Matthew's glasses

He looks so cute I want to smush him.

Not long ago Matthew was complaining about reading and how it seemed like he was reading the same line over and over. It was time for an eye exam anyway. Long story short.....he needed glasses.

We picked up his new glasses today, and he was so excited! Apparently now it is cool to have glasses....so he'll be cool tomorrow with his new look. He was not only excited about getting to wear them, but was so worried that he wouldn't get a case to keep them in at night so he can take care of them. He piped up and asked the lady at the store if he could please have a box to put them in. He picked out a cool blue Sketchers case to put his cool dark blue glasses in. He seems very particular about taking care of them so far.

I just think he looks adorable. More photos soon!

Still here....

I'm still here. I haven't been the best blogger for a long time. It's not that I have lost interest....but life has been crazy, and busy, and different, and I'm tired. I'm probably in a bit of a funk when it comes to taking pictures too. I don't always have to be going somewhere to want to take them, but let's face it....right now we are BORING. Even the everyday stuff that I love so much. Life is going by fast lately, and as much as that should be a reminder for taking more photos, I haven't been.
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I have loved having Mike home for the past month. We've been catching up on things we've wanted to get done around the house, spending time together and as a family, and having company. Both my mom and Mike's parents have been out for a visit.
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Our birthday season is over for another year. October is always a blur with all of our birthdays. Halloween....etc. I was at work for Halloween this year and Mike and my mom took the kids out. Well, Megan and Trevor....and some of Megan's friends. Matthew opted for trick or treating with a neighbor friend of his.
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I wasn't into Halloween much this year. I never got out any decorations. I'm usually much more excited about it. I'm not really into where we are living at the moment, and I'm sure that had something to do with it. It doesn't feel like home, and knowing that we will be moving out of it makes it that much harder to try to turn it into one. Plus again....just tired. Matthew did bring up a haunted house and a big bendy tree that I have (which was my mom and Mike's favorite since they kept getting snagged on the branches of the tree as they walked by the table that Matthew had last left it on. It kind of made me laugh as each time they would grumble how much they hated that tree.) The only reason those got brought up from the basement is that Matthew wanted to use them to play with his Lego guys.
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We did carve some small pumpkins. I don't know....for me Halloween lost some of it's magic this year. It's just been a very stressful year and I'm sure we will be back to normal next year.
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It has been getting cold already, and last week we had a chance of flurries. I think I am ready for snow. I still get a bit giddy when the first snow happens. Snowflakes are cool.
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That's about it from here. Not much of an update, and I hope to get back to a normal blogging routine again soon.
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Photo above taken at Steak and Shake. For as long as we have been here and eaten there (thanks to kids eat free on weekends!) Matthew finishes his meal and goes to sit at the counter to watch the guys making hamburgers. It keeps him entertained for a long time.

Below: layout with some random photos taken over the summer.

Party of five.

We have a magnet on our refrigerator that has all these different faces on it, and you are supposed to move a small black frame onto how you are feeling for that day. I forget about it most of the time, or leave it in between emotions. But last night I officially moved it to HAPPY.
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I had gotten a quick IM from Mike yesterday that he was shutting down his computer and would call me when he got to New York in the morning. He flew all night from Lagos to NY. I went to bed and felt good knowing he'd be home the next day.
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This morning we got up and the kids went to school. I heard from Mike early that he had a long story but was able to make it on the flight and would be home. I watched flightaware and tracked his flight from NY to DC, then on to Cincinnati.
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I left for the airport and waited for about 20 minutes before the screens said that his flight had landed! I was so excited!! I waited at the top of the escalator waiting for everybody to make their way up from the gates. It's funny because the way you look down, all you can see is feet for several steps before you see the whole person come out. I noticed that I always recognize Mike's feet and his gait how he walks. Sure enough... I spotted his feet. :) That is 20 years of marriage.
k
That escalator ride up from the bottom floor to the waiting area is painfully long when you are waiting for somebody! I stood there trying not to jump out of my shoes, like a little girl! Finally he made it up, stepped to the side and I got a kiss. Then we went over to wait for his luggage.
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He's home.
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The kids were so excited to see him after they got out from school. I know he was so tired from the time difference and traveling for so many hours. After awhile we ended up taking a quick nap on the couch while we waited for Matthew to come home. Matthew never comes in the house quietly after a day of school. Usually he opens the door and says something to make sure everybody knows he's home. - I heard him come through the door, loud as usual, and woke up. It startled me at first to realize that I had my head on Mike's lap. The first few days are always so strange. It always feels like a dream.
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So of course we're getting used to the time difference again....which means he stays up as late as he possibly can. Tonight he made it to 9:00, 2:00 a.m. in Africa. Even going into our room it still feels strange to see him asleep on the bed.
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I'm glad this year he gets to be home during the fall. He missed it the past two years. It is such a pretty season around here. I can't wait for him to see some of it. The last things we had done together were enjoying the motorcycle rides during the summer and then my surgery. It finally feels like life is normal.
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I'm posting a couple of layouts from the two birthdays this month. The one of Matthew has a white background, which always posts weird. I'll be working on another one of his birthday with his presents and his big shopping trip that he has been patiently waiting to take with Mike to the Lego store tomorrow.

Happy birthday Matthew!!!

I LOVE this boy!!

He had eight candles on his cake....but he wanted one more wish. Hey, that is ok with me. Can you have enough wishes on your birthday?

I think Matthew had a good day today. He was so excited to wake up and have presents on the table. Before school he got: a lego set, several Star Wars figures (I saved R2 for his cake as a surprise.) a cool camo dog tag necklace and some Star Wars jammies.

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I took cookies and birthday plates into his school....which he had picked out the day before at the store. He came home with a bunch of cookies and told me that he hadn't eaten one. I asked him why not and he said, "My teacher said that they had peanuts in them."

"Um, no...why would I send you to school with birthday treats for your class and you not be able to have one? Let alone, why would I buy anything with peanuts??"

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Apparently they were a little freaked out that the label said that these may have been baked on equipment that had come in contact with peanuts. Ugh, a label that is on EVERYTHING. I am glad they were cautious with his allergy, but really??? Would I send in cookies that he wouldn't be able to eat on his birthday? Oh well....

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Today may be the official birthday, but we'll be celebrating tomorrow. TOMORROW Mike comes home, and we'll go out to dinner. - and we'll make sure he gets an extra piece of cake to make up for the missing cookie.

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And thus concludes the birthday season......lol.

These little feet....

are going to be EIGHT years old tomorrow.

The weird thing is, I remember when Trevor turned eight here in Kentucky. It really doesn't seem like we've been here that long. - Matthew just cannot be turning eight. Sorry Matthew, but you are still the baby and forever in my mind as four or five years old. I just can't get used to eight.

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I went out today and got some things for tomorrow. He wanted a chocolate cake, so I got all of the makings for it. Plus birthday paper plates for his classroom tomorrow to share cookies with his classmates, PLUS a few surprises. A lego set, some star wars guys and a dog tag necklace. (He's very into military stuff and was wanting one a long time ago, but i was never able to find one.) Today I stumbled upon one and knew that it was meant to be. I think he'll be surprised.

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ALSO!
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Mike comes home on Friday!!!!! I can't contain my excitement! I am giddy! The best part is that he'll be home in the afternoon, so I will be able to pick him up from the airport before the kids get home so we can enjoy a lunch together. Then we'll have a family dinner to celebrate all of the October birthdays.

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He's going to be surprised by the weather here. He's been in Africa and has told me about how hot it has been. It is so beautiful here with the fall. I'm glad this year he gets to be home while the leaves are actually falling and we can drive around and look at the pretty trees.

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Also, my mom is coming back out for a visit! I am looking forward to having some time without post surgery stuff. Honestly....I was on so many medications that I don't remember a heck of a lot from her last trip here.

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It's Survivor night. :)

TRAVEL SAFE!! I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU AT THE AIRPORT!! I LOVE YOU!!!

Happy birthday #12!!!

Today is Megan's 12th birthday! I actually even had the day off without having to request it, which was so nice.
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Last night we started by making her birthday cake...an ooey gooey butter pumpkin. It is one of her favorites and it was hard to not get into it after it cooked because the house smelled so good.

Today she went to school and said that a ton of people said happy birthday to her, and in chorus they sang to her. I picked her up an hour early for fun.

I spent the day looking for a stablemate to go on her cake. I went to Target, but no luck. They always have them! So I drove over to Midway Tack and found one. It was perfect.
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When she got home from school I had the table decorated for her to see as soon as she walked in. I found these cool paper balls at Target a long time ago (I think they were summer decorations) but they looked festive and happy! She knew exactly what the wrapped box was on the table. When I was little I could spot a Breyer box no matter how it was wrapped!
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We got her Rachel Alexandra (horse that won the derby) and a gift bag full of baby goldfish crackers so she won't run out. Story behind the goldfish: She loves them. She can eat the regular ones, but prefers to bite the heads off of the little baby ones. She will come home from school and eat a bowl of them whenever she can. For some reason, Kroger has been out of them for about a month. Each time we'd walk by to check....the baby goldfish part of the shelf was empty. Boo.
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I made a point to stop at a differnt store today and found them. So I bought 5 bags. That ought to keep her in baby goldfish for a bit. I think she was actually pretty surprised.
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I love the look on her face when she found out what horse it was.


Last week during Fall break, one of her friends had invited her to go to Lexington for the World Equestrian Games. She had some money saved up, and her friend gave her some money to pick out a horse to bring home. Her and Celeste spent an hour walking around the Breyer Barn looking at all the models and talking in collector geek talk about Trads, Special Runs, etc. It makes me laugh, because I still understand it myself.
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She came home with Espirit (The official special mold made for the WEG, and says Kentucky 2010 on it's belly.) and one of the treasure hunt horses for the year. This photo reminds me so much of my photos from when I was a kid. There was always a table top full of new horses.

She has been saving her birthday money and wants to spend a day at the mall shopping, so I plan on taking her within the week. :)

12 continued...

below: stablemate on a cake. Originally a tradition started by my mom....thanks mom! It's still going strong. Below: weirdo.

below: *sigh* 12 years old. I don't understand, I did not look like that at 12 years old. She is looking way too big.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Megan. I love you!
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Little side note: that gerber daisy in the pot? That is from the flowers that my sister brought home from the store one night when she was out helping me after my surgery. The original two blossoms have since gone, but it keeps popping out new flowers. It has been a very happy plant out on the porch. :)

Right now.

My girl. Who will be 12 years old tomorrow.

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It has been a lot of the same here. Work, housework, same old stuff. Last week was fall break for the kids. October is birthday month..... Megan's is tomorrow and then Matthew's is next week. Also....Mike comes home from Africa!! Honestly this past month has gone by relatively quick. Which I am glad....I am ready to have him back home.

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It's been awhile since I did one of these. I have read ones from years past and think it's interesting to see the changes. This one will probably seem pretty severe since it's no secret that I am not a happy camper where we are right now. Which is why I hope to look back on this post in awhile and laugh, and think, "Whew. Glad that part is OVER."

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Right now:

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outside my window: I can't see out my window because the blinds are shut, but I'd probably guess that the grass is still dead due to the drought and my neighbor is probably outside smoking.

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I am thinking: I am kind of overwhelmed today. It's my first day off in days and I know i have a lot i need to get done. I'm not motivated at the moment. Lol. I'm also thinking about Mike.

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I am thankful for: Africa.

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I am wearing: jeans, pink tshirt, my black sketchers i always wear to work and a ponytail.

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I am creating: not much.

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I am going: to start another load of laundry and to pick up a pizza in a bit that I promised Trevor we'd have during fall break. (Donato's - his favorite.)

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I am reading: nothing. Reading makes me sleepy.

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I am hoping: for good things to come! I can feel it.

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I am hearing: U2 on my computer. One. I love that song.

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Around the house: laundry in separated piles near the laundry room floor waiting their turn, clean folded laundry on my bed waiting to be put away. Megan and Trevor are home from school, and Matthew should be home in about 30 minutes. Legos littering the floor. (That never changes, and they hurt.)

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One of my favorite things: New season of Survivor, Amazing Race, Hell's Kitchen and Modern Family. My Keurig.

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A few plans for the following week: Final follow up appointment to the doctor after surgery, getting my hair colored, work, CELEBRATE MEGAN'S 12th birthday.

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Something that made me laugh: A line Megan told me...."If you believe in reincarnation, would your headstone say BRB instead of RIP?"

I love you Mike!

Bithday number *0. lol.

Yeah, that was a pretty awesome hair day.

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Matthew took this picture the other day while I was helping kids get ready for school in the bathroom. It's the only one I have right now....it was taken the day before my birthday. So technically I'm still only 39 in that one!

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Megan wants to carry on with the tradition of getting a photo of me on my birthday like I do with them, but I had to work yesterday (after getting to sleep in!) and today I work again....but it is freezing cold outside and not too pleasant to go out for any pictures. We are planning on tomorrow. (crossing fingers for a bit warmer and sunnier day, even though we desperately NEED the rain right now.)

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My birthday was nice. Matthew woke me up early to make breakfast for me. Cereal and toast. He wanted to be up earlier than I did, so after I ate I went back to bed for awhile. Then I got up and started to get ready for work. Most might think working on your birthday would be a bummer, but it was only a short shift that got me out of the house for awhile (and away from the urge to clean at the house) I enjoy my job enough that it doesn't feel like a chore anyway. (Ask me that again after the Christmas season. Where right now the unofficial store motto in the break room is "There is NO CRYING in retail." Said after feeling like you have been beaten up and want to go hide in a fitting room in a fetal position.)

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Thanks to facebook, most of the people I work with knew it was my birthday too, so I was greeted with lots of well wishes too. I have my eye on some things that I might go back and buy too. Only i wanted to go in on a day when i had time to try things on and not work all day cleaning up fitting rooms and then have to be in one again. lol.

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I heard from my dad who sang a solo on my voicemail, my mom and sister who are in Florida right now, so I heard from them as well.....along with a huge group sing later that day that consisted of both of them, plus my aunt and uncles, cousins too. It cracked me up to hear them all. Plus they did a dang good job on speaker phone!

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I even heard from Mike, all the way from Africa. It was so strange. His internet had been out all day so i hadn't heard from him before i left for work. It made me a little sad, but i knew he'd be trying like crazy to get in touch with me for my birthday. So i know it wasn't his fault. I figured i would hear from him before the end of my day. But then in the middle of work i hear a page over the store intercom that I had a call on line one. I thought for sure it would be the usual...another store calling to find out if we had something in a certain size. Instead it was Mike. So there I am standing behind a bunch of shirts, my eyes watering because of being happy, relieved and also a little stunned. lol. It was such a surprise! Farthest thing in the world that i would have expected. He said a quick happy birthday and told me that he'd wait up until i got home from work so that we could talk on instant message. We got to talk for a long time after that, which was so nice.

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After work the kids and I went to Culver's for dinner. It was a really nice day. Thank you!! :)

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Which here it is....October. The month of birthdays. My sister's is next week....then Megan's....then Matthew's! October always goes by so fast because of all there is to look forward to! This year we also cap off October with a visit from my mom and Mike coming home!

Counting down the days until the 22nd!! I can't wait!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

Awww.....

Apparently she missed the memo that she is a water dog. She was not too happy about this bath. On another note....she smells like oatmeal. :)

still bored in kentucky....

In no particular order....yes, I even scrapped about our sweet little turtle visitor. I still think of him when I drive by the corner where he was let go. I hope he/she is still happy and healthy.

These are a few of the pages I've worked on lately. I've actually had them done for awhile (except the last one) but hadn't posted them yet.

I work tonight. It has been good to get back to work for short amounts of time. It keeps my mind occupied and makes things feel like they are somewhat back to normal. I am starting to feel better, even though there are days I feel really good and others where I feel like I am totally exhausted.

My sister reminds me all the time that it is probably due to the fact that even long before I had my surgery I wasn't feeling 100% anyway. Which is true. I was sick for a long time and didn't know it. Right now I am sure my 80 - 90% feeling better is much better than what I was before this all started.

Today I am missing Mike. A lot.

Dead ass bored in Kentucky....

What on earth is she doing?

I was looking for a date on a photo earlier today and came across this folder from a day that we went to the park back in March. These photos made me laugh. I remember this day...

Trevor was upset that he was spun off the merry go round thing and had walked off to sit. Megan was in one of her "I'm an annoying big sister and bigger than you" moods and was going to poke at Trevor until he either laughed or snapped. So she was trying to be inconspicuous and use camouflage of a dead tree branch. Brilliant. Nobody knew that big stick was moving!!



Not much going on today. Trevor came home from an overnight field trip, Megan is bummed it's Friday (she likes school more than home apparently!) and Matthew isn't home yet.

Tonight is taco and tostada night.

Happy weekend!

Wednesday. Want to know what you're playing for?

I love Survivor. I mean....I LOOOOVE Survivor. I watched the first season when I was pregnant with Trevor and I remember hoping that the hospital timing wouldn't interfere with the next Thursday's episode. Thankfully, it did not and I remember spending the last few weeks of that season with my little boy Trevor on my shoulder sleeping while I heard Jeff snuff out somebody else's torch and say, "The tribe has spoken."

Now Trevor is 10, and sure enough we still watch this together. Jeff....how we've missed you. Welcome back. A new season. We can breathe again.

(Cool Jeff Probst trivia here....when we lived in Scottsdale his parents lived about a mile away from us. That's my six degrees of separation story....survivor edition.)

I'm trying to get Lisa to want to watch. The girl has no clue what she is missing.

The only thing is, Survivor has moved to Wednesday. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I mean, it's nice to not have to wait another day in the week for it, but it has been a Thursday staple for so long! It is going to take some getting used to. But for now.... I am giddy that when I get home from work tonight, I have it to watch.

post #777 and Copenhagen

I want to be sitting at the restaurant on the right.... eating outside, watching people and things go by. Mike is in Copenhagen right now, and took this photo. It looks like such a cool city.

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Well....there have been so many times I have sat down and started a post, only to save it in drafts and not publish it. Things have just been the same around here...not that it's a bad thing, just that it gets boring blogging about nothing at times. Or the opposite of there being so much that it stressed me out figuring out how to get it all down.

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Each time I would sit down and try to write something I'd feel pressure of trying to recap what has been going on. Just for myself really, because I do like to go back to read old posts every now and then when I'm feeling nostalgic or wondering what I was doing four years, five years, or even a year ago at the time. It's interesting just to see how much life has changed. It's no secret that we've been struggling a little since Mike's furlough, so my ideas about where I'd be at a certain point in my life aren't matching up with where we really are. So sometimes I do go back just as a reminder. A reminder that what I'm doing right now won't necessarily be what I'll be doing a year, four or five from NOW.

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So I figure instead of feeling the pressure to tell my story about the whole hospitalization stuff, Mike's work stuff....etc....I'm just going to start from today. Whew....There's been some big changes and adjustments and it wears me out thinking of how to get it down in writing. On a little side note, this makes post number 777 of my blog. That's kind of cool.

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I start work again tomorrow! I am really excited about it. It will be nice to get out and be in the world again. I missed a huge overnight Christmas set so it sounds like when I go back the store will be in Christmas mode. What happened to Halloween and why does Christmas keep bumping it out earlier and earlier each year? haha. Pumpkins, cute ghosts and reindeer....I can't get used to that.

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The weather here is wonderful. Leaves are already falling. I'm enjoying having my windows open again.

above: photo taken at the general store in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. Really....nothing to do with my post other than I can't stand posting without some sort of visual at the top! But hey, the dog was sweet and maybe it does have to do with life right now since I seem to be doing an awful lot of resting...

Yesterday marked two occasions. First was our 20th Anniversary. Which is hard to believe because it doesn't feel like it's been that long but at the same I feel like we've been together our entire life! I'm a lucky girl to be married to my best friend.

Second was two week pre-op. I had an appointment to see my doctor earlier in the week and everything is healing fine. I am feeling better, but still have moments where I am sore and honestly the one thing that bothers me the most is every now and then there is a sharp pain that I almost feel like I have to do lamaze breathing to get through. It's normal, but uncomfortable none the less. Just a mark in the process of getting all of this healed and moving forward with finally feeling better all the way around.

I found a message board with people who had the same procedure done on or near the same date as me, and I read every body's updates. I seem to be in line with what everybody else is feeling too. Good news.

I feel so scattered. Which I hate. I'm limited to what I can do and it is making me crazy that I actually have the time off of work to where on a normal day I should be able to get quite a bit done! I even miss work. When my sister was out here helping out, we were talking about this crazy genetic work ethic that we seem to have. I actually enjoy it.... I mean, I'm a dork who doesn't really complain when I have to be there! So at least if I can't be feeling useful here at the house, I'd like to be feeling useful somewhere else! Only a couple more weeks though, and I can get back to routine.

Another huge life change coming up. Honestly, I feel like for the past couple of years I have been a pinball that keeps spastically going back and forth, hitting the bumpers inside the machine. The ones at the top where you don't know when the ball finally starts to roll downward for you to hit it back up again? That's me. lol. I don't see it as necessarily a bad thing, but still I'd really like to just have a set of plans in motion that I can breathe a bit for awhile, dig in and move forward. More on that later....this is the internet....and all that.

Which brings me back to scattered again. See? I feel very scattered right now. Good. But scattered!

I could get used to this.

(There is a white strip of paper up along the top of this layout, above the scallop. Not sure where my shadow went for posting this on my blog. Hmmm.)

Anyway.... first day of kids in school, Mike at work, and no company here. It is so quiet and strange. I got the finger wave from Mike before he left today to remind me not to do things I'm not supposed to do. No lifting, laundry, driving etc. So here I am finishing up a page I had started a few months ago. Plus I hope to write out some thank you notes and send some emails today. Big day planned! I may sneak and wipe off the counter....shhhh.....

I am feeling better, but still sore. Obviously not as bad as (almost) a couple of weeks ago, but I can certainly feel my muscles in my stomach more than before. I'm sure they are thinking, "What the heck?"

My long list of daily medication is finally down too. I am grateful for that.

That's about it from here today! Love to all.

another one....

This kid. This kid is TEN.

Poor guy.... his birthday fell on my date for surgery this year. We ended up having several "mini celebrations" so I'm sure he still ended up pretty happy.

Weird, I still remember doing Megan's ten year layout and it seems like it wasn't that long ago!

K out!

healing....and some scrapbooking.

Still trying to heal from surgery. I can't believe it has been a week since the actual date....I'm still not at a week since being released from the hospital. Geeze, I almost can't even remember when that was since the week has been a blur. Mostly because of sleeping.

I am tired of the drugs! I feel like I am losing my mind and not 'all here.' I don't like that feeling at all. The dreams I am having because of pain medication wear me out by the next morning. For example last night I spent all night walking around a hot parking lot in Phoenix, looking for my old Mustang that I apparently drove and forgot where I parked. Only I was dizzy and for some reason didn't have any shoes and had to hop from car shadow to car shadow to not burn my feet. So I walked, and walked. I would try to call Mike on my cell phone, only to not remember the phone number. Just stupid dreams like that. Anesthesia and pain medication do a number on me. I wake up tired. Luckily, I can sleep during the day too right now!

My mom came out last week, scheduled to be here on Monday.... the day before I was admitted to the hospital. Unfortunately, the doctor had a different plan. Monday morning as I was enjoying knowing that was a day of peace and quiet and maybe some scrapping (I'm using any resting time to try and catch up a little.) I got a phone call that they wanted me to go to the hospital for some blood work. Before I got back into the house after the draw, I was called back and told to go immediately to the hospital to be admitted. My hemoglobin was critically low again. Yay.

So much for some scrapping rest and being here when my mom got into town. Mike got me to the hospital and checked in. My own room this time, thank goodness. My mom made it to Kentucky that night and her and Mike came by the hospital to see me. :)

Tuesday was spent having another long day of having another transfusion and a lot of tests done. Mostly making sure that my levels were up enough to be able to go into surgery. They went up... but apparently not enough since they were actually postponing my surgery until they knew they had back up units of blood for me. Long story short.... because most of you already know the story anyway..... surgery went well. A few days in the hospital and then I got to go home. Where I basically slept. And slept.... and slept.

My mom was a huge help with getting the kids to school, picking them up, helping around the house and everything (thanks mom!) and then my sister came when she left. I felt bad that most of the week with my mom I had spent away in the hospital or sleeping. My sister got here and helped out a lot this week too. I was having a hard time letting other people do the things I am used to doing. Vacuuming, cleaning up after dinner, laundry etc. I am grateful for the help though!! (Thank you too Kim!)

So basically the cliff notes version of this whole thing from over a month ago until now is that I had a very angry uterus that was trying to make me bleed to death. Along with a lesson in taking hints from myself instead of thinking that I am just tired. The thing is, I felt tired but not like it was much more than just being totally stressed out because of things going on in our lives right now. I couldn't hear the whisper, but listened when I started to hear the yelling that I needed to go. Take care of yourself. Big lesson. Besides the usual eat healthy fruits and vegetables and get exercise. And eat a lot of iron! LOL, because the goth look is not a pretty one when you are losing blood.

Off to lay down for awhile. Love to all! Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers!!!

Back to school!

This is what happens when you don't blog for a bit....there end up being too many little updates and things that you don't want to forget. Your little "update" turns into a monster.

So really - everybody who reads my blog knows about my little hospital stay last week so I can pass telling about that. I'm feeling 100% better....and go back for some more tests this week. The end result should be surgery to put the whole thing to rest. Soon. More on that when I know more.

Summer vacation. Wow. Even I was surprised at how fast that went this year. Especially considering we didn't feel as busy as we did last summer. I mean, we did things... but maybe it was because of me working this summer that it seemed different. I was home....yet not always home like in the past. The kids did great. They made it possible for me to be able to go to work and not always have to worry about them.

We had Breyerfest, King's Island, swimming, lazy days of hanging out in underwear and playing video games (Trevor, lol.) all day on the computer updating facebook status (Megan) and then not seeing one from the time the sun came up until the sun went down because he was playing with friends all day. (Matthew)

As of today....

MY KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL.

Last week we went to middle school open house where we picked up Megan and Trevor's schedules and locker numbers. Trevor had stressed about that locker situation all summer long. We got his schedule and went to find his locker. He has a great location at the end of a hallway so he's smack in the middle. There is no way he can NOT find it. He practiced his combination several times and it was easy. One less thing for him to worry about.

I can't believe he is in middle school today. He had that look of fear as we were driving to the school, but I know right now as I'm typing this he already has a couple of hours behind him. I'm sure some of the worries have already been figured out and I kept reminding him that every 5th grader I've talked to going through the register line at Kohl's the past month is feeling the exact same way he is. Excited, feeling grown up and scared as heck.

I think that his day will go by quickly since this is his first time changing classes.

Mike drove, and I was able to get a quick photo as Megan and Trevor were walking into the school. I popped the camera up super quick over the door of the car to avoid any 'momarrazzi' embarrassment. BUT I am so glad to have this photo. Megan promised that she'd show Trevor the ropes of his new school. I'm glad he didn't have to face it alone.

Megan seemed very calm today. I think she was more upset that she had to get up early. It helps that she's not new or starting mid year. She already knows people and knows her way around. I hope she has a lot of friends that she likes in her classes, and gets to meet some new ones that have moved in during the summer. She looks SO big. 7th grade....I totally remember 7th grade.

Matthew. He was wanting us to drive him to his school in the morning like I did last year. Which I really did enjoy, but his school is quite a distance from the house. It's about a 45 minute round trip. When we got back from taking Megan and Trevor to school, two of Matthew's best friends were already out on the street waiting for the bus. He decided to ride the bus with them. I think he'll be a regular bus rider after today seeing how happy they all looked sticking peace sign fingers out the window on their way out of the street.

It's a little odd to know that he's the only one in elementary school now. The big 3rd grade.

(He's such a skinny, tall and gangly looking thing right now! He had to have grown four inches over the summer.)

Breyerfest 2010

Ever since I was little and collected Breyer horses and found out that there was a place where other people like me got together to live model horses and real horses together.... I knew I had to make it out to Kentucky. Then I move here, less than an hour away from the Kentucky Horse Park and it still took me a couple of years to get there.

This year I was really excited to be able to make that trek with my little girl who collects Breyer horses and loves the real ones like I do/did. It was a good day for a road trip...just for the girls.... on day one. Megan was planning on going with two friends for the entire weekend, but the two couldn't make it on Friday so it was just Megan and I. Which worked out great.

It was exciting pulling up to the park. Even before you get near the exit ramp off of the interstate, you are passing it. Rolling hills with miles and miles of white fences and all kinds of different barns scattered around. It is horse heaven. It is also neat to have just traveled through some of the most expensive thoroughbred farms in the world. Some of them are tree lined with the biggest old trees, and have huge ornate gates and flags, and barns nicer than homes.

Megan and I went in and the first thing we did was walk through all of the vendors. Many had the newer horses still in boxes but some had tables with open horses that I remember from my childhood. I would smile when i'd see a horse I can remember exactly when I got it for a certain holiday or birthday. Like seeing the original Lady Phase box! It sent me right back to being (probably 8) to Easter when I woke up and saw the box. We went to the river in AZ with my cousins and I remember taking that horse with me. She was always one of my favorites! Seeing stuff like that was cool.

Megan found a horse that she had been wanting and bought it. Then we went into the covered arena and watched a little bit of the show that was going on all day. There were different things going on all day, including horses that Breyer has made models of. That was strange, seeing a horse you've "known" in miniature and seeing the real thing in the arena. Little girls everywhere would gasp...like they had just seen Bono out there. haha.

One model that Megan has, that has been one of my favorites for a long time O'leary's Irish Diamond was there. We watched him in the arena and then later went to visit him in the stable. Where while I was petting him he decided to sneeze green hay snot all over me. I guess that keeps him still one of my favorites....model and in real life because we have a story about him that made us laugh.

below: O'leary's Irish Diamond in his stall.

below: O'leary's Irish Diamond warming up before the indoor arena.

Then we went to stand in line to get our celebration model. Each year when you buy your three day pass, you get a model that has something to do with the theme of the year, and it is only available through Breyerfest. This year was All Glory.

below: All Glory tacked up and ready to go before the show. He is a standardbred with a tail that drags on the ground it is so long. It's always tied up when he's not at a show. He is gorgeous.

We did a little more shopping and took all of our bags out to the car to get our lunch that was in a cooler in the trunk and to smell that new Breyer smell. (My family knows what I'm talking about...it's the smell of childhood!)

It was hot. If hell is half as hot then I promise to be a good girl from this day on out. It was somewhat miserable when you were out in the sun, but the occasional breeze would dry you off and you pretty much had to time things between watching the show, shopping or going inside the air conditioned museums.

Megan and I enjoyed our lunch under a big tree enjoying the breeze, loving the fact that our cooler kept things cold even after hours in the car - sub sandwiches, cold grapes and soda. We had a good long chance to cool down before we went back into the park.

We started to head back home a little after 8:30 , and Megan was thrilled with the days purchases. She's been saving for this for a long time. On Friday she still had some money left to finish up her shopping on Saturday and Sunday. I think she ended up pretty much buying a horse each day and came home with four all together. (I'll add a photo of all of them together later.)

Saturday morning Mike and the other girls left early for an overnight stay and two more days of horse stuff.