Pictures of Kyle

Kyle in his story box---He got the idea from watching "Pinky Dinky Doo" on Noggin.













Kyle on the computer---he discovered the Noggin and Disney websites this summer.














(this was taken in June--yes I know he is wearing Santa pjs....you talk to a sleepy (read crabby!) 4 year old and convince him that Christmas was 6 months ago---he doesn't care...it's the only pair of jammies he could find that didn't have a hole in the knee! )

pictures of my soccer boys

I'm reading a blog of a woman who just lost her fight with melanoma and she started the blog to share pictures of her precious little boy with family who didn't live nearby and also as a way to look back and trace the journey of thier family. As time goes on the blog changed to her fight with melanoma. And it caused me to start thinking about my blog...I really don't need to make it that big of a deal---it's just a way for me to share my family. So here goes---I'm turning over a new leaf...more entries and more pictures.

the blog I'm reading: http://tebspage.blogspot.com

Conversation with Trey~~~

TREY--Mom, what's a diaphragm? (yelled downstairs as he and a female friend are playing in the gameroom)
ME--uh.....how is it used in a sentence?
TREY--I'm not sure how to say it...it's a drawing of where everything goes....
ME--oh~~~ you mean a DIAGRAM?
TREY--yeah that's it! thanks!

~*~*~*PHEW!*~*~*~
I certainly wasn't prepared for THAT discussion!

The playground

The playground was full of laughing, healthy boys and girls......They were bouncing balls, playing hopscotch, chasing butterflies, and just being typical kids. Everyone was getting along so perfectly....the sun was shining, birds were chirping the most glorious songs. You could tell that some of these children were siblings.... they had the same beautiful eyes and shining hair. There were three, very special children that kept looking off into the distance as if they knew that this was indeed an extraordinary day. There was a feeling of anticipation with these three, that the others just didn't seem to exude.

Suddenly there was a light tinkling sound.....all play came to an abrupt standstill as the children watched the beautiful lady in the white dress escort the small boy out to join them. The little brownhaired lad was a bit shy at first until he made eye contact with one of the three, and you could see him visbly relax because he recognized them. The lady introduced the lad , " Children, we have a new youngster joining us. Please welcome Jacob Daniel. He's had a very rough journey but he's here now."

The three welcomed their brother with huge hugs, lots of laughter and then they all ran off to play together. The lady in white smiled and wiped away a tear as she watched the lad running off...his spine was straight, heart no longer broken....whole and healthy in a way that only The Great Physician can cure.

~*~*~*written in memory of Jacob Daniel, a child too broken and God had to bring him back to Heaven to be fixed. May his parents find the love, support, peace and healing they need to survive this painful loss.~*~*~*

Picture by Patch of Heaven Graphics http://members.tripod.com/patchofheaven2/angel_and_duck.htm

They're growing up!

Why is this such a SURPRISE to me????? I look at these 2 wonderful boys God gave me, and *I* see the little towheaded toddlers running towards me with huge smiles and dirty hands outstretched ready to hug me. Everyone else sees something different. Especially with Trey. They see a tall slim boy almost as tall as me with feet that seem to go on forever! My grandmother (God rest her soul) would have said he was setting a solid foundation. LOL
His soccer coach told him he looked like Prince Harry ( and he really does!) so now he goes around insisting that I call him "the Prince. " He's such a goof! :o) He decided that would get him out of his chores but soon realized the QUEEN (me!) thought he should still do them.
When they start growing up, the worries change. Where before I had to make sure he was safe from things that could hurt him physically (scissors, knives, broken glass) now I'm more worried about things that will hurt him emotionally or spiritually (bad language, violence, sex). Bullies at school do more damage with their words than they do with their fists. And how does a mom battle those??? All I can do is make sure he knows that he is loved, that he knows what we believe is right and wrong and pray for Divine Guidance for him when he's not with me.

Thoughts from a Soccer MOM

Per Jules' request, I'm here! LOL Wouldn't want to upset the pregnant lady! :o)

Actually, I was planning to get in here anyway....I haven't written about Kyle's soccer games yet. To be honest, I should have written it last week, because it was amuch more positive experienc e than today was! OH MY GOSH!!!!! Today was utter T*O*R*T*U*R*E!!! When he woke up this morning he was so excited about going tothe game ans playing, but when we got there, he didn't want to play. We were short players so we needed all 4 kids out there the whole game. I had to peel him off of my leg several times, and he spend most of the game crying. I teased him, tried to bribe him, fussed at him, even sat him in timeout because he was throwing a fit. he said it was because they weren't playing with his ball, so we switched balls and evel let him do the kickoff. H dribbled down the field and shot on goal, but the goalie took the ball and Kyle FELL APART! He threw himself down on the field and cried. The OTHER TEAM's coach went over and picked him up and tried to console him and then he got down and came running to me because the other team took his ball away. At that point, I gave up and sat him on the bench. I was taking pictures of the team so I couldn't do anything else. Consequently, he didn't get his treat that I had for him in the car, because he had thrown a fit. Then I felt like I was a HORRIBLE pushy mom that was MAKING her kid play when he didn't want to. But usually, he takes a bit to warm up and then he LOVES playing--he just needs that little NUDGE to get him out there and playing. It made it worse because his dad was there....normally Trey's games are at the same time, so I take Kyle and Eddie takes Trey. Today, Trey's game was later so we could all go to both. He does better at games where it's just the 2 of us, but that's not fair to Eddie....he wants to see his son play too. Plus next week I'll be out of town so Eddie will have to take Kyle to his game. I'm really hoping that he does better next week for Eddie.

Trey, on the other hand. had one of the BEST games ever!!! he was ON FIRE!!!! He played both defense and offense, and while he didn't make a goal, he was everywhere he was supposed to be, and did everything perfectly.....AWESOME kicks, great passes, lots of assists, etc.

A Day at the Beach

Last week, during Spring Break, I took the Boys to Galveston. Kyle had never been to the beach and Trey had only been a very few times. We took sand shovels and trucks and they played in the sand for quite a while. They probably could have stayed a whole lot longer just playing in the sand, but I was afraid that they'd get sunburned. It was a PERFECT day--overcast and windy so we weren't too hot. I could have stayed out there on such a gorgeous day too, but now that I have the beach "itch" again, and both boys enjoyed it so much, I'm sure we'll be going back again on my next vacation from school--Easter maybe???

We decided to take the ferry across to Bolivar Peninsula just to ride the boat and Kyle was excited about it until the captain sounded the horn. AS soon as he heard the loud foghorn, he RAN back to the car, got inside, buckjled up and grabbed his baby! LOL! I couldn't get him to come back out after that! As soon as we got across, he was ready to come back so we turned around and got back on the same ferry and came back to Galveston again.

They had so much fun...it's really cool to see these things through the boys' eyes, because you get to enjoy it all over again for the first time.

*~*~*~HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LITTLE MRACLE!!!~*~*~*~*~*

Kyle is 4 today!!!! I decided to write down a little bit of what happened on the day of his birth....it was written in ParentsPlace PAL but I can';t seem to find it anymore...
1*24*2002
I hadn't felt Kyle move all day and was FREAKING out!! I'd made it so far in this pregnancy and I was so scared I'd lost him at the end...I was rushed in for an emergency U/S and we found out that I had very little amniotic fluid left, so the dr moved up my c sxn to 11:30 am on 1/25. I did my bloodwork and went home to get my bag packed and get Trey squared away.
8 pm-- I had just tucked Trey into bed and was packing the last of my things in my bag for the hospital. No sooner had I gotten him to sleep then L&D called...I needed to get to the hosp immediately. My bw was abnormal and baby's health was being compromised and needed to be delivered NOW! YIKES!!! I was totally freaked, but had to keep it together to make sure everything got done for Trey while I was in the hosp.
I told Eddie what the nurse had said but it obviously didn't register...he didn't even take contact stuff to take his contacts out. He was planning on dropping my off at the hosp and coming back home! MEN!
In L&D, as soon as I said who I was, nurses were scrambling to get me settled in a room and do more b/w STAT.... Then we had to wait for the lab to run the tests and it came back even higher than before---my kindeys were shutting down, my liver was trying to do the work of both organs, and my bp was up to stroke level. They had all kinds of machines on standby in case I coded. I got 2 transfusions prior to surgery because they were afraid I'd bleed out.
My dr and the anesthesiologist argued about when to do the sxn and I heard my dr say if we wait we will lose BOTH of them! Holy cow! I'd been worried about the baby--I'd come too far to lose him now, but there was a possibility that I could die too!!!
Facing your own mortality is a scary thing. I looked at Eddie but he hadn't heard the dr say anything so I didn't tell him what I heard...I just started giving him all kinds of instructions about what I wanted if I didn't make it. he didn't get it at the time, but later when the dr told us it would be touch and go, it scared him too.
You know how there are moments in time that are etched in your mind forever? the scared look on Eddie's face as they wheeled me to the OR will be one I'll never forget. I didn't know if I'd ever see him again....My dr's last words before he put me under--"hang in there Robin. I'm going to do all I can to pull you through!" Great! Just what I wanted to hear as I'm drifting off to sleep!
In the OR, there was a NICU team on standby, as well as a cardiology team, in addition to all of the OB team. It was pretty crowded. I found out later, that the nursery nurses had a prayer time for me while I was in the OR...I was known throughout the hosp! LOL
Even with all of that, we made it through and I now have a precious 4 year old getting moved to the PRE-K room at school next week!! and starting soccer next month! I look at that precious little boy and I thank God for allowing me to make it through a very difficult situation so that I can watch him and his brother grow up!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MY DARLING KYLE

scattered thoughts from a sad mommy

I'm worried about Trey. In the past 2 weeks, he's called me three times because he's forgotten things he's needed for school. Luckily, in all 3 cases, I was able to bring it to him almost immediately, but I know that won't always be the case. Normally, he is not that scattered, so I know this is a new development.

According to websites on grief in children, this is a normal reaction to the loss of a loved one. I realize he has to go through all these stages in order to work through his grief, but oh my goodness, it is breaking my heart to watch him struggle like this. The MOM in me wants to hold him close, kiss him and make the pain go away, but the PROFESSIONAL me knows he needs to process his feelings in order to move on. The hard part is knowing WHEN to be MOM and when to be grief counselor....

I've decided to make a scrapbook and have Trey help me...I'll give him some pictures and let him make a page or two (or as many as he wants). I'll probably let Kyle make some too, even though I really don't think he comprehends that Grandma is no longer with us. But it can't hurt ---- I take a lot of pictures so I know I can find some good ones. I made a dvd of pictures of the boys with both sets of grandparents for Christmas, so I can pull a few pictures off of that if necessary, but I have a bunch of others also.

Trey and I are reading a book about forgetting a grandparent when they die. We're just getting started, so I don't know how it will turn out, but so far so good.....

You know, it's just not fair!!! Eddie and I both have grandmothers who are in their 80s or 90s. Why did my boys have to lose one of their grandmothers at only 65??? That's way too young to die---there is so much she will miss.....graduations, weddings, their first car, the birth of Trey's or Kyle's first child.

May She Rest in Peace.....

This is hard for me to write....it may take me several attempts to put my thoughts down in type, but it definitely needs to be recorded.

One week ago today, my mother-in-law passed away. It was very unexpected so none of us were prepared for the news. We can take solace in the fact that she went very quickly and thus without much pain, but she was only 65 years old, and she should have been around for us for many many more years.

You hear all those mother-in-law jokes about ladies who are total buttinskis who are always giving their opinions or letting you know that you're not good enough for their sons. I was very blessed to NOT have one of those types of ladies.......We had a very good relationship and I have many very precious memories that just the two of us shared.....

Like when I lost my first baby and she held me and cried with me because we both were mourning our loss. She knew how very very much we wanted another child and it hurt her to see us in pain. She worried over all of her children, but kept it to herself because she didn't want to add to our worries.

I loved her potato salad and she always made it for our family picnics and made a big batch for me after both of our babies were born. I asked her once how she made it and she told me it was no big deal....no special recipe....but she left us before I got the recipe. Guess I'll just have to use trial and error until I get it right...

At many of our family gatherings, especially picnics at the park, she and I sat back and watched the guys play frisbee or toss washers....those times were when we had some great talks....it may not have been about anything important but it was enjoyable to just bring her up to date with the boys' antics and talk about the family.

Having the family together for Christmas Eve was so special......Eddie and I decorated the house so pretty for the holidays and we wanted everything to be perfect. I baked and cooked and we had a nice little meal before opening presents. It was noisy but it was the sounds of laughter and teasing and joy. The great thing was that all 3 children and their spouses and children were here. We were only missing the 2 oldest grandchildren, who are grown and out on their own, working and starting families of their own with new traditions. I didn't take a lot of pictures....I should have, but I just sat back and watched everyone enjoying a wonderful day. I was so happy----in a new home, surrounded by a family that loved me.....what else did I need??? My blessings just seemed to overflow.

I left the party early because I had to drive to Austin to pick up my parents. The last words I heard from Moma are still etched in my brain, "Thank you for a wonderful day. I love you, please drive safely."

My heart is aching because I see my loved ones in such pain.....she was such a vital part of this family and there is a HUGE void left unfilled. I think of all the things I never told her and should have like thank you for raising such a wonderful son and teaching him how to show love and to treat me like a queen. Thank you for opening your heart and your home to a strange woman and welcoming her with open arms into the fold. Thank you for always listening to my silly questions about raising boys and for all the suggestions you had for me even when I didn't always listen or take your advice. Thank you for the encouragement you gave me to keep trying when it looked like we'd never have those 2 precious boys. Thank you for loving my boys even when they were throwing temper tantrums or didn't want anybody but Mommy. Thanks for never treating me like an outsider....I always felt like I belonged. I wish I'd told her I'm sorry for not finding more time to just listen....I wish I knew more about her life as a child, and Eddie's life as a little boy. I wish we'd come over earlier so we could have cooked together and I could have learned her secret for making beans and rice....mine never turns out as good as hers. And most of all I wish I'd told her I loved her more often...I guess I just assumed she knew.....

Grandma.....Moma........you were very much loved. And nothing or nobody can fill the emptiness you left behind....


This picture was taken the day we told her Kyle was on the way.....one of the happiest days of both of our lives.

Christmas Thoughts

Wow! What a whirlwind Christmas vacation I had! It started out so wonderfully...I finished my Christmas shopping early so I didn't have to deal with the crazy crowds...Kyle was still in preschool so Trey and I went to see "The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe" at the new theater by our house. It was WONDERFUL!! defintiely worth seeing again! Then the boys and I spent a day making cookies for Santa and for all the people that would be at our house for the holidays.

Christmas Eve was FANTASTIC!! Eddie's family came over lunch and I made lasagna. We opened Christmas presents and laughed and rejoiced over the time spent together. Grandma and Grandpa got Trey a big soccer table for the gameroom and Kyle got a smaller tabletop version. Daddy and Uncle Louis put it together and then Daddy and Grandpa played Trey and Uncle Louis. Grandma laughed and cheered for whoever was winning at the time. :o)
I didn't get to see the BIG GAME because I'd left to go to Austin to pick up my parents who spent the next week with us. Kyle was so excited about Santa coming that night, so he had Grandma help him get on his new pajamas and get ready for bed. He tried to help Grandpa and Daddy, too, but mostly cheered with Grandma.

Hi! Did ya miss me????

HOLY CATFISH!!! It's been a LOOOOOONG time since I even came to this site! My life took a CRAZY turn and I just couldn't find ANY time to post! Part of the problem is because the School district decided that blogging cut into my teaching time and put a block on the site. I cant access it from school anymore and that was the PERFECT time for me to write.

Oh well....It's a new year and hopefully I can get back to it again. At least that's my New Yr's resolution---to write down about my memories. I want my kids to have something to read when I'm gone, so that they know the REAL me. So many of my posts from now on may be directed to my children but since it will be insights into my life, I'm willing to share with all.

I chose this picture because it shows my treasures----Trey and Kyle playing in our kitchen. Mon and Dad were here and Eddie and I were playing cards with them while the boys raced their loud monster trucks thru the kitchen...our house was noisy but filled with the sounds of laughter, teasing, playful arguments and most of all LOVE.

Ugh! We've got the Sickies!!!!

I am a horrible wife. I might as well admit it, because it is true. Sunday I had a horrible migraine and decided I would take Monday off to recuperate. I knew I'd have that headachy hangoverish feeling, and I really didn't want to go sit in some stupid inservice anyway so I'd just stay home. I'd already made arrangements for the boys since Trey didn't have school so I'd be home all by myself.
Yesterday, I woke up and Eddie was just getting back in bed. I asked him if he was ok and he said he'd been up most of the night with an upset stomach. "Are you going to work today?" "no." Oh great~~there goes my day off...if I stay home I'll have to deal w/ Mr. Poor-pitiful-me-I-feel-so-awful all day...giving him clean cool washcloths after he vomits, checking his fever all day, etc. So I decided to go on to work and suffer through the unbearable meetings because it was the lesser of two evils. My only "help" at home was to spray Lysol everywhere before I leave and tell him to ONLY use the bathroom in our room.
Then all day I felt guilty because he really was pretty sick. I even got sympathy diarrhea (I know--TMI!) because he was sick. By the time we all got home from school, Kyle also had diarrhea, Trey was complaining of an upset stomach and even my tummy was a little shaky.
He stayed home again today but finally sounds stronger over the phone. I sure hope the rest of us don't get this too.

Ramblings about Rita

Our lives, at least mine anyway, were turned upside down when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. I immediately went into help mode....I volunteered to help out at one of the local churches who was housing 100 evacuees, signed up to be a "Laundry Angel" and bought an unbelievable amount of supplies for all of the drives we had....The Boy Scout troop, neighborhood school, Kyle's school, Trey's school, *my* school, church, etc. My heart was breaking for all these poor people who lost everything. The thought that kept going thru my mind was "it could have been us!" I got some students who were Katrina evacuees in my classes, and they seemed shell-shocked. One young boy had lived through the horrors of the storm and aftermath at the Superdome.

Then last week it was our turn......Rita was heading into the Gulf, straight towards the Texas coast. At first it was towards Matagorda, which would have put us on the "dirty side" of the storm, with a HUGE storm surge (maybe 25 feet!) and the probability of several tornadoes. The mayor of Galveston and the governor of Texas decide to put mandatory evacuations in place. The mayor of Houston puts his orders in as well. Schools are canceled, businesses are closing and there is a HUGE run for supplies.

I went to Walmart to buy a few things (bananas for Kyle, milk, etc) on Tuesday night before we even know WHERE the storm was headed, and the place was PACKED. I had to drive around a bit before I could find a parking place and then it was utter CHAOS inside. I had Kyle w/ me, which may have helped because since I had a small child, I was able to get a shopping cart. The shelves were messy--a lot of food was gone, particularly soups, beef stews, etc. There was no water, no paper products (plates, cups, napkins, etc), only a few loaves of bread ( the expensive "gourmet" type breads). I was looking for the goldfish shaped noodle soup for Kyle and found ONE can towards the bottom of the shelves.....As I was reaching for it , someone grabbed it out of my hand. I grabbed a loaf of the gourmet bread and a woman actually had the nerve to ask me if I really needed that loaf of bread! Now, remember, I had my 3 year old son with me....And don't you think someone w/ a small child would NEED the bread???? I told her ," umm, yeah, unless I want to put my husband's sandwiches on Ritz crackers!" Stupid woman!! Then as we were heading towards the produce section, I mentioned needing bananas. The lady behind me hit me in the rear, and when I stopped to turn around and look at her, she went around me and grabbed the last bunch of bananas. I thought I was in a NASCAR race---it was the old "bump and run" move!!! LOL The bananas didn't look that good anyway, so she could have had them without crippling me! Since I'd gotten a prime parking place (first spot right in front of the door, ) I had several people fighting for my spot. I wasn't sure if they were even going to let me finish loading the groceries before they started crowding me...They certainly didn't give me much room to maneuver out of the spot! I was never so glad to get home!!!!!!

Wednesday we had school, and we were trying to go about business as usual---jr. high kids don't do well with change or new things. Obviously our principal doesn't know that because she kept coming on the intercom w/ updates about the hurricane! That left us w/ kids who had just studied about the 1900 hurricane that wiped out Galveston plus they'd just witnessed the devastation of Katrina. So they were scared and needed to be reassured that where we live, it will be ok. When the principal announced that the schools were going to be closed for 2 days, she should have gone ahead and ordered the buses to take them home right then and there. It was almost impossible to try to tech them after that point. By then we were thinking that Katrina maybe hitting closer to Freeport which would still put us on the dirty side of the eye, and for my house, it would have meant 125 mph winds. I was starting to get a bit more concerned.....

That night around 10 pm, I decided to make one more Walmart run to see if I could get anything else we may need. It wasn't as crazy as it had been the night before, but traffic was backed up on the freeway for MILES---all I could see were red tail lights. Good thing I lived close enough that I didn't have to get on the highway!!! I still couldn't get much food, but I was able to buy some pop tarts and of course my bananas! LOL I also got Kyle this cute little tiger flashlight that growls when you turn it on. :o)

Thursday, coordinates predict it's coming in to Galveston....We start looking for plywood to board up our windows, and of course there is none to be found. We taped them up as much as we can, but are not sure if it will be enough to sustain 120 mph winds. The good thing (if there is anything "good" ) about the storm hitting Galveston is now we will be on the west side of the storm, which doesn't get the storm surge, nor the tornadoes. We'll still have gale force winds but not as much rain. Later on, they say it's heading east of Houston, probably on the TX/LA border but it could still hit Houston if it turns back. AT this time they were worried about a possibility that it would stall out in Lufkin (East Texas) and turn around and come back to Houston like TS Allison did in 2001.

By noon on Friday, we started getting a breeze...At this point it felt good because it had been so dang hot all week. Trey and the kids rode their bikes and played outside until finally about 8:30 or 9 pm, I MADE him come in because the winds had picked up enough that the trees were whipping around pretty hard, and I was worried that something would break and blow around and hit him. He decided to sleep in our closet, because the other kids were sleeping in their parents' closets and he thought that was cool. We'd already decided he had to sleep in our room because we didn't want him upstairs, and the living room has a large window in the foyer that we were afraid might break. I didn't want him in the path of the glass.

Rita came ashore near Beaumont around 2;30 am....We started getting rain around the same time. It rained off and on all night long, and the wind came in gusts for most of the night as well. When we checked the rain gauge, though, it said we only got 3/4 in of rain. It was turned sideways by the wind so I doubt that was very accurate. We had a lot of wind all day Saturday as well, but we were very blessed and didn't lose power or water, like we'd been warned we might. So we watched the news and played games, talked with the neighbors, etc, and just had a nice relaxing weekend. The governor had asked the school districts to give everyone a couple of days to get back to town, so school was canceled for Monday and Tuesday as well.

Sunday night, just as the new premiere shows were getting ready to come on, cable went out all over the city. A generator had overheated. Now we'd been on news only mode since Wednesday and had missed many of the shows already--Martha Apprentice, Apprentice, ER, E Ring, 3 wishes, inconceivable, etc. And now we were going to miss Desperate housewives and Grey's anatomy as well! grrrr. How ironic that we survived the storm and THEN had problems w/ cable. I couldn't even get online since we have roadrunner!

Because of everyone's quick thinking and willingness to evacuate, the death toll w/ Rita was not as extensive as with Katrina. The last count is 7 storm related deaths plus probably about 30 maybe traffic related fatalities with evacuees. The bus that exploded in Dallas was one of the tragedies as well as who knows how many children, elderly and disabled died from dehydration or heat stroke on the highways as they tried to get out of town? I know it would have been much much worse if we hadn't had Katrina a month ago. Government officials learned from Katrina that we needed to make transportation available for those without the means to leave on their own, and we started the evacuation earlier even though we didn't know for sure where exactly it would hit.

For us, we didn't evacuate...But we did learn some lessons for the future: 1. We need plywood for all of our windows, and we will be buying some as soon as Home Depot has it back in stock. 2. duct tape does NOT work on windows and it leaves a yucky residue on the windows after you take it off, especially after the sun has hit the tape for a while. 3. We need to find back ways to stores, etc from our new house... There are side roads that we need to investigate. 4. We need to stock up on more C and D batteries....We had TONS of As and AAs because that 's what all the toys need but flashlights need the others. 5. We should evacuate if it looks like it will hit as a CAT4 or 5. This came in as a Cat 3 and we had some heavy wind gusts.

Countdown to Christmas.......

Adding a ticker to my blog----It's time to start looking aghead to Christmas....Normally, I at least have a few things purchased by now, and am at least starting to think of ideas.

Yesterday I started my Christmas shopping---I bought a couple of gifts for the boys. I know what I'd LOVE to get Eddie for Christmas but am not sure if we can afford it this year. If only mone was not an issue....I LOVE Christmas and would LOVE to be able to go hog-wild during the holidays!

My Expelled Son

I'm a teacher. I've taken all kinds of courses in child development, learned various strategies in classroom management, etc. I even have a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership! Wouldn't you think that I could get one very small three year old child to do what I wanted him to do???? Of course not!

This has taken me a week to write about, because up until now, I couldn't even THINK about this without crying. Last Friday, just as I was walking into a meeting with the rest of my History team, my cell phone rings. Uh oh! Everyone knows I'm at school and to email if they need to get a hold of me. It must be an emergency--Trey's school will call my school number so it has to be Kyle. Hello? Hi Robin. This is Patrick at -----. I have your son in the office with me. He's throwing a fit and is hurting the other children. We feel you need to find another day care for him to attend, because he can't come back here....try a small home center, blah, blah, blah! Wait a minute! You're kicking my son out of PRESCHOOL?????? He's being kicked out of school at THREE YEARS OLD???? What did he do? He head butted a little girl because she wouldn't stop crying and it hurt his ears! OMGOSH! Where did he learn to do that??? I was so humiliated--all I could do all day was cry. To be fair, they had warned me the week before (his first week of school!) that he was having problems adjusting and that preschool may not be what's best for him. But we talked and I explained that he had never been in a day care situation and he needed to learn to share, and to play w/ other kids, etc., and he couldn't do that if I had him w/ a babysitter by himself. That's where he's been for the past three years and thaty's WHY he's so spoiled now. So they agreed to give him a chance. Well, the following week, he missed the first 2 days because he had strep, and then the next two days were good days, so I really wasn't expecting that call. So I spent the rest of that day trying to find a place for him to go starting this Monday.

Luckily I hit upon a WONDERFUL one on the first try....Kyle is HAPPY there---he waves good bye and skedaddles to his room before I can even get him checked in. The last one---he clung to my pant leg and I had to peel him off of me to leave. At the old one, he refused to do circle time, or any papers, or to sit down to listen to stories. Now, he takes books so his teacher can read them--SHARING them w/ the other kids!!!! I have pictures that he's colored all over my refrigerator and cabinets, and he's a totally different child!!!

When I try to talk to him about his first experience, he gets a closed off look on his face and changes the subject. If he talks about his new school, he's animated and tells me all about it!

Yesterday my baby started Preschool!!!

Wow! It's amazing that he's old enough to start school already! What a special little boy he is and so excited about going to his new "big-boy" school just like his big brother!

Yesterday, I woke him up and told him it was time to get ready for school---LOL he was out of that bed IMMEDIATELY! He got dressed and I fixed his breakfast (2 waffles and a glass of milk). After he finished (which took him a little while because he was so excited and kept getting down from the table to see what I was packing in his backpack), he went to wash his sticky hands and brush his teeth. He obviously looked in the mirror while he was cleaning up, because all of a sudden he came running through the house yelling "Mommmmmmmmm!!!" When he got back to the kitchen where I was, he said , "my hair is sticking up!" so off we went to my bathrrom where I put some no more tangtles spray on it to get it to lay down! LOL Everything had to be PERFECT for his first day. Before we left, he wanted his picture taken so I got a couple of pictures of him and then it was off to school.

When we got there, we went to his class, hung up his backpack and put his blankie and pillow in his cubby. He went straight for the Legos, but the rest of the kids were coloring and working on their letters, so I told him he needed to join the others. His teacher, Ms. Joanna, who had also been Trey's teacher, siad, "Kyle we're learning a new letter today..come join us." Kyle's answer: "Mom, I KNOW that's a U and it stands for umbrella. That's a picture of an umbrella. So now can I play with the trains?" I told himhe needed to color a picture to put on my new refrigerator, so he sat down and started working.

He apparently had a very good day, except he wouldn't eat any lunch. Wish he wasn't such a picky eater! I love how excited he is about school--it makes it so much easier to leave him in the morning.

New ticker!!!

Settling In

I LOVE my new house!!! The neighborhood is WONDERFUL and I feel so much better about letting the kids play outside. Trey is out much of the day riding his scooter, and he's already met 3 girls who are usually riding their bikes/scooters in our cul de sac too. This is the reason I wanted a new house---so that our house would be where all the kids hang out. If I'm the "cool mom" who lets kids play and get noisy, and have cool snacks, etc., then my kids will be here where I KNOW what's going on, get to know the other kids, etc.

I can't wait to finish up all the packing and cleaning of the old house so we can be here full time to really enjoy the amenities of the neighborhood as well as get to know our neighbors.

House Update #2 -- Our 1st Night!

Quick Update--I'm supposed to be packing more stuff to take out to the house! :o)

We closed yesterday. Everything went very smoothly. No problems or surprises. We'd rented a Uhaul truck the night before so had a load already to move in. Eddie & I went to the house, unloaded the truck and set up Kyle's room. He got Trey's red bunk bed ( well one of them for right now). and his road rug, so his room will probably be done in primary colors w/ a truck theme.

I put up the shower curtain in the boys' bath and it looks pretty cool! It's a racing theme, complete w/ shower curtain hooks that look like lug nuts ( and they really kinda do! LOL)

That's really about all we were able to complete before we turned the truck back in and got the boys. Trey had his first basketball game last night so we went to that before coming back and spending our first night in our NEW house!

The boys were WILD and took a LONG time to settle down. But it was so cool to listen to their reaction when they saw the bathroom and Kyle's room for the 1st time! Trey ended up sleeping on the Aerobed in his room, and we took the mattress off the futon we just bought and haven't put together yet, and slept on the floor in our room. We're getting a new BR set as soon as we find time to go shopping and Trey is getting our bed, but we haven't gotten it moved yet.

They finally settled down and we all went to bed. I was a little worried about Kyle getting up in the middle of the night in a strange hgouse, but he was tired and slept all night long. I woke up earlythis morning and couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and unpacked some boxes in the kitchen. Since I'd packed some on my white corning ware dishes in newpaper, I decided to do a load of dishes in my new dishwasher (something the old house didn't have--I'd been washing them by hand for the last 14 yrs!). I'd bought some jet dry but couldn't remember how much to put in and I must have over filled it. I was in another room unpacking and came back to see my kitchen floor COVERED in white bubbles! My dishwasher had overflowed! LOL Of course my mop was at the other house, so I grabbed some bath towels to clean it up. While I was doing that, a light bulb had burned out above the jacuzzi in our bathroom, so Eddie had taken it down ( it's recessed) and replaced the bulb but couldn't get it to go back up, so *that* is hanging down in my bathroom now! (pretty, eh??) what a comedy of errors!!

When I was getting Kyle to bed last night, I asked him if he liked his new room. He said , "yes mommy. I so happy in my new room and you did it all just for me!" (Awwwwww!)

I know I'm gushing, but I've waited a very LONG time to get this house and I too am"so happy". :o)