A Lifetime of Love

T.G. has a bug of some type. She is over the vomiting part, but now has diarrhea, which lead to diaper rash and a raw bottom. She reluctantly sat down in the bathtub last night, but after she did, it seemed to provide some temporary relief. Please pray for her (and me!) to get over it so we can still go visit my sis. I don't want to go if either of us are sick, and I know Erin wouldn't want us there, anyway. I aced my test yesterday! Thanks to all who prayed for me. I will be the first to admit that I could not do well in school without divine intervention. I pray before I study and before I take every test. . . it is only by the grace of God that I am able to go to school and be a wife/mom. If I tried to do it on my own, my life would be in more disarray than it already is. I picked up some gifts for my sis and sis-in-law. I am using the guise of their birthday to give it to them. It is really special and something I have been wanting to do for a long time. I hope they both u...

We had a great weekend! We spent all day (I’m not exaggerating- from 10:30AM – 4PM) at the Monster Truck Show in Greenville. It was awesome and the boys loved it! We went early to meet the drivers in the Pits. We arrived shortly after the Pits opened so there were no lines for each driver. Th wore a hat to the show, so he was able to get it autographed by each driver. Ta was in heaven- unlimited amount of dirt, big trucks, and tractors. He didn’t know what to make of it all! We attend this show every year. It’s something that we’ve done since TJ and I first started dating. It just so happens to coincide with my birthday and is shortly after Christmas, so it’s kind of a combined gift thing for the family. T.G. stayed with my in-laws, although next year we will probably all attend. Ta attended his first one last year, and he wasn’t even 2 years old. He enjoyed it much better this year because he remembered it from last year, plus we frequently look at the pictures from last year and wa...

TJ "casually" questioned me about Valentine's Day while we were playing with the kids last night. Him: "Do you want your Valentine's gift now?" Me: Chuckle a bit. "Like you really have one now anyway. It's still 3 weeks away!" He sits quietly and continues to press buttons on his phone while the kids drive trucks around him. Me: "Do you really have one already? Wow! I'm impressed!" He changes the subject and we continue to play with the kids. A while later we trek downstairs for a snack before the kids get ready for a bath. H: "Would you believe me if I told you we got into the Wilds?" (We were 10th on a waiting list to attend a couples' conference the weekend of Valentine's Day). M: "No way! I don't believe you! Seriously?" He proceeds to show me the email on his phone that confirms his statement. Yeah, we got in! I am so excited! The speakers for the retreat are Ron and Shelly Hamilton. Many years...

Thirteen Things about South Carolina Mom 13 places I have been or would like to go. . . 1. Santiago, Chile, South America This was my first trip when I was in the military. It was awesome! 2. Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. Traveled here with the military. I had a great time, although I only stayed for a few nights. It was too cold to swim in the ocean but it was nice to see the beach. 3. Palermo, Sicily, Europe This is my family's roots. My great-grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from Palermo, and it was so awesome to be able to share in my heritage. I traveled here while in the military, and I loved every bit of this country. Mt. Etna is also located in Sicily, and on several occasions (I've been to Sicily several times), Mt. Etna was erupting. It was majestic to see, especially at night. Too many highlights to say what my favorite part of this country was, but the memories I hold will definitely last a lifetime. 4. Rota, Spain, Europe Again, traveled here with the military....

Conversation I overheard this morning between my boys. . . Ta: “Where’s the crale?” (in his Southern accent) Th: “Where’s the whale?” Ta: “No, where’s the crale?” Th: “Where’s the mail?” Ta: “No! Where’s the crale?” Th: “Where’s the nail?” Ta: “NO! Where’s the crale? A-R-H-O-T-B. Crale.” (he’s attempting to spell what he’s trying to say because he overhears TJ and me spelling things when we don’t want the kids to know what we’re talking about.) Th: “Oh, where’s the grill?” Ta: “Yes, where’s the crale? It was really cute to overhear. It put a smile on my face and made me chuckle a bit, and I’ve been thinking about it all day because to hear them get along together is something that occurs few and far between (as anyone who has young children understands). ************************************************** T.G. had her ENT appointment this morning. Not sure when, but she will be having tubes put in both ears, her adenoid removed, and a procedure called an outfracture done. The doc explai...

Please pray for the Avery family. Julian passed away this morning. His mother's own words: "Time of Death ,11:22am ... Never thought I would ever hear these words about my 4 1/2 year old son. But this morning , those words got engraved in my mind and my heart forever. Julian fought until the last painful breath. Again NOTHING peaceful about this process until , until he stopped gasping for air. Julian looked like a fish out of the water, trying so hard to fill those lungs ,but nothing. You could see the normal breathing motions his body made, but nothing got past his throat.Finally he stopped fighting. When he started having a hard time breathing I went to get Ken . He stood on one side of the bed and i was on there with Julian . We talked him thru his transition . We told him it would be ok . We told him we were proud of him . I told him to say Hi to Jesus for me. I told him that Cody and Jacob were waiting for him . I told him that we would be ok . I told him he wouldnt hurt...

I know about AD/HD. I know about the symptoms and treatment options. I have studied and even worked with kids who have this exceptionality. And I know Th does not, although he does have the hyperactivity part down to a 'T'. Th has an excellent attention span for a 5 year old. He can sit and draw or color for a good 45 minutes to an hour. He does not have trouble watching television (unfortunately!) or a movie, nor playing games. He likes to read books and have books read to him. But, he is constantly moving while he does all of these activities. I never worried before because I just knew that he was an active child. I am not really worried now, either, but I am becoming more concerned, especially the closer he gets to entering kindergarten. His current preschool teacher has even talked to me about it, especially because it has gotten worse since returning from the Christmas break. She, too, agrees that he is just an extremely active child and so far it is not disrupting her tea...