Here I Am!!!

Clark and I after I got home from our Showcase on Saturday night!

Mel, Tiff, K.Trahan, Kristin and Kaitlyn
Sr. Company Girls from the KSD

On of my assitants from the KSD Brittaney

Clark at his Carnival Day at school Last Week.

Kathy (my dance teacher and present boss), Myself and Kathy's daughter and my long time dance partner and friend Kelly Burk.

Today I am resting, practically doing NOTHING, for the very first time in a long time.
This past weekend the Kelly School of Dance Presented their 13th annual recital and it was so nice to be a part of it. I must say that it's over and I'm actually kinda happy (but sad)

I want to tell you that Clark's photos are up at Snatches of Time and I am having a heck of a time deciding which ones I like the best. There are 322 photos to choose from. If you happen to take a look at them let me know which one is your favorite!

I'm counting down to the day when Breezy will be coming home (29/30 May hopefully), and friends let me tell you we're getting closer. We'll be spending a week in Orlando, a week in Panama City and who knows where else you might find us. Relaxing....i'm sure. Clark is so ready to see his Daddy and it's definately showing in his behavior.

Now that the recital is over I can concentrate on the Motorcycle Ride for TAPS, Inc. We will be riding 23 May. Our starting point will be at Harley-Davidson/Buell of Dothan at 9 a.m. with bikes out at 10 a.m. As of now we will have 5 stops, lunch at the BBQ Shack on Fortner with HOPEFULLY our final desitnation being the locaation of Dothan Powersports (still awaiting our call back from the owner :-) ) where the girls from TAPS, Inc. will perform and be available for photos, autographs, etc. If you know of anyone who rides please let them know that this ride is for a very good cause. Next year we are hoping that TAPS, Inc. can meet the needs of more chidren with Special Needs in the Wiregrass.

Update in Photos

Clark playing Outside in his Jammies

Newest Memeber of our family "Baby Brother"

Hanging out at the Lake in Melrose,FL

Celebrating Wesley's parents 40th Anniversary

Red Velvet Cake, Cream Cheese Frosting with Chocolate Covered Strawberries

I Love This Weather!!

*My New Swim Suit...Can You Tell I'm ready for the Beach*
(it's a 2 peice for the first time in 4 years)

Clark and I had a FANTASTIC day today.

We started our morning off with a trip to the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens for a photo shoot with Amanda from Snatches of Time Photographycv(i'll get you guys the website). Clark was such a champ and Amanda captured him at his very best. The photo's will be amazing. I can't wait to give you a sneak peek . For any of you who are looking for a photographer with very very very reasonable rates please let me know and I will have her contact you. She was SO easy to work with and loves children. She's all about having fun and capturing your child just as he or she really is everyday. Nothing Fake!

We came home after a snack at McDonalds and rested a little while it cooled off outside. Around 5ish we made a dash for the carport and washed my car and Clark's "car" too. We had so much fun just playing with the water and the suds from the bubbles. It's amazing how easily children are entertained these days, especially mine.

We had a nice fresh seafood dinner with my Aunt and Uncle and Clark ate his belly full of fried Crab Claws. He kept telling us they were chicken on a stick...Whatever works right? I ate all the boiled stuffs. Tommorrow night we're having LOTS of fresh veggies and cababs. I'm very excitied!

I picked up the flower orders at the Studio today and TAPS sold almost 500.00 in flowers for the rectial which means we make a profit of around 250.00. Every little penny helps. I was pleased with the end results.

Tommorrow is the Lord's day and I've been asked to help my mom out with a few things around the house since my dad has been down in his back for several weeks now. We're planning to start our morning out with a trip to Lowe's , and then we'll spend the rest of the day out in the yard!!!

In better news...Breezy FINALLY got his Rest and Relaxation Date!! We'll be seeing him very soon, and we can not wait!

G*Night Friends!

This is My Week.....

The Kelly School of Dance has consumed everyday of my week. Due to the severe weather we had a few weeks back we had to cancel several of my classes, SOO this week we are playing catch up. It's been a good week overall. Our 13th Annual Recital is NEXT Saturday and Sunday. If you would like Free Tickets please comment me with your name and e-mail address and I'll work on getting the tickets to you.

On Wednesday my beloved 2 1/2 year old spilled HOT PINK Quick Dry nail polish on himself and the carpet. I had just finished dressing him in a new outfit of Lime and White seersucker shorts with anchors and a lime green matching polo. His shirt was covered, his pants had a few spots and his piggies looked Oh So Pretty! When I found him he told me "Ma, I paint my piggies likea you!" I love that little boy, but he's too darn sneaky. I guess he's ALL boy.

As we speak the kind people from OxyMagic are here at my house cleaning the carpet in our Den and Family Room. Thanks to my wonderful 2 1/2 year old again who is a potty training disaster. He can't seem to make it to the potty when he's watching the t.v. and what does he do....He teetee's right where he's at. God, love him!!

Today I received wonderful news that TAPS, Inc. has received a grant from Sam's Club to help in "Keeping the Art Alive". We are so excitied about this oppurtunity. For those of you who are Motorcycle Riders, we will be hosting a Poker Run/Ride on May 23rd. We are sorting out all the details and will have more info available by May 1. I do know Registration will be between $25.00 and $30.00 and that will include T-Shirts for the first 100 Riders registered. We're working on locations, door prizes, etc to finalize everything!


We will also be selling some AMAZING candles that are made by a company in Georgia (I can't remember the name). If you'd like some info on those please let me know. I think they are between $7.00 and $10.00 and there is a variety of fragrances available.

I'm also in need of ANYONE who is willing to contribute to a Yard Sale. We are planning to have a yard sale around the middle of May to try to offset some of the cost of Taps for the 2009-2010 dance year

I Love You Deployment...Let me Count the Ways (Deployment Parenting)

Its 2:50 a.m. and I'm wide awake with a list of things a mile long on my mind. I tried to talk some of them out with Breezy last night but I still am missing the peace that I was expecting to find through our conversation. Maybe you guys can help, if anything by just praying for me and with me.

I know everyone says boys will be boys, but can it get any worse. I know all children go through the "terrible twos phase", but my Clark's got it BAD. He will not do anything we ask him of him; clean up his toys, pee-pee on the potty, eat his food.clean up after he has eaten his food, stay in the bathtub once we finally get him in ride in the front of the shopping cart, etc. He has a reason for everything, "I'm to little, Not Yet, I all clean,, I too sleepy." He doesn't have time to stop for these things, its like it messes his whole mindset up.

Last night I came up stairs from the family room to find Clark peeing on the insole's from my father's shoes that he had pulled out. I'm not a spanker (and Clark doesn't get spanked that often), but I did spank him for this and Breezy justified my action by saying that he would have done the same thing, and that Clark's behavior was unacceptable.He's regressing on the potty training a little which I was warned sometimes happens with boys, but for crying out loud he's still peeing, everywhere but in the toilet (middle of the floor, outside, in his pull up when he's got one on, bathtub). I think he's doing this just to test the limits and see just how far he can get. He will tell you that he's "PeePee'd in Grammy's floor and bring you his wet undies." Suggestions, Suggestions, Suggestions!

I know I am a lot like my mother in a lot of ways. I was raised as an only child and I know that I NEEDED discipline and strict routine in my life. I was diagnosed with ADD/ADHD in 1st grade was later diagnosed with High Anxiety and Stress levels that were beyond you're average elementary school child, and to top that off I was later diagnosed with a mild form of OCD. I still struggle on a day to day bases, but thankfully I can control most of this with ONE simple little medication. As an adult I don't think I have ADHD, but I truly believe that the high levels of Anxiety and Stress sometimes control who I am and sometimes even my parenting. I know Clark can't be diagnosed with ADD/ADHD at 2 years old, but it has been proven to be hereditary. I'm worried already. I know he's just busy like any other 2 year old, but to compare him to the others in his part day preschool class, he is wide open. Even his teachers have said so. Is it too soon to worry?

Everyone says I have more patience than most, which I find as a gift, but lately I find that I have very little. Clark is wearing his momma out. He goes and goes and goes and doesn't stop until the wee hours of the night, no matter how hard we try. Yes, I said the wee hours of the night, my child STILL does not sleep through the night. If he does it is a rare occassion that I praise God for. We've been to the doctor on more than one occasion to try to determine why his sleeping patterns are so interrupted. Wanna know what the last doctor said, "Children who are very intellectual sometimes don't sleep well at night because their minds just do not know how to stop."Well he's too, I need a better excuse than that. As I type, he has been awake off and on since about 1:30, not sure why. I've just picked him up from his bed and I've got him laying beside me.

Clark has gotten to the point that if he doesn't get his way he screams, he'll kick, turn into to jello jigglers and throw one of those monster tantrums like the kid at the grocery store who didn't get those M & M's he really wanted. I'm not a tantrum kinda Mom, I just don't like them and I don't deal with them well. Makes me think SPOILED SPOILED SPOILED. Yes, that's some of Clark's problem (Only Child Syndrome), but he's not so spoiled that it has become a problem.To top it all off he is an only child who is currently living with his Grandparents, but even they are at a loss for what to do.

I have studied what scripture says about disciplining your children, I know what the writers say, I know what research shows, but friends I am really just at a loss. I know I'm probably a little harder on Clark than most, but I want him to grown up knowing that I mean business and that he is not the boss. I will ALWAYS love Clark but I want to raise him so that others might love him too. I have to find a medium that Clark and I can agree on NOW before I completely loose control of him.

Please don't think I am some kind of lunatic, I promise I am not. I am just at my wits end right now and worn out. I want to show my baby love, I wanna fill up his Love Tank, which I do all the time or at least I try to, but I am only one person. I have a lot of love to go around but I can only stretch it so thin (My love tank doesn't seem to be refilling to quick these days). I want to discipline him out of love and not out of anger. I want to do what is best NOW so we won't see this problem as a recurrence in the years to come. I believe that Clark really just needs a little bit of love and affection from his Daddy, that's the core of our problem. I'm hoping that once Breezy is home with us we'll start to see a little bit of change in his behavior, but until then I just need a little bit of encouragement and guidance.

Joy Comes in the Morning

Clark and his Big Big

Me and Grandaddy

Clark in his Big Chair at Aunt Jackie's

Clark playing Tea Party on Aunt Jackie's porch
(it was 50ish outside and he stripped down naked. thankfully we were out sight from ANYONE)

Yall, I am back and recuperated! Hopefully, back to blogging more frequently too.
Things have been going pretty good for us these days besides the fact that if it rains anymore we'll be getting out the canoes. I was tempted on Saturday to get the skim board out, for Clark to play on, but I decided the water was run-off from the peanut field so it probably wasn't the best of ideas.

Our trip to Maryland was very productive and I was thankful for the opportunity to go for more than 2 or 3 days. It was nice to spend time with Clark, My Momma, My FAVORITE Aunt from Maryland and my Grandparents. Despite the fact that my Grandfather did not know who any of us were, it was still nice to visit with him. Hopefully Breezy will get the chance to FINALLY meet him before the time is too late (the delay in meeting is not intentional just never has worked out). Clark was a champ to and fro and as a reward he received a big box of Lego's that have kept him very busy!

I hope you enjoy the photos. I'll be posting more over the next few days of the trip and from the Flood!

This is a photo of my Breezy Baby on one of his many tours with the Male Chorale from the Baptist College of Florida. I believe they were in NYC at the time. Can't remember if we were married or not, but I think we were (???). A dear friend sent me this photo this week and I absolutely LOVE it. Brings back LOTS of good memories..


OH YEAH....WE GOT EXTENDED TO GERMANY UNTIL FEB. 2011!!!!
ANYONE COMING FOR A VISIT?