Various

I need more time in the day I think (proof would be that I started this particular entry over a week ago). Or at least I need more energy. And a better memory. I have been meaning to update more from my time off and it seems time keeps getting away from me so here is a very, very quick rundown.

For Christmas, Hubs bought me this:

And I love it! My Christmas photos, the critter photos and any of the recent kids photos were taken with this camera. I just wish I had more time to play with it.  And that I could remember to take it on days I really intended on taking it!

For our anniversary/Christmas gift, he bought me this:

He knew that I had been looking for the last 5 years or so for the perfect (for me) set. While the ring he put on my finger 14 years ago will always be special to me, I wanted a set that I absolutely loved, one that I knew would be my final set. I found this one a little over a year ago and fell in love with it. I sat back and watch and waited, hoping that it would be brought out in a smaller version but it never was. He surprised me with it just before our anniversary. I was ecstatic. I've been wearing them 6 months now and they still catch me by surprise.

We have managed to cruise through the last couple of months fairly easily. Belle and Brady finished their basketball seasons. Unfortunately Belle didn't make the spring league for the middle school which was very disappointing. We have three weeks of school left and I will have two kids in junior high and one in sixth grade. Where does all this time go? And who decided it needed to move so fast? Bryce is 5'6" at 13 years old. Belle is 5'2" at 12. Both of them are now taller than I am. So. Un. Fair. 

May is determined to keep us busy. We have a strings pizza party for Belle and Brady for practicing, a strings party for Belle for graduating out of the elementary school strings program, a trip to Holiday World for all three kids (on the same day wooohoooo) for their end of the year celebration, and a strings camp for Belle and Brady, which Hubs has agreed to chaperone. 

I hate how much I haven't blogged over the last year. I feel like there is so much I'm going to forget by not writing it down and sharing. Hopefully that will change over the next few weeks, or at least that's my intention. Hopefully I will be back later this week with more pictures.

More Pictures

 Building a snowman

 Working hard

Gotta make a snowball

 Still working hard

 Finished product

With snow seats we had to build

Here it comes!

The snow was deeper than she was tall...I love those ears!

Gotta catch him

Still chasing

Getting closer

 Almost got him

Back to Belle

Deep in thought

Watching the work

The finished snowman

Wearing Bryce's boots because they were convenient....they were HUGE!

Still more pictures to come as time allows and hopefully a story or two...

Pictures As Promised

 10th birthday

 Spike

 12th birthday

 13th birthday

 First Christmas

 New hat

 Sleepy

 Bashful

 Christmas morning

 Christmas morning

 Christmas morning

 Christmas morning

 Christmas morning

 A lesson

 Morning nap

 Mandatory putting the toy together

 Trying to hide

Naptime

More to come...

First Time Ever!

My Christmas cactus that I bought 5 years ago had one bud come out last year but it never open up. Eventually it fell off and I was heartbroken. This year, not only did I have one bud but 5! After watching it daily for weeks, this one finally opened up and two more are right behind it. For those that know about Christmas cactus, this one is not a forced bloom but come out on it's own. Awesome!

A New Year, A New Post

Wow. I cannot believe how fast time is passing me by. Over the last few months, Brady was injured in a football practice (not bad but enough to end his season), Belle turned twelve and Bryce turned thirteen. I am now the parent of a teenager! How did that happen? When did that happen? At what point did time skip 10 years from when I had three kids under the age of 4? Hubby has taken a new job. We have been through Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I have not put up a single post about life in the Shortymom household! I'm horrible!

So I'm here to update.

Brady dislocated his ring finger during a football practice before the last ballgame. This dislocation was so bad that we initially thought that it could possible be broken. So we raced to the emergency room where it was eventually put back into place, given a splint and the official word that his football season was over. For us, the end of the season was a relief after a drama filled season full of disappointment from him and us. Because this is a small town, I cannot go into full detail but we we/are very disappointed on how things went on the football field. So much so that Brady was willing to quit at a couple of different points. He is fully healed now, active in basketball season but unfortunately his finger will never be "normal" again. The size of his knuckle has never gone back down to it's original size and probably never will. We are grateful that it was a minor injury compared to what it could be.

A couple of weeks later was the beginning of basketball practices. Four practices a week between Brady and Belle on four different nights has been keeping me busy. So far Belle's team has lost one game (this past weekend). Brady's team isn't undefeated but he's actually learned more this season than he has previous seasons so we were excited. We were excited to learn that he had a new coach this year, one who works with all of the boys and not just some of them.

Then we came to Belle's and Bryce's birthdays. They each had friends come over (different nights, whew!) and spend the night at the house. I'm still reeling from the fact that I have a teenager and one that's toeing that line. Just doesn't seem right! Their birthdays are so close to Halloween that there wasn't any time for breathing before we raced out to go trick or treating. Bryce didn't trick or treat this year but rode in the car with Hubs, Brady went as yet another ninja, and Belle. Belle was my difficult child this year. Belle wanted to be Chuckie this year from the Child's Play movies, movies she's never seen mind you. Unfortunately we just couldn't get all of the details worked out so we bought a mask and a wig and she went as some zombie thing that really doesn't have a name. They had fun and that was all that mattered.

November brought us a whirlwind of basketball activities, science projects, book projects and getting ready for Thanksgiving that I won't bore you with. Hubby found a new job in the middle of all of this. A job that allows him to be home a lot more often. He is currently working for a job that allows him to stay over night two nights in Tennessee spread out during the week so he's not gone consecutive days. This means he's home all weekend plus another day during the week. We were excited that it finally worked out for him to find a local job allowing him to be home basically full time. Of course we have had our battles during the adjustment but nowhere near some of the battles we've had in the past adjustments. Awesome!

December found us scrambling as we were still running basketball up until the week before Christmas and trying to get the shopping done. There were days I felt as though I hadn't stopped for weeks trying to get everything situated. I didn't even get the tree up until two weeks before Christmas things were so hectic. Unfortunately during all this running, we started getting sick. By Christmas, Belle was improving from a nasty cold she had picked up, I had it full force and Hubs was just starting to catch it. This didn't keep us from having a great Christmas (a white Christmas!). I will have pictures to post soon to catch up visually on all that has gone on. New Years Eve found us in bed by 9:30pm and passed out cold at midnight thanks to the wonderful sickness. Just so much entertainment at our house!

Just last week we had a rescheduled strings concert. We also picked up basketball practices again and had our first game this past weekend. I hope to have pictures up over the next couple of days of some of the things missed over the past few months. Then maybe I can get into the habit of updating regularly again.

Life

Life for me has been all over the map the last few months. I had every intention on posting more as I felt better. And I do feel better. And I don't. I don't hurt every month like I used to. I don't hurt in between cycles every month either. And as always there is a but. But my leg still hurts and my bones still hurt. I reported both at my last follow up visit and was referred back to my family doctor but I haven't made the appointment. I'm stalling. Again. But I feel my time back will be too soon. I also felt like every time I went to post something it was also negative. I was not necessarily a gripe but a post that would end up being a downer. That wasn't what I wanted. For now, let me bring you up to date.

Before I even got my freedom to drive two weeks after my surgery, Hubby had signed the kids up for church softball. Bryce and Belle were on an older youth team (but not the oldest) and Brady was on the younger youth team which also happened to be coach pitched. So for a while I was spending at least two nights a week in my chair at the softball fields watching practices and games. The kids were great helping carry my chair to the fields so that I didn't and had a blast playing the game. Brady's team went on to win their championship game.

I mentioned back in the winter that we came home from a basketball game to find a dog sitting under our carport. Well she never left and we finally named her Daisy. She has become a part of our home and I finally took a minute to take her picture and share her with you.Sorry for the poor quality of the picture. She is not a photogenic animal and I was using my cell phone. Two negatives when trying to take a picture. Unfortunately, my camera has officially bit the dust and I have not been able to get me another one and don't see one in the future. We'll see what happens.

Hubby has been trying since Christmas to get me a Himalayan kitten but the friend of ours that was breeding them had decided to stop. Then she decided to have a couple of more litters. So right after Mother's Day she sent him a message on facebook to let him know that she had a little boy, three months old that she had been unable to find a home for. She was willing to let him go for a small fortune as opposed to a huge fortune. Not that I'm saying he wasn't worth it. Just saying I've never been one to pay for a pet of any kind. Anyhoo, this is Sebastian: Yes his is as sweet as he looks. It took him some time to adjust to everyone but now he goes about his business without a second thought to anything or anyone around him.

Not long after we got him, school started. The end of July brought us to the kids back to school nights. Belle and Brady had their night first and were very pleased with their teachers and classmates. It was at their night that I found out the middle school had a new band director. Not only did they have a new band director that Bryce would be under but he was also a guy that I went to school with. A guy who happened to marry the girl who was my maid of honor! I was truly excited! Bryce and I went to his back to school night alone as Mom took Belle and Brady to a softball game. We toured the school, met his teachers and found our way to each and every class so that he would know what to do on the first day. Not only did he have a good friend of mine for a band director but his Social Studies teacher was also one of my teachers in elementary school so I felt a little better. Words cannot describe how nervous I was that first day. I think I was more nervous than he was. I couldn't help but wonder if he made it to his classes correctly and on time. He came home and reported a good day. Whew! With the start of school came the next round of running. Softball ended the first week of school but that brought us to the beginning of everything else. Football season started for Brady. His third game of the season will be tomorrow night, a make up game from where they were rained out a couple of weeks ago. Belle decided she did not want to cheer this year and still put up an argument to play football. I shot it down only for her to find out there are like three other girls playing this year. She was not happy with me. Bryce decided that he was not trying out for basketball but did try out for the fall baseball team. He was truly disappointed when he was cut on the first day. I felt sorry for him but was not as disappointed as he was.

Last week, Sebastian's Mom sent Hubby another message on facebook. She has decided that she has had her last litter of kittens and was looking for a good home for one of her mama cats and her kitten. I was up in the air over it. I had 3 kids, 3 dogs and 3 cats. I felt we were running good with the number three. But cats! I love cats! And I still ache for babies. So she gave us Abi who is two:

And Ginger who is 3 months old (she is the white one):

So we have Chi Chi, who is 4, Gracie who is 3 and Daisy which we don't know how old she is but figure she is an older dog. Then we have Zeus who is also 3, Callie 2, Abi 2, Sebastian 4 months and Ginger 3 months. Then don't forget the three children who are so close to being teens they can practically taste it, especially Bryce who turns 13 next month.

Oh and this past Friday? My baby turned ten! That is so not right! I tried all day to correct him but he insists that he is 10 and not 2. I went to school Friday morning and had breakfast with him. Then I met up with Hubby so he could take me to work and he could go back to school and have lunch with Brady (think I've failed to mention that my van is out of commission for the time being). Brady had a friend spend the night, rented movies, had pizza, cake and ice cream. We also got to put four sugared-up kids to bed fairly early for a sleep over since the friend's Mom had already made plans for Saturday that required him being picked up at 8.

That brings me up to this point. I'm pretty sure I've missed something in there and eventually will remember and bring it up. Now I'm going to get ready for bed so that I can start another week tomorrow. And hopefully I'll be back around soon for another post.