"Mammy, I don't feel good"

Every mother knows the feeling of being woken up with the words "Mommy, I don't feel good"....  Oh how I hate those words!  It has been my experience over the last 33 years that that statement is the preliminary to at least 24 hours of agony. Yes for both the child murmuring and Mommy, or in this case Mammy.
Erik and I have 8 children spread over 19 years, we categorize them into two groups, the "big" kids; Kenny, Crystal, Kelly, Mike and Kim, and the "younger" kids; Shawn, Katie and Caleb.  We really have raised one family and are now raising another one as well as now being pretty active with grandkids too.  All that to say, I have heard this statement many times.
When my "big" kids were young they were great about being sick in the right spot.  I had them trained to run to the bathroom BEFORE they came into my room to announce their tummy troubles.  I was very spoiled.
Our younger kids have not been so kind.  Shawn and Katie could never make it to the bathroom to save their little souls, maybe they were such sound sleepers they just woke up too late.  

Feel better soon Macen....

Caleb was born with an immature esophagus and that is just a whole other story but we were able to train him to grab a trash can on his way.

This morning my grandson Macen, who is spending the weekend here, woke up early.  I was already up and just knew my day had taken a turn when his first words were "Mammy, I don't feel good"!  He was telling the truth.  So here we are 4 hours later, Papa has already made the emergency run to the store for 7-up, the washer and dryer are in full force and sweet, sweet Macey Boy is back asleep on the couch.  I seem to be having a lot of Dejavu lately, I wonder if that is just what happens when we get older.

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. Albert Einstein..(1879 - 1955)

A long time ago one of my favorite self quotes was "reality is an illusion".  Maybe I had heard the Albert Einstein quote but I can't really say.  It makes perfectly good sense to me.  We all pick the reality we want to live in and project but it does not make it true.

Turf the perfect terrier

 I can say that my dogs are perfect, to me they are,
but to someone else their shedding and barking would disqualify them as their "perfect" pet.
See my reality is really also my illusion.
Hmmmm, just thinkin.

Four Funerals and a Wedding!

Kimmy and Ed are getting married!

It is with great excitement that I can now
say Kimberly, our child # 5 is engaged!
Ed has been "in the family" for a while
now so he knows what we are all about
and still his love for Kim won out.  ;-)


We (as a family) have gone through and done a lot this last year, I absolutely can not believe it was barely a year ago that Crystal and I ran the Disney Half Marathon, that Erik and I flew to Tenn. where our grand daughter, Selah was in Children's Hospital, that 10 months ago we found out that Crystal was pregnant with Olivia, that 9 months ago we remodeled two upstairs bedrooms and 19 year old Shawn moved back home, that 7 months ago we found out Olivia was coming with a heart defect, that 5 months ago my sweet cousin Debbie passed away, that 3.5 months ago Olivia was born and that 4.5 weeks ago she went to heaven, that 2.5 weeks ago we found out Crystal was expecting again, that Jerry K and Uncle Hank were both laid to rest this month, that just 5 days ago we found out Kelly is expecting again and tonight Kim got engaged!
Holy Moly!

I think having a big family is fabulous, eight children, all wonderful sweet kids with awesome spouses and perfect children.   I am so blessed.
This last year has been harder than most but I feel the tide turning now, thank you Jesus for the change of seasons, not just wonderful fall (my favorite) but the seasons of life too.
I am excited about looking ahead.

Kim and Ed, engaged!

DeJaVue

Selah Jo at almost 1year.

Happy 1st Birthday Selah Jo


Today is my grand daughter Selah Jo's first birthday. Unfortunately Selah lives in Mississippi so we can't join in her big party,but we will have our own party for her when she visits in November.

Selah's "birth" day!

Last year when Selah was born we were all so happy, Kelly and Nathan already had Judah and Eli and were so happy to get their little princess. We had had a scare early in Kelly's pregnancy when the Drs thought there might be a problem but she had been cleared of those issues and things were looking rosy.
At least for 24hrs; everything was going just fine  but then the Drs. discovered Selah had a heart defect. Oh how I remember getting the call that she was being air lifted to a children's hospital. Kelly was so scared and so were we.  Erik and I and Kimberly were able to catch a red eye flight out that night to be with Kelly and Nathan while Selah went through all the tests.
Poor baby Selah, poor Mommy and Daddy and poor us.  There is nothing fun about having a sick baby.  

Judah and Eli 

We did have a little silver lining in getting to see the grand boys again after about a year. Oh how I love little boys, so full of life and energy.  It sure isn't easy not being close to them.

Well the Drs decided that Selah didn't need the surgery they thought she would and they were able to fix her main problem in a cath lab procedure.  What a relief, she may need more attention as she grows but for right now Selah is OK.  After a tearful goodbye Papa and I were back on a plane to California, leaving a little piece of our hearts in Mississippi.

The following weekend after we got back Justus and Crystal celebrated their anniversary weekend and I stayed with Ezra and Evie.  I love staying with my grandkids for the weekend. We always do things that Mom and Dad don't do!  Usually the first night we skip the bath time routine, we stay up late eating popcorn or pizza or something fun and watch movies until everybody is asleep on the floor. Being a Grandma is really the BEST thing ever.

Well it wasn't too long after that anniversary weekend that we found out Crystal was pregnant with our precious Olivia, little did we know then that in less than one year we would be sitting in a Children's Hospital again.  Most of you know that Olivia's story did not go like Selah's, Selah got to come home after 3 weeks and Olivia went home to heaven after 73 days. We lost more than just a little piece of our heart this time.

Mammie's Ez!!

Now, I am sitting here again at Crystal and Justus's, they are on their anniversary weekend get away, Selah Jo is one year old and doing well, Crystal is pregnant, Ezra and Evie got a new puppy and yes we did skip the bath routine tonight and we ate pizza and everybody fell asleep on the floor.
This last year we have been through a lot as a family
but right this very minute
 "Life is good".

Oh Happy Day

Oh the Joy!  The joy I felt when I opened this little box.  Crystal and Justus are having another baby.  She hasn't seen the Dr. yet but calculates the baby to be here in April.
We are all rejoicing!

And today as well as rejoicing we were also painting.  Evie's room got a fresh coat of "purpleishis and twinkle toe".  Oh my goodness it is so cute and sweet in there you could get a toothache!

Evie is wondering what part of "Princess " I don't understand..

That sewing machine is old but
still get the job done!

Of course in this family nobody gets a free pass
so Ezra and Evie got busy with the brushes helping
daddy while Crystal was sewing new curtains.

Ezra, daddy's helper.

Next week the new toddler bed and reading tent should be here.
I can hardly wait to curl up on the new purple pillows and read to these cutie pies..
I am a lucky Mammy!
Proverbs 17:6 "Grandchildren are the crown of old men (and women)"