bugs and other nasty things....

As you all know, I hate bugs... pretty much any kind, with the possible exception of ladybugs and praying mantis'. They completely creep me out and I always scream like a little girl when I first see them. Last week, I saw a cricket on a box I was trying to get into and I screamed until my throat hurt!
The bug I hate the worst? Mosquitos....definitely....and of course due to all the rain we've had over the last couple of weeks, we have an infestion of the little blood suckers. If you know me well, you know that when I get mosquito bites they swell up to the size of quarters. You also know that I tend to get many if I get one. So as you probably already can guess, I have had many mosquito bites in the last week....25 to be exact....and I'm NOT exaggerating! YUCK!
The only other thing I hate worse than bugs are things that are dirty. And of course, God, with His hilarious sense of humor has seen to it that both of these things have come together to make my life hell. (I'm NOT being dramatic! :))
I got a note yesterday saying that a child in Cais' class has/had lice. Ummmm...you have no idea how grossed out that made me. I swear I itched all afternoon/evening! To make matters worse, this kid is a friend of Cais', so we have to check her for lice for the next two weeks! I know that most of you are laughing your butts off right now, but it's NOT FUNNY! I'm seriously freaked out! Poor Cais, she had to take a shower yesterday as soon as she got home from school and I made her wash her hair like 5 times. Then, I took all her clothes that she wore that day, along with her sheets and towels and I washed them in HOT water. I have no idea what I'm going to do if she gets it. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In other news, school is going well for both kids. Sam is quite the popular little boy - all the girls is his class wait by the fence to tell him goodbye every afternoon. SIGH! Who would blame them? That kid is so darn cute! Cais is doing well too. Mastering subtraction has been hard, but she is doing much better. Wil misses his sissy and Sam, but really likes the time alone with Mommy. Matt and Chris got him a new bike for his birthday and he is trying hard to make his legs long enough to work it! J is really enjoying his job, although he is extremely busy. The church plant starts in two weeks and we are ready! The kids start soccer in two weeks as well. We are going to be busy!

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement during this time. So many of you have helped in so many different ways. We are so grateful and blessed to have you all as our friends (actually, family). Our prayer is that God would use this time in our lives to help us remember those who are in the same situation. Maybe one day we'll be able to return the favor!

mondays

I always start out Monday with the best of intentions of getting things done and then something always gets in my way!
I have been trying to clean out my kid's toys for about a week now. I have an appointment with a resell shop in town TOMORROW and I want to try to sell a few of their better toys/clothing. Unfortunately, the cleaning out hasn't happened so far, and it's already 4 pm! ARGH!
I still have three loads of laundry to do, but I can't start that until 8 pm, because of our energy saver electricity thing. I have to balance the checkbook, but who wants to do that? I have work to do, but cannot find the motivation to do anything but sit on my butt staring at my computer screen!
Is it the heat? Is it my kids? No, it's just a general feeling of lethargy I've had lately. I don't want to do anything. I think it's because my body and mind are finally allowing themselves to unwind after three plus months of insanity....
So, I'm going to allow myself this one day of nothingness. Although, I've still done three loads of laundry this morning, and went to the grocery store. Tonight, while J is at Bible study, maybe I'll find the motivation to go upstairs and get to work on the toy situation...and then again, maybe I won't....SO THERE!

changes....

OK...Here I am with my new glasses. I have to wear them all the time now. The doctor says that my astigmatism is so bad that he can't believe that I'm driving or walking around without them! GULP! Not my favorite look....but I did get them with the Transitions lenses.




Also, here is a pic of Sam with his first lost tooth! He lost it last night, and it was only loose one day! Lots of changes! Fun, fun!

happy birthday wil!

Wil turned three on Friday. I can't believe it!

Saturday, we went to Desert Breeze Park for his party. Brian and Jessica w/Anthony and Justin, Nancy and Kris, and Christina were there along with my parents. They have a splash pad there and a huge playground. The big plus is that they have a train, which goes around the park. So, Wil was in heaven. He LOVES trains! However, he wanted Bob the Builder, so we did that along with a dump truck cake (pictured above). It was BY FAR the easiest cake I've ever made. If you want the recipe, let me know.

So, we are doing well. It is nice to just be relaxed about life right now. The church plant is going to get started in September and I'm going to help with the admin stuff....I know....I can already hear the laughing.....
Kids are doing fine in school. They both have made friends and are all smiles when I pick them up. No meltdowns so far! HOORAY!

funny side note

Guess what Sam's new friend's name is???? I made him prove it to me yesterday by showing me his snack list.... I don't know what this name is all about, must be a family name or something....
His name is.....HURL! Yes, that's right...a name...not a verb....
I just thought this was really funny. Only Sam....

growing up

Last night I decided to create a shirt that says "I survived the first day of school....AGAIN!" Two down and one to go! With school starting today, I can honestly say that I'm glad I only have to go through this one more time. I don't think my heart could take much more.
After crying myself to sleep last night, I awoke to a severe headache and knot in my stomach. I got up early, as I was meeting my mom for breakfast after I dropped the kids off at school. Cais woke up with a bloody nose, but a positive attitude for the day. I had to wake Sam up, but he was in a good mood as well. All in all the morning went great. The kids ate, brushed their teeth, and got their hair combed in record time. As we set off to Destiny, I tried hard to just focus on the excitement they were feeling. We got to the school and I went inside with them to drop off their 8 million school supplies. We then ventured to the playground to line up and get ready for the first day of school. As all the kids stood in line, I realized that I was one mom among many who were struggling with their "baby" heading off to kindergarten.
When the bell rang, all the kids lined up and there was A LOT of excited chatter in the lines. All except kindergarten. Those kids were all a little shell shocked, not quite believing that all this was actually happening. Sam got a little teary when I said goodbye, but he hung tough and marched with his class into their room. Cais, of course, was the center of attention...holding court with her friends like she didn't have a care in the world. I was pleased that she actually kissed me goodbye.
I spent the day with my mom and our friend Kenda, getting her classroom ready for their first day of school on Wednesday. Kenda is a music teacher at another elementary school in town. We had a lot of fun, and it helped keep my mind off of my misery.
At 3 pm, I picked up the kids, full of energy and stories of the day. One kid puked in Sam's class (chalking that one up to nerves, hopefully), another kid got his card turned in Cais' class (behavior). Their little faces were lit with excitement!
But, I have to say that this is no fun for mom. While I am SO happy that they like school, I missed them today. I guess I'll get used to it. Wil was a little lost as well. Not used to having no one but mom to entertain him!
Anyway, just some reflections on the first day of school....the next step in the long process of growing up. I told J that if I was this bad now, what was I going to be like when they left for college or....gasp...for good! WAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!