My girls made me do it!!!!!!!!

Ok, Ok, Ok, SMW chicks........I'm updating my blog! HeHeHe!! I actually have had so much on my mind lately that it's been hard to sort out what to post about! Matt has been home for 2 weeks and while we haven't seen him as much as we would have liked, we had a great visit with him. I even played a matchmaker just a bit, ;) I introduced him to a friend of mine who is actually Zach's daycare teacher. I *THINK* they hit it off pretty well, I know he is DEFINATELY interested and I think she is. He's heading back to Iraq on Monday though. I'm pretty bummed about that. It's been nice having him around and the boys have really enjoyed spending time with him. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers....
My kids at school are really wearing me down. Their behaviour isn't bad enough to justify an office referral for the most part, but there are so many of them doing so many little nit-picky things that by the end of the day I am just DRAINED!! Honestly, if it wasn't for my kids from last year, it would be totally miserable going to work everyday. Seeing my babies from the previous years helps keep me going. I have been told that all I have to do is call the owners of the daycare where I used to teach and I could have my old job back on Monday. The lady who took my place has gotten on everyone's last nerve. I LOVED my old job, but it was a 45 minute drive and even though I would make the same as I make now, I wouldn't have the benefits or retirement.......But I sometimes seriously consider making that call. But I know that the best thing for me and my family right now is to stay where I'm at. It's closer to the boys and with Daniel starting school, he'd have to ride the bus if I took this job and that's something I want to avoid at all costs. But I DO miss working with the younger kids....Funny, I didn't feel this way last year. Maybe b/c I didn't have the discipline problems last year that I do this year.
We went to a birthday party today for a friend of mine's niece. She used to go to daycare with the boys and they BOTH are in "love" with her. It is really funny to see them vying for her attention.......HeHeHe, they are such little men!!
I signed the Hurricanes up for t-ball last week......$140!!! Good Lord!! I have a feeling this is only the beginning!! Daniel will also be old enough this fall to play football. I can't wait. I really don't think that football will be his game.....but he is pretty good at baseball. He has been hitting a ball that is thrown to him for a while now. I think Mikey and Zach are going to be more suited to football. They have a bigger build than Daniel. Daniel is built like me, tall and skinny!! I'm excited about them playing ball though. Of course, that is likely to change after a few practices and getting them ready for games on the Saturdays that Robert has to work, lol! Ok, well, I guess that's it for tonight.......I'll try to update more frequently!!

Where does the time go?

As I sit here and watch my boys play, I'm struck by the fact that time seems to be zooming by. When did Daniel get to be so grown up?? He no longer looks like a preschooler. I can't believe that my baby is getting ready to head to Kindergarten in 6 months. Starting to school is like stepping into a whole new phase in life, I guess. He'll no longer belong to just me and his daddy. It's like by starting school he enters the stage where his friends will start becoming his main focus, rather than us. It's sad to think that the times where he tells me that he loves me and I'm the best mommy ever will soon be replaced with "I hate you" and "You're so embarassing" I wish that I could keep this innocence that he has right now forever, but starting school is going to change all of that. I know that this is part of parenting, but it's a part of parenting that I'm not quite ready for. Have 5 years really passed by this quickly? Can't I slow down time and keep him my baby just a little longer? I feel like I'm going to blink and my preschooler will be replaced by a teenager. If it's this hard seeing him get ready to start Kindergarten, how hard is it going to be when he gets ready to head to college??? UUUGGGHHHH, I'm so not ready for this!!!!!!!

GERMS!

I'm so sick of sickness!! Daniel, Mikey, Robert, and I have all been sick since Friday. Well, Thursday really. On Thursday, I had a UTI...not fun at ALL! Then Friday, Daniel and Mikey stayed out of school...they had strep. They started feeling better on Sat, but then Robert and I got sick and are still sick. Then last night, Daniel and Mikey started running fevers again. GRRR! I hate being sick! Being sick and going to work on top of that really sucks. Seems as though Robert, Daniel and Mikey are starting to feel better...Hope I'm feeling better in the morning. All I really want to do is sleep!! I just hope that Zach stays well!!!

Random thoughts.....

Tonight's blog entry will be just some random thoughts and such. First off, I did something today that suprised even myself. I climbed up a telephone pole, walked across another telephone pole and then flew down a zip line. This was all about 15 ft in the air. I have an insane fear of heights! I couldn't believe I did this, but I did. I was very proud of myself. My homeroom and my pair teacher's homeroom went on a field trip to a ropes course today. We had a blast. The kids, for the most part, behaved pretty well. Which basically means that no one got hurt. So today was an easy day for me...we were outside most of the day, which means that I didn't have a headache when I got home this afternoon for a change!! All in all it was a really good day.
Speaking of good days....the day that Matt comes home on leave for two weeks is drawing closer. The boys are excited about him coming home....as are we all. Even though Matt isn't my biological brother, I think of him as my brother. (He's the brother I never had, and I'm the sister he never wanted....hehehehe, just kidding, I hope!! :P ) Anyway, all kidding aside, I am so very proud of Matt. Now, I realize that I've only known him for about 1o years, but in those years, I've watched him grow and mature into a remarkable man. He has really grown up from the boy that I met when I first started dating Robert. He's just really an all around great guy.
And since I'm on the subject of great days, Robert and I had a really great weekend. The Hurricanes went to stay with Stacey and Steve Sat. night and Robert and I went out with some friends. It was so nice to just hang out and not have to chase after the boys. And miracle of miracles, Sunday we got to sleep late!!! WOOO-HOOO!! AND we got a NAP Sunday afternoon. AHHH, pure bliss!! It was great!
However, tomorrow is back to normal.....No field trips, no babysitters for the night...back to the everyday routine....Who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be a fairly good day in spite of all of that!

Counting my blessings

Although at the moment it is rather difficult not to pull my hair out (especially since the boys are fighting...AGAIN), I know that I have been so blessed in my life. I was raised by wonderful (for the most part :P )parents. I had the best grandparents in the world. As I grew into adulthood, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a great support system of friends and family who were always there for me. I'm fortunate to have had the same best friend since I was 4 years old. One of the greatest blessings of my life came to me in March of 1998 when I met my husband. Robert has been everything that I could have asked for and more in a partner. He's the most loving and sweetest man I've ever known....and yes, in my case the old adage is true...I did marry a man who reminded me of my father. And he has been a wonderful father to our boys. I'm constantly amazed at how much he does for and with them. And speaking of my boys....what little miracles they are. What other word could be used to describe beings that at one moment have me pulling my hair out and fully understanding why some species eat their young, and then in the blink of an eye can make my heart so full of love that it nearly bursts? I have been so fortunate to have had 3 happy, healthy children. It's very scary to think about all of the things that could have gone wrong during my pregnancies and the boys' babyhood and all of the things that might still go wrong. I may not realize it or acknowledge it at times, but I have so far in my life been very blessed and I'm thankful for it!

Baby, It's Cold Outside....

But the only place I'm seeing any snow is on my blog page! I LOVE living in the South, except for one thing.....It hardly ever snows! It hasn't snowed at my house in 6 years! My poor children have never seen snow, never made snow angels, never built a snowman, never had a snowball fight!! In fact, it rarely gets below freezing around here...a fact that I don't usually complain about b/c I'm not a fan of cold weather. But some snow would be nice. I'm not even asking for much...just maybe an inch, a half an inch. Just enough to have fun with. So, all of you who are getting bombarded with snow, think of me and maybe send just a little down this way!!

The Grinch, Part Deux

Well, the big day is almost upon us and so begins the rush rush rush to get everything done. Last minute gifts bought and wrapped, goodies baked, cards sent (which I didn't do this year...ooppss) and the ever present desire to make sure that the kids have the biggest and best that the season has to offer. But a funny thought occured to me as I was driving home from work the other day with all of the to-do's running through my head...I simply could not remember but maybe 4 or 5 of the gifts I'd gotten as a child.(Sorry Momma and Daddy!) When I think back on the Christmases of my youth (which was NOT all that long ago, thank you very much! ;) ) what I remember most is the traditions that my family had. On the night of Dec. 23rd, we would all get together at my Mamaw's house. The grownups would stay up late playing cards (Rook to be exact, a game that I learned to play as I got older and haven't played in a LONG time) and my cousins and I would make general nuisances of ourselves. And of course, there would be LOTS of snacking going on.....MMMM, sausage balls!! Then that night, (Christmas Eve Eve so to speak) Santa would come and visit us at my Mamaw's house. Christmas Eve was always "really" Christmas to me...Christmas Eve was Christmas at Mamaw's and if Christmas is all about where your heart is, well, Mamaw was (and still is) where my heart is. Not that I don't love going to my Granny's house, which is where we went on Christmas Day, but even now, when I think Christmas, I think Mamaw's. Of course, then there was Christmas morning at my house, which was probably the most wonderful part of Christmas b/c it was the part that I didn't have to share with anyone else...(This is where the Grinch comes out of me...) It was all about ME! (Ahh, what else would you expect from an only child, hehehe) But really, if the truth be known, the best thing about Christmas wasn't the gifts, or the decorations, or the food....it was the anticipation of Christmas. The time from Thanksgiving to Christmas, the time spent with family getting everything ready for the big day...That's the best part of Christmas. So this year, when Santa leaves the Hurricanes' toys and I'm looking and worrying that they don't seem to have much (YEAH RIGHT!!) I hope that I will remember the famous line from the Grinch movie...."Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe, just maybe, Christmas means a little bit more"