It's Over...

I say the holiday time is officially over! Why you ask?! I have taken down all the holiday decorations. Once the gifts are open...its a done deal! Time to take it down! I enjoy them while they are out but once its done I like to get it all put away and get my house back in order! I do miss all the smiling snowmen! I just see no reason to leave it all up after all the family is gone and there are no presents under the tree! :(

I will have to post pictures later. I am on the laptop and all my pictures are on the computer in the office. Being lazy right now! I've also got pics from ICE at the Gaylord Texan. That was pretty impressive.

I will try to get all my post and pictures done later tonight or tomorrow. I've got to make a run to the Wally and get a few things. I think Jerrad and I are going to Oklahoma either Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning. I haven't decided yet! Jacob went home with my parents on Saturday so I guess I'll have to go sometime so I can get him back. Although I think he'd be perfectly happy staying with his Meme and Papa!

Merry Christmas...

this is my Christmas present. It won't really fit under the tree, so it will be staying in the garage! So, Steve and I were talking a few weeks ago about my Tahoe. Let me first tell you a little about my Tahoe...I always wanted one. Since the thing came out I wanted one. I patiently waited! Then March 2003 Steve went (on his own) and bought me one and drove it home! It was a surprise. I said it was the last car I'd own and I'd drive it til it fell apart. Well, it hadn't fallen apart but when I left it at the dealership last night I was about 250 miles from rolling over 100,000! Steve thought it might start having issues pretty soon and would rather get rid of it! He thought right now would be a good time to get one cause the car dealers are hurting to sell cars. I didn't think a lot about it cause if you know Steve you know that he researches everything to death. He will get the best deal. If it doesn't look like he will get what he wants he will walk out and just not do the deal! I didn't want to get too excited cause I knew it might not happen. So, he's been doing research and looking on the internet. My stipulations were 1) I want a Tahoe 2) it has to have the 3rd row and 3) I'd like leather. Oh and probably 4) I wanted white! And on Wednesday he says to me "we might just keep this one for a while cause I don't know that I want to spend the money on another one." Right! I saw that coming! Then yesterday he didn't want to sit at home. He wanted to go look. He was also trying to get me to look at a Toyota. He wanted me to consider a Sequioa???? I didn't even have to say no! He tried to sit in it! HA HA he didn't fit! The seat didn't go back far enough and it had a center console and his knees where in the dash! lol YEA...back to looking for a Tahoe! So, the short of the long story is...I got the Tahoe pictured above. It's a Tahoe, it has leather and it has the 3rd row! It is not white. I like the one above (color - stealth grey metallic) just have to get use to it. Steve said I was not trading a white Tahoe for another white Tahoe! He said you don't buy another car the same color! Well, you do if you don't like change! I really do like it! Its just different. The inside is light tan where my other one was charcoal - dark colors. Thats a big difference! I really do like it and I'm excited. Just afraid to get too excited...like its not real! If you know Steve he does not mess around and take big purchases lightly. I can't believe he'd buy me another Tahoe and tell me its my Christmas! Geez, what am I suppose to get him?!?!?!? No pressure!

6th Grade Holiday Party...

Friday was the last day of school before Winter Break. Friday was Jacob's last Holiday Party as an elementary school kid! Next year there won't be any room moms, planning, sending stuff and partying! Kind of sad but a nice break for a mom that has been doing this since Jerrad was in Kindergarten...10 years ago! WOW!

I think the 6th graders enjoyed it. What kid doesn't like getting fed?!?! By 5th and 6th grade they are pretty much done with the craft making at their parties. Not many of them are into that. So, last year and this year we did a gag gift exchange! This goes over great! They love it! They are all given a number. Person #1 opens a gift. Person #2 can steal person #1's gift or open a new one. And it just goes on and on. To save time we only let each gift get stolen twice. If you don't make it dead...the game goes forever. There is always a few gifts that EVERYONE wants!

I think it was a fun time. Jacob ended up "stealing" a gift. He wanted the bear mittens! Little did he know that was one of the gifts I had provided! That was one that several kids wanted too. He stole them the second time so that made that gift dead! YEA for him!

Skate Park???

Lately Jacob has been playing with those fingerboard skate boards or otherwise known as Tech Decks. He has two pieces to the Tony Hawk SK8 parks thing. He asked for several more for Christmas. In the meantime, I guess this is his skate park. I found this in his bedroom floor when I went upstairs this morning! Yes, those are bowls from the kitchen! He also used PS2 games, a yearbook, he has cut up boxes and taped up a "half pipe". I really like the two large skate ramps - that came from the garage! Yuck! They've skated on those outside! I'm sure those aren't dirty!

Service King Christmas Party...

Thieves...

So, yesterday morning my alarm goes off at 6:30 A.M. I lay there until about 6:40 when I jump up realizing the alarm at 5:45 did not wake me up! (I was suppose to put a 20 pound ham in the oven for Steve's shop lunch) I go in the kitchen stick the ham in the oven. I get back in bed for a few minutes. Jerrad leaves to catch the bus, Steve leaves (all around 6:45). I can't doze off for a few extra winks of sleep cause the dog is on the side of the house my room is on barking her head off! She never barks unless someone is outside that she doesn't know. Well, on the other side of the wall is a sidewalk. I just figure someone is walking and she'll stop - eventually. As I'm listening to her bark I hear tires squealing. Think nothing of it. Its about 6:55 and I get up to get Jake up. We go about the usual routine. He goes to catch the bus. There are two Arlington police cars out front and my neighbor across the street is talking to them! I wonder what could've happened. I get Jake off and I wait til I see my neighbor go to work and I call his wife to make sure everything is ok. The neighbor is a locksmith and he has two vans. A work van and his person van. He drives a different one home all the time. Just so happened the night before he'd driven his work van home. Well, someone had broke into it! But we are not talking about broke into it during the night. It had happened in like five minutes. They had done it between the time all the kids left on the bus, Steve left for work and the time my neighbors wife looked out the window! That was gutsy. People are leaving at all times for work. The high school kids are out there to catch the bus! Its crazy! My neighbors wife told me that she had gotten up after her high schooler left and heard our dog barking. She just happened to look out the window and noticed a car in front of her mailbox and she saw feet around the van and white tennis shoes. Being still half asleep she thought it was her husband. She went to the kitchen and looked a the time - 6:52. She paniced...that wasn't her husband - he is still in bed. She yells at him someone is breaking into the van! As he's getting up she walks outside and says "What are you doing?" There was a driver already in the car and the other two people jump in and the take off! Those were the squealing tires I heard! Our dog had been barking cause there were people out there! Steve and Jerrad both said they'd seen a car yesterday but paid no attention to it. Its still dark when they leave and yesterday it was drizzling too. Steve said he thought it was weird cause he backs out of the drive that way and he'd never seen a car in front of the other neighbors house at that time of morning. They had to have been sitting in it! Anyway, the neighbor thought that when they pulled away they'd turn left and they could get a license plate number. Well, they turned right. Which means they knew where they knew exactly where they were going. Cause when the cops came they came for the I-20 service road - they said they passed no car with the description she gave them. She said thats because they went the other way. The police said there is no outlet that way! OH YES SIR THERE IS! There is a sign that says No Outlet so people will stop going that way. The police didn't even know you could get out! Those people went that way so they knew. Either they came from that neighborhood or that area but obviously they'd scoped things out. I'm just thinking if I'd got up and looked out or something when the dog first started barking - they might've been caught! In that short of time they had gotten in the van and stole some very expensive tools! I still can't get over the fact that they would pick that time of day to do it! CRAZY! I hope they get caught!

Service King Christmas Party...

what a night! Once again the Christmas Party was at Gilley's in Dallas in the Palladium Ballroom. Lots of people. Lots of drawings for all sorts of amounts of gift cards and even 2 plasma TV's were given away. They added something new this year...Service King Idol! Long story short is Rob and Steve were going to sing Man of Constant Sorrow from the movie O Brother Where Art Thou. Well, everyone knew so they decided to change it up and not tell anyone! This is what everyone at the party saw!

I must say it was pretty hilarious. You can tell the music (I'm Too Sexy by Right Said Fred) is sort of hard to hear for all the screaming and laughing! It was also hard to get a good video. The lighting on the stage makes it look really bad. Then Rob and Steve kept going seperate ways and I was trying to get bits of both of them. So, the video is not the best quality! They were the only act that actually made money!

Medicine...

I have to tell on myself. This has to be one of the stupidest things I've done! Saturday morning we slept in. When I woke up I had that feeling my allergies were going to kick in. So, I got up to take my pill. I take a Claritin every morning. Jacob also take a pill for ADHD every morning. This particular morning I got my Claritin out. And its not in a bottle or anything. You have to peel it out of that foil/plastic packaging. So, I lay it on the counter. I open Jake's pill bottle and get his out. Pill still in my hand I get him a cup for water (he can't reach them in our cabinets that are built for 6 foot tall people!). I think to myself I'll get Jake some water and take my pill and then give it to him for him to take his pill. He's still not downstairs yet! Fill the cup up and pop that pill in my hand right in my mouth! About the time I'm swallowing and turning around I see my little white allergy pill on the cabinet! YEP! I swallowed the blue capsule! How do you mix those up? It was in my hand and I was totally not paying attention! I just started hollering at Steve! I took Jacob's pill! OH NO! Jacob walks up to me and says "you better be good today!". Judging for the affects I think its safe to say I'm not ADHD! I've read if you are not it does the opposite of what it does for a child with ADD. It didn't slow me down. I sort of felt a little funny. Kind of jittery on the inside. I felt like I could just go all day! Talk...oh my I felt like I could've talked forever (I know that seems normal - but it was lots more!). It was crazy. I do see how people have used that for dieting and could loose weight. I really understand how it suppresses Jacob's appetite. I certainly did not have one all day and we even went to Pei Wei for lunch! I had to get a box to go! I have to say that's one of the dumbest mistakes I've made!

Thursday night...

Miller has started having these family fun nights. The staff did one on October around Halloween that was called Math-O-Ween. It was a night of math games. For one reason or another we didn't go. This month they had Traditions Around the World and it was using Social Studies. Jacob asked a week or so ago if we were going. I told him if he wanted to I'd take him. Ok, I swear I never heard him say one way or another! Well, Thursday afternoon I was going to ask him again and totally forgot. He went to play and I had started watching one of those Lifetime TV movies I'd recorded! It was about 6:45 when I thought "oh, I forgot to ask him". So, I thought maybe he'd forget. Well, not so much! At 7 as he is sitting down to eat dinner he asks "is that deal at school tomorrow night?" OH NO! I said had to tell him we'd missed it. He was not happy with me. He wanted to go! So, later that Kristy texts me wanting to know why I wasn't there. Then she tells me Jacob had artwork displayed! Jacob had told me that Mrs. Stroup had given him a couple of things to draw. I missed the part that they were pictures for the Traditions Around the World night! I felt so horrible! But my wonderful friend, Kristy, did take pictures of it for me! Just give me the Mother of the Year Award!

The Quilt...

so, we had craft night at Kristy's on Saturday. Jennifer, Dawn and I worked on scrabble tile necklaces. So easy to make! We did this while Andrea showed Kristy how to make a rag quilt. It looked so simple. It was really cute. I wanted to make one. I took notes on what I needed and what size to cut everything. How hard could it be. Well, let me tell ya...if you get batting of the wrong thickness...it can be very hard. Ok...maybe not hard but it made it difficult. I'm kicking myself now for not stopping when I realized the batting was too thick and getting some that was thinner. That mistake will not be made twice. Since the batting was thick it kind of messed up the some of the stitching and not all the squares were exactly right. The back of the quilt looks like a train wreck. It will not be pictured here! No one will see it til I make one that turns out good!

Jerrad did tell me last night he'd be honored to have my first quilt. I told him he could have it or I'd probably have to send it off with the goodwill stuff! So, he is keeping it although its not perfect. Which might be good cause no telling what will happen to the poor quilt once it gets to his room! At least if he ruins it - I won't be devestated!



I am going to try to make another one. I think with the thinner batting it should be much easier and I think it will turn out better!

Teenagers...

the things they will do when they are bored!

Things Jacob says...

First I have to tell a little back story. Jacob has a way of loosing things or misplacing them! A couple of years ago after spending much of his birthday money at Toys R Us he lost his wallet. We were leaving and he decided to use his change in one to those machines by the exit. He laid his wallet down. Well, we where half way to the car when I thought were did his wallet go. I was going to put it in my purse. Cause I kept his wallet so he didn't loose it at home! I sent Jerrad running back in. There was a mother and her daughter at the machines. They said they didn't see a wallet. No one else had left the store. Who knows what happened to it. Jerrad swears that lady and her daughter took it. There is no proof. From then on Steve said he could not have any of his money he got. I've always kept it and his wallet. You know you forget and he takes it somewhere to spend money and I just forget to get it back. Well I took it back a couple of months ago when I found out that he had $100 cash in it! First reaction was he should not be carrying that around! Second, where did he get that money? Seems that these Bakugan toys he has been collecting...he has also been selling them at school! I put a stop to that real fast! Steve was a amazed he made that much money! He wanted to start selling them on eBay! lol So, I have the wallet again. Jacob got a good report card this last six weeks. Its been quite a while, if ever, since we've seen a report card with no "c's". A long time ago I had told the boys I'd give them so much money for each "A" and a little less for each "B". Well, Jakes grades have not been great so he has not seen this money! Well, this report card he added up what he should get. The sweet thing is so innocent he asked if he could have that much money out of his wallet! He was ok with that. I tried to explain I'd give him the money or buy something but I wasn't giving him his own money for his grades! He so funny! So, then he made a Christmas list. #7 on his list is...my wallet back!

Christmas...

I love the holiday season! I love getting the decorations out and put them around the house. I love having the tree up! I like to listen to (some) Christmas music. Celine Dion's CD is my favorite! So, today I drug out all the decorations out of the attic. Got the tree up. I'm guessing that the last two years I have placed the tree in a corner. Therefore, only decorating three sides. Only buying and using enough garland for those three sides! Well, this year I decided to put it right in the middle of the window! See where this is going?!?! Not enough garland to go all the way around! Those pieces say 12 feet long but I just don't see it! One piece barely went all the way around the bottom. I wanted the tree in the middle so I headed to Hobby. On the way I got to thinking I'm not sure if I bought that garland at Hobby or Wally. Got to Hobby...nothing matches what I have! Great. I decided to go with white! After picking up several of those and some new ornaments I headed to the checkout. Standing in line and I think "oh, I should get cardstock to make my gift tags while I'm here." Head to scrapbooking. Pick up some cardstock. Head back to the front. "Oops...probably should get the stuff for Jacob's project as long as I'm here!" After I think I've gotten everything I finally checkout. Well, since I'm so close to a Wally I thought I'd just run in there and check to see if they had the same garland. Yes, I went to the United Nations on Cooper St. Luckily I parked close to the garden area and went in that side door. Quick in and out. Real quick cause they didn't have my garland either. So, back to redoing it in white! Got home. Took the old garland off and put the new on. Probably could've used one more strand but this will have to do this year (note...buy more before Christmas is over and save it for next year!). I start hanging the ornaments. Remember I said I bought some new ones. Well, I'm two short now! Yep, I dropped two of them while putting them on the tree! The wood floor was not forgiving. And they had glitter on them...now my wood floor is sparkly!!! I guess eventually it will come off!

I am way ahead of schedule this year. I've already wrapped all the gifts I bought this weekend. No, I'm not done shopping but I've wrapped what I've already gotten! Still shopping to do! My cards are done. Just need to get a picture of my family to put in them. The two we took this weekend did not turn out well. Hopefully I can get this done one night this week so I can get those in the mail.

I used my sewing machine! I made gift tags. Nothing fancy. Some look better than others. Mostly tags for kids so they won't be paying much attention to them anyway! Still learning the machine. Kind of scary! I think it will be fun once I get use to it. I might need some tips from Andrea and Kristy!!!! I can't wait to scrapbook and stitch a page!

Jerrad mowed and weed eated the yard this afternoon....so, that means tomorrow or Thursday I will get out there and put my lights in the yard. I love that too! All clear lights in the yard! I think its so pretty! One of these days maybe I'll get Steve convinced to put lights on the house! He use to at the other house. Of course that was easy. He used the staple gun to hang them up. He didn't even need the ladder. Just reached up and stuck those suckers up there. Well, now its a little harder! He has no interest in hanging them for a two story house! I was so determined to have lights the first year we lived here...I tried to hang them. I thought I could at least hang them on the areas that were only a story high! Wrong...oh so wrong! Its really way up there. And a 6 foot ladder really doesn't help me much! It was just a disaster! So, we have not had lights on our house here! Probably won't til Steve lets me pay someone to do that!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY...17 YEARS!

This is Steve's idea of a good gift wrapping job! Obviously he does not have OCD or have a care about how his gift looks! :) But this is what make his so much fun! You never know what he'll do! After I was opening it he began having better ideas of how he could have made this better and harder to open! Believe me...black duct tape is sticky! Yes, this is a pillowcase! Luckily not one we use! Of course the gift wasn't much of a surprise. I'd told him where to go and what to get and exactly where to find it! He does not have a clue what he should get unless he is told directly what I want! Although my family did get a kick out of this. See...I do not sew! I do not do buttons or hems or anything! Not my thing at all. Never even cared to learn! Well, I still don't! The sewing machine is to sew scrapbook paper! I am so excited. I can't wait! I hope to make all my Christmas tags this year and stitch them! I might be calling on Andrea and Kristy for some help! I just think its so neat and what better way to practice than to have a sewing machine! Of course, Steve had to get over the shock of me asking for one and then I had to tell him (we were on the phone) to tell my dad to stop laughing! All I could hear was him laughing in the background! Dad knows me...me sew...yea right!

I can not believe it has been 17 years! Steve was 20 and I was 18 when we got married (although I'm still only 29...so don't try to do the math...it doesn't work...). We were married in Oklahoma City and believe it or not...we had an ice storm that night! Talk about stinkin' cold! You know I don't do cold! Of all nights for it to be down right freezing! Being young...broke...Steve still in school...there was no fancy honeymoon. Sunday afternoon we drove back to Fort Worth. Monday morning he went to school and I went to work! Woo Hoo! I know...fancy stuff! :) We've taken many vacations since then! Some with kids and some without. So, I think its worked out pretty good! I'm not a mushy person so I don't have any of that romantic mushy stuff to write! Sorry! Who are we kidding...I'm not good at writing either! I did to hire some one to write me blog for me! That would be great...I always think what I write sounds corny and goofy!

Grandma...

Friday my parents came down and my grandmother came with them. This is my dad's mom. She'd been visiting them all week. She lives outside Denver, Colorado. I haven't seen her in over 5 years. It was nice that she came with them and spent the weekend. We had a good time. Of couse mom and I did our Christmas shopping as we always do after Thanksgiving. Grandma went with us. We had lunch at La Madeline's Saturday morning! I had not ever been there. Kristy and Kam met us there too. Of course, Kristy had to tell me what to eat. Not the type food I eat. I got the Chicken Salad. It was very yummy (not as yummy as Kristy's) but I ate it! Jacob was with us so of course we had to hit the McDonald's drive thru for him afterwards! There wasn't anything on the kids menu he'd eat! It was a nice weekend!

Thanksgiving and the Cowboys...

Those two just go hand in hand! This year Steve got invited to the Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day! Bonus...I got to go too! I have never been to a Cowboys game. This was my very first. We ate early Thursday with Steve's family so that we could get to the game. Steve's sister, Staci, was great and took our boys for the day (didn't really want to leave them alone on Thanksgiving Day! What kind of mother would I be?!?!?). The game was good. Even better since they did win! Ya know there is always that possibility that they could lose! I didn't want to see one of those games! It was lots of fun. Too bad we might never see another one! Its just crazy the cost of the tickets for the new stadium! Maybe one of these years we'll get another chance to go to a game...in the new stadium!

Notice...I did not make you suffer by posting my pictures of the Jonas Brothers! Really...was that a show? Two songs...nope I don't think so! It didn't sound all that great...they did sound better than they did on the AMA's but still rough! The worst was Demi Lovato that butchered the National Anthem! OH MY! I didn't think it sounded that great...then this morning on Kidd Kradick they were talking about how bad it was. He replayed it on the air! You poor people that suffered through hearing/seeing her on TV! It was BAD! Guess it doesn't matter what you sound like when your mom use to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader! lol

Scrapbooking...

After being up really late for the Twilight movie...Kristy, Andrea, Jennifer and myself were headed off to Weatherford to the The Covered Bridge Inn for a scrapbooking retreat! Lets just say we ran all weekend on very little sleep! I did get about 58 pages of scrapbooking done! I finished my 2007 album and was able to start on 2008! YEAH! I was so excited. Although I do still have to go back and do my journaling for 2007. That shouldn't take me too long...I hope! The retreat was a great time and a much needed break from all the busy stuff at home! I did get my very first massage! LOVED IT! I will be doing that again! Probably not til the next retreat but I will do it again! That was well worth missing an hour of scrapbooking! It was a great time and I can hardly wait for April for our next one!

twilight...

I know this was over a week ago now...but I'm just now sitting down to do ALL my blog updates! A group of us braved the crowds to see the movie at midnight! It did receive mixed reviews. I look at it this way...because I read the book and know there is a little different version I can live with it. Parts of it were not the same and some of it was very cheesey! Since I loved the book so much I can tolerate the movie. Yes, I would see it again...when it comes out on DVD! Some people absolutely didn't like it but I can take it or leave it...that easy going personality coming out again!

This is the gang that went to the movie!

The Doors...

They are FINALLY finished! Well, for the most part. I need to do some touch up painting and paint the trim where Steve shot the nails in. Then Steve has to repair the wall where he really had to jack it up to get the glass in. The company that cut the glass didn't quite cut one side real straight. It was off just enough that it would not go in. Steve had to file and chisel away part of the wall to get the glass in without snapping it! I really like them. It turned out really well. Dad and Steve did a great job of putting this together without us having to do the custom made deal for an outrageous amount!

Just had to do it...

I just had to post these long ago pics next to their current school picture! How sad that they grow up SSSOOO fast!

Halloween Past...

Happy Halloween! Halloween is a little sad this year! Jerrad stopped trick-or-treating years ago. That wasn't so bad cause Jacob still always went. Last Friday night Jacob told me he didn't want to trick-or-treat this year! WHAT!?!?! Yes, I was shocked. I thought he'd do it at least this year and that might be the last! Nope he's done! So, this year I have not cute pictures of the boys dressing up. There will be no Halloween page in the Hayes Family Scrapbook! I was so bummed I didn't even attempt the Pumpkin Patch (you know we go just so I can get pics for the scrapbook! lol). Sad times here. So, I thought I'd post some of the boys pictures of their costumes from years ago!

Jerrad (1995) - Halloween Outfit!

Jerrad (1995) - Pumpkin

Jerrad (1996) - Mickey Mouse

Jerrad (1997) - Woody

Jacob (1997) - Clown

Jerrad (1998) - Race Car Driver
Jacob (1998) - Pumpkin

Jerrad (1999) - Jeff Gordon #24

Jerrad & Jacob (1999) - Jeff Gordon #24 & Blues Clues

Jerrad (2000) - Augumon (don't ask - I have no idea!)

Jacob (2000) - Dipsy

Jerrad (2001) - The Crocodile Hunter

Jacob (2001) - Bob the Builder

My Freshman...

Scrapbooking...

I love to scrapbook. I am not the best...by a very LLLOOONNNGGG shot! I enjoy it but I'm not real creative. Once in a while I do have a "moment" and create a page I absolutely love. I think I started doing it a little in 2003. I just started with some basics that I'd gotten as a gift. It has grown from there! I've learned tons from friends and looking at magazines and such. When I started I was doing a family book. Then I thought I'd do a book for each of the boys with just their sports pictures in it. Well, who are we kidding...they won't play sports forever! That's not enough to fill up a book. So, I thought I'd go back and include school pics. Just the class picture for each year and any party pics or awards I had. Well, for Jacob all of those pics are done and in my big album. Not a prob...take them out and put them in another album. I only had 2 pics that I'm going to have to have pics printed again and create two new pages. Those where first day of school pics that I only did one page for the two boys! I wasn't thinking! I was trying to figure out how to color copy a 12 x 12 page or use undo to separate them. I was asking a friend about it and she suggested to print the pics again and do another page! WOW! Wish I'd thought of that (thanks Andrea!). All in all the whole process of switching everything has gone fairly smooth. Jerrad's book looks a little rough in the beginning. First reason for that...I sucked! Friends, it is so sad what I considered to be "scrapbooking". OH MY! I am horrified for anyone to see what I did! You definitely can tell I improved just by looking through his book. Second reason...I was a beginner...didn't know what I was doing. The very first book I purchased was one of those with straps! Yes, I know...not smart...again! Wait it gets better. When I began I didn't do my layout on a page. Oh no that would've been smart! I put it right on the page in the book. Yep, I did! Now if you've used or picked up one of these strap type albums you know that each side has metal. That the only way I know to describe it. Anyway...just a big mess. So, in order to make this new idea work I took a razor blade and cut the metal edges of both sides of the pages. So, along with the first pages being really, really bad...they are a little small inside of the sheet protectors! Oh well...it will just have to do for now! I can't redo all of it! I'm going to say it was a learning experience...lol...yea right!

Jacob...

September 2008 - 6th Grade Picture
September 2008 - 6th Grade Football - Mavericks
Arlington Optimist Club

My butt hurts...

seriously! It really hurts. If I had fallen lately I would think my tail bone is broken! As graceful as I am I have not fallen (no, Kristy, the fall in the cafeteria doesn't count! lol). I know why it hurts. Let me explain. Have you ever sat on metal bleachers for a long time? Long time being, lets say about 6 hours give or take a few minutes?!?!? Well, if you haven't let me tell you that is long enough to make your butt sore! Whats the reason for this madness?!?! Well, Jerrad is playing Fall baseball. Every Saturday for the last 6 or 7 weeks they've played a double header! Saturdays have been very LLLOOONNNGGG! They have to be there one hour early and they play approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes or 7 innings each game! See your butt would hurt too!

Choir Concert...

Who is this kid? He has grown up so fast! Last night was Martin's Fall Concert. I must say....pretty impressive! Everything at Martin is BIG. Including a choir concert! Everyone was dress in black! ALL the boys had black tuxes. I thought the whole wearing the tux deal was a little much til seeing the concert! It looked nice! Everyone had exactly the same tux, same shirt, same tie, etc! It made them look very professional (if choir can be)! I am still adjusting to the fact he is in high school! I keep waiting for all the terrible teenager issues to come up! Suprisingly...nothing yet...as I knock on wood! He is growing into a very responsible young man! I am still amazed at the fact he gets himself up every morning, gets ready, eats breakfast, has time to surf the internet a little and goes out the door at 6:40 for the bus. He does his laundry when it needs to be done. Gets all his homework taken care of. He really manages his time well for a 14 year old. I think! Who are we kidding he takes after me! Sort of! lol I know all this could blow up and he turn into the EVIL TEENAGER! But for right now I am going to enjoy this!

What's been going on?!?!?!

I've been told I need to update my blog (thanks Kristy!). I didn't think I really had anything to blog about but I guess I sort of do! I mentioned in one of my posts that I was training for a new job and how its been so busy around here and Steve's had to help get the kids around. Well, I finished training on Oct. 2nd. Was very nervous about starting to take live calls. When I say nervous I mean very nervous, very preoccupied with it. Which only got worse. I started my first shift Saturday night. My worst fear came true. My very first call was a total nightmare! On top of that I had computer problems. I won't go into lots of details here but I was just freaked out! I was off Sunday. Had to work on Monday. I was so nervous and scared. Once again computer problems to top off all the other feelings I was having. Got those fixed....finally. Finished my shift. Tuesday....I am sick to my stomach. Wasn't sure if I had a bug or it was the job. Couldn't get the job out of my mind. Its the oddest feeling I'd ever experienced. I didn't like it. This could be a really long, long story but the short of it all is Steve didn't like the way I was acting, I didn't like how I was, I'm missing all the kids stuff at night, etc., etc, and its was the hardest most complex thing I've ever done. Its not just people calling in to get their balance or pay over the phone. I knew they could call in for all kinds of things from what we were taught in training but each account was different. It was not cut and dry simple! No! Every situation had a twist and there were all these reason codes and of course we were told where to look those up but you don't have to memorize them or study you just look it up. There was just lots of stuff. Its just not for me! I'm not thick skinned enough either for the rude customers. I hadn't talked to mom since I started so I called her yesterday morning and started getting upset. Then Steve had called and I called him back and cried and cried! I couldn't keep doing it! He told me to quit it was no big deal but he'd rather I be back to normal than be all moody and yucky like I had been! So, yesterday afternoon I sent the email telling the Lead that I was quitting! I'm done with that! After that I totally felt better. The sick feeling went away! All those thoughts that where in my head went away! I just feel 100% better knowing I don't have to get on the phone and take those calls. I feel better knowing that I can see the rest of Jacob's football games and not have to miss any of Jerrad's baseball games! I just feel very relieved!

Rearranging...

I'm getting very bored with my blog! With that said I've moved the two slide shows to the bottom of the page...that is if you still want to see them! I'm sure by now EVERYONE is as tired of those as I am! lol Hopefully I can figure out how to change this up and make it fun!

And finally...

(hopefully my last post tonight...playing catch up!) my new friend!

I know its a treadmill! I am trying to make friends with it! Steve bought a treadmill this weekend! I have to say its just too miserably hot here to actually go outside and walk! I just can't get motivated enough to do it! Time just doesn't pass as quick either. I listen to my mp3 but I have this fear of someone coming up behind me or a dog sneaking up to me! I've had the crazy dog experience before! Creeps me out! Everyone is so busy. You want to walk with friends and say your going to do it but stuff is always coming up. Your schedules don't always match up so your available to walk at the same time. I was seriously thinking about a gym membership again til Steve told me he'd been looking at treadmills.

So, its up and running (it runs...I only walk!)! I walked 2 miles yesterday and 2 miles today. I'm going to try to do that at least 5 days a week and see if I get any results. I NEED RESULTS! I'd love to wear some of my clothes in the closet! Do you know when they hang in the closet long enough they begin to collect dust! How sad is that?!?!?

I'd better get to bed. Surely I set some kind of record for posts! I think I did 3 tonight (NO! I did 4 of them)! Woo hoo! All the craziness begins again...bright and early!

Busy...

It seems like the first weeks of school are always hectic. There's getting back into the routine of things, football practices, homework, etc. Well, this year just seems more hectic! Jerrad is up at 5:45 (this is AM folks!) and getting ready. He walks out the door at 6:40! I wake Jacob up at 7:00 and he is out the door at 7:25 (he started riding the bus this morning! I love the bus!) This is making time for me to get in 2 miles of walking (see post about New Friend!) before having to get ready. I've been spending my days doing PTA stuff, copying in the workroom, running errands and HOMEWORK! That's right...I said homework. Towards the end of July I applied for a job with this company called Alpine Access. Its a work from home deal. I only did it cause it came on the recommendation of someone that worked for them and said it was great. Well, she also still has friends and connections there and happened to let the recruiter know I was applying. Needless to say things moved pretty fast. Short story is I got the job. I will be answering phones at home using my phone/computer (complicated explanation but awesome how this all works!). I am on the GECF (General Electric Consumer Finance) account...credit cards...store specific to the GAP. There is lots to learn! So, of course there is training. Just so happens training is Monday through Friday from 7:00 to 11:00 PM. This is where we've gotten real busy. Steve is having to help get the boys picked up from different places in the evenings. He is having to attend all the beginning of the year functions that fall at night! I hate that I'm not the one taking the boys to every single thing! I know Steve is so tired after working his long days! This week has been bad too and then he's had to drive all over creation! I love him for helping me right now so I can get this training behind me and start work (training ends Oct. 2nd)! He has had to pick Jake up from football practices! Today he had to drive to Irving after work to get Jerrad (he started a bible study tonight with the teens). We've got upcoming football stuff (games/weigh ins/practices), Jerrad bible study, Martin Open House, Grand Slam Baseball Event at Martin, football pep rally...the list just goes on! Its only my 4th day of training but so far he hasn't complained about helping me! I keep telling him its only temporary til I get to my "flexible" schedule (training is 100% attendance - mandatory!). I'm excited about the job. I hope it all works out and this was a good thing that I did!

Shingles update...

I must have the mildest case ever! All I've got is still some pain. Its not the type of pain you'd associate with shingles. It's not that sensitive sensation to the skin. Its more deep inside and just aches. I told my mom it almost felt like my back feels when I've got a kidney infection. Its about the same place too! No, its not a kidney infection. I've been able to control it with mostly ibuprofen! So, I guess you could say I'm over it?!?!? Not really sure. The spots I had have very small scabs (you can't see can only feel). They are a little purple like scars which I think will lighten with time. The waist band of my pants aren't irritating like last week. I am very fortunate that I did not have them bad. I just hope that if I ever get them again (yes, you can have them more than once) that its a mild case like this. I can handle this. It wasn't so bad! Watch, I will be in severe agony next time! lol

Labor Day...

I know its a little late posting this but its been busy around here. (Explanation in another post!) We just hung around the house for the day. We slept in (as late as we could)! Steve got up and got the smoker going and put on a brisket and 3 (yes, 3) chickens. About lunch time Staci and the boys came over to hang out for the day. I think the boys (yes, including Steve) had fun playing around in the pool! We had plenty of water guns! Although I might be a little worried about Staci...she had SEVERAL guns!

Jerrad had stayed the night at a friends house. He and Danny showed up later after all the pool fun. Although they found ways to entertain themselves. I'll have to get the picture off Jerrad's phone to post for ya'll. Its pretty funny stuff.

The boys (Hunter and Drew) had naps. After that it was playing PS2 (Hunter is obsessed with any car game!) and trains! We had trains upstairs and downstairs. And let me tell ya...Drew can be gone and at the top of the stairs before you know he's gone! We did try the gate! We took it down after he climbed over it and made it to the top before we figured out where he went! YIKES! He's a fast little dude!

It was a good relaxing day just doing nothing! The food was good too!

SHINGLES...you have got to be kidding me!

It was confirmed by my doctor this morning...I have shingles! How odd! Sunday afternoon I noticed these bumps coming up on my side. Anyone close to me knows over the past year I've had my share of weird bumps and rashes. These were not like any of those! Then they got to hurting. Not excruciating pain but uncomfortable. Almost like I'd exercised (yea...right) and made my obliques (fancy word for side abs!) sore. Monday night I decided to try the internet and figure it out. I thought maybe shingles but maybe not. Steve tried putting some lotion type medicine on them and I flinched when he touched my skin...it was very sensitive. I looked up pictures of shingles. Really...they need some new pics. My bumps look nothing like what they show! After talking to mom and hearing when she had them that hers didn't look that way either I thought well maybe they are! Yesterday afternoon I was pretty uncomfortable so I thought I'm just gonna go to the doctor. Made the appointment. Went this AM! Wasn't there five minutes for him to say "unfortunately, those are shingles!" He gave me a prescription for anti-viral or something. It might be a steroid and then a prescription for pain meds in case it gets worse and the ibuprofen doesn't help. Who knows how long I'll have this! Hopefully it doesn't get worse and is over soon! The doctor said things that bring on shingles are an illness (haven't been sick), being tired (that just started Monday w/school starting - this showed up Sunday!), and stress. I didn't feel stressed til Monday either. Mom seems to think that maybe its the stress and that I've been stressed and worried about Jacob for some time now and that's what could've brought it on! Who knows. Dr. Poquiz also said sometimes there isn't a trigger you just get them! GREAT to know! Even better news...you can get them more than once. Oh for joy...I'll be sure to look forward to that!

The last first day...

This was Jacob's last first day of elementary school! Today he started 6th grade! I can't believe he is in his last year at elementary school! It seems like just last week he was in Kindergarten. I'm excited to hear about his day too! He wore his Heely shoes to school...but did take the wheels out. I told him he can't wear those shoes w/the wheels for PE. Thats a sure way to get in trouble. He put the wheels in his pocket...he wants to put them in when school gets out. He also said..."I'm going to ask Mrs. Jordan if I can put them in at recess." I'm thinking to myself...at least he said he's going to ask first so, maybe he won't get in trouble! Thats progress if he thinks he needs to ask first...now if he just remembers to ask first!!!!

First day of high school...

Its official! Jerrad started his freshman year at Martin High School this morning. Nothing like going to a small school! lol (If you live in the area...you know Martin is far from small...more like a small town of its own!) I'm ready for him to come home (I know...its only 8:20 AM). I want to hear all about his day! I hope he really enjoys high school and makes the most of it!

Twas the night before school...

and my kids decided to swim! With the rain lately they hadn't been in the pool much until tonight. I guess they thought they'd better have one last evening of messin' around before it gets too hectic around here! Plus the fact that Jacob got TWO new water guns for his birthday...they had to try those out! What better place than the pool!

Heelys...

I KNOW! I honestly hate these shoes! I swore I would not buy these shoes...and really I didn't! We had Jacob's birthday party last night. He got money and a couple of gift cards. He immediately said I want to buy Heelys! GREAT! But the more I thought about it the more I talked myself into just letting him do it! Lots of stuff happens around her for Jerrad. Jerrad always is wanting or getting to do stuff. They are close enough in age I think sometimes it bothers Jacob but yet they are far enough apart and different enough its not always the right thing for Jake. Jerrad got a new guitar just a couple of weeks ago (he already has one!). Then he has asked to move his room (that will be a whole other post...construction...you know that freaks me out!). So, I thought all Jacob wants is these blasted shoes...I caved. What will it hurt? Really? I know I've heard all the stories about falls and breaks but really...are those any worse than the Ripstick thing he rides? Or the bike? Or the scooter....this could go on! Jacob is now the proud owner of these....

Speaking of scooter...this is the new thing...he got this for his birthday too! You don't have to actually use your foot...you pump it and go faster and faster...someone is bound to get hurt around here!

11 years ago today...

this little butterball was born! Jacob Stephen was born at 1:53 PM weighing 7 pounds 8 1/2 ounces and was only 18 1/2 inches long! Jacob was also early...but only about two weeks! He has been a handful since the day he was born!

Stuff we love about Jacob

...he is very loving.

...he has a good heart.

...is a total kid at heart (probably always will be).

...is funny.

...was my child that was into everything!

...had a mouth full of fillings and caps by the time he was 3 years old (yes, we brushed his teeth)

...never know what he might do or say!

...he did not sleep the first night we brought him home from the hospital! (No kidding...I was so tired I would write down when I fed him on a notepad...just so I could keep up!)

...didn't sleep through the night til he was probably 5 (NO! I'm not kidding!)

...his middle name is the same as his daddy's "Stephen".

...His daddy and I agreed on "Jacob" and not long after...Staci was engaged to a Jacob! (We have little Jacob and big Jacob!)

...Jacob is the 2nd grandchild on both sides of the family.

...Jacob had white blonde...curly...hair! (It never was the same texture after that first haircut!)

Jacob is growing up so fast! I can not believe he is 11 years old! He will always be my "baby". Although I do have to compete with his Meme...she has always been his favorite and it hasn't changed as he's gotten older! While Jake is still small for his age...only about ____ and 70 pounds...I think he will grow later! As long as he outgrows me I think he will be happy! I'm his goal right now! lol

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Jacob....We love you very much!