LAST OF THE CYO SCHEDULE FOR THE BOYS!

well, the CYO BASEBALL season is closing out and boy, for our FIRST EVER BASEBALL season it has been an amazing time! we have enjoyed the practices and the games sooooo much with the boys and watching the boys make friends with their team mates is awesome! well, we are excited and so proud of them because this was JOSH first season and he was playing TBALL and he did great!!! he is such an athlete! and then there was our big boy ALEX who has NEVER NEVER played any kind of sport and who never WANTED to play, he decided to TRY baseball....he HATED IT at first...being in the SUN all day, having to WEAR A CUP (and finding out what that was!!) and it being HOT!! HE WAS SOOOO NOT USE TO THAT! but, as the season continued and he got better, having NEVER known how to CATCH A BALL OR HIT A BALL, he has done AMAZING!! he has been to the batting cages and he has hit some AMAZING balls which has given him confidence galore! and then playing catch with his team mates where when he first started, poor baby, he was FOREVER missing and then having to run for the ball, NOW is catching most of the balls!!! so proud of his accomplishments! he has even learned to ignore the CUP!!! and how scary it must have been to go up to the plate and TRY TO HIT THE BALL with all these people watching!!! WE ARE JUST SO PROUD OF THEM!!

sooooo, the last of the CYO GAMES ARE AS FOLLOWED:

MAY 19TH
1245-JOSH'S GAME AT ST ELIZEBETH ANN SEATON in BEORNE

1400-ALEX GAME AT OUR LADY OF GUADALUP on bandera

MAY 20TH
1530-JOSH GAME AT ST MATTHEW'S CHURCH

1745-ALEX GAME AT ST MATTHEWS CHURCH

MAY 26TH
1015-JOSH GAMES ST GREGORY CHURCH

1130-ALEX GAME AT ST GREGORY CHURCH

SAT JUNE 2ND DAD WILL BE GONE FOR THESE NEXT GAMES..HE WILL BE AT HIS 2WEEKS TRAINING SOOO SAD
1130-JOSH GAME AT ST ELIZABETH ANN SEATON in BEORNE

1400-ALEX GAME AT ST MATTHEW'S CHURCH

JUNE 3RD
1300-ALEX GAME AT ST ELIZABETH ANN SEATON in BEORNE

1415-JOSH GAME AT PRINCE OF PEACEWE WILL HAVE TO MISS THIS ONE BECAUSE OF ALEX GAME :(



soooo, we are excited about all of this!! :) they have had a GREAT SEASON!!! i hope that maybe someone can take josh to his LAST GAME because i am not sure if they do anything special for them or not....i will ask the coach and if they DO do something special then i will DEFINETLY have to look for someone to take him!! :) i would hate for him to miss it...

well, here it is...the last of the schedule!!!

Rodeo time!!

well, today we went to the RODEO and enjoyed some crazy time with some other members of our family and we had a BLAST!!! we were there at the carnival area the whole time and the kids had a BLAST!! and wow, those workers there at the carnival area are just amazing! they were soooooo nice to my matthew....they would call him over and GIVE him stuffed animal prizes!!! he ended up coming home with 4 of them! just soooo nice and amazing! and they would let him get on the rides with dad and only one person had to pay AND they would let him go again if we wanted to! just soooo nice! THANK YOU GOD for them...really...it made matthew feel so special..he LOVED all his nice toys...we ended up getting season passes so we hope to go BACK there sometime this week and maybe just to go out to walk around for a while..we had a BLAST and the boys were OUT like a LIGHT tonight!!! so is dad...

well, THANK GOD my matthew is doing well..and JOSHUA is offically POTTY TRAINED!!! wooohooo!! he was the EASIEST ONE!! we offically started 1/25 and by 1/28 he was SET with no accidents! :)really happy with him...wooohoooo!! :)

JOSHUA IS POTTY TRAINED!

wooohooo!! we started doing this on 1/25/11 and he was done by 1/28!! he was going poops in there and EVERYTHING!! soooo proud of him! no accidents and even when i WANT to put one on him (diaper) because we are going somewhere but he doesn't want one! only at night do i put one on him JUST IN CASE but he has been doing soooo well for MONTHS by waking up dry but i wanted to wait until i felt he was ready and i a SOOOO GLAD i did. so many people where telling me that he needed to be out of diapers but i just didn't think he was ready but boy, when i decided to do it and it WORKED i KNEW it was the right time...and he is doing AMAZING. THANK YOU GOD! :) love it! so now my big boy is potty trained and is doing so well. wooo hooo!!

GONZALEZ FAMILY UPDATE...prayers needed please!

Hola Family and friends!



We hope that everyone has had a WONDERFUL 8 months of the year and are ready for the last couple of months left of 2010!!! As for us, well, it has been DEFINETLY an UP and DOWN kind of year. So much has happened in the last 8 months that sometimes I am just in awe of what has gone on!! J I haven’t give anyone on update in a VERY long time so I thought I would go ahead and get one out…



Well, as a family all is wonderful. We are enjoying life and being together as a family. Nothing makes us happier than when we spend time with each other. Having the blessing of being able to be together and watch our children grow, is just such a GRAND experience and we THANK GOD everyday for such blessings!! We have done a couple of camping times. This summer, we took a 2 weeks vacation and did some RVing and spent some time at the coast. Just tons of FAMILY time. Since we have a pool, boy, we have DEFINETLY had some great use out of it. The boys LOVE going swimming!!



Well, our little alex is now 8 YEARS OLD!!! Wow, it is just AMAZING to me to have an 8 years old in our house. And he is GROWING by leaps and bounds. He is out of his 5 point harnest and into a booster chair now. That is a big thing for him. He is such a cutie. He is now in 3rd grade and doing FABULOUSLY in our homeschool work. He has a Monday playdate and a Tuesday PE class and he LOVES it!!! J just watching him play with other kids, is great. We usually have a very busy schedule and he still manages to IMPRESS me in how smart he is. Just watching him think his way thru a problem or read something and then remember what he read and know what it talked about is just so amazing to me. He loves his baby brothers and just has so much fun playing with them. He is such a GREAT big brother!! J



Then there is Matthew. Well, matthew is now 6 years old. Again, AMAZING! He has been thru some rough roads with him since the beginning of this year. Lets see, he started the year off with RSV, went on to have KAWASAKI SYNDROME and was hospitalized for 4 days, and now, well, the scariest of all things is happening to matthew, and we are asking for MANY MANY MANY PRAYERS for this little boy. For a while now, he has been REALLY restless during the night and was ALL over the place, so I called his neurologist to let him know that SOMETHING was going on….well, On June 29th, he had massive seizure that we had to be taken to the hospital via EMS….he then had a 24 hour video EEG done and come to find out that he was having seizures in the front and back ALL THE TIME. As he lay sleeping at 0700, the dr walked in and was watching his monitor and said that he was having seizures the whole time…that was just so HEARTBREAKING for me to hear! I knew SOMETHING was going on but was so hoping it was not THAT!!! So, we were placed on a new seizure med called VIMPAT on top of his other 2 seizure meds…and these sezirues are VERY different…not like anything we had ever seen. The other scary thing is that he stops breathing with these seizures and we have had to BAG him, which we personally have never had to do. Usually the EMS crew does it. Well, not anymore…and what a horrible feeling it is to have to BAG your son with oxygen, have him BLUE, totally unresponsive & his Oxygen sats down in the 40’s…well, since the 29th of June, he has had a 2 more seizures in July and 5 in August and here we are on September 1st and I PRAY that they finally STOP!! If you can imagine, it went from 2 seizure in 2 YEARS to 8 seizures in less than 2 MONTHS….A new seizure med was started on Aug 30th and we are back on CLONOPIN so we are now officially up to 4 seizure med….not HAPPY! And it makes HIM not happy. You can tell it is definetly affecting him because he is REALLY sleepy and very irratible! My poor little boy. we are now thinking of getting some NIGHT NURSING…yep, the one we said we would NOT get but because these seizures are not your regular ones and they are happening at ALL hours of his sleep, I am not getting much sleep at all. I actually have a CRICK in my neck from turning to look at the monitor every couple of minutes…I need someone to watch him sleep!!! L So, what we are going to start in this coming month is, he is going to be placed on the KETOGENIC DIET which has been known to help with stopping seizures. So, they will take him off of his current G-TUBE formula (peptimum, jr) to a KETO-CAL formula. I read up on it and basically, it is a LOW-CARB diet…I THINK we will be admitted into the hospital for a couple of days…NC Baptist I think…and if he does well on this, then HOPEFULLY the seizures will have stopped, maybe some meds taken off and all will be well..PLEASE JESUS, let it all go WELL!!!! But other than that, he is doing AMAZING!!! He is in 1st grade now and he is getting SOOO BIG! He is so smart too. I love when he talks to us or he tries really hard to tell us something. And the BEST thing that came out of his seizures is that he is EATING ORALLY LIKE A CHAMP! Yep, my little boy is LOVING eating. He wakes up and signs EAT and he eats breakfast, lunch and dinner. And I am talking he EATS not just nibbles. Could be why he has gained so much weight!! He is now 42 lbs!!! he is getting HEAVY! But he is such a cutie and he is getting so strong. Unfortunately, with these recent seizures, he has had some weakness now that is causing him to be MORE LOW TONED….i just pray that he gets his strength back SOON!!! He loves his brothers and loves to challenge them! He is SOMETHING else when he gets MAD at one of them. He will sit there and YELL at them if they are having issues. So cute!!! That is our little boy!!



And then there is JOSHUA who is now 3 years old. Wow, this little boy is SOMETHING else. I love him SOOO MUCH but he is the 3rd child…he is the one that gets into EVERYTHING…and he is currently into the terrible 2 at 3! He favorite word is NO or UH-HU…and he is a little con artist cause he will say in a whiny voice’no alex, stop’ and I will catch him saying that and alex is across the room or something and alex is like, I am not even touching you!!! So, he tries to get brother in trouble all the time. He is also very LOUD…he loves to sing but LOUDLY, he loves to play but play LOUDLY…my ears are usually ringing by the end of the day. But he LOVES to play with alex and he love to tease matthew. Such a CUTIE!!!



Well, james is doing very good. He is at a new unit here in san Antonio so that means that we are STAYING in san Antonio!! J either way I would have been happy but now especially with Matthews seizures, I am so glad we are staying here..we are hoping that he gets his promotion soon so then we can start looking for a new home…he finished PHASE 2 of his BNOC school….we REALLY need a one story house….matthew is getting soooooo heavy and with his recent seizures, he is almost too weak to go up the stairs on his own and we have to carry him and he is HEAVY!!! Anyway, james is doing well and he is gearing up for HUNTING SEASON. Yep, let the shooting begin! One of his favorite sports! He started TODAY at his new job and it is at CAMP BULLIS now so a bit closer than where he was at before. I feel sad for him because his whole unit before is now all scattered around TEXAS …they were sooo close. I know they will stay friends but no longer work together….



As for me, well, so-so…I am ALIVE and I am BLESSED so I really shouldn’t complain. But since my surgery back in feb 2010, my body has not been the same…I have been back and forth to the doctors and surgeons trying to find out WHY I am continue to have gastro issues…I have had colonoscopies, blood work, scopes, etc and they still don’t’ know what is going on. I wonder if they injured something while they did the surgery…anyway, I just wanted it FIX cause it is LIFE ALTERING what I am going thru…my fibro is kicking my butt too, but again, with all the stress of the surgery and now with matthew seizures, my little body is going nuts! J



But THANK YOU GOD, our little family is doing well. We have started up on our school year again and we are enjoying doing classes. Waiting for the HOLIDAYS to come. It is just around the corner now!!!! We take one day at a time and we take our evenings very seriously. We have tried to keep matthew to a strict in bed time of 8:30 to make sure he gets plenty of sleep. So needless to say, we are ALL on a schedule now. We tend to notice if we have had a LONG day, he will end up with a seizure!!



So, we hope this letter finds everyone doing AMAZING and well. We ask PLEASE if you can please pray for our little boy, MATTHEW that his seizures resolve and he has them NO MORE. I am so sad for him because now with all these meds, he is not the same little boy…he is really tired all the time and GRUMPY!! GOD WILLING these seizure meds GO AWAY!!!



Thanks again, everyone!! until next time, TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS!!!



James, Maria, Alex, Matthew, & Joshua

well...is anyone ELSE freaked out yet...

with all this FLU?!?!?! my dh and and i were talking about this that years previous, you MIGHT have heard ONE family that got the flu....NOW....it is EVERYWHERE! SO SCARY! WE are soooo worried about our family catching it...we have heard soooo many of our families that have all cought it and we just sit here and wait?! it's scary...

anyway, we are all doing GREAT, THANK YOU JESUS! it has been a good week, just hangin out and working on our family...alex is doing AMAZING in 2nd grade...matthew is doing AMAZING in kinder with his teacher....joshua is doing AMAZING being a 2 year old!! :)

today, i had a couple of friends and we went to THE MOVIES to see....FAME!! my all time FAVORITE movie (ok, the original was) so i was eager to see this one....i actually had the soundtrack of the ORIGINAL movie on a RECORD and i have the VHS tape of the movie!! :) LOVE IT!

GETTING BAPTISED!! :)

so today, we BAPTISED TRISTAN (our new GOD son!), JOSHUA & finished getting MATTHEW baptised....he WAS already baptised in the operating room on his day of birth but he had to be introduced to the community and annointed with the oils! it was GREAT!!!

our son JOSHUA Godparents and our family have a GREAT bond....trisha (my cousin) actually introduced james and i!! and she met HER hubby that day of the party where i met james too!! :) we were PADRINOS in thier wedding and they were our PADRINOS in our wedding....we baptised their son Tristan!! :) it was a really nice ceremony...the decon said that that was the FIRST time he had ever baptised someone that had had an EMERGENCY baptism!! he said it was REALLy specail and rare for that to happen...he said that most babies don't make it....such a MIRACLE our little guy is!

so, here are some pictures of that beautiful day!

JOSHUA has a EEG today....

well, today, joshua has an EEG today....and to make that just a BIT worst...it is SLEEP DEPRIVED ONE!! YIKES! so last night, i held him back from sleep for 2 hours PAST his sleep time and then woke him up 2 hours BEFORE he normally woke up!!! and let me tell you, he did NOT want to wake up!!!! he was soooo cute, he was rolling around the bed moaning because i had the lights on and trying to open his eyes! CUTE! he even laid with his head over the side of the bed....just pitifully looking at me!

ok, big question i have been asked is WHY are you doing this?! well, for a while now, some nights when he falls asleep, he starts to TWITCH/spasm pretty hard....and it goes on for about 5 mins or so....sometimes it is so hard that i get STARTLED thinking he is going to fall....he also has had tons of night where he WAKES UP screaming for no reason and sometimes he is can't be consoled....and then the reason is that with MATTHEW having SLEEP SEIZURES, it is just a precaution for us and something to EASE my piece of mind!! i know in my heart that all is well....

anyway, he also got bloodwork done on monday and he was AMAZING!! they had to take out 4 vials of BLOOD!!! and thru it all he was just amazing!!

soooo, i will post when i get the results....any thoughts or prayers would be appreciated.....

BETTER is the word of the day!

yes, our family is SLOWLY getting better...day by day! but of course, we could not have one more crop up of PINK EYE!! alex picked it up on tuesday and it is still bothering him....poor little guy! but he is such a trooper taking his eye drops!!

joshua is MUCH better now and so is matthew...as for me...ME TOO!! just the occational coughing fits i get....my throat is still a little raw but BETTER than last week!!

we have been trying to get things done before out BIG TRIP!! who knew there was soooo much to PLAN for??? well, we are slowly getting our things together....buying panchos, shirts and everything else....all is good! we are soooo excited and happy to be BLESSED with matthew's MAKE A WISH WISH!!

--------

we also JUST GOT WORD that matthews FEEDING CHAIR was APPROVED(MYGO SEATING SYSTEM)!!! long story short on this item...we have been waiting PATIENTLY for approval/denial now since SEPTEMBER and when i would call and ask how things were going, the DME would state that they have put in all the paperwork to medicaid AFTER TRICARE DENIED and now they are just waiting to see what happens....the DME guy was VERY VERY VERY sure that it would get denied and that we needed to look at another piece of equipment to get....i was not happy with that but HEY, we needed something...sooooo, last week on WED we got a phone call from our TRICARE CASE MANAGER and when i asked her about WHY it had been denied, she said SHE HAD NEVER RECIEVED THE PAPERWORK FOR THIS EQUIPMENT!! ooooohhhhh, i was soooo UPSET about it!! so i immediately called the DME and told them and they assured me that they HAD....but as they searched for the paperwork for the DENIAL, they COULD NOT FIND IT!!! soooo, come to find out ALL THESE MONTHS (6 MONTHS) they had dropped the ball and NEVER SENT THE PAPER WORK TO TRICARE!!!!!!!!!! yes, i was upset!! so, the set about doing that on MONDAY and by THURSDAY (4DAYS!) they got the approval...the DME guy said he was sooooo EMBARASSED about it!! he apologized for the mix up....i just told him that the main thing is that he FINALLY got it!! we are excited!!!

sick sick SICK!!!

WOWOWOW...crazy....it all started with josh...on monday, he ended up going to the dr with PINK EYE in both eyes!!! then on that friday, he started with a runny nose and coughing, and since we are SOOOO CLOSE, he decided to pass it along to ME!! then of course, matthew couldn't NOT be included and by SUNDAY, he was coughing and runny nose!! so, we took them to the dr on monday and JOSH had an ear infection and wheezing so he is on an ANTIBIOTIC and NEBULIZER TREATMENTS 4X A DAY!! and then matthew had wheezing and is on his ORAL STEROIDS and NEBULIZER TREATMENTS 4X A DAY!!! yep, it is a REALLY BUSY here at home!!! and then matthew has needed to be on oxygen for 2 days now cause he is soooo congested!! and of couse then there is mommy, i have a WICKED cough and runny nose! i describe it as coughing out a LUNG and blowing out BRAIN MATTER ALLLLL DAY LONG!!! not pretty!! but i DO sound REALLY sexy with my sexy voice!!! or lack of voice!! and of course ALLLL WEEK LONG i have been on the phone for the boys!!!

anyway, just hopping that this goes FAR FAR AWAY!! OR at least this is the last time till AFTER APRIL 24th!!!

FEEDING CLINIC results...

well, ON friday we went to the FEEDING CLINIC at the local hospital for BOTH joshua and matthew....

for joshua, they told me....well, that he was just a TINY LITTLE GUY!! :) i guess he will take after his mommy (4'11.5" tall!) he weighs in at 20 lbs 11 oz and is 29" long!!! yeah, he is very small!! we JUST were able to turn him around in the car and buy him his big boy seat!! and did i mention hei s 18 months old?!?!? yep, he is small!! she said that even though he is little she said he is WELL PORPORTIONED so not to worry...he is just tiny! so she just told us to continue to do what we are doing and as long as he continues on a curve (he is not on the growth chart) then all is well!!! no need to bring him back!!!

onto matthew, well, he is ALSO doing reall well...the illness in feb set him back some because he has just recently started to eat again AND we had to start up the NEXIUM again because he was not tolerating his feeds....but he is SLOWLY inching his way back to his reagular feeding schedule!!! yayayayaya....he is STILL 37lbs (1 years later) and he is still growing well...he is tall for his age and he is just such a CUTIE!!! she was really impressed on seeing him eat some CHICKEN NUGGETS, you know his FAVORITE meal and she was just really happy to see him...we are scheduled for a MODIFIED BARRIUM swallow at the end of the month because we are thinking of starting up VITAL STIM again but for his FACE!!! yep, his little face has almost NO muscle tone!! in the last 2 weeks he JUST started to put his lips together and make the OOOOHHHH sound!! or pursed lips...that is his NEW favorite face to make!!! anyway, he is doing greatr....we shall see what comes up NEXT!!!

SO, the days of being a human pacifer....

are OVER!! yes, he is 17 months old and WEANED!!!!! i can't believe that i DID IT!! 17 months of BF ....WOWOWOWOWOWOWOW....this is the longest time i have done with any of my kids and i am sooooo.....PROUD?! of myself?! he was soooo amazing and EASY to nurse...but after being BITTEN 3 times in a row and not gently...that was IT!! and i knew he was not nursing that much because i did not feel ANY discomfort not nursing for over 24 hours!!! YAYAYAYAYAY....he was ready..he only nursed at night anyway....so, now to help him to learn to sleep in his BED!!! that will happen soon...i am half way there!!!!

just another milestone....

sleep study tonight....

for matthew...this is #4?? the new pulmonologist wants to make SURE that he does not have any sleep apnea anymore....aparently, the last place we went to a year ago ALWAYS says that everything is fine!! so he just wants to double check!!

james is going to have a ROUGH night tonight!! he will stay home with both alex and JOSHUA....did i mention that JOSHUA still nurses at night?!?!?! hehehehehehe....poor daddy! well, the only advice i could give hime is to remain CALM and to just offer him the sippy cup!!! he will be FINE but i can't wait for the morning to hear about it!!

as for me....well, can you say, LOOKING FORWARD TO IT?!?!?! come on, you have to admit that a night where i can LAY on my STOMACH or my BACK and not have a child attatched (i call myself a human pacifier) is a night worth it?? i will be taking my book and my ipod and just RELAXING!! :) or so i hope!

anyway, any good thoughts or prayers will be appreciated!!

STREP THROAT....HUH??

WELL, it has been a CRAZY 4 weeks....we have enjoyed our thanksgiving with our husband & daddy this year....it made it soooo much more special having him here with us! it was a WONDERFUL DAY!!!!!

matthew got sick on us about a week before thanksgiving...just a head cold..nothing major....he got over that in a couple of days but then just last weekend (the weekend of thanksgiving) he caught something else....we did not go to the dr and just we just kept trucking along...this one, he had in his chest so we did TONS of nebs and suctioning....he also had wheezing and it was starting to affect his oxygen sats (this weekend he was on oxygen for sleeping and he was border line 90-92 while asleep) so i snuck him in on an appt for joshua (we are still having weight issues with him (19lbs at 15 months)) and he agreeded that he did have wheezing and a red throat and we would check with strep...he said i don't think it will show up because he is ALREADY on antibiotics...you can catch VIRUSES on antibiotics but not something like strep...or so we thought! it came back POSITIVE....that is VERY WORRISOME because if it is not working with OMNICEPH (his antibiotic) that is SCARY! a super bug?? so we are now also on AUGMENTIN for 10 days....i am really worried about it! he is going to cultur it and find out what happens...

please keep him in thought and prayer....i am worried......

when o when will he COME HOME!

YEP, right now, we don't know WHEN he will be home! he called to let me know that there is no time frame WHEN he will be done over there!! not happy here! i had soooo much HOPE that he would be home FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!! last year was great but i COULDN'T WAIT FOR THIS YEAR!! i am really bummed and i am just PRAYING that he can come home SOON!!! he is very busy and is VERY TIRED...i just HOPE he comes home soon...


well, onto other news...joshua is walking MORE now...he is just soooooo cute!!! and boy, i am havingt a TIME with this little guy...he is all over the place and taking toys and such from the boys (especially MATHTEW) HE SEEMS to LOVE to torment him!! he got his 3 shots today...booohooo!

i am suffering right now...my fibro is crazxy right now...i can barely type..my hands are so swollen and i am hurting all over...walking is BAD and i have just TOTAL body ache right now...i am popping motrin right now and it is taking the edge off....i feel like i have the flu...walking up the stairs, FORGET ABOUT IT!! pain pain pain....

anyway, just tired and ready for my family to be back as one...

FINALLY FOUND IT!!

hello there!! i FINALLY found the SNL: SARAH PALIN/HILLARY CLINTON spoof in FULL!! i don't know how long it will be on it but here is the LINK!!

SNL SARAH PALIN/HILLARY CLINTON SKIT/

if you have not watched it, i HIGHLY recommended!!! TOOOOO FUNNY!! they did a GREAT JOB on it!!

anyway, all is well in my life...i talk to james a bit ago and he FINALLY got a BATH today! he had not had a bath (all of them) since they left here on saturday..i think he said they each got 5 gallons to bath with by poking holes in the jug and using the trickle that came out!! they are still in galveston and there is NO RUNNING WATER, NO ELECTRICITY and it is just DEVESTATING the damage the storm did....he said it was pretty bad....we don't know WHEN he will be home....and my birthday is coming up in a couple of days...i hope he makes it home if not, another year without him home....

ANYWAY, joshua is doing well, he is starting to REALLY walk everywhere...he is such a CUTIE!!! but since we are TRYING to put some weight on him, i am all over him and NOW he doesn't want anything to do with eating...GO FIGURE...

MATTHEW, we just finished the FIRST session of the 60 hour fast!! it was a FLOPP but at least i am ok knowing he does WELL and the medications are not going to cause an issue with him not eating and only being on pedialyte....i am excited to try it again in 2 weeks!!! this method is called the PALMER METHOD we are HOPING to wean him SOMEDAY off his g-tube...GOD WILLING...

I AM SO BLESSED....

I have the VERY BEST FRIENDS in the WHOLE WHOLE WHOLE WORLD!!! today, we were having GIRLS NIGHT OUT and we plan this like a MONTH in advance...well, with everything that is going on with james and IKE, i had to cancel myself going...well, my girls decided that if i couldn't make it to the party, THE PARTY WOULD MOVE TO ME! yep, the girls came over and we had such a BLAST!! what a WONDERFUL TIME i had today just chatting with the girls and really just having so much fun! we ordered out CHINESE FOOD (YYUUMMMMMYYYYYY) and then they brought cake and ice cream...so good! we just had a fun time talking and the boys did WONDERFUL too!!! alex was playing on the computer and the smaller boys were just playing and hamming it up for the ladies! time flew by and we laughed and talked and just enjoyed ourself so much!

these ladies brought me OUT OF MY FUNK for today!!! i was REALLY bummed this past couple of days with james being gone....it is hard this time around with him gone..i had just gotten use to FINALLY having him home and now he is gone AGAIN....just having to get BACK into the groove of it on my own....having the girls come over was just AWESOME!! THANK YOU LADIES!! MUCH LOVE TO YOU!

well, james is bummed because he is missing ANOTHER first....joshua is WALKING!! ok, not totally but he can take up to 20 steps and he is doing it on his own!! and on the subject of joshua....i took him to the drs office for a follow up due to his weight check...his official dx is FAILURE TO THRIVE...i look at him and can't see it but he is not on the charts!!! but i am not worrieda bout it...i am just giving him pediasure and lots of calories and see what happens...he is going back in 2 weeks to check up again....alex was the SAME WAY...he wasn't on the charts until he was 2 years old!!! but for joshua, he WAS on the charts but got sick and hasn't recovered his weight again!!! anyway, i will just keep pushing the protien and calories....

HAPPY LABOR DAY!!!

WELL, i hope that those able to enjoy this beautiful day in our part of the world are out there doing that!! and those that are dealing with the HURRICANE, i PRAY that they are all safe and that those displaced from their homes are some how getting much love and comfort from the american people around that supporting them!!!

well, we are home today, daddy is again working HARD during this time....everyday since wed, he has been gone before 6am and home AFTER 9pm...he is EXHAUSTED right now doing all this work...i am so proud of him! i am happy that he is HOME...others are all over the gulf coast and towards/in louisiana....i can only PRAY for all of them!!!

josh is starting to walk...he will walk with us holding his hands and sometimes only ONE hand...he is getting better at it! and yesterday, matthew ate some food that he had never had....RAMAN NOODLES AND PB & J!! yummy! he really enjoyed it! he has shaken his head 'NO NO" whenever i am getting ready to set him up on his feeds...i am taking this as a VERY positive note...i tell him that when he can eat by mouth MORE, i will take that pump away! he just gives me a look...GOD WILLING he will be getting better and eating more....we are SAD that his nurse of over a year and a half is getting ready to leave us at the end of the month....he is A RN NOW!!! :) again, we are so proud of him! he has been such a WONDERFUL NURSE to matthew....and matthew can't get enough of him! i think they have BOTH grown together!! :) and we actually had to let another nurse that had been with us for a year go earlier last month...i was so sad about that!! but we wanted to go to a 4 DAY nursing because daddy was off on fri-sun and we didn't want to schedule anyone there and then have to cancel their hours because we decided to go out of town or something....man....so, we will be on the look out for a NEW NURSE....i am kinda of worried about it because it is ALWAYS stressful when you look and get a new nurse...i will just PRAY that we find one that is WONDERFUL for matthew just like our last one!! :)

well, tomorrow, THE MAKE-A-WISH PEOPLE ARE COMING!!! man, i am so happy and excited! we are going to have our interview with them and get details and such!! WOOOHOOO!!!!! i don't know what is going to happen but that he is getting his wish is so EXCITING!!! :) i will post to let ya'll know how it went!

AUGUST UPDATE!!...WE ARE SO EXCITED!

Hola family and friends!

We hope everyone is doing GREAT!! As for us, well, AUGUST is a pretty busy month in our home!! We have enjoyed our time together as a FAMILY now since June 23rd!! it has been WONDERFUL having james HOME AGAIN!!!!

First, I MUST start with some WONDERFUL news that we received this week…..i am pretty sure you know that I think my WONDERFUL hubby is a HERO to our FAMILY, well, this week he got something so BIG and WONDERFUL given to him by the U.S. ARMY……our HERO got word that he will be receiving the THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so PROUD OF HIM!!!!!!! This is such an HONOR for him and us and we could not be more proud of him!!!! I am not sure when they will be awarding him but I will let ya’ll know!!

Well on top of that news, this month, we have celebrated 2 special BIRTHDAYS!!!

On August 10th, we celebrated our big boys 6TH BIRTHDAY!!! YIPPEEE!!! So hard to believe that he is now 6 years old!!!!! AMAZING! We had a little party for him at a pizza place and we had a BLAST!!! It was really bittersweet because he actually asked james, after asking who was going to be there, “daddy, will you be there too?” and james said “of course I will be” and then he realized WHY he was asking, and he went on to hug him and told him that THIS YEAR daddy would be there for his birthday!! Awwww…..this last year he has grown SO MUCH…both physically and mentally! He is just such a smarty and is doing so well homeschooling!! We are really proud of him and all he has done this last year….He is starting 1st grade and we bought his FIRST true curriculum and we are so EXCITED!!! I can’t wait to get started…I know we will be a bit rusty but we sure are going TRY!! and he retains so much info, he can remember AMAZING facts!!! so awesome! he is excited about getting started doing class!! we ordered his curriculum and it is FAITH BASED so we will BOTH be learning so much about GOD and the world around us together!!

And then on August 25th, we celebrated our little baby’s 1st birthday!!!! WOWOWOW….hard hard hard to believe that he is ONE already!!! It seems like just YESTERDAY, I was in shock after finding out that on NEW YEARS 2007 that I was PREGNANT!!!! Awww, it has been just be such an awesome year….he has grown so much from that little bitty 6 lb 4 oz baby to a 17lb 8 oz little boy…he is pulling to stand, cruising, standing & babbling!! And his first word?!?!?! MAMAMAMAMA!!! AAWWWW!!!! I am so happy because that is my first baby that has EVER said my name FIRST!!! YIPPEEE!!! He is truly a mama’s boy and I am so happy! J FINALLY!!!! Anyway, he is doing well and such a little guy!! one bad habit is that he puts EVERYTHING---EVERYTHING IN HIS MOUTH!!! OMG, i have such a FEAR that he will choke on something! and i sweep and mop and this little one will FIND something to put in his mouth!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!! this is my first baby that has done that. i think because alex was our first and we kept him CONFINED to a specific area (because he was the only one) but now with 3 boys and a nurse, well, we can't and he has the run of the HOUSE!!! YIKES! We are so BLESSED to have him in our lives! And for his BIRTHDAY, he FELL OFF THE BED AT 3 AM!!!!! OMG, talk about SCARY!! Thank God he was just fine except he scared MOMMY AND DADDY like crazy!! Just our luck, after a YEAR of sleeping with us, his birthday would be the day he FALLS off the BED!!! He was fine, just scared himself and most of all US !!!! we are going to go out to eat at a favorite restaurant and just CELEBRATE his life!!!

Well, for the month of JUNE, and JULY we took some time off to be TOGETHER…we spent 2 wonderful weeks RV’ING together, just us, our little family of 5! It was really awesome to just BE together, without nurses, therapies and drs appts!! Wow, back to just being us….we spent our first week in ROCKPORT….we stayed at an RV PARK out there…it was WONDERFUL!! The ONLY bad part was MAN, those mosquitos were just about ready to TAKE US AWAY!!! Thank GOD we were SLIGHTLY smaller than THEY WERE!!!!!! Yep, they were pretty big and VERY BOLD….they would just STICK to you, without a thought on their mind except to eat off you!!! My little matthew and daddy got the worst of it (over 27 bites on matthew!)….anyway, it was nice just being together as a family….we did a lot of fun things around that area like the aquarium, fishing, the jetties, etc….very nice!!! We also took another 8 days at a WONDERFUL place called GUADALUPE RIVER RV RESORT….and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT! It was just BEAUTIFUL and peaceful….defiently a place to go! They have lots of cabins if you don’t have an rv and if you do, well, YOU MUST CHECK IT OUT!!! We had so much fun in Kerrville , tx!! it was just really relaxing and peaceful and just having so much fun swiming and being together. and THE RAIN HELD OUT until we got HOME!!! yep, GOD sure BLESSED us because our whole trip, we had no rain and just BEAUTIFUL days....and on our way home, the HURRICANE that hit texas came in THAT DAY!! the rain even waited until we got EVERYTHING OUT OF THE TRAILER!!! THANK YOU GOD! Anyway, we have pictures up at FLICKR for anyone wanting to see some pictures!!! And if you are up to READING , you can check out my BLOG for a COMPLETE (J) account of our vacation…and I do mean COMPLETE!! And you KNOW I can WRITE!!!

Well, MATTHEW is doing AWESOME!! We are so happy! Since late MAY early JUNE, he has been CLEAR IN THE LUNGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wowowowow, it has been so NICE to not have him SICK!!! ONE WHOLE YEAR of it…james likes to credit HIMSELF for matthew getting BETTER saying that he just missed daddy and that is why he was so sick for the past year…..pawsha!!! I told him it was the ANTIBIOTICS that he has been on since april/may and will continue to be on thru the winter….just as a precaution! So far so good!!! We are just trying to get him STRONG so that he can learn to WALK and TALK!! He is just getting BIGGER…he is such a HAPPY boy and now with daddy home, well, he is that much more HAPPIER!! He LOVES wrestling with his BROTHERS and boy, he is REALLY good at it!!! His baby brother enjoys tormenting him and vice versa….he is now got an ATTITUDE and before, if someone took something from him, he would just watch him do it and not say ANYTHING, well, NOW, boy, he lets you know if you are doing something he does not want you to do!!! He YELLS AT US!!! It is too cute to hear him just go off!! NEVER before has he really showed that kind of EMOTION and it is so awesome to see!!! And to see him get mad….josh doesn’t know what to make of it when he does it but he usually backs off if he does!!! He will be starting school soon and get back into the rhythm of it all!! YAYAy!

Well, as for james, apart from being home again, THANK YOU GOD, he is also back at work after over 40 days on leave!!! We are now starting to get into that kind of rhythm but we are so happy because he is now on working 4 days a week so that means we get him for 3 WHOLE DAYS….awww…that is so awesome and we are so happy about that! We can take a quick trip out of town if we wanted to…very nice!!! But he is back to working out and keeping in shape….we are just so happy to have him HOME!!

AS FOR ME, well, I am just hanging out with all my boys! It has been so AWESOME having my family back together. We are just EXCITED on everything…it is kinda bittersweet because whenever we do something, we always seem to ask our self, when was the last time we did this and sometimes it is almost 2 years ago!!! We lost a WHOLE YEAR TOGETHER….it sometimes doesn’t hit you until you think about that. And then there are the things we are doing that we realize it has been OVER a YEAR since we did it together….like going to CHURCH, going to eat somewhere, etc…just today, we started home school and how nice it was to have james here to ask alex how his day went and all of that…he even got to help get alex study area set up!! Anyway, it was just really nice!! I finally got a diagnosis for my arm that has been paining me in FOREVER…TENNIS ELBOW!!! Yeah, you know with all the time I have, I do SOOOOO MUCH tennis playing at the local country club….yeah right!!! I know that you can get it with out that but what a diagnosis…and with the FIBRO, it just amplifys the pain I am in!!! after josh is weaned, I hope to finally get some PAIN RELIEF from my FIBRO….i can’t even IMAGINE what it feels like to be PAIN FREE….soooooonnn!!

sooo, that is our AUGUST for 2008!! we are SO PROUD of JAMES and his BRONZE STAR METAL!!! just amazed and so happy that he is who he IS!! and then our boys turning one year older....we feel SOOOOO BLESSED, THANK YOU GOD!!

i put together some MONTAGES for both boys!! i hope you check them out!!

ALEX'S video montage


James Alex Turns 6!

JOSHUA'S video montage


Happy Birthday, Joshua Michael!

well, that is it for now...i know it has been a LONG TIME since i have kept up with ya'll and my blog but that will GOD WILING change now....

Maria
Proud Army wife to James, mommy to Alex(5), Matthew(4) & Baby Joshua (1)

HE'S STANDING!!

yes, our little angel, 11 months old, is STANDING on his own and he is SO PROUD OF HIMSELF!! he looks so cute cause as SOON as he lets go, he starts to LAUGH and clap his hands!! awwwwwwww....my little baby is getting so big! hard to believe that GOD WILLING he will be a YEAR OLD come next month!!! we are just so proud of him!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY...montage of deployment!

hello everyone...

we hope everyone is doing GREAT!!! as for us, we are doing just fine...we are ANXIOUSLY awaiting james coming home from BNCOC out in LOUISIANA!!! ! yep, he will GOD WILLING be home MAYBE next weekend!! we did spend an AWESOME 11 days together before he had to go back and we crammed AS MUCH as we could in that time!!! it was pretty awesome to have him here!!

well, we wanted to wish all the FATHER'S out there HAPPY FATHER'S DAY from our family to yours! james will be missing yet ANOTHER fathers day so we will end up celebrating when he get's home, GOD WILLING! SOON!!

SO, for fathers day, i made a picture MONTAGE of james year of deployment! i hope ya'll will go check it out! here is the link to the video:

A Year Without Daddy....Deployment.

welllll, since i am already bothering ya'll, i might as well give a LITTLE update on our family!! i promise it won't be THAT long!! heheheheh

ok, start off with alex, he is doing GREAT!! he is almost 6 years old and he is such a SMARTIE! i am constantly AMAZED at his ablity to pick everything up!! he LOVES to read and he LOVES to learn stuff...one day, i decided to teach him his days of the week, and i asked him if he knew them, and he just SAID THEM!! so i said, ooookkkkk, let's learn the months of the year....AND AGAIN, he just started to say them!!! i hadn't got to that YET and he already KNEW THEM!!! and then we started to do the STATES and we used this online map activity and by then end of the day, he knew ALL the states and where they went on a BLANK MAP!! :) anyway, i am excited about getting him started on 1st grade now...i know he will do soooo well!! THANK YOU GOD!

then onto MATTHEW...hmmm. ..what can i say except....HE IS STILL SICK OVER A YEAR LATER!!!! can you believe it? i can't....it is so fustrating to hear him junky and yucky!! i don't know if we should just ACCEPT that this is his normal now?! i don't know what ELSE to think?! he has been on ANTIBIOTICS for almost a year and for over 3 months SOLID....he has also went thru 2 rounds of oral steroids in less than a MONTH!! that's a LOT......we just can't clear him UP!! why? any prayers on this would be GREATLY appreciated! ! we have been in and out of his pulmonologist office...we also went to the CARDIOLOGIST this month and she said she was in AWE on how he looks!! she was concerned that because of his congestion, that MAYBE it had to do with his HEART and not his lungs....that got me worried...but she said that his ECHO looked good...we are going to have an ANGIO CT done on 7/2/08 under sedation to see what the anatomy of his heart looks like....so PLEASE any good thoughts on that would be appreciated! we also found out WHICH tapvr he had and it was TAPVR INFRADIAPHRAGMATIC, which is the WORST kind, just a little something we found out about...well, over all, he is doing GREAT!! he is pulling up to STAND and also CRUISING...he is also eating more when he is NOT too sick....but he impressed james by pointing out letters and numbers, colors and objects!! awww...he is such a CUTIE!!! we are just so proud of him and now he is FOUR.....AMAZING! !

and then there was little JOSHUA...wow, he is almost 10 months OLD!! and he is CRAWLING ALL OVER THE PLACE!!! yes, he started crawling right before james came HOME! and he is GOOD!! i don't remember alex getting into as much stuff as this little guy is! he is also putting EVERYTHING in his MOUTH!!! YIKES!! even if i sweep and mop, he will find that ONE piece that i missed and put it in his MOUTH!! he is something ELSE! and he is ALL over the place...it is so cute to watch! and WATCH i do!! he is eating baby food now and also just started on the CHERIEOS!! and he loves them! he is also wanting EVERYTHING that someone has! and he is VERY stuborn when he wants something and you take him away from it by putting him in another room, he will IMMEDIATELY crawl back over there as FAST as he can! and he looks like he wants to start pulling to stand...so WATCH OUT! I am just GLAD that all our gates and stuff are still up!! he already took a tumble out the back door when brother decided he wanted him to join us outside!! and he got pretty banged up from it...:( anyway, too cute!

james is doing fine..he is VERY TIRED because his school has been pretty TOUGH!! he has really been working HARD and LONG...he said ALMOST as bad as bucca!! he get's up at 4am and doesn't finish class until 7pm and then he has TONS of homework.... but he is doing fine...he is not to far away in louisiana... we are just PRAYING for the day he can come HOME!!!

as for me, well, i am doing fine...i am TIRED and ready for james to come home for good! i told him that once he is home, i can finally go to the drs and get my arm checked out, my fibro looked at to get it under control (i hope) and then...drum roll please....MY BRACES PUT ON!! yes, i will be metal mouth for about 2 years...i sure don't WANT them but i don't get a choice...YIKES! ! i know i will not enjoy the next 2 years...i just hope i can handle the PAIN along with the pain from my FIBRO!!! i don't know! i am kinda nervous about it! i wanted to wait until james came home because i didn't want to SCARE HIM OFF!!

oookkkk, not toooo bad, right? i dont' think it was THAT long...i could do WORST! :) don't forget to visit our BLOG (www.blessingsinmyli fe.blogspot. com) for some pictures.... ANYWAY, i hope everyone has a GREAT weekend and father days! know that we think of all our FAMILY and FRIENDS all the time!! take care and GOD BLESS