Callie & Bella...

It was really hard for us to lose our sweet little Callie. She was such a good little girl. She was so happy and sweet. She lived to love. We only had her for 5 days, and it was a blessing to have her in our home. We missed her and we knew that we needed to have a kitty after her for sure. So we went to a farm and found the new (older) Callie. She is about 4 months old, in that cute and silly stage. We were a little concerned about her because Bethanie was afraid of her eyes (which are much larger than any cats she has seen). So we were really unsure of her. We went back to the animal shelter and told them what happened to little Callie and they gave us Bella. She is the same age as Big Callie but she is kind of obnoxious. We decided to take Bella back to the shelter and keep Callie. Callie has turned out to be a very loving little kitten. But now we don't know because Bethanie wants to keep Bella. I didn't imagine our home as being a home with TWO cats. For tonight at least, we are undecided on what to do. They are both fun to have around here (but very mischievous). The kids are loving playing with them!!!

gRiEf...

Grief is a strange entity, especially when children are involved. I have watched Bethanie go through her grieving process today. It amazes me how at times she can be playing, smiling and enjoying her time, and the next moment she is tearful, heartbroken. She has been coloring pictures of her Callie all day, this is one that she made for her. We laminated it and hung it on her bedroom door. She has asked amazing questions like when will Callie be resurrected, or if they shrink when they die. It is hard answering all of the questions that come to their minds. Matthew grieved hard this morning and was able to move on from it quickly. We are going to go look for a new little kitten this evening. I hope we can find one to mend our hearts. We miss Callie.

HeArT bReAk...

Our sweet little baby Callie died in her sleep last night. She is missed so much. We had her for less than a week, but she made a huge impact on our hearts. She was such a good little girl. She was litter trained, she'd to sit on my shoulder and play with my ear and purr as loud as she could. Bethanie is devastated by this. Matthew is too. He started to bond with her for the first time with any animal. We are really going to miss her. What a very sad day at our home...

CrAzY dAyS oF sUmMeR...

So, we took Callie to show and tell at Bethie's summer school. There were all girls there and talk about a love fest for this kitty! I couldn't leave! Bethanie was sure proud!!

I then took the kids fair exhibits to the Belleville fair. They will be judged tomorrow. They do their fair different in how they judge so I am not sure how things will turn out.

I rushed home to get the kids fed before Matthew left for Respite, which was a very short time slot. But we managed to choke it down and he was able to go out for 3 hours. In the mean time, I was able to figure out how to log onto my ESSDACK site so I could go and take my final for Western Civ. IT IS OVER! YAY! I don't know my grade yet. I wish the instructor would just get it graded already!

I have learned as I get older, I am less patient. Now I am trying to make heads or tails out of this stupid Econ class.

Three out of the five of us are sick. We have this upper respiratory infection thing going on so SOME of us are rather cranky....I'm not naming names, just sayin'. :OP

REALLY annoyed...Grrr.

I had set up tomorrow morning (Monday) to go take my final for my Western Civ. class. No biggie for most, but I have to arrange child care and rides to summer school for every one, so it is no easy thing. Its complicated to day the least. So, I try to log on to the blackboard where my online course is and the entire thing has CHANGED. It wont let me log in and I have wasted all my study time trying to figure it out. Looks like it will be yet ANOTHER day before I can take my test...that is...if I can rearrange my child care situation! Humph!

ToDaY iS a SpEciAl DaY!!! JULY 26th, 2009!!!

Today is my sweet mom's birthday!

Terry was born in 1950. She is the second oldest of five children.

After 21 days of courtship, she married the man she spent her life with, creating the beautiful family we now have!

Mom has gone through a great deal in her life. She is the greatest example in my life of strength, compassion, courage, forgiveness, trust and love.

I admire my mom so much. She is everything I strive to be, yet I still fall short!
Some things I love about my mom, Terry:

She is an optimist. She thinks on the bright side of things all of the time.

Though she suffers in pain, daily, hourly and by the minute, she NEVER complains.

She is always thinking about others.

She taught us to express our feelings of love for one another.

She allowed her children to think for themselves, watching from the sidelines, never EVER taking credit, when she could have or should have.

When I think of my mom, I think of the song Wind Beneath My Wings (Bette Midler).

She has never once put herself first, for anything.

I love this woman with all my heart. I feel so loved by my Savior because he gave me her!

I LOVE YOU, MOM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Sis

Send her a birthday wish at tlccolby@hotmail.com !!!

I hAd FoRgOtTeN...

Just how lazy cats are. She has been sitting here on my shoulder the whole afternoon while I have been doing my homework (I am not finished, but I had to prove how lazy she is). She is soooooooooooo asleep. She almost fell off once, thankfully she still has her claws!!!

I'm dOiNg iT!!!

With Callie Cat on my shoulder, I am actually doing my...HOMEWORK!!!! I am GoInG to take my final in this class on Monday, even if it means I have to BEG AND PLEAD my parents to come watch the children for me while I do it. YAY! I AM SO GLAD!!!!!! It is fairly dry stuff...Western Civilization I. This will be my final exam. I am typing up about the Protestant Reformation and King Henry VIII and his wives...Bet you wish you were me, huh!!! Now....back to work.

OuR nEw BaBy...

Callie Cat finally came to our home today. We had to wait a week to get her, and it was a week of TORTURE for Bethanie (and for us). Here she is with her big sister Bethanie. She is such a social little kitten and so willing to play, though she is soooooo tired being around my rambunctious brood. She is our first in house cat and I think, at least today, it is all going well... :O) Welcome home, Callie!

HuSh NoW bAbY dOn'T yOu CrY...

My sweet two year old has always had an older spirit about her. She thinks about things, she ponders and plots her methods. She is very sure and accurate. I just have really enjoyed this child. She is truly a no-stress kid for me. My oldest has his issues, my middle is DIVA all the way, and Madison is just...well....easy! That isn't to say she doesn't have her own opinions on things, and she will express it very well.

She is two, and still needs naps. I still LIKE her taking naps, but the problem has been that she wont go to bed until like 11:00 PM or so. I *NEED* her to go to bed more than she needs to nap, so unless I am napping (selfish I know) then she is staying up too! Sadly, she just cant make it that long. I tried and tried to keep her awake but she caved in...isn't she so sweet???

ReWaRd...

$7 cash to the first person to find Matthew's missing glasses.....
READY...SET...GO!!!!!

It's OK if they aren't found. We ordered a new pair today. :O)

GoOd InTeNtiOnS...

I have had the BEST of intentions this week to get my final done in Western Civ I. I wanted to have it over with before Matthew's surgery. I KNEW if I didn't have it completed by then, it would be the end of July or early August before I finished it. This month has been a challenge for sure. Even like today I have spent an hour home only to load everyone up to go and do this, get home for an hour and load up again to go to the next place. I had two appointments in the home this afternoon. One was set for three pm and the she cancelled. The other is set for four pm. He will be here, but it is wasted time I could have been doing studies. I am still trying. It has been hard because my husband is finishing his two classes this month for his BA in Business. The work load in one of his classes is extreme to say the least. It is 18 weeks worth of work given in 5 weeks. This instructor in particular doesn't "cut" any thing out for shorter classes, which is the pits. Jeff spends ALL of his "free" time doing work for this class.

Through this whole mess, Miss Madison has decided it is time to potty train. I don't mind, but it is hard to remind her to go to the potty every 15 minutes when we are home so infrequently. **SIGHS** Life will slow down one day, then I would be lost...

BuBbLeS...

Here is one of the projects Bethanie worked on at Kid's College this past week. It is a Monkey Pinata. She named him BUBBLES. LOL! The theme for the college was, "Lets Monkey Around" and their T-shirts had a monkey on them too. I think we will enter Bubbles in the Belleville County Fair along with a few of her other pictures. Matthew has a couple things we are entering as well. I cant wait until Madison gets going on some stuff! She still isn't old enough to enter.

TwO gOiNg On SeVeN...

Madison is amazing. I have never seen a more determined two year old as I have seen in her. There isn't NOTHING she cant do! She does some of these things better than her own siblings. This is the first time she has picked up a scooter, and she totally got how to use it. Look at the handle bars. They're almost as tall as her head!

TyPiCaL SaTuRdAyS...

Saturdays that my husband works are really really boring. There is never anything on TV to watch, keeping the kids occupied on yet another day with nothing to do is quite draining. So, I decided that since my carpets have been bugging me (dirty carpets are my pet peeves) I decided that I would borrow my mom and dads Rug Doctor and clean up my disgusting carpets. :O) Disgusting carpets no longer exist at my house! They look sooooooooooooooooooooooooooo nice!!! They should be squeaky clean. I just used bleach water (no soap) so hopefully they will stay cleaner longer.

Now we get to go to my parents house while the floors are drying.

sLiM PiCkiNs...

After MUCH anticipation, I finally picked some tomatoes. I am really disappointed in our tomato crop this year. They are not doing well at all, in fact, they seem to be dying. It is quite a bummer because I LOVE fresh, peeled and sliced tomatoes all summer long. Oh well. I will take what I can get. Maybe someone will take pity on us from church and give us some...Even my zucchini plants (I have 9) are not producing. So sad.

SuMmEr TiMe...

Even though summer isn't my most FAVORITE time of year, it does have some of the best things that come with it. Some of my favorite things to eat in the summer is corn on the cob. We get it as fresh as one can get it! There are farmers who pick it in the morning, and sit along the road to sell it (freshly picked is sooooo good!!!).

Lets see what some of my other favorite things about summer might be:

Freshly grown tomatoes, peeled and sliced with a dash of salt on them...Fresh cucumbers to make pickles out of and save them for the rest of the year to eat....going to the swimming pool....summer holidays....July 4th, Memorial Day, Labor Day....gardening....mowing the lawn (yes, I am a freak)....flowers in bloom....lightening bugs....hearing the locusts in the trees....seeing a beautifully bloomed sunflower field....wheat fields before they are cut....

I am sure there are other things that I like about summer. This is what I came up with while waiting for my corn to finish cooking. Kids are going to college in an hour. :OP

iNsPiRiNg...

The other day, I was talking with my dearest friend. We live so far apart, she is in Utah, and I am in Kansas, but we were placed together while she was on her mission here. We are so similar in thought, similar in life situations, so similar that I find it SCARY some times. It is the kind of friendship that when one is struggling, even in the middle of the night, the other one knows and is prompted to reach out....it is that kind of friendship. I treasure this woman so much! I know that when I am struggling, she is the one that I can count on to offer me just the right support I need at that time. She also isn't afraid to tell it how it is, knowing that I wont be offended (I hope she knows!!!) I love her to death.

Anyway, she gave me the best advice the other day...though it was quite puzzling to me. She told me that I need to leave certain trials at the feet of the Lord. Give HIM my struggles and trust that He will take them from me, through my faith. I thought on that for a while and realized that I don't know how to do that. I have been praying for guidance, praying to figure out just how to do that, how to let go....I think it is a controlling nature about me...something I NEED to be working on. Ironically, none of what is bothering me and causing me so much stress is within my control at all...So why am I trying to control it?

I got an email from an LDS Women's List I am on. It reminded me so much of Cori Ann's (friend) council. Here is what it said:

TWENTY THINGS TO REMEMBER

1. Faith is the ability to not panic.

2. If you worry, you didn't pray. If you prayed, don't worry.

3. As a child of God, prayer is kinda like calling home every day.

4. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.

5. When we get tangled up in our problems, be still. God wants us to be still so He can untangle the knot.

6. Do the math. Count your blessings.

7. God wants spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.

8. Dear God: I have a problem. It's me.

9. Silence is often misinterpreted, but never misquoted.

10. Laugh every day -- it's like inner jogging.

11. The most important things in your home are the people.

12. Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional.

13. There is no key to happiness. The door is always open. Come on in.

14. A grudge is a heavy thing to carry.

15. He who dies with the most toys is still just as dead.

16. We do not remember days but moments. Life moves too fast, so enjoy your precious moments.

17. Nothing is real to you until you experience it;otherwise it's just hearsay.

18. Its all right to sit on your 'pity pot' every now and again. Just be sure to flush when you are done.

19. Surviving and living your life successfully requires courage. The goals and dreams you're seeking require courage and risk-taking. Learn from the turtle, it only makes progress when it sticks out it's neck.

20. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting. Leave gentle fingerprints on the soul of another for the angels to read. I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

If this isn't direct inspiration to me...I wouldn't know what is...

sUrViVaL...

This is one of the most difficult months of the year. There are so many things scheduled. This week, both of the kids go to ESY (Extended School Year), naturally at different times. Then they are going to KID'S COLLEGE. This is the first annual Kid's College (at the college) where they get to take up to 3 classes each. They are hour long classes. It is stuff like, "Fun with bugs, Fun with food, Chess Masters, Fun with Flowers". They even get a free T-Shirt. They love getting free T-shirts. It will be a hectic and busy week, but the kids will certainly have a great time!

fAiR dAyS...

We took the kids to the fair last night. It amazes me how this fair seems to shrink more and more every year. There were very little rides, few games and not too many exhibits. But we had fun anyway. It was annoyingly humid.

The girlies LOVED this kitten. Looks like we are getting a little closer to an adoption.

aMaZiNg...

I have always admired my mom. She is such an inspiring woman. She has strength beyond that of any human being I have ever seen. She has been witness to a lot in her life. When I grow up, I want to be just like her. She never says a bad word about anyone...ever!

I looked in the mirror the other day and couldn't help noticing just how similar we are. I sometimes hear myself say things to the children that I swear would have come directly from her. I never could pick out which parent I physically resembled more. I know in a lot of ways, I am like my dad in mouth and attitude. But these pictures of my mom and I really make me see the resemblance I have to her....what do you think???

bLeCh...

So, seems like eating out of town during the hospital stay destroyed what I was working towards. So it is time to get back on track and buckle down! That means I have to SWEAT. Blech! I hate sweating. That is what makes me *NOT* want to exercise. But, Jeff is going with me to the college to work out. We already did the yard work for the day. Back on track.....harder than you think. I would rather comfort myself with food.

tHe ReSuLtS aRe iN!!!

I am SOOOOO excited! ***MOMMY BRAG***

My kids entered a total of 9 entries into the fair this year. Matthew had 3 and Bethie had 6. They BOTH did soooooooo good! Here is how the fair stats are:

BEST OF FAIR (Large ribbon that is purple and yellow and quite an honor)
1st Place (Purple)
2nd Place (Blue)
3rd Place (Red)
4th Place (White)

Now below are the pictures of their work post-judging. Some of them are behind glass so they are not so great of a picture.

This is Matthew's BIRD picture. He got a RED ribbon!!!

This is Bethie's DOG picture. She got a BLUE ribbon!!!

Bethie's turtle got a BLUE RIBBON!!!

Matthew's castle got a RED RIBBON!!!

(I thought it would do better. He did an awesome job on his research report)

Bethie's tree got a BLUE RIBBON!!!

Matthew's collage got a PURPLE RIBBON!

He was SOOOOO excited! It is his first "first place" ever!

Bethanie's Butterfly got a PURPLE RIBBON!!!

Bethanie's clown picture got a PURPLE RIBBON!

Bethanie's Tree collage got two prizes. She got a PURPLE RIBBON and she also won BEST OF FAIR for this one!!!!! This marks her 3rd year in a row taking best of fair!

I TOTALLY PEGGED THIS ONE!

So, incase you didnt keep track...

Bethanie had:

1 Best Of Fair (Plus a Purple ribbon)

2 Purples

3 Blues

Matthew had:

1 Purple

2 Reds

Way to go kidlets!!!

We ArE hOmE...

We are finally home, and we couldn't be happier. It is totally amazing how Matthew is doing. He seems so chipper, as though he didn't have surgery at all! He is starting to feel a little pain, but he is on my bed watching "Suite Life of Zach and Cody".

We had his surgery done at a Children's Hospital. I am so glad that we did. It was WONDERFUL. I didn't think too much of the surgeon though. When he was consulting with us just before the surgery, Matthew was trying to engage him in conversation, and he was super snooty with Matthew and acted like he couldn't be bothered (seriously, he was rude to him, and its good Matthew cant "see" that about people most of the time). Anyway, the rest of the staff was GREAT. The hospital is very nice and clean, very kid friendly and had lots of things to keep them occupied. Even a toy room, though he didn't get to play in it because it was time to go home!!!

This is the hallway called "Reunion Avenue". This is where kids come out of post op and meet up with their parents. Matthew was still in his rolling bed, and he looked so little in it like he was asleep. He had his back to us but as we reunited with him, we could see that he was OUR Matthew because he was talking up a storm and the nurse had to keep trying to keep him down. He really wanted to just jump up out of bed and start on with the rest of his day!

But then not long after he got to his room, he started to get sick from the anesthesia. He continued being sick from it all night long. He had several doses of anti-nausea meds (a couple different kinds) but nothing seemed to touch it. He ended up just having to sleep it off, what sleep he could get. It was a long night.


This was our view from our room. We were able to sleep in his room under this window. I could watch the helicopter fly in and out all night long. While it is neat to watch them fly, just thinking about it being children on board in serious need of help makes me sad. We saw lots of kids who were really suffering, from infants to teen age boys. It really does put things into perspective.

Here is Matthew ready to come home this morning.

Daddy and Matthew

He liked getting some balloons and toys from the gift shop.

Whew! I am so glad it is all over with!

ThAt'S mY bOy...

Last night just STUNK big time. Matthew had a terrible time recovering from the anesthesia. He barfed most of the night, as much as the dry heaves would allow. But this morning he started to turn around. He slept for a few hours straight and slept it off. He started to eat and drink slowly, got a little sick then pepped up and started feeling much more ENERGETIC and CHATTY. He saw his new nurse this morning and told her, "I like you, you're good looking". It helps that she has the same name as one of her grandmother's. :OP That's my boy. He has always had a thing for older women (she is like in her 30's). LOL!

SuRgErY...

Matthew is out of surgery now. He practically popped up from his bed on his way out of recovery. He was talking up a storm and instantly wanted to play his Nintendo DS and eat something. He has been rather sick to his stomach and feeling quite sleepy. His will is stronger than his body at this point and he wants more than anything to play his stuff, but we wont let him until his nausea subsides. He has two "stab wounds" in his tummy and the little one in his belly button. Very minimal and what stitches he has are disolvable ones.


I just went and ate at the Ronald McDonald room. They are volunteers who come in and bring a meal for the families like ours. What a WONDERFUL THING! They served taco's, nachos and cheese and a fantabulous zucchini chocolate cake with sinful chocolate chips to top it. OY!!! I know that I will have to add a few stickers to my fridge but it is so hard eating when you are not at home and are at the mercy of others. :O) If you need to email me for the next day or two, please email me at sammimc@yahoo.com with STORMY in the subject line. That will get me to our blackberry.

MaTtHeW...

Is in surgery right now. We had to take him to Kansas City so he could have a procedure done that he has been needing for quite some time. I am so thankful that my mom is able to be at my house taking care of everything while we are away. The girls will certainly do better in their home environment. I just hope Brown Grandma doesn't spoil them.....too much. :OP THANKS MOM!!!

CoUnTy fAiR...

(Sometimes you can click the photo to make things larger so you can get a better view of the photo. It will enlarge it so you can see them better with detail)

Our county fair starts this week! We love entering the kids' art work from the school year into the fair. They usually win ribbons. The purple ribbon is the best in fair. Bethanie has won those two years in a row. Hers are all the framed ones except the one second from the left. That one is Matthew's. The ones on the floor, the first two from the left are Bethanie's, and the other two are Matthew's.

I am so excited that we actually have this many entries. I think it is by far the most we have entered. Judging is on Wednesday. I cant wait to see what they won! My bet is the middle one in the back (Bethaine's) will take at least a blue ribbon. I am hoping best in fair. The one of Matthew's the the left of it is really really good too, and it might do that well too! I cant wait!

InDePeNdEnCe DaY...

We had a *BLAST* today with family and friends! We had a get together at Jeff's parents. My parents, brother and his family came, and our Branch President and his sweet wife came. We ate so much food. I am sure tomorrow I wont be taking off a sticker from my fridge. Al (my FIL) made his famous fresh fried catfish. Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Carrot Salad, Deviled eggs, two kinds of home made ice cream, oh-baked beans, peach cobbler, my white flag cake....I know I am not naming everything. While we were eating (in the garage with the doors all opened up) a big thunderstorm whipped up a fuss. It was LOUD and windy. We were enjoying just sitting there and watching it all. When it was over, we looked out into the yard and saw tons of tree branches down. We were concerned because it was not just a few branches, in some cases, it was whole trees. So Jeff and I went to see if our house was OK. It never hit on our side of town! It rained, but no wind thankfully. After we ate, Ann (my SIL) and I went for a walk. We were in so much pain and agony from eating the best meal ever and so we thought we had better walk it off, even just a little walk. We attacked some hills near by.

We then went and bought a few fireworks for the kids. They are still little enough that they don't need the big stuff. Matthew stayed inside for most of it. He just isn't interested. Which is fine, too.

Below is some of the damage we spotted from our thunderstorm. FREAKY!!! I guess Mother Nature let off a few fireworks of her own!

A huge tree is in the middle of the road by the golf course, on the way to the college. We were so totally rubber neckers here. We saw the lights and had to see what it was all about.

This is the house directly behind my in-laws house. Their neighbors tree split in half.

This is some of the damage at my in-laws house. Sheesh! Still nothing on our end of town...

JuLy 4tH (OK 3rd...)

We are celebrating our holiday on the 3rd instead of the 4th because Jeff has to work the holiday. So we are doing a fun family get together at Jeff's parents house. My parents, brother and his family are coming too. The kids are so excited to do fireworks and then we will watch the city fireworks around 10:00 p.m. We might do it at Jeff's parents because Matthew has a hard time with the fireworks going boom.

I am making a cute flag cake and homemade ice cream. My recipes will be posted on my Recipe Box site! Check it for them. They are tried and true recipes!!!

We will be taking a family photo too! IF the kids co-operate. :OP

ReCiPiEs...

I am working on adding some new recipes to my recipe box! Check it out over the next few days! Several of them are 100 calories or less!!!

ThE iNcReDiBlE sHriNkiNg WoMaN...

So, I am really working to burst through my stupid plateau. One thing I did was a visual reminder. I did up a visual reminder with that clip art "I AM WORTH IT". I made like, I don't know, 20. But I put only 12 on my fridge. I made them rather official. I laminated them and taped them to the fridge with a really fat picture of me. It is the heaviest I have been without being pregnant. I just had a baby (Madison) in that picture, and I DETEST that photo, so I put it on my fridge so I can look at it every day. So far, I have lost 6 lbs by using this visual reminder. It is the first thing I see every time I walk into the kitchen. I have also been working my tail off at home trying to get things done with the house. If I lose the next 9 lbs, I will be soooooooooo happy. Then I will re-evaluate my goals and strive further.

ThE oLd FLipPer-oO...

So, I woke up this morning (er, yesterday morning???) and jumped out of bed, as fast as this 36 year old body would allow, and I decided to play RING A ROUND THE BED ROOMS. YEP! I switched them all around. No one (except Madison) is in their regular rooms now. It is really neat because now both of the girls have THEIR OWN ROOMS, and Matthew is quite happy about where he is. I did this myself....OK, not totally myself. My FIL came by and helped me move an air conditioner, then he went and napped in the recliner until my MIL got back. :O) But I did it. I am going to pay pay pay tomorrow. I am sooooooooooo sore I probably wont be jumping out in the morning...