Don't Be Ashamed to Vaccinate!

Here is an interesting story found in the Rockford newspaper. It only supports my belief of getting your children vaccinated.

"There are 28 cases of whooping cough that were found in a private school in Rockford as well as 1o other cases spread around the community. The school outbreak, which officials believe is contained, started with a patient who had NOT been vaccinated for pertussis (whooping cough). Officials also think that the person was exposed to the disease while traveling outside of the state....four families in the school had opted out of immunizations for their children. 10 of the 28 cases are with in those families and the other 18 cases are related through some sort of contact."

Now I am very much aware of all the "negative" research done on immunizations. They have now found that signs of Autism (which people were blaming on the vaccinations) started earlier on and just so happened to show up after the child was immunized. This case of the whooping cough is minor, however, it could be something far more fatal in the future. Please, think of your children and give them the proper health attention they deserve. Because even though they might not be the ones traveling out of state or country, they could be contracting it from others who are also not vaccinated.

Random, Randomness

Wyatt's first trick-or-treating experience was a great success. Besides the fact that he up chucked on his outfit, things went great. He loved seeing all the little kids and the people handing out candy were loving our "Bears Baby", some of them even gave him extras. I haven't uploaded any pics yet, but they will come.

I really miss my brother Josh these days. This past Saturday we all went out to eat and I could barely enjoy it because my brother wasn't there. It's like we aren't what we used to be with out him here. Adrian sends me pics of Caprice and videos of her singing the B-I-B-L-E song. She is growing up and I am missing it! I am hoping for a miracle storm to blow them back into our lives but I am praying in vein.

Another odd thought, I really want to have another baby. I know we couldn't possibly afford one, but a girl can dream. I think it has something to do with Wyatt getting older it makes me want to have baby to snuggle with and who isn't ready to crawl away. I want to get a giant King size bed so that all of my four children (yeah, I wish) can jump into it with Noah and I on Saturday mornings. That is just a snapshot of where I want to be in 5-10 years.

The only constant in my life

Yesterday I was sicker than a dog. I had a fever, tummy issues and a migraine. To top it all off I barely had enough strength to carry my son let a lone clean the house, do laundry and make dinner. I have the best hubby in the world. He totally took things over so that I could rest. He just so happened to be off work, thank the Lord, and I didn't have to watch Breana either. He did four loads of laundry, took care of Wyatt and made an amazing dinner that I ended up eating two bites of. Noah is the best thing that could have ever happened to me. He is so unlike every guy I have ever met. He isn't crazy about sports so I never have to yell at him for watching ESPN 24/7, he doesn't mind cooking or cleaning and best of all he NEVER leaves the toilet seat up. His mom taught him well. When I think of my insane past and all the mistakes I made, I don't understand how I could still come out on top with a spiritual leader, loving husband and devoted dad. I am not complaining but I am living proof of how God takes garbage and makes gold.

Finding a Cure

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She would have been turning 48 years old, if I did the math right. October is the Breast Cancer Awareness month and it always struck me as odd that she died of Breast Cancer in the month set out for it. Call it coincidence or just plain old weird, I miss her more now than ever. The fact that my son will never know his grandma Lisa breaks my heart. She will never get to spoil him or break his routine just so she can spend more time with him. A mother is something that is never replaced even though I have tried to fill those shoes by being the best mom I can be. It would be nice to call her about cooking or how to deal with a teething child. I guess it bothers me that she doesn't hear me when I talk to her or when I cry about missing her. With my next child I am hoping for a daughter so that I can experience the ever-so-strong-bond between mother and daughter. There is something very special about it and I can't wait to share that with my children because it was not shared with me.
I love you mommy, I always have and I always will and when I meet you in heaven I wont remember that you were even gone!

The Best, in my book at least...

Noah and I rented the Prestige tonight. I have already seen the movie and loved it, so basically I forced him to love it as well. So while I was thinking that everyone should see that movie, I was making a list of must see movies.

1. Passion of the Christ
2. Home Alone 1 and 2
3. The Santa Clause (yeah I like Christmas)
4. Planes, Trains and Automobiles
5. Lord of the Rings (all of them)
6. All Disney old school cartoon movies, not the new age stuff
7.Gladiator
8. The Notebook (because I sob terribly even on the 12th time seeing it, now that is a good movie)
9. Ferris Bueller's Day Off (come on, we have all ditched school at least once, right?)
10. The Prestige

These are only a few of my fav's that I would recommend to others.

Ok, Ok, I cheat

I know I am not the best cook in the world. In fact I could just about screw up any recipe and that includes how to make Koolaid and coffee! So my idol is Sandra Lee from the Food Network's Semi-homemade show. Not only does she make great food, but she cuts a lot of corners to make things easier to make and harder to mess up on. The other night I made Manicotti, with fat-free ricotta cheese of course, but I used an Aldi brand sauce. I mean who has time to make their own? I was so excited to tell Grandma Bea what I made until she asked what kinda of sauce I used, immediately I felt like a failure lol. I was embarrassed to tell the queen of cooking that I cheated and used store bought gravy. Never-the-less, the Manicotti was delicious and I can still be proud of it, however, I am curious to know if anyone takes the long, often times more difficult, route when cooking. Let me know if I am not the only "cheater".

Count Your Blessings...

Whenever you are tempted to think that life couldn't get any worse, just remember there will ALWAYS be some one worse off than you. While waiting for Wyatt to get out of surgery numerous children walked passed me. One just got out of radiation, another was getting a hearing aid put in and one girl was wheel chair bound. God humbled me that day and I am thankful for it. Wyatt's "issue" is not a terminal or life threatening problem. About twenty minutes before surgery Wyatt became very distraught because he hadn't eaten in hours, he was screaming and his face was soaked with tears. All I could do was whisper in his ear and tell him it would be ok, but nothing I said made those hunger pains go away. All I kept thinking about was the hundreds of mothers who stare into their starving child's face every day knowing they do not have the food to ease their pain. Our twenty minutes of pain was nothing compared to the years of the others'. When the nurse finally came in to take Wyatt back for his operation I handed him over willingly, knowing that he would be asleep and pain free in a few minutes. God took care of our family yesterday, just like he has done and will continue to do. These next three months of down time will be great and all I have on my mind these days is my baby's first Halloween and Christmas spent with the family!