Saving money

For those of you who are always looking for ways to save money I have an idea for you. I found out that Walmart will price match. I made out my list for this week and then went through the sale flyers and found the items. Then, when I went to Walmart this morning I took the sale ads and told them the price I had and they gave me the item for that price. I actually saved around $15!!! I am so excited about this. It does take a few minutes to go through all the ads but for savings it was worth it to me. They do NOT honor coupons from other stores or buy one get one free ads. They had an article in Thursday's Tennessean if you want more details. Good Luck!

I don't know why but since Mikayla turned a year old I don't seem to take as many just random pictures of her. I feel bad about that but I have over 2,100 pictures on my computer of her so I don't really think it is that bad. Here are just some random ones from the other day. The second picture is of her whining. I am not sure if she is just going through a phase or if her teeth bother her or what but recently she has been so whiny(not sure spelling). The past week she has been very quick to cry where before she has never been like that. I am thinking that this is the terrible twos starting very early???? Any comments on this matter would be great. She has become very clingy to me. However, at the same time she has become more affectionate- she gives the best hugs just because. That part I LOVE!



The pictures below were from yesterday. She is getting around in her chair very well. She still has an issue with steering and going backwards - we get stuck quite a bit. The strap on her chest to hold her up has done wonders. Some little girls in the neighborhood come over and play with Mikayla when she is outside and they think her chair is the coolest thing- how tiny it is. She will go in her new class at church again tonight and I am curious how she will do. There will be double the kids there tonight that were there on Sunday. We have 3 services on Sundays and only one on Wednesday. Mike and I have nursery rotation tonight in her class so we will be able see how she plays with the other kids.

Mikayla had to have some hearing tests done today because of medicine she was on in the NICU- they could affect her hearing. I know that she can hear but I want to cooperate with their wishes. It was horrible. She screamed nearly the whole time and was sweating bullets. When we finished, her hair was soaked as was my shirt. They almost could not get all the needed tests but think the Lord it was a success. Like I thought the child can hear just fine. We have to go every six months until she is 3 years old. UGHGHGHGH! Poor thing. I HATE all the things she has to go through. Ok- funny thing- as I am typing I hear this noise that I thought was hammering - Mikayla is beating her baby doll against the rails in her crib! I thought she was sleeping - so much for a nap today! Ok - back to the hearing tests. Our friend Shannon went with us as moral support which was actually great - she seemed to distract Mikayla after the test! Mikayla had an Oreo ice cream bar at 10am for being such a trooper.
She is exploring Mommy's kitchen drawers. She can almost get the measuring spoons out even with the childlocks.

Don't know if you can tell from this picture but her hand is completely inside the drawer.

Just wanted to let everyone know that Patricia does seem to be improving. For anyone interested there is a website set up to keep everyone updated on her condition... www.caringbridge.org/visit/patriciawoods


We had a busy weekend. Friday night, Mikayla spent the night with Grandma and Papa and went to the Wilson Co. Fair. She had fun eating a big hot dog, petting animals, and spending time with the Grandparents. I have not seen any pictures yet but I am sure that Grandma took plenty. Mike and I went to PF Changs with some friends of ours and had a blast. I LOVE that place - they have the best thing ever... lettuce wraps. My mouth waters just thinking about them!!!! Saturday - we went to watch our friends Sam, Lauren, and Evan play baseball. After the game a bunch of us went to Sonic and ate outside. The kids really had a blast. Sunday, Mikayla took her wheelchair to church for the first time. It started off not so great. When we entered the foyer of the church she freaked out. First time around a bunch of people in the chair I guess I would be a little scared too. She moved up to a class with kids her age. Until this point she has been in the class of nonwalking kids but with her chair she can get around with her own age. She was a little hesitant at first but after about 20 minutes I was able to leave the room and they said she did great. One little boy in the class pushed her around the room and Mikayla liked it. Her life is going to be so different now. Each day she discovers new things while in the chair. She is getting so grown up... Mike looked at her tonight and said that she did not look like a baby anymore. I asked him if that made him sad and he said no because he is ready for her to be able to talk to us. She is actually 16 months old today! That is crazy... time sure does fly.

By the way... if anyone knows a work from home job or a Friday and Saturday job that I could do I would love to hear about it!!

Prayer Request

I need a little help from everyone. We have a friend who is desperate need of your prayers. Her name is Patricia Woods and she has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS is a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. She went into the hospital in Hendersonville on the 19th and has been in ICU since. She has been in severe pain, has experenced paralysis, and has been on a ventilator, these among many other things. As of report this morning she has been transferred to Centennial Hospital for a higher level of care. We are asking for you to join us in prayer for Patricia and her family. We are praying for complete healing. From what I have read, even after one gets better there can be continued evidence of the disorder for forever. We want that to not be the case for Patricia. This family is incredible and has been through a lot, they need a prayer of peace as well. There is a website to visit to learn more about this disorder... www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/gbs/gbs.htm

Thanks to everyone for their prayers.
Leshia

I know I have been a slacker and not posted in a while... sorry. We went to the zoo a couple of Sundays ago and went to Chuck E Cheese last week (I know I said I would never go again). We have just been hanging out doing our normal stuff therapy twice a week, church, and Grandma & Papa's. Mike's dad is now going by Papa. Mikayla just started calling him that instead of Grandpa so that is what he will be now. I recently started a support group for families affected by Spina Bifida. We will meet the third Tuesday of every month with our first meeting being September 23. I am super excited about this. If any of you guys know anyone affected by Spina Bifida please give them my email address lleigh023@comcast.net so that I can give them the exact details of our group. We went to the Vanderbilt Childrens Wheelchair Clinic this past Monday. We ordered Mikayla's wheelchair. Some of you will be happy to know that the frame will be UT orange. We were so excited that it came in this color. On the seat she is going to have a butterfly embroidered(spelling?). I did not think about it before but the butterfly has a little meaning behind it... it starts simple and turns into something beautiful. Kinda like Mikayla's life in a way. Her situation started not great and with not much happiness but it has evolved into a beautiful miracle of God. She is a beautiful reminder to me everyday that I need to enjoy and treasure this life I have. Anyway... hope everyone is doing well. That is all I have for now. Here are some pictures.
Mikayla petting a baby goat.

Mikayla at Chuck E Cheese riding on the carousel.
Mikayla and Daddy watching Chuck E. perform on stage. Mikayla was terrified of the mouse and some of the rides. I think that our visit with Santa this year could be very interesting.

Look at this messy face. It never fails that dinner finishes with a mess. Oh - and Duke with his share from Mikayla's tray.

Mike did not work Saturday so that morning we decided to go feed the ducks before it got too hot. As soon as we got out of the car and Mikayla saw the ducks she started saying "duck, duck, quack, quack". So sweet. I was a little bit worried with the ducks because they started to surround us - but they were fine.

I thought this black and white was really sweet!

It is rare for Duke to lay in the floor and let Mikayla play with him. He actually laid so still beside her last night for a long while and just let her kiss, hug, and pet him. Of course - I had to get lots of pictures. I know that when Mikayla gets a little bigger they will become best buddies... as long as she doesn't run him over with her chair. I don't know if you can see in the picture above but she is kissing his ear. The whole time she was sitting in between his two front paws.

Ok - he had enough. He just moved a few inches away and laid back down. He is really good with her.


On a side note from the pictures... I need some advice from anyone regarding troublesome neighbors. Ours have been a problem for a long time but it just seems mine & Mike's patience is wearing VERY thin!!! They are "professional"(they say) musicians who have converted their garage into a studio. Might I add a studio with no soundproofing. They used to play ALLLLLL the time and that has improved since we had Mikayla but... I can hear them inside my house. There are times when we have to turn our tv up just so we can hear over their music. I had a conversation with the man of the house the other day that got pretty heated. He proceeded to tell me that they have bent over backwards for us to make us happy... WHAT???? I told him he was lucky that we have not called the cops and then the best line yet came out of his mouth... "you can call the cops all you want 'cause they can't do anything until it is after 10pm"! We are at our whits end with this situation. We live in a house and not an apartment - if we wanted to hear what our neighbors are doing inside their house we would move to an apartment!!!! They are renting their house - don't own it. We found who owns the house but they have an unlisted number. Right now... I can hear music inside my house and it is the middle of the day... I have told them when Mikayla naps and asked them not to play this time of day! What are we to do???? We talked last night about just trying to sell our house and get out of here... to bad it is a bad time in the housing market. To make matters worse- they have a dog tied up in the back yard that most of the time has no water (in this heat) and the little girl that lives there told me they did not have the money to buy the dog any food... what in the world??? HELP!!!