Blogging on the go

I just found this app to blog from my phone. Maybe I will keep up more! Right now I just want to blog some pictures. They can tell the day to day real life story of our family!



A sweet visit from Molly. We sure mis this family. Rainbow pancakes all around.




Seriously! Did I hit the cute baby lotto or what?



This was the strangest version of ' The Wizard of Oz' that I have ever seen!



This is Ms.. Rosey. She is Savannah's speech therapist. We love her!


-posted on the go

Location:My bed

Thumbing through...found this post that is 1.5 years old

Sometimes we need to remember how it felt...
Posted this on October 1st, the night before I had Savannah..
All still holds true!!!!

Twas the night before Thursday
Twas the night before Thursday and all through our house,
not a child was stirring, not even my spouse!
With a basket of laundry clean and folded with care,
We are anxious to have a new baby living here!

I start with my rounds, for each child I pray.
Starting with Corbin, so much I want to say.
I pray for his salvation, his strength and his health.
I pray he knows his family is truly his wealth!

I pick him up as he stirs while I am there.
Then I kiss his sweet cheek and cuddle him with a tear.
My surprise of surprises, that is his sweet place in life.
I lay him down and lastly pray for his future wife.

Off to my oldest, my first baby to bring home.
She lays in her bed and is out like a light.
I kneel down beside her and am in awe of her sight.
Just 5 short years ago, this was her big night!

My request to Him is for her to continue to grow.
To look for His guidance and take life slow.
I lean over to kiss her and tuck her in snug.
I look at her and say, "I love you bug!"

My last stop is the busiest room in this home!
My sweet little girls, they just play in there and roam.
I first see my Laurel, she slightly opens her eyes.
I tell her to close them, and she does as she sighs.

For her I pray she accepts the Lord.
That she uses his word like a shield and a sword.
I ask the He continues to make her so sweet.
And I ask that she gives up her obsession of something always on her feet!

I scoot over to the other pink bed against the wall.
I have so many prayers too night, but non too tall!
My little Anabelle, I pray for her safety.
I pray that she is always close to me.

I pray she asks Him into her heart.
And I pray that her relationship with her siblings, will never part.
With her old pink silky, I tuck her in tight.
I kiss them both and whisper good night.

As I sit down and rest, I think of the years that have passed.
I think of the tears and the fears that no longer last.
We were fearful to have no children in our house.
And now we are blessed beyond belief, me and my spouse!

So I anxious type while I lay in my bed.
I just pray for a healthy baby, I promise to love and keep fed!
I know the Lord will watch over us all.
He will not ever let us crash and fall.

He has a plan for my family, this I know.
He doesn't have to do much for it to show.
I know tomorrow will have so much joy.
We will add to the 3 little girls and 1 sweet boy!

So, now I head off to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
I pray he watches through the night.
And I pray he keeps me safe in tomorrows light.

Round 1, sucker punch 1..ahhhh...and 2

Wow. The past month has been a flash. It seems like each day a new adventure was unleashed. One that I was unsure of how to accept and certainly had no idea of how to address. The one thing that I held firm during each new experience, was that He has a plan. Albeit, sometimes I certainly said, "Are you sure about this plan?" And then it was confirmed each time, "Yes my child." So, onward we go. I am going to step back just to April 28th, 2010. We took Savannah for a more in depth hearing test. It is called an ABR test. She needed to be put under for this. If you want to learn more about this test, I attached a link to ABR TEST . The ENT we saw also suggested that during this test he would determine if she needed tubes or not. She did. Before they took her back, I really felt like the results would be something along the lines of this:
1. She needs tubes
2. She has some hearing loss, but the tubes will help correct that issue
3. Once the tubes are in and she gets some relief, her speech will develop.

Isn't it interesting how we can completely plan out a situation? How we can make it seem as thought it all make the best sense that this would be the outcome. Well, when they were done the doctor and audiologist came in. They spoke to us for about 30 minutes before we went back to see Savannah. This is what they said(or what I heard).

Doctor
"We decided to insert the tubes in both ears. There was some fluid, and this should correct the problems she seems to have with her ears draining. Second we were able to do the Sensory portion of the ABR test. I will let the audiologist explain that."

AUDIOLOGIST
"The results of the test showed that Savannah has moderate hearing loss in one ear and severe in the other. Of course we recommend hearing aides in not just for the server ear, but for the moderate ear. BLABLA BLABLA BLABLA BLABLA BLABLA BLABLA BLABLA

Basically after the hearing aids I felt like a quick sucker punch in the gut that I couldn't react to and just kept nodding my head yes and saying, "ok." I asked how long she will need aids, of course with a reply of her entire life. Sucker punch number 2. I started to react to that one, but kept it inside.

So, at that point the dr and audiologist left the room. We had about 1 minute for Fred and I to consider the words, the change in life, the challenge, the gift of what all of this could(and has) become. We went on to get Savannah and stayed with her until she woke up.


But now I back up..I will go back to 10 minutes before I walked in with Savannah for this appointment with the audiologist and doctor. In effort to help her gain her speech, we have been going to therapy since her 1st birthday. She has made some progress. We at least have "Mamamamama" as a primary sound! 2 times a week for 45 minutes. We have been very blessed to have 2 therapists that have been incredible with Savannah. And love on her so sweetly. But, I did feel like we needed more. The biggest problem you face in that is insurance. Insurance is a funny thing. It limits you while guarantying something for you. We only have a certain number of sessions allowed a year, until we have to pay not only a $45 copay, but the additional $115 per session that we would be billed. A few people recommended the Callier Center as a resource for therapy. I had called in the first part of the new year, and was told the wait list for the "Pre Verbal Program" was a bit long. Plus, at the time Savannah was not the right age. They take 18 months to 3 years for this program. They mentioned that we might get in the program in the fall, but most likely it would be spring of 2011.
So here I am. Walking into Savannah's appointment for the ABR test. And I get a phone call. It is the Callier Center saying they had a few openings for their summer program. They asked if we would be interested. Of course we would be. I did not think twice about the answer. I took the first appointment they had for an observation with Savannah. They said she would have her own therapist 4 days a week for 2.5 hours. There would also be other therapist around helping as well! They said they could bill to Aetna as well.
Are you kidding me? I thought well, this is good. It gives me options for Savannah.

So back to the recovery room. I looked at Fred and said, "Sometimes you don't have any idea what the next step is or how to figure it out. God laid this one out for us. We had no idea what we would be hit with today, but He did. And He provided the next step before we found out we needed it. The Callier Center is one of the number 1 places to be for speech and hearing loss."

So, it all made those 2 sucker punches a little less painful.
I still sit in awe of that. If I had not received that phone call, I would have not only been trying to process the facts alone, but trying to process what is the best next step for Savannah. And I didn't have to. He does provide!
Ok, I will post later about the blessings that have come to us and Savannah receiving her hearing aids. I must go to sleep so BooBoo and I can go to school in the morning!

MAMAMAMAMAMAMAMA

Just Watch!!!

2010…Here..Today….

Well, here we are. 2010. I keep hearing people say, "Remember when we were coming into Y2K". Boy do I. Working for IBM we had all sorts of plans. We had a contingency plan for the contingency plan for the contingency plan. It about did me in. I remember not doing much on New Year's Eve because I had to be in the office at about 4am on the 1^st that year. And NOTHING happened. I think the most excitable thing that occurred was the fact that my manager at the time was insistent that everyone store water and cans of food up. He had already discussed with his neighbors how the "men" would need to bond together and go to work in shifts as the other stayed home to protect the women. Unfortunately, I think he forgot one major thing….a can opener! Needless to say he didn't have to execute his plan…and thankfully he didn't stay my manager much longer!

At any rate, it is amazing when you see 10 years fly by. If I recap my life in the past 10 years, it is full of dreams, hopes, fears, realities…and lots of children! I am thankful for each of those I mentioned. Because without them I couldn't appreciate what was around the bend!
The pic of just Fred and me is Christmas 2000. The next is self explanitory.

So, instead of looking back to last year....and instead of looking forward to this year…I am going to look at the now. I am going to live in the moment. So to start off, we have had 4 wonderful days of January 2010. So far we are having a successful year as a family!

Fred and I use to celebrate New Years with a few couple friends and their kids. Slowly our number of kids became such that we needed a bouncer for the party…one in...One out! My mother has some crazy social life so her watching the kids is out of the question as well…and a sitter on New Year's..Right! So, we decided to have an early dinner at our Uncle's! Uncle Julio that is! We got there around 5:30. The kids enjoyed getting ready and eating and talking about what they were thankful for in 2009 and what they look forward to in 2010. They also love watching the tortilla maker. Seriously, I think that poor guy probably thinks we don't get out much!


Anabelle of course made best friends with another little girl named Claire. She met her in the bathroom. She also invited her to be a part of her "Girl Club". I have no idea where she gets this stuff!

I believe Laurel said one of her profound thoughts at dinner that night.."Daddy, where is the New Year if we are having a party for it?" Oh I love that girl. And I love that fact that she is bound to be a rocket scientist with her level of common sense.

Savannah cracked herself up throughout dinner. She loves sitting up at the table instead of a highchair away from the table. Makes her feel like a big girl I guess!

About 10 minutes into dinner we got a call from my sweet friend Rachel. I truly love that girl and her family. Someone that knows EVERYTHING about me and loves me for who I am now….gotta love a friend like that. Her mother won tickets to the Cotton Bowl and wanted to see if we were interested in going? Hello! Did you say FREE? I have 5 kids..the only thing I ever get free is advice I don't usually need! What a great gift. And we were so thankful. I called my mom during dinner and she was insistent to watch the kids for us during the game!

We ran into a few friends/acquaintances from church at dinner. It is fun to see people out and in a different light. Fun to see new friends and old ones on a night that is so significant.

So we finished up dinner. Anabelle had recently asked me something that made me laugh so hard and came up again at dinner. She said, "Mommy, what does 'your hands full mean'?" I asked her why she asked that and she said, "People always say that to you!" At that point Chloe counted how many people said, "Wow, are they all yours? You sure have your hands full." And in about 10 minutes she counted 4 people! I explained to Anabelle that not everyone has 5 kids or 3 sisters and 1 brother. I also explained to her that not everyone has 4 siblings that are all 5.5 years apart. So when people see us it can be overwhelming. She then asked what overwhelming was…I wanted to say, "You." But I did not. I explained it to her in reference to when I ask her to pick up all the games she dumps out and she doesn't know where to begin.

So she responds with, "Mommy, if they say that you need to say it back!" I said, "You mean I look them in the eye and say, 'Well, you have your hands full!'" She said yes! I laughed. Could you imagine! That would actually sound funny. I had to explain to her that most people are not being rude, they are just surprised!

Anyway, we took our overwhelming family and got a finally family pic of 2009. It was nice, and we all fit well on the couch at our Uncle's!

We got home and had a good time celebrating! Fred, for the 2^nd year in a row, blew up balloons and put them on the loft. He hung them up there on a sheet. While he did that, the kids helped me make some brownies. They were good, but everyone knows the batter was better! We all ate it up! Since Chloe is allergic to eggs and we don't use them….I feel like it is ok to eat all that raw batter! YUMMY!

So, Fred set the timer on the microwave to count down. The kids TOTALLY thought it was time for the New Year to hit. So here we go…10, 9, 8,…wait is the popcorn burning! Just kidding!


We hit, 3, 2, 1 HAPPY NEW YEAR! With that we all screamed and jumped around! Then the balloons dropped. There was a mechanical problem but quickly fixed! The kids LAUGHED so hard as they tried to sit on the balloons and pop them!



The fun part was when mom or dad walked behind them and popped them while they sat on them! So much fun! Then we ran outside to do poppers. Not a lot of those this year…it was so cold! We ate our brownies and then had a WII bowling tournament. Corbin whipped all of us! Seriously that kid can bowl! We had a good time and got all the kids in bed by 9:30! Talk about a perfect New Years! Savannah had fun playing with us after the kids went to be and then off she went! We cleaned up and Fred lay down to watch some New York parties and fell asleep. I watched some shows in my bed and woke him up. He doesn't remember any of that!

So, New Years day I slept in like something fierce! I was SO TIRED! I think the Christmas "break" had finally hit me! Then we got up and played some with the kids and started hitting our chores for 2010! I got a lot done. The fact that the first day of the New Year I was able to steam clean my carpets made me the happiest person in the world! Sad, I know!

We packed up and went to my mom's for our first dinner of the New Year! You should surround yourself by wonderful people when bringing in a new year..so that is what we did! Gigi and Neal and baby Glenn were there as well. Mom made my favorite, because I am her favorite child, pork chops and gravy! YUMMY. Anabelle and I both ate a ton of food… Everyone else made a mild effort to be as amazing as us!



While we were there I had everyone draw pictures of what they were thankful for in 2009 and what they resolved to do in 2010. There were lots of Baby Glenn pics in 2009 and resolving to show love better, obedience, savings and better health! We are planning on displaying our pictures in our game room! I resolve to do thatJ

So after another WII tourney at moms we headed home and everyone crashed! I got up on the 2^nd and made 2010 pancakes. The kids loved them and Corbin ate about 7 of them!

Fred slept in a bit then got up and started putting his ORANGE on. We put the kids in their OSU colors and sent them off to Ninny's house for the day. We headed to the game. The ride was short…but quiet. It was so nice. A little break from the noise we live inJ Good noise, but noise all the same.
We discovered at Jerry World you get RIPPED off when parking. We found a spot that seemed reasonable… the rest went something like this.

2 Free tickets to the Cotton Bowl = $0

1 parking space far far away = $15

1 ride up to the stadium on a bike cab = $15

2 fools that forgot the tickets in the car after getting to the stadium = $20(that was for the ride back to the car!)

1 Bike cab guy that was super nice/off giving us a ride back = $0(he was so nice)

Watching our team loose without having to change a diaper or wipe a bottom = Priceless

So in all we had a good time.


We can say we have been to the new stadium and we saw the Kelley's, who we love. We also saw Mr. and Mrs. Beach(aka Don and Sue). So that was fun. Fred had a friend he grew up with from school days, we saw him and his wife as well, Corey and Cary.

So we got our little ones and headed home. We were short a kiddo because Chloe got to spend the night with her cousin. Talk about a treat. For all of usJ Except Amy and Brandon!

Got everyone home and in bed! The next morning seemed like a breeze to get everyone ready for church. Maybe I should have 1 more kid and then I will think 5 is a breeze…wait…I see where this is going…DUGGARS!

Anyway, church was great. The message was so needed…do you love Jesus more then you did yesterday? If you don't you probably love HIM a lot less then you did. Very thought provoking.

We got all the kids and headed home. I picked Chloe up from her spend the night and drug her to the store with me. I have never seen someone so tired! She said she didn't like grocery shopping. I explained to her I didn't either. But it was 1 of the 2 necessary evils in life…….

1. Groceries
   
2. Laundry!
   

I won't include 3, 4 or 5!

So we got home, and ate dinner. We got people to bed at a decent time and I cleaned house! Then today I had to head into the office. It wasn't all bad. I got a lot done. I called to make Savannah a 15 month appt, and they were able to see us at 4 because of a cancelation. How terrific..ya right!

We were there for an hour before the dr saw us. Chloe and I picked on him like something fierce… He took it in stride and dished it back. Chloe was board and was taking pics of her dr...then he got this one of her. I actually love it!! He also managed to delete all the pics she took!!!

Such a great patient Dr. Relationship. At any rate…for the most part our appt went well. He wants to see Savannah gaining more weight. She is NOT the obesity problem in America! I can tell you that!

So everything is ready to go back to school tomorrow. I wish we had another week off, but we don't. So off to bed I go. I am going to post pictures to this later. Oh..here is later..

I am trying to live Proverbs 31… so I say goodnight with this: about the 'noble wife'

17She sets about her work vigorously;

her arms are strong for her tasks.

18She sees that her trading is profitable,

and her lamp does not go out at night.

19In her hand she holds the distaff

and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

20She opens her arms to the poor

and extends her hands to the needy.

Halloween..not just for the scarey people!!!!

Well, truth be told...I LOVE HALLOWEEN! I tried to be a good Christian and see the evil in it all:) But that didn't work. So, instead of being a failure at that, I have decided to just love it! We don't do "Scarey" Halloween...but just fun! The kids all got to pick out their own costumes(well except for Savannah..her Ninny said she MUST go as a fairy!).
So we had a Rock Star, Ariel, Glenda the Good Witch, Spiderman and of course a Fairy(we called Tinkerbell). It was so fun.
We got all ready and ran over to see Mr. Greg, my mom's neighbor. The kids love him. Isn't it interesting how 2 generations can experience someone COMPLETELY different! As my cousin reminded me..I use to tell him he had an older brother that once went into Mr. Greg's yard and never returned!:)



Well, after that we came back to start our first trick or treat event in Castle Hills! It was nuts! It was so fun! I was amazed at how EVERYONE gets so into it all. So from some.. you might think some people are scarey and so on and so forth. Well, my old neighborhood only had a handful of people get into Halloween. So we see it as neighbors wanting to just share in the fun and say hi to each other! And it was. I LOVED hearing kids giggling from down the street! And families just rocking on their front porches visiting while trick or treaters come and go.
We put a double pot of Chili on and were thrilled to have friends in and out while eating and collecting candy! My house filled with family, new and old friends is just how I always pictured it! So the night was just perfect for us! And all but 1 bowl of chili was eaten! I am saving that one for me:) shhhhhh!



The last thing we did was go to see Chloe's Kinder teacher! And we would have stayed all night if Spiderman was not melting:) It was late!
So, even at Halloween, I am blessed by Him with my friends and family!
BABY GLENN MAKES ONE CUTE SLEEPING MONKEY!

Another Birthday has passed!

I cannot believe it was 3 years ago I started this blog(which I have been bad about updating lately). I started just a few weeks before Corbin's arrival in this world. The original reason I started the blog was because I thought it would be the easiest and fastest way to post pictures of our new baby and growing family. Now, 3 years later there are some great memories on this blog.
To add to the bag of memories will be my little boy Turing 3. I entered this day with mixed emotions. I wonder if the pain I feel of him turning 3 is because he is my only little boy. I only got and get to do this little boy thing once. The girls, although each year was hard to see pass by me..I knew I had another little girl to have her first ballet class, first princess party, first tea party, first first first...
But with Corbin I get to do it all one time. Getting to see him kick a ball for the first time. Getting to see him playing in the mud for the first time. There are some firsts I am ok with not doing again. I am thankful for the fact that this is the last first time I have to potty train a boy!
He is doing ok, but if we are not paying attention...wow...we can get a spray!
Well, for Corbin his 3rd birthday was perfect. On his actual birthday he started the day with an annual tradition of a birthday muffin. Then he got to have a birthday donut post breakfast, pre lunch! Then he got to go to a pep rally. Then he got to have a birthday McDonald's lunch! Then he got a birthday cake, dinner, presents and football game! What a busy day!
I loved making his Spider man cake...only because he was so happy to have it sitting in front of him! We gave him a big boy bed the next day that he loved and started wearing underwear! He is so big now! And I cannot get enough of watching him run by in his Buzz Lite Year underwear! This past Sunday we had his birthday party. It was "Corbin's Circus"! I think everyone really enjoyed it. I know he did!
Wow, another year past! In 6.5 years we have celebrated 18(yes 18) kiddie birthdays! Some of them the kids will remember. Some they will not. But I will. I remember the details. Even if no one else does. It may seem like show to some...but at 1 in the morning, when I peek in on my babies...and then I go back to decorating their cake, or make a cd for a party favor that we listen to for the next 4 years...it is something I take joy in. Things I hope my kiddos treasure...even if they only remember it because they see a picture.
So here is to the last kiddie birthday party for our family, this year. We will have birthday 19...That is Chloe's 7th Birthday in December. Then a little rest...Then we start it all up again! I love celebrating the "birth" day of my kiddos. I love telling them about that day they were born on their birthday's...and they love hearing it!

CORBIN IS 3 today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just a quick post. I need to add Savannah's bday..but here is Corbin's..so far!

Love that boy!