*Praying for PawPaw Nelson*

     I am SAD.  I don't get sad that often, right now I am very sad.  My PawPaw Nelson is the only living grandparent I have left and he isn't doing well at all. He lives in a nursing home in Louisiana with his son (my Uncle) Kenny who has Downs Syndrome.  He hasn't been doing well for a while as he is 88 years old and his age has taken a toll on him.  He has managed to survive a triple heart bypass, a heart valve replacement as well as a pacemaker placement surgery throughout his life, but now his circulation is bad and his kidneys are failing.  He has been put in the hospital where they are contemplating putting him on dialysis in hopes in may "reboot" his kidneys and get them back the normal functioning mode.  Right now, thanks to the help of fluids his kidney numbers are down which is good and they are holding off on the dialysis.  My dad is super stressed out between feeling of sadness, preparing for the worst, praying for hope, and the hour long drives back and forth to stay with him in the hospital.  I haven't heard my father cry in a very long time, but he did the other day on the phone telling me about PawPaw's health.  I can't even begin to tell you what that did to my heart.  Knowing I could not help or FIX PawPaw's Health...it just broke my heart.  I don't want him to suffer....but I don't want him to die either.  I know that is incredibly selfish, but he is my PawPaw and I love him and I have so many incredibly wonderful memories of him...
     I think back to when I was little and my Papa would tell us stories about his childhood growing up across the street from Neely Barrett and how his daddy grew up poor in Alabama and was a farmer all his life.  I remember getting so excited when my Papa would say we were going to visit PawPaw Nelson and Uncle Kenny in Wetumpka, AL....it may have been an old worn out trailer in a backwoods of Alabama, but it was my favorite place to visit!!!  He always had watermelon fresh from the garden and we would go pick wild blackberries during the summer and at christmas we always had a feast!!!! All of my fathers brothers and sisters would be there as well!!!  I have fond memories of my Uncle Paul visiting as well...he was my papa's brother who died when I was 11...All the Nelson family have such big hearts...they are such good people...and it all stems from my PawPaw Nelson instilling goodness and respect and cherishing family in them!
     Hearing the sadness in my fathers voice that night and the grief he was going through in knowing he will lose his father soon and will have to bury him made me realize that one day I will be in that same situation...having to bury my father.  I don't think I will ever be ready for that day.  I love my Papa so much and I can't even imagine life without his abounding wisdom, contagious laughter, warm hugs, and hearty "Roll Tide!'s"...I am so Thankful to be his daughter and to have been blessed with years I have had and will continue to have with him....I find comfort in knowing that My father and my PawPaw are one in the same. So, even though we are preparing for the loss of my PawPaw...he will always live in my father, who loves and admires him deeply. 

I love and admire both of those two great men. Please pray for my family.  Pray that God's will be done and that our family will remain strong no matter.

MJY

So, How's That For a Birthday Weekend....?!?

     So, I am sure based on my previous posts that pretty much EVERYONE knows that my daughter Ella turned 2 years old this past Saturday.

     What was suppose to be a weekend of celebration suddenly turned into a cause for isolation and disinfectant.  A week ago both of the kids had microplasm pneumonia.  They each had 3 medicenes that eventually did their job and got them well:) BUUUUUUUUUT, just as I tooted my own horn about "seeing the signs of early sickness in the kids and knowing its best not to wait till they feel worse to see a dr."....I started feeling bad and running fever.  And as you can prob guess I didn't heed my own advice until Friday when Iswore I had the flumonia.  So i went to KMC and got a flu swab..it was - ,thank goodness.  The doctor then gave me the once over to fig out WHAT was really going on...eventual diagnosis: Microplasm Pneumonia (hope I spelled that correctly).  That was last Friday-the day of Ella's 2nd birthday and the day before her birthday party.  Obviously, we knew it was contagious since the kids had it then I got it.  So, we made the decision to have small lowkey FAMILY bday party friday night.  Small was an understatement!!!!  2 sets of grandparents couldn't make it although Mike's dad did come by for some cake and hug the kids:)
Guess it was better that way though- I would hate to have infected anyone especially kiddo's!!!
Its also not SO bad it happened like it did since Ella is only 2 and not 6 or 7 and could get her feelings hurt by not having a big blowout bday party.  She got some very nice things...a Dora's Talking Kitchen, Several outfits, a huge 3 story doll house, barbies, a pink build-a-bear, a shopping cart and plastic food for her kitchen...LOL....the list goes on!!!

She was happy and thats all that matters. I am feeling better too, so I am thankful for that!  We were so proud of the Whippets Friday in their victory over the Philadelphia Tornadoes!!!  The Tornadoes had been undefeated and were ranked #2 in the state 3A class!  AWESOME JOB WHIPPETS!!!

MJY

The Road Not Taken...

This is a pic of a rural road between my mom's house and mine...I took this picture earlier in the year and it has always reminded me of the poem "The Road Not Taken" by poet Robert Frost....though I would share....

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN

~Robert Frost~

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

SOLD the Crib!!!

ha! that almost sounds like the title of some crazy new reality show on Mtv or something!!!

I broke down and sold Ella's crib today.  ACTUALLY, it was Evan's crib and I just reused it once Ella was born.  It was bittersweet...I was sad to see my baby's last bit of "baby" furniture leave her room, but happy to be able to share something so special to us with someone else who could really use it!

The crib converted into a toddler bed and she had been sleeping in that for a while, but Evan will soon be getting bunk beds so we decided it was time to move his trundle bed into her room....she looks so sweet and tiny in that twin bed!  LOL

I am still trying to convince myslf that she is turning 2 on Friday:(

MJY

Count Down To ELLA'S 2nd Bday!!! Tminus 4.....

WOW!!!
I don't know how I feel...or how I SHOULD feel.  Ella is our BABY.  She is our 2nd and LAST child.  2 years ago at the advice of my doctor I had my tubes tied due to a history of preterm labor/deliveries. And it's not that I WANT another child...it's just that I know as she grows up I will NEVER have another BABY ever again.  She is our BABY right now, but every single day she gets more independant, smarter, and less and less the BABY she once was...

I have sat here all morning remembering the terrible miscarriage that ultimately led to her conception and then the 9 months of chaos with  worrying about the possiblity of miscarrying her, preterm labor/bedrest, her BIRTHday, her first year, and now I am counting down the days till she turns 2.  I am sooo thankful that God chose me to be her mother. She is such a wonderful blessing in our lives!  She keeps us all entertained and on our toes every minute of everyday!  I never imagined that one day I would be the mother of both a SON and a DAUGHTER!!!  I am sooo unbelieveably blessed!

Watching her grow and change this past year has been soo wonderful! She is the prissiest, silliest, danciest, most loving little girl....who can and will wrestle you down to the ground to get that toy you took away from her....just ask her brother!!!  HAHAHA!!!!

I am sooo proud that she is "growing up", but sad because I will miss these days soooo much as she grows every year...I hope she always feels like she can climb in my lap and throw her arms around me. I hope she never feels uncomfortable telling me things that she feels no one will understand!  I hope she always knows i will listen and love her no matter what!  She is my BABY. She will always be my BABY!!!

Momma Loves You So Much Ella Caroline Yates!!!  I Hope You Have A WONDERFUL 2nd Birthday on Friday!!!

please pass the kleenex....

MJY

My Little Troopers

Well, the albuterol treatments weren't so bad.  They didn't lose their minds and climb the ceilings after it like I was sure they would ;) ha!  They neither one have fever and haven't had at all anyway.  Both are still real croupy sounding with really wet productive coughs and snotty noses:(

The Biaxin antibiotic must be some awful stuff because Evan begs to have a sprite in his hand before he will swallow it...and then he is really quick to chase it down with the sprite. Ella is quite different. She HATES it. I have attempted two doses with her and she has spit both doses right back out at me.  And since I can't REgive the doses due to the fact that I don't know how much she swallowed, I have to wait to give her next dose later on tonight at the usual time...a friend told me to hold her nose and she will swallow it.  I will be trying that tonight...any other tips are more than welcome!!!!

Hate we are going to miss the Whippet game tonight but I will be listening to it on Breezy 101!!!
And i REALLY hate that i won't be going to Bryant-Denny Stadium with my Papa and Skyla to see Bama take on Florida Atlantic!!! They even had me a ticket saved!!!  BUT I won't be going anywhere while my babies are sick!!!!

I hope this germs get out of my house soon!!!!  UGH!!!

MJY

Walking Pneumonia

Evan woke up sounding slightly worse than yesterday and my "mothers instinct" took over.  He still had no temp, but he sounded worse and different than when its just croup. So I called Dr. Thomas and he saw Evan and did a chest xray, which Ev thought was SOOO COOL! Chest Xray showed Mycroplasm Pneumonia (Walking Pneumonia). GREAT...and since Ella has been showing the same symptoms he said it was very likely she has the same thing...
SO the Rx is Biaxin, Robitussin w/Codiene, and Albuterol treatments 4x a day for BOTH kids.

ALBUTEROL....I had an albuterol treatment a few years back.  I am a talkative energetic person as it is....this medicene made me an uncontrollable chatterbox who as boucing off the walls....a GROWN adult woman!!! And my son is 4 and very very much like me in the talkative energetic department....I can't imagine what he is going to be like after a dose of that!!!  I better start some coffee....

CODIENE......my dad is allergic to it. My kids are NOT...This is another "make your kids act like wild heathens" medicene.

Albuterol + Codiene= LONG NIGHT....pray for my sanity. Pray that this medicene kicks some major pneumonia butt so we don't have o take it very long and my kids feel better!!!

MJY

School Picture Day=CHAOS.

Evan is having his school pictures taken today.  It was an act of congress to get him dressed this morning. If you read yesterdays blog than you are well aware of the germs that are taking over our household...and today was no different. Evan woke up  grouchy and with a croupy wet cough, but no fever, SO I made the decision to let him go to school. I mean it IS school picture day and it IS my baby's last year in Pre-K!!! LOL

Well-he didnt like the shirt I picked out...and he didn't like the way I did his hair....and he wanted to wear flipflops instead of tennis shoes....LOL.  It was very very chaotic this morning. Not to mention Ella started screaming and threw a ROYAL fit when Mike left for work because she is 100% a daddy's girl and can't bear for him to be out of her sight.  By 7:15am I was in need of a nerve pill!!!! LOL

BUUUUUUUUUUUT....we got Evan off to school and if he looks like an orphan it isn't my fault, hahaha!  Hopefully Branning will make him look as good, but more importantly...I hope he smiled!!!  LOL I'm sure he did...he is a sweet sweet child even when he has his bad days:)

Which reminds me of how thankful I am for both of my sweet and beautiful children. Even on days like today, when my nerves wear thin and they are both sick, tired and grouchy....they are still my children. They are still my heart and soul. They are still the reason why I smile....and so I do :)

MJY

Germs...Germs....Germs

We are fighting the germs at the Yates House once again...
Ella has had a runny nose, sinus cogestion, croupy cough since Friday, but hasn't ran not one bit of fever. And, of course, being the wonderful sister she is....she shared her germy germs with her brother. Evan woke up this morning with a slightly croupy cough. As of this morning, neither of them have any fever, but I called Dr. Carter just to be safe so hopefully he will call us in something and not make us sit in the swine-flu invested waiting room at KMC...YUCK!!!

Aside from that- the kids and I went down to my dad and stepmoms Saturday for the big game!!  My aunts from Alabama and my brother and sister-in-law came over as well!!!  It was sooo exciting to see our TIDE roll on over VT!!! 34-24!!!  Our new QB is pretty awesome!! It's gonna be a GREAT season I'm sure!!!

Anyway- say a little prayer that the kids get to feeling better soon and all this germy mess goes FAR AWAY from here!!! I have germ-x and lysol at hand with every sneeze and cough...not to mention thank goodness for my Rainbow Vaccum that came with disinfectant that cleanses the ait as well...LOL!!!

MJY

SEC FOOTBALL/ ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!

I can not wait for The Tide's first game of 2009 tomorrow night!!! 7 pm gameday will not come soon enough!!!!
We play Virginia  Tech and with a new QB this year I am hoping they will prove to be as awesome as they were last year!!!!  SOOOOO EXCITED!!!!

The kids and I are traveling to my dad's house in Madison to watch the game on his new big flat screen TV. My aunt from Alabama are even coming down to watch it with us!!!  Mike will be playing in Yazoo City that night with his band Measure 36, not that he will miss the craziness that abounds when you mix football in with our family...he is not into football...he is a MUSICIAN.  He is probably glad he won't have to hear all the hollering and random kartwheels and backflips during touchdowns!!! Hahaha!

I will take pics tomorrow to hopefully post...i"m sure they will be interesting!!

MJY

Ella's new ROLL TIDE smocked dress!!!!

For those who don't know it...this family bleeds CRIMSON! We are devout Alabama Crimson Tide fans!!!
The Kickoff to our season starts this saturday and while Evan will wear his traditional Bama football jersey (#22), Ella had NOTHING to show her Tide Pride in....devastating to us!!!  So her Nannie searched and searched and finally found her the CUTEST smocked ALABAMA dress...which will now be her GAMEDAY dress!!!  And she even has a bow to match!!!....I AM SO PROUD!!!!

                                                                        The Dress

Her bow

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!

MJY

                                                                            

Meet the Newest Member of Our Family!!!

Burnley Yates

8months old

Cockapoo

Hahaha! He looks like a tired little old man in these pics!