Preschool Pranks

This morning, while dropping Mason off at school, his teacher asked me if he told me what he did the other day. I look down at Mason and he just kinda grins and goes to sit down at the table. Ms. Bre goes on to tell me her story. She said that all morning she had needed to go the bathroom, but couldn't get away from the class. So, she was trying to wait until nap time to sneak across the hall while the kids were asleep. She said by the time the kids were layed down she was about to die and ran across the hall to the bathroom that they all share. She pulls on the first stall and it's locked. Goes to the 2nd stall, it is also locked. Goes to the 3rd and 4th stalls, and you guessed it, they are all locked. She said she's about to cry wondering what's going on when she remembered that my adorable little boy was the last one in the bathroom. So she runs back to the room where Mason is not napping and asks him what he did in the bathroom. She said he just grinned at her and ran to the bathroom, where he had to crawl underneath each stall to unlock it.
I have to admit, I just laughed! All I could think on the way to work, was how much fun this is going to be for the rest of my life hearing stories like these! I just hope all his teachers are as easy going as Ms. Bre! If not, he's going to be in tons of trouble!

Mama does the Christmas Dash

Mike and I had decided that Santa Clause was going to get the boys a Nintendo Wii. We were waiting for Mike's Christmas bonus to be able to afford it. Well, this week, he got a Walmart Gift card from work, with enough money to afford the Wii. So yesterday, on my lunch break, I casually run down to Sam's to buy my Wii. I'm laughed at by the boy working there, who tells me they are sold out and not getting anymore until after Christmas. So, I jump in the car and run over to Walmart. Get the same response. So, now I'm getting worried. I come back to work and think I will just order it online and have it shipped. Wrong again. Sold out online. So, now, I'm officially panicking. I start calling different Walmart stores, and no one has one. Ebay has tons of them, but I'm stuck with a Walmart gift card to pay with! Finally, I call the Graham Walmart and I'm told they have just got 3 in and they are about to put them out. I ask if I can send my uncle to pick it up, and I'll pay over the phone with my gift card. They tell me no. I hang up. Thinking. I call back and talk to someone else this time. Beg him to save me one and I'll be there by 4:00 to get it. After being rude and giving me a hard time, he finally agrees to save it, but I have to be there by 4:00. It's 5 til 3. I jump in the car (yes, I left work to do this) and I'm racing to Graham. I'm already envisioning myself throwing a screaming fit in the middle of Walmart if I don't get a Wii, and being escorted out by security. On the way there, I happen to talk to mom and tell her what's going on. Turns out, she knows the boy who is holding it for me. So, I tell her to pull mom rank for me. She calls and tells him I'm her daughter and he better be nice and hold it for me. I got there at 5 after 4:00. And he had it for me. I told him who I was and he says yeah, your mom called me. Kinda like, yeah, you tattled to your mom, here's your Wii. I just smiled my biggest smile and thanked him profusely. So, end of story, we got a Wii. I told Mike our little brats better dang sure appreciate it!! HaHa
The things we do for our kids!!

Here's Sam in his Christmas Hat that mom picked up for him. Almost too small for his big head!


Today was pajama day at Mason's school. My son, the original, wanted to wear his cowboy boots with them. I let him. He looked so redneck, but he was so proud. Only Mason could pull it off.

Scorpions

I was laying in bed last night remembering our little house in Scotland. The place was infested with scorpions. I was remembering the mother's day morning, I was pregnant with Mason, alseep in bed, and got stung on the foot. I had lived there a year without getting stung. Our bedroom seem to have the most scorpions. We couldn't leave clothes on the floor, had to check our shoes before putting them on, had to lift our pillows and sheets before getting into bed. It was crazy! We sprayed chemical every month and still had problems.! Looking back I'm surprised I lived there as long as I did!
I loved that little house though. It was out in the middle of a bunch of stinky dairies. We'd sit outside at night staring at the stars. So peaceful. Well most the time. There was the time I ran outside in my sleep shirt with my 16 gauge shotgun to kill the huge rattlesnake in my front yard. I shot it 3 times. Mike said it was overkill. I said you can never be too sure with a rattlesnake.
Then there was the time the rabid skunk camped out by my kitchen door and I couldn't leave the house. Eventually he took off down the driveway and I killed it too with my 16 gauge shotgun. (Mike was never home for these fun times.) Then there was the time the neighbor down the road called and asked me to come get our lab, Jack, out of his nasty holding tank cause he was stirring up his milk cows. Had to put a huge, wet, nasty, dog in the back of my explorer and haul him home. Oh, and when I was 8 months pregnant with Mason, eating a steak and potato in my living room floor, and the baby mouse ran across my leg. Awww, the good times. I do miss that house though. That was our first home together.

Baby Steps

Some took his first real steps last night!! He's been walking everywhere lately, but by holding on to things. And we've seen him let go and stand for a couple of seconds before sitting. Last night, he was standing at Mike's legs and I sat in the floor in front of him. I held out my hands and he took about three steps to me before he leaned into me. I forgot how excited it is when you see your child take those first few steps. Even Mike got all excited and started hollering, "Did you see that?? Those were steps! Real Steps! That's my boy!"
I keep telling you...these are moments I live for.

News & A Haircut

Mike got some news yesterday that he was excited about. He got asked to be on the Wichita County 4-H Assoc. Board. This is a very big deal to him. And I think he was really honored that the people he respects so much, thought of him and wanted him. It won't be official until the next board meeting in a few months. But we're proud of him!

So, Sam was born with a headful of hair. Black, thick, straight hair. Tons of it! He's had 4 haircuts since being born. He was in DIRE need of another. Mike had been wanting to cut it short, like Mason's, but I wasn't quite ready to get rid of his baby curls. Mason was 2 before I finally cut his curls off! But yesterday I let Amber, his babysitter, help me cut it after work. And it is short!! I still want to cry, but he looks so cute. Doesn't look like a little baby at all anymore, maybe that's why I'm sad!!

Before....All those pretty dark curls...


And After!! He's found his nose and won't stay out of it!
Mike loves this picture...tells you about his sense of humor...

Thankful

It's the end of the Thanksgiving weekend. I've finally got a few minutes of quiet time to think about the last couple of days. We've had an awesome few days with friends and family. That always reminds me how blessed we are with the people in our lives.
On Thanksgiving, we were invited to Stacy and Lawana's this year. Had a huge lunch over there with them, Uncle Sandy, and Dad. Afterwards we went to visit with Mike's parents, then came home and put our Christmas tree up. It was much easier than last year, considering that I'm not 8 months pregnant this year! Time flies! Friday, I had decided I was going to cook lunch and attempt to make my grandma's stuffing. I miss her so much, and REALLY miss her cooking. Wish I'd paid more attention when she was here. So, we cooked a ham, dressing, macaroni, green bean bundles, and poppy seed cake (another of my favorites from my grandma). Cary, Dad, Hannah, and Uncle Sandy came to eat with us. It was really nice. That evening we went back to Olney and spent the evening with old friends. Then yesterday we cooked again for Mace. Lots of cooking and eating going on around here!
What I really want to remember about this year, was the night before Thanksgiving. I had cooked my first pumpkin pie. Mason was really excited, he has a huge sweet tooth! It had to cool for 2 hours though, so I had to put him to bed telling him he could have some for breakfast. He wasn't happy with me. Well, about 9:00, I don't know what got into me, but I went and got my son out of bed, and told him let's go have some pie. His little eyes just lit up as he ran with me to the kitchen. I had bought the whipped cream in the can for the pie, so I got that out too. As I was shaking it to put on the pie, I had another wild idea! I told Mason to open his mouth and sprayed his mouth full of whipped cream. The look on his face was priceless! He couldn't believe his mom had got him out of bed to fill his mouth with sugar and pie. He was laughing so hard as we all took whip cream shots with our pie. Before he ran back to bed he said that was the best-funniest thing he'd ever done and he loved me. Priceless memories. What I live for.

Momma goes to the hospital

Well. You know you're sick when your husband tells the nurse in the hospital, "If she'd been a horse, we'd have put 'er down."
It's been a long horrible week, but I'm back home with my family and slowly feeling a little closer to normal. Been sick since last Sunday night. Ended up in the ER on Wednesday morning, thinking I just needed some fluids to rehydrate me. Then ended up being admitted to the hospital thanks to crazy lab work and wierd little ER doctors. By the time I was released last night, my actual doctor was certain I had a gallbladder problem and it should just come out. Watch what I eat until it does. However, this afternoon, the results of the sonogram showed nothing wrong with the gallbladder, so who knows. I'll do more labwork next week and try to keep foods down. I've had three solid meals since last Sunday, so eating is a little scary right now!
Whatever is or was going on, I'm just glad to be home. My wonderful, wonderful husband has got to be the most stressed out, tired man out there today. He's been so great this week. Being Mr. Mom and doing everything for the boys while taking care of me too. He's done absolutely everything this week by himself. I don't know what I'd do without this wonderful man I'm lucky enough to call my husband.
And also thanks to my momma who came and held my hair back for me on Tuesday with a wet cold wash cloth. The only one brave enough to come around someone that sick, haha, guess it's a momma thing. Love you mom.

Lazy Sunday

I'm so tired today. And I haven't really done anything this weekend. Mike has been gone since Friday morning for his annual hunting trip down south. Guess I'm tired from chasing these boys by myself. Mike really is a lot of help with them. I can really tell the difference when he's gone. I took them to IHOP this morning. I was craving eggs benedict and didn't feel like cooking!
Yesterday we went to Olney to go to Keleigh's birthday party at Ira's house. The kids enjoyed it and we got to visit with the family, so that was nice. Had supper at Nana & Papa Dale's. Mason is still mad at me because he didn't get to stay the night with his Aunt Molly, cause after all, Koy said it was alright!
Before I went to the party, I drove over to the cemetary to see Jeffrey's headstone. It was finally put in last week sometime. And, it's beautiful. I've been driving out there everytime I go to Olney, but for some reason seeing the actual headstone finally there, just made it more real. Final. All I could do was cry. Still hard to believe he's gone.

Anyway, my last couple of posts have been bummers. Try to be more upbeat next time. Oh, wait! I know what I am upbeat about...Texas Tech won again!!

Good news...hard recovery

It's been a rough couple of days. We had Mason's scan on Wednesday. He had to have a catheter and an IV to complete the scan. As much as I love Cook's hospital, I wish sometimes they would just sedate him before doing these procedures. The IV went well, there was a really nice lady who came to talk to him and show him what they were going to do. The catheter, didn't go so well. We had to hold him down, and they had trouble getting it in. It seemed like it took forever to get it in. By the time it was in, Mason was hysterical, I was crying, my mom was crying, and the two nurses were shook up. It was pretty rough. The scan itself though, went awesome. They didn't even do the second half because his kidney was draining so well. This hasn't ever happened! They kept asking me if he'd had some procedure done since the last time, cause he looked so much better. I can't explain the improvement, but I'll take it! It was so nice to leave there with good news for once. My poor mom got a taste of what we've been through with Mason since he was born, it's hard to see him going through stuff like that. He bounced back pretty quick, but couldn't go to the bathroom on his own. The catheter made him pretty sore. Yesterday morning, he was still in really bad pain, so I had to stay home with him again. I won't go into all the details, but it was rough. Seeing your child in so much pain and trying to make them do something that hurts them...well...I'm just emotionally drained. By 3 yesterday afternoon, he finally got some relief. And now he's feeling 100% better. Amazing how quick he bounces back. Luckily we shouldn't have to do any procedures for a long while since he's doing so well.

House Of Poop

Man, it's been crazy lately! I know you are reading House of Poop and saying ugh, where'd that come from? But you just had to be there. Mike and I have been overwhelmed by the bowel movements of our children. To put it short and sweet, Mason has been constipated and Sam got a diarrhea stomach bug. Gross I know, but thus is the life of a parent.
Halloween went well. Mason was batman and Kooper was a scary masked man. Sam was getting over the stomach bug, so he stayed close to the bathtub with his daddy. It was a beautiful night for trick or treating. Also, three years ago we closed on our first house! Still loving Lakeside.
Saturday Molly and I worked on a secret Christmas project, I think it went well. Can't spoil the surprise though, so no, I'm not telling you what we are doing. And yes, Texas Tech beat the Longhorns!! Awesome game!!
Yesterday, Mike and I took Mason to his nephrologist at Cook's. His urine calcium is too high again, so they are upping all his meds. Again. The doctor is hoping that he will outgrow the calcium issue and seems to thinks it's unrelated to the fact that he only has the one kidney. However, regarding the slow drainage from the last renal scan, he doesn't think it's due to the calcium, which is what the urologist told us. He thinks it's kidney function or an error by the radiologist. So, guess what? Back to Cook's tomorrow for another scan. Mike needs to work, so my mom is going to go with me. The scan itself is harmless, it's just that he has to have an IV and catheter to complete it. Luckily we get to come home afterwards. Wish us luck and pray for my little man!

Our Friend Buddy

Mason has an imaginary friend named Buddy. He only comes to visit every now and then. Mainly when Mason is deep in play by himself, and needs someone to talk to. Or when Mason has been in trouble and wants to take his anger out on his friend. My son is very bossy. I have no clue where he gets this from. Okay. I'm lying. I know very well where he gets this from. But, I have to admit I admire his leadership and his standout way of making his ideas and opinions known. Yeah, Yeah, but he's still a very bossy 5 year old. And he loves to boss around his friend Buddy. I guess because Buddy can't talk back. I find it very amusing listening to Mason and Buddy's conversations. It's usually very cute and funny. However, it is not cute and funny when he's been aggravating me all morning while trying to get dressed, and he decides to go yell at his friend Buddy like I have been yelling at him.
This morning, going through our usual routine, Buddy was here for a visit. While putting makeup on, I could hear their conversation. "Buddy, be quiet. Buddy, I said be quiet. Buddy, you are going to wake up Sam and I will be very upset with you. Buddy, get dressed. I said get dressed. Wrong foot, other foot, I said other foot. Please be quiet. Hush! Don't look at me that way! Do you want to go trick or treating tommorrow??"
Cute, huh? Amazing how he can't remember to brush his teeth or put the toilet seat down, but he can remember every word out of my mouth when I'm getting on to him.

Night out with Mike McClure Band

Saturday night, my husband and I actually went out, without our children, with other married couples, and did something fun! Wow, right? Never happens anymore, but we had so much fun!! (Mike a little more than others, haha!)
We had a group of about 16, including Cary, Amber, & Daniel. Mike McClure Band was playing at the Iron Horse Pub here in town. We were worried about it being too crowded, so we got there early and reserved tables. But it never got too bad. And Mike McClure, who I absolutely love, was just standing at the end of the bar like any normal person! Cary took my picture with him, waiting for him to email back to me. I will definitely post that pic! Also got a free cd, and got to dance a little. Was a good night. Tired on Sunday though, not used to those late nights anymore!

Released From PT

Sam had his last check up yesterday with the lady from the Rehabilitation Center. He has completely recovered from his torticollis, and is advancing like he's supposed to. So, they kicked him out! Yea! She was really impressed with how well the shape of his head has recovered. When we started physical therapy, at 3 months old I think, the right side of his little head was so flat. And he always had his head tilted to the right. My goofy husband, would sing that Beyonce song, "To the Left, To the Left, constantly to little Sam. But he just could not turn his head that way. Once we started therapy we learned that we had to stretch his neck muscles to teach him to lift his head up right. I was so scared his little head wasn't going to be right, but it has rounded out and looks good now. She said he had one of the best recoveries from torticollis that she had seen.

Star Student

When I dropped Mason off at school this morning, his teacher hands me a piece of paper and says they forgot to give it to me yesterday. I'm already groaning inside, thinking what did he do now??? Instead it was a note letting me know that Mason was picked to be the "student of the week" next week, and asking for pictures of him and his family to put on the wall. I was stunned! I asked her is she was sure this was for Mason. His teacher laughed at me and said don't look too surprised, he's a great kid! Well, I know that, but he's been giving those teachers a run for their money lately! Although, I can proudly say he's gotten "treasure box" every day this week.

I'm kind of worried he's about to pass a kidney stone. He's had that "look" lately. Can't describe it, it's a mom thing I guess. Complained of some pain randomly and yesterday didn't eat at school or supper last night. He's so strong though, that even when he's hurting he doesn't really slow down much, so it's hard to tell. I kind of wanted to take him into the doctor for a check-up, but what do I say?? Um, Doctor? He's got that "look". See it???

Confirmation

Last night, Mason made me cry. But happy tears!!
He hopped up beside me on the couch, and started telling me how they pray before they eat at school. I told him I was very happy to hear that. Then he told me all of his prayers. He recited "God is Great, God is Good...", "Come Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest...", and another one that they sing before lunch. I don't know why, but it just got to me!! I'm so glad my little boy is learning good things like that! Especially since I really was unsure about putting him in a preschool. And lately he's been having his rough days there, that have made me question my decision. So, hearing things like that reassures me that we've done the right thing, and that he's truly learning and growing. I'm learning as a parent how hard it can be to make decisions for your children and how hard it is not to second guess or beat yourself up when things aren't going great for them. I'm also learning that I've just got to let Mason take his time and figure things out on his own.

Doris Katherine Hamilton

Doris Katherine Hamilton, age 85, of Olney, Texas died Sunday October 12, 2008, in Olney.


Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 14, 2008, at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church with the Rev. James Gilbert, of Fort Worth, Texas and the Rev. David Carpenter, pastor, officiating. Interment will follow in Restland Cemetery under the direction of Lunn Funeral Home.


Doris was born November 21, 1922 in Olney, Texas to the late Mark and Io (Eubank) Campbell. She and Dwight Hamilton were married on September 24, 1944 in Olney. She graduated from Olney High School in 1940 and attended Bethel College in McKenzie, Tennessee. In 1944 she graduated with a BA and BS from TSCW in Denton, Texas. She was a member of Phi Upsilon Omicron, the Amity Club, the Olney Library Board, and past president of the Olney Board of Industry and Commerce. Doris was a member of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the CPWM, and a former member of the Children’s Home Board. She was preceded in death by one sister, Peggy McKinley.


She is survived by her husband, Dwight Hamilton of Olney, Texas; one son, Dike Hamilton and wife Marti of Olney; one daughter, Kathy Gilmore and husband Dale of Olney; five grandchildren, Mike Gilmore and wife Charity, Ira Gilmore and wife Cathey, Molly Cauble and husband Robert, Parker Hamilton, and Paige Hamilton; and six great grandchildren, Kooper, Mason, Sam, Katey, Kasey, and Koy.


Visitation for family and friends will be Monday evening, October 13, 2008, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home.


Memorials may be made to the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 756, Olney, Texas 76374 or the Olney Community Library and Art Center, P.O. Box 67, Olney, Texas 76374.

9 Months Old & More..

Our little Sam is just over 9 months old now. So hard to believe! He weighs 24 lbs and 8 0z, little chunk, and I think he was 29" long. He's been pulling up now for about two weeks. Pulling up to everything! We have a fireplace in our house that has a brick bench around it, and he loves pulling up to that. He's giving me a heart attack, because he's still sooo wobbly! I'm so scared he's going to get hurt! That and the fact that most of our house is hard tile, we're definitely going to have some bumps and bruises. He's still eating about the same amounts of everything. And he still likes pretty much any and all food! We've started giving him some table food and even the foods that he makes a funny face over, he eats more of! He's finally talking a little more. Definitely got more facial expressions. He can get pretty animated! He still has that beautiful smile.
Mason has been having a hard time at school lately. His teacher and I have narrowed the problem down to the afternoon aide that he just doesn't mesh well with. It's been pretty frustrating, because I try to always back up the teachers, but with him getting into trouble everyday, I feel like I can't come home and enjoy him. I also think he was needing some momma time. So yesterday I took him to the dentist and he did so well. Sat up there like a big kid and got his teeth REALLY cleaned for the first time. Afterwards, I drove him over to Holliday. Olney was playing over there, so I thought it would be a good time to show him his school he'll go to next year. Then we got to visit with Brenda, Arville, Marty, and several others. On the way home, he was mad because we left, but he told me he loved me and thanked me for taking him. Love that little man.
Happy Birthday today to Da (Dwight). On a sad note, Denmama (Doris) has taken a turn for the worst and isn't expected to be here much longer. Kathy and family seem to be doing okay. I think everyone is more worried about Dwight. It is going to be really hard on him without her. Molly and I have both commented that they both seem to have a love story like that movie The Notebook. That undying true love. We should all be so lucky to have that.

Pics from the Birthday Party

The Birthday Party

I am sitting in my playroom, and it's quiet!! Seriously quiet! Wow!
Sam is napping, and Mike took Kooper and Mason to the store with him. And, instead of napping or resting, I'm blogging!
Yesterday, we had Mason's birthday party. He loved it! All the kids did. And they all did so well on the horses! Kasey and Koy, little darlings, are just naturals on those horses. Hopped right up there and quickly got irritated cause they couldn't go faster! Kooper had never been on a horse, but having no fear, he jumped up there, and wouldn't get off! He said that was the most fun of his life and he could ride a horse all day long. Days like this are when Mike has affirmation that he did the right thing by not moving to Dallas! Koop doesn't get opportunities like that at his mom's. And Mason, well, to begin with, I was a little worried. He was in dire need of a nap, was a little moody, and hopped up on several sugar drinks. I was scared about him getting on a horse. But, as usual, he surprised me and proved me wrong. He was very calm and loved riding. His horse was pretty tired from an earlier trail ride, so it was moving a little slow. Every now and then the horse would stop and Mason would promptly holler, "my horse is broke! come fix it!" And kick the saddle with his new little boots. (Have you priced children's boots lately??) The owner would just laugh and go pinch the horse to get him moving, and off they'd go again. We didn't have as many children as we'd invited, but it was probably just right. Everyone got to ride pretty much as often and as long as they wanted. After we left the arena, we all came back to the house with some very dusty and dirty, not to mention TIRED, little boys! Molly and the boys stayed until after 8 or so, letting the boys play with all Mason's new toys. Thanks Kase for putting the Hot Wheels stuff together!!
Oh, and Sam was wonderful, he slept through almost the entire party! Thanks mom for pushing him around in the stroller until he crashed!

Happy 5th Birthday, Mason!!

Five years ago today, I was the most excited and scared, that I had ever been in my life. I was going to have my first son, Mason. I checked into Harris Methodist Hospital (Ft. Worth) the night before, so that I could be induced first thing in the morning on October 2, 2003. It had been a long, long pregnancy. I didn't even know I was having a boy until my doctor finally did an ultrasound at 36 weeks. I found out we were having a boy. We also found out there was something wrong with his kidney. A couple of days later, we were sent to Ft. Worth to see a specialist. We were informed that there was only ONE kidney and that it had too much fluid on it. He had reflux. The doctor forewarned us about kidney failure, dialysis, and transplants. I was heartbroken. We decided to have our little boy at Harris so that he'd be close to Cook's Children's Hospital if there were any problems. They also decided to go ahead and induce at 38 weeks. So at 7 am that morning, off we were. And I mean, full speed! The doctor started my pitocin drip at the highest level, so within an hour I was having full hard contractions. (Aunt Molly was ready to kill my doctor for me! lol) My mom, Mike, Molly, Kathy, Dale, Daneil, and Uncle Sandy were all standing by and waiting. And waiting. And waiting. Didn't seem like he was ever going to get here! We had our funny moments. Like when I got some drugs and was amazed by the sight of my own hand. And we had our scary moments. Like when I had a reaction to the epidural and I looked like I was having a seizure. But finally at 11pm, they decided to do a c-section to get my little man out. I remember practically sleeping through it, but the next thing I knew, I was hearing him cry. I got to see him for a second, then they took him off to the NICU. I don't remember how much later before I got to see him again and hold him, but I remember how beautiful he was. And how loud and healthy he was. He was the biggest baby in the NICU! We really knew how blessed we were after seeing all the other babies in there, and knowing our son was healthy and thriving. After 5 days in the NICU and multiple tests, our son was fine and able to go home. Actually we demanded to go home! Mason was the first baby to ever be released from that hospital after midnight. It was so funny when the nurses were walking me down to go home. Security all of the sudden comes running at us, screaming, "STOP! STOP! STOP WITH THAT BABY!" They thought someone was trying to kidnap a baby! So after several explanations and proof that he was mine, we got to take him home. We didn't make it back to Scotland until almost 3 am. But we didn't care, we were home with our little boy.
And now he's five years old. My, how time flies! I'm reminded daily what a blessing he is, and a handful, haha! But he is the love of my life and I can't imagine my life without him. Every night I pray for all the best that GOD has to offer for my son.
GOD bless my little man. Momma loves you, Mason! Happy Birthday!

(I created a slide show to put in his baby book to always have. It's about 15 minutes long. Pretty short considering it sums up five years!)

Somebody's got a birthday coming up...!

Aren't these just the cutest invitations? I don't know what I'd do without Molly. I know I'd definitely be broke! Or have no pictures of my children, haha!
I'm having Mason's birthday party at the Griffin Equine Center. The kids will get to ride horses and chase calves. Plus have faces painted and balloons. I'm excited and can't wait to see the look on Mason's face! His cake that I ordered is supposed to have the red boots and black hat on it. I am excited to see how it turns out!

Ouch

I had my first wisdom tooth pulled yesterday. And it hurts!

Saturday with Aunt Molly

This weekend, Mason, Sam, and I loaded up to go spend the day with Aunt Molly. We had decided to go to Abilene, where she wanted to take some pictures of the boys. As crazy as it is when we road trip with all our boys, it really is a lot of fun. They drive us crazy, but we love 'em anyway! It's so funny when we go somewhere together with all these boys. We literally stop traffic. Complete strangers stop us to ask if they are all brothers, or if we're starting our own football team and stuff like that. Molly and I just smile our proud momma smiles and go on.
She got some really great picturs of all of our boys. Even with rain starting and stopping the whole time! And the boys were actually all pretty good! We went to the ACU campus to take them. The site was just beautiful. I'm determined to get my whole family together to go back and take family pictures!
(HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON ON MY JUKEBOX THING ON THE RIGHT WHEN YOU LISTEN TO THE VIDEO)

Dove Season 2008

It's been crazy, crazy lately! I'm going to summarize a whole weeks worth of info pretty quickly here!
Dove season opened on the first, and for us, that's fun/busy time! Opening morning we went to Locket with Mike's boss David. My dad, Cary, and his friend also went with us. And Koop! This was the first year he got to go see what it was all about. We all got him a pellet gun for his birthday, he just turned 11. So he was ready to go! We saw lots of birds and had lots of fun!
The rest of the week, Mike took vacation. So did Cary, so they ran around together all week. Mike got his new company pickup. It's bright red, so he's a little unsure of it. Too flashy for him, he says. But it's really nice. He took Mason out of school for two days to run around and have "man time" with him and Cary. Needless to say, when I got Mason up for school this morning, he shouted at me, "I don't want to go to school, I'm staying with my daddy!" Yeah, I had to straighten him out real quick...
Then the boys stayed with my mom and David from Friday through Sunday, while I went to run around with the boys! Had a blast, but I'm still recovering! Didn't see too many birds this time, though. But, we've got the rest of the month to find some more, so we'll cross our fingers and keep trying!

Sporting Clay Saturday

Saturday was so much fun! We went over to the Wildcatter to meet my Uncle Randy. He had told us about this sporting clay event to benefit a man from Graham who had been injured recently when ran over by a vehicle. We all thought it would be good shooting practice for dove season, and it was for a good cause, so off we went. Early morning though. We were up at 5 am, out the door by 6 am, had the boys in Olney at the grandparents before 7 am, and off to Graham! Whew, wears me out typing it! LOL
Lyndsay Beth rode with us, and "Uncle" Cary met us there. Right away, Lyndsay Beth and I were real nervouse. We were the only girls. And there were a bunch of guys! But eventually we just got up there together to take our round. You get a chance at 25 clays. Before we shot I asked what the lowest score was. It was 10, so we were just praying we could beat that! And we did, we did awesome!! I got 15 and she got 16. Not bad considering my husband got 19 and Cary got 22. Mike was so proud of me. I could just see him back behind me grinning, with the "that's my wife" smile!
Cary scored in the top 8, so we had to stay all day for him to stay in the elimination round. He made it to the final two, but ended up winning 2nd. It was alot of fun!

Lake Texoma

What a wonderful weekend with my husband! We went on our annual Dolese trip to Lake Texoma. This is the closest thing that we ever get to a vacation. And since it is all paid for, we can afford it too!
We left Friday afternoon. Molly kept both boys for us. After packing for them, then for us, then loading them, us, and all our stuff, we were wondering if it was even worth going! LOL
But finally, we got the kids dropped off and were on our way. Friday night we had a fish fry then got to go out on the big boat. Looks more like a miniature yacht to me, but they call it a boat. Got to watch the sunset on the lake. Beautiful. Saturday morning, we got up early to go fishing with a guide. I was the only woman who went, so I had to show the guys what I was made of, haha. I did succed in out-fishing them number wise, but Mike ended up catching the biggest fish our guide had seen this year! An 11 pound striper! It was awesome! (see pic on side). So, needless to say, Mike is finally happy to be able to say that he out-fished his wife!
That afternoon, after a huge homemade breakfast, we took out the seadoos and boats. Went out and relaxed on one of the "islands" out there. Later we got in the hot tub until time to clean up for our steak supper. After stuffing ourselves, everybody played dice games until about 10pm. Then we crashed. Mike and a couple others went fishing again yesterday morning, but I slept in. We made it home by about 3:30 to get the boys in Olney. I was so ready to see them! Molly swears they were good for her, which I questioned many times. I sure hope so! Anyway, it was a wondeful time that Mike and I needed to have together. Can't wait until next year!

Guess What? We have neighbors!!

Well, obviously we knew we had neighbors, we just didn't know any of them. Saturday we got invited to a "curb party" down the street. And I have to say, we had a blast! Everyone was so nice to us! And after talking to everyone, we realized some of our neighbors grew up in Olney or Windthorst, and if we didn't already know them, we knew somebody in their family! Small world, huh? One lady there was super nice to us as soon as we walked in. She was kinda older, and reminded Mike and I of an older hippie. She immediately took over Samuel. She fed him, held him while we swam and ate, and later swam with him in the pool. At the end of the night, she informed me that my little man Sam, has a "good soul. good spirit." LOL, Can't ask for much more for my kids, right? And Mason, we had only been there 5 minutes, and I looked up to see my little daredevil jumping off the diving board! He'd never even seen a diving board! And Kooper, by the time we left to go home, just kept thanking us over and over for staying out late at a pool party. Needless to say, we all had a good time, and they said they have these parties every other weekend. So, we should get to do it again before the summer is over. I'm just excited to finally be meeting some of the kids and parents that my boys will be going to school with!

Sing-Song

"YOU GET WHAT YOU GET,
SO DON'T THROW A FIT."

Last night while Mason was playing, I heard him saying this over and over and over. I asked him where he learned that phrase. He said at school. Miss Maricella told them this as she was passing out instruments in music class. (He got maracas(sp?) by the way.)

I'm just loving him going to school and the things he comes home saying!

Even in his sleep

Every now and then, like last night, I find myself wide awake at night, while my boys are all sound asleep. I like to enjoy these moments by sneaking in their rooms and watching them while they are sleeping, so still and peaceful and sweet. Last night I went to Sam's room first. My little angle was sound asleep, a little smile on his face. I rubbed his head and headed to Mason's room. Now, the only time Mason is not in motion is when he is sleeping. And he's not a cuddler. (Yes, I know, he gets this from me, but even I like to cuddle more than he does.) Mason and I have a standing joke/routine. I kiss him and he automatically wipes them off. I have reapeatedly told him that momma's kisses are permanent, but he insists on trying to wipe each and every one off. So, I love going to check on him when he's asleep. He can't protest my affections so much. So,I covered him up with his blanket. I found his kitty kat from the end of the bed and tucked it under his arm. I rubbed his little head and watched him sleep as I had my proud motherly moment. Then, satisfied that all was well in my home, I bent down to kiss my little man on the cheek as I headed off to bed.
And the little toot, in his sleep, reached up and wiped off his cheek with his blanket.
Boys.

Milestones

Tooth number two has worked it's way through. It's so funny seeing Sam smile now, with one tooth sticking up real far and the other just now poking through. He's growing so fast!

And my kitchen is DONE!. Yes, I said done. Woo-hoo! And it's beautiful. I finished all the paint trim that had to be done and polished the granite, got everything back on the counters, and just stood and looked at my kitchen for what seemed like hours on Saturday. Then I went and ruined it by frying chicken and squash last night for Mike! What's the point of having it if you can't use it, right?

A lot has been going on lately. Too much to try to write about. But I'm learning to just enjoy each day as it comes and don't take anything for granted. And I'm grateful for my family. Without family we have nothing. And I'm convinced that if we keep praying for my Mason he'll be okay.

First Tooth!!

Sam got his first tooth yesterday!! He's already trying to bite all of us with it!
And did I mention he is all over the place now???

First School Picture

Yup. My baby is growing up. I bought our first (pre)school pictures last week. They were actually pretty good! And Mason is doing amazing in school. I'm so proud of the way he's taken to it. And I love the stuff he comes home telling me about. Yesterday he was telling me that there was this guy that had something wrong with his eyes. "He couldn't see, momma." And Jesus touched him with his hands and his eyes were all better. "Isn't that cool, momma?"
How cute is that?
And last week I asked how he liked his teacher. He informed me that he liked her alot cause she has a treasure box full of candy and when he's good she'll let him have some. Bribery, works every time.

Six Month Sam

Monday we had Sam's six month checkup. Can you believe it? Already? Times sure flies. He now weighs 21 pounds and is 27 something inches long. He's huge.
He's starting to get his own little personality. He's a growler. He likes to come at you growling with his mouth wide open like he's going to eat you up. His nurse thought this was quite hilarious!
He's eating all kinds of baby food now, and (surprise, surprise) there doesn't seem to be anything he won't eat. He's rolling all over the place. And on Friday he finally mastered rolling to tummy and back again. We're working on sitting up, his little buddha belly seems to be in the way. He's learned to scoot already, and wants to walk. I think he's going to skip crawling and go straight to running!
He sleeps pretty much all night, every night. And he loves to watch his big brothers. He wants to run with them so bad he can't stand it! He'll lay there and watch them and his little legs will start going ninety miles an hour!
And I do mean little legs! Both of my sons were blessed with their grandad's body type! Love you dad! Long upper body and no legs. Sam is worse than Mason though!! He's wearing 24 month onesies because his body is so long! But not those little fat legs!!
He has a beautiful smile and tons of hair. I can't take him anywhere without people stopping to tell me, "oh! look at all that hair!" And yes, it's starting to get curly. Not quite as jet black as it was, getting a little lighter. Don't think he'll be a blondie like Mason and I. But I think he will get the curls. Oh, and gorgeous eyes, my little man has. So far they've still got some of my green in them. I hope they stay that way!!
And teething. He is teething so bad! Everything goes in the mouth. And the front of him is constantly soaked! Unfortunately his doctor said he's probably another month out from any teeth actually poking through!
Sorry, if I'm boring anybody. I write more here than I do in his baby book, so this way I can look back and see what he was doing at six months. Wish I had done something like this with Mason!!

Sunburnt and Tired

What a great Fourth of July weekend we had! I got to catch up with so many relatives and friends this weekend. Brenda, love your furniture by the way!
David and mom had the 3rd annual fireworks show out at their house. It was the best year ever. David and Cody spent some big bucks this year and we were entertained by some awesome fireworks for almost two hours! Great food, friends, family, and fireworks. Perfect.
We spent the night out there, so Saturday morning, we woke up to a home cooked breakfast and started cleaning the field up. It really wasn't too bad with everyone helping. Later in the day mom and me took Mason and went to Kathryn and John D's to lounge in the pool. It was heaven. Nothing beats a cold pool in the middle of the summer. (Along with some cold beverages! hehehe) It was so great I went back yesterday to do it again! Mike took the boys with him to get Kooper then brought them to me when he made it back. They cooked us hot dogs before we left, Mason downed three, going to have to watch his salt intake the rest of the week! What am I going to do with him?? But anyway we had a blast. Kathy and John are hilarious! Best weekend we've had in a while. My sunscreen obviously didn't work very well though, I've got a pretty good sunburn. But it was worth it!
And I have to mention, I'm so proud of my Uncle Randy. He finally got his driver's license back! Been a long time, I think he felt like it was his sweet sixteen again!!

So tired..

It's been a long, long weekend. Poor little Sam got sick Friday night, running temperature, and ended up being sick through Monday. Poor little guy wouldn't do anything but cry. Couldn't even get him to eat. And if you've seen him, you know he likes his milk! So, the whole entire household is exhausted. It was almost like having him as a newborn again, getting up with him every other hour. Luckily, he finally slept the last two nights, and started eating again yesterday. I hate when my kids are sick!
On another, irritated, note. How the hell do men sleep through the high pitched scream of a waling child?? I love my husband. I really do. And he helps me with everything and would do anything I ask him to. But that man can sleep through anything. Saturday night Sam was inconsolable. There was nothing I could do to comfort him. And after 24 hours of this, I was almost inconsolable! Finally I had to just lay him down to cry and go to the living room to cry myself because I didn't know what to do. Finally, out of sheer curiosity that Mike hadn't got up, I went to the bedroom to check on him. And there was my husband, resting peacefully, and snoring.
Needless to say I was mentally splitting up our furniture and possessions! LOL
Sam finally quit crying, and I got about 45 minutes sleep before he started again. This time Mike pops up, runs to his room, looks at him, runs back to our room, and says what do I need to do with him?
Let's just say this was not the time to ask me that question!
But all is better now. I love him again, haha, and everyone is getting rested up and back to work and daycare.

Busy day!

After what seemed like a busy weekend, I had a really busy Monday morning! I got all three boys to three different NEW places by 8 am this morning. I'm so proud of myself! Mason started his first day of preschool/daycare. I haven't gotten any phone calls so far, so hopefully it is going good. Sam started his new daycare at Miss Amber's. Not too worried about that. Hopefully Sam will lose some weight being in a daycare that doesn't stick a bottle in his mouth everytime he whines! And Kooper started summer camp. This year we opted to pay for the bus services, so I just had to drop him off at the meeting place. And after all that I made it to work with minutes to spare. Whew! LOL, now the trick will be to have all of them picked up by 5:30!!
And, since the folks know, I can tell the world...
I'm going to be an Auntie again!! Congrats to Molly who is having another baby! I'm so excited for her. Hope it's a girl, but we're used to boys, so either is great. Love ya Molly!

Breathe in...Breathe out...

Mason is driving me crazy this week! He is starting school on Monday and I guess he's nervous or scared or something. But at any rate, he's been very out of sorts this week. Even daycare and his swim teacher have noticed! I'm feeling like a bad mom anyway for moving him from his comfort zone to a school, and on top of that I've been yelling at him all week. Two nights ago, after supper, I noticed that he'd went to his room and had gotten very quiet. I went to check on him and found him scrambling to clean up 250 paint ball bullets out of his bedroom floor. You should have seen this look on his face when I caught him! He knew he was in deep. It was all I could do not to laugh but at the same time we are very strict about guns and bullets so I knew I had to get on to him. Anybody ever try to clean up all those little slick balls running all over a bedroom floor? It's fun. He had used his desk chair to climb up to Kooper's tall dresser and gotten the bullets down. As I said, we are very strict about guns and all that goes along with it, so he got a spanking from his daddy then I helped him clean them up. Then yesterday morning when I was trying to get him out of bed, I found the paint ball gun in his bed! Of course he told me he "couldn't remember how it got there.". So I had to spank him for playing with guns! And trust me spanking him is literally as hard on me as it is him. He fights like a little lion. I have to sit on him to spank him. The thing is he normally doesn't get into stuff like that. So I guess he's just getting nervous about the change next week and is acting out to express himself. So, like I said, I'm feeling like a bad mom.

Happy Father's Day

I am married to the most wonderful man on earth. Seriously!
Yesterday was Father's Day. The boys and I had gotten a card for him and they signed their names. That morning, Mike made the boys watch him read it. He read the card out loud, kissed them all, and told us thanks. Then he looked at me and said the sweetest thing. He said, "I wouldn't be a dad without that momma right there. So we all need to be thanking her." And the boys just laughed and "thanked momma." Even on Father's Day, he's thinking about me. He's the most unselfish person I have ever met in my life. My kids are so blessed to have such a wonderful dad. And I am blessed to be married to my best friend who I love with all my heart.

A CONVERSATION WITH MASON

ME: MASON, TIME TO GET UP.

MASON: I DON'T WANT TO.

ME: GET UP, GET DRESSED, BRUSH YOUR TEETH.

MASON: BUT I DON'T WANT TO BRUSH MY TEETH. I'LL DO IT LATER.

ME: QUIT ARGUING, BRUSH YOUR TEETH. AND DON'T GET TOOTHEPASTE ALL OVER YOUR SHIRT.

MASON: (MOUTHING, WHINING, STOMPING OFF TO BATHROOM.)

AFTER TEN MINUTES MASON COMES BOUNCING INTO MY ROOM WHERE I'M IRONING.

ME: LET ME SEE YOUR SHIRT. WOW! GOOD JOB, YOU DIDN'T GET ANY TOOTHEPASTE ON YOUR SHIRT!

MASON SAYS NOTHING, JUST SMILES AT ME AND SITS DOWN TO WATCH CARTOONS.

ME: (THINKING NOW) WAIT A MINUTE. DID YOU EVEN BRUSH YOUR TEETH?

MASON: NOPE.

AND HERE WE GO AGAIN.

WHERE DO I START??

Okay, it's been a while since I've had a chance to post, so I've got lots to catch up on. Let's see, weekend before last was Memorial day weekend. My little sister Hannah turned 11 on the 23rd and my niece Katey had her first birthday on the 24th. Ira and family are living at PK now, so we loaded everything but the kitchen sink for a day at the lake with the Gilmore family. Molly and I got to take our boys out on a "fast boat!" with a friend of ours. Got to go to Hell's Gate and sit and relax in the water. I haven't done that in years! It was so relaxing. Molly and I are likely to start dropping in on Uncle Ira pretty often this summer!


On Wednesday, it was off to Cook's Hospital for Mason's procedures. During the cysto they cleaned out lots of calcium tissue, or "junk" as his dr. called it. Then he had the renal scan. The scan showed that his kidney is still looking great and functioning however he's not draining urine as well as he needs to. So, we stayed overnight and had an ultrasound done the next morning. The ultrasound looked good, so for now we're dealing with just calcium issues. Got to get that under control! But, Mason did great in the hospital. Little toot wouldn't sleep at all. I think he thought the whole thing was a big adventure. He didn't want to come home, wanted to spend one more night! After his ultrasound on Thursday, he got real whiny and started complaining of his hand hurting where his IV was. I checked it and couldn't see anything wrong with him, so I just assumed he was tired. He complained a few more times so finally I paged the nurse to get him some tylenol. When I looked down, his poor hand was so swollen it looked like it was about to pop! He had gotten his IV out of the vein and it was just flowing under his skin. It looked so bad! But he recovered pretty quickly. We were so proud of him, and so ready to get home!!
Friday was granite countertops day. I had been so excited. I called at 9 that morning to see when they would be coming. I was told between 3 and 4. Long story short, they got there at 7 and left at 11:15. Yes. We were frustrated and tired. But I've got granite countertops! Yip-eee!
Saturday we spent the day at home. Uncle Sandy and Dylan came by to see the counters and bring me some squash. (Thank you very much!) Mom and David came up and ended up cooking us dinner at our house. Fajitas. Yummy. And yesterday we didn't do anything. I even took a nap! Can't imagine why I would be tired, huh??

Quote Aunt Brenda sent me today...

"Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... Love the people who treat you right and pray for the ones who don't."

4 Month Checkup

We had Samuel's four month checkup this morning. (He's actually closer to 5 months now.) Anyway, I was curious how much my little chunky monkey weighs. Everyone in the family has been guessing and wondering, since he's so huge. And now it's offical...he's huge. My "baby" weighs 18lbs 5oz. So, he has gained 5 pounds since his 2 month checkup and also 2 1/2 inches! Big ol' boy! He is in the 75 percentile on his height and "off the charts" on his weight! Crazy, huh?
I'm also proud of my other little man. We went to Lake Amon G. Carter yesterday to spend the day on the lake with my mom and David. Mason has always liked water, but lakes have kind of freaked him out. But by the end of the day yesterday, he was swimming with his life jacket all over the place. At one point he climbed out of the lake and hollered, "daddy! look! i'm a fish now!" He starts his first swimming lessons tomorrow, so I think he's going to do just fine.

Happy Mother's Day

What a nice weekend we had. In lieu of things that had been going on, it was really nice to have no plans and to just "be". We kept Kasey and Koy on Saturday. You'd think having two extra boys at the house would be crazy on our part, lol, but they all do so good together. They played outside all day long in the mud and pool. The one thing all three of them can agree on is that they love trucks and trailors. And there are plenty to go around! The joy of letting them run crazy outside all day is that by 8:00 after food and baths, they are done! Put them to bed with a movie on, and they are gone. Easy! Who said boys were hard? LOL
Sunday was Mother's Day. Mike had already gotten me a camera, that I picked out, hehehe. So he let me sleep in as much as he could with all 4 boys hollering and running through the house. Then he cooked me breakfast. And I got a cute card from the boys. After that we loaded our two boys, Kase, Koy, and Deb the dog into Mike's truck and headed to Olney. (That was interesting!) We spent a couple of hours vising with Dale and Kathy. Was pleasantly surprised to see Ira and Katey there too. After that we headed out to my mom and David's. I had been wanting to shoot some clay pigeons. So we set up and I shot about 3 cases of shells. I was so sore the next day! And my ears were still ringing! (Note to self, need to put earplugs in my gun case.) Then David cooked us all a steak and we headed home. It was a nice relaxing Mother's Day. Can't ask for more!

Heartbroken

It's been a hard week for me. You see, yesterday my family buried my baby cousin Jeffrey. Words can't even begin to describe how this felt. I've never felt such a range of emotions at one time. Anger, love, sadness, guilt, humor, loneliness. I could go on and on. He was only 19 years old. Barely a year out of high school, had his whole life ahead of him. And he's gone. Just like that. I'm really bothered that I didn't get to tell him goodbye. I'm wondering if he knew how much he was loved and thought of. But then I realize that he did.
His funeral was tough, but it was amazing. I was awed by the people who turned out to say that he had touched their lives. He impacted so many people in such a short amount of time. His family knew how special he was. We knew what a good person, respectful, strong, funny, loving kid he was. But it was amazing to hear strangers say the same thing. It was comforting. Jeff survived a lot of tough times, but he never let it him get it down. I've always been so proud of him and his accomplishments.
And now I'm left with tons of good memories of that smiling big ol' bear. I'm remembering how he drove me crazy when he was little wanting to hear "Indian Outlaw" over and over, and my grandma played it cause that was what Jeff wanted. I'm remembering more recently him running and playing with my son Mason. And Mason shrieking "Jeff-eee" and laughing and hiding from him. I'm remembering my birthday party and laughing so hard at him telling us about his "out-of-body experience." I'm remembering fishing with him. I'm remembering loving him.
I'd give anything to have him here to make more memories with.
I wonder if anybody noticed the weather yesterday as we walked into the high school auditorium. All of the sudden the wind picked up and the clouds got dark. And everyone was kind of getting scared because there was talk of a tornado. But oddly enough I was comforted. I told my family it was just Jeff letting us know he was still here. And he is. He's still here in my heart and everyone else's. We were blessed to be touched by this young man for the short time he was here. And we will never forget him.
Rest in Peace, Jeffrey Morris Taylor. I love you.

Lions, And Tigers, And...Well, No Bears

Yesterday was a day of conflicting emotions for me. It was a great day and a terrible day. Mike, Mason, & I went to Fort Worth for Mason's KUB X-ray and then Dr. appt later in the day. We decided to leave Sam at daycare and do something fun all day with Mason, in between appointments. So, we took him to the Ft. Worth Zoo. He had so much fun. I think he was mostly in shock at first, because he was actually speechless for the first time in his little life. Mike and I really enjoyed it too. Seeing it through a child's eyes is so funny! I think as adults we forget all the wonders of little things. So, of course he compared all the animals to the animals from Madagascar and all the fish to the ones from Finding Nemo. We laughed at monkeys playing and knocking each other off of the tall ropes. He got to giggling pretty good watching those monkeys! The neatest thing was the caged-in bird place. You could go in there with these little popsicle sticks, that had honey and bird food on the end of them, and the birds would come right up to you. It scared him at first, but after a few minutes he was running with all the other kids trying to catch birds on his stick. He rode the carousel, which he said made him a real cowboy now, cause it was a horse he was riding. And then we rode the train that goes back through the zoo and the look on his face was priceless! He and his daddy had an ice cream cone. I think it was the first one he'd ever had. He just kept looking at Mike and me, like he couldn't believe he was getting to do all this stuff! I'm really glad we did that with him, it will be a memory that will always make me smile.

On the down side, we had to go to the dr. after the zoo. The x-ray they took yesterday was fine, but they are concerned about the continuing bouts of blood in the urine and the spot in his bladder that showed up on his ultrasound. So, they are scheduling another cystocopy on May 28th. (He just had one back in November.) They are also going to do a renal scan to look for any damage to the kidney and look for drainage problems. He will stay overnight at Cook's, so that his nephrologist can confer as well. The dr. said it is possible that he will have to have his ureter tube re-re-attached. This has already been done when he was a year old. So, needless to say, I'm worried. It's not fair. I will never understand why kids have to be sick. Sometimes I wonder if it was something I did that made him born that way, but I guess that is just my guilt at not being able to control or understand the situation. I just wish I could make it better for him. I hate that he is so familiar with ultrasounds that he jumps up on the bed, pulls his shirt up for the jelly, and asks what prize he gets when it's over. I hate that he knows he can't eat chips or drink too much milk cause he will pee blood. I hate that he has three wonderful doctors that he is so familiar with and their nurses that I am now on a first name basis with. I hate that he can pee perfectly in a cup and no 4 year old has any idea what he is talking about. I hate holding him down for blood work, catheters, and IV's. And most of all, I hate the unknown. I hate not knowing what is wrong with him and being able to fix it. I hate that my baby, though he looks healthy, is really sick.
But I love that wonderful, strong, beautiful little boy. And if I know anything for certain, I know he can get through this. I just wish he didn't have to.

The Weekend Review

What a hectic few days! I just love this time of year. I guess I've got spring fever. I just do not want to be inside at all! Didn't get much done on the house this weekend like I wanted to, but oh well. We had a great weekend. It just went by too fast! Molly and the boys came up on Saturday. It was pretty hot outside so I filled up the kiddy pool with water. Way too cold for me but the boys loved it. They stayed out there for hours in the mud and water. Koy and Mason even got along the whole time! Those two are so much alike that they usually don't play well together. Apparently a water hose, some trucks, and some mud can fix that! Molly and I sat out and sunbathed and laughed at the boys. It was really nice. (I tried to upload some pics but it won't let me. Maybe later.)
Later that evening, Molly kept all the kids while Mike and I took mom and David out to eat at The Pelican. I love that place! I hadn't been there in two years or so and mom and David hadn't ever been. After mom had spent a whole week redoing my kitchen cabinets, she left the money I had paid her to do it and told me Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday. I begged her to let me pay her, she really worked hard and I felt bad for not doing anything for her. So, we finally got them to at least agree to let us take them out to eat. (Still not enough for all she did) It was a nice evening. They have the best scallops! Yum!
Sunday we didn't do much. Mike cooked us breakfast while Molly and I went through some REALLY old pics. I have a huge picture frame that Molly brought me this weekend and I was trying to figure out what pictures I wanted to put in it. That was kinda fun, seeing us all so young and skinny looking!
Then I went with Molly to try to get pics of Kase and Koy. She got pretty irritated with them pretty quick, but I didn't think they were too bad. (Aunts always think their nephews are better than their mom thinks they are!) She really got some cute pics. After they left for Albany, Mason passed out within ten minutes. The weekend with the cousins wore him out. I heard Koy passed out on the bathroom rug that night when he got home! LOL
Before I knew it, it was Sunday night and the weekend was over. Time to get back to work. Ugh.

Ode to Walmart

Is there anything worse than going to Walmart at 5:30 on a weekday with a four year old and a three month old? I mean really? That should be written down somewhere as the best all time form of torture. I almost think being hung up by my toes or having my fingernails pulled off with plyers would be more enjoyable! You've got the three month old who cries every time the cart stops. So when you stop to look at something, you're doing the cart dance. You know, where you move the cart back and forth talking and cooing and hoping he'll just go to sleep so you can figure out what kind of shampoo you need. And then, I'd really like to hit the people who decide to put the new cool toys and movies out on the endcaps in the GROCERY section! Thanks buddy, I had successfully snuck past the toy aisle without any screaming fits or tantrums and now in the middle of the freezer section I've got a screaming four year old who just has to have the Cars or Shrek toy of the month. Thanks alot. Then you've got the lovely people shopping with you. It never fails that I get ran over by an old lady in a motorized cart. And it always happens to be a very large older lady who looks like she's about to swallow the motorized cart. And she gives yo the go to hell mean look for being in HER way. There must be some class for large older woman that teaches them how to be meaner than hell to a mom with two kids just trying to get supper. Ever notice that most moms in Walmart have alcohol in their carts? I came home with a case.
And I'll be back next week to spend another $100 plus. I just love Walmart.

Dragon Tales - For Mason

Dragon tales and the "water is wide"
Pirate's sail and lost boys fly
Fish bite moonbeams every night
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams
The rocket racer's all tuckered out
Superman's in pajamas on the couch
Goodnight moon, we'll find the mouse
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Sweet dreams
God bless mommy and match box cars
God bless dad and thanks for the stars
God hears "Amen," wherever we are
And I love you
Godspeed, little man
Sweet dreams, little man
Oh my love will fly to you each night on angels wings
Godspeed
Godspeed
Godspeed
Sweet dreams

A Wal-Mart Sack

Okay, I have to tell this story. It's a classic, and I need to write it down somewhere before I get old and forget.
Five years ago when I was pregnant with Mason, Kooper was about 5 or 6 years old. And of course the bigger my belly got the more questions he asked. He liked to look through my magazines at pictures of babies inside their mommy's tummy's and he would ask if our baby was this big yet, and on and on.
Well, one evening before bed, he asked me what was keeping the baby inside my belly, what was keeping it from falling out? I told him that the baby was in a sack. He thought about this for a second. You could see the wheels turning over in that little head. Then as serious as could be, he said, "I bet it's a Wal-Mart sack." Mike and I had never laughed so hard in our life. And every now and then his Aunt Molly or Nana will remind us that all good things come in Wal-Mart sacks.

Motor-mouth

You know, you always hear that saying, something about the first few years of your kids lives you can't wait for them to talk, then the next few years you can't wait for them to shut up. Well, I completely understand it! Although, Mason was born talking. Well, I take that back. He really didn't "talk" too much right after birth due to all the wonderful drugs that they had given me while trying to get his stubborn little butt here. But once they wore off, he made his presence known, and has never stopped. He is four, and full of questions and demands. And he asks these questions, and makes these demands, at the top of his voice. He doesn't comprehend using your "quiet voice". For instance, shopping with him in Target several months ago he was giving me a running narration of everything we went past. "momma, there are diapers. momma there are cokes. momma there are toys, can I have one, can I, can I, can I??. momma, look there are some of those things like you wear!(bras)" So by this time, I'm getting a little aggravated, embarrassed, etc. So I told him to lower his voice while we were in the store. And my beautiful, intelligent little boy says at the top of his voice, "Why momma, cause not everyone wants to hear what I have to say?" Of course people are all around me and cracking up, and what can I do but laugh at him? I have a feeling Mason is going to get out of more trouble in his life just by saying the first thing that comes to his mind, in his loudest voice possible, with a big grin. So, I try to remind myself when I'm really wanting him to be quiet for just one minute, that I need to enjoy my little intelligent motor-mouth. Because one of these days it will probaly be like pulling teeth to get him to talk to his momma.

A REAL MAN

So my mom is at my house working on my cabinets. And this morning she got to telling me what Mason told her the last time he stayed at her house. She was bathing him, and he proceeded to tell her how he looked like his momma cause he had yellow hair and Sam looked like his daddy cause he had black hair. Then he told her that his grandad had hair on his face and that meant he was a REAL man. His Papa Dale is a REAL man too.
Outta the mouth of babes.
So, in case you were wondering what it took to be a real man in the eyes of a four year old, it's facial hair!

Opening Statement

My very first blog. I have actually thought about doing this for a long time, but never really looked into it. Luckily Molly did that for me, so here we go!
I was one of those kids that wrote all the time. Stories, poems ( I even won an award for a poem when I was like 10 or so), diaries, etc. Then I grew up, got too busy, and stopped writing. Anyway, now this will be a good way to keep up with everything that goes on and look back later and remember it.
At the moment, I'm probably the happiest I've ever been in my life. I have a great husband who would do anything for me. We have the best relationship. And we have three beautiful boys. I know boys aren't supposed to be called beautiful, but ours really are! Ask anybody!
Kooper is ten, going to be 11 this summer. He is my stepson, I have watched him grow up since he was 3. He's a very sensitive and loving boy, and can climb a tree faster than any monkey I've ever seen on the discover channel! Very athletic and strong, he doesn't know his own strength yet. I hope he gains the confidence to see what a strong and special person he is.
Mason is 4 right now and is as hard headed, stubborn, and aggravating, and talkative as anybody I've ever met. I know he's alot like me, but I think he's worse. He cracks me up and drives me up the wall on a daily basis. He's also my inspiration. Born with one kidney, constantly battling health issues because of it, he's the healthiest, strongest person I know. He can handle anything, and does it with a smile. But don't worry, piss him off and off comes that smile and out comes the best temper tantrum in the house.
My little man Sam is three months old right now. It's amazing how drastically different your children can be. Sam is already so much more laid back than Mason ever thought about being. Sam was born completely healthy and is a happy patient baby. Started sleeping all night at 9 weeks old, Lord is he a blessing! But, got to give him credit, when he gets worked up, he can compete with Mason on the tantrums.
God I love my children! These boys are constantly suprising me, frustrating me, amusing me, scaring me, and most of all taking a bigger part of my heart everyday. Mike and I are so blessed.
Anyway, with having three boys, I'm sure I'll have pretty good stories to tell on here, so this could get interesting...