Let's Go ............................

Antiquing!

It's that time of year here again, Antique Week or shall I say, month. They've been setting up everywhere since before Easter! But this is the week everything starts to wind down or start up, however you look at it.

Thousands of people from all over the country make the trek to Round Top and Warrenton for the antiques fair. And they invade La Grange.

Everyone wants to go, every day, all day. And it's so much fun.

So leave the kids & husbands at home and come for a visit.

You don't want to miss the one Antique Event/Flea Market that's been advertised all over the world.

Happy 4th Birthday Jayden

It's SO hard to believe my little guy is turning 4 on Saturday.

We are gearing up for a birthday party tomorrow evening for his friends!

And boy.......there were the terrible two's but he is a ferocious four.

on the day you were born and times there after:

Spring Break 2008

you know you are getting old when it takes this long to recover from Spring Break. I felt like I was in school again since we actually celebrated "Spring Break" this year. Now that our kids are school age, it makes since to get in a little vacation around this time of year.

Wednesday we left for Corpus Christi! And we had a FANTASTIC time. There wasn't a teenaged, spring breaker in sight.

Jayden loved spending time feeding the seagulls & both boys enjoyed being along the water, spotting ships, pelicans and fishers.

We spent Thursday morning at Texas State Aquarium where the boys loved the dolphins & otters. Then headed down to Padre Island National Seashore. The beach was almost empty so it was so nice & relaxing. There was NO seaweed in the water and the only jelly fish we spotted was dead. Granted the water tempature was about 60 degrees but it didn't stop people from getting into it. My kids included. It was about 75 degrees & a nice gentle breeze was constantly blowing. And with all the sand on the beach, you'd think the boys couldn't fight but low and behold they faught over the same pile of sand. But they spend about 2 hours just digging and playing. It was really nice. You wouldn't think you'd get as sunburned as Kreg and I did. We left miserable.

With Spring Break & Easter combined, we didn't get to stay long so we could head back to La Grange for the annual Urban family Good Friday fish fry. The boys went fishing where Hunter caught his first bass, all by himself.

Saturday morning was filled with the Annual Jersey Barnyard egg hunt where Hunter met and fell into love with a 'red' baby chick. And since Popo has been talking about buying a few chickens, Hunter was able to purchase his little chick to raise. The child was completely smitten and named the little guy "Big Red." All has been fine and dandy until my sister-in-laws dog thought the chicken was a play toy last night. I haven't had the heart to tell Hunter. Is it really fair to me to break the child's heart? He has been so excited about this little chick. And I was excited for him. ARGH. I really don't want to have to think about this one.

The boys spent Easter rockin' the new scooters the "Easter Bunny" left for them. And the boys spent more time fishing.

I'm really not looking forward to the start of school again tomorrow.............

and just in case you feel a need to help support Hunter, he's now selling Sally Foster cookie dough as a fundraiser. it's SUPER yummy.

A few pictures:


feeding the seagulls


on the pier

the awesome playground along shoreline drive

enjoying the peacefulness

beach buddies

jumping the waves

not sure who had the most fun

up, up and away

they could live here

fun at Port Aransas


his first bass

love at first sight

RIP Big Red

Rockin the scooter

Rockin the scooter

that's one big catfish

he was so happy

laundry is calling my name. along with the boys to head to the park to ride their scooters.

this close

to a, losing it and b, hopefully finally having answers.

if an hour and a half car ride with both kids in the rain won't do a person in, sitting in a doctor's office for a mere 3 1/2 hours with 2 kids will.

ah.....my brilliant idea of taking Jayden to the Allergy & Asthma specialist during spring break wasn't my finest moment. but I figured, I was off & the appointment needed to be made.

but after those grueling 3 1/2 hours, I don't feel that much closer at the present moment of knowing what exactly is going on with my wheezing, asthmatic child. but I do know the worst is yet to come.

April 15th he's going to be skin tested. I pray then we have answers to most of our questions of why this keeps happening.

In the meantime, I'm washing everything on hot water, bagging up the countless stuffed animals, extra pillows & basically anything 'stuffed' in the boys rooms. I only hope NOW that maybe everyone will realize, you CANNOT give my children stuffed animals. The specialist has spoken and it all MUST go and shouldn't be given back. There's nothing worse for allergy & asthma ridden children he stated. Yes, Hunter is very, no, EXTREMELY upset, but I'm only trying to make him feel better & not wake up with swollen, crusty, bagged eyes.

and just when I thought I was going to enjoy spring break........

can you forgive me?

I do have a good reason for being a bad blogger this week.

Yes, that's how we spend our evenings and sometimes mornings and days.

I've had the reminiscent of a migraine for the past 3 days and the boys asthma & allergies have been flaring up.

And since I'm having some tooth pain, I'm spending my nights & days, grinding the heck out of my teeth and locking my jaw. Oh the fun of TMJ. I've got to find an Acupuncturist & quick.

Topled with it being SXSW, I've pumped out close to 100 candles in the past 2 days along with helping out at Hunter's school Field Trip Fundraiser Dinner in which I had to bake for the bake sale and then help make plates & sell dessert.

I finally just packaged up our extra nebulizer & sent it to school with Jayden. I've got to get work done at work instead of running around with inhalers.

I'm exhausted.

It's always so nice to be acknowledged for the efforts you put in at school events. I figure if I have the time, I'm more than happy to help. So I've been asked to serve on the School Board or PTC. Hmmmmmmm........am I ready for the challenge?

what a difference a year makes.

It's hard to believe that it's been a year since Kreg & I started a journey of living life simpler. It's been a year since we decided to take the plunge and make the daring move to La Grange.

It was scary and nerve-racking but all in all, I couldn't be happier.

I was scared of losing my beloved Target and 2 1/2 bathroom house and my walk-in closet. I was scared of moving into a smaller house. But now I look at that person and wonder why and who was I?

Living in the austin area, for the most part, was always having to live in "the house" or drive "the car" or be in "the neighborhood" or sending your kids to "the school." Kreg and I fell victim to that. The lifestyle of convenience and ease wasn't what we valued. And I look at that now and I'm embarrassed. That's not the life I ever wanted. That's not the person I wanted to be.

Things in life are suppose to be simple. We were so lucky to find the rent house that we did with a wonderful landlord. When we were first asked how long we would be here, we didn't know. All we thought was that we had to have more bathrooms and just plain more room. We seem to have had so much stuff.

As the year went on, and we started getting rid off all the excess in our lives (who really needs 4 sets of plates, one for each season), we have a new outlook.

I reflect back and realize that having 1 bathroom has NEVER EVER been a problem. In reality, more bathrooms would really just be more for me to clean. When we had 2 1/2 bathrooms, we only used 1 most of the time. But I got stuck cleaning all of them. Having one is SO easy.

As I now work in real estate and see houses on the market, I realize, even though we rent at the moment, we have a gem of a house. Granted, it needs some updating, but you aren't going to find another kitchen around here with 18 floor to ceiling cabinets. And for a cook like me, that's important. We lived in 2100 sq ft and we now live in 1700. Not that much difference. And really, it's a good difference. It's caused to see what we really value in life and what we don't. We've been able to shed ourselves of so much extra 'stuff.'

In a time of lead paint recalls, beef recalls, buying items that fund terrorists, the organic movement, it's nice to be somewhere that you can "Buy Local" and support small mom and pop shops.

The boys get a kick out of going to the meat market.

As spring rolls around, I'm looking forward to them help my dad with his garden. Or going to the farmer's market.

One thing I do terribly miss is our wonderful church we had. One of my biggest shortcomings is providing my kids with religion. Growing up Catholic and still being a practicing Catholic, religion did play a part in my up bringing and I want the same for my kids. It's one of the many reasons they, or right now, Hunter, goes to a Catholic school. He's getting some religion in his life and they can answer his 1 million quesions correctly. This year has been hard with both boys at different 'schools.' Today, Jayden got accepted at Sacred Heart and I can breathe a sigh of relief. No more running between schools and dividing my time. Next year there will only be 1 stop and I can spend time with them both on all occasions. One wonderful thing about being in a small town, is that you don't end up with big town private school costs. Let's just say that having both boys at Scared Heart next year will cost me less per month than my car payment. And it's actually the cheapest place in town to send Jayden if I'm going to work. And both boys at one school will be an ease. For Kreg and I, our kids education is something we value highly. Right now, it's one of the most important things to us. I can't even begin to list all the wondeful things about Hunter being at SHS this year. It's been a life changing experience for all of us. And we know it's only going to get better.

This move really made us look at what's important in life and how we want our kids growing up. We value so much more than what 'city' life could give them.

The way we live in our small house in a smaller town really does make a difference in the quality of life to us. We aren't looking to buy anything yet and it's nice. We are taking our time to do what's important to us. Taking time to get back to the basics of life where what you drive, where you live, the bigger is better attitude really doesn't matter.

Granted, we aren't where we wanted to be yet, but we are still working at it. We've had our fair share of ups and downs. The downs are getting fewer and the ups are getting so much better.

I have a new link on the right for my cousin Amber. Her blog is inspiring for me to read. (I know Amy would love to be her!) Amber is currently 'abroad' and I'm excited to read about her journies. It puts a simple life in so much more prespective. I think what she's doing is amazing!


And finaly, I'll share some lovely pictures since most blog readers haven't ever been to visit in the year we've lived here. (and don't tell me you are waiting for an inviation because you sure as hell didn't get one when we lived in Leander and that didn't keep you away! and I'm just picking on you guys!)

When we first found the house:

And one year later:

The wedding pictures

I can't wait to see the professionals.

bad lighting. not so great digital camera. so many people. kids. smiles....

at least I got what I got!

practice makes perfect

next time I will lay off the tanner

before the cermony & the shoes are already off

finally a good picture & NO beer involved

mom just doesn't like to smile

hmmm...not bad.

this was tiring for Jay. he actually feel asleep during the ceremony

I actually just noticed Hunter & the flower girl

about 1/2 of Meme's clan


we bolted early thanks to Jayden's asthma attack. it poured Friday night and Saturday about the time we had to make our way to the ceremony. Friday night was so bad we couldn't see the road at all on our drive back. sleeping was next to impossible. a double bed with Hunter next to Kreg and Jayden seeing who could snore the loudest was miserable. and who knew Jayden was a sleep walker! but the ceremony on Lake Conroe was beautiful even with the rain and wind. It's Wednesday and I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep

I agree.

yes I try to stay out of politics and keep them off the blog but I found this article to be so true. I LOVE John Kelso.



Democrats should tell TV to buzz off and get debate tickets out to the people

By John KelsoAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFFriday, February 15, 2008

Today I'm fixin' to kick me some Yellow Dog behind.

Yes, the Democrats are the party of the people. Only 100 people, but still the people.

When Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama square off to debate Thursday at the University of Texas Recreational Sports Center at San Jacinto Boulevard and 20th Street, 100 lucky folks who won a drawing will get to see it live.

Everybody else in the audience of 1,000 to 3,000 will be invited.

Give me your tired, your poor. Just don't give me too darned many of them.

To steal from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., many Austinites had a dream. They had a dream of seeing this historic event in person. Keep dreamin', friends and neighbors.

Why not pick a bigger venue? The Democrats say it's not their fault and the TV people are running the show. Well, TV runs the NFL, so why shouldn't it run the Democratic Party? "The larger the venue, the worse the audio," said Sam Feist, political director for CNN, which is showing the debate, along with Univision.

The larger the event, the worse the audio? If that's the deal, when the Rolling Stones came to Austin, why didn't they play at the Cactus Cafe instead of Zilker Park?

This is a historic event. This is bigger than Ali vs. Frazier, bigger than Texas vs. OU. This is a black man running against a woman for president of the United States.

This has never happened before in the history of the U.S. Fifty years ago, Obama couldn't have even gotten into this shindig unless he was hanging up the coats. (Come to think of it, the way things are going, if he weren't running, he might not have been able to get in this time, either.) One hundred years ago, Clinton wouldn't have been allowed to vote for president, let alone run for it.

This is important stuff. This is the earth shifting under our feet.

What the Democrats should be doing is finding a great big joint with lots of seats and then filling them up with every school kid in Austin, Texas. Then maybe when they get old enough, the little boogers might bother to drag their happy behinds to the polls instead of sitting in front of their computers adjusting their MySpace pages.

But instead of doing something good like that, the place will be filled with the press and, I'll wager, a passel of lobbyists. Hey, you don't want your TV debate to look like the front row at Willie's picnic.

OK, so yes, this Obama-Clinton debate is largely a TV show. But the fact that these two candidates even have a shot at the White House and that the March 4 Texas primary will probably pick the Democratic candidate makes this debate a magic moment. Do something about it, Democrats. Let the real people in to see the magic up close and personal before I get mad.

John Kelso's column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Contact him at 445-3606 or jkelso@statesman.com.

Sneak Peek.

it's been a LONG couple of days and going to be a long couple of more. but stay tuned for more pictures.

Dear Mr. Refridgerator Repair Man:

Next time you decide to use a leaf blower to clean the coil under the fridge, please inform me before doing so. The 7 years of dirt, dust, grime & just plain nasty stuff all over the kitchen is making my children sick.

And I really wanted to spend Valentines Night and the night before we leave for my brother's wedding, cleaning up hundreds, NO, make that THOUSANDS of dirt/dusk balls the size of tennis balls, wiping down every single item in the kitchen, mopping the floors and rewashing all the dishes.

Yes you were cheap. Yes you were quick but I'd pay anything not to have to clean what I have to clean.

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Be sure to clean UNDER your fridge more than once every 7 years. Nobody ever told me that.

Nothing says Valentines more.........

than opening your fridge & getting hit with the smell of spoiled milk, defrosted frozen yogurt & rotting meat.

on the bright side, at least I discovered this today and not when we get back on Sunday.

too bad I also need a new tail light thanks to the juveniles running around town shooting BB guns.

I also just realized I haven't used my camera since Christmas (HUGE GASP) and now I don't have any clue where I placed the charger.

just when I thought my stress levels had reached an all time high.............

This sums up our day pretty well

A day in the life of

I know as a mom, it seems what I do everyday gets tossed into the wind. People have a hard time seeing what your day entails and how it's spent. I thought I'd share a day in the life of:

6:15 - after a night of tossing and turning due to my husbands loud, obnoxious snoring, my alarm goes off. I begin by praying that hopefully, just maybe, today will be the day my husband realizes I need the shower when my alarm goes off because my alarm is MY alarm.

7:15 - after getting myself almost completely ready, it's time to wake the kiddos and get them going. After bugging them for 5 mintues I finally get out of them they'd like French Toast for breakfast. Hunter wonders out of his room, in a sneezing fit, with red, puffy eyes. I damn myself for not picking up the Zyrtec yesterday. I add it to my afternoon list and give him a dose of Benadryl. Jayden emerges coughing up a storm and I realize we aren't going to make it out of the house without a breathing treatment. I get him started and decide an extra B vitamin might be good today. Thank goodness for the vitamin cocktail.

7:40 - I can't stress enough to Jayden that he needs to wear his newer tennis shoes, not the ones I had hidden in the back of the closet because I was tired of constantly having to tie them. Not only that, but the soles are falling off. Damn my husband for giving those shoes back to him. I swear I try to keep things easy for myself.

7:45 – I manage to get everyone’s folders, books, homework and the kids ready but we are leaving the house 5 minutes later than usual. Not a big deal, right? Yea…….there would be the 7:45 train.

7:52 – Jayden’s off.

7:54 – I watch as Hunter gets out the car, sneezing and I pray he stays awake today thanks to the Benadryl.

8:10 – I’m at work, finishing yesterday’s fires, about to start in on my caffeine for the day, when the phone rings, and the caller id would be Hunter’s school. I’m secretly shouting NO in my head. Thankfully, it’s not for me but for another mom.

12:00 – I’ve finished as much work as I can in the 4 hours a day I work and I’m off to get Jayden.

12:10 – We are now at home and I’m trying to put together lunch for not only me and Jayden but for Justin who also joins us.

12:30 – I realize the dishes aren’t going to get done by themselves and my kids aren’t quite old enough for chores yet.

12:45 – I spent 15 minutes pleading with Jayden to find another movie to watch since I can’t find Tom & Jerry. I’ve also GOT to get the dishes done if anyone wants dinner tonight and we still need to run to Wal-Mart for Zyrtec. And my god, it’s amazing how much dusts collects on the floor of my house each day.

1:00 – Daily vacuuming and sweeping are done but the darn dishes lay ahead of me.

1:45 – Dishes are done and I sit down at the computer to find the $4 off Zyrtec coupon I had just emailed to my mom last week. I open Outlook to realize I have 217 unread emails. No time for that now. The coupon is gone/expired so I’m off to google another one. There has to be a better one that the $1 one HEB is offering. It’s also then I realize I need to call about Jayden’s shot record, my medical chart, the boy’s old school info for taxes, and the list keeps on going.

2:00 – Coupon in hand, Jayden and I run to Wal-Mart. I’m hoping for a quick trip so that I can get home and take a small break. Jayden is insisting on wearing those darn shoes again.

2:30 –1 bag, $20 and 30 minutes later we make it out of Wal-Mart after 2 trips to the bathroom and my having to tie his shoes 3 times. I secretly think he knows it irks me. And one wonders why they were ended in the back of the closet?

2:45 – I have enough time to get home, find the tickets and information for Hunter’s Valentines Dance, get a check written and back up to school in enough time to pick up Hunter.

3:00 – Jayden and I arrive at Hunter’s school and walk to the office to turn in everything. Jayden shoes are untied yet again. I guess they are going into the trash tonight. My Aunt greets us and tells us about how over ½ of Hunter’s class is out sick. G R E A T. The flu, strep and a stomach bug have wiped out 10 kids in Kindergarten. There’s only 23 total to start with.

3:30 – We are know back at home and I’m ushering the kids out in the back to play while I start prepping for dinner and CRAP, I’ve got to finish business cards for work in the process.

The kids are in and out of the house the whole time, fighting, tattling, asking for a drink, asking for a snack, crying, so I end up getting nothing done. At least the boys were able to play outside and get their daily dose of vitamin D.

4:45 - Kenny calls and needs help with his taxes. I'm trying to walk him through the process while keeping the boys from fighting.

5:00 – Time to start dinner. The third meal of the day I’m preparing. I’m heading outside only to walk into the back room to realize the kids had been tracking mud inside the house with each slam of the door. I just want to sit and cry. I get the grill started and the chicken fajitas going. I’m now trying to make a small opening in the piles of laundry in the utility room so that I can pry open the armoire to get out my mop and bucket to clean the floor. Whenever will the laundry get done?

5:15 – Floor has been mopped, kids are working silently and I’ve got to finish the fajita fixings. WHOA. Wait a minute. Silent and my kids should not be in the same sentence. Where the hell are they? Sitting around the coffee table working on something. That can’t be too bad. HA! They successfully taken apart some pen their father gave them and were using it to ‘write’ on the coffee table. Yes, my coffee table is now full of very deep scratch marks.

5:45 – Dinner’s ready. I only managed to slice off half of the skin on my thumb in the process of trying to cut tomatoes. Damn sharp knives. My finger is now bandaged and the kids are washing their hands.

6:00 – The boys are finishing dinner and much to their dismay without guacamole and sour cream. Mom just didn’t have time to run to the store. I try to settle down to watch the day’s latest news.

6:30 – I managed to catch about 15 minutes of the news before Jayden spilled his drink over the table. After running to the bathroom to grab some towels, I have to ponder very hard on why is it my children can’t seem to pee in the toilet. Little boys are the worst.

7:00 – Hunter is doing his reading to me for his test on the computer the next day. The floor is clean and the dinner table is cleaned up. I guess I will be stuck doing more dishes tomorrow because it won't happen tonight with the big bandage.

7:30 – Both boys are in the shower and I’m trying to get clothes lined up for the next day. Did that weather man say the cold front was coming in that morning or evening?

7:45 – I’ve managed to get the kids slathered in lotion, allergy meds, vitamins and settled down with a bedtime snack. Yet they are now all riled up again after their father arrives home.

8:15 – I’m reminding everyone about school tomorrow and the need for sleep and 8:00 bedtime as I’m also trying to make muffins for the next days breakfast.

8:30 – Muffins are done and there’s nothing more that I’d like than a hot bath to finally shave my legs. Crap……I need to finish the business cards.

9:00 – ARGH. I’m exhausted. I really want to settle down to watch my one guilty pleasure of the week. Thank goodness I can wear jeans to work. Laundry will have to wait another day.

10:00 – I’m ready for bed. I go to set my alarm on my cell phone to realize I have 7 missed calls and a voicemail. Where was I when the phone rang? Boy’s shower? Vacuuming? Searching for the mop? Cooking yet another meal? Cleaning up a mess? I don’t have time to think. I really need sleep since the night before was tough. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to return the phone calls or the emails. Or work on my list of things to do. Or maybe I will be able to shave my legs, give myself a pedicure, fold the laundry, clean my room or hell, just have some much valuable, WANTED, NEEDED, time to myself.

My day as a mom is about giving to everyone else. That’s my gift to my 2 boys. While they are young and don’t understand and can’t value it, one day they will.

Until then, I must get some rest because I know I will be up half the night due to snoring, hit with 100 questions to answer, 200 things to remember and left with a million things to do.

I give SO much credit to full-time working moms. Honestly, if my kids were younger, I don't know if I could do it. At least now, they are sometimes self-sucifient and can get themselves ready in the morning. I still have to help some. Getting myself and 2 kids ready each morning is a job.

Feathers in the Wind

A very dear and wise friend once sent me these words of wisdom. I've always remembered them.

I know for me, it's so hard these days to deal with the negative energy, gossip and comments coming from everyone. Every person feels like they need to give suggestions. Why is it those same people rarely care about anything positive in your life, just the negative?

Everyone like to make a rash judgment on someone without knowing all the facts.

Everyone loves to spit out hearsay.

And it seems like people just want to kick you when you are down.


All it takes is a little bit of knowledge, understanding, and a few questions, and you can avoid hurting someone. You can avoid hearsay. You can avoid passing on a wrong judgement.

You can show you care.



Feathers in the Wind

There is a 19th century folktale about a man who went about town slandering the town’s wise man. One day, he went to the wise man’s home and asked for forgiveness. The wise man, realizing that this man had not internalized the gravity of his transgressions, told him that he would forgive him on one condition: that he go home, take a feather pillow from his house, cut it up, and scatter the feathers to the wind. After he had done so, he should then return to the wise man’s house.

Though puzzled by this strange request, the man was happy to be let off with so easy a penance.

He quickly cut up the pillow, scattered the feathers, and returned to the house.

“Am I now forgiven?” he asked.

“Just one more thing,” the wise man said. “Go now and gather up all the feathers.”

“But that’s impossible. The wind has already scattered them.”

“Precisely,” he answered. “And though you may truly wish to correct the evil you have done, it is as impossible to repair the damage done by your words as it is to recover the feathers. Your words are out there in the marketplace, spreading hate, even as we speak.”

How interesting it is that we, as human beings, so quick to believe the bad that others say about someone; so accepting of the “news” contained in print and television tabloids, and so ready to assume the worst regarding another’s actions, actually allow ourselves to believe that the evil “we” spread about someone won’t really matter. Incredible that we can’t seem to immediately and resolutely accept the fact that the gossip we speak can - and often does - significant damage to that person.

Gossip is like a fired bullet. Once you hear the sound, you can’t take it back.

That is what the man in the above story found out in a very disappointing, shameful moment of self-discovery. And it isn’t just what we say about someone to others, but what we say to that person directly as well. We’ve all been told that “Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never harm me.” We also know that is totally untrue. While a body will typically recover from a physical injury, the harm caused by direct insults can sometimes last a lifetime, and tear the self-esteem right out of a person.

On the other hand, kind, encouraging words can build a person’s self-esteem, help him or her to grow and give them the impetus they need to do great, significant things with their lives. The choice regarding how we speak about or to someone is ours. It’s called “free will.”

Deb ~ Thank you so much for sending me this!! Bet you never knew how much I would treasure it. I MISS YOU!!!!

quick history lesson

I'm running off of about 2 hours of sleep and I'm a girl who requires 8 to function.

poor little Jayden. He wants to sleep. He needs to sleep. But he just can't. His little body is so wired from all the steroids. I'd be okay if I could see them working better but his breathing still isn't at a pace that I feel comfortable with. I hope the oral meds kick in soon.

I just hug him and thank god I'm not in my moms shoes at the moment.

when you live in a small town, everyone seems to be connected to everyone some how. so I'll shed a little light before I have to run to the store for more tissues.

Justin, Jay & Bradley were all close friends. They ran around together, designed the boys football t-shirts, partied together and so much more.

Jay is the son of my boss, who is also my landlord. Because the boys have known each other forever, my parents have been friends with them for quite some time. That's how we scored the rent house.

Bradley's parents are just well known around town. So his death has hit the community as a whole.

Watching the people around you suffer so much is very hard. Trying to help kids understand and cope is never an easy task.

My thoughts are on my brother today.

Bradley's mom asked Justin and Jay to ask the boys to wear their shirts today to the funeral. Justin wants his to go with Bradley. He's going to place it on top his casket.

It hurts to watch someone you love in so much pain. I can't imagine my mom or my boss. As a mother, seeing your child in pain is the worst feeling.

as my child bounces from room to room, off one wall to the next, I grab him and hug him a little tighter because, thank god, his pain will ease shorty and I think of those whose won't.

hard days night.

I barely slept last night because my mind was on all those dealing with a friend's death and I could hear Jayden huffing and puffing.

But Jayden arose and was ready for school.

2 hours into work, I get the call to come and get him. He keeps telling everyone he just doesn't feel good.

By time I get to the school, I was shocked. The poor little guy was gasping for each breath.

I rush him to the doctor's office.

They immediately check his oxygen levels, which were dangerously low.

They start him on albuterol and something else followed by oxygen.

They check his oxygen level and it slightly improved but not enough.

So they start more albuterol.

His oxygen level finally rises enough so that we don't have to worry. The doctor gets a good listen to his lungs and says besides the wheezing, he sounds good.

Chalk it up to a mega asthma attack.

We get a mega dose of steroids, 4 prescriptions and are now back home doing breathing treatments about every 2 hours.

Each breathe leaves his chest heavy, looking for air, so the poor guy is just miserable.

I think we have a pretty tough night ahead of us.

and for fun:

if you guys thought your kids were monkeys, just check this out:
THIS IS HOW I GET A COOKIE

and this totally sounds like something Kreg would do:
FISH RECIPE

for more fun, check out the complete blog:
BECAUSE I SAID SO

devastation.

for a group of high school senior kids, losing a close friend on the night of semi-formal is tragic.

dealing with the loss of a friend in a car crash is going to leave these kids grief stricken.

it pains me to see these kids going through this. most of all, my baby brother.

today, the day after, I think most are in a state of shock.

as school starts tomorrow, the realization on Justin and I know several others, that his friend, who he not only sits next to in several classes, but also ran around with, is gone, is going to be hard to handle.

god give me the strength to be there for someone when they are going to need it the most. give strength to the family and these kids.






There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, things we don't want to know but have to learn, and people we can't live without but have to let go. ~Author Unknown

the......not so funnies.....

so we, Kreg, Kenny and I, are sitting around Kenny's kitchen table yesterday working on putting the ribbon on their wedding invitations ........ we are about half way through the pile when I realize that Kreg doesn't realize there is a shiny side and dull side to the ribbon. and the shiny side is suppose to be up. I flip through the invitations to realize over half of them have the ribbon on wrong. oh brother......and we had exactly enough ribbon and tabs to complete the invitations with no room for mistakes. we didn't think Marsais would notice.........when, yep, she did.

and when Marsais got home from work, she was so excited to see the boys since she hadn't seen them since Christmas. she asked Hunter if he had been playing his Wii. Hunter told her "sometimes" and her reply, "Sometimes! Boy you better play it a lot. You don't know all the trouble your mom went through to get you that thing." I don't think she realized just how bad it was until she saw the look of horror on my face and hearing Kenny die in the background. Hunter looked at her funny and quickly reminded her santa brought him that. She broke Hunter into giggles with tickling.

sharing the love.

I think the inventions of gift cards where a FAB thought. heck, who doesn't love receiving one to be able to spoil themselves?

I was excited to get one this Christmas so I could grab some much needed work clothes. And while I was able to pick up an outfit for myself at an after christmas sale and spent a third of the card on me, I then spent the rest on the boys! oh well! their needs always take priority. the fun of sharing the love.

2 weddings & a graduation

what we have to look forward to in 2008! and technically, that should be 2 graduations, since Hunter will graduate from Kindergarten!

and not to mention the 2 babies from friends we are expecting in March.

my darling brother Kenny will be getting married in Feb. 44 days from now to be exact. and my entire family is in the wedding. yes, Kreg and both boys and I. I'd give more details but I really don't have them. wait..........my dress did arrive and it's 2 sizes too big. I've yet to taken it to be altered. but hey.....at least I have my dress. the other's aren't expected in until almost Feb. I, the SavvyShopper that I am, ordered my dress online for over $100 less than everyone else. god knows renting 3 tuxes is going to take a chunk out of us.

my baby brother Justin will be graduating from High School in May. not only does it make me feel completely old, I just can't believe it. He has been my life saver since we moved to La Grange. His nephews adore him and he's that little brother Kreg always wanted. As much as I really hope he goes to a GREAT college, I think he should start off slow at a college around here.

and my little Hunter. the child not only is going through a tremendous growth spurt, I know those pants fit in August when we bought them, but he's learning so much. watch what you wear or read or say. he stops and reads every t-shirt. he knows exactly what's on tv. he flies through games on the computer and wii now because he can read it all! don't even think about doing something without the directions because he will sit next to you and read the instructions for you and tell you what you are doing wrong or not doing directly as told. in school, he's the 1st one to read instructions on worksheet and tells everyone what to do. he has grasped reading so well.

and of course, we were suppose to be participating in a Read-A-Thon fundraiser for school, and I have NO idea where the sign-up is. so over the course of the 2 weeks we had to raise money, we raised none.

having 14 days off can screw with your mind. and it doesn't help that Kreg was off for 12. not a good combination.

as I was trying to get everything read for school today, I searched the house for 45 minutes yesterday looking for Hunter's nap mat. only to finally ask him and he reminds me, he didn't bring it home, just the cover. there goes 45 minutes I will never get back. but great to know where various hiding places are around here.

of course, in anticipation for school today, the boys were IN bed at 8:00 last night but when Kreg went to shut Hunter's door at 9, he was still WIDE awake. and he was up at 6:45 excitedly bouncing. we will see if he is still bouncing when I pick him up.

I have vowed to stop eating emotionally, since I really need to put off the weight I've gained. Our scale broke before we moved here and no one has replaced the battery. Not that I'm pushing for that.............

I hope everyone had a great New Year's. (I was in bed by 10:30)