The simple things in life

I'm sadly counting down the minutes until schools starts back. I've had two amazing weeks with my kids and wouldn't change a second of it. Today was Chuck E Cheese and Baskin Robbins day. I'm not a huge fan of either place but the smiles on their faces is worth everything in the world. I'm so lucky and blessed to be able to spend this time with them. I know it's not the money we invest but the hugs and kisses that come along with every game that's won and all the tickets they win. The shear excitement and me getting to be their biggest fan, rooting them on, and being proud of them for winning two tickets at ski ball for a piece of candy. It's the simple things in life that matter and I'm honored to go on this journey with my amazing kids. I can't thank God enough for my family. I truly hit the jackpot!

Bowling

I swear my kids are obsessed with bowling. That's all they ever want to do. I can just mention it and the boys transform into the most obedient things you've ever seen. This morning I needed to clean house so I used my "bribing" skills which worked amazing:) I got to clean house all morning, go to the gym, then take them bowling. No whining was involved which makes for one happy mommy! Too bad Brian's in Nashville for the next two days. He would have been so proud of them. Brian left this morning but were already ready for him to come home. Thursday night can't come soon enough!

Big Christmas present

The boys favorite presents this year for Christmas is their Razor scooters from my parents and the gumball machine from Brian and I. They're gonna have rotten teeth within the next 2 months. I promise!

Stop Talking!

Kaleb did amazing at the beginning of the school year in conduct. I think he's gotten a little too comfortable with his friends because now he won't stop talking. He's changed his clip everyday for two weeks(which drives me crazy). I've tried everything to get him to stop talking. Bribery just isn't working. If you have any suggestions I would love some feedback. I know I'm a talker but seriously, somethings gotta change!!

Blood

I took Austin to have his blood drawn at Baptist Surgery Center today. He's been sick for so long that the doctor wants to make sure he doesn't have anything wrong with his immune system.

I swear he was the bravest 5 year old on the planet. We went in, he sat in my lap, stuck his arm out, watched them take the blood, then asked if they could do it again. The nurse couldn't stop laughing at him. How crazy is that! He was so excited it didn't hurt that now he's excited to get all 5 of his 5 year old shots. Wow, that makes my life easier:) He's getting to be such a big boy!

Who?

I took Austin to the doctor today and they have a "sick" and a "well" side. Of coarse, we were on the sick side. Its hard to hear when your name is called because our Doctors side of the office is on the "well" side. I was reading a book while Austin was coloring and the nurse kept yelling out a name. Austin looked up and said "Mom, that's me." I put my bookmark in and told the nurse I was sorry I didn't hear her. She laughed then we went back as usual. We were put in a room on a hall we've never been on but I didn't think anything about it.

When I made the appointment the nurse told me we would have to wait along time because their extremely busy this time of year. I just figured our doctor was trying to get us into a room so I thought nothing of it. Next thing you know another doctor comes in. I didn't say anything because I figured she was helping our doctor out because she was behind(which does happen sometimes). She asked me a couple of questions then started arguing with me about when the last time I was in the office with Austin. I pulled out my planner, gave her the exact date and even showed her the receipt of my office visit. She looked at me and said "this is Carson isn't it." Um..... NO! It's not Carson.

Apparently that's the name the nurse said. I even double checked with her and I thought she said Austin too. I guess all Austin and I heard was the end of the first name. I can't believe Carson's parents didn't say anything when other people went in on her child's name.

Needless to say we had to switch halls and Austin and I couldn't quit laughing about it. The office manager had to come get us(I'm sure they thought we were idiots) which we thought was even funnier. We decided that we like our doctors side of the hall better because she has better toys and books.

Austin's 4yr old Christmas Program

Today was Austin's last Christmas program at his school. I'm sad that he starts Kindergarten next year but he's surely not. He sang his little heart out and got to see a lot of his friends from last year so he was really excited! He had to wear this shirt(which he wore yesterday) because it says "All I want for Christmas is everything."

Another Dr. Appointment

For once, it was Austin. He's been sick since the 13Th but I haven't taken him to the doctor yet. I had several refills so I used them up before I paid the $30.00. Needless to say, they didn't work. He has sinusitis and bronchitis so hopefully we will get some relief soon. I'm so tired of having sick kids!!! I don't think I've ever had both of them well at the same time. AHHH!

Thank you God!

I'm so thankful for everything he has given me. I have amazing people that support me in every aspect of my life and couldn't make it a day without any of them. Its not just my husband and children but every fine detail God has added in. Don't get me wrong, my husband and children are amazing. They have a huge impact, but without everyone else, I couldn't have become the person I am today. My family is absolutely the best and I'm so thankful for them.

I talk to my Mom everyday. I hope my boys will be as close to me when they grow up as I am to her. I still call my Dad "Daddy" (which Brian makes fun of) because I will always be Daddy's little girl. I have to admit, I call Dad when I need help instead of Brian. Brian used to get aggravated about it but he's finally figured out that he's so busy with work and doesn't have time to deal with the small stuff around the house. It's easier to call Dad, get it done, and not worry about it anymore.

Growing up, my sister and I never got along. Now, she's my best friend. I can tell her anything and am so proud of her. She's beautiful inside and out and I'm truly blessed to have her in my life. J.R. and Shawn are amazing together. They love each other so much and I'm happy they made it through the good times and bad. I'm extremely thankful for both of them and my handsome Nephew Evan. I love them all so much.

I strive to be like my Mother-in-law but that will never happen. She's taught me that having a clean house can be done but I still haven't figured it out. Brian's lost hope that he can live in a clean house like he did when he was growing up. I try! I clean all day and our house is still dirty. He thinks I'm making it up that I clean all day, but I swear I do. Our kids are just REALLY nasty!

I'm glad my children have a relationship with both their Grandparents like I did. I couldn't have made it without my Great Grandparents and Grandparents. They meant the world to me and I would do anything to have them back. That's why I want my children to have a close relationship with theirs. Nothing beats that bond and the lifelong memories the boys will have.

I am a loving wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. I'm thankful today that God let me wake up this morning with a smile on my face. I lived another day to watch my children play and be with my family. I'm truly thankful for that!

We made cars

While at Downtown Disney(our last day) the boys made cars. Including Brian.

Hong Kong Bound

I'm not exactly sure what it is about me but every time I get close to someone, they move away. Maybe I should take the hint and not make any new friends. Although, God keeps putting in my path a lot of amazing people. I'm blessed that their making me a better person on the inside and out, literally. My running partner leaves the United States on November 22 for Hong Kong. I am so honored to be able to say she's the only person I'll get up out of bed on my own free will to hangout with at 5AM. I've conquered every running milestone with her. Granted, I'm not a runner, just a jogger. My first 5 miles, 6.2 miles, 10 miles, and soon half marathon(13.1) will be with her. I owe my sanity, drive, perseverance, love, respect, laughs, and everything in between to her. You have no idea how much you will be missed. Your Collierville family awaits your return. All of us can't wait for you to come back and you haven't even left. We love the Dubinsky's!

I can smell

I took Kaleb to the ENT today for the first of his four followup visits after surgery. Needless to say, he was amazing! He's faithfully putting saline in his nose every hour so he doesn't have to do surgery again. Apparently, he's squeezing harder on the left side than the right because the left side is completely dissolved. The right, not so much. Since he's right handed, it's very common for this to happen so now were really gonna focus on flushing the right side out. Kaleb let Dr. Naidu(which I love) stick a long rod up his nose and the thing that sucks spit out of your mouth from the dentist but this one sucked snot from your nose which was so cool! He sat there better than I could have done. He seriously didn't move an inch. About 15 minutes into it Kaleb said ummmmmmm. Dr. Naidu asked if he was hurting him and Kaleb started laughing and told him no but I would like for you to be done. All three of us laughed but Dr. Naidu and I couldn't believe how amazing Kaleb was.

Dr. Naidu cleaned all the biodegradable gauze out of his nasal passages then pulled some of the dried blood out. He didn't want to pull too much of it out because Kaleb's nose would start bleeding if he did. The dried blood is keeping the nosebleeds from happening so we need as much as possible. The saline has been reduce to 4 times a day instead of every hour which will gradually wash all the dried blood away.

After Dr. Naidu finished with Kaleb I had several questions that needed to be answered. During the middle of my trampoline question, Kaleb looked at Dr. Naidu with the biggest grin on his face and surprise in his eyes. He started yelling Dr. Naidu, Dr. Naidu....I can smell. It brought tears to my eyes. My poor baby has missed so much.

After we left the office we headed to McDonald's for lunch. The first thing Kaleb did was open and smell his chicken mcnuggets and let out an ahhhhh. He's missed out on so much and he's only 6. I can't imagine never being able to smell. Can you? I've truly learned from him to NEVER take anything for granted. Everything's one day at a time.

Viral Meningitis

So far today has been the biggest rush to sit and do NOTHING!

I went to Chicago with six friends from my Bunco group for my first "girls" weekend. Needless to say, I ended up buying an emergency ticket home because Brian decided to come down with viral meningitis.

I knew he had a headache Thursday night but I didn't realize how bad it was. I thought it would be gone on Friday so I packed my bags and was gone by 5:30 am Friday morning. Brian called me around 6:30 Friday night telling me he was headed to the hospital. I figured they would give him pain medicine then send him home, which they did. The pain didn't ease so he went back Saturday morning. I was out shopping at stores like Saks, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus in which I can't even afford to breathe the air in any of those stores. Poor Brian was getting a spinal tap. His parents called me around 4:30 letting me know he did have meningitis but didn't know what kind. They went ahead and started treating it as bacterial just to make sure.

I tried to get a flight out Saturday night but I couldn't get one in time. My amazing friends booked me on a 6:44 AM departure arriving in Memphis at 8:30 AM. It was perfect! Except for having to get up at 4:30 and hailing a cab while all the crazy drunk people were out. You would have thought I was a New Yorker though! It seriously took me 5 seconds and I had two cabs fighting over me. It was a tough decision on which one to chose but I went with the guy listening to christian music:) Chicago at 4:30 AM is a crazy sight!

I made it back to Memphis and have sat in the hospital all day. I'm not exactly sure why they think you can get rest in a hospital. It's always crazy busy with crap beeping all the time. Plus, the pain medicine Brian's on makes him jump really bad while he's asleep. It scares the crap out of us every time.

When I got here this morning his pain level on a scale from 1 to 10 was constantly an 8. They doubled his pain medicine and it's down to 5. The doctor came in a little bit ago and said he should stay around a 5 all day tomorrow then it should start going down. I'll keep you posted on what's going on. Hey, at least I have time to blog:)

By now I've been up since 4:30. I'm pretty sure nothing I've typed makes since so if you read this tonight, give me time and I'll fix it tomorrow.

Summer= SWIMMING

I think that's all we've done this summer. Everyday is centered around the water. So far, were on a good routine. I workout from 8:00-10:00, then we eat lunch,(I'm not a big breakfast person) then swim, swim, swim!!!!!
We've gotten addicted to Subway and love that they sell breakfast. We get there around 10:30 then head home, eat lunch, and play in the pool all afternoon. AHHH, who can beat the lazy days of summer:)

Austin's last day of school

Today was Austin's end of the year program. I kept Kaleb out of school because Austin just worships him. He thinks Kaleb hung the moon.

We always sit in the balcony so we can videotape. After Austin finished singing, he started screaming at Kaleb to sit down. The entire sanctuary could hear him. It was embarrassing and funny at the same time. He's so stink in cute! I can't believe I didn't shed one tear during his program. I always cry a lot then Brian makes fun of me but for some reason, I don't cry at Austin's programs. What's up with that?

Random information: This is Austin with my friend Kristen's son Chase. She's my very first friend in my entire life and now our boys are friends. How cool is that! Kristen moved away for college so I never thought she would end up back here, but she did. Too bad the boys won't be going to school together ever again. SO SAD! Austin is going Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Chase is going Tuesday and Thursday next year. Just our luck:(

Mother's day 2010

I treated myself to exactly what I wanted for Mother's day. A MUCH needed manicure and pedicure:) I got it on Thursday but by Sunday my nails were destroyed. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted. Brian and I debated on what to do but Kaleb quickly answered that question. Austin threw the Frisbee over our fence into the neighbors yard so while Kaleb was trying to climb the rotten fence, the boards broke in half. We ended up at Home Depot buying boards and replacing pieces of a broken fence. FUN FUN!!!!

We finally ended up at the zoo because Brian hadn't been in awhile. I'm so blessed to have an amazing husband and two healthy happy (except when their fighting) kids! God has truly blessed us and I'm one extremely lucky lady.

Kaleb's 6th Birthday

It's official, Kaleb's 6. It now takes him two hands to show his age:( I'm excited and devastated at the same time. Here's a picture of him with his birthday present.

For those of you that know Kaleb, you know that Kaleb is Brian made over! He looks, acts, dresses, carries himself, everything, just like Brian. I swear he got every chromosome from him and none from me.

He's already really popular at school. There's 12 kindergarten classes and he knows every kid. We can't go anywhere in Collierville without him knowing at least 2 people. Some from school, and some from the gym.

He's doing great in school(except for behavior). He's in the highest reading group, math, and computer group available. He has a problem with talking and being too rough. For instance, last Friday, they couldn't convince him that it wasn't St. Patrick's day. He kept pinching everyone he could find that didn't have green on. Needless to say, he changed his bear twice which gave him a Satisfactory for the day. So we deal with it. He also has a girlfriend that he's going to marry. They hold hands and kiss on the check but I told them they had to breakup. He's in Kindergarten. He doesn't need a girlfriend!

He likes rock climbing, playing video games, swimming, and riding his bike. He loves to color and sits at the table for hours painting and coloring pictures. He doesn't like to draw, but loves to color. Brian and I are so proud of him and the wonderful memories he's given us over the past 6 years. Were thankful God blessed us with him and couldn't ask for anything more. He's more than amazing, he's OURS!!!

Austin's 1st trip to the circus

Sadly, it only took me 4 years to take Austin to the circus. Brian and I took Kaleb right after Austin was born, but still hadn't taken Austin. Well, today he went. He was ready to leave before the show even started. He ate cotton candy, got a sword, and ate a snow cone(which Kaleb spilled) then got really whiny. We stayed for the whole thing but I think we'll skip next year. The kids lost interest in a big hurry and the acts didn't move fast enough. At least that's checked off the list.

Not so good

Okay so my last post was almost a month ago so I'm not doing good at my new goal.

I'm on spring break this week so nothing interesting has happened. I got my test back and got an 82. Needless to say, I was NOT HAPPY! I took another test last Wednesday and feel like I did really good. Most likely, I did bad again. Anytime I think I did good, I do bad. If I think I do bad, I do good. It drives me crazy!!!

6th Birthday Party

We celebrated Kaleb's birthday today at Lifetime Fitness. I had his party early this year because last year was a mess. His birthday always falls over spring break so I hate to have it the weekend before or the weekend after because a lot of people go out of town. We had a great turn out and Kaleb had a blast. Here are a few pics.

Sock Hop

Today was Kaleb's sock hop at school. Austin and I went, but Kaleb wanted to be with his girlfriend and Austin wanted to be in the conga lines. I stood in the middle and took pictures.

Kaleb's girlfriend is Alaina. She's the one with the white shirt and blue skirt. She danced with another boy for about 2 minutes and Kaleb got jealous. He went and stood by the wall pouting almost in tears. I went over to cheer him up and dragged him out to dance with me. As soon as he saw she was available, he dropped my hands and told me he didn't want to dance with me anymore and ran over to her:(

Austin's in the blue shirt at the front of the line. He thinks he's as big as they are.

Priorities

I'm trying to get my priorities in order. I've made a list and the blog is something that means a lot to me, but hasn't really been high on it. I love looking back and seeing what we did last year and I really miss that. So here we go again.........

I had ALL of Austin's school stuff packed and ready to walk out the door. We came home from dropping Kaleb off at school and headed upstairs to get his "badge" on Jump Start. It's an interactive website where you help characters and do learning games to buy things within a virtual world. He helped the characters for about 15 minutes then we had to leave for school. Right when I told him it to shut it down, he got a big award and present. He turned and told me he couldn't go to school because he felt sick and needed to stay home. I knew all he wanted to do was play on the computer so I told him if he did stay at home, he would have to stay in bed all day. He was petrified!
In his high squeaky voice he said "do I have to stay in bed all day and all night? If I do, I'm going to sneak out and get some badges"! I laughed and told him to get in the car.

Once at school, I looked in his bag and it wasn't as full as it usually is. Then I noticed his lunchbox was gone. I asked where it went and he told me he snuck it out so he could get an extra banana. Of coarse he didn't put it back so I had to go back home for it.

When I picked him up from school his teacher busted out laughing because as soon as he opened his lunchbox, he looked at his teacher and told her "I don't think I even want this banana". She told him he needed to eat it because the banana was the reason I had to go home for the lunchbox. Then she asked him if we live far from school. He told her "sometimes we get on the interstake(interstate) but not that much. It's somewhere in Collierville".
She said she felt like she was talking to a teenager. Then he told the class that he was "sick" but would have to stay in bed all day and all night so he decided to come play with all his friends instead so they wouldn't miss him.

I don't get to talk to Kaleb's teacher so I can't tell any good stories about him. He's taking a rock climbing class on Tuesday nights. He likes it and is doing okay. It doesn't start until 5:45 so he's exhausted by the time he gets out.

President's day

The boys spent the night with Brian's parent's last night so I could study. I had my first test today and I think I did okay. I hate when I feel good about a test because that's when I usually do bad. We shall see!

It started snowing pretty good on my way to school so my teacher let us out as soon as we finished our test. I love that!!!!

Happy Valentines Day!!

Brian and I don't celebrate Valentine's day so it was just another day around the Travis. We think we should love each other everyday instead of just one day a year:) Brian worked, while I studied. Yep, were wild and crazy kids.