playdough and fun

up close


playdough drink



swinging the wrong way

love the smile

Long lashes

cheesin' for the camera

having a playdough tea party

she said, "no more pics mom!"

me as a playdough figure

Matt as a playdough figure

4th of July Weekend

Wow, what a week it has been! Between my dad going to the hospital getting emergency surgery. Going to visit him or help my mom out. Then, I was sick yesterday and went to the DR. He said it looked like I had strep but he didnt do a culture...just gave me some zithromax and good cough stuff. And already today I can tell I am getting better. My throat isnt near as sore as it was 24 hrs. ago!!

And now it is the beginning of Fourth of July weekend. Yah!!! I am so glad my girls didnt get sick too. Usually it is them who are sick first. Tomorrow we are doing nothing exciting. But we live near the river so we can see the firework display from our front porch. My mom is coming down for a little cookout and then we are going to try to keep the girls awake to see the fireworks. Hopefully they wont be scared. Here are a few pics I took of the kiddos in their 4th of July digs! I hope you enjoy your holiday weekend!

My Dad

I dont even really know where to begin w/ this one. I'll start where I think it's best but my mind is all jumbled right now. Sorry if this doesnt make sense...My dad, Doug, HATES Dr.'s. He hates anything medical near him. No needles. No hospitals. No Dr. visits. Infact he has not been to the Dr. in atleast 35 yrs. Not one time. Seriously! He has 'white coat syndrome' as he likes to call it. He has had a hernia for about 8 yrs. It never seemed to cause him any problems until recently.

He actually did go see his family DR back in March for his hernia. But never followed up w/ any tests. He let this go so long now...and this is where it got him...

Because my mom literally made him go to the DR. today, my dad was admitted to the hospital after a brief visit w/ his family physician. In the past several months he has been complaining of not feeling well. Frequent trips to the bathroom, rapid weight loss, no appetite and pain in his stomach. He never wants to go anywhere or see anyone. He has even been uninterested in his grandchildren's lives. My mom, bless her soul, has been dealing w/ his 'negativity' for quite some time. She has been asking and asking him to go get all this checked out. He simply refused everytime. However, the Dr. took one look at his stomach today and saw a lump the size of a football. Then said he must go to the hospital NOW. He arrived at the hospital w/ my mom as his driver. They did lots of blood work and a CTscan to make sure exactly what they were looking at and how much damage his hernia caused. From what they saw his hernia was wrapped around his lower bowel. They also found a mass in his colon and something going on in his pancreas. They did the surgery around 7PM tonight. His surgeon opened him up and found an abscess, which is a large, infected, puss filled sack. He said he has never seen this before and he has no clue what caused it. He was planning on doing a biopsy or atleast looking at the mass on his colon, but because of the infection he found, he didnt want to poke around in there. They closed him up and put him on high dose antibiotics and put a drain in his stomach to drain all the extra goo out. The Dr. told us that my dad has a long road ahead of him and his stay at the hospital may be quite lenghthy. He is going to do all the tests my dad needs. He also still has to take care of the mass on his colon.

All along my mom and I have been saying that he is just unhappy and he is making himself believe he is literally dieing. Almost like it was all in his head. We didnt have pity for him because he wasnt doing anything about it. We both asked him so many times to follow up w/ the tests the Dr. wanted him to get. But he just kept refusing. I think we both knew at some point, my dad would end up in this situation. He has lost 45 lbs in 3 1/2 months. He is 6' 1" and weighs 147 lbs. completely dressed w/ shoes on. All along I have been saying that I didnt understand his logic. I still dont, to be honest. But now that I (we) are put in this position I can see why he was so scared. He was scared that exactly what is happening, would happen. I feel terrible that I thought it was all in his head. I mean, nobody wants to go to the hospital. I am sure everyone is scared when it comes to any surgery, treatment, possible outcomes, prognosis...it is all the unknown. I know I would be scared too. I just wish he had the will to put the fear aside a little early than today. We dont know what the mass is on his colon. The Dr. said it may be cancer or it may not be and they wont know for sure until they can do a biopsy. Obviously, that will be put on hold until my dad heals from the surgery he had today.

I miss the dad I once knew. He was witty, sarcastic, had a sick-but fun sense of humor. He was never very compassionate but he did care in his own way. No matter how upset you were my dad could make you laugh. My mom misses the husband she once had. For the same reasons. Hopefully after all this is over and done...we can have that fun loving guy back. I pray he pulls through this. He needs the strength to do so. Yet again, I am asking all of you to add my Dad to your prayers. It's times like these that put it all into perspective. You must appreciate all the people you have in your life. Take the good w/ the bad. I will be praying for you, dad and for Aunt Sam. Hang in there! Stay strong! Have faith! Just believe :) Love you!!!

One Flaw in Woman

By the time the Lord made woman,
He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said,
"Why are you spending so much time on this one?"
And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her?
She has to be completely washable, but not plastic,
have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable
and able to run on diet coke and leftovers,
have a lap that can hold four children at one time,
have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart
-and she will do everything
with only two hands."
The angel was astounded at the requirements.
"Only two hands!? No way!
And that's just on the standard model?
That's too much work for one day.
Wait until tomorrow to finish."
But I won't," the Lord protested.
"I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart.
She already heals herself when she is sick
AND can work 18 hour days."
The angel moved closer and touched the woman.
"But you have made her so soft, Lord."
"She is soft," the Lord agreed,
"but I have also made her tough.
You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."
"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.
The Lord replied,
"Not only will she be able to think,
she will be able to reason and negotiate."
The angel then noticed something,
and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek.
"Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model.
I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."
"That's not a leak,"
the Lord corrected,
"that's a tear!"
"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.
The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy,
her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love,
her loneliness, her grief and her pride."
The angel was impressed.
"You are a genius, Lord.
You thought of everything!
Woman is truly amazing."
And she is!
Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness,
love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have compassion and ideals.
They give moral support to their family and friends.
Women have vital things to say and everything to give.
However, If There Is One Flaw In Women,
It Is That They Forget Their Worth.

~Author Unknown~

Great story

I thought this was wonderful. I recieved it via email this morning from a friend! This is something I deffinately need to work on... appreciating what I DO have and now dwell on the negative... Enjoy!

A 92-year-old, petite, well-poised and proud man, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o'clock, with his hair fashionably combed and shaved perfectly, even though he is legally blind, moved to a nursing home today. His wife of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After Many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, he smiled sweetly when told his room was ready. As he maneuvered his walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description Of his tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on his window. 'I love it,' he stated with the enthusiasm of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy. Mr. Jones, you haven't seen the room; just wait.' 'That doesn't have anything to do with it,' he replied. Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it. 'It's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice; I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open, I'll focus on the new day And all the happy memories I've stored away. Just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account. You withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories! Thank you for your part in filling my Memory Bank. I am still depositing. '

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.
2. Free your mind from worries.
3. Live simply.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

Jacko

As I am sure you have all heard that Michael Jackson pased away yesterday. He was the King of Pop! I loved him back in the day. I remember listening to the Thriller album. My dad bought the record and we would listen to it over and over. I remember when we bought our first VCR, circa, 1982. The first 2 movies we rented were The Karate' Kid and The making of Thriller (the music video). That scared the crap out of me! To this day I will never forget the zombies dancing around and MJ changing into the wolfman! Spooky! And Vincent Price's voice made it even more creepy! Throughout the years MJ changed a bit...in appearance. He seemed a bit strange, esp. w/ his children. There was a lot of speculation of him and little kids. But we did lose a very talented musician. I feel for his family during this terrible time! RIP MJ and thanks for all the great childhood memories!


Here are some cruel jokes I heard to lighten the mood...Oh I am mean!

~I heard MJ choked on 12 year old nuts.


~Farrah Fawcett died and went to heaven. She met God and he granted her one wish. She asked for all the children in the world to be safe. So he killed Michael Jackson.



~I heard MJ overdosed on Webster.



~Due to the fact that Michael Jackson is 99% plastic, he will be melted down into lego blocks so little boys can play with him for a change!

Sunny Days

A few of the days this week we were able to spend outside. It was a beautiful week! I was missing the sun and so were my kids... and finally it came to visit for a bit! No matter what we do outside we always end up filling the pool. The girls asked several times if I could put water in the pool. In response, I asked them several times if they would actually get in and play. Everytime they said yes. I filled the pool, Kayli got in for a little bit but did not want her hair wet. Laney went to get in and saw some grass floating in it then refused to get in at all. She just put her face really close to the water, while standing beside the pool, to examine each and every little speck of whatever was in the pool and insisted it was poo. She just kept telling me, "ewww, momma, Kayli pood in pool." It doesnt matter what it is...grass, a gnat, a piece of dirt, a bubble...Laney thinks it's all gross and tells everyone, that, whoever is in the pool at the time pooped in the water. Needless to say, no one really used the pool that day. After a while I realized that I was the only one in it. My big fat a$$ sitting in the 3 ring blow up pool as my children run around the yard and play...and then suddenly, Laney came to the conclusion, I was the one that poo'd in the pool! haha :) Here are some pics. of one of the days outside.

Peek a boo

pretty little lady

no more pictures!

concentrating on her playdough

trying to get on Kayli's bike


she looks so sad here...but she wasnt :)

cheezin' for the camera