2000 – 2003
In January 2000 I started working for Florida State as a Child Abuse Investigator. The family really enjoyed living close to the beach and we had a great Church family. I had a great uncle (Dillard Akers - brother to papaw Willard) and aunt (Rose - sister to granny Flo, Williard’s wife.) that lived there. Also Dillard and Rose’s son, Walter and his family lived there. Things were good until the summer of 2001. Walter whom we all called an uncle got really sick. He is actually my dad’s double first cousin. So he always felt like an uncle to me. Later that summer he died of an unknown illness. Dillard and Rose moved back to Tennessee. Crime was greatly intensifying and Austin started Kindergarten there. 9-11 was the straw that broke the camels back. We decided to head back to the East Kentucky Hills.
It was great to be back. We lived in Dad’s A-frame house again.
Age three (2000) Allie was running wide open in Florida. She loved playing with Taylor Wilson. She would catch lizards and chase the boys with them on the church playground. Allie was always affectionate with me but she did not give her hugs and kisses to just anybody. And when you made her mad, the whole world knew it and suffered. I was about the only one that could clam her down and snap her back to reality. It took a few gentle persuasions. Actually, spankings did not work on Allie, it just mad her madder. She would stub up, cross her arms, get a mean look on her face and stomp. I remember once at her Sunshine Daycare, they said that she crawled under a table and would not come out all day. She would get mad and pout until she would get her way. But that was Daddy’s baby girl and most of the time I gave her, her way. But she got the “Mike Brady” talks non-stop.
Age 4 (2000) his big brotherness shown through more and more. Allie was 2 and she done everything he done. Austin told me the other day that at bedtime when we lived in Florida, he and Allie would quietly play after I would leave. Now this takes some witty kids to be able to pull this off. Not making noise. Ignorance is bliss. Boy, to think back at all the danger they could have gotten into really scares me.
But Austin was not a mean child, just mischievous. He was building his little personality. He was very caring, sharing and very protective of his little sister. He loves her with a special close bond. While on a playground Austin would play but he knew where Allie was at all times. I would see her playing and then someone would walk up to her. I would see Austin observing closely from a distance, watching the interaction that was taking place. If one thing was out of sorts he was all over them and the situation. He was a little policeman. Only he was allowed to pick on her in his eyes.
Age 4 (2001) Allie was starting to play better with kids. But she would still get her feelings hurt easily. She would come crying and say they hurt her feelings. She would get mad and sit down. There was no reasoning with her. But I just kept sending her back out there. I knew that she would grow out of it and learn that not everyone is going to like you. We moved back to Florida this year. I put Allie in Head Start. Things changed for her. She loved it and they loved her. I remember that Ms. Brenda Evans told me that everyday Allie would sit all the kids in a circle and sing bible songs with them and then act like she was preaching, praying and taking communion. Ms. Brenda said that she could tell that young lady had parents who took her to church. Allie never acted up while in Head Start. They all said that she was shy at times but always came around. They also said that she was so sweet. Allie loves anything pink and anything to do with Princesses. So I painted all of the Princesses on her walls to help her sleep better at night. Allie was a wonderer. She would get up in the middle of the night and walk around. That scared me. Allie also was a sleep walker. That scared me as well. While in Head Start I discovered that Allie was very smart. She was the only on in class that could write her first and last name, read small words and count. I was so proud of her.
By age 5 (2001) Austin was shaping into a very good little man. He was not loud or out spoken. He had great mannerisms. He was a little gentleman. I would take him and Allie to the playground almost everyday after work. I taught him to bat left handed and he was very good at it. I also taught him to box and wrestle at an early age. It came in handy a few times in order to stick up for Allie. I remember one time on the playground this big boy, about age 8, was picking on both of them. Austin would say something to him and then he would shove Austin. I would tell them to just go somewhere else to play. Then when he shoved Allie, I was mad. I told Austin if he does it again to take care of it. Austin had self discipline and control. He knew that I did not allow them to fight unless it was the last resort. When the boy shoved Allie again, Austin was all over it right up in the boys face. It was David verses Goliath. The boy went to hit Austin and Austin dodged it then countered a punch right to his nose. The boy ran off crying to his mother. I did not say a word. I acted like I did not see anything. That boy never caused them any trouble after that.
Even though Austin could stick up for himself he still looked so small when it came to him starting Kindergarten at White City Elementary in Ft. Pierce, FL. I remember feeling so helpless. My little man was going to school. He struggled some in school but not too much. Classes there were advanced in teaching and technology there. He could write, read and do math pretty well. From and early age I read to both of them and would point to the words. I remember a fall play / singing that his class had. He looked so cute up there on the stage, but for some reason, he was scared out of his mind. He started crying. His little face all puckered up and crying. I wanted to run up there and rescue him. But I did not. He jumped off the back roll and ran off the stage. He ran all the way back to his daddy’s lap. I never knew what spooked him. He sure makes up for it now. He loves performing in front of people now. That November of 2001 we moved back to Kentucky. He went into Botts Elementary School in Kindergarten. The school reported that he was so far ahead that he would be moved to the first grade after the winter break. He was just an average student in Florida but advanced in Kentucky. Austin was so loving and wanted everyone to love him. He is like me, very touchy feely. He has to be touching you if he is talking to you. This got him into trouble more times than I can could shake a stick at. He was just so full of energy.
By age 5 (2002) Allie was shaping into a very good young lady. While in Kindergarten she never acted out. She was so different than Austin. Austin got into trouble everyday because he could not keep his hands to himself. I thought Allie would have been the one that would have fought everyday but she did not. She learned to control her anger when she did not get her way. She is a very sweet little girl. Now don’t get me wrong she would still put a hurting on you from time to time but she never acted up at school. She was very smart and well behaved. I was very proud of her. Allie loved being girly and princessy but she also loved to rip and run outside with Austin. I do remember one time that she got into a fight on the bus with a girl that made fun of her. Allie had just got her two front teeth pulled because they needed it. The girl told Allie that she was ugly. The girl was a 3rd grader and Allie warmed her head up. Austin said that he tried to drag her of the girl but Allie started hitting him to. I got upset with Allie for that one. I again gave her the “Mike Brady” speech and told her that not everyone is going to like you and you can not hit them.
At age six (2002) we let him play baseball. He was the smallest on the team but could throw and hit the farthest on the team. Remember the oldest kids where age 8. He was great at baseball also he was good at soccer. He was like a little water bug. He would score about 3 goals a game. He was all over the place. He could not stand still. When he was made to, he would have to move some part of his body. He was quite comical to watch. I remember Austin had this terrible habit of smelling everything. It was ok to when you are eating but when he would have to smell the ball every time before he would throw it, now that is a big problem, but is was cute. Austin continued to breeze through academics at school but his behavior was a different story. He was with kids taller and older than him. I told the school to keep him in 1st grade with kids his own age. I told them to keep him challenged.
Age seven (2003) Austin was doing very well at school both in academics and behavior. Austin was well like, very cute and very smart. What more could a parent ask for. Austin knew he was smart but did not flaunt it. A couple of butt whoopings changed his way of thinking about that. Austin when he would get finished with his work would happily help others that struggled. Austin had a way with girls. He had several girls that liked him. I remember being there one day and about 3 different girls came up to him tell him they liked him or someone else liked him. But he has always claimed Emma Roach to be his girlfriend. Both of them like each other. Austin is still very protective of Allie while at school and on the bus. He may not sit with her anymore but you can be sure he is with in seeing distance.
At age six (2003) Allie was growing and growing. She has always been tall. Like a half head taller than all of her class mates. She has always just been one and a half inch shorter than Austin. But she was always very skinny. The health department would always get onto me for her being so skinny. But I would tell them that she would eat everything that she could get her hands on. Since the kids were very little everyone thought they were twins. Allie in the 1st grade made friend with Tiffany Jones. She is her best friend. Allie continued doing very well at school both in academics and behavior.
In January of 2003 I started doing Child Abuse Investigations of the State of Kentucky. That August Allie started Kindergarten and Jenn started Nursing School.
