NVR Forget!

Here is a really cool tribute to 9-11 that my awesome sister-in-law did with some students that she works with! May we "NVR FORGET."

5 Year Olds & Menopause

My oldest sister calls on her way to our family's baby shower for her daughter, Charlotte, who is expecting a baby girl in June. There has been some debate on the baby's name. We started out with Stella, then went to Ava, & now it appears we may be back to Stella. My grandmother, Lord love her, who is in her 80's, is refusing to call the baby Stella. She even wrote the card for "baby Ava." This is nothing new since my other sister has a new baby granddaughter named Lily. When Grannie calls, she asks how "Rose" is doing. Think this is because of senility creeping in? Nope. Just Grannie being Grannie and a little opinionated. Hmmm...I wonder if any of her grandchildren inherited this trait? (Side note: My sisters are 13 & 8 years older than me, so they have a couple of grandkids already.)

Anyway, back to the story. My mom hangs up after telling Cyndee, my oldest sister, not to worry about coming & to just turn around & go home. We all look puzzled and inquire about what's going on. She tells us that Cyndee is feeling really bad & was crying terribly. It seems that she is going thru the "change," & today was NOT a good day. Rebekah then inquires with, "Mama what's the change?" Well, before I could finish with my generic response of "It's something that happens as we get older," Micah, who just turned 5 yesterday, pipes up with "Yeah Bekah, you go to jail & you never get out!"

I think that sums up menopause pretty well, don't you?

Joining the Craze!

Welcome to my sister-in-law, Karen, to the world of blogging! Go check her site out. It's really looking good!

HUGE shout-out to Joe for again pulling a 4.0 this quarter. (And, no, I have NOT done ANY of his work!) He actually pulled an A in college algebra! WOOHOO!!! I am proud of my man, and exhausted too from our crazy schedules.

Here are some pics of Micah from T-ball. Okay, I confess, these are from the fall, but cut me some slack. Teaching full time, raising 2 kids, & a husband back in college has me running in circles. Maybe I'll get the spring ones up by Christmas! :)





Ready for anything!



Check out that pitching arm! Awesome throw, Micah!



Partners in crime, um, I mean best buds!! (That's Micah on the left.)



GOOOO TEAM!




We all know how important stretching is before the big game. It helps as we flip, stand on our heads, & twirl during the game!

And some final pics...Rebekah this time. Loving all things 80's, I truly love these photos of Bek & one of her best friends. Do they remind anyone else of a Benetton ad?



Don't hate us because we're beautiful inside & out!

A Question for the Readers...

As mentioned in my previous post, I have had a bit of an estrogen imbalance resulting in 7 not-so-fun weeks. As of today, I am looking at having an ablation along with a tubal ligation in the very near future. Why is it, my female friends (& male if you have insight into this issue), that at almost 36 years of age, with 2 great kids, & with reasonable certainty that we are done having children, do I have the internal struggle with the decision to make it official??

Yes, I loved being pregnant. Yes, my children are tremendous blessings (even when they make me crazy or at least they exacerbate my existing craziness!). Yes, I love babies, toddlers, & preschoolers. (In fact, 0-5 is probably my favorite age group.) No, I do not think that I want the late night feedings, more laundry, more illnesses to go through, & all the other strains that come with parenting. But...I do miss the sweet smell of a baby's head as they nuzzle close to your neck; the sweet, yet bitter, feelings as they reach new milestones and independence; the excitement & joy over a new little life...these are hard to surrender. I guess if my sentimentality makes it difficult for me to throw away any little thing from Rebekah & Micah, it shouldn't surprise me that being a pack-rat might also spill over into body parts!!!

Seriously, can't you see me in the nursing home one day showing off my gallstones, or what have you, in little mason jars? You know you can... :)

Heed the Small Voice...

Remember this link about heeding the small voice that God gives us? Yeah, well, I decided not to listen today to the horror of many I suppose. I won't bore, or should I say gross you out, with the female tribulations I've been dealing with for about SIX WEEKS & all the fun things the doctors have scheduled for me, but it's important to understand how an estrogen imbalance impacts more than just the physical as I start my story.

Let's just begin with a whirlwind trip to run errands, a dash to grab a snack for the kids at Chick-fil-A, while trying desperately to get Rebekah to gymnastics on time. Thank goodness the girl had her suit in her book bag & was able to change while waiting in the drive-thru at CFA. (Obviously at the tender age of 8, she knows her mother & how we seem to live life while hanging on by our teeth, as she is the one who has started to pack her gymnastics suit on Monday without ANY prompting or suggestion from us...I love that girl!) We actually did make it on time, so Micah & I proceeded to go to the post office & finish a few other things that needed to be done. That's when the "love wagon" began to jerk & sputter. My gas light had just come on, so Micah & I began to pray that we would make it the gas station, which we did. After running by the house, I was miserable in my work clothes, so I promptly changed into white, yes I said white shorts, and a comfy t-shirt. Of course it was comfy, because I had removed the over-the-shoulder-boulder-holder, otherwise known as the bra. Micah & I took care of our "pets" & then got ready to go pick up Bekah when Micah notices that I have something on my white shorts. Great. What perfect timing. All I had time to grab were my royal blue pajama pants with green, red, & white polka dots. They go smashingly with the matching Santa shirt, but not with my faded slate blue tee with G.R.I.T.S. (Girls Raised in the South for you yanks) embroidered in a corn-husk yellow that I was currently wearing. BRALESS...44DD's which could be dangerous projectiles if not harnessed properly...I mean I could get black eyes in a fender bender. To complete the ensemble I wore my hair up in a fun ponytail/bun held secure with a fuschia scrunchii.

Now that still small voice was telling me to change; to at least put on a bra. Did I listen? Of course not! After all, I was only going about 1-2 miles from the house to pick up my girl, & returning promptly home. I would not even have to get out of the car...yeah, right.

As I was leaving the Y and turning onto the road the car began to sputter again & suddenly pressing the gas did no good. There was NO acceleration, and suddenly no anything. The car died. All I could think of was, "Are you KIDDING me??!!" As I called the tow company owned by some people we know, my emotions began to rise a little. Seriously, my estrogen has reached points of "Towanda" (for you Fried Green Tomatoes fans) in the last couple of weeks. It didn't help to feel like an imposition on the tow-truck driver as he had to leave his kids' ballgames. (Like I planned this on purpose?) So there I was, in all my redneck fashion glory, broken down on a road near the interstate with plenty of truckers pulling into the nearby station. Thank goodness my neighbor came to my rescue & at least took the kids back to her house while I waited on the tow truck. They were spared some of the humiliation. (Her husband was going to come, but as I expressed my concern over my outfit, he promptly suggested that his wife come. Hmmmm.) My neighbors actually wanted the tow truck to drop me off at home so they could get pics of me with the tow truck in all my fashion glory. That's just what people want pics of...a plus size beauty getting in touch with her trashy side. Don't hate me because I can be a redneck HOTTIE anytime I want! :)

I wonder if Joe will be embarrassed? I should go begging for TP in this get-up for sure!

The Sun Still Shines

After a trying couple of weeks, things are brighter again. For starters, 15, YES, FIFTEEN days of school left!! Woohoo!! Of course, we've already been given most of the month of June to return for professional learning sessions with offers of stipends that will barely cover the cost of gas & daycare. Yet, the promises of summer still beckon to me. The promise of days at the pool with the kids, trips back home to go to the beach, VBS, and days of sleeping in helps to ease the dragging days ahead.

Rebekah celebrated her 8th birthday last month. One of her presents was a Webkinz. Not familiar? I didn't know what they were until Rebekah received her little Dalmation. WE ARE HOOKED. In going with my true nature of having no shame, I must admit that I have found myself up late playing the games and earning Kinzcash. Really, there should be a warning of addiction on these things. Remember the old "Neopets?" Well, here is the new generation where you also get a plush toy of your pet. These are certainly cuter and paying between $9.99-12.99 per pet has proven cheaper than a real pet! (Lots cleaner & easier to maintain, too! :) My sister bought Rebekah and Micah another one last night, & bought me the Pet of the Month, the panda. I, of course, had to name her Ling-Ling in honor of the late Ling-Ling. (I also found another Ling-Ling that passed in the 90's. This is the one I was actually thinking of when I first heard the news.)

Well, here's promises of pictures to be posted soon! (That is if I have time between caring for our FOUR "pets!") LOL