Yep- that's a snake!

I was headed to take a shower. I had gone into my room, and then back into the kitchen, and just as I turned around I saw something move on the floor. I looked, and was like "wow!
That sure is a big worm!"

Then I realized that this "worm" was a snake!! A baby snake!!

I wanted the kids to see it, so I found a mason jar, and got a long wooden spoon. I laid the jar down, and got brave... I got closer to the snake with the spoon, and it's actually hissed at me and kinda lunged towards me. I quickly got it into the jar and closed the lid.

I left the snake on the kitchen counter so the kids could see it when they got home from school. Lauren told me it was a copperhead. It's now outside.
Haven't seen any other snakes... yet!

Dentist!

When we 1st moved to Bryan, I took Josh to the dentist for the 1st time. He was 4 years old, and good time to start from what I had heard. The dentist I took him to was a pediatric dentist, and so therefore I was not allowed in the back. I wasn't thrilled about that part, but after the 1st visit, I was cool. The rest of the kids down to Krissy all went to Dr. Case. We really liked him. When we moved here, Lindsey started to go to Dr. Douglas along with the rest of us. He is one of the few dentists here in Ashdown. With Lindsey I didn't get pictures because I didn't think about it since I never got pictures before, but with Joey, I did thanks to my BlackBerry.

He looks so tiny in this huge chair!!

Being so brave getting x-rays!!

4 views even!!

Getting his teeth checked...

and cleaned by Miss Anne!

And looked again by Dr. Douglas. Unfortunately 4 small cavities in between his 2 molars on his upper right and lower right were there. So an appointment was set to come back.

So, 2 weeks later we came back to get them filled. Joey was not happy about being there.

And unfortunately he never did stop crying after the shot to numb his mouth, so he didn't get his cavities filled that day. He referred us to a pediatric dentist in Texarkana...

Lindsey is 7!

Lindsey turned 7 on February 2nd. Because her birthday was on a Wednesday, and that is a crazy night with church activities, we chose to have her birthday the 1st, or was it the 3rd? I can't even remember. I want to say the 1st because usually Shawn works Thursday nights. But whatever day it was, we celebrated Lindsey's day!!

She was super excited about her cake~ a Hershey's chocolate cake with Hershey's candy bar frosting, 3 layers even! I also can't even remember what we had for her dinner. I know she wanted hamburgers, but I think we did tacos. I am pretty sure because Shawn's brother, Jon came over, and he brought queso, so yes... tacos or something like that was dinner.

After dinner, cake and looking at all the cool things she got, she headed towards the back, and threw up. Yep... girl had an upset stomach. And now that I am typing this, we did have her party on the 3rd because it was Thursday, and snow was in the forecast. It snowed that night. She didn't have to miss school for being sick... it was a snow day already.

That was the day that Shawn left for work in the snow, and he slid off the road into the ditch, so he didn't go to work that day. Luckily nothing happened to his car. Miracle, considering the other bad luck he has had with that car.

Ramdomness

This is Lindsey. Look how cute she is! I want to say this is 2007. She is shelling peas by hand over on Mamaw's porch. This was before they started using the electric pea-sheller, that Lindsey got her hair snagged and pulled last summer. Lindsey is 3 1/2 here. So dang cute, even if she does have a large hairband elastic around her forehead.

One of Elder Miller's recent pictures he sent me.
I put this one on his Facebook. (And since I posted this, I forgot that I wasn't suppose to post this picture, but another one... oh, well!)

Blackberry season soon!! May-June-July!!
Submit your orders soon!!

I have also been struggling again with a few things. Is that normal? I often feel like a failure if I can't be perfect in everything! I know that is so stupid, but that's how I feel. I want to be perfect, have perfect children/family, want everyone to like me and my children, want the best schools, best friends, best life. I know not all of this will happen, not any of it. But I know I can try to be the best I can be, and do what is best for my family. As of now, I am ready to leave Ashdown and never, ever come back. I am also about ready to switch my kids to a new school district.
Hopefully I can by 2011-2012 school year.

And this is why I can't lose weight.

On February 12th, Shawn turned 45. I know, so old!! He had to work. I made dinner for us. Made him up a plate so he could eat when he got home. I also made him a coconut meringue pie. His favorite. It was really good.

On Sunday night, the kids and I made these sugar cookies. I had a few more batches that I also made up but not in the picture. These were for Lauren's & Kayley's lucky friends at school, and some for Krissy's & Lindsey's teachers, and a friend of each. We only had 2 cookies left with the frosting on it.
They were also good.

Being Valentines Day yesterday, and Shawn working again, I decided to make a special dinner for him when he got home. We both like the Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken, and this is what I made. I marinated the chicken in a roasted garlic & herb seasoning, and then lightly pan-fried it. Added a really good honey mustard sauce, bacon, mushrooms and mozzarella cheese. Also had a baked potato and salad. No dessert.
It was way good!

Knock on wood!

The mileage of our 2002 Chevy Suburban on February 12th.
We got it in February 2005 with 47,000+ miles.

The ties are staying!

The final 6 months are upon us all!! Can you believe my cute elder has been gone for 18 months now? He has!! Really!! And for the past year he has been in the Idaho Falls area, and transfers are in one week. He told me in an email yesterday that he hopes he stays because he has so much stuff that he would probably be sending some stuff home instead of taking it all to
his final and last place...

But the ties are staying!

His projected time home is August 10th.

"Go away Mom!"

Joey had his first Valentines Party at his pre-school yesterday. Because it's a private one, they can have all sorts of junk and homemade stuff unlike the public schools can. I made heart sugar cookies for it. I arrived a little bit before 10am to help set up, but I was late. I think every other parent was already there, and everything was done. Their plates were loaded!! Of course every child went after the mini-cupcake, Doritos, cookies, and Sprite. I went over where Joey was and knelt down beside him, like other parents were doing with their kids, and he leans over and says, "go away Mom" like he was embarrassed that I was next to him. Hmph!! So I went over to where some other parents were standing, and I asked him to smile, and he gave me his cheesy grin.

He was excited about his Valentine loot when he got home from school!! Couldn't wait to show the kids when they
got home from school.

This year was the first year ever that I bought Valentine cards with candy attached- Dum Dum suckers and Fun Dip. Only 3 kids left with parties. I do have boxes and boxes of cards from over the years that I have bought at 10 cents a box after Valentines Day. But I wanted to be a cool mom this year, and I was told to "go away!" LOL!!

Funny story: I probaby will hang on to these boxes of cards that I have for future grandkids. Some are of Sponge Bob and other Nick cartoons, some are geez.... I don't know. Just some of the current stuff, oh, like Hannah Montana & Harry Potter, etc... SO-- many years ago when I had Josh starting school, my youngest brother was about 11, and so he was done with Valentines Parties. Mom asked me if I wanted the rest of the boxes of her cards, and I was like sure. I got them, and man, SOME WERE OLD!! Like when I handed out cards in 2nd grade!! I saved them all, but continued to buy some for Josh until he was done with Valentines Parties. He was so spoiled. But then Lauren started school, and then Kayley, and so forth, and we would just take out that box of old cards and use them. We had quite a bit! I think it was my sister Holly who was at my house (while attending Texas A&M) one year, and we were laughing because we were like "some of the parents of these kids are my age (30+) and they are going to laugh because these were the same ones they got when they were kids! I dunno... it was funny at the time. Now I think I was pretty cheap. LOL!!

Silver Old Person's Car

Many years ago, and I wish I had pictures already on the computer instead of having to go find them and scan them in, I put Josh in a Mother's Day Out in Bryan @ the Church of Christ. It was called Son-Shine School, and he really liked it. I only put him in for 1 semester before he started regular school, as we had just moved to Bryan at the beginning of the fall semester 1994, and I didn't know anyone or any good place yet. He went with our neighbor's little boy. I want to say it was from 9-1p. I know he had to bring a lunch, and he thought that was so cool. I started Lauren at the St. Thomas Early Learning Center (?), for a semester and a half before she started school. I wish I would have left her in longer, but for location and price and hours it was, it was way to expensive. She tells me now she hated it, and had no friends, but who knows. I thought she had fun because she always seemed to have fun. She loved her teacher, Ms. Joon, and she always came home with the cutest things. So after that, I just kept having baby after baby. Haha!! The kids just played with each other, and I didn't have to worry about paying for anything. We did do some playgroups here and there along the way, and all had fun.
Joey, age 4. Starting his first day of school.

Well, in the fall of 2009, all started school except Joey. He still had 3 years left at home!! 1st year was okay... he pretty much lived at Mamaw's & Papaw's house, but not this year. They are always gone now for appts, or they are taking naps, and so I never know when he can go over, so unless they call to see if he wants to come over, he stays with me. And he is bored with me. And I give in easy now. "Why yes, Joey, you can watch TV all day, or play DS all day!" Boy, what a great Mom I have turned out to be!! For the past year or so, I have been hearing only great things about the little pre-school that the Church of Christ has here in Ashdown. Last week was the end of my rope! I got a hold of the director of it (friend on Facebook... easy!), and she said that he could start today. Kayley found him a small backpack at Walmart for $5.00, and I got him a package of Pull-ups. He just won't use the bathroom for me... another reason I was at the end of my rope!! He started today, and has been in the same Pull-up all day!! He told me he even went potty at school!! I am so happy!! I told Ronda (director) that I needed help with potty-training!! LOL!! Funny story: I had to fill out all the papers for Joey to start, and it asked for all the people who could pick him up, and what type of cars they would be driving. I didn't know what kind of car my in-laws drive, but I do know it's silver. So I put down their names, and put down "silver old person's car." I wonder if she laughed? I need to ask. LOL!!!!
So he started school, and can't wait to go back!!

Braces!

Several years ago, I took Lauren in to start orthodontic work. Because she still had many teeth to lose, but her top 4 were permanent, and a mess, they decided to treat those to at least make them straighter. I allowed it to be done, not thinking it was going to take every bit of the insurance orthodontic allowance!! I was quite shocked!! Braces went off, and yes her top teeth are straighter, and yes we got new dental insurance so we now have her $2500 allowance back, but we switched orthodontics.

I took Lauren, Kayley & Jacob in last week. Lauren has since lost all of her baby teeth (we had the last one pulled in November!), and so now she is ready for braces. Not this coming weeks appt, but the appt after that, she will get them on. This next appt is when she gags, slobbers and whatnot as she is getting molds... haha!! Kayley had 4 spacers put in at the last appt and the $300 appliance that she is getting on next to hold her molars together will come out of dental insurance, not the orthodontic insurance, which is nice. Jacob is going to be a hold different story, as his jaw is not aligned right, and he will be the most expensive yet, but not until another year or so. After thinking about it all, for the next 11+ years, we will have kids in braces and probably will have paid Dr. Kurt Anderson abt $15k!

Our diabetes story

In December 2005, 7 year old Jacob was diagnosed with diabetes type 1. I still remember thinking how dumb I could have been for not knowing, even though way in the back of my mind I knew something was wrong with him. For years, he just didn't seem well, and it bothered me so much, that 2 times since he was about 3 I had his blood checked. Of course, it was only the finger stick, but I didn't know. Some of the things that had me worried: pupils dilated ALL THE TIME, started peeing the bed about age 5 when he was so easy to potty-train and NEVER had an accident once underwear was started, not even at night, and would throw-up at odd-times- like Easter Sunday morning, or in Sacrament Meeting during the opening song, telling me that his size 6 slim pants were now to big. The thing that got me real worried on that December morning was when I walked into his room, and standing naked wasn't Jacob, but a starving malnourished kid. I about died. I sent him to school though. I tried to make a doctor appt (this was a Friday), but none was available until Monday. I went to his classroom since I was the room mom for the Christmas Party that day. I was talking to his teacher who started asking me a few questions, like "do you ever notice he goes to the bathroom ALL day (um, no... he usually doesn't tell me he has to go at age 7), he fidgets in his seat (um, no again, because I don't ever see him in his seat at school), and that he is always thirsty (that I did notice, and summed it up as he was drinking way to much and so therefore was peeing the bed). She then mentioned diabetes, and something clicked in my head right then. DUH!?! How could I have not known this? I looked at Jacob sitting by 2 of his friends, and Jacob was gray!! He didn't even look good!! Good thing the party was about over, because I immediately took him home because I wanted Shawn to look at him before he left for work. Shawn took one look at him, and told me to call the doc immediately. As I was dialing, I was like I can't get an appt until Monday... but as soon as I asked for an appt immediately, they asked if I could be there in 45 minutes. Away we went to Texarkana to see Dr. Green. He took a look at him, and sent us to labs immediately. 30 minutes later, my worse fears were confirmed... his blood was 880, and that he needed to get to Children's in Little Rock (2 hrs away) immediately. Why he didn't send him to ER or had him admitted immediately, I don't know, but away to Little Rock we went. As soon as we got to ER at Children's, Jacob started throwing up, and was starting to go into... shoot I can't remember... but like coma-type. Of course, they rush him back, and in 1 hour... 1 HOUR... my Jacob looked normal!! He was up, alert and pink. I started crying a bit because I hadn't seen him pink for so long (I thought he looked normal before until I saw him and his friends). We were admitted to Children's for 3 days. Fast-forward: insulin, shots, tons of daily checks. It was awful. I started my research on something easier. I found out about the insulin pump. Doc in Little Rock REFUSED to have Jacob start on a pump at his 4 month check-up... "It'll be 10 years before he will ever get on a pump!" What?!?! I told him of 3 year olds with them, but he wouldn't listen. Shawn quit working at St. Michael's, and went back to St. Joseph's in Bryan. Insurance paid for a doc at Scott & White in Temple. Again, I asked the new doc about an insulin pump, and he said, "you have to attend 6- 2 hr classes held every Wednesday here, both you and your husband." What the he//? Don't you know I live 6 hrs away!! And eventually, Shawn quit St. Joseph's, and started working for Willis-Knighton in Shreveport in 2007. At the first appt we went to, I told Dr. McVie I wanted the insulin pump, and I wanted it yesterday! He gave us all the paperwork, and told me to call the phone number. And so I did. I will love Dr. McVie for the rest of my life! Any doctor that does not start their diabetic type 1 patients on an insulin pump immediately is doing the biggest disservice ever!! 1 week before we were to have the home health nurse come to start it all for us, we couldn't get Jacob's blood sugars up. Nothing we did was making him get out of the low range (40-50). He was admitted for 24 hrs at LSU. He was dehydrated. Of course with LSU being a training hospital, we saw lots of soon-to-be doctors!! I think we answered the same questions 100x times in a 24 hr period! And so the insulin pump was started, and this has been our life ever since.
Here is Jacob about to get his pump infusion site changed.
He has just ran out of insulin.

He stops the pump, and removes it from the site.

He takes off the fake site-

and then the site with the needle.

The new supplies that we have to use.

Filling the reservoir with insulin.

After filling it and getting everything ready.

Reservoir attached to tubing and sites.

Finding a place to stick it.
The red dot is where it was the last time.

It's stuck with really sticky stuff
(the needle is now in)!

An the fake site is stuck on now too. The fake site
helps the real needle from being pulled out.

Attaching the tubing to the fake site.

And the pump is back on, delivering a drop of insulin every second!

He has also been tested for Celiac's Disease, and so far his results have been negative. Dr. McVie is going to test him again at next appt. I have read things about Celiac's and nothing I have read about really fits Jacob. I am hoping for the best, because if I have to change everything to Gluten-free...
I might as well die now!

Stinkin' Deacon

Back in October, October 14th to be exact, Jacob turned 12. I can't remember much about that day except that I took his picture here. I just asked him what kind of cake I made him, and he can't remember, and neither can I.
See why we should update our blogs more often?

Shortly after school started, he got his cornet.
He is pretty awesome in the school band. There are 4 cornet players and 3 of them are named Jacob.

This is the day Jacob was ordained a Deacon in
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Always a joke of being called a Stinkin' Deacon.

Miss Relay For Life Pageant 2011

Small southern towns = pageants for everything!! This year was the 1st ever Miss Relay For Life Pageant. All monies that were paid into the pageant, either contestants or audience was donated to cancer research. Lauren decided to enter this one, and do the talent portion as well. She didn't place in beauty wise, even though we all know she should have won,
but won in talent for her age group.

Playing "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera.

The girls in her group. The first one on the left won. The girl in blue was 1st runner up, and the 1st girl on the right was 2nd. Lighting was very bad except for Lauren (red) and the girl in blue (I think her name is Emily... or it could
be Madison, can't remember).

Lauren and her trophy for best talent.

Lauren really wants to model, or at least send her picture to a modeling agency. I have found a few- Ford, Kim Dawson. Kim Dawson is based out of Dallas. Call-backs are every Tuesday, so if I *were* to do it, it would have to be during the summer so we
can go without her missing school.
She is 5'8". What do you think?

And on Jan 25th, she got her official drivers permit.
She is so excited. Am I excited?!? Haha!!
She also landed a *very* part-time job with one of the flower
shops here in town. She starts Saturday.

SnOw DaYs, JaN 9-11

The snow started falling about 1:20pm on January 9th. It snowed hard for almost 5 hours, then off and on until the next morning. School was cancelled Monday and Tuesday, but kids went back Wednesday & Thursday, and they already had a scheduled day-off on Friday. Snow stayed on the ground until Saturday afternoon when it warmed up to the 40s-50s.
Front yard after 5 hours of snowing!

Krissy, Joey, Lindsey & Jacob trying to enjoy the cold and snow.

Lauren in the backyard.

Kayley in the backyard.

Snowman that was built on Monday.

Backyard after 5 hours of snowing.

Jacob

Krissy

Lindsey and Leo

Joey

Leo, Mex, Tex and Jacob

Shawn said this was the most snow he has ever seen here, and his parents have been on the land since 1971. It did snow last year, but nothing like this. Josh has been waiting for it to snow like this since we moved here in 2005, and only times so far have been the 2 times while he has been on his mission.