Thanksgiving

We decided that we would drive to Georgia and make a surprise visit to my aunt. Her son helped plan the event. He told her that he was bringing 3 fat friends to dinner to get her to buy a bigger turkey and for her to cook more food. We left at midnight to drive down. Now RTJ (john self appointed name for when he is driving places) ( RTJ stands for Road Trip Johnny, and yes he makes us call him that!) was in charge of the driving since my back was in spasm and I had to lay down in the back of the van. We rented so movies and packed up the van with blankets pillows and even a few mattresses for comfort. So off we were and we made great time and arrived at a waffle house at about 11 a.m. just outside of Atlanta. This was my fist time at a Waffle House. I have to say is was quite yummy! We rearranged the car and got ready to see my Aunt. She lives about 30 min outside of Atlanta.


We got to her house and knocked on the door and she was very surprised to see us. It was a great meal and a nice visit. We then went to the Hyatt in Atlanta since I had free night certificate that could use so we stayed there and had free breakfast.



After breakfast we took the kids with my aunt to the Coca-Cola factory. It was fun after they forced us to sit through a MEGA FREAKY movie. I as still trying to figure that one out! I can't even explain it. The funniest part was when we went to the tasting room. It is where you can try all 72 Coke products! You should have seen Anna & Austin's faces when we told them that they can have as much soda as they want! We were really fun parents that day. After leaving Coke we got trapped in Atlanta trying to get onto 75S but we could only find 75N but that is par for any trip with Marianne. I love her but I have way too many road trip memories with her in them! Pensacola Beach FL still eludes us.....Flipper, garnish, banana juice, and cooler water.... what a trip!

We finally made it out and had a nice dinner together after having to buy 2 tires for our van! But we had a great time. It was great hanging out with my Aunt. I love her a lot and have many things to thank her for. She taught me how to cook and gave me the confidence to know a woman can do anything! (except go into the military). She has been great to me and she loves my kids and I had such great times visiting her and the boys all over the country!

We stayed at her house until about 4 a.m. and then we left for VA to see my other aunt and cousin. RTJ was in charge of driving again. He is such a great man! We arrived at my cousins house about 11 a.m. and got to see Aunt Dorie and Uncle Bob . I wanted my kids to see my oldest Aunt. Aunt Dorie is now 72 and she is my oldest living relative. We don't have great genes on my side. They have not changed a bit they looked wonderful! We had lunch with them and they we off back home to GA. We stayed with Sue for dinner and laughed about our childhood the kids had fun with her kids and we left for home about 9 p.m.

With RTJ back at the wheel the kids and I hopped into the back for another movie called Chestnut. It was really funny. The kids fell asleep and we got home about 4 a.m.

Our dogs were very happy to see as and I was glad to be back in my bed. I know John was too. He was awesome. I cannot believe how he can drive like that and not go nuts! He is so good at doing boring stuff. Thank RTJ for taking me and the kids to see my family!

Another Nutcracker over...

And there are no deaths to report. This year was much better for me since I was not in the dressing room. I wish I could say it was drama free but that was not the case. It still was better than last year! I just wish parents would think! We are the adults here!!! Anyway here are a few clips from youtube.... Amber is usually in the bottom right corner

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMBER NICOLE (JULIETTE)

This is her last year before she becomes a TEENAGER! Wow how time flies. I still remember the day you were born. How beautiful you were and HOW BEAUTIFUL you are now! How you grew so fast I will never know. You are such a hard worker and a great kid. I love you so much and pray for you everyday. Stay good and remember everything you have learned so far!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA JOSEPHINE

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Another year has passed and Anna is now 6. In that time she has gotten taller and she lost that baby face. She can ride a bike, tie her shoes and she has begun to read. She has made us very happy and proud to have her as a child. She is so sweet and loving and smart. I am so blessed to have her. I love you Baby Gal!

Welcome Home

Praise and Thanks to God for letting us bring home OvO. A big thanks to all our friends and family for your thoughts and prayers. Also thanks to the great staff at the Vet hospital at Penn. Thanks Dr. Steinberg!

OvO is at home and resting quietly. He is very happy to be home and is sitting with me now with his head in my lap! He is on very restricted exercise so he spends most of his day in his crate. Thank goodness for the pain meds he is on since they knock him out cold! It is such a nice sight to see him sleeping!

I think I will color his skin where the hair was shaved bright colors and take him out for Halloween as a quilt!

I will keep you posted on his progress...

Name change may be needed...

The kids and I went downtown to visit OvO today. We were very prepared to see him hooked up to tubes and to be laying down pretty drugged up. Well to our surprise the doctor walked into the room with OvO on a leash! He is already up and walking! I could not believe it. The kids were so happy to see him. He looked really good considering everything her has been through. I brought him some ham for a treat and he ate it up! That made the Dr. happy. He came up to me for an ear rub and I happily rubbed away. They think he might be able to come home tomorrow and OvO is already prepping himself for the trip.. He ripped out his chest tube this afternoon! If he does come home he will have to be on very strict crate rest. No ball fetching for him!



I guess the worst part of it all is the damage to his fur! I think we may have to call him Patches for awhile.



I called my mom to let her know that she and OvO now have something in common....
They both belong to the zipper club! Maybe I'll get them matching tee shirts for Christmas
(and no she didn't think I was very funny) (I did)(hehehehehe)















I do need to print a retraction to my earlier blog. Dogs actually have 6 lungs not 4. There are 2 on the left and 4 on the right. Which is rather amazing that his problems were on the left because the right side is better a adapting and compensating. The Doctor said at the end of the surgery they could see the right lungs expand and move over to the left to start taking over. How cool is that! God is amazing and I thank you all for your prayers.

OvO update...

Hi all,

We got info about OvO. He had surgery and he did well through it. The problem is that they had to remove both sections of his left lung. (dogs have 4 lungs) (you learn something new everyday.) They only planned on removing the lower left lobe but due to a congenital defect in his lung both left lobes had to be removed. They were not happy with having to do that. Also the section they had to remove did not appear to be a bulla (a cyst like lesion). They are unsure to as what it was. They say it is not cancer which is good. They are testing it to try and figure it out. So I guess it is okay news that he survived and they say he can recover and live a normal life with one lung. I just hope and pray that he is okay. I get to go and see him tomorrow. Please keep praying for him and us. He is so missed at home! My live in babysitter is gone. I now have to worry about the kids in the yard and when I take Adam to school. I even get a little nervous at night without him her to protect and guard us.

Just as a side note since this is the second most asked question as of late.......

YES HE IS STILL ALIVE!!!!! (& down to 1 tooth)

Puppy Prayer

Dear Friends and Family,

I am asking everyone to pray for OvO. He is very sick. He is in the hospital with a Spontaneous Pneumothorax. He has air in his lungs caused by a thing called a bulla which is a cyst like thing on his lung that burst and put a hole in his lung. He will die without surgery. All you who know us and have met OvO know that he is such a great dog. Please pray for him and our family. We love him a lot and do not want to lose him!

House Rules..

Our house has many rules. Although not all are always enforced as much as we should except 1:

"One of the 4 children has to make me laugh at least once a day or they have to go."

Austin was so funny as a toddler that we went and had Anna! Now it is Anna's turn.

Here is her latest and I still crack up just thinking about it.

After church on Sundays we usually go out to eat. If we don't go out we will go home and eat. We have never failed to feed the children. They seem to not remember that little fact. So as we were leaving chuch on Sunday they all started asking if we were eating where we were going to go ect. Now being sick of hearing them all whine and complain about where we were going to go John told them that we were not eating today that we would be fasting. They of course asked what that was so John said it is when you don't eat and pray everytime you get hungry.

Without even missing a second we hear Anna....

"Dear Jesus, Please bring us some food. and please don't forget the drinks"

We laughed for miles!
Kids are truly and gift from the Lord and I am so thankful for mine!

Move over Websters

I have decided to add some definitions to the dictionary or at least some further explanation of words.

My first word or words has to do with the first week of school or a glimpse of how hell's entrance test might be.
SCHOOL SPORTS: (noun, verb) A way to make a happy excited child depressed and angry.
run kids like crazy for days force parents to pay extra for physicals and force DR's to see kids then tell them that they
don't make the team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! then giving a reason for cuts....missing first day of tryouts due to ones
physical not being up to date even though the form says that the physical is good for 12 MONTHS. Which leads to my
next word.


12 MONTHS (frame of time): Any period of time not necessarily 12 actual months it could be 2 if the "Administration" feels
like it and we don’t really have to tell you it is not actually 12 months. Just assume it is not and get a physical every
month just to be sure.....

TEENAGER: (noun,verb,adjective,explictive) Have you ever just looked at the word? I see other words ANGER is one! I also
can see EAT,NAG, & ENRAGE? Please comment on this blog if you have a TEEN and you have felt any of these. Also
respond if you have heard these questions from this so called person....Where is my backpack? What?
OKAAAAAYYYYYY....???? I dunno! HUH? I forgot. Also respond if you wanted to kill said teen if only you could find a
place for the body! .

.
SCHOOL: A place a children goes and feel it qualifies as a full days work and he/she should not have to do a thing at home,
including homework.
HOMESCHOOL: A guarentee of insanity at some point. But also makes children feel as they have a done their "work" and do
not have to help out at home either


Wheeeww I almost feel better.

Back to school!

WOW summer is over! Where did it go? I know some call them the lazy days of summer but I can't seem to agree. I also don't agree with the kids going back to school being a fun and great relief as some parents feel. I really hate it. As you all know I hate getting up in the morning! Why do they have to start so early anyway! 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. is a great day. On top if the whole morning thing I still have 3 kiddos at home with me so I don't really get a break. I am not complaining about that part since I choose to keep them instead of shipping them off to the school from the movie Matilda! but I thought you would all like to hear how my first week went!




On Monday night I get Adam ready to go. He has enough supplies to start school but not what the "LIST" from the school has requested he have to start school. I REFUSE to buy anything on that list until I receive written conformation from the teachers that he WILL use ALL the materials that they have requested. I am so sick of buying everything that they ask for and at the end of the year they have only used 12 pages in the notebook! And what is up with having to buy PAPER for ART!!! SO SILLY! So Adam went to school the first day with last years binder and some pencils and lunch! I dropped him off and that actually went very smoothly (there happened to be 0 clueless people doing drop off this morning) After returning home I woke up the rest of the clan and got them moving (they were NOT HAPPY.)

We set ourselves up in the dining room and Austin went to the Kitchen. I was teaching Anna and Austin kept interrupting and bugging us. BOY this is going to be a long week! We did manage to finish and chill for a bit before I went to pick up Adam.

I pick him up and he informs me that he is NOT going to try out for football! After I finally agree to let him play ! Of course ask him why and he tells me because tryouts start today! Can someone with higher intelligence please explain to me HOW IS A PARENT SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT TRYOUTS START THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?! IT is not posted online nor was a note sent home in the back to school packet that was full of scrap paper. (here is a money saving tip for the PTO....SAVE A TREE!) How am I to know that my kid needs cleats, and work out clothes ect for the first day school!!!!!!!!!!! HOW RETARTED!
So with that little tirade... He says that he will try out for soccer! That starts tomorrow. Another question for those of higher intelligence.....WHY would anyone start sports the first week of school? Isn't it enough that these kids are now getting up early and trying to get things organized that they don't need to run around for 2 more hours a day and worry about making the team! WHATEVER!

So we run home and get ready for the whole day to start all over again! I will post more about day 2 later since I need to go teach some kiddies