Just some notes from the last few days.

Friday- Houston had his party at preschool. With his mispelled birthday cake.



Saturday-We just did family fun stuff.Houston seemed a little puny. Got him a movie for his Birthday.

Sunday-Ran a fever. Didn't go to church :( Let him get O'Charley's for lunch. His pick. He didn't eat it....got more feverish.

Let him choose a birthday gift.

He choose a lego batman game and some megablocks.

Came home acted really sick.

Then the pukefest began.

Then he laid down.

Woke up puked more.

I drug his crib mattress...hey it's plastic easy to clean into the living room and laid it next to the couch where we laid the rest of the night....I thanked God many times last night that I had the foresight to get wood floors.

Woke up this morning....still puny but no "barking" as Houston says. :)

Happy Birthday!

5 years ago today...God gave the best gift ever

This precious little boy.Didn't find out I was pregnant until I was almost half way through,against the advice of the doctors...gained 89 lbs,went into premature labor at 29.5 weeks...was on bedrest from that point on,had him early......and you know what.........I wouldn't change a thing.

I love my little man with all my heart. I can still remember the feeling when they laid him on my chest. I can still remember holding him for the first time, nursing him for the first time, having to frantically cut surgerical masks to make him little g-string diapers when he was under the lights for jaundice.

I can still remember when I had the pleasure of holding up his little head because he couldn't do it himself.



I can still remember how he screamed constantly. Colic isn't fun.



But it is worth it.

Because they turn into smiley little boys like this.



Those little boys learn to do all kids of things...they think their mommy and daddy are the coolest people in the world.






They do get attitude from time to time but for the most part they are happy :)

It boggles my mind that you go from this:


To this..bring him home from the hospital.



To this,wearing his birthday hat in such a short time :(



It seems like only yesterday, I was holding a screaming baby, that he was getting his first tooth(4 months), walking (7.5months),saying his first word...which was hello. and now he loves batman, transformers, space, tornados


Sigh.

SHOW US YOUR WEDDING SHOWER...

I read http://www.kellyskornerblog.com daily, it's a great blog. She has the cutest baby girl, a great woman of God and she does all kinds of things like "Show us your Wedding", "Show us your Nurseries" etc.

This week....she wants to see your wedding shower...so here is my Bridal Tea...the only one I have pics of here :P

These were all predigi. The tea was in Nov. 2002, I got married in Jan. 2003.

Here they are:

They are pics from my scrapbook...so BEWARE ;)









Those are all the goodies and the tables:)

Here is the most shocking of all....



Yes, my hair is blonde....no my eyebrows aren't...not sure WHAT I was thinking but


I came to my senses and it was back to it's natural color by my wedding ;)

I can';t believe my baby will be 5 on

*Insert Witty Title*

I wish I didn't have such blog block.

I feel like I have the most boring blog on the block :P

It isn't easy to use,it isn't pretty and I wish it looked like all the blogs I liked...LOL

I think I would write more :P

This last week has been hellish to say the least. We all have had bronchitis....we are now the proud owners of a fire truck neubulizer.

They don't come cheap. I spend a few hundred dollars just on meds for the dang thing for us:P

Yeah.

Yesterday, I took Houston to see two movies. Jeremy had a work thing and we can't really get out in the heat...that is if we want to breathe so inside it was.
We saw X-games and then we saw Shorts. The X-game movie was good...shorts was stupid...in my opinion. Houston loved it though so I guess that made it worth it.

We got up and went to church this morning and I was still dragging from yesterday.

I think it is because my treatment is due. I can't get it until Tuesday though so one more day of feeling bad and Houston has a playdate here tomorrow...yeah...hope she doesn't mind a messy house ;P

Jeremy and I are watching Torchwood as I type...I think it is hilarious that I have gotten him hooked on British tv....Torchwood and Dr. Who are our favorites. I like that Houston can watch Dr. Who or Dr. Hoop as he calls him too.

Waiting on dinner to cook. I was craving a hamburger yesterday so I did what I rarely do.....went and bought ground beef....they smell good :) going to put some swiss on them and we are all good....:)

So what have you all been up to the last few days?

WAYYYY MORE THAN YOU EVER CARED TO KNOW ABOUT ME:)

Here you go...would love to find out about you



*BASICS*
NAME: Jade Marie
AGE: I will be 28 on my next birthday
BIRTHDAY: 12/4/81
SEX: female
BIRTH PLACE: birmingham
CURRENT LOCATION: tuscaloosa
EYE COLOR: gray with a yellow ring
HEIGHT: about 5'9
PEIRCINGS: ears
TATTOOS: one
WHAT COLOGNE/PERFUME DO YOU WEAR: I like lots of expenisive kinds..but alas I can't afford them;) So clinque happy is my favorite
*FAVORITES*
COLOR: lime green
MUSIC: I like everything
SPORT: gymnastics
HOLIDAY: christmas
FOOD: anything ethnic
*THIS OR THAT*
HUGS OR KISSES: kisses
PEPSI OR COKE: pepsi
MCDONALDS OR BURGER KING: burger king
CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA: vanilla
LOVER OR FIGHTER: lover
FRIENDS OR FAMILY: both
LOVE OR MONEY: love
LISTEN TO SOMEONE TALK OR TALKING: talking
PERSONALITY OR LOOKS:
*IN A BOY/GIRL*
EYE COLOR: light
HAIR COLOR: dark
SHORT OR LONG HAIR: longer
HEIGHT: taller than me
STYLE: kind scruffy
PIERCINGS OR TATTOOS: love them
HOT OR CUTE:
*FRIENDS*
WHOS UR BEST FRIEND: I have a few
WHOS THE LOUDEST: chris
WHO HAVE U KNOWN LONGEST: holly
WHOS THE SHYEST: i don't have shy friends ;)
COOLEST FRIEND: they are all cool
PRETTIEST FRIEND: they are all beautiful
WEIRDEST FRIEND: i am the wierd friend
*LOVE*
ARE U IN LOVE: some days ;)
IF YOU'RE NOT IN LOVE NOW, HAVE U EVER BEEN: yeah
DO U BELIEVE IN LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT: yeah
LONGEST RELATIONSHIP: 9 years jeremy
WOULD U GO OUT WITH SOMEONE JUST FOR THEIR MONEY: no
DO U GO ON: ????What??
KISS ON THE FIRST DATE: yes
SEX ON THE FIRST DATE: nope
EVER CHEATED ON A B/F OR G/F? BE HONEST: nope
*WHOS THE LAST PERSON*
KISSED: houston
HUGGED: houston
TOLD U THEY LOVED U: jeremy
TOLD THEM U LOVED THEM: houston
TALKED TO ON THE PHONE: mammaw
YELLED AT: houston
BROKE UR HEART: houston
SAID THEY HATED U: houston :(
U TOLD U HATED: the dog ;)
*RANDOM QUESTIONS*
DO U DO DRUGS: nope
DO U DRINK: some
DO U WANT TO GET MARRIED: i am married
DO U WANT TO HAVE KIDS: i have a kid
DO U BELIEVE IN URSELF: not like i should
DO U THINK UR ATTRACTIVE: not at all
WHAT STAR/CELEBRITY DO MOST PEOPLE SAY U RESEMBLE: usually brunettes with big lips :P
WHAT WAS THE LAST MOVIE U SAW IN THE THEATER? WAS IT GOOD: X-games and shorts...x games was good the other not so much
CAN U HANDLE THE TRUTH: yes
BIGGEST WEAKNESS: lack of self esteem
BIGGEST FEAR: failure
MOST MISSED MEMORY: my pappaw
FIRST THOUGHT WAKING UP: i have so much to do
IF U DONT RECOGNIE THE NUMBER ON UR CALLER ID, DO U ANSWER: nope
HOW DO U WANT TO DIE: in my sleep
DO U GET ALONG WITH UR PARENTS: yep
DO U SWEAR: yeah :P
NUMBER OF PAST THINGS U REGRET: i try and learn from my mistakes
HOW DO YOU WANT TO DIE: i just answered this :)
WHAT TIME IS IT:
5:07

50 random things about me

1. What time did you get up this morning? 4 something
2. How do you like your steak? almost burnt
3. What was the last movie you saw at the theater? The Proposal
4. What is your favorite TV show? SYTYCD, Dr. Who,Greys
5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? London or Sydney
6. What did you have for breakfast? Nothing
7. What is your favorite cuisine? anything ethnic
8. What foods do you dislike? i can't eat seafood, I don't like hotdogs
9. Favorite Place to Eat? mexican places
10. What kind of vehicle do you drive? older durango
12. What are your favorite clothes? i love vintage inspired clothes
13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Across the pond
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? Depends on the day I am having. Lately half full.
15. Where would you want to retire? the beach
16. Favorite time of day? late at night
17. Where were you born? Alabama
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? gymnastics
19. Who do you think will NOT tag you back? I would love anyone to do it
20. Person you expect to tag you back first? same answer
21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? same answer ;)
22. Bird watcher? I like watching them
23. Are you a morning person or a night person? Night person
24. Do you have any pets? 2 dosg and a fish
25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? nope.
26. What did you want to be when you were little?to be a mommy and a doctor
27. What is your best childhood memory? Being with my family
28. Are you a cat or dog person? Dog person for sure
29. Are you married? yeah
30. Always wear your seat belt? Always!
31. Been in a car accident? a bunch
32. Any pet peeve?too many to name...basically the biggest is being close minded.
33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? lots of veggies
34. Favorite Flower? lillies
35. Favorite ice cream? banana pudding
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Chick-fil-a
37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? once :P
38. From whom did you get your last email? library
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? I don't have a credit card but I love any book store
40. Do anything spontaneous lately? nope
41. Happy with your job? I can't picture myself doing anything else.
42. Broccoli? i don't like the texture
43. What was your favorite vacation? love to travel anywhere
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? A group of friends from church
45. What are you listening to right now? houston talking
46. What is your favorite color? lime green or teal
47. How many tattoos do you have? one
48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? i want to see everyone's answers
49. What time did you finish this quiz? 5:2
50. Coffee Drinker? yep

My Philosophy on Raising Children

I found a cool blog that has lots of blog topics which is something I struggle with ;P

I would love to hear what your philosophy is.

NOOOOOOO Judgements.

My philosophy is basically that I don't have one...LOL....I am an adapter ;)

My philosophy is very child led. I think all children are individuals. I don't think the same philosophy works the same for any two kids.

I try to make decisions based on my values,lifestyle and what I think is best for Houston.

I admit I am a a bit "crunchy."

I don't think any philosophy is any more right than another but for US and for my child a more AP philosophy works best for us.

I wore Houston as a baby.We co slept, which I got a ton of flack for but with Houston's seizures I felt much more safe doing this than having him across our home.

I think another reason this works for us is that there is a basic belief that the baby needs to be nurtured by his parents for a few years and with Houston's autism, I couldn't agree more.

I realize that he moves at his own pace. A lot of things he did way late, a lot he did way early.

Also, we practice developmentally appropriate discipline. In some ways Houston is behind and you can't expect him to respond like a typically developing child but in a lot of ways he is cognitively a head so I know what works for him wouldn't work for another child.

I also try to limit processed foods for Houston. We try to eat as much organic stuff as possible. It may make no difference but I feel it can't hurt.

Also,Houston won't receive any more vaccinations. He started having the seizures less than 24 hours after having his first MMR so the ped and I agreed no more. Also, because of my immune issues and the fact that I don't produce the antibodies that they want your body to make it may not have been beneficial for him anyway.

I basically think Dr. Sears is a smart guy. How about you?

Choosing your religion :)

Here is an interesting set of religious questions I saw on another blog and I thought I would fill it out and would loooooveee to see your answers :) Pretty please.No judgements,whether you are a devote, an atheist etc.

1. What religion do you practice?
Roman Catholic-Christianity

2. How often do you pray?
At least a few times a day.

3. How often do you go to church?
Once a week, plus holy days of obligations.

4. What would you say is the best lesson your religion teaches?
That if you take care of the least of these you take care of me...basically.

5. What would you say you most disagree with about your religion?
I tend to be a little more liberal than most catholics but I don't think that is necessary bad. I think if you question,not necessarily disagree with, it keeps you moving forward on your journey.

6. What is one thing about your religion that affects you in daily life?
Psalms 139 comes to mind. I love that God knew who I would be,what I would do and he made me anyway.

7. What is your favorite verse from the Bible/BOM/etc?
I like Hebrews 11:1 and Psalm 139 a lot.

8. How often do you feel you pay homage to your religion?
I don't pay homage to my religion, but I do thank God for my blessing daily.

9. Can you tell me one story from the Bible that you remember having a strong impact on you?
Hm.....The widow's offering :)

10. Are there any people/stories in the Bible you show serious doubt in? If so, which story?
Since we as catholic don't take everything literally, there isn't really anything....we aren't JUST a bible based faith.

Also, I think we aren't meant to understand everything. Only God in his divinity does.

11. Would you consider yourself an adamant Christian?
I would say so....I am willing to listen to others points of view, but I am confident in my beliefs.


12. Have you ever questioned your faith?
Sure, many times...basically am I being a good enough example and putting Christ first.

13. What could bring a person to question the Christian faith?
The why do bad things happen to good people argument.

14. Do you think Christianity is the only relevant faith?
In my life yes...but I think that everyone thinks their faith is the right one.

15. Do you think Christianity is the best religion, in your opinion to raise your children on?
Of course, or I wouldn't be a practicing christian, or be raising my son that way...but like I said, I think everyone thinks they are doing what is right.


16. If your child ever did anything that went severely against Christianity, would you condemn him or her?
I wouldn't love him any less.

17. Any last notes?

Not really, I just hope someone else answers these questions :)

18. Is the religion you practice fairly common in your area?
Catholic not really.

19. Where you born into your religion or did you convert?
I am a convert.

20.Why did you convert or what caused you remain practicing?
Because it was what I felt drawn to do and what I felt was best for me.

21. Major misconception about your religion?
That we worship people besides God. We don't.

22. Best thing about your religion?
I love the sense of tradition and that it is so family oriented.

23. Worst thing?
Nothing personally for me.

If you could live anytime in the past when would it be and why?

I have always been attracted to the late 1800's to about 1900 but the Pioneers are my favorite.

I love to read about this time period, watch movies about it etc.

Not sure why? Maybe because life was simpler, family was number one and quality time was abundant.

Cramming all your stuff in a wagon and heading toward a better life just appeals to me...what can I say.

Though it does look like a tight fit ;)




I think the you would realize that stuff is just that...stuff.

To to think things like a ribbon was a luxury. How far we have come....in a lot of ways in the wrong direction.

Many pioneers lived in sod houses...can you imagine?



That being said I think I would love it....

What period of time would you want to live in?

I am so tired.

We went to an end of the summer BBQ with church friends. It was at a friends house that I have been too but never drove to and I have only been at night. If you know me in real life you know I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag....my directional compass is BROKEN.

She lives in an older, curvy, subdivision where everything looks the same so I drove around for about 20 minutes before I could find her house.

We got there and had fun, but I did feel bad because all the boys were older and said they didn't want to play with Houston because he was annoying :*( Sad. It breaks my heart. He doesn't understand why. And because of his PDD-NOS he isn't great at picking up on social cues. So he played with the hosts service dog which he loved.

He is quite the talker but doesn't really know how to innate play. It really does break your heart to watch sometimes.

It was fun though and other than having to be changed 3 times because he kept getting into the water it was all good.

I love my little man...and his attention span is getting so much better. He sat next to me and drew for about 2 hours last night!

He is a good drawer for a four year old too...or at least I think so...there are lots of artists on my mom's side of the family so maybe he will share that interest :)

Personality quirks and some old pics :)

Someone asked if I had a pic of my moms dress. This is about the best I have....most of her wedding pics burned up in a housefire.

It is so pretty and considering it was 29 years ago I think she did a great job. It had a very Grace Kelly feeling. I would have worn it but the length and sleeves were to short and it was snug through the ribcage and I didn't want to have to change anything about it. I loved it just as it was. It is a lot pretty than most dresses from the late 70's.



A old pic I thought was sweet of me and my youngest brother. He was almost a year old at the time. He was so little due to his health problems. He was being feed through a tube :(

I like it though because it is sooo strange to me how genetically we can look so different but we have a lot of the same health issues...genetics are STRANGE.

Okay, on to other stuff.

I have realized throught the course of the day, as I have been going through Houston's clothes to see what I can pass down to my friend's son and what works for this next year just how OCD I am.

I knew I had an issue with buying multiples with food but apparently I do it with clothes.

There were multiple shirts that I apparently bought at different times...that were exactly the same.

I also have the tendency to by the same thing but in different colors. He has 8 pairs of the exact same shorts in different colors :O

I also realize that appartently buried somewhere in my DNA code I am a long lost Duggar...I even have a picture to prove it...I will post it in a bit...anyway.

I somehow seem to forget while cooking,etc. that we are only a family of 3. See these....Houston and I made cupcakes...

These 7 would have be suffient...well I have 17 more :P


(PS He helped frost ;) )

I don't know why I do this...I don't do it conciously...???

Anyone else have any wierd quirks..???

And as promised...Jade as a long lost duggar...and yes my mother made that dress :P