Because I'm The Mommy!

Branson Trip and more stuff

2008-10-29T13:39:00.006-05:00

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

2008-09-27T10:18:00.003-05:00

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

2008-09-27T09:43:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-24T13:48:00.005-05:00

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

2008-09-24T13:24:00.007-05:00

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???

2008-06-10T13:13:00.002-05:00

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.

2008-05-11T10:30:00.002-05:00

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

2008-03-25T15:28:00.007-05:00

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...

2008-03-01T15:23:00.004-06:00

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...

2008-02-08T20:48:00.000-06:00

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????

2008-02-04T14:37:00.000-06:00

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

2008-01-15T11:04:00.000-06:00

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!

2008-01-11T21:55:00.000-06:00

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...

2008-01-10T15:22:00.000-06:00

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!

I'm DOOOONE!!!!!

2007-12-31T13:12:00.000-06:00

WOO HOO!!! YIPEEEEEE!!! YAHOOOOOO!!!!

As of today, I am DONE with Daycare!!! I will miss some of my little ones but it's time to move on to bigger and better things! Bring on 2008 and Happy New Year!

Jeez, now what will I have to write about? Stay tuned for gross nurse tales! Hee Hee

Christmas

2007-12-27T10:17:00.001-06:00

Well, another Christmas passed. It was a great one this year. The kids are getting to be so cute at Christmas time. Taylor got the digital camera and doll she asked Santa for and Dylan got the animal computer he wanted plus a drum set...I know, I know...I'm totally crazy! Maybe he'll bang on the drums now instead of banging on other kids! I think Brad may actually like them as much (if not more) than Dylan!

Taylor has been busy taking pictures of EVERYTHING in the house. By 10:00 am on Christmas morning, she already had about 130 pictures taken! Good thing she got extra memory to go with it. If we ever have a fire, all I will have to grab is her camera to document all the items we once had for the insurance company--down to the last Christmas decoration! It doesn't take great pics, but she's had a ton of fun with it already!

My Mom and her fiancee Vern are visiting with us this year which has been really nice. We went downtown one evening and rode the ferry at Bricktown.

It snowed twice so far this season, but it only stuck around for a couple hours each time. Just long enough for the kids and I to build a snowman.

Brad's First Day

2007-12-14T15:05:00.000-06:00

Brad started his new job this last Monday...at least his orientation class for his new job started. Isn't he handsome in his nice new clothes?!?!

Can't tell yet how it's going to be since this is just the orientation part...updates coming, I'm sure.

Have you all heard about the weather happenin' in the great midwest that I live in?!?! Such a nice part of the country! In the Spring we have tornadoes, in the Summer we almost die from heat stroke and humidity, in the Fall, well, that's the best part of the year, and in the Winter, we have below freezing temps with snow and, my favorite part...ICE STORMS!!!

On Sunday night, it began with freezing rain. School was closed on Monday and Brad was delayed 2 hours. Hee Hee--yeah, nice break...until...

At noon we lost power! I'm in the house, doing daycare like normal...no big deal...surely it will come back online momentarily, or by the end of the day at the very least! Turns out there were 4 power poles that completely went down and one that was almost snapped in half! We finally got someone out to work on the lines Saturday and we had power by Saturday evening! However, my husband being the skilled "man" that he is, rigged up a generator that powered the majority of the house while we waited for them to fix the lines. (By "man" I of course mean the impatient, un-adaptable, great mechanic type). Midway through the day on Tuesday (not even 24 hours later, mind you) he had commandeered not one, but two generators and by that night we had heat. Guess all 4 of us sleeping on the living room floor together in front of the fire wasn't his idea of a good nights rest--can't imagine why?!?! Here are some pics of them working on the lines:

Don't get me wrong, I love him to death and I am very grateful that he is soooo skilled at stuff like this and we were able to have heat during the 30 degree weather. It just cracks me up that he went to work all day on Tuesday (with heat) and me and the kids put on sweatshirts and went about our day. Then not even an hour after being home was complaining of it being chilly! Hee Hee--He ended up hard wiring another circuit breaker box in the garage especially for the generator so that it would function safely and we can put it outside to avoid the carbon monoxide coming in the house (minor details) :-).

So my question is...do men just come with this knowledge? I mean, I would have like ummm, NO IDEA what to do with a generator! Let alone the ponytail-like mess of colorful wires he was working on to wire a new circuit breaker box (is that even the right name for it?!?!) Is this an added feature to boys when they are born--no periods and an insane amount of knowledge for the happenings of a garage?!?! Is this why their brains can only manage one task at a time?!?! Sorry guys...I'm really just giving you a hard time as I am actually a little jealous that I don't have these little hidden talents! Now, can you wire the toilet seat to either come down by itself or wipe itself off after you are finished?! That would be great, thanks!

Here Comes Santa Claus!

2007-12-07T15:19:00.000-06:00

The kids got a visit from Santa today at a holiday party that I coordinated for all the childcare providers on Tinker...DJ was the first to jump on his lap!

DJ asked Santa to bring him a Go Diego Go Animal Computer, and Taylor asked for a real pink digital camera. They are not wavering this year, BOY! They both know exactly what they want the big man to bring them!

Brrrrrrrr...

2007-12-06T07:44:00.000-06:00

We went outside yesterday, and Dylan finally realized that it was getting colder...he pulled his hands inside his jacket and exclaimed, "Mommy, my hands are freezing!" So, I pulled out his mittens for him.

A little later Taylor's friend came over for a playdate with a stocking hat on. DJ waited patiently while the kid took off his coat and hat, hung them up, then proceeded to run and steal the hat, put it on and run around the house going, "Brrrrrr Mommy, it's cold!!!" So, I dug out the only winter hat I could find of his (the one that makes him look like Elmer Fudd hunting for 'rascaly rabbits').

I said, "All you need now is a scarf."

DJ, "Ooooh, Ooooh, I know!!!" running away.

He came back with Taylor's scarf around his neck. So, here is my son running around the house in mittens, a winter hat, and a scarf. Think maybe I should turn up the heat?!?! He loved the items so much, that he took them to bed with him (of course), and would not lay down unless he had all the items in place. Here's how he fell asleep...

By the way, we finally got around to painting his room. The jagged edge between the two colors is nice, huh? We ran out of blue half way through and they didn't have any more in the clearance bin, so we went with green. HA, just kidding--we chose blue and green to go with his Diego theme. Soon, there will be a border up that has Diego and his friends on it, and I'm still looking for really big animal applique's to go up as well. Should be pretty cute when it's all done.

Taylor doesn't have a whole lot to report these days, which is actually pretty nice. She has been very low maintenance lately, surprisingly. We decorated our tree this last weekend, and she had a ball pulling out all the ornaments and helping me clump them all around the bottom foot of the tree. A light bulb came on when I suggested that maybe she reach up instead of down to put the ornaments on the branches above her--then she managed to spread them out a little!

So Brad's last day as an active duty Air Force member is Friday. He will go into work on Monday, at the same desk, but in a tie instead of BDU's. I haven't really posted much about the going-on's with him because we weren't sure what was going on. But since it's final, I suppose I should let you all in on what's happenin'. For those of you who don't know, Brad took a civilian job in the Air Logistic's Center here in Oklahoma City (still on Tinker AFB) and will basically be doing the same kind of work he has been doing for the last year or so. He goes on terminal leave Monday (relax, he's not dying), but will actually still be employed by the Air Force until Jan. 29th when his employment as a Major will officially end. The man never took day's off, so he's got almost 60 days of leave saved up that he has to use before he gets out! No wonder he claims to be "stressed out" all the time. Men are such babies, I swear!

So, looks like we will be staying put for awhile. Since that is the case, I will start Nursing school on Jan. 14th--which is something I (we) have been wanting for quite a while, but the timing just never worked out. Maybe now we can plant some roots!

Comic Relief

2007-12-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

Quick update: DJ is doing fine and his headaches seem to be getting a little better. We will have his blood tested to make sure that it is not related to hypoglycemia (or other blood disorders) in the next couple days, and we are still waiting to hear when we will be scheduled for the imaging studies.

Now, since the blog has been a little "blah" lately...here are some fun items for you to ponder. Upon looking for the perfect gift for a few people via online catalogs, I came across some items that, how do you say it...have a personality all their own! Some of these I actually found in catalogs, some I saw on another blog. I wondered briefly about the people who came up with these ideas. I pondered, while chuckling, at the person who would buy these things. Here you go...

1. The Day Cl ock...For that special someone in your life that can't remember what day it is...Now, I know we all joke about this, but what a better gift than the day clock for the special Alzheimer's patient in your life?

2. The Butthead Game...the name says it all! How about I get this for ya, we can strap on those stylish caps, and see if we can peg each other in the head? Maybe we can make the fabulous expression like the kid in the picture too!

3. The Dog Doo Candle...Because nothing is better on the Christmas dinner table than the fragrant aroma of dog doo. And so realistic looking at that!

4. The Camping Jumpsuit...now really, what wardrobe would be complete without the good looking and comfortable addition of a full length jumpsuit? It comes with a half-belt even...in case you want to just think about using a belt!

5. Equate...The math equivalent to Scrabble...as if that stupid game wasn't hard enough trying to come up with words out of a handful of letters...now I have to solve equations??? For the love of God, WHY?

6. The Extra Friendly Dog...ROFLMAO!!!! As if the real thing was not bad enough...battery operated for hours of ... pleasure?!?!

7. Don't Break the Bottle...It's a puzzle contraption that you put on your wine, oil, or vinegar gift, that is supposed to be fun trying to get off. Sounds like a good gift to give to your enemy with a note that says, "HAHA, have fun trying to get your gift out, Shmuck!"

8. Nose Aerobics...last but not least, my favorite. For the person on your list with a fat nose, this is the perfect gift! What could be more fun than trying to get a tiny ball into a basket hanging 6 inches in front of your nose?!?! And the glasses...whew, sexy baby!

Update on DJ

2007-11-30T13:29:00.000-06:00

We went to the Opthamologist yesterday afternoon and he determined that there was no pressure on DJ's optic nerve, or any other eye problems that would cause him to have headaches.

We went to the neurologist this morning--really like that lady, BTW (probably because she's a nurse practitioner and not a full-fledged doctor!) Dylan really likes her too. He gave her a big hug hello and goodbye. She ordered a shunt series (CT scan and abdominal x-ray) and an MRI of his brain. She's not sure what would be causing the headaches, but figured that in order to find out, we needed a peek inside the little guy. They will have to sedate him for both and we probably won't get them for another month or so as they are very backed up. Apparently, the hospital that DJ goes to is one of two in the whole state that will do sedated scans.

Happenings around our house

2007-11-29T14:31:00.000-06:00

I guess I should have titled this one, 'Happenings with Dylan' since things are beginning to stir with him all of the sudden. He has been a little under the weather lately, I think catching what the rest of us had with the coughing, runny nose, etc., but nothing that has really kept him down. (Haven't figured out yet exactly what keeps this kid down). Anyway, about a week ago, he started crying about his head hurting. That was on Thanksgiving...of course during a long weekend when the doctor is out of the office! Doesn't it always happen that way?

Anyway, we figured it was the same thing that we had been dealing with as well (congestion, sinus pressure, etc.) so we got some cold/sinus medicine and took him to the doctor on Monday. She agreed that it was probably sinuses and put him on antibiotics. She also mentioned that she was concerned about his previous history and the new headaches. GREAT! In my gut, I really didn't think the two were related, but since Monday, it's all I can think about. "Are his shunts failing?", "Does he have a kink in a tube?", "Is his brain OK?", "I hate that stupid ass baby sitter!" etc. etc.

Everything has been pretty much OK, except that he has been having headaches in the evening and when he goes to bed. The last few nights, his headaches have woken him up at night, crying. So, I called the pediatrician back and she promptly got us back in plus scheduled him to see the neurologist and opthamologist again. We are waiting to hear from the neuro surgeon.

This is all pretty much preventative, but we would like to know what is causing the headaches so that we can treat them properly. Poor little guy. During the day, however, you sure can't tell there was anything wrong with him the night before. He is just as spunky and honery as ever, running around the house screaming, "ARRRGGGHH Mateys!" with his pirate hat and hook which are ready to disintegrate from being worn so much! He cracks me up!

Early Holiday Cheer

2007-11-21T12:40:00.000-06:00

HAHAHAHAHA! You have watch this...Kim just sent it to me--too dang hilarious!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9566945110

The closed lip smile

2007-11-21T11:06:00.001-06:00

A while back, Taylor was getting ready in the morning to go to school to get her school pictures taken for the very first time. She was really excited and was letting me fix her hair pretty when I said, "How are you going to smile in your picture?"

Big mistake....huge!

She grinned at me and all I saw were her gums, every tooth in her mouth, her chest was stuck out and her eyes were like little slits! Ohhhhh nooooo! So, what did I do? I walked her out in the kitchen to show daddy how she was going to smile. She did the same thing for him. He looked at me, back at her, then at me as if to say, "Ummmm, how do we tell our daughter she looks terrible when she smiles like that?"

So, we tried to explain to her that she doesn't have to smile quite so big. So she smiled normal but her eyes were still slits. Then we tried the 'open your eyes when you smile' so then she had a silly grin with bug eyes. Oh lord, why did I ask in the first place?!?! Finally, we said, "Honey, just smile normal and you will be fine."

Here's what came home the other day--really not so bad--could've been much worse...

When she got them, she said, "See Mommy, my eyes were open!" I said, "That's great, but why didn't you show your teeth?" "Because in order to keep my eyes open, I couldn't smile big!" Like DUH MOM!!!

So what do you think...keep them, or retakes?

Pecked by chickens

2007-11-18T10:53:00.001-06:00

The family is finally starting to feel better. Brad came home from Washington DC with a cold/cough so now we all have officially had a touch of it. I came across the quote recently and I about died laughing: "Having children is like being pecked to death by chickens". LOL! That is totally how I felt at some points last week! I love my kids to death, but it is a bit like a pecking chicken having to listen to,

Taylor: "Mommy, look at my new sticker!"
Me: "Umm, is it that one?"
Taylor: "No, I just moved that one. It's this one!"
Dylan: "Mommy I hungry."
Me: "Okay honey, just a second."
Taylor: "Mooommmmeeeeeee! Are you listening?!?!"
Me: "Yes, of course honey. That's a really pretty sticker!"
Dylan: "Mommy, I want a Pop Tart. A brown one."
Me: "DJ, we are out of brown Pop Tarts, but we have pink ones."
Dylan: "NOOOOOOOO!!! I NEEEEEED A BROWN ONE!"
Me: "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't just create one. It will have to be pink or you can choose something else."
Taylor: "Mom, can you turn on my Barbie DVD. Oh yeah, and can I have some more milk?"
Dylan: now crying and stomping his feet, "BUT MOOOOOOOM!!!"
Taylor: "Hey Mom? Can you get my puzzle out of my closet for me?"
Me: "But I thought you wanted to watch Barbie."
Taylor: "No, I changed my mind."
Me: "Well OK, here's your milk."
Taylor: "But I wanted juice!"
Me: silently thinking to myself, "Hmmmm, did she ask for juice and I just thought she said milk?" "Milk is better for you, drink this anyway."
Dylan: teetering on a stool to reach the top shelf in the pantry where the pop tarts are kept, "OK, fine!"
Me: note to self -- move pop tarts to lower shelf.

and on, and on, and on! It's almost comical as I sit here and type it! If they weren't so darn cute, it would be a little maddening! Can't help but love them!

We are currently preparing to have our great friends, the Aldridges, up for Thanksgiving. They are going to spend the long weekend with us. I was totally happy to hear that they prefer to have prime rib over turkey--I really don't care too much for turkey (I know, weird). Not to mention that the leftovers stink up the fridge after like a day. And, if you don't like prime rib, you're just un-American. So, they are bringing up the beef and today I got almost 5 pounds of king crab legs to go with it! I'm doing a little jig, just thinkin' about it! Yummy!

On a more serious note, I do want to take the time to tell you all how thankful I am that you are in my life! Either friend or relative, you all mean alot to me, and I hope you know how much you are appreciated! I hope all of your Thanksgiving celebrations are happy and filled with the people you love!

Marriages--what not to say

2007-11-14T13:12:00.000-06:00

Here's a funny video I just saw on another blog--enjoy!

Wedding Invitation

2007-11-14T12:49:00.000-06:00

What would you do if you ever got a wedding invitation like this??? Or better yet, if it was your mom who did it?!?! LOL!

Feelin' Yucky

2007-11-13T16:42:00.001-06:00

For the last couple weeks, Taylor has had a cough at night. Not all day, just when she lays her head down to go to sleep. Occasionally, she starts coughing while she's playing outside but, for the most part, it's only at night. It has gotten so bad, that she coughs so hard that it makes her throw up. Last week, that happened like 4 times. The next morning, she wakes up and proceeds through her day, just fine. Weirdest thing! Anyway, I took her to the doctor today and she did a chest x-ray which came back unremarkable (thank God). She also prescribed a new inhaler that is supposed to be longer acting until this whole thing subsides. The doctor thinks it's just the weather getting colder and all the Oklahoma dust. She said that she's wheezing a little and is probably in a bit of respiratory distress. I hate it when one of them doesn't feel good.

Brad went to DC yesterday for a conference. He is having fun, but it sounds like he's not able to get out in the city and see anything because of the conference. Sunday evening before he left he realized that he didn't have any dress slacks to take with him so he went shopping for a pair of pants.........he came back 6 hours later with 2 suits, 5 shirts, 5 ties, 11 pairs of pants, and 6 pairs of socks!!! Yep, that's my husband! Gotta love 'im! I wonder what would happen if I went out and said, "I just need to get some more adhesive for this scrapbook page." and came home with a whole new set up supplies? Hmmmmm, I don't think I would like to find out!

It also would seem that every time Brad goes out of town, I get sick. I went to bed last night in sweats and a long sleeve shirt and still had to put 2 extra blankets on the bed because I had the chills so bad. It's like someone is looking in, laughing, saying I wonder how much she can take? I keep taking ibuprofen in the hopes that my head won't explode and I will stop breathing fire from my throat. In the meantime, I keep asking myself, why now, do the kids want to crawl all over me and ask me to read story after story after story? O-well, this too shall pass! I'm starting to realize that I only have a couple more months staying home with the kids, so I don't mind reading a ton of books!

Name Calling

2007-11-07T11:58:00.000-06:00

Taylor was so excited to go to school today to show all her friends her new outfit and was in such a good mood. When I went to pick her up this afternoon, she was crying. Apparently, a couple of the kids were "calling her names". Come to find out, they were rhyming her name, not calling her names. They were saying, "Taylor, Baylor". Now, who knows, for a 4 year old, this can actually be a name with a negative meaning--Taylor sure thought so. I got my first dose of kids being cruel and hurting her feelings. I know it will get much worse, but it sure isn't fun.

There's No Place Like Home

2007-11-07T10:10:00.000-06:00

Taylor and I went on a little shopping spree last night. She received some new clothes in the mail, and a couple things were not quite right, so we went to the store to see if she could find something to replace it, and she picked this outfit out all by herself...

I keep waiting for her to click her heels together and say, "There's no place like home" and call for Toto as she skips away! These shoes are stinkin' funny--but cute at the same time! Sooooo girlie! Taylor can't decide whether she wants to be a tomboy or a girlie-girl. I must say, though, I was pretty proud of her for the outfit she picked out (despite the picture of horses across her chest). She actually picked out a matching outfit this time--usually it's something like a red skirt with tiny white flowers and a hot pink tank top with a huge flower on her chest as she's saying, "Look Mommy, the flowers down her have green leaves and the flower on my shirt has a green stem...THEY MATCH!!!" Never mind that the pink clashes with the red, and it's like 40 degrees now in the morning before school! If she had her way, she would wear tank tops and flip flops year round. Can't say I blame her there though.

Anyway, she was so happy to put this outfit on today, that she had to model for Daddy 3 times before he left. I have never seen her get dressed so fast! Oh yeah, her bangs are finally growing too--I can pull them back into the ponytail now!

Killing time

2007-11-02T14:35:00.000-05:00

All the kids are asleep right now, and I had high hopes of getting the kitchen all cleaned, floor mopped, and possibly my scrap space cleaned up and re-organized so that I wouldn't have it to do this weekend, buuuuut, here I sit, at the computer with really not a whole lot to say! Guess I'm just killing time as I really don't want to do those other things.

So, the kids had a good time on Halloween night and got enough candy to last them an entire year (maybe less, since they have me for a mommy!). I swear, if I didn't have such a sweet tooth, I would weigh like 80 pounds!

The kids and I had a pretty interesting day yesterday (if you could call it that). The baby, who is now 5 1/2 months old, is rolling back and forth very well now, and figured out how to roll across a room. In fact, she did it so well that she rolled onto her stomach, lost control of her head (like they do at this age), and banged her forehead into the bottom of the coffee table. It was like in slow motion...she banged her head, looked up as if to say, "What the hell was that?" then, just as swiftly, dropped her head to start wailing, effectively hitting her head again in the same spot! Needless to say, she was fine, but had a small red bump on her head, poor thing! School of hard knocks I guess.

A couple hours after that, the 20 month old got down from the lunch table and was walking over to her bed (which has become an automatic response to finishing her lunch), tripped over the little monster that hides under the carpet and occasionally jumps out to grab your foot, and slammed her head into the corner of the surround sound speaker. She didn't really cry much, until I started pressing a paper towel over the gash in her forehead. OK, so it's not really a gash, but it was deep enough that I had to call her mom to come and get her and take her to the doctor. Poor thing. I guess it was, "bang your head" day yesterday. Maybe I should have put on some Led Zeppelin for them!

Anyway, they are both just fine. The babies head is back to normal today, and the toddler was fixed up with steri strips and a Dora band-aid. Oh, yeah, and the speaker had to take a hike to a location where it can no longer cause harm to anyone! Who needs bass when you're watching TV anyway....oh yeah...that's right...it wasn't working anyway since the lightning ruined the receiver! WHATEVER!!!

So, today was a rather calm, "normal" day and I am going out for a drink with the mother's of the two "head-bangers" tonight after work! I just heard one of them stir...guess I don't have to mop the floor today after all! :)

Been awhile...

2007-10-31T13:25:00.000-05:00

Sorry all...it's been awhile since I posted last. There has been lots happening around here in the last week! Over the weekend, we went to Dallas and stayed with our friends Kevin, Jamie and Amanda. The kids had a ball (as always) and didn't want to come home (Taylor cried for the first 15 min. of the car ride, then promptly fell asleep!) Brad got to do the "guy" thing and show off his new gun to Kevin at the range. Jamie and I hit Ikea and the scrapbook store where we spent the majority of the time scrapbooking. OK, the Ikea in Dallas is GINORMOUS!!! It has a small cafe and a restaurant inside the store for crying out loud! Not to mention, I could spend a whole lot of money in that store organizing my house, garage, shed, etc, etc--and be in heaven the whole time I was organizing! Kind of a freak that way!

On Monday, Taylor had a field trip to the pumpkin patch, so I took the day off and Dylan and I went with her class. It was a pretty neat farm that had a corn maze, hay ride, hay jump, hay slides, tricycle course, animals, a picnic area, and of course a pumpkin patch. Here's a pic:

We went trick-o-treating at the zoo last night. The kids were so excited to go they could hardly sit still! For those of you without kids, Taylor is Ariel from The Little Mermaid and Dylan is Pablo the penguin from the Backyardigans. DJ loves his costume so much that he wanted to sleep in it last night. I said, "No, but you can have it in your bed with you if you want", so he proceeded to stuff it under the covers with him and slept that way all night. This morning, he said, "I wanna be Pablo, Mommy!". Taylor loves hers as well, but would be happy to set the wig on fire after Halloween I think! Apparently it is very itchy and "keeps getting in her face"! Not sure if I will be able to coax her to wear it again tonight or not...stay tuned. Anyway, here's a pic:

So, tonight we are going trick-o-treating on base and then around our neighborhood, if the kids still feel like it. Dylan is all about this candy thing--last night he was even trying to trick-o-treat the other trick-o-treaters! Pretty funny! Anyway, here is the link to all the pictures if you are interested:

Fall Fun 2007

Fire Department Visit

2007-10-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

Today, the fire department on base gave a special presentation for children on what to do in case of a fire. I took the baby, the 20 mo old, the 3 year old and Dylan (Taylor had school). It was held at one of the houses on base that was taken over by the fire department and turned into a place where they hold trainings of this sort. I always have high hopes for these things that the kids will all behave, listen when they are supposed to listen, and most of all, not run in 3 different directions at once. However, I also realize that it is humanly impossible for a 3 year old and younger to act the way they are supposed to. So, I came prepared with diapers, extra clothing, a double stroller (to be able to contain at least 2 of them), lots of snacks, and an assortment of drinks. To my delight, none of that was necessary because they were the most well behaved kids there!!!

First, the kids got to watch a short movie on what firemen do and what to do if you see a fireman at a fire, etc. Then, as we were walking down the hall, Sparky the fire dog (person in a costume) was walking towards us...almost all of the kids stopped dead in their tracks and started crying...except Dylan who proceeded to push his way through the frozen kids to run and give Sparky a hug!

Then, our next presentation was how to stop, drop, and roll. By the end of the presentation (which lasted all of 10 min.) Dylan was in front of the group demonstrating how to stop, drop, and roll for the fireman. All the other kids were climbing on chairs, crying, or generally being loud.

The last presentation was how to crawl low under smoke to get out of a fire. By this time usually my kids are tired of listening, and starting to act out. This time, however, I got to sit quietly with a quiet 3 year old next to me, a baby asleep (still) in the carrier, the 20 mo. old on my lap, and Dylan standing up, waiting for the video to start. By then end of the video, you couldn't actually hear the TV because all the other kids were being so loud...but here was Dylan, being called up to the front again to demonstrate how to get out of a fire by crawling. This time, the 20 mo. old joined him! It was too dang cute!

Finally, they filled the house with "smoke", let all the kids practice how to crawl low under it, and go out the front door. My whole group had a blast--especially Dylan. This was by far the best field trip we have ever taken! Who knew DJ would be so interested in firemen?!

Ewwwwwww!!!

2007-10-18T14:12:00.001-05:00

OMG! OMG! OMG! I was sitting in the backyard yesterday watching the kids play when Dylan and one of the other boys disappeared on the side of the house. I didn't really think much of it because there is nothing over there except the gate, which was locked. Pretty soon, I hear them come back around the corner saying, "Awwww, Miss Sara (Mommy), look, isn't it cute?!?! It's sleeping!!!" and in the little boy's arms was a dead RAT!!!

OK, I thought, (after I nearly jumped on top of the patio table) stay calm, you're the adult!!! Ewwwwww!!! So, what did I do??? I said, "Oh My God! No, No! Put that down! It's not sleeping! EWWWWWW!!!" So, the little boy dropped it with a thud and looked at me with this scared look like he was going to cry. Crap! So, I quickly dragged them inside, scrubbed all of their hands, arms and faces (just in case) furiously all the while saying, "My goodness, that was interesting wasn't it?!?! Miss Sara will have to take him to see a doctor so he can get well!" and of course I'm thinking, "Yeah, the doctor in the garbage can." Gross!

So anyway, here's the picture I took after I managed to scoop up the little rodent carcass from my patio into a disposable tupperware container.

I'm not sure where this guys family is, but hopefully this is the last we will be seeing of any of them!

It also crossed my mind several times yesterday if there was a full moon or something. The rat made his appearance in the morning, then after nap time, I had some more fun with the kids. The infant was having a tough afternoon and just wanted to be held. The 20 month old has figured out that if she screams, she gets lots of attention from everyone. So, all day, I listened to this high pitched squeal every time she wanted something, didn't want something, or simply wanted people to pay attention to her. The 2 1/2 year old woke up from her nap and went potty, like a good girl. Then not 10 minutes later, pooped in her underwear! Geez, could you not do that a few minutes ago?!?! So, I get her all cleaned up, underwear washed out and all...by this time the baby is wailing because I have not been holding her for the last 10 minutes and she is dang sick of looking at the same toy dangling above her.

Just as I return poopy girl to play with the other kids, I look over at Dylan and he said, "Oh no Mommy" and proceeded to pee all over the tile at the front door! (At least he realized he needed to go before he went...do ya think you could give me more than half a second warning?!?!) So, I walk right by the wailing baby (who is soooo not happy at this point) and proceed to get a roll of paper towels from the kitchen to sop up the mess. I returned to Dylan only to find him "skating" through his puddle with his bare feet shouting "WEEEEE!!!"

So I get the puddle (and skate marks) cleaned up and take DJ to the bathroom to clean him up. Shew...now I can finally get to the baby. Or so I thought. For whatever reason, Dylan got mad at the 2 1/2 year old on his way out of the bathroom and slugged her (again). So off we went to his room for the 44th time-out that day (it seemed). OK, now I can get to the baby, whose face is beat red with snot running out of her nose. So I pick her up, wipe the gooey mess from her face and turn around to see Dylan standing there grabbing his you-know-what saying, "Uh Oh Mommy". OH FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!!

OK, I can handle this...so I set the baby back down where she proceeded to make another gooey mess of her face. Dylan and I tromp back to the bathroom to deal with the poopy mess in his underwear. Just then, a parent walks in to see the baby screaming on her blanket (still lying below the infamous toy) so she goes over to pick her up. I have never heard a baby scream as loud and long as that baby did right then! Woo Wee, that kid has some lungs, and apparently hates strangers even more than the stupid toy dangling above her! So, I get DJ taken care of, re-integrated into the group, and take the baby and calm her down just as her mom walks in. "Why does she look like she's been crying?" Weeellllll, let me see.........

And so ends another day of daycare.

Lightning...Are you KIDDING ME?!?!

2007-10-15T17:29:00.000-05:00

Have you ever met someone who was struck by lightning? Yeah, me neither...until now at least. Last night we had a thunderstorm (that really didn't seem that bad) but there was lots of lightning. Sure enough, around 10:30, we heard a really loud Crack! Crack! I had the windows open and it just about scared the pea right out of me! The first thing I did, was check to see if the kids were going to start screaming (they didn't even budge)! We are still not sure where it actually hit, but we're pretty sure that it didn't hit directly on our house as there is no outside damage. HOWEVER, we lost half the power in our house because the power surge blew some circuits. When we fixed the breakers, we realized that some of the GFCI outlets needed to be reset...OK, fine, that's easy enough. Well, then we realized that the security system was acting funny--when we went out in the garage to check it, the transformer was smoking at the outlet! Took care of that, went to check the actual motherboard and it smelled like someone had set fire to an outlet. Then as we checked further, we realized that the garage door opener was fried, our stereo receiver will not turn on, the outlet in the utility room did not work, one of the DVD players will not turn on, one of the phones would not work and the others had a terrible static on them, one of our lamps in the bedroom will not turn on, and best of all, our HVAC (heat/air conditioner) system is fried as well. CAN YOU EVEN BELIEVE THIS?!?!

Brad and I just kind of have to laugh...I mean, what else are we supposed to do? Getting mad won't help. So we thought that there may be some light at the end of the tunnel because our house is less than a year old and should be covered by warranty...unless you get struck by lightning! It should fall under our home owners insurance, but of course there is always the lovely deductible! Arrrrggggghh!!!

So, I just have to chuckle at this whole situation. Here we are, trying to save money for our upcoming changes that have us scared enough as it is, and now this! I guess you shouldn't plan on standing too close to us since we have officially been struck down! You know what they say though, lightning never strikes twice! Gee, I hope that's really true!

Provider of the Quarter

2007-10-13T19:52:00.000-05:00

Well, if you've read my profile, you know that pretty much all I do all day is run around behind 6 kids, putting toys away, wiping up the spit-up off my shoulder, teaching the ABC's and 1,2,3's, cleaning the kitchen at least 4 times before noon, and generally making sure that the 6 of them do not kill each other or themselves (or back me into a corner with Nerf dart guns)! Anyway, it's a thankless job, but someone has to do it, right??? Well, on Friday, I found out that it is apparently not as thankless as I thought as I was recognized as Provider of the Quarter for Tinker AFB. What does that mean you ask? Well, I get a plaque to put next to my license on the wall, and eventually, I think I get a sign in my yard that will stay there for like 3 months or so. The sign in the yard will be nice because it helps to alert those that may not already know that I have a zoo just on the other side of the door, to knock at their own risk! Maybe the mailman will get the hint and quit ringing the doorbell numerous times when he drops off a package during naptime. You know, apparently the sign RIGHT ABOVE my doorbell that reads "Do not ring doorbell between noon and 3 pm" is not good enough. Anyway, it was nice to be recognized for what I do so I thought I would share!

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-12T14:36:00.000-05:00

So, alot of you know that Fall is my most favorite season ever! I love the fall colors, the changing leaves, and the cool, brisk mornings! Ok, Ok, I'll stop sounding like a hallmark card. But seriously, this is the best time of year to decorate! Check out the pic of the ginormous pumpkin that I have in my front yard compliments of Linda (a.k.a. Grandma Garcia). The top pumpkin spins and the cat pokes it's head in and out of the smaller pumpkin! It was pretty funny when I put it up...the neighbors had to come out and comment on it...at least those neighbors that decide to poke their heads out of their domicile. Sometimes I wonder if their front doors even work--now days everyone opens their garage from down the street, zips inside, shuts the garage door, and you don't see them again until they open the garage door in the morning to leave for work! Sad... I remember the days that my parents would be out until dark talking to the neighbors, we didn't even have a garage door opener (yes, I know, unfathomable now! We actually got rained on to open it!) and my Dad would have to use his "extra loud whistle" to call us home from the neighbor kid's backyard.

Whew, that was a bit of a tangent. Anyway, I love this season! The hay bales are on my front porch and will soon be adorned with all the pumpkins that the kids (and I ;)) will collect from the pumpkin patch and carve. Woo Hoo, I can't wait!

Jinx?

2007-10-10T17:38:00.000-05:00

So, I am probably going to jinx myself by uttering these words--even electronically...but Dylan may be figuring out this potty thing! I spent all of last week and the whole weekend doing tiny loads of laundry just so that Dylan would have clean underwear to "practice" in. It seemed like every time I turned around Dylan would be there, saying "Uh oh Mommy, I wet!" or, even better, "Awwww, Mommy, I poopy!" So, off to the toilet we would go, carrying him out at arms length as if he had the plague or something. And the best part of all, cleaning the poopy out of the 'Lightning McQueen' underwear by wringing them out in the toilet. I must say, that my toilet has never been cleaner (aside from when Taylor was in this lovely stage) since I now have to immerse both hands in it almost daily. All of you mom's who have done this, I'm sure are chuckling...to all of you who may not have kids yet...your time is coming!

Anyway, getting to the point...Dylan has been in the same pair of underwear since he woke up this morning!!! Annnnd, his pullup was dry after naptime too! Ok, so I know it is only one day, but boy, it was nice to not do a load of laundry that consisted of 6 pairs of underwear and maybe a towel if I was lucky. Keep your fingers crossed! Don't you wish you could come and switch places with me for a little while?!?!

STOP TAKING PICTURES!!!

2007-10-10T13:52:00.000-05:00

Wahoo!!! I got a new camera this last weekend! I love, love, love it! It is the Nikon D40 and it takes amazing pictures (at least I hear it takes amazing pictures, once you figure out how to do the settings!) Actually, it's not that difficult to figure out, but I still have some perfecting to do. Anyway, I think the kid's cheeks must be killing them by now since, between Brad and I, we have snapped a gazillion pictures of them. Thank god for the delete function and big storage cards!

Almost Forgot...

2007-10-05T17:37:00.000-05:00

Oh yeah...I saw this really cute gift idea on Stacy Julian's blog (which I check on a daily basis). They are customizeable Kleenex boxes! How fun are these??? You can create one at mykleenextissue.com. Kind of expensive for a box of kleenex, but pretty cheap for a cute gift *wink*!

Lost...

2007-10-05T17:23:00.000-05:00

So, I feel a little lost...my camera broke earlier this week. It is so weird because our smaller, handheld digital camera broke almost 2 months ago and I thought, "OK, I will get it fixed eventually. For now, I still have my bigger, nicer digital camera to use." Then, on Monday, the bigger, nicer camera broke. Darn thing won't turn on--must be something with the power switch. So, I called Sony to get a quote on a repair, and it was just as I thought...not worth getting repaired. Ugggg... So needless to say, I will be shopping around and soon since this is absolutely my favorite time of year for pictures. And, after all, what kind of scrapbooker would I be without a digital camera??? Best Buy, here I come!

"Mommy, It's Perfect!"

2007-10-01T17:11:00.000-05:00

Those are the best words ever! That's what Taylor told me today when she received her Halloween costume in the mail. She has been saying for a couple months now that she wanted to be Ariel, The Little Mermaid...but not just any costume would do. It had to look exactly like Ariel did in the movie. It HAD to have a green shiny fin on the bottom, and it HAD to have purple seashells to cover her "buoys". So, I thought, "OK, this shouldn't be too hard to find...the Little Mermaid is still really popular right now...surely at least Toys R Us would have it" HAHAHAHAHA!!! It's a good thing I started early!

After 4 auctions on Ebay, and some tears from Taylor, I finally won one of the auctions! Shew! I paid a little more than I wanted, but after I saw her face and heard her say, "Mommy, It's Perfect!" it didn't matter.

Another Wonderful Day For Dylan!

2007-09-27T13:24:00.000-05:00

This picture of DJ was taken just now, as he sleeps in his bed for nap time. If only they were this sweet when they were awake. He got sent to bed today without lunch for being such a terror to the other kids. He won't sit in his chair and actually eat his lunch anyway, so I figured, what's one more day without lunch?! He'll eat when he's hungry. And frankly, if I had to attempt to control yet another argument with him, I was going to lose it, go shopping, and leave him and the other 5 kids at home to fend for themselves. (Taylor, I'm sure, could figure out how to change a diaper, right???)

Anyway, it's more of the same today. He got in trouble, again, for hitting. I swear, the kid has no concept of social acceptance and could really care less if everyone in the free country liked him or not...so long as they didn't talk (ever), get anywhere within arms reach of him, or heaven forbid play with a toy that he has touched within the last two hours. At 3 years old, you would think that he could control his temper a little better than this. Boys are like a total different breed of life form from girls. Bizarre!

Try this one...

2007-09-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

See if this link works for the slide show...

http://www.photomax.com/web/mem_album_photo_slide_show.php?TrackId=1593692&RandomId=1825404731

Surprise!!!

2007-09-24T17:05:00.000-05:00

The weekend before last, our friends (Kevin, Jamie, and Amanda) came up from Dallas so that us girls could go to the Oklahoma State Fair. Jamie and I were surprising Taylor and Amanda with tickets to Disney Princesses on Ice. The morning of show day, we went shopping and got the girls outfitted to be "little princesses". When we got home, they proceeded to get in the dresses (which they thought were just dress-up clothes to play in) and model in front of the mirror, like a true girl should always do! Then we got back in the car and started off to the fair. When the girls asked, "Where are we going?" that's when we told them. It was so cute to see them dancing and screaming in their car seats.

OK, so you might be thinking at this point, "Why didn't you tell them sooner???". Imagine, for a moment, two 4 year old girls trying to contain their excitement to go see ALL their favorite princesses...yep, you guessed it, you can't! So, in an effort to avoid the, "Mommy, are we there yet?!?!" or the "Is it time yet?!?!" or even the "Why can't we go, NOW!!!" we decided waiting until the last possible moment to tell them was the best decision we have EVER made as parents!

It was worth it anyway...the girls had an absolute blast at the show. I didn't even mind buying her the $12 snow cone (although I did have to pick my jaw up off the ground when the vendor told me the price!) After the show, they got to spend the rest of the evening riding rides, eating cotton candy, and of course getting their pictures taken about a thousand times. All in all, it was a great girls day out! Here's the link to the slide show:

http://www.photomax.com/web/mem_album_photo_slide_show.php?mal_id=1139336

First Try

2007-09-24T08:01:00.000-05:00

Well, this is my first try at this "blog" stuff...thought this might be a good way to let everyone in on a glimpse of our lives down here in Okie-ville! For those of you who don't know what a blog is, this is a place where I can write about pretty much whatever I want--so watch out! People use these to record their thoughts, as personal journals, debate political stuff...yada, yada, yada...I, as you know, am not that deep, so I will just put some pictures on here from time to time and letcha know what the kids, Brad and I are up to. Right now, however, I am sitting at the computer watching one of the daycare kids throw his pears on the floor, Dylan is heading out to the backyard in his jammies, and Taylor is brushing her teeth--which, by the way, she has been doing for approximately the last 11 minutes! I wonder how long it really does take to get toddler teeth clean?!?!