1,000 Tickets

The kids and I had Stevi B's for lunch yesterday before co-op. As usual, they scarfed down their food and went to play video games. I had just finished my meal and was getting up to get a water refill when I heard, "1,000 tickets. 1,000 tickets! Mom. Mama. Mom! We won a thousand tickets!"

Honestly, I thought Jordan was confusing 1,000 with 100. But no, Shaun hit the jackpot with his very last token and did indeed win 1,000 tickets.

Needless to say, we were late to co-op because those babies took for-ev-er to print out and then my boys took for-ev-er to decide what prizes to get. I didn't mind. They were so thrilled. In fact, Jordan called winning all those tickets his dream come true.

I love it when they're happy.

A Pictureless Account of Our Field Trip to the Georgia Aquarium

The kids and I went on the best field trip ever on Monday. We visited The Georgia Aquarium. Did you know they have an amazing homeschool field trip program? Not only did we get to visit the aquarium and stay as long as we wanted, but the kids each attended a class which included a "behind the scenes" tour. After learning about the eating habits of different fish species, each group was able to go up to the top of the main tank. It was really amazing. We saw all the marine biologist people working away and we saw how the water makes it into the different tanks.

We all had a great time. Of course there was some drama. Jordan tried to climb under the barrier to get closer to the water. The water in the largest aquarium tank in the world. I don't remember how deep it is, but it's HUGE and filled with sharks and sting rays and other lovely things. He said he wanted to touch one of the Whale Sharks. I don't know about him sometimes. I'm just so thankful I saw him in time to grab him.

Other than that it was a good day. The kids all behaved, for the most part.

One funny thing. We stopped at the restroom in the courtyard before we walked to our car. Jordan ran to the water fountain and Shaun went around the other side of the building to the restrooms. When Jordan and I rounded the corner, Shaun met us with a terrified look on his face. Turned out he had pushed the "emergency" button. He was scared to death! Then the security guard came of the speaker and asked what the emergency was. I explained that there actually wasn't an emergency and that the button was pushed by accident. "No problem", he said. By this time everyone had gone to the restroom and my sister had begun the walk of the stairs to the parking deck with her kids. That's when I tripped over my own feet and fell on my butt. Classy. It's a good thing I'm used to being clumsy. I hardly even get embarrassed anymore. Before I could get up, Jordan ran and pushed the emergency button again. I guess he thought we were having an emergency. Or maybe that big blue button was just too much for him to ignore.

We finally made it to the car and after about three hours in rush hour traffic, we were back home. What a great day. I was so upset that I didn't get any pictures. My phone battery died. We have plans to go back again for another field trip soon. I can't get over the prices. Each child's ticket was only $12 and one "chaperone" per every two children was admitted for free. Can't beat that. A 3-D movie was also included. The kids' only complaint was that we didn't have time to see the dolphin show because the show was the same time as our movie. We will definitely have to plan on that for next time.

Sick

Here are some of the places I've thrown up in lately:

* Church- main campus.

*Church- north campus.

*Papa's Pizza.

*The kids' co-op.

*Target.

*The Georgia Aquarium.

*My own bathroom.

*My mother's bathroom.

*My friend Vicki's bathroom.

*My Granny's bathroom.

*McDonald's.

*Kroger

*Any other place I've visited, with the exception of Chick Fil A.

I am so, so thankful for this pregnancy but ready for some relief from this constant sickness. This is my third time around with this, but the morning sickness... um... Noontime sickness? Night sickness? The sick-all-the-time thing is new to me. Even Jordan has been telling people, "Did you know that I'm going to be a big brother? My mom throws up all the time now". Nice. I'm getting ready to try Sea Bands and some ginger root tea tomorrow. I'm also open to any and all helpful suggestions. Or even un-helpful suggestions. Something's gotta give, right?

Some people have speculated that the reason this pregnancy is different is because I'm having a girl this time. Not sure if I believe that...I dreamed I had a boy just the other night. He was really cute and had lots of curly hair, if anyone's interested. Some say I just have more hormones this time. Maybe. I am behaving like an emotionally unstable crying freak all the time. Would that constitute an influx of hormones? It's funny, really. The things I freak out about lately. Like the other night when The Hubs went to the store for milk and made the sad mistake of bringing home whole milk instead of skim. That night was special. I'm so glad he hasn't made a run for the hills yet.

But back to the sick thing. Seriously, I need some help. I'm willing to try anything. If anything has worked for you, your sister, or even your great-aunt back in the olden days- please share the wisdom. I'll be eternally grateful.

Random Ramblings Regarding Jordan

Took Jordan to his six year check up the other day and the two of us went out the wrong door and became momentarily locked inside an entry way. No way in, and no way out. I finally just unlocked the door that was locked and high-tailed it to my car.

Jordan's appointment was great. Still only in the 5th percentile for his height, but his BMI is finally on target.

He saw his old friend, "The Pricker Lady". Yes, he calls her this to her face. They've come a long way. No more fighting and punching. He had his finger pricked like a big boy.

I broke down and finally let him have some of his 5 year boosters. But I prayed over them before the nurse injected him. So far, so good. No weird reactions like last time.

We'll be seeing a dermatologist next week because of weird mole on Jordan's back. Prayers are appreciated!

At the end of the appointment Dr O grinned at me and said, "He's doing just awesome. I love it. He had a rough start, but he's going to be okay".

After the appointment we went to Wal-Mart so that he could spend his birthday money. He spent his money in record time.

On the way to church the other day he said to me, "Mom, if you played X-Box your name could be ESmittyTwilight. Because your name is ESmitty and you loooooove Twilight! Ha ha ha ha!"

He received his first iPod as a reward for turning 6 years old and we took him to dinner at Stevie B's.

The next day Papa and Susie took him shopping and he picked out this bike:

A waitress at Waffle House asked Jordan what his teacher's name was. My little man looked at me, grinned, and announced "Mama!".

Have I mentioned lately what a blessing he is to me?

jordan's birth

I've been wanting to write up Jordan's birth story, mainly for myself. I don't want to ever forget it, and since he's turning six years old tomorrow I figured tonight was a good time to do it.

Two days before Jordan was born, I went in for my weekly doctors appointment. His heart rate was high when they monitored him. They gave me a non-stress test and the heart rate went back down to normal but Dr. Harrison wanted me to come back in the next day for more monitoring just to be on the safe side.

My mom came with me the next day. Same thing. High heart rate and non-stress test followed by... um. I think it's called a biophysical profile. This involves an ultrasound and we learned that Jordan wasn't breathing as often as he should, and his heart rate kept rising. I began to cry and my sweet mother got down to eye level with me and told me that I just had to give this whole thing to God. So I did. And things started to calm down.

I was seeing Dr. Harrison again that day. He wasn't my regular doctor, but I'd seen him the day before. It was a Friday and he originally wanted me to go home and come into the hospital for more monitoring the next day. I'm so glad my mom was with me. I can never think clearly when I'm stressed and that day was no exception. She asked the doctor if he knew about my history and told him a little about what had happened with Shaun. He left the room for a minute to review my chart, came back in and announced the new game plan: I was to go home, grab my stuff and then go check in to the hospital. He'd come by later that evening to do an amnio and if Jordan's lungs were okay he'd be born the next morning.

So on to the hospital I went. My sister met us there and Chris came as soon as he got off work. He stayed for awhile and then my sister agreed to stay with me while he went to lead worship at a youth rally. I think my mother left, too, so that she could pick Shaun up. Or maybe she went home to get my dad. I don't really remember.

Lori and I hung out at the hospital. We talked, laughed, and watched Full House reruns while we waited on Dr. Harrison to come do the amnio. I was so afraid of this. I hate needles, and let me tell you, that is one long needle! The doctor finally came into the room- he had to wait until after office hours because he wasn't on call that day. It means the world to me that he did that. I remember feeling so safe and cared for.

The doctor came in and told me what to expect with the procedure. I'd never had one before but kind of knew what to expect. He left, saying he'd be back with an ultrasound machine. A few minutes later, he stuck his head in the door and said, "Hey. Have ya'll seen an ultra sound machine in here?". Lori and I looked at each other and then glanced around the room. "Nope, not in here" we replied. Dr. Harrison sighed and left again.


After what seemed like forever, he came back into the room with a nurse, pushing an ultrasound machine. He plugged it in and, I swear to this, said "I don't even know how to use this one. How do I turn it on?". My sister said my eyeballs were about to pop out of my head. He must have noticed because he laughed and said, "Oh, don't worry. I didn't mean that I don't know how to use it. I just don't know how to turn it on. I've never used this one before. But they all work the same way once they're on!"

Okay.

He turned it on and began the ultrasound, explaining everything as he went: "See, baby's way down here so we'll insert the needle all the way up here so that it's far away from him." I laid there with my eyes closed, sweating with anxiety, with my huge stomach exposed for all to see. He reached for the tray beside the bed and suddenly stood up, slammed the tray back down onto the table and said (very loudly), "This tray doesn't even have a needle! This is a stupid tray!" He turned to look at the nurse, who was just standing there looking bored. "What do you want me to do", she asked? "I want you to go find a needle! I'm sure she's ready to have this done!" yelled my doctor. At this point the nurse scurried out of the room and I began to squeeze the life out of my sister's hand. Dr. Harrison turned to us and muttered, "Whoever heard of an amnio tray without a needle? I'm so sorry this is taking so long. Are you doing alright?"

We assured him that I was fine. The nurse came back and the doctor began another ultrasound to make sure Baby J hadn't shifted position. He hadn't, so we were good to go. He put the needle in (which actually didn't hurt at all) and began to draw the fluid out. That's when Jordan decided to kick the needle, sending it swaying back-and-forth while it was sticking out of my stomach. Once again my eyes turned into saucers and I squeezed my sister's hand. Dr. Harrison exclaimed, "Wow, I've never seen that before. Usually they shy away from the needle".

And that was my first sign that I was in for another strong-willed child.

The rest of the night was uneventful. My parents came by with Shaun. I think maybe my grandparents came too. That's a little fuzzy. Some people from our church came to pray with us. I wasn't in a regular labor and delivery room with a comfy bed. They put me in one of the rooms used for monitoring. Maybe all of the good rooms were taken. All I remember is that was one uncomfortable bed. Bright and early the next morning a nurse came by and said that the amnio results were great and that we'd be having a baby in about an hour. We called our parents and sat back to wait.

My family arrived and was able to see me before I went back for my c-section. I don't remember anything until I was getting my spinal block. I remember that because, like I said, I hate needles. When I was pregnant with Shaun, before the labor pains really kicked in, I had said there was no way in heck I'd get an epidural. I saw one at my childbirth glass and it had terrified me. Later on in my labor I begged for one, but I never progressed enough. By the time I was ready for my spinal block with Shaun I was too out of it to care about the huge needle going into my spine. Not this time. I was about to hyperventilate. The spinal guy got it all the way in and then, "Oh, I'm so sorry. I'm going to have to take this out and do it over". Ugh.

Somehow I made it though. Dr. Harrison came back to the hospital when he wasn't on call to deliver my baby. I think he's the best doctor ever! The surgery went smoothly and Jordan was born without a hitch. When the doctor held him up to me the first thing I noticed was that his nose was teeny tiny compared to the size of Shaun's. I think I was expecting him to look identical to Shaun, but as it turned out, he was his own person. Ha!

Chris went with Jordan to watch over him while he was getting checked out and my sister and cousin Ashley stayed with me in the recovery room. I think I kept asking if Jordan was breathing. After what had happened to Shaun while I was in recovery, I wasn't taking any chances. I got back to my room with my family and we waited for the nurses to bring the baby in. Shaun was there. He announced that he was going to hold the baby first, and then everyone else could except Lori. He didn't like her much back then for some reason.
We waited and waited and Shaun got antsy. My sister left to go do something but came back right after she left because she had run into her new nephew in the hall. Shaun was a total baby hog. No one could hold Jordan because Shaun wouldn't let him go!

After awhile the nurse came back in and took Jordan back to the nursery because his temperature was a little low. This visit turned into a week long stay in the hospital for antibiotics due to an infection. When this happens, every base is covered. Including a lumbar puncture to check for Meningitis. All I could think of was my friend from work. Her granddaughter had Meningitis right after birth and was brain damaged from it. Major panic set in. I didn't tell anyone about my fear. I preferred to suffer in silence back then, but I was scared out of my mind. I've never been so relieved as when that test came back negative a few days later.

Because Jordan was technically in the NICU, the neonatologist came in to talk with us. He had been Shaun's doctor six years earlier and he remembered us. Shaun got a kick out of that. He even talked to the doctor on the phone. Another thing Shaun did while I was in the hospital was to discover that hospital beds will raise all the way to the ceiling. I kid you not.

I stayed in the hospital a few extra days, but I still had to leave for home without my baby with me. My mom found me crying in the bathroom that morning before I was discharged. Shaun saw me too, which upset him. We made it though, and Jordan came home a few days later.

He had a wonderful homecoming, coming home to a house filled with his cousins. In fact, the first thing his cousin Jaycee did was try to pull his head off. We think she thought he was a baby doll.

And there you have it. Jordan's birth story. I can't believe he's going to be six years old tomorrow.

at the dentist

I took the boys to a new dentist today. We went to see Dr. Vaughan. I'm so relieved to have found a dentist that: 1- the kids like, 2- I like, 3- is knowledgeable about Ectodermal Dysplasia, and 4- I trust. I've been stressed about this for weeks and at the end of our appointment I was so relieved and comfortable with everything that happened.

My first clue that I'd like this dentist was that when we walked in the door, Dr Vaughan himself was in the hallway on his hands and knees scrubbing a spot out of the carpet. How many dentists has you met who do that? He stopped right there and introduced himself to the boys and then to me. Then he let them right over to the Wii. They were in heaven.

Shaun had no cavities, but left with a referral to an orthodontist. Yuck.

Jordan had three cavities but that was the least of my worries. He has lots of issues with his teeth. Some are missing, and the ones he does have are pointy. He calls them his vampire teeth. My main criteria in a dentist is that he or she needed to be knowledgeable about Jordan's condition. I wanted someone who had treated a patient like him before. I actually called around to all the dentists in our area before I made the decision to try Dr Vaughan. To my relief, he was wonderful with Jordan. He didn't parade all of his staff in to look at his "abnormalities". (Yes, if you're wondering- that has happened before. There's nothing like a dentist making your child out to be a lab rat, right?) He took x-rays, and then examined Jordan before he sent him back out to the waiting room to play so that we could speak privately. And we came up with a tentative plan of treatment. This plan will become more firm through the years, but at least now we have a plan. Plans are good. And having a dentist who knows what he's talking about is really good.

Today was really an answer to prayer. God's so good. He really does care about every problem we have. Even dentists.

P.S. While Jordan was in the waiting room with my mom, he told another mom that his mom "has a baby in her tummy the size of a peanut". Bless him!

meeting the peanut

I had my first official OB appointment today, and Chris and I were so blessed to be able to "meet" our new little peanut. Chris calls the baby a peanut. So I guess I will, too.

The appointment went well. One funny thing was that we were asked by several nurses if this was our first baby. They all seemed so surprised when we announced that this was indeed our third baby because, and I quote, "You both look too young to have three children". I took that as a definite compliment, even though I think we look every bit- if not more- as old as we actually are.

I was worried about this appointment. I had prepared myself for every possible scenario that could have went down today. In fact, when the ultrasound began I had my eyes closed until I heard a heart beat. It was music to my ears. I know living in fear is no way to go through a pregnancy, or life for that matter. My faith is really lacking in this area. I've had two NICU babies, and I just always expect the worst. I would appreciate any prayers for this. I want to be able to expect the best, not the worst. Hopefully I'll get there soon.

Like I said, the appointment was good. I love my doctor and feel comfortable that he'll take good care of us. He did such a good job with Jordan. I'll have to write about his birth story soon. There are some extremely funny parts to it!

We were kind of surprised today because the ultrasound revealed that I'm not as pregnant as I thought I was. Previously, my due date was September 4, which put me at 7 1/2 weeks. Today my due date was changed to September 13, which means I'm only 6 weeks and 1 day pregnant. So, I was only 4 weeks pregnant when I took my first test. No wonder I was acting hormonal! Apparently I ovulated later than I thought. Those ovaries of mine are always causing confusion!

I can't end this post without mentioning that Shaun requested prayer for me at co-op yesterday. Unprompted and in front of everyone he announced that his mother was pregnant and that he was praying for everyone to be healthy. I love him, and I love that he has such a tender heart.

our number 3

Yup, I'm pregnant.

It's so strange to see those words. I think I'm still in shock! We found out almost two weeks ago. We were going to keep the news to ourselves until the second trimester, but when have I ever been able to keep big news to myself? I know a lot could happen between now and then and, honestly, I'd love to have everyone praying for us.

Here's how it happened. Well, not exactly how it happened, but you know what I mean...

In November I realized that I was about to turn 31 years old. Something about that number made me sad... I've never wanted any more children but 31 is close to 35 and I'd always heard that women who have babies after they're 35 are considered "high risk". So I began entertaining the idea of maybe possibly wanting another one before it was too late. Honestly, I didn't think it would happen. Getting Jordan was a journey. I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome. After a few months of trying for Jordan my doctor gave me this diagnosis and told me that if I wanted another baby we needed to make it happen by the time I turned 25. Apparently symptoms worsen with age. I began taking medication and, after 8 months of heartbreaking letdowns, we found out we were expecting.

Jordan was born, and we were good. I never, ever thought I'd want another one. Ditto for Chris. That was six years ago. I continued to have POS. After I turned 30 I really thought that I couldn't get pregnant again. Maybe that's why it was so easy for us to admit that maybe we wanted another one? I'm still trying to figure that out. Anyway, in November I began to toy with the idea of trying to conceive again. I brought up the idea to Chris and was so surprised that he felt the same way I did. We "officially" began trying for another one around Thanksgiving, fully expecting to still be trying months and months from then.

My cycle had been regular to the day for the past three months. On my birthday I told Chris I was a few days late. He just laughed and reminded me that I had always gotten my hopes up in the past only to have them crushed with a negative test. I decided he was right. And besides, none of the pregnancy tests were on sale at Rite Aid. So I let it go.

On January 2nd our classes at School of Discipleship started back up. Let me tell you, I was a beast that day. I'd been really tired since Christmas and that day, I'd never been more exhausted. I actually took a four hour nap that afternoon. We were at the mall before classes and I was so grouchy! At one point I looked at Chris and said, "Look, I know I'm being unreasonable, but I can't seem to stop. So I'm just going to walk away from you for a while." The Hubs claims to have known the truth at that exact moment. Ha ha!

After class we stopped at Kroger, and low and behold: pregnancy tests were on sale. So I bought one. And Chris made fun of me and warned me not to be disappointed if the results weren't what I wanted. I was annoyed at the time, but it was really sweet of him. He had to deal with me each time I took a negative test six years ago and I never thought much about how that was for him.

The kids and Chris had a "slumber party" in the living room that night. They watched a movie and I cleaned the kitchen. I went to take the test fully expecting it to be negative. And at first it was. I shrugged and began to brush my teeth. When I was done there was definitely a big red plus sign on that test. "Um... Chris...?" And then he called back, "Are you serious? That's so cool!"

I sent this picture to my mom, sister, and a few friends:
This resulted in many hysterical phone calls and texts of congratulations. Except from Kendra, who didn't notice she had a text from me until the next afternoon when I sent her another text asking if she'd gotten my previous text. To which she replied "no". And then five minutes later came the phone call. Love her!

We told the kids the other night. Shaun rolled his eyes in typical pre-teen drama and said, "Are you serious?". But now he's the one who can't stop telling people.

My favorite response so far has been from my friend Joanne. She said, "Woah. I guess God healed your ovaries!"

Yes, I guess He did!

I went to the doctor last week. He confirmed the pregnancy, gave me a due date of September 4, and told me to come back next Friday for an ultrasound.

I've been sick this time, more so than I was with the others. The tiredness is what's really getting to me.

I know its so early, but like I said, I would rather have people praying for us than keep this to ourselves. So if you pray, please agree with us for a boring, drama-free pregnancy and a healthy, happy child in late August!

i turned 31!

I turned 31 a few weeks ago. For the second year in a row, I wasn't drowned in the depths of depression on my birthday. I have never...ever...been able to enjoy my birthday because of the "holiday blues" or whatever they're called. I hope they're gone for good, because 30 and 31 were great birthdays for me!

My sweet friend Kendra invited me to lunch, and I brought my mom along. It was mom's first time at Mellow Mushroom. It was delicious. And then Chris met us over there after he got off work, and found a hair in his food. Kind of put a damper on things, but us girls had already eaten and at least he got his meal for free. Ha ha!

Kendra gave me The Hunger Games for my birthday. She always knows what I like! I love it. I've been really exhausted at night and actually falling asleep at a decent hour, or I would have finished it by now. I can't wait to read the rest of the series, and of course see the movie this Spring.

My mom took me shopping after lunch. We were only supposed to be gone for a few hours, but didn't get finished until almost 8:00. That's usually how it goes with us.

Chris and the kids met me in town when I was finished and took me to Outback for dinner. I had ribs. Jordan took one look and asked why my steak had toe nails. Oh, that child.

It was a great day, and I felt very blessed.

This weekend, I met up with my girlfriends for laser tag and dinner. Laser tag here in Gainesville is confusing, and I was horrible. The only person who did worse than me had a broken gun. I had fun anyway.

The teenage laser tag guy took this photo of us before we got started. I think he thought we were quite hilarious. Or maybe mentally challenged. Either way, he looked amused the whole time he talked with us.

Some of us are missing, but I can't say enough how blessed I am to have such a wonderful group of friends. We laugh, we cry, we pray, and we play. What more could I ask for?

Christmas 2011

We're still recovering from Christmas around here. It flew by. We were so busy that it crept up and before we knew it, it was here.

It can't be Christmas without a photo in front of the upside down tree at church, so here it is. This is one of the few pictures I took this year:


My brother-in-law came to Georgia for Christmas. He moved out to California and it had been a few years since he'd been home. It was good to spend time with him. Of course, the boys were smitten by him and are already asking when he's coming back.

We usually go over to my parents house for breakfast and gifts on Christmas morning. Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year and my parents' church had service, we had Christmas morning on Christmas Eve morning. My mom cooked a delicious breakfast and we opened gifts. It was loud, hectic, and wonderful- as always!

Later on that afternoon my parents and my Aunt Rita came to watch Shaun sing at the Christmas Eve service at church. It was nice to be in church with them, and Chris and I were able to be in a service together, so that was nice too. I never went to church on Christmas Eve until we came to Free Chapel, and I'm so glad it has become a tradition with us. I look forward to it every year.

The choir was amazing, of course. Jordan was a little bummed that he wasn't able to take part this year. He was a cow during the nativity scene in last year's service, but couldn't make it to the rehearsal this year because we were spending time with Uncle Jeremy. Jordan said his time with Jeremy was worth the sacrifice, but when he saw all of his "barn yard" friends up on stage he sat up in his chair and whispered (loudly), "Hey! I'm supposed to be up there!"

There's always a funny moment, right? Ha ha! There's always next year!

Here's a picture of Shaun and some of the other boys in the choir before the service. Jordan was there, too.

And here's a shot of Jordan in his new boots from Susie and Papa. He insisted on wearing them. I think they were his favorite gifts.


After church we went back to my parents house for my family's Christmas get together. We ate too much, laughed a lot, played Dirty Santa, watched all of the kids be spoiled with gifts. Both of my boys were given Star Wars items from my Aunt Jenny. I'm pretty sure she's their favorite aunt after those gifts!

Speaking of favorite gifts, here's mine:

My Aunt Nancy made all of pillow cases out of my grandmother's old shirts. I couldn't love anything more.

Before the boys went to bed we put out a treat for Santa on the fire place...Aunt Jenny's famous fruity Jello dessert dish. I'm not sure what its called but she's been making it on Christmas Eve since I was a child. It is delicious, and Santa was really pleased to have been left something besides milk and cookies. The boys fell asleep in record time, so Chris and I went to bed early too. We slept in until about 8, when the boys woke up and wanted their presents. Jordan's favorite gift was his new scooter. He'd been wanting a bigger one for a long time. Shaun liked his iPod Touch best. It was already loaded up with his favorite music and movies.

We went out to Chris' sister's house for Christmas lunch with his family. We had a nice meal and got to visit for a long time. We were all spoiled (again) with too many presents.

We headed back to North Hall for Christmas dinner with my grandparents later on that night. More food, more laughter, and togetherness. We all had a good time, ate too much, and opened more gifts than we deserved.

When we returned home that night we were exhausted and everyone slept really well. It was a great Christmas!

my boys rock

Last weekend Chris asked Jordan if he wanted to play his guitar during the KidPak Jr service on Sunday. Jordan looked up at his dad with an expression of utter disbelief on his face and said, "Not with your band, Dad. I'm starting my own band. It's gonna be me, Christopher, Myles, Benjamin, and Elijah. And we're gonna rock, too!"

I guess Jordan's "real" band couldn't get it together on such short notice, because the next morning he did indeed play his guitar with his daddy and the rest of the KP7 band.

He was great! Even though he's just started with guitar lessons and wasn't allowed to play "plugged in" until he gets a little more practice, he still rocked it.

Later on that same evening we headed to Lula for the AMPED service. The hubs and his other band, Ambered Stripes, have the honor of ministering here one Sunday night each month. We have come to love this church and all the people in it. Chris asked Shaun if he wanted to help him lead worship. Have I mentioned lately that Shaun has a beautiful voice? Before long he'll be giving Chris a run for his money! He was glad to be able to worship on stage with his dad. And of course, he rocked his songs too.

Jordan was allowed to go up with his guitar again as well. This was the first time my three boys had been on stage ministering together. What a sweet sight it was. I'm so proud of them all.

Before service started, Chris had a talk with the kids and told them that they could only stay on stage for the praise songs. When the worship songs began, they had to come down in the audience. Because, let's face it. They're so stinkin' cute no one would be able to concentrate on worshiping because they wouldn't be able to tear their eyes away from all of that anointed adorableness. They both said they understood. But when Jordan came back down to sit with me he had tears in his eyes because, "Dad said I could play three songs and then he only let me play two! Wail, wail, siffle, sniffle".

I snuggled him up and he whimpered for a few more minutes before falling asleep in my arms. I guess he was a little tired.

I was sort of tired too, but it was a good tired. It was a good day.

sam and pam

Today was another one of those hectic days. One of my nieces had an appointment, so the other two came to stay at our house. My sister got caught up in town and the girls wound up staying with us a lot longer than we had planned. Not really a big deal, but it didn't leave any time for school work. Before they came over, the boys completed one assignment each... Jordan did phonics and Shaun some math. But that was it.

After dinner I told the kids that they would have to finish some more work before bed. Shaun did his reading and spelling and Jordan finished his math. Shaun did really, really well with his reading tonight. Maybe we should do it in the evening every day? I'm not sure what that was all about, but he was more focused than he's been in a long time and he was able to read his entire selection with just 2 helps from me... and he knew all the answers to the questions without having to go back and look anything up. I was proud, to say the least.

Jordan's reading is also coming along. I took a good friend's advice and started Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons with him a few months ago. I was surprised at first, because it turned out to be the same method Shaun's teachers used to help him learn to read in kindergarten. It looks really strange, but it works. Here's a sample page I found online:


I figured that if it worked for Shaun, it would also work for Jordan. I seem to be correct so far. The lessons are short, which always works best for my children and contain lots of review. Jordan has responded really well. He read his first book a few weeks ago, which was really exciting- even if the pages each contained only one word.

The other day I was boxing up all of the K12 stuff I need to ship back and going through all of the materials that I get to keep. I found a whole set of paperback phonics readers that are mine to keep. I browsed through them and thought I'd give them a try, even though Jordan might not be quite ready yet. And then tonight, Jordan and I curled up in my bed and he read aloud the riveting story of "Sam and Pam at Bat". This is the first "chapter" of the level one phonics reader. He worked so hard and was so proud of himself. And of course I was proud, too. Even when he stumbled, he kept at it with fierce determination and when he was finished he looked up at me, grinned from ear to ear and said, "I'm good at reading now!".

We called Shaun in so that Jordan could show off his new skill. And then something happened that I never dreamed would take place: my children began fighting over who was going to read a story to me first.

Voluntary reading time. Not something that happens every day around here.

why I'm thankful, day 16

It's raining today. We really need it around here. We drove over Lake Lanier yesterday and Shaun said, "Um... shouldn't there be a lot more water in there?". It's getting really low again. So today I'm thankful for the sound of rain on the roof.

green beans

Me: "Jordan, we need to clean your ears tonight."

Jordan: "Okay! I'll go get an ear tip."

Me: "It's called a Q-tip, Jord."

Jordan: "Okay, I'll go get a Q-tip."

He runs out of the room and comes back with a handful of Q-tips. I begin to clean his ears.

Me: "Ew, your ears are dirty!"

Jordan: "I know. I hope there's not a green bean in there."

Me: "Wait... what?!?"

Jordan: "Maybe if I ate one, it would come out my ears. Ha. Ha ha ha! Never mind!"

This was the best conversation I had all day. I'm glad I have funny children.

random weekend ramblings

Friday night we stayed out way too late. Chris had to take care of some music stuff, so I took the kids to visit with some friends. Us moms were able to visit too. For six hours. Truly. We arrived at 6:30 and it was after midnight when we left. During our visit, I kept hearing a door slam downstairs where the kids were playing. Something told me it was Jordan, and it was. When I went down to check on him, he was standing in the playroom in his underwear. He looked at me and said, "I just want a suit, too". For the first time, I noticed that all of his little friends were playing dress-up. His friend Jensen was nice enough to loan Jordan his Super Man suit. As I helped him into it, we had a discussion about how it's alright to wear clothing under costumes.

As we were (finally) getting ready to leave, Shaun and his friends threw a surprise at us. A sleepover had been planned at Jon's house. Much to his mother's surprise. Thankfully, they live near us, so I was able to go home and get some stuff together for him before sending Chris to drop him off. He had a great time... except for when he woke up at 6:30 a.m. after only 3 hours of sleep and got kind of homesick. He called me and then went right back to sleep. And Jordan whined the whole night and the next day because he never gets to sleepover anywhere. Poor, deprived child.

On Saturday I watched half of season 4 of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I can't get over that show... is that really the way teenagers live? And their parents- really? It's like watching a train wreck. But it's a guilty pleasure of mine. At least I cleaned and organized the school room while I watched, so some things got accomplished.

Later on that evening I picked up my sister at Mule Camp Market so that we could go to dinner. Our dear friend Kay, who we haven't seen in a long time was able to come with us, and that was a nice surprise. Rebecca and Morgan also joined us at Outback. That was nice, too! After dinner Kay drove us back to my car. I was lucky enough to have found a parking place at the library so that I could walk into the festival. During Mule Camp, the square in Gainesville is blocked off. My sister and I took off for Target and somehow I made a wrong turn into an ally and somehow, someway, I was suddenly driving my Jeep through Mule Camp Market. Thank goodness it was late and things were closed down. There were still people walking around, though. Boy were they surprised to see us. I'm a terrible driver, really I am. I came home to find that somehow Jordan had gotten onto the computer and pulled up our friend's Twitter profile. No, he's not a boy-genius. We're buying this computer from said friend and apparently he forgot to log out of Twitter before we brought the computer home. I could have had so much fun, but I was a good girl and just logged out. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do. :)

Sunday was church. Jordan was a little tired and took his bedspread into church, where he had breakfast in bed in the Kidpak office.




















My friends and I were "superstaaaaars" as well as greeters and it was also Communion Sunday. Jordan had an impulsive moment and he blew a raspberry at one of his teachers. This resulted in a long talk about self-control, a punishment, an apology, and a mortified mother. After church was kids choir rehearsal, which went really well. Shaun is really starting to enjoy it. After choir was Shaun's small group. Jordan and I played on the playground with friends while this was going on. At 3:30 we left church, got lunch, and drove to the "other" church where the Hubs and the band lead worship once a month.

After we dropped Chris off the kids and I found a park. A very weird park, complete with strange people. There were baseball fields. My boys didn't have any baseball equipment, so they reenacted The Sandlot and got really dirty. By the time we made it back to church for service, Jordan was beyond tired. I took him out to the front porch, rocked him to sleep, and then brought him back inside. He slept though preaching, and through dinner. I wish I had a picture of him sleeping in his chair at El Maguey.

After dinner I had to go to the grocery store. I'm making dinner for my friend Shaunalynn, who is recovering from surgery, and I needed some ingredients. I'm little nervous. Everyone knows I'm not the best cook. Maybe the chili will be edible.

It's now midnight. I really need to finish re-reading New Moon. I'm reading the entire Twilight Saga again before the new movie comes out... next month! But I'm tired and my book is out in the car. I think I'll settle for another episode of The Secret Life. I think Ricky is about to propose to Amy. More train wreckage. Sigh.

vacation, part 1

We were on vacation last week! My parents gave us all (the four of us Smiths plus my sister and her family) a trip to Saint George Island for Christmas. We were all thrilled. We hadn't been to the beach in three years, so a trip to the shore was much-needed. The only catch... were were going to be camping. I had my doubts, but we wound up having a great week. It would have been a perfect week if the mosquitoes had stayed away, but there was nothing we could do about that.

We set out for our adventure on Monday morning at 4:00 a.m. Everyone except the Hubs, who had to work until Wednesday. My parents pulling their camper, my sister and I in her van, and my brother in law in his van towing their camping. All of the children were scattered in various vehicles. We all thought the kids would fall asleep and be out until it was time to stop for breakfast. It didn't quite work out that way, but all in all it was an uneventful trip. Except for the time when my sister and I became separated from the group and drove 30 minutes in the wrong direction. But that could happen to anybody.

Here is a picture of our view for most of the drive. That's my parents and their camper. Shaun rode with them the entire way and his cousins alternated keeping him company.















We were driving a long time. Ten hours or so, because of bathroom breaks and what not. I guess that's typical when you're traveling with 6 children. The kids passed the time watching movies and playing video games. Lori and I passed the time by laughing, listening to the 90's station on the radio, and talking about life.



































Overall, the kids were pretty good. We were all getting a little antsy by the time we finally made it to the bridge to Saint George. There was lots of cheering.













We made it to our campsite and were immediately swarmed by mosquitoes. These were hard-core mosquitoes. Our regular spray didn't even touch them. They even bit us through our clothes. And they hurt! We had to go back to the "mainland" to get the "real" mosquito repellent. The kind that contains Deet. Horrible for us, but at least it kept us from getting eaten alive.

After we arrived on the island, it was time to set up camp. Of course, my dad had to help me. Or do it for me. Since I had no idea of how to set up a tent. I did help him though. One of my favorite memories from the trip was when my dad was setting up our tent, Jordan sidled up to him, planted a kiss on his cheek and said, "You're the best papa ever".

Here's our tent.












The boys and I had planned on sleeping here, but we only stayed one night. The first night my dad insisted on staying with them, because he thought I'd get scared. I stayed in the camper with my mom, and both boys wound up with us sometime during the night. The next night, the boys and I opted to stay with my sister's family in their camper. Here's a shot of some of the kids, all snuggled up and watching Soul Surfer.

















The tent was used for "recreation" the rest of the week. The kids played in there, and watched movies. Oh, and they also snacked in there and caused the tent to be overrun with ants. My dad had to rescue us again.
















As expected, we spent a lot of time at the beach. The kids loved it. They played for hours and hours and were exhausted at the end of each day.








































Jordan and Jaycee loved the gulls.








































This is why we like the beach in the Fall. We had the place to ourselves!













The funniest picture of the week.



































I love the classic "big brother" look of annoyance on Shaun's face.

Jordan did a lot of running.

I love the looks on the kids faces. Pure joy, most of the time. They had a blast.

on self control

Does anyone know the "Fruits of the Spirit" song? I learned it a long, long time ago at a youth retreat. More recently, Jordan learned it at church. It goes something like this:

"The Fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut
The Fruit of the Spirit's not a coconut
If you wanna be a coconut, you might as well hit it
You can't be a Fruit of the Spirit
'Cause the Fruits are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self contro-o-o-o-l
Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self control"

Catchy, right? Jordan had a great time learning this song from Mrs. Jananne and it came in handy for me as a mom, too. Whenever Jordan would have an "impulsive moment", I would sit him down and have a conversation kind of like this:

Me: "Now Jordan. Don't you know that Jesus wants you to be able to control yourself and make good decisions?"

Jordan: "Yes."

Me: "Well, do you think it was a good decision to smack your brother just because he didn't want to watch The Rugrats on Netflix?"

Jordan: "No."

Me: "I know it's tough when things don't go your way, but you can't just hit your brother because he does something you don't like. You need to have self control. You know... like the song."

Both of us sing the song together.

Jordan: "Oh. I love all the Fruits of the Spirit. Except self control."

I had to stifle my laughter. Because I totally get where he's coming from. At 30 years old, I still haven't mastered the art of self control. Sometimes I think I'm doing really well, and then it backfires in my face.

Take, for instance, my behavior at Shaun's doctor's appointment a few weeks ago. Shaun has seen the same neurologist since he was 2 weeks old. We love her. She's always taken such good care of him. She's a very popular doctor and works at Children's Health Care of Atlanta, so we usually have to wait awhile to see her at our appointments. I've never, ever complained about the wait time. So imagine my surprise when I was asked to reschedule Shaun's appointment when I was 20 minutes late last month. I am never, EVER late for these appointments. The reason we were late this time was because traffic around the hospital was being rerouted due to road construction. We signed in and then sat in the waiting room for about 30 minutes before the receptionist called me up and told me that I had to reschedule. I thought she was joking at first. I even asked her if she was serious. She was. I tried to explain that we had driven an hour and half and that we always had to wait at least an hour for our appointments. She didn't care. Because, you see, Dr W had several new patient appointments that afternoon and she didn't want to get behind on her schedule.

Wow.

By this time, Shaun had joined me at the counter. He smiled and said, "Yay. I don't have to have my appointment!"

The receptionist glanced at him and said, with a little smile, "I don't think mom's saying yay."

I then looked at her and said, "No. Actually I'm pretty pissed right now."

Not my finest moment, at all.

The only thing I accomplished by saying this was to embarrass Chris, Shaun, and myself. I rescheduled the appointment and then we went home.

A month later, we found ourselves making the trek to Atlanta again, for the same appointment. Jordan was with us this time... it just couldn't be helped. We were on time. Early, even. And we still had to wait almost 2 hours. After the first hour, I went out to the nurse's station to find out how much longer it would be. It was already 5:00 and the office was shutting down. Only one nurse was left. I calmly asked for the office manager. She had already gone home. Of course. The sweet nurse brought a complaint form for me to fill out. She also brought Shaun some juice. I spent about 30 more minutes writing a 3 page letter (front and back) explaining my totally justifiable anger. In a nice way, I promise.

We continued to wait. I had a hair appointment and the boys and Chris needed to be back to church by 7:00 for movie night. I lost all sense of self control when I looked at my phone and realized that it was a quarter til 6. I knew it would take at least an hour and a half to get where we needed to be. Probably a lot longer with Friday traffic in Atlanta. I told Shaun to put his shoes on and that we were leaving. We gathered our things and he wandered out into the hall, where he ran into the medical student who had just examined him. Shaun was happy to announce that we were leaving. She just looked at me. "Oh. You're leaving?"

I began to yell. Really yell. So loud that Chris heard me in the waiting room and came back to see what was wrong. Dr W must have heard me too, because she miraculously appeared. And I let her have it. And a few curse words slipped out. And Shaun looked at the medical student and muttered, "She's PISSED!"

Way worse than my last not-my-finest moment.

Of course I cried. And then I had to apologize. The whole time I was thinking, "Man, I hate that stupid self control!"

Really, shouldn't I have a better handle on this by now. Word vomit has always plagued me. I feel it coming up and I know I'm going to say something I'm going to regret, but I just can't stop it. I really can't believe I cussed out my child's doctor. My child's Jewish doctor... who knows that we're Christians. Not exactly my idea of being a good witness. And to behave that way in front of my son. My 11 year old, impressionable son who looks to me as an example for how to behave. And then there's Jordan. He was there, too. I could just hear him thinking to himself, "Mama, you just can't cuss out the doctor because something happens and you don't like it. You need to have self control!"

I had to sit down with both of my children later on that night, over ice cream at McDonald's, and explain that I acted inappropriately. Not an easy thing to do...having your children witness you doing the exact same thing that they get punished for.

Regardless of the circumstances that led up to this moment, my behavior was wrong. Not very lady-like and definitely not the way my Heavenly Father wanted me to respond to this situation.

My goal, my prayer is for my tongue to be tamed. This is what I'm striving for, among other things. I really feel that conquering my tongue will be a huge milestone in the act of obedience for me. I look forward to the day when I can take things in stride and not flip out. For now, unfortunately, I'm just a work-in-progress.

who am i?

Anyone who's been around me at all lately knows that I've been a nervous wreck since the second week in August. That's when the school year began. We had enrolled Jordan in the K12 program. For those who don't know, it's basically public school that's taught at home. I thought this program was best for several reasons:

1. It's free. 'Nough said.

2. It's structured. I thought we needed this for Jordan, my little wild man.

3. It's all prepared for you. No coming up with lesson plans... just follow the lesson guides.

4. I was (am) terrified of making colossal mistakes when teaching Jordan to read. I didn't have to worry about this with Shaun. We didn't begin homeschooling until Shaun was in 3rd grade... most of the core stuff was already covered. Jordan, however, is a "fresh slate". There's sooo many ways I can mess him up.

K12 seemed like a good idea in theory. And so I signed him up. Even though my close friend had quit the program cold-turkey during the middle of last year because it was so stressful and required so much busy-work. And even though this is indeed a public school program... and I had basically sworn off public school after Shaun's experience. And even though I adore the year-round school schedule we adopted with Shaun. And even though I hate answering to "the man". My self-doubt got the best of me.

On our first day of school, we were still doing schoolwork at 9:00 pm. Yuck. But I stuck with it. I figured we just hadn't found our groove yet. But really, the more I tried, the more Jordan resented it. He, like his big brother, needs short and to-the-point lessons. He doesn't need to go over the same skill 4 times in one math lesson. He becomes bored extremely easily. Phonics was the worst. It was painful.

With K12, each child is required to do most of the assignments. Some assignments are optional, but for the most part everything is required. And the fact is that my child simply cannot sit though all of that busy-work. After he's had his fill, his brain shuts off and trying to keep going is pointless. I can't tell you how many times I've pulled up his lessons on the computer only to hear him whine "Oh, not (shapes, m's, AABB patterns, etc) again!"

I began to get so frustrated with him. I can't tell you how many times I asked him, "Why can't you just sit still and finish this?" This is complete Deja vu from Shaun's kindergarten homework. Then one day, Jordan walked into the school room where I was straightening up the bookshelf. He looked at all of his materials and said, "I like doing school, I'm just not good at it." Oh, ouch. That hurt my heart. Wasn't this the kind of self-esteem crushing thing we were trying to avoiding by homeschooling in the first place?

The thing is, he is good at it. It's just that he doesn't need to do so much of it. And I'll tell a little secret. Some of that work that he was required to do? I lied and said he did it even when he didn't. And he still aced all of his tests. So there. :)

Anyway, after he said those pitiful words, I immediately gathered him up in my arms and told him exactly how good he was at doing his school work. And then I sent both kids outside to play so that I could meditate about what to do. As I watched them zoom around the yard on their bikes and scooters, I heard from God. "I made them this way. Who are you to try to change who they're meant to be?" I love it when He's direct and to the point, don't you? It reminded me of another time He spoke to me clearly. I blogged about it here.

That was 2 weeks ago. We went on vacation last week and Chris and I took that time to pray about what to do. And tonight, I withdrew him from the K12 program. I feel as free as a bird. I had ordered a new phonics program from Amazon a few weeks ago, and we'll start it tomorrow. I had also purchased Math U See for kindergarten last spring. Between that and the classes he takes at co op, he should be covered. And I won't have to worry about logging hours or forgetting to enter in his attendance every night.

As for my self-doubt... it's still there. Not as prevalent as before, but it's still hanging around. God has brought some "seasoned" homeschooling moms into my life lately and they've been such a source of encouragement. It's nice to hear some needed advice about curriculum and what not. I was talking to a friend at church today and she said, "One good thing about homeschooling... it keeps you praying!" How true. God has led us down this journey, and I know He'll give me the knowledge and ability to teach my children everything they need to know. His promises to us are Yes and Amen. I only wish I wouldn't forget that all of the time.

quoted

Shaun always surprises me. I get all anxious and nervous about teaching him a new skill, and it's all for nothing. Like in math this week. We were learning the 9 multiplication facts.

Honestly... I still don't know all of my 9's. I had to give myself a refresher course before we started, and it didn't do much good. I'm not the smartest at math.

But, Shaun picked up his 9's very quickly. Much more quickly than I ever anticipated. We started on Tuesday. We watched his Math U See video together and went over some flash cards before getting started on lesson 1. And he finished his worksheet in about 5 minutes. And it was all correct. And I asked if he was cheating. He wasn't.

After I was finished bragging on him, he looked up at me and said, "Yeah, I think you really taught me something this time."

This made me laugh so hard. But then I thought... what does he think I'm doing every other time we have school? Ha ha! I'm glad he felt confident enough to realize he learned something.

lermy and the year's first field trip

Yesterday, while playing at my parents' house, Jordan caught a baby lizard. He named him Lermy. Not Wormy, but Lermy. Lermy.

Jordan caught Lermy while playing outside with his cousins and his brother. He fell instantly in love with this little lizard. He ran inside and convinced my mother to part with one of her plastic bowls, then put Lermy safely inside with some grass and a few leaves.

On the way back home shortly after, Jordan dropped Lermy in the car. I do not like things such as lizards and bugs (or most anything else little boys like to catch while playing outdoors), but I gritted my teeth and scooped Lermy up from the backseat before he could scamper away and be lost inside my car forever. Just thinking about it makes me shiver. I must love that kid an awful lot.

Later that night, just before bed, the Hubs suggested to Jordan that he might want to let Lermy go. We were all quite surprised when Jordan burst into big alligator tears and wailed, "No! Not Lermy! He's my best friend. How could you say that, Dad? He's my best friend!"

So we let it go. Lermy spent the night in his bowl on the entertainment center. He was still alive this morning, but I had no idea how to make him drink water. Or where we would find a container small enough for his water. Lermy was tiny! Shaun had a field trip today at Smithgall Woods. The kids and I had a nice day together. Over lunch, I asked Jordan how he thought Lermy was doing. Since Jordan was still sleeping as we left the house this morning, he had no idea. He made the comment that he hoped Lermy was still alive. That's when I began my spill about how we really didn't need to keep Lermy because we didn't know what he needed to eat or how to make him drink water. I said that he would really be much happier safer out in the wild.

When we returned home, Jordan picked up Lermy's container and gave it (the container) a kiss goodbye. He then went out to the front porch and let Lermy go. It was a quiet, peaceful affair. We now have an agreement that whenever we catch an animal, we'll release it back the next day.

I thought this was a cute story. I always want to remember how sweet and loving Jordan was toward this little lizard. He was even willing to put Lermy's well-being above his own happiness. It still makes me smile.

Here's a picture of Jordan and Lermy, taken a few minutes after Jordan caught him.



Also, here's a picture from Shaun's Georgia Studies field trip today. This was our first field trip of the year and he had a really good time. He's still kind of finding his way around our new co-op and wasn't too excited about the outing today, but he wound up having fun and learning a lot about the early inhabitants of our state and how they lived. He was especially interested in how the Native Americans used flowers and black walnuts to make the colors of their dyes. Ha ha!

He's kind of hard to see... those are his black Chuckies behind the girl in the black hoodie... it was the best picture I could get. Jordan sat still for about 15 minutes of the class and then got wiggly.


Today was a good day.