Ultimate Fight Night at CCOC

The college group at Cottondale Church of Christ had an Ultimate Fight Night tonight. An inflatable wrestling ring was rented and set up for some fun. Bentley and Brody had a BLAST! Bentley wrestled until he was exhausted and Brody flirted with the college girls ;)

Mohawks Rock!!!!

Waiting On Bubba...

Brody decided he would chill and read Better Homes and Gardens while waiting on Bentley to get out of school :)

Sick Baby :(

Yesterday Brody woke up with a low-grade fever and very fussy and lethargic. He slept most of the day. His gums were so swollen so I was thinking he was cutting teeth. I decided to take him on to the doctor this morning after we dropped Bentley off at school. He was fever-free but still pitiful. Everything was clear, ears, lungs, etc. But his gums were still extremely swollen so that was the culprit. Wow! Even through all of Brody's ear infections, he never felt this bad. And Bentley never acted like that cutting teeth so I was shocked that that was all there was to it. Thankful, but shocked. The only thing about Monkey being sick is that he REALLY wanted his Mommy :) He would take his naps in my lap, eat his lunch in my lap. He is NEVER still long enough for me to just hold him. I really liked having those moments of just cuddling with him but I do want him to feel better. Here are a few pics of my sick teething baby...

                                                                       Poor Baby

                                                               Laying in Mommy's lap

                                                               Waiting on the Doctor

Post About My Oldest Child

Bentley Gage is 8-years-old and is one of the sweetest kids I know. He was born on April 7, 2003 at 8:15am weighing 7lbs 15ozs. He was one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen. Bentley was always independent and super quick to learn new things. He was walking at 9 months and talking up a storm by 12 months. At 2, he was counting to ten in English and Spanish, knew shapes, colors, and who our president was. He could tell you the state capital, state bird, and state tree. He loved doing animal noises and could spell his name. He was always a sweet baby and somewhat laid back but had moments of being very high-maintenance. He is VERY hyper and talks non-stop. Bentley is a Momma's boy from way back and I love that boy dearly. At about 5-years-old I started noticing how active he was, and how hard it was to get him to sleep at night. He couldn't sit still, always fidgeting. I questioned his Kindergarten teacher and she said, "he is ALL boy, that's all". So in first grade, same things were happening except now grades were being affected. So I asked his teacher about his behavior and she said I should have him tested for ADHD. Only problem was no one would test him until he was 7-years-old. So we had to deal with it and really push him to sit and focus as much as possible at school. Thankfully, Mrs. Latham was AWESOME and helped us through the school year!

Bentley was tested in April of 2010. He was diagnosed with Oppositional Defiant Disorder, ADHD, and Anxiety issues. He was put on Vyvanse first. About a year later his medicine was changed to Adderall. My son changed dramatically on Adderall!!! He was moody, irritable, had huge blow-ups, and cried all the time. The doctor we were seeing really didn't like to be asked questions. He wanted to have you in and out without really having to deal with you too much. Once, I asked him about changing the meds because of the behavior and his response was, "Sure, just tell me what you want and I will write it out." I don't know!!! You are the doctor!!! I did research but he didn't want to discuss meds. He just wanted to write out prescription and send us on our way. Needless to say we changed doctors that day!

We started seeing Dr. Donna Davis and LOVE her!!! She is awesome. She talks to Bentley and makes him do most of the talking and wants to know how he feels and what he's thinking. The first thing she did was change his medicine. He is now on Ritalin. Bentley is so much calmer and happier. Dr. Davis said Adderall is one of the worst meds to be on. All of the terrible tantrums and such were happening when the Adderall was coming out of his system, called Rebounding. I truly believe the Adderall altered Bentley's personality. I think all of the bad behaviors he had picked up while on that medicine became a habit. He is still doing some of the behaviors as before just not as often. He still has moments of fits but he can get himself together quicker unlike when he was on Adderall. One time, while on Adderall still, he was sent to his room for being ugly and I went to check on him and he was praying. But the prayer broke my heart. He was asking God why He hadn't helped him to stay calmer and be more respectful because he had prayed so hard to do those things. He just couldn't control his behavior while on that medicine. He is still impulsive but I think that is just going to be a part of his personality. I fear he is going to be a follower instead of a leader and we are really trying to work on that. 

Bentley is a big hugger and he loves to read and write. He is very artistic and athletic. A super smart kid. And he is mighty handsome too ;)

Now, on January 20th, Bentley made a HUGE mistake!!! One we are dealing with and a mistake that he was disciplined for and is still suffering discipline from. And probably will for some time to come. I know all kids make mistakes but I strongly believe you have to catch these behaviors now and try your best to stop them so they don't become bigger issues later. I want to raise my boys to be honorable, respectful, loving, caring, and God-fearing men who will one day be awesome husbands and fathers. I fail as a mother daily. But one thing I do know is that NO ONE will ever love my boys here on this earth more than I will.

             
                   Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
                                                                                         ~Proverbs 22:6

MLK Day and Fun Day at the Park

January 16th was Martin Luther King Day so Bentley was out of school. Russell was in Atlanta for a class he had to take for the store. So it was just the boys and I. The morning started off with us sleeping in. Then we YouTubed MLK's famous speech upon Bentley's request. Brody clapped and shouted, "Amen!" during the speech. Too funny!! After that we decided it was a beautiful day to go to the park for some fresh air and some fun. We ended up running into my sweet friend Lori and her two boys, Gabriel and Jacob. So my boys had friends to play with and I got to play catch up with Lori. ;) It was so good seeing her.

                                      
                                             A friend loveth at all times...Proverbs 17:17

My Little Fashionista ;)

This morning I got the boys up and ready to take Bentley to school. They ate breakfast and played for a few minutes, then it was time to go. Brody was wearing his footie pajamas and decided he wanted to put his Sperry's on with the PJ's, his jacket, my scarf, and on the way out the door, he picked up his sock monkey toboggan. Wowser!! What a look!! He was also enjoying his "surfboard" aka his mum-mum. He is sooo goofy!!

                                                  
                                                                I  LOVE THIS KID!!!!

A/B Honor Roll

Bentley got his report card the other day and he made the A/B Honor Roll! He has made A's and B's all year so far. I am so proud of him! I cannot believe my baby is in the third grade :(

                                                                
                                                                         3rd Grade
                                                                        Mrs. Storm

A New Chapter in Life...

As of Friday, January 6, 2012, at 1:30pm, I started a new chapter in life. I quit my job and became a stay-at-home-mom. I am beyond excited about this chapter!!! Besides being a photographer (which I am working on) I have always wanted to be a mother! I love my boys sooo much and want to spend every second with them. They are a blessing to Russell and I and I am honored to be their mom. Now I get to be the room mom for Bentley's class and I get to experience all of Brody's firsts with him instead of hearing about them. There will definitely be some good stories about Bentley and Brody because they are CRAZY!!! Here is a picture of the loves of my life and my reason for living...

On another note, I found this poem and loved it...

My Son

Life is fleeting, years rush past...

and little boys grow up so fast.

Let me take time out to be

thankful mine are still here with me.

And though I am busy through the day,

let me take the time to play...

Let me take the time out to smile,

to sit with him for just a while...

Let me take time out for walks,

for swings and sports and quiet talks.

For sharing giggles, tickles, and hugs,

for patching knees and catching bugs.

For running races, climbing trees,

for helping with his A, B, Cs...

For hatching plots and planning schemes,

for listening to his thoughts and dreams.

Let me tuck him in at night,

hear his prayers, turn off the light.

And when my busy day is done,

let me thank God for my son.

Latner Boys Bonding Over Monster Trucks

Friday night, Russell, Bentley, and Jr. went to Birmingham for the Monster Jam show. It was great bonding time for the boys. Bentley had a blast!! He loves Grave Digger! Russell started taking Bentley to these shows a few years ago and they both look forward to it every year.

While Russell and Bentley were gone, Brody and I hung out. We watched cartoons, played with toys, ate Zaxby's french fries (thanks Karen), and I got LOTS of Brody hugs! It was nice to spend that quality time with my sweet little man. Then we waited anxiously until Bentley got home to tell us all about his night. Brody held on as long as he could...but he ended up fast asleep before he could hear about it. Needless to say, Bentley had a great time and is ready to go again.