growing up so fast!!

Today my daughter shared some VERY exciting news with me. When she got home from school, she pulled me close and whispered into my ear. Not sure why she was whispering into my ear because it wasn't a secret...maybe she was whispering because she was so excited?? Anyhow, she said, "Mommy, in a couple weeks I get to eat lunch at school to practice for first grade!!". At first I was amused by the joy she got from this. Clearly, she felt grown up and excited to be doing something the "big" kids get to do. That's when it hit me, my baby, my first born, my sweet little girl is going to be in first grade next year! It made me realize how quickly time has gone by and that I need to do a better job at savoring the moment. I spend a lot of time rushing from one moment to the next, and haven't really taken the time to enjoy the fact that in this last year alone Kaetlyn has learned to read, write in sentences, tie her shoes (learned this skill on her own), add and subtract, navigate her way through rocky friendships, lost her first two teeth (about to lose two more!), has gained so much confidence, and overall has become a much more independent young lady. And while I couldn't be more proud of her, I wish I could go back in time to be able to enjoy everything at a slower pace!!!

glasses

Somewhere between 2 and 2 1/2 years ago I went in for an eye exam (first in years) and was told I had astigmatism and would benefit from wearing glasses. So I bought my first ever specs, in fact, I purchased two pairs because I remember the luck my husband had with glasses. He would walk along and a lens would pop out, or as a baby, K would tug on them and rip them off his face and slobber all over them with her cute baby slobber. It turns out that I haven't needed to wear them hardly ever! Sure, there were times I could have used them, driving at night, for instance;however, I never had them with me, because they were always hanging on the lamp shade of the lamp that sits on the side table next to my bed....they sure did me a lot of good there, huh?? The problem with them is that I can't stand how they feel on my nose, and everytime my eyes itch, I forget that I have glasses on and end up punching the glasses into my face as I try to rub my eyes.

Well, suddenly tonight, I HAD to wear them. My eyes became very blurry, and I could hardly read the tv screen without them. Major bummer because I hate wearing them, and feel I look awfully dorky...like a total "four eyes"! ha ha

Anyhow, my first thought after putting them on was that since my eyes are officially "bad", my kids are screwed! Adam had glasses his whole life until he had lasik, and now I NEED them. Poor kids! I hate that as parents we pass on all of our bad genes to our unsuspecting children, and we have no control over it. It's like sneaking up behind them while they are innocently playing with their toys and scaring the pants off of them...THAT would probably causes less damage than the teasing glasses or braces would bring to the psyche. I suppose the glasses and braces, among other things, are what creates character...my kids sure seem to be destined to be blessed in that area! ha ha Good Luck K & A! <3

SO happy!

Alex's surgery went without a hitch today!

He did not want to wear the hospital jammies, in fact he threw a fit about it. I can't say I blame him, I wouldn't want to wear scratchy pajamas with PINK dinos, elephants, and whales! I mean, come on! You can't tell me they don't have blue for boys... Then his sedative started to kick in and he was able to relax....

Watching the nurse wheel him away was difficult, but I was so glad my mom was there with me. Whether she realizes it or not, she really helped me out a lot today. :) I couldn't have gotten through today without her. AND my sister who drove to our house at the butt crack of dawn with her 7 month old to watch K. :)

After he was finished in recovery, he was brought back to his room where he freaked out, mostly about the IV, but he quickly fell asleep and was in a great mood once he woke up! When we got home he was going full force the rest of the day, antagonizing and wrestling with his sister and....EATING!

He packed away a lot of food today! Aside from the hospital food, he ate: applesauce, banana, pasta salad, mandarin oranges, cookies, chips(against my best attempts to deter him to a different food), pasta salad again, and of course he was hungry for eggs. He BEGGED me to make eggs for him, and then he begged me to let him help(which I did under close supervision).

Another plus about today; Alex got a TON of new toys and activity type things from some of his favorite family members....toys that were purchased to keep him resting while he's recovering as he's not suppose to be up and running around. Hopefully tomorrow he lays around a bit more.

So glad today is over as it was a long and stressful day. And here's to hoping his recovery isn't as rough as I hear it's suppose to be, but time will tell.

surgery

My baby is having surgery tomorrow and my stomach is already doing somersaults! I know everything will be alright. According to the Encyclopedia of Surgery death from a tonsillectomy is very uncommon and about one in every 15,000 tonsillectomies ends in death usually from anesthesia or post operative bleeding....BUT it's the anesthesia that scares me! The truth is, you can't really tell how a person will react to anesthesia until after the fact, and that's scary to me. They could administer the anesthesia to him and he could NEVER wake up! But I am trying not to dwell on that too much, and am trying to focus, instead, on how I am going to keep him relaxing for the two weeks following his surgery. Too much activity is the leading factor in heavy post-op bleeding, and my bug is a very active 2 year old. I can see myself making a small investment into cars movies and easy craft projects geared for toddlers....whatever it takes! <3

No energy

Today, I have felt completely drained. I think it's because I have a lot on my mind as there are a lot of aspects of my life that will be changing soon...and thinking about it all of the time is wearing me out.

My mom has allowed us to live with her for the past two years (THANK YOU MOM), and we have done this for two reasons. 1) With Adam being in Japan, cost of living is too high for us to live seperately and still be able to afford the basics like housing and all the extra stuff that goes along with it, and 2) Adam is in Japan, I hate living alone!

I am currently "looking" for a different place to live as we have definitely overstayed our welcome(we were only suppose to be here for about 3-6 months, tops), and when my mom and her fiance move into their new house I don't want to invite myself along. The problem is, with Adam in Japan, we can't afford it! The other problem, another reason I am stressing out, is that he is supposed to be getting out of the Army soon. We are suppose to receive all sorts of benefits which will be helpful with paying bills, but I know how the Army is...we probably won't start receiving those benefits for several month if we're lucky! And jobs are slim-pickin's around here. I have been searching for a job for over a year now without any luck. So, I don't know how I am suppose to find a house to rent or buy without a job, and I obviously can't afford it without one either.

SO....I think this is some of what has been wearing me out. I think about it constantly. I napped a lot today, so hopefully that'll help restore some of my energy that I need for the rest of the week, but I didn't get much done today. I did fold a load of laundry, but it's still on my bed and I don't know if I have the energy to clear it off before I go to sleep! ha ha

I will keep trucking along, and hopefully I will find a lead on a job that'll be a perfect fit for me and my other responsibilities (kids, coaching, school)...but then I will be exhausted physically rather than mentally! ha ha