The Story of The Birthday Cake

Today is Isaiah's birthday. I am a creature of habit and always order the same cake every time changing only the decorations - white cake with whipped white frosting.  I always order the cake from the exact same place.  No one in our extended family likes this cake so we were going to have the cake at home, after lunch.


I walked into the store with my son, wearing his super hero costume he got for his birthday and went to the bakery.  I got the ice cream and told the lady which cake I needed to pick up.  She brought it out and it was bigger than it was supposed to be.  I told her that.  The bakery manager was super nice and let me have the bigger cake at the cheaper price.  We took the cake home and headed to lunch.


After lunch we came home and went to cut the cake.  I noticed it was traditional icing which I cannot stand.  I called the bakery back and they said they'd make me another one.   I sent John to pick it up and left the house to meet him on his way to work.  I got the cake and went home.  We sang happy birthday again and I cut the bigger cake for the kids. When I cut into the smaller (new) cake I found that it was chocolate.  At this point I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  Two different cake and I still didn't get a piece.  I called to ask a friend if they wanted some of the massive amounts of cake.  She declined so I called Stephanie.  Sure, she wanted some.  I went to get diapers to change the littles.  All of a sudden, I here something fall.  My sweet little princess, who has been having birthday envy since April decided to throw the cake on the floor.  It fell out of the box and landed icing first on the floor.


Despite all of this, Isaiah had a fantastic birthday.  I cannot believe my baby is 3.  It seemed like just yesterday I was waiting to hold him.  We knew about him for almost a week before we were able to pick him up from the hospital.  After an unexpected complication, he ended up in the NICU.  I am so thankful for the staff that took care of my baby. The first night, I arrived at the hospital and I held him for the longest time.  Because he was in the NICU, I had to spend the night at the hospital doing all of his care before they would release him.  I sat and snuggled with him for hours.  Later that evening, my sister Kathy brought me a bite to eat and she held him for over an hour.  After that it was just me and him again.  I will never forget our ride home.   He scared me to death.  He didn't like his carseat.  I hadn't gotten even half way home before I had to stop and check on him.  Those first few months, his cry sounded like a little cat's cry.  It freaked me out.  After that I made it home.


I will never forget the first time, he met Liana.  John had all 4 of the other kids while I was at the hospital.  Liana was excited to see Mama until she noticed what I had in my arms.  She was in her high chair eating lunch.  I held Isaiah up for her to see.  She took one look at him and burst into tears.   She couldn't understand why Mama brought another baby home.  I laughed until I cried.  After she realized that Mama and Daddy had enough love for all of them, she latched on to him and became Mama Hen.  Every night before bed, she had to hold him.  It got to the point where he'd arch his back and knock her over.  She still insisted on holding him before bed, though.  All of the kids loved him, but he's always been Liana's little doll.


Isaiah, I love you so much.  I am so glad God chose me to be your mama.  You are my little ray of sunshine. Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Happy Birthday Aunt Flossie

Happy Birthday to one of the greatest women I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  Today, my Aunt Flossie would be turning 96.  Up until about a year before she died, she was the fiestiest, most able bodied person I knew.  At 90+ years I would've put her up against ANYONE I know.  She grew up in a day when people truly believed that if you didn't work, you didn't eat.


I have so much respect for this great lady.  She helped raise me when I was young.  When I was in public school she is the one who made me breakfast and met me when I got off the bus.  She taught me most of what I knew about God.  There was no one more faithful than she was.  Of all the good things I am today, she is responsible for a lot of them.


Happy Birthday, Aunt Flossie!!! I miss you more than I thought was possible.  Thank you for all you gave to me - the time and the love you sowed into my life.  I have no doubt that your mansion in glory is spectacular because of all the good you did here on earth. I love you!


Blessings,

Weight Loss Mama

A Good Weekend

This has been a pretty good weekend.  Yesterday we celebrated Sam's birthday (a week late) with family.  He had a wonderful time. Mrs. Cheryl waited on us at Chili's.  She is such a precious lady and we love her to death.  She is so patient and kind with my kids.  I will say it again - the quickest way to move this mama is the way you treat my kids.  If you are kind then you won't find a better friend, but NO ONE wants to awaken Mama Bear!


I've been to the gym 4 times this week.  TB is kicking my tail, though.  My first day back at the gym, I completed an hour of TB.  The days since then have been 30 minute days due to time constraints.  Yesterday, I squeezed in a trip to the gym before going to Sam's party so I was very proud of myself.  I love my quiet, uninterrupted showers.  They are so nice.


Today, the kids and I stayed home from church because Liana wasn't feeling well.  Sam said he wanted to play with the babies.  While he did that Landon and I cleaned house.  We moved furniture, swept and organized everything in the living room. We also completed my room, the girls room and worked on the bathroom.  Landon's reward for being such a sweet helper was a lunch date with Mama.  We had a great time and even ran into our former Pastor.  It was nice seeing him and his family. 


Tomorrow is my first day of work.  I am so excited, but I feel so unprepared.  I feel like I will mess something up.  I know my boss is only a phone call away, though.  I shared my heart with John this afternoon about my nervousness.  He took the time to stop and pray with me.  That may sound like no big deal to most, but I couldn't tell you the last time that happened.  Something so simple made my day. 


Life is changing so much that you'd think I wouldn't have time to stop and think about anything.  I wish that were true.  I can't seem to get my mind off Dad, though.  I miss him so much.  I can't wait to see him again.  John tells me all the time that he can't wait to meet Dad and B.  I have told him so many stories about my phone conversations with B that I am sure he feels like he knows her already.  I am thankful that he understands the need for me to take this slowly, though.  He gets frustrated when he sees me longing to see Dad so, but he is trying to respect the decisions I have made. 


Today, John got the phone call telling him he was officially hired for the company he applied for. He found out on Friday that he had the job, but this was the official seal of approval.  It came with a couple emails with all of his pre-employment paperwork and info for his drug screen which he will take tomorrow.  My time with him is slipping away.  He has been working part time for 9 months now.  While the additional income will be nice, I will miss him being here all the time.  Now don't get me wrong, I am glad he'll be out of the house more.  I have one more month before he starts work, though.  I am going to make it count.  My "honey-do" list is getting longer. ;-)


Well most of my kids are already asleep.  I am going to take the time to read some of my book and enjoy the quietness of my house before my husband comes home. 


Blessings,

Weight Loss Mama

Happy Birthday to Me

This day five years ago, I sat in my fertility specialists office waiting for news that we wouldn't be able to try that month.  Later, the nurse called me to tell me I was already pregnant.  Four days later, our dancing was turned to mourning as our miracle made his journey to Heaven.

If it hadn't been for Michael, I wouldn't have the kids I do now.  His death lead us to start foster parenting classes earlier than we had planned.  Would we have had kids? Yes, but it wouldn't have been my babies.  God's timing is amazing.  In a time when I wast questioning everything and thought I would die from the pain I was feeling.  All the while, God was whispering "Hold on.  The pain you feel won't last forever.  I have plans for you that you can't even begin to imagine."  Today as I sit here typing this I look around at my house and I have 5 gorgeous blessings running around teasing each other.  I have seven beautiful blessings in Heaven, too.  I am so blessed. 


I kicked off my birthday celebration a day early.  Yesterday, I left the house by myself to go run some errands by myself.  I had to run to John's work and then to the bank, but the rest of the day was spent doing "fun" stuff.  I went to clinic where I found out about my weight loss.  I went to the gym which made me feel so much better.  I had a wonderful, quiet dinner.  I had a wonderful conversation with Dad.  On the way home I stopped to pick up a treat for the kids. 


This morning I woke up and Liana asked me to help her sing happy birthday to me.  Then, everyone else sang to me.  Liana went to lunch with me.  The afternoon was spent running a couple errands.  I had to pick up the last part of our family picture order.  I'd received a free framed picture, but it wasn't ready when I picked the others up.  The lady who designed it made a beautiful framed collage.


Yesterday,  I found out that Dad's birthday is close to mine.  Our birthdays are 5 days apart.  I set out on a mission to try to figure out what to get him.  This afternoon, I decided to call in reinforcements and contacted my sister S.  She was very helpful.  After I left Walmart, I headed to the Christian Book Store to find a card for him.  Can I just tell you how hard it is to find a card that fits our situation?  If it's not a humorous card then it talks about all of the years we've had together.  I have never been one for humorous cards.  I wanted something that expressed how I felt, but struggled to find something that wouldn't make him feel bad.  I had the same problem searching for a Father's Day Card.  I finally found the perfect one then left.  I made another quick stop  to pick up his present before heading to dinner. 


Dinner was AMAZING! We went to Chili's.  Our favorite server, Mrs. Cheryl waited on us.  She is one of the most amazing ladies I know.  She's so kind and patient with my children.  Of course, the way to this mama's heart is to be nice to my children.  Cindy, Cyndee, Kathy and Paul (siblings) joined us for dinner.  I am thankful I got to spend time with them. 


As we were getting ready to leave, I ran into a dear friend.  I hadn't seen her in a long time.  I am thankful that God brought us together tonight.  If I had a list of people I wanted to see on my birthday, she'd definitely be on it. 


I am so blessed with all of the wonderful people God has surrounded me with.  This day was as close to perfect as it could get.  The only things that would've made it better would've been to see my parents today.  I am thankful for all the birthdays I got to spend with Mama.  I am thankful that in a few days I will get to celebrate Father's Day/ My Birthday/ Dad's birthday with my Dad this year.  I pray we have many more years to celebrate special days. 


Thank you to all of my friends and family who made this day amazing.  I love each and every one of you.  May God bless you for your kindness.


Blessings,


Weight Loss Mama

A Birthday Gift Like No Other

I cannot think of a better way to end year 28 than the way I spent my day.  This morning I got up and made my way to get Isaiah's hair cut.  He behaved so well.  He even got a sucker.  The lady that cut his hair did a fantastic job.  Having his hair cut always makes him little like such a big boy, though. *sniff* Afterwards I dropped him off with Daddy.


I made a stop by the clinic to get my shot for the week.  To be very honest, I expected a gain this time.  I hadn't been watching my diet as close as I should have, and I kept having dreams about stepping on the scales and gaining 10 lbs! It terrified me.  I was so surprised when I seen the number I did that I made the nurse come out and look at it.  She's new at the clinic and thought I didn't know how to read the scale.  I had to explain to her that I knew how to read the scale, but I couldn't believe what it said.    288!!! WoW!!! I have officially lost 20% of my original weight.  I can't believe I finally got there. I haven't been this small since before we started fertility treatments.


After I left the clinic, I headed to the gym.  I did 30 minutes on TB, took a hot shower.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that my bleeding had slowed waaaaaaaaaaaay down! My day just kept getting better.


Dad's photo album some how got damaged so I had to run to Knoxville to get him another one.  I picked up Amy Clipston's new book to celebrate my weight loss goal.  She is one of my favorite authors so I cannot wait to crack open this book.


I finished my night by going to Altrudas for dinner.  I had a wonderful salad and rolls covered in tons of garlic.  It was amazing!!!


The last time I talked to Dad, he'd asked me to call him when I got back from vacation so we could schedule a time to get together.  I didn't pay any attention to the fact that today was Wednesday so I called him. I am almost positive I made him late for church tonight, but we talked for a while.  We had a wonderful conversation.  He wished me happy birthday.  He had no idea how much that meant to me.  I've spent years waiting to hear those words come from his mouth.  I started tearing up when he said it.  (side note: While I am normally an emotional person, I will be glad when my hormones settle down.  I am crying at the silliest stuff.)  I asked him to look at his calendar and let me know what day would be good to get together.  He said we'd talk in a few days and schedule something.  He sounded like he looked forward to talking to me again.  Small steps, small progress.  He gave me such a great present.  I am so thankful that God brought this man into my life. 


When Dad's wife answered the phone, she told  me his birthday is next week.  Now I get the pleasure of playing detective to find out what he wants for his birthday without asking him...I think I will call his wife tomorrow to get some ideas.  I am glad that the timing worked out so we wouldn't have to miss another birthday.  Twenty-eight years of birthdays were too many for us to miss.  I won't let one day go by that I don't celebrate this incredible miracle God has given me.  If He hadn't then I would've never been able to know this wonderful man. What a great start to my birthday!  I couldn't ask for anything more. 




Blessings,


Weight Loss Mama

Happy Birthday Liana!!!

Dear Liana,


It has been just over 2 years since you entered my world.  We went from "patiently" awaiting your arrival to our worlds being turned upside down.  You were my first child who I could look at and see signs of neglect.  You captured my heard from the moment I saw you.  Each day you manage to do it again. 


You have grown so much in the last two years.  You have come so far.  You are such a little leader.  You are a little Mama.  You are my mini-me.  You boss around your siblings, younger and older.  Surprisingly, they listen to you most of the time!  Your strong-willed spirit is what kept you going for so long.  You love life and know how to get what you want.


I am so thankful that God chose me to be your Mama.  You have blessed my life.  If I am having a bad day, you will put your little arms around me and hug me so tightly that I can't help smiling.  You make the bad days good and help me to cherish the good days even more than I did.


So here we are.  Today you turn 3.  I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us.  I know it will be a blast.  You are growing so fast.  I can't wait to see the plans God has for your life.  I am trying so hard to cherish every moment.  I know the second I blink, you will be graduating, getting married, and having babies of your own.  I don't want to miss one single second of your life!


When we asked you what you wanted to do for your birthday, you told me you wanted your nails done, ice cream with Mama and dinner at "fire."  That is just what we will do. You and I will leave soon to go get your nails done.  Lunch will be Marble Slab and we'll have dinner with your dad, siblings, aunts and uncle.  It's going to be a great day because we are celebrating you!  I love you with all my heart, Precious Princess!

Love,

Mama (aka Weight Loss Mama)

Forever and a Birthday

Three years ago today my life changed forever. It was the very first major thing our family celebrated since Mom had died. It was such a bitter sweet day. I spent the whole morning crying about what all she was missing. I tried to not be mad at her, but part of me was very angry that she decided to leave (like she really had control of it!) when all of this important stuff was going on.

As I walked into the court house I regained composer. I didn't want the boys to think I was upset with them. We waited for the longest while then it was our turn. We walked into the Judge's chambers. This judge was very cold. At one point I wondered if he was really going to grant our adoption or not. He did, though, and then gave the boys candy. Everyone said their congrats, we got our paperwork and then we left.

Today is not only the day that we celebrate our Forever Family anniversary, but it's also Landon's birthday. My baby who was only a year old when he came to us turns 6 today. The time really does fly. I am so happy God chose me to be his Mama. He is funny, smart, stubborn and so loving. I am so blessed.

Today always leaves me thinking back to the day when these two little fire crackers came crashing through the door of my life. "Are you my new mom?" my then 3 year old Sam asks. "Yes, I am!" I said with tears in my eyes. "Where is my new room and new toys??" Through the good days, bad ones and the inbetween I am so blessed to be chosen by God to be their mama.

Dear Sam and Landon,

I can't believe it's been 4 years since God blessed me with you two. We have been through so much during that time. Grammie is watching over you today and always. She is so proud of the young men you've become. You guys are amazing. You make my world a better place. I pray that you will one day know just how much I love you. Now let's go to the park! ;-)

Love,

Mama