Oh, How Primitive...

You may have been wondering where we have been...

We just came back from a week in New Braunfels...

you might be thinking you are a little jealous...

It gets better, we stayed in a tent...

you are now thinking "Hasn't it been really hot? Like over 100 degrees?"

YES... WE STAYED IN A TENT ... (did I already mention that?)

The thermometer read as high as 117 one day. But on the coolest day, it only hit 106 (grab a jacket).

We did have a good time, but it was miserably very hot. We went with our friends Lisa and Terry and their two kids (Bryson and Addison).

Lisa and I realized we were getting too old for this kind of living when we were making one of the many hikes to the bathroom. We walked past the "youngsters" camped next to us and we had an epiphany. The people camped in tents were all college age students. They were drinking who knows what, smoking anything that would light, and listening to music that must have words to it because they were all singing- but I could not make out a single word.

Meanwhile, the people across the street were all staying in RV's. They had their tiki torches lit, were cleaning up the remnants of their gourmet meal, and listening to George Jones. This is when it occurred to us that we were in the wrong crowd. We had sometime and somehow moved over to the George Jones crowd. I am not sure how age sneaks up on you, but it does it very quickly and quietly. (We are all vigorously looking for RV's that won't break the bank).

Requirements for an RV...
Air Conditioner (really everything else is just a luxury... AC is mandatory)
Bed (not air mattress)
Indoor plumbing
Hot shower
TV would be nice but optional


This week, I will soak in the tub to try to ease all of the sore muscles from sleeping on the air mattress for so many days. Do the many loads of laundry. Clean out the dust and dirt from absolutely EVERYTHING.

What did Kaelin think?
She loved the idea of camping, staying in a tent, hated the idea of having to use a public toilet, but loved taking a shower with the water hose. She did great on her swimming. We put her life jacket on and she would just take off. She says she is trying to turn into a mermaid. When we got home Sunday night, she said "Now tomorrow, we don't go anywhere? No one leaves the house". I think she was missing her house a little bit. She just wanted to stay put for a little while. I have to agree with her.

Kaelin is back in swimming lessons this week and is loving it. She will most definitely turn into a mermaid before the end of summer.

Where have we been?

You may be wondering where in the world we have been lately...




First, we finished swimming lessons EXTREMELY successfully. No, Kaelin is not diving into the deep end and working on her Olympic time trials. But, she is not crying every time she steps into the pool. In fact, she cries when you tell her she can not get into the pool or it is time to get out of the pool. We are making progress. She starts another round of swimming lessons in one week.

Aunt Debbie and Uncle Truman gave Kaelin a "Congratulations on your swim lessons" present. They told her if she did a good job in her swim lessons and stopped crying every time we went, they would give her something special. They gave Kaelin her very own IPOD shuffle. Kaelin calls it an ear pod. Kaelin sees me where my IPOD when I go run and she always wants to listen to it when I get home, so now she has her very own. I put all of her favorite music on it. This include 41 songs off of the Dora the Explorer music CD (thanks to my friend Lisa). Now, I don't have to listen to this CD in my car anymore, Kaelin can just listen to it on her IPOD. The funniest thing is when Kaelin gets to one of her favorite songs on her IPOD, she sings so incredibly loud. It is absolutely hilarious. I will try to video her singing. (She is not going to win American Idol anytime soon).



After swimming lessons on Thursday, we headed up to Corsicana for Tori's wedding (Todd's niece). Since the wedding reception was being held at the farm, we had a lot of work to do. The temperature stayed 100+ the entire time we were there and that is HOT!!!! I got a little (no a lot) sunburned on Saturday from setting up the reception tables. Kaelin played in the swimming pool, rode the four liter (we know is as a 4 wheeler, but Kaelin knows it as a 4 liter), played with the dogs, goats, and any other animal she could find.

We are home for a couple of days and then leaving to go to New Braunfels. Kaelin and I are going to have to spend the day watering our plants and grass. They are out there screaming for a drink of water.

Happy *BELATED* Birthday

One more thing I love about the summer, is my lack of dependency on my calendar. However, this often gets me into trouble.

Last Monday was Nannie's birthday and we totally missed it. We bought a card a few weeks ago, but did not even remember to send it. (It is going in the mail tomorrow).

Sorry.....

I can say I will try to use my calendar so I don't miss anything else this summer, but it probably won't happen. I am attached to a calendar all school year, so I just love not having to use it during the summer.

We want to wish Nannie a very happy birthday, a week late. We can't wait to come visit you this summer. We love you!!!

Fun Friday...

I know I did not update you on Kaelin's swim lessons yesterday... just refer back to DAY 1. She acted just like day 1 (maybe even worse)... She has a mind of her own and if you try to persuade her to do something that is not in HER game plan... then it all just falls apart.

We did take her to Chuck E. Cheese last night. We met her friends Bryson and Addison up there. She played so hard. In fact, she was asleep before we even got out of the parking lot. Yes, she did fall asleep with cotton candy all over her hands and even a little in her hair. I am not sure who had more fun: Todd or Kaelin? They both played as many games as they could possibly fit into 2 1/2 hours.

Today, Kaelin had another fun packed day. She woke up this morning and headed to the beach with Aunt Debbie and Uncle Truman. According to Kaelin, the beach is a little yucky... Aunt Debbie and Uncle Truman said she did not really care for the water. Imagine that... after the week we have had at swim lessons, I was not surprised at all that she was not interested in the water. After leaving the beach, they treated Kaelin to "Berry Queen" (Dairy Queen) and then took her to a new little water splash pad. That was more in line with Kaelin's views on water and swimming. (Although she is getting in her big pool at home... in fact, she begs Todd and I to get in there with her). So, we are making progress.

After the beach day, Kaelin had a birthday party to go to for her friend, Camila. We brought Kaelin's cousin, Trip, with us. They had so much fun. They got their faces painted and got some balloon animals. Just take a look at Minnie Mouse and the scary tiger. How fun....

We have been so busy, but it has been so much fun. This week has been a great reminder about why I love the summer.

Day Three

We are doing much better with our swimming. The crying has stopped... (thankfully- I really think they were ready to kick us out).

Kaelin, yet again, convinced one of the swim instructors to hold her for most of the time. As long as Kaelin is not being splashed at or made to go under water she is fine.



What is the point of swimming.... I guess she will eventually enjoy splashing and going under the water.



Yes, my child was the only one that left swim lessons with "perfect" hair. She mangaged to stay in the pool through her entire swim lessons and not get water on her hair.

This was funny... Kaelin arrived at her swim lessons with her bathing suit, a hooded robe on, and wearing a pair of sunglasses. (I wish I had taken a picture). One of the ladies said "Oh, she looks like she should be going to the spa instead of swim lessons". I started laughing. I told them she would rather be going to the spa than swim lessons. That is very typical Kaelin. At least at the spa, you don't have to get your hair wet- but as Kaelin has shown, you don't have to get your hair wet during swim lessons either.

After swimming, we had to go pick up a birthday present for a friend of Kaelin. Then we met Kaelin's friends, Addison, Bryson, and Madison at Chick-fil-A. They played on the Chick-fil-A playground for about 2 hours. All it cost me was a kid's meal. What great and cheap entertainment.

Day Two of Swimming Lessons

Day 2 of swimming lessons was MUCH MUCH better than day 1.

I still think there was a look of dread on the swim instructors face when she saw that we were back....

Kaelin did so good. She had a few minor breakdowns, but for the most part, she did great. She still conned one of the sweet young swim instructors into holding her when she was not doing anything.

Why the big difference... BRIBERY... yes, I said bribery. What better to bribe Kaelin with than clothes. I told her if she did really good in swimming and did not pitch a fit the whole time that I would let her get a new bathing suit. It worked... Now, I am at a loss for tomorrow. I am NOT buying a bathing suit every day. (At least I am hoping that is not what I have to resort to).

Not me Monday (first one of summer)

If you don't know what not me Monday is, click on the picture and read all about it. It is a quick and fun way to tell a story where you can be brutally honest while pretending it did not happen or you did not do it.

Today was the first Monday of our summer break. Kaelin started swim lessons today. Kaelin was definitely not the child that cried and screamed the entire time. That certainly would not have been my child doing that. The instructors also did not have to come over and ask me to go away so Kaelin would not be able to see me. That could not have been me they were talking to. My child could not have been the one causing that much of a commotion. All of the other parents were most definitely not all staring at me either. Kaelin surely did not cry and scream the entire time she was in her swimming lessons. That might have been embarassing. Just take a look at the picture below. She was also not the child that made the swim teacher hold her the ENTIRE time. And guess what... we get to do it all over again in the morning. I am sure the swim instructors are just jumping for joy anticipating our arrival. (I do feel a little sorry for them.)

After we finished swimming (crying, whaling, pitching a fit), we decided to go to the park to eat lunch. Kaelin loves the park, so we got corn dogs from Sonic and headed to the park.

Yes, my little sassy pants had a little boy pushing her in the swings by the time we got ready to leave. It was really cute. She is a little bossy (not sure where she gets it). She told the little boy that she wanted for him to push her in the swings--- and he did it. We are going to be in trouble when she gets older. Daddy better get ready.

Fun but HOT Weekend

On Saturday, Kaelin and I went shopping at Macy's (Daddy was out of town, so the girls had to hit the mall).

Saturday afternoon, Kaelin went to her friend Landyn's birthday party. Landyn turned one. Kaelin had lots of fun playing in the pool, bouncy house, and the slip n slide.

They even had clowns . If you don't know this, Kaelin HATES clowns. She says they are just too scary. I really have to agree with her. Clowns are pretty creepy. So, for Kaelin's birthday party, we had a carnival, but she was very insistent that nothing had a clown on it. As soon as I saw the clowns yesterday, I thought "oh dear, this could get really interesting", but to my surprise, Kaelin did pretty good. The clowns were making balloon animals and this really caught Kaelin's attention. She loves balloons, so she watched from VERY FAR off. Then she came and got my hand and asked if I could go up to the clown with her. I did. She told the clown she wanted a flower out of balloons and they made if for her, then the other clown made her a hat and he went to put it on her head and you would have thought he was trying to burn her with fire. She flew up my arms and asked me "why is that clown trying to get me?". I was laughing, but she did not find it as amusing as I did.

She kept a close eye on the clowns for the rest of the party.

Another funny Kaelin story...

Today on the way to church, Aunt Debbie gave Kaelin some quarters to give in the offering. Aunt Debbie told her she could give the quarters to Jesus. Kaelin looked at her as though she had lost her mind. Kaelin said "Aunt Debbie, that can't happen, Jesus is way up in the clouds and I don't think he is going to come all the way down just to get my money." We then had to readjust our wording. Aunt Debbie told her she could give the money to the bank in her Sunday school class and they would use the money to buy things so little kids could learn about Jesus. She then said, "Okay, that would be a good idid." (An idid is Kaelin's word for idea)

Doctor and a movie

Today was Kaelin's 3 year checkup. Everything went great. She is a perfect little three year old (but I knew that).

She is 37 inches tall and weighs 30 pounds. She is in the 75th percentile in height and weight. She is going to be tall (she must get that from me... ha ha).

The doctor checked her blood pressure, listened to her heart, checked ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. She had Kaelin jump and talk to check motor skills. Everything was great.

Then I had to write a check for $138.00. (Don't forget... we have already made one trip to the doctor this week which cost $68 and medicine was another 50 something- no new shoes this week). WOW... why do I even have insurance? I found out today that my wonderful insurance covers the well baby checkups only up to 2 years old. What... I guess after two years old, they don't need check ups anymore.

But, after the doctor, Kaelin and I met my friend Lisa and her kids, Addison and Bryson at the movies. We saw the new Disney movie "Up". It was really cute, I loved it.

Let me get on my soap box one more time...
The price of movie tickets is ridiculous. $9.50 per ticket. But even more ridiculous than that is the price of popcorn and drinks. Cost of a coke and bag of popcorn is $11.50. That is highway robbery. So, if you add this up... 9.50 (1 ticket) + 11.50 for snacks= $21.00. You can buy new releases on DVD for about $19.99, then you can watch the movies as many times as you want. So what if they are not the newest thing in theaters, as long as I have not seen it, then it is new to me.

Sleep is for the weak

Once again, I am up at 1:30 AM.

I guess I am just so excited about today being the last day of school that I just can't sleep. You know how kids get excited about the first day of school and they can't sleep. I think teachers are the opposite. We get excited about the last day of school.

So what do you do at 1:30...

Watch whatever you might be able to find on TV... I am watching Cold Case.

Blog (which I am doing)

Then you go run.

Yes, you heard me, I am about to go run. I am just waiting until it is closer to a reasonable hour. I don't want anyone to call the police because they saw some crazy girl running past their house at 2:00 AM. So I am patiently holding off until 3:45 or 4:00. Unless (which this never happens), I get sleepy and fall back to sleep.

I will probably (hopefully) take a good nap this afternoon.

When I get off work (around noon), Kaelin and I are going to see the new Disney movie "Up" with my friend Lisa and her son Bryson. Hopefully I won't fall asleep in the movie theater. How embarassing would that be for Kaelin to have to wake up her Mommy.

***UPDATE***
3:45 AM--- still up, but I have had company. It seems like Kaelin knows when I am not asleep. I can't tell you how many times I have been up in the middle of the night and low and behold, Kaelin opens her door and says "Mommy, what are you doing?" She never does this when I am in bed asleep. She must have a GPS hooked to me.

So, she has been sleeping in big girl panties at night. She had her first accident. When she laid down last night, I had a feeling she would not make it all night because she insisted on drinking a big glass of milk before bed (she usually does not do this). So, about 3:00, she woke up and I had to change her sheets and pj's.

3:30 AM- she came out of her room again because she said she needed a sip of water. (She just wanted to stay up with me- but I made her go back to bed so at least one of us could stay awake for the movie).

3:49 AM- she came out of her room AGAIN because she needed a Kleenex for her runny nose. Now, I think she is just making excuses to get up.

Here is my theory....I think God knew I would be needed in the middle of the night (multiple times), so he woke me up. It did not bother me having to run up the stairs every few minutes to address another need. Now, if I was asleep and this was all going on, I would be highly upset. But, I was not upset or frustrated, it gave me something to do (before I go run).

Side note to God... next time, wake Todd up.

On the rocks, shaken, stirred, or something new?

This is too funny (or at least it was to me). Funny in one of those - I should really not laugh but I am going to any way- ways. So, what did I do?.... laughed... then told the story and laughed again.

We were on our way to Aunt Debbie's house to eat dinner. Todd had fixed a Dr. Pepper to drink. Kaelin was sitting on the console (since we only had to drive around the corner). She was sitting there picking her nose, rolling the boogers on her fingers and putting them in Todd's drink. I was not watching what she was doing, but Todd caught her. He said "What did you just put in my drink?" and she responded, very innocently, "A booger". That was probably the funniest part because she acted as though that was normal and did not understand why he was making such a big deal about it.

So BEWARE of your drinks around Kaelin, she might add a little something extra to it.

How far can your car go?

If you have ever wondered just how far you can drive with your gas light on, it is longer than you probably think.

I managed to make it two full days with my gas light on. When I finally made it to the gas station this morning, my car was so empty it would not even start again.

So, I now know just how far I can drive before having to get out and push the car.

Update on Kaelin's leg...
It is looking better, not great, but better. The swelling is finally beginning to go down. She goes back to the doctor on Friday for another look (and another $68). She hates the medicine, but with a little bribery, she takes it. We bribe her with Dairy Queen, suckers, etc. She now knows the routine, so when you tell her she has to take her medicine, she now wants to know what she will get. She catches on quick. Because I feel so sorry for her and the medicine tastes and smells horrible, I cave into her requests pretty easy.

Tomorrow is my last day of school and my last day at my current job. WooHoo!!!

Not me Monday

Here is my "Not Me Monday"... I am not at all exhausted


Kaelin did not go to a swimming birthday party Saturday night and she most definitely did not get bit by something (spider or wasp). Her leg definitely did not swell up and get all infected. I also did not have to leave school at 10:00 this morning to take her to the doctor. Those things don't happen on Monday's. Mondays are calm and relaxing days. The doctor did not tell us that her leg had a pretty nasty bacterial infection. He also did not charge us $68.00 for something I knew was the problem to begin with, I just needed the prescription for antibiotics. I also did not have to pay $52.46 to have the prescription filled. Those things would just be absurd. I also did not have to buy Kaelin some special band aids, a sucker, and something to drink just to convince her to take the yucky medicine.

On a more positive note, after the exciting morning at the doctor's office, Kaelin and I met some teacher friends at a fabulous Italian restaurant.

Then we went to a farewell party for another friend of mine. I told Kaelin we were going to a party. She said "A birthday party?" I told her no, it is a farewell party. She said "I just love ferris wheels." I tried to explain that it was farewell, not ferris wheel. It did not sink in. As soon as we got to the party, she went in and asked everyone where the ferris wheel was. I then had to explain to them what she was referring to. It was too funny.

Here is a super cute picture of Kaelin. My friend Judy made this dress for her along with the fuzzy flip flops. I gave it to Kaelin and she immediately began stripping her clothes off so she could put it on. She absolutely loved it.

How do you do justice to 3 years?

I have been a little slow on getting this posted because I wanted to make sure I could do justice to it. Between my Internet going down and my camera going bad, I have not been able to get everything on here until now.

Kaelin has spent the last three years with Mrs. Mary. She has absolutely loved being over there and I have loved her being over there. I have never felt so calm and relieved about leaving my baby with someone as I was with Mrs. Mary. Kaelin spent her last week with Mrs. Mary right before Memorial Day. Kaelin will be going to a new school next year, so she won't be staying with Mrs. Mary. My heart just breaks when I think about it. Kaelin was so loved when she was there. It is really hard to find someone that will love your child as though they are a family member.

How in the world can you sum up three years and really do justice to the time?

Great memories from the last three years...

Kaelin and Mrs. Mary make breakfast stops at Sonic or McDonald's on school mornings. Mrs. Mary has totally spoiled Kaelin when it comes to breakfast on school days. The few times I have been able to take off and take Kaelin to school, she always asks me "Where are we stopping for breakfast?" Mrs. Mary also taught Kaelin that Sonic corn dogs can also be a breakfast food.

Kaelin and Mrs. Mary share a Dr. Pepper in the afternoons. (I think she might have been giving Kaelin a sugar rush so she would be a crazy girl when she got home--- she was).

Mrs. Mary bought a swing for the front yard, so she and Kaelin could sit outside and enjoy swinging on the tree. We don't have one of these in our yard (we don't have any trees). Kaelin constantly asks why we don't have a swing.

Mrs. Mary bought a playhouse for Kaelin and I got to hear all kinds of fun stories of having tea parties, coloring, playing with the dog, etc. Kaelin loved the playhouse.

Mrs. Mary was always quick to pick up my slack. There were several times when I sent shoes that were too small for Kaelin or too big. Kaelin and Mrs. Mary would just make a quick trip to Wal-mart to solve the problem. Sometimes, I forgot to send her lunch or a drink or diapers, Mrs. Mary always fixed the problem for me. THANK YOU!!!!!

Mrs. Mary used to send me an e-mail everyday updating me on what Kaelin was doing or had done and what their plans were for the day. She would also send pictures of Kaelin. I loved it. Those pictures always arrived right when I was needing a quick pick me up. I am going to miss those e-mails. I looked forward to those everyday. (You can still send me e-mails...)

Mrs. Mary tried to make Kaelin fill totally at home. In fact, Kaelin considered Mrs. Mary's house one of her homes. Kaelin had her own chair, own bed, own toys, own movies, etc. Kaelin was perfectly comfortable and was never in need.

Kaelin's first ride on a carousel horse was with Mrs. Mary. (see picture below)

Mrs. Mary and Kaelin made many trips to the park. She absolutely loves the park.

Kaelin's only trip to the zoo was with Mrs. Mary and Mr. Ken. (She wants to go back...)

Kaelin's love for flowers and gardening was definitely inspired by Mrs. Mary. For as long as I can remember, Kaelin has been gardening with Mrs. Mary. Kaelin may have been gardening before she was walking.

Mrs. Mary has taught Kaelin how to love animals. Mrs. Mary has a soft spot for all animals (just dump your strays in her yard, everyone else does--- no not really, but she is good at finding homes for animals). Kaelin is constantly telling me stories about "Sally Slew" or as she is really name- Sally Sue.

Kaelin's first Halloween... She was Pebbles... We trick or treated Mrs. Mary and Mr. Ken.

Kaelin's first birthday party. Of course Mrs. Mary was there...

Kaelin's second Halloween. She was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz.

Mrs. Mary has come to all three of Kaelin's birthday parties. This is the 2nd birthday party. (We hope to see you at number 4).

Kaelin's ride on the carousel horse. Her love for horses may have started here.

Kaelin loved gardening with Mrs. Mary.

This is last Halloween. Kaelin was a scary pink pirate with a bling bling eye-patch. We trick or treated Mrs. Mary and Mr. Ken. I am sure they were scared of being held hostage by the pirate.

We could never ever come close to replacing Mrs. Mary- nor would we want to. She has become part of our family. She has helped mold and shape Kaelin into who she is today and I am so grateful for that. She has been Kaelin's comfort spot away from home. We absolutely love her and hope she always remains such and important person in our life.

Please don't forget us.... we will never forget you.