We've had a bad day...

Not a horribly bad day...but its up there. We went to visit Carmen. She just had surgery. The girls and I took over Fried Chicken, some sides, and some vanilla ice cream over to her house. She looked good and the girls were so sweet with her...they covered her with a blanket, kissed her, and gave her sad eyes. After eating, Kaytlynn started saying she didn't feel well. Turns out she is sick. She says she doesn't know what hurts, but she is lethargic even after a 2 hour nap. She also has a 101 fever. So I guess we will just get to find out what is wrong with her by her symptoms, if she ends up showing any. My Mother in Law called and said her mother is not doing well. They are starting to have to up the morphine often now, and she just went into hospice care last week...so it seems she is going quickly. Which is sad, but no one wants her to "stay" if she is going to just be hurting.

Todd is working late tonight and is also going to be working the weekend...I hate that. He did it all the time at his last job, but was starting off this job where it wasn't so necessary...it has picked up lately though. At least they said they would give him another day off for it.

On a good note. We finished swimming lessons today. Both girls did excellent in their last week of class. Delaney was a completely different "swimmer" this week. She didn't even think of crying today!

We also got the movie Madagascar in the mail today and boy do they love it...they laugh out loud at it often, and are already watching it for the 2nd time. I wish they could stay this age forever.

Delaney's Practically a Fish...almost.

We just got back from the YMCA. Today was the first day Delaney didn't cry and it only cost me a Strawberry Shortcake pony and a Lemon Meringue Pie doll. Yes...I bribed her. But it worked and she did so well. She was so proud of herself every time she got in the water and kicked or blew bubbles or whatever. She was still scared...I just knew she was going to yank her swimming coaches swimsuit top right off with the way she was pulling on it!

Kaytlynn is doing wonderfully. She was the only one in her class that could go to the bottom of the "deep end" and pick up something they threw down there. They called it treasure, but it is actually a plastic stick. Everyone smiles and laughs at her because she is a little cheerleader! She yells...Go Delaney Go...Good Job Delaney, Good Job! She high fives and gives thumbs up. She is definitely an encourager. She does the same for Theo and Brianna, who are also in her class.

I bought them both a new swimsuit last night at Wal-mart. They are pink with brown polka dots. Kaytlynn keeps correcting me that it is black. I tell her they are brown and she will just nod. Then I caught her telling Delaney in her ear "They are really black...she's wrong". Little Stinker! I think she has a little bit too much of me in her at times.

Today will be extra traumatic because at 2:00 I am meeting the girls for the dentist office. Both are going in for check ups and cleanings. This ought to be quite interesting, as even brushing their teeth is a triathlon sometimes.

Rice Problems...

It all started 2 days ago when I was cleaning up the kitchen. I had a 1 gallon container of dry white rice that I found a dead bug in. I was going to throw it all in the trash and thought it would make it heavy and maybe tear the bag, so I thought I would just pour it down the disposal. I realize that I have several degrees, but none of them came in handy when needing to remember that rice expands. The sink backed up and just sort of vomited all over my kitchen. When Todd started working on it, I asked if it could be the rice that I put down the disposal...he said naaaaa. BOY WAS I RELIEVED! About an hour later he said....did you put DRY RICE down there? I nodded yes...and then he realized what I had done.

He worked 2 evenings until midnight trying to fix the problem....When he told me Friday morning that it would cost 125 dollars, I said call em! He said...That is a lot of money. So I stayed quiet. This morning, he finally sent up the white flag and called. They guy said it was like concrete! It even broke a piece of his equipment. Todd worked beside him the whole time to speed up the process. He finally left 3 hours later and I asked Todd how much it cost...he smiled and said..."That was the best 250 dollars Ive ever spent." I let him celebrate by letting him go buy a Wii Nintendo. He said next time he will listen to me when I say to call the professional....I say..."we'll see!"

Mommy, We're In Love

So I am sitting in the office typing on the computer and Kaytlynn is going to the bathroom across the hall....and I hear "Mommy, we are in love, right?" I said yes, and she started giggling. She said, "We are in love, because we are a family". I wanted to melt.

Today the girls started swimming lessons and ballet lessons at the YMCA. Swimming Mon, Tu, Wed., Thurs. from 9:15-9:45; and Ballet 3:30-4:30. Kaytlynn had a fun time swimming...they practiced blowing bubbles, kicking, and jumping of the side into the water. Delaney didn't think it was so great. She hardly participated and then about halfway through, she walked of the steps she was supposed to be sitting on and went straight down. I kick my shoes off and scream her name (getting ready to jump in) and the teacher swims over to get her. She didn't want to participate anymore, but I was a mean mommy and made her. She likes water, but doesn't enjoy pools that much, but I want her to at least know how to get to the side if something like this ever happens again.

I put in an hour on the treadmill while the girls played and then we went home, ate and napped!

Ballet went better even though there were a couple of times that they both got frustrated and wanted to stop. I ended up bribing them....if they tried their best, they got a Strawberry Shortcake Doll. So they did well. Their teachers name is Ms. Suzie, who is very formal, and doesn't put up with any nonsense (which impressed me), and the helper is a young girl named Allissa. They were both very nice to the girls.

We will be swimming again tomorrow, so I am keeping my fingers crossed! Meanwhile, I am going to go play with the girls I am in love with!

Home Again

We got in this morning at 1:00 am. The girls sat in the back of the minivan watching Barbie Princess and the Pauper and a Strawberry Shortcake movie, while Todd slept, I drove and listened to an audio book for my class. Delaney stayed awake the whole way home and when we turned into our neighborhood, she finally gave up the ghost and went to sleep. We didn't want to come home but Todd just accepted a job at DHL and was asked to come home early for a meeting and other stuff, so home we came. It is probably for the best since we have my assistant principals wedding to go to tomorrow in Giddings, Texas. I always hate leaving there, because everyone has such a good time. We spent most of our time at the pool or just chatting while watching the kids run wild in their back yard. The funniest thing that happened was us taking the kids to my mother's duck pond in her neighborhood. While feeding the ducks, Kaytlynn bent over a bit too much and fell right into that nasty green water! Her head popped up and she actually swam to the side, with her eyes as big as I have ever seen them, while my sister pulled her up on to the ground. ...my mother yelling "get her, get her, get her"...she freaked out as much as Kaytlynn did. Kaytlynn shocked me when she swam, since she didn't know how to really.We tried to blow it off by saying..."why did you get to go swimming and we didn't?"...she just looked at herself in disgust and said matter of factly, "Well, I am all wet"!

Settled at Nana's

We came in late Friday night...actually Saturday morning at about 12:30am. Neither kid new where we were going until we were half way down the road. Delaney woke up about 5 minutes from their house. When we pulled into her neighborhood she smiled as big as she could and said..."do you smell something mom?" and giggled and giggled. I finished the phrase with her..."I smell Nana's house!!!" The kids stayed up till 2:30 playing with Nana and Papa in their big brown recliners. They were all in Heaven.

Yesterday the kids went to the pool with Todd, Scott, and Nana. When they all came back we ate and Lisa took her kids home and put them to bed, while I put the kids in the computer room to watch Straw ba ba ba ba ba berry Shortcake. When Lisa came back we stayed up till past midnight watching 9 to 5. That movie is so funny and full of such hilarious quick one-liners. We watched it over and over as teenagers...so it brought back good memories as well.

Today, Momma made breakfast as usual. My kids finished in record time and when I commented, Mother smiled and said...they know what their prize is going to be. She took them to the donut shop and let them pick out about a dozen donuts. As they were leaving, Kaytlynn had the boxes of donuts in her hand, looked up at Nana and in an excited voice questioned "Nana, are we gonna have tacos?" My mother has laughed and laughed at this blond moment of Kayltynn's.

Kaytlynn has also been showing off to everyone that will watch how she can fold a washcloth or a hand towel. She and Delaney are both in cute Super______ dresses today and mother asked Kaytlynn are you SuperWomen. Kaytlynn giggled and said No, Silly Nana, I am Super Girl!

We have spent the rest of the day eating and talking in the kitchen while Mother made a chocolate pie and a coconut pie. It has been really fun. The kids have spent most of the day running around in the backyard...playing with bubbles, playing chase, throwing steel javelin tipped stakes from Papa's garden! They all love playing with one another. It is a sad thought that in 10 years, we will have a 18, 15, 14, 13, and 12 year old. We were talking about that yesterday and the thought has stayed over me ever since it was spoken.

4 Kids a Jeep and a Pool

I started going to the Y with Jeanne this week. We are taking it pretty easy, so I have not killed myself as of yet. We meet up, drop the babies off and while we work out, the kids have a ball in the different areas on the site. It is by far the largest and nicest Y I have been to.

Today after the Y, we all went to Jeanne's to swim in her pool, but on the way there, Kaytlynn noticed Jeanne's Jeep. She has never commented on a car before, but when she saw the top down...."ooooooooo Mommy, I like Miss Jeanne's car" I want one. Jeanne ended up taking both of them around the block in it.

They swam for about 2 hours and played in the playroom with Nico and G for another hour. Before we left, I made them promise they would not take a nap on the way home so that they could go to bed at a decent time tonight. They both promised. I loaded up the car...and again, they excitedly promised me to stay awake...giddy with huge smiles. I did not make it 1 mile down the road before I hear Darling Delaney sucking in all 4 walls of the van...that kid can snore! So I weakened and told Kaytlynn that she could go to bed bed too. She was out in less than 1 minute!

Todd is mowing so that we can go to Denton. We are leaving tomorrow to spend a week there. Todd has to be trained up in Dallas so we are killing two birds with one stone and I am just too excited. The kids don't know yet...but they will be thrilled tomorrow! Nana and Papa's is their favorite place and Emily, Jacob and Gracie are their favorite cousins to run wild with!

An Unusual Sunday

It is unusual because we didn't go to church. I have a sinus headache and my throat hurts, so I sent Todd up to the church to rock the Babies A class and I spent my morning doing laundry. The house is a mess and I don't quite know how it got in such a disarray so quickly, other than that I have a 3 and a 4 year old.

Todd went to Sams with Delaney to pick up my birthday present. It is an arbor for our back porch. I am hoping it will ease some of the sun coming through our back windows. I took Kaytlynn to Michael's and bought a few crafts for the girls to do during the summer and used my 40% off coupon to buy an acrylic stamp block. While we were there Kaytlynn begged me for an odd little prize and I got it for her. She wanted a patriotic door hanger. Its made of wood and has a flag painted on it. It was so cute that she wanted it, that I couldn't say no...needless to say it doesn't match my decor, but who cares, because it makes her smile!

As I type right now, Todd is in the backyard putting my arbor together while the girls sit at their picnic table and eat their PB&J sandwiches that they made all by themselves. They have just started doing this and are so proud of themselves. They make them for Todd and myself as well...and lets just say they are heavy on the peanut butter!

Don't you just love getting in contact with an old friend! I had the pleasure of not 1 but 2 old friends contact me this week. Jill Fitzpatrick, an old friend I taught with at Bammel Middle School sent me an E card for my birthday and Marie Downer now Marie Jimenez contacted me through myspace. I knew Marie at SFA and we spent most of our class times together and go together a couple of times a week to just hang out. I mostly remember her from when my house burned down. I spent the night crying at her apartment, and she was happy to be there for me. They both live in the Austin area (they don't know each other), and I hope to see them some time this summer! I can't wait.

One Giant Step

For me starting a blog, that is! I have been wanting to do this for some time and am so jealous of everyone I know that has one, but have been to chicken to do it my self. I guess we should all start placing our bets as to how long I will keep this up as I am not a technology lover! On the other hand, I like writing and bragging about my babies...so I am thinking it is a 50/50 probability.

I finished the 2006-2007 school year yesterday and I am so glad it is over. I can't wait to spend the summer playing with my babies! We all went to Wunsche Bros. Cafe and Saloon last night with Larry, Stacy, and Taylor Massey and the girls spent the whole evening munching on their beloved french fries and ketchup and entertaining the whole restaurant dancing to the live music. There is nothing more beautiful than ballet done to Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin, right? It was hilarious and we all had such a good time.

I plan on "planning my summer" as far as cleaning and cooking goes today. I wonder how much of that planning will actually get done though?

P.S. If you are wondering why I chose to write this in pink, it is because it is the only color Kaytlynn and Delaney deem acceptable.