We love you Half-Pint!

In only 48 hours I will be travelling with my sweet husband and young teen son on a magical ride to the big city.

Yep, you got it right. We are off to see

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - THE MUSICAL!

Don't tell me you are not thrilled for me! I am estatic. Have been for months. Can't really say that for my boys, though. Dave is trying to find somebody, anybody, to have dinner with him in Nashville or Knoxville, or Tennessee for that matter, where he won't have to go into TPAC.

Eli is sad, cause, well, he is going on 14 and his mom signed him up to see

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE - THE MUSICAL!

The best part is that Melissa Gilbert is starring as Ma Ingalls. Whoa! Isn't that awesome!

I loved the show SO VERY, VERY much when I was small.

My teddy bear's name was ... you guessed right.... Pa INGALLS!

I will keep everyone up to date on what a fab time that we have going on such a special date!

WOOO HOO!

silent night. oh, what a night.

Finally, the little kids are down. Every night, it is such a chore to get bathtime, teeths brushed, jammies on and get them in bed with no drama. It is exhausting, so tiring sometimes, that I wish I could just let them fall over and sleep where they land.

Except that they would be up until 2 a.m.

The earlier they go to bed, the better they act in the morning. Ah, what a difference a 8 p.m. bedtime makes! My mornings run SO smooth when they are in bed early.

This is a busy week. I have five tests this week, two on the same day - in Geology - back to back.

So, I guess I need to be studying.

Tomorrow, Emma has her first field trip. I can't go, I missed a day of work a couple of weeks ago to take my test. I am really bummed about missing her pumpkin patch trip. This is the first time that I am gonna miss something cause I stayed at home with Eli. We did not let her go last year, partly because she was only four, but mostly cause I had surgery the day before. She is excited. I am hoping someone takes some pictures. It is supposed to be a beautiful day.

Only six more weeks in the semester. Woo-Hoo!

When is it O.K. to voice your opinion?

Many times, I find myself having improper thoughts about things.

For example, if I see someone with an abnormally large head, I think, "Man, she has a big head." Or, if I see someone with whacked out fingers, I think, "Man, she has whacked out fingers."

The majority of the time, I never say this out loud. I think it, but I don't say it. And I sure never write it down for others to read.

Imagine my surprise, when recently, someone wrote something to me DIRECTED AT ONE OF MY KIDS.

Talk about kicking ass. Or dreaming of it, at least.

For the past week, I have been rehashing this over and over. Most of the time, this is in my head. A few times, oh several times, I have went over and over this with Dave. Finally, my mother in law told me to get over it.

I guess this story is not so much as to rehash it again. I think I am sick of thinking about it - today, anyways.

What it is about is how hard parents love their children.

I remember feeling this way when Eli was smaller. I remember the anger I would feel when he was wronged. I remember the stuff we went thru, how I wanted to kill people because they were affecting quality of life. I have disliked people immensely just because they hurt his feelings, excluded him or made snide comments.

I think that as time has went on, he has grown up, I have learned to let go a little bit. His problems are different now. I know that when that girl breaks his heart, I will feel like kicking some butt then.

My protective cycle has started with Emma. I can't stand people who direct their insecurities toward small children.

I passed my test!

So, I took the test on Friday....

AND I PASSED!!

I am thrilled!

An Abortion Mill Story.

Yesterday, I went to Nashville with my super sweet kind husband. After a mixed up 9 a.m. advising appointment, I realized that I had a little time on my hands. So, being the multitasker that I am, I wanted to utilize my day off to my advantage.... and Dave was kind enough to go outta the way and take me here so I could pray and think for just a few minutes.

The Women's Center

Abortion Mill

40 Days for Life is a wonderful campaign that is held in the spring and in the fall. It is going on right now - through the first of November. Volunteers gather at abortion mills accross the US and pray to end abortion, pray for the people inside contemplating whether to follow thru, pray for the workers to not work there anymore. This is the first time that Nashville has participated.

And this is the first time I had ever been to a clinic.

I know that the statistics on abortion are high - I have several friends that have had them, so I have been directly affected by them and in other ways.

The most important thing that I do know is that if people don't go here, you end up with this:

My newborn Emma - just a few hours old.

So much to do....

Tomorrow, I am going to take a test. A big test. A four and one-half hour test.
An expensive test at a testing center in Nashville.

I am feeling kinda stupid. What if I don't pass? I have lotsa test anxiety. Some days, I am confident in my school work. I know that I can pass classes. At the end of this semester, I will have 73 hours.

I sit in classes with all these young kids. One of my teachers at Tech is 25. She is 25!
When Eli was born, she was 12. I was a mother already when she was twelve years old!

That is depressing.

Anyways, I think my brain may explode. I have been studying all night. I am trying to review everything I have ever learned. Well, at this point, I hope I retain some of it. I am so tired, I can't even figure percentages. What is a noun? What is a verb? What if I fail the essay part of the quiz?

I am going to be so, so, so happy when tomorrow night rolls around. I am ready to go to bed.

I was trying to study and I yelled at my kids to go to bed. You know it is sad when the six year old has to read the four year old a bedtime story cause Mommy is too busy.

Flexible Men. A Picture Story.

On Sunday Night, we left the comforts of our home

and the company of three small children to cross this river......

And go here... LP Field. We were going to watch the Titans

play my favorite man - and team - THE COLTS.

I like to get there a little early - about 2 hours or so before kickoff -

cause I get to see things like this.

This dude - I have no idea who he is - stretched, and stretched, and stretched.

So very, very flexible.

And then, this dude did this. He gave me cramps in my legs.

Fat doesn't bend like that.

Then I noticed his cleats. I hope his momma didn't have to pay for those.

I would cry if my kids asked for cleats like that.

Then, this guy dude propelled his body in mid-air.

And he held it that way, for like, 30 minutes.

Not really. But it seemed that long.

Then, this snapper guy came out and practiced snapping.

Again, who else can bend like this?

(Just to let you know, I also have a picture

from the other side. But I didn't wanna

disturb anyone. So I kept it for me :) )

This glorious specimen of a man (#18) came out and stretched his big body parts.

That was glorious in itself.

Then, he went back into the long tunnel and he returned about an hour later.


And when he came back out, it looked like this.

He impatiently waited for everyone else to get their acts together.

And while waiting, he had this kind of attitude.

Finally, things started happening.

Boy, did they happen. We now know that they can move AND bend.

Go Colts!!!

Confession Friday.

Had the day off today to go with my sweet girls on a field trip - due to RAIN (who woulda ever thought it rained here?) the trip was cancelled. So I came to work.

I know I have been slacking off on my blog. I am just so.dadgum.busy.

Here, I feel like confessing.

1. My house is a wreck. Not a DHS involvement issued wreck, but pretty messy. Clean laundry in piles. A few dirty dishes. But I need to dust. LOTS.

2. I am counting down the days until Dave and I are alone. With no kids. In November. In the Opryland Hotel. For three (3) days.

3. I have lots of homework. Lots.

4. I am getting used to going to bed by myself. Dave is gone alot of nights working at the store. It was hard at first. My feet were cold. I got a blankie, and put on socks. Now I am better.

5. When my kids go to bed at night, I am thankful that they are sleeping. After several drinks of water, a few extra trips to pee, and tripp saying, "you haven't fed me alllll dayyyy!" I am so very excited when the house is quiet.

6. We moved last February. I never got to pack/unpack my summer clothes. Then I never packed/unpacked my winter clothes. They are all still laying there. Where I left them in February.

7. Eli is playing in his championship ball game tomorrow night at 7 p.m. I don't like people talking to me during his game. Not little kids, not big people, noone. I can't concentrate on his kicking.
So I think I offended my sister when I told her that she could go with me if she would shut up. (Sorry, Lissa. No harm meant. Nothing personal)

I took Mallie for her flu shot at the doctors office this morning. The girl threw a fit on me that you wouldn't believe. She laid down in the floor. I had to pin her legs down with my jumbo calf and hold her arms down. She still got loose. Finally, we got to stick her. She will be mad at me forever. She squealed and screamed.

Now I am exhausted.

I am still here ---- sort of.

What a busy week. We had Emma's birthday (my girl is six!) and then lots of school work, the store opened, and it was just C.R.A.Z.Y.

I was so busy last week I did not have time to write Emma's birth story. I know that all of my kids are going to get a kick outta reading this junk one day, right? :)


Eli got a headache on Friday night. His throat was sore on Saturday. He was really coughing on Sunday. Today, we are off to the doctor.

Dave is sick. Like, he looks like death.

Then, last night, Tripp told me, "I'm burnin."

Temp was (only)100. (Both Tripp and Emma run 105-106 temps when they get sick. So, 103's don't cause me lots of panic)

Looking like another interesting week is in the forecast. Geology test tomorrow, paper due Wednesday, another due Wednesday, paper due Friday.

Next week is spring break.

Here is Tripp riding Emma's caterpillar stuffed animal. This thing is huge. Anyways, he rides it thru the house all the time, galloping like a horse. Saturday night, he was wearing this mask. This makes me laugh.

Happy Monday!

I don't like young people.

We had a long, tedious Geology test today. We had to answer 28 questions about rocks, their fracture, if they were from a volcano.... well, you see where I am going with this, right? WRONG.

So, after the test, I pick up my phone to text David, and this young girl behind me starts laughing. I turned around and looked at her, and she said, "I think it is so funny when older people text." I told her that I text all the time. She says, "Really? Do you like, know T9?" I said yes. Then I said, "I can't believe you just said that to me." She just kinda giggled.

Bitch.