My Four Sons

Vacation

2012-01-14T23:12:00.010-05:00

We headed to Orlando for Thanksgiving break and I'm just now getting around to posting some pictures....

My sweet new nephew

2012-01-13T22:54:00.002-05:00

My little nephew was born two months early weighing barely three pounds but proved right away he was a fighter and amazed everyone in the NICU. He was released from the hospital only a few weeks after he was born. And as you can see from these pictures, not only is he healthy, he's also one of the cutest babies ever! : )

Thankful Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T00:46:00.001-05:00

What I am most thankful for...

My Favorite Soccer Player

2011-11-04T22:22:00.005-04:00

Another successful Mill Creek Homecoming Dance

2011-10-18T20:52:00.016-04:00

Reed's girlfriend was gorgeous and I must say he looked quite handsome.

I think those boys had more fun with the pictures than the girls! Too funny!

Bad blogger

2011-10-18T20:35:00.005-04:00

Yes, I'm a horrible blogger. I love reading other people's blogs and keeping up with them but I am so bad at keeping up with my own. Oh well, I do try though.
So, what have we been up to?
Football, Soccer, and Lacrosse, of course!

Someone's having a birthday this week....

2011-08-29T20:31:00.001-04:00

Could it be this little cool fellow??

In case you were wondering...

2011-08-03T20:25:00.002-04:00

where I have been lately....

BACK TO WORK! School started and I've been at school late every day. Had to move classrooms this year so it's taken me all week just to get my room ready. Haven't even begun to make lesson plans yet. Hopefully I'll get around to that before the students arrive. ha!

I'll be ready to blog again soon, I hope. Still need to post vacation pictures... I'm sooooo behind!

The loss of a friend

2011-07-11T10:59:00.006-04:00

Yesterday, I lost a dear friend to cancer. (Have I mentioned how much I hate cancer?!) She was a part of my life for over 17 years and quite honestly, I cannot imagine my life without her. Savana was one of a kind... she never allowed the hustle and bustle of everyday life to rush her. I can remember walking the streets of San Antonio, TX with her years ago and as I darted in and out of shops, always rushing around, she strolled slowly from shop to shop looking around at her own leisure. I was kidding her about walking so slowly and she said "You need to slow down, or you might miss something." I often think about that statement. That is truly how she lived her life... never wanting to miss anything. To her, life was truly a journey, not a race. She never let anyone change that. She loved life and she loved those in her life. I can honestly say my life was much richer with her in it.
Rest in peace, my sweet Savana.

Sleep well, little brothers

2011-06-26T16:43:00.003-04:00

It's funny how both of these little guys have a room of their own and in fact, have two beds in each of their rooms, but where do I find them most nights?

Yep, in bed with their older brother. The sweet thing is how understanding big brother is and makes room for both.

Love my boys!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T10:53:00.002-04:00

Heading to a pool party and cook-out today but even more importantly, taking time to thank all of our soldiers who have given their lives to keep our country free.

The story of America's quest for freedom is inscribed on her history in the blood of her patriots. -Randy Vader

Motherless mother's days

2011-05-09T20:52:00.001-04:00

"Survived" my second Mother's Day without my mom... doesn't get any easier.

Sand between my toes...

2011-05-05T23:03:00.010-04:00

Okay, I admit it.... I am sooooo ready for summer vacation. What am I most looking forward to? The BEACH! Which one? Doesn't really matter.... I just love the beach. This year we will be going to Orange Beach, AL and Hilton Head, SC (of course!), but honestly, it really doesn't matter. Just give me the sand and the ocean breeze and I'm good.

Favorites...

2011-04-29T20:34:00.005-04:00

My Favorite Lacrosse Player

My Favorite Baseball Player

My Favorite Soccer Player

My Favorite Little Fan (who never misses his big brothers' games)

Flashback Friday

2011-04-15T19:08:00.002-04:00

They grow up way too fast for this mom...

I think I can, I think I can....

2011-03-30T12:31:00.002-04:00

Make it.

Just two more days until Spring Break!
Like most teachers, I am sooooo ready for a break!

Thankful Thursday

2011-03-10T17:03:00.001-05:00

What am I thankful for?

This man...

Savana

2011-02-17T21:53:00.007-05:00

Wow, hard to believe it's been so long since I've posted. Not that I haven't had anything to post, just been too busy to post, I guess.
A couple of weeks ago I had a wonderful trip up to West Virginia to visit with one of my very best friends. My friend, Savana, continues to be in the fight of her life. She was diagnosed with breast cancer a year or two before my mom and has fought the fight with many ups and downs over the years. The cancer has slowly been showing up in other organs and we received the devastating news last month that it is now in her brain. It completely breaks my heart to imagine our lives without her so I choose not to. And thankfully she has chosen the same and she plans to continue to fight as hard as she always has. She has too much to live for... her husband, three precious children, two beautiful sisters, a special mom, and fabulous friends like me! : )
Our other friend, Caroline and I went up to spend time with her before her next round of treatments. The three of us got a hotel room together and basically had a three day pajama party. We shopped, we ate out, we went sight seeing, we ate out (yes a lot!), and mostly, we giggled and laughed like little girls and the best part was that we didn't mutter that ugly "cancer" word one time.

100 BOOKS!

2011-01-28T11:50:00.006-05:00

I attended River's 100 Book Club Awards Ceremony this morning. All of the first graders who have read at least 100 books since the beginning of school were recognized. Altogether, the entire grade level read over 25,000 books! Pretty impressive! Those little first graders were quite proud of themselves and I was especially proud of my favorite little first grader with his toothless grin!
I just realized I never posted about that adventure... the tooth that wouldn't let go! Oh well, long story short... it's out! (as you can see in one of these pictures)

Snow Day 2011

2011-01-10T19:16:00.009-05:00

Whoo-Hoo! Yes, us southern folks love when we get some snow and well, this time it was seven inches of the white stuff! We were out of school today and will be out tomorrow. Who knows when we'll return because we now have a sheet of ice over the snow. We took advantage of this beautiful snow for some great fun! Of course, we would have loved it more if Dave could have stayed home with us. The boys wanted Dad to go sledding as well, but Dave had to stay out his hotel because he didn't think his employees would be able to make it in to work and he had a hotel full of guests. He was right, of course, only had a few employees with him today. He spent most of his day cooking and working the front desk! He was just thankful that some of the housekeepers made it in or he'd have been doing laundry and changing beds all day!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T01:17:00.010-05:00

Celebrated in the "sac" with friends and neighbors

CHRISTMAS 2010

2011-01-10T00:56:00.011-05:00

Yes, I realize how late I am posting Christmas pictures, but I've been really, really busy with life and all that stuff!

Christmas Morning!

River starts with the stocking.

The big boys are digging in!

Ready for the cold weather... santa thinks of everything!

Seems quite excited about the electric toothbrush! : )

Somebody LOVES thier new dog!

Ripken was excited to get a Nintendo DS and I think River was glad Ripken got one to keep him off of his! Santa knows!

Guess who thought he was too old to visit Santa??

2011-01-01T21:11:00.003-05:00

I guess you can tell who is missing from this picture. My now sixteen year old, Reed decided he was a little old for the annual picture with Santa.
Boy, do I hate that.

Ripken's Christmas Party with his buddies.

2011-01-01T20:57:00.010-05:00

Waiting for the festivities to begin with all of his friends!

Even Asa can't contain the excitement!

Making yummy Christmas trees!

The finished product.

River with a "taste test"!

Kylie making her tree.

And a little performance for the parents. Loved it!

Look who just turned seven....

2011-01-01T20:42:00.008-05:00

Can't believe River is 7!

We celebrated with a trip to the bowling alley.

River's friends joined in on the fun.

Of course, there was cake!

Pretty good form!

And then, we ended with a friendly game "under fire" at laser tag!

Look who stopped by our house last night...

2010-12-22T11:16:00.000-05:00

Ripken's First Trip to the Dentist

2010-11-12T20:34:00.008-05:00

Well, I finally did it... I'd been procrastinating, out of fear, pure and simple. Fear of how Ripken would act, or react. I just didn't know if he'd cooperate at all. He's quite unsure about new endeavors and I just wasn't sure how this one would go. Yes... the first trip to the dentist. But I have to admit, I was pleasantly surprised and downright tickled. He was a little shy at first but the tech was able to win him over quickly and he did beautifully! Enjoy the pictures...

Brother River is so much more at ease now during his visits.

Halloween Hangover

2010-11-06T16:29:00.001-04:00

Looks like someone snuck a piece of chocolate to bed.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-06T16:13:00.002-04:00

Fabulous News!

2010-10-30T20:56:00.002-04:00

Pathology results in....

Everything was contained to the areas removed... other areas/margins are clear!! No chemo needed! Cancer-free!! Whoo-Hoo!

If I were able, I'd be doing the happy dance but that will have to wait a couple of more weeks... but I am sooooo doing it in my head right now!

At peace

2010-10-18T03:45:00.002-04:00

Even as nervous as I am, I feel an overwhelming sense of peace as I prepare to leave for the hospital. I am dreading the surgery but I am ready to get it over with and let the healing begin. I am very confident that this surgery will take care of everything. I know this sense of confidence is coming from the power of prayer as I have hundreds of people praying for me around the clock. What a reassuring feeling...

My Baby is FOUR!

2010-10-11T10:08:00.014-04:00

Hard to believe... maybe I should have another. Okay, not really. But seriously, I cannot believe my baby is already four. He is quite happy about it and has told everyone, yes even strangers in the grocery store. He is proud of being four! We had a great party at Build-a Bear to honor the special day.

Our first broken arm

2010-09-11T22:04:00.005-04:00

Well, it finally happened. I knew it would. Afterall, I have four boys, so broken bones are a given, right? In last Saturday's football game, River broke his arm. Actually it was the bone in the elbow. Ouch! He was the quarterback and about to get sacked by a ginormous (yes it's a word) kid so he stuck his arm out to catch himself, instead, the arm wound up underneath him and that ginormous kid. The sad part, yes, the part that gets me "mom of the year" is that we didn't even know it and allowed him to finish the game... yep with that broken elbow I just mentioned. Although, I should state for the record that his dad was the coach and right on the sidelines so theoretically he should have been the one to catch it, right??

I must say he has been quite the trooper with very little complaints. He did say after the second day in a cast "having a broke arm isn't really so bad, but this cast and sling are very annoying!" : )

My little quarterback

2010-08-15T09:32:00.003-04:00

River's first football game (number 11).

After the game with best friend Grace.

First Day of School

2010-08-15T09:27:00.002-04:00

First grade for River and first day of Middle School for Ridge!

Twenty

2010-07-29T00:02:00.003-04:00

Happy Anniversary to this man... the love of my life.
He puts up with me and my antics, allows me the freedom to be myself, loves my quirks (of which there are many!), always keeps me laughing, is a great father to our boys, and can still make me weak in the knees with one kiss!

I can hardly believe it's been 20 years! Surely I must have been a teenage bride, because I cannot be THAT old! But what a wonderful 20 years it has been... here's to 20 more!

My eleven year old has a "bucket list".

2010-07-25T11:59:00.003-04:00

Apparently, my son has made a list of things he needs to do during his lifetime so on our last vacation he informed us that going to the top of a lighthouse was on his list. Well, as luck would have, there's a great lighthouse on Hunting Island so during our last trip to the coast, we made sure he was able to make it to the top. Not sure if this is a real list, or something he announces when he sees something he wants to do!

Tongue rolling

2010-07-25T11:52:00.002-04:00

"Look Mama, I can roll my tongue!"
Apparently, Ripken found his new talent and was quite impressed with himself. Looks more like tongue flipping, but hey, who am I to judge.

The Wedding

2010-07-23T23:41:00.006-04:00

Last week we were able to travel to the Lowcountry to attend a beautiful wedding for the daughter of dear friends. What a fabulous time we all had and how wonderful to catch up with friends we haven't seen in way too long! Yes, it made me homesick!

This last picture is of Ridge and his latest crush whom he has declared "hot". Sorry, Ridge, she's 18 and headed off to college. He does have great taste though!

Catching Up...

2010-07-05T14:11:00.008-04:00

I cannot believe it's been so long since I've updated. We've been really busy with baseball, camps, vacations, and just enjoying the summer break. We recently had a wonderful trip to Panama City Beach (we got there before the oil and tar balls came ashore). What fun we had with the beach, the pools, parasailing, gator boat riding, putt-putting, good food, and good times. We were even able to squeeze in a little baseball!

River's a T-Ball graduate

2010-07-05T13:41:00.016-04:00

We had River's end of season team party at the Gwinnett Braves game. The boys had hotdogs and cake in the VIP section and got to go out on the field to get autographs from the players. I think the parents enjoyed it as much as the kids. That always makes for a great party.

My newest graduate...

2010-05-26T21:35:00.002-04:00

I really didn't think it would be so emotional but watching Ridge take that last walk as a fifth grader today and knowing that he'd no longer be at school with me, right down the hall, made me really sad.
It's so hard letting kids grow up.

My favorite T-Baller

2010-05-25T20:43:00.005-04:00

Mother's Day will never be the same...

2010-05-25T20:39:00.001-04:00

To name a boy... and another, and another, and another...

2010-05-07T11:54:00.006-04:00

My boys names....
A lot of people ask me how we came up with our boys' names and why we chose to name them all with "R" names. Trust me it wasn't intentional. Basically, we had Reed (our first) named when I was only about 4 months pregnant. It was a name we both liked and agreed on. We didn't know anyone named Reed and wanted a unique name but not bizarre. Trust me, when you're a teacher, it's hard to come up with a name that doesn't remind you of a former student. : ) Anyway, Reed was chosen and we knew we wanted his middle name to represent our family in some way. We strongly considered Mark because Dave and I both have a brother named Mark. But there was no flow to Reed Mark. I never liked two one syllable names together. I really wanted to use my maiden name, Duncan, which I considered for his first name for a short time, but Dave nixed that. : ) So, anyway, that's how we got Reed Duncan.

Second son.... we were still debating this one on the way to the hospital. We both loved the name Ridge and it was honestly the only name we both agreed on. My hesistancy, oddly enough, was that I wasn't sure I wanted the two "R" names. But, when I looked at him, he just looked like he was meant to be Ridge, so we went with it. The middle name, again gave us trouble, because we still wanted to use Mark. But once, again, no flow... two one syllable names. So ultimately, we went with David, after my husband. I felt like I owed him since the first boy was named after me. : ) So, Ridge David was born.

Third son.... well, after getting pregnant again, we had a true dilemma, do we veer away from the "R" name or continue the pattern. Of course, everyone said, you have to continue now... no turning back. We didn't know if number three was a boy or girl so we truly never chose a name until we got to the hospital. We had debated the name River back and forth and both liked it and again, once he came out, I took one look and knew that was his name. BONUS: we could finally use the name, Mark to honor our brothers. Yes, it had the flow, two syllables + one syllable. Hooray, we have River Mark.

Fourth son.... yes, they kept coming. Well. as you can imagine, we are truly locked in now. There's no turning back. It had to be an "R" name. Again, we didn't know if it would be a boy or girl, so no final decision was made until we saw the little fellow and that middle appendage sticking out. We had gone through every baby list we could find to come up with that perfect name. Everyone felt it should be "earthy" as the other names were so yes, we did consider Rocky and Rain, but those just didn't fit. It did need to be unique, though. You can't put a Ryan or Robert with the names Reed, Ridge and River. So we really pondered over this one... forever. My husband, who was a baseball player and was always a fan of Cal Ripken kept throwing Ripken into the mix. And I must admit, it grew on me. And finally when I looked at him, I couldn't imagine calling him by any other name. His middle name comes from Dave's side of the family as his grandparents' last name was Wheeler. We liked the way it flowed with Ripken, and again we wanted to honor our family names. So, Ripken Wheeler joined his brothers, Reed, Ridge, River.

And yes, we always get the question... what if any of them were girls?
Our girl name was Remington. We both always liked the name and I liked the fact that she could shorten it to Remy when she was a teenager if she chose. Her middle name was going to be Marabeth... a name we made up to honor both of our moms: Mary and Elizabeth.
But it was not meant to be..... I was born to be a mom of all boys and I must say.... I'm loving every minute of it!

Me and my boys

2010-04-08T11:23:00.003-04:00

Easter 2010

2010-04-05T09:43:00.006-04:00

This year's egg hunt went well although we had a smaller group. This year's Spring Break followed Easter so I think that's why a lot of our usual crew were on vacation this year for Easter. The egg hunt still went well and all the kids seemed to leave happy with their treasures.

I love Easter and all that it stands for...He is risen! What a wonderful feeling!

Streptococcal and the "Minute" clinic

2010-03-04T11:50:00.000-05:00

Streptococcal, what an ugly name for an ugly illness! Yep, so far three of the four boys have been hit with the strep throat. Ripken started it, then it moved on to Ridge. Well, now it's hit River and I must say it's hit him the hardest! His little peanut self didn't fight it off as well as the other two. In fact, the doctor insisted on giving him a shot right then and there to jump start the antibiotics. River, not a fan of the shot, was a little upset with that one... apparently it's quite painful because the medicine is thick and the needle has to stay in a little longer. Sorry River, but it was worth it to this mom. I had tried to get him in to see the doctor the previous day when the school nurse told me he had the symptoms of strep, but they were booked. So I made my first venture over to the "Minute clinic" at CVS thinking I could pop in for a strep test, get some meds and be done with it. RIGHT! All things considered, Minute Clinc is an interesting choice of names. I checked in via computer which then told me I was seventh in line. I sat there for over one hour with River moaning in my lap while they saw TWO patients!! What do they do back there... complete physicals and body cavity checks?? By this time, River was begging me to take him home and he was gagging and saying he had to throw up. The only way to the bathroom was to ask the pharmacist assistant, who then takes you down a hall and has to unlock a door. We did this twice, only so he could gag over the toilet while I held his hand and repeated "please don't touch anything!" You know me and public bathrooms! Anyway, I finally realized that at this point, we may not even get seen before they closed up shop so I mumbled under my breath about the "Minute" clinic and took my baby home. So we doped up on Motrin, he slept the rest of the evening and I took him to the pediatrician the next morning. After his shot, River said "I bet CVS wouldn't make me pull my pants down and give me a shot!"Well, who knows son, I can assure you, we will probably never find out just what they do...

Last week

2010-02-08T18:06:00.006-05:00

Well, I survived my first birthday without my mom. What an emotional week it was. Mom always called me first thing in the morning on my birthday so she and dad could sing happy birthday to me. Who knew how much I'd miss that.... Dad called later and said he wanted to call that morning but knew he could never get through it and didn't want to ruin my day. He didn't realize my day was already ruined. I would have preferred to stay in bed all day but unfortunately I have too many "duties" for that to happen. It's probably for the best. I needed the distraction of work. I don't know why but I think it just really hit me last week that she's really gone.

I did get many birthday wishes from all many friends and for that, I'm thankful. I even had one dear friend (who knew my mom always called and sang to me) call me later that night and had her entire family on the phone singing to me. Too sweet and funny... even her hubby sang along!

My dad came up to visit the next day and spent the week-end with us. The boys and I love when he visits. He was able to go to all three boys' basketball games, which he really enjoys and they love having him there.
Speaking of basketball, Reed wanted me to mention that his team is STILL undefeated. 12-0! : )

My Friend

2010-01-18T20:42:00.007-05:00

I just got back from visiting one of my best friends in the world. She's not doing well and it scares the heck out of me. She was diagnosed with breast cancer the year before my mom. In fact, she was the one who helped me survive Mom's original diagnosis by giving me advice on what to do next and what to expect at the doctor visits and treatments. She's a selfless person who has always given and given of herself and now, she's the one who needs the help and yet, there's nothing I can do to make it better. Of course, she has my prayers and I'd drive back to WV in a heartbeat if she said she needed me back there. But other than just BEING THERE, I cannot take away the pain or assure her that everything will be alright. I tell her it will, but will it? I don't know. I cannot imagine her being taken from us anytime soon. I know that I'm suppose to pray for God's Will but I also find myself pleading with God not to take her from us. We need her, her family needs her, her precious children need her... I need her.

Get Fit and Flirty in 2010

2010-01-15T11:37:00.005-05:00

Well, 2010 is here and we've all been talking about our New Year's Resolutions and we know that getting fit and losing weight seems to always be on everyone's lists. So I just thought I'd throw a fitness/weight loss plan out there for you....

"FLIRTY GIRL FITNESS"

With dvd's entitled "Booty Beat", "Just Teasing", and "Chair Dancing", you know this is right up your alley! And yes, for those, tigers out there who are willing to step it up in the name of fitness, there's even "The Pole Collection" videos. Okay, hold on, girls, because you can also purchase your own Flirty Girl "fitness" pole. (And for the record, it is removable, you know, for when those in-laws visit!)
Now, I will not admit to having these in my collection, but if you suddenly notice me looking firmer and trimmer, well, you can go with your own assumptions.

And for those of you always wanting more (as if this isn't enough!), this program could even lead to a new career! ; )

For those of you trying to google this... I'll save you the time:
http://www.flirtygirlfit.com/default.asp

The Great Snow of 2010

2010-01-09T14:26:00.009-05:00

Okay, so it was actually just a little dusting, but you know us southerners. It was definitely enough for some good sledding which my boys took full advantage of using the neighbors steep driveway and the hill on the golf course. Well, except for Ripken, who opened the door and stated "it cold out there!" and promptly slammed the door and stayed inside!

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T01:28:00.005-05:00

As much as I love Christmas and all the days leading up to it, this Christmas, I found myself just trying to get through it and get it over with. We did have a nice family dinner on Christmas night with my dad and my brother and his family. I loved being with my family and made it as special as I could for the boys but something (someone) was obviously missing. My mom made such an impact on all of our lives and truly emitted the Christmas spirit. Through all of the tears we shed, we also chose to honor the day in a way that my mom would have. We know she's that special angel looking down on us and somehow that helps to ease our daily pain. I did start a new tradition this year to honor Mom. I bought each of us: my dad, my brother, and myself an angel ornament to put on each of our Christmas trees as a way to symbolize what Mom means to us and each year I plan to purchase a different angel to add to our trees. It will be a special way to remember her at Christmas as we decorate.

I will say that nothing beats seeing Christmas through the eyes of children. I love seeing my boys walk down the stairs and gaze at the tree all lit up with their gifts surrounding it. Ripken is at such a fun age for Christmas joy and although he was a little unsure about all of these gifts left for him, he quickly joined in on the fun with his brothers.

By the way, he refers to Santa as that "Ho, Ho" guy.

Ouch!

2009-12-24T00:29:00.002-05:00

I know it's been a while. Been a little overwhelmed lately and then to top things off for me, I fell down my stairs and broke my booty bone. Yes, a small fracture of the tailbone. It hurts sooooo bad!
I do have lots of pictures and updates that I promise to add soon, but right now I think I need another pain pill.

Thankful

2009-11-30T14:36:00.005-05:00

It was tough celebrating Thanksgiving this year without Mom but I still had to pause and consider all of the things that I am thankful for.

-I am thankful for my four wonderful boys and what a blessing they are, even when they are driving me nuts! : )
-I am thankful for my husband who treats me better than I probably deserve at times and loves me unconditionally.
-I am thankful for my dad who has always been such a positive influence on my life and the choices I make.
-I am thankful for my brother and so happy that we are still close after all these years.
-I am thankful for my sister-in-law. She has made my dad feel comfortable in knowing that he is always welcome in their home and can pop in anytime for dinner or if he's just missing my mom and needs some company.
-I am thankful for Dave's family and enjoy the time we spend with them. Wish we could see them more often.
-I am thankful for my fabulous friends, both old and new, who always seem to be there when I need them the most. You know who you are! : )
-And I am thankful for my precious mom and will cherish the beautiful memories she left behind. She was a true angel and one of a kind.

I love you Mom

2009-11-04T19:25:00.004-05:00

My sweet mother passed away on Thursday, October 29th. We thought we'd have her here with us longer and I still cannot believe she is gone. I've picked up the phone at least three times since I got back home to call her. She left us way too soon. Yes, I'm thankful that she is no longer in pain, but how I wish she could still be here with us.
It hurts my heart to think about never being able to talk to her again here on earth. It hurts my heart to see my dad so sad and heartbroken without the love of his life. It hurts my heart to see the tears in my brothers' eyes when people talk about what a wonderful mother she was. It hurts my heart to think that Ripken, my sweet youngest son who loves his grandmother so, will one day forget her because he won't have those precious memories of her that the older boys have. It hurts my heart that seven grandchildren have lost such an important figure in their lives. It hurts my heart to see the sadness on the faces of her brother and best friend.
It hurts my heart to say this but, I really miss my mom.

Mom

2009-10-27T22:17:00.004-04:00

Well, this is the blog I haven't really been able to write about. Wish I never had to write about. Last week we got "the talk" from the doctors. You know the talk that one never wants to get about someone they love. After two years of intensive treatments for my mom's breast cancer, the doctors feel that they've done all that they can do. I'm ANGRY, DISAPPOINTED, and SAD.
ANGRY that we put Mom through two years of hellish treatments only to wind up here, with them telling us it hasn't helped. ANGRY that this cancer has taken one of the most vibrant people I know and turned her into someone in constant pain who needs around the clock care. I'm DISAPPOINTED in myself that I wasn't able to find something/someone that could help her. I'm DISAPPOINTED that my sons don't have their grandma at their games cheering them on.
But mostly I'm just SAD that I may lose the most influential person in my life. She made me the person I am today and I cannot imagine my life without her. She's the first person I call to share good news and the first person I turn to with bad news. She's my rock and I just don't know if I'll be the same person without her.
I will say that I'm not ready to give up and neither is she. She's the most optimistic person I know and she's remained positive and faithful throughout all of this so we owe it her to remain the same way. We believe in the power of prayer and know that we have hundreds of people praying for her.
Tonight I pray for mercy and peace.

I Love Fall!!

2009-10-17T22:11:00.009-04:00

Last week, the boys and I took advantage of my furlough day and went to Uncle Shucks' Pumpkin Patch and Corn Maze. As you can see by the pictures, the boys had a blast and we did manage to find our way OUT of the maze after a not so brief time. Yes, we were completely lost and tried to rely on my 10 year old's sense of direction and map skills. But hey, I figured he certainly could do as well as I could! Reed was too busy helping me keep the little ones out of the mud, although he was quick to point out when Ridge seemed to get us deeper into the maze rather than closer to the exit. Ripken was afraid of the mud and River slid up in it five minutes after we reached the first corner of the maze. I guess it didn't occur to me how much mud rain can create in a corn field. But regardless, we had a blast and yes, we did find our way out with only a slight case of claustrophobia from me! Dave just doesn't know the fun he misses out on when he works!

Elmo

2009-10-05T18:02:00.008-04:00

Recently we were given tickets to see "Sesame Street Live". What fun! We had great seats in a VIP Suite. We even got to use the same entrance that the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Thrashers players and coaches use. Walking down the players' hallway was Ridge's favorite part. He was a little indifferent about the show, but River and Ripken loved it, of course. As you can probably tell from the pictures, they enjoyed hanging out in the suite during intermission as much as the show!

Enough already!

2009-09-26T19:00:00.002-04:00

I'm certainly intelligent enough to know how important it is to have rain, but ENOUGH already!! I'm so sick of the rain. There's actually been talk around town of joining together to build an ark. Seriously, it is so hard to imagine that this time last year we were in the middle of a horrible drought. Could not even water the lawns or wash the cars. I guess it's all or nothing here in Atlanta!

I also feel the need to blame the rain for Clemson's loss today. First half of the game, no rain... we're winning, playing well. Second half, the skies open up to torrential downpours and well, we lost the game.

And of course, I'm still trying to get the smell out of my basement from the flooding it endured last week during the Great Atlanta Flood of 2009, but I certainly shall not complain after seeing those homes that were basically underwater.

Okay, so I complained a little....

RIPKEN is 3!!

2009-09-06T16:30:00.018-04:00

We had Ripken's third birthday party at a neat little place called "Imaginations at Play". What fun! He and his friends had such a good time. It took my shy little fellow a while to warm up and get use to everything, but once he actually started playing, he had a ball. You'd never imagine that he is the fourth child! I really thought he'd be my wild child who wasn't afraid of anything, but he's actually the most timid of the bunch! Doesn't like being the center of the attention either; in fact, he cried when we all gathered around to sing "Happy Birthday" and wouldn't even consider blowing the candles out! His brother, River, gladly did it for him. Anyway, just wanted to include a few pictures of my now "three year old" at his party.

School's in!!

2009-08-24T21:37:00.004-04:00

Well, it seems like forever since I've had the chance to add to my blog. With the start up of a new school season and football season, it's been quite crazy. Nothing new, just the usual chaos. School seems to be going well. River started Kindergarten and Reed started High School on the same day.... kinda crazy, huh? The night before they started, Reed was talking about how nervous he was and River was listening in on the conversation and decided to add his two cents...

River: Why are you nervous Reed? I'm starting Kindergarten and I'm not nervous.

Me: Well, why are you NOT nervous, River?

River: Because I was the only kid in Pre-K who never got a red-face on my chart. Are you afraid you might get a red face, Reed? Is that why you are nervous? : )

So everyday when Reed gets home from high school we've been asking him "did you get a red face today?" Yep, he loves that!

Oh, and 5th grade is off to a great start for Ridge. Can't believe this is his last year of elementary school. It's a little sad how quick they grow up.

Tyler

2009-07-23T15:05:00.005-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite nephew!!

He's 17 today. He is a SENIOR now and is still a nice kid.

I'm holding out hope that he'll be a Tiger next fall (as in Clemson University). He unfortunately remains a Gamecock fan for some unknown reason but I still have one more year to work on him!

The World Series

2009-07-22T18:50:00.010-04:00

What an exciting week! We took our number 2 son (birth order, not ranking) to participate with his baseball team in the World Series in Tennessee. Ridge and his team went with the hopes of doing well enough to last a few games. Well, they accomplished that and so much more. We went undefeated and made it to the final championship game. They fought hard but lost the title game 4-2 to a team that had been together for quite awhile. We later found out that team was the number one ranked 10U team in the nation, so we felt pretty good about our performance. Most importantly was the fact that these boys had a blast! This experience was something that they will never forget. Nor will I!

One of my Favorite Photos

2009-07-07T05:51:00.011-04:00

This is one of my favorite photos because it's me with all four of my fabulous sons. I only wish that my hubby was in it with us. But someone had to take the picture! And on this rare occasion, it wasn't me!

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-05T00:09:00.014-04:00

Had a wonderful 4th with neighbors as we

celebrated a day of great importance to our

country.

Let freedom ring!

Father's Day

2009-06-21T23:24:00.003-04:00

Just want to say HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my fabulous hubby!! What a lucky chick I am! Not only does he rock as a husband but he is such an awesome dad! As River says "he's my favorite dad! Yes, he's his only dad, but you get the idea...

I also have to send a "shout out" to MY dad. What a fortunate girl I was to grow up with such a wonderful father. He's always been such an important part of my life and helped mold me into the person I am today. (Now you know who to blame!!)

So when I think of these two dads, I stand in awe that I am lucky enough to have BOTH in my life!

Update on Mom

2009-06-14T20:58:00.005-04:00

Mom came home from Duke yesterday. She doesn't have to go back until July. She's really looking forward to spending this time at home. Staying in a hotel and traveling back and forth to the hospital daily has really taken a toil on both of my parents. But if this new treatment works, it will all be worthwhile! She's in a lot of pain right now from the heat therapy and radiation, so keep those prayers coming!

Who knew?!

2009-05-30T17:44:00.004-04:00

I have to admit, I've never been a fan of those parties where you have someone come and try to sell stuff to all of your friends and you, in return, get free stuff. But after hosting my first ever Tupperware party, I must say... this rocks!! Check out all of the FREE stuff I earned. Crazy, huh? And to all of my friends, I apologize, but I do hope you are enjoying your new Tupperware.

I certainly am!!

"Graduation" Day

2009-05-21T10:09:00.013-04:00

Well, it seems like only yesterday that #3 was being born and yet, now he is ready to start "real" school as he calls it. It was a bittersweet experience yesterday at River's Pre-K graduation/celebration. It was wonderful to see him so excited and I love seeing how much he has grown mentally/socially/physically this year, but a part of me would love to hold time still for just a little longer. The ceremony was held at the park and the weather cooperated quite nicely. It was beautiful and sunny, although a little windy. Each of the three classes came up one at a time to perform a couple of songs complete with movements of course. I was very impressed with River's class and their song. It was a song that involved signing each letter of the alphabet and also singing the sound that letter made. It was quite impressive just how well all of the kids did. I'll try to post a video clip later. After the performance, each child was called up to get their certificate and was given the opportunity to tell what they planned to be when they grew up. River stated that he wanted to be a "fireman". Although, the man beside me thought he said "Spiderman", which if I have to admit would have been as equally impressive.

My "Lovey"

2009-05-17T20:58:00.007-04:00

Just a quickie I had to share.... I was putting Ripken to bed and I looked around for his favorite "lovey" but didn't see it. I said "Ripken, where is your lovey?" With the sweetest little voice, he said "YOU are my lovey!" (or in his words: You my wuvey!)

And you see why that kid gets his way....

My Mom

2009-05-11T17:12:00.010-04:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day yesterday with my five favorite fellows! As much as I enjoyed my day, my mind was deep in thought of my own mother. She and Dad left yesterday to head back to Duke where they will spend the next two weeks receiving a new type of treatment. It is a combination of chemo, radiation, and "heat therapy". At this point she's been undergoing treatments for over a year and a half and unfortunately the cancer still hasn't stopped spreading. We remain optimistic largely due to the fact that SHE is so optimistic. She never ceases to amaze me with her faith and spirit. Who knew someone so emotional could also be so strong?! Those of you who know her know what I mean by emotional... don't know if it's overactive tear ducts or an excessive amount of liquid, but every emotion that anyone else is going through makes my mom cry. She cries when she sees happiness, sadness, helplessness, hurt, ... well you get the picture. Quite often she doesn't even know the person she's crying for! : ) But it's that love that she has for others that makes her such an inspiration to all of us. How blessed we all are to have her in our lives.

Photo Shoot

2009-04-28T16:03:00.015-04:00

The day before Easter, we met with two fabulous photographers at the Botanical Gardens in Athens for a family photo shoot. I've known Sara (one of the photographers) for a few years. She use to teach with me. But it was the first time I had met Dana. They were both wonderful and the boys really had fun with it. If you ever need a photographer, e-mail me and I'll send you their info. They had some interesting subjects to work with as you can see....
Poor River who has sun-sensitive eyes really struggled with keeping his eyes open. He kept asking if we could take the pictures in the shade! They did a wonderful job of actually catching him with his eyes open, although he was squinting in most of them.... but to be honest, I think that's just how he smiles. Ridge used to look the same way in his pictures but seems to have finally mastered the art of smiling. Ripken, who has a phobia to photographers, was completely at ease and even said "cheese" at least a hundred times. All in all I think the pictures turned out great... I love outdoor shots. Being that they took well over 100 shots, the hardest part now is choosing which ones to order. I have to decide quickly though and get some family shots up in the house that actually include Ripken. He's two and a half and he's not included in any framed photos! Oh, the guilt!! What kind of mom am I?? Dave just thinks we should put his name on the back of some of the other pictures... afterall, our boys all looked the same at this age. (shhh, he'll never know, right??)

Update on Sally Grace

2009-04-16T08:26:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to give an update on my friend's baby girl that I had asked prayer for earlier. The following is copied from Lisa's website:

Shriner's Day Two · April 09, 2009

We've almost made it through two days of hospital stay, and are thankful to be on the home stretch! Sally Grace came through surgery just fine, and she has managed to even have some fun today! After screaming for an hour while coming off of the anesthetics, she was actually a happy child this afternoon. We went outside and blew bubbles, sang songs, and called Grandma and Papaw. I am also happy to announce that Daddy's last treatment went well and we are still praying all of the cancer was reached.
I was able to talk to Sally Grace's Ker Mama this morning right before surgery. It's days like this that I want to go to China and hug her neck for taking such wonderful care of my angel. Thank you, Ker Mama and Baba for loving her so much. Your reward in Heaven will be great!

WE ARE COMING HOME! · April 10, 2009

Hi Friends,
If you've never experienced the miracle of prayer, let me be the first to tell you that it changes things - in an instant! I was up all night long with Sally Grace, and actually fell apart around two this morning. She was so restless and in pain, and NOTHING the nurses did could soothe her. She was so pitiful, and I was so helpless. I kept begging God to change the circumstances, to give her relief, to do something to calm her, yet nothing worked. All I could keep telling myself was that God didn't bring us this far to make Sally Grace suffer, and that, in turn, changed my begging to praising - Praising Him for choosing me to walk this road, praising Him for her dear foster family in China that saved her life, and praising Him for giving us the opportunity to seek and find a better way for Sally to walk - forever. When I turned the begging into praising God, the doctors walked in and said, "We're changing her meds and you'll see a difference." Within fifteen minutes, she was FREE OF PAIN, relaxed, and a different child. Oh, let me tell you only God could have done that - not a doctor, not a mommy, not any human - Only God. He did it and I am now continuing to praise Him. The doctors have released her, and we will be leaving late this afternoon, by choice. They gave us the option of staying or leaving, and we chose to wait until late this afternoon to make sure her pain remains in control.

Easter

2009-04-13T20:24:00.015-04:00

A wonderful Easter week-end. Saturday was a very busy day. We started out in Athens at the Botanical Gardens for a photo shoot. I cannot wait to see how the pictures turned out. The photographers (Sara and Dana) were wonderful and so patient with the boys. Ripken who is petrified of photo studios (don't ask!) did a wonderful job, smiled, and uttered "cheese" about a hundred times! It will be interesting to see if they were able to catch River with his eyes open. He has very sensitive eyes in the sun and squints really badly. He kept saying "let's go to the shade!" I'll have to post some of the pics when I get them back. After the photos, we headed over to Winder for a baseball tournament.... what's new, huh? Ridge had the opportunity to play with a different team with some his best friends and he thoroughly enjoyed himself. The team played wonderfully and went on to win the championship! Easter Sunday was enjoyable as always. We had the annual Easter Egg Hunt at our house Sunday after everyone returned from church. We had about 25 kids this year. We usually have between 25 and 35 each year. A couple of families that normally join us were out of town this year. But we also had a couple of new kids in the bunch. Little Addie Grace who is not even one yet joined in on the fun and a new friend from the corner joined in on the festivities. The kids had a blast and we took the annual photo. We take a large group photo of the kids each year so we can look back over the years and see how everyone grew/changed. Of course, this year, I had to be in the photo because Ripken wouldn't let me put him down! I tried to blend into the background and I must say I pretty much did that while standing beside Reed, who is now a couple of inches taller than me! Speaking of Reed, this was the first year that Reed opted not to participate in the egg hunt. Made me a little sad... He did however, help Dave and some of the other dads with the hiding of the eggs. He also helped Ripken during the "baby egg hunt."

A Fishy Day

2009-04-07T18:40:00.017-04:00

I took the boys to the Georgia Aquarium today... what fun!! The boys had a blast! We got there about 11:00 and at that time they were selling tickets for the 1:00 entry time so we bought our tickets and decided to walk around a little. Well, of course, since it was 30 degrees and snowing, we quickly decided to look for something INDOORS to do while we waited. We then discovered The National Museum of Patriotism right around the corner from the Aquarium so we took a peek inside and they seemed to be doing a little construction so I wasn't sure if they were open but the friendly ladies said "Sure, come on in. We're open but we're not going to charge you admission because of the construction." Sweet! (It's normally $15.00/person.) Apparently they had just moved over to that location from another street. So the boys and I went in and were pleasantly surprised. It had a lot of neat exhibits... the Olympics, the Armed Forces, Immigration, Local Heroes, etc. At the immigration center, we got to take a sample test to become citizens. We passed...Whew! It wasn't that easy though. In fact, the boys had to help the four elderly people pass their quiz when they took it before us! There was also a wonderful exhibit about 9-11 and they have a wall with the names of everyone who died on that day. They even have some of the debris/artifacts on display. I also got some good photos of the boys in a military jeep and one standing on the Olympic podium with their medals. So it was well worth our time and we made it back to the Aquarium in time to get in at 12:45. I was very impressed with the Aquarium. The boys, even Ripken, were completely mesmerized. The only time that Ripken was hesitant was when he came face to face with the octopus! He quickly backed away from that one... check out the picture and you'll see why!
Yes, it was crowded but everyone was very accomodating and took turns so that each person was able to get right up front to see everything up close and personal. We took a lot of pictures. It was hard to choose which ones to post....

April Fool's!

2009-04-01T14:33:00.004-04:00

I get to work before Reed, my oldest son, even has to get out of bed because his school doesn't start until 9:20 each day. So I called him this morning about 8:15 from work and had the following conversation:

Reed: Hello

Me: Reed, I've been trying to call... I just heard that the power is off at the middle school and they've had to cancel school today.

Reed: WHAT?!! YES! THANK YOU JESUS! ARE YOU SERIOUS?!! OH YES!!

Me: Reed...

Reed: WHAT?

Me: April Fool's!!

Reed: You are so mean!

Me: Yes, but in a funny way... now get to school!

Good News

2009-03-30T17:30:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to give you an update on River. We spent all morning at the Sibley Heart Center and received good news from the cardiologist. He said that River does have a "very prominent heart murmur" but at this point everything on the tests looks good. They did several different tests and River was quite the trooper. He was a little scared but the nurses did a wonderful job explaining everything as they went along. I wish I had taken a picture of him with all the wires connected to his bony little chest. He looked up at me and said "How do I look, Mom?" : )

The doctor said they will continue to monitor him and more tests will be conducted in the future but at this point eveything looks good. He said the heart murmur will probably be exacerbated during illness/fever but his day to day activities do not need to change.
We are feeling great relief at this point.
Thanks again for your prayers!

Prayers needed...

2009-03-20T21:51:00.008-04:00

**UPDATE**
~Sally Grace's surgery was postponed because she had a high fever the day she was admitted. Tests showed she had strep throat. Surgery is re-scheduled for April 9th.~

I have a good friend from my hometown who recently adopted her second daughter from China. Shortly after bringing her home, they found out that her sweet baby girl's leg would need to be amputated. I've copied her blog below with some of the details. The surgery is scheduled for Monday morning and I am hoping to send as many prayers as possible up for my precious little Sally Grace who has become a special blessing to all the lives she touches.

"Hi Everyone,
I wanted to post to let all of you know what we found out at Shriner's last week. First of all, let me say that in the midst of the storm we entered today, Steve and I are committed to giving God the glory for choosing us as Sally Grace's parents and praising Him through what we are facing. He has never let us down, and I know He has a perfect plan for Sally Grace. As her mother, I will move mountains to give her every opportunity to be happy and healthy in life. With that said, I'll continue. We found out that Sally Grace has a right leg limb bud deficiency and scoliosis. Her leg is at a 40degree angle and the limp will always be there. On top of that, she will have to have surgery after surgery, possibly yearly, As she grows, she will continue to have to have surgery. The complications are 100% and constant infections are probable. HOWEVER, we praise God that things don't have to be that way! She can have a mid-knee leg amputation and live a happy, healthy life. She will be able to run, hop, skip, swim, ride a bike, and do all the things every other child can do. Although it was very hard news to hear, and our hearts broke, we have found peace and joy in knowing she will be okay. She will be more than okay - She will be fine. I refuse to let Satan steal the joy we had the day she was placed in our arms. Her life has already changed ours, and we will do whatever it takes to help her. Please keep us in your prayers! Her surgery will be March 24.
Trusting in Him,
Lisa"

Pizza, anyone?

2009-03-18T20:52:00.005-04:00

River recently had a blast at a "Pizza making birthday party". It was Grace's party. She's his best friend from next door. She invited the girls from her class and River. Her family was worried it might bother him to be the only boy there, but I assured them it wouldn't matter to him and he, of course, would never miss one of Grace's parties. The funny thing is that he never even realized that he was the only boy there! I love this innocent age where things like that don't even matter. We often wonder at what age River and Grace will decide that they can no longer be best friends because they're a boy and a girl. Hopefully, never....

What to do....

2009-03-14T15:47:00.002-04:00

It's funny that I often complain about how busy my life is and that I never have any down time.... well, today, I actually have nothing to do (thanks to the rain!), and I'm going stir crazy! All of our games were cancelled because of the weather. So here I sit with a little time on my hands and I'm just not sure how to handle it. What's up with that?? I guess I could give my house a much needed cleaning, but that's certainly no fun. Ripken and River are both napping and Reed and Ridge are playing video games, so.... hey, maybe I'll see if the boys will let me play Wii with them. You know, anything to avoid that housework? Afterall, quality time with the boys is much more important, right?

I'm hooked.....

2009-02-26T10:35:00.006-05:00

Okay, as some of you may know, my oldest son has taken up a new sport... Lacrosse! I have to say I wasn't sure about it at first; mainly because it is the one sport that I honestly know very little about. But he absolutley LOVES it so I've tried to learn a little bit more about it now that he is a part of the Mill Creek Lacrosse League. This week-end they had their first game and I have to admit it.... I'm hooked! What an exciting game to watch! I had no idea! It's quite physical (a little too physical at times which landed a few guys in the penalty box) and the action is non-stop. I thought Reed did very well for his game. He did the face-offs for his team and won most of those. His team won 8-0. (Thankfully we have one kid who has played for about 8 years and is quite good.) Most of the kids are new to the sport since this is Mill Creek's inaugural season and most of the parents are definitely new to the game. The conversations in the stand are quite amusing as we all try to figure out what's going on. We all assume that as long as the ref isn't blowing his whistle or throwing a flag, the boys are doing well. So most of us watched the refs and their reactions as much as our players!

Anyway, I thought I'd include a few pictures of my new Lacrosse player. Apparently we didn't have enough sports going on in this family....

The Vicious Virus

2009-02-14T12:39:00.008-05:00

Okay.... what a week it's been. We've had the stomach virus going through our house and it's been a vicious one. It hit everyone except Reed (hopefully he has escaped it!). River apparently brought it home from Pre-K.... 4 year olds are great at sharing!! I've fumigated the entire house and washed everything that could be washed. Hopefully "it" has left the building!

And although River brought this mess into our house, I have to comment on what a great patient he is.... he basically sleeps, asks for ginger ale a few times, and throws up quite neatly in the bucket or pail if he can't make it to the bathroom. No mess involved! Ridge, on the other hand...

And, of course, I won' t even mention what kind of patient Dave is because we all know that men are the worst!!

Speaking of River, (and on to more pleasant topics) we have a new baseball player in the house. River started T-Ball last week and loves it. I had to take him for "evaluations" a couple of weeks ago, which of course was on the coldest day of the year. He and I stood in line for an hour and a half for him to hit the ball, run to first, stop two balls and throw it to first base... for a total of about two minutes spent on the field. He came off the field and said "that was the greatest time ever!" Gotta' love that kid!

Super Bowl... ready for half time!

2009-02-02T16:58:00.004-05:00

Ouch....

2009-01-30T18:35:00.003-05:00

Not a great day. I had to have my wisdom tooth "extracted" today. It didn't go as easily as I had hoped because for some reason it broke into several pieces as the oral surgeon was pulling it out and a small root was left behind. He then had to remove some bone to get to the root that was left. Thankfully the pain wasn't too bad while he was doing it although there was a lot of pressure as he braced my jaw, dug around, and tugged. Not to mention the noises.... that was probably the worst part. He also had to put a couple of stitches in that should dissolve in a few days. (I won't even mention the fact that he also pricked my bottom lip with the needle...oops! he said.) Of course now that the numbness has worn off, I'm feeling quite a bit of pain. Thank God for pain pills, right?
Just glad it's over and hopefully I didn't lose too much of my "wisdom" along with that tooth...

Slow down.....

2009-01-16T22:23:00.006-05:00

I wasn't really ready for this. If it was up to me, my baby would stay in his crib for another year but apparently he has decided that he is a big boy now, much to his mother's dismay. About a month ago, Ripken no longer wanted anything to do with sleeping in his crib, screamed to the top of his lungs when we tried to lay him down, so for the past month he has slept on his mattress in our bedroom floor or on the comforter in the floor beside his mattress, because he always rolled off, ... or in our bed which he usually crawled into at about 4:00 each morning. Well this week-end, Dave went into the basement and brought up the toddler train bed that Ridge used when he was a little one. River never used it; we tried, he refused. He had his own sleep issues at that time which thankfully he outgrew. I, for one, thought it was pointless and was quite certain that Ripken would not go anywhere near this bed but I went along with it.... supporting my man!
Well, we made a huge deal out of this bed... all of his brothers came up and "oohed and aahed" over the new, cool bed and what a big boy Ripken was and he was sooooo excited about it. The first night he hopped right in and covered up himself and his favorite stuffed buddy, Dash. He did try to get up a few times so I stayed with him for a bit and sang and rubbed his hair. Lo and behold, my sweet little fella' slept in his big boy bed the very first night and lasted in it until 5:00 am. I was actually amazed and if I must admit, maybe a little sad. I think the hardest part was watching my husband take the crib apart. All four of my boys have slept in that crib and knowing that there would be no more in it, well, I have to admit, bothered me quite a bit.

But then, I can't stay sad for long when I look over and see this......

Go Hawks!

2009-01-10T22:27:00.012-05:00

Took the boys to the Mill Creek High School game last night and what a great game it turned out to be! Mill Creek beat Collins Hill in overtime. The MC girls team also won.

As you can tell by the pictures, the boys enjoyed themselves , although the older ones were not exactly happy that I was taking pictures of them out in public! I actually took my camera to get some shots of the Tumbling Team as they performed at halftime since most of them are students of mine.

Proof that 2008 didn't suck

2009-01-04T03:30:00.004-05:00

1. I joined the Blogging world and Facebook and have reconnected and met new people through the world of the internet. I guess I needed something else to do with all of my "free time".

2. Clemson actually made it to a bowl game despite their mediocre season. (Okay, so we lost the bowl game, but hey, we were there!) On to basketball now... with a 14-0 start I might add!

3. I started a new position at a new school and love my job! (I was even named Teacher of the Year! Although, I must add, it seriously could have been anyone in that building... what an awesome group of teachers I work with each day.)

4. It was a year of NO Emergency Room visits! With 4 boys, that's a big accomplishment. (Actually it has helped that I've learned that super glue works as well as stitches in most cases!)

5. Gas prices went down. A sigh of relief from my husband as he travels into the city each day for work.

6. My sons had winning seasons with all of their sports teams... baseball, football, soccer, and basketball. Trust me, it makes everyone easier to live with!

7. River started Pre-K and absolutely loves it! None of the tears that we had with Ridge when he went to Pre-K (everyday!)

8. Ripken started talking. (And repeating all that he hears, uh-oh!)

9. A good friend of mine adopted a precious baby from China and what a special little girl she is!!

10. I found myself even more committed to helping find a cure for this horrible cancer that has invaded my mom's body!!

A Fun Night with Friends

2008-12-21T21:20:00.011-05:00

Last night we had our annual "progressive dinner" in the cul-de-sac. It was a perfect combination of great food and great friends!

We even had Ralph showing us his moves!

Our trip to the dentist

2008-12-20T10:29:00.006-05:00

Well, the boys survived their dentist appointment Friday without any cavities! I say "survived" because to River, it is pure torture. He, unfortunately, is not the best dental patient. I asked the hygenists at Dr. Kwon's office if they draw straws before his visit to see which one is stuck with him. They were able to get one x-ray this time, top teeth only, so we'll just assume that the bottom teeth are okay. It's not that he is belligerent or anything, he just sort of squirms the whole time. He also doesn't like the bright light shining in his face while they clean his teeth so this time they were ready for him and pulled out a pair of metallic blue, star-shaped sunglasses for him to wear so the "light wouldn't hurt his eyes"! I wish I'd had my camera to take a picture of him lying in that chair with his glasses on. At least it stopped that complaint. He had others though... "the toothpaste burns", "the water is too cold", "the chair hurts my neck", "the suction is too loud", etc.....In fact, I think I'll take my video camera next time, because it's actually quite comical.
I must say, Dr. Kwon and his staff are some of the most patient people I've ever met! They even asked when I was going to start bringing Ripken for check-ups.... God bless them.... they certainly don't know what they're asking for!

My five year old!

2008-12-08T08:42:00.003-05:00

"I'm five now!" Those were the first words out of River's mouth when he woke up on Friday. His eyes were barely open but he quickly remembered that his long awaited birthday was here. For some reason it was very important to him to turn five because several friends in his Pre-K class had already turned five and he thought that was most impressive.

I can remember how important birthdays were when I was a little girl but unfortunately as we get older, we sometimes prefer to forget a few! : )

We had a family celebration for him Friday night and we are having his birthday party with all of his friends this Saturday at the park.

I've been tagged...

2008-11-29T15:39:00.007-05:00

I was "tagged" by a friend through an e-mail and thought I'd include it here. I had to list eight random or weird facts about myself.

1. I once bungee jumped in the mountains with “Flat Stanley” attached to me. (the things we do for our kids!)
2. I don’t eat meat.
3. Played basketball in an all boys league for a year when I was 14.
4. I am claustrophobic.
5. I’ve kissed Charlie Sheen. We met at a club in Hilton Head…. my husband "loves" when I tell that story! (For the record, I had not even met my husband yet!)
6. I’ve been pooped on by random birds flying overhead three different times.
7. I’ve had stitches three times and had two broken bones (I broke my nose on my son’s scooter three years ago and my brother broke my toe when I was 10).
8. I ran in a marathon. (26.2 miles in Honolulu)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-25T20:12:00.004-05:00

Week-end Fun

2008-11-24T18:30:00.005-05:00

Whew... another week-end of sporting events with the Stanton boys. We had four soccer games, two basketball games, one basketball practice, and two birthday parties.... in less than three days! Those of you who know me well, know how much I love watching these games, but, I have to admit I am looking forward to this long week-end with no sporting events to trek back and forth to.

Ripken and I did get a little one to one time when I took him to his friend's (Lydia) Build-a-Bear birthday party. He really seemed to enjoy it although he refused to get out of his stroller (of course, he doesn't want in his stroller when I need him to be in it). He is a little timid when he's not in his normal surroundings. So I just pushed him from one area to the next as he participated in the activities. He chose a precious dog which he named "Dash".

My favorite soccer player

2008-11-16T15:06:00.005-05:00

Reed saw my blog and complained because none of his soccer pictures were on it... so this is for you Reed.....

The Faces of River

2008-11-09T20:18:00.005-05:00

River is ready for "Crazy Hair" day at Pre-K.

River heads to Pre-K for "Community Helpers" day.

Thursday Night

2008-11-08T14:37:00.002-05:00

I attended the Gwinnett County Teacher of the Year banquet on Thursday night. It was a wonderful evening and I felt special being there as my new school's first teacher of the year. Every teacher of the year in Gwinnett County (about 120!) was honored and presented with a plaque. My principal and my husband were both with me. I was glad Dave was able to join me but it took some manuevering with the kids to make it happen, as always! Dave was suppose to have the basketball draft for Reed's team that night and practice for Ridge's team all that same night. It meant a lot to me that he was so determined to be there for my award though. He was able to re-schedule Ridge's practice but the draft, of course, had to go on, so he decided to send Reed in his place. (Of course, Reed loved that!) Unfortunately that left us without a babysitter for the other boys so we called on one of wonderful neighbors, who agreed to watch the three and we were able to secure a ride for Reed to and from the draft. As it turned out, Reed did wonderful and Dave said it was probably his best draft ever! I was equally proud when we got home and found that Reed had gotten home earlier than us, had retrieved his brothers from the neighbor's house and the two little ones were already in bed asleep. Yep, he's a keeper!

Ripken

2008-11-06T13:30:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to include a recent picture of Ripken so he wouldn't feel left out. He's probably already suffering from fourth child complex.... whatever that is!
These are his favorite pajamas although he doesn't have a clue what the animal is on them (a raccoon). He just points to it and says "not dog"! Gifted? Maybe?

Halloween!

2008-11-01T21:23:00.000-04:00

Well, you probably notice we are one kid short here.... that's because my youngest one is apparently not very fond of Halloween. Ripken absolutely refused to put on his costume. And I don't mean slightly protested; I mean screamed to the top of his lungs and thrashed about wildly and pulled it down as we were pulling up! He was quite adament! He not only hates wearing costumes, he hates others in a costume... especially masks! He was absolutely terrified of his brothers' masks, even as silly as they were. So we opted to not put him through the horror of the costume, which by the way was the cutest little turtle I've ever seen.

Ahh... the girl we never had. Okay, so it's actually my little brave (or crazy!) Ridge who went to school on Halloween dressed as a cheerleader with his girlfriend who was dressed as a football player. Cute couple, huh? Yes, I braided his hair myself! After seeing how well it turned, I guess it's best that I had all boys!

Me, Blog?

2008-10-28T22:26:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm finally giving into temptation and trying this blogging thing! I've been following several friends' blogs for months and really enjoying keeping up with them this way so I finally decided to give it a try. If nothing else, I can use it as a scrapbook for the boys since I haven't added a picture to their books in ages! I use to be really good about keeping up with the scrapbooks and even took a "creative memories" class, bought all of the materials, and worked really hard at it for a few months. Then a little less as time went on. With each child, I've admittedly done less and less. Poor Ripken! (number 4!) Will there be any record at all of his young years??