Family

My family at our house

the ladies (Cheryl-Nat's wife, Jessica, mom, me, Jessica-Mike's wife)

the kids-all grown up now! I wish I had one of us as younger kids to put next to it

the grandkids (Kara-Mike and Jessica's daughter, Hannah, Michael-Jessica (my sister's) son, and Ryan)

another pose of the kids. This is my favorite!

grandma and grandpa with the grandkids

the kids, their spouses and grandkids

all the kids and kids-in-law

the men

I had such a good time in NC visiting with all my family for Christmas. These are just the posed pictures that we took. We hadn't seen my little brother, Nat, and his wife since they moved to FL a year and a half ago. It was good to be all together. They really want to move back up this way so pray that the Lord would work something out if it is His Will for them. All the grandkids played nicely and we ate lots of good food and played lots of games. God is so good.

nebulizer update

I took Ryan back to the dr yesterday for his regular 3 yr check up with a different dr than he has been seeing for the nebulizer and coughing drama we've been having. That dr had informed him of everything and asked him to pay special attn to that and make a decision on what the next step is for us. I could see, or hear, a major improvement once we started the inhaled steriod last Friday. So I was expecting good news. I even took the nebulizer with me yesterday, just in case he said we didn't have to use it anymore. We didn't get that lucky!! His lungs are very clear but I still have to do the inhaled steriod once a day for 30 days. That isn't too bad but our insurance doesn't pay for the nebulizer so I am expecting a heafty bill from them later!! The dr explained to me that the way he his lungs got bad in the first place was just catching a cold or virus, that virus never getting completely better and then him getting another virus. His lungs became irritated and never had time to heal so he started wheezing and coughing real bad. I have to keep him on the steriod because if he catches another cold or any virus, his lungs could get irritated again and he would be back to wheezing. At first he mentioned keeping him on the steriod until the spring, until we got out of the cold season. I'm glad he changed his mind about that!!

I actually have a rant today!

I am feeling very upset right now. I just found out about another teenager I know who is pregnant! I can't help but be more angry than happy with these people who just want to play house and think that raising a child will be all fun and games. I know of several young women who are pregnant, not married, don't go to dr appts, don't have homes or money or insurance and aren't worried about how all this will affect their child one day. They don't think about the fact that children cost lots of money, are actually hard to deal with sometimes, don't always love you, and don't came out wanting to obey their parents! I feel so sorry for the children who are being brought into the world under these circumstances. They are the ones who suffer because of their parents' decisions. I just don't understand why parents raise their children (or don't raise them) the way they do. Sigh........I guess that's all for now.

........

I mentioned in my last post that I thot there was something strange going on with Patches. I just thot I'd update everyone on her. She is actually doing fine now. I don't know what got into her but she is back to her old self again. But I am still watching her closely!! The night I was worried about her, her and Sammy had got out of the laundry room while we were gone and there was evidence that they had been in the trash so I am thinking maybe she ate something she shouldn't have. But who knows!!

I didn't sleep well last night and I woke up with a sore throat and slight headache. My nose was all stuffy. I don't think my body can fight off all the germs much longer!! I took some cold meds and am feeling better in that way. But the cold medicine I take, Day Quil, makes my stomach feel queasy so I am still feeling a little blah. Usually I can get away with only taking it in the morning but if I start getting something major like a sinus infection or ear infection, I have to take it every 4 hrs like clock work to function! I kind of want to get it now and be better before Christmas but I also want to fight it as long as I can! We'll see. I guess I'll deal with whatever the Lord gives me, like I have any other choice! =)

I have to take Ryan back to the dr for a recheck tomorrow. He will be finished with he second round of steriods and his second antibiotic. He is still coughing. It is improved some but not 100%. Also, the dr informed that the kids should have had a second h1n1 shot. If you remember, I wrote in one post that we waited in like almost 3 hours for the mist at the beginning of Nov. Well, they neglected to tell me that they would have to have a second one!! Hannah can have the mist again but Ryan can not since he is wheezing. I dont't even know if he'll get tomorrow since he is sick.

There was a water main break near our house yesterday evening. Brad was in the shower, all lathered up, when the water went off! It was hard not to laugh but he was not happy! We had about half a case of bottled water that I had to dump into a big pan and heat up on the stove for him. We were trying to get ready for church. It did come back on later, I was already in bed.

I think that is about all I have to say.

winter blues

I'm beginning to think Ryan is going to be sick all winter. He can not get over this nasty cough. He was on steriods for 5 days, 10 days of antibiotics and the nebulizer for I don't even know how long. I have lost track at this point. I think it has been 2 weeks now. It seemed like he was doing better for a day or 2 but now he is worse again. Hopefully I'll get him back in to the dr tomorrow. He had a fever a couple times this weekend and a snotty nose started a day after finishing the abx. How is that even possible?! He hasn't been eating hardly anything, which is very different. So just continue to pray for him.

I also am feeling very nervous about my dog, Patches. I hope it's just me being me but I have a weird feeling that something just isn't right with her. She was acting strange last night and she just doesn't seem the same to me. If you ask Brad, nothing is different but I know my pets! If you remember, I predicted my rabbit's death earlier this fall and a long time ago I predicted my hampster's death. I hope I am wrong. What do you guys think about God taking care of pets? I know the Bible says that he takes care of the sparrows and things like that but does he have a plan for Patches? Would praying change anything? I don't want to necessarily keep her around forever but I would prefer for her to die in her sleep like Taffy so I don't have to make any treatments decisions or euthanasia decisions. Anyway, I just want to put that out there. You all know how I am about my pets. These dogs where my first kids. And even tho they are annoying sometimes, they are still special to me. Ok, I'm done for now. I guess you can pray for Patch if you want! =) I might just be going crazy, I don't know. Gotta do Ryan's breathing treatment so he can go to bed.

good day gone bad!

Where do I start?! While Hannah was at school today, Ryan and I had a very long day at home. It just seemed like the time was going sooooo slowly! I did some things around the house; laundry, dishes, cleaned Ryan's room, swept, so on. But it felt like all that took about 5 minutes of the day. I just couldn't do anything to pass the time faster. I called Brad's mom as soon as I thot she would be awake (she stays up late and sleeps in so I called at 10) to see if she had plans tonight. SHe has been wanting me to come out and give her dogs their 7-1 vaccines. I totally don't agree with buying the shots and doing it yourself but that is a whole nother blog in itself! She didn't answer her phone so I left a message. When she hadn't called me back by 1pm, I called Brad's g-ma to see if she had talked to her. Turns out she was already out shopping when I had called at 10! With the slow morning we were having, I was dying to get out of the house after we got Hannah from school. She finally called me back and said we could come out for the evening. Thank goodness!! I even took supper (manwich makings and mac n cheese). After we got home, after 6pm. I fed the dogs, took them out and then locked the door, knowing we wouldn't be going back out. I put the kids in the bathtub and cranked the water on. You know how sometimes you feel like the water is never going to get warm? I had the feeling and thot but it never got any warmer so I turned the cold water off completely. Still no hot water.......Of course, Brad is out of town so I called him immediately. He just said "it'll have to wait till I get home." So I called Brad's g-ma. I am so thankful she lives about 20 steps away!! I took the kids over there in their towels, in the pooring down rain, gave them a bath real quick and headed back home with Ryan. Went to turn the door knob........it was locked!!!! I jsut couldn't believe it!! No, we don't have a spare key outside hidden for these instances! It it on my list for walmart tomorrow tho!! I took Ryan back next door and had to get a chair, pry the screen out of Ryan's window, and climb in it!! Luckily it was unlocked because Brad had to do the same thing last week. The thing is, when you lock the front door, from the inside, you can still turn the knob and go in and out. But from the outside it is locked. So when I leave I always forget the door is still locked and remember when I cant get back in!! But now the kids are in bed and I am watching biggest loser, about to get a bowl of ice cream!! =) That makes everything better!

the nebulizer.....

my worst enemy!! I had to take Ryan back to the dr on Monday because he was still coughing. This time the dr heard wheezing in his lungs when he would breath out so we were blessed with a nebulizer 3 times a day and antibiotics 1 time a day. Ryan does not like to have the breathing treatments, which turns it into a battle!! It takes between 10-15 minutes (it might actually be less but it feels like forever) and the machine is loud and blows the medicine in his face and 10 minutes is way too long for any almost 3 yr old to be still!! Tuesday (yesterday) I was sure Ryan was getting worse. He was coughing a lot more and even coughed to the point of spitting up at the playground. He had to go back for a recheck today and turns out he is worse. Now he's wheezing when he inhales and exhales. So we had to get a steriod that he also has to take 2 times a day!! I have been doing his third treatment of the day after I put him in bed and know he is sleeping. That is ten times easier for me! He does wake up but he is so groggy that he just lays there. Then goes right back to sleep when I leave. I tried doing the first one the same way this morning but somehow he knew it was time to get up and he wasn't as cooperative!! So....that is where I stand now. He is still sick but not contagious sick. It sounds like he has something crazy going on when you hear him cough. Poor boy. He did this to me last year around Christmas time. The dr told me that the steriod can sometimes have weird side effects on kids like when thy=ey get mad, they get very mad. If they cry it is a major cry, basically they get very dramatic. And it increases the appetite. The boy already eats all day! So it will be interesting to see how he acts the next few days. I don't remember his attitude from last year. Well, it is about naptime for both of us!! I have to say I've been looking forward to naptime since I woke up! I have been waking up with a headache about every day. today it was worse and I just didn't feel good in general.......blahhhh. Say a prayer for us if it occurs to you!