Last Monday August 2nd the kids started back to school. Britt is now a junior, Austin started high school in the 9th grade, and Hunter started kindergarten. They all had a great first week, however Hunter complains that school is to long. He has learned how to spell "red" and is so eager to learn how to read, he tries really hard. Stephen and I were able to take him to school for his first day and it was bittersweet. I originally had school, but lucky for me my instructer has a 5 year old little boy that started kindergarten as well so she delayed school for an hour. Hunter was so excited he could not wait to get to school. He rode with Daddy and they talked about school the entire way and he could not wait to get there.

His super cool mystery machine lunch box

A few words of encouragement from Daddy as they walked in to school.

Hunter has been in school since he was 2 so I should be use to this, right? No, I still got weepy and shed some tears. As Stephen told Hunter's teacher, it's always harder on Mama than it is Hunter. He is so right!

Hunter and his teacher Mrs. Wilson. He is going to have a really great year. Both of his teachers are super nice.

Austin looked handsome as ever, of course! He is at the age now where clothes matter....and brand names matter. He is all about the girls now and looking good for them. He is so funny and we are so grateful that we get to spend everyday with him. He has grown into such a compassionate young man with a hysterically funny sense of humor!

By the time the boys got home it was after 4p.m. and they had a long day. I sure was glad to see both of them home!

My summer vacation is quickly coming to an end. Last week Stephen and I decided to take the kids on a road trip and had checked into several different locations. With the funds being low we did not have a whole lot to choose from, therefore, we ended up in Cherokee, NC and made our way back down through Helen before heading on home. While in NC Stephen and I played a little while in the casino and took the kids whitewater rafting. We had an amazing time must I add. It was Brittaney's first experience on the water and I was a little apprehensive about her paddling abilities because she tends to be a little, well a LOT lazy! I must say we were pleasantly surprised. She and I managed the front of the raft while Hunter kept the cooler in the middle and Stephen steered from the back. Austin was on his own in a fun yak until we stopped down the river for snacks and drinks and at that time he and Brittaney traded boats. Once we got loaded back into the raft and started down the river again it was hard to keep up with Brittaney. She looked like a pro in the fun yak, and her Daddy was worried for no reason, she did great!

While in Cherokee we went to a petting zoo, did a little shopping, played in the creek, and had the kids ole time pictures taken. They turned out so cute and the kids actually had a good time dressing up. As we got ready to leave Friday morning I had to go to the laundromat to wash clothes because I did not know if we were going to spend the night somewhere else. Stephen, Hunter, and I went to the mat to get clothes washed and once they were put into the dryer Stephen and Hunter rode down the road to the fireworks store. I sat behind talking to the lady at the mat hearing her Jerry Springer story. Stephen calls me and quickly tells me " go look outside me and lil bubba are getting into the helicopter". So, I walked outside and waited on them to fly over. It was a short trip, but it was Hunter's first trip in the air and he loved it. Stephen said that he was scared at first, but did great. He was excited to be able to wear the head phones and be able to talk to Daddy. The clothes finished so we headed back to the hotel to get packed up and head towards Helen. Britt dropped Stephen and I off at the casino to play our $40 comp tickets that the casino had sent us. We were down to our last $20 and he called Britt and told her to come and pick us up. In the meantime, he told me "let's go to the $5 machine and put it in". I was not happy about that because I knew that we were going to blow our money. The first spin I did, and of course I lost! The second spin I told him to do to see if he had any better luck than I did. Of course, he hit triple seven's all the way across and won the jackpot! To bad we only played two bets and not three because we would have hit for more money, but I was happy with what he won because it paid for our trip. The kids came and picked us up and off to Helen we went.

On our drive towards Helen the scenery was absolutely beautiful. We were making our way through the mountains and headed UP the mountain...our headlights were facing towards the sky. Brittaney being the genius that she is says "Daddy are we going up the mountain or down the mountain?" Keep in mind she is an A & B honor roll student. If I had to choose I would rather her have book sense then common sense though. She did give us a good laugh. We finally made it to Helen to tube the Chattahoochee. It took us about two hours to float down the river, but it was definitely more work than rafting. Britt and I stayed together for most of the trip and Stephen and Hunter were tied together. Austin would occasionally run into Britt and I or Stephen and Hunter. As we made our way back to the car we changed into our dry clothes and it was off to the go cart track. Stephen and the kids rode the go carts while I took pictures. Hunter was actually able to drive the cart with Stephen and he was in heaven. He said "I been wanting to drive for years". We finished the evening with a great steak dinner at the Safari Steakhouse and then it was time to head home. Stephen and I wanted to sleep in our own bed, it's just not real comfortable sharing a queen size bed with a little boy who has to sleep under his Daddy's shoulder.

We had a great time and shared so many laughs that we will never forget. One of my main goals as a mother is to give my children memories that will last a lifetime and Stephen and I did that with our trip. We can not wait to go back next year! Now summer is coming to a close for me because I start school on July 12 and the kids go back the first of August, but I think they can say that they have had a great summer!

Thank you Jesus!

Life has been great the past two weeks. Brian graduated high school on May 29Th. There was a struggle the past two years, but I knew that he could do it and we are so proud. Then on June 2 my niece Stevie gave birth to an 8lb beautiful baby boy named Aidan. I was able to drive up to Delaware on June 3rd with my Mom, Britt, Hunter, and Trevor to visit with them. The last time that I have seen my sister and her children were 4 years ago. My niece gave birth on Tuesday and graduated on Saturday with a 3.8 gpa, great job Stevie! It was a great visit with them and I loved reminiscing about the past.

As I was driving up on Thursday around 1:45 p.m. I got the call that I had been waiting on for years now. I was accepted into the nursing program. I was not expecting to start until October because my advisor said that there "are so many students applying". I was accepted with the understanding that I had to pass the drug competency test which was today. My nerves were going 90 to nothing because I have not taken the math for meds class since summer of 2007 and was afraid that I had forgotten everything. I took the test this morning and passed! I could not get out of the classroom fast enough to call my husband to share the great news with him. Now classes start on July 12Th and that will be the beginning of my journey.

My sister in law (Stephen's baby sister) is due any day now with our new nephew Maddox Seth and I am anxiously awaiting his arrival. I can not wait to have a little one to spoil rotten. Also my neighbor Michelle (who is like my little sister) is expecting a boy any day. What blessings God has given me in just two weeks and I am forever grateful. I feel as though I need to wake up from this dream that I am living any moment now. I am one lucky woman and have the most amazing husband, family, and friends to share this with. Life is good and all I can say is Thank You Jesus!!!

My Mother's Day

This year Mothers day was great. I woke up to breakfast served to me courtesy of Stephen and Hunter. Then Brian had given me a basket of roses, azaleas, and some greenery with the sweetest card. "Happy Mother's Day Thanks for everything Love Brian" so sweet. My inlaws came over for lunch and when we were finished eating Hunter was so excited and wanted me to check out something on the back porch. When I walked out there my bicycle was waiting for me. I jumped on and went for a ride. It was really funny to see me...a large girl on a bike. I wanted it for that purpose, to ride with Hunter through the neighborhood and to possibly lose some weight. I thought all I was going to get was the peace lilly that I had picked out earlier when we had went to Wal-Mart, boy was I surprised! I ended the day with my Mom and took her Mother's day gift which was some flowers because she has such a green thumb.

Last week Hunter had his tonsils and adenoids removed on April 19Th. This past week has been really rough on him because he has been in a lot of pain. My heart has hurt for him and the best thing that I could do for him is to hold him. He was such a big boy as he headed into surgery. Stephen and I were as honest as we possibly could have been. We did not want to scare him, but we also wanted him to know that this procedure was not going to be pain free. The morning of surgery we had to leave the house by 7:30 because he had to be at the hospital at 8:30. He could not have anything to eat and could only drink a sip of water. The entire way to Macon we talked with him about the surgery and answered any questions that he had, which were not many. Once we made it to the hospital he was great for about 30 minutes and then he started complaining that he was hungry. In order to occupy his mind and keep it off of his tummy we walked outside, down the halls, to the bathroom a couple of times, and he had his socks on so being the great mom that I am I let him run and slide on the marble floors. I was willing to do anything to pass the time and prevent him from being anymore miserable that what he already was.
We made our way to the second floor about 9:45 am and my heart was in my throat by now. Hunter was still holding out strong. They performed all of the pre-op procedures and answered any last minute questions that Stephen and I had. The anesthesiologist came in and was extremely thorough with us regarding the medications that he was going to use on Hunter. Through out everything Hunter's only concern was 1) he did not want to have any needles and 2) he did not want to stay at the hospital a long time like I had to. Once the questions were answered he was allowed to go next door to the play room and play until it was time for him to go back. He drew a picture of Mommy, Daddy, and Hunter and Stephen got a kick out of the picture because Mommy had a very large head! The nurse came in shortly after to administer versed to Hunter so that he would not have a hard time leaving us. He has never had surgery before therefore never had versed. Stephen held him and they watched Stuart Little together until the nurses came in to answer any questions about the OR. I knew it was time when I saw one of the nurse's put a blanket down in the wagon and I wanted to cry then, but I held strong for Hunter. Stephen layed him down into the wagon and we walked him to the double doors and they stopped and said "OK Mom and Dad this is where we say good bye". Stephen and I kissed Hunter and told him that we would see him in just a minute. They told us to expect 45 minutes from that point so we looked at the clock and it was 10:45am, so we started timing it. We went to the waiting room and ate some crackers and a drink and I checked my watch 11:12am and Stephen looked up and said "I know that is not the doctor that fast". Sure enough Dr. Griffin came to tell us that Hunter did well and we would be able to see him shortly. We had just enough time to sit down and the recovery room called for us to come back.
When I turned the corner and saw my precious baby laying in the bed upset because Mommy and Daddy were not there, I could not make it to him fast enough. It took a little while to get him to calm down because he woke up without us, but once he calmed down he did great. They tried to administer the IV in his left arm, but apparently could not get a good vein so they went into his left ankle. He was not concerned with the IV, he wanted the red oxygen light off of his finger. That was funny. On the way home he was hungry and wanted some macaroni and cheese. Stephen ordered some and he decided that he did not want that, so he just settled for some sprite. Once we got home he ate macc and cheese, a popsicle, and an ice cream sandwich. The rest of the week proved to me miserable for him though. He knew that he had to drink drink drink and that is exactly what he did.
Last night his scabs fell off and he almost choked on them. He was eating chocolate ice cream and went to swallow and they started to go down. He freaked out a little, but once I explained to him what they were, he was fine. Today is the first day that he has gone with out taking any pain medicine and he has done well. His entire classroom sent him get well cards and he was so excited to read each one.
I went for my 6 week check up on Thursday 4/22 and everything was healing great. Stephen and I both have said that we hope we are done with the hospital for a long time. Now, it is time to get back to our normal life.

3 weeks today

Today makes three weeks out from my surgery and although I am on the healing side, I still have a way's to go. I feel so much better than I did two weeks ago, but I still hurt, I am still uncomfortable, and I am still miserable. If it sounds like I am whining...well yes I am. I feel as though I have become a cry baby in my old age. Especially since surgery, I have had two episodes where I have just cried to Stephen that I can not take anymore and being the wonderful man that he is, he just wiped my tears for me and gave me a pep talk.
I can do laundry, dishes, wipe down counters, cook dinner, and sweep sometimes. Things that I still can not do is vacuuming, mopping floors, sleep on my side or stomach, scrub tubs and showers, pick up anything heavy, sleep all through the night, and there are more that I will keep to myself. I am on the upside of recovery and I am very grateful for that. I can drive with the help of the kids (scary, I know) but if I do not have to drive then I will let someone else do it for me. Brittaney came this past weekend and chauffeured me around, and it was really nice being able to spend the entire weekend with her.
I am a very independent person who relies only on myself. Having to rely on my family for help has been really hard, and I encourage them by telling them " only 3 more weeks". I never knew that I would hurt so much. It is funny how the little things in life we take for granted. Just to think I use to complain about cleaning up. Once I'm completely healed, spring cleaning here I come. I will not even complain...well until the cleaning gets old again. Ha, I will just remember this time where all I can do is move from the bed to the recliner and I will shut my mouth real quick.

My sister's family lives in Delaware because my brother in law is in the Air Force and is stationed there. My nephew Drew (Brian) is 18 and graduated high school last year and went straight into the Air Force, so now his journey begins. He got his orders and will now be stationed in Valdosta which is 3 hours from our house. I am so excited because he will be close to us and his grandparents. So, last night he spent the night with us and had to report this afternoon at 12. Hunter loves Drew so much he is always talking about him, so when I told him that Drew was coming to spend the night he was so excited and said "he can sleep with me". It was a short visit, but well worth it. I had to snap a picture of him in uniform before he left this morning.

At noon today Hunter had his Easter egg hunt with his class and I was able to attend it with him. The walk from the school to the football field (where the hunt took place) was way to long for me, but I sucked it up and kept on trucking for my little man. I was able to stand on the hill and watch him and when he saw that I was there he was so excited. After the egg hunt was over I checked him out of school early and we went to the grocery store to pick up a few things. Hunter was so excited that he was going to be able to ride on the little hoveround cart with me. Brian met us at the store once he got out of school so he was able to pick up the heavy stuff while Hunter navigated us through the store. We finished up and headed home and on the way home mine and Hunter's conversation went like this:

H: "Mommy I'm so glad I come home with you"

M: "Hunter I'm so glad that you came home with me to you have been such a big help"

H: (loudly) "Mommy wait wait slow down"

(as we get over the bridge)

M: "Hunter what is wrong"

H: "member that bridge shakes your belly"
M: "Aww Hunter you are so sweet, it does jiggle Mommy's belly"

So as we get into the subdivision I said to Hunter "Hey how about giving Mommy a kiss since I checked you out of school early and he replies "I have been waiting on that" and I said "waiting on what?" and he says "A kiss from you Mommy". He just melts my heart all of the time.

Once we got home Hunter unloaded all of the groceries...even the heavy stuff as I put away the groceries. By this time I was feeling some pain so I took my medicine and Hunter and I crawled into my bed and snuggled in for a afternoon nap.

Then tonight Stephen shaved my legs for me. I feel like a new person. My surgery was 2 1/2 weeks ago and I have not been able to shave (nasty!!). I bought that smooth away, by the way works really good, thinking that would help him because he was scared he would cut me. Tonight he called me in the bathroom and said "let's get it done". He used my real razor and shaved away. The bottom of the bathtub looked ridiculous once he finished. Hunter finished up the job by putting lotion on my legs. My boys are awesome! Thanks guys so much, I sure could not have survived surgery without you.