Random Thoughts

It's Been a WHILE...

2011-05-14T15:28:00.002-05:00

The plan is to do LOTS of updating soon....as in starting today....look for LOTS of pics and a few stories too.

(Also, I am post dating them, so they will be below this post.)

Big Boy Bed

2011-04-06T15:46:00.000-05:00

We transitioned Mateo's bed into a big boy bed back at the beginning of April.

This next pic is from the first night when he realized we were going to leave him in there alone.

The first few nights were a BREEZE. Mateo is such an easy child (most days) and I was thankful this was going so well. However, after a week or so, he started waking in the night/early morning and coming to our bed. Since I'm back at work/a softy/in need of all the beauty sleep I can get, I would just put him in between me and Antonio. We(I) have created a bad habit of doing this, so it's time to put my foot down and stop this before it gets too bad. He did nap today in his bed for almost 3 hours and didn't get up a single time!

Last Minute Florida Trip

2011-03-14T15:32:00.001-05:00

The kids and I were able to make a trip to Florida at the beginning of March to see my parents for a week. Here are just a FEW of the many pics I took.

My mom bought Tatum a big girl bike and she would ride it up and down the hall racing Mateo on his favorite car.

It was Mardi Gras time while we were in Florida, so they had a parade. We all loved it and the kids got LOTS of beads.

This is a picture of my parents and the kids the morning we were leaving to return home.

And this would be the BEAUTIFUL view from my parent's balcony. Can you imagine waking up to this every morning!!??!

We also enjoyed some time at the beach playing in the sand.

Tatum wanted me to bury her and make her a mermaid....I did my best, but I think she looks more like a goldfish (like the snack cracker).

We went to the park one day on the bay side, and this is a picture looking towards the ocean. My parents condo is in the 3rd building from the left.

Back to Work I Go (A God Thing)....

2011-03-01T15:51:00.000-06:00

I love to see how God works. He amazes me time and time again. It is sometimes hard to keep faith through the storm, but when you can look back and see that HE was always in control and with us along the way, it feels great!

Here's the story...yes it is LONG...no, there are no pictures, but I wanted to document this for me...(If you choose to take time to read this blog, you will have to follow closely because there are lots of pieces that come together to make the puzzle complete.)

So, as I blogged at the beginning of 2010, I very unexpectedly lost my job. While Antonio and I were shocked/upset/etc., I really didn't think it would take too long to find something new and get back to work. However, this wasn't the case. Despite my search for a new job, there just wasn't much out there. So, for the next 13 months, I searched without finding anything.

Antonio and I decided to keep the kids in school/daycare as long as we financially could for several reasons. There were a few times we seriously discussed pulling them out, but after long talks, decided to give it another month, 6 months, 2 weeks, or whatever.

I had talked several times with a close friend "A" over the 13 months about the situation and she was great to cheer me up when I was down or just listen when I needed someone to talk to. During Feb. 2011, we had one of our talks. I expressed to her my huge concern that I would be HORRIBLE as a stay at home mom. My kids are used to going every day to school, a strict learning schedule while at school, crafts, entertainment, interaction with other kids, routine, etc. I was trying to figure out how in the world I was going to keep my kids happy, keep them learning, etc. I had lots of doubts and fears and nightmares about this....LOTS. "A" was great and listened to me whine about my situation. After I finished, "A" said (and I will semi quote her)....You know that God has great plans for you. I am sure as soon as you come to terms with being an official stay at home mom, God is going to do something. He just wants to know you trust Him...have faith in Him...and are letting Him be in control. I left there knowing she was 100% right, so I started making a list of things to do with the kids....park visits, story time at the library, pool days, zoo days, etc. I was making our little schedule that would take place when the kids were pulled out of school. I was beginning to get excited about all the things I had on our list.

Long story, short, we set a date at the end of Feb 2011 that would be the kids' last day of school. I notified our daycare director of our situation and gave notice that we were going to be pulling the kids out. So, I told her on a Friday that the next Friday would be their last day. Later that day, I got a call from a friend asking me if I would be interested in a certain job.

After talking to her for a few minutes about the position, I told her YES! This was a job that my friend "A" heard about from her friend "L". "L" had worked with a friend "G" for a while and "G" later took a new job at a different office but "G" and "L" still stayed in touch. (Are you following me here?) So, "G" had been at her new job for about a year. "G" is pregnant and decided that she would be staying at home with her baby instead of returning to work, so she was helping in the search to find her replacement so that person could start early enough so "G" could train them.

Although I was feeling like it would be a long shot to even get this job because I had NO experience in this field, I sent my resume to "A" to pass to "L" so she could pass it to "G" who would pass it to her HR manager on Sunday afternoon. Well, Monday I got a call from that HR manager asking if I would be interested in interviewing on TUESDAY! I said yes.

Tuesday came and I was pretty nervous, but ready/excited about the interview. When I went in for the interview, the HR manager and I really hit it off and it was one of my best interviews ever! We did lots of the typical interview questions, but some how we talked about lots of other things too. I also met my possible future boss and he and I hit it off pretty well too. I left feeling great and expecting to hear something by Friday of that week.(This is the same Friday that would be the kids' last day of school.) I was very confident that I would get the job. In fact, I would have put money on it because the interview went that well.

SO, I talked to the director and she was so great to us. She promised to not fill the kids' spots until I found out for sure about the job. I had already decided to that the kids and I would be heading to Florida the next week to see my parents (because the kids were not going to be in school anymore anyway), so we kept those plans. Friday came and went and I didn't hear anything, so I talked with the daycare director again and we agreed that the kids would use their "vacation week" the next week so we wouldn't have to pay and she would still hold our spots.

The following Monday came and went with no word about the new job. I will admit, at this point I was thinking that maybe I didn't get the job. Tuesday arrived and I decided to call the HR manager to see if the position had been filled or what the status was. When I called, i got voicemail and left a message. About 30 minutes later, I got a call back with an offer for the job!! I was super excited and after hearing the offer, accepted.

Shortly after I hung up with the HR manager, I called the daycare to let them know that the kids would be staying in school because I did get the job. It was an exciting day!!

So, I am now working as a medical assistant for an orthopedic surgeon in town and I LOVE MY JOB!! My doctor is amazing, young, laid back, super nice, great family man, (and most female patients tell me how cute he is too). The other people in the office have been great too! They are all so quick to help me when I have questions and they have also welcomed me into 'the family' with open arms. I get to wear scrubs and tennis shoes every day...NO MORE HIGH HEELS for work!! (um..YAY!)

I do work LOTS of hours and stay very busy all day, but I would rather be busy than bored. Time flies for sure. The great news is I get paid overtime for anything over 40 hours, so while I don't like working extra hours, at least I am getting paid for the time I am putting in.

FEVER

2011-02-20T15:33:00.000-06:00

The fever is running wild in our house and it doesn't look like it is leaving anytime soon.

SNOW...

2011-02-14T15:32:00.000-06:00

We got a little snow this past winter. These pics are from Jan when we built our snow WOman and decided to pose for a few pics.

SILLY FACES....

(Tatum's expression was ALL her own and I had never seen her do it until this picture. I still crack up looking at her in this picture.)

The Hard Things in Life

2011-01-07T11:13:00.002-06:00

It is true that God puts the right people in our lives at the right time. Sometimes those people become life long friends and sometimes they are only around for a season of life. Even when we don't realize it at the time, for whatever reason, these people tend to make a great impact on our lives.

One of the people that I know impacted my life was Bro. Jimmy Yarbrough, my preacher during my teenage years. He put a new face to christianity for me. He didn't have a perfect past, he wasn't polished, he didn't speak perfectly correct English, but there are 2 things he did perfectly, he loved the Lord and loved others like God loves us.

(This picture was taken by his daughter at Thanksgiving 2010)

Bro. Jimmy found out a few months ago that he had colon cancer. They tried a few treatments, but nothing worked and at the end of November, he was told nothing else could be done. Because his cancer was so bad, he was unable to eat anything. Hospice was called in to attempt to keep him comfortable. Bro. Jimmy had more fight in him and although he was unable to eat, he still hung on until Jan 6th which is when he passed away. He was of sound mind until the end and took care of many business things(selling his truck, trailer, horses, planning his funeral, etc) so that his wife wouldn't have to after he passed. He was also able to tell many people goodbye when they would come to visit him. I can't imagine how hard that was for the visitors or for him.

Bro. Jimmy always gave great advice. Two things, specifically, still stick with me to this day and I often find myself giving the same advice to some of the teenagers around me from time to time. I will share these 2 pieces of great advice with you.

1. I can see Bro. Jimmy now saying this to me. Bro. Jimmy always had a routine of standing at the back door of the church after service was over so he could shake hands with everyone as they left. He would shake my hand and say "Remember April, there ain't no man worth having what you have to offer." After I married Antonio, he would always tell me to be sure and remind Antonio how lucky he was. :)

2. His second piece of advice is my favorite! It makes sense and it often helped me make some wise decisions during high school and college. Bro. Jimmy's second piece of advice was "Never date anyone you wouldn't consider marrying." If you stop and think about this, it is such wise advice. Why waste your time with someone you would never want to spend the rest of your life with? You could be missing out on Mr. Right if you have your time tied up with Mr. Right Now!

Bro. Jimmy, you lived an amazing life and impacted so many lives. While I have no doubt you will be missed by so many here on earth, I know you are right where you have always dreamed and prayed of being. Please pray for Mrs. Dianne, his wife and his daughter and grandchildren. May they find peace in knowing he is no longer suffering with pain.

UPDATES

2011-01-04T16:39:00.001-06:00

I have worked and updated my blog over the past 2 days. If you want to read the new blog posts, I post dated them going all the way back to Thanksgiving! I know, I was WAY behind. You can read about Thanksgiving, birthdays, Christmas - including why Santa did NOT come to see Tatum, etc.

Enjoy!

Mateo's 2 yr check up

2011-01-04T16:37:00.000-06:00

Mateo went for his 2 yr check up yesterday. I stated in a previous post that Mateo does not like going to the dr, but I had high hopes he would do better this time. Usually, he does great in the waiting room, but once our name is called, he cries, kicks, hits, etc. because he doesn't want to go back there.

This time, he did great! Once we got into the room, he colored a picture of Spongebob. I was even able to take a few pics.

Mateo is showing me his tongue after I asked him to.

Here are his 2 year stats:

Height - 33 inches

Weight (fully clothed) - 28 pounds

I can't give percentages because for some reason they had Mateo listed as a girl. The office just went to a computerized system which means they had to enter in all the records manually, so our pediatrician said she would get it fixed for us because Mateo is no girl, obviously.

Happy Birthday Mateo (pics)

2010-12-30T14:29:00.016-06:00

Mateo was sick on his birthday, so he stayed home with me that day instead of going to school. However, I had already made cupcakes for him to take to school, so I sent half of them and kept the other half for us to enjoy at home.

We didn't do anything big for Mateo's birthday since he was sick all week. I did make his favorite, speghetti, for dinner, but he didn't eat much.

He did LOVE the candle that played music.

He wouldn't even blow out the candle. Poor little man had the worst runny nose and it was getting raw because we had to wipe it so much.

While Mateo didn't touch his cupcake, Tatum sure enjoyed hers.

After dinner, cupcakes, and bathtime, Mateo opened up his presents. He got lots of toys, books, games, clothes, and money. Here is the best picture I could get of Mateo after he opened up his presents.

Mateo started running a fever overnight Dec 30th, so I took him to the dr. New Year's Eve. He has an ear infection in one ear, but he is taking medicine and it is slowly getting better.

Happy 2nd Birthday Mateo!

2010-12-29T14:02:00.001-06:00

I know I haven't posted any Christmas updates (or Thanksgiving for that matter), but I wanted to be sure to post a quick blog on Mateo's actual birthday.

This little man makes me smile daily!

You are one 'cool dude' Mateo, and all the teenagers at church just love you!! Your teachers at school also always tell me how easy going, loving, and funny you are. Honestly, I can't blame them though. ;) You have the best personality and just go with the flow 99% of the time. You and Tatum still play so well together which makes life for Daddy and I much easier! While you are talking more and more, you still aren't much of a talker (or should I say you can't really get a word in when Tatum is around).

Other things about you right now...

*You LOVE your pacifier. I know, I know...it's time to take it away. We did take it away back in August and you did fine...until you had 4 teeth coming in at the same time and Mommy folded. Now, I don't think it is going to be an easy task at all this time. You are sick right now too, so although I said TODAY is THE DAY to take it away, I might not be able to do it. You have turned Mommy into a softy!

*You are wearing 18-24 month clothing finally.

*You are in a 5-6 size shoe depending on brand.

*You wear a size 4 diaper.

*You have had more haircuts than I can remember. They started off as an easy task and then you decided that you didn't like them at all and I dreaded taking you every time. However, Daddy and I took you last week and you were great! Not a single tear, so I am praying we have rounded a new corner and we won't go back.

*In the past, 3 things that really made you cry like nothing I have ever seen: a haircut, cutting your nails, and doctors appts. Now that the haircut has gone well recently, I am holding out hope that Monday's 2 yr checkup will go well.

*You love shoes...no one's shoes are safe. If you see an empty pair hanging around, you will strip your shoes off and put on the abandoned ones. While this is okay, it also makes finding shoes hard at times. I have to remember this about you and not get upset (with Tatum) when I can't find her shoes in the morning.

*You also love baby dolls. While this might concern some parents, I know you see Tatum loving on her babies and you are just copying her. You also copy Tatum walking around in her princess shoes.

*You don't like to be left out. Tatum is in a makeup phase. She always asks me to put makeup on her in the mornings and I will put some powder on her(or pretend to at least) if we are headed to church. You now stand in line behind her wanting some too....or hairspray for your hair. The hairspray might be because you like the mohawk look(and I use a little hairspray to make it happen) on you as much as I do or you see me spraying Tatum's hair sometimes...I'm not completely sure on that one.

Mateo, I can remember being pregnant with you and wondering how I would ever love another child as much as I love Tatum. Well, I can't imagine NOT loving you as much as I do....as the saying goes, :You had me at hello." Well, except for the fact that I would say, "You had me with your first cry!"

(2 yr stats will be posted Monday-if we can get accurate stats)

Christmas Celebrating - The Day After Christmas

2010-12-26T14:09:00.038-06:00

We woke up early the day after Christmas and had to drive to my parents house. This was the view as we drove. It was snowing and sticking, but we didn't have far to go.

We ate breakfast and opened presents at my parents house, but I didn't manage to get many pics there. However, I did get a picture of just Tatum and Mateo's presents. It was crazy how many presents they had to open!

As soon as we finished at my parent's house, we headed to celebrate Christmas with my dad's family. Many people weren't able to be there, but this was the group that day. My dad had asked us earlier if we could do some group pictures and I am sure glad we did! We set up our tripod and put the camera on a timer. It worked great!

There are 4 kids in my dad's family...2 girls and 2 boys just like in our family. Here he is with his brother and 2 sisters.

And here I am with my brothers and sister. Matt, me, Laurie, Clif (Laurie is the oldest, then Clif, Matt, and me) My parents had 4 kids and 5 years...can you imagine??!?! I sure can't!

And here we are with my parents. I can't remember the last time we have a picture of all of us together.

Then we decided to do family pics. Here is my sister's family...

And of course, when we tried to do the family picture thing, it ended up like this...

we will get a good family picture one day...I just KNOW it...lol

My brother, Clif, and his wife Jennifer. They live in Virginia and he is in the Navy, so we don't get to see them too often.

Matt, my other brother, and his wife Stephanie live in Knoxville. Mateo (which is Matthew in Spanish) was named after Matt. I sure wish they lived closer.

And here are my parents. They survived the 4 of us kids and seem to still be happy. :)

And here are ALL of us. I think this is a great picture of everyone!

We did a 'silly face' picture for the kids and this cracks me up everytime I look at it! My mom and dad HATE 'silly face' pictures, but after looking at this, I LOVE it. You can really see everyone's personality. My sis-in-law, Stephanie has her head down and that is so her...just very clever! Of course, I think she is really praying for help since she is in our crazy family. haha

My parents with the grandkids. Can you tell Mateo was up 5 hours past his bedtime the night before and was also going on NO NAP?? He was good, just not very into the pictures.

And last but not least, the 'inlaws'...those that chose to be in our family. haha

Christmas Day 2010 - Part 3

2010-12-25T19:06:00.022-06:00

If you are keeping up with me still, after Antonio's parents' house, we then go to my grandmother's house for Christmas dinner. Can I tell you, this is my FAVORITE MEAL OF THE YEAR!!!!

She always makes breakfast and it is so good!!

And this is why it is my favorite meal of the YEAR!!....

...yep, CHOCOLATE GRAVY!! I will just go ahead and tell on myself, I made 4 (yes, FOUR) trips to get biscuits with chocolate gravy. I should feel bad, but I don't. haha
Mya, Mckayla, and Laurie

Tatum helped pass out the gifts to everyone. Here she is giving my grandmother 'Gran' and her friend James a present.

Tatum has loved VeggieTales since her 1st birthday and she still loves them. Look at her expression when she got a VeggieTales movie that we don't already have...lol

Here are the four of us again. Clif, Laurie, me, and Matt

and we were trying to get us with our spouses for a picture, but it was a little crowded and Mateo was wanting his mommy too.

After we finished at my grandmother's house, we got a hotel room in Jackson since there wasn't enough room at my parents' house for all of us. My sister and her family did the same. My brothers, sister, all the spouses, and us all hung out playing cards very late before heading to bed. Tatum, Mateo, and I all stayed up until midnight, but I finally had to take them down to the room and we all went to bed while the rest of the group stayed up a little later. It was a great night 'like old times'.

Christmas Day 2010 - Part 2

2010-12-25T11:53:00.032-06:00

As soon as we got done with Christmas at our house, we had to be at Antonio's parent's house by 10am. Here is Mateo posing in front of their Christmas tree.

There were so many presents under the tree at Antonio's parents' house. The family has really grown over the years.

Gabby, Tatum, Caiden, and Mateo

Nana and Pawpaw with the grandkids.

We gave umbrellas to some of the men in the family and we learned that 2 of the guys had never owned an umbrella before the one we gave them. Here is Chris posing with his 1st umbrella.

and Benardo with his first umbrella ever!

Pawpaw really knows how to put a smile on these girls' faces. He did his annual giving.

Christmas Day 2010 - Part 1

2010-12-25T08:50:00.043-06:00

Christmas Eve, we got back home about 10:30pm and put the kids to bed. As soon as Antonio and I thought the kids were both asleep, we had to start putting Santa stuff out. Well, we had decided earlier in the day that Santa was NOT coming to see Tatum because she hadn't been listening for weeks, she wouldn't pick up her room, and she wouldn't even put away her toys after she played with them. Earlier on Christmas Eve, I had asked Tatum to help me clean her room and she pitched a fit! She cried, she whined, and she told me she wasn't going to. So, me being the rational mom who was tired of hearing Tatum tell me she didn't want to clean her room or take care of her toys, decided to use this moment as a teachable moment. So, I got a big black garbage bag and put all of her toys, books, etc. into the bag. I thought as soon as she saw me doing this, she would give in and decide to clean her room and help me organize things so we could add new toys that she would get over Christmas. Well, let me tell you, she didn't care one bit that I was throwing away all of her toys. She kept telling me she didn't like her toys anyway, she didn't want them anymore, etc.

I must admit, by this point I was really mad...mad at her reaction, and mad because I felt like I was doing something wrong as her mother and the way we are raising her. I don't want her to be a spoiled brat and not appreciate her things. After the year we have been through with me losing my job, we have really had to cut back, but we are still so blessed to be able to provide things for the kids (in moderation), yet here she is acting like this.

I suggested to Antonio that Santa not come because we have been preaching to her that Anderson is telling Santa if she is good or bad and only GOOD kids get visits from Santa. To my surprise, he agreed with me.

After they were in bed, we wrote a note to Tatum from Santa that explained why Santa didn't leave her anything. Here it is below.

Santa left her note beside the empty milk cup and cookie crumbs.

Santa did come see Mateo though. This is what he got from Santa.

We weren't sure how they would react the next morning. Antonio and I were prepared for Tatum to really break down because Santa left things for Mateo and not for her. Here is Mateo's reaction...

Antonio read the letter to Tatum and there was no reaction at all on her face. She did give a little shy smile, but did not breakdown as we had expected her to.

She then told us she didn't care because she had her "RAT" (aka zhu zhu pet) that my friend Amy had given her. REALLY?!?! sigh. Tatum wanted me to take her picture with her RAT (as she calls it) in front of the tree. Forgive her crazy eyes...this is her new fake smile..lol

After the Santa stuff, we opened presents from each other and Tatum did get stuff from us, so she was fine.

I know Antonio and I probably sound like the meanest parents ever, but I know I felt like if we are preaching and threatening our kids with "Santa won't come see you if you are bad." but never follow through with it, we are doing more harm than good. We still have her 'Santa gifts' packed up and may give them to her little by little if she earns them by keeping her room clean. I still have not given her anything out of the black garbage bags from when I packed everything up. However, our kids got SO MUCH from family at Christmas that I don't know if she has missed any of her old toys.

She did come home last week from school and told us that she had to clean her room without us asking and she went into her room and did just that. She made her bed and everything, so this may have worked and she may have gotten the message here?

Christmas Eve - 2010

2010-12-24T13:46:00.020-06:00

I must admit that I was really looking forward to Christmas time this year because all of my siblings and our families were going to be in town together, which is rare since we are spread out in different states and all married now.

We always travel to Jackson, TN Christmas Eve to get together with my mom's side of the family. This isn't the best pic of the 4 of us, but here are my 2 brothers and sister. Clif, Laurie, me, and Matt.

After we eat, we do lots of singing. Tatum loved this part this year. She is always singing and really wanted to do a solo this year, but never got a chance to.

Two of my cousins were singing and Mateo stood and watched them the whole time.

He also decided that my mom needed some help playing the piano.

During our night, each generation gets up and sings as a group. Here are Tatum, Mya, and Mckayla.

This is my generation next....

...and my mom's generation

...and finally my grandmother's generation.

I can remember going to Christmas Eve every year since I was a baby (well, I don't remember it as a baby, but we were there). My great-great grandmother and great grandmother were there many years that I remember before they passed. This is the only time we see most of this side of the family since many live in different states, so we always do our best to make the trip there. As soon as it is over, we drive back to Memphis so that we can be home on Christmas morning.

These last pics are out of order. Antonio and I took Mateo to get a haircut the week before Christmas and for the first time in a LONG time, he did great and didn't shed a single tear. When he got home, I let him open a present that my friend Amy had given him since he was so good.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2010-12-22T08:54:00.001-06:00

My blogging here has been slacking, but I will return!

Until then...

Christmas 2010 - Part 1

2010-12-19T13:42:00.034-06:00

Here are some random pictures from Christmas this year.

This first picture is our Elf, Anderson. Tatum named him last year and we have no idea where she got the name, but I like it.

We really talked alot with Tatum and Mateo about being good this year because Anderson goes to see Santa every night to tell him if they have been good or bad. (Remember this because it will come into play in a later blog post.)

I found a christmas tree last year that is for displaying Christmas cards. I loved using it this year. It was fun adding to it everyday, but it got full fast! I need to find another one of these or either find another way to display the rest of our Christmas cards when I run out of room.

One night after church, we headed out to look at Christmas lights. Tatum was allowed to sit in Daddy's lap when we would stop so she could see them. Mateo was fine in his seat in the back.

On our way to one house, we passed a church that had a live nativity every night, so we stopped by. It was very neat and Tatum enjoyed telling us who everyone was and why they were important. She is growing so fast and is so smart!(yes, of course, i am biased)

The week before Christmas, we went to see Gabby sing in her church musical. Here are Caiden and Tatum waiting for Gabby's group to sing.

Gabby and Tatum after Gabby got to sing. She did such a great job!

We decided to take pictures of all 4 of the kids since they were all dressed up in their Christmas outfits.

Happy 4th Birthday Mya!

2010-12-13T13:39:00.005-06:00

My niece, Mya, turned 4 at the beginning of December and we got to all go to her Princess birthday party. Here are Tatum and Mya before the party began.

Mateo wanted his picture taken, but this is the best shot I got.

All the girls got to dress up in Princess outfits, get their hair done, and get makeup put on.

Here is the whole group of girls. Tatum had a great time dressing up, having a tea party with REAL dishes, and getting to dance with all of the girls.

St. Jude Marathon Hero

2010-12-04T13:34:00.032-06:00

Antonio decided several months ago that he wanted to run the St. Jude 1/2 Marathon. When he went to sign up, it was sold out. So then he decided he would run the full marathon, but it was sold out too. The only way he could sign up for the race was to sign up as a St. Jude Hero and run the marathon, so that's what he did. Now, being a St. Jude Hero means you are committing to raise $500 for St. Jude.

Antonio did lots of training and was ready for the race. I was so glad to have Antonio's sister there with me to help cheer everyone on while they ran.

This panda bear from the Memphis Zoo even showed up with music to cheer for the runners.

We sat between mile 7 and 8, which meant when Antonio turned around it would be between mile 21 and 22. When he passed us the first time, he looked great and dropped off his sunglasses with us.

My sister also did the St. Jude 1/2 Marathon and she did great as well. When she saw us, she had to lose some of her layers because the day was warmer than we thought it would be.

Gabby and Tatum were also there and cheered for the runners too. However, they got tired about half way through the race and decided to rest a little.

When Antonio passed us the second time, he wasn't looking as fresh as the first time (but what normal person would after running 21 miles, right?)

After the 2nd time seeing Antonio, Tatum and I headed to the Redbird's Stadium to see Antonio cross the finishline. When we were walking in, we ran into Pouncer, so we had to get Tatum's picture with him.

Here is Antonio crossing the finishline! He made it! All 26.2 miles!!!

Tatum and I were both so proud of Antonio! Here is Tatum with her Daddy.

We are all so proud of Antonio for running the St. Jude Marathon and being a St. Jude Hero! He ended up raising $823, well over his $500 goal.

Promised Picture

2010-11-26T21:49:00.000-06:00

Here is the picture of Mateo from Sunday morning at church. I promised I would share it in an earlier blog post.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I will post lots of pictures later.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-25T11:57:00.060-06:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Antonio's family early because his mom was heading out of the country. Here are some pics from Thanksgiving on the Simpson side...

This is my Eliana and Chris, my sis-in-law and her husband.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is always at my grandmother's house and I always eat WAY TOO MUCH because I don't get cookin' like that any other time! Here are some pics of the food...yummy!

I don't know how she makes it, but she makes THE BEST cornbread ever!! I could have eaten this whole thing by myself (if no one else was there), but I had to share.

These 2 girls are gonna be trouble in a few years. 6 weeks apart and 20 miles apart = double trouble?

This is my plate (which was cleaned in no time)!

My sweet, laid back child decided he didn't want to eat anything at all, so this is what he did instead...

...Good thing he was rescued by Grandmommy and Granddaddy so he could sit at the 'adult' table.

Tatum and Mya sang several songs for us that night.

My mom found some Halloween costumes on clearance and bought them for the kids to play dress up. This kept them all entertained for a while.

...and I decided to try one on too.

Mateo sure loves his Uncle Cyp. He taught him how to play cards at Thanksgiving.

We all stayed at my parents house that night and all 4 kids took a bath together the next morning and had a blast.

And this last picture is a normal one for Mateo...he is wearing Tatum's boots.

Christmas Planning 2010

2010-11-23T10:26:00.000-06:00

Several people have asked me the last few weeks of ways I am cutting back the amount of money we are spending for Christmas this year, so I thought I would blog about few things.

1. I started really trying to use coupons. This means that I have to actually make out a menu and grocery list for the week. While this make take a little extra time, it is nice to not have to figure out dinner ideas at the last minute. Anyway, once my list is made, I search for coupons. I also try to make my menu around what is on sale at the grocery store.

2. We rarely eat out anymore...maybe once a week and that is nothing fancy. I went back to August 2009 to look at our online checking account and it literally made me sick to look at all the money we ~~spent~~ wasted eating out. WOW!

3. So those are 2 ways we are saving a little money, but I also have plans to make several of the Christmas gifts that are given this year. Thanks to some great bloggers out there, I have so many things I can make. I would post about them here, but can't because some of my readers will be getting these presents in a few weeks. Don't worry, I promise not to give out any of these house shoes this year!

4. Finally, I found a website where you can do surveys on your own time and get paid to do them. I have read about these things in the past, but just didn't trust that they were real. However, I tried this one out because a close friend told me about it and while I'm definitely not getting rich off of the surveys, I have made $117 since mid-July. Around here, every $1 counts, so I am excited that I earned this money by just doing a survery or 2 while watching tv late at night after the kids are in bed. When you want to get 'paid' you just request a check. The website says to allow 3-4 weeks to get the check in the mail, but I usually get it in 3-4 days! Anyway, you can go HERE to check it out and sign up for FREE. I promise there is no catch! They send emails of available surveys and you do them if you want, and if you don't have time, then don't do it.

Are you planning to cut back this Christmas? If so, I would love to know how you are doing it!

30 Days of Truth: Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.

2010-11-23T04:29:00.001-06:00

I would definitely say that I never get compliments on my cooking. I may just be thinking more about cooking these days because the holidays are coming up which means I like to do lots of baking (I can bake, just not really cook I guess).

So the gigs up, I am no Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, or Rachel Ray!

THE LIST

50 FREE Holiday Cards from Shutterfly

2010-11-22T16:30:00.000-06:00

I saw this awesome deal on someone else's blog and wanted to share this great find with you too! Since Tatum was born, I have tried to do my best to send out Christmas cards and even try to include pictures. She is 4 now and I think 3 years I got them out at the last minute, and 1 year they didn't go out at all. Thanks to Shutterfly, I have a great chance to get them out on time this year.

Shutterfly has some very cute cards and I just need to narrow down which one is 'THE ONE' for this year.

THIS one is super cute and I can put lots of pictures on the card. It is very hard for us to get a great picture of Tatum and Mateo together and we won't even attempt the whole family, so this card would allow several cute pictures on one card.

When we get Christmas cards in the mail, it just makes my day. I love to see growing families and sometimes people even write a little about big events that happened throughout the year. THIS next card would be perfect for me to write a little about our year and still include pictures too.

However, I think THIS next card would be even better for me since I can just list the top 10 things for 2010 and put our pictures at the bottom.

And I sure hold out hope that one day, yes one day, we will be able to capture that perfect family photo. When we do, I will be sending out THIS card!!

The selection at Shutterfly is so impressive. I have no doubt that everyone can find the perfect card to send out this year! If you are a blogger, go HERE for your chance to get 50 free holiday cards too!

30 Days of Truth: Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

2010-11-22T10:49:00.001-06:00

Compliments...hmm. Well in the past, I got compliments on my physical self. Hey, don't laugh, I was kinda cute back in the day...ya know, before kids and all. Don't worry, I got a few other compliments too.

Now compliments now include my great sense of humor, honesty, and dependability, great driving skills, etc.

BUT, my #1 compliment that I hear WEEKLY would have to be on THESE...

And while I might miss my 'high school skinny' body I wouldn't trade these two for the WORLD! Also, while I might not be the best parent, have the best parenting skills, etc. I DO think that Antonio and I make some great looking kids. (ifidosaysomyself). Sometimes I feel like I am 10 yrs old and playing dress up with my dolls....except my 'dolls' are my kids now. Am I the only one that likes to dress my kids up cute from time to time? Mateo looked precious yesterday at church...he was sporting a mohawk AND a tie! I know my style and the way I dress my kids doesn't fit everyone else's taste, but Antonio and I agree on what the kids wear. Mateo has never, nor will he ever wear smocked anything or any other boy we may or may not have. We have a few other 'rules' when it comes to dressing the kids, but I will have to do another post on that. So, if I can get my hands on the picture that our KidsLife director tookyesterday of Mateo, i will post it. Anyway, that's all I have.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-19T14:19:00.000-06:00

This post is only almost 3 weeks late, but in my defense, I didn't realize I hadn't blogged about Halloween yet.

Mateo was a dinosaur this year and Tatum was Ariel. While Mateo is SO laid back and a 'go-with-the-flow' type of guy, if he doesn't like something he will let us know it!! (He does not like the dr., getting haircuts, or the vaccuum...so I am thankful we have NO carpet in the house!)

Well, knowing this, I decided we needed to warm Mateo up to his costume, so about a week before Halloween, I made a big deal and let Tatum try on her costume and asked Mateo if he wanted to try his on too. He surprised me with a quick yes.

Even when we got it on him, he was all smiles and thought he looked so cute I guess because he was prancing around and showing off.

He would even GROWL on que as well. I thought that maybe he was going to enjoy this!

And 5 minutes in, his face changed to this....

He wanted nothing to do with the costume....he wanted it OFF!

Tatum had fun trying hers on too, but I realized how big it was at the neck.

We brought my full length (dirty, falling apart) mirror that I use in the mornings from our room so they could see themselves.

The Friday before Halloween, we went to Fall Festival at our church and my sister and her family joined us too. We met up at their house to get a few pictures and change Mateo there.

Here are Mya and Tatum.

Let me tell you, these girls are so cute together! I think our future is going to be full of fun.

Mateo fought putting on his costume, but once we got out in the cold he loved it. It was good and warm, so I think we were all happy.

Here are all of the kids on our side of the family. Notice that Mateo doesnt have on his costume yet. I still wasn't sure he would wear his costume, so I had a Memphis football player as his Plan B costume.

Mateo and Daddy

Halloween night, we decided to take the kids around the neighborhood to a few houses. Here are a few pictures before we left.

I am so thankful we decided to take the wagon because it was perfect. The kids could ride between houses if they wanted and I didn't have to carry them.

Tatum and Mateo were SO into the trick-or-treating!! I figured Tatum would be, but Mateo was too. He would RUN up to the houses and try to knock on the door before Tatum got there. Now it was another story when the people actually came to the door. Tatum would get so shy and not talk and Mateo would try to grab the candy out of their buckets.

We even ran into friends from school that live in our neighborhood. This was the best group picture I could get. The boys are in class together, but N is a year older than Tatum. However, upon seeing each other, they ran and gave big hugs.

All in all, we had a blast this Halloween!!! They got so much candy which they liked, but it is fun for Antonio and I to see them grown enough to enjoy the holidays. I can't wait for the rest of 2010! Tatum has been asking me every morning for a week if TODAY is Thanksgiving. We will be making a chain for Christmas so we can see how many days until Christmas I think.

We are celebrating our 1st Thanksgiving tonight and I can't wait!! Have a great weekend!!

30 Days of Truth: Day 10 → Someone you need to let go.

2010-11-17T16:34:00.001-06:00

Can you tell, faithful blog followers(yes, both of you), that I have been putting off doing this day? It is something that I know needs to be put out in the open, but 'saying' it (aka typing it) is still just SO HARD!!

I am in love with a man that I need to let go. There, I said it!

My husband knows this man, but I don't think he realizes the connection that has developed over the past few years.

I am often seen with this other man in person, but I don't think people really know that we are more than friends.

Maybe I am just in denial, maybe everyone can see right through us, I don't know.

He is one of the first thoughts on my mind in the morning, and one of my last thoughts before I go to bed.

I guess since I have told this much, I might as well tell you who this other man is....I mean, this is all about telling the truth, being 100% honest....sigh...this is HARD!

Surely you know that there isn't REALLY another man, right? But I DO need to give up the Diet Dr. Pepper!! This is what our extra fridge looks like...

This picture was actually taken a couple of months ago, but it looks about the same today. Last year, I cut it back to 1 can of "DDP" a day, but I am up to a few more than that now...(sorry challenge girls).

The funny thing is that I used to love Dr. Pepper and only started drinking DIET Dr. Pepper because I didn't like the taste of it, so that was my way of getting myself to not drink soda so much. Well, needless to say that didn't work and I fell in love with DIET Dr. Pepper.

So there you have it. I will be doing a LATE Halloween post tonight or tomorrow because I just realized I never put cute costume photos up.

Tatum's Four Year Checkup

2010-11-08T09:47:00.000-06:00

Tatum is now officially four and I am still not believing it!! I think we celebrated her birthday for a whole week and we all had lots of fun doing it!!

I asked Tatum what she wanted for her birthday dinner and she said speghetti, so she made life very easy for me. Here she is with her dinner...

Speghetti is one of Mateo's favorite meals too. He gets so impatient when he sees his plate, so that is why he is giving me a look below. He was waiting for Tatum to say the blessing for us.

After bathtime, we had cake. Tatum LOVED to have us sing to her.

Tatum wanted to take cupcakes to school for her friends, so I made red and blue "Ariel" cupcakes and just made a little cake for us from the leftover cake mix.

Ahem, we also took Gibson's Donuts to school and had ONE leftover and Tatum asked to have that instead of cake....really?

Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Clif sent Tatum's present in the mail and also sent a Madagascar card that would sing "I like to move it, move it" when it opened. Of course, this was a hit with Tatum and Mateo.

Tatum made us hold it for her so she could dance.

She got these two movies from them as well. I LOVE these movies and Tatum LOVES music and singing, so she loves these movies too.

I took Tatum to her 4 yr check up at the dr's office last week. She loves to go to the doctor and has always been great when we go, so she was looking forward to our special outing. They checked her hearing and eyesight and she passed both of those tests.

She weighs 39 pounds (78th percentile) and is 42 inches tall (90th percentile). Not sure I put this in an earlier post, but she is mostly wearing 5s, but still has a few 4s in her closet too.

Finally, here is what Mateo likes to do....wear mommy's shoes. He had also taken his pants off while playing and we hadn't put them back on yet...

30 Days of Truth-Day 9: Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

2010-11-07T20:19:00.000-06:00

Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.

I can definitely say there are several people that I am not as close to as I used to be AND I miss it. Some from high school, from my home church, some from college, old co-workers, old neighbors, etc. I know it is natural that some people are in our lives for only a season, while others are there for a lifetime.

I am thankful for facebook which has allowed me to reconnect with long lost friends, or stay up-to-date with friends that I don't get to talk to as often as I would like. However, I miss seeing some of these people and talking face to face.

30 Days of Truth-Day 8: Someone who made your life hell.

2010-11-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

This day has had me thinking for days. Who could I say that has made my life hell or treated me unkindly?

I can honestly say that I can't think of a single person. Sure people have been mean to me, rude, unkind, etc., but if that is the way someone chooses to act towards me, I usually do my best to stay away from them. I like to surround myself with positive people because that makes life more fun. Besides, with a wonderful husband and 2 small children, life is pretty busy, so trying to keep up with someone who isn't kind is not something I have time for.

So, sorry to be a letdown on this one, but I can't think of anyone that has been THAT bad to me in life.

30 Days of Truth-Day 7: Someone Who Has Made Your Life Worth Living For

2010-10-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

I have been pondering this topic for days, trying to think who the one person in my life is that makes it worth living for, and this has been a difficult process. The options are endless from my parents, siblings, kids, friends, etc. Everyone that comes across my path in my life makes it worth living.

However, my #1 would have to be God. Without Him, life would definitely not be worth living. While my husband, kids, parents, siblings, and close friends all love and care for me, they all possibly can/have/will fail me from time to time. However, God will never leave me.

I think Isaiah 40:28-31 says it best...

28 Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

29 He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

31 but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

Here's the LIST again too for the 30 Days of Truth.

30 Days of Truth-Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do

2010-10-29T15:17:00.000-05:00

I hope you didn't think I had given up on the 30 days of truth challenge I committed to. I wanted to take a little break to celebrate Tatum's birthday.

So, I am on Day 6-Something you hope you never have to do...

Well there are some obvious answers to this one...lose a family member would be one of my most obvious now that I am married with children, but I will try to post something to go along with this.

I hope I never have to look back on life (when I am MANY years older than I am now) with regret. Regret on how I raised my kids...regret with opportunites I passed on...regret with decisions I made...regret on things said/not said....etc.

Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween! We have a fun packed weekend, so I will have lots of pictures to post after the weekend!

Happy 4th Birthday Tatum!!

2010-10-27T11:36:00.000-05:00

At 12:45am this morning, Tatum officially turned FOUR!!

The first thing I said to Tatum this morning was "Happy Birthday Tatum!"

She reacted with "Yay, I'm FOUR!"

Here are just a few pictures of Tatum through the years...

Here she is just hours after birth in 2006. These are two of my favorites....

And 2007, I loved her outfit and her little pigtails. She was overwhelmed with all of the pumpkins, so we had to take a few little ones home.

In 2008, Tatum turned two. We took some quick pictures outside before school. She was doing her best to hold up two fingers for me. Also, take note that Amigo bear is with her in this picture. She got him as a gift for her 1st birthday and he is still around in 2010.

This is also a picture from 2008. I took this picture at Tatum's birthday party. I LOVED that sweater she is wearing and thought it was the perfect little birthday party outfit.

Tatum turned 3 in 2009 and I thought she was so grown up then. She started playing soccer with the YMCA and while it was a great idea at the time, Antonio and I quickly realized that maybe we needed to wait a few more years. She did learn some great fundamentals of the game that year. We are hoping she will love soccer for years to come.

Now in 2010, Tatum is FOUR!! I don't know where time is going, but wherever it is going....it is going too fast! Tatum has gotten so tall and thin over the past year.

Here are some things I don't want to forget about you right now...

*You are so sassy and strong-willed. You sure keep us on our toes as well as keep us laughing.

*The stories you tell us are funny, shocking, random, and we look forward to them every day.

*You have the sweetest, loving personality. You love nothing more than cuddling up with mommy or daddy on the couch, asking if you can play with our hair or scratch our back, give big hugs and kisses and we can't leave out the nose kisses either.

*You are a great sleeper, but wake up at 6:15 each morning. We would love it if you would sleep in, but as long as you don't wake up any earlier, we will make it.

*You LOVE Mateo and you two play together so well! You don't mind sharing any and all toys. You love to let Mateo come in your room and play too. I worried about how the transition of you no longer being the only child would go, but you have done great! Mateo is blessed to have such an amazing big sister!

*You have become more of a picky eater over the years. Your favorites are pizza, speghetti, and chicken and 'dip dip' with french fries. (I promise we rarely eat out, but these are things you ask for when we ask what you want to eat.)

*You love TV and watch way too much of it when we allow it.

*You are the smartest thing and constantly surprise your daddy and myself with what you learn at school. We just learned this week that you can say the Pledge of Allegiance. (I am trying to get this on video)

*Despite my early predictions from when you were much younger, you are quiet the 'girly girl'. You ask daily to wear a 'princess dress', love to play dress up, love to have your nails painted, and you ask for makeup and 'smell good stuff' daily.

*You say our blessing for the family before each meal. I love to hear your bedtime prayers because they are so sweet and kind. We often hear you when you are alone in your room or in the bathroom just talking to God. It makes us all smile to know that you know God is always there to listen to you when you need him or just want to talk.

*You LOVE church and ask to go all the time.

*You wanted to take donuts and cupcakes with you to school today, so that's what we did.

*You love all of the Disney princesses, but your favorite is The Little Mermaid.

*You also love VeggieTales and ask to listen to them everytime we are in the car.

*You are wearing 4s and 5s in clothing. Since you have gotten so tall, pants are hard to find right now. Some 4s are too short, and some 5s are too long. This means that some mornings, you have to put on an outfit or 2 before we find one that fits right, but you don't mind since we call it 'dress up'.

*You are also wearing an 8, 8.5, and some 9s in shoes. Your foot has not grown much in the last year....maybe a 1/2 size. This means your shoe collection is crazy.

*You dress yourself every morning and just come get me to help fix your hair before we leave. I have to help you pick out your clothes though because if you got to pick, you would wear an actual princess dress to school daily.

*You are quick to correct anyone from saying bad words...(i.e. stupid, hate, butt, booty, etc.) I am sure not everyone you correct appreciates it, but I love your innocent heart and pray you stay this way for a LONG time!

Tatum, always know that Daddy, Mateo, and I all love you very much!

Tatum's Birthday Celebrations

2010-10-26T19:58:00.000-05:00

We decided this year to skip the big birthday party for Tatum and just do some things she has been asking to do for a while.

The first thing was one that Antonio was happy for me to do with Tatum alone, so that's what we did.

Tatum has been asking to go to Chuck E. Cheese for WEEKS. Since she couldn't go to school Thursday and Friday (due to pinkeye), I decided to take her to Chuck E. Cheese Friday since she was looking and feeling fine.

She was in serious "AWE" of Chuck E. Cheese. It was too cute.

I found a great coupon that got us a pizza, drinks, and 45 tokens for $20.

We were there for 3 hours!! But Tatum was great and enjoyed all of the games and rides.

Of course, as soon as we got into the car, Tatum was OUT!! I definitely think our first trip to Chuck E. Cheese was a great success and we will have to go back soon because she just got a coupon for 20 free tokens for her birthday.

Another one of Tatum's big "LOVES" right now is VeggieTales. She really enjoyed their DVDs when she was around 1, but now she loves the music and requests a VeggieTales CD everytime she gets into the car. I heard that VeggieTales Live would be in town today, so we got tickets for her big birthday present.

We had GREAT seats...2nd row in the middle section.

While we were waiting on the show to start, Tatum and Mateo enjoyed their VeggieTales snacks.

I wasn't sure how long the show would last(I was guessing an hour), but an hour into the show we had an intermission. Here is a picture of Tatum on the stage during the break.

You can see Tatum at the front in the picture below...she is in the yellow and orange.

Mateo enjoyed the show too...he did get the wiggles from time to time, but nothing Antonio and I couldn't handle together.

Since this was Tatum's birthday present, I decided to splurge and get the tickets that included the Meet and Greet with Bob and Larry. We had to wait about 15 minutes after the show so Bob and Larry could get changed into their special outfits so they could give hugs and high-5s.

The Meet and Greet was so fast! They asked for you to have your cameras ready, know how you want your picture(just kids, whole family, etc), and move on when you are done. Tatum cracked me up because while we were waiting for our turn, she asked for some chapstick because she needed it in order to be ready to give Larry and Bob kisses. She hugged and kissed them a few times.

Here is our one (and ONLY) picture from the Meet and Greet. I am very thankful that it is a decent picture!

30 Days of Truth-Day 5: Something You Hope to Do in Your Life

2010-10-18T16:02:00.000-05:00

First let me say that if you are following me closely you may have noticed that I skipped Day 4. I realize this and I did it on purpose. Day 4 was "Something you have to forgive someone for" and while I don't have anything major in this area, the little things I came up with were just a little more than I wanted to air out on a public blog. I do not like drama, so I just skipped it. It's my blog, I can do that, right?

Anyway, Day 5: Something You Hope to do in Your Life

I could always go with the normal things, but I will try to come up with something other than "travel", "change the world", "run a marathon", etc. There are a few things that come to mind for this one, but I will just list a few that pop into my head first.

- Take advantage of times that I can help someone else. What do I mean by this? There are so many times that I am out and about and can do something little to help someone out. For example, one morning when Mateo was about 6 months old, I had to go to the donut shop to get donuts before taking the kids to school. I must not have thought this out too well because after I had paid for the 3 boxes of donuts, I was just frozen trying to figure out how I would get 3 boxes of donuts and 2 kids to the car. A lady in her 30s must have seen the thought in my eyes because she quickly stepped up to offer a helping hand. She grabbed the 3 boxes of donuts and followed me to the car with them. Was this a HUGE thing she did? well, for me it was! but as I thanked her over and over, she told me that she had been in my same shoes and had no help. So, that's my thinking on that one.

-I also hope to let people know what they mean to me. I have often think about how people come out of no where to express thoughts/feelings about someone after they have passed. While I guess this is nice for the family to hear, I often wonder if these things were ever said to the person who passed. I was reading a blog yesterday where the blogger's father-in-law lost his job a month ago and committed suicide that night. She was very 'raw' and wondered if more had been expressed to her FIL about how much he was loved and how important he was to the family would he have still decided to take his life. It broke my heart as I read and it made me think of people that I should probably tell how important they are to my life.

- Get(and KEEP) my house super organized. If you know me at all, you will know I am not(nor have I ever been) a clean freak. However, I think I have done better and made progress over the years. This being said, either we have WAY too much or our house is WAY too little. Since the house size won't be changing anytime soon, I have been trying to declutter and purge our house of things that are necessary in my mind, but not used. It always seems like as soon as I get an area clean/organized/spotless, then the family gets to it and it will look like no work has ever been attempted in that area. FRUSTRATING!! I love the idea of 'a place for everything and everything in its place', but how do I train the rest of the family to follow this rule? It also seems like I always have a few "projects" going on in the house. Oh well, it is something I will always be 'working on' I'm sure...at least until I strike it MEGA-rich and have a live-in housekeeper.

Well, I'm out of time because Tatum just woke up from her nap. I may/may not add on to this later.

Weekend Fun

2010-10-17T23:49:00.000-05:00

We had a great, low-key weekend. We spent Friday night at home playing outside and enjoying the nice weather and Antonio and I watched Memphis Madness later in the night. I am so excited for Memphis Basketball to begin!!

Saturday morning, Antonio went for a 20 mile run(He is training for the St. Jude FULL Marathon in Dec.) while the kids and I slept in a little. After he got home, we headed to the University of Memphis football game Saturday. The weather was beautiful, but our team didn't do so well.

The game started at 11am, so I was a little worried how the kids would do because their lunchtime is 11:30 with naptime following immediately.

I packed plenty of snacks to keep the kids busy for a while and that worked....for a while...

I was trying so hard to get a great picture of Tatum and Mateo together, but they just weren't working with me. Tatum finally tried to help me by turning Mateo's head to try to get him to look at me.

The kids finally realized there was lots of action happening ON the field, so they finally turned around a few minutes to watch the game.

But Mateo didn't last very long. He stayed turned around checking out all the people sitting in the stands. He is a people watcher for sure!

We enjoyed great seats, very close to the field and Tatum really wanted Pouncer to come see her, but I tried to explain that he wouldn't be able to come over because were were sitting behind the visitors team.

Mateo also enjoyed dropping his sippy cup and waiting to see if it would roll to him under the seat.

Since I marched in the band in college, I really wanted to see the band and wanted the kids to watch. In the picture below, it looks like Mateo is really trying to watch the band, but he is really trying to get those empty ice cream containers that someone left behind.

Mateo LOVES people and loves getting people's attention (especially girls-young and old). There was a Southern Miss family sitting very close to us and their 2 daughters were standing against the wall to get a picture and Mateo just walked over to them like he was supposed to be in the picture. I went to move him and the mom told me not to because he was too cute and she wanted him in the picture. :) Of course, I think he is the cutest little guy ever, but it made me smile to think she agreed!

30 Days of Truth-Day 3:Something You Have to Forgive Yourself For

2010-10-16T18:50:00.000-05:00

Let's see, I am on day 3 and wondering why the heck I decided that this "30 Days of Truth" was a good thing.

Day 3:Something You Have to Forgive Yourself For

I must admit, this one is pretty easy for me....I need to forgive myself for losing my job.

While I know there is nothing I could have done to NOT lose my job, I still feel guilty for it. A month before I lost my job I got a promotion and raise. My numbers were great, yet I still lost my job. As you may assume, life changed majorly after that. If I weren't married with children, I probably wouldn't feel so guilty, but knowing this occurance had an impact on the whole family makes me feel more guilty.

I know that God's Planning is perfect. I know that we will survive. I know that I have learned valuable lessons through all of this. BUT, it's still hard.

30 Days of Truth-Day 2: Something You Love about Yourself

2010-10-15T03:16:00.000-05:00

I thought yesterday's truth was difficult, but with time, I came up with several things. However, today I am still sitting here after 20 minutes trying to come up with something that I love about myself.

I love that, although I may not be great at it, I love to write....blog. I think it is fun to look back and see a true documentation of our lives.
I love that I have learned over the years what is truly important in life.
I love that, given time, I can always see the bright side of things no matter how bad the situation may be.
I love that I have loving, supportive parents, siblings, husband, children, and close friends that I know will love me and be there for me no matter what, but also not hesitate to tell me when I am wrong.
I love that I can find joy in the simple, small things in life.
I love that I allow myself to be an open book to others. I know that the things I reveal can be taken the wrong way or used for others to pass judgement, but it can also allow me to truly know someone on a deeper level and really connect.
I love that I am a giver, not a taker.
I love that I am a positive person.
I love that I do my best to make decisions in life by putting myself in the other person's shoes.
I love that I am doing this at 3am...ok, that's not true. I love that I am sarcastic even though I try to 'contain' my sarcasm around people that don't know me well because I know everyone doesn't get it.
Finally, and most importantly, I love that I have GOD on my side in any sitauation, at anytime, and anywhere.

My Attempt to Be A Better Blogger

2010-10-14T17:39:00.001-05:00

I saw this on someone else's blog and although it may lead me to become a little more raw than I usually am on my blog, I also thought it might be refreshing and give me things to blog about.

So, I will be doing "30 Days of Truth" for my blog. (If you want to see the list of what each day consists of, go HERE)

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself.

While I would love to say that I love everything about myself, I know that woudn't be the truth and since I am committing to 30 days of TRUTH, I will get to it.

I hate that I always think of the consequences instead of just being spontaneous.
I hate that I don't think I am really, truly GREAT at anything.
I hate that I don't know "what I want to do with the rest of my life".
I hate that I never feel like I am good enough.
I hate that I don't remember birthdays/anniversaries/etc. like I should.
I hate that it is hard for me to say no to people sometimes.
I hate that I overthink things way too often.
I hate that the older I get, the less I trust people because of other people who have proven to be untrustable in the past.
I hate that I love other people just the way they are, yet I don't do the same for myself.
I hate that I don't make time to read for fun like I used to.
I hate that I don't talk to friends often enough...except on facebook.
I hate that I am not ~~more of~~ a neat freak.
I hate that I have migraines, know what causes them, but can't prevent them.
I hate that I didn't appreciate my simple upbringing more.
I hate that we don't have more family pictures because I would rather be behind the camera than in the picture AND it is hard to take a picture of 4 without someone to take it for us.
I hate that when I first started this blog I couldn't think of much that I hate about myself, yet now I feel like I could go on forever.

I will stop here though.

To Be Continued...

2010-10-12T21:05:00.001-05:00

I have been TRYING to upload tons of pictures from our trip to Lousiana, but blogger has changed the picture uploading process and I just don't have the patience to figure out how to upload LOTS of pictures in one post without it taking FOREVER!! (Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.)

Anyway, I have been playing with some of the pictures that I took while we were gone and these are 2 of my favorites....

Funny thing about both of these pictures is that they were both in timeout sitting next to me when I took these.

When I can figure out how to make this picture uploading faster, I have lots more pictures to share.

Five For Friday

2010-09-24T15:25:00.000-05:00

1. I know people always say it is so hard to find cute boys clothing, but I really don't agree. I think Mateo has more winter clothing than any other person in our house. I am worried it won't all fit in his closet! I won't even start on the number of shoes that my kids have.

2. I noticed many yard sale/estate sale signs on the way to take the kids to school this morning. I decided to stop at a few on my way home and I was AMAZED at the great deals I found. I got Tatum 2 pair of white leather keds for $0.50 each. At another yard sale, I got 4 North Face jackets for $5 each!! Finally, I found NEW in the box games for the kids for Christmas or birthdays.(I will post pics later) I must admit that the amount of upcoming family birthdays(niece-Oct, Tatum-Oct 27, Mom-Nov 7, Antonio-Nov 11, niece-Dec, Dad-Dec 15, and Mateo-Dec 29..wew) and Christmas has me a little concerned since our finances aren't what they used to be....hopefully buying things early might help this.

3. The kids and I are heading to Lousiana for several days and I am very excited about the trip. However, 2 things are making me a little nervous....1) I still haven't started packing OR making a list...2) I have never driven more than an hour and 30 minutes alone with the kids and this will be at least a 6 hour journey.

4. Over the past few months, our laundry room has been the 'catch all' room of the house. I finally tackled this monster and did lots of organizing to get the room together so that I can actually use the room. Since then, I have been amazed that I have done more laundry during the week and it leaves my weekends laundry-free.

5. Antonio signed up to run the St. Jude FULL Marathon and he committed to raising $500 as well. He set up his website this week and he is really close to reaching his goal already. I have tried to talk Antonio into starting a blog page so that people can follow his journey, but so far he hasn't given in. If you want to check out his website, you can go HERE

BONUS: I have a friend that is doing the 3 Day Walk for the Cure in Seattle as I type. That means she is walking 60 miles in 3 days!! She has a facebook page for her team(which consists of Jessica and her friend Jana. If you want to follow her walk, you can go HERE. I ask you to pray that her body holds up and she can finish this journey strong! I am sure she and Jana would also love to read words of encouragement on their facebook page too.

Mama Said There'd Be Days Like These...

2010-09-23T14:13:00.000-05:00

There is no doubt that Mateo loves his Mommy. 99% of the time, that's okay with me. Most days Mateo is independent, playing, into something he shouldn't be, etc. However, sometimes he just wants his Mama to hold him. Last night I was trying to get dinner made and he didn't care. He was stuck on my legs, so I grabbed the camera.

JUST

PITIFUL!

Don't worry though...as soon as I put down the camera, I picked him up and all was restored to normal again. In fairness, he wasn't feeling very well, but I didn't know that when this was all happening. As I have blogged about before, Mateo has terrible excema and his skin is very sensitive. Antonio was changing his diaper after dinner and he was broken out REALLY bad in the diaper area. Apparently, someone that works in his class decided to use baby powder or someone else's diaper cream (which I don't know why because he didn't even have diaper rash) on him yesterday. Anyway, we put A&D Ointment on him and his rash was 95% better this morning. I also had a LONG talk with his teacher and the director about this and I pray this doesn't happen again. His teacher leaves early and another teacher comes in at the end of the day, so I am guessing she did it, but I don't know. I really don't even care, as long as it doesn't happen again. The director knows how much trouble we have had with Mateo's skin because we finally convinced her to switch the detergent she was buying for the daycare because it was the main cause of Mateo's breakouts.

Anyway, in fairness, I wanted to post some more pleasant pics.

We do our best to eat dinner as a family at the dinner table every night. I think that is important to be able to sit down and talk about our days with no distractions. At this point in time, Tatum says our prayer every night, but Mateo participates too. I know I am partial, but I think it is the sweetest thing that Mateo will put his hands together when we pray. I decided to snap a picture or two during the blessing last night(Antonio didn't really like that I did this, but oh well).

Tatum is praying below. We are working with both of them on closing their eyes, but that will come with time.

On an unrelated note....

Hello. My name is April and I am addicted to Diet Dr. Pepper. This is a picture of our extra fridge in the laundry room.

ahem....and I may also have an addiction to buying this laundry detergent while it is on sale and I can get it for dirt cheap. You see, this is the laundry detergent we switched to because it does not break Mateo out. For a bottle this size, it is usually $5....not too bad. However, it is on sale right now at Kroger for $2.99, so that's pretty good. BUT I also had some coupons for $1 off of each bottle, so I got many of these for only $1.99. This should last us for a year or so...lol

A Month Ago...

2010-09-22T09:45:00.024-05:00

...we were in Florida. So, I figured it was time to post LOTS of pictures from our vacation.

I tried to get my pictures in order, but since I was using more than one camera on vacation, the pictures aren't in order on my computer....bear with me.

I told Antonio that I wanted to stop when we saw the FLORIDA sign so we could take a picture, so we set the timer on the camera and got a rare family photo...

The sunsets in Florida were BEAUTIFUL!!! This was the picture I captured the first night that we were there.

It poured down rain teh afternoon we got to Florida, but we were thankful to wake up to a beautiful, clear day the next morning. Mateo was more than ready to go outside to play.

This is our view from the deck of the condo. I LOVE that we are directly on the beach. It makes life with kids a little easier.

I am so thankful that Tatum and Mateo play so well together 99% of the time. I must admit that Mateo was not a fan of the sand on Day 1, but he warmed up to it fast. I think we took him out at naptime and that didn't help either.

Okay, out of order pics...here is how we rode in the car. The back was packed and the kids enjoyed their movies on the way down.

On our way down, we decided to break our trip up and stayed in Montgomery, AL. Mateo was teething and not feeling well. He had actually been sent home from school Thurs and Friday and we left for Florida Friday night. He had 4 teeth coming in. For the most part, he was a trooper and did well, but he did have meltdowns from time to time.

Tatum decided she wanted to model for us and asked me to take her picture. I took about 20 that look similar to the next few pics, but I thought these were so cute. She can be as sweet as she wants to be, but sometimes she is a handful.

We ate at What-A-Burger on the way down, and the kids loved it.

This next picture was taken as we arrived to our condo in FL. It was beginning to thunder and Tatum does NOT like thunder.

Here are a few pictures from the 1st floor of our condo. We love this place and have stayed here for 3 years now. It is 3 stories...4 bedrooms...4.5 bathrooms(each bedroom has its own bathroom)...washer and dryer....directly on beach...etc.

My brother, Matt, and his wife Stephanie went to Florida with us. We went out one night and road go carts. (Thanks Mom for watching the kids.)

Matt is in LOVE with his Nutella. I must admit, I had never tasted it until Florida, but it was pretty good.

Do you see teh FULL MOON??

We went out to a fancy dinner one night and it was SO GOOD! Matt has always thought that he was allergic to shellfish, but he recently discovered he is not. This was his first time to eat lobster, crab, and shrimp and he was excited.

My cousin, Hannah, her son and friend came to stay with us for a few days. Her little boy is about 2 months younger than Mateo.

Matt and Antonio went deep sea fishing one day while we were down there. This meant that Matt had to get up early which is something he didn't want to do on vacation. That evening, I sat down beside Matt and asked if he meant to wear 2 different shoes...ya know, is that some fancy trend now that his flipflops are different designs. Apparently, he has the same flipflops, just different designs and did not realize he had on one of each set.

Here are some pictures from Matt and Antonio's successful deep sea fishing trip.

After a LONG day of fishing, Matt, Antonio, and Stephanie cooked the fish that they caught for dinner.

My grandmother's sister and bro-in-law live in Panama City, so they came out one night to visit. It was great to get to spend time with them.

This was another night of an unbelieveable sunset, so Antonio and I grabbed the camera and used the self-timer to get some pics.

Our crazy attempt to get a family picture...

...but Tatum was in a 'mood', so the pictures weren't too successful.

My dad wasn't able to go to Florida with us because he had to work, so we decided to go see him on the way home. He got off one day while we were there and we decided to drive around some so he could show us some of the sites to see.

The first place he took us was to show us his favorite place to eat. Too bad it was closed or else we would have tried it.

and yes, I am serious, he said this is his favorite place. Here is a picture of the restaurant...

Mateo was enjoying the drive in grand-daddy's truck.

THEN, he fell asleep.

The town where I grew up has a Strawberry festival, so I had to take a picture of this town's sign that also has a Strawberry Festival.

Out of no where, it started raining....really raining. My parents said everytime it rains, the streets flood like this because it's Lousiana. I was shocked at how fast the water accumulated.

We ate lunch at this 50's Diner.

Antonio had to get a poboy since we were in LA.

What a look from Mateo! Wish I had a clue as to what he is thinking in this picture.

And here is a picture of my yummy sandwich!

Before we left, we decided to get a picture of all of us. Since it was raining outside, we were left to do a picture in my parent's condo. (So thankful for the self-timer on the camera.)

We had a blast on vacation! As the kids get older, travelling is getting easier...very thankful for this.

Remembering

2010-09-11T15:21:00.002-05:00

My first and only trip to New York City was in March 2001. While we were there, the group headed to the twin towers to make a trip to the top. I must admit I was a little scared at the thought of being so high, but the group talked me into going to the top anyway.

Here are two pictures I took that day...

Little did I know that just a few months later, these towers would come down.

At the time I was working at the University of Memphis while I was in school. I got to work bright and early at 8am and my boss was watching the news on his tiny little tv in his office. When the first plane hit, he called me into his office and we were glued to the tv for the rest of the day. I skipped classes(or maybe they were cancelled) and stayed past my scheduled time to work so that I could stay and watch what was happening around the world.

It has been 9 years, but it doesn't seem that long ago. May we never forget the men and women who died that day. May we also remember those that have fought for our country so courageously in the war that was started this day.

Lots of Explaining to Do

2010-09-01T09:00:00.002-05:00

Right now, life is a very busy and I don't have time to post a long blog with lots of pics like I would like to, so I will leave you with just a few pics instead and a promise to come blog more in a week or so.

First of all, this was the beautiful view I got to see every night last week while we were in Florida!!

Next up, no I have not lost my mind....

...today was WACKY WEDNESDAY for Tatum at school.

And finally, if you know me at all, you know I LOVE consignment sales. Our Rhea Lana's sale is starting today(dropoff) and the shopping begins tomorrow! I am excited to make lots of money and maybe find some great deals too!

Doing What I Do Best....

2010-08-15T19:27:00.013-05:00

...playing blog catch up.

I just can't seem to make myself blog on a regular basis these days, but since I do want to keep up with the kids growing up, I will do another big update with lots of pics.

These 1st pics are one day after church was over.

Hey Mommy....

I want THAT!

Thanks Mom! (Don't worry, it was a little Sonic ice and water.)

Mateo like to 'help' me clean around the house. He will watch me load the dishwasher and then shut it for me. One night he decided to add a few of his things in before shutting the door....can you spot the items that don't belong?

He was pretty proud of himself because he thought I was going to start the dishwasher with his shoe and ball in there.

Tatum has been making LOTS of things at school this summer. Some were pretty hard to identify. Can you tell me what THIS is?

It's a JELLYFISH of course!

Bathtime fun with Tatum and Mateo

BIG CHEESE from Mateo...

Back to the school art projects. Now, tell me what you think THIS is...

Give up?? It's a BLOWFISH!

We have spent MANY weekends at the pool this year. My kids love being out in the sun and playing in the water almost as much as I do. Here are a few pictures of our picnic at the pool. My camera was fogging up because it was hot, but as you can see, Mateo eats on the table so he can reach his food.

Antonio has been hosting car/bike races at the house lately. The kids sure love them and it gives me a few minutes after dinner to clean up the kitchen.

Here is Mateo getting ready for the races. This is how he likes to run around the house....shirtless with shoes.

Tatum was the first to race by.

She managed to run into Mateo

Then Mateo was ready to race. Antonio taught Mateo to put his feet up on his car and then Antonio pushes him down the hall.

As you can see, he LOVES it!

Gran gave Mateo this car for Christmas, and it is one toy that gets used on a daily basis! It plays music...VERY loud music, and Mateo loves that too! Some mornings I have to actually put this car in the car to take the kids to school or else Mateo will pitch a FIT! (Yes, I pick my battles.)

Mateo is ALMOST ready to upgrade to a tricycle.

This next picture cracks me up! Antonio must have pushed Mateo too hard or either Mateo wasn't ready to go yet. He almost flew off, but managed to hold on.

Tatum has been getting stamps on her hands at school for the past week. Those stamps aren't the easiest to get off either. This night, Tatum managed to rub her hand under her nose, so she had green under her nose.

Mateo has been hitting and biting lately when he doesn't get his way. They haven't had a problem with him at school, but he does this at home with Tatum from time to time. If/when this happens, we will tell Mateo to give Tatum a hug, a kiss, and tell her you are sorry.

Here is the hug....

And here he is saying "I'm sorry."

One of my friends came into town this weekend for her 10 yr reunion, so we got to see her for a few hours. We decided to take the kids to the mall and let them play while we caught up.

There was this little train that Tatum was dying to ride, but Mateo did not want to ride. However, Mateo would not take his eye off of the train carrying his big sister.

Tatum LOVED ringing the bell.

I don't go to the mall often, but if I do go, I never go to the Wolfchase mall. However, that's where we were Saturday and I must admit, I loved this littl play area. It was nice having an enclosed area, inside out of the heat, where the kids could run and play freely while Colleen and I got to sit and talk!

I think Mateo was having to tell Tatum sorry again in this next picture, but it is a sweet pic.

Tatum was a little tired, so I guess she was taking a break?

Mateo made a few friends.

I also let Tatum ride the carousel before we left. Mateo did not want to sit on his own horse, so I held him. This is not the best picture of us all, but it's the only one we got.

Here's me, Colleen, and Mateo

Finally, my mom likes to buy clothes for my kids. Most are cute, but some, are just not my style. Here's one of those that are just not my style...

This is an outfit that my mom would have (DID) dress us in growing up. I am sure that it was in style WAY back then, but wow, I would never put it on my dear children now. However, Antonio decided to put it on Mateo this morning before church, so I took a few pics for my mom because it will probably never touch his precious skin again.

Mateo shares my taste in clothing....he didn't like the outfit either....and yes, he does have PJ pants on under this outfit.

TAKE IT OFF MOMMY!!

About 2 weeks ago, we decided it was time to take Mateo's pacifier away. He was only getting it at night for bedtime and wasn't nearly as attached as Tatum was to the pacifier, but I knew it would still be a little difficult. Night 1 without the pacifier, Mateo cried for 43 minutes straight. We went in and checked on him twice, but never gave in. Night 2, I think he cried about 30 minutes. Night 3 was about 20 minutes. Night 4 was 15 minutes. And night 5, he finally 'got it' and didn't fuss more than 5 minutes. I am glad we are done with the pacifier. I love them because I have never wanted my kids to suck their thumbs, but I didn't want my kids to have the pacifier for too long either.

That catches me up on pictures for now. Hopefully I will make myself update more about the kids soon!

Good Quotes

2010-07-28T07:22:00.003-05:00

It's no big secret that I LOVE a good quote/saying/thought/etc. There are so many out there and I just love a that quote makes you think. Here are 2 that I found yesterday (posted by facebook friends) that I really like.

It's funny. In school, you're taught a lesson, then given a test. But in life, you are given a test that teaches you a lesson.

Don't be so quick to judge others, you might find yourself walking in their shoes one day. Then you can only hope that others don't judge you!

Get Real Monday

2010-07-26T08:51:00.004-05:00

Growing up, we are always taught 'not to judge a book by its cover', but how many of us can say we really practice this on a daily basis?

I will raise my hand and admit that I am often quick to judge someone on first impressions. Just last week, Antonio and I went to vote and while we were standing in line I told him that I wished they would provide pictures of candidates beside their name. I said that because there are just SO MANY people on the ballots right now and I can remember a face better than a name. Antonio thought I wanted to vote based on how the person looked. Truth be told, there were several sections that I didn't vote at all because I didn't feel that I knew enough about the candidates...or couldn't recall who I wanted to vote for and given a picture, I may have been tempted to vote anyway based on looks. I know this is so wrong, but I am sure I am not alone.

Anyway, I guess this voting day situation got me really thinking about how easy it is to judge people when we really have no clue what they are going through or have been through. I started thinking of people I know that have gone through so much, but by looking at them, you would never know.

Let me share...(I will not be sharing names of course!)

1. I have a girl that is a newer friend to me. She is just beautiful, successful, kind, etc. I was thinking of asking her to go to the pool with me one day, but then I started thinking how 'perfect' she probably looks in a bathing suit since she has never had kids and she is just beautiful. While I still plan to have a pool day with her, we did lunch a while back due to rain. Sitting there, we started sharing some things and she told me how she is currently going through a divorce. While that is horrible, she had just discovered 2 days earlier that her (soon to be ex) had a girlfriend, the SAME girlfriend from the time my friend dated him, ALL thru their marriage (10 plus years), and currently is still with this same girl. Can you imagine!?!? She gave up having kids to be with this man because he didn't want any! Here I am thinking about being insecure around her in a bathing suit and she is talking about how she feels the last decade of her life was wasted. (Trust me, I am not proud to admit this.) She told me that she is such a wreck from all of this and can't seem to eat because of it all.

2. We have a couple at church that we hang out with from time to time. Their son is the same age as Tatum and they play well together. That being said, he is a handful. I keep him in my class on Sundays and he keeps me busy. Other teachers often stop by after church to ask if this certain boy is there because they tell me they can tell how my class was based on if he was present in my class or not. I have learned to work with him, seen what his parents do to get him to mind, and I usually don't have too many issues with him, but at first, I would look at him and think how his parents need to do some disciplining at home. (Again, I'm not proud to admit this because I know my kids aren't perfect.) Well, one time that we were hanging out with this couple, they opened up to us about how they actually had a son that was born before their child now. This first son was born with heart issues and was rushed hundreds of miles away as soon as he was born in order to have surgery. This first son passed away at 17 months and they didn't think they could have more children....physically due to age. You obviously know that they ended up having another child which is the one that everyone talks about. Through hanging out with this couple, I know that they realize life is short and they aren't going to sweat the small things. Their family enjoys life.

3. Just today, I logged onto facebook to see that one of my sorority sister's husband passed away. She is younger than me. We talked more in college, but I just keep up with her on facebook now. I can't imagine losing Antonio now. Heck, I can't imagine losing him in 50 years. Yet, here she is, 26 years old, and already a widow. As time passes, you won't be able to LOOK at her and see what she has gone through and experienced in her short life.

4. Another friend of mine who is married with a wonderful family who seems to have the perfect life shared something with me the other day that shocked me a little. She was telling me that she dealt with lots of emotional and physical abuse in her first marriage. She said that it was so bad that even though her first marriage has been over for almost 20 years, she still deals with some of the issues to this day. She was telling me that everytime she sits down to eat, she can hear her ex in her head telling her if she eats she will get fat. Ugh!

Writing this blog, I know this is probably more for me than any reader, but I figured it may make others stop and think for a minute about this too.

"Be quick to judge yourself and slow to judge others."

Get Real Monday - This HURTS!

2010-07-19T17:16:00.003-05:00

So, I will just get to the point....

...I.....HATE....MIGRAINES!!

I get them on a regular basis, and have gotten them for almost 15 years now...over 1/2 my life!!! The suck, they don't get easier. Sure, I am better and know how to treat them (usually) so that they go away faster, but my remedies don't always work. And some months, I get so many that I run out of meds for the month (since insurance only allows for a certain number of pills each month...and without insurance coverage, the thought of how much these meds cost makes me have a migraine!! lol)

I know what triggers them for me and do my best to control the things that I can, but some things are out of my control. I do love my neurologist! He is amazing and has brought lots of relief in my life, but I still get them.

Since I know what causes my migraines, for the most part...that part that is beyond my control, I wish there was something I could do to PREVENT them(other than be pregnant). My dr. and I have tried several things, but nothing works.

Oh well, just wanted to vent a little since I have had a migraine ALL day today and I have done NOTHING productive. I just pray that I don't pass this down to Tatum or my grandkids since I got them from my grandmother.

Weekend Happenings

2010-07-13T21:38:00.003-05:00

The family and I are definitely enjoying our summer. I love our family weekend routine. Saturdays consist of going to the pool, lunch at the pool, home for naps, showers and baths, and then head to church.

If you are from the Memphis area, or know anything about the area, you may have heard of Jerry's Sno Cones. It is well known for its delicious sno cones, but Antonio and I have never been there. We decided to head there after church Saturday to eat dinner and then treat ourselves to a yummy sno cone.

When we got up to the window to order our food (burgers, fries, chicken tenders, fried pickles, etc), they informed us that the grill was broken. Antonio and I decided quickly to go ahead and get sno cones since the line was long and we hated to walk away empty handed. While we were waiting on our treats (before dinner), we decided to document our adventure with a few pictures...

When the sno cones were ready, we sat in the back of the explorer to enjoy the sno cones. Tatum was SO EXCITED to be having a treat before she even made a happy plate!

(Side note: Tatum is constantly asking me to let her wear her hair down these days. If you ever see us, her hair is ALWAYS up because she won't keep it out of her face and that drives me crazy. Well, I let her wear it down to church and she did pretty well. I can't believe how long her hair is these days!!)

Mateo really enjoyed the sno cones too...notice the red lips. When I picked up the camera to take some pics of him, he sat up so straight like he was an old pro at this.

Since it was already past bedtime, we decided to pick up a quick dinner...pizza. It looks like Antonio is not happy about me taking his pic, but he is really trying to get Tatum to get out of the store. She didn't want to leave and he was pointing at me, the car, or something to bribe her out.

Later during dinner, Mateo was making his poopy face and then wouldn't sit down in his chair. It was obvious he had a stinky diaper, so Antonio took him to his room to change him. About 20 seconds later I hear Antonio screaming for backup. I ran back there only to see the NASTIEST diaper ever!!! It was all over Mateo's outfit, leg, etc. We were debating(quickly) how to get his clothes off of him without getting the poo all over his head/face. I kept telling Antonio to just CUT his outfit off of him because "It just wasn't worth it!" Antonio thought he had a better idea....he told me to hold Mateo upside down by his feet and he would pull the clothes off of him. So, that's what I did.....laughing the whole time along with Mateo. Tatum didn't know what to think. I am just glad there were no pics of this event. After we stripped Mateo down, he went straight to the bath. I pray he never has a dirty diaper like that EVER again!!

Sunday, Mateo and I went to church because I had to keep the 3-4 yr old room. We got there a little early, so I decided to get a few pics of Mateo with his mohawk.

I also made a run to Sonic before church because I needed a Diet Dr. Pepper. After church Mateo was pitching a fit for a drink, so I gave him my cup because it was just melted ice and he was instantly content.

I think this last post catches up my blog for now. For lots of pictures, check out several of the previous posts.

Downtown Fun

2010-07-13T21:15:00.003-05:00

This past weekend, we met up with another family downtown to take the kids to ride the trolley.

The kids loved it! It rained a little while we were riding, but not bad enough to ruin our night.

After our trolley ride and dinner, we headed to Beale Street. The Beale Street Flippers were out and we sat and watched them for several minutes. They are always so entertaining and I love seeing them in action.

Tatum and her friend, J, had great front row seats.

After the flippers wore off, we went to hear a band that was playing outside. It was great for the kids because they could all get down and dance in the grass or just run around.

Mateo was on the RUN all night. He is so fast, so we had to keep a close eye on him these days!

Earlier in the week, Tatum got sent home from school with a fever. Later that night, I caught her little bug, so we both stayed home the next day and layed in bed and watched TV. One of my sweet new friends owns the Edible Arrangements in town and she sent Tatum and I some fruit and a balloon to make us feel better. Tatum had been playing dressup, so that should explain her crazy tights....yes, she plays dressup with her REAL clothes even though she has plenty of dress up clothes...errrr

Her tights are inside out too. She cracks me up with the outfits she comes out in, but it is also a little frustrating that she pulls out all of her NICE clothes to play in.

Our 4th of July

2010-07-13T21:00:00.003-05:00

Our 4th of July was fairly low key this year. The past 2 years we have been on the beach watching the fireworks over the ocean, but this year we planned our vacation a little later, so we got to spend this year with close friends.

We went over a little later because we wanted the kids to get a good nap, so we missed most of the swimming. However, we let Tatum get in for a few minutes. She is sure a fish this year.

Antonio, Mateo, and Colin were chillin on the swing...

I think Tatum thought she was in a kayak?

Here are the mommies with our 3 little boys. They were all born within 6 months of one another. Mateo is the oldest, then Colin(on the left), and then Luke (in the middle).

Tatum had a blast playing with Colin, Mateo, and this big ball. There was a little sibling rivalry going on in the picture below and Colin didn't know what to do.

Mateo LOVES to just run around outside.

I asked Tatum to give Mateo a hug so I could take their picture with their matching outfits and this is what I got...hmmm

These next 2 were as good as I could get of them together.

When it got dark, some of us headed outside for a few fireworks. It is funny now that we have kids, our fireworks consist of TONS of sparklers and a few bottle rockets. Mateo had fun helping Daddy with the fireworks.

Luke had the best time with the sparklers. He sure made his mommy and I a little nervous though because he was waving that thing around everywhere.

I guess you are wondering where Tatum was? Well she was TERRIFIED of the fireworks. She wouldn't even go outside. She said she was fine sitting on the couch and if the fireworks got loud she would start shaking and crying. Hope this phase doesn't last long, but I am thankful that fireworks aren't part of the normal daily routine.

Wedding Time

2010-07-13T20:47:00.002-05:00

Some of our great friends, Keith and Laura, got married July 3rd. They lived 2 houses down from us for years, but moved about 2-3 yrs ago.

We were excited to be a part of their special day...and also to have a kid-free night.

Here are the "Three Amigos" (aka...Cindy, Laura, and Me)

Keith and me.

Laura was just beautiful! The wedding was amazing and everything was perfect. Towards the end of the night, Laura was sporting Keith's tie.

Thanks again for letting us be a part of your beautiful day!

Playing Catch Up (as usual)

2010-07-13T20:25:00.006-05:00

Tatum and I went home at the end of June to check on some things for my parents. While there, we did several things....

We went to my grandfather's grave (Pops). He passed away a few months after Antonio and I got married, so Tatum never knew him.

She kept wanting to smell his flowers. I told her they wouldn't smell good because they weren't real, but she insisted on smelling them anyway. She kept saying "MMMMmmm" everytime she would stand up from smelling them.

Next, we went to the carwash because my car needed a bath! I didn't think about the fact that Tatum is rarely with me when I do this. I decided to take pictures since she said she had never given the car a bath.

She was keeping an eye on everything going on around her trying to decide what to think about it all...

She still wasn't sure what to think...

Okay, she finally decided that she HATED the carwash. I know I shouldn't laugh, but it was pretty funny. She said it was too loud and that's why she didn't like it.

Tatum is also very into police officers and firemen. Lucky for her that I have a friend from high school that is now a police officer back home. I managed to get in touch with him and he said he would meet up with us after he finished his shift so she could see him. Tatum was so cute. She was shy and hid behind me instead of talking to him. He even turned on his lights for her. I was a little suprised that Tatum was willing to take a picture with him because she was being so shy, but she did.

I had to go to the post office while I was home and on my trip there I saw this BEAUTIFUL building that was perfect for pictures. Tatum just so happened to have on a cute outfit, so after the post office, we jumped out and took some pics.

I think this next one is my favorite of all the pictures I took...and I think I took over 100 at least. She was trying to keep her hair out of her face which was a little tough because the wind was blowing.

The Difference - Part 2

2010-06-15T15:38:00.004-05:00

You see these 3 trees?

hmm, 2 trees and a stub? I can't tell you how many HOURS and HOURS were spent in this front yard and these 3 trees(because there were 3 growing up) were a vital part of those HOURS spent in the front yard. Why? you ask....that's simple. These 3 trees were "1st base", "2nd base", and "3rd base". We played lots of kickball growing up. That was one of the great things about being part of '4 kids in 5 years'...we were close enough in age that we usually played together...fought alot, but also played.

When I was in high school, lightening struck "2nd base" and that is why it was eventually cut down.

Yes, to you, this just looks like 2 trees and a stub, but to me...oh so many homeruns in kickball because I was "that good"...or at least I like to think so.

Get Real Monday-The Difference Part 1

2010-06-14T13:01:00.007-05:00

The difference between you and I (or is it you and me...let's just go with "us")...one of the many differences between "us" is how we see things in life...you know, perception. I went home this past week to spend time with my parents and also to take my mom to a dr's appt. While there, I decided to take a few pictures around the house.

Here are the first 2...

You probably see an old, rusty building. You may think it just needs to be torn down or something, but I see so much more....

To be honest, I think that building was just as rusty 20 yrs ago as it is today!

I see a building where I spend many days playing while growing up. My dad kept so many things in this building....tools, materials, old stuff that no one ever used, equipment, etc. Because of this, there was always something to get into, discover, etc.

Growing up on a farm meant that there were always animals in our lives. Well, we had lots of dogs(among other animals)...who always seemed to be having lots of dogs... Where did they usually have them?(and still do)...in this building. In fact, that door to the right is a seperate room from the rest of the building that has a dirt floor. At times over the years, we would house puppies in here.

My dad took me on a mini tour of the farm this past week. I can honestly say that I haven't driven on the farm in YEARS! I am mad at myself that I didn't have my camera with me the day he was with me because I could have gotten some fun, interesting pictures, but I didn't know that we were going on this adventure either. I will remember to have it with me next time though.

I have lots more pictures I will post over the next week or so. While you may only see old buildings, 'junk', etc, when I look at these pictures, I see so many memories.

The older I get, the more I appreciate "where I came from". Sure, I didn't come from LOTS and LOTS of money, but I did come from parents who loved us all unconditionally(and some of us really pushed the limits..lol), I came from parents who knew education was important and it was expected that we all do well in school(thankfully, we all did). My parents didn't give us everything we wanted when we asked, but our needs were always met. We didn't even have cable growing up(and they still don't have it) partially because they don't have cable that far in the country, but that meant we had to be more creative and spent more time outside playing and discovering new things.

It's nice to go home. Even today, things just seem to slow down. It's nice.

I guess Dorothy was right...."There's no place like home!"

Get Real Tuesday-Being Thankful

2010-06-08T14:33:00.004-05:00

I blogged a few weeks ago about how I feel that God talks to me. Trust me, to say that I think "God talks to me" is a little weird to write. I have always heard people talking about 'hearing the voice of God' or seeing people speaking in tongues and I just never really got it.

Well, I really feel that so often over the past year that I seem to see the same message over and over and over in just a few days and realize that maybe I need to actually PAY ATTENTION.

As you may or may not know, Antonio and I serve at our church every weekend. That means we attend a service and then serve in the next. My place of service??....the 3 and 4 year old class. Let me tell you, this was the last place I thought I would want to serve...in fact, when I agreed to serve, I requested to be in ANY room other than this room...lol...I also know God has quiet a sense of humor.

Anyway, I have loved serving in this class. Sure there are days when I get frustrated with this age, or the fact that Tatum is in my class and doesn't want me giving anyone else any attention, etc....but I love it because the things kids say at this age usually raise my eyebrows. I really enjoy it too because I love to know what Tatum is learning and it is fun to continue the teaching when we get home.

Well this past weekend, our lesson for the 3 and 4 yr old class was about SAYING Thank You.....not just being thankful, but SAYING it. When mommy or daddy cook you dinner, say thank you....when mommy cleans your room, say thank you...when you get a present from your grandmother, say thank you....etc. I even let the kids practice...when we passed out snacks, I made sure they each said thank you.

Well, after church is over and all the kids are picked up, I have to make sure the room is clean, tables are wiped down, supplies are put up, trash is taken out, etc. While I was tending to these things, our kidslife director walked in and gave me a thank you card and this...

...a gift card from Chilli's. She said she knew 3-4 yr olds were the hardest class and just wanted me to know that she appreciated my help. Let me just say that the thank you card was enough, but I did appreciate the gift card too.

Then, yesterday I was going to tutor. When I got to the family's house, my student wasn't there. I figured he would be there soon, so I just sat and talked to his mother who is a friend of mine. About 10 minutes later, my student walked in with these...TWO dozen roses to say thank you to me and tell me he appreciated my time. HELLO!?!?! They are already paying me (very well I might add). He made a 100 on his first test and 96 on his second...I think he has always thought he was horrible at math, but I think he and I learn the same way, so it works. Here are some pics of the roses...

There are so many times that I know I have a thankful heart and I really do appreciate things that people do/say around me, but I also know that I am guilty about not always saying thank you. What is a little ironic in all of this is that I love it when people notice the little things that I do...hard work, putting in extra time, doing little things, etc. yet I am the worst at thank you notes.

So, I guess the point to my blog is this....it's one thing to be thankful, it's another thing to say so.

Get Real Monday

2010-06-07T10:17:00.004-05:00

It was a week ago today that I got a text that I hope I never get again. I know I briefly blogged about this last week, but I wanted to blog again to share my feelings and hopefully pass a message that others can learn from.

Mom sent a text last week that my dad thought he was having a heart attack and they were headed to the ER. Let me just say, when I recieved this text, Antonio, the kids, and I were at the YMCA swimming with another family. My mom had shared a week or so before this that my dad was complaining with chest pains, so getting this text didn't send me into shock. I just figured since they were home and these chest pains weren't going away, he was headed to get checked out(or maybe this is just what I wanted to believe?).

The next info I got was that they were going to transport him to Jackson because the Humboldt hospital didn't have a cardiologist and they wanted to do some tests. We were still at the pool, I was a little more alarmed by this, but still assuming the best. I did ask my mom if she wanted me to come and she said just wait until they got more info.

I talked to my mom a few times, talked to my sister as we debated what to do, and talked with Antonio. Laurie and I had decided that we would plan to head home around 4 or 5(it was around 2 at this point). We finished up at the YMCA and we jumped in the car to head home. Antonio had driven seperate from me and the kids because he had been on a bike ride earlier that morning. On my way home I talked with my brother Matt who lives in Knoxville. He was debating on if/when to come home, but was unsure what to do. As we were talking we got the text saying my dad had actually had a heart attack while in the Jackson ER. Immediately, we agreed to head home as soon as we could.

When Matt and I hung up, I got a lump in my throat. The thought of losing my dad was in my head and I was trying to stay positive, but still scared to death. I got home, told Antonio I was going to rush to take a shower, pack a bag, etc and go home. He immediately got the kids out of the car and put them down for naps so I could rush around getting everything together.

The drive from Memphis to Jackson was a LONG one. Laurie and I had planned to ride together, but I decided to stay if my mom needed me to and Laurie had to come back that night. Being alone in the car, knowing your dad is in surgery after just having a heart attack, and having a mind that over thinks everything is not a good combo. I am such a daddy's girl and I guess I just take for granted that my parents will be around forever. I am embarrassed to say that I prayed more this day than I have in a while. I mean, I do pray, but I was pleading with God to let my dad be okay. I was a little bit of a hot mess driving and the only thing that would make me laugh was thinking how crazy other drivers must think I am because I couldn't stop crying. I was trying to figure out how I was going to manage to pull it together by the time I got to the hospital because I didn't want to walk in looking like a crazy, hot mess. Some point on my drive, my mom called or texted and said the dr found 99% blockage and they put in a stent. She said that he made it thru the surgery and took well to the stent. This was much needed news that helped me pull it together a little.

Laurie and I followed each other to the hospital and when we walked in we had to go to the ICU waiting room. My mom, grandmother, James Edward, Jane, and Mr. Charles were all there. After giving hugs to everyone, it was almost vistation time for ICU patients. Everyone left except for my mom and grandmother. We talked about the happenings of the past weeks and morning.

I know this is a lot of typing and if you are still reading this then here is a big takehome for you. My dad had been complaining with chest pains off and on for 2 weeks prior to this day. When the chest pains would come on, he would take 2 asprin and he said the pain would "go away". Well, on Monday, he had some chest pains, took 2 asprin, but the pain didn't go away and this is the reason they went to the hospital. Let me say a few things....my mom had told me about him having these chest pains and I told him to go to the dr to get checked out. He chalked it up to heartburn and didn't want to look silly going to the ER for that. I wish that I had been more convincing or not taken no for an answer, but I figured he knew what his pain felt like better than I did, so I just said okay.

Anyway, when everyone else was going up to see their family in ICU, we were not allowed up. They were having trouble stopping the bleeding for my dad because he had been pumped with so much blood thinner.

Once we finally got to go up, I was so happy to lay eyes on my dad, but I had this feeling of needing to stomp on his toe for being so stubborn about going to the dr. Of course, I didnt stomp his toe...but I did take a few pics so I could send them to Clif and Jennifer and let them know he was doing a little better. Clif lives in Virginia and I know he felt the need to fly out to be with the family, but my dad and mom didn't want him to make the trip because we assumed all would be okay.

Let me warn you, I posted the 2 pics of my dad that I took on my phone while he was in ICU. They aren't bad or anything, but just wanted to warn you.

It was great to see my dad and I really thought he looked pretty good considering all he had been thru. The cardiologist on call that night was not the same one that did the surgery. However, Laurie used to call on the one that we got to see once my dad was in ICU and I was thankful for this. He took extra time to explain things to us and even showed us several different videos that were taken while they were doing the heart cath. He showed us the 99% blockage and showed us the same aretery after the sent was put in.

After our first visit, we had a few hours before we could see dad again. Laurie, mom, and I rushed home to my parents house so that my mom could get things so she could stay at the hospital for a few days. She was grabbing a few things for my dad as well. When we were throwing things in her bag, I had to grab my dad's Bible. My dad reads his Bible more than anyone I know...seriously, ANYONE. I knew he wouldn't be able to read it for a while and wouldn't feel like it either, but I wanted him to have it if he wanted it.

When we went to our visitation at 9pm, we could tell that Daddy's coloring was improving by the hour. He looked even better, said he was hungry, talked more, etc. It was much needed for me. I was still worried about him, but seeing him improving made me feel better.

After our short visit, we headed downstairs for the night. Let me say that Matt managed to make it from Knoxville in record time(without getting a ticket). I think it only took him about 4 hours when it is normally a 6 hr drive(my times might be off a little, but not much). He was flying and admitted to driving up to 110mph. Needless to say, he was a little worried too I think?

Here is where we all slept...mom, me, and Matt.

These chair beds weren't too bad. They provided us with sheets, pillows, blankets, etc. However, my brother snored and I can't sleep with snoring(ask Antonio). I hit, nudged, and rocked Matt several times during the night. I couldn't find anything to throw at the woman across from us though....so I didn't sleep much. Mom and I played on the computer, ate chocolate cake at 2:30am, and giggled alot....at what? I am not sure.

Morning came and we showered, got ready, ate breakfast, and we were getting ready to go up for visitation time. However, the lady at the desk said we couldn't go up...my heart dropped! She told my mom she had to call upstairs and ask for the nurse. I couldn't take it, so I walked away...in a minute, i walked back over and my mom hung up the phone. She was shaking her head a little and I finally said "what?" She said the nurse told her that we couldnt come visit Daddy in ICU because they were getting him ready to move to a regular room. I know I had the biggest smile on my face. She said we could go up to the regular room and wait on him.

Here is my bad camera picture of them wheeling my dad to his regular room...

Once in the room, Daddy continued to improve throughout the week. Originally, the cardiologist thought he may go home on Wednesday, but because of some irregular heartbeat and low blood pressure, they kept him until Friday.

He is still not completely out of the woods, but he is much better than he was 8 days ago.

All of the happenings over the past week have really got me thinking. I know family is important, but I guess I sometimes take for granted that they will always be around.

I am thankful my dad is doing so much better, but my prayers are still with those that we met in the ICU waiting room. The ones that had been there 10 days straight, 4 weeks, 7 days, months, etc. Yes, the patient is obviously not healthy and needs to be there, but it is also stressful for the families that are there for support. They are all hanging around for those 4 short visitation times...9:00am-9:20am, 1:00pm-1:20pm, 5:00pm-5:20pm, and 9pm-9:20pm. Time goes so slowly when you are waiting around to see a loved one!

So, to you readers out there(all 2 or 3 of you), if you hear of anyone having chest pains, don't let them write it off to something small and unimportant. My dad could have avoided lots of permanent damage to his heart had he gone in with chest pains vs. heart attack.

Remember, you are your best advocate when it comes to your health. If you are having an issue and you do go to the dr and the dr. doesn't think it's a big deal, trust your instinct! You will be the one who pays for it long term, so if you aren't happy with your dr. find a new one!

Also, be sure to say an extra prayer for those strangers waiting in the ICU waiting rooms.

Finally, enjoy your families. Tell them you love them. Spend time with them. Make the extra sacrifice to go see them.

Lots of Pictures 2010

2010-06-06T22:45:00.006-05:00

I will be doing a month long catch up thru pictures.

The day before we left for our trip to Hot Springs, Antonio brought these beautiful roses in. We have watched them growing in the backyard and he and Tatum decided it was time to bring some in to enjoy.

I have blogged several times in the past about TANNA and THE CHALLENGE .

Well, Tanna and Brylee were coming thru town for another reason, but I was lucky enough to be able to meet them for lunch on their way thru. It was great talking to her in person and meeting sweet Brylee for the first time!

The Sunday before Memorial Day, I dressed the kids in some red, white, and blue. I decided to try and get some pictures of them before church. Tatum was ready to pose, Mateo...not so much.

Of course, I had to capture a few pictures of Tatum twirling because she does this ALL THE TIME!

Once Mateo saw Tatum getting so much attention, he wanted to join in the fun.

We have been enjoying MANY days at the pool this year. Memphis is SO HOT and we needed to find a way to enjoy ourselves outside without burning up. Here are some pictures from several different trips to the pool and/or sprinkle park.

As you can see, we LOVE our fun in the sun! I am thankful to have kids that love being outside playing in the water as much as Antonio and I do. As long as we all stay lathered up with sunscreen and we make sure to have plenty of snacks and drinks, we could stay out for a while!

Girl's Trip (plus Mateo) to Hot Springs

2010-06-06T21:48:00.006-05:00

I feel like I am constantly trying to play catch up when it comes to blogging. Once again, I will vow to try to be better.

Anyway, around Mother's Day, my grandmother, mom, me, Tatum, and Mateo all went on a week long trip to Hot Springs. Let me first say, I LOVE Hot Springs. We have been there several times and even though we really don't "do" anything, I find Hot Springs to be relaxing and it is very beautiful there too.

On Mother's Day, there was a handbell choir that were scheduled to play at the 'botanical gardens'-like place. Let me first say when we were packing, it was supposed to be HOT. I packed swimsuits, shorts, tanktops, etc. Sunday, Mother's Day, it was FREEZING....like in the 60's(which really isn't freezing, but it is when you don't have a jacket or jeans). I did manage to throw in a sweatshirt jacket for Mateo and a blue jean jacket for Tatum.

Anyway, we went and the music was supposed to be in a chapel, but this place was BEAUTIFUL!!

We got there extra early to 'get a good seat.' I guess my grandmother and mom forgot that we had 2 little ones with us. I was very nervous on how I was going to keep Tatum and Mateo entertained for so long. We took pictures, looked for bugs through the window, but we finally had to take a walk outside before the music started.

On our walk, we came across this area. At the top were bells that chimed every hour.

I also tried to get some pictures of the kids...

It started sprinkling which ended our outside adventure, so we went back in, but Mateo is ALL about being outside, so Gran decided to take him out for a few minutes.

And finally, the group began. I am curious if anyone else played handbells in church growing up?

Here is the view from our condo where we stayed. I enjoyed being able to look out the living room window and seeing this beautiful view!

Gran and Tatum were off for a walk. This was a daily occurance.

Mateo enjoyed being out in the sun once the weather finally warmed up at the end of the week.

Mateo LOVED watching the boats go by. I think we both could have sat out there hours just watching them.

Tatum said she liked the water too. She was wanting to run around more than sit and observe though.

This cabinet under the TV provided much entertainment for the kids too. It was empty and they loved climbing in and out.

Let me just document for myself how CRAZY this trip was. In fact, I even started taking notes because I didn't want to forget things.

Saturday-

*as soon as we got to the place we were staying, we parked at the office and my mom said something about the dash saying 'low tire'. I opened the back door, and sure enough, the tire was almost on the ground.

*We were lucky enough that some maintanence men patched up the tire for us enough until we could get the tire fixed/replaced. We went to Walmart first and they didnt have the brand that my grandmother wanted. Next we went to Sears and they said they could take care of the tire.

*This tire stuff hit right at dinner time for the kids, so we got to eat dinner in the mall. Normally, I wouldn't have minded this at all, but if you have ever been to the mall in Hot Springs, you know that the pickins' are slim there. We found a place and made it work.

*Finally, we got back to the condo and I started setting up the pack-n-play that the place had for us to use. I know these can cause people trouble, but I am usually a pro at setting these things up considering we have used them since Tatum was born. Well, this was one like I have never seen before and it took me FOREVER to set it up. I had even thought about going to buy one at Walmart, but I didn't want to pay for something that I knew I would have to leave behind because we had no room in the car.

Sunday-

*Even though we went to bed super late, the kids still woke up around 6ish.

*I already talked above about the freezing weather, which wasn't really freezing, but I didn't do a good job of packing the right clothes. And yes, I did check the weather online, but it had nothing about a cold front, I promise.

*After we went to hear the handbell choir, my mom or grandmother decided that Ryan's sounded like a great place to have a Mother's Day dinner. hmmm....I haven't eaten there in a long time, but decided it should be good since it would have lots of different options for the kids. Let's just say it was HORRIBLE....from the fact that there was NO food...they were out of everything, to the kids around us running around our table..seriously, cirlces around the table which almost made my grandmother fall one time....so then she said something to the parents and the 2 tables of people left...lol

*Sunday was a long day and we were all in bed by 8pm.

Monday-

*The kids and I slept in until 7:45!! That is unheard of in our world!

*We drove around the town alot just to see what was going on.

*Finally, decided to do some shopping after lunch and Mateo had a blowout, but thankfully I was prepared.

*We were back in our condo and cooking dinner by 4:30.

*Both kids were in bed by 7pm.

*This night some bad weather was in the STATE. My grandmother was pretty worried about it, but I kept showing her on the computer that it was WAY north of us. My mom had to call to see where the emergency shelter was...there wasn't one. I finally just went to bed and I dont even think it rained that night.

My official notes end after Monday, but I will document a few other things...

Tuesday-

*Had lunch with a friend and her son that live in Hot Springs now. We made plans to get her 2 kids and mine all together for the first time ever the next morning.

*Went back to condo and we all went out to do some shopping. Tatum was complaining about not feeling well....I figured she was tired like I was.

*Our first stop, she walked in with my grandmother, complained that she wasn't feeling well, Gran took her to the car so she could just sit there. About an hour later we were sitting in a Convenient Care. Tatum was diagnosed with strep throat.

*This meant we could not go play with my friend and her kids the next day.

Thursday-

*I started feeling very bad and had to get some meds called in.

Friday-

*Headed home. Mateo started feeling bad. Made Mateo a doctor's appt so that Antonio could take him as soon as we got home.

Saturday-

*Antonio, Tatum, Mateo, and I were sitting at the dinner table. Antonio was asking how we knew we had strep. I showed him my throat, we looked at Tatum's, then Antonio showed me his....yep, he caught it too!

These are just SOME of the highlights from our trip. We did have a good time. I was just tired when I got home. I don't know how single moms and single dads do it. I missed Antonio so much and missed his help. He does so much for/with the kids and being gone a week wore me out!