7 years ago today. . .

 

Random Musings. . .

Hi! My name is Amy. Welcome to my fluff blog.

This is where I document our life with cute little pictures like this:

(Fluffy AND cute!)

Don’t worry, I know I have a fluff blog…it is what it is.

There was a time when I blogged a little less fluffy (years ago) and got some crazy a** comments. Not just a little crazy but like crazy-crazy. Some Russian dude once left disturbing comments about Americans and told me I needed to return Caroline to “Mother Russia” and junk. He also attempted to hack into my email account (I used to have a “contact me” button on my blog for adoption questions). I found some of his emails the other day(he sent over 150 of them) when I was going through an old account:

Why you are not posting my opinions? Am I so much of a of a threat to you. I will never harm you; I am a non violent person. I only want to see the folly of your ways, and to stay away from my country. I also would like for you to give back to my country what is hers, that poor little child, who is suffering from your immorality.

And how about this one:

I regret, you deleting not posting my comments. After all isn't America free?  So sorry it was a little joke.  I wish you would reconsider. I am getting enjoyment from reading the replies.  Don't' bother blocking me though. I will find a way to send you emails, considering I am a programmer. I am reasonable man and if you talk to me, like a human being not like your dog, I will act more polite. It doesn't mean my opinions change.

Ummmmm, yeahhhhh. He would also send me emails with one Russian word or phrase written over and over, hundreds of times. <shiver> Read this post and the comments to see more. So, I stopped blogging for a while and did not allow comments. I eventually came back from the hiatus… fluffy. I decided not to talk about anything that would bring out the trolls or give me a nasty gram in my inbox. (I hate those things.) So now you have to suffer through gazillions pictures of adorable sleeping children like these…

Awww…look at that. Savannah must have dreamt she was sleeping with someone else. Tee hee. (their sibling rivalry is fierce if you didn’t know)

I so enjoy talking about controversial things though. I kinda consider that a huge part of who I am. I feel like I have been muzzled. I mean I would soooo like to talk about the primaries going on right now. That topic is ripe for the picking. But…I will just keep my mouth shut right now. Because the hate I have seen towards conservative women is mind-blowing to me. It is like there is a conservative woman derangement syndrome out there. When I die and go meet my maker, I will not be answering to Gloria Steinem, Oprah Winfrey or Barbara Streisand for my path and morals in life. THANK GOD! Enough about that.

Anywaaaaay, how the heck are ya? I have been MIA a lot lately. I will try to catch up on the latest things that have kept me from writing.

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!!!

We spent ours at home with the girls. Jackson was the only one who went out. Caroline gets tired early. So the only ones up at 12:00 were the 4 of us here. Yes, this has become our “norm”.  And you know what? I am okay with it. I have always felt New Years was forced fun anyway.

Who could forget that Alabama beat LSU to win the National Championship! Woop woop! Roll Tide!

Though I am sure Lulu felt more like the bottom photo after we dressed her up again…

Doesn’t she look like she has had one too many beers and is about to whoop up on somebody? Good gracious that tickles me, I have such cheap thrills.

Caroline has celebrated her birthday so many times she thinks every day is her birthday. Here she is celebrating at her Grandma and Papa’s house with her cousin Chloe. It was Caroline’s turn to get her beautiful James Avery cross necklace from Grandma. I am thrilled to report she has not broken it yet! (which I can not say about the necklace she got from Nene for Christmas)

Another thing that has occupied my mind the last couple of months is a friend and sorority sister of mine named Julie.

Here we were in college.

About 18 months ago Julie was diagnosed with colon and liver cancer. She was 39. Here is an excerpt from her Caring Bridge blog that she wrote herself…

 

Around 9:30 pm on June 14, 2010, my life changed. I was told that I had a mass in my colon and spots on my liver. On the morning of June 15, I had major surgery. On June 17, I was told that I had Stage 4 colon cancer that had metastasized to my liver. I was in the hospital for 8 days.

My first day out of the hospital, I asked my Mom to take me to the nail salon. I know...typical Julie! I had to get out of the house after just 6 hours! I noticed an attractive girl as she walked through the door of the salon. A few minutes later she walked up to me. When she approached me, she said "I do not know how you are going to feel about what I am about to say but as soon as I saw you, God started to talk to me. He wanted me to tell you that you need to TRUST in the Lord and do not be AFRAID. Just like Isaiah 12:2. Trust in the Lord and do not be AFRAID. The Lord is your salvation. I am not sure if he told me this or of it is just the feeling I have but you have colon and liver cancer. Well, God has had this planned for you ever since you were a baby. This is your destiny. So no matter what you go through, you must remember to TRUST him and do not be afraid. He is going to use this so you can give your testimony and witness to others. "

Julie went home to heaven on January 11th.

Left behind are her 2 beautiful children and a totally broken and devastated husband Tim.

There is no doubt in my mind where Julie is spending eternity. She was a woman of great faith with a heart for Jesus.

When Julie was first diagnosed with stage 4 cancer she said with a smile, "Cancer is not terminal when you have eternal life to look forward to."

She was amazing. She became infamous for saying, “Cherish every day.” Words to live by.

January brings about another yearly thing…Market.

My mom and sister came in town for a weekend of shopping, eating and fun. I was really looking forward to it after the heartbreak of Julie’s death.

Birds are “in” this year. Every where you turned, there were birds. You name it, it had birds on it.

So was religious relics. For instance, the virgin Mary holding Jesus or some statue of a saint or angels.

Another thing I noticed were things with obscure quotes on them.

What exactly do they mean? Why are they trying to be so deep? I just don’t get it.

Kinda like on facebook. You know those people who write status updates that leave you saying…huh? Is this some sort or cryptic message? 

(notice the bird)

Oh YES, I agree…wait, what?

I am just trying to imagine the look on my husband or dad’s face if I repeated these things to them.

Enough of that, my head is spinning. Hee hee.

We did not even touch the tip of the iceberg which is Dallas Market because it is so huge, however we did schmooze our way into dining on the best carrot cake known to mankind. :)

We found a store that had both an Alabama and a Texas cutting board. My dad retires in March and my parents are still trying to decide if they will move to TEXAS or Alabama. Let’s hope they make the right choice. ;)

My older sister Angie got to stay with us for a whole week! Caroline had to decorate a snowman for her school project which Angie helped her with. The snowman to the right was Angie’s rough draft (dork). The one to the left was their finished product.

Not sure if I have mentioned this before, but my mom is a volunteer counselor at a pro-life clinic in Memphis. When counseling clients they show them this little rubber baby. It is the exact size and weight of a 12 week old baby in the womb.

Avery saw it once at my parent’s house and asked if she could keep it. (It really is cute)

That little baby just shows up in random places all over our house. The girls must play with it and carry it around the house with them.

Makes me smile every time I see it. I love me some babies. Even pretend rubber ones. And yes, I still get that “feeling” when I see a baby. You know the feeling that I speak of, right? That warm tingly feeling and the uncanny urge to stroke the baby’s cheek and sniff their neck and hair. And the feet! Oh how I love me some baby feet. Of course hubby says no more heartbeats in the house…not even furry ones.

Which brings me to this:

My Lulu has been declared FAT by her doctor. FAT!!! She has gained 6 pounds since summer.

Her vet wants her to lose weight.

My little Fatty McFaterson.

For all the women in the world struggling with those extra 6 pounds, I declare her PHAT not fat!!!!!

That is right Lucy goosey, you are phat!

Phatty Mc Phaterson!

Sigh.

Victorious!

I got home late last night from LA. I am thrilled to say that everything went great with Victoria’s surgery and that she is on her way to recovery. I brought my laptop with me hoping to update my blog and beg you all for prayers. Unfortunately, the hospital and guesthouse have restrictions on their internet that completely blocked blogger. But I want to thank all of you who took time out of your day to pray for Victoria. God heard our prayers!

I arrived in LA on Tuesday afternoon around 3:00. I was picked up from the airport by Victoria’s husband Jeff. Victoria was still in her pre-op meetings. Once we drove to the hospital and dropped off my stuff, we met up with my bff and headed out to grab some dinner. The first thing I noticed was how much weight she had lost. Victoria has always been thin, but she was extra thin. No doubt from the anxiety. She also cut her hair really short, which she had told me she was going to do. She thought it would be easier while in the hospital, besides, they had to shave part of her hair anyway. I thought she looked adorable. She has always looked really good with shorter hair.

A nurse gave us an area to eat dinner not far away, it was called The Grove.  Victoria was very excited that she was allowed to have a glass of wine, she had given it up a couple of months ago along with coffee. 

After wandering around for a while (and a star sighting of Kevin Sorbo) we decided on a Greek restaurant for dinner. Victoria and I LOVE Greek food and always seem to eat it no matter where we find ourselves. It was surprisingly chilly that night so we were thrilled that we got to eat by a big fire. It was such a nice evening. Good food, good conversation, the perfect last meal for Victoria before her surgery the following morning.

The next morning we awoke at 4:30am to be at the hospital for check-in at 5:30. It was very early, but I do not think any of us slept much that night anyway. We thought Victoria would be in surgery by 7:00, but they decided to do another patient first. One of the doctor’s told us they wanted to be able to spend all the time they need on Victoria since her tumor was bigger.

So, we waited close to FIVE hours before she was wheeled back to surgery. Jeff and I tried to keep her mind off everything by keeping her laughing. The next couple of photos was when I was telling her how to avoid a photo opportunity that you do not want to be in. You just don’t look at the camera. You can…kiss your kids, hide behind your kids, look sideways…just don’t look at the camera. ;)

 

Though she did look at the camera long enough for me to get this great shot. She was so calm. So strong.

I updated Victoria’s Caring Bridge site while I was there. Here is the first entry:

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011 3:43 PM, MDT

This is Victoria's friend Amy..

Victoria was taken into surgery at 10:30 local time this morning. We talked to her first doctor about 30 minutes ago and he told us that his part of the surgery was long but successful. (Yeah!) It took him about 3 hours to get through the bone. Victoria did great and all is well so far. The second doctor is in the process of removing the tumor right this very minute. They also anticipate this part of the surgery to be at least 3 hours. So we are hoping that by around 6:00pm the surgery will be successfully complete and Victoria will be resting comfortably in the ICU. Please take a moment and say a prayer for Victoria's doctor as he undergoes this time consuming and detailed part of the surgery. And of course for a successful outcome and swift recovery for Victoria.

Victoria has been so upbeat and positive (not to mention brave and strong) I am in awe of her strength.
I will update again once the surgery is complete.
Thanks again for your prayers!
~Amy

 

This was the view from St. Vincent’s 6th floor waiting room…

It was a looooong wait in room 618.

Second entry to Caring Bridge…

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2011 9:38 PM, MDT

God is good!

After a grueling 9 hours, Victoria is finally out of surgery and in recovery in the ICU. The doctors came in to speak to me and Jeff around 7:15pm. The tumor was large (which we knew) but the facial nerve was wrapped all around it making it very difficult to remove. The surgery was complicated and long, but Victoria came through beautifully. The team of excellent doctors here at St. Vincent's were able to remove every bit of the tumor...praise the Lord.

We were able to see Victoria briefly in the ICU and she looked great. However, she did look like she was in a lot of pain. They had just given her some anti-nausea medicine and some pain killers so she was a little tired and out of it. PLEASE continue to pray for her swift healing as she has a long road ahead of her. We will be able to tell you more tomorrow when she is awake and able to talk with us.

Thanks again to all of you for keeping Victoria in constant prayer today. I am certain that is why the surgery was such a success!

~Amy

 

The last entry to Caring Bridge before I returned home…

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2011 11:58 AM, MDT

Victoria's progress...

Victoria is making amazing strides in her recovery. After spending 24 hours in the ICU, she was transferred to a regular hospital room last night. Her nausea is being kept under control with Phenergan which also blesses her with some good quality sleep. Today she ate a little bit of breakfast for the first time and had a physical therapist come and walk her twice around the nurses station. They are working on getting her balance back though that will take a couple of days, They want her to be a pretty steady walker before they release her to the guesthouse, which we are hoping will be Monday.

Yesterday Jeff and I talked to each of the doctors again about Victoria's surgery. It is funny how each time we talk to them they reveal more and more about the reality of Victoria's situation on the operating room table. Dr, Schwartz told us he measured her tumor before he removed it and it was actually 4.1 cm. Wow! We are not sure if it had grown or was measured wrong before. He also stopped beating around the bush and let us know exactly how complex the surgery was. The facial nerve had stretched itself around the tumor and made it very, very difficult to remove. He said that if a less experienced doctor had attempted to do the surgery, it would have most likely lead to death, or worse. The tumor was against the brain stem which of course could have been catastrophic if not handled with the utmost care and expertise. What a praise that Victoria and Jeff chose to stay with their plan (despite location and cost) and go with House Ear Institute. I have no doubt that God's hand was all over that decision. Not to mention the prayers from all over the world for our Victoria and her doctors.

I (Amy) leave today and Victoria's parents, Lynn and Clark, arrive from England. Though I hate to leave her, I know she will be in excellent hands. Jeff is extremely attentive to her needs and even sleeps in her room at night....he is such a great husband. 

Please continue to pray for Victoria's recovery. God blessed us with Victoria's life in that operating room 2 days ago, she is our little miracle! Praising God and feeling so thankful for God hearing our hearts and cries for our Victoria. :-)

~Amy

 

Thinking about what could have been is hard. But I don’t dwell there, I focus on the gift of Victoria’s life that God gave us that overcast Wednesday in LA. I don’t think my lips have uttered “thank you God” as much as they have in the last 4 days. To God be the glory!

Randomness. . .

Without further ado and in no particular rhyme, reason or order….
So this just might be how this Bama girls sends her Texas raised daughter to school!! ;-)

Lo and behold, hubby bought me a new computer. A Mac. Will I ever get the hang of the 4 finger side swipe or the 2 finger up and down swipe? Geesh! Blogging is taking me forever as I figure everything out…

Jackson is quite thrilled that he has transformed the whole house into an Apple empire. He was more than happy to transfer my info from my PC to my Macbook.
He also introduced me to photobooth. Oh my!!!!

However, Avery might have had the most fun of all with it…little sprite.

In my blogging hiatus, Avery Grace has gotten sick twice and missed 3 days of school. Her first bout was with a stomach bug that had her hovering over the toilet every 10 minutes. The second time she had strep. :/  Our precious Lulu was so sweet to keep watch over our little sickie. Avery is her best play buddy.
Brent felt horrible for Avery and made her this get well card that he left on the couch while she was sleeping. Awwww! (He calls her Grace by the way…or Gracie….not to mention Avery Gracie Poohie Woohwie)



I skipped my twice yearly consignment to attend a Rangers game with friends. Once again, we has AWESOME seats!
Here are the girls at the new Spy Kids movie. I must really love them. Lol.

Here is a new game the kids invented. They hold on to the hose and Dad pulls them across the pool as fast as he can. They could do that ALL day!


It must be really fun because they are both smiling under the water!



The girls after a their swim….


Some of our trees have really taken a toll from the drought. Compare the difference below. :-(


Hmmmm….wonder if Caroline partook in a little rocking that night? I am thinking yes.
Here are the big girls at the Taylor Swift concert.
Cowboy Stadium has huge screens, which is how Avery captured this picture.

This is the view they had from their seats.
Unfortunately, Avery started to not feel well half way through the concert. Here is Savannah comforting her in the bathroom. She came home with a fever that we eventually found out was strep. :(
Look what the tooth fairy brought Little bit!!!
Apparently we have a ginormous lizard that lives under our outdoor shutters. It freaks me out every time I am out there. It just stares at me.
I went to an Art party not long ago. It was so much fun!! We had wine, cheese and delicious cupcakes while we all tried to paint some Picasso. I photographed my process. Waaaaaaaay harder than it looks.


My final project below. My head is too small and my colors too bright. I also skipped the boob as to not have to listen to the giggles of my children as they ask me why I drew a naked lady.  



Savannah and her best friend Alexa take gymnastics together on Wednesday’s. They crack me up that they want to wear matching leotards every week.

Alexa got this one for Savannah for her birthday. Aren’t they adorable? :)


Avery had to have 2 of her teeth pulled at the dentist because they were crowding her bottom teeth and were no where near ready to come out on their own. She was super excited to get the laughing gas. However seemed less than impressed afterwards.
In August we said goodbye to our buddies the Walden’s. They got an awesome promotion and moved up north to Connecticut. We were so sad that our Russian girlies would not grow up down the street from each other. :(


There you have it….randomness from the last month or so.
Please continue to pray for my friend Victoria who is less than 2 weeks away from her brain surgery. I really appreciate it!