Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Whoa...my baby turned five years old today. Those five years flew by me. It seems like yesterday I was eating Thanksgiving dinner in the hospital after Ethan debuted three weeks earlier than he was supposed to. It's hard to imagine that he's already one fourth of the way to 20. Okay, I know that's a strange way to look at it, but it's true. My daughter is almost halfway to 16 and I know from step-parenting how much fun that's going to be. Anyway, we had a fun day today celebrating "Superman's" birthday. Here's a couple of pictures....

Five years ago today...

Today!

Project

Okay, since this took up a total of about 15 hours of our time, I thought I'd share a picture of Hallie's project on Ancient China. For the third month of second grade, I think this is pretty ambitious. She did a great job, though.

Happy Halloween!!

Autumn Happenings

I'm really tired of folding laundry so blogging is a good way to procrastinate doing it any more...at least for today. Other than laundry (which is my lot in life...sigh) I have had plenty of other things keeping me busy. Things a lot more fun than searching for matching socks. We visited the pumpkin patch last weekend and had a blast. The weather is finally cooling off, thank goodness. I am seriously starting to buy into the whole global warming issue. The retreat was also totally awesome. I'd have to say that it was one of the best weekends our family has ever had together. Oh, and the kids actually didn't pout too much over learning the syllabary. In fact, my kids loved it. I only wish my grandparents were still here to help me teach them. My sweet grandmother passed away 2 years ago. I still miss her.

In addition to all the exuberant enjoyment we've been experiencing, I've also been a little sad this weekend. A good friend of mine passed away this summer in a plane crash along with his wife. I came across several emails we'd shared and it really brought it all back. He and his wife were so sweet and I know their children and grandchildren miss them terribly. I hate that they were not only taken too soon, but in such a horrific manner.

Anyway, I am trying to focus on positive things, because they are so plentiful. Hallie is loving second grade and is doing so well. It's funny...Hallie has gotten really interested in human anatomy and biology lately. She says she wants to be a pediatric cardiologist or nurse (I guess that depends on how long she wants to go to school). We ordered some books about the skeleton and organ systems from the scholastic book club and she has memorized the entire human skeleton. She also loves to inform us of random medical facts, like how much blood the heart pumps a day or the different types of broken bones. She also has her eye on this for Christmas. Ethan, on the other hand, is quite squeamish. He can't stand to hear us talking about it and even the word "blood" is enough to make him cover his ears and say in a very distressed voice "You're freaking me out!" I doubt he'll even be in the same room with Hallie's potential gift. He much prefers to talk about space and rockets. He has decided that he is going to go to Auburn and be an astronaut. When I told him that 6 astronauts graduated from Auburn including T.K. Mattingly of Apollo 13, he said "Well, were they any good in the football games?" I had to explain to him that playing football was not a necessity for going to Auburn, that only a small percentage of the students actually play and as far as I know, none of the astronauts did. He seemed relieved. He said "That's good, because I think I'll be too skinny anyway." Yes, my son, genetically, the odds are not in your favor. Basketball, maybe?

Well, I better get going. Randy is waiting for me to watch a movie. He's so sweet. He had 4 trees planted today in our yard as an early birthday present. They include 2 my favorite Red Maples and 2 River Birches. I'm so excited. I keep going to the window to look at them, until it got dark, that is. Yes, I'll be 31 on November 5th. That sounds so old.

I'm really going now. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Updates...

Hello Blogdom!! I guess it's been a while. It's that crazy-busy time of year again and so much is going on. Not only am I dealing with second grade homework (do you remember diagramming sentences or writing essays in second grade? Me neither.) and Pre-K homework (yes, it exists) but I am also having to deal with college homework. Having one in the workplace, one in college, one in elementary school and one in preschool is very time consuming...and that's just the one's that live here. I'll admit, I'm enjoying helping Alex with her English papers, am going to try Scott's cooking at the restaurant when I get my courage up, and can intellectually handle diagramming sentences and cutting out pictures of things that start with D. However, doing all this on little or no sleep is what's driving me crazy. I don't know why, but I can't sleep any more, even with all my allergy medication. Weird and frustrating...

Well, in other news, we moved! Since my last post was about our tiny little rental house, I should mention that we don't live there any more. We found the perfect house for us and moved in early August. It's so lovely to have a bathroom I can actually take a bath in! Even though I never do (shower person), it's nice to have that option. Heck, it's nice to have room for a bathtub...and two sinks! Can you imagine? Okay, well I know that's not earth shattering, but hey, I can appreciate it.

It's getting late, so I better go lie down and stare at the ceiling for 8 hours...I mean, go to bed. I still have some work to do for the U-NI-WI-SA-NA retreat next weekend. I can't wait for the kids to progress in their language studies. I have a feeling getting the kids to move from playing stick ball to the Cherokee syllabary is not going to be easy. Wish me luck!

In case you haven't noticed...

...I don't think blogging is a priority for me any more. If any of you are still out there, which is not all that likely since I have been posting once a month lately, I apologize. I've just been too busy with other stuff and have been spending most of my computer time (that's not devoted to genealogy) on our family website. Yes, it's mostly pictures and not very intellectually stimulating, but it sure is fun. Other than that, I've been busy with kids and looking for a house. We've been in this "rental" for five months now and the novelty is beginning to wear off. Our "closet" bathroom (I put closet in quotes because, let's face it, everyone's closets are bigger than this bathroom) used to be cute. Then, it was just a little cute. Now, it's just little. No, make that tiny. Minuscule. There's not much I can say about a room that's 4' by4' except that the biggest part of it is the shower stall. It wouldn't be so bad if the only cabinet in the room wasn't over the toilet. I mean, where else could it be, right? The toilet is half the entire room. The problem is that every time I open it to get something, something falls into the toilet. Usually it's the something I was reaching for to begin with, which, as you can imagine can be a big problem. I can't tell you how many cosmetic items I've fished out of there (yes, of course I do. Throw it away, that is). So far the casualties include two sticks of deodorant, nail clippers, a brand new toothbrush, my eyeshadow, a $15 bottle of moisturizer and about 100 cotton balls and Q-tips. So, this combined with the fact that a family of 4 (at times, 5 or 6) can't comfortably live in 1500 square feet, is motivating me to look a little more hastily for a house. The tricky part is finding a house that's a little bigger, but still in our price range. We'll see how that goes.

Well, to those of you who made it this far, thanks for "listening" to me vent. It's been fun. I'll try to stop by a little more often. :)

Pictures from the Southwest

Our family has been travelling across the country and recently visited the Grand Canyon and Albuquerque, NM...one of my favorite places. Tomorrow we will be in Tulsa, OK and then hopefully home by Monday. Here are a few pictures of our trip so far.

Our family at the Grand Canyon...

From the top of Sandia Peak, New Mexico...elevation 10,000 feet

Pictures...

Things are just too crazy around here, but I thought I'd post a few pictures from Easter and Hallie's school program.

Noggins, Nausea and Night-Night

Whew...what a week, or 10 days or whatever it has been. Between plumbing problems, a flooded basement, busted noggins, a trip to the ER, fevers of 102 and a husband that is out of town again, things have been a little crazy! We had a great visit with Marshall and a fun camping trip to my hometown. Well, that is until a game of "Monster Tag" ended up with Ethan's head colliding with the furniture in my dad's living room. Hey, I love my hometown but it's medical facilities leave something to be desired, however we had no choice but to utilize it. I've never seen a head bump like that in my life and I hope I never do again. It scared the absolute crap out of me. The whole way there (all 2 minutes) I had visions of neurosurgery performed by my ex husband's college roommate with my second cousin assisting. I mean he's a good doctor, but he's no brain surgeon, and I happen to know that my cuz didn't exactly ace nursing school. Thankfully it didn't come to that, of course. They did some scans and Ethan was fine, but it was still not on my list of fun things to do on vacation. The fun wasn't over, either. When we got back from the ER Hallie was gagging over the toilet with a fever of 102. Needless to say, I didn't sleep that night.

We returned from our trip all in one piece and jumped right back into things. Hallie recovered and no one else has gotten sick so far. I am in the middle of a bunch of genealogical paperwork that is driving me bananas. Ever since I decided to actually join the Cherokee tribe I have been up to my ears in it. Randy is on a business trip and I am so tired I can't see straight. I think it's bedtime. Here's a picture of Hallie and her fish she caught on our trip....before the infamous game of Monster Tag.

88 Degrees...

Whew...it's now OFFICIALLY Spring (really feels like Summer), but I won't be complaining. Anything's better than cold weather. We just returned from Spring Break and a week long camping trip. We visited several places and had no set plan. We ended the week at my mom's house and celebrated some family birthdays. We have all been feeling well and excited about things to come. I am proud of myself for sticking to my exercise routine and I swear I will be bikini ready in time for our first beach trip this year. My goal was to pack on some muscle weight and so far, so good. Anyway, Marshall is coming to visit tomorrow and we have another camping trip planned. Soon after that Hallie will be starting softball (coach pitch this year...yea!), working on her orange belt test in karate and Ethan will be taking swimming lessons at the YMCA. In May we have our annual Destin, FL trip...the day school is out, we're gone! In June, we are all flying to California for a week to see Alex graduate from high school and we will also be going to Disneyland, SeaWorld, and visiting with close friends. After that, Alex will be coming to Alabama to stay!! What could be better? As you can see, we have a lot to look forward to and a lot to be thankful for! I hope all of you are having a wonderful Spring as well!

Happy Happy, Joy Joy

My season of wintering is over once again. My senses have come alive, awakened by the 75 degree air presently coming through my window screens. I have them all open right now. I couldn't resist. It' s a wonderful feeling, I can't stop myself from walking over to them and taking slow deep breaths of that almost-Spring air. If I sound happy, it's because I am. The strep throat has been banished, I can take my walks outside everyday and the evenings are punctuated with the shrill laughter of children...mine and the neighbors, floating through the house from the backyard. A sense of harmony has settled on our home and I am basking in it's glory.

Well, I must go now and work out while I still have time before school gets out. I am aiming to find that six pack that I know is there somewhere before swimsuit season is here. Have good weekends everybody!

At Last...

My daughter has become a lover of reading. She has always loved books and she liked to read, but last night it hit me....she has fallen in love with it. When did it happen? About 9:30 p.m. when I put my head into her bedroom and saw a figure hunched over something unseen with head bowed, surrounded by a incandescent glow. It was Hallie, hunched over a worn copy of "Curious George Takes a Train" so engrossed she didn't even notice my silhouette in the doorway. Even more significant is that the exact same thing happened the night before, only involving a dog-eared copy of Henry and Mudge. And even more enthralling is that both incidents occurred only a few hours after she was glued to a Magic Treehouse book while I dried her hair.

To like to read is important, almost even necessary in today's world where you diagram sentences in first grade and are bent over homework for three hours a day just two years later. To love to read is is something else again. It is most definitely a blessing... it can be a curse...but one thing I know for sure is that it has been a saving grace for me. There is never a moment of boredom for a lover of books. Never a situation you can't escape. Never a lack of love, anger, rage, pathos or long strands of beautiful words describing something so perfectly it almost takes physical form in your mind's eye. Ideas are spun, lyrics are sung, images formed and fears lie wasted under darkened skies. The mysteries of language are decoded and the power of words becomes apparent, long before you lie full witness to their virility. I owe much of who I am to books....to Anne Shirley, Francie Nolan, Scout Finch...all of whom drew breath only in inky pages and the synapses of minds like my own, both fertile grounds for ripening intellect.

Strep Throat and...Babies?

Well, the tiredness took its toll. The kids and I now have strep throat. After a day of various fevers, chills, sweats, and a throat that looks like something out of a horror movie I am finally on the mend....I think. I had to spend all day yesterday in bed while the kids, having hardly any sypmtoms, ran wild. Randy had to work from home. Scott had to stay home and help out. All because of me. Yes, I feel guilty, but I really had no choice in the matter. At least I got to watch four episodes of "Baby House" and cry every time a mother held her newborn. Yes, I am a sentimental goofball. Anyway, seeing babies always makes me want another one. I love babies. I LOVE them. I love children of all ages, of course, but babies make my maternal instincts go crazy. Their little eyes, little mouths, the tiny fingers, the late nights, the formula, every time they do something new....I love it all. And I miss it. I know that I should be content with having two children, especially since I have a boy and a girl. Especially since my husband is 46 years old and we have a total of 6 kids. It's great being able to do things and go places you can't go with a baby. It really is. There are tons of advantages to having your babies in your twenties. Now that I am an old woman of 30, why would I want to go through all that again? And the funny thing is, I really don't want to. I had horrible pregnancies, full of trips to the ER, preterm labor and don't even get me started on my birth experience. I just can't help it....I still love babies and I always will. Holding one turns me into a big bowl of mush. Go ahead and spit up on me. Pull my hair out. Yank my earrings....and look precious doing it.

Ah well, I suppose it's all part of God's plan to populate the earth. I know I don't need another child. I know I can't have another one anyway.

Wait a minute...how did I get from strep throat to having babies? Stream of Consciousness, people. That's what this is. It's actually a very popular form of writing. Haven't you read Faulkner or Joyce? Just call me Virginia Woolf.

Blah, Blah, Blah

Just a quick hello from the world of chaos here. We moved two weeks ago and amazingly, it went pretty well, which is more than I can say for everything else. When it rains it doesn't just pour, it pretty much floods. We have left our former church for reasons I can't get into. It has been a very difficult and painful time for us but things are looking up.

Anyway, moving on...there are lots of positive things about my new house. It's easy to clean. It's close to EVERYTHING. My neighbors here don't match their fingernail polish with the trim on their designer purse or wear jogging suits that they have no intention of exercising in. They also don't offer referrals to plastic surgeons or have their six year old's hair highlighted. I haven't yet met someone here with a nanny who I embarrassingly mistake for a child's mother. All in all, my neighbors are real people and that is pretty refreshing.

In all seriousness, I really do like the new house and our new church. Alot. We are just under a lot of stress right now. Randy is having to work 60+ hours a week and is extremely anxious about finances, etc. Ethan has bronchitis. The kids are still adjusting to the move and Hallie is dealing with not seeing her dad for 18 months. None of us are getting much sleep. I just can't remember being this tired. Okay, except for when I was pregnant. Oh, and when I had a newborn. But this ranks in the top five for sure.

Well, speaking of sleep.....anyway, thanks for listening (well, reading). I'll keep you updated. I may start blogging again. It's a good outlet for me. I know I have a lot to be thankful for. I am just so grateful that I have a strong marriage, family and Jesus. They keep me going.

For those of you that are wondering...

I'm alive. Thanks to Gidget and others who have sent me "miss you" messages. It has really meant a lot. I miss blogging as well, but things are just too crazy right now for me to commit much time to it. We are in the process of moving in a few weeks and I have to figure out what to do with the stuff that's just not going to fit (much smaller house) on top of scheduling the movers, packing, etc. There's lots of other stuff going on as well...Hallie's dad has received orders for Iraq and he will be going on active duty in March. He will be gone for a year and I am very worried about the effect this will have on Hallie, who is already a very anxious child. My former husband and I, exes though we are, are friends. Heck, even he and Randy are friends. We grew up together. Our parents grew up together. Our grandparents picked cotton together. Well, you get the idea. Anyway, we are hoping and praying that he stays safe and that Hallie will handle it as well as is possible. Other things going on...Alex has decided to move to Huntsville this summer and attend UAH. We are very excited. She and I are very close and we are all looking forward to the opportunity to see her much more often. My mother in law moved back to Tuscaloosa this past weekend and we packed her up and drove her down there. Although we'll miss her, she has a wonderful family there who really needs her right now. We'll just have to see how/if she can stand being away from Ethan and Hallie, though. There have already been a few teary phone calls. Finally, Hallie turns 7 tomorrow. I can't believe my baby is so grown up! Both her front teeth are loose and I just can't imagine how she'll look when they're gone. She's already changed so much. I can't complain, though. She's a gem of a kid. I sure am raising some charmers!

Well, I've got to outside with the kids. Thanks for all your emails. Please pray for us as we move through this transition and the several changes that the kids are experiencing.