Liza Jane Photography

Imagine

I want you to use your imagination.  Use the same imagination you had when you were a kid and you could visualize The Big Bad Wolf huffing and puffing, you could feel the excitement when the glass slipper fit, and you could dream of the ocean and actually hear the waves and feel the sand beneath your feet.  That is the imagination you need to use right now. 

I want you to imagine sitting in a doctor's office....hearing statistics....hearing words like blood count... cancer... Leukemia....chemotherapy.  Can you imagine that?  Imagine the devastation you would feel.  Imagine the fear that would overcome you.  Imagine the shock...the panic...the sadness.  Now, I want you to imagine something else.  Imagine you are 3 years old.  At a time in your life when your biggest battle should be learning to write your name, this is what you are faced with.  Can you begin to imagine what it would be like?  Or, imagine you are the parents and what they must be going through.     

All of these emotions you have imagined, are what the Tarver family is experiencing right now.  Haley Tarver was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia, and is currently at Cook Children's Medical Center in Dallas undergoing chemotherapy treatment.  I had the pleasure of meeting Haley when I took her school picture at St. John Lutheran Pre School a few days before her diagnosis.  She is a precious little girl with a big beautiful smile and such a sweet personality.  You can't help but fall in love with her. 

First and foremost, I am asking everyone who reads this post to pray for little Haley and her family.  The kind of prayer where you get down on your knees and have a conversation with God.  Understand that Haley has a long road ahead of her, so please keep her and her family in your prayers for a long time.  

A benefit account has been set up for Haley at Extraco Bank in Hamilton to help with medical expenses and for the expense of preparing their home for when Haley is allowed to return in about a month.  If you would like to help the Tarver family, you can go by any Extraco Bank branch to make a donation. 

Below are a couple of photos of sweet Haley that her mom has taken while she has been in the hospital. 

 

 

 

 

"I'm a Mom" moments

Let me just start by saying that I know I'm a mom.  I'm not going through my days wondering why there is a little 3 year old following me around calling me Mommy.  But, every so often something will happen that makes me stop and realize Wow, I'm a Mom! 

The first time this happened was when Carson was 4 days old, and we were taking him to his first Dr.'s appointment in Hamilton.  Still a little dazed from pain medication for a c-section, I sat by John while he held Carson and I filled out his paperwork.  Everything was going smoothly until I got to the bottom of the page where it asked for the parent/quardian signature.  My heart sank.  I thought I had remembered everything.  I had packed his diaper bag like we were going away for a week.  Diapers, wipes, burp rags, bottles, formula, pacifiers, wipes, and extra clothes.  I turned to John and asked if he had his cell phone.  He said he did and asked why I needed it.  I told him I needed to call my Mom so she could sign the form.  He looked a little confused and asked why she had to sign it.  I explained  she needed to sign in the parent/guardian space.  His expression was a combination of shock and pity and he was kind of pleading with his eyes for me to say Surprise, my sense of humor has returned!  I'm only kidding!  Then he calmly said Umm, you are the parent.  Then it hit me.  Oh...yes...right...I am the parent...I'm a Mom!  So, by the power vested in me by my uterus, I proudly signed my name in the designated parent spot for the first time. 

Another time that sticks in my mind was when Carson and I were leisurely shopping at Wal-mart when he was about 8 months old.  He was sitting in the basket munching away on Cheerios while I debated the merits of baby wipes.  Scented, unscented, extra thick, extra gentle, with aloe, and on and on.  Suddenly he started gagging.  I swung into action and immediately stuck my finger in his mouth to retrieve the offending circle of whole-grained goodness.  I finally fished it out, which in turn, REALLY gagged Carson.  In an effort to protect his cute little shopping cart cover that Shawna had made for him, I did what only a mom would do.  I caught his stomach contents in my hands.  So, there I was carefully pushing the shopping cart with my stomach and and steering with my elbows, holding a puddle of formula and chewed up Cheerios, and looking for the nearest trash can.  I quickly found one, and while I was cleaning my hands with baby wipes and Carson hunted for his snack cup filled with more Cheerios, I thought Yep, I'm a Mom! 

Well, another I'm a Mom moment happened this morning.  Carson had his first fundraiser for his babysitter a few weeks ago.  I dutifully hit up all the people at my mom's work and sold quite a few items.  They were delivered to us this morning, and as I stared at the mountain of pizzas and cookie dough and wondered how I was going to get them all delivered it hit me again,Yep,  I'm a Mom!

Refreshing

This morning I woke to a bizarre sound.  I had heard it before, but at that moment I did not recognize it.  As I rubbed my eyes and tried to free myself from the fog of just waking up, I realized I was hearing the most delightful sound.......rain!  Carson and I both sat out on our back porch in silence, Carson drinking his juice and me my coffee, watching the plants and trees soak it all up.  Carson suddenly broke the silence and announced"  I need to pway (play) in it"  I unlatched the screen door and off he went to enjoy the rain as only a 2 year old can. 

It reminded me that I had taken pictures of Carson the last time we had some showers.  Here are a few shots of Carson playing in the rain Dolly had sent us a while back.

Patience, my dear.

Well, slowly but surely our house is coming along.  The roof is supposed to be started today.  The brick tomorrow.  I can't complain.  Since we finished the foundation and actually started framing, the house has been going up pretty fast.  But, as anyone who knows me at all will tell you, I am extremely impatient.   I always want things done yesterday or even the last week.  I'm sure I am a contractors worst nightmare.  I have been pleased so far with the speed of the progress , and I haven't trampled on anyone's  nerves that I know of.  John just keeps telling me...."It is going to take time....It will seem a lot slower when they start on the inside."  I think he is trying to prevent my impatience from showing its evil head in the next month or so.  Good Luck on that one, John!  I will be as patient as I can, but no promises.  In the end we will have a new house and all will be right with the world.  I'm just thankful we will be back in Hamilton!

Here are a few pics from a couple of weeks ago.  The windows and doors are in, now.  And the decking is on the roof.  We may even have bathtubs, now. 

Carson standing in his room.

Carson with Coby, our contractor, double-checking the framers measurements.  He gets that from his Daddy.

Who is Andy?

Family and friends have asked me this question on numerous occasions?  Well, Andy is a multi-talented little being.  He is kryptonite when I desperately need my son, Carson, to release something from his superhuman grasp.  He is also a healer.  When Carson is suddenly stricken with the limp-legged affliction that causes the bones and muscles in a toddler's legs to turn to mush and inevitably, him to fall in a heap on the floor, Andy is the antidote.  When my hands are full and Carson decides to dart towards the street, the mere mention of the name "Andy", will make him stop on a dime and return to my side.  Basically Andy is my Ace-in-the- hole.  When warnings of "time outs" or other toddler torture don't suffice or when I have exhausted all of the tools in my parenting bag of tricks, Andy is who I call on.

When I offer the explanation of Andy, it is usually met with laughter, pats on the back, a few "whatever works!", and general praises for my unique parenting weapon.  On a few occasions I have received an "Aaaaawww", as in "poor Carson", or a lengthy silence that I can only assume is the person mentally adding my son to his/her prayer list or them making a note to email Andy's story to Dr. Phil.  I was also told "He is just showing his emotion".  Great!.....I'm all for that.  I want him to let it out.  There are just times when I would rather him wait a minute until we got in our truck to let it rip.

I realize I won't be receiving any "Mother of the Year" awards for Andy, but sometimes he is just necessary.  Honestly, have you ever tried reasoning with a headstrong 2 year old boy?  And have you actually heard the nonsense that flows from your mouth when you do?........."Yes, I see it has wheels on it, but that doesn't mean you need to push it.  I think the sweet little lady that is trembling would like you to leave her wheelchair alone"....."Yes, it looks like a sword, but you need to stop swinging it and hand it back to her husband.  He needs it to walk with.  Besides he looks like he might bruise easily."....."Oh, WOW!  that is a beautiful $250 hand blown Italian glass platter!!!  I need us to stop playing tug of war with it, so I can sit it down.  Gently down."  In every instance, Andy came to the rescue without any elderly people being harmed and without me purchasing Italian glass and carrying it home in a ziploc bag.  Andy has saved the day quite a few times, all without a hint of a temper tantrum, which can be catastrophic.  Carson has had a strong set of pipes on him since the day he was born.  This became evident to John and I when the nurses burst through our hospital door, like a SWAT team in baby blue and pink scrubs, as John was changing Carson's diaper for the first time. They must have thought that we had dropped him or something.  He is just THAT loud!  So, in an effort to protect the public's hearing, I will simply say "Andy"...Peace is restored.   I don't call upon Andy's powers on a daily basis, only when he is truly needed.   

I am including a photo of Andy.  The horrid, wretched Andy that can make a shiny little halo magically appear above my son's head in a split second.  WARNING- it is not for the faint of heart.  Scroll down to see my friend and Carson's adversary.

.

.

.

.

CUE SCARY MUSIC!

.

.

.

.

Scary, huh?  He sings and dances, too.  Love will keep us together is his song.