OUR LIFE

Sad Month

2010-04-29T15:20:00.003-04:00

Sad Month
April 6th marked 4 years that my brother Daniel Michael Kauffman died from congested heart failure. I have a picture of him in my bedroom that reminds me of the happy times he & I shared. He was a good person that tried to do the right thing for everyone around him. He is missed every day!!

April 28th 2010 my Uncle Joe died from complications from a good mix of everything. He had a brain tumor removed last month and then had to go back to the hospital because it got infected. The infection went throughout his body and he ended up with pneumonia. The infection from his brain then also turned into highly contagious case of merca (staph infection MSRA). He was so weak from everything attacking his body! Thankfully he went peacefully in his sleep. He left behind his wife (Lori), 3 kids (Erin, LeeAnne, and Kirk) and 2 grandkids (Zion and Micah). I didn’t grow with a good strong male figure in my life but 2 of the men that were constants were my Uncle Sonny that died when I was in high school and my Uncle Joe. They showed me what I wanted in a husband & friend for myself and a father for my children. Thank you Joe and Sonny and please keep an eye on my family for me!!!

“Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." ~ Eskimo Proverb

Orthodontist

2010-04-29T14:49:00.001-04:00

The day after our spring break getaway I had to take the boys to the orthodontist to get some hardware put in their mouth – OUCH!! Stephon got a retainer for now. It’s glued in so he doesn’t have to worry about taking it in & out. He’s still got 2 more teeth to lose before they will put his braces on. This retainer is just holding the space he has so there is no more movement than need be. We go back in June to check his progress.

Ashton on the other hand got a mouth full!! He got a turn-key contraption on the top with 3 pieces of acrylic holding 3 teeth on each side. The acrylic is covering his teeth. Makes it very difficult for him to chew! It’s like having rubber on 6 of your top teeth – you have to either use the front 4 to chew or the few he has uncovered. He was already VERY slow to eat before and this has only magnified it!! UGH!! On the bottom he has a wire that is glued in. Both of these pieces are put in to expand his mouth. Once they get the jaw to the width they need them to be to fit all his teeth in then they’ll take them out and put braces on. Hopefully if everything moves like it’s supposed to then he’ll only wear the stuff he has now for 6 months. He’s done very good brushing his teeth 2 – 3 times a day (he has a toothbrush and toothpaste at school for after lunch) and using fluoride every night and then giving me the tool to turn his key. He hasn’t complained one time. I will say this…….he was 63 lbs for an entire year. He was up to 64 lbs the week before he got his mouth pieces on and it was a celebration in our house!! Last week he was down to 62 lbs but last night he was back to 63 lbs so thankfully he’s not losing too much weight!!! He doesn’t eat much but he’s been drinking Ensure shakes to get his proteins and vitamins! One month down and 5 more to go!!

Spring Break 2010

2010-04-29T14:34:00.002-04:00

Sorry no pictures this year – took my camera but the batteries died after the first 2 pictures and then couldn’t get the camera to work again the rest of the time. Oh well – we have the memories in our heads.

This year we took the boys to Cincinnati. It was a first for all of us! We stayed the first night at Coco Resort with an inside water park. It was nice but it was more for younger children and Stephon got bored real fast! But put them in water and they are entertained for hours! The night we checked in we got there between 5:30 & 6 and thankfully we did. After we checked in and went to the water park area everything was good for about 30 minutes. Then the electricity for the entire city block went out!! We sat and sat and then when they finally realized the lights weren’t coming on any time soon they shut the park down for the night. We decided to go to the room and change for dinner. It’s a violation of some fire code to not have emergency lights in the stairwell area….lets just say they should have been fined very heavily as it was a very dark walk to the 9th floor!!! It’s been 3 weeks since that happened and Ashton is still freaked out about the dark. We drove to Kentucky to have dinner and but the time we got back the lights were back on. Thankfully the next day it was back to running full steam and the boys spent all day there in the water. Even Stephon - pretty sure there were girls chasing him around & he loved it. It was a nice enough place but I can’t see us going back again.

The next night we stayed downtown at the Millennium. I had stayed at the Millennium in Chicago and I can tell you that even though they are the same chain they are NOTHING alike. This was nice but windows were so thin we could hear the wind howling and could hear every car drive by even though we were on the 13th floor. With Ashton still freaked out about the dark from the previous night and now mixed with the constant sounds from outside…it made for a long night of tears with him!! Breakfast the next morning at the hotel restaurant was very good though so all was forgiven!! We took the boys to the Cardinals & Reds game (thanks to Amy for the recommendation). They were calling for rain but not one single drop fell on us. It was partly sunny but still very chilly. We dressed like it was the middle of winter. Their park is very nice and it was a fun game. Ashton had never been to a MLB game before so he was very much into it. Plus we had seats behind 3rd base, 2nd row. It was a great view. We got home late that night after the game and had to be up at 5:45 the next morning for the boys to go to the orthodontist…..

Hello Handsome!!

2010-02-24T13:37:00.003-05:00

I am still working on getting pictures of Stephon up from this year. I'm sure I'll get one soon. We have 4 more weeks of basketball and lots of games within those 4 short weeks!!!

Another week down

2010-02-24T13:36:00.001-05:00

Last week went by in such a blur. The evenings were quiet and that’s always nice. Friday was my niece’s birthday (Brooky). We went to see her Friday night at her house in Lagrange. She’s 6 now and still Zach’s favorite little girl. They just love each other – she’s the daughter that Zach will never have! We got to spend the evening with Linda (my sister) and her family. We don’t get to just sit and relax and talk very often with them. We had some pizza and Brooklyn opened our gift to her. She’s into necklaces right now and so we got her some fun ones, one of them being a locket that I put a picture of her daddy in for her! We also got some pastel colored bangle bracelets that were a huge hit with her and her little sister that is only 2!

Saturday Stephon had 2 games in North Manchester. The first game was against NM and then the 2nd game right after was against Leo. Both teams were very good and were both teams we hadn’t played before. We struggled with both games and lost both of them. I hate to see them lose but at the same time they have to learn to lose in order to appreciate their wins. I hope they learned something and grew from this experience. I don’t care if they win or lose as long as they went out and played as hard as they could and walked away knowing they tried their best!

2010-02-15T14:27:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was such a blast. We finally had a weekend off with no sports – HOORAY!! It was so nice to have no agenda!! Friday night Zach and I had date night. Now I’m not a big believer in the whole Valentine’s Day but it does give Zach and me a free babysitter for night when Cathi offers to babysit for us. So of course we took advantage of it. We went to eat at Oyster Bar – Oh my…it’s so good!! It was very busy but it was still a very good meal. We got to talk and take our time to eat. It was nice to have grown up time!

Saturday we got to sleep in and that was so nice. I almost forgot what it was like to sleep in. Ashton and I played Monopoly for over 5 hours!! Neither one of us were willing to let the other one win so it was down to the very last dollar. I am happy to say that I beat the pants off that child – ha ha!! It was after 9:00 at night so we were happy to put the game up and snuggle on the couch and watch the Olympics.

Sunday we got to sleep in again and Zach went to get us donuts!! We got to go skiing with some great friends for the day (Clark’s, Moore’s, O’Haver’s and Sausaman’s). They each brought their own kids and it was a blast. I stayed in the lounge and kept a few of the other parents company. We got home at 10:30 that night and getting the boys up for school this morning was easier than I had thought. I’m glad we are able to give our kids these things. They get to grow and become independent and learn how to grow with their friendships. I cherish everyday I get to be their mom.

Brace-Face

2010-02-11T14:07:00.001-05:00

Last week we had our dentist appointment and we got the ok to take BOTH boys to the orthodontist. I was shocked that they said both boys as I was only trying to get the OK for Stephon. So Monday we called the ortho and we got in that night – they had a last minute cancellation. So we took the appointment. They did a thorough check on both boys and took lots of pics and got some x-rays done as well. With Stephon he has 3 baby teeth that are on the edge of coming out and because they are so close to popping out the doctor wants to wait a few weeks and see what happens. Once we get the ok with him he can go straight to braces. Thankfully for his dad and his perfect teeth to help cancel out some of the painful hardware that Ashton will have to get. Ashton has to get started on phase 1 of his mouth corrections. In March we are taking both boys back to get scans and molds made of their mouths / teeth. As soon as they do Ashton’s then he goes right back in to get hardware put on the top & bottom of his mouth to widen the jaws. He’s got his mom’s small mouth (small but still very loud like his mama) and with children they can widen the jaw to help all the big teeth fit in (he has my big teeth too – lucky him). He’ll have the hardware on his teeth for a few months and then he’ll get a turn key contraption. After that then he’ll get braces on his permanent teeth he has right now – top 4 front, top 2 back, and bottom 6 front. All of that should be less than a year. Then once he looses all his baby teeth he can go back in and get braces on again but this time on all his teeth. I was an adult when I got my braces so when they saw how small my mouth was they had to pull teeth in order for them all to fit in nice and neat. All Ashton cared about was NOT getting any teeth pulled. He did not care about all the hardware, getting braces twice or how bad this could hurt….he just wants all his teeth where they are!!

Tournament

2010-02-11T14:05:00.001-05:00

Tournaments were this past Sunday (2-7-10). Ashton’s team ended the regular season in 8th place out of 11 teams!! That’s stellar considering his team is a group of 3rd graders playing in a 4th grade league! They had to play the #1 seeded team that has not lost a game all season long. We lost but they did not lose easily. They gave that Eastside team a run for their money! It’s probably the hardest our team has played all season long and that was very encouraging.

Stephon’s team ended their regular season in 5th place out of 13 teams. This team has come such a long way in the 3 years they’ve played together. They played East Noble in their first game and beat them. That moved them onto the 2nd round. They played an Angola team that hasn’t lost all season long. They ended up losing - too bad!!

Now we are onto the rest of the season. Next weekend Stephon is set to play in a tournament in North Manchester. Then the entire month of March we are set to be in a tournament every weekend. Can’t wait!!!

Piggies

2010-02-02T17:08:00.001-05:00

Sunday (1-31-10) was also a night of additions to our pig family. The last sow expecting had her litter last night. She had 9 but 3 died. That puts our baby pig total to 24 right now!!!! YIKES This year we had 4 mamas have babies this year. That’s a lot of mouths to feed!! The boys will both be in 4H this year so we’ll need them. Hopefully we can sell these better than they sold their fall baby pigs. I’m sure we will since the ones from January and February are used for fair pigs and the ones from the fall are used for shows across the country. It’s hard to sell pigs for shows that people around here don’t really go to.

Basketball update

2010-02-02T17:07:00.001-05:00

Sunday (1-31-10) was the last week in the West Noble basketball league before next weekend’s tournament. Ashton’s 3rd grade team in a 4th grade league lost their first game but won their second game. It’s so great to see them playing with older kids and actually beating them. After the coming tournament we should be playing only 3rd graders the rest of the season. Stephon’s team won both their games this week. They’ve been getting progressively better each week. I’m excited to see both boys play their tournaments this weekend and see how it goes. We’ve still got games the whole month of February and March, so we’ve got many more games to look forward to.

It’s been awhile, so let’s start out slow

2010-02-02T17:06:00.001-05:00

I got to have lunch with Ashton, Friday (1-29-10) at the school. It was so nice to be able to see him in his element. He’s very much a friend oriented kid. He loves his friends and his friends really seem to rally around him. I don’t know how any of them get their food ate in the time they have. Their mouths are too busy yapping at one another to get any food in it and close it to chew. But somehow they all, with the exception of Ashton, get their food ate in a timely manner. I had planned on eating there with him. I mean it was cheese stuffed crust pizza with buttered corn and pineapple. Some of my favorite foods – but one look at the pizza told me I could wait to eat at home J I just took the time to talk to the boys and soak it all in. When it was time for recess I was asked by the boys to stay and play but I since I had groceries in the car to take home to put away I kindly declined with the promise of next time. Ashton gave me a big hug, a kiss and gave me the biggest smile of appreciation. It warms my heart how much he really loves that his dad and I come to school and eat lunch with him. I can’t wait to do it again.

Side note: I would TOTALLY do it for Stephon if I didn’t think that the moment he saw me walk in his cafeteria, he would hide under the table and crawl out of the room without me seeing him.

Spring Break

2009-05-11T12:18:00.005-04:00

This year we did not go to Florida. This is the first time in 3 or 4 years. Instead we went to Indianapolis for a long weekend. The boys loved it. Give Ashton a hotel, eating out, pool, hot tub and the boy is happy for a lifetime!!! We went to the Children’s Museum, Zoo, and to the Pacers’ game. We left on Thursday and was planning on coming back Saturday night after the game to be home in time for Easter that Sunday. However, Zach woke up Friday night / Saturday morning sick as a dog. At first he thought he had food poisoning. Then he thought he just had the flu because he was having hot flashes and was dizzy. He could not get out of bed let alone walk around the zoo, mall or game that we had planned for our Saturday. So we had to stay an extra night and Zach stayed in bed all day long. He had to order room service and that out of everything made him madder than anything else(and this is the first Easter he’s every missed at his Grandma’s in 32 years!!!)! Food is good but marked up like 500%. So it was me that had to entertain the boys for the day. I was nervous at first but it was so much fun. I really think the boys thought it was silly we were going out in the city by ourselves. Stephon was a really big help with Ashton and Ashton was just soaking it all in!! I even drove to the game and totally didn’t get lost. It helps that the garage to park in on the same street as our hotel but my boys didn’t notice. I even got back to the hotel on the one way streets with no problem. I forgot my camera for the game but I did get pics from the other places we were at.

OH – we took Zach to the ER on Sunday when we got home the next day and it turns out that he had vertigo. He’d had a sinus infection for about 2 weeks before we went to Indy so they think he got it from that. Since he gets sinus & allergy infections quite frequently they said that he’ll have vertigo many more times in his lifetime. That was about 4 weeks ago and Zach just got over it this week!! He was home that Monday and Tuesday. I was home sick with a sinus infection that Tuesday – Wednesday and Thursday. Ashton was home sick Thursday with me. That following week Stephon was home sick Monday – Tuesday and Wednesday. I’m just thankful that most of us waited until after the trip to get sick J He’d had a sinus infection for about 2 weeks before we went to Indy so they think he got it from that. Since he gets sinus & allergy infections quite frequently they said that he’ll have vertigo many more times in his lifetime. That was about 4 weeks ago and Zach just got over it this week!!

Science Fair

2009-05-08T11:57:00.002-04:00

Ashton chose to do the Science Fair at school this year. He’s very interested in how things work or why they work they way they do. He’s always asking questions about stuff I don’t know how to answer. Zach just loves this because he works in the testing lab at Depuy / Johnson & Johnson. So they teamed up this year to do an experiment and since Ashton got a book for Christmas (501 Science Experiments) he chose one out of that book. They agreed on the rubber egg experiment. They both had fun doing it together and “they” got 5th place.

Middle School

2009-05-08T11:56:00.002-04:00

And speaking of becoming 6th graders…….this is probably one of the hardest things I’ve had to deal with so far. Sending the boys to preschool – nothing. Sending them to kindergarten – hard but got through it. First grade, being at school all day and eating lunch in the cafeteria – harder yet but still was ok. Stephon going to middle school is making me tear up as I write this. It’s not something I thought would ever come and as it’s nearing it’s really hard to deal with. In March, we had a parent’s night at the middle school for the fall incoming class. The parents and kids both got to go, meet teachers and visit classrooms. I was very silent, didn’t say much. I just went through the motions. We walked around with a few other families that we knew and so I just tried to blend in. One teacher singled me out though! He simply said “is this your first one?” I was just shocked that he even noticed me in the crowd I was with. “Yes, he’s my first,” I answered. He said “it’s ok it’s only middle school – we’re not taking them away from you.” I had to leave the room because I broke down crying. I know it’s only middle school and I know it’s not the end of the world. But it’s my oldest baby growing up faster than my heart is wanting him too. I’m an emotional mess and I can’t imagine how I’ll be in August when it’s time to go back to school….which starts on my birthday….bitter sweet?

Basketball

2009-05-08T11:52:00.003-04:00

This year has been a very busy one and it’s close to being half over. Where does the time go??? Stephon and Ashton were both in basketball again this year. Ashton was on a youth center league and did very well. Each year it’s so nice to see how much they improve from the previous year. We were so happy that this year he was aggressive and there were no cartwheels and no high fives to his friends on the other team. He’s getting really tall and lanky like his dad so we hope he’ll excel in this sport. He’s been practicing in the backyard with Stephon so that can only help. I did play PIG and HORSE with him last weekend and beat him every time!! This time next year I have a feeling it’ll be the other way around.

Stephon was on his AAU traveling basketball team for the 2nd year in a row. They did really well this year, too. This year they got an earlier start than the previous year so they got to practice more and got to have more games as well. Every weekend in March was a different tournament at a different school. It was a very hard, challenging season for the boys but they didn’t give up and they didn’t stop trying. They are all learning to be a team and playing as a team. I’m very excited to see what they can do next year when they are all 6th graders (sniffle, sniffle).

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-08T13:21:00.000-05:00

Did you make your resolutions? Zach has decided to not yell at the kids so much….angry elf! I wish him luck. I’m pretty sure the boys push him the most because they like to see him explode. I haven’t made a resolution since the 8th grade when I vowed to never chew my nails again. It worked and I figured why mess with perfection! I just want to wish everyone a happy new year and offer these encouraging words I came across!

“You have never passed this way before” – Joshua 3:4

As we enter this new year , I’m reminded of several scripture verses given long years ago, but very applicable today.

When Joshua lead the Israelites across the Jordan into the Promised Land, he directed them to follow the Ark of the Covenant, borne by the priests, because “You have never passed this way before”. Joshua 3:4.

In the days ahead, we too, will encounter many new experiences. For some the coming 12 months may be the best we’ve known. For others, they could be marked with sorrow and disappointment. No one knows what lies ahead, simply because “we have not passed this way before”. That fact can strike fear to our hearts, but need not, if we are trusting the Lord for direction in the following days and months.

Think of Moses’ challenge to the Israelites shortly before his death and their entrance into Canaan. With the giants of that land in mind, he encouraged the people, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Deut. 31:6

When we claim that promise for ourselves, we too, will not be afraid of the future and will face un-traveled pathways with confidence, trusting the Lord in every situation. As we grow older, sometimes the bend in the road looks sharper than it really is.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can boldly say: “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear”. Hebrews 13:5,6. A very comforting truth.

May the coming year be a truly blessed one for you as you experience the comforting presence and guidance of the Lord and His provision for each step of the way.

- Elsie K. Young

Christmas Break

2009-01-08T13:20:00.000-05:00

Christmas is a wonderful time of the year! Zach and I both got to take time off this year to spend it with the boys. It’s so nice to be able to spend the extra time with the boys and reconnect with them. With so much going on each boy’s life it’s hard to get everyone together at the same time and just enjoy the day with nothing to do but spend it with each other. Now if you’re like the boys you just rolled your eyes!

School was cancelled the last day before winter vacation. Zach and I got to work from home that day too which was an extra day we go to spend with the boys. We made a gingerbread house. When I say “made” I mean assemble. We got a kit and just frosted it together and put the candies on. Either way we do it every year and the boys enjoy it. This year they didn’t even steal the candies off each day to reveal a naked house! Zach and I made cookies that day as well. It was interesting to work with him in the kitchen again but it was nice. We are perfecting our “work together” attitudes – wish me luck. The next day the boys and I made sugar cookie cut-outs and that was fun. They cut them out, I baked them and then later they decorated them with Zach. It’s probably one of the few times we were home that they didn’t fight!

That same weekend because of the ice we got that cancelled school took it’s affect on our power lines. Later that weekend we lost power for about 16 hours. Zach got up early and went all over Warsaw to find a heater – well he was too late because everyone was sold out. Thank goodness Zach’s grandpa had an extra one we could borrow. Then to find a place that sold kerosene AND had power was a joke too. He drove to Leesburg, Milford and a few stations in Syracuse as well before finally finding a place that was still open. Ashton and I were home playing card games all afternoon. At one point we had a 2 hour game o Uno going. We both got bored and we gave up and took a nap together on the couch.

That weekend (before Christmas) is really the highlight of our 2 weeks together. The rest of the time was spent from one family gathering to the next. We stayed in a lot and just relaxed on the couch watching TV and eating lots of food. LOTS OF FOOD! We even stayed in on Zach’s birthday and New Year’s Eve. Zach really hates his birthday (hate is a major understatement) so it was no surprise that he wanted to stay in on that night.

Is Santa Real?

2009-01-08T13:09:00.000-05:00

I think that my kids are the few ones left that still believe in Santa Claus. They ask me all the time if he’s real. I tell them that I believe in him and if you believe then it's real to you. It’s like God. You can’t see him but you can see the stuff he does for us and other people. I tell them that Santa is like God and there’s a little of him inside each one of us. When you give and not expect anything in return then you’re doing what Santa does and that makes them Santa’s helpers.

Ashton really took this to heart this year. He had $10 that I was holding for him. $5 of it he spent on magnets (don’t ask) and he had $5 left. We were at the grocery store to buy cookie ingredients and there was a bell ringer outside collecting money for a charity. I can’t pass one without putting something in so I gave each boy some money to put in. We got to the car and Ashton asked if I still had his $5. I was tired and told him we were not going back into the store so he could spend his money. He said “no I wanna give it to those guys” (pointing at the bell ringers). I looked at him in shock and made sure he understood that once he gave it away he would not be getting more money. Once it’s gone it’s gone. I don’t know how many times I said it or how many different ways I said it for him to understand. But no matter what I said he kept saying “I KNOW MOM!” I gave it to him and watched him with tears in my eyes go give his own money to those guys. On the way home we talked about what the money goes to and he felt even better about his decision when he heard that some little boys & girls won't get gifts under the tree. That his $5 could have just helped make a holiday special for one of them. It was just so sweet to see him give from the heart and know he was giving to those in need and expecting nothing in return. I gave him a big hug & a kiss and told him I was proud of him…it was a sweet moment that I will never forget.

LAST ONE?

2009-01-08T12:56:00.000-05:00

On here for only a few weeks and I’m already slacking. Nothing much happened the beginning of December. Stephon had his very last school concert. I’m sure he will not be pursuing choir in middle or high school so we can safely call this his last school concert. It didn’t click until afterwards that this is his last concert because he’ll be in middle school next year. This was a sad day….sad day indeed! So, I’m thankful that I forced Zach to take the camcorder and videotape the performance. Here is a small clip of him that night.

*** STAY TUNED....I have to get Zach to download the video ***

Did I mention this is his last concert? I know I shouldn’t keep dwelling on it but it makes me sad to think that my first born is growing up so quickly. He’ll no longer be an elementary kid. I just feel like these 10 years have flown by without a blink. I know my mom told me this would happen but to actually realize that her words are right is a major bummer! Now Zach and I look at Ashton and we know why the baby of the family is the most spoiled….the most coddled (Zach says that doesn’t coddle Ash but I beg to differ on that one). I’m not saying it’s fair but rather I can understand now why it happens. They are not better than the other kids by any means. Each child is different and you have to play on each kid's strengths. With Stephon its sports – if you talk to him in those terms you’re going to get much further than if you try to speak in terms of emotions. With Ashton he’s the equivalent of his dad. All emotional and takes everything to heart. Plus Ashton still lets me hug and kiss him. Even in public!! Stephon on the other hand won’t let me touch him unless I’ve filled out the proper paperwork. But every now and then he surprises me and gives me a hug out of the blue or tells me he loves me for no reason at all or even calls me mommy without thinking about it. It’s those moments that make me thankful to God for giving me the chance to be a mom. As much as it hurts to let them grow up the joys of the day to day activities outweigh the sadness.

All I want for Christmas...

2008-12-07T23:39:00.000-05:00

Yes, that is Ashton's theme song for this fun holiday season. It all started the night before Thanksgiving. Zach and I were home with the boys and we were planning on meeting some friends out later that night. The boys were all fired up and bored being in the house. We jokingly told them to go run around the house outside to burn off some energy so that our sitter wouldn't be up all night with them. Well Ashton took us up on the offer and ran out the door. Then he did it again. Stephon decided that if his little brother could run around the house in the complete dark then he could do it too and went out. Zach thought it would be funny to hide at the back door and scare him as he goes by. IT WORKED! Well Ashton decided to do it just one more time...mind you he just did it 2 times before this! He came running into the house hold his mouth screaming "I chipped my tooth!!" He wasn't crying, just freaked out so I didn't think it was so bad. When he took his hand down his mouth was full of blood. Now that got my attention. Once he rinsed his mouth out we realized that the blood was coming from his lip from the impact. His teeth were in fact chipped!! A lot worse than I originally realized. The chip did not have a crack to the gums and the teeth were not broken to the gums which is very good. That means there wasn't any nerve damage and his teeth wouldn't die (hopefully). When he looked in the mirror his response was "it makes me look so ugly!!" Now if you've seen this child you know he's not ugly...I'm his mother so of course I'm going to say that.

We took him to the dentist this past Tuesday and since he's had no pain and no sensitivity they tried to fix the teeth. Well his teeth as it turns out are very sensitive to air and water....both of which are very vital to teeth repair. They didn't want to numb him because even if they did try to numb him the exposed nerves in the teeth are still sensitive and wouldn't be affected by the shot so why put him through it. Well they got about a quarter of the way through the fix and they had to stop. Poor Ashton was crying and not doing well. The dentist stopped and said that he was sorry and he shouldn't have done it so early. We were planning our family pictures to be taken but we've had to put that on hold until we can get his poor grill fixed. We go back on the 19th to get our regular cleanings done so they will check his sensitivity then and we'll go from there. Maybe Santa will grant his wish and he'll get his 2 front teeth!!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-30T22:46:00.000-05:00

Ok so thanksgiving is over! Zach and I made our first family dinner together and we had so much fun. It was so much work but it was so worth it. We made the turkey, green bean casserole, Grandma Stookey's stuffing, smashed red potatoes, corn, gravy with Laurie's help, biscuits (ok we bought these & warmed them up), cranberry (in the shape of the can, of course), deviled eggs that never made it to the table, pumpkin cake and a pumpkin pie that didn't turn out. I used the wrong pan and it didn't heat properly...oh well...didn't need the calories. I know Zach would agree with me when I say I give props to those woman out there that do this every year all by themselves. This is a huge meal to make, it's very time consuming and it's what people look forward to on this day. I know that the next time I eat someone's Thanksgiving dinner I will be more thankful.

It was only going to be Zach, me, Ashton and Stephon but Laurie (Zach's sister) and her son Nic came too. The boys don't get to see each other very often and since Stephon was home and they didn't have plans they came over to celebrate with us. Ashton was excited because he got to enjoy his "kid's champagne" (sparkling grape juice)! FANCY - lol! Ashton tried turkey for the first time and finally agreed that it was good noting "it tastes like chicken." If only this kid would try more stuff he would eat more stuff....hmmm...I don't know why he is this way??? Stephon tried Grandma's Stookey's stuffing and loved it. He normally would only eat the Stove Top stuffing out of the box. It was a big day for both boys :) Stephon had to leave around 4 to go to his dad's dinner at his Grandma Jenny's house. I am so thankful that we were able to make it work for both families to spend time with Stephon.

The rest of the weekend involved lots and lots of R&R!! Friday I slept in...shopping on that day is only asking for a black eye or an assault charge.............YES that really happened at Wal-Mart where my sister was!! We did go to see Four Christmases. We were going to go see Madagascar 2 but Zach for some reason was in some kind of turkey coma and asked for tickets to see Four Christmases. Needless to say Ashton was not pleased. Not to mention the opening scene is Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon getting it on in a bathroom at some bar. YEA - Ashton turned to his father and said "nice movie dad." Awkward for sure! As soon as the movie was over I made sure we rushed out before the lights came on and everyone saw our 7 year old boy with us! Since Zach made the mistake he promised he would take him to see the movie he wanted to see Sunday after Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma Stookey's. So today we went to see Bolt (minus Zach...he went hunting).

Overall it was a good long needed weekend and it's nice to wake up every morning and be thankful for everything in my life. I know I don't wake up every morning and say thank you to anyone for anything that I have but this is something that I need to work on and I think it's something that everyone should work on!

Welcome ME

2008-11-25T22:08:00.000-05:00

Ok so I set this account up in September of this year so that I could comment on my friend's blogs but I never actually thought I would do a blog of my own.......what the heck. Why not, right? hmmm...I don't do well chronicling my life let alone my family's life. I mean I tried to have a diary when I was younger but that lasted about a day.

Well the football season just got over for both boys. Stephon was in MCJFL for the 2nd year. His team's record was 6-1! Stephon played running back (and something else but I'm a girl and still learning) on the offense. He played (something) on the defense also. He worked on special teams. He did the punt returns. He kicked field goals. He basically played every minute of the games. AND he was voted MVP during one of their games!!! He was sad for the season to end and I must admit that Zach and I were a little sad too. Ashton was in Lakeland Youth Center flag football. He played all positions...with his short attention span it was hard for him to play just one position. His team was undefeated and they even won their championship game in 20 degree weather and 50 mile an hour wind...ok it wasn't that cold but I'm sure it wasn't far off from that!

The end of the first trimester at school was last week. Stephon is in 5th grade this year. He got A's and B's with only one C (Language). I was so proud of him. I was really stressing for him to get the honor roll because last year he got it all 3 semesters!! But at mid-terms he had maybe 2 or 3 C's and he brought them up!! Way to go Stephon! Ashton is in 2nd grade this year.....side note.....this will be the last year the boys will be in the same school until Ashton is a freshman and Stephon is a senior!! OMG......He got the honor roll!!! Ashton has a bit of a behavior problem in class but he's working on that and will all the disruptions he still did a very good job.

Stephon started AAU basketball last week. For right now he's only practicing once a week. We'll see if he'll pick up another night of practice soon. They are planning on playing 30-40 games this season...YIKES! He's very fired up about it and I can't wait to see him start playing his games.

So this last week of November is a big one. It's Thanksgiving week. YEA! Zach and I will be making our very first family dinner. It was only going to be me, Zach, Stephon and Ashton but now we will have guests. Zach's sister Laurie and her boy Nic-o-las will be joining us. I can't wait. We have a feast setup and succeed or fail it's going to be an experience!! We have to make our dinner early so that Stephon can go with his dad to his grandma's house. I'm just thankful that we can work together and have Stephon's best interest in mind