Pate Miracle Babies

Christmas Pics from grandparents!

2011-12-30T15:22:00.006-06:00

He was just a itsy bit excited about his "fractors"...he said, "They just like Papa's"

see the resemblence?...my brother (aka Uncle Ryan)

James Daniel

Claire LOVED her new Toms!

Rob got a super cool AU pic for his office...or house maybe..hehehe

James D...stoked about his new guitar (another one!)

Nana with the boys!

Merry Silly Face Christmas:-)

So many wonderful memories. I am thankful for my camera, because I am able to capture these special times to look back on and remember always. Our family is so blessed.

Christmas 2011

2011-12-28T07:04:00.009-06:00

Ellie writing her fifth and final letter to Santa...

The boys playing one last tune before bedtime...Christmas Eve night!

Big girls with their Ipod touches!

Vrooom Vroooom!

Reindeer pancakes..yummy!

James in his race car chair!

Mommy, Jenna and new baby Anna Jane!

Daddy with his big girls....setting up Ipods;-)

THE GIRLS! with Jenna's Hello Kitty water dispenser!

Claire and her new Nike Free running shoes!...I'm jealous..I want some!

The whole crew...last pic before getting ready for church!

Christmas 2011 was wonderful. The kids had a blast. They were totally spoilt by their grandparents. Santa did a pretty good job this year too! Here are the highlights...

Claire and Ellie got a new IPod touch, a doll house and new baby for Jenna, and a motorcycle for the boys. The best reaction was Ellie finding a ribbon tied to her gifts that led her downstairs to the basement, where she found a gymnastics beam. She screamed "AHHH, I got a beam!"....

James Daniel received a guitar from Papa and Mamaw and one from Nana that he is totally obsessed with. The boys also got heavy machinery from my dad and Rosey, and they love crashing their loaders, excavators, and dump trucks into each other (AND THEIR SISTERS!) All the kids received special gifts from all of their family that show how unique and special they each are. From pj's with monsters and guitars, to microscopes, twinkle toes, craft kits, Harry Potter series of books, Itunes gift cards, Yogurt Mt. gift card, karaoke machine, wheel barrow, tractors and dump trucks, rakes and shovels, they have all had such a wonderful week of playing with their new gifts.

I am so grateful my children have their grandparents to share the holidays with. I know so many families who endured such hardships and tragedies during 2011 that it really puts perspective on each day.

Three Years Old!

2011-12-11T22:12:00.003-06:00

James Daniel born 4:12 weighed 2 lbs9oz

John David born 4:13 weighted 2 lbs14oz

ONE YEAR- December 11, 2009

TWO YEARS- December 11, 2010

THREE YEARS- December 11, 2011

I woke up this morning, and my first thought was, "I remember this morning 3 years ago...." and then every hour throughtout the day until 4:12pm. I remember the pink fleece pj pants I had on, the waffles and saugsage I had just eaten prior to my ultrasound that gave us the dreaded news, even the cocunut verbena shampoo I washed my hair with prior to being prepped for surgery, from calling our family, to seeing Dr. Gonzales look up scripture in my bible that rested on my night stand before he left my room....all the way until the moment they were born and their lifeless 2 pound bodies streamed pass me....I guess when you live through something so profound as the life or death of your children, you freeze that time and remember it richly forever. I am sure for those of you who knew me well during that entire time from the pregnancy to the joyous homecoming with the boys, I walked around in a fog, (rightfully so...geez),but the day of their birth is like the aroma of a freshly sliced orange, I can sense it all. I can see it all, hear it all, the sights, sounds, smells and feelings are still so alive for me to this day. And so I guess on every single birthday, I will reminisce the details (good and bad) and savor those memories in my heart and soul forever.

Today we celebrated the birth of our boys ALL DAY long....breakfast was three chocolate doughnuts stacked high with a dumb dumb sucker atop. They wore their Miracle Boy shirts to church and were wished Happy Birthday from many of our friends. We celebrated with dinner at Habenaro's, John David asked for "baskettie" and James asked for "fench fies"..James loved the guitar and maracas when the restaurant staff sang to them, and of course, John David hated it!

On the way home, Daddy stopped at Dairy Queen and bought them a chocolate Reese blizzard to enjoy...and I even let them share it by the Christmas tree. As we tucked them in for bed, we told them "Happy Birthday" one more time...they both just grinned huge and said "Happy Birthday Daddy"....the end of this beautiful day of celebration came to close when I prayed with them...just as I did 3 years ago, same time, bedtime around 8pm...I thanked God for their lives, and prayed that He would wrap them tightly and protect them, just as I did 3 years ago today!

I will never understand why we were chosen for God's miracle babies, but I will always be willing to share the story. The story of how two baby boys weren't given much of a chance from the beginning, and then a whole bunch of folks started praying, hoping, and believing.... and we ended up with these two beautiful, healthy, smart little boys! I am grateful beyond words to describe with.

Happy 3rd Birthday James Daniel and John David Pate!

"Thankful"...just not a big enough word for my heart!

2011-11-26T07:20:00.014-06:00

It was only 3 years ago, that I lay in a hospital bed, praying and hoping for the Thanksgiving that I could be home with my family, healthy and happy, enjoying the simple things in life. I have to say, reminiscing of the time prior to the birth of the boys, brings a flood of emotions back. I am so grateful, forever thankful, for the undeserving blessing God showered upon the Pate family. We will never forget.

(Brookwood Hospital Perinatal Unit, room 227, November 24, 2008)

Thanksgiving this year was incredible. Beck Beck and Ro Ro spent the week here with us. It is amazing how much we did in 7 days, just as it is amazing how fast the time went by. Our hearts are so full of "thankfulness" to have had the special time with them. The many pictures I took will help refresh our memory when time takes us away from the season. Our hearts ached this morning as we said goodbye, but we focus on the fun times and look forward to 'next time'.....

This would be the FIRST THANKSGIVING I have had in my own home with my family as an adult. Rob and I have been married for 12 years and never had "Thanksgiving" at our home. Thankful that Dad and Rose were here to cook our meal...Not sure if oatmeal or egg wraps would have been etiquette...bahahaha!

OH YUMMY....grape leaves, homemade hummus, tabouli, turkey, sweet potato, broccoli casserole (made with greek yogurt and feta), and a loaf of whole wheat lebanese bread:-) THANK YOU BECKY AND ROSEY!

Whole Wheat Lebanese bread chips...SO GOOD!

Coloring with my big girls during nap time.

James said, "I no yike da punkin pie, I yike da yemon pie"

ATLANTA HALF MARATHON! Rob and I have started a tradition together.....running the Atl. Half each year on Thanksgiving Day...

Atlanta Half Marathon....Great job Daddy! Finished in 1hr 58min....

Pictures from our family gathering at Papa and Mamaw's house...

"Give Beck Beck a kiss!"

LOVE

Absolute LOVE!

Papaw with the boys...

Hours of fun here...playing on Mamaw's IPad..making goofy faces with photo booth ap!

Seriously, could the kid cram his finger up his nose any further...!?!?!

Sam and James rocking in Mamaw's rocking chair wearing Papa's hats!

Here are some more pics from our week.

Playing outside...finding worms, taking down trampoline (Claire's first trampoline Becky bought her 8 years ago:-(....LOTS of memories on that one!)

Getting ready to PAINT A KITCHEN! WHOOO HOOOO!

Becky's helper for the day....hey, what a minute, shouldn't you be in SCHOOL!!!

Well, as the old saying goes..."All good things must eventually come to an end..."

I savor the memories, the pictures and videos, the stories and 'remember whens' because at the end of our time here on this Earth, the time we invested with our families and each other will carry on....long after we are gone!

Take time to love those you love. Be grateful for what you have. I know I am.

A-U-B-U-R-N!!!

2011-11-23T09:06:00.006-06:00

Yes, we are crazy. Yes, we loaded up all the kids and took them to AU. No, we didn't take them all into the game....we might be crazy, but we aren't insane! HA! Yes, they we walked all over creation (aka campus) enjoying all the traditions of AU football day!

It was a wonderful, exhausting, comical at times, memorable, nerve rattling, heart melting, kind of day! I am so proud to share with my children the history of AU traditions from the days their daddy played there until now.

Here are some pics from our weekend!

And 1st place goes to......CLAIRE PATE

2011-11-13T21:39:00.003-06:00

Just wanted to share Claire's cheer competition video with our friends and family. She worked hard and we are super proud of her. God receives glory for all the good we ever do, so tonight after the performance I asked Claire if she thanked Him for His protection and provision in her life. She said, "It was the first thought in my mind this morning when my feet hit the floor and the first thought when I grabbed that huge 1st place trophy!"....I love that my children are seeing His hand in their lives. I pray for her to always point every success directly back to Him and give praise and honor where it is deserved to go. I pray she will use her talents to draw others to Him and share His love with others.

Halloween--better late than never!

2011-11-12T22:33:00.005-06:00

WHAT A BIG OLE DORK!...HAHAHA

WHAT A COOL MOMMA....HAHAHA

OUR CREW READY TO TRICK OR TREATING!

OH HOW I COULD EAT THESE TWO LIL BOYS UP...YUMMY YUM!

CITY OF HOOVER FESTIVAL....IT WAS COLD!

For three days, the Pate kids Halloween partied themselves to a new level of sugary high! Friday evening we enjoyed a festival on behalf of the City of Hoover...it was a blast and the kids arrived home with entirely too much candy (already to began the Halloween weekend)...and then on Saturday, our elementary school had a fall festival, so even more sweet treats, face paint, cake walks, craft tables, inflatables, etc. To top it off, Sunday we had yet another fall festival at our church. Tons of fun...until JAMES DANIEL GOT LOST....OMG, not an experience I care to ever have again. He was stuck in between the blow-up inflatables and surely couldn't be seen or heard...and then yet again, Monday afternoon, we had to go trick-or-treating...because every kid MUST trick-or-treat ON HALLOWEEN...right?!?!! Needless to say, we have rotten teeth and have gained 5 lbs each in snicker bars!

CHURCH CARNIVAL WITH FRIENDS!

BUT, I am SO THANKFUL, SO VERY, VERY, VERY THANKFUL to have enjoyed the weekend with our five, healthy, happy, thriving children!

Prayer Request

2011-10-05T21:23:00.003-05:00

I have a very special prayer request to share with my 'blogger friends'....

Delina Stearns is a beautiful young mother to two precious children, Clay (11yrs) and Emma (6yrs), a wife to a great man and a friend to so many. She is energetic, intelligent, and dedicated to her family and career, and a Godly woman of great faith. But now she has a new title, "diagnosed with colon cancer". If you just gasped and winced, so did I...and I have known about her diagnosis for a couple of weeks now. I am sure if you had asked her a month ago what she would be doing mid October, she wouldn't have imagined surgery to remove most of her colon, flying to Texas to receive chemotherapy and radiation scheduled on her calendar. I don't want to sound grim, but in all honesty, it could be any of us on any given day. You see, Delina is not a bit different than most of the moms who read my blog. She is a young, healthy, vibrant woman with a lifetime of 'plans' that have drastically taken a different course. My heart feels so heavy for her. My heart is also crying out to God for HIS healing power and perfect love, grace, and comfort for this family during such a stressful time.

I am asking you to join me and praying for her EVERY SINGLE MORNING on your drive to work and school (or wherever you travel first thing the morning)....When you buckle your little ones in the car and double check you have everything you need to leave the house, I'm asking that you pause for a moment and pray for DELINA STEARNS. I ask that you would pray for her health and future health as she now adds something else to her 'to do' list...battling the monster of cancer. Please pray for her family. Her children need prayer. Her husband, Shane, needs prayer. I am also asking you to share her with as many people as you can. Teach your children how to pray for a Mommy who needs healing prayers and our Father's strength and support.

I am in the process of figuring out how I can raise sponsorship money through my training for the Boston Marathon to donate to Delina.

My big girls, Claire and Ellie, were praying for her yesterday after school and we decided to do a prayer walk around my school parking lot. We walked a lap and the entire time prayed for Delina and her family. Ellie said, "Can we do this everyday Mommy...?" Of course I said, "ABSOLUTELY, WE CAN"....

Delina has a caring bridge page if you would like to follow her updates. Just go to caringbridge.org/visit/delinastearns

Thank you all in advance for lifting Delina up your daily prayers. Every time you crank your car to leave home in the mornings to go about your 'normal day' again, please be in prayer for Delina.....

Thank you all so much.
Much love!
Dana

That was a quick month....

2011-09-03T21:37:00.007-05:00

John David snuck into Claire's bed because when he came to my room, I told him to GO BACK TO HIS BED! hahahaha

Claire helping Jenna with her school work.

Mommy and Claire having quiet time at the YMCA pool reading together...

Nana babysiting during Claire's first football game.

Ellie with her amazing gymnastics coach...Bri Mitchell at Legacy gymnastics. I swear we could have been long lost sisters....

Jenna posing for her picture in the front yard.

Mommy and Ellie at the Galleria on our special date night....buying way too much Bath and Body Works..her favorite!

The boys playing peek a boo...John D hiding behind James.

Ellie playing with her spa kit...she was creating peppermint bath salt balls here....my kitchen table will never be the same thanks to citric acid and baking soda.

First day of school....

Raise your hand if you are ready for the first day of school!! Meeeeeee!

Ellie's new pair of running shoes....she was running up and down the isle of Academy Sporting Goods shouting "oh yeah baby, I am a running girl!"

The boys jumping on Daddy screaming, "Wake up Daddy, Wake up NOW"

Hanging out with my beautiful Jenna Kathryn Sunday mornings!

I do believe my last post was the one where I said "good bye" to summer...yep, summer is officially over and we are in full swing of school and fall activities. It only took about 2 full weeks of our new routine before I felt TOTAL EXHAUSTION!

Here are some recent pics of our family, enjoying the simple things in life....

Claire loves 5th grade....she is doing great in her cheerleading this year, she has mastered her round-off backhand spring, she has met new bestfriends this year and seems to be thrilled with her teacher, Ms.Carr, she is hoping to become involved in the First Priority club this year in school, we are so very proud of the young lady she is becoming...
Ellie is enjoying 1st grade....she said having a teacher that is an Auburn fan is cool and it is awesome to get science at the end of the day. She also has decided to be a principal instead of a "toe nail worker"...haha...she made the pre-team gymnastics team at Legacy and is working her tale off each week...we are all so proud of her.
Jenna is little miss princess around here and I guess always will be. She is so funny "taking care of eveyone" at her school. She is the oldest this year, along with her buddy Cannon (who started at the same time with Jenna when they were 4 months old) and she tells me that every single day she has to show him how to do his work beacuse he wants to play all the time...He will sit for hours and draw, color, paint.
James Daniel is a teensy bit obsessed with the arts and music...very definite interest in creating and building things. He loves pizza and chocolate milk. Ms. Joan at school reports that James is a very good listener and seems to be very aware of what is going on around him. When I picked him up last Monday, I said, "Hey buddy how was your DAY?" and he said, "I like Monday!"....LOl...I couldn't believe he said "Monday" and it was really Monday! He has since been singing the 'days of the week' song and pointing to a big board book we have at home (just like they do at school...too funny)
John David loves to ride his bikes outside. Driving home late a few nights ago, he asked to ride his bike when we got home. After telling him repeatedly that is was too dark, he said, "No mommy, I no want you to say that anymore, it not too dark, I ride my bike faster.." He also loves waffles and must push down the waffles every single morning and watching them "pop it"...

We are settling into our new school/cheerleading/gymnastics/church/training runs/homework/etc.. weekly routine and I am secertly glad August is over. For me, the adjusting to the new routine is needed but very challenging at the same time.

I will update more details of what the boys are saying and doing later. For now, I am going to finish laundry for my family of 7.....TIMES 7 DAYS OF THE WEEK1

See Ya Later.....SUMMER!

2011-07-30T07:23:00.007-05:00

Visiting Daddy at work...we always enjoy the sweet treats that the ECA office has in their kitchen!

BOys hanging out with Nana while Mommy was in the chiropractor's office getting adjusted...

The boys first visit to Jesse's Place (women and children's homeless center)

We absolutely love taking donations downtown to these sweet ladies. They are always so appreciative. Our girls ask to go all the time. Great life lesson for them too!

We are officially done with summer. I would say that I am sad about that, but truthfully, I am excited to start a knew school year with my family. The kids are ready too I think. Claire secretly told me the other day that she really was ready to return to school and start "normal" days again...hahah, tell me she isn't a reflection of her mother....LOl!~ Ellie has read 5 Magic Tree House books this past week (yes, that is one book per day, and they have about 10 chapters a book...she is def. not 'normal'...but what a smart kiddo!) And even Jenna asked me a few days ago if she could read to me because she needed to show Mrs. Joan her 'smarts'....haha!

We have had the most remarkable summer. Of course it blasted by entirely too fast, but our memories from summer 2011 are rich. Our children have enjoyed vacations and the lazy, sweet days of summer to the fullest. This last week of summer will be devoted to 'getting ready' for school. We have haircuts and tennis shoes on the 'to-do list'. Claire will be in 5th grade (so hard to even believe!!!) Ellie will be in 1st grade, Jenna and the boys will return to Joan Brock's house for another blessed year of learning and playing.

Here a some pictures from the last two weeks of "summer" for the Pate kids!

Swimming, and sharing snack...so sweet!

She is getting way to big...btw!

"I eat my thucker (aka sucker)"...they LOVE suckers!

"I ride my bike"....we hear this at least 10 times a day...he is addicted..seriously!

Princess Jenna with Prince Caspian....these two always ride in the pink Mustang. James always drives and Jenna always rides....too cute!

Dentist!

Mommy's Classroom!

Dressing Up for Mommy's massage!

Walmart!

Painting pictures for our bedrooms!

Lazy summer morning, reading books on the couch...doesn't last long though, because the 'lazy' part only works for about 1 hour..then it is time to GO!

Breakfast....it's just the BEST!

Powedered doughnuts....such a rare thing in our home..but oh such a yummy treat when we do have them:-)

The boys' first big movie and the Rave Movie Theater...they watched Narnia...and they watched the entire movie from start to finish...not kidding. I was shocked...only got up for potty break once. Ate mint Oreos and Cheeto balls!

Beach Week Destin, FL 2011

2011-07-16T17:35:00.011-05:00

Absolutely beautiful...I LOVE this picture...reminds me of when I was a little girl in the ocean with my dad!

Ummmm, we did this for about 3 hours every single day for 7 days..

watching their sisters play in the ocean...

Happy Fourth of July!

SURF-N!

Jenna...way in the sky....

How typical is this...girls looking the correct direction and the boys looking the opposite way....turned out kind of cute thought...

The girls....just modeling for mommy...but Jenna is 'all done mommy' taking pictures...hahaha

These girls played in this boat on the waves for HOURS...I sat in a chair and just laughed for HOURS...it was a precious time together...

I asked the boys to stop and look at each other...John David said, "Hey bubby" and James said, "Hey my bubby too"

He walked to the ocean and drug the boat back to his 'sand hole'...

We had a beautiful week together as a family at the beach this year. Nobody wears a diaper, needs to be breastfed, eats baby food, drinks a bottle, travels around in a baby seat....sad in a way but REALLY COOL to have BIG-(er) kids now. I miss the baby days a teensy bit, but I have pictures and videos to remind me of them. For now, we are really thankful our family has 'grown up' a little bit and can now travel to and from place to place with ease....what a minute...haha...did I say, 'ease'....I really meant it is getting 'easier'....definitely NOT with EASE...yet

So the highlights from the trip....
**Ice-cream cones from the nastiest McDonald's I have ever seen...@11pm!
**Sleeping on bunk beds, in closets, on couch pillows, on a fold out couch bed, and IN MOMMY and Daddy's bed!
**Ellie losing her first tooth...while mommy was at the grocery store and daddy was asleep!
**Celebrating Ellie's first 'lost tooth' with double decker oreo chocolate ice-cream cones
**Sitting out on the balcony listening to all the kids sing and 'perform' for Mommy and Daddy after dinner
**Mommy and Daddy running up the 4 flights of stairs outside our condo room at night while all the kids slept..
**Riding go-carts and trains and planes for 4th of July..
**Kids eating Burger King (eckkk) while Mommy and Daddy had crab cakes and blackened grouper from Buster's...
**Pizza by the pool and night swimming..
**Mini ice-cream cartons that each child (and adult) had on the last night...what a treat that was!
**Daddy floating in the ocean with the boys and Jenna for an hour while Mommy and the big girls did 'beach gymnastics'...
**Claire babysitting in the room while during nap time...for the 1st time!
**OUTLET shopping mall across the street from our condo!
**TCBY blueberry cream pie...ooooh yum!
**Daddy playing free golf..Mommy keeping the kids on the beach until 8:30pm playing in the sand, eating Cheetos and drinking grape juice boxes!
*Someone stealing our boat with ALL of our sand toys...and then someone else finding it for us!
**Pool friends from Las Vegas
**Ellie's crab..
**Claire's toe ring...
**The boys' swords...
**The black snake...
**Jenna's 'funky t-shirt'
**Strawberry wine and watermelon...
**Big Kahuna's Water Park on the way home...as a surprise...
**SO many beautiful memories our family enjoyed making together and one day we will look back and laugh at all the special moments we had during this season our family was in...

Very Sad News....

2011-07-05T22:59:00.002-05:00

My sweet friend Shelley, pregnant with the mono boys, emailed me yesterday with an update on the boys that brought great sadness to my heart. The boys' cords were so severely tangled that the doctor's decided to take them on June 29th instead of their original planned date of July 3rd. Baby Miller weighed in right at 4lbs and is doing well in the NICU, however, baby Matthew did not make it. Apparently he had an underdeveloped trachea and passed away shortly after birth. I don't really have any more details than that right now.

My heart just breaks for Shelley. I can't imagine the sorrow she is feeling right now. I pray for her often and ask you guys to please remember her throughout your day. They are having a memorial service for Matthew on Friday, July 8.

Our family has been at the beach all week. We are having a great time together as a family. The kids are having a blast. I will update with pictures and stories later. I just wanted to share the latest news I had on the Mono Boys, Miller and Matthew.

Thank you for your sweet prayers for Shelley and her family.

Utah Trip 2011

2011-06-27T21:27:00.020-05:00

Lots of excitement early on as we traveled the entire country to our final destination...UTAH! Imagine a family of 7 boarding a plane in B'ham, AL that was delayed 40 min. to then arrive in Houston, TX and run like mad to catch our connecting flight to Salt Lake City, UT...(visualize 5 kids, two suitcases, three carry on bags and two parents hauling butt through the airport), to only then miss it by 1 min. and have our seats sold out from under us (b/c we didn't arrive 10 min. prior to take-off, even though a "code red" was called in to hold our seats)...to then be told our only option was to wait three hours, catch a flight to SAN FRANSISCO, layover for three more hours, United computer system crashed so the blind was leading the blind for sure at that point, but then to finally arrive in UT at midnight, find our luggage, drive 2 hours to Price and pull into my dad's driveway at 2am.....yep, that would be what our crazy family of 7 endured last Friday as we ventured off to the beautiful city of Price, UT! I think United Airlines owes me something for mental anguish...I can laugh about it now, but in that moment....not so much! I'm sure youtube has great footage of me during my complete meltdown (along with my five kids) in the center of terminal B (gate 77 B) in the Houston airport when that wretched old hag refused to let us on that plane!

I was DONE with airports, layovers, delayed flights (which caused us to arrive at our connecting flight 45 min. late), arrogant people, rude people, public restrooms, over-priced crappy food, United Airlines with NO ANSWERS, and an extra 12 hours of travel time... Mamma Bear was DONE!

But it was all well worth it when we finally arrived....

And these smiles were worth every minute of 18 hours of travel misery through three different airports...

Price, Utah....a small town with a BIG, special, Lebanese family called "The Howas"... I always looked forward to traveling to Utah when I was a child for several reasons. I loved the weather, the smell (I know it is weird but there is a certain smell out there) of course the four-wheelers, sand piles, rock piles, Lebanese food, riding in the big trucks, the twizzlers and 'soda pop' that are on every corner, the long days of summer play with all my cousins, and best of all was the huge family of love that was shared by all. Now I am all grown up and taking my kids out to the same little small town with the really big HOWA family to enjoy all the same pleasures. They love it and I totally understand why....it is just different out there, it is a special place with legacy and love are passed down in a unique family called, "The Howas"....

I took 478 pictures and hours worth of video. The memories our family made together in Utah will last forever.

Girls with Granny Rosie...not sure who loves who more...these girls are crazy about their Granny Rosie, and I think the feeling is mutual!

The boy is not even fully awake yet, but he is already climbing on the loaders...in his underwear...haha!

Dad works so hard to keep this gorgeous peonia patch thriving...and from the picture you can see how beautiful it is.

Girls playing in the RV camper...they loved playing 'house'.

Uncle Paul took the boys for a ride on the 'cactor' (aka tractor)...

These girls never grew weary of riding those four-wheelers!

Nun-Nuns...I think they wore Becky out...on a daily basis...hah..Lol!

Playing on Uncle Paul's huge 10ft slide...a little wax paper goes a long way..

Happy Father's Day....Girls gave Daddy flavored water, granola, wintergreen mints and protein bars...:-)

Happy Grandfather's Day....what a special day this was! Girls gave Becky dark chocolate candy bar, Pistachio nuts, work socks, and chewing tabacco...:-)

Jenna eating infamous Twizzlers with Uncle Ryan.

Me and Claire chillin on the rock pile.

I am pretty sure what he is saying here is, "I RIDE, I RIDE, I RIDE"...Lol!

Rolling grape leaves...a delicious Lebanese meal that Rob and I would consider flying all the way back to Utah just to eat!

James was jamin with Uncle Ryan.

Camper...listening to "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" before tucking in for bed.

Hanging out around the campsite.

Jenna's hair looks like a rat's nest...goodness the girl fits the picture of a 'camp girl'

Daddy gave the boys a super big powedered sugar sucker..yes, they were wired!

Ellie and Claire and Uncle Ryan chopping wood...

Rosie always asks Ellie to find her a special rock when we visit. Ellie found a beautiful rock and I'm sure Rosie will have a perfect spot for it.

Taking a break from chopping wood.

Yep, they pretty much stayed on the four-wheelers....

Camping at Old Folks Flat...absolutely gorgeous campsite. We had the most amazing time. Camping in the mountains of Utah makes the mole hills of Alabama look pitiful!

Awesome!

Beautiful!

Uncle Ryan and Daddy made a fort out of a pine tree...the kids loved it!

Please look at how filthy John David is...he is in the back of the picture....he is covered in black dirt.

Playing in the sand pile...a really BIG sand pile!

Becky and John David with Uncle Ryan peeking in the background.

Playing in the yard at like 8pm and look how bright it is...crazy...it doesn't get dark unitl 9:30!

Uncle Paul has an amzaing garden and the girls are helping him pick the peas. So fun and so delicious. One night for dinner, Rob and I walked out to the garden and cut the most beautiful lettuce...made an awesome salad!

Uncle Rex being silly with the kids.

Hanging out around the kitchen table with family. Uncle Eddie and Aunt Wilma.

Claire took Rosie for a ride, she missed a turn and ended up in a pile of MUD...(on purpose I think:-))))

Vroooom...Uncle Rex always brings his motorcycle!

Me and my sweet Claire Bear!

"Becky" and Jenna!

Ellie riding the same little four-wheeler I rode when I was her age.

Jenna and cousin Hayden pretending to ride the four-wheelers...although Jenna did end up riding this little one before the week was over!

Driving the BIG TRUCK....

My dad and Uncle Dew with the boys on the BIG TRUCK!

RIDING!...NUNUN...(the boys call any type of heavy machinary a 'nun nun'..)

WHOOO HOOO....riding those nun-nunS!

Making Lebanese Bread....SOOOOO Yummy. And my precious dad even created a new recipe with a lower fat and sodium for Rob and I....

James Daniel LOVED his Lebanese bread...he ate half a loaf.

I love 'showing muscles'...it just makes a cute picture!

Aunt Jeannie and Uncle Kay invited us over for a wonderful cook out. They have a beautiful yard....

Loaders are just cool...especially to crawl in the bucket and take a picture with your family:0)

Leaving is NO FUN...we are smiling here, but seconds later, we were all crying:-(

So we are full of memories to last us a while, pictures and video that we will cherish. Our hearts ache to be with them all again. We long to hug them and love them. But we know how blessed we are to have them, and so we look forward to our next visit with Becky and Rosie and Uncle Ryan!

First Week of Summer!

2011-06-10T07:04:00.006-05:00

The girls had VBS (Vacation Bibile School) this week, therefor the boys and I did what we love most....swimming!
I tell ya, it is so easy to just hang out with the two boys all day. They are so good. My favorite memory and picture is the ones of them 'sharing' their snack together. It is so precious. So thankful I captured it on camera. It was free will, I didn't posed them for it at all.

We spent a day with my bestfriends Aimee and Jill playing on the big blowup water slide. It was so much fun. Ellie said, "I just wish this was our everyday, don't you Mommy?"....of course I said, "Yes, Ellie it would be nice, but if this was everyday, you would enjoy it as much...."

Claire and Braylin made snowcones for all the little kids (and the big kids:-))...the boys enjoyed the riding toys, tractor, and trampoline just about as much as the waterslide. Jenna and her buddy Harper Joy had fun until the 3 and 4 year old meltdowns began, and then it was time to go go! Ellie and Kate also enjoyed each others company and of course I didn't mind sitting around visiting with my buddies either. Great day was had by all:-)

Update on Shelley, Prayer Request and pics from Memorial Day weekend!

2011-05-30T07:29:00.006-05:00

Hey friends...quick update on Matthew and Miller. I spoke with Shelley and she said both boys are doing really well. She is now 28 weeks and scheduled to admit this week. I know what a releif it is to make it to 28 weeks with these little miracles, but the road ahead is long and there are still many worries to pray away. So, please do keep this precious family in your prayers. Pray specifically for Dr. Gonzales (who was also my specialist) as he cares for Shelley and the boys. Also pray for no complications and for those sweet babies to grow,grow,grow and stay safe. Thank you all for your sweet thoughts and prayers for Shelley.

I have another request for prayer as well. My stepmom's little grandson, Hayden, has been having seizures and the doctors are running lots of tests and he is now on new medication. This time is very scary for our family, especially Hayden's mom, Cindy. So please keep Cindy and baby Hayden in your daily prayers. Hayden was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy about a year after he was born. He has done remarkably well with the challenges he has had to face so far. Cindy works so hard to provide the best for Hayden. She is a young momma and needs lots of prayer right now for him (and for her as well).

The Pate brood is doing well. We are all super excited about our summer. We enjoyed a beautiful Memorial Day yesterday with great friends and family. The kids are looking forward to our visit to Utah in a couple of weeks and our beach vacation as well. The girls are planned for a spend the night party tomorrow night...ALL girls, no daddy or brothers...just Mommy and 9 girls! The BEST perk this summer, so far would be the boys are now POTTY TRAINED...whoooo hoooo....I wasn't even going to attempt that nightmare until this summer, but two weeks ago they asked for 'panties' so we tried for a weekend and SUCCESS! I am so pumped. They were not hard at all to train. I had always anticipated trying to train two, and two BOYS at that, would be horrible. I was pleasantly surprised. Here is a pic of two precious bums in undies!

Here are a few pictures from our swim party yesterday.

MONO BOYS MILLER and MATTHEW

2011-05-15T07:53:00.002-05:00

It is with great joy and desperate request for prayer that I am posting about another set of Mono-Mono boys I found out about right here in Birmingham, Alabama. There is a precious woman, Shelley, who actually teaches at the Montessori school in Oak Mt. that Ellie attended last year, who I spoke with yesterday. She is 27 weeks pregnant with Mono-Mono boys. She has a 14month old son as well. Unbelievably, she is being seen my the same specialist we received care under at Brookwood with our boys two and half years ago.

When I had the chance to talk with her yesterday, I could feel her heart through our words. It was incredible to speak with another voice who "knows exactly what mono-mono journey feels like"....I am in constant prayer for her and those beautiful little boys she is carrying in her womb....their names are MILLER and MATTHEW...PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for Shelley and her Mono-Mono miracles Miller and Matthew.

Thank you blogger friends for praying with us for the health and safety of these two little miracle boys. I am going to visit Shelley in the next week or so once she is checked into the hospital for continuous monitoring. I told her that I was bringing my 'scripture wall'. And for those of you who remember that, my scripture wall held me up so many times during my hospital stay that I felt myself falling... I also believe in my heart that there might not have been the two living, breathing, perfectly healthy boys by the name of James Daniel and John David without your prayers!

Thank you for praying for MILLER and MATTHEW. I will update their progress as I hear more.

Boston Marathon Journey

2011-04-28T21:28:00.005-05:00

So this post is about my journey to running in the 115th Boston Marathon. The most prestigious marathon one can run. It attracts marathoners from all over the country and world. I am completely humbled. I am completely honored. I am completely hooked and want to go back and try it again!

I spent endless hours training for this race. I tried to train my body and preserve my health with hopes of running my best race ever, however, God had a different plan for me. Of course like many times in life when our plans don't go according to "our plan" we are left feeling disappointed, discouraged and sometimes even distraught. Well, I found myself at those places there for a brief moment.

About a month prior to Boston, I was feeling really strong and very excited. One simple Tuesday evening I went for a normal training run and toward the end started feeling some pain in my groin. The next morning I could barely walk. The pain was horrible and I assumed I must have pulled or strained my groin muscle. Of course I started researching my symptoms on line. I spent an entire day on the couch 'resting' and researching my treatment plan (which is hysterical, because most doctors will tell you that the Internet is NOT where you need to turn for medical advice...haha)

However, the symptoms didn't really fit a pulled groin muscle according to my pain. SO I researched pelvic pain and soon enough found that every single symptom I was experiencing (and even the little pains I had experienced over the past few months of training) were pointing to a PELVIC STRESS FRACTURE....OH MY GOODNESS....my heart totally sank...as I began to read symptoms and treatment option, I became outraged at myself...NO RUNNING for sometimes up to 6 months to a year in some cases....Needless to say, I felt 100% destroyed.

Soon enough though I had some precious little girls hovering over me, praying for mommy's leg to get better. On the same day, I had to have a conversation with Claire about being 'disappointed' in life. She was having a terrible day after a friend decided not to come spend the night with her. She was SO upset. She had been planning this hoorah for weeks and had built her hopes up so high. It was such a perfect reality for me to sit there and explain to her that "LIFE" is full of disappointment and the Devil uses it to his advantage to tear us down, keep us bitter and full of anger. As I was trying to witness to her and counsel her with some motherly advice, I didn't even realize the speech I was giving her was truly for me as well. God is amazing in his ways. I am consoling Claire at a very fragile moment when her emotions were all over the place and explaining how there are true tragedies happening and having a total meltdown and bad attitude about something she had her hopes on and was really looking forward to is just a minor disappointment in the realm of so much more. I even seeped into what spiritual warfare is and how powerful it can be in our lives because Satan is working so hard to steal our joy, ruin our Faith, keep us from trusting our Father. He wants to rip us apart and destroy our lives.

Long story short. The speech was for me. Spiritual warfare was absolutely all over me during this journey. It is pretty simple really. I felt confident in MYSELF before I became injured. I felt hopeless in MYSELF once I became injured. I needed God's power more than ever to make it through the rest of that journey. I had to forfeit my ways and really open myself to HIS ways. I never once thought God didn't want me to run that race. He just wanted to make sure I realized (AGAIN) that some situations I find myself in are a direct correlation to my weakness and HIS STRENGTH.

I went through deep tissue massage the week prior. I was on anti-inflammatory and Advil weeks leading up to the race trying to calm down the inflammation that Dr. Carr felt I had built up over time of over training. I had the injections (OUCH). I didn't run but maybe 4-5 times over the course of the month. I did everything physically I could to strengthen my body, relieve the pain in my body....when all the while in the end it wouldn't be my body that got me thought it, it would be my God.

THE RACE-
There were thousands of people (27,000 total running the race) but about 10,000 in my pace group. I felt pretty good starting out. I stayed conservative hoping for a strong finish. 8 miles in I started hurting. By 10 miles I was in major pain. For those of you who have never run a full marathon, there is a mental game you play with yourself...get to half easily, push harder for a third more of the way, and then give it all ya got at the end b/c 6 miles just isn't that big of deal. BUT 16 MILES IS A LONG WAY TO GO WHEN YOU ARE ALREADY HURTING REALLY BAD. Every step I ran was pain. I can't really describe it, but the pain was horrible. About 10 miles in,I started doubting myself. I was praying, really begging praying, sad to admit it, but I was....I was trying to stay positive and confident but I was being so attacked by Satan. I looked up ahead of me in the sea of thousands and saw a bright blue shirt, and written in BIG WHITE LETTERS, it said, MIRACLES HAPPEN! OMG...I did two things, teared up (of course) and chuckled...It was a message from God for me. I have always called it a post-it note from God when a little message like that appears at the perfect time you need it. Here I am running the race of a lifetime in the worse physical condition I have ever been in, battling Satan's schemes, my doubt and disappointment and the GOD who holds the universe together and makes it all work, spoke to me! Unbelievable....

I continue on, one mile at a time. The pain is insane. I picture Christ in my mind. Hanging on a cross after being brutally beaten to almost death. His flesh mutilated, hanging off his body. I see his face in agony and complete suffering. And I remind myself that His pain and suffering was for me. For my soul, Christ lived the perfect, flawless life, and died the most horrific, horrible death...for me.

So with every step I took and all the pain I endured, it really wasn't suffering at all. It was a huge disappointment at the time, but I pressed on. Every few miles when I would feel more fatigue or felt that my body just couldn't go anymore, I would be reminded with those 'post-it' notes from God. At mile 15 I looked to my right and was running shoulder to shoulder with Dick Hoyt (his son Rick Hoyt as Cerebral Palsy) Dick is 70yrs old and has carried his son through 4 iron man competitions, marathons all over the world, and even ridden 3,000 miles across the country with his son. WOW..perspective and strength from seeing the Hoyt team.

I finish the race. I was so emotional when I finally made it to to the last turn. The historical corner known as the 'Boylston and Hereford' corner. I had .25 miles to go and could see the finish line. I was completely in AWE OF what GOD had done through my broken down body and restored Hope in Him.

I finished in 3hr 37min. 47sec. and when I crossed the line, I cried, nearly collapsed, and cried out THANK YOU to my KING!

Fast forward to the airplane ride home. The best part of the journey. Last plane ride. 29 min. left before we land back in Bham. It is dark. It is totally silent. I am praying/praising God for the entire journey to Boston. I have so many memories to cherish forever. I decided to pull out my ipod and listen to a few of my favorite songs before we landed. When I turned it on, there was one song left on the my play list. I didn't realize it when I finished the race because I had turned it off. But the very last song on my play list was "You Carried Me" by Building 429....and folks....that is not a post-it from God....that is a banner from God.

BECK BECK and RO RO!

2011-04-22T13:34:00.006-05:00

I know, I know, I am WAY BEHIND on updating this blog. Honestly, we have been so busy. I am going to post some pics tonight from our week visit with my dad and stepmom. We miss our Becky and Rosey (aka Beck Beck and Ro RO)so very much. But one thing is for sure, we have a new count down going and it will only be about 50 days until we board an airplane to go see them in Utah. Our family had such an amazing time with them here, we have a wealth of memory tucked snug in our hearts to remind us often of how much they love us. Each time I scramble an egg in my new pan (thanks Dad, I love the new frying pan)I can't help but think of my dad and hear his voice start barking about how terrible my cookware is..hahah. Each time I notice Jenna dragging around her special bunny from Becky and Rosey I think of how they reach out and try to bond with each individual child by spending quality time with each of them and usually buying them something special to remember their visit by. Joy fills my heart to see how meaningful the relationships are that my children have with Becky and Rosey. I love to see my children recognize their special place in the hearts of my parents. It is hard to be so far away from them, but it sure does make the visits feel like pure gold.

This was my stepmom's first pedicure! Needless to say, we will be starting a new tradition when they visit again....

Rosey and Ellie shopping at the Galleria for Ellie's special birthday treat!

No place better than the BALLPARK! John David played with Rosey's orange peels for at least 30min. and James entertained himself with my dad's tobacco can...hahah

Thank you Dad and Rosey for the tremendous amount of love and support you gave me over the years of training and working so hard to reach a dream of mine. I love you both so much and thank God for the relationships you are building with my children. I know it was super challenging to take care of them while Rob and I were gone to Boston, but we had the most amazing time and I feel so grateful to the both of you.

The kids remind me each morning that we have one less day to count toward our visit to your house. John David says, "I go Beck Beck house" and James says, "Take me Mommy Beck Beck and Ro Ro".....I can't wait to see their faces when they climb on the first diesel truck, forklift, or back loader....it is going to be awesome.

I will update my Boston trip tomorrow night. It is a long story....totally a God story....unbelievable story....

WHAT A WEEK....WHEW!!

2011-03-31T22:22:00.007-05:00

John David waiting in the doctor's office for Dr. Darby to figure out what was wrong with him....

John David diagnosed with pneumonia. High fever, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargic, no appetite, cough and congestion....HE WAS PITIFUL! Blood work, chest xray and a big ole antibiotic shot left him feeling like CRAP!

The first of several blowouts my little buddy had during the week of sickness....horrible...this one was in the Subway parking lot. He kept saying, "Ow Momma, boo boo, ow Momma!"

Going to bed after taking another bath and changing pj's AGAIN...he was pathetic. No smiles, no eating, no drinking, no laughing, no play...just laying around like a sick dog:(

YAY...48 hours post antibiotic....FEELING SO MUCH BETTER...lots of smiles and laughter...

Here I am after my weekend race in Prattville. I absolutely love how God showed up and spoke to me through a church marquee....I spent the entire week post injury trying to figure it all out...what to do, what I had done, why this had happened, what I needed to change to 'fix' myself..etc. And of course I GOOGLED everything...more than a few time...I am a little bit OCD on Google looking for answers to questions. Anyway, after the race I walked back to our van and looked up to find this sign...seriously a sign but also a "sign"...God had my answers, Google did not. I ran the Prattvill half with no pain, my slowest finishing time ever (1hr 46min.) and placed third in my division....:-) Thankful is not a bold enough word to use to explain how I felt afterwards. Completely overwhelmed with gratitude for the grace that was shown to me from my Heavenly Father...In case you can't see it clearly, the sign above me says, "THERE ARE SOME QUESTIONS THAT CAN'T BE ANSWERED BY GOOGLE"....

My precious, sweet running friends Tammy and Ellie. So grateful God crossed our paths.

Third Place....could have won the entire women's division with my normal pace/time had I not been injured...but that is okay, God is teaching me through this valuable trial....

Now it is James Daniel's turn to be pitiful. Here we are at Children's South (after hours clinic) waiting on blood work and xray...the nurse didn't believe me that he was going to have pneumonia too. She said, "I understand that his brother has it, but really I think James will just have a virus...." WHATEVER, I knew he would have it. SAME symptoms to an exactness. Oh yeah, one difference...James had spots in his left lung and John David had the bacterial spots in his right lung....hahaha

Waiting on results. Listening to T-Wills "Tiger Walk"...James calls the song the "Man Song"...he loves it, dances and sways back and forth when hearing it on my ipod.

And lastly, here is John David on his Children's Hospital visit to diagnose his hydrocele (originally thought he might have emergency hernia surgery) but thankfully it turned out that he had a hydrocele. Fluid leaked from his abdomen throughout the tiny opening that would be considered the hernia spot and it drained into his boy parts....ewwww...he says, "Ow Momma, I boo boo, ow Momma"....and of course me being the Mom of three girls and never seeing these 'boy parts', I assumed he was "growing"....I had no idea he had a collection of fluid building up down there....

He was super happy about riding the wagon to ultrasound....

WHEW...WHAT A WEEK....I am hoping for a much milder week mentally. I am purely exhausted from the last two weeks my running injury, double kid pneumonia, stomach virus(I forgot to mention I had a stomach bug after I ran 13 miles Saturday) and the hernia scare middle of the week....

MRI for Mommy ...postponed!

2011-03-27T13:36:00.003-05:00

I just really love how I am pretty sure I have everything all figured out, and then God surprises me with HIS WAY instead of MY WAY......

Here is the injury update:
I met with Dr. Carr last week and discussed the symptoms I was having from the previous weeks' running injury. I assured him (since MD is somewhere next to my name??) that Google had all the answers I needed. And basically I had every symptom of a pelvic stress fracture. He assured me that it could very well be that, but for now, the course of treatment would be REST (UGH...UGH...UGH...I hate that word), cross training on the bike and in the pool, anti-inflammatory for 30 days, and 11 days off from running. He suggested I run (slow and easy..bummer, I like fast and faster..haha), and if the pain started at any point for me to stop and call him first thing Monday morning for an MRI. Well....a few hundred healing prayers later, I actually ran in a race yesterday, the Prattville Centerpoint Half Marathon....I forced myself to stay very conservative and not push my pace too hard. I really needed to see if the mileage was hurting me or the faster pace. So I made it through the 13.1 miles and only felt a few little moments of 'tightness', which then I slowed down even more, and was fine. Of course a slower pace is NOT MY WAY, but I am okay with slowing down if that will protect my body.

Also, After the race, I realized that all the 'upset stomach' I had prior to the race starting wasn't nerves like I had assumed...I am pretty sure I had the STOMACH VIRUS over the last 24 hours....GO FIGURE! You know sometimes you do have to just laugh about it.

Here is a little message from God too....We parked in a church parking lot across the street from the race. Of course it was dark when we arrived so I didn't notice the sign until after the race. As I was walking back to the car after I had run, I was overwhelmed (yet again) with the favor the Lord had graciously shown to me through my run. I spent a moment thanking Him so much and feeling such a gift of peace from all the prayers people had lifted up for me, and then I notice this sign right in front of our car....I laughed and cried:)

I had insisted on searching GOOGLE for all my answers....and I don't doubt that google has great answers for most questions (heck I google search quite a bit)...but sometimes, google isn't the answer...and for me, God left me this little reminder on a church marquee.

I am overcome with joy that My KING would 'speak to me'....

I learned a few things through this most recent trial...

Perspective is key in understanding where to put your emotions when dealing with disappointing news.
I may not have 'my way', but God will have 'HIS way'....
Yet again, more humbled now by His grace and love each time I walk through uncertainty in life.

Thank you all so much for your prayers. I truly appreciate them more than you will ever know.

MRI for MOMMY!

2011-03-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

Well, I am going to try and give a condensed version of my current health status.

Monday morning I am scheduled for an orthopedist visit to diagnose my current 'running injury'. I have been battling some pelvic discomfort for a while now, it comes and goes. I have always used 'pain' as my trigger for needing "new shoes", or just a "day off". My body responds well to new shoes and or a day off here and there. If I run too hard or too fast/long, I end up on a heating pad and popping Advil....something just isn't right. I ran 8 miles Tuesday afternoon like I normally do, but this time I ended with quite a bit of discomfort. Wednesday morning I woke up and was unable to walk. I have researched my symptoms and history of symptoms, and feel certain that I have a pelvic stress fracture. Just for those of you who have no idea about running marathons and or training at the current level I am training at, it takes a toll on your body. Pelvic stress fractures are common in elite women athletes. Too much stress on the pelvis (ummmm four pregnancies in five years), poor nutrition (lack of vitamin D and fat), continuous repetitive pounding (treadmill, uneven pavement)....Bad news, is that it can take up to a year to fully recover and sometimes requires surgery (pins and plates..YUCK)

So where am I right now on feelings about this new road God has currently put me on....

*He knows my heart
*He knows the sacrifices I have made training for Boston
*He knows all about it....

I may be struck down, but I am not destroyed..."The one who lives in me, is greater than the one who lives in the world" 1John 4:4....Satan wants me to be full of anger and bitterness. He wants nothing more than to destroy the happiness God wants for me. This would be a great opportunity for Satan to sneak attack my spirit, but I refuse to allow that to happen. The prayer that people have lifted up for me is surrounding me. I can totally feel it. I sense the Holy Spirit in so many ways during my day.

Am I disappointed? Well of course. But I have a healthy perspective in life.

I had a beautiful opportunity to share my feelings with my girls yesterday. They began asking me all about it. I tried to explain to them that disappointments in life will come (some are mild and some hurt really bad) but at the days end, things will fail us....stuff, status, experiences, friends, family and even marathons!! Just think of anything that made you shrill with excitement...it faded right? Maybe not right away, but eventually the luster was lost. I am constantly preaching to our girls that no matter what happens in their day, happiness and joy come from our King, not from any 'thing' else this world offers....Many folks don't agree with that, but test out anything or anyone that was certain to bring you ever lasting joy and fulfillment, pure happiness forever, and I bet you ended up 'disappointed'....

I had the perfect opportunity to model this for my girls. I began to cry and become upset at the thought of not running in my race (that I have worked so, so very hard for) and then it totally dawned on me, the lesson I continue to want to teach my children is right before me in my own life. I said, "Girls, this is a great example of how an earthly disappointment should not steal the JOY that God wants me to have.

I will not waste this trial. My best friend, Aimee, told me once, "Never waste your trial..there is a reason for it!"

God's promises are eternal and walking through life with Him makes the disappointments of life easier to handle.

Of course I still want to run Boston, but not at the expense of ruining my health long term. Boston is such a dream of mine, it is exciting to think of and thrilling to dream of, but it is NOT MY JOY....

I will update Monday when I know more. But for now, it looks like Boston is not happening, and I am praying that I don't have to have surgery. I would be so appreciative of any prayers of healing you guys would lift up for me.

And if I can't run for 6 months to a year, be on the look out for me to join the USA Olympic swim team:-)

Memory Lane...

2011-03-12T21:09:00.005-06:00

Camping out with Dad...well not really all night camping out, just playing all day in a tent that took dad half a day to put up...hahah:)Precoius memories though.

Shaking up his Ensure drink...hahah...they love it, call it their muktake(milkshake)...

Here are the Korean missionary choir children who visited our church and spent one night with us. The girls absolutely LOVED having them stay. Ellie is ready to pack her bags and go to Korea. I was astounded at the genuine love and compassion the girls showed for one another.

One reason I still try to keep up with this blog is to simply keep up to date with the memories we share in our family. I don't have near the time I use to when I stayed home, to update the blog, but I don't want to lose touch with it completely, so here is a quick update:

The first memory I need to document, I don't have a picture of (unfortunately) but it would be that of John David as he took his last swig of the Motrin bottle of medicine last Saturday evening. No, I am not kidding, John David drank about 3/4 bottle of Children's Motrin last Saturday evening. Of course when I caught him, and said, "WHAT DO YOU HAVE!?!?!"....he shouted, "No Mommy, I nack (aka snack)". Of course we called poison control and they explained that he would be fine....ONLY because he took 1000mg of Motrin and not 4000....AHHHHHHH, in case you are wondering, the recommended dosage is 100mg! SO he had 10 times the recommended amount. Let's just say JD was pain free for the night!

Next, the boys ....they have become very sneaky. John David seems to be the more deceitful one at the moment, but James is right there with him most of the times. A few nights ago I was in the kitchen cooking supper when I heard, "No Bubby, NO" And as I turned the corner of the kitchen, this is what I found....

So other than a bottle of Motrin and destroying my living room behind my back, it has been a pretty laid back week here at the Pate house. We are counting down the days until Becky and Rosey come to visit. Both middle girls will have birthdays next month and Mommy is scheduled to run the Boston Marathon April 18th...just a little bit freaked out about that, but really excited as well.

I would gladly take any extra prayers out there for my health and safety (and the same for my family) as we approach the month of April.

Other than the normal chaos of everyday (which really is a blessing), not much else is going on with us.

We are excited to finally be at Spring Break now, and have a full week planned...full of loving on each other, playing outside, visiting Jesse's Place (tradition during Spring Break), baking in the kitchen, watching favorite movies, building forts in the kitchen with bed sheets....you know, the good ole wholesome kind of fun that doesn't cost money and actually teaches kids valuable life lessons.

Some New Pics and Video

2011-03-02T21:15:00.003-06:00

I may be a little partial, but I think this boy can dribble a basketball pretty dang good for a 2 year old. Too bad his momma isn't going to let him play contact sport though...:-)

The boys have known their colors for several months now, but here lately, I have noticed James recognizing other colors aside from the basic 8! This evening as I was dressing him, he said, "Oh mommy I Elmo shirt!"....so I responded, "Yes buddy, you have on your Elmo shirt." Then he looked down and said, "And gray mommy"....I realized he was talking about his GRAY PANTS he was wearing....I laughed out loud and said, "Gray, are you saying gray for the pants you are wearing?"....he said, "Yeah."....LOL!

My poor Claire Bear started coming down with a stomach virus early yesterday morning, and managed to pass it to Jenna and Mommy by late evening. I am just so thankful nobody else was affected by it. But because of the dreaded stomach bug, I was able to stay home an extra day with Jenna. She and I had a wonderful day together. Playing at the park, soaking up lots of sunshine, and we even made a special visit to Wal-Mart to buy her baby doll a "real bottle"! The extra time spent with just her today was worth the stomach virus yesterday.

Mercedes Mania...2011

2011-02-26T21:51:00.003-06:00

Well this post is 2 weeks late, but better late than never! Mercedes Marathon weekend was beautiful. Weather was amazing. The kids ran their one mile fun run race. Claire finished in 7:57 and Ellie finished in 8:08. Ellie actually was the first Kindergarten girl to cross the finish line. Rob and I ran with my school relay team on Sunday and had a blast. I was scheduled to run 15 miles that day for my training for Boston, so I ran the first leg of the relay for my team and then I was able to run with some great friends through some more of the course.

We had a blast. Great memories. Great exercise. Great tradition for our family.

The Pate crew is doing well. Claire's softball is in full swing, Ellie Bug moved up to level 3 gymnastics (which means more hours of training in the week for her), and Mommy is 6 weeks out from the BOSTON MARATHON...Ahhhhhh....so we are busy with school, ball, gymnastics, and running most evenings. Daddy just bought a new car. Claire thinks it will be hers in 7 years..HAHA...that totally freaks me out. Jenna is such a princess...asks us daily to remind her how beautiful she is (I remind her that God is interested in how beautiful her HEART is, not her HAIR!)...and the boys are just absolutely hilarious. They are talking so much now. It is such a blessing to hear their precious conversations. This morning James said, "I go Joan's Mommy." and I responded, "No buddy, we aren't going to school today, it is Saturday." He smiled really big and said, "I go Y" (meaning the YMCA) and I said, "No buddy we aren't going to the Y today." So he paused for a minute and then said, "Oh, I go turch Mommy!" (meaning church)....I just laughed at him and squeezed him tight.

I have some new video I need to post for everyone, I'm just lazy and have not found the time.

NEWS....GOOD NEWS!

2011-02-02T07:15:00.003-06:00

BOYS....2 YEARS OLD...HOLDING HANDS! LOVE the LOVE they share (occasionally:))

I wanted to blog some great news. I received an email yesterday from the Early Intervention program in our county and here it is....

Hey Dana,

Regina re-evaluated the boys last week and they no longer qualify for Early Intervention services. They both have progressed so well and it was a pleasure working with you and your family. I will mail you a copy of the evaluations once Regina completes the write up. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at any time. I wish you and your family the best.

--
Jenny Epperson, LBSW
Service Coordinator
The Arc of Shelby County

We are thrilled with the good news. We are grateful for the progress they have made. We will continue working with these little guys, pushing them to learn and develop along side of their peers. But for now, they are typically developing, cognitively 'caught up' and we are incredibly giddy to share their good news.

Claire wanted to snuggle with James in her bed last night....Claire fell asleep and James enjoyed the snuggle....when I walked in her room to take James back to his room, this is what I found....a precious big sister snuggled up with her little baby brother...melts my heart!

Officially 2 years!

2011-01-29T13:29:00.006-06:00

So yesterday was special in my heart of hearts. Two years ago yesterday, January 28, 2009, we brought two precious little baby boys home from the Brookwood NICU. I remember it all so vividly. It was bitter cold, we were so over-joyed, yet petrified to think of the responsiblity of caring for those very tiny special needs preemie babies. James weighted on the dot 4lbs (I almost think it was 3lb 15oz) and John David was 4lb 5oz. They were 36 weeks gestational age when we arrived home. They look like baby dolls in their car seats. Anyone who has brought a newborn baby home,can atest to how tiny they seem at 8 or 9 pounds, so imagine bringing home a baby HALF the size of a typical newborn.

I can laugh about it now, but the first night home I literally DID NOT GO TO SLEEP AT ALL. I sat next to their bed and watched them all night. If I began to nod of into a sleeping stupor, I'd walk outside in the 20 degree weather to WAKE UP. Then resume my post of 'watching them sleep'....I know it sounds insane, but I was completely terrified that they would stop breathing and I wouldn't know so without the hospital monitors.

SO, now as I tuck them in at night and cross my fingers they don't crawl out of their cribs, I will never forget the first night home with those boys watching them sleep, as they take in and release every single breath.

Also too, I remember the over-whelming joy of knowing that they were in a safer place free of GERMS, but nonetheless, I didn't allow anyone to visit our home with small children until April 1st. I demanded nurses to come to my house to administer RSV shots instead of taking the boys into the doctor office. Yes, I remember several heated conversations with nurses and insurance companies over the battle of RSV shots for the boys. When my girls arrived home from school, I immediately took them up stairs and bathed them. How funny the day when we were all ready for bed time at the ripe hour of 4pm. I actually remember telling my mom and mother-in-law to wash their hands with soap and water before holding the boys. The audacity I had when it came to telling people what was and wasn't allowed with the boys, still makes me giggle when I think about it.

SO, as I reflect that special time two years ago, I am still standing in AWE of what a miracle God bestowed upon us. The story just continues. Not only did they beat the odds with the pregnancy, the NICU hurdles, but now as typical, healthy, thriving, developing two year olds.

I picked up those little stinkers yesterday from school (after thinking all about the NICU days and bringing them home), and I just savored a really special moment when I picked them up from school....

I approached the fence at Joan's to find John David sitting at a pic-nic table with his friends, eating snack, and as he looked up and saw me, he said, "Hi Mommy!"....and then jumped up to show me the kitty running through the yard. He said, "Ook Mommy, its Doan's (Joan's) titty tat!"....and I almost had tears. Just to see them so healhty and whole and loving their sweet days at Mrs.Joan's house with their buddies (and their sister), brings a great deal of peace to my life. I thank God for it.

Lastly, I wanted to mention the Early Intervention therapist that have been keeping an eye on the boys since about 6 months old, to watch for concerns. They left me a message after "re-evaluating" both boys yesterday because they DON'T see a need for continuing services....WOW...I talked with Joan about it briefly (because she has amazing background/experiences working with special needs pre-schoolers from our past Eclipse program at Oak Mt. Elem) and she said, "I think they are doing wonderfully, and on some accounts they are doing many things that older toddlers who were not preemie and are typical aren't even doing."

I am grateful for how wonderfully they are growing and learning, but part of me still wants to keep them in a nice padded bubble with lots of extra help and support! I will update as soon as I receive the evaluation from Shelby Arc.

And for those of you who had to endure me, two years ago when we brought the 'miracle babies' home....THANK YOU FOR ENDURING ME....I can only imagine how neurotic I was....

Two - 2yr olds TALKING...funny boys!

2011-01-06T22:13:00.003-06:00

I wanted to share a video with you guys of the boys "talking"...funny little guys. They know all of their colors, some of their shapes, most all typical animal sounds...and even know how to pray (my favorite)....They know between 75-100 words, and are speaking to communicate their wants/needs...even with each other. It is hilarious to hear them talk to each other. I know it sounds so cliche..but we are SO THANKFUL for how wonderfully these boys are developing.

Becky and Rosey...2 weeks of bliss!!!!

2011-01-04T10:29:00.013-06:00

My dad, whom we call Becky (or Beck Beck) and my stepmom, whom we call Rosey (or Ro Ro), spent 2 weeks with us. I know what you are thinking..."I bet your kids were totally spoilt rotten"...YEP and "I bet they were worn out after 2 weeks at your house!"....YEP!

It was total bliss for 2 weeks having them around. My dad and Rosey 'tinker' with anything that needs improvement and within a week they had my front door fixed, dripping kitchen faucet fixed, entertainment shelves assembled, pots and pans cleaned to a new pristine, Claire's bike tire that has been flat since summer- now fixed!...the list goes on and on. Seriously though, it is just so awesome to have their presence around. They both have an energy that is contagious. When I am at my wits end, one of them will do or say something to make me laugh..works every time. The kids are rotten, but in a good way. I am so appreciative for the special activities they do with the kids. Movies, park, ice-skating, gas station treats, playing outside, etc.

And of course like everything else in life...anyting really amazing and wonderful always comes to an end...and boy is it ridiculously sad. To listen to my girls weep themselves to sleep because they miss Becky and Rosey so much, hurts. But they will be back in 3 months. We try to focus on the fun we have with them and keep our hopes up and spirits going knowing we will be able to see them again in a few months. And for the meantime, we have about 200 pictures and an hour of DVD to remind us of "Beck Beck and RO RO"...

It is four days out from their departure and the boys still wake up and say, "Uh oh Momma, Beck Beck bye bye" and the other boy says, "Momma, I Ro Ro, bye bye"....

I think Ro Ro had as much fun at the boys' 2nd birthday as the boys did! So precious...Look at that face of joy!

Don't think for a second that Becky and Rosey don't dive into a foam pit if a grandkid asks them too....funny thing was watching my dad try and crawl out of that foam pit!

Enoying lunch at Mamaw's house after church Sunday morning, in honor of Claire's baptism.

So proud to be at Claire's baptism. And Claire was equally proud to have them both there.

Movies!

Ginger Bread Houses!

YUMMY!

Reading Books...James and Rosey talking 'colors'

Beck Beck and John David talking 'ball'

Christmas with Becky and Rosey...the boys LOVED their remote control cars...it was hysterical watching them chase each others' cars.

Cooking yummy sweets for Christmas with all the kiddos and Becky and Rosey at Mamaw's house....Daddy was home in the bed with a stomach virus, that we all eventually passed around. Rosey and the boys were the only ones who escaped the plague!

Jenna opening up her "PENGUIN PIGGY BANK"...hahaha..inside joke for those of you who know about Jenna and her 'penguins':)

Rosey and James finishing off their plate of Koosa and Eggs...James Daniel LOVED his Lebanese breakfast!

"Show me your guns boys!"

Cooking Koosa and Eggs for breakfast...two different pans going on here...mine has egg beaters, his has real eggs...mine has pam spray, his has oil...mine has no milk, his has WHOLE MILK....hahahaha...but the end result is YUMMY breakfast!

Claire and Becky making pancakes for breakfast...

Ice-Skating...this is such a special treat...ONLY Becky and Rosey have ever taken these girls ice-skating. THEY LOVE IT...even though my dad fell, which resulted in a mild concussion. Claire told me when he got up, he was asking where Dana was...and of course I had not even gone with them..I was home with the little ones!

Eating Mexican together...our last dinner together

Saying good bye the night before Becky and Rosey had to leave...hard tears here..but it just proves how much these kid truly love their grandparents. We feel so blessed to have had such an amazing two weeks together.

Christmas with Nana and Uncle Ryan!

2011-01-04T08:12:00.005-06:00

Well, I am still posting Christmas pics and memories. I guess when you have four Christams gatherings, it takes a while. But what a blessing it is to have so much family to share the holidays with. We drove throught the beautiful SNOW on Christmas evening to spend time with Nana and Uncle Ryan! The kids had a great time and received some wonderful gifts. Ellie was super thrilled with her art set, complete with stickers and stamps....Jenna is now tagged as "twinkle toes" because my mom got her a pair of the Sketchers "Twinkle Toes" shoes....James and John David seemed most excited about their musical instruments and "bawl"....Claire has worn her white North Face jacket just about every single day since she opened it. We sure appreciate all the sweet gifts and special memories shared together this Christmas. It was a special treat to have my brother home. The girls (and boys) adore him...probably cause he does what good uncles are suppose to do...GIVE THEM CANDY AND MAKE EM ROTTEN!..HAHA!

Christmas with the Papa and Mamaw Pate!

2011-01-01T21:45:00.005-06:00

MY Goodness...total crazy madness and complete joy! We are so thankful for our special time together as a family.

Tis the Season for....Christmas morning craziness!

2010-12-28T13:22:00.007-06:00

What a beautiful morning for our family. The big girls rushed downstairs at 6am to see what surprises Santa left...and a few hours later the little kids join us. Then it was craziness for the next 4 hours..haha...Rob prepared chocolate chip muffins and sausage scrambled eggs as we all gathered around to share a yummy breakfast. We took our time opening gifts..one at a time (because I am a control freak and like to take pictures and watch each child open their gifts)...and of course the boys stayed in their truck the entire time, John David saying "I go Mommy, vroom vroom" while James pushed radio buttons and danced back and forth. At one point John David said, "Uh oh Momma, I my ball" and jumped out of his truck to find his basketball, then returned to the truck and tried to bounce his basketball in the truck bed...!

Once the mad rush of gift ripping was over, the little ones went down for naps and the big girls and Rob and I piled up in our bed and watched Narnia. The snow falling outside our window made the morning extra special and memorable. Having my Dad and Rosey share these memories with us were pricelss. It has been so amazing to have their help these two weeks with the kids and house chores, but even more amazing is watching the bonds and relationships form between them and my children. John David walks around saying, "No Bubba, my RoRo" (letting James know that Rosey belongs to him)...ha...and James wants Becky instead of me because Becky will tote him all over Wal-Mart instead of riding in the shopping cart, and Ellie asked me a few nights ago how long it would be before we got to see Becky and Rosey again. Jenna told me Becky was the bestest because he didn't make them share Waffle House at all and he even let her have a fat ole breakfast for her fat belly. Claire has started counting down the days she has left with Becky and Rosey before they leave this Saturday to travel back to Utah. She even told me today, "Mommy, I don't want to play with friends right now because it wastes my time with Becky and Rosey!"

One thing is for sure, my kids adore their grandparents. They have such special memories with Becky and Rosey that I'm sure they will remember forever. It breaks my heart that we only visit with them a few times a year, but my heart is so full of memories with them, it keeps us close to them til the next time.

Our Christmas morning was wonderful. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and prayed for our family to be strong, safe, and serve the Lord this upcoming year. I gazed at my Christmas tree and felt such peace and joy thinking of where the Lord has brought us. We are grateful.

Tis the Season for....FAMILY FUN!

2010-12-28T13:15:00.003-06:00

Well, here is the tradtional "gingerbread house" decorating. I decided NOT to spend 20 bucks on the store bought gingerbread kit and instead invested in a dollar box of graham crackers and whatever icing and junk I already had in the cupboard. The kids had a blast and I think Becky did too. Rosey and I just sat back and watched the chaos and loved every minute of it. The boys ate cookies for an hour. The girls painted peanut butter and icing all over graham crackers that Becky put together with chocolate bark. Claire enjoyed big girl time with her best friend Anna. Daddy got a quiet drive home during it all! Great memories and the houses lasted a good couple of days unti our elf, Elroy, tossed them in the garbage....

Tis the Season for.....BAPTISM!

2010-12-28T12:57:00.004-06:00

December 19th was special day for sure. Claire Bear was baptised in our home church, Double Oak Community Church in Birmingham, AL. It was a glorious day and we felt so blessed to have our family there with us. The first thing Claire said to me the day she realized my dad (aka Becky) and stepmom (aka Rosey) would be here was, "OH my gosh, Mommy, Becky and Rosey get to be here to see me get baptized!" For those of you who don't know, my dad and stepmom live in Utah and only are able to visit the kids a few times a year, which makes the visits extra special and memorable when big things happen...like being baptised! It was so special to be surrounded by our family. Claire wrote down all the people who were there to be a part of her baptism in her Bible....I told Claire that morning, "Remember it all sweetheart, cause the memories of this day will remain with you forever!" and she said, "I will remember you telling me that and your breathe smelling like coffee!!"

What a precious day in our lives. To see your first born (first of five children) receive baptism completely fills your heart with such joy. I am so grateful for the relationship Claire is building with our Savior. I thank GOd for the people in her life that support her in a Christian walk.

Tis the Season...for COOKING!

2010-12-28T12:41:00.006-06:00

My Dad and Claire Bear making marshmellows dipped in homemade caramel, rolled in crushed almonds and Rice Krispies.

One of the boys (I think John David) being silly with his gummies.

Jenna finishing up her daily meltdown preparing for nap...:)

Mixing a whole bunch of stuff (can't even remember) to make 'parking lot cookies'

We call these Jenna squares cause that is what Jenna calls them (because she made them)

Here is our "Cookie Day" with Mamaw. We gathered at her house around 11am and baked sweets ALL DAY...finishing up at about 4pm. What a fun, wonderful day of memory making. I hope each year at this time, we can all come together again to make the yummy sweet treats for Christmas family gatherings. I am so grateful my dad and stepmom were able to be a part of this special day with us. Oh and by the way, my stepmom shared an amazing recipe with me from my Aunt Sybil...for those of you who love your sweets but hate the fat and calories that come with it, try using one can of pumpkin to one box of spice cake and mix well, spoon drop some on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 or so min. They are like cookie cakes..so yummy and very healthy:) You can also you carrot cake mix and add nuts or crainberries...but no butter, oil, or eggs needed.

First Hair Cuts!

2010-12-28T12:27:00.004-06:00

Two really good things come out of your mother-in-law having the ability to cut little boy hair....
1. You don't have to pay somebody to do it!
2. You don't have to worry with a double meltdown in a nice salon where all is quiet!

Here are the pics from the boys' first hair cuts...thankfully, no tears or fits. They sat on their stool in front of the TV and watched Polar Express with a big ole sucker while Mamaw gave them their first trim (CUT)...

I didn't cry, but wanted to, just thinking of their precious baby hair being chopped away..but I do really love the sweetness of the "little boy" hair cut instead of all the shaggy baby hair.

And I am VERY thankful Mamaw can cut hair!

Celebrating!!!!!

2010-12-19T23:23:00.007-06:00

We celebrated the boys' 2nd birthday today. It was a wonderful celebration with family and friends. We enjoyed a super great birthday party at Legacy Gymnastics (which by the way, anybody in the Hoover/Pelham area needing a remarkable place for a birthday party, but don't want to pay 300$ for a pump it up party, you should book your party at Legacy..kids from ages 2-10 played for 2 hours and had such an awesome time)...everyone had a blast. Running and jumping into foam pits and flying off of the trampoline track, climbing ropes and sliding underground....it was crazy fun. The highlights are above... pictures tell all...The boys loved their cookie cake and gifts from our family and friends.

I won't ever live through their birthday (even with all the giggles, screaming, laughing, playing, cake and ice cream) and not reminisce on the day their were born and how fearful I was for their lives and future. I will never forget the emotion. I can close my eyes and remember it so freshly. I still see the bright lights and smell the hand sanitizer of the NICU. I can remember the sounds of each beeping machine and what each red light, green light and yellow light signified. I have visual memory I will NEVER forget. As I watched them run around playing, laughing, enjoying their 'birthday' with all the folks that prayed so hard for their existence, I stood in awe and amazed...like I have said many time before, God didn't have to spare their lives, he didn't do it for me or Rob or anyone in our family...He did it for HIS glory and we thank Him for His miracle....then, now and forever.

Happy Birthday sweet Miracle Boys...You are growing up so fast.

Two years ago today....

2010-12-11T23:27:00.005-06:00

TWO precious, little boys were born...against the odds...future health unknown....

AND...TODAY...those TWO little boys are celebrating their 2nd birthday.

Our family celebrates these two amazing miracles with a great deal of gratitude to our gracious Godly Father for the blessing of their lives. They are happy, healthy, and developing wonderfully. I stand in awe..completely amazed at how far these little guys have come. I will update more later. But for now, Happy Birthday sweet boys...December 11th is such a special day in my life.

John David..."I ride momma..I ride"

2010-11-28T22:09:00.002-06:00

Rob let John David sit on Ellie's Dora Four Wheeler yesterday just to see what he would do...it took about 3 seconds after foot to pedal, before he was MOVIN! I have a feeling there just might be a new set of wheels in the near future around here...Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas...Mommy is probably ordering a Hummer for her little men!!!! And you gotta notice at the end of the video how he is standing up with handle bars clenched trying to scale the yard....so fun...such a blessing to spend the afternoon outside playing with all of our kids.

Two Years Ago today...Brookwood Bound!

2010-11-22T21:41:00.005-06:00

November 22, 2008

Two years ago today I walked into Brookwood Hospital with a suitcase of 'the simple things' without knowing what the outcome would be. My pregnancy had sustained to the 27th week gestation..which was miraculous in itself after all the scares along the way. However, I still stand to this day with one particular memory of that first afternoon. I sat on my bed, looking around at the white walls that felt as though they were closing in around me....tons of emotion flooding my mind and heart...mostly terror...worrying with not knowing what would happen..what the outcome would be...and then all of a sudden, as if a switch flipped, I opened a book called "Divine Moments from God", opened it randomly, and the first page I turned to was titled "Miracles"...yep..freaked me out a little bit, and the verse written under the title read, "Come and see the awesome miracles God performs for His people" Psalm 66:5....and at that moment it was so clear to me as my heart stopped racing, my soul felt peace and my mind calmed down...It was as if God was telling me, "Dana don't worry, You are about to witness a miracle with these little boys...I have them taken care of, look how far I have carried you already"

I think for the first time in my life, God spoke to me. Some people would call it a real crafty coincidence, but I felt the Holy Spirit in that room, Rm 223, on November 22, 2008. Somehow, at that moment I realized that not only had He carried me (and the boys) through this pregnancy of doom, but He was not about to leave me on this journey, and His miracle had just begun....

November 22, 2010

Two years later, these boys are thriving unbelievably. The are very near their second birthday, and are developing wonderfully. They are speaking around 65 words the last time I listed them out. Our pediatrician said, "I am astounded, really Dana, how well they are doing"

We are so thankful. Then, Now and Forever...

I am sure I will be 87 years old one day and say, "Boys, do yall know what today is...57 years ago on this day, I entered the hospital and God spoke to me...I wanted to worry, but He told me He had you taken care of!"

Prematurity Awareness Day....

2010-11-17T21:40:00.007-06:00

Today is Prematurity Awareness Day and I guess as long as I live, I will remember this day. Not that November 17th has special meaning specifically, but the day of remembrance and support of spreading awareness for prematurity is a reason this day will always be special. The memories of the NICU are still very fresh in my mind. I guess once you experience something as such, you never forget. For those moms out there that never experience the NICU preemie life, consider yourself blessed, and for those moms out there that have experienced the roller coaster ride of the NICU with a preemie, consider yourself especially blessed! Preemies are specially designed by God and so are the moms he chooses to bless one with.

Ironically, today we had the boys' two year check up. Our pediatrician was amazed at their development. She said, "I am astounded at the cognitive and verbal development"...Other than being smaller than average, these boys have NO concerns from their prematurity...they have achieved every single milestone for a 2 year old, and they really aren't two years old until Dec. 11th....what a huge blessing! Thank you God for the beautiful lives of James Daniel and John David!

Two Phrases the BOYS are OVER--Using....

2010-11-09T20:23:00.003-06:00

"NO MOMMA NO"...

and

"MOMMA DAT, MOMMA DAT"...

The boys are talking up a storm...thankful for the chattering, but boy does it make the noise level in our home ten times louder and seemingly more chaotic than this time last year. I remember sitting on the couch last year each morning working with the boys "trying to talk" and learning to communicate, and this year, they are constantly talking, yelling, even whining...yes, both boys have learned the art of 'whining'....it is comical to listen to them hover at my feet with arms reaching upward and whine "Mommmmmmmmmaaaa"....:)

Daddy watching Auburn football while Mommy was wiping up the explosion of ice-cream sandwich all over the kitchen, but forgot to wipe off the little monsters that made the mess...ha!

Playing with their sisters' markers and marker tops...keeps them busy for a long time, taking a part markers and reattaching the tops!

New vocab both boys are speaking lately...
B-Ball (for basketball)...more so John David...he is infatuated with balls
Mess-Mam (for yes mam)
Doan (for Miss Joan)
Mulk (for milk)
E-yee (for Ellie)
Jis Jee (for Jenna...thinking they are confusing 'Jenna and Sissy'

Funniest conversation lately...
Me: "John David, do you want to watch a movie?"
John David: "Pete, Pete, Pete" (for Pete's Dragon...they love it)
James: "Bite, no Bubba, Bite" (Because James thinks every animal bites)
Me: "Who wants to watch Pete's Dragon?"
BOTH BOYS RAISE THEIR HANDS AND SAY ME!

I love how they are communicating with us..it is funny to sometimes figure out what they want, but for Pete's Dragon...very clearly, one says, "PETE" and the other one says "BITE"...

The boys are doing great at school. They are learning so much every single day. I told one of our caregivers this morning, that there really aren't words to describe how thankful I am for our situation. Our boys (and Jenna) are able to be in a home (cleaner than my own home) where they are cared for and loved on all day. We have been 'in school' for about 12 weeks and they have learned so much, they are happy when I drop them off and happy when I pick them up, they eat wonderful meals, they play outside in the best backyard ever, they have not been sick AT ALL, and they spend their days with the same group of friends that they have been with since birth. Truly, truly, truly thankful for the daily care my babies receive from Joan Brock and Jenn Goode (and even Lee Fogle and Joan's husband Mr. Ronnie when he is home from work) It is just awesome to be able to go to work and enjoy my day knowing they are happy, well taken care of, learning and playing...a definite blessing I acknowledge daily..

Lastly, I wanted to mention a family at our church that recently lost their 9 month old daughter, Olivia, to SIDS last weekend. It is so heart wrenching I don't even have words....just please if you don't mind, pray for this sweet family. Their names are Cannon and Kristen Prickett. They were out of town visiting family. They layed Olivia down to sleep Friday night in her pack n play and Saturday morning when Kristen went in to get her up, she was dead. My heart just ached Sunday morning as I worked the nursery..sweet Olivia wasn't there...and I can't get the thoughts out of my head...the absolute horror of walking into wake up your beautiful, healthy baby girl like you do every morning, to find that she is dead....horrible, sickening, tragic...and I know my faith says to not question, so I won't, but I am asking God who is the author of life and holds the keys to our future in His hands, to embrace this family and comfort them as they now learn to 'do life' without their only daughter, Olivia.

John David playing "bawl"...aka...ball!

2010-11-04T23:49:00.000-05:00

Here is the child that "had a very slim chance of surviving" and then a very slim chance of "being normal" and then a kid with "substantial delay and fine motor skills" who now appears to be SURVIVING, NORMALLY WITH PRETTY DANG GOOD FINE MOTOR SKILLS!

I love the miracle God gave us in these boys...It is just really cool to witness it each day. I don't take it for granted one single moment...I am reminded all the time what an amazement these guys are.

And by the way, John David is obsessed with 'bawls'....

Halloween Pics....

2010-10-31T22:06:00.004-05:00

Happy Halloween Everyone. The Pate Brood had a good time....ate WAY TOO MUCH candy, enjoyed fabulous fun at festivals, trunk-or-treat get togethers at church and visited some family and friends for trick-or-treating. I feel like this Halloween has lasted for three days, oh wait a minute...it HAS lasted for three days....I think our family is going on a detox from candy starting tomorrow morning..

Miracle Babies are now DEFIANT TODDLERS...and Im SO thankful!

2010-10-12T22:01:00.002-05:00

This video sums up what we are now dealing with on a daily basis around here...DOUBLE dose of two year old tantrums and defiance...and honestly...I couldn't be happier...Seriously, I am so grateful for these boys and their physical health as well has their cognitive health. It does seem to take them a little longer to "catch on" than what I remember with the girls, but that is totally fine with me...they are probably going to be a tad bit spoilt anyway...I am extremely thankful for Joan Brock and Jenn Goode who spend each day teaching and loving these guys. Some new recent words they have learned this week in school...'yellow', 'blue', 'brown', 'football', 'at at for cat' 'yes mam', 'lemur'(think Claire taught them this one), 'A,B,C,D' and something that sounds like mee maw..but I haven't figured out what it actually means...hahaha!

Here is the video of a typical evening of communicating with the boys!

Just gotta share this one....

2010-09-30T19:59:00.003-05:00

I was blessed today to be able to share the "boys' story" with a total stranger...it made me stop and somewhat relive all of those raw emotions from two years ago. It is funny how "life moves on" and without even realizing it, you kind of forget the past in a simple way because you are so busy living the NOW of life..I promised God that every single opportunity I had to share HIS miracle work through our boys' lives with other people (believers or not)....that I would most certainly share! So, as I explained the miraculous journey our family witnessed with James and John David, I was reminded of God's pure and selfless grace, that we don't deserve at all. This man looked at the boys and said, "Well, that is amazing, cause they're here and look to be doing very well!"....OMG, you have know idea how truly amazing...for those of us who have watched the growth and development of these two, teeny-tiny, two pound babies into the twenty-two pound, tenacious, toddlers...is nothing shy of a miracle.
Here are James and John David watching Elmo ABC rap...

The boys are 21 months old...starting to talk more and more each day. Both boys are saying about 35-40 words now. Communicating their likes and DISlikes wonderfully. Their teachers at school are teaching them their ABC's and James does an amazing job of pronoucing several letters. John David actually had a "first sentence" yesterday....We were snuggling on the couch watching Elmo ABC rap (at least 20 times) and pulled up Barney to show him something different and he said, "Uh oh Momma, no no, uh oh, Elmo!"....I started clapping and yelping...he was a bit stunned, not sure why Mommy was freaking out, but when I told him way to go big boy, you are using BIG words talking, he just smiled huge at me...precious moment..priceless moment...another moment when I see the face of our Maker!

Just pictures...cause that is all I have time for..

2010-09-28T21:06:00.003-05:00

Mamaw with the boys.

Mommy having some sweet love time with her boys. They rarely sit still long enough for me to just love on them, and this moment was nice!

Claire and James sporting the AU hats...WAR EAGLE!

Ellie was thrilled with her cookie creations...this girl LOVES to cook...especially sweets...

The Pates Lately....

2010-09-22T06:43:00.007-05:00

My goodness where do I even start....

I won't how incredibly BUSY we are in our family. Raising 5 kids all under the age of 9, working a full time job, and trying to maintain our home is completely over-whelming at times, unbelievably exhausting, yet, totally satisfying and very humbling to say the least.

I have to admit that some days are so busy that I forget to "stop and smell the roses"...But I think no matter where you are in life, being busy and stressed with the day to day obligations we all have, leaves us feeling wilted......

I don't ever want to forget the "little things" in our days that bring such joy to my heart and smiles to my face...so let me refresh for a minute (since I actually have five minutes to do so) and catch you all up on the Pate Family (moreso the Miracle Babies)

Claire and Ellie recently paricipated in our local Lil Miss Oak Mt. beauty pageant...such fun and copletely hilarious to watch the little ones walk around looking like little lost sheep....Ellie won Best Hair" and "Miss Photogenic" and Claire won over our hearts with participating in something that required her to walk on stage in front of a huge crowd..(she is VERY timid and shy)....

Jenna and the boys started their new home daycare this week. What a pure blessing that is. Although adjusting to a new routine AGAIN for the third week in a row IS NOT fun, the fact that we are now back together with our Oak Mt. teacher kids in a home with the most amazing, loving, caring, Godly, educated women helping to raise our children....is well worth all the effort in change and re-adjustment. Please be in prayer for God to continue to bless these women (Lee Fogle, Maddie Cleary, Jenn Goode, Peggy, and Joan Brock) as they truly do impact the lives of our sweet little ones.

In just a few weeks, as the boys have been in school, learning amongst the "bigger kids"...I am stunned with how much they are learning. Yesterday in the van, I heard in the background, "We will, we will rock you" (by John David) and then I heard, "UH OH, no no bubba" (by James)...they are talking so much. In the bathtub last night, one of them (not even sure who) picked up a blue stacking cup and said, "bu"...OMG...I said, "Where is the yellow cup?" and the other one picked up the yellow stacking cup....AHHH, so apparently they know their colors...well, blue, yellow and green that is....the red and orange were never identified. OH, what a blessing to see them learning. I always worried with the notion of whether they would have huge gaps in development from their prematurity, and obviously that worry was a waste of time. Sure they are still smaller than average and appear younger than their peers, but not by much. I have noticed the boys doing more than some of their peers at the YMCA when we go play in the childwatch. I think having three girls (very typical, sometimes advanced) before preemie twin boys makes me worry about them more. But from all the moms of boys I talk to, they all tell me the same thing, "boys mature slower than girls".....Regardless, I am so thrilled with the boys' learning and development right now...so very thankful.

Tonight as I prepared to put them to bed, I stopped for a minute and just stared at them, looked deep into their eyes and and burned the sweetest image into my mind...the smell of their coconut shampoo heads, the sound of "momma peas" (asking me to read a book in our chair together), their (kind of) chunky toddler fat thighs, and lastly the feeling of them laying together on my chest breathing into my neck while I sang "Please Papa Daddy" song to them....just absolutely priceless....

The days are going so fast..which seems so odd because I am so exhausted by days end and sometimes think, "will this day ever end"...looking back on pictures and videos from months past make me want to freeze time as all my babies are growing up so fast.

In church lately we have been talking about 'stress'...and term near and dear to so many of us. I yearn to be at a place with God where stress doesn't take root in my spirit. I have so many responsibilities in my everyday life, that I sometimes feel the 'stress to the limit' emotion and want to just have a total breakdown...but then I hear a song, see a verse, remember a friend from church battling breast cancer right now, see a precious face of a preemie baby boy that was near death, remember my bestfriend in the whole world who wants nothing more than to just hug her momma one last time but can't because she is no longer on this Earth, feel my children hug me and say 'I love you Mommy', hear my husband tell me how much he appreciates me....AND the stress doesn't seem so bad....seems more manageable...tolerable, even enjoyable!

I would like to end this post with a prayer request.

My stepsister, Cindy, has a little boy named Hayden who is approaching 1 year old. She just found out that Hayden has a form of cerebral palsy. Please be in prayer for God to open doors and take hold of this situation. Pray for Hayden to receive the help he needs and for Cindy to feel support from all around as she continues to raise her son and give him the best she can.

Boy oh Boy...Daddy's idea....

2010-09-03T22:15:00.004-05:00

So here are the kids having a "spa bath" thanks to Daddy being in charge of bath one weekend night. They loved it, and what fun it was trying to dissolve all those suds...NOT!!!!!

Life is busier than ever before.
18 hours days...not kidding. Up at 5, teach 7 hours, cheer, meetings, tumble class, run after school, homework, supper, bathtime,housework, preparations for the next day, lights out by 11pm....

Wow, we are now approaching the fourth week of school and everyone has been so healthy and well..what a blessing! Thank you breastmilk for all of your wonderful, strength building, brain enhancing, immune enriching antibodies....The boys are doing very well. They are growing and learning so much everyday.

Who is this big ole boy...John David Pate...look at those teeth...

Daddy decided the girls needed a "Daddy Daughter Date night" so he took the girls out for dinner and a movie (and of course they had to dress up)...so sweet...they loved it.

Saturday morning cartoons...James looks so happy to be with his sisters on their sleeping bag...I love moments like these...

Sadly, we have just been dealt a pretty crappy situation though with the boys' school. Until yesterday, the boys (and Jenna) have been attending Learning By Design Daycare. Lee Fogle was the director and her staff (whom she brought with her from her home in the previous days when she kept the Oak Mt. teachers' babies) just recently resigned (or rather were forced to resign). I have never been associated with such shoddy treatment from a daycare. Yesterday morning, about 20 OM teachers dropped off their children as usual and by mid day, word traveled that our staff of trusted caregivers were basically gone...several upset mommas showed up at 3pm to a total disarray. Basically the "business man" behind the scenes (who has no idea how to run a daycare) decided the bottom dollar was more important than the well-being of our children so, he basically let the trusted, qualified women who have loved and nurtured and taught my babies since birth go so he could (I guess) bring in cheaper, under qualified staff to pinch a penny....there is so much dishonesty involved and deceit from the "man" that it just gives me a stomach ache. I know one thing, that daycare will completely dissolve as soon as word gets out...from what I heard today, DHR was there this morning evaluating....hummmmm....gotta make ya wonder!?!?!

But what was truly amazing, was to see the teachers rally around, stand up for Lee and the others (Maddie, Jenn, Peggy, Joan) and support them, withdrawal their children from that daycare and not even give it a second though. Of course, several teachers felt the need to share just how disgusted they were with him, and I for one, didn't think twice about removing my three babies as quickly as possible. It almost felt like some sick, twisted Lifetime Movie....(UHH)

SO, a new plan is needed...childcare for A LOT of teachers in our area. I know one door doesn't close without another one opening right behind it, I just hope for my family's sake, it happens sooner than later....:(

Funny how I was just speaking of how "settled" things were beginning to feel and how balanced the kids all are. Mommy is loving her days at OMIS teaching fourth graders and our family system is working well...sure as soon as I say it, something like this happens...

I have the most amazing teachers and friends though. Today, my best friend Aimee took Jenna for the entire day, fed her lunch, took her to the zoo, and brought her to me after school. Lori Lancaster and Rebekah Austin (two teachers from OMES) offered to keep the boys all day so I wouldn't have to take off. They did it all, lovingly took my boys, played with them, fed them, loved on them all day....I am truly a blessed lady..

My Little Picassos....

2010-08-21T22:01:00.003-05:00

I just had to share these pictures. We were preparing to leave Saturday morning, and I couldn't find the boys...not unusual nowadays for them to both "go missing"....Anyway, I turned the corner to the dining room and this is what I found....

Look at that grip this boy has on his crayon...and notice it is his LEFT hand.

This is a great picture that show them in "mirror image of each other" and if you notice, John David on the right is holding his crayon with his right hand and James on the left is holding his crayon with his left hand...funny...we find them in "mirror image" of each other all the time.

Of course I ran to grab my camera thinking that they would be gone by the time I returned, but instead of fleeing the scene, they actually sat together at the girls' school table and created their first art masterpiece...of course I saved it...and yes, it is extremely talented sketching for a 20 month old..hahah!

We are all doing well. Everyone is very well adjusted to the new school year schedule. The boys are growing up so fast. They are learning so much at their school each day. I will try to post some video soon. This past week, we heard them both count...ONE....TWO.....FREE.....on the way home from school...SO SWEET!

The Last week of Summer....First week of SCHOOL!

2010-08-15T20:44:00.007-05:00

Here are some pictures from our last week of summer. I have to say, looking back on them now makes me a little sad. I kind of wish we could go back for just one more day....but nope, we must press on and move forward. SO, all the lazy mornings sleeping until 8 are OVER, swim days, and play dates, movies, outside playing, massaging mommy during nap time...ALL OVER...til next Summer that is...:-)

I enjoyed my summer with my children. We have so many wonderful memories and many pictures to look at for years to come. Now we have moved on and the first full week of school is ahead of us. Here are a few pictures from the first few days of school. And I must say, I couldn't be happier with how wonderfully smooth this transition has been. I couldn't do it without my amazing, supportive husband. We definitely have this family unit working well only because of the TEAM WORK behind the scenes....God has abundantly blessed me more than I ever deserve. I am so thankful, truly thankful for where we are as a family right now. I thank God many times in my day for the simple life blessings of healthy, happy children, a Godly, honorable man I call my husband and bestfriend, the peanut butter toast I eat for supper some nights because the budget doesn't allow filet Mignon and even the $200 power bill we just paid because that means I have an air-conditioned house to live in.

SO, I get this question at least ten times a day..."Are you sad to be back to work?"...Well...I hate to disappoint people with my answer...but NO, I am not sad to be back to work. I ACTUALLY LIKE MY JOB. And I don't feel guilty for liking it and partially wanting to be at it. I almost feel like I have to defend myself to the "friends" I had last year that choose to stay home. I mean, seriously, when did life become ONE SHOE FITS ALL! I guess at least now, after being on both sides of the issue (stay home or working momma) I still feel just as wiped out by 5pm, I have just as many loads of laundry to do as before, I still have to buy groceries and pay bills, my kids still argue about who gets the last spoonful of ice-cream, I have to prioritize the hours in my day now just as I did before...ITS ALL A JUGGLING ACT AND BALANCING IT ALL IS POSSIBLE!

I LOVE my husband and children and I LIKE my job. I believe our family unit runs well. Of course we are not perfect, nobody is, we have our faults and room for inprovement, but for the most part at the end of the day, I look back and ask my Lord, "Well...what do YOU think"...NOT, "Well...wonder what OTHERS think?"..... My husband is incredible, helps in more ways than one to support me and help raise our kiddos. Our children seem happy, well-behaved, grateful and are NOT spoilt. They enjoy learning and playing each day at their school and I enjoy learning and playing at my school. The only problem I am having that I can't seem to figure out is how to be in five places at the same time...I don't think having a job or not having a job eliminates that issue...when cheerleading and gymnastics and training for a marathon all fall on the evenings at the same time, having a job from 7-3 doesn't interfere with the obvious after school scheduling conflicts...

Well...I am going to write lesson plans now. Last year, I would have google searched "how to grow herbs" and occupied my time in other such ways, now, I get to plan a week of reading and language lessons for some pretty amazing 4th graders at OMIS!!!

Books of the Bible RAP!

2010-08-07T14:26:00.002-05:00

Books of the Bible...

2010-07-31T08:50:00.003-05:00

There are many things my children do that I am proud of (and many things they do that I am NOT proud of) but learning the books of the bible in 10 days, is definitely at the top of being one of my most proudest moments with them.

We will begin learning the new testament this week. Hopefully in about two more weeks I will post that video.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
Proverbs 22:5-7

Yearly Developmental Evals..

2010-07-29T14:39:00.007-05:00

I like this picture because as different as I think the boys look, in this picture I am not real sure who is who...and it is funny that both are clawing to get down..we were at the Barons game.

This is Ms. Brie, from the Shelby Arc..our wonderful Early Intervention Services. Brie has been visiting the boys each month since last summer. We will miss her so much as she moves on to her internship. John David didn't want to be in the picture so James is smiling for both boys..:-)

Mommy and John David playing at a "play place" indoors because it was only 102 degrees that day...

Book time..before bed time..I LOVE this time. Watching my children look and books makes me so so so very happy...

Yes, John David is driving a pink and purple bike...and LOVIN it...look at that smile...

I know, I have been extremely behind updating this blog. Truth of the matter, is that I am approaching the time in which updating this blog will be pushed further and further down on my list of "to do's"..I am returning to teaching full time in about two weeks. Our family is busy already, busier than I could have ever played out in my mind..but busy is about to turn into total madness, crazy, nutso busy when I am working FULL TIME during the day AWAY FROM HOME...Whew..it is going to be quite the adjustment, but I truly believe it will be the best for our family. Now that the boys are approaching 2 years old, I need to return to the job I love just as much as they need to "go to school"... I am grateful from above to have Lee Fogle (Learning By Design) to send our precious boys to for school this year. Jenna will also return to "Lee Lee's" as she calls it, and I am sure of one thing, they will be LOVED and nurtured, cared for and educated on a daily basis. The level of peer learning, and guided instruction the boys will receive from their school will only help them to continue to develop and mature as they should be doing. I am just so thankful to have the opportunity for them to attend there.

Recently we had our friends from Shelby Arc (Early Intervention) complete a yearly evaluation on the boys. Thankfully the boys are growing and developing without any major concerns. They are both still a little behind on fine motor skills, but cognitively are right on track if not a little ahead in some areas. Watching them learn daily is such a blessing. We are beyond thankful for the little things....kicking a ball, running to the fridge for "mulk", opening the pantry door for a snack, pointing to pictures in books, trying to put on their sisters' shoes, puckering up for kisses...I could go on and on. Our therapist from the Shelby Arc that visit once a month to check on the boys' development and offer suggestions to help them advance, reported that the boys were doing wonderful. They will send me a detailed report later, but for our visit, they suggested we wait a while before doing a speech evaluation. Thus far, they seem to be fine in their speech and language development. So the focus for them right now is fine motor skills, and I am planning our mini mite boot camp to begin real soon...hahaha, j/k:-)

Here are a few new tricks I don't want to forget...

First phrase from John David..he was pointing under the bed and I kept saying "use your words, tell me what you need"..he looks at me and says "uh oh, ball, momma"...I just about cried..

John David named Claire "Wa Wa"...not sure how he came up with that one, but they call her by name all the time and it is distinctively "Wa Wa"...I will post video soon of their new words.

Saying "mainbow" for rainbow when we look at our Jesus book every single morning...I consider this their devotional time. I point out the "birds", "rainbow", "baby Jesus", "Angel", and "snake"..they can find them all.

Both boys LOVE brushing their teeth so each night as we go "night night"..all five kids and Mommy AND Daddy trott upstairs for bedtime routine, the boys start saying Ahhhh with mouthes wide open all the way to the bathroom sink...

Catching and throwing balls...James can catch better, John David can throw better..seriously...it is funny to watch them cause John David can really chunk a ball and James can really catch the ball...hummmm...

The computer reminds them of three special people...Elmo and BECKY/ROSEY...when John David sees the computer he starts grunting saying, "Melmo" or "RO-RO and BECK BECK"...super sweet to see them point to the computer and say Ro Ro and Beck Beck..

Every time we pull into the garage both boys start pointing to the pink powerwheels mustang that the girls drive them around in... John David says, "uh, momma ride"

Oh yeah, and one very funny observation we have made...as we drive by the YMCA, they point out the window and start fussing if we continue to drive on and not pull into the parking lot. Too funny...they LOVE to play at the Y! RIDICULOUS!!!

VIDEO

2010-07-25T08:08:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of videos I took last week.

We are all doing well. We are looking forward to our last lazy, fun week of summer! And then the madness will begin...back to school.

Planting Seeds..hopefully to produce FRUIT

2010-07-22T13:53:00.002-05:00

My goal this summer was to soak up all that summer has to offer; swimming, sleeping late, visiting friends, movies, painting and creating, parks, just playing til dark! Then I also had hopes of teaching my children some valuable life lessons (cause that just happens naturally each day you spend 12 hours together) but learning the books of the Bible was at the top of my "summer to do list" and we have (I am shamed to admit) not completed it.

So, we are working hard on it. The big girls obviously learn at a quicker pace than Jenna, but nonetheless, we are ALL learning together.

One more full week of summer before we kick off the "new school year"...lots of emotions arousing...EXCITEMENT AND ANXIETY all wrapped up in one!

Mommy's Little Ball Player...

2010-07-14T22:04:00.001-05:00

"FREE WEEK"...

2010-07-11T22:17:00.005-05:00

Well, here is the re-cap from last week. We are officially into the "free summer play" now...The month of June with All-Stars, beach trip and Utah trip just about broke the bank for our family, so we are on restriction now! It is still awesome though to wake up and have fun activities to enjoy together without spending money.

Giddy Up James Daniel..riding Dakota..Becky bought this horse for Claire 9 years ago and he has survived five rounds of toddlers...

Ice-cream cone Ellie earned at gymnastics and willingly shared with her sister and brothers.

Playing at Aunt Jill's house, waterslide and snowcones...FREE FUN

Playing in the basement...Sisters of Avonlee, deserted without a mom or dad, searching for shelter, escaping the wild bandits that want to rob them of their magic hair....FREE FUN (and very entertaining I must say)

Movie at The Rave...FREE (and we even brought our own yummy Cheetos packs)

Painting old boxes I had planned to toss, until Ellie reminded me that "those boxes would make perfect castle houses for their dolls...SOOOOOO, they painted them for a good hour....FREE FUN

Popsicles in the driveway after playing outside for a few hours!

John David heard me say, "Okay kiddos, let's get ready to GO..." and sure enough he flipped his "toddler meltdown switch" on and shared his feelings with all the onlookers....:)

Sonic playground. Claire used her birthday gift card to buy everyone a treat during "happy hour"...:)

James sliding

Ball Park..watching Daddy play Church Softball.

Definitely takes a great deal of discipline to not spend a single dime ALL WEEK...I mean we seriously ate lunch at home every single day, took picnic lunch with us a few days, didn't even get a popcorn to share at the FREE movie. There were a few moments though, that a mom just savors...

I told the girls we would go to the free movie, but we couldn't spend any money on snacks there so they needed to choose a snack to take with them. Jenna started to whine about it, and Ellie said, "Jenna we need to just be thankful we get to go to the movies and not worry about the popcorn stuff"...

Ellie was given a "free ice-cream cone" ticket from gymnastics and begged me to take her to DQ to get her cone. I told Jenna we would have some Moose Tracks ice-cream once we arrived home, but this special treat was just for Ellie, and surprisingly she was okay with it. Once Ellie had her MEGA cone, she noticed her brothers and Jenna watching her take it from the front of the van to the back seat and said, "Mommy I just have to let them have a teeny bit, it is just so amazing and I feel bad for them"....WOW, what a moment to cherish when your children learn the virtues of selflessness...I didn't say a word, just smiled in my rear view mirror.

Claire used her birthday gift card to buy her brothers and sisters ice-cream from Sonic one day. I told her she didn't need to do that, we would wait and have ice-cream at home, and she needed to spend her birthday money on herself..she said, "But momma I want to share with them so they will learn to do the same when they have the chance like me"....WOW, what a special young lady.

And you know what, I don't remember anyone complaining to much about our "free week" either. I am so grateful for such great kids. There are some things money just can't buy....life lessons about caring, sharing and loving each other in all you do...and folks, that is just priceless.

We are choosing to have another "free week" of fun. Starting tomorrow morning with donations we've gathered up to give to the Foundry (a rescue mission and recovery center in B'ham)...

And can I just say, it means more to me as a mom that my children learn life lessons of virtue and value, service and sacrifice, and learn to appreciate the simple things in life, to learn that money will NOT ever satisfy them, STUFF is just STUFF, and if we live by Jesus' life commands we live a life of joy and contentment that is honorable and pleasing to God.

Last picture...James on the left, John David on the right..19 months old TODAY!

Boys LOVE Elmo and they will sit and look at any Elmo book and point to Elmo on each page. When they say Elmo though, it sounds more like "Melmo"...too cute. Here James is pointing to Elmo and John David is saying "no" to him...

Boys Playn CAR....vroom vroom!

2010-07-07T08:15:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Claire Bear!

2010-07-06T07:59:00.005-05:00

What a birthday celebration this girl had. My goodness, when I turned 9, I remember a cake and a dance party at my house with my favorite few buddies. This girl had a birthday week..hahaha! Here are the pics from Claire's 9th birhtday (I can't believe I have a 9 year old...and I also can't believe she is not in her room, playing tea party with her stuffed animals while I fill up her sippy cup....SO SAD!

BUT, I LOVE our new relationship taking form each day. She is becoming such an amazing young lady. I am so proud of her compassionate heart and responsible nature (most of the time), and more than anything her love and desire to be pleasing to God in all she does...with a little encouraging from MOMMY of course..haha!

Claire receiving her birthday gift from Becky and Rosey (my dad and stepmom)...even though later that night, after the excitement settled, she told me of all the money she got, her wish would be to visit Utah again and see Becky and Rosey.

Spending the night at Ross Bridge with her bestfriend, Anna Templin. Such a special relationship they have. And believe it or not, I was thrilled to spend the evening and night at a Spa Resort for half the price it would cost to have a "birthday party"...her choice and I thought it was a great one!

Family Dinner at Shonos...Claire LOVES this place. It is located in Hoover next to Hobby Lobby. Mamaw and Papa, Nana and Uncle Phillip and Cousin Sam joined us.

Just don't want to foget...

2010-07-06T07:31:00.002-05:00

Here is my post on some simple things my baby (BIG) boys are doing that I just don't want to forget. Seeing that I don't have a baby book for them, just this blog, I am making a list.

19 months old next week...WOW..slow down time, slow down:(

*Climbing furniture- this is cute because I had three girls that DID NOT do this...
*Pointing to pictures in a book when asked to find something- a little behind here, but that is okay. The girls (which I know, I know, girls are different and they weren't extremely premature), but they did this at 12 months!
*Spiderman PJ's- LOVE their Spiderman PJ's
*Holding hands walking wherever we go!
*John David is playing cars...making car noises as he pushes cars around
*Both boys are figuring out how to put BIG chunky puzzle pieces together...not very good at it, but starting to figure how to find where it goes.
*Jumping, Spinning, Running, Sit-Down when told to do so..cute to watch them spin, cause they laugh!
*Commands they follow through with: "Go get your diaper", "Go find Daddy", "Where is brother?", "Can I have a kiss", "Where is your head, ear, eyes, belly, feet, PENGUIN..hahaha", "Can you close the door", "Throw the ball", "Where is your drink" (they run to the fridge)
*Everytime they see a tan truck or van, they both point and say "Mamaw"..
*When they ask for more of something, they sign it with their hands, but now they do it with their finger tips instead of clapping..(FINE MOTOR SKILL..YAY!)
*Swimming in the baby pool WITHOUT falling over...couldn't do that in May...
*But my all time favorite right now, is James saying "no" while John David shakes his head "no" when you ask them if they want to do something that requires NO for an answer...I will post video soon. It is hysterical...they do it at the same time...
*Walks to the computer and says, "Ro-Ro" (for Rosie, because we talk to my dad and stepmom on the computer quite a bit)
*Oh yeah, and hearing "Ma Ma" ALL DAY long is precious too...tiring, but precious.
*Spoken words right now: MA MA, DA DA, BALL, UH-OH, WHOA, BUBBLE, PA-PA, BECK BECK, RO-RO, NANA

My last 2 thoughts for this post, is to ask you all to remember a sweet girl named, Amber Moore. I feel ashamed I never posted about her on my prayer request list. But she has dealt with loss of pregnancy and baby three times now. She is childless, hopeless, hurting and beyond word description of devastated. She delivered Shiloh Hope a few days ago, at 22 weeks.

A dear friend named Carrie Collins (went to college together) is also healing from her precious little girl Charlie that she delivered stillbirth a couple of weeks ago. Carrie is my age, her husband has battled cancer (and WON! Praise God), she has two healthy, beautiful daughters, but recently has lost two babies. Doctor's think she may have a clotting disorder responsible for the losses. We all know God is creator and taker of life. It hurts me so to see my friend go through this pain. Please say a prayer for her and ask God for healing in her life.

THANKS!

All-Star Beach Trip!

2010-06-28T13:29:00.011-05:00

Jenna:"Hey Ellie, want to go jump in the water?"...Ellie:"No, we can't, remember the oil!?!"....Jenna:"No fair, other kids are playing in the ocean!!&;quot;...Claire:"Yeah, but their mom probably isn't as OCD as ours"....BOYS:"I say we go for it, just blame it on us, she lets us get away with ANYTHING...hehehehe"

Girls, Girls, Girls.....

Oh how we wish the ocean were clean so we could PLAY!

CONCENTRATION...she was stoked!

Boys LOVED this ride. They laughed the entire time. SO fun to watch your kids have fun.

Mamaw riding go-carts with her granddaughters, and no we didn't have to beg...she totally loved it..haha!

Mamaw with the big girls, floating in the lazy river. Notice Jenna in the background, she said, "I don't feel like a picture right now, I'm fine"..haha

The Pate and Mullinax (friends of ours)...KIDS...all 8 of them, yes, we have 8 kids within 8 years of each other....In birth order, Claire, Kate, Ellie, Jacob, Jenna, Nathan, James and John David...

Daddy with the boys. James LOVED his goggles!

Gotta love how Claire is holding John David's neck to make him look at me, and James is shouting STOP TAKING SO MANY PICS MOM!

Mommy swimming with the girls!

Here is a quick update with the Pate Brood!

We spent the majority of June at the ballpark. What joyous fun we had as a family, with the experience of All Stars. We are so proud of Claire for all of her hard work and dedication throughout a LONG hot season of Oak Mountain All Stars. Her team was invited to participate in the State Tournament in Gulf Shores, what a huge honor. They fought hard, and placed 5th overall. We had a great team, superior coaches, amazing parents and we feel so blessed to have been a part of something so special.

Long live the days of eating our meals out of the cooler, changing diapers in the trunk, hosing off Ellie and Jenna with the concession hose pipe after playing in dirt for 8 hours, throwing/batting for hours upon hours, eating popsicles, chanting "Mud on ya face, big disgrace...we will... we will ROCK YOU DOWN, SHAKE YOU UP, LIKE A VOLCANO WILL ERUPT, LOOK OUT WORLD HERE WE COME!!!"....oh so much fun. I feel sad that it is over, but looking ahead, we have one more month of FUN before school gets underway.

Here are some pictures from our weekend.

Father's Day...a day to celebrate three amazing men!

2010-06-19T23:00:00.006-05:00

A Father's Hand...

is an amazing thing...

Father's everywhere today are being celebrated. Those who are with us and those who are no longer here on this Earth. I celebrate the lives of three amazing men today in my life.

My dad is a man of amazing love. He has such a compassionate heart. From the early days when I was a little girl, one thing I always remember my dad most for was the love he had for his children. Not only a great love for his children, but my dad works harder than most anybody I know. I am grateful for the work ethic my dad has always possessed a work ethic to be admired by all who know him. I am so thankful he instilled that work ehtic and drive to never give up in me at such a young age. One thing I have always known throughout my entire life, is the love my dad has for me. There is no question whether my dad would go to the ends of the Earth for me, or do anything for me, and that is an amazing feeling. He has always sacrificed immensely for my needs and desires, and that is something that I don't take for granted. I have so many memories of my dad through the years, from working with him in a strip mine, ,to watching him bury my first dog and then hold me in his recliner as my heart broke, to waiting up for him really late at night when he would work 15 hr days just to give him his two bologna sandwiches I made for him, to the countless hours of jumping waves in a raft together at the beach, to flipping hamburgers with him when he owned a restaurant, to the day he gave me away to the most amazing husband God could have ever designed for me...my memories of my dad are priceless and I thank God for the wealth of love we have for each other.

My father-in-law is more to me than just a "father-in-law". He has been a constant in my life for nearly 17 years. I am 31 for those of you who are doing the math..haha! Mike Pate has an answer for just about anything I can think of to ask him. He has advice for every situation or circumstance we have ever been in. He has a love for me that is more than just a "daughter-in-law" relationship and I thank him for it. I am most proud to call him my father-in-law because of the wonderful man of God he is. His sacrifice and love for his family is completely selfless. He has taught me through his example of sacrifice and love for his family, that in the day's end, having family and love to share is more valuable than the worldly stuff so many seek after. I am deeply thankful for him.

And lastly, My husband, the father of my children....what an incredible man he is. A man of such integrity. He is so valued in our family. My girls look at him to fix any problem, from the tangled hair of a barbie doll to the delicate art of scaring away monsters..especially "rock eater"..haha! Not only does he have girls to look up to him to solve all the world's problems, he now has two sons to follow in his unique footsteps. My husband has always been a great dad to our children, with our first born, he was good, with our second born, he was even better, with our third born, he was what I consider the best, but with the addition of our boys, he is at stellar level! I am so proud to call him my husband and the father of my children. I realize how blessed our family is to have him lead us daily in the way God desires a family to be led. I thank my Heavenly Father every single day for the relationship He has ingrained between Rob and I and our children. Rob Pate, you are truly amazing in your ways of fathering our children. I commend you on your efforts to support us, love us, comfort us, entertain us, guide us, and share yourself with us. I am so thankful that you are a man who loves his family above all else this Earth offers. Spending time with us, instead of countless hours golfing, racing, fishing, sporting events, etc. means so much me. The bonds being formed between you and our precious little ones will remain forever.

Happy Father's Day to three wonderful men, who have all touched my life in many unforgettable ways. I pray God bless you each as you deserve a special blessing just for simply being who you are.

18 months old!!!!

2010-06-11T09:04:00.005-05:00

Okay...time can slow down at any point now...I just watched the video of these miracle babies back from their earlier days, and I can not believe how fast the past 18months has gone. Boy am I so thankful I took this past year off to spend with them.

They are both doing just wonderfully. I am so thankful to report good health and well-being. We visited our amazing, talented and oh so very kind pediatrician last week, Dr. Darby McElderry..we adore her. She said they were growing fine (still little and behind a bit on height and weight, only in the 10-25th percentile) But she said nothing to worry about, they don't even have to correct their gestational age anymore. She went through the 18 month check list and the boys are both doing everything they should be for typically developing 18month olds, so that great, especially since they were two and a half months early... I still want to keep them babies a little while longer, but I am afraid they are choosing to grow up instead. The "do it myself" stage is underway...boy oh boy, I am going to need some extra patience in my day for this next stage.

Here is a recent video I took before bedtime a few nights ago. I forgot to ask them to "Praise Jesus"..that is my favorite trick they do, they throw their hands into the air above their heads...and I also forgot to ask them to say "Uh Oh", but they generally say that when either of them has forcefully tossed their drinking cup onto the floor.

And just so I don't forget these special milestones later in life, here are a few "tricks" they are doing at 18 months old.
*waves bye bye and says bye bye
*knows the dog, snake, sheep sounds
*John David can find the ball in a picture book and point to it
*James can find Elmo in his picture book and point to it
*scribbles well with aqua doodle marker
*opens pantry and fridge when hungry or thirsty
*knows head, foot, nose, teeth,
*knows praise Jesus
*Can find each family member if you ask them "where's claire?"
*says, Mama, Dada, Bubbles, Ball, UhOh, Bye Bye
*answers to commands: "go get your diaper", "throw this away in the garbage", "go get your drink"
*can jump, throw a ball, climb a chair (and definitely climb stairs)
*my favorite trick is asking them to "step" into their clothes while standing and holding on to my shoulder..it is funny because John David is very wobbly and hangs on with a death grip so he doesn't fall over.

These boys are growing up quickly. Won't be long before we start talking "potty" time...and ooooh man, I can't wait to get them out of diapers....by Kindergarten that is...hahahah!

11 months..watching the birds in the early morning...

18 months...watching the birds in the early morning...

Ross....

2010-06-09T07:18:00.003-05:00

Here is the update from his caring bridge page posted a week ago.

Home Sweet Home! It was bittersweet to leave our home away from home and leave the new friends we had made. Strong relationshipps were developed between us and fellow patients and their families as well as with the staff at Children's. There were a few tears shed. But everyone knows and agrees this was the best thing for Ross. We have appointments in mid July and can have a mini-reunionn then.

We've been home since Friday night with mixed results. Ross is doing fine medically but he is still easily agitated. He's had a couple of restful days and nights and a couple that weren't so much. We think it may be the combination of the feeds and medications we're using. We changed a couple of things just before we left. We plan to call his doctor in Birmingham and ask a few questions and see if we can't get this figured out. We can't wait for the time to come that Ross is able to enjoy a real extended time of peace. It all just takes time and a little bit of this, and a little bit of that until we get it all figured out.

What a miracle that sweet boy is home. I still continue to pray daily that God will restore his health to the fullness it was prior to his tragic accident. As I was running the race for him a few weeks ago, I felt such a peace and presence of God. I remember thinking to myself, that little boy's story could easily be anyone of us. For some reason God chose him and I pray for that "glory in the morning" for the Folmar family. I have not had a chance to travel back to Auburn to visit with the family, but I intend on doing so in a few weeks, once he and his family are settled. The donations that flooded in for him were overwhelming. Each time I opened an envelope, my heart felt such compassion for that sweet family. I always asked God to bless the individual who sent the donation. Because of your selfless donation, I was able to give 500 dollars to the Folmar family....WOW! I am amazed at the beauty of God and how incredible it is that He works through people like me and you.

Thank you all for your support and please do continue to pray for this special little boy and his family, as they have such a long road ahead of them.

BIG BOY SCHOOL!

2010-06-05T09:32:00.004-05:00

Well folks..the time has arrived! These miracle babies are now officially going to BIG BOY SCHOOL! I am returning back to work in August so I thought a little transition time this summer would be beneficial to them. Of course we LIVE at the YMCA (if not the ball park..heheh) so they are very well adjusted with being away from home, the bigger issue would be "sleeping" away from home.

They understand the word "play" so as soon as I pulled into Learning By Design I started saying, "Let's go play, who wants to go play, James is going to play, here we go John David to play, Mommy is going to play, yay for play!!!" It worked wonderfully, they both WALKED in holding my hands and did great. NO tears...not even from me!

The only issue from 9-2 was nap. Lee called me to ask if they had a special blanket or paci to help them nap. Of course I told her NO, they had a boob for 18 months! So the nap routine at home is go to bed and close the door..DON'T OPEN THE DOOR until nap time is over! So I suggested to do that and let them scream it out. Sounds harsh, but it works. So, she said they WERE NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT and screamed with rage for a little bit but then "figured it out" and went to sleep!

Boy are we so blessed to have the childcare situation we have. Lee Folge kept Jenna in her home (along with other teachers' children) for several years. But now Lee has opened up an incredible childcare facility next door to our schools...AWESOME. She has her same ladies that helped her from her home as well as some new amazing gals.

The boys did great on their first day, Mommy LOVED her special 5 hours in her classroom (have my room ready to go other than my desk and a few filing cabinets) and all in all it was a lovely day.

#1 question I get on a daily basis is...."Are you really going back to work??!!" and the answer is...."Y-E-S!!"

I have stated before (somewhere, here or facebook one) that happiness and contentment with your life doesn't come from staying home or working a career. I have Christ as my center wheel and everything else spins from it. I can't imagine how hard it will be to prepare for work, school for five kids and keep balance in my home (not that it has ever been easy since the miracle babies arrived), but I don't doubt I will figure it out with my super source of strength..MY GOD, after all HE is where I draw my strength from.

Gratefully, I have an amazing husband, one in which I am so proud to call my partner, Pate Family teammate, true bestfriend in the entire world; and the ship would sink if we didn't work so well together.

Yall pray for us as we approach August...LET THE NEW JOURNEY BEGIN!

7am to 9pm!!!

2010-05-27T09:04:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures from the last two days.

Notice the pound of peanut butter on James' face...he tore apart his graham crackers and completely covered himself with peanut butter.

Do you see the kids...hehehe

Claire making faces at the lambs...told me that lambs are "not her thing"..hahah

Rob and Ryan going to ride four-wheelers!

My dad..aka Becky, with his granddaughters at the Price River.

Notice how daylight it still is and the girls are in their pj's ready for bed. It doesn't get dark here until 9pm...crazy!

My brother Ryan is such a nut. He has been awesome to hang out with. The kids love him to pieces.

Rosie with Ellie and Jenna

Ellie climbing a tree with her asparagus!

My Dad forgets that he is 63 years old and the slides at the park are for kids only...hahaha!

Ryan eating the home-made pizza my dad, Rosie and Paul prepared for supper! It was YUM!

John David climbing the slide by himself until Rosie joined in for safety support...what a crazy boy...the slide is like 9 ft tall!

My pretty little girls laying in the grass giggling!

Me and my brother with Dad!

Becky and John David riding the tractor!

The big girls were so pumped to be able to sleep in the camper last night. BIG smiles before drifting off to sleep.

Well...these kiddos are playing nonstop around here. We are preparing to take the kids on their first camping trip tonight. As Ellie puts it, "a for real camping not a pretend camping"...we are ecstatic to take them to Sanraphael Canyon and experience "real camping" with our children. I appreciate my dad and stepmom so much for all they have done to prepare this trip for us. There really is a ton of preparation before heading up the mountains for a camping trip.

The last two days have been extremely fun-filled and somewhat exhausting. The sun (and the kids) are up at 7am each morning and the sun (and the kids) go down at 9pm each night!

Here are a few of our favorite things:

*The HUGE dinosaur park
*Mommy and Daddy riding bikes up and down the mountain and all through town.
*Planting in Uncle Paul's garden
*Sliding and playing in the sand piles
*Family gatherings around the kitchen table (Ellie LOVES breakfast here)
*Playing Skip Bo
*Riding four-wheelers with daddy in the mountains
*Eating awesome breakfast every morning
*Visiting the swinging bridge in a little town called Helper
*Playing ball outside

Utah...surprise!

2010-05-24T23:04:00.007-05:00

WOW...we pulled it off...we actually managed to fly across the country with our family, arrange for my brother to pick us up and drive us to my dad's house to surprise him with a visit. And when I say surprise him, I mean he had absolutely NO idea we were coming. Obviously planning a trip to Utah with our larger family is quite an ordeal, but man oh man, was it totally worth it. My stepmom, Rose, and brother, Ryan, had it all perfectly planned out. They had been preparing for weeks for our arrival WITHOUT my dad having the least bit of knowledge about our visit.

My uncle Dew had my dad busy working in the yard out back behind his house as we were scheduled to arrive around 3pm. So we enlisted my uncle Dew to make sure my dad, aka Becky is what the kids call him, was out of sight as we neared the house. We snuck in, planted ourselves between the kitchen and living room and waited patiently....well not really "patiently" but you get the idea!

I called my dad to ask if he wanted to call the kids on the computer to talk to them (because we try and talk to dad and Rose on the computer at least a couple times a week) and without any reservation he said, "I sure do, I've been waiting to talk to my grandkids, I'm at Dew's give me 5 min and I will be right there!" I will post video later but for now, you can visualize my dad walking in his side door, galloping down the long hallway that leads to the kitchen (where he thinks he is about to go call his grandkids), and then as he turns the corner, five precious little kids (who love their Becky endlessly) jump out and shout, "BECKY!!!!!!!!"

OMG! The look on his face was priceless..and of course the tears came...I will post the video as soon as I get home. We are grateful for the blessing of the day. Our travels from B'ham to Salt Lake City were smooth. The flights weren't bad at all.

The kids have had an incredible time. Somewhat of a spiralling out of control kinda feeling, they run from one activity to another, just can't stop smiling and laughing, and their giggles and sweet voices just resonate throughout this house...which by the way is very large and spread out, so keeping an eye on the boys is rather challenging. My stepmom is amazing in all she does. She raised five kids as well, so the chaos of our family doesn't really phase her. My dad and his brothers run the family business here in Price called "Howa and Sons"

My dad and Rose live in my grandparents house (the house my dad was raised in with his 10 brothers and 1 sister). The memories at this home for me are so rich and vivid. The aroma of Shaklee detergent and Lebanese bread seeping through the house hasn't changed at all in my 31 years. It is so special to bring my children to the home I grew up visiting as a child, and longing to return to each summer.

Here are a few of our first day activities:

BIG pancake, egg and bacon breakfast
Riding four wheelers
Playing in the camper (we plan to go camping sometime this week)
Baking Lebanese bread (or rather playing with the dough and flour for HOURS)
Riding the wagon all around the yard
Riding on the fork lift with Uncle Dew
Helping Becky on the loader dump dirt in the back of a customer's truck
Planting squash
Cutting grass on Becky's "tractor"
Making homemade humus and banana pudding (Ellie's favorite)
Mommy and Daddy enjoying a bike ride through the small "downtown" of Price.
Playing in the sand piles
Sliding on the BIG OLE slide in Uncle Paul's yard
Feeding the baby lambs and goats

WOW!!! 14 Donations....

2010-05-18T07:16:00.007-05:00

Naveen Singanamaia
Heather Abston
Trina Vest
Jill Kasdorf Mullinax
Lauren Ruston
Mose and Rosey Howa
Allison Lacey
Elizabeth Dean
Laralee Pennington
Ashely Wismen Wheeler
Diane Stearns
Cassie Reed
Paula Covington
Debbie Howa
Melissa Tatum Donaldson

I wanted to post quickly to share with you guys the sweet folks that have offered to donate to Ross Folmar's race this Saturday. I am overjoyed to have the opportunity to do this for this precious family. I still am hopeful that more donations will come in, but for now, it brings tears to my eyes to be able to share with this family these 14 people who are praying for their little boy everyday and are willing to give some financial relief amongst the heavy burdensome time they are currently living day to day. I also wanted to leave two pictures from his caring bridge site for those of you who maybe haven't seen them. Poor little buddy has such a long way to go, but it is amazing how well he is doing considering all the shock his body has endured. Oh how I pray that God will restore his health and make that little boy whole and vibrant and full of life as he once was. Also, when I look at that picture of he and his mom laying in his hospital bed, it makes me cry....I wouldn't be able to leave his side either....:-(

To the fourteen people I listed above, thank you so much, I have prayed for you each individually that God would bless you in a beautiful way for loving sacrifice to this family.

Pictures of Ross...

John David saying bye bye, blowing kisses and praising Jesus!

2010-05-16T23:22:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share some video of John David following commands since I did post a video of James last week...gotta keep it fair, huh!?!

I am amazed at how much these little guys are learning each day. Just tonight as I was rocking rocking them and we were "talking"..seriously James wants to have a conversation with me, he just doesn't string together his words yet, but if you watch them look and respond as I talk to them, it is hilarious at how they "talk"...makes NO sense at all, but definitely they are saying something....it is precious. I asked both boys tonight to show me their heads and they tapped the top of their heads, then I asked them where their nose was, and sure enough John David touches the tip end of his nose and James rams his finger all the way up his nostril...typical! I am certain that James is going to be our boisterous, mischievous, creative little boy and John David will be like his Daddy, conservative, quiet, and centered. I just love em to pieces. Thank you God for these little boys you have given us to love and learn with each day. I praise you always for them.