Family Portraits

For some it's a smell. For others it's s song. For me it's a picture. I look at a picture and am taken back in time to that moment and all the memories it entails. I love pictures and how they capture special moments. I love looking back at pictures, laughing at the way I looked or smiling at the memory it created. I believe family portraits are important for many reasons. They allow kids to go back to yesteryear and see what they looked like when they have no recollection of that time period. They allow loved ones to remember the way family members look long after they've passed. They capture what life was like during a certain time in your family history. That's why I like to get family portraits done every year, even if it's a year that I'm self conscious about the few extra pounds I'm carrying (Like this year.)
A couple years ago I talked with a friend who loves to take pictures of fun family times. The problem we were discussing, however, is that we're the ones usually behind the camera so our children don't see us involved. I don't want my boys to forget that I was at all the fun events as well so I'm thankful for the times I'm in front of the camera instead of behind it.
Yesterday we had a family member, who happened to be a retired photographer, take our family portraits at the beautiful LSU campus. It was great because not only was it a beautiful day, but we also got to spend time with some wonderful family and I got a chance to learn of new places for future photo sessions. The only downfall? The boys weren't really into the photo session. All P wanted to do was climb trees and Easton doesn't like the camera in general (so much like his Daddy!). So there were a lot of outtakes but here are some of my favorites....

The "C Word"

There are murderers and rapists and pedophiles but I think one of the worst things in the world is the dreaded "C Word". It seems like every week someone I know is dealing with this horrible disease. Unfortunately, it has hit a little too close to home. I'm going to apologize now for being cryptic in this blog. Not for the privacy of the person I'm writing about but simply because I've learned to hate the phrase "I'm sorry." It's a patent phrase that people use when they don't know what else to say. I started hating the phrase when my beloved Papa passed away. People would come up to me, embrace me and simply say "I'm sorry." I wanted to say, "For what? Because I lost one of the few men that I've put up on a pedestal or because I can't imagine life without him or because my beautiful Nana will have to learn how to live alone or because you don't know what else to say?" Since 2003 I have never said those words to people that have been given bad news or when dealing a death. On the rare occasion I use that phrase I always follow it with the reason why I'm sorry.
OK, I've digressed enough. One of my heroes, the closest human being I've ever met that- in my eyes- is near perfect, was told he has cancer. Now as far as cancers go it's the "best kind" (Really?? There's a good kind of cancer??) a man can get. But it's still the "C word". It still comes with uncertainty and fear, with decisions in regards to the future. It comes with telling people and having to hear them simply say "I'm sorry." The good news in all of this is that the person who is dealing with this is one of the strongest people I know. He handles everything with calmness, dignity and keeping God at the center of EVERYTHING. So if anyone can handle it, it's him. So there's no need to say "I'm sorry." Instead say, "I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers." and leave it at that. There's nothing else to say until the dreaded "C word" is no longer in existence...or until a cure is discovered.

Working Moms

There is a rarely a day that goes by that the thought, "How do women who work full time outside of the home do it all?" Once in awhile we have a down day where we can just lounge around but that seems to be rare. My "To Do" list grows just about everyday. Yesterday and today I had to pay the price of 4 hrs of my time as a punishment for a computer problem I caused. I also spent a lot of time on the phone, trying to rectify problems with bills. To compensate being distracted from the boys and housework I tried to make it up to P by taking him fishing 3 times today (despite knowing we wouldn't catch anything due to the weather.) By doing that I didn't get much housework done...again. It seems some days I can stay focused and get a lot done while still paying ample attention to the boys. Some days I get distracted with either the boys or my To Do list, causing one or the other to get put on the back burner. I can't imagine working outside of the home full time and trying to juggle it all. I know some moms don't have a choice and have to work to make ends meet. Some choose to work for various reasons. Some working moms have outside help who help with the housekeeping or kids. I've been blessed by not having to worry about the working dilemma for the past 5 years. At most I've worked part time, which has still made it easy to get things done and do fun things with the boys. I can't imagine having to work all week and then use my free time on the weekends to do laundry and clean instead of spending time with my family. I guess that's where spousal teamwork comes into play. But, regardless, my hat's off to working moms of all kinds. You are my hero....especially if you've figured out how to juggle it ALL!

Zippity Doo Dah

Last weekend we took a family trip to MS. We started the weekend at "deer camp" for the night so Rob could go turkey hunting. Then, Saturday morning, we went to Mom and Dad Herrington's. The big boys took the boat out to fish while Easton and I tried to catch up on much needed sleep. Saturday night we went to Fondron to support the Sweet Potato Queens in their annual parade. The boys were great, despite being up later than their bedtime, and we enjoyed the parade. My favorite part- other than seeing Mom Herrington in her SPQ outfit- was the Sonic Boom marching band. My migraine was not a fan but I love a great marching band! Here are a few pics from the weekend......

Too fast, too soon?

I started this last week but was too tried to finish it so here it is in its entirety.....

I found that my soapbox was getting dusty so I thought I'd climb up on it for just a few minutes this evening, after a long day, to get a few things off my chest. For as long as I've been in education politicians, most of whom have never stepped foot in a classroom for more than a publicity stunt, have dictated what goes on in classrooms. For as long as I've been in education, testing companies go along with the politicians and continue making millions of dollars off of educational standards. As far as I'm concerned it's all getting quite old and I'm hoping the pendulum swings the other way, making education fun again- for the students and teachers and administrators.
When I was in school we had time for projects and still learned valuable lessons. Each year has special memories of fun things I did in the classroom. 3rd grade we learned about math through a student store. 4th grade I learned about Science through the reptiles and animals our teacher kept in the classroom. 5th grade I learned about politics and the dangers of drunk driving through skits and hands-on art projects. 6th grade I learned about Math through balancing checkbooks and playing math games on the computers (a REAL treat back then!). Unfortunately, education is no longer like that. It's scripted and boring and includes way too many assessments. As a teacher, I get this. But as a parent of a soon to be Kindergartner I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around it. I have a real issue with full day Kindergarten, especially since there isn't any "social, play" time anymore. When I taught Kindergarten 9 years ago, it was 3 hrs a day full of signing and dancing and art and social play time. Last year when I taught Kindergarten it was all day with little singing, no dancing and few art projects to incorporate into learning. In short it was BORING!
Now the big educational push is Common Core standards. Some teachers like CC but most do not. I am one that does not. I get that it teaches critical thinking but I'm tired of being dictated on to what we have to teach and then have it change a few years later. Students are pushed to know too much too young these days. I was very surprised to find that the drop out rate has declined in the past decade because I would've thought it had been on the rise due to rigorous curriculum and students falling behind. Between going to school all day and then having to deal with a few hours of homework each night and on the weekends, students no longer have a chance to just be a kid....and it breaks my heart.
I want my son to think school is fun. I don't want him to learn just so he can be assessed. I don't want him to have to grow up too fast too soon. One of the most valuable lessons Kindergarten teaches (or used to anyway) is how to use your imagination and how to play nice with others, how to make it in the real world with give and take. I'm thankful that Common Core has not been adopted by the state of LA YET. I pray that this state and its legislators stick to their guns and don't give in to the almighty dollar that dictates school curriculum these days. I hope at some point my boys find their education fun and exciting. If they don't then I'll have no problem homeschooling (Something I've never been a fan of...until now). My boys deserve to receive a solid education as well as be kids and I'll make that happen however I have to.
OK....now that my soapbox has been thoroughly used I'll step off for awhile......

To Be or Not to Be?

I have an ongoing mental dilemma that has gotten more persistent lately in regards to P. It's a battle in my mind as to whether I encourage his imagination or tone it down a little. Now give me a minute to explain before you answer that with, "Of course you encourage his imagination you moron!".
P gets very creative with things he likes. Since he was about 2 years old, he's loved all of his stuffed animals. I'm not at all opposed to boys playing with dolls but he's never had any. So his stuffed animals kind of take that place. He treats them as babies sometimes and pets other times. Today we went to a kid's clothing store where he insisted on bringing in his baby elephant and its bottle. He was walking around, talking to it and feeding it its bottle, and some boys laughed at him. He had no clue they were laughing AT him and played up feeding his elephant, talking to them about her. He thought it was great that they were laughing because he thought he was being funny and I didn't have the heart to tell him otherwise.
My dilemma is that he'll be starting Kindergarten in the Fall and there are a lot of mean kids in school. I know this because I was bullied a lot as a kid (and as a teenager). No matter how much I tried to fit in I couldn't. I would rather go through that again myself than to have P go through it. He's sensitive and I don't want kids teasing him, making him cry. Nor do I want to squash his imagination and have him fit in a "box", which happens in education anyways these days.
See my dilemma? I truly hope that he is like my brother, where he can march to his own drummer but (most) everyone finds it endearing. My brother was friends with everyone in school and never had to work at fitting in with anyone because he didn't care. I pray that the same happens with P and that all this worrying is a non-issue. Ah, the worries of parenting!

Blurred Time Frame

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, stand a little taller."

 

Yes, those are lyrics about a relationship that went sour but they are also the lyrics to my life's theme song for the past 2 months. Some days have been filled with laughter. Some days have been spent fighting off tears. Most days have been without Rob. Several days have included a sick child and all that entails. Stomach bug to the Swine Flu to Hives to Pneumonia (Yes, that was just with one child). Apparently when my boys get sick they believe in the whole "Go big or go home" theory.

After Easton was diagnosed with the Swine Flu I called his pediatrician's office a few times with various questions. Each time I called I was told it's something that would just work itself through his system and nothing could be done. But, my motherly intuition was saying otherwise. As southerners say, "It stuck in my craw." My elderly neighbor kept advising me to seek another pediatrician. After praying about it, discussing it with various people and getting a recommendation from a friend on Facebook, I took a leap of faith and switched doctors Friday morning. The new pediatrician wasn't in the office Friday so I had to wait until Monday for Easton to see her. By Monday morning he seemed pretty good to me. But when I took him into her office I found out that he had a fever, something I didn't even suspect. Then the doctor did lab work to check his white blood cell count. When they came back almost twice as high as they should be I put on a brave face and asked what needed to be done next. The pediatrician asked about his cough and some other symptoms then told me to go across the street to the hospital to get chest xrays done on him. Now if you've experienced this as a parent, you may have had the unfortunate experience of the infant chest xray contraption, which P had to be in 2 years ago. My mind immediately went back to that horrible experience and I just started bawling, knowing that I'd have to do it on my own since Rob was gone yet again to Arkansas. As I searched for a McDonald's to get P some lunch I knew I had to do something I wasn't good at, something that is hard for me. I had to admit I couldn't do it alone and ask for help. I called Rob's cousin, who has become a good friend of mine, and asked if I could bring P to her house while I took Easton in for chest xrays. She immediately said yes. Then my MIL called right afterwards. As soon as I saw her picture on my phone as it rang, I broke down and started crying hysterically. I honestly don't even remember what our conversation was about because I felt like I was on the verge of a breakdown. But, whether I asked or she offered, I hung up the phone knowing she was coming to help. I didn't know if that meant she'd help P while Easton was in the hospital or if we'd all be back at the house by nightfall but I knew I had help and that was a huge relief. To make an already long story a little shorter, we found out the next day that Easton did indeed have pneumonia. So I'm glad I followed my gut and changed pediatricians. Our new one has been very proactive and tonight Easton seemed more like his old self, wanting to attempt walking and playing with P instead of just wanting to sit on my lap and cuddle.

In the midst of all this chaos, the new pediatrician and our vet said that our puppy was probably contributing to Easton's health. I did everything I could to clear up his skin problem and deep clean our house so we could keep him. But every night I went to bed, knowing that I'd feel guilty if Easton kept getting sick just because I selfishly wanted to keep Coco. So I contacted the SPCA we had adopted him from and the lady in charge found him a new home within 24 hrs. P and I cried a bucket of tears when we met up with his new owner this afternoon and I'm hoping we'll be able to find a KEEPER dog soon. But I know it's for the best in the long run, even though it's sad today.

Life has been hectic. I've been on the verge of more than one meltdown. But I've also learned I have a support group. I just need to start asking for help. I need to swallow my pride because it's not always a bad thing to ask for assistance once in awhile. One of the nicest things my MIL could've done for me while she was here was to treat me to a pedi while she watched the boys. That one hour by myself without any mother, dog owner, nurse duties was exactly what I needed to take a deep breath and know that all would be well. And it is. Life has been crazy but it hasn't killed me. It's only made me stronger. 



The boys

I wanted to take advantage of a beautiful day by grabbing my camera and working on different aspects of photography. Much to the dismay of the boys, I followed them around all day to capture "every day moments". I love the depth of black and white pictures so I converted all of the images and love how they turned out. The true meaning of "lifestyle photography"!

.....And All That it Entails

I haven't given an Easton update in a few days so thought I'd fill ya in on what's going on in our world. Wednesday was the first day in 10 days that he did not run a fever or vomit...Hallelujah! I was a little too optimistic on Thursday as it had been 24 hrs that he'd been symptom free. So the boys and I ran a couple super quick errands to get out of the house. It was a little too much for Easton and he was pretty fussy by the time we started to make our way home. At some point during the day he developed a rash on his stomach, back and around his hairline. I've since learned that this can be found on children with the swine flu. It's like hives, from what I've read, which explains why he's been fussy. Thursday night all was going well until he started coughing at dinnertime, a sign that puts me on guard. Sure enough he threw up everything he'd eaten that day. Poor guy! Yesterday he wouldn't eat or drink very much and still had the rash. But he's been fever free since Wednesday so I'm praying that we're near the end of this stupid, horrible, nasty h1n1! Maybe then he'll get enough energy to try walking. (He was so close but after being sick off and on for 2 months I don't think he has the ongoing energy to attempt it.)
With being sick, I've called his pediatrician a few times this week to ask questions. I know this virus can be deadly and the Internet provides conflicting info on things I've Googled. When I called Wednesday I felt like I was being a bother to the nurse that took my call. I don't like feeling like that when it comes to the health of my boys. I've had some other issues with the pediatrician's office so on Friday I decided to switch pediatricians. I know I'll be hard pressed to find a pediatrician as good as ours back home but I don't want to feel like a bother when I'm concerned about my boys. I have a good feeling and real peace about this new pediatrician who was recommended to us. So I can't wait to meet her Monday!
P has been a trooper, a good boy, despite being housebound. He was feeling a little under the weather for a couple days but he never got the flu. (Thank GOD for Lysol....my new best friend!) Between dreary weather and a sick little brother I had to get creative with keeping him entertained. We put together foam bunnies for Spring, painted a birdhouse and flower pot and made a monkey mask. Then yesterday we had a birthday party for one of his stuffed animals, Monkey. Together we baked sugar cookies and sang it Happy Birthday! We also enjoyed the beautiful weather yesterday by having a picnic in our front yard. (Being outside is sometimes the only thing that'll make Easton happy.) He also went fishing with Daddy a few times in the evening, a new favorite thing for them.
Like I said, I hope this is behind us so we can get out and enjoy society. Being shut-ins is not easy for me. It's draining mentally so I'm ready to be refreshed. The gorgeous weather this weekend should help with that! Thanks again for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement.