Bunk beds November 14, 2012

Well, a couple of weeks ago, we finally broke down and got the boys bunk beds. They have been talking about them for like 2 years! I have been dragging my feet because I really didn't want to sleep by myself when Shaw was at work. They were so ecstatic about them! It was so funny to see them help Shaw put them together and talk about how much fun they were going to have.
Avery has slept with us practically since he was born. When he was 5 months old, I spent a whole month trying to get Avery to sleep in his crib, which was next to our bed. After getting up every 2 hours for a month, i I was exhausted! Shaw said,"why are you trying to get him to sleep in that crib anyway? I prefer him in the bed." Well, that was reason enough for me! He has slept with us ever since and when Matthew was born, he just fit right in there with us. I have loved every minute of it!
Now, when I'm at work, they sleep in the top bunk together, but when I'm home, Matthew and I sleep in the bottom bunk. I really miss my Avery! He is getting so big. Every now and then, Avery sneaks to the bottom bunk for a little snuggly.

Matthew's 4th Birthday


March 7, 2012




We celebrated Matthew's 4th birthday with my parents and sister Cristina, but the camera messed up near the end so we didn't get pictures of everyone. I had a class in Savannah that day, so I made most of the food beforehand and picked up fried chicken on the way home. I got home about 7p and then we started the party. Avery was very sweet, helping Matthew open presents and getting excited about each one for him. The boys main present was their x-box and x-box kinect, so there were just a few presents to open. He got some beautiful "finding" books from my parents (which they knew he loved but needed some suitable for his age) and an indoor baseball bat, gloves, and ball for both of them. Shaw and I also got him a Robin Hood costume and new toothbrush. After they opened the baseball set they weren't interested in anything else really. We had a great time visiting and celebrating my sweet little guys birth. We always tell him that we all wanted him so much, even Avery! I had 2 miscarriages after I had Avery, so we were all so excited to have him. I felt like we had waited and prayed for him for so long! He has been nothing but a joy since I first found out that I was pregnant. I have also loved watching Avery be such a wonderful big brother. He is so selfless with Matthew almost to a fault. Last week, we were talking about the American Red Cross and how it was started. I was telling the boys when they were old enough, they could give blood. I reminded them how the blood that Matthew received saved his life and how we should be willing to give the blood back. Avery was very distressed and said, "Well, only for my brother, but Mom, I have to die right?" Can you believe that?" I started crying and said, "No, baby, but you would be willing to die for you brother?" He said, "Yes, I would Mommy. I am glad I don't have to though."

Here are a few pictures that we did end up getting!

catching up





Well, it has been over 6 months since I have blogged and i have really missed it. First, all of us are doing really well. My surgeries are over!!!! yah! I ended up having 3 breast surgeries from February to December and also my hysterectomy, which ended up being the easiest surgery by far. I have been struggling with my migraines since then, but they seem to under control now. For anyone who has migraines and wants to be in control of them: Heal Your Headache by David Bucholz is a must have! Check it out, but not if you want a quick fix because there is not one. I was able to go back to work about 4 weeks after each surgery, so I have been able to recover quickly enough. My breast surgeon says that I am a quick healer. Well, I have too much to do and to many people to take care of to be in bed for too long. Right?

The boys are doing so well! We have been able to keep up with school despite my 2 surgeries that were 2 weeks apart in December. They both really enjoyed the extra time with me when I was recovering from my surgeries. The time went by too fast though! Avery is really doing well in the curriculum that we are using and really seems to love to read. I am so excited about that! I always loved to read and really wanted him to love it. We absolutely love love love Apologia science! It is so in depth and interesting. He is getting so big and grownie, it's sad :( He is such a wonderful big brother and helps Matthew in school also.

We have started a little more with Matthew now that he is almost 4. He seems to like it also, but gets embarrassed a little bit when I ask him to perform for Shaw. He definitely has my temper issues, which I am sorry to have passed onto him. Sometimes, when he gets mad about something I cannot help but laugh, remembering how it used to tick me off too! lol. Mostly, he is my sweet snuggle bunny who still loves his mommy.

Avery's birthday was a couple weeks ago and we had a great time! My parents, father-in-law, and sister Cristina were here for the celebration. Avery and Matthew had a great time visiting with them. I cooked Boston butt, mac and cheese, broccoli, and rolls. Everyone enjoyed the food and fellowship and, of course, the birthday boy. I cannot believe that my little blonde baby is really 7 years old!















I am going to try to blog more often, now that my surgeries are over and there is not so much overtime at work. YAH!!! so happy about that.

Starting school

We started school yesterday and things went pretty well. Avery is doing A beka math 2, Apologia science astronomy, A beka writing manuscript to cursive, Bible, A beka spelling 2, First Language lessons by Jessie Wise (grammar), Rosetta Stone Spanish, and we also ordered the Little Passports that my friend Tara wrote about in her blog at http://organizedsahm.wordpress.com. We have not gotten the little passports yet, but from what she said it is geography with a story line to make it interesting. The other thing that we are doing is reading at least one reader daily from either Step Into Reading or I Can Read books. I got the reading list from the Sonlight curriculum website and ordered most of the books on it. They also included read a loud books, so we are Robin Hood right now. Avery gets frustrated when he doesn't know something, so we are really working on that- that it is ok not to know something and that we are LEARNING. The other thing that we are really concentrating on is reading comprehension. He is a good reader, but then he doesn't so much remember everything that he ( or I)read. We have had a good 2 days though.

Matthew is doing a little bit, but not too much. I have some younger preschool workbooks, but he did the whole thing today, because it was just shapes and colors. I feel at 31/2 he is too young to learn how to read really, but he really likes numbers. I am not sure exactly what we will end up doing. I tried to do a really structured school with Avery at the same age, and it was so frustrating for him that I just held off until the next year. Matthew asks to do school though, so I need to get him some other more challenging things. Any suggestions? He does listen when we read out loud and when Avery reads. but there is an hour or so where Avery and I are doing math and science that he could be doing something. Of course, his attention span is like 5-10 min at a time. I would love suggestions on fun things for him, a curriculum or anything else other people do with the younger kids.

My appointment went fine at the GYN oncologist a couple of weeks ago. I am hopefully having a hysterectomy in December, when I have enough time saved up at work and my deductible will still be met. I really liked the doctor and felt very comfortable with him. So, no more surgery until then, and I am just about fully recovered from the last one.

I forgot to update everyone on the kids well visit also that they had a couple of weeks ago. Avery finally med it to 40 pounds at 6 1/2 years old! He is 44.5 inches tall, which makes him in the 10% for height and weight. He has been there since 2 years old. Matthew is 31 pounds and 37.1 inches tall, which puts him the the 25th% per weight and height. He had been here since about 1 yr old. The pediatrician seemed please with their health and overall development, of course. She loved my vitamin regimen, of course.

I am excited about school and the fact that I will not be working any overtime for the first time in about 2 years. Hope everyone else's school is going fine too!

The new school room

We finally finished the school room this weekend and the kids love it! Shaw took the dining room table apart and put it in the attic. Then, we put the desks together, one for each kids. They were SOO excited about them. Then, in the afternoon, we went to Lowe's and picked out a ceiling fan with lights for the schoolroom too. Shaw took the chandelier down (remember it was a dining room). The only thing left that resembles a dining room is the wallpaper, which I am not going to take down right now. It still looks great, I think. Tell me what you think. Do u think the wallpaper will be distracting? I had thought about putting up that big roll paper over it in a solid color, but am not sure if it is really necessary.

On a different subject, tomorrow, I have an appt with the GYN/oncologist in Savannah, GA. We are going to discuss my options concerning having my ovaries out. My medical oncologist here feels strongly that I either get them removed soon or start taking tomoxaphin, which is a chemo drug that basically blocks all estrogen production. I am not going to take this drug, because of all of the side effects, including uterine cancer. It is not recommended that I have any more children, but I am not going to pretend that we had not already come to that conclusion ourselves either. I know that having my ovaries removed will put me into menopause, and I am not crazy about it. I need them out for 2 reasons: 1) to decrease my risk of having a recurrence of breast cancer and 2) because my risk of ovarian cancer being that I am positive for the BRCA-1 mutation. I am hoping to have this surgery the first part of November, because Shaw will be on vacation. I will not need to be out of work long, and may be able to rearrange my scheduled so I don's miss any shifts at all. My plastic surgeon, whom I saw on friday, wants to do my final reconstruction surgery mid December. I wanted to wait until the spring, but he insisted that it would be better then. So, i should have all my surgeries done in 10 months total! I will be happy with that, I guess.

Thanks for everyone's prayers this weekend, as it is the anniversary of Matthew's death today. It has been 15 years. It doesn't seem like that in some ways, but in others it seems like a lifetime ago. I was 19 years old not even in nursing school yet. I have graduated from college, met and married my fabo husband Shaw, had 2 beautiful boys, 3 miscarriages, and breast cancer. Those are only a few things. Most of my good friends now didn't even know Matthew. I feel very supported and loved though, as they seem to understand the loss. Avery mostly looks like Cristina and Mamu mostly looks like me, but every now and then, I catch a glimpse of Matthew and the joy that he had in his heart, when I look in their little faces. It takes my breath away and brings teats to my eyes. Even they seem to understand my loss and ask questions about him all the time. It seems like we talk about him daily almost, and it makes me happy for them to know about the uncle that they will never meet on this earth. The uncle who would have been totally enamored of them. It also opens up so many conversations about death, heaven, and our Saviour. Glory has been and continues to be brought to Jesus through Matthew's death, even to my children. I praise God for my brother's ongoing witness and all the chances that I have and will have to share about God's wonderful love and His Son to my sweet babies.

I am taking the kids tomorrow and then after the appt taking them to Chuckie Cheese. They have been asking to go, so I am meeting a friend of mine there. There is also VBS this week, so we are going to busy....

July 4th and back to work

For july 4th my mother-in-law, Mary, and my little niece, Rebekah, came to spend a few days here. Our babysitter and good friend, Sally, and her parents had a cook out by their pool. We went to that and the kids had an awesome time swimming and eating. I still cannot get in the water because I have one remaining drain. We had a great time visiting and eating awesome food. My niece, Rebekah, is so sweet and the boys had a great time playing with her. After the cook out, we came home for a little rest and then headed out for the fireworks. We parked and sat in the yard of our church and had a great view. The kids loved them and said that they were not too loud. The kids sat in front of us on the ground and we got some great pics!

With Sally

Sweet cousins at the fireworks

The next Sunday I went back to work. It went ok. We were really busy, but I am orienting one our new nurses for the next 3 to 4 weeks, so that helped. She has already been on day shift for 2 months, so really she just needs a little help with paperwork and for me to be a sounding board and given direction a little. I really worked her too! She was awesome! She just kept taking everything I gave her. He name is Marti, and she has been a nurse for 2 years in ICU. My back did start hurting after about 6 hours of us busting it, but then we had a chance to sit down for a little while and talk. I took some Motrin, and my back felt better. I still have my drain, but I go back Friday, so maybe it will come out. I really missed the kids, but they had fun with Shaw. We are going to start getting back to our normal routine soon.

I turned the playroom (previously the dining room) into the school room, AND I LOVE IT! I ordered 2 new desks for the kids and am going to move the dining room table to the attic, hopefully. I will post pics when it is all done. I am so excited about it! We are going to start August first with all the public schools here, and it will give us more freedom throughout the year.

All in all, I am doing really well and am just moving forward. i am going to see the GYN oncologist soon I hope. All my records are being faxed there today. Will let everyone know how that goes. Hope everyone else is well, and will post soon about the schoolroom and the kids well visits this year!

Fun at home

Well, my surgery was done on June 15th and everything went well. I had the latissimus dorsi FLAP surgery done on the left side only. All the doctors suggested we take more skin off the left side, just in case there was some cancer in it and to widen the clear margin. The surgery was at 730am and my parents and sister Jennifer came with 2 of hers, Will and Wyatt. The surgery only took a couple of hours and I actually went back to Labor and Delivery, so that I could make sure to get a bed. Isn't that hilarious! It was nice to have my friends take care of me. I didn't have that much pain until I started with a migraine about 3 am. I went home around 9am and then my migraine got killer. It lasted about 3-4 days, and thankfully, my family and church family were there to help. My church provided meals for like 21/2 weeks, so that was nice. Once my migraine cleared, I started enjoying being home.

Avery and I had already finished school, so we have done some fun projects that we had not had a chance to do. We planted some carrots and onions, we made Indian costumes and headdresses, made cake and cookies, etc. Of course, we have done swimming and Monkey Joe's a couple of times too. Last Thursday, we checked out the "dinosaur exhibit" at Georgia Southern, if you can call it that. It looked like what it really was, was trying to find a link between whales and water dinosaurs. Whatever, the kids had fun. They had a space room too that they liked. I went with my friend April and her little boy Drew and we also brought Nic's little boy Benny. These are Avery's two best friends. They all had a great time, even Matthew seemed to enjoy himself.

We have 3 puppies left from the original 6, so hopefully they will be gone soon. Even the kids are starting to get aggravated with them. They jump, scratch, and bite. Since there are 3 of them, it is overwhelming when you are trying to walk or for the kids to play outside.

I go back to work next Sunday, so I have one more week, then back to reality. I am still sore, but am hoping I will still be able to go back then. I have so enjoyed being home with them though. We are having such a good time. I am enclosing a few pics of just summer things that we have done.

Thank you for everyone's prayers and support during this time. I really am doing well, and will have one more surgery this year in September. The both oncologists have suggested that I should have my ovaries removed this year. I am going to see the GYN oncologist in Savannah to see what his opinion is, and for him to do it maybe. Then, I will be done for probably a year at least. The pathology came back on the skin as negative for cancer, so that is also good news.

Here are the pictures: The one with the puppy is with the little boy of a friend of mine, Lisa, who came and got two of the puppies. This one they named Coco and was for her little boy, Carter. The kids were so glad that she was going to be taken good care of.