Good Palm Sunday Morning!

Palm Sunday...always a favorite day for me, because on this day, in mass, many moons ago....I went into labor with Shauna...DO YOU HEAR THAT MISS ZOEY????

Spent last weekend in Springfield, because we thought Zoey was coming...labor was intensifying, things were progressing on schedule and WE WERE SO EXCITED!! then? she changed her mind...always a woman's prerogative, but EXTREMELY disappointing to her waiting family.

And here it is, one week later, and she's still not making any moves! Just the opposite, she is as quiet as a mouse. I keep telling Ally-mom that she's just resting up for the big day, but honestly, at this point there is nothing i can say that is going to soothe the souls of her befuddled parents. I just KNEW that on this weekend, i would be down there, but have not received a call yet...I think the doctor is going to make it happen this week, but we all would have rathered she would make her appearance on her own. *sigh*

This is NANA (pronounced nah nah) Ally's mom last weekend during the big wait! There is no vying for JoJo's attention when NaNa is in town...she is the BOMB!!



Molly's been keeping us hopping...it's still too chilly here to run outside in panties, and this was the result of me telling her to get dressed before she went outside...and yes, i did demand shoes and SOCKS!



For as much time as she puts into dressing up in layers, when we get home? It is IMMEDIATELY taken off...just wish it would happen near a hamper:



She has had a hard week at school. It seems that she doesn't want to ride the bus anymore, and we are stymied on whether to make her do it (she throws her shoes) or to give in and pick her up daily. It's not that we can't, it's just important for us to have SOMETHING typical in her life. Decisions, decisions.

Here is my attempt at (being suzi homemaker) baking bread. It was on the counter trying to rise, but wayyyyyyyyyyy too much fun for molly to not poke poke poke, so i put it in the oven, and then promptly forgot about it. I did not win any awards this week in the domestic goddess area:



We are still trying to break into spring, and i am VERY greatful that last weeks storm that dumped snow all over my immediate neighbors to the west, just rained here, and last night we had the first thunderboomers of the season! Miss molly is just becoming aware of the noise and did NOT LIKE IT! :-) The flowers have enjoyed all the rain, though.



Have a beautiful Palm Sunday and Holy Week, and hopefully I'll be in here soon, with pics, bragging on my new grandbaby!

Spring Break 2010

Ahhhh yes, Spring Break...remember when that was the best time of the year? When you got to go to some exotic place and GO WILD???

Well...I stayed home and worked & poor miss molly stayed at home with daddy...he was amazed at how busy she could be...given the fact that she is STILL half sick! (made me not feel so guily about not scheduling a Panama City Beach vaca with her) She has been busy keeping house in her own special way...this is the master bedroom;




and while we're cleaning up that?? She is redecorating her own room.



I still haven't figured this part of the Autism out...somebody told me these kids were METICULOUS about having everything in it's place...in our house, she seems the happiest when all of her prized possessions are on display. In other words...please call before you come to visit!
(We take it in stride...occasionally boxing everything up and releasing it one tub at a time....and it's time to do that again!)

We got exciting news on Wednesday regarding the baby enroute....Ally is at 36 weeks along, but the 'gaby-baby' is at 39 weeks in size. She (Zoey) has turned herself into position, and we are standing at 1 cm dilation, and 75% effacement! I'm sure we're looking at an earlier than planned birth, just like it was with Aubrey Jo! He did not, however, tell her to stop working...so maybe next week???

Saturday, i couldn't stand not seeing them, so the sarge took molly & me up to Spg....well...of course, Bass Pro was having their Spring Fishing Bonanza! Here we have the sarge, aubrey jo, and molly kate toting spongebob...all searching for the perfect lure.



That scenerio lasted a split second...we had to herd the girls in a little...They were OUTTA CONTROL!! :-)



We saw the amazing stacking turtles..and the waterfalls



Then onto meet a new display..and this guy is amazing! He appears to be all white (although he turned darker in my pics) and he's HUGE!






Then onto the boat show...I seriously thought we were taking this one home...



It has all the power he needs...and the third seat in the middle..something we're missing on the Champion we have now...I think we need the third seat:



Molly did really well, until we got into the boat place..It has really high ceilings..the sounds were reverberating, it was packed with Saturday traffic and we suffered the "OH NO" public meltdown. Big Brother Gabe scooped her up and hugged her tight, but we made a quick exit..across the street on Campbell, to Ally's Cafe..the Whole Hog...man, THAT is some fine BBQ! Next time yall are visitin at Bass Pro...slip over for the best in town!


Today is time change day...and I'm having trouble getting motivated...but shopping/laundry/cleaning all have to be finished...so off we go.(Up in the Air and Her Lovely Bones are here courtousy of Blockbuster..we shall see)

Have a fabulous week, it's spring here, and I'm hoping yall are enjoying some long awaited warm weather! It's been chilly here, but there are signs around my house pointing to the warmth of the Missouri spring...:-)

IT'S HERE!!

FINALLY!! Spring has Sprung in the Ozarks...we are set for 60-70 degree days and 50 degree nights..FOR THE WEEK!! I couldn't be more pleased, or more short of time as yall get a few notes, and then WE ARE OUTSIDE!

Molly has been home for Thurs & Fri, with the snotty snots...I'm sooo hoping this break is gonna help with that. She is off for the entire upcoming week for spring break, but her always plan-deficient mommy forgot to take time off....so it's her and daddy in the back yard, and i will be enjoying the rest of the beautiful weather week in the Pharmacy. I think the whole isolation-from -the-virus-at-school thing is going to work out well for her... & I've been trying to convince my boss into shutting down for this week also, as we, too, have been passing this virus around....but that's a no-go.

For the "You won't believe this" event at my house this week....This morning was a particulary hard starter....i woke up with a near migraine, and moved to the couch after doing the pepcid/excedrine/gatorade cocktail...where i was trying to force some caffeine. My big re-homed german shepherd came to check on me. Now she has more hair on her tail, then any 4 of your dogs combined, and it's very pretty.....until of course it knocks my coffee cup over! Not too much of a mess, because on the second wag, all of the coffee was absorbed into it. The third wag, however, slapped me right in the face, and i swear it was like she picked up the coffee cup and just threw it on my throbbing head! I was soaked!

It did get me moving, though....and the big breakfast is on the stove, there is a jello salad made, and a turkey breast ready to pop into the oven. I do need to pick up a couple of rooms (ok they were destroyed by hurricane molly)...but that will be the bulk of the inside work for the day.

Family news?

Gramma & Grandpa are doing very well...made a trip over to Poplar Bluff and got dad some new shoes that have put a new spring in Dad's step, and we've been traveling around the area discovering new places for my mom to dive into....that would be the "Dent & Bent" warehouse shopping. She l0ves it.

Larry is outside NOT getting the boat ready, but getting the yard ready...as well as prepping to erect a monster tower. Always has something going that guy! He is in hog heaven with the NASCAR season starting and in Surround Sound, thanks to Bill's thoughtful Christmas present.

I got to go see Avatar with a g-friend and LOVED IT! The 3-D thing is awesome!! Can't wait to take molly to see Shrek, or Toy Story in 3-D!

Haven't seen Bill, who loves the outdoor-spring-weather more than me (if that's possible) He's off at the lake, and hiking in the woods...probably improving on his acreage, building fences, herding cattle, and any other chore that can be done outdoors. Even if he were to come home, it would just be to grab us for a trip to the river. Thank goodness for texting.

Gabe and Ally are at 37 weeks into this pregnancy..and the nesting has begun. Everyone is ready for miss zoey to make her entrance NOW!! And speaking of that...Congrats & shout-outs to my online sistahs, Mo and Beck, who both became grandparents again this week! I'm coming in 3rd in that race!

Shauna, ohhhhhhhhhhh shauna, has just registered for a race of her own... an Ultimate Marathon...this one goes through the countryside, and is over 30 miles long! EEK!! My extreme girl sets the bar a little higher. She is also running in the Boston Marathon in a few weeks.

All of my children continue to awe and amaze me!

I hope that this fabulous spring-week stretches out across the country and shines on down on all of them and all of you, with the warmth of the Love from our home to yours!

welcome back to the frozen tundra

This has undoubtedly been the longest winter i can remember down here...longest and coldest, although we're thankful for no big ice storms leaving us without power...like last year!



That is a budding back yard tree, with a very red bird in it...there are fat pregnant robbins all over, and we heard a couple of tree frogs start to sing. That, and the hiway covered in mating skunks carcasses (makes driving erratic at best as you try to dodge them) lets me know we are almost done with the winter blues! YAY!

We've been hibernating..today is the first nice day in months..but still a little chilly, and everyone has been recouping from yucky bugs...so we're still laying pretty low.

funny stuff...i forced molly to try some candy, today. It simply amazes me that a child would not like candy! Aubrey Jo yells "TANNY!" everytime she see gramma! Molly has nothing to do with it. She got some Fun Dip for valentines day,the powdery stuff with a stick to lick and stick?? i was showing her how it works, and then slipped some onto her tongue when she wasn't looking. She STUCK HER TONGUE OUT and ran to the kitchen to get a towel, tongue protruding as far as possible..grabbed a washcloth and WIPED IT OFF!! *sigh* What a kid!

We had Aubrey last week, and had a ball...at 19 months, she is speaking in full sentances,is in full Monkey-butt mode and remains quite the handful! She is soooo Gabe at that age....really fun unless you take your eyes off of her for one second. Ally and Gabe are expecting Baby #2 soon! Due date is the first week of April...but there is NO WAY she is going that long. Gaby Baby #2 is lookin pretty big, although Ally isn't gaining much. Doc said she was a postergirl for pregnant mommies. WTG ALLY!



The girls both traveled together well...giggled all the way in the way back seat



shared a stroller at the mall



and no...we didn't even THINK to put one of them in the basket!



tried on each other's clothes:



And basically kept us all entertained. We already miss her, but not enough to keep her more than a week...as she missed her mommy and daddy, too.




Not much else going on...just waiting for spring and OUTDOOR FUN!

Rahm Emanuel + Rush Limbaugh =A Pair of BOOBS!

Well, here we go again....Years of work by parents united, who know the love a precious child-one who does not see your skin color, your sexual orientation, or what designer clothes you are wearing. One who demonstrates the true meaning of Christianity by only seeing you for what your are....and loving you for that gift.

This was blown away in a week by a presidential staff member, and a radio (prejudice pig) talk show host....I'M SO ANGRY!!

And what do i hear from the so-called enlightened people around me?


"what's the big deal? it's just a word!!"

" I AM GUARANTEED THE RIGHT TO SAY WHATEVER I WANT BY THE CONSTITUTION."

"Im sick of all this PC crap"

************************************************
"It's just a word"

yea, there are many words in the dictionary...double them in the 'urban dictionary' which Rush kept quoting from all day yesterday....THE URBAN DICTIONARY is a web site where anyone can go type in ANYTHING in for a definition!! Trust me, I'm about to go over there and insert some definitions for Rush. I can't believe he was so ignorant as to quote IT, as if it was some kind of reference book!! What a JERK!

"It's just a word"

the N word-also just a word...try walking down a street in East St Louis, and yelling THAT out!! No?? Why??? BECAUSE SOMEONE would step up and MAKE YOU PAY!! You see, the group of people that this insult is aimed at? CAN DEFEND THEMSELVES!! best stick to making fun of inncocent children.

Another word..."fag" ...oh yea...that USED to be what we called cigarettes...but not now...This particular group of people, who the word was designed to degrade...gathered together in a PAC and attacked Washington DC right where they needed to....in elections. I can almost bet the house that Rahm Emanuel would never spit THAT word out when he was angry! It would cost the democrats the White House!!

And then there was Matthew Shepherd....a young man murdered at the hands of red-necked, ignorant, hillbillies...who thought it was ok to beat a man to death, just because of who he was. Kind of sealed the deal with that word...NO ONE uses it now...no one with any intelligence at all.

Really?? Does it really have to come to that???

'I HAVE THE RIGHT TO"

well sure you do....but do you also possess the couth NOT to??? Do you possess the humanity not to?? Are you a believer? Do you know that our children come right from the heart of the Creator? Does your church teach you to diss those who do not measure up to your standards??? Really? Mine teaches to Love thy Neighbor.

We also have the right to bear arms, but NOT the right to use them in a dangerous and reckless manner. You also do not have the right to use hate-language in a dangerous and reckless way. That also is Law!

"I'm sick of all this PC crap"

Did you know that children with Down Syndrome are 1 in 300 conceptions? Did you know that those children falling on the Autism Spectrum are now 1 in 100?? 1 in 70 in boys!! Did you know that even though YOU don't feel the need to be politically correct, that chances are 1 of the 4 people that just heard you.... Now Despise You!! They are dealing with a situation in their family..maybe something you weren't aware of. You've just lost the respect of a peer, and maybe a friend.

And while I'm at it? If you are on the clock? YOU CANNOT USE THIS KIND OF LANGUAGE!! It not only disrepects the company you are representing, but makes your co-workers KNOW that you are truely unprofessional and undeserving of any respect in your chosen field. We shouldn't have to have policy that directs it, but you know what? In my company?? WE WILL!!

Ultimately, it's cowardice, ignorance, and just totally immaturity. If you feel comfortable in using all of these hate words when you're at a social function?....when it's "just you few' in a circle...THAT'S PURE CHICKEN SH*T!! Come up to my face and tell me your "hillarious" joke, why don't you??? Let me put it to you in a way you can better understand....I dare you...hell, i DOUBLE DARE YA!!

My child may not possess the the understanding of a Hate Crime....but HER MOMMA DOES. She may not fight to defend herself or her peers as she doesn't have a mean bone in her body...

BUT HER MAMA DOES!

try me.

http://r-word.org/

and a post script...thanks Jackie!!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY8SvBD1OrU

goodbye January!

We're finishing the month off with another big snow! No ice, thankfully, and i was already scheduled off...so YAY! We're entertaining ourselves with movies, cooking, and the neverending game of baseball!



Yes, it's a carrot bat (from last year's Easter) and yes, she taps her shoes with it before she hits...like Albert. Too much sports TV in this house FOR SURE!! (those are the boots she put on when she THOUGHT she was going to play in the snow..she's HACKED!)



Miss Molly, by edict of Big Daddy, is banned from playing outside...She has been home all week with a sinus infection, and even though we've been on the Zithro...she doesn't seem a whole lot better....if anything her symptoms are worse! All that stuff lodged up in her head is making the big escape.

The puppies seem to be LOVING the new snow! Wayyyy to cold for us to play in it!



My little Memory Garden Angel is 12 inches tall:



If you look closely...you can see molly, boo-hooing in the window..she wants to come and play!!



Even "city-kitty" got into the action



Heard my little JoJo, and her mom (pregnant-due in April) ALSO are down with a bug.. a stomach bug!! bummer...REALLY a bummer as TODAY IS ALLYSON'S BIRTHDAY!! Happy Bday, Ally...feel better soon. She is SO beautiful, inside and out..and we feel SO blessed to have her in our family! Your birthday present (was Christmas present) will get to you soon, as soon as the snow melts! Sorry we couldn't be there today!



Miss Aubrey JoJo came for a visit last sunday, with Uncle Bill, Ang, and her daddy....always a party




the boys came to (play x-box) set up my surround sound, and Ang came to do homework. She's putting herself through college and I'm SOOOOOO proud of her!!

Shauna is Prepping for the Boston Marathon, and this storm hit DC this morning, right in the middle of an 18 mile run...she had to knock off early as she didn't have goggles on...HAVE FUN WITH OUR SNOW!!

Jo Jo is getting to be a big girl...besides being in the "always in trouble" monkeybutt stage:





she is attempting to dress herself!







SHE REMAINS TOO CUTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! She also hid one of the Sarge's slippers, which for the life of us we cannot find!! LMAO!

Gabe was happy to drive in the snow to get her stuff...he's doing it in a new CAR!! (great Bday present if you ask me) Their first big purchase together that was made all on their own! Makes a mommy proud.(Hyundai Tuscon)




I stay humbled by the blessings that are my family.

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Saturday and it's weekly shopping/chore day. My mom likes to get away, and we always take molly and practice our 'big girlness' in public. All in all it was a good trip. We grabbed a happy meal, ran into some friends and went to "not my" store....(Sorry big W, but the last thing a retailer wants to do on a day off is shop, and worse than that? Go to work to do it.....my bad.)

Molly has taken over gramma's cart and is pushing it well, and only adding things to it she thinks we need (oreos, cheetos and a mylar balloon) and all is good that is, until we get to the check out. I have one cart unloading it, and she is right behind me with her cart, when she starts screaming, and not a frustrated scream...a real one...i look, and sure enough, she has managed to get her arm stuck in a gap of the cart, AND IT HURTS!! (enough to cause spontaneous bladder explosion)

So im rushing to her, and just as i make it, she dislodges herself, rips her coat off, throws it, and really starts crying while rubbing the back of her arm.

No one....i mean NOT ONE SINGLE PERSON came to our aid. Pretty uncommon in these parts...pretty uncommon for store management....oh, don't get me wrong, everyone GAWKED at her...but no one came to help.

She, after all, looks different. She was probably screaming, because she has Down Syndrome.



*sigh*

and i keep waiting for this rainy stinkin' week to get better.