Goodbye 2008, hello 2009

So tomorrow is New Year's Eve. I've never really found this to be a particulary exciting "holiday." My best memories of it are of spending the night at Ma-Maw's and getting to stay up until after 10:00 to see the late news. Now that was living! I remember coloring pictures and dating them, and can still picture exactly what it was like. Now, it's just a night to go out kid-less and have dinner with Jessica and Reid since we rarely go out to do stuff. And when we do do things sans children, it's with them! We did plan on meeting Christopher in St. Louis after work to eat over there, but Christopher has what looks to be hand, foot, and mouth disease (just what we need now) so he's not feeling the best. It looks like we'll be heading somewhere locally to eat and to J&R's house for a bit afterward.

You can guarantee there won't be any wild partying for me this year as I still feel like crap. And today we got some pretty encouraging evidence that what we had was in fact, food poisoning. Everyone Christopher talked to at work agrees that it can not be anything else. Anyone else getting sick at around the same time that was not at dinner on Christmas Eve, is purely coincidental. It's a source of comfort that we know for sure what it was. I know mom and Granny will still refuse to acknowledge the truth, but oh, well...

So, with that, I wish you all a safe and happy new year!!!

Nothing says Merry Christmas like food poisoning

That's the delightful gift that Kate and I recieved the day after Christmas- along with my mom, John, Seth, Diana, and Pa. Thankfully, we all survived, and are still recovering! I'll spare the bad details, but I will tell you that I have NEVER been that sick before. And to still be continually nauseated 4 days later, and barely able to eat... it's HELL! There were moments where I seriously didn't think that I would make it, and many times I almost had Christopher take me to the ER. I was delirious and in the worst pain of my life (worse than a broken nose and unmedicated childbirth). It also attacked my nervous system, leaving my arms tingly, cold, and numb. My arms are still cold feeling (as in poor circulation), which is concerning, but considering I'm still getting over this, I'm hoping it goes away. Everything I've read about food poisoning says that it takes 4-7 days to recover.

Now, if you ask Granny, this is not food poisoning, but a stomach bug, that we all got from Baby Glen on Christmas Eve. In fact, she's very upset with me and offended that we've figured out that this was no bug, and are calling her on this. She's VERY upset. But for one, it takes a week for a stomach virus to multiply enough after exposure to even make a person sick. If we get sick from Glen, it will be Wednesday or Thursday. And considering none of us had all been together in months, the source of the exposure was at Granny's on Christmas Eve. Think about this one... how VERY, EXTREMELY odd is it that 7 people from one family get violently ill, all within 24 hours of being together, and it NOT be food poisoning? Especially if a virus takes a week to make someone sick? And how VERY, EXTREMELY odd is it that the ONLY people that got sick, are the ones that ate the special ice cream dessert, and the ONLY people that did NOT get sick, are the people who did NOT eat the ice cream? Let's wrap our little brains around that one!

So yes, I'm back on THE list after that one! But hey, I was only speaking the truth! Christopher goes back to work tomorrow after being off for 6 days, and I know he'll be discussing this one with the doctors there and I have no doubt that he'll call on his way home to tell me that without a doubt, it was food poisoning. They're some smart people! His mom agrees that it's too impossible for this to be anything else as well.

But I must say, that we did have a pretty awesome Christmas this year! I'm glad that it's over, though! No pics as of yet, because I've been too sick to even see what pics Christopher took (I laid low on photographer duty this year). That, and we've been way too busy building a doll house (or at least trying- check back in 6 months), playing with all the new toys, and having a gazillion Wii bowling tournaments (did I mention Preston is almost at the pro level already?)! We're enjoying break, and I'll be sad when next Tuesday comes!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Who knew what the cold would bring to our house! Heck, I didn't even know it was going to get so bitterly cold this weekend! Oy!

We woke up yesterday morning to no heat... again. Yes, it was a lovely 60 degrees again inside, and an even uglier 8 degrees outside. Then as we're leaving for church, I notice we have no water. I go down to prime the reservoir, and it won't prime, so that leaves one problem: the well pump was frozen... again. The well pump froze, which left no water for our hot water heat, so our boiler had no water to heat up, and stopped. The guys put the heat lamp back into the well after church, and by 2:00 we had water again, but still very little heat. the boiler was working, and the baseboards were hot, but it just wouldn't heat up. Still, at bedtime, it hadn't warmed up, so the kids and I slept downstairs where the heat from the furnace kept the basement warmer than the rest of the house. WE had someone come out today and he fiddled with the zones and by afternoon, it was back at a toasty 70 degrees! It was just a combination of the heat turning off when the pump froze, and it being so freaking windy and frigid, that it couldn't keep up enough to warm the house. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come this winter!

Crazy times!

Today was our first official "snow" day of the season (more like ice), and for once, Kate was NOT happy! Why? Because today was her class trip to Hillsboro to see Bolt. She was sorely disappointed. And she's also bent out of shape that she still hasn't gone to Santa's Cottage at school. Since they were expecting 1/2 inch of ice Monday and didn't know if there'd be school, they didn't have it set up. Hopefully her class can go before Friday when break starts! I hope they can arrange for her class to see the movie too, since there are classes going tomorrow.

Ahhhhhh, and I can finally see the light at the end of my Christmas shopping! Tomorrow I'm going to pick up a gift for Kate's teacher, get some junk food for gift buckets ( it's a guy thing), and exchange the car for Preston's gift exchange... again. Yes, the first car broke before we even got home, and the one I picked up today, didn't even work, so tomorrow I need to find one that does! Then, I am DONE! Christopher is on a mission to find some Sea Monkeys for Preston, and I'm THRILLED to have him volunteer to stop at Wal-Mart and Target over by St. Louis to find them! Or course, our WM doesn't have them...

Tomorrow, I have to bake the Happy Birthday Jesus cake for Preston's preschool! It's my own fault for getting in this mess, and it's a project I'd rather not be tackling, but I can't back out. What do you even put on such a cake? I think I'll do a cross. Maybe if tomorrow goes well and I feel ambitious, I'll do a manger scene. And I asked P how old he thought Jesus was. His reply... 62! Yes, some of you may actually be older than Jesus!

My nose!

Thanks to my sweet son, I may have a broken nose. And since I don't consider it something that needs medical attention (pay to have a piece of tape put on it? NOPE!), I guess we'll never know. It all happened when he tried to jump up on my lap last night and put his head down, getting me right square in the nose. I can't even begin to describe the pain- and I've had two unmedicated births! My entire face hurt so badly last night, not to mention my nose! Today there is some slight bruising under my left eye, and it is still sore with a lot of pressure, kind of like someone pushing on my nose. It hurts to chew anything hard... I still can't shake how horrible the pain was... It was bad... really bad.

A run-in with Santa

Preston has always been scared of Santa. The only picture I have of him with Santa, is when he was 2 months old, and really, he didn't have much choice.

So yesterday we're parked in the pick-up line waiting for Kate to get out and I see Santa walking out of the school. I get excited, and tell Preston to look. I roll down his window as Santa is walking to his car (what happened to his sleigh?) just so P could wave to him (yeah right, wave at Santa?). The next thing I know, here comes Santa toward our car! Preston frantically screams, "Roll the window up! Roll the window up!" But it was too late. Santa was at the window and Pres goes blank. He did tell him what he wanted, and took the candy cane without a meltdown, but he was NOT happy about it once Santa left and the window was closed. I thought it was hilarious! And guess who showed up at preschool this morning? Mrs. Claus. He was a little more receptive toward her, maybe because he didn't have to talk to her, but he still wasn't thrilled.

Poor kid!

Laughing my little butt off!

I can't even begin to tell you how flippin excited I am about Blagojevich being arrested! Maybe now the government realizes what the rest of the people in Illinois have known for the past 6 years... he's NOTHING but a CROOK! Goes to show you really can't trust a Democrat (oops, did I really say that?).

So to commemorate this special occasion, Preston sported his Weepublican shirt to preschool this morning. Can't blame us for his sorry butt being in office!

Kate, the Dime Novel Girl

As promised, here is Kate as the dime novel girl in the 4th grade musical, "How the West was Really Won." The entire musical was awesome- those kids really did a fantastic job! They've been working twice a week for about 2 months, and all day, every day, this week! Even though they haven't been doing any school work this week, I think Kate is ready to get back to it and not have play practice anymore! But I think Kate did the best job (yes, I'm partial)! She spoke very loudly and clearly, and knew her lines well! Great job, Kate! She's really come out of her shell!

Troublesome Thursday

We now have 2 cars, and both are currently out of commission. Yeah, just great, huh? We all know what happened to Christopher's car (which is still awaiting approval from the ins. co. for repairs), but what about mine? Well, as we went to Kate's musical tonight, right as we pulled into the parking space, the brakes went out. They had acted up about 3 weeks ago and Christopher replaced the front brakes and bled them out, so I figured they would be fine when we left. WRONG! I have NO brakes... ZERO! I rolled up and over the hill by our house, going as slow as I could, and managed to roll into the driveway and garage without an accident. So tomorrow it looks like the Explorer will be taking a trip to the shop (which hopefully won't be costly), and I'll be driving Christopher's mom's car in the mean time since I have to have a car to get them to and from school.

Funny, though, I had just told Christopher when the brakes started acting up a few weeks ago, that the Explorer had hit the 10 year mark, and after that, they start going downhill. I told him that again, and he asked how much longer we were going to have it (hopefully less than a year). Come January, we're going to do Dave Ramsey's total money makeover, and it would be SO nice if we could pay off his car by the end of next year. I definitely do NOT want 2 car payments, not after just having 2 cars owned outright.

And guess what happened last night, on of course, the night that it happened to get down into the teens... Our thermostat reset, and when we woke up this morning, it was 60 degrees inside! I wondered why it was so freaking cold! It took all day to warm back up to 70, and that we even after Preston and I did some baking and left the oven open afterward to warm it up faster! I don't do well with cold, so to wake up and freeze... NOT good!

I"ll post pictures of Kate's musical tomorrow morning while P is at school. She did a fantastic job!

The kids' Christmas tree

One nice thing about having a bigger house is being able to have 2 trees up. The kids have so many keepsake ornaments that they need their own- and it is FULL! Maybe next year we'll have to put up three! Well, maybe not... But here's theirs in all it's glory, all decorated by them. This is the tree that Nonni likes to de-ornament and carry them upstairs and leave them in various places. I swear, he's part dog.

Pics of the real tree coming as soon as I get my camera back out- I still haven't taken any of it!

Another update

For lack of clever titles...

Preston had his follow-up with the ENT today, and as for now, he doesn't want to put a new set in as soon as this set falls out. If he has another infection, though, new tubes are in order. I'm not holding out much hope that we'll make it through winter without another infection. We shall see, though. The left tube is all but out, but the right is still in place for now. We have to go back Jan. 2 for another follow-up, so we'll see what happens then. But there was no sign of infection today, so the antibiotics must have worked!

Christopher got his rental car today, and we've had the best laugh about it! We had to drive to Greenville to pick up this sweet, white pick-up truck! Insert extreme sarcasm. It is something that he would NEVER drive if he had the choice, so I have been bursting into laughter each time I pull into the driveway! We're sure it will get some pretty sucky gas mileage compared to the new car, and he'll be driving it until at least next Friday (if his car is done by then). So if you drive by and see this sweet truck with Missouri plates sitting in front of our house, that's just Christopher!

Off to work on my Christmas projects!

Little update

Since it's been a week since my last update, I thought I'd recap the last few days. I'm still up to my neck in my Christmas projects, which are coming along, but I need to get the show on the road! I'm having a mental creativity block tonight, so I'm taking a break.

Thanksgiving was a blur with so many things to do, and the weekend was packed full. We seriously had no quiet moments. We have both trees up, and I'll post some pics of them later on. Only a few more gifts to buy, and the rest are wrapped, so that's nice to have finished! Preston's ears are better (or at least we think) after Dr. Smith called in the other antibiotic, and he hasn't complained a bit since he started them. We have to go see Dr. S tomorrow for a re-check, so I'm crossing my fingers that the infection has cleared completely and that new tubes are not in the immediate future. I'm feeling a little bit better about it than last week when he was screaming in pain! Kate has her 4th grade musical Thrusday night, and she's getting excited/nervous. I can't wait! Tonight, they picked out costumes for the Honor Chorus program on the 13th, and she's doing a dance in that program. Zipper, the sick kitty is finally back to her normal self thanks to the medicine. I was pretty worried that we were going to have to put her to sleep, but she's gained her weight back, and she's no longer in hiding or throwing up.

So that's a quick update! I'll try to update later this week with some more pics, but that will have to wait and see when I have time!

The wreck

Christopher called me at 6:30 this morning, waking me from a deep sleep to tell me that he'd had a wreck. A bad wreck, but he was OK, and that was all he told me until he called back 2 hours later to say he was finally on his way home.

It all happened right past the I-70, I-270 interchange by Troy. He was going up over the hill/bridge, and noticed a car flipped over in the middle of the road, so he slowed and began to skid on the ice. As he skidded, a car from behind ran into his car, sending him spinning. and luckily, keeping him from going off the side of the hill. Four cars were involved, and there were no injuries at all, and they were all checked out by paramedics at the scene. Right now, no one was at fault, and no tickets were issued, but because of that, the case has to be battled out by the 2 insurance companies to determine who pays for what. The car wasn't totalled, thank goodness! We're going to go ahead and pay our deductible and get it fixed and then hope that the other guy's insurance will reimburse us, although that guy says that Christopher hit him. Um, from the damage, there's NO possible way that Christopher hit him. Impossible. So he has his mom's car until the rental place has a car for him tomorrow. Again, thankfully our insurance covers rentals!

But what's sad, is that if *$**#%& Blagojevich wasn't such a freaking crook, and hadn't blown the state's budget, there would've been salt on the roads this morning! The trooper told Chris that he was getting calls left and right about accidents, and said, "You're not seeing this over in missouri!" Apparently, his budget cuts are affecting when and how much salt they can spread on the interstates this year. Nice...

Sick kitty

Remember last week when Zipper puked all over Kate's bed? Well, she's been puking a lot, so we decided last night that she needed to be seen today. I take her to her usual vet, and he says to not even take her out of the cage because he's referring us to another vet in Greenville. He said he thinks she swallowed a foreign object and will benefit from an x-ray. I think he just looked at her chart, saw what a pain in the ass she was the last time she was there, and thought, "I'll let someone else see her." So after a friendly chat about my grandparents, we left. I got her in at the other vet at 2:00, and she was NOT a happy cat! They had to take the carrier apart to get her out, put a noose around her neck to keep her still, and covered her head to toe with towels to calm her. It really did work and she was able to examine her surprisingly easily! She thought she was going to have to sedate her, but she poked around on her belly and felt nothing abnormal, or anything that caused her pain, so she gave her a shot of something to stop the vomitting, and sent us on our way with an antibiotic, and antinausea med, and some hairball junk, with orders to bring her back Friday if we don't see an improvement. Hopefully this will work, other wise she has to be sedated for bloodwork and x-rays, which won't be cheap! And I don't think Christopher will do for that. She worried that she might have kidney disease being that she's 9, and I'm praying that this sin't the case. I know that the kids and I will be devastated if we have to put her down. I don't want to even think about that right now...

Busy weekend

Ahhhhhhhh. Breathing a sigh of relief that almost all of our Christmas shopping is DONE! Yes, and before Thanksgiving! I still have some odds and ends to picks up, and stuff for teachers, but everything else is finished. Now it's just all in a pile waiting for our tree to go up Friday so that I can wrap it. It feels so nice! We also bought a new camcorder since our old one was poop. Kate has several performances coming up, so we had to have something to capture them on, especially with a speaking role and a dance!

Sunday was Christmas decorating day at our house. Usually that waits until the day after T-day, but the kids and Christopher were in a big toot, so it all got put up, with the exception of the trees. We'll do that Friday when we go to the tree farm. Tomorrow we'll start stringing cranberries so that we'll have that done. The tree skirt is finished enough to be used. It's not even close to being finished (sequins, beading, more applique, and the trim), but all of the snowflakes have been sewn on, so the rest will have to wait or else it won't be done by Friday. And Christopher put up more Christmas lights, so we're all decked out, and can't wait until Thanksgiving so we can do the big reveal!

If you were wondering about Preston's ears, he seems to be doing OK. We got his antibiotics Sat. morning and he's been doing that and the drops and not complaining about any pain since. He goes to see Dr. Smith next week for a follow-up, and I'm praying that they're cleared up by then.

Now, for a blog break. I have so much to do, so little time to do it!

What a way to start the weekend

I pick Preston up from preschool this morning and he's holding his left ear, almost crying, "My ear hurts really bad." Great. He said it had been hurting the whole time he was there, so I call his dr. to see about switching antibiotics since obviously, the Zith isn't working. No deal, they want to wait until Monday because they're afraid he'll become resistant to the others. Even though I explained for the 3rd time that Zith never works for him, they won't budge. I'm frustrated, have a child that's whiny, feels bad, and his ear hurts. This has been going on for a week already, how much more does it take? So after I have Dee look in it, she tells me to call the ENT to see what he says. I call, and wait for a call-back, which comes while I'm picking up Kate and I miss it. I call back, they don't have his records since they're in a different office today, so they have to have them faxed to them.

Finally, Dr. Smith calls me himself on his cell on his way home (he apologized for any noises- gotta love him) and we discussed this for about 15 minutes. He's just as perplexed as we are, and even though he hasn't seen P with this infection, decided it was best to err on the side of caution since it is Friday, and call in a Rx for Tylenol with Codiene, and Clarythromycin. He says that if he's having this much trouble now, we might be looking at a new set of tubes. Great... I have to call in on Monday and schedule a follow-up as soon as he finishes this round. So then I go to Wal-Mart to pick up his meds since it was called in after hours and it was the only place open. No surprise, they don't have the antibiotic, and won't until Monday. So they're calling it into another pharmacy in the morning before we leave town, so hopefully they'll have it. Otherwise, we have to have them call it in down in Fairview. And as for the Tylenol, I doubt we even give him that. I think Dr. S thought he was in much more pain than he is, but Motrin is handling it well.

Ugh! to say that today was stressful... that's an understatement! But did I mention how much I love Dr. S? Really, we couldn't have picked a better ENT.

Gotta love him!

Preston loves Star Wars, like his dad, and of course, Christopher had to get him a light saber for his birthday. No matter how many times we tell him it's called a light saber, he thinks it's called a life saver! It's so funny! Today he was playing with it, going to town, and when he was finished, he said, "I'm really tired from all of that life saving!"

Productive day

Ah, the joys of the pre-Christmas purge! It just feels so good to get rid of stuff and organize! If you don't do this, try it! It makes finding places for all of the Christmas goodies so much easier. Today, I tackled the kids' craft cabinet downstairs, which took forever with Preston taking more out! He did help, and dumped one half empty bottle of glue into another one, with little mess! I also created a "I'm not bored anymore" jar, which I saw in a catalog for $25. It's just a canister with lots of bits and pieces of felt, yarn, beads, foam cutouts, etc. so they can go to town making whatever their little hearts can think up. Best of all, it was free with all of the junk laying around that cabinet! I also packed one full box for the garage sale, and started my Caring and Sharing pile. All in all, I got a lot done, but there's a lot still to do! Got to finish the tree skirt...

I called the ENT today about P's ear, since his lack of hearing was getting more pronounced. He wasn't concerned about his tube being blocked by wax, and told me to just continue the drops for 7 days, along with the oral antibiotics (which run out tomorrow). He's been on the drops for a week now, anyway, so that's a LOT of drops. Hopefully it works! They did want to schedule a follow-up, but couldn't get him in until Jan. 2!?!?!?!?! I'm thinking that's a little long after an infection, so I may call them tomorrow to see if we can see him in a different office sooner. Or just see his regular dr. Who knows. I just know that this winter is already not looking good! Oh, and guess who's nose starts running like crazy again today????? Yep, Mr. P.

Things you hate to wake up to

I wrote a few weeks ago that I hate being woken up with a puky child. Well, what about a puky cat?

Kate wakes me up at some unearthly early hour (I didn't even want to look at the clock) this morning. "Mom, Zipper's puking all over my bed." I get up, grab a towel, and figure if she'd actually puked and wasn't just hacking, I could cover it up until morning. WRONG! That cat puked on her comforter, across almost the entire width of her bed, and on her other pillow! How she missed Kaitlyn, I'll never know! I took one look, decided I was not messing with it at that moment, and told Kate to come into our bed. It was a mess! So I spent the day washing her bedding. The comforter needed washed and scrubbed twice because it wouldn't come out, but it's now clean. I hope the poor cat isn't sick...

I keep forgetting...

I keep forgetting what it's like to not have city water, and to always have it when you turn on the faucet. I started the dishwasher and washer this afternoon before I took Farmer P out to finish up the last day of combining with Pa-pa, and come home to a "hot" smell coming from the dishwasher. It sounded funny, so I turn on the tap, and no water. Our reservior lost pressure, so we lost water. After I primed it, pressure went back up, but then we lost it again. Another round of priming it and voila! we have water once again. For a second, my first thought was, "The well's frozen again?" because last winter, the water in the pump froze, and we had to keep a heat lamp inside the well all winter. Fun stuff! but you know what, it still doesn't make me want to reconsider not hooking up to the Rural Water. I'll take our free, chemical-free water any day, even if we have to occasionally lose water.

On another note, we have Christmas lights up! No, they're not on, yet, but next Thursday night, you can guarantee they'll be on! I have to go see if Pa has anymore clear lights to hang on the picket fence (yes, let's highlight it's ugliness), and find some wreaths to hang outside this weekend. Christopher won't let me put up the PVC people that the Tedricks left for us to use. I think they're cute... in a funny kind of way. If it were up to me, we'd go all out, but ol' Scrooge here won't go for it. Bah, humbug!

Frustration

It's been one of those days... maybe just one of those evenings. For the most part, the day went well. Preston and I baked cookies for his preschool snack day tomorrow, we played, worked the 1000 pc. puzzle he insisted on, and took our recycling to the drop-off. But he was whiny, grouchy, and it no doubt has something to do with his ear, which is causing it's own frustration, because I'm almost certain he'll need a new set. I didn't get around to calling the ENT, which frustrates me even more because I still don't have an answer. That, and I'm just afraid the zithromax isn't going to clear it up like last time. Then Kate got herself grounded because of her attitude and failure to straighten it up after she was warned. Christopher came home in a growly mood, too. So I sit here with a stress headache, with a million things to do- one of which is the tree skirt that needs to be finished before we get our tree next Friday. I've got Ebay auctions ending, and more to start, Christmas projects half finished, I need to do the pre-Christmas purge of unplayedwith toys/junk... I need to relax. My goal is a stress-free holiday season, with lots of fun projects, baking, etc. We're going Christmas shopping Sat. so hopefully we will get most of it finished, and then that will be one less thing to do.

Christopher got his results back, but still hasn't heard from the dr. (he checked online at work). His AFP is still elevated, which it has been since before his surgery, but his dr. has never really shown concern because of the range. So hopefully it won't be an issue this time either. everything else looked OK, and btw, he's not pregnant!

The kids' new favorite song

I digress...

I didn't personally hear this song on the radio as I was busy paying attention to traffic, but it obviously comes from a plastic surgery center ad. I hear Kate say from the back seat, "Mom, did you just hear that song?" I tell her no, and she proceeds to sing it (to the tune of "We Wish you a Merry Christmas):

We wish you bigger boobies
We wish you bigger boobies
We wish you bigger boobies
And a happy new bra

We all had a good chuckle over this, even though it's a poor thing for a young girl to hear. Then Preston proceeds to sing what he had heard. Keep in mind that he currently can't hear well due to an ear full of puss.

I wish your boobies were bigger
I wish your boobies were bigger
I wish your boobies were bigger
And a happy new bus.

Ladies and gentlemen, thank you! That concludes this evening's performance!

Family doctor day

It turned out that everyone except me, had a dr. appointment today. Kate had a re-check on her meds, which went well, and Preston had to have his ear checked, which, no surprise here, is infected. She looked inside them and said that it wasn't pretty... She thought that his right tube was gone, and I'm thinking, "What???" So I told her that the ENT said that 2 weeks ago, they were both in and should last through winter. She looked again and did find the tube, but it is completely covered with pussy gunk, which was why it wasn't visible. She put him on Zithromax along with the drops, and she hopes it will work. The last time we tried Zithromax for his ears, we were back 4 days later with him still running a high temp and screaming in pain. I understand her reasoning, though, because with only 3 available antibiotics, and the number of times he's been on the strongest one, we can't risk him becoming resistant to it. Maybe the combo of drops/oral antibiotics will do the trick. I think I'll call the ENT tomorrow as well to make sure that a plugged tube doesn't need more attention.

Christopher had his annual follow-up/labs to make sure that his cancer hasn't returned. The appt. went well, and so far, hasn't been sent for a full-body CT scan like last year. He likes to joke about how his labs order a pregnancy test. No joke! Men shouldn't have any HcG or AFP in their bloodstream, which are markers for testicular cancer, so this is how they rule it out. He should find out in a day or so, what his results are. We're praying for good news. It's been 3 years, now.

They really do love each other

Even though they fight like cats and dogs, they really do love each other.

Another weekend gone

We didn't do much this weekend, just kept low and inside where it was warm! I hate going out in the cold. Christopher fixed the brakes on the Explorer now, so I feel more confident that I won't run into anyone now. Friday, the brakes started going out and weren't stopping the car (well, not without coasting until I was pratically stopped before hitting the brakes, anyway). Had Kate not had a Caring and Sharing party for Girl Scouts, I wouldn't have even left the house Saturday! It was just SOOOOO horribly cold! We did make it out to the store today and to my mom's for dinner, but that's about it. I wanted to go to an open house for this house that I have adored for years, but I decided it wasn't worth going out in the cold... even if it was a classic craftman style house that just screams ME! Seriously, I've waited for years for this house to go up for sale, and you would know that a year after we sell ours, it's for sale...

And it looks like Preston will be headed for the dr. tomorrow for his ear. Ugh! Today he started complaining that his ear was hurting again, and was running a low grade temp. He's been on the Ciprodex drops since early Friday morning, but I guess they aren't doing their job. This really makes me worry about him needing another set when these fall out. I guess praying is all that's going to help with this one. Poor kid... he's been dealt one card after another since he was born; it doesn't seem like he ever catches a break.

Here we go again.

Preston seems to have his first ear infection since having his tubes put in back in March. He woke up bawling at 11:30 last night, and he was so restless all night long. Just like last winter. UGH! I started him on his drops, so hopefully it clears up quickly. I was hoping to make it through the winter without any... I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come once they fall out since he now has an infection with them in.

Little White Lies

Ordering online for your children's Christmas presents has its drawback- they're here when it's delivered, and they insist on seeing what came! One of Preston's came this morning and he was so excited, begging me to open it. So I thought quickly... "Oh, shhhhhhh! It's a surprise for Gracie!" His eyes get BIG! "We got her a leafblower just like they got you, but you can't tell her!" His smile widens, and he lets me go stick it in my closet without questions.

Now, technically, we are getting her a toy leafblower for Christmas, so that part isn't a lie! But he didn't need to know that that wasn't what was in the box!

$2.09

That's how much gas was when we ventured to town today to get lunch. I'm happy to say that between lower gas prices and Christopher's new gas sipping car, our gasoline bill is only $271.00! Only! Ha! Seriously, though, that's a LOT nicer than over $400! Those were hard to pay- not financially, but emotionally! Now, if we'd just get rid of the Explorer...

Sorry to be so elusive

I mulled over my last post, had it all typed out, and really didn't know if I should post it or not. I did, but then deleted it. If anyone was desperately worried (I figured you'd call if you were), I thought I'd give a quick synopsis. Christopher's parents' house was broken into yesterday, along with I think 3 other houses in the immediate area. They got away with a good amount, but thankfully, it was not as bad as it could have been. The police, along with a crime scene investigator, spent a long time there last night, so hopefully they will find some encouraging leads.

I know that they feel violated, but we do, too. At this point, we're strongly considering a security system. Material possesions, I could really care less about, but the kids are my main worry. I admit, when Christopher got up to get ready for work today, I had to get up and check on them. And it was odd today, and I kept feeling like I was being watched. That was probably all in my head, but still. That's a lot to take in! It's something that you never really think will happen to you, or to someone you know well, but it very well can.

Don't think it can't happen to you.

Saterday Skegual

Thursday night, Kate made up a list of things we had to do on Saturday. Basically, she pretty much declared Saturday as her day! I look at her list Friday, and am puzzled by the title of her list, and it took me a minute to realize that it was her Saturday Schedule! She spells like her Uncle Seth! On her to do list:
1. Play American Girls
2. Play Playmobil
3. Play board games and cards
4. Draw
5. Play Nintendo DS
6. Make brownies
7. Build a house out of chairs and blankets (I had to sign a building permit to do this...)
8. Play hide and seek
9. Movie night

We accomplished all but the hide and seek, and had an enjoyable day!

What's in a name?

I got to thinking about this when Preston and I were discussing that he, Christopher, and his dad all have the same middle name. I told him that Kate and I didn't share a middle name, because Kaitlyn Kaye would be a little too K-ish. Everytime I think about this, it never fails to blow my mind because we put very little thought into Kaitlyn's name. We each picked a name we liked, and went with it- as opposed to taking 9 months mulling over names for Preston.

In case you didn't know, Kaitlyn means "purity." Coincidentally, she was born in April, the month of purity, and her birthstone is the diamond, which stands for purity! Maybe the triple dose of purity will serve her well! Morgan means "by the sea's edge" and it couldn't be more fitting! I have never seen a child love water more than her! She will take a bath forever, and there's not a night we don't have to tell her to get out because she's been in there too long. She loves the ocean, loves to swim or do anything involving water. You really can't keep her away! It's as if this name was chosen for her for a reason. We didn't know the meanings of the names until after she was born, either! I think it's really neat!

And I can't leave the boy out! Preston means "Preist's estate." I"m not sure that this fits him right now, or as an adult. One, we're not Catholic, and two, with being a tractor driver, a combine driver, a cook, a dishwasher, and a run at the Presidency, that leaves little time to be a preist! Bryan means "Strong, manly and virtuous." I think this name will suit him more! He's a strong little guy, and is stereotypically, "all boy," so this already fits him!

Look who's come to stay

Nellie arrived today! I didn't even know that the UPS man had come! The kids came home and said there was a package on the porch, and I had no clue what it was until I saw the label! And I just mailed off the payment last Wednesday, and she arrived already- faster than ordering online! Kate was so happy, and has hardly let her down all night! Now she can't wait to get Samantha (she's coming for Christmas). I have to say that Nellie is absolutely beautiful!

And while we're on the subject of Nellie... Remember how I ordered Nellie via catalog so as not to use the credit card? What a PITA! I had to figure out tax since we're in IL, but the order form had no tax info. I call AG to ask what the tax rate is: "Oh, I don't know! All of that information is in our computer because it's automatically figured when you order online." She checks, and after being on hold 3 times, finally tells me it's 6.75%. I"m no math genius, in fact I suck at math, so I couldn't figure it out. I had to go online, go through the chekout process until I got the correct tax amount, and then cancel before adding any card info. Seriously, why is it so hard to use cash anymore? It's like the time we tried to pay for some books at Borders with a $100 bill and the cashier didn't have change (and didn't want to get any), and asked us *3* times if we'd like to use another form of payment... NO! That's why this country is in the mess it's in now! It's TOO easy to use credit, and then people can't pay for it!

Election

It looks like we have a new President elect! I can't say that Obama was my top pick. Those of you who know me well, will know that that goes without saying. That, and the shirt that I had Mr. P wear yesterday... But still, we have a new President, and we will all have to see what he does with his term in office. He may turn out to be a great leader, who knows. I may not agree with his ideologies, but I respect the fact that he won- and with such a landslide victory! Really, that didn't surprise me at all. But realistically, the President is more of a figurehead than a law-maker- that's Congress' job. So I'm not terribly worried about his accomplishments- but I am worried about all of the Democrats in Congress...

All in all, it was an exciting day yesterday, and it was neat to witness history being made. I'll admit that I'd much rather have Obama in power than blumbering Palin if something would happen to McCain. Really, WHAT was he thinking?!?!?!?!?!?!? IMO, that choice alone cost him a lot- even though I called Obama winning from the very beginning, despite who McCain picked as his running mate.

The future President of the United States

Sure, he only has 40 more years before he meets the minimum age requirement to serve as President, but who's counting? I present to you, Preston S., running on the Republican ticket! He says that when he grows up he's going to be a combine driver, a tractor driver, a dishwasher, and a cook, but I think there might be room in there for a presidential adminstration! What do you think?

My little weepublican and I were out early to cast our ballot, and you can guarantee that he got lots of compliments on his sweet shirt! Thanks, Heather, for making it for him! He did get some stares (probably from the Democrats), and one lady with a big Obama button kept stumbling over her words, which I thought was pretty funny! What can I say? I start them off on the right track early!

VOTE!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow is the BIG day! I am so excited! I love to vote, love the politcal process, and just plain love our government and our ability to play an integral role! We will be at the polls, come hell or high water, sick kids in tow if necessary. Preston will be wearing his special shirt, made especially for the day, and you can expect to see a cute picture! I will be glued to the tv tomorrow, watching all of the returns. I've come to accept that Obama will most likely be the next President. Yes, this coming from the same person, who bawled like crazy when George Bush lost to Clinton in 92, and was even more furious when Clinton was elected to a 2nd term. I was very passionate about politics even then.

So get out there and vote tomorrow. It's your civic duty. Each and every vote does count! If you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain about what happens in the next 4 years! So certainly, don't come complaining to my house... I'll show you the door!

Pukey, pukey

Gag! Don't read any further if you have a weak stomach!

Ugh! Remember yesterdat when I said Preston had a temp? Well, his temp broke and he woke up this morning just fine, aside from his snotty nose and cough getting worse. I will take this as the good news! At 2:30 this morning, Kate wakes me up, "Mom, I think I'm going to throw up." Now, that's something I NEVER like to hear, especially when waking from a dead sleep. I get her the bucket, and the "fun" begins. Let's just say that she had the "works." In the middle of this, I realize we're going to run out of Lysol, which is absolutely mandatory, so I wake Christopher and tell him I'm running to Wal-Mart (at 3:30) to buy Lysol, and to listen for Kate. I flew to WM, got the Lysol, and get back without any major events. By this time, Kate has asked me to sleep in her room because getting up to get me each time she got sick was making her feel worse. So I grab 2 blankets and a spare pillow, and camp out on her floor... the HARD oak floor. Let's just say that I was still laying there awake at 6:00 when Christopher left for work. Not very comfy! She was able to keep food and water down after about 7:00 this morning, but she didn't stray from the couch except to use the bathroom. She's still not feeling great, but hopefully by morning she will.

And just to top the day off, I had forgotten to put a diaper on Pres last night, so of course, he peed the bed. So not only did I have all of Kate's bedding to wash, I also had all of his. The washer and dryer ran all day. I am currently on load #6 for the day. And at about 11:00 this morning, I start feeling queasy. Luckily, for right now, I've felt OK since about 4:00, but I hope I'm still well in the morning. Thanks, mom, for sharing your stomach bug with us last week!

Happy Halloween!

So maybe it is 2 days late, but we've been busy. We've been going non-stop since Thursday, and now we're ready to slow down!

Friday was crazy busy! We had Preston's preschool program at 8:45 and trunk-or-treating immediately following. Christopher was off Thursday and Friday, so he was able to make it! Pres did such a great job, sang his songs, did the moves, and had a blast! Of course, he came home with a ton of goodies and candy- more than from the parade Thursday night! I picked him up at 11, and Kate got out of school at 11:30, so as soon as I picked her up, we had a super-fast and nutritious meal from Burger King (ha!) before we had to be on the road for Preston's ENT appointment (update below). When we got back to town, we had just a little time before we had to eat dinner and head out for trick-or-treating! Phew!

Yesterday we had our shopping trip, which always turns out to be a marathon when we go with Grandma Lou. We did have a great time, though! Miss Kate did get some new shoes- 5 pairs in fact! I'll spare you the drama of that aspect! She's all set! The kids spent the night with Chris' parents last night after we got home so that we could go to a small gathering at our friends' house. We had an OK time (can't say that it was enjoyable), but it was nice to see them since we hadn't been out there since last year.

Now Preston has been running a temp. today, but hopefully he'll be feeling better tomorrow. They've both had colds, so hopefully it passes quickly. As for his ENT appointment, things still look great! He had been complaining a lot last week about his left ear, so I was glad that he already had an appt. Dr. Smith said that the tube in that ear is starting to work it's way out, and that is causing the pain. He thinks it will last most of the winter before it falls out, and will most likely be gone when he goes back in March. After they're out (and hopefully they come out on their own), we just have to wait and see if he has any more infections to see if he needs another set. Hopefully that won't be necessary!

Are you up for a challenge?

Our Christmas shopping challenge is upon us! We would like to buy all of our Christmas gifts for everyone without dipping into savings, and without using the credit card! Keeping out of savings should be easy since we did it last year, but this year's added twist of no CC, should make things more challenging! We will have to use it to order American Girl stuff, but only because ordering from their catalog is a royal PITA!

I'm well underway with my shopping, and LOVING it! This Christmas is already starting with a new attitude and I can tell I'll really have time to enjoy it this year as opposed to last year! If anyone is up for my challenge, jump aboard!

Dead battery

It must be the VES curse. At least once a week, there is a car with a dead battery in the pick-up line and you have to drive around them. Today was our turn. Luckily I had parked on the road and not the pick-up line, so no one had to pass me up. But still, it was embarassing, sitting there for 15 minutes waiting for my grandpa to come and jump me. He came to the rescue, advised me to get a new battery, and we were on our way home.

And of course, what would it be without even more drama? Christopher, the wise and all-knowing, just knew that the battery was fine and told me to take it to Wal-mart in the morning and have them test it. He tried it when he got home and it started right up, so it could not be the battery... So after he takes a bath, and just minutes before dinner, he decides he needs to try it again. He turns the battery on, plays with all the switches inside, tries to start it... NOTHING. At that point he realizes that it was in fact the battery, and it did need replaced. He gets all grumpy, telling me I should've taken it to WM immediately after Pa jumped it, blah, blah, blah. I reminded him that *2 weeks* ago, I told him that I thought the battery was going bad because it wasn't wanting to start well, and he did nothing to fix it then. He didn't appreciate being put in his place, but he knows who was right ;)

At least now, I don't have any worries! Want a cutie story? When Chris' mom called and talked to Pres, he told her, "Our car runned out of batteries!"

I must admit...

I confess. My daughter only has two pairs of jeans without holes in the knees. She also has one pair of shoes that she wears, and the soles are starting to fall off. But in my defense, I will tell you exactly why! Why does she only have 2 pair of holeless jeans? Because she crawls on her hands and knees at school, pretending to be an animal, and her jeans last no more than 2 months. Seriously. And the ones that don't have holes... they have grass stains that I didn't catch, so now the stains are set in. And these are good, Limited Too jeans! From now on, she gets cheapo Target or Old Navy jeans! I didn't think that 9 year olds crawled around at recess, but I've seen her and her friends do it at scouts, so I know they do it at school, too.

And why only one pair of shoes? Well, techincally, she has more shoes than I, but she is SO incredibly picky (maybe anal is a better term) about what goes on her feet, that she only wears this one pair from last year, that by some miracle, still fit. The soles are coming off, but she still wears only these. Sigh. And you don't even want to get me started on her socks! They have to be this certain kind with a purple heel, which are too big, and she pulls them up so high that the purple sticks out of the top of the shoe. She will NOT wear any other kind of sock under any circumstance. As much as this bugs me, there are some battles that aren't worth the fight.

So we're going shopping Saturday to buy jeans, shoes and pajamas. I don't anticipate this to be a particularly pleasant experience because shoe shopping with this child is like hell (or what I can imagine it to be). If you've tagged along on a shoe shopping trip with us, you know that it's an all day event, only to come home with one pair if we're lucky, and then we're even luckier if she wears the shoes more than once because many times after wearing them for a few hours, she finds them unacceptable. I don't drink, but still, I think I might need a drink when we get home!

Pumpkin carving

Pumpkin carving started out with more drama than I thought could be involved in the process. Neither children would touch the guts. Miss Kate was demanding gloves, making the most horrible faces, and just carrying on like it was the worst thing in the world. But she did end up scraping her pumpkin out after realizing that it wasn't that bad! And you'd think she'd never done it before! While I started carving Preston's, she took the little carving knife (the safe one from the kit) and started carving her own! She did most of hers herself, and did a really good job! If you can't tell from the pic, her's is a cat... go figure! Preston insisted on "triangle eyes, a triangle nose, and a mouth that went up, down, up, down." Of course when he explained it to me, it was a finger gesture up and down over his mouth, going, "zoop, zoop" each time he moved his finger! It took several drawings on the newspaper before I figured out what exactly he wanted!

And this sweet picture was taken just moments before P's pumpkin took a tumble from his lap and rolled away down the front porch! And please notice the cute, organic pumpkin that grew in our garden this summer! It was the only one of two that survived. Preston's got eaten by a rabbit and it rotted.

Homework hell

She's only been in school a little over 2 months, and already, the homework has been the worst yet. I don't even want to think of what's to come in future years!

Yesterday was a busy day. She had Just Say No after school until 3:45, and then had scouts from 4:30-6, making us pressed for time. Between the two, we went home and I went over her homeowork (all 5 sheets), which took the entire time before we had to leave again. She has this issue with her homework, and she hurries through it at school so she doesn't have to do it at home, but in the process, makes a ton of mistakes that she just has to re-do. Really, she's saving herself no time, but she won't listen to my advice. By the time she gets done with her corrections (which is after scouts and dinner), it's late, and she has a study guide for a science test that was today, and she knew very little of it, although she could rattle off "kingdom, phyllum, class, order, genus, species" like no one's business.

Then there was another study guide for Friday's social studies test that is proving to be an even bigger frustration. She obviously didn't inherit her mother's enthusiasm for the American government, and it's all going over her head. According to her, the National government is in Springfield, IL, as is our CITY government. But if you ask her where the State government is located, she has no clue. Today she did finally remember that there are 100 members of the Senate, so she is making some progress! I can't tell you how much we've gone over all of this, and she's read the study guide herself several times, too! But according to her, they've never gone over any of this information in class, nor has she brought home any papers regarding this information to make me believe that they have. It's something I need to discuss with the teacher at conference next week. That, and why some days they only get 10 minutes to eat lunch. ?????

Farmer Preston

Guess what Preston did again today. If you guessed harvesting, you're right! I had Girl Scout duty tonight, and Dee was supposed to pick Preston up after work and watch him while we were at scouts, but since it's harvest time, they arranged for Preston to go in the field with Pa-pa at 2:00, giving him 3 good hours combining. That made it a lot easier, not having to take Preston to scouts until she got off. And of course, Preston was absolutley thrilled to be harvesting today! He had his 5 year well-child check this morning, and he kept asking if it was time to combine yet. And when it was time to come home, he wasn't ready. If it was up to him, he'd be up bright and early, and harvest from sun-up to sun-down.

Please excuse the bad picture of Preston as he was off to farm today. It was the best I could get without holding up their work!

And as for his well-check, he's perfectly healthy! She did start him on a cream because his eczema has led to a small case of impetigo, but that's minor. Last winter, his eczema was so bad, so I'm hoping we're not in for another yucky winter. I asked if she'd ever figured out exactly

what it was that he had back in June, and she's still clueless, but agreed that it was very scary. Her best guess is that it was viral, even though there were Dohle bodies present, which indicated a bacterial infection in his blood. Who knows??? I know that we still think about that month that he was sick, and I pray every night that he won't have lasting side effects from it. Right now, he's doing well, so that's what matters.

I stink...

At photo editing, that is! I can take good pictures, sometimes even great! But I really stink at editing, maybe because I hate it SO much! The photos from yesterday's shoot were less than stellar, and I'm seriously contemplating another shoot. Kate had on a white sweater, and even though the truck was in the farm shed, it was too sunny and the light coming into the barn left hot spots all over Kate, her sweater, and blond hair. I've tried editing them, and I'm not satisfied. I don't like how the sweater looks in B&W, and that's what I want them in. Ugh! So it looks like we'll try a darker sweater and a cloudy day. These portraits will be going out to all of Christopher's family for Christmas (don't worry, they don't know of my blog) since it's his grandpa's very old farm truck, and I want them to be really nice.

As for the rest of the 200+ pics that are in need of editing, I've put a small dent in them! I'm in no mood to edit tonight. Maybe tomorrow... Now you see why I said that editing was my mission for the next few days.

Fall has officially begun!

Sure, the calendar has said fall for a month, now, the weather is cooler, and the leaves are turning, but today was the first day that I had to turn the furnace on. Or as Christopher would quickly correct me, the "boiler." To me, it's all the same. As long as it keeps me warm, that's all that matters. It's supposed to be in the 50's for a high around Wednesday, so even though the house would've warmed up without the heat today, I really wanted to make sure it was working when we really did need it in a few days! Back in January, it started leaking, and we came close to having to replace the whole unit, so now I have peace of mind that it works!

And today was the last day for sure that the DQ was open, so we had to make one last DQ trip, even if it was already 4:30. The sign said they would close between the 21st and the 24th, whenever they ran out of mix. I really wish they were open year-round. The DQ's in the other towns just aren't the same. March will be here soon enough, I guess, but when you want a DQ, it's hard to substitute it with Sonic or Mc Donalds.

Busy busy weekend!

This weekend really flew by! Saturday we started off with a family trip to the recycling drop-off in Coffeen. Yipee! See, I'm still green! Christopher wasn't too enthused about going, but he insisted since we had to pick up some stuff at his mom's on the way back. After that, we picked up some fast food because I was feeling lazy. We kicked back during the afternoon, hoping to get Preston to nap before Ashley's party, but that never happened. Although if you ask him, he did. Then we were off to Ashely's birthday/Halloween party. The kids had so muc fun playing tag in the dark, eating S'mores, and the haunted hay ride! They were both worn out when we got home!

Today we went on an impromptu photo shoot. Back when we did our roof, Keith brought in the old farm truck that had his grandpa's name and farm painted on the door, and I wanted to do a shoot then, but they came and took the truck, so we did it today. I'm not overly thrilled with the results, esp. since I had a vision in my head of what I wanted, yet didn't get it. But Christopher wanted to play photog and he snapped the winning portrait. I can't wait to get them edited and sent off to print. That may take forever considering I am just now sitting down to edit pics from when we got our roof put on the last weekend of AUGUST! Let's just say that editing is my task for the week(s).

Uncle Jeff is in town for a few days, so we spent the afternoon at Granny & Pa's. The kids wore out Uncle Jeff, and I got to spend lots of time playing with my little nephew, Baby Glen. I can't believe he'll be one on Thursday! I still remember the morning Seth called me to tell me that I was finally an aunt! I was painting the living room in this house and was so excited and shaking, that I had to stop painting and go see the little guy! I can't wait for his party on Saturday! I still need to get him a gift!

Good news from the dentist

Kate got glowing reviews from the dentist today! No cavities, again! And the odd tooth is not going to pose any problems. He said that it was just an adult tooth that came in behind the baby tooth, and when the baby tooth falls out, it should move into it's place. Regardless, in 2 years when hopefully the rest of her baby teeth have fallen out, we'll be sent to the orthodontist for braces, and the ortho will decide whether that tooth, or any others need to come out. I know I had to have 8 adult teeth yanked before I had my braces, so I imagine she will need some out, too. But for right now, she's in the clear! Something she's extremely happy about!

I posted about American Girl discontinuing Samantha last night, but really didn't delve into it, but tonight I think Sam needs her time. Kate and I are so disappointed! She pretty much knows she's getting Sam for Christmas from Grandma Shirley, but Kendra called yesterday to tell me, and K heard my, "Oh, no!" and thought something was wrong, so I had to explain it to her. Now she wants Sam even more, and has changed her mind once again, and wants to use her own money to buy Nellie. First, it was Ruthie, then Felicity, then Kaya, then Kirsten, and now, Nellie! How Miss Moneybags is able to save up enough money to buy 2 AG dolls in 5 months time, amazes me! She's not a spender, so she saves her money to buy something she really wants. In her case, it's always AG. She wants to collect them all, and hopefully one day, she can! Anyway, since Sam is headed to the AG archives, none of her stuff will be available (aside from Ebay) after the end of the year. So that leaves me to buy up what I can and put back for her birthday. I still can't believe she's going away, though! SAD!

Another sad day

I was coming on here to write about how disappointed Miss Kate and I are about American Girl discontinuing Samantha and Nellie, but all of that seems so trivial now. My dad called, and my next-door neighbor, his life-long friend, someone I've known forever, lost his battle with lung cancer tonight. I knew it was coming since he called last night to tell me that family had been called in, but still, it's surreal. But I do have peace that he is no longer suffering. I will miss seeing him outdoors mowing, little chats, etc., though. Please, if you can, pray for Bill's family.

And while we're on the subject of prayer, please pray for Miss Abbey, Preston's preschool teacher. Tomorrow marks one week since her husband passed, and I know she is still having a very hard time. Preston went back today, and it just wasn't the same seeing the sub there instead of Miss Abbey.

Kate has a dentist appt. tomorrow- just a cleaning- but we have to adress the issue of the tooth coming in behind the others. I have a feeling a tooth will need to be pulled, which Kate wants NO part of! We do have options, though, in the line of a good pediatric dentist that uses gas, so if that's not an option at her dentist, it looks like that will be our best bet. I'll update tomorrow!

It's that time again

Time to get ready for the big Christmas photo shoot. As I type, I'm hunting down the perfect outfits as it's going to be an outdoor shoot. I have their dressy outfits, but there's no way I'm taking them outside to woller around on the ground in good clothes- especially Kate in a tulle skirt. Really, both outfits are pretty simple. I was going to do both of them in solid polos, but I can't find any in colors I like for Kate other than black, and I want Preston to be in a black polo, so that really wouldn't look good together. But trying to find a black polo... ugh! I think I'm going to have to settle on navy. I was going to order them both RL Polo's which I'd much rather prefer (they have black), but they don't have any long-sleeves for Kate. That and after their dressy Christmas outfits came today while Christopher was home, I'd better lay off the card. Darn that UPS man... you never know when he's going to show up!

My day

I got some ME time today! And let me tell you, it was nice! I'd like to say that I used that time to get stuff done, but I just sat and read, which was so much nicer!

So where were the kiddos? They were out combining beans. Or should I say that Preston was. Kaitlyn was at Grammy and Pa-pa's playing with the kittens. She only rides along when they harvest corn- because harvesting beans is just like mowing. Or so they both say. Mr. P is right at home in the fields. He knows exactly how to work the combine, and will sit for hours on Pa-pa's lap doing everything pretty much by himself. I think if anyone carries on the family farm, it will be him.

Flash back to one year ago today... Preston spent 6 hours in the field with Pa-pa harvesting beans. He had his lunch, his snacks, and he thought he was big stuff! While he was busy farming, Dee and I were painting the ceilings in this house, on day 3 of our whirlwind renovation. It doesn't even seem real that in just 4 weeks, it will be the 1 year anniversary of moving into this house! Wow!

I'm killing my husband!

OK, before you call the police, hear me out! I swear, it's not intentional!

Every Sunday, the kids and I go up to my grandma's for dinner. Christopher usually stays behind since that's his one day to rest (Um, where's mine?). So as we were getting ready to go today, he asked what there was to eat. He's no chef, so if it takes more than warming up, he can't fix it. I tell him that there's some bologna, tuna, etc. naming all that we had that was quick. He wasn't in the mood for any of this, to he resorted to the Aunt Jemima frozen breakfast meal in the freezer. I had bought one, once before, and when I got hom and noticed the 128% of cholesterol, and 66% of saturated fat, I could not eat it! So he ate it, and one morning on his day off, when the kids and I just had cereal, he asked me to pick him up something to eat when I took the kids to school. I picked him up another meal! Really, you have to understand the joke, here.

So tonight, he takes the meal out, and proclaims that it's the only thing in the house to eat, and that I must be trying to kill him because I knowingly bought another one with full understanding of how unhealthy it really was! So it became a huge joke, about how I was trying to get rid of him! He just knew that when we came home, I'd find him on the couch, dead as a door nail! I told him I'd just call Miller's and have them come pick him up! As we walked out the door, I told him that it was nice knowing him! Aren't I a sweet wife? Luckily, I came home and we was just fine, but I did suggest he have his cholesterol checked at work tomorrow!

And seriously, who makes something that unhealthy? And how on earth can a meal as small as that, contain 128% of your DV for cholesterol? No wonder we're living in a nation with morbidly obese people! I'm glad I really like to cook, and do the majority of it from scratch!

I thought 30 wasn't old!

So 30 will be visiting me in 5 short months. I'm actually looking forward to it. I don't see it as being old, although my mom still swears she's 27 because 30 is even too old. Funny how I passed her up 2 years ago! But what I wasn't expecting, was my eyesight starting to fail on me already! I have glasses because of an astygmatism and minor far-sightedness. I've had them for about 6 years now, but rarely wear them. Frankly, I never could really tell a difference when wearing them, especically since they were mainly for my nighttime driving issues. But I've noticed that reading has gotten more difficult lately because the letters and words seem to all bunch together, so I got the glasses out Saturday night while reading a magazine, and the difference was amazing! I've now set them out where they are easily accessible because it is SO much easier to read with them! I could really benefit from wearing them all the time, but the frames are so ugly, and Christopher thinks they look like old lady glasses. Before I start wearing them all the time, I think I need to go in and get new ones. But you know me, I'm cheap, and if these work just fine, then I don't see the need to spend money on new ones, although I would be deathly embarassed if someone saw me wearing them! We just spent $300 2 months ago for Christopher's new Coke bottle glasses, so maybe I'll wait just a bit!

Going once, Going twice, SOLD!

To the lady who had 2 brain surgeries this year, and probably got THE BEST garage sale deals of anyone, getting a washer/dryer set, 3 push mowers, 4 bathroom sinks, a stereo, tv stand, old fishin poles, car ramps, a truck bed tool box, and I know there was more, for $120! Not to mention when she came back to pick up the goodies, she bought $1 worth of stuff from each of the kids who were collecting their own profits! Seriously, she made out like a bandit! she was so sweet, too!

So I am glad to say, that our washer/dryer set that pooped out on us 3 days before Christmas last year, has finally sold! It's been through 2 garage sales, swap shop, and Craig's list, but it's finally GONE! And Christopher was saying that it wasn't even worth hauling up to my mom's house for the sale because it wouldn't sell. As soon as it did, I had to call and rub it in! Sure, we only got $25 for it, but hey, it's out of our garage now!

Sad news

I got a call from Preston's preschool at 8:00 this morning to say they were cancelling school tomorrow because of an emergency. His teacher's (Miss Abby) husband passed away unexpectedly. He was only 42. My thoughts have been with them all day, and I ask that if you can, please say a prayer for her family.

Preston made Miss Abby a sweet card tonight that will be going along with the flowers we order tomorrow. He doesn't completely grasp the whole concept, and he's asked me several times today why he died. He's only 5, so it's tough. When I asked him if he wanted me to write anything in the card for him, he said, "Dear Miss Abby, I'm sorry your husband died." It really got me. Something to thoughtful to come from a 5 year old. Christopher and I thought that it might be a little too insensitive, so right now, it just says, "Love, Preston." with a drawing of him and Miss Abby. I'm sure she will appreciate the card.

Someday I'll get a call...

That call will come from my daughter when she's in college, and it will likely go, "Moooooooooom, what's the answeeeeeeeeeer? I've read this chapter and I can't find the answer anywheeeeeeeere."

Fourth grade is proving to be much tougher than 3rd grade. Their emphasis this year is spelling rather than the strong focus on math that the past 2 years (she excels in math). Spelling is not Kate's strong point. She spells like her Uncle Seth did-phonetically. Case in point, a sign she has hanging downstairs: Famous Show Dog for Sail. Golden Retever. Trofeys wone. This years words are much tougher, and this week's list is a fine example- porfolios, tomatoes, embargoes, etc. Irregular plurals. So studying for this week's test has been a source of stress, only compounded by the fact that they have one less day to study since there's no school Friday.

Then comes today's social studies homework. It was a crossword puzzle on their Southeastern US states chapter. The answers to the questions were word for word, all on one page. She claimed to have read the page in class, but when she was going over it to find the answers, they were nowhere to be found. I found them within seconds since it was all in sections, and I'd look, and tell her that the answer was exactly as it was written on her homework, and each time, "Mooooom, NO, it's NOT! I've read it, and it's NOT there!" Thirty seconds later, "Oh, there it is." That was pretty stressful. Then tonight we sit down to go over her study guide for the test. I've asked her to ask the teacher when the test was, but she forgot, but informs me as she's going to bed, that she thinks it is tomorrow. And based on how much she didn't know from this chapter, it better not be tomorrow! So it looks like breakfast will be a soc. studies and spelling word cram session.

And an embarassing note for myself. She had forgotten the capitals of several Southeatern states, so I was trying to help her out. I informed her that Lexington was the capital of Kentucky, and that New Orleans was the capital of Louisiana. Christopher corrected me on Louisiana, but we had to get the atlas out to find Kentucky's capital! Now how bad is that? Oops!

112 Playdough Penguins

This is what 2 hours of playing with playdough gets you! Yes, there are indeed 112 playdough penguins in that pile! After my dedication through that extremely tedious task, I was sure to count each one and take a picture! Preston has this playdough ice cave thing that has a little penguin mold, and he insisted that we fill the entire cave to the top, with penguins. He did trade me jobs for a short while- he made the penguins while I put them in the cave. That lasted all of 2 penguins before he told me that it wasn't a very fun job. And it really wasn't. Now that's dedication!

Christmas will be fun this year!

Last year, Christmas just wasn't enjoyable. We moved into our new house in November, and were so engulfed with living out of boxes, and the chaos that follows a move, that we had no time to drive an hour to Fairview to do any shopping. Heck, we didn't even have any internet to do any online shopping, especially for the kids' Christmas outfits until after Thanksgiving, and by then, everything was sold out. We had one weekend that wasn't completely filled with moving crap, to do ALL of our shopping! It was SO miserable, trying to find something for everyone in one single day. I couldn't enjoy shopping because it was so rushed. I vowed that this year would be different!

Already, my shopping has begun, and is going pretty well. I'm very pleased! My goal is to have the majority of it all bought before Thanksgiving.

I LOVE Christmas lights, and it's always a favorite. Of course, last year, there was no time for lights, so I really wanted to have them this year. Christopher is a little scroogy when it comes to hanging lights, so I figured that I might have to bite the bullet, risk falling off of a ladder, and do it myself. So I broke the news Saturday night, and surprisingly, he's in on it! Yeah! I didn't really even need to talk him into it! We're not going overboard, just some icicle lights along the roofline, garland and lights draped along the picket fence, and I'd like to decorate the humongous Christmas tree growing in our front yard, but we'll see what that brings. It was so funny, because as I was telling him what I wanted to do, he asks, "Do you want to put lights around the chimney?" I nearly died! He was completely serious, too!

So now, I can't wait until Halloween is over so I can start working on lights outside to have them ready to light up Thanksgiving night. We start early- our trees will be up the next day! I also plan to go all-out decorating inside, and hope to do some holidy baking- something else neglected last year. Christmas is my favorite time of year, and I can't wait to fully enjoy it!

What is with tv today?

Ugh! You remember my gripe with tv, right? Well, last night, Kate had asked us to record a new Scooby movie that was going to be on Cartoon Network at 7:00. She'd heard about it at her cousin's sleepover. But when Christopher went to record it, we found out that it was on at 7:00, 6:00 central, so it was half over, and she was upset. She asked me to check the guide to see if it was going to be on again today. I didn't get around to it until 11:30 p.m. and when I turned on CN, I was SHOCKED to see what was on! There, on a CARTOON channel, was a cartoon called "The Assy Diaries" and it was nothing but naked people! First off, who in their right mind comes up with this kind of cartoon, and why would CN air something like that? I was so mad that I immediately blocked both CN channels. I've never liked either because of their vulgar, disgusting shows like Chowder and Flapjack, so this really sent me over the top! I have every intention of contacting CN and telling them what I think!

I'm in no way a prude, but if someone wants to air a show like this, put it on a PPV channel, not one that kids watch!

Friday night fun

The kids were begging to go outside after dinner Friday night, and one thing led to another, and the next thing we knew, they were asking to roast marshmallows. So we all went out and Christopher built a fire in the fire-majig (for lack of better words). Techinically, I can't call it a fire pit since it's some old grill grates on top of bricks, courtesy of the Tedrick's. So do I get points for making up words???

Anyway, Kate was roasting hers and decides to tell us a story. And of course, she can't focus on two things at once, especially that late in the day, and as she talked, her stick swung. Christopher nearly got hit in the face several times and we had to remind her to be careful. She gets hers done to her liking, keeps talking, and swings her stick. WHAM! Right into MY eye! Talk about pain! I quickly realized I'd better go check it out, so I went inside. My eye, itself, was OK, but irritated from all of the stick debris that I had to fish out. Directly under my eye was really hurting and swollen, so after I washed my face, I found several small splinters there. I was pretty lucky to not have really gotten hurt badly. I did go to bed early because my eye was bugging me to the point that I had to keep rubbing it, and I figured that would help. It doesn't look too bad now, it just looks like it's scratched where the splinters are.

But we still had fun, so that's what counts!

Thank heaven for insurance!

I swear, it seems like bad luck follows us aroud wherever we go! Sunday, as I was driving to St. Louis, a junky blue car in front of my threw a rock at the windshield, just before I crossed the river. I just heard a click, and didn't think much of it. But by the time I got to the airport and picked up Christopher, there was a quarter-sized crack. And guess which car it was... the new one! Go figure! Then Monday night, Christopher calls on the way home to tell me that the crack was now 9 inches long! So I had to call an auto glass place and they're coming over Friday to replace the windshield. I'm just very glad that insurance covers the windshield and we only have a small deductible to pay. Whew!

And yesterday the car was back in the shop getting the scratch that was in it before we bought it, repainted. Luckily they said they'd do that at no charge. But I bet they saw the huge crack on the windshield and were thinking, "Geez, they've only had this car a WEEK!" Yeah...

A Kaitlyn funny!

Kate has wanted a horse since she was 3- more like begged for a horse! Finally I told her that when she's old enough and has enough money to buy the land, build a barn and fence, buy feed, and have her own transportation to go to feed and take care of a horse, then, she can have one! She still thinks that since we have the huge fenced in back yard and a shed, that we can have one here! I keep telling her that we're not zoned for livestock! Are horses livestock?

Anyway, last night she asked again and got the same answer. You'd think she'd get tired of getting that answer. So then we had the following conversation:

K: Some day when I do get a horse, I'm going to get a boy and a girl horse so they can have a baby. Does a girl horse really need a boy horse to have a baby, or can she just be single?

Me: She needs a boy horse.

K: But why? Horses don't get married! And what if the girl horse doesn't like the boy horse?

Me: I don't really think it matters if she likes him or not.

K: But what if she lifts her tail up and poops on him?

Me: I really don't know Kate.

After that comment, I told her good night, as this conversation started as a stalling tactic as I was tucking her in. Oh, and I guess she saw someone selling ponies for $100 Sunday wherever it was that she went with Chris' parents, so now she really thinks she can have one!

Sex and the City

I finally got a chance to watch this last night! Back in the day, this was MY show, so I was too excited to hear they were making it into a movie. I just wish I'd gotten to see it in theaters! But seriously, it was so good! Much better than I had anticipated. From someone who rarely watches tv, and who also can't sit and watch a movie without doing something else at the same time, I can say that this movie had my attention from beginning to end with no interruptions, and I did nothing else but watch the movie! It was THAT good!

And in case you were wondering, Christopher made it home safely yesterday, and I made it to the airport without a single glitch. I had never driven to Lambert myself before, so that was a first. I did get in the wrong lane trying to find the parking garage and ended up in the shuttle lane with everyone gawking at me, but hey, at least I was going the right way through it! It was nice to have him gone for 4 days, but it's nice to have him back. It was too quiet without him!

No points scored for healthy eating!

We're all entitled to bad days, right? The day wasn't bad, but our eating habits were!

Preston started the day off by eating just the marshmallows out of his Lucky Charms, a biscuit, and 2 bites of a hashbrown. Then we head down to dad and Annette's for a Taste of Home party, which was a brunch. I had some TASTY monkey bread, coffee cake, and some egg casserole that I have to get the recipe for since I've been thinking about it all day! We were still down there at lunch time, and Preston went off with grandpa to make a S'more at the fire pit, which ended up turning into several s'mores, and several marshmallows on their own. Needless to say, that was his lunch! Miss Kate wan't hungry at that time, but she had some fruit, and not only did she TRY everything, she LIKED the strawberries! Granted, all she did was nibble enough to get the juice out, but still, this is a major accomplishment for her!

So then we decided to go see a movie, which just so happened to be the 5:00 show, so you can guess what we had for dinner... popcorn. By the time we left, no one was hungry. So yeah, we had a BAD food day. I feel bad, but oh well. This just means we need to eat better tomorrow!

What's in a name?

I get so tickled when I think back on this story (OK, that was a Maw-Ma moment)!

Finding a name for Preston was hard... HARD! At 8 weeks, we thought we had it down. We picked Claire for a girl, and Charles (after P's great-great grandpa, who was still living), and loved them both. But one grandma refused to have a grandson that might be called Charlie, so Charles was out. Then we really liked Elijah (after Chris' grandpa) until his Grandma Lou told him that he'd always hated that name, and that's why he went by his middle name, Russ. I still hung onto Elijah, but Christopher pretty much nixed it. Then his aunt said that they wanted to name their future son Noah, which we both really liked. That lasted a few weeks until Christopher stated feeling guilty because if they ever did have a son (which they haven't), we'd have stolen the name. My feelings were more along the "first come, first serve" philosophy, but he couldn't do it. Then Christopher got on an Alexander kick. The first time he suggested that, I immediately looked at him like he was out of his mind. With a last name that rhymes with Alexander, that was just setting the poor kid up for a lifetime of teasing. He seriously thought that this was a good idea, but he finally gave in- although he still thinks Alexander would've been a great name. Men!

Nearing the end of my pregnancy, we were starting to get a little worried. Names were an everyday subject/arguement. So we decided to ask Kate for her opinion, because after all, as big sister, she should by all rights, have some say in the matter. Of course, that got us nowhere, as she wanted to name him Shoelace, after her beloved fish, also named Shoelace! Then she wanted to name him Alladin, too, being on an Alladin kick at the time. And she was very serious about these names! We'd go to the store, and people would see my belly and ask her if she was getting a brother or sister, to which she would reply, "I'm getting a boy baby, and his name is Shoelace!" You can imagine the looks on people's faces! But to a 4 year old, having a brother named Shoelace after your pet fish, is a big deal!

So with about 2 weeks to go, Christopher suggests James. Although I still really liked Elijah, and refused to give it up, I considered James. I figured out of Shoelace, Alladin, and Alexander, James was the best option. When I went into the hospital, we still had no name, and it appeared that our baby would repeat the fate of his Great Pa-Pa Henry, and go home unnamed (oh, and I wanted to name him Emmerson after him, too). By the day he was born, we were still no closer to having a name. While I sat and rocked, and walked the halls, Chris' mom read the baby name book to me, starting with the A's. She read all morning, each and every name. By lunchtime, she had gotten to the P's, and as she read them, I heard, Preston. I thought to myself, Preston... hmmm. I told Christopher that it sounded like a nice name, and he thought so, too.

Not long after lunch, things started up, and 2 hours later, Baby S. was here. He still didn't have a name. When Chris was calling everyone, he called his Grandma Lou, who asked what we'd named him, and he told her Scooter! She believed him wholeheartedly, although he was just teasing!

The next day, the lady came in to fill out his birth certificate, and needed a name. We had to ask her to come back later because we still hadn't decided. She comes back after lunch, and we still hadn't decided. She told us that she'd come back in an hour, and that if we didn't have a name by then, we'd have to go home without a name because she was getting off at 3. OK, pressure's on! I was still hanging onto Elijah, but it was clear that Christopher really didn't want to name him that, so I suggested Preston. It sounded prestigious, and Ivy League-ish, plus, he just looked like a Preston. Christopher agreed! One down, one to go! He then suggested James for a middle name, which I agreed to until I realized that someone would inevitably call him PJ at some point, which I wanted nothing of. So then Chris said, "What about Bryan?" Bryan is both his and his dad's middle name, and we had never once discussed or even mentioned Bryan. Immediately, I said yes, and BINGO! we had a name!

So that's the epic tale of how Pres got his name! Not an easy task, and we learned that if you really love a name, DON'T tell anyone, because that's the quickest way to have it shot down! Next time around (if there is one), we will know better! And what's funny, is that Chris' initials are CBS, and P's are PBS, and we didn't even catch that little tv connection until about a week later!

Go vandals!

Kate cheered at the home football game with the other girls that attended the cheer clinic yesterday. She had so much fun! She's really coming out of her shell, and finding things that she really enjoys! She worried all day long about this, obvousily a precursor to her teenage years. First, we had to go buy a new pair of tennis shoes because one pair didn't fit, and I wasn't letting her wear her good ones on that nasty black track. So we got a cheap pair at Wal-Mart, and shoe buying with Kate is hell. "I don't like those. Those hurt my feet! NO WAY! I'm NOT wearing these, they feel bad!" You can never find shoes easily for her- she's so particular about her feet. Then she worried about what she would wear, even though she has a uniform and warm-up outfit in the school's colors. Then she worried about whether they would have her doing the stunts, or Rachel. Ah.... what an ordeal!

But she had so much fun at the game, and did all of the cheers. At the end, she got to be lifted up during a stunt, and she waved like crazy! She got to do her stunt! Yeah! She was so proud! Afterward when we met back up with her, Preston went up to her, started rubbing her back and said, "You did a good job, Kaitlyn!" Talk about sweet! She definitely says she wants to be a cheerleader, and hopefully this is something she will pursue. She'll have to talk to her Aunt Jessie about this one as I know nothing about cheerleading!

And I have to make note at how wonderful the lighting turned out on that picture! Straight from the camera with no editing. The lighting was just perfect! I guess we'll have to start going out front around 6:15 in the evening to do our shoots!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy!

Wow! My sweet boy is 5! It seriously doesn't seem like 5 years since my sweets came into this world after the most perfect birth- completely natural, absolutely no medical interventions. Just me, birthing how I wanted, no one telling me to push, no counting, no one talked. Soft music, dimmed lights, and complete control. Just as I had planned. My sweet little 7 pound, 4 ounce little boy with the head full of thick black hair, born with no name (trust me, this will be another post- it's a doozie!), but loved more than life itself! All of those worries about not being able to love another child as much as I did Kate, vanished as soon as I laid eyes on him. Perfect. Bliss.

So Mr. P came in bed with me at 6:00 this morning, and I had no intention of getting up 45 minutes early, so we cuddled in bed. Before I even had breakfast ready, he was begging for his gifts, which he loved! Then it was off to preschool wearing his "5" shirt, with his Cars cookies, and he thought he was big stuff! We had a quiet afternoon playing and watching Garfield, not really doing too much. He's made good use of his car wash kit already, and will make this a post of it's own tomorrow. The pics are classic! He definitely has an imagination!

So happy birthday, Sweet Boy!

My last day

Today is my last day with my 4-year old. I have been dreading him turning 5 for quite some time, now. He's been my baby, and although he will still be my baby, age 5 just doesn't seem very babyish. It kind of feels like somehow, overnight, he will morph from this sweet, innocent little child, into something else. I know this is completely untrue and absurd, but that's how I feel. Most likely because I miss having a baby so much, and I just want to hang onto having a "little" one. Sniff. Why do they have to go and grow up on us? But he's excited about his birthday, and has been asking all day for his presents ever since Christopher had him open 2 last night since he won't be here. I did bake and ice all 36 cookies for his preschool class tomorrow, so that's all ready to go. Here I thought he'd have his birthday off since Kate's out of school tomorow, but no, the preschool is still open even though it follows the same schedule as the public schools.

But ah, do I feel a reminiscent moment coming on? Ya'll know that I can't pass up a chance to reflect on the past! Five years ago, I sat for another day in the hospital, much to the amazement of all the nurses and my dr. After all, a woman dilated to 7 should in all rights, be in full-blown labor, but no, not me! I waddled around the halls, in the same path each lap, until whoever was walking with me decided that they were too tired to walk anymore. By that night, though, for some reason, everyone thought that I'd deliver in the middle of the night. Maybe because I had some lower back pain, who knows. So Christopher spent the night in the bed in my postpartum room, while his mom slept in the recliner in my room. Why Christopher didn't sleep in the hard, plastic recliner, I'll never know! But it's sufficed to say, that by morning, my little boy still had no intentions of coming out.

And in case you were wondering, Christopher did make it to NC safely, although the flight from Chicago to Greensborough was quite rough. I think he's lonely, as he's called home at least 3 times so far, just to chit chat, nothing important. He usually does this when he travels, and this time no one else from MoBap went with him, so I imagine he's quite bored. I'll admit, it's too quite without him here, and even the kids commented on that! Let's see how I sleep tonight. I'll have to keep the tv on or else I'll be paranoid about every little sound.

Oh, and some very exciting news, Kate made Honor Chorus! She was SOOOOOOO excited, and ran out of the school screaming, "I made Honor Chorus!!!!!" I am so proud of her!! Her best friend, Jenna, also made it, so that will make it even more fun! I know she's really going to enjoy it!