Brotherly Love

My daughter is 5 going on 15. She's into all things "grown~up". For example, Audrey bought a "priracy journal" (privacy journal, i.e., diary) with some of her Christmas money. It's very "grown~up" with a pen light and lock and key. My mom has written little love notes to her and she occasionally asks me to narrate her drawings but perhaps she ought to keep it locked and hidden away more often, as the other day I was cleaning up and found several pages ripped out and discarded on the carpet. I glanced at them to see why she would deliberately tear out pages in her precious book and this is what I found:

Entry #1:

Audrey

serelle

cheek your

panse I think

you problly

bumed you smell

Mom's translation:

Audrey

seriously

check your

pants I think

you probably

boomed you smell

("boomed" in case you were wondering is another word for "pooped" around Hosmerville, don't ask...)

The second entry was very similar to the first, but in slightly different sloppy handwriting. So I knew there must be at least 2 co~conspirators involved:

Entry#2:

Audrey you

smell like a

rutin egg

sereasly.

cheel your

panse. I think

you bumde.

I work with my son every nite doing homework and I know his writing, so I had a suspicion as to whom the author of entry #1 was. As a mother who knows who her sons "hangs" with (and also because entry #2 had capitalization and punctuation~ a dead giveaway this came from an older, more knowledgeable scholar) it wasn't too difficult to figure out his partner in crime. Sure enough, when confronted about the anonymous entries later, Austin immediately threw his cousin under the bus. And after some coaxing and prodding, eventually admitted to the other half of the "crime" himself. I actually thought the whole thing brilliant, (imagining the authors giggling to themselves as they wrote and Audrey's look of indignation as she discovered their work) but did my best to remain calm and serious as I tried to explain why that possibly wasn't the nicest thing to do. As for getting these siblings to get along and appreciate and love each other, I am at a loss. "This is all part of a normal brother/sister relationship", is what I keep telling myself. Right?

Audrey Is 5!!!

We were so busy celebrating yesterday that I didn't get a chance to send out birthday wishes to my beautiful princess. Happy birthday, Audrey Catherine Grace!!!! You truly are a real handful now;) I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOOOOOVE YOOOOUUUUU~OH! (sang Buddy the Elf style.)

Excuses, Excuses

Can it already be the middle of March and I am just now doing my first post for the month!?! My main excuse reason for not blogging is because a couple of weeks ago our wireless router decided to conk out on us. Tom called tech support and, of course, got a foreigner he could barely understand (does anyone else always get some non~English speaking person when you're making technical calls or is it just us?) After a couple of minutes into the unproductive phone call Mr. Foreign Guy tells Tom he can no longer help him without charging him for the call because our router is out of warranty. GRRR!!! So, because we are too cheap to buy another router at this point our laptop is now a desktop downstairs in the basement, plugged in at the wireless source. Not quite so easy to bang out a quick post. But today I found a way around the system. I logged into blogger and went to the posting page before unplugging the laptop and bringing it upstairs. (*except I just realized that without being connected I can't do spell check)The girls are watching Toy Story and I have a quick chance to catch up a bit. Let's do bullets for some random bits of going ons:

• Austin started his spring b~ball at the Y. Last week in his first game he shot 100% for 14 points and loved every bit of playing time.
• I started track. Yesterday. With all 3 kids in tow. No babysitter this year, so I have dubbed them my junior assistants. I have "hired" my own track assistant who will be available to get practices started (while I'm doing afternoon carpool) and hopefully help keep things organized and running smoothly. (Running smoothly... because it is a track team... aww, nevermind.)
• I am waaay behind on laundry. No surprise there, really.
• We are really enjoying the bright, sunshiny spring weather.
• Audrey turns 5 on Thursday. She wants pink cupcakes with flower sprinkles for her classroom birthday treat. I will be baking Thursday morning.
• Audrey has also requested to go to Rainforest Cafe for her birthday dinner. Not sure when we're gonna squeeze that in as the nearest Cafe is 2 hours away, Thursday is a school nite (duh) and...
• Tom and his brother will be out of town this weekend for some sort of auto conference. I'll be single~parenting it, with the help of my MIL.
• Tom will have his own turn at single parenting in April when I head to West Michigan for an entire weekend of scrapbooking with friends. I am so psyched! We have reserved a house overlooking Lake Michigan. It's been set up for scrapbooking getaways. With a sauna and hot tub on the deck and DirecTV, I may not get a whole lot of scrapping done. But I am definitely looking forward to getting away!

I'm hoping that when I reconnect to the internet this will all post or else this session has been all for naught ( and I thought I was being sneaky.) We shall see. Actually, if you can see this, then it has been a successful post. If you're in Michigan, enjoy the good weather this week. I heard the "s" word may be in the forecast for this weekend.

First Comes Love, Then Comes...

...Marriage!!!! He did it! After eons of dating (ok, slight exaggeration), my brother FINALLY asked his girlfriend Lindsey to marry him. And she said, "YES!!!" Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited!?! Ok,... a LOT bit! After searching thru my pics to add some visual aid to this post, I have realized that we really don't have very many pictures of Miss Lindsey. Even though she's half hidden in these 2 photos, they will have to do for now; but trust me, she is beautiful on the inside and out! Here in Hosmerville, she has always felt like one of the fam and now it's official. Welcome to the family, Lindsey!

(oh, and can I just add that I clearly recall this {paraphrased}convo with little bro several years ago...

Me: Micah, Tom and I have been wondering, why don't you date Lindsey?

Micah: oh, she's a great girl and I love her to death and all, but it'd never work...

Flash forward to the present. They're engaged. He~llo!!! Just one more proof positive that big sis always knows best;) Man, I wish I was a betting woman. I could've made money off this deal.)

Congrats Micah and Lindsey!!! (And now that you've put a ring on it, Austin has put in 1 small request. He wants a boy cousin. Seriously.)

The Long Haul

It's official... we are credit card debt free! Thank you, federal tax return!!! I just scheduled our online payment and to hit the "pay account balance" option was, for me, a monumental moment I've been waiting 6 whole years to do. It almost hasn't sunk in... no more credit card debt... no more monthly statements... no more wasted money on interest and finance charges. Whew!

It was never meant to be this way. How many times did we hear "don't put more on your card than you can afford to pay", or "always pay your balance every month". And we were always so good about our finances. But then life crept in. A new/old house to remodel, an air conditioner on the fritz, closing costs for a home refinance, romantic dinners out fast food runs, and stuff we just HAD TO HAVE NOW! We bought into the instant gratification mind set, never intending to accumulate so much debt, always intending to pay the balance off in full after only a year (that was 5 years ago). And then, well, I lost my job (twice), the economy took a downturn, the cost of living increased, we had 2 more kids... etc., etc., etc. and the balance grew and grew.

So, what have I learned from all of this? My plans are sometimes not God's plans. And perhaps if I had been a better steward of the money and resources He had entrusted to me in the first place, He may not have needed to take these last 6 years to teach me such a valuable lesson. But through it all, no matter what the circumstance or need, He has always been faithful in His blessings and provisions. Not once has He failed us (and He tells me He never will;)

That's not to say that in a month or two some major life expense won't pop up and throw us back into debt. It just means that for now, we've purposed to live within our means so that our financial situation doesn't dictate what we can and can't enjoy. It's simply another step toward complete financial freedom that we're working towards.

I think we'll celebrate with dinner out;)

You'd Think He's Being Tortured

It started at breakfast when I oh~so~casually mentioned to Austin that I would be picking him up early from b~ball practice yesterday. I would have preferred to leave it at that but he persisted and asked why. So I dropped the bomb. His 7 year check up was that afternoon. The panic was instant. The last thing I wanted to deal with during our crazy morning routine. But I didn't want to completely ambush him in front of his team when I arrived to pick him up.

I arrived at 3:45 for him and the whining and negotiations started immediately. He knew he was getting a finger poke first thing so he suggested that the nurse could just get his newly formed scab (from roller skating that am) wet and get blood that way. He also claimed that he "didn't need them to tell me I'm healthy because I already know".

The task of peeing into a cup distracted him momentarily. (I almost got a smile out of him as he took aim.) And nurse Sally was so quick with the finger poke by the time he saw it coming it was over. Whew. He topped the scales at a whopping 48 lbs. and measured in at 49 3/4 inches. His weight was my biggest concern going into the appointment. To put this all into perspective I had Audrey jump on the scale while we were waiting. She is exactly 25 months younger than Austin and weighs 44 lbs. Hmm... See exhibit A for my case in point (this kid is skin and bones!)

exhibit A

Meal time is a battle every day. He fights me on everything I serve. Well, almost everything. There are usually no objections if he's pounding down a foot long from Subway or a double cheeseburger from McD's but healthy diets do not consist of only meat, cheese, and mayo. The biggest fight is getting him to eat his veggies. His favorites... pickles and tomatoes served in ketchup or sauce form ONLY.

As it turns out, he's just tall and skinny like his dad. He's in the 40th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. Dr. Rao did pause slightly before finally saying in his wonderful accent, "well, he won't be a fat boy." So if the doc isn't concerned, then I shouldn't be either. But still, I don't want the public judging me when I'm out with my pale, anorexic~looking child. So we'll work on it.

Finally, nurse Sally sweeps in with gum and stickers and (dum, dum, DUM) a shot! She tells him to squeeze my hand really hard (to which I jokingly protest) and blow out like there are birthday candles in front of him. Again, she's so fast there's barely time for objection. Done and over just like that and I didn't even break a sweat. Double whew.

On the way out he guilt trips me into a cross town trip to Maggie Moo's and since ice cream is sounding pretty darn good, I relent. (Plus, all those extra calories will be good for us the kids.) As we eat our treats (cheesecake and fresh banana ice cream mixed with caramel for me, so yum! and blue cotton candy with mini gummy bears for the kids, so clothes staining!) Austin can't help but suddenly mention to Audrey that she'll be going back for her 5 year check up soon. To which the panic immediately sets in. Ahh, kids! Gotta love 'em. I'm sure there will be more Maggie Moo's involved. And you gotta love that, too!

Little Forgotten Treasures

I've spent the last 1/2 hour or so "cleaning house". Going thru an inbox that hadn't been really cleaned out for over a year. Deleting old emails, moving others to various folders, and in the process stumbling across a bunch of delicious forgotten memories. Little snapshots of my life.

The emails between 5 best friends, each so desperately wanting/needing a GNO, and everyone doing their best to clear their schedules for a bit of girl time. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

The emails from my SIL, usually coordinating a playdate or family dinner or sharing photos from our latest get together.

The ridiculously hilarious emails that 2 certain friends are known to forward. You know the ones: the email from said friend who is selling bed throws for Christmas and then you scroll down to see a sample and are greeted not by a picture of a knitted afghan but instead of a (seemingly) naked man sprawled across a bed. The email that lists the 40 mistakes men make during sex (that leaves you contemplating forwarding it to your own husband with a footnote urging him to please take note of #'s 4, 10, & 18.) Yes, dear friend, you are laughing as you read this because you know who you are;)

Taking pause to consider those "stop & think" emails. Loving one that starts with: "so true..." and ends with: "don't worry about the world coming to an end today, it's already tomorrow in Australia."

Thanks for the mail and thanks for the memories!

To My Favorite Little Man

our basement ~*~ 2005

SAU field house ~*~ 2009

You're 7 years old today and over the years, one thing hasn't changed... your love for basketball! You were a baller almost from the start, crawling over to your little tykes b~ball hoop and pulling yourself up for a slam dunk! Now, you can easily shoot a men's sized basketball into the 10 foot hoops. Happy birthday, Austin Jamers!!!!

Sunshine!?! In Michigan!?!

Impossible, but today was actually sunny. Today was a good day. A chance to get caught up on lots of projects I simply haven't had the time or energy to tackle. This is my 30th winter in Michigan and every year as I trudge thru the snow, slip on the ice, shiver uncontrollably, freeze my freakin' nibblets off.... I question my sanity. It's a good thing family is so important to me or I would've been long gone;) Anyways, back to today, I:

• put away the last of my Christmas winter decorations
• I reclaimed the girls' room from the ever growing mess that threatens to consume it entirely
• put together a bag of junk goodies for the 1st graders' upcoming sale at Encore. (I have found that the best time to purge is when I am totally, completely ticked at all of the crap that accumulates. It's alot easier to get rid of things when I'm not being sentimental or indecisive.)
• cleaned up the remnants of last nite's Super Bowl party (just Tom and the kids). But don't let "remnants" fool you. Super Bowl XLIV chewed and swallowed my living room, dining room, and kitchen and then regurgitated it all over itself. (I am taking a momentary break because, well, I've been working all day and I deserve it.)
• took back a car load of recycles
• visited new bank to get some checks to pay bills tonite
• visited old bank to make a deposit
• dropped off dry cleaning
• washed 3 loads of laundry
• peeled 3 oranges for snack time
• and the list goes on and on

Yes, today was a good day. Thank you, God, for sunshine in Michigan in February!

Taylor Swift And Vampires

My daughters have 2 obsessions... Taylor Swift's song "You Belong With Me" and Miley Cyrus' "Party In The USA". We're constantly searching for them playing on the radio when we're running back and forth in the van. I went to playlist.com to find the songs and add them to the bottom of my playlist for future reference. Our laptop's sound in on the fritz and you can only hear sound thru the headphones but you should see my girls rock out. Lexi especially puts on a great show singing and Audrey has the "movin' my hips, like, yeah" part from "...USA" down very well;)

Anyways, the whole reason I mention vampires is because while searching for Taylor's song I came across "You Belong With Me" (Jacob Black's version). Anyone who has a neurotic slight obsession the Twilight Saga will find this amusing. Not real sure how to do it any differently so I just added the song to the top of my playlist so it will start automatically.