" It's a girl!"

Having a nurse for a parent isn't always a good thing ya know. Imagine having both parents nurses. Brian and I try to manage sick kids the best way we know how, pass everything off as a virus. Two winters ago Hunter was sick for over a week with really high fevers and fatigue, we both just thought it would pass. Come to find out he had walking pneumonia, he did get better with antibiotics the doctor prescibed. Then we left a new bottle of children's Motrin on top of the microwave and Hagan opened and drank the brand new bottle. When we called poison control I said "don't tell them we're nurses" the first thing out of his mouth was "yeah we're both nurses". After he hung up I said "better clean house social services will be here tomorrow." Needless to say Hagan was fine and SS never showed up. So after all our experience treating the kids ourselves I figured that Haven had something viral this week when she was walking around the house crying and screaming all day. Haven sleeps very well at night and she's been getting up during the night with fevers. So I decided to take her to the doctor today and make sure it wasn't her ears. We got good news and bad news, the good news is her ears are perfect, the bad news is there's no cure for what is really wrong with her. "It's a girl thang." yeah we can say it's a little virus maybe with the fever, but the walking around crying and screaming is all girl. Pray for us friends, it's going to be a long 18 plus years.

"Choo, Choo"

Well I'm finished with the boys room. It's been in progress for a while now, but with kids and everything else going on it's taken a little longer than I planned. I decided to do their room in trains and I painted it a nice blue and a light gray. I hand painted the stripes ( boy did that take awhile)but I think it turned out pretty good. I also painted the railroad crossing post. We got their quilts in TN when we went down in the fall at "Little Dolly's" quilt store. All they need now is one more little dresser that my Dad is making at it will be complete.

A Night To Remember

I'm so proud of my husband, he worked on a poster presentation for work an it was accepted to be presented at the NTI this year. NTI stands for the National Teaching Institute for critical care nursing conference. It's a big to do meeting that takes place every year by the AACN and this year it so happened to be in New Orleans. Now most people would be very happy to get to go there and see the sights, especially if someone else is paying your way. I refused to fly so we drove down and it wasn't a bad drive after all. When we got there I was shocked at how poverty stricken that place really was. One night we went to eat at a place called "Court of Two Sisters" it was a beautiful setting, great food, and perfect service. We all really enjoyed ourselves and afterwards Brian took me on a lovely horse carriage ride. We toured the French Quarter at night, and it was romantic. Our driver's family was original to New Orleans they dated back to the 1700's, he even had a street named after him, Dumaine St. I will remember that night always.

Summer, Sun, and SPF 75

Well I got what I've always wanted this year, season passes to a water park. (For those who don't know) I hate summer and everything that comes along with it. For example: The sun, school not in session, splish and splash, along with the sun; I did mention the sun, right?? Well my lovely husband had the great idea to get us water park passes so we wouldn't be bored this summer. Who said we were going to be bored? Not me! Now my lovely husband is also in school all summer, so what was he thinking? I want to be a good mom, really I do, but that just sounds stupid to me. What summer hating crazy person would take four kids, three of whom can't swim to a water park by their self??? Does anyone see where I'm coming from? Well I did and thank God my friend Michelle was there or someone may have drowned.

There's No Place Like Home

This is one of my favorite quotes:

" Having somewhere to go is home, having someone to love is family, having both is a blessing."

Our "H" filled blessings

Harrison 5, Hunter 12, Hagan 3, and Haven 1.

My sister's keeper

Recently I've come to realize just how important my sisters are. Growing up that thought never crossed my mind I'm sure, but now that I'm older I see just how much they mean to me.
I'm the middle sister. The mediator, the funny one, shorter than the oldest yet taller than the youngest and rounder then both. As I look back at us when we were growing up I remember a few fights, playing in the dark, and lots of laughs. Alison was mature and in charge of us 99% of the time. She could cook and clean the house, while making sure the kids were doing homework and playing nicely together. She made good grades and had a spelling bee poster to prove just how smart she was. ( Man, did I want a poster like that!) Alison was great at sports too, starter of the basketball team, great at point guard and awesome from the three point line. I played too but mostly fouled out in the first half, girls weren't allowed to play football back then. Alison was a pretty teenager, she didn't have to wear makeup, but I remember that ugly blue eyeliner she would wear all the time. She taught me how to wear makeup and stir-up pants with dress shoes (that was the style back then) She made a pretty good big sister. I'll never forget the day she told me that she had found Mom's pregnancy test under the bathroom sink and she was running away. Long story short she didn't and that wasn't the last pregnancy test.
Crystal is the baby girl, but she's no softy. I don't recall an early childhood memory when she wasn't frowning, or climbing on something just to take her clothes off when she got to the top. Crystal got her way most of the time or she made everyone miserable until they gave in. We didn't help matters much when we teased her about her teeth, at one point we called her predator but now her teeth are perfect, and I mean perfect. She started getting fever blisters on the end of her nose every year at christmas and we gave her grief about that too. No wonder she wanted to kill all of us. But she too is a pretty girl even though she could kick your #/*#$ if she wanted. She was a cheerleader. She could do any flip she wanted and taught herself how. Mom and Dad didn't have money to send her to gymnastics class, so she kept right on until she learned them by herself. I can remember the time she tired to teach me how to do a backhand spring and I almost ended up as a quadraplegic. She was the girl at the very top of the pyramid doing the scorpion pose. I was so proud to tell everyone she was a varsity cheerleader.
Now I want them both to know that I love them and I'm so glad that they're part of my life. Our mother was never blessed to have a sister, let alone two. God has given me many blessings in my life two of which are Alison and Crystal. I love you both and are so proud of the women you've become!!!

Friends are Great!!!!!

Friends are great!!! We took the boys down to the creek the other day and their little friends went with us. They ran around playing in the water and looking for things to catch in their nets and buckets. On the way back home I told Brian that I hoped the boys stayed friends forever. That night while I did my bible study I prayed that God would bless our kids with great friends throughout they're life. Thank you Lord for all the friends you've given me over the years, and most important, for the friendship you've given me forever. Friends are great!!!!!