While we Wait

While we've been waiting for little Miss Salem to make her grand appearance we've kept ourselves busy, maybe too busy? Probably so.

 Me Ma has been dominating the kitchen.

 Grandma and Grandpooh were also in town this week for Mike's youngest brothers graduation from the Navy EOD program.

 The kids have enjoyed receiving bundles of gifts. 

 Hosea is ready for more nerf wars.

 Grandpooh likes a good war.

 My parents (mema and papa) are staying with us.  Grandma and Grandpooh rented a condo at Destin.  We went to see them on one of the more fair days. It was in the high 60's, so we scoped out the beach and then swam in the heated pool.  The grandparents enjoy visiting with one another.  Hard to believe we had a beach trip in December.

 Shelling with Papa.

 Uncle Aaron's graduation. Only 1/3 of the students that start the program complete it, so it has been a great accomplishment for him this past year.  We are all very proud of him!

 All who came to watch the ceremony.  Mike's Family.

Mike and I bought the children a new playground for Christmas and My dad has been working away at getting it together this week.  Now that Mike is off for the holiday he can help also.  Hosea has been helping all week, he is the little supervisor under the roof. 

I've also had some adventures of being the parent of a "special needs child", we always joke that we have a "special needs child", as our dietitian was so kind to inform me of it on our last visit.  As if I was not aware.  I thought "lady if there is anyone closely acquinted with this fact, it's me".  So in making light of that........ I've made some "special" phone calls trying to find a lab that will draw blood work and overnight it to two different locations, as a follow up for our positive genetics results, per her Dr's instructions.  After a couple hours on the phone, I found a lab that will draw it, but we will have to ship it ourselves.  So then I made some more "special" phone calls learning how to over night blood.  Then I went on a "special" scavenger hunt to find materials for this "special" shipping project.  After all the information and material was gathered for this "special" project, I turned it over to my man, since the lab work must be drawn on the 26th of December for it to make it's scheduled arrival on the 27th to it's destinations, I thought giving my current circumstances it was best in his hands. Oh.... unrelated, but also on the "special" spectrum, I made another series of phone calls to get some "special" medicine for my "special needs childs" g-tube infection.  I'm really glad I didn't have anything planned this week, so I could take care of all our "special needs". 

Grandma and Grandpooh

We've had some visitors from OH this week.  The children and I enjoyed some time playing at the pool today with them.

World Travelers

My parents came for a visit the week of the 6th.  It was unplanned, the week prior they had just returned from a trip to Alaska, so I was very surprised when I spoke with my mom on Friday and she said " we are thinking of heading your way Sunday, would that be ok?" And sure enough they did, it was a short visit, but it was nice to have them. We of course hit the beach one day, ate lots of good food, and mom helped me get some work done around the house. She scrubbed my kitchen floor, Aggie had left her mark. We even organized the linen closet, a much needed event. It was nice to see them. The next planned visit is when we will be having baby bean.

Destin

The week of the 4th Mike's family rented a condo at Destin beach.  It had pools perfect for young children, so the kids had their fill of the water.  Unfortunately I didn't have my camera most of the visit, but I did get a few shots to prove we were all together.  I am enjoying watching Mike's younger brothers getting older, growing into the role of "uncle" and such. Speaking of uncles.... Uncle Tyler has moved back with us after the visit, he has a fresh pair of job hunting legs underneath him. 

These are all patio pictures.

 Bubbles

 Hanging out

 Playing with grandma

 Buddies

Playing on the sofa

New Kid on the Block

We've had a recent addition to our family. Though it's been discussed on and off for a year or longer, it has finally come to fruition. One of Mike's younger brothers, the middle of the 3 has come to live with us. He arrived late Wednesday night. We moved Aggie Rae in with Shiloh and gave him Aggies old room. Needless to say, i've been busy rearranging. But I think we are all settled and comfortable now. As you can see the children are thrilled to have him around. I have to remind them that Uncle Tyler is not their slave or their toy, and that he needs breaks. They are constantly wanting him to play this or that with them. And he's been busy looking for employment so he needs those breaks.

The Big Brother

Being the middle child and the only sister, growing up I was taught to call my two bothers by their size. The oldest being my "big brother" and my youngest being the "little brother". Now that I'm an adult I find myself referring to them in the same way, though after some thought realize and am trying to change my language to something a bit more fitting like older or younger, or just straight up..... brother. Any way............. my big brother and his family drove down from St. Louis, MO to stay with us about a week. As you can see our children are nearly identical in ages, so it was a house full of activity and playing. The weather was perfect for a Florida spring break trip, I was so thankful for that! We went to a couple different beaches, then after they had their fill of the sun, we hit the zoo on their last full day here and of course grabbed snow cones on our way home. One of our beach days we took the opportunity to get some pictures of them all together. It was a bit windy and the sun was especially sunny, but we got a few good ones.

My oldest niece Karmyn is a sweet and pensive young lady, very calculated in what she is doing. A good oldest.

Trystan their middle child has a personalty to match her curlz, bouncy and full of life. After seeing her lego skills she appears to have a promising future as an engineer or architect.

Kohen is a bruiser of a toddler. He's a little man on a mission. Perhaps that determination will be put to good use some day.

It was fun having them here. I want our children to know one another, and it can be difficult being such a large distance away from one another. So far they seem to take it in stride and the children appear to pick up where they left off from each time they see one another. Thanks for making the trek this time Ben and Lindsay! We love you and miss you already!

Mema and Papa

My parents came to see us during my mom's spring break they were here Saturday-Thurdsay. We of course made it to the beach it was an odd weather day at the beach. The temperature was nice, about 80, but the fog was thick, and the water was cold. It was so bizarre sitting on the beach in the fog with many other spring breakers doing the same thing.

Visiting Visitors

Mike's family has been renting a condo at Fort Walton Beach, a little over an hour away, for the month of February. The first and second weekend of the month we went down to spend the weekend with them.

Here we are waiting for a parade, with bubble guns in hand.

The little dude at the parade.

The girls playing on the floor.

Aggie with Grandma Kathy.

Visitors from the East

We were so happy that some dear friends from North Carolina were able to come see us for a short visit, which was out of their way, but on the way to see some family. God has been so kind to bless us with sweet relationships as we have moved around.

We had such fun with them. We did some relaxing, some playing and some chatting. I didn't get as many good pictures as I would have liked, but at least a couple came out. It was so nice to see them! Thank you Team Steel for making the trek down and over!

Mike and Jesse playing with a coin; a game they invented.

We had a nice fire one evening complete with hotdogs and s'mores.

The children enjoyed lots of playtime together and got along very nicely.

Vistors from the North

My parents have been here this past week. They arrived on Christmas Evening in time for dinner and left just this morning. It was a fun-filled week, with playing, shopping, walking, eating good food and the like. They will be missed here until next time.

Sojourners in a foreign land.

My Aunt Bonnie and Cousin Stacy, came from Missouri to help out last week as Aggie had 9 appointments scheduled, and was suppose to have her ear surgery the following Monday. Though surgery was cancelled, we put the girls to good use. They where a great help with the kiddos and chores. I was thankful for the adult companionship, as it was a busy work week for Mike. The children loved the extra attention and love. Thanks for coming ladies!

The Week-End Round-Up

This was a full week of appointments, and anticipating this and Aggie's surgery on Monday for tubes, I called for reinforcements. My Aunt Bonnie and Cousin Stacy came to help out. Before I get started the surgery is cancelled. The results of Aggies reflux scan showed "significant, frequent reflux". Little people with such reflux problems are a "high-risk" patient for sedation, and the hospital cancelled her surgery b/c of that. I am glad they did not proceed if they were not comfortable. So, Aggie will have her tummy surgery Sept. 21st which is actually 2 surgeries. One is a fundoplication, which will correct her reflux, the other will be a gastric feeding tube, so that we can give Aggie tube feeds through the night to see if she will gain more weight, and also to vent air in her stomach, as many children with a "fundo" are unable to burp and can become uncomfortable. Once the reflux is corrected, she will be scheduled to get tubes in her ears, as she has yet another ear infection. Her hearing will be retested at that time as well.

We saw a dietitian for the first time this week. We are increasing the calories/oz. of formula again, and going to start adding butter/oil to her baby food 3 times a day. Again for weight gain purposes. She will also help manage the tube feeds for Aggie once the "g-tube" is in place. I decided to wean Aggie, as it was getting really complicated and time consuming to add calories to breast milk.

Aggie started occupational therapy this week. They work on fine motor skills. I have been pleased with the care she received there this week. She will have OT twice a week from here on out and soon will start having speech therapy in conjunction with OT at the same pediatric therapy center. Our PT will be moved there soon as well, but that might take a bit more time. I am encouraged with all the therapy being provided and am hopeful at the outcomes it may produce. I view it as encouraging progress. We'll take what we can get.

Opthamology was the next stop. I and the pediatrician had been noticing a potential drifting eye. The opthamologist assured me it is only when she can't see over her nose bridge when it happens, but unfortunately he did find something else of concern. There is some pigment on the back of her right eye that is "unusual". He said "it could be benign, but we should have a pediatric opthamologist look at it". So I naturally think if "it could be benign", then there is a possibility that it is not. Though I am not jumping to any conclusions, it is good to know what a Dr. is saying when he is not saying something else.

Endocrine had us stop by for a visit also, she informed me there wasn't much more she could do for Aggie, though she will also be helping manage her diet, and believes a referral to a genetic Dr. is the next step.

So you see, reinforcements were in order. That's a lot of appointments in one week. I have been really encouraged lately reading in the book of Mark. Every-time I read scripture for about a week now, I've been asking myself, "What is God reveling about Himself in the passage?" and "How does this apply to my life?". And as you may know, Mark if filled with healing and miracles, I'm still in early chapters. I keep finding a trend in my answers to these questions and that is...... God is a God who heals, He cares about people no matter their situation in life, He hears us when we call out to Him, or move close to Him and responds to our faith out of His kind, merciful, loving hand. He is generous! And how I hope to apply this is to be filled with faith, by His grace, that God will do just that for me as I call out to Him and move close to Him, however meager and imperfect my attempts may be. He is good to me!

Missouri

Easter Day, after worshiping our risen Lord, we participated in a family tradition at my parents house. The easter egg hunt. Since my childhood, hundreds(500 this year) of stuffed eggs are hidden through out my parents (use to be grandparents) yard. Many extended family members gather, feast and hunt eggs. This is the traditional picture of all the children on the steps right before the hunt begins. There are a few adults holding babies, b/c naturally we would hate to leave out the babies. I have lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Several were out of town this year. A few years ago I counted all the people at my parents home for this event and got to 80 and stopped. I have a very large family.

While we were in Missouri we went camping at the lake for a long weekend, something I did much of in my childhood. Here is Shiloh with her pet bug "Lilly". She named it that b/c she misses her 2 Lilly's in NC. By time the weekend was over she had at least 4 Lilly's.


My father retired the Saturday before Easter. He worked 36 years for 3M. He's always been a hard worker and provided for our family in abundance. Thanks Dad!! He and my younger brother rode back to FL with the children and I, so Mike could come back and work, while the children and I stayed and visited for a while. Since he's retired, he had some time to spare. Here were are playing at Navarre beach. This was the prettiest day I've had at the beach, possibly in my life time. The water was clear, blue and calm. The temp was low 80's and not to windy, perfect for an infant. The water was a bit cool, but the children didn't seem to mind and neither did our visitors from the North. The baby and I sat in the shade most of the time.

Life

This is pretty exciting! Not that Aggie loves cheetos, but that she has a new found dexterity to hold them. It is a "motor skill", which we are "to expect delays in". So I am blessed to see her using her hands appropriately, and not to far behind "the average". Praise God for His kindness! I nearly cried the first time this happened, I was so overwhelmed with joy and hope. Who knew a cheeto could have such an effect on me? :)

Side Note: Look how blond her hair is getting.
We also had some family visit; Grandma, Grandpoo, Uncle Tyler and Uncle Aaron. The kids loved it! It was so nice to see them all. Thanks for making the trek down!

A Fine Day or Two.......

My older brother and his family came to see us last week. Aren't they lovely. We had fun playing and playing some more. The weather was beautiful their entire visit, peeking at about 80 each day. It was perfect for playing outside, so we did. We went to the beach one day, the ocean was chilly, but the children didn't seem to mind. We also went on a dolphin cruise one day and we got to see several pods of dolphins very closely. Additionally, we got to see some very young baby dolphins. Soo cute, and a first for me. It was so fun having them! Thanks for coming guys!

Summer Visitors

When Aggie was born June 29th, Mema and Papa came and watched Shiloh and Hosea while we were in the hospital, and stayed a few days beyond that, it was such a blessing!

I have some family with a vacation home near here, so we had the privilege of seeing some of my cousins and family in July.

Then Grandma, Grandpoo and Granny Annie surprised us with a visit in July! They were eager to meet our sweet little Aggie, I don't blame them!

MeMa came back again! She already had booked a flight near my original due date, so she went ahead and came back to help out, and she was a great help! Thanks mom!! I love you and you know the kids do too!!

Summer Visitors Take Two.....

Aunt Stacy came in July for 10 days, and was a huge help!

My oldest brother Benji his wife Lindsay and my sweet nieces, Kamryn and Trystan were here for a week in August. It was so fun to watch the kids play together b/c they are basically the same age as our children.


Uncle Tyler was here for 10 days in August, the kids loved having him to play with!

Grandma Kathy and Uncle Ryan came for about 5 days in August as well, we were glad to have them.

Thanks for coming to see us everyone we can't wait for your next visit!

A fun-filled weekend!

We had the pleasure to have company in our home this weekend. Both groups of visitors were from NC.

First up is Debbie, her mom and brother. They've become very close to us, our relationship started with Debbie being our go-to babysitter in NC. Later when Mike deployed and I had Hosea her mother started cleaning for us, they have provided a whole variety of services to us in the last 4 years, and we have developed a lovely relationship in the process. Debbie had the honor of graduating from the Abeka home-school program this weekend which is based in Pensacola, so naturally they stayed with us for the weekend, and we all got to celebrate her accomplishments!



The kids loved getting to see them! Here is Shiloh "doing make-up with Debbie".



Then a short but sweet visit from the Gillespies. They were so kind to stop by for a couple of hours as they were passing through on vacation. It was a real treat to enjoy their company and glean wisdom from them in our time together. This is Bubba and Bubba, they both have had the pleasure of carrying the nickname. Two peas in a pod!