Oh how the years go by...

Where to begin seems to always be my biggest dilemma! For those of you who have known us more than a day or two, you've surely heard the name Jason (aka Jay) come up. Eric and Jason met at the Woodlawn Chick-fil-A in their early college days. They ended up sharing the same bachelor pad, in fact. To this day, I'm convinced that Eric has an incredible immune system due to his years in that shoe box which unofficially housed between three and thirty young men (and a ferret at some point named Ringo)! That's a whole different story, though! My point is that Eric and Jason are like brothers. They've shared rooms (probably beds and other things I don't want to know about) and been through quite a bit together. I'm rambling.... Right after we got married, Jason moved back to TX to be closer to his parents and finish his degree. While he was there, he picked up another job at Chick-fil-A. While there, he met a young girl named Emily. After a few months, they got engaged and married on the day after Valentine's Day in 2003. It was during this time that Ansley got seriously ill. In fact, Jason and Emily came straight to GA after getting off the plane from their honeymoon in Hawaii in order to be with us. I'd never met Emily but the minute she stepped into that PICU at Egleston, I knew she was perfect for Jason. She was very soft spoken but also seemed to be able to inspire greatness from those around her. She had such a love for Ansley, as well. She'd never met her before but she immediately took on the job of protector. After being dismissed to take Ansley home with hospice, Jay and Em stayed with us. Em spent hours rocking Ansley. This was such a wonderful break for me. Emily sang to her, cooed to her, and loved on her during those last hours and moments of her little life. In fact, Emily was the last person to hold Ansley before she slipped away. Emily and Jason were with us at the moment it happened. They quickly stepped in and became Grant's keepers and made sure that he had everything he could possibly need. I still laugh about the antics of them trying to find Grant dress clothes for the funeral at Gap Kids! It was impossible to find pants for Grant when he was that age but they managed and did so with a smile! In the end, Jay and Em were there for us, like family. In fact, Ansley's middle name was actually Jaye - for Jason. (I did have to put my foot down about having a daughter with a middle name of Jason)!

I feel like I'm writing some kind of detailed novel but that is not my point. I want everyone to see how God's devine hand leads us even in the dark times. I saw something written once that said, "God hasn't made the storm stop because He wants me to learn to dance in the rain." That's what this story is. It's one big storm where everyone had to learn to dance! Emily's storm was different than our storm with Ansley, though. Emily had Cystic Fibrosis. She waged a long and tough battle. The nurses saw her coming and ran for cover! They knew she would fight to get better! Through many other divine interventions which ultimately led Jason and Emily to AL where UAB has an awesome lung transplant team, they also had beautiful daughter named Faith. Emily did receive a double lung transplant and enjoyed renewed health for a short period. She and Jason moved back to TX where their families are.

Jason's brother, Brandon, actually runs one of the Chick-fil-As in Lubbock. This is the store Eric is stationed at. So, Jason, Brandon, and Eric all work together again just like those early days at Woodlawn Square! Eric is actually living with Jason right now, too. I think they're a little more mature now and don't allow critters such as ferrets to live in the silverware drawer - no, I'm not kidding!

However, on Tuesday, Emily lost her battle with CF. She'd been flown back to UAB to check out some lingering problems and slipped off to go Home while she was sedated. Jason was there with her.

As most of you know, I don't do emotions well. However, Emily's death just makes me remember how raw my heart was after Ansley's death. I've read Randy's Alcorn's book where he talks about what heaven will be like and I know what the Bible says, but in my own mind, its so comforting to me to picture Emily bursting through the gates of Heaven and looking around to find Ansley and rocking her to sleep for me as she did before.

I know that Emily has left an incredible heritage behind for her daughter and Jason will have his hands full as he begins to find a new "normal" but what a picture of a loving mother and wife she has left for everyone. It also makes me wonder what kind of heritage I'm leaving behind for those around me.

Many More Monkeys, Many More Drums, Dum Ditty, Dum Ditty...

Oh my goodness! I have to say that I never realized how many people read my insane ramblings about our family. I've lost count of how many comments I've gotten wondering if I'd given up on the Blog or if the kids had just tied me up and thrown me in the trunk "Earl style." However, I'm still alive and kicking and just taking some time to readjust to figuring out how to wrestle alligators (Annie), tame tornadoes (Dasha), and be sensitive to a ten year old who is taking his job as "man of the house" a bit too seriously all at the same time.

For those of you who didn't know, our nanny walked out on us a few weeks ago and it really sent me into a tailspin. Looking back, though, it was a blessing in disguise. Annie is now staying with an incredible lady while I'm at work. Annie has really blossomed in just the last few weeks with her. Some days, it seems that she's blossomed into a stink weed but she has really excelled with her new sitter! At ten months, Annie is now walking, babbling nonstop, and eating anything that isn't bigger than she is. Her nickname is The Goat! I don't want to think about how much dog food or how many Nerf darts she's ingested over the last few weeks! I guess we're going to go with the mantra, "What doesn't kill you will make you stronger!" She should have a stomach of steel!

Due to the nanny drama, I had to re-enroll Dasha in public school. Although she was doing great with our home school curriculum, there aren't too many resources for sitter options during the day for an 11 year old! However, when I re-enrolled her, I had her placed in resources classes which are smaller and move at a slower pace. I can't tell you how hard this decision was. I think I just figured that some magic light bulb was going to go on and Dasha was going to catch up with her peers and be able to tow the same load that the others manage. I had to come to the moment of realization that Dasha is a unique individual and she simply needs some more directed studies to fill in all of those missing gaps from being in a institution for the first seven years of her life! Honestly, I think somewhere deep down inside, I just never thought that one of my own kids would have to have special education services. I'd just concocted such a negative opinion of the whole special education idea. Bottom line, I had to deal with my own skeletons in the closet before placing Dasha back at Little River but I know she's in very capable hands and is receiving what she needs at this very moment in her life.

Dasha is happy to be back in school when it comes to the social aspect. However, she's not too fond of the 5:45 wake up call and having to be responsible for remembering her books and tools. However, these are life skills that we need to work on and so we shall!

Grant, as usual, is trying to bear the weight of the world on his shoulders. Grant has always been an old soul but with Eric being in TX, Grant has taken on the roll of "man of the house." He tries his best to make sure all of the girls are taken care of and has even offered to let Annie sleep in his room so I could relax. Although I love Grant's tender heart, there are times when I wish he'd simply be a kid! He and my dad have spent a lot of time together and just competed in the Boy Scout Pinewood Derby Race and came in 3rd place! I think my dad is living vicariously through Grant sometimes but my dad still believes that Grant is nearly perfect in every way and dotes on him beyond belief. Some times, I have to wonder if this is really the same man who raised me. My sister and I never had privileges such as spray painting on the front porch but with Grant, anything is ok if he's happy.

As for me, I'm still teaching at Little River and will finish the year out. It is trying to keep three kids on schedule and semi-clean but as I've learned, kids are incredibly resilient. I figure the bigger kids are already keeping some sort of list of topics to discuss with a counselor later in life so I figure I'd better make it worth their time! I've learned that dishes will patiently wait in the sink to be washed just as laundry will pile up in the hamper. The dog hair in the carpet is just added cushioning for Annie's bum as she toddles around and plops down at intermittent moments. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or cereal can suffice for dinner as long as it's served with a smile and smushed peas under the high chair simply serve as a little snack for the dogs. However, I can't ever get these days back with my kids no matter what our circumstances are so laughter and love will reign supreme as we dance around in hairy carpet with our dirty clothes on!

Believe it or not, I am taking on a bit of a new challenge, too. I've been asked to write a blog about family life. I have to say that I thought it was a joke at first. Those of you who have seen our "family life" first hand know that we're not traditional and sure not rated G at most moments! There's usually nudity (Annie), violence (Nerf darts), and depending if Eric is home, bodily noises. Anyway, if you need another laugh or just need some reassurance that you are going to win the Mother of the Year award, check it out http://happilyeverafterfornow.blogspot.com/. I've had some technical difficulties (the kind that stand at your knees and scream until you pick them up) so things are getting uploaded slowly.

And then, there's Eric! E is still in TX with Chick-fil-A. He loves his job! He's getting acclimated to the area and I'm sure the area is still trying to get acclimated to him, as well! He is currently working two weeks in TX and then working here in ATL for one week. This is a tremendous help for me! Instead of wondering if the light flashing in my eyes is the light at the end of the tunnel or a train headed straight for me, I know when he'll be home so I can plan activities for the family or a solid escape route for myself!

Hopefully, that gives everyone a quick update of the antics around here! I'll try to do better to get things updated before the kids head off for college!