Christmas Eve

We enjoyed a meal at one of our favorites- Kani House. After driving through the Johns Creek light show, we went home to put out cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer. Junie sprinkled the "reindeer food" that they made in school. The kids did their annual Christmas Eve tumbling in the living room and we read lots and lots of Christmas books. Right before bed we were surprised by carolers at our door! The boys had a "sleepover" and we all went to bed while visions of sugarplums danced in our heads...

Rudolf!

At Center for Puppetry Arts. Our new Christmas tradition. Love it. This picture originally posted without my knowledge, by Junie. Thanks for helping me keep up with my blog, Bugsy.

Trying out my new phone

While waiting to see Santa

Halloween 2012

Doc McStuffins

Dressed up for a Halloween playdate with friends- Cinderella.

What happens when I leave her with Daddy! 
"Mommy, I gonna be a kitty cat!"  :)

Doc McStuffins and Mario.

Michael and Junie

Our scary, moldy pumpkin!

After sorting Junie's loot!

Jack scored an OBSCENE 12 POUNDS of candy!!!!!

Surgery Pictures!

Getting ready to leave.  All 3 brothers home sick!  7:30 a.m.

Getting dropped off (while Daddy parks) at "hostible".  Thumbs up and ready to go!
8:30 a.m.

No fears in waiting room.

The reason we're here:  hole in gum, snaggle tooth in cleft (got pulled)
and decaying front tooth (got repaired and looks great!).

Not so sure about the "silly juice"!
10:00 a.m.

Still mad.  10:05

"Oh, that was good stuff!"
10:10 
(surgery scheduled for 11:30, but they were about an hour ahead of schedule!)

Post-op.
1:50 p.m.

Already feeling much better!
About 2:30.

Resting on couch at home.  Swollen lip and bloody nose
(that she was not about to let me clean off!).
Home by 5:00.

Smiles already- around 6 p.m.  One tough girl!

HOME!

Junie is home and her surgery went great (as great as a surgery can go).

Funniest post-surgery comments ever:

• I wanna stay 2 days.
• I wanna get my haircut.
• Did I have my surgery yet?
• Can we go to Chili's?  (we've never been there!)

She was the bravest girl EVER. 

She had one tooth pulled, one (decaying) tooth fixed and sealants on all molars.  No cavities at all!

She had a whole in her cleft (gum area) covered with tissue- not a bone graft but to cover it until then.

The ENT cleaned out her ears- lots of caked on, dried up wax, put a new tube in one ear and informed us that he may have seen something a tad bit concerning.  More later when I can form a more coherent sentence.

She did NOT shed a tear when they took her IV out. 

She never ceases to amaze me.  Or crack me up.

Uh Oh

Three very sick boys and one little girl scheduled for surgery on Friday. 

Prayers, please!

That Girl

 

Love her SO much.

Life's a Beach!

We shoudn't have gone.

We'd just gotten back from Disney.

We should've saved the money.

And done some yardwork.

Some cleaning out of closets.

But, the beach beckoned.

And so we ditched the laundry, the neighbor kids at our front door, the soccer fields and the yardwork.

And we posed for pictures.

We did some swingin'. 

Breathed in the salt air.  From our deck and private boardwalk.

Played in the sand.

Ate way too much junkfood.

"Worked it" in our swimsuits.

Laughed.

Introspected.

Tossed the pigskin.

And pouted when it was time to go home.

Thanks for the memories.  Spring Break, 2012.

you walked away

I was awakened by her crying. Hard. In the 18months that Junie's been home I can count on both hands the number of times she's woken up in the night. She's a great sleeper. So, I threw back the covers and made my way to her room. As I approached I could hear it was a big, almost frantic, cry. Unusual.

I went in to find her sitting, awake and crying. Not the lying down, still sorta sleeping, crying. I gathered her up, wrapped her in her big soft blankie and sat down with her in the rocking chair.

"What's the matter, baby?", I asked her. Then, not even knowing if she knows what a dream is, I asked her, "did you have a bad dream?"

An emphatic, "YES!"

"What happened in your dream, Junie?"

Through her tears, "walk away!"

Confused, I asked, "Walk away? Who?"

Very upset, Junie cries, "YOU walk away, Mommy!" And more big sobbing cries.

I was taken aback.

Often when Junie wakes up in the morning, before falling asleep at nap or bedtime, or even when driving in the car, I hear her repeating what I've told her countless times. "Mommy always comes back". Although she puts her own spin on it by saying, "AAAAAAALWAY Mommy come back!". It's so cute and I've always smiled and been so proud of the security this little mantra has given her.

But tonight it just hit me like a ton of bricks. She needs the reassurance. A dream of Mommy walking away can have this impact on her.

Of course it can. It's happened before. Whether she remembers or not, it's happened before.

I constantly marvel at the miracle Junie is. She is SO happy, silly, funny, feisty, smart, artistic. She is so secure. She smiles when I leave the house now and says, "see you soon, Mommy". She loves going to school and happily kisses me goodbye as she gets out of the car.

But somewhere in the depths of her mind she needs the reassurance. Don't we all?

Some just more than others.

Don't worry, Baby Girl. Mommy ALWAYS comes back.