He's got him a high school deeplomaaa!

Oh my gosh... really. I cannot believe my Chan graduated high school. Not that I ever doubted him, not one bit. I am seriously dripping snot and tears as I type this. I guess I'm not good with change, or knowing that he's officially a big kid now and technically doesn't need me anymore. Basically the scissors are hovering near the apron strings and I'm trying to back away... All these years I knew it would hit me HARD when graduation day came. I had him my Senior year and didn't do the whole walk across the stage thing and this was like I graduated right along with him. I just can't believe I won't have to replace another school ID or wash his favorite dress code shorts at midnight or make him his favorite brown bag lunch again and that is making the lump in my throat bigger than it needs to be. I remember every single moment of his first day of kindergarten: he had sausage and pancakes and wore a black and white t-shirt with jeans and these little Payless brand tennis shoes. We even stopped at Sack -n- Save for kleenex because that's a "required" school supply item and I believe we got him an ultra groovy soccer backpack at S&S too. Weird. I was so afraid he was gonna cry and that little fart walked away from me and started coloring and said- "you can go now Mom". Umm, okay. And, he has continued to amaze me ever since- winning 3 spelling bees to reading Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings in 2ND GRADE!! And, man oh man all the neat stories he would write. He has always loved literature and it wasn't until he was 15 that he developed a love of music and guitar. I am just so very happy that I have been able to get to know, teach, and love this kid and love that he teaches me too. I asked my friend Kathi earlier when the lump in my throat would go away and she said never, it just changes as life does and as you experience more and more as you live. Well put. However, I wish mine would simmer down a bit. I'm having a hard time breathing.

Anyway- yesterday was nuts! Typical for us of course but I think it was nuttier than normal. It was a very long day. Starting with Hayden's field day and ending with Chan's graduation. The venue was jampacked and parking was scarce. I ended up parking in a lot but then it started pouring and the attendant ducked for cover, so I never paid, oops. I had Hunter and Cam with me and my mom went in with Chloe and Jon, Hayden, and Chan had gotten there earlier. I was so afraid I was gonna miss him walking in but thankfully I was able to get in there in time. As soon as the music started I stood in amazement and bawled like a baby. And, let's see- I couldn't take my stroller in the stands, my carseat was blocking the aisle and Cam lost patience quick. All in all I was in and out of the stands about ten times. Getting out to leave was insane, I lost my whole family and was shoved many many times. Which, for a feisty redhead was not fun, I tried super hard to maintain my cool.... It was just a crazy night. I drove my mom back to Grand Prairie and scarfed down two Whataburger taquitos in her driveway, the first meal I'd had since noon and it was nearing midnight. Anyway- I am not sure what the future holds for Chan or any of us to be honest. But, I am sorta excited to find out!

about to take their seats for the ceremony


The Graduate!


our family


mama and her baby



the official document

18 tidbits about my 18 year old

In honor of Chandler's 18th birthday, I have compiled a list of 18 things I want to always remember about him and his childhood. These are just but a few of the funny, neat or just plain silly things he has done over the years. Like the time he sneezed on a brand newborn Hunter or when I caught him drinking his prescription bubble gum flavored antibiotic with a crazy straw as if it were no big deal... I sure hope the internet stays put, since I don't wanna forget all this. I am getting old, ya know!?

1. The first morning I woke up at home with my new baby Chandler, I couldn't find him. He was under the covers next to my feet. Not sure how he got down there. We had been nursing and sleeping, or so I thought... I have since perfected the art of co-sleeping, either with my hubby or my kiddos.

2. I was gonna name him Chandler Mackensie- regardless of gender. I picked his first name from a magazine article about a guitar player named Chandler who went by Chan. This same guitar player is now in the band Blues Traveler. I later saw the name in a book, The Prince of Tides. This time it was a little girl named Chandler and I knew then that my baby would be named Chandler.

3. Chandler has always been a big boy. I would often get scolded by nosy people for giving him binkies and bottles when he was so big. People thought he was closer to 4 when he was really only 2. He weighed 50 pounds when he was 2!

4. His first word was BEAST, he was about 10 months old. At the time his favorite movie was Beauty and the Beast. He used to take his binky out, say BEAST and then stick it back in.

5. Barney the big purple dinosaur was hugely popular when Chandler was little. He started out crawling like a baboon with his butt in the air and when he finally learned to walk, he would walk like Barney. Or in other words- stomp around like a dinosaur.

6. Chandler has always been a master at making messes. He was always getting into trouble with ooey gooey substances. Once, he tried to cram oatmeal in the VCR. He also cracked eggs on the TV, which made a nice little scramble on the wood grain. Other favorites- smearing butter on the kitchen floor and more than once emptying an entire container of baby powder. So not fun to clean.

7. He used to love to walk with me and his aunts to our grandma's house. Once there he would put on her slippers and get into her chair where he would feast on peanuts and homemade chocolate chip cookies. This snack would be accompanied by a Diet Coke, with a straw. When she passed away, he asked for her slippers- and he got them.

8. Chan is my kiddo of quirky Halloween costumes. A few of my favorites: Hamburglar and one year he was a Rastafarian, complete with dreads and dark brown skin. I am not sure what I mixed together to make him "black" but it was pretty dang cute.

9. Chandler is super duper crazy smart. He has taken the gifted talented test at school EVERY year since 2nd grade and every year he fails on purpose. He doesn't want to be grouped with the gifted kids and he most certainly doesn't want to have to do more homework than absolutely necessary.

10. He has been in 4 spelling bees, from 2nd to 6th grades. He won 3 of them at the school level and then immediately bombed at the district level. Two words that I remember him messing up on- neighborhood and fauna. Weird what we remember as moms huh?

11. Chandler was afraid of big in ground swimming pools for years and years and it wasn't until after he was 10 or so that he would leave the steps or side of the pool even though he towered above the top of the water. Funny thing is, now he spends more time in our pool than any of us.

12. He LOVES ketchup! More than any other edible substance on Earth. Like, it's a freakin' tragedy if we are out of ketchup. I gifted him with a basket of 18 different varieties for his birthday. He'll eat it on everything from burgers to egg rolls to pizza.

13. He once broke my sister Kelli's cat's pelvis by closing it in a drawer. It only cost $200 bucks to stick a balloon up the cat's butt to fix it....

14. He used to love to color so much. He had a special name for the crayons and to this day I can't figure out the connection. He called them gobies. So cute!

15. He has good taste in friends! He has about 6 close friends who are REDHEADS! It's gotta have something to do with his mom being a redhead. Ok, maybe they're drawn to his red beard. I am hoping for redheaded grandchildren!

16. One of his favorite things to do with his grandpa was "ghost hunting". My dad would drive him around at night to all the areas in town that had long winding roads or little to no street lights and they would "hunt for ghosts".

17. He has not acclimated to driving as well as he would like to. Case in point- he recently drove my van to pick Hunter up from a friend's house and he hit a brick mailbox with my bumper. He used black nail polish, black craft paint and an old pair of boxer shorts to repair the damage. He was genuinely shocked when we figured it out.

18. He gets panicky when he's sick or super sun burnt. His one cure all-to walk around buck naked. That crazy kid has surprised more than one person walking around in the buff....

And one to grow on- He told us today that he wants to be an astronaut. This child of mine who vomited when he got a hair on his toothbrush, and when he smelled a bad fart, and when he saw the dog eat a poopy diaper. This same kid who is not too thrilled with roller coasters wants to be an ASTRONAUT?!

Oh brother....

On my Chan-Man

I have been wanting to sit down and blog about Chandler for quite some time, but haven't really had a ton of time to devote to the kind of post I wanted to do. I am determined to get this finished before dawn... Way back in March, Chandler celebrated his 18th birthday. Which, is a huge milestone for so many reasons: he is legally considered an adult now, he can vote, he's old enough to work at Target (score), etc etc. But, the biggest milestone for me personally was that I never imagined I could raise a kid, let alone get one to adulthood. And yes, I know he is barely an adult.

I am not sure how many of you guys that read this know that Chandler has a different father, whom he has never met and that I met his step-dad Jon (who is HIS DAD, regardless of genetics) when he was almost 3. Yes, I was a "single" mom although I did live with my sisters and my parents. I was responsible for his care as much as I physically, emotionally, and financially could- whenever I could. I mainly relied on backup from my sisters because I didn't want my parents to think I couldn't handle a kid, my kid. You see, I had only been 17 for a few short months whenever I got pregnant. I was a statistic- an unwed, pregnant teenager. I was also nearly 16 weeks along before I even found out I was expecting. I strongly suspected it, but was in massive denial and didn't really know where or whom to turn to. It wasn't until I finished up a session at Summer school that I had a few of my friends drive me to a free clinic in Dallas. I pretty much knew I was pregnant, I just needed confirmation. As if the sore breasts, nausea, and terrible exhaustion weren't a big enough clue. So silly, but I remember giving a fake name in case the nurse at the clinic decided to tattle on me. Once I found out I kept it between me, my sisters, and my friends who took me to the clinic. I had always known that I wasn't meant to be your typical young adult, I had felt it since I was a little girl. I just didn't know what my future held- but I was about to find out, quick! I managed to keep my secret for a few weeks and it wasn't until a huge fight with my mom did the cat jump out of the bag. I was terrified of what my dad would say/think. Instead, I think for the first time in several years a light seemed to shine on our family. Little did I know what joy, hope, and happiness he would bring to all of us. Which is what brings me to this post- Chandler's 18th birthday is such a huge milestone because he came into this world 2 weeks after I turned 18. I could go on and on about my life thus far with the Chanster, but I won't. Simply put, yes there were and will continue to be hard days. But, for every hard moment there have been a thousand more awesome ones. I will say that I was headed down the wrong path, doing all kinds of foolish crap and I 100% believe that Chandler saved my life and came into this world when I and my family needed it most. He is such a cool, awesome, smart, funny, quirky kid and I am alot proud and truly honored that he picked me to be his mommy.

gettin' his hair did


me (19) and Chan (1)


Senior night at his school (back in October)


me and Chan and Cam on his 18th birthday (sorta blurry)

Football Party!

Friday night was Chan's last ever football banquet. It's a big deal for Senior moms because you get to decorate your own table, or half a table in our case. You can have a full table if you pay $25 per chair. Multiply that by 10 people plus money for decorations and it gets expensive! Little did we know the folks we were sharing a table with were no shows... Anyway, I have been looking forward to this for years. Little did I know when the time came that I would have a clingy 4 month old who could have cared less about my need to craft! However after working off and on for two days I managed to do a decent table display. Plus, I got to go on a date with Jon, Chan, and Hunter. Thanks so much to Erin and Vince for watching the other three kiddos while we "partied". Anyway- here are some pics of the table and a very few of us.

Tidbits

Ok, here is what's been going on:

Christmas is FINALLY over, yay! I am so glad and I don't mean to sound like Scrooge at all. Mainly because our house is so over run with baby goodies that I will not be sad to see the tree and other decor go in the attic. Hopefully we'll have won the lottery and gotten a bigger house before next year.... HAHAHAHAHA! LOLOLOLOL! Christmas was a blast as always! Camden's first Christmas didn't disappoint, however I forgot to get him a Baby's 1st Christmas outfit and a pic of him wearing said non-existent outfit... oh well!

I got an IPHONE! I love it so much! It is the funnest thing to play with although I don't know half of the things it is capable of. But give me time! I never want to own another phone. It is SO COOL!

Jon and I are discussing putting our house on the market. Yes, the real estate market isn't great now. But, with prayer, faith, and much intense discussion we feel like if it's the right thing to do we'll know. Also, if it sells quickly that will be a determining factor as well. We aren't 100% sure where we would go but have discussed Grand Prairie near Joe Pool Lake. Personally I would miss my friends over here terribly and our pool and stuff but we need more living space and less yard.

Camden weighs 16 POUNDS! He is getting so big. He is giggling and kicking and is just so full of personality. I just love him to bits. He put on quite a show for family over the holiday and was passed from person to person and boy did he ever ham it up! He has been drooling and chewing like crazy. I think he may be in the beginning stages of teething. Certainly his boobie-biting has been an indicator. Santa brought him some baby cereal and 1st foods, so after his 4 month check up in a few weeks he may be starting solids!

Ok, here's a biggie: what do those of you who live near family do to divide your time with family evenly over the holidays? Jon and I had a pretty heated argument about this over Christmas. Yes, bad timing I know... I absolutely LOVE both of our families to pieces but it seems as if I don't ever get to see enough of them on holidays. We are either at our own house or on the road. What to do? There are only so many days... advice/opinions please!

Chandler took his SATs the other day and scored 1800 out of 2400. I was hoping for a perfect score :) to help him get into a good school or the very least a decent scholarship. I am super proud of him no matter what! He is more than likely gonna retake it, simply to see if he can get a higher score and because when he took it the first time he had 4 hours of sleep, no breakfast and he left his calculator at home.

And, last but CERTAINLY not least: both of Jon's grandmothers passed away within 13 days of each other. So super sad and at Christmas too. His maternal grandmother, Mabel, was in her mid nineties and it was expected that she wouldn't make it til Christmas. But, it was very hard regardless. She was soooo sweet and I loved her so much. Just a sweet kind little lady with a great spirit about her. I will miss her so much. His other grandma, Cecilia, was his stepdad's (from age 5 to 25) mom and she was a feisty redhead like me, so naturally we hit it off from the first time I met her. Her passing was VERY unexpected and hit an already grieving family hard. I am so sorry to all family on hubby's side for such a devastating loss during Christmas. These two neat ladies will be dearly missed. As soon as I can get my scanner working I hope to load some pics of Mabel and Cecilia on here.

And, on that note I am gonna finish my chores and dinner. I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and I am wishing all of y'all a healthy, prosperous, Happy New Year! Can't wait to hear those resolutions!

OMG Ashley look at your butt... and stomach, and thighs, and double chin and...!

I am sitting here drinking a Coke while a Dove chocolate melts in my mouth and I know that the good times of giving into the cravings are over. Besides, the three C's- chocolate, cheese, and Coke make Camden fart. I had seriously cut down on them when I discovered they made him gassy, but eventually the cravings won me over. But, now that he had his 3 month birthday today, it's TIME! Time to eat healthier and guzzle even more water than I normally do. I try and eat somewhat healthy but I am so nowhere near perfect. I am lucky that I am nursing because it burns so many calories and I feel like if I had tried harder that I could have lost more weight by now. Thankfully I lost every single pound I gained during my pregnancy which is nice, however it's definitely distributed differently. Honestly I don't know how the scale has the same number because my face is puffy, I have a fat belly, and of course there's my boobage, which I swear needs it's own zip code. I am gonna start slowly partly because I am not sure how many calories I should eat and because I don't have time to read labels and count calories like I did before. My plan is to eat healthy, normal portions and not go for seconds. I will allow myself to "cheat" but not everyday like I have been. I am also gonna double my water intake which is already pretty high. For exercise, I am gonna put on my Reebok Easy Tone shoes and do the treadmill while Camden swings or looks at his mobile or something! I may even try and keep them on while I do chores and whatnot. I won't wear them in public though- they are fugly! I am pretty sure that lugging the car seat and carrying around a 13 pound baby will help me in the weights area. I am gonna see how things go on this "plan" of mine for a few months and if I am not showing marked improvement I'm gonna have to join a gym and consult with a trainer. I don't think I was ever meant to be teeny tiny and although I love sports and am pretty athletic I am never gonna be a gym rat, a runner, or a slave to exercise. Life is pretty busy and as long as I try and stay healthy that is what's important. And, first and foremost is my family so I really don't want anything to get in the way of that. I wanna enjoy the last year Chandler is in our home and I want to be able to spoil my last baby as long as he'll let me. Anyway- I guess I am telling you guys this so I can get advice and/or words of encouragement along the way. Wish me luck!

Yes, I Know

I suck at blogging. I am just so super busy, it's insane... I have been trying so hard to keep up with housework, laundry, cooking, bathing etc. that blogging is on the fun list, a list I rarely get to work on. Factor in preparations for Chandler's Senior year such as SAT's, football banquet, cap and gown orders, Senior pics, yearbook stuff etc. that I hardly ever get a moment's peace and when I do I am breastfeeding or changing diapers.
In addition- I have noticed my blog is getting under 20 views per day, ouch! Soon I will have a lovely new CUSTOM MADE header and SHINY NEW PICTURES which I hope translates into me being a better blogger. Crosses fingers... In the meantime, here are a bunch of totally random pictures of totally random stuff. Have a GROOVY day. I am off to decorate the Christmas tree. Oh joy!

hot cocoa bar, Starbucks eat your heart out! Love my CocoMotion all these years later, thanks Aunt Sarah!


YUM-O The Ashley Hot Chocolate Supreme


the Grinch Who Stole Christmas


Chloe and her trophy from Grands!


trying out hats...


every day...


to keep his male patterned bald head warm!

Youngest and Oldest

It's hard to believe that my baby Chan is a Senior in high school and it's even harder to believe that I have a new baby boy, Camden to round out our family. So, to preserve the memories forever and to celebrate two such amazing things- a graduation from high school and a new sweet baby- I had a great photographer take pics of the boys for me. Missy Saunders, who is not only a very talented chick, she is also an awesome friend to my sister Kelli. Anyway- I think she did an amazing job as always. She took our Christmas pics last year as well and if I could afford it, I would have her over all the time just to take pics. So, without further ado, I will show you the pics now. She captured a ton of good ones, but I am only posting three each of the boys, simply because Blogger can be slow and I have to pack for our Thanksgiving trip. Here they are:








P.S. Missy's photography site

Homecoming Mums

This week me and my friend Erin made Chandler and Hunter mums for Homecoming. Those two stinky boys informed me they had dates for Homecoming 1 week before Camden was due to arrive. I informed them (with smoke coming out of my ears) that as soon as I got the baby here safely and had a day or two to recover that I would make mums. And, true to my word when Camden was 6 days old I took my hot post pregnant bod to Michael's with Erin and shopped for supplies. Of course I left Jon in charge of all the kids and he did splendidly even though the baby screamed for breast milk almost the entire time. It was nice to get out even though I was a bit scatterbrained and Erin had to pretty much shop for me. Making them was fun if not a little interesting, simply because we kept burning our fingers on the glue gun and I had to stop and breastfeed ALOT. Thank goodness I had Erin on diaper and rocking duty... she swore she didn't mind! On another note- I just want to say how absolutely grateful I am to Miss Erin. I have known her for about 4 years but it feels like a lifetime. She is an AMAZING friend and has been there for me so many times and I can never thank her enough. She arranged all of our dinners to be brought in for a solid week, brought me lunch, sat with Camden so I could shower, helped me make and deliver mums, and even ran over at a moment's notice to watch the baby so I could run all the way out to Jon's shop (what? we live on almost 2 acres....) She has been a lifesaver! Love you Erin. Anyway- I'll shut up now and show you the mums. I will hopefully get awesome pics of the boys and their dates up Saturday.

The silver and white mum is for Chan's date. Apparently all Seniors do a silver and white mum. The pics don't show the cute stuff we added (my camera stinks). But there is a whistle, a lipgloss, Sharpie marker, musical notes, Tootsie Rolls, and Dum Dum pops in addition to all the footballs (him) and tennis stuff (her). It was gonna have bubble wands too, but I forgot... Either way-I love it and I hope she does too!!






The blue and black is for Hunter's date. She's a freshman and he's in 8th! Hers has alot of the same stuff as the other one except his date is on the swim team and she has a rabbit's foot on hers. I am kinda bummed that I didn't get a chance to add bubble wands or a BMX bike like I had planned and I was gonna do lights but they would only last 8 hours. But, she loved it as much as I did so that's a good sign!

Trying to be Positive Patsy when I feel like Negative Nancy.....

Ok, so first of all I feel like I should say thanks and sorry at the same time. I feel like I complain ALOT on here and I am grateful for the sweet comments when I do. I guess it's easier to type my feelings as opposed to writing them in a journal. And, I am pretty sure the people around me are tired of hearing me complain, so my internet "audience" gets to hear me rant.
That being said, this last month of pregnancy is doing a number on me. I am sooo stressed it's pathetic. I have ALOT of school shopping left to do, baby stuff that needs my attention, and 4 bored kids. And, to top it all off- Chandler (my oldest child of broken bones, torn ligaments, staph infection fame) has injured himself YET AGAIN...! This time he dislocated his elbow, which doesn't seem that bad to me but what do I know? He had to be taken to the ER where they put him under to put the elbow back in place and is now in a sling for who knows how long and will miss about 6 weeks of his Senior year of Varsity football. Already he is driving me NUTS! Bored, hungry, etc. every 15 minutes. He is on Vicodin ES which has made him pretty much unable to help me by watching the kids so I can get school shopping and planning done. I have been stuck at home for 3 days and I guess I might be having a hormonal woe is me cabin fever kind of thing going on.
Plus, I am FREAKING out worse than ever about childbirth. I made the mistake of reading about unmedicated natural childbirth and I am absolutely scared to DEATH!! I am assuming the fact that I know he has to come out somehow is making me antsy. Really, do they still put you under and deliver the baby? That way I can wake up and he's here! I don't really want to do that, but as each day ticks by I am getting more and more anxious. Not even chocolate is helping.... I think I am quite possibly driving Jon bonkers as well. And, he is the most laid back person I know. In addition to all of that I can't wake up before 11 each morning and I am taking naps right after dinner each evening. Will things ever be back to normal? Really though, what is normal? Anyway, thanks yet again for listening. I am off to take a mid-afternoon bubble bath. Wish me luck and stuff.

Poor Chandler

So, just the other day I was thinking there was nothing to blog about... and then Chandler got sick. He came home from school Wednesday and he didn't look so hot. Pale, disoriented, thirsty, clammy, weak. He needed help carrying his backpack into the house. I grilled him like nobody's business, trying to figure out what was wrong. He told me he felt pretty bad and that he had collapsed at the end of his workout in athletics. Apparently, the coach is already pushing them hard for next year. He wants another National Championship in football. Anyway, Chan gets the shower going (it's his comfort zone when he's sick) and then I hear him barf at least 3 times, maybe more. At that point I was in a fit of hysterics, vomiting scares me and literally makes my skin crawl. I quickly pass out those sterile blue masks to the kids and start spraying Lysol, just in case. Chan gets out of the shower and into bed. I make dinner as usual and he wants to eat, so I let him. I had made homemade chicken noodle soup/stew stuff and it was bland. Plus, he has an iron stomach, normally. He had already kept down several LARGE glasses of water, so I didn't see any harm in it. And, he did manage to keep dinner down. I kept him home yesterday anyway, just to be on the safe side. Since then, he has been getting an occasional headache, body feels weak, and a scratchy throat, but otherwise seems better. Jon took him to CareNow for me last night (he slept all day) and after three hours he was diagnosed with: a sinus infection. So weird, I still don't know how a sinus infection could have caused him to react that way. Honestly, it's still a mystery to me. I don't know if his school lunch made him sick or if he was experiencing dehydration or heat exhaustion or what?? I am still scratching my head and waiting to see if anyone else gets THE MYSTERY VIRUS.

I'm so tired!

So, this is literally like the first time I have been able to sit down today. I can't remember the last time I was this tired. Yes I can. Driving to Utah. All day long I have been cleaning, doing laundry, and packing. We are leaving for Oklahoma on Wednesday, and I should have started some of the items on my never ending to do list a long time ago. Used to when we went out of town we just did a quick cleaning, but now that we have so many animals I like to clean as perfect as possible. So we won't frighten the poor soul who comes to feed the herd. Heaven forbid that person find out that we're messy... This time we are having someone house/teenager sit for us and I want everything to look amazing. I am talking alphabetize the canned goods amazing. When someone is gonna be using your shower, microwave, stove etc. you wanna make sure it's just so. At least I do. Jon's sister Atalie is on medical leave from the Army and she and her daughter Cadence are gonna stay here and keep things in line. Chandler is only slightly annoyed. He really thought I would consider leaving him here alone, on a major holiday no less. I really don't like being away from him at all, especially in another state. Last year he had the broken leg/torn ligament problem and this year he would rather eat sheetrock than go to a BMX race. Anyway, I was having blog withdrawals and I know y'all were too. It's been over 24 hours since I posted. Tragedy! But, today I had good reason, I was trying my darndest to stay as un-idle as possible. Burns more calories. Here's what I did today, I started at 10:30 this morning:

cleaned Hunter and Hayden's room (as thorough as humanly possible, took 3.5 hours)
cleaned out my entry closet (took 1 hour, I found 15 pairs of gloves)
cleaned frig, microwave, and spice cabinet (took 1.5 hours)
cleaned out my make-up case (took 1 hour, it's BIG.)
washed, folded, and hung up every single article of clothing we own (took 5 hours off and on, if you've seen my laundry room you know that this in itself is a miracle)
cleaned Chloe's room (took 2 hours)
re-organized everyone's dressers and closets (took 1 hour)
sent 4 emails
painted my toenails
prepared and served 3 meals X 6 people = 18 meals
fed 5 animals- twice
made 5 phone calls
sent 13 text messages
broke up 3 fights
packed Hunter, Chloe, and Hayden's suitcases
made 4 beds
took out 3 bags of trash
loaded the dishwasher, and
changed 2 lightbulbs

So, you see why I'm tired? I feel like I am 90 years old. I really need to bathe, really. But I don't think I can make myself. Must sleep now. Tomorrow, I have to finish cleaning, shop and pack for me and Jon. I definitely am gonna sleep all the way to Oklahoma. That is if my kids don't fight over the TV all the way there...

Fungalitis

So, Chandler has a condition. What started out as poison ivy has turned into one heck of an infection. A staph one to be exact. He hasn't been to school all week due to constant itching and weeping (oozing). Gross would be an understatement. I took him to the Dr. AGAIN today, and they were speechless. It really looks bad, and he's in alot of pain. He woke me up at 2:30 this morning asking for Vicodin. "Sure honey, just grab one out of my purse." Like I really have those on hand. They swabbed it and sent it to "the lab" for testing. If it doesn't clear up considerably by Monday he is gonna have to go see the infectious diseases specialist, stat. For now he is on antibiotics, oral and topical. Plus, lots of Advil. I am praying it will clear up fast. Obviously I don't want anything to be wrong with him and he doesn't need to miss anymore school. That child, I tell you what. In the last 18 months he has had: 2 ingrown toenails removed, surgery to remove a ping pong ball sized cyst from his neck, and a broken tibia and torn ligaments in his ankle, which equalled 2 surgeries. So, after this I am going to have him placed in a large protective bubble. And, I am including photos. They are really graphic. So, don't scroll down if you are squeamish.

Friday Night Fun

We went to Chan's game tonight. He only got to play a little since he missed practice twice this week. Thank you poison ivy... The game was so-so, kinda boring. We played Burleson and won, score was awesome (50 to 21), game was sort of a dud. We pretty much watched a little and played around alot. Hayden and Chloe found a ladybug, Hunter texted, and I took pictures. It was chilly, yuck! I am not ready for cold weather. Give me Summer sun anyday. I do like winter clothes, roaring fires, and hot chocolate. But, I can't stand to be cold. I had on a poncho, a hoody, and a blanket and I am still cold, 2 hours later. Anyway, here are some pictures:

Me and Hunter


Chan-man on the sidelines #56


Hayden, picking out the cotton candy flavored Skittles


Little Miss Ladybug


Me and the hubby


Chloe, trying on 7 different types of lipgloss


Texting, texting, 1 2 3


Cutest shoes ever!