Cutie's..

 

Alex, and Jaxon

 

Jaxon

 

Ella

 

I am spending the weekend  with Ella in a hospital that is about 2 1/2 hours from Thomasville.  Ella has been in for almost two weeks, because of feeding problems.  She is getting a feeding tube, and should be home by the end of next week.

Please keep Ella and her family in your prayers.

TEAM HOYT!

 

Maybe I am one of the last people to see this video, but it brought me to tears, so I thought I would pass it along.

A son asked his father, "Dad, will you take part in a marathon with me?" The father who, despite having
a heart condition, says "Yes." They went on to complete the marathon together. Father and son went on to join other marathons, the father always saying "Yes" to his son's request of going through the race together.

One day, the son asked his father, "Dad, let's join the Ironman together."To which, his father said "Yes."

For those who didn't know, Ironman is the toughest triathlon ever. The race encompasses three endurance events of a 2.4 mile (3.86 kilometer) ocean swim, followed by a 112 mile (180.2 kilometer) bike ride, and ending with a 26.2 mile (42.195 kilometer) marathon along the coast of the Big Island. Father and son went on to complete the race together. View this;

 

Visit team Hoyt's website

Willie B

 

I can't believe he's almost ONE!!!!

 

 

Should I?

 

Wayne, and I have been struggling with the idea of becoming foster parents.  We missed our training last weekend, because we were both sick.  The next one is in November, but knowing my luck it will be when Mark, (my brother), and his family are in town visiting.

I have wanted to foster for several years.  Wayne, and I have been discussing it on and off, the last few months, and we decided to give it ago.

I signed up for a yahoo group, that is geared toward foster parenting.  The group mainly consists  foster mothers, talking about their daily ups and downs of raising foster children. 

Many of them have fostered over a dozen children, and eventually adopted a few of them.  Some of them they picked him from the hospital after they were born.  Others came from group homes as troubled teens.

These children like all children need a lot of attention, and love.  There will be your typical sick child, and well check doctors apts.  As well as countless other appointments with social workers, and councilors.  Court dates, and school meetings.

I know that Wayne, and I  could give a child a loving home, but I am worried I wont be able to "do it all" and not miss any work. As my boss is being less than supportive about this whole situation.

I wonder if the timing is wrong, should  we just hold off until I am able to stay home?

Should I enjoy married life, kid free for a few years?

Or should I jump in feet first, and get on with it?

More damage..

Barnetts Creek  HWY 84 W between Thomasville, and Cairo overflowed.

 

 

yes, that's a car, being swept away.

 

With someone inside of it..

The car being push away.

Can you tell where the road is?

She's gone!

 

Thankfully the rain has ceased!   We received upward of twenty plus inches of rain.  We were without power for 39 hours, which usually isn't a big issue, but when you have a temperature of 102, it causes a few issues.

We played uno, slept as much as we could, and drove each other nuts.  We received some water damage in our bathroom, there are a few shingles laying on the ground and a ton of debris.

Below are some pictures we capture from around town.

Wayne checking out our house for damage.

 

   Trees blocking the road

The clay road on the way to the plantation.

The road caved in..

   Me checking out the damage..notice the cool wellies!!

                     downed tree on Winnstead.

   More roads closed, because of the storm.

Feeling sorry for myself..

 

I can't believe its only 5:30pm.  I feel as if  time as been standing still all day.  I am not one to sit around and do nothing, and its driving me nuts.

I went back to the doctor today, because I feel as if I have been hit by a bus.  Turns out I don't have strep just a crappy virus that's in my throat, as well as my sinus infection.

I don't ever recall being in this much pain, maybe I am turning into a wuss in my old age. I have decided to wrap myself up in my Mum's dressing gown, and take it easy.

Wayne's infection looks much better today, we have to change the dressing twice a day, and have it rechecked on Monday.

He still isn't able to bear weight on his leg, and isn't due for another check up until Sept 11. 

He has been doing his best driving me nuts, he's more work than Parker and Willie combined. While doing his latest stunt in his wheelchair, he fell backwards and almost bust his noggin .

The winds from fay have started to pick up, they have already knocked down our neighbor tree, taking out the power line as well.

 

We are expected to get 8-10 inches of rain over the next few hours.

Contagious

 

Today I woke up with swollen glands, sore ears, sore head, and a few other ailments.  I went to the Dr, and was told I also have Strep on top of my sinus infection.  I am also wheezing slightly.

Around noon, I ended my work day with plans to come home and sleep.  When I got home Wayne's wrist was bleeding thru his band aid as well as gauze.  I unwrapped it (with gloves on), and new right away that it has spread and was majorly infected.

I called the Dr's and was able to get him seen at 1:30pm.  His wound has went from the size of a pen, to the size of a silver dollar.  Most of his skin  was dead.

She recut the wound so that it could drain correctly. Which led to Wayne bleeding all over the office, because he is on blood thinners since they discovered the clot in his leg.

He was started on another antibiotic, and will be rechecked tomorrow.

and to top it all off we are supposed to be getting hit by tropical store Fay, within the next 24-36 hours..

When it rains it pours..

Donations..

 

My friend Stephanie is walking in the fight against breast cancer. The Breast Cancer 3-Day is a 60-mile walk over the course of three days. Net proceeds benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure and National Philanthropic Trust, funding important breast cancer research, education, screening, and treatment.

Stephanie needs donations, she has to raise $3,000 in order to be allowed to walk.  Please consider donating in memory of my Mum or one of your loved ones. $1, $5, $10, or a $100 it all adds up.

Imagine if you could spare one family from the heartache, that we experienced, and continue to experience because of our Mum's flight with breast cancer.  

Thanks in advance for your support!!!!

bloody hell..

 

 

Wayne has had some sort of "bite" on his wrist, that appeared last Friday.  It wasn't getting any better so I told him to have it checked out by the doctor.  They sliced it open, and sent the puss away for testing as they think he may have MRSA which is a serious staph infection.

We will have the test results on Friday, in the mean time he is being treated with antibiotics just in case. So now my poor hubby has a gimp leg, and a messed up arm..

To top it all off I have a killer sinus infection.

Ella

 

I have been working a second part-time job to get a little extra cash. I have been caring for a premature newborn 3-4 over nights per week.  Ella was born five weeks premature was just over four pounds at  birth.  She is now thirteen weeks old, and weighs 7lbs 2oz.  In the last 3-4 weeks she hasn't gained any weight, not even an ounce.

Today she was admitted to the hospital, three hours from home.  They plan to run a slew of tests to try and get to the bottom of her "issue".  Please keep Ella, and her family in your prayers.

So excited!!

 

My brother Mark, his wife Sharon, and my two nieces Erin, and Carrie will be making their way to the states in Nov.  They are staying for a little over two weeks.  While here we have  a lot of things to do.  We will be staying in Atlanta, GA  for a few days, and then heading to the beach at Tybee, after that we are heading to Disney for a few days. 

I am so excited as I have only met Erin once, and never met Carrie.  I can't wait!!

Now I really need to get my butt in gear, i;ve got a lot to do before they get here.

Restore

 

Most of you  have heard about habitat for humanity at some point or another .  "Habitat for Humanity International is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing ministry. HFHI seeks to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from the world, and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action."

But did you know that habitat for humanity also has stores that sell new, and used building material that you can purchase for a fraction of the price. We visited our local restore yesterday to see what items they had for sale. They had everything from wallpaper to bathtubs, nails, tile, anything and everything you need for your home improvement project.

All of the money made in the store goes right back into building another house.

Had Wayne, and I known about their store a year ago, we could have easily saved a few thousand dollars on our house remodel. 

Small difference

Wayne, and I have decided to pursue becoming foster parents through a local private foster agency called Georgia safe. It is a long process, and it will most likely be 3-6 months before we receive a child.

We have decided to care for a child between the ages of 0-4 yrs old, who may or may not have mild developmental disabilities. We also stated that we would be willing to take a sibling group of two children if they are both under the age of 4.

So far we have filled out over thirty pages of paper work, submitted copies of every important ID, or paper pertaining to our life. Got a few things notarized, full medical physicals, and mailed everything to the agency.

Next weekend we will travel to Ablany, GA. Which is just over an hour from Thomasville, to begin our IMPACT training. ( Initial Interest, Mutual Selection, Pre-Service Training, Assessment, Continuing Development, Teamwork)

After our weekend long training session we will submit finger prints so that the agency can run a background check,

Once our background checks come back clear (Wayne you better not have any hidden secretes!!), we will begin the home study process. I have heard that the home study is the hardest part of the process.

They tour your house, and asked details of your entire life. Questions about your parents, how you were raised, your views of discipline, why you want to be a foster parent etc.

Once the home study is complete all of our info is then submitted before a review board, and we are either approved or dined.

There are so many loving children who need a good home, someone to love them, someone to care about them. Someone to show them that they are important.

Can you imagine being five years old and diagnosed with cancer, not receiving the right treatments, because your parents are too high on drugs to notice.

Can you imagine being a baby born to a mother who has no place to live, no food to give you.

Can you imagine being a teenager fending for yourself because your parents are alcoholics, and spend all of the money on alcohol.

Can you imagine living without power,food, clothes, and shelter. That is some of the challenges these poor children are faced with

While I know we can't save the world, it feels good to know we can make a small difference.

I will keep you updated as we venture further into our foster care journey.

Did you know..

 

• I started my blog so that our friends and family, near and far can keep in touch. With today's busy schedule, time differences, and the demands of life, its hard to keep in touch.

. 

• Over 5,000 people have read my blog since I first started it back in December of 2007

 

• Most of those visits have been from people in Virginia, Scotland, and Colorado.

 

• Words that are highlighted in black, are clickable.  If you click on them it will take you to another site, that gives me info on on what I am talking about. For example if you click on Teagyn's name it will take you to Teagyn's website.

 

• I enjoy writing.babbling, I often go back and read old post's, it brings back  memories.

 

• You can leave a comment by clicking on the comments link at the bottom of each post. 

 

• I don't like it when people post anonymous comments, you could at least sign your name at the bottom..HINT HINT

Ouch

 

Wayne had his staples removed today, and it was relatively pain free.  The doctor told him that he is to begin lifting his leg, up and down, but it ha to remain straight until his next doctors apt which has been schedule for Sept. 11th.

He advised him not to return to work before then, because its important that his leg stays straight.

After the Sept 11th, apt, he will begin rehab.  Hopefully those whole ordeal will be behind us in a few more weeks.

Thanks for your well wishes.

Missing my baby, more than every

A tiny flower,

lent not given

to bud on Earth

and bloom in Heaven.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

There is a special Angel in Heaven that is a part of us. It is not where we wanted her but where God wanted her to be. She was here just for awhile like a night time shooting star. And though she is in Heaven she isn't very far. She touched the lives of many like only an Angel can do. I would've held her every minute if the end I only knew. So I send this special message to the Heaven up above. Please take care of our Angel and send her all our love

Please help find a cure.. (repost)

As most of you are aware my niece, Teagyn passed away from a rare disorder at 4 1/2 yrs old. With the help of you, and others we hope to one day find a cure, so that no other family has to suffer as we have.

Whenever you shop online please consider shopping via Igive.   Igive will donate a percentage of your purchase to an organization of your choice. It costs you nothing, and it can also be used as a tax deduction.

Igive.com has over 600 well known stores, please sign up today, and select  Zellweger Baby Support Network as your organization.

To learn more about Zellweger baby support network, please visit our website @ ZBSN.org

Worried you might forget to use Igive?  You can download a free shopping window, that pops up when you go to the store of your choice. 

To learn more about our angel please visit, Teagyn's website

Thanks for your support, it truly means a great deal to myself, and my family.

Karen

Just hanging out..

 

We've been keeping a low profile lately.  With Wayne's sore knee, and me working two jobs,  I don't have a minute to spare. 

The walls are starting to close in on Wayne, I think he has been house bound much too long.  Today he has a list of chores that should keep him busy for a little while.  On Thursday he returns to the doctors to have his stitches removed. Once they are removed I hope he is able to bear weight, and get back to work!!

Jackse boo

 

Getting big, and causing trouble!

Bring on the rain

 

Wayne, and I have known each other for five years.  We dated for four out of those five years, and we've been married for two months, and 16 days..not that I'm counting.

Our first date was on July 9, 2004.  We walked along the beach (hold hands!!), and then went to dinner at Abby Road, a local restaurant/pub in Virginia Beach. We had a great time, laughing, talking, and just enjoying being in each others company.

Dating  long distance was hard, we seen each other once a month, for less than 48 hours.  We spent thousands of dollars on plane tickets, rental cars, and hotels. We logged more than a million minutes taking on the phone with each other.  Often running up extremely high phone bills.

I had no idea that less than two years later, I would leave the only life I had known, and move 1,000 miles away to be with a man, I wasn't sure I was going to marry.

Well, I knew I wanted to marry him, but I wasn't so sure if he shared the same feelings since he is a man of few words.

We were destine to fail from the beginning because long distant relationships aren't supposed to work out. Going from seeing each other once a month to everyday took a lot of adjusting. Our relationship  had many ups and downs, including  the death of my niece Teagyn, long distance move, many house moves, finical struggles, the loss of my Mum. 

Despite our rocky life one thing has remained constant our love for each other. The other night Wayne told, me that he "Thanks God for me everyday" my response was "like wise". I know that I couldn't have made it this far in life without my partner in crime.

Love ya honey..

Let it begin..

 

Its 6:53am and Wayne has just been taken back for to be prepped for surgery.  I know its outpatient, and consider a simple surgery, but I am still nervous.

I sat with him for 15-20 minutes before they wheeled him into the OR.

The surgery itself should take an hour.

Please say a wee prayer that everything will be okay.

It's 8:08am, and the lady told me his surgery has just begun. 

We are home now, and Wayne is resting.  They were able to do the scope surgery, and remove the cartilage that came off. They also removed a blood clot that was forming, because of all the blood in his leg.

He is not allowed to weight bear for 48 hours, but after that it's all hands on deck.

Thanks for the prayers.

Get it together

We have spent the last five days going from one Dr's apt to another, the system here in lovely Thomasville, is ass backwards. You come in with an injured knee, your wife misses work to drive you, because you cant drive yourself, when you have a leg immobilize on. The Dr' looks at you and says "yep you need an MRI".

So they schedule your MRI for the following day, your wife misses more time off work. After the MRI you go back to the DR for the results, missing more work, and walking on a SORE LEG, that you have been told not to bend.

Dr tells you that you need surgery, come back tomorrow to SIGN papers, and schedule surgery. Oh wait you need to to pre-op, and sit for hours on end, waiting your turn. After pre-op you breath a sigh of relief because you just spent 4 hours in the Dr's office for a 5 min visit. As your getting ready to leave the nurse tells you that you must stop by the outpatient rehab, to learn what exercises must be preformed on your leg after surgery.

Keep in mind its 1,000 degrees, Wayne can't walk, I have a 10 month old attached to my hip, and a 3 yr old who decides he wants to be just like Wayne, and can no longer walk.

So after a total of 12 hours surgery has been scheduled for 6:30am tomorrow.

The "system" is totally messed up. Someone needs to be figure out what's going on.

Will update tomorrow!

A day late..

 

Okay well maybe a week late, but i've been busy caring for wounded puppy husband..

 

 

The car packed to the roof, and then some.

 

 

Jannae read to hit the waves..

 

Alex diggin around, trying to find some crabs.

 

Auntie stealing a kiss from her boy..

 

Brooke, Katie, Jannae, and Alex..posing...

Who knew..

Who knew that I married a cheater?  Wayne, and I were playing Uno, and I caught him cheating, not once, but TWICE! Cheating gets you know where cause I won three out of five.

SUCKER..

Pictures of you..

 

Visions of my my Mum's last weeks have been crossing my mind each night as I try to fall asleep.  It's like a bad dream, that leaves me full of fear, and totally breathless. 

When you are wrapped up in such a horrible situation you don't notice the regression.  It's only after the shock wears off that your body/brain starts to process everything that has taken place. 

When I first arrived in Virginia my Mum was able to eat, and talk using little oxygen.  Within a week and a half of me being there she was eating less, and less and requiring more, and more oxygen. With in hours things went down hill quickly, and before I knew it my Mum was being intabated . 

I had pains in my chest, and a lump in my throat my body was shaking as they asked me to leave my Mums bed side.  I told her not to worry, and that I would be back in as soon as they allowed me. I can still see the fear in her eyes, and she was gasping for breath. 

I remember calling my sister and crying/ yelling down the phone, that I needed someone with me, because I didn't want to be alone if this was going to be the end.

Thankfully she was successfully intabated, which gave us several more weeks with our Mum.  During the first week of being on the vent, Mum was able to talk, and communicate with us.

I read to her, sang songs, talk about the old times, and read all the notes of encouragement, that people left on her care page. Sometime she would ask me to stop reading because the notes were making her sad. I made sure I told her how much I, and everyone else loved her.

I washed her hair, did her make up, lotioned her feet, brushed her teeth, but in the end I couldn't save her.   I didn't have the magic wand.

My heart hurts for the things I have lost. For the moments my Mum will not get to witness.  Sometimes I think the pain is unbearable, but then I think of all my Mum endured, and know that I must be strong.

With tears streaming down my face, please know that one day I will  be okay, because my Mother taught me to be strong.

 

I love you Mum.

When it rains, it pours..

 

A few days have gone passed, and Wayne is still unable to bear wear on his leg.  He was seen at urgert care, and was referred to an orthopedist who requested an MRI.  We have fun chatting and joking around while the MRI was going on.  We return to the orthopedist Monday morning, and should know if surgery is necessary for it to heal.

Upon returning home from the Dr's we realized our air conditioner  was out of commission. Those of you who live in Scotland, don't understand the need for a/c.  Our house quickly went from a comfy 78 degrees, to a hot a sweaty 86! It was insanely hot, even the cats were sweating!

Thankfully we got the AC fixed first thing this morning.

It's one thing after another..