Ragtag Mama

It has only taken over 2 weeks to get the results of Ephriam’s EEG but they are finally in.

NORMAL. NO SEIZURE. NORMAL.

There is nothing wrong with the electrical pathways in Ephriam’s brain. So since the MRI says that his brain looks normal and now his all his neurons in his brain are firing what is wrong? I don’t have the answer. I don’t know. I don’t even know what the doctor is going to do next. She hasn’t see the results of the EEG yet because today she is out of the office. I am hoping that she will see the results tomorrow and give us a call with a plan. I guess that we will still keep our appointment with the neurologist and see what he wants to do. Really I am just wanting the testing to be over for Ephriam. He has been through a lot these past couple of month and I think he is just ready for things to be over. However I am still on a quest to find out what has happened to my little boy was talking and singing at 20 months but at 2.5 had quit. I want to know know how I can help him get back on track with kids his age. I mean he is years behind kids his age and not making progress to catch up he just keeps staying behind. I am in this for his benefit. It could be as simple as some dietary changes. We will see. I will keep you posted at to what is next, for now we just rest in know that God has got a huge plan for him.

FW

Well this weekend has been a blast.  On Saturday I got laundry folded and put away, I cleaned up the kitchen, living room, and both the kid’s rooms. I had help by Ephriam picking up the living room by himself. Well okay, Daddy motivated him by telling him he could have McDonald’s for lunch if he did. Kendra picked her room by herself, well with a little help from Daddy, for 5 pennies. I think that Kendra’s deal was better because it was cheaper! LOL. But at least they helped out. After that was done I headed to church to help out in the nursery. I love holding the babies and giving them back to their parents.

On Sunday we all headed to church together as a family. I love how going together. It is so nice also to get to relax for an hour knowing that my kids are there learning something for other people.  Then I came home and went to the grocery store to get things for the week. Then when I got home, I got ready for the Walker Clan to invade for a cookout. It was so nice and not too stressful to have everyone here. I love it when they come over and hang out. It was fun to watch the kids play together and swim in the pool, if that is what you want to call it.  Thanks to my brother in law Mark we were able to have our own personal fireworks show in the backyard. The kids were so excited about them. Maybe next year we will take them so that they can see some big ones. When they get old enough we will take them downtown on Labor Day to watch the fireworks but they need to be much older.

Yesterday we headed to the water playground again with Matt, Heather, and Luke. The kids had a blast but someone pooped and it took them about 45 minutes to clean it up so that we could get back in the water. Than just as we were getting ready to leave someone else pooped. I was glad that we were leaving because that is a long time to wait for the kids. Good thing the 1st time we needed to eat lunch.

Today we will just be hanging out at home. I have school work I need to get done and since we have been so busy it will be nice to hang out and relax. I am hoping to get pictures posted either later today or tomorrow depending on how much I get done with school work. Since it is back to work for me tonight.

Hope that you all had a great 4th!

FW

Yesterday I thought was going to be a big day.  A big day of answers and fun however it didn’t turn out that way. It turned into a day of much more unknowing. Chris’ meeting at church went well but still no job.  We were suppose to get Ephriam’s EEG results and yet they won’t be read till early next week. I was suppose to have a good conversation with my mom and it was more of a very sad one. It made me miss my family terribly. I was glad that the day ended with Chris’ parents and Mark coming over for dessert of smores and ice cream by the firepit outside. It was really nice of them to be there because I am sure that if they hadn’t that I would have wallowed all evening and I didn’t need to do that.  I felt down and not so great. After they left, I came in and took a shower and turned on the TV to watch Whale Wars on Animal Plant.  Then when I was relaxed enough I rolled over and fell asleep.

I slept pretty well for the most part. Ephriam has a bad cough from all his sinus drainage so I heard him but other than that I slept well. I am feeling better today and am WAY excited for tomorrow. I can’t wait to have Chris’ family over to celebrate the 4th with us.  Not to mention we all get to go to church together as a family in the morning.

Even better yet it marks 8 year of Christopher asking me to be his wife! It only seems like yesterday that we are standing in my parent’s living room waiting for my parents to come back from what ever they were doing to go over to my dad’s cousin’s house for a cook out.  When Chris said I should probably give you this first. I turned around and WHAM there was a RING! All I could say was “Are you serious?” Not even sure what he said after that but I eventually did say yes that I would be his wife. It is one of the best decision ever! Because no matter how hard things are or how good they are Chris is always there for me. He is my rock in all situations and I love him more everyday. I just can’t even begin to think of life with out him.  I thank God everyday for the blessing that he has been for me.  I kept having to count and recount to make sure that it was really 8 years but we have been married 6.5 and we waited 1.5 years to get married so it all adds up right to 8.

Well it is time to get this house in shape for tomorrow. I am looking forward to a good and happy day!

FW

We had a good day at the zoo on Saturday, the morning was good because it wasn’t so hot. As the day progressed however it got hotter and hotter. The air conditioning felt great by the time we got in it. We didn’t stop as much as I thought we would be we did hit the highlights. The kids got to touch and see some more animals that were out. I was not the photographer on this trip so there aren’t as many shots as I expected from my husband but it was hot out. We usually sit at a table and eat our packed lunch but this time we found a couple of benches in the shade instead of sitting in the hot sun. Kendra of course had to use the bathroom so we had to hike half a mile backwards to get to one. The kids got to pick out something from the gift shop in the end for a special treat since they have never gotten to do that at our zoo before. Kendra picked a cute little monkey and Ephriam picked a snake that looks real. Yeah his mom is totally thrilled with that because of how much she enjoys snakes, ha ha. So here are the pictures:

Looks like the Rhino is kissing Kendra’s butt here and Ephriam is like what is going on!

A bit better picture but still kinda strange.

Checking out the waterfall.

Looking at the fish in the water.

Posing for a picture with the waterfall.

Ephriam, Grandma, Kendra, and Daddy photo by Mommy.

Ephriam, Mommy, Grandma, Daddy. Photo by Kendra

Grandma and Daddy. Photo by Kendra.

Kendra posing for a picture. What a ham!

Kendra taking pictures during the cheetah show.

Yes, that is a dog not a cat of any sort taken during the cheetah show by Kendra

No we don’t know these people, I think that Kendra was trying to get the wart hog in the background and caught them going down the stairs but what a funny pic!

And yes she finally got the cheetah standing on the tree stump.

I took over on the camera to get the cheetah coming out of the gate. Tried to get more pictures but failed because he was too fast!

Usually when we go to the zoo we see the boy lions but the girls were out today.

This is what Ephriam comes into the reptile house to see, he really doesn’t care about seeing the snakes.

FW

This weekend I have a full weekend off. This means that I don’t have to work Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights! I can’t tell you the last time this has happened because I usually work either Friday or Sunday. It will only happen again on July 4th weekend because it isn’t my holiday to work but who knows when again it will happen, probably not till my vacation in August. Anyway we have a packed weekend of fun. Yesterday we had the pleasure of serving at SOS, that is Summer of Service, at our church. I am sure that a lot of you aren’t familiar with this, it is where that gather about 1,000 high school students to serve the city of Cincinnati for an entire week. We only took a small part by making sure that the kids were safe while playing on the inflatables during free time. This is because we did it as a small group. We loved watching the kids have a blast on the water slide. I had the opportunity to share with someone about having a jewelery party to help girls be rescued out of slavery. I got to meet people Chris hangs out with all the time with his high school small group. It was a really good hour and half that we spent.

Today we are headed to the zoo. Yes I know it is going to be HOT outside but there will be plenty of water and we will be shade to be in. Plus I am sure the zoo will have the water misters going too. The kids are so excited about taking Grandma and Daddy with us since last time they didn’t get to go with us.

Tomorrow we are headed to church of course and we will be having friends over for dinner. Not to mention that VBS starts for our kids. Not sure what my husband is going to do with a couple hours in the evening at home by himself. I am hoping that he will use his time wisely and maybe find a job. We will see what God has in store.

Okay I need to get going and haul booty because we are suppose to be leaving soon and I am still in bed! Have a great day and look for pictures from the zoo later!

FW

Yesterday morning Chris and I headed outside with the kids to get the yard ready for the pool. We waited for a while to get the pool up so a ton of weeds had taken over its spot. So we pulled weeds, turned over the dirt a bit and then put up the pool. The kids were so excited that they could hardly stand it. Kendra didn’t even take a nap because she wanted to go swimming so bad. Someone should tell that kid that sleeping through the time makes it go by faster then staying awake. Not sure why she thinks that staying awake gets her anywhere sooner, just irritates the parents more. Anyway, they had a blast swimming while I cooked dinner. I took some pictures of the 3 of them in the pool. Kendra came in the house sooner then Ephriam did because Ephriam loves the water. Chris and Ephriam sat outside finishing up listening to the Reds game. Ephriam loves to listen them on the radio so Chris took some pictures of him hanging out.  So with out further ado here are the pictures:

Today so far was just a regular day at home. Not sure what a tomorrow holds other then helping out at SOS with our small group.

How is your week going?

FW

It is nice to have Christopher around but man is it weird. I  don’t even know what day of the week it is because I just keep thinking that it is Saturday. The past couple of days though he has really rocked at keeping the house up and getting a few things back into shape. This past weekend we had tackled the project of Spring cleaning the kitchen. We took things out of the cupboards, wiped them down, got rid of the stuff we don’t use or want, and then put things back neatly. We took almost everything off the counter to make more work space. However we didn’t finish up putting things away till yesterday. Meaning that it was the first time since Saturday breakfast that we sat at the dinning room table. The kids had really enjoyed eating with the TV in front of them but I like it much better when we can sit and share about our day. Chris is the one who mostly finished up the project. While I manned the kids a bit. We ended up having a dance party in the living room because Ephriam and Kendra wanted to. They got baths and went to bed. Chris decided that he need to see his brother Mark so he headed out for a visit while I read my bible for a while. Once Chris got back we watched the Reds game and then went to bed. I should have gone to bed earlier but didn’t.

This morning we wanted to get outside for a while and get the pool up. So we spent a couple of hours doing that. The kids are so thrilled that the pool is up and can’t wait to get in it. I am sure once Kendra feels how cold the water is that she won’t want to but hey we will see. I am not sure what is in store for Chris and the kids tonight while I am at work or while I am sleeping tomorrow morning but hey it could be anything. I just hope that we enjoy this time together as a family while it last.

I am hoping that it draws us closer together as a family. Learing to love each other more and more. I mostly hope that it draws us more dependent on God. Trusting in him to lay down the path and not doing it on our own.  Like I said yesterday we really feel at peace about things.  Hoping that it will all come together in the right moment. For now we are in the waiting game.

FW

Let me just be straight forward, yesterday my husband got laid off from work. He gets paid for 6 more weeks but he still has no job. However we are seeing this as time when he will be able to do something else that he wants to do and not just take any old job. Now that he has felt called to being a pastor he is looking for something a little something different. We really feel this is a great opportunity for him.  At small group on Friday he told the group that God would have to fire him from his job because he didn’t think that it was smart to just quit. Little did he know on Monday that God would do just that. So I think that we are headed to better things, a new adventure of sorts. I am not sure where God is leading him at this point but I do have to say that I am not stressed or worried about it either. I really feel peaceful about it. I am not wondering where the money will come from or anything like that. I just feel that God has got that handled.

We have been kinda in this type of place before. Chris and I were getting ready to get married and he lost his job. Needless to say we got a lot of wedding plans done while he was off. He interviewed for some jobs and finally got one like a month before we were actually married.  So maybe I am not  fretting either because it is kind of a been there done that thing or maybe this time knowing that there are 6 weeks before money gets too tight. I am not sure. I just know that I feel at peace. Maybe double payment for a few weeks? We will see.

So for now we will wait and see. Of course prayer are always excepted. Thanks in advance.

FW

That would be today and not just because it is summer but really because I worked last night and will be up all day talking care of my kids. Yes, I usually have a sitter but today Ephriam will be hooked up the an EEG monitor and I am going to have to watch him very carefully so that he doesn’t take it off. We are hoping that they catch a seizure while he has it on for 24 hours. The good thing is that Ephriam gets to live his normally daily life except be like Buzz Lightyear with helmet and a backpack. I am hoping that the results will be in to his doctor by the time we see her next Monday so that we can have a plan of action as to what is next. Not holding my breath though or getting overly excited or anything.

Now I am sure you are asking why did I do this to myself? Staying up all day and all night? Well the answer is quite simple, I have very few options for appointment times. It could be worse, I could have had to been there at 8 this morning and missed some of work to only have to occupy him most of they day. This way I only have to occupy him half the day.

I wish that I could say that we were spending the day outside and enjoying the sunshine but not so much today. We will be enjoying things from the inside since we won’t be able to get wet today and it is going to be blasted hot out. Not to mention our normal routine of speech therapy and what not.

How about you all? What are you doing on the Longest day of the year?

FW

Christopher,

You have been such a great dad to your kids. You have loved them like no other and played your heart out with them.  You have taken them on MANY adventures, I mean not too many people I know have been traveling since they were 2 months old. You have been there through the hard time, having 2 kids under 2 is not an easy task. You have always stepped up to the plate when need. Mostly you encourage your children to love Jesus above anyone. I hope that you continue to the the role mode l for them that you have. I hope they learn what a father really looks like.  Also hope for my daughter that she knows what a loving husband is. You are the best and I can’t say enough. You have been our rock and support for many years now and I know that you will be there forever more. I know that today is a bummer because it is one of the few day a year that you get completely off but once again you come through as Superdad so that I can work and sleep. I hope that you enjoy the day even if it is not as relaxing as it could be.

Love you,

Your wife who thinks your the greastest

To my Dad,

Well I don’t think that you actually read this and I realized that other then Jamie’s Wedding I don’t have any picture of you with your grandkids from the last year. I think I will have to change that when we are there in August. Anyway, Thank you for stepping up to the plate at such a young age to be a dad. I know that you gave up a lot for us to be a family. Thanks for sticking with mom even when things weren’t easy. I know that she love you more for it and so do I. Thanks for teaching me how to playball and for being there for me. Thanks for paying out the wazoo for my high school education and the sacrifices that came with it.  I think it helped form me into a better daughter! Okay I may have learned a few things I didn’t too but what teenager doesn’t? Thanks dad for being you. Wish I could hug your neck today but you will have to settle for a phone call later.

Love you,

Your favorite daughter

To My Father in Law,

What can I say? You are so great. You have been there to support Chris and I so much. Thanks for being the ‘temporary’ babysitter. LOL. I am so thankful that you were where you were at to help us out. I know a couple of kids who loving having you hear during the week to be with them. One little girl who wouldn’t know what to do with out you. Also a grandson who loves to wake up and snuggle with Grandpa in the chair. You sure are a special guy. Thanks for raising you son to know what it is like to be a father, for the example that you have set for him. Because how else do you learn to be a dad but mostly from your own. Thanks so much for being here for us. You are super.

Love,

Faith

*all the pictures of Christopher and kids were taken in Gatlinburg this year, however I could find pictures of my dad or Chris’ dad that were any good, maybe next year?*

FW