Look Who's Sitting Up!

My baby girl is slowly but surely turning into a big girl! Yeah, I know this pic is a bit blurry but I snapped it in a hurry before she toppled over again. Now, she can sit this way for long periods of time. Mia is growing up...

Christmas Shopping With Brice

Last night after savoring the victory of my much beloved South Carolina Gamecocks against their arch enemies, the Clemson Tigers, I was revved up for a Christmas shopping trip. Emanuel and Jackson had asked to come along and before I knew it, Brice had overheard and wanted to come too. And so, I found myself in that unenviable position that all moms sometimes do...not really wanting to bring him along, knowing that doing so means more work, more hassle and frequently lots of fretting, yet having no REAL reason to say "no" and realizing that it would break his heart if I made him stay home. And since I'm a sucker...I let him come along. I should have known better. The destination of choice was Wal Mart...isn't it always? And each and every time I bring Brice to Wal Mart, I leave vowing resolutely that I will never, and I mean N-E-V-E-R bring him with me again. It's not just the touching of everything on the shelves (more on that in a moment) that bothers me...it's not just the not listening that drives me insane....but rather, it's the constant feeling of having to be constantly on my toes and focused on him and his circus like insanity that does me in. Here's the thing. I like to shop. And I like to enjoy my shopping, to get lost in the experience of picking stuff out. I'm selfish like that. I don't mind bringing along the low maintenance kids. But Brice doesn't quite meet this criteria.
I gave him "the talk" on the way into the store. In between the first set of electronic doors and the second, in that place where you are supposed to pick up an empty cart. I told him that he needed to walk and not run, remain relatively quiet, not throw things into the cart, not tear open food or candy, not damage any products, refrain from squirting out lotions, shampoos or liquid soaps, avoid throwing or consuming produce items and desist getting dressed up in the clothing hanging on the racks. We discussed that the candy bars on display near the registers are in fact, not free samples. I decided to employ Mckmama's "one finger" approach. She tells her children that they may touch almost anything in the store they would like, as long as it is with just one finger. I decided to give this a go. I reviewed this rule with him as we strolled passed the greeter.
It seemed that he understood all this. He even indicated that he did. Yet, not four minutes into our shopping trip, while perusing the baby aisle, Jackson began tugging at my sleeve imploring in a feverish pitch for me to "look at Brice." As my eyes swung his way, I discovered him dancing and singing, both middle fingers swinging wildly in the air. As he met my gaze, he quickly put his fingers down and asked "Oh, is that my bad fingers?" Yes, Brice. Those are your "bad" fingers and I'd sure appreciate you not flipping the bird at other shoppers as they walked by.
Moving on to the electronics department, Brice stumbled and took a spill near the Barney DVD's. As she slid across the dirty floor, howling loudly and looking pretty much like a bowling ball traveling down its lane, I recalled all the reasons I don't like mixing Wal Mart and Brice. Around this point, Brice remembered the "one finger" rule and set out to explore all the products, previously off limits that were now fair game for him and his finger of choice. Within seconds, I looked up with alarm as I heard familiar sounds of Brice chanting "Ping...Ping...Ping..." It was Brice and his finger. Brice and his index finger were moving along the aisle, past a row of sports balls, and as he passed each ball, he made a jabbing motion, knocking each ball backwards and wreaking havoc on the shelf. But, with only one finger. Okay, so while several of Mckmama's suggestions have proven very successful in our family, the one finger rule is not one of them.
We did a bit of shopping for Daddy. As we picked out one of Daddy's presents Brice expressed his intense desire to tell Daddy what we'd picked out. The sales clerk then proceeded to inform Brice that if he told, Santa might not visit. Brice was horrified.
To round out our trip, Wal mart's police officer on duty had to ask him to walk instead of run when Emanuel helped him to the restroom, and he needed to be reeled in from the arcade twice during check out. We made it home finally, and let me state for all to hear. Brice will not be returning to Wal Mart any time soon. Like I said, I like to shop. Even if its just at Wal Mart. And since I don't desire to wind up on one of those "The People of Wal Mart" videos, starring as the crazy mother who resorts to smacking her kid and yelling loudly in the store, it's in everyone's best interest for Brice to shop with Daddy.

Thankfulness

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. While our children and Albert are upstairs, re-arranging bedrooms, again (yes, I know it's midnight) I took a few minutes to reflect on the things I am so thankful for this year. Every year. At dinner this evening, I will encourage each of our children, or at least the ones who can formulate a half way intelligible answer, to do the same thing. Right now, as I look at Jackson and Brice, asleep here in the living room, I'm grateful for the simplicity of the evening. For the time here with them. For their health, for their happiness, and for the happiness they bring me. My babies are all asleep in their bedrooms, and I am thankful for the way their tiny hands feel curled around my own. I am thankful for the complete and total way they love me and for their innocent neediness ever present loyalty. The way that they laugh and play and listen to a story when I read to them (which we've begun doing quite frequently). My older children are moving beds and dressers upstairs right now and I'm thankful...thankful that so far they haven't woken up Mia, thankful for the wonderful young men they are each shaping up to be, thankful for the close relationship I've been fortunate to cultivate with each of them, thankful for the conversations we share and moments we spend together- as I know full well, that my years for enjoying these limitless opportunities for long conversation are fleeting- they will grow up and move away and start their own lives- in the not so distant future. I am thankful for the chance to raise them, and love them. My hubby is also upstairs moving furniture. I am thankful for his persistent and constant love, for the fact that while love can be fragile and delicate, it can also be strong, durable and can withstand a lot. I'm thankful that I am married to someone who is still madly in love with me after fifteen years of marriage, and tells me so each and every day. I'm thankful for him.
I am thankful that God has continued to provide for our family. I am thankful to God for blessing me with these exact eleven people. I'm thankful that He has blessed us with health and happiness.
Family. Health. Happiness. Babies. Amazing young men. We couldn't be any more blessed.

Raising Sydney

This is my second oldest daughter. Sydney Paige. Well, really it's Sydney Paige Beverly Rose...yes, we got a bit carried away following the emotional rush of birth hormones but anyways, that's her name and it suits her perfectly.



As most of you know, I prayed a long time for a daughter. I've wanted one my whole life. Literally, for as long as I can remember. I had names for my daughters picked out since I was really young. Really young. And, no, they aren't the same names I ended up using. Now I have four daughters. I'm totally and completely blessed. And a little bit afraid. Why? Because....


...it hasn't escaped my attention that raising daughters is a huge responsibity. Not that raising boys isn't...for sure it is...just in a bit of a different way. With my daughters, it's my duty to make sure they grow up strong...not just physically, but emotionally, mentally and spiritually. It's my job to raise them to be brave, posses integrity and Godly character...all things that continue to be a work in progress in myself. I want them to be honest, compassionate, tender and bold. But most of all, I want them to be happy. Godly, and happy. I want them to feel secure, and to know how beautiful they truly are, in so many ways.
How can I raise them to have all these qualities...many that I'm not sure I posses at all, and others that I'm very much still working on? Am I even up to the task of bringing up my beautiful, amazing girls? God seems to think I am, and so I will trust in Him that I am indeed, fit for the assignment. And I will trust in Him, that he will continue to work on perfecting me, so that I may be a better mother for them. For her...

Fried Chicken, Trophies and Repetitive Eating

Three times today, Albert and I went to the AG Building here in town, and enjoyed a meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, corn, green beans, rolls and cake. Three times. Once at 11:00 this morning. Again at 1:30 in the afternoon, and yet again at 7:30p.m. Why, do you ask? Why did we go to the same place and eat the same meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Because it was football banquet day and all three kids had their team banquets today. Back to back...then a space, and then another. Our local grocery store deli catered the event and yes, the fried chicken was just as good the third time as it was the first. And yes, I most certainly ate all three times.
The kids were a sight to behold receiving their trophies, hearing words of praise from their coaches and celebrating each other. We, along with all the other parents of football players and cheerleaders were extremely proud of our children. It was an occasion for the players to spend one last day (or night) as a team, enjoying each others company and reveling in slide shows of their season. We enjoyed each and every banquet and the time spent focusing on each individual child.

And although I have no pictures to show of it, due to an incredibly crowded house and very dark circumstances, our oldest, Drew sang in the chorus at his school musical last night. He did a fabulous job and this evening, after his third performance in three days, attended the cast party, where he filled up with pizza, soda, cake and friendship. We are so proud of all four of our chorus member/football players!





Manny shakes hands with a member of the football organization



The three amigos...also known as Virgil, Barry, and Manny. Best friends.

Celebrations

Here are a few long overdue pictures of the recent birthday parties we've had....Brandon and Sydney are each a year older now. Bree's is just around the corner! Enjoy!

Cold and Rainy...

We're sitting outside in our garage. In the cold. Having a garage sale. Of which, we sold exactly $16.75 in product. One microscope. A tub full of peel and stick alphabet letters, two pairs of shoes, about ten sweaters, a few books and some Sesame Street C.D. Roms. We've had exactly 5 customes, including one that bought nothing. It's going to be a long morning.

And for extra Fontenot fun, we made Manny and Brandon don the infamous Pooh and Tigger costumes and we dropped them off at the entrance of our neighborhood to advertise our sale! The police stopped them and had a laugh about it, to which Manny replied "My Dad is making us do this. But we're getting paid." Well, sons, at the current total of $16.75, you aren't getting paid much!

Random Thoughts On Our Long and Fun Weekend..

We have just emerged from the longest weekend we've had in a while. It was jam packed full. Brandon's sleepover was Friday night. We survived. He had a fabulous time with his friends. Really, all the kids were very well behaved and things went excellent. But I'm getting older and need my sleep! I'm apparently no spring chicken anymore and staying up all night with lots of boys doing boy stuff, like video games, air hockey, football and chasing each other around with an air soft pellet and Nerf guns is getting difficult for me!
The party was a big success though, with lots of food, snacks and fun. I'll put pics up soon.
Saturday morning Jackson's football team played their play off game. They won and it was lots of fun to watch. And sort of cold to sit outside and watch. Later that day, some very good friends of ours, Todd and Tess had their baby boy T.J's first birthday party. It was a traditional Filipino party, complete with a pig roast and many ethnic foods I have never tried before. It was defiantly a new experience for me (and a very good one!) but it wasn't new for Albert. When we used to live in San Diego, he had a good friend (and fellow Marine) who used to frequently take him to different Filipino restaurants for lunch. Needless to say, Albert was in heaven getting to taste all the authentic dishes at the party. And I fell in love with a desert called Cassava. I'm not certain if I'm spelling that correctly or not, but I was told it's made with coconut milk and parts of a Yucca plant. It was so delicious. I may have gained ten pounds eating so much of it. We stayed at the party for several hours, then came home to spend some time with our little ones (who Drew was so graciously babysitting for us). Then, when we put them to bed, we returned to the party (Todd and Tess live in the same subdivision as we do!) where the men played cards and the ladies sang karaoke late into the night. After their card games, the men also sang and I was even successful at getting Albert to sing a few songs! He did a duet with Tess's cousin Bill and it was a blast. Manny came with us, because his best friend Virgil (you all remember my posts on the three amigos- Manny, Virgil and Barry) is Todd and Tess' older son (that's really how we met them). Manny, Virgil and Barry, along with some of their other friends, sang several songs. I'm pretty sure Tess videotaped them with her I Phone and uploaded the evidence to face book!

Sunday was packed with playoff games. Brandon's team played (and won their first game all season long) and Manny's team played (and lost in overtime). We were at games from ten in the morning until after five that night. We were exhausted as was Drew who had done quite a bit of babysitting that weekend. Tonight we'll be taking everyone to Manny's basketball game. Football season has now ended. All we have left are the banquets to attend. All three boys have their banquet scheduled for the same day, along with Drew's musical for his high school. That will be another interesting weekend!

I'll try to post pics of Bear's party soon. I have school work that needs tending too as well as tons of laundry. We (and by that I mean Albert) cleaned our bedroom last night, so I'll be in laundry hell for the next few days...

Related Versus Unrelated...

It's 2:00 in the morning and I'm still awake, listening to kids run around the downstairs, some playing air hockey and others playing playstation. I'm awake while Albert is sleeping soundly and warmly in bed. I'm trying to be inconspicuous, just minding my own business...blog hopping and researching different things...
such as...this little bit of information. I found it here, but I'll copy and paste the paragraph I am currently gushing about...

Severe aplastic anemia
Matched related donor hematopoietic cell transplantation is the treatment of choice for pediatric patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). A 2006 study of 36 pediatric SAA patients demonstrated no significant difference in four-year overall survival between related and unrelated donors (93% vs. 89%, respectively; p=ns). [19]

To say that this brought a smile to my heart would be an understatement! Do you guys SEE how great those survival rates are? And only a four percent difference now between matched related donors and matched unrelated donors?!?! Dr. Rob was right, once again. I feel like a giant safety net has just been placed under us, since we were never able to get Brandon a sibling match.
For what its worth...is four percent better odds worth having yet another baby for? More factually, is the CHANCE of bettering odds by four percent worth having yet another baby for? You bet it is. And would we do it in a heartbeat if we felt needed to? You bet we would. In. A. Second. But you know what? I'm pretty convinced we just don't need to. And thrilled to see that at least one study (albeit a small scale one) has shown that even if we never produced the match and he DID need it, medical science has pretty much filled in that gap and continues to do so more and more each year.
It should be pointed out that there is more at stake than simply survival. There are other factors to consider when weighing out a related donor versus non related donor...in the case of Aplastic Anemia, most specifically Graft Versus Host Disease.
And what's more, this is pending of course that an unrelated match could in fact be found in the national registry, which is never a given, particularly for those of minority or mixed heritage. But, just knowing that hope has been increased with this type of study brings me immeasurable joy and happiness.
I actually do find it odd that I even still contemplate this type of scenario. As I said, I'm feeling more and more confident as the months and years pass that these are all hypothetical issues that will never come to pass for us. Yet, at 2:00 in the morning, these are the things I think of....that, and the fact that my joy at these advances isn't just for Brandon, who will probably never need to rejoice in them, but for the thousands of children who these advances in medicine may come just in time for. Children who have been holding out for just this type of development. I'm happy for that tonight as I watch Brandon play with all his friends, totally healed and all better.
And on a closing note, it hasn't escaped my attention that Dr. Rob has been continually correct on every single point he's ever made to us, and in every single thing he's ever said to us. Each and every outcome he has predicted has come to fruition. Like clockwork.He hasn't been wrong yet on anything he's told us. Not once. We can't begin to say how grateful we are that God led us to him and his partner, Dr. Bob. The trust that I have in them runs so deep, I'd trust them with my life. More importantly, I trust them with my child's life. And I'm so grateful to them that they are a big part of the reason that I am, at this very moment, watching my healthy eleven year old play Madden 11 on PS3. Fun times...fun times...

...

19 kids

No, this is NOT the number of children we are planning to someday have in our family. But it most definitely IS the number of children we have sleeping over at our house tonight! Our ten darlings plus an additional nine friends and cousins are making for a very fun and interesting night.
As you may remember, it's Brandon's birthday sleepover and right now it's in full swing. We did indeed remove our dinning room table and replace it with a Foosball table and an air hockey table. It's been a huge hit, and Albert and I have even played a heated game of air hockey! There is a bon fire in the back yard...started in the fire pit that the boys dug themselves last weekend. We have opened presents and eaten pizza and two tiered cake. So far no one is tired, except Albert and I. It looks like it may be a long night!

Random Reflections

It's tough to believe it's already November. Wow. That was a fast year. Maybe because I spent the first part of it pregnant and much of the middle months tending a new baby...a new baby who is finally sleeping for decent stretches of time at night. It sort of feels like I've just popped my head above the water...and somehow lost a whole year! Of course, the year isn't really lost- I have lots of great stories and documented evidence (thanks to blogging) of all the fun things we did as well as the good and not so good times we have had so far.
I went to Walmart yesterday and bought my favorite wintry purchase....bags of Cinnamon pine cones. I love, love, love the smell of them. I know some folks think they are too strongly scented, but not me. The people who feel that way must not have six little boys sharing a bathroom. There is no yummy scent in the world too strong for my house. In fact, industrial scented pine cones may be needed to cover the smells of socks, boys' bathrooms, and football gear.
I also bought Christmas wrapping paper and the first couple of little presents. Yes, I'm dreadfully behind this year. I'll need to shop like mad to catch up. Except, I've told the kids we are scaling back a bit this season. And scaling back we are.

Tomorrow night is Brandon's sleepover. Oh joy. God, I hope I won't be up all night long. Maybe I can negotiate with my husband to take over that duty. I think tonight, we'll move out the dining room table and chairs to make room for the Foosball and air hockey tables. In fact, we've been considering for some time now, doing this permanently. I mean, seriously, how often do we really use our formal dining room. Okay, okay, I use it every single day...as a place to stack bills, paperwork, my diaper bag and to hold clean clothing before it gets (eventually) carried up to the family clothes closet room. I think the Fly Lady calls this a "hot spot". So maybe the space would be better used as an entertainment space for the kids. They won't be young forever...one day I'll have back my formal dining room. Minus the loads of laundry.

The last week of football...the for real last week of football (playoffs) for the boys is this weekend. I'm excited, a little sad and a lot relieved all at once. I'm hoping that none of their coaches come up with the brilliant idea to play "pilgrim bowls" on Thanksgiving weekend. Let's just let the season end at playoffs. Football banquets are upcoming in the next couple weeks as well. All in all, I'll miss it, but will be happy for the end of the season. Next up, the remainder of Manny's basketball season and Brice will be playing (along with his cousin Josiah) with the church's basketball organization. I'm looking forward to seeing Brice play his first organized sport.

We went to church last night for adult bible study and the kids' Awana. Brice ran into Sydney's classroom and announced loudly that he had "farted." I really detest that word. Emanuel reported the deed back to me and I reported it to Albert. We then had a little talk with Brice regarding the use of appropriate versus inappropriate language. I swear, we have this same conversation at least three times a week at our house. Brice didn't seem phased and didn't really appear to be concerned, or even to completely grasp what he had done wrong. He just sort of smiled and said "yes" to whatever we told him.

Drew came home last Sunday (Halloween) from his church road trip. He had a blast. I sent him with $20 (the suggested amount by the trip leader) to cover his three fast food stops. He still ended up needing to borrow six bucks from the trip leader because he ran out of money....because he bought a huge plastic bucket of cheese curlz at Walmart for $8.99. Clearly, some money managing lessons are needed.

Halloween Pictures Continued....

We had an awesome day. Drew spent the weekend on a church road trip to Tulsa. We loaded up all the kids, dressed up in their costumes in the big van and picked him up Sunday evening at 5:30pm and hurried back home to start trick-or-treating. Here in Mascoutah, there are rules and regulations surrounding trick or treating and the city only allows it between the hours of 6-8.
Since Albert was the Halloween Scrooge, he decided to stay home to give out candy, with Brandon and Manny helping him. They lit a fire in the grill to keep warm and sat outside to watch all the happenings of the neighborhood. As our neighborhood is one of the biggest in the town, many families park their cars at the entrance to the neighborhood and join in the fun here.
I started off taking the kids around....Drew and I. We took the stroller for Mia and Bree. We trick or treated for about 45 minutes and then Mia...needed to nurse. As usual. We headed back to the house so I could indulge her, and Drew and Manny volunteered (okay, so Drew volunteered and prodded Manny along) to take the kids and continue with their trip through the neighborhood. I hated for them to have to wait on me to finish nursing and lay Mia down for the night. So, off they went. I fed Sweet Miss Mia and put her to bed and then sat outside by the warm fire (errr...grill) and tried to stay warm.
About 45 minutes later, the boys dropped the girls back off at home, because they'd gotten cold and tired, and then they boys (Isaiah included) headed back out again to make the most of their time until the clock struck 8:00.
The kids were so excited and happy about their loot! We allowed them to have a few pieces of candy...then it was time for bed. After we laid the littles down to bed, we ordered a pay-per-view movie...a scary one, and watched it with the older kids. It was so scary, in fact, that I was afraid to go to sleep, and two of our older kids (I won't embarrass them by mentioning who) asked to sleep in our bed!

Halloween Preview...

More to come soon. We had a blast last night....but alas, Halloween, football games and church road trips have left us with a very messy house that I need to attend to before I can do any "real" blogging! So, how about this? I will go clean up my messy, messy downstairs and get caught up on laundry and all sorts of other domestic chores, and I'll update again as soon as possible with more pictures and tales of our weekend. Stay tuned...