Lots of emotions today. First of all for those of you who might not know this small little piece of trivia, there has been a kid from our family at SGPHS since 1991! The one year there wasn't a student, I was a teacher there. I have no idea what our family life will be like without red and gold! Maybe I can stop getting my hair highlighted so it looks decent with a red or gold shirt!

But now to the important part of today, Uncle Scott graduated from high school. We were lucky enough to get tickets to graduation, even if they were way up in the nosebleed section. Megan kept asking, "Where's Uncle Scott?" My response, "See him with the red hat?"

We are SO proud of him! He's such a smart kid, and we are excited for him to start the next part of his journey on June 14th when he leaves to attend a Military Academy on a wrestling scholarship.



Entire graduating class as seen from section 406.


Uncle Scott's #1 fan...where is he?


Uncle Scott and Megan - she finally found him!


Granna, Uncle Scott and Double G


Dad, Granna, Scott, Double G, Mom

If you can't find us this summer, we're at the pool. Alex, Austin, and Gage came over today and we had a pool party! The kids splashed and played for 2 hours, stopping only for a few minutes to each a sandwich. Aunt Kelly and I decided that this is a good idea for the summer. We want Kyler and Mandy to come hang out with us, too!!

I couldn't pass this one up. We were chatting at the dinner table and all of a sudden she got dramatic.



Just a note...we hear, "I can't believe it!" quite a bit around this house.

Today was Megan's spring program and final day of "school". We provided several audience members including Daddy, Granna, Double G, Uncle Scott, Grandma, and Grandpa. I was a little worried that maybe we went a little overboard on the amount of family members, but several other grandparents, parents, and siblings were there too. And who would we have left out?

Since other people were there to witness, I'll admit I was a complete cheeseball about the whole thing. It was so fun to watch, and I know I had a goofy smile on my face the entire time. Hope no one got that on camera!


This Little Light - with glo-sticks


Megan and Ellie chillin' while they were supposed to be singin'!

As for the actual program Megan and her friend Ellie sat next to each other and, instead of singing the songs and doing the actions, they discussed who they could spy in the audience. During a lull in the program, Ellie gave a shout out to her dad and mom; Megan to Grandma. They were so darn cute!!! The video clip isn't much, but it's a glimpse into the "Ellie and Megan show." I love the Ellie hug!



They also had a little "promotion" ceremony where Meg got a certificate from Ms. Donna.



And, as if it could get any better, we got to meet Ellie's new little brother Carter. He is beautiful. I can't wait to get my clean hands on him!

Afterwards we went to lunch with Grandma, Double G and Granna. Meg quickly fell asleep on the way home. She was exhausted!!

Megan has been pro-champion potty training the past 2 weeks, under her own initiative. I've been reluctant to post about it for fear I'd jynx the progress. We've done the sticker chart with Princess stickers, and it's been going very well.

Last night, my sister-in-law asked me how it was going. I replied that it was going well; Megan had gone 4 days with no accidents while wearing big girl panties about 95% of the time (bedtime still = Pull-ups, but she's been dry most mornings...just a safety precaution) and actually tells us before she goes that she has to go pee and poop. However, I expressed that I was bummed (not at or with Megan) because she'd pooped in her panties yesterday afternoon, ending the streak. My sweet sister-in-law replied, surprised, "You're upset about one accident in 4 days?" And then it hit me, like a slap in the face...I was discouraged over one accident in 4 days? Do I not remember the days of 4 accidents in 2 hours? And where to I come up with my expectations? At this rate, what am I going to do when she comes home with a "B" instead of an "A"?

But really, setting too high of expectations for any situation is one of my ultimate personal flaws that I'm already quite aware of and try really hard to keep at bay. It's like #3 on the list of 1,000+ known personality flaws of mine. Perhaps with situations like these I'll be able to get it under control by the time she graduates from high school...or college...

Now I'm off to Megan's Mother's Day Out program and graduation, of which I have very low expectations that she'll actually sing her song instead of suck her thumb. See, I'm doing better already!

I've put a limit on Megan's ketchup consumption. It was out of control. She dips everything, including meat, fruit, cheese, etc, in her ketchup and will ask for refills at least 2-3 times a meal. She's on a ketchup diet...now she can have one "circle" each meal. Once that's gone, it's gone - no refills. Tonight she wasn't quite finished with her dinosaur nuggets, but she was out of ketchup. So she found a dot of it on her belly and proceeded to dip her nuggets in the ketchup on her chest.

Rather than tell the entire story, I'll point you to Papa's blog post about Megan.

She's run away from home again to a grandparent's house. If the Census were conducting the survey today, I'd have to answer that we have 2 full-time residents and 1 part-time resident. We cannot keep her around and are beginning to take the hint.

Thanks Gran and Papa. Send her home happy, please!

Well, I feel like I can make an official statement that this weekend's "chore list blitz" was a success because I got my scrapbook room set-up. I'm pretty proud of myself because I put together each craft cube...no assistance needed! It isn't finished as I still need: one more cube, on its way from Brownsville (thank you Granna); to put the computer and printer in the corner; and to decorate - there's nothing on the walls. But here's a sneak peek. Now, let the creative ideas begin to flow!!

BEFORE:



AFTER:

Per my mom's latest blog posting about tonight, here is my argument.

Grandma and Grandpa took Megan! I merely met Grandma at Michaels for the use of her 50% off coupon, and she mentioned Megan spending the night. It was not planned. But once Megan had the idea planted in her head, it took 1.2 seconds for it to become official. We got her buckled into the car seat in Grandma's car and as we said goodbye, we got this response, "I'm not going to miss you!" And she probably won't!

Daddy and I are trying to keep ourselves occupied by working our way through the "to-do" list. We found a kitchen table!!! And Daddy is still assembling it, yes, at 2:00 a.m. Pics tomorrow...or should I say later on today.

Inspired by last weekend's clean-up project at Grandma and Grandpa's, Daddy and I made a list of unfinished projects we need to get done around the house. Since we can't afford to go anywhere this weekend, and it's too hot to be out and about, we've decided to park it at home. Projects, projects, projects.

We started the evening off with the vinyl flowers in Megan's room. Of course the idea was MUCH easier in my head but with both of us (Daddy and me) armed with popsicle sticks, it really didn't take that long. Let's just say that the instructions aren't kidding when they suggest a flat surface, whereas I decided that the Texas textured walls were a flat surface. Wow. But they are done and hopefully stuck. We did them all around the room, 28 total. Oh, I would highly recommend Wordelicious for all your vinyl letter/shape needs.


Megan rubbing with the popsicle stick.


Ta-da. Finished - all 28 rubbed on the wall!

Now off to another project....

I don't know if it is all of the graduations lately or what, but I think I'm ready to go back to school. No, not as a teacher, but as a student. I have 18 hours towards my Masters, and will probably have to start over again, but I've really been feeling that "pull" back to the classroom.

Have I lost my mind? Probably. Can you imagine me writing a research paper with Megan's help???

And then there's the problem of what I should "major in." The realistic answer would be something education, but what if I just up and want to be a lawyer or something? Heaven knows I love to argue...but the paperwork and the criminals? Or maybe I want to be a librarian. I could be around books all day and be cranky because every librarian I've ever met is cranky. Or should I pursue this new, wonderful world of non-profits? I just wish someone would walk up to me and hand me a foundation to run. How fun would that be?

Hmmmm...there's got to be something out there for me to do when I grow up...I've learned recently that it isn't gardening.

Megan woke up this morning visibly shaken. From what I could gather, she was upset about my flip-flop. Here's the story as she told it to me several times today.

Apparently, I took my flip-flop off to stick my toe into the water. Daddy then picked up my flip-flop and threw it into the "frog water." My flip-flop was, at that point, lost. When I asked her if I got the flip-flop back she said, "That was Daddy's problem. No, you did not get it back. It was lost, Mommy!" She requested that we call Daddy at work to "discuss the flip-flop." We called and she gave Daddy the what for, complete with a raised voice and furrowed brow, about throwing my flip-flop into the frog water. He asked her why he threw it in the water, and she replied, "Because you were mean."

All day long she has brought up the status of my flip-flop, and I have had to show her the brown flip-flop each time. She has been extremely worried about the whole situation - which was a dream! Daddy talked to her about dreams, how sometimes we imagine things when we're asleep. But dang, this was real to her! I almost started believing it half-way through the day.

Megan and I went out to work in the garden this morning before it got extremely hot. I was weeding and raking when I noticed something extremely frightening - no Megan. I found her in the house at my computer (on the desk).

Mama: Hey, what are you doing?
Megan: Mama! I workin' here. Don't worry. Just a minute.
Mama: Megan, please do not touch my computer.
Megan: But I gotta finish this.

I assessed the situation. Sure enough while I was gone, an email had arrived. I clicked reply to respond and my letters H, T, C, V, and B did not work anymore! I freaked out! So I called the expert (Daddy) and we spent 20 minutes trying to figure it out. This is the email I sent to Daddy to illustrate my frustration: "I is ery ard o ype an email wiou erain keys working. Ow did se do is?" While I was on the phone trying to fix the mess, I noticed an email arrive from my own email address - Megan sent me an email from myself full of important gibberish! We still have no idea how she disabled part of the alphabet but shutting down/restarting seemed to cure it because all keyboard functions are back.

And I checked my sent folder and apparently I'm the only one who received an email. If you did, please feel free to respond! I'll give Megan your message.

How dare I leave out that Granna and Double G were such a help??? They helped us before we all got to Mom and Dad's house, plus they gave us money for food and supplies. Thank you, and it was late last night when I made the first post!!!

Well, we pulled off the next to impossible. My brothers Matt and Jeff came in from Utah; my sister Karlie was already here in Texas. We surprised Grandma and Grandpa with a weekend of cleaning out their house. Over the years they have accumulated a ton of stuff and have expressed, in the past few months, that they were just overwhelmed with even where to start. Saturday, 7:00 a.m., and the crew was already busy! They started off in the yard and outside because heck, it was supposed to be scorching! Grandpa and Grandma were good sports about us making them throw away so much stuff. None of it was negative, we just wanted to help. We got the garage, upper attic, computer room, laundry room, under the stairs, upstairs front room (by the way, I don't have the before pic, but we could hardly get the door open!), the backyard, and assorted other projects done. We took 5 loads to Goodwill, 2 loads to the dump, and left a ton of trash for the trashmen tomorrow. We'll make them late on their route! We had lots of fun while cleaning, like when we got the hula-hoops out and some kids were shooting each other with a pellet gun. We also had fun taking trips down memory lane. Special thanks to our Daddy for working hard, even though he isn't a birth child; Caity H for single-handedly watching 4 kids for several hours; Maggie for cooking Sunday dinner for us (yum-o!), and Gran for taking Megan today so we could finish up, undistracted. See, this morning she got a hold of a Sharpie marker and drew pictures on Grandma's banister. Grandma was a little worried; Uncle Jeff commented that he knew it was Megan because it was such a beautiful "H" (that she showed him she could draw the other day).

I know my Dad was extremely relieved when this whole "operation" came to an end this evening, but I want him to know how much I appreciate his willingness to let us come in and help. While we didn't hold a gun to his head to make him get rid of things, we were pretty stern and firm with him. Enjoy the clean, and hang on to the motivation!!!

Megan loves Dr. Seuss. We read a Dr. Seuss book at least once a day; sometimes several times a day. She is particularly fond of Green Eggs and Ham. Sometimes she'll just break out in rhyme and/or she'll create her own version of the story. It always starts out with, "Mama or Daddy, do you like green eggs and ham?" Then she asks if we would like them in certain places. This can go on for quite a while....(notice how freakin' wiggly she is at night?)

It has become absolutely side-splitting to watch a Ranger game with Megan. She has always been a fan, and has always cheered, but all of a sudden she has come up with her own sayings including "Good job, Baby!" and "Nice hit, boy!" They are said at the appropriate times as well. Sometimes her sayings catch us off guard and we have no other choice but to look at each other and bust out laughing.

I've had a few people ask about the garden, so I thought I would give an update. With the exception of a few grub worms decimating my lettuce and spinach, we are plugging along just fine. We have 6 squash, 1 eggplant, 2 pumpkin, 6 bell pepper, 1 jalapeno, 1 banana pepper, 6 rows of 15 green bean, a row of carrots, 7 strawberry, 6 tomato and 2 rows of onion plants. (Some have been planted since the picture was taken, and the broccoli is being yanked today because it didn't behave and grow properly). It is hilarious to me that I'm doing this garden thing because I am one of the most impatient people in the whole world. I go out there at least 2 times a day, which probably makes the whole slow process even slower. We have sampled: a carrot, green beans, a tomato, strawberries, and a banana pepper.

Garden and compost bin

Tomatoes (6 total plants)

Bell and jalapeno peppers (front)
Squash (back)

Extremely unhealthy looking, but yummy producing green beans

First, Happy Mother's Day to all of my fellow moms - friends and family. What a fun, yet adventurous job we have!

Before I talk about my day, let me brag on my husband. Last week, I told him not to do anything for me for Mother's Day because I had just had my retreat, we're trying to save money, and I'm going to the spa next weekend. His words, which melted my heart, were, "No, we're doing something for you. It's important to me that Megan learn about Mother's Day." *choke*

So, as he threatened, my wonderful husband made today such a special day for me. First, he let me sleep in until 10 a.m. (and if you ask him, I slept in yesterday, too!) Then, I got a wonderful brunch turned lunch at Outback.

Megan got me a new plant and a new flower for my front flower garden. They are so beautiful!

I got time to work in my scrapbook room in hopes of making it look like an actual scrapbook room instead of a a junk pile. This evening we went to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner. On the way there, I mentioned to Megan that she could tell Grandma "Happy Mother's Day!" She got a scowl on her face and said, "No, Mommy! It's not Grandma's mother's day, it's your mother's day!" Okay fine, I'll share.

An absolutely wonderful Mother's Day!

Megan was napping, and we heard this strange noise coming from the other room. We thought she was up and banging around, but when we got to the living room this is what we saw.

Thought I owed you an update:

Fever is completely gone. We had a little bout of returning fever at about 5 p.m. last night but all signs of illness are gone. Weird.

Megan went to "bedtime bootcamp" last night, and she went right to bed with no incident! Daddy and I sat on the couch, watched our shows (okay, what was up with Michael on "The Office" last night?), and went to bed. We enjoyed our time together and the peace and quiet.

I have mentioned the craziness at my Thursday "office" (the public library) before, but I kid you not, I have seen it all now. There is a man, sitting on the floor next to an electrical outlet, reading a book and shaving with his electric razor! If he pulls out his toothbrush, I'm going to have to say something.

I HATE BEDTIME.

Okay, I'm sitting here at 10:15 p.m. alone because my husband is in with Megan again...apparently she didn't like that I just "put" her to bed. She performed this slightly psychotic little fit down the hall, ending with a nice little fling around his ankles. AN HOUR ago he went in there to calm her down. And where does this get us? Another night with a list of things still left on the list of things for us to discuss about life and the real-world. She has GOT to figure out that 1) we go to bed every single night; 2) she goes to bed alone every single night; and 3) this all happens before 11:00 p.m. I am SO tired of the nightly fight. I long for the day when I can actually wind down from 8-10 p.m. instead of suffering through the nightly routine of PJs, books, bed, scream, scream, scream, run down the hallway 41 times like a banshee (hey, that's all Megan, not me), etc. By the time she finally wears herself out, it's 11 p.m. and there's still a ton left to do before I can go to bed. No wonder I freak out in the morning when I have to wake up and face the day on 5 hours of sleep again. I'm exhausted. And cranky. And I just want my kid to go to bed on her own! *sigh*

A blog as therapy, of course!! That's what I use it for when I'm not talking about Megan. Should I be seeing a shrink instead? Of course, but a blog is cheaper.

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching Megan crossover from doing behaviors because she was mimicking them to actually doing them with a purpose. Of course I have no idea when she actually "crossed over" but I've really started to notice how she'll scratch her arm because she has an itch or ask for food because she "has a rumbly in her tummy." She's also started asking to lay down to go to sleep because she is tired or for a shower because she is dirty or for a drink because she is thirsty. Cause and effect must be the subject for the week because she asks about "what happens if..." and different outcomes with the same cause. And I just love watching the learning process take place.

Everyone learns, on their own time, that Megan does not get to eat yogurt unattended. Today, Caity experienced that very hard lesson. (That's yogurt in her bangs, helping them stay straight up.)