Time Flies When Your Having Fun.......I guess that's what they say! :-)

So much has been going on these day's its hard to keep up!  The kids are all growing like weeds, literally!  I feel like all I have been doing this month is buying the kids clothes and shoes.....crazy!  Jackson is in size 7-8  and is 47 inches tall and weighs 45 lbs, Max is 37 inches tall and weighs 35 lbs and wearing size 4-5. Then there is little miss Lola! Well she still only weighs 22 lbs, but is is 33 inches tall and wearing size 18-24months! They all have been sick this month as well with everything from pink eye to strep throat! It finally caught up to me as well but only lasted about 24 hours, thank god!  This mama doesn't get sick days!

So in other news Max had surgery on January 7th.  He basically needed to be circumcised again.  His pee was shooting straight up and making him quite self conscious along with a pretty mess on the floor.  It was a fairly easy procedure but he did have to go under anaesthesia.  Of coarse this is always uneasy for any parent but he did great and we were home within a few hours! He did so great, he came home took a nap and that afternoon you would have never known anything happened! :-)

Jackson is doing great in school.  Learning to read more and more sight words and has even started reading me short stories at night before bed! He has also started to see a counselor to help him with all he's feeling about mom and dad's divorce.  He seems to be having more and more questions and concerns about what is happening and where he falls into this mess.  I met with this woman beforehand and really liked her and I think she will help him alot! He already looks forward to his upcoming appt.s with her!

Then there's Lola Grace!  What a doll baby this little girl is!  Such a personality and so kind! She says Please and Thank you for EVERYTHING! :-) So sweet and very independent! She knows what she wants and when she wants it and she's gonna get it one way or the other!  She is talking more and more everyday and becoming such a little girl!  We have had her 1st haircut and still working on getting pigtails.......she's not a fan of any kind of bow and hates to have her hair combed!  Definitely NOT like her mother in that department! :-)  That's when I see her aunts shining through!!! :-)

So here we are once again, welcoming another February!  Not my favorite month for many reasons but looking forward to my new job as the reading mom at Jackson school on Thursday's and this week being Jackson's star of the week!  His dad came into his class today and I'll be there tomorrow with cookies Jackson and I made together and reading to the class!  Then there is Valentine's Day and of Course the boys want to have another Birthday Party for Papa Ross's birthday!  I think this is a new tradition in this house! :-)  Looking forward to moving right into March with the birth of my nephew Henry the 9th and a weekend trip home to meet the little fella! :-)

As for me, I have taken this semester off of school.  Too much going on personally and with kids so I plan on switching my major back to Education and heading back to CVCC in the Fall.  There it should only take me 1-2 years and I'll be able to teach! :-) I will also be substitute teaching at the preschool this fall as well while Max and Lola both attend.  I am really looking forward to this! In other great news, my photography has picked up a bit and  I have also booked my first big Wedding to Photograph in NC in September.  Such a beautiful couple and I am so excited they picked "me" to do this for them! :-)

Well, we still have a long road ahead of us...........continue to pray for our family as we are still working out details in court over our family!

Welcome 2011!

Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!  The kids and I had probably the best Christmas I have ever had, truly!  We were up in MI from the 17th-23rd and got to celebrate with family and friends! It was just what we all needed, and honestly a GREAT trip! The kids and I took off from Lynchburg during our first snow storm of the season, and of course were delayed, which made us have to get a later connecting flight to Detroit.  So after starting out from home at 4 a.m., we finally arrived in Detroit at 5 p.m.  All in all, I can not complain-kids did FANTASTIC!!!  They are such troopers and great travelers!  :-)

The kids and I spent some much needed time with my family and friends along with my sister in law Leah and my niece and nephew!  They have a beautiful new home in Ortonville and the kids and I spent one afternoon visiting and catching up.  The kids got to spend the afternoon with Aunt Sally and Aunt Krista making ornaments while I did a fun photoshoot for my friend Jocelyn's Family! We also went to visit their Grandpa and Grandma Linda Shea, which it has been a few years for us.  They had never met Lola and were very excited to finally see them all together after so much time has passed.  The kids also got a special treat and were able to make and decorate cookies with their Great Aunt Joyce!  Oh, was that ever fun and sugar OVERLOAD!!  :-) Priceless, thank you Aunt Joyce!!  It was a full week, but so worth every minute!  The kids really enjoyed playing with their cousin Audrey, who we got to see pretty much everyday we were there!  She's growing up so fast and is soon to be a Big Sister once little Henry makes his debut March 9th! :-) So exciting!!!

Once we arrived home, we spent Christmas Eve watching "Rudolph" and getting ready for the Big Man to appear!  This year Jackson was up at 5, so not as bad as last year (2a.m.) and he came in my room as said "Mom", Santa was here and he brought me everything I wanted!!!! :-) So sweet!  It was a great morning!  Max and Jackson just loved every minute of opening presents while Lola pretty much like all her candy out of the stocking and all the paper and boxes! The kids went to their Dad's later that afternoon and I spent the evening with my thoughtful neighbors who invited me over to share Christmas Dinner with their family!  It was perfect, and as Jackson said to me after all was said and done-Mom, this was the best Christmas Ever!  I Couldn't have agreed more! :-)

So the following day, the kids took off to Florida for a week with their dad and his family.  It was real quiet around here and hard at first, but I got all of things done that needed attending to.  Now we are into the new year and I am really looking forward to all it has to offer!  I truly feel this is going to be a great year, with great possiblities!! Fingers Crossed!!! :-)

Here are some pictures of our holiday season! Enjoy! :-)

Happy Holidays!

I hope this finds you all in the holiday spirit this year!  I know that I am REALLY looking forward to a new year with new beginnings!!! :-)  The kids and I enjoyed a wonderful visit with Sara and Dave over the Thanksgiving holiday! We did so many things together, it just didn't seem like enough time to have them here! The kids loved coming in and waking them up every morning!   Dave and Sara are not use to getting woke up by the pitter patter of children running around the house at 7 a.m., but hopefully this year will bring them their very own pitter patter! :-) It really was a great visit and a much needed one at that!  Thanksgiving is about family and it was great to have my family here!  We are heading to MI on the 17th to stay with my mom for the Christmas break!  Wish me luck flying with 3 little ones at 5:30 in the morning! Apparently, I am crazy! I'm so looking forward to spending the time with my friends and family! So here are a few pictures I wanted to share!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! xoxoxoxo

Tis the Season!

Well I realize it has been a few months since my last post!  Allot has been going on here at the Shea House, some good, some not so good things but for the most part wonderful things!  The kids and I have been spending allot of great quality time together that I cherish more than ever!  The 4 of us have had such great times together, it's just the best feeling and they keep me grounded! Thank god for UNCONDITIONAL love!!! :-)

So lets see, in mid October my good friends Dawn, Stacie and Marrie all came down for a weekend visit!  It was such a great weekend, one I will truly cherish forever!  Nothing like great friends to lift your spirits!  Next came Halloween and we had 2 ninja's and a fairy princess! :-) I took the kids to a Trunk or Treat at Max's School earlier and then Zach took the kids trick or treating the neighborhood later that evening!  That way they got to spend time with both mom and dad.  It worked out great and the kids had a ball! :-)  Then Jackson and Max both had birthday's in November and we celebrated by having their birthday party at the Brookville/Timberlake Fire Station!  They had such a great time!  There must have been about 20 kids all running around a firestation, jumping on and off of the trucks and turning on and off lights!  I was able to get a great picture of a bunch of the kids on the front of the Truck, with the fireman (my friend Jason).

We are now looking forward to the Holiday's!  My sister Sara and her husband Dave will be here next week for Thanksgiving!  I am so excited to have them both here for the weekend!  Then on the 17th of December the kids and I are flying up to MI to spend Christmas with my family!  I am so excited, and really in much need of it this year! :-) After that, the kids will spend a week down in Florida with their dad and Grandma at their annual beach house visit!  I know they will end the year on a great note! :-)  As for me, well bring on 2011!  Happy Holiday's!!! :-)

The smell of Fall is in the Air! :-)

Hey Everyone!  Well the leaves are starting to change, the weather has been absolutely beautiful and the kids have been doing great with their new school schedules!  All in all I would have to say life has been pretty good around here lately!  Jackson has been loving Kindergarten and all the new friends he has made so far this year!  He is such a social kid (hmmmmmm....wonder where he gets that??? :-) His teacher has sent lots of nice notes home with him, saying how good he is in class and what a kind and respectful kid he is!  As a parent, that's all you can really hope for! :-) Just this week it was Grandparents day at School and since Grandma Billie is in MI and Grandma O was out of town, Aunt Jet filled in as Jackson's Grandma for the day!  They got to have a special lunch together and Aunt Jet said she really enjoyed meeting some of Jackson's friends!  Thank you so much for filling in on such a special day at Jack's school Aunt Jet!

Well, Jackson wasn't the only one starting a new school this year!  Max started his class with Mrs. Cole and Mrs. Moon on Tuesday's and Thursday's at St. Andrew!  He is loving it!  Such a proud BIG boy and he's fully potty trained!!! YAY!!!! :-)  He is such a "bright" light and so full of love!  On Tuesday's Daddy is taking him and picking him up for some good one on one time.  Always good for the kids to have both parents involved.  This has also given me a chance to have some great one on one time with Lola!  She is growing up so fast and is just a doll baby!  Her hair is growing, she keeps getting taller and taller and talking more and more!  I can't believe she isn't a "baby" anymore!  :-)

I have also started my Anatomy and Physiology class, and let me tell you it's a tough one!  But to be totally honest, I am really enjoying being back in school and looking to my future!  I really hope to get in to the dental program in 2012!  :-)  I have a few more classes to take between now and then but I think I will be ready! :-)  I am also working really hard at my photography, hoping that will grow more and more now that I have the beautiful and talented Jocelyn Edin working on my new name a logo for the business!  I am really excited about sharing this with all of you in a few weeks, so stay tuned! :-)

In other news I would like to share is I have found a wonderful "church" that I have started attending and really enjoy it!  I say "church" because this is like no other church I have ever attended and for those who know me really well, you know I am not your average church person!  I have always had a "spiritual" side to me but have always questioned allot of religious things!  Well here, it's so different and when I walk in I feel a sense of spirituality!  That's what I have always wanted to feel and never really did until now!  Not to mention, the music is unbelievable and the kids LOVED going to the kids church!  I think it is a good fit for us at this time in our lives!  So I tell you this and ask that you continue to pray for the kids and I as we are still transitioning into our new lives, but know that we are moving forward and loving every minute of it! :-)

School is in session!!! :-)

So it has been a busy few days around here!  Jackson started Kindergarten on Monday and it was a success!  He was soooooo excited about going to the big school, that he woke up earlier than he needed and ready in plenty of time before the bus arrived!  We all saw him off to his first day of Kindergarten!  The bus arrived at 7:15 and our neighbors Connie, Billy, Zach, Max and I all waved good-bye to Jackson as he got on the bus!!!  He was so cute, waved Bye Mom, Bye Dad and then got on and said-Hey Mom! My friend from school is on the bus! Yay!!! :-)  He sat right next to his friend and off they went! :-)  His teacher is Mrs. Bourne and I love her!  I think he is in great hands and really is going to have a terrific year!

In other news, Max is doing very well being potty trained!  He has only had a few little accidents but for the most part is pretty potty trained, yippee!!!! :-)  Now mom only has one baby in diapers!!! :-) Max will start pre-school next week and goes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings!  He is really excited about staring school as well, but is a bit sad that he can not ride the bus yet! :-(  I keep telling him, his time will come! :-)

I have also recently started school.  It has been 10 long years, but I am taking Anatomy and Physiology on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings.  I am hoping to get into the Dental Hygienist program.  I have about 3 or so more classes to take before I can apply to the 2012 program! I was pretty impressed with how much I knew already and I am hoping I can keep it up!  It seems like it will be pretty tough and will definitely keep me studying!!!

Well, here are a few pictures for now!  I hope everyone has enjoyed their summer, I know I am really looking forward to Fall and the start of a brand new year!  2010 has really been one for the record books! :-)