Only a Week and and Half left with my Angel girl....

Yeah ......Bummed about that...Manisa and I leave on the 6th to take her up to North Carolina to be with Patrick...UGH! How sad is that???? You should have seen the look I got from Manisa when I said (Innocently enough mind you) that I would be more than happy to keep Kairi with me and she can go up????? I have no clue why she didn't go for it....hahahahaha....I am going to miss her but I am planning on long weekend trips to go up....I found an airline that hopefully....will at least keep prices reasonable for plane fare...Independence Air...or Flyi.com as it's called...I got a return ticket for the 11th of April and all told I only paid $109.00 for it...They are currently running specials for $58 dollars each way...while they don't fly everywhere....they do fly to Raleigh North Caroline and I can rent a car from there...I plan on doing that alot! hahahaha....I am going to miss her tremendously....She is such a joy to me...But Manisa needs to be with Patrick....I guess I can understand that....:)

I really hope everyone had a good Easter as well...We did things a little different this year...First off the traditional ham was changed to a Turkey...Mike loves turkey so I made a small one...We colored about 3 1/2 dozen eggs (for which will become egg salad as the week wears on!!!) But the biggest change we made was in doing the easter baskets...For the past 3 years Mike and I have noticed that Candy gets left forever at our house (don't ask me how it happens-I have no clue) but it does...I have a huge tupperwear container full of Halloween candy that is about to get chucked...The same thing happens with Easter Candy...We spend a ridiculous amount of money on candy and it takes months to get eaten...So Mike and I looked around and we got each child a pre-made one with toys in it....it had some candy in it but more toys than anything...You know what??? They were a huge hit...The kids loved them....Hey an at about $10 each kid...not to bad a deal for the whole kit and kaboodle...Ah Life is good......

Also....Some Good news about my job somewhat....While this is the week from hell...My job won't end on April 1....My boss had been realizing that she was going to need a couple of people to stay past migration until June 4th...(That's when the rest of it migrates) She had recieved permission to keep one girl but now has permission to keep 2...so I will be working here still until June 4th....Then I am actually taking the summer off...And having a house guest...Since my sister Diane is still having it rough...Dad and I are getting together (He's checking his miles as we speak) and going to get my nephew Justin down here for the entire summer...He's been told and he's is just busting at the seems to get down here...He loves to come down and since all this has happened with my sister he's been in the middle of it too and that poor kids needs some normality in his life...I am so excited about him coming down as well....If Diane can swing it she may come down as well but I told her let's just get a roundtrip ticket for him in case that falls thru....He is going to have a blast with my kids...The last time he was down here, he and Glen were like two peas in a pod...This is going to be a great summer for the kids....I will concentrate on finding a job when summer ends...I don't think that will be too much a problem....


Well...that..I think...pretty much gets everything up to date....I think...hahahaha...It's just really really busy here at work....Too much to do and no time to do it! hahahaha.....Oh well...Everyone is just hanging in there ready to supply the boss with drugs so she doesn't have a nervous breakdown!

Talk to you all later!!!!

A hard decision to make......

I keep reading up on the Terrie Schiavo case...Now I see the House and Senate are both trying to put measures in to place to block the removal of her feeding tube...Her husband and her family have been locked in a bitter battle of what is percieved to be her wishes...I have issues with what is going on...After years of reading about what both sides are saying, what the doctors have been reporting, I actually side for the husband as I have talked with several of my freinds down here about this...I have asked them.."Does your family know your wishes and is it written down somewhere???"

You would actually be amazed at how many of these people have a: told their husbands what they wanted but not other family members and b: have nothing in writing...2 of these people I have spoken have families that would be in the same boat and in court fighting...

This case has prompted me to do exactly that...put my wishes in writing...for years I thought "I'm too young...I don't need to worry" but guys...everyone needs to worry...anything can happen at any moment in our lives...There has to come a time when we need think about what it is that we would want...how we feel about life saving measures, think about every concievable situation and come up with what you want done...talk it over with spouses, boyfreinds, girlfreinds, and family...

I did this and you know what???? There were some really hard choices to make...I had to ask my self those same tough questions...And then I sat down with Michael and Patrick and let them know what I wanted...Should I become incapacitated to where I am termed "in a persistive vegatative state" Don't let me hang on...I don't want that...To me that is no quality of life that I want to have...Please let me die....I also believe in (yes I actually do) leaving this world early should I be diagnosed with a terminal illness...I want to go while I have my dignity...Mike understood but Patrick didn't...I can understand that...he didn't want to deal with the prospect of my death...but I had to make him deal with it...and you know what??? I told him that he also needed to think about it as well...He had a family to think about...

I guess what I am trying to say here is...Think about it, decide and get it in writing...it's the best thing you can do for yourself and for your loved ones...You will probably be moved to tears as you think about it....You may go out and look at your children and ask yourself "What is the right thing for them....How much should I ask them to deal with?" (Yes that is a really tough question) What about my Family....What is the right choice....Only you can answer that...each choice is oh so very personal and priviate, and for each person....different...and one I think everyone needs to think about......

Take care all..........

The Lynn Issue

Okay....It's time to deal with this issue...I need to and I need your help at how best to tactfully (or not as the case may be) to deal with her...

First let me explain...Lynn is married to my ex-Husband Doug (Doug is my Daughter's father and Patrick's Stepdad) I have never liked this woman, I have tolerated her...heck even tried to be friends with her but I got stabbed in the back one too many times...She will never allow Me and Doug to make any decisions about Hayley without her final approval...I have battled this for years and on most occasions have won...Yeah she gives Doug hell when things do not go her way...but I just say tough...oh well she needs to grow up...Thiers for the most part is a very rocky relationship and has been for years...(Since Hayley was about 4-she's 12 now...) I have seen and heard her do things that quite frankly make me always question her judgement...I do know that she will not ever do anything for nothing...If she does a favor for you...you better believe that she is going to ask you to do something for her....and if she tries to give just for the sake of giving...she will make sure that everyone KNOWS what she did...Take Patrick and Manisa's wedding...She was asked to do decorations...and she did...and yes she did a very good job...but she then (At the wedding) made sure everyone knew what she had done so she could get her kudos...I was floored when I found out...Yeah she went table to table...Couldn't believe it...Now she also couldn't understand that we weren't really doing a reception with dancing and such...She made Doug burn a CD of songs for people to dance to...now mind you...both she and Doug had been told not only by me...but by Patrick and Manisa that it wasn't that type of reception...we had the church for 2 hours, it didn't allow time to do all that ...it was just going to be wedding, eat, toast, congratulations and clean up...She was floored, and angry when nobody got up to dance after all the work she did...(She let everyone know...UGH) but this is Lynn and this is just a small part of the person she is....There's more...lots mores...Like I have stated in the past....She's not called Psycho Bitch for nothing....

Yeah Patrick bestowed that upon her when he refused to call her "Mom"...He would go up and visit Doug on the weekend with Hayley...Lynn argued with him all weekend...telling him that he had to call her Mom...She was his Mom afterall...She tried to do this with Hayley also...I finally had to step in cause my kids were really frustrated and tell her that in no way shape or form were they calling her Mom...She was not thier Mom...Hayley's stepmom maybe...but not MOM...trust me...she's tried every backhanded way to have Hayley call her Mom..it's not even funny...Hayley tells me about it..

Yes...that was her thinking...When she's confronted with the reality of the fact that she's really not anything to Patrick...(Cause I wasn't married to his Stepdad anymore-I am merely thinking technically)...She refuses to hear it...I have been told that she tells everyone about her Son who's in the Marines...she never tells them that he has a different Mother and it causes quite a scene I am told when it comes out...Patrick laughed when he was told about this...Like I said...he was less than impressed with her growing up...

Now you all have to understand while I have vented to my freinds and family...I have let my kids form thier own opinions...I did that with Patrick's father (his real one-and he was a not so nice person too...and I am being kind here) I would never utter a bad word about her to the kids...But the kids kept coming to me with stuff...Some I worked thru with them...some I actually had to intervene and call Doug over to my house...only him...never her...Some of the things the kids came home with made me cause to pause...and there have been issues that I have seen for my self...I could go on and on...

To give you yet another example of how she thinks...(Now please remember she has kids of her own...2 boys, 14 and 12 and a daughter 5) About 2 years ago..I went over to thier house to pick up my child support check (I don't have it go thru the system...the system looses it and Doug always pays) There was Lynn in a midrift shirt that went way up above her belly...and a THONG...Vacumning...with her children present plus my daughter! Needless to say I was pissed...I called Doug outside and told him that while Hayley was there..Lynn was to remain clothed at all times! He couldn't understand...she gets dressed and walks around NAKED in front of them all the time...WHAT?????? I politely told him that if she wanted to screw her kids up so be it...she was not messing with mine...and she had better remain clothed or it's back to court we go...I am told she had a hissy fit but decided to listen...So this gives you a tiny little insight into the world I have to deal with...I have often said that I have to deal with 2 children when I have to deal with Doug and Lynn...

Now since there have been issues all these years...needless to say Patrick was never very comfortable around Lynn...She irritated him mostly...He loves Doug and tries to tolerate her...but a lot of times it really doesn't work...so in the past 4 or 5 years he really doesn't go over there a whole bunch....

Now onto the present problem! (Wondered when I would get there right???) When Patrick came down when Kairi was born...Lynn was pissed that Patrick and Manisa didn't come over but a few times...Well the few times that they did come over Lynn made Manisa feel so uncomfortable it wasn't funny...Patrick was getting pissed at her...What Lynn failed to even try to understand what that they just became new Parents...they weren't going out unless they had too...They were too busy sleeping and getting adjusted! The straw the broke the camels back was when Doug's Mom came down (Whom Patrick loves very much) They again went over there...20 minutes into the visit Lynn said outloud that "They're only here cause your hear Carolyn" right in front of Patrick and Manisa...They pretty much left after that...Mansia really was in such a state...Patrick called me spitting nails...He had had enough of her...and he was going to tell Doug...Doug was due at my place in about an hour with Hayley and his Mom...I prepared for an interesting night...

Manisa and Patrick had decided that it would be better that Manisa and Kairi stayed with me until it was time to take Manisa up to North Carolina...This meant that Hayley would be sharing a room with them...or sleep on the couch/air bed in the living room...She was very excited about this let me tell you...it was like camping out...We had thought about bringing Manisa's bed down (it's a futon bunk bed) but nixed it cause we felt the baby would have kept Hayley up at night and she has school)...We were all happy with the decision....that is all except for Lynn apparently...but I will get to that...

So when they got there Patrick called Doug outside and preceded to tell him exactly what he thought of Lynn...how uncomfortable she makes Manisa and that it wasn't going to happen anymore...He went on for about a full 30 minutes...He came inside and then said Doug wanted me outside...Okay I went...Doug then preceded to say he didn't like the idea of Hayley out in the living room and to please let her come live with him and she can come home on the weekends...UGH....(This is not the first time he's mentioned Hayley comeing to live with him)

It was then that I had to tell him how Hayley had been feeling about going over there...For the past few months...She's been coming home venting about Lynn...now some I had to tell Hayley were pretty ridiculous... but she was coming home with some real issues...I have always told her that she really needs to talk to her Dad...she has tried ( I know she has) but it gets brushed aside...I knew her going over there was not a good Idea with the way she's been feeling about Lynn...This was after Patrick ranted about Lynn too...I told him that I felt his house had real issues that were not getting handled...and I told him what they were...his face fell when he knew that I really did know what went on there...Oh well...

I have to say I felt really bad...First Patrick and now Hayley...He said fine but he wanted us to bring down Manisa's bunk bed (I don't understand his logic but okay...I can get her earplugs) So we did that and all is well...I have no clue what happened when Doug got home...I don't know if he told Lynn or not...or what he told her...

Well Lynn apparently popped over to My house last Thursday unnannouced or invited...From what Manisa said she seemed like she had taken lots of Happy Pills (yeah she does have a history of taking happy pills) stayed for about an hour...Made Manisa feel uncomfortable again...and left with a promise to stop by alot more often...The look Manisa gave me was one of "HELP!" when I came home and she told me what happened...I thought about it...See...The problem is here that after everthing that has happened...I highly doubted that Lynn would understand that she should maybe call to see if Manisa is up to a visit, not taking a nap and that she's not doing anything else instead of just popping over uninvited....you know...the way normal people would do it...

So what I had opted for what this...We have an enclosed patio that can be kept locked during the day...while Lynn may come over...she would not be able to get to the front door...I don't (At least I hope not!) that Lynn is the type of person to stand out there and bang loudly saying "Manisa!!!!! I'm out here!!!!" (But then again....maybe she is) She can call but I have caller ID so if Manisa's asleep or otherwise busy she can let it go to voice mail...

Unless you all have a better suggestion....I open the floor to you guys!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Just a tad bit tired today....Kairi does like to stick to a nighttime schedule and it's every 2 hours!!! Not that I minded...I cat-napped on Sunday in between doing loads of laundry....it's hard to believe that tomorrow she is going to be 3 weeks old already...She's changed so much already! You can see her struggling to keep more awake...makes her cranky at times...but other than that...she is wonderful! Manisa is doing well and I really enjoy spending the time with her and the baby...all the knowledge that I had from years ago in dealing with babies comes right back to me...

And speaking of...I already posed this question to Lisa...but I'd like to hear what all of your opinions are...See Mike and Patrick think one way with Manisa siding with the way I think...No it hasn't started WWIII in our house but it's been discussed heavily....

I had always been told (and this is what I believe to be true) that in the first 3 months (aprox) you can never pick baby up too much...especially if she is crying...When baby cries...you can and should pick her up and reassure her...Crying is the only means of communication they have...but you check to see if she hungry...diaper needs changing or she just needs a cuddle...I do know that babies also cry for just about any reason but you won't spoil her by picking her up when she cries...In fact you are telling her that you are there and will take care of her...Obviously this is what Manisa and I think...Patrick and Michael think that it is okay to leave the baby cry as long as they aren't hungry or have a dirty diaper...(And let me tell you....Kairi is quite capable of Atomic Diapers! hahaha) They think that this is not good for the baby and you need to let them know whose the boss right away! (isn't it obvious they are men????? And are acting like it???? )

Ladies....What say you?????? and if there are any men out there...what are your opinions???

The Album's Completed!!!!!

I have an online Photo album all done at Imagestation by Sony....Too forever to upload the photos! UGH....I have already send some emails for those that I have email Addresses for....If you want to view it you can email me at Lstremple@msn.com or my Work address Laura.Bourque@hcahealthcare.com


Sorry I haven't been around too much in blogland but it's been month end close this week and my house has been very hectic! (But in a good way ;) ) Kairi is spending tonight and tomorrow night up in My room so Manisa can get a decent weekend sleep....Believe me I do not mind not sleeping when it comes to that little baby! I did it last weekend also...it was a blast....Kairi decided that she wanted to be awake from 2am to 4am so we watched an old time episode of "Star Trek" (with a very young Captain Kirk) and then watched "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (remember that one????) She finally fell back asleep for a nice long sleep.....But I am sooo loving it!


Take care guys and you all have a wonderful weekend!!!!

Photo's will be forthcoming!!!!

Not sure how I am going to do it though....I thought Hayley had her digital camera but she had left it at her Dad's....But last night Patrick and Manisa went out and bought a Sony Cybershot 5 Mega pixels...They already have lots of photo's to post .....I won't be able to do it tonight as I have to take Manisa and baby to the pediatrician for a check up...So I will try to do it tomorrow night...I have used in the past, Sony Imagestation and done online photo albums...I may try that again...if that doesn't work I may try to put some up here under that Hello Option...I hope it works...I think if I use the Imagestation...I have to send the link to everyone via email...not sure...will have to check it out....

On a Sadder note...Patrick had to leave today to go back to the Base...He has to be back on duty tomorrow...4 more weeks (The first week of April) and I will bring up Manisa and Kairi...We miss him already...But I promised Patrick that I will take very good care of his wife and daughter...Going to spoil both of them!!!

Kairi is doing wonderfully! She's truly a good baby...She very alert and looking around at all her surroundings...Everyone enjoys being with her...Her sleep patterns are starting to somewhat change around...I am sure that in time they will get better and better...She seems to sleep the longest between 4 and 5 am and often not waking until 10:30am...We just need to push that back a little bit!

Well that's about all I have time for! Take care all!