Old Do

This is the haircut my dad referred to in his comment in my last post. I DID look like a boy~ a boy in a homemade pink dress. This was about 1976 and boys wore their hair long on top. I was usually dressed in a t-shirt, cut-off shorts and long tube socks. I was not the most feminine of little girls. I believe the ONLY time I even wore dresses was for church or pictures. I think I closely resembled Nicholas from Eight is Enough. (If you are younger than, let's say, 30 you won't have a clue about Eight is Enough!)



This is a picture of Nicholas from Eight is Enough. Is there a resemblance? I don't know, maybe not.

A few years after this wonderful picture my grandparents took me and my sister on a trip to Disney Land. I REALLY wanted a set of Mickey Mouse ears with my name embroidered on them. My grandparents were nice enough to let me have some. The girl working at that booth (Yes, I remember this vividly!) asked me what name I wanted on the ears. When I told her "Jana" she asked, "Are you buying these for your girlfriend?" So began the quest to grow my hair out! You can see why my concern for getting my hair cut really short is a REAL concern! I just hope no one ever has to ask my kids if I am their mom or their dad!

New Do

I just got back from getting my hair cut and highlighted. I am happy with the result. I have gone back and forth for the last few years with wanting to grow it out and then getting it cut off. I couldn't decide how I wanted it. Even still today I was undecided about whether to start growing it out again or just cut it shorter than it was. When I saw Laura's cute, cute, cute hair cut this morning I wanted to grow it out! (Did I say how CUTE your hair is, Laura?!) Then while I was waiting on my hair girl to come get me a lady sitting next to me (who had longer than shoulder-length hair) started talking to me. She asked if I was there to get my hair cut. Uh, yeah. She said she really liked it the way it was and thought it was a cute cut. I told her that I still hadn't decided what to do with it and she and I started talking about what a pain it is to have long hair. After just a couple of minutes, I decided that I didn't want to spend time growing it out, drying it, clipping it up after I dried it and didn't like the result, and fighting with it all the time. So, when Veronica asked what I wanted to do I said to cut it as short as she could without making me look "butchy." (This is a realy concern for me since I teach PE! ;0) ) Anyway, she highlighted it and cut it and I am happy with it. I am really happy that it will just take a few minutes to dry it and fix it in the mornings! I just hope I can fix it in the morning as cute as she did today!

Outside Fun!

Last week we went on a "girls walk." Drew came along, too. He was taking the pictures. I LOVE to get out and walk in the country. You can see so much more walking than you can riding. Two of my cousins' girls went with us. They were great walkers and didn't complain at all. Thanks, Caitlin and Delaney!



Drew tied a rope at the top of a hill for the kids to climb. This was on of their favorite activities. Many times they asked to go to the "yellow rope." When we were young we liked to climb a different, but similiar hill. We called it the "avalanche" because it is make of shale and it would crumble under our feet on each step.



Jackson on the "yellow rope." This was the first time he was actually able to climb the rope without assistance. He was so proud of himself when he reached the top. It is only about 9 or 10 feet high, but that's a lot when you are four!



The last day we were in Oklahoma the five of us spent some time together at the creek. The kids threw rocks in the water and Drew and I were able to talk and spend time together. We love it there and really miss it when we have to leave. I am so thankful that all my kids love it as much as we do. I hope we have many, many more years of enjoyment there!

Me and my babies at the creek! I can just hear it rushing over the rocks. I love that sound!

Jackson enjoying the cool (er, cold) water! We all had our shoes off at one poing and enjoyed our country foot bath.

Delaney (7), Bryson (8), Emily (5), Caitlin (9), Jackson (4), Cameron (10) and Addison (20 months) playing at the church playground. They had a great time together last week. Bryson cried for about an hour when we left because he already missed his "cousins" so much. He cried again when we crossed the Red River and entered Texas because "we weren't in Oklahoma anymore." He would live up there if he could!

On Sunday I took Bryson to Bear Creek Park to ride our bikes. We spent some time together and rode 5 or 6 miles. I decided to go back home and get Jackson and Addison and take them back to the park. Bryson was too tired from our ride, so it was just me and the two little ones. They had such a great time playing together. Addison thinks she is a big girl and wanted to go down the biggest slide all by herself. The slide was over 10 feet high, but she wasn't scared at all. There is NO WAY we would have ever let Bryson go down that high of a slide at her age. We were so over-protective of him! She just won't stand for our protection! She is going to do what she wants to do! That trait is a little scary now, but it will come in handy as she gets older (hopefully!).

Jackson climbing on the playground. Isn't he just the cutest thing?

He even wanted to push his little sister on the swing. Addison loves to go as high as possible! She is just not afraid of anything!

Well, those were some highlights from our Spring Break. We had a very relaxing and enjoyable week together. I am so thankful that Drew and I have the same work schedule so we are able to spend time together. Only 10 weeks until summer break~ bring it on!

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up!

I am dedicating this post to my Aunt Pat. Aunt Pat (aka Nana) will do anything for her grandkids. She spent HOURS fishing with Cameron because he loves to fish. They would fish from the dock or she would take him out in the paddle boat. After they had been out a while, it was time to come in so other people could take a turn. Cameron got out like any 10 year-old boy would- quickly and easily. Aunt Pat, on the other hand, had a slightly more difficult time. She stumbled a bit and slowly slipped over the edge of the boat. She got caught on a rope that was holding the dock (a floating dock) to the shore. She was holding on for dear life and making some funny noises in the process. Her son, Damon, quickly ran to her aid and Drew ran in the opposite direction to get the camera. (He didn't want to miss a great photo opportunity!) I was bent over laughing. After a couple of minutes Aunt Pat made it up on the dock with Damon's assistance. Nana survived although she lost two nails in the process of saving herself. Each time I would have to get out of the boat I would say I didn't "want to pull a Nana." Jackson was so freaked out by the incident that he never would get on the boat with me and didn't get to go for a ride the whole time we were there. Aunt Pat was a good sport about all the teasing and never even told us to shut up! Thanks for the laughs, Aunt Pat!

Spring Fever

I am SO ready for Spring Break. I need to rest. I'm sure all my teacher friends are saying a big "AMEN!" right about now.



Here's a funny Jackson story to make you laugh. The other day we were at church for Bryson's last basketball practice. Jackson, Addison and I were outside at the playground. There were so many "mosquito hawks" on the wall. (I think these insects are called may flies, but I am not sure. They are the really big flying insects with long legs. Do you know what I am talking about?) Anyway, evidently it is mating season for these bugs. They were all over the wall and connected together. This really disturbed Jackson. He caught as many as he could so he could "pull the bugs apart that are stuck together." He was very concerned about them being stuck together by their "butts!" Drew will have to explain some things to him when he gets older! I'm not going to touch that one!



Addison is all about the word "No." Today Jackson said, "Addison, do you love Mommy?" Of course, Addison said, "no." Jackson came to me and said, "Mommy, Addison said she loves you." At four-years-old he is already concerned about my feelings. Such a sweet boy he is!



Today I needed chocolate really badly! Drew and I rode to work together today, so he had to pick me up. When he open the door there sat a lovely, dark chocolate bar! I ate half of it within a mile of my school. I finished the rest after dinner. He sure knows how to make me happy!

Saturday we leave for Oklahoma. We are going to camp out, so hopefully the weather will cooperate. I am looking forward to some "no make up days." I like not having to worry about how I look when I am up there. Bryson has been counting down the days until we leave. He will get to see some of my cousin's kids and my aunt. He loves being around them. He hasn't seen them in a while, so he is really pumped about it. We are going to relax, ride the four-wheelers, take some hikes in the woods and have a great time being outside. I won't be posting until we get back late next week, so I hope everyone has a restful and enjoyable Spring Break!

We like to party!

Jackson was so excited to go to Olivia's party on Saturday. He and Olivia are special friends. They were at Miss Linda's together for a couple of years and developed a great friendship. They love each other so much and even say they are "married." She is in kindergarten this year, so they don't get to see each other every day, but Jackson still speaks of her often. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jackson walk into Let's Jump. When she was opening her presents, she had to stop when she got to Jackson's so she could give him a hug. She didn't do this for any one else. He thinks she is pretty special. Oh, to be young and in "love!"





Jackson sat at the "girl" table just so he could sit by Olivia. He was the only boy sitting at that table. He didn't care as long as he was by her. He didn't even mind that she kept putting her horse on his head. He was enjoying the attention!





He has such a yummy, sweet little smile. I had a great time hanging out with just him for a few hours on Saturday.




On Sunday, Jackson and Addison were invited to a party for another friend at Miss Linda's. This is Kade. He is not the birthday boy, but he is another friend at Miss Linda's. All the kids at her house treat each other like brothers and sisters. It is so much fun that they get to form relationships like that when they are young. Jackson is going to miss his friends when he goes to school next year.






Kade, Jackson and Nicholas. Nicholas turned four and had his party at Let's Jump. Jackson enjoyed jumping and sliding, Addison did not! I held her most of the time. She enjoyed the cake, though!






Saturday night we went to Gram and Papa's house. Drew's Aunt Jeanie and Uncle Waylon were in town. We haven't seen them in a while. Addison got to hang out with Uncle David for a while, also. She loves her Uncle David. (David is Drew's older brother.)

MeMe and Addison are special friends, also. She got so excited when I told her we were going to go see MeMe! (MeMe is Drew's grandmother.)

Jarrett, Jonathan, Bryson and Jackson. While we were at Cheryl's (Gram's), the boys played Star Wars outside. They played until well past dark. I think the only time they came in was to eat or use the restroom. They love playing together.

Uncle Waylon, Aunt Jeanie, Jonathan, Jackson, Jarrett, Bryson, Addison and Drew. It was great getting to visit with them. We hope to see them again soon.

Guess who made this? That's right, I did! You all know that I hate to cook, but I enjoy baking. On Saturday I was looking through a magazine and saw this yummy chocolate cake. We needed to take a dessert to Cheryl's on Saturday night, so I decided to try to make the cake. It was an almond cake with chocolate frosting with flowers made out of m&ms and almond slices. It was three layers had a cup and a half of almonds ground up in the cake. It looked a little nicer in the magazine, of course, but it tasted yummy.

Before Olivia's party Jackson and I headed to Target to purchase some things we needed for the cake. I even had to buy three round cake pans. (When we moved a couple of years ago, I accidentally left all our baking pans at the old house. I haven't needed any until now! That is proof of how little time I spend in the kitchen!) After I bought everything I needed, this cake cost me about $40! It turned out very good and I was quite proud of it. I won't even tell you how many sticks of butter were in that thing! I can feel my arteries clogging up just thinking about it! I am going to keep the recipie and make it again if I ever need to take a dessert some place. It shouldn't cost so much the next time since I will already have the pans! We didn't bring any of it home. MeMe took it home with her to share with her friends. I hope none of them have a heart attack in the next day or so, because I will feel like it was all my fault!

Right now we are waiting on Addison to wake up from her nap so we can go to the park. It is such a beautiful day and we have another hour of sunlight to enjoy it!

Perfection...

something we all strive for but will never reach.

Why are we so (okay, maybe it's just me) obsessed with being perfect? Why do we expect everyone around us to be perfect? Why are we not happy with who we are~ the way we are? Shouldn't people be forgiven for their mistakes and short comings?

These are some of the things I have been struggling with lately. I feel the NEED to be perfect in every way~ perfect mother, perfect wife, perfect teacher, perfect exerciser, perfect Christian, perfect eater, perfect in EVERY way. I know, deep down, that I will NEVER be perfect, but I still put intense pressure on my self every day to be perfect.

I also find myself expecting those around me to be perfect. Why? Why is it so hard to forgive someone for making a mistake? Why do I expect my kids, friends, co-workers and husband to be perfect? Why can't I realize that they will make mistakes and bad choices? We ALL make mistakes. NO ONE is perfect.

Yet, each day I wake up and feel like a failure if I don't do something just right. One mistake can ruin my entire day. So, yeah, all my days feel like failures because I make mistakes every day~ many, many mistakes. So do all the other humans on the face of the earth.

I know these things, yet I still feel the pressure/put the pressure on myself to be perfect.

I know this post doesn't make a whole lot of sense, (ie. less than the perfect post!) but I just needed to put it out there. I am just trying to work through this. Does anyone else feel the same way?

FORE!

Watch out! I don't look when I am hitting!

Yeah, baby! I can hit the ball!

Three little monkeys!



Young at heart!


We went to the playground at the school by our house today. The boys wanted to hit some golf balls. (Jackson actually said he wanted to play "hockey," but we finally figured out that he meant golf.) The hit balls and Addison played on the playground. She is such a big girl now~ she doesn't need/want my help for anything. She even knows how to put her legs out and pull them back in on the swing to make it go. When did she grow up? Where is my baby?

I had to get in on the action, too. Surprising to me, I was afraid to let go of the bar when I was hanging upside down! I used to flip all around on the bars when I was (a lot) younger~ now I am too afraid to let go!

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This was our first weekend in a month that everyone felt good. Jackson and Addison still have runny/snotty noses, but other than that we were all well. Praise the Lord!

Friday night we ate leftovers and the kids watched TV in our room.

Saturday I was able to go to the gym for a couple of hours and have some (much needed) alone time. Then we went to Bryson's basketball game. Saturday night Ashley came over to watch the kids so Drew and I could have a (again, much needed) date night. We went to the Melting Pot and had a fondue dinner. It was so yummy. I meant to take my camera, but I forgot. We took advantage of our time alone and had the four-course meal~ cheese, salad, entree, and (the best part) dessert. We were satisfyingly (is that a word?) stuffed. It was nice to get away and the kids enjoyed spending time with Ashley. Thanks again, Ashley!

This morning we were able to go to church for the first time in a month. We had a good time. Drew even signed up to go to a men's conference next weekend. I'm sure he will get something great out of it! I encouraged him to go and excited (surprised) that he agreed!

As I am typing, Drew is in the kitchen making breakfast for dinner! I am ready to eat and wind down after a great weekend. Here's hoping this week will be just as good!