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

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.........

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......

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!

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!!

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

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????

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.