What Jonathan Really Does At Work

This morning's conversation between Jonathan and Tressa while he was preparing his lunch for work.

"Is that a screwdriver?"

"Yep."

"You use it to fix things?"

"Yep."

"So you go to work to fix things and eat?"

So that's what he really does at work... :Þ

          

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.

Dear Tressa

I don't have just one big girl, but I have TWO! I can't win for losing, can I?! Why can't you stop growing up??? I remember when I couldn't wait to grow up and be where I am now... Why can't you NOT want that?! Please?

You weigh 40lbs. and are 44" (3ft. 8½") tall. Exactly two pounds and one inch more than your sister. You wear a size 11½, sometimes 12 shoe, and a size 5, almost 6 pants, and a size 5 shirt.

You, unlike your sister LOVE to take a nap. Just like your momma! :-D On the rare day that you don't take a nap, you love to play house with your sister and even Joseph. Unfortunately, your absolute favorite thing to do during quiet time is suck on your thumb with your blankie. Thankfully you don't have to have the blanket or suck your thumb at all times... just when you're bored. Mostly when you're watching TV or going to sleep. It's been quite the experience trying to get you and your sister to quit. The blankets are allowed in the living room until you're seen with a thumb in your mouth and we've tried educating you in as simple terms as possible the effects of sucking your thumb can have and still you insist. I should have known this would happen when we saw you sucking your thumb in the sonogram.

You're a nonstop chatterbox! Well, that's really all three of you. You will tell anyone and everyone every single thought that runs through your mind. You love wearing my high heels through the house and pretending you're going to the grocery store in them. Unlike your brother and sister, you would rather stay inside coloring all...day...long! You LOVE to draw and color. Most all of your pictures end up being drawings of ballerina's or our family at a birthday party. Lol

You are the most caring little big girl. You love to hug and kiss us and are always making sure to tell those around you how much you love them. You are so easy to like and are easily attached to anyone that comes around.

There are a million things you learned this year! You learned to read, how to tell time on a digital clock, and you learned to make your bed without help. Now we just need to work on you keeping your glasses on! You are so ready for kindergarten and so I am not...

Here is to the sweetest, kindest, most perfectly imperfect daughter and sister a parent could ask for.

Love,

         Mommy & Daddy

Happy Birthday Tressa

 Tressa!!! You are FIVE years old today! Why won't you stop growing up????

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. You can see Joseph's here, and Amaya's here.



2010's Questionnaire


Favorite Food?     "Carrot."
Favorite Drink?     "Water."
Favorite Cartoon?     "Little Einstein's."
Cartoon Character?     "Tinkerbell."
Favorite Movie?     "Dinosaur."
Favorite Animal?     "Elephant."
Favorite Toy?     "Gina doll."
Favorite Color?     "Blue."
Favorite Letter?     "T."
Favorite Number?     "2."
Favorite Story/Book?     "Tinkerbell."
Favorite Song?     "You Are My Sunshine."
Favorite Game?     "Mine!"
Favorite Holiday?     "Birthday."
Favorite Day?     "Sunday."
Favorite Season?     "Fall."
Favorite Scent?     "Snow." Didn't know snow really had a smell.
When you grow up...?     "Mommy."
Children when you grow up?     "Two. And they're names are going to be Amaya and Joseph."
Boyfriend?     "Joseph." *laughs*
Favorite thing about school?     "Playing."
Least favorite?     "When we leave."
Best friend?     "You!" (mommy)
What do you want to know or learn before you turn five?     "To be a ballerina."

2011's Questionnaire


Favorite Food?     "Hot dogs and macaroni and cheese."
Favorite Drink?     "Punch and juice."
Favorite Cartoon?     "Gumball." I have no idea what that even is! Some cartoon they found on Netflix.
Cartoon Character?     "Strawberry Shortcake."
Favorite Movie?     "Disney Princess Enchanted Tales."
Favorite Animal?     "Sheep."  Ooooookkkkaaayyyy!
Favorite Toy?     "Baby Gina."
Favorite Color?     "Pink, purple and white."
Favorite Letter?     "T."
Favorite Number?     "1. Like a baby who is one years old."
Favorite Story/Book?     "Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales."
Favorite Song?     "The kindergarten and head start ones we sang at graduation (from head start)."
Favorite Game?     "A race. I loooooooooovvvvveeeeee to race."
Favorite Holiday?     "Halloween, Christmas, aaaaaaannnnnnddddddd Halloween."
Favorite Day?     "May! Our birthday!"
Favorite Season?     "Spring."
Favorite Scent?     "Pizza."
When you grow up...?     "Cheerleader!"
Children when you grow up?     "Just maybe one."
Boyfriend?     *Smiles* "I always tell you it's Michael, Mom! Do you know how to spell his name? I can help you spell it. He's fiiiiiiiivvvvveee, going to be siiiiiiiiixxxx! He's my boyfriend because he's handsome." Wow! Save me from her teenage years please!
Favorite thing about school?     "Play in areas and outside."
Least favorite?     "When we didn't take naps because I am always tired."  And Amaya's least favorite was having to take the nap. Lol
Best friend?     "Desiree." No more Mommy :-(
What do you want to know or learn before you turn six?     "I want to learn how to do a lot of exercises."

Hello Kitty Goodness!

          -Jaclyn-

Tressa-isms

"Can I tell you a secret Mommy?"

"Sure."

She pulls me down to her level and whispers in my ear...

"I am in love with Demarius!"

He's Joseph's friend... She's already got eyes for his friends!!! What am I going to do?! 

I am really dreading the teenage years... Pray for me...


"Can you play that song."
"Which song?"
"S,S,S and M,M,M. with the girl singing."
I'm just going to have to keep my earbuds in at all times!


"Me and Amaya look unfoolish now with our glasses."
Haha! Unfoolish... Wow!

 

Tressa-isms

"Michael is my boyfriend. Because I love him. He is beautiful too because he always has curls in his hair after a shower." "How old is Michael?" I ask. "Four! Duh!" After laughing I ask, "How do you know what his hair looks like after a shower?" "Because he is brown, Mom."

"Mom! What is this for?"
Me: "I have no idea, I cannot see it from here."
"Yes you can! You have your glasses on."

"Cops don't do this Joseph!" (Long story...)

I ask Jonathan, "Guess what I made on my freaking test last night?"
"Um... 30." (I know, he's so confident in my abilities, right?)
"A 75%! I was so pissed about that!"
Tressa: "Ooooo, Mom. You shouldn't say that bad word!"

"Boys have  uglies, girls have cuties!"

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-

The Influence of Music

You hear this all the time, but I love music in all shapes and forms and listen to it always.

Yesterday I get the girls from the bus stop and Amaya shouts, "GUESS WHAT ME AND TRESSA WERE SINGING ON THE BUS!"
"What were you singing?"
"RIDE IT!"

I wanted to DIE I tell you!!! She was referring to Ciara's song Ride featuring Ludacris... I wonder what the teachers were thinking when they heard them singing that?!

I think it's time to censor my music around them...

Censored music and hilarious children

          -Jaclyn-

Tressa-isms

"You are beautiful Mommy."

"Carrots may your eyes beautiful and peas make your hair beautiful."

"Your butt is THAT big Mom! Like as big as the couch, big."

"Last time I checked, my name was Tressa, SO QUIT CALLING ME AMAYA!"

"Sickles? Oh! Skitters. (Running to tell Joseph & Amaya) I got skitters guys!" Trying to pronounce Skittles.

Jonathan grabs a few Reese's and Tressa asks, "Are you eating those because you are angry, daddy?"
On Halloween, Joy put a few Reese's in the kids' bags and told them to give them to Jonathan when he's getting grumpy. Guess every time he eats Reese's now, he's surely got to be angry. :Þ

"I fart everyday." 

Lots of love and laughter

         -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-

"...Proud of You..."

Jonathan and I, with all our children in tow are on an extravagant trip over seas, we're speaking the language fluently and planning the next trip when I wake to at 3:13am to Amaya tapping me on the cheek. I ask what's wrong and then I smell... THE SMELL. You know, the smell of vomit, yeah, THAT smell... She tells me she puked all over her bed... I get her shower ready and load her bed sheets into the washer.

Round two at 3:30am... and then rounds three and four...

She wakes this morning still puking.

At 7:30 it is time for me to take Tressa to the bus stop. Amaya starts puking again and this is where my post really begins.

I start rubbing her back and I start to cry. I am crying because I can't make her feel better, but I am mostly crying because I felt like a terrible mother having to take her to the bus stop where she has to puke in the grass. Tressa see's me crying and asks,

"What's wrong mommy?" 

"Nothing baby, mommy's just sad that Amaya is sick." 

"It's okay. I will rub her back for you mommy." 

That only made me cry more. Tressa loving on her sister. holding her hair and rubbing her back because mommy is sad. Tressa sits on the concrete and tells Amaya to sit in her lap. (I began kicking myself for not having my camera glued to my hand.)

The bus picks up Tressa and Amaya and I walk back. Rather, I walk back carrying Amaya. I tell her how happy it makes me that the kids all love each other so much and how proud I am of them for it and many other things.

WARNING: Tearjerker ahead!

Amaya replies,

"You take care of me good makes me proud of you Mommy."

I swear I cried a river! I felt so terrible taking her to the bus stop when she felt so miserable and had to puke in the grass... Until she reassured me that I am doing everything just right. 

I am so proud of the children that I have. They are all so amazing in so many ways. Joseph is so smart, creative and willing to help whenever I need him and for whatever reason. Tressa is so loving and protective of and adores her siblings. Amaya is so active and ready and willing to learn and teach everyone else everything she knows.

I am so thankful for everything I have. I am ashamed of myself for asking for more when I already have everything I could ever need.

Lots of love and amazing things in your life

          -Jaclyn-

My Brother and Sister Too.

Tressa, our kindhearted, sensitive, caring, considerate, sympathetic, generous, unselfish child.

Not long ago I took Tressa to the post office with me. The lady asked if she could have a lollipop, and of course I said yes. As I started walking away, Tressa says to the lady, "Can I have one for my brother and sister too?" "You sure can. If it's okay with mommy." It was definitely okay.

Sunday I did my grocery shopping and it was Tressa's turn to come with me. While shopping she spots a Hello Kitty juice (she'll spot anything Hello Kitty, it's her new obsession) and asks if she may have one. Then without saying anything she grabs a spiderman juice, and another Hello Kitty juice. "Tressa, you can only have one baby." "But my brother and sister need one too mom." I just smiled and let her put them into our cart.

She is nonstop thinking about the others around her. On days that I take Joseph or Amaya and they get their treat, they take it without ever thinking about the others, but sure enough when we get home, they're rubbing it in to the other two. Not Tressa. Tressa brings them something back. Tressa our kindhearted, sensitive, caring, considerate, sympathetic, generous, unselfish child.

          -Jaclyn-