Happy Heavenly Birthday, Pick!

Happy Heavenly Birthday
Pick!!!

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.
Some people move our hearts to dance.
They awaken us to a new understanding with
the passing of a whisper of their wisdom.
They make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon,
They stay in our lives for awhile, leave footprints on our hearts,
and we are NEVER the same.

Love and miss you Pick! Not a day the past 14 years have gone by, that I didn't think of you! I know your up there somewhere riding four wheelers with Whiskers jumping over the clouds! I will see you again someday, when its my time...and go jump over fun noodles again!!!

Playing and keeping crab legs

I had been wanting crab legs the past few weeks. So, I got a box of them when we went shopping. Not as good as going out to eat crab legs...but it worked on the craving! lol. Dennis and I were the only ones here when I made them. He has had crab meat, but this was his first time eating them still in the leg, shell??? Anywho, before they are cracked open. Of course, the first thing he did was take one set of legs off the plate and start making the claw pinch. It was so funny, and mostly because I can remember doing the exact same thing when I was little...even though it wasn't my plate of crab legs...I didn't get to eat those until I was way older! haha! He also asked if we could keep a claw...something else I also asked when I was little. Eating them, well that was a different story. He tried very hard to get the meat out without my help. I think he was able to get a few of them...but I think he ate more of my crab legs than I did...by the time I'd get him some meat out, and then start working on mine...he was ready for more.






Finally it has cooled off enough outside for Isaac to play. Now if the mosquitoes would just go away! They eat me up, I have never figured out how the kids want to stay out and are not bothered by them!










I re did my hair the other day, I colored the blonde, brown...I like it...and love my pink! haha!


Dennis has still been doing pretty good in school. He isn't as happy about getting up in the mornings and going, but I knew the nice mornings wouldn't last long. I'm just happy he is happy about going once he has woke up good. Not much else going on, we are also waiting for basketball to start up. Then give D something to do...and me running to drop him off, pick him up...practices and games. Fun Fun!

Kitty Poop Project

When I uploaded my pictures from my cameras onto the computer the other day, I got a big surprise. I laughed, it made my day! So I want to share it. You will have to excuse the tornado that came through my dinning room, and the jumpy quality of the video. Its like a Blair witch production. By the one and only, Mr. Slayton Isaac Duncan. I give Isaac my old camera to just let him walk around with it. Once in awhile he snaps a picture of the ceiling, the floor, or the pic is just black. But he finally decided to make us a movie!!! Like I said, it will probably make you car sick feeling watching it at first. You could just skip to about 1:13 into it (I believe, around the 1 min. mark anyway) And if you make it to the end, he tells you he's done its over and to turn the camera off. =)

Enjoy.....Kitty Poop Project

My big 2nd grader

Dennis started 2nd grade last week. Wow, 2nd grade! I was so worried as the summer came to an end. Worried that he would hate school again this year. Worried that other kids would make fun of him, and upset him. Worried we would have the same old bad grades when we were struggling at home doing all the home work.

I went to pick his folder up, and see who his teacher was, I had been hoping and hoping he got one teacher, as the other teacher was the mother of one of the kids he had problems with last year. I was thinking maybe her kid and her friends would be in the moms class room. When I got to the school, they had the elementary teachers names and class list on the door. I found Dennis was in the class I wanted him to get, but so were the kids he had such problems with.

Well, the first morning of school, he got up an hour before he needed to be awake. He got dressed, and ready for school with no problems. I took him to school the first day, because its something I have done since he started school here in town. I guess I will probably take him the first day, until he is in 12th grade or tells me he doesn't want me to take him. lol

He came home from school, I was ready to hear how awful it was. But he said his day was good. The next day, he came home and I was looking through his work and on his math...he got every problem correct! EVERY MATH PROBLEM WAS ANSWERED CORRECT!!!!!! I told him how happy and proud I was, then asked if he went to Ms. Glenda's (the special ed teacher) He told me No, I haven't went to her class yet!!! I was more proud!!! The third day, he came home and only missed one math problem.

I asked him how his teacher was, and he said she was mean. I asked why she was mean, and he said because she yells. I told him, well she is older and has been teaching longer than your old teachers. I told him she probably teaches different than the other teachers. And that I think after he is in her class for awhile, he will like her. I can tell now, that half of his problem last year, was that he didn't care for the teacher or the class last year.

He has woke up every morning and got ready for school happy! That makes me real happy!







Isaac excited over the bus!

RIP Jaret

Jaret Wilburn
7/06/1980 - 6/17/2010

I will never forget the day Dennis walked over to Katies and told us the news. I was shocked. Such a beautiful person, took away from this lifetime too early. I guess God needed your laughs, smiles and jokes more in heaven. You will forever be missed here, by many people.

For those who didn't get the pleasure of knowing this wonderful soul, Jaret was always happy. He had a very loud voice! But he was always smiling, laughing and cutting up. He didn't just shake your hand when he met you, or even dropped by to visit...you got a big hug. If you needed anything, if he had it, he gave it to you. He was the definition of a great friend.

Rest in Peace, Jaret. I know you are up there somewhere, hugging everyone and making them laugh and smile! I know, you will be standing at heaven's gates waiting to give us all a big hug when our times come and we see you again!!!

Duckface

Don't ya just hate those pictures that everyone under the age of 16 take? I mean, the ones where E V E R Y SINGLE PICTURE they take looks the same. With their lips all poked out, nose scrunched up looking like someone smells just awful setting next to them? I have nothing big against them, if you take them, I will just not look at them. But...my sister Rachel and I started laughing, not to be mean, just out of boredom. A few months back I found a website for these pictures. www.antiduckface.com Some of the comments are rude...but soooo funny!

Duckface-(from urban dictionary)
A term used to descibe the face made if you push your lips together in a combination of a pout and a pucker, giving the impression you have larger cheekbones and bigger lips.

Rachel got Ella to take a duckface pic with her. She said Ella asked why they couldn't have smiled normal in the picture!




Of course I put all the colorful words and smilies on the picture, cause that is what everyone does.
Then, I found this little music video someone made, I won't post it on here...because it has bad words in it...lol, but you can go to youtube and look duckface song. Then, my sister...decided that she was going to get on paintbrush and draw a duckface picture. I had to draw one back to her...and well...here it is a few pictures later...












I also took a duckface picture. Then I showed Isaac the face to make, of course we couldn't do it right...Isaac just gave me the pouting cry baby face, but its so cute!







I so failed! LOL!!!

Our Summertime so far

I feel like I've neglected this new *old* blog again. I guess since little Dennis has grown up some, he's not as funny as he use to be. He is still a very funny child, just not as much as when he was constantly into things, couldn't talk right, and just very wild! Isaac doesn't give me half the laughs that Dennis did as a toddler. Isaac is my sweet, loving, hugging and cuddling baby. I have realized what a difference their personalities are. Total opposites!

Dennis has been out of school for over a month now. He is a 2nd grader now, of course his report card did not look that way. But, with everything we went through at the end of 1st grade, the special education teacher still recommended passing him. So, he is a 2nd grader! He was very happy for school to be out, Dennis is exactly like me on getting up early in the morning! We do not do mornings!!! Big Dennis bought a CDROM game, Spore, little Dennis really took to playing it. I was happy, even though it cut my internet time almost OUT! Its a neat game, where you make a species...play and evolve them...you have to hunt and gather food, build little huts for them to live in...ect...Much better than Dennis playing a shooting game on the XBOX!

2 weeks ago, my mom came and got him, so he could go spend some time with her. He loves going to her house. LuLu and Papa Doug live out to theirselves, on a little river, not really a river...kinda one! haha! Anyway, they fish and things like that...outdoors, that Dennis can't really do here at home. Mom told me a few days ago, they were out fishing, and caught a fish that was 40lbs. Papa Doug put it in the front of the boat, and Dennis freaked out and would not leave the back of the boat!
He got a little sick one day, and was wanting to come home, but I think most of that was probably because he didn't feel well. It has been so hot, they had been stuck inside the house. Yesterday, they went out and put the life jacket on Dennis and let him get in the water to swim! I just wanted to share a few pictures....











This is my niece Ella with Dennis behind her I think looking a crickets for fishing??? It looks like Ella isn't happy about something....
This last picture is one of Papa Doug and my nephew Charlie, Isn't he just the cuties little baby you've seen???

GhettoVille

I'm sure this will be a funny post!

Okay, I am addicted to farmville and several other app's on facebook. So, they come out with this puppy you can buy. Okay, this dog is 300,000 coins. I started not to buy the thing, but since all my "neighbors" were buying one, I did. You have to feed this puppy for 14 days, like every 24 hours or it will run away. If it runs away you have to pay 2 farmcash to get the thing back. Well a week after i bought this high priced puppy, they come out with a cheap 5,000 coin dog. I buy it too. Same thing, you have to feed it for 14 days.

So, a few days ago, I didn't feel well in the first place, my crops did waste...but I got on my facebook to just feed these darn dogs. And..guess what. The things ran away. So, I had 4 farmcash, it was just farm cash I got in a "special gift package" I paid it, I had a bag of dog food in my accepted gifts, I fed the million dollar dog and thankfully that was her 14th feeding. So she will not run off anymore. The other one, well I didn't have any more kibble in my accepted, but I did have a bag in the gifts I hadn't accepted yet. I went to accept it, and I got that nice little message, OOPS! WE LOST THIS GIFT!!! What?!!! So, I posted on my main page asking for dog kibble for a gift, so I could feed this thing before it ran off again and go to bed. Of course no one sent any. I had been trying to get on and feed them before they ran off all day, but stupid farmville wouldn't load. I really think they need to give my farm cash back to me. If the dog runs off again, I am really going to be mad..I don't have farmcash...and not enough real cash to buy farm cash.

So....I have come up with a new game I think I need to make. GhettoVille. We can grow cheap stuff...(I have crop ideas, but I will not list on here...use your imagination) And dogs on GhettoVille...they are free. Your GhettoVille neighbors instead of feeding your chickens will dump stray dogs on your Ville. Hey, it probably won't run off if you don't feed it...it will get into trash cans or eat your crops up...And here is where you spend your coins..picking up the trash and stuff the dog made when you didn't feed it. And the market will be different too. Of course it will have a regular market like any other "farm" game. But it will also have a Pawn shop. Where you can pawn things for yours for coins...or buy stuff real freaken' cheap. Yeah...cause I am cheap.

And let me tell you one thing...if my ghettoville has so many problems if half ass works...I'm just going to take the whole game off here. So everyone who wants to play it isn't setting there forever getting so mad because it will not load and take away folks gifts.

If that dang dog of mine runs off again...let it. It better not show back up weeks later on my farm thinking I will feed it.

Learning Disability-Finally some answers!!!

Finally, after 6 months, we have an answer to Dennis' difficulties in school. I want to start from the beginning so if anyone who doesn't know the problems we've went through will understand a bit more.

When Dennis was 3 years old, he was not talking any. Of course he babbled the babbling that only mama can understand. Since he was my only child at the time, I didn't think much of it. Not having another child to compair him too. At 3 years old, I was gave the name and number of a lady at a school not far from our house. They did an IEP on him, and he was developmentally delayed in almost all area's. (a doctor a few months earlier diagnosed him ADHD) He started to school, going half the day. It was a special Ed preK, very small class, 7 kids to 3 teachers. He did speech twice a week. He did great! Learned so quick, I was amazed! The next school year, he was moved across the hallway, going to school all day. By then the med's he was taking for ADHD, were not working...it would knock him out. We tried cutting the dose in half, then a fourth, finally he was took off the med. That teacher said she thought maybe he was mildly very mildy autistic. When it came time for kindergarten, the teachers that had been working with him, and myself felt he was ready to try regular kindergarten. He took the kindergarten entrance test and made a 95! You can't imagine from what all we went through, how happy I was!

Kindergarten went pretty good, it did take him awhile to adjust to the new school. The first month was spent with me having to pick him up early, or at least go up to the school to check on him. but he finally adjusted, and did great. Toward the end of the year, he started falling behind. I thought, well maybe if he does kindergarten over, he will get it. But the school felt fine with passing him to 1st grade, and of course my husband didn't want his first born son to fail kindergarten. (sometimes now I wonder if I should have gone with my own feelings)

First grade started, the lady who was his regular teacher was due any day with a baby, so her class was starting the year with a sub. This lady was a retired teacher, LOVED LOVED her to death!!! Dennis was failing from the first day of school, and this lady did everything she could to try and help us. The first parent/teacher meeting we had, she had recommend Dennis to go to a special reading program. She told me the testing takes weeks, but she was pushing the school to go ahead and get on the ball and get him in the class. That was around the same time, the regular teacher returned to school. I sent notes and notes, went to the school so many times to check on the "special reading" And nothing. I don't know if they actually took 6 months to test Dennis, or if they sat on there behinds for 5 months then at the last minutes decided to finally do something...BUT...to the point of this post.

The special ed. teacher has been in contact with me the last month, and last week we finally had a meeting. Of course, nothing ever is easy for me. The day of the meeting, a kind of emergency came up, and Big Dennis had to run to the next little town. He was not going to be home in time for me to make the meeting. So, I knew my good friend and neighbor would give me a ride. Of course, she didn't come to the door. (later that day, I found out she had ran out of town that day) I went ahead and got ready, thinking well Isaac and I will just walk. The school isn't that far. While getting dressed I remembered Isaac's stroller was in a friends truck from when we went to the carnival. And the school is too far to make Isaac walk. Then our home phone battery was dead..no way to call the school to let them know I couldn't make it. So, I did have texting on my phone, I txt a friend and got her to call the school.

I was so shocked, the special ed teacher showed up at my house!!! That means so much to me! It means she cares about Dennis' education so much to drive to my home to go over and sign papers.

OKAY...if you've read this far! lol (sorry, I never meant for this to be this long)

After doing the testing, Dennis' has a learning disability. Auditory Processing Disorder basically, he has problems with the letter sounds he hears. (this is something he was very delayed on back when we started special preK. APD is often misdiagnosed as ADHD, Aspergers, and autism. Guess that is why all those med's for ADHD never worked.

They suggest that he go on to 2nd grade, but he will go to the special ed classroom through the day to go back and learn letter sounds and work on reading. On other test, like English, math, ect...he will be read the questions. She said when she read math and English questions to him, he answered the correctly...he currently is failing those subjects, but only because he can not read the questions. And, if you can't read the question, you can't answer it correct. The teacher feels he will catch on and catch up to his grade level fairly quickly. And even if he is put into a regular class room, she will still check in with his teacher and if need be, he can be pulled back into her special ed. class room. No more testing and waiting and letting him fail. Hopefully next year will be much better...no more faking sickness in the mornings or crying when its time to get out of the car!

I can even tell the past week, he is a bit happier about going to school in the mornings!

Birthday Party

This is late, but I did post on Isaac's real birthday. So, I think its all good.

On his birthday, Dennis and a few of his friends had a concert and went to Nashville. So, I did just a small thing for Isaac. I made him a cake, and little Dennis made his brother (helped make) some cupcakes. My friend Wendy came over, and brought her kids, Katie and Ashton. And D's friend from down the street walked over, T.J.

Our town has a little festival, which all ways falls on Isaac's birthday, which is very nice! The kids had a blast, with the exception of Isaac, he was scared of all the rides. But he loved getting out and being able to walk around outside. We came back from the carnival, and ate the cake, the kids played for a bit...while Wendy and I played on facebook.

I still can't believe my baby is 3!!! I just wanted to post a few pics.

Happy 3rd Birthday! Isaac

Happy 3rd Birthday, to my sweet baby Isaac. I can't believe he is 3 years old!!! I have been so thankful for every year. Going through so much when he was first born, and thinking, how lucky both us are to be here!!!

On April 13, 2007 I went in for a regular ultrasound, to see how big Isaac was, and to see if he was head down. Everything check out good...they estimated he was 6lbs 13oz. And he was head down and ready to go. I talked to my midwife, and since I had went 10 days over due with Dennis, I asked her how long she would make me go over with Isaac. She said, if I haven't had him by his due date, if I wanted to check into the hospital the next day I could. Which I still had a month to go...but I told her I was so ready to have him. I went home and went about my normal day...then about 10:30 that night...I thought I was pee'ing all over myself, then realized maybe it was my water. We went in to L&D and sure enough it was. I wasn't in labor though, so they gave me all night to see if I would go on my own. I didn't, and the next morning, my Midwife came in. I told her I thought I was ready to have him, but really I wasn't ready this quick. Around 3 pm on the 14th...I really started having a "gut" feeling something wasn't right. Of course they couldn't get the ultrasound machine to work...and finally when they checked...they felt feet. So, she called everyone to get to the hospital for a c-section. But Isaac did not want to wait. He was born, at 4:13 pm on April 14, 2007 one foot at a time. They wheeled me to a recovery room, and when I woke up Dennis, my husband came and told me that they believed he had EB (my husband has DDEB) They also thought something was wrong with his stomach/intestines and they were flying him to Vanderbuilt Children's hospital. Later that night, I was able to hold my baby for 5 min. before he was loaded up and took to the little air strip to get on a plane. Once he was in Nashville, he had problems learning to suck a bottle, so he had to stay a bit longer than we first thought.

It sure doesn't seem like that all happened 3 years ago! My sweet baby is not really much of a baby anymore! He is a real "big" boy!!!

Sweet Isaac a few days old!

If Dennis told you to jump off a bridge, would you?

I want to start off by saying, this past week the weather was so nice! I think it spoiled me a bit. Now, I just have to get use to Isaac wanting to go outside to play 24/7. I remember D did this, and I love taking them out to play, but I also have things that need to be done inside the house.

Anyway, we woke up Saterday, and I had a few things to go do. I told the boys if they were good I would take them to the park. So, after I got home...I really felt like crap, but I took some med's and told D when they kicked in we would go. TJ, Dennis friend from down the street had walked down, so I asked his mom if he could go with us.

Dennis and TJ kept talking about wanting to go to the park with the old metal slide, I took them there...and after about 5 minutes they said it was boring. So, we went to our usual park, right around the corner from the house. There were several people there, as I figured, since it was so nice out. Most the kids there were around Isaac's age...some a bit older, one little girl looked younger. Now this playground is one of the newer ones...with the plastic slides and climbing walls. One side of it is around 10ft high...the other side is maybe 3-5 ft high...for the little kids. There is this bridge thing that connects both sides, at the end is a spiral slide...anyway, Dennis and TJ are climbing on the outside railing of this bridge. I told them to stop, 1. because it scared the crap out of me and made me a nervous wreck. 2. because the little kids were watching and I didn't want them to get any ideas. They all played pretty good..Isaac would climb up the steps, then say he was scared. Which I know how he felt, last year when we were at the park and no other people were people were there I climbed up with the kids...on those platforms you feel like your going to fall through, even though you know you won't...but if you did...it would really hurt! But he would climb those steps, and get to the top step and say "I'm scared" It was so cute, but kinda heart breaking!!!

Finally a few families left. It was just me and the kids...and one other lady and her 4 boys. One of her boys looked to be maybe 5 or so. I'm setting on the bench, kinda watching minding my own business....and all of a sudden her kid jumps off the climbing wall!!! 10ft in the air!!! Yes, he was okay. He wanted to know and show everyone his "buttmark" We ran over (me and his mother) to see if he is okay...she asked him what he was thinking, and he said. "Dennis told me to jump"

Now, I told my child to not climb over the rails and jump...so he tells another kid to jump??? Ah, boys! I thought it was kinda funny, and worth sharing. Sorry no pictures or video's...video of Isaac saying he was scared would be so cute. But....my camera and phone battery were dead when we decided to go! I'm sure there are more warm days in store (atleast I hope!) to get those pictures!

Testing for Speical ED

Okay, first...yeah I kinda forgot about my blog again. Until I was searching for something in my old myspace blog. So I figured I might as well come back over and update this one.

Dennis first report card this school year was pretty bad. Not all F's...but more than I wanted to see. The lady who was his teacher was out until October, since she'd had a new baby, so it was a bit confusing with the sub teacher. The first parent teacher meeting we had, she was pushing to get him in a resource class to help with his reading. She told me it could take up to 6 wks, because of testing they do. Now, he done all these test back when he was 3 yrs, to get into the special Ed pre-k...but since he did so well in Kindergarten, at the end of the year when I signed for him to be took out of speech, it signed him out of all the special help. (I did not know this, at the time) So...way more than 6 wks pass by...the regular teacher is back at school. The next report card was actually better. We had a D, and a few C's and actually a B in math. I was so happy! Until the next one came...it was worse than the first report card. So, I had a meeting with the teacher, she is a strange woman...but we talked about going back to special ED. She said she hated putting kids in that class, but I told her I thought it was best. He is so far behind, there is no way he's catching up. And I do not feel even repeating 1st grade will help. This time next year we would be in the same spot.

So...special ED testing has started. Now that teacher was very nice, even though she talks so fast its hard for me to catch every word she says. She gave me her personal cell phone number! Which I was very happy!!! No other teacher has gave me their home phone for me to get in touch with if needed. She gave D an eye test at school, he failed. So last week we went to the eye dr. LOVED the man!!! He was so great, even with Isaac in the room too going wild! lol. D does have my blind as a bat eyes...He is very excited to get glasses.

Here is a picture of him with the frames he picked out!

He just can't wait for them to come it! He asks everyday if the eye dr. called!

He also finally lost his first tooth, then lost 4 more! This kid is seeing dollar signs on those teeth, and is saving up to buy another Zhu Zhu pet. He has 5 dollars, so we're over halfway there!!!

Isaac is just being Isaac. Growing up way to fast. Doing great on the potty!!! Talking up a storm. I can't believe that in a little over a month my "baby" will be 3 years old. Seems like yesterday he was born! Just to throw in..here is a picture of him!

Been missing you for 5 years

RIP Jack!!! We've been missing you for 5 years! Love you!!!