, “Well, it’s not THAT kind of Couples Retreat, but yes it works!” Weekends with great friends, lots of laughter and no children do wonders for a marriage! Priceless!!!

And in keeping with the humor of Lake Days with the Triple Threat, we had a Lake Day not too long ago….

Let’s just say that our habit of amazing falls and destruction continued…

11:30 a.m. on our second run of the day-

Brian snapped the harness right off the tube. The tube that had only been on the water once before, the tube that was purchased as a replacement for last summer’s tube …… that we destroyed. {We have also decided to budget in the cost to replace our tube 3 times a year now, clearly we are not easy on them!}

We then tried to “rig” it to continue our adventures…..

…and while the thrill was still there, it simply wasn’t the same =(

We decided to break for lunch and a quick trip to Wal-Mart for a new tube, and while it wasn’t the very best tube ever made, it certainly did the job in a pinch! After lunch, we headed back out on the water with our new tube ready for action. We headed over to one of our favorite little spots …… only to discover swarms of Marine Police checking boats. We knew that it would look bad to turn around and run away, so we headed in and a boat headed right over to us. It was Memorial Day weekend, so they were out doing routine checks- life vests, fire extinguishers, etc. The officer was very nice and after a few minutes we were on our way again, still weary of the swarms of police boats hanging around, we left that hot spot to visit with some of my friends that live on the lake and test out the Wally World Special.

After visiting with The Whitakers for a little while, we headed over to the slue that is behind my parents’ house, which is Brian’s all time favorite spot. We got Jason up on a wakeboard…..

…but he wasn’t up for long…..

And Brian finally managed to convince someone onboard to drive while he skied- it’s not like someone tried to sink the boat last year or anything? I still have no idea why they were all so gun shy? Thanks for taking one for the team Tim!

Then Brian got out on the water…

But all good things must come to an end, right B?

Happy Campers one and all….

Another great day on the lake with our best friends. Looking forward to Couples Retreat 2011 next month!!!

Our Busy Morning…

2011-06-24T15:24:00.001-04:00

Yes folks, I am a busy, busy woman as you can see in this picture from WAFF 48 News -

Friday to do list-

Play at Early Works Fountains

Help HPD apprehend dangerous criminal- Full Story Here

{Please note the sarcasm here, we happened by the scene on our way home and were lucky enough to be captured in the photos!}

My little EI Graduate

2011-06-22T09:12:00.001-04:00

As of yesterday, it’s official- Jack is an EI {Early Intervention} Graduate! His speech therapist came out yesterday morning for her evaluation and he tested at 24-29 months overall in speech {he is currently 26 months old} with a few skills coming in at the 30-36 month level! He has made some amazing progress over the last 6 months and I whole heartedly think that getting tubes in December made all the difference! While there are certainly times that only Brian and I can understand him {and still even a few times when no body can understand him!} that is perfectly normal for a child of his age and we are so pleased with our outcome! EI has been wonderful and it was sad to say goodbye to his speech therapist, but I am happy that he is right on track developmentally and that we can close the chapter of scheduling therapies and evaluations =)

Way to go Jack!!

To one amazing Dad

2011-06-19T14:52:00.001-04:00

Happy Father’s Day!

Love……. Luke, Abby, Jack and Mommy

Moving on….

2011-06-18T10:09:00.001-04:00

It’s been a heck of a crazy couple of weeks in the Ham house. Dr’s appointment’s, evaluations, and interviews, oh my! With all of the busyness of life, I’ve certainly been neglecting the blog. But at the end of the day when my children are sleeping {well, all but Jack these days} Brian and I have certainly had a lot on our plate that we had sit down and discuss.

After 3 years at his current job, Brian and I talked and he decided that he was going to look for another position. {That was within the last month.} He found an opening at a company that interested him and applied late one night. To our surprise, he got a call about his application the very next morning! It’s been a whirlwind of a two weeks but the end result is that Brian interviewed and received an offer! Once the surprise wore off, we had lots to discuss- mainly being that this new position is 70 miles away and we don’t want to move to the town where the now job is located……. that means that Brian will have to commute 140 miles a day, round trip. Yuck =(

Other than the commute, the pros certainly outweigh the cons and we feel that it will be a good move for Brian. And now that the decision has been made, Brian accepted the new position and turned in his notice at his current job. But the decisions don’t stop there – now we’re talking about the commute and more specifically- how to make commuting better for him. All of this talk means that we are suddenly discussing the option of selling our home and moving closer to the new job. It’s a catch 22 for us- we would be leaving a life that we love and although we’ve done it before {when we left Atlanta to come here} I have two more children than I did 3 years ago and a much busier, more involved life. But on the flip side, we are looking at being on the lake which has been Brian’s dream for as long as I’ve known him. And with Luke starting Kindergarten next Fall, we know that we only have a year to make the decision and commit- because I want Luke to be settled and starting Kindergarten where he will be going for a long time. I don’t want my kids to move every three years like I did as an Air Force brat or to start a school only to turn around and leave after a year. Lots to think about…..

It’s also the one year mark for Jack in Early Intervention and he had his re-evaluation. I had a feeling that since he’s made such great progress over the last 6 months, that he may “test out” and no longer be eligible for services through EI. Well my feeling was right. I emailed our service coordinator yesterday and asked how he did- she confirmed what I was thinking. But since the evaluation tests his overall development and is not specific to speech only, she wants his speech therapist to come out and evaluate him to make the final decision. I feel good about his progress and once our speech therapist does her evaluation, we are going to talk about private therapy and whether or not we think that Jack would benefit from it. Because while he has made great strides in the last 6 months, there are still a few issues {speech wise} that could use a little work.

Whew, are you mentally exhausted yet? Throw in the fact that Luke has been having asthma attacks this week and Jack isn’t sleeping and you’ll be as spent as we are! I am going to ask that if you think of us, say a little prayer as we think about our next steps and what is right for our family and I’ll be sure to keep you up to date as we go along!!

Finally some answers….

2011-06-14T16:53:00.001-04:00

Jack’s blood work came back and we finally got some answers from the Immunologist. His CBC was normal but out of the Immunoglobulin {IgA, IgG, IgM, IgE antibodies} molecules that they checked, one was low which helps us understand why his body can’t fight off infection very well. The Dr. also tested his protective ranges for the 23 strains of pneumococcal disease and he was only in protective range for 10 of those, yet another answer to why he is always sick. He had the first dose of PneumoVax which the Dr. said will help raise the protective range count and then we will re-test him in one month to see how his body responded to the first booster and make more decisions after those blood results come back. What a wonderful answer to prayers and hopefully the solution to prevent his constant illness!

4 years ago…

2011-06-14T10:41:00.001-04:00

My Little Luke took his first trip to the beach at 8 weeks old!

What we do for fun

2011-06-11T10:47:00.001-04:00

These should make you laugh as you see how we get our entertainment these days!

Yes, that’s a tractor….

I never in my life dreamed that I would know so much about farming, but it’s big business around here and all I have to do is watch and learn. Summer wheat was the crop most of the farms around us have grown for the early part of summer and this week has been wheat harvesting time. My little Hams do love a tractor, so it’s only natural that we would drive around to watch all of the harvesting. And they LOVED it!! Next up in the crop rotation for those of you that can’t stand suspense- either cotton or soybeans- those are the two mid summer crops of choice around here =)

When we aren’t chasing tractors, Brian and I are playing with this baby….

That is my new embroidery machine! And here’s what we’ve been up to…..

I could post pictures for hours, but I will spare you! The best part is that Brian knows how to sew and made the ruffle pants that go with Abby’s outfits! He’s even made a few pairs of shorts for the boys-he really can do it all!!! We spend our evenings after the kids go to bed browsing online applique sites looking at what designs we want to try next.

It’s an exciting life people, don’t be jealous!

If at first you don’t succeed….

2011-06-09T14:34:00.001-04:00

……try, try again…….

Jack still has the wet, yucky cough…..after 14 days on Augmentin he still has the same cough that he’s had now for almost 8 weeks. So a call to Dr. P and this was what he got- a whopper dose {I’m talking almost 5 teaspoons at once!} of Zmax, a new antibiotic, yesterday and he’s on day 2 of 4 days on steroids…..have I ever said how much I love my children when they are on steroids? That first dose had Jack wired yesterday, all day long. Thankfully the energy finally died down and he did at least sleep last night. Today hasn’t been horrible so far, but the third and fourth days are usually the worst so we’ll see how things go tomorrow and Saturday. I also got a letter from the Immunologist on Tuesday saying that he thinks that Jack may have asthma….. wow 2 out of 3 little Hams now? Once he finishes the latest rounds of medicines then we’ll see how the coughing is and make a firm diagnosis after that. Not the news we wanted to hear, but we are very happy to finally be getting some answers about Jack and to have a plan!

Wondering where we’ve been?

2011-06-06T22:33:00.001-04:00

This should give you a decent idea of how life is going around here…….

Jack is still sick, I know you’re shocked right? The poor boy has only been off of Augmentin for about 4 weeks since last Fall. We had our hopes pinned on the fact that summer would bring relief to the constant illness but no such luck. He’s back on a 14 day course now but he doesn’t seem to be getting any better, so Dr. P is thinking about extending this round for another week making it a 21 day course. He added Flonase to his daily medicines and it seemed to help a bit, but no miraculous cure all. Jack also went to see an Immunologist last week and had some tests run to help us figure out why he’s always sick =(

He had allergy skin testing done and he came back with no allergies, which we thought he would. The Dr. basically wanted to be sure that we haven’t been missing something really simple, but alas no. His theory is that Jack’s vaccinations haven’t gotten him into “protective range levels” which would explain why he is always sick with a funk. Children under 2 years old receive Prevnar as one of their routine shots, but it only covers 7 strains of pneumococcal disease. There is another type of vaccine that covers 23 strains but it doesn’t do well in children under 2 so it’s not given. Since Jack is over 2 and is considered a special case, he got Pneumovax {the 23 strain coverage} and the Dr. ran a blood panel to monitor his pneumococcal titres {protection levels} and decide if he’ll need further specialized vaccinations. He basically diagnosed Jack with Non- Allergic Chronic Rhinitis – and added another medicine, AstePro, in addition to the Flonase. Once the blood work comes back we’ll talk more about our plan of action. Our nurse has also said that Jack may still have structural problems in his sinuses and that surgery could still be in his future. So we’re at a starting point with hope for answers that will help my little man.

Conversations with strangers…..

2011-05-24T08:46:00.001-04:00

A fellow twin mommy posted this and I almost hurt myself laughing because I have had this conversation with sooooo many strangers, too many times….. enjoy!

a little bit of Easter Ham

2011-05-13T14:38:00.001-04:00

We had the piglets 2 and 4 year pictures taken by Katie Cochran on Good Friday and as always, I love them!! Katie is a wonderful photographer and my kiddos respond well to her….. which is a huge plus! But consider yourself warned, I have lots of favorites….

Thank you again Katie!!!

celebrating my piglets!

2011-05-13T14:36:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned before, the Easter themed party last year was a big hit, so we decided that it would be great to repeat =) We had our family and friends over for an egg hunt and to celebrate my little piglets turning two and four!

The egg hunt was a hit again and I can’t help but think that we should do it every year!

Jack realized rather quickly that the eggs had candy inside, enough said….

Luke’s backyard “digging pit” was also a hit…

The attention turned toward cupcakes…

as usual, Abby loved hers..

Luke did his “Man on Fire” dance for Mrs. Heather and Mr. Andy-

The big kids had a big time on the swing-

and the “digging pit” was still fun-

As always, Luke and Morgan had a good time-

And the at the end of the party we decided to be crazy and try for a family picture- HA!

It’s funny though right?

Happy Birthday Piglets!!!

And lastly, a huge thank you to Tripp for taking all of the pictures and capturing so many wonderful memories for us!!

One month

2011-05-10T17:11:00.001-04:00

It’s been one month since my last post and to say that it’s crazy to believe what has happened in that month could be understating things a bit.

April 11th was my last post and and three days after that- I became the mother of a four year old and two year old twins. It’s still unbelievable to think that Luke is four- oh how those four years have gone by in a blink. And the twins are two?!?! Funny that I still refer to them as “the babies” - apparently I always will - even though they are certainly not babies now! The weekend after their birthday we had a party to celebrate and since last year’s Easter themed party went so well, I continued with the same theme and had our family and friends over for an Egg Hunt. The kids had a great time and we had fun watching them. Isn’t it so funny how it takes twice as long to hide the eggs as it does for them to all be found? The next weekend was Easter and if you’re looking forward to lovely pictures of my little Hams on Easter, well, don’t. The Friday night of Easter weekend Luke, Abby, Jack and I got a stomach virus =( and we were sick all weekend- no church, no beautiful smocked outfits, no pictures…….. just a quiet visit from the Easter Bunny and a weekend at home. We all got to feeling better and then on April 26th we started hearing the weather buzz of possibly severe weather including tornadoes in the forecast for the next day.

On April27th, we woke to the sound of tornado sirens at around 6 a.m. At around 6:30 there was a tornado warning for Guntersville, where my parents live. While I knew that my Dad followed the weather, I called to be sure that he was aware of the storm… and then as I was talking to him on the phone the tornado was there and I could hear it all. It took me right back to the tornado that hit our neighborhood when I was in high school- it sounded exactly the same- as I talked to him I heard their house shifting, the roof making cracking noises, and the trees outside their house breaking and falling all while I begged my father to get into the bathtub. {And for the first time in his life, he did exactly what I asked of him. Thank you Dad.} Within a few minutes, it was over and I knew that my Dad was safe. As he was telling me that he thought the house was ok, but that all their big trees had fallen down- the phone went dead and I couldn’t reach my Dad. As the kids ate breakfast and I tried to reach my Dad, Brian and I decided that the kids would not go to preschool that day and instead we would go to my parents’ house.

We helped my Dad clear the fallen trees off the driveway/ power lines and then went to check on the rest of my Mother’s family- they were all safe and as we heard that the second line of storms was on the way – we loaded up and headed to our house to ride out the rest of the day in the closet. Since we have all seen the news over and over by now, all I will say is that we are safe and only lost power for 5 days. I am thankful for that- since I know that so many families lost so much that Wednesday.

Since that day life has been chaos- well even more so than usual =) Information was coming out that power would be out for days so we made the decision to head out of town to crash with Brian’s parents – who had power =) Since a huge chunk of North Alabama, including all of Huntsville, lost power when an EF5 tornado ripped through Madison county, we never heard any news on the rest of the state and the other tornadoes from that day and evening. I watched the news on Thursday at Brian’s parents’ house and I was just in shock that my city, my state was the lead news story around the country and throughout the world. I had started preparing for my finals that we scheduled for the next week but as the pictures and stories from that horrible day began to pour in – both the University of Alabama and UAH decided to allow students to accept their grade as of April 27th if they chose to – I accepted my grades since I knew that I had all A’s and B’s and just like that my last semester of classes was over. All of the work of one semester ended with no closure- it was just done. And while I am thankful to have been given that option- my days of studying the books are done and it just feels strange.

We have had power back for a week now and we have just been trying to get back to normal- and my heart is so heavy because if we are ready for a sense of normalcy, I can’t begin to fathom what people who lost their homes, families, everything are feeling.

Now that I have much more free time on my hands, I’ll blog a lot more and I will publish a few more posts over the next day or two – trying to catch up on all of the pictures of the birthday party, the kiddos 2 and 4 years portraits, and our trip to the McWane Center with friends in Birmingham.

And THANK YOU to all of our friends and family that called, sent text messages and Facebook comments to check on us and our families- we felt your love and prayers!

My new favorite word….

2011-04-11T17:27:00.001-04:00

That would have to be “craptastic” – Thanks to my sister Marissa!

I feel like there are many circumstances that are perfectly defined by that word- craptastic. Nothing dire or horribly wrong, just a series of crappy things that make you frown =(

Like this, you see those shrubs in front of the house?

Yes, those, the line behind the tree on the left and the one under the window on the right? Well, they’re sick…..terminally sick, as in parts of them have already died and the rest are on the way- craptastic. So we spend yesterday afternoon picking up all new shrubs for the front of our house, isn’t that just how you like to spend your Sunday afternoon- dropping hundreds of dollars on landscaping, unexpectedly? Thankfully, my super busy hubs didn’t have to stress over the planting part since the Master Gardener in my life is now retired……..oh did I forget to mention that on here, whoops……By the way my Dad retired!

The girls from work surprised my Dad with a little yard art last weekend…. his favorite, pink flamingos with a BIG sign and tacky hat! I love it!

Any hoo, back to the shrubs, so this morning at the crack of dawn, ok…maybe just a little after…. my Dad chainsawed down the terminal sickies and installed our new smaller and more attractive shrubs!

Thanks Dad! I have plenty of yard projects to fill your days!

The past 48 hours…..

2011-04-08T16:56:00.001-04:00

In the last 48 hours I would like to share with you what I’ve been up to…

I have……

Studied Calculus for 4 hours

Watched 6 hours of video lectures

Taken 3 exams

Took Jack to the Doctor for his post-op appointment

Took a little chat break at Starbucks

…….oh, I almost forgot, and I ran around after my 3 little piggies!!! Whew!!!

Now I am packing up all 5 of the Hams so that we can head to the Ham for the weekend!!

All of this to say, forgive my absence =) I’ll be back with a post soon {I hope!}

The most beautiful sight…..

2011-04-04T10:55:00.001-04:00

It just melts my heart!

You always hear about that “special twin bond” and I can’t say that I’ve really seen much of it between Abby and Jack in the past, but recently they have really seemed to show concern for the other. We were on our way home from pre-school when I looked in the rear view mirror and caught sight of this, I could have cried I was so happy! Thankfully we caught a red light and the iPhone snapped this shot =)

Laughter….

2011-03-23T21:45:00.001-04:00

There is an old saying that laughter is the best medicine and I fully believe in that statement! I have always enjoyed laughing at myself when I do dumb things and I have certainly been known to use laughter to relieve stress!

The boys have been sick, surprise, and we have been back to our once a week pediatrician visits. Luke caught a cold that moved into his lungs quickly and resulted in wheezing and steroids and Jack caught a funk just before his surgery last Thursday. Luckily it didn’t delay his surgery and he had that as planned last week- he did well and the ENT said that his adenoids were indeed very infected so the right call was made on removing them. Then Brian called that afternoon to say that he would be flying to New York- that evening! It was a long crap-tastic day in the words of my sister! He returned Friday night at midnight just in time for SUPPER CLUB on Saturday night!!!

Amber and Jason hosted us all for an amazing St. Patrick’s Day party and because Amber does the most amazing table-scapes- I have to share them….

{this is her Easter themed dining room table}

And here is our St. Patty’s Day table out on the patio.

The weather was beautiful Saturday night and we had the “supermoon” to provide ~~a little~~ a lot of moonlight. Jason cooked amazing food, but then again, when doesn’t he?

He made corned beef, roasted potatoes, corned beef and cabbage{which I never got a picture of} and Irish soda Bread. Hello, delicious!!!

I love these girls and our friendship carries me through so many challenging days. I love that we have known each other for years…… went to college together {and a few were in high school together!}, got married in the same month and had children together.

And then there was the entertainment…

What this doesn’t look like hours of fun to you?

You have NO idea!

Those green beads are called water beads. They begin looking like fish food and when you let them soak in a bowl of water for a few hours, the result is water beads. They are a little slimey, very squishy and provide hours of entertainment for people like us =)

See, you can throw them at one another, drop them in each other’s beverages, sprinkle them in someone’s chair and watch as they pop and squash through the seat bottom when the unsuspecting victim sits down, roll them around the table, hold them over open flame to see what happens….seriously….hours of fun people, hours!

And to make sure that I keep my sense of humor and sanity in check, we went away on Couples Retreat – Winter Edition a few weeks ago. We rented Mulberry Manor in Lynchburg, TN for the last weekend of February. We made no huge plans, other than to tour Jack Daniel’s and shop! I learned a valuable lesson from Amber that talking to every stranger that breathes and is willing to chat can result in a wealth of information- the locals always know the best spots! One of Amber co-workers recommended Fast Jack’s in Tullahoma for Friday night- a good atmosphere, good food place. Then ‘Carrow joined the fun and chatted up Mr. Sir- of Sir’s Fabric and he recommended The Restaurant in Kelso, TN. Completely random, amazing restaurant that I highly recommend to anyone ever in that area!!

Tim found his store in downtown Lynchburg-

Tim’s Flies and Lies

@ the Distillery

@ Fast Jack’s

We had an absolute blast – but then again, we always do- and got a much needed break from school, work, illness and our children!

Memory Lane

2011-03-05T13:44:00.001-05:00

I love to go back through our pictures and remember when the little piglets were , well “littler” ……. I can’t believe that my first born is going to be 4 years old in about a month! Here he is in the spring of 2008….

It feels like these were taken a million years ago…..and that makes me so sad. How on earth have 4 years passed us by so quickly?

How the Grinch Stole Toomer’s Corner

2011-02-18T16:14:00.001-05:00

A story inspired by recent news on the campus of Auburn University and adapted from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" by Dr. Seuss:

Every Who down in Auburn liked Toomer's a lot...
But the Grinch, who lived just north of Auburn, did NOT!
The Grinch hated Auburn! The whole football season!
Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, his houndstooth shoes were too tight.
But I think the most likely reason of all
May have been that his brain was two sizes too small.

But,
Whatever the reason,
His brain or his shoes,
He stood there on Toomer's Corner, hating the Whos,
Staring down with a sour, Grinchy frown
At the happy festivities there in their town.
Every Who down in Auburn was celebrating now...
An Iron Bowl win. SEC Championship-bound.

"They roll all these trees!" he snarled with a sneer.
"And their Auburn spirit just grows...it always begins here!"
Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find some way to stop that spirit from coming!"

For, soon, he knew...

All the Who girls and boys
Would rush Toomer's Corner,
Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! NOISE!

So he loaded some herbicide on his ramshackle truck
And headed for the plains,
Where the Whos were planning roast Duck.

The Toomer's oak trees bore a long-standing mission:
Wearing toilet paper after each victory. A tradition.
A symbol of all that the college holds dear,
A place for rejoicing, a place for good cheer.

But the Grinch slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,
Around Toomer's oaks
With a chemical "present."

"Pooh-pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming.
"They'll find out soon that no spirit is coming!"
"I'll call Paul Finebaum, that's what I'll do!
"I'll brag on the radio! They'll all cry! BOO-HOO!"

"That's a noise..." grinned the Grinch,
"That I simply MUST hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he DID hear a sound rising over the plains.
It started in low...then...loud as steam trains:

Every Who down in Auburn, the tall and the small, was singing!
Without any oak trees at all.

He HADN'T stopped the Auburn spirit from coming. It CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same.

And the Grinch, now in custody with nowhere to go, stood puzzling and puzzling:
"How could it be so?"
"It came without toilet paper! It came without oaks!"
"It came without Bammers and Cam Newton jokes!"
And he puzzled for hours, locked up in a cell, serving time for his crime, as far as we can tell.

A federal offense is crossing the line.
We hope he stays there for a mighty long time.
We may never know if the Grinch in this tale
Changes his heart, sensing his epic fail.
Even if he did...short of a miracle from above,
It's prob'ly too late to save those trees that we love.

BUT...

Though the Whos down in Auburn grieve the trees they once knew, the Auburn spirit lives on --

Fearless and true.

War Tree-gle!!!!!

source

Update on my {sick} Valentine…

2011-02-15T21:40:00.001-05:00

Today showed that he’s not improving at all. He was lethargic again all day and his fever was 104 this morning when he woke up and stayed there all day, even with Advil. Our appointment with the ENT this afternoon was short and sweet. When the Dr. went to check Jack’s ears, his words were, “He is as hot as a firecracker!” He never even bothered to check his nose, he said he saw all that he needed to see on his face. After going over what the Pediatrician said, the ENT wants to wait on a CAT scan and remove his adenoids ASAP. While he’s in surgery, he’s also going to culture Jack’s sinuses and then give him a 2 week course of antibiotics specific to the type of bacteria that he has. He said to go ahead and start the antibiotic from the pediatrician just to help him feel better in the mean time since it may be up to two weeks before he can do Jack’s surgery =( {Our ENT went on vacation the day after doing the boys tubes at New Year’s and broke his arm! This is his first week of being able to perform surgery, so he’s heavily booked right now.} But he feels strongly that this will help my little man and I am all for that!

On another note- here’s a peek at how school is going for me….

This beauty arrived last week….

My letter saying that I made the President’s List for Fall semester!!

And then I got this last night….

A perfect score on my Calculus A – Exam 1!!!!

And while these have certainly helped keep me going, I really need my little man to feel better – and fast- so please keep the prayers coming!!

My (sick) Valentine

2011-02-14T13:19:00.001-05:00

Here’s my handsome date for Valentine’s Day…..

Thanks to his fever {that is now 102.6} he got to skip preschool and the V-day parties and instead we had a stop at the Dr.’s office before heading home to the couch. He’s certainly got something going on, but what is the big question.

Right now, we know that the Dr. does not feel that his immune system is compromised {even though he is ALWAYS SICK.} He is not responding to any of the antibiotics that the Dr. gives him and he’s constantly got a funk. This morning when I woke him up, his nose was bleeding with some yucky junk to accompany it and a fever. So the Dr. has given him a ONE MONTH prescription on a new, more specialized antibiotic with a re-check in 10 days to assess how he’s doing and a few recommendations for my little Valentine- first he wants us to talk about doing a CAT scan to check for structural problems in his head, mainly his sinuses, to determine if there’s something making this junk stay in all the time. He also wants to consider removing his adenoids and lastly he recommends taking him out of preschool. Clearly we have a lot to consider, so I’ve made an appointment with his ENT for tomorrow afternoon to get another opinion and then we’ll consider what both Dr’s have to say and make our decisions.

Please pray for my sick little piggie and for us as we consider our next steps.

Now I see it

2011-02-06T17:52:00.001-05:00

Me in July of 1980

Abby in April of 2010

Many times people have said that Abby looks like me and I’ve really never been able to see it….until now =) My Aunt and Uncle- thanks Auntie Nika and Uncle Johnny!- were going through pictures and she emailed a few to me. I looked at the one above and I thought to myself, “Huh, I guess Abby does look like me a little.” Right down to the gap teeth and it’s cracking me up!

The cure for cabin fever

2011-01-27T22:48:00.001-05:00

So we’ve had a few snow days this month and a few delayed starts due to snow/ice as well, so to fill our days this is what we’ve been up to. Apparently the little piglets are big fans of Taio Cruz!

Progress

2011-01-18T09:49:00.001-05:00

During this season in life, where more things are a challenge than before, it is so wonderful to be able to share good things with you. Several people have been asking about Jack’s speech. Therapy is going great! He can sign and say lots! At around 18 months when most children have a growth in speech, Jack learned a few new words here and there and then he had tubes put in after Christmas……and it’s been a speech explosion! He said several new words in the few days after surgery and he’s been steadily gaining new words each day!

{And he is wearing the chocolate torte that I made yesterday. I also have a funny video of him shoving it all in his mouth, getting it everywhere….all while telling me that the torte wasn’t good. I love this child!}

You might be a redneck if….

2011-01-16T13:55:00.001-05:00

You use your riding lawnmower and tube from the lake to take your child sledding =)

I also found myself saying a few things that I never thought I would hear come out of my mouth…. for instance-

“I really wish that we had a four-wheeler right now.”

and……

“We really need to buy a snow shovel!”

I {and most everyone I know in North Alabama} are super thrilled to see the snow finally melting! And after a week of no school, I am thrilled that the 3 little piglets will be starting back on Wednesday!

This hard season…..

2011-01-13T15:03:00.001-05:00

I have heard many people talk about difficult “seasons” of life and I truly feel that I can finally comprehend exactly what they are talking about. We are in the midst of a difficult season of life. Brian is busy with work, I am busy with school and the kiddos- and they have been sick since, literally, the beginning of September. It never seems to end and this afternoon we are going to visit our Pediatrician for the 10th week in a row- yes, I said 10th! I don’t feel like I am drowning in it all, but I can certainly admit that there have been many moments of just being overwhelmed with it all. And since I have been MIA on the ole’ blog for so very long, I am going to glaze over what’s been happening with us since Christmas, well just before to give you the full picture.

My little piggies caught RSV which hung on forever and seemed especially hard for the boys to shake. Abby did better and having tubes helped a ton, as she’s never had another ear infection! But the boys, not so lucky. Jack never seemed to get any better, the junk sat around forever, and turned into an ear infection. After being on rounds of antibiotics that were not clearing his ears up, our Dr. said he needed antibiotic injections and that he needed tubes. We were actually better with it this go round since we had seen how they helped Abby. So we set up our consult and scheduled his surgery for December 30th. That was all about 2 1/2 weeks before Christmas. As part of Luke’s Christmas present, we bought tickets for The Polar Express in Birmingham- the boy does love a train and that movie! On the way down, he wasn’t acting like he felt that well but we proceeded onward and had a great time just the three of us- Abby and Jack had some fun with Brian’s parents. We got back to their house at about 10 that night and Luke was running a fever so we put him straight to bed. I heard him crying at about midnight and he had gotten sick in bed. That started a LONG night of yuck. I thought, based on what was happening, he had a stomach bug. Saturday morning we drove home and had plans to go to Tim & ‘Carrow’s annual Christmas party. I thought he was alright and then he got sick again just as we were leaving for the party. No party for us and the sitter stayed with the twins while we took Luke to the ER. Once at the ER, we learned that all the sickness over the previous 24 hours was no stomach bug, but in fact the result of a very bad ear infection! He got Zofran to stop the throwing up and antibiotic injections for his ears with instructions to see our Pediatrician on Monday {that was Saturday night.} So Luke was seen by the Dr. again on Monday and now his other ear was newly infected- it had not been when he was seen in the ER- and the original infection was not really much better. Another round of shots and a referral to the ENT for, you guessed it, tubes. He endured 4 rounds of antibiotic shots before his ears finally started improving. We went ahead and asked that the boys been done together and our wonderful ENT graciously worked it out so that it could happen.

Pictures from The Polar Express-

Whew, now for Christmas Day. Oh my the snow! It was beautiful and I loved it, until I realized that it was not good for those of us that had to travel- over mountains- to get to family. To say that I may have had a few anxiety attacks while driving would be true. The day was crazy and I was afraid to get stuck anywhere other than home. So we rushed through our time with family – and even missed a few presents- to made it back home that night. We sailed through to the boys’ surgery and they did great. It all went really smoothly, even with trying to coordinate two boys into and out of surgery =) Both sets of parents helped us out and we are so thankful for their help!

Pictures from Christmas day-

The day after their surgery was New Year’s Eve and we had plans to go to Amber and Jason’s house for for the night. I can’t even begin to tell you all how much I needed that night! I was so excited and we had the best time! I have learned so much about my friends over the last few months. Some of our friends have fallen off the map it seems, while in the hardest times we have faced, a wonderful group of amazing friends have completely been there for not only me, but also for Brian and for our children- and that has meant THE WORLD to us! The phone calls, emails, texts, surprise gifts and time together has been precious and truly a gift from God. I cannot thank you guys enough! To Brian, I love you and there are no words to say how much I appreciate your coping with the chaos of the last 6 months since it is against your organized engineer nature to deal with situations beyond your control. And to my 3 little piggies who may someday read this - I love you with all that I am. Each one of you brings me more joy and happiness than I could have ever imagined possible. My hardest days as your mother are better than my best days before I had you!

Pictures from the snowpocalypse-

To end this pitiful post, I will say that my children are still sick and we got almost a foot of snow Sunday night into Monday – and remember that we live in Alabama people- it’s a BIG deal for us! In fact schools are still closed today- and I am crossing my fingers that they will re-open tomorrow! My classes for Spring semester started yesterday and this is certainly going to be a challenge, to put it mildly! But this is it, my LAST semester of classes, so I WILL DO THIS! {Even if I go nuts =)} So here’s to 2011 and whatever it may bring!

It’s A White Christmas!!!!

2010-12-25T08:19:00.001-05:00

It’s taken thirty- one years for me to see this!

Merry Christmas!

In other news….

2010-12-15T14:09:00.001-05:00

Brian got to spend his lunch break visiting our friends at the pharmacy to pick all of this up for my three little piggies.

Now to make us all feel better I am off to make a

chocolate-espresso torte!

WOOHOO!!!

2010-12-15T11:41:00.001-05:00

With everything that has gone on with the three little piggies this semester, I feel super proud and really feel the need to publicly celebrate!!

GPA- 3.93

and that puts me on the

Dean’s List!!!

The Christmas Program

2010-12-10T15:52:00.001-05:00

I would hardly be able to find enough words if I had to tell you all how much I LOVE their preschool. They are so wonderful and do so many awesome things with the kids……like last night’s Christmas Program. Brian manned the Flip while I took pictures and let me just say that he did not understand that I wanted him to record the ENTIRE program, so I have bits and pieces. Oh well, it’s still cute even though it’s all chopped up!

We Three Kings-

The First Noel-

Away in a Manger and The Friendly Beasts-

Happy Friday!

These are the days…….

2010-12-08T20:02:00.001-05:00

…….that try a mother’s soul!!

Yep, that’s a boot and he’ll be sporting it for the next 3 weeks! Hopefully he’ll have it off right before Jack goes in for TUBES!

I told you it’s been crazy around here!!

Have you heard???

2010-12-07T15:07:00.001-05:00

Life is CRAZY right now- seriously CRAZY- and after my last final on Thursday I fully intended to share all the craziness with you!

But for right now I have to tell you about Shutterfly. (Most of you know all about them, and if not check them out here!) We have used them for all kinds of photo related stuff from ordering prints and enlargements to gifts like calendars and photo books. It’s a great, easy site with lots of promotions going on all the time. (And there’s another great one going on right now!!)

Since I have been a busy momma with school and my three little piggies, I am still attempting to get Christmas cards done! I have been cruising around online and I found several front runners for this year’s card from Shutterfly {since you know that I do love a photo card! Hmmm, now I just have to take the pictures of the smiling little Hams that will greet you in the weeks to come.} The front runners range from simple and elegant to fun and cheery ………. and how the pictures turn out will be the deciding factor for which card is the chosen one! Simple and elegant with one picture if all 3 cooperate- HA!- or fun and cheery with three separate pictures on a card -which will likely be the winner!

But you’ll just have to watch your mailboxes to see how it turns out!

So for now I’ll leave you with this little link to an awesome promotion that Shutterfly is doing right now for free cards if you post a blog about them!

I told you that they are great, didn’t I!!

I don’t even know his name…….

2010-11-19T16:44:00.001-05:00

I want to share what happened to me this morning because I can’t stop thinking about it.

I had a Dr.’s appt this morning while the kids were at pre-school. I walked out of the office and to the elevators. Just before I got there, there was a man standing in the hallway just beside the elevator area. He was older, probably around my father’s age - he looked at me, I smiled and he said, “How do get out of here?” I asked whether he was trying to go to the hospital- since the office building is attached to the hospital- or to the parking lot. He looked at me and said, “The parking lot, I have to get out of here.” I told him to take the elevator down to the first floor and the parking lot would be in front of him after he walked out the doors. We both got on the elevator and he asked, “Is this the right button?” He was pointing to the door open button. I pushed the 1st floor button and said it’s this one.

The doors to the elevator were still open and he looked at me and said, “I’m sorry but I just had to get out of there. My son and his wife just lost one of their twins.” {I was at the OB/GYN obviously.} Just as he finished, before the doors shut, another man got on the elevator. None of us said a word on the elevator ride down and the whole time I just kept thinking that this is one of those times when I struggle with what to say. I just looked at him and he was so upset but trying his best to hold it all together and stay calm. When we reached the first floor, the man that got on last also got off first and that left the two of us again. I looked at him and said, “I am so sorry.”

As we stepped off of the elevator, I apologized again and he said that they were doing an ultrasound and he knew that something was wrong when they called another Dr. into the room. Apparently, he was there with his wife to see the babies on the ultrasound. His daughter-in-law was expecting twins that shared an amniotic sac. I told him that I had twins myself and that I can understand how devastating the loss would be for his son and daughter-in-law and for his family. Then he said, “so you have twins, what will happen to the baby that’s still alive if the other one died and they share a sac? The other baby will probably die too right?”

My heart was breaking for this man and his family. I said that the other baby could still make it and that I was praying for him and his family. He thanked me and said that after they saw that the second baby had no heartbeat, he just got up, looked at his wife and said that he had to get out of there and that he would be in the car. We walked through the parking lot to our cars and he was actually parked next to mine. I again said that they were in my prayers and he said that he knows that everything happens for a reason and that God has a plan. I said “yes, he does.” After we said our goodbyes and got into our cars, I just looked over at him sitting in his car upset and I cried.

Y’all I don’t know the man that I spoke to this morning, or his wife, or his son or his daughter-in-law, I don’t even know his name- but I am asking you to pray for him and for his family. All of us can imagine how hard a loss like that would be, and I can only imagine the worries that they have about the other baby. Furthermore, having identical twins and losing one, yet always knowing that there was another baby that had those same beautiful eyes, that same warm smile.

Please pray for that man and his family.

It seems so familiar…..

2010-11-13T16:01:00.001-05:00

I have apparently been living in a whole for a little while…. but you already know this I’m sure. I saw this commercial for the first time two weeks ago and every time it comes on I end up hurting myself from laughing so hard!

I hear my Dad each and every time this comes on…….

My father was a drill sergeant in the Air Force and loved to play Reveille to wake us up in the mornings. So naturally my mind wanders back to certain childhood and teenage memories when I see this- and I crack up because my sister and I have had conversations like these before!

Rearranged

2010-11-02T16:29:00.001-04:00

Heaven knows that a family of five values space- and we are no exception! After the twins began eating solids regularly, we put two high chairs in the eating area off of the kitchen. That is where we eat most of our meals as a family, so it was only natural that they ended up there.

But it has been a challenge to have them there for the last year. I love the table and chairs, but the way that the chairs lean back with fluted ends has actually taken up much more space than I could have imagined. Couple that with the addition of two highchairs and the eat in area off our kitchen shrank considerably! It’s been really bothering Brian and I but neither one of us had a better solution.

Above was our dining room- a bigger table and six chairs. The table was Brian’s maternal grandmother’s and while it’s been lovely to have - no offense to ANY of Brian’s family- I am not in love with it. But it’s what we have and until we can go drop thousands on the dining set with matching buffet or hutch that I dream about- it’s great. We did paint the room a few months ago, which helped a bit, but we still weren’t loving the set up.

Thankfully, Brian had an epiphany Sunday and it’s made all the difference to us!!

The highchairs are gone and we swapped tables!!

Brian suggested that we switch tables and take one of the leaves out of the oak table when we bring it into the kitchen area. We are also now using the same booster chairs for the twins that we’ve had for Luke. The difference has been amazing! We have a table that we can all sit at to eat meals together, no more highchairs, and the best part is that even with the bigger table, we STILL have more space than we did before!!

Here is the dining room after the swap. We still don’t know what’s going to happen when we have people over for dinner {since we now only have 4 chairs in the dining room} but the solution works best for our everyday life. And until I can get my hands on the dining room set of my dreams, this will be just great!

The kind of “first” that you dread

2010-11-01T16:24:00.001-04:00

In the words of my sister- it’s been a crap-tastic kind of day!

Let me take a moment to build a mental image for you……

Super busy weekend and I have 3 classes worth of assignments due tomorrow. Two of the three little piggies are sick. Miss Abby just happened to have a follow up appointment with the ENT scheduled for this morning, so I knew that her “funk” would be tended to. Mr. Jack hasn’t slept in 3 nights because of his constant coughing. His coughing also keeps his roommate from getting that deep, restorative sleep that she needs, which means that we all suffer. I called and made an appointment for Jack with the Pediatrician and dropped my well child off at school. Abby’s appt. went well, the Dr. still feels that her small size is the reason that she can’t shake a funk without developing an infection. He also threw the idea of allergies at us, and said that we should talk to her Ped. about allergy medicine.

In between the two little piggies’ appointments, I ran to my Dr. to get a TB test done for admissions requirements for UAH- long story that I’ll share when I am laying on the beach with a fruity drink, hmmm sounds like it might be a while before I share huh?

On to Jack’s appt. - Dr. P doesn’t think it’s the same funk that just won’t go away- but a whole new one that he caught during his short period of wellness. He’s got an antibiotic and a good strong “help him sleep” kind of cough medicine – awesome. We discuss the allergy issue and we both agree that we don’t think that Abby has allergies, but that her tiny sinuses, throat, etc trap germs in and turn into an infection. Whew, glad that’s done.

Race to pharmacy to get Jack’s medicine before I have to pick Luke up and they don’t have the cough medicine in stock =( No one seems to, so it will have to be ordered and won’t be here until tomorrow- Big frowny face! Another night of crappy sleep ahead- great!

We FINALLY get home and the twins eat lunch, Luke gets a snack and then it’s off for naps. Abby and Jack were having a hard time settling down, but sometimes it happens so I wasn’t too concerned. Then I hear the loud THUD, but I still am not worried since Jack likes to pummel his Gloworm across the room every time we put him in his crib. I noticed that I didn’t hear the white noise machine in their room and then I noticed that their monitor didn’t seem to be working. After messing with it and thinking that I had it fixed, their noise machine still didn’t wound right. Then I thought I heard the sound of feet moving around the room!!! I ran up to the twins’ room and wouldn't you know it, that loud THUD was not the Gloworm……

…………it was Jackson hurling himself out of the crib!!!!!!!

Okay- SERIOUSLY??????? I now have to worry about an 18 month old running around like a free range chicken every time I put him to bed?????

Lord, I pray for strength and patience.

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-01T00:27:00.001-04:00

From my little piggies to yours!!!

We go to my parents’ house for Halloween every year and I just love it! My parents live in the best neighborhood and they host a great Halloween shindig! My mother always makes chili, my dad builds a great fire and my whole family has a blast sitting out on their driveway giving out candy! As always, we had a great time trick or treating, too! It’s so great that my children get to trick or treat where I grew up. The best part is that my parents’ neighbors always look forward to seeing our children and we love running into lots of old friends!

Thanks for another great Halloween Bobo and JuJu!!

Let them eat cake

2010-10-15T15:35:00.001-04:00

A sweet friend of Brian’s mother always gives her a box of yummy Auburn sugar cookies from Savage’s Bakery in Birmingham each football season. This year she also included another little box of sweetness for my little piggies- a box of Auburn petit fours! Brian and I went out of town last weekend for a wedding while the little ones stayed home with their JuJu and Auntie Nika…….. Boy were they glad to see us when we brought them that sugary goodness!

Just look at her face- “I will demolish you cake!!!”

“What? You’ve never seen an 18 month old shove an entire petit four into his mouth before? Watch and learn my friends, watch and learn.”

And just like that……..it was all gone!

Thank you Mrs. Matthews, they were a huge hit!!!

My {Apparently} Amazon boy

2010-10-09T00:04:00.001-04:00

Luke has always been on the tall side, I have known this.

Many people comment on his height, asking how old he is and then looking confused/ shocked at the 3 year old I call my son. Well, last night I realized just how TALL he really is! Learning from last year’s “high water” Halloween costume incident, I went with the 4-6X costume this year to ensure a proper fit- you know, because I’m just so smart like that. Last year’s was a 2-4T and it was more like man-pri’s { that’s my short version for man capris} than pants. The costume arrived yesterday afternoon and as soon as we showed Luke he was dying to wear it. I happily agreed so that I cute fawn over the cuteness {just wait for the Halloween pictures!!} Brian held it up and right away I knew, it was still NOT long enough!!! We tried it on him and yep- it’s a little tight in the stride and is a tad on the high water side………again……..Seriously????

I am thinking of letting him go as a basketball player next year- no worries over finding something to fit a tall one there! HA!

I miss you too!

2010-10-04T16:22:00.001-04:00

I really wish that life wasn’t so crazy and that I had the time to blog, but I wanted you to know that I miss you too!

We had a fun weekend and went to Lyon Family Farms with HAMOM on Saturday. We had an absolute blast and it was so much better (to us) than Tate Farms, which is a bit closer to us.

The corn was a hit with Luke and Abby, and even though you can’t tell from the picture, Jack didn’t really enjoy it and was making his way to the side to try to get out! Then there was a little fun on the slides….

And this little girl was enthralled….

Luke had some big fun on the playground with Daddy…..

And we even decided to try this….

…. finally after wandering lost for almost an hour, we decided to find any way out that we could. We ended up eventually making our way back to the entrance! We were just really glad to be out of all the corn!

We met up with our friend Lindsey and her twin boys, Jackson and Jacob. Luke had so much fun with them!

On the way to the petting zoo…and chasing after the baby pigs…

This little man has recently decided that he doesn’t really enjoy having his picture taken, which has really been fun to deal with…

But that’s okay, I did still manage to get a few when he wasn’t paying attention! Isn’t it sweet?!?!?!

Luke had the best time with Jackson and Jacob and we loved that it wasn’t too crowded (like Tate Farms always is!) and that everything is really well-kept! It’s only about 30 minutes north of Huntsville and completely worth the trip!!

War Eagle!

2010-09-18T23:12:00.001-04:00

I had hoped to get a super cute picture with all 3 of my little piggies in their Auburn attire but the best shot barely shows their outfits! It’s crazy how hard it is to get a good picture of all 3 together!! I’m sure I’ve said it a million times, but I always think that as they get a little older, it will get easier- umm…nope not so far!

Wondering where I’ve been?

2010-09-18T13:44:00.001-04:00

I realized this morning that the last time I seriously neglected the blog, it was because I was very pregnant!

Well, It’s time for another BIG announcement!!!

I’m not pregnant!!!! Huh? Sorry, I just couldn’t resist the urge to get your hearts racing =) But I am back in school- I’m taking 16 hours this Fall {online} through the University of Alabama and working on clinicals at the hospital- you know because I’m bored and all I do is sit around, play on Facebook and blog, right Brian?

I hope that as I settle into a groove with our new schedule, I can find more time to blog again, but no promises! I may just string you along with pictures for the next year until I graduate! I’m just kidding, maybe =)

Seems like old times….

2010-09-10T20:26:00.001-04:00

Jack tried corn at dinner tonight and really liked it!! {By the way- OT is going super well and Jack has started eating more foods- WooHoo!!} Seeing that takes me back to this from just over two years ago……

I love having boys are exactly two years apart……it’s so amazing to be able to watch Jack do new things and remember when Luke was the same age and doing all the same things =) It also cracks me up that Jack has so much more hair than Luke did!

Can you believe…..

2010-09-03T07:57:00.001-04:00

……. two years ago today, we found out we were having twins!

September 3, 2008

We are so thankful that they were born full term and healthy…

……and that we get to kiss and hug these sweet faces everyday!

The finale

2010-08-28T21:21:00.000-04:00

Tim, ‘Carrow, Amber and Jason…..

Thanks for the good times, the laughs and the great memories……can’t wait for Labor Day Weekend!!!

The end of the tube

2010-08-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

Yes, the sequence above was how the Sea Doo met it’s end =( Thankfully no Tim’s were injured during it’s decimation.

Here’s the end…

You served us well!

Extreme airborne tubing

2010-08-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

And just to get you smiling….

I just love those expressions!

And now for my most favorite spill sequence from our weekend…

Tim, tell your chiropractor that I said “Hi!”

Coast Guard Approved

2010-08-26T21:05:00.000-04:00

Hmm, on second thought, maybe not……

Fits like a glove right?

Dear anchor,

2010-08-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

Please write.

Part Duex

2010-08-24T16:52:00.000-04:00

Have you ever used Solo cups and a cooler to bail water out of a boat? Well you haven’t lived until you’ve had to. The poor bilge pump was working overtime to dump out the water and we all re-positioned ourselves any way that Brian told us to in order to most effectively get the water out and keep it away from vital engine parts. Now that was good times! Amber finally joined us back aboard “Pain and Suffering” and we decided it was best to take a lunch break.

The Dairy Queen in G'ville is right on the water, so we agreed that it would be our destination. Wintzell’s is next door to the DQ and just happens to have a dock for it’s water faring customers.

Dear Wintzell’s,

I am very sorry for the gouge on that last dock slip. Trust me, you got out easy.

Sincerely,

Pain and Suffering

As we were pulling in to the dock to tie up and grab a snack, we all heard the loudest CRACKING CRUNCHY sound! Not good, not good. Brian misjudged the distance and the bracket for the wakeboard tower clipped the very end of the dock slip. It punched the bracket into the fiberglass, hence the crack and crunch that we heard.

YYYYOOOOUUUUCCCCHHHH!!!!

Brian recovered from the incident rather quickly- which impressed me!- and we ate lunch while he called around inquiring about fiberglass repair. Due to the new instability of the wakeboard tower, it was decided that it would be best to take the tower off. We were on our way back out to the cabin to take the tower down when we came to the bridge at Hwy 227. We noticed a group of people standing at the edge of the bridge, holding flowers. We couldn’t see them as we went under the bridge, but we looked up at them……looking down on us…..as we passed under the bridge. As they came into sight, we all looked to see what in the heck they were doing on the edge of the bridge with flowers.

And then we saw it……..an urn!

The top was off and they were turning it upside down to dump some poor man’s ashes into the lake…..and our boat!! Once we realized what was happening, I yelled at Brian to gun it and get the heck out of the way! We scooted forward and the lady with the urn dumped it’s contents into the lake. Lovely. {And I am pretty sure that you can’t just dump someone’s ashes where ever you want to! But then again, what could we do about it? It was done.}

Now don’t you worry the fun didn’t stop there!

Couples Retreat 2010

2010-08-23T15:55:00.001-04:00

Y’all I laughed more this weekend than I have in YEARS!!! Laughter to the point that I had trouble taking pictures……all 748 of them. Our weekend was SO GOOD! We ate great food thanks to Jason and we talked and played pranks like we were kids away at summer camp. The nicknames, sayings and stories that have come from this weekend are the kind that will be told and retold for many years to come. Our children will probably know these stories by heart at some point in their teens and they will likely be so tired of hearing them!

So in order to fully recapture the memories- good, bad, and ugly- this post will be the first installment of a few =) You’ll thank me for it, I promise.

Friday night was uneventful, we arrived, check in, went out to dinner and went to bed. Oh Saturday, you’re still making me smile. Let’s start it here-

Yes, that’s water……..inside the boat…….lots of it.

‘Carrow decided that she wanted to try to sink the boat to really make things fun. So here’s the back story. We had been tubing for a little while and Brian decided that he wanted to ski. I don’t know how to drive a boat, let alone pull someone {especially Mr. Particular Brian} skiing. Luckily, we thought about that earlier and ‘Carrow and Tim both have their boating licenses and know how to drive a boat.

Good, good.

‘Carrow gets behind the wheel and the other 4 passengers all move to the front of the boat since the pole for the rope in the center of the boat just behind the driver’s seat. We make two passes with Brian and both times we stop slowly to ensure that the lake doesn’t come rushing into the back of the boat like it does when you come to a sudden stop.

Good, good.

Well, all except for the part where all 5 adults onboard are in one small area. We hit a trough and the weight of all 5 of us in front caused the bow of the boat to be level with the water……and then the water began to flood in all……12 to 18 inches of it. Brian’s not on board and I am yelling, asking him what should we do. He yells “MOVE BACK TO THE BACK OF THE BOAT!” He also yells at us to make sure the bilge is on. In the meantime, I turned around and poor Amber, in fear for her life{and her beer} ran and jumped off the back of the boat. This was what we found when we looked for Amber in the water, safe and sound with her drink in hand.

Hilarious!!!

Separation anxiety???

2010-08-20T15:32:00.001-04:00

I’m not anxious AT

ALL!!!!!

Yes friends, it’s true-----for the first time EVER we are leaving for the weekend, just Brian and I {well…..and a few friends!!}

It’s common that when your friends are the same age as you , many major life events happen close together……take marriage, for example. Between my friends and Brian’s there were 7 weddings, one after another {including ours} the Summer of 2002.

Amber and Jason got married the weekend before us, August 10th.

Tim and ‘Carrow were married on August 24th, the weekend after us.

To celebrate the 8 year milestone, we all decided that it was time for a little weekend getaway…….minus children!!

We are heading here….

……to a cabin in the woods on Lake Guntersville.

Free to stay up late, sleep in, ride around and ski without worrying about naptimes or sippy cups…….To sit around and have a conversation without 5,000 interruptions……..To enjoy meals without cutting up 3 plates worth of food first……..To remember what life was like when our only concern was “What do you want to do today?”

See you next week!!!

8 years ago…….

2010-08-17T15:03:00.001-04:00

The Celebration and
Blessing of a Marriage

Dearly beloved: We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. The bond and covenant of marriage was established by God in creation, and our Lord Jesus Christ adorned this manner of life by his presence and first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. It signifies to us the mystery of the union between Christ and his Church, and Holy Scripture commends it to be honored among all people.

The union of husband and wife in heart, body, and mind is intended by God for their mutual joy; for the help and comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and, when it is God's will, for the procreation of children and their nurture in the knowledge and love of the Lord. Therefore marriage is not to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, deliberately, and in accordance with the purposes for which it was instituted by God.

Into this holy union Iana Marie and Brian Huston now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they may not lawfully be married, speak now; or else for ever hold your peace.

Then the Celebrant says to the persons to be married

I require and charge you both, here in the presence of God, that if either of you know any reason why you may not be united in marriage lawfully, and in accordance with God's Word, you do now confess it.

The Declaration of Consent

The Celebrant says to the woman

Iana, will you have this man to be your husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?

The Woman answers

I will.

The Celebrant says to the man

Brian, will you have this woman to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?

The Man answers

I will.

The Celebrant then addresses the congregation, saying

Will all of you witnessing these promises do all in your power to uphold these two persons in their marriage?

People We will.

If there is to be a presentation or a giving in marriage, it takes place at this time.

The Ministry of the Word

The Celebrant then says to the people

	The Lord be with you.
People	And also with you.

Let us pray.

O gracious and everliving God, you have created us male and female in your image: Look mercifully upon this man and this woman who come to you seeking your blessing, and assist them with your grace, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep the promises and vows they make; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Then the following passages from Holy Scripture are read.

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-24 (A man cleaves to his wife and they become one flesh)

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (Love is patient and kind)

When a passage from the Gospel is to be read, all stand, and the Deacon or Minister appointed says

	The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to ___John___.
People	Glory to you, Lord Christ.

John 15:9-12 (Love one another as I have loved you)
After the Gospel, the Reader says

	The Gospel of the Lord.
People	Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Marriage

The Man, facing the woman and taking her right hand in his, says

In the Name of God, I, Brian, take you, Iana, to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

Then they loose their hands, and the Woman, still facing the man, takes his right hand in hers, and says

In the Name of God, I, Iana, take you, Brian, to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until we are parted by death. This is my solemn vow.

They loose their hands.

The Priest may ask God's blessing on a ring or rings as follows

Bless, O Lord, this ring to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The giver places the ring on the ring-finger of the other's hand and says

I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Then the Celebrant joins the right hands of husband and wife and says

Now that Brian and Iana have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of a ring, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder.

People Amen.

The Prayers

All standing, the Celebrant says

Let us pray together in the words our Savior taught us.

People and Celebrant

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

Let us pray.

Eternal God, creator and preserver of all life, author of salvation, and giver of all grace: Look with favor upon the world you have made, and for which your Son gave his life, and especially upon this man and this woman whom you make one flesh in Holy Matrimony. Amen.

Give them wisdom and devotion in the ordering of their common life, that each may be to the other a strength in need, a counselor in perplexity, a comfort in sorrow, and a companion in joy. Amen.

Grant that their wills may be so knit together in your will, and their spirits in your Spirit, that they may grow in love and peace with you and one another all the days of their life. Amen.

Give them grace, when they hurt each other, to recognize and acknowledge their fault, and to seek each other's forgiveness and yours. Amen.

Make their life together a sign of Christ's love to this sinful and broken world, that unity may overcome estrangement, forgiveness heal guilt, and joy conquer despair. Amen.

Bestow on them, if it is your will, the gift and heritage of children, and the grace to bring them up to know you, to love you, and to serve you. Amen.

Give them such fulfillment of their mutual affection that they may reach out in love and concern for others. Amen.

Grant that all married persons who have witnessed these vows may find their lives strengthened and their loyalties confirmed. Amen.

Grant that the bonds of our common humanity, by which all your children are united one to another, and the living to the dead, may be so transformed by your grace, that your will may

be done on earth as it is in heaven; where, O Father, with your Son, and the Holy Spirit, you live and reign in perfect unity, now and for ever. Amen.

The Blessing of the Marriage

The people remain standing. The husband and wife kneel, and the Priest says the following prayer

Most gracious God, we give you thanks for your tender love in sending Jesus Christ to come among us, to be born of a human mother, and to make the way of the cross to be the way of life. We thank you, also, for consecrating the union of man and woman in his Name. By the power of your Holy Spirit, your out the abundance of your blessing upon this man and this woman. Defend them from every enemy. Lead them into all peace. Let their love for each other be a seal upon their hearts, a mantle about their shoulders, and a crown upon their foreheads. Bless them in their work and in their companionship; in their sleeping and in their waking; in their joys and in their sorrows; in their life and in their death. Finally, in your mercy, bring them to that table where your saints feast for ever in your heavenly home; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

The husband and wife still kneeling, the Priest adds this blessing

God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace; that you may faithfully live together in this life, and in the age to come have life everlasting. Amen.

The Peace

The Celebrant may say to the people

	The peace of the Lord be always with you.
People	And also with you.

The newly married couple then greet each other, after which greetings may be exchanged throughout the congregation.

When Communion is not to follow, the wedding party leaves the church. A hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung, or instrumental music may be played.

***********************

Brian, I said these words to you 8 years ago and they ring true still to this day. I cannot imagine my life without you. In you God created my perfect mate.

Thank you for loving me today as much as you did the day that we were married.

Thank you for always standing by my side and supporting me in all that I do.

Thank you for being a wonderful provider and loving father of the children that God has blessed us with.

I look forward to celebrating so many more years together!

Sign Language progress!!!

2010-08-17T13:12:00.001-04:00

Jack signed for the first time this morning!!!

The kids were eating Fruity Cheerios- which is another big first for my little Jack!- and he signed “more” to me!!! I was starting to get frustrated because I have been signing some basic words to him over and over and we seemed to be making no headway.

Thank you for the “sign” of encouragement Jack!!!

***Sorry the video is so blurry, I used my phone since it was the first thing I could grab!***

Baby Steps

2010-08-16T17:17:00.001-04:00

I mentioned last week that Jack is now getting OT services but I left out the specifics…so here’s the scoop.

Jack is extremely picky when it comes to food and I have been struggling with ideas of how to get good food into his tummy for some time now. Our Dr. is not stressed about the lack of variety in his diet and simply told us to add in a multi-vitamin, but I still know that he needs to get more than Goldfish, animal crackers and a vitamin. He is only in the 24th percentile for weight on the growth chart, so he by no means needs to be skipping meals.

Just after we got Jack’s speech therapy all set up, I called our service coordinator to ask for some tips and suggestions on how to get the boy to eat. We talked about the types of foods that he is eating and I mentioned that he prefers only one texture- crunchy. After hearing my concerns, she wanted to have Jack evaluated by an occupational therapist to determine if there were in fact texture issues beginning. The therapist came out to evaluate and asked if we had any other concerns with his motor skills…..that’s when I mentioned his lack of a pincer grasp. She tested my little Hamster and said that she does feel that he has a texture issue going on and that she would like to work with his eating. After scoring his fine motor eval, she said that he has a 25% deficit in his fine motor skills and that in her clinical opinion, he would benefit from receiving OT. She has asked to see him every other week and she is coming out around lunch time to also incorporate dealing with his food issues into their sessions.

Jack had his first appointment with her last Friday and it went wonderfully! Our therapist is great and Jack really seems to like her too- which is a huge blessing! The plan for now is that he stays home from Pre-School every other Friday and has Speech & OT. If he continues to do well with that, I am considering having him do therapy at school one day a month and then continue the one session at home. That way his teachers would be involved in what’s happening {and possibly be able to work with him at school} while we keep working on things at home as well. So there you have it….. baby steps in the right direction!

How Twins Are Made

2010-08-16T14:50:00.001-04:00

Admit it, you’re laughing.

Heard

2010-08-10T10:01:00.000-04:00

Here are a few things that I heard from Luke while we were at the beach and I just feel like you guys might just get a good laugh from them too!

*The first night that we were there, Luke woke up at 1 a.m. He was sharing a room with my Mother and he walked to her bed and woke her up by staring at her. All he could say was “JuJu, JuJu, we’re on vacation!” and then he said “JuJu, JuJu, you’re on vacation with me!” He was clearly too excited to be on vacation and that JuJu came with us, especially since he was up saying that until 3 a.m. =)

* We went to Destin to do a little shopping last week. I had Luke while we walked around the Coach store. As we walked by a table of sunglasses he says “Let’s buy these sunglasses for Aunt Rachel. She would like these.” I was laughing so hard that I could have dropped the poor child! And I immediately called Rachel to ask her what she’s been telling him!

*While still in the Coach store, Luke was insisting that I pick a bag. HA! I told him that Daddy probably didn’t want Mommy to pick a bag, yet he insisted that Daddy would want me to- the boy is smart I tell you! So after I asked him to stop touching every bag in the store and he didn’t, I threatened that he would get in trouble. To which he said that he wanted to go sit in the corner……in the Coach store!

Gifts from God

2010-08-09T14:47:00.001-04:00

Do you ever just have the greatest feeling of peace about certain situations in life. Do you have friends that you know were handpicked for you by HIM. I feel that all of that from GOD today.

I have never felt it so much in my life as I do right now. The Lord has blessed me with all the right people, at all the right times. My best friend Rachel is seriously heaven sent. She loves me and my children like family and we consider she and Keith family. She is always there for me at any time, for any reason.

She came to meet us for lunch on Saturday and Luke was too excited to see Aunt Rachel!

We had Open House this morning at the Hamster’s new school { the new nickname courtesy of Aunt Rachel and I LOVE IT!!!!!} As the kids and I walked in, we saw our friends Kim and Brax who were there with their son, Thomas. Kim was actually the neighbor of another friend of ours in Newnan and they moved to Huntsville the year before we did. She and I began talking and getting together for play dates just after we moved and she has been such a great friend to us! She has brought us dinner- more than once- and offers to help me anytime she can! She is another gift from above. She has even started a Bunco group that begins tomorrow night and I am really looking forward to meeting the other ladies and having a fun night out once a month!!

Then there is the kids’ new school…. I just love it!!! As I was walking in and chatting with Kim, Brax, and Thomas, Luke’s new teacher welcomed us and began to chat with Luke. She is wonderful!!! Luke took to her right away and when it was time to dismiss into classes from orientation, she walked over and took Luke’s hand and off they went to class. He had no hesitations and I was so thankful! She even kept him in the room while I went to meet Abby and Jack’s teachers! And let’s talk about Abby and Jack’s teachers- HEAVENLY GIFTS! So kind and loving and patient!! I have been so nervous about Jack and this whole preschool thing. I haven’t posted the latest with him {I will hopefully get to it later this week} but he is starting occupational therapy this week. So he now has Speech and OT every other week. As I explained some of his issues to his new teachers, the lead teacher just looked at me and said “I understand, I am the mother of one autistic child and two children with Asperger’s.” Peace filled my heart. She knows everything {and more} about what’s happening with Jack. I have been so apprehensive about how his teacher’s would feel about / handle his need for therapy but the minute that she said that to me, it all just melted away!

The Open House had been so chaotic and crowded and I was a bit flustered at times, but I walked out and felt like I was walking on air. God took every worry, every apprehension and handled each and every one of them. Luke had a great time in his class and as I got him ready for his nap, he was talking all about it and how he was excited to go back to school….and I shared every feeling that he had! I am so thankful for the blessing of peace!

To my friend’s - a heart felt and much deserved Thank You!!! You mean the world to me and I love that I can call you my friends! I owe you so much more than that, but I want to be sure to take the time and share how much I appreciate your friendship!

Have a great week everyone!!

bliss…..

2010-08-08T22:25:00.001-04:00

I have a million things that I need to do. A ton of things that I should be doing. A list a mile long of things that I have to get done…………..but since they grow up so fast, I did what I wanted to do.

Jack was fussy for a good while after we put him to bed tonight. Since we just got home from a week at the beach late yesterday afternoon I assumed that he was still out of whack from the trip. But after almost 45 minutes of whining, I decided that I needed to check on him. I crept into the twins’ dark room and picked him up from the crib. He felt fine, not too warm, not too cold, his diaper was fine, so I walked over to the rocking chair and sat down to try to get him calmed down. And as soon as we sat down, my handsome youngest son curled up on my chest and laid his sweet head on my shoulder and fell fast asleep. And when I say that we have a million things going on this week, that is putting it gently, and yet after 45 minutes of rocking it was all that I could do to lay my sleeping Jackson in his bed and come back down stairs. My mind immediately went back to this……

………and all I wanted to do was rock with him all night long. It was truly bliss.

Happy Birthday Mommy!

2010-08-08T15:44:00.001-04:00

My little piggies sure did show their Mommy some love this year for her birthday…..

Yes that’s right an iPhone 4! Oh how much they love me =)

Now I just have to wait the 2 weeks until it actually get to me- HA!

Easing the pain

2010-08-04T08:38:00.001-04:00

So tomorrow I am officially “in my thirties.” Ouch. I’ve heard that whole “age is just a number” thing but it doesn’t help that this year I feel old.

To make the blow a bit easier to take, B has been giving my gifts all week long. I started out with this beauty….

…. a FLIP video camera! I makes it super easy to take videos and the best part is how small it is! Taking quick videos of the kids is a breeze and it is smaller than my cell phone – it’s perfect =)

Then yesterday I got this from B and my Mother…..

A Coach bag! I. AM. IN. HEAVEN!!!!

And of course there’s no better place to be spending my birthday then the BEACH! We’ve been here all week and it’s beautiful, no oil in sight! The only negative is that the beach with my 3 little piggies isn’t quite as easy as I imagined it would be. Lots of stories when we get back…….

Life these days

2010-07-28T14:50:00.001-04:00

First, just to make you smile, our pet is back…….

After the almost altercation shown above between Sydney {our cat} and “Stinky” we decided that it was time for action. We dumped an entire bottle of ammonia all around our deck since we’ve heard that skunks don’t like the smell of it. We also moved their food to the table top since we also heard that they can’t jump. Thus we have {hopefully} removed the reason that our back deck was so attractive to the stinkers and they’ll be gone for good!

We’re also gearing up for Preschool!

My little piggies start school in 2 weeks and I’m excited and nervous about how it’s going to go. Luke went to MDO last year, so he’s familiar with the routine but this year he’s going 3 days a week rather than just 1. Whenever we talk about going back to school, he always talks about his friends and mentions a few by name, so I know that he remembers his old school, I am just hoping for a smooth transition into the new school. I am of course super nervous about Abby and Jack starting! They have major Mommy attachment issues and cry a lot when I leave them, so it’s going to be a rough start I think. Hopefully they will quickly learn that while I do leave them, I always come back =)

We got a package from Brian’s grandmother yesterday and she made this beautiful smocked dress for Abby!

Isn’t it great! She also made the boys matching shorts!

Thanks Great Grandmother Ham! We love them!

And to start our day today, my little ones made a trip to the dentist. This was Luke’s third time, so it’s old hat for him, but it was a first for Abby and Jack.

Luke was super excited to have his teeth cleaned and got a great report! He still has a cross bite and the dentist said that we’re past the point of it correcting itself, so he’ll have the expander that we talked about last summer when he’s about 7 or 8 years old. Oh joy, orthodontia her we come!

Abby and Jack also got great reports! Abby’s gap prompted the dentist to tell me that she shouldn’t have any problems with crowding when her permanent teeth come it….which made me laugh since I had that same gap and my childhood dentist told my mother the exact same thing when I was little! The dentist also showed me that Jack’s upper lip frenulum comes all the way down to the bottom of his gum. The Dr. doesn’t feel like it needs to be snipped now, but it may affect his permanent teeth and keep them from coming together, so we’ll just wait and watch.

WHEW! What a day! Thankfully my little ones are napping and I can relax for a bit!

That STINKS!!!

2010-07-27T13:43:00.001-04:00

Oh yes, those are what you think.

Brian and I have been wondering why the cat food on the back porch is suddenly GONE after 2 days……… these 2 stinky skunks are helping themselves to the all you can eat buffet!! What’s worse is that I had to let them enjoy or they would “leave their mark” right at my back door. No more all you can eat for the cats……or the skunks! Brian said that we are going to start putting out a small bowl of food in the morning and evenings and no more leaving the big container out there.

We knew that all the neighborhood cats were enjoying the snack, but when I walked by the back door today, I didn’t recognize the “kitties” that were chowing down. I walked back to the door and my heart stopped. All I could think of was- Don’t scare them, don’t scare them! As soon as they left, so did the buffet. Hopefully that will be the last of the stinky visitors, especially since I don’t want them around our backyard on a regular basis!!

Friday Night Fun

2010-07-25T19:55:00.001-04:00

We journeyed to the Ham this weekend {that’s Birmingham for those who are confused right now} and went to the Birmingham Auburn Club’s Fall Kick Off Friday night.

The adventure began as we tried to get there….heading South on Hwy 280 at 5 o’clock on a Friday afternoon- Oh my the traffic!! Seriously, I am so glad that we no longer love there. I just don’t know if I could handle that…..it took us 40 minutes to go 2 miles! Not to mention that the temp reading on my car was showing 111 degrees out there- YUCK! We finally got there and realized why we don’t try to do things when our children are tired and hungry- it’s miserable for all of us. The kids were everywhere and we didn’t last too long . We did try to get a family picture with Aubie, now that was good times! See for yourself-

I know that I have said it before {and here it is again} trying to get 3 children smiling and looking the same direction at the same time is a near impossible feat! I can’t wait to share all these tales of adventures in picture taking with the kids when they are grown! Once again, at least we can say that we went!

Lost

2010-07-22T16:44:00.001-04:00

Here’s a little laugh for your Thursday afternoon……

A little over 6 years ago now, Brian’s Great Aunt Belle {his grandmother’s identical twin} passed away. Brian was in the middle of the interview process with Honda and it turned out that Honda set up his second interview the same day as her funeral. In his attempt to not jeopardize his chances with Honda, he went to the interview and came straight up to be with his family afterward. Brian has a thing about always wearing his class ring from Auburn at every interview….he always wears it. Period. His ring is also just a bit snug and not super comfortable to wear. So, that March day after his interview, he wanted to take his ring off just as soon as he got to his grandmother’s house. I hesitated for him to tuck it into his suit pocket, fearing that he would lose it.

Some time later, Brian went looking for that ring…and he could never find it. Ever. After looking for months and months, we decided to order a replacement. The replacement came and it was still a little snug, but Brian was happy to have his Auburn ring again.

Fast forward to this afternoon. I have been using the same Kate Spade purse for years now, and it’s started to look like it’s been used for years now. I have been trying to decide what I want to buy for a good while now and I haven’t been able to make up my mind. Kate Spade doesn’t make one that looks like the one I have and while I like the look of Coach bags, I just can’t find “The One.” I went out to Mellow Mushroom for dinner with friends the other night and one had a bag that I really liked, so I asked her where she found it and went today to buy one like it. I sat on the couch I took everything out of my Kate Spade {all 7 1/2 years worth of stuff.} Then I decided that since this purse was never going to be used again, I need to empty the little zipper pocket, you know the one where we all keep extra tampons and panty liners? And as I pulled them out of the pocket, I noticed that there was a ring in the bottom. I don’t remember putting any of my rings down there, but I have been known to put jewelry in that pocket should I have to take it off while I am out for any reason. And so I put all of the “feminine products” on the table and grabbed the ring……yes you guessed it, Brian’s Auburn class ring!

Here it is- the hard earned original……..

…………and here’s the costly replacement………..

My sister laughed as she said, “Wow Iana, you must have lots of tampons and liners in that pocket to not ever notice that chunky ring !” And I laughed because she’s right. What’s worse is neither Brian nor I ever remember putting his ring in my purse!!

So now B has a ring for each hand……

War Eagle!

And the answer is……..

2010-07-22T00:07:00.001-04:00

Kristin and Rachel- you got Canada. The exact answer is Edmonton, Alberta, CA.

And I found out from my Mother that it was my Great Great Grandfather, Allan Merrick Jeffers that was the architect for the Legislature Building in Edmonton. Good to know, kinda cool.

More hints

2010-07-21T13:47:00.001-04:00

Brian called to tell me that the high on Monday was 60 degrees and the low was in the 40’s. I can’t say that I was too happy to hear that being that we’re currently under an excessive heat advisory and the heat index the past two days and again today is 105 degrees!!! Nice and balmy, ahhhh humidity. Anyhoo, so here’s another lovely picture of Brian’s view….

So where is B?

Leaving on a jet plane, again

2010-07-19T09:04:00.001-04:00

Brian left this morning for another business trip. Thankfully, his mom is coming up to help out while he’s away. So where’s he off to you ask?

Let’s see if you can figure it out =) Above is the skyline of the city and below is the Legislature Building in that same city.

And here’s a bit of history…….My Great, Great, Great……Grandfather {I don’t know exactly how far back…I’m no genealogy nut} was the architect for this Legislature Building, that was built in 1907.

And here is it just after it was completed in 1914, pretty cool huh?

So what do you think? Where’s Brian?

Why do I try?

2010-07-18T14:09:00.001-04:00

This is what it looks like when you try to get a picture of my little Hams together……

Oh my, these little piggies are not the easiest subjects for a picture……But it was pretty funny to try! And now to the second reason that the camera was out…….

My handsome little walking boy!!

He actually caught me off guard Friday morning by walking around the corner and into the kitchen where I was cooking. I guess I just wasn’t expecting to see him rounding the corner and walking up to me- but it was too cute!

And one last smile to share….

That’s okay, I may not have a perfect Sunday after church picture, but I do have 3 napping children and dinner already cooking on the stove at 1 o’clock in the afternoon!

The Biggest Loser, Schwarze edition

2010-07-16T14:09:00.001-04:00

I am proud to say that Brian has won The Biggest Loser, Schwarze edition! He and a few of the other guys he works with decided to start a competition about 3 months ago and collect a pool of moolah that would go to the person that lost the most weight at the end……..and Brian lost a grand total of 30 lbs!!!!!! Way to go B- so proud of you =)

Give me a sign

2010-07-13T16:40:00.001-04:00

We had our first meeting with Jack’s speech therapist this morning and I am so happy to say that it went really well! {For privacy reasons, I will simply call her “T” here on the blog =)}

T is really great and Jack responded so well to her! She did another evaluation to get a better picture of where his speech is at since the first eval gave a complete picture of him developmentally, not just his speech. T said that the first tests that were used didn’t give the best picture of his expressive and receptive language skills, so she wanted a better idea of where he stands. He did score a little higher on her test overall than on the first tests that were done- which I was happy about =) T said that Jack’s receptive language skills are good, he just needs help with his expressive language skills- meaning that he listens and understands what we are communicating to him, he just has trouble communicating back to us. All in all, Jack has a simple language delay with no other issues.

T also recommended that we begin using sign language with Jack. She said that it can help eliminate some of the frustration when he is trying to communicate with us but doesn’t know how. She also said that studies have found that babies who learn to sign show great potential for developing their vocabularies. {Some people have been concerned that by teaching babies sign language, they will not be able to speak as well or develop as wide of a vocabulary, since they can get what they want without speaking/ words. But it’s not true.} So we are going to start working on signs with him. For the last few minutes of her time here, T got in the floor with Jack to work with him a little……..and he really likes her! He played with her and she said she can tell he is going to do really well. T also said that she is really looking forward to working with Jack and that she can tell that he is really going to be a lot of fun- which made this Mother very happy! So we’re off to a great start!

And one last bit of Jack related info….

He’s walking!

Out of Order

2010-07-11T11:18:00.000-04:00

If I haven’t made it clear by now, let me reiterate…….. I am starting to learn that life with twins is anything but orderly!

Miss Abby…… she’s been sort of…..um…..well,

cranky.

I haven’t been sure what in the world was going on with her. She’s been cranky and had runny diapers. I checked for new teeth as that would be a likely cause. No new teeth. Hmmm. She only has 6 teeth right now. Four across the top and the two on the bottom. I have been looking and feeling for the next two in the front on bottom, but no signs of them any time soon. I even called the Dr. and asked about what to do to help with her runny diapers. She’s been on Culturelle, lots of yogurt and the BRAT diet- no help. I just couldn’t figure it out, but one day, she was suddenly fine and we’ve gone back to normal for the most part. Then the crankiness fired back up a few days ago- but still no culprit. So fast forward to yesterday. We’re playing on the couch and I had Abby in my lap. I laid her back and let her head hang upside down at my knees…..and I saw it!!!

This little girl is getting teeth completely out of order! She’s skipped four teeth in the line up and she already has top molars!!! I never even felt/ looked up top since the order that her teeth are supposed come in should have been the two bottom fronts, then the bottom molars…..then the top molars. Well not this little girl, no ma’am. She has 6 teeth on top and two on bottom. Hilarious. And it looks like the bottom two molars are working their way up now, but still no signs of the bottom two in front- it’s the craziest thing!

A Blue Day

2010-07-10T22:44:00.001-04:00

Hello friends! This little Ham has really taken a liking to blueberries lately, so we decided that he might enjoy a little “field” trip this afternoon…….to this field……

so that we could do this……

Luke had the best time running around and picking blueberries and he actually only ate one while we were out there! {I was prepared to have to pay for double the amount that we actually picked since I thought that he would eat his way through the fields!} Much to my pleasant surprise, he really got into the picking and filling up buckets! And not to worry, these two had an okay time too!

Doesn’t he just have the best little smile!

And this sweet girl has a gap between her two front teeth just like I did when I was a baby- I love it!

Oh yes, back to the blueberries……after lots of this…….

We ended up with this……..

Three and a half pounds of blueberries!

With which I made a yummy Peach Blueberry Cobbler!

Delicious!!!!

Happy Saturday All!

Hunger strike

2010-07-08T12:58:00.001-04:00

Admission- I have always laughed at parents who talk about the struggle to get their children to eat. We never really dealt with that issue with Luke. And while we had some feeding issues in the beginning with the twins, I assumed that since we got those all worked out by about 6 months, that we would sail right into solids and then table foods. Oh how wrong I was……

Solids did not go well for a long time. Abby and Jack wouldn’t have anything to do with solids until they were 8 months old! Which was so different from Luke who started them at 4 months and never looked back. So we struggled for some time, but I was determined to have them eating solids by 9 months. In hindsight, I should have seen this as a warning of things to come, but I didn’t. Solids finally caught on in December and we were doing well. Then we all caught that nasty virus in January and we hit a major bump in the road. It took weeks to get them eating solids again and once they finally did, they suddenly had major likes and dislikes. Abby would only eat fruits and “sweet” foods and Jack would only eat veggies, nothing sweet could pass his lips. Okay, I didn’t love that, but after talking with a pediatric dietician, she said that fruits and veggies contain the same vitamins and minerals, so as long as they each got lots of colors of their preferred food, we were fine. Okay, no problem. We worked them up to 3 “meals” a day and at around 12 months, starting trying to work on table foods. Jack did so well with table foods. He loved them, all of them! It took Abby a little longer to warm up to them, but eventually she started eating a few things. Then it was like they switched places a few weeks ago and Abby started eating really well and trying lots of things, while Jack slowly began refusing foods that he had eaten before and liked. Then about 2 weeks ago, the strike began.

And he only wants Goldfish. Period. All of his old favs are out with the trash and he doesn’t eat anything anymore. And I am suddenly finding myself as “that Mother.” The one who talked with friends about the struggle to get her children to eat. It’s hard and it’s frustrating. I want him to eat and I want to be sure that he’s getting everything he needs….but how do I do that when he’ll only eat Goldfish? I know, “don’t give them to him and when he’s really hungry, he’ll eat what you want him to.” But it’s so hard to see him not eat anything, so I give in and let him eat Goldfish. At least that way he has something in his tummy.

This morning, I was ready for the fight and I made grits for him, since he used to love them. I made them knowing that they would go uneaten, but I wanted to know that I tried, right? And to my shock, HE ATE IT!! I was so happy, really happy. I thought …… finally, he’s decided that he’s hungry and ready to eat and I was so hopeful for lunch today. But alas, it was only a small break and he’s now back on strike.

Has anyone else had feeding issues like this? Any advice or suggestions? Really, I am open to them, anything, I will try anything at this point to get him to eat.

Long overdue!

2010-07-07T14:08:00.001-04:00

Would you believe me if I said that we haven’t been to the beach in 3 years? Crazy, right? The last time we went to the beach Luke was 8 weeks old……June of 2007.

We had planned to go in 2008, but Brian accepted a new job, we moved, and he didn’t have any vacation time built up. Then I got pregnant with Abby and Jack and we knew that we were not going to go to the beach in 2009- picture it……a two year old and newborn twins at the beach? Umm, no thank you!

After talking with lots of our friends who have small children, I learned that the best time to go to the beach when you don’t have to worry about school is September or October. And when I thought about it, it really made sense- warm water, warm {not blazing hot like in July/ August} temps, and the crowds aren’t so bad since school has already started and the summer vacation season is over! Hello, perfect!

Well, that was my “plan!” Then in April a little explosion happened…maybe you’ve heard about it…… BP’s Gulf Oil Spill? We didn’t change our plans since we truly thought that it would be controlled long before it made the Gulf the disaster area that it is now. But by mid- June, things weren’t looking better and just like that our plans to go to the beach in the Fall quickly changed. So we talked to some very generous friends of Brian’s parents who are letting use use their place here…

Navarre Beach, Florida …….. in a few weeks!

This is the view from their condo. I took this photo when we were last there in 2006.

To say that we are looking forward to it would be understating it- A LOT! We can’t wait! I can’t wait to get away and relax, I can’t wait to let Luke play in the sand {hopefully}, and we can’t wait to see what the twins think of the beach! And even if the oil makes the beach yucky, we’re still going to go- just to be able to take a break and relax. And we even talked my Mother into coming with us! She hasn’t been to the beach since 1987- that’s no typo, 1987- the year that we left Hawaii and moved to Alabama. We haven’t ever taken a family trip down to the Gulf. My sister and I have been several times throughout the years, but not my parents. My Dad is no fan of the beach or vacation for that matter. He’s got too many things that he wants to do at home and says that he has no time for a vacation. Well, no problem Dad, you enjoy that nice quiet house the whole week that Mother is relaxing by the pool, reading her book and enjoying the break! We’ll be sure to enjoy it enough for you Dad!

So in preparation of our trip, I decided that it’s high time for new bathing suits for this Mommy! I’ve been looking for a few months and found these-

I got them from Lime Ricki. So fun but still modest - I love them!

So while it’s been a crazy summer, this is going to be a great way to end it because the day after we get back…all 3 of my little Hams are starting Pre-School!!

So glad it’s Friday!

2010-07-02T14:04:00.001-04:00

It’s been a LONG couple of weeks. Long as in I’m thinking about trying to run away for a break minus the 4 other Hams kind of long.

In addition to Jack’s stuff, we are keeping a watchful eye on Abby, who might need a little physical therapy to help her standing and walking. We met friends at the fountain beside the children’s museum yesterday and Luke had another “blue spell” while we were there. Thankfully, I put a rescue inhaler in my purse a few weeks ago so that I would be prepared to handle it if he had another episode while we were out somewhere. I caught a virus that I can’t seem to shake and I just feel awful. That yucky little virus turned into an ear infection and I can’t hear out of my right ear----did I mention that it also hurts? Lovely. Brian kindly pointed out that I’ve now shared my germs with all of the Hams. To which I say, what did you expect? I am with them all day, every day---it was bound to happen. Deal with it.

Now for the bright spot in my weekend-----it’s the 4th of July!!!

I love 4th of July {heck I love all holidays!} I love getting together with my family- even though they drive me crazy at times! My parents always host a cookout on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day and we love their cookouts! We always have a great time and this year Lake Guntersville has cooked up a big All-American celebration in honor of the holiday, capped off with the traditional fireworks over the Lake.

More info on the big celebration here.

Now it’s no Capitol 4th like I grew up going to every year…

…but for a small town in Alabama, it’s great!

Hope that everyone has a wonderful, safe holiday weekend!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Her ears look perfect

2010-06-30T20:51:00.000-04:00

That is exactly what Abby’s ENT said to me yesterday at her post- op appointment. I really didn’t think I would ever hear that again, but it was so nice to know that we made the right call on having tubes put in.

Her nose on the other hand, not so good. She’s caught the sniffles and just like usual, it’s turned into a sinus infection and yesterday it started causing her eye to get gooey. {At least it isn’t another ear infection!} So she’s on a round of specialized antibiotics, made to target sinus infections, and hopefully that will clear it all up in no time =)

Since she’s taken to playing in water so well and refuses to let us put in or keep in the moldable wax ear plugs- Abby got a super cool purple head band that covers her ears. She loves it. HA! She also got fitted for new ear plugs, a hard plastic type that fit over the opening of her ear canal. She really loved having those fitted! Now the true test will be to time how long it takes her to rip off the head band and snatch out the ear plugs! Oh well, all in the attempt to keep her healthy!

What we think, What we know

2010-06-29T20:41:00.001-04:00

What we think

I’ve had a watchful eye on Jack the past few months. He has been the first of the twins to reach just about every milestone. He was the first to sit up, crawl, pull up, cruise, and even the first to talk. I was never concerned about him in any way. Then slowly over the past few months, I’ve been carefully watching him. In my former life as a working mother, I taught special education in Georgia. I remember things, signs, red flags, what ever you want to call it. So when I noticed that Jack didn’t have a good pincer grasp, I mentally noted it, mentioned it to our Pediatrician and went on thinking that he would slowly get it down. It still hasn’t really improved and he will point and put his index finger on an object in front of him, but when he goes to pick it up, he uses all of his fingers to grab it. Then I noticed that while he was the first of the twins to talk, he had stopped. His first word was “Mama” and he would crawl all over the house saying it. Then he had “Dada” and said it a lot as well. Then suddenly the baby babbles stopped and so did “Mama” and “Dada.” I think I noticed but I didn’t really think much of it for a while. Luke and Abby seriously rarely stop talking! Seriously. Never. Stop. Ever. So I assumed that he got quiet in response to their constant chattering. Then the few days before Abby’s surgery, it really started bothering me. A lot. He had been acting as if he had an ear infection so I took him to see the Dr. the day before Abby’s surgery. He had a double ear infection and since we were there, I mentioned my concerns to his Pediatrician. Dr. P agreed that the fact that he used to say more and now he doesn’t concerned him. He did a few quick checks to rule out autism, which we quickly did. He felt that the issue was worth a referral to Early Intervention, but told me that he didn’t feel that Jack would qualify for services. The plan would be that if he didn’t qualify after his evaluation, we would keep a watchful eye on him at his next few check-ups and go from there.

What we know

Jack’s evaluation was yesterday. I have been trying to work with him more and after Dr. P saying that he didn’t feel like Jack would qualify, I almost called to cancel the whole thing. I didn’t want anyone to think that I was being silly and paranoid and wasting anyone’s time. I am glad that I didn’t cancel because I can’t say that he did really well. He didn’t complete a few of the tasks that they wanted him to and the team doing his evaluation said a few things before they left that led me to believe that he didn’t do so hot. But who knows how they really do until they call with their scores, right? Today was Abby’s post op appointment {more on that later} and when we got home there was a message from Early Intervention. They asked me to call them back to discuss Jack’s results. So I immediately grabbed the phone to return the call. Thankfully, our coordinator answered right away and she said that Jack’s tests were done and that he did qualify for services. {In order to qualify for services through EI, a child must show a 25% or more deficit in the developmental areas tested.} Jack’s communication and adaptive skills both came back at a greater than 25% deficit. In the area of communication, Jack’s evaluation showed that he is equivalent to a 7 1/2 month old child {he is actually 14 1/2 months old.} In terms of adaptive behaviors {explanation here} he is equivalent to a 10 1/2 month old. Obviously I was most concerned with his ability to communicate, but I was not shocked to hear that there is a deficit in adaptive skills. Mainly due to his poor fine motor skills, but his super attachment to me interferes with his social development and his problem solving skills could be better. Now what?

I will be in touch with our service coordinator in the next few days and she will set up a time to meet with us and further discuss Jack’s results, as well as a plan of therapy for him. The really great part is that EI is a free service for children who qualify and they serve children in their natural environment {our home, etc.}

And while I’m bummed that Jack isn’t exactly where he needs to be, I am glad that I kept an eye on him. I am so thankful that he’ll be able to get the therapy he needs.

I will do anything I can to help him…..

….. because let me just tell you, this child has stolen my heart …..

….. and I love my “Mama’s boy” to pieces!

Still here

2010-06-28T14:37:00.001-04:00

Yes, we are still alive =) We’ve been busy, I’ve been sick- I think that sums it up nicely. Last week we returned to life as normal after swimming lessons…..and it was nice. Our days have been crazy running errands, fixing major necessities in our house that have broken- i.e. our shower- and taking care of much over due lawn maintenance- fertilizing plants, mowing the lawn, trimming shrubs, pulling out overgrown and ugly shrubs- you name it. So to unwind after a busy week, we loaded up the Suburban and headed South on I-65 to the ole ‘Ham. That's Birmingham for those of you who don’t know =) Brian’s parents just returned from Europe so we wanted to visit with them and just hang out. Aunt Jaclyn, Aunt Rissi, Bella, Alex, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Keith joined the Ham family and we all played in the pool………and we had a great time!

It was a warm, cloudy day- perfect for the pool!

Surprisingly enough, Jack loved the pool this weekend. He hasn’t liked it the previous two times, but maybe the warm 90 degree water had a little to do with it =)

Abby had a great time slashing around, too!

Luke gave me the best surprise and swam all weekend! He had the best time and played hard, all day, both Saturday and Sunday! By yesterday afternoon he was swimming in the deep end all alone with his floaties. He jumped off the diving board with Brian, jumped off the side all alone to Grandmother and went under water to swim and blow bubbles. You would have never believed how horrible he was during swimming lessons by watching him =)

Bella had a good time playing with the water toys on the steps.

And Alex enjoyed the bubbles =)

We finished our Saturday in the pool with a yummy steak dinner cooked on the grill by my FIL and had a great meal with our friends and family! Such a great weekend!

So glad that it’s over!

2010-06-18T16:30:00.001-04:00

Goofing around before class started…..

Chatting it up with his teacher…….

Finally sitting down……

Swimming with Miss Olivia……

Going under with Miss Olivia……

And back to the side of the pool…….

And that covers all that he learned in swimming lessons =)

Thankfully, swimming lessons – aka Luke’s water play time- are OVER!! He was so not interested in learning to swim that I withdrew him for the second 2 week session that we had signed up for. I just couldn't take it another 2 weeks. The water is kept at 90 degrees and they have the heat blazing to keep the swimmers from catching a chill as they exit the pool….all the while the poor parents are in a sauna and about to pass out from a heat stroke! I felt the need to shower again after we got home! I took pictures on his last day to prove to Luke that we did try him in swimming lessons should he ever ask why we never enrolled him again! So there’s what we’ve been up to every day for the last 2 weeks =)

A "Ham"full

Merry Christmas!!

Remember me?

help….

A Little Sneak Peek….

3,287 days

We’re alive……….just barely.

Just for a laugh

Wait……what’s happening now?

You’ll thank me- I promise

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!!

Remember when…

Choo, Choo!

Finally some good news!

Bye Bye street sweepers!

Talk about a bad hair day!

Answers…… and now more questions……

Saturday Night {the iPhone version}

A little humor

Our Busy Morning…

My little EI Graduate

To one amazing Dad

Moving on….

Finally some answers….

4 years ago…

What we do for fun

If at first you don’t succeed….

Wondering where we’ve been?

Conversations with strangers…..

a little bit of Easter Ham

celebrating my piglets!

One month

My new favorite word….

The past 48 hours…..

The most beautiful sight…..

Laughter….

Memory Lane

How the Grinch Stole Toomer’s Corner

Update on my {sick} Valentine…

My (sick) Valentine

Now I see it

The cure for cabin fever

Progress

You might be a redneck if….

This hard season…..

It’s A White Christmas!!!!

In other news….

WOOHOO!!!

The Christmas Program

These are the days…….

Have you heard???

I don’t even know his name…….

It seems so familiar…..

Rearranged

The kind of “first” that you dread

Happy Halloween!!

Let them eat cake

My {Apparently} Amazon boy

I miss you too!

War Eagle!

Wondering where I’ve been?

Seems like old times….

Can you believe…..

The finale

The end of the tube

Extreme airborne tubing

Coast Guard Approved

Dear anchor,

Part Duex

Couples Retreat 2010

Separation anxiety???

8 years ago…….

The Celebration and Blessing of a Marriage

The Ministry of the Word

The Marriage

The Blessing of the Marriage

Sign Language progress!!!

Baby Steps

How Twins Are Made

Heard

The Celebration and
Blessing of a Marriage