15 years ago

I was getting ready for the day. My wedding day. A day that didn't go as planned but that hasn't mattered. We were both very young but we both knew what we wanted and have fought hard to be a family. I am more in love with him today than I could have guessed back then. I am so thankful for my hubby and kids!

On another note I would like to ask that the few readers I have go and look at The Darya Project and help out if you can. http://the30dayjourneyforhope.blogspot.com/ Thank you so much!!

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!

Gloomy Monday

The weather outside is just yucky. I guess I shouldn't complain to much b/c we have had some beautiful weather lately. I just wish it would have held off till the kids go back to school tomorrow. Out here in the country they get the Monday off after deer season opens. You know in case you didn't get "the deer" Saturday or Sunday. Not that Hunter got to hunt. He is grounded from hunting over his report card.

I am looking forward to this 4 day school week. For the first time I will get to sub for Lauren. So Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I will be in the 3rd grade with my baby girl. :) Please pray she doesn't w h i n e while I am in there!

Friday night is the concert with my girls! :D I can't wait. It's also payday for the school.

I am hoping to get my shopping finished while running around like a crazy person Black Friday! Now I just have to figure out what to get my dad, fil, son and gmil! I do have more to buy for but I know what I am getting them.

Well I'm going to catch up on some of my shows I have dvr'd. Later!!

Yes once again I have gone and dropped off the face of the earth. Sorry for that. I just can't think of much to say.

I have been working alot. I am using most of that money for Christmas. I have a big dent in that already but I'm finding it super hard to figure what to get my 13 year old son. Any ideas?

Halloween weekend we (the kids, my younger sil and I) went to my older sil's house. We went up Friday night and then the sil's and I took Lauren and Abby (niece) trick or treating and sil's hubby took Hunter and Cody (nephew) to some haunted houses. Once we all got back to the house we loaded up and drove home.

Last Friday my mil, younger sil and I went to my older sil's house for a girls sleepover. Sat. morning we got up early and drove to Branson for the day. We hit the outlet malls and the Branson Landing (very cool) and then drove back to sil's house and stayed another night. I had a blast but not sure if I will go to Branson at this time of the year again... CROWDED is all I will say!!

Tomorrow my mil and younger sil are going to drive up to Little Rock and hit a few stores. Sil is wanting to eat at Olive Garden.. yummy!! :)

I am wanting to make a trip to Monroe before Christmas but I am thinking I will wait till after Black Friday. Yes I plan to be out like a crazy person that morning lol!

Next Friday night I will be with 2 of my besties at The Zac Brown Band concert! We weren't going to go but I WON tickets so Mary bought another ticket so we could all go. :) I am so looking forward to going... we have a ton of fun together!!

Well I need to run and check out a few things and then get the kids toward to bed. I will try not to be gone so long this time.

MIA

Sorry I went missing again.

I have been subbing since the 2nd week of school on and off. I got asked to sub for 1st grade Sept. 4th and maybe the 7th. Well that turned into a full time position. I had to call in this past Thursday b/c I came down with the flu. :( I was going to be in there till at least this coming Monday.

Subbing for 1st grade was fun but not easy. We have a little boy with DS this year. He is the sweetest little guy. His face would light up when he walked into the class room. He likes to take his shoes off every chance he gets and 90% of the time if I could he wanted me to tie them when they needed to be put back on. He melted my heart! :)

Like I said the sub had to call in this week. We (the school) are passing the flu around I finally caught it... lucky me! Not even an hour after I got home from the dr. Lauren started feeling bad. We are both on Tamiflu and I will be done tomorrow. I have felt more normal today than I have in days. Lauren hasn't had a fever in over 24 hours but she is still weak. I am hoping she feels more like herself tomorrow. I have been opening the windows hoping to air out the house. Today I washed the sheets and bedding.

Tomorrow looks like more rain! Yeah just what we need lol. A few weeks ago I thought we would have to start building an Ark. Oh well what can I do about it?!

One more thing... Go HOGS Go!!! :D

Taylor Swift

Last Saturday Jenny and I took our daughters to see Taylor Swift. It was the first concert for both girls and they had the time of their lives. Here are some pictures of the night!

Last minute trip

We decided to take the kids on a last minute trip to the beach before school starts... this Wed.! We went to Biloxi Beach and we had a blast. The hubby didn't go this time... his choice! My mom, dad, Hunter, Lauren and I made the 6 and half hour trip and we loved it. We left Friday morning and come home last night.

I'm still here

Don't fall out b/c I am posting. I know I don't do it very often and I can't promise that I will do it more.

The kids only have 9 more days before school starts back and I am very sad. I am not ready for them to go back. It seems as the summer has flown by again. It has rained a LOT this year so we haven't gotten a lot of swimming in. Now the pool is closed during the week which bites.

Since my mom got fired we have been spending more time together. We have been going shopping together... she NEVER liked to shop or do anything when she was working. It's funny in a way but she has learned things about me she didn't know. Like today we were in Wal-Mart and I picked up some bean dip and she says.. you like bean dip too?! I am glad we have gotten closer over the last few months.

I might have a full time job when school starts back. I put in for a job in the High School for a teacher's aide. I was told I would know something by this coming Wed., only a week before school starts back. I have decided if it's meant to be then I will get it if not then I will still be a sub.

Lauren decided to do PeeWee cheerleading this year and cheer camp started tonight. She really enjoyed it and I know she will be a great cheerleader. She loves dancing and jumping around.

Hunter decided to do fall baseball. I can't wait to see him play again. It's been too long since I have watched him play. He wants to try out in the 9th grade for the school team so he's going to play as much as he can till tryouts.

I was thinking the other day about the kids and how fast they are growing up. In 5 years Hunter will be a senior and Lauren starts 7th grade that year! I wish we could go back to him just turning 5 and her being 3 months old. My how time flies!!

Zoo Pictures

Hunter and Lauren

Lauren, Hunter and me

Hunter and Lauren with the birds

Hunter and Lauren with the Ape

a little bit of everything

The kids and I went to Little Rock Wed. to shop for school clothes, shoes and a backpack. Hunter got a few pairs of jeans and some shirts to go with them. Both of them got a pair of shoes. Lauren found her a backpack. She had already found a lunch box BUT the backpack she got has a matching one that hooks to the backpack so I think I am going to order her one as a surprise.

We also went to the Little Rock Zoo while we were running around. I have pictures but blogger and/or my computer is acting out so I will have to post them tomorrow!

Tomorrow we are heading to the pool. It's been almost a month since our last visit. Hunter had his wreak and was scared to swim with the road rash and then Lauren got an ear infection so now that they are both healed we are going.

Sat. is the annual golf tournament for my 2 cousins that passed away. I would LOVE to go but it's over 5 hours away now and it's not looking like we won't be making it. :( It got moved last year so we didn't make it then either.

Well it's after 1:30 am and the kids are going to be ready to go to the pool as soon as it opens so I need to run. Night!

I need an ear

Sometimes I am not sure what to think. This afternoon we were sitting over at my mil and fil's house (they live next door) and talking. My 24 y/o sil come over at she got off of work for dinner. We had ordered pizza's so mil, Lauren and I went to pick them up. After we left my sil starts bashing me to my husband, fil and Hunter! She was saying that I am lazy, that I sleep half the day and then go swimming everyday instead of taking Hunter to mow their grandmother's yard. Of course my husband took up for me and told her he would be sure to let me know how she felt about me. But my question is.. does the whole family feel this way, just a few or only her? Hubby and I have been together for over 15 years and I really would like to know the answer to that!

Different stuff

I just noticed that I hadn't updated about Hunter's report card... HE PASSED!! He's going to the 8th grade! I can't possibly be old enough to have an 8th grader. Right?! He's not ready for school to start back tho. Lauren asked me Friday how much longer she had till school started back. I take it she's ready to go back lol. We just have to get 2 boxes of tissues and 2 more packages of notebook paper and a new backpack and she's good to go.

I figured out what was up with her not wanting to stay the night... I think. She had told me her ear was hurting a few days before the sleepover but hadn't really complained that much till she came home. That Friday I took her to the doctor and sure enough she had a nasty ear infection. The same ear infection that she is still complaining with. Back to the doctor with her.

We haven't been doing much swimming b/c of her ear and Hunter's road rash. He's good now we have to wait on her.

Speaking of that we got a call from the insurance company. They went and had the vehicle fixed with only 1 estimate and now say we owe $3700.00! Holy crap... can they really do that? That was the first we talked to anybody. Please tell me someone out there as something good to say?!

I am trying to decide if I want to work at a different school this year or not. I really want to be at the kids school but the other school has a full time aide job open. It's a paycheck every month but it's not with my kids. If I knew I would work as much as I did at the end of the year last year it wouldn't even matter about the other job. I am wondering if I stay will I still be at the top of the sub list or will I only be at the top when the top one is busy? I hate to take another step back at the kids school like I did the year before. But I also hate to pass on a steady paycheck to find out I'm back at the bottom again! I HATE having to make choices like these!!! Somebody help me!

OK I am off to try and sleep. Last night was a restless night so I am tried but not sleepy!

Only my child

Lauren has been wanting to sleep over with someone all summer so yesterday she went down to a friends house and stayed the night. When I got there to get her today the mom told me that at 1 am she asked to come home. The mom asked if she would stay if she laid with them and Lauren said yes. So the mom figures she will lay there for a few minutes and go back to her bed. Boy was she in for a laugh... she said just when she thought Lauren was asleep she felt her touch her arm to make sure she was still there. So the poor mom had to sleep with 2 girls last night.

Anyway they have a in ground pool so the mom and I floated around while the girls swam for an hour and then I told Lauren it was time to leave. Do you know what that child of mine then asks... if she could spend the night again?!? Needless to say she came home and has been asleep since her head hit the pillow at 8:30. Kids!

Happy 4th of July!

Just wanted to say have a safe and fun 4th!

Also yesterday was my grandfather's bday. So Happy Birthday Didie! Love and Miss you!!

You just never know

Today had to be one of the worst days of my life as a mother. Lauren had gone to stay the night with my mom so this morning I stayed in bed when Hunter got up. He got dressed and told me he was going to ride his 4 wheeler. I told him to take his cell phone and please be careful. We said our I Love yous and he walked out the door. The phone rang at 10:40 and I all I hear is "your son has been hit by a car"... "he's ok". I couldn't get to him any faster. All the time my mind was racing with all the "what if's". Once I got there and got my eyes on him I lost it. The police were asking him if he was OK and some other stuff and all I could do was cry! He told me he was OK and he looked OK but all I could think was OMG what if! After I calmed down. I was told he was coming out of the woods and couldn't stop in time. He thought quick enough to jump off the 4 wheeler before the car hit it... THANK YOU GOD for watching over him. The 4 wheeler hit the front of the car and then turned and hit the back passenger door before landing in the ditch. He ended up with some major road rash but other wise is OK. I am SO very thankful that today is almost over now!

I can't believe June is almost over

Where did this month go? I want summer to s l o w down. I am enjoying the time off. The kids are enjoying the time off.

We are trying to find a new Church. The one we have been going to is a great Church but there are no kids. I want my kids to remember VBS like I do. I always looked forward to that week every summer. Of course there is more to it than VBS. We are just looking for something that has more to offer the kids. Today we visited one I think might work. We will visit again and see where it leads.

Being the mother to a full blown teenager has been fun lol. He has days that I just want to lock him in his room and throw away the key. Most days are good tho. I will just be happy when he gets full lol his stomach is never ending. Tonight we grilled steaks. We had baked potatoes and brown beans with them. He then ate a bowl of chicken and dumplings and a piece of cake. If he's awake he's eating something. We are now looking each other in the eyes. He's LOVING that one but I just keep reminding him no matter how big he is I will always be his mother who is older and wiser lol!!

Lauren can't get enough of the pool. I think she's really a fish. The other day we went to the pool and she came swimming up to me and said she had find a $5 bill in the deep end and couldn't get it. I went out with her and got it for her. She is forever finding money in the pool. She then eats lots of ice cream with her found treasures.

I am off to watch a movie. Everyone is on bed so I get the tv to myself. :)

13 years ago...

today I was laying in a hospital bed waiting to meet the baby I had been carrying for the past 9 months. It was not an easy labor but the end results where worth it all. My baby boy was born at 12:59 pm (11:59 pm where we live now lol) and he has kept me on my toes ever since. I can't believe it's been 13 years. I am not ready for the teenage years... the dating, the smart(er) mouth, the hormones or the 8th grade. Oh my... my baby's not a baby anymore! When did that happen?

Happy 13th Birthday Hunter, I love you!!!

A few words

I just read this http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/06/rare_prenatal_testing_case_rai.html on another blog. Now I am going to tell a story about "normal" babies.

Here's my story. I was born to teenage parents who weren't ready to be parents. There was nothing wrong with me but the "new" wore off and I was passed around but mainly living with my mom and her parents. Once I turned 3 the passing game got old so I went to leave with my dad's parents. Never once did I feel unloved or unwanted by them just my real parents. I am sure at 50 something they wouldn't have chosen to restart with a 3 year old but they didn't blink and I was giving a stable home for the first time in 3 years. I can remember starting school and the other kids asking why my mom was never at the parties or programs and all I could say was she didn't want me. As a child I often wondered if I did something wrong or something was wrong with me for my parents not to want me but as an adult I see that it was all in God's plan. Now as a mother I don't see how one gives birth to a baby and years later change their mind. I too was young when my son was born but I NEVER thought about not wanting him. Yes he was a "surprise" but you know what he was one of the best surprises I have ever had. Anyway today I do have a relationship with my mom but it's not the normal mother/daughter one many of my friends have with their mother's. Our relationship is sometimes rocky but I truely believe I was raised by the best people. I often feel orphaned b/c both of my grand"parents" are gone but I am thankful they were there for me when I needed them the most.

2 years today

It really doesn't seem like it's been 2 years. Some days it still feels so fresh and raw. I pass by her every time I go to town but it's still hard to stop and visit. I do more things that she did and I stop and think I can't believe I just did that... never in a million years did I ever think I would "turn in" to her. I can see it more and more tho... but the older get the prouder I am to be like her. I just hope I am half the mother she was to me.

I love and miss you everyday Mamaw! Thank you for everything you ever did for me!!

Just a quick note

Yesterday afternoon was closing ceremonies for our baseball teams. Nate had signed up to play before his accident. He walked across the field to get his trophy. She said she was holding back the tears as he walked across that field. It's just awesome! Thank You God for answering all those prayers for Nate!!

Update on Nate

I found out that Nate is coming home tomorrow!!!! He is walking and running. Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts for this beautiful miracle! I can't wait to see him out of that hospital. GOD IS AWESOME!!!! We love you Nate!! :D