I AM STILL A BLOGGER and AN IMPORTANT UPDATE ON CREW

                              

I am still a BLOGGER, just a very BAD one.  So many days I have sat down at the computer ready to share my current life, only to have writers block.  I have so many posts in my head, in my heart, just not typed out.   

This has been the YEAR of CHANGE in our lives.  With Amanda and Micah and the boys moving to Katy, life has been anything but normal. 

And I love NORMAL.  It is no secret to anyone that I HATE CHANGE. 

This change equaled none I had ever faced.  I have failed miserably at this test.  MISERABLY.  I have never experienced physical pain that compared to the heart pain I have had this year. 

Parker and Jack were as much a part of our family on a daily basis as Jack and I are.  And then they were gone.  Five hours away and neither like to talk on the phone.  Just imagine me on my knees praying "God, please give them a love for the phone."  Instead I would hear in the background, "Is it Grammy?"  Meaning neither wanted to have to talk.      SIGH!! then CRY! 

Parker and his Beautiful Mom

JACK GRADUATING FROM PRESCHOOL

A FUNNY BOY

Jack and his Mom

We did get to visit in May and see Parker, who by the way will be 14 on Monday, be inducted into the National Honor Society

Wow, it took my breath away.  Fourteen years ago his teenage Mom committed herself to raise a little baby and she has done an amazing job.  

Parker and Jack (his POP) on his induction night.  Two National Honor Society Members. 

Jack is still Jack.  So many of you have emailed me and said you miss Jack stories.  I promise some soon. 



Tonight please focus on CREW.  So many of you have grown to love him through this blog.  Tuesday is his BIG SURGERY.   


Strong and READY

   

He is SO Precious

Instead of me explaining the surgery, I am going to use Maries words to me this week.   

They will  be reimplanting his ureters through his bladder and repairing his bladder neck. He will have stints coming out of his belly through his bladder into his kidneys. Its risky at his age. Also its risky because his quality of life rides on it. If it works to keep him from renal failure, its successful. If his kidney/bladder infections, kidneys and blood pressure decline, its unsuccessful. If unsuccessful, they will pull his ureters to the skin and create a new type of exstrophy. At around 5 years old they would build a bigger bladder. That means he would have to cath himself everyday, and I would until he could. So its really stressful. We a dreading this surgery so much more than the previous ones, besides the first. We were told to plan to stay at least a week. So who knows really. We've been told lots of things that don't ever happen. It will be a long surgery.  But we are trying to stay positive the best we can. Hope your doing well!
All my love...
Marie


We made a deal that she has permission ANYTIME to vent to me late at night or anytime for that matter....It's is so hard on her and a 24-7 job, plus three other small children ...this was one message just so that you know she is struggling....

His blood pressure is still hard to control, and they fear a stroke. His kidney disease is irreversible so there's nothing they can do for that. He is pretty miserable but still tries to play and smile, which breaks my heart. He's such a good boy, I wish I could be better for him.  I have a hard to showing my weaknesses. I'm just so far past that point I've cried to strangers lately. I love you.

This next week please ask God to give Marie strength, energy, peace, and assurance that he has Crew in his hands.  I cannot imagine handing him off to the doctors Tuesday morning.  If you get a chance send her a short note. 
mariemorris21@gmail.com



One more thing...I know some of you are wondering...I have been getting email...Am I still juicing? 
YES
I have not missed a day in 18 weeks.  Even that blows my mind. 
But the good news is Jack is too. The last three weeks were filled with cardiac and pulmonary tests (just check-ups) !  His numbers were so improved that even his doctors were a little shocked. Really shocked.  His EF was up 12 points. All his breathing tests were in the doctors words, remarkably BETTER.  All I am going to say is THE ONLY THING we have done DIFFERENT is JUICE.  

I have so many other things to share.  Ashley Adams needs prayer.  One of my ELVES has a little two year old girl, Casyn Claire,  that has been diagnosed with 
Familial Mediterranean Fever.  It was confirmed at Texas Children's Hospital this week. Please pray for her.  It's an ugly disease that little is known about. 

ON A HAPPY NOTE
One of my dearest friends has just started blogging...
PLEASE go and VISIT HER.  Christi has the gift of writing.  She has three posts up and they are ALL THREE GOOD.  Tell her you are my friend.  She writes nice and neat and I write all over the place in every color. 

If you have not bought Amy Grant's new CD, it is worth every dime. 

MY HEART

This will be the post that I will have to try not to drown the computer from tears pouring over it as I type.

Four years ago Amanda was packed and ready to head to the hospital to deliver my husbands little namesake…We were so honored that this boys name would be Jack Voss, named after both his grandfathers.

It was Super Bowl week and coincidentally Eli was the winner that next Sunday…and look who is playing this Sunday..

Parker had been “the one and only” for so long. 
Then Greg married Dana and Austin joined our family, BUT could I love another little boy the same. 

Parker had lived with us, he had grabbed my heart and I had held on tight.  That’s one I can’t explain.
 
Amanda and Micah were so gracious to let me stay in labor and delivery with them and be there when Jack made his entrance to the world. 

(My girl has babies easy) with no drama…I remember seeing his face and instantly falling head over heels in love…instantly…He was perfect..

we laugh now…if we had only known then how different his personality would be from Parker’s.
Parker is quite, Jack is loud.  On the third day he came home totally fine or so we thought…

I have written about what happened next but 2 days after he came home we were in the NICU with him fighting for his life.  He had meningitis.
I will always believe had Amanda not gone with a gut feeling something was wrong, we would have lost Jack. 

He was a very sick little man and we did not take a deep breath for a couple of weeks.  It was one of the scariest times of my life.

Today he turns 4!

Totally fine, the funniest kid ever, a laugh a minute, a strong willed child, a talker, a climber, a mess.  No one makes me laugh like him. 

He breaks things and he’s sorry but don’t make a huge deal about it because he doesn’t care that much. 
He puts stickers on everything and he has signed his name on a wall or two.  He is free spirit. 

You do not want to have a discussion with him in the toy aisle of Target.  He will win.  (At least with Grammy)

He does not like gul stuff…that’s girl in Jack language.  He really thinks he is Woody from Toy Story and don’t try to convince him he is not.
 
He thinks he speaks Spanish because he watches “Dora”!  He tells us certain words he says are in Spanish.
 
He hates talking on the phone so don’t call him. 

I cannot imagine life without him.  So today we are celebrating  the gift of Jack.  We call him our little hippie…

He has long hair with culs (curls)and he does not want them cut off.   The red on his nose in the picture below is because he decided he wanted to be Rudolph and proceeded to color his nose. 
Guess what?  He has my heart too.

Some of the many faces of Jack.

                        

I LOVE YOU JACK STROTHER

On a very serious note, please pray for little Crew as he has his first surgery on Thursday at Arkansas Children's Hospital.
I was not sure what it would be and his Mom said it was fine to share the details.   
The first surgery will be very long.   
It will be to move the belly button up to the right place, putting the bladder in his body, breaking/dislocating (not sure which one they will have to do) the pelvis. He will have a scar from his belly button to the pelvic bone and he will be in a body cast from his chest down. His arms will be free. The cast is for his pelvis to heal and he will have it for 4-6 LONG weeks! It breaks my heart to think about it.  So please remember the entire family in prayer.
    

           Crew and his Mom Marie 

THIS IS CHRISTMAS

What a special day.  I got out for one of the first times since my little accident.  Got MUCH NEEDED color on my hair….
bought a few Christmas presents….drug that 10 pound BOOT around and then picked up this little guy. 

We have had the most special night. 

I had his room turned into a Winter Wonderland and he was in AWE….He kept saying, “It is willy butiful” ! 

We went to Cracker Barrel and bought all these new friends.  We had three and he found two more on the way out…so back to the register. 

He then got a sticker book and as we were driving home he said , “This is the BEST sticker BOOK in the WHOLE Wide WORLD.”

Next came his rendition of Jingle Bells.  He asked us if we wanted his
high Note voice, his loud voice, or his perfect voice.  I am still laughing over that one. 

He was determined they were all sleeping with him.  We watched a Christmas movie and then looked at Christmas catalogs…He wants everything.
 
He fell asleep in my arms and since I cannot carry him right now, we had to get Pop to  come move him to his bed…I was tucking him in and he said

“Grammy, will you leave the trees on all night?”  Then he added, “Put all my animals in the bed”!

So he is sleeping in heavenly peace!

loved, happy and more precious than words!

Don’t forget that Parker will draw tomorrow night for the GREAT CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!! 

I will announce the winner Monday Morning so I can get it shipped. 





you still have time to get in on  it. 

Check out A Baby Changes Everything

pictures of my house are still coming..I promise. 

DO NOT MISS THE GIVEAWAY and A LAUGH

I just posted a great giveaway on the holiday blog…Do not miss it. 

Go here now and leave a comment and you will have two chances.  

Plus there are new pictures of another home we decorated. 


And now for your laugh of the day…Amanda found Jack like this today.


His RESPONSE was HE JUST WANTED TO BE RUDOLPH.

 

THE LAST THING I NEED TO BE DOING

It is very late on Saturday night and the last thing I need to be doing  is blogging.  My “to do” list is two legal pages long.  I have about 20 tree emails to answer…a full plate

I just made me a cup of Island Coconut coffee and decided I had been thinking about a post all day, so the to do list could wait.

We have finished two houses that took a LONG time and we have another huge house tomorrow AND my legs are screaming.  (as in drugs screaming and rubbed down with bio-freeze)

Even after doing trees for almost twenty years I still forget how the first week is getting your legs back under you.  That probably only makes sense to a tree decorator.
I have a giant bruise on my hand from bending my little finger back last night…I feel bunged up after 2 days.
 
But that’s not the post….
Not even sure why this is on my mind except that  the day before I started trees I did something I still can’t believe I did.

We drove a couple of hours to see one of my dearest friends.  Oh, how I wish there had been more hours to stay. 
Jack and  Jack aka Woody went with me…For the most part Woody was a wild man but I am so head over heels in love with him that his antics hardly move my needle.   Plus I am his Grammy. 

He had been with me most of the week while Amanda and Micah moved. (he is not good moving help)
He had made me laugh so hard and given me a thousand kisses, so he could get by with almost anything.
He is just a free spirit. 

While he and Pop watched  TV and ate all the fabulous goodies Pat served them…
She and I set in two green leather recliners,  drank wine and caught up on life.  She gave me a foot massage and then a head massage and then a (pre-tree) shoulder massage (that’s a friend)…and it was heaven.

She told me about her mission trip to China where she cut 20 heads of hair a day…She is an awesome hair stylist.  That is how we met 25 years ago. 
Her clients get their hair done, their make up touched up, lipstick applied and then a shoulder massage.  That’s her trademark.

We talked about kids,  about life, deep stuff, funny stuff.   We  laughed and hugged and wished we lived next door. 
I was reminded again why I love her so. 
She is the hostess with the hostess and every visitor she has feels like they are the most special person on earth.
 
If you are reading this Pat, you are a gift to every person that calls you friend.

We had fabulous soup, chicken salad, coconut cake, wonderful coffee..all served as only Pat serves…with love and flair.

I came home with some goodies for me and some for Amanda's new house. 
I forgot to mention she is my favorite decorator of all times.
 
On the way home, I am beginning to move into panic mode as I think about all I did not have done. 
I have a new iPhone 4 and so I got that and my Ipad out and was going to update them.  That would be making good use of a couple of hours on the road.  I updated Facebook and somehow an entire new look came up on my Ipad. 

I have 1000 plus friends on FB and that’s nothing to brag about, (I am not that great of a friend) but we have just lived a lot of places, coached a lot of kids.
 
I hit friends and instead of a list coming up, the faces of everyone came up…like in  nice big sizes..

I started scrolling through and was overwhelmed at all the people that I loved…how my path in this thing “called life” had crossed with all these people.

I took a trip down memory lane…It was so sweet. Many people I know  better than others…

Some I have years of history with.  Some I only know from the blogging world. 
Some I know because they are friends of my kids, some from my childhood (which was a thousand years ago)! 

It was one of the best ways to use those two hours…Just realizing I know some very special people and being thankful.  Try it and take your own memory trip.

Amanda and Micah are all moved in.  I have been little help with tree season here,  but hope to get a day soon to help her…

This will be the picture of the week.  Dana kept Jack (Woody)  today and tonight.  He and Gray are having a slumber party.

Greg not only married a beautiful wife, he married ONE BRAVE WOMAN.
 
This is  Hobby Lobby and a picture she sent us today…Gray and Jack in Hobby Lobby!  Enough said!





I am not a big baseball fan, but I love the World Series…..

Scotty McCrerry made me so proud singing the  National Anthem a few nights ago.

I was so impressed with him just singing the song and not adding anything…Totally loved it. 


Have a great week.  I will be under a tree or on top of a ladder or in a bathtub of HOT WATER. 

EXCUSES OF A BAD BLOGGER

I have not left the blogging world…I am even losing my commenters…Yikes

Truth is Amanda and Micah have bought a beautiful new house and asked me to be head decorator and furniture buyer.  It has been a pleasure to help make their new house a home but also a little stress. 

She is getting all new furniture so making sure everything flows has been keeping me awake at night. 

I will show you pictures in a few months when we get it all picture perfect.
 
If I have not been furniture shopping, I have had there little Jack.  He is not exactly a help in moving. 

Saturday we all went to the circus..Gray went with us and it was a fun day. This was him 2 minutes after we got in the car.

 








You can see Gray looking at Jack..sweet buddies!




Woody is finally riding a horse…and it was too cute!!!

Just a little update on precious Brooklyn…she really needs prayer tonight. 
Her Dad just posted that she was struggling in her breathing and has been having seizures all day  She is still very critical and it has been three and half weeks since her cardiac arrest and series of strokes..It just breaks my heart.

The tree schedule is close to finished and just a few weeks until we get started.
I am heading to market and a quick little get away for five days later this week..really shopping for more stuff for Amanda and Micah’s house.

My sweet friend Paige is struggling…her husband did not get the report they were hoping for.  She has the most precious family..
Please remember Paige and (for me) leave her a little word of encouragement. 
   
For some good news…Jack had a stress test last week and did great…then he took a simulated driving test at the hospital (he wants to drive college teams again) and he passed with flying colors…

What that means I am not sure our family has settled on, but it has boosted his spirits knowing he is certainly able. 
Next Sunday will be the anniversary of his stroke…To each of you that has encouraged me and inquired about Jack through this year, a HUGE thanks. I will never forget your love.

We will be in Dallas just like the first weekend in Oct of last year…counting our blessings.
 
I have spent the last three days…with Jack (Woody) being here on the pretense os helping his Mom out.  It really is to help me out.  One post I am going to just share FUNNY Jack stories.
 
There is nothing like a little to make me feel a tad younger.  He has made me laugh until I cried.
 
I am proud to announce HE IS  FINALLY POTTY TRAINED and proud of it…

I need to know you are still out there..I am going to catch up on everyone's blogs while I am away…(in a hotel where there are no interruptions)

If anyone has a name to a great paint color in the gold/mustard/brown tones…please send it to me…I am looking for the perfect paint color for Amanda’s bedroom and living room.  There are only 1 million samples out there. 

And if you are watching the debates, I would love to hear your thoughts...

“YOU IS KIND, YOU IS SMART, YOU IS IMPORTANT”

Be sure you read to the end…a giveaway and a surprise post you.do.not.want.to.miss !





How different our world would be if every child was told that over and over. 
If every adult believed those words,  it would change history.  It is the  new mantra in our house with the “little’s”, not that they did not know it, but we are going to verbalize it daily. 
I find myself saying it to myself.  I know in my life that was not something affirmed to me and that in part controls my thinking even today. 
Maybe because I was affected by the lack of affirmation, I feel stronger about the words than they really are. To me they are life changing.



I loved the movie and I see a lot of movies…The message moves me and that’s not something I can say about many movies today.  Enough about that…Go see it. 
Monday Happys!!!!!
(Monday is my least favorite day of the week)
1) Football season is underway…that makes me a happy camper..though no Brett may push me over the edge

2) We had a great family dinner Saturday night at a wonderful new restaurant…compliments of Micah and Amanda…all four little's.
I did not take one picture…(for which the older boys were so thankful for)



3) Micah (my son-in-law) called me Saturday and these were his words…" Grammy, make a list of any things you need done around the house and list them in priority.
Next Saturday I am bringing my nephew over and we are going to trim your big tree and anything else you need done”!  Smile…"Micah is kind, he is smart and he is important”


4)Greg won a fabulous trip for he and Dana….Atlantis….November..



5) Some dear friends that have been out of work for way too long…had to move in with teenage daughters to their parents.
They have had one let down after another over the last 18 months…THEY GOT A NEW JOB…from Texas to Utah…but a new start…Thank you God.
6) We are taking a 3 day, ALL of the Family, trip to Dallas for the LSU game, Labor Day weekend.
 
7) Parker is SO HAPPY in Middle School.  Small brag…forgive me..There are 600 in his grade and he was chosen one of 32 to skip 6th grade Math and go to the advanced class…"He is kind, he is smart and he is important”  and he is my heart.




Now for your laugh of the day…This is Mad Jack…after I told him he could not do something…Can’t you just read his mind…



Remember to check out MilandDil Designs….she has lots of new things…
Also I passed several number markers on my blog in post and followers…so I want to celebrate you..

Leave a comment on this post and you will go in a drawing for one of the famous card boxes….
I will draw on  Sunday..
Now for the BEST PART of this POST…

Go to the holiday blog and Mike (my wonderful Marine friend)  
is guest posting…All comments on that post will go in the drawing too..

When he writes, I listen.
He is kind, he is smart and he is important.

Have a great week!

PICTURES TO CUTE NOT TO SHARE

****Hop over to
A Baby Changes Everything, my holdiday blog for a fun new post from an ELF.

I know I said I am on a blog break….but had to show you my day …It’s now well after midnight and the boys are still going strong.  You will see that Austin is doing great….many of you have ask for an update.
 
Just to keep it real…I have had a month that has not been my best.  Between the heat and hormones and a huge serotonin deficit….all this I know because I gave them 7 vials of blood to check everything..I have not been anyone's favorite person…today  after a few days of meds I am beginning to feel like me again…


Parker, Austin and Jack have been here all day and are all spending the night…and we have laughed, and we have ordered off EBAY, and we have watched movies and we have had fast food twice and ice cream.  Austin and Parker have played video games. As in super serious.
  
Jack has taken over my iPhone and ipad…and now he is settled in to watch Dora at one in the morning.  so its been a party…Next time we are going to have Gray….the older boys thought a 2 and 3 year old might be more than they could handle getting into their stuff.  The house looks like a tornado came through….These are the kind of nights memories are made..

The boys trying to decide what to order….a very serious endeavor!  








       Jack and Gray
       Partners in Crime

            Serious Jack



Remember to stop by Terri’s new Etsy Shop…MilandDil Designs.
She has added lots of new things. 

I have a new blogger to introduce you to in my next post…

This is our 30th day since June in the triple digits.  We still have August and September to go…

Fall cannot come soon enough.

PICTURES SAY IT ALL and A GIVEAWAY

OK…here is a fun post…well a lazy post…

These are just some pictures I had on my phone, several of a recent trip to see Cars! 
If you have read my blog long, you will know the personalities of Parker and Jack.  So your job… give me a caption for the pictures…You can do them all or just a couple…
I have the neatest cookbook I picked up at market…the giveaway

I will choose a winner on Sunday night….Some of you are so clever…I am looking forward to your comments. 














Have fun with this post. I have two copies of the cookbook so I might pick two winners..

STAND OFF IN TARGET’S TOY AISLE

I promise a short post, but I don’t want to forget to document this.

This started off as a laid back Saturday.  Micah and Amanda were going to golf (crazy to me as it was 100 degrees), Parker was on his way home from the beach, so Jack, AKA Woody was going to hang with us today.  Easy…we have done it tons of times.
 
We ran errands, stopped and had a wonderful lunch at Macaroni Grill.
Jack charmed our server and the next table doing his “Howdy Partner” Woody imitations.  He loves that you can color on the table.
 


We had thought about going to see the new Cars movie but decided to wait on Parker and go next week.

Tomorrow is Grayson’s birthday party so we decided to stop at Target and let Jack pick out his gift.  What was I thinking?
 
I bought a few groceries and Jack (Pop) and Jack (Woody) met me in the toy department.  It will not come as a surprise to you that we “are easy” when it comes to little’s wants!

But we do not let them misbehave, they have to use their manners and they have to acknowledge someone when they are talking to them. And we do tell them no.

Well we met our match today.  Jack found something for Grayson and as we were leaving the area he spotted the new CARS toys. 

That was fine, he could pick out one little one.  Now remember that he has his Woody cowboy hat on and Woody speaks with authority, so Jack speaks in that same voice.
 
He did not want the little one…At the top of his lungs he tells us he only wants the BIG RED CAR. 
“No Jack, you can have a little one”!

I try to put him in the buggy….No way…he was not getting in the buggy.  I am losing control.
 
I saw the pre-stroke versus post- stroke Jack (Pop) today. Remember he is an old football coach.
Pre-stroke he would have taken him straight to the car and he would have gotten nothing but a good counseling session.  Today he looked and me and said “GET IT”!

Jack is so hard to discipline because he is so dang funny and has such a dry sense of humor, especially for a 3 year old. 

At this point I say, “No Jack, you are not having the big red car.  At this point he says, “Grammy, I do not want that little car, I ONLY want the BIG red car!

I feel like he was thinking , “I know Pop doesn’t hear good but do you have a hearing problem too?” I read his mind.


So the stand off comes to an end as he and Pop head to the check
out….red car in the buggy.


Today he WON!  This is a blurry picture, but you can see the look of victory in his face.



And that’s what Grandparents are for.
 
It’s 1 AM and he is still awake playing a Dora game on the IPAD.

I CONFESS

Confession is good for the soul…Right?


So hear goes…I confess
that I have been blogging for two and half years and I had never looked at the dashboard, really looked at it.
 
I had never looked to see who or how many people read my blog.

Had no idea that feature was on the dashboard. 
I accidently found it when I was trying to add a font (Vicki, I followed your instructions and I still could not do it) 
But I sure found lots of tabs I had never seen before.
I have no clue how bloggers do all the fancy things on their blogs.  I wish I did. 

I realized that many new people I don’t know, read this blog.


Since I am confessing…here are a few more


We have four grandsons, known as “the little's”!
If I am at home, they are welcome to be here anytime..translates to free babysitting, ANYTIME. All day, all night…They have their own room and when it is empty, I feel sad.
 

I love planning a vacation down to the smallest detail. My vacation of choice would always be The Mouse.



I love rainy days and cold weather.  Most people like just the opposite.


I hate for Parker to be out of town! (he is in Florida at the beach…this boy has a hard life) We text, but his texts are all two word answers. 

I love my IPAD and want to learn everything it will do.

I get up everyday with the goal of exercising and most days I don’t. So I go to bed sad that I failed. 

I hate paper work and will let it pile up until I feel overwhelmed.


Getting up early almost makes me SICK.  Those last three hours of sleep…6-9 or 7-10 are my favorite three hours. My kids are well aware of this and please do not ask me anything first thing in the morning.

This last year has been a hard year. Really hard. There are some things I really need to get a handle on.
 
We are almost to July 1 and that is always my signal to start thinking about tree season.


I was again reminded on Sunday that I have a husband, son and son-in-love that all consider DAD their TOP priority in life.  I am blessed.



It is hard to believe that Gray will be two this week.  He and Jack are becoming really good buddies.

This will not be a marathon post because I only have two pictures.
 
Both ones Amanda snapped this morning with her phone.



Jack’s new favorite pants, some pajama pants I
cut off yesterday….VERY STYLISH



Jack in another STYLISH outfit. Rain gear! It can be found in many different stores.


Do not MISS this post on
Love Being a Nonny’s blog.