Tuesday's gone

Just yesterday I wrote about Tuesday and I find out this morning that she has gone. Please continue to pray for this family. during their time of need.

Praying for Tuesday

One of the blogs I follow had this posted asking for prayer for this family. I have no Idea who they are but I feel compelled to pray for them. Their little girl Tuesday has cancer and it looks like there is nothing more they can do for it . Here is a bit from her blog. Please join me and pray for this family!

My deepest fears were confirmed. Tomorrow we take our precious daughter home. Her cancer doubled in size in less than a week proving once and for all that it is horribly aggressive and no longer chemo sensitive. We have no idea how to do this but we have no doubt we will be cared for every step of the way. This is all I have in me. Please pray for peace for our children, our parents and our siblings. Tuesday, full of grace, you are our so very loved.

Enough Complaining

I feel like I have done nothing but complain lately. The truth is I adore my children and without them I would be incomplete. Though the path our lives had lead us down has been a long and treacherous one, we have learned a lot. We take one day at a time and trust that God will be there every step of the way. Today Jacob got to go tho Queenie's house because he is feeling a little under the weather and wanted to have some quiet time. That is hard to find with Miss. Priss running around wanting him to have a tea party with him. So Julia and I are going to the reptile feeding at the Jr. Museum after we go to Chick-fil-a for a late lunch. I have missed out on spending one-on-one time with either of them because of busy schedule and one or the other having to be away. So I am really enjoying spending time with her. I hope that Jacob will be feeling better this weekend so I can go out with him. He usually goes out to a movie with daddy on the weekend but I really miss him. I would love to go to a movie and then to our favorite place the Pottery Bar. He and Julia made daddy some mugs for his birthday and now he wants to make George some food and water bowls. He loves to go there even he is not one to like arts and crafts but for some reason he likes it there.
He will be starting school soon so the time I have with him will go scarce. He is growing up but he still needs that time alone with both parents.
I am looking forward to growing closer to the both of them. I feel I have let the appointments occupy all of our time. So here's to a great time with the kids!

One step forward two steps back.

Well to day has been a busy day already and its only 11:00am. I took Julia to speech therapy this morning at 8:00am this morning and her therapist said that she is doing so well that she only needs to come twice a week from now on. This makes me very happy! That means that I will have $15 a week less to pay in our piling up medical bills. So that is one step forward. Next we took her to school and then Jacob had an appointment with the speech pathologist so that they could place him better. The already knew that he is a very articulate boy and his speech and language is above average for his age, but it had to be done according to Florida State Law. So we should find out next week where they are going to put him in school. He is very excited to go to real school and not a Queenie's House.

Six months ago when Jacob went to the dentist the told me that he needed to stop sucking his thumb before his teeth start falling out. If he does then the possibility of him not having braces is increased. Well we have tried everything! Really everything! NOTHING WORKS! So I called the orthodontist and asked about how much it would cost to come in and have a thumb appliance made and installed in his mouth. She said an office visit is $65 then the x-rays and the appliance and each visit after that would be a charge. So she recommended that I ask his dentist if they could make him one and it be covered under dental insurance. So I first called my insurance company and asked what kind of orthodontic coverage we had. Get this We have a MAXIMUM of $1000 for a lifetime per person! What? That will barely cover the office visits. So I called the dentist and they can't make him one. He is to young and they would recommend him going to the orthodontist. Figures right? So now we have an appointment at the orthodontist. That is two steps back! Just when things start to look up. The dentist said that they will probably have to start working on his mouth as soon as his adult teeth coming in, but the first step is getting him to stop sucking his thumb. Oh well, I will do whatever it takes for my kids. I will do a lot of praying to get me through this next step in our lives. I know it is small compared to what some go through. For that I thank God everyday.

What's Gonna Work? Teamwork!

So I have mentioned before that my kids don't exactly get along to say the least. For the most part my day is full of arguing and tears, but what can you do? I can't make them like each other. Even when they aren't fighting the play fight. One or the other will tell the other one "You say Yes and I will say No. Ready? Go! Yes, No, Yes, No!" Ugh! It drives me nuts. All that to say this, we had a breakthrough the other night when Jacob discovered closed circuit electricity. Julia received a Care Bear for her birthday not to long ago. This particular bear is Singing Funshine Bear. When they hold the metal buttons on each of the Bear's hands it sings a song. Jacob thought this was great and asked Julia to help him see how long of a chain he could make, i.e you hold one hand and touch the doorknob and I will hold one hand and touch the doorknob. The both thought this was the greatest trick ever and I was amazed that Jacob knew what was happening and why. He even knew what materials would work and which ones would not. Eventually he got the whole family involved, even George. They were touching everything that was metal and making it start and stop. He came and explained to me what was going on. He went through the whole process of short circuit and closed circuit! Wow! is all I could say. He never ceases to amaze me. He is so smart and loves to learn about electricity. His favorite science experiment before this was static electricity. He would jump on the trampoline and try to see how far away he could get from you and still be able to shock. He found that it worked best on colder days. The thing about it all that gets me is that he can tell you how it works! HE IS 5! I can't even wrap my head around it.
Since the two of them discovered that they could work together to make things happen they have been getting along. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not because Julia usually knows where I keep my stash of candy(she is cute but OH so sneaky!) so she has started teaming up with Jacob to help her get to it. After all he is taller than her. Even though she would have to share the booty with him I guess she figures that is was better than nothing. They are a team now and I hear them whispering about stuff and what trouble they are going to get into next. The terrible twosome I will have to call them now. I don't have much to complain about now at least they can be in the same room for more than two minutes without tears or bloodshed. They have discovered Teamwork! Lord help me!
That's all for now. I hope you have a blessed day and please keep us in your prayers. Who knows what will happen when great minds work together!

I will love him and squeeze him and rub his fur the wrong way and I will call him George.

So George, the dog grew on us. We decided to keep him, or Jason decided to keep him. He is really sweet and calm. The kids love him! Jacob has even taken part in his care. He takes him outside to do his business. I of course pick it up for now. I took him to the vet on Friday to have him treated for worms. The aren't really sure what he is but they think he will be a medium sized. Right now he is 5lbs at 7 weeks old. He will be around 30lbs when he is full grown. We think it is good news we wanted a smaller dog if we ever choose to get one. I have another appointment this Friday to have his full spectrum exam including heart worm prevention, flea treatment and and he will be fixed. Right now we have managed to keep the house flea free even with the cat, so now he is good and we plan to keep it that way.
He seems to be a pretty smart dog and catching on quickly. He has had very few accidents in the house and he even has started to go to the door when he needs to go out. The biggest problem we have is the chewing. Not unexpected but aggravating. We have had to puppy proof the house and make available lots of things he can have.
I am defiantly the dominate dog as well as being his rescuer. He seems to listen when I get on to him or call him. Jason has a harder time getting him to come when he calls him. We will work on us being more equal. We haven't put him on a leash so far and he hasn't needed it. He won't leave the yard so I am taking advantage of this and starting to train him on commands like heel, sit and stay. I am so surprised at how well he is doing! I don't expect perfection by no means but he is getting it for sure.
Our neighbors have a smaller dog, he is about 15lbs and we have been getting them together a lot. They both play well together. So socializing is going well also. He is a great dog in the making. I know I can do this with a little time and patience.

I found A dog!

I am not really sure what to do with him yet! He is as cute as a button. I was looking into getting one for Jacob, but This one looks like he may be bigger than we were looking at. I brought him home with me and fed him and gave him some water. He was in much need of some TLC, so I gave him a bath and he has been in my lap ever since. We may end up keeping him, I don't know yet. Here is a picture of him. It didn't turn out well because of the lighting in my bathroom and he is all black. But It will give you a glimpse of what he looks like. Any suggestions or offers to take him home let me know!.

Today's evaluation

Jacob had his final evaluation today at the Nelson building to see if he qualified for ESE (Exceptional Student Education). We were going to try to get him into the Asperger's/Autism class at Lucile Moore. After I gave them the report from Dr. Decker and observing him for them selves they decided that he probably wouldn't fit in that class although there has to be a meeting among the teachers and other ESE staff to determine that, it was their first recommendation to me. Again he is in between, to highly functioning to be in a special class, and to advanced and has other difficulties to be in a main stream class. So what they think they will do for us now is get him into a special class a step above the autism class and see how that goes for the remander of the year. And maybe a mainstream room for kindergarten. They have the same fear that I do that he is far to intelligent to be mainstream and it will be beneath him. Then we will be back where we started, Jacob being frustrated and, bored and not know how to deal. I had high hopes for today's visit and they really are going to try to help him and find a place that will be good for him. I may have to continue to home school him so he can be on the learning level he needs, but I know he will be devastated, he yearns to be with other kids. I guess we will see how the rest of this year goes at Cedar Grove if they choose to let him in. I now know that private school is out of the question because of his disability, but I did request him to be put into the lottery at Bay Haven next year. We will just have to trust in God that he will guide us in the right direction and open the doors that need to be opened. He has already opened so many for us.
Now for Julia, she went to her second speech therapy appointment this morning and I got the report from the therapist. She diagnosed Julia with Severe Phonological Processing Disorder/Articulation Impairment. She will need to see an ENT to see about why she has the speech problems that she has. So for now she will go to therapy 3 days a week for 30 minutes and we will be working with her a lot at home as well.
That's all for now, until tomorrow. Good day and God bless.

Today we went to Queenie's house to have lunch with my family for Julia's birthday. They are all so generous. She enjoyed opening the last of the presents and hearing the "Happy Birthday" song for one last time.
Jacob had a good time playing with the neighbor Ryan. The two boys played baseball outside with Uncle T while the rest of us just sat around and enjoyed each others company.
I love this picture of Jacob, The look on his face is priceless!








Jason took Jacob camping tonight in his grandpa's back yard while Julia gets to spend the night with Aunt Linda and Granny Jay inside. Jacob is pretty excited about a bon fire and sleeping outside in a tent. Julia is excited to play tea party and dress up with her new stuff with the ladies. So that's all for today. I will let you all know how things went tomorrow.
Good night and God bless.

I am no baker!

For the last two years we have been letting the kids bake cakes for each others birthdays. I am no baker but If I must say so my self when I do bake it is pretty tasty! Every bite is full of love!
So today Queenie picked up Julia from school and I had Jacob all to myself today. Since we are getting together with family tomorrow for her big birthday celebration he asked if we could bake a cake today. We went to the store and I let him pick it all out himself. He wanted a pink cake, cream cheese icing, lots of colored sprinkles, flowers and tiny hearts.
We get home and started the process.
After we baked it it was time to decorate. The best part! He always has an idea of what the cake should look like for his sister. He may not get along with her but when it comes to doing something nice for her, he is all about. He wants to go all out.
He put a lot of thought into the placement of each little heart and told me where to put the flowers.

Then he kinda went crazy with the sprinkles!
But he was happy with the results.
And he said "Julia is going to just love her cake, I made it just for her!"
I know she will love it too. He is so sweet and has so much love in his heart, even though it doesn't always come out. I love my sweet little man. God has blessed us with two wonderful children.

It's been a while

I know I haven't posted in a few days but there hasn't been anything going on.
Julia's 3rd birthday was Monday and we made some cupcakes for her and had them for dessert. She loved it! She doesn't mind being the center of attention. She is so different from Jacob.
One of her presents was a FurReal Pet. An orange kitten. I really thought she would like it, not so much. Jacob saw it and went nuts! He loves it so much. When Julia noticed that Jacob liked it she saw her opportunity to torment him. She asked him "Do you want to play with my kitty Jacob?".
When he said yes she tossed it across the room and told him to go get it. When he got it she snatched it from him and said "That's my kitty! Give it back to me!" He was crushed but he did it every time! So after I saw that happen five or six times I went on a hunt to find another kitten. I started my serch at Target thinking surley they will have lots! WRONG! They had none. Then next door to Toys R Us. No kittens! Then to 23rd street Wal-Mart, not a single one. Finally to Super Wal-Mart ONE LEFT! So I grabbed it and went home only to find Jacob in bed heart broken because He did not have a kitten and Julia didn't even like hers. I really wanted to cry with him. SO I went into his room with him and gave him the kitten that I found for him. He was so happy I really thought that he was going to cry! He held back the tears as he cuddled his kitten. About an hour after that I found him in bed sleeping cuddled up to the kitten.

I am not usually one to cater to my kids every whim but in this instance I couldn't help it. He is so seldom so happy about things. I am glad I did it. He has had that kitten with him everywhere he goes for four days! He hasn't let it out of his sight.

Tuesday Julia had her 3 year check up and everything went well except Dr. Kenawy suggested we take her to speach therapy. So we did that yesterday morning. I was suprised at how quick you can get in with a referal from the doctor! Turns out that she has a pretty bad speach problem and needs to go a minimum of 3 days a week. She will have to have her hearing checked also and possibly have her adnoids out. The type of speach she has indicates that she has a hearing problem. On a better note, her vocabulary comprihention and usage is on a 5 year level. I have no idea where my kids got their intellagence from but both of them are pretty smart.
So that's all for now. I am about to get us ready to go to The Junior Musuem. I will let you know more whein I find out more.
God bless!

2009 is here and we have a chance for a new beginning.

Wow 2009! It's a chance for us all to start off fresh. The past year was so full of trials and triumphs for our family. I am looking forward to what God has in store for us this year. He has made me a stronger person with every obstacle in my way and given me a chance to see through them all and see Him.
I am so very thankful for the friends I have made in 2008 and excited about the prospect of new ones in 2009. Without them I don't know if I would be able to see God's plan. They helped me to see that He was there and a reason for what I was going through.
As for Jacob I see hope for his future. He has an appointment January 12 for an evaluation to see if he can attend Lucile Moore's Asperger's class this year. And he will also start going to a support group with kids like him. He is such an amazing boy and I want the best for him and the ability for him to thrive! I have been praying for a school that was right for him and then God just gave me the answer. In just the past few months it seems like we have been on a roller coaster full of ups and downs. We got so much "bad news" then all good news. I just know that this year will be great!
With God on my side how can I go wrong? With that asked I have to remember to remain faithful. After all when I look back at the years past, it was when I was not faithful was when life was off track and as soon as I looked to Him for the answers he guided me home.

For those of you who don't know I attend a woman's bible study group on Wednesday mornings. We have studied many different subjects and I have always enjoyed each one. The next one will be on Philippians. I read it today and was in awe of the faithfulness that Paul had even in prison he praised God. I cane across one verse that struck me and I intend on keeping it near to me throughout all of my hard times. "for I know that through all your prayers and with all the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance." Philippians 1:19. Truer words have never been spoken.
My goal for 2009 is to be more like Paul full of Christ.
Until tomorrow, God bless.