and baby makes 6!

Dude, we are obsessed again….

….with surfing. And the beach. Checking surf reports daily. Driving for hours to catch a wave.

We went to Port A. again on Sunday, and it looks like we will be hitting the beach every other weekend if the surf is up and the weather is good for beach combing.

We had so much fun and I have several posts to write about our weekend fun, but for now, I only have a second, as real life is more important (sorry). Today is a fun, busy, crazy, exciting day, starting with a trip to the city to get an air hockey table for the boys from their grandparents, and a Cookie Bouquet for them from my Mom.

So, I leave you with a few pics from Sunday:

Divine intervention?

Well, the fever is gone. No more headache, crying or aching legs and stomach ache. Quinn woke up this morning, his usual self, and went to school. We are beyond baffled. He had fever anywhere between 101-103 yesterday afternoon, I gave him some Motrin, called the surgeon, he cancelled the surgery, the fever broke and he was completely fine all evening, never for it to return. He was sick for approximately 4 hours.

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Like I said, I think everything happens for a reason. I may never know the reason, but I have faith that goes beyond that need for that knowledge. Maybe it didn’t happen because Quinn’s doctor would have been in a car wreck on the way to the OR. Or maybe one of the nurses was upset or distraught over something and would have injected the wrong med dose into Quinn. Maybe there is someone who is hurting, and will need something that only Bill, Quinn or I can give . Maybe that someone will be at the hospital on November 11th.

If you want to ponder this further…the truth that there ARE no coincidences……rent the movie “Signs” . It is so great. For those who have seen it…..”Swing away Merrill. Merrill… swing away.”

“People break down into two groups when the experience something lucky. Group number one sees it as more than luck, more than coincidence. They see it as a sign, evidence, that there is someone up there, watching out for them. Group number two sees it as just pure luck. Just a happy turn of chance. I’m sure the people in Group number two are looking at those fourteen lights in a very suspicious way. For them, the situation isn’t fifty-fifty. Could be bad, could be good. But deep down, they feel that whatever happens, they’re on their own. And that fills them with fear. Yeah, there are those people. But there’s a whole lot of people in the Group number one. When they see those fourteen lights, they’re looking at a miracle. And deep down, they feel that whatever’s going to happen, there will be someone there to help them. And that fills them with hope. See what you have to ask yourself is what kind of person are you? Are you the kind that sees signs, sees miracles? Or do you believe that people just get lucky? Or, look at the question this way: Is it possible that there are no coincidences?”

Houston, we have a problem

The school called right before pick up time to tell me Quinn had a fever of 101. I picked him up, and he is sick, probably the flu. Poor little guy is miserable. He was fine when he left this morning for school. Ugh.

I talked with the surgeon and he cancelled the surgery. It has been rescheduled for November 11th.

I am putting him in a plastic bubble for the next two weeks, and will allow him no contact with the germy, outside world. Anyone who comes in contact with him will have to decontaminate themselves with germacide. Including his siblings for that matter, since he probably contracted this from his 11yo brother, who has been sick for over a week and still has not learned the art of covering his mouth when coughing.

Two more weeks of anticipation, stress and anxiety.

I am one to believe that everything happens for a reason, so I just need to chill and accept that today.

On the funny side, what were the odds that after almost 2 months of waiting, this would happen in the last 19 hours pre-op?????

We are off

Time to head out. My MIL will be holding down the fort here with the 2 big boys.

If you would, please send up some prayers for Quinn. They would be much appreciated. His surgery is scheduled for 7:30 am tomorrow. It should take about 2 hours. I will not be back to update until Saturday or Sunday.

Did I mention how stressed I am???????

Mama Mia at her best

Fun with Tupperware (a bit blurry):

She really has branched out with her curiosity. I can’t turn my back for a moment, as the kitchen chairs get dragged all over the house by her, allowing for some extra, special fun at Mom’s expense. Antics such as “feeding” the fish, and pouring out all of the shampoo (2 full bottles) into the bath tub. Rinsing a tub, 2 feet full of bubbles, was *fun*!

Still, I can just eat her up, she is so damn cute:

Happy picture

Okay, this one is for Jen

Many hugs to you, Jen!

Get me on the beach and the sky could fall without a blink from me

We are back, and it was heaven on earth.

It was a rocky start:

But who could feel bad with this to greet their morning:

And witnessing moments like this:

this:

and this priceless moment snapped of Bill watching his son catch a wave:

Quinn left a note in the sand, that pretty much summed up my mood before our trip:

I have to say……..Bill, your the man! Sun, sand some tasty waves, and mi familia at the beach…… The ultimate anti-depressant!

Off for some much needed R & R

My brilliant, loving, amazing husband decided that what I needed was a trip to the beach to combat my worries and take my mind off of things. So, we are packing up and heading for some surf. A front blew in, so the waves should be great. We got a sitter for animals and house, a condo for a couple of nights, and will also celebrate Cory’s 11th b-day there! Yeah! We will be back when we are back.

In weblog news, I added Flicker per Kathy’s advice, and am loving it. Oh, and I have officialy cancelled my Typepad site, so the move is complete now.

Off to catch some waves and spend some quality time with my family.

Mia’s shadow

Mia’s shadow

Originally uploaded by jody2ms.

I love this picture.

The rising moon

From The Rime of the Acient Mariner

The moving Moon went up the sky.
And nowhere did abide;
Softly she was going up,
And a star or two beside-

By Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834)

This is not filed under cute things they will say

Last night while lying on the bed talking with Quinn about nothing in general, he blurted out: “Mom, are they going to cut my foot off?”

Will someone PLEASE pass the vodka?????

Mom, so sweet the sound of that name.

Fall is here. I go out into my backyard and swish, swish through the leaves that have vacated their place among the branches of the enormous pecan trees in the yard. My kids will grab buckets and start the search for pecans hiding in the grass. We will crack and eat as we go along, tasting the sweetness of the nuts and enjoying the sun on our faces.

The temperature has finally worked its way down to a pleasant spot and we find ourselves wearing long pants to keep out the evening and morning chill. I have delivered 3 of my 4 children during this time of year, so the deja vu I feel makes me look down expectantly at my belly to see the familiar bulge. It is not there this time.

At lunch today, Bill hauled out the box that contains all of the fall and Halloween decorations. I went up into the attic to get down some more odds and ends, and found myself staring at the bassinet that has taken up residence in the attic. I ran my hand along the edge, feeling the satin and lace that my mother lovingly stitched to it over 11 years ago. All 4 of my babies have slept in that bassinet. Moving it up to the attic was hard for me this time, as I feel that Mia will be our last baby. Not that I want that…..it is just a feeling deep in my soul.

How can that be? I have spent the last 11 years of my life building a family. When Mia goes off to school in a few years, what will I do all day? If I am not reading books, picking up toy after toy, changing endless numbers of diapers, holding a freshly bathed baby smelling of lavender, kissing a boo boo, or nursing a child to sleep, what will my days be filled with?

I went for a walk with my friend, and as we pushed our babies in their strollers, she asked me a question that I was not prepared to answer. She asked when I was planning on going back to work. I am not even sure I remember what my answer to her was, but I will answer that question here, in the safety of the internet void…..I can’t stand the thought of it. I do not want to go back to work. I want to be home with Mia, as long as I can. Too soon, she will be in school along with her brothers. I want to spend my days with her by my side, going from room to room tidying up, snuggling with a book, nursing her into drowsiness for her nap, watching her try to fold small hand towels as I fold the laundry. Mia. My 4th child. My miracle. I have not taken one minute of her life for granted. I have enjoyed her babyhood and when I look back at the things I gave up during her first year, there is not one thing that I feel regret about. I am still relishing my time with her. Why would I want to leave her to go back to work? Yes, financially it would make things much easier. We would not feel so strapped for money. Buying something that was not a necessity would not consume me with guilt. But I know if I went back to work, we would just find some other way to spend it, and the truth is, we are doing fine with just Bill’s salary right now. The time may come in the not so distant future where that may not be the case. For now, I just can’t do it.

I know how fast they grow, and I must be honest with myself that it scares me to death to think about letting go of them. I can’t imagine my life without my kids here in our home, being a family. I know that it will happen, but I don’t have to like it…..this moving on to different stages. I want my kids to grow up. I want them to become incredible adults that I can be proud of. I want that for them very much. It is just very difficult.

Mom. It is my name. I like it better than my given name of Jody. If fits me better. I have known all of my life that I wanted to be a mother and have many kids. I have 4, and can’t believe how blessed I feel when I look at them. Would it be crazy or greedy to want another baby to love? I am 40 years old now, and will be 41 in just 3 more months. Time is marching on, and I know that my fertility may be a thing of the past in a few years. I can hope for another baby, but God knows that there are no certainties in life. I find myself asking questions there are no answers for. How long will the bassinet stay in the attic? Will it come down for one of my future children? Or will it come down years from now to cradle one of my grandchildren, the way it cradled my sister, brother and I, then my 4 babies? In just 2 more years it will have been in use for 1/2 a century. How many more precious children will slumber in it?

I wipe the tears from my eyes, grab the plastic pumpkins and brush past the beautiful bassinet. As I head back down the stairs I smile, knowing that as much as we like to think we are in control, and know all of the answers, God is the one in charge, and sometimes He is full of surprises. We just have to learn patience as we wait to see them.

Because I can

When asked what I was doing crawling on the ground with the camera, I responded: “Photographing ants.”

“Why?”, asked the curious one.

I answered: “Because I can.”

**these are fire ants. Teeny, tiny fire ants.

How to make me laugh out loud

Come up to me at a baseball game and ask:

“Mom, can I have some money. I need it for a snow cone at the confession stand”.

In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, your sins are forgiven………now here’s your snow cone.

New meets old

Toys for parents

This is a picture of the guy, who when nagged to no end, consented to a good deal of $ being spent on a new electronic toy for his wife….one that I might add, she did not really need. Want, need. Yes, they are very different, but not so different when the “want frenzy” is at its height.

Here’s the thing. My toys costs in the hundreds. Bill’s toys cost in the thousands. Yes, I may buy more frequently, but my purchases do not add up to anything near his toy purchases. Testament to this were (I say were, because 3 of them have been sold THANK GOD) the 4 dirt bikes sitting in our garage not too long ago. If I were to do the math, and I have many times done it outloud for the benefit of the smiling one above, those hateful beasts added up to more than….$14,000. Yes, you heard me corretly. 14 thousand dollars…..in dirt bikes.

Yes, although they may have cost that much………..now here is the real catch with dirt bikes………..they decrease in value the way mercury drops in a thermometer when placed in a cup of ice water. What did we actually get for them? About 1/4 of their actual purchase price, I kid you not. I won’t even get into the gear that was needed to ride said dirt bikes….gear that is still sitting out in the work room, never to be used again.

When arguing the virtues of the C-8080, I basically told him all of the above. He smiled at me and would tell me not to buy it, all the while knowing that it was already a done deal, but he would never admit that, because he knows that part of the thrill of a new purchase is the angst leading up to it…the indecision, the guilt, the longing….and he plays it to the hilt.

Now it is his turn, because his truck is outliving its usefulness, and it appears to be time to buy a new car for him. But, I smile and say things like “Do we need another car note?” , “”I am not sure we can afford it”, and “your truck is still running”, because, well, I learned from the master the art of what I will call “the buyers tease”. In the end, he will get his new truck, we will have our budget strapped again, and the circle of spending will go on.

For now, I am so glad to be able to photograph my family and produce pics that I will treasure forever. I capture moments in time that would otherwise escape me. Moments that my memory may not hold as I age. Money well spent, in my humble opinion.

The first pics

Oh, I think this will do just fine, doncha?

Charging the battery and my mind

La, la, la, it is here!!! Battery is charging, and I am devouring the instruction manual.

While I wait for the battery to fully charge, I have a public service message. If anyone wants to keep me on their blogroll, you might want to change the link, if you have not already done so, so it will click to this site. I am shutting down my Typepad site no later than November 1st. I refuse to pay for 2 sites, so Typepad must go.

2 Weeks to go to Quinn’s surgery. I have been keeping busy with lots of crafts and such, to keep my mind off of it. Up until last night, I have been successful….if a thought crept in, I would shut it off. Yesterday, I made the reservations at the hotel where we will be staying, and the flood of worrisome thoughts exploded in my mind. Last night was terrible. I was in bed, eyes wide open, imagining him intubated on a surgical bed, having his leg cut open. I let out an audible gasp, then a whimper. I am so pathetic.

I discussed it with my best friend today (she is a doctor), and she said she will prescribe some low dose valium for me to take before and during the surgery. I normally do not take stuff like that, but in this case, she is 100% correct, and I will follow her advice. Quinn doesn’t need “Mommy the Spaz “, he needs “Mommy the Rock Calm Soother”, and that is what he will get.

Can we just fast forward to November, please?

Olympus c-8080, where art thou?

I sit. Waiting. For Federal Express. Much like watching a plant grow.

Somewhere, on the road in my home town, the Fed-ex man has my new c-8080 on his truck.

I wonder if it would be nuts to drive around town looking for the truck and see if he will give it to me? (Yes, that is how small our town is and how impatient I am).

Photos to come.

When it all comes down

Words just are not coming to me as of late. I just have so much on my mind. Sandy’s baby, and now Kathy’s dad…………

Quinn is scheduled for surgery at the end of this month. October 28th to be exact. I have to have him tested for Von Willibrands this week so we can get the results done prior to surgery. Oh, yeah, let me tell ya, there is just something crappy about having your 5yo little boy tested for a bleeding disorder so that he can have surgery. I know that it is nothing compared to what my friends above are going through, so please forgive me for sounding so whiney.

I can’t help but worry. I just love this little man so very much. I mean, look at my rascal! What’s not to love about that face!

Fall is here

Yes, Fall is here, finally, and with it came the Pumpkin Patch. We had so much fun picking out a pumpkin and the kids got their faces painted.

It really made it feel like Fall.

Here’s one of my little pumpkins:

Registering

Okay, so I know this is a pain, but to comment, you must register to the site. Go down the column at right until you come to the “Meta” category, then click on register. It will ask for a username and e-mail address. Type those in and send. You will get an email with your password. You can change your password to whatever you want, and there you have it! I will moderate first time posters, but after the first one, there will be no more moderation.

Thanks so much. I have missed everyone since moving, but this will be so much better for me and my family. My stats counter lists visitors by their ISP addy, so I can block people as I chose. (None of my readers, only trolls).

Thanks to Kathy for help with pics, and Sandy and Chris for letting me know what was going on with the comment dilemma!

Having fun

I am having fun with this site. There is so much to learn, so I am still playing around with things a bit.

If you are having trouble commenting, let me know, as I am really not sure how it all works yet, and if I am doing it properly.

If you have a minute, send a comment so I can see if I need to tweek the site a bit more.

As for loading photos…..I am trying. Just not sure the easiest way to do it yet….

Mia transformed herself from a quiet, sweet little girl to a temper tantrum throwing, screams that break glass creature. I feel like my head is going to split open until nap time. I suspect her 2 year molars are to blame. Yes, she needs more teeth….16 are not enough.

Photos to come, as soon as I figure out how to post them!

Innocence is not out of style

One of the things that I like most about my mother is that she is incredibly innocent.  She calls sleeping with someone before marriage an "affair", one glass of wine makes her laugh and laugh, she sings "Dance with the Dollies" to my daughter, and calls Quinn her little vagabond.

As difficult as my relationship with her has been at times, her innocence has always brought a smile to my face.  Many moments stand out in my memory. 

One afternoon, when my brother was in college, he and a good friend came over to our house to say hi to my mom.  They sat in the kitchen talking about girls, school, and whatnot.  My mom asked if any of the kids were "doing" marijuana.  Whoa nelly.  Jack and Jeff burst out laughing and replied "Here and there"  My mom said "I cant believe it!  Really?  Where do they get it?"  Mind you , this was around 1980.  She then asked, "How does it make them feel?"  Jeff told her "Oh, its great Mrs. Rasmussen.  Its called a joint, you smoke it and it makes you feel happy"  My mom then said "Oh, go get a joint, Jeff, and we can smoke it before Mr. Rasmussen gets home!".  Everyone burst out laughing because it was so ridiculous.  She is like that, my mom.  A bit goofy and very easy to talk with about anything.  Our house was where all our friends wanted to go when we were older, because it was fun, and they enjoyed my parents.

She came to visit us on one occasion, and at bedtime, she was washing up as we turned out the lights in the house.  Bill and I went on into our room just as she came out of the bathroom.  She wanted the cat to come sleep on her bed (she LOVES animals), so she began calling her.  Remember our cats name?  Yeah, you got it.  She started saying "Here Pussy, KittyKittyKittyKitty.  Puuuuussssy!  Wheres my Pussy?  KittyKittyKitty!  I can’t find my little Pussy."  Billy and I were spasmodically laughing on the floor of our room, trying to catch our breaths, then she would say "Billy, I can’t find my Pussy.  Do you know where she is?"  OhmyGoditwassodangfunny!  Just too funny.  She was oblivious to why we were laughing so hard.

I think of her funny ways, and I am thankful that she has found a doctor who feels that quality of life is excellent, but so is just a bit more quantity.  Because of her Von Willibrands disease, she is not a cardiac bypass candidate (remember her 70% blockage?).  The chance of her dying on the table is just too high.   Her new doctor is excellent, and with some new meds, her blood pressure is within normal range now.  The heart enlargement from her out of control BP is also going down.  She also started the diet "Reversing Heart Disease" by Dr. Dean Ornish.      

So, it seems for now, we have bought some time with Mom.  I am hoping that she will get one of her wishes……to see Cory graduate from college.  Assuming that he puts his nose to the grindstone when he gets to college and graduates in 4 years, that just might be within reason now!!!!

It just might.