workin'

To bring you up to speed...drum roll please...Keith started work this week!!! This monumental event means several good and wonderful things for our little family. First, we are no longer classified as a "no-income" family. We've got some green rollin' in once again. Can I hear an "amen"? AMEN!! Phew! Also, with a job comes medical benefits which means come December 1st, we can ditch our temporary, rob you BLIND, way too expensive insurance plan. That deserves another "amen", AMEN! And, perhaps most importantly, Keith and I will not be spending so much time together anymore thus promising us a continued happy marriage...bringing truth to the phrase, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." Now, you must understand, we have greatly enjoyed this time together and realize we probably will not have as much time together again until our nest is empty and we are retired. Yet, we were able to verbally admit that we were annoying each other (very healthy) and needed to spend some time apart. Of course we are 100% committed to spending the rest of our lives together...but we also realize our wedding vows did not say, "All day every day until death do us part." Can I get another "amen"? AMEN!

While Keith has been working, I've been trying to figure out how to be a stay at home mom. I still plan on finding a job, but ideally, we'd like to get settled in a house first. So far, my efforts are so so. If I were on a grading scale, I'd give myself about a 81 for now. I have a lot to learn still. Ike's been sick with some kind of stomach bug this week (which has now infected the entire family except Keith and Lolo.) But, he was fever free and fine to go back to school on Wednesday, or so I thought. I was supposed to take him to school in costume. He was going to be Cat in the Hat. Adorable, right? Well, with 20 minutes left until departure, he's adamantly refusing to wear the costume. Never fear, like any good mom, I had a Plan B. I pulled out his cowboy hat, boots, jeans, and button down shirt...uh, negative. He's refusing to wear the boots and hat which makes the jeans and button-down look like any other day's outfit. So, I surrender when he starts saying, "sketon! sketon!", referring to his skeleton pj's. Fine, I will take you to school in your pj's! Minus 5 for Mommy! Then, at his costume parade, I was asked to hand out candy. When Ike's class passes me by, he begins to cry. I usher him forward encouraging him to participate like a good Mommy would do. Well, the second time around, he's really crying and his teacher told me he vomited on the back side of the parade route. Minus 8 for Mommy! Then, I found out he also had green diarrhea which is why his pj bottoms had been replaced with shorts. Minus 10 for Mommy for taking her child to school in the first place! After an interesting day, I thought I'd remediate a bit by making a delicious meatloaf for dinner. (my first attempt ever!) I managed to redeem myself a little on that one. Extra credit for Mommy! Maybe I'm being hard on myself, but I look around and feel like other moms are a little more together than I am. I'll keep you posted.

(the first pic is pre-vomit, the second is post-vomit. poor lil' lovie!)



Lastly, let me share with you some great pics from last weekend. We spent the night in Fort Worth with Lolo, Big Drew, Grant, and Amelia (Wo-wo, Dwew, Gant, and Meeya). We dressed up, played outside, watched movies on a floor pallet, and more. Good times for all! Although, Keith is showing some concern over the fact that Isaac chose the pink fluffy dress and not batman, that he clomped around in Amelia's high heels and rocked in her pink chair, and that he loved Cinderella and only wanted to watch it on the pink pillow. Let me also add that while coloring in our new Trucks coloring book (grrrrr, very manly!), I asked Isaac,

"What color do you want for the dump truck?"

"Ummmm....pink!", he replied with great resolve.







He's going to turn out fine. I'm not worried one bit. Even if he likes playing with babies more than dirt right now.