I'M NOT SICK I'M JUST BUSY

Isaiah had croup over the weekend which you already know if you read the never ending blog - my friend said it was like reading war and peace!@? Thanks Shan you always know how to say just the right thing!! I think it has now turned into something else so I decided to take him to the Dr. today. He insists he is not sick and that he is just busy. Not sure what that means but okay. Long story short he has developed a sinus infection but the cute part of the story is when the doctor was done and walking out of the room Isaiah's yells at her , "HEY!". She stops in her tracks and says, "Well yes sir!" He then says sounding very angry, "I can't leaf you didn't make me feel better!" She just smiled and said, "well I thought you said you weren't sick, you were just busy and I can't help you being a busybody!" He then says, "You got to be tidding (kidding) me!" Out of the mouths of babes!

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY!!

Today is my sweet hubby's bday! He is soooo old! Way way way older than me! OR so I tell the boys...in actuality we are only 3mos and 2 days apart but THEY don't realize that~!! It's hard to believe we've been together for almost 8 yrs. Wow how time flies when you are having fun!! I didn't make a cake this year - last year I made a cake with some bad oil and besides stinking up the entire house for days, it tasted AWFUL!

We opened presents before he had to leave for football practice with Elijah. He always gets plenty of presents and I LOVE buying for him. He didn't really get presents growing up.....another long and angry story from me.....so he is like a kid in a candy store! His family never really celebrated birthdays so I try to make it special for him and I know he appreciates it! I just love this man! He is a great father, fun daddy, genuinely caring and nice person, my best friend and love of my life! I get tearing just thinking about how BOTH of our lives have changed since meeting each other and I thank God I found someone who will not only put up with me but make me smile everyday! His smile is very contagious and always big! I am not saying he is smilefest '08 24/7 and I am not going to say our life is a bed of roses 24/7 but we are happy and we balance each other out!! And I just love this man!

MIAMI GAME W/A CROUP TANGENT

WARNING APRIL: THIS BLOG IS EXTREMELY LONG AND I WENT OFF ON A TANGENT & IT TOOK AWHILE TO GET BACK ON TRACK! IMAGINE THAT!

Meet Miss Ellie

I had a picture of the back of her shirt but I accidentally deleted it! Oops!

It read "My 3 big brothers are going to crush you!"

Elijah had his first football game today in Miami at 9am. Seriously they should not have scheduled all the away games so early - they are only 6 yrs old you idiots!! The plan was to have the team meet up at 6:15am HOWEVER as luck would have it Isaiah got croup. Croup is an evil little illness - it always starts in the middle of the night. Being a croup expert I heard a couple of croupy coughs earlier in the day and had mentioned to my sister he was about to get croup. Elijah got croup when he was 18mos old and then he would have croup every three months on the nose. I am not lying every Feb, May, Aug and Nov Elijah would get croup. He would get croup REALLY bad and we would end up in the hospital each time over a period of about 2.5 yrs. It got to the point that he would require epinephrine breathing treatments so they would then need to keep him for a while to watch his little heart. The past two times were mild almost just blips on the radar. It is so weird - he would have a bit of a runny nose, complain of a headache and then be a little hoarse then the next evening here came the evil illness. It didn't always help that he would panic which would make him cry and make the coughing worse. But the other thing I think makes it weird is the fact that the first night was always hell, the next day would involve a lot of sleeping and excess eating from the steroids and then it was pretty much just over. I THINK he is finally growing out of it though, please Lord!! A lot of moms ask me about croup and I just know what I have been told - most kids will never get croup, if your child does get croup more than twice then more than likely he/she will continue to get croup until he/she grows out of it between the ages of 6 and 10. The signs are (at least in my kids): they will complain of a sore throat or may sound hoarse, a slight runny nose, headache the night before but more than likely the signature barky cough (they WILL sound like a seal HOWEVER if they get it as bad as Elijah YOU won't hear the barky cough only the respiratory therapist will be able to hear it through the stethoscope - that's the time to worry) will start in the evening or middle of the night! You can call the doctor but more than likely you will spend hours in an ER waiting room so you might as well be at home, right!! They will prescribe steroids - IF POSSIBLE ask for a single dose of Dekadron (sp) it is one oral dose administered by them instead of you giving them yucky tasting steroids four times a day for a week. Caution: steroids will make them cranky, irritable, hot and hungry!! They would also give Elijah some Lortab elixir mainly to RELAX him so the coughing would slow down so he could sleep. If you decide not to go to the ER overnight, try to keep them calm crying will only make it worse. Take them into the bathroom shut the door and turn the shower on HOT for fifteen minutes while you sit with them so they can breathe the steam THEN immediately take them outside if it is cold to breathe in the cold air (it sounds mean but it helps). You can also open the freezer and place them close to it so they can breathe in that cold air or if it is a cool night take a drive with the windows down. Keep a cool mist humidifier on them at all times while they sleep. If you have a nebulizer you can give them a breathing treatment, the actual albuterol will not affect Croup but for some reason they still tell me to do it to calm down the breathing. If they sound wheezy or gasping for air take them to the hospital b/c they have Croup with Stridor and you will be able to get them right in (saying your child can't breathe gets them right in!) Out of all those times Isaiah has only had croup 3 times including this one and he doesn't seem to get it as bad or maybe he deals with it better. The poor boy has been sick so much in his little life that he deals with illness better than most kids. Croup is about the only time Elijah is sick but Zay is a walking illness magnet!! HOW IN THE WORLD DID I GET ON THIS TOPIC AND THEN RUNNNNNNNNNN AWAY WITH IT?!?!?! Sorry this blog was supposed to be about Elijah's 1st football game.....here we go again..............I finally got Isaiah to sleep at 2am and I got up at 5am. I called my Mom to see if she would be able to watch Isaiah since I already had him started on steroids there wasn't much else that anyone could do and he would probably sleep anyway and I knew Elijah would be very disappointed if I missed his first game since he already does not understand why I don't go to every practice. We all got ready, took Isaiah and met the team to leave for Miami @ 6:15! Whew I am tired just talking about it! AGAIN why are 6yr olds playing an away game at 9am PLUS they have to be there an hour early for stretching and weigh in!! Do they realize how far away that is? Why are we playing Miami anyway? What about Jenks/Glenpool/Owasso???? Help me!! We all arrive to find out we were given the wrong address! Being the smart cookies that we are, we figure there is probably only one other place the game could be in Miami - the college. Our game was on the college practice field - no lines, no scoreboard, no bleachers, no restrooms..........need I say more! What the crap! Why couldn't we be told beforehand to bring chairs. The Miami people know they don't have bleachers and therefore bring their chairs - could they not have informed the officials when scheduling the game.

The Miami side with their comfy little chairs - I hope they were wet!!

(See how positive I am! lol)

Part of our side - pullin' chain and standing

My chairs will no longer leave my car until football season is over! After being there about 10 min. down came the rain!! Needless to say we were all cooped up in the back end of all the SUVs that were there. The rain lasted about thirty minutes then quit!! The boys were holding steady at 20 - 6 for the first three quarters then the game ended with us winning 26 - 20!! Good job BA Gold!!

Carson going for a touchdown!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY QUINLYNNE!

Today is Quinlynne's 3rd Birthday!!! Quinlynne is my friend Shandolynne daughter and Isaiah's betrothed. He calls her his "dirlfriend"! He cried when I had to go home first throwing a full blown fit. When asked what was wrong, his tearful answer was "I just wanna go to my dirlfriend's birday pawty!" How sweet! Anyway we went to the party at Pizza Hut and fun was had by all! I must add Elijah's appetite has changed tremendously since starting football - he ate either 6 or 7 pieces of pizza. He NEVER eats more than two but normally he just eats one!! Uncle Charlie took the cake though with his bottomless stomach! It seems like he ate two pizzas all his own - every time I turned around he had another plateful. How he stays skinny as a rail I don't know but I sure wish he's share his secret!!! I gain weight just looking at food! I must admit I probably went a little overboard buying Q a present(s) since I never get to shop for girls but hey I DON'T CARE AND LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!! She is a deserving and appreciative little girl so who cares, right!

Goofy kids!

Look at those cheeks!

Happy girl!

QUITE A STINKY SITUATION

I wake up this morning and start the usual routine: wake up and use the restroom, wake Tez up, go to get a drink.....................WAIT...............this is where things were not normal. I smelled poop and instantly looked EVERYWHERE for a little gift from Samson which I thought was odd but every now and then Martez forgets to let him out when he leaves so he will leave a present by the back door! Yuck I know! I thought after searching and searching that the dogs must just have some nasty gas and started making the kids lunches and started some laundry. I then go to get ready and each time I have to come out of the room I smell crap, literally! Again I search but nothing! I resumed thoughts of bad gas and continued with the morning routine. I go in to wake Elijah and Zay up and as soon as I open the door the most powerful smell of DEATH slaps me in the face. Oh my goodness I thought I was going to pass out and then began to gag! Then for some EXTREMELY STUPID reason I go to look in the back of Zay's pj's and stick my fingers all in poop. Somehow this kid pooped in his sleep then managed to continue to sleep with the crap in his pants with Elijah snoozing right by him! HOW IN THE WORLD THE STENCH DID NOT WAKE THESE KIDS IS BEYOND ME!!!! I wake up Zay to realize not only did he poop in his sleep and marinate in it.........it oozed out onto his pjs, the sheets and the comforter. The entire room just reeked!!! Zay then has the nerve to wake up and say, "oooo Mommy you nassy ...you fawted! Dats ditusting!" My reply, "No you are nasty and disgusting. (gag) I didn't fart you pooped in your sleep then somehow slept in it!(gag)" He looked at me in disbelief until he saw all the poop and then started to say, "I so sawry Yiya! I just so sawry Yiya!" He can't say Elijah so he has always called him Yiya! I took Zay's clothes off, wiped him down, ripped the sheets off the bed, sprayed a bottle of deodorizer and went to put the sheets in the washer. I then realized I had to quickly give Zay a bath because the wipe down and lotion did absolutely no good....this kid had been marinating for awhile and he stunk to high heaven. I bathed him, sprayed more deodorizer and went about my day. I must say when I came home this evening their bedroom STILL reeked!

NEW MEANING FOR MULTI PURPOSE

Tonight I took the three boys to meet up with Shan, Quin, Cleta, Charles and Connie to eat. They chose a Mexican restaurant on a not so nice part of town but we all know I am a sucker for Mexican food with friends. Plus I was lonely!! Just kidding! We eat out a lot with our friends in fact when we tell the boys we are going out to eat they beg us to call friends like we can't EVER eat alone! Sad but true! Our friends easily become our family around here! ANYHOW we went to the restaurant and the food was really good. The restaurant was on the right side of a Mexican grocery store however I would later learn it housed even more. When asking where the bathroom was I was told to go past the ice cream parlor through the grocery store and when I go passed the registers turn right and the bathroom is on the right before the laundromat. I laughed and said OK. Literally I walked passed the ice cream parlor, through the grocery store, passed the registers, turned right, walked down the hall passed a SHOE SHINE AREA, A HAIR SALON and sure enough before the laundromat were the restrooms. They had left out the shoe shine area and the hair salon and that just put me over the edge. I thought that was so freaking funny! Why go anywhere else they have everything you need!!?!?!?!? This Mexican restaurant/grocery store/ice cream parlor/shoe shine place/hair salon/laundromat gives new meaning to a multi purpose room!!! THEN TO MY SURPRISE MY HUBBY WAS HOME WAY WAY WAY EARLIER THAN HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!!! WOOHOO for me! They weren't supposed to be home until Sunday afternoon but I guess Josh HAD to be home Sunday morning and then one of the guys got really sick so they got home around 10pm tonight. I love my husband, my boys, good food and good times with family and friends!

GO BA GOLD!!

Second scrimmage this morning supposedly from 8am - 10am however we did not leave there until about 11:30am! Martez called about 10 times to check up on his boy and the team. He felt bad since he is the assistant coach and he had to go out of town. I think it bothered him more than Elijah or his team but oh well! He kept saying, "What are they doing now?" Not a question for a football inept wife...my answer, "I don't know dear they are just playing football aren't you supposed to be listening to a speaker right now or singing kumbayah!" I had Elijah there on time AND in uniform well except for a part of the shoulder pads that I could not figure out!! They did really good! Wagoner got three touchdowns on them but in their defense more than half of their players are a year older. A year can be a big size difference in kids!! This is the first year BA has split 1st and 2nd graders up. Elijah's team is first graders and two kindergartners so they could be at a disadvantage when they are against a team who doesn't split until 3rd grade. Not sure how I feel about that but Wagoner and Claremore had some BIG 'ol farm raised corn fed boys! I swear the one Claremore kid was over half the size of his coach. Their smallest player is a runner and ended up being the youngest son of a girl I grew up with - small world I tell you! Hopefully they will do good not only b/c of their tearful sport loving fathers but so they aren't too discouraged and give up. The rest of morning went well! After Wagoner they played South Tulsa, Bixby and someone else...........I paid very close attention! I think they had a two more touchdowns scored on them but they scored so much I lost count. I tell you what I need to remember the name Carson Chambers, our quarterback, because he is going to be in the NFL one day. He is simply amazing for a six year old...seriously it is almost freaky and too good to be true! Well that is all for now....I had a sleepless night ALONE and an early morning of football so I am off to try and nap with Isaiah for a little bit............catcha later..here are a few pics from this morning:

My baby is so handsome!

So serious while listening to the coach!

A GUMBALL DAY

I picked Elijah up from school today and begin to ask him about his day at school.



Excitedly he says, "I had a gumball day at school today!"



"Wow," I reply, "what is a gumball day?"



"I even had to go to the Principal's office," he says with enthusiasm.



"WHY?" Naturally assuming it was for something he had done. Thoughts running through my head were I know I have issues with him sometimes at home but in public and at school he is very well behaved, what happened?!?!?!



"Well the teacher wrote me a note and told me to take it to the Principal's office. So I did and the Principal gave me a penny and I got to get a gumball out of the gumball machine. My teacher said she liked that I was listening, I was quiet when I supposed to be, helpful and nice towards others and working well while at my desk. So I had a gumball day! Here, you want the gumball?"

PROMISE KEEPERS

This afternoon my husband left me alone overnight for the first time in 8 years. Seriously we haven't been apart one night. Weird I know but true! I haven't slept by myself other than a nap in FOREVER this could be awkward and sleepless. You know what is not good for an insomniac........mess up any resemblance of a routine! Bad news! Oh yeah....he went to Promise Keepers in Dallas with my brother and a few men from his church. This is the first year Martez has been able to make it and he is excited. Well he was excited until I told him it was a bunch of hugging, holding hands, crying and singing kumbayah (sp)! I was just kidding but his reaction was funny! I WAS excited b/c I had plans for a LATE night crop with my sister-in-law and nieces BUT my mom is out of town so I don't have a sitter. I need to find a good sitter somewhere! Guess we'll see how the night goes................until next time America..............OH YEAH this also means that I have to get up early, get Elijah's football gear on and have him to the fields by 7:15am ALONE.........hope someone can show me how to fix his shoulder pad deal that I can't seem to get in......I think I am going to let Zay sleep in and leave him home with Tez.........ugh this stinks!!

SUCCESSFUL MORNING #1

Broken Arrow schools started today and morning #1 of the school year was a success. I hate mornings and I am a total insomniac so mornings are my small version of hell. Elijah is just like me and a total bear EVERY morning. This morning he did okay since he was excited to see his school friends but I am positive that will end after a couple of days. I successfully managed to get myself, a 14yr old teenager, 6 yr old boy and a 3 yr old boy ready, fed, beds made, laundry folded and out of the house with all backpacks, lunches, school supplies and my best friend Fujio the camera by 7:25am after I fed Moose, Samson, Fievel and Lucy and watered the yard. I'm tired just talking about it! This will become less productive and awe inspiring as the school year progresses trust me! I then took the three boys to three separate places and walked my precious little 1st grader to class for his 1st day. I asked him if he wanted me to walk him in telling him it didn't matter to me and he said he didn't care but had a look as if he wanted me to. I then said if he "wanted" me to I would "help him carry all his stuff"! I hope you moms are reading between the lines......I didn't want him to feel alone but I didn't want him to think I thought he couldn't handle it but inside I was screaming please let me walk you in and promise to never grow up and leave me!!!!! I walked him in, chatted with the moms I knew and went to work just waiting to go home so I could hear all about his 1st day of 1st grade. Whether he likes it or not, he will always be my 1st baby! I also couldn't wait to hear if Tez got lost at South or if he found all his classes! Both boys were successful and Zay had a good time with Aunt Karen since Meme and Papa were in Illinois.

THE PROBLEM WITH USING A "T" INSTEAD OF A "K"

Isaiah has an issue with "K" words or "C" word with the "K" sound. Instead of making the "k" sound he replaces it with a "T" and today I discovered that it could be bad and funny! He often asks for a "tookie" which is a cookie. I then try to get him to make the "k" sound which he can do perfectly but then immediately say "tookie" again. At least I know he can make the sound! He says "titchen" instead of kitchen, "tan" instead of can, "tistin" instead of Kristin and Aunt "Taren" instead of Aunt Karen. You get the point right?!? Today I took off work early to take Elijah to his meet the teacher day at school then I needed to feed my friend's cats because she is on vacation. Isaiah was upset we didn't go to his school too and he was very tired so I appeased him by telling him we would go feed the "kitties" after we left. On the way to Helen's house Isaiah fell asleep. It was cool out so I rolled the windows down while I ran into the house to feed the cats. After driving awhile, Isaiah woke up in a BAD mood which doesn't happen too often but he was NOT happy. He asked where we were going and when I told him he totally flipped out yelling, "MOMMA I WANT TO SEE YOUR TITTIES NOW!" over and over again in a parking lot with the windows down. My response, "What?" "I WANT TO FEED HELEN'S TITTIES!" he screamed this over and over! Obviously he was very upset b/c he didn't get to feed Helen's kitty cats since he was asleep. Now I will no longer be able to call them kitty cats or kitties they will always have to be called cats! Going to work seriously on that "k" sound!

MEET THE TEACHER

Today was Elijah's "Meet the Teacher" day at school. He will be in 1st grade this year - WOW HOW TIME FLIES! He was excited to see about 4 or 5 kids from his kindergarten class in his new class especially Lauryn and Richie. I guess Lauryn was not excited with her teacher. She said, "She yells a lot!" I said, "what?" Her mom clarifies, "well that is the story that she yells a lot. I was in the class next door a few years ago and could clearly hear her yelling at the class BUT that was a few years ago and a lot can change in that time. I don't know why Lauryn says that b/c I've never told her that." This worried me because although I am fine with teachers disciplining my child who isn't a disciplinary problem in school anyway, I am not okay with a teacher who constantly yells and could make my son not like school anymore. I want him to enjoy school as much as he can and he does mainly because he loves to learn (for the time being!) and he loves to play with his school friends. He loved his kindergarten teacher and apparently she is very good friends with his 1st grade teacher who in fact used to visit his class pretty often last year. I talked to a few of the other parents I know with older children. They said she is stern and will not tolerate problem children however she is very good at teaching the children what they need to know and as long as your child is well behaved there shouldn't be any problems. I sure hope not. Wish me luck!

TEZ'S NEW ROOM

I AM FINALLY DONE! I feel like I was on Trading Spaces - two days, one designer (myself) and $1000 (I spent nothing even remotely close to that!)! I think I did rather well considering the last minute planning. You can't really tell in the pictures but the walls are gray. The room is black, white and gray with touches of blue. I was able to use an old TV & TV stand (the TV is much larger than I had planned for his room but I already had it so I used it) and Isaiah's old dresser. My mom made curtains out of the sheets (they aren't hemmed yet so I don't have a pic). I found a new cherry twin bed on clearance with rails and slats for $46..........YES you read that right!! I actually bought two for when we get a bigger house who can pass up a deal like that. I bought two new nice beds for $92 and the original price of just one was $389 + the cost of rails and slats!! Either I am bargain shopper extraordinaire or I am really lucky!! Really my only cost in the room was the comforter set, the bed, the nightstand and lamp. I already had the Dallas Cowboys pictures and I made the T-E-Z canvases. I am pretty proud of myself mainly because I did it so fast and now Tez finally has his own room!!

You can't tell but the really bright stripe is actually gray. I took a billion pics of it and it appeared on everyone. Oh well!

I forgot to buy him lightbulbs. I got him a loud alarm clock so hopefully he will start getting up on his own.

I think he likes it!

YOU ARE KIDDING RIGHT?!?!?

3 colors later and finally I have Tez's new room painted!! Gray is a hard color to get...........too light first of all (they said it was grey but honey it sure looked white to me) then the second one was painted all on two walls when Elijah walked in and said did Tez want purple walls Mommy. I thought NO THIS IS NOT PURPLE!! I decided to leave the room and return to get a fresh look and sure enough it looked purple to me too. I then compared it to all kinds of gray items and sure enough it WAS purple so off to the store we go!! Finally we found a good gray and I finished painting the entire room!! More about this tomorrow when I am totally done onto the subject at hand.............

Today was Elijah's first football scrimmage. Yippee! I am not a football fan but love to watch him in sports so hopefully I will find a copy of "Football for Dummies" soon!! I was a little upset when I found out the scrimmage did not start until 8pm. Hello these kids are six years old and my kids are in bed AT 8pm during the school year. Since it was the weekend I let it slide but seriously why couldn't the older kids play that late. The scrimmage was going well and then after two little scrimmage games I thought it was over which was A-O-K with me since it was raining off and on. Coach Hinesley's wife yells, "hey where are you going?" I said "HOME!"
Then I was informed this was only a break and there were two more left! You are kidding right? Nope they were serious! Lightning and thunder fill the sky with my six year old kid running around in his armor of metal......I am almost positive there is metal in the helmet , right!? I was not happy to say the least!! The only positive was that his team was doing really well. They had NO touchdowns scored against them and they scored several. I was shocked they did so well so early on. Finally at 10:40pm it was over, woohoo! Just when they finished the flood waters came. Seriously we were in a downpour and I had to take my shoes off and grab Zay and run the freakin' mile to the car!! Of course, I was wearing flip flops and they are too slippery when wet!! My umbrella broke in three places and sliced my thumb open b/c of the high winds. I couldn't even see to buckle Zay into his car seat after the jerk next to me made me wait while he stuck all of his coolers into his car. Let me think "worry about the coolers getting wet or let the soaked woman with the young child get into their car?" No brainer for me but I guess some people have NO BRAINS! I finally had to just toss him into the car while he was screaming then I got into the car and climbed to the back to buckle him up! Total chaos! I couldn't really see to drive and pulled over twice THEN I actually had to wring my clothes out when I got home now that is some SERIOUS RAIN! Fun times! Good night! Here are a few pics of the scrimmage:

A SAD DAY

Today was hard for me! I had decided awhile back that I would redo a room for Tez but not until the custody crap was completely over in case at some point she changed her mind and made everything harder. I didn't want to redo an entire room until he was ours for good! He has been sleeping in Elijah's room and that just needs to end. They are just too far apart in age and although they are good together they are on different levels. Isaiah kept his room. I absolutely LOVE Isaiah's room. Actually I just LOVE his crib! Thanks Lisa! Isaiah has a red crib.......I know you are saying WHAT but yes it is a country red and he has a western room. It is too cute for words!! I realize Isaiah is 3 now and he needs to move out of the crib but really I would have moved him out of it a LONG time ago but he likes his bed. He has only crawled out twice and I kind of like him in it in the morning!! It keeps him out of a little trouble! My friend Shan keeps giving me a hard time about my three year old in a crib but my response is well it isn't my fault he hasn't figured out how to keep getting out. Elijah only lasted 18 months before he would NOT stay in the crib so he got a cool car toddler bed but hey if Isaiah will stay in it then why not!!?? Since the custody stuff ended Monday my sister has been trying to convince me to do his room before school starts which meant this weekend. I decided she was right and I tried to arrange for Tez to go to his mom's house for the weekend so it could be a surprise but alas that didn't pan out for me. This morning I woke up and started packing up everything in Isaiah's room. It was really sad for me! What do I do with it all? I HAD TO KEEP THE CRIB that my wonderful sister painted for me all because I saw a red crib in a picture that I fell in love with! Why do I need to keep it? I just told you I love it and I am having a hard time letting go of the fact that he is my last baby.........sob..sob... boo hoo......! I don't know who to give it to that I KNOW will take care of it and who knows maybe I will just keep it forever and use it for my grand babies. I am just sooooo sad mainly for me but I am still just sad! I got everything cleared out and prepared so tomorrow I can start painting. Major pain in the butt I must say! I had to move all of Zay's clothes into Elijah's room which meant I had to rearrange Elijah's drawers to make everything fit since Isaiah has more drawer stuff than Tez did. I had to move Tez's stuff into Zay's old room. Isaiah came in his room at one point and said sternly, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I tried to explain it on his level however he still looked puzzled but moved on! My day was filled with Goodwill bags, drawer cleaning, toy box cleaning, closet cleaning, vacuuming baseboards, moving furniture, putting stuff into storage.........the list could go on and on. Then this evening I had to go ALL over town looking for a comforter and room accessories for a 14 yr old boy who has never had his own room. This is my weekend challenge! Wish me luck!

HELLO YOU FORGOT YOUR CLOTHES!!!

Tez came home from Youth Quake late Friday night and then went to his mom's Saturday. I notice Saturday while sorting through all the camping gear and washing every thing that he is missing: his pillow, five pair of jean shorts and four shirts! Nice considering school is about to start and I will have to buy even more clothes now!!

I call Tez to see if he knew where the clothes were and his reply was, "I stuck everything I wore in the dirty clothes bag!"

I reply, "the only thing in the dirty clothes bag was your swim trunks and a couple of pairs of socks - and I know you wore more than that so I just went ahead and washed every thing and about half of the clothes are missing!"

"I put every thing in there!" he snaps back.

"NO obviously you didn't b/c I am not blind. They are NOT IN THERE! I suppose you are also going to try and tell me you used the still sealed liquid body wash I sent with you too! I shouldn't have to remind you to use SOAP in the shower!!"

His response..............silence!

So I call Karen to see if there were any items at the church and explained what he had left.

Days later I find out I will need to go into the church garage to sort through the items to get what he left. Fine with me! I go to the church to get the clothes and the garage which was supposed to be unlocked...was NOT! I have Karen call the church so they will open the garage and oh dear Lord was it HOT in there! Note to self: don't enter an unknown dark garage during the hottest part of the day in Oklahoma's 100 streak!! I thought at one point I might have locked myself in but alas I got the door to open. My findings: one pillow, one pair of shorts and two shirts that I didn't even realize were missing. Still on the missing list: four pair of jeans shorts and four shirts! Nice! I don't think he realizes the clothes he wears COST MONEY or maybe he just doesn't care! Guess who is going shopping again! Later on he tried to say maybe someone took them! OK here is my theory......you left them and didn't keep track of YOUR clothes and if they were in the dirty clothes bag I seriously doubt someone is going steal them or go through your DIRTY clothes bag in the back of a hot, locked trailer on the way home especially from the kid that didn't use soap! Just say you forgot them and get over it! The only other believable scenario is that someone else picked them up, took them home by accident and their mother didn't realize it while doing laundry so they are just wearing them. I noticed that he had 3 shirts that were not his and a pair of shorts but I am a laundry freak unlike some so I notice anything new HOWEVER I washed the clothes and then returned them! Guess who is going to have their name in every item of clothing at the next camp!!

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Elijah doesn't quite understand why I don't want to go watch him at football practice. For one it is too hot for me to sit for about two hours just to watch them practice football when I don't even understand football in the first place. Secondly he has practice three nights per week and Martez is the asst coach so I see no need for both of us to be there when I have PLENTY of things to be doing at home. Elijah doesn't seem to care about my reasoning. He justs wants me to see how good he is doing so I gave in this evening because it was cooler than it has been in a long while and I brought Isaiah's little neighbor friend Jordan to keep him occupied. Away we went and here are the pics of the oh so exciting football practice of Mighty Mights 1st grade BA Gold:

He is really upset that he doesn't get to play football with the other boys!!

Garrett, James and Elijah

My boys

I can't believe my baby is playing TACKLE football!

They weren't kidding when they told me they grow up fast b/c it sures feels like I just had this little boy!!

I NEEDED A MAP!

Today was schedule pickup for Tez at South Intermediate! I offered to take him since I went to South I would be able to show him around OR so I thought! From the second I walked into the door it felt rearranged which is highly likely since it had 16 years since I had been to anything besides the gym at South. I don't remember the office being where it was and the counselor's offices wait now that I am typing it......I am remembering.......they did move the offices and counselor's offices which could be the whole problem therefore ending my thoughts that I am getting old! hehe In my defense, it also could be that Tez is in all ID/remedial classes and I didn't have classes in that end of the school when I went there. So we go to the cafeteria to get the schedule and fill out the required paperwork and then starts my "off the wall out of the way tour"! I cracked myself up and I think I worried Tez a little. Poor guy is going to be so lost on his first day! So I am walking to his first class saying, "ok you are going to walk in the main doors, go to the cafeteria turn right, take the first left and go up the stairs then turn left and then left again and you are at room # 200 with a few "wait a second"s in between this turn and that turn! Wow I think I even confused myself! I then see there are stairs right next to his class door and decide to journey down them to see where they go.....the west end front door!! I then said, "Forget everything I just told you! I will drop you off at these doors so you will just walk in the door and go up the stairs for your first two classes!" He just smiled and looked confused so I said let's start all over and get another map! Poor me for having a failing memory of South and poor Tez for having to rely on my memory for a tour of his new school!

DRESS UP

Tax free shopping for me today with Shan and Quin!! Even better than the tax free was getting to shop for a little girl and play dress up with her. If you know me then you know I really want a little girl BUT if you REALLY know me then you know I would be bankrupt if I had a little girl!! There is so much more out there to buy for little girls and I rather enjoy dressing my boys so dressing a girl would just send me over the edge! I had so much fun with them....holding up little dresses and trying on many pairs of shoes including the red glittery shoes that I just couldn't resist not only because they are cute BUT also b/c it will be a small torture when Q wants to wear them all the time even when they don't match!! Yes a have a tiny streak of evil! I only have two friends that have girls and I love to shop for them and with them! Thanks girls!

HE'S BACK!

Tonight Tez came home from camp and HE LOVED IT! He had so much fun and so much to tell! Apparently he fell in love with a couple of girls...........aren't teens hilarious! I can't laugh too hard I spent many a church camp going boy crazy! He can't wait to go on the next trip. He said, "Colorado is cold! You wake up in the morning and you are just frozen. We went to the top of a mountain and wow Angela it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!" I am really glad he had a good time and I am glad he is with us so that he had the opportunity to go!

We go to court Monday for the actual Custody deal pray that it goes well!!