Padraig doing his version of My Heart Will Go On

Kai singing the Anthem

Keara singing Silent Night

Colors in our yard!

KIDDOS

117 math problems!

I guess I can tell you 1 problem. 99-27=72 is the 116Th problem (lot of work) . Kai kept bothering me! + I got a solo! 100 % satisfaction!

Keara

So I am a lonely golfpro's wife

I've heard of women saying they are a golf widow. I am indeed, a golfpro's widow! This is the weekend from he!! for us. Jay has the dreaded Couple's Classic. OK not really dreaded as it brings a lot of play their way but still, for me it's dreaded. I have the LONG weekend to boot. Keara started her Ritalin today and it has been fascinating. She worked o math problems (117 total) for several hours this morning. And this was just for FUN. Jay says "She is definitely your daughter!" LOL Kai is some kind of Pterodactyl. And Drig was yelling at me for routing against UNC. (They were playing State, what can I say!) Last night we thought we would try pushing the beds together and making one giant bed. UGH DID NOT WORK!!!! It was awful. I made some brownies this morning for Jay to take as a pick-me-up at work. Hope those boys enjoy them! The Auburn game is giving me a bellyache! I MUST...GO...WATCH! be back later.........

Keara

So Keara is having trouble again. UGH! We tried to get a hold of her Dr. but the man has gone AWOL. I am so pissed about it. He is so getting reported by us! So, we have to go back to the Dr. in BHam. I just hate having that drive. UGH UGH UGH!

Good news...Keara tried out in chorus for a solo in the Christmas Program and out of 39 she was selected! She is such an awesome singer. I know I am her mom but really the kid has talent. I am really gonna push hard for voice lessons soon.

UMM, my life is quite boring, can't think of anything else to write right now. TWIDDLE DEE!

Keara singing

Keara singing the national anthem. She is 9 today and got a microphone for her birthday. She did this very quickly last night to *test* the microphone out. She has some kind of talent! *And this is a quick take...the microphone in the video is an old one (just wanted to share her voice so we quickly put it into a 'video'. I will try and get a 'real' video soon!)

It's that time again!

So we are not moving

We traveled to Huntsville on Thurs. We were physically in the car for 12 hours. Needless to say, the kids did well, considering. When it was all said and done, we decided NOT to move. Jay was really hopeful for a upward climb but it just wasn't enough to leave. We LOVE it here. You would be hard pressed to find many school districts in the nation that are as good as ours. We have terrific teachers, and the kids are so happy here. Regardless, we were going to try it somewhere else but we just had too many cons. We found a house that would have been perfect but I didn't get a good vibe from the street it was on. The school was closed for fall break?? We did walk around but again, I am so spoiled here. The secretary was not my Mrs. M. I wanted to like everything, I wanted to be the supportive wife, but I just got really depressed and quite scared trying. In the end, Jay made the decision because I didn't want that kind of burden. I don't have a job so I can't really tell him what to do in his. I wanted what was best for the kids and him. I knew, though, that I could get the kids on board by really pumping up the bonuses to them. So I would have done that but Jay felt, as I did, and we are not going. Thank goodness!

Cotton SPEAKS

Keara went on a field trip yesterday. She got to pick cotton and see a real old working farm. So, she is telling us all about the things she did and Jay hears about the cotton picking and says "Have you ever listened to cotton?" At this point I spit my food out in total hysterics. You have to understand that Jay is WEIRD. And I really mean that, not just you know that passing remark about someone's behavior, this is just Jay. He was DEAD serious about the cotton. So, at the dinner table I had him leading my children in listening for the squeaky cotton. He then decided it must only be the processed cotton because the fresh picked kind didn't speak to him. WHAT? Seriously demented.

*Little side note that this is not the first inanimate object to speak to my husband. He has had the fries that chirp as well!

Oh and I called my mom to find out if I was the one that is weird. She confirmed that I am indeed normal but in the process we found that my dad is not. My mom was explaining the theory to him and asked if he ever listened to cotton. My dad said no but "I understand that if you go in a corn field and listen carefully, the corn will moan." WHAT? Now I guess I understand only one thing....my mom and I are CRAZY, we married LOONS!

Keara's other story

The Michigan Tornado
By Keara

On May 26, 1998, in Michigan, storm clouds started to form. The storm started in the middle of the night. The next day the cloud started to drop a funnel. A tornado warning was let off to warn people. Soon, the funnel touched the ground! People fled to safe places. Some people went to closets, some went to their bathtubs, and some went to their basements. Thousands of sticks flew through the air. Rocks went flying and smashing windows. Hailstones were the size of tennis balls. Some people were so scared of the hailstones that they just went to the middle of the room. That wasn’t a really good choice. The storm was soon over. One hundred fifty-six people were killed and five were children. Nine hundred eighty-nine people were injured and ten were children. (Less children were killed and injured because the hiding places were too small for adults.) The kids were still scared even though the storm was over. Parents told their children it was safe. They came out of their hiding places because they trusted their parents. They saw that trees were lifted out of the ground and roofs were ripped off houses. There was a lot of damage. They hope it never happens again!

Keara's story

Started: Sunday, November 19,2006
Ended: Saturday, September 15, 2007

Tanna’s life
BY KEARA

"Polly Ann is driving me crazy! She’s been bossing me around everyday, almost," Tanna said to her mother. Finally, it was summer break. Tanna was going to her cousin’s house. Her cousin’s name is Ty Lou. She lives with Aunt Tery. Tanna was very excited because she could not wait to get to Ty Lou’s house. Every time she went there, they would get chocolate milkshakes. When they got there, Tanna rushed inside. There were chocolate milkshakes waiting for them already. Tanna went up to Ty Lou’s room and knocked on the door. When Ty Lou opened the door, she was surprised and hugged Tanna tight. Tanna asked, "Do you want to go drink the milkshakes?" Ty Lou said, "Sure!" Tanna and Ty Lou rushed downstairs. They drank their milkshakes pretty fast. Tanna asked Aunt Tery, "Can we go outside and play?" Aunt Tery said, "Yes." Tanna and Ty Lou ran outside. They filled up the pools and they jumped in. Just then, Aunt Tery came out. She said "Get out of the pool, you will get your clothes wet." They got out of the pool & into their bathing suits. They ran back outside and jumped into the pools again. They splashed and swam. They had big pools. They were lake size. They kept swimming until 2:10. Tanna said, "At 2:10 we need to get inside because it is going to storm." The storm started coming in at 2:10. Tanna and Ty Lou ran inside as quick as they could. They quickly ran to Ty Lou’s room and got dressed. Then Tanna said, "Maybe we should play dolls." "Great idea!" said Ty Lou. Aunt Tery ran in & took them to the window to let them see that there was hail. They said "AH!" and ran out of the room. They got into a place with no windows and hid in a closet because they knew that sometimes tornadoes come after hail. Tanna’s mother came in after that. She said, "It’s over." The girls came out of the closet and hugged their moms. They said, "I thought there was going to be a twister." The mothers said, "No, there was no twister." The girls felt relieved. They went back to Ty Lou’s room and started playing dolls again. When they were done, they had dinner. Tanna said, "I don’t want to go to bed." Tanna’s mother said, "You have to go to bed Tanna." After that, it was time to brush their teeth. Then Tanna went home. When it was time for bed, Tanna got out her mattress and covers. She laid down. Her mother kissed her good night and said "I love you, and have sweet dreams." Tanna couldn’t sleep that night, she was very scared. She called for her mother " I’m really scared of the strange noises around here." Her mother came in, explained what all the strange noises were, & she said, "Go back to sleep." When Tanna went to sleep, the next morning came in a flash. She woke up her mother and said "Wake up, wake up, it’s time to go back to Ty Lou’s house and have fun." Her mother woke up, got dressed, got Tanna dressed and finally went back to Ty Lou’s house. Ty Lou was happy to see them. Just then, a severe storm hit! The girls were scared! They screamed! Suddenly, it was over. Everyone was happy. Hurricane Molly was in the gulf & Tanna’s family did not know about it! Ty Lou was worried but did not want to tell about it. It was going hit in three days! Ty Lou knew that Tanna & her aunt would get hurt if they did not know about it! They could even die! She could not decide if she should tell or not. Tanna came in the room. "What are you thinking about?" asked Tanna. "Nothing" answered Ty Lou. Tanna turned and headed out of the room. "Whew" Ty Lou said. Tanna slept over that night & in the morning, they watched the weather. Now Tanna’s family knew about the hurricane. When Molly hit, they were all safe!
THE END!

COURTESY OF DRIG

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JENNIFER

KEARA

KAI

JASON

Kai is truly so funny

Kai came home yesterday with a certificate for being the Club Cary winner last week. We were telling him how proud we were (as this is for being such a great student), and Kai was CLUELESS. The poor child had the award affixed upon his desk for an entire week and never realized that HE was the winner. BAAHHHHAAA. He is so funny. If he were a girl we would truly say he was just a little ditsy. What do you call it when it's a boy? LOL

UHOH Big decision

My head is spinning. Do we stay or do we go? We are trying to decide whether we should move. UGH I HATE moving. There are so many pros and yet some cons too. I know where Jay's heart is and that just adds to the burden. This isn't just about him or me for that matter, this is about ALL of us. I have to really consider the kids as they are in really good programs right now with their schooling. Keara is doing so awesome, I would hate for that to go backward. But then again, maybe this would be just what she needs, doing well with a fresh start. Plus it's like a sign or something when I actually know someone that has family in the school we are looking to move to. So we will fight the urge to make any decisions until we visit tomorrow. The kids will come too and they will no doubt give their ever so honest opinions. Like I said the ole noggin is doing the loop-d-loops ~:

Stay or go?

So my question today is "how much is just too much?" At what point does a mother, father, sibling say enough is enough? I don't know because I haven't been faced with addiction but in terms of just plain ole enough is enough, I guess I do know my threshold. My philosophy on the whole blood is thicker than water is pretty simple actually. I believe if someone is good to me, if they treat me with the respect and kindness I deserve, whether they are "blood" or not, I will continue that relationship. If, however, someone doesn't show me these simple gestures, they will bring me down and they are out. I really don't think just because you were born unto someone, that they can treat you poorly and expect a relationship with you. In my case it was a very easy answer. I didn't have to think very hard about removing this person from my life. It was easy. Do I ever mourn that loss? NO. I am fortunate that I have someone in my life that WANTS to be there. He cares, TRULY. If addiction is the reason for the treatment, though, I wonder if that makes it different. I don't know. I want to believe it does bear some weight but again, that isn't my situation. I wish for the sake of many, it were easy. I wish I could shed some wisdom of light to the people affected. I wish I could shake some sense into the one causing the pain. Because even when someone is DONE, in this circumstance, I don't know that it will EVER be done. It is just heartbreaking and unfair!

Misc. NOTHINGS

So Jay interviewed AGAIN. We are not even 1% hopeful LOL. But he did anyway, to stay politically correct, ya know? Keara came home with 3 certificates 100% on Science Chapter Test, 2 100% on timed math tests and 100% on EVERY spelling test this year. She is so smart. And then there is Kai. I said that wrong, he is really smart too, but he does have his DUH moments. He blanks out or just doesn't listen and then there is a 0 on a paper. He is so funny about it, like "don't worry mom, it's just one 0!" So I reply "okay dude if that's ALL it is!" Drig has two teachers that are volunteering to keep him for any weekend I might want to get away. I tried to explain that I would really love that but I have a little problem er 2 that might not be so fine home alone. And ya know I am rolling in all the cash I have. BAAHHHAAA. Jackie is coming today. It should be nice, haven't talked for awhile. More later....Keara is stealing the computer!

Magic Pill

We have been praying for a magic pill to appear and help Keara. We found it! I am so beyond excited right now. Keara started on Prozac a couple of weeks ago and I really think it is just what she needed. I was so AGAINST it at first but finally after 5 different tries, we decided we had to try it. OMG it has been AMAZING! Last night we went to Family Fun Night at Drig's school. Keara is usually a mess during and after these type events. But last night she was so pleasant. She went in the big blow-up bouncy thing and was FINE! If you don't understand a child like Keara this seems like no big deal but for Keara it was HUGE. She has never been able to do these things without a. melting down and b. having to get out early. Last night not only did she stay the entire time, she ENJOYED it. Then she went on the big blow-up slide. She is usually afraid of heights but again she LOVED it. I was that sappy mom crying as I watched Keara really be a kid and have fun. I can still tear up just remembering. It was FANTASTIC. I have waited a long time to watch my little girl have a good time doing stuff kids do and last night for the very first time I got to see it. I cannot express how happy I am!

So she told me...

Me: "Why are they teaching you things that I didn't learn?"

Keara : "Because it is modern day math!"

ALRIGHTY THEN!

You know you are in the south...

When...

The sign at the Aquarium says "No fishing poles allowed!"

Ya think? DUH


I found this to be absolutely hysterical.

At long last an update...

Keara: She is doing so awesome. I am a little scared to even post this because I might jinx it LOL. We finally broke down and went with Prozac. So NOT what I wanted to do. But we did try five different meds before this and none did it. The last one had her moods pretty good but we couldn't go up with the dose because she literally threw chairs across the room the week we tried. We are just so wanting the anxiety to be less. We had to try this and so far I am so happy we did. It is amazing, Keara, my sweet little girl is here...EVERYDAY, ALL DAY! Seriously, if you understand what we have gone through with her, this is truly the greatest miracle we could hope for. So far her fears have diminished as well. YEAH! She is still doing fabulous in school. She got her progress report and it was 97%, 97%, 98% and 98%. She was disappointed that she didn't get 100%. We tried to explain that it was ALL her grades averaged and these were FANTASTIC scores, but she said she was going to try even harder. LOL Her chorus is going great. Man my kid has a beautiful voice. She is so good. We're just happy she found her niche.

Kai: He is doing well in 1st grade. He lost both of his bottom teeth and it's adorable. He has developed yet another crush. It really is sweet. He is officially reading now too. At first I was a little concerned because he was just memorizing the books, but the last couple of days he has been really reading. He is so proud of himself.

Drig: My little squirt is really smart. I am a little stunned because up until recently, it was really hard to understand him. His speech is getting so much better now. And along with that we are finding that he is quite smart. (we knew he was smart but just not how smart kwim?) Anyway, the other day Keara asked him how many syllables words have in them and he would clap out the word and tell her. He did it totally on his own too. It was crazy. He is nonstop football, basketball and golf. OMG, he acts out the entire thing, even does replays for ya, like the games do. It is pretty funny. I cannot believe my baby will be five in a month! UGH! Where has it gone?

Jay: He is my changed man! I guess everything that we went through was worth it because he is so much better now, of course I do have the control of the money. LOL But we are just having fun again. LOVE IT! He is really supportive of my health issues too. LOVE HIM!

Me: UMMM, I am willing to do anything to have my teeth fixed. And the rest of the damn body as well. It really is quite annoying but I am just not going to think about it right now. I just have to ignore the pain and hope it will GO AWAY! Ok self talk done, I'm good!

*This is a bad football year, how bout two loses for my Tigers and I am 0-3 in fantasy. Yeah, I suck!

The slurred post...

Ya know when yuou type something about five times and it still looks wrong. Yeah, that's about it. So I finally had some company tonight...that's my excuse for drinkking. Bahha. I know I am wasted. I really didn't want to waste it though, lest here I am. Dude I cannot see the letters. I am erasing everything I write. LOL So we had Will here. Gotta love him. He is such a great guy. Totally doesn't get annoyeds with my kids which if yoou know them, says a lot! I am so trashed...wish I had a reason to do something obnoxious...just donlt ya know. UGH Jay is nodding off over there on the couch, making some strange noises LOL. I cannot tell you how funny it seems right now but I'm sure that tomorrow it will be NOT funny! BAHAHHHA. And I am watching ALabama LOSE! YEAH! I really don't like them. Think I'm gonna have a brownie...sounds good doesn't it? I made these great homemade ones with marshmellows on top....ummmm! Anyway, I'm drunk and shouldn't be here so, see YA!

OMG Drig is the SWEETEST...mostly

Imagine that

Imagine that,

Keara sent an email to her teacher without my knowing ...

Kai was falling from the tree before I could utter the words "be careful"

Keara is going to save the world by becoming a singing meteorologist.

Drig is going to kill his mommy by becoming a motorcycle cop...

Kai will just be Kai

I have another cold and the passing out spells have returned

I actually got through one sentence of this without Drig whining...

I will come back to this blog more than one time a year

OH Who Knows but Imagine that!

Talking to MYSELF

I am about to be insane. That is laughable, if only I hadn't joined those ranks YEARS ago. So, Fridays are my days that SUCK. I should not say that but I CAN NOT HELP MYSELF. Drig is home ALL FREAKING DAY! And it sucks. There sign me up for the worst mom award, hands down I WIN! He whines like a freaking 2 year old and I really think I will be losing my hair one strand at a time today. It will be a S L O W tortuous death to my hair. My eyebrows might even fall. I am SERIOUS. We have since 7:30, already played golf, basketball, football and tried to watch Cars. Now the boy is bored again and is walking around saying "Mama is about to be pissed!" Where he gets such language is beyond me! UGH. I tell you, er myself since I think I write to my own imagination, TODAY WILL SUCK! That's about that!

Blah, blah, blah

So, we started school already. Fun stuff. Well I should actually back up to the end of our summer. I get a call on Monday that my dr. would like to do my surgery (laparoscopic oophorectomy and hydrothermal ablation) the next day. I hemmed and hawed but my LOVELY hubby said I was doing it. I was not happy. So we quick called MIL to come help as Jay had to come to the hospital with me. She really saved us! Anyway, it went fine and I am cancer free so that's what is important. Anyhoo that was the week before school started. Needless to say I have been really sore doing all the prep work and such.

Keara is doing great so far in the 3rd grade. She has a veteran teacher and that has been really nice for me. She is going to a new Psychiatrist and we like him (yes amazing...it's a boy) a lot better than the last. Again, a new medicine, hope this one works. Don't know though since it's only been a couple of weeks. She is WAY into HSM2 and Hannah, but it's funny to hear her talk of it, she thinks it's real! I can just see her trying to go into the class and break out in song! LOL Oh and she has joined the chorus. She is going to love it. She has the best voice. I am really excited for her!

more to come....

Mine

Keara's look-alikes

Drig's look-alikes

Kai's look-alikes

Jay's celebrity look-alikes

Boys

Worst Blogger Ever

So I am the worst blogger EVER! I really just don't have the energy to type because I type like a freaking idiot.....imagine talking like this "h o w a r e y o u?" That is how I type and I hate it. O there is my excuse.

Keara is in an Autism Clinic this month and doing really well. There is another little girl in it with her that is like her twin. So great for Keara. We are now on her third medication and again not seeing the effects. The first one caused a rash, the second just did nothing (well maybe even caused aggression) and now the third is doing nothing. It really is the wrong type anyway, as they are trying to calm her with ADHD meds and she doesn't have ADHD. GAH! But we will try another and this time we are going to be adamant about it being for anxiety! She is back to not wanting to go outside, and quite frankly that is unacceptable. She got a new bed and is very excited abut painting it and applying the wallpaper border we got her. Princess and pink of course. She has been watching a lot of shows on raising lions, tigers and other big cats. She adores these shows, as well as, Bindi the Jungle Girl!

Kai is the same ole rowdy boy! He is trying to read and can do tons of math problems. He also seems to have the patience to try and learn the guitar from his daddy. He will actually hold it right, the other two just will not! We got a pool and the kids are really enjoying it. Keara is our fish, under water so much that she actually got swimmers ear and an inner ear infection. So now we have to put drops in after every swim. Kai doesn't like to dunk but is swimming a lot on top of the water with floaties. Drig is just cautiously approaching the whole thing. Although he has dunked a couple of times, on accident, he was fine with it. Drig has become Mr. Personality. He is so animated and soon you can see it for yourself, we are finally getting our cord to put our movies on the computer. His speech is so much better. We are thrilled with the progress and he has another year of his Special PreK. It will do wonders I know. Keara will be getting speech next year too. She gets quite angry when we discuss her R's.

A Drig funny,

We were driving down the road and saw a truck with the Jr. #8 logo. Drig was so excited he yelled out "A Jr. fan!" We said yes it is. He then said "WOW Jr. has two fans!" It was the sweetest thing ever!

I will try to get back more often, (I write as if someone actually reads this LOL) but you know PROMISES PROMISES!

We have the official diagnoses....

We knew this to be true a long time ago but have been waiting for the official word....Keara is autistic, specifically Aspergers. Like I said, I knew when I dove head first about a year ago into the research but getting the official word is going to get us the help we need, finally. The school people went in with a different agenda, which we expected. The evaluator said it would be interesting to meet Keara after hearing two opposite versions of the girl. There was some similarities, probably with the OCD and Anxiety...after all the school was so kind to point this out to us LOL. I mean HELLO, DUH! Pretty obvious that those two disorders are there. She also has a host of other comorbid disorders like Dysgraphia, sensory issues, and possibly ADHD. But the evaluator gave us a clearer picture. She explained that the Aspergers is like a big box and the other disorders are all inside the box. If we can treat the whole box, some of the issues inside will also benefit and minimized. This is not to say she won't have to have meds and other therapies as well but it will help tons. She is now qualified for the IEP. That alone will give us the leverage and opportunity we need. Right away she should receive OT and Speech/Language therapies. We should have been getting those already but the school still felt that it was us, the incompetent parents fault and had her on a behavior plan. I will digress because I DO know what it is like to deal with Keara on a daily basis and it is not easy. The school has made some good choices for her and have tried. They just didn't have the whole picture. So now we can start fresh.

I can tell you that I have cried myself to sleep over Keara but it doesn't do anyone any good. I have mourned the loss of what could be. I hope that I am moving in a clearer direction, one toward making the best Keara possible. I think we can do it now!

Is it possible for your heart to truly break? Does it change you or do you just fade off into oblivion? I am starting to think that if you have enough heartache, you cannot overcome it. I think sometimes what and who I could/should be...the answers are so much bigger than what I am today. I am really a shell of what I was. I am defeated in grief...and then not. I am not making much sense. I just wonder if I can ever get over certain losses? I don't think I can and that just really terrifies me. I miss, so much, my Killian and Mimi. I cannot even put into words how absolutely lonely it feels without them. I miss being some one's greatest, some one's angel, some one's most and everything. I don't like lies and I don't like secrets and I have both. I don't like missing people and I don't like being sad. I wish I wasn't and don't think I will ever get over it. In April it will be ten long years.

more later

Good Friends

WOW...

I have some GREAT friends. One of my friends, Laura, sent me a gift. It was unexpected and so very welcome! I had a good cry because I just really needed something like that. She sent a gift for my kids too! How sweet is that? The kids were absolutely thrilled. Drig said "the mailman gave me a gift!" I said "no honey, that was Ms. Laura." He then said "Ms. Waura is me best fend!" It was so cute. He was so happy to have his very own Moonsand. Keara was equally thrilled with her own drawing book and Kai loved the Moonsand too. Keara said "mama, she doesn't even know me." I told her that Ms. Laura knows a lot about her and is very special. I feel so blessed to have her in my life. She is such an inspiration and has always been so helpful in her advice to me.

So thank you again Laura! Love ya!

Idiots Rule Update

I am the CHAMPION!

After posting the second best record next to Jay, I entered the playoffs. The first round was a nail biter but in the championship round I won by 75 points. And I BEAT Jay!!!

So I am shamelessly walking around asking, "who's the best? who is the master of fantasy league? who is the CHAMPION?" The answer is of course ME! A girl beat all the boys!!!

Trial Run

We are evil...

Today is the eve of school returning so we woke the kids at 6 and had a trial run. Keara is starting to get into one of her anxious frame of mind states and I am worried about tomorrow. I will report that everything was really smooth this morning. The kids and I were out the door by 7:10. We went to Walmart which also was pleasant. I was shocked. So, cross your fingers for tomorrow. The other part I'm worried about is we will be in court from 10-12ish and cannot be reached. Hope they won't need us!

My heart aches

A terrible tragedy occurred on New Year's eve. A family of four died when their private airplane crashed into a neighborhood. A father, mother and two sons, but they also have a daughter and she is left to mourn. They just endured the death of their grandfather and their grandmother and this girl are left to carry this now too. I am just so sad for them. My BIL is close with the family and is really torn up over this. My sister helped the grandfather die with dignity (she was his hospice nurse) and became close with them as well. I just don't have the words for their loss. It is just not fair or right!