Our Home

I finally got around to taking some pictures of our house.  I have a few more projects in mind, so as soon as those are finished, I'll post more.  Chelsea was so much help with decorating.  Thank you sis!  Here's what I have so far...

The Kitchen

The Laundry Room

The Living Room

Brenner's Room

I had fun making Brenner's letters.  They're wooden letters from Michael's and I glued coordinating scrapbook paper on top. 

I call it a surfer/old car/boat theme.

Emberlyn's Room

The Playroom

Our Room

I'm standing in my doorway, facing Brenner and Emmy's rooms.  There is a linen closet on the left, and across from that is the door to the playroom.  There is also a bathroom door on the left that you can't see.

Arts and Crafts with Chelsea

Chelsea and I painted canvases.  We were inspired by a picture in a magazine.  It took lots of mixing, a few retouches, and several trips to Michael's to get the colors just right.  Haha!  Thanks for all your help Chelsea!  They turned out just perfect.

We painted these and then glued scrapbook paper on top.  Yet another fun project!

First Day of Preschool!

Emmy had her first day of preschool today!  It's at Total Childcare Center, and it was highly recommended by a neighbor.  It's off-base in Lemoore, and takes less than 15 minutes to get to.  She goes Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-noon.  And she loves it!  We had a great time preparing for her first day.  We painted her fingers and toes hot pink, packed her backpack with an extra change of clothes (just in case), and picked out her outfit for the big day.

The next morning, I woke the kids up at 6:30 am.  Yes, 6:30 am!  That's just cruel!  But most days, that's when Brenner wakes up.  Emmy usually wakes up between 7:30-8.  We ate breakfast, got dressed (Emmy didn't want to wear the dress I laid out, so she picked out her clothes all by herself), did our hair and were out the door by 7:30.  School is in swing this week, and I didn't realize the traffic would be so bad on base.  It wasn't really the traffic that was bad, it was the little kids walking to school and the crossing guards that caused such a delay.  But we made it just in time!

I wanted to get a picture of Emmy outside, and this was the only face I could get.  It stunk outside!  Evidently, early in the morning, the smell of cow manure fills the air.  This was the first day since we've been here that I noticed it.  Oh it was terrible!  Emmy's expression tells it all.

Brenner and I took Emmy inside, we put her backpack in her cubby, found the apple with her name on it, and velcroed it on the attendance cabinet.  Then she was off!  I don't even think we got a hug good-bye.  She saw Bethany (her new friend) and they ran off and got into some toys.  It was really neat to see how all the moms and even some dads were there wishing their children a great first day of school.  I wasn't the only obsessive mom with a camera.  Although, I really didn't even take many pictures.  Some moms were having a hard time leaving, as their kids were crying for them.  I'm so thankful that I didn't have to deal with that.  Emmy's a social butterfly.

When I picked Emmy up, Bethany saw me enter the room and she runs over to Emmy and says, "Emmy!  Emmy!  Your mom's here!  Your mom's here!"  It took Emmy a minute, then she turns around and runs up to me saying, "MOM!"  Finally, I got my hug.

Rebecca (Bethany's mom) and I asked how the girls were.  The teacher's response was "Emberlyn's quiet."  Ha!  Quiet?  We'll see what they say next week...

From Emmy's report, I couldn't get many details.  So, I'm not exactly sure what they did the first day.  But I hope Emmy's future reports will be extensively detailed.  I want to know everything!

Doesn't she look SO grown-up in this picture???

                            

Emmy and Brenner

Come on Brenner!  Just one more picture!

 

Cheers to Emmy's first day of preschool!

My Dear Mom

I don't know how to start this post without describing what an amazing person my mom is.  She is my best friend.  She gives me wonderful parenting advice.  She and I like to spend time together driving around the city and shopping for hours upon hours.  She has been so supportive in everything I choose to do in life, including moving me across the country at the ripe old age of 20 to marry a man I met 9 months earlier.  You're an amazing mom for that.  She juggles her 5 kids as well as running in-home childcare.  She is an incredible wife to my dad.  She is a loyal companion to her 2 sisters.  She is a wonderful and loving daughter to her parents.  She is an instant and generous friend to everyone she meets.  She is the greatest mom anyone could ever ask for.

Thank you mom for everything you do.  Somedays I don't know how you get it all done, but just know that you have so many people in your life that are so appreciative.  We love you.

My mom has had some health issues that started earlier this year.  She has had significant pains in her intestines.  Some days were worse than others.  And some foods caused more severe pain than others.  In order to get to the bottom of this, she decided to go see a doctor.  She had a colonoscopy on July 9th; and they discovered a donut-shaped tumor that was clogging 90% of her colon.

My sister, Chelsea, was still in California with me during this time.  We were shopping at Michael's and we received a phone call from my dad shortly after the procedure.  Chelsea handed the phone over to me, and the next thing I know... my mom was telling me that she had cancer.

My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer.  My dad immediately contacted MD Anderson in Houston which was highly recommended by a family friend.  Unfortunately, they couldn't see her as soon as the doctors thought she should be seen.  So he put in a phone call to UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.  My parents met the surgeon, loved the surgeon, and were anxious to get the surgery over with.

Fast forward to July 20th:  Surgery was a huge success.  My sister flew out to TX, just in time, to make the trip to Dallas with my mom, my dad, and my grandma.  They took out the tumor, and all the surrounding organs looked great.  My mom is recovering very well.  It was difficult for her getting up, moving, and walking around.  But knew that the sooner she did it, the quicker she'd recover.  I'm so proud of her.  She's a tough cookie.

My mom has one more hurdle to go through.  We found out that 5 of 15 lymph nodes were affected, putting her in stage 3 cancer.  She will undergo 6 months of chemotherapy.  My mom will have another consultation on August 9th in Dallas to talk more about treatment and what to expect.  Even though my heart is breaking; as I had hoped that this one surgery would be a cure-all, I know that it could have been worse.  I also know that God is in control, so there's no reason to worry.

My daily prayer:
 Dear God,

Give my mom the strength she needs to get through this next hurdle.  Be with her while she goes in and receives treatment.  Give her courage as she goes into the unknown.  Show her your love.  Give her peace in her mind and heart as your will unfolds.  Hold her close and guide her through.

In Jesus' name I pray.

Amen.

Thank you friends for all your support.  You have been so good to me.  Your prayers are so very appreciated.  My mom has all the support in the world.  And I know she is in great hands, thanks to a wonderful team of doctors, a supportive family that will be her constant rock, and an amazing and loving God.


So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10