What's Goin' On?

Friday:
We went to the viewing.
I thought Zac would be uncomfortable and maybe a little scared.
Nope.
He went straight to my PawPaw and stared at him. I swear like three different times I looked over and he was just standing there, staring.
OMG, how embarrassing for me! I was like...seriously, Zac??
But I guess I can understand, he was curious. We haven't had someone close in our family pass away since he's been alive. It was something he had never experienced before.

weirdo.


Saturday:
We went to the funeral. It was a good service.
Later that night, me and Leah met up with a few of our cousins.
Bryan and Lauren, Lyle, and Jay. We met up at Parkway (a bar and grill) to have a few drinks and catch up. I get to see Bryan and Lauren often enough, but I can't remember the last time I saw Lyle and Jay.
It was nice to drink and laugh and talk about old times.
Isn't it sad that it takes a funeral to bring family together.
We promised to all meet up sometime this summer for a cook out or something....and I hope we do.

Oh, did I mention that Friday night when I got home from the viewing, I was just chillin'...watching Law and Order SVU and playing solitaire on my computer, when I felt something on my shoulder...so I brushed it off...thinking it was a stupid June bug or something...nope, it was a freaking scorpion...on MY shoulder!!!!

UGH!

Needless to say I have been shaking out every piece of clothing that I put on. Inspecting bedding before laying down, watching every step I take.

So, Sunday I cleaning house really good and Leah came over to help me spray really good!

It's Wednesday and I haven't seen anymore......
I hate scorpions!!!!
Yep....so that's what's been going on with me.
Whaddup with you? :)

I'm ready for the weekend. I want to see "Bridesmaids" soooo bad!! Hopefully I can see it sometime this weekend. :)

Rest in Peace, Paw Paw Riley.

As some of you may know, My PawPaw died this past Wednesday.
A couple weeks ago, he had hip surgery. While he was in a rehab facility, he was not taken care of properly.
He was admitted into the hospital Tuesday for being dehydrated, impacted, kidney failure, bed sores.
I left work early with a lot on my mind. My pawpaw, along with a lot of other stuff that's going on.
Of course, I went to my sister's, because that's were I go when I'm upset, can't stop crying, and need to talk. We decided to go eat something to eat. On our way to Casa Manana, my mom called and said that my pawpaw had passed away.
We went to my grandma's house, where the family all met up.
My pawpaw has been immobile since February, so my grandma has had to do everything for him.
Of course, she had to let her household duties go, so the place was pretty bad.
Me and my sister's stayed and cleaned house for her, since a lot of family is coming in town.
We finished up today.
Tonight is the viewing, tomorrow is the funeral.
My pawpaw lived a full life and while I am sad, I know he is in a better place. He was in constant pain and unable to take care of himself.
We all know where he went, for he was an awesome man.

Funny story for ya.
Wednesday evening, the Reverend came to talk with the family about the funeral service and whatnot.
My mom, grandma, etc. were calling him Brother Bateman.
Me and Leah were in the kitchen cleaning and Lucia came running in there and said,"Mom! That guy in there..his first name is Brother!"
hahaha. You gotta love kids. :)

So, that's why I've been MIA lately.
Please keep my grandma, mom and her siblings, and the rest of my family in your prayers.

Gooday, Mate.

Thanks for the sweet text messages and emails about my pity party (last blog).
I swear I didn't post it for sympathy! Sometimes you just gotta let the bad stuff out!
I may complain about my crappy days (weeks), but I know we all have to have them....so we can appreciate the good ones, right?
I had a good weekend. My boys were off doing their own things, so I got a lot done around the house.
Friday night I went to Leah's for a while. A couple of her friends and their kids came over. We made homemade pizza. It was really good.
I went home fairly early.
Woke up Saturday morning, ran some errands, and went for a run with Marianne. Well......we walked the lake once, then she ran and I ran/walked once. And she ran a couple more times around while I helped the kids fish, then walked another round with Marianne. She's so hard core! haha. I'm so not.
I did feel good after though.
Sunday......I did ALL the laundry and watched a marathon of a show I've never seen before.
It's called "Fact or Faked".
It takes stories/YouTube videos/pictures of the "unknown/paranormal" and tries to prove whether they're fake or not. It was pretty addicting. I watched it for a long time. I had to finally just turn the tv off.

Anyways, that's all that's up with me. Not a lot.
But I like it that way.

sob story

Have you ever had one of those days, where you feel like nothing can right. and nothing will ever go right again?
You feel like everyone is against you. You're carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.
You're tired of pretending you can handle anything that comes your way,
because it seems like more comes. Maybe just to prove you wrong?
Like, oh..yeah, look at you, acting like none of this bothers you....Well, I'll show you!

Yeah, well.....it hasn't just been one of those days, it's been one of those weeks.
A few crappy things that have happened.

Friday night I had planned on taking Gage and Travis to see "Scream 4". Leah was going to watch Zac for me. But as some of you may have heard, we had major fires here in Wichita Falls. Out where my mom lives, everyone was being evacuated. So, my mom and step dad were going to have to go stay at Leah's. Zac is a lot to handle, so I decided to wait until he was at his dad's to take the boys.

The minute I turned on my street, I could smell smoke. When we got home, we could smell it, even in the house. It was ridiculous. I didn't sleep very well, knowing that the fires were out of control all over town.

Gage's grandma died Thursday. Billy didn't even call to tell me or Gage. His sister text messaged me Saturday morning to tell me. The actual day of the funeral. The funeral that was also 1 1/2 hours out of town.
Did Billy show up to pick up his son and take him to his grandma's funeral? No.
Did Billy even show up to his mother's funeral? No.
How is that even possible?

Zac's Prozac is really helping him (for his anxiety)! Which is bringing out the ADHD even more. I was a nervous wreck all weekend with him. I couldn't even be in his presence without getting worn out.
Luckily, he had a doctor appointment on Monday, to talk about his medication.
We decided that we were going to start him on some ADHD medication.

I turned in the prescription Monday, started him on it Tuesday morning.
The doctor said it was an instant medication. I would see a difference the first day. It will also stay in his system for 12 hours. So, we have to give it to him early, so he can fall asleep at night.

He took it at 7:00 am Tuesday morning.
I picked him up from school and he seemed a little on edge. He wasn't all hyper like he usually is, but just.....on edge.
He was like that for the rest of the day. His mouth (jaw) was moving back and forth. Just like a meth-head does. Which his doctor says is normal, it is a stimulant, until his body gets used to it, he'll do that.

Well, around 7:30...when the medicine starting wearing off, he became an emotional mess. He was crying, apologizing, clingy. He sat in my lap and cried, told me he was sorry for always telling me no. He was sorry for not minding like he should. He loves me, I'm a good mom. He just wants me to be proud of him.

Needless to say, I started crying. I tried to tell him it was ok. It was just the medicine, he had to get used to it.
I finally got him in bed (after numerous times of him getting out of bed to cry and apologize).
He was watching tv, sniffing, so I went and got in bed.
Annnnnd, he was up again. Not only was he up again....he was up all night. He was no longer emotional, but he was awake. Wide awake. All. Night. Long.
We watched tv, ate cereal (at 3 a.m.)...because of course, the medicine makes you not hungry. He hadn't eaten since taking the medicine the day before.

So, at 4:15 (when I usually wake up) I put Toy Story 3 on for him and took a shower, got ready for work.
I texted his doctor and the doctor said it was odd that he was up all night. He said to try again this weekend, when we can afford to miss a night of sleep.
So, I guess that's what we're going to do.
I really hate the process of trying new medications. Trying to find the right one can be so hard.

Wedneday at work, I was an emotional mess. The combination of Zac's reaction to the medication and NO sleep just made me emotional.
I didn't talk much at work, I didn't want to talk about it, because I knew I would probably end up crying.

Zac had a dentist appointment at noon on Wednesday. His dad took him, since I had to work. His dad called to ask about some insurance information, so I asked to talk to Zac. I asked him if he was sleepy,"Nope! Are you?" haha. Yeah, I'm exhausted, boy!

His dad said he finally fell asleep at 9:30 that night and slept well.
I got off work, picked up Gage from school and was asleep at 3:15. Gage woke me up at 4:25 because I promised him I would take him and Travis to see "Scream 4".
So, I got out of my cozy bed, a little dazed, and took them to the movie. It was over at 7:00, I was home and asleep before 8:00 p.m.
The movie was pretty good. But then again, I'm just a fan of the Scream movies!
Kinda scary, pretty funny, makes fun of itself.

So, in the words of the sexy Justin Timberlake (again)...

Cry Me a River.

Because it's been a crappy week. And I'm praying for a better weekend. I need a pick me up. Cause I've been soooo down!!

for realz

Weekend...oh til we meet again...

Let me just start this Monday morning weekend review with the obviously start:
OMG! Why must the weekends go by so fast?? ;)

I had a good weekend, though. I was footloose and childrenfree.
Ok, I wasn't really footloose, but I was child-free...for the whole weekend.
So of course, I had to take advantage and go out, listen to some live music, chill with the bff Friday night.

Friday morning I woke up at freaking 3:30 a.m. and could NOT go back to sleep. I usually get up at 4:15....and that 45 minutes was a lot to miss out on!!
I knew I was going to have to go home and take a nap after work, so I could handle a night out. I think you may be getting too old to go out when you're planning a nap before going out.
Eh, who am I kidding, I like to nap even when I'm just going to bed that night.
I ended up having a nice little two hour nap and was pretty refreshed!

I showered and got all dolled up for my night out.
And by "dolled up" I do mean my jeans, a tank top, my flimsy Rangers shirt, and my black boots that are falling apart because I've had them since I was 16 years old, but cannot get rid of...because I love them so. I'm serious when I say they're falling apart, too.
My (ex) father in law actually had to GLUE the sole back on a few years ago.
I do believe it's time to get the glue out again. Yes, that's as good as it gets for me. :)
Don't you have anything like that? That you just can't get rid of???

Anyways, so I went to pick up Marianne and we headed to Iron Horse.
I had planned on having a couple beers, listeing to some music, and chatting.
Half way through my second beer, the waitress set down a big glass about 1/3 full of some kind of dark liquid in front of everyone at the table. (six of us in all, I believe)
I look at Marianne and say,"Uhh, what is this"?
She says it's Jager and it's good.
I know so little about this alcoholic beverage that I don't even know if I'm spelling it right.
I just know it's pronounced yay/grrr.
As in, yay! Free drink and then grrr, I'm sick!!
Ok, someone bought me this drink, I suppose I have to drink it.
We all cheers and I take a drink, look around and notice that everyone's glass is empty.
Whaaat?
Everyone's like, uhhh, it's a shot, finish it. Wait a minute! THIS is a shot??
Since when is a shot this big?? I thought shots were in those cute little bitty glasses? What happened to shots like that?
It takes me about 15 minutes to finish this shot.
I'm not a shot girl.
In fact, before I could even finish that shot, the waitress brought over another shot! At least it was a normal size shot!
I ask Marianne,"What is this??"
Chocolate cake. It's good.
I wonder how in the world someone can make an alcoholic drink taste like chocolate cake? I mean, it did taste like it, but....why?

Two hours, two beers, and two shots later (if you can call that first one a shot), Marianne asks if I'm ready to go, so she can make her gym date in the morning.
Crazy girl.
But, yes please. I'm ready to go.
As I drive her home, we have our sappy girl talk...damn alcohol. haha.

When I got home, I sat down in my living room floor with my Whataburger, hoping to sober myself up, and watch some tv.
I guess I didn't realize how intoxicated I was because come 5:00 a.m. I was still awake.
I felt so bad, I couldn't sleep.
I'm laying in bed thinking...there goes my Saturday plans!!
I'm going to sleep my day away...once I finally fall asleep.
I believe I finally fell asleep about 5:30 a.m.

Fast forward 4 hours.... Marianne texts me...let's go to Leah's and lay out when I get out of the gym!
What??? You're going to the gym?
You crazy girl.
But Carrie and Jorge are in town, Leah's cleaning their teeth, so no laying out today.
I didn't know they were in town...so much for sleep.

I drag myself out of bed, make some coffee, brush my teeth, pull on some shorts and a tee and head out. I did get to go see the beautiful babies, Annabel and Ava!

So, it's ok I didn't get to sleep my day away. When Leah was done cleaning their teeth, she took me for a ride in her jeep.

lovely day for a ride in the jeep.
Dustin calls her and says he wants to cook out. We go to the store to get charcoal and then head to Leah's house.
Lucia and Jack had stayed the night at Adrien's house, so she brought them home and came over for the cookout.

Adrien's little girl Noa is 5. That chick and I get along well. I love that kid. Adrien and Leah have already arranged for Noa and Jack to get married.
Those two kids are "best finns".
Noa already knows she going to marry Jack. She knows we want our families tied together.
So she walks into Leah's house and says,"Stephanie! Is that you??"
She comes running to me and says (all grown up like), "If I'm going to marry Jack to tie us all together, then you have to get married too."
Me: "I do? Well....who can I marry?"
Noa: "I don't know. You can find someone to marry you."
Me: "Hmmm, I'm not very good at that. Will you help me?"
Noa: "Yeah!! We can drive around town, until we see a bunch of boys. Then we'll go up to one of them and tell them to marry you."
Me: "That sounds like an awesome plan, Noa!"
But...she says....right now, she's going swimming with Jack. We'll go looking for a husband later. :) Kids....they crack me up.

That was pretty much my weekend. Sunday just consisted of laundry, Law and Order: SVU, and uhhh....a nap. :)
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.... and have a great (fast) week! :)

Saturday already? :( I'm not ready to go home!

Only one more night and we'll be heading home from our visit with the family. :( It seems like the days and nights just flew by.

We've been cooking out, drinking beer (and Sparkletini, YUM!), and telling stories of way back when.
We usually stay at my aunt and uncle's house, but since Ashley has her own house now, I'm staying with her. Which is fun, I love this girl!
BUT, we are on totally different schedules!! Thursday night we put on "Skeleton Key" to watch and I fell asleep before it was over. She finished it AND watched the new "Indiana Jones". I was out and had no idea she was watching more movies, or that she got a blanket and covered me up. Sweet girl.

I woke up at 4:35 am, got off the couch and went to the guest bedroom and slept until 9. Of course, Ash didn't wake up until everyone started showing up for the next BBQ....at 11:00!!

Once again, last night (after Zac and Jack were asleep) we put on another movie..."Nightmare on Elm Street" (the original one). I got to the part where Johnny Depp dies and I was out.

Ash was working on my tattoo design and watching movies. I think I woke up once to her putting in a new movie. Once again, I woke up about 4:00 and went to the guest bedroom and fell back to sleep.

Zac woke me up at 7 a.m. I picked up around the house, loaded the dishwasher, and changed out the trash.
Now I'm sitting here, drinking coffee, playing around on the computer, waiting for this girl to wake up!!

Today we are going out to my aunt and uncle's, the kiddos are going to fish, we'll probably cook out again.....and I'm getting my tattoo today!!!!! Super excited.

I fell asleep before I had a chance to check out what she had done. All I told her was that I wanted was for her to add on to the one I already have.





I want it bigger and better....I want Zac's name (which I said to put Zack, that's how everyone else spells it...including Zac!) and I want honeysuckle. I LOVE honeysuckle. It's pretty, it's my favorite scent, and it reminds me of my childhood.
I can't wait to see what she has drawn up for me!!
Would it be rude to wake her up?? I guess I should let her be well rested before she inks me up, huh?? ;)

And let me just say.....yes, my tattoo is a "tramp stamp", BUT I got this tattoo FOURTEEN YEARS ago, before they were even popular and called "tramp stamps"!!!
BEFORE there were low rise jeans.
just sayin'!
So, my tattoo is actually up higher than a tramp stamp. Which is lame in itself, BUT....hopefully Ashley can fix it up.

My weekend....

I know you're DYING to know what I did this weekend!! So, let me fill you in on the greatness....

Friday I went shopping with Marianne. But does it really count as shopping if you don't even buy anything? Oh well, it was fun walking around, looking at clothes, talking anyways....
Then I went home and caught up on some tv. Fun stuff.
Saturday, I picked up Gage and his friend Cody, from Cody's house. We went and ate at Sevi's. then he and Cody watched Lucia and Jack while me and Leah went to buy me a new washing machine.
Yeah, mine quit spinning. Did you know it really sucks having to wring out your clothes because they're soaking wet. I'm glad I didn't live back in the days when you had to scrub and wring out and hang up your clothes. I'm just too lazy for all that.
Saturday night me, Leah, Lucia, Jack, Gage, and Cody all went to the St Paddy's Festival downtown.

Jack and Lucia immediately wanted a turkey leg.
Those things are bigger than the kids!!!

Lucia found this awesome green bow that she just had to have.

Her head looks so small in between the giant bow and huge turkey leg!!

Marianne met up with us...but way later and of course, my sister was ready to go by then, Jack was tired. We had already been there for a couple hours, so we talked for a bit, then headed home.

I cleaned up a little bit and headed to bed.

Sunday morning, I went to pick up Zac from his nana's and of course, Lowe's decides to come at the exact moment to deliver my washer! Luckily he was talking to my landlord, so I got back in time to let him in.

Once he had it hooked up, I went CRAZY doing laundry!! Wow. It's so easy to do now!! I LOVE IT! :)

Who knew I could get so excited about a washing machine???

While folding laundry, I watched a couple movies that I rented the day before.

First one being "127 Hours"

OMG! I LOVED this movie. It was so good. So sad.

I cried at the end.

I love James Franco!

Then I watched "The Romantics".

It's was aight.

It was pretty much a wanna be "St Elmo's Fire" remake.....wasn't even close in being as wonderful.

It's about a close knit group of friends that date eachother and break up and date the other, who end up with the wrong one in the end...blah, blah, blah.

Like I said...it was aight. :)

THEN Sunday night....I was up all night. Stupid time change.

I'm exhausted today :(

I just want to go home and nap.

Thank God it's only a 3 day work week for me! Then I'm off to see the family! yay!

Meet my lovely artist cousin.

Yes, I'm blogging again today. I'm sitting at my sister's house, waiting until I have to pick up Gage's girlfriend to take them on their "date".
I'm super excited because I'm off tomorrow!! YAY! I'm going to lunch with my mom and sister, then shopping!! Of course, I don't have money, but my sister is giving me some money (late birthday gift) so I can shop, too.

So, I thought while I have this free time, I would introduce you to my cousin, Ashley.
The one who is giving me a tattoo next weekend!!
I can't wait to check out her new shop and see what she has drawn up for me!

This is my gorgeous cousin:

You should totally check out her facebook, you can see how very talented she is. Not only can she do tattoos, but she paints, does sculpters, make up...all kinds of good stuff, check out her artwork. You will be impressed. :)

I love her, she's super awesome.

If you want some ink, head down to Fairfield...down by Corsicana and let her tat you up. You won't be disappointed!

Can't wait to get pics up of my new tattoo....and I know you can't wait either. :)

Oh...hi, how are ya?

I can't believe it's Wednesday already. The days are just flying by, it seems!

This weekend my cousin Carrie came in town and I got to see Annabel and Ava! They are so precious! Annabel is the happiest baby I've ever seen! Always smiling! I wish they lived closer so I could see them more often :(

Saturday night I went out with Leah and Carrie. We went and ate at Bar L, then went to Denim and Diamonds. A new "nightclub" here in the Falls. I should've known by the name that it would be filled with mostly cowboys and cowgirls. As I walk in, I start to feel a little more out of place (than I usually do). I'm always feeling a little out of place in bars, well...really anywhere there are tons of people. But especially Saturday night at the cowboy bar in my shirt that's ripped off at the bottom, holey jeans, and Converse.

But it was still a good time. We had fun sitting back, drinking beer, making fun of all the people out on the dance floor.

It's easy to make fun of someone dancing when you're too scared to get out there yourself. haha. Yeah, I don't dance!! I could count on one hand how many times I've attempted.

So, it turned out to be a fun night anyways.

Sunday we went to my mom's, my step dad cooked out for Gage's birthday.

That's always a fun time. My little sister brought her new boyfriend over. :) He was a cutie. He plays drums in a band at a church. That's a plus for me. He takes Lacey and her son Gavin to play some disk golf or something at the Falls park, another plus. He's her age...annnnd, another plus! I like this guy for her. :) He seems sweet.

I hope we didn't scare him away. haha.

Monday was Zac's follow up appointment with his anxiety medicine. We started him on Lexapro, but within a week I could tell that it was not for him! He was overly active. Like...insane. So, we changed him to Prozac. Which I thought was for depression...seeing how I take it for that reason. But the doctor said that Prozac was originally made for anxiety. I said that doesn't make sense, because I take it for depression, but I'm always anxious. I sometimes have to take Xanax for my anxiety. He said that the lower the dose works well for anxiety, but the higher you go, it works for depression...but can start to cause anxiety. Wow.

Anyways, we started Zac on Prozac and I notice a difference. He actually went to the park with Lucia AND her friends the other day. Any other time, he would go with Lucia, but not her friends. He's not comfortable around people he doesn't really know. (Anxiety!) But it wasn't a huge difference because he still has his little tics. The doctor said he noticed it wasn't happening as much. But it's still happening. So, he upped the medication in hopes that it would help more. I asked him if he thought it would stop completely. He says that usually when someone has tics caused by such a high anxiety, they won't stop completely until puberty...if at all. If it doesn't stop, then the older they get, the easier it is to control.

Sooo, I guess we will just have to sit and wait. His teacher said yesterday that he seemed a little more hyper today. Monday night was his first night to take a double dose. Let's just hope it needs to get in his system and it works.

It's so hard finding the right medication. It breaks my heart to do trail and error with my 8 year old son, but it breaks my heart even more for him to have to deal with all this anxiety.

So, we will just continue to try medications and pray that we find something that works well for him.



On to my day on Tuesday. We found out Tuesday that my uncle Billy's (the one we're planning to visit during spring break) brother Gary passed away on Monday. :( He was only 53 years old, but very sick. He lived with my aunt and uncle and my aunt Brenda found him Monday morning. He had died sometime in the night.

It is heartbreaking, he was a sweet, sweet man who always had a smile on his face. He always made a point to talk to everyone around. He was deaf, but could read lips well. He was a sweetheart.

Of course, we felt that now would not be a good time to visit, but my aunt Brenda said that my uncle Billy still wants us to come visit. So, I guess we will still be going there for a few days next week.



On to today....not much going on today. Zac will be at his dad's. I have to pick up Gage from school and I guess take him home to get ready for his date with his girlfriend. I have to pick her up, drop them off at El Chicos, then go back and pick them up when they're done, and take her home. Ohhhh, sometimes I cannot wait until he has a license!! haha.

Too cute, though.



So, that's what's been going on with me!!

I still haven't really looked into classes yet. I guess I should do that now, since we're slow at work.....

Today's blog is brought to you by

...the number "8" and the letter "F".

The number 8. The number of patients we have today!!
The letter F. The first letter of my favorite word, Friday!!
Eight patients on a Friday!! That means a short day for us!! YAY!!

This month of March is bringing nothing but fun weekends ahead!!

Tomorrow my cousin Carrie is coming in town, so it's going to be a girls night out for me, Carrie, and Leah. :)
It's not often that we can all get someone to keep our kids at the same time!!

Next weekend? The annual St Paddy's Street Festival. That's always fun!

Then the next weekend? We're going to visit my aunt and uncle in Fairfield. We usually go in the summer, but we're going Spring Break this year. And we'll probably go this summer too!
So excited about this trip. My cousin Ashley just opened her tattoo shop!
She's going to ink me up and I can't wait!!
I have Gage's name on my back, she's going to add Zac's name.
And no telling what else. She's drawing me up some stuff and I can't wait to see what she's got for me!! :)

Not to mention the important people who have birthdays this month:
Marianne and Mickey
Lucia
Jack

Good ole Days

An old picture my cousin Carrie posted on Facebook today.
Abby and Leah in the left bottom corner.
Then Carrie, Jeff, and yep......the fatty in the Porky Pig shirt is porky me. haha.



Awwww, all of us cousins were all so close growing up. And we still are.
I love my family!! :)

Curly hair?

Last night Leah and I took our kids to Casa Manana. It's become our ritual to all go eat at Casa Manana when Dustin leaves to go back to work. A celebration of sorts.....just kidding ;) But we really do go eat there everytime he leaves.
Anyways, Lucia found a hair in her hamburger! Ewwww. So, I asked Leah if she remembered (years ago...Gage was just a toddler) when we went there to eat with my dad, step mother, and little brother. We got our food and Leah looks at her plate and freaks out. She has hair all on the side of her plate. And I'm not talking hair...I'm talking....h.a.i.r. A hint, Leah said,"I really hope a black man is cooking back there." haha. Anyways, Leah didn't remember, but she died laughing when I told her about it. I said,"Yeah, and it wasn't just a hair....it was a lot."
Lucia said,"Like someone was wearing extensions?" haha. I was like...noooo.
Leah got her fork and pointed down and said,"Like that kind of hair." I was like,"Leah! Don't tell her that!" haha. Lucia said,"Ewwww, that's so gross!" Then she leans over and whispers something to Leah. Leah starts cracking up and told Lucia to tell me what she said. So, Lucia comes over to me and whispers,"Was a man's chest hair all over the plate?" hahahaha. I love that kid. Leah said,"Oh, Lucia. I love you and how innocent you are!"
It was freaking hilarious.

Sooo, anyways.....Gage's girlfriend is going to church with us tonight. I had to pick them up from school today. She's acting all shy. She's a pretty one. I'm going to try to get a picture of her dog tag necklace Gage bought her for Christmas. hahahaha.
Kids. They crack me up.

TWOOOO THOUSAND ELEVEN!!!

Did everyone have a fabulous New Year's Eve?

I had a lot of fun with my boys, sister, niece, nephew, friends, kids of friends... :)

Adrien got a hotel room for the weekend. It was a lot of fun.

The kids went swimming and running around the hotel...getting in trouble for being too loud and for playing up and down the halls in Gage's wheelchair! haha. Dorks.

As many times as we went up and down.....Zac refused to ride in the elevator, so I had to take the stairs with him EVERYTIME.

He saw the previews to Devil...which I saw and LOVED! Anyways, he just saw the previews...people get stuck in an elevator, one person is the devil....Nope. I'm not riding in an elevator!!! Ugh. I got my work out for the year! ;)

We stayed up late, talking, watching movies. We watched '80s horror flicks...of course, AFTER Zac was asleep!! Drank some wine, the kids had Sparkling White Grape juice. haha.

We missed the countdown, because we were all playing, acting silly. I looked at the clock and said,"Uhhh, it's 12 o'clock." Everyone started screaming "HAPPY NEW YEAR!!" Then me and Leah were ready for bed. :) I actually made it to about 1:00. That's big time, baby...for me!!
The next morning, the kids were playing with the balloons we were blowing up the night before...and this is what Jack did.

He said that was his pee pee hanging out of his underwear.

You gotta love him!!

We had a good time! I'm looking forward to the new year. I haven't really made any New Years Resolutions this year. I'll be thinking about it though!

Happy 2011!

The Ross Family.

My uncle Boo (Forrest), Aunt Teeter (Cindy), My dad (Steve Al), and Aunt Brenda.




My dad's family.

Back row; Dustin (Leah's husband), Jack, Leah, my dad, my dad's wife, my brother Taylor, me, and Gage.
Bottom; Zac and Lucia



My Aunt Teeter's family.

Teeter, Jack, Alexis, Chasty, Kevin, Ryan, Carrie holding Ava, Jorge
then Kolby and Annabel



My Uncle Boo's family

Natalie, Jeff, Boo, and Linda



My Aunt Brenda's family

Ashley, Phil, Abby, Brenda, Ross
then Bailey and Hannah



All the cousins!
We were all so close when we were younger.



All the cousin's kids. :)
That's my fam. At the Ross Family Christmas this year.

It has been years since we've all been together for Christmas!

Before we ate lunch, my Uncle Jack said a prayer. Then Lucia said a prayer.
Then my aunt Linda said she wanted to say a few words.
She said,"I just want to say...if I can without crying"...then she teared up and started crying. She said."I am so thankful that the younger generation got us all together again, after so many years. It's so great to be all together again" I can't remember everything else she said because I started crying along with everyone else. It was sweet. And Leah told them all that they are always welcome in her home anytime.
I hope we all get to get together again soon.

Tis the season.....

Gotta loooove Christmas time!
So, part of Zac's therapy is learning to be alone without freaking out. Like, at bedtime. He starts getting scared, being in his room by himself, in the dark. The doctor said he needs to lay there and focus on clearing his mind, calming it so he can fall asleep.
Well, he told me he was ready for bed at 7 last night! I let him lay down at 8 and watch tv for a bit....or until he fell asleep. He came in my room at 10:30, crying, saying,"I can't calm my mind! I'm trying, but I keep thinking about Santa coming. I can't fall asleep and he's not going to come!!"



So, I made Gage lay down with Zac until Zac fell asleep. Gage said he was immediately out. haha. Poor guy.

I was up until about 11:30 watching my True Blood my mom bought me!! Woot, woot!! Seasons one AND two!!! Love it!!



Then I checked to make sure the kids were asleep, and Santa put the presents out.
Theeeen, Zac came running in my room at 6:15 yelling,"Mom, Santa came!! Santa came!"
I was like....cool, let's sleep some more then check it out. haha.
Not happening. He went and woke Gage up, I had to drag myself outta bed and watch them be all excited about the things Santa brought for them.
Gage said,"Wow, Mom....Santa gave me all the Jackass movies." I said,"Heck yeah, Santa's down, yo." haha.
So after all the ooohing and ahhing, I went back to bed at 8:30 and woke up at 9:30 to Beauty laying in bed next to me, licking me. haha. Sweet girl. :)
Now we're at my sister's house, chilling with them. My aunt Brenda and cousin Ashley came in town last night.

Yesterday, we did Christmas at my mom's. Here are a few more pics. :)

The three sister's; keeping it real, yo.
(We like peace signs and put trouts..a lot! haha.)

The normal picture of us. :)

My mom and Mike; keeping it real. haha. They're so cool!!

Mom and Mike with all their grandkids!

Zac and Lucia.

Me and my sister's kiddos; keepin' it real!! What did I tell you...we like to keep it real!

Awww, cute normal picture of the kiddos!

Gavin and Jack!! Two little cutie pies.

My boy, Gage.

The mom's with their kids.

I can't seem to part with the True Blood dvds.

Goofy face time.

Ohhh, how I love Christmas time and family time!! It's the best!! :)

Happy Eve of Christmas Eve!!

I'm so excited for Christmas, just because I get to see all of my dad's side of the family this year! It's been a long time since we have all been together. Plus I'm excited to have a 4 day weekend!! Woot woot!
Plus I had yesterday off! Me and Zac stayed the night at Leah's Tuesday night. Wednesday morning, we picked up Gage from his sister's. Then me and Leah had lunch with my cousin Lauren at yummy Casa Manana!! It's always nice to catch up with family! :)
Today was Zac's first therapy session. His dad took him at 2 and I met up with them when I got off work around 2:20. They were in an office talking, so I just went in there and we went over a goal list the doc had made up for him. Then they had their session. I think it went pretty good. :)
Tomorrow we're going to my mom's for Christmas. Then home to get ready for ole Saint Nick!!
My aunt Brenda and cousin Ashley are coming in town tomorrow, too! I can't wait to hang out with them! :)
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas!!!! :)

By the way....did you know it's been 96 days since my last cigarette? Heck yeah, baby!
Although I have a feeling this Christmas weekend is going to be tough on me, since like 90% of my fam smokes!! :/
Wish me luck!

4 Days until Christmas...whaaa whaaa?

I'm at my sister's, watching Legion, listening to her and Adrien scream like little girls. haha.
I love this movie.

We went to eat at Jalapeno Tree....Lucia's reward for picking up the most dog poop. Then we went and got some wine. All six kids are in the back playing while we watch this good movie! :)

I love having days off during the week!

I'm off tomorrow. So, me and Zac are staying the night at Leah's tonight. We'll get up early and go get pick up Gage from his sister's.

Then have lunch with my cousin (in law).

Then the boys are going to open presents!

Zac will be at his dad's Thursday night and til noon on Christmas Eve, then to mom's. So, I'm letting the boys open presents early and together tomorrow. They're super excited! :)

Zac's dad didn't know where to go for Zac's appointment on Saturday, so it was rescheduled to Thursday. Sooo, he'll have his first therapy session Thursday at 2!

I have to work Thursday, but then I'll be off Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday!!

Awesome!!

Man, I'm tired. I think I'm gonna finish up this movie and head off to bed! Good night, my peeps!

Fat Booth!

My sister got a new app on her iPhone. Fat Booth. And let me tell you, we had some fun with it last night!! We went to eat at El Chico's and I could not stop taking pictures of everyone and making them fat! It was so fun.

Of course, I had to share the pics........

Here's me...Marianne, if my face ever gets THIS fat, tell me to stop eating Hot Fries and drinking Dr Peppers! haha.

Gage..his was taken in the car. Too funny!!

Zac was loving this! He took his picture a few times.

Lucia took hers at home. Ewwwww. haha. This one cracked me up!!

But not as much as this one. Man, Jack is so stinkin' cute!! haha. I love this kid!

I think Jack looks like "Lard Ass" from the movie "Stand By Me". hahahaha.

You spoke to me.....

Ok, so here's what's been going on this week. Yesterday while I was at work, I had a panic attack. I thought I was having a heart attack, or something was wrong with my heart. I felt like I could feel my heart actually flip flop in my chest. My chest was so tight. Ashley took my blood pressure and it was like 135/89....or something like that. It was high for me, usually I run about 118/72...or so. Anywaaaaays. Brenda and Ashley asked if I was anxious about anything. I was like,"no, not really." But then I started thinking.....
So, here's the story...
My dad's side of the family has not had a big Christmas together since before Zac was born. That's over 7 years. We used to have it at my aunt and uncle's house, but they moved to New Mexico when they retired. Plus some relatives moved to Dallas, Austin, and whatnot.
I guess that happens as you get older :( Well, we started just going to my dad's for Christmas. But we've even stopped doing that. My step monster is a little passive aggressive and like to take jabs behind everyone's back. She'd talk about my sister and my mom to me, when it's just us. Or she'll talk to Leah about me when I'm not around.
Of course, little does she know, since we never really talk to her, me and Leah are best friends and we tell eachother everything. oops, sorry wicked stepmother.
Ok, a little off subject.
This year, Leah has invited the entire side of my dad's family to her house for Christmas. I think it is wonderful. I'm excited about seeing everyone all together all at once again! I'll get to meet Carrie and Jorge's new addition, Ava. I'll get to chill with my cousin Ashley, I love that girl...and maybe I can talk her into bringing her tat stuff and tatting me up while she's here ;)
I asked Leah if dad was coming. My dad doesn't really have anything to do with his side of the family. Let's just say, it has to do with (his) past mistakes and refusing to talk about it. It has to do with a family that likes to drink and have a good time....and someone who let that kind of thing control his life for a long time...finally got out of it...and doesn't want to be around it.
I totally understand. I think it's wonderful when someone knows not to put themselves into a situation they shouldn't.
Surprisingly, Leah said my dad and little brother are coming! I'm excited. I haven't seen or talked to my dad since July. I figured it's because someone has been whispering in his ear for the past 29 years and maybe he's starting to believe her lies? I don't know.
So, I asked Leah, if SHE was coming? She said she doesn't know for sure if she's working (we're doing it on a Monday), but probably.
Hello, anxiety.
What do you do when someone you absolutely cannot stand is going to be in the same house as you...all day?
I thought....do I completely ignore her....act like she doesn't even exsist? Or do I kill her with kindness?
The thought of killing her with kindness makes me throw up in my mouth a little. I can't pretend! How can I pretend to a woman who has lied and caused trouble in our family for so many years???

Then I went to church tonight.
And tonight's lesson was meant for me.

Love one another.
Love others as God loves you.
Do not not love someone, just because you know you will not get anything in return.
Love is not selfish.
Sometimes in darkness, your love can be the only light. That one glimmer that someone else needed.

I sat there shaking my head, during the whole service...thinking, ok, God. I know what I gotta do. I gotta suck it up.
Will it be hard? Oh yes. It will be.
But I'm gonna try, dang it! :)


Oh, and I wasn't having a heart attack :) It was anxiety. I took a half of a Xanax and I felt my heart quit pounding, the tightening in the chest let up.
I took a couple deep breaths and felt a little better. :)

Family Time

Thanksgiving pictures.....

I actually helped with Thanksgiving lunch this year. Crazy, right? Leah made fun of me because I pulled up a chair to the sink to peel potatoes. At least I helped, right?


This is how I looked for our entire Thanksgiving. I didn't shower or change or put on even a little make up. Take it or leave it. haha.


Lucia and Rachel, I have no idea what this face Lucia is making, weirdo.


Paw Paw with Gavin and Jack. :)


Jack all dressed up for Thanksgiving. Looking just like his daddy. Unfortunately his daddy had to work and missed Thanksgiving this year. :/


My sister Lacey and her boy Gavin.


My boy, Gage.


My Aunt Lisa. (Rachel's mom)


Some how my mom, Leah, and Zac avoided getting their pictures made! :(

We had a good Thanksgiving. How about you?