I Just Can't Hang Anymore

Today I am feeling very old. Back in the day, when I was a young woman, I was something of a night owl. I used to stay up late, not get much sleep, and go full tilt the next day, no problem!! I was able to get by on little sleep, and pulled more than my share of all-nighters, with no ill effects. Well, this weekend, I learned that I am 1)no longer THAT young, and 2)my all-nighter days are well behind me.

Saturday morning, I got up at 3:30, went and did my paper route, came home and worked on folding some laundry, getting ready for Thomas' Summer League Basketball game later in the morning. All was well and I was looking forward to a fun weekend. Until I heard Thomas moaning and groaning upstairs. I went up to see what was going on and he was NOT feeling well, having severe stomach pains. Norman was in bed in pain due to a hurt back, and Thomas wanted me at his side at all times- a VERY unusual occurrence! Mom and Rich came and picked up Max and Benjamin for the day and around 2:45 I took Thomas to the ER. He is not a person who gets sick very often, and is fairly quiet and stoic when he does get sick. Seeing him writhing and moaning in pain is very strange, and I wanted him checked out thoroughly. We went to Henrico Doctor's Hospital and were there from 2:45pm until they discharged him at 3:00am Sunday morning. He was diagnosed with Gastroenteritis, after x-rays, CAT scan, blood, urine and stool samples, and IV fluids. He is fine now, but had a rough go of it Saturday. Rich came to the hospital at 2:30am, and took Thomas home with him, where Max and Benjamin were also spending the night, and I headed off to do my paper route. No problem.

Except that it has been a LONG time since I have had a night with NO sleep, and apparently I NEED to sleep at night! By the end of my route I was DONE! WAY tired. I came home, napped for about and hour and a half, showered, then Norman and I went to get the boys. Thomas is on the road to recovery, feeling MUCH better but I was exhausted! We came home and I crashed out for the day. Got nothing done, and totally left the kids in Norman's care, and slept! The littles did just fine at Grandma and Grandpas for their first sleep-over and here at home with mama out of commission, Norman's back is better, Thomas was on the computer and eating small amounts of toast and applesauce yesterday evening, so all is well! I got up and did my paper-route this morning and feel human again! It's a good feeling!

The other big news for our weekend was that Thomas' end of year testing results are in and......
He scored a composite 86 percentile overall for language arts and math. That means he scored as well or better than 86 percent of students who took the test. Given our rather loose approach to schooling last year, I am very pleased! His reading total was 99 percentile, which includes vocabulary and reading comprehension. Language total, which includes mechanics and expression, was 76 percentile, and surprisingly, his math total was 52 percentile, which he was very disappointed in. Thomas is a very intuitive math person, and I think his insistence on NOT writing out the step by step solutions to problems, just "knowing" what they are is coming into play here. I've tried to explain that the more complex the problem, the greater the need to work it out step by step, but I am only mom, and not a very strong math person to begin with. I think this brought it home much better than anything I could say. We are pleased with his results and ready to order his new curriculum and get started on this next year!

This week is another busy one. Thomas' Bible study, I have a MOPS Leadership Team, a Home Educating Moms Servants Team/Prospective Teachers meeting , and a welcome party for my friend's new baby! Thomas should be well enough to play ball this weekend for his Saturday game, and we hope to squeeze a trip up to Kings Dominion in here somewhere! We will just have to see!

One of Those Weeks!

Things here are in high summer speed! Seems like we have something going on every single day, and there are just never enough hours in the day to get everything done! I almost always feel like there is something I am missing or something that is not getting done, but as long as Norman and the kids are happy and fed and (relatively) clean ( the kids, that is. I can't/won't be responsible for Norman's cleanliness! :o) ), I figure I have done my duty for the day. As I often point out to everyone, 'I am growing a PERSON!" and that takes energy, too!!

Yesterday I took Thomas to the Wagner's house at 9:15, hustled the littles over to mom's and went to my doctor's appointment at 10:20am. All is well, baby is growing fine, and everything looks good! I now start going in every 2 weeks, and Norman and I have to pick "the date!" That is one of the cool things about knowing you are having a c-section, you can schedule the birth date!! We are consulting our calendar and will have a date set soon!! I am beginning to get excited!!

Thomas had basketball camp yesterday from 10:30-4:30, then his Bible/Basketball study yesterday evening. He spent the night with the Wagners and will finish Basketball camp today. I have a MOPS leadership team meeting tonight, so the boys will be here with Norman this evening. Tomorrow the boys go to Grandma's (Grandpa will be out of town), Thursday is a possible KD day, and Thomas has his first summer league basketball game Thursday evening. Friday Thomas is helping at Meadow Farm for Henrico County History Camp all day, and then he has another Summer league game Saturday morning! Always on the go, it seems!

The boys are doing well. Thomas and I sat down the other evening and picked out his curriculum material for Fall and I will be ordering all that soon. Benjamin will be doing some basic preschool stuff - colors, numbers, letters and the like, and I have laid in a supply of dollar store coloring books for Max to keep him occupied during "school" time.

Benjamin continues to be a true little comedian. He has inherited my morning grumpiness and is NOT at all a real happy fella first thing in the morning. He has also had Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs read to him before bed the last couple weeks or so. The other morning, Benjamin got up and was grumping around the house. I asked him " Are you grumpy this morning, buddy?" Benjamin kind of huffed and said, "I am not a dwarf named grumpy. I am grouchy." OK then! I pretty much just get him a drink when he gets up, then let him work his way around to awake in the morning. I TOTALLY understand NOT being a morning person, especially when you are surrounded by people who are. Not so much fun.

Max is my happy boy. He wakes up smiling and humming. He spends a bunch of his time these days humming and singing and dancing. Not that he doesn't know how to throw a doozy of a temper tantrum when he wants, but he truly is just a ray of sunshine. He is very interested in Baby Abby and spends too much (in my opinion!) time "talking" and singing to her through my belly button! I only hope he is half this excited about her once she gets here! Time will tell!!

Well, time to get the littles packed up to go get Thomas, come home and get dinner, and head off to my MOPS meeting. I plan on taking some pictures in the next day or two, so those will be posted soon!! Hope you all have a great day!!

I Just Don't Understand People

I usually try to keep my blog happy and upbeat, sharing the lives and times of my little family in this crazy world. Today, however, I am going to use it as a platform to provide some MUCH needed but little discussed information and advice. Perhaps it will be able to help you in your life, perhaps not, but at least I will feel better!

It is July, in Virginia. It is hot and humid. And, yes, I am pregnant. PLEASE STOP telling me how miserable it is, and how it is only going to get worse, and how, good gosh, I must be REALLY miserably hot, being pregnant and all. YOU ARE NOT HELPING!!! I am SO over the heat/weather related discussions. I have had 2 of my 3 children in the summer - Thomas in September, Max in August. Our baby girl will be here in October. Yes, I will be going through the "whole long, hot summer just getting bigger and bigger!" I really don't need the reminder! It's summer, it's hot, it's not really that unusual, and the human body is amazingly adaptable. In addition, I have the luxury of air conditioning. It's only out in the heat, cheered along with comments like this that it begins to get to me. But thanks for sharing!!

Also on the pregnancy front. Let me just throw this out there - STOP touching my belly unless I know and like you and you have at least had the courtesy to ASK!!! If one more bar regular at Applebee's touches my stomach, I have told my manager, I may snap. It is one thing to have those close to you touch and share in the wonder. Another entirely to have someone you know WAY too much drama about, and don't particularly like, practically corner you and tell you how sweet baby bellies are. It happened 3 times last Saturday! By 3 different bar folks. I am seriously looking for a HANDS OFF button to wear on my CarSide uniform. Let me know if you have one you'd like to part with!

Next on my list : Underwear is called underwear for a reason. Nightclothes, the same. I am STUNNED on an almost daily basis at how people will come OUT of their homes, get their newspapers, and want to have an actual conversation with me, their paper delivery person, at 5 and 5:30 in the morning partially dressed. I AM grateful none have yet greeted me nude, but must say it is a BIT uncomfortable to try to exchange pleasantries with an 80-some year old man dressed in boxers and black knee socks. I have a hard time NOT calling the silk paisley robe wearing gentleman with LOTS of gold chains on at 5:00am Mr. Hefner. And while I think the new teddy line from what can ONLY be some kind of mail order catalog I am unfamiliar with is lovely, I am at your house around the same time EVERY MORNING. You act SO surprised to see me, and every morning, say the same thing - "I didn't realize you were out here." I believe she is waiting for my sub from when I went on vacation to come back around. He said he got an EYEFULL when he delivered her paper. I bet he did! Thomas and Norman are planning on doing my route while I am taking my baby break. I may have to institute a "delivery route rating system" to protect my young son. Norman, as a Parole Officer who has to visit his parolees and probationers at home has seen more, and worse. MUCH MORE and worse! Oh well, it does make every morning an adventure!!

That's what's on my mind this morning. Thomas and Max are still sleeping, and Benjamin just came in and said his diaper is dry, which means the floor will soon be wet without a trip to the potty. Off we go, with who knows what in store for the rest of the day!! One thing I'll say, it's ALWAYS interesting!!

Out for the Count

I have to admit it. I overdid it. The one-two punch of doing too much during the day, staying up too late, getting up too early, and being 6 months pregnant got me yesterday. I don't easily admit defeat, but yesterday, I was done.

Wednesday, my Electives meeting ended up being an AMAZING evening at Outback with 3 dear friends working out details and discussing our lives. It was SO needed, but I got home LATE-like 11:15! Wild times, I tell ya!!

I got up Thursday, did papers and some house stuff, then got the boys and myself packed up for a day at the park. We had a GREAT time at Maymont, but I did way too much walking and pulling a wagon with 2 kids in it, and then helping Thomas haul wagon, backpack and said children up a HUGE hill as a "shortcut" back to where our van and picnic were. WAY too much!! After the park, I hustled home, got cleaned up, bathed two filthy children, got dinner, then headed to my MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) Leadership Team meeting. I had a great time being welcomed as a member of the team, and we had a good time getting started with our planning, but I got home at around 10:20 and was EXHAUSTED!

Yesterday morning, I did papers, came home and collapsed! Benjamin and Max were both up by 8:00am, and I was SO tired. We watched some Sesame Street and then Little Einsteins, then Thomas came to the rescue. After saying something to the effect of "You look really tired." he asked if I wanted to take a nap. I did, and he watched the littles for an hour and a half, til Max came in and wanted to sleep, too! We had a lazy afternoon, just not doing much. Norman had weapons training yesterday, so he got home early, around 2:30, which was nice. We did go get a bigger pool for the boys, and set that up yesterday evening, and watched them "swim" for awhile, then gave them showers and had a quickie dinner. I was in bed by 9:30!! I feel MUCH better today and am ready to tackle my To Do list, I think! As ready as I'll ever be, anyway!

They couldn't WAIT for it to fill up!

THIS is the life!
2 swim rings, 6 water bombs, and 3 kids in a 8 foot long pool - can you say crowded??We're still working on the "overdone" smile issue!!

Mid-Week Moment

Yes, I do realize it is Wednesday already, but things here seem to go so quick, by the time I think, "Wow, I haven't updated in a day or two.", three or four days have gone by!!

Benjamin had a dentist appointment yesterday. I was NOT looking forward to this! Although it was just a cleaning, based on previous experience, it was going to be a LONG afternoon, complete with tears and drama. Anyway, we had been talking about the dentist, how to behave, what he'd do, etc. for the last few days and I figured he was ready.

Yesterday morning, I asked Norman call Benjamin before his appointment just to offer a word of encouragement.

The phone rang and it was Norman. I called Benjamin to the phone, and told him it was for him. He said "hello" and went on for a couple minutes with a lot of "yes" and "ok". Then, he says, with a very puzzled look on his face, "Who IS this?"

I snorted I laughed so loud. It never occurred to me he might not know Norman's voice on the phone, but then, I don't think he's ever spoken to him on the phone before.

The kid cracks me up.

As far as his appointment, it went well. Thomas stayed home and babysat Max, and Benjamin did fine with his check up until it was time to polish his teeth. He was having NO part of that! He told us "I don't like crunchy toothpaste." after she polished the first 3 or 4 back teeth, and I think the sound freaked him out. We skipped the rest of that, and he was fine while Dr. Hamilton came in and checked him out. He got his picture taken for the No Cavity Club wall, 2 stickers, a balloon,a nd a new toothbrush. Other than the fact that he kept asking "When am I going to get my lollypop?", he was just perfect! Whew! We're good for another 6 months!

Thomas had a good time Monday evening at his Bible study. When they got there around 6:50pm, it was HOT and humid - very miserable. Of course, he, Hunter, Cory and Jake headed immediately to the basketball court, because where ELSE would you want to be with a 107 degree index?!?! A bit crazy, they are that! They had a good time, learned good stuff, and were back out there, working drills when I picked him up at 9:15!

Today Thomas goes to the orthodontist, then I will take the boys to mom and Rich's. I have a Home Educating Moms Electives team meeting tonight at Panera Bread (YUM!!) and am SO looking forward to seeing my friends and getting things in place for Fall Electives. 2 of the 4 of us on the team are having babies this fall, so it may be a bit interesting, but Kris and I both had babies (Max and Nathaniel) right before Fall 05 Electives - Max in August and Nathaniel in October, this session we will just be reversed!

Tonight, Norman will pick the fellas up, as these meetings always run longer than we plan! Too much to catch up on, not enough time!!

Tomorrow we are hosting Thurdays with Friends at Maymont, one of Richmond's most beautiful parks! They have a great nature center, petting zoo, and TONS of trails and hills to hike up and roll down. There are hundreds of great old trees perfect for climbing, and the boys love to run around and enjoy the wide open spaces! After almost a week of HOT temperatures that have really limited the amount of time we have spent outside, the little ones need some run off extra energy time out of doors! We are having a "cold" front move through and it will ONLY be in the mid to upper 80's tomorrow - almost pleasant, compared to 99!!

Well, time to make lunch,and fold laundry, and wash dishes, and get the boys down for naps before we head out for the afternoon! It never ends!!

Whew!!

That's me taking a breath after what has been a very busy week! We are taking it easy today! Today is a HOT one! Thomas has gone to WaterWorks for the day with his friend David and his family, and then they will be checking out some great Christian bands tonight there at King's Fest. He will spend the night with David and go to church with his family tomorrow, and I'll pick him up after the littles and I go to church.

Thomas LOVED his Bible study on Monday evening. The guys had a good time reading and discussing Ephesians, then had a snack and headed out to the lighted basketball court for some drills and a scrimage. Thomas may have the opportunity to play in a late summer league, so he is excited for the extra practice time and coaching.

Tuesday I took the boys to King's Dominion mid-afternoon. We rode some rides and then met Norman in the parking lot picnic area for a dinner picnic before some more rides and the most amazing fireworks display I have ever seen! They were AWESOME!!! Thomas loved them, Benjamin liked the light part but not the noise - after about the first 4, he kept saying "Can we go home now?', although he didn't cry. He liked watching with me covering his ears. Max HATED the fireworks, poor baby! He laid on Norman and cried, though he would look up and check them out, until the noise started again! He moved over on me about 3/4 of the way through and I had a lapfull of two boys, each with one ear buried in my chest, and a hand over each of their other ears! We changed them and cleaned them up in the van and they were OUT on the way home!

Wednesday for the Fourth, we went to Meadow Farm. Thomas was volunteering and was asked to give part of the tour of the farmhouse upstairs! He did a GREAT job, telling almost 500 people part of the history of Mosby Shepard's farmhouse and family . I am so proud of the volunteer work Thomas does at Meadow Farm and we all enjoy spending time out there! The Fourth celebration was fun, with pony rides and a petting zoo for Max and Benjamin, a couple good bands providing live music, and a great picnic lunch, provided by Grandma! We were there from about noon til five and had fun. It was warm, but not unbearably so!

"No, I DON"T want to see the cute goat!""Stay here and keep me safe from the goat, Daddy!"
"Alright. I'll look at it, but I am NOT touching it!"
Benjamin loved the petting zoo! We didn't make it to the pool for Thursdays With Friends. I was too pooped fron the previous two days, and had to work at Applebee's that evening, so we ran a few errands and did some kicking around.

Yesterday I took the boys to WaterWorks, the full-sized water park within Kings Dominion. The place is HUGE - like 6-8 BIG water slides of varying levels of thrills, a Lazy River tube float trip. a BIG water tree house place with a giant bucket on top that pours water on those waiting eagerly below, 2 LARGE wave pools, and a cool place for the little ones called Lil Barefoot Beach. The little kids' pools are 3 interconnected pools, each between 1-8" deep, with a variety of water slide, sprays, houses and tunnels to climb in and fountain-like things to play in. The place was PACKED going in, but we found a good spot to settle in and I played with Benjamin and Max while Thomas checked out the 2 wave pools and a couple other rides. Benjamin and Max both enjoyed crawling around the pool on their hands, stretched out, while their legs float behind them! It was fun, but I was TIRED by the end of the day!!

Benjamin did NOT want his picture taken, and Max was busy watching Drop Zone!
Today I helped Thomas get ready for his day and evening away and am now just chilling! It's HOT out today and supposed to be for the next few. I will be running in and out at Applebee's tonight working CarSide To Go, and then papers in the morning before church, so I am relaxing today!! I think I've earned it!

SO Sorry!

I know (or hope, anyway!) that one or two folks out there actually read my blog occasionally, and to you, I apologize. I have not written in the past week, not for any exciting reason, but there's not a whole lot going on right now to write about, unless sock sorting and broken toy disposal floats your boat! Norman calls it nesting, I call it "Oh my gosh, the baby will be here in about 3 months and we have NO room and WAY too much stuff!!" I have been in toss and donate mode the last week or so and that has been the exciting focus of our days! Not truly page-turning suspense and excitement!

This week will be busy with all kinds of fun and excitement! Thomas starts a 7 week Bible Study with a friend of ours. Luke is a homeschool graduate who just finished his first year at James Madison University. He played for Spirit Athletics Basketball and Thomas has always enjoyed spending time with him. Luke's younger brother Hunter is a friend of Thomas' and Thomas is looking forward to spending time with him and some other buddies, studying the book of Ephesians with Luke.

Tuesday I am taking the boys to Kings Dominion around noontime, to spend the afternoon enjoying the rides and the WaterWorks water park. Norman will meet us there after work, and we will stay til the fireworks show that starts at 10pm! Should be a fun day!

Wednesday we will celebrate Independence Day at Meadow Farm at An Old-Fashioned Fourth of July. Thomas will be volunteering and we will picnic and spend the day. We always have a great time at these activities and look forward to seeing friends who will be there having fun, too!

Thursdays with Friends will be a Pool Party this week, so I'm sure we will join in the fun, before I work Applebees that night!

Friday will be a day of rest and recuperation!!! For me, if noone else!!

I did take a few pictures last week that I just have to share!

Eating is HARD work!!SO sweet!!
Benjamin "cooking" in the cabinet he and Max love to play in!!"No, really, it tastes GREAT!! Try it!"Have a great week and I promise to try harder to post more often!! Note I DID say try!!!