Mainely Kids

So I'm a little Behind....

2009-01-21T07:01:00.004-05:00

Here is a picture of my nephew Gus and his wife Melissa and their cat Casper....They made it to Maine on Saturday evening after a 24 hour trip from Indianapolis....what you can't see in this picture is that Melissa has the absolutely perfect little pregnant belly....they have 7 weeks to go before baby Watson is born....we don't know if it's a boy or girl but Uncle Hale put his guess in as a girl and I put my vote in as a boy.....the Mumma feels as though it will be a girl.....the beginning of March will let us know....It was so good to see them....

Aunti Kelle made a quick visit from the frozen north two weekends ago and we all had breakfast at our house....the kids love their aunti....here's Landonn and Faith enjoying some lap time....
This is the kids table.....
This is Kellan doing what Kellan does....we don't know......
I got a bag of clothes from Gracie's mom and the girls went through it and picked out thier favorites....they are too stinking funny....
This hat is what Blade picked out of the bag....
My resident cheeseball.....
The resident preforming princess.....
Landonn, Gage and Nicole....all very good friends.....
Josie and Blade after tubbies....
The three boys.....Landonn, Brody and Blade
Josie couldn't wait to get on stage after Landonn's christmas program.....she is my preformer....
Oh sure....now he'll sing.....
What!?!?!?! Why am I not on stage....I have to sit here???? Life is so unfair!!!!!

2008-11-22T14:21:00.004-05:00

So as I sit in my living room and I see snow flying outside my window, I realize it has been a really long time since I put new pics up here. Where does the time go??? I can't believe I see snow....I thought I was ready, but I'm not. Of course I may be saying that because I have been shut up in this house for three days with two sick kids, now they are sick of each other....I hope they get better soon or I may join the ranks of the sick.....

Our big kill of the season.....

These next few pics were from our last day of warm weather.....

Our two resident princesses.....

I looked outside and the kids had lined up these chairs and they were playing "Blast Off!!"

Jenn, Marla and I took the kids to a farm in Rockport for a hay ride and some pumpkins....I love this pic of Marla and her boys...

Landonn and Daddy went duck hunting a couple Saturdays....Landonn is getting pretty good at driving the boat.....what a big boy.....

Mumma and her Batman.....

Sweet as Honey!!!!

Pumpkin Time!!!

2008-09-21T01:56:00.004-04:00

Our neighbors got some extra pumpkins in their garden so they let the kids come over tonight and pick out their own pumpkins.....the kids were very excited...

Landonn chose this one....

This is the one that Josie chose.....

The kids thought they would carry them home themselves....

I guess we needed some help....

Washing them off.....

The funny part is when Joe and Linda planted these seeds in the spring they were advertised as cantaloupes.....oooooops!!!!

Thank you Joe and Linda.....

Bowen's first soccer game

2008-09-21T01:39:00.005-04:00

Today Bo had his first soccer game....he was very excited and did very well....he was very involved in the game and showed great energy and did not give up until the end....I don't think a score was kept per say, since they are kindergartners but he felt like he won.....

Proud Mumma with her boy......

Bo throwing the ball in to play....Marla had him wear the red hat so we knew which one he was...great idea....

He threw the ball in and ran right to the goal to wait for the ball....it never quite made it down that far but boy oh boy Bo was ready.....

Big man walking off the field....

Bowen's support/cheering section....we were glad we made it.....

Fist Day No way

2008-09-09T08:50:00.004-04:00

So today was Landonn and Pip's first day at Creative Christian Nursery School....this was a hard day for the mummas....

When I look at my son.....this is what I see.....

Here is (is it "here is" or "here are?" any help from you english people would be greatly appreciated) Jenn and I as we were leaving our boys....we did get over it quite quickly but Kellan and the kids at my house did not understand where Landonn and Pippy were....

When I went to get Landonn he and the teacher were very involved in a conversation/argument about whether or not Landonn would come back....he didn't seem to think he needed another day of school....I think I made such a big deal about the first day that I forgot to tell him there were many more to follow....

Not for the faint of Heart

2008-09-04T15:39:00.003-04:00

All right.....so I think we can all agree that there are some days that are better than others....this is not one of the better days....

Mikey had had a dry diaper and in like a half an hour he had wet through the diaper, his shorts, a doubled up blanket through to a feather pillow onto my couch....not a big deal....I've dealt with this before, within 10 minutes Mikey was changed laundry started and couch cleaned....

Once peace and order had been restored I went into the playroom to pick up while everyone was sleeping and I smelled a horrible poopy smell....everyone was sleeping so where on earth was the smell coming from....I came upstairs only to sense the smell was getting progressively worse the farther up the stairs I got....here's why....Gage Paul had pooped, then wriggled out of his diaper and had proceeded to play with/eat his poop and smear it all over himself and the playpen.....NICE!!!! the smell was so bad that it woke Landonn up who then woke Hunter up by saying "Hunter get up....I smell gage!!!" I smelled it downstairs in the playroom because the horrific smell had wafted down the register.....

I tell ya what....today is a day that I question whether the decision to be a stay at home mom was the best one!?!?!?!?

I must go shower.....Bye

15 mintues and three years ago

2008-08-20T16:55:00.002-04:00

Three years ago, at 4:45, my brother passed away. On the one year anniversary my sisters and I were able to be together. I wish we were all together today. I find comfort in knowing where everyone is and I wish I could see them. (I also wish my two and four year old kids would stop fighting ie Josie stop screaming) my daughter with the bright red hair that Donn will never get to meet. He didn't meet the last three babies brought into this family and just know that he would have loved them all but I know special comments would be saved for Josie and her red hair. Well I seriously need to go see what my son is doing to his sister to make her sooooooo upset. Inevitably it involves her very special pair of opurple fancy flip flops....thank you aunti sha sha....

Donn David

2008-07-12T23:30:00.003-04:00

I am sitting at my sister twyla's house. I was supposed to be in PA at a wedding (congrats to Christopher and Beq...I love you very very much) I have been bummed about not getting to the wedding but on the flip side, since I am not in PA I get to attend our family party for three very special graduates. Jordan Twyla, Cerise Hallie and Luke Lyle......all of them safely made it through their highschool years and we get to celebrate together as a family. Well I can't help but let my mind wander to Donn David. He was so adamant about family getting together. He loved it and was usually the last one to leave and he had the farthest to drive. He never wanted these times to end. I wonder if for some reason it was in his genetic buildup that knowledge to stay with family as long as you can for it will never be the same again. I am looking at a picture of him getting his beard trimmed by my sister Kelly. It's a sweet picture but one that makes me cry. He went through so much to try to live and he died. Swelling, pain, conciousness, sight, smell, touch. If he was not going to be able smell the sweet breath of his daughter or the smell of wife than why are we able to experience these things in the first place.

I wonder if this is my vain attempt at minimizing the regret I feel for how little I was able to help Donn through this. For four years, actually for over 20 years we took care of my father but the last 4 years were 24 hour care and I never once struggled. I considered it an honor to lay him to bed at night knowing he was cared for. I felt like every time I put fresh socks on him or a new shirt, somehow Daddy knew he was still loved, we still wanted him to look good and that he was so very important to us. I took such great pride in being his daughter and being part of this family who could come together and care for him.

I couldn't do this for Donn. If I saw someone helping him up or washing his face, I turned away. I didn't want to face the fact that he needed my help. I'm angry!!! I want him here, I want his strength back and his beauty back here on earth. It being gone has left such an unfillable space in our family.

Somebody once said to my sister Kelly, "And to think, if he was given the chance to come back now that he has seen heaven, he wouldn't come." This statement brings me an insane amount of comfort. It is my selfishness that wants him back. My own sense of sorrow warps my way of thinking into believing that him here is best. Here is not best. Heaven is best for him. I just can't wait to see that handsome freckled face of his again. Heaven is will be the best for both of us some day.

So I have totally rambled. Donn David has been on my mind a lot lately, probably because of the perfectly cloudless days we have been having. I'm gonna stop rambling now and just say that I love my family here and in heaven and I know I will continue to struggle with sorrow but my faith, my family and my friends are always here for me and I love you all.......

Fryeburg Academy....Class "B" State Champs....

2008-06-22T12:00:00.001-04:00

My neice Cerise (Reesee Cup) plays for the Fryeburg academy softball team and they won the Class "B" State Championship yesterday....this is her senior year and what a great way to end her highschool.....Yeahhhhh for them.....

Fun around Myah's....a little messed up and confusing but hey....what can I say....that's me

2008-06-22T10:12:00.008-04:00

Marla Parla and I ....

Blade Edward
Gracie Belle
Gage and his boogers......they are good friends

Alright....so Michelle....gracie's mom....and I were talking one day and i was reminiscing about two turtles my old roommate Beq and I had gotten in China Town....I did love those turtles and miss them and I said that to Michelle....well, the next day, she was on her way here and found "Cappy" crossing the road and brought him home for me.....well, needless to say, I don't have pond water readily accessible for his survival so he had to go back but I love that she thought of me and my love for turtles.....

Josie not quite sure what to think......

"Cappy" safe place to ride.....remember....don't hold a turtle until you know if they are snapping turtle or not.....
Since Cappy wouldn't get into the bucket.....Josie tried it out for size....
Landonn didn't want to get too close....

Hunter....takin' it all in.....

Gracie and her mumma.....

Michelle and her new, never to be forgotten, one and only pet turtle....for two hours......

Lesson learned....wait....lessons......turtles are still adorable, friends surprise you every day.....and, glenn, you just wait until she can get her hands on a duck.....

Blade and his googles....I love love love this picture of him.....

So, playdate= a couch full of kids and a shot of Marla's boobies.....
Not everyone got a bath but these too sure got clean....

Reesee-Cup's Graduation

2008-06-13T12:20:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday Hale Bennett and I headed over to Fryeburg to Cerise's graduation from Fryeburg Academy (i now know why the founder's put frye in the name of their town...they must have founded the place in June....what a scorcher of a day).....What a proud day.....she is such a great example to her cousin's.....great in academics, sports, and being an all around student....her friends and teachers came out and showed such great support for her....She was awarded three awards from the school committee......

Cerise and Nunni Twy.....Twyla shooed Hallie out of the kitchen and took over the food during her party.....she is such a great sister....and aunti

Cerise and I

Cerise getting her diploma or an award, I honestly can't remember

Cerise fanning herself.....have I mentioned how hot it was????!!!?!?!?!

Mum didn't make it to the graduation ceremony but she made it down to Todd and Hallie's for the party.....I love her and miss her

Twy and Mum

Reese's cake....all I can say is watch out for young girl's and wiffle ball bats....It left a mark!!!!

A county girl livin' in town

2008-05-28T10:37:00.005-04:00

This is a picture of Landonn with his train whistle. Even after a year the train is a source of excitement around our house.

This is Daddy and Landonn watching the train. I took this picture just a couple days after moving into our home.

Landonn and Jaeda enjoying a splash in our new back yard.

Josie enjoying her first swing in our new willow tree.

Our house!!!

My husband and I have had the absolute pleasure of owning this house in Thomaston for a year. I never thought that a girl from Moosetown would love a home in the middle of town. It seems that when I need those quiet moments to enjoy the peace of nature, it doesn't matter where I am. Our willow tree sounds just as beautiful on our in town lot as it would on a dead end road with no neighbors. Our neighbors maple leaves blow in the wind and sing the same lullaby in her yard as it would on a fifty acre wooded lot. I am so thankful for our home and I know this is the home God intended for us to have. I want to say thank you to Him, Bill and Betty and all our neighbors who have helped make this year so much fun.

We are truly blessed!!!!

Spring Has Sprung...Fun has begun

2008-05-07T11:47:00.004-04:00

We took advantage of not having a lot of kids right off this morning and headed out to the park. We got donuts on our way there and we had a wonderful morning. The bugs aren't out yet. The river is a bit high and scary but we stayed away from it. Landonn learned the hard way to not leave his donut on the table because seagulls will get it.

The donut eating seagulls....

Flowers for mumma!!!!

Swinging Back and Crockett's Beach

2008-04-13T07:59:00.004-04:00

So on my way out to the beach yesterday morning, I stopped at a local store to get Josie and I some donuts and something to drink. Now this is a good 'ol local store called the Keag (gig). It is in a prime location to service the local fisherman and it is run by good 'ol Maine people. Kinda rough around the edges but they will give you the shirt off their backs.

I struck up conversation with the cashier. I thought she had a cold, she informed me she was just hung over.

She pointed to a young girl that was also behind the counter with her and told me that a girl at her school had smacked her in the mouth and all she did was walk away. Now they (the kids at school)are all giving her a hard time because she didn't fight back. I can only assume the lady behind the counter was a relative, not sure though. So anyway, she asked me my opinion, "If someone smacks you in the mouth, do you hit back or walk away?"

Now, as a woman, I think I have a pretty good gauge of beauty. I'll tell you that the young girl (she is a freshman in highschool) is beautiful. Perfect skin, very slim, beautiful silky brown hair. She is a natural beauty, with no makeup and even in her bulky sweatshirt and pair of rubber boots over her jeans and not even the cute pink polka dotted pair of boots you can get these days, a big pair of black fisherman rubber boots you could tell she was a good lookin' kid.

Ok, so anyway, after looking at this young girl for just a second, I said without hesitation, "You walk away."

This was not the answer the two of them were looking for. The lady bristled at my response and said that she had been telling her all morning that she should have swung back. At that point I gringed and said that her true friends won't give her a hard time. This girl said "Well, none of them are my friends, I don't have any."

I was shocked, she was so pretty, how come no one was her friend?? Jealousy, did she show weakness, had no one ever told her she was beautiful?

We talked a little bit more and I left and went on my way with my 20 month old daughter, had a great time at the beach and I have not been able to get this conversation out of my head. Here I have this wonderfully carefree, full of life and spunk daughter who I truly believe that everyone will see her as a friend. Then I see this beautiful teenager, who was once a child, and she can't even manage a smile because of the torment that she is going through. If that woman was that girl's mother, I totally understand the encouragement to hit back. The more I think about it, if anyone who would go so far as to smack my daughter, they better duck. I would have to suppress the urge to swing back as well.

I guess I'm thinking about it so much because my husband and I do not agree on whether I should homeschool or not. He is quite adament that our children will be attending public school. I know my daughter will more than likely be in this position some day, walk away or hit back, walk away or take that drink, walk away or have sex. Pick your friends wisely, don't let peer pressure get to you, trust in God, what would Jesus want you to do....these are all things I will be teaching my children but will it hold up??? Will they be able to withstand it all???

Now I really wish they could stay babies. It goes too fast and then I can only protect them so much. This is where a strong belief in the power of prayer for God can always protect them better than I ever could.

I have actually prayed that the Lord will bring this young girl back in my path so I can be sure to tell her that she is beautiful and she is strong for walking away. I hope that this is not the end.

So after all that, here are some pics from our excursion to the beach!!!

I luv you all.....luv my

Lilo or Stitch.....I don't know which?!?!

2008-04-02T10:20:00.004-04:00

My daughter loves to climb on anything....I have the hardest time keeping her feet on the floor....in this picture she was in the rocking chair and this was taken just before she rocked it completely over.....

Landonn went outside yesterday and picked some rocks that we are going to plant with our etchtables (vegetables)....he said he wanted to show Daddy so I told him to put them on the back porch and he can show Daddy when he got home from work....well, the rocks and Landonn sat outside and waited for Dad.....he is so stinking cute!!!

The rocks....photography by Landonn

I love nature and the power that it has so when we woke up to an extremly windy day today I decided the kids and I should go to the ocean to watch the waves before all the extra kids showed up...I couldn't get any pictures of Josie facing the camera because the wind kept taking her breath away...

Landonn just stood there and watched the ocean for several minutes....

When he went to go out to the light house part he had to hold on because the wind was sooooo strong...he told me on the way home he didn't like the ocean because the wind was going to pick him up and put him in the ocean....that took some explaining....

Cheesy grin....

Ok....so I brought like 4 hats for the kids and not one for me so...here is the beauty shot of the decade...hehehehehe

I'll have to take Landonn out on a calmer day because he is still insisting that he does not like the ocean...

Horton hears a who and I do too!!

2008-03-19T15:21:00.003-04:00

Since everyone seems to be over the flu finally we have been having play dates again...This Tuesday Jenn and the kids came over, Ann and her kids....Jenn brought pasta salad and this absolutely wonderful chocolate peanut butter triffle dessert. Yum, Yum am I glad play dates are back on...

Jaeda came to my house today with these beautiful purple things...and that's exactly what she called them.....

I luv this pic....my own mickey blue eyes...

Josie with the beautiful purple things...and loving them...

This was the first time in a while that I had the whole crew here...Josie, Landonn, Jaeda, Tomy and Gage...nothing like a good viewing of Oliver and company....

Don and I (and when I say "I", I mean mostly Don) finished out the back room during the winter and we now have this great picture window that looks across the lawn and down to the river...it seems that kids are always looking out the window whenever we get together....I would love to hear what is going through their minds when they do...

Landonn and Hale are probably wishing that they were outside...

Miss Sophie loves this hat and she looks oh so stunning in it...Sophie is our cousin..

Here is Kellan with one of his greatest grins...He is so animated...Always a trip to watch...

Here are Gage and Tomy...they are almost exactly one month apart and they play real well right now....

I found Landonn in here this morning....No matter how big they get they still love all their toys...
Well, 'til next itme...hopefully Autni Marla, Bo, Brody and Blade will make it next time....

The mop

2008-03-09T20:05:00.003-04:00

So right around my birthday, my hubby and I got in a huge, and I mean huge, marriage altering fight over, are you ready for this, my mop.

Now I know what you are thinking...." really Myah, your mop?!"

Yep, my mop.

Let me help you understand the importance of my mop. It is like the brush to a painter, a hammer to a carpenter, a picnic for an ant....it is vital for survival. I am somewhat compulsive about mopping because of the age of my children, the amount of home renovations going on around here and also because I care for other people's children...I think that the routine cleaning of my floors are vital.
(of xcourse these are all vain attempts ast rationalizing my flood of emotions and subsequent over reaction)

So, here is somewhat of how our dialogue went...

Wifey(me): "Ummm, hubby. Did you use my mop to clean up the lead pipe mess?

Hubby(don): "no."

Wifey: "Do you think that I am stupid?"

Hubby(looking at me puzzled): "No."

Wifey(feeling patronized): "Ok, than can you explain the small yet numerous flecks of rust in my mop?"(now I am feeling like I have "caught" him and an apology and admission are quickly to follow)

Hubby(not looking interested): "no."

Wifey: "Well, they look an awful lot like the small yet numerous flecks of rust that were on 3 washcloths that I had to throw away and the small yet numerous flecks of rust that has stained my original porcelain sink!!!"

Hubby: "OK"

At this point my voice had gotten very loud, tears had begun and the stained mop got very dramatically thrown out on the trash pile and I proceeded to very angrily wash my floor on my hands and knees. And of course once the voice volume went up my hubby shut down and my hubby and I did not really speak until after valentine's day. How could he not inderstand?!?!?!?!?

Well, today the mop got the final say and quite a big lesson was learned by me. Because of the fight, my mop handle, which I had forgotten to take off before the dramatic flight into the trash pile, was bent and as I was passing the last few swipes across my kitchen floor, the bent part snapped and the mop handle "bit" my finger and caused quite a wound. I still may go see if stitches are necessary.
So what did I learn? Don't fight over a mop because it may just come back to bite you in the.......finger:)

Update: Marriage fine, hubby not in trash pile and we now each have our own mops :) Please excuse all the spelling and typing errors, the above picture can explain why.

The Tabbutt's are Alive

2008-02-17T17:28:00.002-05:00

Hello to everyone out there....It sure has been a while....I love that my sister now has internet and even better yet she has high speed....Ohhhh we get way to spoiled these days...Here are some updated pics of our little family....all is going well....keeping warm through the winter and trying not to get too bad of a case of cabin fever.....

This is a picture of Josie over at Aunti Twy's house....as you can see in the background there is a birdfeeder and Josie just couldn't seem to understand why the birdy's would fly away every time she screamed....

Josie luvs her hats....

Landonn is now all about dressing himself....I luv watching his independence grow...

Hope to keep up better.....Luv to all......my

Some Answers at Last

2007-11-03T16:27:00.000-04:00

So the appointment went really well with the neurologist last Monday. My children do not have epilepsy but they have involuntary breath holding spells. The doc had seen about 200-300 cases of this over the last 20 years and they will grow out of this. There is a chemical that everybody's brain produces that triggers us to breath before we pass out and Landonn and Josie do not produce enough of it to breath before they pass out. They do experience seizures and the doc says that the best thing to do is just let them be kids and unfortunately we just have to be aware of what to do when they do pass out.

Yeahhhhhhhhh, finally some answers. I took a couple days and processed all this info and have come to the conclusion that I am satisfied. The Lord has given me peace about that appointment.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Luv to all......my

Our Willow Tree

2007-10-28T21:55:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I have an appointment in Portland with the neurologist as a follow-up to the 24 hour EEG we did with Josie 3 weeks ago....Her seizures have been coming more freguently and seem to be more severe....her tremoring is stronger and it takes a bit longer for her to get her breath....and the preverbial straw that broke the camel's back was a week ago Thursday when Landonn had the very same episode...so, here my pediatrition is saying these have been just breath holding spells and Josie will grow out of them so why on earth is Landonn having one at the age of 3 which seems to me that he is growing into them......Jenn went right to the internet and printed out lots of info on epilepsy and seizures....I am getting to a bit of a desperate point because nobody (and by "nobody" I am referring to medical professionals) seems to understand or believe what I am trying to describe....we (Jenn and I) have done quite a bit of reading and there is one seizure disorder that describes from start to finish what Josie has been experiencing....I feel as though none of the doctors that I have spoken to give me any credit....they don't understand the firsthand knowledge that I have when it comes to strokes/seizures....I hope that tomorrow I can be clear and concise because as of Nov 4th it will have been a year and I am ready to see the light at the end of the tunnel....I know God will give me the strength for whatever is the problem, I just need to know exactly the problem is....

I am given strength every day when I am looking at my children and their development is right on schedule, they are both very smart and coordinated....they articulate and eat well....I just don't know what causes these weird seizures....

For those of you who know me really well you all know how much I love the sort of weather that is windy with a little bit of rain, and I mean a strong, gusty wind that takes your breath away at times and the air is heavy and almost cold, not warm but not really cold either...we were having that sort of weather last Saturday....Josie had a really bad seizure in the tub that night and it scared the bejeebers out of me....once I got everyone safely to bed, I went and sat out on our back porch and just stewed over the past year.....I cried a little and was just silent and still a very long time....we have the most beautiful willow tree in our yard and Josie' s swing hangs from one of it's branches and it was amazing to me to see that no matter how strong a gust of wind would be, that swing just swung gently and smoothly, never out of control....I found that willow tree very symbolic of what we do as parents....life goes on all around us and we let the winds of life push us around and take our breath away at times but through it all, we try to not let our kids see the tumult and just let them swing safely, untouched for as long as possible....that willow tree took care of the wind and let that swing stay safe, we had a few branches in our yard the next morning but all we had to do was wipe out a little bit of water out of the seat of the swing and Josie had a great time swinging...I pray that as this storm rages on around my little family, that God will give me the wisdom and guidance to make decisions that will allow my kids to have many more years of happy safe swinging....

Ok, so that was a little deep and I apologize for the wandering thought process but it feels great to let it out....this time is here for a purpose and I hope that we soon find out reasons...

Pray for the right words for me tomorrow, I don't want to get emotional or irrational but so help me if one more doc says "well, let's just give it some time" someone may get the call to come with cash.....hehehehehehe....

Luv to all...

Oh yeah....we have temporarily disconnected our house phone and internet so my updates will be sporadic....

Luv my

Payson Park

2007-06-25T16:08:00.000-04:00

We are very fortunate to have this great little park nearby called Payson Park...it has a great playset area, it's right beside a small river and it has a really cool bridge....The kids love it and until the bugs are too bad we are enjoying time there....

Jenn and Josie headed down the slide

Pensive Kell....

Looks like Kell's got a secret!!!!

Hale was pretty mellow that day....it seemed like his ride on the swing was going to put him to sleep!!!!

Josie and Kellan thinking the wood chips were the greatest thing.....

Landonn climbing high!!!!
I think little boys could throw rocks in the water all day!!!!

"til next time.....

Update On Josie

2007-06-25T11:26:00.000-04:00

So two Thursdays ago Josie had another EEG. That was fun....try getting 27 electrode leads onto a very active 10 month old's head, and then the kicker, keeping them on for 30-40 minutes of reading....not my idea of fun but necessary nonetheless.....I got the results and everything looks normal....even though the very next Monday she passed out twice...they would like her to sleep and be still during the test and she was not by any means quiet so they may send us to Portland for a 24-48 hour period to do further monitoring...

I will say.....she is either getting used to them or they are getting less severe because the two times she passed out on Monday there was no stiffening or seizure like activity....she simply passed out and then Boom, she was right back, no lapse in breathing or anything....then on Thursday, the child was very uncomfortable with a bad cold and fluid behind her ears and she screamed for about 30 minutes and didn't pass out once....

She's a mystery to say the least and we hopefully are out of the worst of it...Thank you all for your concern and prayers......

Home Sweet Home

2007-06-25T09:04:00.000-04:00

So this is our sweet home....I am having soooooo much fun with it....It is old but is so homey and in such great shape that all we have to do is some updating on wiring and then put our own personal touches....

Our back porch...

This looks like a garage but it is my hubby's workshop....He is lovin' it.....

My favorite corner in my kitchen and my favorite yard sale purchase to date....the little black desk that I got for $5....one person's trash....

Our front hallway....nice and big....

Our living room....it didn't take long for the deer heads to go up....

This is a pic from my back porch today....if you look closely, you can see the creek (The Crick) that runs behind our house....I LOVE weeping willow trees and there is a big beautiful on in our yard....

Daddy and Josie take a walk almost every night after her bath....they check out the yard and have a chat about their days....very sweet

Landonn and his train whistle calling to the train....

This is an extended arm pic that I took of Landonn, Jaeda and I on our back porch.....what a bunch of Goobers!!!!

This pic was taken one evening after they took their stroll....I love it~~
More pics to come to catch up on the busy and little life around the new Tabbutt home....All are welcome from far and wide....

Among the Missing

2007-06-14T11:35:00.000-04:00

Hi there Everybody....so, I have not dropped off the face of the earth...worse.....we moved.....just 6 miles away from our old house but nonetheless....it has totally turned my life and schedule upside down....I am updating this at my brother's house because when you move into a house that is 150 years old, the wiring and phone lines are not equipped for computer and internet...in fact....if I run the microwave I need to be sure that nothing else is plugged in in the kitchen or I will blow a fuse!!!! I love it!!! I'm actually not complaining because this is our first house and it is all very exciting....I have some pics of our adorable little home but of course, I got the kids, diaper bags, sippy cups, and myself out of the house, but I forgot my camera....Anyway....just wanted to touch base....I have really missed keeping in touch and will hopefully have everything hooked up by the middle of July!!!

Luv you all......My

Josephine Kelly

2007-05-08T21:40:00.000-04:00

Josie has now learned to stand up in her crib. What a big girl.

Well, as many of you know last November Josie had a weird fainting/siezure type episode that lasted about 3.5 hours. She saw her doctor and then went to a neurologist in December, had a EEG of her brain in January and everything came back normal.

Things were going pretty well until two weeks ago. I was getting her bath water ready and she wanted me to get her out of her walker and I apparently didn't do that quickly enough because she started to cry hard and before I could get to her (time span of about 7 seconds) she had passed out. When I get to her she is as stiff as a board and not breathing. Once she takes that first breath (usually takes her 30 seconds to a minute) she is a limp noodle and has a very hard time staying awake and her eyes roll back into her head and she sort of startles herself to breathe. Now the first episode lasted about 3.5 hours. Well, over the past two weeks she has had these episodes 3 times. She bounces back a lot more quickly now (is back to herself in about 15-20 minutes) but nonetheless, these episodes are odd.

At first the doctor thought they were spells of her holding her breath but since it only takes her about 10 seconds of crying before she passes out he thinks there is another explanation, we just don't know what it is. I can tell now when it will happen because her cry is very distinct but we have yet to find the variable that causes this.

I struggle so badly with wanting to block everything else out and not letting her out of the house or my sight. I want to know why this is happening and I'd really like to know right now but God has put this in our life for a reason and I need to learn from this. I also want to know the right questions to ask. I am more calm now when the episodes happen so there are a few things her doc would like me to look for and also for me to try to video the next one so they can see what I am trying to explain. Please pray for wisdom, peace and patience as we talk to doctors.

Her Aunti Twy calls her sweet Josie Rae...what a pair of happy ladies....we love you Aunti
Anyway, thanks to you all....Luv Josie

Pollywogs and Tickle Monsters

2007-04-27T08:02:00.000-04:00

We have some tadpole eggs in an overflowing marsh so Jenn and I decided to take the kids on a walk out back through the blueberry fields and have an adventure. Here is Hale, Landonn and Jaeda just before we headed out.

Oh, wait......Landonn has to take this call!

On our pollywog adventure we ended up walking further into the woods...Hale was quite sure that he heard a monster in the woods....we had to be quiet because the tickle monster had gone fishing in the morning and he was tired now and taking a nap....

As you can see.....they were all terribly afraid of the monster.....

So, then the monster woke up and was going to come out and tickle Teddy so these three were going to protect him and here are their weapons of choice.....

Oh, wait.....Josie has to take this call......

There is Teddy safe in the background after the kids scared off the tickle monster....Kell hung out and pulled Aunti's hair the whole time....

Whoa.....Hale....something not taste right????

Oh no.....everything's fine.....

We had a great little adventure and now we have a bucket full of tadpole eggs and marsh water to keep our eye on :) Gotta love the little things!!

Just the 5 of Us

2007-04-19T09:04:00.000-04:00

Here are a couple pics that my sister's and I took this weekend....I just want to remind everyone to take pictures as often as you can....we had a great weekend together and we will always have these pics to remind us and to bring a smile to our face....

I love my sisters.....

Weekend At Aunti Twy and Uncle Clyde's

2007-04-19T07:31:00.000-04:00

Jaeda is a pro at winking....in fact, right now, you can't get her to take a picture without winking....Here's lookin' at you kid......

Landonn and Bo had a little too much fun in the tub.....There was certainly more water on the floor than in the tub.....

Uncle Clyde sharing his supper....Clyde didn't sit alone much of the weekend....there always seemed to be a kid or two or three that wanted to sit with him.....

Close inspection of animal crackers....

The five of us together.....Twy, Marla, Kelly, Myah and Hallie....such fun times.....

Landonn, again without any shorts.....thought his Dad's rubber boots looked like the perfect fit....almost!!! Just a few more feet to go Landonn....

Update on Mom

2007-04-11T07:45:00.000-04:00

Just and update on Mom.....She came home from the hospital on Monday and then went to her appointment at a clinic in Falmouth that combines both homeopathic remedies with medicine...She has been to this clinic once before and both times has been very pleased with the Doctor there.....not because shealways agrees with Mom but because she totally understands Mom's desire to do things as natural as possible. We are all now trying to get into the routine of checking Mom's blood sugar and getting used to the insulin....Mom isn't too pleased with the drugs but so far she has complied.....Twy is coming over today to help Mom get some things done in the house and then we are praying that Mom will go back to Fryeburg with her.....The doctor said it is very important that Mom have NO stress and that she rests.....The best place for her to do that is in Fryeburg with Twy.....

Please just continue to pray for our wisdom and understanding....

Thanks.....The Kids

Dallas vs Diabetes

2007-04-06T12:01:00.000-04:00

So, as many of you may know Mom was diagnosed with Diabetes about 12 years ago....for the first 7 years maybe Mom had pretty much controlled it homeopathically and it stayed at bay and Mom felt good...Four years ago Mom suffered from sepsis?, endocarditis?, I honestly don't know what to call it, but if my poor memory serves me it basically boils down to a very severe blood infection...pls feel free to correct this information....anyway....it seems like ever since then Mom has had to work harder at keeping her blood sugar levels down to an acceptable level....She still remained adamant that she could control it homeopathically....over the last 7-9 months Mom has had very serious digestive problem and it all came to a head yesterday and my brothers and sisters all asked Mom to please let us try to get help for her and she said OK!!!! When we got to the ER her blood sugar was 379 and they very quickly gave her insulin, then hooked her up on an insulin drip and when I left the hospital last night her sugar was down to about 165. Mom has said many times over the last 24 hour period that she will do anything they ask so she get get better.

Pls pray for us as a family that we have the sensitivity yet boldness to get Mom to listen to the doctors and pray for our wisdom that we can make the right decisions for her. Those of you who know Mom will understand when I ask to also pray that Mom will remain open to the route of treatment that includes medicine...Her willingness has left us hopeful but we know how quickly she can change her mind....

This pic was taken Monday night....

Love to everyone....Thanks.....The Kids

A Cold Day in Rockland

2007-04-06T11:12:00.000-04:00

Ok....so only two stay-at-home moms would brave 34 degree weather and snow to get out of the house and go to the park...We were feeling a little stir crazy...As you can see, Kell was all about the nap though....

What a sweet boy!!! He didn't sleep long....perhaps that snow that started to fall was what woke him up....

Landonn and Hale could not be slowed down though....It was hard to get pics because they were running everywhere....

Look at that red nose....

Look at these two Yahoos!!! They have sooooo much fun with whatever they do and no matter how cold....

Remember the days of belly swinging.....It was all fun and games until Landonn landed in the puddle....

A nice picture of Jenn and Kell....Mom's are usually the ones on the other side of the camera so we have been trying to get pics of the moms with their babies....

Can't wait for spring where all we have to worry about is how will summer traffic slow us down on our way to the park instead of the fear of frostbite :)

Daddy and the Kids!!!

2007-04-04T07:25:00.000-04:00

Josie is still a bonafide Mumma's girl but she sure does love her Daddy...

What a cute little family!!! I love them so much!!

Okay, so you have to love Maine weather....This picture was taken on Saturday, beautiful warm, sunny day....Josie and I went for a four wheeler ride, Landonn took Jaeda for a spin around the yard, picked up toys, raked.....just did some great spring chores.....

Hello Tuesday, Hello snow.....This is what we woke up to yesterday and we are supposed to get quite an accumulation of snow tonight....I just bought my sandals....Bummer.....We are soooooo ready for some good weather and to get these kids outside....

Oh yeah, I make them go out in the snow :)

Going Commando!!!

2007-04-03T15:15:00.000-04:00

Going Commando.....doesn't that imply that they are at least wearing pants??? Actually, this is one of our latest adventures in potty training.....send the kid outside with pants on.....then Presto!!!! Pants are gone! Not sure what the new neighbors think!?!

Very proud of his hammer!!!

Look man, don't jump....we can find you new pants!!!

There's nothin' like workin' with Dad!!!

Look at this.....already taking a chick for a ride.....A stud in the making!

Of course, not sure how chicks will dig a guy in a pink hat!!!

Poses of Josie

2007-03-26T09:42:00.000-04:00

So Daddy thought she needed a little bit of whipped cream on top....If I wasn't trying to cut back on sugar I would be furious at the blatant misuse of perfectly wonderful whipped cream but who could get upset at a picture like this????

This was taken right after she got her first taste and decided she really liked it.....She has a sweet tooth as bad as her Daddy's....

I absolutely love the rosey red cheeks babies have after their nap....and she wakes up in such a good mood that I tried to capture a few memories....

Couldn't you just eat her up????

Some of the regular Days

2007-03-26T08:32:00.000-04:00

The day every mother waits for....Landonn has taken to vacuuming lately and the little bugger does a good job....Of course for the last couple weeks he would follow me around and show me where I had missed spots so the obvious thing seemed to hand the vacuum over to him :)

And then Bo came over and said he wanted to help auntie clean out the fridge because Aunti Hal and Twy were coming and the fridge was dirty...He did a great job as well....I just hope we can keep this up for their future wives

Steph and I gave Blade a bath and he just looked so cute in the hooded towel....Doesn't he????

Kell showing off his big new top teeth....what a cutie!!!

Faith, forever the entertainer....decided to read to everyone....or at least anyone who would listen....actually, she didn't care who listened, she read anyway....

Landonn and Steph hung out together for a while....We miss her and Faith so much....I so wish they could live closer.....

Goin' to Gemmy's

2007-03-22T11:53:00.000-04:00

The other day Landonn worked for quite a while to put a package of diapers in a bag and then he informed me that he had to go show Gemmy...he also made it very clear that he was going alone....No Mumma!

It kills me how independent they get so quickly. He and Gemmy ate nuts and sang songs and then he "Go back Mumma house." Not sure how he is going to handle it when we move?!

Up Home

2007-03-16T10:21:00.000-04:00

About three and a half weeks ago, Hale, Jenn, myself and our kids went up north to visit Steph and Faith and to stock the wood piles on her porch. We had a wonderful visit and here are just a few pics...

Here Faith was informing us that her name was Cinderella and that she had princess hair...Ummmmm..I don't remember Cinderella without her skirt?? You?? In fact, I don't believe that is even Cinderella's shirt?!? I think we should be looking for the Seven Dwarfs? She has such an imagination and it is soooooo much fun to watch her.

Hale and Jenn were reading to the boys one night and it got very animated.

Like I said....we had a wonderful trip up home and we are sooooo happy to have Steph and Faith here with us this week.

Streak Lightening

2007-03-15T09:09:00.000-04:00

So, Landonn was supposed to be getting in the shower. He obviously thought this would be much more fun. I believe all these pics are G rated thanks to strategically place handle bars and legs...Sorry if any are not.....

Right after this picture he realized mumma had the camera and he.....

thought he should take it down to his room....

Josie thought it was all quite funny!!!

I just thought this was a wicked cute picture of Jaeda.

Hope everyone enjoys these....If anyone else every wants to post thier own pics just let me know and I'll tell you how to log in and upload your pics..

The Latest Happenings

2007-03-13T21:10:00.000-04:00

Stephanie and Faith got to our house around 7:30 Saturday night. Landonn and Faith have had a lot of fun playing with the Choo-Choo!!

Earlier on Saturday Hale and Little Hale came over and we rode around the field on Donn's sled. That machine is running so well and we have done nothing to it. We are sorry to see the snow go now. We've been having a lot of fun.

On Sunday evening Len, Rach and the kids, Hale, Jenn and the kids, Marla and the kids all came over for dinner. It was a very busy little apartment but Landonn and Sam found thier own little quiet world and read this book. It was very sweet to see. It will be so hard to see Len, Rach, Hallie, Sam and Liam leave in June but the new things awaiting them in WI sounds very exciting!!!
Monday morning Steph sat down to have her devotions alone and she didn't stay alone very long. It is sooooo much fun to have her and Faith here right now.

Faith vs. Spaghettios

2007-03-13T07:37:00.000-04:00

Ummmmmm.....Looks like Faith won the showdown

Hmmmmm....you smell somethin'??

Is there something on my face??

Yeah, but I'm cute anyway!!!

One of my favorite pictures of the boys.....Probably because no fists were flying!! Just checkin' out the snowfall.

Marla and Blade Edward

2007-03-09T10:44:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of Mr Blade...He is such a cutie and his personality is coming front and center.....What a happy little guy.....He is still a peanut!!!!

He saves his biggest grins for his mumma!

Hope you all enjoy the pics of our latest addition...Now, who's next?? You know we can't go to to long without a new batch of babies!!!

Maine Children's Museum

2007-03-06T07:01:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of our trip to the Maine Children's Museum in Portland. There was a big fire truck for them all to play in and it was a huge attraction.

Hale gassin' up the race car!!!

Possibly the cutest picture of Kellan ever taken!!

Aunti Hal and Kellan!!! We were sooo appreciative that Aunti Hallie braved the February vacation crowd and helped out. I don't know if it would have been as much fun without her. Thanks Aunti....We love you!

Hale and Bo looked soooo cute in their fire fighter outfits.

Landonn was reliving the glory days of summer that we spent out at Aunti Kelly's farm.

Of course Mr. Fixit wanted to see how the engine worked.

Jaeda's Mom, Sarah, met us there and she and Jaeda had a great time... We were also glad that she was there for another set of hands.

We had a great time and hopefully the next time we go Aunti Marla won't end up at the eye doctor's with a pretty serious eye infection. She is much better now....

Miss Kitty

2007-03-01T19:29:00.000-05:00

Good Morning with Landonn and Josie....It's obvious that Mumma had already had her coffee because they are smiling!!! :)

Clyde and Marla have both called Josie Miss Kitty(something about Bonanza and Marshall Dillon)....I just cannot get over her red hair....

Sliding on Tar??

2007-03-01T09:53:00.000-05:00

Ok....so this is my first post and I got the pics all backwards....This pic wat taken of Landonn and Josie the night before we went sliding...we were in our back yard and the temp was so mild Josie was able to come out and join her brother in his snow filled adventures!!

This pic was taken the day we went sliding.....Mar, Jenn and I try to get the kids together once a week....Jenn had an indoor picnic a while ago, we've made Valentines and some times we just let them play...We decided to take them sliding (or is it sledding?)....Josie wasn't too impressed but check out those teeth....

On Marla's first run down the hill she took Brody and it was one of those moments where you wish you had the video running. Marla's sled for some reason stopped and she and Brody kept going and Marla ended up on Brod and his face took a beating.....He recovered quickly....Needless to say, his mumma felt awful....

When we first got there Landonn and Hale thought this was the best thing to do....it took us quite a while to convince them to get out of the sleds and to the top of the hill....

This is where Kellan and Josie hung out....Kell chilled the whole time but Miss Kitty had other plans.....

Anyway....we had a lot of fun and we plan to do it again next week....It should be great sliding because we are supposed to get about 10-12 inches of snow this weekend.....

Til later.....Love the Mums and the Kids