Flying High

Well, a handful of you have commented regarding the whereabouts of SBW in the Lucky JUMP picture!

He was there with us. But he was too busy running around to be bothered with trying to do a synchronized jump for a picture. Besides, he likes to spend his time flying high with his super fun dad.

Seems like he can laugh for hours and hours when dad is throwing him in the air. Seems like we never get tired of hearing it.

And this is a shot of how cute a 13 month old can be after hanging out at the soccer fields all day on Saturday. There wasn't a dirt free spot on his sweet little body!

I think these picture didn't turn out too shabby with our broken cheap camera. Maybe I should sign up for one of those jazzy photography classes too!

Goodbye GL

My eyes are puffy tonight. Tomorrow is the last day of the Guiding Light and I am sad. I've have spent the last couple of nights watching a weeks worth of episodes. Although I hadn't watched the show in a handful of years, I cannot believe that it is over. I was screaming at the TV and JC all night long because my Springfield friends were coming out of the wood works.

Some of my earliest childhood memories include this television show. I can remember being in kindergarten and my mom watching the show. This is one of the only memories I have from our first family home. White bread (Sunbeam) sandwiches, koolaide, hair braids and the Guiding Light on the little black and white television.

I can remember being in junior high and high school and watching the Guiding Light during the summer. We had a giant console television. It was the years of love for Phillip, Rick, Mindy and Beth. They were the people that I SO wanted to be my friends.

After Jeff and I got married, I still watched. We'd put the video tape in the VCR so that I could watch once I got home from work. Oh that Roger - he kept me coming back.

When we had our first babies, I would put the kids down for nap and watch during my 'mommy break hour'. I would call on the phone to my best mommy buddy Val and we'd talk about the show and our babies.

As a young girl, I dreamed of being a Bauer. I wanted to be invited to their family July 4th picnic so bad that I couldn't stand it.

I kinda lost the show in the last few years. I was always checking out the soap opera magazine in the grocery line though. I knew that my Springfield family was always there and recognizable whenever I was ready to come back.

I am ready to come back now, and they are leaving. I just can't believe it.

For those of you that have never heard of or watched this soap opera, here is a little bit of information.

* Final episode on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
* The series spanned 72 years
* More than 15,700 episodes on television and radio

Wow, I just never thought I'd see the day that Guiding Light would no longer be on television.

Thanks for the memories Maureen, Ed, Rick, Michelle, Danny, Phillip, Beth, Allan, Alexandra, Nola, Fletcher, Josh, Shane, Maura, Vanessa, Matt, Billy, Bill, Dinah, Bert, Jeffrey, Olivia, Blake, Holly, Frank, Buzz, Nadine, Harley, Gus, Daisy, Marina, Lizzie, James, Mallet, Mel, Roger, Lillian, Hart, Lujack, Kassie, Jeffrey, Edmond, Dylan, Bridget, HB and Reva Shayne Lewis Spaulding Lewis Cooper Lewis.

I'll never forget you guys!

Lucky JUMP!

We are so lucky! Our dear sweet Krob is taking a photography course and she needs subjects.

How 'bout that.

Some pretty jazzy pics. of my kids all in the name of helping a friend.

Gotta love it and gotta LOVE the JUMP!

A Number

So you might have noticed that I haven't been around much lately. Seems like when the kids are at school, Sweet Baby is busy holding me. And when the kids aren't at school, I am busy holding them. And driving them around.

There has been so much love to soak up in the last few weeks that blogging (or anything computer related) has been the last thing on my mind. Or actually, it has been on my mind a lot, but it has been the last thing on the never ending to do list.

I have been full of worry again. It is very very apparent by the rash that now covers the upper part of my right leg. Scratch scratch scratch.

I have been amazed lately by the number of conversations I have had that turn to facebook talk. Seems like it might be taking over the world. I have even heard people talking about the number of friends that they have. I am a bit surprised by all of this friend counting mumbo jumbo. I have no idea how many friends I have. I do know though that I can honestly say that I know every single one of my friends in real life. Seems that some folks just ask anyone that has a mutual friend or is in a mafia with them. Not me though. If you are my friend on facebook, then I am proud to say that I've had some face time with you during life.

And about me saying face time. I was called out a few weeks ago for saying that I was looking forward to some face time with my husband. It seems that some of my friends live in the gutter and assumed that meant some lovin' time. Well, for the record, that isn't what I meant. And I don't know when face time became slang for getting it on in the land of the hip young people. And besides, if we are gonna get it on, I'm sure not going to update my status about it. Although we ARE married and it IS a perfectly normal thing for folks like us to do.

My bff Heather is back in America. She and her hubby came to visit last week. I didn't want to sleep. I just wanted to talk and talk and talk for hours. It turns out that I didn't want to shower either. Thank goodness she still loves me, even if I stink when I am visiting with her.

The other big news? Well, it is the rain, of course! Rain and rain and rain and rain. I love the rain. Is it bad that I am already feeling cold though? Ugh. I am not looking forward to being cold this winter. I love me some Texas heat!

I'll be back this week. I've got lots and lots to say.

Thanks for checking in on me.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Leah's Story Link

Today starts Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Please click on the link above (Leah's Story) to see the story of our friend Leah. What a brave little girl. What a strong family.

I promise you will be touched.

Marcellus

Tonight I hurt. I hurt for me. I hurt for my kids. I hurt for my Jeff.

Our kitty died today.

We are all so sad.

The tears just keep coming. We cry in shifts. One person stops, the next person starts.

Marcellus was a member of our family. He had been with us for 14 years. Our kids have never known life without this cat. He was my constant friend. He always gave us unconditional love - even when I forgot to buy the cat food.

I am so so so thankful for our vet who helped us make the right decision today. I am thankful that so many people in our lives got to experience the perfect pet. I am thankful that my friend Krob was willing to take some incredible pictures of him this afternoon before we all had to say good-bye.

We were all so lucky to have this guy in our lives.

He was purring all the way until the end.

Oh my sweet kitty, how I will miss you.

7, 6, 4 and 1

You might remember from previous posts (2007/2008) how much I don't love this day. I know it is exciting. I know that it is fun. But I really enjoy having the kids at home. And it is not just me, SBW is missing them too!!!

#1 is headed to 7th grade today! Can you even believe it???? We were all (J, K and S) up most of the night worrying and fretting about it all. I know he is going to do fine. I don't know if I am gonna be fine though. I AM embracing every age and stage of life - but it is also so sad to think that we only have FIVE more first days of school with him. He is growing way way way too fast.


And you know I couldn't let him start 7th grade without getting the pair of shoes that he wanted. So we went off the beaten path and let him get some perfectly 80's tennis shoes!


#2 was very excited about this first day of 6th grade. She tried on lots and lots of clothes before she got her perfect look! I had to smile when I looked at her this morning because it totally felt like some sort of flashback. :)


#3 was feeling jazzy with her striped shirt, dangley earrings and knee-high socks. I love that she feels good about herself. I have a feeling that 4th grade is going to be a good year for her!


#4 was very very excited about the first day of 1st grade, his first time to have a man teacher and his new tennis shoes that don't have shoe laces. He was up and floating in the bathtub at the crack of dawn with no problems!


Walking to school was sure nice this morning, but boy-o-boy, those hills can really mess with ya!


I wonder if #4's teacher will let him keep his most special hat on his desk all day long?


As normal, one of the kids ended up not having everything they needed to start the day just right. Go figure that our biggiest worrier ended up at school with nothing to write with. How in the world did we forget to pack her pencils??? So then when I went in to kiss her and give her love on her first day she was in a full on panic. Ugh. At least she is still smiling though and that her neighbor let her borrow a pencil!