Saturday, September 26, 2009

Friday is a fun day!!

We skipped school last Friday and had us a fun day with daddy, grammie, aunt Amy, and cousin Andrew and baby Aiden. That's my country mouse and me playing ski ball.
My big guy riding his first and last motorcycle (if I have anything to say about it). Grammie, daddy, and country mouse watching on.

Baby Aiden even got in on the fun.


Watch out cousin Andrew is driving. Jesus help us because he is wild.




My country mouse driving the fire engine!! You go girl!
Fun was had by all. This is our local fun place called panda-moni-yum. Pizza and games!! The place was full of kids having b-day parties on a school day. Homeschoolin is the greatest!! We have so much fun.



Thursday, September 24, 2009

gratitude and a heavy heart

Today, I have a heavy heart. There is a little boy fighting the battle of cancer. I hate that word. This boy is twelve years old. I do not know him on a personal level but on a spiritual connection. You see he is a brother in Christ. I have been following his mother's blog for about two weeks keeping up with his progress. Waiting on the word that the Healer has healed and he is whole again. We are believing God for a total healing. No more brain tumor, no more headaches, no chemo and radiation. Please God, heal Andrew. In the name of Jesus. Amen.

I know the Father as a miracle worker. I have actually seen Him in action. This November will be two years since we received a miracle in our family.

The day after Thanksgiving 2007, Black Friday. My mother and I had never done the early morning shopping extravaganza at walmart. So, we decided to get up at 4:00am for a day of shopping. We had a wonderful day, good shopping and a quick bite for lunch and more shopping. At about 4 pm, I headed home drop dead tired. Mom headed home too. I was making tacos for dinner at about 5:15 when my sister called. "Mom's got a really BAD headache and we are taking her to the ER." I'm like she's just tired Amy tell her to rest. "No, you don't understand Brandi. She's in pain." Pain that makes you vomit and collapse in and out of consciousness. Her boyfriend Gary carried her off the couch into the truck. On the way she said her goodbeyes, to him and what to tell us girls. She has told me since, that at that moment she felt like her life was over and she was dieing. She was in pain but at peace with this being IT. She knew she would be with the Savior shortly.

In the ER, they did the MRI and sure enough, a ruptured brain aneurysm. She has described it as intense heat and water running inside her head. Oh, and the most massive pressure you can imagine. There is not much room in the skull. When blood is flowing out , where is it gonna go? The water running she heard is the blood flowing out of her vessel. So, this was a real serious cituation.

She was taken by ambulance to Shands UF and thats when I arrived. The next few hours many test were done. The doctors told us that it would be touch and go through the night. The next morning she would be going in for brain surgery to clamp the vessel. By this point I felt like collapsing from being over whelmed and exhausted. I spent the night in the Shands waiting room, I couldn't sleep if I tried. I cried out to Jesus all night. He answered!

By morning the bleeding had stopped. She even looked better but the Drs still wanted to do the surgery just to make sure. We prayed about it and decided to put it in God's hands. She was having the brain surgery. This was the saddest time. This is the time that a mother and her two daughters say everything you may never get to say, on this earth anyway. No matter what, we love her and she loves us. There could be no other mother for me and I know she feels the same. I left that room with peace and knowing my mother would make it.

I still spent the next five hours in prayer. Most of it on my knees in the chapel. Waiting... Finally here she came down the hall on a stretcher, totally out of it, but moving and alive. Hours later, when we were allowed to see her, she looked bad. Scar from one ear over the forhead to the other ear. She spent two weeks in ICU and she hated every minute of it.

Today, she has lasting disabilities. Short term memory deficit, blindness in one eye, and pains occasionally on the left side of her head. Especially if she is about to cry. Mom, don't cry if you are reading this. Don't hurt yourself.

You are our miracle! I love you so much!

Sadly, we found out that the ICU pod she was in had all anuerysm patients at that time. She was the only one to make it. One was a eighteen year old boy. It cannot be explained this side of heaven. Only the Heavenly Father knows!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Look what's cookin over here...

The first day of Fall! I felt like the first day of fall is a good day for a pot of homemade soup and garlic cheese biscuits (yep, just like red lobster). It was so good! Except, I had to turn the air conditioner down when I broke out in a sweat.lol.
It's gonna be even better tommorrow!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Grammie's house....

No, the laundry didn't get done, the vacuming needs to be done but thats everyday. Today, we visited grammie. We packed all our cookie makin ingredients and we we're off. Two cups of flour, one cup of sugar.... "Can I lick the spoon grammie"

Yum, yum peanut butter cookies.





Patty cake, patty cake baker's man. Bake me a cookie as fast as you can.
What was supposed to be one batch of chocolate chip cookies turned into ten dozen of choc. chip, peanut butter, and p.nut butter choc. chip. My new favorite!!

This is life being lived.




Saturday, September 19, 2009

Is your living room Grand Central Station? Mine is!

All Aboard! Beware passengers, this train has been known to derail and collide. Oh, and the track could abruptly come to an end. Ride the rails at your own risk!
He has loved trains since before he could walk. Now, he teaches her how to build the railway.


Hours of fun play time in our living room. This is life being lived!





Tuesday, September 8, 2009

They grow too fast...

Garrett (3) on North Carolina vacation 2005.
My Boy!! You are a gentle soul. A boy that tells his mommy and daddy that you love us all the day long. You are the same gentle boy at seven as you were as a little baby. Content to play with your Thomas trains for hours. These days your toy's are bigger and louder and you have great imagination. Our baby Grace first Christmas 2005. First year in the new house.
You stole your daddy's heart in a way he didn't know it could be stolen. He would quit work and spend every moment with you in his arms (if he could). You are a vibrant spirit. When you are in a room everybody hears you. My sweet girl!!

Oh, by the way, I think this is about one of the last times I was able to dress you in dresses. Broke your mama's heart. Every year the most beautiful spring dresses and you will have nothing to do with them. I have hope for someday.
Such a cutie!!
I sometimes wish I could save time in a bottle. My babies are growing up fast everyday. I miss them being babies. I think I want more!!!!


Wednesday, September 2, 2009

visiting Shamu
















We took our family to Sea World this weekend. We had a wonderful time. I am always amazed at the creatures in the aquariums. I can see God's hand in every creation. Some of the most awesome things like a jellyfish the size of a quarter that lights up off and on. Or the beauty of miniture sea horses. My children and I could stand and gaze inside those tanks for hours. If it wasn't for all the non English speaking travelers stepping on my children's little feet or shoving them out of the way. Apparently, parents in other countries do NOT teach manners. I was really shocked at the display of rudeness. But I did not let it affect my mood and fun for the day.

I even climbed myself up in a four story cargo net and crawled around on my knees. I want them to remember me as fun mommy. They should issue parents knee pads for that thing. My knees are still bruised but that's okay because I have not laughed so hard in a long time.