Bye-bye Brenna!

We are sad to say good-bye to our niece, Brenna. We have enjoyed her presence for the past three weeks. It has been a wonderful time of 10 year old fun, loving on cousins, and being beach bums at the "shore".

Here are some photos of the past week or so. It has been a blessed time and we wanted to share.

Bronx Zoo

Bronx Zoo

Click on the picture above and it will LINK you to a web album of our day. Choose the slideshow on the web album page to see a nice little clip of all the pics!

We had a great day at the Bronx Zoo with our Niece Brenna today! What a gorgeous zoo! It was full of wonderful exhibits that I could tell the animals really enjoyed and it was just a massive zoo with plenty of shade for the zoo-goers! It is definitely everything I have heard about this zoo and much, much more!

It cost a pretty penny to get in to the zoo. The four of us cost $108, but we could have just adde d$42 more and got a family pass for the whole year to all five NYC zoo locations and the aquarium. It was tempting, but we had to pass for this year.

The kids are all tuckered out and fell asleep as soon as the car got on the highway back to Jersey, but it was definitely a good tired!

A Video from PreK Promotion

Okay! I don't have sound to this but you gotta watch it just for the facial gestures that Gideon makes! In no way could he be related to me! LOL! I was the mundane kid for school performances...NOT! I guess the apple don't fall too far from the tree!

First Futbol Feat!

Gideon had his very first soccer practice tonight. It was so precious watching these four and five year olds learning their drills at various stations. Too cute, really!

Gideon was doing some weird movements while we were waiting for the session to get started. I asked him what he was doing and he replied...

"Mom, I have watched what they do before soccer matches before and this is how they warm up!"

So here is what he was doing!

My son is just adorable. That is all I gotta say!

I'll post more pictures in a little bit of the practice itself!

How Fun Can a Latex Glove Be?

How can you make a little boy's day and bring big smiles?

Bring out a medical latex glove that you swiped from the E.R. from your last visit.

Shhh! :)

Then you stretch it over your boy's head.

This might take a few tries; make sure he leans into it!

And, Voila!

Chicken Boy is Born!

And One Happy Boy is Created!

He was definitely acting silly once this was on his head!

Bawk! Bawk! Bawk!

Too Funny!

As a side note, Gideon, Maia, and I were out running errands yesterday.

It was downpouring when were about to drive into the parking lot of the grocery store.

I prayed a little prayer out loud.

"Dear Lord, please help us find the perfect parking spot so Maia does not get too wet. Amen."

Gideon sees an open parking spot that is pretty far away and announces that he found the spot Jesus wants us to have.

I see it and I tell him that I am not so sure that is the "one".

Gideon then says that this is the one Jesus wants us to have and we need to be thankful for what the Lord has provided us.

Out of the mouth of babes. I took another look at the parking spot with new eyes.

Even though it was very far away from the entrance to the grocery store (five stores down might I add), but now I see that it really is very close to the front of the plaza and we can run pretty quickly to shelter.

I announce thank you Lord Jesus for what you have provided.

"Yep!", announces Gideon "the perfect spot; thank you Jesus!"

Officially a Kindergartener

This week we attended Gideon's PreK Promotion Ceremony at Calvary Academy.

It is so hard to believe that our little boy will be attending Kindergarten this coming year. It just seems like yesterday I held him in my arms for the first time or I cut his little locks from his head while he sat in his highchair. Boy, time has flown.

I know that most parents can identify with these statements. As a child I heard my parents say similar comments, but could not truly understand what they were saying until now. The months and years sift through my fingers like sand. I cannot hold onto them as much as I like.

I try to be a parent that relishes each moment and truly enjoys the little things of my children. Because of this attitude, I feel that time has been a bit slower for me than it could have been. It has been a real treat to be Gideon's momma and I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity I have had with the my son these past five years! It has been a wonderful experience.

While I was driving Gideon and Maia around today. Gideon was feeding Maia a bottle in the back of the car and she started to giggle. It was a fun sight to watch my Gideon's eyes light up as she continued to belly-laugh at him. I asked him if he was getting a kick out those giggles and he replied..."Mom, you have two adorable kids don't you?!?" Yes, I do, Gideon! But I definitely have one amazing young man blooming before my eyes!

Gideon walked down our apartment hallway after his ceremony this week and announced...

"I am officially a kindergartener, aren't I mom?!?"
"Yes, you are, Gideon!"
"What does officially mean, mom?"
"It means that you really are a kindergartener, Gideon."
"Yes, I really am!"

Yes, you are babe and I couldn't be prouder!

Ladybug Says Boo!

Maia wasn't herself yesterday.

She woke up limp and clammy.

We decided to head to the ER just to rule out anything serious,

especially with her special heart.

Of course by the time we arrived at the ER

She was back to her normal happy-go-lucky-self.

Before we left the house, her pulse was 174, in the SVT range,

but while we were at the hospital,

She was in her normal range of 130's or so.

Oxygen levels looked great too.

She was never blue, but very clammy.



So we hung out and waited for the docs to tell us to go home.

Momma was even brave and took a pic of herself.

Even though she still had bedhead and was make-up free.

We aren't sure what happened and the docs don't know either.

We hope it doesn't happen again.

We are wondering if maybe it could have been the sweet potatoes

she had the previous day.

Well, she was the hit of the ER and she flirted with every nurse and EKG tech

she could find.

Thank you, Lord for keeping our daughter safe!

No more sweet potatoes for quite some time...if ever!

April Rose

For the past two months I have had a link up on my site for Little April Rose, a baby who had been diagnosed with Trisomy 13. The mother was an unwed Christian lady who was now telling her story along with that of her unborn daughter. It has been discovered this week that the whole story was a farse and many were misled to pray and to also give funds to this young lady, now known as Beccah.

MckMama and many other reputable bloggers have come forward to reveal the new details even further. I will not go into any more detail about this but you may want to go to McMama's site for further information, she has a great description of what has been discovered. I would also agree with MckMama and others that we need to pray for this miguided young lady and that the Lord would use this situation for His glory in her life and that of others and not allow Satan to have a foothold.

A Most "Pleasant" Evening!

Pt. Pleasant Beach and Boardwalk on a Saturday Night!

We're Waiting For Daddy to Bring the Grub.

Hmmm. Will He Ever Get Here? I'm Hungry!

I'm good! I've had my bottle already.



Food has come and Momma is chowing down on some yummy corn.

Gideon is flying in a helicopter ride! He's definitely happy!

Very Pretty Evening = All the Locals are Out to Have Fun Too!

Wait until after school is over then all the Philly and NYC people will join us as well!

Whew!

Head out on the Highway, Searching for Adventure!

I'm not sure about this one guys????

Waiting for Gideon to Get Done with His Rides is Fun with Momma and Daddy!

This one is for the Grandparents? Okay! I'll bat my eyelashes and give it all I got!

Family of Four Pic! Our first one since October!

Fun at the Shore!

Daddy getting ready to pose with Maia by the shore too.

Oops! That COLD shore got his toes. A bit cold I presume???

Gideon doesn't mind! He loves it!

Daddy and Daughter

Momma and Daughter

Won a Prize on the 1st Try! WTG, Gid!

It truly was a most "pleasant" evening!

It just makes you breathe in easier!

It makes you exhale with satisfaction.

It was wonderful!

Only 18 More School Days Left!

Many students do not think that teachers look forward to holidays and summer vacation. They believe that teachers love school so much that they would live in the school building year-round, if they could.

Well, that is what I believed as a kid at least.

Let me dispell this myth for you! I am so looking forward to summer vacation!

I cannot wait for summer days with my son, daughter, and even husband on some days! We plan to take walks, go to the park, have picnics, and then on Fridays to go to the beach with daddy on his day off! Yay! It is going to be very nice. We might try to squeeze in reading and math readiness activities for Gideon so he is nice and ready for kindergarten, but that is pretty much all I want to do with school this summer.

School is officially out on June 17th. The teachers have one and a half more days after the students are released. I know this sounds so late for my Kentuckian counterparts, but we don’t return to school until after labor Day in September, so it really isn’t that bad. In fact I would rather have it that way. This year’s Labor Day is unusually late and we don’t go back until the 7th of September!


Woohoo!

Don’t get me wrong, by the time mid-August comes around, I will be chomping at the bit to get in my classroom. I love the smell of school! I know this sounds odd, but it is so true! I don’t know if it is a universal teacher thing or not, but it is definitely true for this die-hard teacher! I love the smell of pencils and of desks and of the new lunchbox you get every year. Oooh! It gives me goose-pimples just thinking about it! I usually cannot sleep the night before school starts because I am so excited to get started and see my lovely students!








I usually cannot sleep the night before school starts because I am so excited to get started and see my lovely students!

So in other words, have no fear! This teacher loves school and her students. I am just in need of good bit of R&R with my kiddos this summer!


Hasta La Vista la escuela! For now at least! J

I know the pictures have not necessarily coincided very well with the topic at hand but these two are the very reason that I look forward to this summer!

There is one pic that I would like to give a bit of explanation for. All the others are pretty self-explanatory.

The one where Maia is wearing the Ronald McDonald House onsie is very special. She is finally able to wear the onsie Grandma Judy bought her from our stay the Ronald McDonald House while waiting to have Maia discharged.

We love the Ronald McDonald House and the amazing service and love they give each of the families. We will forever give to this charitable organization. It is truly a house that LOVE built!

We weren't sure how long we would be there and we weren't sure if Maia would ever get to the stage where she could wear this onsie, so we are forever grateful!

Stroke!

Hey Everyone!

My dad had a stroke yesterday and Praise Be To God, He is doing wonderfully. Here is my mom's email giving all the details.

Tom met Jim Bickley, a friend, for lunch today across the river on the Indiana side. As they sat down to eat Tom mentioned that his left hand felt strange. It wasn't until they had finished their meal and Tom tried to reach for his credit card, that he realized he couldn't move his hand at all. *

Jim promptly drove Tom to Baptist Hospital East where a team of medical personnel (nine in all) started working to get the necessary medicine, i.e. blood clot busters into his body. Before I arrived at the emergency room he had a CAT scan and then after I arrived they scurried him off for a MRI. About 5:15 the doctor came in to give us the results.

*

The CAT scan showed that some time in the past Tom had a small stroke. The MRI showed a stroke today in his right brain affecting the use of his left hand. He was admitted to the hospital where he will remain for three days while they get him started on an all out aspirin regimen, conduct tests to determine where the clot originated (neck or heart), and start physical therapy on his hand. They also will not let him come home until they can get his blood pressure down.

*

Tom is in good spirits and isn't experiencing much pain. When I left him he was begging for a steak. I doubt seriously that he will get one. In fact, he will probably be sorely disappointed in whatever they happen to bring. Please be in prayer that he will not suffer any undue stress during this time and that he will be allowed to come home in a timely manner

*
Judy

I appreciate your prayers for my father and also for my mother during this time ( for his recovery and for her stamina while trying to go to and from the hospital to visit him while recovery for chemo and getting ready for radiation) Fortunately, my mom's good friend, Yvonne Perry, is coming for a week starting tomorrow! Yay! She will be good medicine for them both.

Beautiful Brenna

My sister-in-law, Becky, sent us some beautiful pictures of our niece, her daughter, Brenna, today and I just had to share! She is just becoming such a sweet looking young lady!

She was getting ready for her 5th grade dance in the above picture.

Look at those cute little freckles. Okay, I am a doting Auntie, but who wouldn't be with this cute kid? Right?

The below pictures are right before she left for her big event! The kid is disappearing so quickly! And a young lady is appearing right before our eyes!

Stop that, Brenna!

Okay!

With the one below I had a little fun with the Picasa site and the editting features.

I just had to!

That "Brenna look" was screaming for me to dabble just a bit and create a work of art out of my niece!

She already is!

"How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!"

Song of Solomon 4:1

Not My Lumbego?!?

Well, here goes another Not Me Monday, originated by MckMama herself and now presented to you by Suth-ern Momma Well, where to start? Hmmm!I, in no form or fashion, had completely sore legs today. I wasn't wondering at all why they were so achy either. It couldn't be from some cancerous tumor or fatal disease? Right???Nope.No hypochondriac tendencies here!Hmmm! Maybe all that re-organizing Gideon's room yesterday into Gideon and Maia's room, from all the bending over, up and down, picking up toys, putting toys away, moving beds, etc. Naaa!Couldn't be!No!I am not that out of shape that my legs would feel like a baseball bat was taken to them?No way!I did NOT look like an arthritic granmother feebly going up and down the school stairs today (why don't they have an elevator anyway!?! hee hee). I in no way caused a traffic jammed behind me of hungry high schoolers who were trying to quickly get to lunch so they could scarf down their ham and cheese hero sandwiches before being tardy to 6th period.Oh, my lumbego (sp?)!Oh, and I am not totally grateful for all those intercessors and prayer warriors we don't have for our heart baby, Maia.Nope! Not one little bit!God NEVER EVER answers their prayers. First, He never answered their amazing prayers for Maia's tricuspid valve and pulmonary valve to be enlarged more. It wasn't the perfect size for the valvuloplasty when she was born.And Now...She didn't grow almost 50% more in two months time, after we never requested those same prayer warriors to get down on their knees.I am NOT totally and utterly humbled and amazed by our circle of friends and more so of our Lord God!

Contagious Laugh

Okay, if you would like a nice chuckle or laugh, then you need to view this viral video, Contagious Laugh.
It definitely got me to chuckling today and I hope it brightens your day just a bit and maybe is just the "good medicine" you needed.

Kayleigh Is Home

Last night Little Kayliegh Freeman went Home to be with her Heavenly Father. Please be in prayer for this hurting family. If you left click on the above picture you can view their farewell post and pictures of their precious daughter. Thank you.