Tales from the Tuggles

A day in the life of a Tuggle.........

2009-09-22T20:34:00.000-07:00

A friend from my past that I haven't seen in years was interested in what my life was like. She wanted to know a day in my life is like. I thought......hmmmm... sounds like an interesting blog post. Let me give some background........the weekend.....well Friday...... preschool calls me at work.......Zeke is running a high fever. He just got over strep and is teething and got 1 yr old shots the day before. Saturday is his first b'day party. I have invited close to 50 people. Chad is sick. Baby gets better.....party goes well (thanks everyone!!) Sunday kinda blah......noone felt great. Ok- Monday morning...CHad leaves early to go cut grass, Bran wakes up late, Luke wakes up with a fever......it is POURING rain. Debbie and Spence both have dr appts., I can't find a sub. I take Zeke to preschool and Luke goes to work with me. Ian goes to class as normal. I am late for work......can't get principal to tell her what is going on. Get Ian to class and get Luke some breakfast and settle him in my classroom. I go get my reading group and bring them to my room. Me and my 4 5th graders are really into our story and Luke wants to listen so he crawls into my lap & then.........he throws up all over me and in the floor. I am talking like projectile vomiting. My poor kids were so grossed out! Chad came to get him and took him to Dr. Jud.........strep!! Chad has a viral infection. I finish up the day at work. Ian and I make a fairly quick run to Wal-mart after school. swing by Bowie's and pick up Luke's antibiotics, and go get Zeke. I get home to find that our beloved dog Zig-Zag has given birth to her 4th litter of puppies. She had 8 (6 have survived) right in our garage on my Christmas wreath. I cleaned up that wonderful mess, checked them out, and came in and helped feed and bathe everyone. I also packed lunches, fed the fish, watered the plants, and cleaned the kitchen. I then got a call that my dear sweet aunt Regina had passed away. It was somewhat expected but still really hard. I had a snack and laid down with Luke where I fell asleep until I was awakened at 2 in the morning by screaming puppies. Zig-Zag had moved all the puppies to our doorstep. I woke up late ( 6:00 am) again on Tuesday, but managed to get Zeke to school and still make it to work at 7:43.....2 minutes to spare. Luke stayed home for one more day......he is fine but just didn't want to share the love(strep)! Had some reading groups, cleaned puke off a kid who threw up all over himself, talked to some parents, blah, blah, blah. Got 2 calls from preschool about Zeke. Finally got Ian headed to Curry, got Zeke, and back to Jasper to Dr. Jud. Ian is good, Zeke has an ear infection. Came home........a puppy died :( Sweet Chad cooked supper......I took a short nap. Got up ate, played, bathed kids, packed lunches, washed a load of clothes, ironed clothes, called sub for Thursday, cleaned kitchen, ate nachos with lots of peppers :) now laying in bed blogging and checking facebook and putting off grad school homework. WOW! Even though I live this stuff everyday, I am tired form typing it all. I am so blessed! That is actually 2 days in our life........our wonderful crazy life!!!!

Just a little update!!

2009-08-02T21:24:00.000-07:00

I thought I might want to update before so much has happened that I can't cover it all!! Luke got his glasses on Tuesday, July 28. He was so excited! He looks adorable!! He is doing awesome so far. He doesn't really complain about them. He remembers to go get them without being told first thing when he wakes up, and he takes them off when he starts winding down for the night. He loves the "rule" GranDee made up.....On your face or in the case! Let's pray that the glasses are enough to help and we don't have to patch!

Zeke had his surgery Wednesday, July 29, to correct his hypospadias and circumcise him. The surgery went really well and wasn't as in depth as the surgeon thought it might be. It turned out to be more of a skin problem than an anatomy problem. He did not recover from the anesethia and pain meds so well. He really gave us a good scare. His pulse and respirations were high and his oxygen was low. He also began to run a fever. They gave him a breathing treatment with Albuterol and Tylenol and Motrin and eventually everything was fine, but only after Mommy and Daddo almost had nervous breakdowns!! We were at Children's about 12 hours, but did get to come home that night. He is now recovering well. He isn't fond of diaper changes and baths aren't the greatest, but he is getting better. He crawls and plays like nothing is wrong. He hasn't had Tylenol or Motrin in 2 days and tonight he took a bath without screaming!! Yay!!

Friday, Ian had his checkup at the ENT. His ears still did not look good and his sinuses are infected. We decided to go ahead with surgery. Antibiotics every month or so is not good. Dr. Simmons will put in the third set of tubes, remove the adenoids, and irrigate his sinuses on Tuesday, August 4. We also discovered that he has a slight functional heart murmur. According to 2 doctors(Dr. Simmons & Dr. Jud), a good friend who is a nurse, and the Internet this is not a big deal at all. We decided to go ahead with the surgery so quickly because Chad and I have to go back to work on Wednsday, August 5th and Ian starts PreK the next week. I didn't want him to miss the first days of school. It will be a one day surgery, and the recovery shouldn't be that bad. It shouldn't be anywhere near as bad as tonsils and younger kids usually bounce back quickly. Dr. Simmons said he should be fine to start school the next week.

Chad is trying to get everyhting he can done before he goes back to work. He is constantly busy cutting grass, working around the house, etc. He is going to have an extra full load this year and will be at one new school. He will still be at Cordova, but he will now be at Oakman instead of Parrish.

I am staying put as far as work, but we will be getting a new principal so that will be a huge change. I have no idea what is to come. I do know that God will work out everything just as it should be!!

I will update after Ina's surgery and we start back to work. Obviously the Tuggles are crazy busy, so keep us in your prayers!!

New addition to the Tuggle family

2009-07-24T20:11:00.000-07:00

Guess what......we have a new addition to our family! Now I know right now you all think I am pregnant and are totally freaking out, but calm down. thats not it! We are the proud owners of a new beta fish named Dora. Luke went back to the eye doctor yesterday and we found out he needs glasses and possibly will have to patch as well. We get the glasses next week. I felt so bad for the little guy. We were on the way home and he had to poo-poo "real bad", so I wheeled into Pet Depot which happened to be the closest place with a bathroom. We were looking at the pets and Luke decided that should be his surprise for being so great at the doctor. He wanted a bunny, but I just couldn't do that. I figured a beta fish wouldn't be so bad. I am terrible with fish, but they had plenty that I'll be able to replace it with! She made it through the night, so maybe she will be ok. The boys love her and want to actually put the food in her mouth when we feed her. She has to stay on a high shelf and we take her down to talk to and feed her. I am just waiting to find poor Dora flopping in the floor or swimming in the toilet. We'll see.

Today was a fun day. Chad worked all day so me and the boys hung out. We went to Chick-Fil-A and to Walmart. I haven't had a nervous breakdown yet, so I am good! Wal-mart with those 3 will do it. We came home and played hide and seek. Luke tells you where to hide when he counts and he makes noises when he hides so you know where to look. Ian just tells you where the others are. I got 2 pieces of good news today. First the occupational therapist came to see Zeke again, and she was amazed at his progress. She said she didn't really think he even qualified for her services anymore. Yay Zeke! SHe is gonna see him 1 or 2 more times just to make surre all is well. The physical therapist is still gonna follow him for awhile at least until he's walking to keep a check on his foot. Next, I got a letter from the lawyer and it looks like the Board of adjustments wants to offer me a settlement to reimburse for medical expenses and mileage. It's not a ton of money but it will pay for a couple of grad classes. God is good and always works things out!

Putt-Putt

2009-07-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I had another one of my great ideas! All 5 Tuggles should load up and go to Sonny's Fast Track to play putt-putt golf. For those of you who don't know what that is, it is a "family fun center". Of course that means that the Tuggles would have fun.......right!?! We di have fun, but I think it might be a while before we do it again. It was too long. The boys got bored after a few holes, and it was a million degrees. I ended up with about 75 mosquito bites also.

Dance night at the Tuggles'

2009-06-23T22:58:00.000-07:00

Check out Luke http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw7ueEpbL0Q..........don't know where he learned this!

Buzz........

2009-06-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

We had a great Father's Day........breakfast at church, lunch at home with our family and both of our dads(Paw and Pop), and swimming. We culminated the day with a haircut for Luke. The 5 of us gathered on the patio out front to cut Luke's hair. He really hates haircuts! He screamed like he was being tortured........we were just waiting on someone from DHR to show up b/c a neighbor had called. He then got hair in his mouth b/c he was crying. Chad got the hose to clean him off. Before long he and Ian had stipped down to their underwear and were playing in the water. That, a sucker, and some smarties were all it took to calm him down. He'll do just about anything for sugar! Now he is all buzzed and cute! No more poofy hair.........just that sweet little face!

9 Months

2009-06-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

Baby Zeke is 9 months old today!! It's hard to believe that it has already been that long. At this time 9 months ago, I was praying that he would make through the night so I could be with him the next day. Wow- God is so good! Today he is a healthy, fantastic baby!! He sat up by himself for the first time today! He is just about to crawl. He got up on all fours for the 1st time today as well. He just hasn't quite figured out how to take off yet. Every time I look in those big blue eyes I am reminded just how great God is!

Finally it is summer!!

2009-06-08T20:41:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while b/c my computer is sick and it is very hard to tear Chad away from his. School is finally over for a while. I got out May 25. I was already making my way up the hall when Mr. Smith announced that we could leave. I rushed home and loaded up the car and we headed for Gulf SHores. It was a yucky ride.........the boys didn't travel too well. Ian complained about his back hurting and said he had to throw up every few minutes. We stopped many times to let him stretch on the side of the interstate. I have pictures, but they are on my computer, so I'll post them later. We had a great trip. Pop and GranDee went with us. We also got to meet up with our good friends Dave and Rachel and hang out and eat and stuff. It was a great vacation, but I think we can vacation all summer. The boys were perfectly happy at the pool. I think we should get some palm trees and go out back and it will be just as well.........but a lot less money!We made a family trip to Dr. Jud when we got home. Everybody was good except poor baby Zeke........both ears really infected. We go to ENT on the 15th. I think we will probably set up a tube surgery. His surgery on his pee-pee has been changed until the end of July. Poor thing is gonna have a rough summer. He's a tough little guy though! He will be 9 months old in 2 days.....WOW! How time flies! We are having VBS at church this week. The boys are having a blast. I am helping with crafts, so the boys and I are all there each day and are exhausted! We have rearranged rooms and now have a bedroom for the big boys to share and a tv/playroom. Zeke will eventually move into that room when he moves out of ours. He is really the only one who sleeps all night. I must confess that at least 2 or 3 of us usually end up sleeping on the couch. We have the best couch in the world. It is actually big enough for us all! I will update again soon and post pics from the beach and VBS.

Tuesday, Tuesday........

2009-05-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

I hate being out of school on Monday. It just prolongs all the wonderful things about Monday mornings. I'd much rather be out on Friday. Yesterday just teased us. It seemed like summer and now we must go back for a few days. We lucky folks in Jasper City get to go through Friday. You can rest assured that Mrs. Tuggle will be at the door waiting for the clock to change to 12:00. We had a good Memorial Day.........nothing special just good times relaxing and hanging out together. Today Ian and Zeke had to go to the ENT...........good new and bad news. Ian has a bad ear infection............more antibiotics and some steriods that make him crazy wild. We go back in 2 weeks to discuss what happens next. Zeke's ears were not infected, just a little red. Maybe he is cutting more teeth, and that is what is causing his fussiness and discomfort. Luke is doing well. He is actually asleep........it was almost 11:00 last night before he finally fell asleep. He is so funny......I will have to start writing about some of the funny things he says. Tonight for instance, he told me he couldn't say Zeke's name straight because he doesn't have bracelets on his teeth. Apparently Ms. Behre, his teacher at school, has told him that her braces are to make her teeth straight. I guess he took that and ran with it! This is the teacher that was out a couple of weeks ago because she was at home with her flute. Oh, I could write a book....... We did do something fun tonight. Tonight was our night to feed the Elliotts! Me being the awesome cook that I am.......treated them to Mexican food at our new Curry Mexican restaurant. All was going well......kids were being good, eating good food, enjoying good fellowship with friends,......and then Ian threw up. Not just once, but twice........everywhere! We may never be allowed in there again. The Elliotts have been out to eat with us before, so they kind of new what to expect. This was even crazier than usual. Tomorrow is the boys' last day of school. It will be Ian's last day of Blooming Grove ever......he is going to Pre-K at West Jasper with me next year. It is bittersweet. I think it will be good for him, but I love Blooming Grove and I know he will miss everyone there. They will still have to endure 2 Tuggles.....Zeke will get to start when he turns 1. He should be a walk in the park compared to Luke when he started. He was a bit difficult. Ok- I have rambled a lot about nothing, but I seem to have trouble slowing my brain down enough to go to sleep and thought writing would help. If I don't post again before the beach I will definitely have lots of good stuff and pictures afterward! Pray for healthy ears!!

A quick update

2009-05-23T07:27:00.000-07:00

Zeke eating his 1st cheese puff!

Ok- so I have uposted in a LONG time. Things have been pretty busy for the Tuggles. We are trying to get this school year finished up. I had a birthday on May 5th........I can't believe I am 28. Then we had mother's day. I am so blessed to have my 3 precious boys! The boys are just getting over sickness......the big boys had pneumonia and both of Zeke's ears were infected. Chad hurt his ankle and got to sport the big boot like I had for a while. I think we are all on the road to recovery now. Chad finished up his golf season at school, but has been extra busy with side jobs. I have been crazy busy at school. I have taken 22 girls to Birmingham to paint and eat at Stix, gone on various other field trips, and brought 6 of my kids home to swim at my house. Believe it or not I am not completely crazy yet. We have also been playing ragball. Ian loves it and is read for the major leagues any day now! ;) Luke is another story. The first game he got mad when every ball was not hit directly to him and he threw down his hat and glove and cried and pouted. He hit the ball and ran to first base but would go no further. The next time at the bat he hit and went straight to the dugout. I don't think he would even bat in the last inning. The next game he did run all the bases, but he refused to wear his glove while on the field. Also, he will only go out there if Mommy is with him, so I go to the next base and yell for him to run to me. I get to be out there with all the coaches and dads. Last night I was able to watch from the stands with the other moms. Luke did much better. He hit the ball everytime and ran all the bases. He played in the field......with a little coaxing.......although he didn't catch any balls. He wore his glove some of the time. It was a much better game! It was even better when we had supper at the new Mexican restaurant in Curry. It is great.....now we don't have to drive to Jasper. We are having a nice laz Saturday now watching Little Einsteins and playing. The boys didn't get up until 8:00 which was great. We get a day off on Monday then the boys have 2 days of school, Chad has 3, and I have 3 1/2. On Friday the Tuggles are headed to the beach! Hopefully I will have more time to update the blog throughout the summer. Enjoy the pictures of the boys.

Thursday's Thirteen

2009-04-23T09:29:00.000-07:00

-Just a side note.....I just read a friends friend's blog and totally stole her blog title. I thought it was a cute way to write about what's going on.....maybe she won't mind :)

1. Whale's Tales........that is the swimming program that our 4th and 5th graders attend every Thursday afternoon. It is also what gives Mrs. Tuggle a much needed break on Thursdays........Yay for swimming!!

2. 2 would be the number of pounds I have gained when I weighed this morning. I have got to get back to the gym. I hurt my ankle, so I had to take a break. I'm sure eating Doritos for supper doesn't help either.

3. 3 is the number of precious little boys that I wish I were at home playing with right now! They are growing up way too fast!

4. 4 would be the number of kids that are absolutely driving me crazy right now!! They are in a group with the teacher I share a room with. I get the pleasure of hearing them argue all day long!

5. 5 is how many minutes I will have of wonderful silence when these kids leave until I go to lunch.

6. 6 is the time that Ian and Luke's art show starts tonight at their preschool. They are so excited. They get to show off off the cool things they have been making over the last few weeks. My camera is fully charged and ready, so I will post pictures later!

7. 7 is the number of times I have been to the tanning bed so far......why does having a little color make you feel so much better???

8. Ok- I am running out of things to associate with numbers, but here is something interesting. I got to meet a Harlem Globetrotter the other day."Hollywood" Brown came to speak to our school. He had a great message and some really cool tricks.

9. My SPARKLE girls club met this morning and we had a really great speaker!! She talked about the choices we make and how they affect us and others. I might have gotten more out of it than the girls!! Thanks Mary!!

10. My sweet baby Zeke is staying with the Goforths today. I am so thankful God has blessed us with such awesome friends. It is so nice to be able to leave your kids with people and know that you don't have to worry about them.

11. Sickness has been going through the Tuggle clan lately. Everybody seems to be getting better. My sinuses are slowly getting better. The pollen isn't helping at all!! Ian and Zeke have had ear infections, but are tremendously better. We go to the ENT for check-ups on Monday. Pray for their ears to be clear and no surgeries!!

12. Zeke has started sitting up. He doesn't get up by himself yet, but he will sit there if we sit him up. He will also clap his hands if you yell and cheer for him. It is adorable!!

13. The Tuggles have a busy weekend coming up.......SS fellowship, birthday party, cutting grass, LOTS of laundry, cleaning, church, and maybe even a few hours of sleep.

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-14T20:47:00.000-07:00

Easter baskets full of goodies!

Easter egg hunt @ Blooming Grove Preschool

Dying eggs with Mommy

Hunting eggs @ church

Easter fun @ Aunt Becs

Ian, Luke & Zeke Easter 2009

Just a thought.....

2009-04-01T07:08:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted much lately, so I thought I would. I wanted to share my morning devotion from today. It was titled The Pursuit of Jesus and referenced the scripture Psalm 41:1. "Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble." This really hit home for me. It talked about how we should remember how Jesus was constantly pursued by so many people. He always helped those people and never complained. I can't remember one time in the Bible where He said get away from me or please quit calling my name. I thought about how many times a day someone "needs" me and how I respond. Some days I think if one more kid says Mrs. Tuggle or if someone else needs a favor or even if my sweet babies say mommy one more time I might go insane. I'm sure we have all been there. Don't get me wrong, I love to help people, I especially love my babies and I love the fact that I am "needed" in so many ways, but it gets overwhelming sometimes. The last part of that verse rings so true for me. The Lord has definitely delivered me in times of trouble........sooooo many times. I know that most of us are so busy and play so many roles in life and are so often needed and pursued by others. What if Jesus told us to leave him alone or that He didn't have time right now or that He needed time for HImself? That is what I thought about this morning as I read that verse because I had said all those things at some point yesterday. I am going to keep that in mind today as I hear Mrs. Tuggle I need this or Mrs. Tuggle can you help me... and especially when I hear Mommy........ I know that all too soon my babies may not need me as much. Just a thought.......

Way to go Chad!

2009-03-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Before After

I have learned that when Chad decides to do something he doesn't play.......he does it! A few weeks ago we discussed the need for new flooring in our kitchen and dining area. ALthough our house is only 4 years old, the linoleum was coming up in several places. I would NOT recommend the people who did our flooring! ANyway, we decided to go with hardwood. I came home the next day and all the linoleum was in the driveway and my stove was in the garage. It was a mess for awhile, but it was worth it! Chad did a fabulous job. I learned that you can survive without a stove and still feed a family of 5 as long as you have a microwave and a George Forman grill.

Let it snow!!!!

2009-03-01T21:49:00.001-08:00

When Ian woke me up at 7:00 this morning and said it was snowing, this is what we saw out of our back window.......a snowy Smith Lake. It was really pretty. We of course had to wake Luke so everyone could see. We then bundled up and went outside to make snowballs. We didn't stay long because Ian has an ear infection, and both boys are very snotty and congested. I had to let them go out though. It's not very often we get snow. Poor Zeke got to look out the window. He too is snotty, and I decided it wasn't risking anything for the snow.........he won't remember anyway. The boys went outside and made snowballs, and I took a few pictures. Luke decided quickly that it was too cold for him and he wanted to go in and have strawberry milk and white grits. Ian had to be forced inside as he always is. They are like night and day!! Later, all 5 of us (plus 2 snowballs) loaded up to go eat lunch with Paw. We went to Ryan's where we ate way too much. We came home to a powerless house. It was ok though since it was during the day. It was nice to have a break from Dora and Handy Manny. I really hated that I couldn't do any laundry though! ;) Church was cancelled all day, so we stayed in and realxed (mommy), did laundry (daddo), played (boys), and napped (Zeke). It was a good day! Now, time to get ready for Monday.

Fun at AA

2009-03-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

Friday night I did something I rarely do. I went out with some girl friends. We (friends from work) went to dinner at Cabos and then to AA. In case your wondering, AA stands for Art Affair.....not alcoholics anonymous! Art Affair is the Jasper version of Sips and Strokes. It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed painting........it was very relaxing. Here is a picture of my creation. I was kinda proud of it. Maybe this is yet another backup career?????

I love Wednesdays!!!!!!!!!

2009-02-18T06:17:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I have posted, so I thought I'd give it a whirl this morning. I am obviously working hard here at my job. No, really it is Wednesday.....which has become my favorite day other than Sunday. We have fine arts here at West Jasper on Wednesday which means extra planning (or free in Mrs. Tuggle's case) time. I don't have my laptop here, so I can't post pictures, but I will add those later. I have some really good ones that I have taken lately. Believe it or not there isn't all that much going on with us right now. Ian is growing so fast. He had a few rough weeks at school, but is being an angel now. He is such a good big brother. He is Chad's little shadow. Luke is still Luke! He is absolutely rotten! (I guess they all are though!) He has a new girlfriend at school, Addi. Apparently they are pretty serious.....he dropped his old one of over 2 years for her. He loves to read and sing anddance. He is quite the entertainer. Zeke is fabulous! He is growing way to fast. He is eating 2nd foods already. He sleeps about 11 hours every night. He rolled over at Grandee's yesterday, and is starting to learn to sit up. He "talks" ALL the time........he fits right in at our house! He is always happy and smiling and laughing. We went back to the ENT the other day and his ears were clear.......Yay God! That means no tubes right now. We have been going to the chiropractor which I believe played a big part. I am doing fine.........just busy and crazy as ever! For some reason taking care of3 kids, a husband, and a house, a dog & 4 puppies, teaching 4th and 5th graders, sponsoring SGA and doing the school newspaper, staring a girl's group with 5th grade girls, helping teach youth girl's discipleship class, hosting a ladies prayer group every week at my house, and sometimes finding time to sleep have become somewhat overwhelming! No, really I love every second of my life and wouldn't change a thing! I feel so blessed to have all the opprtunities I have and all the people I have in my life. Well, you should well know by now that the Tuggle's will always throw a curve in things. Poor Chad has discovered that he has what we think is a hernia. It was very suddenly that he discovered it. He went to Dr. Jud who said that is probably what it is and referred him to a surgeon. He will go to St. Vincent's next Tuesday to see him. He was able to get an appointment with the surgeon who took out my gallbladder last year. He is awesome! We like to really get use out of doctors! Anyway, keep him inyour prayers. We aren't sure what will happen yet, but they say probably surgery. If you know Chad, you know that will not be easy for him. He is very active, and it will be hard for him to be out of commission.
Well that's how we are all doing. We had a great Valentine's Day. I was able to attend the big boys' tea party at school. They looked so handsome! I'll post pics later. We spent the actual day together at home and had a nice dinner.......chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. I guess I should end this now before I go insane......I might change my name. If I hear Mrs. Tuggle one more time....... (Oh- just so you know- I am not just playing on the computer and ignoring my students. I share a room with another teacher who has students right now. It is actually my planning time. Think of the 5 loudest, silliest, wildest kids you can imagine....multiply that times 10 and you have the group of kids I am listening to! I might should be planning how to escape!! ;) Have a Happy Wednesday!!!!!!!!

They're here.........

2009-02-03T21:14:00.000-08:00

Zig-Zag had her puppies last night. She had 8, but only 4 made it. :( They are very cute and loud.....they cry and whine constantly. They are in the garage with a heat lamp as it is so very cold. The pics aren't that great, but the mommy wasn't all that happy about me taking their picture. I'm thinking about a new career in canine obsterics........

Things we did or didn't do......

2009-02-01T21:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some things that we didn't do this past week:
-Have a stroke- This week was the year anniversary of my stroke. It has been quite emotional for me. I would wake up and think, Wow a year ago today I was rushed to the hospital by ambulance or I woke up and my left side was paralyzed or I had terrible seizures. Then I would think, Wow God is so awesome! I didn't dread having to get up and go to work........I felt so very blessed to be able to get up and shower by myself and go to work and walk everywhere with no special equipment of any kind. I remember all the talk about shower chairs and walkers and canes, etc. I never once used anything......not even the brace they sent home with me.
-Cook supper-I did not cook an actual meal even one day this week. We were so busy! I di however skip my class at the gym to make it to church to eat meatloaf!
-Go to yoga-I went to yoga for the first time last week. I am by no means flexible or graceful or any of that stuff, but I really liked the class. It was very relaxing and all the stretching felt great. I didn't fall down or hurt myself, but I did giggle a lot at the names of the poses. I do believe the downward dog is my favorite. I didn't go because I had to go to family night at West Jasper.
-Clean my house- I am learning to not be so anal and let the things that aren't that important go. I have decided that a spotless house is one of those things. We did straighten and do the basic stuff but no major cleaning this week.

Here are some things we did do:
-Lost a dear sweet family friend- Rejina Keeton went to live with Jesus on Tuesday........that's how Luke and Ian understand it, and I like that view myself. We will all miss her!
-Get hit by a speeding motorcycle- This would be Chado........He did get smacked by a crazy motorcycle man who was trying to get away from state troopers. The guy flew into the bed of his truck onto many bags of garbage.(I knew there was a reason to throw that garbage there!) He jumped ou, took off, and has yet to be found. Thank God Chad is ok. The truck is messed up but drivable. When someone makes a movie about the crazy life of the Tuggles, we'll be sure and put in this scene!
-Eat 19 chicken nuggets at Wendy's- This one would be Luke and Ian. Our boys can eat!
-Find Booger- Poor Luke lost Booger.....his favorite stuffed elephant(I jokingly said we should name him that and Luke thought it was hilarious so it stuck). Thankfully bubba Ian found him!
-Prepare a place for Zig-Zag, our dog, to have puppies- Of course I did this.......Chad can't even stand the thought. Poor Zig-Zag is so incredibly huge that she can barely walk......remember she's only got 3 good legs. She was whining and being all weird, so I figure they'll be here any moment. I hope this time goes well. Last time she did great, but the time before that I had to actually do most of it. I even had to tie off their little cords with thread. You should see Chad when I talk about it.;) I'll post pictures when they arrive.

This post could go on forever, but I must try to sleep.........morning comes quickly and there isn't enough coffee in the world to make Monday mornings good!

2009-01-12T20:44:00.000-08:00

Ok....here goes. It's been a while since I've posted. For some reason I don't have much spare time anymore. Well, I have gone back to work and have survived so far. It is actually not so bad. I have an awesome group of kids and a great schedule. I would bring a couple of the kids home with me if I could.........I love their guts out and can't stand what they live in. I miss my boys, but take comfort in knowing they are in great hands.......the big boys at Blooming Grove preschool and Zeke with Grandee. My little Zeke went for his 4 month check up today. Our little man weighed in at 15 lb 8 oz. He has gained 3 lb since his last checkup. He got 4 yucky shots, and unfortunately his 3rd round of antibiotics. He can't get rid of this ear infection. Both ears have been infected for almost 2 months. We are praying these meds will clear it up. We will go to the ENT in 2 weeks. Looks like he is gonna be like big brothers. He is absolutely awesome. He is still so happy even though he is sick. We love our little miracle. God shows me how awesome He is every day. Not only did I go back to work this week, I also got to start back to the gym. It felt good to go back. Everyone else seems to be fine at the moment. I guess I really don't have much to say........I think I like it that way!!

2008.....What a year!!

2008-12-30T22:49:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe that this year is already over. This has been quite a year for us. We have experienced so much this year. I am sitting here thinking about some of the stuff, and it doesn't even seem real. When I tell the story, people always look at me like I am crazy. Sometimes my response is "Do you really think I could make all that up??" I am not going to lie.....it has been tough. I am sure at one point or another we have all felt like giving up. There has been a lot of bad stuff, but it has all led to much more good. I guess the best and most obvious thing is Zeke. We didn't think the little guy would ever get here.......and he almost didn't........but he is here now and is more awesome than we could have ever imagined. Our family has grown so much closer. I think we've all learned not to take as much for granted. I know I have. We take so much for granted and don't even think about it. I remember the first time I wiggled my toes after the stroke.......I never knew something so small and insignificant could mean so much. I never thought I would be pretty much learning to walk again. Those first steps I took were so emotional. I am so blessed to be where I am today. I get so frustrated sometimes when I can't keep my shoe on my left foot b/c it's still a little messed up, but then I am reminded about all the things I could be missing out on. Every time my sweet little Zeke cries I think of when he was born and I didn't hear that sound. I thank God each time. I have always heard the saying that you don't realize what you have until its gone. That is so true......I am so thankful that i get to realize all that I have. I have been able to expereince God's awesome power this year in so many ways. I know that the circumstances haven't been the most pleasant at times, but it was well worth it. I was thinking that I hoped 2009 would be a better year because it couldn't be much worse. I know it could be worse, but the more I think about it I don't know much much better it could get. I have experienced things most people won't ever get the privilege of experiencing. I have felt God's love in ways I never thought possible. The good of 2008 most definitely outweighs the bad. I don't really do resolutions, but I would like to do some things in 09. I'd like to let the dishes pile up in the sink because I am too busy playing with the boys. I would love for my tummy to be sore.......not from doing crunches but from laughing so hard at my silly boys. I could go on and on, but I realize how long this post already is. I guess it is sort of heavy stuff. So, on a lighter note.... I took Ian to the dentist today. It was the first time. He was very excited b/c I had been preparing him for all the fun for 2 days. We went to Dr. Eggers who has been my dentist since I was Ian's age. He was fabulous. They did x-rays, cleaned his teeth, counted them, and he was perfect. He did fall out of the chair head first, but he was fine. He was really excited about the cars toothbrush he got, and mommy was really excited that his teeth are healthy. Dr. Eggers said they are about as close to textbook as you can get. So far his thumb sucking isn't affecting his teeth......but he doesn't have to know that. He was very excited to come home and show everyone his "new teeth".

I hope that everyone has an excellent new year!! May God's blessings be abundant!!!!

a Merry Christmas

2008-12-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

Making our birthday cake for Jesus.

The final product...........it tasted better than it looked!

Zeke in his new Bumbo seat........thank you Aunt Sissi!

The boys on Christmas morning.......waiting so patiently to open presents while mommy took pictures.

Well, Christmas has now come and gone. We had a great time with our family and friends. Of course we ate too much, got way too many presents, and spent more money than we should've. I do have to say that we did better this year. It gets better each year as our boys begin to understand more and more about what Christmas is really about. We had a great time celebrating Jesus' birthday. We made Him a cake as we have since Ian was 1 and Luke was a tiny baby. This year we actually sang and blew out candles. We had 10 candles. I am not sure why 10, but each boy wanted 5. The boys have enjoyed their presents that everyone got them. They got kid digital cameras and have taken hundreds of pictures. I'll post some later if there any interesting ones. They also love their karaoke thing they got. They sing and dance and can watch themselves on TV. Luke absolutely loves it.........it is quite entertaining. We are doing okay and looking forward to this next week together before we all (including mommy) return to work and school. A horrible stomach virus made it's rounds last week but we all seem to be over it now. We had one trip to the ER (Chad) but I think everyone was able to enjoy all the yummy Christmas food for the most part. We spent Christmas Eve Eve at GranDee and Pop's with Aunt Sissi and Lauren and Blair. Needless to say there was no Silent Night then! The kids had a blastand awoke to a yummy breakfast and lots of stockings and presents. We rode out the storms with the whole Craven family that night. We lost power, so we had a candlelight dinner and even opened presents in the dark.It was a little chaotic, but a lot of fun. We didn't get to go to my grandmother's because my uncle is in the hospital and they were there with him. Please keep him in your prayers. We awoke on Christmas morning at home and had our usual fesivities, then my parents and sister and niece came for a wonderful dinner and of course more presents. We have had some time to relax now and of course play with all ofour new things. Zeke is once again yucky. He just finished his 2nd round of antibiotics but still seems to have the crud. He is getting so big! He has moved into a size 2 diaper and is now eating babyfood. He loves him some peas!!! This boy can eat! Ian has developed a horrible cough and will probably make a visit to Dr. Jud in the morning. It might just be a family visit. I'll update again as the week unfolds.

Do we really want to be normal????

2008-12-19T11:15:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows that the past year has been quite eventful (to say the least) for the Tuggles. For the last few months I have just wanted things to be back to "normal". We are trying and praying hard for that to happen. We've moved back to our house and are trying to get back into a regular routine. I will go back to work in a couple of weeks as well. Over the past 2 or 3 weeks we have been to Dr. Jud numerous times, 2 different urgent care clinics, and at least 4 or 5 specialists. At least one of us has had either an ear infection, strep, bronchitis, sinus infection, slight pneumonia, or a stomach virus. I was looking through my planner from last year and realized that last year was about the same. I guess this is the norm for us. I guess its true to be careful what you pray for! I'm not complainig though. I am so thankful to be here and be able to take care of my family.........sick or well. I must apologize if this post is hard to follow. I have been up pretty much all night and have just finished a pot of coffee. Poor Ian started throwing up around 6 last night and threw up about every 20 minutes until 6:30 this morning. Chad & I are experts in that area. Thats what I came home to after spending the majority of my day at Dr. Jud's with Zeke. Both of his ears are still infected and have actually gotten worse. I am getting better and better at sucking out snot. He slept for about 14 hours last night. I guess he made up for me and Chad. He is much better today. He is helping me type this. The big boys had their Christmas program at school yesterday. They were too cute! I have some video I will post if I can figure out how. Pictures will have to do for now.

Monday already????

2008-12-14T22:20:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its already Monday. The weekend flew by. I love it when we are all home. This was sort of a slow weekend for us. I finally slept off the drugs from the colonoscopy by Saturday afternoon. We got pizza and ice cream and had a family movie night that ended up with Mommy and Daddo watching the movie (Cars) and the boys playing. Zeke ate and went to sleep. Two things he does so well!! After church on Sunday I went to Urgent Care b/c I realized my "cold" was getting worse and wasn't going away. I got a nice big shot and some antibiotics and feel better already. The boys sang at church Sunday night. Well, Luke sang and Ian stood there. He was really good and still though. He kind of looked like he was praying. They were so sweet.....until afterward when I had to leave and take Luke to the bathroom to spank him. He didn't really have a nap and was letting every know how ill he was. He quickly fell asleep after we read for the 5th night in a row the Chtistmas story book. He ususally ends up in bed with me around 2 or 3. I have given up on putting him back in his bed. I just throw him over me and go back to sleep. I'm sure all the mommies out there totally understand! Zeke and I will be headed back to St. Vincent's once again today. I have to go have an ultrasound. I know Zeke enjoys our trips to the gyn. We will probably visit Target on our way home, since we have done basically no shopping. Now I am going to finish my popcorn and the Cosby show and try to get some sleep.

What a week!!

2008-12-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

This has been a long week. I have driven to Birmingham 4 days this week for doctor appointments. Zeke and I have seen 4 different specialists between the two of us. The physical therapist said he is doing fine, and the neurologist released him as well. He said there is no reason to think that he will have any problems in the future.........yay God!! As for me I had a visit with a gyn and a GI doctor to try to determine what is causing some pain I am having. I had a colonoscopy today.It wasn't bad. We left St.Vincent's and went straight to Olive Garden to eat and then to Hobby Lobby and Wal-mart. I am really sleepy, but alright otherwise. The dr said everything he saw was normal. I will get some results from blood tests in about a week. I go back to the gyn on Monday for another ultrasound. I guess we'll see what that shows. I think it is time to get some sleep now.

Let's give it a try!!

2008-12-07T21:29:00.000-08:00

OK- It seems like everyone has a blog now, so I thought I'd give it a try. This might be easier than my email updates. Today's post will be short since I am just beginning. Today was Ian's 4th birthday. We have already had the boys party, so we went to a friend's skating party. It will be a while before my boys are ready to skate! Most of us are sick, but that's nothing new. Zeke has an ear infection. Luke is just getting over strep and an ear infection. Ian was sick a couple of weeks ago, but his eye started oozing stuff tonight. I just sneezed 37 times and I feel like my throat is swelling shut. We must be the snottiest family ever. I hope another trip to Dr. Jud is not in the near future. I wanted to at least make it to the 2 week check up. We already have a week full of doctor visits. I go tomorrow, and Zeke goes to the physical therapist and neurologist on Wednesday. If all is well that will be the end of all his specialist appts until his surgery in June. It will just be normal baby check-ups. Isn't God great!! Ian has his first school field trip on Tuesday as long as he is well. Thursday is also a special day. Ten years ago on Dec 11 Chad and I had our first date. Wow......time really does fly by. Alright, I think it's time to go join Zeke and go to sleep to the wonderful sound of the vaporizer.

Here is the birthday boy.......he is so proud to be 4!!