It's the Little Things, You Know

Whilst I was taking a teeny break from blogging....and I didn't realize it until after the fact....I still thought of you. Of course, I whipped that handy dandy cell phone out many times to take pictures with the idea of sharing them with you because that's how I roll.

Today is my one day this week. Sort of. The Boy has to go back to Dr. M. today because we're tweaking meds again. ~sigh~ I sure wish that kid would settle into one or two or three medications for a while and give his Mama a break. I have a free morning and, yes, I am still in my pajamas at 10:43 a.m.

Before The Man went on to his next life adventure, I had the pleasure of accompanying him to the galley on base for a lovely lunch. Every once in a while, the sailors and such get treated to some amazing food. This day was going to be crab legs and T-bone steaks. This was to cost around four bucks and some change. When we found out about this, we knew we were going to be enjoying some good eating. Also, we knew this would be the last time we would do this, so it made it kind of bittersweet.

I am not addicted to my cell phone, but I am addicted to the alarms I set on it to remind me of appointments. I have three kids doing various things with doctor appointments added in for good measure. Using the calendar to helps me remember has been the best feature on that phone yet. Even better than the camera!

I always set my alarms to remind the day before and the day of anything I have going on. I happened to look and guess what? I had a dentist appointment set for the day of good eating. Oh no. I debated for all of five minutes and I called the dentist office to reschedule. I kid you not. Internets, you just can't get this deal out in the "real world"! Did I tell them why I had to reschedule? Of course, not! Suffice it to say, I got my teeth cleaned in a timely manner AND crab legs with steak. Life was good.

Now, don't you agree this was worth calling that dentist to change my appointment time? There had to be a half pound of crab meat in those claws! Note the quaint bowl of shrimp to the side and twice baked potato. I promise we didn't eat supper that night. The kids did, but we didn't.

Still on the subject of cell phones so go with me. Paige came across one of her old cell phones and was able to turn it on. She found a treasure for us on it. There were some pictures she had taken that we couldn't get off at the time because technology wasn't there for us. God bless that child of mine because she can figure out anything she wants to do when it comes to computers and cell phones. This is what she found and was able to preserve.

Those cheeks! Those sweet plump baby cheeks! His face is so thin now and he's a little boy...no longer a baby. The quality of picture isn't the greatest , but I sure am tempted to print and frame this for the sheer sweetness of it.

I'm not sure if my son remembers his pacifiers or is too ashamed to claim it, but I'm so glad we have this picture. That baby did love that paci with all his heart. In fact, we still find them around the house and I'm sure there's plenty more to be found when we go to move.

I just had to put this down because you all know Miss Hope ain't about the scrapbooking and some memories and such just don't need to be lost. There are a few more I might need to share with you I'll try to get on here in the very near future.

By the way....do any of you have an obsession going on? Mine right now is finding new things for my new house. Makenna and I have visions of how we want to decorate and I love looking for steals and deals. I've been searching around for a small table that I can paint. I thought I had one last week at a thrift-like type store here, but the green paint on it was a tad too much for me to consider fighting. I would love to know if any of you have any good home projects going on!

What a Kid can Say

Kids are great people to have around. No, really, they are. My three are a hand full, but they sure keep me entertained at times. Here are a few examples I'd like to share to prove my point.

We all know my son is a major PITA to get dressed for school in the mornings. His system has dumped his medication and it takes a good hour for the day's dose to kick in. Therefore, we endure a lot of screaming, running, and ill acting from him. I literally break a sweat getting his teeth brushed every now and then. (Who am I kidding? Practically every morning.) One morning I was calling him from the bathroom to hurry up and bring his butt in there. Finally, he decided to bless me with his presence. He got to the bathroom door and with a huge sparkly smile on his face exclaimed, "MAMA! LET'S DANCE!" He then proceeded to dance. I could have done this two ways. I could have huffed and puffed and scolded and killed his mood....or I could dance. I decided to dance. We wiggled and jiggled (that would me) and shook our boo-tays for a minute or two. I sang and made up a brushing teeth song on the fly and we were out of that bathroom in record time. It made me laugh. It made him laugh. That was a good day.

While The Man is gone during the week working the new job, The Boy deems it necessary to sleep with me because he doesn't want me to be alone. (Isn't he the sweetest?) I surely don't mind. I've always believed that Mama's bed is the best place in the world and if my kids need it bad enough? They can have it. To this day, my own Mama's bed is the best bed in the world and I always try to find a minute to lay across it when I'm visiting. So, time changed on us and I, for one, truly love the winter hours much better. About a week into the change of time, I was awoken at 5 a.m. to a sweet pat on my cheek and a little voice saying, "Mama, let's start the day!" I cracked an eye to glance at the clock and told him to go back to sleep for an hour. Ten minutes later, that little hand was patting my cheek again with the same request. Again, I told him we weren't getting up until the alarm clock went off. This continued until the alarm clock sounded at 6 a.m. sharp. When I swung my feet off of the bed, he exclaimed, "FINALLY!" and bounded into the living room. I asked him why he didn't just get up and watch television, to which he replied, "I just didn't want to be alone." Mercy, I love that kid. Bless him, the help making coffee and getting breakfast started was right interesting that morning. I sent him to wake up his sisters with a smile on my face. Later, Paige would inquire as to what pot of crack he got into. That's my boy...never a dull moment.

Yesterday, at church, The Boy's class made turkey projects for Thanksgiving. The glue was still wet so we set it to the side to dry. Later on, I heard the following conversation:

The Boy: (wailing and whining voice) Ohhh nooooooooooooo, my chicken is all messed up!!!

Sissy (Paige): Uh, Boy? That's a turkey.

The Boy: Oh.

(pauses for a second)

The Boy: Ohhhh noooooooooooo, my turkey is all messed up!!!!

That middle kid of mine? She's an original for sure. I don't know of another like her and I want to be like her when I grow up. She has her own mind and is right comfortable with it. Every morning she has a bowl of cereal and watches Headline News with Miss Robyn Meade. We all love that Robyn and enjoy getting our news on. Yes, even the ten year old. This morning we were watching it together (rare occasion) when they showed sports highlights. A golfer made a hole in one. Of course, she had to rewind it (love that DVR) and watch it again. She, being the novice golfer, was in awe. I asked her what she would do if she made a shot like that. Her response? "Knowing my luck? I'd be playing by myself and no one would believe me!" That girl has a good head on her shoulders.

How about teaching a teenager to drive? If nothing else will put you on a nerve pill, that will for sure. My girl Paige is getting better the more she drives, but she has a way to go yet. I am not my father, that's for sure. I try so hard to be patient but do you blame me for losing my mind when she pulls my Tahoe out in front of an incoming car? ~shudder~ We have discovered something, though, in this learning experience. She drives better at night. I believe that's because she can't see the world around her to get distracted. She also drives better when she's laughing her butt off. I kid you not. When we get tickled over something while she's driving, she does a fantastic job. Go figure. Her goal is drive her Nana around when we go to South Carolina for a visit. I can't think of a better goal to have.

So, while I am doing the single parenting gig during the week....it's not all bad. I'm so busy my days fly by and at least one of my kids will give me a good laugh by the end of the day. I do treasure my moments with them as instructed by those with kids grown and gone have told me to do. If you're not treasuring a good moment every day? Dance a little bit. You'll be surprised how good it feels.