Happy Birthday Mr. Crabby and Merry Christmas too!

Nathan is finally 8yrs old. Wow that took forever...according to him. He spent his birthday playing video games and eating pizza. He loves going to the arcade with his dad and uncle's. He's just one of the guys with them, not a kid but an equal. He loves that so much.
He was also Mr.Crabby in the school play. I was so proud of my little thespian. He's a total ham so this acting stuff is right up his alley. He got to stomp around the stage, shake his cane and look crabby (hence the name Mr.Crabby). He did really well, no stage fright, no jitters, just having fun and eating up the spot light.

We also got to go see Santa at the mall before Christmas came. While we were standing in line I took a couple of silly pictures of the boys. The one below is Brandons favorite of himself. You can almost see his horns poking through the hair. But once he got on Santa Claus' lap he was a pure angle. Speaking in a soft sweet voice asking for his dancing Mickey Mouse. Santa asked the boys if they had been good all year long and they both looked at me like "oh crap, what do we say now?" Santa laughed and said he'd be watching.

So Santa came, ate all his cookies, drank all his milk and left some toys and candy for the boys. Samson even got an extra treat on Christmas morning. I think he looks like Rudolph's long lost cousin. He leaves messes in the back yard like he's part moose though.

Lunch with Bubba

Today Brandon and I got to have lunch with Nathan at school. Brandon was so excited to pack his Thomas the Train lunch box just like bubba does everyday. All morning this is what I heard from Brandon..."is it time to go eat lunches with Bubba?"
We got to school early and signed in at the office. We walked hand in hand to Nathans classroom. The hall was quiet except for Brandons ohh's and ahh's at all the art work hanging on the walls. Then Nathans teacher let us in the room to stand next to Nathan as they got ready for lunch. Nathan and Brandon hugged like they hadn't seen each other for days instead of just hours and Nathan let Brandon sit in his chair. I wish I would have thought about taking a picture then because Brandon looked like he had just won the lottery. His eyes were just as big as his smile as he sat there looking through Nathans art box. "Bubba! You have big boy scissors!"
Once we got to the lunch room the boys tore into their lunch as Nathan told Brandon the rules of the lunch room. Then Nathan took us on a tour of his classroom. He showed us all his books, the golf balls in a jar that they get when everyone is good (he said they haven't added to the jar for awhile!) and the computers. And since it's so cold outside they don't get to have outdoor recess today but they get to watch Frosty the Snowman.
I know one of these days he isn't going to want his little brother and mommy to come to school to have lunch with him. But today he did. And today Brandon and I enjoyed every single minute.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hello out there!

I don't know where the time went. One minute it's the beginning of October and now it's the middle of November. I guess time does fly when you're having fun.
The boys have been keeping us on our toes these past few weeks. We've went to a farm and picked out pumpkins, spent loads of time outside, dressed up for Halloween (Nathan was a ninja and Brandon was Woody from Toy Story). Nathan has been doing really well in school except for when his mouth gets him in trouble. He just loves to talk! He's getting ready for the school Christmas program so our house has been filled with Christmas songs. Lots and lots of Christmas songs. Sang over and over again. All day long. It's a test of my patience I'm sure.
Brandon has been doing well too. He saw a ghost in our house a couple of weeks ago. That week sucked! But I think she has moved on. Which is good because I was ready to move out.
Now we are getting ready for Thanksgiving. I've taken this entire week off to clean, bake, clean and bake. And Uncle Rick will be home within the next day or two. The boys couldn't be more excited. Pumpkin pie and Uncle Rick, all in the same week, awesome!

Seeing Red

Look at that handsome monkey in my tree. His hair matches the leaves.

I'm so brave

Q: What happens when a three year old dancing and spinning along with Barney trips and falls?
A: He hits his head on the corner of the coffee table and freaks his parents out.

Holy cow a cut on the head bleeds sooooo much. I've been told this before but never really had the pleasure of experiencing this first hand. Until now.
Wednesday on my day off, before Brian went to work and after dropping Nathan off at school, Brandon decided to watch Barney. I seriously don't like that cartoon. That big purple dinosaur is extremely annoying. Anyway...Brandon started dancing and spinning, spinning and dancing. I get half of my warning out when it happens. "Brandon stop spinning or you're going...."
BAM!
@#*#! (I said that not Brandon, by the way)
Blood was everywhere. Brandon started to cry, I scooped him up and Brian met us in the bathroom. After we got the bleeding stopped, I called his dr and off we went.
His dr is amazing and Brandon is quite smitten with her. Bonus!
She looked at his boo-boo, tells him she can glue him back together and off they went holding hands to pick out stickers. Dr. M told Brandon how brave he was and what a good boy he was for not crying. He told her "I know. I'm always brave."
After we were done at the dr's office, Brian took Brandon to McD's and got him a happy meal for being so brave.
And all was right with the world again. Just a little bumpy.

Since you won't let me outside...

...you're gonna have to clean the windows. Again.

Cool summer nights

A dip in the pool.
Cooking outside over an open fire.
Roasted marshmallows.
Running around the yard with your brother and a cute neighbor girl.
Life just doesn't get much better than that!

It was a good day

Today I'm grateful for these things...
1. I woke up in Brian's arms. That doesn't happen that often so when it does it's so hard to drag myself out of bed.
2. I got to make pancakes and bacon for Nathan and Brandon this morning and take Nathan to school.
3. Brandon and I took a walk around the neighborhood. We got to see Buddy the basset hound and Snowball the cat. Buddy gave us kisses and Snowball hissed at us.
4. I sat outside in my green chair drinking a great cup of coffee, soaking in the sun and cool breeze while Brandon ran around the back yard in his cowboy boots. He loves his cowboy boots. So much so he doesn't take them off...ever...he even tries to sleep with them on.
5. Watching Brandon chase after Brian's car when he leaves for work. All you can hear is the clomp of his boots and giggles.
6. Naps. Oh how I love when tired, cranky children take a nap and the whole house if filled with quietness. Then when they wake up sweaty and smell so sweet, with pillow wrinkles all over their pudgy little faces.
7. The sound of Nathan's bus pulling up to the corner. Brandon loves to run down the street to greet his big brother with open arms.
8. Sitting at the kitchen table talking to Nathan about his day and helping him with home work. He's so animated about everything he tells me. His eyes just sparkle.
9. Belly laughs. The show Wipeout just cracks us up.
10. Bedtime stories.

Just chillin'

Sipping slushies , playing at the playground, having a wienie roast with HUGE campfire marshmallows and swimming. Summer days just aren't long enough.
Thanks for another great day Nana and Papaw!

He dresses like one

Brandon and I made a run to our local CVS today to grab a few things this morning. I was wearing my police wife t-shirt so when we were ready to check out the clerk started asking Brandon some questions about his daddy.

Clerk : What does your daddy do?
Brandon : I don't know.
Clerk : Is he a crook?
Brandon : haha noooo
Clerk : Is he an astronaut?
Brandon : haha noooo
Clerk : Is he a police officer?
Brandon : He dresses like one

I thought the clerk and the man standing behind me were going to roll on the floor they were laughing so hard.
You just never know what is going to come out of a child's mouth.

Back to school

Nathan was all smiles today as he jumped off the school bus. "I looooove the 2nd grade!"
He goes to a new school for 2nd grade. so everything is new. New play ground, teachers, cafeteria, you know all the important things in life.
He had a great day and can't wait to go back tomorrow. Hopefully this enthusiasm will last all year long.

Back home again

Oh what a trip. Brian and I packed up the kids and headed north to Minnesota the other day. We left the house at 9am and got there around 8pm-ish. 11 hours in a van with two kids and a crabby husband suck. But it was worth it. We had such a wonderful time visiting family. Brian's dad, aka Gampa, lives there with his oh so lovely wife Penny. Then there are the brusin's (inside joke), Grandma Pittsley and all the aunts, uncle's, cousins, dogs...you get the point. Brian's brothers and families also met us up there too which was an added bonus.
While we were there we went to the Mall of America. That place is huge and it has an amusement park. The kids were pretty excited about that. Brandon and their cousin Kelila got to ride the little kiddy rides while Nathan rode some of the not so kiddy rides and just about lost his lunch. Brian had to keep reminding him to breath and not to throw up. We mainly hung out with family and ate way too much food. You know, the fun stuff!
We finally made it home on Monday night around 11pm. The kids were loaded up with goodies from the grandparents and couldn't wait to take their loot to their rooms. Then they crashed. As did Brian and I.
Hopefully next time we'll get to fly.

Summer Fun

I love baseball. I only go to one game a year and I never make it past the 7th inning. But I always have tons of fun.



The boys like baseball. They would rather eat the food, dance to the music and run to the bathroom a hundred times so they go to them men's bathroom with Papaw. (Going to the men's bathroom with Papaw is so much cooler than going to the ladies bathroom with mommy. It's like a field trip all on it's own.)


My parents just go to the games to make me and the boys happy. They buy the kids junk food, let them sit on their laps even though its extremely hot and humid, and laugh the entire time at the kids.


Thanks for a great evening Nana and Papaw.
xo

What was I thinking?

Yesterday I took the kids to the grocery store with me. I hate taking them with me to the grocery store, but since I'm working mornings now I can't go at 2am like I use to. Those were the good old days. Roaming the aisle's of Kroger in the wee hours of the morning, all by myself.
Now, I'm dragging two little monsters along with me to a crowded store. Woohoo. Love it!
Anyway. Back to my point of 'what was I thinking?'
I got suckered into buying powdered sugar donuts. Why would I buy my children sugar covered balls of sugary dough? Why? What did I think would happen after they ate those things? That's my point...I wasn't thinking. I didn't think far enough ahead to see they would have a full blown sugar attack.
Brian fed the kids the donuts this morning while I was at work. And by the time I got home, they were full blown into their sugar frenzy. Brandon's face was still covered in powdered sugar since he couldn't hold still long enough for Brian to clean his face. And Nathan's eyes were bulged out and his head was just about ready to explode.
Oh. My. Goodness.
I just wanted to turn around and go back to work. There was running, squealing, jumping and wrestling going on all at once. I was overwhelmed. I looked at Brian and he just shook his head and went to work.
Whaaat? I was alone. Alone with two sugar crazed boys. Crap.
This house wasn't going to be standing if I just waited it out, so I turned them loose outside. Like the wild animals they were. After two hours and some real food in them, they are back to normal. As normal as two little boys can be.

Fact: My kids love everyone

My boys have huge hearts. I like to think they get that from me.
They love their family, their friends, animals, neighbors, strangers, the ice cream truck lady...everyone.
Their new object of affection...the person who made their little kiddie pool. On a hot day there is nothing like jumping into an ice cold pool.
So, thanks person who made their kiddie pool! You're the best!

Tough times

I'm getting ready for a garage sale this weekend. That means that the boys are on red alert.
Any toy that has not been played with in a while will be eliminated.
Tossed out.
Sold.
The horrified looks on my children's faces has been priceless. I know it isn't nice to take pleasure in someone else's pain, but, dang it's funny.
Last night I hit Brandon's room and hit it hard. Toys were flying, he was sobbing and Nathan knew he was next. It's funny though how toys that were put in a box mysteriously kept reappearing in little hiding places. I found toy cars under the bed, in the bathroom cabinet, and little dinosaurs in shoes. I let the boys know that every inch of this house was going to be turned inside out so there was no use in hiding toys. But they tried anyway.
Nathan's room was hit this morning. He somewhat cooperated. I think after last nights display of unmerciful toy elimination in Brandon's room, there was no use in fighting.
I'm a mean mommy!

It has a cooler!

On Brian's last day off this week he spent about 7 hours looking for a new vehicle. I hate looking at cars so I stayed home with the kids. Plus every time Brian has taken Nathan with him in the past, Nathan informs the car salesman what's wrong with our current car. He's our little honest Abe.
So after all the looking, test driving and paperwork Brian came home with a huge SUV. It really isn't that big. But compared to his Intrepid a Trail Blazer is huge. We had to take the kids for a little joy ride that night to get the boys approval. They love it. When we turned the air conditioner on Nathan blurted out "Woohoo it has a cooler!" The air conditioner did not work in Brian's Intrepid so this is exciting news. Then when we got home Brandon begged me not to take his car seat out of the new car. He didn't want to go back to riding around in my van. I don't blame him. I don't want to ride around in my van anymore either. My van sucks compared to Brian's new toy. But my van is almost paid off, so I have the feeling I'll be driving it around until the wheels fall off.

Fun filled weekend

This weekend has been so much fun.
Friday I took the kids out on a lunch date. Just me and them eating chips and salsa watching the storm clouds rolling in. It was a fun treat.
Saturday started out slow but ended great. We started the day off cleaning the house and doing laundry. The kids were wanting to play outside but it was so hot and humid that only lasted a few minutes. So we called Nana and Papaw to see if we could come down and take a dip in their pool. We swam, they fed us and then we went to Ritter's for some frozen custard. It was good. Just ask Brandon, he tasted everyone's ice cream.

On Sunday we got to see Nana and Papaw again. We went out for lunch then they took Brandon to the Incredible Pizza Company to play games and I took Nathan to his friends birthday party. Then we went out for some more ice cream. Brandon tasted every one's ice cream again tonight. He thought it was just as good as the night before.
My boys were spoiled rotten this weekend. And they loved every exhausting minute of it!

No good horrible day

Two days ago I had to put Curly to sleep. Curly was Moe's brother. Curly and Moe. Two crazy silly dogs that touched our hearts and made us laugh.
Curly was a little over 14 years old. We decided over the weekend that before he got much worse and started to suffer to have the Dr look him over to make sure we were making the right decision to have him put to sleep. We knew there wasn't anything the good Dr of Beanbloosom could do, but you always hope. This past weekend was a rough weekend for Curly. He had lost control of his bladder, couldn't walk or stand without falling over and had stopped eating. It really sucks when your four legged babies get old and you have to make tough decisions about their fate.
But Curly had been good baby. He walked like Charlie Chaplin, loved to play tug a war with dirty old socks and would fall asleep in Brian's arms.
We'll miss you buddy. Go play with Moe, tell him we love and miss him too.
xo

Where did May go?

Seriously, where did May go? One day it was Mother's day and then I woke up and it's Memorial day. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun.


This month has been pretty busy. Nathan finished up school and is out for the summer. He is so excited. So is Brandon. He loves having Nathan home all day long to play and argue with. We went to the Air Force Museum and fantasized about flying every aircraft we saw. The boys were pretty excited to see some of the jets that were in the Transformer movies. I thought Nathan's eyes were going to pop out of his head when he saw "Storm Scream" (I think that's his name). He gasped and asked Brian if he could make it Transform for him. Then Brandon crouches down and said "transform" in a very deep voice. When nothing happened he looked at Nathan and said "nope, didn't work." And then they were off.
We've went swimming and had cook outs, played outside every minute the sun has been shining. The ice cream truck stopped by yesterday. She's such a sweet lady. They boys were jumping up and down, squealing and clapping their hands as she pulled up. She asked them if they had been waiting on her, and in unison they both sighed a yeeessss!
This summer we are planing on visiting family and friends, swimming as much as possible, cooking everything we can on the grill and staying outside until we can't keep our eyes open another second longer. So much fun to be had, so little time.

Too cool

The boys got some new shades the other day for the summer. Last year Brandon broke two pairs within a week, so we'll see how long these last. Brandon wanted orange ones but we couldn't find any so he settled for red with silver flames. Nathan was pretty excited that he found some with skulls on the side. He thinks he's so tough.

Good times

This is what the kids look like every single time they spend the afternoon at my grandparents house. Dirty and exhausted.

Thanks Papaw!

This past week has been kind of nice and it also kind of sucked.
Brian had rifle training and had to work day shift hours. That man hates getting up early. But now he is the proud owner of some sort of rifle that will give him an edge over the bad guys on the streets. (Atleast that's what I keep telling myself). But since Brian had to work days, I had to work evenings. It was really nice not getting up at 5am but I missed the kiddo's during the evenings.
My dad watched the kids for us during the overlapping hours that Brian and I were at work.
According to my dad, Brandon is physically and mentally exhausting! HA! Tell me something I didn't already know! Nathan was pretty much on his best behavior and kept Brandon in line. Every time Brandon would try to talk my dad into something he isn't suppose to have, Nathan would speak up..."Brandon's not allowed to do that/have that/touch that." Brandon would wrinkle his nose up and glare at Nathan. Nathan is my little mother hen when I'm not around. It really ticks Brandon off.
Today's my last day working evenings. Next week it's back to getting up before the birds but I get to come home and play with the kids all night long. We get to do homework together, eat dinner together, play games together, read books together. We'll be together. I've missed them so much.

Thanks for watching the kids for us dad. They had a blast!

This is how we roll...

Poopy Post Part 2

Well, it's Nathan and Samson's turn to have this lovely little virus that is going around our household. At 1:17am this morning Nathan decided to paint his walls a lovely shade of vomit.
Brian helped me tie a shirt around my nose and mouth so I couldn't smell anything (otherwise there would have been another mess to clean up) and off I went to scrub the walls, carpet, side of the bed, toys, mattress and throw the sheets, bedspread and blanket into the wash. Brian cleaned up Nathan then got the carpet cleaner out to shampoo Nathan's floor.
Around 3am, Nathan was bundled up in a sleeping bag on the living room floor next to a trash can, I was wrapped up in my favorite quilt on the couch and Brian was as far from us as he could get without leaving the house. The lovely perks of being a parent!
Nathan is feeling better now. His tummy is still upset but for the most part he's ok.
Samson's tummy is upset too but at least he lets me know before he gets sick that he needs to go out. Good puppy! I'll forgive you for breaking my fire pit since you didn't poop on the floor!

I pick this day to be...

...Poopy.
I first woke up to the wonderful spell of dog poop at 5am. Curly, our 14 1/2 year old puppy, is having some tummy issues today and pooped in 5 different spots on our living room carpet. Lovely.
Then Brandon got up around 8am and had to announce to the entire neighborhood that he needed to go "poooooooooooooooop!" He has spent most of his day in the bathroom. Poor baby.
Curly has had a few more accidents, as has Brandon. Right now Curly is outside eating grass, hopefully that cures him. Brandon is watching Tom and Jerry, eating a banana and wanting Nathan to come back home. I shipped Nathan down to my parents so he doesn't catch whatever Brandon has.
I've cleaned up so many messes today it isn't even funny. Brian thought it was pretty hilarious as he was walking out the door to go to work. He had a coworker get pooped on last night by a guy they were arresting, so he better watch out. Karma is a .....!

Sometimes you feel like a nut...

We've had a busy day. Well, I've had a busy day, the boys have played and tagged along with me to run errands. My day started at 5am and isn't going to be over until well after midnight. But the calm is starting to creep into my home. One child is down for the night, the other is playing quietly in his room waiting patiently for Brian to get home and I've got some soft music playing. My house smells heavenly of coconut and cheesecake. But I smell like cleaning supplies and dog slobber. I'm ready for a steaming hot shower and silky bubbles.
Have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Easter

Have a wonderful Easter!

Today we are...

Vikings!

Friends forever

"Mommy? Know what?"

"What baby?"

"You're my bestess feind."

"You know what buddy? You're my bestess friend too." (sniffle sniffle...whipping tear from my eye).

Low Down

OK, so here's the thing. I'm lazy and haven't written in awhile so here's the low down on what we've been up to...
~Brandon had his hearing tested and everything is just fine. He's just a very loud little boy who needs and wants to be heard.
~I lost a dear friend this week.
~My dad and I had a very good Korean dinner.
~Nathan got four marks at school the other day, so now he is grounded.
~We went to a museum and looked at pimped out pistols and paintings of Indians. The boys even got to meet Annie Oakley and hold a rifle.
~I read all four books in the Twilight Saga in a week and gave myself a head ache because I read them so fast. Now I'm rereading them, slowly. I'm a little embarrassed to say I'm more than a little obsessed with teenage vampires and werewolves.
~I had a little melt down about Brian being a cop because of a shooting that happened. He wasn't' even at work and it wasn't even on his beat, but it still happened. And it still scared me.
~Our grass is starting to turn green! And the weather is getting warmer here. Wahoo!
Other than that it's just been school, work, play, sleep and eat. Not necessarily in that order.

Doctor, Doctor...

They boys had their yearly check-up today. Their doctor is anything shy of spectacular and the boys are head over heals in love with her. So when I say it's time to go see the dr, they are more than happy to oblige. Brandon will sometimes put up a small protest if he knows there will be a shot involved, but for the most part he's pretty happy to go.
Today everything went as smooth as silk. Once she passed the kids in the hallway and flashed her smile at them, they were putty in her hands. I love it! That makes life so much easier when your kids love their doctor.
She said the kids are healthy as can be and seem to be just as happy. Nathan is in the 50th percentile on the growth chart for his age. Weighing 50lbs and height 3'11''.
Brandon is in the 95th percentile on the growth chart for his age. Weighing 39lbs and height 3'4''. She giggles every time she sees Brandon. She always tells him that its ok to be the "big guy" that just means there more of him to love. She was a little concerned about Brandon's hearing so we are going to have it checked. I told her how he is always (always) loud. And since he has had a couple of ear infections she thought it would be best to have his hearing checked, just to be safe. More than likely it's just him being loud and wanting to be heard, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
So, other than that, the kids are healthy, happy, and in love with their doctor.

Go Mommy Go!

And they don't mean out the door.
They're cheering me on! I've got my own personal pint-sized cheering squad! I would say cheerleaders but I think Nathan would blow a gasket if I referred to him that way!
For the past few weeks I've been working out and the boys have been by my side for every squat, lunge and jumping jack. Brandon usually does about 3.5 minutes of the routine then flops down on the couch exhausted with his bottle of water. His little chunky legs and arms just can't keep up. Nathan on the other hand can pretty much finish most of the routines. He looks like a stick figure swnging his arms and legs around.
It's fun and frustrating to work out in a small space with two little boys. Brandon thinks I'm a bridge to crawl under and Nathan thinks he should be able to use the weights like I do. I can just see him dropping the weights on his foot or banging Brandon in the head with one. So, to say the least, he doesn't get to use the weights! For all of our safety.
Who needs an expensive gym membership with the hassle free children-less environment? Where's the fun in that?!

Hi

Hey! Whatcha doing'?
We were sweet for a moment and mommy wanted proof so we let her take our picture. It didn't last long, so she's pretty happy that she got the picture.
We wanted to let our Aunt Cindy know we are thinking about her today. It's her birthday, ya know! We hope you had a wonderful day and ate lots of cake, Aunt Cindy! Love ya!
It's getting close to our bedtimes, so we better go take a bath. Talk to ya all later...
Peace.

Bed Bugs

Would you like a side of attitude with that?

Holy cow! My boys and their attitudes are makin' life rough tonight! Let's say a little prayer...

Dear Lord,
Oh dear Lord,
Oh dear, dear Lord...
Give me the patience not to rip the heads off of my darling little children tonight.
Give me the strength to carry on when they are screaming and fighting like mortal enemies.
Let them eat dinner in peace and quiet, take their baths without splashing all the water out of the tub and please, please, please let them go to bed early.
Amen!

Right of Passage

One huge childhood milestone for me was spending the night at my grandparents house. At first I was always nervous for some odd reason, it wasn't like they were strangers or anything, but just being away from my parents always made me nervous. But the memories of playing in the orchard, watching my grandmommy make pickles, "working" out in the garage with Pop-pop are some of the best memories of my childhood. Now my kids are making memories of their own with their first overnight slumber party at Nana and Papaw's house. I don't know who was more excited, my parents or my boys. The boys were squealing with excitement as I was literally pushed out the door. I can just imagine all the fun they are going to have. I wish I could peak through the windows and watch what they are doing. But I would probably get caught by the neighbors and have to explain to the cops why I'm an over protective mom just wanting to watch her kids make memories while playing with their grandparents. Geez.

Samson

I'm a happy dog!

Happy Birthday Baby B

This is what a happy three year old looks like...

You're not a girl

According to Brandon, I'm not a girl. I'm just mommy. Mommies are not girls, they are mommies.
Nathan is always saying boys rule and girls druel. Except for me, since I'm not a girl. I'm a mommy.
I don't know when it happened, but evidently I've stopped being a girl and have been consumed in mommy-ness. That's OK. I'll take being a mommy over a girl for now. I'll be a girl again after the boys are grown and I don't have to get up at 5am to go to work just so we don't have to get a babysitter. Or when I don't have to dig earthworms out of little boys pants pockets before they get totally mushed. Or when I don't have to wipe boogers off the wall. Or when I don't have to referee two little boys wrestling match. I'll be a girl again one day, but I'll always be a mommy.

Baby it's cold outside!

But snow much fun!

"Workin' 9 to 5!"

For the past 3 years I've been on a luxury cruise. I've played in the sun, walked barefoot in the sand, and drank fruity drinks. Granted, this was all done in my own backyard with the kids by my side. This "luxury cruise" was me being a stay-at-home mom. Getting to stay home with the kids has been such a wonderful experience. It's been fun, frustrating, rewarding, emotional, stressful, and the best gift to myself I could have ever received. But all good things must come to an end. Well, sort of. I found a part-time job that is just wonderful. I got to choose what days and what hours I want to work, I get the weekends off and paid holidays. I get to work with a friend of mine and the actual job is super easy. So now, I will be working mornings as a file clerk for a hospital. Brian and I will work opposite shifts so we don't have to get a babysitter. That's good and bad. Good since we don't have to hand our kids over to someone I don't trust (I don't trust anyone but family), bad because we won't see each other that much. A small sacrifice for peace of mind.
Brandon hates that I'm working and begs me every night before he goes to bed to not go to work in the morning. That breaks my heart but I know him and Brian will start developing a stronger bond with all the morning alone time they'll have together. Nathan could care less if I work or not. I gave him the important job of getting up by himself, getting dressed and making sure Brian gets up on time. Before bedtime, we set his alarm clock, get his clothes set out and pack his lunch box. So many new responsibilities for my little man, he just eats it up.
It's nice to get back to work and still be with my kids for a huge chunk of the day. It's the best of both worlds. I couldn't be luckier.