We are still going to football conditioning on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursday mornings. I think I must say every morning when I'm dragging out of bed that I hate Summer Pride. It makes me feel like I'm endlessly driving and picking up way too early in the morning!
Tater Tot is loving it though. He likes the running, but the weight training is the bomb, as he would say. All of the boys keep trying to out lift each other on the power lifting. I think Tater Tot started at lifting 50 pounds and now he is lifting 70 pounds. He's pretty excited about it! I can see that he's developing a lot of muscles. He definitely has 6 pack abs! He's so proud of his muscles, it's amazing how at almost 13 he's really concerned about being in shape and being fit. I think that's a great thing since my side of the family definitely has the genes to be overweight. Out of my immediate first cousins, I'm the only one practically that hasn't had gastric bypass surgery. My Dad was a big man, he was always at least 300 pounds most of my later childhood. So, it's important to me that my children realize that being fit is a great thing.
I, on the other hand, struggle daily with my weight. I just want to get into better shape and have been walking in the evenings. But, my right knee has had a bad pain in the back left side and I'm scared to go to the doctor. I'm terrified he'd tell me I need knee surgery. No thanks!
Another big thing that happened is our new security system. We've always had an alarm but this new one is like OnStar. When the alarm goes off, someone comes over the alarm and asks if everything is ok. I love that for the boys!
We also got my Mom an alarm and a Life Alert. That's a huge deal to me since she has been falling so much in the past year. This way, the alarm rep will come over her alarm system and ask her if she's okay and they will either call the fire department or me. This is a big relief since I spend most of my time worrying about my Mom being on the floor somewhere with no help.
I hope this makes her feel better also. It gives her a little more freedom, she can actually take the trash out and walk around her house.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
A Week In My Life - Tuesday
Today was cleaning day once again! I quickly tried to knock out all of the dreaded cleaning tasks like toilets and showers, ewwwww. I hate cleaning toilets, especially with all boys in the house-ha!
I did sneak in a little time to layout in the pool. Although, I went out later on in the day and the boys had been roughhousing in the pool and somehow my raft was deflated. Those cheap Walmart rafts are not safe around a 10 year old and 12 year old. It's so hot here, like 110 degrees hot, so I can't lay out that long anyway or I'd burn like crazy! Maybe the boys saved me from getting too fried!
The boys have been going fishing everyday and today they left a little earlier so they weren't fishing in the heat of the day. They only get to fish in a group and have to go to a little pond near our house. They love it and have even set out some jug lines in the pond so they can go check them the next morning.
I've been trying my hardest to stick around the house during the day and not drag the boys shopping, which is my first instinct when the weather gets so hot. Hang out at the mall where it's cool! But that results in me spending money I don't need to so that's not such a great idea.
I did get a phone call this afternoon from a non-profit agency in the next town. I had applied for a job as their Programs Coordinator, part-time, and I have an interview tomorrow for the position. I hope it goes well. I'm interested in seeing what that position entails!
I did sneak in a little time to layout in the pool. Although, I went out later on in the day and the boys had been roughhousing in the pool and somehow my raft was deflated. Those cheap Walmart rafts are not safe around a 10 year old and 12 year old. It's so hot here, like 110 degrees hot, so I can't lay out that long anyway or I'd burn like crazy! Maybe the boys saved me from getting too fried!
The boys have been going fishing everyday and today they left a little earlier so they weren't fishing in the heat of the day. They only get to fish in a group and have to go to a little pond near our house. They love it and have even set out some jug lines in the pond so they can go check them the next morning.
I've been trying my hardest to stick around the house during the day and not drag the boys shopping, which is my first instinct when the weather gets so hot. Hang out at the mall where it's cool! But that results in me spending money I don't need to so that's not such a great idea.
I did get a phone call this afternoon from a non-profit agency in the next town. I had applied for a job as their Programs Coordinator, part-time, and I have an interview tomorrow for the position. I hope it goes well. I'm interested in seeing what that position entails!
Monday, July 11, 2011
A Week In My Life - Monday July 11th
Today is our 2 year wedding anniversary! Two years ago I married my soulmate, the man who is definitely my rock and my greatest supporter!
We've now been together seven years, yet, I can still remember the moment I met him. I knew from the second I was around him that he was special and I never wanted to leave his side.
We've had some crazy moments in the last seven years and I don't know what I would do without him by my side.
To celebrate our anniversary, we just went to Lone Star steakhouse to eat dinner. We were going to go to town and eat at Flemings but I told Mr. H we didn't need to go to anyplace super expensive. Plus, the Bourbon glazed Salmon at Lone Star is to die for! I was just as happy eating there!
Sunday, July 10, 2011
A Week In My Life - Sunday
I'm late doing this but I had it written down so here goes:
Today the boys came home from their fishing trip. They brought five ziploc bags full of catfish. I can't wait to fry some good ol' catfish with my Momma. She's from Alabama so she knows how to fry some fish. She also makes the best hushpuppies in the world. When my brother was little, he thought they were the fish. They are that good!
Small Fry is definitely worn out and has a little bit of congestion. I think it's the non-stop fun that's worn him out. He had a blast though!
The dogs are definitely glad that Mr. H and Small Fry are home. Allie, the new puppy, has been kind of lost since they were gone. She doesn't know why it's just me here at the house.
I've got a ton of laundry to do now that the fishing guys are home. Guess I better get on it now!
Today the boys came home from their fishing trip. They brought five ziploc bags full of catfish. I can't wait to fry some good ol' catfish with my Momma. She's from Alabama so she knows how to fry some fish. She also makes the best hushpuppies in the world. When my brother was little, he thought they were the fish. They are that good!
Small Fry is definitely worn out and has a little bit of congestion. I think it's the non-stop fun that's worn him out. He had a blast though!
The dogs are definitely glad that Mr. H and Small Fry are home. Allie, the new puppy, has been kind of lost since they were gone. She doesn't know why it's just me here at the house.
I've got a ton of laundry to do now that the fishing guys are home. Guess I better get on it now!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A Week In My Life - Day 4 (Saturday)
I'm riding solo today and my day started off on a really sleepy note.
Since Mr. H is gone, I'm the one who had to get up with our 4 month old puppy when she needed to pee this morning. She woke up at 5:30, then 6:00, then 6:45. Get the pattern she was working on? I called Mr. H and asked him why she was getting up so much this morning. Well, he forgot to mention that when she gets up in the morning, he goes outside and sits with her while she does her business.
I wasn't sitting outside with her.
See how spoiled this puppy is?
The poor puppy was upset all day, looking in the rooms for the boys and sitting looking out of the front and back windows for Mr. H. I think she was really thrown off today without the guys around.
Today was deep cleaning day...especially since the boys weren't home.
I cleaned both boys bedrooms, organized their desks, cleaned out the closets and loaded bags full of clothes to donate. I polished all of the woodwork in the kitchen, all the tables, swept and mopped all the tile, and even vacuumed and steam cleaned all of the carpets. I was worn out when I finished so I went outside to lay out on the raft in the pool.
After I came in, my sister-in-law called and wanted to go eat and see the movie Bad Teacher. I was so tired but really wanted to see that movie. I'm so glad I went because it was hilarious! Cameron Diaz is so funny and her eyes are gorgeous! It was a great movie!
I came home and Mr. H called to tell me they were having a great time fishing. Small Fry was in heaven fishing and shooting bb guns. I'm so glad they are enjoying themselves!
I'm going to bed and hoping that I don't get an early morning wakeup call from a certain white Boxer puppy!
Since Mr. H is gone, I'm the one who had to get up with our 4 month old puppy when she needed to pee this morning. She woke up at 5:30, then 6:00, then 6:45. Get the pattern she was working on? I called Mr. H and asked him why she was getting up so much this morning. Well, he forgot to mention that when she gets up in the morning, he goes outside and sits with her while she does her business.
I wasn't sitting outside with her.
See how spoiled this puppy is?
The poor puppy was upset all day, looking in the rooms for the boys and sitting looking out of the front and back windows for Mr. H. I think she was really thrown off today without the guys around.
Today was deep cleaning day...especially since the boys weren't home.
I cleaned both boys bedrooms, organized their desks, cleaned out the closets and loaded bags full of clothes to donate. I polished all of the woodwork in the kitchen, all the tables, swept and mopped all the tile, and even vacuumed and steam cleaned all of the carpets. I was worn out when I finished so I went outside to lay out on the raft in the pool.
After I came in, my sister-in-law called and wanted to go eat and see the movie Bad Teacher. I was so tired but really wanted to see that movie. I'm so glad I went because it was hilarious! Cameron Diaz is so funny and her eyes are gorgeous! It was a great movie!
I came home and Mr. H called to tell me they were having a great time fishing. Small Fry was in heaven fishing and shooting bb guns. I'm so glad they are enjoying themselves!
I'm going to bed and hoping that I don't get an early morning wakeup call from a certain white Boxer puppy!
Friday, July 8, 2011
A Week In My Life - Day 3 (Friday)
Today was spent getting Small Fry ready and packed for his big fishing trip to Grand Lake with Mr. H. We had bought him a new fishing pole the other day and had been hiding it until today. He was so surprised! Tater Tot got an IPhone the other day and I told Small Fry he would get a nice gift too. He said all he wanted was a $20 fishing pole, which made me very happy.
This morning, we laid out all of his clothes, fishing gear and Ipods, etc., then got them all neatly packed so Mr. H could come home at noon and put his clothes in the suitcase.
I drove Tater Tot to go meet his Dad since he was going there for the weekend while Small Fry goes fishing. Tater Tot doesn't like fishing so he didn't want to go with them, which was fine with me since it meant he wouldn't complain about being bored the whole weekend while at the lake. He's 12 so he will voice his opinion when he's bored.
After packing and driving Tater to meet his Dad, I went outside with Small Fry and swam in the pool for a while. It was so hot outside and the pool felt great. We've had the hottest summer so far, in the 100's already!
After everyone left, I went to pick up my Mom and take her grocery shopping in the next town. My Mom has a hard time walking so I like to take her to smaller grocery stores rather than Super Walmart, which can be very busy and crowded. Before shopping, we stopped at Captain D's and had some yummy fish. We love that place and hardly ever go there because it's pretty bad for you. It's a treat for us!
I'm what you call the "Sandwich Generation", which means I have small children and a parent to take care of everyday. My Dad died six years ago and ever since then, my Mom's health just hasn't been the same. She falls a lot and her walking is very unstable so I have to be on hand to take her shopping and run errands with her or for her. I don't mind, all she has is me and she took care of me for so long.
Tonight after shopping, I've just sat in the recliner, surfing the web and watching HGTV! Perfect ending to a good day!
This morning, we laid out all of his clothes, fishing gear and Ipods, etc., then got them all neatly packed so Mr. H could come home at noon and put his clothes in the suitcase.
I drove Tater Tot to go meet his Dad since he was going there for the weekend while Small Fry goes fishing. Tater Tot doesn't like fishing so he didn't want to go with them, which was fine with me since it meant he wouldn't complain about being bored the whole weekend while at the lake. He's 12 so he will voice his opinion when he's bored.
After packing and driving Tater to meet his Dad, I went outside with Small Fry and swam in the pool for a while. It was so hot outside and the pool felt great. We've had the hottest summer so far, in the 100's already!
After everyone left, I went to pick up my Mom and take her grocery shopping in the next town. My Mom has a hard time walking so I like to take her to smaller grocery stores rather than Super Walmart, which can be very busy and crowded. Before shopping, we stopped at Captain D's and had some yummy fish. We love that place and hardly ever go there because it's pretty bad for you. It's a treat for us!
I'm what you call the "Sandwich Generation", which means I have small children and a parent to take care of everyday. My Dad died six years ago and ever since then, my Mom's health just hasn't been the same. She falls a lot and her walking is very unstable so I have to be on hand to take her shopping and run errands with her or for her. I don't mind, all she has is me and she took care of me for so long.
Tonight after shopping, I've just sat in the recliner, surfing the web and watching HGTV! Perfect ending to a good day!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
A Week In My Life - Day 2 (Thursday)
My sinuses were still killing me this morning when I got up at 6:20. I had to wake Tater Tot up for Summer Pride, his football conditioning program. When I let the dogs out on the way to T's room, it was pouring outside. Rainy and thundering...hmmm...I instantly wanted to go back to bed, so guess what I did?! I went into T's room, told him he didn't have to go to Summer Pride and I went back to bed!!! '
I know that just made me look so lazy but I felt horrible this morning and really needed to sleep. Mr. H got up and went to work and I'm not even sure I heard him leave. That's how bad I felt.
It was only Tater Tot and I this morning in the house because Small Fry called his Dad last night late and told him to come get him to spend the night since he would be gone this weekend fishing with Mr. H. It's nice that my ex and I can be flexible and not fight about things like visitation. I'm glad the boys feel like they can just pick up the phone and ask their Dad to come get them for a night if they feel the need.
Back to this morning........Are you ready for this????? I woke up at 10:30 and let Tater Tot sleep 'till 11:30. Hey, just keeping it real. It's ok to be lazy sometimes!
We got ready, ran to the vet to get our puppy Allie's heartworm medicine and then made a stop by the bank. While at the bank, we called Small Fry and Tater Tot's Dad to see where he wanted to meet to exchange the boys. This is the first time the boys have ever separated and not gone together to their Dads house. *I want to make it clear that they have the same father-I could only handle one ex-husband-ha!* This coming weekend is their Dad's weekend, but my youngest is going on a fishing trip with Mr. H (His step-dad), the oldest didn't want to go fishing so just chose to go ahead and go with his Dad today. I usually always encourage Small Fry to like other things besides just the things his older brother likes, so this fishing craze is a good thing. It's the one thing that Small Fry has liked on his own. Usually he does everything like his brother, and I mean everything. I want him to develop his individuality now that he's 10 years old.
We drove to the next town to meet my ex and I said good-bye to Tater Tot while I picked up Small Fry to bring him home. We were next to the shopping center with my favorite store, Hobby Lobby, so we had to stop in and see what kinds of new stuff they had. While there, we saw one of Mr. H's Masonic buddies with his granddaughter and we visited for a while.
This afternoon, Small Fry has been out riding his bike with his two buddies that live right by us. They were out for a couple of hours, then came in and asked if Small Fry could go to one of their Grandma's houses to swim. I told him he could and after he left, I sat watching TV BY MYSELF. That NEVER happens!!!!
So guess what else I did when the kids left? I went outside and swam, layed out on the raft and then dried off by laying out on the chaise lounge. Heaven, pure heaven! I actually had time to lay out without being splashed!
I'm now back inside, watching Food Network and HGTV, my two faves!
I might even fix myself something bad for dinner, like Ramen Noodles. I know, crazy, huh?!
I know that just made me look so lazy but I felt horrible this morning and really needed to sleep. Mr. H got up and went to work and I'm not even sure I heard him leave. That's how bad I felt.
It was only Tater Tot and I this morning in the house because Small Fry called his Dad last night late and told him to come get him to spend the night since he would be gone this weekend fishing with Mr. H. It's nice that my ex and I can be flexible and not fight about things like visitation. I'm glad the boys feel like they can just pick up the phone and ask their Dad to come get them for a night if they feel the need.
Back to this morning........Are you ready for this????? I woke up at 10:30 and let Tater Tot sleep 'till 11:30. Hey, just keeping it real. It's ok to be lazy sometimes!
We got ready, ran to the vet to get our puppy Allie's heartworm medicine and then made a stop by the bank. While at the bank, we called Small Fry and Tater Tot's Dad to see where he wanted to meet to exchange the boys. This is the first time the boys have ever separated and not gone together to their Dads house. *I want to make it clear that they have the same father-I could only handle one ex-husband-ha!* This coming weekend is their Dad's weekend, but my youngest is going on a fishing trip with Mr. H (His step-dad), the oldest didn't want to go fishing so just chose to go ahead and go with his Dad today. I usually always encourage Small Fry to like other things besides just the things his older brother likes, so this fishing craze is a good thing. It's the one thing that Small Fry has liked on his own. Usually he does everything like his brother, and I mean everything. I want him to develop his individuality now that he's 10 years old.
We drove to the next town to meet my ex and I said good-bye to Tater Tot while I picked up Small Fry to bring him home. We were next to the shopping center with my favorite store, Hobby Lobby, so we had to stop in and see what kinds of new stuff they had. While there, we saw one of Mr. H's Masonic buddies with his granddaughter and we visited for a while.
This afternoon, Small Fry has been out riding his bike with his two buddies that live right by us. They were out for a couple of hours, then came in and asked if Small Fry could go to one of their Grandma's houses to swim. I told him he could and after he left, I sat watching TV BY MYSELF. That NEVER happens!!!!
So guess what else I did when the kids left? I went outside and swam, layed out on the raft and then dried off by laying out on the chaise lounge. Heaven, pure heaven! I actually had time to lay out without being splashed!
I'm now back inside, watching Food Network and HGTV, my two faves!
I might even fix myself something bad for dinner, like Ramen Noodles. I know, crazy, huh?!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
A Week In My Life-Day 1
I'm completely copying Kelly at Kellys Korner Blog and documenting a week of my life, detailing even the most mundane tasks and moments of our days this summer.
The boys and I both woke up at 9:30 this morning. We just came home from vacation at my best friends house and I was exhausted. My sinuses have been really bugging me so I had to take nighttime sinus medicine to make sure I slept ok last night. You have to love having insomnia, it's my greatest fear in life that it will strike me during the night and I'll be up alllll night long. Ugh.
After waking up, I made my coffee and sat down to actually enjoy it. Tater Tot didn't have his conditioning for school football in the early morning due to the July 4th holiday so I was so happy that I got to sleep in and not get up at 6am. 9:30 felt sooo late!
I folded a load of laundry and moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Well, in all honesty, after I re-washed the clothes in the washer left over from last night, I moved them on to the dryer. I then went around to every room collecting all of the dirty clothes and emptying the bags the boys took on vacation. I rewashed the linens on all the beds because Mr. H's sister stayed at our house with her daughter dog sitting.
I searched through a few blogs looking for new recipes to write into my recipe notebook. Yes, I'm a nerd and actually keep a recipe notebook where I handwrite any recipes I see on blogs and websites. I've found some great recipes that way. Other Moms are always the best way to find foods and meals that kids and a picky husband will actually eat.
After looking through blogs, I got the crockpot out to make Apricot Chicken for dinner. It's the easiest recipe, I just put 4 frozen chicken breasts, a bag of dried apricots and 2 cans of chicken broth with Lipton Dried Onion Soup Mix in the crockpot on High. I let that cook all day, then serve it with white rice.
While I was getting the crockpot meal ready, Small Fry called his buddy in the neighborhood and they made plans to go fishing at the new city park. They built a really great lake in the center of town and stocked it with fish. It's right near the new splash pad park so the boys go run through the splash pad when they get too hot fishing. It's perfect for them. I went up to the lake with the boys and their friends for a while and enjoyed doing some fun people watching. I love our new park in town. It's so beautiful!
When we got done fishing, we ran by Sonic to get a drink and then went home to clean. I cleaned the master bedroom, the master bathroom and put up the clean clothes. The boys cleaned their rooms, then emptied the dishwasher for me.
After our cleaning was done, we went swimming in the backyard. I tried to lay on the raft while the boys took turns doing cannonballs, jackknifes and any other dive/jump they could do to get me really wet. Small Fry even tried to lay on the raft with me but we kept turning over!
We swam for a couple of hours, then the boys left to go ride bikes with their buddies.
Small Fry is going on a fishing trip with Mr. H and his Masonic officers at a lake about 2 hours away this weekend. After riding bikes, he spent the evening getting his fishing poles ready for the trip. He's so excited for this guys fishing trip. He's been on such a kick with fishing. It's all he thinks about night and day!
Around 6, Tater Tot brought a friend back home with him and they went swimming until dinner was ready. Just as I was getting ready to put the rice on the stove, my Mom called and said she bought a Prime Rib at the bar-b-que place and was bringing it over for dinner. I gladly put the crockpot dinner I'd planned in Tupperware for tomorrows dinner. My Mom brought baked potatoes over and I fixed a salad to go with our yummy steak. After dinner, I did the dishes and then we all went to Frostbites to get a snowcone. It was the perfect ending to a busy summer day.
Have I mentioned that I love being home with my kids this summer? I'm not dying from Mom Guilt like I usually do when I work.
The boys and I both woke up at 9:30 this morning. We just came home from vacation at my best friends house and I was exhausted. My sinuses have been really bugging me so I had to take nighttime sinus medicine to make sure I slept ok last night. You have to love having insomnia, it's my greatest fear in life that it will strike me during the night and I'll be up alllll night long. Ugh.
After waking up, I made my coffee and sat down to actually enjoy it. Tater Tot didn't have his conditioning for school football in the early morning due to the July 4th holiday so I was so happy that I got to sleep in and not get up at 6am. 9:30 felt sooo late!
I folded a load of laundry and moved the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Well, in all honesty, after I re-washed the clothes in the washer left over from last night, I moved them on to the dryer. I then went around to every room collecting all of the dirty clothes and emptying the bags the boys took on vacation. I rewashed the linens on all the beds because Mr. H's sister stayed at our house with her daughter dog sitting.
I searched through a few blogs looking for new recipes to write into my recipe notebook. Yes, I'm a nerd and actually keep a recipe notebook where I handwrite any recipes I see on blogs and websites. I've found some great recipes that way. Other Moms are always the best way to find foods and meals that kids and a picky husband will actually eat.
After looking through blogs, I got the crockpot out to make Apricot Chicken for dinner. It's the easiest recipe, I just put 4 frozen chicken breasts, a bag of dried apricots and 2 cans of chicken broth with Lipton Dried Onion Soup Mix in the crockpot on High. I let that cook all day, then serve it with white rice.
While I was getting the crockpot meal ready, Small Fry called his buddy in the neighborhood and they made plans to go fishing at the new city park. They built a really great lake in the center of town and stocked it with fish. It's right near the new splash pad park so the boys go run through the splash pad when they get too hot fishing. It's perfect for them. I went up to the lake with the boys and their friends for a while and enjoyed doing some fun people watching. I love our new park in town. It's so beautiful!
When we got done fishing, we ran by Sonic to get a drink and then went home to clean. I cleaned the master bedroom, the master bathroom and put up the clean clothes. The boys cleaned their rooms, then emptied the dishwasher for me.
After our cleaning was done, we went swimming in the backyard. I tried to lay on the raft while the boys took turns doing cannonballs, jackknifes and any other dive/jump they could do to get me really wet. Small Fry even tried to lay on the raft with me but we kept turning over!
We swam for a couple of hours, then the boys left to go ride bikes with their buddies.
Small Fry is going on a fishing trip with Mr. H and his Masonic officers at a lake about 2 hours away this weekend. After riding bikes, he spent the evening getting his fishing poles ready for the trip. He's so excited for this guys fishing trip. He's been on such a kick with fishing. It's all he thinks about night and day!
Around 6, Tater Tot brought a friend back home with him and they went swimming until dinner was ready. Just as I was getting ready to put the rice on the stove, my Mom called and said she bought a Prime Rib at the bar-b-que place and was bringing it over for dinner. I gladly put the crockpot dinner I'd planned in Tupperware for tomorrows dinner. My Mom brought baked potatoes over and I fixed a salad to go with our yummy steak. After dinner, I did the dishes and then we all went to Frostbites to get a snowcone. It was the perfect ending to a busy summer day.
Have I mentioned that I love being home with my kids this summer? I'm not dying from Mom Guilt like I usually do when I work.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
I'm Never Accepting a Free Pool Again
Well, last Fall we just drained it and let it sit uncovered for the winter.
BIG MISTAKE!
HUGE MISTAKE!
In May, we started putting the salt and chemicals in to shock it and get rid of the algae. 45 days, $200 in chemicals and countless tears later, we finally gave up and drained the pool. Now there's about an inch of water and algae left at the bottom. This morning I was in the backyard scooping buckets of water out of the pool. It was the hardest work. My back is killing me now and I think I suffered some sort of heat illness.
And...there's still water and algae in the pool. Now we're going to take the sides down and scrub the pool liner.
Have I mentioned that I hate this pool by now?!
But....we are trying to be good parents and get the pool up so the boys don't have to go to the city pool everyday. And, actually I want the pool up so I can lay out in peace.
Is it too much to ask for a pool with clean water that I can float on a raft in? (That was horrible grammar but I don't care!)
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Puppy Love
Our new puppy Allie is now 4 whole months old. She's so spunky that we find ourselves laughing at her everyday.
Having a four month old is like having a toddler again. She has a definite routine. In the morning, she gets up at about 6:30 and goes outside to potty. She comes in and walks straight to my chair and stare at me which means she wants to take a nap in my lap. She also takes a nap around 3pm. When nighttime hits, she's ready to go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00.
The funniest thing about a white boxer is...their face gets red around their eyes and mouth when they get tired. It's adorable.
Allie also likes to talk much more than our previous Boxer. She likes to bark at the vacuum, my hair dryer and if you aren't looking at her, she barks.
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Having a four month old is like having a toddler again. She has a definite routine. In the morning, she gets up at about 6:30 and goes outside to potty. She comes in and walks straight to my chair and stare at me which means she wants to take a nap in my lap. She also takes a nap around 3pm. When nighttime hits, she's ready to go to bed around 9:30 or 10:00.
The funniest thing about a white boxer is...their face gets red around their eyes and mouth when they get tired. It's adorable.
Allie also likes to talk much more than our previous Boxer. She likes to bark at the vacuum, my hair dryer and if you aren't looking at her, she barks.
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| Long legs |
Also, the above picture shows what happens when you leave a puppy alone in the living room for 15 minutes while blow drying your hair. She went into the boys bathrooom and got the roll of toilet paper, then ripping it apart all over the living room. Little toot!
Her last vet checkup was at 15 weeks and she weighed 18.3 pounds. It's going to be interesting to see how big she gets!
We've loved every second of her, even when she's being a crazy puppy!
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Thursday, June 16, 2011
Summer So Far
So far this summer, we've been super busy.
Small Fry has been excited about learning how to cook. He really likes to make scrambled eggs in the morning. I thought I'd show him how to make an omelette.
He made his very first omelette last week. It was perfect and delicious!
I've been walking three miles every night with my friend Melissa. We walk on the nature trail thats right behind our neighborhood. I've noticed when I walk with someone, I walk further. Guess since I love to talk so much, I don't notice the distance I'm covering!
I've been a bum this summer and just been hanging out in t-shirts and shorts with flip-flops like this.
Guess I need to join the Pleated Poppy's link-up party - What I Wore Wednesday. It's a great link-up party where stay-at-home moms post the cute outfit they wore instead of the bum clothes that moms tend to wear because it's easy.
I'm usually a dress up kind of person but I've had to get up at 6:15 in the mornings to take my son to his summer conditioning program at the football field. It's pretty funny to look at the moms as they are dropping off their children, they all have their glasses on, no makeup and their hair in a bun on their heads. I usually have a t-shirt, running shorts and Walmart flip-flops on. I'm styling, that's for sure!
I have to go back and pick him up an hour and a half later, still wearing the cruddy clothes I had on. I'm actually going to try to get showered and dressed while my sons at conditioning next week, hopefully I can get it together.
In the evenings that I haven't been walking, we've gone fishing at my brother-in-law's girlfriends house. She has a pond right in front of her house with a little hill above the pond for sitting.
I love taking Small Fry there, he gets so excited and he now thinks he's going to be a pro-fisherman. So far, he's had some great fishing luck. He's caught about 8 or 9 fish everytime we've been over there. We throw the fish back though so they can grow a little bigger.
We've been on a few drives, looking at the beautiful green grass and trees. That's a tradition I started when the boys were little and I needed them to take a nap. I would drive around looking at the pretty countryside while they slept. Now that they're older, they love to look for ponds and cool scenery.
The sunsets have been beautiful lately! Amazing sights!
Small Fry has been excited about learning how to cook. He really likes to make scrambled eggs in the morning. I thought I'd show him how to make an omelette.
He made his very first omelette last week. It was perfect and delicious!
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| Blurry IPhone pic |
I've been a bum this summer and just been hanging out in t-shirts and shorts with flip-flops like this.
I'm usually a dress up kind of person but I've had to get up at 6:15 in the mornings to take my son to his summer conditioning program at the football field. It's pretty funny to look at the moms as they are dropping off their children, they all have their glasses on, no makeup and their hair in a bun on their heads. I usually have a t-shirt, running shorts and Walmart flip-flops on. I'm styling, that's for sure!
I have to go back and pick him up an hour and a half later, still wearing the cruddy clothes I had on. I'm actually going to try to get showered and dressed while my sons at conditioning next week, hopefully I can get it together.
In the evenings that I haven't been walking, we've gone fishing at my brother-in-law's girlfriends house. She has a pond right in front of her house with a little hill above the pond for sitting.
We've been on a few drives, looking at the beautiful green grass and trees. That's a tradition I started when the boys were little and I needed them to take a nap. I would drive around looking at the pretty countryside while they slept. Now that they're older, they love to look for ponds and cool scenery.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Brachial Plexus Birth Palsy Update
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| Right arm Brachial Plexus injury |
See, my son can't straighten his arm. It stays in the slightly bent position due to nerve damage to his shoulder (brachial plexus) caused by a birth injury.
This nerve damage caused my baby to be paralyzed at birth and begin a heartbreaking journey for us.
His right arm was completely dead with no movement from damage to the nerves running from his spinal cord during the birth process. He was born cupping his face, which resulted in his being stuck in the birth canal. It was an emergency situation and we both are lucky to be alive today.
At 5 months old, he was put on a prayer chain and in an absolute miracle, raised his arm the next morning. You can read about it here.
Anyway, after the soccer coach mentioned this slight difference in Tator, we made an appointment with an orthopedic doctor that looked at him during the sports physicals at school.
We went to see the doctor yesterday and he told us that the radial bone in his forearm was not aligned with the ball of his elbow (I hope I explained that right). He mentioned that there is a new pediatric orthopedist that's coming to Tulsa in the next couple of months and he would be a great doctor to see for TT. He said there might be a tendon release surgery that could be performed on TT's arm and it might release those tight tendons, allowing him to straighten his arm more. I looked at TT when he was saying this and he was trying not to look worried, but I knew he was. He was having a hard time in the car when we left the appointment.
Tater Tot turned to me and said, "My arm will never be better."
That broke my heart for him. You see...as a mother...all I've ever wanted is for him to never feel pain, suffering or any anguish from this injury. At 12 though, Tater Tot is starting to really figure out what's going on with his arm and that makes me so sad. Granted, I'm so thankful that he has as much movement as he currently does, but I still hurt for him.
We'll start intensive physical therapy in the next week or so and then see the new pediatric orthopedist at the end of the summer to see what they can do for Tater's arm. I honestly just hope and pray that the therapy helps and he doesn't have to have surgery. That is my prayer for this summer. I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner Blog in hopes that people will pray for my sweet son. We could really use it right now.
Awards and Good Grades
The school year is out and the boys did great this last semester. Small Fry worked so hard on his reading and language arts classes and ended up with B's in those classes and A's in the rest. I'm so proud of him. His tutor even told me in April that he didn't need to come twice a week, she just needed to be on an on-call basis because he really didn't need her that much. That made me feel so much better about things. We had a rough first semester but I think he pulled it together and started really putting some effort into school. I'm so proud of him! I can't wait to see how great he does in the 5th grade!
Tater Tot did great in 6th grade. We made it through the first year of middle school with all A's and one 89.4 B. He came home with the President's Honor Roll and the Star Reading Award. He worked hard and had a fun year with his buddies.
Tater Tot loved 6th grade because he had six different teachers this year. He especially loved his Life Skills teacher and all of the coaches that taught him. He constantly talked about Coach Paulk, who is a young coach that teaches Science. TT thought he was so cool. I think Coach Paulk was even the person that taught the kids about Twitter. Thanks Coach Paulk.....I think.
I plan to keep the kids busy this summer with some sort of educational activities. I don't want their brains to turn to mush...ha! We are going to try to visit the Philbrook Museum of Art, Gilcrease Museum and any other fun places that might teach them something. I tried to mention the library and they both laughed. I guess the library is not the "cool" thing to do. Maybe we'll go to the library in the next town! I'm sneaky that way.
TT starts Summer Pride next week, a program to keep the kids in good condition for sports. He'll go in the mornings all summer. That means I have to get up at 6:30am to take him. Ugh! But, I'm so glad that they are having them run when it's cool and not hot. TT is dreading it but I think he'll enjoy it. He loves being active.
We've already started the crazy summer running around. We've already had 2 kids spend the night. I think someone has either spent the night with us or the boys have been at a kids house everyday since school got out. It makes me feel a little crazy since I like to have a routine and order. I think I'm going to have to get used to this tween summer crazy life!
Tater Tot did great in 6th grade. We made it through the first year of middle school with all A's and one 89.4 B. He came home with the President's Honor Roll and the Star Reading Award. He worked hard and had a fun year with his buddies.
I plan to keep the kids busy this summer with some sort of educational activities. I don't want their brains to turn to mush...ha! We are going to try to visit the Philbrook Museum of Art, Gilcrease Museum and any other fun places that might teach them something. I tried to mention the library and they both laughed. I guess the library is not the "cool" thing to do. Maybe we'll go to the library in the next town! I'm sneaky that way.
TT starts Summer Pride next week, a program to keep the kids in good condition for sports. He'll go in the mornings all summer. That means I have to get up at 6:30am to take him. Ugh! But, I'm so glad that they are having them run when it's cool and not hot. TT is dreading it but I think he'll enjoy it. He loves being active.
We've already started the crazy summer running around. We've already had 2 kids spend the night. I think someone has either spent the night with us or the boys have been at a kids house everyday since school got out. It makes me feel a little crazy since I like to have a routine and order. I think I'm going to have to get used to this tween summer crazy life!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Happy Birthday Allie
Today would have been the 5th birthday of our beloved dog Allie.
She was the best dog in the world and gave us 4 years of absolute joy. We miss her every second of every day.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Lazy Days of Summer
Yesterday the boys went to the new city pool with their friends and both came back sunburned. Tater Tot had told me that the lifeguards give you sunscreen (and one of our friends is the head lifeguard), but he kept forgetting to put it on. Silly boy! He knows better and is feeling it today.
This morning we got up and took Allie to the veterinarian to get her 15 week shots. She did terrific and everyone at the vet clinic was loving on her so much. When the vet put her on the metal table, she got scared so he put her on the floor and then sat on the floor to examine her. I about died. It was the neatest thing to see that he didn't want my puppy to feel scared so he just went down on her level.
This morning we got up and took Allie to the veterinarian to get her 15 week shots. She did terrific and everyone at the vet clinic was loving on her so much. When the vet put her on the metal table, she got scared so he put her on the floor and then sat on the floor to examine her. I about died. It was the neatest thing to see that he didn't want my puppy to feel scared so he just went down on her level.
Where'd that sweet lady go that was hugging me?
Shots?!
After the vet, we went to get Small Fry's hair cut. It was way too long and was bound to be hot. We still kept it the shaggy surfer boy look but just trimmed it.
Small Fry thought he deserved a fun fishing trip since he sat through the torture of a haircut so we ventured down to the dam in town. We live by a beautiful lake and the dam makes a great, calm place for fishing. We were the only ones at the dam this morning and we loved it.
We didn't catch any fish but it was fun watching turtles bobbing their heads in and out of the water. I love just being able to sit and talk with my boys while waiting on a fish to bite.
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