What a morning...

It's barely 9:30, and so far:

• Stormie has tee teed in the floor of my bedroom (what the?) My bad, b/c she was pitching a fit and all I did was shush her from my warm, cozy bed.
• Sam has had two spankings b/c he refuses to listen.
• Jake has emptied the moss from around one of my plants in the dining room... green moss EVERYWHERE - I had to remove his clothes and vacuum around the dining room.
• While I was doing that, Sam and Jake dumped the dog food, Jake ate some, and they emptied the tupperware from the cabinet... it's all over the kitchen floor. Took the vacuum on into the kitchen - wish I could vacuum tupperware!
• Jake just got into the moss again (I got to him before it got TOO bad... still all over the floor) Why am I on the computer?????
• Sam has now overturned the gates that protect the T.V.
• Sam has now gone poopie... Jake went in and unloaded the toilet paper...
• Jake is headed for the moss again!

SERENITY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH! BJ and the kids carved pumpkins last night! So cute...... had to stop midway through and put them in bed because they were a little TOO much help!Jake playing...

Sam helping...


Sam playing...Sam's pumpkin..."Jake's" pumpkin... with the Tiger paw. Hmmmm...... looks like I'll need to get three pumpkins next year!!!!

Sam's Dress-up Day at School

Today, I went to Sam's school for "Dress as your favorite book character day." Basically, they dressed up for Halloween, but since it's a Baptist Church, they don't celebrate Halloween!!!! =)

Here is Sam's class all dressed up:There was a little girl dressed up as Minnie Mouse!

So this one she was smiling, the last one Sam was!

All of the classes paraded around the halls for everyone to see. It was so cute!

I was there for a couple of hours, so I got to experience part of Sam's school day with him. He was actually a little clingy, and kept asking if we could go home yet. Bless his heart! I hope he's not that way when I'm not there - actually, I know he's not! He certainly is an observer, though. He's not one of those that jumps into the thick of things. He would rather stand in the back and watch all of the other kids jump and sing and dance. Foreign to me, because at home he's almost uncontrollable at times (OK, a lot of times!). Wonder if he's just shy? He talks one-on-one, but when the teacher asks a question, he is not the one that will answer for the group. Come to think of it, I'm pretty much that way... oops - sorry Sam!!!!!! =)They cut open a pumpkin and felt the insides...

I left about 45 minutes before class was over because Sam was getting to where he just wanted me to hold him, and I wanted him to participate in class. He cried when I left (tore my heart out), but I did it - I left and he was just fine once I was gone. The trick is just making a clean break. No hanging around once you announce you're leaving!

Mimi, Pop Pop, Jake and I went back to pick him up. THAT made him happy! He and Jake are both worn out and are sleeping... whew!!! Jake had a fun play date with Mimi and Pop Pop. He's so cute reaching for them and snuggling his little head into them. He loves them so much! Smart kid!!!!

Visiting CHOA

In just a week, I have so many pictures/stories!!!! The Day out with Thomas, the Zoo and pictures from Sam's class will have to come later (TONS of pictures of those)... I am most excited about what we did/where we went Tuesday evening!

This past Tuesday, we visited Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Specifically, the Cardiac ICU where Jake spent so much time. I wondered if it would be emotional, and honestly, I was focused on the task at hand and not emotional at all while we were there, but thinking back on it and even glimpsing little babies in those 'beds' with all those wires and tubes, the emotions are still pretty raw. In all honesty, I really don't want those feelings to ever go away - and I doubt they ever will - because it's those raw emotional twinges that make me that much more thankful for my HEALTHY and NORMAL little boy (both of them! =)! More to come about why the normal is added into that equation in my blog about our trip to the zoo!

Sam and I baked birthday cakes to take up to the hospital... one for the day shift and one for the night shift (thanks to Lyndsey pointing out that the night shift tends to get left out of celebrations.... we COULD NOT let that happen!!!)

There was a vanilla for the day shift:

And a chocolate for the night shift:

I know, cheesy but witty, right? Sam was my big helper as you can tell! Just for the record, I had already removed the bowl with the cake mix... Sam just helped himself to the beaters!

He got so into it... this was taken just before he fell of the ladder - face plant on the floor. It's only funny b/c no one got hurt!!!! But it was stinking hilarious!!!

I am kicking myself for forgetting my camera when we went to the hospital! We went to the CICU and saw a few of Jake's nurses, Dr. Samai and a couple of Jake's other doctors. It was great to see them under happy circumstances, and they are always to happy to see "why they do what they do." Because Jake is a perfect example of "why." They deal with sick children all day everyday, and it's so heartwarming to see the results of their hard work. Jake performed quite well for them! He gave Lyndsey kisses and talked up a storm to them. He really wanted some balloons that were in there! Lyndsey took Sam to the break room to get him a piece of cake (he HAD to have one since he helped make them), and he was so funny carrying in out all by himself! He was SO CAREFUL!!!!???? Jake ended up eating more of it than Sam, and everytime Jake took a bite, he would look at BJ and give him this devilish grin and giggle!

We were able to hand in our donations that we collected at Jake's birthday party, and that was SO AWESOME! It felt great to be able to give back.

After visiting the CICU, we walked through the gardens where they have tons of pumpkins all over. Sam sat on most of them announcing that I needed to take his picture... all I had was my cell phone, so I have lots of pictures of Sam on pumpkins on my phone. Hopefully I can figure out how to get those onto the computer!?

Then we went to at Kids at Heart Family Dinner. It's designed for parents inside the hospital to meet parents that have already been through what they are going through. I only met one woman, and she was really weird... sorry to say! She just told me (very loudly) how all her doctors told her her child was going to die. Even when she was in labor. The child didn't and is now 22 months old. Sounds like she needs a different doctor. I (quietly), when I could get a word in, informed her that I did not have a negative experience like that at all. She didn't get the picture and wouldn't leave me alone... Later on, whe proceeded to put her child on a leash - need I say more? Then a speaker talked about forming a committee to be over the committees. Yep, it was that informative. She kept using Irritable Bowel Syndrome as an example (we were eating, mind you - and cracking up too). Yeah, we left, sure didn't stay for the whole thing. It didn't help that our kids were beginning to go NUTS too!!!!!!

I was able to take a couple of girls that I mentor at church along with us. They realized WAY before I did that that lady was putting her child on a leash - I thought it was a monkey back pack with a really cute (long) tail on it... oops! It was awesome for them to be there with us, and for them to see where we were and what we were experiencing (somewhat) when Jake was in the hospital. They are both such good girls, and it was fun to spend some time with them... it was like having a couple of babysitters along with us too! I wonder if anyone thought they were my daughters (they're Seniors in high school)!!!

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, and I can't express how full it made our hearts feel to go up there again. We have said from the beginning that Jake's condition and experience would not be in vain. We're not going to keep quiet about it. It is such a God-Story, and we're spreading God's Word as we go through every step of this. It may not have been pretty at times, but we have always kept at the forefront of our minds that God has a plan and a purpose for all of this. If one person can come to know Christ because of Jake, then it will be a win for us! But we're not going to stop. Every little thing we can do to 'piggyback' off of all of this, we're going to embrace it and go with it! It sure is a lot easier knowing that we have such a happy outcome, though. I'll be honest... not knowing how Jake would be, or if he would even be here at all, sure did make it really hard when we began this journey. The good news, though, is that this is only the beginning!

It's My Right...

So, it's my blog, my opinion... I'm not holding back!


I have the smartest child in the world! (And you thought it was going to be a political opinion!)Having a smart child offers a challenge as a mom most days, but it sure does make us proud! No - he's not been classified as 'gifted' or anything like that... just by his Mommy! Let me explain...


I had a 'regular' teacher's conference Tuesday with Sam's teacher. They 'run them through a few various tests,' and rate them on their understanding/knowledge. There are three categories, and Sam ranked the highest in EVERY ONE of them! That's my boy! A couple of examples of what he had to do was, he had to name 10 different objects, shapes and colors... got them all (OK, so the crescent shape is a moon and the oval shape is an egg - but that's still right on!) He is the only child in his class that is potty trained (he has been for 8 months now); furthermore, he is the only BOY she has EVER had in her 2-yr-old classed that has been potty trained in her past five years of teaching! (She's been sprayed a few times!!!) He is behaving well, and participates in songs and rhymes (I'm surprised). He also interacts with the other kids (I'm shocked). Sam's teacher calls him "Mr. Serious" because he's always thinking and taking things in. He'll stand to the back and just observe all the chaos around him. Far cry from the Sam I know (and love) at home - running all over Jake and pushing his way into my or BJ's range of attention!!!! Nonetheless, I just needed to brag - and be 'that mom' that thinks her child is brilliant because he knows a few shapes and colors and can tee tee in the potty ;) I'm hoping this is just the first of many good reports of Sam, but, just in case, I need to brag while I can!!!!! =)


Last weekend, BJ, Daddy, Bo and Jen took Sam to the airshow at Dobbins Air Force Base. Sam absolutely LOVED it, of course! He wasn't really a fan of how loud it was, but that only became an issue as he got tireder (is that a word?). He still talks all the time about it... the loud jets, the quiet orange helicopter, the 'smokers' (the planes that blew smoke), the fire that came out of the planes (!?), the by-planes, Bo, Jen, Pop Pop and Daddy! I think everyone enjoyed it!


While the boys were off at the airshow, Mama and I took Jake for his one-year pictures! They turned out better than I thought they were going to... but, they WERE of Jake, so they would NEVER have been bad!!! (Sorry I haven't 'edited' them yet!)

Jake didn't get to smash his cake at the party (too messy), so we did it for the pictures!

OH - and Sam's latest funny story: He and BJ were doing 'man work' on BJ's car, and Sam was playing with his box of acorns. He dropped an acorn into a hole in BJ's car (didn't see that coming), looked at BJ and said, "How am I going to get that acorn out of here?" HAHAHA! It's there forever!!!! =)

Sam got sick on me yesterday afternoon (literally ON me - what is it with my kids and puking ON me? I'm the good guy here!). He has puked a couple of times and has been running a fever. He seems to be feeling better today - no puking - but the fever is still hanging around. We're hoping he's feeling good tomorrow, because we're going to see Thomas the Train!!! Then Boo at the Zoo on Saturday!!! (Then we have a couple of weekends 'off' - thank goodness!)

Absent Blogger...

So I've been an absent blogger of late... October has been a BUSY month! Birthday parties PLUS Jake's HUGE birthday bash, airshow (this weekend), Thomas and the zoo (next weekend), BJ's mom visiting (last weekend FOR Jake's b-day... first time she's seen Jake!), school, play dates.... need I go on? The good news is that I am the 'catch-up blogger' type, so I am posting pictures and stories from the last few weeks!!! Get ready - it's a long one!

Here are a few Sam and Jake stories to catch-up:

• Sam is constantly saying SOMETHING that makes us laugh! One of my favorites is him saying/whispering, "Thanks" when we give him something or do something that he asks! I'm so excited that he 'has manners.' The most exasperating is that we are CONSTANTLY asking him to add 'maam' or 'sir' behind his 'No's' and 'Yes's.' He absolutely REFUSES to do so! Mama has had the most luck b/c she 'threatens' to withhold prizes (come on - she's the GRANDMA... like she is going to withhold ANYTHING!). You can even ask him, "What do you say to Mimi?" and he says, "Yes maam, No maam." But she STILL has to correct him or ask for it. We get yes or no, but have to BEG for the maam or sir!? Geez.... he IS a man!!!!!
• Sam called BJ into the playroom the other day by saying, "Come here Dad! It's an emergency!" I don't know... it wasn't an emergency, but GREAT that he knows to SAY that it's an emergency now!?
• As Jake was getting over his cold (that lasted for a month - the mucus anyway), he would puke when he got choked on his mucus. YUM! Of course it was always after he has eaten. Me, being the good wife, when BJ was going to keep the kids one Saturday morning for me to run a few errands, I offered to stay a bit longer and let him get his shower. Well, Jake puked ALL OVER ME while we were playing. I sent Sam up to tell BJ that I needed help (I couldn't get up b/c Jake and I were COVERED and puke was STANDING on us. Sam went upstairs (after a FEW promptings) and said, "Jake puked Dad." At least he got it out, but I had told him to tell BJ that Jake had puked and that it was an emergency! Why won't he say it's an emergency when it really is???
• Sam's favorite thing to do when he's 'bored' is to walk around saying, "Mmmmm.... what do I need? Is there something special here?"
• Lately, counting to three has proven to be an effective method to get Sam to listen and obey. I wanted him to get downstairs one time and started counting. I got to two before he started down, but as he was 1/2 way down, he turned and POINTED his finger at me and said, "Do NOT get to three Mommy!" HAHAHA!!! I didn't - he was being a good boy and listening!
• BJ was pulling the car in and Sam opened the door, so I was yelling at him (from the toilet - yes, mommies take potty breaks too), but jumped up to make sure Sam wasn't running out into the garage - he wasn't... he listened for once. I ran back to the bathroom b/c I had left the door open and Jake has two kinds of radar (stairs and toilet). Jake had already ventured into the bathroom.... and I am ashamed to admit that he was in the toilet..... with my USED toilet paper in his mouth!!!!! YUUUUUCK!!!!! I washed him really good, but what are you to do? At least it was just tee tee!!!!
• Jake says a lot of things now... mainly he repeats words you say. I suppose he has heard "uh uh uh" one too many times (you know - that stern 'uh uh' when you're trying to get them to understand to STOP what he's doing? Usually accompanied by MANY "no no's") Jake now tells me "uh uh" when I buckle him into his car seat!!! It's rather endearing... for now!!!!!
  

Pictures...

Jake's birthday party was a BLAST! We really enjoyed our time with friends and family - it really went by way too fast. It seems as soon as we got it all set up, it was time to tear down again!Jen and Bo were awesome to get there early and help set up. We put them right to work!!! =) Our neighbors own/work for a sign company... they did this banner for us, and it was AWESOME! (If you ever need a sign/banner, let me know and I'll send their # to you!)Sam helped put the drinks out...We had two big picture frames with pictures of Jake from the last year, two photo albums (with over 400 pictures), a board with CHOA and Red Cross stuff, a donation box, and a book made where I had edited and printed all of my care page entries. It really turned out great... I'm really excited about the book - I spent weeks working on it, and am so pumped to have it to give to Jake one day! The center pieces were made with suckers sticking out for party favors (Mimi made those.... lots of time in those!)Jake hiding from the wind (the only problem we had was the wind - couldn't put out all the table cloths, and it kept blowing our decorations over!). This is his 'sweet ride' from Mimi and Pop Pop... he LOVES going for walks in it!With the wind, Sam took it upon himself to hold the balloons... as long as there was a sucker in his mouth!!!Silly Uncle Bo!!!Too bad part of Jen's face got cut off.... this is such a cute picture!!!!Love this picture of BJ and Jake!Matt... poor thing! As soon as I handed Jake over, he started crying!? Matt was funny, though and ended up making Jake laugh!!!Mark and James live on our street... the three amigos! Checking out the suckers with Jen!

Hanging out with our friends! Everyone was so great making Jake the center of attention! And he took it!!!! ;)I hope James got cake!!!?????Ooooo.... Jake LOVED his cake!!!!This is Jake's typical 'open little birdie mouth' when he really likes something! If it's not filled in an ample amount of time, it's accompanied by a LOUD "AH!"Uncle Brandon and Mandy were there too! They played with Sam and hung out with Jake!

Emily and Jennifer are in my small group at church. They are so awesome... and beautiful!!!Dr. Samai came!!!! (Jake's cardiologist) We felt SO SPECIAL and HONORED that he was there! This is his girlfriend, Emily. Super sweet - both of them!

After the party (and naps... Lord, we needed naps), it was like Christmas morning! We asked for donations to CHOA (which we got over $600), but our super-generous friends also brought gifts! Sam pretty much laid claim to all presents, but he and Jake had a blast opening them all!You can tell Sam had just woken up!Uncle Brandon and Mandy got Jake a Mickey plane. He LOVES it. But so does Sam. Sam told me that HE NEEDED the new plane and Jake could have his "old Pooh plane." So generous.BJ's mom brought Sam a Mickey costume for Halloween! He was so cute in it... white gloves and all!I think I'll be putting the gloves on frequently... this is how he held his hands the whole time they were on! Too funny! A few days later, I asked Sam if he wanted to put on his Mickey gloves. He said, "Yes. But don't put the overalls on me mommy!" Hope he'll decide to wear them later on... we have three events to wear it to!!!!Jake at his banana 'all on his own' for the first time in the midst of presents!Our little family!These are just random pictures...

Don't know what Sam was up too, but his mouth is so funny!!!Jake is ALWAYS eating it seems (snacks anyway)!Typical... Sam's on the move - Jake's eating!They're watching TV I suppose!?No mother of the year awards here.... that's a nut from Sam's toy toolbox in Jake's mouth. Oops! Took the picture and removed it from his mouth - promise!Too Cool! Actually he hated the glasses, but it was funny to me and BJ!

Whew! Marathon blog! Need to be better about keeping up!!!!