4th of July Weekend!

We had big plans for the 4th of July...spend some relaxing time in Sky Valley...enjoy their pancake breakfast... watch the sky valley parade... go see some cool fireworks... possibly get together with my best friend from hygiene school, Cara...

And then we got to Sky Valley and it pretty much rained POURED raining 90% of the time! :-( On the upside, it definitely wasnt too hot! Quite to the contrary, it was pretty chilly!

We got a few loaves of bread and spent some time feeding ducks one afternoon. There were lots of ducks! And they seemed to be pretty hungry which was pretty fun!

Our only problem was that the kids kept eating the bread ;-)

So our plans were for a full weekend. But what ended up happening? It rained. And rained. And we watched for ark to come pick us up and trusted Gods promises that he wouldnt flood the earth again. ;-) The parade was cancelled. The fireworks were cancelled. Basically, we just spent time with Gran and Grandad, which was fun, too. But we definitely felt badly that we had gotten the kids pumped up for all our fun activities that DIDNT happen. Oh well ;-)

We DID get a surprise though when we got home... ASHLEY CAME HOME!!! My cousin, Ashley, moved to Ohio last Jan (almost 2 years ago now) and man, we miss her! So we were thrilled!!!

Rhyan had just gotten up from her nap when Ashley got here... and it cracked me up because when she came out she was in her panties. Only.  ;-)

I was excited (even though she wasnt dressed appropriately at all) to get a pic! Then, I asked Mack to take a pic with Ashley and THIS is what we got... man, he's a booger!

Later that evening, we went to the Nash's house for a 4th of July party!  They had bought some fireworks and planned to set them off so it was a great way for the kids to see fireworks since it was a bust in the mountains! The party was also a guise for the REAL reason we came together... to celebrate Connie! (Melissas mom). She is such a sweet lady and it was wonderful to get to be a part of her day!

I had bought some sparklers for the kids to have fun with outside. The most tragic thing happened as a result of our crappy parenting, though. I gave each kid one with instructions on holding their fingers down low and being careful... I was continuing to light them and pass them out and Jeff was sitting in the back of the truck taking pics when we heard a scream.
Mack had poked Taylor with his sparkler. It burned THROUGH her dress and burned a hole in her side.
Oh. my. word.
There arent words for how terrible we felt. I mean, he's 2. What the heck was I thinking? (well, i thought Jeff was watching him, thats what i was thinking. and he thought i was watching him). Major parenting blunder.
Taylor has a scar but handled it well. I dont think i'll ever stop apologizing, though :-(

I took Mack on home (we live down the street from one another) and Jeff stayed with Rhyan so they could wait till it got dark to set off the fireworks. I could easily see them from my backporch and they were beautiful! We had a great time (other than our tragic/shameful ending) and are grateful for our friends!

Outside FUN!

We had SO much fun outside this summer... when it wasnt raining. And heck, even sometimes when it DID rain! I mean, if its warm and not lightening, why not enjoy some free outdoor water fun?! Jeff was awesome this summer, too, and took the kids to fort yargo a few times and to parks! And in preparation for Rhyan playing soccer in the fall (post to come!), we practiced kicking the ball around a good bit at home. It was a blast!

One evening, Jeffs parents invited Rhyan to come spend the night with them and so Jeff and I took the opportunity to take little Mack on a date! We met up after I got off work and went to Discover mills. We let Mack ride the train (side complaint: how INSANE is it that you have to PAY for an adult to ride?!!?!? Such a RIP OFF! At Mall of Ga i'd let the kids ride w/o me b/c i can see them the entire time, but at Discover Mills they do a lap around the entire mall so thats not feasible. Call me cheap but really, what adult wants to spend $3 to ride a kiddie train? ugh). We also let him walk around the Disney store where he was kind of in heaven :-) Hello Cars, Lion King, Ariel, Belle... the list goes on for this boy!

We ate dinner in the food court area and then decided to let him share some icecream with us at the Cold Stone Creamery. He was quite the fan!

Later that same week, we were visiting with Mommi when some spontaneous outdoor fun happened. Jonathan was watering some flowers and the kids thought it was funny to try to get close to the water... well, Jonathan thought it would be funny to go ahead and spray them! One spray and they were stripping off their clothes, running around laughing and laughing! Redneck babies!

And when Jonathan got tired... Mama picked up the job!

And then... well... Mack's diaper got full from the water spray and well... fell off! LOL! I was cracking up!

And the next thing I know, Rhyan stripped off her panties and they were both running around "naked as a jay bird"! I about DIED! It was SO funny! And dont worry, see all those trees next to the road... Mommies property is pretty private. AND, i made them come in about 2 minutes after they lost their britches ;-)

Unexpected fun is the BEST kind of fun, and we ALWAYS have that kind of fun at Mommies! The woman has bought multiple toys for the kids but they always find the strangest things to do when they go over there. It reminds me a lot of growing up. I was never short on toys, either, but was always outside playing as a geologist or something ;-) Its SO fun getting to see my kids enjoy the same land I did! BLESSED!

Elijah

June was a crazy, emotional roller coaster for our family. I cant remember the exact date, but somewhere around June 16th, my cousin Elijah was hit while riding his bike. I guess he's actually my 2nd cousin... Tracys (who keeps the kids while we work) son. I got a private message from a girl I used to go to church with who lives in the same neighborhood at Tracy and her family. She said she had heard that a teen boy was hit in their neighborhood and thought it was the 3rd house on the left and wondered if that was my family.. I almost couldnt breathe. I told Jeff about the message and said that I couldnt get any answers (no one was picking up phones) and that I felt i needed to head over there and see. I had no clue what to do.

When I drove up, the scene had been cleared (meaning whoever hit the bicyclist and the bicyclist). I asked the police officer if he could tell me anything and told him my fear was that it was my cousin. He said he wasnt sure but that the people in the neighborhood who were out and about probably knew. About that time, i ran into Tracy's good friend, Kristen, who lives a few houses down. She confirmed that it was Elijah. And the police officer confirmed that he had been life flighted to Egleston. I just broke down crying. I called my cousin, Lindy (Tracy's sister) and she said that they were on their way to the hospital and that she didnt really know anything except that he was critical. I got home and told Jeff that while I didnt know what to do, I knew we should be at the hospital. That if the roles were reversed, i KNEW Tracy would be there for me. So we called my mom who came and sat with the kids (who were in bed) and made tracks to Atlanta.

 When we got there the waiting room was already loaded with people from their church and friends and family... it was overwhelming to see how many people had come out to support them! We then learned that Elijah was in a coma and on life support and that they were giving hour by hour reports. It was so much to take in, even for me... I cant fathom how Tracy and Kevin felt. And Marsha and Bobby! I honestly think that things like this are almost harder on the grandparents becuase they not only worried about Elijah, but they also have their daughter who is heart broken to think of. What a helpless feeling. The chaplin came in (he was an interesting, really good guy) and encouraged us all to go around and give thanks for something as a way to remind us of Gods goodness. It was so encouraging to hear young teens claiming Gods promises over Elijah's life. I remember saying to Tracy that "this will be a part of his testimony of Gods goodness in his life. this isnt the end. its a part of his story". And honestly, i truly believed it. I just had this peace that Elijah would make it.

 Turns out, he was a class 3 brain injury (which is the worst injury) and over the next few days he remained in a coma as they did surgery on his leg which was badly broken. His face was all scratched up (aka: raw) and he had a huge fracture in his skull. They were having to monitor his fluid levels on his brain to see if they would need to put in a shunt to drain. My mind kept going back to Trip Halstead and everything he has come through. And while it was comforting, it was also scary to think about the fact that Elijah could live but not have the same quality of life. I'm telling you, those thoughts are the ones that made me take a look at my faith... would we trust the Lord to not only allow Elijah to live but to return him to his old self. And why is that, btw... that its easier to trust in the Lord for life and death situations and more difficult in the details of the outcome. That bugs me :-(

Lonnnnnng story short, Elijah has over come SO much. Here we are just over 4 months since his accident and he is back in school, in his GIFTED classes and doing SO well. He has worked so hard to get to where he's at today, but none of it could have happened without the grace of God and his mercy.

He went from this pic above to the one below in just a few short weeks!

Its been a rough summer for him and I know its been so hard to see his friends lead normal lives while he has been fighting to get back to "normal". But Jeff and I are SO proud of him and for him!

While everything was going on, this little lady lived like a gypsy! HA! Obviously her mom and dad needed to be at the hospital as much as possible so she spent the summer wandering around and landed at out home one night! She ended up sleeping with me (and oh my... kids sleep crazy!) and came with us the next day to Lanier World! We had a great time spending time with her :-)

God has been so good to see our family through this summer and bring us out all with a stronger faith! I am so grateful for Tracy, Kevin, Elijah and Lydia and its been such a joy to see them overcome every obstacle!

Transition to a BIG BOY BED!

Mack turned two on June 6th and was in a crib. Happy and content to be in a crib.

Jeff was on summer break and I was working my normal schedule. And one week after his birthday, I came home to see that my baby boy had a BIG BOY BED! Jeff had decided it was time. My reaction? (laugh with me and dont think i was being mean... it was a joke...)... I told Jeff it was time he go back to work and stop making parenting decisions. ;-)

Kidding aside, I was NOT ready to see my baby boy in a toddler bed! I know a lot of people move their kids into toddler beds or even on up to a twin or double around 18 months but heres my feelings: if it aint broke, dont fix it. Mack was happy/content and never once attempted to crawl out of his crib. I saw NO reason to make the transition. Was he capable of the transition? yes. But honestly, we were struggling with obedience with him at that point (kind of the mantra of his little life! HA!) so I didnt see it as being the right time.

I about cried when I saw this for the first time! We gave him a pillow in attempts to keep him lying one way in the bed (and avoid falling out) as he typically flip flopped all over the crib on both ends.

I was pretty nervous that with all of the problems we had been having with Rhyan getting out of bed (right around this time we had found the Sleep Fairy Book and had finally got her to staying in bed) that we were heading back into the same issues we had just come out of. And the thought of that just stressed me out. I talked with him a good bit all day about our expectations an told him when we put him to bed that if he got up we would spank him.

BUT... the first night, he got up almost immediately after I left his room and I took him back to bed, popped him on the leg once (you do NOT have to spank him... literally a little pop on the leg breaks his heart... sad). He whined. And literally that was the ONLY time he has gotten up!

The only "problem" we had with the transition is that he started waking pretty early in the morning. I think the new found freedom was exciting for him... After a few weeks of dealing with it and taking him back to bed, we decided to get another timer and hook a night light up to it and telling him he had to stay in bed till the light came on.

What cracked me up is the first morning that we did that, he got up and said "mommy! my light on come!". And literally it has taken over a month to get him to say "light come on" instead of "light on come". Cute ;-)

And this pic was just for funsies. Our little hiding booger!

Pool Party!

Shlaine and Steve had a pool put in last summer! It didnt get finished till July, though, so there wasnt a whole lot of time to enjoy it. This year, it rained so much that it was hard to find time, too! But one Sunday afternoon, She invited us over to let the kids swim and have a little cook out!

I was SO proud of Rhyan for just jumping right in and having a great time! She was so fun to watch!

... and then there was Mack.
Youknow, one day we are going to look back and think "gosh, its crazy how high maintenance he was as a toddler cause he's our EASIEST kid now!". But thats not happened yet ;-)

Pretty much as long as someone held him, he was ok. Not great, but ok. But the second you let him go...
WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

We set Mommie up by the pool with an umbrella and she enjoyed putting her toes in the water. :-)

Rhyan loved floating around, holding onto this little basket and trying to get the ball into the hoop! ha!

Shlaine and Steve were so patient with Mack and all of his fussing. They let him play on the stairs :-)

Mama and Jonathan

After swimming for a bit, we indulged in some YUMMY food as we sat out on their back porch. It was so nice to visit with family, enjoy good food, and wear our kids OUT!