Welcome to my world y'all...

If you have found your way to my blog then you probably know me fairly well and most, if not all of this information, will not be new to you. I apologize for being repetitive but maybe, just maybe, there's one poor soul out there who happened across this page and would appreciate the run down...

So here's the typical facts run-down:

I am 33 years old and married with three kids (2 girls - ages 7 and 4 & 1 boy - age 2). I work full time as a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology for Alvin ISD and my husband is the General Manager of CiCi's Pizza in Lake Jackson. We recycle anything that can be recycled unless my husband cleans up and I'm not home - then he happily throws it all in the trash - which, I guess, means that I happily recycle. We are trying to pay off medical and house repair debt of which, the total would astound you. Due to this plan I have shocked my family, especially hubby Corey, by trying to follow a strict, written budget (Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace) as well as clipping coupons. This was NOT a priority before but it should have been and I have seen the error of my ways. I am turning over a new leaf, taking a new path, blah blah blah...I'm SICK AND TIRED of being in debt! I will probably proudly post how much $$$ I save while shopping for groceries etc from time to time. Feel free to make fun of me, it won't bother me...with 2 kids in diapers, I save what I can when I can.

Atypical facts run-down:

#1 - My middle daughter, Mason, is a genetically enhanced super-child...she has three 21st chromosomes (hence the genetic enhancement) and is diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Now, of course, I'm no fool...I know what to expect with this disorder; but I also know that she has surprised us daily with what she has accomplished so far. She's only 4 years, 7 months old (and she's teeny) but she is in her 3rd year of dance, she's learning to swim, has many friends, is very social, and she knows many of the basic concepts that are expected at her age for typical children. She struggles in other areas such as toilet training and speech. She loves to talk and she talks all the time but, due to a mild/moderate hearing loss, she is difficult to understand. She has used sign language mixed with verbal communication for years and this year she is fading out the signs.

#2 - We have recently moved back into our home after being displaced due to a house fire resulting from a lightning strike. This occurred on June 21, 2008 and we moved back into our home at the very end of July 2009 - it was a long, grueling and nightmarish journey. You might consider yourself lucky that I started this blog now and not before the fire...you have missed the cursing spells and tantrums. Shortly after our home burned, our area (Brazoria County, coastal Texas) was hit hard by Hurricane Ike. It was not a fun summer in 2008. We are now in our home and slowly unpacking all the boxes that have been in storage since the fire; slowly finding out what made it and what didn't. We've been pleasantly surprised for the most part!

#3 - This fire, though it has been an emotional & financial hell, has been SOMEWHAT of a blessing in disguise. With insurance money, cutting back on "fancy trimmings" and a couple thousand extra bucks that we hadn't planned on - we were able to add a future apartment for Mason by creating a large upstairs room with bathroom. Our house was previously a one story sprawling ranch built in 1961. At this time, since Mason is so young, her older sister Ashton is enjoying "The Suite Life" complete with her own bathroom and officespace. Spoiled right? We think Ashton has earned it by being an excellent big sister and helping teach Mason so many things over these years. To go from the only child to having a sister with a disability is quite a shock for a kid and then to be hit again just under 2 years later with a brother is no easy trip. Ashton was a trooper.

So, there are more oddities about the house which you will likely read about in the future...odds are that I may write about them as if they are totally normal...I don't notice the strange things so much anymore ;o) Feel free to point them out to me. I may need to re-examine how we do things around here...

I have taken time to transfer all the postings from my CarePage blog to this blog. If you would like a historical reference of Mason's medical/developmental progress mixed with updates on Ashton, Dax, and our lives from January 2006 on...you will now find it here.