It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

This is going to be a LONG post, so I understand if you don't read it all! I am going to go through everything (that I can remember) from the past 10 days or so. Here goes!

The Thursday before school was out Miss Linda had her annual Christmas party. All the kids were there and she had presents for each one. She knows them so well and always picks just the right gift! Addison got some dress up things and some brushes to do hair. They also exchanged names and had a gift from one of their friends. We have been going to her Christmas party for 10 years and I am going to miss it when Addison no longer goes to her house. We may just have to show up anyway!

That night Pily came up from College Station to visit. My kids love it when she comes up and she is always so attentive with them. On Friday, she watched them so Drew and I could do some last minute shopping. We even got to have lunch together. We had a good time talking, laughing, shopping and just being together. Thanks again, Pily!



On Saturday, we decorated the gingerbread house. Pily and I did most of the work. We were a little too possessive and controlling to let the kids help! They helped a little, but not much. That afternoon my dad and Espy came up. We had Christmas with them and Drew made a wonderful dinner.

They left on Sunday. We tried to get some pictures together before they left. It is difficult to get all three kids to cooperate at the same time. Addison refused to smile and kept that stupid flute-thingy in her mouth the entire time! Two year-olds are so much fun!

Again, refusing to smile. Doesn't she look so cute and innocent? Do not be fooled. She is a beast sometimes!

Jackson wanted to take a picture of us. This was the best one.

Another attempt to get a picture of Addison and Pily together. She was hiding on the other side of her bed. Smiling, but refusing to take her hand away from her mouth.

Pily, Dad and Espy right before they walked out the door to go home.

Dad, Me, Drew, Addison, Bryson and Jackson


We had planned to go up to Oklahoma after they left. My granddad came down with the flu, so we decided to wait and see how he felt on Monday before we decided whether to go or not.

Monday, we weren't in a hurry to do anything. I went running and came back and took a nap. About 11:00 we decided that we would load up the Suburban and head up to the Pond. We stopped several times along the way and just took our time getting there. That's the way I like to travel, but I think it drives Drew crazy! He did a great job not showing it, though, and we go to my grandparents' house around 7:00 or so.

Tuesday, Drew set up the tents by the creek so he could camp out with the boys. Addison decided she wanted to sleep in the tent, too, so I decided to sleep out there with them. We have tried this before about a year ago and I ended up driving her back up to the house at about 2 in the morning. It is pretty scary to drive a four-wheeler in the pitch black night holding on to your little girl! I decided to try it again and see what happened. I took a couple of Simply Sleeps to help me sleep, too. I thought if I didn't hear every little sound she made, both of us would sleep better. Around 3 in the morning it started raining. It would rain hard and then stop and start again. I kept thinking I was feeling teeny, tiny rain droplets on my face, but I wasn't sure. If it was rain, it was very small. We have stayed in tents in the rain before, so I wasn't too concerned. Around 6:00 we decided to go up to the house.

It rained all day. That night we stayed in the house. Drew went down to the tent and got the sleeping bags and pillows. He left everything else in the tents. We went to check on things the following day and one of the tents had standing water inside it. The creek had risen so high it was almost over the bank. We quickly decided to take the tents down in case the water kept rising. It was still raining and we didn't know when it was going to stop. We drove around a little bit and took pictures and video of the pond and the creek. I was amazed at how fast the water rose.

That afternoon my grandmother had an appointment to have her hair done. My granddad still wasn't feeling too well, so I said I would take her. Addison wanted to go along for the ride. On the way up one of the hills, the wheel on the Suburban started spinning. I tried to back up and go up again, but it didn't work. They spun some more. The more I tried, the worse it got. We started sliding to the left and didn't stop until we got to the ditch on the side of the road. I had to walk up the hill in the rain to get Drew. I had put my phone on the charger at the house, so I didn't have it with me. He had to get the tractor to come pull us out.

Since we were stuck inside for two days, we decided to let the kids open their presents early. They needed something to do. They had fun opening their gifts. Legos can keep kids busy for a long time! We also play Skip-Bo a lot. This helped pass the time.

On Christmas Eve, heavy snow was predicted. We anticipated a white Christmas and having fun in the snow. Bryson watched the thermometer all evening. He couldn't wait until it got to 32 degrees. It finally did, but it had already stopped raining. We ended up seeing a few flakes that night and only got a slight dusting of snow by Christmas morning.

Santa came during the night and left a few things for each of them. We really cut back this year and didn't go crazy with gifts. They don't need anything and we really don't need to spend so much money each year on more stuff.

Christmas evening, my Aunt Pat and her youngest two boys (Damon and Corey) came up to visit. I haven't seen Corey in at least five years, so it was fun to see him. We see Damon every once in a while, but it was good to see him again, too. My kids thought Corey was awesome and had fun following him around and playing with him. He even took the boys on a long walk. I know they will be talking about him for a long time.

On Saturday, Drew decided he wanted to cross the creek. We do this just about every time we are up there, but the water has never been as high as it was this time. I told him I wasn't going and warned him against going. He, of course, had to try to prove me wrong and crossed anyway. Damon and I stayed to watch just in case something happened. When he was almost across his feet were swept out from under him and he started being carried down the creek. He was fighting to get back up and I was yelling at him to get up. It scared me so much. At one point, I could only see his head sticking out of the water. He finally stood up and made it the rest of the way. We could tell he was hurt, but there was nothing we could do to help him. He walked down the creek a little ways to where the water was a little calmer. He crossed back without incident. His hand was cut up and he was pretty sore. Next time, maybe he will listen to me!

This is the part of the creek we swim in in the summer. It was about 8-10 feet higher than normal on this particular day. The water was rushing very fast, too.

This is a view of the pond. The water level is way up because of all the rain on Wednesday and Thursday.

This is a view of the hill where I got the Suburban stuck. It doesn't look very steep in the picture. It is steep enough to make things difficult when there has been so much rain! I learned something that day. I should have put it in low and just kept going!

Aunt Pat, Addison and Grandmother coming back from a walk. If my mom were alive, she would have been right there with them.

Saturday, we just played around. Damon took Jackson riding around in his Jeep. Jackson thought that was really cool. We dug around a storage building they have up there. It was fun looking at some old things. There was a box of my mom's things and even a box of Halloween stuff my sister had bought almost 18 years ago. I don't know why those things were saved, but it was fun going through them. Just things, but reminders of who mom and Jamie were.

This is Damon and the raft he wanted to ride in down the creek. I couldn't decide if I really wanted to do this or not. We did it back in March and it was pretty rough. Corey ended up getting sick and I didn't go. We left around 10:00 this morning. I later learned that Damon and Corey ended up going down the creek once Corey started feeling better. They both fell in and said they were very cold. Damon only had one word to describe the ordeal~ "shrinkage!" I'm glad I didn't go, but I do want to go again when it's a little warmer and the water isn't so rough.

( My pictures are out of order, but who cares!) This is Drew before he was carried down the creek. As you can see, the creek is more like a river. It isn't a little creek that you can just hop over or walk easily across. Usually, there are rocks sticking up out of the water.

I know this was a LONG post, but it was a long 10 days! I know I left some stuff out, but I tried to touch on the highlights!

Reality Check

Addison: Mommy, I wear the brown headband, it matches my hair. You wear the gray headband, it matches your hair.


Time to make an appointment!

Sweetness

Jackson: Mommy, I know I should tell you this every day but for some reason I don't. You are beautiful.

Could it get any better than that?

Just Breathe

Every morning we listen to "Addison's Cd's" on our way to Miss Linda's. As soon as I get in the car, she starts asking for her songs. The Cd's consist of every children's song written since the beginning of time. I have all Cd's memorized and start singing the next song before it even begins. Whenever I am sick and tired of one or just need a change of pace I change them out.

This morning I was in the process of changing it and Addison began to make her whining noise. As she was beginning her cry, Jackson said, "Addison, breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out."

At least he knows how to relieve stress, calm down and blow off steam!

We Need An Intervention

It is time for an intervention. Addison is addicted to Elmo. I'm not talking about a mild crush, this is a full-blown addiction. She wakes up talking about Elmo and goes to sleep talking about Elmo. When we walk in the house, the first thing she says is, "I want to watch Elmo."

About the time school started, I began recording Sesame Street for Addison to watch. At first, she could take it or leave it. She wasn't too interested in it. Over time, however, she began to watch more and more of it. Now she wants to watch it every moment she is awake. Well, not every moment, sometimes she requests Tinkerbell. But, Elmo ranks far above Tinkerbell.

There have been some positive things come out of all this Sesame Street time, though. She has learned many of her letters, how to count, all of her shapes and most importantly how to eat like Cookie Monster.

I don't know how we are going to handle this problem. Should I make her quit cold-turkey or wean her off slowly?

I guess there are worse things she could be addicted to. At least I don't have to wean her off a pacifier.

So Much To Be Thankful For

I guess you can tell from all the smiling faces that we had a fun Thanksgiving!

We left for Oklahoma on Tuesday evening. We arrived at my grandparents' house just before midnight. The kids fell asleep about 30 minutes from their house, so they were wired after they woke up. We stayed up for a while talking and laughing at the kids, then we called it a night.

On Wednesday, we made a big breakfast and went for a walk. My grandmother went with us and, let me just say, she kept a pretty good pace for an 80 year-old woman! We walked down to the creek and back. Addison walked the whole time, too. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed walking and talking. We have four-wheelers up there, but I like to get out and walk too. You can see so much more when you are walking than you can when you are riding. I want the boys to see the deer tracks, mushroom, flowers, bugs and any other fun thing we pass along the way. You can't do that from the seat of a four-wheeler.

Thursday, we decided to just have cereal for breakfast and eat Thanksgiving dinner for lunch! Drew and I had fun making all the side dishes. We spent about 3 hours cooking and everyone was stuffed in about 20 minutes. We didn't make a whole turkey this year. We just had a turkey breast. We also had ham. We don't get all fancy or anything up there. We just keep things simple. No one to impress up in the woods in Oklahoma! I didn't even matter that I forgot my entire make-up bag at home!

Friday, Drew, Bryson and I went on a hike across the creek. We always try to do this at least once while we are there. Jackson had a bad experience hiking last year, so he didn't go with us. He stayed back at the house with Addison and my grandparents. The water in the creek was so COLD and I have to mentally prepare myself to cross it. We only got wet up to our knees, but when it is that cold it is pretty painful. The creek is about 30-40 yards wide, so we were in the water for several minutes trying to cross. The water was rushing pretty fast and the rocks are slippery, so we had to go slowly or risk falling in.

On the other side of the creek is a steep incline that we climbed. Once at the top (maybe 100 yards up) we walked along the ridge to the waterfall. This is where we always go when we cross the creek. It has been fun to see it in each of the different seasons and how it has changed in the years we have been going. Bryson slipped and fell in at one point, so he was in a HORRIBLE mood for part of the trip. I was surprised to see two hunters up the creek, also. We have never seen any other people and I was a little scared when I heard men's voices. They did ask why we weren't wearing orange. I guess we should have thought about it being hunting season. Once Bryson fell in the water, though, we didn't need orange on. His crying and wailing announced our presence to all around! We hiked for about 2 hours that day. The weather was absolutely beautiful.

Today we spent the morning playing in the fire outside and sitting around talking. We finally made our way back inside and got ready to leave. We hate to go, but we will be back for Christmas. Bryson just cries his little eyes out every time we leave. It just breaks my heart. He loves it up there and loves all the attention he gets from my grandparents. I remember my sister and I crying the same way when we had to leave. I am so glad my grandparents are still around to spoil my kids with attention and affection. I am thankful that they get to experience some of the same things I did as a kid. I feel at home up there and want to enjoy it as much as I can while it is still available to us.

I took about 250 pictures this week. I will post most of them on Facebook.

She's Got Legs...

and she knows how to use them!

While Drew and I were "helping" Jackson with his turkey project, Addison was playing dress up or dress down in her room. She came out looking like this. She was also singing. She was a sight to behold! I just had to share!



This is Jackson's turkey project. He may or may not have had help from Drew and myself. I think his cowboy turkey turned out rather cute.

Blood Pressure

I began having trouble with my blood pressure when I was pregnant with Bryson. At least, that is when it was first diagnosed. I took blood pressure medication throughout all three pregnancies and some in between. High blood pressure and heart disease run on both sides of my family. I have always struggled with my weight. (Being raised on McDonald's, Taco Bell and good home cooking definitely had something to do with that.) I have always been fairly active, so I know that has helped. Almost a year ago I decided that since I was finished having kids I needed to focus more on my health. I began watching what I ate and tried to change up my work outs. I lost some and then just stalled. I tried to tell myself I would start losing again, but I never did. I tried to focus more on the health benefits of exercise instead of on the number on the scale. Some days it works and some days it doesn't. Today I got some concrete evidence that all my hard work is paying off. I give blood several times a year and they always check your blood pressure and cholesterol during their screening. My blood pressure today was 100/65! That is unheard of for me! I am usually around 130/high 70's. I will get to see in a week or so what my cholesterol is. I am going to TRY to focus on the fact that I feel so much better now than I did this time last year. I know what I am doing is working. It is hard when the number on the scale doesn't go down. I would like to see it go down so I could feel like getting up during the week at 4:15 to work out is worth it. I KNOW it is worth it, but I would still like to see a smaller number. Anyway, I won't talk about the number on the scale since I just said I was going to focus on how good I feel! This IS going to be hard! At least I KNOW the inside of my body is healthy. The outside may not be so great but the inside is BEAUTIFUL!

I Cannot Be Trusted

I have proven, once and for all, that I cannot be trusted. After Halloween I separated the "kid" candy from the chocolate "Mommy" candy. I told myself I could have one or two small pieces whenever I had a craving I couldn't ignore. That lasted about a day, maybe less. I decided that if I froze it I wouldn't be as likely to want it. I still wanted it. I wanted it even worse than when it wasn't frozen. I tried to tell myself that one or two pieces every once in a while wouldn't hurt anything. Once again, I was WRONG! One or two pieces turned into three or four pieces EVERY night. I couldn't stop myself. Well, I didn't really try very hard to stop myself. So, tonight, while Drew and the boys are gone, I did the UNTHINKABLE. I. Threw. Away. The. Candy. The WHOLE gallon bag. Gone. In the trash. I almost put it in the deep freezer in the garage, but I knew that wouldn't keep me out of it. So, there. I did it. It is out of my freezer and out of my house. (Technically, it is still in the garage, but I would have to be really sick to dig it out of the trash can. I do have standards.) Starting right now, not tomorrow right NOW, I am going to try to kick this sugar/chocolate habit for good. If you see me crying, just know it's all about the chocolate.

Poo Poo: A Conversation

Addison: Mommy, I poo poo.

Me: Addison, why did you poo poo?

Addison: I don't know.

Me: Where are you suppose to poo poo?

Addison (singing): Poo poo goes in the potty, not on your body.

Me: That's right, Addie. Poo poo goes in the potty. Why didn't you tell me you needed to poo poo?

Addison: I don't know.

Me: Why did you poo poo in your diaper?

Addison: I don't know why I did that. It just came out.

She will get it one day. She will get it one day.

A lot, but not so much!

I don't really have much to say, but I know my grandparents look forward to reading my blog posts so I will just start typing and see what comes out of my head (er, hands). (I think that is a serious run-on sentence, but I don't really care to fix it! My high school English teachers would shudder! Shoot, Drew teaches English. He is probably shuddering too!)

Saturday two friends from work, Katie and Laura, came over for dinner. Drew said he would cook for us. He made boneless ribs and chicken, salad, potato salad, asparagus, rolls (He didn't actually make those.) and cheesecake (He didn't make that, either). It was so good and I really enjoyed hanging out with them outside of work although we mostly talked about work! I hope we get to do it again soon. We really enjoy having people over and Drew likes to cook for our company, so it works out nicely! I must say that he is such a great husband/friend and I really don't tell him enough how much I appreciate his care and attention.

Sunday I was able to go to lunch with some friends from our Sunday School class. We went to Carrabba's and the food was so yummy. I really enjoy hanging out with them, too, we just don't get the chance very often. Jaclyn will be moving soon and I am really sad that we didn't get to know each other better.

Sunday evening we had an appointment to have family pictures taken. The last time we had family pictures taken was about two years ago. Addison was about five months old at the time so I wanted some newer ones. Of course, she was in no mood to take pictures and she refused to smile in most of them. Oh, well. We will remind her one day about what a little toot she was and we will be able to laugh at her sullen face. That was not something I was willing to even worry about. At least she wasn't screaming!

This week at school I am teaching one of my all-time favorite games~ Ultimate Ping Pong. I only teach it to the 3rd-5th graders. The younger ones just aren't developmentally ready to play it. I have been taking the little ones outside to play with the parachute. Both of these things are a lot of fun, so the week is going by quickly. I am so thankful for the wonderful weather that allows me to be outside at least part of the day.

The big count down to Thanksgiving has begun. (It actually began about 2 months ago!) I am really looking forward to some much-needed rest and some time in the country. I love going up to my grandparents' house in Oklahoma. It is my most favorite place in the whole world. (Yes, it's true that I haven't been to many places in the whole world, but I'm sure if I would have been to many places in the whole world Oklahoma would still be my favorite!)

Football season is over for Drew. Well, he still has to scout for the high school his middle school feeds into, but for the most part it is finished. I didn't think I would survive this season. I don't know how high school coaches' wives do it. They live football. Drew doesn't live it but the schedule dictates that he is gone most nights. So, I am glad it's over, but now basketball season begins. At least it's not as time-consuming. Silver lining, people, silver lining.

If you are still with me, bless your heart. I owe you something! Maybe you could come over to hang out and Drew could cook you dinner! For not really having much to say, I really had a lot to say~ a lot but not of much significance! Anyway, thanks for reading and I am sorry you will never get this 5 minutes of your life back! :0)

Therapy, Anyone???

I think I am beginning to realize that I can't be "perfect" at everything. Let me just say that I am FAR from perfect, but that doesn't keep me from striving for perfection every day.

For example, if I don't get up at 4:15 to go to the gym I spend several hours beating myself up and putting myself down for being "lazy." I know in my head that my body needs a break every once in a while and that it is okay to sleep in one morning a week, but I still feel guilty when I miss a morning. All day long I will think of ways to fit in a workout that day or try to find some time to "make up" what I missed. I am trying to be okay with taking a break one day a week, but it's hard. I feel like if I miss a day I am not "perfect" in my workouts. Anyway, today I slept in. I tried not to worry about it. I mostly did okay. I noticed, about mid-morning, that I wasn't yawning. I actually felt awake and I didn't feel tired today. I did do a short "workout" at home while my wonderful husband made dinner, but I don't feel so guilty about my lack of workout this morning.

I beat myself up if I don't eat perfectly, too. You can tell by looking at me that I am FAR, FAR from perfect in this area. I still think of some foods as "bad" and some foods as "good." I KNOW that moderation is the key, but I still label foods. I don't want to spend my entire life thinking about what I put in my mouth, but right now I label everything! It doesn't keep me from eating "bad" foods. I just feel guilty when I do.

I also feel the need to be the perfect mom. I worry about if I am doing enough with my kids academics, social life, church life, etc. Some days I feel like I do a pretty good job. Other days I hope I can just make it through without causing any permanent damage. I (we) try to teach the kids how to treat people nicely and how to love each other. These, to me, are very important life "skills" and I hope we do an okay job with those. I don't feel like we do a very good job with "enrichment" activities. I don't really talk to my kids about money (other than what they cost me!). I don't cook with my kids. (I hate to cook!) I don't get outside and play much with them.

I guess what I am trying to do is find a good balance. I jokingly say that my motto is "Mediocrity is O.K.," but I really don't believe that. I put so much pressure on myself to be perfect, but there is not enough time in the day to do everything I need to do perfectly. I have blogged about this a few other times. I guess I am just trying to get over the guilt of not being "perfect." Why do I put this pressure on myself? I don't expect other people to be perfect. Why do I think I can be perfect?

I am obviously not the only person who has ever been a wife, teacher and mother. How do other people do it? How do you decide what is worth the time and what you can let slide? Maybe one day I will figure it out. Until then, I will just try to keep my head above water and hope I don't cause my kids and Drew to seek out long-term therapy!

Do other people struggle with these same things or am I the only crazy person in blog land? Please tell me I am not crazy! :0)

A Jackson Funny and Weekend Wrap Up

Jackson finished his bowl of cereal on Saturday and forgot to take his bowl and spoon to the sink. Of course, Drew quickly noticed and asked him how he expected the bowl and spoon to make it to the sink. Jackson replied, "Well, the dish DID run away with the spoon." Pretty witty for a 5 year-old! Drew didn't see the humor immediately, but he came around.

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We had a pretty good time this weekend. (I will post pictures later.) Friday I stayed home with Addison. She started running a temperature Thursday evening. She was real cranky and wanted to be held most of the time, so I called in a sub and stayed home. For some reason I was SO sleepy that day. I ended up letting her watch about 6 hours of Sesame Street while I dozed on and off and played around on the computer. She never watched this much TV, so I tried to not feel too bad about it. That night our Sunday School class was having a get together. I hated to miss it, but I didn't want to risk taking Addison and her getting somebody else sick. Drew and the boys went and had a good time.

Saturday started off in it's usual way. I went to the gym for some alone time. Before my kickboxing class I ran 3 1/2 miles. I started to feel so weak by the time the class started. I kept telling myself to just make it through the next song and I could leave. I ended up staying for the whole class, but it was so tough. I started thinking that maybe I was coming down with something, but I never did. I did take a nap that afternoon instead of going to the church festival. The boys didn't seem to mind missing it. They were waiting for some friends to come over later on in the evening and were too excited to even miss the festival.

That night Drew made hamburgers and hot dogs. My friend Stefanie and her son Connor came over and Kecia and Brea came, too. We had fun eating, trick-or-treating and just hanging out. I like laid back affairs.

During the night Addison began coughing. I didn't hear her, but Drew said she coughed for a while. I decided to keep her home from church, just in case. I did a short workout in my living room with some hand weights. It was a struggle to get through it, but I managed to do 30 minutes of lunges, squats and weights. When I finally sat down, I was so sleepy I couldn't stay awake. I turned on the babysitter (Sesame Street) and fell asleep. Addison would wake me up when it was over for me to start it again! She watched three episodes! (I know, bad mama!) At some point she even got one of her blankets and covered me up!

When Drew and the boys got home (I found out later that the "ditched" church, as Bryson called it!) they wanted to put up the Christmas trees. Yes, read the sentence again, I said Christmas trees! They hauled all the decorations out of the attic and put up two of the trees. We will eventually have small trees in the kids' rooms, but there just wasn't enough time to do it all yesterday. Around 3:00 I decided to take Addison for a walk in her jogging stroller. I had been inside all day and thought some fresh air would pep me up. It pepped me up but put her to sleep. Then we had a cranky little girl all evening when we had to wake her up.

So, the weekend was good, but I don't know why I have been so tired and sleepy. I thought the time change would help, but it hasn't so far.

Today is the last weeknight football game for Drew to coach. Words cannot express how happy this makes me. This has been one LONG season. I am so glad it is almost over.


I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving break in a few weeks and I hope to catch up on some rest then.

Cake and Stuff

This is the cake I made (Well, Drew and I made) for the luncheon at my school today. The luncheon had a Halloween theme and I wanted to play along. I found a picture of this cake in one of the magazines I read and thought I'd try it. The recipe calls for a red velvet cake and the "bones" are just meringue cookies. I didn't want to try a new cake recipe, but I wanted the look of the cake. Drew makes a wonderful chocolate cake, so I decided to ask him to make his cake and I would add the "bones." I think it turned out really cute. I am staying home with Addison today (She began running a temp early last night.) so I sent the cake to school with Bryson. I didn't trust myself with it in the house! I hope it was good!

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Addison is doing okay. She slept with us last night, so none of us got much sleep. I still went to the gym this morning and came home and got in bed with her. She slept for about an hour and woke up REALLY cranky. She didn't have a temp, but she had taken Motrin about 2 hours before. I am going to hold off giving her any medicine for a while and see if her fever comes back. She was also complaining of a headache and said her throat hurt. I'm pretty sure it's just a run-of-the-mill virus, but I'm no doctor! We will just wait it out and see what happens. She still wants to eat, so she can't feel too bad.

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Yesterday I pulled out another one of Bryson's teeth. He has two extra teeth that came in when he was a toddler, so I am hoping with this tooth gone his teeth will shift a little bit. That's what happened when he lost the same tooth on the other side of his mouth. Evidently, the tooth fairy was feeling generous last night because he left $2 for Bryson's tooth. I thought the going rate was $1 per tooth. It looks like the tooth fairy and I are going to have to have a financial meeting!

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Jackson is starting to realize that Bryson doesn't rule the world. For so long now Jackson would go along with anything Bryson told him to do. This is not the case anymore and we are starting to have some little battles between the two boys at home. This drives me crazy, but I am glad that Jackson isn't letting Bryson boss him around so much. I know this is a part of growing up and of being brothers/siblings, but does it have to be so annoying???

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I had a good time uploading some old pictures on Facebook this week. I have enjoyed reading people's comments and memories from when the pictures were taken. I am going to get up in the attic and search for some more pictures. (Drew, I hope you still love me after this!!!) I don't think Drew understands why I LOVE to look at old pictures so much. I don't completely understand it, except that I like to remember what it was like to have my sister and my mom with me. I just didn't appreciate them enough when they were here.

Now I Know My ABC's...

Addison has been singing her ABCs for a while now. She knows the letters in her name and started naming letters she sees in various places (signs, books, etc.). Yesterday I decided to see exactly how many letters she can name. She can name 13 upper case letters! She can recognize a few more when I ask her to find a certain letter. Example, "Point to the letter Y." She only knows the lower case letters in her name, so we still have some work to do. Not bad for a little girl who just turned two four months ago. She continues to amaze me with what she knows. The boys love to teach her things and she loves to learn from them. I know they are the reason she is so smart. It certainly isn't from me and Drew! One day, I am certain, she will even learn to use the potty! I just hope the boys don't teach her to use it standing up!

Our Weekend~ The good, the bad and the ugly!

Addison was not into getting her picture taken. This is the best Bryson could get of me and Addison.

The sun was shining bright and they were not cooperating at all. I think this is the only one I got of all three.

Look how tall my "baby" is. I can hardly believe it myself. I bet he will be taller than me in the next year or so. I think I will put a brick on his head!

Jackson had fun going down the slides. He is such a happy little thing.

Addison went down the slides, too. She wasn't scared at all and had a great time.

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This weekend was a busy one! It all started at 7:00 Saturday morning with me having my hair colored and cut. Veronica, who does my hair, called me Friday afternoon and said she could meet me at 7:00 if I wanted to get it done. Otherwise, I would have to wait another two weeks for my scheduled appointment. I told her I would find a way to be there! Drew had to be at the high school for their scouting report, so he brought the kids to me. Veronica had just finished, so the timing was perfect.

Then we had to go to Matthew and Carrie's kids birthday party at the pumpkin patch. That is where the pictures are from. The kids had a good time.

After the party we had to go up to our school for the school carnival. We got there late, but at least we got there! We stayed a couple of hours and had fun. Toward the end, I started feeling feverish. I have been coughing for several days and figured I was coming down with something.

Once we got home, my head was killing me. I took some Advil and tried to take a nap. Finally around 8:00, I took some Nyquil and went to bed. I slept until 11:30 this morning. I still have a headache and have taken some Dayquil. It feels like my brain is being pushed up to the top of my head. I know that's a weird description, but it's the best way I can describe it. I hope this goes away soon. Our weeks are always so busy and feeling bad will just make things worse.

Addison missed her nap yesterday and I was waiting for the big melt-down. She, surprisingly, did great.

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I'll stop whining and talk about what my wonderful husband has been doing today. He took all three kids with him to Walmart this morning while I was still sleeping. When he got home he started a big pot of chili for tonight and so we could have leftovers during the week. He made us lunch. He baked blueberry muffins and banana bread so we can have something different for breakfast this week. He cleaned the kitchen and is doing laundry in between all of this. Have I mentioned how wonderful he is??? He always does such a great job taking care of me and the kids. Thanks, Drew for taking care of us and being so great.

I, on the other hand, am sitting at the computer trying to type out a half-way decent post. My head is killing me, so that is my excuse for this post being so unorganized. I think I will go lay back down on the couch.

I Poo Poo, Mommy!

Let me just say that this little girl makes me laugh. Every. Single. Day. She just cracks me up! I started talking to her about potty training just before she turned 2 this summer. I got her the Elmo Potty DVD and my dad got her the Elmo with his potty for her birthday. She is smart as a whip so I knew potty training her would be no big deal. Well, let me just tell you that I was TOTALLY wrong! She has no interest in using the potty to go potty. She will use it as a step stool, a chair to read a book or look at a magazine and will even put her baby on the potty. But, she will not use it! At Miss Linda's house there are two other little girls around Addison's age. She started trying to potty train all three about a month ago. The other two girls took right to it, but not Addison. She does not want to go. I don't think she is scared. I just think that since everyone wants her to do it, she doesn't want to. I know she will eventually come around. In all my years of teaching I have yet to see a Kindergartner walk in with a diaper bag! I don't really make a big deal out of it. I will ask her if she wants to use the potty. Sometimes she says yes and sometimes she says no. When she says yes I take her to the potty and let her sit there. Nothing happens, she stands up and says she is finished. I don't praise or scold, I just say okay and put her diaper back on her. I have let her walk around with just panties on but then I just end up having to clean up after she wets in them. Plus, it drives Drew crazy. He would never admit that, though, but I can read it all over his face. So, I will continue to ask her if she wants to use the potty and eventually I'm sure something will actually happen. Until then, she will continue to pull about 20 wipes out of the container, position herself close to me and proclaim, "I poo poo, Mommy! You change me, please?"

Trudging Along

Man, am I TIRED! I think I need a B12 shot or something. I don't think I have ever had one, but I hear they are supposed to give you some energy.

Last night I had my light out at 7:30. I was so happy when Drew got home earlier than I expected. I saw him about 15 minutes and went to bed. I slept until 4:15, but I still woke up tired and sleepy.

Tonight, after yawning all the way home, I put Jackson and Addison in my bathtub. I left them in there for 45 minutes. Yes, I said 45 minutes. I was so tired and just needed some time to get dinner together. They were having a great time and I checked on them periodically, so they were safe. Happy and clean~ that's the way I like them!

Tomorrow I have a doctor appointment. Instead of trying to find a sub to work a half day I took the whole day off. I need some time to myself. I plan on spending some time sleeping and relaxing. I hope nothing ruins my plan.

It's pretty bad when I am looking forward to November 1st so I can get an extra hour that day!

I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving break. I feel like I just need to get away and find a way to refocus. Although travelling is stressful with my kids (they are all prone to car sickness) once we get to Oklahoma I will be able to relax. I just hope the next 6 weeks so by quickly.

Well, it's almost 6:30 and the couch is calling. I wish I could go to bed but I have three things standing in my way~ Bryson, Jackson and Addison. The couch will have to do.

My Boys!

Today I want to focus my blog posting on my two wonderful boys. I am so proud of them and feel the need to give them a BIG shout out on my blog. So, here goes!

Bryson is such a sweet, sensitive big boy. (I can't believe my baby is only 5-6 inches shorter than me!) He is becoming a very good student and has learned that reading can be fun! He reads every morning after he gets ready for school and while we are in the car heading to school. He even loves to read to Addison. I swear, it is the cutest thing EVER! Today he received some awards at our schools' Celebration of Kids assembly. I know he loves the attention, but will never admit it! I fought back tears each time they called his name. My heart just swells with pride for that boy.

Jackson is turning into a wonderful student. He has always been a people-pleaser so I knew he would know how to behave in school. Before school started I was really concerned about his ability to learn. He was just never interested in wanting to learn how to spell his name, learn his letters, color or anything else that required him to sit still for too long. Here we are seven weeks into school and he is blossoming. He has learned all his letters and sounds and knows how to spell about 20 different words. He picks out the beginning sounds of various words he hears in daily conversation and tries to find rhyming words for them. He is beginning to read some simple words and is eager to color. What a change.

Today he received the Kindergarten Circle of Courage award for the 1st six weeks. His (wonderfully sweet) teacher wrote about his bright smile and positive attitude. She recognized him for his determination and positive attitude. I was so proud of him today and, of course, a few tears fell down my face while I was taking his picture. All was well until a group of 5th graders noticed and began to whisper to each other, "Mrs. Simmons is crying." They were real sweet about it and one even said, "Well, he is her baby." I get very emotional when it comes to my kids. I can't help it. It is just the way I am wired! Someone in Bryson's class told me that he even shed a tear when Jackson was being recognized. Bryson is just as sensitive as I am, if not more. He loves his little brother so much and is so proud of him! (Just another thing to love about Bryson!)

So today, I am choosing to highlight my sweet sons. I love them more than words can describe and I am so thankful that I get to be their mommy! I will highlight Addison another day!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

The Flu

I have been trying not to worry about the flu this year. So far, I have not been very successful. I will just admit it, the flu scares me. The day after my sister was diagnosed with the flu (back in 1992) I found her dead laying on my bed in my room. An autopsy revealed that she died from pneumonia brought on by the flu. Mistakenly, I always thought she died from something heart related. My family never talked about how she died. The memory of her death was so painful that we just didn't talk about her. It was our way of dealing with it, I guess. It wasn't until my mother died five years ago that I discovered what really happened. When cleaning out my mom's house I ran across Jamie's autopsy report. I had never read it, so I did. I was surprised to learn that her cause of death was pneumonia. I didn't understand, and still don't understand, how a seemingly healthy 21 year-old could die so suddenly. Since then, I have been afraid of the flu.

This year my fears are even worse. When I turn on the news that seems to be all they talk about. Each time I hear of someone dying from the flu the memories of that awful January day come flooding back. I know I can't control everything, but I sure do try. We are just at the beginning of flu season. I will be a basket case by the time it is over.

We have all had our flu shots, but I know that is no protection. We all had our shots last year and Jackson got the flu back in February and it turned in to pneumonia. The whole week he was sick I kept thinking about what I would do if he died suddenly. I was very protective of him that week and rarely left his side. He was so little and so sick. I was so thankful when he finally started feeling better.

This year it is the swine flu as well as the regular flu. I am constantly telling my kids to wash their hands and keep their hands out of their mouths and noses. When they go to kiss me, I turn my head and only let them kiss my cheek. When I kiss them I only touch my nose to theirs. Is this crazy? I don't know. I try to be as careful as possible, but am I being too careful? Is there such a thing as too careful right now? Jackson has started talking about germs. Bryson gets scared when he hears about the swine flu. Are my fears rubbing off on them? Obviously. I don't want to freak them out, but I want to teach them to take care of themselves. I don't know how to balance it all. Working in a school certainly doesn't help! I am going to drive all of us crazy before it is all said and done.

Jungle Book

Drew bought season tickets to Casa Manana for us. We went to our first show today~ "The Jungle Book!" I was worried about how Addison would do, but she did great. She sat and watched the entire production. The boys enjoyed it, also. The next show on the play list is "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." They will really like that one, too.

Afterwards, we stopped by the Botanic Gardens and walked around a little bit. The kids had fun playing and running. It was pretty wet, so they had to stay on the paths. We took some pictures and then went to eat some Mexican food.

Overall, we had a great day and a relaxing weekend. Now we are going to sit down and watch the Cowboy game. Drew has recorded it and has been avoiding all TVs and radios since 3:00! Have a great week! I plan on making this a good one, if it kills me! :0)