This is Not How it Was Planned.....Part 1

If someone would have told me 25 years ago, that I would have 3 children and a husband of 15 years and be working for the Railroad (playing with locomotives), I would have never believed them, not even God!
Almost 25 years ago, in July, my family and I sat around a table at Giovanni's, sharing a pizza and discussing every one of our futures.
Dad's Stained Glass business would be thriving
I would be a Master Chief
Windy would be a Photographer
Mom would be helping us all!
So NOT how it turned out, but that night, it was so fun planning it. Listening to Windy tell me "I'll take pictures for your cookbook and include dad's stained glass windows in the background"! Sounded wonderful and the fun we had planning that, is absolutely priceless!
Just 3 short years later that really changed
I don't forget that night we all shared and the planning and dreaming we did for our own future and each others! Today, it serves as an amazing memory!
I know God works everything for our good and that is exactly what He has done. But, if you would have told me, that I would be looking forward to 10 hours on the railroad until I was off for 47 hours! I would have laughed in your face!
I love the life that I have. I do not love how I got here! I can't stand the day that changed my life so much.
I don't like that our family trip in 84 was the last of it's kind, and if someone would have told me that it would be our last as a whole family, I would have called them a liar.
A change of events over the years have brought me to this point. A change of dreams and plans. Dreams and plans that in 1985 seemed so real and true. Nothing could break them.
I can also remember, adjusting my dreams again in 1987, to keep, what part I had in Windy's dream, to make her proud. I would have done anything to keep her memory alive and many times still do.
I kept my mom very close and always adjusted to what she needed at the time. If mom was unhappy with what was going on, I changed it!
I kept my mom and family close. These times were tough and life changing, the amount of changes that took place is astounding.
My plans, my dreams and even more so my heart changed.

Breath

He Made It!!!! On to 8th Grade Now.

1st to enjoy our summer!

I think, the Principal used the words

"by the skin of his teeth"!

It shouldn't be as amazing to me as it is, how the meds really helped. Yes, I have been using diet and exercise all these years, but when you see a change from an F to a C in one month, WOW! That's all I can say.

Best part is we haven't lost our Adam to the meds, he is still the caring, compassionate young man he has always been, with a heart for others. Now, he can control himself, even when he feels angry and doesn't even feel angry as often!

I really identify with him and his struggles, just wish I would have helped him sooner, this way!

May God use everything to Good for His Kingdom! Thank you GOD!!

Everyone is busy this time of year

There are graduations and tons of Bday parties and end of school activities, lets not even talk about the baseball and soccer going on! So like everyone else, I have been very busy lately!

My mind has mostly been on Adam lately! The ADD has finally been diagnosed and Meds prescribed! He has made leaps and bounds in the past month!

It may or may not be enough! Today we find out, maybe he will make it into 8th grade and maybe he will be held back in 7th!

Ugghh!

Adam has a heart of gold and a passion for people, but in the past month we have seen his skill in studies and we are amazed!

This boy has been the victim of unnecessary groundings and spankings and yelling ats and cleaning out of his locker. Only to find out, he had classic signs of ADD all along! I missed it, I blamed his issues with homework on hormones! Oh my! I know what I would tell any other mom in the same situation, but I also know that feeling of "how did I miss this"! It is difficult not to feel like I have failed my boy! I pray pray pray he makes it to 8th grade! Neither Adam or I slept last night, both concerned of the outcome of today!

Our ride to school this morning was both tense and quiet. We chatted a little about what today was and what it means and how neither of us slept! Neither of us would go to the place where he doesn't make it to 8th grade! It just hurts too much to say it out loud.

I am again amazed at the meds that God has given to us and the leaps and bounds my boy has made!

Whatever the outcome today, I know my God has us in His hands and we will be ok, eventually.

What I know and what my heart feels are very different my heart aches for my boy to go on! My heart aches for my failure to give him the tools he needed to succeed! I am thrilled that we have corrected the problem, but so sad it took sooooo long!

The outcome of the decision of the teachers and the principal is heavy on all of our hearts today!

One of those things, where I really try to be a good mom and don't always "arrive" on time!

Friends

My New Year's Resolution, is to become a better friend!! I know I have mentioned this several times, but it is an ongoing goal, probably one I can do better at all the time, just like being a good wife or mom or woman. Anyway, I pray about friendship alot and what it means and the direction and guidance to be better at it. I know, that being a better friend will also help with my mommy thing and wife thing and woman thing, because if your a good friend you are indeed a good person.

Anyway, I have many many good friends and as I was driving home this morning and praying and thinking and remembering, I remembered the memories that really spoke to me at the time and want to share them!

I have a friend Heather, I didn't get to pick her out a school or through my kids friends, it was the neatest thing, God moved her in the house right next door to mine! I pounced on her, I had been praying for a young couple to move in next door, I only had Adam and Windy and they were 3 and under 1 year, respectively! I was so thrilled I went over and introduced myself and we have been best of friends ever since!

Living Next door to someone you really get to know them and you do crazy stuff and you tell more than you would have if they lived further away! Of course they can see it all for themselves!

Heather was my next door neighbor that became an awesome friend! We did crazy stuff together (when our husbands were at work) we would talk on the phone all day and be right next door! Then there were the days when we would decide to paint something! 4 kids between us under 5 and we would paint in the time the hubbys were at work! It would never be finished before they got home, but we would sure try (EVERY TIME)! Kids would run through the paint and instead of one us watching the kids while the other one painted, we would just do it all together! Looking back, it wasn't the best way to get stuff done, but it was the best way to bond and make a great friendship! Or we would rearrange furniture while hubbys were at work and kids and all!

We would sit outside and watch each others kids, while one of us would change a load of laundry and change places again! One of us would start dinner while the other one watched the kids and then we would change places!

I learned alot from Heather, new words, new ways to speak to my children and a new openness with women and how time, quality time, really makes the difference! A new kind of friendship, the kind you would call and tell about one of the kids "firsts" or the one you would call to complain about the husband or complain about how one of the kids did something wrong and she never held it against me or them! That's the kind of friend I am striving to be!


I remember she was the first one I called, when I found out I was pregnant with Mitchell (not planned by me) and she cried with me about being pregnant, I was so disappointed and she was there with me every step of the way, whether it was crying, acceptance, laughter, joy and she was the one who helped me bring him in and be such a proud mommy of three! She never held it against me (that I was disappointed at first), she just loved me through it all, and (gosh, my family would have never been complete without Mitchey) and was just there for whatever mood I was in! I just love good friends like her!

She was there when I wanted to be angry, happy, sad, loving, joyful!
Good friends are there when life happens and changes and stays the same! I have lots of friends like that! Heather, she's special, I get to enjoy her being a sister, I got to watch it from next door and I even got included! I love that! She was there, when my heart was smashed by someone I thought was a friend, she even cleaned up the beer mug I knocked over on floor, when I was venting! She never held it against me, she just loved me!

That's the qualities I strive for, in becoming a better friend!


I am blessed with so many good friends and have tons of good memories to blog about, I think that that is my next two weeks of blogs! Good friends I want to be like!


Ok, one last quick memory with Heather.


I was baking for Christmas and using dark chocolate! Mitchell couldn't have been more than two! I turned around to get a chunk of chocolate and it was GONE! I looked and searched and then I looked into the living room and there was Mitchell chomping on dark chocolate as fast as he could in the Green Lazyboy! Did I go get him and get the chocolate or did I pick up the phone laughing and call Heather to tell her that Mitchell belonged to her? I picked up the phone to tell Heather, that Mitchell loves chocolate and could not possibly belong in the Witt family!


Yes, she also taught me how to laugh again, instead of being so strict and this is this and this is why we do this! She taught me to laugh at the funny stuff and enjoy my children and she reminded me, that I am a mom and not a boot camp!


Heather taught me so much about being a person, I don't know where I'd be today without her!


Love you Heather!


I am so blessed with great friends!

I laughed so hard..

He can't ride a two wheel bicycle, so why did we let him try the scooter? Don't know but he had fun! First he had to put on a helmet and the only one available, was a pink flowery helmet. So daddy carefully put it on his head, so that Mitch wouldn't see it! Then Mitch sat for a minute and asked us all about the helmet and not one of us would answer! He jumped up to look at it in the camera and in the little view finder the helmet looked white! He's going to be mad!

I must warn you his words aren't all very nice!

CELEBRATION

During the month of May, in our family, there are quite a few celebrations.
Starting on May 1st! We celebrate Yaya's Birthday!

Then we move to May 6th! May 6th is Papaw's Birthday and many of our close friends also have the same Birth date! Too much fun!

We celebrated Papaw and Windy's Birthday, just this past Sunday and it was so much fun! I really enjoy getting the family together and just spending time.

My MIL is awesome and she brought all ALL the food, all I had to do was get the house ready and bake a cake! Of course the cakes weren't ready on time and I had to mix up the icing to put on the cakes. That proved to be fun for everyone, I always forget how much everyone likes to lick the batter bowls! I don't like it, so if the kids aren't around I usually just wash it out and keep on moving. I was reminded that most people do like to lick the spoon and the bowl! Too funny!

Gramma had to step in and help Papaw out a little!
Then we move to Today, May 7th! This is my Wedding Anniversary! 15 years! We make a pretty good team!

As I have said before, every year and every moment wasn't easy, but every single one is worth the effort we both put in! Sometimes, he puts in more effort and energy and sometimes I do! We have common goals. So it does make life together, easier. We have had our times, where we don't agree and our moments where we have really pushed each other to the limits, looking back they are mostly moments of good growth for us as a couple!

Happy Anniversary to my Hubby!

Now, Add in Mother's Day! Wow! And Still more this month!

Celebrations are plentiful this month!

Happy Birthday Windy!!!

My doll! Happy Birthday to you!

She keeps growing up and getting older! I know that's the way it is supposed to be, it doesn't mean I have to like it, it means I have to enjoy the inevitable!