Wow! It's been how long since I posted? No comment! Where to start? Dee is the big double digits now..10!! We are still choosing to homeschool this year. She doesn't want to go to school yet but we are hoping to have her ready for fifth grade...maybe. We do have a wonderful lady, Ms. Debbie, to come in on Tuesdays and tutor Deonna. She gives me the weekly schedule and it helps me tremendously. We love her! Dee is reading on her own and actually her comprehension has increased so much. She is a whiz in math and science. One issue we are working on is taking responsibility for your actions. She likes to use the words, "I probably", "I just", and "I don't know" anytime she does something wrong or disobeys any rules. She definitely understands what she is doing. I have decided to use a "probably, just and I don't know jar". She will have to pay money from her piggy bank each time she uses these words innapropiately. Not sure if it will work but maybe it will at least make her more aware of what she is doing. We'll see! Chris is home from Afghanistan and Germany. He is no longer in the Army and is living in Georgia with is wife. He is now in the Police Academy and will be working for the State of Georgia by the end of September. He is loving every minute of it. Corey is now a junior in college while still working for the Tennessee National Guard. I am so proud and happy for the both of them. Especially for the fact that they are both in the United States! Yahoo! As for my health, the procedure last year worked but scar tissue has formed and is causing some pain issues and sludge in the bile duct. New medication has helped with the pain and I am thankful for every painfree day. Let's just say, I have decided to accept that it is what it is and quit fighting it. I am alive and have more good days than bad. That is enough to be thankful for!

Healthy as a horse!

I am back..and healthy!! The procedure went well. I developed pancreatitis so I spent five days in the hospital. After two weeks, I still couldn't get over the nausea and the doctor couldn't understand why. I had lost fifteen more pounds and truly believed I was going to die. I decided to fly home with Dee and tried to have faith that the severe nausea would finally end. Long story short...it ended up being an inner ear problem that was making me so sick caused by the flight to Florida. It took another three weeks to start feeling some relief. It has been two months now and I am finally feeling better. I ended up losing a total of 32 pounds, but I needed to do that anyway...lol.
Corey is home from Iraq now and that is a huge relief. But, Christopher is now in Afghanistan for his second tour...AHHH!! I feel like my life has been a constant worry for almost three years in a row now. I just pray everyday that God keeps him safe and he can finally come home for good.
Deonna is doing great. We are still working on the speech issues and also her desire to not follow simple rules. It gets frustrating at times. The homeschooling is going good but I am looking forward to a little break this summer. We will still work at least three short days a week and review. If we don't, I think she will struggle with third grade.
God bless!!

Oddi???

So...diagnosis-Sphincter of Oddi??? Very rare, so it seems. It is a dysfunction of the "valve" in the bile duct. It isn't working properly so the bile isn't getting out which causes pressure and extreme pain. I have lost about 14 pounds and stay so weak. But, I asked God for an answer and he gave me one. So, now, off to Florida I go. It seems their are only a few doctors who specialize in this disorder and one happens to be about 20 minutes from my Mom and Dad's house..go figure. God is great!! I have an appointment with him on the 23rd. I am so excited!! My mom will be there to help me with Deonna and Kevin will fly down as soon as he can. I am praying for patience. I just want to feel good again. I have faith that God will make this happen.
Corey will be home in four weeks..yippee!!! He is flying to Germany right after he gets home to see his brother. They haven't seen each other in almost a year and a half. I am so happy for them!!! Chris's deployment is moved until the first of June. So, now I should have time to go visit him before he leaves..like I said, God is great!!
Deonna is doing great. She is excited for Valentine's Day and especially, the trip to Florida. She loves it there. Still working on speech. Her dialect causes her so many problems with her spelling. But is has improved some.
Please pray for me as I continue on this path of healing. Continue to pray for my boys and our other soldiers who gladly protect their country. Pray for Kevin and Dee as they make this journey with me. God bless!!

Quickly changing

Times are a changin...maybe not the way we should understand them but it is Gods plan and I will sing his praises no matter what.
I have been very sick. I was in the hospital for five days and afer many test confirm that it is a narrow bile duct. Not a good thing to have. I was diagnosed 13 years ago and have been hospitalized five times in the last 13 years, not too shabby, I guess. But, the pain this time isn't going away. I am home but am in terrible pain. Hopefully, the test on the 9th will finally help me get what I need. If not, I will be driving to Vanderbilt in Nasville to get some help. Please say a prayer for me and my family. We need it so much. Deonna is so worried. I try to reassure her everything is okay, but she knows. It breaks my heart. My son is due home in four weeks from his tour in Iraq. My other son is due to be deployed in May for 7 months to Afghanistan again. We'll see what the doctor says. I will have to see him if he has to go..somehow. My children are my life. I am still managing homeschooling everyday. Reading and spelling and math are a must. She is doing really well. Speech has improved tremendously. Again, please say a prayer for my family. I would greatly appreciate it. God bless!

Happy New Year

Okay..so I didn't follow through with the last post and blog more...ugh...go figure. It's not that I don't want to..time just gets away from me. But, I want to try and blog at least three days a week. I know everyday is not likely to happen so three days will be a huge accomplishment.
When I started the blog, it was more about our adoption and how much Deonna was changing but I have decided that I want this blog to be more about all of my children even though they are young men now. So much has changed in the last three years and I want to remember every detail that I can.
Corey will be home from his one year deployment in Iraq in March. I have missed him terribly. I am counting down the days. Christopher is still in Germany with his wife. She has also been a wonderful addition to our family. They have been able to spend this Christmas together, which is their first Christmas together since being married. He was deployed to Afghanistan last Christmas. I missed them not being home but was elated that they were at least spending it together. We skyped while they opened presents and that was a great day. I love Skype!! Unfortunately, he is leaving for Afghanistan in a month. This breaks my heart! I get one son home and the other one leaves again. I cannot wait for the day to hold them both in my arms at the same time!
Deonna enjoyed Christmas so much. She has grown and matured more than ever these last few months. I think homeschooling has helped her tremendously. No regrets about it at all. She is very outgoing and has a few very close friends. One, which is here now for the afternoon, and they are so funny together. Girls are so different than boys..much more drama and noise..lol.
Please pray for my boys as they fight for our country. Pray for their wives to help them get through these rough times. God bless!

Short and sweet

What can I say??? To use Deonna's words...Hannah Montana say what??? I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. Let's see..
Homeschool is a challenge but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Justin Beiber is a huge hit at our house.
So are The Jonas Brothers, which turned out they happened to be in concert in Florida while we were visiting my parents..can you say one happy girl??
Her love for the beach is maybe more than mine..maybe. Not sure if that is possible.
She is very much a Daddy's girl.
Loves Astronomy and History but reading and spelling..not so much.
Has grown so much this summer..makes me sad.
New pics posted and hope to post more regularly.
God bless!

Terrible blogger!!

I am a terrible blogger!!
I have been in Florida taking care of my mother for three weeks after her surgery. She is doing much better and optimistic that she will continue to improve and begin to enjoy life and live without such pain.
Of course, Dee was with me and homeschool continued. The weather was fairly chilly but much warmer than the mountains of East Tennessee so we were able to go to the beach a couple of days. She was happy to ride her scooter in the neighborhood and walk around the golf course daily. I was extremely happy to see her relationship with my parents grow. I think my Daddy will miss her tremendously. I know she misses them.
Christopher has two months left in Afghanistan and then home to Germany with his wife. I am so ready for him to be home and safe. Corey will be leaving in a few weeks for Iraq and my emotions are getting the best of me lately. His tour will be at least a year and my heart breaks for him and his wife. Please pray for his safety and for time to go by quickly for him.
Dee has grown so much. Her speech has improved greatly and I am enjoying being with her everyday. We still go to the school for her speech weekly but she seems to love learning at home. I am trying to be a little more at ease with the homeschooling and understand that some days will be harder than others. I do enjoy it but worry if I am pushing her to hard or not doing enough. Teaching Head Start was easy compared to teaching your own children.
Her love of music is amazing. She is singing constantly and pretends to write her own songs. She says she is going to be a singer because she has talent but I do not have talent in singing..lol I can't argue with that. It's the truth!!
God bless!!!