I noticed just the other day when I ran through our neighborhood that the leaves were already changing colors and accumulating on the ground. It took me by surprise because it was still August at the time and I was not expecting to go from Summer to Fall so quickly. The temperature has been much cooler the past week and I can see pumpkin picking, decorating for Halloween and eating a Thanksgiving feast in the future. I love this time of year and perhaps it may be my favorite and we have started it off with one heck of a birthday party.
Kevin's 36 birthday is September 1st and every year Kevin wants to have a party. I think we may have skipped a few years but this year definitely made up for it. Now that we always have two kegs in the house (because my husband built a bar upstairs in the "family cave") I figured it would be an all you can drink kind of party, and to my liking it was. Our house the next morning looked like a bomb exploded. We had toys in every square inch of the house, the kitchen looked like a banquet hall that no one had picked up after and outside was filled with plastic cups, already shotgunned beer cans, and Popsicle sticks. It was like I was 18 again waking up from a college party. I had to ask myself after we shotgunned 5 times throughout the night ,when will I be to old to do this? When will I be to old to poke a hole at the bottom of my beer, round up any suspects who can not say no and lose by spilling most of my beer down my shirt??? I don’t know the answer to that but I hope I haven't already reached that age.
September also rings in the school year! It sure is annoying when you get stuck behind a school bus or that you have to leave the house a little earlier because traffic is 100 times worse. But I remember when I was a child and being super excited for the 1st day of school. Most kids are even if its just this one day. We would go school shopping about 2-3 weeks before school would start. We would each have a set amount of money we could spend (usually $100) and off we went. I of course fell in love with ROSS the first time I stepped foot in there. My mom and sister Casi would laugh at me because at that point in time, it was the happiest moment of my life. All this "name brand" clothing for cheap. Its heaven for a pre-teen from little town MT where the biggest store I had shopped at was Maurices or Herbergers. Then talk about school supplies. Why this stuff always excited me I do not know. I loved the smell of it. I would put it in my backpack and then back out. I would sit out in the living room looking and loving all my school supplies and and clothes and I would give fashion shows to my parents until the day school started. Oh to be a kid again. Jackson started his first day of preschool this week. I was not looking forward to it because once we went to the open house the week before I realized there were 20 students in his class. 2 teachers and 20 two year olds. Seems like complete chaos to me. Not to mention the lead teacher is very pretty (Kevin mentioned that he wouldn't mind taking Jack to school :O) and the assistant looks like Nanny McPhee. Not that looks has anything to do with the way they treat and teach the children, it just seemed so odd to me. All of it. Of course when we get there about 5 kids are screaming. Jack knows what's happening and I look down at him and see HUGE tears. My heart sank. How in the world are these women going to cuddle my child when they have 6 other kids to cuddle too???!! I walked out, leaned against the wall and sobbed. Literally sobbed. As I was walking out the director asked me if I was okay and I could barely get any words out. Pathetic I know. I did feel silly and a little embarrassed about my reaction but it broke my heart to leave him there. But when I came and picked him up he was happy and smiling...and the same thing the very next day. We will see how Mrs. McDreamy and Nanny McPhee do with my baby for the next couple of weeks.
First Day of School!
You would think we would have gotten a better picture but this it it! The very best one.
This week brought on a pretty miserable moment in my life so far. I have a family history of colon diseases...ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and the list goes on. Recently a family member had to go in and get a procedure done because they were not feeling so well and they found precancerous polyps in their colon. Since its highly hereditary I had to go get checked for preventative measures. I have been dreading this for quite some time. I like to eat. I do not starve myself EVER and for one entire day I could only have clear soda, broth, Popsicles, and Jell-O. I knew I was in trouble when I woke up at 3AM already hungry. Then I had to prep myself. The stuff I had to drink was awful. It smelled like a weird generic lemonade and tasted like...well its almost unexplainable its that bad. It made my eyes water, my nose run, and I gagged every time I drank some. And I had to drink a lot. 1 gallon. Boy oh boy I thought I would never get through it. So with no food, drinking until I was sick, and no sleep I was one weak woman. But when I got to the doctors office (55 minutes after leaving my house thank you school buses) they drugged me up and it was like I was a very happy drunk. I don't know what they gave me but it was awesome. I think I was just in love with everyone. I remember telling the nurse in a drunken slur how nice my doctor was and I really liked him. I just wonder what else I had told them. But I did come out of there with no cancerous measures and I don't have to go back for 10 years. I have HUGE delight in this!
I have mentioned in the past that a few of my girlfriends and I did a “kick off” to fitness and we had all signed up for a 5k. I have run my fair share of races however it has been several years since my last. As the day inched near I kept putting off those runs and now that its here I’m thankful that we are only running a 5k instead of a 10k like I originally was trying to make them do. Kevin and the boys came to support me and Jackson was standing the the finish line run way as I came up. I waved to him and he was happy to see me and maybe a little shocked to but then instantly was upset since I didn’t stop and he proceeded to run after me. I finished in 33 minutes. Not my best, but definitely not my worst. I do feel like I ran a half-marathon possibly because I didn’t stop once and I ran up one big hill or though it seemed. It was fun to do the race with 3 other women that inspire me and to cheer each other on after we finished. After the race our family went over to our friends house and had a celebratory beer which lead into maybe 60 celebratory beers. It was awesome because as I spent much needed time with my girlfriend, our children were happily playing in the yard, eating fruit snacks and also eating charcoal :). We did have big plans to go to a festival, but what is better then spending a warm day with your friends??
Some of my favorite women...Me, Shanna, Michelle and Jackie!
The most exciting end to our week is one to celebrate. A dear close family we know have been going through some rough trials on dealing with multiple awful trips to the ER, doctors, ect and were trying to find answers on what was happening to their little boy Caleb who is also Jackson’s best buddy. After 5 weeks of waiting for blood test results he is FINALLY out of the clear for a terrible brain degenerative disease (ADL). God is truly answering our prayers. Thank you for sparing this wonderful, beautiful child and family of this disease. We love you Nelson family!
Yes I need 2 binks.
I just love that I have a MILLION pictures of Kevin and the boys but none of me....:(
