Milestones

There are times when I wish my kids didn't grow up but then there were moments like this morning when it is a very welcome thing. Catie got up and got herself ready for school and then walked to the bus stop all by herself! Max got up early (yuck) and actually laid in the bed for an hour and watched cartoons so that I could grab a few extra zzzz's! I remember when Max wouldn't even sit still to eat much less watch TV for an hour! I am now in LOVE with Dora and the Wonder Pets!! He is watching Go Yabba Yabba right now while I am doing homework. Thank God for small miracles.

School is going and I find myself with lots to do and very little time. I actually did a rough draft of my next paper due while sitting at Catie's gymnastics class. I was able to grab 10 minutes of peace (thank you Jessica) to get it all typed up and now I just need to look it over for errors. My English Comp teacher is weird about commas! I always seem to miss a few. I am finding that my math class is now my favorite and I am getting real joy out of taking a really hard problem and actually getting the right answer. I just need to find more faith in myself. The friends I am making while in school and coaching soccer is awesome! I have been so occupied with Max and his disease and then baby Charlie, that I have not made myself find new friends. All my old friends are still in point in their life that I have already passed long ago. The other soccer coach's wife and I have found that we laugh alot when we are together and it is so nice to have someone who has the same sense of humor as me. I have reached a point in my life where my friends are older, like me. I am no longer interested in having friends in their early twenties. I have realized that people in their late 20's and early 30's are right up my alley. We are all at a place in our life where we can relate to each other. Not to put down my friends who are younger. I love Amanda and Jessica but they are both single moms who have the desire and ability to go out every weekend and party and that isn't where I am anymore. By 9:30 at night I am ready for bed!

I am really enjoying this quest I am on to find myself. I have hit a maturity level that makes me not really care what people think of me, therefore I am just me. People really seem to like that person! My law class got out early last Wednesday night and instead of rushing home and avoiding everyone, I stood in the parking lot and got to know a woman who is surprisingly like me. My look has changed (thank you Emmy!), my clothes have changed (thanks again to Emmy), and my attitude has changed. I think I have made it over the hump! I have been climbing up the mountain of maturity and I think I made it over, FINALLY! It's a good place to be and I am enjoying it greatly!

I am off to clean now. Homework is done (for now) and Hotel Chasse is open this weekend. Our friend Patrick is coming back Thursday afternoon and I have lots to do to get ready!!

Nose Ring?!?!?!?

What the hell was I thinking?? On my birthday I freaked out a little because I thought I had lost who I was as a person. I knew I was a mom and a wife and sister and daughter but was that it?? I wanted to try to find that fun person who wasn't scared to take risks. I got my nose pierced. I got it pierced in May. Why does it still hurt so badly? I am sitting here trying to write a paper that is due tomorrow night and all I can think about is how badly my nose hurts. Who can write a compare and contrast paper over the Baroque period that makes sense when their nose feels like it is going to explode off their face? So much for trying to find me. All I found was a sore nose. :::sigh:::

The Pokey Little Puppy

I am beyond busy. My course load is huge. I am stressed. I am loving every minute of it! Every paper I turn in on time reminds me that I am actually doing this school thing! I am still in shock that I have done this well for this long!

Tonight I took some time out of my crazy homework schedule to read a story to all 3 kids. Max laid in his bed and Catie snuggled next to him while I rocked Charlie in the chair. I read them The Pokey Little Puppy and boy did it bring back memories. I don't even know where the book came from. I went into the boys room and saw it sitting there. It was almost like a sign to stop and breathe and read a story to my kids. As I read that story I was taken back to a great time in my life and I remembered a lot of the words. The kids loved it and everyone went to bed very happy.

Well I am off to bed. Tomorrow is a crazy day and I am dreading it. I know I will make it through okay.

What goes up must come down!

Just when we thought all was well with Max we got a hard hit. He has been throwing up all of the formula that goes into his tube but not throwing up anything that he takes in by mouth. He has dropped 3 pounds in a matter of days and will not go to the bathroom on his own. We are going to Vanderbilt today at 3:15 for a GI study. They think that there is some form of a blockage that needs to be repaired OR he has outgrown the feeding tube and it needs to be taken out and sewn up. I am hoping for the latter of the two but I don't believe that is the solution. My momma gut tells me something is wrong. I will have more to post this evening when we know something.

Frustration

I think the most frustrating thing in the world is when someone only hears what they want to hear and misses the point completely. When someone does you wrong and they make excuses and try to make themselves look good. How about just admitting you were wrong and move on? I hate to hear someone try to explain themselves out of a situation and miss the whole point of an email and try to justify what they did or said. It will ruin a relationship faster than anything and shows a real lack of mental health. Enough for now. I am going to go pick up the pieces of my life and move on and try to forget the people who used to be in my life and caused me and my family pain.

Confidence

I have never been one to be overly confident. A lot of people think I am but it is just me not letting anyone know that I am insecure and lacking confidence. I had an Algebra test yesterday and I was freaking out! I studied and went and saw my friend Karen to help me understand the stuff I wasn't sure of and I freaked out. When I got to class yesterday the teacher started going over what was going to be on the test and all the rules. I thought I was going to throw up. As the teacher passed the tests out my heart was in my chest and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. A panic attack over an Algebra test? Yup.....my true lack of confidence rearing its ugly head. I looked at the test and got going. I went over that test 3 times and took it to the front of the class to my teacher. He grades our papers while we sit there in front of him and I couldn't breathe. I got a 105 on that test out of a possible 110! I didn't miss anything on the test and I am kicking myself for missing that extra bonus question. I could barely walk back to my chair because my legs were so shaky. I was excited and relieved all at once. Why don't I have more confidence in myself? I even told my English Comp teacher that I am not a good writer and that I look forward to learning how to write in her class. I have gotten perfect grades on all my papers so far in her class. When am I ever going to learn that I am smart?

Life here has been generally crazy and Chas and I never see each other. He works Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday night and I have Law class on Wednesday night. Friday nights are our nights to be alone and do what we want and then Saturday is Soccer and Algebra Class. We get Sunday together and that is about all we see each other. We pass each other for a few minutes a day. The kids are being good which is nice and poor Catie has learned that when a certain screen is up on my computer to leave me alone that I am doing school work. She is doing well in soccer and school and I am very proud of her as she continues to blow my mind with the stuff she is learning in school. They are working on multiplication in the 2nd grade! We didn't do that until 4th grade! She has gotten a 100 on all her spelling tests and near perfect scores on her math. Today's youth has a lot of pressure on them to do well and learn quite a bit at an early age.

Charlie is starting to really crawl but still not sleeping through the night. He did pretty well last night but still woke up once or twice. He gets prettier everyday and is almost as tall as Max was at a year old. He is a big boy!!

Max is talking up a storm and has tested at a 36 month level and we are thrilled! A year ago he was testing at a 6-9 month level!! We have some of the best conversations now and he loves music! We listen to Charlotte's Web soundtrack in the morning on the way to school and he knows the words to Chin Up!! I love the way he says Ipod. He is starting to really get a grasp on counting and will go "1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 7......GO!" and makes us laugh every time.

All in all life is good and I feel very blessed right now. I hope the kiddos continue to behave!

The Flobots, Motorcycles, and Patrick

I have never had a visit with Patrick that wasn't fun. Granted when we were younger we fought alot and our parents were convinced we hated each other. Funny how when I look back on that time and laugh and remember that it wasn't hate I had for Patrick, it was a childhood crush. He was a year older than me and the coolest guy ever. There were no guys like him in my hometown! Patrick would come to visit and get me into some music group and then he would leave and I would spend the next 6 months to a year learning all the music he introduced and then he would come back and introduce a whole new batch of music. Patrick got me introduced to Weezer, Blues Traveler, and the Might Mighty Bosstones. I introduced him to the Beatles. Some things never change. While he was visiting he downloaded new music on my Ipod and once again he has me hooked on new music. Who knew the Flobots would be something I could ever like! My kids fell in love with Patrick and I am pretty sure the feeling was mutual. Chas was very standoffish at first but soon warmed up to him and now he wants him to move in with us and is counting down the days until his next visit. When he left this morning some of the energy that he always brings with him left our house and now our house seems sad and not as bright. He really has a way about bringing laughter with him no matter where he goes. I am so glad he came to visit!!

Patrick and Max are great friends!

I'm sure this one looks very bad but hear me out! Max insisted on running around all day in nothing but a tshirt and so Patrick rolled his shorts all the way up to imitate Max. He did have his shorts on!! I promise!

Somehow Patrick manages to make the crazy side come out of the Taylor sisters and Emily is still not immune to his antics. This picture came out really wrong since I snapped it while they were posing. It was good to see Emily cut loose a little.

Yup! That's me on a motorcycle. I never thought I would ever ride a motorcycle and now I am hooked. I had the best time riding on that thing and I am still shocked that I actually rode on it and didn't fall off or have a panic attack!


So long story short, my whole family got a huge dose of humor and energy that we desperately needed. We all look forward to his next visit! Especially Catie who had the BIGGEST crush ever and was not shy about showing her crush. He took her for a motorcycle ride around the parking lot and she thinks she is hot stuff now!! What a fun 4 days!