Archives for September 2012

September 22, 2012 By 11 Comments

The Big 3-0!

Today is Josh’s 30th birthday.  I’m sure it hasn’t been anything like he ever imagined, but I wouldn’t know because I haven’t heard one complaint from him.  He’s just that kind of guy…awesome.  He’s thankful Amon is doing well and I think that’s all the 30th birthday present he or I could ask for.

I will slightly proclaim my love for Josh on the internet…since it is his birthday.  Josh Kelley is one crazy amazing, awesomely incredible, God fearing, makes me laugh all the time with his dry humored witty self , hot to the hotness, madly loves his wee Kelleys, makes my brain hurt smart, works like a dog, isn’t too manly to do laundry & dishes & bathe kiddos, all the while making me feel like the most stellar woman in the world.  He is truly that good.

Happy 30th birthday Josh.  I love you more than cookies and doughnuts and pie!

Filed Under: ace of hearts, family, heart Tagged With: , 11 Comments
September 21, 2012 By 26 Comments

I’m Tired :)

What a day, what a day.  We got to the hospital around 6am…anesthesia took Amon back around 8…surgery started around 9…they thought they were finished around 1:30…then Amon had some bleeding issues and they had to re-open him back up…and finally close to 6 we got to see our incredibly amazing, sweet, sweet, triple sweet boy.

Can I just say that technology is amazing.  I am blown away with how everything is working for Amon…where all these tubes and wires and IVs and ports are going and what all they are doing.  It is absolutely crazy.

This is definitely Amon’s most fun tube.  Who new medical tubes could be so stellar.

Amon will have 5 super rad scars as apart of his story…1 nice sized one from the incision and then 4 smaller ones from tubes coming from his belly.  The ladies are going to love this guy.

Thank you for smothering him in prayer…we felt it.  It was a long, long, hard, emotional, but yet incredible day.  So thankful for this crazy sweet boy and his new heart.  So thankful for a God who ordains and holds and comforts and restores.  Amazing.

Now for some sleep.  And for the quickest recovery ever.  Thank you for praying…truly, truly, truly…thank you for praying.

May God receive all the praise.

Filed Under: ace of hearts, family Tagged With: , 26 Comments
September 21, 2012 By 13 Comments

Ace of Hearts

Thank you for praying.  Sincerely…THANK YOU!

Amon is officially back for surgery.  He looks phenomenal in his little white scrubs.  He is going to completely rock today.

Now to get comfy and get our wait on.  I can’t wait to see him with a new patched up heart.  Today will be a good, good day for Amon!  Thankful for incredible doctors and an amazing hospital and for a God who restores and makes things new.  God is too, too good.

Happy Heart Day!

 

Filed Under: ace of hearts, family Tagged With: , 13 Comments
September 20, 2012 By 20 Comments

3rd time has GOT to be the charm

First of all THANK YOU!!!!  Thank you for being too kind and thoughtful and willing to pray for our sweet boy.  Over the past few days I have been overwhelmed with the loveliness of God and how He uses others to bless…and bless big time.  So THANK YOU…from the bottom of my heart.

Second…Seriously?  This is the last blog post I ever imagined I would write.  EVER!  We were sitting in the hospital waiting room, completely checked in and arm bands on.  We were taking last minute pictures with Amon…his hair is fabulous this morning…and then a lady sat down next to me and asked if we were the Kelley family.  I thought, “Okay it’s game time.  Let’s do this.  We’re ready.  Keep the tears to a minimum Laura.”

And then she dropped the crap of all crap news…they did not have a bed available in the PICU for Amon and that they were having to reschedule his surgery again.  To her defense she was very apologetic and said she could only imagine how we felt and that Amon is their top priority now, but that they have to have a bed for him so he can get the care and attention he needs after such major surgery.

Our surgeon was P.I.S.S.E.D.  That made me feel a little better.  At least she literally found out shortly before us.  So we’re back at home.  Some one will call us at some point during the day and give us our new date.  They are going to try for tomorrow or Monday.  Will you please pray they can schedule it for tomorrow?  I know I am the neediest blogger ever, but we would completely and totally appreciate the prayers for surgery tomorrow and that Amon can continue to remain healthy enough for surgery.  With 3 wee Kelleys in the house, the germ battle is epic.  We are working super hard to keep him healthy.

I’m not unpacking my bags either…I’m praying big, bold prayers for surgery tomorrow.  And I’m trying not to eat our cookies.

I have literally cried my ever loven’ eyes out, but here’s the deal…when you make something public…when you put it out there that you are committed to praising God no matter what…and you’ve told God…you’ve made this commitment to Him…I think my exact typed out words were:

“I want to consciously praise God…I mean really praise God…no matter what happens.  The Good.  The Bad.  And even the Re-scheduled.  I know this will not always be easy, but I’m going to give it my best earthly flesh try.”

well then you have to follow through.  There’s that accountability thing.  I need it because sometimes you make commitments that are not always easy to follow through on, but I KNOW…I REALLY KNOW…that God has this.  He was not shocked or surprised like we were.  He didn’t feel like He was on candid camera.  And He’s the Creator of the world…the Creator of me and the Creator of Amon…we’re His…so I feel good in whatever His plan for Amon will be.

So of course we’re bummed, but at the top of my lungs…Hallelujah!

Filed Under: ace of hearts, family Tagged With: , 20 Comments
September 19, 2012 By 43 Comments

Day Before Heart Surgery Thoughts

**Tomorrow is Amon’s big day.  We head out bright and early…well technically it will still be pitch dark.  His surgery starts at 8am.  Will you please pray for our sweet, sweet boy?  Thank you!

**I’m positive God allowed me to read in 2 Corinthians just a few days ago because He absolutely knew my heart needed it.

**I tend to not be very emotional, but ever since Mom died, well it’s been a lost cause keeping my emotions under wraps.  Needless to say I’ve cried multiple times today already.  It’s 10am.

**I need to pull out our “Waiting for you” sign for waiting room pictures tomorrow.  We are pretty darn good at this waiting thing now.  I think it’s called refinement.

**My nerves are officially off the charts too…verging on the puke phase.  Puking in the waiting room is really not cool.

**I wonder how many craft projects I can complete in 8-10 hours with no children sitting in a waiting room.

**I wonder how many calories I can emotionally eat in 8-10 hours too.

**You can’t eat in the waiting room at the hospital…they have a separate area to eat in.  That bummed me out for some reason.  I love the memories of our family and friends waiting while Mom was having brain surgery eating an entire cookie basket some sweet friends sent us.

**Maybe I’ll be so nervous I won’t be able to eat.  Who am I kidding?!?  Wishful thinking.  Snickerdoodles are already packed.

**Someone on the surgical team will call and update us every hour.  I wonder who that person will be.  I hope whoever they are, they are kind and compassionate and empathetic with a semi stressed mama.  I should make them cookies too.

**I’m thankful God is in the business of restoration.

**I’m praying Amon comes out of surgery with the same little incredible personality he goes in with, but with a killer new heart.

**I would never be a surgeon or doctor or anyone involved with a person’s health.  I would be terrible at it.  I would cry all the time.  My nerves could never handle it.  I applaud all you medical professionals.

**Super glad God knows how our hearts feels.

**What time does Chick-fi-A open?

**I really hope we’re out of the hospital by Huddy’s birthday.  If not, I hope the hospital will not object to a birthday celebration in Amon’s room…streamers and all.  There is sure to be Green Lantern cookies or cupcakes too.

**Harper told me she only wants to see Amon once he’s awake and not hooked up to any machines.  She seems nervous about all of this.  Makes me sad to think she’s sad or worried about Amon.

**I wonder if Amon will feel different when he’s done with surgery.  Right now when I put my ear to his chest I can hear that his heart sounds different than regular, healthy hearts.  I wonder if it will still sound different when he’s all fixed up.

**I hope the wee Kelleys have fun while we are all tied up at the hospital.

**I think Sara in Australia is this crazy insanely wonderful lady whom I’ve never even met.  She had a friend here in TN make us meals.  Seriously Sara…you’re crazy kind.  Thank you!

**I’m glad Vandy has wireless internet.  They are Vandy though.  They should.

**This is surely a 30th birthday Josh is never to forget.  I thought for a second that I wished it would be different for him, but then I remembered this is exactly how God knew his 30th birthday would play out.  One he will never forget.

**I hope we all get some sleep tonight.

**I think Amon is going to recover in record time and that he will not need any more surgeries.  I still pray big, bold prayers.

**My house is so dirty right now.  I cleaned our toilets yesterday…they were funk nasty.  TMI?  Today I may clean something else.  Or make more cookies.

**I’m praying Josh has a really fantastic day today and that it’s way overly productive for him at work.  Have I ever told you what he does?  He’s an environmental scientist.  Yep.  He’s super smart.  My brain doesn’t get it.

**Is it too early to eat pie?

**We have some really big faith in tomorrow and all that it will hold.  Amon’s life will change tomorrow.  It’s going to be a great day.  God is too good.

Happy Wednesday!

Filed Under: ace of hearts, faith Tagged With: , 43 Comments
September 18, 2012 By 14 Comments

Awesome Things

Right now I’m sitting on the couch…Amon is sitting beside me after he downed his bottle.  We’re having a pretty cool day so far.  I’m getting everything ready for the hospital and packing the wee big Kelley’s bags for their overnight stays.  I’m also baking.  Is it normal to take bake goods to the hospital?  I think it should be.

Josh said last night, “We should really get some before pictures of Amon.”  I agreed.  You know, before he gets that killer scar on his chest that all the ladies will swoon over when he’s older.

I’m really trying to prepare a months in a advance for birthdays and Halloween since we’ll be out of commission for a while.  This guy turns 30 Saturday.  We’ve been together officially 1/2 our lives.  I like that about us.

I adore Halloween.  I may go so far to say it’s my favorite holiday.  I know some people don’t dig it and that’s cool, but I love it.  I took the kids to a costume store the other day to let them get some ideas about what they wanted to be.  It was pretty much a no brainer for each of them deciding what they wanted to be and I let Harper pick Amon’s costume.  Then I went to work looking the internet over for much better prices.  Success.  Can I say right now this may be the best Halloween ever!

My polaroid is still pretty awesome.  I plan on taking lots of pictures with it at the hospital of visitors and doctors and staff and nurses, etc.  I know Amon won’t remember this at all, so I want to try and document this life changing event for him as best I can.

I’ve also been searching for the perfect globe…size and color…to take with us to the hospital too.  It arrived today in the mail.  I want all of his surgery team and nurses and cardiologists and visitors to sign it for him.  I want him to have something he can keep forever.

This stellar number 6 arrived in the mail yesterday and I.Am.In.Love!  It’s the perfect chippy redish orange paint color ever.

This happens every single day now.  It never fails.  I like them.  Like a lot, a lot.

And a nice lady on craigslist totally made my day when she posted 50+ vintage wood thread spools for $10.  I about wept.  I’ve been looking for a large lot of these for a while, but they are always too expensive.  My hospital stay just got a bit more crafty.  Super excited to use them.  Thank you craigslist lady.

Hope your day has been filled with awesome things too.

 Happy Tuesday!

Filed Under: Uncategorized 14 Comments
September 17, 2012 By 2 Comments

Pretty Good

This weekend wasn’t exactly what I had planned for our last normal weekend before Amon’s surgery, but that’s life right?  Right.  And even though there were some bummers, there were also some delightful moments.  And anyways a weekend that includes sprinkle doughnuts,

face painted cuteness,

an adorable baby,

retro snow cones,

popcorn eating,

and an art festival within walking distance of our house makes for a pretty good weekend.

Yes, it didn’t go as planned, but it was a pretty good weekend.

Happy Monday!

PS:  I added a new art piece for sale.  Check out my Currently Available.

**Update:  The new canvas I posted has already sold.  Thanks so much!**

Filed Under: Uncategorized 2 Comments
September 14, 2012 By 13 Comments

Stellar

I think being the wee Kelley’s mom is almost pure awesomeness.  These little people who drive me crazy, nutso sometimes, also make my heart want to explode.  I think they are pretty stellar.

And I’m pretty crazy in love with our little family.  Everyday we are working on making all 6 of us home…together…as a family.  Building bonds and friendships with each other that will last forever & ever.

It definitely takes work and we completely suck at it sometimes, but what an honor.  Still can’t believe God thought me and Josh were okay enough to help with these 4.  Wowzers.  So today I’m just grateful for family and the joy and privilege of working on making “us” a home.

Happy completely stellar Friday!

Filed Under: Uncategorized 13 Comments
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