Merry Christmas from the Dean's

Our Gingerbread House that Momma and Aimee made. It later on crashed to the ground....poor Gingerbread house.
The Dean's standing in front of our small Christmas tree. I did not feel like putting up the big tree this year.

Mommy and Aimee wiht their Christmas dresses and Aimee's poinsetta that Ms. Jeanette from the church gave her.

We want to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May you always remember WHY we have Christmas. Because of Jesus. Happy Birthday Jesus. We love you!

The Christmas Story
As told by Matthew

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: "'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'" Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."

So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."

--Matthew 1:18 - 2:23 New International Version

My sister's blog

My sister has joined the blogging craze!

Here is her site:

http://thesullyfamily.blogspot.com/


She talks about her upcoming baby and pregnancy on this site. She is so beautiful and I can't wait for Lexie to get here.

Shopping....

Darrell called me today (or rather IMed me) and said that it was hard to wrap Christmas presents without any wrapping paper. Uh-oh! Guess I forgot about the wrapping paper. I had to head to the Dollar store (because I am NOT braving Wal-Mart) and man, that store looked like a diaster had hit it.

And I still have to wrap presents.....want to know what I got the fam? Well, I'm not telling! D reads this blog (Hi D!) and Aimee....well, she can't read this but she CAN read! Her teacher was right on the money. She said that she would be reading by December and she was! Go Aimee.

I did get a present today! I got to leave work a little early. That was NICE. I have a new supervisor and she is so cool. She knows I work hard so she cuts me a little slack.

Sorry it's been a while!!!

OK, several of you said or emailed about when I was going to update my blog. I didn't know so many read this!!!!

Life has been CRAZY (although we can probally ALL say this at this time of the year!).

I went to the doctor yesterday and was released with NO restrictions! It's wierd to think that I can do things that I haven't been able to do for months. Can we say that Renee is happy about that???? One of my sweet friends bought me some B&BW's and the bubble bath that I had last night was to die for. Well, not really because then I couldent' take any more baths! LOL!

Work has been so busy that I hardly sit down. I have almost caught up in 2 weeks, 5 weeks of work. It's been good though. I forgot how much I miss being at work.

Darrell and Aimee are doing well. Aimee is READING!!!! She brings home AR books and reads them to us. It's neat to see that my only daughter has my love for reading. She will curl up on the couch and read to us at night. So far, we have heard "The Birthday Car" and "Three Little Pigs". After she reads these 5 times, she goes to the library to take an AR test. She and one other boy in her class are the only ones on this level so far.

In other news, my sister and BIL's baby should be here soon!!! They are going to induce and I am pushing for MY birthday. Natalee Alexis aka "Lexie" needs to get here. I want to kiss on a little fat baby. I just can't believe that my sister is having a baby. I remember when she started kindergarden.....(I know Carol, I just can't help but post it). For that matter, I can't believe that I almost have a 6 YEAR OLD!!!!!!!!!! Where did the time go.

Other than that, it's Christmas parties, traveling, my birthday and then the New Year.

So, Happy Holidays to all and Merry Christmas.

Love,
Renee

We got Elfed!

Check us out here...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9616402013

Merry Christmas!

Now this is what I am married for!

Well, not truly but it does help.

Ok, I am in here and was just starting to get some work done. I hear this commotion going on. We have 18 wheelers just rush through the main street all the time so I wasn't concerned. I look out the window and I see this little Ford Ranger truck coming back into my yard. I went outside and this flat bed trailer type thing in our side yard with all these hard rusted metal rods sticking out of the brick foundation of our house and close to where D parks.

I am totally in shock now. I have NO idea what to do and D is not here. So, I call him and tell him to come home. See, I am a woman who knows how to handle these type things.....Call MY husband. He asks me if it hit the gas and I said that I thought it might but I was not sure. After he tells me to get out of the house, he tells me to call 911 and ask the fire dept to come out.
By the time he got here we had 3 police officers, the electrical company and the fire chief and fire truck (complete with firemen in their getup). By the time it was all over you can add the electrician and the foundation person.

My D came and took care of all the house stuff so I didn't have to. What a sweet man!
Now, we (or rather the church's insurance) have to get this house fixed. I am thankful no one was hurt. And it looks like I get to get some new lighting for my yard since the pipe busted the other one out.

Tommorow's a hard day...

I am going to host Carol's baby shower tomorrow. I approach this with a bittersweet approach. Happiness because that means that baby Lexie is almost here. Happiness because my sister, MY SISTER is a mommy.

Sadness is also present because I am not going to have any more babies myself. Thankfully my sweet sister has been telling the people that are coming to the shower what has been going on. Hopefully, I won't get the "when are you having more children" question.

We (the hostesses) got her a GOOD gift and I can't wait to give it to her.

Also, it's 10:00 am and there is NOTHING on TV. I'm Fso bored.

I wanted to go to WM today and spend the night at my mother's house. Darrell said that he didn't think it was a good idea (which Carol agreed with). I never sleep well there and with my incision, he thought I needed to be at home in my bed.

I am hoping that I will be able to go out to eat with Carol and her "entourage" after the shower. They are all going to Olive Garden. We were invited but I am not sure if we will be able to go since I get so tired and in pain so quickly.

All in all, let's have a great day!

Ready to update....

Sorry for you that have been following my blog. I just have not felt like updating.

I had my staples taken out on Tuesday. That was nice. They were starting to bother me. Darrell said that it was the coolest thing that he has ever seen. I am glad that I can give him a little humor out of this because I'm not laughing.....lol! The doctor stated that my scar looks great and he thinks that I am healing well. I have to go back after thanksgiving but he cleared me to drive next Tuesday.

Yesterday I have a little bit of fever and did not feel well at all. I am better now but it took a while.

I have a huge scar that "I" think looks gross. Darrell said that it looks really good compared to how it looked when it was first done. I know that no one is going to see the scar but it bothers me that it's there. Oh well, at least all in all, I am going to feel MUCH better when this is all over.

Have a good one!

Sitting at home....

Doing nothing! Man, this being a lady of leisure is going to get old soon.

Today is a better day so far. I slept until 9 after waking up at 6. Carol went to get McD's before she left and we ate that. It made me nauseous though. I don't think my body can take the grease of McD's after my surgery. I think I will not be eating fast food for a while. This would be a good time to NOT eat it.

I am really hoping that I can lose some weight while I am at the house. Right now it's fine because I am not hungry but I know that when I get bored, I eat. I am trying to keep only good foods in the house and eat fruit when I need a snack. I have lose some weight but that is due to the swelling that is finally going down.

Let's see what else is going on. Aimee will be back home today. It's been a week since I spent any time with her. I am little nervous about this because Darrell has to take care of her and me. I know that I struggle to get her to school myself so this is going to be difficult for them.

I go back to the dr tomorrow to get my staples out. OUCH! I don't really remember them hurting with Aimee but that's been 5 years ago and my memory is not that good. I have some questions for him that I know I need to ask but it probally will not be a long visit.

Well, that's all for now. Pain is being managed and at this moment, I think I am going to make it. LOL!

Pain meds of choice.....

Are NOT morphine! They gave me morphine after my surgery. I had heard that it had some itchy side effects but I was not prepared for the feelings that I had. I woke up to feeling that bugs were all over my skin. I could not scratch my back or my legs. I had to scratch and coulden't. Darrell was so sweet and scratched until my skin was almost raw.

I stopped the pain medicine pretty quick but then the dr. came in the next day and said that he could give me a different medicine through my IV. I told him that would be great. That worked for the next 24ish hours but then my IV collapsed. Since it took 3 times before they could get my IV in this was not possible.

When I first got to the hospital they attempted to start my IV. It failed. They started another one. It failed. I went to surgery where she numbed my hand and then gave me a little IV (butterfly) which worked. When I woke up I had an IV in both hands. They were keeping one as an extra. It ended up collapsing the next day and then it had to be taken out. All in all, I finally was able to get rid of the IV's.

So, lesson learned...Renee has jumpy veins (which I already knew). FUN!

Today so far has been a little better. I have been able to get up on my own from the bed and couch. I pay for it later on but its nice to be able to get up on my own and do something for myself for a change.

Carol is making chicken spaghetti today for lunch! YUMMY! I love chicken spaghetti. I am so glad that she came to hang out with me. I have been sore and bored so she has been good to keep my mind off my pain. Darrell is at church and me, I am just going to chill on the couch. lol!

Oh. My. Goodness.

I think that if you can think of the worse pain in the world, it would be worse than this. I am in so much pain. I can't walk without holding my belly but I can't touch my belly because of the incision. Did I mention that I have 17 STAPLES in my body???? If I went through a metal detector then they would kick me out.

I cried this morning because I can't have any more children. I knew that in my head but my heart is just finding this out. I just hurt overall. I want to go back to my normal way of life but what is that now a days? I mean, I used to go to work, work out, cook dinner, hang out and now I can even hook my bra!!! I don't like weakness and I AM weak. I can't do anything. Even going to get a drink of water is painful. I can sit on the couch but getting up requires assistance. I can go to the bathroom by myself, THANK you GOD! That would be even more embarassing.

Anyway, I don't have anything else to do other than post about my pain. All I can say girls is that if someone suggest a hysterectomy and bladder sling.....RUN as FAST AS YOU CAN!!!!!!!!

Flowers from the hospital

These are the flowers from my surgery. The light pink roses are from Brittany who is one of our youth. The purple carnations are from the church staff. The bright pink ones are from the McKinney's. The wife just had this surgery about 3 months ago and was very supportive and informative for me. There is a fall harvest of different flowers from my friend, Tangie, in Tyler. She was unable to actually come up for the surgery but she is one of my biggest supporters.

My friend DeAnna and her daughter Lexi gave me a wonderfal basket with a book, color pencils and color book (for Aimee), a candle and get this....a box of laxatives. She said that her mom (who is an RN) said that I would need them. I haven't used them but still, very funny.

Greg and Ashley also came to see me and brought me a balloon and 2 of my favorite candybars, Carmello and Heath bars. LOVED them.

I had lots of friends and family come and see me or helped with Aimee. Thanks for all your support and love. It's been a hard process and we could not do it without ya'll.

Renee - The "Cut" version

So, here is where I am going to post my updates and journal about what I am going through. I know eventuallly that the pain and memories will fade so I want to be able to keep track of what is going on.

Surgery was done on October 30th. They ended up taking all of my uterus and placing a sling around my bladder to keep it upright. That will control the leakage and more urgency that I have had in the past. They also found out that my left ovary had a substantial cyst on it and massive amounts of scar tissue so it was removed. The other ovary was fine. They then had to remove a large amout on scar tissue on my c-section scar. So all in all, I had 4 different procedues done. The cycst thing brings light to our ttc years. Hard to get pregnant when you are only using 1 tube/egg and the other does not work.

How am I you ask? I hurt. I mean, really, really hurt. It's worse that the pain of childbirth because there was a reward there and it was not as invasive. My scar almost from hip to hip. I have 17 staples in my stomach. My stomach is so swollen that I can't feel anything from my belly button to my c section scar.

It hurts to walk. I can't get comfortable in a chair on on a bed. I can't lift things. I can't get up quickly because of the dizziness. I am a little scared to use the restroom (you know, the back end) because I do remember having Aimee and it hurting when I was recovering. I can't imagine the pain that is going to occur. I have to take pain medicine because if I don't, I hurt so bad I want to scream. I mean S-C-R-E-A-M!!!! As in holler and yell until I feel some relief.

I can't walk well and I have to hold my stomach and so I look like I am crazy. Not to mention that I can't walk fast so I look like a lumbering whale. I can't read or type long before my eyes go crossed because of all the pain meds I am on.

I know that after 6 weeks this is supposed to go away and I will feel like a better person but I can't imagine having a normal life ever again. I can't imagine giving myself a shower or bath, washing clothes, going to work or taking care of Aimee again by myself.

Man, I am ready for this to be over. I don't like being dependent on others. I just hurt. period. plain and simple. P.A.I.N.

Cowgirl Aimee

Here is Aimee's cowgirl attire for the "Hero's Unmasked" at church. It's very thrown together tonight since I have to go to the hospital and will not see her on Wed.

Anyway, hope you enjoy!

She is a HOOT!!!

Aimee was going to dress up for the Fall Festival as some sort of fairy. It was what she was last year. Before you give me the "worst mother of the world" for making her dress up the same bear in mind that we moved so no one saw this coustume last year.

Anyway, since I will be in the hospital, she is going to the carnival with a friend from church. He is going to be a cowboy so we decided to go as a cowgirl.

We went and got her a plaid shirt and boots. She had a skirt already and we cant' find a hat. Daddy though found her 2 cap guns. She is having a hootin hollering time with these...good cowboy talk!

She kept saying "putcha handsup" in one word. Darrell acted scared and she said "Daddy, I would never shoot my family". She CRACKS me up. She was so matter of fact.

I love that girl of mine..............and her daddy!

On Tuesday when Renee dropped Aimee off at school she walked her in, as she always does, but found only book bags lining the hallways, no teachers and no kids. They began to walk around to try to find out what was going on. They found everyone outside, in a cold drizzle under umbrellas. One of the teachers greeted Aimee and told her to go find her class. Renee asked what is going on. She was told, we are having a special visit today.

KATV Channel 7 News in Little Rock was flying "Chopper 7" their news helicopter along with Todd Yukobian, one the weather men, in to Yocum to talk with the kids. Last night they had a quick piece on the news about the visit.

Today when Aimee and I got to the office after school she said, "Daddy, we have got to go read Todd's blog! He is going to talk about us!"

We went to Channel 7's website and followed the link to "Todd's Blog" and sure enough there was a post about Yocum and Aimee is in one of the pictures in the video. The link is posted below!

http://arkansasweather.blogspot.com/

Have a great day! -d.

My favorite time

Is when we put Aimee to bed at night. We do our quiet time and then she reads her books for a while. Then, I go back to "tuck" her in.

When she was a baby she loved being swaddled...I mean, LOVED it. We did it forever.

In the movie "Hope Floats", the mom (Sandra Bullock) tucks Bernie (the daughter) in the bed after a bad day. She makes her into a "buritto baby".

So, I make Aimee into a buritto baby. She grabs her big baby and wraps her baby's arms around her neck and goes to sleep kissing her baby. I wrap those sheets around her as tight as I can and give her kisses.

Last night I said "don't give me any lip" cause she kept on talking. She puckered up her lips and it was one of the funniest things I have seen in a long time. She is just so cute and precious. It's hard to believe that she is in Kindergarden and is growing up. I love to see her in her school clothes that make her look like a little teenager but it's hard for me.

She also received her first report card. All A's and S's except for Citizenship where she had a "C". That is another name for Conduct and I can't believe she had a C...lol! If you knew how much I talked and got in trouble at school, you would be falling out of your chair laughing right now due to my scarcism.

Anyway, have a great day!

Pre-registered

I had to go to the doctor and hospital today to pre-register for my wonderful surgery today.
I get there and the waiting room is PACKED!!!!!! I go sit and I actually get to meet with the doctor (and there was NO exam...YEAH). He asked me if I had any questions and I had only one. I was concerned with pain and how I was going to feel afterward. One word..............MORPHINE! I have not ever had morphine but I will probally need it.


Then I go to the hospital across the street. I wait again and I have to register and pay. My surgery cost there was $800! That's crazy. I hate paying that money. I know that it can't be done for free but still, that is a lot of money. I have to then go give blood, which was not too bad. She actually was able to stick me the frist time. I was pleased with that cause normally it takes forever for them to get it done.


So, now I am home until next tuesday when I have to be there at 5:30. That's early but I am glad I will be able to go first and get it over with. I am going to be glad when this is over.


My husband bought me a new game when we went to Monroe. It's the SIMS! Let me tell you something about the Sims, it stresses me out. I can't get them to do anything right. So, I gave it up. Darrell is now playing it.

Shopping Saturday!

We went to the farm to see Darrell's parents and help out there. We then went onto Monroe to go get some shopping done. I was so impressed with how much we found. We got the following:

3 pairs of jeans

1 pair of kakhi's

2 long sleeve knit shirts

1 sparkly belt

1 pair crocs

1 pair sunglasses

Then, I went to a store and found:

1 pair of courdory kakhis

1 pullover sweatshirt

1 diamond studded sweatshirt

1 pair jean shorts

All in all, I was VERY pleased. I also got Carol's shower gift ate Maggie Moo's ice cream and IHOP's stuffed french toast (which is the BEST thing ever!) I love it. You used to could not be able to get it year round but now it's on the menu.

Enjoy the pictures! There is one that has her with our sparkly clear marbles that you put in the pumpkin.

And I have my preop surgery appt tomorrow. I am ready to get this over with but nervous about the pain.

Surgery date....

Well, I have a surgery date....finally. It's October 30th. Can you believe that it was the first appt. that they had? Even though I hate to wait that long, I am glad to have it scheduled.

So, how am I doing? I hurt. My back constantly hurts. I have pain medicine but I hesitate to take it because I don't want to always have to take it. It makes it hard to get through work at times. As soon as I get home, I am trying to get in the bed.

Now, the waiting game....UGH. I am SOOOO ready for this to be over.

Update...........

Well, the update I didn't want to blog about.

I am going to the doctor tomorrow. Last week I was diagnosed with a prolapsed uterus. Basically, this means that my uterus is falling. Not fun for me. I have an appointment with a consult gyn about a partial hysterectomy tomorrow. I hate that it's going to happen however, I would like to have some relief. We had to cancel our cruise and I don't have enough vacation and sick time but my supervisor was nice about it and said to do what I need to do.

My Darrell on the other hand has been taking care of me. Tonight he cooked dinner. Spaghetti and meatballs. They rocked. He is a great cook and provider. I am so blessed to have him.

OK, enough for now.

First Soccer Game

We have had this blog for a couple of years now and up until tonight, Renee has done all the posting. However, I just had to write a post tonight. Tonight was Aimee's first soccer game. If you know me at all you know that I LOVE sports so any kind of sports event and I am there. Now we did t-ball in the spring, but there they don't even keep score, everyone bats and if you are out, well you get to stay one base anyway! Way too much for the ole umpire (me) to handle.

Tonight however, we finally got down and dirty with the Aimsters first competition sport. Let me start by saying, Aimee's team won 6-4! Now to make the victory even more sweet, my daughter, which I am convinced you will see on ESPN playing in the 2019 Women's World Cup Soccer Championship, played most of the second, third, and fourth quarters at goalie and only allowed one (1), yes I said one goal, and that one wasn't her fault cause her coach was distracting her.

As I sat there in my chair in a bag, I found my heart pounding every time the other team even crossed mid field with the ball. My mind was racing with thoughts of don't let them score, not so much because I wanted Aimee's team to win, but more so because I didn't want to see my little girl fail. As I sat there I found myself wondering, is this how our Heavenly Father is with us? Is He, like I was, constantly cheering us on, sometimes, wishing He could spring from His seat and dart on to the field to help save us from one ounce of pain? I am thankful that I serve a God who cares for me. A God who gives me free will to choose, who cheers me on when I find success, and is there to comfort me when I fail. Aren't you!

One final thought, when I was tucking Aimee in tonight I told her how proud of her I was for listening to her coaches and playing a good game. Her response, Well if you like I could give you my autograph! You all might want to get in line, that 2019 Women's World Cup will be here before you know it!

About my new job....

First of all, for those of you who do not know, on Wednesday, I accepted a new job at my company. I am going to be working as the LSW/CM for the children's program. I am really excited about this as it's more social work rather than education. Plus, I will be working with children from birth - 5 rather than adults. Most of my employees were sad that I was leaving but glad for me to have this opportunity. Some of them are not going to care and I am sure that are happy that I am leaving since I really raised the bar on their jobs. Anyway, I am very excited about this. I am really going to miss my adult clients but I know that I will be able to see them though.

LSW test

I passed my LSW test. I am now an offically licensed social worker! Whoo-hoo!!! It was the hardest test that I have ever taken. I am glad that it is over.

I was able to spend some time with my sister Carol, when I went over to take the test. Carol is about 5 months pregnant and is having a hard time. She has had constant vertigo (dizziness) and possibly an ear infection. She just feels pretty rotten. She and Baby Lexie are doing well though.

Other than this, this is all my news at this time.

What did YOU do today???

Here is what I did:

Took Aimee to Ryan's to eat breakfast (I know, hard work there...). I have to say that they have a great buffet there on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

Went to Wal-Mart for groceries. NOW that is an accomplishment. It was already crowded by 9:00 and by the time we left, it was packed. We found a new comfortor on sale and we have been looking for a new one for Aimee so we got it.

Started cleaning the house. I find cleaning my house therapeudic. I enjoy seeing the chaos become orderly again. I love the fresh smell of a recently cleaned house. I crave a clean house all the time and every weekend, I get it!

Baked 2 cakes and decorated them for the youth group Razorback game tonight. One is funfetti (white) which is most of their favorites and then one is a devils' food cake with milk chocolate icing. I tried to do "GO HOGS" with Twizzler's but it was a little more difficult than expected.

Made lunch.

More cleaning.

More cleaning.

More cleaning! I did all that nasty deep down cleaning where you have to get on your hands and feet and scrub. You can eat off the baseboards. The only thing I did not do was move the furniture and clean behind it and clean the fans (because they were cooling the house down).

Now the youth group is coming over....they have been playing flag football in the back yard. So much for a clean house!!!

AWANA Winner!!!

This is Aimee's first year in Sparks and today was the Grand Prix Derby. Over the weekend she made a rainbow General Lee and she won 3rd prize for most creative car. She was so excited and so were we. Her daddy is one of the BIGGEST Dukes fans I know and to have his little girl design a "General Lee" well, he was whooping it up with her. She received a tropy and a ribbon. The ribbon was for racing her car and the trophy was for the creative car.

The other are just some pictures we snapped before school. This is her new dress that she just loved from Old Navy. It's really a cute dress and is one that we can put a long sleeve shirt on under it for winter.

Speaking of, it was SOOO nice here today. It was breezy and just nice. I wished I could have been outside more.

Aimee funnies....

Last night we had Aimee's first parent teacher conference. She is making straight A's except for her conduct class. In that class we have an 89. They start off with 100/A and then every time she gets into trouble, she loses 1-3 points (depending on the color). Her teacher said that this is what is going to keep her from getting on the Honor Roll or President's list. So, we have to continue to work on this.

She is such a silly girl. Arkansas has this law that states that you must have a Polio shot on or after your 4th birthday so she is short one shot. I told her last night that she has to have one more shot or she can't go to school anymore and she looks at me, sighs and says............"I won't go to school anymore momma".

She cracks me up. She is a hoot!!!

The man you have been waiting for.....

There is a song called "When the Wind Blows" by Point of Grace. I love this band even though they are a 90's band.

Anyway, it's talking about when Jesus comes back. They have a line that says "this man that you have dreamed about is right before your eyes". How amazing.

It's awe-inspiring to think that every single one of us, Christians or not, are going to stand before the our Heavenly Father. Do we think about that every single day? Do we think of that every single minute? Do we reflect Jesus in the people that we see daily?

I know that I don't always do that. I get grouchy. I put myself first. I do what I want to do. I fall short of what Jesus would want me to do or the way that he would want me to act, daily. I fall almost every minutes I suppose because I am human and I sin. I put myself first more that I put non-christians.

Then I hear this song and it reminds me that really, "I" don't matter in the long run. What matters is that I make God proud of me. That I show his love and devotion to others daily. That I finish last because when I finish last in the world's view, I will finish first in HIS view.

So today I am going to rest in what I have to do...........and long for the day when I get to stand in front of my Jesus......

Workin at the farm

We were going to go to Dallas this weekend with my sister. Poor thing, she got sick to her stomach when she got about 1/2 way there.

So, my sweet husband decided to try and make it up to me and Aimee. We went down to his parent's farm and decided to help them clean it up. They just moved this mobile home down there but it really needed a lot of work as it was a fixer up. They just got the air conditioner installed from air units to central air and so we didn't mind going over and helping since the air was fixed.

We met them, cleaned, slept and then cleaned up some more. It's going to be really nice once we get it all fixed up. I am excited about going there more. We can fish, ride 4 wheelers and just enjoy being in the country.

We got home and then we cleaned our house from top to bottom so all in all, a cleaning weekend.

Now I am making cupcakes for the youth who are coming over tomorrow night. Milk chocolate with funfetti icing. YUMMY!!! They still won't be as good as the ones my mother in law makes. She makes the BEST cakes!

Open House

We have been concerned about Aimee at school. She just cannot sit still or do what her teacher tells her to do. Darrell and I felt that we might be looking at some ADHD but we honesty did not know.

We went to McDonald's last night before the school thing and we ate with a friend of hers from preschool. I was talking to his mother and she said that he was not doing well in school because he could not stop talking and sit still. Made us feel good (not that he got in trouble but that we are not the only ones). She stated that the teacher told her that they are really cracking down on them so they will learn what they must do.

We then go to her class and I am talking to her teacher. I asked her if she was concerned about ADHD and she says "NOT at all. Aimee is just hard headed. She can do exactly what you ask if she wants to do it." That made me feel even better. She said that we would keep an eye on her behaviors and then re-evaluate if needed in the future.

So, speaking of my baby, I gotta go get her!

Just some pictures for you to enjoy!

The one in the princess crowns are Aimee and I taking pictures of each other before school. There is one in her new ballet flats.

We love the Hogs so there are also pictures of us in our Hog attire!

Labor Day Weekend.....

You know, I was kinda dreading the weekend but it was pretty good. We went to the Smackover football game on Friday night. Now, let me tell you about Renee and football. I don't like it at all!!!! I went when I was in high school ONLY because I dated people in the band and I didn't have anything to do since they were at the game on Friday night. I do like these student's though so I was there.

Saturday morning I got up and we went to pick my mom up from WM and bring her up here. She so did not want to come. She is such a homebody. Once she got here though, she had a great time. We grilled out on Saturday and then just hung out at the house doing nothing but chatting. It was a good time to visit with my mom. We have such a complex relationship that it was nice to be able to visit and agree on things.

Sunday of course was church. I had to leave worship because Aimee threw a fit during children's church but other than that, it was uneventful. Our band praticed like crazy because we have to play next weekfor the evening worship service. I am sorta excited. I don't mind the singing but the playing the piano in front of people.

Monday we went back to WM to take my mom home. First we hit Johnny's! I am CONVINCED that in heaven there will be Johnny's hamburger and mushroom pizza and diet dr. pepper. Darrell just rolled his eyes but still, it's what I think. We hit the mall and then headed back to Eldo.

The one thing that gets me is that WM is so hot and muggy. It's wierd to think that I lived my whole life in WM and now when I get back, it's like instant sweat. It's hot here but man, it's not that muggy.

Anyway, that's my labor day weekend....I wanted to buy a boat and go to the lake but that didn't get to happen! Next weekend....DALLAS!

TGIF

Man, Friday did not get here quick enough! It's been a busy and l-o-n-g week. I honestly do not have anything to say on here. I can tell you an Aimee funny.

Pappow: Aimee, do you like school?
Aimee: Yes
Pappow: Do you like your teacher?
Aimee: Yes
Pappow: Do you think you will learn a lot?
Aimee: Not really

She is such a hoot. She is still adjusting to school but we are making it. I am thinking that if she stays on green (which is a warning) then we are doing good.

No big plans for the weekend. We might go to the gym and go swimming. I have started swimming laps at the pool. Man, that is HARD. It does give me a break from the jogging time at the gym.

I also have to go grocery shopping at some point this weekend. What an exciting weekend for being an adult. I wish we could go somewhere but anywhere we go, we will have to fight the crowds and I am not wanting to do that. If we had a boat we could go to the lake. There is no where to ride 4 wheelers around our house. So, I guess we are just going to the Smackover football game tonight. Go BUCKS!!!

Swimming

I went swimming today and it was HARD! I swam for 30 minutes and did 10 laps across the pool. I loved leaving the pool thinking, "I did it". I did have to use a pool noodle to help me because that's a lot of swimming. The last time I did it without a noodle, I only went across 1 time so today was an improvement.

Food is doing ok. I just had a snack and I am still a little hungry but I think that is because I counted 4 exercise points for my swimming. I was sweating even though I was in the water. OK praying for you to do well today!

Bolcanos

Aimee is learing about Bolcanos (volcanos) and laba (lava) at school. She said that she loves school and appears to be having fun. She did ok today at school. She had to change her color from blue to green but we are ok with that. What she did today was not come to line up when her class was called back from recess. If that is all it was, it's really ok. We will keep on working on it but I am pleased with her progress.

I am back on my weight loss efforts. We are going on a cruise in December and I want to be 20 pounds lighter. It's going to take some work but I think I can do it.

Random stuff

These are some random pictures that I have been meaning to upload.

There is a picture of Darrell's new grill. We had a smaller one but we decided to get a new one after the burner went out on the old one. It had already been replaced and this one was on the end of summer clearance. It has 3 burners for grilling and a burner for boiling. Man, I see a fish fry coming on.....or some boiled shrimp since I don't really like fish.

There is a picture of Darrell and Greg and Ashley and I along with a picture of Brittany and I. Ashley is in the pink shirt. These are all students that we have in our youth group and they are so great. We just enjoy hanging out with them.

The picture of Aimee and Lexi was taken when we went to Hot Springs and toured the museum. They really liked running around and looking at all the old stuff there. It was hard to get them to stop to take a picture but they are so cute. There is exactly 6 months in between them and they get along so well. Aimee is blessed to have a friend like Lexi and I am blessed that Lexi's mom is my friend. God has been good to send us sweet friends here!

OK, I have killed enough time and it's about time to go home for the weekend.

Such a klutz........

This is going to be a whiney post:

I have been sick with a sinus infection since last Friday. It was worse on Sunday and getting better on Wed. Thursday due to the sinus infection and just life, I developed a migrane. Even with the medicine that I took, it would not go away. So today, still with the headache, I decided to take one of my pain pills. That worked very well and the headache was gone pretty quick.

I head outside to kill some wasp nests and I stepped off the concrete where I skinned my leg all the way from my knee to my ankle and 1/2 way down my arm to my elbow.

Can we say...........KLUTZY?????

So, I have felt bad for the past week. Whine, whine, whine.....maybe tomorrow will be a better day or I won't injure myself putting clothes in the dryer.....

I Trust You'll Treat Her Well

Author: Victor Buono

Dear World:I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a happy laugh that ripples all day long.. and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sun when she runs.I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning...and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine.Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Goodbye" and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in lines...and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears for the sounds of school-bells...and deadlines...and she'll learn to giggle...and gossip...and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy 'cross the aisle sticks out his tongue at her. And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in the sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn and kiss lilac blooms in the morning dew. No, now she'll worry about those important things...like grades and which dress to wear and whose best friends is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls. And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and mother and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ...which is only right. But no longer will I be the smartest woman in the whole world. Today when that school bell rings for the first time...she'll learn what it means to be a member of the group...with all its privileges and its disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud...or kiss dogs...or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms...or even watch ants scurry across cracks in sidewalks in the summer.Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to becoming a woman.So, world, I bequeath to you today one little girl...in a crispy dress...with two brown eyes...and a flash of light brown hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.
I trust you'll treat her well.

This has been a hard week for Momma. Dropping Aimee off today was the hardest day so far. The children area adjusting to their schedules. In the mornings they sit criss cross applesauce in the hallway and are actually quiet. I gave Aimee a hug and she was a little more clingy that she has been all the days so far. She knows that she has to stay but for just a few more minutes, instead of being that big girl, she wants to be my baby. I kiss that sweet little cheek, tell her to have a great day and then slip out. My tears slip out too. It's hard to let her go to school. Even though it's like daycare, it's different.

I am ready for the weekend.....

Our revival tonight

Well, first of all let me say that today at school was a much better day. We still covet your prayers but her teacher said that we are making an effort. Whoo-hoo for Aimee!

This is a picture of her with her new hair cut. The umbrella was a present from her great grandmother from Canada and the big flower in her hair was given to her by her after school teacher (who gave all the girls a flower for their hair). Of course, I could not convince her to take it out of her hair for a picture so we are "picking our battles" hence, the flower stayed in her hair.

The second picture is a picture of our revival that we had tonight. We had over 200 teenagers there and it was amazing. Several of our students made commitments or recommitments and it was neat to see God move so strongly in the lives of students all over our community tonight. Have I mentioned how much I love our church? I just love our students!! They are so great and God has blessed us so much here. There isn't a lot of food places or a real mall, but we do have real students that want to follow God's will.

Have a great night!

Strong Willed Children

Once again, I have been reminded very quickly that our child is a SWC (which is short for Strong Willed Child). I have always said that Aimee is "high maintenance" and you know, she is. Little things become battles, obedience is asked for over and over and then is given with a bad attitude.

Last night was a hard night emotionally for me and I am being very honest here. I thought that maybe I didn't deserve Aimee and that is why it took us so long to get pregnant. I thought that maybe I am a bad mother. I had lots of thoughts like that last night.

Today I read this on another blog:

There is nothing wrong with a SW child. Strong Willed is a personality trait, that’s all. A SW child is not abnormal. The parent's job is to train that child and help him in controlling his will. If you have a strong willed child, it’s because God knew that you could handle it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 is clear. You’re not given more than you can handle.

God says that He will not give me more than I can handle. Now, sometimes I think God trusts me more than I trust myself because sometimes parenting seems to be an uphill battle. I do know that God loves this little girl more that I could love her and I love her to the depths of my soul.

So, we are going to get through this. Here is how you can help if you are reading our blog (and this assusmes that you are family or friends):

1. Pray for us first and foremost. Pray that we will lead our daughter by example and that we will be in tune with her needs. Pray that God will give us the STRENGTH to parent her as He parents us.

2. Pray for Aimee and that she will obey because she loves Jesus and her parents. Pray that she will not obey us because of a "spirit of fear" but a "spirit of love". Pray for her actions and her body.

3. Pray for her teachers at school and at church, for endurance and strength. Pray that they will be firm but not lose patience with her.

4. Please be firm with her if you are babysitting her for us. Do NOT let her "get one over on you" because in the long run, it makes it harder on her. Be firm with your expectations. Do what you tell her you are going to do even if it breaks her heart (and yours).

5. Praise her! She loves to have positive praise and craves this. A hug is a great thing for her!


This is my new prayer:

“Lord, You know my inadequacies. You know my weaknesses, not only in parenting, but in every area of my life. I’m doing the best I can to raise my child properly, but it may not be good enough. As You provided the fish and the loaves to feed the five thousand hungry people, now take my meager effort and use it to bless my family. Make up for the things I do wrong. Satisfy the needs that I have not met. Compensate for my blunders and mistakes. Wrap Your great arms around my child, and draw her close to You. And be there when she stands at the great crossroads between right and wrong. All I can give them is my best, and I will continue to do that. I submit her to You now and rededicate myself to the task You have placed before me. The outcome rests securely in Your hands.”

Second day at school.....

and we already have the letter coming from the teacher about behaviors.

So, because I don't feel good and I am sick and losing my voice, I am going to just put it all here and you guys can read it. Ms. Thing (aka our daughter) has decided that she does not want to do what her teacher wants her to do. She has been telling her teacher "no" and will not keep her hands to herself.

Yes, I know that these are bad behaviors. No, I don't know what to do about them. We did something pretty radical today and that was D and I took her books out of her room. That is going to be hard for her and she cried and cried about that. She loves to read (and so do I) but taking things away that she doesn't care about doesnt' bother her.

We have two rules to follow tomorrow:
1. always obey your teacher
2. pratice nice things with your body (ie no hitting, yelling, etc...)

Hopefully this will work. Now, I am off to compose the first "I am sorry for her behaviors" letter.

First day of school

WOW! The first day of

school is officially here! Aimee did so well when we dropped her off. She was a little nervous when she first woke up but once she got to school, she saw a friend from preschool across the hall and perked up. Her teacher promised me that she would take good care of her so that made me feel better.

I have a lot of sad feelings about her starting school. She is offically a big girl and that is hard for my momma heart. It's bittersweet to see this little baby who was so helpless the first time I held her, take her backpack and walk into the hall of school.

Something every parents does.....

I had to do something that every parent has to do when their child is around 5 or 6 years old. We had to take Aimee to meet her Kindergarten teacher last night. It was so hard for momma. Aimee's teacher has been teaching for 24 years and is a well seasoned teacher. I guess that is going to be a good thing.

We bought a shirt and I joined the PTA! Definately a K thing because I am not sure how involved PTA is but I will be involved.

I am so nervous....Aimee appears to be fine about this but I am not sure I am ready to let my baby go. I have to drop her off and leave her all day. That is scary to me. I do it now but we are the ones that is able to control what daycare she attends and if in the past, it was not a good fit, we could look for another one. Now, we can't do that.

I know it's not a big deal for a child to start school but for me, as Aimee's mom, it IS a big deal. What if she gets scared or can't open her milk? What if she doesn't make any friends? What about all those unknowns? This is one of those times where it is hard to trust God. I am going to trust in Him though because I know Heloves this little girl even more that I possibly can (although that's hard to grasp because I love that baby like none other). I am just going to rest in Him and constantly remind myself that he will take care of her.

I know though that I am going to be crying all day on Monday. I actually told them I would be in later because I want some time to grieve for my baby when I have to drop her off. I will pick her up later on that day as a big girl.

Our fun weekend...

I haven't updated because we don't have a laptop at home anymore. Darrell was paying a bill a week or so ago and the "h" key fell off. We had to ship the thing off for repair and it won't be back until Wednesday.

I was out of town on Wednesday - Friday for a conference in Hot Springs. Boy, was it HOT! (Pun intended). The conference was good on Wednesday but I had a migrane from getting car sick. My friend from work, DeAnna drove and she took good care of me. We went to Outback with her family and a coworker that night and then the mall. It's so nice to go to a mall and shop. I hit Bath and Body Works and got some stuff for the house and a tote bag. It's so nice and PINK!!!!

Thursday was a LONG day at the conference but then DeAnna and I hit Magic Springs and that was a blast. It was not crowded at all and we did the water slides and lazy river before hitting the amusement park. I actually rode the rum runner which is basically the pirate ship. It made me sick when I rode it about 8 years ago and since my carsickness has gotten worse as I age, I haven't been on it since. We did it though and it was ok, I didn't get sick. We also rode some scary rollercoaster that I can't believe I actually got on. Have I ever said how scared rollercoaster's make me? I still get on them though.

Darrell and Aimee picked me up on Friday and we ate lunch with DeAnna and Lexi (her daughter). Aimee and Lexi had fun at the aquarium and walking in the old restored bath house and then we hit the Traveler's game in Little Rock. Can I say that this was the WORSE idea ever???? It was about 104 degrees with NO breeze! We didnt' last that long.

Saturday, my goal was to stay at home all day and I made it! I didn't get out of the house other than to go to the church and get the hamburger meat to cook for the lunch on Sunday. Techinally I live on church property so I never left my house and it was GREAT! Goal Accomplished!!!!

Have a good one and I will post pictures when I get my computer back!!!

What a weekend....

Darrell's parents came up this weekend to watch Aimee for us when we went to Magic Springs with our youth group. His parents are so good to us! Thanks Mom and Dad!

We got to Magic Springs and we waited FOREVER in lines. 2 hours JUST to get into the parking lot, 1 hour to get tickets, 2 hours for food and this girl tried to fight me for a table, 1.5 hours to get food for another student, and so on and on....it was CRAZY.

We did get to hang out a long time with our students though. This is the best group of students that we have ever worked with. They are just so much fun and desire our friendship and that means a lot to us. They ROCK!

Sunday was this last Super Summer of Fellowship which is where we get together for church and eat. We also invited the Fire Dept and Sherriff's dept and gave them an offering that they can use for bullet proof vests or whatever they desire. Then it was the last softball game of the season, adults verses youth. Our youth showed INCREDIABLE integrity. When it was the last hit of the game and they were down by two, they still allowed one of the students who is not a good player to bat even though they knew it would cost them the game. Can I say how great these students are????

Then Aimee and I came home. My cell phone was on top of some papers that got wet when her waterbottle turned over. Now I am going to have to replace my cell. I hate having to spend that money on a phone. UGH.

It's been a L-O-N-G weekend!

My sweet sister....

Here is a picture of my sister and my niece or nephew. I am so excited for them. I love you Carol! She is 17 weeks pregnant in this picture.

I caved....

and bought a cute pink binder from Wal-Mart. Do you know how hard it was to make a decision???? I had about 3 to pick from but at almost $4 a binder, I really only could justify purchasing 1 for my social work exam prep. Speaking of that, I paid $175 today to take an exam to complete my licenseure as a Arkansas Social Worker. I am going to have to continue to study for this thing because I can only take it one time for that price. If I fail, I have to pay another $175 so I just can't afford to fail.

Kudos to my wonderful husband who brought me a Cherry Vanilla Diet DP today from Sonic. I love Diet DP and it brightened my day. I am so thankful for a husband like Darrell who spoils me because he loves me. He's my everything!

Now....I just need to find some more things to go into binders. I shall keep working on it!

Summer days

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over. We have enjoyed our summer here with our students. I think overall, that this is the best group of students as a whole, that we have ever worked with. We have been pretty busy with them this summer because we spend a lot of time hanging out with them.

We go to Magic Springs a lot also! This picture is one of my most favorite pictures of the summer. It was taken on our way into Magic Springs. Aimee grabbed Darrell's hand and I snapped it quickly! Then later on she wanted to make some funny faces for me. She is such a little kidder. I can't believe that she starts school in 20 days! Pretty soon she will be ready for makeup and dating....Which will SO NOT happen. She's not dating until she is out of High School!

We are praying for Aimee to have a good year at school. Sometimes we are a little concerned because she has the natural curosity of Darrell and her mother's childhood energy. We are praying that she will have a strong Christian teacher that can channel her energy into postive behaviors and challenge her academically. We had considered putting her in private school but in the end, we are going to send her to the Math and Science school. We attempted to enroll her in the Drama and Arts school (which would have been a good fit for our little Drama Queen) but we were unable to get her into this school. Most of her friends from preschool will be attending that particular school which will be good for her.

Now, let's see if Mommy and Daddy can do as well as she does!

Some news

Some of this will be old new to some of you but some of you will not know this.
I have finally decided to come out of the closet about something that women do NOT want to talk about. Are you ready????

I have lost 40 pounds! I am really excited about this. I actually hit the 40 pound mark about a month ago but I am just now posting about it. I actually have at least another 20 pounds to go but right now, I am just trying to get there day by day.

I have a good friend, Erin, who challenges me and loses weight with me. She lives in North Carolina so all of our challenges have been online and/or Yahoo Messenger. We give each other prizes when we meet our mini goals and so she supports my journal and frilly shopping habit!

It's neat to see how things have changed in my life since I have lost weight. People actually notice me now or I am more aware of people noticing me. I guess for so long I have put the "I am not pretty enough" tag on, that it's hard to get out of it if you know what I mean. It's amazing to see people who haven't seen me in years and remark on my weight loss. With me being so short, it's very noticable but for me, I don't really notice it and I guess that is because I see myself every day.

Now, don't ask me what I weigh because I will NOT post it. I will also not show pictures of what I used to look like 40 pounds ago until I have lost all the weight that I need to lose. If you do want to send me gift cards to support my journal habit though, I WILL give you my address....

Carol's news!

I never update this because I don't think that people read it but Carol informed me that she reads it and I forget that my HP girls and MIL read it also!

So, I am once again updating!

My sister Carol is pregnant! Her and Ryan are expecting in January. I am not sure whether we (listen to me), they are having a girl or a boy but we will know on August 28th! I can't wait. I am just so amazed about this. My SISTER having a baby. Most of you don't know how close I am to my sister but she is just so awesome. She is one of my closest friend and I am just so excited that she is having a baby! She has wanted her own baby for years and if she spoils of her baby as half as well as she spoils Aimee, well, look out cause that baby won't be put down for 2 years. I know that she and Ryan are going to be great parents! Congrats to you guys!

We are doing well in El Dorado! We have really gotten into the swing of things here and are really enjoying our church and we have the best group of students that we have ever worked with.

Well, I need to get to getting dinner for tomorrow night so more later!

My weekend!

It rained on Saturday, all day.I am SO tired of rain. All it ever does in Eldo is rain, rain, rain Anyway, being the good housewife that I am, I decide that I am going to really clean my house. Side note....my mom did not clean house growing up. It was really bad and scarred both Carol and I for life. Needless to say, our houses are always clean and we never go to bed with dishes in the sink!

The house didn't need much work, just the deep cleaning stuff. After we cleaned the house, I made lunch and then we headed out to see Ratatooule or however you say it. Anwyay, the movie was lame for an adult but Aimee liked it so that is all that matter.
We get home and D decides he wants sushi for dinner so I go make it. He has to run to the store and when he came back he suprises me with this...... http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4939215

Can I say my husband ROCKS! I have wanted one of these since I got my Ipod. I have priced several different ones but he found this one for me. So, I am now waking up to my own music and not the radio. You can wave your hand in front of the thing and it even snoozes without you touching it. I am sooo spoiled to this. I think I will want to stay in the bed all day now.

Cleaning the house and making sushi sure pays off!