September Potpourri

Out of the Mouths of Babes

The topic of the sermon at church this past Sunday was authority. The children's sermon was centered around this too. When the children were asked who they knew that had authority, one responded, "God." Another responded, "Jesus." When asked who had authority in the home, Rachel replied, "our parents." When asked if anyone else could name someone with authority, Anna blurted out, "the banks." With that, the entire congregation laughed. Who knows why she came up with that one....you never know what she'll say.

One Hundred and Twenty-Eight

What is the significance of that number? That is my current weight. I have lost 11 pounds since August. Do you want to know the last time I saw a weight in the 120s? That would be prior to my first pregnancy. I weighed 124 pounds when I became pregnant with Rachel. Since that time, I have not seen anything in the 120-130 range. I finally decided to shed the "pregnancy weight." It has taken being a bit more disciplined with what I eat (minimize the bad carbs) and exercising more. You know, the things we are supposed to do...exercise and eat a balanced, healthy diet. Yes, I've cheated. I've had my share of junk. I just don't over do it anymore. Plus, I have found that I really enjoy riding my bike. So, I do that a few nights a week for about 7 miles per ride. My goal was to get to 125 lbs. I'm quite happy where I'm at though and really think toning up more is my next goal. I don't know that my stomach will ever be the way it was pre-pregnancy after two c-sections, two laproscopys, and two pregnancies where my belly was HUGE back to back. And, things have shifted after pregnancies and due to old age but my primary goal is to be a bit healthier. And, I think I've achieved that much.

People that I see daily don't seem to notice much but people I haven't seen in a while can tell and usually ask if I have lost weight. Although, one of my coworkers was offering me cake to "fatten me up a bit." I think people have gotten used to me having a little bit more meat on me so some think I look too skinny now. I am by no way too skinny but compared to what people are used to seeing, I could see how some might think I look different now. I'm just thrilled to actually fit in a size 4 again. I never thought I'd ever see that day again. Of course, I need new clothes now. Jeff loves that! Of course, he gets a wife who is in better shape than she has been physically in quite some time and he has his pricey hobbies so I don't expect any complaints from him when I shop. :-)

Brisingr

Brisingr is the title of the book I'm currently reading when time allows. It is the third installment in Paolini's books. Some of you may have seen the movie Eragon. It is the third book following Eragon which was the first book.

There are so many things in Paolini's books that remind me of Tolkien's books (Lord of the Rings). But, I find them mildly entertaining so I was looking forward to reading Brisingr which was released earlier this month.

It'll take me a while to read it though. It's not like I have hours to sit around and read a book.

Heading to Alabama

I plan to go to Alabama this coming weekend to visit with my Mom. I figured I'd better do it while I can since we'll be gone or have visitors in our home for the next few weekends after in the month of October. I'll post an update on my Mom when I get back for those wondering about her.

Got Contacts

I've been wearing glasses for years and I finally grew sick of dealing with them. I tried contacts years ago; eight years ago to be exact. They seemed to bother me at that time. But, the ones I have now don't seem to bother me at all. I got them yesterday and have a follow up appointment with my optometrist next week. So far, so good. I love them actually! And, I'm grateful to not have to deal with glasses. Of course, I wanted to smack the optometrist yesterday when we discussed the need to change my prescription since I was "approaching middle age." Well, thanks doc! Like I need to be reminded. GEEEESSH! Oh, and did I mention that someone in church on Sunday mentioned they liked my "Sarah glasses?" I didn't understand what he meant. Then he said, "your glasses look like Sarah Palin's." I guess even beyond the glasses, I do favor her a bit. Kind of funny really when I started thinking about it. That's not the reason I wanted to shed the glasses though. Just thought it was a humorous point to share.

Rachel's 7 Year Portraits

(Lucy has buried Linus' blanket.)
Charlie Brown: Why don't you don't let me try to find some sort of substitute for your blanket? Maybe I could get you a dishtowel or something.
Linus: Would you give a starving dog a rubber bone?

I think the quote above from a Peanuts cartoon pretty much sums up Rachel's feelings on the matter where the blue blanket is concerned. She has had "the Blue" since she was a newborn. To this day, she still sleeps with it. And, if she is lying on the sofa watching T.V., she will many times be snuggled up with "the Blue" (as she calls it).

"The Blue" is looking a bit more ragged with each passing year but she loves it as much today as when she was an infant. I guess some people would say she's old enough to get along without a comfort object. But, I just don't see the harm in a child at the age of seven snuggling up with her blanket. It's not like she's sucking her thumb or a pacifier; something that could damage her bite or teeth. And, it's also not like she carries it everywhere she goes although I have to agree with Anna, images of Linus are conjured up in my mind from time to time when I see her with her blue blanket. I don't know how many more years she will hold onto "the blue" as her comfort object but I wanted a photo to keep that would remind us of her and her blanket as it is one of the last connections to her early childhood that still remains. I think The Picture People captured what I was looking for quite nicely (shown above). They even added the text, "I'll never be too old for my blanket..." to the portrait.

I think they also did a great job with her photos below. I still find it hard to believe that this child that almost spans the length of our sofa when she is laying down was such a tiny little munchkin not so very long ago.

And, her appetite kicked in today! I don't think she stopped eating for the better part of the afternoon. It must be a growth spurt. I just bought her new tennis shoes a couple of months ago and she is already complaining that those shoes are getting too small. I keep jokingly telling her that, "I'm going to stop feeding her so she'll stop growing!" It is true what everyone says, they do grow up too fast it seems.

Rachel's Birthday Celebration

We ate breakfast at the local Waffle House yesterday morning, which we usually do at least once per week. So it's kind of like the show Cheers, everybody knows our name. Rachel announced that it was her birthday so the staff played birthday music and gave her a waffle with birthday candles in honor her special day.

I made cupcakes and brought in ice cream to be served in Rachel's class during snack time yesterday. Local schools do not allow birthday celebrations or for birthday invitations to be distributed at school. But, you can bring cupcakes for their class snack time and it just happened that it fell on her birthday. :-)

With the baking of cupcakes for school, brownies for a work fund raiser, and a cake for Rachel, you can guess that I was up late on Thursday and up early on Friday. But, I got the Tinkerbell themed cake made as Rachel requested. And, of course, it was chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

Rachel received cards and phone calls from friends and family near and far. And, we had a party last night at home. Jeff set up the inflatable movie screen outside and we played Meet the Robinsons; a Disney movie. The temperature is cooling off in the South but the mosquitoes were still biting.

We had a fire in our fire pit and the kids had s'mores. Of course, we had the traditional cake and ice cream as well. And, some popcorn to wash all the healthy stuff down.

I even dressed up as Mrs. Incredible (Elastigirl) to liven up the party some. I bought the costume last year when Disney put them on clearance after Halloween. I had to wear it some time and since I wasn't doing it for our Disney trip this year, I figured I'd have some fun with the kids. I think the older children enjoyed it more than the younger ones did.

They asked me to put on my new Star Wars costume and I did. So, everyone gets a sneak preview of what mine will look like for Disney this year. But, I'll have on makeup for Disney and Halloween. I even had a couple of lightsaber battles with the kiddos.

Happy 7th Birthday Rachel

I knew tomorrow would be busy with the birthday party celebration so I wanted to go ahead and make a post to our birthday girl who will turn seven on September 26th.

It is so hard to believe that our first child is going to be seven tomorrow. Time surely does fly. It seems like it was just yesterday that I was teetering as close to 200 pounds as I ever hope to be while awaiting the birth of our first child.

And, even though Rachel is seven tomorrow, she still loves her blue blanket....her comfort object. Of course, Anna never misses an opportunity to get a good pot shot in so she some times jokingly calls Rachel "Linus" (as in the character from Charlie Brown).

Rachel's favorite color is still pink and she still says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She loves animals. We can't even let her watch shows on T.V. where it may show a lion hunting antelope because it upsets her to see any animal harmed even if it is for the great circle of life. She truly has a compassionate soul except for where her younger sister is concerned. The more misery she can create for Anna, the happier she is (and vice versa); such is sibling rivalry.

I asked her if she wanted to get her ears pierced. She declined. She says she wants to wait. I wondered if she would want to since Anna did this past summer. But, she really has no interest and we are in no hurry for her to grow up so that suits us just fine.

She's very particular about her clothes now. They have to fit just right and be comfortable or she isn't interested. Looks are important but function, comfort and fit are more important.

She is still thriving with her school work. Her ability to read is remarkable. She grabbed my copy of Reader's Digest and was reading a story out of it a week or so ago. She saw the cover which mentioned a shark attack. And, since animals grab her attention, she found the story on her own, began reading it and then proceeded to tell me about it.

I've posted a picture from each year of her life above. The last one was taken a few months back when she went to a photography studio with our babysitter. I didn't buy the photo but downloaded an image of it (hence the watermark "zazzle" is still on it). But, all photos give everyone an idea of how much she has changed over the years. I'll post her new seven year portraits and birthday party pictures later. The one below was taken this month of her after she got her hair cut.

We are so proud to call Rachel our daughter. Thank you, Rachel, for making us parents. You truly are a blessing to us.

Happy 7th Birthday!

We love you!

From Mom and Dad

Anakin Skywalker

Jeff made his selection for his costume: Anakin Skywalker.

Sorry that he didn't choose Jar Jar Binks since someone voted on that costume in my prior post.

Poor Kiddo....

"There was never a child so lovely but his mother was glad to get him to sleep." ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Around 3:30 a.m. last night, we heard a familiar sound....Anna's door opening along with the pitter patter of feet heading towards our bedroom. I'm sure Jeff and I both lay there hoping the other would respond first but alas, it was my night as I heard Anna cry out, "Mommy!"

She cried, "my tummy hurts." Now, with Anna, it is always a crap shoot as to whether you should take her seriously or not as she is known to cry wolf from time to time. She visited our bathroom and then I went back to her room and laid down with her while rubbing her stomach. She started to doze off and then hopped up about 30 minutes later. She ran to the bathroom where the diarrhea commenced. I was able to get her settled back down after that for a short period. We dozed off together until I thought she appeared to be settled and I slipped out of her bed and into my own around 6:15 a.m. I was in bed maybe 15 minutes when Anna appeared in our bedroom again saying her "tummy hurts." And, Rachel was along this time as she was mad because Anna's crying had awakened her. We sent Rachel back to her bedroom and this time, Jeff pulled Anna into our bed where she maybe rested for five minutes before stating that she needed to vomit. That got a quick response from Jeff as he raced her to the bathroom.

Since that point, she has been vomiting off and on throughout the day and running a low grade temperature. She has slept some in between the unpleasantries.

I don't know if there is any sickness that people would choose but nausea is one of those things that makes a person miserable. You can't help but feel compassion for anyone suffering through it as we all know how miserable of a feeling that is. And, it's always terrible when you see your child sick regardless of what they are suffering from.

Around this house, Jeff is the adult that is always more susceptible to stomach bugs so he's loading up on fattening foods today preparing for the worst in the next few days. He plans to go to McDonalds for a Big Mac, super sized fry and large milkshake for an afternoon snack. And, wash that all day with as much chocolate as he can handle. He figures it's all coming back up so he's going to live for the day.

At least it's hitting us early this year. Last year, it happened while we were in Orlando on our Disney trip. Jeff was sick and so was Gail. Hopefully, we'll be past the illness by the time we go in October so that we can enjoy our trip to Disney this year with battling illness too.

You know, I can't help but wonder, why is it that stomach flu problems always hit in the middle of the night? At least that always seems the case with my family.

Got most of the costumes ordered....

I sense something; a presence I've not felt since...~~Darth Vader

I've decorated the house with Fall and Halloween stuff. It does add some life to the place. Anna was so excited.

I ordered the Halloween costumes today for Rachel, Anna, and myself today. Jeff has not yet decided on which character he wants to be so he'll have to order his later.

I changed my mind completely on my costume. To date, I've always worn villain costumes. It just didn't seem right picking someone from the good side of the Force. So, I went for a costume for a female on the Dark Side....Asajj Ventress. Here is a photo below.

I found my photo when I dressed as Maleficent (Villain in Disney's Sleeping Beauty) a few years back. See, I just fit right in with the villains. I think they have more fun! I don't know if many people will recognize Asajj Ventress unless they are a true Star Wars fan....which may be a good thing. I was practically mobbed at the Magic Kingdom last year because people thought I was the real Disney cast member dressed as Cruella Deville.

Edited to add this photo of me dressed as The White Witch (Narnia) a couple of years ago.

Mom Update Part III

Miracles, in the sense of phenomena we cannot explain, surround us on every hand: life itself is the miracle of miracles. ~~George Bernard Shaw

I have been out of town most of the week to Marietta again. You know you've been traveling way too much when the lady at the rental car counter recognizes you by by name when you enter the facility. I'm hoping that business travel slows down in the upcoming months. The next trip I plan on taking will either be to AL to visit with my Mom again and/or to Orlando next month during the school Fall break.

I received a call from my Aunt Josephine last night with an update on my Mom. It appears they are releasing her early from the hospital but with her requiring to go to therapy at least two days per week. They are basing this on the fact that she is able to now walk independently, is swallowing better and her speech has improved.

Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about her going home so soon. But, I know she'll be happier back in her own apartment. For anyone who saw her a little over a week ago, none would believe she would be walking again so soon...much less returning home. If you don't believe in miracles, you need not look far as the fact that she is still alive at this point is a miracle unto itself. And, the fact that she is mobile again is more than I ever could've hoped for.

So, the prayers did work! It just goes to show you, with God all things are possible.

This and That

School Work

I was going through Rachel's bookbag and found something she had written in Writer's Workshop at school. It says the following:

"My birthday is in September. I might get a fish tank that is less than $200 or a Nintendo DS. 8 days until my birthday. I'm so excited."

Gee! I wonder who might've given the idea about a fish tank or a Nintendo DS (cough, cough....JEFF!)

Tooth Fairy Visits

In the midst of the saga with my Mom I forgot to mention that Rachel lost her sixth tooth while we were in Alabama last weekend. It's time for the tooth fairy to take out a loan.

Anna

While watching Anna in gymnastics today, I saw her sitting on the floor with some of the other girls and encouraging them to sniff their toes. Of course, I had to call her on it. That is just gross! I love her; I do. But, I swear that kid is going to age me.

On the way home from gymnastics she was talking about a boy that Rachel keeps telling her is her boyfriend and she was emphatic when she said that he was not. The reason...."he farts a lot." I have to admit I died laughing when I heard this conversation.

Mommy Is Home

I made brownies for the girls and when they got home today the whole house smelled like them. They knew Mom was home again. It's good to be back home, finally. I hope to be able to enjoy it for a while.

And, they say women are fickle....

Jeff was not happy with the finicky nature of the Ducati so he listed it on Ebay to see if he'd get a buyer. He did. The buyer is driving from the Northeast to pick it up on Saturday. This doesn't mean Jeff is out of the motorcycle business. He is just trying to decide what he'll get next that doesn't require so much special handling. It'll probably be a Japanese bike as they tend to be more refined. I keep telling him to get a CBR 1000 or a YamahaR1. It'll be interesting to see what he picks.

20-Year High School Reunion

Real nice party, Hapsburg. I see a lot of familiar face-lifts.~~Lieutenant Frank Drebin in the movie Naked Gun 2-1/2

Jeff and I attended my 20-year high school reunion on Saturday evening. I have to say I was overall disappointed at the lack of attendance. Particularly, since a good many of my fellow alumni still live in the Birmingham area. I saw more people there from out of town than who were local. But, I guess we appreciate being able to gather with old friends a bit more since we don't bump into them around town. I think the cost turned some off as well--$70 per person. I thought this price was a bit ridiculous considering what was included which wasn't much. We didn't even get non-alcholic drinks with that price. There were some people who didn't like the location and refused to attend for that reason. My opinion on that is if someone else is doing the planning and all I have to do is show up, I'm not going to complain about something so trivial. What was most important was simply connecting with old friends again.

Some people had not changed one bit where looks are concerned. One of my classmates commented that I had not changed and she added "you weighed 5 lbs in high school and now you must weigh all of 10 lbs." I love her! I don't miss being as skinny as I was in high school. I was rail thin but not from lack of eating. Now, I wish I had that problem....eat all I want and not gain a pound!

I was able to recognize those who attended with no problems. I remember there were a few at our 10-year reunion that really eluded me. There were so many more people who attended our 10-year reunion. I hate that this reunion produced so little attendees. The group photo above is everyone who attended and this a pretty paltry attendance rate.

I had a good time anyway. It was certainly a nice break from the craziness of life as of late. It was nice simply reconnecting with those who I had not seen in a very long time.

Mom Update Part II

Where there is great love there are always miracles. ~~Willa Cather

We visited with my Mom this weekend while in AL. She is continuing to improve daily. However, she is nowhere near able to go home. She gets very emotional at times and she started crying when she saw Rachel and Anna. She was able to independently walk slowly a few feet from her bed to her wheelchair yesterday. And, she is able to sit up on her own. She is also able to move both her right arm and leg now. She is still having problems swallowing. All liquids have to be thickened and her food must be pureed to be able to swallow it without choking. She was able to speak some words clearly but for the most part, she is still unable to annunciate very well. They also removed the catheter yesterday. She was practicing writing the alphabet this morning and she is able to write some words. All in all, she is 110% better than what she was last Sunday but she still has an up hill climb both cognitively and physically.

Her room was kind of depressing so I had the girls draw some photos and we posted those around the room to liven it up a bit. We also plan to mail her a digital picture frame this week so she'll have photos around as well. Below is a picture of her with Anna and Rachel taken this morning.

Please continue to keep the prayers coming for her. They are working and she still needs them.

Mom Update Part I

I have better news to share today.

My Mom was moved from the ICU to a regular room earlier today. Later in the afternoon, they transported her to another hospital that is closer to her apartment and will be a closer location for family members traveling to visit with her.

She is talking a bit more now. Her speech is not very clear but she is at least forming words and not simply groaning and grunting which is a huge leap in a few days time. However, she is still suffering from paralysis on her right side. She will continue her physical therapy in the new hospital.

Thank you again to all who have inquired about her and for everyone saying prayers for her. The prayers are helping so keep them coming.

My Mom

We only have One Mom, One Mommy, One Mother in this World, One life. Don't wait for the Tomorrow's to tell Mom, you love her.- Author Unknown

For those who do not know, my Mom suffered a major stroke this past Sunday. I've been in Alabama the past two days with my family.

Her cartoid artery on the right side is 100% blocked and therefore, inoperable. She wasn't able to speak at all the past two days but she was able to slowly annunciate a couple of words this morning. She was finally able to also swallow on her own this morning. Her right side was completely paralyzed but she is has now regained some small movement in her right leg as of today. She is still in the cardiovascular intensive care unit (ICU) for now in a Birmingham hospital.

I returned home today because there wasn't much I could do and visitation is limited while she is in the ICU. Plus, family and friends were all trying to visit and they only allow two people in the room at a time. Also, since I have limited leave I figured I'd save the leave from work for when she does go home as she'll probably need me more then. She has more than enough attention for now.

I have to admit it was extremely hard to see her like that. It's hard to accept that she'll never be the same again. She was so frustrated not being able to communicate with us or to be able to move the right side of her body. And, I know this is just the beginning where the strokes are concerned. My Aunt Rosie, who died years ago, suffered from a series of strokes over a period of years before a brain stroke killed her. I just don't want my Mom to suffer. Her health has been tentative at best for a number of years and if the good Lord wants to take her, I wish he'd do so without prolonging her misery and before she loses all quality of life. And, being the independent woman that she is, I know the loss of mobility and speech is going to drive her crazy. But, she did seem determined to get moving and to speak the past few days. She is a stubborn woman and I know as long as there is an ounce of strength left, she'll fight to recover.

Also, she was the primary caretaker of my 91 year old grandmother. So, the family is going to have to adjust for that as well.

I'm hoping she can return to her home some time in the near future with some independent mobility. We are fortunate that she already lives in an assisted living facility so she won't have to move. That way, she can remain amongst familiar faces when she returns home which will lessen the stress of all of this to some extent for her.

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have called and inquired on how she is doing. Unfortunately, it's a day-by-day thing and none of us know what the long term prognosis will be. I will be returning to Alabama this coming weekend to check on her and to attend my high school reunion (assuming my Mom remains in a stable condition). Please continue to keep my Mom in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery through her upcoming rehabilitation therapy.

Weddings

"I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry." ~~Rita Rudner

We've attended two weddings recently.

Our friends Pam and Bill were married in late August. I used to work with Pam and Bill at my former employer.

And, today, our friends, John and Darlene were married and they are the ones that I made the wedding cake for. A picture of John and Darlene cutting the cake I made is shown below.


We had a great time at both weddings, particularly the one today because Rachel and Anna had friends there; Hannah, Trinity and Alecia.

Of course, as always, the girls always fight over Jeff. He has that effect that leaves women fighting over him. It's just his lot in life to be forever surrounded by beautiful women. :-)


Below are a few pictures of us before the wedding today.


We wish our friends much happiness and long lives together! Thanks for sharing your special day with us.

It's That Time of the Year...

It's that time of the year where a critical decision must be made....what ever will we wear for Halloween? I love Halloween. I think it is my favorite holiday time of the year.

The girls have picked Star Wars characters this year which is putting the pressure on for me to pick a Star Wars costume I suppose. Originally, I thought I might either go as Elastigirl (Mrs. Incredible) or the Evil Queen from Snow White (below).





But, if the girls go with the Star Wars theme, I'll have to join in.

Anna wants to go as Padme (below).




Rachel wants to go as Ahsoka (below).




I'm considering either Princess Leia or Queen Amidala.

Jeff is still undecided too. I think he should either go as Darth Vader, Darth Maul or Jar Jar Binks. Tough decisions.....

Thirty-Eight and Counting

"Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.”~~Author Unknown

Since it's close to midnight and I was born some time shortly after midnight 38 years ago, I figured I'd go ahead and wish myself a "Happy Birthday" as I'm certainly not going to have the energy to do much else besides have a nice dinner at home (prepared by the loving husband, of course), followed by a nice drink with alcohol in it, and an early bed time Friday night. I've earned it! I can't believe it's been 38 years already! Lordy, where does the time go?

Yep, that little chubster at the top of this post is me as an infant. Why, oh why, can't fat rolls be just as adorable at 38 years of age too? :-)