A Neighborly BBQ

The Gibson's graciously invited us over for a neighborly BBQ on Saturday.

The kids played while the adults mingled.

Uncle Rob tested out his new grill to feed all of us.

The kids had a dance party in the garage.


We have the BEST neighbors on the planet for many reasons. But you know they are REALLY great neighbors when your three year old pukes all over and they jump up like it's their own kid to help clean it up!!

Thank you Gibson family for a fun night. Sorry we had to end it early!

Home Run and Game Ball

I had NO IDEA that baseball would be so exciting- but oh how it is. We are LOVING Little League. Gav's team is currently undefeated. We played our fourth game today with three players and our coach out, and managed to beat the only other undefeated team. I am not sure I have ever screamed so much at a game before. It had my heart pumping for sure. We had to be there at 7:30 am and I thought I would need my coffee, but I am pretty sure I would have been fine without it.

Gavin has REALLY been doing well. He picked up the sport naturally and has earned his role as "clean up" hitter. He hit a home run at Wednesdays game and today he won the game ball for the most RBI's and hits. So proud of our little baseball player!!! What an exciting season it has been so far! I have a feeling this *may* be the sport he sticks with. We will see if he chooses baseball or football in the Spring....but my money is on baseball. We shall see.

Walk/Bike To School Day

Donuts with Dad

Donuts with Dad was this morning. We went as a family since I was taking yearbook pictures. That meant Hadley and I were able to get in on the breakfast as well. The kids loved it.

I just  hope they are feeling well at school today after all the donuts and juice they had!! It definitely wasn't the breakfast of champions...but a fun way to start the day!

Alma Mater, Texas A&M

Today the kids were supposed to wear their parents Alma Mater to school. We were pretty sure it would be nearly impossible to find a San Diego State shirt for them last minute so we stuck with where Mama graduated from, Texas A&M. Gavin and Ellie wore their Aggie wear proudly as they left for school this morning!!  And as my LSU neighbor rolled up to pick them up....they walked outside singing the Aggie Fight song as they got in her car. I hope she wasn't in too much misery the entire two minute drive to school. ;0)

Little League Baseball

G has never really been into baseball, but a few months ago he asked us if we could sign him up, so we did. It started a few weeks ago and man is this league SERIOUS. He had to go through try outs and then they do a draft. We waited for the call to find out what team he would be on. He has had many practices in the past two weeks (some nights really late). I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. Frank has been taking him to all his practices. This is a boy who has really never played except for one time at the YMCA when he was a tot. So this time around is a BIG change.

He is on the St. Louis Cardinals. 

Today was his first game.

He got a hit.

He got TWO outs.

They WON!!

And HE LOVED IT!!

His cheering section did too!!!

A Crazy Few Weeks

It's been a crazy few weeks. I have a problem saying no to volunteering. I have seemed to have found myself as room mom for both Ellie AND Gavin's class. But because that is not enough, I am also taking pictures and doing yearbook for the PTA, a counseling big sister/brother type thing, reading groups in the kiddos classes, and teaching Sunday School.

So for the past few weeks I have been making volunteer spreadsheets, rosters, and calling parents setting up schedules.

Then when you throw a swollen jaw into the mix and a surprise phone call from MD Anderson, everything gets a little crazier.

I woke up a two weeks ago with a swollen jaw. I thought maybe I had something wrong with a tooth but I wasn't sure. I called my dentist and got an appointment for the following Monday. But Friday morning it was throbbing and I was running a little fever so I called to get fit in. My regular dentist wasn't in but xrays showed that I had a file (end of a drill bit from a root canal 13 years ago) stuck in my mouth and he thought it was abscessed. I was shocked. I was referred to an endodontist who I saw less than an hour later who told me he couldn't get the file out and that he thought the tooth needed to be pulled and an implant put in. I had a pretty big little breakdown in this poor mans office. I was NOT looking forward to what all that required. I was referred to an oral surgeon but he required a CT scan before my appointment. I went all weekend on meds and Monday I went in for the CT Scan at my Dentist's office. This time my wonderful dentist was in and the CT scan showed that my tooth was NOT abscessed. He suspected a salivary stone....because it was definitely my salivary gland that was swelling.

I cancelled my oral surgeon appointment and was given meds to help me salivate the stone out. Lovely. I never felt a stone come out and the swelling has continued every time I eat or drink something.
This past Monday, I just happened to have an MD Anderson appointment. Turns out I don't think I have a stone at all. It is very common for your salivary glands to be ruined with the treatment I had. And it probably settled there and collapsed, swelling up because the saliva won't pass through. So, MD Anderson has a great surgeon who I will be meeting with soon and he will put tubes in my salivary glands to open them back up. Then they will be removed a few weeks later. It's supposed to be a VERY easy surgery. And I must say I would take it over the initial surgery I thought I was going to be having. That little drill bit can stay put as long as it is not giving me any problems.

While I was trying to figure out the whole tooth/gland fiasco, I got a call from MDA telling me that there is a national shortage on a med that I was supposed to take two days before my treatment. You see, you can't have any synthroid in your system when doing the treatment. The drug that pushes my synthroid out is NOT available. I was given two choices. 1. Stop taking my synthroid for 8 weeks which would mean a good 4 months before I feel normal. or 2. Push back the treatment until after the first of the year, and see if they get anymore of the thyrogen in and do my treatment then. And they will just monitor me closely until then.  As much as I want to be DONE with my treatment, I just hate to feel bad for 4 months, when it could be just a few weeks. So I have opted to wait. I am meeting with my Doctor who treats me in October and we will discuss it further. Hopefully they get the thyrogen in or else it will be a LONG Spring as I will have to go off my synthroid.

But, looking on the bright side...there is no crazy diet starting any time soon, and I should be feeling fairly well during G's birthday and the holidays this year!!

So, not sure if any of that makes sense, but basically, life has just been a little crazy.

And if all of that isn't crazy/busy enough, tomorrow I will be starting BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) which I hear is pretty intensive. But it will be good and I am sure it is just what my crazy soul is needing.

Finally her First Day

This girl has been waiting very patiently for school to start. Hadley was so used to playing with Gavin and Ellie everyday that when they started school, her world got turned upside down. Mommy just isn't as much fun. The first week they were in school she reverted back to throwing fits, which I was so happy she didn't do all summer. I thought maybe we had outgrown that phase of life- but No. She just does better with the big kids home. Last week was better but around 10am-ish she would start asking, "Can we go pick up Gavy and Ellie?" Last week was meet the teacher and so when the kids went back to school this last Tuesday she woke up and said, "I have school today!" When we broke the news that school wasn't that day and that she still had one more day, she had a COMPLETE meltdown. "Why do they get to go to school and I don't?"

This morning was finally her day to go back and she was more than ready and absolutely LOVED it!! I was excited for her. She woke up, ate her breakfast fast, took a few pictures with G and E before we had to take them to school, and was ready to go. We went and dropped G and E off at school and when we pulled back into the driveway she had a minor meltdown because she didn't understand why I couldn't just take her straight to school. We still had over an hour before her school started.

Finally...we arrived. She walked straight in and handed her teachers their gifts and got right to work. She has been talking about her day non stop since I picked her up. My three year old has informed me that she is a BIG KID in school now and they get to play on the BIG KID playground and not the old baby one because that one is for Little Kids. And she is a BIG KID. (This girl is dying to fast forward and grow up).

Tonight after dinner she asked me if she could wear a certain outfit to school tomorrow. I had to break the news that tomorrow is not a school day. Thankfully, she took it well when I told her we were going to play.

So without further ado....

Hadley's Back to School Pictures. ;0)

Pepa's Wallet

I had come across a picture the other week and my friend had thought it looked a lot like Hadley. And my neighbor saw it and asked why I had dressed Hadley up as a pioneer girl. I was a bit younger here...but I do see a lot of similarities.


My parents had everyone over this past weekend for dinner. As I showed my Dad the picture...he said, "Come here...I have something for you." We walked to his bedroom and he pulled out his wallet. And one by one he started putting pictures of me growing up out onto his bed. I was in tears. It was so sweet and special to me that my dad saved and carried around these pictures of me growing up, through all these years. I started crying. And we shared a big, long hug. It was a sweet moment. A very special one.

Hadley's Meet the Teacher

Finally....

Hadley has been so sad that G and E started school and she hasn't yet. Last night was finally Meet the Teacher. Hadley was VERY excited. Like Ellie wanting Gavin's old teachers, Hadley wants their old teachers too. This year Hadley will have Ms. Judy who has taught both Gavin and Ellie. She is an amazing lady and teacher and I feel so blessed that Hads will get to know her this year. Ms. Judy will quickly see how different all three of my kiddos are. ;o) Ms. Jaunita is her other teacher and we have never had her but she was very warm and welcoming last night. I know it's going to be a GREAT year!!! And to top it all off she has MANY of her old friends in her class. YEAH!!! Next Wednesday will be our first day. We are More than READY!!!

Boni's Ballet

Miss Boni was my teacher years ago. I still remember being in her class when she had her first baby. She is still running Boni's dance and Hadley got to start there today. Miss Marsha is her teacher. She was Ellie's teacher for two years. When Ellie was Hadley's age she had already taken 2 different dance classes. The poor third child. But today was her day and she was VERY excited. VERY excited to wear a leotard. And VERY, VERY, VERY excited to wear ballet shoes. She would have worn them all day if I would have let her. Hadley has some major rhythm. I think she is probably going to be more of a hip hop girl- but ballet is all that is offered for her age group right now. I think she is going to LOVE it. Can't wait for her first dance coming up in November!!

Two in BIG School

I CAN NOT BELIEVE that I have TWO- Yes,  T-W-O  Kids in BIG School. Two kids in the same school that I taught first grade in before they were born.

They were more than ready, and more than excited. I was apparently more than ready also as I woke up at 3:45 and couldn't go back to sleep. So I was dressed, had lunch boxes packed, teacher's gifts ready and breakfast made before they even woke up. 

We had plenty of time to take pictures before we had to leave. They did not mind at all- these kids loved the camera this morning.

Frank went with me to take them to school. I knew I would cry. I cry every year. I cried when we dropped Gav off and boo hoo'd after dropping Ellie off. We spent quite a bit of time in each of their classes before leaving. I know they are going to both have a GREAT year but it still is hard letting them go and realizing they are another year older. Thank God I have two more years before I have to drop my last baby off. Although Hadley was more than ready to go today, if they would have let her. She ran and grabbed her backpack before we left and carried it around the school with her.

I think it will be the hardest on Hadley as she has been saying for the last few days that she doesn't want Ellie to go to school. She is her play buddy and I know she is going to miss having her around every day.

School has begun. I am excited to pick them up so I can hear all about their day. We lost our bus this year so I will be walking to get them- I refuse to battle that car line. Although, I am not sure which is worse, the heat or car line?!? Time will tell what we end up doing for sure.

I officially have a Kindergartner and a Second Grader. How on earth did this day come so fast?!?