Cheer Up, Buttercup!

Psalms 37:4 Delight yourself also in the LORD: and he 
shall give you the desires of your heart.

Is it just me or has the internet been full of negativity lately? It seems like wherever I turn, be it the news, Facebook, Twitter, etc., I'm reading all about how terrible life is. Even though I enjoy reading the annual "I'm thankful for…" posts that people do each November, it almost seems like for every one I read, there's five or six negative statuses to go with it. I am starting to feel like I'm the odd man out for looking at every aspect of my life, good and bad, as a blessing. 

I'm sure people don't get it since my life is "so hard". I hear "I don't know how you do it." every single day. Don't get me wrong. I struggle with simple things multiple times every day…but I still do them. At the end of every day, I lean out of the side of my wheelchair picking up toys off the playroom floor and tossing them into the nearest toy box. Steven always says "You're going to hurt yourself. Why don't you have them pick up their own toys?" Well, for one, it takes more energy to get them to pick up then to do it myself…they're 3 and 5. They have much more important things to do! Secondly, I do it because I can. It may seem pretty strange to hear that, but there was a time when I couldn't even lift my own baby up to my shoulder to burp when I was feeding him. I literally needed help lifting him up. 5 years later, I am completely self sufficient and taking care of 2 other human beings for a good chunk of the day on my own! I am thankful for the abilities I have gained and that I am able to do them at all. God has given me so much strength…why would I not be positive about life even if things are difficult at times? I'm here, I'm breathing, I have a beautiful family, I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, and I am doing things I never thought I could.

Everybody just needs to take a look at their lives and be thankful for what they do have…and stop worrying about what they don't. No matter how bad it gets, it could always be worse.

The Other Half of Me

Sometimes I wonder how Steven and I even keep it together. I mean, we have 2 kids, a home, he works as much as he can since he's our bread-winner, and a lot of the time we are just so tired at the end of the day, that we maybe get an hour alone together. But it just works…we make it work. I have been trying to figure out how we do it and I think I figured it out…iMessage. No, seriously. We constantly text each other if he isn't home. Sometimes there's a specific topic, sometimes I just need to vent about the craziness that goes on when he's not here…and sometimes its just complete nonsense! We joke around a lot and I'm sure we get each other in ways that nobody else could. But really, he's the most amazing friend I have ever had. I am so blessed to have him to keep me from going absolutely insane. I can certainly tell you that our marriage isn't perfect, but its comforting to know that we are strong enough to overlook the imperfections and just be happy with what is.

See…I told you. iMessage.

I know I've talked a little about this in my "About Me" section, but Steven and I got together when he was only 16 years old. I was 2 years out from my accident and still really wasn't comfortable with being in a wheelchair…I always felt different. Even though he was way too young to take on such a huge change, he embraced me and everything that came along with being with me. In our first year together, we went through things that most couples won't go through in an entire lifetime…and he never even flinched. All of the craziness made us stronger than we could've ever been on our own…together, we can take on the world! I truly feel like I can do anything with him, because I know he will never let me fall.

I just wanted to post a little bit about the other half of me, how we got here, and how we stay here. I am absolutely positive that he is God's gift to me in this world…and I am so thankful.

How about a little throwback?? Let's do Senior Prom! I was sooooo excited when I found these!

I love you more today than yesterday…

but not as much as tomorrow.

We are Thankful

Last week, Carter brought home a giant feather that had to be decorated for the "Thankful Turkey" at school. We were supposed to do it together, and he was supposed to write some of the things he is thankful for on it. So, we went to Pat Catan's and bought some feathers, stickers, and markers, then went home to decorate. I gave him the marker and told him to write what he was thankful for, and if he needed help spelling, to ask me and we would sound it out. Mind you, he's only in preschool, so I figured he would need a lot of help. He asked me for help spelling "toys" and "trucks". I couldn't believe it when I saw everything he didn't need help with! He wrote "mommy", "daddy", "Brooklyn", and "dogs" without me! How sweet and smart is my baby?!

Yesterday, Steven and I had to go meet with Carter's teacher for his fall progress conference. It went great. He is meeting and exceeding all standards and she said he is a joy to have in class. I am so proud of my little guy! He's only been in school for 2 months and he has come so far already. The sky's the limit!

Brooklyn is still doing amazing with her cheering. They are gearing up for their first competition at the end of January. They are working hard to learn a new routine. I'm sure they will be amazing!

We put away all of our Haloween decor this week and now I'm in the process of begging Steven to agree to help me put up our Christmas stuff. He's not budging. Ugh! He thinks (along with most of the rest of civilization) that it is too early. I think he's a Grinch! 

Tonight Steven is having a guy's night and I am watching movies and relaxing by myself. Both kids have colds, so I'm expecting them to be awake for another dose of medicine pretty soon. I hate when they are sick...but it's all part of being a mama. So, for now I will just be waiting with a warm cozy lap for them to snuggle up in. 

Enjoy your weekend!

Another 4 Months...

I don't know what my deal is! I vow that I'm going to be a good blogger, then I go 4 months without a post! Well, here I am again! This is what my kiddos look like now...

Brookie just turned 3. Instead of a party, she chose to do a pageant the weekend before her birthday. It was a "Back to School" theme. She rocked it! She got her highest scores ever and was double crowned! She won Overall Photo Supreme and 0-4 Dollface!

Brookie recently made the decision to take a break from pageants so she can do competitive cheerleading. She is on a team of kids under 8 years old and is the youngest/smallest one. But that doesn't stop her! She is so determined and I love watching her!

Carter just had his 5th birthday. He is in preschool and is learning so much! He went from not being able to spell his name or recognize letters to this in a matter of 2 months...

I'm one lucky mama! Anyway, to celebrate Carter's birthday, we pretty much needed an entire week! The weekend before, we made a trip to NY for his party. Carter and my nephew Kaleb have birthdays 2 days apart, so we let them share a party at our favorite apple orchard. It was cold and rainy, but we had fun!

That weekend, we decided to give him his gift in NY, so that he could enjoy it with his cousin...

And Brookie and Kaleb didn't get left out either!

It was a great weekend! Sunday, we headed back home. The next Tuesday was Carter's actual birthday, so I ordered 2 dozen robot cupcakes for him to take to school. Unfortunately, I didn't get pics because I don't drop him off. :( But he said that they were a huge hit and that everyone was so excited! 

That Thursday was Halloween! It was a terrible, rainy night, but we braved the weather and went trick-or-treating anyway! We only got to the end of one street, but they ended up with 3/4 of their buckets full. So, it was a success!

As for me, I finally got the new wheels for my chair that I had been fighting for since before summer! 2 weeks ago, I was able to go to Target by myself, with no help, for the first time in 14 years! I haven't stopped since then! Its an amazing feeling not to have to ask your children to help you up a ramp...and being truly alone is a feeling a can't even describe!! I have so much to be thankful for these days!!

Steven is still working a lot. His OT hours got cut back quite a bit due to this being the slow season, so we are just trying to budget differently...not easy! Right now, my goal is to get a good amount together for Black Friday shopping. I save so much money each year and the gifts aren't getting any less expensive! We are blessed that we have everything we do, which is what I keep reminding myself going into the holidays. Its so easy to become taken in by the spending and the worrying about how we will do it all. I need to remember that my children are always watching and listening...so I have to be sure that I am showing them what Christmas really means.

Well, that's where we are now! I am hoping I can find more time to blog more because I truly do love it! 4 months is way too long!!

Summer and Our 7 New Additions!

Since my last post, we've had a pretty big change happen in our house. Our dog Bianca had 7 puppies! Right before my birthday, I was taking her outside and she got loose and took off. About a month and a half later, I noticed that she was getting pretty fat, so I called the vet. They did an X-ray and found out that our girl was pregnant! They told us she would be due very soon, so we began preparing a whelping box and feeding her as much puppy food as she wanted. 

About 2 weeks later, while we had visitors from NY, Bianca started laboring. It was very late Saturday night. Sunday morning, the contractions seemed to have subsided, but then came back a few hours later. Her water broke that day around 2pm. 2 hours later, with no changes and no puppies, I called the vet and got their answering service. They advised me to call the Emergency Clinic and explain what was happening. So, I did that...they asked if Bianca had started pushing and I told them no. They said that it was probably just pee, not amniotic fluid, and that if she starts pushing and an hour goes by with no puppy, then to bring her in. She continued contracting throughout the night with no pushing. Monday morning, she wasn't herself. She would barely get up, and every time she did, she leaked a greenish fluid. I called our regular vet and they told us to bring her in right away. I stayed home with the kids while Steven took Bianca. We didn't want the kids to witness their dog in pain. 

I got a text from Steven shortly after that said: "It's an infection. The vet thinks the puppies won't survive it. And it's not looking good for Bianca either. She's very sick. I'll call you as soon as I can." I was trying my best to hold myself together in front of the kids, but I was terrified. The vet sent Steven home to be with me and the kids while they took Bianca in to surgery. We sat Carter down (Brookie is too little to understand.) and we explained to him as best as we could what was happening to his dog. We told him she was very sick and that the puppies probably wouldn't be able to come home. The first thing he asked was "Well, can Bianca come home?" We told him we hoped so. He started crying...and of course Steven and I both cried with him. All we could do was pray.

Shortly after, we got a phone call from the vet. I answered, scared out of my mind. He said, "Bianca is doing fine...and so are all 7 puppies!" I breathed a huge sigh of relief! They told us that she had a very serious infection, so they took the babies by c-section and that they had to remove her uterus to get the infection out. They put her on antibiotics and pain meds and told us she would be better off recovering at home with us.

Steven had to work at 2, so the kids and I went to pick her up at 5 o clock that evening. Bianca looked awful. She was so skinny and didn't even have enough energy to walk by herself. We set her blankets up in my van and brought her and the babies home. The first 2 days were rough. Bianca was in so much pain and just so wiped out. She finally started eating and walking around. On day 3, we got her to enjoy a little sun in the deck with us. Now, 4 weeks later, she is completely herself again! 

Our house has been flipped upside down with these puppies! They are absolutely adorable and they're so sweet! But they are a lot of work! Right now, we are working on weaning them from Bianca's milk and moving them to puppy food. We have to change the blankets and papers in their box 2-3 times a day. I have never done this much laundry in my life! It's been an interesting experience and the kids are loving it. We are considering keeping 2 puppies! My heart says yes, but my head says, 1 is plenty. We have 4 weeks to decide.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying summer time. We had a blast at all of the 4th of July festivities! 2 parades, 2 sets of amazing fireworks, lots of amazing family and friends!

This past weekend, Steven got some very rare days off. We made the absolute best of it! We even made a "Redneck Swimming Pool" by putting a tarp in the back of the Chevy and filling it up with water!

I hope you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are!