We have had Suki since a few weeks after Ben was born. She was brought to KB by PaPa... along with her son George. George never took to us...he was wild...and I think he is still roaming in our old neighborhood in Simpsonville.
The entire neighborhood taught their children about the birds and bees with Suki...she decided to get in one of our neighbor's boat...and give birth. We videoed... everyone watched... true science lesson in the making.
She gave birth and then went crazy... KB came upstairs one day and said, "Mama, Daddy said we are going to name Suki football if she jumps on the window screen again."... I rushed downstairs and told him he better not touch her! Somehow she stopped doing that!
Tonight... I would love to be Suki. She is propped up on my desk... snoozing, purring, and resting away. Her biggest worry of the day is if Dabo is going to chase her... and if I am going to give her some water/food. Wouldn't life be great if that was all we had to worry about.
Oh how I wish my brain could shut down for a few minutes... how I could catch up and get everything done... my desk has several lists on it... none of them completed...which makes me feel even more behind than I already am... Suki is covering one of the lists...ironically...the one that has the list of pros and cons of something I need to decide about....I can't see them right now... good thing!
I do hope I can take tomorrow and settle my brain... I hope the powers to be make all decisions for me...I hope KB will decide where we eat after her appointment... I hope everything falls right into place...so many puzzle pieces are scattered, turned over, and out of place....
Tonight... I am going to be Suki....
Matthew 6:34
So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
It's Here....
The sound of a lawnmower.
The yellow pillows on my front porch.
Fishing in the afternoons.
Chasing baseballs in the yard.
Cool mornings/ hot afternoons.
Countdown to the end of the school year. ( 42 more days)
Freshly painted toenails.
Indian red skin from the first burn of the year.
Shopping for ferns, flowers, and pine straw.
A new dress for Easter.
Excitement about best friends coming to visit for the Masters.
Spring cleaning.
IEP season.
Needing more than just water to make it through these IEPs…Just popped a diet coke.
Watching clothes that fit my children last year go into the “yard sale” box.
Making summer plans.
Putting up sweater dresses and boots.
Getting out “moo moo” dresses and sandals.
Yes, these are signs that Spring is Here! I am so excited… I love this time of year!
The yellow pillows on my front porch.
Fishing in the afternoons.
Chasing baseballs in the yard.
Cool mornings/ hot afternoons.
Countdown to the end of the school year. ( 42 more days)
Freshly painted toenails.
Indian red skin from the first burn of the year.
Shopping for ferns, flowers, and pine straw.
A new dress for Easter.
Excitement about best friends coming to visit for the Masters.
Spring cleaning.
IEP season.
Needing more than just water to make it through these IEPs…Just popped a diet coke.
Watching clothes that fit my children last year go into the “yard sale” box.
Making summer plans.
Putting up sweater dresses and boots.
Getting out “moo moo” dresses and sandals.
Yes, these are signs that Spring is Here! I am so excited… I love this time of year!
Monday, March 19, 2012
Making Memories
We have been making memories this "Winter Break"! We headed out Wednesday after school to a new camping spot. We went to Petersburg... right near the dam. It was a very "woodsy" area, but we had so much fun. This was the first time I had camped and didn't have access to my house! Usually, I run home every day and wash a load of clothes, grab some groceries for the day, and water flowers/feed animals... this time...there was none of that the first two days! It was great waking up to animals of all kinds chirping, honking, and tweeting! My children had constant companionship... and I did too! I never lost my cool the entire four days~ a lot to be said by that statement!
Ben learned a lesson this week. He constantly had his IPod Touch with him while riding bikes and playing on the playground. He loves to have his music going. Saturday afternoon he put it on the picnic tables while he "jumped" his bike. Of course... he left it there...and when he went back...it was gone. His heart was broken and he cried for two hours. I thought that he might have put it down somewhere and it would show up...but after searching all the campers/ campsites...it was gone.
Mark, Ben, and I had to leave for KB's dance competition late that afternoon, so we were unable to continue looking for it. On the way to competition we picked up Mama in the Publix parking lot. Her first words were... "I will go buy you another one right now. If your daddy will pull over, I will run in this store and get you one. And don't you cry because it is your mama and daddy's fault. You are too young to have something that expensive anyway... but quit crying because I am going to buy you another one.".... Does anyone else see the issue with all this...especially considering that she is the one who bought him the first one! Oh well... one day he will see that his grandmother always has his back no matter what...and we are terrible parents! I think he might know that already.
As we headed to the competition...I got a phone call telling me that I owed two of my friends BIG time. They noticed a middle-school aged boy and his mama over at the picnic tables...they had been there earlier too. They went up to question them... to make a long story short... the mama lied and said they hadn't seen the Ipod...the little boy handed it over. Thank goodness he gave it back. Thank goodness it has a passcode on it... and thank goodness Mark installed find my ipod this morning so this can't happen again. I thought Mark might strangle the little boy, but he didn't... he did however go right over to the boy's campsite and tell the daddy that he needed to talk to the little boy... He did... of course the little boy said he had all intentions of turning it in... everyone who believes that stand on your head!
We came home yesterday from camping! I would complain about the rain yesterday morning... and everything of ours being messy and wet, but I'm not. It stormed every night...the first night I texted everyone and told them that there was a bad storm coming and to get their things in... This was at 3 AM... I wanted them to know... needless to say... I woke up several of the campers and they haven't let me live it down yet. See if the "Weather Babe" informs them again of potential thunderstorms!
I didn't get to go to church yesterday because it was day 2 of competition, but I feel sure God was with us last night. After our usual Sunday night hot dog supper at Mama's, we all headed out to Hunka Jim's Farm and fished. Minus Cole, my entire family was there and it was beautiful... to see Mark and Ben in a flat bottomed boat putting fish in as fast as they would throw out a line...made me know that Bobby was in that boat too... He was helping those boys! We all had fishing poles...Daddy taught me how to throw a line out... He helped KB get her line in too...Guille baited our hook... never even got a bite! Mama sat in the back of the car with the window down at one point because the bugs were biting so bad... But my favorite memory of the night... was the little paddle boat...with Jim tipping the scales at 250s/260s...and James at 50lbs.... The boat was about to tip over... and James's little legs were peddling as fast they could as Jim sat there and grinned and smiled and laughed... Yes, we had our own church service watching the sun set... watching the fish jump... and watching a 47 year old man be lead around in a paddle boat by a 7 year old! It did my heart good! I'll let ya'll know if the fish Ben caught taste good...that is our dinner tonight!
Ben learned a lesson this week. He constantly had his IPod Touch with him while riding bikes and playing on the playground. He loves to have his music going. Saturday afternoon he put it on the picnic tables while he "jumped" his bike. Of course... he left it there...and when he went back...it was gone. His heart was broken and he cried for two hours. I thought that he might have put it down somewhere and it would show up...but after searching all the campers/ campsites...it was gone.
Mark, Ben, and I had to leave for KB's dance competition late that afternoon, so we were unable to continue looking for it. On the way to competition we picked up Mama in the Publix parking lot. Her first words were... "I will go buy you another one right now. If your daddy will pull over, I will run in this store and get you one. And don't you cry because it is your mama and daddy's fault. You are too young to have something that expensive anyway... but quit crying because I am going to buy you another one.".... Does anyone else see the issue with all this...especially considering that she is the one who bought him the first one! Oh well... one day he will see that his grandmother always has his back no matter what...and we are terrible parents! I think he might know that already.
As we headed to the competition...I got a phone call telling me that I owed two of my friends BIG time. They noticed a middle-school aged boy and his mama over at the picnic tables...they had been there earlier too. They went up to question them... to make a long story short... the mama lied and said they hadn't seen the Ipod...the little boy handed it over. Thank goodness he gave it back. Thank goodness it has a passcode on it... and thank goodness Mark installed find my ipod this morning so this can't happen again. I thought Mark might strangle the little boy, but he didn't... he did however go right over to the boy's campsite and tell the daddy that he needed to talk to the little boy... He did... of course the little boy said he had all intentions of turning it in... everyone who believes that stand on your head!
We came home yesterday from camping! I would complain about the rain yesterday morning... and everything of ours being messy and wet, but I'm not. It stormed every night...the first night I texted everyone and told them that there was a bad storm coming and to get their things in... This was at 3 AM... I wanted them to know... needless to say... I woke up several of the campers and they haven't let me live it down yet. See if the "Weather Babe" informs them again of potential thunderstorms!
I didn't get to go to church yesterday because it was day 2 of competition, but I feel sure God was with us last night. After our usual Sunday night hot dog supper at Mama's, we all headed out to Hunka Jim's Farm and fished. Minus Cole, my entire family was there and it was beautiful... to see Mark and Ben in a flat bottomed boat putting fish in as fast as they would throw out a line...made me know that Bobby was in that boat too... He was helping those boys! We all had fishing poles...Daddy taught me how to throw a line out... He helped KB get her line in too...Guille baited our hook... never even got a bite! Mama sat in the back of the car with the window down at one point because the bugs were biting so bad... But my favorite memory of the night... was the little paddle boat...with Jim tipping the scales at 250s/260s...and James at 50lbs.... The boat was about to tip over... and James's little legs were peddling as fast they could as Jim sat there and grinned and smiled and laughed... Yes, we had our own church service watching the sun set... watching the fish jump... and watching a 47 year old man be lead around in a paddle boat by a 7 year old! It did my heart good! I'll let ya'll know if the fish Ben caught taste good...that is our dinner tonight!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Taking Things for Granted
I moved from Lincolnton when Cole was a month old. Janice and Jim were gracious enough to let me "have" him every weekend I came home though! I would go straight to their house and get him...there is nothing like that first baby in a family! Mama and Daddy would go get him every afternoon, and Daddy would take him to daycare in the mornings. He was our real, alive baby doll! Like all women do, I fantasized about having my own children and how they would get the same love and care that Cole did. It didn't take long for me to realize that my situation would be a little different since I was sure Mama and Daddy weren't going to drive all the way to Simpsonville every afternoon and see my children.
It is so hard to remember the afternoons of coming home when KB was a baby. That time is such a blur to me. Mark was traveling, I was working in a town about 20 miles away, I was coaching cheerleading... I was busy. I feel sure I cooked supper a time or two in that stage, but I do know that KB could recognize every restaurant on Woodruff Road at the age of 2~ KB missed those mornings of Butch picking her up... and she missed those afternoons of spending time at her grandmother's house. I still dreamed that one day my children would have the opportunity to know what living in a small town was like~ but for now~ she would have to hang out with me!
When Ben was born, we had moved to a new neighborhood and for the first time I actually knew my neighbors! We would sit in the driveway for hours and play, eat, and talk! They took the place of my family since family couldn't be there. They were there to watch my children while I ran to the doctor, or if I needed to start my supper and couldn't be outside. I still dreamed that one day KB and Ben would both have the opportunity to experience living in a small town!
After 11 years of secretly praying we could move back home, it happened. We got to come back to heaven on earth. Mark still traveled, but it was so nice that I had some help to get my children to school, pick them up from places, and get them to activities. I can remember sitting on my front porch literally in tears that I was so excited Mama was coming to get me to go to the Dollar Store. We were going to run to get light bulbs... wow... I would have never done that in the big city. Those light bulbs would have had to wait until I went to Target on Saturday morning.
I write all this above because this morning... I realized that I have been taking things for granted. Mama and Daddy had to be in Atlanta for a conference, Mark was in Nashville, and I didn't have anyone to help me out with dropping them off at school. Last night, I had that same feeling I did for about 20 years of my life... the one on Sundays when it is time to head back to college or Simpsonville... the one that makes me homesick...the one that makes me want to cry.
KB, Ben, and I prepared like we never have. We got clothes out, we bought pre-made lunches, and we got up thirty minutes earlier than we normally do. It was a work of art. They got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and we had about 20 minutes leftover! It was amazing. I had time to "fluff"~ I made the bed, I picked up the stray items downstairs, I watered the flowers on the front porch, I unloaded the dishwasher...and I had time to get to school and put my children on the bus by 7:24! I felt so accomplished...at things that I used to do every morning before I moved back~
Today has been a great day because I have tried to remember to thank God every time I had the thought that I was so happy to be living here! I realize I have taken it for granted that Mama and Daddy do so much for me! I guess I have become quite lazy! While I am glad I got all those things done this morning... I still hope I have many more years that Mama and Daddy can "graciously" help me out in the mornings! It sure does make my life a lot easier. I would have never dreamed 16 years ago when all these thoughts started coming to my mind that I would be as happy as I am today!
I love that I am sitting on my front porch, listening to motorcycles rev their engines, watching an airplane go over, hearing a chain saw, and enjoying a beautiful March afternoon~ it's the simple things that make me happy~ My hope is I never take these things for granted and that I focus on the good things in life... for those are what become the best memories~
It is so hard to remember the afternoons of coming home when KB was a baby. That time is such a blur to me. Mark was traveling, I was working in a town about 20 miles away, I was coaching cheerleading... I was busy. I feel sure I cooked supper a time or two in that stage, but I do know that KB could recognize every restaurant on Woodruff Road at the age of 2~ KB missed those mornings of Butch picking her up... and she missed those afternoons of spending time at her grandmother's house. I still dreamed that one day my children would have the opportunity to know what living in a small town was like~ but for now~ she would have to hang out with me!
When Ben was born, we had moved to a new neighborhood and for the first time I actually knew my neighbors! We would sit in the driveway for hours and play, eat, and talk! They took the place of my family since family couldn't be there. They were there to watch my children while I ran to the doctor, or if I needed to start my supper and couldn't be outside. I still dreamed that one day KB and Ben would both have the opportunity to experience living in a small town!
After 11 years of secretly praying we could move back home, it happened. We got to come back to heaven on earth. Mark still traveled, but it was so nice that I had some help to get my children to school, pick them up from places, and get them to activities. I can remember sitting on my front porch literally in tears that I was so excited Mama was coming to get me to go to the Dollar Store. We were going to run to get light bulbs... wow... I would have never done that in the big city. Those light bulbs would have had to wait until I went to Target on Saturday morning.
I write all this above because this morning... I realized that I have been taking things for granted. Mama and Daddy had to be in Atlanta for a conference, Mark was in Nashville, and I didn't have anyone to help me out with dropping them off at school. Last night, I had that same feeling I did for about 20 years of my life... the one on Sundays when it is time to head back to college or Simpsonville... the one that makes me homesick...the one that makes me want to cry.
KB, Ben, and I prepared like we never have. We got clothes out, we bought pre-made lunches, and we got up thirty minutes earlier than we normally do. It was a work of art. They got up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and we had about 20 minutes leftover! It was amazing. I had time to "fluff"~ I made the bed, I picked up the stray items downstairs, I watered the flowers on the front porch, I unloaded the dishwasher...and I had time to get to school and put my children on the bus by 7:24! I felt so accomplished...at things that I used to do every morning before I moved back~
Today has been a great day because I have tried to remember to thank God every time I had the thought that I was so happy to be living here! I realize I have taken it for granted that Mama and Daddy do so much for me! I guess I have become quite lazy! While I am glad I got all those things done this morning... I still hope I have many more years that Mama and Daddy can "graciously" help me out in the mornings! It sure does make my life a lot easier. I would have never dreamed 16 years ago when all these thoughts started coming to my mind that I would be as happy as I am today!
I love that I am sitting on my front porch, listening to motorcycles rev their engines, watching an airplane go over, hearing a chain saw, and enjoying a beautiful March afternoon~ it's the simple things that make me happy~ My hope is I never take these things for granted and that I focus on the good things in life... for those are what become the best memories~
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