Branson Trip and more stuff

We just got back last weekend from our visit to Branson, Missouri. We went "just because" for a long weekend, and had alot of fun. We took the kids to an amusement park, Silver Dollar City, and to a show called Noah, the Musical. I wish I could show you all pics from Noah...that was so neat! There were no camera's allowed in the theatre so I don't have any pics except for this one of the kids standing outside the theatre:

We also went to a cool water and fire show the next night. DJ was really happy in this picture, by the way! "NO MORE PICTURES!!!"

Shortly before we went to Branson, we got a couple packages in the mail from Brad's mom with a bunch of stuff from Brad's childhood and college days. I wish I had a camera to get the expression on Brad's face when I pulled out his old Star Wars ship which was filled with all the little "guys" inside. He and Dylan had fun playing with it. Brad can't remember what he had for dinner last night, but he remembered all the names of each character, what movie they were from, if they were a good or bad guy, and what happened to them in the movie! Unbelievable!!!

Update #4: Weimaraner

Yeah!!!! I finally got the dog I have been wanting forever! She is adorable--her name is K.D. ("Katie") and she is a full-bred Weimaraner. We had to name her something original (and apparently, long) because that is how all the other names on her Pedigree are. So, we decided on Kori Delmira Garcia. Kori means "God's Peace" and Delmira means "Noble Protector". She is really a good puppy. We got her a little over a month ago and she is pretty much housebroken, walks without a leash (and doesn't run away!), and is overall a very laid back dog.

I started back for Fall semester around the same time the kids did. I got hired to do an externship position at the hospital that I will be working at after I graduate, so I will start that in a couple weeks probably. It's basically additional clinical experience that I will get a few bucks for. I need all the experience I can get before I am on my own as an RN so that I don't kill anyone!

Brad is applying for an Air National Guard position in Ft. Worth, TX that he hopes to get. It would just be the 'one weekend a month, 2 week a year' thing, but it's a better position that his reserve position that he is currently in here.

Now I think you are pretty much caught up on our lives...until next time!!!

Update #3: School Year Begins

Back to school--I totally love this time of year. We all know that my favorite season is Fall and I think that's why I love it...it's when the kids go back to school and get out of the house!!! No more, "Mommy, I'm bored!", no more "Mommy, Dylan won't stop touching me!", and no more wet tracks through the house from running in the sprinkler. Actually, I love having the kids around all Summer--they still go to daycare since I still have classes, but we do get to spend alot more time together than usual.

We did tons of boating this Summer. Brad and I went to Grand Lake for a week long getaway which was very nice. The kids are like fish in Lake Arbuckle--they absolutely love the water. We got to camp with our friends several times as well. Then, finally, school started. Dylan and Taylor both go to the same school now--Taylor is in all day Kindergarten and Dylan is in 1/2 day Pre-Kindergarten. Taylor was really excited, but a little concerned that she wouldn't be able to do the work--as if she wasn't smart enough or anything. This was back in August mind you...the other day she came home (about a month later) and said,

"Mom, I was so frusterated in school today!"

"Why?"

"Because our teacher made us do worksheet, after worksheet, after worksheet!"

"Did you have problem's with them?"

"No!"

"Then why were your frusterated?"

"Because I finished mine first every time, then I had to wait for everyone else...they take forever!"

Haha--guess she's not worried anymore!

Dylan was a little different (since it is his first time in "Big Boy School". The night before school started he was so worried that he didn't fall asleep until 11:30. He went to bed at 8:30 and tossed and turned. When I went to check on him this was our conversation,

"Dylan, what the matter?"

starting to cry, "I don't want to go to school!"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to ride the bus to daycare after school! I don't know how!"

(he's never been on a bus before)

"Dylan, the teacher is going to help you get on the bus, and make sure you are OK"

"Really?!?!"

"Of course! She won't let you get on the wrong bus, and you will recognize the bus driver because it will be Miss Misty from your daycare!"

"Miss Misty???"

"Yes."

"Oh boy! I can't wait to ride the bus!!!"

Haha! He was OK after that. The first two days went well, then he started with his attitude and the rest is history. He gets in trouble at least once a week for yelling or throwing a fit about something that doesn't meet his expectations. Same ol' same ol'.

Here's some pics from the first day...

Update #2: Chiari Malformation

Sometimes I get a little scared when I have to take DJ to the doctor...whether it be for an illness or a regular check up with his specialists. It literally seems like every time we go for what we think is going to be an average check up, we find out something else that is wrong with him...it really sucks.

I know, I know, life is not fair and I should quit whining.


DJ had an MRI this Summer for his headaches that he was having. It showed a new problem in his brain called a Chiari malformation. Without going into a ton of details, it is a problem where a portion of his brain (the cerebellum) is herniating through the opening in his skull that his spinal cord enters through. So, he had to go see his neuro surgeon, who ordered another MRI of his entire spine which showed the Chiari (again), but also showed a Syrinx. For those of you who don't have time to click the link...in a nutshell, it is a collection of cerebrospinal fluid on his spinal cord resulting from the Chiari. His brain is getting pushed into his spinal cord...great.


So, the surgeon wants to take a wait-and-see approach right now and continue with annual MRI's of his brain and spinal cord. This can be corrected with surgery, but it involves cutting away a portion of his skull to allow for movement of the cerebellum and drainage of the syrinx. If it worsens and is not treated, it can lead to muscle weakness, abnormal vision, severe headaches, and permanent paralysis.


Humph...Fabulous!!!


The neuro surgeon is almost positive that the shunts in Dylan's head (which artificially control the flow of fluid) caused this problem. I wonder sometimes how these parents do it that have kids with severe abnormalities like mental retardation or kids that have fatal cancer. I guess I have to think this way to make myself feel better and to keep in mind that my child is pretty lucky. It still makes me want to hurt that stupid babysitter.

Update #1 - DJ's Birthday

I am going to do a few separate updates for you guys since, once again, I have been neglecting this site! That way, you won't feel like you're reading on, and on, and on....

OK, so for this first one, we will go back to the end of June when my not-so-little guy turned 4. He had a pirate birthday party at the house and had a ton of fun. He was running around saying "Arrrrrgh, matey!!!" most of the day. He had a bunch of his friends there and got way too many gifts. In fact, he had so many to open that once he opened one, he would drop it, and rush to the next present without really even aknowledging it. It was pretty funny--he had a blast. We decorated mugs, played cannonball toss, and dug for buried treasure. Here's some pics...

How Many Stuffed Animals Does a Girl Need???

Taylor has become completely infatuated with stuffed animals. She has about 6 horses, 4 unicorns, a whale, a Dalmatian, and countless teddy bears of different sized and colors--all of which have a name and apparently feelings that get hurt very, very easily. Her new thing is to carry her "friends" with her everywhere. This actually is not such a new thing--she has been doing this for about a year and a half, but until recently, she only needed to carry one at a time. Just within the past couple weeks, she has started bringing these things everywhere! To the grocery store, church, daycare, the lake...everywhere! It wouldn't be so bad, except everywhere I turn, there is a stuffed animal...in my car, under her pillows, in Dylan's laundry hamper(???), etc, etc. You get the point. Anyway, for the last couple weeks, I have actually had to allot extra time when we go somewhere to allow her to round up all her precious friends, get them in the car, and manage to get her buckled in among of the sea of stuffed horses.

"Mommy, be careful of Sadie!"
"Oh, sorry" as I move a purple unicorn out of the way of the buckle.
"THAT'S NOT SADIE, MOMMY...THAT'S PRINCESS!"
"Oh, sorry, Sadie" (to the yellow bear)
"Mom (a little annoyed)...don't you remember who Sadie is???"
Me thinking, "Ummmm, nooooo. I can't keep all these damn things straight!"
Me saying, "Hmmm, well, I guess I forgot. Why don't you help me remember?"
"Duh, mom...she's the pink unicorn. Remember the one that I got when I was a baby?!?!"

Hmmm. My bad.

That was yesterday.

Today, I was running a little late. So, as I was trying to throw my lunch together, while brushing Dylan's teeth and buckling him up, pack up my computer, find the textbook that I fell asleep reading last night, and find my car keys and cell phone. So, when Taylor said for the third time, "Oh, Mommy, just a second, I forgot so-and-so" you can imagine how happy I was! So, on the way to daycare, I made a new family rule that only one animal could come along at a time.

You would have thought that I broke both of her ankles and made her run a mile. She wailed all the way to daycare. For a split second, I felt bad...until I opened the door to get her out and had to pick up the purple unicorn that fell out of the car. "See!!! I should not have to wade through stuffed animals to get you out of the car!" She just looked at me like I was the devil. She wouldn't give me a kiss goodbye either.

What a mean Mommy.

Dylan just sat in his seat and didn't say anything the whole way to daycare. It's like an unwritten rule between them that only one of them can throw a fit at a time--thank God!

There used to be a time that I said , "Stuffed animals are silly toys--kids don't even play with them." Not anymore. We can't seem to get enough in our house. Go figure.

I know, I know...it's been a long time! What can I say...I've had my head in my school books since my last post...literally...trying to learn this stuff through osmosis! (Or is it diffusion...whatever!)

However, I am happy to say that I have made it successfully through my first semester of nursing school! Round of applause please!!! 5 months down and 11 more to go, but who's counting? I ended up with a 3.82 GPA--stupid B in what should have been my "easy A" course! As Dylan would say, "Oooooohhh, Mommy said Stupiiiiid! I'm going to tell Daaaaaaddy!" Well, it was a stupid course and I'll say it again...stupid, stupid, stupid! Ahhh, that feels better.

I had to attend the graduation of the upper class on Friday evening and found out that we don't wear caps and gowns to the ceremony. Weird. It was just the ceremony for the nursing school, though, not the whole university so I wonder if we actually have to attend 2? For all this hard work (and the amount of money I am paying), they should pull me across the stage in a golden carriage...with me in a cap and gown!!! haha

Taylor is about to finish her first year of "Big Girl School" and is a little nervous about having to spend all day at daycare. Not that she doesn't do well there...she just really likes her teachers at school. She's also a little nervous already to start Kindergarten and get to know new teachers all over again. She is very much all about routines.

Dylan is even more all about routines. He has stated that he wants to be 3 "forever and ever!" because he doesn't want anything to change. He doesn't want to move up in his Sunday school room, he doesn't want to start Big Boy School, or anything else that may come with turning 4. He is feeling much better from his little hospital incident (for those of you who didn't know, DJ had to spend 5 days in the hospital a little while back due to a bacterial infection that they were having a little trouble diagnosing and treating). He has been successfully battling a cold and cough the past week and this morning he was coughing pretty good and I said, "Oh my goodness, are you OK?" He got this scared look on his face and said, "I'm fine, I'm fine...I don't need to go to the doctor!!!" I said, "OK, I wasn't going to take you to the doctor." He said, "Good because the doctor pokes me!" Apparently the hospital left a lasting impression this last time!

He is still getting in trouble at daycare, but not as much as before. He has kind-of figured out that it's not OK to hit...sort of...for the most part...when he feels like controlling himself. He had a note sent home the other day that expressed their displeasure after hearing the "F" word come out of his mouth. I can't imaging where he picked that one up...DADDY!!! Needless to say, Brad got an earful when he got home...DJ got an earful before he went to bed...and I haven't heard a complaint since. Not that I'm perfect...stupid, stupid, stupid! ;) Dylan will go for an MRI and his annual checkup with the neurologist the first week in June. We are still waiting to get him scheduled with the developmental specialist as his teacher has been dragging her feet getting her paperwork filled out. I would say that I would blog about all those results, but I will be back in school by then and may or may not have the time...I'll try!

Brad has decided that civilian employment is harder to get used to than he thought. Not that he hates it, but being active duty was much more comfortable for him. He also has 2 female bosses, which doesn't help matters any. He did, however, get contacted from a colonel at a reserve base in Ft. Worth who is hiring for traditional reservist spots, so he may take that opportunity to get in a reserve unit that he actually will get paid for. He is also getting very anxious to use the trailer and boat. We are going to get the boat out of winterization next weekend, then go camping for Memorial Day.

I think that is pretty much the extent of our lives. I know, it's not a lot of really super exciting stuff, but I kind of like it that way! School starts again on the 19th and clinicals start on the 22nd and will be twice per week. I will be on the Medical-Surgical floor where they say I will get to see a little bit of everything. Wish me luck!

Easter and Spring Break

Spring break was last week and it was a much needed break from classes. I got some studying done the first 3 days, then we went down to visit our friends in Texas for Easter weekend. The weather was so nice--finally SPRING! We had a really good weekend. On Friday, Brad and I took Taylor, Dylan, and Amanda (our friend,s daughter) to the Fort Worth Zoo. It was like 80 degrees--our first really nice day--and the kids were dying hot in their long sleeves and pants! Ooops! It really didn't bother Dylan because he got to see all his favorite animals, for real! His favorite was the Scarlet McCaw and he was cracking up when he saw it, he was so happy!

On Saturday, we went to an Arboretum called Dallas Blooms and got to see some real signs of Spring. It was gorgeous! The kids got to run barefoot in the grass and we got a ton of pictures.

Then, of course, Sunday was Easter, so the kids hunted for Easter eggs.

So, like I said, it was a nice break. Now I am back at it. We have 2 quizzes and 2 tests this week...the teachers sure planned that good! Semester is over half done (thank God), then we jump into Summer school. Summer is supposed to be our hardest semester, so we'll see.

Going ons...

Just takin' a study break (cuz I my head is always in a book now, I only take breaks when the dishes start to pile up in the sink and my kitchen floor has more footprints than clean spots on it!) It's a dang good thing I am not trying to work right now...I would have flunked out! Seriously though, school is going really good. I haven't gotten less than 90% on anything so far (praise God!), so I am in good shape to take a break and blog for a sec! And because I was getting a little frustrated because no one would leave me alone to study. It's Sat., so everyone is home.

Taylor loves to be in the office because she can "work" on her scrapbook and sticker books. My desk is right next to hers, mainly because she still loves to just be in the same room with me, and about every 29 seconds she starts talking. Sometimes it's to me, sometimes to herself, sometimes she starts singing, but OMG! When I am trying to read a pharmacology book and memorize the 132 different types of drugs to treat the common cold, it's enough to make me crazy! It's kind of cute when I'm not trying to concentrate, but jeez...do we really need to hear our own voices that often???

Then there is Dylan and he loves to be in the same room with me too. He has found an affinity for playing games on the internet (you know the ones that correspond to his favorite cartoons), so he sits at the desk on the other side of Taylor (yes, we have 3 desks in our office), and all I can hear is the theme music to "The Backyardigans" and him going, "Oh mannnn!" or "Moommmmmeeeeeee...I can't get him to jump (climb, race, whatever)!" so I have to stop (because if I don't, then I have to deal with an eruption, which takes even longer) and help him for the next 28 seconds. This morning though, he discovered my ipod and wanted to listen to it. My ears are a bit bigger than his, so the headphones wouldn't stay in, so he kept getting mad, I would have to adjust them, he'd get mad, more adjustments, more getting mad, etc...etc...etc! Heaven forbid he use his own headphones with it....that would just be unacceptable!

Then my husband, sweet, loving Bradley, who tries so hard to help, but, bless his heart, doesn't understand that at this point ANY interruption is an interruption. He keeps coming in the office, opening the door ever so quietly, tip-toeing in, waiting for me to acknowledge is presence (even though secretly I always hope somehow I became invisible), and he whispers something at me. Like whispering is going to help!!! Does he really think that if he whispers, maybe I can keep concentrating on one thing and respond to him at the same time?!?! Oh yeah, and even if he is quiet and it's just me and him in the office, he bangs on the keyboard on the computer when he types. I never realized he had this habit before! I'm amazed that I have not had to replace the keyboard yet. It's the funniest thing (sometimes)...as he types, he doesn't just push the keys, he plunks on them, ALL! It sounds like it's hailing behind me!

So, I love my family, but I have to go to the library on the weekends if I want to study! O-well. I must say though, after getting frustrated and barking this morning, "Can I just have an hour to read?!" Brad took the kids to play at McDonalds. Ahhhh, peace and quiet!

I have learned alot since I started...like I can now administer oxygen correctly via nose tube, mask, or through a tracheostomy. I can insert a Foley and straight catheter, I know how to maintain sterile environments to work in, take vitals, listen to breath sounds for lower respiratory problems and I can assess the head, nose, and throat for upper respiratory problems. Some of those things I was doing as an athletic trainer...but as I know now...I wasn't doing all of them correctly! Oooops! We start clinicals in early April so that will be exciting.

Taylor is going to start playing Soccer this month. She is really excited and Dylan is really jealous. He's not quite old enough yet though. I'm thinking about letting her play t-ball as well, but we'll see how much time soccer takes up...since I have so little extra time these days.

Brad is getting anxious (as am I) to get the boat out of winterization and start going to the lake. Not sure how much time this summer I will have to do that, but hopefully we will get to go a couple times a month or so.

Here are some recent pics of the kids...Taylor's winter clothes lasted her the winter, but she is starting to already grow out of some of the pants...that girl has long legs! Dylan, my little shortie, can still wear some of his 24 month pants (he is 3 1/2)!

Taylor and I at the Museum of Natural History for her last field trip. That is a replica of a mammoth behind us.

This is Taylor with one of her

Pre-K teachers, Ms. Leslie

And of course, my two guitar heros!

Toot My Own Horn...

I took my first test last week...you know the one that I thought I was going to have a small myocardial infarction over...the first test of the semester is always the hardest because you don't know whether the teacher is going to ask questions that are out of the small print of the appendix of the book (which no one ever reads, of course), or if she's going to ask what color your shoes are and why you picked them. Anyway, the questions were very relevant to the readings (thank God!) and I ended up getting a 95% on it! Nice way to start the program! I took another test this last Wednesday and haven't gotten the grade yet, so keep your fingers crossed.

Dylan is, however, still not doing well. He is completely out of sorts about this whole daycare thing. He completed his first week at the new place and ended up with an incident report written up today for hitting his teacher. Do I have a demon child, or what?!?! When we ask him, "Why did you do that?" all he says is "I don't know!" The teachers report is that she was trying to wipe his face off as the majority of his snack was smeared across it. She said she thought it was an accident, but he was yelling at her pretty loudly. What the heck am I going to do if he gets kicked out?!?! He's a good kid, he just lacks the whole concept of respect...for anyone! It's really quite bizarre.

Are You Still There????

My goodness...it's been forever since I last blogged. Are you all still around?!?! Sorry I haven’t updated this lately…seems to be a recurrent theme lately. For the last 3 weeks, I have been eating, sleeping, and dreaming about nursing school. Literally…the other night I dreamt that I walked into my classroom for an exam that was just finishing…with no retake available! I used to have dreams like this in undergrad all the time…my God, now they are haunting me again! You know those kind, where you wake up frantic and breathing hard trying to focus on the clock to see if you are late or not? When I finally realized that I was dreaming, I laid back down and began rehearsing—again—what was going to be on the test I was going to take the next day. I’m too old for this!

Maybe its because if I don’t get at least 75%, I risk having to retake the whole course and delaying graduation. Yeah, that’s what I need…let’s make this program even longer than 16 months! That sounds fun!

Really, we haven’t done a whole lot in school—other than read, read, and read some more. The amount of reading we have to do is insane. Of course it might help if I didn’t read at a snails pace…a snail who has no short term memory, forcing me to read the same paragraph 6 times! O-well.

Other updates…let’s see…Taylor has adapted remarkably to this whole daycare thing. She doesn’t seem to mind at all and really likes her new friends that she has made. She even got moved up to the 5 year old class because she was doing so well. She’s the easy kid! Now, Dylan, as we all know, is a completely different story. He cries at the mention of “school”. He screams like someone is torturing him every day when I drop him off. Then when I go pick him up, he is excited to show me what he did that day and tell me all about how much fun he had! Weird kid! Needless to say, I am still overly protective of him and switched him to the same daycare that Taylor is in (they were in different ones because his was supposed to be so interactive and good for those kids who may not be ready to go to Preschool right away). I wasn't getting a really good vibe from his childcare and was doing too much worrying about him, so hopefully, he will start enjoying it more.

So anyway, if the posts are few and far between, I will try to do better (really, that's the breaks, but, errrrr, I didn't say that!) School, right now, is taking up all my spare time—literally! The time that I do have, I try to play with the kids or actually talk to my husband. Don’t worry though, when I start working with blood and guts, I will be sure to post!

OH YEAH…I almost forgot…the mascot of Oklahoma City University is the Stars. Yep, that’s right, I truly am the “star” I always knew I was! Can you say “SUPERSTAAAAAAAR”!!!

What a stupid mascot! You’re telling me that they couldn’t dream up anything better than the Stars? Since we live in Oklahoma, something along the lines of the “Tornados”, or “Cattle Prodders”, or “Tumbleweeds” would have been more appropriate, don’t-cha think?! Any other suggestions?!?!

Started the New Routine

So, yesterday I started classes with that little butterfly in my stomach flapping wildly. Who knows why...it's not like it's my first class, ever! I only had 2 yesterday--professional nursing and pharmacology. Professional nursing isn't going to be too bad, but after sitting in Pharmacology for the first 30 min, I knew right away I was going to be in for it. The little "bible" of drugs is like 3 inches thick and we have to be able to talk about the drug, dosage calculation, administration, side effects, adverse effects (I thought these were the same thing for crying out loud), and of course conditions that the drugs treat. Not to mention the weekly, busy work assignments, mounds of reading, and studying a whole book just dedicated to the math behind dosage calculation. Uggg...here we go!

So, I can memorize pretty much anything...I think the butterfly's come from the thought of actually applying and being able to spit back out the material when it really counts--with patients. It's a good thing clinicals don't start for a couple months.

Dylan and Taylor both started their daycare's yesterday. They both were picked up with good reports. Dylan, I think, likes his, but doesn't like the idea of not being with Mommy. He cried hard when he saw me when I came to get him...almost like, "Oh, I'm so happy that you came back for me" type of cry. Like, did he really think I wouldn't?! Then, this morning he cried getting dressed and kept saying, "I no need to go back to school anymore!" I'm sure that will get better.

Taylor got a kick out of riding the bus to her daycare. They pick her up after school in a "short bus" and take her back to the daycare. She said that was her favorite part! Unfortunately, she gets there right at lunchtime, so she doesn't have a chance to explore her classroom. Right after lunch, they lay down for a nap, then they got up, ate a snack, and went outside to play. She said that the nap was the worst part and she "cried a little because she missed me". She hasn't had to lay down at nap time for months, so she is not the least bit happy about that situation! She didn't sleep but her teacher let her read books which was nice. Today, I sent her favorite blanket and one of her stuffed animals to keep her company. I also taught her how to count sheep in her head to help her try to fall asleep--she thought that was pretty funny!

Anyway, I am going to the gym now (finally, I have time to do that!) Maybe I can keep my butt from getting any larger having to sit and read all the time!

Show Me the Money!

God works in mysterious ways...

This morning, I got email notification that I was approved for a loan to cover the entire cost of the 16 months that I will be in school. Good news. Now, all I have to do is e-sign the document and it will go through and be sent off to my school. Easy.

I decided that I better print a copy of the file before I hit 'send', just so that I have a copy for my file. Crud, my wireless printer is on the fritz so I have to change computers. I get all logged on to the site on the other computer, hit the "view and sign document" button and I get a pop-up blocked message. No big deal...I can fix that. Try again...another pop up. Now you can imagine that signing financial documents--especially for this much money--electronically, is a sensitive matter for the bank. So, after 2 pop-ups, I am locked out of the system and no longer even able to e-sign! CRAP! Now it's going to take like a week to get my money transferred to my school. I will be that student that goes to class without paying...is that like stealing, I wonder?

So, after thinking that I fixed the problem for good, I call the bank and ask them to please re-send the document so that I can try again. "Sorry Mrs. Garcia, but that's not possible." Of course it's not...I should have known! Silly me for thinking the bank had control over it's own documents! He said that I have to print it, sign it, and send it in. OH FINE!!!

So I go to print the pdf file...it's secured, read only, and non-printable! I proceeded to spend the next 2 hours on the phone with a computer guy from the bank trying to figure out how to make this document appear on my screen, without triggering the pop-up blocker (which was still turned off, mind you) and with a print option. Sooooooo frustrating! It was 5 min. to 11 am--I had to pick up Taylor from school in 10 min. and I still had not taken a shower, Dylan was not dressed, and I had no document. Arrrrgggg!!! So, I of course, picked up the phone and barked at Brad to enlighten me as to how many pop-up blockers he actually had on this computer and why he had his security setting so high. "There's 2...I think." MY GOD!!!

At that, I turned both computers off, got DJ dressed and left to get Taylor. When we got home, the kids ate lunch while I showered, I took them to a sitter, and I went to my orientation meeting at school. When we got home this afternoon, I was preparing to tackle the computer problem, now that I was calmer, but decided to check the mail first. Guess what I found?!?!

FINANCIAL AID PAPERS FOR THE FULL AMOUNT FOR THIS FIRST SEMESTER!!! After being told to get a loan in order, because I probably would not receive financial aid, and going through the frantic mess this morning to get my school paid for, all I really needed to do was relax and trust that God would make it happen! Weird huh? I ended up receiving two federal loans--one that I don't have any interest accruing till after graduation, and one that I will pay just the interest while in school. We felt a big weight being lifted this evening as we calculated how much we would save in interest payments alone! Shew!

So I guess I learned today to just relax a little, and trust that things will work out in the end. There is always a plan--I just wish sometimes the plan would fall into place a little quicker! Everything happens for a reason!

Feel like I'm preparing to hibernate...

Sorry guys...it's been a long time since I posted. I feel kinda like that squirrel on Ice Age...you know, the one who scrambles around trying to collect all of his nuts before the big meltdown and funny things keep happening to him along the way. Love that squirrel--so dang funny! Anyway, I have been trying to get my house all back in order now that I am done with daycare...MY GOD I have alot of stuff for those kids! My kids will be painting and playing with playdough until they are 30! In fact, Taylor is painting as we speak! I thought rainbows were multicolored...not just pink. O-well!

So, the 4 of us got some money for Christmas and we pooled it together and got a Wii from Ebay. We also got the game Guitar Hero III. All I have to say is Brad and I are both total ROCK STARS!!! That game is so fun! Here we are playing...

Here is what my alter ego looks like on screen--total rock star I'm tellin' ya!


I have to say, this game is soooooo fun and sooooooo addictive! Brad has stayed up late every night this week playing and is almost through level 2--there are 4 levels total with like 50 songs in each level! We must look so funny--two adults jamming to what's probably supposed to be a kids game! I wish that Nintendo would hurry up and make Rock Star for the Wii because I totally want to jam on the drums!

Dylan and Taylor are equally happy with the Wii--they both love bowling and Taylor loves to play this game where she's racing a cow against her brother. It's so funny--you can make the cow run and jump and you're supposed to knock down the scarecrows along the way. Well, Taylor isn't too bad, but Dylan's poor cow looks like it's having spasms the whole game and makes the sick moo-ing noises to boot! Sometimes he just jumps down the whole trail--pretty cute! Here are pics of them boxing--DJ is better at this game than me (so sad!):















So, other than getting beat by a 3 year old and rocking out all week, I have been trying to tie up loose ends that need to get done before school starts. I had to get a flu shot...but it wasn't a shot...I had to snort some nasty stuff up my nose, I had to get my blood drawn to prove that I had the chicken pox when I was 4, I have scheduled an optometry appt. to make sure I'm not blind before Brad really does get out of the military, I've been trying all week to get DJ scheduled for his CT and MRI (which should have been done a month ago) but the doctor's nurse lost the paperwork, then referred him to a place that does not do pediatric MRI's (smart!), so I have been trying to do her work for her this week. I vow to not be retarded when I am a nurse! I had to go to my school twice to complete paperwork and we have been going back and forth with the bank all week securing a loan so that I actually can start classes on Monday.


Financial Aid will not give me any money for school because, get this, apparently I have too many credits already. SHEESH...I mean really...what's wrong with going back to school after I've already gone for 8 years and have 2 degrees?!?! The nerve!!! hehe There's a bunch of other stuff going on that all seems to be blurring together that really wasn't all that important anyway. But needless to say, I haven't updated the blog lately because I've been gathering my nuts, I mean getting things in order, before school starts!



Oh yeah, almost forgot. Just when I think Dylan is going to grow up to be the bully who can't read but beats kids up for their chocolate pop tarts, he does something cool. I told you a while back that he can recognize all his letters, right? Well, today he and I were naming off letters in a book and he was telling me the sound that they all make! Then, he traced the whole alphabet, correctly! I know, I know...no one likes a parent who brags about her kids...but really...given the circumstances, I think it's pretty cool! I didn't think he would care about that stuff, but he was totally into it! Go DJ!