Praying for Stellan

I read this wonderful blog by the most honest mother ever!!!!! Her name is MckMama and she has four children under the age of 5. Her youngest son, Stellan, is turning 1 today and is in the PICU. He has a heart condition that started in the womb. Please include him in your prayers today. If you want to read to whole story click on the Praying for Stellan button on the left. Thank you!!!! *****Warning, her blog is addicting********

Decisions, Decisions

Big changes are ahead for our household. I can feel it. No I'm not pregnant. I can't go into too much detail because I'm not exactly sure who reads this. Big decisions to be made. I am trying to stay positive and "go with my gut." However, I have always been Miss Safe and Cautious. Please pray for us as we decide on these major issues.

The Cake (dessert and a lesson)

Once upon a time there was a mom with a food allergic child. She had a brilliant idea to take up cake decorating and "wow" everyone with her exceptional cakes. Everyone would want her to make these cakes (that were not only beautiful but also dairy free) for their children's birthdays. Then when her precious T attended these birthday parties he could eat the same cake as his friends and not feel left out. Good plan, right?!?

I recently became obsessed with cake decorating shows. While spending hours on the couch recovering from surgery and an allergic reaction to bandaids (long painful story) I watched lots and lots of cake shows. They make it look soooo easy. So when my mom asked me what I was planning to bring to my sister's graduation party I offered to bring the cake. She asked me if I was serious. Sure I was, how hard could it be?

I spread the process out over 4 days because I have a tendency to get overwhelmed. Wednesday I made the fondant. Thursday I bought the cake mix, icing, and other cake making necessities. Friday I made the cakes (double chocolate fudge w/ whipped chocolate filling). Everything was coming along great. Saturday was left for decorating. I told everyone who would listen about this wonderful cake in the making. I had a vision of the completed product. A two tiered cake, covered in white fondant and decorated with yellow fondant stars with a black and yellow (Lindenwood University colors) piped icing trim. Simple.

Saturday I rolled out the fondant and covered both tiers, easy. I put straws in the bottom tier and carefully put the top tier in place, easy easy! I started piping the yellow and black trim around the bottom of the top tier. Did you know when black and yellow icing mixes it looks like baby diarrhea? And then it started dripping down the bottom tier. I tried to color the baby poop icing yellow, then black, nothing. Then panic set in. Roy came to look and offered a few suggestions. I cried. He said to make the bottom tier black. I hate black icing. To make a long story shorter I ended up with a beautiful blue color instead of black. So I used it to cover the bottom layer and from there came all new ideas. Roy told me the end product was probably better than my original plan.

When I was young I envisioned my future as having a wonderful loving husband and 3 or 4 children. Finding the perfect man , I thought, would be difficult. Having the children would be fun and easy. Falling in love with Roy was easy (almost too easy), kind of like the first 3 days of cake making. The part with the kids has been challenging and not what I expected, kind of like the cake decorating. Hopefully my life will be exactly like this cake process, not what I expected or planned for but better then I could have ever imagined.

I will post a picture as soon as I get a chance to upload my pictures. When my sister cut into it at her party I wanted to slap her. All that hard work and she just cut into it. How dare she?

Mr Crab Goes to the New Kids on the Block Concert

Whenever Tyler is having a bad day he tells us "Mr Crab is here." On Wednesday there is no doubt in my mind that Mr Crab tagged along with me to the New Kids concert. I don't know what my problem was. I could not get excited about the concert for the life of me. However the evening took an incredible turn..........


I went to the concert with my sister Melissa and two cousins Nikki and Stevie. We got there @ 5:45 (2 hours early). We were waiting in line when we noticed a group of people selling upgraded tickets for $10 (they worked there it was legal ;)) We purchased lawn tickets originally because we are all poor. So we decided to upgrade our seats to row ee. When we found our seats there was a security woman lingering. She started talking to my cousin Nikki. There is speculation that she was hitting on her, but whatever. She asked her if she was a New Kids fan (she was wearing a New Kids shirt, do non fans do this?) Then she told us something that made us all scream and giggle like 10 year olds. During the 6th song of the concert there would be a stage set up 5 rows in front of us and 1 of the New Kids would be right in front of us. What???????? So we waited and waited. Then 5 minutes before they were going to come on stage we noticed the row 3 rows in front of us was empty. So we quickly gathered our things and ran to the 2nd row. So now we would be 1 row from a New Kid. Sure enough there was a stage set up and here they came. Joey McIntyre ran right by us followed by Jordan Knight (who is gorgeous by the way). Then Jon Knight jumped right up on our stage and leaned over to us. Here is the funny part. My sister is beautiful and skinny, so who's hand does he grab first. That's right. I don't know if it was a fit of jealousy or what but my hand swung over to there's and I scratched his arm. Thankfully I just took off my acrylic nails and my fingernails are very weak. He quickly grabbed my hand with a light squeeze and moved on to the next crazy fan. So there you go I waited 20 years to assault a New Kid. Here is a pic from our exciting moment..............



Here is my cousin Nikki helping me get out of the parking lot without letting any cars in. I think Mr Crab went home with the people in the car in front of us because they gave her the finger.

Don't Whine Because You're 30.

To celebrate my 30th we rented a van, gathered our closest friends and family and headed to Augusta to hit the wineries. It was a day of food, wine (duh), funny moments, very interesting conversation, and a little vomit (sorry Angie noone remembers really!) Here are a few fun moments from the day!

Blessings All Around Me

The last month has been tough for us. At the beginning of May we received some devastating news regarding my reproductive health. I've realized lately that I am way stronger than I ever thought. After I woke from my surgery and Roy broke the news, I spent two days boo hooing and feeling sorry for myself. Then a strange thing happened. I felt a calm come over me and a feeling that everything was going to be OK. Also I started realizing God's presence all around me. Songs coming on the radio at just the appropriate time, Tyler all of the sudden not asking for a sibling, little things that gave my peace and a stronger belief that everything truly would be OK. Everything else seemed to be getting better. We accepted the diagnosis, started looking at our options, even went on a budget to plan for expensive procedures. Then this week we got more bad news. A follow up ultrasound revealed the need for another surgery and a risk of losing more of our options. Unfortunately I have to wait until next week to talk to the doctor and get all the information. So I went into another bout of boo hooing and feeling sorry for myself, only to be brought out of my funk by a customer. A sweet lady that is always cheerful and chatty. She was diagnosed with lung cancer in November and has maintained her positive attitude through the whole process. She visited me on Wednesday. During our chat she told me she was finding out next week if her cancer was terminal or not. She has to wait a week to find out if she is going to die. How ironic that a woman would come in with a week of waiting and a positive attitude. If anything this whole experience has strengthened my religious beliefs and made me thankful for everything good in my life. I am truly blessed.


****Update***** Looks like surgery is going to happen. My tangerine size cyst is definitely making a comeback. Please keep us in your prayers. Also if you could squeeze in a prayer for me to lose 5lbs in the next week so I look FABULOUS in my birthday party dress it would be greatly appreciated. 30 here I come! Yikes!

Oh Boy I'm a Blog Slacker (or so I've been told)

Not only am I a blog slacker but also a horrible mother. I've let a whole week pass without a birthday post for my big boy.



Here are some fun facts about T:
Age:4
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: McDonalds Chicken McNugget Happy Meal w/ HiC Orange & BBq Sauce
Favorite Shows: Justice League, Caillou, Scooby Doo
Favorite Songs: Transformers theme song, Farmer in the Dell
Nicknames: Bubba, Big T, Sleen Bryant


Roy and I took 10 days off work to celebrate T's big birthday. We attended a wedding, swam with friends, went to Six Flags, had two small family gatherings, bought a car, cleaned the house, ate A LOT of delicious food, had pictures taken, went to a 4 year check up, busy, busy.

Here are some pics from our eventful week:

Justice League Party Cupcakes


Scooby Doo Party Cake


Kyle & M trying to fly a kite


T & Mal at a BBQ



Sweet Baby Kendal


A lot of bbq fun




Too Much fun!!!



The End!

I Need Your Support!!!!!!!!

Please help me celebrate my mom's 10th anniversary of being a breast cancer survivor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am praticipating in Race for the Cure on June 13th. If you would like to donate please visit my fundraising website. Thank you for your support!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Nut Shell and a Tangerine

I am a blog slacker. So much has happened in the last two months that this little blog has taken a back seat. Here are the last two months in a nutshell:

~ Tyler failed his food challenge. However, we've been trying to give him baked goods containing eggs and so far no reaction.

~ Roy broke his foot playing basketball three weeks ago. It was gross but he is up and around again.

~ I stopped eating carbs and lost 10 pounds. I recently fell off the wagon and back into McDonalds and peanut M & Ms.

~ Tyler started Tai Kwon Do and is getting ready to test for his yellow belt. I have several pics and videos to post!

~I was diagnosed with endometriosis and I have to have surgery to remove a tangerine size cyst on my left ovary. This is actually kind of good news believe it or not because it's probably the cause of my infertility. We've been searching for a cause for 6 years and finally we have one and it's fixable. I have to take these pills that make my extremely irritable. Fun times!

I think that is it!

Our beloved golden retriever turns 7 today! Happy Birthday Kobe!!!!!

A Prayer Request for "Egg"cellence.

On Friday Tyler is scheduled for a food challenge at Children's Hospital. Basically they will feed him egg powder in applesauce every 15 minutes for 12 rounds. If he shows no sign of reaction, they will give him an entire egg. Then we wait for 2 hours and if there is no reaction he is declared not allergic to eggs. Right now he is fighting a cold and if he is not well by Friday, the doctor will not allow him to do the challenge. Please, please, please, pray he will be better and succeed in the challenge. He is sooooooo excited! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Weekend Part One: The Racerman and the Lady

On Saturday night we were privileged enough to attend the XiiR (Extreme International Ice Racing)event at the Family Arena. My good friend Amanda(who I've known for over 20 years Wow!)is married to an International Ice Racing Champion named James. Pretty cool. I don't know how she watches her husband in these races. It would make me crazy! I believe they said the bikes go from 0-60 in 3 seconds and don't have brakes. We had a great time! Tyler also made friends with Amanda. He talked her ear off for at least 45 minutes. On the way home I asked him what his favorite part was and he replied, "talking to that lady." Sorry James, I guess Amanda is more exciting, you are going to step it up a bit. Although he did mention wanting to have the Racerman over for dinner.
If anyone wants to see fantastic pictures of this event you can click on the link to Amanda Mann Photography in the Blogs I Read section.

I LOVE my really Pink Blog!

Portraits by T

Here are some pictures I found on T's new digital camera:





He is available for weddings and family portraits.

Taking Back the Living Room

There is a turf war in our house between parents and child. Today the parents regained a room. On Sunday I pretty much had a breakdown. One can only step on so many Hotwheels or get hit with so many nerf darts before they lose their sanity. So I took an ENTIRE day off work to move, throw away, and organize. I threw away 3 trash bags full of broken toys, torn books, and multiple Happy Meals toys (OK all Happy Meal toys, but don't tell T). I took T to the babysitter at 9 and told her I would be back at noon. I sadly misjudged the amount of time this task would take. It took me 7 hours! I am posting these "after" pictures as a plea to all of you reading this who insist on constantly showering him with presents. The "before" pictures were much too scary. Please do not buy him anymore toys!

All the toys moved from his room to the basement.


Playroom in the corner of the basement.


A clean room! Hooray!



OK, so it's not totally ours yet. We need to take the playhouse out of his room before this GIANT 6 in 1 Sports Station will fit.

The Purple Hat

IF I HAD MY LIFE TO LIVE OVER - by Erma Bombeck
(written after she found out she was dying from cancer).

I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would
go into a holding pattern if I weren't there for the day.

I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.

I would have talked less and listened more.

I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained, or the sofa faded.

I would have eaten the popcorn in the 'good' living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.

I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.

I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.

I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day
because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.

I would have sat on the lawn with my grass stains.

I would have cried and laughed less while watching television
and more while watching life.

I would never have bought anything just because it was practical,
wouldn't show soil, or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.

Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy,
I'd have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment
growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.

When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, 'Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.' There would have been more 'I love you's' More 'I'm sorry's.'

But mostly, given another sho t at life, I would seize every minute.look at it and really see it . . live it and never give it back. STOP SWEATING THE SMALL STUFF!!!

Don't worry about who doesn't like you, who has more, or who's doing what
Instead, let's cherish the relationships we have with those who do love us.