My Dad

My dad has been having a lot of problems lately.
He's got congestive heart failure.
The fluid is building up really bad. (His legs and feet are swollen so bad that it doesn't even look like he has ankles.)
He spent a day or 2 in the hospital here last week.
Another problem that he's facing is that he HAS to have lasics to get rid of the fluid for his heart, and yet the lasics are destroying his kidneys.
For whatever unknown reason - they sent him home last week without resolving the fluid issue.
Now it's gotten worse.
Yesterday morning early, his defibulator shocked him - 3 times.
Mom took him to the ER.
They then transferred him by ambulance to Cleveland Clinic.
He goes there for 'routine maintence'. He's considered a 'complicated case'.
Here's a little history:
He had an artificial heart valve put in back in 1982. Then later on, he needed another one. That's when they sent him to Cleveland. At that point, they put in another valve and also replaced the 1st one. A few years ago, they sent him back up there to put in a pacemaker/defibulator. (That's gone off more than once since then.)
At this point, they're running tests, but I don't know a whole lot else.
Please keep him/us in your prayers.

Getting ready for Christmas

I usually get stressed out a little this time of year.
I always think I won't get everything ready in time.
I always do - but there are still times I doubt I'll be able to pull it all off.
It seems even harder this year - with having to go to school!
Last week, I was in a serious tizzy over it all.
Not so much now. I'm going to make it.
At this point, I think I have all my cards done, I'm 3/4 way done wrapping, and all my shopping is done.
I haven't started baking yet, but I'll get there.

Our Advent Calendar


Putting Up The Tree




We even went to see Santa last weekend.
He wasn't nearly as scary as he was last year.
She didn't sit on his lap, but she did talk to him.

School

Leila started pre-school right after Thanksgiving.
Her pre-school is thru the public school system.
It's all day, 4 days a week.
We're not doing that yet though.
Leila has severe attachment issues and separation anxiety.
It's not that she's NOT attached - rather she's TOO attached.
And it seems as though, she get worse the older she gets.
The only people she will stay with willingly now is the 4 of us and my mom.

The school is wonderful though.
They are really bending over backwards to work with us.
So far, I take her in late (she's not a morning person).
We leave early.
My plan was to gradually stretch her day, and go in a little earlier and leave a little later until she's there all day.
My plan was to also leave her there. So far that hasn't happened.
The school lets me stay there with her. (I'm the only mommy that doesn't drop and leave.)

She likes school.
When I ask her if she wants to go - she always says yes.
She grabs her little backpack and is ready.
However...since school started, she hasn't been sleeping.
Leila has ALWAYS been a good sleeper - 12 hrs at night, and then a 1-2 hr nap.
She now wakes up almost every night and cries for hrs.
We've even cut out naps in at attempt to makes her sleep all night out of sheer exhaustion.
I took her to the doctor too.
We thought that maybe there was a medical reason for this (like an ear infection). Nope.
The doctor thinks it's anxiety related.
She's been home now for over 2 years, she was so young when we got her, and she didn't have any adjustment issues back then - so I didn't think her 'unique situation' (as the doctor calls it), should be causing issues now.
Not so.
The doctor said that studies have shown the 1st year is so very, very important and that it can/will cause issues for years.
Her recommendation is to give it till Christmas and then re-evaluate.
If she's still not sleeping, maybe we need to cut back on school rather than increase the time there.
After all, she is still a very young '3'.
I don't think we should 'drop-out' though. (Wow, a preschool drop-out!)
If nothing else, maybe she should just continue to go one day a week.
That way, she would still get speech, still get some socialization with kids her age, and get her more and more familiar and comfortable for next year.
I'm just not sure right now - this has been very stressful for all of us.

Thanksgiving

Wow, I am behind on my posts.

I'll start with Thanksgiving.
We surely had a full house here.
Both of David's brothers came into town. (One from MD and one from GA.)
It was a nice day.
I think we had 23 people here for dinner. (Good thing I've got a big kitchen!)

I did go shopping on Black Friday.
Lisa didn't go with me though.
I was really sad about that - I missed her.
She and I ALWAYS go together.
That's 'OUR' day - all ours, all day.
But my sister-in-law went. I've never been shopping with her, and we had a nice time.
She's probably one of the most easy-going people I know.
She never seems to get upset or say anything bad about anyone. (Perhaps I should strive to be more like her!)

Austin

Austin is 17.
In a lot of ways, he's a typical 17 year old (the world revolves around him, he's a little lazy on the things I want him to do, etc).
And yes, there are days that he drives me crazy and I absolutely want to pinch his head off.
BUT, he can be a really good kid too, and I'm so very proud of him.
He goes to school.
Although in some classes, I think his grades could be a little better - he still manages to stay on the honor roll. (Which gets us the 'good student' discount on his insurance.)
He has a job now.
He works at least 3 days a week as a gymnastics coach. (Which is good, because he's always wanting something, and he's expensive.)
Wrestling season just started.
He was picked as one of the wrestling captains for his HS team this year!
He even shot a nice deer with his bow a few weeks ago.
How's that for busy, busy, busy.

Halloween Birthdays

It's tough having lots of things all at the same time.
2 birthdays and Halloween in 3 days.

We didn't do much for any of it this year.
Very low key - no big parties.
(Darrell was supposed to go on a 4-wheeler trip, but due to David's accident last week - that got postponed until a later date.)
We went trick-or-treating and to the block party for Halloween.
We had cake and ice cream for the birthdays.
Not a lot of excitement, but that's okay - I'm sure we'll make it for it later.

Trick-or-Treat with a Pink Zebra



Leila's 3rd Birthday


Darrell's 14th Birthday


A Fall Family Picture at Church

Tree Stand

What a week!
It's bow season here, and David has been slipping off to the woods every chance he gets.
On Wed, he was supposed to have dinner with his boss but they decided to do lunch on Thurs instead.
SO, off to the woods he went.
About the time I was expecting to hear that he was on his way home - he called me.
He had fallen out of his tree stand.
Yes, he has the safety strap, and yes, he had used it.
But apparently, there's another part that you use as you're climbing up and down, into and out of it.
THAT was the part he forgot that day.
As he was coming down, he fell.
Another thing - I had NO idea where he was. Only a general idea of the vicinity of the land, he was hunting on.
I had to call Austin at work - because they are the only 2 that know where their stands are.
He had to immediately leave work (thank goodness they're understanding and nice).
I left Leila with Darrell and said - feed her something for dinner and do something with her!
We found David and took him to the ER.

When you fall more than 3 times your body length - it's considered a trama, and you get right in - no waiting (woohoo).
God was with him, because he had no major damage. Thank goodness.
At that point, we had 3 cars out and only 2 drivers. Austin and I worked them home little by little.
So after a VERY long evening, we all made it home about 12:30.

Thurs was Trick-or-Treat.
David made it out for that to watch Leila gather her loot.
But, Thurs night, he started bleeding.
On Fri morning, I took Leila to her preschool evaluation, and David headed back to the ER.
They admitted him for internal bleeding.
(Once again - 3 cars, 2 drivers.)
After running several tests, they're still not 100% sure where the blood was coming from, but it seems to be stopping.
They sent him home this afternoon with instructions to follow up with the dr on Mon.

We had cake and ice cream tonight for Leila and Darrell's birthdays.
Fortunately, David seems to make it home each time just in time for the important things - but I'm exhausted at this point.

Oh yeah, and his bow is totaled.
When he heard that - I had to keep reminding him of just how lucky he really was and of how much worse things could have been.
But the bow with all the sights and junk on it, is about $600-$800. And we just don't have that kind of money right now to replace it.
I'm sure he'll be even sadder once he feels better.

Carving Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins on Sunday.
We always say we're going to do it early, but never do.
We actually managed to do it before Halloween this year!

Leila thought she wanted to help - until time to do it.
There was NO way she was putting her hand down in that 'yucky' thing.
David tried and tried to get her to help him, but each and every time, he got a definite and resounding - 'NNNOOOOOOO'.


David and Leila did one, and Darrell did one.
(Austin came home about the time they were finishing up.)



Austin had senior pictures taken last week.
If anyone wants to see them, go to www.putneyphotography.com
Click on HS Senior Gallery and then his name.
I've been eliminating some, but I still have a ways to go.

I have friends that home school their kids.
I know some are very good at it.
They put lots of time and work into it.
Their kids are smart, well-adjusted, and polite.
It's not for me though.
I do fear that we would all go crazy and end up in jail.
HOWEVER - we still learn LOTS of things from each other.

For instance:
The boys taught Leila how to do the 'Loser' sign during church a few weeks ago.
And just last night, Leila taught them that sticking a pretzel up your nose will make your nose bleed.
See - we're educational too!

Homecoming 2010

A little bit of 'Spirit Week' from Homecoming 2010

Spirit Day


'Blast from the Past' Day

Birthday Party

We had a surprise birthday party for my dad last Sat.
It wasn't one of the 'big' birthday's (65, 70, 75, 80, etc). It was 73.
So he really wasn't expecting it. And we pulled off the surprise!
Considering that we only decided a week beforehand to do it - I think we did pretty good with it.
We had it at our church and ended up with about 45 people.
Most of my aunts and uncles made it - very few of my cousins though.
I'm not sure if they didn't get word, or if they already had other plans.

On the downside, Leila had gotten a flu shot on Fri.
I know that people in the medical profession say it does not make you sick.
But a lot of people in the general population says it does.
She's gotten one the last 2 years and been fine with it. Not this time.
She was sick from Sat until Mon. She ran a fever - no other symptoms (other than whiny).
But it made her not the most pleasant person for the party.

Dad


Mom


Me & Leila


Austin & David


Darrell


Darres & Juanita




Dad & some of his brothers

2nd Gotcha Day

Today was our 2nd Gotcha Day.
We didn't do much to celebrate.
David worked today. The boys had school. I ran some errands.
Austin was off tonight (oh yeah - he got a job a few weeks ago).
Darrell's track practice got cancelled due to rain.
We did all manage to go out to eat together this evening before Leila went on to gymnastics though.
We went for Chinese - of course.

I had a new Chinese dress for her, but she doesn't like it and won't wear it.
The neck comes up high, and it bothers her.
With her - it definitely HAS to feel good, and apparently this just doesn't.
I had even considered putting it on her for Halloween.
I know - it would have been a little bit of a cop-out.
But hey, I thought it would work.
I guess not.
I have no idea what I'm going to do with it now (or what she's going to be either for that matter).


Austin's job?
Well, he got a job at Leila's gymnastics place.
He's working with the girl's team.
So far, he really likes it.
It interferes with his weight lifting schedule - which his wrestling coach wasn't too happy about.
But Austin assured him that he was lifting 'weights' and getting a far better workout at the gym than he'd been getting in the weight room.
He's doing better now, but oh my, was he sore and tired that first week.

Happy Travel Day

2 years ago today, we got on a plane and headed around the world to pick-up this beautiful baby girl.

Although it may be a sad day in our nation's history - it's a happy day for our family.
Happy Travel Day to all our Travel Buddies!
I've enjoyed 'knowing and growing' with all of you the last 2 years.

Family Weekend

We just had a full family weekend.

My dad's family had a family reunion on Sat.
Perfect weather. Lots of food. Good company. What more could you want?
My aunt had come across a huge barrel of hats somewhere. These were expensive, outrageous, beautiful, and yes - somewhat outlandish hats.
She decided that we should have a 'hat parade'.
Well now - this family will do just about anything suggested. So, yep - a 'hat parade' it was.
Pretty much everyone was seen in fancy finery at some point that day.






On Sun afternoon, we went to David's mom's for my birthday brunch.
My birthday was actually last week, but sometimes it's easier to get together on weekends than it is during the week.

Later Sun night, we had cookout with my mom's family. More food.
As much as I'd like to eat like that all the time - it's probably not in our best interest.

1st Day of School

School started yesterday.
Have you ever wanted to choke a kid?
Oh, yeah - if you have one, then of course, you've wanted to at some point!

After the boys left, I was cleaning and found some papers.
Oopps, there was Austin's summer assignment for Civics class.
Was it done, and he'd simply forgotten to take it? NO!
Had I reminded him various times over the summer that it need to be done? YES!
Had he even started it? NO!
Has he had it since June? YES!
Was I ready to choke him at that point? YES!

I texted him.
Here's how it went:
Oh my gosh - here's ur summer civics assignment! U didn't do it and it's 150 pts!
It's ok - I don't have civic till next semester.
(Keep in mind that would be okay - IF he had known that all along. He didn't. He just found out his schedule 2 weeks ago.)
Why do u have ur phone out in class?
Why r u texting me during school?
Don't change the subject!

I WILL survive! - Won't I???

Austin's 1st Day as a Senior


Darrell's 1st Day as an 8th Grader


Leila - Just Because

Adoption Seminar

We're going to be helping out with an Adoption Seminar hosted by our agency (America World)next Sat.
The invitation to open to one and all to join us.

It will be at:
LifeSong Church
1100 Greenup Avenue
Ashland, KY 41101
August 28th 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

PLEASE REGISTER AT: AWAA Events
Call to register today.
8 8 8 - O N E - C H I L D

Riding Rides

We took Leila to our county fair.
(The boys went almost every night, but we only went a couple.)
She LOVED it!
She loved everything about it - the animals, the music, the people, the rides...
She liked the rides enough to ride by herself - and if you know Leila, that's saying something.


Then boys and I went to Kings Island with the church this past week.
We like going this time of year because most OH schools have already gone back, which means it's not crowded.
Although the weather is still hot, we got lucky and had a good day - not too hot, not too muggy.

I learned a few things that day:
I'm getting too old for some of the rides.
I take longer and longer to recover from each one every year.
It is possible to drag bottom on the log ride.
Some people REALLY do NOT like heights (Drop Zone).

Lots of fun - Lots of good memories though.


On another note, I would like to catch a break.
In fact - winning the lottery would be nice.
(Yes, I do realize that having a ticket would greatly increase my odds - but still ... )

We've had David's truck in the shop - not once, but twice in the past month.
Now, Austin's truck in there. And I'm scared to death to get a verdict on the repairs this time.
We have another water leak. (At least this one's small and not doing much damage though.)
And someone got David's debit card info!
I was checking the bank balance one morning last week, and found several hundred $'s had been charged to a French airline.
I blocked the card immediately, and we've filed to get our money back.
The bank assured us that we won't actually lose our money.
BUT in the meantime - someone (other than us) still has it, and is going somewhere that I might really want to go.

4-Wheeler Ride

David went on a big 4-wheeler ride last week.
He was SO excited. He's been planning this for months.
He went over to McDowell County with a bunch of guys.
This was his 'guys' trip - his equivalent of my 'girls' trip to the beach.
He was having fun - until he rolled his 4-wheeler and came home a day early.
No, he wasn't doing anything stupid at the time. It was just a freak accident.
The bike (I think) only has minor damage.
David, on the other hand, has been off work all week.
This is his back:

I won't post one of his butt (you're welcome).
Let's just say, it's bad too.
Hoping he gets to feeling better soon - because men to be a little whiny when they don't feel good (sshhh!).

Busy, Busy, Busy

It's been a while since I posted.
We've been BUSY!

2 weeks ago, we had our annual swimming party for the church.
Some of the 'regulars' couldn't make it for one reason or the other, but the ones that did - had a good time.
We swam and ate all afternoon.

Then sports started full-swing.
Austin's been weight-lifting in preparation for wrestling for about a month now.
He also decided to go out for golf this year.
Golf is a little different in that they only take the top 4-6 'qualifiers' to each tournament.
Austin just started playing golf this summer. Most people on the team have been playing since they were like 6.
Chances are - he may never 'qualify' at all this year.
He was a little disheartened by that thought at first.
(And it didn't help that there's a couple snotty brats on the team too.)
But after thinking/talking about it - it's okay.
He's still getting FREE golf lessons and FREE play time every day. (And since golf is such an expensive sport - that's pretty good.)
Learning this now is something he will be able to enjoy the rest of his life.
(I love his wrestling, but let's be honest - after high school, wrestling is pretty much over.)
Darrell started cross-country. He likes track season, but he loves cross-country.
He says he gets bored just running in circles. Cross-country gives him variety.

I took Austin to buy a suit for senior pictures and all that 'senior' stuff.
(Not really ready for that.)

Can't believe school starts in about a week and a half!
Austin will be a senior, and Darrell will be in the 8th grade.
And then there's Leila.
Boy we've got them spread out, don't we?

After about a month lull, Leila started with (another) new speech teacher.
She seems to be doing really well with her though.
Hopefully we'll be able to keep this one until she ages out of the program in Oct.

One of my (many, many) cousins had a birthday last week.
We had a little mini reunion to celebrate.
Actually I believe the birthday was just an excuse to get together and party a bit.
This is just a few of them:

HomeWrecker

We have a restaurant not too far from here.
It's called 'HillBilly Hotdogs'.
This is the kind of place you absolutely HAVE to see to believe.
If you've never heard of it and just drive by - you either won't believe it's an actual restaurant, or you'll be afraid to eat there out of fear of gangrene or some other unimaginable illness.
HOWEVER, they have the BEST hotdogs and the most delicious, unusual combination of things to go on them you've ever seen.
AND, I've never driven by, but what I haven't seen the parking lot full.
They've been featured on TV shows (such as The Food Network's 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'), as well as in several national magazines.

Well - our preacher found out about a 'special' hotdog they have.
He decided we needed to try it.
It's called the "HomeWrecker".
It's 3.5 lbs. The hotdog itself is 1 lb and 15" long.
Then they pile on jalapeno peppers, chili sauce, slaw, and a habanero sauce.
IF you can eat this concoction in 12 minutes - you get a FREE t-shirt.
Woo-Hoo!

Today was the day.
We had 4 guys up for the challenge.
(David and Austin were 2 of the 4.)
They've been planning their strategy.
It was discussed at the fellowship dinner on Fri.
It was refined at church this morning.
We went this afternoon.

Let me tell you - the pictures we had seen on the internet did NOT do this thing justice.


Even with t-shirts on the line, I'm sorry to say ... none of them made it.
Maybe if they'd had 15 minutes, instead of 12. But ... no.
A good time, a nice afternoon, but no t-shirts for us.

BTW - I had a fantastic hot dog.
Mine was deep fried with hashbrowns, eggs, cheese and bacon.
Darrell had a 'pizza dog'.
Leila's 'Puppy Dog Meal' had a hot dog, a juice, a package of cookies, a handful of candy and balloons. (She was loving it.)
3 of us didn't feel sick on the way home!

China Reunion

We traveled to Columbus on Sat for our 2nd annual 'China Reunion'.
4 of our families made it.
David didn't get to go. Although he was still officially supposed to be on vacation, he ended up having to work both Fri and Sat.

Dan and Nicole hosted this year at her parents' house.
It was a wonderful place to have it.
Big, beautiful back yard, swimming pool, trampoline, swing set, hammock, sand box, etc.
(We just may invite ourselves again!)

2 of the families have added additional children since last year.
It was good to see the old ones, and meet the new ones.
The kids (and the men) played. The women visited.
A very enjoyable day.

Leila - not so great.
It was naptime - and we all know how she is with her sleep and with new people and new places.
She did swim a little, and she did jump a little.
But overall, she was clingy - until almost time to go. Figures!
That's when she decided that - hey, this place is alright.
That's when she decided to get down and play and be nice and socialize.
What to do with her sometimes?????

'Doesn't Leila Look Nice?'


Hallie & Emmali


Claire


Enick & Evan


Elijah


Darrell & Jake


Emmali, Hallie & Leila (and Katie)


Leila


'Playing with Bubbles'