Hot Tub Fun

Today we went to my parent's house for the day. My grandparents are here from Florida and since my house is so chaotic we usually focus most of the events at my mom's. We had a good time visiting with everyone and the kids liked the few gifts they got as well as the extra attention.

The twins are in love with Grandma's hot tub. They jumped in the second they got there and stayed out there for hours. Bad mama goes to me because I forgot the sunscreen and both of them ended up with sunburned shoulders :o( Not good, but considering this is their first burn, I guess I did pretty good. Anyway, at one point S poured his bubbles into the hot tub - oops. Luckily Grandpa was planning on exchanging the water the next day, because this made quite the mess. It was pretty funny to watch though. At one point the bubbles we so high I could barely find all four people in the tub.

Dear Onnie

When S was one I made him a quilt. It was made of little squares of his first year outfits. His first swimsuit, first blankie, first Christmas Outfit etc. I put my blood sweat and tears into it and S must have appreciated it. It became his security blanket. He carried it everywhere. Slept with it; dragged it into the car; shoved it into overnight bags and backpacks. One of his favorite things to do was look at his baby book and find the square of the outfit he was wearing in each photo.

Over the years it has taken a beating. We have lost squares (:o(), the seams have come apart and the stains have set in. Some days I looked at it with pain in my heart, that this memento of his first year was so tattered, but I tried to look at it with love. Something I made for S meant the world to him and brought him the comfort he needed.

Today, we finally retired 'Onnie'. It wasn't because I felt S was too old or didn't need it anymore. I was worried that any further 'love' would result in the blanket completely falling apart and nothing would be salvageable. While S still used his onnie for comfort, he also now has a pillow and stuffed lizard that he's attached to. After a brief talk, S agreed that it was time to put onnie away. There was only one condition. I put it in his box and when S has a child of his own, I have to give it back so he can give it his child. This was S's condition and it further melted my heart.

The picture of Onnie doesn't do it justice. It is far worse off than the picture shows. It's new home is in a plastic ziplock bag. Hopefully it will survive the next time we try to remove it.

Goodbye Onnie. We loved you and I'm sure a little boy will miss you some nights. We will bring you out again and remember you fondly and once again be reminded of my sweet boy's first year.

(BTW K had one made too but never attached to hers like S. I have all the stuff to make M's but like everything else, haven't gotten around to making it.)

A Sad Day

Today was the historic Casey Anthony verdict. She was found not guilty of every charge regarding the death of her daughter. While I don't think the case was ever made to find her guilty of first degree murder with the death penalty, I believe there was more than enough to find her guilty of the lesser charges and give her life in prison.

Very sad. No justice for that little girl.

Happy Fourth of July

Messy Boy

Tragedy

I found out yesterday that my dad's nephew was found dead last Friday. This nephew, B, was only in his early 20's. It is suspected that it is related to drugs or alcohol since B has been heavy into abuse the last few years. It's so sad that someone this young would allow their life to spiral down the way it did.

Sadder, in my opinion, is the continued 'tragedies' that have hit my dad's family. It seems like his family has been hit with a higher than normal share of really bad luck. So many who have been taken before their time...

My dad lost his grandpa at a young age from colon cancer
My dad lost his dad at a young age from pancreatic cancer
My dad lost his 3yo son to a rare form of bone cancer

Rick, my dad's only brother endured the loss of his grandfather and father, as well as
His wife who died very young from breast cancer
And now his only son from drugs/alcohol

My dad isn't particularly close to his family so while this is obviously a huge loss, my dad is taking it well. I, though, worry about his future. He has all this cancer history and I can't stand to think about him ending up with cancer. He has one daughter, T who I mentioned a few posts ago, who also suffers from alcohol and drug addiction and participates in some pretty high risk activities. It may be just a matter of time before something happens to T.

I hate to say it, I love my dad very much, but it's times like this when I am glad I do not carry his genetic code.

Adoption Fundraiser

Several years ago when I 'entered' the world of donor conception, I 'met' a wonderful couple. They were just starting out their journey when the twins were several months old. T is a wonderfully optimistic woman who has been everyone's cheerleader and support. She has been an amazing presence within that group of women and I don't think there is anyone who hasn't been touched by her.

Unfortunately, her journey still hasn't come to an end. Despite many, many attempts, T and her Hubby are still without child. After all the medical stuff, they are now turning to adoption to create their family. There is no one else in this world who deserves a child more than these people!!!

We all know how expensive adoption is, and after years of medical intervention they are reaching out for help. Since my budget is extremely limited I can not help through donation, but I have decided to give them all my commission for the month of July through my Scentsy sales.

If anyone is interested in ordering from July 1st to 31st, please use the following link to help T and M bring their baby home.

Click HERE

And if you would like to read about T and her journey, you can find her HERE