Friday, it's so good to see you!

Life has been a blur since the school year started a few weeks ago.  So much has happened in such a little time.  Monday through Friday we go through the motions and get through each day.  The weekends are usually spent with my grandpa. 

 I have a new appreciation for the weekends when I'm working.  I feel a sense of relief when I've finally made it to Friday.  This year Fridays are no different.  I'm so happy to have made it through another week.

Friday has also become  the place where I can do a phone dump of post and share photos from what's been going on lately. 

Luckily Jeannette at Life Rearranged has given "phone dump" a classier name by calling it InstaFriday.  I don't use the instagram app.  I prefer hispstamatic, but they are basically all about the same and give the photos a retro/vintage look instead of the blurry mess that most of my camera phone photos look like.

Will in deep thought.

Will showing off his cute face. 

This wasn't a recent photo, but I wanted to include it.  Ben looks so sweet drinking his sippy cup and holding his bear while he watches cartoons. 

If only Ben's toy vacuum really worked, I'd have really clean floors. 

Labor Day

We ate at Cowboy Chicken.  Yum! 

The boys carry backpacks to daycare.  Aren't these the cutest? 

I've been extra emotional lately.  For example, I cried while watching the cartoon "Caillou".  Caillou was nice to the special needs boy who attended his playschool.  I cried because he was so kind and the little boy's mother was so happy that the children were being nice to her son.  I texted my friend and told her what a mess I was.  She told me that she's only cried while watching "Caillou" because Caillou's parents are perfect.  I can relate.  I usually feel guilty and so inferior to Caillou's parents.  I'm a loser mom compared to his parents, they are so patient.

Ben's chubby baby feet.  He's growing up so fast, but his little chubby feet still look like baby feet.  Have you ever read Counting Kisses by Karen Katz?  He loves that book.  "10 little kisses on teeny tiny toes..."

My husband made popcorn for the boys.  He didn't put a big enough bowl under the popper.  I thought this was hilarious.  He didn't think it was as funny as I did. 

Ben going down the slide at McDonald's.  Gosh, he looks like a big boy here!

We had a fun and unexpected surprise when we ran into friends at McDonald's.   

Will and Ty had a blast playing.  Ty told his grandma "I can't believe Will found me."  How cute it that!?! 



By all means, life isn't perfect right now.  It's still stressful.  My grandpa is still sick and in the nursing home.  My mother-in-law is still recovering, but getting stronger each day.  The boys are still adjusting to their new routine and schedule at daycare.  I'm still adjusting to teaching a new subject at school this year.  Mark and I are still adjusting to the stress of life right now.  Did I mention stress enough? 

Like I've said before, we're taking it one day at a time and getting through each day.

In stressful times, you really find joy in the simple things.  Simple things like--today is Friday!  That means that I have two days to spend with family.  I've never appreciated it so much.

Hope you can find joy in the simple things this weekend, too.

There's a Mouse in the House

Not really!!!

This mouse (or rat) from IKEA is one of Ben's favorite stuffed animals (or rodents!).  On more than one occasion this stuffed mouse has stopped me in my tracks, especially when it's dark and it's sitting off to the side of the room.  Out of the corner of my eye it looks like the real deal.  I'm completely freaked out by lizards, mice and other creepy crawly creatures.  This mouse has caused my heart to skip a beat a few times.  It always takes me a second to realize that it's just "mousey".

Ben endearingly calls it "mousey".  He loves Bear and Blankie and he really likes mousey.

So why not add a couple more to the pack?

We went to IKEA this summer and bought a black one and white one.

Ben's lined them up, "gray mousey" "black mousey" and "white mousey" is what he calls them.

And, they watch TV with us, too.

Happy Thursday!

Just taking it day by day and enjoying the simple things that make me smile.  Hope you are, too :)

Pretend to be Happy

If you've been reading my blog over the last couple of weeks, I have a lot on my plate right now.  I decided that I wanted to write a post as if none of the other stuff was happening right now. 

I'm pretending to be happy and carefree. 

 I'll be linking up to lowercase letters Misc. Monday to share my randomness.

{ONE}

Will's cute face. 

He makes me smile.

{TWO}

Ben wearing his cap crooked.   

Adorable!

{THREE}

Converse All Star Chuck Taylor slip ons

The cutest shoes for little boys.  Will and Ben both wear them.

{FOUR}

Homemade pizza. 
I used a Jiffy pizza crust mix and fresh mozzarella.  I took Genn's suggestion and added fresh basil.  It added so much flavor.  Yummy! 

{FIVE}

Oxo Cherry Pitter

Now I don't mind Will wanting to eat cherries.  He loves to eat them and I hated trying to remove the seed.  This little gadget was well worth the $12.  I ordered mine from amazon.com but I saw them at Williams-Sonoma.

{SIX}

Pear and Ginger muffins from Central Market. 

I bought these over a week ago when we went to Dallas to visit my grandpa in the hospital.  I just found these photos on my SD card.  I wanted to blog about these delicious muffins, but I forgot until now. 

So good.  It was an interesting combination, but it worked. 

{SEVEN}

The perfect fall boots.

That's a pretty bold claim, but I do believe they are perfect.  I found them at DSW.  They are the perfect fit and color.  I've been on Pinterest pinning so many images of outfits with brown boots.  I can't wait for the weather to cool off so I can wear them! 

I texted a few friends before I made the purchase to make sure I wasn't too old for the buckles. They assured me I was not too old.

I {heart} them! 

{EIGHT}

Gray nail polish
Before it's time to cover up my feet I wanted to paint my toenails gray.  I've had this color for several months, and I've been waiting until September to use it.

Essie: Chinchilly

By the way, when I grow up I want to be the person who gets to name all of the nail polish clever little names.  How fun!

 



He Knew: It's a God Thing

Will and Ben ready for school.  It's early so they still look sleepy.

My life feels like it's not my own right now.  Sometimes I find myself almost out of body as I go through the motions of getting through each day.  It's been really stressful dealing with my grandpa who is sick and nearing the end of his life.  On top of that this week my mother-in-law passed out and fell and hit her head.  I talked about my grandpa here and I explained what happened with my mother-in-law here.  Let me explain just a little more about that situation.

My mother-in-law has always gotten lightheaded and passes out when she gets sick with a virus.  Her sister does it as well. This is not unusual for her and she usually recovers like anyone else.  The big difference this time was that she hit her head when she fell. She hit is so hard that it busted open and required stitches.  On Tuesday, my father-in-law called about 6a.m. to tell us that Carol was sick.  He sounded really flustered and then he went on to explain that there was blood in the bathroom.  At that point, he wasn't sure if she had thrown up blood or if it was from hitting her head.  I can understand why he was out of sorts.  I went over there to help him decide what to do.  We didn't call 911, but we knew she needed to go to the doctor or hospital.  Mark went over and helped his dad get his mom to the car, and he drove them to the hospital about 40 minutes away.  Once there, they did a cat scan and found a skull fracture and bleeding on her brain.  Because of the brain bleed and head trauma she needed to be at a hospital with a neurosurgeon in case it required surgery.  She was transported by ambulance to a larger hospital in Plano (a suburb of Dallas).  Thank goodness the brain bleed was small and did not require surgery.  She was still fuzzy about what had happened and didn't remember anything from the night before she fell until the end of the next day.  The doctor's were running lots of tests to determine the cause of dizziness, which wasn't a virus.  She stayed in the hospital until Thursday afternoon.  The doctors determined that she did not need to be on the high blood pressure medication she was taking.  They think that caused the dizziness.  She is home now resting and recovering.  It will take time but she should make a full recovery. 

Most of you know that my MIL keeps Will and Ben while Mark and I are at work.  I stayed home with the boys on Tuesday while Mark helped his parents.  Mark stayed home with them on Wednesday while I went to work.  When I went to work on Wednesday I was totally overwhelmed.  People were asking me all sorts of questions.  It was out of concern, but I couldn't even think.  I was still upset about my grandpa, I was concerned about Carol, and I didn't know what we were going to do with the boys.  Mark and I have to go to work.  And, I'd planned to use most of my personal days/sick days this year when the time comes when I have to deal with my grandpa's funeral.  I had a breakdown in the teachers' workroom Wednesday morning.  I can't tell you how many times I cried on Wednesday.  I know everyone at work felt sorry for me.  So many people offered help and support so that was nice.  The biggest help was when a teacher offered to call the school's child care center to see if there were any openings for Will and Ben. 

Here comes the God Thing....

There were two spots left -- one for Will's age and one for Ben's age.

I think I cried from happiness when she told me. 

My boys have never been to daycare.  In fact, I'm not sure if they've ever even stayed with anyone who's not family.  The thought of daycare made me want to quit my job.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I have nothing against daycare, I don't.  I just didn't have time in my situation to research options and select one that I thought was best for our family.  The only option at that point that didn't make me want to quit my job was the school's child care center (it's run by our school and it's just across the street from where Mark and I teach).  It's like He knew I couldn't handle anymore at this point.

As my friend, Terri, said, "Though all of this has taken you by surprise, it has not taken God by surprise.  Two spots open for Will and Ben!  Just evidence of God already knowing you would need them."

So, we found out on Wednesday that they could start on Thursday.  I ran around like a crazy woman getting shot records, having papers notarized and filling out information forms.  What most people have several weeks to prepare for we did in about 12 hours.  We went to Wal-Mart Wednesday night and got stuff for their breakfast and lunches.  We also bought them nap mats and the cutest, little backpacks.  We tried to make it a big deal and fun so that would be positive about going.  Thursday we dropped them off and there were no tears!  Can you believe it!?!  They had a great first day.  The second day was a little rough for Will, but this is a big adjustment.  Ben's been a little cranky and I think it's adjusting to the new routine.  I'm thankful we have a long weekend and the boys can rest and recoup.

We'll take it one day at a time and keep hoping for the best.

Even though I was surprised, God wasn't. 

He knew.

My facebook status Tuesday was, Sometimes God calms the storm...sometimes He lets the storm rage and calms His child.  I made it through the week and have peace that can only come from the Lord. 

Thanks, Katie for giving us a place to share the God things in our life!

Ben's 2nd Birthday Party

Ben turned 2...

Three months ago at the beginning of June!

Yesterday I showed photos from Ben's actual birthday when he celebrated with a cupcake.  I'm finally getting around to writing a proper blog post about his birthday party.  It's only taken me 3 months, ha!

Here's Ben after all the guest left with the balloons from his party.

Where's Ben? 

Ben and Maggie.  I thought this was the cutest photo of Ben wearing Maggie's sunglasses.

Papa Ralph and Ben 

We had burgers, hot dogs, chips and fruit.  I love eating outside but flies are terrible about trying to get in the food--that's why everything is covered up in this photo.

Will eating at the picnic table with his buddies, Ty and Jarrell. 

Ty and Will moved to the fort with Kimberly. 

Maggie, Ben, Elizabeth, Jarrell and Angie.  Angie was very pregnant at Ben's party.  Bless her heart for being a good sport and still coming despite the heat. 

Papa and Ben and my pretty daylilies 

Ben's "Go Diego Go" cake made by my talented friend, Brandi. 

Super cute cake! 

Ben can't wait to get his hands on it. 

Make a wish!

Time to dig in! 

Birthday presents!!! 

He loved the toy drill from the Talley's! 

His very own vacuum from Mamaw and Papaw! 

Getting a little help from Jacob with how to turn it on and off. 

Elizabeth is such a cutie! 

Will and Kimberly.  They are exactly 3 months apart in age. 

Ben with Papaw, Mamaw, Emily and Elizabeth

Angie and Russell

After everyone went home Will and Ben played outside. 

Big smile from the birthday boy 

One last photo with Daddy and his vacuum (he loves his vacuum!). 

A good time was had by all!

*This is just a little side note so we don't forget the chigger infestation of our yard in the spring/summer 2011.  I received several texts and phone calls about how everyone had numerous chigger bites after the party.  Terri's husband said, we probably didn't have a chigger left in our yard because they were all on his ankles!  We felt terrible,  but we were miserable right along with everyone else.  I was covered in them and so were the boys.  That's life in Texas in the spring and summer.  It's hot and there are chiggers and mosquitoes.  Next time we'll dust the yard with sulfur and spray everyone with Off or Cutter before we hang out in the backyard.  Lesson learned :)