Prayers

Are needed. My Uncle Harold went to the hospital a couple days because he had a heart attack. They had trouble stabilizing him and things are not looking so well. His kidneys weren't really functioning (he is diabetic and has kidney failure prior to the heart attack), bladder not working, filling with fluids. And because of all the health issues, it created an almost standstill. His oxygen levels were low and wouldn't stabilize. He suffered a major heart attack last night, they have him on complete life support, put in a stent and did a heart cath. They also started dialysis. For now, he is stable and I hope and pray that he continues to improve. However, the realist in me knows that nothing short of a miracle from God will work. The hospital has told the family that they are doing all they can. With God, all things are possible. But, science/medicine is limited in its ability.

With my dad and Uncle Ken (the Ken from dad's side of family) were able to be in the room when Uncle Harold was saved. That happened yesterday. Right now the hospital had said only his wife could go in the room. She argued that his daughters have to be able to see him. So, they agreed to let them go in for 10 mins on the hour and rotate. It rather frustrates me that they make these stipulations in a situation like this. He is on full life-support, in a medical-induced coma, and so the stimulation of having his grown daughters at his bedside together should not create a problem. Right now, he is being sustained by machine, not on his own. Machines do not register emotion. However, if it ends up being that he doesn't pull through this, having this time to be at his side will mean something and can help provide closure, should it come to that. Yesterday when they were trying to stabilize him, I understood the need to limit/control visits. It just doesn't seem it should be such an issue today.

WEll, I am at my internship and need to get productive. Please keep my uncle and the family in your thoughts and prayers.

Sink please

The kids riding the elephant




Ok, going to attempt to just download some circus pics tonight...

In the meantime....

I am so ready for this remodeling to be DONE. I am tired of being cramped...no room to maneuver, no kitchen sink to do dishes (not that i like doing dishes, but doing them in the bathroom sink is very unkind), limited meal options bc of limited cooking options. I am just tired of it all. The vinyl floor covering is going down tomorrow (hopefully, that is the plan). I pray that it goes smoothly. After that, the cabinets can go in. Dad is making the countertops, as he discovered he has quite a knack for it when he made one for the small cupboard he put in a few years ago. The downside is he is working 6 days a week and trying to get over being sick. So, time is limited, energy sparse.

Jeremy is getting on my last nerve. Love him to pieces and lately, well, I would like to tear him to pieces....He has been so grumpy and unbearable. I can't stand it. He is getting sick and well, for some reason, men just can't handle that. I reminded him that it is not our fault he is sick. He is also stressed over this project as my dad is quite particular about things, Jeremy has never done anything of this caliber and well, everything that gets done is said to be wrong. I told my dad that nobody wants to get this work done bc they are afraid of being wrong....bc he gets so grumpy about it. My uncle has literally lost sleep over it all, worrying about doing some wrong and pissing my dad off. It's ridiculous. So, I know that adds to Jeremy's grumpiness. I am trying to teach him that things are what they are and rather than try to swim against the current, sometimes, you just have to give in and go with the flow. It saves your health.

School is going well. Parking sucks, but classes are great. I found out last night in my Leadership class that the college offers a Leadership certification. I am 2 classes short of earning it. I was unaware of this program beforehand or I would have been sure to take two more qualifying classes to get the certification. Oh well.

And on to Makenneh...the more I read about Oppositional Defiance Disorder, the more I am convinced that Makenneh has it. Her behavior is beyond normal bratiness. Of all the techniques, suggestions, etc that I have tried...nothing seems to work. She is so demanding, spiteful, angry, and unpredictable. She can be fine one moment and then the slightest thing sets her off into a tirade. I was reading one article about it and it mentioned walking on eggshells around the child. BINGO. That's how I feel. I am trying to stay one step ahead of the next episode. It's downright exhausting. I need to call and make her an appointment or at very least, see if we can get a referral to a therapist. She can be the sweetest of children, but then I am always waiting for the foot the drop and hell to break loose. I praise her to no end, I love on her, I play with her, read to her, talk with her, bring her along for outings, but even the outings are scary for me bc i never know when the explosion will occur or what will set her off to lead to the explosion. Just typing about it stresses me out. I have found that when I keep my voice almost low and soothing, it seems to lessen the tirade. The problem seems to be getting everyone else on board. I have been stressing that it is best not to yell at her, as that just turns into a power struggle. Speak level and remain in control. Hopefully her behavior will improve. At this rate, I won't survive teen years.

Well, she is up still, so I have to get her to sleep. That's the other issue with her...she cannot go to sleep at night.

Good night all

checking in

I sat on here with clear intents of uploading pics, using slide.com. I had most of the pics uploaded and clicked the wrong thing..and all that work was gone. I do not want to try again this late at night. So, I will try to work on it tomorrow, or some day soon. It is so hard to get a moment on here between my mom and Jeremy and their addictions to games....and then my schedule. But, I will try.

We took the kids to their first circus on Sunday. They loved it and we had a great time. The cost is outrageous. But, I was glad we were able to take the kids and have a family outing.

I have a little secret....I have to post it here...and those of you who are related or close....shhhhh!!! But I am way too excited to hold it in! My sister is pregnant!!!!! She told me earlier that she is 4 days late. I told her to test! Finally, she did and called back to say it was positive. She isn't ready to have it announced to the world just yet, as I think she is still absorbing it! But, I have to share. Ia m so excited. Libby will be about 18 months old when she becomes a big sister!

Well, I am off to bed. I have a full day on Wednesdays...with my internship and then my leadership and development class. Plus tomorrow Kenneh has girl scouts and the parents have a short meeting when that ends. Plus, cookie money is due for the first round of sales, so I have to squeeze in time tomorrow to collect from the last few people. And sales still continue until March 17, so if you want some girl scout cookies let me know! Money will be due March 17!

Take care and Good Night!

still under construction

What started as a fairly simple remodel has become quite lengthy. One thing always leads to another. Got the cupboards ripped out, decided now was a good time to replace floor covering...started tearing into floors and discovered Joices needed replaced, then decided to dig out the crawl space...and on and on. Needless to say, we are into week 2 and the entire kitching/dining floor is gone....down to the dirt. They have to put up makeshift flooring to allow us bathroom access at night. We have been staying with mother in law because it's just far easier than trying to maneuver over there. It's looking like it will be a couple more weeks at least. It will be great when it's done, but i am over the cramped, disarray that is our living quarters at the moment. Washing dishes in small bathroom sink, can't find anything when you need it, limited dishes accessible. Oh the joy! but, mom found the flooring she likes and they will do that throughout the house.

It's a vinyl, but the reviews are great. And it looks so real. And the best part is, it is clearanced at .49/sq ft.


Our New Year's eve was decent. I was expecting a quiet, calm, family night. My mother in law decided to invite her old neighbor and she brought her boyfriend. We were unaware of this until they were on their way. I let them play cards, I played with the kids. Jeremy finished up the game and came in with the kids and I. We watched the ball drop..well, Sebastian fell asleep about one minute before. He just couldn't hang in any longer. Overall, it was nice though.

Makenneh's new thing is, she pays attention to those darn infomercial products and has to come tell me all about the great closet organizer you can buy that keeps your clothes from getting crumpled, or the cat scratch pad that is safe for your cat, and on and on. She is like a walking infomercial. But, it says it's free, mom. It's safe for..., it's, but wait, there's more.... LOL. So funny.

Well, she wants me to play Wii with her. It's just the two of us here, as mother in law is at laundromat. So, im gonna play a game with her then try for a nap. Just maybe!