Yeah! Spring!

What a weekend we had.

My parents drove in from New Mexico for a short, but great visit. They unfortunately had to endure what we in our household call, “The gear up for the end of the year.” The months of April and May usually consist of weekend so packed full of events and meetings that rarely have a minute to relax. And that was when only Emily was participating in “extra-curricular” activities. Luckily we made the decision long before we were to emotionally involved with activities that the children could only participate in Scouts and one other activity. Whatever that other was, was up to the child. This year, Emily has chosen dance (jazz) and Jacob played soccer in the fall and has just started his spring sport of football (his dad is SO proud).

At the end of the school year, comes the recitals, and end of year ceremonies and camp-outs. And a full schedule. It makes every morning, day and evening a time where we are trying to remember where we are supposed to be and what equipment should we have?

Lets just take for example the coming week:
Monday: Emily has dance practice. This week is also the time the kids are supposed to bring there suggested clothes for the dance recital which is in 6 weeks. I have a yummy massage scheduled to deal with the stress from last week which leaked into my back.

Tuesday: Jacob has football practice. Josh is the assistant coach, so he has to be there as well.

Wednesday: Both children have dentist appointments and I have a regular doctor appointment. We also are going to have the tires balanced on the van that day. Josh is also going to start the process of moving his mother (more on that on Saturday). There is church in the evening and I have a tentative photo-shoot with Amy- which I hope we can get fitted in.

Thursday: By this point if we have any homework which not been completed, we have to get it done, and practice the spelling/vocabulary words which we may or may not have had time to actually study earlier in the week. More moving plans for Josh.

Friday: Gear up for Saturday. This maybe the only night in which we stay home and just chill out as a family. I know that the MIL is planning to move some of the things she will be taking with her to California into our place.

Saturday: Seriously, the day with no time left and its still a week away. This is the day in which Josh will be moving his mom out of her apartment and into a storage shed and into our house for a few days before she moves to California to move back with her parents. Jacob also has his first football game and Emily has dance class. I guess I have broken the only one thing per child plus scouts, because Emily is in 2 different dance classes. I have no excuse except that she likes the second one, it’s free and she gets a much better work out from it than she does from her jazz dance class. The church is also having a children’s event on Saturday afternoon that the kids want to attend. MIL is moving in with us until Wednesday and I am sure there is something else that I am forgetting.

Sunday: Church in the morning and small groups in the evening. I might get to the grocery in the afternoon. Ugh, the worst time to go is Sunday afternoon. But Josh will be sulking since he won’t be at the race in Dallas.

So that’s just what we have planned for this week. Are you tired yet? I am and its only Monday morning.

We did have a great weekend and I think I made some great contacts and hope that all that was attempted this weekend, will not be for nothing.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for the saints. Philippians 6:12-18

I opened my Bible this morning at work and this was the scripture I laid my eyes upon. It was a moment sent straight from the Lord. This week has been one of the most emotionally trying times of my entire life. The place where I spend 9 hours a day has begun to attack me. I have spent more time on my knees this week crying my prayers of patience, wisdom and restraint the last three days than I believe I ever have in such a short period of time. The Lord has been good to me. I believe I will rise from this situation with a clearer head and a gratefulness for the time that I didn’t think I could ever have. I think that this situation clarified a lot about myself and those around me. It was an eye opening situation that in hindsight I am glad happened. Even in the moment, I knew it needed to happen. Things NEEDED to be said. And being placed in this situation I was allowed to be me and encouraged to stand up for myself and lay everything on the table. And I was able to do it because I had spent those hours upon hours in prayer to the Lord.

As difficult a time it was for me and as truly mentally and physically exhausted I was at the end of each day, it was worth it.

Is it the weekend yet?

I have always been taught: "If you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all."

So there you have it, I am not saying a thing, because what I have to say--could probably get me fired.

And that's my week.

Ugh.

Ice Cream thief

I walk into the kitchen briskly, on a mission, only to find my son standing on a stool, with his head in the freezer, with the box of Chocolate Chip Ice cram open and a spoon in his mouth.

No bowl, no time for that!

I was so shocked all I said was “Jacob?!”

To which he turned to tears and ran to his room, giving himself more punishment than I had planned to.

At least it wasn't down his underwear this time.

Who me, crazy?

For the last six months or so as I lay in bed I felt as though I might slip right out. You see, when you sat on the bed it felt fine. It was only after you laid down and tried to get comfortable that you realized something was wrong. I would mention this to Josh and he would laugh it off, and call me “crazy.” But I knew I wasn’t. I couldn’t be. I would start the night off down about a foot away from our headboard; see: wall. In the morning I would be crammed up in the corner between the wall and the night stand. I move around at night, but not that much.

I tried to figure out what was wrong with the bed, because something obviously had to be “wrong” and I was not slowly slipping into crazyland. I flipped the mattress, I flipped the box springs. I moved it around. I had finally given up and basically moved my sleeping in the middle of the bed in order to have a only slightly slopped sleeping experience rather than one that mirrored the alps ski slopes.

My sleep had become restless and downright painful because of this problem. I woke up nearly every morning with a crick in my neck from trying to keep myself from slipping of the bed. Between my time at the computer and my time in bed, my poor neck never got a break.

Yesterday I decided to clean our bedroom. I even documented the before and plan to document the after-once we finish the final stages today. I started on my side of the bed, under the night stand. I simply plunged my hand between the bed and the nightstand to pull up whatever treasure had fallen off the night stand or had be brought there by the dogs. You will never guess what the first thing I pulled out was.



The wheel to the bedframe. The wheel had fallen off! I wasn’t crazy! The bed HAD been at a slope. I had been slipping off. I grabbed the wheel and proudly walked down the hallway and forcefully showed Josh the wheel.

“Ha!” I said, “I am NOT crazy!”
“You may have been right about the bed,” he says, “But that doesn’t mean your not crazy.”

Happy Easter

For Easter this year we attended church and then had a wonderful meal at our house with the neighbors as our guests. After dinner we had the traditional Easter Egg Hunt- which takers longer to hide the eggs than to find them. We had about 60 eggs for 3 kids to find. They had a great time.

Bowling on Good Friday

Sorry for the lack of posts, but this has been a terrible, horrible no good week.

But I did have a half a day yesterday and we took the kids bowling and had a great time.



Emily, stepping up to the line.



The lift off.



How will she do?




Daddy with the release.



Wow, this ball is heavy.



How will it do?

We did have a fun time. I actually won both games, which if you have ever bowled with me, know this was a Good Friday miracle. I never bowl over a 60 and easily broke 100 each game. We did bowl with the bumpers up, but I swear that didn't help my game, much.

Awareness test

Awareness test- courtesy of my father. Thanks DOD! I totally passed and failed!

Sick Kids

So now after getting up at 5:30 and dragging my butt to work, I get the call that Emily has a fever. Yeah for me. So now I am home, in my pj's again (YEAH!) and working on my reports from home. With "The Fairly Godparents" in the background. Oh, yeah, and a sick child who is hacking up her left lung.

My favorite things

I was listening to one of my favorites songs this weekend: “My favorite things” by Julie Andrews. I remember the first time I heard this song, I was in the first grade and my teacher was Mrs. Susan Harris. I only remember the first name because of the obvious. She must have loved that song, because we would listen to it, over and over again. And I feel in love with it. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized where the song had originated. I listened to the song this weekend and was inspired. Here are a few of my favorite things.

I love pink.

I love Hallmark commercials.

I love movies that make me cry.

I love memories.

I love watching my children swing.

I love holding babies up to my chest and listen to them breathe.

I love getting mail.

I love a good sale.

I love wiener dogs.

I love oogeling peoples lives on the internet.

I love planning.

I love children singing.

I love to think of myself as someone I’m not.

I love giraffes.

I love surprise presents that are true surprises.

I love talking on the phone.

I love my friendships.

I love writing letters.

I love pink lemonade and peanut butter cookies.

I love shopping for other people.

I love shoes and bags.

I love finishing a SuDuKo.

I love all things Disney.

I love the smell of rain in the desert air.

I love high school basketball games.

I love good green chili.

I love snuggle time.

I love that Jacob calls me “Crumbcake.”

I love good friends.

I love tiny pink baby dresses.

I love the smell of fresh cut grass.

I love Greys Anatomy, Thin Mints, Oprah, birthday money, afternoon naps, tomoatoes, Burger King crowns, shortalls on little boys, glitter, office supplies, a brand new blank notebook, lists, fleece, my new camera, red shoes, making cupcakes, puffy loveseats, elevators, Joey and Pacey, REM, clean sheets, lip gloss, a good steak, Tom Petty, wrapping presents, the smell of coffee brewing and when the sun comes out from behind the clouds.

Today is Saturday! Yeah! I am so excited! To not be a work! And use lots of exclamation marks! Yeah!

We have "big" plans for today which include a "photo-shoot" with the kids in their Easter clothes, possible "photo-shoot" with Amy and a much needed cut and color for me! Wrapped up with a little light cleaning and I think I will call it a day.

In other news, Congratulations to Annika in the birth of her son, Liam. He is TOO cute!

Jury Duty?

So I had to attend Jury Duty yesterday and was actually picked to serve. So if I am a little out of pocket this week, you all know why. This particular trial is scheduled to last all week long, yeah for me.

**********************
Edited to add:
He plead guilty, wasted a day for me, earned me $46 and a Jury Duty "war story".
I am back at work and back to postin'-just have to be motivated now...

When I am 100 years old

I had a post all ready about Jacob’s big Blue and Gold Banquet from last weekend, but that has been shelved to bring you what I find to be one of the funniest things Jacob has done it quite a while.

Last night I was going through his “Thursday Folder” which contains all the work he has completed in the last week. Usually one every two weeks he brings home a story that he has written and illustrated. There was a story in his folder last night. I read the story he brought home while I sat at my kitchen table I laughed harder that I had in weeks. It has to be the funniest thing I have ever read. I scanned it last night so that I could write about it today, so here you go:

When I am 100 years old I will have a TV. I will have a mustache. I like to watch TV. I would look like a old man. I will also be old. I will have a baby.

And a picture of him-with his mustache.

You may all laugh now.

My babies, oh- my babies

Recently in my home my eldest, Emily has been “reverting” if you will to her childhood- which she left 5 minutes ago. She is still in fact still 9 years old but was going on about 16 for a while. Talking back, slamming doors, the eye-roll and the great stomp off into her room. It had become quite a place to be in our home, especially in the evenings, when she is tired and worn out from the day. There would be all out wars. Serious attitude adjustments and serious contemplation of boarding school. Her life was about the make-up, shoes, HSM2 (High School Musical 3 for all of you lucky enough to not know what that stands for) and iCarley. She had turned into a tween, and she wasn’t supposed to be there for another couple of years.

But recently she has begun to cling to her stuffed animals a little more in the evenings and she has wanted my assistance in choosing her outfits for the day. It was a bit odd in that she wanted my help with anything, or that she wanted my opinion, as it has been shunned for quite a while. She has been allowing me to hold her hand in public and not just when we cross the street. She has wanted loads of hugs before I leave in the morning and is always excited when I get home. She has been extremely helpful in the kitchen- cooking dinner on Monday night all by herself! It was as good of spaghetti as I would have made. She has just been more pleasant.

But now when we sit down in the evenings after dinner has been eaten, homework has been completed and baths have been had I have a little boy sitting to my right to snuggle up with me and my girl- who has been beating him to my side in the evening in the snuggle departments. It is a time that I am required to slow down, sit still and enjoy just being with my children. I know this time will end, sooner than I ever want it to. So for now, I sit on the couch and soak up their love and snuggles for as long as they will let me.

TAKS Master

Today was that dreaded day. The day we have been fearing for months on end. The day that I lost as much sleep over as Emily. It was the day of the first of her TAKS tests, the reading portion.

They have been prepairing for the TAKS all year. Their entire curiculum is based around the test preperation and how to pass this stinky test. One thing they did was yesterday they had a red-carpet event with all the TAKS masters. When I came home last night and picked up Emily from the sitters house, she and Claire were still all done up in there duds and actually excited about the test today. For which I am grateful. I wanted Emily to not be worried about it, like I was.

Here she is in all her glory!

March 4, 2008

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