Saturday, October 31, 2009

Swept Off My Feet

Today is the 10th anniversary of the day I met Adrian. Jolie was 5 years old and Sydney was 3. A couple at church had been known to set Adrian up on blind dates from time to time. He was 40 years old and had never been married. When they found out at church that I needed a nice date to the Cotillion, they told me about their friend. They wrote down my number and gave it to Adrian.

Now, Adrian was not looking for a date. In fact, he was going through a really tough time during the short months that followed the very tragic death of his brother. When George and Margaret gave him my number and told them how sweet I was (wink wink...little did they know, right?) Adrian said he figured what the heck, he really needed to get out and have some fun. It would be good for his soul.

The night he called me was Halloween. I asked him to call me back later so I could take the girls out trick or treating. He called back at 9:00 and we ended up talking for about 2 hours! We clicked right away and he made me laugh so hard. I think I fell in love with him during that conversation. I knew Adrian was going to be my new best friend.

Well, the rest is history, as they say. We went on our first date the following week. We got engaged 6 weeks later and then married 6 weeks after that. When you know, you know, you know?

A year later we had Fischer and Adrian adopted Jolie and Sydney. Then came Mollie and 18 months later, Nicholas. We have been through many, many ups and several heart crushing downs. But through it all, I still feel exactly like I did the first time I ever met him....totally swept off my feet.

Friday, October 30, 2009

More photos!

No, Jolie is not Willy Nelson for Halloween. This is her new look for football games. Go Warriors. Doesn't Sydney look so grown up? She had a fun Halloween party this evening. Her friends are so spunky just like her. Here's Fischer at Trunk or Treat. He was a pirate. Today for school they had to dress up as what they want to be when they grow up. Fischer dressed as an aero nautical engineer complete with a button up shirt, tie, khaki pants and a Georgia Tech hat AND a set of auto cad blue prints of a rocket and launch pad. For Halloween, he's going to be the guy from Texas Chain Saw Masacre. Yikes! Then, there's a cute picture of the drama kids. Check out Jolie's tights! Wish I had some like that! And look at the sweet photo of Nicholas and his new blanket which was made by Ellie's Angels. Miss Ellie knits blankets for kids with special needs and Nicholas got his blanket at school. He loves it. It's his new little companion. And finally, Mollie's debuting her new hair-do! She got about 6 inches cut off and she looks soooo cute! Nicholas got his hair cut too and it took two appointments to get it done and Adrian holding him in a vice grip and a VERY patient and tender hearted friend, Miss Tonya who understands Nicholas' dislike of people messing with his head. But it got done and he looks mighty handsome. I don't know about y'all, but I am very much ready for the weekend! We have lots and lots of fun things planned. Trick or Treat, y'all! xoxox















Thursday, October 29, 2009

Nicholas and Jolie




Here's Nicholas on Rufus during his Hippo Therapy. It took several tries before he would actually get on the horse, but now he loves it! He works on speech while he rides. I don't know how it works, but it is magic. Nicholas has been talking a lot more. I thought we'd be using sign language less, but he has really developed his own sign language and often uses it while he talks. It is very effective to help us figure out what he is talking about. Nicholas can recognize all the letters in the alphabet and knows the ASL alphabet. Jordan, our sign language teacher, suggested we teach him the ASL alphabet by handing him a letter block and then showing him the sign for it and I am so glad he did. Nicholas may not be able to talk like a typical almost four year old, but he can spell and read several words.

Nicholas' new obsessions is light bulbs. He points to lights and says, "Wite Bobs!" He likes to help Adrian change light bulbs and wants to do it all the time. He is still obsessed with Fun World, which blows my mind since he's only been there a few times and it was a long time ago. Every time, and I mean every time we load up in the car, Nicholas asks, "Fun World?" We are planning to celebrate his fourth birthday there and I can hardly wait to load up the car and finally say "YES!" when he asks his question.

Nicholas is also going potty every morning when he wakes up. He stays dry all night! It is the only time I can convince him to go and he fights me on the issue, but he's usually too tired to run away so he just does it. Afterwards he says, "Did it!" and he gets an M&M. I am starting to see a little light at the end of the tunnel that I will be free of diaper duty one day soon. Mollie was 18 months old when Nicholas was born, so I've been changing diapers every day for 5 years. I wonder what I'll do with the extra money we'll be saving?


Jolie played the role of the detective in "Clue the Musical" last week at the White County High School. This is her 7th year she has been involved and performed with the Mainstage Players. Here is a scene where she is questioning Professor Plum played by Nick Mitchell.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Cooking for seven people

Lots of friends ask me how we manage to feed such a large family. Sometimes they ask me what my grocery budget is each week. They are really surprised when they find out my grocery bill is MUCH smaller than even a family of four's. Some friends have suggested I write a cook book. I will pass on that, but I will post a few CHEAP recipes and some good tips.

Tips for feeding a large family on a small budget:

1. Buy generic when it doesn't matter. We buy generic for most things, however, there are some things like Jiff peanut butter which can't be beat on taste. And we always splurge on Holy Guacamole. That stuff is a staple in our house. We put it on everything. We buy cheap toilet paper, shampoo and diapers, but the most expensive paper towels. If it is a quality issue, buy the good stuff. Most generics are totally fine these days, though.

2. Plan your menus (breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks) for at least three days in detail before you walk into a store. With your list in hand, check your pantry and fridge and cross out things you already have. When you get to the store, stick to the list and don't shop with children if you can ask an older child to babysit.

3. Do not cut coupons. You will end up buying things you don't really need just because they are on sale. If you are buying more than you normally would to save money, that is not saving money.

4. Buy meat on Mondays, that is when it is cheaper in most stores. If not, ask the grocery store manager when the best time is. Buy meat all at once and freeze what you don't need right away.

5. Keep several prepared frozen items, like pizza, veggie burgers, chicken tenders, or lasagna in your freezer for those evenings when something unexpected comes up and you need something super easy. They are more expensive, but cheaper than going through a drive thru.

Quesadillas
Here is a dinner my whole family loves, even Nicholas who is picky. Jolie and Sydney are vegetarians, so this pleases them too. It only takes a few minutes to make, so it's no wonder we have this once a week in the midst of football practice and play rehearsals.

Whole wheat tortillas
Sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
Non fat re fried beans
Margarine or butter at room temp

toppings:
Salsa
Sour Cream
Guacamole (try the Holy Guacamole, it comes in a bag inside a small yellow and green box in the produce section)

Butter one side of tortilla and smear re fried beans on the other side (messy) place in the cast iron skillet and sprinkle cheese on top. Lay another tortilla (butter side up) on top. Flip when ready, just like a grilled cheese sandwich.

Cut into wedges and serve with a salad.
Viola! Super cheap!

Catalina Chicken
3 Chicken breasts
Half a bottle of Kraft Catalina Honey Dressing
Cooked white rice

In a Crock Pot, put the chicken (raw) and the dressing in and stir to coat.
Set on medium for about four hours or until chicken in fully cooked. Shred with two forks and serve over hot rice with steamed vegetables on the side. Left overs can be eaten like sloppy Joes on rolls or buns with cole slaw. It is the bomb!


Chili
One can of:
black beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans, pinto beans, and corn, all drained and rinsed
One extra big can of diced tomatoes, not drained
One can of diced green chilies
One can of black olives
One packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix
One packet reduced sodium taco seasoning mix

Place all in a big pot and stir over medium/ high heat until blended nicely, cover and simmer on low until ready to eat

Ladle helpings in a bowl over corn tortilla chips or corn bread (we use Jiffy mix...only 50 cents!) and top with shredded cheese and sour cream. Yummy!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Mollie's Big News

Mollie Katherine lost her first tooth this afternoon! It sorta freaked her out. She didn't know it would bleed. She designed her very own tooth fairy pillow. It is so cute. It has pictures of her and the tooth fairy on it along with a few pictures of a giant tooth. She colored the teeth with red on the bottom half and told me it represented all the blood! Across the bottom of the pillow, she wrote in stylized text: TOOTH PILLOW and then on the top she wrote: CONGRATULATIONS! She and Sydney, Fischer and Nicholas are spending the night with SuSu. After Mollie's bath, Adrian and I were playing with the kids in the playroom. It was about 7:15 pm. My mother asked, "Where's Mollie? Has anyone seen Mollie?" We went looking for her and she was already in bed waiting for the tooth fairy to come! It was so sweet. She is very excited!

Our other big news is that we bought a new van. It is just like our old one, but new! And red! We love it and are so thankful we could get it. We needed a new minivan and here, an unusual opportunity allowed us to do so. I always have trouble with the whole, "this is a blessing" as if certain things in life are NOT blessings. To me, everything is a blessing. Things happen in ways we don't always understand, but if everything is in God's hands, then everything happens for a reason and everything is a gift. Doesn't mean a lot of things aren't difficult. Doesn't mean tragic things don't happen.

Life keeps going. And we are so grateful we got to hold our little girl's first tooth in our hands this afternoon. We were able to remember seeing that tooth emerge for the first time when she was just 4 months old. And now, it is gone and a new adult tooth is ready to come. Being a parent sure is wonderful. We get a front row seat to experience the most amazing things! xoxoxo

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Raise Your Hand if You Love Adrian

Whew! I feel like I have come back to the real world now. What an awful, scary feeling to feel so lost and discombobulated! I am feeling much, much better...just in time to focus on my sick children. Yes, we've got sick children now.

When it rains, it pours. Last night, Adrian drove us to Walmart to the Red Box to rent a movie. Thought it would be good for the soul to have a brief outing. Jolie and Sydney (mainly Sydney since Jolie is still a space cadet from her concussion) babysat Fischer and Mollie for a little bit and Adrian and I were out the door.

As soon as we came home, we saw both Jolie and Sydney on the front porch crying. I thought maybe the little kids locked them out. As we come closer, there is vomit on the porch! Jolie is totally panicked as she had just gotten so dizzy, she had fallen into a wall. (There were 57 messages on Adrian's cell phone which happened to run out of battery charge...go figure!)

We walk inside and Mollie is standing in our room totally naked. There is diarrhea every where. Fischer is laying on the sofa looking about as pale as a ghost. There is vomit all over the down stairs leaving quite a trail from his room to the bath room.

Fischer continued to throw up all evening but thanks to Phenergan, he eventually stopped and fell asleep all night.

I cleaned up the mess upstairs while Adrian cleaned the downstairs. Bless his heart. He is by far the most injured from the wreck and there he was doing what he does best which is taking care of his family. He has been the one doing all the driving and care taking around here and still taking care of his mother, running all her errands. I know he's been hurting so badly, but he doesn't complain. He just stays focused on all of us instead.

Yesterday at the doctor, Adrian's blood pressure was sky high as it was in the E.R. and he had to have a EKG. The doctor said it was a response to all the pain and stress. He is now on blood pressure medication.

I feel normal today which isn't saying a whole lot. I still have a funny taste in my mouth and my head is still achey and my back is sore, but all in all I would say I am on the mend. Which is good because now, I can finally take care of my sweet husband and children!

Adrian, you really are an amazing man and I am the luckiest person in the world that 10 years ago this month, you would pick me to be your girl! Raise your hand if you love Adrian and say a special prayer for his health.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

We all felt pretty euphoric after the accident. Hyper even. We just felt so blessed and lucky. We kept giving thanks that our family was all still here and that even if we were banged up, we were all relatively ok. We were in shock and on autopilot.

Adrian went to the doctor and has a rotated vertebra in his neck and a sprain. The air bag hit him right in hte head and the car came in right through his door. he has to go for an mri and meet with the orthopedic surgeon.

I was feeling sore in by back and having muscle spasms but got really sick on thursday. I got really dizzy and started seeing double and throwing up. had to go to the hospital and to a neurologist. I have a post traumatic concussion and brain swelling. no wonder I feel so weird.

Jolie goes back to the doctor tomorrow for her arm and her headaches. Sydney is sore but feeling much better and Fischer nad Mollie are feeling OK. Nicholas wasn't in the car so he's ok other than obsessing about "Mama car" I think he wants to know whrer it is.

My mother has been an angel. She flew right back to georgia to take care of tthe children. she is so wonderful to us and we couldn't make it without her. Ashley and Kristin, tht mothers tof the children I babysit have had to find a new babystiiier for the next couple of weeks and on top of that are helping wtih our laundry. God bless all our family nad friends. we are so fortunate.

we will be resting for the next couple of weeks. This will be my last post for a while until I feel better. Going up the steps makes me dizzy and It is hard to type. Lula Belle won';t run for the next couple of weeks either. please pray for speedy recoveries all around.