Thomas, Hudson and day of cringing

As you all know, Hud is a Thomas junkie. Addict. Hard core. So, of course we had to take him to see the real life Thomas that rolled into town. We decided to not tell him, only for our own sanity. I couldn't deal with him asking me 100 x a day if it was the day. We packed up this morning and headed out. The boys knew it was a surprise, but no clue what we were doing. We were near the airport, so God love 'em, they thought we were going somewhere. Yeah, sorry guys, nothing that cool. We pull up and there was Thomas, sitting at the little depot. Oh, the look on Hud's face. It was priceless. The kind of look parents dream of seeing on Christmas morning! We finally find a parking spot, 3 miles away, but were greatful for shuttle service. We load up and sit down. And wait. And wait. Shuttle doesn't move. I realize the driver is waiting on the family of 8, standing by the bus, smoking!!! I'm thinking, please, please just shut the doors and drive! No dice. They load up, smelling like a nasty bar ashtray to give us all 3 minutes of nasal assault. P.U. We arrive at our destination and it is an all out Thomas carnival! Train sets, live music, bounce houses, meats on a stick..... Really cute. Then, the cuteness wore off. I realize I'm in a 1 acre area with about 4000 people. 4000 people that have screaming kids. Sick kids. Kids that don't know how to funcion in public. Yes, I'm in hell. The train ride was so lame. 12 minutes going backwards on a track through woods and the ghetto. Then 12 minutes going back the same way. Nothing like waving at the poor kids in the government apartments with their faces smooshed on a chain fence watching the fun go by. I dubbed it, "Thomas the Train Poverty Tour '10". On the train, kids were coughing, sneezing, blowing their stupid train whistles while their parents were obviously too busy pulling their heads out of their butts to notice. More of the same after the ride. Germs, snot and tears at every turn. I finally called it a day and we headed back to the shuttle. I was beaten. Grossed out. Tired. The kids were coming down from their cotton candy sugar high. The kid seated next to us sounded like a sick goose, his cough was so bad. Then, I hear his dad say, "are you ok?" I'm thinking, no, he sounds like his lungs are about to fly out there, genius. Then he says, "if you need to throw up, let me know." Oh...my...God! Get me off this bus!!!! The things we do as parents. I'd do it all again, just to see that smile on Hud's face. And with that, I need to go bathe in bleach to disinfect myself.

Monday rant

Where do I begin??? Seriously, today was one of those days where everyone I encountered got on my nerves. Henry started in with his 1000 questions as soon as his feet hit the floor. What's for lunch? What's for dinner? When do I graduate? Is tomorrow summer? Will I be a dad next November? OMG kid, my coffee hasn't even kicked in yet! Hud and I then head out into the 36 degree thunderstorm to head to the gym. I always laugh at the irony of the people driving around for a close spot...AT THE GYM! For Pete's sake, walk. So, Hud and I hid under a giant golf umbrella and made it inside. Now, I love my Monday morning class, but man is it full of weirdos! Olivia Newton John is there, always in a flippin' half shirt. Next to her is Joe Cool who is in desperate need of a full torso wax, but insists on wearing print tanks w/ the gigantic arm holes. Chatty Cathy the cell phone girl is still there. There's also a group of old guys I dubbed the Grumpy Old Men, although they don't seem grumpy.
Next, we head back into the crappy weather to the grocery store. Last week, at the deli, I got some middle Eastern guy, fresh off the camel, God love him, who had no clue how to operate the giant slicer wheel. Took me 15 minutes to get 1/2 a pound of turkey. Painful. Well, of course, guess who I got today. Apparently, he only worked last Monday, because that damn slicer got the best of him again today. Head to checkout and the crazy single cat lady saw my bag of cat litter and got all excited, literally squealed, and asked what kind of cat I had. I really thought about telling her it was for my kids b/c potty training just didn't work out for us.
This afternoon, the boys had their martial arts class. It is always a nightmare. I guess it's a great place for all the parents that don't believe in discipline or even just looking at your child like to hang out. There are so many kids that need a boot up their butts, it's unreal! I was also reminded of a very important lesson for all you parents out there. Watch your kid. Even if you just glance their way every 30 seconds or so. Why? Your kid could have been the one today, standing next to my kid, digging up his nose and eating boogers!!! Barf! Where was his mother? Why didn't she give him a snack before class???? Kids are disgusting little creatures that must be watched for this exact reason.
What does that bumper sticker say? The more people I meet, the more I like my dog. There are days, like today, when that couldn't be more true.

Did ya miss me????

Greetings cyberspace. It sure has been a while. I'd pretty much given up on my start up blog, but when my father in law mentioned he missed, well, I figured I'd better get back on it. So, so, so much has happened since my last post (still really missing Big Fella!). I guess we'll go back to October 9th...
Nick took a new job! He's still with Shell, but has taken the leap from HR to Sales. No longer will he be complaining about idiot employees that can't seem to perform their job functions. Now I get to hear all about idiot customers that can't follow the process. I'm really happy for him and I think it was time for a career change for him. I mean, there's only so many times you can repremand an employee for driving on a suspended liscense before your head explodes. With the new job, came a new city. On Nov. 20th we moved into our new home in Frisco. Moving from Houston to Dallas was a nice change. We obviously miss all our friends back in Katy and if I could scoop them all up and bring them here, I would! Dallas is soooo different. It's nice and shiny here. The people are nice and shiny. The buildings are nice and shiny. There is more shopping than a girl can dream of. It's insane! Less humidity also means much better hair days! We got a great house, in a great neighborhood, next to a great school. I've met some fab ladies and am now starting my new social circle here. Again, sure wish I could bring the gulf coast ladies up here!!!
So, we had a crazy holiday season, to say the least. Before I knew it, Christmas was upon us. Oh, and it was a white one! I had spent 2 weeks explaining to them that it doesn't snow at Christmas here, and really not much of anywhere. That's just a trick on tv, I told them. Well, thank you Mother Nature for making me lose all street cred w/ the boys. Geesh!
Henry is doing great. He had a bit of an adjustment period to his new school. His class here is mostly boys and a few of them really need to be sent off to military school, already. I don't think Frisco ISD likes to enforce discipline as much as Katy ISD did. Too bad. I have lunch w/ him every Thursday, then volunteer for an hour w/ his class. There are several kids that need a boot up the butt, and I'd be more than happy to do it. He does have a lovely teacher and has made some nice friends. He's in mixed martial arts as well. He loves it, but all it does is re-enforce the fact that the child is not atheletic. At all. Like, so bad, that my job will be to keep him from being the "goofy kid that fights invisible Star Wars characters in his room" while all the other kids are at sports practice. Actually, I digress. The boy can swim. So, we will for sure try swim team this summer. He's also pretty darn funny, so maybe stand up comedy will be his thing. If not, he'll always be my little Mathlete.
Hudson is doing much better than he was in Katy. I don't know if it's the lack of toxins and smog in the air or what, but he's doing sooooo great. He loves his preschool and hasn't had a bad day yet. He actually likes going! He's also in gymnastics and is quite the little tumbler. Don't get me wrong, he's still mean as hell and we hope to get him into little guy wrestling in the fall to help him channel all that energy.
The pets are all good, in case you were wondering. But, we did lose another 4 legged family member. Bizzy, our beloved, obese orange tabby ran out of the front door one night before Christmas, without us knowing. Well, that was his demise. You see, we moved into the wild woods of north Texas. Our neighborhood apparently has coyotes, bobcats, great horned owls and someone mentioned a mountain lion. Poor baby didn't stand a chance. But, in true Saban style, we quickly added another cat into the mix. We adopted a gray and orange tabby girl. She has a really scratchy voice, so we named her Bea Arthur. So that's 2 cats and a dog that are all just barely a year old and Sophie, that's 8 and a half. Feel sorry for her. She's like the old lady that took the bus to Ft. Lauderdale on Spring Break thinking it was headed for Branson.
That's about it. Same insanity. Same hillarity. Just a bit further north. Now that the dust has settled, I look forward to getting back to my normal posts of Dooterisms, Deuce Bits and my rants on the things that drive me insane. Like the lady at the gym today that actually took a call during our cycle class! Not only did she answer, but she started a conversation! OMG! I seriously considered getting off my back and whacking her in the head w/ my water bottle. I guess she could tell by the look I shot her, b/c she quickly ended the call. Idiot.
Well, see y'all soon!
=

Good bye old friend

Today was a day that I knew was coming, but was never ready for. Big Fella is gone. I know he was just a cat, but he was the coolest cat to roam the Earth. I adopted him from a no kill shelter when he was 2. He had been there since he was 6 weeks old! From day 1, I knew he was special. He gave us lots of giggles. We always joked that he had a hidden opposable thumb because he would easily open cabinets, drawers, doors even the lid to the fish tank. He would sit under the table when we would eat, and if it was shrimp or turkey, you would see a black paw with one claw extended feeling around the edge of the table. We called the claw his cocktail toothpick and he used it to try to stab at bits of food he thought he was getting.
He was also the sweet old soul of the house. He loved to curl up w/ the dogs, cats he didn't care. Anyone that would give him love, he'd be their best friend. He always knew when I was sad and tried to make it all better. He saw me through crappy jobs, crappier boyfriends and all the other bumps on the road of life. Through it all, I knew I could always lay my head down on my pillow at night and that wonderful cat would curl up right next to my head and purr softly to help me sleep.
The last month was a rough one. He started to lose weight. His heart murmur got crazy. Then he stopped really eating. Last week was the last time I heard him purr or meow. He spent the last few days laying around on my bed or in the closet. I knew it was time. My big chatty loveable cat had become small, weak and quiet. I decided to have him put to sleep. Last night was rough. I cried. Nick cried. I cried some more. I prayed for God to take him so I wouldn't have to go through with it. This morning I took Hud to preschool, came home and puttered around the house. I cried. Hard. His appointment was only 30 minutes away. I reluctantly got his carrier out of the garage and put a nice towel in it. I went to my room and petted his head. He was panting by this point. Heart failure. I kissed him gently on the head and cried some more. I went into the kitchen and heard this strange bellow like sound from my room. I rushed in and he was gone. He died at home, on my bed in his favorite spot. I can't believe he went right before we had to leave! I felt like I had been punched in the gut. I am so greatful that my prayer was answered, but I am so devestated. I can't imagine my crazy house without him here. I was so lucky to have such a great cat. I will miss him dearly. He was, afterall, Big Fella.

This morning, as I was leaving to take Hud to school, I reminded him to go say bye to Fella. He leaned in my room and in his little 3 year old voice said, "Bye Fewwa. I miss you.". I couldn't have said it better myself.

Bye Fella. I miss you.

A letter to the Dooter

Well, it is time. The Dooter will become a Kindergartener tomorrow. He's really ready. Me, not so much. The roller coaster of emotions is seriously surprising to me. I can barely talk about it without tears welling up in my eyes and my throat getting tight. I'm so excited for him, but as a mom, I'm so sad that a chapter in his short little life is closing. I can no longer just say, "Let's skip preschool and go to the zoo." I feel like it was just yesterday that I was in the throws of potty training him and now he's off to school. It's gone by so fast. Too fast. I understand now what everyone told me. It's almost like a mourning period. My baby has grown into a kid and I can't go back. I figured the best way for me to deal with all the emotion is to write a letter to him.

My sweet wonderful boy,

I can not believe that you get to go to big kid school tomorrow! It's finally time. I know how excited you are. You have the luckiest teacher in the world because she now has one of the smartest, funniest and sincerest children around in her class. To be honest, I'm a bit jealous. She'll get to hear all of your funny observations throughout the day. She'll get to giggle at all the times you get excited and jump up and down. She'll also get to see your compassion. How you always include everyone and how you always make sure everyone around you is happy.
It seems like just yesterday you were born. You were the tiniest little thing. We had to rush around and find preemie clothes for you to wear because the newborn stuff was just too big. But, my how quickly you grew! Who knew that tiny baby would be one of the biggest kids his age.
Now, that sweet little baby that would wake me up 3 times a night for 2 years is going to school. Let me give you some advice:
1. Don't eat the paste. Seriously. Don't do it. Girls will never forget if you do.
2. Dont' stress too much. After all, it's only kindergarten and you are only 5. Some parents forget that stuff, but I don't. Be a kid. Enjoy it.
3. Be nice to everyone. You will encounter bullies and kids that get picked on. Both sides just need a friend. You are very good at including everyone, so don't ever lose that.
4. No matter how bad your day gets, know that I am patiently waiting to pick you up and give you lots of hugs.
So, tomorrow, as we walk through those big doors, hand in hand, I'm sure it will be you giving me the strength to leave you. Upon entering, I'll be leaving my baby, toddler and preschooler behind and picking up my "kid" at the end of the day. Sure, I'll cry. A lot. But, it's only because I'm so sad to be closing that chapter of your life. It went by too fast and I'll never have it again. But, I'm also looking forward to the person you are becoming. I love you more than you will ever know. Have a great day!

Love,
Mom

The Dooter's Health class

So, there are times when I really don't feel qualified to answer some of Henry's body related questions. Case in point....he thinks that I have a penis, it just broke off and I need to go to the store to get a new one. I have no clue where that came from, but clearly I'm not doing my job correctly.
Exhibit B: On Monday, we were heading up to meet friends to swim. I didn't make the boys wear shirts for the 5 minute car ride. As we're driving, I notice Henry is pulling on his nipple. Nice. I tell him to stop it. He retorts with, "What is this thing?". I tell him it's his nipple, while thinking, "Please Dear Lord, let it stop here.". But, no. He then asks me what they do. I tell him nothing. He asks, "Then why do we have them?". "I don't know. God just has a sense of humor I guess.". He then busts out with, "Do girls have them too?" I tell him yes and quickly yell, "OOOO! Did you see that giant dog run by the car?". That's the best part about little kids. Easily distracted. Later that day, we come home from the pool, and Henry walks in the bathroom while I'm changing. He announces, "Mom, I see your dibs!" I realize by dibs, he means nips, so I ran into the closet.
Exhibit C: We are perched on a bench yesterday morning at the dog park, watching our hounds go nuts. It being somewhat early, and well, it's the dog park, I didn't put any makeup on. Henry looks at my face for a while, then points to the giant zit on my chin and asks, "What's that?". Great. "It's a zit". He asks, "Yeah, but what is it?". I am now trying to explain to a 5 year old the concept of bacteria, stress and a new facial cleanser and how all 3 can jack up your skin. He thinks on it for a minute, and says, "I want a zit!" and starts rubbing his dirty hands all over his face.
That kid cracks me up! =)

Exhaustion, anyone?

There are times when I finally realize that I have pushed myself to the limits. Both mentally and physically. This was one of those weeks. Without getting into too much detail, the boys and I made an emergency trip home for a few days. Came home to an equally busy weekend. I had double the laundry and house work waiting when I got home, add in entertaining some fabulous friends on Saturday night, and having the boys wake me up at 6:30 every day this week and I'm now officially whipped. It was one of those weeks, that most of us moms have, where you feel like all you did was take care of everyone near and dear, except yourself. Again, add in the workaholic husband that is either too busy or too tired to really help. I'm trying hard not to be bitter or blow a gasket. :) I need the relax fairy to decend from the clouds and bring me champagne, fuzzy slippers and a massage. I think I have ventured into venting territory with this entry and you can tell how tired I am by the unorganized all over the place banter. I know the kids did some funny stuff this week, but my mushy brain is failing ot recognize it. Oh, and add in the overwhelming sadness I get when I think about Henry starting kindergarten in 2 weeks. I need September to get here. Could sure use some college football distraction.