Boo Humbug

"A year from now you will wish you would have started today. "

October has come and gone.

We celebrated Leah's 7th birthday.

Leah really wanted a camera this year - so since we decided not to

do a Halloween/Birthday party - we got her a nice one.

It is hot pink of course.

And she uses it all the time!!!

Someday when she is a famous photographer she can tell about her 7th birthday and getting her first nice camera :o)

We didn't do too much for Halloween this year.

This was a Boo Humbug Halloween.

Usually we go all out decorating and have a costume / birthday party.

This year - we just weren't in the spirit of it all.

A difficult time around here.

I've had my issues - including some health ones.

Cameron has his possible fever syndrome.

And most recently, my fav cousin passed away suddenly.

We did make a bunch of chili and I did take our children trick or treating.

Our girls put together their fairy costumes from last year.

Our 2 oldest boys didn't dress up.

Brandon stayed home to pass out treats and Ethan came with me to help watch our youngest 6.

Noah put on an old grim reaper costume.

Jacob wore the Frankenstein costume I made Ethan when he was little.

Cameron wore the Werewolf costume I made Noah when he was little.

(Jacob and Cameron also wore Batman and Robin - which were Brandon and Ethan's old costumes. Jake and Cam wore them for a little parent-tot Halloween party I took our youngest 6 too.)

So now we are into November.

I will celebrate another year.

We will be Thankful for all we have.

And we will celebrate Noah.

The leaves have changed and the world looks beautiful.

I am ready for some beautiful changes myself  :o)

Catch-Up

"In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

It has been a long time....

I always try to at least get on when we celebrate one of our children's

birthdays, but I let one get by me.

Ethan turned 14 in September!

We got up and sang to him with a candle stuck in his breakfast.

Then I surprised him by taking him to a movie.

House at the End of the Street.

We like to watch scary movies together and this was the first time we went to

one in the theater together.

It was great. We enjoyed the movie and just hanging out together.

Then Tommy surprised Ethan with going out for sushi for dinner.

It is so nice to have teenagers that still like to hang out with their parents.

The following weekend our daughter Rachel was a Munchkin in the

High School's version of The Wizard of Oz.

She is in 4th grade and tried out by singing and dancing.

She did great! She was so excited to be in a play.

I think that was her first of many to come.

She also moved up in Tumbling class by doing 5 back flips in a row.

Leah and Sarah are in Tumbling too.

This is Sarah's first time and she loves it!

It is sweet to see the three of them together on the Tumbling floor.

They will pass by each other and give a high five.

They practice a lot! And it has really brought them even closer.

Brandon is taking the PSAT this weekend.

Yikes! Time is flying!

He is such a talented and creative artist. I pray he gets to use

what he loves to do to make a career.

His newest creation was designing a Movie Poster in class.

The class voted for the top 2 and the teacher said he was going to make

a real Movie Poster for the winners.

Well, he won! I can't wait to see Brandon's poster!

It's great that his classmates appreciate his talent too.

Noah is having an awesome year at school.

Next big project is the Science Fair.

He loves Science. I look forward to seeing what he comes up with.

Jacob finally got his 3 yr pictures done.

So handsome!

He had to wear his cowboy boots of course.

Cameron had another fever episode.

We are taking him to a Specialist next week.

Looks like Cam might have a Periodic Fever Syndrome called PFAPA.

Hopefully we get the answers we need next week.

Right now, he is battling croup.

Tommy and I got our physicals done. We are all good!
But the next week I did break out with Shingles.
Not fun.
Guess I let stress get to me too much.
Lots of changes in my life in the last year.
Some have been hard to get through and accept.
Let Go Let God - right?
I also just went in for my follow-up Echocardiogram.

Last time it showed Prolapse Valve with mild to moderate regurgitation.

Doctor wanted to check if the regurgitation had changed.

I'm not on medication or anything - but it did change.

For the better!

Somehow it is only mild this time.

No progression - actually appears that I have improved.

Well, giving that one to God and all of my family and dear friends

that have prayed for me. God is good.

Tommy is doing well.

We are working like crazy to clear out the basement.

There is so much stuff down there!

We've been donating a ton.

This weekend we get to watch Ethan in his school's musical.

Thoroughly Modern Millie.

I have never seen this one. I am excited!

I always enjoy the musicals.

Sarah Smile

"Baby hair with a woman's eyes.
I can feel you watching in the night.
All alone with me and we're waiting for the sunlight.
When I feel cold you warm me.
When I feel I can't go on you come and hold me.
It's you...... and me forever.

Sara smile.
Won't you smile a while for me?

If you feel like leaving you know you can go.
But why don't you stay until tomorrow?
And if you want to be free, all you have to do is say so.
When you feel cold, I'll warm you.
And when you feel you can't go on, I'll come and hold you.
It's you.... and me forever.

Sara smile.
Won't you smile a while for me?"

 

On August 31st we celebrated our little "monkey's" 5th birthday.

It is amazing to see how big she is now.

Sarah was born almost 7 weeks early and was only 4 pounds.

When she was born, it was scary.

It was hard to leave her in the NICU.

But now Tom and I think back to those days Sarah was in the hospital

and we have only good memories.

Tom remembers going there every morning before work to rock Sarah and give her her breakfast bottle.

I remember going every mid-morning to nurse her and

every night to nurse her and tuck her in for the night.

It was exhausting, but also a very special time to bond.

Sara Smile by Hall and Oates triggers these memories too.

That song played several times while Tom and I both sat

in the rocking chair with our Sarah at the hospital.

One of the nurses told us that she bets that's the song that will play

for the daddy-daughter dance at Sarah's wedding someday.

What a beautiful (happy-teary) thought.

 

 Tom and Sarah - just home

Tom and Sarah - 5 years later



Roses and Baby Powder

 

"St. Therese, the Little Flower, please pick me a rose from the heavenly garden and send it to me with a message of love; ask God to grant me the favor I thee implore and tell Him I will love Him each day more and more. Amen."

 

Baby powder?

Roses?

Two of my favorite smells.

Too bad sometimes it takes me awhile to recognize that I am smelling them.

 

Our son Cameron is 14 months old.

Back in March, and again in July, he ran a very high fever

with very high wbc.

After 3 or 4 days he would be fine.

No other symptoms.

No results from any tests.

Viral. (?) That was what I was told.

 

And here we go again.

 

Cami was fine Monday night.

I took our 8 children to Family Eucharistic Adoration.

After, there was a dinner downstairs. Tom met up with us there.

Our children had fun running around chasing each other.

(They are very comfortable at church.)

 

Then at 4:00am I woke up and heard Cami whimpering in his sleep.

I touched his little foot and it was hot.

I quickly picked him up and went downstairs to take his temp and get some Tylenol.

I talked to my pediatrician's office when they opened. Since Cami was acting fine we decided I would watch him for 24 hours then bring him in if he still had a fever with no other symptoms.

 

All day the fever stuck around.

When it was down a little from the medicine, Cami would act happy and play with his toys. But it would go right back up after a few hours. Then Cami and I would cuddle.

 

Last night Cami and I slept on the couch together.

We were up every couple hours.

Cami hasn't wanted to eat food so we've been nursing a lot.

His temp was around 105 at the highest.

So today we are going in to see his doctor.

 

But as I have prayed over Cameron I noticed how sweet he smelled at times.

Then I finally realized he smelled like baby powder to me.

The smell would come and go. Seemed to be around when his fever was high.

I started craving the smell.

I'd cradle Cami and smell all around his head trying to find it.

Sounds silly maybe, but it brought me comfort when I could smell it.

 

Today I smelled the sweet smell and then thought of roses.

I adore Mother Mary and I know that the scent of roses is associated with her.

I was looking on my computer about it.

I found a nice Catholic site that had testimonies of smelling roses.

Mary was mentioned and so was St. Therese, "the little flower."

St. Therese promised to release a scent of roses from Heaven.

So then I wondered about the scent of baby powder.

I looked it up and the scent of baby powder is partially made with rose oil.

 

I believe that St. Therese and Mother Mary are sending me comfort

while I care for Cameron.

 

I just really felt the need - and want - to share this :o)

 



School is in

"An education turns mirrors into windows."

 

School is in!

I am actually not too thrilled about that.

Where did summer go?

 

So far - I am very pleased with the teachers our children got this year.

(Bus driver too!)

Everyone seems to be off to a great start!

I just don't know how long I can last doing the morning routine

and the homework routine in the afternoon.

Getting 6 children out the door is exhausting!

Making sure everything is signed and put back in the right child's folder and in the right child's backpack can be confusing.

At night we get the snacks picked out, the water bottles filled,

and the outfits (including the shoes!) set out for the morning.

I go to bed feeling confident that everything is ready for the morning craziness, but somehow the craziness still finds me.

 

I had to go searching for more pants for our boys and more

shoes for our girls. They all decided to do some growing over the summer.

And it's hard to know that they've grown so much until you put long pants on them and they wear something more than flip flops on their feet.

Thankfully I can go into our basement and find a few

things packed away in bins, but our oldest son and our oldest daughter don't have bins to go through.

 

We really need to find more space for homework.

It usually ends up being done on the floor next to our front door.

It is the one place they can just spread out.

So far our kindergartner is the only one who loves the idea of homework.

She cries if I ask her to wait.

Of course, her homework is fun.

This weekend she needed to make a paper bear that looked like her.

Tom had a great time helping her.

Sarah's bear had Sarah's face (photo) and was wearing a

Dora shirt and a pink tutu.

Cute!

 

Now if I could get our youngest 2 to nap at the same time, I just might get things done around here and maybe have a little time for myself.

So far, that doesn't seem to be in their plans.

Mommy will have to change that :o)

 



Jacob 3

"Celebrate Life."

Today we celebrated our 7th child's 3rd birthday.
When we asked him what he wanted - "Blueberries!"
Ok.
What do you want with your blueberries? - "Steak!"
Ok.
Is there a certain toy you might like to go with your blueberries and steak?
"Umi Zoomi!"

So our little Jakey woke up to blueberry muffins.
We had a cookout with Tom's mom.
And Jacob got a Team Umi Zoomi remote control car.

We had a very happy 3 year old.
And a wonderful day with family.



Summer - BTR

"Don't count every hour in the day. Make every hour of the day count."

I can't believe it is August!

Where did our summer go?

It was a great summer.

Camp, vacation at the lake, waterpark, lots of friends and family time.

Our daughter Rachel went to her first concert this weekend.

She went with her friend for their birthdays.

Big Time Rush!

Kendall (her favorite) & James (her 2nd favorite) came right up next to her.

How exciting!

My first concert was Donny and Marie Osmond with my friend Dana.

(Dana lived kitty corner across from me just like Rachel's friend does!)

I didn't get to be up close to Donny, but I still remember how exciting it was.

On a side note: I did finally get to be up close to Donny when I saw him in Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat. Tom and I left the musical and were walking around downtown Chicago when we saw a bunch of people waiting outside by the back door of the theater. I said to Tom "What fools thinking Donny is going to come out that door." Then Tom said "There he is."

I was suddenly 14 years old again and took off running and screaming. Ha ha!

I busted my way through the crowd and got Donny's autograph and touched his hand.

I feel very "giddy" right now. Lol!

So Rachel had a wonderful time and came back with a t-shirt, necklace, and bracelet.

Her friend's mother loved seeing our girls so excited and she made sure they had the

time of their lives that night!

I have been to many Duran Duran concerts and have never come really close to Simon - though I swear John looked right at me at one of them - what an exciting night for Rachel and her friend.

Today my sister and my nephew from Texas are coming to visit.

I am so excited to see them and to spend a few days with them.

Family is the best!



Summer Update

"Stop the Horses!"

(This quote will only be understood by a few - for now.)

It seems that summer and blogging do not mix well for me.

Having 8 children at home - including 2 who love to be on my laptop - makes it hard for me to sit and write when I want.

Right now it is almost midnight and I would love to be in bed, but felt the need to sit and update a little before summer is over.

Our oldest 3 boys went to camp for a week.

They go to a Tourette Syndrome camp and get a chance to meet

other kids from all over the world who have TS and/or OCD.

It is wonderful.

They had a great time!

We picked them up on a Saturday and we were getting

ready to leave for our family vacation the next day.

Made for a busy day.

We decided to go to Lou Malnati's for lunch.

Noah and Rachel had both received certificates for free pizzas

from school for showing great character.

Our kiddos were very excited to be out at a restaurant and

our boys were telling us all about camp while our girls filled them in on what happened at home while they were gone.

Our pizza came - it was the wrong order.

Our waitress came back with the news that our pizza was

given to another table.

Ugh. But they brought us free pasta to satisfy our hungry family

while we waited for our pizza to be remade.

They also gave us a larger pizza than what we had ordered and

didn't charge us at all for it.

Nice.

We decided to go to church that

 evening since we were

planning to leave bright and early Sunday.

While walking in, an older couple held the door for us.

The wife wanted us to sit next to her and her husband.

She loved seeing a big family.

After mass she came up to me and slipped some money

into my hand and told me to take my family out for ice cream.

I told our children.

The next day we made sure to stop while driving to the lake for

some ice cream.

The 4th of July was spent with family at the lake.

We went to Wisconsin and had an incredible time.

Lots of swimming, boating, and hanging with family.

And amazingly enough - I won the adult tennis tournament ;o)

I just might have to take it up.

This week has been a bit stressful.

Little Cameron was hit with a high fever (104.5) for a couple

of days and had a high wbc.

After a couple of tests and lots of prayers - he is doing much better today.

Poor little guy.

He was wiped out from this fever. We are guessing it is a virus.

 He is on an antibiotic until we get the culture back from his UTI test.

And if he still has the fever by Friday they will admit him for tests...but

his wbc is down today and his fever went down to 101.

Praying he is all better soon and that no one else gets it.

So I am definitely sad to know summer break will soon be over.

We are doing the school shopping.

I have really enjoyed having my children home with me.

Brandon has been great with his siblings.

We went to the petting zoo last week with friends and he was

such a great help, esp. with Jakey - who adores B.

Ethan has also been great. We have been watching "thriller" movies

together at night after everyone else goes to bed. It's been fun.

Noah is always great to play with. He is a great older brother.

Rachel, Leah, and Sarah have really enjoyed being together.

They have done a lot of fashion shows and singing songs.

School and Talent Show have been the top things to play.

Jacob and Cameron amaze me with how much they have grown over the summer.

Jacob is talking and has such a great personality. He really looks up to his older siblings. Cameron is walking around and babbling a lot.

He really seems to understand what we say to him. Very observant.

Tommy and I are keeping busy and still trying to declutter our home.

That has been an ongoing goal.

Maybe when all of our children are grown :o)

Cameron is 1

"For this child I have prayed, and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart."

Today we celebrated Cameron's 1st birthday.

What an amazing year!

CJ has been a great addition to our family.

He fits right in.

He is a very happy little boy.

Cami loves to babble and has taken a few steps.

I love how he curls his little toes.

I love how he rubs my arm while he is nursing.

His little head is so soft and fuzzy.

His eyes are a beautiful blue.

His smile is very toothy and sweet.

Right now he is snuggled in my arms, on my chest.

He does not sleep in his crib.

He sleeps between me and Tom.

Bad habit?

I don't care.

I know he will be in his own bed one day.

I am very blessed and my family brings me much joy.

I am very thankful for them.

My Cami

Summertime

"What time is it? --- Summertime!"

And summer break begins....

So far so good.

School was done on Friday. Happy to have our children home with me.

Happy to have late nights and late mornings. (If 6:00am can count as late.)

I will miss most of our children's teachers.

We had a couple that I truly hope to spend another year with in the future.

On Saturday we had an amazing day in Chicago.

Go White Sox!

It was a long game - 12 innings - and we ended up losing, but

all in all it was a fun game. Exciting!

The tickets for all of us, the parking pass, and enough Sox Bucks to keep everyone happy were given to us. Wonderful gift! Perfect gift!

On Sunday we spent the day in the front yard playing in the kiddie pool.

The weather has been beautiful!

On Monday we celebrated my husband's birthday.

The rest of this week looks gorgeous and we will spend it

keeping our home picked up and spending time together outside.

Cameron is almost 1 year old!

He is taking a few steps and finally eating food.

He spent the first 11 months only nursing - would not eat baby food!

He has never eaten a jar of food.

A bite or 2 and then he was done. No interest.

But now that I can give him whatever I am eating, he loves to eat!

Certainly been a money saver I guess.

Jacob got his first haircut at 2 1/2 years old.

I went upstairs to take a quick shower when my oldest got home from his finals. When I came down, Jacob announced that he had cut his hair.

I was very upset. I loved his long hair. It was gone.

Later when our other children got home our oldest daughter pointed out to me that our 4 year old Sarah cut her hair too.

That's when I asked Jacob who really cut his hair.

He said, "Sarah."

Sarah hung her head down and cried.

Then Jacob walked over to his toy fire truck, lifted up the seat, and showed us the pile of hair hidden inside.

I will note here that Tom was very happy that Jacob got a haircut.

I took him to the salon I go to and had his haircut fixed.

He was very good. Sat perfectly still. No wonder Sarah was able to cut his hair.

He does look cute, but I will miss his curls.

Oh well. It's only hair right?

Maybe Cameron will have curls.

Our 2nd child got into his school's musical again.

He has made it every year.

I love that he is not shy when it comes to being on a stage.

I'd like for all of our children to have that self-confidence.

I am starting most of them on music lessons this summer.

Some guitar. Some piano. Some vocals.

Leah wrote a song and was "belting" it out.

It is very catchy. I'll have to try and post her singing it.

May our summer continue to go well.

Our daughters are playing very well together.

So glad they have each other.

And our sons are getting along too.

Our oldest, Brandon is spending time with our 3rd, Noah.

He is teaching him how to use a ripstick.

It's great to see them working together.

Our Journey 2011

"God gave me you for the ups and downs."

I made a video for Tommy for Valentines Day last year. 

I have been messing around trying to put  the video on here.

I have no idea what I am doing wrong.

I'll have to ask my children how to do it :o)

So for now I put it on YouTube.

Well, I put it on my son's YouTube account. 

Not sure how that happened.

Again, I'll have to ask my children.

http://youtu.be/E4lhPw2E_dc

Hmm....not sure how to take off all the empty space at the end or

how to make the link better.

Work in progress I guess.

Catch Up

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever."

It has been a long time since I have sat down with my laptop.

We've been very busy doing some home improvements.

I love it, but now I'm just waiting for someone to stain our new carpet or couch and someone to nick our newly painted walls.

It was a lot of work! And well worth it!

We still have a ton of organizing to do. We are really trying to cut back on the stuff in our home. I want to try and teach our children to focus on what is really important in life rather than the materialistic things in life.

But now our basement and garage are filled!

We wanted to spend the weekend putting our home back together, but I was hit hard with mastitis suddenly on Friday night. (A boo boo from nursing.)

My body started aching all over, I got chills and a fever.

Then the "pain" got unbearable. I went to the doctor and got put on

antibiotics right away.

So now I'm feeling better, but on my own to go through everything.

I will. I'm going to try and be strong & picky.

Some highlights of the last couple of weeks...

After one of the days spent painting, I got myself a "drink."

Our oldest son Brandon asked me, "What are you drinking?"

I told him I am an adult. I'm allowed.

He smiled and said, "I am actually happy to see you drinking. It means you're not pregnant."

Guess I should expect that from my oldest of 8.

Our 4 year old daughter Sarah was asking Tom to go upstairs with her and tuck her in to bed one night. Tom told her he couldn't go up right then and that he'd be up soon. Sarah whined a little bit more trying to get Tom to go up right then.

Finally she "gave up" and walked around the room giving everyone a goodnight kiss - everyone but Tom. Sarah started going upstairs when Tom asked her where his kiss was. Sarah looked back and with a sweet little smile said,

"Your kiss Daddy...is upstairs."

She played that very well.

Sarah also learned to ride a 2-wheeler. Yay Sarah!

Rachel decided she was going to teach Sarah and within a half hour, she did it!

Now Sarah can't get enough of riding her bike. She is a pro!

Little Miss Leah lost another tooth.

Her first top one.

But she swallowed it.

We were eating dinner. Rachel was sitting across from Leah.

Suddenly Rachel announces, "Leah your tooth is gone!"

And, well, yes it was.

Leah wrote a note to the tooth fairy explaining that she had swallowed her tooth. The tooth fairy was kind enough to still leave a dollar filled with fairy dust.

Cameron has started eating a little bit of "real food."

He still prefers nursing over everything else, but he does open his

mouth when I offer him some of the food on my plate.

He is pulling himself up to stand. He is almost ready to start walking.

(He does dance when he hears music.)

Jacob is really talking now. And he is all boy!

He loves cars and swords and wrestling around with his brothers.

Brandon, Ethan, and Noah are doing a great job "raising" my little boy. 



Easter 2012

"Never ignore a person who loves you, cares for you, and misses you. One day you might wake up and realize you lost the moon while counting the stars."

It took over a week to get my results.

Things look the same as last time, but now they have all the numbers they need.

I will go back in 6 to 9 months for another echo then we will go from there.

We had a nice Easter.

Our family went to church for confession the week before.

On Good Friday we went to our church for the Stations of the Cross done by the Youth Group. Our children Ethan and Rachel sang with the choir. The Youth Choir always sounds so beautiful.

Then on Sunday we celebrated Jesus' Resurrection, Easter.

Our children woke us up early - with coffee in bed - and waited for

Tom and I to come downstairs before digging into their baskets.

After checking out their goodies, we got ready for mass. We were able to walk to church. The weather was beautiful and we were actually ready to go early enough that we had time to walk.

Monsignor's Homily was very good. He talked about Heaven and how it is a place we all want to get to someday, but understandably, none of us are in a hurry to get there. That is because or our relationships we have here on Earth.

So true.

The people in our lives should be the most important part.

And just a personal "vent" just to get this out of my head...

I was just browsing on Facebook while nursing Cameron.

I read one of the most disturbing things I have ever read.

Someone posted an article about abortion.

There was a quote about someone wishing to speak to all the babies killed ever since abortion was made legal.

One of the replies after that was "Well then you'll have to travel to hell first because that's where all the unsaved go."

Why would someone say that? I was so upset by that statement. Is it all just a joke? One woman wrote about having a mass hysterectomy day just so women can have control over their own bodies. Ok - That's a bit extreme.

Just disturbing.

Cameron is snuggled in my arms right now.

He is getting so big - and it is all "me."

Cam refuses to eat anything! All he wants is to nurse.

He will "gag" on cereal, fruit,...I got him to eat two bites of yogurt yesterday. Today he took one little bite and no more.

He is growing and doing well so I'm trying not to worry. I will just try a little something with him every day.

He is standing and cruising along our furniture.

He will be walking before we know it!

Cameron's Prayers

"God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer."

Wednesday was a busy day.

Woke up to wish our oldest child a very happy 16th birthday!

He's a wonderful son. He even let me put a candle in his waffle.

Then I was off for my Heart Echo and Stress tests.

Tom took me.

I don't do well going to the doctor. I'm kind of a mess.

I was nervous - always am.

Anyways, Tom took Jacob and Cameron to the cafeteria while I did my tests.

The ladies that did my test were great. Very friendly and made me feel very comfortable. I will get the results next week.

While I was doing my test Tom called the pediatrician to make an appointment for our 9 mth old Cameron.

Cameron had had a fever for a couple of days, but acting fine. Then at around 2:00 am Wednesday, his fever went to 104.6. He was crying and couldn't eat.

(I nurse him.) You could tell he wanted to eat, but he just couldn't.

I called the emergency pediatrician number and spoke to a doctor.

He told me I could give a little more medicine, but if the fever went over 105 I should take Cam to the ER. Otherwise, make an appointment for the next day.

The little bit more medicine worked and Cam's fever went down.

Tom told me he got a 2:30 appointment.

We went to the store then went home to hang outside in the

beautiful 80 degrees and wait for Sarah to get home.

While we were outside I heard our phone ring. I went in and whoever had called had hung up. I looked at caller ID and saw that it was our pediatrician's office.

I was hoping there had been a cancellation and we could go earlier so I called them back. The receptionist told me that no one had called that she was aware of. I told her how I had hoped it was for an earlier time, but that we'd be there at 2:30. She put me on hold then came back to tell me that we were not down for an appointment in their office. Our appointment had been made for a different office - one much further away. When Tom couldn't find the phone number, he just redialed the one I had called at 2:30 in the morning. That's the emergency number at night and the other office during the day.

So she said she'd call the other office and cancel for me and she had an appointment with Cam's regular doctor at 1:30.

I think a little angel had made our phone ring.

So we took Cameron to the doctor.

They took a blood sample and a urine sample.

Poor little guy.

The urine was fine, but would be sent for culture.

The blood showed a high white blood count.

The highest normal is 11,000. Cameron's was 27,000.

The doctor sent us to the hospital for more tests.

(I would like to note here...don't google symptoms!!!)

At the hospital, we had an x-ray of Cam's chest done, a nasal swab for viruses, and more blood drawn. I tried very hard not to cry through all of this, but I did lose it a little. Especially when the nurse taking his blood said, "Wow that's high!" when she heard his blood count. She even expressed just how high that was when another nurse came in to help.

We left and picked up an antibiotic for Cameron.

They wanted to start one just in case.

I dropped off Tom and Jakey and Sarah at home.

It was Brandon's birthday so Tom wanted to get the grill started.

We were making Chicago Style Hot Dogs. Yum.

I kept Cam with me and went to Sarah's preschool to her conference.

Sarah is an August baby so we aren't sure if we should hold her back or send her to Kindergarten.

Right before walking in, Cam's doctor called. All tests were negative so far.

I would hear more the next day.

On Thursday, Cam's doctor called me in the morning.

Still nothing, but wanted me to come in the next day to check Cam's white blood count again. He was leaving town, so he updated another doctor.

So today is Friday and I took Cameron in.

All tests came back negative, his fever is gone, and his white blood count is back to normal.

God is good :o)

I believe our prayers were heard and answered quickly.

I think God knows I just couldn't handle anymore.

Now I wait for my results and pray they are good too.

Cameron

Cardiologist

"Remember this. When people choose to withdraw far from a fire, the fire continues to give warmth, but they grow cold. When people choose to withdraw far from the light, the light continues to be bright in itself, but they are in the darkness. This is also the case when people withdraw from God."

I met with my Cardiologist.

Tom went with me.

They did an EKG while I was there and checked my oxygen.

My blood pressure was back to where it normally is, so that was good.

I liked my doctor.

He was pretty relaxed about everything and wants to have another Echo done by another tech. This time I will have a stress test done too.

Tom and I felt a bit of relief after this visit.

My Tommy even had tears running down his cheeks when the doctor left the room. My husband is a very strong man and he didn't let me see how worried he has been. These tears were the ones he had been holding in so that I wouldn't get scared. He is my rock here on earth.

So next week I will go have the tests done.

My prayer is that my body is healthy so that I may be a good wife and mother.

I tease Tommy about my talks with God.

My body being made healthy again might be a "sign" that we

should add to our family - if it is God's will.

Tom would prefer I stop having these chats / thoughts :o)

He usually asks me how my bench is looking too.

We do love our children. Each one. Dearly.

Family is the most important "thing" here on earth to me.

I am thankful for what and who God has blessed me with.

Sometimes I read things on Facebook or on the internet that frustrate me.

Today there was an unkind opinion of people I feel I am part of.

There are groups that talk about caring about the health of women.

Possibly saving their lives.

That is all wonderful.

I agree that we should take care of ourselves.

We should take care of others.

And we should help each other out.

But then these groups also believe that life, that is just beginning, is a choice for them to make. How can one pray to God for their life to be healthy and continue to live on - while basically telling God that this other life is their choice? They want to have the right to decide whether or not that other life should continue to live on.
How can one ask for something they are not willing to give?

I don't understand.

Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.

How can one say their life is more precious than another?

At some point our life here on earth will end.

It's going to happen.

What is going to really matter then?

Tuesday

"Faith is not without worry or care, but faith is fear that has said a prayer."

Tuesday.

Tuesday I had my echocardiagram done.

I woke up early enough to help Tom get everyone ready for school then go to mass. Mass was a great way to start my day.

During the Homily, we were told that when we say the Our Father, we need to say it and feel it in our heart.

Since I was praying about my heart, that really stayed with me.

Backtrack - about a year ago a friend of mine asked me if I saw something by the Crucifix that hangs over the altar at our church.

I told her no and from then on I have been staring up there trying to figure out why she asked me that.

Well, on Tuesday, while we were all praying the Our Father, I saw it.

It was amazing!

I know many from my church read this, so I won't say what I saw just yet.

Why? Because I found it even more amazing that I didn't know what I was looking for - and then to hear that I saw what others have seen - made it more "special."

After mass I asked our Monsignor if he could say a blessing over me before I left for my test. He did. I still felt nervous, but better.

I left our church to go home and told God "Thank you."

I went home and sat down by Tommy on our couch.

After a moment, I smiled at Tom and whispered, "I need to tell you something."

He looked at me and I told him about how my friend had asked me awhile ago if I saw anything and how I had been looking ever since.

I told him that I saw it that morning.

Tom looked at me and said, "You saw ______."

I said, "Yes!!!"

I asked him if he had heard about it and he said no, but he had seen the same thing on Sunday while we were at mass. He was feeling very stressed that morning and when he looked up at our Crucifix, he saw the same as I had.

I had goosebumps all over.

I felt such joy.

So I went to my test knowing that God was with me and all would be ok.

But maybe not yet.

I got the call today.

There are some concerns with my heart and I will be seeing a Cardiologist next week. I am trying to stay calm and positive. Trying to not go "numb" so that I can still function as a mother.

I try to remember that this was found by "accident" and that maybe this

is just something I will go through and all will be ok eventually.

I pray for a good doctor.

I pray for him to make the right decisions.

I pray that all will be ok.

Florida

"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies."

We loaded up our 8 children and drove to Florida for a week.

What a wonderful week!

I thought the drive might be hard, but it wasn't bad at all.

I was a little worried when our 4 year old asked us if we were almost there after 45 minutes, but she soon got involved with her siblings and accepted the fact that we would be in our van for 8 hours that day and 8 hours the next.

One of our stops along the way was in Alabama. We love Cracker Barrel.

Our children love to play checkers and it's nice to stretch while looking around the store. Plus, their food is wonderful!

When we told them there were 10 of us, they asked if we'd be willing to split up. They could seat us a lot quicker. They found us 2 tables that were diagonal from each other, so that worked.

I got a crayon from our 4 year old and scribbled a little note on a napkin.

Sarah ran it over to Tom. He read it then smiled and laughed a little as he picked up a crayon and responded back to me. We went back and forth a few times. We wished we were able to sit together, but this was at least making the situation fun.

After everyone was done eating, Tom got the bill and came up to me to tell me he was going to go pay it. Our waitress walked over to us and asked Tom for the bill. She said there was a mistake on it and she needed to change something. Tom jokingly told her it was ok if she was making it less :o)

Tom excused himself to go to the restroom while we waited for our waitress to come back. A few minutes later another lady that worked there came up to me. I think she was the manager. She told me that we didn't need to pay our bill. I was puzzled. And I admit that the first thing in my head was - Oh goodness! What was wrong with our food??? But then she smiled and said that our bill had been paid by another table and they had already left.

Wow. I was speechless. I just smiled and told her thank you - then came the tears. Our bill was not a small bill. Someone paid our bill without wanting us to know who they were. And the only thing they knew about us was what they had observed during the hour we were there.

Pretty amazing. So kind and generous.

And our children thought that was pretty special as well. They loved telling everyone about it.

Our trip was full of special memories.

I didn't realize how much I love the beach.

It was around 70 degrees, windy. Not really the ideal weather for going swimming in the ocean, but perfect for spending time with your family on the beach. We had the whole area around us to ourselves.

There was one day when we were burying Ethan in the sand. I had some granola bars with me so I said we should try to get a seagull to come take a piece off of Ethan's tummy. There weren't any seagulls around us so Noah went on a hunt. He took a piece of granola bar and went running down the beach yelling for the birds to come.

Suddenly, there were about 40 - 50 seagulls swarming us.

One went for the piece on Ethan and he jumped out of the sand.

I fell to the ground laughing so hard. Soon we had an audience.

Other people came over to see what was going on. They were all laughing along with us. These birdies were not shy. Our kiddos even started feeding them by throwing pieces in the air and the birds were catching the pieces.

Poor Jacob had birds within 2 feet of him, hoping to get a treat while he was eating his granola bar.

On the way home we stopped in Alabama again at the same Cracker Barrel.
This time I bumped into a lady in the restroom and she was very  kind to me.
She asked if I was the mother of the family with 8 children that was sitting next to her. I said yes. She told me how beautiful my family is and told me I was doing a great job.
In Nashville we stayed at a great hotel. In the morning I took 6 of our children down to breakfast. Leah had her plate full and almost backed into a gentleman. I quickly told her to be careful. I think the gentleman could see I was a little "overwhelmed" at the moment. He looked me straight in the eye and smiled and said "It's ok. She did nothing wrong. You are doing everything right."
I really think at moments like these two, God is having His angels speak to me through strangers. I feel like this is what God wants me to know.
And it feels good :o)

The week went by very quickly.

We had a wonderful time with my parents. A wonderful time with each other.

I hope we can make this a yearly trip.

Jakey on the beach

A Little Vent

"Just as there is one final drop that makes a glass overflow, there is one act of kindness that makes the heart overflow. That is the moment when a friendship has been formed."

Happy St. Valentines Day!

I am happy to say that Thomas is still my Valentine and our children are what love has done.

One of my new favorite sayings from Pinterest :o) Look what our love has done - written over a picture frame.

It has been awhile since I have written. So much going on. Lots of illnesses going on. But that's how it works right? I swear we don't see a doctor for months and then all of a sudden we are there a couple days a week for a couple of weeks. Lots of coughing, fevers, and tummy issues.

I went to convenient care for myself last week. I could not take the pain anymore.

I actually called my husband from the parking lot to see if I should really bother. He told me to go in and take care of myself. So I did.

I wish there was a different place I could go. Last time I went to this place I felt the nurse was rude. And again, I got another rude nurse.

The nurse asked me to give her a number between 1 and 10 to rate my pain.

I said a 7. She put her pen down and looked at me and said, "Really? A 7?"

She looked at Cameron who was sleeping in his car seat and said, "Let's say giving birth is a 10. Now rate your pain."

So I said if giving birth is a 10 then maybe I am a 5.

She said, "That sounds better. Giving birth is painful - which you know. I have 2 children. I did it twice! It was painful."

(Picture me with a little smirk on my face.)

I looked at her and told her that Cameron is my 8th child. I've done it 8 times.

The nurse stopped writing and just looked at her paper and said, "You have 8 children?" Then she looked at me and said, "You know you can prevent that."

Wow. Why do some people think they have a right to make comments like that?

How can you look at my child and tell me I could have prevented "that."

I was so disgusted. She then told me that I couldn't complain about how painful it was since
I chose to keep doing it.

I reminded her that I didn't complain.

And made it clear that I would not have wanted to prevent any of my children.

I love each one of them.

What nerve. I wish I hadn't been in so much pain at the time.

But I just might go grab a sheet when I go back in to write some comments about my visit and Nurse Corinne.

Anyways, so the doctor did find a sinus infection and a heart murmur.

Tomorrow I will go in to have my regular doctor listen to my heart to see what he thinks.

Of course, my anxiety is high.

But my doctor's nurse told me over the phone not to worry about it.

I'm trying.

God's hand

"Faith is not without worry or care, but faith is fear that has a prayer."

Today I had a moment.

A moment of sadness and fear, then peace. 

I have been going through a lot of emotional issues lately.

Lots of changes going on around me.

Lots of uncertainty.

I was sitting on our couch with little Cameron on my lap.

My mind was filled with worry.

My eyes were filled with tears.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I knew I needed to calm down and rely on my faith.

Then I felt a very light touch on my lips.

I kept my eyes closed and just took in the comfort I felt.

When I opened my eyes, Cameron's big beautiful blue eyes were looking straight into my eyes. His little fingers were gently going across my lips.

I whispered, "Oh my gosh...Thank you."

The feeling was so strong.

It was as if the hand of God was touching me.

That is all I could think.

Cameron's little hand was created by God.

It is God's hand.

Cameron's little touch
was reminding me of what is important in life.

Christmas & New Year

"Family is Forever"

I am amazed how quickly the last 2 weeks have gone by.

Christmas Eve was wonderful.

We went to mass in the afternoon. Ethan and Rachel sang in the choir.

After, we took our family picture by the altar. I got a few of our younger ones looking at the nativity scene too.

Then we all piled into our "Sherman Tank" - as it is so kindly referred to by many at our church - and went to Cheeseburger in Paradise for our annual dinner out. Our waitress was very sweet. She was great with our children.

Turns out she lives just around the corner from us. She knew our dog, but was surprised to learn how many children lived in our home too. I think she knew our dog because he barks whenever she walks hers by our home.

Everyone left very happy from the restaurant. Our children were very well behaved too. As we were leaving, a small group of people at another table asked us if all 8 were ours. Then they told us how well behaved they all were. That is so nice to hear from other people.

We went home and got our stockings ready. We made some reindeer food and put out a plate of cookies with some milk. We looked up online to see where Santa was and when our girls saw that he was close, they yelled for everyone to get to bed quickly.

Brandon and Ethan could not sleep.

Brandon stayed up in the loft for a good portion of the night. He was playing video games online with some friends. Ethan got up for awhile and watched.

Finally, Tom and I decided to go to bed. It was very late!

And before we knew it, we had 6 children waking us up with coffee in their hands. After asking them to give us a few minutes to enjoy our coffee and get up, poor little Jakey got woken up by his siblings. They say he was awake when they peeked in on him, but I still doubt that. I got Cameron out of his cradle and prepared him for all the excitement and joy he was about to experience on his first Christmas morning.

The presents were torn into immediately.

I think I got to see most of them opened.

Lots of Art supplies, Video games, Woo Woos, American Girl Dolls, Dinosaurs,...

The one very sweet moment was when Sarah opened up her Bitty Twins. She didn't want an American Girl Doll like her sisters got, she wanted the AG Bitty Twins - a boy and a girl. She opened up the box and took out the boy doll and said, "Here Jacob."

She loves him.

Later that day we went to my sister's home to spend dinner with her family and our parents. It was a very nice evening.

We ended up bringing my sister's 2 children home with us. We kept our niece and nephew for the next 2 days. My parents came over and spent the 2nd day with us then took our niece and nephew back to their home.

The rest of the week we spent just relaxing and having fun.

New Years Eve we spent at home. My parents and nephew came back over, and so did Tom's mother. We had a nice visit. They didn't stay until midnight. In fact, only Cameron, Rachel, and I were awake to welcome 2012.

Cameron was crying in his cradle so I ran upstairs to get him. On my way back down the stairs I heard someone's car alarm go off and then heard fireworks. I yelled down to Rachel that it was midnight. She ran up and met me on the landing we have in the middle of our stairway. We gave each other a big New Year hug and kiss. Then I went downstairs and startled sleeping Tom with a kiss.

I got out my phone and texted a few friends and family.

On New Years day we drove to Tom's sister's home. Tom's dad and wife were there along with our niece and 2 of our nephews. It was a wonderful day.

We drove home late that night.

Next day we had my parents over. Tommy made yummy chicken chili and coconut shrimp.

So today was spent going through backpacks and preparing for school tomorrow.

I am sad. We had a nice break together as a family.

Brandon was able to practice his driving and do some awesome drawing.

Ethan got to hang out with friends and go to the movies. (He and I also stayed up late to watch scary movies together.)

Noah got to play with friends and spend time playing video games.

Rachel got to go bowling and hang out with her sisters. We did "spa" day.

Leah got to have her first sleepover at a friend's house. She also enjoyed writing notes to everyone in our family.

Sarah got to spend a lot of time with her siblings and grandparents. She really enjoyed drawing pictures for everyone to see.

Jacob got to play with all his siblings and he moved into his own big boy bed.

Cameron got to have his 6 mth pictures taken and he learned how to sit up. He is also trying new foods.

Tom and I got to spend some special time together.

Wonderful Christmas and New Year.

We are very blessed.