Dear Strep Throat,

You have truly inconvenienced me this week. I have tried to be very nice over the past week however my patience are now wearing very thin. I have not been able to see my best friend since her husbands funeral on Monday, I did not get to cook a Thanksgiving meal for my family, I missed every deal on Black Friday(however I was leaning towards not going if I am going to be honest :), I have not been able to feed my family or even touch the laundry, I did not get a head start on my Christmas shopping, and most importantly I did not get to paint my kids room before they come to put in new carpet next week. As a matter of fact the biggest inconvenience was that there are NO doctors open during the holiday week! I mean none and I refuse to go to the ER for a sore throat, body aches, and fever. Carter and I toughed it out until Friday morning then we hit the Mediserve clinic that immediately(okay not immediately after MUCH miserable waiting because none of their doctors were open either) told us we had strep throat. They were barely able to swab Carter's throat and it came up as strep throat before the swab even touched the test. So off we miserably drove to the pharmacy........can you guess what happens next???? They weren't open! Next stop Walgreens where they can't fill them right now, but come back later today and they will fill them. *Please note that I am glad all these places are closed because that lets me know that people are getting to be home with their families which is so important during the holidays.*
Not to think I am negative Nancy, but I will tell you a few positive things that happened. One is that Nana was able to come and cook, clean, sanitize, laundry, and be at Carter and I's beck and call. Another thing is that Tata took in Ian as soon as we got sick(nothing new because ever since dad got sick he has decided that he moves in with them on the weekends), so not only did he enjoy his time there, but he was also spoiled rotten!
So let me complain a few more moments about this strep throat journey and then I will hush it up and finish healing. My youngest son now truly thinks that a Thanksgiving feast consists of pigs in a blanket, chicken nuggets, and fries because he totally missed Thanksgiving. Tonight when we gave him his dinner he said I am so happy I have my own Thanksgiving feast! I couldn't burst his bubble and tell him everything he missed out on..........he can see it next year! This could have been very bad news for a little Tank like Carter who loves to eat.
So strep throat we are fighting you off! We are taking our medicine like clock work and we are sleeping on the couch together every night. Please please please it is time for you to go and not come back again for a really long time.
Sincerely,
Jill

Time is a magical thing......

I have replayed my blogging comeback many times over the past few weeks. I have no words that can express how or what I feel appropriately. However the thing that continues to weigh heavy on my heart is time. How do you measure it? How do you make sure that you embrace every moment? How do you know if you have enough? How do you know when time is up?
So many questions have whirled through my head on time. In a matter of 2 years my life has drastically changed. My husband has proven to be a survivor and beaten cancer which we pray everyday will not come back. I lost my brother and his wife in a tragic accident. Just as time began to heal our hearts our family has faced yet another life changing experience. My dad has been diagnosed with brain cancer. Our lives have changed our time has changed. I hold on to every moment not knowing if it is my last. I realize after all these life altering experiences that tomorrow may not be like today. It all comes back to time for me. I want to spend as much time with my dad and I want my kids and husband to do the same. When you face a terminal illness such as what we are facing you don't know how much time you have. The doctors can guess and you can look at a loved one and know if they are feeling good or bad, but you don't know how much time you have. As we walked into this journey I vowed to myself that I would savor every single moment with my dad and with my family. No regrets, no looking back and saying we should have. I want my boys to have every memory they can have. I want to feel my dads hand on the back of my neck as many more time as I can. I want to feel him squeeze my hand and kiss my check as many more times as God will allow. I want to see my boys crawl in his lap and smile a little while longer. My dad has said as a family we will accept Gods will because that is what the bible tells us to do and we will. I know it will not be easy and I know some days are harder than others, but what I do know is that we have TIME and we will enjoy every single moment of it that God allows us to have together.

One more sleep...................................

and I can pick this adorable guy up! I can't wait! I would like to say I have been counting the days, but I have actually probably been counting the hours and minutes. Ian has been away from home many times usually no more than a few nights. However he is always with family or at his best friend Jett's house and I can talk to him whenever I want. So him being gone for 1 whole week and not getting to talk to him has been SO hard for me. I really don't know who missed him more me, Carter, or Jeremy. When you have gotten used to being a family of 4 and one leaves for a week the dynamic changes. Carter has been so needy and so lonely the whole week. We have tried to give him extra special time while his bubba was gone, but let me just say he wants bubba home NOW! Wanted to share a few pictures of our first journey into Camp War Eagle. From the sounds of Ian's postcard, a few pics I have seen, and a little birdy I would say that this will not be our last trip down War Eagle Lane(at least I have a year to prepare for him going back........in that I mean emotionally prepare!). This is when we pulled in and he was tagged with his cabin number. I knew he was in good hands when he met his first counselor and he started jumping up and down like a crazy person cheering for Ian's first time at camp!

Getting Ian's bunk ready for a weeks stay.

The bus ride from the parking lot to get Ian signed in and ready to take his swim test. Which he passed with flying colors!

This is one of the swimming areas. Slide, trampolines, Blob, log rolling, and so much more!

Ian had his fingers crossed all the way out to camp that him and Micah would get to bunk together and he was so excited when he found out they would not only be roomies, but also bunk mates!!! This helped put mom at ease too :)

Pretty toasty, so glad we invested in a fan!!!

Daddy really wanted to stay, but Ian said NO WAY!

My boys! A little birdy has told us that Ian has spent A LOT of time here!!!!

This camp has so much to offer. Jeremy and I were amazed at all the activities and staff this camp has. Ian's postcard said that he has played mini golf, archery, and sockball(I am sure I will understand this better once he gets home). Well you have seen the camp through my eyes, so my next post will be through Ian's eyes. I just know that he has had a blast and will be counting the weeks until the next time. I know this time tomorrow I will have my big boy back home and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!!! There are so many questions I want ask, so he better be ready for a late night date with momma!!!!!!

Dear MOJO please come back to me..............

Okay I have not updated this blog since May. I read this and thought May really.......I mean it is already July. Trust me when I say it is not because time has flown by because I can honestly say this has been a very long 3 months for our family. I honestly have just lost my mojo for my blog, facebook, chat, etc. I remember when Jeremy was having surgery and going through chemo and I was so inspired and so much to write about and say. However right now I feel very lost at what direction to take on my blog. I want to get back to regularly scheduled programming, but for some reason it is not as easy as I thought it would be. Looking back I remember in high school thinking next is college then marriage then babies. It all happened in that order just as I thought it would. Then after everything happened in just the right order I feel as if the floor fell out from under me. Don't get me wrong I am BLESSED I am blessed beyond belief I am just a little lost in this journey of life. So for all my amazing friends and blog buddies out there I am coming around slowly but surely. Praying for God to get me back on track for the sake of my family, friends, and upcoming new kindergartners I will be meeting very soon.

The man who stole my heart.........

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways......................................................

1.I have spent 11 amazing years being married to the man I prayed for God to bring me when I was becoming a woman. I never knew what was in store for our lives, but had I not had Jeremy I don't know that I could have made it through some of the times in my life.

2.He still gives me butterflies in my tummy when I see him walk across the room or when he comes in from work. I can still look at him and get that feeling in the pit of my stomach that I got 15 years ago when we started dating.

3.Jeremy embraces life. He lives day to day. Laughs, smiles, and enjoys. Doesn't worry about what others think he moves through each day with a smile and confidence.

4.He is not one to send a big bouquet of flowers or buy extravagant gifts, he takes time and thinks about what he is going to do. Such as a beautiful bouqet of flowers that he put together with all the flowers down to the exact same color from our wedding day(most perfect thoughtful romantic flowers ever), he doesn't just get a card he gets the perfect card and if he can't find it him and the boys make it. He knows it's the little things that warm my heart.

5.I prayed for a man like my dad. I prayed for a Godly man, a good father, a patient man, and a man that would enjoy life with me.

6.He is an amazing father. When he walks in the house every evening the boys fly into his arms, so happy to see him. He will spend every day he has off with the boys. Whether it be hanging out at home playing or taking them to a ballgame. He has a great balance with the boys, they have fun and enjoy, respect him, and listen to him at the same time.

7.One of the most important, he makes me LAUGH. I can't imagine life without laughter.

8.In the worst of times and the best of times he is there. As we always say, when we took our vows no one said it would be easy and we both know it has not, but we never waivered we never gave in we have always stood strong and stood together.

9.He is my balance. I am the planner he is the spontaneous one. I tend to be more conserative and hold back he says jump in feet first. I can stress about small things and he says relax. Nothing frazzles him. I can get so stressed out over the smallest things and Jeremy will always tell me if it gets done it gets done........no worries. Unless we are out of clean clothes then I sense a little stress :)!

10.I LOVE him with all my heart. I plan to grow old with him and carry out all the plans God has in store for our family.

Happy Anniversary Jeremy it has been an amazing 11 years!

I loves you always.

As life goes on......

Do you remember that show Life Goes On? That is what this post made me think of. I haven't posted on my blog in weeks. Partly because it proves to me that life goes on and part of me is because I have kind of avoided some of the parts of my everyday life: blog, facebook, lesson plans, etc. Well I have had to pray many nights to accept the fact that life does go on. I may not necessarily like it or be happy about the absences I have in my life, but life in fact does go on. Please don't think I do not realize how blessed I am because I am I know that. I have 2 wonderful children, an amazing husband, the most supportive and strong parents anyone could ever ask for, and the best friends in this world. However my heart still hurts, I still lay in bed at night and pray and wonder why, I still have to stop and realize at some points that this really happened. Then for my children I have to stop and realize life goes on. We still have birthdays, we still lose teeth, we still celebrate good grades at school, baseball games, potty training, etc. Somehow for a few weeks I forgot all that existed and now I am at the point of grieving where I still hurt so bad, but for the sake of my children, my husband, my family, and my friends I know that I have to accept that life does in fact go on. With that being said I am sure that I will still share some of my grief, some of my memories and most importantly my faith in God.
Two very special boys in my life celebrated very special days in the month of April. Carter turned 3 and Ian turned 8. Carter had a party at Jump Zone and it was a blast! The beauty of his party is that Bo, Lori, and the girls were there. Carter had a great time and you can tell by how incredibly sweaty he was! We got some amazing pictures of his party from a good friend of ours Brandy(thanks again Brandy, you gave us some amazing memories we had no idea at that moment how much we would appreciate them). Ian had a skating party. Ian and his friends had a great time! I actually remember seeing a few moms and dads having a great time too. Thank you to all of you that made the boys birthdays so special.


I love this picture for 2 reasons. One you can see Bo watching his nephews and daughters playing like crazy! Two I am holding one of my best friends sweet baby girl that Carter spends everyday with. I love her to pieces!

Dear Bo,

I feel like I have so much to tell you, but you aren't here, so the next best thing was to write you a letter. I really want to share it with my boys someday, so what better place to put it than my blog. I wish I could hug your neck one more time, I wish I could see my boys steal your hat one more time, I wish I could watch you throw Ian up in the pool one more time, I wish I could see you sitting on my couch with your wife and so in love one more time, I wish I could look behind me in church and see you sitting in the pew behind me one more time, I wish that I could spend one more 4th of July with you, I wish I could see you and Jeremy posing for one more goofy picture, I wish I could see you in one of your goofy Harley Davidson t-shirts one more time, I wish I could open Christmas presents with you one more time(in age order and one at a time:). There are so many wishes I have, but I have to let my pain and suffering go. I know that as soon as your soul left this Earth you crossed the golden gates of Heaven and met your Heavenly Father. You were a Godly man and as selfish as it is of me to want to have you back, I know with all my heart that you are with our saviour Jesus Christ.
Remember the Christmas we got our Laser tag? We woke up our parents shooting our laser tag everywhere with all our gear on? Remember the time you tried Skoal for the first time? I laughed my butt off and still do every time I think about it! Remember the time we drove to the 7-11 and bought coke icees, but didn't buy lids because they had the price of the drink by the cup and the lid and we thought you had to buy the cup and lid separate and we knew we wouldn't have enough money for candy, so we opted out of the lid? By the time we got home we had sticky coke everywhere! Remember the time we rode our bikes to Harps and dug through the dumpster and brought home what we thought was the best cantaloupe ever? We were so proud and our parents were laughing so hard! Remember the time your mom bought a yang load of corn and we had to shuck it for HOURS????? I still hate shucking corn to this day. Remember the time when we went camping and you mooned us every time we turned around? Remember the time we got glowworms for Easter? Remember the time you held my children for the first time? Remember the time Ian pulled Carter in a wagon at your wedding as your ring bearers? Remember the last time I saw you? I do it was at Carter's 3rd birthday. I can remember exactly what you were wearing, our exact conversation, and exactly what you had been doing. I remember hugging before you left and telling you I loved ya. I wish I had known that was the last time I would hug you. I wonder if I would have hugged you harder or longer. I know I would have, but it would have been hard. Honestly I probably wouldn't have let you go. It was so nice that you were there because you were actually working on your house that weekend and weren't even sure if you were going to get to come to Carter's party, but you did. You took a break from what you were doing and brought your family to my son's party and for that I will always be grateful. That was like your last good deed to me. I know a 3 year old birthday party was the last thing you had on your mind that weekend, but you came and praise God you did. That will be the last moment I laid my eyes on you. The last moment my children got to hug their Uncle Bo. Praise God we had that day, praise God we had that time, praise God we had that moment. For that I am so thankful.
Faith and time is the only thing that will heal my pain and heartache, memories will get me through the hard times and family will get me through each and everyday. I pray my boys can grow up with the heart, faith, determination, and strength you had.
I wish I had been there that night to hold you in your last seconds of life. I wish an angel could have moved that truck. I wish I could have seen you one more time. I can't wish or want any longer. I have to move forward and accept that you are gone. My brother has gone to Heaven. Uncle Bo has gone to Heaven.
I do want to warn you that your wild and crazy nephew is looking for a way to protect you. He said he really needs his gun(Nerf gun that is :), so that he can protect Uncle Bo and Aunt Lori and make you safe again. It broke my heart, but at the same time gave me peace and validation on how special the two of you were in his life. I already knew that Ian thought you hung the moon. He has expressed that on many occasions, but with Carter he is so young and I needed to know that he knew how special you were. He does and I know that.
I need nothing to know that you loved me. I need nothing to know how special you were. The one thing I need and I want I can't have back. I will meet you in Heaven. Sometime, someday, somehow. I pray that the good Lord allows me to raise my boys into strong men as you were. I pray that God grants Jeremy and I the time to give them the faith and values we were taught. I pray that you look down on us from Heaven and smile. I look up at you smile everyday.
I love you to Heaven and back,
Your lil sis
PS I was only your lil sis by 2 months and about a foot and a half.

I have no words

My stepbrother and his wife were killed in an accident on Saturday night. I have no words of what to say or how to express the hurt our family feels. We do have so much comfort in knowing they walked through the gates of heaven together hand in hand just as much in love as they were on this Earth. I truly believe they both waited their entire lives for one another. Destiny, fate, true love, soul mates......they were all of it. The day they married I knew I had gained not only an amazing sister in law, but also 2 beautiful nieces. Bo and I never really remember life without one another his mom and my dad married when we were both very young and we were only 2 months apart in age. These 2 amazing people were the most giving people you could ever meet. I know I have so many more things I want to say, but again I have no words. Praise God they are in Heaven, but here on Earth our hearts still ache to see them one more time, hold them one more time, watch my boys jump in their lap one more time. Bo and Lori you were two amazing people and I love you both so much. I miss you more than my heart can express. May you rest in peace.

Please pray for Taylor and Carli. Lori brought 2 beautiful girls into our family. They have a wonderful support system that will help them through each day, but pray for these girls that not only lost their mother, but lost a stepdad that was so near and dear to them.

Funeral arrangements are as follows:

Visitation-Wednesday April 6-6:00-8:00 at Backstrom-Pyeatte Funeral Home in Springdale

Funeral-Thursday April 7-12:30 at Robinson Avenue Church of Christ in Springdale, burial will follow at Fayetteville National Cemetary

An Amazing Journey-Zac's Story

When Jeremy was first diagnosed with colon cancer in June 2009 I began blogging. This was where I found comfort and I also wanted a way to document our story for our 2 boys when they were older. I have found a place to have my blog printed into a book and I am having one made for each of the boys. I just sit and think about when they are our age(still young at the ripe age of 32 :). I know that they will read our story and see our faith and think wow look at our dad, he was strong, he had faith, and he did all this for us. As I blogged I began to meet amazing and inspiring people. At that point I knew that we were not alone, that there were people going through the exact same things and feelings that we were. There is something very comforting about knowing that you are not alone and there are people out there that can say we know how you are feeling and they truly do. One day I received the sweetest email from a very supportive friend, her name is Mandy and her husband was and still is battling colon cancer. He is a 33 year old man who has Stage 4 colon cancer. He has continued to fight a very good fight. I just want to say that this family needs our prayers. The family has had to call in hospice and the fight is getting harder. However they are an inspiring family with an amazing faith. They are members of an amazing church and this video has been an inspiration during their services and also been seen across the internet. Please pray for Zac, Mandy, and their 3 children. Mandy has been an inspiration to me over the past 10 months and we continue to email back and forth each month to check on each others status. I am so thankful to our heavenly father for the glorious news we have received, but I have to say my heart hurts so bad for them. Mandy has been so wonderful in celebrating our wonderful news even as she prepares to deal with something we never thought we would have to deal with at the young age of 33. I pray for this family everyday. I ask God to wrap his arms around them and let them be blessed in each and everyday they have left together. I think so much of you Mandy. Sending lots of love, hugs, and prayers to your family.

This is a link to the video that was produced through their church. It is such an inspiring video on Zac's faith and his story:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ojj02nobl4
Here is Zac's inspiring blog:
http://hellorighton.com/

Kites one day...........SNOW the next

Friday was Kite day at our school. This has been a tradition at Asbell for about 40 years. The kids love it and it is especially great when the weather is so beautiful. I have been at this school for almost 11 years and this has to be the most beautiful perfect kite day we have ever had. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, and the kids were having a great time!!!! Jeremy came over on his lunch to help Ian fly his kite. Thank goodness because I am a great picture taker, but not much of a kite flier

Then 1 day later we have this.........................................................................................................

Isn't that crazy! I mean the weather man kept saying snow, but this is a BLIZZARD. Well to us folks in Arkansas it is anyway! So Sunday morning we got up and went to church(along with only 9 other people!) and then came home to build a snowman. This was our first snowman all together! It was fun, but super COLD! Carter doesn't have much time for building because he has to eat as much snow as possible while we are out there. We have to watch him like a hawk because he will just pick up ANY snow and eat it! It was a great day, but this is some CRAZY weather. The last time I remember having snow like this on spring break was in 1999 the spring before Jeremy and I graduated and got married. We came up to see my Dad and Jannie over spring break and got a TON of snow. This is exactly what it reminds me of. I must say though that snow is much more fun with 2 wild boys to play with in it! Weather in Arkansas! Who would have thought sunshine on Friday and snow on Sunday! Did I mention that we now have a foot and the snow is still falling?

Dear Spring Break,

I have been counting the days until you arrive. I only have to wait your arrival 2 more days and I cannot wait. Please please please be everything I have dreamed of. We have no plans, but to enjoy the whole week and play. I hope you live up to all my expectations. Oh yes and if the sun could shine that would be wonderful. Look forward to seeing you soon!!!! I can honestly say you actually can't get here soon enough.
All my Love,
Jill

P.S. If Carter could become full time potty trained over the break that would be absolutely blissful!

TADA!!!!

I finished! I could not sleep last night, so got up and decided to finished my quilt! I am so proud. Believe you me it is not perfect, but for my first sewing machine venture it is pretty darn good :)!!!! If you wonder what project comes next.......already went to the fabric store and stocked back up! Carter helped me pick out some cute puppy dog fabric. So going to start my next quilt this week! I warn you it is addicting and therapeutic!

Napkins Anyone?

Looks like a table of napkins doesn't it? Well not throwing any parties here at the moment.....I have actually taken up a new hobby. These are quilt squares! I don't what is going on, but I have been bitten by the craft bug. I love to scrapbook, alter things, knit, and now I have decided to take up quilting! I really want to learn how to sew. I have a great sewing machine, but I only use it for some mending here and there and for my scrapbooking. So basically my machine has sewn on a few pieces of fabric and lots of paper! Well I decided I wanted to make something and really use my machine to all its potential! Now notice I did not say I would be a pro, I just said I wanted to learn :). So between 2 of my great friends Shelly and Sharon I am now a monster and I can't get my hands on enough fabric. Oh and by the way Jeremy thanks you too(insert sarcastic smiley face here!). So these squares that look like napkins are fabric squares for my first ever quilt, it is actually a rag quilt. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week and I will post pics. If it turns out(which I hope and pray it does!) I promised the boys we will go back to get more boy friendly fabric(not sure why they don't want the pink quilt!). I love how they have full confidence in me though and are already picking out their own fabric for me to make them a quilt! So project #1 is underway and my great friend Brandy has promised to teach me how to sew using a pattern. We are going to start with pajama pants! The skies the limit at this point! Ever since Carter was born......well I haven't been able to do much.......hence the tornado post! I mean he gets into EVERYTHING! As you know many craft things can involve sharp tools and with Carter around not the best decision ever made. Did I mention the time Carter cut his hair when I was gone to Little Rock and no one noticed! It was the first thing I noticed when I got home, it is just now grown out where you can't tell! Well as much as I hate to say it Carter is growing up a little bit and he does kind of let me do things again. I mean I sewed this weekend and he watched. We use the look but don't touch motto. Now he was very tempted, but he was so excited about playing outside that he really left my stuff alone, so I am slowly dragging my craft stuff back out and it feels GREAT! So hopefully I will be posting pictures of a finished quilt soon! Don't you love how a mom of 2 boys picked the girliest fabric ever!

Taken with Taekwondo

Well the title says it all! Ian is definitely taken with taekwondo. We signed him up when Jeremy first got diagnosed because we had been throwing the idea around for months. At that point we knew the timing was perfect and it would give Ian his own thing and his own goals! Well he has definitely attained those goals. We traveled to his 2nd taekwondo tournament a couple of weeks ago in Conway. Well we had no idea he would come home with 3 medals! I mean obviously we would have been happy with one, but 3......we were QUITE proud! Okay so I know a lot of this taekwondo lingo means nothing to some of you, but out of respect to my taekwondo expert I will use the proper terms! Ian got 1st place in his weapons competition. He competed with his new nunchucks that he was so excited about learning. Ian's wonderful taekwondo instructor came up to Asbell over our intersession week and taught him what we call lunchroom nunchucks! He had his first crash course in the Asbell lunchroom and can I say that must have been a lucky spot for him because got 1st! He got 2nd in his form and another 1st place in one step. He didn't place in one steps in his last tournament, so he went to his tournament ready to get revenge! Well he got it! I honestly could not have been more proud of him. Not because he brought home 3 medals, but because when he was waiting to compete and the kids around him were going buck wild crazy he was sitting there just like a black belt would! He was such a good sport. I am sure many of you have been to sporting events where there are those few parents that are not good sports and unfortunately they let everyone know it! Well Ian never let this phase him. I also love that after he won he was so excited and proud, but not over the top. He wore his medals with pride, but in no way rubbed in any ones face about how well he did. At one point he even took them off and put them in his bag. I mean it was honestly those moments that made me so proud! Now on the other hand I was skipping through that gym not having any trouble telling people what he won! I mean if I wasn't a grown woman I would have worn his medals! Okay so I was a proud momma! Ian was so excited because Jeremy got to go with us and then Nana and Grandpa Ted met us there. Of course his BFF Jett was also there, so Ian's day was made! Daddy's day was made when we stopped at Russellville and ate at Whattaburger!

Now I do want to say that when kids are involved in extracurricular activities such as this two things matter. One is you will get out of it what you put into it and this to me shows with Ian because he practices ALL the time. He is obsessed, but that is good and part of the reason he is so successful! The second is the coach or teacher makes ALL the difference in the world. I must say that Ian's instructor Mrs. Gray is SUPER AWESOME! She is phenomenal and there are no words to say how great she is. It doesn't matter if this woman has 2 kids in front of her or 22 kids she has the kids learning and captivated. Ian loves her and pretty much believes what she says or does is gospel! The values she teaches the kids is amazing! I can honestly say it is one of the best decisions we have made to put Ian in taekwondo and it definitely came along at the perfect time in our lives.

Many have asked what about Carter taking taekwondo and to take taekwondo you have to be potty trained. As you know from previous posts he is great at putting lots of things in the potty, but unfortunately none of it is things that are supposed to be there..........if you know what I mean! Don't get me wrong though Carter does his own version of all the moves, so his day will come I am sure. I mean he may be 6 years old, but he will have to be out of a diaper before he can start!

On another exciting note we just found out that Ian got accepted into Camp War Eagle for this summer! We are so excited! I mean I am of course a little nervous about him being gone for a whole week, but he doesn't seem nervous at all! I think it will be a great time for him and I know he will make so many new friends and experience so many fun adventures!

My own little Tasmanian Devil!!!

I mean this in the nicest way, but let me tell you Carter is like a tiny tornado that blows through the house each and everyday. You NEVER know what he is going to do or say for that matter. For some reason we have had numerous embarrassing and maddening experiences with him. Let me just start with what was the most embarrassing. Let me begin this story by saying that Jeremy and I are neither one big drinkers. I mean we have an occasional glass or wine or he may have a beer, but it is not something we come home every night to. It is usually when we have a night out or go out with some friends. So anywho the other day I took Carter with me to Harps to pick up a few things before one of those snow storms we had coming our way(so this tells you how busy the store was!). So as we are checking out Carter proceeds to yell at me quite loudly "Wait Momma we forgot the BEER!". This was followed with a HUSH from me and of course he had to say it yet again and then broke into the chant of "I want beer I want beer!!!". As I tucked my head and paid, I quickly drove our cart out of the store and called Jeremy. I mean it only seemed appropriate that he know why DHS would be beating me home that night! He of course laughed, I mean what else can we do besides of course explain that this is not appropriate and continue to wonder how he has picked up on this.

Then a few days later on Saturday we were at home relaxing. Relaxing was the keyword there. Midway through the afternoon I decide to do a little picking up downstairs in the boys room and in the playroom. I went in the bathroom and this is what I found..............................

I mean really where does he come up with this stuff! I mean what child just walks through the bathroom and thinks hey I am going to shove 30 washcloths in the toilet? Along with some wicker decorative balls, and a little loose change? I have thought long and hard about this and it could be one of 2 things, he could be super smart and possibly a genius or completely and utterly defiant and curious and possibly a criminal or scientist! Rules mean NOTHING to this child. The worst part is after he breaks them and gets into a lot of trouble he can bat his eyes and say oh momma I so sorry and his ever famous I love you so much. Nothing phases this child....NOTHING. I can honestly say we have tried everything: timeout, spanking, taking things away from him, making him help clean up messes, positive reward systems, and hear me when I say none of this works. So after doing what I thought was the fix I pulled all the washcloths and other paraphernalia out of the toilet and went on my merry way thinking the problem was solved. Except for the massive amounts of laundry I had to then do. The next night was Valentines day and Jeremy and I are not without both boys very often and we very rarely have a babysitter, but this particular night both boys were spending the night with their grandparents and Jeremy and I were so looking forward to a relaxing night home alone. After a wonderful quiet dinner out for sushi we returned home and I decided to go downstairs and take a relaxing bath while I was down their I flushed the potty and water started overflowing everywhere. No need for details, but Jeremy and I spent the rest of our nice Valentines evening fixing a toilet! I didn't known if I should laugh or cry! It was so bad that Jeremy broke our snake while trying to fix it and used all our Draino. We still don't know what all was down there, but the toilet is now working again.

Carter eating a bowl of cereal. I mean it is okay to stick your head in the bowl. Right?!?!

It amazes me how different 2 kids can be. Ian is our rule follower and can entertain himself and is very self sufficient. He would not think of doing something that is considered a "bad" choice. Then you have the Tasmanian 2 year old. He is scared of nothing, will try anything, and will not think twice about any of it. I thank God everyday for giving Carter to us 2nd because I am afraid he would have been an only child and there never would have been an Ian!

Sunshine, Olympics, and Taekwondo

Okay so our week has been made up of a little of each of these! The sunshine broke through today and it was glorious! You could tell everywhere you went that everyone had a little more pep in their step and was enjoying the beautiful day. It is so funny to me how even though it was only 30 degrees this morning, it seemed very warm. I mean when you have been living in a blizzard and below 0 temperatures it makes what we used to think was so cold feel warm! I mean Ian even busted out a short sleeve shirt, which he would wear everyday if he could.
So now that the Winter Olympics have started we find ourselves watching them every night. It is the like the one thing we all enjoy watching together, well besides Survivor and American Idol. However I seem to be the only one that will watch figure skating(go figure! I live with all boys!). Last night snowboarding was a big hit and tonight skiing. We love watching all the sports and of course the competitiveness in Ian he likes watching how many medals the USA has and if we are in the lead.
The other thing that has consumed our week is taekwondo. Tomorrow night Ian will be testing for his camo belt. I am so proud of how hard he has worked! I love that he is so eager to learn and compete. Then on Saturday we will be traveling to Conway for a taekwondo tournament. Ian will be competing in 3 things. He is doing his form(about 18 taekwondo moves), one step moves(where he is competing against another student), and weapons(he has been training in nunchucks). The best part is Jeremy took off on Saturday to go with us and 2 sets of grandparents have been asking lots of questions about when and where we will be, so thinking we will have some surprise cheerleaders! This is only Ian's 2nd tournament and the 1st one I was a nervous wreck! He however is so excited, cool, calm, and collective.
Jeremy is adjusting to the world of remission! A glorious thing to adjust to, however definitely a few unexpected bumps along the way. He went to the dentist yesterday which he thought would be a routine cleaning only to find out he isn't supposed to have any dental work done without taking a strong dose of antibiotics before he goes in. Needless to say they stopped mid cleaning. Live and learn that's our motto.
Hope you all are having a great February! Can you believe it is already mid February? Crazy to me! Where does time go?

I have a couple of prayer requests: A teacher I work with, her husband had a tumor removed. They are waiting on the pathology report this week. I pray that his results come back good. I know the scary roller coaster they are on right now and how they are holding their breath until they get some answers. I also am asking for prayers for a family member that is near and dear to us that is also waiting for some test results.

Please don't think I have left poor sweet little Carter out of this post because that is not the case at all. I am just too tired to tell you the amazing adventures of this little man. I will be posting a LONG post soon about him that involves..................................................................................................

a toilet! I know you are not surprised at all! I have to get everything fixed and repaired before I can post about a funny story that at this point is still not quite so funny!

Little Catching up to do

Okay so obviously we got good news and I disappeared! Well I didn't really disappear, but then again actually I kind of did! The day after we got the good news I left to go to a kindergarten conference in Little Rock. Crazy I know! Jeremy told me I would get snowed in and I better go prepared, so I did. I was actually going for a specific speaker that I have ALWAYS wanted to hear speak.....well more about that in a few. So a coworker and I headed to the Embassy Suites in Little Rock. I know that many of you think aaww I hate that you got snowed in at Little Rock, well you can stop right there feeling sorry for me :) because it was actually very glorious. I did miss all my boys terribly however I had breakfast cooked to order every morning, bed made by some else, nap time whenever I wanted, Happy Hour, uninterrupted bubble baths, and 4 nights of uninterrupted sleep. So yes even though I did miss my boys the trip was wonderful and very relaxing. So Sunday we made the venture home and luckily by then the roads were pretty clear. The best news is that by the time I got home our house was still standing :), dryer fixed, laundry done, and of course 3 happy boys ready to see me!!!! So yes I do have a little catching up to do, but I had a great workshop, mini vacation, and made it home safe and sound. Now the bad news is that speaker I sacrificed my life for getting to hear..........yes you guessed it didn't make it! Go figure, isn't that the luck. He did try however, but the Little Rock airport had shut down and he could not fly in. I was so disappointed. I did learn a lot, but had looked forward to that so much. So Jack Hartman wherever you are I will hear you speak I promise, I am not giving up!!!!!

The WORD we have waited for............................

REMISSION!!!!

We got AMAZING news today when we saw the oncologist! Jeremy is officially in remission! We are so happy, relieved, emotional, thrilled, and I could go and on!!!

Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is GOOD; for His loving kindness is everlasting

(Psalms 107:1)

Jeremy will go back in 3 months for bloodwork, 6 months for a PET scan, and another colonoscopy in a year. Dr. B was so pleased with all his results! Remission is one of those words we have longed to hear. 8 months ago I didn't know if we would ever hear those words. Not that we didn't have faith, not that we didn't believe the doctors, but we were scared and the journey seemed so long. Now here we are in a new year with a new start! God is good, God is faithful and so are all our amazing friends and family! Thank you for each and every one of you. If you are reading this, you know you are important to our family. You have given us the prayers, support, and love we have needed over the past 8 months.

Well what else is there to say, but we will now begin adjusting back to our regularly scheduled life ;).........................................

Snow Day!

For the first time in many years we had a white Christmas and then right after New Years we got another beautiful snow! Luckily this time it was cold, but not miserable. Jeremy and I decided it was a perfect Sunday afternoon to take the boys sledding! We headed over to Papaw and Tata's to sled on the hill I always sled on when I was a kid! This was Carter's first real snow day! He was too little last year and seemed to be sick most of the winter, not to mention that last year we had no snow only ICE! I am not sure who liked it better Ian or Carter, they both had a great time!

However Carter's first trip down resulted in a bit of a face plant! This is a picture of Papaw fixing his hats and gloves! He was a little scared after that, but didn't take him long to get over it!

Isn't it funny how it is so much fun going down, but much more work coming up! You can see Tata and I having to help everyone back up along with their sleds!

Papaw and Ian just beat every ones record on how far they went in the sled!

Did you know that playing in the snow is EXHAUSTING? Looking forward to our next Snow Day!