Did you see my boy? Yea, he is 5!

My boy, had a great year on the 7-8 year old team! He can barely read, but he can sure play a hell of a game of baseball! We are so proud! Can you tell?

My Girls!

Last night was so much fun! In honor of my hush hush birthday, one of my girlfriends got a group of girls together & we all went out for dinner & drinks! It was a great group of girls who usually don't go out for one reason! Kids & the lack of ability to leave them with their spouses! They all have 2 kids under the age of 2 & so that explains that! Two little ones are hard, especially when they are twins, in Janai's case!

We laughed about how our husbands have to have back up! We don't get back up! So what the deal? You know my husband is very good with the kiddos, I DO have to give him props, but whenever I am at league or out with friends, he is over at his parent's house. When I am out of town for the weekend, he is over there! Well, Well, Well "Boo Boo"! I am going out of town on Friday & WONT BE BACK TIL MONDAY AT 5! Whoo Hoo! I can't wait! Oh & by the way, your parents will be out of town for the 1st time, at the same time as me!!!! Good Luck!

Back to my Girlfriends...they are the best & I am so glad that they are in my life! Vickie, Laura & Jennifer I have known since high school, but not really "known" til I moved back to Midland & Janai fits in perfect to our group since she is married to a Midland guy! We all laughed & joked about the same people from way back when, we even have all shared the same scrawny, trashy but hottie mover! (not a "butt" hottie) What are the chances! Even Janai is way in the loop! I sure do miss her at work since she had her boys, but I will settle for a dinner date!

So, Thanks girls for a great evening! I am sorry that it takes something like a birthday for all of us to get together, but our guys have proven that it can be done, even if they have to call in for reinforcement, so let's do it again, REAL SOON!

LOVES Y'ALL!

Ups & Downs!

Last week has been a lot of ups & downs! Sunday was my notoriously hard mother's day, & then the next day was my "Really over 3o" birthday! It was going well as long as nobody knew! Then my dear friend, Jennifer Garner Dickens over at Bon Bons & Boo Boos http://daysofdickens.blogspot.com/ from Plano decided to reminisce about our longtime friendship! I was in tears! Several of you readers, decided to be nosey & see what she was about, and found out my little secret of having a birthday! Our friendship has grown so much since college! She & I became close when Kirby was way too busy for her Midland friends at A&M! We have had so many laughs! We do alot of Girls Trips & this has become our saving grace! We are soooo different, yet so much alike! She has always been there for me & I love this about her! So here is my props to my dear friend,........ I love you lots & thanks for always being there for me! and by the way, my son wants to marry your daughter, but only if he can keep Leila Patel in the picture! He loves her, too! He is male!

So, One day is sad yet happy and then the next is happy, yet sad! Welcome to my world!

I will work on having happier bloggings since many of you have commented on my "My Normal" section! My life is such the entertainment, usually, so I will try to keep it that way! Hope all of you have a great holiday weekend! We are having homecation & it ROCKS!

This Aggie Showed them Up!

So, a couple of weeks ago Chad & I received an email that the new Baylor football coach was coming out to Midland for a Dinner and to sign up to attend. I emailed a friend of mine who went to Baylor, as well as her husband to see if they wanted to go. I didn't want to be the youngest ones there like back in 1998, when Chad & I were the youngest by 40 years! I called on Monday (the deadline for reservations) and the lady told me, they were sold out! SOLD OUT? How many Baylor people could there be in Midland? Apparantly, more than we thought! So Chad, the actual Baylor Grad, decided, that since there were so many so people going, then, maybe he should be there! But they were full, so he called to the Country Club & got them to call Waco for one of their members, to get tickets.....and so we did!

So we go tonight, a great date night, and they have a great turnout! HUGE! Could of been bigger, but not enough room. So, they send all their real important people up to talk & gather the troops to get excited about the new Football Coach, Art Briles. Very nice West Texan! He is going to lead the Bears to a Bowl game! Yippee! So they go throughout the night having Trivia questions, & all I want is a darn Football for Little Man! These questions are how many yards did so & so run in his first game in 1972? I WASN'T EVEN BORN! So how am I suppose to get a stinkin' football? As I am telling Chad that he better win me a football, the last question of the evening was... When is the opening football game & against whom? WELL! Since I am a planner, It is Braden's 6th Birthday weekend & I already have reservations for that Game & have done my research, as well as Pre-planned my already ordered Christmas Card Picture around this particular game, I raised my hand ever so quick, and answered..."Even though I am an Aggie, I am proud to say that it is Wake Forest on August 28th!" Whoooo Hoooo! I just won Bee Dub a football! Yeah! Then we were able to get Coach Briles to sign it, as well as Walter Abercrombie, who was some Big Wig Running Back from the 1982 Championship Team! Then one of my customer's son is going to signthat I met over Spring Break, as he is a current player on the Team, Sam Sledge.

On the way home, I was so giddy about this ball that the Aggie won at the Baylor Dinner for my Little Man! As we were discussing when to give Braden the ball, tonight or for his Birthday, Chad said, "I am gonna put this in my office!" It has Braden's name on it from Walter, but Chad is taking it to work! I told Bee Dub when we got home, that this football will be his the day he gets accepted to Baylor! I will get him something really big when he gets into A&M! We have 13 more years!

Have a great day!

My Normal!

On this Mother's Day, I reflect on what has become "normal" to me.

• Normal for me is trying to decide what to take to the cemetary for Christmas, birthday,Valentine's day, and Easter.
• Normal is that extra choclate Easter bunny sitting on the counter because you always get your children a choclate bunny, and this year you still bought one for the one who is not here.
• Normal is taking a happy family trip to Disneyland or Disney World and wanting for your kids to experience everything that makes them happy, because you know that your angel would of had the same expressions.
• Normal is avoiding the cemetary side of town, cause it causes so much pain just to see the area.
• Normal is questioning if you are the only one feeling like this?
• Normal is going everyday with your family not understanding why you are so different, but you know that it is not their fault they dont understand.
• Normal is trying to stay so busy that you dont have a second to think about what happened.
• Normal is trying to avoid a funeral for fear of you being more upset than the immediate family of the deceased.
• Normal is feeling like you can't sit another minute without getting up and screaming cause you just don't like to sit through church anymore. And yet feeling like you have more faith and belief in God than you ever have had before.
• Normal is going to bed feeling like your kids who are alive got cheated out of happy cheerful parents and instead they are stuck with sober, cautious people.
• Normal is having tears waiting behind every smile when you realize someone important is missing from all the important events in your families' life.
• Normal is not sleeping very well because a thousand 'what if's' and 'why didn't I's' go through your head constantly.
• Normal is having the TV on the minute you wake up and the last thing on before you go to sleep at night,the need for noise because the silence is deafening.
• Normal is being afraid of your death at the same time of being okay with it since you will get to go see your angel again.
• Normal is every happy event in my life always being backed up with sadness lurking close behind because of the hole in my heart.
• Normal is telling the story of your babies death as if it were an everyday common place activity and then gasping in horror at how awful it sounds, and yet realizing it has become part of our normal.
• Normal is each year coming up with the difficult task of how to honor your child's memory and their birthday, and trying to find the balloon or flag that fits the occasion. Happy Birthday? Not really.
• Normal is not having a joyous anniversary since it is your angel's birthday. How can you be happy on a sad day?
• Normal is being impatient with everything, but someone who is stricken with grief over the loss of their child.
• Normal is your child already knowing about death since the age of 3.
• Normal is a new friendship with another grieving mother and meeting for coffee and talking and crying together over our children and our new lives.
• Normal is crying at every program your child is in because you know that your angel could of been up there singing and dancing, but he's not.
• Normal is explaining to your child's teachers at a religious school that if they talk about Heaven, then expect to hear about a brother whom they have never met, and to believe that child, cause he is telling the truth.
• Normal is trying to explain to people why I talk about my angel so much, and not having them feel uncomfortable.
• Normal is forcing yourself to spend Holidays with other family members, though all you want to do is be with your kids and husband.
• Normal is being so excited to have your third child but still wanting your second back.
• Normal is not wanting friends to tiptoe around you when discussing kids or pregnancy.
• Normal is not having patience with your oldest because they don't understand why they shouldn't take things for granted.
• Normal is having people call your son by your angel's name by accident and then reassuring them that it is okay, cause it really is, because that means that they think of him too.
• Normal is being happy, but so fearful of someone who has just told me that they are pregnant.
• Normal is trying not to be pissed off when someone says that they have experienced death of a close family member like a parent who was elderly and had a FULL life, and saying that they understand. NOT REALLY!
• Normal is seeing the funeral home employee around town and wondering what he is thinking of you, since he watched you dress & hold your angel while trying to stay calm for his sake.
• Normal is having your husband walk into a room, notice that your eyes are puffy and him knowing exactly why you have been crying.
• Normal is wondering this time whether you are going to say you have 2 or 3 children because you will never see this person again and it is not worth explaining that one of them is in heaven. And yet when you say only 2 to avoid that problem you feel horrible as if you have betrayed that child.
• Normal is trying to explain to your child that their brother is in heaven, but we go see him at the cemetary.
• And last of all normal is hiding all the things that have become normal for you to feel, so that everyone around you will think that you are "normal" and you havent changed, but you really have.

I have always been the happy friend & the outgoing person, So this is probably your first time to see the real me since August 1, 2005. These things are what is 'normal' for me now.

What the HECK?

After my post yesterday, here is how my day went...

• get to work around noon (running errands before then & got 2 kids off to school clean & dressed!)
• answer cell phone at 1:15- Braden has 101 temp, come get him at school
• Pick up Braden with possible strep - per Nurse Hodge
• Get a sno-cone (always makes you better)
• come home to take a nap ( Braden, not me)
• Baryn catches ride home with Grandma, time for nap
• Braden's temp elevates and he starts shaking, so time to cuddle up with mommy
• cater, cater, cater, love on, love on, love on ( He was so sweet sick, for like the 1st time)
• watch Baryn in one room, tend to Braden in another
• put Baryn & Braden down, Baryn wakes up screaming numerous times (2nd night in a row for a kiddo who never wakes up once put down since she was 9 weeks old)
• Braden up throughout the night throwing up uncontrollably
• wash, wash, wash, get no sleep, change sheets, change sheets, change sheets, get no sleep
• Braden up at 6:30am, cuddles in bed with mommy (2 hours early for him & ME)
• feed, dress & get 2 kids out door to Drs. (Braden had appt., Baryn was convienently worked in)
• 2 sick kids, 2 prescriptions to Walgreens
• Chick fil A (makes everything better)
• Mommy had quick meeting at her store
• LONG nap for kiddos while mommy gets work done via computer & phone at home
• clean house a little
• Dinner & play time (feeling better) followed by 7 pm bed time
• Grandma sits while Grandpa & Mommy goto Hospital to see Uncle Bob & Grocery store
• Baryn awake crying, calm down & put back down (only does this when sick)
• 9pm hasn't come a minute too soon, sit & write on Blog & take it EASY!

This wasn't so much for all of you, as it is for my significant other who is able to get a full night's sleep, comfortably at a posh hotel with NO Screaming, Puking, Pooping, Hungry, Whiney Kids FOR 5 DAYS straight!

• I love you Chad, but get your ASS home!!!

Just a quick post!

I just wanted to keep everyone up to date with what is going on!! Last week was busy busy busy! The store is constantly crazy with customers, Baryn is on the go, Braden is suceeding greatly at school and at Baseball, & Chad and I are still married, so not much change in our lives!!! Tuesday, I started feeling an erie feeling in my stomach and just didn't know what it was, by Saturday, I was miserable & then Sunday, I felt like I was hit by a mack truck trying to recover! I still don't feel up to par, but I am coping! I really don't have a choice as Chad has left us again!! He went to Denver to try to help fulfill my retail therapy addiction I have! ( He went to make some sales) Sales=money in my pocket! My Mantra is "As long as I keep spending, I keep him motivated!" Sale, Sale, Sale Boo Boo! He won't be back until Thursday, just in time for Bee Dub's game!

Yesterday was Uncle Bob's surgery to remove his Prostate Cancer, and as of 8pm last night, everything went well. For those of you Midlanders, this is Bobby Duke's dad who is our closest "family member" that my family has. Mom & Dad were at the hospital for 8 hours yesterday & will be there again, today. I was just too weak from my bug to go, plus Monday, I juggle 2 kids so I did not get to make it. I will go & check on all of them today. Thank you for all of your prayers & calls! This is just an erie reminder of Dan's 2 prostate cancer surgeries, as well as his colon cancer surgery. He is doing well & so I have all the faith in the world that Uncle Bob will pull out just fine, like a Marine!!

Did I say "quick?" oh yeah.... That is about the catch up for this week! I will report back soon!

Our Weekend!

Thursday was our Midland Need to Read style show at the Country Club. Braden & Baryn looked really cute. Braden got shy when we had to go onstage, but he got over it when the emcee started talking about him playing baseball and where he went to school. Braden didn't know how he knew all those things? Everyone oohed & ahhed over Baryn and the emcee asked where do I find her wigs? Everyone chuckled! Her hair has gotten soooo curly! She did great as always! We had a good time!

Friday was our second game of the week of baseball! All the grandparents were there and time for a showdown since Monday's game without Chad was a no hitter! But this time was AWESOME! After 2 goes at batting, no hits, and Bee Dub was down on himself. But with 2 outs in the 2nd to last inning, going in, third times a charm when he finally got a beautiful hit and sailed right to 1st base! The whole crowd was excited for him & so proud! One of the other moms even snapped pictures of it!!! It was the game saving hit!! the 2 boys behind him got him in to score and he was elated! Finally everyone (the grandparents) got to see him HIT! We took him across the street to putt putt & let him ride the go-karts & play a little to celebrate!

Yesterday, was a birthday party for one of Bee Dub's school buddies & then a Lingerie Shower for Chad's cousin across the street at Sylvia's and then we were suppose to goto the Parade of Homes, which we had to miss due to the babysitter getting sick after lunch at BK. Needless to say, we were so tired anyways!

Today, we are surprising Braden with Finding Nemo on Ice in Odessa! I got tickets like the 1st day they were available so we have great seats. He has never been to Icecapades, so it should be fun! Braden has had a great weekend & Baby Sister is just along for the ride! She has been a little under the weather, but not acting too ill! She just goes with the flow!

I hope you are not too tired of my bragging on my son, but we are so proud. He is such a challenge day to day, so when great things like this happen, I have to shout about it!!! Stop reading if you don't want to hear my bragging, cause I can tell.....there is more to come!!!

Hump Day!

Nothing too exciting today, just thought that I would write to keep you up to date as to what is going on in our lives!

Chad left town on Sunday, which for some reason, makes Braden think that he can act out! I don't understand this theory..... Chad goes all the way downtown everyday, & Braden is fine. Chad goes out of town, Braden is a holy terror? Help me out here! It's not like I change my ways when Chad is gone, our schedule is still the same routine, so what is he thinking? He has tamed down yesterday & today, so we will see the rest of this morning!

Baryn, too, is coming into her own.... She is getting a little bit of an attitude! She likes things a certain way, and she wants to do it herself! Don't dare tell her NO! This is bad! She is such a good girl though & doesn't require as much as Braden did at this age. Girls are so different!

Chad is in San Antonio for a Geological Conference. He loves his time in hotels, where he can watch those movies that I dont like, he can get room service, doesn't have to deal with Braden nagging his baby sister, he can go out with "the guys", have dinner with an old fraternity brother who lives in the town he is in (Devin is now in San Antonio), and most importantly, he doesnt have to deal with my crap! Needless to say, he has a trip scheduled week after next to Colorado!

As for me, I keep on chuggin'. Taxi driver by day, maid by night! Nothing much changes with me! I am run down & ready for something to give! I do love my life, but I think I would love it more with a little bit of change! I think I am ready for summer!! I have a couple of girl weekends/ work weekends planned! So hopefully this will get here soon!

Tomorrow, the kids & I will be modelling at the country club for Midland Need to Read benefit! I will let you know how that goes! It is the kids first modelling debut!!! I cant wait!

Have a great day!

Oh My Gosh!

To follow up Woo Hoo from last week..... WOOOOOO HOOOOOOO for Bee Dub! He hit the ball last night and made it to first where they overthrew it & he kept going to second base!!!! Boy was everyon excited! Especially ME as I was jumping up & down, up & down!! He continued on to third and then Home to score as two other boys hit the ball! We are still undefeated!! Yippee! Just wanted to let everyone know that Braden is slowly getting back to the boy I convinced the Little League about!! YEE HAW!!