Clinicals

I don't know how much I'm allowed to say here but I had my first real hospital clinicals yesterday... I was in the nursery! I liked it but I don't know if its for me... It was kinda slow. Maybe the NICU might be more my speed.

I was dying!

I can't remember if I've posted about my *issues* here or not... but I have some gastric issues. I've been dealing with it for several years now but recently I've been experiencing a change in my symptoms. Now instead of what the doctor calls "dumping syndrome" I've been experiencing horrible pressure in my upper abdomen. I've been doing alka seltzer for the pain (cause it makes me burp) but it doesn't really help. I've had to drink it as many as 3x a day. These symptoms have been going on for about 3 weeks now. The *episode's* last for about 20 minutes. The pain is really severe (like get naked kinda pain). Last night I had an episode that wouldn't let up. It kept getting worse and worse so finally after about 40 minutes of experiencing the WORST.PAIN.IN.MY.LIFE. I decided it was time to call a professional... Jessica's grandmother (she's a nurse). She said GO TO THE ER! During this episode I was in so much pain that I couldn't even talk (imagine that)! I cried, threw up and basically locked myself in the bathroom to suffer. I gave in and decided it was time to go to the ER (jessica had to get me dressed) and off we went. Well we got about 10 minutes down the road and the pain was gone. We came back home and I've made myself an appointment for next monday. I think its safe to say that I scared my hubby and Jessica.... but I'm okay!

No Snow...

Just Ice and I'm not happy!

Blizzard of 2011

We're bracing ourselves for a "Winter Storm" here in central Alabama.... LOL I'm really looking forward to the snow but I don't get my hopes up anymore. We're prepared: 2 1/2 loaves of bread, 2 gallons of milk, 1 gallon of chocolate milk, 1 gallon of OJ, lots of juice, sandwich meat, cereal and some charcoal to grill our hamburgers with if it gets really bad :) LOL

We spent most of the day yesterday cleaning the house - like really cleaning! I have this funny little thing I do when there's any hint of unusual weather... I clean!! I want the house to be perfect so we can function if things get bad. I've been doing laundry for 2 straight days - non stop! hahaha

We've put plastic over some of the windows upstairs and taped off some down stairs. We've got the portable propane heater ready. Cell phones charged, laptops charged and camera's charged. The lanterns are ready. The cars are backed into the driveway so we can get out easier. We even let the cats come inside (not one of my ideas - trust me).

So how do you prepare?

Overdue Thanksgiving Pics

We were walking through one of the fields in Cades Cove... My boys were tired of walking and we were in the middle of a breakdown when these deer came out of the words and walked right by us! There are 3 in this picture and one of them is a big buck. They actually got pretty close to us! The kids loved it!

My granny jean with her great grandkids...
Gah Gah and Papa with their grandkids

We took our kids to the Ripley's Aquarium and it was worth every pennny. They loved it!!!

But they didn't like having to stop and take pictures :)

Looking back...

I was looking back to see what my past resolutions were and I stumbled on my first day of college :) Jan 8 2009. I also read where my plan was to finish my basics by Fall of 2010 and start the nursing part shortly after... I finished in Spring 2010 and started the nursing program in Fall of 2010! I'll graduate in May 2012!

My New Years Resolution

So I've watched enough talk shows over my break to know how I'm supposed to set up my resolutions. HA! I should look back and see what years past resolutions were... although it might discourage me to see that I failed at keeping those too :) Sometimes I just forget what I said I was gonna do! Okay so here's mine...

1. Lose 10 lbs by Valentines Day, 10 more St. Patty's Day, 10 more by Easter, 10 more by Memorial Day, 10 more by 4th of July, 10 more by Birthday (8/13), 10 more by Halloween, 10 more by Thanksgiving and then just keep it off till the 2012 :)
*Now I realize that at some point its going to be harder to lose the weight but I think if I can see laid out like this then maybe it will help me stay motivated... kinda like a game.

2. Stay disciplined with my school work (use my time more wisely)

3. Scream less at my kids (just being honest)

4. Manage our money better

5. Have more date nights with my hubby

6. Study the bible

Big Dorks

Did you notice the flowers behind my hubby's ears??? Jessica thought that was cute.

On a serious note... I'm so glad he and Jessica have such a great relationship.

Our little trip to Elamville

We went down to Elamville for New Years. We've always talked about camping out but this time we actually did it. Our kids love to camp out in the back yard... thats the only place they've camped out :) We set up our tents behind grandmaws house in the field. We build a fire and roasted marshmellows and weenie's. The kids had a blast. Jessica and I came inside around 2am... I had to pee and she was miserable (good excuse). The kids stayed out all night with Matthew and his dad.

Here's Darcy roasting Marshmellows. She loved every bit of it!

Entertainment is hard to come by in Elamville so Jessica and I put on a freshing peppermint mask and took goofy pictures.

My parents got the kids little DVD players for Christmas... they didn't use them in the car but as soon as we got there (it was late) they wanted to watch their movies :) For some reason this picture makes me warm and fuzzy :)

This was actually taken before we left... Its Jacob

Here's Jeremiah acting like a doggy.

My boys have definitely got their own personalities... along with likes and dislikes. Used to you could buy them the same thing and they'd be happy... not anymore. They're so different. One likes orange the other like green. One likes Batman the other likes spiderman . I love my little boys. I can't imagine my life without my twins.

Happy New Years!

We're heading out this afternoon/evening for south alabama to visit with family. New Years just aint what it used to be for me anymore. I'll probably be asleep by midnight :) We're going to attempt to camp out in south alabama (in the back yard). The kids have no idea... we've learned not to tell them anything about anything until its a sure thing! Too many times they've been disappointed b/c something has come up (sickies or what not) so we're just gonna load up and then tell them once we get going.

Matthew's grandmother and great aunt aren't doing well. I realize they're knocking on 90's door but its still hard. This weekend we'll get to spend time with Aunt Helen and I'm really looking forward to it... although every time I leave I feel like its the last time I'll see her.

School starts for the kids on Monday and for me on Wednesday. This semester is gonna be different... I barely made it through last semester but now that I know what to expect I feel a little more prepared.

Our Christmas

Christmas has come and gone...
We spent Christmas Eve with our church family. Matthew was part of the big Christmas special... he sang and played his many instrumetns.

My parents had said they were coming over Christmas morning to watch the kids open presents. She said they'd be here between 7:30 and 8am which is when my kids normally wake up. At 5:45 Darcy came into our room but she laid back done and eventually went back to sleep. At 6:45 my phone rang and it was my mom. She said they were getting off the exit. I was half asleep and asked her if she said she was getting on the exit or off the exit. She giggled and said "OFF the exit... we'll be there in about 5 minutes." I had to wake everyone up! Jessica suggested I tell them to wait on the couch till the kids woke up on their own LOL. We opened presents and everyone seemed happy but this momma felt like it was a pretty bare christmas. Once the kids went to their rooms to play with their new toys I turned to my parents and began crying. I told them how grateful I was for the many of Christmas' that they had done whatever they could to put presents under the tree. I said some other things but you get the point. Looking back I realize how stressful things had to be for my parents at times. I'm an adult now - a parent- and its an eye opening experience. I look at things through a different lens.

My sister and her family joined us around lunchtime for Christmas dinner. We exchanged gifts and played games till it was time for us to go to the Brock house for Christmas.

The kids racked up. Jessica got a bunch of money and gift cards so the day after Christmas we (along with Heather) went shopping. She got a lot of cute things. We had fun shopping.

Jacob

This picture cracks me up.... This is Jacob reading while on the potty :)

Bah humbug - sorta

I've been so busy with school this year that I got a late start on actually decorating the house. We actually just got our stuff out this past weekend but we still haven't gotten our outside decor up.

This 1st semester of nursing school has been extremely rough. Not just b/c of school but because of other things happening in my life. Stuff I'm not comfortable enough to post here but have shared with my closest friends. Its getting better now. I had some anxiety issues and had to get them under control. Its been a learning experience.

I'm looking forward to my break... 3 weeks is gonna fly by fast :(

Christmas is just around the corner and this is going to be the roughest Christmas ever. I'm not asking for pitty... I'm just being honest. I'm looking forward to the day when we both have jobs and our kids don't have to do with out. I know its not about the presents.

Can't wait!

I think I'm just as excited as my kids about Thanksgiving in the mountains! I'm ready to go! I'm all packed up and the house is getting picked up so we can return home to a nice cozy house. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!!! Enjoy your famiy!

Slacker

I was just looking at my blog post and saw that so far this year I've only posted 86 times... compared to 284 post from last year and over 700 from the year before. What can I say... I'm busy! But I'm not too busy for my friends ;) I try really hard to keep up with you by email or phone calls. Please bare with me while I continue to push through Nursing school ;) Love ya'll!

Happy Birthday Darcy

Tomorrow is Darcy's 6th Birthday. We celebrated yesterday after church. I can't believe my little baby is already six years old. She's growing up too quickly! Thankfully she still lets me love on her :)

HELP!!!!

Last Friday we pulled into the driveway from school. The kids got out of the car and I walked to the mailbox to check the mail. As I was walking back from the car I heard the kids screaming. I walked around the car and saw Jeremiah on the ground with this dog on top of him! I freaked out and started kicking the dog... Jeremiah got up and the dog was chasing him and jumping on him!!! I'm running after them both while screaming at the other kids to go inside. Jeremiah gets away and the dog is still in my yard... he's wanting to play! I called 911 b/c I didn't know who else to call and they sent an officer out to the house. The dog belonged to a neighbor down the street and they were told to keep the dog on a chain. Because the dog didn't actually "bite" Jeremiah they didn't do anything to the dog or its owners. By the time things settled down I realized Jeremiah had a scratch on his forehead but it wasn't that bad... It was a very frightening experience for Jeremiah.

The next day... get this... the next day Matthew takes them to the park to play and their was a couple there with 2 dogs NOT on a leash. As they approached Matthew and the kids Jeremiah got scared and the owners told Matthew that their dogs were friendly dogs. Bout that time one of them takes off towards Jeremiah and Jeremiah starts running so of course the dog is chasing him. Matthew was able to rescue Jeremiah and the owners told him that the dog was just trying to play.

Okay so here goes my rant.... KEEP YOUR DOG ON A LEASH! Some kids (AND ADULTS) are terrified of dogs and being attacked in your front yard is a little scary! Puppys can play rough and they don't realize when they hurt kids... and kids don't realize when puppy's are only playing!!!

Surprise!

Michael was home for 2 weeks... we went to Clarksville, TN to have dinner with him and the family. We were supposed to be at the airport holding welcome home signs but his flight came in early and we missed it :(



Thats a proud big brother look on my hubby's face LOL

It was great for us all to get to spend some time with him. It was hard saying goodbye yesterday after Darcy's party. He's flying back tomorrow for 6 more months. Please continue to pray for his safey and Heather's sanity :)

Super Hero's!

Jeremiah

Jacob

Darcy

Chillaxin

I'm home today and tomorrow. Its great to be here... wish I could just sit back and relax but I've got to catch up on some housework. I also have to get some much needed studying time in. This weekend is gonna be a very busy weekend. I have clinicals Sat & Sun from 7am till 3pm in Selma. I'm not really happy about my clinicals being on the weekend.... that is the only time I have with my family!

This semester is wrapping up and I'm starting to panic a little bit. The Nursing Program is a lot harder than just getting my basics done. I'm struggling in one class but its b/c I didn't give it my best from the beginning so now I'm playing catch up. The first week of December is my finals. Then I'm off until Jan 5th. I'm starting to make a "To Do" list for that month off. I'm looking forward to the break. Maybe I can plan a road trip to the south and maybe one to the east too :) Those are quick and easy trips to do by myself.

Well I gotta get moving... daylight is a wasting!