Ok, Going to be a total mom and brag for a moment. Although I haven’t blogged in MONTHS and there is tons to talk about…. Just a little something I wanted to share… Athen can now read (recognize): Bradford Jett Ninnie ((that’s what he calls Nikki)) Eric Mama Daddy Allie ((that’s his girlfriends name)) We are working on Grammie and Papa. I think he knows papa, he just likes to be silly with it. Trying to teach him to sound out the letters. He has known all the sounds for some time now…. I guess I should be working on small words… Cat, dog, so on and so forth…. Ah, oh well. He can also spell Bradford Ps…. We bought a home!! We now live’n live at the lake! Love it!!!

Also on Athen's birthday I put up his UGA tree.... Complete with all his ornaments from Grammie and Danbury Mint Collection...

Thanksgiving day we had Athen's Scooby-Doo birthday party, cause really, who ISN'T thankful for that little guy!!
Here is his cake. Mom baked it ((as every year)) and I decorated it....

First, Thanksgiving....
Well there is all of two pictures of my pies.... I forgot to take pictures. Ugh! Oh well...
This year we did something really neat. We all wrote down what we were thankful for. Now I thought it was just one thing we were most thankful for over the last year. Mine was "For the trials and tribulations for this past year. For they have gotten me where I am today."
Most everyone else did a whole list .... which was wonderful to hear. Jett's was probably the most touching.... I will say it again... That kid is going to change this world!!

Alight moms out there.... how do you do it?? How do you become "ok" with your babies growing up?? Mine will be F-O-U-R years old in less than two weeks and it breaks my heart. I want to freeze him and not let him grow up anymore.... I really didn't think I would have a hard time with it, but its really making me sad....

I have come up with this saying ((not sure if its original or not)) as my new mantra.

For as long as I can remember I have been a certain way. I figured "that's just me" and somewhere a long the way became ok with that. Well through a series of events that took me to the depths of low. I finally woke up and took a good hard long look at myself. I didn't like what I seen. Actually, it was pretty discussing. At 27 I somehow had become a bitter, angry, controlling, codependent person. A shell of a person really. At my lowest I had only one way to look. Up. "They" say once a person had hit their rock bottom, then and only then will they do something about why they got there in the first place. For most its drug and or alcohol related. No so much for me. It was ME. That is a H-A-R-D pill to swallow. Even harder one to over come, I think. Drugs and alcohol can be removed, It is something you can physically escape. But with inner demands, there is no escape. You have to fight them head on.

I hurt, and possibly destroyed lives, relationships and worse of all, turned people way from God.
I am a christian. Why in the world would anyone WANT to be a christian if I was the "example" of what one should be. FAR FAR FAR from it. I was and probably to some still am a stumbling block.
However, through God's grace and providence.... I have sought help. Just as anyone would with any type of addiction that WANTS a change. I call it "rehab" Cause it really is. I am having to renew my mind daily. With good positive things, God being first and for most. God took what was the lowest point in my life and turned into something that I hope (and pray) will be the highest point.

I say all of these for a few reasons. But most of all, if I have been a stumbling block for ANY, I am truly sorry. I KNOW I have been for some directly and maybe some indirectly.
I pray for God's forgiveness and for those of whom I have hurt....