Hi ALL,

 

We just got back from a long vacation to Clearwater, FL. We took my nephew Austin (also atrisk) along so Caleb would have someone to do things with. The boys and Gracie had a blast. Gracie finally learned to swim on her own. No swimmies, no life jacket just her. She was so excited about that. She saw bottled nose porpuses almost daily at the beach, and we had frequent visit from a manatee' also. On one visit from the manatee' the boys walked out and walked along side of it petting and rubbing it for a good 30 feet that's how close to the beach it swam. Gracie and walked out to see it, but I kept her at a distance. You never know when something might make it freak out and if it hit her her little body would just....well no need to go there we just stayed back far enough to avoid it. But it always slow moving and very gentle on it's visits. It was very kool!!! As the kids put it. The boys also met and got their pictures taken individually with Linda Hogan on the beach. They also saw Chris Angel twice. He was there to do a stunt in one of the hotels there are tearing down. We were going to stay and see the stunt, but our trip got cut short as we had to come home for my Aunt Kat's funeral.

 

We had another death. This one was hard on all of us. We were all close to my Aunt Kat. But my mom was especially close to her. Aunt Kat was my dad's sister and they were extremely close, so when my mom and dad met and got married mom and Kat became very close. This my Aunt that lost her two sons this past year, and she left behind my Uncle Ron. I don't know how he is going to handle all of this. Losing two sons and now his wife. Please keep him and my family and all my Aunt Kat's loved ones in your prayers. My Aunt Kat was sick, and I am finding peace in the fact that she is in a better place. Also, she was seriously mourning the loss of her boys. Now she is with them. She is at peace, she is with loved gone before her, and she is no longer sick and no longer suffers. I try to remember that whenever I am feeling sad or missing her.

 

Caleb is doing better. I ended up yanking him out of school last year, and homeschooling him. He was failing and there was no hope of him passing and he just flat out gave up. He made up his mind he wasn't going to pass so he wasn't even going to try, and he wasn't going to school anymore because he was mad at his dad for coming over everymorning and calling the police if he didn't get up the second he told him to. It got really out of control. His was going to school almost everyday, calling the school several times a day talking to everyone, telling them how unruly Caleb was, just always on Calebs case, in his face, calling him names, he punched him a few times, the school threatened to put him in juvy. So I had it out with Joe and the principal and I yanked him out. Poor Caleb had to be hospitalized again because of all the crap. I enrolled him in ECOT, which is a public home school. They are still accountable to the state for the work, and still have to put in the hours, but they can work at their own pace and put in the hours on their own schedule. This allowed me to get him intensive counseling, and work with him on a schedule that worked for both him and myself. And I am pleased to say the he passed the 9 th grade. He finished with 2 A's, 1 B, 2 C's, and 1 F. Unfortunately, I only speak a teeny tiny bit of spanish and even if a spoke a bunch of it it's not the same as doing the spanish work. Four of those credits will be transferable back to his old high school. 

 

Just in case anyone in Ohio is interested ECOT is free. I'm sure if anyone in other states wanted to do homeschooling you could find a similar program in your state. Just type in free homeschooling and see what pops up. If your child doesn't do well in public school and you want them to get some sort of education it's an option to consider. I think it's better than dropping out. If you can find a state funded public school homeschool which is what ECOT is they get a high school diploma and high school graduation ceremony. But you choose a private homeschool option then they have to take the high school equivalency test.

Gracie is Gracie...she is 4 and is a typical beautiful 4 year old little girl. She loves playing dress up and just learned to swim and ride her bike without training wheels. Oh she loves wearing bras and panties that match...lol...which is so darn adorable. She soooooooo much a girly girl. She loves wearing make up and painting her nails, making her hair pretty as long as she doesn't have to brush it...lol. She loves perfume...to much perfume...pewy...lol!!! She loves dresses and pretty shoes, and she definitely has her own sense of style. She dresses herself, and hates it if I try to dress her. She will often try to dress like me if we are going out somewhere. If I am doing something she wants to be right in there in there with me doing it. Which is great she can fold laundry, wash dishes, run the vaccuum cleaner, sweep, although she doesn't mop very well. The floor will be wet for hours if she mops...lol. She is learning how to cook. She love to make home biscuits and breads, and loves eating the dough and the butter. She's pretty cool to hang out with. Caleb used to be that way, but now he has no interest in those things except the cooking part sometimes. Sometimes he and I will cook together which is really nice.

 

Caleb and I usually do movies and go karting together.

 

Mom is about the same. Still mourning dad, and having episodes. It's day by dad with her. Up and down. I'm sure you know what I mean.

 

I'm not feeling so well. I haven't been feeling for sometime now. I've been short of breath, really really weak and tired. Nausciated and the last week or so been doing quite a bit of vomitting. My last 3 check ups at the doctor which are 3 months apart my blood pressure has been really high. So my last visit she added another medicine to help bring it down. And she and the urgent care doctors keep putting me on antibiotics for my breathing even though they really aren't hearing anything. But I do have asthma and so they are trying to make sure they aren't missing something or make I don't get something I don't know anyway they keep putting me antibiotics. My last visit they did more blood work and called me back and said she did a test that I am not sure what it is called (maybe one of you nurses would know) CRsomething???  and it indicated that I am at high risk for heart attack or stroke. Oh I've been retaining a ton of fluid in hands and lower legs, ankles, and feet. I've had Congestive Heart Failure in the past and so this kind of worries me. Especially sense it's all happening at the same time.  And I have a Cardiomyapothy, Aortic Stenosis, Mitral Valve Prolapse, and an Incomplete Right Bundle Branch Block. Now I don't know much about how one affects the other, but I do know that Cardiomyopothy mean weak heart muscle so that can't be good if something else is going on like CHF. If my heart muscle is weak then the stress of something like CHF would cause more harm wouldn't it? Looking for answers on that. Guess I'll ask my doctor. I go to my Cardiologist this Friday so don't worry. I am going to get whatever it is takin care of. I'm really not that worried about it I just have questions, and I want to feel better. I'm so run down.

 

Anyway, over all things really are going better here at home. We are getting ready to remodel the house I think. If we can ever get it going. We are having a fully handicapped bedroom and bathroom put out in the garage for mom, and then I am getting mom's old room. I will finally have a bedroom. I'm so excited..I just can't hide it..........

 

Rhonda from Cinci