Time to Say Goodbye to My Favorite Childhood Relative...I Love You Ninny Austin!

My mother and father were very young when they made me. They were still in high school. My mother never did finish high school because she had to grow up and raise me to the best of her ability. My Ninny Austin, her mother, was very much a part of those early years. She watched me and supplied me with clothing and toys. I loved her so dearly in those years. She and I were very close.

I have blogged here before about her being very ill which led to her salvation. This morning around 7 a.m. she gave up this world and she has moved on. I hold to the fact that I know she was seeking him with her whole tired heart in the end. She was very blessed to have a second chance. She really should have died those many weeks ago. I am so humbled to know that we serve a Lord that desperately loves us and will fight for us until the end. I can only pray that she is nestled in his arms and that the sadness of this life in her later years has been wiped away.

She and I became estranged as she aged and became very angry and bitter. I tried so hard to mend and keep us together. Nothing I did mattered. She attacked my husband and children with horrible words. I pulled away in order to shelter my family and children from her anger. But this never meant that I didn't love her. I just loved her from afar. I said goodbye to her in my own tears years ago. I did have occasion to speak with her once after she became very ill and she told me she loved me and she as sorry.

Ninny Austin, my little girl heart will always remember you. I will remember long drives into the country with dinners at a restuarant and all the mashed potatoes I could fit in my belly. I will remember you praising my singing voice and begging me to learn how to play a guitar. I will remember the way your hugs felt and how you always carted me along with you.

I will always regret that we were seperated by so much anger and bitterness in the end. I know life was hard for you and I am so sorry. I want to imagine you in a beautiful place without pain and without physical ailment both in body and mind.

That photo above is of she and I when I was a baby. She always looked like that in photos when she was holding me. I can only think that I brought her happiness during some of my life. I am just sad that she pushed us away so harshly. I don't know that I will ever get over that.

She was Great GiGi to my children. But they don't know her. :( They will never know the woman I knew and loved. This makes me sad.

She leaves behind 2 beautiful daughters and a son. Please be in prayer for them all. They miss their mama something awful! :(

Ninny Austin! I love you! Ninny Austin! I can't wait to see you in new life! HUGS! Know I never stopped loving you. Goodbye for now. :(

Remy's Birthday Fun!

Remy's first request was for the rice and bean cakes he calls "Moochies" from the Chinese Grocery.

He then wanted to go Geocaching!

We also went to the antique store we like and we purchased LOTS of used books. That is another post...but...here he is reading his Indy book. :) The Monkey is new. He bought him with his own money that day.

The book is really neat because it skips from page to page and each time you read it is a new story! :) I sort of remember these books from my childhood. Matthew said he loved them as a child.

A Puppy Nose in Your Pocket!

I LOVE my snuggle girls!

Matthew caught us in the act and he made me play resting with them again. :)

Excuse how rough I looked, I was exhausted. Remy took me Geocaching all day. :)

Taylor's Solar System Project

Last week before my youngest turned six and came down with the rashy Scarlet Fever, my friend Renee called to say that she needed us. She is suffering from a BROKEN ANKLE and getting out and about for project supplies and then putting it together was not in the cards. And besides, as her husband put it, this is more MY thing! HA HA! Love you guys!

I had seen one of my homeschool friends use balloons for the solar system here:

http://jenneve.homeschooljournal.net/2008/10/14/october-14-2008/

I took her idea and we came up with this!

I had so much fun with you guys! It was a blast!

Taylor knew what she wanted and I hope I helped her create as close as possible. :) Hope you receive a GREAT mark for it!

Just a normal day...

Two boys having school...

Remy making circle animals...

And Elijah deciding which cake he would like to tackle first in his new course books his Aunt Kyda (the master cake chef from Texas) sent to him. :)

Have I ever told you how much I LOVE my days?

Our Remy is now SIX!!!!!

My sweet little homebirthed baby that taught my heart to dream and push the boundaries is now six years old. I really can't believe that he is that old. How? Where has the time gone? He has always seemed to make time speed by. He has always been in a hurry and he has never been happy with being just 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6. Hee hee.

I have always felt like I have been racing behind him. He is the only person in my life that makes me feel the way he makes me feel. Everything he does is adorable. He has this charisma, he sucks you in with just being himself. Everyone has always wanted to touch his sweet face and they laugh at his antics. 9 times out of 10 he is the first person in my family that someone asks about. You can't help yourself. He makes our lives better.

He falls asleep next to me every night and his daddy takes him to his bed once he is out and in dreamy land. But before he goes I caress his sweet little face and softly kiss those little lips and hold his little hand that is so squishy and small at the same time. Every morning he wakes as the sun rises and he runs and climbs into our bed again. He snuggles right in the middle of us. So I wake up with him giving me kisses and holding my hand. I wouldn't change those moments for a full bank account.

Remy has always loved the non-traditional kid foods. He is a raw foodist at heart and he puts up with cooked food. If I slice an avacodo in half and walk away, I return to a spoon and two empty shells and the nut is either in the freezer in a cup or he is planning how to plant it or play with it. I smile as I remember my itty bitty pushing a slice of cake away and munching on an apple and enjoying the sweetness that God intended us to enjoy.

Our smallest son has given us back our make-believe time. He can create so well that even I believe that his monkey is alive or that his new lemur Creamy is really vicious and could attack from behind the couch at any moment.

Remy lightens our world. He takes the mundane and he makes it sparkle. When we are stressed or sad, he can make all three of us happy and carefree. I can't even write a mushy post like I can about Elijah. He is so light and fun that I can't even get mushy! Maybe I should post the birth story? Hee hee! I bet that could make me tear up.

Remy has dreams of working in the wild and hasn't met a creature he doesn't love. He wants to save his money so he can take his wife to China on their first date. And he tells me that he will still come to see me when he has a woman. HA HA!

Our little comedian has us rolling on the floor daily. He is our breath of clean air. He makes us free and we feel nurtured by him. If we are sick he is a caregiver. He loves to "doctor" us. I know he gets this from me. He hates to be sick and I remember this past summer that he cried when he was sick. I asked him what was the matter and he cried, "I was going to teach myself to swim today"! That next day he did just that and all by his self. That's our boy!

Remy forces us to get real. He doesn't allow you to fool yourself. I can only imagine what kind of man he will be. I look forward to it. How neat he will be.

So sweet little man, enjoy your sixth year! Throw on those Indy clothes and scale the highest tree. Continue to grow and live without fear. And please continue to allow us to ride on your coat-tails and join you along the way. You make our life POP! You are a perfect mixture of a serious explorer and animal researcher who can throw a mean party with only a handful of people and whatever there is in the fridge. Thankyou for the ride! It began the day I first held you in my arms and I knew your neato birth HAD to make you super neato SPECIAL! I wasn't wrong! You were so serious then...but soon loved to smile! And then you longed to make us laugh at every moment.

WE LOVE YOU, climber of trees, and caregiver of toy *cough* real monkeys!

An Early Treat From My SWEET!

I love owls!

Look what Mattmos gave me!

I had a yummy cup of Earl Grey in it last night. The children now live in fear of breaking it and refuse to take it on the tile floor themselves. Ha ha!

Smart kids. I would bawl!

Puppy Geometry

I must say...we are going to have some smart weenie dogs!

It is always fun when you can bring out a ruler for Arithmetic. :) I remember having one in school, but I don't remember using it but once during free art (drawing) time. I remember a blue crayon and the wooden ruler having a blue line on it's edge after I was done. And then, after I saw that, I colored it the rest of the way. HA HA!

Remy also wanted to show off his writing for you all again that day. He begged me to take a picture so you can all see how GREAT he is. I swear these blogs are making our kids into super stars and it is SO going to those noggins.

School At Daddy's Work

The kids and I couldn't say goodbye to our daddy yesterday. So, he packed us all up with our school books and we headed out to work with him.

I knew that Taylor had a little getaway with her 2 girlfriends that day, but I had no idea we would see her. Her friends mother was in the store on business and Matthew told her we were in the back having school. She was playing hooky from school with her 2 friends. They were going to have a manicure and watch a movie. :)

I just love these two kids...if you look close in that photo this is what you see.

Now do you see Eli's eyes...yep, pointed right at her. Hee hee. He adores this friend of his.

The young ladies went for some fun in the mall and Remy and I worked on his cursive work. I had to take a photo of his little hand on mine. *sigh*

The girls came back to show off those nails!

Eli with a label on his face....CRAZY MAN! There are just way too many things to play with up there.

Remy having math time.

And then he and Elijah made paper moths for Miss Melissa until we all left. :)

I have a FUNNY story about those moths later...it is FUNNY!

Eli's Endo Appointment - We have BIG news!

Today was Elijah's 3 month check for his Type 1 Diabetes. We had a great visit and some of the things were were worrying over are now a thing of the past but of course there are new things to change as is the case daily with this disease.

BUT Elijah is getting an insulin PUMP!

We have batted the idea around for years, five years to be exact and we just didn't like any of the options that we had in insulin pumping. We went from syringes to pens and today we were introduced to a NEATO pump.

It is remote controlled which is so an Eliman pump. :) And the blood sugar meter is combined with the remote insulin injector.

He will wear a little "pod" on any part of his body that he chooses for 3 days in a row and then switch it out for a new one. The insulin is inside of it and will be injected into him via the little tube that is inside of him. The other pumps we looked at were attached to the meter with long tubing that you threaded yourself. This one does it all itself without the hassle.

We are so super excited. I can't wait for it to be normal and the learning all done. I can't wait for his sugars to normalize after the switch. I am a little nervous because he will not be on 2 insulins anymore...but just a fast acting one.

Wish up luck!

The photos are of Eli wearing the demo in order to get used to the feel and idea of it being on him full time. He is super excited because this makes him more independant and now maybe his friends mothers and our relatives won't mind having him over without us. He has had to miss out on so much because of his invisible cord attaching him to me. *sigh* I am very pleased for him. :) I look forward to seeing his world open up. :)

http://www.myomnipod.com/

b or d?

I thought I would pass on a simple little gem for those who have children who confuse b and d print while reading and writing.

Simply have the child with his palms facing him make a fist and then point up his thumbs.

b comes first so it is the first fist and the d is the second fist. Hope that helps. :)

Company and We are Back to SCHOOL!

One night I go to snapping a few photographs because my boys are just WAY too yummy for me sometimes. :) I love how Elijah loves his puppy doggie. :) He is always snuggling her and talking to her.

And nothing is sweeter to me than my itty bitty asleep. :)

Some of the family have been making the trip to say goodbye to Sweet Paw and we were able to host Matthew's brother Branden and his sister Lindsay one night. She had her two youngest children with her and they are so cute!

Uncle just loved this itty bitty man! Hee hee!

Remy is on a cooking rampage and helped with lunch yesterday.

And then he made cookies...

We gave the kids an easel for Christmas and I love using it for school. Remy also likes to do his work on it. :)

His cursive writing is coming along well and he has worked way ahead in his first grade reading and math. He really likes those subjects. I bet he is done with the reading before lesson day 85 of first grade. I am glad I have learned from Eli and allowed him to do more of one subject if he so chooses for the day. That way he is meeting his own level. But it helps when you either have the next years materials on the subject or the price isn't as high as the first time you order it for the oldest. :)

Remy made a snowman and a card for his Uncle Branden. :)

Okay, I have to share a photo of the CRAZY turtles! The biggest one will be sunning and the tiny male will climb on top somehow and then pull his legs in and then sit there like they are stacked rocks. He is balanced on the very tip of her rounded shell! It cracks me up. Hee hee....he uses her to get closer to the light. Silly turtles. One day I will have to sit on the boys bed and wait to see how he does this.