Wow it has been a busy week. We have been having horrible storms for what seems like forever now. Monday evening was the worst. We were outside until about 7 that night and had no idea that within an hour it would be full out devestation all around! Joplin which is not too far away was hit really hard at about 530. It was supposed to be the deadliest tornado in recent history. It is heartbreaking. I have had several calls to go up there and offer medical help with the Red Cross. I have been a member of the Red Cross since I was in high school. As much as I would love to go, I now have J. And we dont have anyone to watch him if I did go. We have only left him with 3 different people since we brought him home. Alison, who I dont even think that he realized that we were not with him when he stayed with her and the girls. He is so used to seeing her and being around that family that he is just fine. He has also stayed with my parents for a couple hours when TJ and I went on a date. He also stayed with TJ's sister that lives about 20 minutes away. I think that he slept for a good part of that time. He was only over there for about an hour or so. Neither TJ nor I are very comfortable leaving him yet. We were actually told that we should not leave him with anyone until he had been with us for a full 6 month time span!
Anyway, back to the storms. I would so love to be out there helping and doing what I was trained to do but right now I am a mommy and that is my top priority. Doesn't make me wish any less that I could help though!
We rode out the storms in our safe spot. We have an alcove where the interior garage door is. We grabbed a screaming kid out of bed and his mattress and the dog and huddled down until the sirens stopped. Fun times let me tell you! For the rest of the night we had a 3 year old sleeping in our floor and a scaredy cat dog under our covers!
THen last night the y predicted more storms that were supposed to hit between 8-9. So TJ and I thought we would be smart and camp out in the living room with J on his mattress so that we could grab it if we needed to take cover. THe sirens did go off once. But there was no tornado in sight. Thankfully all we got that time was a little rain. We are so ready for tomorrow morning when we load up and head to the panhandle of OK and away from the storms and the rain for a while! I will have lots of pics from then I am sure. This will be J's first time at the family ranch. He is so excited to help his PaPa work cattle and drive the tractor. He will also get to meet another one of his great grandmas!! So excited for that. The three of us are staying with TJ's step sister which is always a blast. We LOVE the Browns and are so excited to get Wyatt and J together to play. They are so much alike I am sure that it will be a riot. Two dirty little boys who we will have to drag inside the house every night. We will be there Thursday early afternoon through sometime on Sunday evening or Monday morning. TJ and I both love it up there and wish that there was some way to actually make money living up there and we so would! But no real oppertunities to do anything. Maybe one day! I w ill post pics and stuff when we get back! Have a great week, stay safe, and pray for those who have lost so much in these horrible storms!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
House in chaos
Our house has been in total uproar since Friday afternoon. As some of you know, we are doing some remodeling on the house. Most of it has been pretty easy and clean until this weekend. TJ and I had to remove all the tile in both bathrooms and the kitchen in preparation for the granite being installed and new back splashes. Let me tell you how not fun that was! Actually it was fun. TJ and I worked hard but got to spend a lot of time together doing it. Saturday afternoon, Jerrett went and spent some time with TJ's sister so that we could get more done with out him around and he would be safe.
Once we got to a stopping point on Saturday, we went and picked up J and went to the Demolition Derby! What redneck fun! We had a blast and J loved it. He told my parents on the phone as we were driving home that when he turns 5 he is going to drive a race car. Hate to tell him that it will be a few more years than that! But maybe he will like to drive motocross. That would be awesome!
Back to the house... On Sunday, it was more ripping out tile. That evening our friend Scott came over to help TJ get the counter tops and sinks ripped out. That was an ordeal in itself. But oh so sweet to watch. Jerrett loves his daddy and Scott and wants to be just like them. He stood there and watched them work for a little while before he went to his room. When he came out of his room, he had his toy tools and he told the guys that he wanted to help. So totally cute. And the guys let him pretend to remove screws and to use his wrench. Just love that the guys were willing to let the project take a little longer so that they could teach Jerrett. So Sunday we had to eat out because everything was torn apart and totally nasty.
Monday morning brought the granite guys. I am so totally happy with the job that these guys did. The granite is awesome and they got it installed in a matter of about 2.5 hours. It looks so good! I will post pics later. Monday night was another fun evening of eating out and having to brush our teeth in the bathtub because we had to let the adhesive on the sinks sit for 24 hours before we use them. But on top of that, our faucets weren't installed until today, Tuesday. The house is finally starting to come together I am so excited!
Right now I am sitting on the couch with J and Capone outside playing so that they are out of the way. Listening to the plumbers install the faucets. This coming weekend, TJ and I are installing the kitchen bathroom. And Hopefully Rafeal will get around to doing the bathroom back splashes this week too. Then all i have to do is paint the cabinets and finish sewing the curtains. All done!
PS... I am so tired of eating out! Ready to be able to use my kitchen again!
Once we got to a stopping point on Saturday, we went and picked up J and went to the Demolition Derby! What redneck fun! We had a blast and J loved it. He told my parents on the phone as we were driving home that when he turns 5 he is going to drive a race car. Hate to tell him that it will be a few more years than that! But maybe he will like to drive motocross. That would be awesome!
Back to the house... On Sunday, it was more ripping out tile. That evening our friend Scott came over to help TJ get the counter tops and sinks ripped out. That was an ordeal in itself. But oh so sweet to watch. Jerrett loves his daddy and Scott and wants to be just like them. He stood there and watched them work for a little while before he went to his room. When he came out of his room, he had his toy tools and he told the guys that he wanted to help. So totally cute. And the guys let him pretend to remove screws and to use his wrench. Just love that the guys were willing to let the project take a little longer so that they could teach Jerrett. So Sunday we had to eat out because everything was torn apart and totally nasty.
Monday morning brought the granite guys. I am so totally happy with the job that these guys did. The granite is awesome and they got it installed in a matter of about 2.5 hours. It looks so good! I will post pics later. Monday night was another fun evening of eating out and having to brush our teeth in the bathtub because we had to let the adhesive on the sinks sit for 24 hours before we use them. But on top of that, our faucets weren't installed until today, Tuesday. The house is finally starting to come together I am so excited!
Right now I am sitting on the couch with J and Capone outside playing so that they are out of the way. Listening to the plumbers install the faucets. This coming weekend, TJ and I are installing the kitchen bathroom. And Hopefully Rafeal will get around to doing the bathroom back splashes this week too. Then all i have to do is paint the cabinets and finish sewing the curtains. All done!
PS... I am so tired of eating out! Ready to be able to use my kitchen again!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Another Mother
We have one more really important mother that I did not write about in my earlier post. This mothers name is Sarah and she is Jerrett's birth mother. She has really been on my heart lately. I am not going to go into the details as to why Jerrett was placed up for adoption or anything like that. His story is his alone and when he is old enough, he can share that if he so desires. But I will share a little bit about Sarah, the little that we know. Sarah is really young and was obviously even younger when she got pregnant. When I say young I mean that she was barely a teenager. Jerrett was born when Sarah was 14. His birth father only 2 years older than that. Anyway, TJ and I are so thankful for Sarah. There are so many things that she could have done when she found out she was pregnant. The worst would be to have aborted the baby. She could have drank or smoked or even done drugs. She could have not taken care of herself and all of those things could have had a tragic impact on Jerrett's development. But she chose not to. She chose to carry a baby the full 9 months and take care of herself. She did not drink, she did not do drugs or anything. She gave birth to a full term happy little baby that is now my son. The things that happened after his birth might leave some people scratching their heads or shaking them in disbelief that a mother who took such great care of herself and the baby while pregnant could then behave in the way that Sarah did. But the truth is that had she not then we would not have Jerrett.
Because of this young girl, TJ and I are parents and I can officially say that I have a son here on Earth. I get to watch my little boy grow up and learn and play. Because of her and her actions during pregnancy, Jerrett is healthy. As a result of her actions he also has a new mommy and daddy who loves him and are stable and can give him the life that he deserves. So do we approve of the way that Sarah behaved after the baby was born? Umm no, not really. She was a child and did not really know where to go to get help. She was a baby herself. But we thank God for Sarah and the care that she took of herself. She gave us a precious gift.
We also still pray for her. She has another baby. Yes a half sibling for Jerrett out there somewhere. My prayer is that she will have someone come into her life that loves her and who will help to guide her. She needs someone who can show her what real love is. And who God is.
Sarah is a very important person in our lives. No we have not met her and we never will. One day there might be some serious issue with Jerrett and his birth parents. But there is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God that those two kids chose to give birth to my son. That they chose to be responsible enough to take care of their health.
As a mom who lost babies through miscarriage, I know how often I think of those babies and what they would be doing today. So I think that Sarah is no different. How could she carry a baby in her for 9 months, loving it enough to take care of herself health wise and not think about her baby. I imagine it hurts to know that she has a child out there that she will never see again and has no legal rights to ever even approach. Sarah is no and never was a cruel person. She never mistreated Jerrett in any way. And I am sure in her own way she still loves him and misses him every day. So in this week where we celebrate motherhood, I cannot help but to think of her. We are forever grateful for the choices that she made and that God saw fit to select TJ and myself as Jerrett's forever family.
Because of this young girl, TJ and I are parents and I can officially say that I have a son here on Earth. I get to watch my little boy grow up and learn and play. Because of her and her actions during pregnancy, Jerrett is healthy. As a result of her actions he also has a new mommy and daddy who loves him and are stable and can give him the life that he deserves. So do we approve of the way that Sarah behaved after the baby was born? Umm no, not really. She was a child and did not really know where to go to get help. She was a baby herself. But we thank God for Sarah and the care that she took of herself. She gave us a precious gift.
We also still pray for her. She has another baby. Yes a half sibling for Jerrett out there somewhere. My prayer is that she will have someone come into her life that loves her and who will help to guide her. She needs someone who can show her what real love is. And who God is.
Sarah is a very important person in our lives. No we have not met her and we never will. One day there might be some serious issue with Jerrett and his birth parents. But there is not a day that goes by that I do not thank God that those two kids chose to give birth to my son. That they chose to be responsible enough to take care of their health.
As a mom who lost babies through miscarriage, I know how often I think of those babies and what they would be doing today. So I think that Sarah is no different. How could she carry a baby in her for 9 months, loving it enough to take care of herself health wise and not think about her baby. I imagine it hurts to know that she has a child out there that she will never see again and has no legal rights to ever even approach. Sarah is no and never was a cruel person. She never mistreated Jerrett in any way. And I am sure in her own way she still loves him and misses him every day. So in this week where we celebrate motherhood, I cannot help but to think of her. We are forever grateful for the choices that she made and that God saw fit to select TJ and myself as Jerrett's forever family.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mothers Day
I am a day late with my post I know but better late than never! First I am going to vent a minute and then will fill you in on mothers day events.
Like I said before, I am not usually one to complain and this one is going to sound really tacky. I don't mean for it to but... I don't even know how many people called, texted or told me on facebook Happy 1st Mothers Day. It was really sweet and I appreciate all the wishes but just wish that the first did not have to be added. This was not my first mothers day nor will it be TJ's first fathers day. We have celebrated these holidays since we first found out that we were pregnant the first time and lost our first baby. Just because our babies were not here on Earth does not mean that TJ and I were not parents. I know that some people may not see things the same as what TJ and I do but hearing those wishes really kind of stung. We do not expect everyone to remember our babies all the time or anything like that but it did hurt and I know that TJ will get the same time wishes on Fathers Day. And they will hurt him just the same.
So now that the whining is over lets get on to the actual holiday! My day started out great! TJ got up with Jerrett so that I could sleep in until 7! Woohoo. Then I got to take my time getting up and around because I was served breakfast in bed! Hashbrowns browned just the way I like them with onions and peppers! Yummy! After that we all got ready to go to church where Pastor Jack had a wonderful message. Once we left church we went and had Mexican food, another favorite of mine, then went shopping for flowers for our front bed. It was a wonderful day!
Since we are on the subject of mothers, I thought that I would write a little bit about some of the moms in my life beginning of course with my own mom. I am so blessed to have been raised by such Godly parents. My mom is everything that I hope that I can become. She was my mom growing up. Fun loving but strict at the same time. I would not have called my mom my friend when I was younger. She told me no when I wanted to do things, she didn't let me have the privacy that I wanted, she made me help with the cooking and cleaning. She was my mom. Other kids always told me how cool my mom was but I never really saw that. I knew that she was younger than most of my friends parents, I knew that she stayed home with us the whole time that we lived at home while other moms worked, I knew that she was an amazing cook, but these were things that I took for granted. Now as a mom myself, I realize all of the sacrifices that she and my dad made so that they could give us such a great life. But I have never heard my mom complain. Now as an adult, I can actually call my mom a friend. One of my best friends. We talk about everything from things going on with Jerrett to gardening to good books and movies. She is the best mom and grandma and we are so blessed to have her!
The next mom on my list is my Granny. She is my mom's mom and Jerrett's Great Granny as well. Granny is one strong woman and I hope that I can become that strong one day. She ranched right along side my Grandad until he passed away many years ago. Then because she was bored and needed something to do, she took a job at a dress shop in town. She is an amazing seamstress and now she does the alterations and everything for the store as well as doing sells and buying of merchandise. This is the only "job" that she has ever had. On top of working, she has the most amazing flower gardens of anyone I have ever met. She has been a constant support for me for years. Having raised 3 boys and my mom as well as having 3 grandsons, she is one of my big helps with all things Jerrett related!
Grandma is another mom on my list. This is my dads mom. Grandma is another extremely strong woman. Her faith is unshakable. She has been there for TJ and I through so many ups and downs and I know that we are constantly in her prayers. Those prayers have lifted us up and helped carry us through some of the hardest times of our lives. She is so in love with Jerrett. In the 3 months since he has been home, Grandma has seen him twice and is making plans to come and visit soon.
Another mom is TJ's grandma. This is another of Jerrett's great grandmas! He is such a lucky little guy to have not one but three great grandmas alive and well. His great grandma P. loves to talk to Jerrett on the phone and just laughs at his antics. TJ and I are really excited about heading to her house later this month. Jerrett will get to spend some time with his great grandma as well as his Nanna. Nanna is TJ's step mom.
Jerrett has another Granny. This granny is TJ's mom. We are really looking forward to when Jerrett can actually meet her in person. It is tough because she lives so far away. It would be great if she lived closer so that we could see her more. But for now we do the best that we can. Jerrett gets to talk to her on the phone as well as skype with her every now and then. I know that when they do get together they will have a blast.
I also have many wonderful friends that are mommys. I love each and every one of them and cant imagine our lives without them. They have been supportive of TJ and I when we went through the miscarriages, when we decided to adopt and then through the whole process of bringing J home. Now they are loving on my son and it is so great to see. We are blessed to have these women and families in our lives. Since we live so far from most of our family, these help to fill that void. Jerrett has what he calls his cousins to play with and men and women who really love him to play with and to hang out with.
So to all the mothers out there, I hope that you had a wonderful day and to all the moms in our lives, we love you more than you know!
Like I said before, I am not usually one to complain and this one is going to sound really tacky. I don't mean for it to but... I don't even know how many people called, texted or told me on facebook Happy 1st Mothers Day. It was really sweet and I appreciate all the wishes but just wish that the first did not have to be added. This was not my first mothers day nor will it be TJ's first fathers day. We have celebrated these holidays since we first found out that we were pregnant the first time and lost our first baby. Just because our babies were not here on Earth does not mean that TJ and I were not parents. I know that some people may not see things the same as what TJ and I do but hearing those wishes really kind of stung. We do not expect everyone to remember our babies all the time or anything like that but it did hurt and I know that TJ will get the same time wishes on Fathers Day. And they will hurt him just the same.
So now that the whining is over lets get on to the actual holiday! My day started out great! TJ got up with Jerrett so that I could sleep in until 7! Woohoo. Then I got to take my time getting up and around because I was served breakfast in bed! Hashbrowns browned just the way I like them with onions and peppers! Yummy! After that we all got ready to go to church where Pastor Jack had a wonderful message. Once we left church we went and had Mexican food, another favorite of mine, then went shopping for flowers for our front bed. It was a wonderful day!
Since we are on the subject of mothers, I thought that I would write a little bit about some of the moms in my life beginning of course with my own mom. I am so blessed to have been raised by such Godly parents. My mom is everything that I hope that I can become. She was my mom growing up. Fun loving but strict at the same time. I would not have called my mom my friend when I was younger. She told me no when I wanted to do things, she didn't let me have the privacy that I wanted, she made me help with the cooking and cleaning. She was my mom. Other kids always told me how cool my mom was but I never really saw that. I knew that she was younger than most of my friends parents, I knew that she stayed home with us the whole time that we lived at home while other moms worked, I knew that she was an amazing cook, but these were things that I took for granted. Now as a mom myself, I realize all of the sacrifices that she and my dad made so that they could give us such a great life. But I have never heard my mom complain. Now as an adult, I can actually call my mom a friend. One of my best friends. We talk about everything from things going on with Jerrett to gardening to good books and movies. She is the best mom and grandma and we are so blessed to have her!
The next mom on my list is my Granny. She is my mom's mom and Jerrett's Great Granny as well. Granny is one strong woman and I hope that I can become that strong one day. She ranched right along side my Grandad until he passed away many years ago. Then because she was bored and needed something to do, she took a job at a dress shop in town. She is an amazing seamstress and now she does the alterations and everything for the store as well as doing sells and buying of merchandise. This is the only "job" that she has ever had. On top of working, she has the most amazing flower gardens of anyone I have ever met. She has been a constant support for me for years. Having raised 3 boys and my mom as well as having 3 grandsons, she is one of my big helps with all things Jerrett related!
Grandma is another mom on my list. This is my dads mom. Grandma is another extremely strong woman. Her faith is unshakable. She has been there for TJ and I through so many ups and downs and I know that we are constantly in her prayers. Those prayers have lifted us up and helped carry us through some of the hardest times of our lives. She is so in love with Jerrett. In the 3 months since he has been home, Grandma has seen him twice and is making plans to come and visit soon.
Another mom is TJ's grandma. This is another of Jerrett's great grandmas! He is such a lucky little guy to have not one but three great grandmas alive and well. His great grandma P. loves to talk to Jerrett on the phone and just laughs at his antics. TJ and I are really excited about heading to her house later this month. Jerrett will get to spend some time with his great grandma as well as his Nanna. Nanna is TJ's step mom.
Jerrett has another Granny. This granny is TJ's mom. We are really looking forward to when Jerrett can actually meet her in person. It is tough because she lives so far away. It would be great if she lived closer so that we could see her more. But for now we do the best that we can. Jerrett gets to talk to her on the phone as well as skype with her every now and then. I know that when they do get together they will have a blast.
I also have many wonderful friends that are mommys. I love each and every one of them and cant imagine our lives without them. They have been supportive of TJ and I when we went through the miscarriages, when we decided to adopt and then through the whole process of bringing J home. Now they are loving on my son and it is so great to see. We are blessed to have these women and families in our lives. Since we live so far from most of our family, these help to fill that void. Jerrett has what he calls his cousins to play with and men and women who really love him to play with and to hang out with.
So to all the mothers out there, I hope that you had a wonderful day and to all the moms in our lives, we love you more than you know!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
our little nut
Jerrett is such an amazing little guy. I just really can't imagine our life without him. We are so incredibly blessed. So this is only Wednesday but we have already had such a long week. I am still suffering from a sinus infection as well as bronchitis. Yep fun times! But Jerrett has been so great. He makes me cry with his prayers. He prays before breakfast, lunch, nap and bed time. Every time he prays that his mommy feel better because he doesn't like her to be sick. I know that he might be a little young to really understand who God is and everything but sometimes it feels and seems like he really gets it. We have never taught Jerrett to say any of the little prayers that most little kids say. I mean my brothers and I even said the same thing before breakfast and lunch before we were saved. But Jerrett just prays to God like a friend. He usually names different people everytime and asks God to be with the people that we love and to watch over us all. But to hear him pray specifically for me being sick just touches my heart. He is such a loving little boy and it is hard to believe that he has only been with us for 3 months now. I hope that Jerrett never loses that tenderness or thoughtfulness.
On another note, he is just a goofy little guy. We love him so much! TJ had his first softball game last night. It was a pretty night and so Jerrett and I went to watch. It was sweet to hear him cheer for his daddy. He made sure everyone knew who his daddy was and clapped and cheered for both teams. TJ is such a great daddy too. He acknowledged Jerret everytime he yelled at him. Most dads ignore their kids when they yell at them. It was just so much fun to see them together like that.
Thank God for our little boy.
On another note, he is just a goofy little guy. We love him so much! TJ had his first softball game last night. It was a pretty night and so Jerrett and I went to watch. It was sweet to hear him cheer for his daddy. He made sure everyone knew who his daddy was and clapped and cheered for both teams. TJ is such a great daddy too. He acknowledged Jerret everytime he yelled at him. Most dads ignore their kids when they yell at them. It was just so much fun to see them together like that.
Thank God for our little boy.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Sick of being sick
Normally I don't complain a whole lot. But I am going to for a minute. I am so sick of being sick! I woke up last Monday with a cough, sore throat and a mild headache. Ok so I know the symptoms. I had the beginnings of sinus issues. So I started taking the meds like I was supposed to and crossing my fingers that I would get better without a trip to the dr. Not going to happen. So hopefully tomorrow I can get into the dr and get some meds to make this stuff go away! It has been a rough week for us. Jerrett doesn't understand that mom doesn't feel well and stuff still needs to be done around the house. Thank God that TJ is so awesome. He came home early a couple times this week to help me out. He really is the best! I am so blessed to have a husband who is such a great daddy. He has played with Jerrett and given him his bath and just about taken over all his care in the evening since I have been sick this week. Its been nice to be able to just sit and close my eyes for a minute. It is hard to be a sick stay at home mommy! But fingers crossed tomorrow will be the last day I am sick!
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