the expected & the totally unexpected!

jaden's appt. at UVA went well....not much different than any other year....we chat, the doc hears how wonderful jaden is doing in school, at home & in his extra-curricular activities...she chats & draws & plays with jaden, and i leave with a proud feeling of accomplishment....like we're doing what should b done, i know jaden is thriving & i feel confident in our current plan of action

on the way there, the fog on afton mountain was insane! u could see it from afar....jaden was imagining that we were in a submarine (my van) & the interstates were the ocean (exit ramps were waterfalls)....the mountain we'd have to climb was actually a volcano & the fog looming around it's base, the smoke....coming up the mountain at one point, we couldn't see very far in front of us at all! jaden started freaking just a tad....saying "i can't see a thing!"....i reassured him it was ok, and he went back to his game....pretending we were on a mission to plug up the volcano & keep it from erupting ;0)

after checking in, jaden headed to the big toy room in the lobby....he was on the hunt for a crocodile....a crocodile that he played with last year - he totally expected it to b there again this year.....but it wasn't...he was ok with that tho - no biggie....he just sat and watched a little girl play on the computer until "skates" was called

(taken with my cell)

as predicted, jaden immediately asked nurse Gary (the same elderly man that sees us every year for jaden's initial height/weight/blood pressure measurements) if there would be shots ;0)

we found out that in the last year, jaden has grown almost 3 inches & gained about 12 lbs! my 8 year old son (who just turned 8 in july) is almost 4'9" tall & 108lbs!!!

that was one of the doc's 2 concerns for jaden....i try to keep the kiddos from too much junk & we don't have soda in the house....but jaden is a picky eater & we have trouble getting him to eat much variety - especially when it comes to veggies - he's a meat & potatoes kinda guy....his jiu-jitsu training is great for getting exercise, but we need to try & incorporate a little more into jaden's day if possible

her other concern was him possibly having/developing sleep apnea....curtis has sleep apnea - i'm nudging him at least once a night to get him to start breathing again....he'll have pauses so long, that it scares me sometimes! i've scheduled & rescheduled numerous appointments for him to have it checked out, but something always keeps him from going.....i have one currently scheduled, and he's keeping this one darn it! he just doesn't get how serious it could b....there's a very good chance all 3 kiddos have it - they all snore & have abnormally big tonsils....jaden even kinda snores when he's awake (sounds like he's wheezing sometimes) - so we're going to get it checked out....she'll refer jaden to a pulmonologist (i know - 2nd time those pulmonary docs have come up in the last couple of weeks!) & they'll determine whether he needs a sleep study done or not....i'll also b following up with getting the girls checked out soon too

while we were waiting for the doc to come back to the room, jaden was playing with an etch-a-sketch....he owned one about a year ago & it broke, but i don't think he's played with one since....anyway, while i was chatting with the nurse that comes in for all the basic health questions before the doc, jaden was busy clearing out a corner of the etch-a-sketch screen....have u ever done that? not just move the knobs around & draw pics, but actually try & clear out a whole space of the screen? try it & u'll b totally amazed at what's inside! yeah, u can clear it so that u can actually see down inside! i took a pic, but can't share that with u....more on that in a moment...

the doc brought 2 students in with her to evaluate jaden....they were quiet, and just basically observed, but jaden took a liking to one of them....he started in on telling her about whatever monster/dragon/alien he was thinking about at the time....i was chatting with the doc, so didn't hear much of their conversation, but she was very interested in what he had to say...i heard him comment on her cyclops eye at one point ~lol~ she seemed to b enjoying the conversation as much as jaden :0)

he picked out an iguana beenie baby this time - the tag says it's name is Iggy, and jaden says that's one of his names....but he also goes by Diesel! ~lol~

we were making good time getting back....the fog had cleared some & jaden was content holding his new iguana, and again pretending we were on a mission to get over the volcano to get home....we were running just in time to pick up the girls from after-school daycare....i had my mom on standby just in case, but called to tell her i was going to make it

as i was loading the girls into my van, i thought i heard something fall & hit the ground....it was dark & i didn't see anything....corinn was busy jumping up & down, so i assumed i'd just heard her stomping....we all ride to food lion to pick up some groceries, and as i'm packing up my purse (i had taken out my wallet & camera & stuff while in the car with jaden), i notice my camera is missing (in it's hard case)

uh oh, that sound of something hitting the driveway at miss stephanie's!
i shoot her a quick text to tell her to look out for it in her driveway, but know she's already left to take her kiddos to see madagascar 2....we go grab what i need at the store & afterwards, i head back to miss stephanie's....sure enough, there it lay

but not on the edge of the driveway, where my car doors were - down at the bottom of the driveway, like it had been drug along by my van

sure enough, busted!
:0(
omg - i'm totally devastated & dumbfounded - how could i let something so foolish happen!

i call curtis, in tears, and apologize - he'd just gotten me that camera for my birthday! here i am, rushing around to do my motherly duties, and something like this happens?!
i felt so stupid & irresponsible....like this must b a wake-up call....slow down sharon!

i get home & start dinner....get food on the table for the kiddos - but i've lost my appetite....i pull up the laptop on the kitchen counter & finish putting away the rest of the groceries....i post a tweet about my stupidity & sulk some more....gabby's birthday is in less than 2 weeks, same day as thxgiving! then christmas! how can we afford a new camera to capture christmas memories, when we're already struggling to afford christmas?!

next thing i know, i'm getting a tweet from my good friend shanna...

"Have you been a good girl this year?"

then another...

"I think Santa will be coming early for you too :) I know where you can find a good cam for free."

"check your email. Santa will be sending you your gift tomorrow."

what?!

i check my email...

"Naughty or Nice? You better say naughty...we only give things to naughty people like us ;) Hey, how else are we going to see martial arts, rock skipping and skate boarding! Our only request is from now on, you must upload videos to you tube so we can view them on our phones. Blogger vids don't even load on my laptop sometimes. Luv ya, Mr. And Mrs. Claus and their three elves"

i'm speechless!
i reply to tell mark & shanna that i can't accept a gift like that....i ask them to let me buy the camera, if they're trying to get rid of it....shanna insists that they don't use it & it's collecting dust in their house & that they're happy to give it to me!
:0)

seriously, what can i say?!
how could such an absolutely horrible situation, turn into such a generous & loving opportunity within a matter of minutes?!
how can i ever thank these amazing friends enough?!

and this isn't the first time we've gotten presents from the Grimes....they sent us halloween goodies for the kiddos (sorry again for that addy mix-up shanna!) & then a surprise package when we got back from our florida trip - a how-to draw monters/dragons/fairy tale creatures book for jaden & some little purses for the girls to decorate, and some info on RDI for me & curt....this family is top notch, i tell ya!

Grimes family - I am so eternally grateful for your friendship!
God will continue to bless your household for many years to come!
and i promise to "pay it forward" - this love & generosity will not stop with me!

oh, and i promise to upload my vids to youtube, from now on too!
;0)

Scripture says, "The righteous person gives freely to the poor. His righteousness continues forever." God gives seed to the farmer and food to those who need to eat. God will also give you seed and multiply it. In your lives he will increase the things you do that have his approval. God will make you rich enough so that you can always be generous. Your generosity will produce thanksgiving to God because of us. What you do to serve others not only provides for the needs of God's people, but also produces more and more prayers of thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 9:9-12