thoughts

So, as I was reading the news today I read that Senator McCain chose a woman as his running mate. Now I didn't read any of the articles. I just read the headlines. Whatever happens in November will go down in history. Either we will have our first black president or we will have a female vice president. It will definitely be interesting what happens.

I love nights like tonight. The battery in the car died so after jump starting it we took a drive. Bub fell asleep. When we got home Monkey wanted a drink of milk. After he was finished with his milk he took himself up to bed. It is so nice to not have to fight them to go to bed.

How do you get a kid to not just pee in the middle of a room? Monkey was doing so well with going to the bathroom and then all of the sudden he has started peeing where ever he is when the urge strikes. He is starting preschool next week so it will be interesting to see how that goes. It isn't as if he ever tells me that he needs to go. I was about ready to put him back in diapers because I was tired of having to clean the messes in his pants when he just all of the sudden started going to the bathroom by himself. When we go to the park he doesn't tell me that he needs to go, he just takes off for the bathroom. This wouldn't be such a big deal if he didn't insist on going into the men's bathroom!

deck

When we moved into our home three years ago there was a small deck off of the kitchen. When you walked out on it the thing swayed. With that and the fact that when it was built they left one corner without boards on it. Because Monkey was learning how to crawl I decided that it needed to be replaced. We tore it down and started planning another deck. Well three years later, we have finally finished the first step in getting the deck up!

Spencer works for the power company. A couple of months ago I had the thought that it would be nice if we could get the truck they use to dig the holes for power poles. I didn't really think that it would happen. Then two weeks ago Spencer got the idea in his head to use old power poles as the supports for the deck. He talked with the line supervisor for the office here and was told that it would be no problem. So this afternoon they showed up and planted seven posts for my deck! It sure was nice to not have to dig the holes by hand. It was also nice to have three extra sets of hands to get the posts in the whole so all I had to worry about keeping little boys out of the way. I am so very excited to have something done on the ddeck. I have missed not having the deck out back to relax on in the evenings.

It is like Spencer said though... we got the hard part done and now comes the expensive part.

Just a Tuesday Morning

Monkey is such a joy! He brings me in some Duplos and as I sit here playing with him he tells me that he loves it. He kisses it and I promptly drop it only to have the "sword" break apart into fifteen pieces. What is most wonderful is that he didn't get mad that I dropped it and broke it! Now he is telling me that I need to "click x". For some reason his favorite letter on the keyboard is the letter x. If I am talking to someone on instant messenger he will insist on helping me. (I only let him help when I am talking with Spencer or my little brother. Spencer as his dad takes it in stride and KC just laughs.)

My mom came out to visit me Saturday. She brought my sister Danielle with her. Danielle probably shouldn't have made the trip with mom because she had her tonsils out on Thursday. I might be seeing a lot more of Mom. I am the closest to Grandma out of Mom's kids and it is going to be tough on her as they try and figure out what do do about her now that Grandpa has passed away. Grandma is losing her memory. Her doctor told her that it was just circulation problems, but the way Grandma is so easily upset makes me believe that there is more to it then that. The anger is the hardest part. I wish I could do more for Mom then being a place "closer" to Grandma (even if closer means just two hours drive difference.)

I am doing better now that Spencer is home. Last week was extremely hard. My emotions were all over the place and it seemed everytime I turned my back on the kids they were into something they shouldn't be. I am going to sign Monkey up for pre-school this year. I hope he will enjoy that. I also hope that having the challenge to learn will help him to explore his creativity in other ways beside with peanut butter.

Stay at home Mom

I have often told people that being a stay at home mom is the hardest thing that I have ever done. When I worked my nine to five job I was able to leave work at work at five and had the weekends off. Being a stay at home mom has no down time, unless you count the time when you are actually asleep. Spencer is away on business and so I am home with the kids and so have no one to help clean up after the kids. Today, Monkey found Spencer's shave gel and so that was all over the bathroom. Then I left them downstairs for no more than ten minutes and they had dumped out fifteen packets of instant oatmeal.
Just a a disclaimer... I love that I am home with my kids. I am lucky that I am able to stay with them. It is just some days, like any other "job" it is overwhelming.

trouble

They are so much easier to deal with when they are asleep.

Yesterday the boys decided to bring the hose intot he house. Now the flooring in front of the door is coming up. The door catches on it so it is being pulled up even more when I open the door.

And then today they got into the peanut butter and that is all over the carpet. It seems like every time I turn my back on them they are into something. As much as I love them... the messes are so frustrating!!!!

First Post

Life has been hard the last three weeks. My Aunt was diagnosed with cancer about the time my youngest son was born two years ago. At the time she was given three to six months to live. July 22, she passed away. It was a blessing. I was able to see here while I was in town the week before and knew at that time that it was close. I just didn't think that I would be getting the call less than a week after I had seen her. Already having a hard time with my Aunt's passing, I couldn't sleep the night before her funeral. At about midnight, my mom's sister called (my aunt that passed away was my dad's sister) to say that my Grandpa was not doing very good and they were taking him to the hospital. At the funeral the next day I could not stop crying. After the family dinner following the funeral I wanted my mom to call to find out how grandpa was doing. My sister Jen gave me a hard time for being "our little worrier". Mom made the call and we found out that grandpa was doing a lot better. Mom went up to be with them the next day and he was able to go home from the hospital the day after that. This was the day that I planned on going home so I stopped by to see them. He looked pretty good. I didn't want to stay too long. My three (almost four year old) and a two year old wear both grandma and grandpa out rather quickly.
My sister Jessie called me Saturday morning to let me know that Grandpa was back in the hospital and they didn't think that he would make it through the weekend. So I got me and the kids ready to go and made the two hour trip to see him in the hospital. When I got to the hospital they had him on forced oxygen, which is a lot different then just having him on oxygen. The forced oxygen mask has to have a complete seal otherwise the air would be forced out around the mask instead of down to the lungs. The force of the air made it so that he could not relax even though that was what he needed the most. I was very glad that his oxygen levels got up high enough that they were able to take that mask off of him and just have a nasal cannula on him. He was able to talk with Jessie and I for a good hour. I had to go home Saturday night. I don't think that I could have handled being there Sunday. I called my mom Sunday after visiting hours were done and she said that he was doing as good as could be expected. I told her that he couldn't die the next day because it was my anniversary. I knew she had no control over it and neither did he. And to be honest, I would rather see him at peace then to see him as restless as he was when I first got to the hospital on Saturday. Mom called me just before nine Monday morning to tell me that the hospital had called just after eight to tell them they needed to get up there because he wasn't doing very well. I was devastated. I had to get mortgages paid, but as soon as that was done we again made the trip. Mom called me about twelve forty-five to tell me that grandpa had passed away around eleven that morning. I hadn't even left my house in time to see him. However, Spencer dropped me off at my grandma's house and took the kids to his sister's. I spent the afternoon with my Mom, Jen, Grandma and Aunt Utahnna.
Spencer and I did go have dinner and it was healing to sit with my family. However, waiting all week for the funeral was hell.
Grandpa, you were a great man, truly the world's greatest grandpa. I love you and will miss you always!