Thursday, November 6, 2008

Almost 6 months later!!

WOW! Almost six months have passed since I have posted anything. I apologize to those who have been wanting to read more from me. Things kind of took off and kept me occupied, as they normally do.
Let's see, since May, quite a lot has happened. Stephen graduated from High School in June. That was bittersweet. I went to the graduation ceremony fully prepared to cry and brought a purse full of kleenex, but the program was so lighthearted I could do nothing but laugh. I was so grateful for the humor to take the edge off what could have been a sad (but a proud-sad) 2 hours! Summer started immediately after that and we didn't really go anywhere. Jeff was in an air-cast boot following a work-related injury and that limited a lot of events. That was fine with us, however, as we welcomed the opportunity to stick close to home. David had the privilege of attending Nike Golf camp and he loved it. There were Vacation Bible School weeks, Youth Camp at the beach, Sports camps, College orientation, etc. That pretty much took up the entire summer and before we knew it, summer football practice started.
In August, Stephen headed to college. He seems to be liking it so far. He's doing ok. There were some challenges not uncommon for a Freshman, but he's doing well. Matthew started Kindergarten. He's doing well in that area as well. He received recognition for good character and has more "green" (i.e., good) days than anything else.
David sat out half of the football season. In October, he received what's called a SMO brace. This is a remarkable piece of plastic formed to his foot and fitted snugly around his ankle. The minute he had that contraption on, he walked straighter, taller, and with less of a limp. He also was virtually pain-free. Immediately that week after getting the brace, he was on the football field actually doing drills. He was so thrilled! He's not back at 100% yet, but he at least got to play a few plays for the remainder of the season so we feel by next year he'll be that much better. YAY! This was a looonnnnggg time coming for him! I'm so proud!
Jennifer is in 5th grade this year. She's dancing one class a week at Head To Toe (where she used to be on Company), playing soccer, signed up for basketball that starts soon, dancing for the Christmas program at church (that requires a LOT of time), and has participated in one choir event with another coming up next weekend. She's also a student leader at her school. Her grades are very good. Momma is proud!
Jeff had tendon-repair surgery in September and was home for 6 weeks. He is healing nicely and jumping the gun a bit trying to do a bunch of things he isn't supposed to but in my opinion, that's a typical man for you. We had some issues with the Workers' Compensation checks and a misunderstanding about his work supplemental benefits, but after 6 weeks of arguing back and forth, this incredible man was able to spell everything out in clear, concise description. Where in the world was this man 6 weeks prior???
So, that's where things are right now. Tons of things happened in between what I've posted. David got his braces off, he got released from Physical Therapy. Jeff started Physical Therapy. There is uncertainty as to whether Jeff will have a job every single day he heads to the office. Stephen was able to perform in some band events (he has a small band made up of 4 guys), he also marched with the Texas State University band. Dookie became huge (I'll have to post pictures. He's our Catahoula mix canine.). Jennifer got a black cat in June from her friend and he's going to be neutered this month. We didn't do any halloween parties or trick-or-treating, but we did carve pumpkins and roast the seeds. The pumpkins miraculously disappeared overnight the first night we put them outside (when they started to grow mold!).
I'll try to make the time to post more often. I have pictures to put up, so be checking back and I'll do whatever I can whenever I get some free time!!!

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Mighty Texas Dog Walk

Jeff, Jennifer, and I participated in the Mighty Texas Dog Walk. It's a fundraiser for a service dog training center that is in our town. There's some rivalry between this and a British dog walk for the Guinesses Book of World Records. We didn't break the record this year, but we still had fun. Our puppy was on the evening news today for just a second. That was pretty cool.
I have one complaint about the dog walk this year. There were 3 water stations set up along the course, but the problem was that there was a run of some kind that happened before the dog walk and used the same route and the runners depleted the water supply so by the time we got to any of those 3 tables for water, there was absolutely nothing left. I think they should have warned us before we started the walk that water would be unavailable. After 3 miles, we were parched!!!
Other than that, it was fun. Hot, but fun! :)
Here's a link to the TV program...not sure if it works...
Mighty Texas Dog Walk
In the video, about halfway through, two men will talk, then right after them is a woman and right after that woman is our puppy, Duke.
I'll post more pictures later. I'm kind of tuckered out right now.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Mother's Day Musings

Mother's Day...This year, it falls on Sunday, May 11. Actually, if you ask me, every day is Mother's Day. Think about it. Is there ONE day in the year when a Mom doesn't hear, "MOM!!!"??? Is there one day in the year when someone doesn't need, want, think about, love, cherish, or thank their mom??
I can't tell how many times "Let your mother do it for you" or "I'm telling Mom!" has been voiced in my household. Therefore, every day must be Mother's day if Mom has to do it all...
So, what, really, is the purpose of setting aside one day in the year to honor these hard-working, self-sacrificing icons we call "Mom"?? Overpriced flowers, more paper in our landfills (think, homemade and store-bought cards and the 2 year old's drawings), boom in restaurant business, extra opportunities for people to go to church, to name a few.
But Motherhood...if I were to sum it up...it consists of many emotions. Here's a recent story:

I took Matthew (now 5) with me to run errands. The night before, his daddy had been complaining his foot was cramping up. I don't recall Matthew being in the room at the time when Daddy was whining. (Bear with me...this has something to do with the story) I was at 4 different stores and a fast-food place and every place I went, Matthew would be limping and people would look at me with utter SHOCK on their face, or disgust. I guess you could call them disgustingly shocked. I have no idea what Matthew was saying, I tried to get him to tell me but I couldn't understand him myself. So this goes on all day. People look at me and I smile one of those smiles only a proud mother could have for her child. You know the type, right?? That brought even more horror to the faces of these passers-by. I started to worry a little bit, but wouldn't let it show in my face. That evening, we get home and I finally find out from Jennifer what Matthew had been saying all day..."My feet are crapping!! My feet are CRAPPING!!!" ::Groan:: (Picture me with a huge ear-to-ear grin as he yelled that!!! No wonder people were disgusted with this Mom!!)
Apparently, Matthew wanted to be like daddy. He also wanted to be like David...he managed to sneak David's old heel gel thingie, oversized and all, into his shoe!

But it is moments like that, and like the time Matthew insisted his foot broke (because his toenail needed a trim after breaking), the time Matthew asked me if I dreamed (the story is in an earlier blog), the joy of watching a child receive an award, score a goal, make a basket, successfully finish an instrumental piece, discover something scientific, misunderstand something that ends up being humorous, make it through surgery -- twice -- and go on to play football, get an academic honor, graduate from high school (sniff, sniff) and adamantly tell you that it is NOT ok for you to attend the same college as he does, THOSE are the things that help shape motherhood. The rewards are in the relationships themselves that last long after the kids leave home. When the kids are little, the rewards are in the neverending hugs and kisses and scribbled papers with "I :heart: Mom". When the kids enter the teen years, the reward is in maintaining communication when so many other kids are cutting it off.

I've been blessed. It's been a roller-coaster ride with all the highs, lows, loop-de-loops, twists, and upside down hangs, and there have been times where the car got stuck upside down at the top of the highest loop and all I could do was scream. Then there were times the car got stuck right side up at the bottom and all I could do was hold my children, sigh, and enjoy the quiet. The ride is far from over. I have at least one child at home until the year 2021 and I'm not pushing it.

For Mother's day, check this out:
Mother's Day Giveaways

And Happy Mother's Day (even though I still insist every day is Mother's Day) to all you other Moms!!!

Mother's Day Giveaway

I'm coming in on this late in the game, but I still wanted to throw it out there...

http://www.5minutesformom.com/3329/mothersday2008/

Friday, April 25, 2008

Texas Shows and Poodle Skirts

My daughter is in 4th grade. Her music teacher decided to make Texas the theme for the 4th grade music program this Spring. I think the kids only had like 2 weeks to work on the show, and when you only have music 1-2 times a week, that isn't much! The first time I heard about the show was when I got a notification that the program date had changed. Changed? Ummm....I didn't even know there was A show!! In this notification, attire was only mentioned with the sentence, "I would like for the kids to not wear shorts and t-shirts" then it was mentioned girls in another teacher's class could wear prairie skirts. I asked Jennifer what she was supposed to wear, all excited that I could make a prairie skirt (they're super-easy!!). She said she was supposed to wear a poodle skirt, according to her teacher. I scratched my head for a really long time, and not because I had lice or fleas either! What in the world do poodle skirts have to do with a music program about Texas??? Jennifer said her class was doing the song "Wooly Bully". Ok, now I'm REALLY confused!!! What in the world does "Wooly Bully" have to do with Texas???? Isn't that a 1950's sock-hop song? Ah HA! THAT'S where the "poodle skirt" fits in, but still...this is TEXAS!!!
So I oblige. I couldn't get ahold of the teacher, so I end up going to the store, seeing some polka dot fabric on sale, and purchased blue with white polka dots. I purchased some lime green felt rick-rack and a few iron-on rhinestones. I had white fabric and white chenille at home. Oh yeah, I purchased some tiny check lime green gingham and some lime green tulle. My daughter is obsessed with lime green and blue these days. I worked hard making her a full-circle poodle skirt, complete with white poodle decked out in chenille and the leash/collar were made of the lime-green rick-rack and the rhinestones decorated the collar portion. If I say so, it came out really cute. To add fullness, the gingham was used to make the petticoat and the lime green tulle was sewn on the bottom of that so it barely peeked out under the blue poodle skirt. To complete the look, Jennifer had some lime green and blue beaded bracelets, a pair of white sunglasses, and wore her hair in a high ponytail. She had tulle for a belt, hair ribbon, and a neck scarf. She looked really...umm..."Californiaish".
So after neglecting ALL my other responsibilities for the 2 days it took me to make all that, we show up at the program, still not quite done, but done enough we hope nobody else notices. As it turns out, Jennifer was the ONLY student dressed like that. ALL the other 80+ kids were in blue jeans, bandanas, cowboy hats, prairie skirts, boots, etc. ALL western wear!! Umm....oops!!! But in my defense, Jennifer insisted her music teacher specifically said, "Poodle Skirt"!!! See, that's just proof that us moms should ALWAYS listen to our gut!! When you have that urge to scratch your head in confusion, that generally means, "DON'T!" ;)
I think I covered well...when I got those quizzical looks from other parents there about Jennifer's attire, I just nicely replied, "Oh, She's playing the part of a Hollywood Queen who just relocated to Texas and doesn't quite fit in yet!"
I still say she was cute. They DID do "Wooly Bully" and basically, she was the only one dressed to match the song...all the other kids were out of place. hehehe
Here's some pictures:
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Monday, April 21, 2008

Amazing Boldness

I had two specific conversations with Matthew recently. One was the day before his fifth birthday. It went as follows:

Matthew: Mom, can I have a cookie please??
Me: No.
Matthew: But why?
Me: Because you've already eaten a lot and you need to wait for dinner.
Matthew: (shrugs, mutters under his breath and walks off)

A few minutes later I see Matthew pulling a chair over to the cabinets where I keep the cookies.

Me: Matthew, what are you doing??
Matthew: I'm getting a cookie.
Me: Did I say you could have a cookie??
Matthew: No, but you will.

Ok, tell me how 4 year olds about to turn five can be so bold??? FYI, no, he did not get the cookie. I put my foot down and it stayed down!!

Then, the following morning, he wakes up and comes running to me...

Matthew: MOM!!!! Do I go to school today???
Me: No, you don't start school until after summer and when football starts.
Matthew: But I'm five!
Me: I know you're five. Happy Birthday!! But you have to wait until a new school year starts before you go and that won't happen for 4 more months.
Matthew: How many hours is that??
Me: Lots of hours!
Matthew: (shrugs and runs over to the computer)

A few minutes later:

Matthew: MOM!!! You LIED to me!!!!
Me: What? What did I lie to you about?
Matthew: You said I'm five today. But I'm not. When I'm five I can reach, but I can't reach, so I'm still four, I'm not five, you lied!
Me: Oh, Matthew, turning five doesn't mean you miraculously shoot upward and catch up with Daddy in height. You only grow about this much (holding fingers to show about an inch) every year, so it will be a few years before you can reach that high.
Matthew: Well, I still say you lied to me, I'm five and I can't drive either!

I love having conversations with kids at this age. It's so funny how their mind works!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Who do I look like?

Crafting

I have been a busy bee most of the month of March. I made a lot of stuff for my daughter's dance studio for company competition coming up. When I originally set out to do some of the stuff, I tried to find ways to cut costs. First on the list was table covers. We had 3 tables that didn't match and two chairs for each table. To make them seem more uniform, covers were created (by scratch, no pattern, thank you very much!). I didn't have a lot of fabric to work with, and I didn't have a lot of cash to invest in fabric, so I created the "illusion" of white table toppers on black table cloths. It didn't come out perfect, but it'll do the trick. Here's a picture:
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Next order of business was to cover the mismatched chairs...
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You can see through the chair fabric with the flash of the camera. On stage, however, it's fine.

Then I needed to find out how to create realistic-looking pizza. I ended up creating one out of fleece:

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The last thing was to create some type of trays with wine glasses on them. I went an extra step and put cellophane inside the glasses to create the look of actually having liquid in them. The trays were made out of cardboard boxes and painted black, trimmed in black ribbon, and I even had an elastic band on the bottom for the girls to slip their hands through so they could balance them and dance at the same time. :) You can't see the "filled" look in this picture, but against stage lights, it's a different look!

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All of these things were made for the song "That's Amore".

My daughter is also dancing to "Pink Panther" and they're wearing black jazz pants, a pink/white/black shirt, and fedora hats. The hats were a bit boring, so taking the inspiration from the ties on the shirt, I created a hat band and then created a flower using the colors from the shirt out of fabric. I went crazy on the flowers. Never did this before, but it was fun and I thought it came out really cute! :)
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That's how I've been spending my time lately!
So what I've learned lately??? You can get carried away with what starts out as ONE small project! I ended up doing almost the entire production! Crazy me!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Praising God causes burnt soup!!!! ;-)

Yes, it really does!! Especially if you're me!!
I had been trying really hard not to stress about the finances. Jeff's employer announced there would be no more approved overtime. Apparently, the employees had been abusing the privilege of overtime and caused the company a lot of expense. So in an effort to scale down the paychecks (betcha these people didn't work during regular hours, just after hours because the pay is pay and a half!!), no more overtime. Jeff, of course, isn't a slacker during regular hours, but he'd stay after to help the other departments get their work done (his would already be done before closing time). This gave us an additional average of $500 a month which was really nice, especially since we have TWO car payments for the first time in 11 years, spend money taking David to PT twice a week, and have to purchase a passport for Stephen, pay back a loan, etc. This was taking a toll on me, but I didn't tell anyone about it. I just repeatedly told God I didn't know what to do.
Today, I started some tomato soup. It was all that I had on a shelf in an almost-empty cupboard. I was stressing a bit over what I could possibly serve my family for meals all weekend. I prayed that somehow we'd get some food, and fast! Peanut Butter and Jelly can only last so long. While my soup was warming on the stovetop, I ran out to get the mail. I came back in with a quizzical piece of mail from our mortgage company. I thought, "Oh great! What do we owe now??" Actually, I was pretty sure it was a notice that the company was being bought out by a more stable company or something. No, inside that envelope was an answer to prayer. Like a reward for my patience (yay! I'm virtuous after all!!). Seems there was a huge overpay on our escrow so we were reaping the excess in the form of a refund. The beauty of it all is that the check is in the EXACT amount of every penny I'm short to complete the financial commitments from now until next payday! If that's not God in all His goodness, strike me with lightning!! Tears flowing freely down my face, it was all I could do to drop to my knees in extreme gratitude. So extreme, that I stayed down there for quite a while, much to the confusion of my 3 children in the room. First thing I did when I got up off my knees is text Jeff and tell him there was a huge PTL he was going to love. He asked for details so I shared. He was so happy (I knew he would be). So, immediately, I'm online to double-check the budget and figure this thing out. I decided I would go right away and deposit it. So I'm walking through the kitchen and smell something funny. SOUP! Not just soup, but BURNED TOMATO SOUP!!!!!!!!!!!! I have NEVER burned soup before!!! LOL! I had this stuff bubbling over and I'm guessing 1/3 of it was gone by the time I remembered it. I have no clue how much time had passed since I put it on the stove, but wow! Haha. So that was my lunch...burned tomato soup...and my reward afterwards is cleaning that monster of a mess that bubbling over made on my recently-shined stovetop!
But strangely enough, I don't care. If I have to eat burned soup and clean up a big mess requiring a lot of elbow grease just because I took the time to Praise my Jesus, I'll do it! I'll do it over and over, in fact.
So that's how I learned that Praising God causes burnt tomato soup! LOL
But I'm so blessed, so thankful, and so astounded that He loves me that much! Why??? I will never know here on this earth, but I'm glad He does! :)

Monday, March 17, 2008

Minnie

We got Minnie from a shelter when she was just a few weeks old. We got her sister, Daisy, first, then a week later, the lady at the shelter contacted us and asked us to take Minnie too. It was a 2 hour trip to get the dogs, but well worth it. They're chihuahua/terrier mixes. Daisy takes after her dad (white chihuahua) and Minnie takes after her mom (terrier mix). When they were really small, they stayed indoors in a crate and we took them out often. We couldn't leave them unsupervised, even in the kennel outside, because they were small enough to squeeze through the chain link fence. After they grew a little, we would put them in the kennel when we were gone and in the crate indoors overnight (time inbetween, we spent with them).
One day, we were getting ready to leave and put them in the kennel and Stephen thought it would be funny to make them pretend to climb out, so he grabs them and moves their paws as if they're climbing. Just a few incidents of this and Minnie was doing it on her own. At the time, the kennel was 6 ft high, so we didn't worry about it too much, but as she grew and got stronger, she climbed higher.
This is the result. Minnie has now been doing this for about 2 years (the dogs are 3 years old) She climbs the 4 ft yard fence to come out and "guard" our front porch or to interact with people (us or my parents who live next door). When she feels threatened or gets hungry, she climbs back into the backyard. We have seen a huge dog go after her and her speed and ability to get into that yard quick is shocking. She has caused one dog that I know of to smash head-first into the fence because she got up it before the dog could stop running. LOL
Anyway, I love this video. I took it recently. Daisy is the one jumping. Daisy will try to grab Minnie's hind legs and pull her back into the yard. Sometimes she succeeds, most times, she doesn't! LOL
For this particular shot, we actually had to coax her out with a treat, thus you'll see the 2 younger kids (or rather, body parts of them! LOL).


Packing the Days

So, it's been well over a month since my last post. Why? Well, here's a "short" list:

1. "Grease" Musical at the high school (Stephen involved)
2. Orthodontist Appointments (David)
3. Dance 5 days a week, every week and still going on (Jennifer)
4. T-Ball practices (Matthew)
5. Talent Show (Jennifer)
6. Valentine's Party (Jennifer)
7. Surgeon follow-ups (David)
8. Physical Therapy appointments (David)
9. Social Security appointment (Pam)
10. Dr. Appointment (Jennifer)
11. Church-wide Garage Sale (Stephen & David)
12. Baseball opening day & BBQ (Matthew)
13. Home Depot Grand Opening (Stephen)
14. Spring Break (All kids)
15. Mommy's get-away alone!!! (Pam, of course!)
16. Sewing props for dance (Pam, for Jennifer)
17. "Normal" stuff (cleaning house, laundry, yard work, board games, etc.)

Ok, so the list doesn't seem exactly "short"....believe me, compared to my complete calendar, that is super-short!!!! :)

I have learned a LOT in the past month since last posting...

1. God is good.
2. I am blessed.
3. My family is awesome.
4. I am thankful.

So, I already knew that. Still, it's nice to put it in written form and dwell on it. God IS good....ALL the time! Even when I'm $257 short in the bank and the bill is due yesterday. Even when I finish what I think is the last chair cover for the dance group and go to put it on the chair only to realize I sewed the wrong pieces together and it's twice the width it should be. Even when I'm curled up on the sofa with a homemade heating pack on my abdomen, covers over my feet, 82 degrees outside, and I want to die from cramping pain. See, God doesn't cause those "bad" things. People do. Namely ourselves. God gives us everything we need to accomplish tasks, but it's up to us to use the supplies, time, energy, etc. wisely.
If I'm short in the bank account, I probably misspent money. Really, how many Happy meals does one 4 year old need in a month?? How many joyrides does a 17 year old really need in a month when gas prices just about surpass the cost of buying the car?? Yeah, we all make stupid mistakes like that. But that's ok. God still loves us. He's still good....ALL the time! :)
They say patience is a virtue. Well, if I were virtuous when I sewed that last chair cover together, I'd have realized I picked up the wrong piece of fabric and I would have taken the time to get the correct piece before I attempted to sew away. I made a mistake. But God still loves me, and He's still good....ALL the time! :) So, I'm laying on the sofa complaining how much my stomach and back hurt from cramping and it never occured to me until much later that I had previously (translation: 3 days before) prayed for the time to just sit and do nothing. If I hadn't been so wrapped up in "poor me" at the moment, I probably would have remembered that God was right there waiting for me to ask for comfort. He presented the opportunity for me to have a valid excuse to lay around for a day and rest, and what did I do? I don't think He caused the pain....Eve did (grin)....but He did allow the opportunity. So, I made the mistake of shutting Him out and prolonged the pain, but He's still good....ALL the time.
We get so wrapped up and busy in this world these days, we forget where we came from and we forget what's really important. It isn't going to matter in 30 years that I didn't have a lot of cash in the bank one month. It isn't going to matter in 25 years that I sewed those covers for the company dance props. It doesn't matter right now that yesterday I stayed on the sofa all day. Nobody cares about that stuff in the long run, and when we go to Heaven, I doubt we're going to be sitting around discussing that day on earth when.... Nah...we'll be sooo busy hanging around that Glorious Throne singing those neverending "Hallelujah"'s.
So why do we get wrapped up in "busy-ness"??? Simply this: Because we're human and we have these teeny-tiny capsules called "minds" that are barely a fraction of the big picture. We don't understand it until much later. Just like children.
I'm sooooo glad that I have a Father who is good ALL the time. He doesn't give up on me, He doesn't lose patience with me (something I will NEVER understand!!!), He doesn't stop loving me, and He constantly places things in my path that serve to better me, painful or not.
It's been a month of craziness, but it's been good craziness. I've had my kids and husband around me, and I've gotten to watch my children involved in their activities. They're all so talented. They make me smile.
And my get-away....yeah...that's another post!!! :)

Friday, February 8, 2008

"Well" exams

I went to the Doctor on my birthday for a woman's well exam. Basically, it's a physical, or an annual, or a general checkup. Not exactly the way most people would choose to spend their birthday, but it was the one day I knew without a doubt that someone was going to be available to keep my 4 year old so I could relax at the Dr. office and not have to jump off the examination table half-naked to chase him down in the hallways. Had I ended up doing that, I'm pretty sure that all the other patients in the other rooms would have been instantly diagnosed with heart attacks and strokes.

This "well" exam was kind of weird. I get asked the usual questions. Do you smoke? (no) Drink? (only water -- smile), take any medications? (no, but I probably should for my own sanity you think?), Have a history of (insert any medical condition here)? (no) "Well, wow, you're pretty healthy, aren't you?" (I must be...my last visit before today was September 2002 for a pregnancy test!)
Now we move on to the "physical" part of the physical. How tall are you? (Umm...I grew 1/2" since last check....I'm now 5'5 1/2" according to the nurse!) "Did the nurse weigh and measure you with your shoes on??" (Yes) "Let's take those shoes off and try again".

Ok, this blog is supposed to be lessons learned. What I learned at this visit....
1. My shoes make me 1/2" taller
2. My shoes make me 2 lbs. heavier
3. Paper "clothes" do NOT keep you warm in a 70 degree examination room
4. Drawing several vials of blood after fasting over 12 hours does NOT make you feel very good
5. Even when you've left your 4-year old at home in the care of someone else for a peaceful office visit, chances are you'll walk out of the examination area and find the 4-year old climbing the furniture, the people, or both in the waiting room! (Gee, thanks DH!)

I have no clue why this was a "well" visit. I left the office with instructions to set up a mammogram and breast sonogram (lump in breast), instructions to set up a back x-ray (ruling out slipped disc), and 3 prescriptions (antibiotic, inhaler, nasal spray). Apparently, I could have a cyst or something in my breast, child-bearing and child-carrying may have messed up my back a little, and I *probably* picked up hospital-acquired walking pneumonia last November when David was in and out of the hospital 6 times (I actually lost count!!). Joy!

Joy??? YES! JOY!!!! Because my Joy does not come from my circumstances but rather from the Lord. It's funny. People around me (think "family" and "close friends") wanted to know how my visit turned out, so I shared with them and pretty much all of them were really concerned as if it were the worst news on the planet. Why? Ok, so there are a few very minor bumps...actually, they're not bumps, they're air bubbles (because I really believe they'll turn out to be nothing -- get it?? "air"??). I still have my health (considering!!!). I am still blessed. I'm still in the Father's care. Can't get any better than that!! :)

So, I get home from the Dr. and I'm starving!! I ask DH and my 4 year old if they want something to eat. "No thanks, already ate." Fine. I scramble some eggs and make some toast and the minute I get it on the plate, 2 pairs of eyes are googling over it. "Would you like some?" "Yes, please!" Sigh. So much for my big birthday breakfast. I watch them eat and pretend it's really me eating and strangely enough, I feel full. (Thank you, Lord!!). DH makes up for it with lunch, however. He grills me bacon-wrapped beef tenderloin. Yum. Of course, I had to make the mashed potatoes, broccoli, and garlic toast to go with it, but it was still heaven!!

You know....I should make this an annual event....schedule Dr. appt. on my birthday just so I can have a few minutes kid-free, naked, in a cold room. I'd do it if it meant bacon-wrapped tenderloin and the works afterwards!!!

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Dating - from the perspective of a 4-year-old

Matthew: Mom, do you dream?
Me: Dream? Sure, I dream!
Matthew: What do you dream about?
Me: Oh, lots of things. Do YOU dream?
Matthew: Yes.
Me: Well, what do you dream about?
Matthew: Girls!

**THUD**

And after I recovered from that, the conversation goes on:

Me: What do you dream about with girls??
Matthew: I have a date with girls.

**THUD**

I have really got to try not to collapse to the floor every time something like this comes out of my 4-year-old's mouth!!!

Me: What is a date??
Matthew: You put a blanket and a bunch of pillows on the floor and you watch a scary movie!

I think I know what Stephen was doing when Elizabeth came over for a couple hours this last time!!! ;)

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Learning the Ropes

They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. I must not be a dog then, because here I go, attempting to enter the blog world.

I figure with my limited adult interaction these days, maybe putting my thoughts into type will help get them out of my system so I don't overload on some poor passerby in my comings and goings who could really care less about what I have to say but is too polite to say so. :) At least, on the internet, there's a handy little feature called the "X" button. It closes the window of anything you don't want to read! Go figure!

So, not that I don't already know all this, but I'm going to share a little about me (in case someone decides they actually like reading this stuff! LOL).

I'm a 40-something stay-at-home mom. I've been married 18 years to Jeff and have 4 children. Jeff and I are both deaf, and all 4 kids are hearing. We have been very blessed, however, to have such great kids that make parenting easy. :) The "rough times" are very few and very far between (and very mild in comparison to what people around us share about their own experiences!!). I enjoy crafts, but I haven't been able to do much lately. I also enjoy genealogy and have extensive files on over 20 different surnames. I started in 1980 with 2 surnames, so I've come a long way! I haven't had any time to enjoy genealogy lately either. I am totally wrapped up in my 4 children and their activities at this point and I wouldn't really have it any other way. I only have my children for a short time, then I have to let them go, so I'll enjoy them while I can!

Stephen is 17 and a senior in high school. Hard to believe he's graduating this summer. Where in the world did the time go??? He has been involved in Marching Band (section leader for Baritones this year), Symphonic band (plays trombone), Jazz band (trombone again), and also loves playing guitar. He's actually a self-taught guitarist. He's got a busy month ahead of him with an audition for college band, performing in the "Grease" High School Musical, UIL solo & ensemble contest, Jazz band fundraiser dinner, and Winter holiday concert. I feel like I never see the guy these days! He is planning on attending a college not too far from home and majoring in Recording Arts Technology.

David is 15 and a freshman in high school. Football is his life. He loves the Dallas Cowboys and although he won't admit it, I think he's proud that he attends school (and is in the same graduating class with) Wade Phillips' neice. He was born with club foot on his left foot and had surgery at 5 months of age. The day after surgery, he was at home pulling himself up to a standing position and crawling all over the place in spite of a cast that went up to his mid-thigh. Amazing kid! He just finished having reconstructive foot surgery on that foot again and is anxiously awaiting the day he can put weight back on it and get back to running and working out. He was hoping to do powerlifting and tennis as well, but maybe next year. Baby steps!! He's a really good kid (actually all 4 kids are!), and he's really loving and sensitive and probably the most helpful of the 4. Moments with David are always special. :)

Jennifer is 9 (10 next month), and her "thing" is dance. She has dance classes 4 days a week, not including the dance team at church or the after-school musical. She is on one of the studio's company teams, and takes ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop. She plays soccer in the Fall on top of that and basketball in the winter. Usually in the Spring she'll take either soccer or softball, but this year she's taking a break from spring sports to concentrate on dance competitions. She is on the Creative Movement ministry at the church as well and they just started having weekly gatherings. Once a week, she has rehearsal after school for the production of "Annie" that will be performed in May. She also enjoys attending Kid's activities at church on Wednesdays. Busy girl!

Matthew is 4 and he's definitely all boy! He keeps me on my toes. He played soccer for the first time last Fall and he loved it. He is going to play T-Ball for the Spring and practices actually start next month, so he's looking forward to that. He is just a big bundle of energy. If I could figure out how to bottle all the energy he had, I'd be rich. He starts kindergarten this Fall and I just shake my head in disbelief. I feel sorry for the teacher that gets "stuck" with him! She'll definitely get a good nights' sleep after 7 hours with the kid! Either that or nightmares! :) I don't think I've seen a more spontaneous out-of-the-blue kid before! Matthew has definitely shared some keepers with me over the last couple of years!

I think I've figured this thing out. Then again, maybe I'll learn something new and surprise myself. My life is one big never-ending lesson from God. Every day I learn something new or experience a new realization. Even in the bad times, there's a blessing in disguise waiting to be discovered.

So, until next time I have a few minutes to sit down and reflect on something, I'll close. Good Night! :)