HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MISTER ROO!

My favorite little five year old boy becomes my favorite little six year old boy today. When I think back to the day he was born I have to remember that he came into this world with excitement and energy. By the time we made it to the hospital and I put on a gown, I had to push...no time for drugs. This should have given me a hint into the personality of this precious little boy we were bringing home. He is so full of excitement and energy. He does things in his own way and in his own time. Even though that can mean long days sometimes ;-), I do see how the Lord gave him this strong will and determination for a reason. I know when he is on the road the Lord has prepared for him he will persevere no matter what the world would try to persuade him to do. Now that Andrew is six he can do so many things all on his own. He can build fabulous things out of Legos. He amazes me with what imagination he has and his ability to execute the designs in his mind.
Andrew is my little foodie! He will try anything I cook and likes most everything (except for the artichokes I made last week...not a hit). He loves to help me cook. He helped me make a big pot of taco soup in anticipation of Aunt Tammy and Uncle Dennis' visit with the cousins too.

He keeps us in stitches with the things he says and does. Sometimes we have to keep the giggles inside while we remind him of appropriateness. Yesterday he ran over to me in the middle of his flag football game and said, "I think I have a brain injury". The look on his face gave away that he was fine and just looking to make all of the mommies laugh.

Happy Birthday to my favorite six year old boy in the whole world. You are my little Mister Roo. I thank God for you every day and love watching your little personality grow and unfold before me. I can't wait to see the wonderful things the Lord will do in your life and what an impact you will make for Him. I look forward to many more years of laughter, love and snuggles!

Meltdown

Well, it has happened. Mason had his meltdown about his whole situation last night. He has rolled with everything so calmly...true to his personality. I knew he had to have his moment at some time, I just wasn't ready to see how emotional this all really is for him and how much he is keeping it in. We were getting in the car to pick up our pizza and Mason threw on his Heeley's and started to roll out to the car. I told him he couldn't be skating with his arm in the cast. That was it, he just unloaded and cried. He told me how much he can't do...no PE, no recess, no football, no riding his scooter, no video games, no Guitar Hero. I tried to explain to him the cast only had to be on for another 2 1/2 weeks. He then said he knew he had to do therapy for a while and still won't be able to do everything that kids get to do. I had to giggle when he said he thought getting to sit around and watch a lot of TV would be cool but now it's boring. I did my best to just listen and let him vent. What could I say, watching TV does get boring after a while. Then, from the back seat I hear Andrew say with his slight little lisp, "Bubba, I wish I could wear your cast for you". AWWW! My little guy was feeling compassion for his big brother. Don't get me wrong, my boys love each other so much, but sometimes it is obvious that Andrew gets tired of being in Mason's shadow and Mason gets tired of Andrew following behind. Normal sibling issues I suppose but it is nice to see them be there for each other when one is having a hard time. We will continue "X"ing the days on the calendar until the cast comes off. We've been playing chess, reading and having extra movie nights. Any suggestions for calm indoor activities? My creativity is zapped.

FLU...I loathe you!

This is what the last 4 days has consisted of in our home...(from top to bottom)
-Sanitize every surface in our home, especially the rooms that Mark & Andrew have been quarantined. I forgot the hand sanitizer but that goes without saying. This also includes washing all of the bed linens since I am trying hard to keep Mason and myself from becoming the next victims of this villain.
-Medication administration...between the flu meds for Mark & Andrew and Mason's meds after his surgery, I almost need to set the schedules in Outlook for reminders. The Stress Formula with Zinc is for me ;-)
-Breathing treatments. I thought we were past those days since the boys are older. Washing out the little canisters endlessly throughout the day...blah.

Oh, and I am trying to get work done from home in the midst of all of this. After almost two weeks with only a few hours spent in my office I am VERY BEHIND. I wonder if they make Extra Strength Stress Formula? Yeah, they do...I think the generic name for it is whiskey...LOL.

A movie, really?

OK...we went to the movies to see How to Eat Fried Worms. It was cute but now my son doesn't even remember the book (he was only 6 when we read it) he just remembers the movie. Mark took Mason to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Mason loved the book and says the movie changed the tone of the book all together by making it a "save the world" adventure. It is no longer the fun little fantasy it once was in his little mind. Now here comes Where the Wild Things Are. I don't think I want this favorite from my childhood and of my boys to be transformed into another big adventure. I want to leave it just as it is in our minds, a simple child's dream. I'm starting to understand why Dr. Seuss did not sell the movie rights to his books. His family did a few after he passed away and I wonder if he really would have approved. So please, Hollywood. Find some good original screenplays and make for fun movies for us to enjoy as a family. We love going to the big movies but leave these adventures in the pages we turn at bedtime just as they are.

UPDATE ON MASON

MASON IS NOW ON HIS LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY. WE SAW THE HAND SURGEON (DR. HO) ON MONDAY AND SHE DECIDED TO DO SURGERY THE NEXT DAY. WE DROVE BACK IN THE WEE HOURS OF THE MORNING AND SENT OUR BABY BACK FOR HER TO FIX UP THAT FINGER. SHE SPOKE TO US AFTER THE SURGERY AND INDICATED THAT THE FINGER WAS ACTUALLY WORSE THAN SHE INITIALLY THOUGHT. THE BRANCH TRIMMERS CUT THROUGH THE BONE AND SLICED OFF A PART OF THE CARTILAGE IN THE KNUCKLE AS WELL AS CUT THROUGH THE TENDON. SHE SAID, "I DON'T KNOW HOW THE BONE WAS SLICED THROUGH AND THE NERVE AND ARTERY STAYED INTACT". I SNICKERED AND THOUGHT...I DO. :-) OUR GOD IS A GOD OF MIRACLES AND PROTECTION. I DON'T KNOW WHY IT HAD TO HAPPEN BUT I AM SO THANKFUL THE LORD WAS PROTECTING HIM AND HIS FINGER STAYED INTACT. SHE WAS ABLE TO REPAIR EVERYTHING, NOW WE WAIT AND SEE HIS HEALING PROGRESS, THERAPY AND GROWTH OF THAT BONE SINCE THE GROWTH PLATE WAS CUT THROUGH, THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT RISK THAT IT MAY SHUT DOWN.
FOR THE NEXT 4 WEEKS IT MEANS HE IS ON EXTREMELY LIMITED ACTIVITY. HE CANNOT STRAIN THAT ARM. SHE SAID HE CAN'T EVEN PICK UP HIS BACKPACK WITH THAT ARM. THE PIN IN HIS FINGER CANNOT BE DISTURBED. THE INCISION IS CLOSED UP IN THE CAST SO WE CANNOT CLEAN IT. HE CANNOT EVEN GIT A BIT SWEATY INSIDE THERE FOR RISK OF INFECTION SO HE CAN'T EVEN GET OUT IN THE SUN. I AM THANKFUL IT IS OCTOBER AND COOLER WEATHER IS HERE FOR NOW. ONCE WE MAKE IT THROUGH THE NEXT 4 WEEKS AND THE CAST IS REMOVED, THERAPY WILL BEGIN. HIS ENTIRE HAND WILL BE STIFF SINCE ALL FOUR FINGERS ARE ENCASED IN THE CAST TO ENSURE THAT FINGER HEALS PROPERLY. HE WILL BE VERY STIFF AND WE WILL HAVE THE "NO PAIN, NO GAIN" ATTITUDE AROUND HERE. DR. HO WILL THEN MONITOR THE GROWTH OF THAT FINGER FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF YEARS TO SEE IF THE BONE GROWS NORMALLY OR ADDITIONAL SURGERY WILL BE REQUIRED.
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS. WE HAVE FELT THEM AND KNOW THE LORD HAS HEARD THEM. PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY THAT HIS RECOVER STAYS ON TRACK AND WE DON'T EXPERIENCE ANY SETBACKS. WE WILL NEED TO BE STRUCTURED, OBEDIENT AND DISCIPLINED TO GET THE BEST RESULTS SO PLEASE PRAY THE LORD WILL GIVE US ALL WE NEED IN THESE AREAS.
ON A LIGHTER NOTE, MASON GETS TO SIT AND WATCH TV MOST OF THE DAY, NOT SOMETHING BY BOYS GET TO DO FOR MORE THAN A COUPLE OF HOURS ON SATURDAYS AND MAYBE AN HOUR DURING THE WEEK. MASON ALREADY WANTS SOME SORT OF ABDOMINAL BELT THAT WORKS YOUR ABS WHILE YOU JUST SIT THERE. I GUESS HE IS A PRIME TARGET FOR INFOMERCIALS RIGHT NOW. I'LL MAKE SURE HE DOESN'T HAVE ACCESS TO MY DEBIT CARD ;-)

IN THE HEART OF A MOTHER.

Last night Mason had a Cub Scout camp out. The boys and I went and had a bond fire and cook out in the evening and Andrew and I left leaving Mason with his leader and 4 other boys to spend the night in tents and begin a cleanup of the brush on the park trails in the morning. At 8:20am the phone rang and I heard those dreaded words. "There's been an accident and Mason's finger is cut pretty bad." The boys were using landscaping shears and another boy accidentally caught Mason's finger when attempting to cut a branch.

I met the cub scout leaders at the local ER with Mark and Andrew to follow behind. When I arrived, he was pale and afraid. He asked me, "Mom, why did this have to happen?" I told him we don't always know why things happen, we just have to trust that God is in control and pray to him for strength and comfort so we did so together right there together. My heart broke into pieces on the inside while I put on a strong face for my frightened little boy. I prayed silently for the Lord to hold me together through this. Daddy arrived soon after and Mason was even more comforted with his presence. The finger looked bad...cut to the bone with the knuckle and tendons damaged. We had to see a children's orthopedic surgeon and we knew that would mean heading to Dallas or Tyler. Dallas it was, Children's Medical Center was the place we needed to go. Andrew was safely left with our dear friends, Kim & Paul as we dashed to Dallas. It is a good 100 miles from us so Mark was driving "quickly" with his flashers on to get him there in good time. A hundred miles is a lot of time for thinking...to much...even when you are speeding. Why did I let him stay without me? Should I have kept him home? Should I have waited one more year to begin scouting when Mark could have been more involved? He's getting older and I have to let him have some independence...but at what cost? If I had been there could I have stopped this accident? Probably not, accidents happen fast and we can't be everywhere. Is he going to be able to use this finger? Is the damage too bad to repair? The unknowns are just unbearable but my God is bigger than all my doubts and fears.

At Children's the ER triage nurse was just doing her job and sent us to their ER waiting room...I waited for about 5 minutes before I went back over to her and told her our local ER physician called to tell them we were coming and felt time was of the essence with his injury. She told me she had done all she could do by making us a high priority. I respectfully told her I needed to speak to her supervisor because I knew she was doing all she could but I refused to wait an hour or more for a room and another hour or more for an orthopedic consultation when the doctor called ahead to avoid that wait in the best interest of my son. This mama bear was not just going to sit down and shut up. Another nurse walked by and heard my discussion with the triage nurse and stepped in and expedited everything by confirming our local ER physician called ahead and planned our transfer.
Now we began the process of unwrapping and reopening the wound multiple times for multiple doctors, med students & orthopedic surgeons to take a look and wait to decide what to do. We put in an IV after two sticks...the first blew the vein...and then finally decided to have the orthopedic surgeons clean the wound and get a better look then decide what to do. Mason was very upset when he heard that Dad and I would have to leave while they did this. We explained we would be right outside, they gave him some morphine, we kissed him goodbye and I turned and cried as I left the room. Mark didn't say a word, he just held my hand. What can you say in those moments? His quiet resolve was such a comfort to me. I later noticed how many moms were in the waiting area with injured kids & their siblings but no dad. I was so grateful to have Mark there with us. Mark's Uncle Sam and Aunt Margaret came and waited in the waiting room to see if we needed anything. They couldn't even see Mason but waited for hours just to be there for us. Sam was such a comfort to me when I told him the doctors plans to delay any further exploration of surgery. He is a retired sports medicine physician so he is very familiar with joint and tendon injuries. Just his acceptance of their decisions calmed my fears.
Mason was brave and did great. The entire day he reminded me of my mother. He was so sweet and kind to his doctors and nurses even when he was very uncomfortable. I routinely sit in awe of the heart God has given that boy. The nurses and doctors were so comforting to him and for that I am so grateful. The surgeon consulted with the hand specialist and they made the decision to close the wound and schedule an appointment Monday for the hand surgeon to look and assess the need for surgery to repair the tendon. The major veins and arteries in that finger were intact as well as the nerves. The joint was indeed cut into with the blade but not crushed by force with the shears. These confirmations were such a blessing because had those areas been damaged we may have lost that finger. His range of motion is what we are questioning now and if surgery would give him a better recovery or potentially further trauma. I am praising God for his protection in these critical areas and asking him to guide or doctors and our decisions as we move forward.
On our way home at about 6:00pm we stopped to eat at Schlotzky's (one of Mason's favorites since he was so little he called it "fartcheese") since none of us had eaten anything the entire day. We settled back into the truck to finish the long trek home. We called the little boy who accidentally cut Mason's finger to make sure he and his mom knew Mason was OK. Mason was worried that his buddy was feeling bad about this accident. We later joked about Mason having a "cool" story to tell his buddies and he said, "When I tell the story I will not say B's name because I don't want it to make him feel bad, I'll just say my finger got cut when we were cutting branches." I teared up again and told him I thought that was a fabulous idea. We arrived at Kim & Paul's to big hugs from Andrew. He couldn't wait to see his big brother and told him he hoped his finger felt better. There is nothing like brotherly love...I teared up again.

Even though our hearts break into a million pieces on days like today, Mother's hearts are so beautiful because they are sometimes broken. Like a mosaic, they are pieced together with random shards to reveal something strikingly beautiful. I continue to pray for our Lord to create his masterpiece in me.

FRIDAY FUNNY - THE SMELL CHART

ANDREW BROUGHT HOME THE SMELL CHART HE MADE AT SCHOOL. THE CLASS IS LEARNING ABOUT THEIR FIVE SENSES AND THE FOCUS THIS DAY WAS THE SENSE OF SMELL. HIS TEACHER HAD SEVERAL SAMPLES FOR THE KIDS TO SMELL. THEY HAD TO DRAW A PICTURE (AND WRITE THE WORD IF THEY COULD) OF WHAT THEY THOUGHT EACH SMELL WAS.

ITEM 1 - I THINK WE ALL KNOW WHAT HE THOUGHT THAT SMELLED LIKE. IT WAS ACTUALLY VINEGAR. HOW DO YOU CONFUSE VINEGAR WITH...I DON'T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT THAT ANY FURTHER. I'M SURE IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE COMIC RELIEF. HE DOES LOVE TO MAKE PEOPLE LAUGH.

ITEM 2 - "CADOL" APPARENTLY CINNAMON AND THE ONLY CINNAMON HE SMELLS COMES FROM A CANDLE...I GUESS I SHOULD BAKE MORE :-).

ITEM 3 - "SANUTISR" WAS RUBBING ALCOHOL. YES, MY KIDS ARE VERY FAMILIAR WITH THE SMELL OF HAND SANITIZER...THEIR MOM IS A GERM FREAK.

ITEM 4 - "TETEE" WAS NOT A CONTINUATION OF THE BATHROOM HUMOR I FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS. IT WAS PERFUME THAT SMELLED LIKE HIS TEDDY BEAR JUST AFTER I WASH IT.

ANDREW AND I HAD A TALK ABOUT NOT TALKING ABOUT HIS FIRST ITEM. "ANDREW, IT IS NOT NICE TO DRAW POOP ON YOUR SCHOOL PAPERS OR TALK ABOUT THAT STUFF WHEN IT ISN'T PRIVATE TALK." MY, MY, MY...I DIDN'T THINK I WOULD EVER PUT THOSE WORDS TOGETHER IN A SENTENCE. MARK AND I DID LAUGH LIKE FIVE YEAR OLD KIDS ABOUT THIS AFTER THE BOYS WENT TO BED AND NOW I'M POSTING IT ON OUR BLOG...CLASSY FAMILY AREN'T WE?

ARE YOU A MEAN MOM?

IT LOOKS LIKE I AM EXACTLY THAT. I GUESS I SHOULD START BY DEFINING WHAT I CONSIDERED A MEAN MOM WHEN I WAS A KID BECAUSE I HAD A MEAN MOM.

MY MEAN MOM DID NOT LET ME EAT CAPTAIN CRUNCH AND POP TARTS FOR BREAKFAST. WE HAD EGGS, BACON OR SAUSAGE AND TOAST MOST MORNINGS. IF WE DID HAVE CEREAL IT WAS NOT THE SUGARY KIND.

MY MEAN MOM WOULD NOT LET ME DRESS IN A WAY SHE FELT WAS INAPPROPRIATE AND TAUGHT ME MODESTY FROM A YOUNG AGE SO I NEVER WANTED TO DRESS THAT WAY ANYWAY.

IF I MADE A COMMITMENT TO SERVE AT CHURCH, SING IN CHOIR, PLAY ON A SPORTS TEAM, ETC. SHE REQUIRED I FULFILLED THAT COMMITMENT...EVEN IF IT MEANT SHE HAD TO DRAG ME OUT OF BED TO BE AT 8:00AM MASS FOR CANDLE BEARER DUTY.

WHEN I WAS OLD ENOUGH TO WORK, EVEN BABYSITTING, SHE REQUIRED I GIVE HER A PORTION OF THE MONEY I EARNED TO BE SAVED. SHE PUT IT AWAY FOR ME AND GAVE IT TO ME WHEN I GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL. IT WAS A NICE NEST EGG AND IT TAUGHT ME THE VALUE OF SAVING.

ACADEMICS WERE THE PRIORITY. MY PARENTS NEVER ENGAGED CONVERSATION ABOUT WHO IS TAKING WHO TO THE PROM, ETC. ETC. NOT THAT A MORE OPEN RELATIONSHIP ISN'T GREAT BUT THEIR GIVING A LIMITED STAGE TO SUCH THINGS DID HELP ME PUT THEM IN PERSPECTIVE.

I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT THE THINGS MY PARENTS DID THAT I TRULY DID NOT APPRECIATE AT THE TIME BUT NOW THAT I AM TRYING TO RAISE MY CHILDREN TO BE RESPONSIBLE ADULTS THAT HAVE THEIR PRIORITIES RIGHT, BOY DO I SEE THE VALUE. IT IS EVEN MORE APPARENT TO ME WHAT OUR SOCIETY IS DOING TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE BY DOWNPLAYING THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER BUILDING, DISCIPLINE, AND RIGHT PRIORITIES. THE "DO WHAT YOU WANT BECAUSE IT FEELS GOOD" MENTALITY IS CREATING GENERATIONS OF PEOPLE THAT FEEL ENTITLED, SELFISH, AND NOT READY TO HANDLE THE DEMANDS OF THE PROFESSIONAL WORLD...OR LIFE IN GENERAL. WE SHOULD CARE MORE ABOUT THEIR CHARACTER THAN THEIR COMFORT. (I BORROWED THAT FROM RICK WARREN...THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE)

I HAVE ALL OF THIS ON MY MIND MORE THAN USUAL BECAUSE I HAVE DECIDED THAT ONE OF MY BOYS IN PARTICULAR, NEEDS TO FEEL CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS CHOICES...GOOD AND BAD. BOTH OF MY BOYS ARE GOOD BOYS AND I AM SO BLESSED TO HAVE THEM. SOMETIMES I THINK IN MY ATTEMPTS TO GIVE THEM ALL THE THINGS I DID NOT HAVE AS A CHILD I MAY BE DEPRIVING THEM OF WHAT I DID HAVE...A MEAN MOM. IN HONOR OF MY MEAN MOM AND MY RESOLVE TO CARRY ON THE TRADITION, HERE IS WHAT I HAVE DONE THIS PAST WEEK TO DO THE TOUGH STUFF:

- I STAYED HOME WITH THE ONE CHILD WHO DID NOT GET HIS ROOM CLEANED BEFORE OUR "BIG MOVIE" DATE WHILE DAD AND BROTHER WENT TO SEE CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS.

- I TOOK AWAY THE SNOW CONE OF THE CHILD THAT DID NOT KEEP IT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE. THIS IS THE RULE, IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE RULE AND YES, I ATE WHAT WAS LEFT.

I NOW KNOW WHY THEY CALL IT TOUGH LOVE...IT IS TOUGH FOR US...NOT JUST THE KIDS. I WANTED TO GO TO THE MOVIES! IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH EASIER TO LET IT SLIDE AND TAKE HIM ANYWAY. TAKING AWAY WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE BELOVED SNOW CONE WHEN THE END OF SUMMER IS NEAR...:( BUT WHAT WAS LEFT WAS TASTY ;) HEY, THE MEAN MOM DOES NEED SOME PERKS. IT'S A TOUGH JOB AND I HOPE THEY APPRECIATE IT SOMEDAY.

ASSURE

Mason and I were going over his new list of vocabulary words last night. I was asking him what the words meant before he read the definitions to see if he had a general understanding of the meanings. One of the words was ASSURE. When I asked him the meaning he said, "it means to know for sure...to make someone count on it, like you mom. I gave him a surprised look when he said that and he went on to say, "when you say you'll be there you always mean it." Oh, that made me feel so good! I want so badly for my kids to know how important they are to me. I try so hard, like so many other moms, to juggle so many responsibilities and commitments that sometimes I have to miss some of their activities. It was great to hear that he knows he can count on me to be there for him. Even if it means we are in a rush 80% of the time and are eating fish sticks, turkey sandwiches, or pizza four nights a week, we make it work ;-)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARK

That's my man! OK, that isn't him in the shirt...but he is now 40 and fabulous. Happy Birthday, hon! I hope you enjoyed your day and dinner with friends. You sure deserved a night all about you. I love you and hope you had a wonderful day.