Check Up Time

From Yesterday...

John Michael had his 5 year old check up and he did great. When the nurse pricked his finger not even a tear. He loved going teetee in the cup, he loves talking to Dr. Lytle, but when Dr. Lytle left and we did not he knew what was coming next. The nurse with the shots. He was over it. I felt like mom of the year when he was begging to leave and I told him we couldn't. I told him to morph into one of the many superheroes that he becomes, but he said he couldn't. It took me and the nurse to hold him down, but the shots were given and he was ok, once we left the office and he knew that was it.

He wanted to stay home so I let him but before we went home I had to go to the store. Milk is one of those needed things, especially with Brandon in the house. Anyway, while we were there he wanted a prize since his leg was hurting. Of course I am a sucker and I said ok. He ended up with some crazy candy making kit that was WAY too expensive, but it made him happy. So we came home and made suckers and hard candy.

Danny had a make up game so we went to the ballpark at 6:30 and froze. Craziness. I DO NOT like the cold weather and in May it should be over, but I was so wrong. They ended up losing, but Danny hit a dang rocket! I was so proud of him. He was tickled too.

Anyway, hopefully I will be back on schedule with the blog tonight, but again we will be at the park and it will just depend on if I pass out getting the boys to sleep again. :)

Rained Out

Today started off slow, rainy days always seem to make it a little harder to get into gear. My plan was to drop off John Michael and go to the store, but the bottom decided to drop so I came on home. Brandon was not too happy that it meant another night with no milk. I am going to go tomorrow though. I am hoping that I can get this couponing thing figured out sooner than later too, it sure would be nice. The cost of gas is absolutely killing us.

Well, heading out to get the boys was not any better. It was just nasty and rainy. I was also very weepy today. I miss my dad a lot. It seemed that today everything and everyone reminded me of him. I heard the other day that the grieving stops but the sadness does not and this is so true. Also the rain and the VERY cold May temperatures broke my heart for all of those trying to recover items that mean something to them. I guess it was just a day.

The ballpark closed the fields meaning that the 2 games we had tonight were canceled. Danny will make his up tomorrow night, but I am not sure when John Michael's make up day will be. There are several games to make up so we will see how it all works out. I just hope that they are able to play this week, as they are not scheduled for another game until Tuesday. It is not easy for these little guys to remember everything when they have not been on a field in a while.

I am super excited too, we received the letter today that John Michael was accepted and will start kindergarten at St. Francis next year. This means one schools schedule to maintain and one trip in the mornings and afternoons. Any of the parents there who want to meet me there about an hour before pick up in the afternoons and walk let me know. I am looking forward t adding this to my daily schedule!

Since we were staying in for the night we did whatever for dinner. We had to clean out the refrigerator so all leftovers were warmed up. It was nice to get it all out. We are having taco soup for dinner tomorrow night. I froze it a while back and will be throwing it in the crock pot tomorrow. Seemed fitting since it is still going to be cool.

The boys love the Danimals Crush Cup commercial...crush, crush, zig zag lick....I think that is it anyway. So the pictures are of them recreating it with their popsicles. A treat since they were sad that there was no game.

Well, I am off to bed. There is a lot on the to do list for tomorrow. I hope that you all have a great night and have sweet dreams. Know that all of my friends and family are in my thoughts and prayers! We all have days where we are sad, or down, and today for me my emotions were definitely matching the weather but the small things that I was so thankful for today were numerous! Including avoiding a wreck this morning when some idiot on 459 decided to try to kill several people!

The Headlines..

Last night before I went to bed I waited to hear the speech that Obama was coming to give. To hear that Osama Bin Laden was dead was something that seriously made me sleep a little better. But what I did not like was the fact that he took credit for his death. While he might have given the go ahead this was carried out by men and women in uniform for the United States of America. This was something that these men and women have been fighting to do in order to give some closure to all of the citizens who were affected by the events that unfolded like a nightmare we could not wake up from on September 11, 2001. This was not something that he should be given the credit for, as an American, he should be humble enough to thank all of the men and women who have died fighting for our protection.

I am concerned about what these people will do seeking retaliation. These are people who are extreme, and an extremists in any area of life is never a good thing. Passion is one thing, but extremists take things to a level that no rational person would go. I pray for all Americans as this news travels the globe. I pray for our men and women overseas who could become even more of a target for these people who hate us because we are free.

To all of the men and women who fight for us, past, present and future. Thank you. Thank you for the freedom to write this blog, to tuck my children in at night, to say my prayers, to attend the parish that is near and dear to my heart. Thank you for all that you do so that I can vote, and so that I can complain when the votes do not go my way. To their families, these are the troops that we do not talk about the ones who stay at home and become single men and women to have a happy home waiting on the return of their soldiers. Thank you all. You are the true American heroes and you all deserve the credit! Thank you and know that you are never forgotten!

Now, to the tornadoes that have truly left a scar on this state. The Aeriel footage shows where this state has been hit but not at the heart, in fact people are coming together which is what makes Alabama and the South so amazing. Tonight I watched a video done by one of the Fox 6 guys and I have to say I have never been more humbled. The sights, the song, it was just amazing. What was captured was not what was lost but the heart of so many, their tears, their hugs, and in spite of all that has been taken from so many their faith. I cried hard watching this. It was so moving and so real and that is something that is not seen everyday. This same video was shown on the news tonight at 6, and I am sure at other times and I hope that you were all able to see it. If not it is worth finding on Fox 6's website.

Well, I am off to bed. I end by saying that I am proud to be an American and an Alabamian! There is an amazing atmosphere in the South and if you want to meet amazing people please visit and offer a hand! So many people are suffering, yet themselves they have put second to others! Please, thank you, mam, and sir, y'all, grits and sweet tea might be what people think when they think of the South, but know if you have never been you are missing out on a spirit that stands strong and together. Tonight I will pray for all of my friends and family as I do every night as well as the soldiers, their families, and all who have been affected and are assisting with the devastation across the South. I also pray that Obama realizes that his lack of humbleness is not something that goes unnoticed. A nice suit and speech does not make you the one that got the job done, it makes you a messenger. Know that a little humbleness can go a long way!

Welcoming in May

So May is here, WOW! I know I said it yesterday about April being gone but I am saying it again about May being here. I can remember thinking how crazy adults were thinking that time flew by when it seemed to crawl, but now I am right there and I understand. I do not know if it is because of the right now lives that we all live or if it is just a part of growing up, but regardless I understand.

Today Brandon and the boys cut the front yard and got the riding lawn mower almost ready for the back yard, which will be nice as it is a lot taller than I like! I am looking forward to it being done, maybe tomorrow? We shall see, expect an update sooner than later!

I kicked off May with a wedding, with Terri Melvin. We had a great time and I think captured the day for the bride and groom. I hope that the day for them was everything that they had hoped and more. The wedding was at Aldridge Gardens in Hover. It was very pretty. I am including a picture of the grounds for my blog, but it is raw. Edited pictures will follow in my other blog. Sooner than later I hope. I have some product shots and prom pictures to get finished up! Needless to say I know what I will be doing this week!

Well, I am off to bed tonight. I am exhausted. I will remember you all in my thoughts and prayers! I hope that as time flies and things may seem dark that you are able to enjoy life and find the silver lining that I have been told is always there!

April is Gone?!

It is really hard to believe that April has come and gone. I cannot believe that we have passed 4 months already in 2011. WOW is about all I can say.

I have decided to use my photography business to help the victims of the tornadoes that ripped through the state on April 27. I will be donating all my profits to these victims. I will also give a free session to all people who were affected. I wish that I could do more, but I have nothing extra to give monetarily, but I can give what I make to those who need it more than I do. Towns are gone and I hope that I can do something to help them rebuild.

We were going to take some of our cub scouts down to help tomorrow, but we will be waiting until next weekend when we can plan a little more at our upcoming meetings. I am not sure if we will take donations of items or if we will be taking donations of money and purchasing food to take to everyone. Hot dogs, or sandwiches, or something of that nature. Something that the boys could take down and pass out to help people. Stay tuned to my blog as I announce when and where we will collect and what we will be collecting.

Both boys had games today. John Michael played Pinson at Clay and Danny played Pinson at Pinson. Now let the rant begin. John Michael's team lost, but Brandon said fielding they had down, but they could not hit. Hopefully we will get it all together soon and these boys can get a win under them. Danny's team lost, but it was such a crooked game. The umpires at Pinson are anything but fair. They obviously are in need of glasses and a reminder that they are paid to be fair. It was seriously nuts. The ballpark was about run down and it is sad since it is not that old...the bathroom well let's not even go there. The water was brown...seriously brown! Scary stuff. I was just glad to go home. Looking forward to playing at Clay next week. I hated that I had to miss John Michael he got a hit and made it to base! Anyway, sorry I needed to vent for a few minutes.

We came home and watered the plants and played outside for a while then came in and ate and then Brandon went to cut his hair. The boys decided that they wanted their hair cut too and well it is SHORT! Brandon did not change the guards. They like it an fortunately it will grow back. ;)

Now I am headed to bed! I am praying for all of my friends and family as well as the tornado victims. I heard tonight that 11 tornadoes have been confirmed to have hit down. One stayed on the ground from state line to state line. It is absolutely devastating.

Relay For Life

Today started off very hectic, the boys woke up wild. They tore the shelf down above our bed, well John Michael did jumping to get a hat off of it, after I had told both of them to get off my bed. Needless to say it just escalated from there. I have no idea what the deal was but I think it is Easter candy overload and the lack of school! John Michael will be out again on Monday, but Danny returns so there will be some kind of normalcy happening.

Tonight was the Relay for Life. This is something that means so much to me. We walk in memory of my daddy. I wish that I could write that we were walking because he was a survivor, but there are many out there who are. We walk so that hopefully one day there is a cure and so that more birthdays are celebrated each year. We walk with the hopes that nobody else has to tell there Daddy or their Granddaddy goodbye so early in life. I could go on but for this I will let the pictures talk for me.

Before I go to bed I will say a prayer for all of my family and friends. Those whose lives are turned upside down by natural disasters, such as the tornadoes that we just experienced, or by something like cancer are on my heart heavily. I pray for you all and I hope that everyone is able to find away to celebrate life and the fact that we are alive and can make a difference.

A Day for Prayer

Waking up this morning was almost like waking up in a dream, everything seemed so impossible, and then the news was on and it became more than real. There was a lot to do today too, but we managed through.

First was getting to John Michael's zoo field trip. Danny was out of school so he got to go with us, which was fine with him. I told them before we left we would not be there long and that we did not have the money to go to everything so we would go check out the trails of Africa at least and then as soon as Daddy called we would have to leave. I will say I cannot wait to go back, but with their new prices the only way that will happen is with a zoo pass. We have done that in the past and I will say it is a great summer trip. The new prices though are slightly insane!

Well, Brandon called literally as we walked out of the Trails of Africa. We left and went home. Of course the boys' did not want to leave, but it was discussed and we left.

We went home and headed to the lake. We have a place there and we knew that it went through the area so we needed to go check on everything. The thing is it either needed to be fine or completely gone, because I do not have the money for repairs right now. Again, God protected our property and we arrived to find everything ok. Now we did not try the water or power, but everything was ok. We are very thankful for the many blessing that we received when so many were not as fortunate.

The boys want to be a part of the clean up and while I want to help in anyway that I can I also know that sometimes tiny extra hands can just be in the way. We talked to my brother in law who took off to help in Tuscaloosa and he said that they should be able to help with handing out the donations that people bring to the people who need it. This means the world to them and makes me feel good that I can do something with my hands. With my heart I continue to pray for everyone who is involved.

We came home and Brandon's mom and Meemaw came over for dinner and to wash some clothes. They are still without power. I pray that it comes on soon as they have a neighbor who is disabled and the machines that are needed to keep him alive run on power. They do have a generator, but I do not know how much fuel they have. I know that his mom and dad always have his health first and I pray that the power is on soon so that they can at least sleep a little easier. So many of us forget that power does not just mean the ability to play the Wii or watch TV to many it is life and death.

The pictures today are from the zoo, and the other is a tree that was down on our way home from the lake, this was just one of so so many. There was so much damage between us and Pell City, and I know that it is worse throughout the state.

Well, we are about to go to bed. Know that there is nobody involved that is not in my prayers. The victims of these horrible storms, the power company employees who are working around the clock, the rescuers, the friends and family of those who lost their lives, the clean up crews, the insurance adjusters, the media, and the list goes on. Love and many prayers going out to everyone!