Thursday, May 29, 2008

Somebody call ESPN and SPORTSCENTER............

Tonight was truly unbelievable!! Trent's first swing at bat in the 1st Inning...... Wham! Over the fence for a 3 run homer!!!! I couldn't believe it............ Then when things couldn't have gotten any better..........
Top of the 4th inning. Bases are loaded......2 outs...... Trent has 2 strikes against him and WHAM.... He knocks ANOTHER ONE out of the park for a GRANDSLAM. Can you believe this???? Luckily, Brett caught that one on film. I think that I am still in shock...... The entire team came off the bench and lined the 3rd base line. Trent was carried into the dug out by a team mate.

Recruiters.... I'm taking numbers.....

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Finally!

Finally, the day that Brett and I have been waiting for for nearly 8 years!
Last night Trent hit his first over the fence homerun.
It was the top of the fourth inning. 2 outs. 1 man on!
He watched the first pitch. It was low. Then on the second pitch...... WHAM.
The entire parent section stood up. From where I was sitting I couldn't tell if it was gone or not. That was until I saw my dad spring up and start jumping up and down with tears in his eyes. I have been "under the weather" but I manage to jump up too. The entire team cleared the bench. Trent's face would bring any mother to tears. He ran to first watching the ball, then when he knew it was over he began to trot. The ball soared over Brett's head onto the pavement where it bounced over the other fence into the 11/12 field. He nailed that ball. The rest of the game he was grinning from ear to ear. Brett quickly grabbed the ball for safe keeping. It was awesome.
Of course it was the only game that we didn't bring our cameras. But that is ok. I will remember that forever.

Friday, May 23, 2008

Braves Game



The Mudcats were invited to walk Turner Field before last Sunday's Braves game. The boys had a great time. Coach Chris and Fonda rented a limo. It was such an awesome surprise! Most of them had never ridden in a limo before, they all were so excited.
I love this picture of "Mr. Cool" getting out of the limo. He is thinking, "Yeah, that's right it's me. I have arrived."



Here we are walking in the outfield. Trent's leading.





After the game the kids got to run around the bases.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Catheter Ablation

After speaking with the specialist yesterday Brett and I feel much better. The appointment was a long one but the doctor spent over and hour with us directly explaining everything and answering all the questions that we had.
Bottom line Trent will have surgery at the end of June or 1st of July. We are currently scheduling that. Because of his asthma it is necessary to complete the procedure this summer. He is not allowed to take any of his asthma medicines until after the surgery.
Catheter ablation is based on the idea that by ablating, or destroying, abnormal tissue areas in the heart, its electrical system can be repaired and the heart will return to a normal rhythm. During catheter ablation, your physician will insert several special long, flexible tubes with wires—called electrode catheters—into your heart. Some of these, called diagnostic catheters, are used to study your abnormal rhythm, or arrhythmia. However, one of these catheters will be used for the actual ablation. Once the doctor determines exactly where abnormal tissue in the heart is located, it can be ablated. Your physician will position the ablation catheter so that it lies on or very close to the abnormal tissue. High-frequency electrical energy is then sent through the ablation catheter into this abnormal tissue. The small area of heart tissue under the tip of the ablation catheter is heated by this high-frequency energy, creating a lesion or tiny scar. As a result, this tissue is no longer capable of conducting or sustaining the arrhythmia.
The procedure will take anywhere from 4-5 hours and after a great recovery he should be released that night. No longer than 1 week downtime, which is great.
I will keep everyone posted.

Friday, May 16, 2008

When we face the inevitable dark days of life, we must choose how we will respond. Will we allow ourselves to sink even more deeply into our own sadness or will we do that difficult work of pulling ourselves out? We bring light to the dark days of life by turning first to God, and then to trusted family members and friends. Then, we must go to work solving the problems that confront us. When we do, the clouds will eventually part, and the sun will shine once more within us.

Last summer I decided to have Trent's speech evaluated. Dr. Ahn and I talked to great lengths then she gave me the ok to have it done at Children's Healthcare. He went and it was noted that he needed to work on certain sounds but nothing that a few speech exercise couldn't help. On his evaluation sheet it was noted that he had a slight delay in comprehension and a slight articulation delay. Nothing serious but noteworthy nonetheless.



At the beginning of the school year as I met Trent's teacher, Ms. Carrie-Ann Lyons, I felt a sense of calm. There was something about her. I felt that she was going to be exactly what Trent needed in a teacher. Over the course of the year we talked about what we could both do to help Trent succeed at school. He was having difficulties with his work but it wasn't for the lack of trying. That was one thing that we both agreed on. He always gave 100%. I had several meetings with the Student Support Team. They were amazed that I had taken the time to get the evaluation done at Scottish Rite because not many parents take the time to do so. It was decided that Ms. Lyons needed to apprehend several different teaching methods into her daily routine to help Trent. He was having a trouble remembering simple instructions. He is a visual learner. He has to see and do things to understand not just hear it.



Still something inside me kept at me to go further. He needed something more. After several months of contemplating what I needed to do and Internet searching, in February I made an appointment with his pediatrician. During his evaluation she felt that the portion on his brain wasn’t producing enough dopamine, which helps functions with the “concentration” part of the brain. In other words he has Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD). Not to be confused with (ADHD) We elected to try Metadate CD to see if that would help him. And boy did it~~ Ms. Lyons, Brett and I couldn’t get over how much he had improved over days time. His tests scoring had gone up almost 20 points which is huge. And he was talkative, asked questions and his personality just started to shine. So he has been on this medication for almost 4 months.

On with my story…. Fast forward to last week.

Last Monday CNN released this article regarding children’s medication and of course Brett saw it.
www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/04/21/adhd.drugs.heart.ap/index.html

So at the arguing of my hypochondriac husband I called our pediatrician to ask about Trent getting an EKG. He felt that if that would make us feel better than let’s do it. So I had an appointment made for the EKG done through of my favorite place, Scottish Rite.



Tuesday I picked Trent up from school and took him. So far as a parent I have had a great sense of “feeling” that something isn’t quite right. For instance, with Alyssa. Her (OI) condition was diagnosed on hunches and “feelings”. I pressed on it because I knew that we hadn’t done anything wrong and at the urging of our lawyers we had to keep pressing on. If I had stopped at the first doctors diagnosis that nothing was wrong with Taz, our court appearance could have gotten ugly.




Anyway, Tuesday I was completely blind-sided. So get to the point…..



I hadn’t even gotten home yet when both the cardiologist and our pediatrician called the house.
His EKG showed that he has a heart condition known as Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome.





Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome is a heart rhythm problem (arrhythmia) caused by an extra abnormal electrical pathway in the heart. In a normal heart, electrical impulses travel from the upper chambers (atria) to the lower chambers (ventricles) in an organized, rhythmic pattern through the atrioventricular node — or AV node.

In people with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, there's an extra pathway between the upper and lower chambers of the heart, which allows the electrical signals to bypass the AV node. When electrical signals travel through this abnormal detour, the signals reach the ventricles too early — a condition called preexcitation. Electrical signals can also travel through the AV node and then go back up the extra pathway, which can create a short circuit and lead to fast heart rate (tachycardia).




So please pray for Trent and the treatment that he may have to endure. He is scheduled with a cardiologist from Scottish Rite this Monday @ 10:00 am. Brett and I are in the process of getting our selves, thoughts and questions together to ask him. Many people are questioning whether he can continue to play ball or not. I asked the cardiologist on Tuesday that question. He said we need not to worry about 8 year old baseball. Not a lot of running or activity that we should be concerned about. He can’t be an Olympic Runner or anything of that nature, but baseball should be fine. Of course we will get more information on Monday.

Also, please pray for Trent (and Brett and I) as he comes off the medicine. It is so hard to watch your child regress.

I haven’t been known to preach my thoughts or beliefs on anyone but I must tell you that God does work in mysterious ways. I do feel that God placed Trent in Ms. Lyons class for a purpose. I feel that any other teacher would have brushed Trent aside or overlooked what she saw. She knew that something wasn't right and she pressed the school administrators to help us. I also think that it was no coincidence that I thought he had ADD and was at peace with it. Many parents aren't and ignore the issue. It was no coincidence that Trent was placed on that medicine and it defiantly wasn’t a coincidence that Brett just do happened to come across CNN when that article was on the front page.

For those of you who have children taking any ADD or ADHD medicines, it might just be worth it to have an EKG done. It probably just saved Trent's Life.


The journey through life leads us through many peaks and valleys. When we reach the mountaintops, we find it easy to praise God, to trust Him, to give thanks. But, when we go through the valleys of despair, trusting God is more difficult. The next time you find your courage tested to the limit, lean upon God's promises. When you are worried, anxious, or afraid, call upon Him. Remember that God rules both mountaintops and valleys~ with limitless wisdom and love~ now and forever.



The Lord says, I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” – Psalm 32:8






Sunday, May 11, 2008

A VERY SAD MOTHER'S DAY FOR SOME....



Coluber constrictor is a species of non-venomous, colubrid snakes commonly referred to as the eastern racers. They are primarily found throughout the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains, but they range north into Canada, and south into Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. There are currently 10 recognized subspecies.

Description
Racers typically grow to around 3½ feet (107 cm) long, but some subspecies are capable of attaining lengths of 6 feet (1.8 m). Their patterns vary widely between subspecies. Most are solid colored as their common names imply, black, brown, blue or green. All subspecies have a lighter colored underbelly: white, a light tan or yellow in color. Juveniles are often more strikingly patterned, with green skin, orange tail, a red stripe going around every 1.3 inches, and a yellow nose.

Behavior
Racers are fast moving, highly active, diurnal snakes. Their diet consists primarily of rodents, frogs, and lizards, and some subspecies are known to climb trees in order to eat eggs and young birds. Juveniles often consume soft-bodied insects, such as crickets and moths. Despite their scientific name of constrictor, they do not really employ constriction, instead simply subduing struggling prey by pinning it bodily, pressing one or two coils against it to hold it in place instead of actually suffocating it. Most smaller prey items are simply swallowed alive.
Racers typically prefer to make use of their speed to flee when confronted by a potential predator, and if handled they generally do not hesitate to bite, and sometimes release a foul smelling musk from their cloaca. They are curious snakes with excellent vision, and are sometimes seen raising their head above the height of the grass they are crawling in to view what is around them.

Habitat
Most racers prefer open, grassland type habitat where their keen eyesight and speed can be readily used, but they are also found in light forest and even semi-arid regions. They are usually not far from an area of cover to hide in.

Reproduction
Mating takes place in the spring, from April until early June. Around a month later the female will lay anywhere from 3 to 30 eggs in a hidden nest site such as a hollow log, an abandoned rodent burrow, or under a rock. The 8-10" long juvenile racers hatch in the early fall. Maturity is reached in approximately 2 years. Racers have been known to lay their eggs in communal sites, where a number of snakes, even those from other species, all lay their eggs together.



Why the lesson? Here is why....


Every year our front porch is a central location for a family of birds to make nest in the light fixture. I mind that but never seem to do anything about it. It has been happening for years. Last week I noticed again the mommy bird busy making a nest for her babies.


Today I was enjoying my mother's day on the couch catching up on a week's worth of Days of Our Lives. Through out the day I could here what I thought were the baby birds chirping. And I thought to myself, "Sounds like the eggs have hatched, I can't wait to show the kids." When Brett got home from the store we sat down to eat and I told him that I had heard the baby birds. I pulled the blinds back and said come look Alyssa at the babies. As my eyes caught the nest, I screamed. "Oh my God, there is a snake in the nest!" Brett really didn't believe me but as my scream got a little out of control he got up from his seat. He actually thought that it was a baby snake that the momma had gotten for the babies to eat so he was alittle slow moving.


Dear GOD!!!! I realized that the snake was eating the babies. What I had been hearing all afternoon was the momma bird trying to get to her babies. She kept flying up trying to peck the *&^*&^ out of that devil. Here it is......





Can you see it?? It wasn't a baby snake. Brett quickly turned into the "Snake Hunter" and ran outside with ....A Broom. What the heck is he going to do with a broom? Of course I'm yelling, "Don't go Outside! We need to call someone." He goes anyway with the kids and I standing at the door looking through the glass. Brett comes back in talking about needing to get something to spray him with. I thought he had lost his mind.



Times like this I have never been so thankful that every neighbor within 2 miles is related to us somehow. First I call Ealy, Brett's dad, no answer probably golfing. I know..... Uncle Stan. He probably eat these things. I made the call even though Brett said that he wanted to take care of this himself. "Yeah right!!! Uncle Stan to the rescue...........



First he pokes at him to see just how aggressive he really is







Then all of a sudden WHAM!!!!

The to protect the innocent the rest of the blog has been removed.










y Mother's Day Gifts-Alyssa

Alyssa was so excited to bring home her gifts that she made at school. She hid them so I couldn't see them until she wanted me too.

Isn't it a great picture? Just her and a pretty smile. No funny face with her tongue sticking out, just a wonderful picture. She also made me a coupon book with a Free Hug, Clean her Room pass and a free foot rub. She was so funny with the foot rub, which I have used 3 times already. She went and got lotion to rub in and everything. About 30 minutes after she was finished she sat on the couch and propped her feet on the table and said, Momma, guess who else likes foot rubs......" It was so funny. So I gave her a rub too.

Friday, May 09, 2008

My Mother's Day Gifts-Trent











Trent really couldn't have asked for a better teacher this year. I am really going to miss her alot. Last week Trent brought home an invitation to a Mother's Tea. I was so excited. I just love stuff like that. I went this morning not really knowing what to expect. Trent was really excited about it so I knew it was going to be something. And it was. As we arrived each child escorted their mother in the room and sat them down. As I was lead into my seat of course I started to tear up. The setting was beautiful. There were 3 tables of 6. Each table had a china place setting with tea, strawberries and pound cake. There was a candle on each table. It was just breath taking that a teacher would go out of her way to do this for the mothers of her class. After each mother was seated one by one Ms. Lyons would formally announce the child then they would come into the room and read a poem about their mother.


This was my place mat.









This is my poem.








I just love my "Tech" colored mother's day card. He did a nice job on our family portrait.

Each child also made a book about their mother. I didn't scan the entire book, but here are some pages from it. (Again notice the GT theme) I didn't realize I was such a big fan.



Can you see me up top watching the tech game? "I'm the 7th from the right!







I just love the picture of me.





The mother's day tea really has made my week. He was so sweet this morning. he has a really gentle soul. Happy Mother's Day to Me!!!




IN Honor of Mother's Day

Things my mother taught me.

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE- “If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside……I just finished cleaning!”

My mother taught me RELIGION- “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”

My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL- “ If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!”

My mother taught me LOGIC- “Because I said so, that’s why.”

My mother taught me LOGIC #2- “If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.”

My mother taught me FORESIGHT- “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”

My mother taught me IRONY- “Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about.”

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS- “Shut your mouth and eat your supper!”

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISTS- “Will you “look” at the dirt on the back of your neck!”

My mother taught me about STAMINA- “You’ll sit there till all that spinach is finished.”

My mother taught me about WEATHER- “It look as if a tornado swept through your room.”

My mother taught me how to solve PHYSICS PROBLEMS- “If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you, would you listen THEN?

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY- “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times- Don’t Exaggerate!!!!”

My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE- “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION- “Stop acting like your father!”

My mother taught me ENVY- “There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do!”

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION…. “Just wait until we get home!”

My mother taught me about RECEIVING….”You are going to get it when we get home!”

My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE…. “If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to stay that way.”

My mother taught me to THINK AHEAD…”If you don’t pass your spelling test, you’ll never get a good job.”

My mother taught me ESP…”Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you’re cold?”

My mother taught me HUMOR- “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”

My mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT- “If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”

My mother taught me about GENETICS… “You’re just like your father.”

My mother taught me about my ROOTS…. “Do you think you were born in a barn?”

My mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE…”When you get to me my age, you will understand.”
And my all time favorite- JUSTICE- “One day you’ll have kids…..and I hope they turn out just like you!”

Thursday, May 08, 2008

I Just Received This.....

I can't believed that he remembered! Ha.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008


See my post from 4/24/08----


Is this just a coincidence???




Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Ola Academy Ms. Julie's K-3 Class

Here is Alyssa's Class picture. (She's in the back on the end) I just love class pictures. She has gotten so mature these last couple of months. I can not believe that she will be 5 in November. I am probably jinxing myself, but she has been on green for nearly 3 weeks. Way to go Taz!!
This is her spring picture. It's not my favorite but not all of them can be.


Thursday, May 01, 2008

All in A Days Work