big bonk

i have issues. many of them. one of the issues that i struggle with the most is leaving my kids with people i don't really know. i am completely fine with dropping the boys off to daycare and even church, but for some reason it makes me nervous to drop them off in the kid zone at the ymca. i am talking butterflies in my stomach nervous.

i don't know what my problem is. it is the perfect set up. if steve and i wanted to we could drop the boys off and play racquetball, workout or even sit in the hot tub. however, up until yesterday we only had done it once...in november. and unfortunately, after their visit, the boys came down with a week long fever virus...so i blamed it on the y and they hadn't been back since.

last night however, steve talked my reluctant self into trying it out again. why not? we could both get in a workout, pick up the boys and all play basketball together. all was well until we stepped into the kid zone doors. immediately elliott began screaming, at the top of his lungs, i want play basketball. little did it know it was a forshadowing of the events to come. guilt immediately flooded over me, and all i wanted to do was just say forget it and take the boys to play basketball. but...as any parent knows, once you give into a tantrum, they only get worse the next time. so, highly irritated i walked out of the kid zone ready to go enjoy my workout.

as i was heading downstairs after my workout i was met by a woman asking if i was theresa, in a somewhat panicked voice, which is never a good sign. i hesitantly replied that i was and dreaded what i was about to hear next. while quickly leading me to the kid zone door she told me that elliott had fallen and hit his head on the lego table. a wave of relief rushed over me. not a big deal he has hit his head a million times. nothing to worry about. i walked in calmly and saw that elliott was being held and had an ice pack over his head. i thought, they are just being precautionary. following their proper procedures. the lady removed the ice pack to show me where he bonked. there staring back at me was the biggest goose egg i have ever seen. instantly, the worse case scenario began running though my head. concussion. inter cranial bleeding. brain damage. and this was all intensified by me trying to get every detail from a woman with a language barrier, the director asking if i wanted them to call 911 and another worker telling me all about her nephew who had a bump three times the size and there was nothing to worry about.

well, after two phone calls to our doctor's office, we were told to keep a close eye on him, not give him any pain meds and to wake him up every four hours for the next two nights. ahhh...and all for a thirty minute workout...not worth it.

i am happy and relieved to report, however, that the bump has gone down significantly and there are no signs of permanent damage. thank you Lord! and we were treated like royalty by the ymca staff receiving free water, a follow up phone call and two children's books out of the deal. ...still... not worth it...

sawyer thomas

it is march 23rd and i am just now uploading pictures from my first nephew's birth. looks like i am already striking out in the auntie business. sawyer thomas was born @10:48 p.m. on february 9, 2009. i was privileged enough to be able to be in the room when sawyer made his grand debut. shaking and nervous, i experienced how miraculous God's plan is. i learned how talented medical professionals are as well as cool, calm and collected. i learned that although i am thankful for the experience, i would much rather be the one in labor instead of watching my sister in labor.

but, i also discovered how it is much more fun when you are not the one in labor.

especially if there are others to join in the party.

and most importantly i discovered how sweet and precious it is to be an aunt. especially with a face like this. with his little button nose and his long eye lashes he already his this aunt wrapped around his finger.

we are so blessed to have you in our lives sawyer...we can't wait to see you next time.

sleeping with batman

i have heard through the grapevine that each day gibson goes to school, he and his friend decide which superhero they are going to be by what underware they have on that day. so if they are sporting superman underoos, world watch out, because here he comes.

as of late, gibson would rather wear his batman halloween costume from two years ago or his way too tight spiderman pjs than anything else. the other night at dinner he declared, "no, i'm not gibson, your eating dinner with spiderman." and he is not just using his new found powers to save the world, he is also tempted to use them against his brother. he told me in confidence today that he secretly wanted to cast webs on elliott after he shot him in the eye with the nerf gun.

as i napped with batman today, i realized just how precious my little batman is. his imagination leaves me wondering about all of the things he is thinking that he doesn't share with us. wanting to capture this precious superhero napping, i slowly crept out of bed. as i slipped away and quietly opened the door, batman opened his eyes and said, "i need to rest for batman to fight bad people." rest you may batman.

luck of the irish

gibson woke up this morning overflowing with excitement. his teacher told him that today was st. patrick's day, and that he had wear green. this announcement to a boy whose favorite color is green made all other holidays pale in comparison. so off we were at 6:15 sharp to adorn all of our green attire. his enthusiasm was contagious and left me wishing we were irish. talk about knowing who you are and where you come from and celebrating that with such pride. i decided that even if we weren't irish, today we were going to pretend we were.

we played with stickers sporting little leprechauns and three leaf clovers. we drank green milk and ate green yogurt. and by the time lunch was over we all proudly wore green moustaches and laughed at our lime green tongues.

well as it turns out this st. patrick's day could only get better. my dear cousin humbly informed me that i am irish. oh the irony. here i am praising the irish for knowing and celebrating their heritage, and i am part irish and didn't even know it. i am an embarrassment to the all those who have come before me. and such a shame. so many lost years of not celebrating. well there is no time like the present. and after all my wish came true. how's that for luck?

cup of comfort

i don't know why it is, but there is something so comforting about my morning cup of coffee. there are no bells and whistles. no froth or whipped cream. not even any caffeine. just me and my one and only, simple white cup. my cup filled with sweet italian cream and a dash of coffee. my cup that is always cold by the time that i can actually drink the sweetness that it holds. with each sip i take i find comfort that it will be a good day. comfort that i can handle any temper tantrum, any mess. and for the moments that i am drinking my morning coffee, i pretend that i have it all together.

worth every penny

i came down with a sudden cold today. it was fast and furious leaving me no choice but to carry a box of kleenex and the trash can to wherever i settled in my classroom. and after blowing my nose endlessly with off brand kleenex, i decided that somethings should be non-negotiable in life. i am all for saving money, but sometimes you get what you pay for. in this case i got a beet red, incredibly sore nose. in my opinion puffs is the only way to go when it comes to tissues for your nose.

and then there is peanut butter...jif is simply the best. enough said.



what are your non-negotiables?

happy anniversary

it is often that we take for granted all that we have. complain about the little things in life and always want the next best thing. as we live for the future, we often let the precious moments of today pass us by.

today marks our sixth wedding anniversary. while trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we have been married for six years, i started to think of all that steve is and all that he challenges me to become. and i thought of listing all of the things that i love about him, but would that truly explain our marriage as an entire picture? would it do justice to all that he does to encourage me to grow? and then i thought of the movie, it's a wonderful life. i thought of this classic movie where george bailey stumbles around bedford falls and gets a birds eye view of what mary's life would be like if he never existed. i thought of what my life would be like if i had never met steve. where would i be? who would i be? it's a scary thought and a scary road to travel down, but a journey worth taking. so here it goes.

if i had never met steve, i would not be teaching in a multi-age classroom right now because i would never have had the courage to take a risk. go against the grain. do something that goes against the consensus even if it is what's best for me. i would be playing it safe and doing only the things that make other people happy. i would still be teaching fourth grade because it became easy. but then again, if i had never met steve, i would have never even gotten my job. steve was and is the one who makes me feel like i have something to offer and that when all else fails to be myself. and he was the one who spent the entire night before my interview at kinkos making my killer mini portfolios.

if i had never met steve, i would be a bitter, bitter woman. before steve i believed that i held the key to my heart, and if anyone betrayed me i would lock it up and shut them out forever. before steve i never forgave, and i never forgot. steve's unconditional love for everyone blows me away and has gradually taught me the amazing power of God's grace. his graciousness baffles me, challenges me and forces me to grow.

if i had never met steve, i would still be stuck inside of my box. i would be holding on tight to my conservative views and using those views to judge others. i wouldn't be living in the big city, considering a tatoo and wanting a diverse world for my boys to grow up it. i would be living a life scared of how differences can hurt me instead of embracing them.

if i had never met steve, i would still be the insecure college girl i was before i met him. i would be worrying constantly about what others thought of me and making choices dependent on those thoughts. steve has taught me that i am only as confident as i allow myself to be. he has shown me that i am my own worst critic and that it is not until i am comfortable in my own skin that i will truly shine.

if i had never met steve, i would not be listening to a wonderful man read bedtime stories to my two precious sons. i would not have had the pleasure of raising two strong willed boys who are full of life. i would not be learning more and more about myself as i trudge through the depths of parenthood with my best friend.

as i reflect upon these past six years i realize that i have been given the greatest gift. a gift that is right in my own home. i have been given the opportunity to live my live with my soul mate. a man who would throw a lasso around the moon, if i just said the word. it's a wonderful life.

making bumpa proud

my dad is known for his hard work ethic, many mishaps and corny jokes. just the other day he came into my classroom and told my kids one of his many jokes. you may know it, what do you call a lady who has one leg longer than the other?...eileen. oh, and that is only one of the many he has up his sleeve for anyone who is willing to listen. needless to say my fifth graders thought it was hillarious and a joke off ensued from there. one of the jokes told after my dad left just cracked me up. i came home and told it to my boys, and they in turn called everyone they knew and told it to them. so if you if you weren't one of the lucky ones to get a phone call here it is... this one's for you bumpa...

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quote of the day

today dr. seuss would have celebrated his 105th birthday. both of my boys had the pleasure of celebrating this big day. elliott got to wear his pjs to school, and gibson learned all about the literary legend while coloring pictures of birthday cakes.

while eating dinner i asked gibbers how old dr. seuss was. he solemnly said in a hesitant voice, as if he was trying to spare me the pain, "mom, dr. seuss is no longer with us. he lives with God now."

oh... i see... so much for the innocence of green eggs and ham...