I really need to update this blog more often

WOW!! How long has it been since I updated this blog? OK, that is a rhetorical question, no need to answer that. As usual I have let this go on too long. I will try to do better. I won't post all that has been going on, that is crazy, I will just try to hit on some of the highlights.


In January I left my job at Taylor Road Mother's Day Out. After being there almost 5 years I decided that it was time to leave. I had interviewed for a position at a preschool here in town back in December. I felt good about the interview, but due to things out of my control I did not get the job. I was pretty upset about it, but decided that the time was not right to leave T.R. A couple of weeks later I got a call from the preschool and another position had become available & I was offered it over the phone. Of course I said yes & started mid-January. It's a lot different than Taylor Road, but I LOVE it!! While I miss my friends at my old job I know I made the right decision.


In February Todd, Laney & I started taking classes at the church we had been visiting on & off since August. After the first of the year we decided that we needed to go back to church & had been attending regularly from the second Sunday in January. We really liked it & on February 6th we made the decision to join. Three weeks later Laney & I made the decision that we wanted to help serve in some way. Todd was already helping with the audio/visual group. Laney & I decided to become greeters. While I am still on the greeter team Laney found that it wasn't really for her & is not serving in the kids area. She loves it & has made some new friends as well as reconnected with some old friends. On the 8th Todd & I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary! It doesn't seem like we have been married for 14 years & together for 16. While it hasn't been all fabulous, it has been worth it. I can't wait to see what the next 14 years bring. I wonder if they will be as interesting. :) February also brought Lexi's birthday. My sweet baby girl is now 8 years old!!! I can't believe how fast she is growing. I wish I could slow things down, but I also can't wait to see what her future will bring. We have been having a lot of "issues" with Lexi lately, but it's nothing that we can't get through. I need to not only help her in the way that she handles some things, but I need to help me in the way that I deal with them. I know that this is just a rough time & nothing that will be forever. I just can't wait for it to pass so we can go back to a somewhat normal schedule again, at least for a while.


March brought a big change for me, one that I wasn't looking forward to, my 40th birthday! I was dreading turning 40. I refused to accept that 40 was right around the corner. I really enjoyed being 39 & didn't want to turn the big 4-OH. Well, the big day has come & gone & I have survived it. Not only that, I finally admitted my real age. For those that really know me, you will know that I had been 29 for a long time. I finally admitted to being 39 after a fun filled & interesting first month of being 39. I am now proud to say that I am 40! I have heard that your 40's are fabulous, I can't wait to find out. March hasn't been all celebrating. On March 19th Lexi was running in the backyard & stepped down on some uneven ground or in a small hole. When she did this Todd, who was outside with her, heard a loud pop. We went to the ER and were told that her ankle was badly sprained but we should follow up with an orthopaedic specialist. So, on the 22nd we went to the specialist to find out that her ankle was actually broken. She broke it at the growth plate so it wasn't obvious on an X-ray. She was sporting an awesome pink cast for the first 2 weeks. Now she is sporting an even cooler orange cast. She wanted orange & blue, but the guy wouldn't do it (he is an Alabama fan). So, we have painted her toenails a dark blue. WAR EAGLE!!! We will be going back to the doctor on Tuesday to have this cast removed & hopefully not have another one put on.


The beginning of April was a very happy time for our family. After 3 months in the hospital from November-January, a few surgeries & a lot of rehab for my mom, my parents were able to come down to visit. They made the trip down so they could be here for Lexi's baptism. She made the decision in March to be baptized. I was so proud of her!!! Since our church only does baptisms on the first Sunday of the month we had to wait. It was OK though because it allowed my parents to be here. So, on April 3rd, my baby girl was baptized. I know you are wondering about her being baptized with her cast on. Let me say this, yes, she was able to be baptized with her cast. It took some manuvering, but it was done. We were not able to submerge her leg, so while the campus pastor help her up & immersed her, Todd stood next to the baptismal and held her left leg up so it wouldn't get wet. It was wrapped in a garbage bag & sealed with duct tape. I was so, so proud of my baby girl. Not only did she have us & her sister there, she had all 4 of her grandparents, her great aunt, her great uncle & his son there. it was a WONDERFUL day!!!


I guess that's about all for now. May is going to be busy. We have Mother's Day, Todd & Laney's birthdays, my parents anniversary, a wedding & a graduation. Not only that, Todd & I are taking the girls to see Bon Jovi! I can't wait. It will be Laney's second concert (her first was Bon Jovi) and Lexi's first concert. I am really looking forward to it. Todd, well, not so much.

What a long, strange trip it's been (and it's not over)

The title of this post says it all. I don't know where to start, so I will just start at the beginning so you have some background. In September, 2008 I started noticing some changes in Lexi. It wasn't anything huge, just enough to set off my mommy radar. I kept an eye on things & kept in close contact with our wonderful pediatrician. This woman is fabulous & we are so blessed to have her as our doctor. Fast forward to January, 2009. I was concerned about some things with Lexi so I called her pediatrician on a Friday. She was out & was to call me when she returned after the weekend. Before she could call I got a call from the school that Lexi had hauled off & hit someone. Needless to say, I was a wreck. My baby girl doesn't do that. I called the pediatrician & she told me to calm down & stay by the phone, they were getting us in with a neuropsychologist in Birmingham! A nueropsychologist? That was scary to hear. But, one week later we were in Birmingham & Lexi was going through 3 hours of testing while Todd & I went through some testing of our own. That was February 3, 2009. On February 6, 2 weeks before Lexi's 6th birthday, I went back up with a friend to get her diagnosis. I had a strange calm about me as I drove up there. I had the feeling that I already knew her diagnosis. I had decided that no matter what, I was going to be OK, and so was she.

I went into the office & sat with the doctor for a long time. He talked to me about his family & how, even though he had 3 children & we have 2, they were a lot alike. At one point he teared up while talking to me. He informed me that Lexi has ADHD. Since this was one of the diagnosis that I was expecting, I was freakishly fine with it. After our meeting the doctor told me that his work was done, but we should never hesitate to call him if we felt like we needed him. He also gave me the name of a child psychologist here in town to call & make an appointment with. I got in the car & my friend ask me if I was OK. I told her I was & what I had been told. My thought was 'we now have an answer, now we move forward'.

The last 19 months have not been easy. At first we encountered a teacher who did not want to work with Lexi. She was told her work was garbage, that she was a hateful child & she was forced to sit alone at the 'baby desk' for most of the year. I was told she would never be more than a 'C' student. I couldn't wait for that year to be over! Last year we were blessed with an AMAZING teacher. I could not have asked for better. We talked before school started so we were on the same page from day 1. We have known each other for years since she was Laney's teacher. She knows what I expect from my girls, so that was great. Lexi made great progress last year. Between the work we did at home, the wonderful teacher she had & her psychologist, we made it through. Not only that, she made A/B honor roll for 3 of the 4 marking periods!!! It wasn't easy, but it was worth it.

This year has been more difficult. Due to some things in her class that were addressed at Open House, and after talking to her pediatrician and psychologist we decided it was in Lexi's best interest to get a 504 plan in place for her. I requested it on August 7th, 2 days before school started. Yes, on a Saturday while I was up at the school for a PTA/Open House thing. As of today I am in the same position I was on 8/7! Nothing has been done & I am hitting road block after road block. I have been lied to, put off, pushed from person to person. I have had it!! I have been put off one too many times! My child not only needs this help, but she deserves it! She has worked too hard to get to where she is. I am not asking for anything out of the ordinary, I am asking for the help she is entitled to. I REFUSE to stop until I get my baby girl the help she needs. I may soon be the most hated person with the board of education, but my daughter will NOT be dismissed and shoved aside.

I am not writing this for people to feel sorry for us. If that is how you feel, please don't! My daughter has a learning disability that millions of others have. She is very smart, she just learns different than others. It may take her longer to learn, but she gets there. I am writing this because for so long I felt alone. Maybe someone will read this that is going through the same thing. Maybe someone is trying to get help for their child also. All I can say is DON'T STOP!! I am the voice of my child! I am the one standing up for her & for what is right! I will not back down! Everything I do, I do to improve things for my family, this included!

Now, to answer a question that I know people are asking. No, Lexi does NOT know about her diagnosis! Todd & I feel that there is no need for her to know. When she is older and the time is right we will tell her. Before you judge us, know that we did not want to medicate. We tried other things, but in the end things got to the point that we didn't have a choice. She is on medication, but she thinks that it's an extra vitamin that the doctor wants her to take.

This path has made me stop & ask ONE TIME "Why us?" About 30 seconds later I stopped & asked "Why not us?" We are no better than anyone else. This is the hand that we have been dealt & we are dealing with it, day by day. Some days are harder than others. Laney has had a hard time with this. She is still an amazing student & she is a wonderful big sister & daughter. But, at times she resents Lexi because she needs so much more help. Those times are getting further & further apart & now she is starting to help too. Not because we ask her to, but because she loves her little sister. I will continue to fight to get Lexi the help she needs, just as I have fought for Laney in the past and will again in the future if/when the need arises. There is a reason that we are on this path. We may never know why, but I truly believe that great things are going to come out of the struggles that we have endured & we will endure in the future. I can't wait to see what they are!

WOW!!! Long time, no blog!!

WOW! I have not blogged in over a year because I could not remember my password. How sad is that? Well, as I was trying to join to follow our cousins blog it came back to me. It's insane I tell ya. So much has happened over the last 13 months. I can't even begin to get into all of it. It has been a year of ups & downs, just like it has for everyone else. Laney started 6th grade last month & Lexi is now in 2nd grade. It's hard to believe that my babies are growing up so fast. Todd is still at his job & loves it. I am still at my job. I have also started selling Premier Designs jewelry. It was something that was presented to last year, but I didn't consider it. This year the opportunity presented itself again & I decided to think about it. I prayed about it & prayed about it. I had a feeling that I shouldn't do it, but I pushed it aside. I knew that it was my own insecurities that was telling me not to do it. Instead I waited until I got an answer to my prayers. I finally got the answer and I have never looked back. No, I did not pray for God to tell me that it was the thing to do & then I closed up until I heard that. I prayed for him to show me if it was the right thing, and if not to show me that too. He did show me that it was the right thing. Then a little later I started seeing more of why it was the right thing. Not just from a business perspective, but also from a personal one. I have met so many wonderful women & I LOVE giving away free jewelry to my hostesses. Well, I am going to get off of here now. Please check back as I will be updating more often now that I have remembered my password. :)

First Day of School, 2009

Last week (August 10, 2009) the girls started back to school. Laney is now in the 5th grade & Lexi is now in the 1st grade! I don't know where the time has gone. It doesn't seem like my 'babies' should be this old already. The girls are not at the same school that they were at last year and at first I was very upset about it. But, after going to Open House & talking to Lexi's teacher I feel much, much better about this year. I can't wait to see what this year is going to bring. Here are some pictures of my girls from the first day.

Laney & Lexi getting ready to go in. This is the only picture of Laney smiling.

Laney, Mommy & Lexi. Yes, Mommy is more excited than the girls.

Laney, Daddy & Lexi. Notice Laney is looking less & less happy with each picture.

Laney before going into her classroom. Don't let the face fool you, she was really this upset. I am not sure if it was because she was starting school or because Mommy wouldn't stop taking pictures. I am going with the first one, although it was probably more about the pictures.

Lexi at her desk. She was so excited about starting school.

Fishing Village in Gulf Shores

The first weekend in January the girls and I joined my parents in Gulf Shores for the weekend. They go down & spend 2 months there every year, so we try to go down whenever possible. Last year while mom & daddy were there they found a fishing village so we went to check it out. Since it was a weekend nobody was working, but it was still a really neat place. There is a boat that was displaced during Hurricane Ivan and is still on the land. There is another that sank and is still there. The village was just an interesting place and the girls & I loved it.
The girls posing with tons of oyster shells in the village

This is just one pile of shells, there are lots more.

Boat that was displaced during Hurricane Ivan. If you look closely it looks like the only thing that stopped this boat is the ladder it's leaning against.

Fishing boat.

Christmas 2008

This past Christmas was our year to be in Indiana for the holiday. We left at 4:30 in the morning to get up there on December 23rd. All was great until we were about an hour from my parents house and got into an ice storm. What should have taken us 40 minutes took over 3 hours to drive. I was so happy to see my parents house when we finally arrived, safely! Christmas was a blast! Everyone had a great day. The highlight of my day was watching the girls open thier gifts. I love to see the excitement on their faces when they open things. Lexi was so funny. She got so excited about everything before she even opened the box. At one point I asked what it was and she said "A box!" I asked what was in it and her response was "I don't know and I don't care, I got a box!" It was great because both girls were so appreciative of everything that they received.

Daddy's princess

Daddy's other princess

Holders for the girls TKD belts

Laney & Lexi before the festivities began

Lexi, giving Jack his toy from Santa Claus. Yes, it is an Auburn toy!

Family & Christmas Pictures

WOW! I am a little behind on posting. So sorry about that. I have been working my regular job as well as my holiday job and time has really gotten away from me. I know you are thinking, "Well, you got pictures done." Wrong! We had these taken on Veteran's Day (11/11). I realized that day what my schedule was looking like and I was afraid that we wouldn't get a chance to get them done if I didn't do them that day. So, after a whirlwind trip to find the right top for a certain blonde, and some pantyhose for me (which I proceded to ruin before pictures, hence the grey pants instead of black), we got our pictures done. I was pretty please with how they turned out. Now remember, they say that the camera adds 10 pounds, so please realize that there are about 8 cameras on me. :o) In all seriousness, I hope that everyone has a very happy and healthy holiday season, not matter what you celebrate. My love to everyone!


Laney & Lexi

Family picture. Don't ask why Lexi is sitting the way she is. We told her to sit up like in her Lil Dragon class and this is what we got. She wouldn't relax at all, even with us begging!

The girls and their daddy. They did a similar pose last year. The main difference is that Lexi has a finger in daddy's ear this year.

Todd & I

The girls looking at Polar Express