tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17679354300355025762024-03-13T01:49:13.562-04:00Sweet Tea and GigglesUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-72137924643335319592014-02-20T15:28:00.001-05:002014-02-20T15:36:06.389-05:00Sew Heavenly Designs Giveaway<br />
I don't post to this blog anymore however I wanted to share with you all my new Facebook page. In honor of my mother, who I lost two years ago Monday, I am opening up my own children's clothing website. I would love for you you all to follow me on Facebook. Once I reach 100 likes I will be giving one lucky winner a $25.00 VISA gift card! Come check it out!<br />
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<span style="color: #8e7cc3;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/SewHeavenlyDesigns" target="_blank">You can check it out HERE!</a></span></span><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-17238224541966591592012-03-30T17:54:00.000-04:002012-03-30T17:54:22.195-04:00Saying GoodbyeThe last few months have been a whirlwind. In fact when I look back I can't even believe it is my life. On February 24th my hero, my best friend my mother lost her battle with breast cancer. I was with her when she took her last breath and it was by far the hardest moment of my entire life.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmQOeyMtj31ur4TCjdD26L9MZizet1071NKVOANfoWNzbDOC5AB-Rk8Z_ZHk7MAQ1_kUlES6M5Xi18CyrHc5cJmthVEkvJ0uzCDZM7TAYYRe9gBiqgRKwgdYWamdgQ8wXRBoIbY_WzHk/s1600/DSC01593.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHmQOeyMtj31ur4TCjdD26L9MZizet1071NKVOANfoWNzbDOC5AB-Rk8Z_ZHk7MAQ1_kUlES6M5Xi18CyrHc5cJmthVEkvJ0uzCDZM7TAYYRe9gBiqgRKwgdYWamdgQ8wXRBoIbY_WzHk/s400/DSC01593.JPG" width="400" /></a>This picture was taken 6 days before she died and it was one of the best weekends. I really thought we had more time, but God had other plans. I miss her more and more everyday. People keep telling me with time it will get easier but I don't believe them. I live 635 miles away from parents so not seeing them every day is normal for me...what I struggle with is not talking to her. I talked to her every single day and not hearing her voice is tearing me up inside. <br />
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I was living in the wonderful land of denial until this past Thursday when it hit me that I would be heading back up to Ohio to visit my dad for Spring Break. This will be the first time that I go home and I won't see my mom's beautiful smiling face waiting for me at the door or sitting on the front porch. I will get there and the house will be empty. My dad will be at work and my sisters will be at a birthday party. I will get there and it will be just me and the kids to face probably the third hardest day of this whole thing. I have a huge amount of anxiety and my stomach pains have returned because of it. I would call my mom and tell her but she isn't here so I am going to blog about it...I don't know what else to do.<br />
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If I were a selfish person (which I am not) I would not go and wait a few more months, but I know my dad needs me. In fact he called me yesterday to tell me how excited he was that we were coming. I don't think he likes being in the house without my mom either so he is looking forward to the company. I promised him I would make the cole slaw and cucumbers that mom always made. She gave me her recipes last summer and I am so grateful to have those. I think those were two of her most favorite things to make for my dad...well that and Boston Cream Pie...but I have no idea how to make that so he is out of luck. <br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-35801807565770728612012-02-15T14:46:00.004-05:002012-02-15T14:46:36.117-05:00My New HobbyAbout 3 years ago my mother in law bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. Then she took me shopping and she got me everything I would need to get started. Only I never started! I don't really know why other than I was very unorganized and always seemed to be too busy to actually get started.<br />
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Well last Friday I went on Etsy and found a few skirt patterns that said they were great for beginners. I bought those patterns and then Maiya and I headed to the fabric <strike>store</strike> stores! On my first attempt I messed up and cut the fabric in the wrong spot. So I tried again and I have to say for my first time it wasn't too bad. The pattern was easy and now I have actually made 3 skirts and I can definitely see improvements. <br />
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I have now become addicted. I am constantly on Etsy looking at patterns and I LOVE looking at fabric. With a little girl who loves to dress up it will be a lot cheaper for me to make them then to buy them. I usually spend anywhere from $1.50-$4.00 for enough fabric to make her skirt and I figure to make her a dress it would be between $4.00-$8.00 still way cheaper than buying these things in a store. <br />
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By summer time my goal will be to have made her enough skirts, Capri's and dresses that the only thing I will have to buy her are shirts. Then by the end of summer I want to have perfected the ruffle pants! I love ruffle pants but I have heard they are a little difficult to make.<br />
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I will post some pictures soon. <br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-8754994440670267522012-02-06T13:12:00.000-05:002012-02-06T13:12:39.954-05:00Looking for Strength?When you receive bad news after bad news after bad news how do you stay strong? How do you keep the positive thoughts in and the negative out? <br />
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Since the week before Christmas the bad news has been coming full force. Every week there is more and more bad news about my mom. It started with a tumor in her brain, then they found six. She starts radiation and week later she is doubled over in abdominal pain. They run a CT and find a lesion on her ribs. Then the pain intensifies and they finally decide to a full body scan and find several large tumors on her liver...they are spreading like wildfire and I don't understand any of it. <br />
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My mom's cancer is now Stage 4, one year later from originally being diagnosed with breast cancer. They have given her only three months to live...two months have already passed. I don't think about the time every day but it when it is late and I am missing her I can't help but go there.<br />
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On Friday, January 13th (yes Friday the 13th) my dad called me and I knew the news was not good. He was crying and told me that mom had taken a turn for the worse and it was time for me to come home. I can honestly say in that moment my whole life changed. I couldn't think, breathe or move. I panicked. I absolutely panicked. My mother in law was at my house within 5 minutes helping me pack and think of everything I needed to take with me. It was so incredibly hard. <br />
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My mom did make it through that night and she is still hanging on and fighting hard. I spent 2 weeks with her and it was the most wonderful and precious 2 weeks of my life. My last night there she wanted to hold me, so I climbed in her bed and she held me...just like when I was a little girl! I am headed back up there in a few weeks and I cannot wait. I love my mom so much and she truly is the bravest person I know.<br />
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So how do you stay strong when you are faced with such sadness and heartbreak? Well that is easy. You look to God! God is the only one who will get you through the hard times, because He will carry you when the load becomes to much to bear. He will hold your hand and tell you He loves you! He will remind you that your loved one has been hand picked to go and be with Jesus! God loves me and He loves my mom and when it is time He will take my mom in His loving arms and she will once again be reunited with her son and her mother.<br />
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I know my mom is in God's hands. I still pray every single day that He will make her His miracle. I pray for His heeling hands to touch her and make her well. I still want more time with her and I know that I have no control over any of it but whatever happens my faith will get me through it. If you don't have faith what do you have? <br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-51394118410204216482011-12-15T11:21:00.003-05:002011-12-15T11:21:59.707-05:00Unexpected NewsAs most of you know my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer this time last year and spent most of 2011 doing chemo. She had been doing great despite the fact they had to stop her treatment early due to it effecting her heart. <br />
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A few months ago my mom started seeing double vision and after a visit to the eye doctor he thought she had had a stroke so he ordered an MRI to be done to see if anymore damage had been done to her brain. Sadly the MRI results showed a tumor in her brain. The tumor was causing the double vision and the memory issues. She has to begin radiation immediately. The kids and I are headed up north this weekend to spend some time with her and be with her as she starts her treatment. This has been one of the hardest weeks of my life but now my game face is on and I am going to stay strong for my mom! <br />
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Please continue to pray for all of those suffering from cancer or any disease! <br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-7732603542413853572011-12-02T11:52:00.001-05:002011-12-02T12:04:40.488-05:00December Already?I cannot believe the last time I blogged was September 14th! I have no good excuse other than we have been crazy busy since moving. I really don't even know where to start. We love our new house and more importantly we love you new neighborhood. Today Maiya asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her that I have everything that I have ever wanted and she just looked at me confused. I told her that all I wanted for Christmas was for our family to live in a neighborhood with lots of kids and friends and we have that now so I don't need anything. She said "Aww, but I want you to have a present under the tree!" I though it was pretty cute!<br />
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The kids are doing great! They both love school and are doing very well. We are in full swing of the holidays. I am room mom for Maiya's class and I was so nervous at first but I am really enjoying it. I also love that I get to volunteer in Andrew's class once a week and that is a lot of fun and very rewarding. <br />
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Andrew celebrated his sixth birthday last month. We had a party with his new friends and I think he had the best time ever. He tells me all the time how happy he is that we moved here because of all his friends. <br />
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Our house is fully decorated for Christmas including outdoor decorations. This is the first time we have actually done outside lights and the kids were so excited to help. Now I just have to get my Christmas shopping done. I did venture out for Black Friday and that was fun, but a lot of what I need this year wasn't apart of the sales, but nonetheless is was fun to get out there. <br />
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In the even that you don't hear from me until after Christmas I want to wish all of my friends and family a very Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year! I hope that your lives are blessed and full of love! I know mine is!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-27919749409672840112011-09-14T08:35:00.000-04:002011-09-14T08:35:16.314-04:00Preschool Fun!Maiya started her first year of preschool last Tuesday. While we were in carpool line I asked her if she was excited and she said yes, then I asked her if she was nervous and she looks at me and says "Nope! When can I go in?" I told her she had to wait until a teacher came and got her out of the car and then finally it was her turn. My stomach was in knots but she hops out of the car and without even looking back at me she says "I love you mommy!" <br />
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When I picked her up she was so excited. She loved school and couldn't stop talking about her first day. She said she loved everything but that she was upset because it rained and they couldn't go out on the playground. I asked her if she missed and she said "No, I had too much fun!" Her teacher brought her out to the car yesterday and told me that Maiya is her saving grace in the class and she absolutely adores her. I love hearing that about my kids...and to think I was worried about Maiya being a trouble maker. LOL!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-52418946980511498982011-08-29T17:57:00.001-04:002011-08-29T17:59:03.097-04:00August Craziness...This has been an absolutely crazy month! I am actually really glad it is almost over, I am ready to go back to a "normal" sense of life. Ha is there such a thing?<br />
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We are now just a week and half away from moving into our new beautiful home! Our walk through is Thursday and then we close the following Wednesday. We are all so excited and cannot wait, but as excited as I know I am, the kids are a million times more excited! This new neighborhood is amazing! There are so many kids for Andrew and Maiya to play with, in fact we have already had several play dates with some of our new neighbors (and we haven't even moved in yet!) Everyone is so friendly and nice and it is going to be a great new beginning for our family!<br />
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Andrew is doing great in kindergarten. We have curriculum night tomorrow at his school so I am looking forward to going to that. He is really coming into his own this year, I can already see how much he has grown in the first month of school.<br />
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Maiya starts her first day of preschool next week and I cannot believe it. She is only going 2 days a week but I know she will love. We got to meet her teacher last week and she is super nice and sweet. I am the room mom so that should be interesting considering I have never done it before. Maiya is LOVING ballet. She gets so excited when Tuesday rolls around. <br />
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My mom's chemo treatments have been canceled indefinitely because her heart cannot take anymore. The doctor said that she has a 50/50 chance of it coming back since she was not able to complete the remaining 9 months of treatment so I am going to pray that we are on the side of it not coming back. She of course she is worried but going to just focus on the good things and do her best to stay positive. <br />
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Andy and I are doing great! We are excited about this new chapter in our lives and are excited for the future!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-82435779031706216282011-08-20T07:56:00.000-04:002011-08-20T07:56:29.585-04:00SuperstarMaiya was born to be a star! This week she had her first ballet class and I don't think she ever stopped smiling. From the time we bought her outfit on Monday until she took it off after class on Tuesday she smiled. She absolutely loved every minute of it! My face hurt when we left because just watching her I couldn't stop smiling either.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Before we left for class</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIwKd02Q-ioxuh1Q2OVCrT-kEpnES_1uTfTpN27m71Qbszs23u3VbTqrs7NJhGgNGCNt5X0ZPaXBnVwyaq0Vee153YkcPpvq3q6snD5J5zLN80zZzcZh_4vmIQahPJZ-MpZEbXpySL90/s1600/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIwKd02Q-ioxuh1Q2OVCrT-kEpnES_1uTfTpN27m71Qbszs23u3VbTqrs7NJhGgNGCNt5X0ZPaXBnVwyaq0Vee153YkcPpvq3q6snD5J5zLN80zZzcZh_4vmIQahPJZ-MpZEbXpySL90/s320/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Miss. Ellen helping with her shoes</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHTZIar69PGseA3XvhRa7w8w4bnUBwI_tfVChR8R1zeb00hpJF4m-05vogaOWxQegTXpSyyrNLwF3x78TsbS8Tcq1xFqsOLpGMYXZC-Sorit3w485orDr7xATbB_olaLgbz7dSrV_Icw/s1600/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAHTZIar69PGseA3XvhRa7w8w4bnUBwI_tfVChR8R1zeb00hpJF4m-05vogaOWxQegTXpSyyrNLwF3x78TsbS8Tcq1xFqsOLpGMYXZC-Sorit3w485orDr7xATbB_olaLgbz7dSrV_Icw/s320/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Getting ready</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmvC1vsgRjQ2fXZ77jOOp202gb_xQmaVtZACNUj-RvZjh4LIlVZXYmYTQZJXgpOOfjXrgEXJOgLoahvjYgEQ_jcJjjDuEPPcs1dBHa19qDJOoj7syyKt4fNepd24swii7Es8FuwrZUY0/s1600/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEmvC1vsgRjQ2fXZ77jOOp202gb_xQmaVtZACNUj-RvZjh4LIlVZXYmYTQZJXgpOOfjXrgEXJOgLoahvjYgEQ_jcJjjDuEPPcs1dBHa19qDJOoj7syyKt4fNepd24swii7Es8FuwrZUY0/s320/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Airplane"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdvszImvaCoizcPz7TPgFbwJC4wztIi0uoiFF6FmscrRfll712A89bQ_KbdqpNNRj7Ru2M1fnVC_Z8fQhSTibvPKG0t_9V9WD-VpZ2ZHY_VZ-8MJzAip3d70nyEHSgPF8PZrWRa1hyphenhyphen3k/s1600/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXdvszImvaCoizcPz7TPgFbwJC4wztIi0uoiFF6FmscrRfll712A89bQ_KbdqpNNRj7Ru2M1fnVC_Z8fQhSTibvPKG0t_9V9WD-VpZ2ZHY_VZ-8MJzAip3d70nyEHSgPF8PZrWRa1hyphenhyphen3k/s320/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ballerina Spin</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-fFEZeyK4qyzoPddlWTXF11iPHJQxePGF0YasEsR9izwGOu_efAa4UpZax4e-zWgtAv7EG5VzLOFleKllbdGgKiIn6_zMG8L6yNMB2RZSrdVK2j3p7KdZtcd9osjqBUYyhmf4RDKNhg/s1600/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy-fFEZeyK4qyzoPddlWTXF11iPHJQxePGF0YasEsR9izwGOu_efAa4UpZax4e-zWgtAv7EG5VzLOFleKllbdGgKiIn6_zMG8L6yNMB2RZSrdVK2j3p7KdZtcd9osjqBUYyhmf4RDKNhg/s320/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Coming back and doing "airplane"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgil5-a2tMvQ18GMskyr8XbcrPkgVbvckR3_dAKFNpHzOu-_2RNomZ9_PpmMzC8soW8kZuGKyLoQLa5FfwO8nqN9-6cdwRQ1RvApdZS3skTWTzJDQrxm2mJJONhuu1KqkKS8s6_-wxGoqg/s1600/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgil5-a2tMvQ18GMskyr8XbcrPkgVbvckR3_dAKFNpHzOu-_2RNomZ9_PpmMzC8soW8kZuGKyLoQLa5FfwO8nqN9-6cdwRQ1RvApdZS3skTWTzJDQrxm2mJJONhuu1KqkKS8s6_-wxGoqg/s320/Maiya%2527s+1st+Ballet+Class8.16.11+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-143047478161983122011-08-19T09:28:00.000-04:002011-08-19T09:28:01.284-04:00For my mom...and all the woman out there fighting against cancer!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-41333098739872318882011-08-15T12:50:00.000-04:002011-08-15T12:50:35.796-04:00First DaysOn Thursday Andrew started kindergarten! He did great getting on the bus and wasn't too nervous, but I was a wreck. I could not stop crying...I wasn't sobbing out of control like some crazy mom, but I was definitely having a hard time keeping it in. My only saving grace was that I had to meet another mom for breakfast so I got myself under control pretty quickly and headed off to her house. Then I hear Maiya crying and I thought she hurt herself. I asked her what was wrong and by this time she was crying really hard and she said "I miss Andrew!" It broke my heart but was so sweet at the same time. Once Maiya was feeling better we headed off to our friend's house where we decided we needed some emotional support so we went to the PTA sponsored breakfast at the school and then I went back to her house for a playdate. We had a great time and it made the day go by so much faster. I highly recommend having an emotional support playdate!<br />
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I was so excited when Andrew got off the bus to ask about his day. He was really upset because he had forgot his water bottle and the bus was really hot but I got him some water and he started to feel better. He did not enjoy the first day so much, but he loved the second day so I think it will just be an adjustment for him. He has made friends on the bus and at school which is very important considering everything he went through at preschool.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Andrew at the bus stop!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBZot7rVowc0sCVlHGjfn2CX74t0CD6ZNaOOH0cUAIkXajt3BontCupL8vrjx1Kvth-nsmafrEbCcFunT9-j082VIhOhYgcX8arNG72F2X4qr7mW6DPbLvZbJ7LVoCuhe0DKNnWsWsXM/s1600/andrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBZot7rVowc0sCVlHGjfn2CX74t0CD6ZNaOOH0cUAIkXajt3BontCupL8vrjx1Kvth-nsmafrEbCcFunT9-j082VIhOhYgcX8arNG72F2X4qr7mW6DPbLvZbJ7LVoCuhe0DKNnWsWsXM/s320/andrew.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Andrew with Aunt Tyler</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jvTY2C029nOcI_Jhz1IczsafekGWpejeo-8wpOHGP3Oe-U7UnZPq4qJj-WmKms3YVgi0Yfdj5bbZ_pzMy7YhTKOwVEYqdSp8u7w8w7WGo1JFHbqeUXJdKoHo4lwXdzmVN2fkjZCfNDE/s1600/aunttyler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jvTY2C029nOcI_Jhz1IczsafekGWpejeo-8wpOHGP3Oe-U7UnZPq4qJj-WmKms3YVgi0Yfdj5bbZ_pzMy7YhTKOwVEYqdSp8u7w8w7WGo1JFHbqeUXJdKoHo4lwXdzmVN2fkjZCfNDE/s320/aunttyler.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mommy, Daddy and Andrew before meet the teacher</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKwVLbhfrFCiL2m5rfZJfWqHFruRIIZOVunOiN2iD3Ou2Y8LdLD2fM6YZ7LHkbOz0IXJRwB9u2BTmBHKrAsEQw_qYjHrirG1E64FP6cpHY7TlsWFbOh-uD3lgssDkGOk7ivmGNJIunkM/s1600/family2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyKwVLbhfrFCiL2m5rfZJfWqHFruRIIZOVunOiN2iD3Ou2Y8LdLD2fM6YZ7LHkbOz0IXJRwB9u2BTmBHKrAsEQw_qYjHrirG1E64FP6cpHY7TlsWFbOh-uD3lgssDkGOk7ivmGNJIunkM/s320/family2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> All the kids at the bus stop (and their parents)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GxQKVy9MomoxnPcZZw46yDNC8ucp7wsQ1YfSFKhPyQRhZ-Q9Ek5I4rVRv3KN3uC7mya7sKyoxY5vR7lGuHm0zZenqWTSyNq8RW6tviIVRn-upW22z7sY6dLEUATizgqjgGt_KB245kU/s1600/crowd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9GxQKVy9MomoxnPcZZw46yDNC8ucp7wsQ1YfSFKhPyQRhZ-Q9Ek5I4rVRv3KN3uC7mya7sKyoxY5vR7lGuHm0zZenqWTSyNq8RW6tviIVRn-upW22z7sY6dLEUATizgqjgGt_KB245kU/s320/crowd.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Andrew on the bus!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZTqL2KI4-Z0ZDeHI0YBlE6RHSqEX-gEAEV5arejp7akBt3_e0jhXa1DSzPv7OEAXeAf0crU_wWp0glrwICA8sDNVHlluhelhhLR3shnECd3vJ8rWFOsbHAFNssO5LLVBsJ0TGCwJMMY/s1600/on+the+bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZTqL2KI4-Z0ZDeHI0YBlE6RHSqEX-gEAEV5arejp7akBt3_e0jhXa1DSzPv7OEAXeAf0crU_wWp0glrwICA8sDNVHlluhelhhLR3shnECd3vJ8rWFOsbHAFNssO5LLVBsJ0TGCwJMMY/s320/on+the+bus.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>I can't wait to hear about his day everyday! So much fun!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-79593755171171793032011-08-04T17:43:00.000-04:002011-08-04T17:43:52.227-04:00Learning to Let Go<span>In just a week my son will start kindergarten. He will get on the bus at 7:30 and get home at 3:30. A whole day without his mommy. A whole day without my boy. How will he cope? How will I cope? The funny thing is I know he will do amazingly well and the truth is I am not really all that worried about him...I am worried about me. I am and always have been a very emotional person especially when it comes to my kids. I would be very content if they stayed little forever and never left me, but since I know that won't happen I just cry with each major milestone. </span><br />
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<span>Don't get me wrong I am so excited for Andrew and I have been great at cheering him on. It isn't until I check on him after he is asleep that I wonder "when did he get so big?" </span> When did my first born become a kindergartner? Well if you are a first time parent or about to become one let me tell you the answer...it feels like overnight! So hug them and love them and when the time comes for them to get on that bus cheer for them because it will be hard for them, but it will be harder for you to let them go!<br />
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Below is a great story a friend shared with me! Enjoy!<br />
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<div style="color: #0b5394;"><i>Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack who was about to climb his very first beanstalk. He had a fresh haircut and a brand-new book bag. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though his friends in the neighborhood had climbed this same beanstalk almost every day last year, this was Jack's first day and he was a little nervous. So was his mother. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Early in the morning she brought him to the foot of the beanstalk. She talked encouragingly to Jack about all the fun he would have that day and how nice his giant would be. She reassured him that she would be back to pick him up at the end of the day. For a moment they stood together, silently holding hands, gazing up at the beanstalk. To Jack it seemed much bigger than it had when his mother had pointed it out on the way to the store last week. His mother thought it looked big, too. She swallowed. Maybe she should have held Jack out a year... <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack's mother straightened his shirt one last time, patted his shoulder and smiled down at him. She promised to stay and wave while he started climbing. Jack didn't say a word. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He walked forward, grabbed a low-growing stem and slowly pulled himself up to the first leaf. He balanced there for a moment and then climbed more eagerly to the second leaf, then to the third and soon he had vanished into a high tangle of leaves and stems with never a backward glance at his mother. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She stood alone at the bottom of the beanstalk, gazing up at the spot where Jack had disappeared. There was no rustle, no movement, no sound to indicate that he was anywhere inside. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Sometimes," she thought, "it's harder to be the one who waves good-bye than it is to be the one who climbs the beanstalk." <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wondered how Jack would do. Would he miss her? How would he behave? Did his giant understand that little boys sometimes acted silly when they felt unsure? She fought down an urge to spring up the stalk after Jack and maybe duck behind a bean to take a peek at how he was doing. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"I'd better not. What if he saw me?" She knew Jack was really old enough to handle this on his own. She reminded herself that, after all this was thought to be an excellent beanstalk and that everyone said his giant was not only kind but had outstanding qualifications. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"It's not so much that I'm worried about him," she thought, rubbing the back of her neck. "It's just that he's growing up and I'm going to miss him." <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack's mother turned to leave. "Jack's going to have lots of bigger beanstalks to climb in his life," she told herself. <br />
</i> <i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>"Today's the day he starts practicing for them...</i> </div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And today's the day I start practicing something too: Cheering him on and waving good-bye." </span></i></div><i><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></i><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #0b5394; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">(Author Unknown)</span></i></div><img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-39895547412244768502011-07-15T09:14:00.001-04:002011-07-15T09:15:17.504-04:00Mommy BraggingIn the months leading up to Maiya turning three to two months after she turned three my baby girl is showing me that there is not much baby left in her. She decided to hit all these grown up stages close together and I am not prepared to say goodbye to my baby just yet. In the last four months she has transitioned to a big girl bed, potty trained (which only took a day and half), takes a shower and now she writes her name! She knows how to write just about every letter in the alphabet and loves learning. She amazes me everyday! I can't wait to see how much she learns when she actually starts preschool in September.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHF2r4rn1nPw_HGWW4Csks3tVQPdDK4TDdD1D08wYuX-xZsGWRUosOPd9f_suPkDGht_ZWWCyfZwgLTpmU0Cih8Ok7cJAz6eMOLyz78NtqRRBEcLvLRKmdv_nop6F9ksn_b5I8mug2uc/s1600/photo+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHF2r4rn1nPw_HGWW4Csks3tVQPdDK4TDdD1D08wYuX-xZsGWRUosOPd9f_suPkDGht_ZWWCyfZwgLTpmU0Cih8Ok7cJAz6eMOLyz78NtqRRBEcLvLRKmdv_nop6F9ksn_b5I8mug2uc/s320/photo+%252810%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHF2r4rn1nPw_HGWW4Csks3tVQPdDK4TDdD1D08wYuX-xZsGWRUosOPd9f_suPkDGht_ZWWCyfZwgLTpmU0Cih8Ok7cJAz6eMOLyz78NtqRRBEcLvLRKmdv_nop6F9ksn_b5I8mug2uc/s1600/photo+%252810%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-21234490852954688422011-07-13T21:34:00.001-04:002011-07-13T21:35:41.096-04:00Great Sale-Thursday July 14thMy Grafico is having a 40% off sale. If you like to scrapbook or other crafts this is a great site. Check them out! Sale is tomorrow July 14th only!<br />
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<a href="http://mygrafico.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=124_0_1_30" target="_blank"><img alt="Mygrafico Digital Arts & Crafts" border="0" height="250" src="http://mygrafico.com/idevaffiliate/banners/MYGRAFICOAD.gif" width="150" /></a><br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-15073737168186951642011-07-07T08:15:00.000-04:002011-07-07T08:15:22.919-04:00Maiya's Beach Party!Every year we rent a house and we go to the beach with my husband's family. We used to go in September after everyone went back to school and things were a little less crazy. However this year with Andrew starting Kindergarten we had to go in May, so that meant that Maiya's birthday would be celebrated at the beach! What a lucky girl if you ask me. <br />
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She decided she wanted her theme to be Little Mermaid so we made it a beach Little Mermaid theme and we all had a great time. She was so excited and loved every second of her party. I think it was by far the best party she has ever had...not to mention the best guests...FAMILY!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78Yw1BJKACuGFNVIEDlI9fuFEjRassUnKtOHKFVRt5DEReLnKczbyvdCsSa4PsHM2xyd1pBKEtT-E4qYJjDsz2R0ku8w_ko8uOf3h1gND7m8xLwH475Ry4y1I5ebcbOgEJzoresqAeoU/s1600/Maiya3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78Yw1BJKACuGFNVIEDlI9fuFEjRassUnKtOHKFVRt5DEReLnKczbyvdCsSa4PsHM2xyd1pBKEtT-E4qYJjDsz2R0ku8w_ko8uOf3h1gND7m8xLwH475Ry4y1I5ebcbOgEJzoresqAeoU/s320/Maiya3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUcmDAxyJ5hxAZvY4DVHmkiZvPFjlCsYQaW1XgI53clflKW2zlAAqZTwguDAF6eEUXIsec3hqqWezEUufjxGSddrz4pcfWVtI8Uw1PuRITBpX2nh4wZXPf0GBBJWKxAR4KpMTD0gfOTQ/s1600/Maiya5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXUcmDAxyJ5hxAZvY4DVHmkiZvPFjlCsYQaW1XgI53clflKW2zlAAqZTwguDAF6eEUXIsec3hqqWezEUufjxGSddrz4pcfWVtI8Uw1PuRITBpX2nh4wZXPf0GBBJWKxAR4KpMTD0gfOTQ/s320/Maiya5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-24177194725531791162011-07-03T20:16:00.001-04:002011-07-03T20:28:48.710-04:00My Mom<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98hknA5_ptlsjbjPFV9fPcYmY7jP2NN-OPxYm_ZxKY1meSMmMjTjekCsPDCttJDaGMnHmfAZ1aeaeEfd4q9ltJSrx81kw_0OpKMyXYFRFe6oq_n-4wORXdb1q8YtQUx6u6SDrVqvJy8w/s1600/me+and+mom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98hknA5_ptlsjbjPFV9fPcYmY7jP2NN-OPxYm_ZxKY1meSMmMjTjekCsPDCttJDaGMnHmfAZ1aeaeEfd4q9ltJSrx81kw_0OpKMyXYFRFe6oq_n-4wORXdb1q8YtQUx6u6SDrVqvJy8w/s320/me+and+mom.jpg" width="320" /></a>My mom is an amazing woman. She has been going through chemotherapy since March and will have to undergo 11 more months before she will be done. She has six more weeks in her second round which she has to go to every week. She is staying strong though and I am so proud of her.<br />
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In May my mom gave us all quite a scare. She got really sick and was admitted into the hospital for a week. She had developed pneumonia and they could not keep her oxygen levels up. She ended up getting a blood transfusion when her blood cell count dropped dramatically low and once they did that she started to get better much faster. They did find some new spots on her back and ribs but decided that if it was cancer all the chemo she had left would take care of it. We are all praying they are gone in 11 months. She also has a broken bone in her back and that has been causing her huge amounts of pain. There is nothing they can do for the broken bone, that will just have to heal on its own.<br />
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Even through all of this my mom is staying strong. It is hard but she is a tough woman. She is my hero and I love her so much. I am so excited to be going back up to be with her next month...and the kids are too!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Me and my dad</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHPcI9nuCcoRFBo5_3LseWISIng8C6Hd3nzAlUtDACwihyphenhyphennzQjNQTVcQw0B4TaEX0d5zpmLIizZXQ34dEe2CE3COi3mu9dv36iGo5QJSnUm96m9EWL69MFbgOG4WEyYWno_ykF1NrpAU/s1600/me+and+dad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRHPcI9nuCcoRFBo5_3LseWISIng8C6Hd3nzAlUtDACwihyphenhyphennzQjNQTVcQw0B4TaEX0d5zpmLIizZXQ34dEe2CE3COi3mu9dv36iGo5QJSnUm96m9EWL69MFbgOG4WEyYWno_ykF1NrpAU/s320/me+and+dad.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My parents with my kids </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThDsKbinx1WOww4jcMOhLSCLhYzpOYhwMAckRv-WujCO9nnKj-wVyFeNwhZlOiyyhuF3wJpVs2xdY_Ajw3nX2g5gi_NhehdsCmTa1LqTtkqCRr2z-djvxmJC1Sunu8Tp4TcW8udCHvG4/s1600/Nana+and+Poppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThDsKbinx1WOww4jcMOhLSCLhYzpOYhwMAckRv-WujCO9nnKj-wVyFeNwhZlOiyyhuF3wJpVs2xdY_Ajw3nX2g5gi_NhehdsCmTa1LqTtkqCRr2z-djvxmJC1Sunu8Tp4TcW8udCHvG4/s320/Nana+and+Poppy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-66715920471605371642011-07-01T20:08:00.001-04:002011-07-01T20:10:25.219-04:00Preschool Graduation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Okay so I am really far behind on posts. I am working on getting caught up but it is going to take me a while. <br />
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Since Andrew's preschool graduation was May 12th I thought that would be a good place to start...not to mention it was the cutest thing I had ever seen. Watching all these little kids walk down the isle to Pomp and Circumstance in their caps and gowns was absolutely adorable. They all were smiling ear to ear with pride and it was awesome! I am so proud of Andrew. When I think back to the start of this preschool year and all the problems we had at the old school to where he was on this day it brings tears to my eyes. He has grown so much in a short time and I couldn't be more proud of him. I still can't believe he will be in kindergarten in six weeks but I know that he is going to LOVE it!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Andrew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZtxtxpb1CXC6N7AJNRfnNyw2S7zJfA1p-ce_qjmCiSdHWXo3_8LQwygFl_600Y8ySYAKv5oGxrsF7f6UwtWjgcCzMNRsRFHLPdT-hD3jfxg-9RgrFisNH_3l5_t4u0IDavnI80pZaDs/s1600/Andrew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPZtxtxpb1CXC6N7AJNRfnNyw2S7zJfA1p-ce_qjmCiSdHWXo3_8LQwygFl_600Y8ySYAKv5oGxrsF7f6UwtWjgcCzMNRsRFHLPdT-hD3jfxg-9RgrFisNH_3l5_t4u0IDavnI80pZaDs/s320/Andrew.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Family Picture</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIU7iGVfqCKf9k9EdTeNomj720zy4XCmPjXhBzHPhvwMNGux_N-Tq8qFsxuHEO3BDxWF4-0bb98HuqVo5izURfFZVpgyaZlznWeFPgFMvG1hBK6ryDu27JOSYYdyrHnNPiiscvSpni08/s1600/Andrew2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKIU7iGVfqCKf9k9EdTeNomj720zy4XCmPjXhBzHPhvwMNGux_N-Tq8qFsxuHEO3BDxWF4-0bb98HuqVo5izURfFZVpgyaZlznWeFPgFMvG1hBK6ryDu27JOSYYdyrHnNPiiscvSpni08/s320/Andrew2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Grammy and Andrew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytfeZUyhO3zb177Wt9yfkPygECUL4RIRq2NZkAaY7PtSBnnr5UCtv5zI5KNq3IP3Zml7ZprOyIZ59t2XdGnkOmyuDkDkjJGRnxtwa7S-IENQ2d_bME75RaTmrj36Q5Fd8IoQlebP1_e8/s1600/Andrew3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhytfeZUyhO3zb177Wt9yfkPygECUL4RIRq2NZkAaY7PtSBnnr5UCtv5zI5KNq3IP3Zml7ZprOyIZ59t2XdGnkOmyuDkDkjJGRnxtwa7S-IENQ2d_bME75RaTmrj36Q5Fd8IoQlebP1_e8/s320/Andrew3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Ms. Donna and Andrew</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0PdkwSA1ETZ3i5MdVnkXFieyJpMV1c1wX8ay2zj2n5dtEmnZIUBQw7ZVb1fqoJL-DAm4Y1M4dw-Gc6AfS-HZFpPGLXWlTpUdd_488r7Aw4yANLcybRjaQ3f00uWHCzcJrlihT0ocSoY/s1600/Andrew4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0PdkwSA1ETZ3i5MdVnkXFieyJpMV1c1wX8ay2zj2n5dtEmnZIUBQw7ZVb1fqoJL-DAm4Y1M4dw-Gc6AfS-HZFpPGLXWlTpUdd_488r7Aw4yANLcybRjaQ3f00uWHCzcJrlihT0ocSoY/s320/Andrew4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Andrew and his friends from school</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthDa_LZ-V9mds-wSN79Vg0AVZwBUkM0k44qqSRtUFc8yE9ElF3AO2HayVuldirq1JauuffLzGemyzd-rxL_7nKTskhNLRrMf7FV307B8fC52Clw-deOG36PhITWHys9DpVxe75rR0u00/s1600/Andrew5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthDa_LZ-V9mds-wSN79Vg0AVZwBUkM0k44qqSRtUFc8yE9ElF3AO2HayVuldirq1JauuffLzGemyzd-rxL_7nKTskhNLRrMf7FV307B8fC52Clw-deOG36PhITWHys9DpVxe75rR0u00/s320/Andrew5.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After the graduation ceremony several of us met at the fountain to let the kids play. We had a wonderful time and I met some really amazing people!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-89167220227987980232011-05-17T15:52:00.000-04:002011-05-17T15:52:47.990-04:00What the Furture HoldsSummer is finally approaching and I couldn't be happier. I want the warm weather to come and stay and I want to be able to relax and enjoy the time with my kids. Parts of this year have been amazing and other parts have been hard and confusing, but I am looking forward to the next chapter in my life. <br />
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Maiya is about to celebrate her 3rd birthday and she will be surrounded by those who love her the most. She will also begin her first year of preschool in the fall and hopefully a ballet class. <br />
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Andrew will start Kindergarten next year and is not quite as nervous as he was earlier (I think he is actually starting to get excited about it). He has been playing baseball and has loved it, so we look forward to the fall season.<br />
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My mom is still fighting hard. She has had several set backs and the one she is going through now is huge but I have faith that God will be with her and us each step of the way and she will end up on the winning side. <br />
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I don't know what the future holds for me. I do know that some of it is going to be sad and heartbreaking, but I also know that it is going to a fun and crazy ride. I look forward to it!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-86055766363808240702011-04-28T20:00:00.000-04:002011-04-28T20:00:18.996-04:00Easter FunAnother Easter has passed us and what a wonderful weekend it was! We started the weekend with a double header baseball game on Saturday for Andrew and then had a wonderful warm sunny day on Sunday. It was perfect!<br />
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Here are some picture from the festivities!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Maiya coloring her eggs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxVKXIWvFCAShiEb-GgV66D4p8NzMgAofIL2pe0xGIje1gtcX9ErdfU73G4cO-6mWiuQyNbre_y08a23qI0VtG6naRQs3fYZ2AA-ro3g1n0KHO0QBKddIzBN8POK_7qpGycf8YB_Vq6M/s1600/MaiyaEaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQxVKXIWvFCAShiEb-GgV66D4p8NzMgAofIL2pe0xGIje1gtcX9ErdfU73G4cO-6mWiuQyNbre_y08a23qI0VtG6naRQs3fYZ2AA-ro3g1n0KHO0QBKddIzBN8POK_7qpGycf8YB_Vq6M/s320/MaiyaEaster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Andrew coloring his eggs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW2zlJY2QAXdFPRAQfsSY_i-U7mgftN-CrmisVgDnYSxE3uJdRh1haKEg9L8eZC2hFNjTIUUL8kmceLk-AAdeYpzyQP8XUiX_KJhFamFCxTUIc0JRieOI8P745hB9vaKdIzThuTPmc3I/s1600/AndrewEaster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBW2zlJY2QAXdFPRAQfsSY_i-U7mgftN-CrmisVgDnYSxE3uJdRh1haKEg9L8eZC2hFNjTIUUL8kmceLk-AAdeYpzyQP8XUiX_KJhFamFCxTUIc0JRieOI8P745hB9vaKdIzThuTPmc3I/s320/AndrewEaster.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Leaving carrots and water for the Easter Bunny, each kid drew him a picture too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngRc-dRMsXe1Tenmu1icwor4hwR6xFmnmVaYb_pcxWifCgAHEyY_wBQeBTYfUKIa-xvgz6avMuWITK967-o4dS6PAeDbQqb2TbBZW8x9IhQFqWwbZfWbObKKDRQ6zqdWe4Gev_f9IbmQ/s1600/EasterEve.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngRc-dRMsXe1Tenmu1icwor4hwR6xFmnmVaYb_pcxWifCgAHEyY_wBQeBTYfUKIa-xvgz6avMuWITK967-o4dS6PAeDbQqb2TbBZW8x9IhQFqWwbZfWbObKKDRQ6zqdWe4Gev_f9IbmQ/s320/EasterEve.jpg" width="320" />.</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Aunt Tyler and the kids blowing bubbles </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ol0hw5ChY8MJewmVWu6ldvZw82lpfbUkT3ql0kEZd0QqtS7C9I3-Jk4qoWbULi4rByEO3Lwwx7crbc3Xn0Usy93Ne4ZRrcMWjTTaWPPiAHKz5yOPhzU_uj24Q12-MxDo1qCohBG1aPU/s1600/EasterBubbles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-Ol0hw5ChY8MJewmVWu6ldvZw82lpfbUkT3ql0kEZd0QqtS7C9I3-Jk4qoWbULi4rByEO3Lwwx7crbc3Xn0Usy93Ne4ZRrcMWjTTaWPPiAHKz5yOPhzU_uj24Q12-MxDo1qCohBG1aPU/s320/EasterBubbles.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Popop and his girl reading about princesses</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVmHc0x-6iPAUTsukcHt0vZOYgXfX7kifqbtOHWM583SSjCkjcKiL_79J3tOlFdrLWSLFVZuAUXhdoC-umatFDP91B7thLl6FiNqpj2g_kt9-Gs1AblY97zvcbbojmKPS_k37yWBpT7I/s1600/MaiyaPopop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVmHc0x-6iPAUTsukcHt0vZOYgXfX7kifqbtOHWM583SSjCkjcKiL_79J3tOlFdrLWSLFVZuAUXhdoC-umatFDP91B7thLl6FiNqpj2g_kt9-Gs1AblY97zvcbbojmKPS_k37yWBpT7I/s320/MaiyaPopop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Andrew, Daddy and Uncle Robert reading a monster truck book</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UmYYMBhgVdISevg0HEKMgmFaxlH3LmEPI9FLTpO5qev7PD3EnAwWz4D-wwfLQVwQmf2FpX72bh4OBKbf2MmkTOJHYOxvySUUHh48BrGiC2KNjf0qVHIDEoe_nP58daOkovjiGpz3CGc/s1600/TheFam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UmYYMBhgVdISevg0HEKMgmFaxlH3LmEPI9FLTpO5qev7PD3EnAwWz4D-wwfLQVwQmf2FpX72bh4OBKbf2MmkTOJHYOxvySUUHh48BrGiC2KNjf0qVHIDEoe_nP58daOkovjiGpz3CGc/s320/TheFam.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Tex being silly while mommy reads a book.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKi47Z63pxU1T4yswWIe3PO9CmaWWBJFgCO5A-SncVN07JfT9jm1ULDZkrLQLKmYobsbT0A5cCeOqRqz-pFaGs6qLYyhiYHbU1Gvr3zZljlkuMGpZXqGUgVlb8Kt9DIF_Ili0tnkgVj4/s1600/Tex2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuKi47Z63pxU1T4yswWIe3PO9CmaWWBJFgCO5A-SncVN07JfT9jm1ULDZkrLQLKmYobsbT0A5cCeOqRqz-pFaGs6qLYyhiYHbU1Gvr3zZljlkuMGpZXqGUgVlb8Kt9DIF_Ili0tnkgVj4/s320/Tex2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Tex wouldn't let me take a picture without the cup! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDTcO3ZgPT0NkyB_ctr-D2RPS1YYVRaXbqdh4TL-s6kvM3wlNBjsoaxOit5QGu90GSMyIYEKyRoOGT3qAEjfwEtwY3AJGsZKTxlg6UW29gL3n8mm_bijEtBJebSfDuXmRibcI8ROZRzE/s1600/Tex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcDTcO3ZgPT0NkyB_ctr-D2RPS1YYVRaXbqdh4TL-s6kvM3wlNBjsoaxOit5QGu90GSMyIYEKyRoOGT3qAEjfwEtwY3AJGsZKTxlg6UW29gL3n8mm_bijEtBJebSfDuXmRibcI8ROZRzE/s320/Tex.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-30606103100962265312011-03-18T08:03:00.001-04:002011-03-18T08:06:35.204-04:00A Leprechaun's VisitSt. Patrick's Day has just been another holiday that kind of came and went in our household without much notice by us until a friend shared with me and idea she read on another person's blog. The idea is having a very mischievous leprechaun come in the middle of the night and turn the house upside down and green. So there are a ton of things you can do but I decided to start small this year because I know with each passing year it will have to get bigger.<br />
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So this year our leprechaun came and turned my kids hair green, left leprechaun dust (green confetti) all over the floor in every room he had been, hung shamrocks from the ceiling on the stairs, put our kitchen table in our living room, put the chair on the floor the wrong way, silly stringed the kids rooms and hallway and left a tattoo on each kid.<br />
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Andrew is five and he never wakes up in the middle of the night well that night of course he did to get a drink and he saw the string and confetti all over the floor and at 4:30 in the morning comes running in my room at full force and volume screaming "the leprechaun came, he made a huge mess in my room!" That was the end of Andrew sleeping. So we came downstairs and Andrew couldn't believe what he saw. He has already started talking about building a trap next year to try and catch him. :) Next year I will do more like turn the milk green, tie shoes together, and other little crazy things. :) We had such a good time and all though there was a huge mess to clean up after the day was over, it was so worth it to see the kids have so much fun with it.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Coming downstairs in the morning</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2NyXazUN_evfKRM0ch0Bgy0KjHEZXSWPS2YAFaJAr1zeNJM_ErfZKcF-_nyUGDymwT0N0L-NgH2qyuZqW-8Vx4alMNd55rXiB0G2wmgjyZvf71YF-mHTT9_Zy2wTpAU47zF0SlPo7ig/s1600/Stairs_stpatty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic2NyXazUN_evfKRM0ch0Bgy0KjHEZXSWPS2YAFaJAr1zeNJM_ErfZKcF-_nyUGDymwT0N0L-NgH2qyuZqW-8Vx4alMNd55rXiB0G2wmgjyZvf71YF-mHTT9_Zy2wTpAU47zF0SlPo7ig/s320/Stairs_stpatty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Green Hair!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuDSuUifFywh9UeAO2V2aR4evHT31N2N95RvbD3wCRVlAa_Ri4xbKc3KXEV-N6w0WVNIKLaHEqfuNH70pjX_X_ECb9pY3XeF5MhH1BToPvEYG-lzq-2JuPQ7QC1BZ4IKdlrNPTFY55OE/s1600/Green+Hair.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuDSuUifFywh9UeAO2V2aR4evHT31N2N95RvbD3wCRVlAa_Ri4xbKc3KXEV-N6w0WVNIKLaHEqfuNH70pjX_X_ECb9pY3XeF5MhH1BToPvEYG-lzq-2JuPQ7QC1BZ4IKdlrNPTFY55OE/s320/Green+Hair.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Leprechaun Dust</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwV6mtW0cTiRknr0yPbF2T74A7gAjKAPAIRnoe5agVlDplmSJxDamYVs_qsAtWHrnq_R9sEOPJuHRyEWONryFeDFxrkdZ5940mZiznNEchFyE1Xdo7O1jbpK9vZXsbBcNYrYYCjGFntc/s1600/LepDust.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRwV6mtW0cTiRknr0yPbF2T74A7gAjKAPAIRnoe5agVlDplmSJxDamYVs_qsAtWHrnq_R9sEOPJuHRyEWONryFeDFxrkdZ5940mZiznNEchFyE1Xdo7O1jbpK9vZXsbBcNYrYYCjGFntc/s320/LepDust.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maiya's Room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMnYO212Ezlpe4K0_LCG7TQfwtBYeEKuMqS03a7V0sX6QB8Xhv8QC1upnx412tG2E91vC97n_vddPtxk6ZfDFZbQ4ghwjK-Y5uXlgsLOLCfFNoDX8JPEWkU1TKceHIVpfVob9whY2NKE/s1600/Andrews+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMnYO212Ezlpe4K0_LCG7TQfwtBYeEKuMqS03a7V0sX6QB8Xhv8QC1upnx412tG2E91vC97n_vddPtxk6ZfDFZbQ4ghwjK-Y5uXlgsLOLCfFNoDX8JPEWkU1TKceHIVpfVob9whY2NKE/s320/Andrews+room.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Andrew's Room</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMnYO212Ezlpe4K0_LCG7TQfwtBYeEKuMqS03a7V0sX6QB8Xhv8QC1upnx412tG2E91vC97n_vddPtxk6ZfDFZbQ4ghwjK-Y5uXlgsLOLCfFNoDX8JPEWkU1TKceHIVpfVob9whY2NKE/s1600/Andrews+room.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMnYO212Ezlpe4K0_LCG7TQfwtBYeEKuMqS03a7V0sX6QB8Xhv8QC1upnx412tG2E91vC97n_vddPtxk6ZfDFZbQ4ghwjK-Y5uXlgsLOLCfFNoDX8JPEWkU1TKceHIVpfVob9whY2NKE/s320/Andrews+room.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Kitchen Table in the living room</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxKXW1h3XH8khBNsjSkpYv1XkY0iTulYwzwYNJ60j3SltYbkxzMswPJJ7MLcbxAehd6Q_ykhEYFnGmtgSGUcNJHIh9ReeYnyWw5Jb4XyKO18Atc3Z0e4LEh9GkOYykz9cBWoM_T3ihho/s1600/Kitchenstpatty.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXxKXW1h3XH8khBNsjSkpYv1XkY0iTulYwzwYNJ60j3SltYbkxzMswPJJ7MLcbxAehd6Q_ykhEYFnGmtgSGUcNJHIh9ReeYnyWw5Jb4XyKO18Atc3Z0e4LEh9GkOYykz9cBWoM_T3ihho/s320/Kitchenstpatty.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-67981356692554095682011-03-14T22:45:00.001-04:002011-03-15T07:44:42.576-04:00Observing LentFor those of you who do not know I am Catholic and Lent has begun. With Lent you are supposed to give something up but for the life of me I could not think of anything to give up. I have done everything before so as I am racking my brain and it dawns on me that maybe instead of giving something up I should work on giving up more of myself.<br />
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I have been saying if for a few months that my faith is really growing with each passing day. I find myself praying more and more throughout the day and I truly feel my love and faith growing that I just get so excited. I am not saying that I am perfect because the Lord knows that couldn't be further from the truth. I am just trying to become a better me and a better follower of Christ. <br />
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<b>Matthew 7:24</b><br />
"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.<br />
<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-38043808548043542972011-02-21T21:17:00.000-05:002011-02-21T21:17:33.211-05:00When you know... ...you did the right thing!<br />
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Andrew started preschool in September and by the second week I knew something wasn't right. When he came home from school and I asked him how his day was he would say fine and nothing else. I would ask who he played with and he would simply say "No one. I played by myself." It brook my heart but inside I knew something wasn't right so I went to his teacher and asked her how Andrew was doing at school. I asked her if he was playing and interacting with other kids and she said yes that he is very happy. I told her that he says he doesn't play with anyone at play time after lunch and she said no he usually plays by himself but not to worry that is normal. I pushed all my feelings aside as me just completely over reacting and wanting to protect my sometimes "socially challenged" child.<br />
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After a few more weeks Andrew came home and said a little boy stole his juice box from his lunch. I couldn't believe it...really? Andrew being Andrew didn't want this kid to get in trouble so he didn't tell the teacher. The next morning I inform the teacher and she said she was sorry that she would watch to make sure it didn't happen again. Well the kid did try and do it again, but this time Andrew stopped him (this was after a long talk with him telling him not to let the kid take his stuff). <br />
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A few more weeks went by and it was becoming much more obvious that Andrew was not enjoying school like he did the previous year only I couldn't figure out why. He started telling me he was sick and couldn't go to school. He had no symptoms of being sick and I knew he was not telling me the truth so I told him if he was too sick to go to school then he had to stay in his room, in his bed, with no toys, tv or books. He did! All day that little boy stayed in his room and he was prepared to do it again the next day. What child would rather stay in his room all day then go to school? I sat down and had a very serious conversation with Andrew and he was crying and just said that kids were mean to him. I asked him who and he gave me two names. I asked him what they did and he said that they called him names and would poke and push him. So into school I go and talk to the teacher again. She moved one of the little boys away from Andrew and for a while that seemed to work. Sadly there were other signs that at the time didn't make sense. He stopped eating lunch, he wouldn't complete his work, he couldn't write his name, he wouldn't even practice writing or any other school work.<br />
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Then the day and moment I lost it! During the Christmas program as I am watching Andrew smile big and wave to us one of those little <strike>brats</strike> boys starts screaming in Andrew's ear. I can see Andrew telling him to stop and then the kids hits Andrew in the head. That was it for me and that was it for Andrew. I was not going to let this go on any longer. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do in that moment but I knew something was going to have to happen before Andrew started to hate school so much that he wouldn't want to go to Kindergarten next year. Luckily I had two weeks to think it over because it was Christmas break.<br />
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I had a stomach ache about this for the full two weeks but decided the only thing I could really do was take him out of that situation. I found a new school for Andrew. Now Andrew hates change and I really thought when I told him he was going to a new school (half way through the year) he was going to flip out, but much to my surprise he was so excited. I knew then that I had made the right decision. <br />
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Now that Andrew has been there two months I can say that my child is completely different. He loves going to school everyday. He gets in the car all excited and tells me tons of details about his day and how he now has friends and he plays with everyone in his class. He can now write his name and he writes it good something he couldn't do when he left his old school. The changes in him are amazing. <br />
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When I think back I want to kick myself for not doing this sooner, but I am glad that I did it. I am glad my baby didn't have to spend another day getting picked on and hating school. He eats his lunch everyday, he plays with other kids, he has friends, he doesn't "feel sick" anymore and most importantly he is happy!<br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-70714260365344988652011-02-13T08:07:00.001-05:002011-02-13T08:11:05.537-05:00Great GiveawayHi Everyone,<br />
I am hosting a great giveaway on my other blog <a href="http://www.pinkhippoboutique.blogspot.com/">Pink Hippo Boutique.</a><br />
I would love for you guys to come over and check it out and enter to win or pass it a long for others.<br />
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<br />
<center><a href="http://www.pinkhippoboutique.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://www.pinkhippoboutique.com/images/blog/125x125blogadbannerjpg.jpg" /></a></center><br />
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Thanks!<br />
<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-65770423516058239472011-02-08T22:06:00.000-05:002011-02-08T22:06:41.598-05:00A Slight SetbackWell my mom had a slight setback this week. She was admitted to the hospital yesterday afternoon because part of her incision is infected. They wanted to keep a close eye on the infection to make sure they could get it cleared up using a cream because if that didn't work they were going to have to go in and surgically remove the infected part. Luckily the cream seems to be working and they discharged her this afternoon. The bad news is they have postponed her chemo treatments which was supposed to start this Thursday. The oncologist said that once she starts chemo her body will not be able to fight off an infection and that she needs to be 100% healthy before they start it and it is just too risky. So we wait now for the infection to heal completely and then find out when her chemo treatments will start. <br />
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<strong>1 Chronicles 16:11</strong><br />
Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.<br />
<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1767935430035502576.post-72819629255055127842011-02-04T21:42:00.000-05:002011-02-04T21:42:01.081-05:00My MomAs some of you know we found out my mom had breast cancer the week before Christmas and then four weeks ago she had a mastectomy. I went to Ohio to be with her during her surgery and take care of her for the first week after. Although it was a long week I was really glad I was able to be there for her. I knew it was going to be emotional, but I don't think that anyone or anything can prepare you to look at your mother without her breast. <br />
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When it was time for me to change the dressing I knew it was going to be hard, but I wasn't prepared for the emotion that overcame me. I tried to keep it together for my mom, but it was hard and she saw me crying. In that moment all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around my mom like I did when I was a kid and cry. Of course I couldn't do that because in addition to her having just had her left breast removed, she suffers from severe RA and just touching her causes her so much pain. The amazing thing about mothers is they know when they are needed and I needed my mom just as much as she needed me. She let me cry and then I finished doing what I needed to do and we sat down and played Boggle. <br />
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I love my mom so much and I am scared for her. I know that God is with her and will help her get through this so I am leaning on Him during this time to get me through it also. Today she had the port put in because next Thursday she begins the second half of this long fight. She starts her first round of chemotherapy. <br />
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<img src="http://i777.photobucket.com/albums/yy60/LauraJaneDesigns/SweetTea/a32a7f1e.png" />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7