Surprises

If you have been around this blog long at all, you know that I love my GrandmaDean.  This past Saturday, we got one over on her by throwing her a surprise birthday party for the BIG 80.  We kept it to immediate family, so her two daughters and their families.

After keeping it a secret for at least 6 weeks, we somehow pulled it off and totally surprised her.




There are just some people that easy and fun to be around.  They know what is important in life.  They know how to laugh at themselves and others.  They jump right in and get their hands dirty.  That is my GrandmaDean.  She is always good for a cup of coffee and listening ear.  I drop in on her unannounced quite often and love hanging out with her.  )

*** 

It was a great conclusion to a great day celebrating our GrandmaDean.  She acts more like she is 60 rather than 80.  She is a mother to 2, a grandma to 5, and a great grandma to soon to be 9 (and 2 of the grandkids dont even have kids yet).  She was married to my grandpa for well over 50 years and has been a great example to me of how to be a good wife.

The great grandsons. 

Hunter hung out with the adults the majority of the time... 

This is why Hunter hung out with the adults the majority of the time.  These 4 together are something else.  They are stair steps at the ages of 7, 6, 5, and 4.

Thankfully the rain did not come and we were able to banish them outside.

My mom and dad looking normal

My mom and dad looking like themselves.  My dad has a weird fetish with rosemary (the plant- ha),

Getting a gardening lesson from GrandmaDean.

Food time.

Here are the group shots.  We didnt have the full crew, my cousin Stephanie couldnt make it and my other cousin, Anthony had to take off early (but his wife and daughter stayed) so we didnt do a full group pic.

The group shot minus the great grandsons.

GrandmaDean with her greats.  Poor Spencer (my cousin's daughter) was a bit overwhelmed by us.  

GrandmaDean and her daughters. 

and one with spouses.

My brothers and me with the birthday girl.

We love you GrandmaDean!  Happy Birthday!

Crib is Gone and Walls are Painted

*** A post on my recent surgery will be coming later.  Recovery is going well... doing my best to take it easy.  But until the surgery post, here is what I was doing before surgery....

I am a bit late in announcing that my house, basically for the first time in 9.5 years, is CRIB FREE.  I will be honest, I had to work at feeling too sad about this new phase.  Everyone knows I love babies, I still love to hold them and love on them, but I can say that I am so happy that my baby days are done.  I teared up for maybe half a minute, then did a happy dance around the crib free room. :)

Bennett had been climbing out of the crib and it just felt right to take it down... so take it down I did.  Bennett's first official night in a big boy bed was Mar 23.  And, like all the other boys, he took right to it.  We made a big deal out of him moving to a big boy bed and he just ate it up. 

Growing up so fast

A couple weeks before I took the crib down, I decided to rearrange which brothers roomed together.  When we first moved here it made sense for Hunter and Bennett to be together as Hunter slept super hard.  But, things change and Bennett sleeps much better at night.  Ashton and Shepherd, though they love one another, get in trouble a lot for fighting with one another.  We needed a place to send each kid to chill out.  Hunter, though he never complained, is getting a little old to be rooming with his 2 year old brother.  And, Shepherd and Bennett play so well together now as well.  It was time to rearrange the rooms by birth order.  Hunter moved in with Ashton and Shepherd moved in with Bennett.  This has worked so well (except for Shepherd getting up to pee at 6:30 am on the dot which often wakes Bennett up). 

Bennett and his roomie, Shep

Once the room rearranging was successful and the crib take down was complete, it was finally time to decorate the back bedroom (Bennett and now Shepherds).  I had neglected to do anything to it since we moved in as I knew things would change.  But, I got the burr up my butt to do it... and so I did.  While I was at it, I went ahead and painted out Ashton and Hunter's room in the same color.  Both rooms had the flat, builder grade paint which I hate.  I decided to use Bay Sands (Valspar), which if you remember is the same color I used for the plywood walls in the shed.  It is an awesome, crisp neutral that goes well with tans or greys. 

Before

After

Yep, I brought back a different variation of the stripes.  I just cant help myself.  Also, painted the furniture a greyish color.

Before

After

My aunt has given me a bunch of furniture from one of her old rooms.  She had matching twin beds (the other one is still at her house, should get it soon), a desk (in H and A's), a bookcase (currently in homeless in garage), a desk chair (in H and A's room), twin mattress and boxspring (Shep has boxspring (GrandmaDean gave me the twin mattress on Shep
s bed), Bennett has mattress)).  Basically, I am one glorious charity case. ha ha

 Close up on the picture clusters.

Shepherds



I found the map in my Great Aunt and Uncles house.  My great aunt just sold her lifetime home and we were rummaging around with the last remaining things in the workshop.  This map is at least 50 or 60 years old and shows this area from that time.  It was basically distigrating when I pulled it off the wall, but I just loved it.  So, I found this old frame in my garage and just taped the map back together. 

I got the "Dount Count the Sheep, Talk to the Shepherd" sign a year or so ago.  Of course I immediately thought of my Shep because he is my only child that has ever been scared of the dark or had bad dreams. 

close up of map

Bennett's


The "No Smoking" sign was also a find in my great aunts workshop.  Hopefully, osmosis will do the trick and my kids will never be tempted to smoke.

As I mentioned before, the plane pictures are prints from GrandpaGordie's days.  He worked on many of these planes during his time in the Navy.  I didn't put all the planes back up, just picked my favorites.

And Hunter and Ashton's room.  Only a few little changes here and there.

Attached the mirror to dresser.  Painted the "T" in a greyish navy.

Simplified this wall a bit. Added a desk (painted in the same color as the dressers... also painted and added the dresser in the back corner".) 

Not much change here.  The biggest change is that this is definitely the big boy room now.  There are no toys in this room at all.  There is a phone charger, a reading lamp, sports stuff, and two desks but no toys!  Gosh, they are GROWING UP!!!

So happy with the two rooms.  The boys all love it.  Bennett is still in awe when he walks into his room and runs to his bed. 

Price Breakdown  (for those who care about such things)
Shep and B's room
- 2 new twin duvet- PB Outlet - $20 a piece (didn't buy the filler thingy, just stuffed the old comforter inside).
- Paint- 1 gallon- Bay Sands- $35 ($5 rebate)
           - sample- Fabulous Red- $3 (the sample was just enough to do the stripe and to paint the "S"
           - sample- Navy (had this sample for a long time and the color was worn off).  I have never painted with a navy that I didn't like though.
           - I already had the paint for the furniture... don't know the color.  It is slightly different than what I painted H and A's furniture though)
- Letter "S"- Hobby Lobby - $10 (or something like that- already had the "B"

I am still waiting on the bed for Bennett.  My aunt has the matching one at her house.  And then the only other thing I have to buy is a twin boxspring.

Not too shabby.  H and A's room cost under $10 to finish up.

Thanks again to those in the family who gave me so many pieces of furniture.  Both rooms are a hodge podge but came together really well!

Have Courage and Be Kind. Cinderella Movie

Though I am not a girly girl, I have always loved the fairy tale movies.  Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella were... and still are right up my alley.  I could easily curl up on the couch and enjoy watching any of these movies.

But, I have boys.  Four boys.  Four boys who love Power Rangers, Ninjago, Super heroes, wrestling, and all things boy like.  Thankfully, I happen to love these things too (well maybe not Ninjago, I just struggle with that one a bit).  I have never felt like I was "missing out" because I didnt have a girl to share my girly girl things.  When the new Cinderella movie came out, I knew that I needed to see it.  More importantly, I knew my boys needed to see it.

Why?  Why did these all boy, wild, loud, little men need to see this movie?

1- As I mentioned in a previous post, all men must learn to endure a chick flick.  Whether at the age of 7 and watching Cinderella to all grown up and watching The Notebook.  Sometimes, you just have to suck it up and act like you like it.

2- In a house dominated with male energy (and with the one female not being emotional), my boys need to see the sensitive side to things.  Girls are different in their responses to things... ie, they are more apt to cry, less likely to throw a punch.  Though chick flicks show an extreme side (normally) of this sensitive side, I still think it is good them to see.

3- I want them to see that even chick flicks have conflict.  You dont have to have to knock down drag outs in a movie.  Conflict can happen with words and words can hurt.  As the movie today said, "Names have power."  It is also a good way to show that conflict can be solved without a physical fight as right now, physical fights seem to be the only way the know to settle a disagreement.

I also think the reverse is true, I think it is good for girls to see a good super hero movie.  To me, watching "gender specific" movies is a great glimpse inside the opposite gender.

The parts of Cinderella that I enjoyed just so happened to be the parts the boys didnt care for- the dancing, the kiss, the pretty dresses.  They enjoyed.... the sad parts, the conflict, the personification of the animals (who am I kidding, I loved that part too).

This is a horrible picture but it proves we were there.  

My date with my boys was great fun.  They were good sports about being a full theater full of little girls, teenage girls, and grown up girls. They were well behaved and Shepherd only burped out loud once.  I consider it a success!

On a funny note... on the way back home.
Chad - "You and the actress who played Cinderella could have been sisters.  You looked a lot alike."
Me- "hmm"
Chad- "Yeah, the brown eyes and the slightly bigger front teeth."
Me- "ha ha ha ha"

Um... thank you?  Boys, if you are reading this.  Think about your "compliments" before you voice them.  I knew Chad was meaning it as a compliment as obviously, the actress was very pretty but just- think before you speak.

My Arthritic Teenager

Eleven years ago, I became a mom.... a dog mom that is.  To say that I have an unhealthy love of dogs is an understatement.  I grew up playing with Barbies, dolls, playing school, and playing dog motel where I would run a dog kennel.

One of Molly's first pictures.  Doesnt she look so grateful for the rescue?  ha

Two years after we got her, so happy.

 Chad quickly learned my love for dogs when we got married.  The first apartment that we were in was not dog friendly and though we had only been there for 9 months, I insisted that we break our lease and moved to a dog friendly complex.  I mean, that was the only logical solution.  And so, my sweet husband gave into me and we moved and without wasting any time I was off to find my dog.  I used petfinder and found a dog named, Constance who was at Rocky Mount Humane Society.  She had her ears folded back in the picture but she just felt right.

First trip to the beach, summer 2004.  Youth youth youth, where art thou?

Chad and I went to the pound to see her.  The worker tried to convince us to get this male pit bull, who was also super sweet.  But, as the movie title goes (title edited).... There was something about Molly (Constance).  The worker said that she had been there awhile (in other words, her time was running out) and that settled it.  This shy, timid border collie mix became our dog.  We had to force her into the car, she only ate powdered sugar doughnuts for the first few days, she tested positive for heartworms within the first week, and she threw up in the car for the first four years, but she was my dog.  Her weirdness leveled out, I think that collies are just wired to be a bit quirky.

Humoring Moses.

Molly has been pretty close to the perfect dog.  She has welcomed 4 boys (5 counting Moses, though he is probably her least favorite of the 5- ha).  She has loved each of human baby boys and still loves when babies are around. She is smart and gets more defiant in her old age... or maybe that is because she is about 85% deaf.  In her youth, she loved chasing Canadian geese and would catch them in mid flight and then gently let them go.  She love the water, especially the ocean.

Has always allowed the boys to do whatever they want to her

Loves her babies

The boys and my girl.

And now, she is a teenager.  My Molly turns 13 today (we think she was around 2 when we adopted her).  She sleeps a lot.  She slowly makes her way up stairs.  She tries to play with Moses as he hops around her like he is on crack.  She never turns down a head rub or belly rub.

Skinny Molly- in the fall of 2004

Chunky Curvy Molly- fall of 2014

Happy Birthday Molly!  You are a dream!

Easter Break- Part 2- The Good and Bad

As great as our Easter Break started, it quickly took a turn for awful.

***This post is not for the weaker stomached people.

Let me back up.  The Tuesday before break (Mar 24), I had an appointment with a general surgeon for a hernia above my belly button that I have had since I was pregnant with Ashton.  I also wanted him to look at a "growth/ cyst" on my forearm.  This growth came up last September/ October when I was doing work in the shed.  In February, while shooting a bow n arrow, I grazed the knot with the string and noticed a few days later significant growth.

The original knot.  I thought it was a spider bite.  I marked it with a pen to see if it changed.  

Anyway, the general surgeon was not sure what it was and sent me to have a MRI that Friday.  I was then scheduled to see him again the next Tuesday (the 31st- during spring break week).  He, then, broke the news to me that he believed that it was a soft tissue tumor which he thought was probably soft tissue sarcoma (cancer.)  Based on the MRI, he thought the tumor was laced within my muscle and that I needed to see an ocologist.  He got me an appointment to see a cancer doctor on Monday, April 6.

Needless to say, I/ my family/ friends were shell shocked by this.  Sarcoma is a rare form of cancer and I had none of the risk factors.

A friend of ours has a relative who is a oncologist in Spartanburg.  A phone call to this relative, who then referred me to a great surgical oncologist who managed to see me and squeeze me for a biopsy on the Thursday of Spring break sped the "not knowing" process up tremendously. The whole process from hearing I may have cancer to getting a biopsy was 2 days.  I was and still am so thankful the waiting was not long.

This is the knot 2 days ago after the biopsy (the red mark and bruising is from biopsy).  But, you can see how much it grew from October to April.  You can also notice my nice of a tan I still had in October and how lily white I am now.

I got the results back from the biopsy on Monday and thankfully it is not cancer but some type of fibroma (derma something fibro something).  Surgery is still going to happen as the thing is quite an eye sore and it if it continues to grow it will hit some pretty important blood vessels and arteries.

You know, there are moments in your life where your perspective shifts.  Where you rearrange priorities and look at things differently.... this was one of those moments.  It reminded me to be more present in the now.  Make my words and actions count.  Focus on others.  The list could go on and on.

I want to thank...
~Chad for handling everything in just the right way.  He was (relatively) cool about the whole thing.  ha
~Mom for taking me to the last appointment and the comic relief
~Jay for calling your uncle
~Dr Hunter and Dr Nguyen  and Dr Freedman for taking it so seriously yet still giving me peace... for working me in on such short notice.
~All my sweet friends and family who sent encouraging words or Bible truths/ verses.  I should do a blog post on some of the words of wisdom that came in through email and text.  You guys all uplifted me and gave me peace that I know is found through people approaching the Throne on my behalf.

On a funny note, I thought it would be good if I semi prepared the boys for bad news.  If nothing else, I wanted them to be able to pray for me if they felt led.  As I was telling them that it might be cancer, Hunter turned his head from me and was really quiet. He then came back to me a few hours later and asked me some specific questions. Ashton looked surprised and then in the next 30 minutes was telling me repeatedly that he didnt want me to die.  Shepherd, during my serious speech, was singing "Its Raining Tacos." (Should you want to hear the song, just click on the title- I personally wouldnt click on it because it is beyond ridiculous). I dont know if the reactions were age based or personality based (or a mixture or both.)  But I found all three refreshing and comforting in a twisted kind of way.

To top off our magnificent (sarcasm) spring break, Chad got a NASTY case of poison ivy by helping his dad cut down a rotted tree.  I had no idea he was that allergic to the stuff.  He is on the mend though, still itching my crazy, but with his meds it is getting better.

An awful patch on Chad's side.  He had it everywhere.... and yes, I mean EVERYWHERE!

So, again, I say thank you to all those that prayed for us last week and into this week.  It was one of those weeks that I dont want to relive but is a great reminder that even if tough times, God is still good and I am still His.

All's Grace!!!

PS- I should add that during this waiting period, we kept quite busy with the remainder of our Spring Break.  Chad, Hunter,  and Ashton went to a Charlotte Hornets basketball game.  He watched a few innings of the Clover/ York baseball game, we went to Carowinds with friends on Good Friday (NEVER AGAIN), and we worshipped with our church family and had Easter lunch with GrandmaDean, Aunt Frances, and Nolan.  All these events did a pretty good job on keeping our minds off the C word.

Spring Break Part 1

Sunday morning we got out early and made it to Chad's family's home church.  We had been to their church in awhile and it was good to see everyone.

PapaHub and Grandma spoiled the kids and we all had a great time.  

I was so happy to get some good pictures of Bennett for his story board (get ready Olivia!).  I have storyboards for the other 3 taken between 1year old and 3 years old. Here are the 3 picks for the boards.  He is such cute kid- such a unique little smile.

***These pics are all SOOC (Straight out of camera/ no editing).

I got some pictures of the other boys too.  I have frames that need updating!

This is such a Shepherd face.  

Liked both these of Ashton.  Love his smile in the bottom though the way he is standing looks a bit feminine to me.  ha

As always, the food was so good.  I always eat way too much we when are down there.

The kids had Easter Egg Hunts.

Bennett totally go the concept of egg hunts

The search is on.

The cousins (minus Joey who was eating)

They earned money by picking up sticks and throwing them in the creek.

This little girl is a hoot. Love her curly little head.

Getting a lesson from Uncle Tom Tom

Moses would drag the sticks out of the creek after the kids threw them in.

Ashton won the "picked up the most sticks" award.

I got some baby love.

Sweet baby girl.  

 These next two pictures just make me smile.  Sweet cousins.  This is the first time that they have really played and interacted with eachother.   I took them with my phone so quality is not good but they were so sweet together.

They spent about 30 minutes making dirt castles by the creek.  Notice Moses bothering the snot out of Molly.  Cracks me up

Sami was helping me push Bennett in the swing. 

It was a great few days away.  Thanks Hub and Patsy for loving on us.  The boys loved their Easter baskets!