just a few more days......

Yes, that's right, only a few more days until school's out for Christmas holidays. Only a few more days of freedom for me to do a tree, plan what to cook, and actually make it all work, receive boxes of all shapes and sizes at the door from the "Brown Man" (that would be Booder, the UPS driver!) and find places to hide it all, only to have to find it again. Have you ever hidden your children's Christmas gifts, only to remember several days or months later and have to use it as an Easter happy and then go find something really cool for the other three kids to be fair to everyone?

I have ordered most of the presents for this year, simply because I don't want to be in the midst of all those shoppers and all the germs and all the lines and all the illnesses and all the extra stress that puts on the holidays. I'd rather point and click and wait for the Brown Man.....

Monogramming is slow this year. I say that, I'm still busy, (busier than I want to be!!!), but I'm not up til all hours of the night trying to complete projects for others.....for that I am most thankful.

I think the Hubs and I are not going to buy gifts for each other this year. We are going to take the needed "time to ourselves" trip. That is, unless he does as he usually does when we make this decision and gets something really great for me, and I am there empty handed. He just doesn't understand somehow, that if we aren't going to buy gifts for each other, that means nothing, nada, nunca, zero! I don't care how neat it is and how wonderful it will look on me or how you just couldn't pass it up.....I usually do have a "something" in the closet hidden for him, just in case, but it's kinda awkward to have to excuse myself in the middle of opening presents to run upstairs and grab his "not a gift" gift, wrap it and run back downstairs, pretending I just forgot it in the closet. Then we go round and round about how I had something for him, and he had something for me, and how we weren't supposed to get something for each other and how glad we are that we each had something for each other and how awkward it would be if we didn't......

Another of my favorite holiday treats is taking the kids to get flu shots... (NOT!) .here's the bus, gotta go!

Courtney's birthday

Well, I have done it! We FINALLY had a spend the night party at my house with more than one extra child. I have to admit it was NOTHING like what I was expecting. The girls were WONDERFUL! We have some terrific parents of 11 and 12 year old girls here! Give yourselves a pat on the back, your girls were great! No giggling all night, no sneaking out of the house, no yelling and terrorizing each other, it was wonderful.

I guess I'm used to boys (you know, we ventured out and had spend the night parties when Thomas was younger, but they slept in a tent in the yard for about 10 minutes, then they were in and out of the house all night) It was fun then, but WOW, it's easier, or it was easier this time. We ate pizza and cupcakes (thank you Jaiden for doing the cupcakes!) and went to the movie to see Madagascar 2 - you ever tried to seat 10 people together at the theatre...that ain't an easy task! They all enjoyed the movie - I would have been better if the kid behind me had kept his feet on the floor and off my seat. I felt like I was in a rocket chair. I told Ken to watch out, I might be plastered on the screen the way that kid was kicking my chair around.

We came home around 9:00 p.m., ate ice cream and the girls watched a dvd Courtney got for her present, 2 went to sleep, and the rest were up until about 12:30 or so. Though the tv played all night, it was ok. They got up the next morning, ate waffles with all kinds of toppings, we won't dare go there!, and went home early. Ken had scouting for food at one of the grocery stores, and I had a monogramming class to teach, so we got rid of the girls around 8:30. It was good! Now, Courtney, Maison and I are suffering from sinus yucky stuff. They got antibiotics today, but it hasn't slowed them down at all. Maison is still bouncing off the walls!

Courtney's birthday present....a little early

Courtney received her birthday present a little early this year. She and I went to the pet store to get food for Jalapeno on a Steek (that's our bird!) and NORMALLY I'm safe there, b/c they only have birds, ferrets, a few frogs and LOTS of snakes and some mice to feed the snakes. While I was looking at the food for the bird, she walked over to the forbidden corner of the pet store, where all the snakes and reptiles are. They had 2 little doxie puppies, one male, black and tan, and one female, red. She started to cry. I couldn't deal with it, so I gave her the phone to call Ken. I knew he was a sucker for weiners. Long story short, meet Ginger.......

Maison and Wally

This is Maison and Wally. They became big buddies at Jaiden's family hay ride this weekend. Wally is a bassett hound in every sense. He is big footed, long earred, sad eyed, slow moving hound dog, and did I mention SMELLY????? Oh it was terrible! Maison just rolled and played with Wally and, needless to say, we about made him ride on the roof on the way home....they had a great time. Jaiden says that Wally is Thomas' favorite dog too. Apparently, Thomas loves on Wally and then tries to love on Jaiden. I don't think she appreciates it!

fun at Oktibbeha County Lake

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of ours opened a new coffee shop in town. My kids think it looks Dr. Seuss-ish, so we had to take a picture. We stopped by and had breakfast, grabbed the friend and Ken and Maison went fishing. Courtney, MolliKate, Madeline and I went to Dandy Doodles to paint pottery and then decided to go out to the lake to meet Ken and Maison and have a picnic. Everyone had fun except Courtney. She griped the whole time. She didn't want to go to the lake, it wasn't fun, there were bugs, it was boring, nothing to do, bla bla bla....your typical teenager. The only way we could get her to smile was this....

No matter where we go, MolliKate is ALWAYS a NUT!! We ate KFC, played frisbee, gave Madeline TOO much chocolate and took her home. The boys went back to fishing....or should I say running the boat in the water....the fish weren't biting!

misc. goings on at home

Jaiden went back to the doctor on Monday. The matter of the bladder infection is still there. The doctor seems to think baby is doing fine, they listened to his heartbeat, and told her she's gained too much weight... Poor girl, she was told to exercise and she didn't feel like it, now she feels like it and they told her not to, they told her to gain weight and she was so sick she couldn't eat, now she's eating and they say she's eating too much! Give her a break!

Thomas was laid off for a few days due to inventory, now, they are backed up and having to work 7 days a week. He is a MONSTER to get up in the mornings, and even so when he's working so much. Don't get me wrong, he LOVES the big paychecks, but hunting season is coming and he's thinking he's going to be working and not able to hunt....

He has put in his order for Thanksgiving dinner. He wants Paula Deen's TurDuckEn.....turkey, duck chicken? This could be a tall order to fill since I have no idea how to get ahold on a duck unless he kills one, and duck season is AFTER Thanksgiving......this meal may have to be a bring in the new year meal or a Happy Birthday Baby meal.

Courtney is cooking right along in school. Maison and MolliKate are going on a field trip tomorrow with PEAK to the Noxubee Refuge. I got invited to go, too. I'm looking forward to it. This is the place with BIG GATORS!!!!! We are doing two different classes at the Refuge...should be interesting. MolliKate just doesn't want to disect SCAT! She was ok, until she learned what SCAT is!

I went to the eye doctor today. I have been having a hard time seeing to thread the needles in my machines. Then it got to be that I couldn't read the design books, or get a number from the phone book....she told me I need bifocals! GREAT!!!! turning 40 IS BAD!!!!! Let's see....since I turned 40 just a few short months ago, I have experienced menopause, learned that I'm going to be a grandmother, and now, a grandmother with bifocals! Well, I guess I should look on the brighter side.....there will be another baby boy to love, my harmone pills are controlling the hot flashes and I'll be able to read the prescription in a few weeks.....I guess its going to be ok!

the last few days

Jaiden has been in the hospital with contractions since Saturday. She is 20 weeks and a few days. She has had a bladder/kidney/urinary tract infection off and on and the doctor says it's back and that's what's causing the contractions. They have flushed her system with fluids and antibiotics this weekend to try to get rid of the infection. She has been a trooper through all this. Seems she's been sick ever since she found out she was pregnant. We all went to visit and M&M made pictures for her. She seemed to be doing better with the pain, they had given her pain meds, but the monitors still showed that she was having contractions. Word last night was she was going home today, but earlier this morning, her mom said they were still pushing antibiotics through her iv. We are all worried about her and the baby, but we have been told that once the infection is under control the contractions should stop.

On another note, while at the hospital yesterday, Thomas and Sara (Jaiden's mom) ran right into his grandmother from the other side. She barely spoke to Thomas and later Sara asked him who she was. When he explained that it was his grandmother, Sara had a fit. No "Hey, Thomas, how are you, why are you here?" She pretty much ignored him, acted like he was a no body she came across on the street. He has done so well emotionally, lately, and didn't need that on top of what's going on with Jaiden. We tried to get him to shake it off, but he's hurting. Please pray for this little family.