So I noticed that there are some very cute, loving, sweet faces that have been missing from my posts.  So Here they are :)

This family wouldn't be the family it is without everyone, and though these past weeks have been full of Stephen and Cecilia activities, I promise these two little ones have kept me on my toes....

 Especially this one!  Oh Jude the Dude, what will we ever do.  I have decided to build him a climbing wall in the new house....now to find the budget :)  But the other day, Alan heard Cecilia scream for her life during nap time and he ran in - guess who had climbed over the side of his crib into hers???  You guessed it!  Oh, my little wild man!

 And this sweet girl is loving the extra attention while Stephen is away - but she misses him so much!!  She is slowly learning her new role, and testing all boundaries (like any good three year old would!)

So off I go, hopefully I will post again soon with some football pics of Mr. Stephen man!  God Bless!!

Why I run, and how you can help!

 So here's the deal, I am not a runner!  I have never been one.  I ran b/c my coach told me to - and that's about it!  Since I no longer have a coach and my pants seemed to be getting tighter and tighter I started running for exercise (and Alan would tell you it makes me a little nicer person)

 This weekend I ran my second 5K!  I know it wasn't fast, but it was most certainly my personal best! But that is not the reason for this post.  I was waiting to gain the courage to commit to something else..... a Half Marathon.  WHAT AM I THINKING????  I have never run more than 4miles at a time.  That being said, there are a few more reasons why I've been running these days.  As a mom, I have a need to do something - to take this energy for Cecilia and do something with it.  I can't take her hemorrhage away, I can help her, and help her I do, but I can not fix what has happened.  What I can do though is run.  I can run for children that can not run, I can run to raise awareness of organizations, hospitals, children, I can run to maybe one day look at my children and say "look, don't stop, work hard, push yourself, you can do it and I'll do it with you."

So at this moment I have not committed to a particular race, I have mentally committed to a weekend that has two races in it and I have started training.  But I'm in a mental battle.  Why am I doing this?  I think I just told you, but the whole idea of a half marathon came b/c I was looking to run for United Cerebral Palsy (b/c they are an amazing organization that helps any child with a disability or limitation!) and I ran across a race for a half marathon and I thought - "I can't do that, I don't want to do that!" then I said "One day Cecilia will tell me she can't do something and she doesn't want to, and I will have to prove her wrong!"  Anywho, that race is over 6hrs away and there is another one in New Orleans for the Children's Cancer hospital, and lets be honest - that too is an awesome thing to raise money for! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 No matter which race I do, I am committing myself to help UCP.  

  So many families out there don't know there is help for them, whether large or small. They struggle to help their children in the best way they can and there are so many outlets for these children and resources for their families! Cecilia would not be where she is today if not for her private therapist, we are blessed to provide that for her. Not everyone can do that, and I want to help in anyway I can. I will be running a race in January for UCP of Mobile, please keep your eyes open for that and any other race or fundraiser that you and your family might want to participate in! Thank you so much.

 

 

So, it's out there, I can't back down now......ahhhhhhhh - please help me with this!  I'm going to try and put something on the blog to show that I am training, please keep me motivated.  Ask me on facebook how training is going, shoot me a message, anything to remind me this is not about me!  (for something that's not about me, I sure wrote a lot of "me" in that sentence!) :)

 

*****For my running friends*****

HELP!!! I have a training program I found online, but if you have any other websites, books, anything that you can direct me to so that I can be better prepared, be a better runner, learn running techniques so I don't get hurt, anything please let me know!!!  Thank you!! :)  You can message me on facebook or email me if you want!

He is tooooooo little for this!!

 So today was the day, I am sitting here.... patiently waiting to go get my baby from his first day of school!!!

 I went out to get a new book to read and start a tradition, and I kept running across these books about being nervous and scared.... well those where not the books for us!

(sorry, this picture is too cute to leave out, and yet I can't get it to rotate!) Anyways, little guy was so excited that he basically ran into school this morning.  I hope that enthusiasm for education continues for the rest of his life!!! 

While you were out........

 Dear Mom and Dad, while you were out and left me and my family in charge of your home we decided to have a little get together.  No, no, not like in college or high school - a much, much more ummm dirty get together.  We decided to invite Daphne utilities and a local plumber over to check on a few things.

Hope you don't mind :)  Enjoy your vacation, I promise no more parties!

If you want to see how my parent's are doing, you can follow them on their journey up the East Coast at www.henryandjayne.blogspot.com

Enjoy your summer :)

Mother's guilt

Guilt is one of those things that can either push us further, make us stronger, or stop us right in our tracks. I hope this is a story of strength!

Latley I have taken up running again. I need this, it clears my mind, strengthens my body, and just makes me a nicer person all around :) While I run I think about so many things, I pray, I think about my children, but the one person I always think about at the end of my run is Cecilia. See after a good run I can finally get a good stretch on my broken arm.

And after 5 months, it still hurts, it's still tight and I only had it in a cast for 3 weeks! I pull my arm back, feel the pain of the muscels and then my heart begins to hurt. I have to take Cecilia's arm and leg and stretch it multiple times a day. She hasn't been on a long run, her body isn't extremly loose and warm and ready for a major stretch, and yet I need to get her stretched out. I think to myself, if this hurts me, and I only had my arm stiff in a cast for three weeks.....how bad can she hurt since it took me 9 months to realize something was wrong.

Guilt is a very strong thing. I choose to step up to the challenge, I warm her up as best as I can, I thank God for giving me this perspective, and I stretch her. I see her walk better, grab things with her left hand, and smile and laugh at how proud she is of herself!

Don't let mother's guilt stop you.

Not a professional

 I am not a professional at anything parenting... but I have tons of opinions!! :)  One thing that I love to tell other people how to do - but have not succeeded in doing it in the said way, is potty training!!  Potty training is sooo hard!!  I'm sure most moms would agree.  With this little girl, it has been next to impossible!!  I thought girls were easier??   Well, she is very strong-willed and with all the crazy changes in our lives I guess she decided to have a little control in her life....

I am proud to say that after constant talks, her holding it in all the time to the point of me getting extremely worried, and some tears (maybe mine) Miss Abigail Anderson Maddox has officially started going on the potty!!  She is not "trained" but let me tell you, we are sooooo much closer than we were a few days ago!!  Thank you Jesus!!

Hello again!

I finally called my grandmother (Memere) yesterday and I realized that I'm not the only one who reads my blog. This beautiful, amazing woman; who we once saw about once a week now only has this blog and facebook to keep up with my rascals

So I decided I needed to get back on the horse and try blogging again. I love blogging. I love telling all of you my stories, random thoughts, crazy moments, and so forth, but 2012 has been a bit crazy and scramble with all the moves and house decisions so I'm still readjusting. God is great, and I have some amazing children, family, and friends, so this to shall pass and things will feel normal again (or is this the new normal?)

Anyways, a few weeks ago we were blessed with a visit from my cute little nephew Henry L. Murphy III (a.k.a. Bing). I promised my mother, his mother, and myself that we would get a picture of all five of them....hahahaha! Children are hilarious

Not sure Bing thought Stephen was so hilarious (but don't worry Nikki, Bing had enough sense to get out of there before things got too rowdy!)

Happy Summer!