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!

we had the kids for a couple of days....

it was so nice! the kids were dropped off the day we got home on the 23rd and stayed with us until sat night!! wooooohoooo!! we love those kids and the boys just adore them too! we had so much fun. just being together, watching tv, ,movies, playing monopoly and even going to the movies to see "nim's island". it was fun! they even went FISHING on the lake on sat. i actually decided to stay home with the little one so that there was more room on the boat. they had a blast. it is so much fun being with the kids and they love being with us too!! :)

OUR VACATION PART 2!!!

OUR VACATION PART 2

JULY 16, 2008
Today, we were so excited to start our SECOND TRIP in our 2008 vacation!! We are so happy and EXCITED because we are going to go to THE GAUDALUPE RIVER RV RESPORT!!! The drive over here was beautiful! TEXAS HILL COUNTRY is just awesome and so beautiful. it only took us about a BIT over an hour to get to the RV RESORT and that is awesome to know so we can COME BACK!! It was a QUICK trip to make it out here and we didn’t even USE a1/2 tank!!! Anyway, we get into to town and I for one had NEVER been in Kerrville and it is such a cute town!!! I can’t wait to explore this town and see what it has to offer!! Soo, we got to the park and Wowowowowow, DEFINETELY going to be coming BACK HERE!!! It is so BEAUTIFUL, much nicer than the other park. REALLY an nice looking place and that is part of what is perfect about it. They have BEAUTIFUL trees all over and the RV spots and just perfect, on level ground and on concrete slabs with a concrete table and bench on a concrete slab….VERY NICE!! We got our site up (#72) and put our house together and then we just RELAXED….the breeze here is just amazing and NO MOSQUITOS!!!!  what a RELIEF! And let me tell you, the people here are really friendly….they have cabins and the walk to the water is just a couple of feet or so! There are 3 pools….although, sad to find out that 2 of them are for ADULTS ONLY…and they have a nice spa area. But everything is IMMACULATE and there are workers constantly patrolling the area just making sure that everything is fine. So after we got everything together we went SWIMMING, of course! The boys could NOT WAIT to get in there. They are my little fish! So, we went out there and went swimming and just relaxed all day. We did have to make a detour down to the WALMART (which is just down the road!) because my dear hubby left our bag of toiletries at home!! And I CAN blame him cause he was the last to use!!  but we set up our site with our solar lights, our grass and our chairs….feels so GOOD TO BE OUT HERE!! We are here till NEXT WED!! OOOHOOOO!!! James was kinda upset because there is this beautiful pond on site that has BIG FISH and there is no fishing there!!! Man, he is BUMMED!! He is going to try to work the workers here and see if he can do it or not!!

JULY 17, 2008
Today, we woke up to a BEAUTIFUL DAY here on the Guadalupe river!! Really just BEAUTIFUL WEATHER!! It is so awesome here. The breeze here is just really nice. It is not hot and not cold just PERFECT!! We went walking around the campground and just looking at the river and all the area. It is really just a beautiful park and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE!! Even if you don’t have an RV and just want a place to go, they have cabins here that you can rent out. The pools are CLEAN and the area itself is just well maintained. Thru out the WHOLE DAY they are patrolling the area and making sure there are no trash and such and just security! It was really nice. The place is really nice. So, we of COURSE ended up at the POOL that morning. It was really nice because we go there when it OPENS at 9am so that we can have just us in there and also to get it done in the AM so the babies can go have a bath and then a nap too! It works really well. We ended up BBQ some awesome food and just relaxing at the camp grounds….we also looked at fishing today!! We drove around looking to see if there was DEEPER waters somewhere and we found a couple of places. James and alex fished them too! Just looking around this town!

JULY 18, 2008
Wow! The RV’S ARE COMING IN!! they actually started coming in Thursday NIGHT…..it is so awesome because when we got here on Wednesday, there were SOME rv’s here but not many….there are 6 rows of about 12 sites in each (really nice sites) and there were probably about 12 or so rvs here already but by this afternoon the WHOLE PLACE WAS FULL!!!! There were so many out here! So neat to see them coming in. the different kind of rvs and the people. Until now, we were the ONLY HYBRID RV here but today another hybrid camper came in!! so exciting to see. You don’t see many of them out here. They are unusual. But I LOVE MY CAMPER. But man, parked next to the 5TH WHEEL RV’S, ours looks like a little TOY!!!! But again, we have had so many people come by to ask about our rv!!

Well, today we had some visitors!! We did our morning swim and then by lpm, james mom & dad came by to visit!1 AWWWW….WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! James BBQ some steak, chicken, & sausage and I made some veggies and some rice with some chips and dip….OMG YUM!!!! Really, it was like the BEST MEAL I had had in a long time!!!! We had some cheese cubes of mozza & cheddar and some awesome sweet grapes and strawberries!! It really was very very good! So afterwards, we took them on a walk around the grounds to see if we could see the deer that come out. And alex wanted to show them he could fish too!


JULY 19, 2008
Today, we did our usual swimming in the am and then after everyone was bathed and dressed and we took a drive out to FREDRICKSBURG, TX for the NIGHT IN OLD FREDRICKSBURG festival!! Well, it was kinda surreal going back to where MATTHEW had his last BIG SIEZURE on OCT 16TH, 2007!! Yep, we passed RIGHT by the helipad where he was airlifted to san Antonio and then when we got to the fairgrounds, I took james to where he had his big seizure….so hard to believe that it happened that time!! Kind sad for me…alex doesn’t really remember it until I reminded him about the helicopter and he then remembered! Well, of COURSE I forgot my camera but we had such a GREAT TIME. We got there and it was only 20 miles from where we were camped at!! NICE! So, we got there and alex, dad and matthew had a BLAST on the balloon thingies they had up and then we sat around and listened to some music and then headed over to get some goodies at the vendors. We then went around to look at all the artist stuff that was on sale….wow, we wish we could have gotten some of THAT!! If you have never been out to FREDRICKSBURG,TX, you need to! It is a beautiful town that has so many shops in the main area. We plan to go back there to check out all of the different shops when it get’s a bit cooler. It is a little to warm for matthew right now but SOON! We got back to our RV and decided to go swimming at about 9 pm…..it was very nice.

July 20, 2008
Today, we had to do laundry. So we decided to go into town and see if we could find a place to do our laundry and then we could go driving down HWY 16. I wanted to see what else was out there! So as we were driving down HWY 16 we picked up some ice cream from DQ (which on the way to the campgrounds from IH 10, we saw 4 of them!!!) we went looking for the laundry mat! We crossed over this bridge over the Gaudalupe river and there was this AWESOME PARK there and we decided to try it out after we put our laundry in. so we went back to the park and james fished for a bit while the boys chilled out….ok, only our PARTY ANIMAL MATTHEW was awake…so, we chilled out for about 30 mins or so and vowed to go back and do some more fishing. Anyway, on our way home, we picked up some CHURCH’S CHICKEN, you know you love THAT! And then we just made a fire and did some SMORES!! I think I am ALL SMORED OUT right now!! We have had them EVERYNIGHT!!! My poor teeth!

JULY 21, 2008
Today, after the ritual pool time in the AM…we BBQ’d some lunch today and BOY IT WAS SOOOOO YUMMY! We had FILET MINON (?) and some hamburgers for the boys and some greens….wow, it was so good!!  after we had some lunch, we decided to this time drive down HWY 27 to see what was there towards INGRAM and it was just SPECTACULAR driving!! It is so beautiful down that way with the rolling hills and beautiful river. The houses are awesome!!!! So pretty. Also, we found ANOTHER RV park right on the river that we MIGHT be coming to sometime in the future…it looks REALLY nice but NOT as clean/pretty as the one we stayed at….it was so nice to just drive around and see what was going on out there…they are such small towns and just such small shops and such. Really worth the drive!!! We got back to the RV and we ended up doing a BIG fire in our fire pit and just hanging out around it and watching Alex ride his bike all around and the other 2 boys just tumbling around the floor. It is so nice out here. Just so peaceful and quiet.

JULY 22, 2008
Today, we started to get everything together to head on out tomorrow. We got up early, as usual, and just had a nice breakfast and did our usual swimming! We also went to go FISHING at the park and just enjoy our last full day here at the camp ground. We BBQ for the last time and we just walked around the grounds and watched the deer and such. we decided to go EAT OUT FOR DINNER for the last time and we tried this resturant called BILLY GENE'S RESTAURANT and wow, that was a WONDERFUL RESTAURANT!! i mean, REALLY nice! we were really impressed with the service there. they totally treated us so awesome and also treated MATTHEW in his wheelchair like he was so important! really a great place and the FOOD!! OMG, IT WAS DELICIOUS!! i mean, we would HIGHLY reccommend it to ANYONE!! james had the CHICKEN FRIED STEAK, i had the CILANTRO & LIME GRILLED SALMON and wow, everything was just really yummy! i know we will DEFINETLY be back someday! after we ate, we went fishing at the local park for a while and just hung out. alex caught a FISH all by himself!!! james and i were just so proud of him! when we got back to the RV, we had to put up the awning because it got really windy. It seemed that everyone decided to go to sleep early!! We are SAD to see it end…


JULY 23, 2008
Well, we woke up early to go walk the dog. It was so nice to be walking around when nobody else was up and awake. We as a family went for a nice walk, saw some deer, let the dog do it’s business and then we took tons of pictures of us as a family. It was really nice and quiet! Then we got down to business getting everything loaded and packed and then hooked up! And then we were OFF!! We left the grounds around 1200 and we headed home. It was such a GREAT FAMILY VACATION. We both agreed it was the BEST we had EVER had in our lives! It was just such an awesome time of getting together and talking, laughin and just enjoying each other. THANK YOU GOD! We can’t WAIT to do this AGAIN!!! SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNN

OUR VACATION 2008....PART ONE!

hola folks!! it has been a LONG TIME since i updated our blog but i have been so BUSY enjoying our family back as one that time has just FLOWN! we have a lot to write about so here it goes!! (JUST A NOTE, PHOTOS WILL BE ADDED SOON!!)

well, to start things off, we are all doing GREAT being back together and get back in the groove of being a family together again. it was not HARD AT ALL!! i am so happy to say...i know that SOME people have a really hard time getting thing working again after such a long seperation but for us, THANK YOU GOD, it just felt NATURAL and everything just fell into place!! the boys did well and daddy and mommy did awesome too! josh is loving on daddy all the time and so are the other 2 boys. it is so great to see daddy playing with his boys....that is something the TRUELY missed! i know that for me, i lost a little of that when he went away. i noticed that it was WAY WAY WAY harder to PLAY with my boys after he left....i think i lost a little of my "fun" and "easy" way with the boys and i know it makes me sad thinking about the last year where i SLOWLY lost the ability to just have fun with my boys....i know it was just part of the stress and the seperation but know that dady is back, i PLAN ON GETTING IT BACK!! i find myself REALLY trying so hard to not just brush off my boys when they are being silly and trying really hard to be silly with them....trust me, after a YEAR of correcting them and really feeling uptight, it is hard to get out of it but i am WORKING ON IT!! my boys mean the WORLD to me and i am sad at myself for letting that part of myself go away....so these last couple of weeks with james, i have tried to let HIM being the dissaplinator and kinda TRY to keep a low keep...i guess i didn't realized how much work it took being both daddy AND mommy and how much stress it put on me!! so, i am trying my hardest just to be a MOMMY and not both right now....I AM A WORK IN PROGRESS!!!!

SOOOOO, on to our vacation....we are having SOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!! we love our rv and we are just ENJOYIN BEING A FAMILY TOGHETHER....the boys and i NEEDED to get away from that house that has keep us tied to it for a YEAR....it felt GOOD leaving it behind and just not worrying about it!!! since james left, i had NOT been away from the house overnight other than the hospital! so this was so needed ESPECIALLY since when james is home, we tend to go out of town at least ONCE a month!!! and what was more important than that is THAT WE ARE BY OURSELVES, WITHOUT NURSE, WITHOUT THERAPIES AND APPOINTMENTS...just OUR FAMILY....NO ONE ELSE!! we felt bad cause our nieces and nephew wanted to come but we just explained that we needed to be together just us and that after these trips, we would RV again and THEN they could come...i am so happy that we stayed STRONG on that because we needed this time just for us......well, what i have done is kinda JOURNALIZED (is there such a word?!) and i will post PART ONE, WHICH IS OUR GULF COAST ADVENTURE and then later i will post PART TWO WHICH IS OUR HILL COUNTRY ADVENTURE!! SOOO, happy reading as i post!! take care and GOD BLESS...

OUR VACATION 2008

JULY 8TH
OUR FIRST VACATION in over a YEAR!! and boy, we are soooo excited to FINALLY get MOVING!! yesterday and today were both days of trying to get EVERYTHING together....PACKING OMG is soooo HARD with 3 little ones in everything and wanting something....ANYWAY, we FINALLY got the trailer packed and ready to go TODAY....we had to STILL drop off the dog to the KENNEL and then we could head off...well, we had to make it here by 5pm and it was ALREADY 1200!! and did i forget it was RAINING?!?!?! soooo, we were off...we had a GREAT trip here to ANCIENT OAKS RV PARK in ROCKPORT, TX...it did rain almost the whole way but it was OK!! i told james, 'i don't CARE if it rains...i just want to GET AWAY from HOME for a while!!' and he agreed with me! we were just so happy to be OFF in our RV and be together as a FAMILY!!!

WELL, we got here at about 4:30 and it started RAINING!! we set up the RV, and started to put ALL our stuff away that we KNEW we could not do WITH OUT!! :) u know how that goes...we had SOOOO MUCH STUFF!! but, at least THIS time, we will be out here for more than a couple of days!! we here for 6 nights and 7 days! and of course AFTER james was soaked and had the RV up, IT STOPPED RAINING!!! oh well!

we had a GREAT trip here, the boys are having a BLAST and going CRAZY in the RV and can't wait to go swiming and fishing tomorrow GOD WILLING!! the weather is suppose to be BEAUTIFUL (even though i think it is just fine right now) and HOT! we headed over to the nearest WALMART to get the things we decided to wait on until we got here....we have also learned soooo much from just looking at all the other RV'S...we are also something of an ODDITY because aparently, not many people have SEEN a HYBRID RV like ours and we have been getting lots of people stop by to ask us about it and they just think it is the COOLEST thing!! :) we LOVE OUR RV! they have asked us all about it!! if you haven't seen a picture of it, let me describe it to you: it is a TRAVEL TRAILER when you look at it, it looks like everyone else BUT ours has THREE drop down doors, 2 on side in the BACK and one in the VERY FRONT nd when you drop those down, there is TENT ENDS just like the POP UP TENTS and we now have 2 queen size beds and a king in the front!!!! wow! tons of room!! we just LOVE IT!! but, HERE IT IS:

July 9th, 2008:

TODAY was such a beautiful day to wake up to! Of course, even after such a LATE NIGHT (probably went to bed after 1am) our boys don’t know NOT TO WAKE UP EARLY!! Yep, everyone was WIDE AWAKE by 730 am!!!! I can tell you this, that since we had kids, we have NOT slept in in OVER 5 years!!!! Yep, all our boys are EARLY RISERS! Usually by 7 am, EVERYDAY, they are up and running! So I guess an extra 30 mins IS vacation time!!  anyway, it was GREAT to wake up and just KNOW you are out with your family in our RV and just enjoying our time together!! We had a lot to do in the morning…we had to finish putting the POP UP GIZMOS on the bunk ends…what this is is a SOLAR BLANKET especially made for our RV that goes over the BUNK ENDS so that it can keep the HEAT OUTSIDE!1 what is owesome is that in the WINTER, you turn the blankets so that the silver stuff in on the BOTTOM and that will keep the heat INSIDE!! Gotta love that! Anyway, we heard about these thru my RV FORUMS that I visit and they all swear by them so we ended up getting them sight unseen and BOY we are SOOOO HAPPY we did! They did the job and IMMEDIATELY you could feel the difference in the bunk end and it was not as hot as it was!! WOW!! GREAT THING TO HAVE!! Soooo, we did all of that and then alex, james and matthew went SWIMMING at the pool and I stayed back to let Joshua have his nap. Well, the boys came home, and we gave them baths and OOOHHHH how fun THAT was!! Our bathroom is TINY in size!! It is just too funny…and I am a SMALL person and I STILL felt like I was a giant in that shower!! Very small…the boys loved it though and there is a tub for matthew and josh! Anyway, after we did that we headed out to explore ROCKPORT, TX and just look around…wow, it was BEAUTIFUL!! There are so many beautiful HOUSES out there expecially those on the BEACH….wow..and then we decided to go eat at THE BOILING POT resteraunt and that was an EXPERIENCE! James and had never been there but we decided to try it out…it was kinda spicy but it was pretty neat to see them just DUMP the food on our table! We had a lot of fun making a MESS, the boys had a BLAST with their “hammers” to crack the crab legs with and just enjoying the food…crab legs, sausage, blue crab (the whole thing! James scared alex with it!! He almost fell of the chair!), potatoes, corn on the cob and shrimp! Yummy! It was all so good but it was a bit spice for the boys so after we ate, we headed out the the McD’s and had some food for the boys! We really just had so much fun today! And to top it all off, we went SWIMMING at about 9pm and all the boys had a BLAST!! We then came home and made us some HOME MADE POPCORN with real butter and sat around and enjoyed our night snack! After the 2 youngest were in bed, we ended up sitting outside in the BEAUTIFUL sultry night and sitting under our awning and enjoying the night sky with all those stars out there….we bought some OUTSIDE CARPET GRASS for the boys so that they can be outside with us and not be worried that they would be no place to put them but with that grass, we can put them on the ground and they can crawl and roll around on it! And I like it because I can just come out of the RV and be able to just step onto a clean area without my shoes!!

JULY 10TH, 2008
WOW, we are just having so much fun enjoying ourself without any worries. It has been VERY RELAXING for both james and i. he made mention that he NEEDED this time because he had been really stressed out and he hated feeling like that. He kept feeling like that he was just wound up tight but now, MORE RELAXED! As I told him, it felt GOOD to be out of the house FINALLY! I had been stuck there for a year without any break, over 365 days total spent there EXCEPT for the short “break” that we had when matthew was sick in the hospital!!!! I know I could have gone where ever BUT with 3 children and having matthew and all his equipment BY MYSELF was just a bit much. But now, our family is COMPLETE and we are OUT OF THERE!! And we are already dreaming and planning on our NEXT RVING experience after these 2 weeks!!

Well, back to our vacation…we went driving around the ROCKPORT/FULTON area and if you have never been over here, it is BEAUTIFUL and the properties are gorgeous and the view is amazing!! We enjoyed just playing tourist and driving around and having fun! We came home and went swimming for about an hour and just had fun with the boys…all the boys LOVE the water….matthew can’t swim in anything but either FRESH water or CLORINATED water due to his g-tube so no ocean or river for us! But that is why we had to have a park with a pool for him because he LOVES to swim! We then took the boys to go see WALL-E at the local cinema 4….CUTE PLACE!!! It didn’t look like ANY movie theater I have ever been to. It was TINY and looked like just a normal building. It was a CUTE movie too! Everyone enjoyed it! Well, we then had a visitor come see us today, it was james best friend! He is currently at the police academy here in CORPUS CHRISTI and he came by and we went out to eat at MOONDOG RESTAURANT…..it was really good and it was GREAT talking to him and just having a great time together. (And on a side note, He and his wife are going to be the GODPARENTS for matthew when he gets re-baptised….well, actually, he can’t get RE baptized but they have to formalize it at our church since when he got first baptized, it was in the operating room at a couple of hours old!! So we are very excited about that!! ) we then went fishing out on the bay and it was fun watching the “men” try to fish and net get birds nest!! But everyone had a GREAT TIME!!!

JULY 11TH, 2008
Wow, today, another BEAUTIFUL DAY here in ROCKPORT, TX!!! It has been GORGEOUS out here with NO RAIN!! It is just sunny and breezy. We are far enough away from the ocean that we don’t have that STRONG constant breeze going on just enough to keep stuff a BIT cool! It has been in the low 90’s and just awesome! Today, we ended up going over to PORT ARANSAS my favorite place!! I always say that when we win the lotto, that we are going to build us a vacation house out there!! Port Aransas is just a very touristy kinda place but it is such a SMALL place that it is PERFECT! We always go there when we come to the coast, just tradition. When we were driving over from rockport, only 6 miles away, we realized it had been 2 YEARS since we had been to the coast!!!!! I can’t believe it had been that long! And there had been so many changes out here! We noticed new buildings and new things along our way! Very nice! Matthew was 2 and alex was 3 the last time we came here!!! WOW! But we enjoyed our trip down memory lane and cruising around, james stopped and tried to fish a bit but it was too windy and the sand was blowing everywhere! We were on the JETTIES and it was pretty bad. But that was ok…he told me that he had A LONG TIME to be fishing and THIS TIME was just for us family and being together! Awwww…that is why I LOVE THIS MAN EVEN MORE EVERYDAY! So, we picked up a couple of things from our local HEB and came home, went swimming and then came home and BBQ!! Yummy! It was really good until we realized we had no CAN OPENER!!!! So, we did it the old fashion way and used a knife to pry it open!! Everything was really yummy and we had such a good time…the mosquitos are OUT right now and with the wind kicking, the candles won’t stay lit! so we ended up having to eat inside even though we had planned to be OUTSIDE! And our little matthew is really sensitive to the bites…..again, just another WONDERFUL day on our vacation!!!


JULY 12TH, 2008
today, we are going to be going to the CORPUS CHRIST AQUARIUM after the boys have had their naps!!! we are sooo excited! but first, we did some SWIMING early in the day then everyone had baths and then naps and OFF WE WENT!! it was pretty awesome...the trip out to CORPUS from ROCKPORT was only about 20 mins....pretty nice drive along the coast. we got there and THANK YOU GOD someone told us about getting a discount there if we had the SEASON PASS for the SAN ANTONIO ZOO....instead of paying OVER $50 to get in, we ended up paying only $20!!!! WHAT A GREAT SAVINGS! so we went around and looked at it all and the boys REALLY loved it. they loved seeing all the fish and being able to touch some of them. it was just a REALLY nice time looking around. we saw the LEXINGTON but unfortunatly, it is NOT handicap friendly so we decided against going out there...i can't imagine that with having such a HARD time 2 years ago with matthew how it would be THIS year?!?!? YIKES! and having josh too! so, we looked around and then we decided to head on back to the RV so we could go swimming....that is one thing we LOVE TO DO ! the boys all enjoy it so much. unfortunatly, the MOSQUITOS are just HORRIBLE OUT HERE!! I mean, the boys went swimming and they got bit ALL ALONG THE FORHEAD!!! we counted matthew and he had OVER 24 bites by the time we got out of there!!! and when they walked in there was actually MOSQUITOES STUCK AND FEEDING ON JAMES!!!!!! i killed about 4 off his BACK! they were just going along for the RIDE!! i think that was the one big downfall and that was not able to go outside and ENJOY the breeze....i think we are going to invest in a ZAPPER for the RV and we can use it at the house too!!

JULY 13TH, 2008
we got up early and headed out early to do some more grocery shopping (and BOY, WALMART IS LOVING US!!!!!!) we went to pick up some MEAT for a BBQ that we were having at james families home...he has family here (mom's side) and we just had a nice day visiting with everyone and enjoying the AWESOME food that was of cooked and all the family time that we spent. james was able to visit with family that he had not seen in a VERY VERY LONG TIME....it was just really really nice. it was also our last full day of our fist leg of our trip....so after we spent some time there, we head on home and went SWIMMING for the last time....the whole time SWATTING and trying to ve very careful about the MOSQUITOS...then we head on home and took our baths and started to put away the stuff so that we could be ready to ROLL by about 1030 or so! it was much easier heading out then putting stuff in. we were happy we had such a GREAT TIME this trip....we can't wait to do it again sometime....


JULY 14TH, 2008
well, today, we are OFF BACK TO SAN ANTONIO!!! wow, what a WONDERFUL 7 days and 6 nights we had TOGETHER AS A FAMILY....we just enjoyed EVERY SECOND (except the mosquitos!!) but those come with the territory i guess....we will be better prepared on that front NEXT TIME!! today, we just packed up and headed out to go pick up our dog and head on home and do some LAUNDRY and restock....wow, i just LOVE our RV!!! we knew when we bought this that it was a WONDERFUL investment into our FAMILY. we look around all the other RV'ers and see them all with their kids and family...older kids, younger kids, family and know that we did the BEST thing for our family. thru this RV, we have a chance to just connect AWAY from our home in a place that is small enough that we are RIGHT THERE with each other. we are able to EXPLORE places around our area and further out as a family...we see what a this does for us. it keeps us close and i know, that now we started our kids out YOUNG doing camping, although it is in COMFORT for MATTHEW's medical needs, we know that because of this, they are going to LOVE the outdoors that much more. we have just been BLESSED to be able to do this for them. of course, now that we are doing this, james wants something BIGGER!!!! i am ok with this but he sees some of the others and wants a hand on THOSE! i told him AFTER we pay off the truck and this RV we will look into that....anyway, again, you CAN NOT BEAT the price that we paid for this week for lodging...we paid ONLY $150 for 6 nights and 7 days with FULL hook up (sewer, electricity, cable, water) and had all the comforts of HOME!! you GOT to love that!!! :)


now ONTO OUR NEXT ADVENTURE STARTING JULY 16TH!! :) I WILL BE ADDING PHOTOS SOON!!

Getting Ready for our VACATION!!!

hello there!!! we have been having SOOOO MUCH FUN getting ready to finally GO on our vacation!! yeah, i know, we should have ALREADY been GONE but with our special needs kiddo, we have to cancel therapies, nurses, etc to GO but FINALLY after 2 weeks of looking and getting ready, WE WILL BE LEAVING EARLY NEXT WEEK FOR 2 WEEKS!!! WOOOOOHOOOO!! i am so excited!! we decided on 1 week at the TEXAS COAST at a RV park called CLICK HERE->ANCIENT OAKS RV PARK AND then leave there and head on over to the HILL COUNTRY and RV at another park called CLICK HERE->GUADALUPE RIVER RV RESORT....IT WAS CRAZY trying to decide where to GO! i know that texas is BIG so, it just made it THAT MUCH HARDER to choose from all those hundreds of SITES!! but GOD WILLING all will go well!

we have been washing and waxing, checking tire pressures, getting a SWAY BAR and ELECTRONIC BRAKE installed, cleaning the inside of the RV and just buying STUFF to go IN IT!! wow, so much fun and as the day gets closer sooooo EXCITED!!

it has just been so AWESOME spending all this time with MY FAMILY....we have missed soooo much this last year. we have just spent EVERY MOMENT together and just enjoying each other....the boys have been going CRAZY and just alllllll over daddy... joshua knows his daddy and he crawls right over to him...it is just such a JOY to see the BOYS together...no words can describe the feeling in me when i see them wrestling or playing....and it has taken such a LOAD off ME! i told james i was SOOOO HAPPY to have him home....it has helped me so much...just having that OTHER half of me home....i have actually took TWO (2) NAPS in the last 2 DAYS!!! WOWOWOWOWOW...can't tell you when the LAST time i did THAT!! and i RELAXED totally knowing that my boys were in PERFECT HANDS!!

anyway, matthew had his ANGIO CT today and it went well...don't have the results yet but he was put TOTALLY under and was intubated.....when he got to recovery room he was TOTALLY OUT...poor guy! but we were out of there within 1 1/2 hours after he got out....GOD WILLING all will look good! he held his BREATH when they put the mask on him to put him under and he ended up going into the low 50's before he finally relaxed and let the med take him to lala land!! anyway, he did GREAT afterwards....HE IS ALSO DOWN TO 2ML twice a day (down from 5mls 2 times a day) of trileptal....

i hope we have it all...i can't WAIT to GOOOOOO!!

OK, take care and GOD BLESS...

WELCOME TO HOLLAND...POEM...

my friends and i were talkinga bout this poem...it was brought to my attention when i FIRST had MATTHEW and found out what a SPECIAL guy he was....when i first read it it was sucha BEAUTIFUL poem and one that said, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM FEELING/GOING THRU!! so, i decided to post it on this blog so other might read it if they have never done so and maybe find comfort in it!! TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS...

Welcome To Holland
by Emily Perl Kingsley

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a
disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience
to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation
trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans.
The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn
some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your
bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess
comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm
supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and
there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible,
disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a
different
place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new
language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have
met.

It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than
Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you
look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and
Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all
bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of
your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I
had planned."

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the
loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to
Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things
...
about Holland

-------------THIS IS THE FOLLOW UP ON THAT POEM-------------------------------

Celebrating Holland - I'm Home

I have been in Holland for a while now. It has become home. I have had time
to catch my breath, to settle in and adjust, and to accept this different trip
than I'd planned.

I reflect back on those years when I first landed in Holland and remember
clearly my shock, my fear, my anger. In those first few years, I tried to
get back to Italy as planned, but Holland was where I was to stay. Today, I can
say how far I have come on this unexpected journey, how much I have learned
about Holland. But it has been a journey of time.

I worked hard. I bought new guidebooks. I learned a new language, and I
slowly found my way around in Holland. I met others whose plans had changed like
mine and who could share my experience. Some of these fellow travellers had been
in Holland longer than I and were seasoned guides, assisting me along the way.
Many have encouraged me and have taught me to open my eyes to the wonder and
gifts to behold in this new land. We supported one another, some have become
very special friends, and I have discovered a community of caring. Holland
isn't so bad.

I think that Holland is used to wayward travellers like me and has become a
land of hospitality, reaching out to welcome, assist, and support newcomers.
Over the years, I've wondered what life would have been like if I'd landed
in Italy as planned. Would life have been easier? Would it have been as
rewarding?W ould I have learned the important lessons I benefit from today?

Sure, this journey has been challenging and at times I would (and still do)
stomp my feet and cry out in frustration and protest. And, yes, Holland is
slower paced and less flashy that Italy, but this, too, has been an
unexpected gift. I have learned to slow down and look closer at things, with a new
appreciation for the remarkable beauty of Holland. I have discovered that it
doesn't matter where you land. What's more important is what you make of
your journey and how you see and enjoy the very special things that Holland has
to offer. I have come to love Holland and call it home.

Yes, I landed in a place I hadn't planned. Yet I am thankful, for this
destination has been richer than I could have imagined!

JAMES IS HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU GOD, he is HOME HOME HOME!!!!!! YIIIIPPPEEEEEEEEEEE!!! FINALLY, the post that i have wanted to write is here.....he is HOME HOME HOME!!! (can you tell i am EXCITED?) HEHEHEHEHEHE...this is just the BEST DAY in a LONG TIME...we got the news LATE AFTERNOON that he would be able to come home....it was kinda crazy because unitl about 3pm he was not sure if he could be home TODAY or tomorrow!! AND the last plane left at 5pm!!! so, he got his ticket, and literally RAN to get his stuff and find a RIDE to the airport and MAKE it to his flight!!! one guy didn't make it and thru james, was able to rebook a later flight...it was CRAZY!! soooo, he came in at 1030pm and we were waiting in the CELL PHONE LOT and 2 out 3 kiddos were awake to greet him in the car when we picked him up!!! and that would be our PARTY ANIMAL MATTHEW!! yep, he was WIDE AWAKE!! such a cutie!! and all he wanted to do was give daddy hugs but man, if you have not been in that area where you pick up people at the airport, MAN IT IS CRAZY!!! there was a TRAFFIC JAM and we were FINALLY able to get him and GET OUT!! CRAZY! but he is HOME HOME HOME!!! :) as far as i know, he will be OFF for at LEAST 30 DAYS!!! and we are making PLANS for a RV VACATION for at least 2 of those weeks and we are sooooooo happy and excited about that! that is something that we have been looking forward to and talking about now since DAY ONE of his DEPLOYMENT!! really, that was something that we CLUNG TO, DREAMED and PLANNED and THOUGHT OF during our year apart!Soooo......YYYYIIIIPPPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!

there was something else that i thought of was that joshua has only seen daddy for TWENTY-NINE DAYS out of his 10 months of life!!! amazing...and sad!! but we are going to change that......daddy scared joshua when he woke up in the car and saw daddy kissing on him....awww...

AND on a SIDE NOTE, matthew will be going to have an ANGIO CT done on JULY 2nd...any thoughts and prayers for him would be GREATLY appreciated!!!

anyway, THANK YOU ALL for all the LOVE, PRAYERS AND SUPPORT this last year!! we are SO BLESSED to have people there for us during this whole year!! thank you as ALWAYS! this year has been an EXPERIENCE that was DEFINETLY a time of GROWTH and of just learning to trust in GOD for everything.....we have grown closer as a family as the days and months passed us by....we relied on each other for SUPPORT and LOVE because we knew that THAT was what was going to keep us STRONG....it was hard to be a way from each other, we knew that THRU GOD, all would be well and we would JOYFULLY WAIT for the day that we could be back together as a FAMILY....and here we ARE!! WE MADE IT!! what seemed so long ago may/june 2007 when the day that we DREADED when we found out that he would be deployed and KNOWING that he would be gone for SO LONG.....and now we have gone thru a YEAR of GROWTH with the addition to our family with joshua and just the growing of our boys matthew and alex....what a STORY we tell our children.....something they will never forget...AND NOW we will learn to be together again, enjoy EVERY SECOND we have together and just remember how LONG we had not been together and just CHERISH and HOLD each other close because we KNOW how it felt to be apart...we are just so PROUD of our HERO JAMES...THANK YOU GOD for bringing him home SAFETLY....

SOOOOO THE NEWS IS....HE IS HOME HOME HOME, THANK YOU GOD!!! and if you have not had a chance to visit his montage, here is the LINK to it:

A Year Without Daddy....Deployment.

WOW...matthew...SZ MEDS...

is being taken OFF of one of his SZ MEDS!!!! WOWOWOWOWOW....he is being weaned off of his TRILEPTAL which he has been on for at least 2 years?! or longer...WOOOOHOOO!! so now, GOD WILLING, he will only be on 3 sz meds!! this is important because that will help him WAKE UP mentally because all those sz meds surpress his brain to help stop the sz!! soo, what does this mean? it MIGHT mean that he will start to progress developmentally now without this med....wowowow..we are really happy and excited....dr hopes to have down to TWO meds by the end of the YEAR!! that would be GREAT!! it is kinda scary because you don't know if this will start the sz again but all we can do is PRAY!! we are going down one ML a week until july 17th when he SHOULD be off of his med...please pray that he does well in this and the sz don't start up again!! and of course that he starts progress too!!

thanks sooo much....

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

ok...had to share with ya'll....

some awesome SHORT VIDEOS that a fellow soldier of james unit MADE while he was over there in IRAQ...they are just OUT THERE and i am just AMAZED at his imagination!! i know that you will LOVE THEM!!! they put such a SPIN on things!! ALL the soldiers that you see on the video are from my dh compound....you will see pictures of BUCCA and the surrounding area...but be warned, there is SOME foul language involved...not much but some....i know that you will enjoy them! please let me know what you think.... leave a comment on his MYSPACE thing so you can tell him too...his website is WWW.WALRUSFLIX.COM....i think he is very talented!!!

here is MY FAVORITE:
CAMP BUCCA ADVERTISMENT:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=34757716

AND MY SECOND FAVORITE:
EVERYWHERE:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=32536431

VACATION MCGREGOR:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=25837561

COLD SODA:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=34340475

OPERATION ESCAPE: (TONS OF SOLDIERS GOING HOME!) my dh comes out on this one..
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=34759825

TALES FROM THE SANDBOX: CARE PACKAGE
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=22561246

TALES FROM THE SANDBOX: ROCK MAIL
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=23142514


TALES FROMT HE SANDBOX: FORMATION
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=23071839

TALES FROM THE SANDBOX: RIOT
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=24726411

has it really been that long?!?

wow, i can't believe that it has been over 2 weeks since i posted ANYTHING to my BLOG?! WHERE has the time gone? well, so much has happened in these last 2 weeks....the most IMPORTANT thing and the BEST thing that has happened is that JAMES CAME BACK HOME!!!!!! yep, he made it into the united states on MATTHEWS BIRTHDAY!! that phone call was just the BEST!! and then after MUCH going around and around on whether he could come home or not HE WAS ABLE TO COME HOME FROM MEMORIAL DAY THRU THE 5TH OF JUNE!!! that was WONDERFUL to be able to be with him again! here is a picture from that day:


and of course, the first thing they did when they got home was WRESTLE TOGETHER! they talked about that EVERYTIME that they talked on the phone...that is one of their FAVORITE thing to do!! here is a picture of THAT!:



so, we kept a pretty busy schedule the whole time...it was really crazy because i had to keep the normal schedule of therapies and doctors appts because i was never sure if he would be coming in or not....so, needless to say, we were busy from that day ON! and then we were doing finally prep for the upcoming birthday bash for matthew! it was really crazy!! and then of course matthew was still SICK and on OXYGEN during this whole time....and then we got our VEHICLE...yes, we got a NEW CAR!! i am so happy for james...his truck was falling apart (almost 14 years old!) and he decided on a 2008 FORD EXPEDITION ( i know a gas guzzler) but we need a big vehicle because first, we have 3 CAR SEATS and one of them is a special needs one that is pretty wide, we also have the WHEELCHAIR STROLLER which JUST fits in the expedition, then we have to tow a 23 foot RV and our BOAT!! and this one is 4 wheel drive and has a TOWING PACKAGE included with is NICE!! and here is the picture of it with our 2004 expedition right next to it (a his and hers kinda thing!):




and then a quick picture of matthews birthday party...here is a picture of him munching on his BIRTHDAY CAKE..YUMMY!!:




so, james again left on the 5th back to el paso then onto LOUISIANA for BNCOC..he will be gone until AFTER the 19th...difference is that he is on US SOIL, and we get to talk all the time during his class!! poor guy is working his BUNS off! he says it is pretty tough..he is waking up at 4 am to do PT and then the have class until after 7pm and then they have all this HOMEWORK!!! he is pretty beat!!

anyway, we are REALLY EXCITED and PRAY that he gets his 30 days off so we can do some SERIOUS bonding and RVING!!! WWWOOOOOOHHHHOOOOO!!!

well, i must run..i will start to post normally now!! i actually have one more post right after this...pretty interesting stuff!

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS....

hola everyone....well, my prayers and all those that prayed for this are ANSWERED!!! THANK YOU GOD, james will be HOME ON MODNAY!!!!!! YYYIIIIPPPPEEEEE!!!! they granted him LEAVE for those days before his class!!! :) they were not at first but he was able to take leave and I AM SO THANKFUL!!!! he will not be coming home with the others at the airport (they are coming home on tuesday 3:30pm) but he will be driving down with some other soldiers that have to bring down some vans! i asked him if he wanted me to buy him a ticket to come home but he said that he would ride with them instead of shelling out some money.....whatever he wants! i am just so excited and happy and my boys are going CRAZY getting alll excited about him coming home and of course i am too!! i went to the store today and bought all his favorite stuff!!! so THANK YOU ALL for all your good thoughts, prayers for this!!

i just wish joshua and matthew were feeling better.....matthew is currently sick enough to need oxygen during sleep!! :( noooot happy...

well, take care everyone! i will share some pictures of the homecoming with ya'll....unfortunatly, he will not get to be at the homecoming at the airport but we will be there in spirit and we MIGHT get to be there to welcome the other wonderful heroes home too....and if anyone wanted to be there to welcome them i am sure they would appreciate it!!!


GOD BLESS!!!

GUESS WHO IS CRAWLING?!

yep, THURSDAY while i was upstairs, my little guy started to CRAWL!!!! awwwwww....i am so happy?!?!? i am not sure on that but right now i am!! it is sooo cute to see his little tush in the air as he crawls about...he is LOVING IT and loves to go everywhere now...he is off and running!!! toooo cute!! unforutnatly, he has been sick exactly a week today...we went yesterday to his well baby (15 lbs 4 oz) and all check out well but he is WHEEZING!! we took him to the dr on MONDAY and he was just junky so they called it a COLD...well, yesterday, he was STILL wheezing and junky so they gave him an antibiotic and on neb treatments for a week!!! i wonder if he will have respiratory issues now? he has had them at LEAST 4 times since he was born..hmmmmm...

no news yet on james...GOD WILLING he will call with news that he can come home EVEN for a couple of days!! we shall see...still praying!!! but i love being able to call him...i think that is the HIGHTLIGHT of the days...you can NEVER understand how much calling someone feels like until you can't! when he called me the first day that he was in the u.s. i IMMEDIATELY called him back BECAUSE I COULD!! for a whole year now, i have had to WAIT for a phone call from him and not have that CONTROL to be able to call him when i needed to or wanted...what a BLESSING!! i love just being able to pick up the phone and CALL HIM....THANK YOU GOD!! :)

well, MATTHEW is SICK RIGHT NOW.,....we had a ROUGH day last night....he got junky 2 weeks ago yesterday and on tuesday night, he spiked a fever!!! GRRRRRR....then after that he just had a low grade temp and then on thursday, he started to reflux after his food and then he desated and then he spiked a TEMP!!! SAME for friday we took him to the dr and he sent us over to get an XRAY at the hospital... and last night, it was AWEFUL! he was up all night coughing and choking..i had to do some treatments and suctioning and then i had to give him motrin cause he spiked another temp at 4am!!! GOD WILLING this will all clear up...did i forget to say he is STILL on antibiotics>! where is this coming from?!

ANYWAY, it will be a quiet weekend...i don't have any nurses this weekend until tuesday and that is OK with me!! i sometimes enjoy just our family time togehter...the nurses have been WONDERFUL but sometimes just being a family is PERFECT!!!

ok, feeling better...

i think that it was just a bunch of SHOCK on my part why i let it get me so down yesterday when i got the news that he was being held on ADMIN HOLD....after a year away, to THINK that you would be able to see him before his school and then let it be taken away was just too much for me FOR THE MOMENT!! i am just blessed he is HOME in the UNITED STATES...that is the most important thing....so, we will wait and see if MAYBE he can get a 4 day pass or something so that he can come home before he goes to school....i am praying so hard!! the boys miss him soooo much!! :)

soo, we pray and we WAIT!!!

i have no words right now....

or at least no good words....i just found some very sad news...well, it is mixed because i am happy he is IN THE UNITED STATES but.......instead of james coming home TUESDAY....HE WILL NOT BE HOME FOR A MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! can you say just HEARTBROKEN?!?!?! i am really upset and mad because they are keeping him because he has class...ok, his class doesn't start until JUNE 7TH....he will just be WAITING OVER THERE UNTIL IT IS TIME TO GO TO CLASS!!!! i am just so MAD right now!! why can't they just let those guys come HOME for the 2 weeks before they have to be in class?!? WHY WHY WHY?!?!?!? it makes no sense to leave them up there JUST because they have class june 7th!!!! soooo, now, we don't have the time before he goes to class to be with him, instead he will be THERE and we will be HERE!! i had already told the boys that he would be home TUESDAY and now i have to let them know that NOPE, NOT FOR A WHOLE MONTH WILL YOU GET TO SEE YOUR DADDY.....man, i am just a MESS RIGHT NOW!! unbelievable...i can't even believe it...that is all i have been thinking about since i talk to him this morning!! now i could go over there BUT, it is so hard to travel 9 HOURS over there with my 3 boys and matthew is sick right now, so i would have to take ALL HIS EQUIPMENT with us...and if i go by myself, well, if i had to stop to take a bathroom brake, i have to take ALL THE KIDS out, take matthew stroller out too cause he can't walk, and then go to the potty....it is a LOT of work....and then the party is next weekend, and then the following week (first week of june) he has doctor appts, not to mention all the therapy sessions he has etc....OMG....

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PRAY THAT THEY CHANGE THEIR MIND AND LET HIM COME HOME TO HIS FAMILY BEFORE HE HAS TO GO TO CLASS....I just can't believe it....