Green Stuff

So today was a great day minus the fact that my tummy is just unsettled.  Hopefully it is nothing, definitely not how I want to spend Mother's Day weekend.

John Michael's class had a field trip to the McWayne Center!  It was so much fun.  Brandon experienced his first field trip, it is to be determined if he goes on another.  Just joking, he had a blast and looks forward to Friday field trips since those he can attend.  We spent several hours at McWayne.  Bubble, Dinosaurs, Sharks, IMAX, and so much more.  I think everyone had a blast.  After the field trip Bradon and I ran a few errands and then we were back at the school.  John Michael's best buddie Chason celebrated his Birthday at the end of the day today.  It was Batman, pizza, and cupcakes.  Needless to say Kindergarten had an amazing day. 

About twenty minutes before school was out Brandon and I passed out popsicles to the third and fourth grade for Mr. Wright.  It was great to see them just enjoying the end of the day. 

We headed out to check on the new house and they had treated the base with green stuff.  I am sure that it has a name, but I think it is to help prevent mold, weakening, and moisture from sinking in.  It looked cool, and the boys thought it was awesome.  It is great to see progress each day no matter how big or small, each step is a good one as long as it is forward.

John Michael had a game at 6:00 and it was a great one.  They won 17-16, but it was amazing!  I was super proud of them all.  John Michael was so excited because he had two balls hit to him and he stopped them and threw it in fast.   We even headed to Dairy Queen for a celebratory ice cream, well he had ice cream. 

Well, I am exhausted and there is so much to do I could cry.  It will all be great though, one way or another I will make it all happen.

Christmas and Soccer

So what do these two things have in common? My day!

I dropped the boys off this morning and came home to start wrapping. I am going to get ahead of the stuff and this is definitely the first step. I am seriously not sure how we ended up with so much. I feel like I am on an episode of hoarders. I actually got a lot done and feel a little more accomplished.

The boys' had a great day today. We had another green face. After school was soccer, which is always a lot of fun. The boys get to run off energy and I have a few minutes to just relax, walk, talk, and enjoy the day.

The boys' were super excited to find out that their Halloween costumes had arrived. They are too cute too. Danny is Captain Jack Sparrow and John Michael is Batman. They tried them on and while we were close to having to send them back they should work. They look great in them.

Well, I am off. It has been a busy day and there is a lot to do tomorrow. Cleaning out the van is one step in the day, the one that scares me the most to be honest. Know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers.

Out of Uniform Day and Movie Night

Well today was a great day. The boys were so excited about going to school and wearing their regular clothes. Danny is used to it, they get to do this a few times a year, but for John Michael this was his first school day not in uniform. Danny of course went all comfy with his basketball clothes, John Michael went all SuperHero with his Batman shirt and jean shorts. I love the fact that they are their own people. I have tried to give them some independence so hopefully they can see that too. Or at least will be able to when they get older. They both had great days at school. It was show and tell day and for the letter S....Spongebob was in John Michael's backpack.

We were going to go to the lake, but we have so much to do around the house and with the weather not looking too promising we decided to stay home this weekend. I keep telling myself that was probably best. We will head to the lake soon though. I like going in the fall and even winter. Even though you cannot swim it is still a lot of fun, and usually gives us time to work up there.

My heart aches today for the family I have been asking you all to pray for. Cali came off life support today and has gone to play with the angels. I know that she is in God's hands and that she is happy and healthy now. The hole is always on earth. I pray that the family stays strong in their faith, they are truly amazing people. Cali was a blessing while she was here and I know that her story will continue to touch so many.

We decided that we wanted to cuddle with the boys tonight. So we decided movie night. The boys picked Days of Thunder whichI like a lot and Brandon, well it is one of his all time favorites! It was a great family night. I did a lot of reflecting and praying.

Well, I cannot post until tomorrow, I still have to upload pictures. :) But I hope that everyone has had a wonderful day and has an great long weekend.

Mini-Cation

Fridays are always busy and this one was no exception.

The boys had school, and they had a great day. It was show and tell for John Michael. He had to take something important to him that started with an A, B, C, D or E. He chose his BatPhone. He thought about a Batman, but Danny told him he bet other boys would take a Batman. So he picked his Batphone that was custom made for him by Deborah, and he loves. His whole class liked it, especially the boys! Danny said it was a great day and that he had a good time, but also had homework. There are no free days in third grade.

The boys were excited to be going to Nana's house to spend the night. Brandon and I have a wedding in Decatur Saturday so we are headed up tonight, so we do not have to be on the road all day tomorrow. We were excited about a mini vacation.

We headed up to Decatur and started with finding our hotel. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, which I was able to get at an amazing price on the night through Priceline.com. I am all about deals and this was definitely a good one. The room was very nice, so we got everything inside and headed out to dinner.

We chose O'Charleys mainly because there is not one in Birmingham anymore. It was delicious. Then we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed some time in the hot tub. They also had an indoor pool, but my shoulder has been killing me and I was hoping that a few minutes in the hot tub would help. It did help some.

Well, I miss the boys like I always do when they are not with me, but we have had a great Friday and I know that they are having fun with their Nana!

Fun in the Sun

Today was a great day! Waking up on the water is always a nice feeling! Danny was up and ready to fish before 7 this morning. It was all good though. He fished while I cooked breakfast. Then we had a few errands to go run, so we got them all done and were back before 11, which left a lot of time for water fun and some relaxing time in the sun.

I spent most of the day fishing, swimming, and just having a good time with the three men in my life who make every morning more than a blessing.

John Michael had Batman swimming with him, at one point we had 2 Batmans and 1 Robin. 3 Batmans if you count him. It was great, I dubbed them the defenders of the pier, especially once he was done playing with them, but wanted them to watch him! He also was Captain Jack Sparrow for a while today, he loves Pirates! I was tickled when he kissed my cheek, and even posted to the world on FaceBook that I got a kiss on the cheek from Captain Jack Sparrow!

Nick and Elliott came to spend the afternoon and night with us. John Michael was so glad to have Elliott here with him, and Danny was super excited to have Uncle Nick to fish with!

Danny also finally lost his tooth. He pulled it himself. Come to find out that is all the hold up was, he did not want momma to pull it, he wanted to do it himself. Just a little more growing up :(

I started drinking my bottle of Riesling from Sam's this afternoon and it took me all day but I finished it! Of course now I am out of wine, and am back to sweet tea. It was nice just to enjoy the water, my family, and a good glass of wine! I joked with Brandon that I conquered the bottle.

Well, I know that this is short, but I am editing the wedding from last weekend and need to get back to work! I hope that you all have a great night.

THE LAKE!!!!

So we are finally at the lake for more than a quick check on things visit. We slept later than we meant to this morning and missed Mass so we came straight on to the lake. I hated missing Mass, but I needed a little getaway, I think that we all did. The boys have worked so hard in school and Brandon has been working hard at work and we just needed a little rest and fun, and so here we are.

I have to admit there is something serene about the lake. Especially at night when everything has calmed down on the water. Even though I had schoolwork, I did it while watching the water. That makes everything better.

The downside to a lake place is that there is work that has to be done, cleaning, laundry, etc. It is all good though, like I said everything is better at the lake. Not quite as good as it is at the beach but second.

The boys got in some serious swim time, and I got some sun. Well I laid out, I am not sure how much if any sun I actually got. I have to get some color happening soon though. I even took a nap today, mainly because I had a blinding headache, but it went away.

The boys were able to do some fishing. I have to say that John Michael was as still as I have ever seen him for about fifteen minutes. While he was trying to catch his first fish ever, and with his Batman fishing rod Danny proceeded to catch three. The boy would drop a worm in the water and come up with a fish. John Michael finally asked Brandon to catch him a fish and just tell everyone he did it. Still o fish on the batman rod. Danny went back down to the pier and caught 2 more fish. The boy is a natural.

Well, everyone is in bed now and I am headed there myself. Looking forward to tomorrow. Friends, family and the water! YAY! I will say a prayer for you all tonight! I hope that Memorial Day is special for you all no matter how you spend it. Remember to thank those who fight for our freedoms everyday and say a prayer of thanks to those who have sacrificed it all for us. It is truly amazing to be an American. God Bless the USA and the men and women who fight to protect us daily. You are always in my prayers!

Good Bye Forest....Hello Yard

So today we knew without a doubt that Brandon would have some yard work to do. Between the rain and the ballpark it has gone unattended. It was the yard that people had to think as they drove by, Do they still live there? Well, now they know that we do!

The plan was for me to take the boys to the baseball fields for a player's clinic but neither were feeling great so I opted to let them stay home. Hopefully everyone understands why we made the call. I think that they were seriously exhausted, because they were both in bed early.

I did want to spend some time outside so we played out back a little, and then after a trip to Home Depot where the Mulch was 1.12 a bag, we got the boys some seeds and the little starter greenhouses and we came home to plant. Brandon even got me 2 of the larger azalea bushes. I think that azaleas are so pretty but I am very glad that we have the larger ones, those are my favorite! Now to get some roses!

The wasps were trying to form an army today, but I was also armed with my new favorite spray to kill them. I have to say I found it satisfying to watch them die. Mess with my family or our space and watch out. The boys, especially Danny thought that it was great to study one of them who landed on the back of one of our deck benches...never to land anywhere else again! Sorry I am so not a fan of insect...and YES insects were harmed!

So I have been adding up what I need to get through these last 2 months of school. Why is it that the end of the year is so much more than the beginning? I am determined not to let finances get me down, but they are definitely trying. I have a lot to get ready this week because there is a lot going on.

Danny is supposed to have a game tomorrow night, but I guess that will be decided by Mother Nature. With the weather as questionable as it is who knows. I just hope that we are home when it starts. All of us, I do not like it when we have to be on the roads and the weather is bad. I am definitely praying that the weather holds off till we get home.

John Michael found a leaf that looked like Batman...he had to add eye holes, but it is really crazy the similarities. I wonder if I could have sold it on e-Bay like those who find Mary in toast? Hmmm...The thing is I was lucky to get a picture. Batman the leaf had a run in with metal man...who by the way is rubber. John Michael is definitely a trip! You have to stay alert or you will fall behind.

Well, everyone is in bed. I am still working on homework and pictures, but I do not think I can go anymore. I am off to bed myself. I will be of no use if I get sick. Well, as we all know mom's never get sick. Anyway, before I go to bed I will say a prayer for all of my family and friends. I am also asking for a prayer for my mom, she is not wanting specifics out there but know that she needs some prayers. Thanks everyone. Until tomorrow, which is picture day for John Michael!

Mario, Batman and Auburn

Mario, Batman, and Auburn...what do these three have in common? Well it is the theme for John Michael's 5th Birthday party. He just could not make up his mind so he decided he wanted them all. We had his party at Pump It Up in Trussville and while I have been to a lot of parties there this is the first time that I had one and I have to tell you, it was wonderful. I will definitely be having other parties there. The kids all had a great time, even the parents had a blast! Thank you all so much for coming and celebrating John Michael turning 5....he is so proud to be one whole hand now!

We left the party and he wanted to go to Game Stop, he got money for games and could not wait to spend it.

Well, I have to say a weekend full of birthday parties has worn me out. If the boys would go to sleep, they are in bed, but still going. As soon as they go on to sleep I am right behind them. It has been a great weekend. Friends, family and fun! I have to admit I am looking forward to a week with some down time and I think this is it....so maybe a scrapbooking night should be planned! An email we be going out soon ;)

Before I go to bed, I will remember everyone in my thoughts and prayers. This weekend has been exhausting but fun and I can seriously feel the stress leaving my neck and shoulders. At least it was all good stress! We all experience some form of stress, but how we deal with it is so important. I have tried to convert it into creativity or productiveness, and I have to say it works. Whatever stressors that you have in your life you should enjoy them or get rid of them!

Happy President's Day

Happy President's Day everyone. I have had a really good day even though I did not get half of what I wanted or needed to accomplished. I will keep working on it though. I have all week right?!

The boys were both out of school today even though so many had to go to make up the snow/ice days. I was glad to have them here. I love spending time with them. Danny's asthma has been acting up though so this gave him a lazy day. They did spend some time outside, but he was relatively calm today, in fact he was asleep by 6:45 and John Michael by 7! YAY!!!

These early bed times and the fact that I am writing this at 8:3o means that more than likely I will be in bed by 9:00. I knew it would have to happen sooner than later and this week I think I will need some rest!

John Michael had fun in his Buzz Lightyear costume today and when it was time for dinner he made a mess, but it was hilarious! Of course now I have to wash the tablecloth again, but for this picture it is more than worth it!

Tomorrow is John Michael's last day to be 4, I cannot believe that he is almost 5, it seriously blows my mind. I am excited about his party though. I have to call my cake baker because he wants a batman, mario, auburn cake...it should be interesting! If anyone can do it though, she can. I love you in advance Amy!

Looking forward to some photography sessions that are coming up and some that I am editing from this weekend. I plan to work on those a little more tonight before bed!

Before I go to bed I will remember you all in my prayers. I also ask that we say a prayer for our country's leaders. I am not a fan of the current administration, but they are our leaders and I hope that with prayers they will be enlightened to their mistakes and have the courage to admit them. We should also pray for the country's past and future leaders.