In no particular order, because I am tired and ready to go to bed, here are the pictures from today's fishing adventure. Keegan was in a weird mood and suddenly became a big ham for the camera and I took advantage of that as much as I could. We had a great day.
There are some repeats on here but for some reason it won't let me remove them.
This is Rowdy, our fishing buddy. He belongs to the good friends who generously let us use their lake.
I'm having some troubles getting my camera to load pictures. I have some to put up but it's being ornery so I'll get them up when I can.
The weather here has been beautiful. The kids are playing outside every day and we have been to the park many times. Keegan is the king of the tornado slide. He runs himself ragged going up the stairs then sliding down and sprinting from the end of the slide back to the stairs again. Sophie busies herself by befriending every toddler at the park whether they want to be her friend or not. She's an insistent little thing, I'm not sure where she gets that!
We have been doing Resurrection Eggs with the kids as Easter approaches. I'm omitting some of them since they are still so small and most of it seems to be lost on Keegan, but Sophie is picking up quite a bit of it. She brought me some play coins the other day and when I asked her what we had just learned about 30 pieces of silver she told me about Judas. It was tentative and vague, but she's getting it.
We dyed eggs the other day leaving Keegan looking more than a bit colorful. His idea of getting the eggs out was to plunge his entire fist into the cup of dye. We had a lot of fun, both Keegan and my nephew Tobin toppled over their dye cups leaving some new floor coloring on my mother in laws kitchen floor. Luckily she and I are of the same mind, that it's just stuff, and she didn't even bat an eye. It's nice to have that sort of folk as family.
We haven't bought Easter clothes for the kids. Jacob doesn't see the need for it and when my only reason to buy them was so that we could take pictures of them it did seem a bit silly. A new pair of jeans would get more use, and to be truthful a new pair of sweatpants would really make the most sense. Is our society ready for Easter Sweatpants? Hmmm...
Keegan continues to tease us with his potty training efforts. He wants to go all the time. He will sit and strain and turn red in the face and nothing will happen. Until he gets his diaper back on. Then he poops. Sigh.
This weekend we are building a fence around our backyard. I am so excited to have a place where the kids can run around while I am working in the garden. It's nerve wracking to have them with me as it is since the road we live on is busy enough to be a major concern. I'm always afraid that if I take my eyes off of them for one second that I will regret it forever, which makes gardening a lot less enjoyable I'm sure you can imagine. Once it's done Jacob and I are building a raised bed for my garden this year (yay) and putting in a cheapo swing set for the kids. I am looking forward to a happy summer outside with the kids.
Poor Jacob has spent this week preparing for the fence to go in by removing my old garden. That doesn't seem so difficult until you realize that the old garden is lined in a double row of mortared brick that is buried two feet underground and two feet above ground. I think it has a brick bottom as well. I have no idea what the people that built this were thinking, or what it was originally for. We always thought it was just one line of bricks above ground, imagine our dismay when the relatively easy job of pulling up bricks turned into a substantial excavation job. "Conveniently" I pinched a nerve in my back this week. While he was a busy beaver with a sledgehammer in the yard I have been slouching around the house with an icepack and some pain killers. However, I think I would rather be out there with the hammer because this whole nerve thing is not a good time.
The kids are growing like weeds. They both are getting so tall and have stayed so skinny that finding clothes that fit them is a challenge. Watching Keegan run around lately has made me realize that truly I don't have a baby anymore, I have a little boy. I'm not sure how I feel about that and quite frankly I have avoiding thinking much about it because it makes me cry. I guess that tells me a bit of what I think about him getting bigger.
However, they are a lot of fun right now (when they are not fighting). They are both learning so much so fast, and hearing Keegan mimic Sophie is a hoot. They have conversations about things, show each other things that they have found and make each other laugh. I'm blessed that I get to be part of their little worlds.
So my mom informed me yesterday that it has been five weeks since I blogged, not that she was counting or anything. Let's catch up, shall we?
Spring is fast approaching here, the first flowers are starting to bloom and it's been warm enough for us to play outside, go for walks and just enjoy the thaw. I despise winter with an unholy passion so it's been a good time for me. The kids have been playing outside and the unexpected side effect has been a much earlier bedtime. I had forgotten how much it tuckers them out.
The officer that Jacob was filling in for at the schools returned from Iraq safely. (Thank you, Jesus.) Once he got back into the swing of things he reclaimed the schools and Jacob started third shift again. He is happy as can be, third shift truly does fit his personality. While Jacob enjoyed working with the kids at the school, he hated the hours and how slow it could be so he is happier at work now than he has been in a while. We are slowly readjusting to life with dad asleep all day, though it's hard for the kids not to yell and thump around the house.
Sophie is on a marriage kick. For a long time she wanted to marry her friend Lindsay. In fact they are so smitten with each other that they can't sit next to each other in gymnastics anymore because all they do is giggle, talk and hug and kiss each other. Jacob and I continue to explain that girls marry boys but she will have none of that. In fact when I was explaining that God made girls to marry boys she stopped me and said, "I will ask God. God, can I marry a girl?" Then she dropped her voice down as low as she could and said "Yes." She lit up like the sun, looked at me and said "God said YES! I can marry a girl!"
Through sheer tenacity Jacob and I have convinced her that she needs to marry a boy. Her suggestions were Keegan and Daddy. I told her that she couldn't marry them either, that God had already given me to Daddy and that Keegan had a wife somewhere out there, too. Her little face just fell, tears welled up in her eyes and she wailed "There is NO ONE for me to marry!!!"
Keegan is talking in complete sentences which makes him seem less and less like my baby boy. Momma calls Sophie Pete and Keegan Re-Pete because whatever she says he will repeat instantly. It's like living with a constant echo. He is by far more stubborn that Sophie was. I didn't know that was possible, but apparently it is. He is getting very interested in going potty though he still has never gone. Jacob and I are very excited at the prospect of a diaper free home! Momma bought him some Elmo big boy underwear for Christmas and now that warmer weather is here he will be running around the house in that soon in an effort to get him to go to the bathroom. If you knock and a scrawny little boy in Elmo underoos answers the door, ask him if he needs to go potty.
Spring break is coming up and I am going to try to get out and clean up the yard a bit. The kids are big enough to take out with me now and stay close so hopefully this will be easier this year than last. Sophie and I already planted some flowers in a pot to keep in a window. They bloomed last week and she was so proud. Keegan is just interested in the dirt.
In an effort to blog again soon, I am going to stop now and pick this up again later.
At least they are around here. After several years of running the PEERS Project for several local school corporations, I am resigning. The possibility of renewed grant money after this year is looking a bit grim, well, more than a bit to be honest. To be really honest this could very possibly be the last year, save a miracle from God. Not that I think He isn't up to the task or anything, but Jacob and I started praying that He would reveal to us what I was supposed to do. And so He did in a very obvious, beat me over the head sort of way. I love it when he does that, because let's face it, sometimes can be a bit stupid so it's nice when He makes it easy on me.
Long story short, I interview for a position at the local high school on Thursday, got the job on Sunday night around 5:00 and started this morning at 7:30. Talk about prompt response. I will be a Remedial Aide helping students that need help passing the standardized testing for our state. I will primarily be working with the math portions. Plus, it's only 25 hours a week, and I should make enough to finally not have to work two jobs. (YAY!)
I am very excited about this, to be honest I think I will rock at it. It's a lot more teachery (I think I just made that word up) than I thought it would be, I was thinking I would be a lot more, ummmm, Aidey. I made that word up too. I am feeling very overwhelmed at God's direct response, as I always am. You would think after a while it would be normal, but it still rocks my socks.
For all my PEERS kids, fear not. You guys are the best and have made the last few years a blast. Remember that I adore you all and still want to hang out. Let's go to Burger King and then go bowling. I am recommending a replacement to my boss for BHS and THS, and if she gets the job then you will be in super hands. It's entirely possible that she is cooler than I am, which I know is hard to believe. I already found a couple guys to run SSHS, and they are more than capable of leading you in a stellar, fun filled year. CHS, you guys are the odd ones out. I couldn't find anyone who wanted to take on as school so big. But have no fear, I am sure that you will get someone who is just as cool as Joe or I. I'm sorry you guys have had so many people, it seems like you guys kind of got the shaft, huh? But remember that you all rock. I don't know if any other school made me laugh as hard as you guys did.
That's all I've got. I'll answer any questions you guys have. You guys know me well enough that you can ask anything and that I will be entirely honest with you and honestly, you guys are amazing.
PS- Alan, yes, that's what I was doing at the school today. Come see me. Room 418. I'm the one with the coolness factor of +82.
Sometimes I suck at blogging. Those times seem to correlate with busy work times. Like the last few weeks. But- that is mostly behind me now as the end of school draws nearer. I would post some funny kid stories, but I really haven't seen that much of them lately. In fact, I hope they wake up soon so we can play. Here is a bit of what we have been doing...
Momma got the kids a cool new book for Easter. We are reading it to Sophie before bedtime. At times it is above her head, but it is a beautiful book that tells the story of Christ in a fantasticly relevant way.
Keegan is knocking his head on anything he can find. He looks more like a prize fighter than a toddler.
It's getting warmer so we spend a little bit every evening sitting on the front porch eating Popsicles and blowing "wishing flowers" (dandelion seeds).
Sophie and I have started working on letter sounds. I'm pretty sure she will be an early reader, which I love. Reading is something that both Jacob and I love to do.
We are chaperoning the local high school prom next weekend. I got a fabulous dress that looks like something Jackie Onassis would have worn. I just need the short jacket and a pillbox hat, but I won't.
Jacob is teaching his last DARE class today, and I taught my last Don't Have Premarital Sex class today, so we are both breathing a little easier as of today.
My knee is still messed up. I haven't been to derby since the end of February. I am hoping to be back at it next week, but I guess we will see.
I am attempting to run my first 5k this Saturday. Pray hard. :)
That's the run down of what has been happening. Hopefully I will have more kid stuff soon, because I am going to have some serious playtime coming up.
I had to finally go get my knee X-Rayed. I can't put any pressure on it all. The doctor was pretty sure I had broken part of my tibia, but luckily I haven't. Though he said a severe bruise, which I qualify for, is almost as bad. But not QUITE as bad, which is all I needed to hear. He said I was out for 4-6 weeks, but it's already been almost two, so two to four weeks it is. I'll miss one bout this Sunday but will hopefully be up and running, er,... skating in about a month.
Until then he said I can jog on it, which sounds weird I know, but really it doesn't hurt to run at all and that way I can keep in good condition.
What a busy week! I had several days of work in the schools, a few days at the greenhouse, and a trip to Louisville for our bout against DCRD. It was pretty much phenomenal. We ended up losing by THREE, ugh, but it was so close. We were ahead, then they were ahead, back and forth until they squeaked it out. We had such a blast. Then my best friend and I spent the night a a friends house that we went to high school with, we went out with yet another friend I haven't seen in ages and stayed out way too late! But today I am back home with my family, happy to have had a little break and glad to get kid cuddles and husband hugs. Good stuff. I did manage to bust my knee up a bit at the end of the bout, and it's pretty bruised and swollen, but I've had worse!
While I was gone Sophie brought Jacob one of her play dresses to put on her, followed closely by Keegan who also had one of her play dresses to put on him. Sophie was not pleased at Keegan's presence in her Minnie Mouse dress, Keegan on the other hand was pleased as punch. I guess he felt pretty.
They also had a trip to McDonald's for happy meals. They happy meals came with stickers which Sophie promptly stuck in a neat line across the top of the television screen and declared them to be her very own Christmas lights. I love her imagination, but maybe not so much her follow through on what she imagines! She was very unhappy when Daddy took down her "twistmas twee lights".
Keegan is officially weaned. (Can we all say FINALLY?) It's been about two weeks without any nursing at all. It's made life so much easier, and he seems to be much happier now that he doesn't have to run back to me to nurse every time he bumps his head. He's much more self-reliant now which I really dig.
Fishing season is fast approaching, which means that Jacob is just a blur of tackle box preparation and changing out his lines. It also means that any trip to Wal-Mart has the mandatory side trip to the fishing aisle where Sophie has suddenly set her heart on a new purple fishing pole. Keegan has his heart set on grabbing anything he can and throwing it on the ground or destroying it. But Dad and Sos are going to have some fun fishing trips coming up I think.
I'm off to go see my Momma. I haven't seen her since Friday morning since she went out of town too, and that's just longer than I'm used to going without seeing her!
Let a little time get away and it gets easier and easier to skip blogging. But here I am, finally. I had a few minor medical setbacks in the week that left me more tired than usual, and I have no issue using that as an excuse for not blogging. Anyhow, here I am, back at it.
Here's a quick update:
The winner of the Awesome Charts Book was Theresa. I used a highly complex system to pick her, being I picked a random number and went to see whose comment it was. I'm complicated like that. So congratulations Theresa! Please email me your address and I will have your book shipped to you.
I started a second job at a local greenhouse. So far I really enjoy it, and think I will continue to. If I have to be away from my kids I might as well be at a place where I am getting a work out, a tan and dirty all at the same time.
Jacob and I are starting a diet. You'll recall that I recently lost quite a few pounds (almost 30). Well several of them (OK, more than several) found me again, hence the diet. We are also going to start working out together. Ugh. I am hoping that having this be a joint effort will stave off any laziness that seems to swiftly descend when I mention the E word. Did I say ugh yet?
Another Valentine's Day came and went. Jacob and I did the usual: nothing. I love that about him, and I am being totally serious. I realized about half way through the morning that I had forgotten to get the kids anything so Keegan got a piece of chocolate and I dug a toy out of the very bottom of the toy box that Sophie had forgotten about and regave it to her. She was thrilled, named it Valentine Bear and Mom dodged a bullet. Whew. In my free time I compose my Mother of the Year speech.
Jacob starts his new position in the schools soon. This means he works days and is off on the weekends, so we are pretty pumped about that. Not to mention I think he'll be pretty fabulous there, though I may be a bit biased. I know for sure he'll be the best looking resource officer of all time, ever.
Because of the above paragraph we have been getting the kids switched over to a day shift schedule. They did surprising well, but Jacob and I are struggling. When you are used to staying up until 1:oo, going to bed at 10:00 seems more than a bit early.
Weaning. We are working hard on it. I bet within the week we'll be done. D.O.N.E. I've got a funny story about this, remind me to tell it later, because it's almost my new bedtime and I've gotta go get ready to lay in bed wide awake for several hours. Just kidding. Kind of.
I've got so much go catch up on here that I seriously had a list entitled: Blog this stuff. Then Sophie destroyed it. Now I'm just winging it. So we'll start with Monday and work through the week. Like a top twenty countdown. In fact, we'll just do it like that.
20. Monday. Jacob left for school Sunday night. We knew there was a big storm predicted so I had already packed up the kids clothes and such and went to Momma's house. No one wants to be snowed in with two toddlers and no help. At least I don't, anyway. I left derby practice early that night when we heard it start sleet. It didn't take long for the roads to ice over. Boo.
19. Lot's of ice here, kids. No school. Then the snow started.
18. Now my memory gets fuzzy... we lost power somewhere in this time, and phone. The power was out at home longer than at moms. I am really a homebody by nature, and though I had a great time with Mom and was thankful for the light and heat, I was ready to go home. I finally went home on...
17. Wednesday night. Sophie had played in the snow and all was well, and then when she was walking up the stairs she tripped and hurt her foot. She really hurt it. Like wouldn't walk on it, no pressure on it, nothing. She at first would just collapse when you put her down, then eventually she resorted to this pitiful side hobble. When she woke up from her nap and was still hurting I took her to the...
16 Emergency Room. X-Rays showed she hadn't broken anything, and really I was surprised. But, I'm glad I took her anyway. I would've felt bad if I had waited and it was broken. Anyway, back at home...
15 Um... Jacob just told me that it was Thursday night when she went to the er. My bad. My days are a bit mixed up.
14. Home... No water. It seems that the power outages have affected the city water pumps and when the water tower pressure ran out, so did the water. Which apparently is the perfect time for the kids to have a...
13. Poop-a-thon. Seriously. First Keegan threw a basketball into the toilet, that had not been flushed yet, and now there was grossness all over the ball. Then Sophie decided to try to go poopy in the potty, but she had already gone in her diaper, so there was poop on her potty chair, the adult potty and the smaller potty chair that goes on the adult potty. Not to mention her hands, legs and clothes. No water to help clean. Nice.
12. Poison Control. Keegan got into my humidifier and ate some of the Vapo Steam that goes into it. Lot's of milk later he is good to go and I am really ready for Jacob to come home.
11. Friday was Mom's shoulder surgery. She is currently in massive amounts of pain. Please pray for her.
10. Jacob was supposed to be home around 7:30 on Friday. We figured that with time for slow going due to snow. What we didn't count on was the massive car accident that held up traffic on the highway for hours so he didn't get home until 9:30, just in time to tuck the kids in.
9. Jacob has to leave tomorrow. Boo. Sophie really had a hard time with him gone his week. I honestly didn't expect her to care much, but she was really upset that he was gone. The first thing she asked him on the phone Monday night was if he was going to come home now because she missed him. It made both Jacob and I cry.
8. Since she missed him so much she is going to go with me on Thursday night to see him. There is a banquet for the officers and his graduation is Friday and she'll go with me. She was going to stay with a sitter, but now just K-man will. I think she will manage the long car ride, the long ceremony and the dinner. I hope so anyway.
7. Jacob hopefully will start his job in the schools on the 11th. Day shift, here we come. He really thinks he will like it a lot, he is enjoying the training even though there is a LOT of work that goes with it. I think he will be a wonderful DARE officer and am excited to see him start.
6. You'll have to forgive me for the lack of comments on your blogs lately. I've not even begun to catch up, I've just been busy.
5. But not busy with work. With school being out for so long I am seriously not sure how my semester is going to go, I've already missed several meetings with several schools. Add that to a second job I'll start soon and you've got an interesting spring lined up. When I say interesting here you can read busy. Ugh.
1. Notice I skipped a few numbers. I'm totally ok with that.
Sophie and Keegan are playing their new favorite game where they take off all the couch cushions and romp around like banshees. It's my favorite game of theirs to watch, they have so much fun and there is so little clean up!
Jacob is packing for a work trip. He'll be gone two weeks (home for the weekend) to learn to be our city's D.A.R.E. officer. So he'll teach kids not to do drugs and I'll teach kids not to have sex. Are we a fun couple or what!?
Keegan is peeling. His rash is already clearing up nicely, but is coming off almost like a sunburn. It's pretty gross.
Isaac the dog is back at my mil's house in the country. He kept running away here. I think he was just used to having a big yard to run free in and he missed that. And it was irritating as all get out to have to get two babies out in the cold to go chase a dog. I think he's probably happier, and I don't have to worry about him getting hit by a car while I'm getting kids into car seats. Win-Win.
I might have a new job working at a local greenhouse in the spring and summer. It will be a big change but we can't go another summer without me working, and that's that. So I manned up and went out and got a job. Luckily, I think I'll like it a lot and I found it on the first day I went looking for one. Actually, it was only the second place I asked. That's an easy job hunt.
The weather is cold and miserable. I miss the sun and the sun misses me.
A good friend of mine just found out she is pregnant. I'm so excited for her, and a little jealous. But just of the pregnant part, not the baby that follows being pregnant. But I just thought that pregnancy was so cool, even though my body wasn't that great at it, apparently.
I'm trying hard not to get overly emotional about Jacob leaving, but I doubt that's going to happen. Emotions are my thing. I know once he leaves I'll be fine, I know I can function without him- it's all this waiting for him to go that makes me melancholy. Part of me wishes he would just leave already and get it over with.
And on that note I'm going to go be pathetic and mope for a while. Then a cup of tea and a few quiet minutes later I'll get over myself and have a good week.
I hope that you all have had a restful holiday season. I don't have any Christmas pictures to post but I have a good reason, I promise.
It started with the dog. Our poor Isaac needs a buddy since Bosley ran away. I had gone to the humane society on the 23rd to look at a shar-pei that they had there. He was, umm... active. That's a nice way to put it. Not to be put off, I then looked at a pointer mix. He was.... active. Then I looked at what looked to be a massive shih tzu. He looked like he had been on enhancement drugs, which is really just a nice way to say he looked like a shih tzu on massive amounts of steroids. If I had brought him home his name would have been Barry "Asterisk" Bonds. Let's just say that grooming was going to be an issue, so I passed, though he was fun. Then I looked at a beagle mix named Grant. Grant was a good dog. He was laid back, soft and perhaps most important, house trained. So Grant came home with us.
I swear I'm getting to why I don't have Christmas pictures. Just stay with me.
I got Grant home and started to settle in when I noticed that Sophie had a big welty thing on her face. Then I noticed that my face itched. And it got worse, and worse, and worse. Then the swelling started. I wish we had taken a picture but we didn't. My face was like a big, red marshmallow with little slits for eyes. Sophie's wasn't so bad, but she did have several welts on her face. So obviously something with the dog isn't jiving with me and the Sos-ter. I don't know what it was, I am not allergic to dogs, except apparently Grant. So Grant went back at the shelter on the 24th. I am sure he will be adopted soon, he is a great dog for someone else, just not for us.
Meanwhile, back at home, I am sitting there strung out on mega-steroids and antihistamines. Huge amounts. It reduced the swelling and my brain function in equal parts. I woke up on Christmas Eve, the day we did our Christmas with the kids, totally and completely stoned out of my mind. My emotions were so shut down that I couldn't even get excited. But on we went, Keegan in Jacob's lap and Sophie playing Santa on the floor. I was on the floor taking pictures, trying to get into the Christmas spirit.
Notice I said I took pictures.
I didn't look at these pictures until later when I got to Mom's house. I had borrowed her camera because the batteries on mine were dead.
Remember how I said that Jacob was sitting with K-man in his lap. Well he was wearing his bathrobe. And every picture I took had Jacob in it, at least part of him. With his legs spread open and his underwear showing. In Every. Single. Picture. It was like a merry porno Christmas. Nice.
By that evening the drugs were wearing off and the rest of the Christmas I was more human. Christmas day Keegan broke out in a funky rash, and then for the next week or so was consumed by screeching, grouchy, inconsolable Keegan. He had some good patches in there, but for the most part was just a clingy mess. It turns out he had a reaction to his vaccinations. Merry Christmas. He slept through every gift exchange though, so while he didn't get to open many presents on his own, at least he wasn't screaming while everyone else did.
My s-i-l had her baby on Christmas Eve, congratulations Ruth! Mr. Tobin was 7 pounds and 3 ounces, 20 inches long and I am by far his favorite aunt.
The kids did lots of funny stuff the last few weeks, but this post is already forever long so I'll bust it all out in the next few days.
My husband is a notoriously bad gift giver. However, this year he seems to have picked a winner. I am about to be spirited away on a romantic weekend. I don't know the details, but my bags are packed and I'm ready to go. He's off dropping off the kids, dog and a few other last minute details then we are going. Going where? I don't know. Am I ready? You better believe it.
Merry, merry, merry Christmas.
I don't get paid much per year for my job. It causes quite a bit of stress. It takes me away from my family at weird hours. But there are way more pluses than minuses.
Plus-- I get to directly try to change my community for the better.
Plus-- I get to be at home way more than I used to.
Plus-- I have relative control over my hours. Mostly.
Plus-- I don't have an office to report to for the most part.
Plus-- I get to work with awesome teens all day who I have a GREAT time with.
Plus-- Occasionally I get a email like the one I go today, which contained this paragraph among other fun stuff, including the proud revelation that she was accepted to her college of choice:
I don't know if I ever said it, but thanks for letting me be a part of Peers, Andi. It was so rewarding to get as much out of it as I gave back. It was worth the amount of time I put into it because I loved doing it. I didn't think it was actually in me to a leader like that, but you helped me see that I could be, and it turned out to be a huge success, so thank you :) There's alot that I learned from Peers without already practicing a 'role model' lifestyle, and I can't thank you enough for letting me be involved.
And THAT, kids, is why I do what I do.
I have the greatest. job. EVER.
I've canvassed the neighborhood. I've called everyone I know who lives near me to be on the lookout. I've pestered all the neighbors. I've called animal control, the vets, the humane society and a local lost and found group. I've put an ad in the paper. Still no Bosley. To answer a question... Bosley was not micro chipped because when we got him he was so small and sick. He was going to get it this week. Bad timing. Sophie just keeps saying that Bosley went to Aunt Shell's house (Jacob's sister). I'm not sure why she thinks that, but at this point we are just going with it.
Keegan is sick again. Or still sick, I guess depending on how you look at it. Maybe he never really was well, but he just can't seem to kick his fever. Last night it was 103.4 and even with Tylenol never goes much below 100. We are kind of at a loss for what is wrong. Today the doctor ordered blood tests done to check his liver and kidney function, his white blood cell count and a urinalysis to check for any infections. I botched the first urine catch, and I have one more bag to try to get it right. The tests should be back soon, we'll have to see what they say.
Normally I don't use my blog to vent like this, but I'm just gonna be real here: I'm feeling pretty beat down. Between all the above and work being crazy busy and lack of quality husband time, I'm just plain tired. I've got a CASA trip planned this weekend and I can't even seem to get myself psyched about it... instead it's just one more thing to do. I know once I get there I'll have a good time, and to be honest the break from the kids will probably be nice. Especially since they have been so fussy. But I really need to get my butt into gear to make plans to get up there, etc...
On the bright side, my last day of work for the semester is December 12th, and that's not too far off. It'll just be insane until then. I also have a ton of my Christmas shopping done, which may seem random to add here, but it's a mark on the bright side.
I wish my kid would feel better. I wish my dog would come home. I wish the Weekly World News was still in print so I had something to laugh at in the grocery aisle. I wish this post weren't so pathetic sounding :). Mostly I wish for number one on this list.
It seems like every time I do I am just forcing myself to, but I know if I don't force myself to that I'll give it up and I don't want to do that. It's fun to be able to go back and see the kids and read what they have done and how far they have come. So since I am blogging for them anyway, I'll post on some things they have done recently, or just things that are going on.
Sophie dropped something the other day and said "Oh shoot. Dangit." Yeah, that's all me. Dangit.
Keegan is busy cruising all around the furniture but gets so excited about walking that he just does this gimpy lunge movement and falls. He is very frustrated right now, and it's amazing how infectious his frustration is.
Someone came and looked at the house. Cross your fingers. And there is an open house on Sunday. Someone should buy it. That would be terrific.
Keegan is randomly sleeping through the night. I'll take it when I can get it.
Bosley is doing well on potty training.
Sophie is not. We are gong to have an intense potty day coming up soon. Just me, Sophie, the potty and lots of orange soda. Sounds like the ingredients for a party, baby.
My derby pads smell really bad so now my hands smell really bad. That might have been an overshare. Hmmm...
Our water heater broke. And then the dryer messed up. And so did the toilet. And the storm the other day put massive scratches on and broke the grill of the Jeep. That would be $500 out of pocket should we decide to fix it. And it cost me $70 today to fill up the van. Money sucks.
And now that you have shared in my good times, I'm gonna go take bath. I can do that because Sophie was invited over to spend the night with Mamaw and Keegan is out. I'm gonna soak until I'm all pruny.
Oh. Yeah. Baby.
The title today is multi-purpose, being that today is our 6th anniversary and we also got two dogs this week.
First off... honey, I love you dearly. Happy anniversary. I am so blessed to be your wife.
Secondly.... we have been kicking around the idea of getting a dog for a few months. Then mom got Atticus and there went our number one reason we didn't want to get one, we were not home sometimes for long stretches of time. However, when we are not home, a lot of the time we are there. Now we can go with our dog. Dogs. How did we end up with two?
Well, Jacob had a dog from high school, Isaac, that his mom still had at her house. Actually, Jacob and I picked him out together not long after we started dating. He was the ugly mutt slunk down in the back of the cage hiding behind his overly enthusiastic brother. We picked him because he seemed like he needed some love. I love Isaac. He is so sweet and good natured. He is incredibly timid but likes to be around people. He reminds me of my brother Wes in that respect. He leans against you when you sit down, like he is saying "hey, just in case you want to pet me, I'm here for you." This week Isaac came to live with us. He is great with the kids and is already very protective of them. He is also already scared to walk down the hall because the floor is slick and it scares him. Isaac is a basket case.
But Isaac is used to having another dog, a huge, red dog named Bart. Bart stayed with Kate, Jacobs mom, so today we went to the humane society and picked up Bosley. Bosley is a pre-named mix of American Bulldog and Staffordshire Terrier, both excellent breeds to have with kids if they grow up together. Bosley was taken to the shelter when he was only weeks old, not old enough to be separated from his momma. Because of that he has already been sick, and still has a little runny nose. He is also a tiny, skinny thing due to some pushy, overbearing sisters who hogged all the food. We are fostering him right now, we can't adopt him until he is old enough to be neutered. That actually works in our favor because any vet bills he may accumulate are covered by the shelter. He is still taking milk substitute and special food and vitamin C supplements. Bosley needed some love too. We seem to be suckers for that.
So now we have two dogs. Jacob and Sophie are thrilled, Keegan just thinks he's got more stuff to chew on and somewhat surprisingly, I really like it. I took some pictures but for some reason my camera is not importing them, I'll have to have Jacob take a look at it. Here is the picture of Bosley from the humane society. He is very sweet and he and Isaac get along well.
On a totally unrelated note, Jacob goes back to third shift tonight and we'll finally be able to fall into a schedule again. Yay.
Oh, and if you are wondering why I am home to post this, it's because my Neil Diamond concert was postponed to a date when we could not go. I didn't write a whole post about this because when I think about it I get irrationally angry and want to punch something. I told the girls I wasn't sure which I wanted more, to see Neil or get a break from the kids. But, it is what it is. I'm gonna go hit something now.
which means I am slowly being overwhelmed with going back to work. I picked up another school this year, the largest school in our county, and though it will be more money, it also means more time away from home and more work. So much more that I think I may have to get a sitter all day at least one day a week. I'll still be at home all day, I just need to be able to focus on work. I think I'm okay with this. The ability to get it all done in one day will be better than stressing out over things not getting done all week. Sometimes you just have to have time to work.
I might just as well say it.... I have to go back to work.
Speaking of work.... did you see my quiz? Funny huh, since I teach about underage drinking. I just thought it made a funny correlation.
It seems like so much is going on during the week, but really when I look back at it it's not that much. Sophie and Keegan both had their crabby pants on this week which made it seem longer than it really was. Here is a bit of what is going on around here.
Keegan learned to clap and babble Momma. In the last month he has learned so much... crawling, pulling up, pushing up to a sitting position, clapping, getting food into his mouth. It's fun to see what he will learn day by day. He is really ready to walk though, he gets frustrated very easily right now because he can see Sophie running around and he is left behind. That's when the fussing for Momma starts. (Mom.... Mom...MOM...MOOOOMMMMMM.)
Sophie counted to ten without any help. She can spell her name and count to ten and is working hard on learning the alphabet. She also knows most of the basic colors, though she often mixes up red with orange and green with blue.
Sophie is covered with bruises from head to toe, literally. She runs into EVERYTHING. I swear that kid is part pinball, she hits something and bounces back. It doesn't really help that she is almost completely fearless. I feel gray hairs coming on rapidly with the onset of her turning two.
We bought some fish for the kids. Jacob decided Sophie and Keegan needed some fish, that they would like that. What you can actually read here is Jacob decided that he wanted some fish so he used the easy out of "the kids" wanting fish. So now we have fish swimming around in a bowl that you can bet will be cleaned by yours truly. I am such a sucker. Next thing the "kids" will want is an X-Box 360, and the answer is NO dang it.
Jacob had his qualifying tests for his gun and got an expert rating. Have I mentioned in the last couple posts that I am proud of him? This week he learns to drive like a maniac. Great.
I had a box of Whoppers yesterday and it had SEVEN of the ones that are just randomly chewy. There are not many things one this earth more disturbing than expecting the super awesomeness of malted milk ball goodness and getting the weird, chewy, not even remotely awesome malted milk ball of doom. You may think I'm being dramatic here, but then you may not fully appreciate my love affair with Whoppers.
That's it. That's what was in the foremost of my brain to write about. Scary, huh?
the idea was that I would blog things that I was learning. Pretty soon, like day two of being a mom, it became overwhelmingly evident that there was no way I would be able to keep up with the new things I learn every day. But just for kicks, here are some more recent ones.
1. When toddlers say "watch it", it sounds suspiciously like a phrase they should not have heard referring to a male cow and its excrement. You know the one.
2. Baby puke shows up particularly well on navy blue. Keegan prefers brand spanking new out of the dryer navy blue, but right before walking out of the house navy blue works too.
3. Sometimes the talk about boy parts and girl parts comes after your little girl tries to kiss your baby boy's "ouchie" in his diaper. You know the one. Am I winning mother of the year yet, or are you call Child Services on me?
4. Toddlers have an innate sense of how to act "too cool". Sophie will cry and cry for someone until she see's them, then will promptly act like they don't even exist. Like "Oh, it's you. "
5. Infants will chew on anyone's shoes. They rock the shoe fetish category.
6. There is no freakin' way to keep up with the growth of kid's fingernails. It's like they chug miracle grow through their Bob the Builder cup. And they are inevitably dirty, too. Nice.
7. Toddlers are hard core. When they want to swing, they don't mean in a few minutes. When they want a cheeseburger, they don't want to wait until we get to the golden arches. When they want to read a story, they don't give a crap if you are holding another child in your arms. "Now, woman!" is the attitude they employ, which ends badly for everyone involved as I don't respond well to being called woman.
8. Having your kids share a room is tricky when they both wake up in the night crying. When I say "is tricky" here, you can read sucks bad.
9. Whatever you order your toddler to eat, they will only want what you have, even if it is EXACTLY THE SAME.
10. Being a mom is by far the hardest and best job ever. Period. Hands down.
The trip I had to take for work went well. We had NO cell phone service so it was difficult to call and check on the kids, so I was relieved when I finally found and old school pay phone and chucked three dollars to call and make sure they were doing well. They were, of course. Even Keegan, who I had worried over and prayed about for weeks to do well apart from me. What a relief!
The work part went well too. The actual conference was not run well, but the rest of the time bonding with the kids was fantastic. We had nine high school kids that went which means we all stayed up way too late around the fire laughing and telling stories, but the best part was that in between all that they really opened up and we had some pretty serious discussion on values and respect which was simply amazing. I was up there with some of the other people I work with, including my friend Emily and her son Ethan. They were much fun to hang out with, though at times I was so busy with the kids that I didn't get to see them as much as I would have liked.
I was glad to come home, and not long after I got home Jacob did too. Nice timing!
I had a bout on Saturday that was a lot of fun. I'm not sure what you may have read at (ahem) some OTHER blogs, but I was simply more aggressive than normal, something that my teammates have been encouraging for some time.
Jacob just left a bit ago (sigh) but I have another busy week planned. The kids and I are going to St. Louis with my mom, aunt and grandmother. We have a visit to the zoo planned among other things, I am pretty excited to be going.
Mom got a new stroller for kids for their birthdays, it is pretty much amazing and will probably make my life a LOT easier, especially with Jacob gone.
With all this going on- I still managed to stay on top of my 90 day Bible plan. In fact- I'm a day AHEAD. How are you all doing?
That's it, I'm all talked out. I'm off to check up on your worlds now.
