A LITTLE OVERWHELMED..........

Sometimes when I get down here to work on things from our personal stuff to the foundation I get completely overwhelmed. I really, really wish there were more hours in the day, it would help greatly!!! My mind is whirling with things that need done tomorrow, what is coming up next week, the ironman, various things for the foundation, Raelynn's birthday party preparations, the laundry that needs put away upstairs, the dishwasher that needs emptied....the list goes on and on and anything that can be done tonight has to be because I could never go to bed without the laundry being done or the dishes being put away. The only good thing about this is it is almost midnight and I am not tired at all. The bad part is, when the alarm goes off in the morning to go run....I will hate myself! I should be used to my crazy, neurotic self by now but it sometimes still overwhelms me.

Raelynn was exhausted tonight. She went swimming with her cousins, Kent, Kylie, Skyler and Cassie, today. She had a blast. It was so nice of them to invite her along and I tell you she thinks she is pretty big stuff when she gets to go somewhere without her little brother. Everyday I watch her grow up more and more. She is into music and she is starting to like grown up music now instead of all the little kids stuff. I am so thankful. I think if I had to listen to Vegie Tales or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse too many more times I might really consider breaking the car stereo myself! Anyway, she and I both love the new Miley Cyrus song, The Climb. I love this song but I love it even more when it is turned up loud just like Raelynn wants it and she is in the back seat singing along. Coop is into music just as much if not more. This morning when I got to Lisa's The Climb came on just as I drove into the driveway. I told Coop we could not go in until the song was over. Coop sat there in his car seat with one hand holding his sippy cup and the other tapping away. He was bobbing his head right along with the song. It cracked me up.

Raelynn has her first horse show this Sunday. I cannot wait to see how she does. I really won't know because I have no idea what they are looking for but it will be kind of fun to just think she looks so cute ad is doing wonderful even if she is not. I told her to just smile, sit up straight on the horse and if any of the judges looked grumpy to just give them the princess wave, you know the elbow-elbow-wrist, wrist, wrist wave, and they would hand out great scores. We practiced a little tonight. I was the horse of course! Tonight after our story Raelynn and I were laying in bed snuggling and she told me she loved me. I told her I loved her too. Then she said, "I'm not just saying that, I really love you." Then she kissed me on the forehead. What a grown up thing to say! I told her I knew just what she meant because I felt the same way. She smiled and gave a little giggle and snuggled even harder. I lay with her for a few minutes after story and prayers almost every night and still I can never get enough of it. I don't know how long she'll do this, but I hope whether it is laying in bed or standing doing our hair in the bathroom mirror we will always have that special time that just seems like ours and no one elses.

Cooper is a talking maniac! Today Lisa bought him a new bubble machine and he said "bubble". After work we went to the store and Raelynn was singing the Mickey Mouse song...."Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Digittie Dog" and Coop said "Hot Dog". Tonight I asked him what story he wanted to read and he went back to his room, got his favorite book (Goodnight Moon), and as he handed it to me he says, "Goodnight Moon". It is awesome. We have waited so long to hear his sweet little voice. I really can never wait to hear or see what he will do next. He surprises me all the time. He is such a happy little boy and just wants to do just what his big sis is doing. They put puzzles together, read books, color....it really is the most amazing thing to watch. Sometimes I do the whole sad thing about how this is my last baby I will hear say his first words or watch learning how to do certain things but the truth is I don't think I will ever run out of seeing their "firsts" for either of them. Watching Cooper do things is just as memorable and moving as when I saw Raelynn do them and even though Raelynn is getting bigger there is still something new and amazing that happens every day!

Well Coop's surgery is officially scheduled. We will go in for pre op on Wednesday September 23rd and his surgery will be on September 24th. Due to the extent of his surgery, he will be their only case that day. His surgery is scheduled for 8:30am. It will be a 6-10 hour surgery. As of now, he will be their first Hybrid procedure. There will be 2 teams of doctors; the cardiologist team and the surgical team. Dr. Kaine and the cardiologist team will put angioplasty in the arteries on the right side of the heart and stints and angioplasty in the arteries on the left side. Dr. O'Brien and the surgical team will close the VSD(hole) between the two ventricles and insert a conduit. This is the valve apparatus they have been trying to insert since day one. This surgery is again complicated and lengthy but supposedly not as scary as the last. A lump swells in my throat every time I mention the upcoming surgery. I know things will go as they are suppose to I just hope "the way they are suppose to" is the way we want. I can't help but cry now as I think about it and I still wonder how I will hold myself together when the time comes. I surprised myself at the cardiac catheter because I did not really shed a tear but this is the scary one. I just hope by September I have figured out how to hold the tears back and just show Cooper that it is going to be ok and he has nothing to worry about, that is what Mom is suppose to do right? Well I have a few months to work on it so if I can just keep the million thoughts of what need to be done swarming in my head so there is no empty time to think about September 24th, I should be fine!

Well I think it is time to go start on the clothes and dishes. Cody came into town to surprise Steph tonight and he has made it so I guess there is no other reason to stay up as everyone is where they are suppose to be or sound asleep. It is quite a job keeping track of everyone,hahaha!