End of Garage Sale Day #1

I am so tired! There is nothing worse than a garage sale. You spend countless hours getting ready for the sale.... set up tables... put everything out... and then sit for 8 hours trying to sell all of your junk. Don't even get me started on the "customers". I think I was asked 5 times today if a cordless phone I was selling worked. I honestly wanted to say... "no, it doesn't work... I'm just trying to sell it for $5 to see if someone will actually buy it!". And don't even get me started on the people who gather up a good $20 worth of clothes... enough clothes to last a week.... and then ask if you will sell all 40 pieces for $2! I know that I spent well over $200 on those clothes that were worn for 1 season and now I am selling them for 90% off what I paid for them! Give me a break people! I got to the point that whenever someone asked me to go lower, I just said "no". I think I even made one lady mad, but after being haggled all day.... enough is enough!

But it's only half-over... I still have tomorrow to get through!

~jen

Meet-n-Greet and Just my luck!

Meet-n-Greet...
Tonight was Caden's "meet-n-greet" at his new preschool. He was so excited to attend. I was lucky enough to get to leave work early this evening so I could attend with Mike and Caden. We were able to meet Cade's teachers, Ms. Keri and Ms. Teresa. We also got to see Caden's wonderful classroom. Caden will have 13 other classmates. He met a couple of other little boys in his class and hopefully they will be on their way to forming friendships! I am so excited for him (and a little nervous, anxious, worried....what else.... ) but I know he will be fine. :)

Just my luck...
For the past couple of weeks I have been getting ready for a much needed garage sale planned for this weekend. My kitchen is completely full of garage sale goodies, along with a packed garage. So, I am really anxious to get all of this JUNK out of my home! I decided this evening to go ahead and hang my Garage Sale posters around our neighborhood. Before I left I took one last check of the weather radar, just to make sure there weren't any storms rolling our way. (All evening it has looked like it could rain at any point.) Well the radar was clear, so I thought "go ahead, it won't rain". Wouldn't you know it, right after I hung up the last of my 8 signs, it began pouring rain! I can't wait to see what shape these signs are in the morning! Hopefully the sale will be a success.... without any further rain showers!

~jen

Where's the Tooth Fairy?

This will go down in history as one of those tooth fairy bloopers!

Last night Caden lost tooth # 2! He has had a loose tooth for a few weeks, but has been wiggling it with great determination to get it out! Well, last night it was time to pull it. I had the honors of doing it. I guess I did such a great job with the first one, that Caden had complete confidence that I could get the job done! Mike seemed a little disappointed that he did not get to pull it. But when ever he tells horror stories of pliers and strings attached to doorknobs to pull teeth, Caden doesn't want him to come anywhere near his loose tooth! :)

After a couple of tries, the baby tooth popped right out! It was so funny to watch Cade's expression go from "ouch, that hurt" to laughter the very next second! He immediately ran to the bathroom to take a look at his new smile!

He ran into the kitchen, grabbed a baggie, placed his tooth in it, and ran to put it under his pillow.

I worked yesterday, so I decided to go to bed a little early last night, so I reminded Mike to be sure and take care of the tooth fairy duty before he went to bed.

Mistake #1. Mike was watching the golf channel when I told him to take care of the tooth.... I should have repeated myself about 5 times, instead of assuming that he was paying attention to what I had just said.

All was well this morning (at least I assumed) until a little boy made his way into the living room, bottom lip trembling, carrying the baggie with the TOOTH STILL IN IT, and trying to explain to me that the tooth fairy didn't come, all-the-while trying his 5 year old best not to cry.

My heart was broken for this child of mine! I quickly made up (aka LIED) a story that the tooth fairy must have been so busy last night that she (Caden interrupted and said "not she, but "HE", the tooth fairy is a boy") couldn't come by, but he will definitely stop by tonight....maybe even during nap-time today! He said a quiet "ok" and let me rock him for a few minutes. I felt so horrible for him. What a disappointment!

I put on some cartoons, made sure Caden was ok, and quickly made my way to our bedroom where I not-so-nicely woke Mike up to ask him what he FORGOT to do last night! His response... "oh, yeah.... I was supposed to do that.... hum.... sorry".

MEN!

So, I will make sure our "boy" tooth fairy will deliver some extra money during nap-time for this injustice that has occurred!
:)

~jen

1st Day of 8th Grade!!

Well I just got home from taking Cody to school! I cannot believe he is in 8th grade! We are now 1 year away from high school!

He actually woke up on his own this morning....before me! I was quite proud (and happy to avoid the whole wake-up Cody routine!)!

I tried to do my best "mom" speech this morning. I tried to remind him to stay organized, keep on top of his homework, be respectful, be nice to the 6th graders even though he is a "big boy" on campus this year, do his best in each class and athletics, and to have fun. Do you know what Cody's response was.... he mooned me! Not a "full" moon, but a half-moon (all I saw was underwear!). What respect this child of mine has for his mom! :)

I had to threaten him to get this picture. I told him that if he didn't do it, that I would make sure he arrived to school late! It is a tradition... I get a picture on the first day of each school year... it doesn't matter what grade he is in, I'll do this all the way through high school! This one is a great "I can't believe you are making me do this, mom" picture.

I pray that he will always be safe and well-cared for while he is in school. I don't care how old he is, I want him to be in an environment that he feels safe in. I pray that he does well this year in both academics and athletics. I hope he has a ton of fun. I hope he cherishes every moment!

Have a great day everyone!

~jen

Cadenisms

Here are my latest Caden stories and phrases from the past week or so!

- "Mom, how 'bout you call me Cody and call Cody Caden?"

-On our way to soccer practice... "I am going to dominate!"

-"Hey Baby, Baby" and then he does this thing with his eye brows after he says it!

-"I'm ready for Cody to go to school, Mom." (Me, too Caden!)

-"I don't need to drink milk any more, Mom. Milk is for babies."

-"Where do green beans come from? Chicken?" (I have NO idea the rationale behind this one! We definitely need to go to Mamaw's garden and have a little lesson!)

-Before I left for the store the other day Caden says to me all matter-of-fact like... "Mom, I am just going to stay at home by myself while you're at the store. I'll be fine." (Yeah, right! I don't think so! So a very unhappy little boy accompanied me to the store. We had a great time!)

:)

~jen

Latest news....

So sorry it has been so long since my last post. Things have been a little crazy around here lately! Here are a few blurbs from the past week or so!

-Cody is officially registered and ready for school. He has a great schedule, with some of the same teachers that he had last year. He went up to the school early this morning to check out his football gear! Now the excitement has really begun! I just hope I can deal with him complaining next week about all the running that I know he will be doing! Practices are after school this year... it's still pretty hot these days, so I hope he survives!

-Cody and a friend of his had their cell phones broken by a high school kid last weekend while at the town club. The police were called and the boys (and us) filed a police report. We've been told that the chances of anything happening to the boy who broke the phones were slim. He basically had to confess. There was a witness to the high school boy rummaging through Cody and his friend's things, but not to actually breaking the phones. It was really hard to tell Cody that the high school boy may never be punished for his action. It is such a violating feeling. I am proud of Cody for standing up for himself and doing the right thing, though. Hopefully nothing further will happen between him and the high school boy (and/or the high school boy's friends!). Cody received a new cell phone in the mail today, so he is excited to be "whole" again. What in the world did we do before cell phones!

-Caden is also registered for school. We have decided to wait another year before starting Caden in Kindergarten. He will still attend our local elementary school for speech therapy each week. He will have a new speech teacher this year and we are excited to meet her. He will also begin a "pre-school" this fall at Central Church of Christ's Kid University. He will attend "school" 2 days a week on Tuesday and Thursdays. My good friend Renay's sister, Keri, is a teacher there and Caden will be in her class. I am so excited for Caden. I know Keri is going to be a great teacher and it will be very comforting knowing that she will be taking care of him. It really helps to ease my mind some! Maybe I won't worry.... as much! I know this will be a great opportunity for him and will prepare him for Kindergarten next year.

-Caden has started soccer. He has caught on quickly and he tells me all the time that the # 1 rule in soccer is NO HANDS! His coach did a great job getting that rule across to the kids. I was a little nervous about his coach because he is one of the head soccer coaches at a local high school and also coaches an Amarillo soccer team. But, he has been great! We are excited to watch Caden play this fall. I am sure it will be fun to watch!

Hope all is well with each of you.

~jen

Long Lost Friends

In high school I had a large group of friends from church. We did everything together. Over the years, we slowly lost touch with one another. Most of them have moved away, and I am sure have started families of their own. I've often wondered about each of them... what are they doing, are they married, how many kids, where are they working, how their parents are... the list of questions goes on and on.

Well, thanks to my friend Renay, I have gotten in touch with my close friend from high school, Mary Beth. We've emailed each other and are on our way to trying to catch up from the last 15 years! It has given me a new determination to try and contact as many people from my past! Even though it seems like high school was just yesterday...it's hard to realize that 15-16 years have passed. That's a really long time!

So, thanks Renay for getting Mary Beth and I in contact with each other! :)
~jen

We're back.

We made it home Sunday afternoon after a long weekend at my grandparent's house. My parents were there also. We had a nice time. Didn't really do much. The kids, my mom, and I went to the mall in Denton to get the kids some shoes. Thanks, Mom for the shoes. The kids have really loved them. Especially Caden. He knows that they make him jump higher and run faster than ever! :)
Now we are trying to get the house clean, get ready for a much needed garage sale, and get the kids ready for school. The countdown has begun... only 13 more days until school starts for Cody. (Caden will start the day after Labor day.)
I guess this is all for now. There isn't much going on. Just enjoying each day and trying to find a way to stay cool. Boy, has it been hot lately! I am ready for fall to get here!
Take care everyone,
~jen

The Wonder of Space

I have to tell you that I get goosebumps every time I see a space shuttle lift off into space. What a wonder it is. What an extraordinary event to witness. I can only imagine what it would be like to see in person.

What makes today's launch so much more meaningful is that I remember sitting in my 6th grade class room with all of my classmates watching the Challenger launch. It was so exciting because a teacher was going up in space for the first time. We had been studying space in science class. We were all so excited to witness this piece of history. Of course, minutes into the launch, we all witnessed the explosion before our very eyes and another piece of history was made instead. What a tragedy it was. I remember my teacher just broke down and cried. It was such a sad day.

But today was a celebration for all those who have lost their lives attempting to reach a dream.

Caden watched in full amazement as the shuttle Endeavour climbed higher and higher into the vast blue sky. He turned to me in awe and said, "I want to do that when I grow up, Mommy!".
I just thought... dream big, little one... and it can be yours.

~jen

Season's Over

Well, I am sitting at my computer with a smile on my face because this year's golf tournament season is
O-V-E-R! Yeah! Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to watch Cody play. I get just as excited as he does when he hits the ball well or makes an awesome putt. I love to watch him compete and have a wonderful time with all of his new and old golfing buddies. This group of boys will be competing against each other for the next 4-5 years, but hopefully they will all remain such great supportive friends to each other.

Cody lost today's round and was eliminated from the tournament. It was a disappointment to him, but he understands that he was playing against some boys who were physically stronger and more mature than him. I only wish he could have played in his own age bracket. Even though he lost this tournament, he played very close to the level that the boys who were 3-5 years older than him played. He gave them a run over these past 2 days and I am so proud of him for the way he played!

Cody has come a long way this tournament season when compared to last year's. Last year in Cody's age bracket, he tied for 82nd place (out of 105 players). This year, Cody placed 12th (out of 99 players). These players are from the West Texas Region and play/live anywhere from Dalhart, to Amarillo, to Lubbock, and all the way down to Midland and Odessa. I can't tell you how proud Mike and I are of Cody and all that he has accomplished this year. He has improved so much and we have so much to look forward to next year!

Now that golf is over.... get ready for some football! Only 3 more weeks and the football season officially begins! Also, for you soccer fans.... Caden starts soccer in a couple of weeks! So get ready for some great highlights from Caden, too!

The boys and I are leaving tomorrow for a weekend trip to my grandparents. My mom and dad will also be there. We are looking forward to spending some much needed family time with them.

Take care everyone.

~jen

Whew...what a day!

We have been going non-stop since about 8:30 this morning (that doesn't include that fact that I woke up for some unknown reason at 5:30 this morning). Cody had the first part of his last (at least I hope his last) tournament today. Cody is having to play with the 16-18 age group boys during this tournament because Mike and I have a major communication problem! Mike thought that I had signed Cody up for this tournament weeks ago, and I thought he had signed him up (because Mike was the one that even brought up the idea of Cody playing in the tournament!). Well of course on Friday evening we all realized that no one had signed Cody up. And boy, was Cody ever upset. I am sure that if there was a "Worst Mother of the Year" award I would have been nominated! Why the brunt of the disappointment was directed towards me and not equally towards Mike and I, I don't know; but, boy was he upset with me! (Oh the joys of parenting!) Anyway, we got Cody signed up, but the only available slot was in the 16-18 age group.

I am really proud of Cody, though. He played very well today considering he was playing against boys 3-5 years older, stronger, and more mature in the game of golf than him. I got tickled at him because he came up to me and said, "Do you realize that I playing against boys that can drive cars! They drove themselves to this tournament, mom.". I think he thought he was pretty cool playing with the big boys! And I am sure he was a little embarrassed having his mom there!

After a tough day, he lost today's round. But since it is a double elimination, he plays again tomorrow morning. If he wins, then he will play in the finals on Thursday; if he loses, then he is done.

Caden made it through about half of the tournament so he and I decided to take a break. Our dog has been limping for the past couple of days and since it seemed to be getting worse, he and I took our dog to our vet. Caden loves the vet's office. Boomer, on the other hand took a long time to warm up to the place. I had to literally drag him into the office! After an examination and x-ray, it was decided that Boomer has a soft tissue injury to his front paw. No broken bones, thank goodness! He got an injection of a NSAID and some pain pills to take over the next few days. Hopefully he will be back to his playful self again. Even though he has not whimpered once, it is so hard to see him limping!

Of course after that I had to drive back to the golf course and pick up Cody. Then onto home to drop off the kids, and then to what else... the grocery store! I have worked the past 2 days, so the grocery supply at our house was limited! I think after all the trips today, I put close to 75 miles on my car!

Again... Whew, what a day!

As much as I would like to say that I could rest tomorrow... oh, no, we have Day #2 of the tournament to go to!

When does school start? Because I need a break! :)

Hope everyone is well. Love to you all.
~jen

Cade's Newest Phrase

As many of you know, Caden is always coming up with a new phrase!

We've gone through quite a few:
-You are a meat-head (this is still a favorite).
-You old lady (he has not used this one on me...yet).
-Meanie (another favorite)
-Holy cow
-I'm not your friend anymore.

His latest phrase... Aye, Aye Captain!

As in...
Me: Caden, it's time to pick up your toys.
Caden: Aye, Aye Captain!

Me: Caden, go tell Cody supper's ready.
Caden: Aye, Aye Captain!

Me: It's bedtime, Caden.
Caden: Aye, Aye Captain!

I'm not too sure how I feel about being called "Captain". I much as I try to run a "tight ship" around here... it's not happening! I am as far away from the "Captain" status as it gets! Oh well... at least it brings a smile to my face whenever I hear Caden say "Aye, Aye Captain!". :)

~jen

Cell phone(s) found!

Well, a kind person at the golf course returned my lost cell phone Wednesday evening. Mike brought it home that night along with Cody's phone! It seems that not only was Cody's cell phone not working.... it too was lost (a small detail that Cody did not share with us!). Cody's phone is once again working thanks to Mike's discovery that Cody had the phone's SIM card in backwards!
So, now all that remains missing are my car keys! Hopefully they too will turn up... soon!
~jen


PS... Cade is feeling much better these days. His eyes have cleared up. All that remains is a small cough every once in a while.

What else? Part 2

Well, I asked the question "what else?", so let's add pink eye into the list of things going on right now! Caden woke up this morning with the cruddy, red, itchy eyes! This poor little boy! When he gets sick, he gets SICK! Hopefully he will get everything out of his system and be well soon!

Take care,
~jen

What else?

I am afraid to even ask what else....

I had to take Cade to the doctor this afternoon. He has not been feeling well for the past couple of days, so I thought it would be best to have him checked out. Sure enough he has an ear infection, sinus infection, and an upper respiratory infection! I started him on an antibiotic this evening, so hopefully he will be feeling better within the next couple of days.

As if that wasn't enough to deal with, Cody lost my cell phone out on the golf course this afternoon. He had mine because his isn't working right now (I have no idea what's wrong, it just doesn't work). SO... I am without a cell phone until mine turns up (who knows if that will happen, because Cody's not really sure where he lost it) or we are able to purchase a new one!

And then on top of all that my car/house keys are missing. They have been missing for a day now. No one seems to know where they vanished to. Cody has a bad habit of taking them to either get something out of the car, or move the car to play basketball and then not returning my keys to my purse. A few weeks ago I found my keys outside on the window ledge of the house after he had taken them the night before to move the car! Luckily I found my keys and my car the next morning! So who knows where my keys have disappeared to. Maybe they are with my cell phone!

What a day. And what makes today even worse (as if all the above wasn't enough), is that I have been having some lower GI issues all day (I'll spare you the details). It's finally slowed down, just a lot of stomach rumbles right now. I am glad today is over with, because honestly, I need a fresh start tomorrow!

~jen

Some thoughts...

I have so much on my mind this evening. The boys are out at the park with Mike hitting some golf balls. The house is quiet. My mind just races.

For the past couple of weeks I feel as though I have been on a downward spiral. Things at work are at an all-time low. I feel so lost. On one hand I have the perfect job. My director works with my schedule so that I can attend everything that the kids have going on. I only have to work 2 days a week. I earn a very good wage.

On the other hand, I do not enjoy my job at all. It is affecting everything about me. I don't feel that I am the same person I was before. I am more tense, tired, anxious, tearful, depressed, withdrawn.... it seems to be affecting Mike and the kids and my relationship with each of them.

So where is the middle ground, what do I do? Do I continue to work where I am at now just because I can attend every football & basketball game, golf tournament, or special event? Or do I sacrifice that freedom so I can find another nursing position that I may enjoy? And what about Caden.... is it fair for him to have to go to daycare 2-3 days a week and preschool the other 2 days? I don't know what to do. Part of me is fearful of leaving the hospital, because honestly... what if the next job isn't any better?

I've applied for a position with Texas Panhandle Mental Retardation Mental Health. They have a nursing position available working in a home health type setting. The job is Mon-Fri, 8-5. No holidays, no late nights, no weekends. I think I would enjoy working there. I really enjoyed my job working with the special education kids with the Amarillo school district and I loved my mental health rotation in school. So, we'll see what happens. I was told that not many people have applied for the job when I turned in my application.

I don't know if this is the right move for me. I was talking to Mike about the pro's and con's and I think right now what worries me is working more hours, Caden has to go to daycare more, and I am not going to see much of an increase in pay (especially after paying more in daycare). But, then Mike just said... maybe you will love your job, maybe this will be the job that makes you happy.

So, here's the thing. This isn't a "feel sorry for Jennifer" post. This is more for me. This is a little decompression time. This is one of those journal-type posts where 6 months from now I can look back and hopefully see a low point that has turned around and become something better.

I pray for guidance and strength, and that I may not lose hope or sight of why I became a nurse.
~jen

Pictures of the Boys

My cousin, Taylor Howard, took these beautiful pictures of the boys for me while we were in Arkansas last month. Aren't they gorgeous! I know I am bragging... and that I am biased... but I love these beautiful pictures! (Thank you, Taylor. You did a wonderful job!)

~jen

(PS....Family, let me know which pictures you would like for me to order for you!)

2nd place finish

Here are some pictures of Cody from today's golf tournament in Pampa. He placed 2nd with a score of 79, 8 over par. He played really well the whole day. Currently, he is in 8th place within the North Texas PGA Junior Golf Foundation West Texas Boys, ages 12-13 (this does not include today's win; the standings should be updated within a week or so.). He has one last NTPGA tournament at the end of the month at La Paloma. Since this is his "home course", hopefully he will finish strong.

Next week he will play in the La Paloma Junior Club Championship. This tournament is for members only. He is really excited about this tournament. He knows this course front and backwards, and improves every time he plays.

He has a 3 day tournament coming up the first week of August at Ross Rogers for the Amarillo Junior Championship. This will be a l-o-n-g tournament for both of us! Hopefully he will finish the tournament season on a high note! As much as I have enjoyed watching him play, I have to be honest and say that I am ready for the tournament season to end! I am exhausted, and I am not even the one playing!

Cody finished basketball camp yesterday. He learned a ton, said he did about a 1000 push-ups, and overall had a good time. He received a second place ribbon for lay-ups.

Football camp starts next week! BUSY....BUSY....BUSY! :)

~jen

Summer Indulgence

I have to admit that I am a reality TV junkie. Having grown up as a true fan of the first reality TV show...Real World, "This is the true story, of seven strangers, picked to live in a house, work together,and have their lives taped, to find out what happens when people stop being polite, and start getting real. The Real World" ... I continue to love to watch any type of reality show.

So my new summer "reality" indulgence is Big Brother Season 8. Mike laughs at me every time he catches me watching it. He is not a fan of reality TV. He thinks it's all scripted!

If you watch Big Brother, here are my thoughts....
Can I just tell you all how much I dislike Jen?! I know we share the same name.... but I cannot stand her! Even as I write this I think how silly it is that I have such disdain over someone I don't even know! It is amazing how "connected" we think we are with these individuals. I don't have a favorite yet and I couldn't even guess as to who will win at the end; but boy I do love to watch the drama unfold!

~jen

Butterfly Tattoo

So the other day I am talking with my mom and she asks (in a serious tone), "did you read my post to your blog?" (see: Comment). I had already received an email of the post and knew what she was talking about. I broke out laughing trying to explain to my mom that I DID NOT HAVE A TATTOO! I think she finally believed me. I think she must have blocked out everything from #67-#100 from my 100th Post after reading that I had a butterfly tattoo! It was too funny!
I love you, Mom!

~jen