This Is REAL!

So, it isn't that I haven't been totally cognitive these last few days...I know my father, my only parent, will have a major surgery tomorrow that will hopefully heal his heart. I have received so many warm comments, prayers, support, and kindness from friends, family, even strangers in in Blog-Land. But, tonight, it really hit me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just got off the phone with my dad. I told him I loved him and that I would be there tomorrow when he wakes up from surgery (I wasn't sure if I would be able to as I am almost 2 hours away from the hospital and with 2 school age children, it would be hard to get there without help, which I have now)...As we were saying goodbye, it hit me...THIS IS REAL! This could be the last time I said "I love you, Daddy" or "I'll see you later" or "Goodnight." This could be it!!!!

Then, I bet you can guess what happened next...My voice started shaking, my eyes started tearing up and then WHAM! Full blown, balling my eyes out like a BABY (or more like when I was a child and my weekend visit with my Dad was coming to an end)...This could be the last time I EVER heard my Dad say, "I love you, kid."

And, as I am trying my hardest to stop, as to not upset my Dad, he was SO CALM! So, at PEACE! Like, even if he didn't make it, he knew the Lord would be there, for us all! His trust in God and his doctors is incredible and it is just another reason, to this day, I want to be more like my father.

Dad, I will see you tomorrow when you wake up!

I love you!

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"Not Me" Monday!

It is so hard to even think about what to write (with daddy's surgery tomorrow and all).

These last 4 days have been like a blur...But, I will continue on with "Not Me" Monday, so that I can be brutally honest about the things I HAVE NOT done this week. I can confirm I DID NOT (really, I didn't) burn my hands again. Our HOT WATER IS (really, it is) working! (see http://momof3inva.blogspot.com/2009/11/not-me-monday_23.html) Ha ha!

So, I have not gone 5 days without even touching laundry...I have not let it go so long that Joe decided he had to intervene and do it himself. Joe DID NOT wash my REDSKINS sweatshirt along with WHITES with HOT WATER! We are now not stuck with PINK socks/undershirts/underwear!!!!!!! Nope, not Joe, he certainly knows better!

I also did not neglect to notice that I was putting said pink clothes on our ONLY SON! Who would put pink clothes on their ONLY SON??? Not me!

What didn't you do?

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Got Santa?

Bass Pro Shop is giving away FREE 4x6 Photos with Santa...of course, we were there 2 hours. Fortunately, the kids behaved wonderfully and were occupied with crafts, remote control cars and shooting games (no bullets included, of course). It was a nice outing although the pictures aren't too great! Kudos to our kids for being so patient and well-behaved. Thanks Kids!

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Please Pray!

UPDATE#4

Dad was moved out of the CICU on Friday, which is GREAT! Also, I saw him yesterday, and he looked GREAT! And, I found out his surgery has a 95% success rate, which is SUPER GREAT! I am prayerful that this surgery will be a success and that Dad can begin a new life filled with lots of heart healthy food and activity. I have been praising the LORD for His decision to let me, and the rest of us, enjoy my father here, on this earth. I gave my daddy a few BIG hugs and kisses and will go see him, hopefully, before his surgery. Thank you ALL for your thoughts and prayers! We aren't out of 'the woods' yet, so keep 'em comin'.

UPDATE#3

Dad is definitely having a quadruple bypass. It has been moved from Monday to Tuesday. I talked to him this morning and he sounded great. I am so thankful he is still here and as sarcastic as ever. We had to get off the phone as a doctor he "hasn't seen since he got personal with his groin" was there to check him out.

See why I love my daddy? I get my humor from him! I love you Daddy!

UPDATE #2:

Dad will have his bypass on Monday. They aren't sure yet if it will be triple or quadpruple. I saw him tonight and, although a little doped up, he looks great given the circumstances. An artery known as the widow's artery was 99% clogged. They said 30 more minutes and he would not have made it. I am SO VERY THANKFUL he is in good hands and is stable. He is even cracking jokes like his normal self.

UPDATE #1:

Dad's catheterization shows 10+ years of blockage. They will perform bypass surgery in a few days. In the meantime, he is in the CICU at INOVA Fairfax Hospital.

ORIGINAL POST:

My father had a heart attack this morning and is being transported from Potomac Hospital to Fairfax Hospital to have a catheterization performed. Please pray for a full recovery for my father and also that the doctors do the best possible job they can do to make him better.

Thanks!

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

As the year comes to an end, we reflect back on all of the things we have to be grateful for. Of course, I will make a list of all the things I am thankful for (well, ok, not everything, but at least the important ones):

• -GOD...for through Him alone, these blessings are possible!
• -Our Healthy, Happy, Loud, Hungry, Dirty CHILDREN!
• -Their FATHER
• -Our Non-Nuclear FAMILY (my father, my sister, my Nana, My Uncle and Aunt and Cousins)
• -My FRIENDS
• -Our HOME
• -Our JOBS
• -Our 'sometimes normal' LIFE
• -TOGETHERNESS

I am sure I can go on and on, but I think these are the most important! We are surely blessed and although I sometimes feel undeserving, I promise to give thanks, not only today, but every day!

So, this brings me to our menu!!!! And, of course, loving food as much as I do, this was so easy for me to write about!

Since we are staying home, and it doesn't look like we will have company, I am preparing a fairly simple menu:

• -Honey Roasted Turkey Breast (No, I didn't do the WHOLE turkey...we don't eat dark meat)
• -Praline Sweet Potatoes (This is the BEST recipe, although, I cut back a little on the sugar http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Praline-Sweet-Potatoes/Detail.aspx)
• -Bread Stuffing
• -Mashed Potatoes
• -Green Beans in Ham Sauce
• -Baked Macaroni & Cheese
• -Baked Apples
• -Deviled Eggs (maybe??)
• -Pumpkin Pie w/ Whipped Cream Topping

So, what are you making? What are you Thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving!

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I hope this works, I hope this works!

I wanted to try out my picture software, and so I decided to make photo layouts of the family (excluding myself)...maybe in another 50 pounds I will do mine...unless, of course, you want me to do one using pictures from 7 years ago...that I may be open to...haha!

Well, I think it worked!

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Are We Mean?

Yesterday, I had an encounter with a nice elderly couple. An elderly man was driving a large Lincoln Continental and was parking it in the all-too-small space next to me. Luckily, my parking wasn't the greatest, so I was far enough over the opposing line that he could fit. Anyhow, realizing that he was going to back out, and park again, I rolled my window down and motioned for him to park, that he was 'ok.' I proceeded to change my all-too-poopy baby, when the elderly woman, his wife, thanked ME for being so polite commenting, "It is so nice to meet such a nice young lady now a days." At first, I didn't think anything of it, and told her it wasn't anything.

Well, while changing the baby, the couple came back to their car to find HE LOCKED HIS KEYS in the car! So, it was raining, I was finished changing a poopy diaper and I told the lady, who was walking with a cane in the rain (I wasn't intentionally rhyming), to come in my van to sit. So, she did and her husband used my phone to call AAA. While he was on the phone, the woman began telling me how this was the 2ND time he had done this...haha.

Anyhow, after a few minutes of "answering a million questions," quoting him, of course, he was finished. He thanked me and asked me if he OWED ME ANYTHING FOR MY HELP!!!!!! I was shocked and as politely as I could, and in a very caring voice, I said, "You don't even owe me an apology, it was my pleasure." Him and his wife both claimed me to be an Angel in disguise and we both went along our way (I went directly to the trash can to throw out that HORRID DIAPER)...haha.

Well, the reason I am sharing this is because it shocked me that our Silver Threads think of us as not being polite, caring, compassionate, and perhaps self centered. I couldn't believe he thought he would "Owe Me" something. I just hope I made them see that SOME OF US are caring, compassionate, polite and willing to serve others when they need us the most (which, in my opinion, I really didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to do in that situation...I would hope that someone in my position would help my Nana, whom I love dearly, if she were locked out of her car, in the rain)!

So, go win one for the home team, and let's show our aging parents and grand parents we aren't the Generation of Self!

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"Not Me" Monday

This week has been filled with the unexpected.

Last night, our hot water did not suddenly stop working right before bath time. I, subsequently, did not try to boil water to pour in the bath tub to give our babies a warm bath. Even if I had, I certainly wouldn't have filled the pot all the way to the top with water so that when I went to pick it up to take it into the bathroom, I spilled rapidly boiling water all over my hands causing 2nd degree burns. Who would have done something so stupid? Not me!

Also, I did not partake in trying to fix the problem of our hot water by shutting off a leaky valve on our bedroom bath tub that you could only access by moving our washer machine to get access to the valve stem. I most certainly did not find the most disgusting lint build-up under the said-washing machine. It certainly would not have been so bad that I would spend an hour cleaning it up. That's really GROSS (no pun intended).

Then, this morning, my son did not have such a massive poop on the way to the doctors that it went up his back and out of his diaper and on to his clothes. I did not accidentally get you know what on my hands and, and even if I would have, I would not have wiped it off with baby wipes and followed up with hand sanitizer instead of running to wash them! Had that happened, I would have certainly washed thoroughly and then followed up with sanitizer! Certainly!

What have you Not done this week?

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Words...It's Your Choice

I felt compelled to write this post today. No, it is not about my children, rather it is about words.

I have been dealing with a new VP at work who, let's just say, is not favorable of work-at-home situations. Fortunately, she is not my supervisor, nor is she my boss's supervisor. However, some words she has written hit me very hard...to the point of tears. Since school started, my children have been sick on and off. It caused me to miss a Friday or two in the office. Now, if anyone knows me well enough, not being in the office doesn't prevent me from getting my work done, however, she felt the need to inform not only my boss, but the President of my absences. Based on my 7 years of dedication to my company, neither my boss nor the President were concerned, however, I was utterly devastated. I devote my entire being to my family and my job and was so hurt by the idea that someone, who hasn't even been at my company for 5 months, could possibly do something like that and accuse me of not being dependable. I never knew I could be so hurt by someone elses judgement.

Well, this morning, that VP sent ME an email telling me how much of a valuable colleague I am to her. And how she sees that I completely focus my work, not only on my accounting duties, but on the ENTIRE organization. I was so HAPPY!!!!!

So, I just want to say WORDS, no matter spoken or written, have a HUGE affect on the people you direct them towards. While negative words can cause hurt and pain, positive words can certainly make one feel BETTER!

So, if you have a choice, which you do, choose to speak positive words of encouragement. You will certainly make someone feel better, even if they weren't feeling bad to begin with. And, if someone directs negative comments towards you, take it lightly and be kind in return...because that same person may just realize the errs of their ways.

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Not Me, Monday!

OK, this is my first time participating in "Not Me, Monday" so I will do my best.

First thing I could think about happened just last night. After Eva had her bath, she did not get her feet dirty by walking on our front porch without shoes. I did not, in turn, clean her feet with baby wipes and send her off to bed. Not me!

I did not choose to not cook dinner last night and instead serve Kids Cuisine to Eva, leftover breakfast to Joe (biscuits/gravy/eggs) and an apple and eggs to Jr instead of cooking a wholesome dinner. Not me!

I also did not agree to watch/take care of my friend's very large dog for an indefinite amount of time until he can get a better home for him...not me, because certainly I am not an avid animal enthusiast. The dog did not POOP IN MY HOUSE LAST NIGHT...that would have been gross! And I certainly would not have grabbed toilet paper and an empty Cheetos bag to pick up the remnants of his activity and spray and wipe it up half asleep with toilet paper as well. NOT ME!

And this is not my official First Not Me Monday Post...Not me!

What didn't you do this week?

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Boy Will Be Boys!

This is Joe Jr and his buddy Tre (they are about six months apart)...Aren't they just adorable?

Boys will be boys! But aren't they cute?

Look at those beautiful eyes!

And time for a funny picture!

We love playing Peek-A-Boo! Wanna Play?

Here I am!

Peek-A-Boo!

I Found You!

And Now, I am Going to Get You!

Like I said, boys will be boys! And I just adore this one!

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Eva's First School Performance

I just wanted to post Eva's first school performance...I know she is destined for stardom! I have loved her voice since she was born and this performance prooves it...she can sing and dance (not that you can really distinguish her voice)...But, I can confirm she is ok and didn't suffer any trauma from the speaker falling on her head...Poor Baby!

You have to click here to view it on You Tube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWQhMhlxEFE

Enjoy!

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Noise, a Blessing!

Today, as I sit here typing this, the children (home from school for election day) are fighting and whining about who gets what toy or who gets to play with the piece of scrap fleece I cut last night to make blankets for Girl Scouts (yes, a piece of scrap fleece which I ended up cutting in half so they both can have a piece). As I sit here, again, listening to my three children making tons of ever-so-distracting noise, I am GRATEFUL. Yes, I am grateful that my children fight, that they cry, that I never seem to have a quiet moment when they are all home. For so many mothers don't have this opportunity to experience the chaos of their children. I am Blessed to have such chaos in my presence. Thank You, God, for blessing me with 3 sets of healthy hearts, lungs and minds...for without these my life would be ever-so-quiet. Thank you for the NOISE for it means I have three healthy children. May each and every day be filled with noise.

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