Thursday, April 30, 2009

Stomach viruses are no fun!

Brayden woke me up at 3am Wed morning and had a really bad stomach virus. He got sick about every 30 minutes until 8 then slept off and on all day. Lahna and I had it too. We all laid around all day yesterday. Charity brought us Sprite and crackers and made us some homemade chicken noodle soup for dinner last night. She is so good to us!! We are all feeling better today and are slowly getting our appetites back.

I am gearing up for my big yard sale this weekend and am hoping and praying the 60% chance of rain goes away! This stuff is driving me nuts and I am ready for it all to find a new home.

I got everything completed for school last week! All I have to do now is wait for my financial aide to go through and select my classes. I am SUPER excited to get back to it!

Chris will be home next Friday and we are all SO excited!! 3 weeks is way too long to be apart!!!

Cross your fingers for no rain and a successful yard sale this weekend!

Saturday, April 25, 2009

It's been a CRAZY week!!

For starters, I turned 30 this week. I thought my brain would automatically adjust and I would feel like an old woman, but I really don't feel any older! I have been dreading turning 30 for years now, but now that I have actually hit that milestone in my life, I'm kinda happy it's here.

Chris' Nanny and I were supposed to go out to lunch on my birthday. She was getting ready and almost fainted and had to be rushed to the hospital. They admitted her and kept her for 2 days and ran all kinds of tests on her. They still aren't sure what is going on with her. I know the power of prayer and I am certain that they will figure it out and she will get better. She is home now and is more comfortable but is still getting dizzy spells. Nanny, I love you and I know you will get better!!! So glad she is back home though.

My best friend, Charity, has been staying with me this week to keep me company since Chris has been out of town. She has been so helpful with keeping the kids while I went to the hospital to visit Nanny and when I had errands to run. I am blessed to have such good friends in my life!! They really take care of me when I need them most and are always there for me no matter what!!

I am on my way to getting back in school. Got all of my paperwork done this week for admissions and financial aide. I am SO excited to get back to it. I hope to start this fall but we will have to see how it goes. I may take a few classes in August then go back full time in January.

Two weeks until Chris gets to come home for a few days!!! I CAN'T wait!! The kids and I miss him like CRAZY!!!

Monday, April 20, 2009

Update

Chris was home this last weekend so I didn't get to post. His 28th birthday was Friday so we had some friends over for a little cookout and probably the last bon fire of the season and at this house. It was nice but we didn't get to spend as much time together as we wanted to. The kids were dying for attention from Daddy. He did get to get some rest since he will be putting in some crazy hours over the next few weeks.

Chris and I talked about it and decided that I need to get my hiney back in school! So I got online tonight and looked at schools in the Kansas City area. Found one that looked good and was close to where we plan on moving and went ahead and applied. I hope to take a couple of classes this fall then go back full time next January. I am so excited to be back on the road to finishing up my Associates and plan on going on for my Bachelors after that. I say... IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!!!

Speaking of school, I got Blake's progress report this afternoon. All A's, B's, and C's. I am SOOO proud of him. This year has been a real challenge for all of us especially Blake. We have seen his grades go from A's and B's to almost straight F's, and now back up to the top. I am so proud of him!!! I know he is working hard to get those grades and it is hard for him to stay focused, but he is doing it!!

Chris won't have a day off until May 8th, but we are hoping things will fall into place and the kids and I will be able to go to Kansas City for a few days next weekend. We all really miss him so much. Lahna walks around the house calling DADADADA every morning. I think she thinks that because his van is here, he should be here. I am so proud of him for doing this. He is working very long hours and it is hard for him to be away from us too. I admire him so much for taking care of us!!!!

Going to bed now to sleep off my 20's! 30's here I come!!!!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

I am SCARED to DEATH

of my kids getting older!
Over the last few weeks Blake who is almost 11 has been asking lots of questions about things I am not ready to discuss with him and has been showing signs of "getting older". He has been using words like mom (instead of mommy), hooker (when I asked him what a hooker was he said "prostitute" but thankfully couldn't explain what a prostitute is, and I didn't offer to expalin), and almost said bad a** yesterday. It is freaking me out! He was fixing up his MySpace (which I am very leery about him having anyway) and when I checked it there was a picture of a woman barely clothed and I almost flipped. I didn't make that big of a deal about it out loud, but my stomach was in knots!! (He must have been in my head because the half naked lady is gone now) I knew that eventually he would begin showing interest in girls but at 10??? Shouldn't he still be playing with cars in the dirt????

Chris and I have always been very open with Blake about adult things to an extent and I feel confident that he will come to us when and if he has questions about adult situations such as sex or drugs. But I have learned that in this day and age kids usually turn to their friends for answers which are 99% of the time wrong. I know Blake is a good kid and will make right choices but I just wonder if as parents we are doing enough to protect our children.

I had a discussion with Blake tonight about sexual predators online since he has really been into MySpace lately. I know all of his passwords and he uses my computer so I can monitor the sites he visits, but is that enough? I told him that he is to talk to NOONE online unless he and I both are positive that it is a family member, kid in his class, or family friend. I let him know how easy is it for someone to pose as a child when they are acutally a 40 year old pervert. He told me that he is careful and that it wouldn't happen to him. That is what scares me. The whole idea of "it happens to other people, but there is no way it could happen to me"

I don't want to scare him, but I want to make sure he is aware of the world we live in. I let him know that I will have full access to his computer usage until his dad and I feel he is old enough and mature enough to know what is right and wrong. He agreed, but I think when he is a little older this will become a problem. I am somewhat over protective of my kids and sometimes people judge me for that, but I will not feel guilty for knowing every move my kids make. I am going to make sure that I can protect them to the best of my ability even if it causes weeky or daily arguments when they are teens.

I want my kids to grow and have their own individualities, but I would also like for them to have our talks and lectures tattooed on their arms and legs. Kind of like a study guide on right and wrong. I am going to have to learn my boundaries as a mother. There is a very thin line. I have faith that Chris and I have the knowlede and tools to be the best parents that we can be, even though it only gets tougher from here.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Lots of changes

Chris got to Kansas City safely and began work this morning. He is going to be able to come home this Friday for the weekend!! I am super excited!! We thought it would be several weeks before he would have more than one day off at a time!!

This Friday is also my last day to babysit the kids I have watched for almost a year. It's kind of bitter sweet. I am excited to have more time with my kids, but at the same time, I have had the baby since he was 6 weeks old and have been through a lot with him. I know it will be better for me and my kids to not have any extras.

Chris and I have made the decision to move to Kansas City this June. We have been in Tulsa for 6 years and have learned a lot and made a lot of really good friends, but we feel our family would thrive more in Kansas City, as will our business. We have kind of gotten into a rut here and want something new. We love Tulsa and will be sad when we move but excited about all of the new places, family, and friends that await us in Kansas City. The kids are excited too. We talked to Blake about it since he will be leaving friends and he was up for it, so that kind of sealed the deal.

I am preparing to have 2 massive yard sales before we move. We are selling most of our stuff and are starting fresh. It's time. So in my spare time, I am cleaning out closets, cabinets, and dressers and loading it into Chris' shop out back. There is so much stuff and I can't wait for it all to find a new home.

We will miss our family and friends here but we know they will only be 4 hours away. We can visit them often and plan to do so, or have them visit us. It is an exciting time in our lives and we thank everyone for their support and good wishes.

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Playing catch up

It's been a few days since my last post so I have lots to catch up on.

Chris and I had the chance to go out alone Friday night. This doesn't happen very often so we are always very excited when we get to have a date night. We started out at Elote, a wonderful restaurant downtown that Chris' brother and sister-in-law own. We had a nice dinner and a couple of drinks. Elote was part of the Bicycle Pub Crawl that night so Chris and I decided to stay to see what it was all about. It was the craziest but most interesting thing I have ever seen! Being a county girl, I see all kinds of new stuff living in Tulsa.

It was about 10pm and the streets of downtown Tulsa were completely quiet. All of a sudden we see about 4 or 5 bicyclist coming our way. Within about 20 seconds there were HUNDREDS surrounding Elote, all excited for Tecate beer and Puffy Tacos! It was awesome!! It's hard to describe in words. The bicyclist were dressed in different costumes representing religions. This group went to several different pubs and restaurants that night. I am happy we stuck around to see this because it is something I will never forget. Chris laughed at me because I was going on and on about it!!

We then went to see Jodi, one of Chris' best friends. We stayed and visited with her for a couple of hours then went to Chris' sister's apartment and spent the night. She offered to swap houses with us for the night. It was very sweet of her to do that!

Chris left this afternoon to go to Kansas City to work for 8 weeks. I cried like a big baby when he left. I tried my best to be strong but not knowing when I was going to be able to see him again was just too much. We both know that this job opportunity will put us where we need to be financially. I am so proud of him for taking care of his family. He is the best husband and father that anyone could ask for. I miss him already!! I have lots to do while he is gone so I know the time will just fly by!

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Pink Lemonaide Pie

Anyone who knows me, knows I love to cook and bake and am always looking for new recipes. I am going to try to share a new recipe each week on here. I have found some really good ones lately that my family loves!!! Here's one for Pink Lemonade Pie I saw on the news this morning. They were selling them to help support breast cancer awareness. Can't wait to try it.....

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
  • 3/4 cup frozen pink lemonade concentrate, thawed
  • 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS

  1. In a blender, combine lemonade concentrate, cream cheese, and condensed milk. Blend on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Transfer mixture to a bowl and fold in whipped topping. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Chill before serving.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Happy Birthday Brayden!



At this time in 2005, I was holding our brand new baby boy. I can't believe he is already 4 years old. How time flies!! It just seems like yesterday he was keeping me up all night, pouring spaghetti on his head and learning to walk. Now he is a big boy that dresses himself (when he wants to), keeps us laughing with his witty words, and is so excited to start school this fall.

I remember the day Brayden turned one. We got up early so I could spend some time with him alone. He was in his walker eating a pop tart (which is still his favorite breakfast) and I was telling him stories about him being a baby. I started to cry like I usually do on my babies birthdays. Little Brayden looked up at me with those big eyes and started to laugh at me! I must have looked funny or maybe he was just trying to lighten the mood. I started to laugh too. It was a very sweet moment that I know he will never remember but one I will never forget.

Brayden is a blessing to everyone in his life. He is the sweetest, kindest, most thoughtful little boy, while still managing to be aggressive, playful, and so full of energy. Chris and I sat on the couch this afternoon while Brayden ran all across the house flying like Spiderman. I told Chris I wish Brayden was able to share his energy.

We had a little party on Saturday and Brayden got his very first bike. He's not too sure about it yet, but I know once he gets the hang of it, we won't be able to keep him off of it.

If we all could have the innocence and energy of a 4 year old!!!!!

(I added a couple of pictures but still trying to figure it out.)