Ryan's first day of 1st grade and Skyler's first day of 5th grade...

Today was the day. They all went off to school. Ryan was so excited, he woke up early and couldn't wait to get ready and head off to school. Skyler was a little hesitant, but had a positive attitude. When we picked them up they were both ready and excited to tell us about their day. Ryan had a lot of fun, made some new friends and really likes his teacher. He said that today was kinda hard because at the end of the day he was really hungry. I am so thankful that was the hardest part of his day! Skyler had a great day too...now she is looking forward to going back tomorrow! Praise the Lord!!! We have been blessed.

My baby is in the 8th grade...

My little girl isn't a little girl anymore...she actually hasn't been for a while, but sometimes I like to live in denial! She looked so cute when she went of to school this morning. She was confident and ready. When we were driving to school I asked her where she wanted me to drop her off and she said "In the back of the school please"...FINE, LOL! So I drove to the back of the school and there was a line of cars dropping kids off...you could definately tell which ones were the parents of 7th graders because they wouldn't leave. They sat there and watched their child walk all the way across campus...some were crying. It's a big day I remember from last year. So my daughter asks me why they aren't moving and I explain it to her. She looks at me and she says "You aren't going to do that right mom?" with a look of worry on her face. I laughed and said "Aahh come on don't you want me to sit here and watch you walk across campus?" She quickly said "NO" So out of the truck she went and I rolled the window down and yelled out the window "Bye honey, mommy loves you!!" and she just laughed at me and rolled her eyes then went off to school. I love my Ziggy she is the best!! I love her personality and her confidence (at times when she shows it) and I mostly love the way she doesn't really mind when I try to embarass her, but rather takes it in stride and knows I love her!!

Family Fun

Yesterday my in-laws came over. We don't get together often enough, but when we do we always have fun. The kids played on the slip n slide and ran around making a mess with all of our toys ( which is what they are for...right?).

My son and my nephew put on their chef hats and made us all desert. They both LOVE to be in the kitchen!

Pete's grandmother came over along with his sister and her husband and their two kids and my mother-in-law and father-in-law. My mother-in-law did most of the cooking, Pete helped with cooking and did a LOT of the clean up which was really nice because I have been SO uncomfortable lately and yesterday was really bad. All and all it was a nice day and I am so happy to have a good relationship with them. It took some time to develope, but it sure is good now!! :)

EXHAUSTED

Today was one of the longest and most emotionally painful days I have experienced as a mother. My poor Zayna has a staph infection in her leg. Lord only knows how she got it. The doctors all say it is so common and they see over 500 cases of it a week, but it was a first and hopefully a last for me. They kept telling me that her case is an extremely small one, but there wasn't anything small about it for Zayna. We first went inot urgent care on Sunday and the doctors at the Pedi Center were horrible. No specific instructions and no eye contact...just "Yup it's staph, put hot compresses on it and give her antibiotics." Thank the Lord I have a friend who is a nurse and has experience with staph infections. I called her up and she gave me the laundry list of how to care for it and keep it from spreading. We were on top of it, but when we woke up today it looked worse. The hole was 3 times the size it was on Sunday and it looked NASTY! I swore I could see tissue. So I took her to Memorial Urgent Care this time and the doctors there were WONDERFUL! We walked in and they took one look at it and said "Well you have cared for it very nicely, but unfortunately we are going to have to drain it and pack it." Now my girlfriend (the nurse) had tried to prepare Zayna and I for this possibility, but you can only prepare someone for so much. The doctor thankfully chose not to lance it because if she had it would have left a larger wound which would have increased the healing time. Instead she squeezed on it like a pimple and it hurt Zayna so badly, but it was necessary. The doctor talked her through the entire thing and was so calm and patient. I have to say that I have NEVER in my life seen anything like it before and had that stuff come out of my daughter at home I would have freaked out and called 911. It wasn't tissue that I was seeing it was the staph and there was a lot of it. She pushed on that thing for a good 5 minutes. When she was done she had to pack it with gauze...which was painful, but not nearly as what had just happened. The doctor crammed almost 6 inches of gauze into Zayna's leg. Thankfully we are done with the worst part and now onto the healing. We go back in tomorrow to have the packing removed and the doctor thinks that it should be almost healed by Friday. I am so proud of Zayna...she was such a trooper today. I couldn't imagine having to go through that...it was bad enough having to watch it. She stayed so still and allowed the doctor to do her job even though she was in extreme pain. She is my new hero and I love her so much!!

Goodbye my dear friend

Well it happened. This morning Jeffrey Dale Drake Sr. passed away at 4:55 am. I am so sad...sad for myself, sad for his wife, sad for his children. He will be dearly missed! Please God keep him with you and bring his family peace. He was a good friend, husband and father and his wife is an amazing person who most definately does not deserve this. I will miss you Jeff, but I will remember you always and help you live on in our hearts and our memories forever! I know that I still have Andi, Bren, Bekah and Jr. and that is a gift in itself. May you rest in peace my friend.

The Lord Giveth and He Taketh Away...

This was a verse in a song that we sang at MOPS today and when Raquel spoke on it I lost it. My very dear friend Jeff is dying. That is so hard to say. He has a wife, whom I love dearly too, and 3 children, Bren (18), Bekah (14) and Jeffrey Jr (2). We have been friends for a very long time and I always thought he would be around. He's one of those honery types that you assume will outlive anything and everything. Strongwilled and stubborn. And Andi, his wife, is the most sweet, down to earth, loving and patient person you will ever meet. She is amazing. They have always had a complex relationship that would only work between the two of them. They are good together. Jeff is an alcoholic...has been for many years. His liver has failed him and his kidneys have failed him and now they have him on morphine and adavan until the rest shuts down. As of today they have given him 24-48 hours to live. I can't believe that I am losing my friend, and my friend is losing her husband and their kids are losing their father. It's so hard to accept and rationalize. I went to see him the other day and I don't even know if he realized I was there. Did he know it was me? Does he know I love him? Does he know that I will stand by his wife forever? I hope so. It was so hard seeing him just lying there. In so much pain and so incoherent. He is so young, too young to die! This is so unfair. I wish I had some miracle to work....some key to unlock the healing he would need to survive. I feel so helpless. I don't want to lose my friend. I want him here to sit on my couch while we bbq and watch Nascar or Football or do fireworks for the 4th of July. I will miss his laugh, his smile, his sense of humor and all of his stobborness. I love you Jeffrey Dale...I am so happy that I had you as a friend for the time that I did. I hope that you have found God and I hope that you have reconciled with Him. I hope to see you in heaven one day! May God bring you peace my friend.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAYNA!!!

my Zayna is 13 today. 13 years ago I was lying in a hospital bed holding the most beautiful and precious gift. I was only 17 and she was only 4 hours old. She came so quickly...she must have already loved me enough to go easy on me! My life had changed and I had NO idea just how much. She was in the hospital for a couple of days and after she was able to come home she had to go back for a couple more. I thought that this was the worst thing in the world. I felt so helpless and I there was NO way I was leaving her at the hospital alone. She was jondice and had to spend 48 hours under UV lights. Once it was all over and I had her home for good we began to settle in. She was the most wonderful baby. She slept through the night from day 1, she never cried...I had to feed her on a schedule because she was so content. She made everything so easy. Teething was a breeze and if she was ever not feeling well the only way I would know was by checking her temp. She grew to be the most content and well behaved toddler...no a tantrum, not an arguement and she always said please and thank you in the cutest little voice. Zayna has truly been a gift. She has always been a great kid with a great personality and now she is a great teenager!! My first born, my baby. WOW...it is still so hard for me to believe that she is 13. I remember when this day seemed so far away and before I know she is going to be 18 and out of high school. I am so sad as a mommy that my little girl is growing up so fast yet I am so proud of the young woman she is growing into. Last night we had a party for her and I gave her a promise ring along with a letter from the heart. I will never forget the day she was born or any day there after!!

Dear Zayna,

today is your birthday and I still cannot believe that you are 13 years old. You have grown into an absolutely beautiful teenager!! I know how difficult it can be being a teenage girl. You are venturing into a world of more responsibility, more expectations, more peer pressures and your body and your emotions are changing so fast. The next few years are going to be even more overwhelming, but I know that you can handle them with grace and dignity!! I want you to know that I am always here for you and there isn't a thing that life can bring your way that we cannot face together! I love you with all of my heart. I am giving you this gift that was given to me by Nana and Papa for my 8th grade graduation. Although I am hoping that it will serve a different purpose for you. I would like this gift to serve as your promise to God, to yourself and to me and your dad that you will have enough respect for yourself, your morals and your values and that you will wait for the man that God has set aside just for you. This is a very personal and important decision and if you make the correct one you will be truly rewarded when the time is right. Stay on your path, keep your eyes on your goals and trust and love your family. You will always be my little girl, my baby, but I do understand that you are now a young lady and I respect that. Don't ever forget that nothing will ever change my love for you! You are my heart!! Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

Love,

Mom