Preschool Graduation

Rena was in the 4 year old program at Preschool this year. And since they are the oldest, they get to graduate. How sweet is this. I love our Preschool! They did it in the chapel, at night. It was a special event for the children...and one of the stepping stones of childhood. (sniff, sniffl..I'm tearing up just thinking about it!) This was only our second year there, but we made good friends and had a great time. I'm really excited that Rachel and Riley will have been there for the whole time by the time they graduate.

The classes performed handbells for us.

Rena wants to be a tennis girl when she grows up. :)

The sisters enjoy some post-graduation cake.

Rena was really proud of herself...and I'm proud of her too.

Just Another Manic Monday

Mondays this past year turned out to be a rather stressful day for me. I would get Rena ready for school, drop the twins off at my neighbor's house, pick her son up and take Rena and her son to preschool. Then, I'd head back home, pick up the twins and try to get things accomplished like laundry and dishes. Before I would know it, it would be time to feed Rachel and Riley and get out the door again to take Riley to ballet. Another friend picked Rena up at preschool and brought her to ballet since Riley's class started at 1 and Rena's school got out at 1. It's hard to be in 2 places at one time! And since I always had at least 2 kids waiting with me, I needed to pack things for them to do. Poor Rachel had to hang out and wait for an hour and a half. (Of course, she could have been in ballet.) I did have some fun in that hour and a half wait. I met a new friend, who's daughter was in the class with Rena, and I got to spend time with my friend from preschool. We didn't solve the world's problems, but we did have fun discussing our own, while my children entertained themselves, and sometime us.

The stress of those hectic Modays was all worth it when it came down to recital time. Last year, Rena was in the recital by herself, but this year, I had 2 little ballerina's in there. And it was great! Both girls did such a fantastic job. Their teacher did such a fantastic job! It was a little hectic...like on dress rehearsal day when it dawned on me that we were supposed to START rehearsal at 12:30, not BE THERE at 12:30. I was a little frantic then. But the big day went off without a hitch.

Rena's the second from the left.

Riley's the one on the right.

The big ballerina's are always a hit and have rock-star appeal for the little girls. My girls were so excited to have their picture taken with her.

It wasn't completely without it's own drama, though. Riley realized that the other ballerina's were getting flowers...and she wasn't...and she wanted flower! In true diva fashion, she was demanding flowers. And, she deserved them. She really did. So I frantically borrowed money from anyone willing to share, and sent Blair after some flowers. They were happy. And so was I!

driving me crazy

I have other posts in the works, talking about all the wonderful things we did at the end of May. It's no wonder I'm behind on posting when things like this pop up.

The other night as I was laying in bed, I began to realize that the air conditioner was still running. So I asked hubby what it was set on. 71. Too low for my taste, he knew, so he raised it without question. The next day, on my way back from the mailbox, this is what I spotted.

Jeez a lou!

Then, today, after chasing the dog around the house and prying inappropriate things out of his mouth for a half hour, I decided to save my sanity and just put them all outside, even though it's raining. Little did I know that there will be no salvation for my sanity.

Toy hairballs and the trip to the ER

Monday was our first official day of Summer vacation. I decided that we really need to have some sort of framework for our day, otherwise it will be complete chaos all summer. The only problem is I'm not really all that good with structure. So I started small. Lunch, all together. Then story time. Then 10 minute tidy. OK, this was a good start and I was happy with that. I figure as the summer goes on, we can add a little more structure until school starts and it will be structured enough for us.

Monday and Tuesday were great. The girls played peacefully in the house or outside until lunch. They LOVE story time and they were actually quite cooperative when it came to the 10 minute tidy. The rule, by the way, is you either clean for 10 minutes and then you can go outside and play, or you stay in for 30 minutes.

Day 3. I'm busy cutting coupons, procrastinating about going to the grocery story (as I was proofreading this, I realized that I had written story instead of store. But that's what my girls call it, so I'm leaving it like that!) and trying to get organized. Oh and I'm also throwing in some laundry every now and again. The girls are busy playing inside...although not always peacefully. Rachel falls asleep...of course. Rena and Riley are playing upstair in their bedroom. Lunch is postponed due to an overconsumption of frozen gogurts and early nap. So already, my structured day is failing. So anyway, I walk upstairs to change a load of laundry and this is what greets me at the top of the steps.

It looks like the girls bedroom has coughed out a giant toy hairball! All this random stuff hawked up from the depths of the bedroom floor. Oh, the humanity!

But the fun doesn't stop there on this first Wednesday. Eventually, I give up on any hope of the grocery store and/or a 10 minute tidy...although by this point, the kitchen needs a 60 minute tidy. One of my neighbors calls and says "are you busy?" ehhh, NO. So we go sit outside for about an hour or so and socialize. These have become known as happy hours. And other neighbors join in.

But now it's dinnertime and I have porkchops that have to be cooked. So I bid my neighbors goodnight....they have other stuff they need to do too...and head inside to Shake and Bake. The twins are watching TV and Rena was sitting outside coloring with sidewalk chalk when I walked in. Well, not 5 minutes later, Rena comes in crying. And I know immediately that we will be taking a trip to the ER tonight.

Rena has fallen off her bike and split her chin open. OUCH. Poor things. She's really hurt. So, I slap a wad of paper towels on her chin to stop the bleeding. I tell the twins "Go to Miss Cheryl's house" (this is not something I need to say twice. They LOVE going to Miss Cheryl's house and playing with her and her 2 children. So, off they went without another word.) I start trying to call the pediatrician. Of course it's after hours so I have to wade through voice mail hell. I finally leave a callback number. Then I call the Children's Immediate healthcare center....and also get stuck in voice mail hell. But I need to start heading that way, because it will take me at least 25 minutes to get to the emergency room, which is my closest option. Then I call Miss Cheryl. She doesn't answer the house phone. Doesn't answer her cell phone. By this point I am cussing all phones in general.

So, I load Rena into the car with a red washcloth now controlling the bleeding (fyi, I picked a red washcloth so the blood wouldn't show and freak her out even more than she was already.) and head over to Miss Cheryl's. I park and go to the front door and knock. Eventually, I see my girls upstairs where the playroom is. They scream 'Mommy!' and head downstairs to let me in, the family dog in tandem. They unlock the door and the first thing they say is "nobody's here!" "What do you mean no one is here?" Turns out, my neighbors aren't home! The twins had crawled under the garage door and let themselves in! Yikes! 'Alright, come on', I tell them and shuffle them off to the car. But now I can't lock my neighbor's house back and I really don't have time to explain to the twins all that was wrong with what they did.

Luckily, one of the neighbors that had been at my house earlier had been watching the whole scene unfold, so she took the twins without question and fed them dinner. I have GREAT neighbors. And now Rena and I are off. We immediately pass my neighbor who's house the twins just broke into. So I flag him down and explain the situation. Turns out he doesn't get what I'm saying and thinks I've left the twins at his house (his wife was suppose to be watching them for me a little later this day). So he gets home, their bikes are their, but he can't find them OR his wife and he's totally confused! Poor guy.

Finally the doctor's office calls me back and directs me to the emergency room instead of the Immediate care center. Of course, I've already passed the exit, so I have to backtrack and head back to the ER. So an hour after Rena fell off the bike, we finally arrive at the ER. Rena was a real trooper. She was scared, but she did great. The PA comes in and says 'we can glue that'. Let me just say, Dermabond ROCKS! It's quick and painless and we were out of there in no time.

Back home. Picked up the girls who were back at Miss Cheryl's house. Everyone was tired. Especially Riley, who fell asleep in this position watching Southpark.

Fear not. I don't really let the kids watch Southpark. That's why I have the TV positioned so that I can see it.

Rachel just pretended to be asleep so that I would take a picture of her too.

Rena wasn't in the mood to mug for the camera last night, but she's feeling better this morning and is willing to show off her battle scar.

She had been talking about what she did wrong on her bike that caused the accident, so I'm glad she learned from her mistake. I'm just so sorry it hurt so much.

One eventful day of summer behind us already. And now we're off to the Georgia Aquarium!

Trike-a-thon and the IRS

Ok, those two don't really have anything to do with each other. But I'll get to both.

Our preschool does a fund-raiser called a Trike-a-Thon. How cute is that? The parents bring the tricycles and bikes to school and the kids ride them around in a circle until they get bored and then they go get their faces painted

and then jump in a bouncy.

Ok, I probably shouldn't be the one writing the advertisement for the event, but it is really fun...and funny to watch. The day of Rachel and Riley's event, I was one of the volunteers. We said GO and they all started off. 2 little boys (also twins) headed straight...to the road! Everyone else made the turn and were furiously pedaling in a circle, but these two! They were on a mission. Volunteers and teachers alike took off running after them and finally caught them at what I can only imagine that they thought was the finish line! Too funny.

These kids take if very seriously. They ride with a mission. It's really interesting to me to see the difference in the ability level of these kids. Some are naturals, zooming around and weaving in and out of the less confident. Some seem like they have never been on a bike before. I must admit, that made me a little sad for them. My girls are out on their bikes almost every day. And Rena's been riding a two-wheeler for about a year. Some of these 4 and 5 year olds were just not very coordinated. Come on parents! Get your kids OUTSIDE!

It was interesting to watch my own kids too. In keeping with their personalities, Riley rode very carefully and deliberately.

Rachel rode with complete abandon. She also waved at me each time she passed!

And Rena did what was expected...rode in a circle and didn't interfer with anyone else.

Rachel and Riley got to watch Rena's race because they weren't in school that day. It's so nice that they support each other.

I'm glad that the twins have 2 more years here. Such a great preschool. I love it and so do they!

Now, on to the IRS. Thanks to the crappy economy, we are getting a big fat refund this year. The lion's share is coming from the federal government. I'm really looking forward to getting this return, because it will allow me to plan out the rest of this year financially. But of course, there was a glitch. Somehow we got Rena's social security number wrong on the form. I called and fixed that over the phone and was told I could expect my return within 30 days. Yippie! So, a week or so later, there's an envelop waiting for me in the mailbox from the IRS. Silly me thinks it's the return. Nope. It's a bill for $67,000+ dollars. Not kidding. According to them, we failed to pay and/or file in 2006. What?! How come Kroger can keep up with what I buy sporatically at their store and send me coupons to match, but the IRS can't keep up with my 2006 taxes that were filed and were paid. Good googley-moogley. Not only that, but they're keeping my 2008 return. Oh, they GOT that one. Idiots. Now I know it's some minor thing. Maybe they filed it under N not M, or got OUR ss# off by a digit...but seriously people, I don't remember much about 2006. I had two 1year olds and a 3 year old. Taxes schmaxes.

So, I started digging though my well-maintained records...ok, they're really just all stuffed in a really big purple box. And lo and behold, I found a cancelled check to the IRS for 2006 taxes. Now we do have a little problem because our taxes were done on my computer which just so happened to get a really nasty virus this winter. So I took my computer to the local high school computer teacher where he used it as an example of what not to do. He had to take EVERTHING off my computer. And despite the fact that I told him the only important things on it were pictures and quicken, he saved everything. I love you Mr. Decker!!!! So once we download the software...again...and open the tax return, we should be able to get this thing resolved. But what a pain in the ass. Seriously, I think I'm the only one who's not stressing about it. I'm just pissed that the government can do things like this. It's THEIR fault, not mine. And trying to talk to someone about it IS frustrating. I know they have it and they won't even look. Arghh. Ok, maybe I'm a little frustrated. Anyway, I'll keep you posted...or blog from the pauper's jail!

I will leave you with this lovely sign of spring.

April 30, 1982

That date doesn’t have quite as much meaning as it did to me 27 years ago. Wow. 27 years. It’s hard for me to believe that that much time has really passed. So, what happened? It’s not pretty. Really.

I was 16. I was on the soccer team, a junior in high school. And little did I know that a major, life changing event was about to take place. I was about to lose a friend forever.

That afternoon, my soccer team had played a game in a town about an hour away. We lost. 2-0. Up until that point, we’d been undefeated. It was a good game against intense rivals. The van ride home was uneventful. The Sugar Hill Gang booming out of the boom box in its rightful place on the back seat. My friend, Leigh, talked about her date for the night. She was going to be late. When we got back to school, I let Leigh climb over me to get out so she could, perhaps, make her date on time. I knew who she was going out with. I had a major crush on him. A relationship, really. He was 17. But still, I let her go.

I headed home with vague plans for the night with another friend, including meeting up with Leigh and her date. Those plans never materialized. Too tired. Staying home.

But just hours later, around 10:00, I heard emergency vehicles on my street. There was a sharp curve and it wasn’t all that uncommon for people to misjudge it and lose control. 4 houses down from mine, there was quite a bit of commotion. Ambulance, fire trucks, I’m sure there were probably police too, but time has worn away that part of the memories. So, being a curious teenager, I joined the other neighbors who had come out to see what was going on. And then, there was a sick realization. Even though the car was wrapped around the tree and difficult to identify, I knew the license plate. I knew who was in the car. The boy, Kipp, had already been removed and taken to the hospital. The girl, Leigh, was still in there. As they removed her, I saw her lifeless body on the stretcher, her fashionable add-a-beads tangled over her blood-soaked polo shirt. My shock was just beginning.

I ran home and called Martha, the friend I had earlier cancelled plans with. Leigh’s been in a wreck. Come. She and her father picked me up at a local convenience store, since my street had been blocked off by the police. We headed to the hospital to await news. At one point, they wheeled Kipp by us and he wasn’t doing so well. All we knew was that Leigh was in worse shape.

Finally her parents arrived. Panicked, her mother grabbed me and shook me and asked where Leigh was. All I could do was point to the doors that we weren’t allowed beyond.

Minutes passed, feeling like hours, as Martha and I waited to hear something. Finally, we were called into a very small room, where Leigh’s mother told us she was dead. Dead. He father could only sit there and sob. Martha and I were in shock. The wind knocked out of us, I don’t think either of us really knew what to do. As we left the hospital, we saw her little brother sitting on the curb crying. It was all quite surreal. Eventually, we went back to Martha’s house and started calling friends to tell them the horrible news. They, too, couldn’t believe the news.

The next few days were a blur. I think this event secretly bonded our small school all together. Our teachers had no idea how to handle it, our parents had no idea how to handle it, and we had no idea how to handle it. So, we all handled it together the best we could. Because I was so close to what had happened, and knew both Kipp and Leigh well, I always thought that I was one of the ones most affected by it. I never gave much thought to how the others handled it. Years later, I ran into one of our teacher, Mr. Andrews. He apologized to me for making me take him to the scene of the accident…a place I had to pass every day for the next year or more. I have no recollection of taking him there. Trauma will do that to you, I have learned. Or maybe it wasn’t any big deal compare to what I’d already been through. Either way, I didn’t remember.

There are other details I do remember. Too many to go into. The thing I do know is that this one event shaped my life more than any other event to date. I’ve lost my mother, I’ve been married, divorce, married again and have 3 wonderful children. And while all of those events are memorable, none has shaped me quite as much as that warm April night. Not necessarily for the better. Not necessarily for the worse. It just changed who I was.

So, to Leigh, may she continue to rest in peace.

Easter happenings

Busy, busy, busy. We have been busy. Hubby's birthday was the middle of March. He happened to be home, so I made lasagna (his favorite) and yellow cake with chocolate icing.



He was surrounded by his girls on his 'big' day. Nothing says love like cake.



Next up was picture day at school. Luckily all 3 girls didn't have pictures on the same day. I know some of you think that would be easier, but it's alot of work getting 3 little ones picture-ready. I was excited when our preschool director asked me to help on the second day, because that means I get my pictures for 1/2 price. Sweet deal!!! I still haven't ordered the fall pics. Come on tax refund! I got a few shots myself on the twins picture day.

How cute are they? Riley doesn't think she looks 'pwetty' because she's not wearing a dress. Diva. I told her she was going to have to get over it for that day. She managed surprisingly well.



Next up, we dyed Easter eggs. So what if it was a week early, it just cut down on badgering time. The girls had fun and then we mixed color...so we got a little art/science lesson in there too.



Since the weather's been so wacky here lately, it's hard to decide what to wear. Rachel made sure she covered all the bases.



We've had tornado watches, warning, high wind advisories and even a little snow. Here in the south, when it snows, you have to take advantage of it. This snow storm was short-lived, but cool nonetheless. I realize in this picture it just looks like it's foggy down in the woods across the street, but I promise you it was snow. Why else would the girls be out in their gowns with such happy smiles on their faces?



The nice weather, when it shows itself, makes it nice to sit outside while the girls play. Daddy joined us and I'm not really sure why now, but he and Riley got into an argument about money. He told her she needed money for something and she told him HE had her money. No I don't. Yes you do. No I don't. Yes you do. Well, you get the idea. This little girl is going to be a tough one.



In the meantime, I got a little snuggle time with Rachel, who's going through a phase of being on her best behavior. I'm sure it's just a phase.

Rena took this picture, by the way. Not bad. I almost didn't post it because, my God, do I really look that bad? The sad truth is 'yes'. But hey, it's the truth, so there it is.



Of course the big event for this month was Easter. And the bunny didn't disappoint. The girls were oddly calm Easter morning. I'm still not really sure why. Rena spend a lot of time divvying up the loose eggs. I think they were excited, though. After breakfast, we headed off to the church where we go to preschool. After a very nice service there was an Easter egg hunt and then we headed off for lunch. It was a really nice family day. After lunch, we drove around and looked at houses. We have no intentions of moving, but it's nice to see what else is out there. We used to do that alot.





















Last but not least ( for this post anyway) is ballet. Our ballet studio has visitors day where all the parents get to come see what the girls have been doing all year. They run through the recital and then they get their recital costumes and get to go through it again. Rena and Riley are not in the same class, so I get to sit there for an hour and a half... with Rachel. At least they are both in the same recital. yeah!



Riley went first. Even though she looks a little nervous in this picture, she did great. She really pays attention and you can tell she LOVES it

.

Here she is in her costume...striking a not-so-polished pose.



The 'ballet school dropout' watched from the sidelines. I think she missed it a little.



Next up was Rena. An old pro at it this year.













Rena in costume....a little 'brothel' for my taste, but I'm sure she'll look great on stages.


A post-rehersal moment with the sisters. How sweet are they?

Last but not least, a moment between sisters. Love it.

Animal Control

I put up with alot. Probably more than I really should. I've been complaining about one dog or another for quite awhile now. Here's the back story. When we moved into this house, we had Max and Trouble. Trouble got killed in our backyard in a freak accident the first summer we were here. (As if I needed more reason not to like it here.) He was a really great dog...part Golden, part Lab. Beautiful, smart, calm. No really, he was.

this is max

We had always talked about getting another dog before Max and Trouble were gone, because dogs (usually) learn from each other.

So Blair wanted another dog. And I toyed with the idea. But Max was so easy. He knew all the rules, and despite his bad reputation, he's a really good dog. So I said NO. And then our 'friends' (you know who you are!) sent us a picture of Nixie that they wanted to get for us. That they already had. How could I say no...again.

this is Nixie....and Rena.

Nixie likes to stick her nose in your crotch and she's a little needy. She did manage to disembowel all the BIG stuffed animals we had sitting around, so that actually won her some points in my book. She's big and she wants to wrestle. Not me. So we decided that getting another dog for Nixie would be a good idea. That way they could get alot of energy out together.

So, those same 'friends' offered us a puppy from one of their dogs. We named him Jake, and he's has come to be know as 'that damn dog'. Jake is smart...or stupid. The jury is really still out. I do know that he needs a job. He needs to retrieve. Fetch. One day, I feel, he and I will be good friends. One day.

this is Jake...sleeping on the spoils.

Since we've been having alot of rain lately the dog issue has kinda come to a head. Jake is only contained by a 'doggie' gate if I'm in there with him. Not helpful. So I went and bought a dog crate. Works like a charm. I was still trying to let him sleep upstairs with the rest of us, but he was pooping on the floor and peeing on the floor. Finally one of my neighbors said, "Jake doesn't have house privileges." And just like that a lightbulb went off. He doesn't have house privileges. Soooo, Jake's either been spending the night outside, by himself, or downstair in the crate. And you know what...I'm finally getting some sleep. Halleluia!

So, a big shout out to my neighbor Cheryl for the eye-opening statement. Thanks!!!