One Sick Puppy!

Andy-Man has been sick for the past few days. I got the dreaded call from daycare on Tuesday afternoon. Anderson had a temp of nearly 102. I cleared my schedule for the rest of the day, got my appointments covered at work, and drove to pick up my sick little duckling, the whole way there cursing the life of single-parenthood! A couple hours and one dose of medicine later, my little man was coming back to life and his normal silly self. I had called Lilly's school earlier and instructed them to have Lilly ride the bus to our neighborhood so that I wouldn't have to go all the way back to daycare, where she usually gets dropped off. I knew Lilly would be excited to ride the bus with our neighbor girl, Makayla, and it made it much easier for me to get her! Anderson wanted to walk over to the stop with me (which is literally right across the street, and also happens to be right in front of our BFF/neighbor friends' house!). Here's what he looked like to venture across the street:

Sick my ass. Yesterday he spent the day with my aunt. Apparently she was on vacation, and was more than willing to keep my little man! Anderson had a GREAT day with Aunt Sue, and I was at ease knowing he was having a good time, and probably getting spoiled rotten! Today he convinced me that he was feeling okay, other than his "swallower" hurting! I kept him at home for the majority of the morning, but dropped him off on my way to work at 11am. So far, no call from daycare to come pick him up! Shew!

Lucky Me!

I told myself at the beginning of the month that I was going to be dedicated to my blog this month. I wanted to redo my headline, change up some themes, and make an effort to blog at least five days a week. Well, it's now the 6th and I've already failed! Whoops! So, let me catch you up on the past few days! Friday turned out to be FABULOUS! After thinking that I wouldn't see JM until I went to MI for Labor day festivities, I was excited to hear that he had changed his mind and would be joining me for the evening! The kids were SO excited to see his car in the driveway when we got home! He's amazing and anything more than a few days apart from him just bums me out! We hung out, spent some quality time with the babies and then grabbed a late dinner that night! It was perfect!

Saturday was spent like most other Saturdays...shopping with Mom and the babies! JM had to head home early to take care of a few things (ha) before my arrival on Sunday. (Code for: Michigan football game at 3pm!) Mom took the kids home with her on Saturday evening because I was leaving early the next morning for Grand Rapids. It was very very very weird to be home alone that night-- no babies and no JM. As awkward as the silence was, I actually enjoyed it and really took the time to get a couple things done. Sunday morning I was up bright and early to hit the road for MI. This would be only the second time I went to JM's house. I was nervous and excited at the same time! Although I had briefly met his parents and sister, this would be the first time I met the extended family. THEY. WERE. AMAZING! He has the most incredible family! Spending time with JM and his family made me fall in love even more with him. He's such a lucky guy to have such an awesome family! They were great! Monday I made the drive back to FTW and then onto Wabash for the Hahn Labor day BBQ. Although it was little chilly, it was still so much fun to spend time with my family! My kids had so much fun with all the aunts and of course their little cousins! After a weekend like this, I can't help but feel so blessed to have such a great group of people surrounding me. I have the most precious babies, the best parents ever, a wonderful extended family, and of course the world's best man. I would say this weekend was an epic success!

RUT-ROW!

I have bad children. Well, I wouldn't say they're BAD children, they just have bad behaviors. And their terrible behavior has extended beyond the cozy walls of our own home. While the nightly battles at bedtime are to be somewhat (I said SOMEWHAT) expected of easily excitable youngsters, I would say my children's rule-following reluctance, especially at bedtime, is beyond the level of acceptability. Yes, this is partially mostly my own fault, as my follow-through at the end of the day is lacking. This is definitely something I am continuously working on, and I know that NOT following through on things is only hurting my precious babies. This whole ordeal started Monday, when I got a little note from Anderson's teachers saying that he had to be reminded multiple times to make good decisions. I talked to my handsome son about this at dinner that night, and together we came up with ways to make better decisions at school. The next day, his teacher said he did much better (still not great?). Then Wednesday at work, I got an email from Lilly's teacher. Apparently Lilly was having trouble following rules during circle time. Her teacher asked me to please review the terms "active listening" and "personal best" with Lilly that evening. Convinced that I was probably going to have to pull both children from school and be forced to home-school them, I turned to my brother! HELP! As a former elementary teacher,and a rules and manners nazi, I knew he could help me guide my troubled-tots back on the right path. With his support and encouragement, I took these issues by the horns, and I have hope that my kids will turn out to be quality, prosperous members of society! I know these things happen. And I know that all kids go through behavior issues in times of transitions. I also know that it's my job to make sure that these things don't go unnoticed or unaddressed. I am committed to working through these things with my babies.

"Don't play the jealous game."

When you've been burned in a previous relationship, it's hard not to carry that baggage into future relationships. But for the first time in my life I feel relaxed and comfortable with myself and who I am as part of a couple. Sure there are situations that have come up in the past six months that make me insecure and make me question whether or not I "have it in me" to go down this road again. But I think the difference is, this time I'm on a completely different road. This road isn't bumpy, it's not winding, it's not hilly. It's not straight and narrow either. Rather, it's one of those smooth, calm, wide-open roads. The kind of road that you know is going to take you somewhere magical, somewhere very few people get to visit.
There are moments I catch myself being unappreciative of the things that JM does for me. He leaves me cute notes all over the place, he drives countless miles each month to be able to spend time with me, and he makes every effort to make sure I feel loved. This is a man who, I know, would do anything to make sure that I was taken care of, protected, and happy.
Oftentimes I complain about my past, and the hardships that I went through after Aaron left. There are times I feel entitled to great things because I went through so many "horrible" things. I can't help but be ashamed at those thoughts. Nothing I went through was THAT terrible. Nothing happened "to" me. I've finally been able to step back and appreciate the things that occurred in the past, because without all those tough times, I never would have found my most perfect man.

I love you JM. You are the man of my dreams. I will be forever grateful to have met you. I cannot wait to spend forever with you.

3

Three years ago, the most wonderful lady was taken from this earth. It's hard to believe that her laugh, her voice, her face has been gone from our lives for so long. Although my memories of her will last forever, my heart can't help but ache at the void of her presence. They say that time heals everything. I think "they" didn't have a grandma like Donna B. Anglin.
My kids' memories of Gigi are limited. Although we still talk about her often, the only reminder Anderson has of the way Gigi looks is based on the framed picture of her and Pa-Paw on my nightstand. Lilly just remembers that she was "so tiny" and I always tease her that she'd probably be taller than Gigi by now! Lilly finds this hilarious! (As we all did once we finally grew taller than Grandma!)

Although my heart is heavy today, my hope is that we continue to remember and celebrate all the great memories we have of Grandma. And most of all, I hope my mom knows that she is not alone today, and that Grandma is watching over her, proud as can be at the things Mom is doing, especially for Grandpa. My mom has kept her promises to Grandma, and for that I know Grandma would be forever grateful.

Something quick...

Lilly's second day of school seemed to go as smoothly as her first day. The only major upset that she reported was the giant tear on her new dress. She said that someone kept untying her bow on the back of her dress and when she moved away, it ripped the bottom of her dress. Is this the first sign of bullying? I certainly hope not!!!
**Anderson seemed to be "back to normal" after school today! And he was fighting with his sister within 5 minutes of reuniting! Shew!

The kids and I took a nice walk with our neighbor friends yesterday! It was a great way to get out of the house, enjoy the GORGEOUS early-fall weather, and also burn a few calories! After the walk, we enjoyed the company of our friends for an hour, before turning in for the night! Overall, a relaxing, enjoyable evening.

As JM was leaving for work this morning, he noticed some things missing from his car, which had been parked (unlocked) in my driveway. I feel terrible for him, but hope this will serve as a reminder to be more careful about locking his doors. The guy is just too darn trusting; an extreme optimist (to a fault).

Yesterday was a milestone "anniversary" for JM and me. Five months! LOL! I cannot believe that we've only been seeing each other for such a short time. I feel like he's been in my life forever, and I truly cannot imagine life without him. He came home "early" from work (7:45 instead of 10pm!)with flowers in hand! He's amazing! This morning, I found a small note in my purse. He seems to know exactly what to do to make me feel loved! He's so great!

She Made It!!!! He didn't.

Lilly made it through her first day as a kindergartner! It was hilarious to hear the things she chose to focus on about her first day...the bus didn't have seat belts and she got to put her feet on the seat in front of her (a big no-no in Mama's car!), Ava's cute earrings, and Mrs.Summers' sayings ("Folder, locker, seat. Folder, locker, seat. Folder, locker, seat!")! Overall, I'd say her day was a success!

Anderson, on the other hand, seemed to be struggling a little without his big sis. When I went to pick them up from daycare, Anderson ran to me and instantly wanted me to pick him up and carry him out (a rarity for Anderson). When we got home he got jammies on, grabbed his blanket and pillow, and laid on the kitchen floor until dinner. All he wanted was a piece of Gigi toast (peanut butter toast) and water. I KNEW something was up! Today I talked to his teacher about it and she said at one point during the day yesterday, Anderson was clinging to the fence at recess, yelling "Lilly? Lilly?" It's about the darn saddest image I've ever had. I sure hope today goes more smoothly for our little guy!