The plan is to do LOTS of updating soon....as in starting today....look for LOTS of pics and a few stories too.
(Also, I am post dating them, so they will be below this post.)
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Big Boy Bed
We transitioned Mateo's bed into a big boy bed back at the beginning of April.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Last Minute Florida Trip
The kids and I were able to make a trip to Florida at the beginning of March to see my parents for a week. Here are just a FEW of the many pics I took.
My mom bought Tatum a big girl bike and she would ride it up and down the hall racing Mateo on his favorite car.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Back to Work I Go (A God Thing)....
I love to see how God works. He amazes me time and time again. It is sometimes hard to keep faith through the storm, but when you can look back and see that HE was always in control and with us along the way, it feels great!
Here's the story...yes it is LONG...no, there are no pictures, but I wanted to document this for me...(If you choose to take time to read this blog, you will have to follow closely because there are lots of pieces that come together to make the puzzle complete.)
So, as I blogged at the beginning of 2010, I very unexpectedly lost my job. While Antonio and I were shocked/upset/etc., I really didn't think it would take too long to find something new and get back to work. However, this wasn't the case. Despite my search for a new job, there just wasn't much out there. So, for the next 13 months, I searched without finding anything.
Antonio and I decided to keep the kids in school/daycare as long as we financially could for several reasons. There were a few times we seriously discussed pulling them out, but after long talks, decided to give it another month, 6 months, 2 weeks, or whatever.
I had talked several times with a close friend "A" over the 13 months about the situation and she was great to cheer me up when I was down or just listen when I needed someone to talk to. During Feb. 2011, we had one of our talks. I expressed to her my huge concern that I would be HORRIBLE as a stay at home mom. My kids are used to going every day to school, a strict learning schedule while at school, crafts, entertainment, interaction with other kids, routine, etc. I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to keep my kids happy, keep them learning, etc. I had lots of doubts and fears and nightmares about this....LOTS. "A" was great and listened to me whine about my situation. After I finished, "A" said (and I will semi quote her)....You know that God has great plans for you. I am sure as soon as you come to terms with being an official stay at home mom, God is going to do something. He just wants to know you trust Him...have faith in Him...and are letting Him be in control. I left there knowing she was 100% right, so I started making a list of things to do with the kids....park visits, story time at the library, pool days, zoo days, etc. I was making our little schedule that would take place when the kids were pulled out of school. I was beginning to get excited about all the things I had on our list.
Long story, short, we set a date at the end of Feb 2011 that would be the kids' last day of school. I notified our daycare director of our situation and gave notice that we were going to be pulling the kids out. So, I told her on a Friday that the next Friday would be their last day. Later that day, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would be interested in a certain job.
After talking to her for a few minutes about the position, I told her YES! This was a job that my friend "A" heard about from her friend "L". "L" had worked with a friend "G" for a while and "G" later took a new job at a different office but "G" and "L" still stayed in touch. (Are you following me here?) So, "G" had been at her new job for about a year. "G" is pregnant and decided that she would be staying at home with her baby instead of returning to work, so she was helping in the search to find her replacement so that person could start early enough so "G" could train them.
Although I was feeling like it would be a long shot to even get this job because I had NO experience in this field, I sent my resume to "A" to pass to "L" so she could pass it to "G" who would pass it to her HR manager on Sunday afternoon. Well, Monday I got a call from that HR manager asking if I would be interested in interviewing on TUESDAY! I said yes.
Tuesday came and I was pretty nervous, but ready/excited about the interview. When I went in for the interview, the HR manager and I really hit it off and it was one of my best interviews ever! We did lots of the typical interview questions, but some how we talked about lots of other things too. I also met my possible future boss and he and I hit it off pretty well too. I left feeling great and expecting to hear something by Friday of that week.(This is the same Friday that would be the kids' last day of school.) I was very confident that I would get the job. In fact, I would have put money on it because the interview went that well.
SO, I talked to the director and she was so great to us. She promised to not fill the kids' spots until I found out for sure about the job. I had already decided to that the kids and I would be heading to Florida the next week to see my parents (because the kids were not going to be in school anymore anyway), so we kept those plans. Friday came and went and I didn't hear anything, so I talked with the daycare director again and we agreed that the kids would use their "vacation week" the next week so we wouldn't have to pay and she would still hold our spots.
The following Monday came and went with no word about the new job. I will admit, at this point I was thinking that maybe I didn't get the job. Tuesday arrived and I decided to call the HR manager to see if the position had been filled or what the status was. When I called, i got voicemail and left a message. About 30 minutes later, I got a call back with an offer for the job!! I was super excited and after hearing the offer, accepted.
Shortly after I hung up with the HR manager, I called the daycare to let them know that the kids would be staying in school because I did get the job. It was an exciting day!!
So, I am now working as a medical assistant for an orthopedic surgeon in town and I LOVE MY JOB!! My doctor is amazing, young, laid back, super nice, great family man, (and most female patients tell me how cute he is too). The other people in the office have been great too! They are all so quick to help me when I have questions and they have also welcomed me into 'the family' with open arms. I get to wear scrubs and tennis shoes every day...NO MORE HIGH HEELS for work!! (um..YAY!)
I do work LOTS of hours and stay very busy all day, but I would rather be busy than bored. Time flies for sure. The great news is I get paid overtime for anything over 40 hours, so while I don't like working extra hours, at least I am getting paid for the time I am putting in.
Here's the story...yes it is LONG...no, there are no pictures, but I wanted to document this for me...(If you choose to take time to read this blog, you will have to follow closely because there are lots of pieces that come together to make the puzzle complete.)
So, as I blogged at the beginning of 2010, I very unexpectedly lost my job. While Antonio and I were shocked/upset/etc., I really didn't think it would take too long to find something new and get back to work. However, this wasn't the case. Despite my search for a new job, there just wasn't much out there. So, for the next 13 months, I searched without finding anything.
Antonio and I decided to keep the kids in school/daycare as long as we financially could for several reasons. There were a few times we seriously discussed pulling them out, but after long talks, decided to give it another month, 6 months, 2 weeks, or whatever.
I had talked several times with a close friend "A" over the 13 months about the situation and she was great to cheer me up when I was down or just listen when I needed someone to talk to. During Feb. 2011, we had one of our talks. I expressed to her my huge concern that I would be HORRIBLE as a stay at home mom. My kids are used to going every day to school, a strict learning schedule while at school, crafts, entertainment, interaction with other kids, routine, etc. I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to keep my kids happy, keep them learning, etc. I had lots of doubts and fears and nightmares about this....LOTS. "A" was great and listened to me whine about my situation. After I finished, "A" said (and I will semi quote her)....You know that God has great plans for you. I am sure as soon as you come to terms with being an official stay at home mom, God is going to do something. He just wants to know you trust Him...have faith in Him...and are letting Him be in control. I left there knowing she was 100% right, so I started making a list of things to do with the kids....park visits, story time at the library, pool days, zoo days, etc. I was making our little schedule that would take place when the kids were pulled out of school. I was beginning to get excited about all the things I had on our list.
Long story, short, we set a date at the end of Feb 2011 that would be the kids' last day of school. I notified our daycare director of our situation and gave notice that we were going to be pulling the kids out. So, I told her on a Friday that the next Friday would be their last day. Later that day, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would be interested in a certain job.
After talking to her for a few minutes about the position, I told her YES! This was a job that my friend "A" heard about from her friend "L". "L" had worked with a friend "G" for a while and "G" later took a new job at a different office but "G" and "L" still stayed in touch. (Are you following me here?) So, "G" had been at her new job for about a year. "G" is pregnant and decided that she would be staying at home with her baby instead of returning to work, so she was helping in the search to find her replacement so that person could start early enough so "G" could train them.
Although I was feeling like it would be a long shot to even get this job because I had NO experience in this field, I sent my resume to "A" to pass to "L" so she could pass it to "G" who would pass it to her HR manager on Sunday afternoon. Well, Monday I got a call from that HR manager asking if I would be interested in interviewing on TUESDAY! I said yes.
Tuesday came and I was pretty nervous, but ready/excited about the interview. When I went in for the interview, the HR manager and I really hit it off and it was one of my best interviews ever! We did lots of the typical interview questions, but some how we talked about lots of other things too. I also met my possible future boss and he and I hit it off pretty well too. I left feeling great and expecting to hear something by Friday of that week.(This is the same Friday that would be the kids' last day of school.) I was very confident that I would get the job. In fact, I would have put money on it because the interview went that well.
SO, I talked to the director and she was so great to us. She promised to not fill the kids' spots until I found out for sure about the job. I had already decided to that the kids and I would be heading to Florida the next week to see my parents (because the kids were not going to be in school anymore anyway), so we kept those plans. Friday came and went and I didn't hear anything, so I talked with the daycare director again and we agreed that the kids would use their "vacation week" the next week so we wouldn't have to pay and she would still hold our spots.
The following Monday came and went with no word about the new job. I will admit, at this point I was thinking that maybe I didn't get the job. Tuesday arrived and I decided to call the HR manager to see if the position had been filled or what the status was. When I called, i got voicemail and left a message. About 30 minutes later, I got a call back with an offer for the job!! I was super excited and after hearing the offer, accepted.
Shortly after I hung up with the HR manager, I called the daycare to let them know that the kids would be staying in school because I did get the job. It was an exciting day!!
So, I am now working as a medical assistant for an orthopedic surgeon in town and I LOVE MY JOB!! My doctor is amazing, young, laid back, super nice, great family man, (and most female patients tell me how cute he is too). The other people in the office have been great too! They are all so quick to help me when I have questions and they have also welcomed me into 'the family' with open arms. I get to wear scrubs and tennis shoes every day...NO MORE HIGH HEELS for work!! (um..YAY!)
I do work LOTS of hours and stay very busy all day, but I would rather be busy than bored. Time flies for sure. The great news is I get paid overtime for anything over 40 hours, so while I don't like working extra hours, at least I am getting paid for the time I am putting in.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
SNOW...
We got a little snow this past winter. These pics are from Jan when we built our snow WOman and decided to pose for a few pics.
SILLY FACES....
(Tatum's expression was ALL her own and I had never seen her do it until this picture. I still crack up looking at her in this picture.)
Friday, January 07, 2011
The Hard Things in Life
It is true that God puts the right people in our lives at the right time. Sometimes those people become life long friends and sometimes they are only around for a season of life. Even when we don't realize it at the time, for whatever reason, these people tend to make a great impact on our lives.
One of the people that I know impacted my life was Bro. Jimmy Yarbrough, my preacher during my teenage years. He put a new face to christianity for me. He didn't have a perfect past, he wasn't polished, he didn't speak perfectly correct English, but there are 2 things he did perfectly, he loved the Lord and loved others like God loves us.
Bro. Jimmy always gave great advice. Two things, specifically, still stick with me to this day and I often find myself giving the same advice to some of the teenagers around me from time to time. I will share these 2 pieces of great advice with you.
1. I can see Bro. Jimmy now saying this to me. Bro. Jimmy always had a routine of standing at the back door of the church after service was over so he could shake hands with everyone as they left. He would shake my hand and say "Remember April, there ain't no man worth having what you have to offer." After I married Antonio, he would always tell me to be sure and remind Antonio how lucky he was. :)
2. His second piece of advice is my favorite! It makes sense and it often helped me make some wise decisions during high school and college. Bro. Jimmy's second piece of advice was "Never date anyone you wouldn't consider marrying." If you stop and think about this, it is such wise advice. Why waste your time with someone you would never want to spend the rest of your life with? You could be missing out on Mr. Right if you have your time tied up with Mr. Right Now!
Bro. Jimmy, you lived an amazing life and impacted so many lives. While I have no doubt you will be missed by so many here on earth, I know you are right where you have always dreamed and prayed of being. Please pray for Mrs. Dianne, his wife and his daughter and grandchildren. May they find peace in knowing he is no longer suffering with pain.
One of the people that I know impacted my life was Bro. Jimmy Yarbrough, my preacher during my teenage years. He put a new face to christianity for me. He didn't have a perfect past, he wasn't polished, he didn't speak perfectly correct English, but there are 2 things he did perfectly, he loved the Lord and loved others like God loves us.
(This picture was taken by his daughter at Thanksgiving 2010)
Bro. Jimmy found out a few months ago that he had colon cancer. They tried a few treatments, but nothing worked and at the end of November, he was told nothing else could be done. Because his cancer was so bad, he was unable to eat anything. Hospice was called in to attempt to keep him comfortable. Bro. Jimmy had more fight in him and although he was unable to eat, he still hung on until Jan 6th which is when he passed away. He was of sound mind until the end and took care of many business things(selling his truck, trailer, horses, planning his funeral, etc) so that his wife wouldn't have to after he passed. He was also able to tell many people goodbye when they would come to visit him. I can't imagine how hard that was for the visitors or for him. Bro. Jimmy always gave great advice. Two things, specifically, still stick with me to this day and I often find myself giving the same advice to some of the teenagers around me from time to time. I will share these 2 pieces of great advice with you.
1. I can see Bro. Jimmy now saying this to me. Bro. Jimmy always had a routine of standing at the back door of the church after service was over so he could shake hands with everyone as they left. He would shake my hand and say "Remember April, there ain't no man worth having what you have to offer." After I married Antonio, he would always tell me to be sure and remind Antonio how lucky he was. :)
2. His second piece of advice is my favorite! It makes sense and it often helped me make some wise decisions during high school and college. Bro. Jimmy's second piece of advice was "Never date anyone you wouldn't consider marrying." If you stop and think about this, it is such wise advice. Why waste your time with someone you would never want to spend the rest of your life with? You could be missing out on Mr. Right if you have your time tied up with Mr. Right Now!
Bro. Jimmy, you lived an amazing life and impacted so many lives. While I have no doubt you will be missed by so many here on earth, I know you are right where you have always dreamed and prayed of being. Please pray for Mrs. Dianne, his wife and his daughter and grandchildren. May they find peace in knowing he is no longer suffering with pain.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
UPDATES
I have worked and updated my blog over the past 2 days. If you want to read the new blog posts, I post dated them going all the way back to Thanksgiving! I know, I was WAY behind. You can read about Thanksgiving, birthdays, Christmas - including why Santa did NOT come to see Tatum, etc.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Mateo's 2 yr check up
Mateo went for his 2 yr check up yesterday. I stated in a previous post that Mateo does not like going to the dr, but I had high hopes he would do better this time. Usually, he does great in the waiting room, but once our name is called, he cries, kicks, hits, etc. because he doesn't want to go back there.
This time, he did great! Once we got into the room, he colored a picture of Spongebob. I was even able to take a few pics.
Mateo is showing me his tongue after I asked him to.
Here are his 2 year stats:
Height - 33 inches
Weight (fully clothed) - 28 pounds
I can't give percentages because for some reason they had Mateo listed as a girl. The office just went to a computerized system which means they had to enter in all the records manually, so our pediatrician said she would get it fixed for us because Mateo is no girl, obviously.
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