Love is a battlefield!

So I did it! I went and got my hair trimmed and decided to get me some bangs! I love my new sassy do. When I came home Jason said that I look like Pat Benatar..... What do you think?? wink! No, he really does like it... he better! wink!!! Love is a battlefield!

Lazy sick days

Regan was sick most of the week. She had an unexplainable fever. At one point it got up to 103.4 No other major symptoms. She was obviously tired and had a head ache and didn't have much of an appetite. The first couple of days she just wanted to lay on the couch and have complete control over the television, a rare occurrence in our house. By the third day she was feeling better but when I took her temperature she was still at 101. When I told her that she needed to stay home again she said "Oh, yes another lazy sick day at home with mommy!" How could that not just melt your heart. Since Regan was feeling better we had to find things to fill our lazy sick day. Laying on the sofa just didn't seem to cut it at this point. So, this is how we spent our FUN lazy sick day together. It started off with a trip to Target in the stroller. Doesn't every mother take their sick kid to the store?? wink. No, really it was a beautiful day and she needed some fresh air and we needed to pick up some things. While there we had to get a new puzzle to pass some of our time latter in the day......



We also made Valentines Day crafts. We each made two crafts. On one we put our Valentines... Regan's Valentine is Bubba and of course we all know who my Valentine is. Then on another heart we wrote everything that we love. Here are some of the things we came up with....

Regan's List

Disney Land

Bubba/ Collin

Daddy

Mommy

Nana Papa

Poppie Coach

Paw Maw

Aunt Nancy (sorry no shout out Uncle Ray wink)

Chuck E Cheese

Gummy Bears

the color Pink

Hearts

Jesus

My play kitchen

roller skating

girl friends... (no boys!)

Blankie

My teachers

ride my bike

french fries

dancing

coloring

all of my toys

Mommy's List

Daddy

Regan

Bubba

family

food

gummy bears

Jesus

God

Disney Land

Rain

clean laundry

good days

Date night

sleep

laughing

my eye cream

pictures

smiles

hugs

So, then it was on to our dress up portion of the day. I will spare you the pictures that Regan insisted on taking of me dressed up. We then danced and had a ball!

Then the final thing to cure any little girl from an ailment. She received a package in the mail from her Poppie!

"Oh Mommy I just love it! How did she know that I needed a dress to make me feel better!" That's my girl!!!!

True Beauty

“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” ~ Mulan

On Saturday the kids and I picked up Great Grandma Jo and took her with us to the Aquarium of the Pacific for their annual Human Abilities Day. It is a day for those around us that we might over look or feel sorry for to show us how amazing they are. A day when those that can not walk ,talk, see, or even move a single body part can show us their talents and that they are just as passionate about things as you and I. A day where wheel chairs, breathing tubes, walkers, guide dogs, and helpers are normal. A day where a mother can push her sweet little boy through a crowd of people and not see a single “Oh, I feel so sorry for you” stare …yet rather “I know just how you feel” look of comfort. A day when vendors are those from wheel chair companies and special assistance dive teams. A DAY TO SHINE!!!!!!!!

Great Grandma Jo was reluctant to go with us. I let her know that we would not be looking at fish at all we were just going to enjoy the day and performances as long as Collin could tolerate it. Latter that night she called to thank me for forcing .. Oh, I mean encouraging her to go with us. This was her first time and she was overwhelmed by the love and support there. She told me that love that care takers gave to their loved ones was over whelming. She was amazed that despite all of the wheel chair no one was rude or unkind when trying to get around. She was touched by the performances but most of all she was touched by the love and acceptance.
Each and every single person that we encountered on Saturday were true one of kind, beautiful, strong, and rare flowers indeed. Thank you for sharing your beauty with me.

We could not leave with out going to see the birds. I HATE the birds. There is just something about them that just... well, they freak me out ok! So, why did we go to see them. Well, these two LOVE them.....

This is what I get for being nice! wink!!!

(They just attacked me! Ok, they didn't hurt me but I swear the louder I shooted the more came over!!!)

Once upon a time.....

While tucking Regan into bed tonight....." Mommy I'm gonna tell you a bed time story OK. Once upon a time there was a prince named Bubba and a princess named Regan. Princess Regan gave Prince Bubba and kiss and he was all better and could run. THE END."

Collin had a hard evening. After a fun afternoon at the aquarium Collin started having seizures on the way home and they continued all evening. Our normal is... well so normal that sometimes I forget what Regan must think or see when this is going on. Her story tonight said it all. If only a kiss could cure him.

I love to look at the world through Collin’s perspective. Sometimes he reminds me to STOP and be grateful for things that I daily take for granted. I had a wonderful opportunity to go with Collin and his class on their field trip to the symphony the other day. I was not sure how it was going to go with him. Collin is profoundly deaf, not completely deaf, but profoundly deaf. Ok, now that we have that clarified I can move on. When we got into the beautiful hall and we were escorted to our special wheel chair access seats and all settled in. I began to think. Will Collin even enjoy this? Will I just have to take him out? What will this be like for “our” kids? Collin did not react to the warming up nor did he react to the first soft toned song. When it was time for a nice loud song with LOTS of base I was so excited to see a huge smile on his face. The acoustics in the hall were able to amplify the wonderful deep base tones to the point were Collin could here them. He raised his little hand and started moving it back and forth. Once I realized that he was trying to lead the music I quickly took his sweet little hand in mine as we moved them back and forth , up and down to the music. Then I heard a classmate of Collin’s behind me. Jose is a sweet little boy that is trapped in his body. He is unable to much at all. I looked back and to see him smiling so big and laughing with tears in his eyes. I could not help but get teary eyed myself.

Latter that night as I was replaying all of the sweet moments from the day in my mind. I couldn’t help but wonder what each of them must have been thinking. Each one of them had such an interest in the music. They smiled and reacted just like all of the other children in the packed hall BUT there was something in their eyes. Something that I didn’t see in the other children’s eyes. It was as if they were hearing music for the very first time. It was as if the amazing music coming out of all of the perfectly tuned instruments were just for them. It made me stop and think… Did I feel that when the music was played? Do I stop to listen to all of the sounds around me that most of these sweet children can not hear? I don’t ….I just go, go , go through out my day. Yes, I like to listen to the radio when I am driving but that is not what I am talking about. I am talking about the little things that are always there but I often take for granted. Collin’s laugh, Regan saying I love you mommy, the sound of the rain as it falls on my window, running feet on the pavement, the sound of Jason’s lips on mine when he kisses me good night, Collin’s snore at night, the sound Regan’s princess dress makes when she twirls around, the sound Collin‘s walker makes when he rams into a wall. There are so many things that I am so grateful to have the opportunity hear in my life. I am grateful for the sounds of life!! What sounds in are you grateful for in your life?????

My FUN weekend!

I had so much fun this weekend! My beautiful sister and her wonderful husband are going through some very hard times right now. So, when I told her that they needed to hop on a plane and fly out here from Oklahoma and she agreed I was ecstatic! We had so much fun together! They love Disney as much as we do! So, of course the first couple of days we spent at Disney Land and then Goofy's Kitchen for breakfast. Then we went up to My mom's house in the high desert. Ok, before I forget I have to tell this little story as a side note for my own journal purpose. After we ate at Goofy's Kitchen and my sweet boys said good bye us girls made a stop in the bathroom before our drive. While we were in the bathroom a woman stopped and asked Regan "Oh, are you going to Disney Land?" Then she replied with so much excitment "NO I AM GOING TO THE HIGH DESERT!" Oh, it was too funny!

It was so much fun to be with all of the girls that I LOVE so much! We laughed so hard that we cried, got the weak feeling, and just released all of the stress that we are all feeling in our lives right now. I am not to proud to say that I will subject myself to public humiliation for a good laugh. I have always been the one in our family to turn a sad or hard moment into comic relief. This trip was no different.... I wish that I could say that I have out grown that BUT oh no. I will happily say that I no longer moon Wal mart security cameras for a good laugh. wink!! (I have out grown that and boy is my momma proud! wink!) When the mood took a mellow and somber note I had no problem taking my mom's white gloves and and doing jazz hands and dance moves in the middle of Target. Hmmmm.... I wonder where my sweet, sweet little girl gets it??????

It was such a wonderful weekend!!! I am so grateful for a sister and mother that love me SOOO much! My heart is full and grateful for the love that my family shows me! I am so grateful for an amazing husband that will happily take our sweet boy for the weekend so that I can get some much needed girl time! THANK YOU all! I love you so much! So, here's to our next girls weekend!!!! When is it.... ummm.... this weekend right??? wink!

FUN FUN FUN!!!

I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to all of these wonderful people for a fun, awesome, great, funny, wonderful, and perfect long weekend!!! I love you all so much! I will update with a longer post about our fun weekend latter..... now I need to rest from all that fun! wink!

Sleep.. it is so over rated!

“Just put one foot in front of the other….. “ Some days it is just that simple. I am sure that you are all saying… Julie, what in the world are you talking about? Some days just making it to the end of the day is accomplishing a small feat! I rarely get sleep and well this week has been brutal. Collin has been in a lot of pain and there for the nights are the worst. Jason and I try to take turns with him but Collin tends to like Jason to put him to sleep and then in the middle of the night he only wants me. If I am lucky he will go back and forth between the two of us. It has always been this way so I am used to it. I average about 3-5 hours of sleep a night and function just fine on that. When there are several bad nights in a row well… I am a walking zombie. Just take a nap when the kids are in school you say. Yes, that is a great idea in theory BUT I just can’t do it. I don’t know what it is but I am the type of person that when I am up … I am UP! I can take the occasional nap on Sundays. I don’t know what it is about Sundays but they are so relaxing. Any other day of the week for get it! There is way to much to do and if it doesn’t get done when Collin is in school…well then it doesn’t get done.

There is a point to my tired and sleep deprived ramblings. I am so grateful for my sleep deprived nights. I think I have mentioned this before but one day when I was complaining Angle Katelyn’s Mommy said “ I would give anything for a sleepless night.” How simple yet how profound. A mother longing for sleep deprivation and long nights. To hold her pain ridden child one more time through out the night. Ever since she said that to me I have never looked at our hard nights in the same way. Yes, they suck… no other way to put it BUT I still have my baby to comfort. I feel very blessed to have had no sleep for over eight years and counting. I am grateful for my dark circles and tired body. I am humbled by the love that Lord fills me with when he comforts me in these hard nights. I am so grateful for an amazing best friend that is right there helping, crying, and fighting right beside me.


So, today if for no other reason I wrote this post to remind myself how incredibly lucky I am to be so tired right now.

FUN with friends and FHE!

Regan and I took advantage of the good weather on our Mommy Monday by going to Disney Land with friends! We had a blast with this little guy and his sister and mommy! Thanks for going with us!!!

Then for family home evening we went bowling. It was SOOO much fun! Collin is such a blast to watch when we go bowling. He totally gets the whole game and gets so into it! He was throwing his hands up and putting them on his head worried. Then when someone would knock over a lot of pins he would get so excited for us! Regan is so much fun. She would throw the ball up and it would come landing down on the floor so loud! Hey, she only dropped it once. It was so much fun!!!! I love our Family home evening nights!