What Have We Been Up To?

It has been over a month since I'd updated anyone on much of anything. So I'll give you some idea as to what we have been doing since then. Which really isn't much...

Let's see...

My parent's made a spontaneous move to St. Augustine, Florida in early September. They were going to make a pit stop here on their way, but Tropical Storm Lee had other plans. They were driving a 24ft. U-Haul, pulling their car and my grandmother was driving their van behind them. I don't blame them one bit for deciding to skip their stop here and head straight to their new home. During their stop at a hotel, my mother called. We talked about the storm and the situation. She then laughs and says, "I'm tired of lying to you being this high. You want to talk to him?" I said sure and then was like, Huh? Well, my dad, or who I thought was my dad, get's on the phone and we talk for about 30 seconds. I then asked puzzled, "Wait... Who is this?" Not recognizing the voice as my dad's. He laughs and says, "Mckinnion. Who did you think it was?" I freaked! I was so excited. I had to ask him what it was Mom said before she handed him the phone. She actually said, "I'm tired of lying to you, Boy (what we've called Mckinnion since he was fresh from the womb) says hi. You want to talk to him?" That is so not what I heard. Lol I was super excited to hear from my brother. They were going to surprise me when they showed up. I had no idea that he was moving with them. Unfortunately, life happens, and they've still yet to make the trip here. Soon... We'll see...

On September 12th I had gotten a pretty bad toothache. I'd taken Tylenol all day for, but at about 5 o'clock-ish, it reared it's big ugly head at me. I hadn't felt pain quite like it ever! I stayed home from school that night, hoping it would get better. It didn't. I couldn't sleep and my face had swollen. I looked and felt hideous! Wish I'd had taken a picture to show you. :Þ  Jonathan stayed home from work the next morning so that he could take the kiddos to their six month dental cleaning and checkup since I was feeling so miserably. He kept trying to talk me into going to the dentist or Urgent Care, but our funds were super tight that week and there was no way we'd be able to afford it. So I refused to go. He called his mother, and asked for a favor. She was seriously my lifesaver that morning! I don't know what I would have done had she not been there to help us out.

Went to Urgent Care to have it checked out. It was a severe abscess. He told me that had I not gone in when I did, I may have had to be hospitalized for severe infection. Holy crap, that was scary! He prescribed me penicillin, naproxen and lortab. He said he felt safe prescribing me a narcotic since I "looked legit." Haha! Got my prescriptions and downed them right away! Unfortunately, the penicillin made me vomit for the first two days. It was terrible! Couldn't keep anything down and was in a constant state of pain from the abscess and nausea from the penicillin. It took about a week, before I truly felt back to normal. We were able to pay my in-laws back for the doctor's visit and Rx's the following week. And I couldn't thank them enough for all the help they've been able to offer us. You are truly appreciated!

The day I went to Urgent Care, happened to be the same day the kids' dental cleaning and checkup was. They go every six months. I'll be damned if they ever have teeth like mine :( Anywhoo... Jonathan took them and Joseph had moderate gingivitis. What? I make them brush their teeth after every meal. There is no way he has gingivitis! Apparently, when I had told him to brush, he was just going into the bathroom to play. So I ended up brushing his teeth for a week after that and then watched him every time the following week to make sure it was actually getting done. I don't supervise him now, but I do random check-in's when he's brushing. So far, every time, he's actually brushing and doing it correctly. Dr. Hyde, then discussed fixing his chipped front tooth... Again! They fixed it once, and it fell off that week! If it doesn't stay for very long this time, they'll just put a crown on it instead. I imagine, that's what's going to have to happen. He plays too rough to not lose the piece they put on.  All of them are clear of any cavities and everything looks great. Still trying to get the girls to quit sucking their thumbs though. They're okay as long as they're busy. The second they stop doing anything, it's right to their mouths. Tressa has started using her shirts in place of her blanket when she sucks her thumb. Ugh! She's so rebellious! :Þ Just don't want the girls to cause any malformation of their teeth. It's bad enough Joseph is going to probably have braces. Bleh! Poor kiddos and my bad genes. (Thanks a lot Dad! :Þ)

For school, we had a scavenger hunt scheduled at the local outlet mall for the 28th. It got cancelled due to the bad weather that day. Nobody brought anything to be able to do practical work, so we ended up going to Edgewater Mall instead. For the scavenger hunt we had grouped up in no more than five people. We were given a list of things to find, like, someone with a swing bob, someone 50% gray, someone with rollers still in their hair, and we had to approach said person, explain who we were and get their permission to take a picture. It was super fun until one of the rent-a-cop's approached us and halted our fun because he said we had to have prior approval from the mall manager. UGH! We'd all made the trip so Mrs. Lynne and Mr. Morgan told us to go do some shopping, or window shopping and get something to eat to fill our time for the next two hours or so. Overall it was fun, but wish we could have done what was intended. Next time we'll know to get prior approval.

I was able to pick up my honey and take him out during his lunch break one day. It was nice to just see him and let him get out of his work atmosphere for about an hour. He needed the break. :)

Our school was cancelled on the 1st of this month, so I had a whole weekend with the family. On Sunday we decided we would get out and do something. We're always cooped up in the house. There really isn't a whole lot to do around here for very cheap, unless you want to go to the beach... And we're just not beach lovers. Right Rebecca? :Þ

We went for lunch at McDonald's since Chick-fil-a is closed on Sunday! Bleh! Then we went and played minigolf. We had so much fun! It was a beautiful day out too. The weather was perfect, it was quiet out and the kiddos were well behaved. Amaya got bored after the first hole. She looked to Jonathan and said, "I'm done playing hockey." Lol Hockey?

After finishing our game the kiddos asked if we were going to be doing anything else. We'd gotten lucky to be able to do what we did that day. Then they started stomping their feet and bickering about how they wanted to do this and do that. My feelings were hurt! They didn't say, "Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us out. We had a great time!" It was more like "Fuck you guys. We want more." Ugh! I wasn't even angry with them, I was just hurt. Our finances are budgeted every month and rarely do we have enough extra to do something outside of the house or go out to eat. And we did both that day. I felt like they were being so ungrateful and rude. Jonathan works his ass off to provide for us and then they acted that way. I had a talk with them and felt a little better. I know that they're just kids and they don't understand things the way that we do, but it still hurt.

School is going well. SO READY to be done. I should be finished by February. These last few months seem to be going so quickly, yet so slowly. We've lost a lot of our teachers and are now down to two instructors. Hoping we don't lose another. The teacher, student ratio would not meet requirements then. Not sure what will happen if that takes place.

The kiddos are doing well in school. I still can't stand Amaya's teacher for shit. Hoping to resolve that. Joseph's class had an AR party and he told us that he'd met his goal, but was still unable to participate. I contacted his teacher and she told me that he did indeed meet his goal, but his average score was 86 and you had to have an average of 90. She then states how proud she is of him for reading chapter books. He's the only one in his class reading the chapter books, and he's only 4 points under in average and he still cannot participate! So he's penalized for reading at levels above his classmates. Lovely!

We did our costume shopping this weekend. Joseph has wanted to be a skeleton since April. He chose this costume. He's most excited about the blood. Tressa walked into the store and immediately picked out the Spanish Princess costume. Amaya was dead set on being a princess when we walked into the store until she spotted the Miss Sock Hop costume. Unfortunately, they didn't have her size. So she resorted back to her original idea and is a princess. She's so excited about it lighting up too. She's told everyone already!

A friend from school told me about a new subdivision that was being built. They have two and three bedroom houses. We drove by on Monday, hoping they'd be open so that we could see them. They were closed, but we drove around and the outsides are beautiful. The three bedrooms are only $675 a month (1350 sq ft. They also offer a 1500 sq ft but I'm not sure what the price difference is). That's only $60 more a month than what we pay now. AND they have two car garages, big yards and they'll put up a six foot privacy fence around the back yard for an additional $25 a month. I'm super stoked! We're hoping that Jonathan can get a day off this week to be able to stop by and view them. It's kinda out in the country too. But it's so pretty and quiet out there. So far, I'm already disappointed in the fact that the kids would attend Lyman Elementary. When I was substituting, I taught there three times for the first and third grade and I did not care for the teachers. They were just awful mean to the kids. I've heard that their principal has changed since then and things may be different. I dunno...

I've rambled quite a bit. So I'll end things here.
Hope everyone has been doing well!
 XOXO,

2nd Grade And Kindergarten Too!

It's been a whole week (and two days to be precise) since the kiddos have begun this school year and I've yet to even mention it. I don't feel too terribly though because Joseph's first day of kindergarten wasn't written about until two months later. D'oh!

August 4th, the apartment would be quiet. I would be alone. My babies children would all be in school. I'd be lost. I would cry, be depressed, lazy. I was surely going to miss all the screaming, the fighting, spankings, the time outs, and...

BOY WAS I WRONG!

The apartment has been so nice and quiet! There is no screaming, crying or fighting. No spankings or time outs. Just me and the apartment. I think I'm already used to it! :P

We started the day with a 5:20 alarm and a shower before waking the kiddos. Oatmeal for breakfast and out the door. 

Jonathan went into work late to be able to come and take the kiddos to their first day of school. They were so happy he was able to come. We loaded up and left the house at 6:30am to beat the traffic. We learned last year and the previous year not to leave at 7, because you won't get to the school until at least 8, and the school is less than five miles from the house. First day of school traffic is ridiculous. However, this year we got to the school at 6:45 and had to wait 15 minutes before the school opens. I couldn't believe it! There was literally zero traffic! Others were not so smart. A friend I attend school with made the same mistake we did previous years and didn't get to school until nearly 8.

We took Joseph to class first since his was closest. 

We located his classroom. His teacher this year is Ms. Stetson and her assistant Ms. Childers. He hesitated walking into his classroom while fidgeting with the straps of his back pack and one last sad look at mommy and daddy before he walked in and found his seat. I'm surprised I didn't cry then. I'm equally surprised at his hesitancy and shyness. 

We exited the second grade hall and entered kindergarten. At orientation we found out that the girls would be in separate classrooms, but directly across from one another. I found myself a little bummed about this since the lady completing their registration said she would probably put them into the same classroom. I got my hopes up, but the girls are ecstatic they aren't in the same room. Ha! 

Amaya's teacher this year is Mrs. Gipson and her assistant Ms. Rush. At orientation Jonathan and I had already decided we liked Tressa's teacher best, so I'm hoping Amaya's teacher doesn't disappoint. She doesn't seem to be very organized and she's just too nice and seems easy. I want Amaya to be challenged so she doesn't get bored and lose interest.*Crossing our fingers*

Amaya was so excited! Especially since a neighbor friend is in her class. She didn't even say bye to us. Just found a seat she liked and started coloring. *Sigh*

Tressa's teacher is Ms. Holifield (Pronounced: Holy-field). I love her already. She is super organized and up front about how she works. I think Tressa will be challenged just enough and I love this. Tressa found her designated seat and began coloring, much like Amaya. Only Tressa actually told us goodbye and asked, "Can you stay with me for just a little bit longer Mommy?" Uhhhh!!! My heart melted! I about lost it! 

After class drop offs, we walked away from the school and I was finally able to cry. I made it without crying in front of them. We made it home and I was a little sad at first. The silence was almost too much. That only lasted about an hour or two and I was steadily getting used to it. Ha!

I was happy to learn that they had such a great day! They had so much to tell me. They started yelling at one another because everyone of them was trying to tell me something all at once. I had to split it up and give everyone their 15 minutes. Lol

Joseph's day:

-"Did you make any new friends?"

   -"Yeah. Um... Melanie Parker. She's a girl." *Giggle, giggle* "And Patrick and Rodriguez."

-"What was your favorite thing about today?"

   -"Playing M&M Math because we got to eat the M&M's when we were done. Playing at PE...... And we read stories called, Monster's First Day Of School and Sam's Best Seat In 2nd Grade."

"... Me and a friend named Elijah, um... he has a name so you know what to call him..." HAHA!

Amaya's day:

-"Did you make any new friends?"

   -"Yeah. EVERYONE!"

-"What was your favorite thing about today?"

   -"Playing at recess and getting my goody bag and new book."

"I had broccoli in my salad at lunch and it was all crunchy because it was fresh! YUMMY!"

Tressa's day:

-"Did you make any new friends?"

   -"Yeah, but not a lot. Just Cassy and Anthony."

-"What was your favorite thing about today?"

   -"Nothing." She starts crying and rubbing her eyes.

   -"Why not baby? You were so excited to tell me about your day when you got off the bus."

   -"Because I didn't *sob, sob* get to go, get to, *sob sob* to go to P.Eeeeeeeee. and, and *Sob sob* recess like Amaya and Joseph's class did." Poor baby :(

"The Michael in my class is not my boyfriend Michael, it's a new Michael."

Their day's were great! They loved it! They had so much to talk about and a lot of paper work to bring me! Ugh! Hate those first few days.

Joseph and Amaya have both already pulled keys (I'll write a separate post on this later). Amaya for talking (go figure) and Joseph for being out of his seat without permission (another go figure). The girls will begin getting homework starting next week, thankfully! They've been pretty upset that Joseph has had homework and they haven't. I'm guessing they won't feel that way for long. Ha!

Joseph has his first spelling test today and I'm sure he'll do great. He's an excellent speller like his mommy! Amaya is tying her shoes like a pro. She learned last year, but over the summer her foot wear consisted of sandals and flip flops so she forgot. Joseph still isn't grasping it. He gives up too quickly and he thinks that if he doesn't untie them before taking them off that he doesn't have to do it in the morning. Wrong! I'm going to work with both Tressa and Joseph on that this weekend. Hopefully they'll master it. 

I'm already loving all of the drawings and class work they're bringing home. I've yet to get anything back from Amaya's teacher and this sadly, does not surprise me. She's been a day behind the other two teachers in having paperwork sent home too. Ugh!

I hope to see my children continue to have such good feelings about learning and school. I can't wait to see them blossom with intelligence and confidence.

More to come,

      

Did I Really Just Say That?

"Tressa, please leave my boobs alone."

"Don't be touching each others privates."

"Quit scratching your butt and picking your nose!"
 

"Stop staring at her or both of us are going to sit and stare at you!"

"Wipe your butt with toilet paper, not the Kleenex!"

"No cartoons right now. Later when Mommy needs quiet time."

"Because you are a girl. That's why you don't have a penis."

"I don't like you either!"

"Your butt itches? Probably because you're the one that denied leaving their poo in the toilet and no toilet paper was used. Deal with it."

"Stop tasting your snot and spitting it on my carpet!"

Thankful Thursday

So it's been a month since my last post. Seriously slacking, I know! I'm going to make it short and sweet today...

I am thankful for my husband, my children, and second chances.

Always!

Yesterday while I was running around the house trying to get a few minor things done, I hear Joseph say, "I guess you don't then." with sadness in his voice. I hear him say it again. A little louder this time, obviously trying to get my attention.

"What's wrong Joseph?"

"I guess you don't love me."

"What?! Why would you say that?"

"Because you didn't say it back when I said, I love you."

"I'm so sorry. I didn't hear you son. I love you more than you could ever possibly imagine."

"Even when I'm grounded?"

"Even when you're grounded."

"Even if, like, I accidentally break something like the glass duck? I think the towel was under it and I just pulled it and it broke."

Trying to hold back laughter I answered, "Even when you break things... And even when you lie." Because of course when it was broken, a ghost had done it.

Love and laughter when your children come clean

          -Jaclyn-

Joseph-isms

"Mom. YOU'RE A MEANIE!" *Sob, sob, scream, scream*

"But the teacher's are lying! I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Do you know why I wrote my name different like this?"
"Why Joseph?"
"Because Jamie did it to her J too and it was looking good."
"What did it look like?"
"She did it like a ring around it like in space and stuff."
"Like rings around a planet, like Saturn?"
"No like something that has milk or something."
"Like the milky way?"
"Yeah. Like that" Then shows me his new way to write his J. (Picture below)

**Jonathan looked over at his spelling homework to see him writing in his milky way font. Lol**
 He was highly upset that we made him start over and write the correct way. 

"When are we going to get another baby Mom?"

"I love riding my new bike."

"I PULLED ZERO KEYS MOM!!!"

"Can I have money?"
"For what?"
"To buy a field day shirt?"
"How much is it?"
"It's kind of a lot... Like $20 or something."

"I am so excited you don't have school tonight Mommy." Then gives me the best hug!

Dear Joseph

     Seven... Seven years old you are. I'm sure I will say this over and over, but it seems as though it were just yesterday you were born and placed into my arms where your daddy and I gazed upon you for hours. I know every parent has asked "Where has the time gone?" but I just can't help it!

     You weigh 51.2 lbs. (I know! But he wouldn't let me continue writing without adding the .2 lol. He kept saying "51.2 MOM! Not just 51!") and are 49" (4ft. 1 1/2") tall. You wear a size 1 1/2 shoe and a 6/7 pants and shirt. Although the pants must be worn with a belt and still adjusted as much as possible on the inside. Skinny as all get out! I swear you eat more than I do!

     You've lost some of your "neediness" and uncertainty about things and are more enthusiastic and curious about the things you do and the things around you. You ask A LOT of questions, and that's really great, but why didn't anyone warn me about this stage?! It's a never-ending trivia nightmare around here. You're still cursed with my OCD, but are getting better at adjusting to change and basically rolling with the punches.

     Your behavior at school has improved drastically this month! In the 11 days of school this month you pulled a total of only four keys! That's fantastic! That's usually your daily quota. It makes me that much happier knowing how excited you get from such an accomplishment! You've gotten home with a smile on your face every day... Well... except for that one day, and exclaimed how many, if any keys you pulled that day.

     You accomplished many things the last year. You read your first Harry Potter book, you were on the A honor roll the first quarter and have been on the A/B honor roll the remainder of the year, you're getting better with counting money, you didn't break any bones :-P. I asked you what your favorite accomplishments were this year and you told me you learned how to ride a bike, you got better at math, and you read a lot of books. Things you say you want to accomplish this year: Learn to drive a car (good luck with that one!), Learn to play a new game, and read a really long book because you want to try and read faster. I love your goals. I love that you have goals.

     I love it when you tell me I'm the best mommy ever or when you wake me in the morning just to give me a hug before you watch cartoons or when you tell your sisters how much you love them. You're an amazing little boy and I am so proud of the man you will surely become. Mommy and daddy are so in love with you! You make our days worth all the while.

Love,

    Mommy & Daddy

Happy Birthday Joseph!

6a.m.... "Mom! Mom!" Joseph yells, while he shakes me as roughly as he can. "Can I watch cartoons?" "Yeeeeessssss!", I mumble. "Don't forget to tell me happy birthday!", he practically yells. I mouth "happy birthday"... I couldn't possibly forget today is his birthday!

My Joseph is SEVEN today! Seven whole years old! I'm perplexed at how fast time goes.

Every year we have a questionnaire for them just to see if and how their answers change. It's a lot of fun really. Some of the questions are nonsense but it allows me the opportunity to see even more how they think by how they respond to the question. Like, "What is your favorite scent?" It's just interesting to see their responses.

Last years questionnaire.

1. Favorite Food?     "Burritos and corn dogs."
2. Favorite Drink?     "Orange and cranberry juice."
3. Favorite Cartoon?     "Spongebob and Umi Zoomi."
4. Favorite Cartoon Character?     "Patrick Star."
5. Favorite Movie?     "A Bug's Life."
6. Favorite Animal?     "Gorilla."
7. Favorite Toy?     "Lego's and my castle Auntie Becca got me."
8. Favorite Color?     "Blue, pink, and green."
9. Favorite Letter?     "J."   
10. Favorite Number?     "1000 and 100."
11. Favorite Story/Book?     "The Happy Snowman."
12. Favorite Song?     "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star."
13. Favorite Game?     "Blue's Clues."
14. Favorite Holiday?     "Halloween and Christmas."
15. Favorite Day?     "Sunday."
16. Favorite Season?     "Winter, I like the snow."
17. Favorite Smell?     "Candy."
18. When I Grow Up?     "I'm going to be an astronaut!"
19. Kids When You Grow Up?     "I want four mommy!"
20. Do You Have A Girlfriend?     "Laughs hysterically and answers, "No!"
21. Favorite Thing In School?     "Recess."
22. Least Favorite?     "The end when we have to clean up and get on the bus."    
23. Best Friend?     "Hunter."     

This years questionnaire.

     1.  Favorite Food?     "Cereal."
     2.  Favorite Drink?     "Milk. I like white, chocolate, and strawberry together."
     3.  Favorite Cartoon?     "Spongebob Squarepants."
     4.  Favorite Cartoon Character?     "Patrick Star."
     5.  Favorite Movie?     "Ponyo."
     6.  Favorite Animal?     "Snakes."
     7.  Favorite Toy?     "T-rex!"
     8.  Favorite Color?     "Brown."
     9.  Favorite Letter?     "C."
   10.  Favorite Number?     "7, like how many I'm going to be on Saturday!"
   11.  Favorite Story/Book?     "Toy Story."
   12.  Favorite Song?     "Airplanes- BoB."
   13.  Favorite Game?     "Black Ops." (x-box)
   14.  Favorite Holiday?     "Easter. I saw the Easter Bunny one time!"
   15.  Favorite Day?     "Thursday because people come to the classroom and read to us then we make something like my hermit crab that broke."
   16.  Favorite Season?     "Winter."
   17.  Favorite Smell?     "Clean stuff." He must get that from me. Lol
   18.  When I grow up?     "I want to be 21! *Laughs* Oh! And a teacher too."
   19.  Kids When I grow up?     "Like 8 or something." Good luck buddy!
   20.  Do You Have A Girlfriend?     "Serenity. But not all the time, only sometimes."
   21.  Favorite Thing In School?     "Books."
   22.  Least Favorite?     "The library." "*laughing* But you just said your favorite thing was books, Joseph." "I only like the books in my classroom." Lol
   23.  Best Friend?     "Juan Rivera."


It still amazes me how much they change in as little as a years time... *Sigh*

Off to celebrate!

          -Jaclyn-

Here... Have A Blue Ribbon!

Joseph is going to be 7 in just three days! He's so excited! Every morning he runs to the calendar to count and see how many days are remaining. It's so cute!

For the lasts two years Jonathan and I had told him that he could invite friends and have this big party. One, because it was to be his fifth birthday, so we wanted it to be extra special. That year, things didn't go as planned financially and we told him that we would make it fun and special without having over a bunch of friends or having a huge professionally baked and decorated cake, and without all the balloons and pinata's. He was very understanding. It made my heart break.

The next year we got our apartment. We had to go to Missouri and get our things from storage and move it all in. So things yet again, didn't go like we had promised him. Again, he was very understanding and I cried... a lot.

This year I was determined to give him what he had been "taken away" the previous two. He decided on having a pirate party. He picked out the invitations and goody treasure chests, and he's so excited to have his friends join in and have a sleep over. We had 12 invitations. He made a list of who he wanted to invited and we made them up and loaded them into his backpack.

The next day after school he walked in the door and declared with tears and sobs,

"My teachers are MEAN MOMMY!"

"Why Joseph? Did you pull a lot of keys today?"

"NO! They wouldn't let me hand out my invitations!"

"How come?"

"Because they are MEAN!"

The next day I sent a note with him to school telling asking his teacher to allow him to hand out his birthday invitations. Today I get a phone call from her. She tells me that she cannot allow him to hand out his invitations unless he had enough for the entire class because it wouldn't be FAIR and would hurt the other kids' feelings! "It isn't my rule it's the district's rule. I even brought him into the office with me to talk to the principal and let her tell him the rule because he was quite upset with me.", she tells me. "I can give invitations to all the boys if you want." Lady! You just told me you couldn't give them out unless there was enough for everyone and now you're telling me you can give them to all of the boys?! How is that deemed "fair or not hurting the girls' feelings?" Ugh!

To shorten my story I'm pissed off because of the whole "fairness" ordeal here. Life isn't fucking fair! Yes, they're kids, I get it. But why allow them to earn a participation ribbon because they didn't actually win anything on field day? That's like expecting a raise for not giving a damn at work among many other things! Ugh! This just burns my ass!!!

Life isn't fucking fair! Teach them now...

Bleh! Enough of that... I didn't even plan on writing this, but I just couldn't quit thinking about it so it probably seems more rambly than anything... Thanks for "listening" to me bitch. :-)

Ready to celebrate and have a great party

          -Jaclyn-

Thankful Thrusday And Some Rambling.

I know it's been FOREVER since I have last written. I've been super busy (read: lazy) and something always seems to get in the way of things.

Last weekend I went to Atlanta for the Bronner Brothers Hair Show. Other than the fact that traffic was stupid fucking retarded, it was a great time! I was a little disappointed in the fact that it was more about showcasing, demos trying to sell their products and about being flashy than it was educational. They did have classes, but things didn't seem to be very organized. I had gone with a mission to buy some good quality shears since I've started hair cutting class and the shears the school gives are Pakistan pieces of shit... No, really. I had the hardest time! I didn't buy a single thing! I'm so damn picky about things and I honestly hate that about myself most days. Lol. So now I will have to buy full price... If I can decide on a pair. Anybody want to donate to the cause?

People were packed in there like sardines and I wanted to go postal! Trying to view products and get past people to see anything was a difficult task all it's own. Then there was the disappointment in products available for Caucasians, but I had expected that so I wasn't terribly disappointed and I probably wouldn't have purchased anything anyway since I'm content with the products I use now. I am super excited about the Premier Birmingham hair show that will be in September or October of this year! From word of mouth, I hear it is more organized and the product selection is indeed better. Want to donate to that cause too? ;-)

The past month or so Joseph has been quite the hellion. I really felt at a loss on what to do or how to fix things. He had trouble in school. He didn't want to go anymore, he even purposely missed the bus one morning. (The short story for that one: I wasn't dressed and I hadn't finished getting the girls ready so I sent him to the bus stop without me. He comes back 15 minutes later saying he missed the bus! I was livid! Needless to say he wished he'd got on the bus!) I don't think there was a day all last month where he had come home with a good report. He was so angry all the time and got to the point where he would hit, kick or throw things at me when he was upset. The only thing that ever seemed to calm him was me grabbing him and just holding him. The whole time he'd be shaking, kicking, screaming, fighting... I found myself go through a depression during all that. I felt as though I had failed as a parent somewhere. I tried and tried to talk to him to approach the situations differently and figure things out and never found the root of the problem. I'm not sure that he even knows what is causing his anger.

Wednesday He ran home with a huge smile on his face and was so excited to tell me that he had not pulled any keys (the schools behavior/disciplinary system)! I exaggerated my excitement and pride hoping that it would help him do better the following day. It worked! Or something did because he came home four days in a row with no disciplinary reports! He was rewarded with praise and time on the Wii as well as other small privileges. He was doing great. Yesterday he had a small issue, but just a small one. So hopefully things continue to go well the rest of the week. Wish us luck!

As far as school goes I have started the first hair cutting module and I'm loving it! I've been dying to cut the shit out of these mannequins. I can't wait to finish and give my first haircut outside of my kitchen. Haha.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for one, two, and hell, even three hour long phone calls with my sister Tiffany.

I am thankful for silence on long days and even more thankful for the screaming, fighting and laughter of our children that fills the house when they return from school.

I am thankful to have been able to attend Tressa's field trip to Petsmart this morning. The look on her face when I showed up was one I'll never forget. ♥

Loving this weather! You?

          -Jaclyn-

How To Tell When Your Six Year Old Has Played/Watched Too Much Call of Duty: Black Ops

• You yell at your child to "Quit throwing the markers in the kitchen. They're for coloring not throwing!" and the response you get is "But it's the care package I called in, Mom!"

•  "5, 6, 7, 8, 9101112131415!" ... Just when I thought the kids were competing on who could count the fastest, I hear, "Sweet! My dogs just got 15 kills for me!"

• You tell your child he's grounded to his room, then turn to walk away. A mere nano second later you are threatened with a whispered "Throwing sticky!"

• A trip to the bus stop results in a Nuketown like experience with RC-XD's and whining of terrible respawns.

• An airplane is spotted by all three kiddos. Tressa declares, "Airplane!" Joseph yells in objection, "It is not Tressa! It's a UAV, huh Dad?!"

• Walking down the hall to switch laundry around, Joseph peeks out, quickly backs up and says, "Planting claymore!"

• "Mom! You tripped my claymore, you're supposed to be dead." "Nope, I've got flackjacket on." "That should have got you!"

• Christmas morning, opening gifts: "Yes! I just changed my care package to a chopper gunner guys!"

• Anytime someone knocks at the door, "ZOMBIES!" Thankfully we've not had to "rebuild" any barriers!

Thank goodness Santa got them a Wii for Christmas...

Hoping no zombies come knocking

          -Jaclyn-

Joseph-isms

Children say the darndest things don't they?! My children are full of cute, funny little conversations or statements on a daily basis. So much so that I feel the need to share. Enjoy!

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND! I TOLD YOU ALREADY!"

"When you die, they cook you and eat you or bury you so they can't see you anymore or ever again."

"My favorite color is green, but my faoritest color is black. ACTUALLY, my favorite is green AND pink. I like girly colors too, like bubblegum pink." Insert his uncontrollable giggles

"Serenity said she is not my friend again. She always does that when she's with Brianna!"

"No, you brush your teeth so you don't get cavities. If you don't you will get cavities and then you will have to got to the dentist and they will pull your teeth out and it will hurt, huh Mom? Or will they put the magic mask on your face?"

"Oh, yeah, you're my honey bun." Spoken to Amaya

As always lots of love and many laughs!

          -Jaclyn-

MIA & Halloween

Sorry I've been kind of missing in action. The charger for our laptop took a crap so it was out of commission for a little over a week. Not much exciting has occurred anyhow.

Halloween was yesterday and the kids had a blast!

They were SO antsy and ready to go so their dinner was hardly touched.

This year was much more exciting than last years.

They weren't nearly as timid when it came to walking up to strangers houses and taking their candy.

They never complained about how tired they were or how much their feet hurt.

When asked what their favorite part of last night was... 

Joseph responded, "I got to wear black nail polish, but only on Halloween because it's for girls."

Amaya said, "I got to wear pretty pink makeup and glitter."

Tressa of course said, "We got to eat the candy for dessert!"

Overall, it was a great night. The kiddos did not want to wake for school this morning after having gone to bed later than usual and all of the excitement they got wore them out. They can't wait to play dress up in their costumes when they get home from school and they've already decided what they're going to be next year! 

Happy November and lots of love!

          -Jaclyn-