What to do....

A friend stopped by on Saturday and she was on her way to take her kids to the park. She wanted to see if our kids could go with them. At first I said sure but quickly remembered that my 6 year old was still in a cast and every park in town has sand under the play area. Kalysa has had lots of casts before and there have been times that upon removal, piles of sand have fallen out but this time there is an incision under there as well. An incision that we have never seen. I don't know exactly where it is or how big or if it is healing good or not. All I could picture is a cast full of sand acting like sand paper for the next 2 days and rubbing the surgery spot open creating a gaping, bleeding, nasty hole in her leg. I can't deprive my baby girl of a day at the park when we have started having fewer and fewer nice park playin days anyway. So, what to do.........

Grab a bag from a left over Sunday newspaper and the duck tape!! Duck tape fixes everything, right?! I put the bag over her cast and reinforced it with plenty of tape around the toe to ensure the bag did not rip and let the sand in. Then I tucked the bag around the top of the cast and taped it to her leg. There ya go! One perfectly sealed leg!

And one happy girl that gets to run and play in the sand with no worries!!

Don't really understand it but....

For some reason, boys LOVE this stuff!!


Boys THRIVE with it!!

They FLOURISH because of it!!!

No matter how old they are!!

Bubble Pizza

Ok, I have to admit that I am so terrible!! I found a recipe on somebodies blog and I wrote the recipe down but did not write the blog down. I tried the recipe and it was so good and so easy to make I just have to share. If you happen to have this recipe posted on your blog, please know that I did not mean to steal it and repost without giving you credit. Feel free to leave a comment and take the credit!

2 cans of biscuits cut up

1 jar of pizza sauce

whatever you like on pizza-I used canadian bacon, onion and green peppers

Mix all together and pour into a cake/casserole pan

Bake for 20 minutes then cover with Motzerella cheese and put back in the oven to melt cheese.

Is it good?!?

Thumbs up!!

...can't answer mom...eatin pizza...

Oh so pretty!

I am just amazed at the beauty I see in my little girls. I know that every mom feels that way about their daughters(or at least they should!) but some days I just can't stop looking at the flawlessness of there skin or the perfect shape of their lips. Kids are a glimpse of the perfectness that must have existed at creation yet we know that it was even greater than our imaginations will allow us to envision. I just thank God for allowing me the privilege of raising these beautiful gifts.

My sweet little angel with the dimples!


My pretty little mama.

I LOVE her curly curls!!

Being a little goofy!

Best of Friends!

Oink Oink

The pigs have been flyin and the swine has flew right on into our little world. EVERYBODY at church has been sick. There were only 3 kids in children's church Sunday and they usually have around 20(at least that is what I heard...we weren't there:( ). I am the only one in the house that has not gotten sick. Monty has been home from work the last 2 days and we have not been doing school. Everyone is feeling better now so things should be getting back to normal tomorrow. I can not say with 100% certainty that we have had the swine flu because we did not go to the doctor but I am about 99% sure that is what it was. My cousin goes to school with my brother John and my good friend's daughter, Gabby. My cousin did go to the doctor and she DID have swine flu. Gabby and her brother also went to the doctor and they DID have swine flu. John is at my house every morning before school and most days after school and he got sick. My friend and her children are at my house about every other day and they also go to church with us. With 3 confirmed cases of swine flu happening at the same time my kids and husband and my mom and brother and sister all got sick, well...you do the math. I am here to say that the news has really put a scare into people that is soooo not necessary! We had about 2 days with a fever, some headaches, a little nausea and then everyone was fine. It is not even as bad as the few times we have all gotten the regular flu in the past. There is a little bit of a lingering cough and I was told the swine flu attacks the respiratory system, but-Praise the Lord- it doesn't seem like anything too severe. I am so ready to get back into the groove of things. I am so ready to get back to church!! Tomorrow we are gonna start a new day and get back to the books. I am starting to wonder if we will ever be able to finish a full year of curriculum this year. So far we have gotten in one full week of school before something happens and we have to miss a few days just to be able to do one week again and then miss again. At this point we may have no Christmas break or spring breaks and maybe not even a summer break. I am so thankful for homeschooling because at this point my kids would have racked up so much homework that they would never be able to catch back up to a classroom full of kids that had to move along without them.

Love at first Sight

Fifteen years ago. Can you believe it?!? I know, me neither. I remember a time when I could not imagine being able to say "Back 10 years ago when we did...." but now it has been 15 years since I met my husband. Yesterday was the 12 year anniversary of our marriage. So, you ask, what was happening 15 years ago?

I was a shift manager at Taco Bell at the ripe ol' age of 21. It was fall, maybe September(not sure exactly) and I worked the night shift. When I arrived at work around 5 pm, there was a new guy on the line making tacos. "Ok, you've got your hat on backwards?!?" Yep, that is the first thing I ever said to my husband. On my shift I expected people to wear their uniforms correctly, no untucked shirts and no backward hats. You have to understand, I went to Perryton High school. We did not have uniforms but we had about the strictest dress code in the Texas panhandle. Of course while I was in school I griped about that as much as the next guy but now that I was older (ya know-all of 21 years old now) I appreciated the fact that when our school took trips for drama or band or whatever, you could always tell what students were from Perryton because we were about the only ones that did not look like a bunch of thugs so I carried that same philosophy into my job. Anyway...back to Taco Bell...So Monty, being a new employee just working a second job in the day, turned that hat around and he tells me now that is when he fell in love with me. After that things get a little fuzzy. Not fuzzy because I don't remember but fuzzy because the events all seemed to have happened so fast like within a matter of days. The next thing I knew was we were laughing and joking together, he tickled me ALOT, and he started coming through the drive through late at night to get a Mt. Dew on his way to work his other job (he worked over night as a manager at Mcdonalds and I guess they didn't have pop over there or something:)). We started telling everyone at work that we were getting married. They all laughed because we had seriously only know each other a few weeks(or maybe even just days) and had never gone out or anything. I remember talking to my friend Kelly about it and she asked if I was serious. I told her that even though I did not understand why, if he was serious I would have totally married him right then. One little problem was that I was kinda in a relationship already. It was a BAD one. There was some abusive behaviour involved and I had been trying to get out of it. I had already made plans to move home with my mom (2 hours away) to make a clean break and start over at the end of the month. One night I walked down to the payphone at my apartment building and called Monty at Mcdonalds. We talked on the phone until about 6am while he was working. The late night phone calls became a nightly routine and he finally asked me out on a date. It was October 8, just 6 days after my birthday, and he took me bowling and to an arcade (where he won me a cute little stuffed monkey) then dinner at Bennigan's (where he had them sing happy birthday and bring me cake) and then to a movie. We had been together almost all day and still were not ready for it to end so we ended up sitting in Mcdonalds parking lot and just talking until the wee hours of the night/morning (NO! There was not even 1 little kiss in case you were wondering!!). On October 14, on one of our late night phone conversations, he asked me to be his girlfriend. I explained that I was moving soon and long distance relationships usually don't work but he was sure that it would. I wanted to be sure that I was not just looking for a rebound guy but everything in me said that this was for real so I said yes. My last day at work was October 18 and he brought me roses. I took a vacation to Amarillo for a week to hang out with my best friend for a while and could not stop talking about him or thinking about him the whole time. When I got back to the city, I had about 2 days before my mom came to pick me up with a trailer for all my stuff. I moved away and we started writing letters and cards. I got a card almost everyday and I remember one day that I got 5 (of course I still have every single one of them in a notebook:)). We made each other a tape recorded letter so we could hear the others voice whenever we wanted. He did not have a car when I left but in January he bought a pick-up and drove down for a visit. He came every couple of weeks after that even if he was only able to stay a few hours. We did that until August when I was back on my feet, having paid off my bills, and able to move back to Oklahoma City. Three years after the day he asked me to be his girlfriend, we went to the courthouse and got married(it was easier that way since there was still some opposition from our families about the whole inter-racial thing). Well, now here we are...12 years, 1 mortgage and 3 kids later and I have to say....I LOVE that man!

Phenomenal Parents?!

If you read my last post you will understand that the week we just had was filled with struggles and trials for my children as well as me. Weeks like that can really bring a homeschool mom down and make ya start wondering why we are doing what we are doing. Is it really worth it and are we really getting anywhere? Don't ya just love it when God, in His infinite wisdom, knows the internal struggles we are facing and promptly sends reinforcement and encouragement!?! Now please know that I am in NO way trying to brag on myself or my children by telling this story but am trying to brag on my God and the love and grace He shows His children. I know who we are and know what we are as a family but hope that others will still be able to see Christ through us.
We went out to dinner as a family and had a very good meal. It was nothing special, just the 5 of us enjoying each other and some cheese enchiladas, no different from any other time we visit a restaurant as a family. Towards the end of our meal an older lady that had been having dinner with her husband a few tables away came over to our table and said...
Her:I just wanted to say that the 2 of you must be Phenomenal parents.
Me:(giggle, giggle thinking "who is she talking to?!")Well, thank you mam but trust me, we are no where close to phenomenal!
Her:You have Beautiful kids and they have been so well behaved the entire time you have been here. Normally, when we go out, the restaurants are filled with kids from you know where and you don't see kids behave this well. You guys must be doing something right so I say that you are phenomenal parents.
Me:Well thank you so much! (blush! blush! because I know myself and I am NOT a phenomenal ANYTHING and especially not a phenomenal parent in the least!!)
So, just when I start to wonder if we are getting anywhere and if the extra work and headaches are really worth it, God says "your on the right track!" I know that homeschooling does not automatically produce well behaved children but it most definitely does produce closer family relationships which in turn affects the behavior of all involved. Homeschooling is a lifestyle change that we have made as a family as we do our best to honor and obey God. Without that one act of obedience to the Lord, I know the other parts of our lives would be out of line. So come Monday morning(not too early!) I will be happy to start a new week of school. I CAN put last week behind us and I KNOW that it is all worth it. Yes we ARE getting somewhere. No where close to phenomenal but somewhere none the less!

Homeschool update

Just a little bit of advice-if you are gonna have 1 full week to get school started before you have to take one full week off (for surgery or otherwise).....DON'T START YET!
We were all getting antsy because we had not started school so we started the week before Kalysa's surgery. We had a full week of really good school. We were expecting to have about a month of rehab and were planning to do school in the hospital but, Praise The Lord, we did not have the therapy so ended up just taking a 1 week "fall break". This week we have been trying to get back into the school schedule with much resistance.
Monday was Keslee's day. She does not learn the same way that Kenyon and Kalysa do. They both learned to read seemingly instantly with little to no instruction. After they learned the letters and the sounds they each make, it was just natural for them to put them together and blend sounds into words. For example, Kenyon could read just about anything you put in front of him after he finished Kindergarten. He read the entire big Dick and Jane book in a day and decided to read through the Bible around second grade. He did not DO it but he started and read several chapters in Genesis without help. Kalysa can read about 1/2 of an SRA card that is listed as 7th grade reading. The problem that she has is that most words are no problem for her but she will have no idea what she just read. You can ask her questions about the story and she will not know the answers. With Kalysa, we really have to work on reading comprehension. Keslee, on the other hand, struggles and has to sound out each word except for basic words and most common sight words. She constantly has to say to herself or be reminded of rules such as silent e or y can say "e" or "i" but when she reads something she usually remembers what she just read. It has been a constant struggle trying to be sure that Keslee does not feel like she is "behind" or that Kalysa is "smarter" than her. Well Monday she spent the day in her own little pity party. Kalysa finished her entire reading assignment before Keslee had finished her 1st page and the tears started. We had to take time out and get lasts years work out and show her just how far she has come. Concrete evidence that she HAS learned a lot and come a long way on her reading brought a few smiles to her face but each word she did not know instantly brought the water works back. This made for a long and exhausting first day back from fall break!!
Our week progressed from there and Jacinta had to take her turn as well. Several times she had to prove to us all that she really is a pre-teen 12 year old girl with raging hormones and the mood swings and attitude to go with it! Not that any of us ever doubted that fact but she proved it none the less. It doesn't help anything that I am just her big sister and therefore obviously more fit for bouts of sibling rivalry than respect of those who have rule over you.
Not to be outdone-Kenyon had to have his turn. He has convinced himself that he HATES writing and was committed to the cause of convincing me of the same thing. He ended up taking about 2 hours to complete a paragraph explaining who Adam and Eve were and why they were kicked out of the garden. I told him that he would have to get used to writing because we will be having at least 1 writing assignment a week. It did not help matters any that I said that without looking at my lesson plan and realizing that we had another one the very next day! I am convinced and committed to the cause of convincing HIM that he will learn to LOVE forming his thoughts and then putting them down on paper!
So if you were wondering why I have been quiet on the old blog for a while, there ya have it. Not an easy week on the homeschool front but we made it through and actually got most lessons done and even are a little ahead in math. Next week will be better! It has to be....right??!!

Trip to Shreveport photos

SUNDAY EVENING-ARRIVED IN SHREVEPORT

Daddy at the motel. Of course he had to first check the remote and the cable tv. Yep-they worked just fine.


Kalysa at the motel getting a little nervous.

Talking to Keslee on the phone

MONDAY MORNING-ARRIVE AT THE SHRINER HOSPITAL

At one of the the hospital play rooms, Daddy and Kalysa played a Winnie the Pooh game.

Then she rode on the most beautiful rocking horse.

Mama and Kalysa took some time to build at the lego table.

We all had a blast with this touch screen video game. There were about 8 different games to choose from on this screen.

We also had to meet with lots of different people on Monday to prepare for the surgery. One of them was Tammy the child life expert. She talked to Kalysa all about the surgery and what to expect. She had a book that showed pictures of another little girl at each stage of the process(not actual surgery but IV and gas mask and doctors wearing masks etc) so nothing would be a surprise to her. She got to use some equipment on a teddy bear (blood pressure cuff, thermometer, gas mask, stethoscope).

Then Tammy and Kalysa put casts on the bears legs.

Kalysa got to keep the bear and she named him Bossier because our motel room was actually in Bossier City. Here he is resting with Kalysa's special blankie on her bed while his casts dry and harden.

Grandma, John, Jacinta, Kenyon and Keslee came Monday evening and Kalysa was more than happy to show them all around the play areas. Kenyon had to try out the Mario game on the Nintendo 64.

Keslee and John spent some time on the old time Mrs. Pacman/Galaga game.

Grandma had to take her turn and challenge Jacinta to a game of Mrs. Pacman.

Keslee had to try out the carousel rocking pony.

Ready for bed in her "nurse clothes" other wise known as a hospital gown.

TUESDAY-SURGERY

Surgery was at 7am and only lasted about an hour. This is her being wheeled back to her room after about 45 minutes in recovery.

Checking her vitals and she first saw her cast. She had told me on Monday that she was planning on getting a red cast. During the surgery a nurse called me in the waiting room to see what color to use because they forgot to ask her before she went under. These people payed attention to EVERY detail and every thing is for the kids.

Still kinda groggy but she wanted to color some pictures with Keslee. There was a beach party going on in the main lobby for the kids so Kenyon, Jacinta, John, and Keslee got to go to it for awhile so Kalysa slept off the anesthesia. They played ping pong, painted, made necklaces, ate popcorn and watermelon and more. Kalysa got a goody bag from the party since she did not get to go.

Always the mama- Keslee feeding Kalysa some ice chips.

WEDNESDAY-GOING HOME!

Kalysa and daddy had to catch up on some early morning cartoons while we still had access to cable tv.

Shriner Randy drove us home.

As soon as we made it home, she had to open the after surgery gift the hospital gave her. It was an interactive puppy that we can program with her name and it talks and grows. She named her Melinda-after the nurse that was with her most of the time. About an hour after we got home, mom made it back with Kenyon and Keslee and within 30 minutes after that, Kalysa decided she was ready to do some walking on her own. She got up and walked on her cast and by the next day(Thursday) she was running up and down the hall playing with Keslee. She has had so many casts with the botox treatments she has had in the past that they don't slow her down at all. Apparently cutting a muscle in her leg isn't going to either. I have MADE her take her pain medicine when I see her starting to wince as she walks but it has only been about once a day-in the evening and not every 4 hours. She is one tuff cookie!! She amazes me.