Happy Monday

Or not:) I'm trying this whole positive thing again. So Rylee was sick with a cold/fever last week and of course guess who the lucky person is that caught it from her....that would be me. I'm feeling a little yucky today with sinus pressure, a strange cough, runny nose and the feeling like my eyes want to close really really bad but I am trying so hard not to let that happen. It took me more than 30 minutes to wake up enough and gain enough composure to get out of bed this morning so I don't want to have to start all over again if I take a nap!!!

The weekend in Georgia was so beautiful and has done nothing but give everyone spring fever. Today we woke up to a rainy day but at least it isn't that cold today (that would be the silver lining).

School hasn't been as easy as I thought and I am having to drop one of my classes partly b/c I can't figure out what the heck is going on in there and partly b/c I just need to be able to pick Tegan up from preschool and not have to ask someone else to do it that one day a week. But no fear my friends, I still have 2 classes that are online and if you think that is easy you have never had to teach yourself all about Greek God's, Egypt, Christianity, etc.

Looks like I am going to be a for real soccer mom. Our little lady has decided to finally play something sporty and has asked to play spring soccer. I'm excited about it now but we will talk again later after I have to drag her to all the practices and games b/c she will realize that you must run when playing soccer and you might sweat a little...the two things she hates to do the most!!

Tegan got a Woody doll at Wal-mart the other day. That will require a post all its own!

Hope you all had a great weekend and that you have a great week!

Nystagmus

Turns out that my little man's condition is not only about the eyes but also about the head tilt. For those of you that don't know my son, Tegan, has a condition of the eyes that he was born with called Nystagmus. I noticed it when he was around 2 months old. Nystagmus is a condition where his eyes move from side to side. He doesn't have the control over his eyes that most people do so it causes him to look like he is scanning the room. One plus about Nystagmus is that it can never get worse and sometimes it can get a little better with age. The bad thing about nystagmus is that it isn't going to go away and there is no cure for it.
Tegan has been one lucky little boy when dealing with Nystagmus. So far it doesn't really affect his vision which is usually the case. He has great depth perception which is also a big issue for Nystagmus patients. His eyes have slowed down a lot as he has gotten older and there are times that you can't even tell that he has an issue. But then there is the head tilt. To see things in the distance or that are not right in front of his face he has to tilt his head to the left, look out the corners of his eyes to the right and up a little. This is called his Null point...the point where he can control his eyes, stop them from moving and see.
Yesterday we took him for his eye appointment at Emory Healthcare. The Dr. has presented us with two surgeries that may help Tegan and help his issues with the head tilt. Although the surgery has nothing to do with helping him to control his eyes it will end up helping him with that. The first surgery is OUT OF THE QUESTION in my mind. The second is something called the Kestenbaum Surgery. They will literally go in to his eye sockets and turn his eyeballs. They will turn them to the point where his null point will then be looking straight forward instead of him having to tilt his head. If they can do this then it may also help with the movement but that isn't promised. It is a pretty big deal to have this surgery b/c it can be so great or it can not help at all or it can go really wrong.
Here is our dilemma...Tegan is this perfect happy little boy right now. He is healthy and has no issues . It is hard to put your kid through a surgery when they seem so OK right now. But then there is the head tilt. I fear the meanness of kids as he gets older. I don't want him picked on for having that tilt. But even more so I don't want him to start to develop neck and/or back problems due to the tilt. It is such a hard decision to make. The Dr. is very nice but she isn't a very confident Dr. and that is something that I look for in a Dr. that will be cutting in to my sons eye sockets!!! My husband isn't thrilled about the idea of surgery and he doesn't see any reason to consider it right now but I feel differently. I feel like it should be done before he starts big kid school and before other kids really start to point it out. I wish I knew what the best answer was and mostly wish I could find just one person who has had this done and what they think about it now! I hate making decisions like this!

the SAT

It was been 12 or 13 years since I last took the SAT test. The program that I am applying to requires that it be taken within the last 5 years. So this past Saturday morning I was up early and at my testing center at 7:30 ready for the big test. Well...maybe ready is an exaggeration but at least I was there:) The testing center for this round of SAT was at a local high school about 25 minutes from my house. At the technical college I go to there are so many older adults that have been going back to school that I think I am one of the younger ones in my classes. Well that would not be the case at the SAT's. I was literally surrounded by around 250 to 300 high school students. I was the oldest person there!!!! I promise there were some teachers that were younger than me. Now at 30 I know I am not old but man did I feel out of my element and felt like the kid that no one would talk to. It was horrible. I just kept thinking "don't make eye contact". I sat there listening to these teenagers talk and wanted to scream "don't be so stupid" but I just sat there with my head dropped down.
We had to write out a certification statement on the back of our test. It was one sentence and had to be wrote in cursive. No lie it took some of these kids 20 minutes to write that one sentence b/c they had no idea how to write in cursive. I was shocked.
After the test was over my sweet body reminded me just how old I am as I could barely move from sitting there for 4 1/2 hours. My knees didn't want to let me walk down the front steps of the school. I had teenagers blowing past me...perky and care free while running to their brand new cars that Mommy and Daddy bought them. When I finally got back to my car I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. Ahhhhhh....it was over and I was back in my own bubble. I hope I never have to do that again.

The Baptism

Rylee has been asking questions lately about being baptized but she kept saying she thought she should wait a little longer. Well about 2 weeks ago she finally decided that she wanted to talk with our preacher about getting baptized. When he asked her why she wanted to be baptized she told him b/c "when Jesus was baptized, God was very proud of him and she wanted him to be very proud of her".

This past Sunday she made the walk to the front during the invitation and her decision was made. My little lady was ready to be baptized. She was so excited and we were so proud of her. She did amazing and looked like a little angel stepping in to the pool.

What a blessing it is to raise my kids in the church!!!

Ice Ice Baby

Goodness me will this ever end. We have been covered in snow and ice for FIVE days now. I know that doesn't sound like much to you northerners but for us southern folks this has been pure torture. It started late Sunday night with a whole bunch of snow and then over the last week all that snow has iced over and just doesn't seem to be in any kind of hurry to leave. We have been pretty much stuck in the house but at least this time around we have power so that has made it so much better. The kids and I finally got out today and went to the post office and grocery store so I am already feeling a little better but the roads still have a few slick spots and the snow/ice on the grassy areas is still thick and not melting.

I love my kids...I really do but all this together time after just having all that together time around Christmas is nearly killing me. They are bored and after the first day could care less about going out in the snow. They are fighting with each other like crazy. We all have short tempers right now. I haven't gotten a lick of school work done. Every time I clean the house it is destroyed in 15 minutes. I am just ready for us to go back to our routine and move on from the white stuff. Is that to much to ask??

8 Years Already....

My daughter turns 8 years old today! I still can't even believe that I am saying this somewhat because I can not believe that she is growing up so fast but also because I can not believe that I am growing up to fast:) I think back of 8 years ago how I had no idea what was about to hit me. The amount of love I could feel for this person was lost on me just hours before I saw her face. The anxiety and fears I developed of anything happening to this little girl overtook my mind and body. I had no idea what I was doing and still not sure I do today but when I look at her I know I must be doing something right.

This little girl is perfect in every way!

She is a helpful child who has a lot of heart. Though she loves her brother with all her heart let's be real here...he is still an aggravating little baby brother that is almost 5 years younger than her. But when they are loving each other you can not drive a wedge between them.
Wonderful in school. Ahead of the game in that area. The only kid in the state of Georgia to cry because school was closing for a snow day. Eager to learn. Very social and caring for everyone around her. Trying very hard lately to understand what life is about and showing some fears about the reality of how hard life can be. Fearful of death of the ones she loves. Cautious about everything!!!! Homebody. NEVER forgets anything especially promises made to her. Not a picky eater at all but will still not drink any type of carbonated beverage (not even sprite). Going through a growth spurt that will probably end with her being taller than me very soon!

A little bit bossy but a whole lot of spunk. A child who is so resilient and is not going to let anyone get in her way. In love with Justin Beiber and continues to defend him to the bitter end when her daddy swears he is a girl. TV lover! Has her own invisible students in her real life classroom she has set up complete with a teachers desk and a rather large dry erase board hanging on the wall. Very easy to be heartbroken but very quick to recover. All Girl! Loves all things sparkly and fancy. My favorite little girl of all times. Promises everyday to always be my best friend!

Talented! Precious! Perfect in every way!
Happy 8th Birthday to our little lady!

The Weather Man Was Right!!!!!

I would like to clear something up...we live in GEORGIA which is in the SOUTH!!! I think Mother Nature is a little confused b/c this is the second snow she has dumped on us since Christmas. Depending on where you are measuring it is anywhere from 5 to 8 inches of snow!!!! UNREAL! So far it isn't bad b/c we still have power but since everything is starting to ice over I am preparing for the worst. We went out to play and then loaded up in the 4x4 truck for a little drive. I took some great pictures within a 1 mile radius of my house so this is probably going to be picture overload.