Someone's Having a Birthday??

I changed my background just to help remind ya'll how few shopping days there are left until my birthday......February 1st.....of the which, I will be 35.  No comments please!

Happy Birthday Ethan

Ethan will celebrate his 11th birthday tomorrow morning at 5:22am.  I CAN'T beleive it!  Ethan through the years......if I had scanned all my photos pre digital camera there would be more for you to look at.  Well, Ethan was born at 5:22 in the morning.  He slept almost 24 hours a day for the first two weeks.  I even called the pediatrician because I was so worried.  And they told me that very shortly I would probably be wishing he would sleep more.  Well.....they were right.  Holy cow!!  When he finally decided to be more awake he cried when?  NONSTOP!!  Actually, he was fine during the day.  When he heard John come through the door in the afternoon he would start screaming.  We got to where John would come home to dinner ready, have dinner, then John and John would retire to the bedrooms upstairs.  Ethan and I were banished to the downstairs.  We slept together in a recliner for a long time.  In fact, the day we brought him home, which was the day he was born.  I couldn't very well spend Christmas in the hospital, could I?  Ethan wouldn't even sleep by himself the first day he was born.  OK, fast forward a few years.  Ethan likes to quote lines from movies.  It's very funny!  But the first line he ever quoted, at about 4 years old, was "well, maybe I don't want to be a part of this family" from Lady and the Tramp, Scamp's Adventure.  It took us several minutes to figure out that it was a quote from a movie.  I thought I was going to have a little heathen on my hand for a second.  Ethan loves to read.  In the first grade, he read an 8th grade level book.   Most Texas schools have Accelerated Reading, a point system for reading.  Ethan always the most points of anyone in his class.  Let's see what else?  He would argue with a fence post.  And at the same time, he is such a sensitive boy.  John says I'm writing too much.  Let me just tell you.....I love this little boy!  I feel honored and blessed to be his mom.  I have enjoyed every moment with him.  What a wonderful boy!  Happy Birthday Ethan.  Mommy loves you!

A day in the life

    This dog has the easiest life.  Took him to the vet last year for his shots and got chastised by the vet.  At a little less than a 100 pounds the vet said he wasn't eating enough.  So, NOW, the dog gets SpEcIaL dog food to help him gain weight.  Good grief!  AND he will be lucky to survive Christmas.  He thinks the ornaments are toys put there just for him. Just look at him--doesn he look like the biggest baby?  I think if someone broke into the house, he would bring out scones and tea.  Fortunately for us, noone knows that and just seeing him scares people.  

Trying to get Emily out of her sweatshirt after the Christmas parade.  Sorry, no pictures.  I forgot my camera.  Poor girl had to walk 2 miles.  "Next time, I'm RIDING on the float" she said.  And her sweat shirt was a little tight at the head.  It's because she has such a large brain.  And she was in the middle of a fit because she heard me get the camera out and she did not want that episode documented.  Too late!  

We ended up with an extra turkey, so we experimented with smoking.  THE TURKEY!!  Didn't it turn out beautiful???   Way to go Chef Juan.  It was so good.  John stuffed it with onions and sage.  Yummy!  Now, of course, we all know what this means, right?  The Christmas day turkey must go wrong??  Nooooo, not with Chef Juan in the house.  It will be even better.....can't wait!  Thank you Nana Ann and Grandpa Bill for our present!

The artists at work!  We were actually patient enough to use the icing for glue this year.  Last year we gave up and used the hot glue gun and just used the icing for decoration.  John would not have his picture taken.  Couldn't be seen putting the ginger bread house together, ya know.  He is way too cool for all of that.

Hangin' out in the living room watching tv.  Ethan and Emily like to bake in front of the fireplace. Goofy kids!  Ah, but they are cute as buttons.  I LOVE them!!  Emily and I bought that sweater she is wearing on our latest shopping trip.  She wanted her picture taken with Santa.  So, it required a new sweater, new earrings, and a hairbrush.  She's such a salesman.  "We can give it to daddy for a present."  She said this with big pouty lips and her eyes as big as she could get them.  What a sucker I am.  But it is a great picture!  AND she knows that mom and dad are Santa, but there is still something magical about him for her.  

Now let's talk about John.  John spent his own money to buy a gift for a friend (a girl) in Texas.  I was so impressed.  He picked it out on his own.  And listen guys.....he is not afraid to shop in Bath and Body Works and walk through the mall holding a bag from that store.  I'm certain there are many of you who could learn from his example.  

Now, do we really want to say anything about Ethan.....I don't know.  His birthday is coming up.  We could talk about the fact that he was born screaming and didn't stop for 4 years.  We could talk about how he wouldn't have anything to do with his dad for the first 4 years of his life.  We could talk about how he used to climb me like a tree everytime we got on an elevator.  We could talk about how much he loves chocolate milk....oh m word!  We could say that he is growing up into a wonderful young man.  He and his dad are best buds now and it makes me happy.  

Ethan's birthday celebration

And I don't have any pictures, because I forgot my camera. I'll take one on his birthday. Dinwiddie County High School's football team went to state this year. And Ethan loves football. So, he wanted to go. He was the only one who wanted to go, so it became his birthday celebration. The game was played in Blacksburg, VA at Virginia Tech. 3 hours away. And it was supposed to be REALLY cold that day. Initally, Emily and I were not going to go, but since it was Ethan's birthday gig, we were now invited to go on "The Man Trip".

Let's just start with Friday night. We stayed in a hotel there since it was so far away. Got there, got our hotel just fine. And now we have to decide where to eat. Ethan gets to choose the restaurant. All he wants is a good hamburger, so I call the desk at the hotel and get his suggestion. He tells me "Go to Macado's, great hamburgers". We get there, has to be the right restaurant, right? How many of those can there be? WELL, they Do. NOT. sell hambugers! No, they don't. Never have, even. Sandwiches. They make sandwiches. Well, we discover this after we have already ordered an appetizer and drinks. Ethan is very upset, Ethan style, for those of you who know him. Still, cute as a button, though. I love that boy! So, we finish up there, give the waitress a handsome tip for having to put up with us and go somewhere that has hamburgers. Guess where!! SoNiC. But here is the most important question......Was the birthday boy happy??? Yes! Success at last. So, all's well that ends well. Back to the hotel, wear the kids out at the pool, and hope they will sleep well.

So, Saturday morning, game day....it was sooooo cold. Bundled the boys up after breakfast and take them to the field. And I'm thinking they are not going to last long. We saw a few snow flakes on the way to the stadium. Emily and I???? Shopping. In a warm mall with hot chocolate. Yes. We had so much fun shopping, eating a girly lunch at Panera Bread, followed by more shopping. The boys lasted almost the whole game. I was so impressed. And it snowed on them the whole time. John doesn't particularly care for football like their dad and Ethan, and he never complained.They finally decided to leave in the 4th quarter when it was clear that.......Dinwiddie was getting beaten. 37 to 13. Pouty face here. But our team played very hard.

So, the drive home was fairly uneventful except that it snowed almost the whole way home. Poor little Emily has been getting car sick. Mostly when she reads, but this time she was just playing a game on her DS. About 30 minutes before we got home the snow turned to rain, so no snow at our house waiting for us. I felt so cheated. It was so fun to drive home in the snow and watch the snow collect on the houses all decorated for Christmas. What fun!

Money isn't always the most important thing

Here is our tree. That's about the only thing I have up so far. Wait...I do have my village set up. I need to go take pictures of it. This is the first year we put so much effort into the village. It actually has a platform....ooooo....ahhhh. It looks pretty good. BUT, we put it in the room with the piano and I can't stand not having it in the living room. Next year.....

And now for the rest of the story....money isn't always the most important thing.....candy is. Just ask Ethan. The kids got these cute little plastic candies stuffed with money and candy one year from Nana Ann and Grandpa Bill. I noticed that the blue one and Ethan were both missing one evening and went looking for them. Ethan was walking down the stairs with chocolate stains all around his mouth and candy shoved in his pockets. The money?? Tossed aside in his closet. That was not what he was after. Silly boy! I can't believe he used to be that little. He has a birthday coming up. Golly, he will be 11! My little Ethan is not so little anymore.

The Christmas Tree Ritual

We have always had a live tree. We enjoy going to a tree farm, picking out the perfect tree, chopping it down and getting it home. We really had a good time this year too. The tree is not exactly what I envisioned. I wanted a really tall tree this year, but there weren't any really tall ones at the farm and we drove 2 hours to get there, so we had to get it there. We had a really good trip. Once we picked the tree out, John got to work cutting it down and everyone else started playing. He's such a hard worker.
Emily gets car sick if she reads too much so we had to take an unexpected pit stop on the side of the road so she could pull herself together. She was very nauseated. She looked so little standing there beside the truck feeling so bad. She sat down on the ground because she felt so crummy. And her crazy mom took the camera out and tried to take her picture. Did not make me very popular. I put the camera back in the truck and turned around and she was laying on the ground. Poor, poor Emily. She's so tough.
And now since I said something about John and Emily, I guess I have to say something about Ethan too. Ethan, Ethan, Ethan.....what can I say about Ethan??? He is currently possessed with football. Our county's high school football team is going to state and the state game is on Saturday. Ethan is bent on going, but it is 4 hours away. And dad does not want to go. It will make for a LONG weekend. Sooooo, we'll see how that pans out.
I have such wonderful children. I love them all so much! They make me happy. They have homemade presents for each other under the tree. They are all so unique and lovely in their own special way. Christmas shopping for them is so fun. When I think I have found the perfect present it is such a feeling of triumph. John is usually the hardest to shop for, but this year he is making out like a fat rat. He does NOT like me saying that. He gets giggly and it makes his grossed out for some reason. He has been really easy this year. And come to think of it, his father has been easy to shop for this year. He is also doing very well in the presents department. Ethan and Emily have been difficult this year. Emily is moving out of the toy era and she is not quite into electronics. Ethan has switched gears on us a little bit. He moved from Star Wars into the Civil War and now he is into football, BUT football stuff can be VERY expensive. Sooooo, what to do.....I'll let you know after Christmas day.

ahhhh, I am so stuffed.....

Emily said her teacherr said "I stuff the turkey and then the turkey stuffs me."  Oh, so true.  And now that dinner is over, the kitchen clean, and a pie in the oven.......NOW I can update the blog. John is nursing his pop knot with a good nap.  Poor thing.  I want you to know, THAT was the best Thanksgiving dinner I have ever prepared.  Everything turned out great and it was all done at the same time.  Ya know how, inevitably, something gets done first and then gets cold while everything else is finishing--I always have that problem anyway.  The turkey was moist, the potatoes fluffy, the dressing, a new recipe in a crockpot, was awesome.  It could not have been better.  Well, if all our family was here it would have been better.  The first thing I thought was well, that means Christmas dinner will be a flop.  John, ever the optimist, said that just means I am "perfecting".  What a guy!  And now John is napping, the kids are outside playing and I get to plan out my morning of shopping tomorrow.  I was not going to go, but Emily wants to go so bad, we will try it.  We won't be long.  I need to get some painting done in the house.  Will it ever be done?  I don't think so.  When I get the last of the painting done, I'll just start over.  But I enjoy it.  

And this just in....I just pulled my chocolate pecan pie out of the oven and it is beautiful.  Don't ya just want a piece.  

Truly, I have had the perfect day.  Got to sleep in....just a little.  Made a great dinner without any pressure or stress.  John cut a piece of plywood and some pieces of wood for legs to build a platform for my Christmas houses.  I am a happy, happy girl.  I'll get squashed flat by a cement truck before bedtime, I just know it.  

A couple of pictures posted here are:  Emily's getting her soccer trophy from her coach at the soccer banquet, the kids painting the pieces of the platform for my Christmas houses, and my chocolate pecan pie.  

Why don't you do it?

You would think I would know better than to ask Kathy a question today.  "Hey Girl, when are you going to update the blog?"  Oh how I wish I could think before I speak.  She is fully engaged with the excitement of Thanksgiving dinner and I'm so bold as to ask about a silly blog site.  Normally it would have been a benign question but today it was the straw that put the pop knot on my skull.  A pop knot that a calf could suckle I might add. 

 

So I volunteered to update the blog site today while Kathy finishes the Turkey.  I was supposed to smoke the turkey but my attempt at smoking a butt was a disaster.  I know it is sophomoric but I have to laugh every time I say smoke and butt in the same sentence.  So we will have the traditional oven baked turkey again this year.  I like tradition so it is just fine with me.  A traditional Thanksgiving for me is; Turkey, Dressing, Cowboy Game sprinkled a couple of Naps.  So according to tradition, I’m off to eat, sleep and wait for the game.

 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!   

Where's John

John is in this picture somewhere.  Can you find him??  He is getting ready for hunting season.

Snow Day

Well, not really.  But it did snow today.  Flurries.  It was so fun to wake up to.  There was a wee little bit stuck to the grass and in the trees.  Beautiful!  But I will also tell ya this.  I am COLD!!  Oh my word, I am always freezing.  The HEAT PUMP is a worthless contraption.  Hate it.  It does do well in the summer when it's an air conditioner.  BUT in the winter when it gets really cold, it doesn't work.  It changes to this thing called "auxillary heat" and it's like the air conditioner is blowing.  And until spring comes, there will be much more complaining to come.  

I had to meet with Ethan's teacher today.  I thought he was going to tell me that Ethan has not been turning in his classwork.  That has been an issue.  He is the absent minded professor sometimes.  He will do his work and then shove it into his desk and not turn it in.  Or maybe he wanted to stay late and have me come in just so he could tell me how bright and creative he thinks Ethan is.  Well, that wasn't it at all.  Ethan has not been doing his homework at all.  And his reason??  He said he just didn't want to do it.  Didn't he think that was going to catch up with him??  He says no.  Goofy monkey!  So, tonight he had to do two weeks worth of homework.  Didn't really enjoy it.  Maybe he's learned his lesson.  

John and I are going to Virginia Beach this weekend......all by ourselves!!  I cannot wait.  We are going to finish our Christmas shopping.  What fun we are going to have.  Probably won't go to the beach, though.....too cold.  Alright, speaking of children.  I do need to put them to bed.  

Studying for the 3rd grade science and social studies test

Emily Gayle was hilarious.  The question is--"I visited my aunt and uncle in WASHINGTON DC.  They took me to see this monument.  What is it?"  (It's a picture of the Washingtom Monument)  Emily says "The Eifel Tower".  I laughed and laughed.  So, then, when she got the answer right, she said "the Washington MoMument".  That girl!  She's so funny.  

Alright, so another question is this--"A cat just ate a mouse.  The mouse was the...."  The answer is "prey", which she got right, but, then she had to make a joke.  She said "Daddy, I know why the mouse was called the prey.  It's because they have to PRAY that they won't be eaten."  It was even funnier because she was so tickled with herself.  

So, now,  did you enjoy pictures of my grass?  Very pretty, right?  

And, I'm crazy, I only ended up with a picture of Emily for Halloween.  And, obviously, she was a very cute witch.  Ethan was a Confederate Soldier.  And John pinned Smarties to his pants and became......you guessed it.....Smarty Pants.   I went as myself and John went as an angry old man.  Didn't even need a costume.  He got to drive his tractor with the trailer behind for a hayride through the neighborhood.  What fun!!  It was soooooo ccccold!  

Ethan's last football game on Saturday.  Emily's got 2 more soccer games.  Then we will just be down to dance.  It's bittersweet.  We have really had fun with the sports and the kids really enjoyed themselves.  John's going to California tomorrow.  He'll be back next Wednesday.  And I think that's it.  I'm just still working at the school and sometimes at the hospital.  I NEED a maid, yes, I do.

My sod

This morning I don't think it was a labor of love, it was just a dang labor. Holy cow! I am so sore. My hands and wrists hurt from dragging the pieces of sod into place. And DON'T any of you start making comments about me getting old! And it hurts to type, so this will be short, but I will post pictures tonight.

Thankful

Today, Iam thankful for my sanity.  You will just have to guess why.  Ya' know--all those silly privacy laws.  I'm not sure how much of it I have, really, but I'm thankful for it.  And I will quit calling eveyone crazy (for a while anyway), because I saw crazy today.  Oh man!  

So, we put sod in.  It was a labor of love.  It looks so nice.  We didn't get enough sod for the whole yard, but what we got done looks so pretty.  It just makes me happy.  That is what John and I did for our anniversary. 

John is complaining that the computer is keeping him up.  Big baby!  He doesn't ever mind keeping me with the tv.  Goofy monkey!  I'll write more tomorrow maybe.  I'll try to post pictures of my new grass.  

90 miles per hour

I feel like that's the speed we are going all day long, all week long, since school started.  Oh, my word!!  I hate thinking I can't wait until football and soccer are over, but golly.  Ethan's class did a performance on Tuesday night, and he got his award for being such a smarty pants and getting perfect scores on the SOL.  

I worked at the hospital this weekend.  I feel like my brain is turning to mush since I'm only working there every so often.  Whewy!  I was glad to get to see my friends there, though.

TOMORROW is my 18th wedding anniversary.  Can't believe it!!  I haven't even really had time to think about it.  Which, I think, makes John happy.  He doesn't like me getting all mushy.  He'd like to wake up  tomorrow morning, give me a kiss, and say "happy anniversary", and that be it.  BUT too bad for him because I think we ought to ponder on it A LITTLE at least.  18 years is a long time, ya know.  

Meek and mild Emily......

NOT!!! She was aggressive. Fierce, even! She was goalie for one quarter and blocked an attempted goal by the opposing team. ATTEMPTED! It was not going to get past her. And she assisted in a goal for her own team. Way to go toots!!!! She was a wild woman on the field. She did have a conflict in scheduling for practice, but she came up with her own solution. The dance class that conflicts is jazz, so she decided to give jazz up. She will keep ballet and musical theatre. Her soccer coach was so pleased. We went to Bush Gardens weekend before last and she was WILD. She wanted to ride everything. We did decide, too late, that she doesn't like the rides that leave the ground. No heights, please. She's so cute! We were commenting on how wild she was while we were there and when we got on the ride that scared her, she said "I'm not wild anymore." Cute as a button. She and I are having a date on Friday. We can't wait. We are going to go out to eat and watch movies. The boys are going to some boring race track thing.

I love my job. I couldn't ask for a better one, I think. I love working with kids this age.....high school. For the most part, they are very courteous to me. Some of them have some real needs and it makes me feel good to be able to help them find resources to help them with their problems.

Not much else going on for us. John is finishing up tennis. Football, I don't think, is ever going to end. Ethan is sick. Fever and nausea, but ya' know, it's the beginning of the school year. Everybody's gotta get somethin' before we can get settled in. John is working hard to make our yard look more presentable. We still have ghetto yard. the only thing that could make it more ghetto would be to have an old car sitting in the yard. I'm starting to think we are doomed never to have grass. I'm just hoping some pretty green weeds move in at this point. That would be better than the dirt yard I have now.

Can you pass the Xanax please?

How many of you out there like your dentist? My dentist believes in sedation. AND SO, I love my dentist. And his name is Dr. Smiley....not kidding. Had a big cavity filled yesterday. He could have been digging for gold in there and I never would have known or cared. It was just lovely! Well, ya know, as lovely as going to the dentist can be. And I don't feel bad today, except where I bit my lip trying to eat while still numb because I was STARVING! And that was a perfect example of a runon sentence, kids.

Well, what else can I tell you? I have been yelled at by a parent and a student today. A first for both. So far, everyone else has been really sweet or at least civil. And I'm very happy here. It's fun.

Alright, speaking of work, I better start doing some before I get fired. Hope you're all happy and well. Kathy Jo

My new air card

Hey, I can upload pictures now! Yeehaw! And it was a painful process to get my new aircard, but it's a long story. Call me if you're bored.

And I just realized, way too late, that I did not get pictures of my children on their first day of school. I can't BELIEVE it. Shame on me! I am going to get the boo award for sure. I did, however take a picture of Emily days before school started, modeling her fancy new clothes and those AWESOME new flipflops. They'll blind ya.

Also included some pictures of Ethan's first football game. Can I hear some Monday night football music please? He's #38.

I'll post a picture of John at tennis practice if I can get one. He is so adamant about not having his picture made, he didn't even bring home a form for school pictures. So, we missed 'em. He's got to go for retakes so we can even order some. Good grief!

From the desk of Nurse Thompson

I am updating my site from my desk at the high school. I'm surprized it's not blocked, although I'm sure it will be shortly. I'm eating oatmeal for lunch, pretending it's a cheeseburger. Not workin' out very well for me. I'm so hungry!! I tried to reach John several times now, so he could bring me a REAL cheeseburger, but he is not taking my calls. And he'll pay for that later. I'll give him oatmeal for dinner.

The AC in the high school has not been working this week and I have been too hot. Now, it's fixed and I'm.....guess what.....too cold. Never happy.

Alright, I better get back to work before I get fired. Ya'll take care! And someone send me a pizza.

Just an Update

I would love to upload some pictures, but I can't. Someone in my house--I won't name any names, but she's lucky she's cute--dropped my computer. And while the computer survived unscathed, the aircard did not. And so....I am on the internet with WiFi, but it is sooooooo
s l o w. It won't tolerate the uploading of pictures.

So, Ethan is doing very well with football. We had pictures last night, so we will get those on Tuesday and I'll post them promptly. John starts tennis next week. And then, the next week Emily starts dance and soccer. Ethan has a scrimage (don't know if that's spelled right.....I don't really know what it is, actually) game tomorrow that is likely to get cancelled due to the weather. Hanna is headed our way.

I have completed my first real week of being the school nurse. It has been more busy than I expected, but I really enjoy it. I really like the people that I'm working with and I really enjoy the students, so far. I work from 7:20am to 2:50pm. No weekends!! That makes me happy!

Well, that's it for now. I'm tired. John has been out of town this week. That, coupled with football practice, made for a nonstop week. I think I will go take a nap.

I have a new job

Just on a whim, I decided to interview for a coveted school nurse job. Not really planning on getting it, you know those are the jobs that are posted, but they always already have someone in mind. Well, guess what!! They hired me! Probably because I am the only goofball who would agree to such a paltry salary. We will go back to eating beans and rice for a while. A LONG while! I am going to stay at the hospital on an as needed basis so I will have a place to work in the summer. I am looking forward to it. I hope it is everything I imagine that it will be. I am going to be working at the high school. Unfortunately, it is not in the district where we are. It is the next county over. Too bad, but maybe a spot will open up in our county next year.

Fun with Foam Shapes

This is what happens when you have 5 kids in your house that are all punch drunk. They were hilarious putting this together. Nonstop laughing. I love moments like that. And for those of you who don't know.....if you have a Wii....you can view pictures on your tv and do fun things with them. Ethan was trying to take a serious picture because he is posing as General Burnside, a Union General that fought at the battle of Fredericksburg. He made a huge mistake in that battle that got thousands of Union soldiers killed. But we just thought it was so funny that his name was Burnside and he had the biggest, puffiest sideburns we have ever seen.

Football Practice

Ethan.....my sweet little Ethan, is playing football. This is his first year. Practice started this week. No injuries yet, but they haven't really done any tackling yet. The tacklers practice on a different part of the field. Next week, they will come together. And that will be the real test, I think. For me and him. The weather has been beautiful. It feels like fall. This time of year I remind myself that this is one of the reasons I love Virginia. I had to put a jacket on last night.

Our schedule this fall is going to be daunting. Ethan has football practice 3 days a week with games on Saturday. John is playing tennis. Practice 2 days a week. I don't know when his games will be. Emily is playing soccer. I don't know about practice yet, but her games will be on Saturday. And she has dance 2 days a week. Oh, and don't forget about school and homework. Good golly!!


This is what football practice looks like for Emily.

Pictures of Ethan

Look at that face! Ethan takes his "battles" very seriously. He even got Congress involved in the last battle he told me about.

I love this boy! It has been so rewarding watching him grow and mature from a little boy who wouldn't even let his father hold him to an independent young man ready to take on the world. Until he was about 4, I was the only one he wanted. A TRUE momma's boy. BUT all that has changed in the last few years. Ethan and dad are making plans to go see some new Star Wars movie together. And guess what!! I am not invited. I love that he loves his daddy so much now, but I have to admit, my feelings are hurt just a little. I used to say that he would be the one to keep me out of nursing home. I had him pegged for someone who didn't stray too far from home. But I was SOOOO wrong. He'll make sure I have a good nursing home. But he is not going to hang around and feed me my jello. He's going to go find adventure. And I won't hold it against him.