Updates~

***Jake's test results came back just fine for his chest and back! I am so relieved and thankful! Apparently he just has a thick bone in front that we will watch through puberty??

***School starts next week for the kids and each one starts on a different day!!!! Whew! Jake start 7th grade on Tuesday, Tatum starts her Junior Year on Wednesday, Matt starts 4th grade on Thursday, and Summer starts Preschool the following Monday. I am SO READY!!!!

***We put on our super cat savers capes today and found the home for a lost kitty. We had to keep it overnight, and the kids loved on it. Mike was ready to ditch some of our cats for this one, and I was lost as how what to do with a 5th cat! But it was all worth it when the owners were found and the man said he couldn't wait to get it home to his wife and daughter who had been crying all night :)

**Last week Jake started Cross Country. I crack myself up thinking of the runners in the movie Juno every time. Actually this has been quite a huge adjustment for him and I can't believe he has stuck with it. {we almost fell over when we saw he signed up!}

He has traded in sleeping in till 2 pm for getting up at 7 am. And yesterday and today they ran them FIVE miles. He actually threw up ( apparently many of the runners do???)today. I really couldn't be prouder. This is the best thing ever for him!

***Matthew just got to spend two nights at grandma's house, and had his fill of baking cookies and swimming and undivided attention. He is home now, and already the house seems so much busier and louder and fuller, lol~

My take on Marriage~today at least/ letter to Mike

Where do I start??? And how do I diplomatically explain this all without making me look so bad, lol?

All marriages have peaks and valleys. When you are at the top of a peak you feel empowered. "We did it! We can do this - see! We can show the world! You and Me, babe!"

And when you hit the valleys you have to just ride them out. Ride and ride sometimes. This is where we loose alot of people I think today.

They fold.

If the valley is long enough I can understand the temptation. Especially if you feel you are in the valley alone.

I was raised in a family though luckily where marriage was forever. Like for real. No matter what. Problems arose and things got ugly, and you just stuck it out and were together. There was not divorce. Mike came from the exact opposite, but the result of his line of thinking came to the same place. His parents divorced and things were so raw and sad and loud and ugly that he knew he never wanted that either. I think that is a part of why our marriage has lasted so long is just the mentality of "We are together. Period."

It has been a hard balance for me to digest the whole definition of "ME". We are partners, but one has the career and one stays home with the children. (don't get me wrong about reading this sentence- It was my life dream to get to stay home and raise babies. That was the best wish come true!) But with that entails the One has the income, the status, the time clock, and the power. You really loose your sense of partnership in there- how could you not??

If he leaves for work before the kids gets up- and gets home after they go to bed...did he still get to fit in a workout at the Y??...is home late because of his guitar gig?? -when he comes home he wants me to watch his guitar gig on the computer and I don't...he is mad. Does he not know that right before he walked in I peeled the sleeping 3 year old off my chest after 45 minutes of trying to get her to sleep. that I worked in the office on his business for 3 hours that day. That I did dishes and laundry, and drove the boys around. That I battled our preteen over video games, and got the garbage to the curb for garbage night. That I vacuumed and washed Summer's hair with knots and that's she had 2 tantrums that day. That I deposited money in the bank and made sure the 16 year old was home by curfew. That I JUST haven't had a minute to myself yet, that I even had to poop with a preschooler and a cat and a 9 year old knocking at the door???

Do I support his playing????


Well...did you just read the previous paragraph?

I may not be able to sit throughout the video. I'm so sorry. Tatum had just walked in with my damn Cinamelt from McDonald's, and LA ink was on. I hear you play guitar throughout the air vents for HOURS every. single. night.

But do I support you???

Ha.

I think I've got your back. And if you don't see that then I'm hurt. Man. I need a moment too. I love you. Go chase your dream. Help me chase mine. But we have to be aware of our other half.

Summer Antics

Summer being a dog...for an entire afternoon!

Her Single Ladies dance at her dress rehearsal...she had the whole place laughing!

braids from Sissy

a swollen goose egg that turned into TWO black eyes. She totally looked like avatar...

13 year Check Up

Today I had to take Jake for his 13 year check up. He doesn't officially turn 13 until September 8th, but with Cross Country starting next week, I had to get his physical in...

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I love this time with this kids. It's almost like a prideful time to show them off with the doctor. Sick visits and other visits are awful, and painfully icky and slow...but their yearly check ups I look forward to. We get to talk with the Doctor ALL about them...and the pride in me makes me cluck like a mother hen :)
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The boy has grown 5 inches since last summer! And put on 20 lbs! I swelled with inner pride as the doctor breezed in and first commented at HOW MUCH the two of us are starting to look like each other. She knows what a hoot he is and said she loves our banter. She laughed because he wore underwear this time....(last time he surprised us ALL when she peeked for the exam, and he was going commando for the day...@!) We talked about the frustrations of ADD and changed his meds for the upcoming school year. We got excited about Cross Country and she gave a firm hand in the department of him not staying up so late, hence sleeping all day...
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Then as I was on cloud nine with how smoothly it all was going...she asked what was going on with his chest? Could he take off his shirt? What is this??
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Jake in his maddening way pipes in that yes he had told me about that but I was too busy or didn't pay attention...
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Chest xrays are ordered, and she is filling out paperwork...."don't you see this Lump of bone? she asks? On one side of his chest. By his heart?? This whole side is uneven...
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WWWhhhatt?!?
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She assures we just need to get it checked out...but try to tell a mother not to worry!
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What in the world could this be. Oh please Lord, let it be something silly and little...!
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So I am off to get it checked out tomorrow!
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Rotten kids.
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They sure like to keep life interesting...sigh...:(

August!

That point in the summer has come. I have been fulfilled. I have accomplished the essence needed to call it a summer, and have the strong desire in me for the lazy chaos to be rattled into a more uniform schedule of school.

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The bottom of my feet have been blackened well from walking outside without shoes. I have established my horrible 2nd shift life style upon my children to which we all embrace all too willingly...lunch at 3pm...Dinner not until 10pm...bedtime by 2am.... not dare waking before 10 to 11 am. We have all done the mandatory but fabulously wonderfully horrible 40 hour car trip in which we endured siblings, and calls of nature, and popped tires.

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We grilled out, and enjoyed friends, and ate ice cream.

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We swam, and our skins are brown, and our hair has lightened.

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But I am toast. No more can these children be in this house lounging, eating, arguing, and watching tv. I need to clean this place up, and keep it that way for 20 minutes :) I need to be able to hear myself think....

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I am ready. God Bless August. You are here. You have come to take them. I appreciate the wonders we have had!

Free Store

Today I worked my Saturday at the freestore. How sad it is that is such a busy place and grown in such need in just the time that I have worked there.

We had a case of a homeless elderly couple that came in that had been living week to week in a hotel, but now had downsized to their car. The gentle man came in and when I asked if I could help..if he would like a drink and a doughnut, he said yes, but he thought his wife would really like one too. I encourage her to come in also!, but he explained that she couldn't walk well and that couldn't see good because of cataracts. We went to help her in and saw quickly how very sadly she needed really a wheelchair and realized that they both were sitting in their own soil.

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Just last month many of OUR resources...the names WE give out to these people for help, shut their doors and asked us to no longer give out their numbers. That they had run out of funds and could not help any longer. We are just a church that runs on donations, and the need seems so great.

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Social Services was closed for the weekend. We couldn't not leave them. We called the police who came and I think treated them very nice. The lady left in a stretcher. There was doubt and controversy over this because people were concerned that this was not help, and that they would just be put back out on the street. I know this to probably be true, but I felt good knowing that for today they were cleaned up and helped. What could we do?

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Mixed in with of the sad there is such hope though. Such good people working and doing God's work. Sweet stories of wonderful people. I met a lady today who was in her 60's with twin sons in their 20's. One had been born handicapped. Here she was in her 60's still trying to make due. She had come looking for men's ties. Her healthy son had gotten a job! He needed them to keep looking nice everyday! I showed her the few we had and she beamed and took them all! LOL~Good luck to him!

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I met an elderly gentlemen who's sole purpose was to find himself a suit. He wouldn't take the bag of food (though he probably could of used it just a bad as anyone else). I couldn't believe my eyes when in the mish mash of jackets and pants I found a 3 piece suit in his size! I told him it was like it had been placed there for him! He was thrilled and left with only his suit :)

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Tonight, as I am so very blessed with my health and family and home, I ask God to please watch over these sweet souls out there that are no different than me, and deserve no less than any of us...and to thank Him for this opportunity to be his hands and feet for...and to remember to do it every chance I get!

Vegetarian Cat

Today, while hanging out with the kids in the office, our cat Abby came in. I offered her my left over milk from my cereal bowl, to which she promptly sniffed and walked away from. Later as we sat around we were eating fruit and Abby was NOT shy about letting us know she WANTED SOME! She smelled our peaches and WANTED some!
She licked it like there was no tomorrow, biting into it even. She did the same with grapes!

We of course thought this was SUPER cool, and laughed and watched the dumb cat eat fruit.

Who knew?!?!

(it doesn't take much to amuse us apparently, Lol)

Swirling Thoughts

It has been so so very hot here.

It reached around 95 with humidity yesterday. Around the same today. Mike just came in from getting the mail and said it was about the same....maybe a little hotter.

It is that point in the summer where the grass starts to loose the green and shades of brown touch. Porch flowers die unless you faithfully water everyday, and your air conditioner runs non stop to try to keep up with keeping cool.

My heart has been so very heavy this week with the sadness of a family I do not even know. They live just a street over and their 3 year old little girl drown in their out of ground pool in the back yard. The girlfriend of the uncle (the guardian) ran inside just for a moment to the kitchen, and the little girl climbed the ladder into the pool. I pass their house everyday and my heart breaks. That was just Monday. I have done all the mind games of last week at this time... If only.... She was Summer's age....How easy this could of happened... I see the broken down pool in their back yard now and it is so serile.

I have been muddling through piles of laundry and paperwork for work. Slowly making progress. I have been embracing and enjoying the new maturity of my growing son who is reaching teenage years so soon. It is also maddening, but I can catch glimpses of the fun relationship that Tatum and I have and it is exciting.

Summer is moving surely steadily away from all signs of babyness. She is going to preschool this fall and I can see why! She is becoming big and smart and independent.

Chance is doing well and healing good after his operation. He has his embraced his non gender and is loving as ever. He validates every day that money can't put a price on love.

My signature! My blog design got removed! I was stricken with what to do. I actually thought of folding up shop, but I am trying out a couple of designs and trying to be inspired.

"Life is a journey, not a destination" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Watch Out Nancy....

Gotta have the music on to understand....Her boots were made for walking...LOL...and that's just what she'll Do!

What's Around That Corner

Not saying that ANYTHING is happening really.

But who knows.

Maybe it could be.

Mike is going with me to tour a campus this weekend.

Just to check out some possibilities.

This could be the start to a very exciting beginning....