Quick and Dirty Summer Recap

We got an above ground pool and didn't spend near enough time in it, but are trying to make up for that daily. Memphis is now old enough to get fixed and get his shots (today as we speak). Bubba and I are officially shacked up :). Kids are good, Blake is not driving yet, but hoping to be shortly as soon as Drivers Ed is finished... Elijah- I am pretty sure he is good saw him the week of Vacation, and.... yeah that is about it but I have spoken to him, and I know he is in good hands.

I am finally well. It took $2500.00 since March, a new bed, and 3 new doctors... nothing short of a miracle right? Oh yeah and the amazing support of my family!

Our family lost a member this summer also, my Uncle on Dad's side succumbed to cancer, and is at peace now.

Vacation week- 6 flags, Hawaiian Falls, Celebration Station, lots of food, lots of fun, and HOT, and some movies thrown in there to cool off with.

Sold a car, sold a truck, bought a truck... we are back to a two truck household thankfully!

The repairs on the house continue and I am still dealing with contractors... loads of fun...

Throw in one class, setting up Fall school schedule, and working and that sums up the rest of it :)

Belle goes Shopping

It is rare to catch Belle doing anything, especially funny but I managed it tonight, of course



Memphis tagged right along because he is the little one; and that is what they do!











So here is Memphis with his mouse that he took from Belle!

Favoritism

We all do it. You know it is true.

There is the cashier you go to instead of the OTHER ONE, the parent you call over the other, the sibling you speak to more than the rest. It feels OK sometimes to be on the giving end of that.... but on the receiving end of it ummm not so much.

Lately I have noticed others that show extreme favoritism towards my children. My parents, my friends, sister yes they all do it. The funny thing is they don't all show it towards the same child. It is pretty much split down the middle.

I know certain people connect more with people most like themselves. However I find I am more on the defense and take offense when I get well meaning comments directed at only one of my kids.

I love my children madly, deeply and whole heartedly, without question they are the best things I have ever done in my life. But I don't love them the same. How can I ? they are so extremely different.

Blake is so much like me, he is witty, shy, sarcastic, and opinionated. see the connection? Elijah is the opposite, he is outgoing, bubbly, not afraid to show his intelligence and use big words. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum, I have always referred to them as night and day and it has become more obvious as time has gone by and they have gotten older.

I wish sometimes they would meet more in the middle and find some common ground, but it might never happen. If it never does that will have to be OK E will be seeing gray and Blake will see things in black and white.

April showers and May Flowers right?

Well they say March blows in like a lion and out like a lamb I have always felt that it applied more to April in my house. We start the month of April with Blake’s birthday and finish it off with Dad’s, it is very fitting that they are 50 years apart and born in the same month as they are carbon copies of each other. Blake’s birthday this year included a quick and dirty trip to Austin, TX for the round up. Since he turned 16 this year (Omigod) I loosened the strings a bit more and let him fire up a top fuel dragster, see video. He enjoyed it; I wasn’t too wild about the no gas mask part but…

The trip was fast and fun, we drove down early Saturday morning had breakfast with the rest of the Living Legends crew, then got back into the truck and drove the rest of the way to Austin and the fairgrounds. I was so wrapped up with our cars and our group that I never got to wander and see the rest of the cars, which after I saw the pictures was a real shame; there was some beauties. I did take E over to the practice arena and watch the Mini Bike races; they were intriguing to say the least grown men on souped up mini bikes, racing each other, by the end they were getting down right ornery with each other. It is much better in the retelling than the actual watching but E enjoyed it.

We ended up crawling back into bed at home around midnight that Saturday night and being bums the rest of the weekend. I did take the boys out to eat that Sunday night and for ice cream at Marble Slab. Pretty sure I didn’t cook at all that weekend which is not a bad thing, except to my wallet!

The rest of the month has been spent getting adjusted to our new baby Memphis, who has declared himself the new ruler of the house! Jazz is of course not pleased with this, and they actually get along unless Memphis is picking on him. I was really worried at the beginning of this month having been sick with strep that I thought would never go away but we seem to be on the mend now.

This month I have also been back into touch with old friends from high school that I hadn’t seen in years! It was great to be able to see them again, and I am hoping another decade doesn’t go by without seeing them again! Of course seeing friends reminds me of the ones that live close that we can never get our schedules to line up to see, and we will be making an effort to do that! With seeing old friends comes meeting new friends and I have made some fabulous new friends and am enjoying spending time with them as well.

School marches on for all of us in our house I will be done two weeks before the boys but will start up again for summer classes, so it is not but a two week break. I was hoping for more of a break to be able to really get out there and get the yard under some sort of control and get some more flowers planted but I will just have to do it as time allows. Both boys are looking forward to summer vacation, Blake so he can finish drivers’ education and Elijah so that he can go and spend long weekends with his partners in crime in Wylie.

Dad’s birthday is this Saturday and I will be cooking dinner for him and making a cake and we will be hanging out, very excited for this! Ready for some grilling and hanging out time!

I hope May doesn’t fly by like April did, but I know the boys will be ready to be out of school!

the reason for chocolate cake

I get great news today! I made the honor roll! 3.5 GPA, I am stoked! I let a friend know asap as soon as I read the email, and of course got a smart ass remark. I don't know why I am surprised? I really don't .

So in order to alleviate the smart ass remark, I just have to rethink how and to whom I deliver my good news. Getting that remark on the heels of my announcement really took away some of the shine.

I have never EVER made honor roll. Not because I couldn't while in grade school but because I was LAZY! The remark really hurt me, and I think next time I will just choose my words a little more carefully.

I don't get many opportunities to brag on my achievements. I am a Mom first and foremost, than work, than school. To pull off a GPA of 3.5 this semester and last is to me stupendous with all that has been going on. Like I said I have never been dumb, just lazy or had better things to do. Sounds like most people. Now that I have the opportunity to go to school and get a career instead of just a job I am all over it.

Needless to say since I am doing this with virtually no help from anyone in my family and few of my friends I was in shock for about 45 minutes today after receiving the notification.

But to my friends and the limited family that hasn't disowned me: Next time just say great! Less is more...

Meet Memphis!

I have never had a fuzzy so rockem' sockem' raring to go and any and all times! He is so sweet and adorable and at other times a holy terror! We received him from a friend of ours who had the litter, and the siblings from the litter before. He is 8 wks old now and as cute as a button, until he is not!

I lost him last night and the other two fuzzies were crashed in the living room keeping tabs on me (they don't like to share at all!) and he was no where to be found. The boys doors were closed so I went to look into my room and he was sprawled on my bed!

Of course Jazzy and Belle are less than enthused about the little fart but they will grow into him!

D-I-V-O-R-C-E

I am by no means the authority on divorce, and actually don't recommend it; even though I am currently divorced. I love listening to the people who like to talk about kids coming from broken homes. My home was broken, I fixed it. That simple. YES! there are serious side effects we know this. Every decision that is made there is an equal and opposite reaction. We know this. Not a news flash.

In class tonight we had to create thesis statements and a group had one for divorce; and everyone of their topic sentences was how horrid divorce was and how hard it was. How the kids are going to be all warped and go out and become mass murderers and drug addicts, etc. Not so. Life is what you get out of it.

Yeah divorce sucks, at times single parenting sucks. The times that I have found it really bites? When my kids do something so awesome, and so great and I can't turn to their dad and say "did you see that? " Believe me no one sets out to be a single parent. It happens. Occasionally someone will come along and be terrific enough to become part of the family and to help with things, the good and the bad. Not always but sometimes.

This class tonight made me realize a few things

a) Japan has a 2% divorce rate, that is incredible.
b) Americans have a 50% divorce rate

Are the Japanese on to something? or is divorce just to easy in America? Like I said I don't recommend it. It hurts it is expensive and will leave emotional scars on kids and adults alike. Family members are effected. It doesn't just happen to you and to your immediate family, friends are effected and are sometimes included in the marital assets.

I know several women who will read this and realize that they are my inspiration and when I get whiny and bitchy and don't want to do it anymore! Because it is just to freaking tough and I don't want to be a grown up anymore! I want to be the footloose and fancy free one. Us moms are are the ones that get all of it, and today that is enough!