Cherry Grove 2008!

We just came back from the beach on Sunday! Our whole family had a great time! It is soo funny, when we pulled up to the beach in the golf cart, the kid's hit the sand right then and there. I guess they think that is the beach, not knowing that you having to walk over the dunes to see the ocean. Schedules were a little off, I love my schedule! I need it for my sanity!
Jon and I got to spend two brief afternoons on the beach. (Gran and Pop-Pop watched the kids.) We enjoy adult conversation(woo hoo!) with the Long extended family. We also got to take a brief walk. And played an exciting game of botchee ball! Must activities are about the children! Which is the way it should be and the way it has to be!
Marley had a wonderful time this year! She was mainly a water bug! She enjoyed her pink tube and boogie board! She also enjoyed playing with her cousins, Bailey, Catherine, and Carson! Marley got a hole in one at putt putt. It was an amazing shot, curved to the left, bounced off the steps and into the hole! Worthy of a video clip! She also enjoyed the Aquarium at Broadway! Marley and Bailey are just at a great age to enjoy each other's company and entertain themselves!
Carpenter loved the beach! He loved going out in the ocean with his dad! He also loved being with his cousins! Carpenter, I think got a little tired of the beach by Thursday! Just the wind and sand wearing him out! ****He said his first sentence this week! I told him to go give something to his dad and he said: "Here you go Dada!" I was soo excited! You have no idea what that meant to me! He also had a great time at the Aquarium. He cried when Gran, Missy, Bailey, Marley, and Kyle left! So they took him with them and he had a wonderful time!
Sadie loved being in the ocean with her tube! She really loved being out in the ocean with her dad also! Jon and I did make a not so smart mistake(stupid is a bad word in our house)! With Carpenter and Marley gone to the Aquarium, we decided to take Sadie and Rowan to the Tanger Outlet's. We thought it would be real easy! Just two kids. But we looked at the clock, we pulled out of the driveway at 8:05. And I thought it was late, we would have never done this at home, my kids are usually in the bed at 8 pm. But we were at the beach and everyone knows beach time is different than real life time! So we went into the Stride Rite store. Every year I stock up on shoes for Carpenter, you save alot of money at the outlets. So Jon took Sadie and Rowan down the isle in the double stroller while I shopped for the shoes! There is one thing you need to know about Sadie, she loves shoes, obsessed, can not be compared to anyone else! So Sadie had to try on every shoe, then she would throw them in the stroller, thinking we could have them all! A free shoe store is her heaven! So I wanted these cute little pink madras shoes, and she wanted everything else. So I saw some flip flops on the clearance isle. So I said why don't we get them, but I didn't know the price. They were still $14.99, and my cheap self would not pay that much! So she pitched a ROYAL FIT! Screaming, crying, and the ole keep my self stiff so they could not put me in the stroller! It was horrible. She cried for 20 minutes, while I checked out and the walk to the car. We went all the way to the outlets to go into one store!
Rowan loved the beach, he didn't eat the sand too much! He would just crawl right into the ocean! He learned a big skill, he knows how to drink out of a straw! I can truly appreciate this skill because of what it took with Carpenter! He had a wonderful trip!

Funniest moment of the trip:
Uncle Lee put his bottle of water down beside Sadie's bottle of water. See, Lee drank Sadie's bottle of water. Gran gave Sadie a bottle of water because she was thirsty because she was eating a piece of bacon. Sadie's bottle of water had chunks of bacon in murky water in it! GRRRROOSSSSS! I missed Lee's expression, but he knew after the first sip that this was not his water. He quickly proceeded to the back porch to throw it up!

Rowan and Pop-Pop

3 amigos!

Sadie May!

Carpenter

Sadie getting knocked down by a wave!

Rowan and Daddy!

Kyle and Carpenter

Carpenter

Shirer's and Carpenter

Drinking a capri sun!

Girls in the ocean!

Carpenter pouting!

Jon and Marley

Rowan, Mom, and Marley

Putt Putt Fun!

Uncle Lee and Carpenter

Marley and I @ Libby Lu's

Milli and Marley

Gran, Rowan, and Pop-Pop

Sadie and Carpenter

Death

I guess with the passing of Jon's Granny and Lauren McCraw, it makes me think about death! I am not scared of death, I know the Lord has saved me. It is more of the thought of Wills. We don't have a Will and I know we need to do one. But we can not do a simple Will. We have to have a Special Needs Trust for Carpenter. This costs a few thousand dollars! Because if Carpenter has more than $2000.00 he will lose his SSI and will cancel his health insurance. Not that he could live on that! So all the questions having to do with a Will about the kids. Also my thoughts are about all my kids! Jon and I think we have to take good care of ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. So that we will be around for the kids as they go into adulthood and married life. But with the thoughts of us getting older is who would take care of Carpenter when he is older. Of course, we hope that Carpenter will be as self sufficient as he can be. But that one of our children will not think that having Carpenter with them later in life will not be a burden but a blessing! This is a huge responsibility that is placed upon them! Their little hearts may not know about this responsibility now but they will grow up soon enough before my eyes!

Stay at Home Mom

Today I officially feel like the dorkiest stay at home mom. I just got my checks in the mail. My last checks were cute little polka dot ones that seemed to say alot about my personality. They were good checks, not the most expensive but better than bank checks! I horrifically opened the box of the checks, you see this time I let Sadie pick out the checks. I don't know why I did this but she seemed excited! You may wonder what kind of check I purchased..... Sesame Street. Can you believe that? I, Stacey O. Long ordered Sesame Street checks, 4 boxes of them! I will be embarrassed to pull them out and write on them. The cashier will think, "Oh she's one of those moms!"
I kind of feel like I am in a rut. I have Elmo checks, a mini van(because you have to have one with 4 kids), and a uniform. I didn't know that I had a uniform until about a year ago. My Mema came over to my house and helped me out by doing some ironing. She ironed my polo shirts and jeans. And said this is your uniform. And I thought about that, I got angry that I had let myself go. I always wear polo shirts and jeans year round. I own no shorts, and don't suppose anyone would like to be blinded by my legs. I have like 5 polo shirts I rotate in and out. My choices are easy for me on busy mornings escorting my kids around! I actually thought I was doing pretty good, I hate sweat pants! I never wear them!

So this is it the life of a stay at home mom!

The checks came with a bonus, Sesame Street Address labels! WOOOO HOOOO!

Happy Birthday Jon!

Today is Jonathan's 28th birthday! Boy, are we getting old! Jonathan is outside playing "washers" in the yard with Spain, Luke, Chris, and Nathaniel! So I wanted to wish Jon a quick Happy Birthday! I love you!

Lauren's Hope

Please pray for the family of Lauren McCraw. She passed away today at 2pm! Lauren had Sanfilippo Syndrome.
What is Sanfilippo Syndrome?
Sanfilippo Syndrome is a very rare genetic disorder. Approximately 1 child in 75,000 is born with Sanfilippo Syndrome. In 1963, an Australian scientist named Dr. Sylvester Sanfilippo identified this disease. A child with Sanfilippo Syndrome is born lacking a very important enzyme that is used to break down certain chemicals in the body.

If these chemicals are not broken down and disposed of, they will build up causing serious damage. As the disease progresses, multiple complications will arise in the child’s health.

Seizure activity, hearing impairment, liver and spleen enlargement, sleeping difficulties, loss of mobility, difficulty in treating common illnesses, problems with swallowing, pneumonia, vomiting, and diarrhea are all common with a Sanfilippo child.

Due to the progressive nature of the disease, these children typically only live to reach 10 to 14 years of age.

Cindy, Lauren's mom, has always been an inspiration to me. Not only because mom's of children with disabilities have a common bond but because she exhibited abundant joy. Cindy was always smiling. The joy only supplied by Jesus Christ! Cindy would always dress Lauren beautifully! I guess the cruel irony is that Lauren was completely "normal" up until the age of 2. She was singing songs and playing just like any other kid. Lauren also attended the Meyer Center. Cindy also lost her mom about 6 months ago to cancer. So I know this is truly a hard time. But also a joyous one that she is free of her earthly body and free of that terrible disease. Lauren was in such physical pain before with constant seizures along with alot of other failures of her organs.

Please pray for the McCraw family.

Harbor Island

We decided on a quick mini vacation while we were in the Low Country after Grannie's funeral. It was wonderful seeing family even though it was a sad instance in the lose of her earthly life and joyous of her new heavenly life! I went with www.vrbo.com. Harbor Island seemed neat, not alot of people, and adventurous. We wanted ocean front because taking 4 kids and their stuff is hard to do with just two adults. I am surprised the female body has not grown more arms yet! Back to the vacation. To get to the beach it was 200 yards away! And then when the tide was out it was like 250 yards away! There were alot of wildlife: horseshoe crabs, blue crabs, hermit crabs, jelly fish, dolphins! This made us leery of going into the ocean! So we didn't even go into the ocean! There were also no waves which was disappointing! But the beach was nice to not have to worry about your kids flicking sand on anyone! Rowan seemed to enjoy it! He only ate the sand a few times and just loved crawling on the beach! Breastfeeding at the beach is hard to do and sandy!:(! But all in all this was our first vacation with 4 kids! Things weren't easy, but wonderful memories were made! Thank you God for my family!







Guess why Carpenter is crying?

I am soo proud of you, Marley!

I just wanted to post how proud I am of Marley. She made all A's all year long. She also made it into Challenge! She tested great in the Iowa Tests! Marley also made All - Stars in softball! I am soo proud of the All - Stars! When I was a child I did gymnastics and never played local sports with friends. Truthfully, my dad was a baseball coach and I can not catch a ball being thrown at me without closing my eyes! So I am soo proud of Marley for her academic and sports accomplishments! Even though at times it seems like I don't have as much time for you, due to your siblings being so young, I love you and rejoice in your accomplishments!