for Grandmother...

Today Mom, Dad, the kids and I went to see my grandmother at her new home in Gainesville. For those of you who don't know... my Dad's mom is an identical twin, and she and her sister Ellen still look identical... even to this day at nearly 90 years old.

My grandmother Helen, and her twin Ellen moved recently and I had not been to see them since the move. At their last nursing home we were always worried about the level of care they were receiving. After catching the caregivers in a few lies involving medicine and other care issues we decided they needed a change. Mom and Dad found a new place in Gainesville and we have been thrilled with it and very pleased with the family who owns it. It is the family's personal residence and they have added an extra wing with small apartments for elderly women. They only have room for six residents total so we know they are getting individual attention and the best care possible.

Anyway... for the last two years, Grandmother has really seemed to go down hill fast. She began falling and things seemed to spiral downhill quickly from there. Her memory started to go and she started having some dementia. She lost a lot of weight and was becoming so frail. She just looked so bad. I was always thought as I left her at visits that it might be the last time I'd see her.

However, when I walked in to see her today I was shocked. She looked amazing! She was Grandmother again. Her hair looked so nice, her nails were painted, she was back up to a healthy weigh, and she was dressed in clothes and not just a nightgown. It was so nice to see. She instantly smiled when she saw the kids and was fascinated with them.

But she didn't remember me. I knew that her memory was going... I knew that I'd probably have to remind her who I was. I guess I assumed it would just 'click' with her and we'd talk like we always have. But it never did. This is the first time she did not know who I was. It's funny... it was somehow easier to accept that her memory was slipping away when she looked so frail and week. Having her look strong, the way I've always known her just made it harder to accept. I really didn't expect it. I have never had to deal with anything like this and it's so amazingly difficult to even describe.

I'm so glad that I got to spend time with her today. I took joy in seeing the happiness she felt just watching the kids, even if she did not fully understand who we were. I soon realized that at times she thought Wyatt was my brother Tim, who is now 21 years old. Dad said she remembers things about the past remarkably well, but has trouble with recent events. I guess that is the way it should be. I, like her, have been blessed with a wonderful, loving family. I know that if I was going to relive anytime in my life... it would be the stage I'm in now... young and healthy and surrounded by people whom I love and who love me. And for that reason alone... I will not be sad.
I love you, Grandmother!

And who wouldn't have the same reaction?

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Things you may or may not want to know...

Well, I always blog about the kids, so when I saw this on Katie's blog I thought I'd give it a try.
Brace yourselves, folks! things are about to get deep.

>1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE ? Well, my mom always liked the name Caron and it was also her best friend in College's name. She did choose to spell it like 'Big Caron's" (that's what I called her as a child). I don't think I was technically named after her, though.

> 2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Probably when I was worried about something. I tend to do that. Usually when a family member or friend is sick or something.

> 3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? No. I actually hate it. It looks like a man's. A lazy man's who has zero fine motor skills.
>
> 5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? One girl, one boy. Nice round number, ya think???
>
> 6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yeah, sure. I'm loyal, I'm there for others when they need me. I love to help people out, I like to go out and do stuff. Oh, and keep secrets really well. Sure... I'd like me.
>
> 7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?> Um...do you know who you're talking to??? Heck yeah I'm sarcastic!
>
> 8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? No. I got them out when I was three because I has ear infections constantly. I still remember it. Crazy how that works.
>
> 9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? 'Ellllllllllll No. I can't even look over a second story banister without my stomach turning. I hate heights!
>
> 10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Great Grains with Pecans...no raisins because those things are NASTY!!!!
>
> 11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No. But I untie them to put them back on.
>
> 12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Physically... not super-strong but I can hold my own in a good bar fight. Kidding. No, but I am pretty good at lugging a 24 pound kiddo around. Emotionally I'm pretty strong, but I do worry a lot.
>
> 13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? mint chocolate chip. It has to be green and it has to have the shaved chocolate and not the chunks. Again... I'm a snob like that. Oh, and I love butter pecan too.
>
> 14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? If they have a smile on their face. It just gives a better first impression if someone is smiling when you meet them.
>
> 15. RED OR PINK? Red for the bulldogs and Pink on my girl!
>
> 16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm totally compulsive about certain things. My work, things I sew, projects I do. I am a perfectionist when it comes to them and I have a big problem leaving well enough alone. I'd rather toss out hours or days worth of work and start over if I think I messed up. I know... I need therapy.
>
> 17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Seeing my family more often. Oh, and my neighbor Marvis who passed away when I was in eights grade. He was basically a grandfather to me. Loved the man!
>
> 18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure. I'm always down with learning a thing or two about a friend.
>
> 19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black work out pants and silver, red, and white Nike shoes. I'm headed off to the gym.
>
> 20.WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A chocolate chip cookie. Which is why I'm having to go to the gym in the first damn place.
>
> 21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Allie chatter on and on about something and Turner eating dry cat food.
>
> 22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Well, my fav color is purple, so why not??? What the heck does this mean, anyway????

> 23. FAVORITE SMELLS? The kids after a bath with the pink Johnson's baby wash, Michaels cologne, coffee.
>
> 24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Michael

> 25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? I swiped it off Katie's blog. Never met the gal... but I think I'd like her a lot if we ever met.
>
> 26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Football.... GEORGIA football!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
> 27. HAIR COLOR? Blondish with blond highlights
>
> 28. EYE COLOR ? Blue
>
> 29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Only if I want to see anything!
>
> 30.> 30. FAVORITE FOOD? Oh, snap. Where do I begin. Alice Springs Chicken from Outback. Chinese food, but only form Chin-Chin 7 off Sugarloaf Hot and sour soup, mongolian chicken, and sush. I want some right about now!!! No, obviously not a health nut!
>
> 31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Either depending on my mood.
>
> 32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Deja Vu
>
> 33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Black
>
> 34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer
>
> 35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
>
> 36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Cheesecake!
>
>>
> 41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Dog the Bounty Hunter. Love me some WTTV!!! (white trash TV) LOL! Don't judge though. I really like Law and Order SVU, and Grey's Anatomy, and LOST, and stuff like that.
>
> 42. FAVORITE SOUND? The kids laughing.
>
> 43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Both
>
> 44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Canada... skiing
>
> 45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I've been told I'm pretty creative.... but nothing in particular.
>
> 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Atlanta

Nebulize THIS!

Well, it's been another eventful few days here at the Rich household. Nothing groundbreaking, but never a dull moment, ya know?

Let's start with Wyatt. He's had a mild cough for about the last week, no fever, no other symptoms, nothing serious. Well when he woke up on Saturday morning, the mild cough had gotten much worse. I could hear a nasty rattle when he breathed and I knew something was not right. So I called his pediatrician and being that it was Saturday morning, the only appointment they had was at 9:45 (o.k., it was 9:05 when I called AND I am 45 minutes form the doctor's office, AND I had not had a shower or bathed Wyatt yet...) so we neglect the hygiene and bust butt to attempt to be on time. We pulled it together quite nicely if I do say so myself and were only 15 minutes late.

Anyway... we get there and they call us back almost immediately. When the doctor heard Wyatt breathe he was concerned because he was wheezing terribly. I have never heard a wheeze before so I was a little freaked out. He immediately hooked him up to a machine and gave him a breathing treatment. It helped, but not as much as Dr. Maddox would have liked. He prescribed Prednisolone which is a steroid, and Albuterol which is a liquid inhaled from a nebulizer machine.

Here he is... tokin' away. He has to do this every 3 to 4 hours 'round the clock. A great way to get even less sleep than we were already getting.

Wyatt really has been so good for the treatments. He kicks back and watches a Baby Einstein movie and takes them like a champ. His breathing still sounds terrible, but hopefully this will help him.

Here he is chillin' after his treatment. He always lays like this.... like he's in Playgirl or somethin'. And no... we did not steal the floral carpet outta some 78 year old woman's house... that is actually a sheet we have to put down inside Wyatt's World to catch the 'consequences' of the terrible reflux that still bothers him.

On Saturday night, we went to a couples shower for our friends Lacie and Jason who are getting married in October. It was a basket shower and each guest was given a different theme to fill their basket or container with. There were all kinds... kitchen, bath, golf, UGA, and entertainment just to name a few.

So here's where the night starts to get hilarious! While they were opening the baskets, two of the hosts were secretly writing down comments Jason and Lacie made about the items in each basket. After all was said and done... the two hosts got up and read a few things said. The idea was to take the comments they made and use them totally out of context. The result...

"Ooooh, I've been wanting this for a long time!"....(a DVD)

"Oh look, Jason! You got some balls!"....(golf balls)

"I know right where I'm gonna put that!"....(a figurine from the Georgia basket)

"I'm gonna get Mama to to show me what to do with one of those!"....(kitchen utensil)

"Jason, don't you like these?"....(glasses from the UGA basket)

"Ooooh batteries...we'll need those!"....(from the gadget's basket)

"I bet that tastes GOOD!"....(a recipe from kitchen basket)

"Now, what do you do with that?"....(a kitchen utensil)

"Help me get the plastic off this thing!"....(plastic covering a basket)

"I am not sitting on that thing!"....(a laundry drying rack someone joked was a flimsy fold-out chair)

Yes people, it was hilarious. Maybe it's because... I dunno... I seem to possess the sick sense of humor of a 14 year old boy?!?! But really. It was all in good fun. What made it even more funny was that the people giving it and those in attendance were all people we go to church with. But we're all crazy Baptists, so ya know. Our church is just cool like that. LOL! There were people of all ages, young and old and its always fun to see that everyone gets a laugh outta that kinda thing. I had never seen this done before, but I know I'll be taking in every comment made at future showers and laughing a little to myself. Again, the 14 year old boy in me.

And finally... I want to day HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my daddy who it turning 60 today! I love you Dad, and hope you've had a great day and hope that you will have many, many more! You're the best!

This one's for you, KATIE!

Katie, I hope this helps.... at least a little....

CAUGHT!

Notice she took down the load of shizz that was her blog??? Niiiiiiiice.

Hey, wait a sec... I seem to remember a certain children's movie where a naughty little wooden puppet LIES and ends up getting himself and his father swallowed by a WHALE.... Maybe this crazy wanna-be marine chick needs to go back and watch a little Disney flick called PINOCCHIO!!!

Oh, and is this what you were thinking when you described what you thought she really was like on your blog... Say hello to "Heather" (if you can 'stomach' it!!! LOL!)

(and just so ya know... I have not commissioned any sharks, whales, or any other marine or aquatic life to devour 'Heather' or anyone else for that matter. Although the thought may have crossed my mind a time or two...I'm just not that vengeful. HA!!!

one last thing for ya...

Baby Showers Bring Real Showers!!!

Well it finally rained today!!! We needed it so badly... everything is so darn dry and the lake is soooo far down. Not good when your family is in the marina business! Anyway... It was not a big rain, but it was definitely nice to get what we could.

And in other 'shower' news, Michelle, Natalie, Erin, and I hosted a baby shower for our good friend Dawn and her new baby. You may remember seeing the pictures of him a few posts ago. We decided to wait until after her baby arrived to throw the shower so we could find out if the baby was a boy or a girl. You see, it seems to be a trend around here not to find out the sex of the baby before it's born, and this was no exception. I personally love waiting to find out. It gives the day an extra element of excitement, ya know? Now don't get me wrong... it is really, really, really hard at first! Especially at that second ultrasound and you know the answer is just one one little question away. But if you can make it past that point you're home free. Now, where was I going with this??? Ah yes, why we waited until now for the shower. Anyway... we had a great turn out to spite the rain, and Dawn, baby Keyes, and her husband Wesley got all kinds of great things. Oh, and big sister Grace didn't come out too shabby either. Now to the pictures...

Big sis Grace and Dawn

Opening one of many gifts...

Keyes slept the entire time...

Michelle, Natalie, Erin, and my gift to her... a hand painted toy chest

Erin and I busted out a sweet lil' paint job on this toy chest if I do say so myself. We bought it unfinished from Wood-You Finish Furniture and painted it to match his nursery pattern. Erin painted the trunk and I did the lid and letters...
And finally, here is Grace showin' off all the loot that came with the evening.

It was an awesome night and we are so happy for the Harbin family! Y'all have an awesome night!

Enough Carpet Science to become a Carpet Scientist...

The following is a list of things I have successfully cleaned off of my carpet today:

1. Beach Nut Chicken & Stars Baby Food (knocked off the coffee table by Allie, who was entering the third straight hour of demonstrating the 'Hokey Poky' dance she learned at school today.

2. Fecal matter from a 7 month old. (my guess would be Chicken & Apple Dinner and Garden Vegetables with a hint of breast milk if I had to guess based solely on color and texture)

3. Baby throw up (stemming from incidence #1. Ummmm, yea, note to self... Wyatt is not ready for the Stage 3 foods with texture yet... the chucks causes exorcist like vomiting spells)

This year for Christmas... forget Santa Claus. I want Stanley 'effing Steamer to come and visit my house. Or if Santa does come, he better be bringin' me some hardwood floors.

After all was said and done, I found Wyatt asleep like this...

Thinking this could not be the least bit comfortable, I attempt to move him which abruptly ended his one and only nap for the day.

Michael, my dear, sweet, love... when you finally return home this evening from your weekend of fun, just know this... IT'S YOUR TURN!!!! I'm need a break.

What does speech therapy, engagement pictures, and a four wheeler have in common?

This blog entry. Other than that... nothing at all.

Hello everyone! Things have been crazy here the last few days! We've been running here and there doing a little of this and a little of that. A lot has happened so I'll try to sum it all up in one post, but be prepared for a random-as-all-get-out post!

Thursday I took Allie to the elementary school to have her speech analysis preformed. In case you don't know, her pediatrician suggested we go ahead and start speech therapy now so she can correct some simple articulation issues before they become problems. And lets face it... kids can be cruel and I'd hate to have to take out some little brat kid who tries to make fun of her. Anyway... the analysis went really well. Anything between 85 and 115 is considered normal. Allie scored a 75, so there is a slight need there. However, in the listening and comprehension skills area she scored at a 4 year 9 month level! Not too friggin' shabby for a gal who just turned 3 in May! Even I was impressed at some of the things she knew and the tasks she could do. I really had no idea how much went in to speech analysis. I thought it would be simply listening to her talk, but they had her doing all kinds of things. My guess was they needed to be sure she was physically and developmentally ready so the therapy would be effective. She actually had a lot of fun! I feel good about helping her learn, and my only hope that she will benefit from it.

Next we were off to Atlanta to take William and Amanda's engagement pictures. William is Michael's cousin and he proposed to Amanda last month. She is super sweet and they are a precious couple! I'm so excited to have her join the family. They are planning to get married next October. Here's a few pictures form their session...




I also got to photograph a friend of mines new little boy! Dawn and I have been friends for awhile and I was lucky enough to take her little guy's first pictures. He is just precious and so sweet to work with. Here are a few pictures from his session...

Keyes and big sister Grace

He slept through the whole thing!
I love to take hand and feet shots

All newborns should sleep this well!

In other news, Michael along with his brother Jonathan and their cousins William and Sean are headed off to Tennessee for a weekend four wheeler trip. They are going to a place that has over 200 miles of trails to ride. I'm hoping they will take some pictures, but you know how that goes. I know there will be some awesome views and knowing them some great photo ops! We'll see.

As for me... I'll be here. Working. And watching the kids. Definitely not cooking or cleaning. Gotta have some fun, eh?!?!

And lastly, I got all fancy-schmancy today and updated the ole' blog with some new links. I never imagined I'd actually meet so many great people here! I finally linked all the blogs I read to mine. Consider yourselves cool! I even alphabetized them. (OCD, much???) What started a easy way to keep family informed on the kids milestones has turned into a fun way to meet new people and read some hilarious stories. This is a shout out to all my blogging buddies who I've never met, but feel like I've known for years!

Y'all have an awesome weekend!!

My weekend in one sentence...

Well, well, well. There's not much posting going on here in the blogging world. Mel and Tara have done a little updating, but for the most part everyone must be busy with birthday parties, 'B' week, and other fun stuff. I myself don't have much to report. Over all, the weekend was kinda boring. I can pretty much sum up the holiday weekend like this...

Michael hunted, Turner slept, Wyatt didn't, Allie swam, my brother visited, my sister made a new friend, and I worked.

Good times... good times.

Y'all have a happy week!

AWANA learn a Bible verse!

I do believe I may have said almost every curse word I know trying to get this video to post. I think I may have even coined a few new ones. (Forgive me, Lord!) Anyway... I thought this was cute. Allie started the AWANA program at our church this past Wednesday. This was the first verse she had to memorize...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

In case you can't understand her, she says "God loves us and sent His son. 1 John 4:10"

I would like to give a big shout out to Andrea for all the help and technical support she gave to make this video post possible. I couldn't have done it with out her! Andrea, I love you, girl! (shedding a tear) LOL!!!

Bring it, OK!!!!!!!! O.K.?

Glory, Glory to ole' GEORGIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's game day, BABY! Let's get it on! Here's hoping the Bulldogs start the season strong! If not, pray for my husband as he will instantly enter in to a three stage turn of events. Step 1. an extatic, cheering, devoted fan Step 2. yelling, raving, freak, and finally, Step 3. woulda-shoulda-coulda Monday quarterback . But these are the Dawgs and they just don't loose very often! I have all the faith in the world in my Bulldog team!! On to the kiddos...


I mentioned before that I have taken pictures each year of Allie at the start of Georgia football season. I plan on doing this up until she attends UGA herself on a full academic and athletic scholarship... no pressure!!! I kid!! Anyway, I just love to see how she changes from year to year.

This is before digital. I had to snap one of a page in her scrapbook. This is the 2004 season.

This is the 2005 season....

...and the 2006 season.
This season she has a new little team mate of her own! GOOOOOOO DAWGS!!!